Digital Commons Network^™

Hot Spot Mutation In Tp53 (R248q) Causes Oncogenic Gain-Of-Function Phenotypes In A Breast Cancer Cell Line Derived From An African American Patient, Nataly Shtraizent, Hiroshi Matsui, Alla Polotskaia, Jill Bargonetti

Publications and Research

African American (AA) breast cancer patients often have triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) that contains mutations in the TP53 gene. The point mutations at amino acid residues R273 and R248 both result in oncogenic gain-of-function (GOF) phenotypes. Expression of mutant p53 (mtp53) R273H associates with increased cell elasticity, survival under serum deprivation conditions, and increased Poly (ADP ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) on the chromatin in the AA-derived TNBC breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-468. We hypothesized that GOF mtp53 R248Q expression could stimulate a similar phenotype in the AA-derived TNBC cell line HCC70. To test this hypothesis we depleted the R248Q …

Redescription And Lectotype Designation Of Vaejovis Lapidicola Stahnke, 1940 (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Matthew R. Graham

Euscorpius

The original description of the Arizona scorpion species Vaejovis lapidicola Stahnke, 1940 consists of a single paragraph. Furthermore, a holotype for this species was never designated. To remedy this, two syntypes of V. lapidicola were obtained for study. A male syntype is redescribed and designated the lectotype, and a female is assigned as a paralectotype. The taxonomic status of V. lapidicola is also confirmed.

Laterobasal Aculear Serrations (Las) In Scorpion Family Vaejovidae (Scorpiones: Chactoidea), Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad, Michael S. Brewer

Euscorpius

The discovery of a new structure on the laterobasal aspect of the telson aculeus is described here for the first time. This structure, termed the laterobasal aculear serrations (LAS), is a row of minute denticles located on each side of the aculeus base, found exclusively in scorpion family Vaejovidae, thus potentially providing a new synapomorphy for this New World family. The LAS structure of major representative vaejovid genera and Vaejovis groups is illustrated with SEM micrographs. Also provided is a comprehensive list of non-vaejovid Recent scorpion genera examined where the LAS structure was found to be absent.

The Effect Of Insularity On The Seasonal Population Structure Of Mesobuthus Gibbosus (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Dimitris Kaltsas, Iasmi Stathi, Moysis Mylonas

Euscorpius

We compared the population structure of Mesobuthus gibbosus from autumn to mid-summer at two similar phryganic ecosystems, one in continental Greece (Thessalia, near Volos city) and one in insular Greece (eastern Crete). Data were collected monthly using the capture-recapture method. At both sites, density was low during the cold period and increased towards summer. During the samplings, only a small percentage of each population was present. Population density and co-occurrence of scorpions with scorpions or other animals was higher in Crete than in Volos, probably due to the higher inter- and intraspecific competition in Volos. The population structure of the …

Development Of The Pebl Traveling Salesman Problem Computerized Testbed, Shane T. Mueller, Brandon S. Perelman, Yin Yin Tan, Kejkaew Thanasuan

The Journal of Problem Solving

The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is a combinatorial optimization problem that requires finding the shortest path through a set of points (“cities”) that returns to the starting point. Because humans provide heuristic near-optimal solutions to Euclidean versions of the problem, it has sometimes been used to investigate human visual problem solving ability. The TSP is also similar to a number of tasks commonly used for neuropsychological assessment (such as the trail-making test), and so its utility in assessing reliable individual differences in problem solving has sometimes been examined. Nevertheless, the task has seen little widespread use in clinical and assessment …

Duplication Of Pedipalp Segments In The Scorpion Androctonus Crassicauda (Olivier, 1807), Ayşegül Karataş, Mustafa Kürtüllü

Euscorpius

An unusual duplication of pedipalp segments is reported from the buthid scorpion Androctonus crassicauda. While the right pedipalp is normal, the anomaly described here occurred on the left pedipalp. This abnormally developed pedipalp included nine segments instead of normal six. It has two trochanters, two femurs and two patellae; the segments are arranged in the following order: coxa, trochanter I, femur I, patella I, trochanter II, femur II, patella II, chela hand, and movable finger. Morphometric measurements, photographs, and general features of the specimen are given.

Constellation Array In Scorpion Genera Paruroctonus, Smeringurus, Vejovoidus, And Paravaejovis (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae), Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad, Michael Brewer, David P. A. Neff, Michael L. Norton

Euscorpius

The constellation array (a recently discovered sensory structure on the fixed finger of pedipalp; Fet et al., 2006) is analyzed for a large set of species belonging to four genera in the family Vaejovidae: Paruroctonus, Smeringurus, Vejovoidus, and Paravaejovis. It is shown that this structure is an important taxonomic character. Two distinct configurations are identified, a two-sensilla array for Paruroctonus + Smeringurus + Vejovoidus and a three-sensilla array for genus Paravejovis, both differing from other vaejovid configurations so far investigated. The topology of these two array configurations are analyzed using landmark setae identified in this study.

Tbx2 Represses Pten In Rhabdomyosarcoma And Skeletal Muscle., B Zhu, M Zhang, E M Williams, C Keller, A Mansoor, J K Davie

Articles

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most frequent soft tissue sarcoma in children that shares many features of developing skeletal muscle. TBX2, a T-box family member, is highly upregulated in tumor cells of both major RMS subtypes where it functions as an oncogene. TBX2 is a repressor that is often overexpressed in cancer cells and functions in bypassing cell growth control, including the repression of the cell cycle regulators p14 and p21. We have found that TBX2 directly represses the tumor-suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in both RMS and normal muscle. Exogenous expression of TBX2 in normal muscle cells downregulates PTEN, …

Prion Protein Gene Sequence And Chronic Wasting Disease Susceptibility In White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Adam L. Brandt, Amy C. Kelly, Michelle L. Green, Paul Shelton, Jan Novakofski, Nohra E. Mateus-Pinilla

Faculty Creative and Scholarly Works

The sequence of the prion protein gene (PRNP) affects susceptibility to spongiform encephalopathies, or prion diseases in many species. In white-tailed deer, both coding and non-coding single nucleotide polymorphisms have been identified in this gene that correlate to chronic wasting disease (CWD) susceptibility. Previous studies examined individual nucleotide or amino acid mutations; here we examine all nucleotide polymorphisms and their combined effects on CWD. A 626 bp region of PRNP was examined from 703 free-ranging white-tailed deer. Deer were sampled between 2002 and 2010 by hunter harvest or government culling in Illinois and Wisconsin. Fourteen variable nucleotide positions …

Exploring The Relationship Between Commuting Stress, Job Strain And Safety Behaviors While Commuting: The Dual Role Of Work-Related Rumination, Katrina A. Burch

Master's Theses

For those who commute to and from work on a daily basis, this is an activity that requires attention to both what one is doing and the environment, in order for the commute to be done safely. Although research has shown that work can spill over into home and other non-work domains, very little attention has been paid to the impact that work may have on the transition time between one’s work and home domains. The present study sought to examine the impact of daily commuting stress and end-of-day job strain on the safety of one’s commute through the experience …

Pbio Grad Student Analyzes Effects Of Acid Mine Drainage On Local Streams, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Cytidylyltransferase Enzyme Activity Through High Performance Liquid Chromatography, James Brault

Theses and Dissertations

The cytidylyltransferases are a family of enzymes that utilize cytidine 5â?? triphosphate (CTP) to synthesize molecules that are precursors to membrane phospholipids. There are four well known enzymes: CTP: phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase (ECT), CTP: glycerol-3-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (GCT), 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate cytidylyltransferase synthetase (CMS), and CTP: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT). Previously, a radioisotope tagging method was employed to study cytidylyltransferase catalysis. Using CCT as a model, a method utilizing high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed to replace the radioisotope scintillation technique. The development of this new HPLC method is cheaper, more efficient, and more accurate than the previously established method.

The targets of separation …

Selection For Forage And Avoidance Of Risk By Woodland Caribou (Rangifer Tarandus Caribou) At Coarse Andlocal Scales, Madeleine T. Mcgreer, Erin E. Mallon, Lucas M. Vander Vennen, Philip A. Wiebe, James A. Baker, Glen S. Brown, Tal Avgar, Jevon Hagens, Andrew M. Kittle, Anna Mosser, Garrett M. Street, Doug E. B. Reid, Arthur R. Rodgers, Jennifer Shuter, Ian D. Thompson, Et Al.

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The relationship between selection at coarse and fine spatiotemporal spatial scales is still poorly understood. Some authors claim that, to accommodate different needs at different scales, individuals should have contrasting selection patterns at different scales of selection, while others claim that coarse scale selection patterns should reflect fine scale selection decisions. Here we examine site selection by 110 woodland caribou equipped with GPS radio‐collars with respect to forage availability and predation risk across a broad gradient in availability of both variables in boreal forests of Northern Ontario. We tested whether caribou selection for forage and avoidance of risk was consistent …

Development Of Self-Adjuvanted Self-Assembling Protein Nanoparticles For Use As Vaccine Candidates, Christopher P. Karch

Doctoral Dissertations

Nanotechnology and nanoparticles are one type of vaccine delivery system. Potentially, the most exciting nanoparticle for vaccine development is our Self-Assembling Protein Nanoparticles (SAPNs). Based off of coiled-coil oligomerization domains, SAPNs self-assemble into particles that are about the size and shape of small icosahedral viruses. Studies have demonstrated that SAPNs are effective vaccine candidates, inducing immune responses as well as protection for malaria, toxoplasmosis, influenza, and SARS. While effective, one missing component for SAPNs is the presence of an immunopotentiator. We have sought to resolve this problem by generating Self-Adjuvanted SAPNs. These SAPNs contain a small concentration of flagellin, a …

The Status Of Fishes In The Missouri River, Nebraska: Selected Ancient Fishes, Kirk D. Steffensen

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Several ancient fish species have inhabited the Missouri River and its tributaries for thousands of years prior to major mainstem modifications and fragmentation. However post-anthropogenic modifications, populations of these ancient fish species have been highly diminished. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use historic and current ichthyological records to determine the past and present status for Chestnut Lamprey Ichthyomyzon castaneus, Silver Lamprey Ichthyomyzon unicuspis, Bowfin Amia calva, American Eel Anguilla rostrata, and Burbot Lota lota. Currently, these species are rarely captured and perhaps extirpated from Nebraska waters.

How To Look At Monsters: Staging Female Bodies From The Periphery Of The Seventeenth-Century Spanish World In Baroque Portraiture And Hapsburg Collections, Risa A. Puleo

Theses and Dissertations

This inquiry examines portraits of “monsters”—an early modern term describing those whose bodies challenged socially-constructed categories by deviating from the social norm through differences of race, gender and physical or mental capacity, painted for Hapsburg royals across Europe, who collected specimens, including people, representing the scope of their territories.

Divergent Responses Of Cryptic Invasive Watermilfoil To Treatment With Auxinic Herbicides In A Large Michigan Lake, Syndell R. Parks

Masters Theses

Invasive plants are a major concern for environmental managers. Cryptic invasive taxa present additional challenges because of their potential to respond differently to management efforts. Invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) and hybrid watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum x Myriophyllum sibiricum) cannot be reliably distinguished based on morphological characters and are therefore cryptic taxa. Laboratory studies show that on average, hybrid watermilfoil grows faster, branches more, and is less responsive to standard control measures developed for Eurasian watermilfoil. These laboratory results predict less effective control of hybrid watermilfoil in mixed populations treated uniformly with one of these control measures. However, to date there …

Sensor Resource Management: Intelligent Multi-Objective Modularized Optimization Methodology And Models, Boris Kovalerchuk, Leonid Perlovsky

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

The importance of the optimal Sensor Resource Management (SRM) problem is growing. The number of Radar, EO/IR, Overhead Persistent InfraRed (OPIR), and other sensors with best capabilities, is limited in the stressing tasking environment relative to sensing needs. Sensor assets differ significantly in number, location, and capability over time. To determine on which object a sensor should collect measurements during the next observation period k, the known algorithms favor the object with the expected measurements that would result in the largest gain in relative information. We propose a new tasking paradigm OPTIMA for sensors that goes beyond information gain. It …

Rnai-Mediated Control Of Aflatoxins In Peanut: Method To Analyze Mycotoxin Production And Transgene Expression In The Peanut/Aspergillus Pathosystem, Renee S. Arias, Phat M. Dang, Victor S. Sobolev

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 25% of the food crops in the world are contaminated with aflatoxins. That represents 100 million tons of food being destroyed or diverted to non-human consumption each year. Aflatoxins are powerful carcinogens normally accumulated by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus in cereals, nuts, root crops and other agricultural products. Silencing of five aflatoxin-synthesis genes by RNA interference (RNAi) in peanut plants was used to control aflatoxin accumulation following inoculation with A. flavus. Previously, no method existed to analyze the effectiveness of RNAi in individual peanut transgenic events, …

Dysregulation Of The Haem-Haemopexin Axis Is Associated With Severe Malaria In A Case-Control Study Of Ugandan Children., Robyn E Elphinstone, Frank Riley, Tian Lin, Sarah Higgins, Aggrey Dhabangi, Charles Musoke, Christine Cserti-Gazdewich, Raymond F. Regan, H Shaw Warren, Kevin C Kain

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Malaria is associated with haemolysis and the release of plasma haem. Plasma haem can cause endothelial injury and organ dysfunction, and is normally scavenged by haemopexin to limit toxicity. It was hypothesized that dysregulation of the haem-haemopexin pathway contributes to severe and fatal malaria infections.

METHODS: Plasma levels of haemin (oxidized haem), haemopexin, haptoglobin, and haemoglobin were quantified in a case-control study of Ugandan children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Levels at presentation were compared in children with uncomplicated malaria (UM; n = 29), severe malarial anaemia (SMA; n = 27) or cerebral malaria (CM; n = 31), and evaluated …

Data Collection Challenges And Recommendations For Early Career Researchers, Marylen Rimando, Andrea M. Brace, Apophia Namageyo-Funa, Tiffany L. Parr, Diadrey-Anne Sealy, Teaniese L. Davis, Lourdes M. Martinez, Richard W. Christiana

The Qualitative Report

Data collection is critical to the social research process. When implemented correctly, data collection enhances the quality of a social research study. However, doctoral students and early career researchers may encounter challenges with data collection. This article reports on the data collection challenges in dissertation research encountered by doctoral students enrolled in a public health program at a southeastern United States urban university. Each doctoral student shared at least one challenge and how it affected the data collection process. Additionally, the doctoral students shared how the identified challenges were addressed or suggested recommendations. Understanding these experiences of doctoral students is …

Adult Rainbow Trout Habitat Selection In The Henry’S Fork Of The Snake River, Idaho, Zachary Kuzniar

Masters Theses

Determining habitat selection for an organism across a geographic distribution is a primary challenge in modern behavioral ecology. Quantifying habitat use becomes increasingly difficult for species that exhibit complex life histories and complementary habitat requirements. Rainbow trout are an archetypal example due to their tendency to form local populations across a diversity of environments. The Henry’s Fork of the Snake River provides an opportunity to utilize microhabitat selection models to quantify stream features that may drive adult rainbow trout behavior at the local scale. In particular, within an 8.5 km, low gradient, groundwater-dominated reach that exhibits a general lack of …

Qualitative Contributions To A Randomized Controlled Trial Addressing Hiv/Aids-Stigma In Medical Students, Melissa Marzán-Rodríguez, Nelson Varas-Diaz, Torsten Neilands

The Qualitative Report

Specialized training for healthcare professionals (HCP) in order to reduce HIV/AIDS related stigma must be part of a public health model for HIV/AIDS. Tested interventions to reduce HIV/AIDS related stigma among HCP have been mostly absent from these efforts. A qualitative approach was used to assess stigma reduction within a traditional randomized controlled design in order to better understand how our current stigma intervention worked and was understood by 2nd year medical students. After conducting a quantitative follow up survey one-year post intervention we conducted 20 in-depth qualitative interviews with a subsample of our intervention group participants as part of …

Gender Boxing: The Ioc’S Policy On Female Hyperandrogenism And Attempt To Draw Bright Lines Between Sexes While The World Outside Athletics Embraces Gender Fluidity, Holly E. Jones

Tennessee Journal of Race, Gender, & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Hegemonic Masculinity And Reproductive Freedom, Rick Mula

Tennessee Journal of Race, Gender, & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Rectifying A Wrong: American Eugenics—Beneficial To The State, But Detrimental To The People, Rowena A. Daniels

Tennessee Journal of Race, Gender, & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Learning Delays In A Mouse Model Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Amanda R. Rendall

Master's Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder with core symptoms of atypical social interactions and repetitive behaviors. It has also been reported that individuals with ASD have difficulty with multisensory integration, and this may disrupt higher-order cognitive abilities such as learning and social communication. Impairments in the integration of sensory information could in turn reflect diminished cross-modal white matter connectivity. Moreover, the genetic contribution in ASD appears to be strong, with heritability estimates as high as 90%. However, no single gene has been identified, and over 100 risk genes have been reported. One of these genes -- contactin-associated-like-protein …

166th Commencement, Fall

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography Ni-Nta And Co-Talon For The Purification Of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin, Yana Rubiyana, Adi Santoso, Irmanida Batubara

Makara Journal of Science

The purification of recombinant proteins is an important stage in biopharmaceutical research. A commonly used technique is immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). One of the main advantages of this type of chromatography is that the column can easily be regenerated for subsequent purification work. The mechanism of IMAC is based on bonding between metal ions immobilized on a matrix with a specific amino acid. Because of the strong interactions of the electron donor group on the imidazole ring, histidine is often used in the IMAC purification system. Two types of commercial IMAC resin use a nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) matrix: a …

Co-Digestion Of Sorghum Stalk And Sludge For Biogas Production, Muhammad Romli, Aulia Anggraini, Purwoko, Suprihatin

Makara Journal of Science

The recycling of residual agricultural biomass using anaerobic digestion allows for the recovery of biomass carbon and nutrients as sources of energy and fertilizer. The obstacles that are encountered in this process include the lignocellulosic structure of biomass tissue and its high carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio. This study evaluates the co-digestion system of pretreated sorghum stalks and wastewater sludge. The stalks were pretreated by partial bio-oxidation to improve their bacterial accessibility. The digesters were fed a mixture of stalk and sludge at ratios of 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, and 40:60 (total solids [TS] basis). The digesters were run in batches at 35-36 …