Digital Commons Network^™

Session C-1: Ecosystem Disruption: Using Lab And Real-World Examples To Bring Changes In Earth’S Ecosystems To Life, Crystal Randall, Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Sowmya Anjur, Don Dosch

Professional Learning Day

The magnitude of the changes occurring in Earth’s ecosystems seems difficult to tackle in the classroom and lab. Here we explore ways to demonstrate the changes in the Earth’s water and carbon cycles in the lab and bring them to life in real-world ecosystems in the classroom.

Conversations With Gunanurang, Lawrence Smith

Landscapes: the Journal of the International Centre for Landscape and Language

Gunanurang (the Ord River) nurtured some of the original Australians productively for millennia. In less than 150 years, their relationship with the river valley and surrounding land was almost destroyed by the effects of the east Kimberley cattle industry commenced in the 1880s. The biological and archaeological surveys before and during the filling of the Lake Argyle dam were a belated attempt to understand what was being lost in the way of ecosystems and aboriginal sites. This short essay encapsulates the impact of the pastoral industry in the Ord valley.

Hydrodynamic Loading In Concomitance With Exogenous Cytokine Stimulation Modulates Differentiation Of Bovine Mesenchymal Stem Cells Towards Osteochondral Lineages, Stephen M. Goldman, Gilda A. Barabino

Publications and Research

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are viewed as a having significant potential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine therapies. Clinical implementation of MSCs, however, demands that their preparation be stable and reproducible. Given that environmental and bioprocessing parameters such as substrate stiffness, seeding densities, culture medium composition, and mechanical loading can result in undirected differentiation of the MSC population, the objective of this study was to systematically investigate how hydrodynamic loading influences the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) towards the osteochondral lineages both in the presence and absence of exogenous, inductive factors.

Methods: Expanded bovine MSCs were …

05. Chemistry, Northeastern State University

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of In Vitro Cultivation On The Transcriptome Of Adult Brugia Malayi, Cristina Ballesteros, Lucienne Tritten, Maeghan O'Neill, Erica Burkman, Weam I. Zaky, Jianguo Xia, Andrew Moorhead, Steven A. Williams, Timothy G. Geary

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Filarial nematodes cause serious and debilitating infections in human populations of tropical countries, contributing to an entrenched cycle of poverty. Only one human filarial parasite, Brugia malayi, can be maintained in rodents in the laboratory setting. It has been a widely used model organism in experiments that employ culture systems, the impact of which on the worms is unknown.

The Effect Of In Vitro Cultivation On The Transcriptome Of Adult Brugia Malayi, Cristina Ballesteros, Lucienne Tritten, Maeghan O’Neill, Erica Burkman, Weam I. Zaky, Jianguo Xia, Andrew Moorhead, Steven A. Williams, Timothy G. Geary

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Infections with filarial worms cause serious physical impairment and affect tens of millions of people in tropical and subtropical countries. To better understand the biology and phar- macology of these parasites, Brugia malayi is often used as a model. This parasite can be maintained in the laboratory in Mongolian jirds, enabling researchers to test drugs in vivoand in vitro, among other studies. The effects of removing worms from their hosts and cul- turing them may affect many aspects of their physiology, including response to drugs, but the extent to which the worms undergo changes during culture has remained unknown. Using …

03. Biology, Northeastern State University

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Virus–Host Interactions: Insights From The Replication Cycle Of The Large Paramecium Bursaria Chlorella Virus, Elad Milrot, Yael Mutsafi, Yael Fridmann-Sirkis, Eyal Shimoni, Katya Rechav, James Gurnon, James L. Van Etten, Abraham Minsky

James Van Etten Publications

The increasing interest in cytoplasmic factories generated by eukaryotic-infecting viruses stems from the realization that these highly ordered assemblies may contribute fundamental novel insights to the functional significance of order in cellular biology. Here, we report the formation process and structural features of the cytoplasmic factories of the large dsDNA virus Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1). By combining diverse imaging techniques, including scanning transmission electron microscopy tomography and focused ion beam technologies, we show that the architecture and mode of formation of PBCV-1 factories are significantly different from those generated by their evolutionary relatives Vaccinia and Mimivirus. Specifically, PBCV-1 …

Lycium Barbarum L. (Goji Berry) Fruits Improve Anxiety, Depression-Like Behaviors, And Learning Performance: The Moderating Role Of Sex, Fatma Pehli̇van Karakaş, Hami̇t Coşkun, Kadi̇r Sağlam, Bi̇hter Gökçe Bozat

Turkish Journal of Biology

The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of the methanol extract obtained from Lycium barbarum fruits on anxiety, depression-like behaviors, and spatial memory in Wistar albino rats. A total of 28 rats were selected, randomly assigned to four experimental groups, and tested by means of the open field and elevated plus maze tests for anxiety-like behaviors, the forced swim test for depression-like behaviors, and the Morris water maze test for spatial memory. The findings demonstrated that in the open field, L. Barbarum-administered rats spent more time at the center and showed more mobility and velocity than controls. …

Underlying Mechanisms And Prospects Of Heart Regeneration, Gali̇p Servet Aslan, Dudu Gonca Misir, Fati̇h Kocabaş

Turkish Journal of Biology

Findings in the last decade suggest that there is a considerable amount of cardiomyocyte turnover in the human heart throughout life, albeit not sufficient for heart regeneration following myocardial infarctions. Only a few species are known to be remarkably efficient in cardiac regeneration. They restore lost cardiomyocytes via a process of cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation, which is followed by robust proliferation of cardiomyocytes and incorporation into the myocardium. Similarly, neonatal mice have been recently shown to regenerate their heart following myocardial injuries. Studies with a neonatal cardiac regeneration mouse model suggest that the major source of new cardiomyocytes is likely to be …

Histopathological And Biochemical Changes In The Liver, Kidney, And Bloodof Amphibians Intoxicated With Cadmium, Marcela Fátima Medina, Maria Elina González, Sandra Maria Roxana Klyver, Iris Maria Aybar Odstrcil

Turkish Journal of Biology

The worldwide decline in amphibian populations has made heavy metal pollution a subject of interest. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of sublethal doses of cadmium (Cd) on the liver, kidney, and blood of Rhinella arenarum specimens. Serum markers indicative of hepatic injury (gamma glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, pseudo cholinesterase, and total cholesterol) and markers of renal dysfunction (blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, calcium, and glucose) showed variation in animals treated with a 0.5 mg/kg dose compared to controls. Histopathological images revealed alterations in the liver (hepatocyte ballooning and hyperplasia of Kupffer cells) and kidney (renal tubular …

Mandibular Morphology And Dietary Preferences In Two Pygmy Molecrickets Of The Genus Xya (Orthoptera: Tridactylidae), Katerina Kuravova, Petr Kocarek

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Pygmy mole crickets (Tridactylidae) are an interesting but little-known group of Orthoptera; their food biology and dietary preferences have not been adequately studied. Our study focused on the diet composition and associated functional morphology of the mandibles in two European species: Xya pfaendleri Harz, 1970 and X. variegata (Latreille, 1809). Based on postmortem gut content analyses, the studied species feed mainly on detritus (decaying organic particles), representing 91% and 97% of the diet in X. pfaendleri and X. variegata, respectively. The mandibular structures are associated with the processing of such food. The incisor area is equipped with three robust and …

The Confluence Of Philosophy And Biology: An Excavation Of Philosophical Issues In Molecular And Developmental Biology, Patrick Johnson Mendie, Emmanuel Bassey Eyo (Ph.D)

Journal of Health Ethics

Philosophical evaluations have played an influential role in the growth and development of molecular and developmental biology to ensure that every individual is born healthy, born wanted and has the privilege to fulfil his or her potentials for a life free from disease and disability. This is why it becomes necessary for biologists to carefully understand human genes, evolution, cells and general human anatomy to fulfil this project. During this process, they are faced with challenges where they also lack the foundation on how to solve them. This challenge gave birth to a philosophical excavation of molecular and developmental biology. …

Regulation Of Cytochrome C Functions By Phosphorylation, Gargi Mahapatra

Wayne State University Dissertations

The long term goal of my thesis research is to understand how tissue-specific

phosphorylations on the small mitochondrial protein, cytochrome c (Cytc), regulate its

functions, under both physiologically healthy and stressed conditions, and to identify the

cell signaling pathways targeting Cytc. Cytc is a functionally diverse protein that carries

electrons in the electron transport chain and plays a critical role in cellular apoptosis, two

diverse pathways that maintain cellular health that are active under diverse conditions.

Since Cytc plays a pivotal role in both these highly divergent pathways, regulation of the

protein is very important—phosphorylation of the protein under physiological …

Nanobody-Based Interactomic Studies Of Single Transcripts During Mrna Maturation, Peter C. Fridy

Student Theses and Dissertations

During and after transcription in the nucleus, messenger RNAs (mRNAs) undergo a variety of processing events before being exported to the cytoplasm through the nuclear pore complex. mRNA processing and nuclear export require a wide range of protein factors, which interact with maturing transcripts and each other to form dynamic mRNP complexes. While there are many core, essential mRNP factors, the pathways governing mRNA maturation are not uniform, and different transcripts can be associated with mRNP complexes of dramatically different composition or kinetics. To date though, it has been difficult to study RNP complexes specific to any single mRNA species, …

Reproductive Potential Of Spodoptera Eridania (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) In The Laboratory: Effect Of Multiple Couples And The Size, Alexandre Specht, Débora Goulart Montezano, Daniel Ricardo Sosa-Gómez, Silvana L. Vieira De Paula Moraes, Vânia F. Roque-Specht, Neiva M. Barros

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of keeping three couples in the same cage, and the size of adults emerged from small, medium-sized and large pupae (278.67 mg; 333.20 mg and 381.58 mg, respectively), on the reproductive potential of Spodoptera eridania (Stoll, 1782) adults, under controlled conditions (25 ± 1 °C, 70% RH and 14 hour photophase). We evaluated the survival, number of copulations, fecundity and fertility of the adult females. The survival of females from these different pupal sizes did not differ statistically, but the survival of males from large pupae was statistically shorter than from small pupae. …

Differential Contribution Of Genomic Regions To Marked Genetic Variation And Prediction Of Quantitative Traits In Broiler Chickens, Rostam Abdollaha- Arpanahi, Gota Morota, Bruno D. Valente, Andreas Kranis, Guilherme J. M. Rosa, Daniel Gianola

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Genome-wide association studies in humans have found enrichment of trait-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in coding regions of the genome and depletion of these in intergenic regions. However, a recent release of the ENCyclopedia of DNA elements showed that ~80 % of the human genome has a biochemical function. Similar studies on the chicken genome are lacking, thus assessing the relative contribution of its genic and non-genic regions to variation is relevant for biological studies and genetic improvement of chicken populations. Methods: A dataset including 1351 birds that were genotyped with the 600K Affymetrix platform was used. We partitioned …

Changes In Wetland Conditions And Wetland Plant Communities In The Prairie Pothole Region After 50 Years, Ryann Cressey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands in Stutsman County, North Dakota were revisited after 50 years to assess changes in wetland conditions and plant communities within wetland zones in the Prairie Pothole Region. In 1961-1966, Robert E. Stewart and Harold A. Kantrud conducted a study to investigate the relationship of wetland plant communities to variations of water permanence and chemistry on three study areas: Crystal Springs, Cottonwood, and Mt. Moriah. Within in this region, a severe drought occurred in 1988- 1992 followed by the longest deluge starting in 1993 with wetlands still impacted today. In 2013 and 2014, I revisited 80 of the original wetlands …

An In Vitro Study On The Effect Of Synthesized Tin (Iv) Complexes On Glioblastoma, Colorectal, And Skin Cancer Cell Lines, Jennie L. Williams, Lesley C. Lewis-Alleyne, Melinda Solomon, Long Nguyen, Robert Johnson, Jennifer Vital, Ping Ji, John Durant, Camille Cooper, Patrice Cagle, Patrick Martin, Don Vanderveer, William L. Jarrett, Alvin A. Holder

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

((E)-2-(2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)phenolato-2,2-diphenyl-6-aza-1,3-dioxa-2-stanna-[d,h]dibenzocyclononene, [Sn(Ph₂SB)] (compound 1, where Ph₂SB=(E)-2-(2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)phenolato Schiff base) and two novel compounds, [[SnPh2(F-azoSB)] (compound 2, where F-azoSB=4-((E)-(4-fluorophenyl)diazenyl)-2-((E)-(2-hydroxyphenylimino)methyl)phenolato Schiff base), [[SnPh2(sulf-azoSB)]0.125CHCl₃ (compound 3, where sulfamerazineazosalSB=4-((E)-(4-hydroxy-3-((E)-(2-hydroxyphenylimino)methyl)phenyl)diazenyl)-N-(4-methylpyrimidin-2-yl) benzenesulfonamide Schiff base), and the control compound, cisplatin (compound 4) were analysed to comparatively determine their effect on cancer cell growth. Anti-cancer properties of compounds 1-4 were examined using glioblastoma (U-1242 MG), colorectal (HT-29 and HCT-116), and skin (A431) human cancer cell lines. With regards to human glioblastoma cells, compounds 1 and 3 demonstrated anti-proliferative capacity in the cell line tested. Specifically, compounds 1 and 3 inhibited cell proliferation by 50% at …

A Survey Of The Current Drug Screening Techniques To Obtain Rational Design And Study Drug-Target Interactions, Stephen Dansereau

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Different techniques have been developed over the years for the purpose of studying proteins and understanding their functions. Early techniques typically employed bioluminescence or fluorescence such such as the firefly protein luciferase and the jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP), respectively, to localize proteins within the cell. X-ray crystallography has also provided valuable structural details of many different proteins in vitro. Yet, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy offers the most realistic insight into proteins' physiologic structures and how proteins function in their native, cellular environments.

Investigation Into The Function Of Endothelial Cells And Their Signaling In Early Salivary Gland Development, Hae Ryong Kwon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Functional vasculature regulates organ formation and regeneration. Perfusion-independent and nutrition-independent endothelial regulation of epithelial patterning is of considerable interest for application in restoring parenchymal function. During murine submandibular salivary gland development, the vasculature co-develops with the epithelium; however, it is still unknown if the vasculature has instructive effects on the epithelium. A systems biological study revealed that endothelial genes are enriched in epithelial clefts, suggesting a potential involvement of endothelial cells in early morphogenesis. Using immunodepletion of the endothelial cells from the mesenchyme of reconstituted glands, a requirement for endothelial cells in epithelial patterning was demonstrated. Specifically, lobule formation was …

Design And Synthesis Of Enzalutamide-Isothiocyanate Hybrid Drug As Anti-Prostate Cancer Agent, Siyu Ou

Wayne State University Theses

Isothiocyanate (ITC), such as sulforaphane (SFN), is an active metabolite of dietary glucosinolate from cruciferous vegetables. SFN-rich extracts have been recently tested in recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) patients and notably prolonged PSA doubling time without Grade 3 adverse events. One of the anti-PCa mechanisms of SFN is to inhibit HDAC6, which further triggering androgen receptor (AR) degradation. We have incorporated ITC to the chemical scaffold of enzalutamide (Enz) to create Enz-ITC hybrid molecules with an intention to intracellularly deliver ITC to AR-Hsp90-HDAC6 complex and therefore improving anti-PCa efficacy of both parental drugs. Two Enz-ITCs and one Enz-ITC N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) …

Dendrimer-Coated Iron Oxide Theranostic Nanoparticles For Cancer Imaging And Therapy, Duy Khanh Luong

Wayne State University Theses

The bleak prognosis for patients diagnosed with metastatic cancer along with the low therapeutic efficacy and the recurrence of cancer in conventional chemotherapy are prompting clinical medicine to adopt a new strategy to detect cancer in early stage and to deliver the anticancer drugs specifically to tumor site to enhance therapeutic efficiency and minimize side effects. The aim of this study is to design a theranostic nanocarrier consisting of iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Polyamidoamine dendrimers conjugated with folic acid (FA-PAMAM) for active targeted delivery of a highly potent but extremely lipophilic anticancer compound 3,4-difluorobenzylidene …

3: "The Current Extinction: Defaunation & Ecosystem Disruption", Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

Information taken from: Dirzo, R. et al (2014). Defaunation in the Anthropocene. Science, 345(401).

Scientists estimate, conservatively, that there are 5 to 9 million different animal species on the planet. But that number is continually changing, and unfortunately, dropping, as we are likely losing 11,000- 58,000 species annually, and evidence suggests that on average, there has been a decline of about 28% in terms of numbers of individuals within a species over the last four decades. Both of these statistics are vitally important. The critical nature of the first is perhaps more obvious, as total loss of a species is …

Early Round Goby (Neogobius Melanostomus) Invasion Into Lake Michigan Tributaries And Competitive Interactions With Two Native Benthic Fishes., Margaret Ann Malone

Master's Theses

The round goby is a prolific invasive species and is currently spreading into Great Lake tributary streams. There is a high potential for negative impacts on native benthic fishes in these stream habitats and the aim of this study is to assess the impacts of the round goby on two native darter species in particular (johnny darter and blackside darter). I review the history of round goby invasion in the Great Lakes and summarize hypotheses of the invasive characters of the round goby. Using game theory, I provide a G-function approach to understanding the outcomes of the round goby invasion …

Characterization Of Hemerythrin-Like Protein Rv2633c, Michelle D. Cherne

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hemerythrin-like protein Rv2633c is a small 18 kDa protein that is expressed in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Sequence analysis of Rv2633c predicts the presence of a hemerythrin-like domain, which binds dioxygen using a µ-oxo-bridge (Fe-O-Fe), rather than a heme group. Though it is noticeably upregulated during macrophage infection and during in vitro acidification, the role of Rv2633c in Mtb survival has yet to be elucidated. This project aims to characterize the function of Rv2633c by studying the in vitro response of the recombinant protein to conditions present in the macrophage lysosome, such as reduced oxygen levels or the …

The Update, January-March 2016, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Humanities, Arts And Sciences.

Update

Inside This Issue:

--CHAS Briefs
--Spotlight – Faculty Kyle Gray
--CHAS News Diversity Training
--Biology Celeste Underriner
--Featured Story: IEEE Demonstration Awards
--Spotlight – Alumni Meghan Reynolds
--Spotlight – Student Alyssa Adamac
--Theater – Rent
--Spotlight – Student Kyle Spurgeon
--ABC Competition
--UNI Construction
--Management Club

New Chigger (Acari) Records From Arkansas Amphibians (Caudata, Anura) And Reptiles (Sauria), M. B. Connior, C. T. Mcallister, L. A. Durden, S. E. Trauth, H. W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Pharmacokinetics And Bioavailability Of Three Promising Tilmicosin-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles In Comparison With Tilmicosin Phosphate Following Oral Administration In Broiler Chickens, Ali Rassouli, Alwan Al-Qushawi, Fatemeh Atyabi, Seyed Mostafa Peighambari, Mehdi Esfandyari-Manesh, Gholam Reza Shams

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Tilmicosin (TLM) is a semisynthetic antimicrobial agent used mainly in poultry and cattle, but it has relatively poor oral bioavailability. This study was conducted to compare the bioavailability (BA) and main pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of TLM after oral administration of tilmicosin phosphate (TLM-PH) and three newly prepared lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) of TLM including solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), and lipid-core nanocapsules (LNCs). Sixty broiler chickens were divided into eight groups. In four treatment groups (n = 10), each bird was given a single oral dose (20 mg/kg) of a TLM formulation after overnight fasting, and in four …

The Science Of Cute: What Makes Us Say "Aww!", Allison Murphy

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.