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The Study Of Genetic Mutations Resulting In Dwarfism, Jonathon Jackson, Dr. Robert Seegmiller

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As has been outlined, I am submitting this report of the accomplishments that have been made over the past semester in conjunction with the 1,000 dollar award that I received from your office.

The Effects Of Juniper Litter Depth And Allelopathy On Two Native Species, Chad S. Horman, Dr. Val Jo Anderson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Juniper (Juniperus spp.) forests cover a large percentage of the West and are continuing to invade grass/shrub ecotypes. This eventually leads to a reduced understory and lower productivity for grazing animals. This reduction in understory biomass is due to the competitiveness of this species. The negative affects of Juniper on the understory have been attributed to one or more of the following: 1) shading, 2) rainfall interception, 3) litter accumulation, 4) allelopathy, and 5) competition for water and nutrients.

Monocytes As A Gene Delivery Vector For Secreted Proteins To Treat Alzheimer's Disease, Dave Morgan, Siddharth G. Kamath, Lori Lebson

USF Patents

Disclosed is a method for the treatment of a neurodegenerative disorder by isolating a plurality of monocytic cells and introducing a vector containing a gene that expresses a protease capable of degrading amyloid peptide into the isolated monocytic cells. The modified cells are then administered to the patient. Preferably the introduced gene is selected from the group consisting of neprilysin, insulin degrading enzyme and endothelin converting enzyme. The protease capable of degrading amyloid peptide is secreted from the monocytic cells into the extracellular space thereof. According to one variant, the gene that expresses a protease capable of degrading amyloid peptide …

Reproducibility Of Cine Displacement Encoding With Stimulated Echoes (Dense) Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance For Measuring Left Ventricular Strains, Torsion, And Synchrony In Mice, Christopher M. Haggerty, Sage P. Kramer, Cassi M. Binkley, David K. Powell, Andrea C. Mattingly, Richard Charnigo, Frederick H. Epstein, Brandon K. Fornwalt

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Advanced measures of cardiac function are increasingly important to clinical assessment due to their superior diagnostic and predictive capabilities. Cine DENSE cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is ideal for quantifying advanced measures of cardiac function based on its high spatial resolution and streamlined post-processing. While many studies have utilized cine DENSE in both humans and small-animal models, the inter-test and inter-observer reproducibility for quantification of advanced cardiac function in mice has not been evaluated. This represents a critical knowledge gap for both understanding the capabilities of this technique and for the design of future experiments. We hypothesized that cine DENSE …

Tricellulin Deficiency Affects Tight Junction Architecture And Cochlear Hair Cells, Gowri Nayak, Sue I. Lee, Rizwan Yousaf, Stephanie E. Edelmann, Claire Trincot, Christina M. Van Itallie, Ghanshyam P. Sinha, Maria Rafeeq, Sherri M. Jones, Inna A. Belyantseva, James M. Anderson, Andrew Forge, Gregory I. Frolenkov, Saima Riazuddin

Physiology Faculty Publications

The two compositionally distinct extracellular cochlear fluids, endolymph and perilymph, are separated by tight junctions that outline the scala media and reticular lamina. Mutations in TRIC (also known as MARVELD2), which encodes a tricellular tight junction protein known as tricellulin, lead to nonsyndromic hearing loss (DFNB49). We generated a knockin mouse that carries a mutation orthologous to the TRIC coding mutation linked to DFNB49 hearing loss in humans. Tricellulin was absent from the tricellular junctions in the inner ear epithelia of the mutant animals, which developed rapidly progressing hearing loss accompanied by loss of mechanosensory cochlear hair cells, while …

Mscs-Like Mechanosensitive Channels In Plants And Microbes, Margaret E. Wilson, Grigory Maksaev, Elizabeth S. Haswell

Biology Faculty Research

The challenge of osmotic stress is something all living organisms must face as a result of environmental dynamics. Over the past three decades, innovative research and cooperation across disciplines have irrefutably established that cells utilize mechanically gated ion channels to release osmolytes and prevent cell lysis during hypoosmotic stress. Early electrophysiological analysis of the inner membrane of Escherichia coli identified the presence of three distinct mechanosensitive activities. The subsequent discoveries of the genes responsible for two of these activities, the mechanosensitive channels of large (MscL) and small (MscS) conductance, led to the identification of two diverse families of mechanosensitive channels. …

Bax And Bak Function As The Outer Membrane Component Of The Mitochondrial Permeability Pore In Regulating Necrotic Cell Death In Mice, Jason Karch, Jennifer Q. Kwong, Adam R. Burr, Michelle A. Sargent, John W. Elrod, Pablo M. Peixoto, Sonia Martinez-Caballero, Hanna Osinskka, Emily H-Y Cheng, Jeffrey Robbins, Kathleen W. Kinnally, Jeffrey D. Molkentin

Publications and Research

A critical event in ischemia-based cell death is the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP). However, the molecular identity of the components of the MPTP remains unknown. Here, we determined that the Bcl-2 family members Bax and Bak, which are central regulators of apoptotic cell death, are also required for mitochondrial pore-dependent necrotic cell death by facilitating outer membrane permeability of the MPTP. Loss of Bax/Bak reduced outer mitochondrial membrane permeability and conductance without altering inner membrane MPTP function, resulting in resistance to mitochondrial calcium overload and necrotic cell death. Reconstitution with mutants of Bax that cannot oligomerize …

Thinking Aloud In The Science Classroom: Can A Literacy Strategy Increase Student Learning In Science?, Lindsey Joan Mockel

Dissertations and Theses

This research study investigated the effect of using the think aloud protocol while reading informational text on students' ability to learn from text in a secondary science classroom. The participants in this study were high school students (n=47) in three classes of a mixed-grade Integrated Biology, Chemistry, and Physics course. The study tracked student achievement during a four-week curriculum unit on the theory of evolution and evidence for biological evolution. All students received instruction on using the think aloud protocol, and all students practiced the think aloud protocol when reading short articles related to scientific evidence for evolution. The researcher …

Functional Characterization Of Crip1a Knockout Mice, Joanna Jacob

Theses and Dissertations

CB1 cannabinoid receptors are G-protein-coupled receptors that mediate the central nervous system (CNS) effects of marijuana and endocannabinoids. Recently, cannabinoid receptor interacting protein 1a (CRIP1a) was discovered as a novel protein that binds to the CB1 receptor C-terminus and inhibits CB1 receptor activity without affecting CB1 expression. This thesis investigated the functions of CRIP1a by characterizing the first CRIP1a knockout (KO) mouse line. The absence of CRIP1a was confirmed in KO mice using quantitative PCR and immunoblotting. I hypothesized that CRIP1a KO mice would exhibit enhanced CB1 receptor-mediated G-protein activity in the CNS, as well as cannabimemetic phenotypes and enhanced …

Development Of The In Vivo Multicolor Photoacoustic Flow Cytometer, Mustafa Sarimollaoglu

Theses and Dissertations

Flow cytometry is a powerful tool for analysis of cells in artificial flow. This highly accurate technology, using multicolor fluorescent probes and lasers with different wavelengths, provides fast multiparameter quantification of the biological properties of cells. Invasive extraction of cells from an organism, however, leads to changes in cell properties and low sensitivity, and prevents studying cells in their native environment. Challenges to advances in in vivo flow cytometry include fluorescent probe toxicity, strong background, and number of colors, as well as assessment of small vessels. To overcome these limitations, photoacoustic flow cytometry (PAFC) was introduced. PAFC is based on …

An Abstraction Of The Java Language’S Awt Library, Leanne Isaac, Dr. Phillip J. Windley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As Java, a new language developed for the Internet, has continued to grow in popularity, the face of the World Wide Web is changing. Now, once static HTML pages are lined with moving animation and sounds. While the possibilities that Java brings to the Internet are practically endless, creating these applications is not a simple task for the everyday Internet user who has not had experience in advance computer programming. With this fact in mind, I thought that if it were possible to create a simple and direct language that could be sent to a program which translated it into …

Speculative Evaluation In Particle Swarm Optimization, Matthew Gardner, Dr. Kevin Seppi

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Optimization problems are ubiquitous in our modern world. Businesses such as Google need to decide where to place ads, scientists need to fit models to data, and airlines need to schedule their flights. All of these problems are optimization problems, and optimization techniques can be used to find solutions. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a relatively new optimization technique that draws on ideas from the sociology of flocking birds. It was originally developed for use on a single machine, and attempts at modifying the algorithm to run in parallel are still quite preliminary. However, the problems people want to solve …

Identifying Selection In The Angptl4 Gene Using Treesaap, Jeffrey Staples, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Geneticists have successfully identified the sources of many diseases that are inherited according to Mendelian rules (e.g. cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease). However, not all diseases are caused by one faulty gene; these so-called complex diseases (e.g. asthma, obesity, and diabetes) result from any number of mutated genes, faulty pathways, or environmental conditions. Association studies have identified a particular gene family (Angiopoietin-like proteins or ANGPTL) to be correlated with several of these complex diseases, namely diabetes, obesity, and heart disease1, 2; however, the function and contribution of these genes to these complex diseases is not completely understood.

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University

The George-Anne

• GSU Hires 25 Advisors
• News
• Opinions
• Arts & Entertainment
• Classifieds
• Puzzles & Comics
• Sports

The Current Volume 24 : Issue 2, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Montana Kaimin, August 27, 2013, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

Consultation Workshops, Grangegorman Development Agency

Publications

During May 2008 a consultation afternoon was held at which there was a discussion about the issues raised in Autumn of 2007. A response document to the consultation afternoon was prepared and is now available.

A series of Consultation Workshops was run during the latter half of 2007 and a report on the findings from these workshops has been produced .

Includes Five Workshops:

*Response on Issues Raised in Autumn 2007 Workshops

*Final Report

*Staff Report

*Students Union Report

*Students Report

Bioengineered Lysozyme Reduces Bacterial Burden And Inflammation In A Murine Model Of Mucoid Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Lung Infection, Charlotte C. Teneback, Thomas C. Scanlon, Matthew J. Wargo, Jenna L. Bement, Karl E. Griswold, Laurie W. Leclair

Dartmouth Scholarship

The spread of drug-resistant bacterial pathogens is a growing global concern and has prompted an effort to explore potential adjuvant and alternative therapies derived from nature's repertoire of bactericidal proteins and peptides. In humans, the airway surface liquid layer is a rich source of antibiotics, and lysozyme represents one of the most abundant and effective antimicrobial components of airway secretions. Human lysozyme is active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, ac

Orca Grant Final Report, Alisha Walbrecht

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Metaphors are a very important aspect of language, particularly of the English language. Lakoff and Johnson opened linguists to the study of metaphors by pointing out that English speakers use metaphors throughout their speech. For example, Lakoff and Johnson say that the phrase “spending time” is evidence of the metaphor “time is money,” which allows speakers to use money terms with time terms. According to Lakoff and Johnson, these metaphors permeate almost every aspect of English speech.

Shakers - South Union, Kentucky - Slaughtering Of Animals (Sc 1113), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1113. Document comprising the timeline of hog and cattle slaughtering by members of the Shaker Society at South Union, Logan County, Kentucky from 1 December 1814 to 16 December 1891, compiled from Shaker journals and other original sources. Entries often indicate the number of animals butchered, their weight, and the purpose of the butchering.

The Daily Egyptian, August 26, 2013, Daily Egyptian Staff

August 2013

No abstract provided.

Assessing Premature Arthritis In Sedc Mutant Mice, Shaela Avery, Dr. Robert Seegmiller

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A recently discovered collagen gene mutation, spondyloepiphiseal dysplasia congenita (sedc), is found on the Col2a1 gene in both mice and humans. The mouse mutation is molecularly similar to the human SEDC mutation, which causes premature osteoarthritis. Studies, such as this one, in mouse models provide a greater understanding of this recently discovered mutation and help in finding ways to prevent osteoarthritis in humans.

Phenotypic Divergence In Boldness/Shyness In Brachyraphis Fishes, Scott Miller, Dr. Jerry Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Among some of the most exciting research in evolutionary biology involves animal social behavior. Of particular interest is whether social behaviors are inheritable. If social behaviors are inheritable, they become a selective force and are capable of shaping the life history of an animal. Dr. Culum Brown has pioneered much of the research in this field with fishes. My research is based on his preliminary research and supplemented with work by Dr. Jerry Johnson. The goal of my research was to test if behaviors evolve in response to differences in mortality pressures in the environment. A greater understanding of how …

Different Developmental Outcomes Following Lab Rearing By Biological Or Adoptive Mothers: Maternal Influence On Behavioral And Physiological Responses To Separation Stress In Rhesus Macaques (Macacamulatta), Andrea Sorenson, Dr. James D. Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Initially this project was looking at the effects that multiple short term separations of a mother rhesus macaque from their infant would have on their relationship. More specifically, looking at adoption pairs (an infant raised by a non biological mother) to see if the relationship between the mother and the infant changed differently than the relationship of a mother and their biological infant. The focus of this analysis was looking at the mother/infant pair’s cortisol levels, which are a measure of the body’s physiological response to stress. The hope was to determine whether mother infant pairs with similar cortisol levels, …

Different Developmental Outcomes Following Lab Rearing By Biological Or Adoptive Mothers: Maternal Influence On Behavioral And Physiological Responses To Separation Stress In Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta), Whitney Maxwell, Dr. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Under stressful conditions the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis increases in both humans and animals leading to an increase in production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Maternal separation in nonhuman primates during infancy elicits behaviors characteristic of anxiety, such as withdrawal and nervous behavior and a substantial increase in ACTH (Higley and Linnoila 1997; Barr, Newman et al. 2004). Individual differences in anxiety in turn influence ACTH output, similar to what is seen in human children (Gunnar and Quevedo 2007). Infants response to separation physiologically and behaviorally is substantial and represents a significant stressor in the life of a young …

The Daily Gamecock, Monday, August 26, 2013, University Of South Carolina, Office Of Student Media

August

No abstract provided.

"Honey, We's All Creoles": Exploring South Louisiana's Creole Identity, Culture, And Heritage, Elista Istre

Student Theses and Dissertations

South Louisiana boasts a cultural mélange that sets it apart from the rest of the United States. Largely due to the tourism industry, many associate the region with Cajun culture; fewer realize that Creoles inhabited the region before the Cajuns arrived and still continue to play an important role in the area's cultural landscape today. The definition of Creole changed over time as Louisiana's native-born population either claimed or rejected their European or African ancestry. Although the debate over "true" Creole identity continues, throughout the prairies of South Louisiana, the term typically refers to French-speaking individuals of varying skin tones …

A Unified Framework Integrating Parent-Of-Origin Effects For Association Study, Feifei Xiao, Jianzhong Ma, Christopher I. I. Amos

Dartmouth Scholarship

Genetic imprinting is the most well-known cause for parent-of-origin effect (POE) whereby a gene is differentially expressed depending on the parental origin of the same alleles. Genetic imprinting is related to several human disorders, including diabetes, breast cancer, alcoholism, and obesity. This phenomenon has been shown to be important for normal embryonic development in mammals. Traditional association approaches ignore this important genetic phenomenon. In this study, we generalize the natural and orthogonal interactions (NOIA) framework to allow for estimation of both main allelic effects and POEs. We develop a statistical (Stat-POE) model that has the orthogonal estimates of parameters including …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, August 26, 2013, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Graduate Council Report
• Research Council Report
• Election of new Committee on Committees Member
• PRPC Section 402, Language on RCDE and USU Eastern
• Post Tenure Review process revision update (e.g. results of straw poll vote)

Molecular Identification Of Nematode Gut Contents, Quinn Martin, Dr. Byron Adams

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Species-specific food web relationships involving free-living microbivorous nematodes are not well established, yet critical to our understanding of their involvement in nutrient cycling and ecosystem function. Antarctic soil ecosystems are the simplest on earth and serve as a model system for exploring the role of biodiversity in ecosystem function. To establish which bacteria are involved in trophic relationships with nematodes, we surface-sterilized nematodes and extracted their DNA, including bacterial DNA from the gut contents of the nematodes. From this bacterial DNA we PCR amplified the 16S gene and sequenced the product in order to determine the identity of the gut …