Digital Commons Network^™

A Compromised Liver Alters Pcb Toxicity And Nutrient Metabolism, Jazmyne D. L. Barney

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Environmental contamination is a public health concern. In particular persistent organic pollutants like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) have been associated with multiple chronic inflammatory diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD prevalence has steadily increased and is expected to continue to rise with an estimated 25% of the world’s population and 80-100 million people affected in the United States alone. Importantly, the liver is the primary site for endobiotic and xenobiotic metabolism, hence its proper function is critical for the body’s response to innate and extrinsic molecules. One way to combat the deleterious effects of PCB toxicity and fatty liver …

Foreword—Anthropocenic Disruption, Community Resilience And Law, René Reich-Graefe

Western New England Law Review

Since the First Agricultural (or Neolithic) Revolution, humans have been the primary agents of both biospheric and sociospheric change. Modern human societies evolved in an ecosystem of abundance in which human agency and consumption could conveniently ignore the problem of natural capital. At today’s peak of humanity, first-world humans personally produce virtually nothing to sustain their respective individual lives. Instead, distant agro-industrial systems and global economies of scale mass-produce the resources that modern humans simply acquire through, often anonymous, exchange transactions in order to satisfy their survival and welfare needs. By the second half of the twenty-first century, the Anthropocene …

White-Nose Syndrome And Immune Responses In A Resistant Bat Species (Eptesicus Fuscus), Keslie Skye Naffa

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

White-nose syndrome (WNS) has had a large negative impact on bat populations across eastern North America since its arrival in 2006. Bats affected by WNS appear to die of starvation, possibly due to the increased arousals during hibernation when there is no food present to replace the energy used to arouse. During hibernation, the bat’s immune system should be suppressed. However, once a bat of a susceptible species is exposed to the fungus that causes WNS, Psuedogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the immune system seems to respond, potentially causing an elevation in metabolic rate, which may cause the bat to …

The Measles Vaccine, Ben Albrecht

A with Honors Projects

This honors project reviews the development of the measles vaccine, and the controversial and debunked research that led to a decrease in vaccinations and an increase in the illness.

States Diverting Funds From The Poor, Daniel L. Hatcher

All Faculty Scholarship

While the United States continues to recover from the 2008 Great Recession, the country still faces unprecedented inequality as increasing numbers of poor families struggle to get by with little assistance from the government. Holes in the Safety Net: Federalism and Poverty offers a grounded look at how states and the federal government provide assistance to poor people. With chapters covering everything from welfare reform to recent efforts by states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, the book avoids unnecessary jargon and instead focuses on how programs operate in practice. This timely work should be read by anyone who …

Child Psychological Maltreatment, Alison Boughn

Dissertations and Theses

Child psychological maltreatment (PM) is challenging to define and difficult for a child to articulate. This study introduces the development and initial implementation of the Psychological Maltreatment Inventory (PMI) with child participants. The PMI consists of 16 items validated by subject matter experts. The pilot study sample (N = 21) and large sample (N = 166) consisted of child participants currently involved in open child maltreatment cases at a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in the Midwest. Quantitative research was used to explore the descriptive characteristics of the PMI to participant demographic information and correlational design to explore the relationship between …

The Complex Affective Scene Set (Compass): Solving The Social Content Problem In Affective Visual Stimulus Sets, Mariann R. Weierich, Olena Kleshchova, Jenna Rieder K. Rieder, Danielle M. Reilly

College of Humanities and Sciences Faculty Papers

Social information, including faces and human bodies, holds special status in visual perception generally, and in visual processing of complex arrays such as real-world scenes specifically. To date, unbalanced representation of social compared with nonsocial information in affective stimulus sets has limited the clear determination of effects as attributable to, or independent of, social content. We present the Complex Affective Scene Set (COMPASS), a set of 150 social and 150 nonsocial naturalistic affective scenes that are balanced across valence and arousal dimensions. Participants (n = 847) rated valence and arousal for each scene. The normative ratings for the 300 …

Minimal Information For Studies Of Extracellular Vesicles 2018 (Misev2018): A Position Statement Of The International Society For Extracellular Vesicles And Update Of The Misev2014 Guidelines, Clotilde Théry, Kenneth W. Witwer, Elena Aikawa, Maria Jose Alcaraz, Johnathon D. Anderson, Ramaroson Andriantsitohaina, Anna Antoniou, Tanina Arab, Fabienne Archer, Georgia K. Atkiin-Smith, D. Craig Ayre, Jean-Marie Bach, Daniel Bachurski, Hossein Baharvand, Leonora Balaj, Shawn Baldacchino, Natalie N. Bauer, Amy A. Baxter, Mary Bebawy, Carla Beckham, Apolonija Bedina Zavec, Abderrahim Benmoussa, Anna C. Berardi, Paolo Bergese, Ewa Bielska, Cherie Blenkiron, Sylwia Bobis-Wozowicz, Eric Boilard, Wilfrid Boireau, Antonella Bongiovanni, Francesc E. Borràs, Steffi Bosch, Chantal M. Boulanger, Xandra Breakefield, Andrew M. Breglio, Meadhbh Á. Brennan, David R. Brigstock, Alain Brisson, Marike L.D. Broekman, Jacqueline F. Bromberg, Paulina Bryl-Górecka, Shilpa Buch, Amy H. Buck, Dylan Burger, Sara Busatto, Dominik Buschmann, Benedetta Bussolati, Edit I. Buzás, James Bryan Byrd, Giovanni Camussi, David R.F. Carter, Sarah Caruso, Lawrence W. Chamley, Yu-Ting Chang, Chichen Chen, Shuai Chen, Lesley Cheng, Andrew R. Chin, Aled Clayton, Stefano P. Clerici, Alex Cocks, Emanuele Cocucci, Robert J. Coffey, Anabela Cordeiro-Da-Silva, Yvonne Couch, Frank A.W. Coumans, Beth Coyle, Rossella Crescitelli, Miria Ferreira Criado, Crislyn D’ Souza-Schorey, Saumya Das, Amrita Datta Chaudhuri, Paola De Candia, Eliezer F. De Santana Junior, Olivier De Wever, Hernando A. Del Portillo, Tanguy Demaret, Sarah Deville, Andrew Devitt, Bert Dhondt, Dolores Di Vizio, Lothar C. Dieterich, Vincenza Dolo, Ana Paula Dominguez Rubio, Massimo Dominici, Mauricio R. Dourado, Tom A.P Driedonks, Filipe V. Duarte, Heather M. Duncan, Ramon M. Eichenberger, Karin Ekström, Samir El Andaloussi, Celine Elie-Caille, Uta Erdbrügger, Juan M. Falcón-Pérez, Farah Fatima, Jason E. Fish, Miguel Flores-Bellver, András Försönits, Annie Frelet-Barrand, Fabia Fricke, Gregor Fuhrmann, Susanne Gabrielsson, Ana Gámez-Valero, Chris Gardiner, Kathrin Gärtner, Raphael Gaudin, Yong Song Gho, Bernd Giebel, Caroline Gilbert, Mario Gimona, Ilaria Giusti, Deborah C.I. Goberdhan, André Görgens, Sharon M. Gorski, David W. Greening, Julia Christina Gross, Alice Gualerzi, Gopal N. Gupta, Dakota Gustafson, Aase Handberg, Reka A. Haraszti, Paul Harrison, Hargita Hegyesi, An Hendrix, Andrew F. Hill, Fred H. Hochberg, Karl F. Hoffmann, Beth Holder, Harry Holthofer, Baharak Hosseinkhani, Guoku Hu, Yiyao Huang, Veronica Huber, Stuart Hunt, Ahmed Gamal-Eldin Ibrahim, Tsuneya Ikezu, Jameel M. Inal, Mustafa Isin, Alena Ivanova, Hannah K. Jackson, Soren Jacobsen, Steven M. Jay, Muthuvel Jayachandran, Guido Jenster, Lanzhou Jiang, Suzanne M. Johnson, Jennifer C. Jones, Ambrose Jong, Tijana Jovanovic-Talisman, Stephanie Jung, Raghu Kalluri, Shin-Ichi Kano, Sukhbir Kaur, Yumi Kawamura, Evan T. Keller, Delaram Khamari, Elena Khomyakova, Anastasia Khvorova, Peter Kierulf, Kwang Pyo Kim, Thomas Kislinger, Mikael Klingeborn, David J. Klinke Ii, Miroslaw Kornek, Maja M. Kosanović, Árpád Ferenc Kovács, Eva-Maria Krämer-Albers, Susanne Krasemann, Mirja Krause, Igor V. Kurochkin, Gina D. Kusuma, Sören Kuypers, Saara Laitinen, Scott M. Langevin, Lucia R. Languino, Joanne Lannigan, Cecilia Lässer, Louise C. Laurent, Gregory Lavieu, Elisa Lázaro-Ibáñez, Soazig Le Lay, Myung-Shin Lee, Yi Xin Fiona Lee, Debora S. Lemos, Metka Lenassi, Aleksandra Leszczynska, Isaac T.S. Li, Ke Liao, Sten F. Libregts, Erzsebet Ligeti, Rebecca Lim, Sai Kiang Lim, Aija Linē, Karen Linnemannstöns, Alicia Llorente, Catherine A. Lombard, Magdalena J. Lorenowicz, Ákos M. Lörincz, Jan Lötvall, Jason Lovett, Michelle C. Lowry, Xavier Loyer, Quan Lu, Barbara Lukomska, Taral R. Lunavat, Sybren L.N. Maas, Harmeet Malhi, Antonio Marcilla, Jacopo Mariani, Javier Mariscal, Elena S. Martens-Uzunova, Lorena Martin-Jaular, M. Carmen Martinez, Vilma Regina Martins, Mathilde Mathieu, Suresh Mathivanan, Marco Maugeri, Lynda K. Mcginnis, Mark J. Mcvey, David G. Meckes, Jr., Katie L. Meehan, Inge Mertens, Valentina R. Minciacchi, Andreas Möller, Malene Møller Jørgensen, Aizea Morales-Kastresana, Jess Morhayim, François Mullier, Maurizio Muraca, Luca Musante, Veronika Mussack, Dillon C. Muth, Kathryn H. Myburgh, Tanbir Najrana, Muhammad Nawaz, Irina Nazarenko, Peter Nejsum, Christian Neri, Tommaso Neri, Rienk Nieuwland, Leonardo Nimrichter, John P. Nolan, Esther N.M. Nolte-’ T Hoen, Nicole Noren Hooten, Lorraine O’Driscoll, Tina O’Grady, Ana O’Loghlen, Takahiro Ochiya, Martin Olivier, Alberto Ortiz, Luis A. Ortiz, Xabier Osteikoetxea, Ole Ostegaard, Matias Ostrowski, Jaesung Park, D. Michiel Pegtel, Hector Peinado, Francesca Perut, Michael W. Pfaffl, Donald G. Phinney, Bartijn C.H. Pieters, Ryan C. Pink, David S. Pisetsky, Elke Pogge Von Strandmann, Iva Polakovicova, Ivan K.H. Poon, Bonita H. Powell, Ilaria Prada, Lynn Pulliam, Peter Quesenberry, Annalisa Radeghieri, Robert L. Raffai, Stefania Raimondo, Janusz Rak, Marcel I. Ramirez, Graça Raposo, Morsi S. Rayyan, Neta Regev-Rudzki, Fran L. Ricklefs, Paul D. Robbins, David D. Roberts, Silvia C. Rodrigues, Eva Rohde, Sophie Rome, Kasper M.A. Rouschop, Aurelia Rughetti, Ashley E. Russell, Paula Saá, Susmita Sahoo, Edison Salas-Huenuleo, Catherine Sánchez, Julie A. Saugstad, Meike J. Saul, Raymond M. Schiffelers, Raphael Schneider, Tine Hiorth Schøyen, Aaron Scott, Eriomina Shahaj, Shivani Sharma, Olga Shatnyeva, Faezeh Shekari, Ganesh Vilas Shelke, Ashok K. Shetty, Kiyotaka Shiba, Pia R-M Siljander, Andreia M. Silva, Agata Skowronek, Orman L. Snyder Ii, Rodrigo Pedro Soares, Barbara W. Sódar, Carolina Soekmadji, Javier Sotillo, Philip D. Stahl, Willem Stoorvogel, Shannon L. Stott, Erwin F. Strasser, Simon Swift, Hidetoshi Tahara, Muneesh Tewari, Kate Timms, Swasti Tiwari, Rochelle Tixeira, Mercedes Tkach, Wei Seong Toh, Richard Tomasini, Ana Claudia Torrecilhas, Juan Pablo Tosar, Vasilis Toxavidis, Lorena Urbanelli, Pieter Vader, Bas W.M. Van Balkom, Susanne G. Van Der Grein, Jan Van Deun, Martijn J.C. Van Herwijnen, Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, Guillaume Van Niel, Martin E. Van Royen, Andre J. Van Wijnen, M. Helena Vasconcelos, Ivan J. Vechetti Jr., Tiago D. Veit, Laura J. Vella, Émilie Velot, Frederik J. Verweij, Beate Vestad, Jose L. Viñas, Tamás Visnovitz, Krisztina V. Vukman, Jessica Wahlgren, Dionysios C. Watson, Marca H.M. Wauben, Alissa Weaver, Jason P. Webber, Viktoria Weber, Ann M. Wehman, Daniel J. Weiss, Joshua A. Welsh, Sebastian Wendt, Asa M. Wheelock, Zoltán Wiener, Leonie Witte, Joy Wolfram, Angeliki Xagorari, Patricia Xander, Jing Xu, Xiaomei Yan, María Yáñez-Mó, Hang Yin, Yuana Yuana, Valentina Zappulli, Jana Zarubova, Vytautas Žėkas, Jian-Ye Zhang, Zezhou Zhao, Lei Zheng, Alexander R. Zheutlin, Antje M. Zickler, Pascale Zimmermann, Angela M. Zivkovic, Davide Zocco, Ewa K. Zuba-Surma

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines …

Transcriptional Activation Of The Mir-17-92 Cluster Is Involved In The Growth-Promoting Effects Of Myb In Human Ph-Positive Leukemia Cells., Manuela Spagnuolo, Giulia Regazzo, Marco De Dominici, Andrea Sacconi, Andrea Pelosi, Etleva Korita, Francesco Marchesi, Francesco Pisani, Alessandra Magenta, Valentina Lulli, Iole Cordone, Andrea Mengarelli, Sabrina Strano, Giovanni Blandino, Maria G. Rizzo, Bruno Calabretta

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

MicroRNAs, non-coding regulators of gene expression, are likely to function as important downstream effectors of many transcription factors including MYB. Optimal levels of MYB are required for transformation/maintenance of BCR-ABL-expressing cells. We investigated whether MYB silencing modulates microRNA expression in Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) leukemia cells and if MYB-regulated microRNAs are important for the "MYB addiction" of these cells. Thirty-five microRNAs were modulated by MYB silencing in lymphoid and erythromyeloid chronic myeloid leukemia-blast crisis BV173 and K562 cells; 15 of these were concordantly modulated in both lines. We focused on the miR-17-92 cluster because of its oncogenic role in tumors and found …

Health Care Evolves From Reactive To Proactive., Scott A. Waldman, Andre Terzic

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

Decoding health and disease pathways drives healthcare evolution. Historically, therapeutic paradigms have relied on interventions that mitigate symptoms of established diseases. Increasingly, molecular insights into pathophysiology now provide unprecedented opportunities to offer curative solutions or even prevent disease and thereby secure longitudinal wellness. These opportunities extend past individual patients to entire populations and geographies. Moreover, they optimize prospective healthspan across lifespan. Linking discovery science and its translatable innovations beyond reactive disease intervention to proactive prevention will maximize society’s returns creating the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people globally.

Engaging Preservice Secondary Science Teachers In An Ngss-Based Energy Lesson: A Nanoscience Context, Deepika Menon, Mary Sajini Devadas

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The new approach to teaching science presented by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) warrants training high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers to prepare the future STEM workforce. We share the implementation of an energy lesson using a nanoscience approach, well-aligned with the NGSS vision, in a secondary- STEM-education course for preservice science teachers. First, we engaged preservice teachers in discussions related to alternate sources of energy; this was followed by a case-study approach to illustrate a real-world problem of energy deficiency and solar energy (solar cells using nanoparticles) as one potential solution because it is cost-efficient, clean, …

Mimosa 2018/2019, Jacksonville State University

JSU Yearbooks

The JSU Yearbook Collection spans the years from 1926 to the present. The publication began in 1926 as the Teacola (some volumes spelled "Teacoala") and continued under this title through 1933. The yearbook appears to have ceased printing after that year; the student newspaper took the name Teacola (later changed to the Collegian and finally the Chanticleer) and began publication in 1934. The yearbook started up again in 1947 under the name Mimosa. The Library holds all volume years that were printed: 1926-1933, 1947-1950, 1952-present.

Biomass Density Based Adjustment Of Lidar-Derived Digital Elevation Models: A Machine Learning Approach, Khalid Abdelwahab

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Salt marshes are valued for providing protective and non-protective ecosystem services. Accurate digital elevation models (DEMs) in salt marshes are crucial for modeling storm surges and determining the initial DEM elevations for modelling marsh evolution. Due to high biomass density, lidar DEMs in coastal wetlands are seldom reliable. In an aim to reduce lidar-derived DEM error, several multilinear regression and random forest models were developed and tested to estimate biomass density in the salt marshes near Saint Marks Lighthouse in Crawfordville, Florida. Between summer of 2017 and spring of 2018, two field trips were conducted to acquire true elevation and …

An Assessment Of Biosorption Activated Media For The Removal Of Pollutants In Up-Flow Stormwater Treatment Systems, Andrew Hood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen and phosphorus are often the limiting nutrients for marine and freshwater systems respectively. Additionally, stormwater often contains elevated levels of pathogens which can pollute the receiving water body and impact reuse applications [1-4]. The reduction of limiting nutrients and pathogens is a common primary target for stormwater best management practices (BMPs) [5]. Traditional BMPs, such as retention/detention treatment ponds require large footprints and may not be practical in ultra-urban environments where above ground space is limited. Upflow filters utilizing biosorption activated media (BAM) that can be placed underground offer a small footprint alternative. Additionally, BAM upflow filters can be …

Development Of In Vitro Point Of Care Diagnostics (Ivpcd) Based On Aptamers Integrated Biosensors, Nileshi Saraf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The global market for the medical diagnostic industry is worth 25 billion dollars in the United States and is expected to grow exponentially each year. Presently available methods for biodetection, such as immunoassays, chemiluminescence and fluorescent based assays are expensive, time consuming and require skilled labor with high-end instruments. Therefore, development of novel, passive colorimetric sensors and diagnostic technologies for detection and surveillance is of utmost importance especially in resource constrained communities. The present work focusses on developing novel and advanced in vitro biodiagnostic tools based on aptamer integrated biosensors for an early detection of specific viral proteins or small …

A Theoretical, Numerical, And Experimental Study Of Trapped Droplet Coalescence And Mixing, Passively And Under Electric Field, Alireza Karbalaei Baba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Passive and electrically active coalescence and mixing of pairs of trapped squeezed nanodroplets were studied in this work. PDMS-glass microfluidic devices were designed and fabricated using multilevel photolithography technique. Flow-focusing method was used to generate nanoliter droplets of died glycerol inside oleic acid. The effect of factors such as flow rates and their ratio, interfacial tension, and viscosities on the size and frequency of droplet generation was studied and concluded by demonstrating the capillary number effect. A passive droplet trapping technique based on minimizing the surface energy of the droplets was employed to minimize the shear flow effects and increase …

Investigation Of Coastal Vegetation Dynamics And Persistence In Response To Hydrologic And Climatic Events Using Remote Sensing, Subrina Tahsin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal Wetlands (CW) provide numerous imperative functions and provide an economic base for human societies. Therefore, it is imperative to track and quantify both short and long-term changes in these systems. In this dissertation, CW dynamics related to hydro-meteorological signals were investigated using a series of LANDSAT-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data and hydro-meteorological time-series data in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, from 1984 to 2015. NDVI in forested wetlands exhibited more persistence compared to that for scrub and emergent wetlands. NDVI fluctuations generally lagged temperature by approximately three months, and water level by approximately two months. This analysis provided insight …

Freezing The Future: Elective Egg Freezing And The Limits Of The Medical Expense Deduction, Tessa R. Davis

Faculty Publications

Section 213 of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) allows a deduction for unreimbursed expenses for medical care. To qualify as medical care, an individual’s outlay must meet the statutory definition of “medical care” set forth in §213. Specifically, an outlay must be for care that is either for “the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body.” Many costs raise few interpretive challenges. When an individual receives chemotherapy, for example, the costs tied to that care clearly satisfy the disease prong of §213. But as medicine …

Cornus Officinalis Significantly Improves Oxidative Capacity And Promotes The Calcium-Dependent Transcription Factor, Nfatc2, In Human 1.1b4 Pancreatic Cell Line, Arielle Sharp, Alexis Coiner, Brant Burkhardt

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease resulting in the destruction of pancreatic β cells (β-cells) and subsequent loss of insulin production. The only treatment for T1D is using exogenous insulin coupled with continual glucose monitoring following significant autoimmune destruction of β-cells. Novel interventional therapies are needed that can preserve and protect existing pancreatic β cells in individuals with early identified T1D autoimmunity. Our initial in-vitro evidence indicates Cornus officinalis (CO) may be able to serve in this function. What sets ethnopharmacology apart from conventional medicine is the simultaneous targeting of multiple mechanisms using a single herb due to …

Structural Basis Of Phosphatidylcholine Recognition By The C2–Domain Of Cytosolic Phospholipase A,2Α, Yoshinori Hirano, Yong-Guang Gao, Daniel J. Stephenson, Ngoc T. Vu, Lucy Malinina, Dhirendra K. Simanshu, Charles E. Chalfant, Dinshaw J. Patel, Rhoderick E. Brown

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Ca²⁺-stimulated translocation of cytosolic phospholipase A2α (cPLA2α) to the Golgi induces arachidonic acid production, the rate-limiting step in pro-inflammatory eicosanoid synthesis. Structural insights into the cPLA2α preference for phosphatidylcholine (PC)-enriched membranes have remained elusive. Here, we report the structure of the cPLA2α C2-domain (at 2.2 Å resolution), which contains bound 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) and Ca2+ ions. Two Ca2+ are complexed at previously reported locations in the lipid-free C2-domain. One of these Ca2+ions, along with a third Ca2+, bridges the C2-domain to the DHPC phosphate group, which also interacts with Asn65. Tyr96 plays a key role in lipid …

Conserved Glycines Control Disorder And Function In The Cold-Regulated Protein, Cor15a, Oluwakemi T. Sowemimo, Patrick Knox-Brown, Wade M. Borcherds, Tobias Rindfleisch, Anja Thalhammer, Gary W. Daughdrill

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Cold-regulated (COR) 15A is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) from Arabidopsis thaliana important for freezing tolerance. During freezing-induced cellular dehydration, COR15A transitions from a disordered to mostly α-helical structure. We tested whether mutations that increase the helicity of COR15A also increase its protective function. Conserved glycine residues were identified and mutated to alanine. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to identify residue-specific changes in helicity for wildtype (WT) COR15A and the mutants. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy was used to monitor the coil–helix transition in response to increasing concentrations of trifluoroethanol (TFE) and ethylene glycol. The impact of the COR15A …

Social Networks, Identity, Health, And Quality Of Life Among Older Gay And Lesbian Individuals In Rural Environments, Marc Aaron Guest

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

The goal of this dissertation was to explore aging lesbian and gay individuals living in rural communities, in terms of their social networks and the relationships between these networks, identity, health, and quality of life. Guiding the study were three overarching questions. Using a multi-method design, the research was grounded within a socio-ecological context and focused on how structural systems create pathways for health and are affected by social position (intersectionality). Participants (n=25) were recruited from Kentucky (n=20), West Virginia (n=3), and Tennessee (n=2). Thirteen participants self-identified as gay and twelve as lesbian. Findings highlight the complexity of the aging …

Multiscale Model Of Regional Population Decline In Little Brown Bats Due To White-Nose Syndrome, Andrew M. Kramer, Claire S. Teitelbaum, Ashton Griffin, John M. Drake

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

1. The introduced fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans is causing decline of several species of bats in North America, with some even at risk of extinction or extirpation. The severity of the epidemic of white-nose syndrome caused by P. destructans has prompted investigation of the transmission and virulence of infection at multiple scales, but linking these scales is necessary to quantify the mechanisms of transmission and assess population-scale declines.
2. We built a model connecting within-hibernaculum disease dynamics of little brown bats to regional-scale dispersal, reproduction, and disease spread, including multiple plausible mechanisms of transmission.
3. We parameterized the model using the approach of …

A Ctenophore (Comb Jelly) Employs Vortex Rebound Dynamics And Outperforms Other Gelatinous Swimmers, Brad J. Gemmell, Sean P. Colin, John H. Costello, Kelly R. Sutherland

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

Gelatinous zooplankton exhibit a wide range of propulsive swimming modes. One of the most energetically efficient is the rowing behaviour exhibited by many species of schyphomedusae, which employ vortex interactions to achieve this result. Ctenophores (comb jellies) typically use a slow swimming, cilia-based mode of propulsion. However, species within the genus Ocyropsis have developed an additional propulsive strategy of rowing the lobes, which are normally used for feeding, in order to rapidly escape from predators. In this study, we used high-speed digital particle image velocimetry to examine the kinematics and fluid dynamics of this rarely studied propulsive mechanism. This mechanism …

4dee—What's Next? Designing Instruction And Assessing Student Learning, Luanna Prevost, Amanda E. Sorensen, Jennifer H. Doherty, Diane Ebert-May, Bob Pohlad

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Multiscale Model Of Regional Population Decline In Little Brown Bats Due To White-Nose Syndrome, Andrew M. Kramer, Claire S. Teitelbaum, Ashton Griffin, John M. Drake

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

1. The introduced fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans is causing decline of several species of bats in North America, with some even at risk of extinction or extirpation. The severity of the epidemic of white-nose syndrome caused by P. destructans has prompted investigation of the transmission and virulence of infection at multiple scales, but linking these scales is necessary to quantify the mechanisms of transmission and assess population-scale declines.
2. We built a model connecting within-hibernaculum disease dynamics of little brown bats to regional-scale dispersal, reproduction, and disease spread, including multiple plausible mechanisms of transmission.
3. We parameterized the model using the approach of …

Trade-Offs Shape Carotenoid-Based Color Variation In Redheaded Pine Sawfly (Neodiprion Lecontei) Larvae, Maranda Gaines

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Carotenoids serve various ecological roles in animals including coloration, immune responses, and vision. Carotenoid-derived coloration is greatly emphasized in the literature, particularly relating to mate choice and aposematic warning. However, the trade-offs between the color and non-color functions of carotenoids are not thoroughly explored. In the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei), some larval populations have yellow pigmentation, using carotenoids derived from their diets for aposematic warning coloration. Other larval populations are white in color, having genetically lost the ability to produce the yellow pigment. Because carotenoids are essential to life functions in both the yellow and white populations, we aim …

The First Step Toward The Future Of Wearables In Rehabilitation, Morgan L. Andrews

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Tibial stress fractures are a major problem for runners and military athletes due to the high-intensity nature of their training. This injury is commonly treated through subjective measures including rest and management of symptoms that are evaluated by a therapist or trainer. With the advancement of technology such as inertial measurement units with accelerometers, clinicians may have the potential to provide an objective way to rehabilitate tibial stress fractures. Wearable technology is becoming more popular to be used in training but has not made it to rehabilitation yet. This study examines the validity of derived measures from the IMeasureU IMU …

Mechanistic Studies Of Tgfβ-Induced Cancer Stem Cell Formation And Mammary Tumorigenesis Through An Ilei/Lifr Signaling Axis, Alec N. Woosley

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The dual functionalities of Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGFb) as either a tumor promoting or suppressing cytokine is highly dependent on cellular context, specifically during malignant transformation and metastatic progression of normal mammary epithelial cells. Our lab has extensively studied the pathologic function of TGFb in mammary tumorigenesis and metastasis through its role in activating epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotypes. We have demonstrated that TGFb induces EMT and CSC phenotypes in mammary epithelial cells through a non-canonical, translational regulatory mechanism involving an hnRNP complex containing hnRNP E1 that inhibits translation of a cohort of mRNAs. We …

The Interactions Of Cell Cycle Protein Cdc34 With Its Ubiquitin Conjugation Cascade Enzyme Partners, Katelyn Williams

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Cdc34 is an essential E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme that regulates the cell cycle at the G1-S checkpoint. It has been implicated in several disease processes, primarily cancer, and has become a target for therapeutic development. As an E2, Cdc34 interacts with an E1 ubiquitin-activating enzyme and a family of SCF E3 ligases to attach ubiquitin molecules to target proteins. Moreover, Cdc34 is known to specifically select Lys48 on the end of a growing polyUb chain to Ub attachment, resulting in Lys48-linked Ub chain extension and subsequent proteasomal degradation of the target. Despite decades of investigation, the structural basis for Cdc34 activities …