Digital Commons Network^™

Tiamulin-Resistant Mutants Of The Thermophilic Bacterium Thermus Thermophilus, Erin E. Killeavy, Gerwald Jogl, Steven T. Gregory

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Tiamulin is a semisynthetic pleuromutilin antibiotic that binds to the 50S ribosomal subunit A site and whose (((2-diethylamino)ethyl)thio)-acetic acid tail extends into the P site to interfere with peptide bond formation. We have isolated spontaneous tiamulin-resistant mutants of the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus, containing either single amino acid substitutions in ribosomal protein uL3 or single base substitutions in the peptidyltransferase active site of 23S rRNA. These mutations are consistent with those found in other organisms and are in close proximity to the crystallographically determined tiamulin binding site. We also conducted a cross-resistance analysis of nine other single-base substitutions in …

Examining The Monitoring Of Health Surveillance During A Pandemic: A Review Of Methodology, Jeffrey E. Jarrett

College of Business Faculty Publications

The goal is to examine a common problem is biological analytics and surveillance in health care. These methods can improve greatly the process of monitoring health data to assess changes in the likelihood of Pandemics and disease incidence in a world where medical knowledge is still largely in an embryonic period. Based on an illustration, we suggest that multivariate exponential moving-average (MEWMA) control charts are suitable in many cases where detection and inspection of several or more variables over a lengthy period of testing provide for the best analysis of data leading to pre-­diagnostic and diagnostic therapy. Though …

Sex-Segregated Range Use By Black-And-White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Variegata) In Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, Andrea L. Baden, Jelisa Oliveras, Brian Gerber

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Ranging behavior is one important strategy by which nonhuman primates obtain access to resources critical to their biological maintenance and reproductive success. As most primates live in permanent social groups, their members must balance the benefits of group living with the costs of intragroup competition for resources. However, some taxa live in more spatiotemporally flexible social groups, whose members modify patterns of association and range use as a method to mitigate these costs. Here, we describe the range use of one such taxon, the black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata), at an undisturbed primary rain forest site in Ranomafana …

Expanding The Evolutionary Explanations For Sex Differences In The Human Skeleton, Holly M. Dunsworth

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

While the anatomy and physiology of human reproduction differ between the sexes, the effects of hormones on skeletal growth do not. Human bone growth depends on estrogen. Greater estrogen produced by ovaries causes bones in female bodies to fuse before males' resulting in sex differences in adult height and mass. Female pelves expand more than males' due to estrogen and relaxin produced and employed by the tissues of the pelvic region and potentially also due to greater internal space occupied by female gonads and genitals. Evolutionary explanations for skeletal sex differences (aka sexual dimorphism) that focus too narrowly on big …

Editorial: Integrating Predation Risk Across Scales: From Neurons To Ecosystems And Milliseconds To Generations, Jacqueline J. Blundell, Evan L. Preisser

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Seasonal Changes In Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) Foliar Chemistry, Ian G. Kinahan, Chad M. Rigsby, Suzanne K. Savage, Nick L. Houseman, Andrew S. Marsella, Anita Oppong, Brenton L. Deboef, Colin M. Orians, Evan L. Preisser

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriére; hemlock) is an eastern North American conifer threatened by the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand). Changes in foliar terpenes and phenolics were evaluated in new (current year growth) and mature (1-year old growth) hemlock needles during the growing season and into plant dormancy. From April through September, foliar concentrations of non-volatile soluble phenolics, condensed tannins, lignin, mono- and sesquiterpenes α-pinene, camphene, isobornyl acetate, and diterpene resin were quantified. After September, additional analyses of metabolites that continued to differ significantly in new versus mature foliage were carried out. Total soluble phenolic …

Datana Drexelii (Lepidoptera: Notododontidae) Occurrence And Larval Survival On Highbush Blueberry Cultivars, Alex K. Baranowski, Steven R. Alm, Evan L. Preisser

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Plant genotype influences plant suitability to herbivores; domesticated plants selected for properties such as high fruit yield may be particularly vulnerable to herbivory. Cultivated strains of highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum L. can be high-quality hosts for larvae of the gregariously-feeding notodontid Datana drexelii (Hy. Edwards). We conducted an experiment assessing D. drexelii larval survival and pupal weight when fed foliage from five blueberry cultivars: ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Bluetta’, ‘Blueray’, ‘Lateblue’, and ‘Jersey’. We complemented this experimental work with repeated bush-level surveys of a managed blueberry patch for naturally occurring D. drexelii larval clusters. Larval survival and pupal weight were significantly higher on …

Environmentally-Induced Parental Or Developmental Conditioning Influences Coral Offspring Ecological Performance, Hollie M. Putnam, Raphael Ritson-Williams, Jolly Ann Cruz, Jennifer M. Davidson, Ruth D. Gates

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The persistence of reef building corals is threatened by human-induced environmental change. Maintaining coral reefs into the future requires not only the survival of adults, but also the influx of recruits to promote genetic diversity and retain cover following adult mortality. Few studies examine the linkages among multiple life stages of corals, despite a growing knowledge of carryover effects in other systems. We provide a novel test of coral parental conditioning to ocean acidification (OA) and tracking of offspring for 6 months post-release to better understand parental or developmental priming impacts on the processes of offspring recruitment and growth. Coral …

Seasonal Movements And Habitat Use Of Juvenile Smooth Hammerhead Sharks In The Western North Atlantic Ocean And Significance For Management, Ryan K. Logan, Jeremy J. Vaudo, Lara L. Sousa, Mark Sampson, Bradley M. Wetherbee, Mahmood S. Shivji

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Upper trophic level predators dramatically impacted by fisheries include the large-bodied hammerhead sharks, which have become species of conservation concern worldwide. Implementing spatial management for conservation of hammerhead populations requires knowledge of temporal distribution patterns and habitat use, identification of essential habitat for protection, and quantification of interactions with human activities. There is little such information for the smooth hammerhead shark, Sphyrna zygaena. We used fin-mounted satellite tags to examine the movements and habitat use of juvenile smooth hammerheads, a demographic segment particularly threatened by exploitation. Six sharks were tagged off the US mid-Atlantic and tracked for 49–441 days …

Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Infection Alters Bemisia Tabaci Med (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Vulnerability To Flupyradifurone, Baiming Liu, Evan L. Preisser, Xiaoguo Jiao, Youjun Zhang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, is a major phloem-feeding pest of agricultural crops that is also an important vector of many plant diseases. The B. tabaci Mediterranean (‘MED’) biotype is a particularly effective vector of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), a devastating plant pathogen. Although insecticides play an important role in the control of MED and TYLCV, little is known about how TYLCV infection affects MED susceptibility to insecticides. We conducted research addressing how MED susceptibility to flupyradifurone, the first commercially available systemic control agent derived from the butenolide class of insecticides, was affected by TYLCV infection. We first …

Retinal Imaging In Alzheimer's And Neurodegenerative Diseases, Peter J. Snyder, Jessica Alber, Clemens Alt, Lisa J. Bain, Brett E. Bouma, Femke H. Bouwman, Delia Cabrera Debuc, Melanie C.W. Campbell, Maria C. Carrillo, Emily Y. Chew, M. Francesca Cordeiro, Michael R. Dueñas, Brian M. Fernández, Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui, Chiara La Morgia, Roxana O’Carare, Srinivas R. Sadda, Peter Van Wijngaarden, Heather M. Snyder

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

In the last 20 years, research focused on developing retinal imaging as a source of potential biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, has increased significantly. The Alzheimer's Association and the Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment, Disease Monitoring editorial team (companion journal to Alzheimer's & Dementia) convened an interdisciplinary discussion in 2019 to identify a path to expedite the development of retinal biomarkers capable of identifying biological changes associated with AD, and for tracking progression of disease severity over time. As different retinal imaging modalities provide different types of structural and/or functional information, the discussion reflected on these …

Decacationic Pillar[5]Arene: A New Scaffold For The Development Of 129xe Mri Imaging Agents, P. U. Ashvin I. Fernando, Yurii Shepelytskyi, Paul T. Cesana, Alanna Wade, Vira Grynko, Adriana M. Mendieta, Lauren E. Seveney, Joseph D. Brown, Francis T. Hane, Mitchell S. Albert, Brenton Deboef

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A decacationic water-soluble pillar[5]arene possessing a nonsolvated hydrophobic core has been designed and synthesized. This supramolecular host is capable of binding xenon, as evidenced by hyperCEST depletion experiments. Fluorescence-based studies also demonstrate that xenon binds into the cavity of the pillararene with an association constant of 4.6 × 103 M−1. These data indicate that the water-soluble pillararene is a potential scaffold for building contrast agents that can be detected by xenon-129 magnetic resonance imaging.

Cyclodextrin-Based Contrast Agents For Medical Imaging, Yurii Shepelytskyi, Camryn J. Newman, Vira Grynko, Lauren E. Seveney, Brenton Deboef, Francis T. Hane, Mitchell S. Albert

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are naturally occurring cyclic oligosaccharides consisting of multiple glucose subunits. CDs are widely used in host–guest chemistry and biochemistry due to their structural advantages, biocompatibility, and ability to form inclusion complexes. Recently, CDs have become of high interest in the field of medical imaging as a potential scaffold for the development of a large variety of the contrast agents suitable for magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound imaging, photoacoustic imaging, positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, and computed tomography. The aim of this review is to summarize and highlight the achievements in the field of cyclodextrin-based contrast agents …

Thymocid®, A Standardized Black Cumin (Nigella Sativa) Seed Extract, Modulates Collagen Cross-Linking, Collagenase And Elastase Activities, And Melanogenesis In Murine B16f10 Melanoma Cells, Huifang Li, Nicholas A. Dasilva, Weixie Liu, Jialin Xu, George W. Dombi, Joel A. Dain, Dongli Li, Jean Christopher Chambeu, Navindra P. Seeram, Hang Ma

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Black cumin (Nigella sativa) seed extract has been shown to improve dermatological conditions, yet its beneficial effects for skin are not fully elucidated. Herein, Thymocid^®, a chemically standardized black cumin seed extract, was investigated for its cosmeceutical potential including anti-aging properties associated with modulation of glycation, collagen cross-linking, and collagenase and elastase activities, as well as antimelanogenic effect in murine melanoma B16F10 cells. Thymocid^® (50, 100, and 300 µg/mL) inhibited the formation of advanced glycation end-products (by 16.7–70.7%), collagen cross-linking (by 45.1–93.3%), collagenase activity (by 10.4–92.4%), and elastases activities (type I and III by 25.3–75.4% …

Tn-Seq Reveals Hidden Complexity In The Utilization Of Host-Derived Glutathione In Francisella Tularensis, Kathryn M. Ramsey, Hannah E. Ledvina, Tenayaann M. Tresko, Jamie M. Wandzilak, Catherine A. Tower, Thomas A. Tallo, Caroline E. Schramm, S. Brook Peterson, Shawn J. Skerrett, Joseph D. Mougous, Simon L. Dove

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Host-derived glutathione (GSH) is an essential source of cysteine for the intracellular pathogen Francisella tularensis. In a comprehensive transposon insertion sequencing screen, we identified several F. tularensis genes that play central and previously unappreciated roles in the utilization of GSH during the growth of the bacterium in macrophages. We show that one of these, a gene we named dptA, encodes a proton-dependent oligopeptide transporter that enables growth of the organism on the dipeptide Cys-Gly, a key breakdown product of GSH generated by the enzyme γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT). Although GGT was thought to be the principal enzyme involved in …

Heterogeneity Of Dengue Illness In Community-Based Prospective Study, Iquitos, Peru, William H. Elson, Robert C. Reiner, Crystyan Siles, Isabel Bazan, Stalin Vilcarromero, Amy R. Riley-Powell, Ania B. Kawiecki, Helvio Astete, Robert D. Hontz, Chris M. Barker, Gonzalo M. Vazquez-Prokopec, Amy C. Morrison, Thomas W. Scott, John P. Elder, Alan L. Rothman, Valerie A. Paz-Soldan

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Measuring heterogeneity of dengue illness is necessary to define suitable endpoints in dengue vaccine and therapeutic trials and will help clarify behavioral responses to illness. To quantify heterogeneity in dengue illness, including milder cases, we developed the Dengue Illness Perceptions Response (IPR) survey, which captured detailed symptom data, including intensity, duration, and character, and change in routine activities caused by illness. During 2016–2019, we collected IPR data daily during the acute phase of illness for 79 persons with a positive reverse transcription PCR result for dengue virus RNA. Most participants had mild ambulatory disease. However, we measured substantial heterogeneity in …

Effectiveness Of Public Versus Private Ownership: Violations Of The Safe Drinking Water Act (Sdwa), Guanlong Fu, Pengfei Liu, Stephen K. Swallow

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Faculty Publications

The relative performance of public and private enterprises has been long debated. We construct a comprehensive violation dataset based on the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System to empirically investigate the compliance behavior of publicly and privately owned Public Water Systems (PWSs). Our results show that publicly owned PWSs commit significantly more Maximum Contamination Level, Treatment Technique, and Health-Related violations but fewer Monitor and Reporting violations than privately owned PWSs. We also find that municipal-level heterogeneities explain a substantial amount of variation in violation behaviors among PWSs, suggesting water supply quality depends crucially on location-specific regulations and local economic conditions.

Prospective Evaluation Of The Impact Of Stress, Anxiety, And Depression On Household Income Among Young Women With Early Breast Cancer From The Young And Strong Trial, Erin E. Cook, Shoshana M. Rosenberg, Kathryn J. Ruddy, William T. Barry, Mary L. Greaney, Jennifer Ligibel, Kim Sprunck-Harrild, Michelle D. Holmes, Rulla M. Tamimi, Karen M. Emmons, Ann H. Partridge

Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: Young women with breast cancer tend to report lower quality of life and higher levels of stress than older women with breast cancer, and this may have implications for other psychosocial factors including finances. We sought to determine if stress, anxiety, and depression at diagnosis were associated with changes in household income over 12-months in young women with breast cancer in the United States.

Methods: This study was a prospective, longitudinal cohort study comprised of women enrolled in the Young and Strong trial. Of the 467 women aged 18–45 newly diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer enrolled in …

Novel Multiparameter Correlates Of Coxiella Burnetii Infection And Vaccination Identified By Longitudinal Deep Immune Profiling, P. M. Reeves, S. Raju Paul, L. Baeten, Y. Yi, J. Hess, D. Sobell, A. Scholzen, A. Garritsen, Anne S. De Groot, Leonard Moise, T. Brauns, R. Bowen, A. E. Sluder, M. C. Poznansky

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Q-fever is a flu-like illness caused by Coxiella burnetii (Cb), a highly infectious intracellular bacterium. There is an unmet need for a safe and effective vaccine for Q-fever. Correlates of immune protection to Cb infection are limited. We proposed that analysis by longitudinal high dimensional immune (HDI) profiling using mass cytometry combined with other measures of vaccination and protection could be used to identify novel correlates of effective vaccination and control of Cb infection. Using a vaccine-challenge model in HLA-DR transgenic mice, we demonstrated significant alterations in circulating T-cell and innate immune populations that distinguished vaccinated from naïve …

Attractiveness Of Carbon Removal Technologies For Consumers In Germany And The Usa, Dominik Rüdiger Daniel Brysch

Open Access Master's Theses

In recent times, millions of people realized the urgency to act against the threat of climate change through protests around the world. Achieving the goal of carbon neutrality as defined in the Paris climate agreement while the world population is growing and consumption is increasing with rising wealth, will only be possible with the large-scale implementation of carbon removal technologies. Thus, carbon removal will not only become an important issue for governments, but also for manufacturing companies and private consumers.

The aim is to identify possible carbon removal technologies, compare them with each other and highlight the respective advantages and …

University Manual 2019-2020, Uri Faculty Senate

University Manual Archive

No abstract provided.

Reduced Levels Of Cerebrospinal Fluid/Plasma Aβ40 As An Early Biomarker For Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy In Rtg-Di Rats, Xiaoyue Zhu, Feng Xu, Michael D. Hoos, Hedok Lee, Helene Benveniste, William Van Nostrand

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

The accumulation of fibrillar amyloid β-protein (Aβ) in blood vessels of the brain, the condition known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), is a common small vessel disease that promotes cognitive impairment and is strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Presently, the clinical diagnosis of this condition relies on neuroimaging markers largely associated with cerebral macro/microbleeds. However, these are markers of late-stage disease detected after extensive cerebral vascular amyloid accumulation has become chronic. Recently, we generated a novel transgenic rat model of CAA (rTg-DI) that recapitulates multiple aspects of human CAA disease with the progressive accumulation of cerebral vascular amyloid, largely composed …

Thermo-Responsive Fluorescent Nanoparticles For Multimodal Imaging And Treatment Of Cancers, Nikhil Pandey, Jyothi Menon, Masaya Takahashi, Jer-Tsong Hsieh, Jian Yang, Kytai T. Nguyen, Aniket S. Wadajkar

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Theranostic systems capable of delivering imaging and therapeutic agents at a specific target are the focus of intense research efforts in drug delivery. To overcome non-degradability and toxicity concerns of conventional theranostic systems, we formulated a novel thermo-responsive fluorescent polymer (TFP) and conjugated it on the surface of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for imaging and therapeutic applications in solid tumors. Methods: TFP-MNPs were synthesized by copolymerizing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), allylamine and a biodegradable photoluminescent polymer, and conjugating it on MNPs via a free radical polymerization reaction. Physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic …

Associations Between Age, Menopausal Status, And Physical Function In Middle-Aged Women, Sydney Sweck

Open Access Master's Theses

Importance and Objective: Physical function limitations affect approximately one fifth of middle- aged women. However, correlates of these limitations are poorly understood; limited research investigates the associations between menopausal status, physical function, physical activity, and body composition, and the research available is equivocal about these associations. Methods: Using a cross-sectional approach, 107 (53.31 ± 6.14 yr) middle-aged women completed six objective assessments of physical function (transfer task, 8-foot up-and-go, 30-second chair stands, 6-minute walk test, lift and carry, and lower extremity physical function composite score) and one subjective assessment of physical function (36-Item Short Form Survey physical functioning subscale). Muscular …

Exploring The Relationship Between Selfcompassion And Disordered Eating Behaviors, Amanda A. Roy

Open Access Master's Theses

The present study sought to examine the relationship between self-compassion (SC) and disordered eating behavior (DEB) in a racially diverse all female sample (N = 374). As the factor structure of the self-compassion scale (SCS) has been criticized for being unstable, we first evaluated the best fitting model in the present sample. The SCS is comprised of 26 items and six subscales that measure positive and negative aspects of SC (i.e. self-kindness and self-judgement). Confirmatory Factor Analyses revealed a two-factor conceptualization fit the data best, indicating that both the positive and negative items measure distinct factors better than an …

Combined Effect Of Herbivory And Salinity Stress On The Common Reed, Phragmites Australis, Jennifer Soukup

Open Access Master's Theses

With the rapid decline of Phragmites australis in the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) and increasing threat of land erosion, understanding the possible contributing factors to reed dieback have become increasingly apparent. In this study, we use a greenhouse experiment to examine how the combination of salinity and herbivory could contribute to carbon starvation and ultimately reed dieback in reed stands of North American native and/or the introduced European in New England wetlands. We measured the aboveground biomass, leaf water content, leaf toughness, and specific leaf area, as well as carbohydrate levels and starch content across three salinity treatments with and …

Facilitation Between Invasive Herbivores: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Increases Gypsy Moth Preference For And Performance On Eastern Hemlock, Ian G. Kinahan, Alex K. Baranowski, Elizabeth R. Whitney, Suzanne K. Savage, Chad M. Rigsby, Emma E. Shoemaker, Colin M. Orians, Evan L. Preisser

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1. Interactions between invertebrate herbivores with different feeding modes are common on long‐lived woody plants. In cases where one herbivore facilitates the success of another, the consequences for their shared host plant may be severe. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), a canopy‐dominant conifer native to the eastern U.S., is currently threatened with extirpation by the invasive stylet‐feeding hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae). The effect of adelgid on invasive hemlock‐feeding folivores remains unknown.
2. This study evaluated the impact of feeding by hemlock woolly adelgid on gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larval preference for, and performance on, eastern hemlock. …

The Timeliness Of Inclusion Efforts In Biology Education, Laura Macdonald, Bryan Dewsbury, Jana Marcette

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Trends In Chondrichthyan Research: An Analysis Of Three Decades Of Conference Abstracts, D. S. Shiffman, M. U. Ajemian, J. C. Carrier, T. S. Daly-Engel, M. M. Davis, N. K. Dulvy, R. D. Grubbs, N. A. Hinojosa, J. Imhoff, M. A. Kolmann, C. S. Nash, E. W. M. Paig-Tran, E. E. Peele, R. A. Skubel, Bradley M. Wetherbee, L. B. Whitenack, J. T. Wyffels

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Given the conservation status and ecological, cultural, and commercial importance of chondrichthyan fishes, it is valuable to evaluate the extent to which research attention is spread across taxa and geographic locations and to assess the degree to which scientific research is appropriately addressing the challenges they face. Here we review trends in research effort over three decades (1985–2016) through content analysis of every abstract (n = 2,701) presented at the annual conference of the American Elasmobranch Society (AES), the oldest and largest professional society focused on the scientific study and management of these fishes. The most common research areas …

Contrasting Immunomodulatory Effects Of Probiotic And Pathogenic Bacteria On Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Larvae, Tejashree H. Modak, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Several Vibrio spp. cause acute and severe mortality events in hatcheries where larvae of bivalve mollusks are reared, potentially leading to subsequent shortage of bivalve seed for the grow-out industry. In particular, strains of Vibrio coralliilyticus have been identified as a major cause of disease in Pacific, Crassostrea gigas, and eastern, C. virginica, oyster hatcheries in the United States of America. Probiotic bacteria are an inexpensive, practical, and natural method of disease control. Previous research shows that pretreatment of larval oysters with probiotic bacteria Bacillus pumilus RI06–95 (RI) and Phaeobacter inhibens S4 (S4) significantly decreases mortality caused …