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Zebrafish As A Model For Developmental Neurotoxicity Assessment: The Application Of The Zebrafish In Defining The Effects Of Arsenic, Methylmercury, Or Lead On Early Neurodevelopment, Jinyoung Lee, Jennifer L. Freeman

School of Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Developmental exposure to neurotoxic chemicals presents significant health concerns because of the vulnerability of the developing central nervous system (CNS) and the immature brain barrier. To date, a short list of chemicals including some metals have been identified as known developmental neurotoxicants; however, there are still numerous chemicals that remain to be evaluated for their potential developmental neurotoxicity (DNT). To facilitate evaluation of chemicals for DNT, the zebrafish vertebrate model system has emerged as a promising tool. The zebrafish possesses a number of strengths as a test species in DNT studies including an abundance of embryos developing ex utero presenting …

Oswald Research And Creativity Program, Uk Office Of Undergraduate Research

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Curriculum Alignment And Higher Order Thinking In Introductory Biology In Arkansas Public Two-Year Colleges, Elizabeth Diane Crandall

Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation identified the cognitive levels of lecture objectives, lab objectives, and test questions in introductory majors’ biology. The study group included courses offered by 27 faculty members at 18 of the 22 community colleges in Arkansas. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to identify cognitive levels, the median lecture learning outcomes were at level 2 (Comprehension) and test assessments at Level 1 (Knowledge). Lab learning outcomes were determined to have a median of level 3 (Analysis). A correlation analysis was performed using SPSS software to determine if there was an association between the Bloom’s level of lecture objectives and test assessments. The …

Uk Undergraduate Research Program, Uk Office Of Undergraduate Research

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Synthesis, Characterization And Antibacterial Activity Of Cefalexin Dervatives, Entesar O. Al-Tamimi, Raad M. Muslih, Khalida A Thejeel

Baghdad Science Journal

New series of Schiff bases 2(a-j) and corresponding beta-lactam derivatives 3(a-j) were synthesized from cefalexin (1) as starting material. The compound (1) was reacted with different aldehydes and ketones to give Schiff bases derivatives 2(a-j). The synthesized Schiff bases were cyclized by chloroacetyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine to form beta-lactam derivatives 3(a-j). The compounds were characterized by deremination melting point, FT-IR and 1H NMR. The beta-lactam derivatives were screened in vitro antibacterial against some bacterial species

Saccharide Conjugates, Alexei Demchenko, Michael R. Nichols, Sophon Kaeothip

UMSL Patents

The invention provides a series of novel Lipid A analogs that are structually simple, synthetically accessible, and capable of blocking the cellular receptor within the signal transduction pathway. The novel Lipid A analogs can include a monosaccharide core with hydrophobic side chains and amino acid ionic motif. The invention further provides methods of using the compounds and compositions thereof in various therapeutic methods.

For the most up-to-date information about these patents, including the availability of Certificates of Correction, be sure to check the United States Patent and Trademark Office's free, publicly accessible database: Patent Public Search https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/landing.html

Anty 310.01: Human Variation, Meradeth H. Snow

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2011-2015

No abstract provided.

Acetyl Coa Carboxylase Inactivation And Meiotic Maturation In Mouse Oocytes, Deepa S. Valsangkar, Stephen M. Downs

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In mouse oocytes, meiotic induction by pharmacological activation of PRKA (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase; formerly known as AMPK) or by hormones depends on stimulation of fatty acid oxidation (FAO). PRKA stimulates FAO by phosphorylating and inactivating acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACAC; formerly ACC), leading to decreased malonyl CoA levels and augmenting fatty-acid transport into mitochondria. We investigated a role for ACAC inactivation in meiotic resumption by testing the effect of two ACAC inhibitors, CP-640186 and Soraphen A, on mouse oocytes maintained in meiotic arrest in vitro. These inhibitors significantly stimulated the resumption of meiosis in arrested cumulus cell-enclosed oocytes, denuded oocytes, …

Exploring Microbial Dark Matter To Resolve The Deep Archaeal Ancestry Of Eukaryotes, Jimmy Saw, Anja Spang, Katarzyna Zaremba-Niedzwiedzka, Lina Juzokaite, Jeremy Dodsworth, Senthil Murugapiran, Dan Colman, Cristina Takacs-Vesbach, Brian P. Hedlund, Lionel Guy, Thijs Ettema

Life Sciences Faculty Research

The origin of eukaryotes represents an enigmatic puzzle, which is still lacking a number of essential pieces. Whereas it is currently accepted that the process of eukaryogenesis involved an interplay between a host cell and an alphaproteobacterial endosymbiont, we currently lack detailed information regarding the identity and nature of these players. A number of studies have provided increasing support for the emergence of the eukaryotic host cell from within the archaeal domain of life, displaying a specific affiliation with the archaeal TACK superphylum. Recent studies have shown that genomic exploration of yet-uncultivated archaea, the so-called archaeal ‘dark matter’, is able …

Population Dynamics Of Empoasca Fabae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) In Central Iowa Alfalfa Fields, L. A. Weiser Erlandson, John J. Obrycki

Entomology Faculty Publications

Adults and nymphs of Empoasca fabae Harris (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and adults of predatory species in the families Coccinellidae, Anthocoridae, Nabidae, Chrysopidae, and Hemerobiidae were sampled in Iowa alfalfa fields from June to September in 1999 and 2000. The relationship between each predatory taxa and E. fabae was examined using regression analysis. In 2000, all predators were found to be positively correlated with the presence of E. fabae during all periods sampled and most likely contributed to mortality. Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera: Anthoridae) was the most numerous insect predatory species; population numbers ranged from 0 to 1 and 0.1 to 3.7 …

Alpine Thermal Dynamics And Associated Constraints On The Behavior Of Mountain Goats In Southeast Alaska, Jeffrey HéBert Frederick

Biological Sciences

Alpine Caprinae, including mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), have been described to be sensitive to temperature changes within their summer range and consequently may be forced to select habitats that allow for the maintenance of a stable core temperature on warm days. Survival may be inhibited if warm ambient temperatures cause mountain goats to reduce time foraging or if too much time is spent on thermoregulatory habitat selection. I investigated mountain goat behavioral activity budgets across alpine temperature gradients in Southeast Alaska using focal animal sampling and scan sampling techniques. I tested the effects of temperature on mountain goat activity and …

An Instrument For Rapid Mesozooplankton Monitoring At Ocean Basin Scale, Pf Culverhouse, C Gallienne, R Williams, J Tilbury

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The development and testing of a new imaging and classification system for mesozooplankton sampling over very large spatial and temporal scales is reported. The system has been evaluated on the Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT), acquiring nearly one million images of planktonic particles over a transect of 13,500km. These images have been acquired at a flow rate of 12.5L per minute, in near-continuous underway mode from the ships seawater supply and in discrete mode using integrated vertical net haul samples. The aim of this development is to produce an instrument capable of delivering autonomously acquired and processed data on the biomass …

Motor And Cargo Dynamics During Intraflagellar Transport: A Single Molecule Investigation, Anthony Paul Kovacs

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The advent of single-molecule fluorescence imaging and super-resolution microscopy has produced a range of powerful tools that are able to interrogate biological systems at spatial and temporal resolutions that were previously thought to be well beyond the reach of the visible spectrum of light. While these new imaging techniques have already yielded impressive results across a broad range of studies, they still face a number of limitations. The work described herein aims to address some of these limitations by furthering the use of these techniques for the investigation of in vivo protein dynamics. Specifically, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy …

Manipulating Electron Transfer Reactions From Micro- To Preparative Scale, Matthew Duane Graaf

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The utilization of electron transfer reactions has allowed the transformation of a variety of substrates from polymer surfaces to highly functionalized organic molecules. The intricacies of these electron transfer reactions have been utilized to develop a new platform for building and studying addressable molecular libraries as they interact with biological targets. As a low cost, reusable alternative to other methods of these studying binding interactions, microelectrode arrays are beginning to gain traction with the scientific community as we continually push the limits of their potential. Additionally, the electron transfer techniques used to build the molecular libraries can be expanded to …

Comparisons Of Lygus Lineolaris Populations From The Mississippi Delta And Hills Agricultural Regions, Daniel Edward Fleming

Theses and Dissertations

Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) is a pest of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in Mississippi, particularly in the Delta region of the state. It is estimated that 3.1old more insecticide applications are needed to control this pest and it costs producers 3.6old more in the Delta region than in the Hills region. These differences have been attributed to increased insecticide resistance in the Delta and the possibility of a biotype of L. lineolaris in the Delta that is better adapted to cotton than the population in the Hills. A series of experiments were undertaken to evaluate these differences. The first …

Effects Of Intercropping Switchgrass In Managed Pine Stands On Plant Communities And White-Tailed Deer Forage Production, Bradley Robert Wheat

Theses and Dissertations

Interest in renewable energy and governmental mandates has motivated land managers to consider cellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy. I investigated plant community response to a system including switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a feedstock intercropped with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). I estimated plant species evenness, richness, and diversity and biomass production, with emphasis on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) forages. I detected 225 species in 2,220 1-m2 quadrats, and 7,495 biomass samples (96.4 kg dry weight) from 960 quadrats. Intercropping reduced plant species diversity, total non-pine tree biomass, and biomass of deer forages during switchgrass establishment. These effects were no longer apparent at …

Impact Of Environmental And Cellular Factors On The Bioactivity Of A Novel Antifungal, Occidiofungin, Chase Alexander Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Occidiofungin is a novel glycolipopeptide, synthesized and secreted by Burkholderia contaminans MS14, demonstrating broad-spectrum antifungal activity and potential for successful clinical applications. Its mechanism of action has not yet been determined but is known to exhibit fungicidal activity via the induction of apoptosis in a manner unique from that of currently approved antifungals. As an early investigation into occidiofungin’s mechanism of action, we aimed to identify environmental and cellular factors that significantly alter the susceptibility of the model organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To that end, we have demonstrated that occidiofungin’s bioactivity requires active cellular growth, that new protein synthesis is necessary …

Suitability Of Great South Bay, New York To Blooms Of Pfiesteria Piscicida And P. Shumwayae Prior To Superstorm Sandy, October 29, 2012, Pawel Tomasz Zablocki

Theses and Dissertations

Pfiesteria piscicida and P. shumwayae are toxic dinoflagellates implicated in massive fish kills in North Carolina and Maryland during 1990s. A set of physical, chemica l, and biological factors influence population dynamics of these organisms. This study employs i nformation gathered from relevant literature on temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbulent mixing, and dissolved nutrients, bacteria, algae, microzooplankton, mesozooplankton, bivalve m ollusks, finfish, and other toxic dinoflagellates, which influence Pfiesteria population dynamics. The research focused on whether conditions in the Great South Bay, Long Island, New York were suitable to blooms of Pfiesteria species prior to the passage of superstorm …

Integrating Human Culture, Community, And Sense Of Place Into An Existing High School Environmental Studies Curriculum, Kathy Allen Kline

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This capstone addresses challenges faced by a first year high school teacher on an interdisciplinary team integrating social studies into an environmental studies curriculum. After exploring literature in biodiversity, biocultural diversity, and place-based education, the author determines that the existing curriculum can be enhanced to make stronger connections between people and the places already being studied, including the local community. To that end, this paper presents a sub-unit, developed using the Understanding by Design ® model, that seeks to integrate human culture, community, and sense of place into an environmental studies curriculum. The sub-unit includes six weeks of lessons to …

Paleoepidemiology Of Intestinal Parasites And Lice In Pre-Columbian South America *, Adauto Araujo, Karl J. Reinhard, Daniela Leles, Luciana Sianto, Alena Iniguez, Martin Fugassa, Berrnardo Arriaza, Nancy Orellana, Luiz Fernando Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

Some human parasites originated in prehominid ancestors in Africa. Nematode species, such as Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm), hookworms and Trichuris trichiura are shared by humans and other close phylogenetic primates (Pan and Gorilla), showing that they infected a common ancestor to this group. When humans migrated from Africa to other continents they carried these parasites wherever climate conditions allowed parasite transmission from host to host. Other parasites, however, were acquired throughout human biological and social evolutive history when new territories were occupied. Paleoparasitology data is a valuable source to recover emergence and disappearance of parasite infections through analysis of archaeological remains. …

A Visual Analysis Of Articulated Motion Complexity Based On Optical Flow And Spatial-Temporal Features, Beau Michael Christ

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The understanding of motion is an important problem in computer vision with applications including crowd-flow analysis, video surveillance, and estimating three-dimensional structure. A less-explored problem is the visual characterization and quantification of motion complexity. An important motion class that is prevalent in living beings is articulated motion (segments connected by joints). At present, no known standardized measure for quantifying the complexity of articulated motion exists. Such a measure could facilitate advanced motion analysis with applications including video indexing, motion comparison, and advanced biological study of visual signals in organisms.

This dissertation presents an in-depth study of the development of several …

Bioprinting As A Tool To Evaluate Interactions Of Cancerous And Noncancerous Cells, Holly Jordan

All Theses

Cancer is becoming one the leading causes of death worldwide, and in particular, breast cancer, which is the second highest cause of cancer death for women. Approximately 12 percent of US women will develop invasive breast cancer, and about 40,000 of US women will die from breast cancer in 2015. With better detection and treatment options, breast cancer death has been decreasing over the past two decades. Despite declining rates in breast cancer death, cancer progression is not well understood. There are many studies focused on cancer, but in situ cancer studies are often hard to reproduce and can even …

Silver Nanoparticle Coated Bioactive Glasses - Composites With Dex/Cmc Hydrogels: Characterization, Solubility, And In Vitro Biological Studies, Anthony W. Wren, Pegah Hassanzadeh, Lana M. Placek, Timothy J. Keenan, Aisling Coughlan, Lydia R. Boutelle, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Silver (Ag) coated bioactive glass particles (Ag-BG) were formulated and compared to uncoated controls (BG) in relation to glass characterization, solubility and microbiology. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed a crystalline AgNP surface coating while ion release studies determined low Ag release (/L). Cell culture studies presented increased cell viability (127 and 102%) with lower liquid extract (50 and 100 ml/ml) concentrations. Antibacterial testing of Ag-BG in E. coli, S. epidermidis and S. aureus significantly reduced bacterial cell viability by 60-90%. Composites of Ag-BG/CMC-Dex Hydrogels were formulated and characterized. Agar diffusion testing was conducted where Ag-BG/hydrogel composites produced the largest inhibition zones …

Abnormal Emotional Reactivity And Reward Sensitivity In Major Depressive Disorder: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials, Daniel Justin Foti

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

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with abnormal neural activity elicited by affective stimuli and reward, yet results have been inconsistent across studies and have at times been contradictory. Discrepancies may be due in part to the wide range of laboratory paradigms and stimuli that have been used. The current study examined this issue by recording event-related potentials across a battery of four tasks within a single MDD sample. First, using two emotional reactivity tasks, the moderating effect of the personal relevance of stimuli was examined; normative and idiographic affective stimuli were contrasted. Second, using two environmental feedback tasks, monetary …

Paenibacillus Larvae Spore Germination And American Foulbrood Disease Development In Honey Bee Larvae, Israel Alvarado

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination plays an important role in meeting our agricultural needs, yet we are incapable of completely preventing a decline in bee health, partially due to bacterial diseases. American Foulbrood (AFB), a bacterial disease of honey bee larvae, is particularly troublesome because the infectious agent is the bacterial spore of Paenibacillus larvae. Bacterial spores are resistant to extreme temperatures, unaffected by antibiotics, withstand exposure to disinfectants, and can remain dormant for years until they can revert back to vegetative cells.

Our research investigated P. larvae spore germination at the functional and pathogen-host level. We have found that …

Hazardous Biological Activities In Outer Space, Philip Mcgarrigle

Akron Law Review

The purpose of this article is to focus on space acts that may be classified as ultrahazardous (specifically microbiological research) and to discuss how these activities are or will be affected by current or future legal regulations. Legal standards from both a United States and an international perspective will be discussed.

Quantitative Study Of Nano To Submicron Scales Intracellular Structural Disorder Using Electron And Confocal Microscopies: Application To Cancer Detection, Hemendra Ghimire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death with over a million people being diagnosed every year. Many cancers eventually result in death because they go undetected in their early stages when they can be cured. The conventional techniques used for cancer diagnostics exhibit limitations in detecting early stage cancer, which has nano-scale structural changes. On the other hand, alcoholism is one of the biggest cause of health problems. This study examines the effect of alcohol in early stage carcinogenesis in the colon and healthy hippocampal cells of mice models by quantifying the structural changes in their nuclei via …

Prozac: Another Drug Wrongfully Attacked - What Can Be Done To Stop The Legal System From Driving Good Drugs Off The Market, While Protecting State And Federal Interests, Melinda M. Katz

Akron Law Review

This Comment will examine the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a regulatory agency, and the status of pharmaceutical products liability. The Comment will describe Prozac, an antidepressant drug currently caught in the products liability dilemma; its compliance with FDA regulations; and opposition to the drug since FDA approval. The Comment will then review American problems with pharmaceutical products liability, and solutions that other commentators have proposed. Finally, the Comment will propose that Congress erect barriers to filing claims against manufacturers for drugs that meet or exceed a higher level of FDA approval, like Bendectin and Prozac, through a …

Cyclometalated Iminophosphorane Gold(Iii) And Platinum(Ii) Complexes. A Highly Permeable Cationic Platinum(Ii) Compound With Promising Anticancer Properties, Malgorzata Frik, Jacob Fernández-Gallardo, Oscar Gonzalo, Víctor Mangas-Sanjuan, Marta González-Alvarez, Alfonso Serrano Del Valle, Chunhua Hu, Isabel González-Alvarez, Marival Bermejo, Isabel Marzo, María Contel

Publications and Research

New organometallic gold(III) and platinum(II) complexes containing iminophosphorane ligands are described. Most of them are more cytotoxic to a number of human cancer cell lines than cisplatin. Cationic Pt(II) derivatives 4 and 5, which differ only in the anion, Hg2Cl62– or PF6– respectively, display almost identical IC50 values in the sub-micromolar range (25–335-fold more active than cisplatin on these cell lines). The gold compounds induced mainly caspase-independent cell death, as previously reported for related cycloaurated compounds containing IM ligands. Cycloplatinated compounds 3, 4, and 5 can also activate alternative caspase-independent mechanisms of death. However, at short incubation times cell death …

Weibull Rayleigh Distribution: Theory And Applications, Faton Merovci, Ibrahim Elbatal

Applied Mathematics & Information Sciences

For the first time, a three-parameter lifetime model, called the Weibull Rayleigh distribution, is defined and studied. We obtain some of its mathematical properties. Some structural properties of the new distribution are studied. The method of maximum likelihood and least squares methods is used for estimating the model parameters and the observed Fisher’s information matrix is derived. We illustrate the usefulness of the proposed model by applications to real data.