Digital Commons Network^™

3: "The Current Extinction: Defaunation & Ecosystem Disruption", Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

Information taken from: Dirzo, R. et al (2014). Defaunation in the Anthropocene. Science, 345(401).

Scientists estimate, conservatively, that there are 5 to 9 million different animal species on the planet. But that number is continually changing, and unfortunately, dropping, as we are likely losing 11,000- 58,000 species annually, and evidence suggests that on average, there has been a decline of about 28% in terms of numbers of individuals within a species over the last four decades. Both of these statistics are vitally important. The critical nature of the first is perhaps more obvious, as total loss of a species is …

Early Round Goby (Neogobius Melanostomus) Invasion Into Lake Michigan Tributaries And Competitive Interactions With Two Native Benthic Fishes., Margaret Ann Malone

Master's Theses

The round goby is a prolific invasive species and is currently spreading into Great Lake tributary streams. There is a high potential for negative impacts on native benthic fishes in these stream habitats and the aim of this study is to assess the impacts of the round goby on two native darter species in particular (johnny darter and blackside darter). I review the history of round goby invasion in the Great Lakes and summarize hypotheses of the invasive characters of the round goby. Using game theory, I provide a G-function approach to understanding the outcomes of the round goby invasion …

Research Highlights From Regional Studies In Marine Science, J. M. Hall-Spencer, G. G. Lauenstein, K. M.Y. Leung

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Hemerythrin-Like Protein Rv2633c, Michelle D. Cherne

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hemerythrin-like protein Rv2633c is a small 18 kDa protein that is expressed in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Sequence analysis of Rv2633c predicts the presence of a hemerythrin-like domain, which binds dioxygen using a µ-oxo-bridge (Fe-O-Fe), rather than a heme group. Though it is noticeably upregulated during macrophage infection and during in vitro acidification, the role of Rv2633c in Mtb survival has yet to be elucidated. This project aims to characterize the function of Rv2633c by studying the in vitro response of the recombinant protein to conditions present in the macrophage lysosome, such as reduced oxygen levels or the …

Anty 491.01: Special Topics - Advanced Human Variation, Meradeth H. Snow

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Becoming What We Are: Virtue And Practical Wisdom As Natural Ends, Keith Buhler

Theses and Dissertations--Philosophy

This dissertation is about ethical naturalism. Philippa Foot and John McDowell both defend contemporary neo-Aristotelian ethics but each represents a rival expression of the same. They are united in the affirmation that virtue is ‘natural goodness’ for human beings. Nevertheless, they are divided in their rival conceptions of ‘nature.’ McDowell distinguishes second nature or the "space of reasons" from first nature or the “realm of law.” Foot rejects this division.

On Foot's naturalism, natural goodness is just as much a feature of first nature as health is, even though human practical reasoning is unique in the biological world. I defend …

Novel Targets For Mitochondrial Dysfunction Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Heather M. Yonutas

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a phenomenon observed in models of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Loss of mitochondrial bioenergetics can result in diminished cellular homeostasis leading to cellular dysfunction and possible cellular death. Consequently, the resultant tissue damage can manifest as functional deficits and/or disease states. Therapeutic strategies to target this mitochondrial dysfunction have been investigated for models TBI and have shown promising effects.

For this project, we tested the hypothesis that mitoNEET, a novel mitochondrial membrane protein, is a target for pioglitazone mediated neuroprotection. To test this, we used a severe Controlled Cortical Impact (CCI) injury model in mitoNEET null and …

The Update, January-March 2016, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Humanities, Arts And Sciences.

Update

Inside This Issue:

--CHAS Briefs
--Spotlight – Faculty Kyle Gray
--CHAS News Diversity Training
--Biology Celeste Underriner
--Featured Story: IEEE Demonstration Awards
--Spotlight – Alumni Meghan Reynolds
--Spotlight – Student Alyssa Adamac
--Theater – Rent
--Spotlight – Student Kyle Spurgeon
--ABC Competition
--UNI Construction
--Management Club

Investigation Of The Role Of The Nephila Clavipes Major Ampullate Spidroin 1a N-Terminal Domain In Spider Silk Formation, James Hisao Atkison

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Spider dragline silk is a naturally occurring polymer that has the potential to be used in many biomaterials such as skin graft scaffolds and cartilage repair matrices due to its elasticity, high tensile strength, and biocompatibility. However, natural large scale production of spider silk is unfeasible due to the cannibalistic nature of spiders in captivity. A viable alternative is artificial silk production, which requires an understanding of the in vivo mechanisms spiders use to spin silk. The conversion of highly concentrated proteins, called spidroins, into insoluble fibers requires the dimerization of the spidroin N-terminal domain (NTD). This process is regulated …

Investigations On Biologically Active Carbohydrates From Natural Sources, Jiadong Sun

Open Access Dissertations

Complex carbohydrates exist in almost all species of plants, animals and microorganisms. Because of their physiochemical properties, they have been traditionally applied as emulsifiers and stabilizers in food, cosmetics, textiles and as pharmaceutical ingredients. Complex carbohydrates generally exist as a layer of thick, sequential, hydrous polymers consisting of monosaccharides and non-carbohydrate substituents such as acetate, pyruvate, and phosphate. While complex carbohydrates are generally believed to serve as structural support or energy sources for the producing organisms, their potential biomedical properties have been less investigated. Our understanding of the biological activities of complex carbohydrates is further complicated since most have been …

New Chigger (Acari) Records From Arkansas Amphibians (Caudata, Anura) And Reptiles (Sauria), M. B. Connior, C. T. Mcallister, L. A. Durden, S. E. Trauth, H. W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Phytochemical And Biological Studies Of The Extracts Of Pseuduvaria Monticola And Pseuduvaria Macrophylla / Hairin Taha, Taha Hairin

Student Works (2010-2019)

The chemical constituents of two Pseuduvaria species from the Annonaceae family; Pseuduvaria monticola and Pseuduvaria macrophylla have been investigated. The extraction of the compounds from the bark and leaves was carried out using n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol followed by chromatographic techniques such as column chromatography (CC), preparative thin layer chromatography (PTLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Structural elucidations of the compounds were established through spectroscopic methods; 1D-NMR (1H,13C, DEPT 135 ), 2D-NMR (COSY, HMQC, HMBC), UV, IR and MS (LC-MS, GC-MS) and comparison from the published data. The leaf essential oils were extracted by Clavenger-type apparatus and analyzed by …

In Vitro Culture And Biological Studies On Dientamoeba Fragilis / Anitamalar Devi Ragavan, Ragavan Anitamalar Devi

Student Works (2010-2019)

Dientamoeba fragilis, since its discovery 87 years ago, very little is known about the parasite’s prevalence, biology, life cycle and mode of transmission. The present targeted two vulnerable groups which are the orang asli and school children from the state of Selangor. Out of a total of 409 and 380 stool samples collected from Orang Asli and school children population the prevalence of those infected with D.fragilis were 3.9 % and 0.7% respectively. There is a challenge in identifying the parasites in stools and this could be the main contributory reason why information on this parasite is still lacking. The …

An Economic Approach To Modeling Archaeological Settlement Patterns In Central Idaho, Anthony J. Saunders

All Master's Theses

Archaeologists can gain a better understanding of subsistence strategies by analyzing the net advantage of exploiting certain resources over others across a large area with the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and application of economic. GIS modeling is a powerful tool used by archaeologists to catalog and analyze site information in a spatial context. Economic models interpret human behavior in terms of cost and benefit. Little archaeological research has been done in central Idaho. This thesis develops economic models of hunting, gathering and fishing for the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness (FC-RONRW). This research builds upon previous …

Pharmacokinetics And Bioavailability Of Three Promising Tilmicosin-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles In Comparison With Tilmicosin Phosphate Following Oral Administration In Broiler Chickens, Ali Rassouli, Alwan Al-Qushawi, Fatemeh Atyabi, Seyed Mostafa Peighambari, Mehdi Esfandyari-Manesh, Gholam Reza Shams

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Tilmicosin (TLM) is a semisynthetic antimicrobial agent used mainly in poultry and cattle, but it has relatively poor oral bioavailability. This study was conducted to compare the bioavailability (BA) and main pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of TLM after oral administration of tilmicosin phosphate (TLM-PH) and three newly prepared lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) of TLM including solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), and lipid-core nanocapsules (LNCs). Sixty broiler chickens were divided into eight groups. In four treatment groups (n = 10), each bird was given a single oral dose (20 mg/kg) of a TLM formulation after overnight fasting, and in four …

The Science Of Cute: What Makes Us Say "Aww!", Allison Murphy

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Rna Extraction From Fungal-Algal Tissues For Transcriptomic Gene Expression Analysis, Michael J. Hohl

Honors Theses

Extracting high-quality RNA is critical for downstream applications such a qRT-PCR and RNA-Seq based transcriptomics. Single-stranded RNA is readily susceptible to degradation by environmental RNases, necessitating rapid and sterile homogenization techniques; freezing at -80°C, lysis buffer addition, and short bursts of beadbeating have been shown to increase yields and quality of extracted RNA. Utilizing fungal-algal tissues from the model symbiosis between the filamentous fungi Aspergillus nidulans and the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, three different commercial homogenizers and six RNA extractions kits were assessed and an optimized extraction protocol for total RNA from fungal-algal tissues was determined. Using the protocol designed …

Spatially- And Temporally-Controlled Postnatal P53 Knockdown Cooperates With Embryonic Schwann Cell Precursor Nf1 Gene Loss To Promote Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Formation, Angela C. Hirbe, Sonika Dahiya, Dinorah Friedmann-Morvinski, Inder M. Verma, D. Wade Clapp, David H. Gutmann

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Label-Free Proteomics Assisted By Affinity Enrichment For Elucidating The Chemical Reactivity Of The Liver Mitochondrial Proteome Toward Adduction By The Lipid Electrophile 4-Hydroxy-2-Nonenal (Hne), Shin-Cheng Tzeng, Claudia S. Maier

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Eps Producing Microorganisms From Municipal Wastewater Activated Sludge, Klai Nouha, Yan S, Tyagi Rd, Surampalli Ry

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Bacterial exopolysacchrides (EPSs) are produced by many bacteria. Nowadays there is an increasing interest in the isolation and exploitation of these polymers for industrial purposes. In general, biosynthesis of EPS varies from one strain to other strain and it depends on genes and enzymes involved in EPS production and secretion. In this study, EPS producing strains were isolated from municipal wastewater treatment plant and their potential of EPS production was evaluated. The role of EPS in sludge flocculation was also studied. Three types of EPS (LB-EPS (Loosely bound EPS), TB-EPS (Tightly bound EPS) and B-EPS (broth EPS)) were harvested and …

Salivary Cortisol As A Measure Of Stress Reactivity In Adolescents With Psychiatric Disorders, Cortlyn Wilhelmina Brown

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Objective: The aims of this study were to 1) examine salivary cortisol distributions in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents; and to 2) evaluate whether youth with mood and anxiety disorders are associated with differential salivary cortisol response to an acute mild stressor.

Background: An association between mood disorders and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction, as indicated by elevated levels of cortisol, has been well established [1, 2]. Although studies have suggested that these differences emerge early in the development of mood disorders in children and adolescents [3] the samples have generally been very small and primarily derived from clinical …

Spatial Variation In Tooth Shape Of Miocene Populations Of Carcharocles Megalodon Across Ocean Basins, Maxwell John Bertsos

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The extinct Lamniform species, Carcharocles megalodon, were some of the most geographically widespread apex predators in the fossil record. However, whether this cosmopolitan distribution was related to population level differences is unknown. The objective of this study is to assess whether variation in tooth morphology coincided with geographic dispersal. The underlying hypothesis is that variation in an aspect of functional morphology, such as tooth shape, suggests some level of population structuring. Detecting this relationship could potentially provide a mechanism that links population to functional relationships inherent in tooth morphology that may reflect period differences in ocean basins. This would offer …

Structural Studies Of Becn1, A Key Autophagy Protein, And Intrinsically Disordered Regions In Autophagy Proteins, Yang Mei

Cellular and Molecular Biology

Autophagy, a conserved catabolic process required for cellular homeostasis in eukaryotes, is regulated by many proteins. The central goal of my doctoral research is to investigate conformational flexibility of autophagy proteins, with a special focus on BECN1, a core component of the class III phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase autophagosome nucleation complex that may serve as an autophagy interaction hub. Our rigorous bioinformatics analysis predicts that 57% of 59 key human autophagy proteins contain intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), which lack stable secondary and tertiary structure. The prevalence of IDRs suggests that IDRs play an important, yet hitherto uninvestigated, role in autophagy. We confirm …

Intrinsic And Extrinsic Regulation Of Pineal Melatonin Rhythms, Ye Li

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Circadian rhythm is a biological rhythm with period of about 24 hours. Circadian rhythm is universal in phyla from bacteria to mammals and exists in different level from gene expression to behavior. Circadian system consists of three components: 1) a self-sustained oscillator; 2) an input pathway which can alter the phase of the oscillator; and 3) an output such as gene expression, enzyme activity, hormone production, heart rate, body temperature or locomotor activities. The way the oscillator regulates its outputs is complicated, in that on one hand usually the oscillator is not the only factor affecting the outputs, and on …

Emergence Of A Potent Multidrug Efflux Pump Variant That Enhances Campylobacter Resistance To Multiple Antibiotics, Hong Yao, Zhangql Shen, Yang Wang, Fengru Deng, Dejun Liu, Gaowa Naren, Lel Dal, Chih-Chia Su, Bing Wang, Shaolin Wang, Congming Wu, Edward W. Yu, Qijing Zhang, Jianzhong Shen

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Bacterial antibiotic efflux pumps are key players in antibiotic resistance. Although their role in conferring multidrug resistance is well documented, the emergence of “super” efflux pump variants that enhance bacterial resistance to multiple drugs has not been reported. Here, we describe the emergence of a resistance-enhancing variant (named RE-CmeABC) of the predominant efflux pump CmeABC in Campylobacter, a major zoonotic pathogen whose resistance to antibiotics is considered a serious antibiotic resistance threat in the United States. Compared to the previously characterized CmeABC transporters, RECmeABC is much more potent in conferring Campylobacter resistance to antibiotics, which was shown by increased …

Investigating Cholera Using An Sir Model With Age-Class Structure And Optimal Control, K. Renee Fister, Holly Gaff, Elsa Schaefer, Glenna Buford, Bryce C. Norris

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The use of systems of differential equations in mathematical modeling in conjunction with epidemiology continues to be an area of focused research. This paper briefly acquaints readers with epidemiology, cholera, and the need for effective control strategies; discusses cholera dynamics through a variation on the SIR epidemiological model in which two separate age classes exist in a population; finds the numeric value for R₀ to be approximately 1.54 using estimated parameters for Bangladesh; and employs an optimal control resulting in a suggestion that a protection control be implemented at the end of the monsoon season.

Interactomics-Based Functional Analysis: Using Interaction Conservation To Probe Bacterial Protein Functions, J. Harry Caufield

Theses and Dissertations

The emergence of genomics as a discrete field of biology has changed humanity’s understanding of our relationship with bacteria. Sequencing the genome of each newly-discovered bacterial species can reveal novel gene sequences, though the genome may contain genes coding for hundreds or thousands of proteins of unknown function (PUFs). In some cases, these coding sequences appear to be conserved across nearly all bacteria. Exploring the functional roles of these cases ideally requires an integrative, cross-species approach involving not only gene sequences but knowledge of interactions among their products. Protein interactions, studied at genome scale, extend genomics into the field of …

Curcumin/Melatonin Hybrids As Neuroprotective Agents For Alzheimer's Disease, John Saathoff

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia, affecting ~5.2 million Americans. Current FDA approved medications provide mainly symptomatic relief and there are no agents available to delay or cure this disease. Multiple factors such as amyloid-β aggregates, dyshomeostasis of biometals, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation have been implicated in the development of AD. Even though significant advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms leading to AD, the exact etiology still remains elusive. Given AD’s multifactorial nature, a multifunctional strategy of small molecule design would help to identify novel chemical templates. Recently our lab …

The Worm’S Eye View Of Community Ecology, Tavis K. Anderson, Michael V. K. Sukhdeo

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

The study of parasites in the context of community level organization, either as parasites embedded within host communities, or as parasite communities themselves, is now quite prevalent in parasitology and ecology today. However, this was not always the case. In terms of publications, there was almost no consideration of parasite interactions at the community level for most of the first half of the last century. Papers in The Journal of Parasitology by Clark Read (1951) and John Holmes (1961) were the defining contributions to the beginning of the field, and the ideas elaborated by these two parasitologists still inspire current …

Momentum Clinic For Teen And Young Adult Cancer Patients, Merian O'Neil

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the needs of teen and young adult cancer patients undergoing long-term chemotherapy treatments and the design of an outpatient clinic that accommodates this population’s unique needs. Most teens endure long-term treatments in a pediatric facility targeted primarily for children, while others are treated in adult facilities. Teens have different privacy and social needs than children, and while they are not adults, they are involved in their own treatment decisions, unlike children. The target age group for this study is teens and young adults, ages thirteen to twenty-two. A common theme emerged from research and interviews conducted in …