Digital Commons Network^™

Developing A Novel Place Preference Assay To Compare Drosophila Species Over Time, Martha M. Brinson

Honors Theses

Across phylogeny, integration of external factors, memory, and internal states of the organism dictate organismal behavior and mechanisms. The underlying genetic components can affect these behaviors such as in genomic changes arising from speciation. In this thesis, a new place preference assay was evaluated in the analysis and investigation of two species of Drosophila flies (D. melanogaster and D. simulans) to measure similarities and differences and their attraction to two different food substrates. Sleep and circadian measurements were also recorded during experimentation. The Drosophila Activity Monitor 5M (DAM5M) System and Sleep Circadian Analysis MATLAB Program (SCAMP) analysis were …

Cache Like A Squirrel: Effects Of Long Term Storage On Crude Fat Content Of Q. Palustris And Q. Alba Acorns, Cheyenne T. Villarosa, Sabrina Volponi, Timothy A. Kreps, Tamara L. Johnstone-Yellin

Honors Projects

Quercus palustris and Quercus alba acorns are a primary component in many wild animal diets, particularly during preparation for winter. As such, they provide a natural, easily gathered food staple for wildlife recovering in rehabilitation facilities. We examined whether collection and temperature-controlled storage methods differentially affect the nutritional deterioration of crude fat in acorns to assess both caching by wildlife and to provide recommendations to rehabilitators. We collected acorns from Q. palustris in 2020 (N=8) and Q. alba in 2017 (N=11) in Bridgewater, VA, USA. Acorns were dried for 7 days using a fan or for 30 minutes in an …

Determining The Distribution Of Elemental Compounds And Oxidative Potential Across Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) Filters, Allie Michelle Sidwell

Honors Theses

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is a complex mixture of particles and sorbed chemicals that poses serious, adverse effects on human health such as increasing cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality. There is ongoing research into the impacts of PM_2.5 of differing chemical compositions, sampling location, and the mechanisms for the observed health effects. To conduct these analytical and toxicology studies of PM_2.5, researchers often split filters into sections. This process allows multiple, often destructive, assays to be performed. Our previous research showed chemical composition differences across PM_2.5 filters. The goal of our study was …

Detection And Occurrence Of Nerodia Harteri (Serpentes: Colubridae) In An Upper Portion Of The Brazos River Watershed, Jessica Yates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Semiaquatic snakes are disproportionately impacted by habitat alteration adjacent to wetlands because of their reliance on both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Brazos River Watersnakes, Nerodia harteri, are endemic natricines with one of the most restricted geographic ranges in North America. I quantified detection and site occupancy probabilities of N. harteri and its sympatric congeners (N. erythrogaster and N. rhombifer), as well as microhabitat selection within the Nerodia community. Within occupied transects, search effort was positively correlated with detecting N. harteri, whereas environmental and/or habitat variables were better predictors for detecting the sympatric congeners. Microhabitat selection between …

Isolation Of Arabidopsis Thaliana Plants Homozygous For An Insertional Inactivation Mutation Within Atprp4., Sydney Raitz, Timothy D. Trott

Faculty Works

The AtPRP4 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana has been shown to function in several specific parts of the plant’s cell wall. It is shown to be expressed in the seeds, radicles, roots, leaves, inflorescences, and embryos of Arabidopsis thaliana. These patterns have suggested unique functions for ATPRP4 in determining cell-type-specific wall structure during the development of a plant as well as contributing to defense reactions against physical damage to the plant and pathogen infection within the plant. In this study, a simple DNA prep was performed on the true leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana. Subsequent PCR reactions were performed using …

Detecting Potentially Neurotoxic Pseudo-Nitzschia Species In The Grand Strand Area, Chesney Price

Honors Theses

Pseudo-nitzschia is a globally distributed diatom genus which contains 26 neurotoxin (domoic-acid) producing species. In shallow coastal waters these diatoms are associated with both the development of harmful algal blooms and the bio-accumulation of toxins in shellfish that can impact human health. Pilot data recovered in 2018 indicated the presence of multiple species of Pseudo-nitzschia, including domoic-acid producing taxa. We hypothesize that we will recover a similar species diversity using multiple sampling dates during the summer of 2021. Environmental DNA (eDNA) samples taken from the public shellfish harvesting area waters at Huntington Beach State Park (SC) over a two month …

Integrating Radio Telemetry And Accelerometry To Evaluate The Scale-Dependent Effects Of Roadways On The Movement Patterns Of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus), Anna F. Tipton

Biology Theses

Roadways are among the most widespread and disruptive anthropogenic land use features that influence the behavior and movement of wildlife. Negative impacts such as vehicle-induced mortality, habitat destruction and fragmentation, and the creation of barriers to movement have been well documented across taxa, but the fine-scale behavioral impact of roadways on smaller, cryptic species has yet to be directly examined. Using a novel integration of radio telemetry and tri-axial accelerometry, we evaluated the movement response of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) to roadways in central Georgia. We quantified individual C. horridus movement and space use with both radio telemetry …

Fire And Periodical Cicadas: Impacts On Soil Nutrients And Understory Plant Germination, Andrea Gamache

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Purpose

A compound disturbance, composed of a prescribed fire and a periodical cicada emergence, occurred in northern Georgia in the summer of 2021. Independently these disturbances have substantial effects on the surrounding ecosystems. This study investigated the collective impact on soil composition and seed germination.

Methods

Through the soil analysis of cicada turrets, burned soil, and unburned soil, we hope to understand the composition of each soil type. Additionally, a 2 x 2 factorial study was performed with those same samples, providing insight into the impact on seed germination these disturbances have. The two factors were between burned and unburned …

Theoretical Aspects Of Calculation Of Photocurrent In Structures With Periodically Spaced Heterinclusions, R. Аyukhanov, A. Uteniyazov, S. Farmonov, N. Shernazarov

Karakalpak Scientific Journal

The processes of excitation of photoconductivity in structures with heteroinclusions with a band gap greater than the band gap of the base material of the matrix have been studied. Structures are studied when such macroinclusions are located periodically and are located at distances equal to the size of the inclusions. A technique has been developed and analytical expressions have been derived for calculating the photocurrent and specific photoconductivity in such structures.

Injection Depletion Effect In Semiconductors With Pair Impurity Complexes, A. Yu. Leyderman, A. Uteniyazov, R. Turmanova, M. Dauletbayev

Karakalpak Scientific Journal

The possibility of realizing the effect of injection depletion in a ⁺ -structure made on the basis of a semiconductor with paired donor-acceptor complexes is considered. It is shown that the appearance of this effect is possible under conditions of almost complete compensation of the shallow dopant donor impurity by the charge of the acceptor component of the pair complex. A necessary condition is also a strong asymmetry of the coefficients of capture of holes at the acceptor level in comparison with the coefficient of capture of electrons at the donor level.

Nonlinear Photoelasticity Processes Near Resonances At The Frequency Of Electronic Transitions From Deep Levels To The Conduction Zone, R. Аyukhanov, A. Uteniyazov, S. Farmonov, N. Shernazarov

Karakalpak Scientific Journal

The phenomenon of nonlinear photoelasticity, which consists of the occurrence of nonlinear photoelasticity coefficients comparable in magnitude to linear ones near the electronic resonance between the deep impurity levels and the bottom of the conduction zone, is considered theoretically. Analytical expressions for the Fourier decomposition coefficients of the dielectric permittivity of the crystal in the phase of the sound wave, which are proportional to the photoelasticity coefficients, are obtained. A general criterion for the nonlinear photoelasticity effect in the investigated frequency region is found numerically. It is shown that high deformation potentials of deep levels stimulate the appearance of this …

A Machine Learning Based Approach To Detect The Ethereum Fraud Transactions With Limited Attributes, Rabia Musheer Aziz, Mohammed Farhan Baluch, Sarthak Patel, Pavan Kumar

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Ethereum smart contracts have recently received new commercial applications and a lot of attention from the scientific community. Ethereum eliminates the requirement for a trusted third party by allowing untrusted parties to expose contract details in computer code. Nonetheless, as online commerce grows, plenty of fraudulent activities, such as money laundering, bribery, and phishing, emerge as major threats to trade security. For correctly recognizing fraudulent transactions, this paper developed a Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM) technique-based model. The modified LGBM model optimized the parameters of Light GBM using the Euclidean distant structured estimation approach. This paper also examines the performance …

A Bi-Level Data Lowering Method To Minimize Transferring Big Data In The Sensors Of Iot Applications, Ali Kadhum M. Al-Qurabat, Ali Kadhum Idrees, Abdallah Makhoul, Chady Abou Jaoude

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In the IoT era, the number of devices connected to it continues to grow significantly. This can lead to an increase in the amount of reported data by these IoT devices. The reported data by the Sensor Nodes (SNs) to the Gateway (GW) drives these IoT sensors to consume their energy and storage. These problems can be solved by reducing the amount of data in the source nodes in order to reduce both the amount of energy consumed and the amount of storage required. Energy consumption represents one aspect of the Quality of Service (QoS) in the sensor nodes of …

An Economical Source For Peroxidase: Maize Cobs, Hathama Razooki Hasan, Ali Waleed Al- Ani

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

According to the current situation of peroxidase (POD), the relevant studies on this enzyme indicated its importance as a tool in clinical biochemistry and different industrial fields. Most of these studies used the fruits and vegetables as source of this enzyme. So that in order to couple the growing requirements for POD with the recent demands for reduc-ing disposal volume by recycling the plant waste, the aim of the present study was to extract POD through management of municipal bio-waste of Iraqi maize species. A simple, green and economical method was used to extract this enzyme. Our results revealed that …

Efficient Removal Of Common Organic Pollutants From Water By Zn-Doped Tio2 Nanoparticles With Different Applications, Khaled Elgendy, Ibrahim Elmehasseb, Saleh Kandil

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Water purification via adsorption without energy consumption was considered a green process. Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were fabricated by the Sol-gel method and characterized by different analysis techniques. Zinc doping of TiO2 increases the surface area to 26.7m2g-1 with adsorption results, 75.1%, 71.1%, and 68.2% for methylene blue, ofloxacin, and SLS, respectively. Variable affecting factors on adsorption have been studied. The adsorption behavior fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich equations than Temkin isotherm, indicating the preferred heterogeneous adsorption at equivalent adsorbent sites. The application of nanoparticles in many synthetic specimens of pollutants gave excellent removal results, which exceeded 75% of detoxification.

Synthesis Of Cuo/Zno And Mgo/Zno Core/Shell Nanoparticles With Plasma Jets And Study Of Their Structural And Optical Properties, Raghad S. Mohammed, Kadhim A. Aadim, Khalid A. Ahmed

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This paper reports the synthesis of CuO/ZnO and MgO/ZnO core/shell nanoparticles using atmospheric plasma jets. The characterization of the synthesized CuO/ZnO and MgO/ZnO core/shell nanoparticles were confirmed by a series of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The XRD analysis confirmed no other peaks related to the secondary phases for CuO, MgO, or ZnO, indicating the purity of these nanoparticles. Additionally, EDX analysis confirmed the formation of high purity CuO/ZnO and MgO/ZnO core/shell nanoparticles. The surface morphology, which represented the high agglomeration rate, was investigated using …

Numerical Analysis Of A Silicon-Based Electro-Optic Modulator, Mario Alberto García-Ramírez, Orfil González-Reynoso, Everardo Vargas-Rodríguez, Miguel Angel Bello-Jiménez, Abel García-Barrientos

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

A phase shift electro-optic semiconductor structure that features a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) is numerically analyzed. The interferometer structure considers a highly-doped Si-based waveguide that can control the phase shift by varying the refractive index through the carrier concentration while applying a control voltage. To analyze the structure, Kramers-Kronig dispersion relations, the effective index method and the Drude model are implemented within a finite element software. As a result, for an optical waveguide structure with a 9 mm length and 10 V, it is possible to obtain a phase shift by that allows, at the output of the MZI, total interference …

Partial Pseudo-Random Hashing For Transactional Memory Read/Write Data Processing And Validation, G M Sridevi, Ashoka D V, B V Ajay Prakash

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Development of a bypass parallel processing block is one of the emerging and interesting research areas in memory read/write application domain. Many Random Number Generation (RNG) techniques have been introduced for processing the data in storage memory. But the limitations include reduced efficiency, increased computational complexity, high area consumption and higher cost. This paper presents a novel dynamic memory register with optimal XOR design based on partial pseudo-random hashing to process transactional memory read/write data. Transfer characteristics of the current are analysed based on the pseudo differential pair for proficient memory utilization. A memory window is then created and adjusted …

A Content-Based File Identification Dataset: Collection, Construction, And Evaluation, Saja Dheyaa Khudhur, Hassan Awheed Jeiad

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

File-Type Identification (FTI) is one of the essential functions that can be performed by examining the data blocks' magic numbers. However, this examination leads to a challenge when a file is corrupt, or these magic numbers are missing. Content-based analytics is the best way for file type identification when the magic numbers are not available. This paper prepares and presents a content-based dataset for eight common types of files based on twelve features. We designed our dataset to be used for supervised and unsupervised machine learning models. It provides the ability to classify and cluster these types into two levels, …

Nigella Sativa Methanol Extract Inhibits Pc-3 Cell Line Colonization, Induced Apoptosis, And Modulated Lc3-Based Autophagy, Yusuf Toy, Merve Kivrik, Marwa H. Alkhafaji, Aryan M. Faraj, Ibrahim H. Gecibesler, Can A. Ağca

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Nigella sativa has various pharmacological properties and has been used throughout history for a variety of reasons. However, there is limited data about the effects of Nigella sativa (NS) on human cancer cells. This study aimed at observing the roles of methanolic extract of N. sativa on apoptosis and autophagy pathway in the Human PC3 (prostate cancer) cell line. The cell viability was checked by MTT assay. Clonogenic assay was performed to demonstrate clonogenicity and Western blot was used to check caspase-3, TIGAR, p53, and LC3 protein expression. The results demonstrated that PC3 cell proliferation was inhibited, caspase-3 and p53 …

Ultrasound-Assisted Dibutyl Phthalate Nanocapsules Preparation And Its Application As Corrosion Inhibition Coatings, Uday Bagale, Ammar Kadi, Irina Potoroko, Vinay Rangari, Minakshi Mahale

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The current research employs an encapsulation of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) as a corrosion inhibitor in situ polymerization using a sonochemical method to form nanocapsules. The prepared nanocapsules were characterization by using Malvern particle size, Fouri-er transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM), and thermal and mechanical test to check particle size, morphology, and stability of nanocapsules. Later prepared DBP nanocapsules were incorporated in standard epoxy coating to check its corrosion inhibition resistance. The results show that nanocapsules are spherical, with an average particle size of 337 nm. Scratch nanocapsules epoxy coating shows improves coating …

Heterogeneous Catalytic Degradation Of Dye By Fenton-Like Oxidation Over A Continuous System Based On Box–Behnken Design And Traditional Batch Experiments, Imad M. Luaibi, Mohammed A. Atiya, Ahmed K. Hassan, Zainab A. Mahmoud

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In this study, iron was coupled with copper to form a bimetallic compound through a biosynthetic method, which was then used as a catalyst in the Fenton-like processes for removing direct Blue 15 dye (DB15) from aqueous solution. Characterization techniques were applied on the resultant nanoparticles such as SEM, BET, EDAX, FT-IR, XRD, and zeta potential. Specifically, the rounded and shaped as spherical nanoparticles were found for green synthesized iron/copper nanoparticles (G-Fe/Cu NPs) with the size ranging from 32-59 nm, and the surface area was 4.452 m2/g. The effect of different experimental factors was studied in both batch and continuous …

Optical Measurement And Performance Prediction Of Solar Pv System In Al-Khidhir Zone/Iraq, Faten Sh. Zainulabdeen, Jaber O. Dahloos, Ahmed F. Atwan, Naseer K. Kasim

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

People have tended for investing the sources of renewable energy, especially solar energy, as they are clean and environmentally friendly sources. The present work aims to invest the measured data of solar irradiance, maximum ambient temperatures and wind speed provided by Al Khidhir Meteorological Station to predict the minimum performance of photovoltaic solar systems (NT-R0E3E-SHARP) for electric power generation. The single diode model is used to calculate the minimum output power produced by solar module and its minimum conversion efficiency based on soalr irradiance, maximum ambient temperatures and wind speed throughout 2020. The results indicate that the annual solar irradiance …

Effect Of Mycorrhizae Inoculation On The Growth And Success Of Three Taxodium Distichum Hybrids In Saline - Impacted Coastal Soils, Elif Ilhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2008, Galveston Island was severely impacted by Hurricane Ike, resulting in high salt deposition in the soil and groundwater. This caused a loss of many native plant species. A study was initiated to determine effective ways to promote the growth conditions of three bald cypress genotypes (Taxodium distichum var distichum and Taxodium distichum var mexicanum crosses) in salt-affected soils. The treatments applied were mycorrhizae inoculation, fertilizer application, and a combination of mycorrhizae inoculation and fertilizer application. A total of sixty (60) trees planted in plots of three rows and divided into five randomized replication blocks of four treatments …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Temperature And Other Environmental Factors On Microorganismal Productivity Within Aquatic Ecosystems Using Long-Term Data From Various Lter And Ilter Sites, Andrew Dorbu

Theses and Dissertations

Global climate change is a phenomenon resulting in more extreme weather patterns and species diversity loss. In this study, I explore the impacts of climate change on regional patterns of microbial productivity. Variation in microbial productivity was explained using temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen as predictors in regression models with data from the LTER and iLTER network of sites that ranged from the poles to the equator. I found a positive relationship between temperature and productivity. Antarctica and Arctic sites exhibited the strongest positive relationships supporting prior research demonstrating temperature as one of the driving forces of productivity change in …

Using Wgcna To Examine Rnaseq Expression Data In The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Patrick Clouser, Jason Podrabsky

Student Research Symposium

Annual killifish (Austrofundulus limnaeus) live in ephemeral ponds of Venezuela. They have evolved a unique life history that includes experience embryonic diapause; a period of developmental dormancy and metabolic arrest that supports survival during the dry season. Developing and diapausing embryos are extremely resistant to environmental stresses; for example, they can survive for months without oxygen (anoxia). A. limnaeus’ tolerance to anoxia is an important survival mechanism as they can spend months buried in anoxic soil during development. I hypothesize that this extreme anoxia tolerance is supported by gene expression networks that are different from typical vertebrates. To evaluate this …

How Are Changes In Temperature And Salinity Impacting Intertidal Mussels?, Casey A. Martin

Student Research Symposium

Marine organisms living within the intertidal zones, such as mussels, experience a wide range of environmental conditions every day. Due to Climate change, these environments are transforming in such a way that may impact a mussels ability to successfully reproduce, grow, and live. Previous studies have shown that successful gamete development in freshwater mussels has been linked to temperature and species behavior has been observed to be influenced by salinity levels. In order to test the impact of temperature and salinity on mussel physiology, mussels were exposed to several treatments with varying conditions. Those conditions included a combination of a …

Mutant Viruses From Hell: Comparing The Capsid Structure Of Vp1 Mutants To The Wild-Type, Jenni Tran, Thejanee Liyanaarachchi, Ignacio De La Higuera, Jono Abshier, Ken Stedman

Student Research Symposium

Viruses can be defined as genetic material tightly packed in a protein coat called the capsid. The spindle-shaped fuselloviruses are found worldwide in hot springs at over 80°C and below pH 4. Sulfolobus spindle-shaped virus 1 (SSV1) is a fusellovirus known to infect the archaea, Saccharolobus solfataricus. This research will provide further insights into the survival of macromolecules, particularly proteins, that are present in extreme environments. To study the interaction of proteins within these extreme environments, we are studying the capsid structure of SSV1. The capsid of SSV1 is composed of two main proteins, VP1 (major) and VP3 (minor). There …

Characterizing The Functional Role Of Transcription Factor E In Archaeal Transcription, Madolyn Hofstetter, Michael Bartlett

Student Research Symposium

Archaea and eukaryotes share many homologous proteins and essential mechanisms for survival and DNA replication. It is proposed that Archaea are the ancestors of eukaryotes, suggesting that eukaryotic transcription evolved from the basic archaeal mechanisms. By studying the fundamentals of archaeal transcription, we are in turn understanding more about how eukaryotic transcription functions. Many human diseases are linked to mishaps and mutations in the process of transcribing DNA to mRNA, so it is essential to explore structures and how mutations in these structures affect the essential function of transcription, and if these mutations also play a role in human disease.

An Investigation Of Microbial Symbiosis In Vertebrate Embryonic Diapause Using Austrofundulus Limnaeus As A Model, Jose Camara-Lavadores

Student Research Symposium

Studies emphasizing the crucial dynamic between multicellular organisms and microbes continue to broaden our understanding on how these relationships lead to pathogenicity or mutual benefit. Many studies show that microbes can aid hosts through a variety of mechanisms including: metabolism, neuro development, physical performance, and behavior. In this study we aim to characterize the microbiota of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus, and investigate the potential role that microbes may have in supporting embryonic diapause. Diapausing embryos can survive extreme environmental stresses such as anoxia, drought, and fluctuating osmolarity and pH. Understanding the potential role that microbes may play in …