Digital Commons Network^™

Relative Rates Of Molecular Evolution In Antarctic Nematodes, Tj Bliss, Dr. Byron J. Adams

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Molecular evolution is defined as any change in the genetic makeup of an organism. Since organisms of the same species and community tend to undergo similar molecular changes, rates of molecular evolution are often measured at the species level. It is well established that different species appear to evolve at different rates across evolutionary time. Comparing the rates of evolution among different species determines the relative rate of molecular evolution in those species. Many things are known to affect the rate of molecular evolution of a species. These influences include, but are not limited to: body size, generation time, and …

Selection, Horizontal Gene Transfer And Convergent Molecular Evolution In Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, Adler Ray Dillman, Dr. Bryon J. Adams

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The phylum Nematoda is a large and diverse group, making-up an estimated 80% of Metazoans [1]. Of specific agricultural importance are the plant-parasitic nematodes, which are responsible for the loss of an estimated 12.3% of the world’s annual crop production [2]. We looked at the most destructive members of the family Heteroderidae, the cyst (Heterodera and Globodera spp.) and root-knot (Meloidogyne spp.) nematodes.

Comparison Of Microbial Community Biodiversity Between Pristine And Disturbed Sediments In Timpanogos Cave, National Monument, Andre Bennin, Dr. Keith A. Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Cave microbiology has been of great interest to microbial ecologists in recent years because it has enabled them to assess microbial diversity within an isolated system. An excellent example of subterranean microbial life is found in Lechuguilla Cave Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico,where the interactions of microbial communities in cave deep subsurface environments have been studied. With respect to the Timpanogos Cave system in American Fork Utah, our study relates to a system that is highly visited (60% of the cave system) contrary to the Lechuguilla cave system where public access is only allowed into 2% of the cave …

Isolation Of A 55 Kd Protein That Specifically Binds The 3′ Au-Rich Element Of Interleukin-1b Messenger Rna, David Emergy Skarda, Dr. Roger L. Kaspar

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The polypeptide Interleukin- 1(IL-1) is one of the key mediators of the body’s response to microbial invasion, inflammation, immunological reactions, and tissue injury.1 IL- 1gene expression regulation occurs at many steps. One of the steps currently being researched is translation. Recent research indicates that the translational regulation mechanisms of IL- 1include an AU-rich element in the 3′ untranslated region (Fig. 1).2 In this mechanism, an induced protein binds to the AU-rich element (ARE) causing a decrease in translation efficiency. Isolation and subsequent identification of the ARE binding protein may lead to effective new drugs that induce the ARE binding protein …

Determining Treatment Of Children Suffering From Protein-Energy Malnutrition, Mary Ann Zarkou, Dr. Bruce Woolley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Severe malnutrition is one of the most devastating health problems in the world, particularly in developing countries. Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is one of the most prevalent types of malnutrition, and is divided into three major types: Kwashiorkor, Marasmus, and Marasmic-kwashiorkor. These diseases in children cause stunted growth, many physiological problems, and lead to increased risk for developing chronic diseases and increased morbidity rates. No effective treatment has been discovered.

Spartan Daily, October 9, 2013, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 141, Issue 18

Unalienated Recognition At The Core Of Meaningful Exchange Between School And Community. A Response To "Unalienated Recognition As A Feature Of Democratic Schooling", Robin R. Sears

Democracy & Education

I apply the concept of unalienated recognition as a form of democratic exchange, introduced by Rheingold (2012), to a different educational setting. Through a case study of the School for Field Studies international environmental programs, that are, like Rheingold’s study school, field based and community centered, I explore the hypothesis that today’s undergraduate students’ desire to serve and to solve can be usefully harnessed in formal coursework and research to address real problems at their foundation. I link the cases by building on Rheingold’s use of the concept of boundary objects as an organizing principle behind the success in motivating …

Teacher, Researcher, And Accountability Discourses: Creating Space For Democratic Science Teaching Practices In Middle Schools, Cory A. Buxton, Shakhnoza Kayumova, Martha Allexsaht-Snider

Democracy & Education

This study explores the role of competing discourses that shape current practices in U.S. schools and how professional development efforts can support teachers and researchers in finding ways to reinsert more democratic processes into their collaborative work. We examine the case of one research and professional development project with the goal of supporting middle school science and ESOL teachers in fostering more meaningful science learning for all their students but especially their English language learners. Using Gee’s notion of big-D discourses and Fairclough’s notion of interdiscursivity, we trace how the Discourse of accountability, the Discourse of science teaching, and the …

Graduate Student Research Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

The Legacy, October 8, 2013, Lindenwood University

The Legacy (2007-2018)

Student Newspaper of Lindenwood University

Spartan Daily, October 8, 2013, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 141, Issue 17

Optical Spectroscopy Device For Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Detection And Associated Method Of Use, Zhi Xu

UMSL Patents

An apparatus for concentrating light and associated method of use is disclosed. This apparatus includes a first outer wall having an anterior end, a posterior end, an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining an interior portion, the interior portion having an anterior end and a posterior end, and a light source disposed within the interior portion. The first outer wall has an opening in the posterior end, the opening having an opening diameter. The interior portion has a substantially frusto-conical shape and has a cross-sectional diameter at the opening equal to the opening diameter and a …

Logan Daily Moody Talks About Sasquatch Evidence, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Tv Biological Sciences Chemistry Alum Says If You Tan Get Checked, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

The Parthenon, October 8, 2013, Bishop Nash

The Parthenon

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly Thursday during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content.

A Conservation And Rigidity Based Method For Detecting Critical Protein Residues, Bahar Akbal-Delibas, Filip Jagodzinski, Nurit Haspel

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Background

Certain amino acids in proteins play a critical role in determining their structural stability and function. Examples include flexible regions such as hinges which allow domain motion, and highly conserved residues on functional interfaces which allow interactions with other proteins. Detecting these regions can aid in the analysis and simulation of protein rigidity and conformational changes, and helps characterizing protein binding and docking. We present an analysis of critical residues in proteins using a combination of two complementary techniques. One method performs in-silico mutations and analyzes the protein's rigidity to infer the role of a point substitution to Glycine …

Environmental Factors Influencing Diatom Communities In Antarctic Cryoconite Holes, Lee F. Stanish, Elizabeth A. Bagshaw, Diane M. Mcknight, Andrew G. Fountain, Martyn Tranter

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cryoconite holes are ice-bound habitats that can act as refuges for aquatic and terrestrial microorganisms on glacier surfaces. In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, these holes are often capped by an ice lid that prevents the exchange of material and gases with the surrounding atmosphere and aquatic environment. Diatoms have been documented in cryoconite holes, and recent findings suggest that these habitats may harbour a distinctive diatom flora compared to the surrounding aquatic environments. In this study, we examined diatom community composition in cryoconite holes and environmental correlates across three glaciers in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. The diatom communities were …

The Involvement Of Secondary Messengers In Plant Receptor-Like Kinase Signal Transduction, Yichen Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

In plant signaling networks, plasmalemma localized leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs) are involved in signal perception and initiation of cytosolic signal transduction cascades that alter cell function. Little is currently known about the molecular mechanisms involved in the translation of ligand binding to any LRR-RLK into the initiation of a cytosolic signal. This dissertation presents studies with BRI1, PEPR1, and FLS2; LRR-RLKs involved with hormone perception and plant immunity. The ligands for these receptors are the steroid hormone brassinosteroid (BR), an endogenous plant elicitor peptide ‘Peps’, and the bacteria flagellin (flg) protein, respectively. Binding of BR, Peps, and flg22 to …

Function And Distribution Of Apolipoprotein A1 In The Artery Wall Are Markedly Distinct From Those In Plasma, Joseph A. Didonato, Ying Huang, Kulwant S. Aulak, Orli Even-Or, Gary Gerstenecker, Valentin Gogonea, Yuping Wu, Paul L. Fox, W.H. Wilson Tang, Edward F. Plow, Jonathan D. Smith, Edward A. Fisher, Stanley L. Hazen

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Background—Prior studies show that apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1) recovered from human atherosclerotic lesions is highly oxidized. Ex vivo oxidation of apoA1 or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cross-links apoA1 and impairs lipid binding, cholesterol efflux, and lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activities of the lipoprotein. Remarkably, no studies to date directly quantify either the function or HDL particle distribution of apoA1 recovered from the human artery wall. Methods and Results—A monoclonal antibody (10G1.5) was developed that equally recognizes lipid-free and HDL-associated apoA1 in both native and oxidized forms. Examination of homogenates of atherosclerotic plaque–laden aorta showed >100-fold enrichment of apoA1 compared with normal aorta (P<0.001). Surprisingly, buoyant density fractionation revealed that only a minority (<3% of total) of apoA1 recovered from either lesions or normal aorta resides within an HDL-like particle (1.063≤d≤1.21). In contrast, the majority (>90%) …

Sensitivity-Enhanced Solid-State Nmr Detection Of Expansin's Target In Plant Cell Walls, Tuo Wang, Yong Bum Park, Marc A. Caporini, Melanie Rosay, Linghao Zhong, Daniel J. Cosgrove, Mei Hong

Faculty Publications

Structure determination of protein binding to noncrystalline macromolecular assemblies such as plant cell walls (CWs) poses a significant structural biology challenge. CWs are loosened during growth by expansin proteins, which weaken the noncovalent network formed by cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectins, but the CW target of expansins has remained elusive because of the minute amount of the protein required for activity and the complex nature of the CW. Using solid-state NMR spectroscopy, combined with sensitivity-enhancing dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and differential isotopic labeling of expansin and polysaccharides, we have now determined the functional binding target of expansin in the Arabidopsis thaliana …

Variation In One Residue Associated With The Metal Ion-Dependent Adhesion Site Regulates Αiibβ3 Integrin Ligand Binding Affinity, Joel Raborn, Ting Fu, Xue Wu, Zhilong Xiu, Guohui Li, Bing Hao Luo

Faculty Publications

The Asp of the RGD motif of the ligand coordinates with the β I domain metal ion dependent adhesion site (MIDAS) divalent cation, emphasizing the importance of the MIDAS in ligand binding. There appears to be two distinct groups of integrins that differ in their ligand binding affinity and adhesion ability. These differences may be due to a specific residue associated with the MIDAS, particularly the β3 residue Ala252 and corresponding Ala in the β1 integrin compared to the analogous Asp residue in the β2 and β7 integrins. Interestingly, mutations in the adjacent to MIDAS (ADMIDAS) of integrins α4β7 and …

The Effects Of Hematopoietic Growth Factors On Neurite Outgrowth, Ye Su, Lili Cui, Chunshu Piao, Bin Li, Li Ru Zhao

Faculty Publications

Stem cell factor (SCF) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) are initially discovered as the essential hematopoietic growth factors regulating bone marrow stem cell proliferation and differentiation, and SCF in combination with G-CSF (SCF+G-CSF) has synergistic effects on bone marrow stem cell mobilization. In this study we have determined the effect of SCF and G-CSF on neurite outgrowth in rat cortical neurons. Using molecular and cellular biology and live cell imaging approaches, we have revealed that receptors for SCF and G-CSF are expressed on the growth core of cortical neurons, and that SCF+G-CSF synergistically enhances neurite extension through PI3K/AKT and NFκB …

The Mechanism Of The Gastric Epithelial Stem Cell Response To Metaplastic Injury, Shradha Sachin Khurana

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Almost nothing is known about the identity of the epithelial stem cell of the gastric corpus, either during normal turnover or in response to injury. Our lab has shown that injection of the selective estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen leads to near complete atrophy of parietal cells by 3 days and induces expansion of an undifferentiated cell population within the normal stem cell niche in the isthmus of the gastric unit. Here we show that CD44 labels the membranes of such undifferentiated isthmal cells, both in the normal gastric epithelium and when those cells expand fourfold upon injury with tamoxifen. Loss …

Anxiety And Error Monitoring: The Importance Of Motivation And Emotion, Greg H. Proudfit, Michael Inzlicht, Douglas S. Mennin

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Advocate, October 8, 2013, Minnesota State University Moorhead

The Advocate

No abstract provided.

Method For Quantitative Assessment Of Thymus Integrity, George Blanck, Mark Lloyd

USF Patents

The present invention relates to a series of markers and a method of determining cause of death post-mortem by quantifying thymus integrity. An examination of thymuses from human infants suffering mortal head trauma revealed a disruption of the cortical-medullary organization of the thymus, particularly involving dissolution of the cortical-medullary border. A similar result was obtained for related mouse and rat models. The human thymuses from head trauma cases also displayed a higher percentage of Ki67-positive thymocytes.

Daily Eastern News: October 08, 2013, Eastern Illinois University

October

No abstract provided.

Old Cortex, New Contexts: Re-Purposing Spatial Perception For Social Cognition, Carolyn Parkinson, Thalia Wheatley

Dartmouth Scholarship

Much of everyday mental life involves information that we cannot currently perceive directly, from contemplating the strengths of friendships to reasoning about the contents of other minds. Despite their primacy to everyday human functioning, and in particular, to human sociality, the mechanisms that support abstract thought are poorly understood. An explanatory framework that has gained traction recently in cognitive neuroscience is exaptation, or the re-purposing of evolutionarily old circuitry to carry out new functions. We argue for the utility of applying this concept to social cognition. Convergent behavioral and neuroscientific evidence suggests that humans co-opt mechanisms originally devoted to spatial …

In Vitro Model Of Latent Mycobacterial Infection, Pappachan Kolattukudy, Jaiyanth Daniel, Chirajyoti Deb, Tatiana Sirakova

UCF Patents

A new in vitro culture model for latency of tuberculosis pathogen suitable for screening chemical libraries was developed by subjecting the pathogen to multiple stresses that the pathogen is thought to encounter in the host. When subjected to these stress factors, the pathogen develops key features characteristic of latency, drug resistance and lipid storage. Using the culture, a method to screen chemicals was developed. This method is suitable for high through put screening.

Silencing Synuclein At The Synapse With Plk2, Brendan D. Looyenga, Patrik Brundin

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

No abstract provided.