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Plasmid Probes For Screening Specific Genes In Large Fragment Dna Libraries, Leah Ferguson

Senior Honors Projects

Heliothis virescens, a member of the lepidopteran family, is of great importance to many people who rely on agriculture as a source of income because it is a pest of many important crops. Because H. virescens feeds on a broad array of hosts including cotton, tobacco, tomato, and soybean it has earned its place as a major nuisance in the United States. Heliothis subflexa is a close taxonomic relative of H. virescens, but the two species differ in that H. subflexa is a specialized herbivore that only feeds on plants in the genus Physalis. Studies have been performed to determine …

Cooperation Between Mef2 And Pparγ In Human Intestinal Β,Β-Carotene 15,15'-Monooxygenase Gene Expression, Xiaoming Gong, Shu-Whei Tsai, Bingfang Yan, Lewis P. Rubin

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background:

Vitamin A and its derivatives, the retinoids, are essential for normal embryonic development and maintenance of cell differentiation. β, β-carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase 1 (BCMO1) catalyzes the central cleavage of β-carotene to all-trans retinal and is the key enzyme in the intestinal metabolism of carotenes to vitamin A. However, human and various rodent species show markedly different efficiencies in intestinal BCMO1-mediated carotene to retinoid conversion. The aim of this study is to identify potentially human-specific regulatory control mechanisms of BCMO1 gene expression.

Results:

We identified and functionally characterized the human BCMO1 promoter sequence and determined the transcriptional regulation of the …

Biogeographical Distribution And Diversity Of Microbes In Methane Hydrate-Bearing Deep Marine Sediments On The Pacific Ocean Margin, Fumio Inagaki, Takuro Nunoura, Satoshi Nakagawa, Andreas Teske, Mark Lever, Antje Lauer, Masae Suzuki, Ken Takai, Mark Delwiche, Frederick S. Colwell, Kenneth H. Nealson, Koki Horikoshi, Steven D'Hondt, Bo B. Jørgensen

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The deep subseafloor biosphere is among the least-understood habitats on Earth, even though the huge microbial biomass therein plays an important role for potential long-term controls on global biogeochemical cycles. We report here the vertical and geographical distribution of microbes and their phylogenetic diversities in deeply buried marine sediments of the Pacific Ocean Margins. During the Ocean Drilling Program Legs 201 and 204, we obtained sediment cores from the Peru and Cascadia Margins that varied with respect to the presence of dissolved methane and methane hydrate. To examine differences in prokaryotic distribution patterns in sediments with or without methane hydrates, …

Transition From Unilamellar To Bilameller Vesicles Induced By An Amphiphilic Biopolymer, Jae-Ho Lee, Vivek Argarwal, Arijit Bose, Gregory F. Payne, Srinivasa R. Raghavan

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

We report some unusual structural transitions upon the addition of an amphiphilic biopolymer to unilamellar surfactant vesicles. The polymer is a hydrophobically modified chitosan and it embeds its hydrophobes in vesicle bilayers. We study vesicle-polymer mixtures using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and cryotransmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). When low amounts of the polymer are added to unilamellar vesicles of ca. 120 nm diameter, the vesicle size decreases by about 50%. Upon further addition of polymer, lamellar peaks are observed in the SANS spectra at high scattering vectors. We show that these spectra correspond to a co-existence of unilamellar and bilamellar vesicles. …

Division Of Research And Economic Development Annual Report For Fy2006, Uri Division Of Research And Economic Development

Reports (Research and Economic Development)

Annual report for the Division of Research and Economic Development of the University of Rhode Island for the year 2005-2006.

Includes statistics of project proposals, expenditures, URI Foundation Awards, previous annual report summaries and awards received by individual academic and administrative departments.

Reservoir Competency Of Goats For The Ap-Variant 1 Strain Of Anaplasma Phagocytophilum, Robert F. Massung, Thomas N. Mather, Michael L. Levin

Past Departments Faculty Publications (CELS)

Field-collected ticks were used to infect goats with either Ap-ha, a strain associated with human disease, or a variant strain, Ap-Variant 1, of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Goats were shown to be competent as a reservoir for Ap-Variant 1, and challenge and immunosuppression studies were used to further examine infection in the goat model.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizae Effects On Growth Of Two Hawaiian Species: Indigenous Osteomeles Anthyllidifolia (Rosaceae) And Invasive Psidium Cattleianum (Myrtaceae), R. E. Koske, J. N. Gemma

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Two important plant species of Hawai'i, the indigenous Osteomeles anthyllidifolia (Sm.) Lindl., a component of Hawai'i's most endangered habitat, and the highly invasive Psidium cattleianum Sabine were grown with or without arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a soilless mix at different soil-solution phosphorus (P) levels. At P levels similar to those in the field (0.007 mg P/liter), shoot biomass of inoculated plants of O. anthyllidifolia was 189% greater than that of controls, and that of P. cattleianum was 93% greater. Root weight of O. anthyllidifolia and leaf-tissue P of both species also were significantly higher in inoculated plants. At a higher …

Asymptotic Behavior Of A Competitive System Of Linear Fractional Difference Equations, Mustafa Kulenovic, M. Nurkanović

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We investigate the global asymptotic behavior of solutions of the system of difference equations x_n+1 = (a+x _n )/(b+y _n ), y_n+1 = (d+y _n )/(e+x _n ), n = 0,1,..., where the parameters a, b, d, and e are positive numbers and the initial conditions x₀ and y₀ are arbitrary nonnegative numbers. In certain range of parameters, we prove the existence of the global stable manifold of the unique positive equilibrium of this system which is the graph …

Metabolic Routing Of Dietary Nutrients In Birds: Effects Of Diet Quality And Macronutrient Composition Revealed Using Stable Isotopes, David W. Podlesak, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

During fall migration many songbirds switch from consuming primarily insects to consuming mostly fruit. Fruits with more carbohydrates and less protein may be sufficient to rebuild expended fat stores, but such fruits may be inadequate to replace catabolized protein. We manipulated the concentrations and isotopic signatures of macronutrients in diets fed to birds to study the effects of diet quality on metabolic routing of dietary nutrients. We estimated that approximately 45% and 75%, respectively, of the carbon in proteinaceous tissue of birds switched to high‐ or low‐protein diets came from nonprotein dietary sources. In contrast, we estimated that approximately 100% …

Antiinflammatory And Immunosuppressive Activity Of Sialostatin L, A Salivary Cystatin From The Tick Ixodes Scapularis, Michalis Kotsyfakis, Anderson Sá-Nunes, Ivo M. B. Francischetti, Thomas N. Mather, John F. Anderson, José M. Ribeiro

Past Departments Faculty Publications (CELS)

Here we report the ability of the tick Ixodes scapularis, the main vector of Lyme disease in the United States, to actively and specifically affect the host proteolytic activity in the sites of infestation through the release of a cystatin constituent of its saliva. The cystatin presence in the saliva was verified both biochemically and immunologically. We named the protein sialostatin L because of its inhibitory action against cathepsin L. We also show that the proteases it targets, although limited in number, have a prominent role in the proteolytic cascades that take place in the extracellular and intracellular environment. …

Trapping Phyllophaga Spp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) In The United States And Canada Using Sex Attractants, Paul S. Robbins, Steven R. Alm, Et Al

Plant Sciences and Entomology Faculty Publications

The sex pheromone of the scarab beetle, Phyllophaga anxia, is a blend of the methyl esters of two amino acids, L-valine and L-isoleucine. A field trapping study was conducted, deploying different blends of the two compounds at 59 locations in the United States and Canada. More than 57,000 males of 61 Phyllophaga species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) were captured and identified. Three major findings included: (1) widespread use of the two compounds [of the 147 Phyllophaga (sensu stricto) species found in the United States and Canada, males of nearly 40% were captured]; (2) in most species intraspecific male …

Surfo Technical Report No. 2006-02, Surfo

SURFO Technical Reports

The 2006 technical reports written by undergraduate students participating in the SURFO (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography) Program while at the University of Rhode Island.

Human Resource Policies As A Response To Work-Life Conflict, Leslie Vlastos

Seminar Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Renaissance 2006, University Of Rhode Island

URI Yearbooks

This is a digitized, downloadable version of the University of Rhode Island yearbook.

The Hydrodynamic Effects Of Shape And Size Change During Reconfiguration Of A Flexible Macroalga, Michael L. Boller, Emily Carrington

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Rocky intertidal organisms experience large hydrodynamic forces due to high water velocities created by breaking waves. Flexible organisms, like macroalgae, often experience lower drag than rigid organisms because their shape and size change as velocity increases. This phenomenon, known as reconfiguration, has been previously quantified as Vogel's E, a measure of the relationship between velocity and drag. While this method is very useful for comparing reconfiguration among organisms it does not address the mechanisms of reconfiguration, and its application to predicting drag is problematic. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the mechanisms of reconfiguration by …

Seasonal Variation In Mussel Byssal Thread Mechanics, Gretchen M. Moeser, Emily Carrington

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, attaches itself to the substrate by producing a radially arranged complex of collagenous byssal threads. The strength of byssal attachment, or tenacity, has been shown to vary seasonally on Rhode Island shores, increasing twofold in spring in comparison with fall. It was previously assumed that this seasonality was due to increased thread production following periods of increased wave action; however, recent findings do not support this view. As an alternate hypothesis, this study evaluates the contribution of seasonal changes in the material properties of byssal threads to an annual cycle in mussel attachment …

Seasonal Influence Of Wave Action On Thread Production In Mytilus Edulis, Gretchen M. Moeser, Heather Leba, Emily Carrington

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The blue mussel Mytilus edulis maintains a strong attachment to the substrate in high energy environments by producing byssal threads. On the shores of Rhode Island, USA, mussel attachment strength increases twofold in spring compared to that in the fall. While many factors could influence attachment strength (temperature, food supply, predator cues, etc.), it has been proposed that the variation observed is primarily due to increased thread production during winter and spring in response to increased wave action. This study evaluates the influence of three aspects of wave action on the thread production of M. edulis. Mussels were exposed …

Role Of Gluconeogenesis And The Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle In The Virulence Of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhimurium In Balb/C Mice, Merlin Tchawa Yimga, Mary P. Leatham, James H. Allen, David C. Laux, Tyrrell Conway, Paul S. Cohen

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, the Cra protein (catabolite repressor/activator) regulates utilization of gluconeogenic carbon sources by activating transcription of genes in the gluconeogenic pathway, the glyoxylate bypass, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and electron transport and repressing genes encoding glycolytic enzymes. A serovar Typhimurium SR-11 Δcra mutant was recently reported to be avirulent in BALB/c mice via the peroral route, suggesting that gluconeogenesis may be required for virulence. In the present study, specific SR-11 genes in the gluconeogenic pathway were deleted (fbp, glpX, ppsA, and pckA), and the …

Identification And Characterization Of A Hemolysin Gene Cluster In Vibrio Anguillarum, Jessica L. Rock, David R. Nelson

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Vibrio anguillarum is a causative agent of vibriosis in fish. Hemolytic activity has been suggested as a virulence factor by contributing to hemorrhagic septicemia and diarrhea. In order to identify and characterize the hemolysin genes and examine the role of hemolytic activity in virulence, a mini-Tn10Kan mutagenesis clone bank of V. anguillarum was screened. While no hemolysin-negative strains were observed, several mutants with two- to threefold-increased hemolytic activity were found. The region containing the insertion mutation was cloned, sequenced, and found to contain the V. anguillarum hemolysin (vah1) and two other open reading frames, coding for …

Synthesis Of Polymer-Bound 4-Acetoxy-3-Phenylbenzaldehyde Derivatives:  Applications In Solid-Phase Organic Synthesis, Anil Kumar, Guofeng Ye, Yousef Ahmadibeni, Keykavous Parang

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Aminomethyl polystyrene resin was reacted with 4-(5‘-formyl-2‘-hydroxyphenyl)benzoic acid and 4-(5‘-formyl-2‘-hydroxyphenyl)phenyl propionic acid, respectively, in the presence of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole and 1,3-diisopropylcarbodiimide to yield polymer-bound benzaldehydes. The phenolic group in resins was acetylated with acetic anhydride to afford two polymer-bound 4-acetoxybenzaldehydes. The reductive amination of polymer-bound linkers by amines and sodium triacetoxyborohydride, followed by sulfonylation with arylsulfonyl chloride derivatives in the presence of pyridine and the cleavage with TFA/DCM/H₂O, produced pure sulfonamides.

Functional Properties Of The Isomorphic Biphasic Algal Life Cycle, Carol S. Thornber

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Many species of marine algae have life cycles that involve multiple separate, free-living phases that frequently differ in ploidy levels. These complex life cycles have received increasing scientific attention over the past few decades, due to their usefulness for both ecological and evolutionary studies. I present a synthesis of our current knowledge of the ecological functioning and evolutionary implications of the isomorphic, biphasic life cycles commonly found in many species of marine algae. There are both costs and benefits to life cycles with 2 morphologically similar but separate, free-living phases that differ in ploidy levels (haploids and diploids). Evolutionary theory …

Multiplex Quantitative Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase Pcr For F+-Specific Rna Coliphages: A Method For Use In Microbial Source Tracking, Merek Kirs, David C. Smith

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

It is well documented that microbial contamination of coastal waters poses a significant risk to human health through recreational exposure and consumption of shellfish. Identifying the source of microbial contamination (microbial source tracking) plays a dominant role in enabling effective management and remediation strategies. One method used to determine the source of the contamination is quantification of the ratio of the four subgroups of F⁺-specific RNA coliphages (family Leviviridae) in impacted water samples. Because of typically low concentrations in the environment, enrichment assays are performed prior to detection, even though differential replication rates have been reported. These …

Show Me The Numbers: What Data Currently Exist For Non‐Native Species In The Usa?, Alycia W. Crall, Laura A. Meyerson, Thomas J. Stohlgren, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Gregory J. Newman, Jim Graham

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Non‐native species continue to be introduced to the United States from other countries via trade and transportation, creating a growing need for early detection and rapid response to new invaders. It is therefore increasingly important to synthesize existing data on non‐native species abundance and distributions. However, no comprehensive analysis of existing data has been undertaken for non‐native species, and there have been few efforts to improve collaboration. We therefore conducted a survey to determine what datasets currently exist for non‐native species in the US from county, state, multi‐state region, national, and global scales. We identified 319 datasets and collected metadata …

The New Student Record : The University Of Rhode Island, The Interfraternity/Panhellenic Councils

Freshman Record

No abstract provided.

Inhibition Of Egfr/Pi3k/Akt Cell Survival Pathway Promotes Tsa's Effect On Cell Death And Migration In Human Ovarian Cancer Cells, Changlin Zhou, Lihua Qiu, Yun Sun, Sarah Healey, Harold Wanebo, Nicola Kouttab, Wen Di, Bingfang Yan, Yinsheng Wan

Past Departments Faculty Publications (CPHARM)

Trichostatin A (TSA), a hydroxamate-type inhibitor of mammalian histone deacetylases, is emerging as one of a potentially new class of anticancer agents. TSA is known to act by promoting the acetylation of histones, leading to uncoiling of chromatin and activation of a variety of genes implicated in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In addition, there is an increasing appreciation of the fact that TSA may act through mechanisms other than induction of histone acetylation. Accumulated experimental data indicate that TSA activates phosphatidyl inositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling. Using human ovarian cancer cell line Caov3 cells, we observed that …

Sequence Effects Of Aminofluorene-Modified Dna Duplexes: Thermodynamic And Circular Dichroism Properties, Srinivasa Rao Meneni, Rhijuta D'Mello, Gregory Norigian, Gregory Baker, Lin Gao, M. Paul Chiarelli, Bongsup P. Cho

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Circular dichroism (CD) and UV-melting experiments were conducted with 16 oligodeoxynucleotides modified by the carcinogen 2-aminofluorene, whose sequence around the lesion was varied systematically [d(CTTCTNG[AF]NCCTC), N = G, A, C, T], to gain insight into the factors that determine the equilibrium between base-displaced stacked (S) and external B-type (B) duplex conformers. Differing stabilities among the duplexes can be attributed to different populations of S and B conformers. The AF modification always resulted in sequence-dependent thermal (T_m) and thermodynamic (−Δ G °) destabilization. The population of B-type conformers derived from eight selected duplexes (i.e. -AG*N- and -CG*N-) was …

Structural And Functional Studies Of The Csk And *Src Family Protein Tyrosine Kinases, Marina Ayrapetov

Open Access Dissertations

Signaling networks are vital to the proper functioning and survival of the cell and the organism. Src family protein tyrosine kinases (SFKs) are involved in a variety of signal transduction events. Activation and over-expression of SFKs lead to development of a variety of human carcinomas. Regulatory mechanisms of Src family members in the cell are not fully understood. One of the known negative regulatory mechanisms for Src is phosphorylation of the C-terminal tyrosine residue by of the Csk family kinases. The Csk family has two members: Csk and Csk homologous kinase (Chk). The presence of two homologous PTKs raises important …

Assessment Of The Impacts Of Tourism Development In Coastal Communities In Belize, Amy Diedrich

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to assess the environmental, socio-cultural, and economic impacts of tourism in coastal communities in Belize. In particular, the objective is to improve our understanding of how to promote tourism that provides maximum benefits to local people and the marine environment, while having minimal negative impacts upon them. A multi-method ethnographic approach was used to gather extensive qualitative and quantitative data from six coastal communities in Belize during the period of March--November 2005. The majority of the data were collected using survey instruments for local people and tourists. These data were analyzed statistically and substantiated …

Quantifying The Importance Of The Atmospheric Sink For Polychlorinated Dioxins And Furans Relative To Other Global Loss Processes, Rainer Lohmann, Elena Jurado, Jordi Dachs, Ulrike Lohmann, Kevin C. Jones

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Previous attempts to establish global mass balances for polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) have focused on the terrestrial sink, thereby neglecting deposition to the oceans and atmospheric losses. In this study, the atmospheric sink of polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) was calculated on the basis of their presence in soils. OH radical ([OH]) depletion reactions compete with atmospheric deposition fluxes for the fate of atmospheric PCDD/Fs. Three different steady state scenarios were considered: scenario A was a one‐box atmosphere with globally averaged [OH], temperature (T), atmospheric lifetime (t_life), and a constant gas‐particle partitioning (Φ); in scenario B, [OH], …

Biological Formation Of Ethane And Propane In The Deep Marine Subsurface, Kai-Uwe Hinrichs, John M. Hayes, Wolfgang Bach, Arthur J. Spivack, Laura R. Hmelo, Nils G. Holm, Carl G. Johnson, Sean P. Sylva

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Concentrations and isotopic compositions of ethane and propane in cold, deeply buried sediments from the southeastern Pacific are best explained by microbial production of these gases in situ. Reduction of acetate to ethane provides one feasible mechanism. Propane is enriched in ¹³C relative to ethane. The amount is consistent with derivation of the third C from inorganic carbon dissolved in sedimentary pore waters. At typical sedimentary conditions, the reactions yield free energy sufficient for growth. Relationships with competing processes are governed mainly by the abundance of H₂. Production of C₂ and C₃ hydrocarbons in …