Digital Commons Network^™

An Assessment Of Inheritance Patterns In Two Mutant Eye-Color Traits Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Jedidiah Heiser, Seth B. Yates

A with Honors Projects

This experiment was a two generation test cross (from F0 to F1 and F1 to F2) to check the patterns of inheritance and their chi-square significance. Wild-type males and females were paired with the opposite sex of the two mutant groups -- Sepia eyes and White eyes. The pairing thus resulted in 4 tube conditions. Generations were counted and identified by sex and phenotype -- Wild-type or Mutant. The next generation was seeded with approximately 6 - 8 individuals from each sex and released once the next generation reached their pupal phase. Fresh tubes were seeded between F1 and F2. …

Components Of The X-Ray Circuit, Savannah Burkhalter

A with Honors Projects

This video identifies the components of an x-ray circuit.

Figure 2d: Effect Of Torpor On Host Transcriptomic Responses To A Fungal Pathogen In Hibernating Bats, Kenneth A. Field

Other Faculty Research and Publications

Fig 2. Comparison of M. lucifugus gene expression in tissues from torpid and aroused bats either uninfected or infected with P. destructans.

(a) Differential expression between tissue infected with P. destructans and uninfected tissue in torpid bats. (b) Differential expression between tissue infected with P. destructans and uninfected tissue in bats after arousal. (c) Differential expression between tissue from torpid and aroused bats not infected with P. destructans. (d) Differential expression between tissue from torpid and aroused bats infected with P. destructans. (a-d) Expression of …

Figure 2c: Effect Of Torpor On Host Transcriptomic Responses To A Fungal Pathogen In Hibernating Bats, Kenneth A. Field

Other Faculty Research and Publications

Fig 2. Comparison of M. lucifugus gene expression in tissues from torpid and aroused bats either uninfected or infected with P. destructans.

(a) Differential expression between tissue infected with P. destructans and uninfected tissue in torpid bats. (b) Differential expression between tissue infected with P. destructans and uninfected tissue in bats after arousal. (c) Differential expression between tissue from torpid and aroused bats not infected with P. destructans. (d) Differential expression between tissue from torpid and aroused bats infected with P. destructans. (a-d) Expression of …

Building Capacity For A Global Genome Editing Observatory: Conceptual Challenges, J. Benjamin Hurlbut, Sheila Jasanoff, Krishanu Saha, Aziza Ahmed, Anthony Appiah, Elizabeth Bartholet, Francoise Baylis, Gaymon Bennett, George Church, I. Glenn Cohen, George Daley, Kevin Finneran, William Hurlbut, Rudolf Jaenisch, Laurence Lwoff, John Paul Kimes, Peter Mills, Jacob Moses, Buhm Soon Park, Erik Parens, Rachel Salzman, Abha Saxena, Hilton Simmet, Tania Simoncelli, O. Carter Snead, Kaushik Sunder Rajan, Robert D. Truog, Patricia Williams, Christiane Woopen

Journal Articles

A new infrastructure is urgently needed at the global level to facilitate exchange on key issues concerning genome editing. We advocate the establishment of a global observatory to serve as a center for international, interdisciplinary, and cosmopolitan reflection.

Lurching From Complacency To Panic In The Fight Against Dangerous Microbes: A Blueprint For A Common Secure Future, Lawrence O. Gostin, Katharina Ó Cathaoir

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Despite the clear lessons of history - most recently the West African Ebola Epidemic - the international community systematically underestimates the urgent global health hazards posed by emerging infectious diseases. Indeed, looming challenges – namely, rising populations, urbanization, mass migration, rapid travel and trade, climate change, weak states and ethno-nationalism – render pandemic preparedness more acute than ever before. This article details the urgent threats to global health security and argues that the international community must learn from previous outbreaks and urgently invest in preparedness.

The article offers a blueprint for a more secure future from pathogenic threats facing humankind. …

A Perspective On Incentives For Novel Inpatient Antibiotics: No One-Size-Fits-All, Taimur Bhatti, Ka Lum, Silas Holland, Stephanie Sassman, David Findlay, Kevin Outterson

Faculty Scholarship

The need for new “pull” incentives to stimulate antibiotic R&D is widely recognized. Due to the global diversity of health systems, combined with different challenges faced by antibiotics used in different types of healthcare settings, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, different “pull” incentives should be tailored to local contexts, priorities, and antibiotic types. Policymakers and industry should collaborate to identify appropriate solutions at the local, regional, and global levels.

Fractality Of Body Movements Predicts Perception Of Affordances: Evidence From Stand-On-Ability Judgments About Slopes, Alen Hajnal, Joseph Clark, Jonathan K. Doyon, Damian G. Kelty-Stephen

Faculty Publications

We recorded head motion with one wireless marker attached to the back of the head during quiet stance as participants visually inspected a sloped ramp in order to perceive whether they might be able to stand on the surface. Participants responded with "yes" or "no" without attempting to stand on the ramp. As has been found in dynamic touch (Palatinus, Kelty-Stephen, Kinsella-Shaw, Carello, & Turvey, 2014), we hypothesized that multiscale fluctuation patterns in bodily movement during visual observation would predict perceptual judgments. Mixed-effects logistic regression predicted binary affordance judgments as a function of geographical slant angle, head-motion standar deviation, and …

Understanding The Structure And Resilience Of Trophic Dynamics In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Using Network Analysis, Megumi C. Oshima, Robert T. Leaf

Faculty Publications

Network analysis is a framework that allows integration and evaluation of predator-prey interactions. In the present study, we synthesized diet composition information from 94 published studies (n = 12,335 unique predator-prey interactions) that reported food habits of teleost fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM). Using this information, we constructed 12 weighted trophic network models using three diet metrics and four levels of taxonomic resolution of predators and prey. We evaluated network resilience to simulated random and directed taxa loss by assessing changes in topological indices "complexity," "connectance," "efficiency," and "robustness" with respect to a priori minima. We found …

Radically Different Lignin Composition In Posidonia Species May Link To Differences In Organic Carbon Sequestration Capacity, Joeri Kaal, Oscar Serrano, José C.Del Río, Jorge Rencoret

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

There is considerable variability in the ability of seagrass ecosystems to sequester organic carbon (C_org) in their sediments, which act as natural carbon sinks contributing to climate change mitigation. In this work, we studied the chemistry of two Posidonia seagrass species aiming to elucidate whether differences in chemical composition might explain differences in their C_org sequestration capacity. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and Thermally assisted Hydrolysis and Methylation (THM) GC-MS data showed a remarkable difference in phenolic compound patterns between P. oceanica and P. australis bulk plants and individual organs (leaves, sheaths, roots and rhizomes). The lignin of …

Spatial Variability In The Diversity And Structure Of Faunal Assemblages Associated With Kelp Holdfasts (Laminaria Hyperborea) In The Northeast Atlantic, Harry Teagle, Pippa J. Moore, Helen Jenkins, Dan A. Smale

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Kelp species are ecologically-important habitat-formers in coastal marine ecosystems, where they alter environmental conditions and promote local biodiversity by providing complex biogenic habitat for an array of associated organisms. While it is widely accepted that kelps harbour significant biodiversity, our current understanding of spatiotemporal variability in kelp-associated assemblages and the key environmental drivers of variability patterns remains limited. Here we examined the influence of ocean temperature and wave exposure on the structure of faunal assemblages associated with the holdfasts of Laminaria hyperborea, the dominant habitat-forming kelp in the northeast Atlantic. We sampled holdfasts from 12 kelp-dominated open-coast sites nested …

Carbon Assimilation And Transfer Through Kelp Forests In The Ne Atlantic Is Diminished Under A Warmer Ocean Climate, Albert Pessarrodona, Philippa J. Moore, Martin Sayer, Dan Smale

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Global climate change is affecting carbon cycling by driving changes in primary productivity and rates of carbon fixation, release and storage within Earth's vegetated systems. There is, however, limited understanding of how carbon flow between donor and recipient habitats will respond to climatic changes. Macroalgal‐dominated habitats, such as kelp forests, are gaining recognition as important carbon donors within coastal carbon cycles, yet rates of carbon assimilation and transfer through these habitats are poorly resolved. Here, we investigated the likely impacts of ocean warming on coastal carbon cycling by quantifying rates of carbon assimilation and transfer in Laminaria hyperborea kelp forests—one …

Distributions Of Total And Size-Fractionated Particulate 210po And 210pb Activities Along The North Atlantic Geotraces Ga01 Transect: Geovide Cruise, Yi Tang, Maxi Castrillejo, Montserrat Roca-Marti, Pere Masque´, Nolwenn Lemaitre, Gillian Stewart

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Vertical distributions of total and particulate polonium-210 (²¹⁰Po) and lead-210 (²¹⁰Pb) activities in the water column were measured at 11 stations in the North Atlantic during the GEOTRACES GA01 transect: GEOVIDE cruise in May–June 2014. Total ²¹⁰Po activity was on average 24% lower than ²¹⁰Pb activity in the upper 100m, and it was closer to unity in the mesopelagic (100–1000m). The partitioning coefficients (K_d) along the transect suggest the preferential association of ²¹⁰Po relative to ²¹⁰Pb onto particles. The prominent role of small particles in sorption was confirmed by …

Tracing Water Masses With 129i And 236u In The Subpolar North Atlantic Along The Geotraces Ga01 Section, Maxi Castrillijo, Núria Casacuberta, Marcus Christl, Christoph Vockenhuber, Hans A. Synall, Maribel I. García-Ibáñez, Pascale Lherminier, Géraldine Sarthou, Jordi García-Orellana, Pere Masqué

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Pathways and timescales of water mass transport in the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean (SPNA) have been investigated by many studies due to their importance for the meridional overturning circulation and thus for the global ocean. In this sense, observational data on geochemical tracers provide complementary information to improve the current understanding of the circulation in the SPNA. To this end, we present the first simultaneous distribution of artificial 129I and 236U in 14 depth profiles and in surface waters along the GEOVIDE section covering a zonal transect through the SPNA in spring 2014. Our results show that the two tracers …

A Comparison Of Displacement And Energetic Variables Between Three Team Sport Gps Devices, Paolo Terziotti, Marc Sim, Ted Polglaze

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study compared the outputs of three different commercially-available GPS player-tracking devices for a range of commonly used displacement and energetic variables in activities replicating team sport movements. Professional male soccer players (n = 7), simultaneously wore three GPS devices (Catapult OptimEye S5, GPExe Pro 1, StatSport ViperPod) whilst completing four separate drills, comprising progressively more complex changes in speed and direction. Displacement (distance, speed) and energetic (energy cost, metabolic power, energy expenditure) variables were compared for each device. All three devices tended to under-estimate distance compared to the known value for each drill, with only minor and inconsistent …

The Our Solar Siblings Pipeline: Tackling The Data Issues Of The Scaling Problem For Robotic Telescope Based Astronomy Education Projects, Michael Fitzgerald

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this paper, a pipeline designed to produce data products for education is described. The primary goal of the pipeline is to facilitate teacher usage of robotic telescopes in the classroom and to reduce administration time for project personnel. In so doing, it produces data products that are scientifically valid and robust using multiple different photometric measurement techniques to create catalogues of both instrumental measurements as well as calibrated measurements crossmatched to popular astronomical catalogues where standard stars are available. The main blocking factors that the pipeline addresses are outlined, an overview of the pipeline is provided and it’s future …

The Potential Role Of Genetic Markers In Talent Identification And Athlete Assessment In Elite Sport, Ysabel Jacob, Tania Spiteri, Nicolas H. Hart, Ryan S. Anderson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In elite sporting codes, the identification and promotion of future athletes into specialised talent pathways is heavily reliant upon objective physical, technical, and tactical characteristics, in addition to subjective coach assessments. Despite the availability of a plethora of assessments, the dependence on subjective forms of identification remain commonplace in most sporting codes. More recently, genetic markers, including several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), have been correlated with enhanced aerobic capacity, strength, and an overall increase in athletic ability. In this review, we discuss the effects of a number of candidate genes on athletic performance, across single-skilled and multifaceted sporting codes, and …

Expanding Greenland Seagrass Meadows Contribute New Sediment Carbon Sinks, Núria Marbà, Dorte Krause-Jensen, Pere Masque´, Carlos M. Duarte

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The loss of natural carbon sinks, such as seagrass meadows, contributes to grenhouse gas emissions and, thus, global warming. Whereas seagrass meadows are declining in temperate and tropical regions, they are expected to expand into the Arctic with future warming. Using paleoreconstruction of carbon burial and sources of organic carbon to shallow coastal sediments of three Greenland seagrass (Zostera marina) meadows of contrasting density and age, we test the hypothesis that Arctic seagrass meadows are expanding along with the associated sediment carbon sinks. We show that sediments accreted before 1900 were highly 13C depleted, indicative of low inputs of seagrass …

Taxonomy, Biogeography And Ecology Of Andean Tardigrades At Different Spatial Scales, Balbina Ramsay

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Micrometazoans are animals smaller than 2 mm. Their biogeography is poorly understood, and tardigrades provide a tractable phylum for exploring distribution patterns at a variety of scales. Polylepis forest habitat offers considerable advantages for making tardigrade comparisons across a wide range of scales in the Andes. This thesis aims to improve identifications of tardigrades with a character matrix approach, to assess the relative importance of habitat and bryophyte host on tardigrades, to describe the fine-scale spatial structure of tardigrade assemblages, and to estimate the sampling effort required for a reliable estimate of tardigrade diversity within Polylepis forest. Samples of bryophytes …

Predicted And Measured Acute Toxicity And Developmental Abnormalities In Zebrafish Embryos Produced By Exposure To Individual Aromatic Acids, Steven J. Rowland, Alan G. Scarlett, Yuktee Dogra, Darren Rowe, Tamara S. Galloway

More Faculty of Science and Engineering Research

Petroleum acids, often called 'Naphthenic Acids' (NA), enter the environment in complex mixtures from numerous sources. These include from Produced and Process-Affected waters discharged from some oil industry activities, and from the environmental weathering of spilled crude oil hydrocarbons. Here, we test the hypothesis that individual NA within the complex mixtures can induce developmental abnormalities in fish, by screening a range of individual acids, with known chemical structures. Sixteen aromatic NA were tested using a Thamnocephalus platyrus (beavertail fairyshrimp) assay, to establish acute toxicity. Toxicities ranged from 568 to 8 μM, with the methylbiphenyl acid, 4-(p-tolyl)benzoic acid, most toxic. Next, …

Nano Enhanced Surface Modification Of Titanium Dental Implants For Improving Osseointegration And Biocompatibility, Ranj Salaie

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Dental implants are prone to bacterial colonisation and infection which subsequently cause dental implant failure. Coating the dental implant with an antibacterial agent and a biocompatible agent can inhibit the bacterial colonisation and infection without disturbing the biocompatibility of the implant. This study aimed to coat medical grade titanium alloy implants with silver and hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles. The reason for using silver was to introduce antibacterial activity to the coated dental implants; and then using HA to preserve biocompatibility and manage the silver exposure of the primary human osteoblast cells. Medical grade titanium alloy discs measuring 15 mm in diameter …

The Effects Of Selected Herbicides And Booster Biocides On The Brown Seaweed Ectocarpus Siliculosus, Mohd Akmal Bin Hashim

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

In the present study, two strains of Ectocarpus siliculosus with different pollution histories, LIA4 and Es524, were exposed to three PSII inhibitor herbicides, diuron (DIU), terbuthylazine (TBA) and isoproturon (IPU). Evaluation of their effects on growth and photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm, ΦPSII, qP) have demonstrated negative impacts of all herbicides on both strains. With reference to the 7 d RGR EC50 values; DIU (9.9 - 25 μg L-1); TBA (18 – 28 μg L-1); IPU (257 – 315 μg L-1), the reported environmental concentrations for DIU were higher than the values that exert negative effects to E. siliculosus. However, as for …

The Biogeography And Conservation Status Of The Rocky Plateaus Of The Northern Western Ghats, India., Christopher Thorpe

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Rocky plateaus are globally threatened ecosystems and the lateritic plateaus in northern section of the Indian Western Ghats/Sri Lanka Biodiversity Hotspot (NWG) are notable landscape features. The NWG are geologically distinct from and biologically isolated from the other two sections of the Western Ghats. The NWG is known to possess elevated levels of endemic flora their biotic relationships remain poorly understood. We present here the first quantitative multi-taxa comparative study of plateau fauna in the northern Western Ghats. Ants, water beetles and amphibians were selected for the comparison as they use different ecological resources from each other and at various …

Forest Ecology In A Changing World: Effective Ground-Based Methods For Monitoring Temperate Broadleaved Forest Ecosystem Dynamics In Relation To Climate Change, Alison M Smith

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The impacts of climate change on temperate forests are predicted to accelerate, with widespread implications for forest biodiversity and function. Remote sensing has provided insights into regional patterns of vegetation dynamics, and experimental studies have demonstrated impacts of specific changes on individual species. However, forests are diverse and complex ecosystems. To understand how different species in different forests respond to interacting environmental pressures, widespread ground-based monitoring is needed. The only practical way to achieve this is through the involvement of non-professional researchers, i.e., with citizen science. However, many techniques used to identify subtle changes in forests require expensive equipment and …

Infrared Thermography Of Erinaceus Europaeus: Applications With Hypothermia And Hibernation., Kathryn Elizabeth South

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Erinaceus europaeus, although widely distributed across Europe, are experiencing dramatic declines throughout their UK populations. These declines place further importance on the role of rescue and rehabilitation centres in contributing to conservation of the species. Therefore reviewing and incorporating new technology and understanding into husbandry, assessment and diagnostic protocols and practices used within these rescue centres is key to maximising success rates. This study aimed to investigate the application of infrared thermography (IRT) in a rescue centre environment to hypothermia assessment as well as hibernation monitoring. Infrared thermography (IRT) is becoming more widely available and accessible; as a non-invasive temperature …

Effects Of Increased Temperature And Copper Excess On The Physiology, Biochemistry And Gene Expression Of Ectocarpus Siliculosus (Dillwyn) Lyngbye, Alex Renato Santillán-Sarmiento

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Brown algae are an important group of organisms inhabiting coastal ecosystems worldwide. Because of their sessile nature, they are exposed to natural abiotic stresses such as high and low irradiances, desiccation, thermal fluctuations and mechanical stress, as well as anthropogenic-derived stresses such as chemical pollution. While the impacts of metal pollution affect brown algae on a local scale, there is growing concern on the potential interactions between pollutants and abiotic pressures resulting from global climate change. The main objective of this study was to determine the nature of the interactions (synergistic, additive or antagonistic) of different concentrations of copper in …

Trophic And Ecological Implications Of The Gelatinous Body Form In Zooplankton, Kristian Mcconville

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Gelatinous zooplankton are characterised as different from other planktonic taxa due to the high relative water content of their tissues. This thesis investigates whether elevated somatic water content (expressed here as carbon percentage) has effects on the biology of zooplankton. My approach was to examine this at a range of scales with a variety of approaches, ranging from experiments on individual ephyra larvae of Aurelia aurita, through analysis of a zooplankton time series at the Plymouth L4 station, up to a large scale meta-analysis of zooplankton growth and body composition data. In this meta-analysis, carbon percentage varied continuously across the …

Development Of Probiotics For The Sustainable Cultivation Of Pirarucu, Arapaima Gigas, Gabriella Do Vale Pereira

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) from Amazon basin is currently the largest farmed fish species and its production is increasing rapidly in Brazil. However, there is a concern about bacterial disease outbreaks and resulting mortalities in pirarucu farms. The use of probiotic bacteria as prophylactic method is recognized as beneficial practice to enhance fish production. The aim of this thesis was to isolate autochthonous probiotic strains from the pirarucu intestine, characterize their potential probiotic characteristics in vitro, and perform in vivo colonization and growth experiments. To this end, the intestinal microbial community of A. gigas was assessed at two different growth …

Motivators And Dependency Within Natural And Virtual Sensation Seekers, Christopher Dallas Selvey

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Inactivity and its negative implications on health, well-being and quality of life are a global issue with around 40% of adults in the UK not meeting physical activity guidelines currently sat out by the government. Modern sedentary lifestyle behaviours, such as excessive Internet and video game participation, are contributing factors to this issue. With the rise of households having accessibility to high speed connectivity and devices with the ability to access the Internet and play video games these behaviours are likely to increase. Motivation, Addiction and Sensation Seeking were measured in gamers and surfers using a self-report questionnaire survey. It …

From Pup To Predator: Ontogeny Of Foraging Behaviour In Grey Seal (Halichoerus Grypus) Pups, Matt Carter

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

For young animals, surviving the first year of nutritional independence requires rapid development of effective foraging behaviour before the onset of terminal starvation. Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups are abandoned on the natal colony after a brief (15-21 days) suckling period and must learn to dive and forage without parental instruction. Regional and sex-specific differences in diet and foraging behaviour have been described for adults and juveniles, but the early-life behaviour of pups during the critical first months at sea remains poorly understood. This thesis investigates sources of intrinsic and extrinsic variation in the development of foraging behaviour and resource …