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The Communicator, Volume 9, Issue 2, December 2013

The Communicator: News from the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

New and Changing Faces: We welcome William (Will) Smith and Allison Zach to the Coop Unit.

Mark Your Calendar: 9/30/2014 10-Year anniversary as part of the USGS Cooperative Research Units program.

Research Highlight: Canid Distribution and the Potential Impacts of Energy Development in Nebraska

Graduate Student News: Robert Kill, Jason DeBoer, Lucas Kowalewski, Justin Williams, Dustin Martin

Honors and Awards: Kent Fricke, Caroline Jezierski, Jessica Laskowski, Lindsey Messinger

Outreach Activities: Kent Fricke, Caroline Jezierski, Dan Uden, Emma Brinley Buckley, Jessica Laskowski

Announcements: Chris Chizinski

Conferences/Meetings/Workshops

Atf3 Expression In The Corpus Luteum: Possible Role In Luteal Regression, Dagan Mao, Xiaoying Hou, Heather Talbott, Robert A. Cushman, Andrea S. Cupp, John S. Davis

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The present study investigated the induction and possible role of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) in the corpus luteum. Postpubertal cattle were treated at midcycle with prostaglandin F2α(PGF) for 0–4 hours. Luteal tissue was processed for immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and isolation of protein and RNA. Ovaries were also collected from midluteal phase and first-trimester pregnant cows. Luteal cells were prepared and sorted by centrifugal elutriation to obtain purified small (SLCs) and large luteal cells (LLCs). Real-time PCR and in situ hybridization showed that ATF3 mRNA increased within 1 hour of PGF treatment in vivo. Western blot and immunohistochemistry demonstrated …

Biological Compatibility And Cytotoxicity Studies Of Hepa-1c1c7, Hepg2, And Mcf-7 Cancer Cell Lines Upon Exposure To Silver, Palladium, And Gold Nanoparticles, M. Esther Salinas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The field of nanomedicine has recently explored potential applications for cancer treatment ranging from drug delivery methods to cancer imaging techniques. Due to potential risks of nanomaterials affecting non-cancerous cells in the body, in vitro toxicity studies are being conducted. The nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized from potassium tetrachloroaurate (III) hydrate, potassium tetrabromoaurate (III) dihydrate, potassium tetrachloropalladate (II), and silver nitrate. NPs were synthesized using the Turkevich method or through the sodium borohydride reduction. Particles synthesized using sodium borohydride were stabilized with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The NPs under investigation were used to treat three cancer cell lines. The treated cells were …

Stolen Youth: A Co-Authored Memoir, Jeanilee A. Garza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This literary work of creative nonfiction qualifies under the literary genre of memoir, as a co-authored memoir. While the work incorporates the practices of both memoir and testimonio, the classification as a co-authored memoir recognizes a collaboration between the writer and the individual interviewed for this piece. “Stolen Youth: A Co-Authored Memoir” presents nine chapters and an epilogue, and is part of a larger creative work. The piece narrates the life of, Cirano “Cid” Lagunas, III, a dear friend who offered me the opportunity to convey his personal experiences through memoir. His memoir begins at the age of 12, following …

An Explication Of Nietzsche's Views On Punishment., Erik Jay Hascal

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Flexibility In International Patent Law, Sarah R. Wasserman Rajec

UC Law Journal

Global patent law has raced toward harmonization over the past decades. Countries with vastly different industries, values, and levels of development now offer robust patent rights with similar contours through membership in the World Trade Organization and consequent adoption of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (“TRIPS”). However, patent law is still far from harmonized among countries or static within countries. Jurisdictions tailor their patent laws to accommodate differences between industries, unforeseen inefficiencies, and diverse views of the costs and benefits associated with offering patent rights to stimulate innovation. Prior scholarly work consists of either doctrinal analyses …

Journal Of Cave And Karst Studies, Volume 75, No. 3, December 2013, Malcolm S. Field

KIP Articles

Contents: Food Resource Availability in a Quartzite Cave in the Brazilian Montane Atlantic Forest -- Sustained Anthropogenic Impact in Carter Saltpeter Cave, Carter County, Tennessee and the Potential Effects on Manganese Cycling -- Odonata Occurence in Caves: Active or Accidentals? A New Case Study -- Luminescence of Speleothems: A Comparison of Sorces and Environments -- High Phylogenetic Diversity of Bacteria in the Area of Prehistoric Paintings in Magura Cave, Bulgaria -- Guide to Authors

Defying Binaries: A Critical Examination Of 'Old' Versus 'New' In The Art Of Pablita Velarde And Helen Hardin, Jenna M. Kloeppel

Art & Art History ETDs

Santa Clara painter Pablita Velarde and her artist daughter, Helen Hardin, are often discussed in both popular and academic literature as being representative, respectively, of two very different artistic traditions. Velardes art is commonly viewed as very much a product of her Dorothy Dunn-trained Santa Fe Studio background, and Hardin is seen as an avant-garde, wholly innovative artistic force representative of the generation of Native artists more aligned with the anti-Studio philosophies of the Institute of American Indian Arts, which was developing as Hardin was beginning her career in painting. This thesis will examine the modes of representation that have …

Decg2013, Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly Manuscripts

From December 2013 Robert Kelly Archives

Decf2013, Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly Manuscripts

From December 2013 Robert Kelly Archive

The Conduit, Volume 13, No. 2, December 2013, Annette Summers Engel

The KWI Conduit

Contents: Welcome to The Conduit -- President’s Corner -- KWI Happenings -- Upcoming 2014 Karst Award Banquet, March 1, 2014 -- Upcoming Conference Announcements -- Karst Award Dinner Announcement -- Meet KWI ‘s New Associates -- News about KWI Officer, Harvey DuChene -- Wilson Scholarship in Karst Science Announcement -- Research Focus: East Tennessee Cave Biodiversity

December 2013 Full Issue

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Cpc Update

NASIG Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Astrophobia: A 3d Multiplayer Space Combat Game With Linear Entity Interpolation, Luke Larson

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Astrophobia is a Descent-like 3D networked multiplayer space combat game with linear entity interpolation (client-side animation between game-state packets to give the illusion of continuous game updates) similar to entity interpolation implemented in Valve Software’s Source engine. Additionally, Astrophobia procedurally generates unique levels, has zero-gravity physics, ship and projectile wall bouncing, hit detection, OpenGL 3D graphics, Phong lighting, ship model and texture, and a simple HUD that provides visualization of health points, aiming crosshair, and player scoreboard.

Elements Of Traditional Folk Music And Serialism In The Piano Music Of Cornel Țăranu, Cristina Vlad

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

The socio-political environment in the aftermath of World War II has greatly influenced Romanian music. During the Communist era, the government imposed regulations on musical composition dictating that music should be accessible to all members of society. Composers were therefore barred from writing works that were considered too complex or avant-garde for the standards of the nation. Many composers struggled with this official ideology because they wished to follow their own natural styles and desired to synchronize with Western compositional trends of the time, including aleatoric and twelve-tone serial music. Even before the government relaxed the restrictions on composition at …

Using Quantitative Genetics Methods To Estimate Heritability Of Larval Co2-Resistance In A Coastal Marine Fish, Alex James Malvezzi

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Marine organisms are under pressure to adapt to anthropogenic changes that are rapidly altering ocean water chemistry. Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have caused an increase in atmospheric CO2 which is partly absorbed by the world's oceans, thereby reducing ocean pH, aragonite and calcite saturation states in a process known as ocean acidification (OA). Concern over these changes has caused a surge in scientific interest to better understand and predict how OA affects marine organisms from single celled algae to marine calcifying invertebrates and vertebrates such as fish. Since most studies thus far have focused on short-term responses of …

Prey Plasticity Responses To A Native And Nonnative Predator, Alexandra Hooks

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental stimuli is exceedingly common across systems and taxa. For instance, predation risk in many gastropods can induce a variety of defenses including growing thicker shells, growing shells of different shapes, and developing apertural teeth. However, the role of coevolution between species that produce these defense responses and their consumers is not well known. This thesis examines the responses of an ovoviviparous gastropod (Littorina saxatilis) with low dispersal from three different habitats (marsh habitat, rocky habitat, and cobble stone habitat) to the presence of chemical cues from a native (Dyspanopeus sayi) and nonnative (Hemigrapsus sanguineus) …

The Genetic Diversity Of Endangered Fishes In The Northwest Atlantic, Shannon Joy O'Leary

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Genetic diversity is the fundamental building block of biodiversity, harboring the adaptive potential of populations. The magnitude of the two main factors eroding genetic diversity, inbreeding and genetic drift, increases as the effective population size (Ne) decreases. Ne describes the number of reproductively mature adults effectively contributing to the next generation. In populations with overlapping generations, the effective number of breeders (Nb). Loss of genetic diversity has long been a concern for terrestrial and freshwater organisms, but traditionally less so for fisheries management due to the paradigm that marine fish populations are large, panmictic and thus resistant to the erosion …

Thermal Homeostasis In Buildings (Thib): Radiant Conditioning Of Hydronically Activated Buildings With Large Fenestration And Adequate Thermal Mass Using Natural Energy For Thermal Comfort, Peizheng Ma

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

" Living" buildings, like living bodies, seek to maintain stable internal environments while the external surroundings keep on changing. In biology, the " stable internal environment" is called homeostasis. This dissertation focuses on thermal homeostasis in buildings. In a homeostatic building, adequate thermal mass is applied to keep indoor temperature varying within a small range; natural energy is harnessed to maintain indoor temperature at a comfortable level using lower-power equipment (lowPE); hydronic radiant conditioning system is employed to distribute heat or coolness effectively to avoid over-heating or over-cooling; and large fenestration is designed for aesthetics, natural lighting and solar gain. …

Does Lunatic Fringe Modify Itself?, Usman Aslam

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Notch signaling plays an essential role in metazoan development, and dysregulation of its activity has been recognized as a cause for many diseases. The extracellular domain of the Notch receptor has numerous tandem epidermal growth factor-like repeats modified with O-fucose and O-glucose glycans that play important roles in Notch function. Elongation of O-fucose by β 3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases of the Fringe family is known to modulate Notch activity. In addition, preliminary data from the Haltiwanger laboratory suggests that one of the Fringe enzymes, Lunatic Fringe, may modify itself. Lunatic Fringe does not contain any epidermal growth factor-like repeats and is not known …

Circulating Complexes Of The Vitamin D Binding Protein With G-Actin Induce Lung Injury By Targeting Endothelial Cells, Lingyin Ge

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Actin is the most abundant and highly conserved intracellular protein in all eukaryotic cells. Cell necrosis can release actin into the extracellular environment where conditions favor spontaneous generation of F-actin filaments. A robust extracellular actin scavenger system consisting of gelsolin and the vitamin D binding protein (DBP) has evolved to sever F-actin filaments (gelsolin) then bind G-actin monomers (DBP) for subsequent clearance. This study investigated the role of DBP in this process using the DBP null mouse that has a systemic deficiency of DBP. Intravenous injection of G-actin into wild-type (DBP+/+) and DBP null (DBP-/-) mice showed that, contrary to …

Structural Characterization Of Individual Domains Of An Energy Dependent Mitochondrial Protease, Faiza Sheikh

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The ATP- dependent i-AAA protease pulls in and unwinds improperly folded and short-lived membrane proteins in order to maintain the integrity of the mitochondrial inner membrane. The i-AAA protease consists of an N-terminal domain, a single trans-membrane domain, a AAA ATPase domain and a metalloprotease domain. The role of the AAA domain is to unfold and translocate targeted proteins to protease domain where they are degraded. To further our understanding of the mechanism of this important enzyme, I sought to isolate and gain structural information on the individual domains of the i-AAA protease from the thermophilic eukaryote Myceliophthoya thermophile. I …

Synthesis And Preliminary Biological Screening Of Bis-Aroyl Methanes And Chemically-Modified Curcumins As Matrix Metalloproteinse Inhibitors, Yijun Chen

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of more than 25 structurally-related enzymes that can degrade a variety of substances including collagen. Basal levels of these enzymes play an important role in tissue turnover under normal physiological conditions, while excessive levels of these enzymes may cause or exacerbate many diseases related to tissue loss, including arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, coma, periodontal disease, stroke etc. For decades, research teams from both industrial companies and academic institutions have been trying to develop an effective matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor as a drug to treat MMP-involved diseases. Our group have been working on MMP inhibitor development …

Extinction Risk Assessment As A Tool For Biological Conservation, Jessica Carol Stanton

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Effective conservation of biological diversity requires accurate assessments of species extinction risks. Both under- and over-estimating extinction risks can have serious consequences. Overlooking species that are in need of conservation management can result in extinction or expensive recovery efforts. Misidentifying species which have stable populations as threatened can misdirect limited conservation resources or unnecessarily halt economic activity and development. I used a retrospective multi-modeling framework to explore the extinction of a once abundant and wide-spread North American species, the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius). I simulated three different types of anthropogenic impacts: harvest, habitat loss, and nest disturbance. I …

Protecting The " House Beautiful" : Eco-Consciousness In The Victorian Novel, Margaret Kennedy

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation discusses how literary writers of the Victorian age render toxicity and toxic behaviors visible in order to encourage reform, as well as offering models of healthy environmental engagement. This literary trend reveals what I call a rising eco-consciousness, the awareness of our relationship to the environment and the exchanges between human and nonhuman. This project emphasizes the novel, which offers a rich ground of inquiry by looking at a set of characters interacting with a space over time; in other words, it focuses on how authors mapped a complete ecology into their fiction, participating in a genre that …

Milton's Ideal Orator: God And Ethical Eloquence In Paradise Lost, Libby Newhouse

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Modern criticism on John Milton's Paradise Lost has figured the poem as anti-rhetorical in its depictions of God, Satan, and their respective speaking styles. Such critiques, however, reveal a disregard for the rhetorical tradition and Milton's self-proclaimed humanism, and as a result reduce Milton's conception of rhetoric to a rejection of the art form. With an overview of humanist and Renaissance Christian understandings of rhetoric, this paper argues for a reconsideration of the poem's treatment of rhetoric. This paper demonstrates how Milton's depiction of the speech of God and Satan presents the reader with examples of ideal and corrupted eloquence …

Language, Science, Society, And The Line Between Human And Animal In Swift's Gulliver's Travels And Wells's The Island Of Doctor Moreau, Adam Schultheiss

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This thesis examines line between human and non-human animals in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels and H.G. Wells's The Island of Doctor Moreau. Both Gulliver's Travels and The Island of Doctor Moreau examine this separation through the prism of language, societal views of animality, and biology. Looking back at the history surrounding the idea that man is separate from, and superior to, animals, one finds that it can be traced back in western tradition to the Bible, and is so ingrained in our language that it is difficult for narrators such as Lemuel Gulliver and Edward Prendick to recount their experiences …

Bilingual Cognitive Control And Perspective-Monitoring In Dialogue, Karla Maria Batres

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The bilingual experience is fundamentally different from the monolingual experience. This is due in part to the bilingual's need to be ready to process multiple languages, while at the same time, needing to choose which language to speak while keeping in mind which language(s) the addressee understands. As a result of these demands on bilingual language comprehension and production, some have claimed that bilinguals have enhanced cognitive control when compared to monolinguals (e.g. | Bialystok, 2009). Bilinguals may have more experience in adapting to a partner's perspective (as advantage in perspective-taking has been established for bilingual children, e.g. | Goetz, …

Francisella Tularensis: Interactions With Hepatocytes And Pathways For The Acquisition Of Iron, Cindy Arisa Thomas-Charles

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Francisella tularensis: Interactions with Hepatocytes and Pathways for the Acquisition of Iron by Cindy A. Thomas-Charles Doctor of Philosophy in Genetics Stony Brook University 2013 Francisella tularensis is a Gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of tularemia. Due to its high virulence, this organism has been classified as a Tier 1 select agent of bioterrorism. Regardless of the route of inoculation, the lungs, spleen, and liver are major targets of infection. Furthermore, this organism replicates to high numbers in hepatocytes, the predominant cells in the liver. Factors that mediate the uptake by and replication …

Fate Of Nitrogen During Submarine Groundwater Discharge Into Long Island North Shore Embayments, Caitlin Young

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Long Island Sound experiences periods of hypoxia attributed to eutrophication, but the magnitude of nitrogen contributed to surface water via submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) entering Long Island's north shore embayments is not well characterized. The coastal aquifer, where fresh groundwater mixes with saline coastal water is termed the subterranean estuary (STE). Advective flow combined with sharp salinity and dissolved oxygen gradients make the STE a zone of intense geochemical cycling. However, the fate of nitrogen during transit through Long island embayment STEs is not well understood, particularly how sediment heterogeneity influences nitrogen attenuation in discharge zones. Nitrate attenuation mechanisms, principally …