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Advancements In Aging Research Target Multiple Age-Related Diseases, Staff

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No abstract provided.

Force Sensitivity In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Flocculins, Cho X. Chan, Sofiane El-Kirat-Chatel, Ivor G. Joseph, Desmond N. Jackson, Caleen B. Ramsook, Yves F. Dufrêne, Peter N. Lipke

Publications and Research

Many fungal adhesins have short, -aggregation-prone sequences that play important functional roles, and in the Candida albicans adhesin Als5p, these sequences cluster the adhesins after exposure to shear force. Here, we report that Saccharomyces cerevisiae flocculins Flo11p and Flo1p have similar -aggregation-prone sequences and are similarly stimulated by shear force, despite being nonhomologous. Shear from vortex mixing induced the formation of small flocs in cells expressing either adhesin. After the addition of Ca2, yeast cells from vortex-sheared populations showed greatly enhanced flocculation and displayed more pronounced thioflavin-bright surface nanodomains. At high concentrations, amyloidophilic dyes inhibited Flo1p- and Flo11p-mediated agar invasion …

Sediment Core Extrusion Method At Millimeter Resolution Using A Calibrated, Threaded-Rod, Patrick Schwing, Isabel C. Romero, Rebekka A Larson, Bryan J. O'Malley, Erika E Fridrik, Ethan Goddard, Gregg R Brooks, David Hastings, Brad Rosenheim, David Hollander, Guy Grant, Jim Mulhollan

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Aquatic sediment core subsampling is commonly performed at cm or half-cm resolution. Depending on the sedimentation rate and depositional environment, this resolution provides records at the annual to decadal scale, at best. An extrusion method, using a calibrated, threaded-rod is presented here, which allows for millimeter-scale subsampling of aquatic sediment cores of varying diameters. Millimeter scale subsampling allows for sub-annual to monthly analysis of the sedimentary record, an order of magnitude higher than typical sampling schemes. The extruder consists of a 2 m aluminum frame and base, two core tube clamps, a threaded-rod, and a 1 m piston. The sediment …

Wellness Through The Lens Of Gathering, Gardening, And Grocery, Shannon Busby

Natural Resources

The food environment in rural Alaska has undergone a rapid transition as communities have gone from subsistence to cash based economies. As this nutrition transition continues and is further impacted by climate change, rural Alaskans need diverse food sources to maintain health and improve resilience. The objective of this research was to assess the role cultivated and wild plants play in wellness, and to understand current perceptions of gardening as a source of vegetables and improved wellness in Barrow, Alaska. A mixed methods approach was used, the qualitative component consisting of seven focus groups, 60 minutes each, which were audio …

The Role Of Environmental Factors In Regional And Local Scale Variability In Permafrost Thermal Regime, William Lambert Cable

Geosciences

Global climate change is a topic of great concern and research interest because there are still many components of the Earth System which we do not fully understand and cannot predict how they will respond to this change. One of these components is the permafrost that underlies approximately 24% of the Northern Hemisphere land surface. Permafrost is a thermal condition, found primarily at higher latitudes and elevations, in which subsurface material remains below 0 °C for at least two, but often up to thousands of years. As such, permafrost can accumulate large amounts of carbon in the form of organic …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polymer-Supported Cyclodextrin Nanoscaffolds For Use In Future Environmental Studies, James Adrian Mckee

Chemistry and Biochemistry

The toxicity of transitional and post-transitional metals in natural water systems is well known. Coordination of these metals by selected ligands is a common means of environmental remediation. Macrocyclic coordination complexes impart thermodynamic and kinetic stability beyond their corresponding chelation analogues due to the pre-organized physical constraints of the coordinating ligands. Cyclodextrins are biologically produced and well-studied cyclic glucose macrocycles that possess chemically distinct hydroxyls. Amphiphilic cyclodextrins used as polymer-supported macrocyclic nanoscaffolds that are capable of scavenging trace metal pollutants could offer exciting new avenues of remediation research. Amphiphilic sodium hexakis (2,3-O-dibenzyl-6-O-sulfobutyl) cyclomaltohexaose (DBSBA) and sodium heptakis (2,3-O-dibenzyl-6-O-sulfobutyl) cyclomaltoheptaose (DBSBB) …

Assessing The Potential Of Salix Alaxensis For The Rhizoremediation Of Diesel Contaminated Soil, Jessica Starsman

Engineering

Alaska has over 280 remote communities that rely on diesel as their main source of heat; as a result, there have been multiple diesel spills across the state. Research has shown that plants are able to assist in the degradation of diesel through rhizoremediation, relying on the interaction between microorganisms, plant roots, and other components of the soil environment. Greater attention is now being given to the potential role of secondary plant compounds released during fine root turnover and the stimulatory effects they may have on the rhizoremediation process. For this study the native plant species, Salix alaxensis (felt leaf …

Sex Estimation In Forensic Anthropology: A Test Of The Klales Et Al. (2012) Method With Implications Of Asymmetry, Sandra J. Call

Anthropology

A sample of 204 American individuals was examined to assess the accuracy and reliability of the three non-metric traits described by Phenice (1969) and revised by Klales et al. (2012) for assigning sex. In addition, the bilateral stability of the three non-metric traits was assessed to determine if asymmetrical expression of the traits compromises the classification accuracy of the revised method, since a prior study found that application of Phenice’s original technique yielded low classification accuracy when applied to the right innominate. Klales and colleagues claimed that expansion of the classification system from a dichotomous present/absent scale into five character …

Ancient Celts: Myth, Invention Or Reality? Dental Affinities Among Continental And Non- Continental Celtic Groups, Mallory J. Anctil

Anthropology

Dental anthropological study of the proto-Celts, and continental and non-continental Celtic tribes during the Iron Age, particularly its applicability in estimating biological affinities of these tribes, has been generally overlooked. The present study helps fill the gap in the current understanding of these groups in several ways. First, 36 morphological traits in 125 dentitions from four regional samples, representing the proto-Celts, the continental and non-continental Celts, along with a comparative European Iron Age sample, were recorded and analyzed. Frequencies of occurrence for each dental and osseous nonmetric trait were recorded for each sample. Second, the suite of traits was then …

Controls On Zooplankton Assemblages In The Northeastern Chukchi Sea, Jennifer Questel

Oceanography

The Chukchi Sea is a broad and shallow marginal sea of the western Arctic Ocean that lies between the Bering Sea and the deeper Amerasian basin. It plays a pivotal role as the only gateway for transporting heat, carbon, nutrients, and plankton from the North Pacific into the Arctic Ocean. I examined the seasonal and inter-annual variability of the zooplankton communities in the northeastern region of the Chukchi Sea as part of a high-resolution multidisciplinary ecosystem study. Specifically, I examined how the physical onset of each open water season influenced the composition, abundance, and biomass of zooplankton assemblages from the …

Developing A Patient-Driven, Substantive Definition Of Office-Based Opioid Treatment Success, Valerie Marie Hewell

Psychology

Patients in office-based opioid treatments’ definitions of treatment success and recovery are not well understood. This is important because traditional ways of defining and measuring success focus on consumption, and usually abstinence. This definition does not encompass medication-assisted treatment, such as office-based opioid treatment, which do not necessitate abstinence. Moreover, there is evidence to support the efficacy of office-based opioid treatment in reducing the harm associated with opioid misuse, which is important as opioid misuse has increased and leads to serious consequences for individuals, families, and society. To address this gap in the literature, using a qualitative design, this dissertation …

Dance/Movement Therapy (Dmt) For Cancer Survivors And Caregivers In Fairbanks, Alaska, Dinghy Kristine Sharma

Psychology

Worldwide, the burden of cancer continues to grow and impact the quality of life of patients, their families, and caregivers. Aside from the physical effects and financial costs of cancer and its treatment, a significant portion of cancer patients and their caregivers experience emotional, social, and psychological distress throughout the trajectory of their illness and extending to long-term survivorship. Despite medical advances in cancer treatment, a cancer diagnosis is still often considered to be synonymous with death, pain, and suffering. It has been established that engaging in the creative arts could promote quality of life (QOL) especially for those suffering …

Past, Current, And Future Forest Harvest And Regeneration Management In Interior Alaska Boreal Forest: Adaptation Under Rapid Climate Change, Miho Morimoto, N/A 森本未星

Natural Resources

The Alaska boreal forest is largely ecologically intact and provides various services, but is experiencing rapid, mainly climate-driven changes, and thus adaptation is essential. Systematic forest harvest management has occurred in central Interior Alaska for about 40 years, and this period is used in this study to examine the essential elements of adaptive management: monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting. In chapter 1, I examine historical relationships between forest growth and removals in the study area. My result shows that forest harvest management has relied heavily on natural regeneration. The harvest level was much lower than the overall annual allowable cut (AAC) …

Climate, Embryonic Development, And Potential For Adaptation To Warming Water Temperatures By Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon, Morgan Mckenzie Sparks

Fisheries

Rapidly warming water temperatures associated with climate change represent a substantial disturbance to the habitat of aquatic ectothermic organisms. For salmonid fishes (family Salmonidae), early life history survival and timing of reproduction and development are closely tied to temperature, such that altered thermal regimes could alter patterns of survival or shift phenology into a mismatch with the environment. Because temperature is the dominant driver of developmental rates, empirical statistical models have been developed to predict the timing of hatching and fry emergence based on incubation temperature. In this thesis I explored how the timing of hatching and emergence may shift …

The Influence Of Glaciers On Coastal Marine Ecosystems In The Gulf Of Alaska, Mayumi L. Arimitsu

Fisheries

Glacier runoff (i.e., meltwater and rainwater discharged at the glacier terminus) provides about half of the freshwater discharge into coastal margins of the Gulf of Alaska, where contemporary glacier melting rates are among the highest in the world. Roughly 410 billion metric tons of glacier runoff enter the Gulf of Alaska each year. With freshwater discharge volumes of that magnitude, I hypothesized that glacier runoff has both direct and indirect effects on the receiving coastal marine ecosystems that support rich food webs, abundant and diverse marine communities, commercial fisheries and tourism industries. To examine the influence of glacier runoff on …

A Rapid Assessment Method To Estimate The Distribution Of Juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) In An Interior Alaska River Basin, Allison N. Matter

Fisheries

Identification and protection of water bodies used by anadromous species in Alaska are critical in light of increasing threats to fish populations, yet challenging given budgetary and logistical limitations. Non-invasive, rapid assessment sampling techniques may reduce costs and effort while increasing species detection efficiencies. I used an intrinsic potential (IP) habitat model to identify high quality Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha rearing habitats and select sites to sample throughout the Chena River basin for juvenile occupancy using environmental DNA (eDNA) and distribution within tributaries using snorkel surveys. Water samples were collected from 75 tributary sites in 2014 and 2015. The presence …

Fisheries Management And Fisheries Livelihoods In Iceland, Catherine P. Chambers

Fisheries

This dissertation explores the long-term implications of Iceland’s nationwide Individual Transferrable Quota (ITQ) system on rural communities and small-boat fishing livelihoods drawing on two years of ethnographic research in Northwest Iceland, a nationwide mailed survey of small-boat fishermen, and the compilation of fisheries human dimension indicator data for the lumpfish fishery. Results from ethnographic interviews and participant observation show that while there is a wide range of complex political, social, and environmental changes affecting coastal communities, the changes brought on by the ITQ system are perceived to have been particularly significant. Survey results suggest that the majority of small-boat fishermen …

Environmental, Ecological, And Fishery Effects On Growth And Size-At-Age Of Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus Stenolepis), Jane Y. Sullivan

Fisheries

Size-at-age of Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) has declined significantly since the 1980s. For instance, the average weight of a 20-year-old female declined from 55 kg in 1988 to 20 kg in 2014. The decline in size-at-age corresponds to a period of declining Pacific Halibut recruitment, spawning biomass, and reductions in catch limits for the directed commercial Pacific Halibut longline fishery. The causes of changes in Pacific Halibut size-at-age are poorly understood. Our project investigates several hypotheses related to declines in size-at-age, including the effects of environmental and ecological variability on growth, and the cumulative effects of harvest and size-selective fishing. …

Symptoms, Contributing Factors, And Screening For Perinatal Mood And Anxiety Disorders In U.S. Latinas: A Literature Review, Jennifer N. S. Massie

Master's Projects and Capstones

This literature review was conducted to gather the published information on the topic of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in the Latina population in the United States. Academic databases were searched for articles published between 2005 and 2016. 60 articles were considered, and a final sample of 36 articles and websites was included in this review.

Evidence suggests that Latina women in the perinatal period (pregnant and up to one year postpartum) in the United States of America tend to have a higher risk and incidence of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders than White women, and a higher risk and …

Potential Of Pleurotus Ostreatus To Remediate Diesel-Contaminated Soil In Subarctic Mesocosms, Christin Elizabeth Anderson

Natural Resources

Pleurotus ostreatus, a gilled basidiomycete, has previously been shown to biodegrade petroleum using extracellular enzymes. However, few studies have tested petroleum biodegradation by fungi, known as mycoremediation, in cold temperatures. I conducted mesocosm studies to assess the potential from mycoremediation of diesel-contaminated soil collected from interior Alaska with a cultivated strain of P. ostreatus var. columbinus at 4 ºC, 10 ºC, and 25 ºC. In soil, both uninoculated and inoculated with P. columbinus, diesel range organics (DRO) decreased by 22-28% (p=0.455), 41-55% (p=0.236), and 91-92% (p=0.735) at the three temperatures, respectively. The differences in DRO loss between uninoculated and inoculated …

Population Biology And Ecology Of The North Pacific Giant Octopus In The Eastern Bering Sea, Reid Brewer

Marine Biology

The North Pacific giant octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is an important member of pan-Pacific coastal ecosystems and represents a large incidental catch in Alaska; however little is known about the biology and ecology of this species, which hinders management. To improve our understanding of E. dofleini biology, I conducted a multiyear tagging study in a 25 km2 study area in the eastern Bering Sea (EBS). I used Visible Implant Elastomers to determine growth and movement patterns for E. dofleini and sacrificed octopus were examined to determine seasonal and sex-specific reproductive characteristics. Using tagging data and Cormack-Jolly-Seber models, I estimated survival and …

Trophic Dynamics And Stock Characteristics Of Snow Crabs, Chionoecetes Opilio, In The Alaskan Arctic, Lauren Mallory Divine

Marine Biology

Arctic waters off the coast of Alaska have become increasingly open to human activities via dramatic climatic changes, such as reduced sea ice thickness and extent, warming ocean temperatures, and increased freshwater input. This research advances knowledge of snow crab trophic dynamics and stock characteristics in Arctic waters off the Alaska coast. Here, I provided baseline information regarding snow crab position in Beaufort Sea benthic food webs, its specific dietary habits in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, and expanded upon previously limited life-history and population dynamic data in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. I first detailed benthic food webs on …

Back To The Future: Pacific Walrus Stress Response And Reproductive Status In A Changing Arctic, Patrick Maron Charapata

Marine Biology

The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is an iconic Arctic marine mammal that Alaska Natives rely on as a subsistence, economic, and cultural resource. A decrease in critical sea ice habitat and uncertain population numbers have led to walruses being listed as a candidate for the Endangered Species Act. However, there is no clear understanding of how walruses might be affected by climate change. The first objective of this study was to describe how bone steroid hormone concentrations relate to commonly used blubber and serum steroid hormone concentrations (i.e., cortisol, estradiol, progesterone and testosterone), because steroid hormones have not been …

Structure, Inter-Annual Variability, And Long-Term Change In Zooplankton Communities Of The Chukchi Sea, Elizaveta A. Ershova, Елизавета А. Ершова

Marine Biology

The Chukchi Sea is a complex transition zone between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans that has been experiencing dramatic change in recent decades due to shifting sea ice cover and increasing temperatures. We examine summer mesozooplankton communities of the Chukchi Sea in Alaskan and Russian waters during summers 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2012 within the scope of the RUSALCA (Russian-American Long Term Census of the Arctic) program. Community structure was highly variable between the study years, but was overall tightly correlated to water mass properties, with bottom temperature being the most significant factor influencing communities. Zooplankton biomass was dominated by …

Alaskan Arctic Epibenthic Communities: Distribution Patterns, Links To The Environment, And Brittle Star Population Dynamics, Alexandra Mariela Ravelo

Marine Biology

The Arctic marine shelves are characterized by areas of high and low invertebrate standing stock and communities that vary spatially in patches. Large-scale environmental characteristics, such as the distribution of water masses, the fenology of sea ice cover, and variability of water depth define changes in epibenthic community structure throughout the Arctic shelves. The longevity and relatively low mobility of epibenthic invertebrates make them especially relevant as indicators of long-term environmental patterns. In terms of standing stock and biomass, the most representative group among Arctic epibenthic taxa are brittle stars. Large areas of the Arctic shelves have dense assemblages of …

An Embodied Agent Helps Anxious Students In Mathematics Learning, Yanghee Kim, Jeffrey L. Thayne, Quan Wei

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Mathematics anxiety is known to be detrimental to mathematics learning. This study explored if an embodied agent could be used to help alleviate student anxiety in classrooms. To examine this potential, agent-guided algebra lessons were developed, in which an animated agent was equipped with prescriptive instructional guidance and anxiety treating messages. The lessons were deployed in regular mathematics classrooms, one lesson per day over a week, with 138 boys and girls in the 9th grade in the United States. After taking the weeklong agent-based lessons, students decreased in their mathematics anxiety (p = .042) and increased in mathematics learning …

Moving Beyond Apartheid Schooling And “Adequate Education”, Elena M. Venegas

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Though the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and/or national origin, contemporary society within the United States is all but free from discrimination. The Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruling and other landmark legislation passed during the Civil Rights Movement pushed our country toward a path of tolerance and the end of discrimination. Yet, despite these tremendous gains, discrimination still occurs not only at a societal level, but also in terms of schooling (Bakari, 2003; Ferguson, 2003; Harris & Schroeder, 2013; Mackinney & Rios-Aguilar, 2012.) Through critical …

Becoming A Principal: Access Factors For Females, Rae Ann Kruse, Bernita L. Krumm

The Rural Educator

Guided by Standpoint Theory, researchers conducted this case study to identify factors influencing access to Oklahoma’s secondary school principalship for four female first-time principals. Regardless of equity legislation and increasing numbers of females with advanced degrees, the numbers of men and women who hold secondary school administration positions continue to be disproportionate to their numbers in the teaching profession. Three standpoints emerged: In the transition from teacher to administrator, each participant was nurtured by another individual; male sponsors were their primary encouragers; and participants had strong emotional investments in the schools and communities of their employment. Aspiring female principals should …

Drawing Firmer Conclusions: Autistic Children Show No Evidence Of A Local Processing Bias In A Controlled Copying Task, Alastair D. Smith, Lorcan Kenny, Anna Rudnicka, Josie Briscoe, Elizabeth Pellicano

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Partnerships For Change: A Collaboration For Global Wellbeing, Ravneet Gill

Master's Projects and Capstones

Partnerships For change (PFC) consists of a team of social impact strategists and practitioners. The organization is dedicated to promote sustainable development through direct humanitarian action and transforming social and economic conditions of underserved communities around the globe. With the commitment to elevate and empower individuals to reach their ultimate potential, PFC partnered with Jaipur foot, world's largest organization for prosthetic devices, to network Jaipur Foot to innovators and funders. They have also started the building of a health clinic in Johnsonville, Liberia due to inadequate medical support for individuals living in the community. There are several steps in building …