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Phenotypes And Distribution Of Yellow-Pine Chipmunk (Neotamias Amoenus) Of Hybrid Ancestry From The Rocky Mountains Of Canada, David W. Nagorsen, Nick Panter, Darren Copley

Western North American Naturalist

In Canada, subspecies of the yellow-pine chipmunk (Neotamias amoenus luteiventris) and red-tailed chipmunk (Neotamias ruficaudus ruficaudus) co-occur in a small area of the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia. Some N. a. luteiventris individuals in this area are of hybrid ancestry, carrying a mitochondrial DNA gene of N. r. ruficaudus. We tested for phenotypic hybridization by comparing genital bone morphology, body size, cranial mandibular morphology, and tail color of mitochondrial hybrids with specimens of the 2 parental reference groups identified from genetics or genital morphology. Hybrids were indistinguishable from …

Updating The Distribution Of American Black Bears (Ursus Americanus) In Texas Using Community Science, State Agencies, And Natural History Collections, Jessica E. Light, Alaya S. Keane, Jonah W. Evans

Western North American Naturalist

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) is one of largest terrestrial mammals found in Texas. Despite the black bear’s large size and charismatic nature, its distribution across the state has been difficult to determine due to outdated distribution maps. Although recent sighting reports indicate that the current distribution of black bears in Texas may be expanding in some areas, researching changes in black bear populations can be difficult and cost prohibitive. Data from community science initiatives and natural history collections can be useful to better understand species distributions and ecology. We used records from Texas Parks and Wildlife …

Threatened American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus Americanus) Consumed By Northern Short-Tailed Shrew (Blarina Brevicauda) And Trap Avoidance By Silphidae, Jacob W. Farriester, Brian C. Peterson, Keith Geluso, W. Wyatt Hoback

Western North American Naturalist

During the last century, the range of the American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) has been reduced by >90%. Only isolated, extant populations of this federally threatened species now exist, primarily in the Great Plains. Although the primary reason for this decline remains unclear, anthropogenic changes to habitat and vertebrate food sources used for reproduction have played a significant role. Other factors may be contributing to the decline, but little research has been conducted on understanding predators of N. americanus and how the beetle avoids them. Herein, we document a new predatory species for N. americanus, the northern …

A Molecular And Morphological Guide To The Pilose Crayfishes Of Western North America, Nicole G. Principe, Kurt T. Ash, Mark A. Davis, Rachel M. Egly, Eric R. Larson

Western North American Naturalist

The Snake River pilose crayfish Pacifastacus connectens and pilose crayfish Pacifastacus gambelii are sister species endemic to western North America that require increased conservation attention due to apparent range declines. We report results of molecular analyses that sought to clarify where P. connectens and P. gambelii occur relative to each other as well as morphological analyses that sought to help nonspecialists reliably identify these species in the field. We conducted our analyses on voucher specimens recently collected from across the presumed native ranges of both pilose crayfish species. We sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene of these …

Morphological Evidence Of Maladaptation To Introduced Predators In Gambusia Senilis From Its Extant Range In The Conchos Basin (Chihuahua, Mexico), Eric K. Moody, Kathleen L. Sterup, María De Lourdes Lozano-Vilano

Western North American Naturalist

Desert fishes are among the most imperiled yet poorly studied groups of fishes on Earth. Human modifications of the environment and introductions of invasive species frequently drive population declines and extinctions of fishes in arid regions of North America. One recent example is the extirpation of Gambusia senilis from the Devils River in Texas following the construction of Amistad Reservoir on the Rio Grande. The direct cause of this extirpation is unclear, but it has been hypothesized that the introduction of predatory bass (Micropterus spp.) to the river played at least some role. We tested this hypothesis using a …

Full Issue, Vol. 13

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Vol. 13

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Gaufinia, A New Stonefly Genus (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae), With The Description Of Six New Species From Western North America, Bill P. Stark, Richard W. Baumann

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

Gaufinia is proposed as a new genus for the Sweltsa lamba (Needham and Claassen 1925) species group, and 5 current and 6 new species are recognized based primarily on scanning electron microscopy of the male epiproct. Males of the new genus are distinguished from all other Chloroperlidae by the presence of a distinctive leaf-like aedeagal lamella. A preliminary key for males of the 11 currently recognized species is presented to assist in identification.


Se propone Gaufinia como un nuevo género del grupo de especies Sweltsa lamba (Needham y Claassen 1925) y se reconocen 5 especies actuales y 6 nuevas basándose …

End Matter, Vol. 13

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Simplifying The Development Of Portable, Scalable, And Reproducible Workflows, Stephen Piccolo, Zachary E. Ence, Elizabeth C. Anderson, Jeffrey T. Chang, Andrea H. Bild

Faculty Publications

Command-line software plays a critical role in biology research. However, processes for installing and executing software differ widely. The Common Workflow Language (CWL) is a community standard that addresses this problem. Using CWL, tool developers can formally describe a tool’s inputs, outputs, and other execution details. CWL documents can include instructions for executing tools inside software containers. Accordingly, CWL tools are portable—they can be executed on diverse computers—including personal workstations, high-performance clusters, or the cloud. CWL also supports workflows, which describe dependencies among tools and using outputs from one tool as inputs to others. To date, CWL has been used …

Monitoring The Basking Behavior Of Rio Grande Cooter (Pseudemys Gorzugi) Through Game Cameras In Southeastern New Mexico, Usa, Thanchira Suriyamongkol, Weizhong Tian, Ivana Mali

Western North American Naturalist

Basking is an essential behavior for thermoregulation in turtles. Although basking is widely studied, this behavior varies among populations, habitats, and microclimates. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of game cameras for studying basking activity of Rio Grande Cooter (Pseudemys gorzugi), a New Mexico state-threatened species. From August 2018 to July 2019, images were taken hourly from 07:00 to 19:00 at 3 locations along or near the Black River, New Mexico. We used a generalized linear mixed-effect model to find associations between basking patterns and environmental variables. The species was active year-round, with the greatest number of …

Small-Scale Winter Damage On Plants: Wind And Ice Can Remove Plant Pubescence, V. Thomas Parker

Western North American Naturalist

Pubescence has significant ecological roles modifying herbivory or physiology. Effects of mechanical ice damage on a small scale, such as loss of pubescence, are typically neither observed nor investigated. The objective of this study is to determine whether microscale ice damage occurs at a degree sufficient for potential ecological impacts. I documented differential loss of pubescence in the field on leaves and stems experiencing frequent snow and freezing rain. I also experimentally demonstrated in the lab the potential for hair loss due to ice formation under windy conditions. Observations in the field document that pubescence is removed from plants exposed …

Shaking Up The Immunoglobulin Superfamily, Christopher Mendoza

Theses and Dissertations

The immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) is a large protein superfamily of membrane and soluble proteins that influence recognition, binding, and adhesion. Among members of this family are cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), which form cell-cell contact points that play key roles in development, cell polarization, and cellular fate. Cadherins (CADs) are calcium-dependent proteins of the adherens junction (AJ), and polarize epithelium and endothelium. The tight junction (TJ) is a multiprotein junctional complex whose function is to control the permeability of the paracellular pathway. At the membrane level, TJs are composed of three types of proteins: claudins (CLDNs), occludin (OCLN) and junctional adhesion …

Toward A Methodology For Evaluating Dna Variants In Nuclear Families, Dustin B. Miller, Reid Robison, Stephen Piccolo

Faculty Publications

The genetic underpinnings of most pediatric-cancer cases are unknown. Population-based studies use large sample sizes but have accounted for only a small proportion of the estimated heritability of pediatric cancers. Pedigree-based studies are infeasible for most human populations. One alternative is to collect genetic data from a single nuclear family and use inheritance patterns within the family to filter candidate variants. This approach can be applied to common and rare variants, including those that are private to a given family or to an affected individual. We evaluated this approach using genetic data from three nuclear families with 5, 4, and …

Diet Of The Golden Eagle During The Breeding Season In Northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, Isaac Morales-Yañez, Ricardo Rodríguez-Estrella, Ana Bertha Gatica-Colima

Western North American Naturalist

The diet of the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) was studied in 4 territories in northwestern Chihuahua, México, during the breeding season. Prey remains and pellets were collected from 4 nests during 2014, 2015, and 2016. We identified 12 vertebrate species. Black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) were the most important prey remains in terms of frequency (72%) and ingested biomass (86%). We estimated mean prey size to be 1291 g (SE = 3364), indicating that Golden Eagles prey on medium-sized animals (e.g., lagomorphs). The main threats to Golden Eagles are connected to habitat loss and habitat fragmentation, but …

Predicting Drug Sensitivity Of Cancer Cells Based On Dna Methylation Levels, Sofia P. Miranda, Fernanda A. Baião, Julia L. Fleck, Stephen R. Piccolo

Faculty Publications

Cancer cell lines, which are cell cultures derived from tumor samples, represent one of the least expensive and most studied preclinical models for drug development. Accurately predicting drug responses for a given cell line based on molecular features may help to optimize drug-development pipelines and explain mechanisms behind treatment responses. In this study, we focus on DNA methylation profiles as one type of molecular feature that is known to drive tumorigenesis and modulate treatment responses. Using genome-wide, DNA methylation profiles from 987 cell lines in the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer database, we used machine-learning algorithms to evaluate the …

Acclimation Of Contact Impedance And Wrist-Based Pulsatile Signal Measurements Through Electrical Bioimpedance, Diego A. Leon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to expand the understanding of certain properties of electrodes used for electrical bioimpedance measurements. Specifically, this work investigates the acclimation effect of the skin-electrode interface contact impedance. It also attempts to study the relationship between electrode spacing and amplitude of bioimpedance pulsatile signals. It was found that as soon as dry electrodes are placed on the skin, the contact impedance exponentially decreases until it reaches a constant level. The acclimation time, time to reach a constant contact impedance, is dependent of the electrode size and frequency. Increasing the size of the electrode, as well …

Diary Of An Afghan Woman Collection - September 2021

TSOS Interview Gallery

Four women share with us their daily lives in Afghanistan. Join them as they express their love for the country, the people, and each other; and as they share with you their deepest fears and most intimate moments.

They refuse to be silenced as they journey through this new, uncharted chapter in Afghanistan's history.

We at TSOS are honored to provide a platform for their voices to be heard. We will post entries as we receive them. For safety purposes, names have been changed and only avatars (designed with input from each woman) will be used.

ZOYA

Zoya is a …

An Integrated Model Of Optofluidic Biosensor Function And Performance, Joel Greig Wright, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Optofluidic flow-through biosensor devices have been in development for fast bio-target detection. Utilizing the fabrication processes developed by the microelectronics industry, these biosensors can be fabricated into lab-on-a-chip devices with a degree of platform portability. This biosensor technology can be used to detect a variety of targets, and is particularly useful for the detection single molecules and nucleic acid strands. Microfabrication also offers the possibility of production at scale, and this will offer a fast detection method for a range of applications with promising economic viability. The development of this technology has advanced to now warrant a descriptive model that …

Encirclement Of Moving Targets Using Noisy Range And Bearing Measurements, Cammy Peterson, Puneet Jain, Randal Beard

Faculty Publications

This paper presents theoretically justified controllers that use relative range and bearing measurements to steer a team of autonomous vehicles, operating without inertial position information, to circular trajectories around a constant-acceleration, constant-velocity, or stationary target. An extended Kalman filter is used to improve the noisy relative measurements and estimate the velocity of the moving target. These estimated values are used in the control laws to encircle constant-velocity moving targets. Lyapunov techniques are utilized to show that the vehicle will converge to the desired circular formations. Additionally, cooperating vehicles are shown to converge to a circular formation with equal temporal spacing …

A Systematic Review Of Datasets That Can Help Elucidate Relationships Among Gene Expression, Race, And Immunohistochemistry-Defined Subtypes In Breast Cancer., Ifeanyichukwu O. Nwosu, Stephen Piccolo

Faculty Publications

Scholarly requirements have led to a massive increase of transcriptomic data in the public domain, with millions of samples available for secondary research. We identified gene-expression datasets representing 10,214 breast-cancer patients in public databases. We focused on datasets that included patient metadata on race and/or immunohistochemistry (IHC) profiling of the ER, PR, and HER-2 proteins. This review provides a summary of these datasets and describes findings from 32 research articles associated with the datasets. These studies have helped to elucidate relationships between IHC, race, and/or treatment options, as well as relationships between IHC status and the breast-cancer intrinsic subtypes. We …

Sd3 Ptov1 Ptms, Joshua Andersen

ScholarsArchive Data

MS data on PTOV1 PTMs

Sd1 14-3-3 Interactome For Ptov1 Manuscript, Joshua Andersen

ScholarsArchive Data

14-3-3 interactome

Sd2 Ptov1 Interactomics, Joshua Andersen

ScholarsArchive Data

PTOV1 interactome data

Sd1 14-3-3 Interactome For Ptov1 Manuscript, Joshua Andersen

ScholarsArchive Data

Excel data sheet of MS data from 14-3-3 interactomics

Active Trumpeter Swan Nest On An Active Muskrat Lodge, Paige C. Miller, David J. Delehanty

Western North American Naturalist

We observed Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) nesting on top of an active muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) lodge, indicating simultaneous breeding uses of a constructed vegetation mound not previously recorded in the literature. Specifically, within the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Montana, we observed 4 eggs in an actively tended Trumpeter Swan nest, while underneath the swan nest bowl was a muskrat nursery occupied by 3 neonate muskrats. Swans are known to use abandoned muskrat lodges as nest foundations, but not active lodges. Our observations point to a close association between breeding muskrats and Trumpeter …

Electrochemical Micro-Aptasensors For Exosome Detection Based On Hybridization Chain Reaction Amplification, Wenfen Zhang, Zhenhua Tian, Shujie Yang, Joseph Rich, Shuaiguo Zhao, Mikael Klingeborn, Po-Hsun Huang, Zhishang Li, Alexander Stout, Quinn Murphy, Edward Patz, Shusheng Zhang, Guozhen Liu, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Exosomes are cell-derived nanovesicles that have recently gained popularity as potential biomarkers in liquid biopsies due to the large amounts of molecular cargo they carry, such as nucleic acids and proteins. However, most existing exosome-based analytical sensing methods struggle to achieve high sensitivity and high selectivity simultaneously. In this work, we present an electrochemical micro-aptasensor for the highly sensitive detection of exosomes by integrating a micropatterned electrochemical aptasensor and a hybridization chain reaction (HCR) signal amplification method. Specifically, exosomes are enriched on CD63 aptamer-functionalized electrodes and then recognized by HCR products with avidin-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) attached using EpCAM aptamers as …

Great Plains Population Of The Dwarf Shrew (Sorex Nanus), With A Record From Nebraska, Russell A. Benedict, Zachary P. Roehrs, Thomas E. Labedz, Hugh H. Genoways

Western North American Naturalist

A diminutive shrew from Sioux County, Nebraska, is shown to be the first state record for the dwarf shrew, Sorex nanus. This specimen appears to be a member of a dwarf shrew population occurring on the Great Plains in the vicinity of the Black Hills in western South Dakota, eastern Wyoming, and southeastern Montana, but not within the Black Hills proper. Other populations of this species occur in montane environments in the Rocky Mountains, from Montana south through Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and some isolated mountains in Arizona. The arid grassland habitats inhabited by the Great Plains population …

Time Required For Brown Bears To Capture And Consume Pacific Salmon, Thomas P. Quinn

Western North American Naturalist

Detection, pursuit, capture, and consumption of prey by predators may be time consuming or not, depending on predators and prey, and this time allocation affects other aspects of predator ecology. Pacific salmon contribute substantially to coastal brown bear (Ursus arctos) diets, with implications for predators, prey, and their ecosystem. Brown bears were observed capturing sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) at Mikfik Creek, Alaska, to determine capture and consumption rates. Bears averaged 3:00 min (SD = 5:24) to capture and 2:26 min (SD = 1:33) to completely consume small adult sockeye salmon. These foraging activities thus occupied only …

Inflammation And Altered Signaling In Obstetric Pathologies, Ya-Fang Tsai

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research project was to elucidate the molecular interactions and detail the signaling pathways in obstetric pathologies. This work first seeks to understand inflammation related complications relevant to obstetrics. Prior research in our lab identified the implications of the receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE) during inflammatory response in the placenta. Current work identified the presence of DNA double-strand breaks (DNA-DSBs) in inflammation associated pregnancy complications of preeclampsia (PE) and preterm labor (PTL) and demonstrated the positive role of RAGE in repairing the damage. The confluent relevance of disrupted mitochondrial function and inflammation has been recognized …