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Analysis Of Trinitrophenylated Adenosine And Inosine Using Capillary Electrophoresis-Laser Induced Fluorescence Detection And Gamma-Cyclodextrin, Terilyn Koehler Stephen

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Adenosine (Ado) and adenine ribonucleotides are essential in cell metabolism and energy production, cellular signaling, and DNA and RNA synthesis. The biosynthesis of these molecules takes place in both the intracellular and extracellular space via transphosphorylation reactions catalyzed by several distinct kinase enzymes like adenylate kinase. Several analytical detection methodologies have been developed to monitor these molecules in biological tissue, including both liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) techniques. However, many of these methodologies are limited by separation resolution and sample injection volume requirements. This thesis presents a novel capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence detection (CE-LIF) method with high separation …

Modulation Of Nicotinic Receptors By An Allosteric Ligand Assessed Using Fast Jumps In Acetylcholine, Spencer L. Hirt

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Properties of ligand-gated ion channels such as α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and their interactions with various pharmacologic compounds have been studied using voltage clamping techniques for decades. The peak current amplitude, measured in whole-cell experiments, gives us an idea of how receptors will respond to a ligand in situ. Some ligands have the potential to potentiate the peak amplitude, by various mechanisms such as destabilization of receptor desensitized states. The ability of a ligand to increase the peak amplitude of α4β2 nAChRs has the potential to treat a variety of neuronal disorders; however unique properties of these receptors such …

Addressing Student Performance In The Classroom: A Case Study Of The University Of Alaska Fairbanks Supplemental Instruction Program, Alyssa Englert

Economics

The Supplemental Instruction (SI) program, developed and headquartered at the University of Missouri Kansas City, is a peer-to-peer mentorship program that seeks to aid post-secondary education students in passing historically difficult courses. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Supplemental Instruction program was established in 2003, and to date no external study has been completed as to its effectiveness despite the university’s unique student population. To empirically evaluate the program’s main user groups and impact on final course grade, three models were created: a probit model identified the demographic factors that led to a student self-selecting to participate; a negative binomial regression …

Executive Committee - Agenda, 5/17/2016, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

From Empty Lot To Garden Plot: Urban Agriculture In Chula Vista, Jennifer E. Gutierrez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project is an exploration of how agriculture can be incorporated into the fabric of the city of Chula Vista, which has both uniquely urban and suburban areas. The proposal is to integrate agriculture as a design tool to reconnect to the city’s agricultural past and as a model for cities of the future. First, I discuss Chula Vista’s history and contemporary context, including demographics. I review the existing urban agriculture policies Chula Vista has and compare them to other cities in California. The second part of the project is concerned with how to choose and develop a site for …

Report: Nic Heating, Cooling System To Cut Environmental Impact In Half, Leslie Reed

Nebraska Innovation Campus Materials

By using wastewater to heat and cool its buildings, Nebraska Innovation Campus (http://innovate.unl.edu) will give off only about half as much greenhouse gas as comparable commercial buildings, a new study has found. The findings demonstrate NIC’s emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, said Dan Duncan, the campus’ executive director. “It’s part of the environment we’re trying to create, the culture we’re trying to create,” he said.“We want to show that this is a different place.” Instead of energy-gobbling boilers and cooling towers, the research campus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses a stream of effluent from a nearby wastewater treatment …

Compositions And Methods For Reducing Or Preventing Medical Device-Related Infections, Mark L. Kayton, Norma Alcantar, Daniel Restrepo, Nicholas S. Laconi, Audrey L. Buttice, Michael P. Ebaugh

USF Patents

Provided herein is a method of reducing a microbial infection of a heparinized surface wherein heparin precipitation is reduced as compared to a control. In some embodiments a composition comprising ethanol and isopropanol is applied to the surface. In other embodiments, two or more ethanol compositions are applied and removed sequentially from the surface prior to contacting the surface with a biological fluid, tissue or vessel, wherein the composition in each successive administration comprises an increased amount of ethanol. Also provided is a method of reducing a microbial infection of a surface comprising applying a mucilage extract from an Opuntia …

Go Artificial Intelligence: A Scalable Evolutionary Approach, Warren Duncan Fraser

Computer Science

This report covers scaling neural networks for training Go artificial intelligence. The Go board is broken up into subsections, allowing for each subsection to be calculated independently, and then factored into an overall board evaluation. This modular approach allows for subsection networks to be translated to larger board evaluations, retaining knowledge gained. The methodology covered shows promise for significant reduction in training times required for unsupervised training of Go AI. A brief history of artificial neural networks and an overview of Go and the specific rules that were used in this project are presented. Experiment design and results are presented, …

Statistical Analysis Of Species Tree Inference, Andres Dajles

Mathematics and Statistics

It is known that the STAR and USTAR algorithms are statistically consistent techniques used to infer species tree topologies from a large set of gene trees. However, if the set of gene trees is small, the accuracy of STAR and USTAR in determining species tree topologies is unknown. Furthermore, it is unknown how introducing roots on the gene trees affects the performance of STAR and USTAR. Therefore, we show that when given a set of gene trees of sizes 1, 3, 6 or 10, the STAR and USTAR algorithms with Neighbor Joining perform relatively well for two different cases: one …

Assessing Year To Year Variability Of Inertial Oscillation In The Chukchi Sea Using The Wavelet Transform, David Leonard

Mathematics and Statistics

Three years of ocean drifter data from the Chukchi Sea were examined using the wavelet transform to investigate inertial oscillation. There was an increasing trend in number, duration, and hence total proportion of time spent in inertial oscillation events. Additionally, the Chukchi Sea seems to facilitate inertial oscillation that is easier to discern using north-south velocity records rather than east-west velocity records. The data used in this analysis was transformed using wavelets, which are generally used as a qualitative statistical method. Because of this, in addition to measurement error and random ocean noise, there is an additional source of variability …

Bayesian Predictive Process Models For Historical Precipitation Data Of Alaska And Southwestern Canada, Peter Vanney

Mathematics and Statistics

In this paper we apply hierarchical Bayesian predictive process models to historical precipitation data using the spBayes R package. Classical and hierarchical Bayesian techniques for spatial analysis and modeling require large matrix inversions and decompositions, which can take prohibitive amounts of time to run (n observations take time on the order of n3). Bayesian predictive process models have the same spatial framework as hierarchical Bayesian models but fit a subset of points (called knots) to the sample which allows for large scale dimension reduction and results in much smaller matrix inversions and faster computing times. These computationally less expensive models …

Growing Rhodiola Rosea In Unalakleet, Alaska, Mosaddeque Reza

Rural Development

Rhodiola rosea is a medicinal herbal plant that grows naturally in higher altitudes and colder regions in the world including mountainous regions of southwest China and the Himalayas, and the circumpolar North, including Siberia, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, some parts of Canada, and Alaska. People use its dry roots as tea, put its extract in capsules, and eat it as a vegetable. It helps reduce mild to moderate depression and general anxiety disorder, and it enhances work performance in adverse conditions. It is an adaptogen, that is, it works in the body without affecting any biological function. Because of this, …

Increased Androgenic Sensitivity In The Hind Limb Muscular System Marks The Evolution Of A Derived Gestural Display, Lisa A. Mangiamele, Matthew J. Fuxjager, Eric R. Schuppe, Rebecca S. Taylor, Walter Hödl, Doris Preininger

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Physical gestures are prominent features of many species’ multi- modal displays, yet how evolution incorporates body and leg movements into animal signaling repertoires is unclear. Andro- genic hormones modulate the production of reproductive signals and sexual motor skills in many vertebrates; therefore, one possi- bility is that selection for physical signals drives the evolution of androgenic sensitivity in select neuromotor pathways. We exam- ined this issue in the Bornean rock frog (Staurois parvus, family: Ranidae). Males court females and compete with rivals by per- forming both vocalizations and hind limb gestural signals, called “foot flags.” Foot flagging is a derived …

Effects Of Rising Sea Surface Temperature And Decreasing Salinity On Kelps And Associated Macroalgal Communities, Alyssa Lind

Marine Biology

Kelp forests provide a multitude of vital ecosystems services, such as habitat for commercially and recreationally important species, support of complex food webs, and reduction of coastal erosion. The diversity and resilience of kelp forest communities are threatened as the severity of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors continues to mount. Particularly in the North Pacific, sea surface temperature (SST) is warming and glacier melt is discharging into coastal waters, causing decreases in salinity. This study assesses possible impacts of increasing SST and decreasing salinity on kelp forests by examining the response of key kelp species and their associated macroalgal …

Arctic Circulation Pathways, Heat And Freshwater Fluxes: Results From Numerical Model Integrations, Jonathan David Whitefield

Marine Biology

With increasing attention on Arctic warming and consequent reductions of sea ice, many studies are focusing on the “gateways” to the Arctic Ocean - the regions where water enters and exits the Arctic Basin. The Chukchi Sea is the only pathway for Pacific water to enter the Arctic Ocean. While the Chukchi naturally undergoes large seasonal and interannual variability, currently it is also undergoing larger and rapid changes, which include transition to a longer icefree season. Numerical models are often used to explore this region, due to observational restrictions associated with sea-ice. Most past and current models tend to represent …

Systems And Methods For Delivering Dissolved Gases Into Force-Main And Gravity Sewers, Larry K. Linguist, Clay R. Thompson, Christopher B. Milligan, Gregory S. Osborn

Patents Granted

Disclosed are systems and methods for dissolving gases into a fluid that is passing through a force-main and gravity sewer system. The system includes a dissolution tank having a pressure vessel for containing a liquid and for providing a regulated gas head space above the liquid, an inlet that permits passage of wastewater into the gas head space, and an outlet that permits passage of treated wastewater out of the pressure vessel. The system also includes a gas source in communication with the pressure vessel; a pump for supplying wastewater from a force-main or sewer system sump into the pressure …

Vitamin-D Receptor Agonist Calcitriol Reduces Calcification In Vitro Through Selective Upregulation Of Slc20a2 But Not Slc20a1 Or Xpr1, M. P. Keasey, R. R. Lemos, T. Hagg, J. R.M. Oliveira

ETSU Faculty Works

Vitamin D deficiency (hypovitaminosis D) causes osteomalacia and poor long bone mineralization. In apparent contrast, hypovitaminosis D has been reported in patients with primary brain calcifications ("Fahr's disease"). We evaluated the expression of two phosphate transporters which we have found to be associated with primary brain calcification (SLC20A2, whose promoter has a predicted vitamin D receptor binding site, and XPR1), and one unassociated (SLC20A1), in an in vitro model of calcification. Expression of all three genes was significantly decreased in calcifying human bone osteosarcoma (SaOs-2) cells. Further, we confirmed that vitamin D (calcitriol) reduced calcification as measured by Alizarin Red …

World Allergy Organization-Mcmaster University Guidelines For Allergic Disease Prevention (Glad-P): Vitamin D, Juan José Yepes-Nuñez, Alessandro Fiocchi, Ruby Pawankar, Carlos A. Cuello-Garcia, Yuan Zhang, Gian Paolo Morgano, Kangmo Ahn, Suleiman Al-Hammadi, Arnav Agarwal, Shreyas Gandhi, Kirsten Beyer, Wesley Burks, Giorgio W. Canonica, Motohiro Ebisawa, Rose Kamenwa, Bee Wah Lee, Haiqi Li, Susan Prescott, John J. Riva, Lanny Rosenwasser, Hugh Sampson, Michael Spigler, Luigi Terracciano, Andrea Vereda, Susan Waserman, Holger J. Schünemann, Jan L. Brożek

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: The prevalence of allergic diseases is approximately 10 % in infants whose parents and siblings do not have allergic diseases and 20–30 % in those with an allergic first-degree relative. Vitamin D is involved in the regulation of the immune system and it may play a role in the development, severity and course of asthma and other allergic diseases.

Objective: The World Allergy Organization (WAO) convened a guideline panel to develop evidence-based recommendations addressing the use of vitamin D in primary prevention of allergic diseases.

Methods: Our WAO guideline panel identified the most relevant clinical questions and performed a …

Interaction Of Tau With The Rna-Binding Protein Tia1 Regulates Tau Pathophysiology And Toxicity, Tara Vanderweyde, Daniel J. Apicco, Katherine Youmans-Kidder, Peter E. A. Ash, Casey Cook, Edroaldo Lummertz Da Rocha, Karen Jansen-West, Alissa A. Frame, Allison Citro, John D. Leszyk, Pavel Ivanov, Jose F. Abisambra, Martin Steffen, Hu Li, Leonard Petrucelli, Benjamin Wolozin

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Dendritic mislocalization of microtubule associated protein tau is a hallmark of tauopathies, but the role of dendritic tau is unknown. We now report that tau interacts with the RNA-binding protein (RBP) TIA1 in brain tissue, and we present the brain-protein interactome network for TIA1. Analysis of the TIA1 interactome in brain tissue from wild-type (WT) and tau knockout mice demonstrates that tau is required for normal interactions of TIA1 with proteins linked to RNA metabolism, including ribosomal proteins and RBPs. Expression studies show that tau regulates the distribution of TIA1, and tau accelerates stress granule (SG) formation. Conversely, TIA1 knockdown …

Krüppel Homolog 1 And E93 Mediate Juvenile Hormone Regulation Of Metamorphosis In The Common Bed Bug, Cimex Lectularius, Hemant Gujar, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

The common bed bug is an obligate hematophagous parasite of humans. We studied the regulation of molting and metamorphosis in bed bugs with a goal to identify key players involved. qRT-PCR studies on the expression of genes known to be involved in molting and metamorphosis showed high levels of Krüppel homolog 1 [Kr-h1, a transcription factor that plays key roles in juvenile hormone (JH) action] mRNA in the penultimate nymphal stage (N4). However, low levels of Kr-h1 mRNA were detected in the fifth and last nymphal stage (N5). Knockdown of Kr-h1 in N4 resulted in a precocious development of adult …

Microsatellite And Major Histocompatibility Complex Variation In An Endangered Rattlesnake, The Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus Catenatus), Collin P. Jaeger, Marvin R. Duvall, Bradley J. Swanson, Christopher A. Phillips, Michael J. Dreslik, Sarah J. Baker, Richard B. King

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Genetic diversity is fundamental to maintaining the long‐term viability of populations, yet reduced genetic variation is often associated with small, isolated populations. To examine the relationship between demography and genetic variation, variation at hypervariable loci (e.g., microsatellite DNA loci) is often measured. However, these loci are selectively neutral (or near neutral) and may not accurately reflect genomewide variation. Variation at functional trait loci, such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), can provide a better assessment of adaptive genetic variation in fragmented populations. We compared patterns of microsatellite and MHC variation across three Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) populations representing a gradient …

Pilot Data Information Literacy Competencies Matrix Scaffolded Across Undergraduate, Graduate And Data Steward Levels, Megan R. Sapp Nelson

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Initial work in identifying data management or data information literacy skills went as far as identifying a list of proposed competencies without further differentiation between those competencies, whether by discipline, complexity, or use case. This article describes a significant innovation upon existing competencies by identifying a scaffolding (built upon existing competencies) that moves students progressively from undergraduate training through post graduate coursework and research to post-doctoral work and into the early years of data stewardship. The scaffolding ties together existing research that has been completed in research data management skills and data information literacy with research into the outcomes that …

Molecules To Marinescapes: The Characterization Of Microbial Life In The Arctic Ocean, Brandon T. Hassett

Marine Biology

Microbes are the base of all marine food webs and comprise >90% of all living biomass in the world’s oceans. Microbial life and functioning in high-latitude seas is characterized by the predominance of unknown species that encode uncharacterized genes, replenish nutrients, and modulate ecosystem health by interfacing with disease processes. This research elucidates eukaryotic microbial diversity and functionality in Arctic and sub-Arctic marine environments by describing the culturable and genetic diversity of eukaryotic microbes and the life histories of marine fungi belonging to the Chytridiomycota. This work includes the description of two new mesomycetozoean species, the assembled and annotated genome …

Using Remote Camera Techniques To Study Black-Legged Kittiwake (Rissa Tridactyla) Productivity In Resurrection Bay In The Northern Gulf Of Alaska, Sarah Tanedo

Marine Biology

Monitoring sentinel species in environments undergoing ecosystem change is essential to understanding how the organisms living in these habitats will respond. Seabirds are considered sensitive to shifts in their local environment and have been used as sentinels but many species occupy remote locations, posing logistical challenges for long-term studies. Remote camera techniques offer a possible alternative to other methods of monitoring seabirds during their breeding seasons. To investigate the use of remote camera techniques to study cliff-nesting seabirds and identify factors influencing their productivity, a remote video-camera system was used to collect 6 years (2010-2015) of reproductive data from a …

Carbon Sources And Trophic Connectivity In Seafloor Food Webs In The Alaska Arctic And Sub-Arctic, Laura Elizabeth Oxtoby

Marine Biology

Stable isotope analysis offers critical insight into organic matter pathways that sustain and link consumers in a food web. Indirect examination of organic matter sources and consumer diets using stable isotope analysis is especially valuable in the Alaska Arctic and sub-Arctic marine realm, where organisms of interest are difficult to observe given their remote habitat and elusive behavior. The research objective of this body of work was to use novel applications of stable isotope analysis to extend our understanding of organic matter sources, trophic pathways, and resource competition among benthic consumers. Microphytobenthos, a community of photosynthesizing unicellular microscopic algal cells …

Volumetric Heat Transfer Via Constructal Theory, And Its Applications In Permafrost And Hydrogen Energy Storage, Vamsi Krishna Kukkapalli

Engineering

Constructal theory is widely used as a powerful tool in designing of engineering systems (flow configurations, patterns, geometry). This theory is observed in nature and its principles are applicable to general engineering. Constructal theory encompasses a wide range of space in the "design", drawing from each and every field from engineering to biology. The universal design of nature and the constructal law unify all animate schemata such as human blood circulatory systems, and inanimate systems, such as urban traffic and river basins. The proceeding research applies the overlying theories of constructal theory to the two different systems in order to …

Listening To The Ocean, Beth Potier

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Nadeau’S New Book Explains Why Food Matters, University Communications

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Remote Sensing Of Lake Dynamics In Alaska, Prajna R. Lindgren

Geosciences

Lakes are abundant in high northern latitude permafrost regions. They are important ecosystem components forming a complex and dynamic landscape with repeated cycles of lake formation and drainage affecting regional hydrological and terrestrial characteristics, biogeochemical processes and carbon cycling, wildlife habitats, and human communities living in the permafrost region. Remote sensing is a useful tool to map the spatial distribution of lakes and assess its change, understand lake dynamics, and to extract useful information to study their associated feedbacks in a changing climate. In this dissertation, I focused on remote sensing studies associated with (1) methane ebullition from a thermokarst …

Feeding Ecology Of Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus Bachmani) Chicks, Brian H. Robinson

Biological Sciences

The Black Oystercatcher is an internationally recognized bird species of conservation concern and the focus of multiple monitoring programs due its small global population size, restricted range, vulnerability to human and natural threats in nearshore marine ecosystems, and the important role it plays as a top-level consumer in the intertidal food web. I studied a population of Black Oystercatchers in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska in 2013 and 2014, examining variation in chick diet, assessing methods used to monitor diet, and investigating the influence of provisioning on brood survival. To better understand the biases and limitations associated with the quantification …