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The Extinction And De-Extinction Of Species, Helena Siipi, Leonard Finkelman

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we discuss the following four alternative ways of understanding the outcomes of resurrection biology (also known as de-extinction). Implications of each of the ways are discussed with respect to concepts of species and extinction. (1) Replication: animals created by resurrection biology do not belong to the original species but are copies of it. The view is compatible with finality of extinction as well as with certain biological and ecological species concepts. (2) Re-creation: animals created are members of the original species but, despite their existence, the species remains extinct. The view is incompatible with all …

A Wholesome Learning Experience, Dani Nurmi

2016-17 Postcards

2017 essay contest winner Danielle Nurmi's "A Wholesome Learning Experience"

Uab Magazine - Fall 2017, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

UAB Magazine

No abstract provided.

Transcriptomic Analysis Of The Role Of Rasgef1b Circular Rna In The Tlr4/Lps Pathway, W.L. Ng, G.K. Marinov, Y.M. Chin, Y.Y. Lim, C.K. Ea

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have recently emerged as a large class of novel non-coding RNA species. However, the detailed functional significance of the vast majority of them remains to be elucidated. Most functional characterization studies targeting circRNAs have been limited to resting cells, leaving their role in dynamic cellular responses to stimuli largely unexplored. In this study, we focus on the LPS-induced cytoplasmic circRNA, mcircRasGEF1B, and combine targeted mcircRasGEF1B depletion with high-throughput transcriptomic analysis to gain insight into its function during the cellular response to LPS stimulation. We show that knockdown of mcircRasGEF1B results in altered expression of a wide array …

Neuroimmunomodulatory Properties Of Dpscs In An In Vitro Model Of Parkinson's Disease, N. Gnanasegaran, V. Govindasamy, V. Mani, N.H. Abu Kasim

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

In neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, microglial cell activation is thought to contribute to their degeneration by producing neurotoxic compounds. While dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) have been regarded as the next possible cell source for cell replacement therapy (CRT), their actual role when exposed in such harsh environment remains elusive. In this study, the immunomodulatory behavior of DPSCs from human subjects was investigated in a coculture system consisting of neuron and microglia which were treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine, which mimics the inflammatory conditions and contribute to degeneration of dopaminergic (DA-ergic) neurons. Assessments were performed on …

Overlooked Flower-Visiting Orthoptera In Southeast Asia, M.K. Tan, T. Artchwakom, R. Abdul Wahab, C.Y. Lee, D.M. Belabut, H.T.W. Tan

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

The study of insect–plant interactions such as flower visitors, pollinators, and florivores, are important for understanding the natural world. However, not all flower-visiting insects are equally well known, especially in the biodiverse Southeast Asian region. One group is the orthopterans, comprising of grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids. Natural history observations were made around Southeast Asia to document flower-visiting orthopterans. Owing to the limited studies on the ecology of orthopterans in Southeast Asia, we provide here the first documentation of flower-visiting orthopterans from Southeast Asia and the most extensive one for the Tropics. Based on 140 incidences of orthopteran visiting flowers, 41 …

State Of The University Annual Report - 2016-2017, Office Of The President, East Tennessee State University, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

Office of the President State of the University Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Relationship Between Zooplankton And Walleye Rearing Pond Success, Danny Tuckett

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Walleye Sander vitreus are an important sport fish in Minnesota. This has led to the raising of Walleye in ponds to later be stocked into lakes. This study was done to determine the relationship between Walleye prey (zooplankton) and the success of Walleye in 11 stocked ponds in the Ortonville, MN area. There was no management of the ponds until harvest, which starts in late September and ends in November. There were significant positive relationships between rotifer density (P = 0.03) and nauplii density (P = 0.04) to kg of Walleye harvested. The setting where nauplii and rotifer density are …

Understanding The Impact Of Substance Abuse On Occupation Using The Lifestyle History Questionnaire, Mikel Stone

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Substance abuse and addiction have become serious societal problems resulting in a myriad of health, personal and relational issues (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Gutman (2006) reported that an individual involved in substance abuse and addiction may experience difficulty with purposeful time management and may neglect major life roles. The focus of this Capstone Project was to identify the occupational dysfunction experienced by individuals prior to participating in residential recovery programming.

Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone Project was to identify occupational dysfunction associated with substance abuse and addiction using the Lifestyle History Questionnaire (Martin et …

Mississippi State University Libraries Emergency Policies And Procedures, Mississippi State University Libraries

Policies and Procedures

Emergency procedures for Mitchell Memorial Library.

The Feasibility Of Counting Songbirds Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Andrew M. Wilson, Janine M. Barr, Megan E. Zagorski

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Obtaining unbiased survey data for vocal bird species is inherently challenging due to observer biases, habitat coverage biases, and logistical constraints. We propose that combining bioacoustic monitoring with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology could reduce some of these biases and allow bird surveys to be conducted in less accessible areas. We tested the feasibility of the UAV approach to songbird surveys using a low-cost quadcopter with a simple, lightweight recorder suspended 8 m below the vehicle. In a field experiment using playback of bird recordings, we found that small variations in UAV altitude (it hovered at 28, 48, and 68 …

Effects Of Anxiety Treatment Using Coping Cat On Problem Behaviors In The Classroom, Kristen Elise Pearson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children with comorbid anxiety disorders and externalizing problem behaviors and disorders pose an interesting challenge for clinicians. These children are at the greatest risk for the poorest outcomes in several areas of functioning including academics, interpersonal relationships, and emotional regulation. The current single subject research study was implemented to evaluate the effect of an anxiety reduction intervention, Coping Cat, on participants’ anxiety symptoms and behavior problems. The design included a baseline phase, an intervention phase, and a maintenance phase following the implementation of the intervention. Across all three phases, one or more trained research assistants collected behavioral observation data twice …

The First Life Journey Of Many: The Lived Experience Of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning Individuals Who Were Raised Within The Catholic Church On Their Coming Out Process, Michelle Colarusso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ) adults encounter societal challenges, pushback from religious organizations, and discrimination from lawmakers which interfere with their ability to come out as their true selves. This qualitative, phenomenologically oriented study explored the LGBTQ identity and practicing Catholic religious beliefs in an attempt to develop a rich description and understanding of the experience of LGBTQ individuals’ coming out process in relation to the practice of Catholic religious beliefs. The central research question that guided this inquiry was the following: What are the lived experiences of persons who identify as Catholic and who have come out as …

Tracing Molecular Dephasing In Biological Tissue, Mohammad Mokim, Chris Carruba, Feruz Ganikhanov

Physics Faculty Publications

We demonstrate the quantitative spectroscopic characterization and imaging of biological tissue using coherent time-domain microscopy with a femtosecond resolution. We identify tissue constituents and perform dephasing time (T₂) measurements of characteristic Raman active vibrations. This was shown in subcutaneous mouse fat embedded within collagen rich areas of the dermis and the muscle connective tissue. The demonstrated equivalent spectral resolution (-1) is an order of magnitude better compared to commonly used frequency-domain methods for characterization of biological media. This provides with the important dimensions and parameters in biological media characterization and can become an effective tool in detecting …

Gene Expression As A Dosimeter In Irradiated Drosophila Melanogaster, Samana Shrestha, Adam Vanasse, Leon N. Cooper, Michael Antosh

Physics Faculty Publications

Biological indicators would be of use in radiation dosimetry in situations where an exposed person is not wearing a dosimeter, or when physical dosimeters are insufficient to estimate the risk caused by the radiation exposure. In this work, we investigate the use of gene expression as a dosimeter. Gene expression analysis was done on 15,222 genes of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) at days 2, 10, and 20 postirradiation, with X-ray exposures of 10, 1000, 5000, 10,000, and 20,000 roentgens. Several genes were identified, which could serve as a biodosimeter in an irradiated D. melanogaster model. Many of these genes have …

January 2017 Cvm Library Newsletter, Mississippi State University

CVM Library Newsletters

Newsletter of the College of Veterinary Medicine Library at Mississippi State University.

Feature-Based Retinal Image Registration Using D-Saddle Feature, Roziana Ramli, Mohd Yamani Idna Idris, Khairunnisa Hasikin, Noor Khairiah A. Karim, Ainuddin Wahid Abdul Wahab, Ismail Ahmedy, Fatimah Ahmedy, Nahrizul Adib Kadri, Hamzah Arof

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Retinal image registration is important to assist diagnosis and monitor retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. However, registering retinal images for various registration applications requires the detection and distribution of feature points on the low-quality region that consists of vessels of varying contrast and sizes. A recent feature detector known as Saddle detects feature points on vessels that are poorly distributed and densely positioned on strong contrast vessels. Therefore, we propose a multiresolution difference of Gaussian pyramid with Saddle detector (D-Saddle) to detect feature points on the low-quality region that consists of vessels with varying contrast and sizes. …

Preparation And Characterization Of Cellulose And Microcrystalline Cellulose Isolated From Waste Leucaena Leucocephala Seeds, Maryam Husin, Abd Rashid Li, Norfadhilah Ramli, Ahmad Zafir Romli, Mohd Idham Hakimi, Zul Ilham

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) were isolated from waste Leucaena leucocephala seeds (LLS) by using acid hydrolysis method. Waste LLS are unused residues after extraction of oil for conversion to biodiesel. Cellulose from LLS (LLS-cellulose) has been isolated by using 80% acetic acid and 65% nitric acid to yield 33% cellulose. MCC was further prepared from the LLS-cellulose via the acid hydrolysis method and yield 71%. The obtained LLS-cellulose and LLS-MCC samples were comparatively investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy technique (FESEM). FTIR second derivative showed the …

Venomics Of Tropidolaemus Wagleri, The Sexually Dimorphic Temple Pit Viper: Unveiling A Deeply Conserved Atypical Toxin Arsenal, C.H. Tan, K.Y. Tan, M.K.K. Yap, N.H. Tan

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Tropidolaemus wagleri (temple pit viper) is a medically important snake in Southeast Asia. It displays distinct sexual dimorphism and prey specificity, however its venomics and inter-sex venom variation have not been thoroughly investigated. Applying reverse-phase HPLC, we demonstrated that the venom profiles were not significantly affected by sex and geographical locality (Peninsular Malaya, insular Penang, insular Sumatra) of the snakes. Essentially, venoms of both sexes share comparable intravenous median lethal dose (LD50) (0.56-0.63 μg/g) and cause neurotoxic envenomation in mice. LCMS/MS identified six waglerin forms as the predominant lethal principles, comprising 38.2% of total venom proteins. Fourteen other toxin-protein families …

Aidp, A Novel N-Acyl Homoserine Lactonase Gene From Antarctic Planococcus Sp., W.S. See-Too, R. Ee, Y.L. Lim, P. Convey, D.A. Pearce, Wai Fong Yin, Kok Gan Chan

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Planococcus is a Gram-positive halotolerant bacterial genus in the phylum Firmicutes, commonly found in various habitats in Antarctica. Quorum quenching (QQ) is the disruption of bacterial cell-to-cell communication (known as quorum sensing), which has previously been described in mesophilic bacteria. This study demonstrated the QQ activity of a psychrotolerant strain, Planococcus versutus strain L10.15T, isolated from a soil sample obtained near an elephant seal wallow in Antarctica. Whole genome analysis of this bacterial strain revealed the presence of an N-acyl homoserine lactonase, an enzyme that hydrolyzes the ester bond of the homoserine lactone of N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHLs). Heterologous gene …

Behavioural Problems In Children With 46xy Disorders Of Sex Development, N.M. Selveindran, S.Z.S. Zakaria, M.Y. Jalaludin, R. Rasat

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

The aim of this study is to determine the behavioural problems of children with 46XY disorders of sex development (DSD) with genital ambiguity and to identify the risk factors that may influence behaviour. The 27 participants (aged 6–18 years) consisted of 21 patients raised as boys and 6 patients raised as girls. Control data were obtained from a representative sibling of each patient who was matched for age and gender. The study tool used was the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), which is a parent-administered questionnaire. The analysis of the behavioural scores revealed that the patient group had poorer scores in …

Clinical Outcomes And Predictors Of Satisfaction In Patients With Improved Lithium Disilicate All-Ceramic Crowns, M.S. Samer, Q. Faraz, S.A.R. Al-Dubai, F. Vohra, H. Abdullah, T.B. Taiyeb-Ali, R. Saub

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the clinical outcomes and predictors of satisfaction in patients with lithium disilicate (LD) ceramic crowns. Subjects and Methods: Clinical outcomes were assessed in 47 patients with 88 LD crowns using modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) evaluation criteria and survival rates. The questionnaire for predictors included 3 aspects: (a) sociodemographic characteristics, (b) oral health habits (tooth brushing frequency, flossing frequency, and dental visits), and (c) satisfaction of the restorations (aesthetics, function, fit, cleansability, and chewing ability of the crowns, and overall satisfaction). Frequency distributions were computed using univariate and multivariate …

Dengue Virus Ns1 Protein As A Diagnostic Marker: Commercially Available Elisa And Comparison To Qrt-Pcr And Serological Diagnostic Assays Currently Used By The State Of Florida, J.H. Ambrose, S.D. Sekaran, A. Azizan

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

Background. The proper management of patients infected with dengue virus requires early detection. Here, real-time molecular assays have proven useful but have limitations, whereas ELISAs that detect antibodies are still favored but results are obtained too late to be of clinical value. The production of DENV NS1 peaks early during infection and its detection can combine the advantages of both diagnostic approaches. Methods. This study compared assays currently used for detecting DENV infection at the Florida Department of Health including anti-DENV IgM and IgG ELISAs as well as qRT-PCR, against a commercially available DENV NS1 ELISA. These comparisons were made …

Fibulin-4 Is Essential For Maintaining Arterial Wall Integrity In Conduit But Not Muscular Arteries, Carmen M. Halabi, Thomas J. Broekelmann, Michelle Lin, Vivian S. Lee, Mon-Li Chu, Robert P. Mecham

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Two Forms Of Death In Ageing Caenorhabditis Elegans, Yuan Zhao, Ann F. Gilliat, Matthias Ziehm, Mark Turmaine, Hongyuan Wang, Marina Ezcurra, Chenhao Yang, George Phillips, David Mcbay, William B. Zhang, Linda Partridge, Zachary Pincus, David Gems

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Confidence In Government And Attitudes Toward Bribery: A Country-Cluster Analysis Of Demographic And Religiosity Perspectives, Serkan Benk, Bahad?R Yüzba??, Robert W. Mcgee

College of Business and Economics

In this study, we try to classify the countries by the levels of confidence in government and attitudes toward accepting bribery by using the data of the sixth wave (2010-2014) of theWorld Values Survey (WVS). We are also interested in which demographic, attitudinal, and religiosity variables affect each class of countries. For these purposes cluster analysis, linear regression analysis, and ordered logistic regression analysis were used. The study found that countries could be grouped into two clusters which had varying levels of opposition to bribe taking and confidence in government. Another finding was that certain demographic, attitudinal, and religiosity variables …

Expecting The Unexpected, Mark A. Lemley

Notre Dame Law Review

One of the most important legal doctrines designed to decide whether an invention would be obvious to those in the field is the doctrine of “unexpected results.” If the patentee’s invention produced unexpected results, the law says, that is pretty good evidence that it wasn’t obvious. A second important doctrine is that if it is obvious to try to make something, and if those who might try would expect to succeed, making that thing is not patentable. These two doctrines can conflict, and they do with some frequency in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Courts have not yet decided how …

Estimating The Number Of Recreational Anglers For A Given Waterbody, Kevin L. Pope, Larkin A. Powell, Brian S. Harmon, Mark A. Pegg, Christopher J. Chizinski

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Knowing how many anglers use a given body of water is paramount for understanding components of a fishery related to angling pressure and harvest, yet no study has attempted to provide an estimate of the population size of anglers for a given waterbody. Here, we use information from creel surveys in a removal-sampling framework to estimate total numbers of anglers using six reservoirs in Nebraska, USA, and we examine the influence of the duration of sampling period on those estimates. Population estimates (N ± SE) of unique anglers were 2050 ± 45 for Branched Oak Lake, 1992 ± 29 for …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Regal Fritillary (Speyeria Idalia) Habitat Utilizing Biological Monitoring Data Along The Big Bend Of The Platte River, Ne, Andrew J. Caven, Kelsey C. King, Joshua D. Wiese, Emma M. Brinley Buckley

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Speyeria idalia populations have declined as much as 95 percent over the last three decades. Here we critically evaluate prairie habitat components along the Platte River in central Nebraska that S. idalia populations require in an effort to better inform conservation efforts. We utilized S. idalia count data from biological monitoring transects where vegetation, soils, land management, and flooding frequency data were also collected to describe the habitat constituents associated with S. idalia presence. We utilize comparative statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and random forest analysis to model S. idalia habitat on land owned and managed by a small conservation NGO. …

Modeling With A Conceptual Representation: Is It Necessary? Does It Work?, Rebecca C. Jordan, Steven Gray, Amanda E. Sorensen, Samantha Pasewark, Suparna Sinha, Cindy E. Hmelo-Silver

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

In response to recent educational imperatives in the United States, modeling and systems thinking have been identified as being critical for science learning. In this paper, we investigate models in the classroom from two important perspectives: (1) from the teacher perspective to understand how teachers perceive models and use models in the classroom and (2) from the students perspective to understand how student use model-based reasoning to represent their understanding in a classroom setting. Qualitative data collected from 19 teachers who attended a professional development workshop in the northeastern United States indicate that while teachers see the value in teaching …