Digital Commons Network^™

Demonstration Of Sex Pheromones In Molanna Uniophila (Trichoptera: Molannidae), Platycentropus Radiatus, Pycnopsyche Indiana, And P. Subfasciata (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae), With An Assessment Of Interspecific Attraction Between Four Sympatric Pycnopsyche Species, David C. Houghton, Christine Lux, Megan Spahr

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Evidence for sex pheromones in the caddisflies Molanna uniophila Vorhies, Platycentropus radiatus (Say), Pycnopsyche indiana (Ross), and P. subfasciata (Say) is presented here for the first time based on field studies conducted in southern Michigan. For all species, numbers of males caught in pheromone traps baited with conspecific female extracts were higher than those caught in traps with male extracts, or those without extract. Four sympatric species of Pycnopsyche: P. guttifer (Walker), P. indiana, P. lepida (Hagen), and P. subfasciata exhibited no interspecific pheromonal attraction despite a common mating season and, in the case of P. indiana and P. lepida …

The Alien Hippodamia Variegata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Quickly Establishes Itself Throughout Wisconsin, Andrew H. Williams, Daniel K. Young

The Great Lakes Entomologist

(excerpt)

Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a Palaearctic species that was first reported to be established in the Nearctic near Montreal, Quebec, in 1984 (Gordon 1987). Since then, this small beetle has been expanding its range in North America, a process summarized by Gardiner and Parsons (2005). It was first reported from Michigan in 2005 (Gardiner and Parsons 2005) and from Ohio in 2007 (Pavuk et al. 2007).

The Indiana Statesman, February 2, 2018, Indiana State University

Student Newspaper

Library livestream of the 95th State of the Union address draws students; ISU celebrates Black History Month; Doug Lipp shares his expertise; WZIS has been nominated for 11 awards

Anty 418.01: Evolution And Genetic Variation In Human Populations, Meradeth H. Snow

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Novel Fluconazole Derivatives With Promising Antifungal Activity, Nishad Thamban Chandrika, Sanjib K. Shrestha, Huy X. Ngo, Kaitlind C. Howard, Sylvie Garneau-Tsodikova

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

The fungistatic nature and toxicity concern associated with the azole drugs currently on the market have resulted in an increased demand for new azole antifungal agents for which these problematic characteristics do not exist. The extensive use of azoles has resulted in fungal strains capable of resisting the action of these drugs. Herein, we report the synthesis and antifungal activities of novel fluconazole (FLC) analogues with alkyl-, aryl-, cycloalkyl-, and dialkyl-amino substituents. We evaluated their antifungal activity by MIC determination and time-kill assay as well as their safety profile by hemolytic activity against murine erythrocytes as well as cytotoxicity against …

Parp Pet Imaging Agents, Brandon Carney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The poly (adenosine-diphosphate (ADP) ribose) polymerase (PARP) family of enzymes has been of interest to researchers and clinicians for over fifty years, especially the first member of the family, PARP1. This enzyme has become a target for cancer therapeutics due the reliance of highly proliferating cells on PARP1 for genomic maintenance. In the coming age of individualized medicine, however, highly specific therapeutic agents like PARP inhibitors are in need of similarly highly specific companion diagnostic agents. These kind of agents have been made possible with the quickly progressing field of molecular imaging. Specifically, positron emission tomography (PET) has enabled the …

Discovery And Development Of A Three-Component Oxidopyrylium Cycloaddition And Its Application Towards Alpha-Hydroxytropolone Synthesis, Michael P. D'Erasmo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Historically, natural products have provided unique research opportunities and challenges for organic synthesis, chemical biology, and medicinal chemistry due to their molecular complexity and effects on physiological systems. The total synthesis of natural products has not only produced novel reaction methods and strategies capable of efficiently generating complex structural motifs but also granted access to sufficient quantities of otherwise scarce natural product material for clinical evaluation. These synthetic efforts have facilitated the formation of a transdisciplinary partnership between chemistry, biology, and medicine that has been paramount in elucidating the chemical and pharmaceutical utility of natural products. Chapter I of this …

Comparative Biology And Life Tables Of Trichogramma Brassicae And Trichogramma Cacoeciae With Ephestia Kuehniella As Host At Three Constant Temperatures, Nihal Ozder

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Egg parasitoids of the genus Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) have been successfully utilized for biocontrol of several lepidopteran pests world-wide. The age specific fecundity of Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko and Trichogramma cacoeciae Marchal using Ephestia kuehniell a Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) as host were determined at 20, 26, and 30 °C and 60-70 % R.H. in the laboratory. Both T. cacoeciae and T. brassicae demonstrate high parasitism ability and intrinsic rates of increase on E. kuehniella and had a similar response to increasing temperature.

Aspalathin From Rooibos (Aspalathus Linearis): A Bioactive C-Glucosyl Dihydrochalcone With Potential To Target The Metabolic Syndrome, Rabia Johnson, Dalene De Beer, Phiwayinkosi V. Dludla, Daneel Ferreira, Christo J. F. Muller, Elizabeth Joubert

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

Ependymomas Overexpress Chemoresistance And Dna Repair-Related Proteins., Sherise D Ferguson, Shouhao Zhou, Joanne Xiu, Yuuri Hashimoto, Nader Sanai, Lyndon Kim, Santosh Kesari, John De Groot, David Spetzler, Amy B Heimberger

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Background: After surgery and radiation, treatment options for ependymoma are few making recurrence a challenging issue. Specifically, the efficacy of chemotherapy at recurrence is limited. We performed molecular profiling on a cohort of ependymoma cases in order to uncover therapeutic targets and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms contributing to treatment resistance.

Results: This ependymoma cohort showed minimal alterations in gene amplifications and mutations but had high expression rates of DNA synthesis and repair enzymes such as RRM1 (47%), ERCC1 (48%), TOPO1 (62%) and class III β-tublin (TUBB3) (57%), which are also all associated with chemoresistance. This cohort also had high …

The Minutes Of The Marshall University Graduate Council Meeting, January 26, 2018, Marshall University Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Observations Of First Occurrence And Severity Of Potato Leafhopper, Empoasca Fabae (Harris), (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) In The North Central And Eastern United States., K. M. Maredia, M. E. Whalon, S. H. Gage, M. J. Kaeb

The Great Lakes Entomologist

This paper presents available data on the first occurrence dates and the damage severity of the potato leafhopper in the north central and north eastern United States collected during the past 47 years (1951-1997). The data were collected from a variety of sources including: potato leafhopper literature review; published reports; pest alerts; pest surveys; and delphi surveys. First occurrence and severity data show that the arrival time of potato leafhopper and subsequent damage severity varies substantially from year to year. A correlation analysis between date of first occurrence and severity of damage for Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, the north central region …

Feasibility Of Using Cryostored Colorado Potato Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Eggs For Rearing Edovum Puttleri (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), R. F. W. Schroder

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cryostored eggs of Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) eggs were suitable hosts for Edovum puttleri. Parasitism rates were low, however this study was first to show that rearing the parasite on eggs stored at ultra low temperatures (-70 0 C) is feasible. This method of storage will facilitate mass production of E. puttleri as well as prevent loss of the parasite in the event of a crash in the Colorado potato beetle colony.

Surgical Interventions For Advanced Parameningeal Rhabdomyosarcoma Of Children And Adolescents., Paul J Choi, Joe Iwanaga, R Shane Tubbs, Emre Yilmaz

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Owing to its rarity, rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck (HNRMS) has seldom been discussed in the literature. As most of the data is based only on the retrospective experiences of tertiary healthcare centers, there are difficulties in formulating a standard treatment protocol. Moreover, the disease is poorly understood at its pathological, genetic, and molecular levels. For instance, 20% of all histological assessment is inaccurate; even an experienced pathologist can confuse rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) with neuroblastoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and lymphoma. RMS can occur sporadically or in association with genetic syndromes associated with predisposition to other cancers such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome and …

“Lately, I’Ve Been Feeling Distraught” Self And Fear, Jelena Prljevic

MFA Statements

No abstract provided.

Ependymomas Overexpress Chemoresistance And Dna Repairrelated Proteins, Sherise D. Ferguson, Shouhao Zhou, Joanne Xiu, Yuuri Hashimoto, Nader Sanai, Lyndon Kim, Santosh Kesari, John De Groot, David Spetzler, Amy B. Heimberger

Neurosurgery

Background: After surgery and radiation, treatment options for ependymoma are few making recurrence a challenging issue. Specifically, the efficacy of chemotherapy at recurrence is limited. We performed molecular profiling on a cohort of ependymoma cases in order to uncover therapeutic targets and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms contributing to treatment resistance. Results: This ependymoma cohort showed minimal alterations in gene amplifications and mutations but had high expression rates of DNA synthesis and repair enzymes such as RRM1 (47%), ERCC1 (48%), TOPO1 (62%) and class III β-tublin (TUBB3) (57%), which are also all associated with chemoresistance. This cohort also had high …

Research On Instructional Strategies To Improve Geoscience Learning In Different Settings And With Different Technologies, Steven Semken, Juk Bhattacharyya, Don Duggan-Haas, Amy Pallant, Jennifer Wiggen

Community Framework for Geoscience Education Research

Geoscience instruction today is carried out in a range of settings and with variously situated and richly contextualized teaching modalities. However, the pace and the excitement of technological and methodological advances in education tend to outstrip the more deliberate progress of relevant educational research and assessment. Further, geoscience education receives less attention and support on a national scale than do biology, chemistry, and physics education. As a result, many recent influential studies which demonstrated the effectiveness of active learning in undergraduate STEM, include little or no data from geoscience education. In order to close these gaps and render future instructional …

January 2018, Global News, Haenicke Institute

Global News

• Public invited to discuss gender inequality in higher education
• Film about young adults, suicide highlights spring lecture series
• Spring ethics series begins with MLK panel presentation
• Industrial Organizational Behavior Management Graduate Trip
• Graduate students awarded research and travel grants
• WMU Department of Statistics becomes NISS affiliate
• Professor transforming aviation education using augmented reality
• WMU holds first Black Student Summit
• Kalamazoo community offers immigrants a circle of support
• National organization recognizes WMU advertising and promotion students
• Take advantage of global engagement opportunities in February

Design And Synthesis Of Small Molecule Agonists Of Epha2 Receptor, Aaron Petty, Nethrie Idippily, Viharika Bobba, Werner J. Geldenhuys, Bo Zhong, Bin Su, Bingcheng Wang

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Ligand-independent activation of EphA2 receptor kinase promotes cancer metastasis and invasion. Activating EphA2 receptor tyrosine kinase with small molecule agonist is a novel strategy to treat EphA2 overexpressing cancer. In this study, we performed a lead optimization of a small molecule Doxazosin that was identified as an EphA2 receptor agonist. 33 new analogs were developed and evaluated; a structure−activity relationship was summarized based on the EphA2 activation of these derivatives. Two new derivative compounds 24 and 27 showed much improved activity compared to Doxazosin. Compound 24 possesses a bulky amide moiety, and compound 27 has a dimeric structure that is …

Allicin- Inspired Pyridyl Disulfides As Antimicrobial Agents For Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Jordan G. Sheppard, Jeremy P. Mcaleer, Pushkar Saralkar, Werner J. Geldenhuys, Timothy E. Long

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

A chemical library comprised of nineteen synthesized pyridyl disulfides that emulate the chemical reactivity of allicin (garlic) was evaluated for antimicrobial activity against a panel of pathogenic bacteria. Gram-positive species including vancomycin-intermediate and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VISA, VRSA) demonstrated the highest level of susceptibility toward analogs with S-alkyl chains of 7–9 carbons in length. Further biological studies revealed that the disulfides display synergy with vancomycin against VRSA, cause dispersal of S. aureus biofilms, exhibit low cytotoxicity, and decelerate S. aureus metabolism. In final analysis, pyridyl disulfides represent a novel class of mechanism-based antibacterial agents that have a potential application as …

Graphene Nanoplatelets-Sericin Surface-Modified Gum Alloy For Improved Biological Response, Valentina Mitran, Valentina Dinca, Raluca Ion, Vasile D. Cojocaru, Patricia Neacsu, Cerasela Zoica Dinu, Laurentiu Rusen, Simona Brajnicov, Anca Bonciu, Maria Dinescu, Doina Raducanu, Ioan Dan

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

In this study a “Gum Metal” titanium-based alloy, Ti-31.7Nb-6.21Zr-1.4Fe-0.16O, was synthesized by melting and characterized in order to evaluate its potential for biomedical applications. The results showed that the newly developed alloy presents a very high strength, high plasticity and a low Young's modulus relative to titanium alloys currently used in medicine. For further bone implant applications, the newly synthesized alloy was surface modified with graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), sericin (SS) and graphene nanoplatelets/sericine (GNP–SS) composite films via Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique. The characterization of each specimen was monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), …

Developing An Optogenetic Tool For Manipulating Protein Localization In Fission Yeast, Maahum Mehdi

Honors Thesis Collection

The stages of cellular division are regulated by highly conserved proteins, many of which are essential for cell viability. Modifying the function of essential proteins through traditional genetic approaches is limited because deleting or altering essential genes often results in cell death. Since the subcellular localization of a protein contributes to its cellular function, transiently altering protein localization can temporarily disrupt function and provide insight into how a protein of interest contributes to a cellular pathway in real time. Light-inducible dimerization modules utilized in optogenetics are tools that can enable rapid and reversible spatio-temporal manipulation of in vivo protein localization, …

Biosocial Criminology Versus The Constitution, Karen E. Balter

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The continually emerging field of biosocial criminology provides a basis for productively merging biology with sociological reasonings for criminal behavior. Mainstream research in criminology focuses on environmental factors as the sole reason individuals exhibit antisocial behavior patterns and may ultimately commit crimes. Criminological research has travelled in this direction for decades. The current climate within this community subscribes heavily to the notion that biology has very little to do with why people behave the way they do, and if it did, government control would be the norm. The nature of biocriminology opens a door through which constitutional issues may enter. …

The Educated Eye: Visual Culture And Pedagogy In The Life Sciences, Nancy Anderson, Michael R. Dietrich

Dartmouth College Press

About the Book

(from upne.com) The creation and processing of visual representations in the life sciences is a critical but often overlooked aspect of scientific pedagogy. The Educated Eye follows the nineteenth-century embrace of the visible in new spectatoria, or demonstration halls, through the twentieth-century cinematic explorations of microscopic realms and simulations of surgery in virtual reality. With essays on Doc Edgerton's stroboscopic techniques that froze time and Eames's visualization of scale in Powers of Ten, among others, contributors ask how we are taught to see the unseen.

About the Author

(from upne.com) NANCY ANDERSON is an assistant professor of …

A Cure For Salmonella: Engaging Students In Pathogen Microbiology And Bioinformatics, Sophie Jurgensen

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology have generated a vast amount of publicly available genomic data, creating a need for students with training in computational analysis. This laboratory lesson is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) focusing on environmental Salmonella, a common foodborne pathogen that is of great interest to public health laboratories but is relatively less virulent than most other such pathogens. As discovery is a central tenet of CUREs, students isolate novel Salmonella enterica and related strains from stream sediment, poultry litter, or other sources in the first half of the lesson (Module 1). They also …

Living Through Terror And Terror Through Living: The Biopolitical Dimensions Of Religion, Security, And Terrorism, Donnie Featherston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent emphasis and attention by thinkers, media pundits, and politicians on terrorism requires new, critical evaluation of the processes by which terrorism is understood. By investigating the concept of biopolitics, as developed specifically through Michel Foucault and Giorgio Agamben, new insights into the interactions between terrorism, politics, and religion can emerge. Most notably, the attempts to explain terror as simply an economic problem, an excessive form of violence, and/or as religious fervency gone awry rely on embedded biopolitical concepts. The continual attempts to solve terrorism through increased biopolitical strategies, thereby making terrorism a problem for biopolitics, only further substantiate the …

Inspire E-News 01 2018, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences News

• Engineering management joins ranks of globally certified programs
• Graduate students awarded research and travel grants
• Save the Date Engineers Week Dinner
• New director of academic advising joins the college
• 58 undergraduates receive research awards
• Graduate students shine in 2017 Research and Creative Activities Poster Day
• Congratulations to Dr. Sam Ramrattan
• College Snapshot: 2016-17 Career Outcomes for Undergraduates

Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Small Molecular Drug Candidates For The Treatment Of Her2 Overexpressed Breast Cancer, Anran Zhao

ETD Archive

In the US breast cancer is the most common cancer after skin cancer. Currently in the US the average risk of a woman to develop breast cancer in her life is roughly 12%. About 25-30% of breast cancer patients have HER2 overexpressed tumor, and the growth of tumor cell is depend on HER2 pathway. It has been well-documented that patients with over-expressed HER2 are associated with increased disease recurrence, worse prognosis and lower survival. Currently there are two type of HER2 targeting drug. The first group is HER2 monoclonal antibody drugs such as trastuzumab approved by FDA in 1998; the …

Design And Synthesis Of Oligo-(3,5-Dithio-Β-D-Glucopyranoside) As Β-(1→3)-Glucan Mimetics, Xiaoxiao Liao

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation presents the design and synthesis of oligo-(3,5-dithio-β-D-glucopyranoside) as β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan mimetics. The synthesized dimeric, trimeric and tetrameric mimetics were tested for their binding affinities to Dectin-1 and CR3 and their abilities to activate phagocytosis and pinocytosis.

The first chapter gives an introduction of β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan. It gives an introduction about the structure and origin of β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan as well as the immunostimulating effect of natural β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan. The study of interaction between β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan and the receptors leads to a conclusion that the hydrophobicity of β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan is crucial to its immunostimulating …

Mutating Rna Helicase A Using Crispr-Cas9 Methods In C. Elegans, Najla F. Fawwaz

Theses & ETDs

Many aspects have not yet been completely understood about rha-1 in C. elegans. In this thesis study, we attempted to build a CRISPR-Cas9 targeting vector to fuse GFP to the C-terminus of the rha-1 gene with the aim to acquire broader knowledge of the expression and functions of rha-1 in C. elegans. The CRISPR-Cas9 targeting vectors tagged by GFP at the C-terminus of the rha-1 gene were constructed using multiple DNA assembly tools such as: SapTrap Assembly, Gibson Assembly and Hi-Fi Assembly. Together, the obtained findings confirmed that the attempts to generate these CRISPR-Cas9 targeting vectors were unsuccessful due to …