Digital Commons Network^™

Bridging Post-Wildfire Communication Gaps Between Managers, Researchers, And Local Communities, Including A Biological Soil Crust Case Study, Hilary Louise Whitcomb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Immediately after a wildfire land managers act quickly to protect water supplies, soil stability, habitat, and forage. We don't currently understand how managers make trade-off decisions between social, political, and ecological factors in these tight timelines or if they are able to use new science. We do know ecosystems often benefit from local engagement, and new, scientifically-grounded methods that improve restoration efforts are needed. As post-wildfire timelines don’t often allow for outside input, I asked managers what they and stakeholders think about post-wildfire projects and what managers think about new science. I asked local citizens what they think about postwildfire …

Seasonal Development Of The Biological Control Agent Of Dalmatian Toadflax, Mecinus Janthiniformis (Curculionidae: Coleoptera), In Utah: Phenology, Overwintering Success, And Mortality, Samantha A. Willden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

By outcompeting desirable vegetation, invasive weeds can dominate field crops and rangelands, drastically reducing yield and land value. One option in controlling the impact and spread of such weeds is reuniting them with their natural insect herbivores, a process called biological control. When successful, biocontrol can be the cheapest way to provide long-term control of invasive weeds, but continual monitoring of insect and weed activity is required to ensure success.

Dalmatian toadflax is an invasive weed that occurs widely throughout the northwestern U.S., and that is spreading south each year to warmer and drier regions, including sites in Utah. Although …

Retrotransposons Are The Major Contributors To The Expansion Of The Drosophila Ananassae Muller F Element, Wilson Leung, Gerard Mcneil

Publications and Research

The discordance between genome size and the complexity of eukaryotes can partly be attributed to differences in repeat density. The Muller F element (5.2 Mb) is the smallest chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster, but it is substantially larger (.18.7 Mb) in D. ananassae. To identify the major contributors to the expansion of the F element and to assess their impact, we improved the genome sequence and annotated the genes in a 1.4-Mb region of the D. ananassae F element, and a 1.7-Mb region from the D element for comparison. We find that transposons (particularly LTR and LINE retrotransposons) are major contributors …

Morphological Integration Between The Face And Dentition Throughout Ontogeny, Allison Nesbitt

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Modern humans have flatter faces, wider palates and smaller teeth compared to chimpanzees and our early human ancestors. Many hypotheses concerning the evolution of the human face assume a relationship between the face and the teeth. It is likely that the face and teeth develop in a coordinated manner throughout the growth and development of an organism due to similar developmental origins, and functions, and the teeth residing in the maxillae. What is not fully understood is whether the face and teeth are two separate units (modules) that can evolve independently or if they are tightly correlated (integrated) during evolution. …

Inhibition Of Delta-Induced Notch Signaling Using Fucose Analogs, Michael Adam Schneider

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Notch is a cell surface receptor that controls cell fate decisions in metazoans. Notch signaling is regulated by O-glycans attached to epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats in its extracellular domain. Protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (POFUT1) is responsible for the addition of O-fucose to EGF repeats and is essential for Notch signaling. Constitutive activation of Notch is associated with a variety of human malignancies. Therefore, tools for the inhibition of Notch are being sought for the development of cancer therapeutics. Towards this end, we screened L-fucose analogs for their effects on Notch signaling. Treatment with 6-alkynyl and 6-alkenyl fucose reduced Notch ligand …

Novel Cyclopropenes For Studying Biological Systems, Sining Li

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Click and bioorthogonal chemistry has been employed in the analysis of many biological systems, but has yet to be extended to the analysis of neural connectivity1. One popular bioorthogonal chemical reporter is the functionalized cyclopropene, which reacts with tetrazines through an inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction2. Here, I describe a strategy for leveraging the cyclopropene-tetrazine ligation for analysis of neural systems and a novel photo-activatable cyclopropene for controlling reactivity in space and time. My first project employs a dopamine analog consisting of a neurotransmitter attached to a cyclopropene tag to study the dopaminergic neural circuit. I designed and synthesized three different …

Structural Insights Into Proteasome Activators In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Kuan Hu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The proteasome is a large molecular machine for regulated proteolysis. It has been found in all archaea, eukaryotes, and several bacterial species of the order Actinomycetales. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), an actinomycete pathogenic to humans, possesses a proteasome system that is essential for its virulence. Two proteasome activators, Mpa and PafE, mediate ATP-dependent and ATP-independent degradation, respectively, in Mtb. The molecular mechanisms of Mtb proteasome activation are still unknown due to the lack of structural information of these two activators. I have utilized several structural biology techniques, complemented with biochemical experiments to gain insights into the structure and function of Mpa …

The Periodontal Health Status Of Invisalign Patients: A Clinical Study, Kerisa Harriott

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Introduction: Approximately four million people use Invisalign worldwide. The aligners are typically worn twenty-two hours per day and are changed every two weeks. Patients can have plaque accumulation intraorally leading to inflammation and eventually causing attachment loss if unresolved. Research shows general trends of decreased periodontal status in fixed appliance patients when compared to Invisalign patients. Currently, there is a paucity of information about whether Invisalign aligners cause significant increases in gingival inflammation indicated by increases in pro-inflammatory markers and clinical presentation. Therefore, the objective is to investigate the increases in IL-8 and clinical periodontal parameters of patients treated with …

The Effects Of Aerobic Exercise On Oligodendroglia And Myelin In Developing And Cuprizone Treated Mice, Lyl Galen Tomlinson

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Aerobic exercise is known to influence adult hippocampal neurogenesis, but exercise’s ability to modulate oligodendroglia has been largely speculated upon based on MRI findings in human studies. Yet recent work indicates that adult oligodendroglia can be highly responsive to physical activities such as motor learning. However, several outstanding questions remain, including: does exercise affect oligodendroglia or myelination in juveniles, and, does exercise affect oligodendroglia or myelination in demyelinating conditions? To address this, juvenile and adult mice were provided with free access to a running wheel for four weeks followed by analyses of oligodendrocyte development and myelination in the prefrontal cortex, …

The Influence Of The Electrode Dimension On The Detection Sensitivity Of Electric Cell–Substrate Impedance Sensing (Ecis) And Its Mathematical Modeling, Xudong Zhang, William Wang, Anis Nurashikin Nordin, Fang Li, Sunghoon Jang, Ioana Voiculescu

Publications and Research

Detection sensitivity is a crucial criterion in the design and application of ECIS sensors. The influence of sensing electrode dimension on detection sensitivity is investigated in this paper. Eight types of ECIS sensors were fabricated, and their experimental results reveal that smaller-radius working electrodes generate more sensitive impedance shift to cell density change. Also, the smaller radius of working electrodes yield higher impedance values, which improves signal-to-noise ratio. In a range from 1.0 mm to 3.5 mm, the distance between the working and counter electrodes does not affect impedance measurements. However, the distance should be large enough to prevent the …

Advances In Developing Therapies To Combat Zika Virus: Current Knowledge And Future Perspectives, Ashok Munjal, Rekha Khandia, Kuldeep Dharma, Swati Sachan, Kumaragurubaran Karthik, Ruchi Tiwari, Yashpal S. Malik, Deepak Kumar, Raj K. Singh, Hafiz M. N. Iqbal, Sunil K. Joshi

Bioelectrics Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) remained largely quiescent for nearly six decades after its first appearance in 1947. ZIKV reappeared after 2007, resulting in a declaration of an international “public health emergency” in 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Until this time, ZIKV was considered to induce only mild illness, but it has now been established as the cause of severe clinical manifestations, including fetal anomalies, neurological problems, and autoimmune disorders. Infection during pregnancy can cause congenital brain abnormalities, including microcephaly and neurological degeneration, and in other cases, Guillain-Barré syndrome, making infections with ZIKV a substantial public health concern. Genomic and …

Turf Grass Sod Production Utilizing Hydroponic Systems, Raed Sameeh Raja Hussian

Aridland Agriculture Theses

Turf as a cover is a very essential component in enhancing the aesthetics and in climate modification of the landscape in arid regions. The grasses employed for turf production are cultivable grass species of the poaceae family in the class monocots. It can considerably withstand the stress of traffic and mowing provided right grass species are selected and sod production undertaken. The UAE is characterized by a bi-seasonal Mediterranean climate with high temperature and low rainfall. Like in any desert ecosystems, soils are poor in organic matter, with relatively low biological activities in UAE. In the present research, two warm …

Physiological Parameters, Isoenzymes And Hormonal Profiling In Different Varieties Of Date Palm In United Arab Emirates, Saeed Rashed Hamad Al Shamsi

Aridland Agriculture Theses

The present investigation was carried out to explore the physiological changes in early, mid and late varieties of date palms in United Arab Emirates. The concentrations of biochemicals and antioxidant compounds, activities of antioxidant enzymes with their isoenzyme profiles, endogenous phytohormone contents were studied from preflowering, flowering, and post-flowering stages. Two varieties each from early (Shaham, Khanezi), mid (Barhee, Nabthasaif) and late (Khasab, Fardh) flowering types were used in the study. The protein content was higher in early varieties in preflowering stage, but lower in other two varieties. The phenol showed an opposite trend to protein. Ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione …

Uah Humanities Center, 2017, University Of Alabama In Huntsville

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

3-Aryl-4h-Chromene-4-Ones As Antineoplastic Agents For The Treatment Of Cancer, Svitlana P. Bondarenko, Mykhaylo S. Frasinyuk, Chunming Liu, David S. Watt

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Patents

Isoflavonoids or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof or pharmaceutically acceptable compositions thereof for the treatment of prostate cancer or for the treatment or inhibition of prostate cancer metastasis in a patient in need thereof are disclosed.

Electrokinetically Operated Integrated Microfluidic Devices For Preterm Birth Biomarker Analysis, Mukul Sonker

Theses and Dissertations

Microfluidics is a vibrant and expanding field that has the potential for solving many analytical challenges. Microfluidics shows promise to provide rapid, inexpensive, efficient, and portable diagnostic solutions that can be used in resource-limited settings. Microfluidic devices have gained immense interest as diagnostic tools for various diseases through biomarker analysis. My dissertation work focuses on developing electrokinetically operated integrated microfluidic devices for the analysis of biomarkers indicative of preterm birth risk. Preterm birth (PTB), a birth prior to 37 weeks of gestation, is the most common complication of pregnancy and the leading cause of neonatal deaths and newborn illnesses. In …

Two Pests Overlap: Drosophila Suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) Use Of Fruit Exposed To Halyomorpha Halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), Megan Woltz, Nik G. Wiman, Jana C. Lee

Faculty Scholarship

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), are global economic pests that may co-occur on small fruits. We investigated whether fruit recently exposed to H. halys affected subsequent host use by D. suzukii. Laboratory no-choice and choice tests presented D. suzukii with H. halys-fed and unfed raspberries and blueberries immediately or 3 d after H. halys feeding. Resulting D. suzukii eggs, or larvae and pupae, were counted. The number of D. suzukii immatures among fed and unfed fruit was not significantly different in lab studies. There was no relationship between …

Integrin ΑVΒ8 Adopts A High Affinity State For Soluble Ligands Under Physiological Conditions, Ping Hu, Bing Hao Luo

Faculty Publications

© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. It has been proposed that integrins adopt a low affinity conformation under physiological conditions. Integrin can either be activated through cytoplasm or by binding of cations such as Mn2+ to the head domain. The cytoplasmic activation pathway, that is, inside-out signaling has been regarded as the physiological pathway for integrin activation. Integrin β8 is important for neuron vascular development. However, due to the highly divergent cytoplasmic domain, this integrin probably does not rely on inside-out signaling for affinity regulation. We therefore hypothesized that the β8 integrin uniquely assumes a constitutively high affinity state under physiological …

Repeated Evolution Of Vertebrate Pollination Syndromes In A Recently Diverged Andean Plant Clade, Laura P. Lagomarsino, Elisabeth J. Forrestel, Nathan Muchhala, Charles C. Davis

Faculty Publications

© 2017 The Author(s). Evolution © 2017 The Society for the Study of Evolution. Although specialized interactions, including those involving plants and their pollinators, are often invoked to explain high species diversity, they are rarely explored at macroevolutionary scales. We investigate the dynamic evolution of hummingbird and bat pollination syndromes in the centropogonid clade (Lobelioideae: Campanulaceae), an Andean-centered group of ∼550 angiosperm species. We demonstrate that flowers hypothesized to be adapted to different pollinators based on flower color fall into distinct regions of morphospace, and this is validated by morphology of species with known pollinators. This supports the existence of …

Retinoic Acid Inhibits White Adipogenesis By Disrupting Gadd45a-Mediated Zfp423 Dna Demethylation, Bo Wang, Xing Fu, Mei Jun Zhu, Min Du

Faculty Publications

© The Author (2017). Retinoic acid (RA), a bioactive metabolite of Vitamin A, is a critical mediator of cell differentiation. RA blocks adipogenesis, but mechanisms remain to be established. ZFP423 is a key transcription factor maintaining white adipose identity. We found that RA inhibits Zfp423 expression and adipogenesis via blocking DNA demethylation in the promoter of Zfp423, a process mediated by growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible protein alpha (GADD45A). RA induces the partnering between retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and tumor suppressor inhibitor of growth protein 1 (ING1), which prevents the formation of GADD45A and ING1 complex necessary for locus-specific Zfp423 DNA …

Ion Channel Signaling Influences Cellular Proliferation And Phagocyte Activity During Axolotl Tail Regeneration, Brandon M. Franklin, S. Randal Voss, Jeffrey L. Osborn

Biology Faculty Publications

Little is known about the potential for ion channels to regulate cellular behaviors during tissue regeneration. Here, we utilized an amphibian tail regeneration assay coupled with a chemical genetic screen to identify ion channel antagonists that altered critical cellular processes during regeneration. Inhibition of multiple ion channels either partially (anoctamin1/Tmem16a, anoctamin2/Tmem16b, K_V2.1, K_V2.2, L-type CaV channels and H/K ATPases) or completely (GlyR, GABA_AR, K_V1.5 and SERCA pumps) inhibited tail regeneration. Partial inhibition of tail regeneration by blocking the calcium activated chloride channels, anoctamin1&2, was associated with a reduction of cellular proliferation in …

A Wellness Study Of 108 Individuals Using Personal, Dense, Dynamic Data Clouds., Nathan D Price, Andrew T Magis, John C Earls, Gustavo Glusman, Roie Levy, Christopher Lausted, Daniel T Mcdonald, Ulrike Kusebauch, Christopher L Moss, Yong Zhou, Shizhen Qin, Robert L Moritz, Kristin Brogaard, Gilbert S Omenn, Jennifer C Lovejoy, L Hood

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Personal data for 108 individuals were collected during a 9-month period, including whole genome sequences; clinical tests, metabolomes, proteomes, and microbiomes at three time points; and daily activity tracking. Using all of these data, we generated a correlation network that revealed communities of related analytes associated with physiology and disease. Connectivity within analyte communities enabled the identification of known and candidate biomarkers (e.g., gamma-glutamyltyrosine was densely interconnected with clinical analytes for cardiometabolic disease). We calculated polygenic scores from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for 127 traits and diseases, and used these to discover molecular correlates of polygenic risk (e.g., genetic risk …

Toulouse Or Not Toulouse: Analysis And Conservation Of An Oil On Panel Painting, Kathryn Harada

Art Conservation Master's Projects

Technical analysis and conservation treatment was carried out on a late 19th century oil on panel painting, potentially a portrait of Yvette Guilbert by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Materials analysis was done to identify pigments, binding media, varnish, and wood. X-ray fluorescence, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were employed. Extensive photographic documentation was executed to track changes before, during, and after treatment, and to enhance examination. No modern pigments introduced after the turn of the 20th century were discovered. Hypotheses are made about the artist’s methods. Information obtained through …

Estimating Aging Effects In Running Events, Ray C. Fair, Edward H. Kaplan

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper uses world running records by age to estimate a biological frontier of decline rates. Two models are compared: a linear/quadratic (LQ) model and a non-parametric model. Two estimation methods are used: 1) minimizing the squared difference between the observed records and the modeled biological frontier and 2) using extreme value theory to estimate the biological frontier that maximizes the probability of observing the existing world records by age. The results support the LQ model and suggest there is linear percentage decline up to the late 70’s and quadratic decline after that. The extreme value estimates suggest that the …

Social Reactions To Sexual Assault Survivors Presenting With Ptsd: The Impact Of Survivor Gender And Psychotherapy Treatment-Seeking Status, Shannon Marie Sommer

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined public perceptions of and willingness to provide social support to survivors of sexual assault presenting with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on the survivor’s gender (male vs. female), psychotherapy treatment-seeking status (no treatment vs. dropped out after four sessions vs. still in treatment), and participant gender (male vs. female). Participants (n = 178) read one of six vignettes based on a 2 (gender of survivor of sexual assault: male vs. female) X 3 (treatment-seeking status: no treatment vs. dropped out of treatment after four sessions vs. still in treatment) factorial design describing the life circumstances and …

Bionanomedicine: A “Panacea” In Medicine?, Dito Anurogo, Arli A. Parikesit, Taruna Ikrar

Makara Journal of Health Research

Recent advances in nanotechnology, biotechnology, bioinformatics, and materials science have prompted novel developments in the field of nanomedicine. Enhancements in the theranostics, computational information, and management of diseases/disorders are desperately required. It may now be conceivable to accomplish checked improvements in both of these areas utilising nanomedicine. This scientific and concise review concentrates on the fundamentals and potential of nanomedicine, particularly nanoparticles and their advantages, nanoparticles for siRNA conveyance, nanopores, nanodots, nanotheragnostics, nanodrugs and targeting mechanisms, and aptamer nanomedicine. The combination of various scientific fields is quickening these improvements, and these interdisciplinary endeavours to have significant progressively outstretching influences on …

Effects Of Olfactory Enrichments On African Cheetahs (Acinonyx Jubatus), Marcus Chas Abston

Theses

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF MARCUS C. ABSTON, for the Master of Science degree in ZOOLOGY, presented on 18 April 2017, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: EFFECTS OF OLFACTORY ENRICHMENT ON AFRICAN CHEETAHS (ACINONYX JUBATUS) MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Carey Krajewski Environmental enrichment has been an essential part of felid husbandry in zoos, serving to reduce both physiological and psychological stress. Olfactory enrichment is one of many interventions used to prevent stereotypic behavior caused by stress in felids. However, little research has been done on this practice. The purpose of this study was to compare behavioral responses of four …

Social Media In A High School English Class: A Collective Case Study, Angela M. Wells

All Theses And Dissertations

This qualitative collective case study sought to describe the perceptions and experiences of an 11th-grade English teacher and her students when incorporating social media into the classroom. The teacher introduced social media into four classrooms, wherein the students answered questions and interacted with each other on a discussion board. The teacher’s fifth classroom remained a traditionally taught class, wherein the teacher lectured about class material. After six weeks of instruction, the researcher interviewed the teacher and provided anonymous surveys to the students to determine their perceptions and experiences when incorporating social media into the classroom. The researcher analyzed and coded …

Quantifying The Rates And Spatial Distribution Of Recent Sedimentation Within The Hydrologically Connected Floodplains Of The Middle Mississippi River, Usa, Using Digital Elevation Models And Dendrogeomorphology, Julia Kay Ryherd

Theses

The construction of levees along the Mississippi River [MR], beginning in the mid-to-late nineteenth century, have isolated the river along many segments from its floodplain. Sediment from the river is currently deposited in the hydrologically connected floodplain [HCF], the area between the channel margin at low water and the levees. Researchers have studied the amount and rates of sediment deposition along the Upper and Lower Mississippi River segments from the headwaters to Pool 22 and from the Ohio River to the delta; however, no such assessments have been undertaken along the Middle Mississippi River [MMR]. This study attempts to fill …

The Assessment And Etiology Of Novelty Seeking And Rule-Breaking In Young Children, Emma Brittany Diaz

Theses

This study explored the stability and heritability of novelty seeking, defiance, and rule-breaking in early childhood using a twin sample. Parent reports of novelty seeking were assessed at ages 3 and 4, parent reports of rule-breaking were assessed at ages 5 and follow-up (6-16), and observer reports of defiance were assessed at age 5. Results showed that novelty seeking increased between ages 3 and 4, and rule-breaking remained stable from age 5 to follow-up (6-16). All constructs demonstrated significant heritability. Finally, neither novelty seeking nor defiance predicted 5-year-old rule-breaking. Defiance was the only construct that significantly predicted follow-up rule-breaking. Defiance …