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New Verified Nonindigenous Amphibians And Reptiles In Florida Through 2015, With A Summary Of More Than 152 Years Of Introductions, Kenneth L. Krysko, Louis A. Somma, Dustin C. Smith, Christopher R. Gillette, Daniel Cueva, Joseph A. Wasilewski, Kevin M. Enge, Steve A. Johnson, Todd S. Campbell, Jake R. Edwards, Michael R. Rochford, Ryan Tompkins, Jeffrey L. Fobb, Scott Mullin, Christopher J. Lechowicz, Dallas Hazelton, Alície Warren

Papers in Herpetology

More nonindigenous species occur in Florida, USA, than any other region worldwide and may threaten many of Florida’s natural resources. The frequency of new reports mandates the need for regular updates. Herein, we use photographic and specimen vouchers in addition to literature records to provide updated information on verified nonindigenous amphibians and reptiles in Florida. Between our most recent summary in 2012 and the end of 2015, 38 additional species are known to have been intercepted (n = 2) or introduced (n = 36). We also update the invasion stage of seven species previously reported from Florida and …

Amblypygids: Model Organisms For The Study Of Arthropod Navigation Mechanisms In Complex Environments?, Daniel D. Wiegmann, Eileen A. Hebets, Wulfila Gronenberg, Jacob M. Graving, Verner P. Bingman

Eileen Hebets Publications

Navigation is an ideal behavioral model for the study of sensory system integration and the neural substrates associated with complex behavior. For this broader purpose, however, it may be profitable to develop new model systems that are both tractable and sufficiently complex to ensure that information derived from a single sensory modality and path integration are inadequate to locate a goal. Here, we discuss some recent discoveries related to navigation by amblypygids, nocturnal arachnids that inhabit the tropics and sub-tropics. Nocturnal displacement experiments under the cover of a tropical rainforest reveal that these animals possess navigational abilities that are reminiscent, …

The Behavioral Ecology Of Amblypygids, Kenneth J. Chapin, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Arachnologists have uncovered tantalizing details about amblypygid behavioral ecology—the study of the fitness consequences of their behavior. Thus, it is the aim of this review to position Amblypygi as a useful system in which to investigate the principles of animal behavioral ecology. We synthesize amblypygid habitat preference and navigation modalities; predator, prey, parasite, parasitoid, cannibal, and commensal interactions; resource contests and territoriality; mating systems and mate choice; parental investment and sociality; and genetics and genomics as they relate to behavioral ecology. We present ideas for future research in each of these areas and discuss future directions for Amblypygi behavioral ecology …

Absence Of Mate Choice And Postcopulatory Benefits In A Species With Extreme Sexual Size Dimorphism, Marie Claire Chelini, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Most hypotheses related to the evolution of female-biased extreme sexual size dimorphism (SSD) attribute the differences in the size of each sex to selection for reproduction, either through selection for increased female fecundity or selection for male increased mobility and faster development. Very few studies, however, have tested for direct fitness benefits associated with the latter – small male size. Mecaphesa celer is a crab spider with extreme SSD, whose males are less than half the size of females and often weigh 10 times less. Here, we test the hypotheses that larger size in females and smaller size in males …

Experimental Microbial Evolution Of Extremophiles, Paul H. Blum, Deepak Rudrappa, Raghuveer Singh, Samuel Mccarthy, Benjamin J. Pavlik

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Experimental microbial evolutions (EME) involves studying closely a microbial population after it has been through a large number of generations under controlled conditions (Kussell 2013). Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) selects for fitness under experimentally imposed conditions (Bennett and Hughes 2009; Dragosits and Mattanovich 2013). However, experimental evolution studies focusing on the contributions of genetic drift and natural mutation rates to evolution are conducted under non-selective conditions to avoid changes imposed by selection (Hindré et al. 2012).

To understand the application of experimental evolutionary methods to extremophiles it is essential to consider the recent growth in this field over the last …

Knowing Your Own: A Classroom Case Study Using The Scientific Method To Investigate How Birds Learn To Recognize Their Offspring, Joanna K. Hubbard, Daizaburo Shizuka, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Understanding the scientific method provides students with a necessary foundation for careers in science-related fields. Moreover, students can apply scientific inquiry skills in many aspects of their daily lives and decision making. Thus, the ability to apply the scientific method represents an essential skill that students should learn during undergraduate science education. We designed an interrupted case study in which students learn about and apply the scientific method to investigate and recapitulate the findings of a published research article. This research article addresses the question of how parents recognize their own young in a system where birds of the same …

Heterochromatin And Genetic Conflict, Colin D. Meiklejohn

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Meiosis is a dangerous business. The two alleles in diploid organisms share an evolutionary interest in the survival and reproduction of their host individual; however, as soon as they segregate into haploid gametes, these alleles find themselves competing for transmission to the next generation (1). In males, the development of all four meiotic products into functional gametes fosters the evolution of alleles that disrupt the development or viability of gametes carrying the alternate allele. Systems that distort Mendelian segregation (hence, segregation distorters) typically comprise at least two loci: a trans-acting drive locus (such as a gene that encodes a …

A Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Strain Evades A Major Caenorhabditis Elegans Defense Pathway, Corin V. White, Brian J. Darby, Robert J. Breeden, Robert J. Breeden, Michael A. Herman

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a ubiquitous bacterium and an emerging nosocomial pathogen. This bacterium is resistant to many antibiotics, associated with a number of infections, and a significant health risk, especially for immunocompromised patients. Given that Caenorhabditis elegans shares many conserved genetic pathways and pathway components with higher organisms, the study of its interaction with bacterial pathogens has biomedical implications. S. maltophilia has been isolated in association with nematodes from grassland soils, and it is likely that C. elegans encounters this bacterium in nature. We found that a local S. maltophilia isolate, JCMS, is more virulent than the other S. maltophilia …

Functional Genomic Insights Into Regulatory Mechanisms Of High-Altitude Adaptation, Jay F. Storz, Zachary A. Cheviron

Jay F. Storz Publications

Recent studies of indigenous human populations at high altitude have provided proof-of-principle that genome scans of DNA polymorphism can be used to identify candidate loci for hypoxia adaptation. When integrated with experimental analyses of physiological phenotypes, genome-wide surveys of DNA polymorphism and tissue-specific transcriptional profiles can provide insights into actual mechanisms of adaptation. It has been suggested that adaptive phenotypic evolution is largely mediated by cis-regulatory changes in genes that are located at integrative control points in regulatory networks. This hypothesis can be tested by conducting transcriptomic analyses of hypoxic signaling pathways in conjunction with experimental measures of vascular …

Direct And Indirect Effects Of Climatic Variations On The Interannual Variability In Net Ecosystem Exchange Across Terrestrial Ecosystems, Junjiong Shao, Xuhui Zhou, Yiqi Luo, Bo Li, Mika Aurela, David Billesbach, Peter D. Blanken, Rosvel Bracho, Jiquan Chen, Marc Fischer, Yuling Fu, Lianhong Gu, Shijie Han, Yongtao He, Thomas Kolb, Yingnian Li, Zoltan Nagy, Shuli Niu, Walter C. Oechel, Krisztina Pinter, Peili Shi, Andrew Suyker, Margaret Torn, Andrej Varlagin, Huimin Wang, Junhua Yan, Guirui Yu, Junhui Zhang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Climatic variables not only directly affect the interannual variability (IAV) in net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) but also indirectly drive it by changing the physiological parameters. Identifying these direct and indirect paths can reveal the underlying mechanisms of carbon (C) dynamics. In this study, we applied a path analysis using flux data from 65 sites to quantify the direct and indirect climatic effects on IAV in NEE and to evaluate the potential relationships among the climatic variables and physiological parameters that represent physiology and phenology of ecosystems. We found that the maximum photosynthetic rate was the most important factor …

Switchgrass Storage Effects On The Recovery Of Carbohydrates After Liquid Hot Water Pretreatment And Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Noaa Frederick, Mengxing Li, Danielle Julie Carrier, Michael D. Buser, Mark R. Wilkins

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Perennial grasses that would be used for bioenergy and bioproducts production will need to be stored for various periods of time to ensure a continual feedstock supply to a bioprocessing facility. The effects of storage practices on grass composition and the response of grasses to subsequent bioprocesses such as pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis needs to be understood to develop the most efficient storage protocols. This study examined the effect of outdoor storage of round switchgrass bales on composition before and after liquid hot water pretreatment (LHW) and enzymatic hydrolysis. This study also examined the effect of washing LHW pretreated biomass …

Ecosystem Evapotranspiration: Challenges In Measurements, Estimates, And Modeling, D.M. Amatya, Sibel Irmak, P. Gowda, G. Sun, J.E. Nettles, K.R. Douglas-Mankin

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Evapotranspiration (ET) processes at the leaf to landscape scales in multiple land uses have important con- trols and feedbacks for local, regional, and global climate and water resource systems. Innovative methods, tools, and technologies for improved understanding and quantification of ET and crop water use are critical for adapting more effective management strategies to cope with increasing demand for freshwater resources under global climate change. This article introduces an ASABE Special Collection of 12 articles on ET monitoring and modeling research for multiple land uses and scales. The collection focuses on recent advances in four critical topical areas: (1) reference …

Critical Factors Affecting The Integration Of Biomass Gasification And Syngas Fermentation Technology, Karthikeyan D. Ramachandriya, Dimple K. Kundiyana, Ashokkumar M. Sharma, Ajay Kumar, Hasan K. Atiyeh, Raymond L. Huhnke, Mark R. Wilkins

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Gasification-fermentation is a thermochemical-biological platform for the production of fuels and chemicals. Biomass is gasified at high temperatures to make syngas, a gas composed of CO, CO2, H2, N2 and other minor components. Syngas is then fed to anaerobic microorganisms that convert CO, CO2 and H2 to alcohols by fermentation. This platform offers numerous advantages such as flexibility of feedstock and syngas composition and lower operating temperature and pressure compared to other catalytic syngas conversion processes. In comparison to hydrolysis-fermentation, gasification-fermentation has a major advantage of utilizing all organic components of biomass, including lignin, to yield higher fuel production. Furthermore, …

Killer Toxin From Several Food-Derived Debaryomyces Hansenii Strains Effective Against Pathogenic Candida Yeasts, Nabaraj Banjara, Kenneth Nickerson, Mallory J. Suhr, Heather E. Hallen-Adams

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Candida yeasts are the dominant fungi in the healthy human microbiome, but are well-known for causing disease following a variety of perturbations. Evaluation of fungal populations from the healthy human gut revealed a significant negative correlation between the foodborne yeast, Debaryomyces hansenii, and Candida species. D. hansenii is reported to produce killer toxins (mycocins) effective against other yeast species. In order to better understand this phenomenon, a collection of 42 D. hansenii isolates was obtained from 22 cheeses and evaluated for killer activity against Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis over a range of temperatures and pH values. Twenty three …

Laser Control Of Electron Matter Waves, Eric Jones, Maria Becker, Jom Luiten, Herman Batelaan

Herman Batelaan Publications

In recent years laser light has been used to control the motion of electron waves. Electrons can now be diffracted by standing waves of light. Laser light in the vicinity of nanostructures is used to affect free electrons, for example, femto-second and atto-second laser-induced electrons are emitted from nanotips delivering coherent fast electron sources. Optical control of dispersion of the emitted electron waves, and optically controlled femto-second switches for ultrafast electron detection are proposed. The first steps towards electron accelerators and matter optics on-a-chip are now being taken. New research fields are driven by these new technologies. One example is …

Baylisascaris Larva Migrans, Kevin R. Kazacos

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Zoonotic diseases, such as baylisascariasis, are receiving increasing attention as components of disease emergence and resurgence (Kazacos, 2001). Baylisascariasis is caused by the roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis and is one of the more recent zoonotic disease developments. This disease remains one of the least known and poorly understood zoonotic diseases, yet over the past several decades it has become widespread. It originated in wildlife species and is now well established as a human malady. Baylisascariasis is transmitted to humans via consumption of contaminated feces, and the role of wildlife (primarily raccoons) in this transmission process is becoming more clearly known and …

Trematode Diversity In Freshwater Fishes Of The Globe Ii: “New World”, Anindo Choudhury, M. Leopoldina Aguirre-Macedo, Stephen S. Curran, Margarita Ostrowski De Núñez, Robin M. Overstreet, Gerardo Pérez-Ponce De León, Cláudia Portes Santos

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

We provide a summary overview of the diversity of trematode parasites in freshwater fishes of the “New World,” i.e. the Americas, with emphasis on adult forms. The trematode fauna of three regions, South America, Middle America, and USA and Canada (North America north of Mexico), are considered separately. In total, 462 trematode species have been reported as adults from the Americas. The proportion of host species examined for parasites varies widely across the Americas, from a high of 45% in the Mexican region of Middle America to less than 5% in South America. North and South America share no adult …

Description Of Three Species Of Isorchis (Digenea: Atractotrematidae) From Australia, Michael J. Andres, Eric E. Pulis, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Three species of Isorchis Durio and Manter, 1969 are described from Australian waters. Isorchis megas sp. nov. is described from the spotbanded scat, Selenotoca multifasciata (Richardson), off Western Australia (WA) and Northern Territory (NT); Isorchis currani sp. nov. is described from S. multifasciata off NT; and Isorchis anomalus sp. nov. is described from the milkfish, Chanos chanos Forsskål, off WA. Isorchis megas sp. nov. can be differentiated from the other species of Isorchis by possessing a single, large egg that is greater than 20% of the body length; having a shorter body (the largest specimen is less than 500 μm); …

Development Of Adsorptive Membranes By Confinement Of Activated Biochar Into Electrospun Nanofibers, Mehrdad Taheran, Mitra Naghdi, Satinder K. Brar, Emile Knystautas, Mausam Verma, Rao Y. Surampalli, Jose R. Valero

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Adsorptive membranes have many applications in removal of contaminants, such as heavy metals and organic contaminants from water. Recently, increasing concentrations of pharmaceutically active compounds, especially antibiotics, such as chlortetracycline in water and wastewater sources has raised concerns about their potentially adverse impacts on environment and human health. In this study, a series of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/activated biochar nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) with different loadings of biochar (0–2%, w/w) were fabricated using electrospinning. The morphology and structure of fabricated membranes was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that at 1.5% of biochar loading, the …

Correction: Surprising Impact Of Remote Groups On The Folding–Unfolding And Dimer-Chain Equilibria Of Bifunctional H-Bonding Unimers, Rui Liu, Shuang Chen, Erin S. Baker, Richard D. Smith, Xiao Cheng Zeng, Bing Gong

Xiao Cheng Zeng Publications

The authors regret that in the original article the spelling of one author’s surname is incorrect. The correct name of the author is ‘Shuang Chen’.

The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.

Surprising Impact Of Remote Groups On The Folding–Unfolding And Dimer-Chain Equilibria Of Bifunctional H-Bonding Unimers, Rui Liu, Shuang Cheng, Erin S. Baker, Richard D. Smith, Xiao Cheng Zeng, Bing Gong

Xiao Cheng Zeng Publications

Oligoamide 1, consisting of two H-bonding units linked by a trimethylene linker, was previously found to form a very stable, folded dimer. In this work, replacing the side chains and end groups of 1 led to derivatives that show the surprising impact of end groups on the folding and dimer-chain equilibria of the resultant molecules.

Pca As A Practical Indicator Of Opls-Da Model Reliability, Bradley Worley, Robert Powers

Robert Powers Publications

Background—Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) are powerful statistical modeling tools that provide insights into separations between experimental groups based on high-dimensional spectral measurements from NMR, MS or other analytical instrumentation. However, when used without validation, these tools may lead investigators to statistically unreliable conclusions. This danger is especially real for Partial Least Squares (PLS) and OPLS, which aggressively force separations between experimental groups. As a result, OPLS-DA is often used as an alternative method when PCA fails to expose group separation, but this practice is highly dangerous. Without rigorous validation, OPLS-DA can …

Constructing Stability Landscapes To Identify Alternative States In Coupled Social-Ecological Agent-Based Models, Patrick Bitterman, David A. Bennett

Geography Program: Faculty Publications

The resilience of a social-ecological system is measured by its ability to retain core functionality when subjected to perturbation. Resilience is contextually dependent on the state of system components, the complex interactions among these components, and the timing, location, and magnitude of perturbations. The stability landscape concept provides a useful framework for considering resilience within the specified context of a particular social-ecological system but has proven difficult to operationalize. This difficulty stems largely from the complex, multidimensional nature of the systems of interest and uncertainty in system response. Agent-based models are an effective methodology for understanding how cross-scale processes within …

Enteric Fever: A Slow Response To An Old Plague, Carlos Franco- Paredes, M. Imran Khan, Esteban Gonzalez- Diaz, Jose I. Santos- Preciado, Alfonso J. Rodriguez Morales, Eduardo Gotuzzo

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Man is irremediably embedded in nature with complex interactions with all living organisms. Historically, the establishment of contemporary human societies has been influenced by our coexistence with other microorganisms living in highly interconnected habitats and ecologies. As a result, with the progression from unicellular to multicellular life, bacteria have coexisted with humans. In this biological journey, while there are important benefits provided by bacterial guests to the human host living in complex relationships and becoming part of their microbiome, some organisms are able to cause a wide spectrum of diseases. Among the large Enterobacteriaceae family, the genus Salmonella, a …

Status Of Paratyphoid Fever Vaccine Research And Development, Laura B. Martin, Raphael Simon, Calman A. Maclennan, Sharon M. Tennant, Sushant Sahastrabuddhe, M. Imran Khan

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi (S. Paratyphi) A and B cause enteric fever in humans. Of the paratyphoid group, S. Paratyphi A is the most common serovar. In 2000, there were an estimated 5.4 million cases of S. Paratyphi A worldwide. More recently paratyphoid fever has accounted for an increasing fraction of all cases of enteric fever. Although vaccines for typhoid fever have been developed and in use for decades, vaccines for paratyphoid fever have not yet been licensed. Several S. Paratyphi A vaccines, however, are in development and based on either whole cell …

Nontyphoidal Salmonella Disease: Current Status Of Vaccine Research And Development, Sharon M. Tennant, Calman A. Maclennan, Raphael Simon, Laura B. Martin, M. Imran Khan

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Among more than 2500 nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica (NTS) serovars, S. enterica serovar Typhimurium and S. enterica serovar Enteritidis account for approximately fifty percent of all human isolates of NTS reported globally. The global incidence of NTS gastroenteritis in 2010 was estimated to be 93 million cases, approximately 80 million of which were contracted via food-borne transmission. It is estimated that 155,000 deaths resulted from NTS in 2010. NTS also causes severe, extra-intestinal, invasive bacteremia, referred to as invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella (iNTS) disease. iNTS disease usually presents as a febrile illness, frequently without gastrointestinal symptoms, in both adults and children. Symptoms …

Low Oxytocin And Melatonin Levels And Their Possible Role In The Diagnosis And Prognosis In Iraqi Autistic Children, Haidar A. Abdulamir, Omar F. Abdul-Rasheed, Emad A. Abdulghani

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To test the possible association between oxytocin and melatonin levels with the severity of social and cognitive dysfunctions, and to study the correlation between these parameters in children with autism. Methods: A case-control study was carried out in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq. The study was performed on 60 male autistic patients recruited from the Pediatric Department of Al-Sader General Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq between November 2014 and April 2015. The levels of oxytocin and melatonin were measured in the serum of these autistic male patients, and categorized as mild, moderate, and …

Correlation Between Hormone Receptor Status And Age, And Its Prognostic Implications In Breast Cancer Patients In Bahrain, Aysha S. Alzaman, Saad A. Mughal, Yahya S. Alzaman, Entisar S. Alzaman

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To assess the correlation between hormone receptor status (HRS) and age, and its significance as a predictor of outcome in patients with breast cancer (BC). Methods: This retrospective review was conducted on 109 patients diagnosed with BC at Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain from 2010-2013. Patients were divided into 2 age groups; under and over 40 years, and were analyzed for tumor histology, lymph node status, stage, and HRS. Results: Younger patients with BC were more likely to be of higher stage, grade, and of larger size. Older women were more likely to be estrogen receptor (ER) positive (72.6% …

Impaired Secretion Of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 During Oral Glucose Tolerance Test In Patients With Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Xiao-Li Wang, Fang Ye, Jun Li, Ling-Yun Zhu, Gang Feng, Xiang-Yun Chang, Kan Sun

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To assess glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) secretion after oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) in subjects with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) to clarify changes in GLP-1 secretion during the course of T2DM. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 80 subjects were divided into the NGT, IGT, and T2DM groups after undergoing a 75 g OGTT from March to December 2014 at the School of Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China. Plasma total GLP-1 was measured at 0, 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes. Homeostasis model assessment …

The Effect Of Different Types Of Abdominal Binders On Intra-Abdominal Pressure, Hua-Yu Zhang, Dong Liu, Hao Tang, Shi-Jin Sun, Shan-Mu Ai, Wen-Qun Yang, Dong-Po Jiang, Lian-Yang Zhang

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To investigate the effect of non-elastic/elastic abdominal binders on intra-vesical pressure (IVP), physiological functions, and clinical outcomes in laparotomy patients at the perioperative stage. Methods: This prospective study was conducted from May to October 2014 at the Trauma Surgery Department, Daping Hospital, Chongqing, China. Laparotomy patients were randomly divided into non-elastic abdominal binder group (28 patients), and elastic abdominal binder group (29 patients). Binders were applied for 14 days following the operation, or until discharge. Demographic information, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II) scores (prior to the operation, on the first …