Digital Commons Network^™

Editorial: Ion Channel Trafficking And Cardiac Arrhythmias, Marcel A. G. Van Der Heyden, Brian P. Delisle, Hugues Abriel

Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Larval Starvation On Lipid Content Of Drosophila Melanogaster Over 15 Days, Fabian Leija, Allen Gibbs

LSAMP Poster Presentations

Starvation-resistant Drosophila melanogaster, common fruit flies, deriving from 121 generations of starvation selection, have resulted in genetically, behaviorally, and physiologically different individuals compared to non-resistant counterparts. Starvation-resistant Drosophila are more obese, containing twice as much lipids as control flies.This is a result of starvation-resistant fly larva feeding for 5 days and then entering the pupa stage while non-resistant flies only feed for 4 days.

In this experiment, we hope to answer the question of whether the starvation-resistant flies are genetically predisposed to be substantially more obese than wild populations or if it is a result of this alternate behavior …

Reproductive Timing Of The Scarlet Shiner (Lythrurus Fasciolaris) In Northern Alabama, Bruce Stallsmith, Toacca Taylor, Chelsie Smith

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

The Scarlet Shiner (Lythrurus fasciolaris) is a cyprinid species widely distributed in parts of the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee river drainages of the United States. The objective of this study was to determine the Scarlet Shiner’s reproductive schedule. Maturation of ovaries and oocytes was determined through the categorization of developmental stages from early maturing to ripe, along with the calculation of monthly gonadosomatic index (GSI) measurements over two reproductive seasons in 2012 and 2015. In both years reproductive competence began in April. Average monthly GSI for females peaked in May, followed by a slow decline through August. Average clutch …

Glutathione-Mediated Oxidative Response In Uvb-Irradiated Hacat Cells, Patrick Badger, Dr. Jason Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ultraviolet light (UV) plays a critical role in the etiology of skin cancer, contributing to over 95% of both melanoma and non-melanoma diagnoses. It consists of several wavelengths, among which UVB is the most harmful, causing inflammation associated with sunburn and constituting the principal cause of skin cancer-related death.

An Efficient Method For Generating Conditional Cell Lines For Cellular And Molecular Research, Mark Roth, Dr. Jonathan Alder

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Conditional cell lines are widely used throughout biochemical research. The basic concept is that you can delete a gene you are studying upon the addition of a drug, to cells in culture, and then use the knockout cells to study the genes effects. This process has been facilitated by the advent of the CRISPR/Cas9 system that allows a broad range of genome editing in living cells. Cas9 introduces a double strand break in DNA at a site specified by the CRISPR (guide RNA), and by changing the CRISPR sequence researchers can introduce these double strand breaks almost wherever they want. …

B-Hydroxybutyrate Favorably Alters Muscle Cell Survival And Mitochondrial Bioenergetics, Brian Parker, Benjamin Bikman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The growing worldwide incidence of obesity and its associated pathologies, like type 2 diabetes, has received much deserved attention. However, despite this attention and substantial research efforts, little meaningful progress has been made in slowing or reversing the growing cost and trends of obesity worldwide. As of 2008, almost 10% of medical costs in the United States were incurred due to obesity or other obesity-related diseases,ⁱ with the substantial amount of this cost stemming from the dramatically increased risk of diabetes with excess fat mass.ⁱⁱ According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one …

Improving Health Through Diet And Exercise In Children, Elaine Rush, Tara Coppinger

Publications

We know that nutritious foods and quality physical activity are two of the fundamental needs for normal growth and development of children. Food based dietary guidelines and physical activity recommendations have universal evidence base but the teaching of fundamental movement skills is limited without support. Given the importance of prevention of childhood obesity the distal drivers also need to be examined including poverty. Interventions trialled in carefully controlled conditions while shown to have efficacy are not effective in the real world. There is a need for more research and rigorous evaluation of interventions in combinations of settings and with innovative …

Lipopolysaccharide‐Induced Inflammation Does Not Alter Muscle Spindle Afferent Mechanosensation Or Sensory Integration In The Spinal Cord Of Adult Mice, Dasha Zaytseva, Anusha Allawala, Joy Franco, Shea Putnam, Adam Abtahie, Nina Bubalo, Connor Criddle, Tuan Nguyen, Peter Nguyen, Shreejit Padmanabhan, Puneet Sanghera, Martina Bremer, Tzvia Abramson, Katherine A. Wilkinson

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Inflammation is known to alter nervous system function, but its effect on muscle spindle afferent mechanosensation and sensory integration in the spinal cord has not been well studied. We tested the hypothesis that systemic inflammation induced by an intraperitoneal injection of the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 7.5 × 105 endotoxin units/kg 18 h before experiment) would alter muscle spindle afferent mechanosensation and spinal cord excitability to Group Ia input in male and female adult C57Bl/6 mice. LPS injection caused a systemic immune response, evidenced by decreased white blood cell, monocyte, and lymphocyte concentrations in the blood, increased blood granulocyte concentration, and …

Effect Of Exercise Volume On Hdl-Cholesterol: A 7-Year Case Study, David P. Swain

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Introduction: While exercise is known to increase HDL-cholesterol, it is not known if larger exercise volumes produce larger increases in HDL. However, the range of exercise volumes used in most training studies is limited. This report presents a case study of a middle-aged male who engaged in large variations of exercise volume over 7 years while frequently measuring HDL. The purpose was to determine if large increases in exercise volume were associated with larger increases in HDL than previously reported.

Methods: The subject maintained detailed logs of his main form of exercise, bicycling. These logs were analyzed to determine the …

Voltage Effects On Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor-Mediated Contractions Of Airway Smooth Muscle, Iurii Semenov, Robert Brenner

Bioelectrics Publications

Studies have shown that the activity of muscarinic receptors and their affinity to agonists are sensitive to membrane potential. It was reported that in airway smooth muscle (ASM) depolarization evoked by high K⁺ solution increases contractility through direct effects on M3 muscarinic receptors. In this study, we assessed the physiological relevance of voltage sensitivity of muscarinic receptors on ASM contractility. Our findings reveal that depolarization by high K⁺ solution induces contraction in intact mouse trachea predominantly through activation of acetylcholine release from embedded nerves, and to a lesser extent by direct effects on M3 receptors. We therefore devised …

End It Now, Melissa Ponce-Rodas

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Technology-Based Physical Activity Self-Monitoring Among College Students, Zack Papalia, Oliver Wilson, Melissa Bopp, Michele Duffey

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(7): 1096-1104, 2018. Understanding the relationship between college students’ physical activity (PA) self-monitoring and PA levels has the potential to inform initiatives to promote PA. This study’s purpose was to examine the prevalence of technology-based self-monitoring among college students the potential relationship between device usage, goal setting behaviors, PA enjoyment, and PA levels. An online survey assessed students' demographics, current PA level, technology-based PA self-monitoring, and psychosocial outcomes. Independent t-tests examined differences in PA level and psychosocial outcomes by device use. 55.5% of the final sample (N=1,154) reported technology-based self-monitoring. Mobile phone app-based PA tracking …

Can Heart Rate Variability Predict The Second Metabolic Threshold In Young Soccer Players?, Gustavo S. Ribeiro, Ubiratan R. Pereira, André L. Lopes

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(2): 1105-1111, 2018. Heart rate variability (HRV) is an effective method to assess the influence of the autonomic nervous system, which may be directly linked to metabolic demand. The aim of the study was to determine if the second metabolic threshold can be identified by HRV. Thirteen athletes were assessed in cardiopulmonary exercise test with concomitant gas analysis. The RR intervals (RRi) were plotted in a spreadsheet for graphics analysis and the point at which there was a shift in the RRi curve was determined as RRiT₂. The second ventilatory threshold (VT_{2 …}

Comparison Of Two Static Stretching Procedures On Hip Adductor Flexibility And Strength, Brandon Fjerstad, Roger L. Hammer Dr., Adam Hammer, Gavin Connolly, Karen Lomond, Paul O'Connor

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(6): 1074-1085, 2018. It has been shown that acute static stretching (SS) may increase flexibility, improve performance and reduce the risk of muscle strains, but may also result in decreased maximal force output. Literature review revealed little research had specifically been done on the most effective ways to stretch the hip adductor muscles. The purpose was to determine the effects that an acute bout of SS (active vs passive) has on hip adductor flexibility and maintenance of strength. Randomized cross-over study using a 3 X 2 (Condition X Time) repeated measures ANOVA statistical design. Forty …

The Effect Of Active Ankle T1tm Ankle Braces On The Timing Of Muscular Activation In The Leg In Female Varsity Volleyball Players: A Pilot Study, Kylee Kuchta, Sara Potter, Heather Brousseau, Ian Newhouse

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(1): 1086-1095, 2018. The objective was to examine the effect of Active Ankle T1^TM ankle braces on the timing of muscular activation of the upper leg in female volleyball athletes during a one-legged landing task. Fourteen healthy female varsity volleyball athletes participated in this study. Each signed a participant recruitment form, consent form, a Physical Activities Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) and completed the injury screening form. A warm up was completed followed by two practice jumps. Each participant was randomly assigned and counterbalanced to a condition to begin with (no brace or brace). Once the …

Relationships Between Assessments In A Physical Ability Test For Law Enforcement: Is There Redundancy In Certain Assessments?, Karly Cesario, Joe Dulla, Ashley Blood Good, Matthew R. Moreno, J. Jay Dawes, Robert G. Lockie

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(4): 1063-1073, 2018. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between tests incorporated into a physical assessment battery (PAT) for a law enforcement (LEA) to determine if there were redundancies (i.e. tests measuring the same qualities). A retrospective analysis of 226 recruits (196 males, 30 females) was conducted. The PAT consisted of: maximal push-ups and sit-ups completed in 60 s; a 75-yard pursuit run (75PR); maximal revolutions completed on an arm ergometer in 60 s; and a 2.4 km run. A one-way ANOVA (p<0.05) determined if there were significant differences in the PAT data between the sexes. Pearson’s correlations (p<0.05) calculated relationships between each of the tests within the PAT, and males and females were analyzed separately. Further, tests that could potentially measure similar qualities, including upper-body endurance (push-ups/arm ergometer), abdominal endurance (push-ups/sit-ups), and aerobic fitness (arm ergometer/2.4 km run) were investigated further with one-sample t-tests to determine agreement. Males performed better than the females in all tests (p≤0.017). There were significant correlations …

Fitness Profiles In Elite Tactical Units: A Critical Review, Daniel Maupin, Thomas Wills, Robin M. Orr, Benjamin Schram

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(3): 1041-1062, 2018. Elite tactical units complete a variety of demanding tasks and a high level of fitness is required by this population to perform their occupational tasks optimally. The aim of this critical review was to identify and synthesize key findings of studies that have investigated the fitness profiles of elite tactical units. Included studies were critically appraised, using the Downs and Black checklist, and a level of evidence was determined. Relevant data were extracted, tabulated, and synthesized. Fourteen studies were included for review and ranged in percentage quality scores from 46% to 66% …

Reestablishing A Culture Of Water Competency At An Hbcu, Knolan C. Rawlins

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

African American children ages 5 – 19 years drown in swimming pools at rates of 5.5 times higher than those of whites (Gilchrist & Parker, 2014). Literature suggested culture is the culprit for this disparity. A fear of water dates to slavery (Pitts, 2007). After slavery was abolished, the memory of drowning remained part of the African American culture. In the twentieth century, the popularity of swimming grew with the increase in public pools. The era of the Jim Crow laws kept African Americans out of public pools (Pitts, 2007). Although the political landscape has shifted since the Jim Crow …

Fars2 Mutations Presenting With Pure Spastic Paraplegia And Lesions Of The Dentate Nuclei, Supreet K. Sahai, Rebecca E. Steiner, Margaret G. Au, John M. Graham, Norikio Salamon, Michael Ibba, Tyler M. Pierson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Mutations in FARS2, the gene encoding the mitochondrial phenylalanine‐tRNA synthetase (mtPheRS), have been linked to a range of phenotypes including epileptic encephalopathy, developmental delay, and motor dysfunction. We report a 9‐year‐old boy with novel compound heterozygous variants of FARS2, presenting with a pure spastic paraplegia syndrome associated with bilateral signal abnormalities in the dentate nuclei. Exome sequencing identified a paternal nonsense variant (Q216X) lacking the catalytic core and anticodon‐binding regions, and a maternal missense variant (P136H) possessing partial enzymatic activity. This case confirms and expands the phenotype related to FARS mutations with regards to clinical presentation and neuroimaging findings.

Running Economy While Running In Shoes Categorized As Maximal Cushioning, Miles A. Mercer, Tori M. Stone, John C. Young, John A. Mercer

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(2): 1031-1040, 2018. The purpose of the study was to determine if running economy was influenced by wearing maximal cushioning shoes vs. control (neutral cushioning) shoes. Participants (n=10, age=28.2±6.1yrs; mass=68.1±10.2 kg; height=170±6.1 cm) completed two experiments. Each experiment included running conditions wearing control and maximal cushioning shoes. In Experiment 1, participants ran on a treadmill at three speeds in each shoe condition (6 total conditions). The speeds were: 1) preferred speed, 2) preferred speed + 0.447 m·s^-1, and 3) preferred speed - 0.447 m·s^-1. In Experiment 2, participants ran on a …

Comparison Of Physical Activity During Zumba With A Human Or Video Game Instructor, Bridgette Schneekloth, Gregory A. Brown

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(4): 1019-1030, 2018. Using a physically active video game presents an opportunity for a person to engage in exercise in the privacy of their own home, yet still receive some feedback on the quality of their exercise performance. The purpose of this project was to compare the physical activity between participating in a Zumba exercise class led by a human and using a Zumba video game. Eight women (33.0 ± 3.0 y, 34.8 ± 8.1 % body fat) who regularly participated in a Zumba exercise class were measured for heart rate, number of steps taken, …

Aerobic Fitness Is Of Greater Importance Than Strength And Power In The Load Carriage Performance Of Specialist Police, Jeremy Robinson, Adam Roberts, Shane Irving, Robin M. Orr

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(4): 987-998, 2018.Police officers are required to carry external loads as part of their occupation. One means of preparing officers to carry loads is through physical conditioning. The aim of this study was to investigate whether strength, power or aerobic endurance had the greatest association with load carriage performance. Retrospective data from 42 male specialist tactical police officers (mean body weight = 88.8±8.25 kg) informed this study. Baseline data were provided for strength (1 Repetition Maximum [RM] bench press, deadlift, squat and pull-up), lower body power (vertical jump, 10m sprint) and aerobic (‘beep’ test) …

Effect Of A Flying Versus Stationary Start On Wingate Test Outcomes Using An Electromagnetically-Braked Cycle Ergometer In Advanced Resistance-Trained Males, Nicolas W. Clark, Dale R. Wagner, Edward M. Heath

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(4): 980-986, 2018.The purpose of this study was to compare power outputs of the flying start to the stationary start method on an electromagnetically–braked cycle ergometer. Twenty advanced resistance-trained men (age 24.6 ± 4.5 years; 25.4 ± 2.5 kg/m²) volunteered to participate in this study. A counter-balanced, repeated-measures design was utilized to randomly assign participants to either the flying start or the stationary start for their first Wingate test. Paired ttests were used to evaluate mean differences between start methods. Peak power (PP), mean power (MP), total work (TW), peak cadence (PC), …

Effect Of Torpor On Host Transcriptomic Responses To A Fungal Pathogen In Hibernating Bats, Kenneth A. Field, Brent J. Sewall, Jenni M. Prokkola, Gregory G. Turner, Marianne Gagnon, Thomas M. Lilley, J Paul White, Joseph S. Johnson, Christopher L. Hauer, Deeann M. Reeder

Faculty Journal Articles

Hibernation, the use of prolonged torpor to depress metabolism, is employed by mammals to conserve resources during extended periods of extreme temperatures and/or resource limitation. Mammalian hibernators arouse to euthermy periodically during torpor for reasons that are not well understood and these arousals may facilitate immune processes. To determine if arousals enable host responses to pathogens, we used dual RNA‐Seq and a paired sampling approach to examine gene expression in a hibernating bat, the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus). During torpor, transcript levels differed in only a few genes between uninfected wing tissue and adjacent tissue infected with …

Targeting Neuropeptides To Bone Fractures For Accelerated Healing, Nicholas A. Young, Jeffery J. Nielsen, Philip S. Low

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In patients over the age of 65 especially, bone fractures represent a significant disease burden. Non-invasive drug therapies are not available for bone fractures which represents a problem for this population. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide (PACAP), two neuromodulator peptides in the glucagon superfamily, have demonstrated positive regulation of osteoblast proliferation and activity. Using acidic oligopeptides, we have developed ligands that target to and accumulate at fracture sites. These targeting ligands can be synthesized in sequence with bone anabolic peptides to minimize off target effects and increase potency at the fracture site to create safer and …

The Effect Of Different Training Loads On The Lung Health Of Competitive Youth Swimmers, Rachelle D. Davies, Eric C. Parent, Craig D. Steinback, Michael D. Kennedy

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(6): 999-1018, 2018. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), airway inflammation, and respiratory symptoms are common in competitive swimmers, however it is unclear how volume and intensity of training exacerbate these problems. Thus, our purpose was to measure AHR, inflammation, and respiratory symptoms after low, moderate, and high training loads in swimmers. Competitive youth swimmers (n=8) completed nine weeks of training split into three blocks (Low, Moderate, and High intensity). Spirometry at rest and post-bronchial provocation [Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperpnea (EVH)] and Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) were completed at the end of each training block. A weekly self-report …

The Role Of Developmental Timing Regulators In Progenitor Proliferation And Cell Fate Specification During Mammalian Neurogenesis, Jennifer S. Romer-Seibert

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Developmental timing is a key aspect of tissue and organ formation in which distinct cell types are generated through a series of steps from common progenitors. These progenitors undergo specific changes in gene expression that signifies both a distinct progenitor type and developmental time point that thereby specifies a particular cell fate at that stage of development. The nervous system is an important setting for understanding developmental timing because different cell types are produced in a certain order and the switch from stem cells to progenitors requires precise timing and regulation. Notable examples of such regulatory molecules include the RNA-binding …

Insight Into Translational Activation In Yeast Mitochondria, Julia Lynn Jones

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial function depends on over a thousand proteins, of which the majority are nuclear DNA-encoded and approximately one percent are mitochondrial DNA-encoded. The mitochondrial DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains eight protein-encoding genes, seven of which are required for proper function of the respiratory complexes and one encodes a ribosomal protein. The bigenomic nature of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes requires coordinated expression and regulation from both the nuclear and the mitochondrial genomes. It is currently unclear how this regulatory network operates. However, it is thought that nuclear genome-encoded messengers localized to the mitochondria aid in this coordination.

A family of proteins …

Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus: Epidemiological Patterns And Construction Of A Clone, Cory Von Keith

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Grapevine vein clearing virus (GVCV) is a recently discovered virus belonging to the Badnavirus genus. Characteristic to its name, the virus is associated with a disease where symptoms manifest as pronounced vein-clearing, resulting in severe berry deformation and vine decline in susceptible grape varieties. Sustainable production of wine is dependent on healthy plants. The associated disease is mainly found in Midwest vineyards. Attempts were made in this thesis to provide evidence of causality of the virus to the associated disease and to infer the historical path and migration pattern of GVCV. Conclusions and discussions will provide grape producers with the …

Overexpression Of Cyb5r3 And Nqo1, Two Nad+-Producing Enzymes, Mimics Aspects Of Caloric Restriction, Alberto Diaz-Ruiz, Michael Lanasa, Joseph Garcia, Hector Mora, Frances Fan, Alejandro Martin-Montalvo, Andrea Di Francesco, Miguel Calvo-Rubio, Andrea Salvador-Pascual, Miguel A. Aon, Kenneth W. Fishbein, Kevin J. Pearson, Jose Manuel Villalba, Placido Navas, Michel Bernier, Rafael De Cabo

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Calorie restriction (CR) is one of the most robust means to improve health and survival in model organisms. CR imposes a metabolic program that leads to increased stress resistance and delayed onset of chronic diseases, including cancer. In rodents, CR induces the upregulation of two NADH‐dehydrogenases, namely NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (Nqo1) and cytochrome b₅ reductase 3 (Cyb5r3), which provide electrons for energy metabolism. It has been proposed that this upregulation may be responsible for some of the beneficial effects of CR, and defects in their activity are linked to aging and several age‐associated diseases. However, …