Digital Commons Network^™

Vernal Pool Conservation: Enhancing Existing Regulation Through The Creation Of The Maine Vernal Pool Special Area Management Plan, Vanessa R. Levesque, Aram J. K. Calhoun, Elizabeth Hertz

Faculty Publications

Conservation of natural resources is challenging given the competing economic and ecological goals humans have for landscapes. Vernal pools in the northeastern US are seasonal, small wetlands that provide critical breeding habitat for amphibians and invertebrates adapted to temporary waters, and are exceptionally hard to conserve as their function is dependent on connections to other wetlands and upland forests. A team of researchers in Maine joined forces with a diverse array of governmental and private stakeholders to develop an alternative to existing top-down vernal pool regulation. Through creative adoption and revision of various resource management tools, they produced a vernal …

Meat: A Novel, Sergey Belyaev, Boris Pilnyak, Ronald D. Leblanc

Faculty Publications

An English-language translation of a Russian novel that appeared in the Soviet thick journal "Novyi Mir" in three installments during February, March, and April of 1936.

A Neonicotinoid Affects The Mating Behavior Of Spalangia Endius (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), A Biological Control Agent Of Filth Flies, Bethia H. King, A. N. Kremer

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Spalangia endius Walker (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) is a parasitoid wasp that is commercially-available as a biological control agent for filth fly pests in livestock-rearing operations. Imidacloprid is often used to control these flies. The present study examined the sublethal effect of field-realistic concentrations of imidacloprid on mating behavior, offspring sex ratios, and male preference for virgin females. After exposure to imidacloprid, S. endius females that survived were less likely to mate than control females, which will result in male-biased sex ratios because only mated females can produce daughters. Males did not avoid exposed females, but exposed females were almost always unreceptive. …

Dissemination Of Imidacloprid Through Dairy Cattle Manure And Its Effect On The Biological Control Agent, Spalangia Endius (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), And A Filth Fly Host, Musca Domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), E.R. Burgess, S.M. Watkins, Bethia H. King, K. Chantos-Davidson, A. N. Kremer, J.C. Tournear, J. Morrow, T.J. Hagen, E.R. Gaillard

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Filth flies, including house flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), develop in animal manure. Adult house flies often are controlled with pesticides such as imidacloprid. How imidacloprid disseminates and persists after it contaminates manure was measured at a dairy farm. A week after application of imidacloprid via fly bait to cattle manure, a mean of approximately 4 ppm of imidacloprid, and as high as 15 ppm, was quantifiable up to 12 cm from the application site, but not farther. Laboratory experiments addressed the impact of 15 ppm of imidacloprid in manure on egg-to-adult development of house flies and on the …

Connections Between Pre-Service Teachers’ Mathematical Dispositions And Self-Efficacy For Teaching Mathematics, Jasmine M. Cruz, Aaron T. Wilson, Xiaohui Wang

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Mathematical dispositions (MD) and self-efficacy for teaching mathematics (SEFTM) are important elements of teachers‟ beliefs that significantly influence their behaviors and educational practices in the classroom. This study looked at relationships between pre-service teachers‟ (PSTs) MD and their SEFTM in connection with other descriptors related to their progress through the teacher education program and prior mathematical experiences. Survey data were collected from 238 PSTs at a midsized university in the US. Results include the finding that PSTs‟ intended grade-level and subject approximately mirror their MD and SEFTM: those planning to be elementary school (generalist) teachers were slightly behind both middle …

The Development Of A High-Throughput Screening Assay For Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase Using 1,3,6,8-Tetrahydroxynapthalene Synthase, Sarah Elayne Cohen

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Relationship Between Frustration Tolerance And Psychological Self-Regulatory Mechanisms In Weight Loss Maintenance, Samantha Kaytana Henry

All ETDs from UAB

The present study investigated the relevance of frustration tolerance and other psychological regulation factors (e.g., trait mindfulness, executive function) to long-term weight maintenance. Using a cross-sectional design, participants (N=91) were recruited from three behavioral weight loss interventions and categorized dichotomously (maintainer vs. regainer) based on their level of success in maintaining weight loss long term. Participants completed the Frustration Discomfort Scale (FDS), objective measures of executive functioning (EF), and self-report questionnaires. Poorer frustration tolerance was significantly associated with lower trait mindfulness, higher negative affectivity, and greater difficulties in self-reported EF. There were no differences by race or weight maintenance status. …

An Exploratory Phenomenological Study To Investigate The Necessity Of An Athlete-Specific Bystander Intervention Program, Alexander Ian Gaits Hoffman

All ETDs from UAB

It has been well established that college athletes are among the most at-risk student populations for engaging in heavy episodic drinking and other risky alcohol and drug use behavior including but not limited to risky sexual behavior. Despite this knowledge, to date there are no truly effective long-term education, intervention, prevention, or treatment programs. This is especially true for bystander approaches. Bystander interventions have shown effectiveness in decreasing sexual assaults and changing rape mythology, but there has not been much research on its effectiveness on alcohol and drug use. There is also a lack of knowledge and understanding on how …

Structural And Functional Insights Into Influenza A Virus Ns1-Mediated Rig-I Antagonism, Alexander Jureka

All ETDs from UAB

The influenza virus non-structural protein 1 is well known to antagonize the host innate immune response through its interaction with the innate immune sensor, retinoic acid induc-ible gene I (RIG-I). While the complete mechanism of the NS1:RIG-I interaction remains unclear, we were the first to demonstrate a direct interaction between the NS1 RNA-binding domain (NS1RBD) from the 1918H1N1 influenza virus and the second caspase activa-tion and recruitment domain (CARD2) of RIG-I using NMR. In addition, we also identi-fied that mutation of Arg 21 in the 1918H1N1 NS1RBD to Gln (R21Q) completely abrogated the NS1:CARD2 interaction. Given that CARD2 plays a …

Marcks Effector Domain: Functions In Glioblastoma Progression And Novel Cytolytic Therapy, Nicholas James Eustace

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastoma (GBM; grade IV astrocytoma) is the most common primary adult brain malignancy and remains incurable despite tremendous advances in our understanding of this heterogeneous disease. In this dissertation, we explore the challenges encountered in the treatment of GBM and discuss a promising new therapeutic approach gleaned from studies of the phospholipid binding “effector” domain (ED) of the protein Myristoylated alanine-rich protein C kinase substrate (MARCKS). Following an introduction to central nervous system (CNS) tumors and the grading of diffuse gliomas, we explain how recent advancements to our understanding of the cellular and molecular composition of CNS tu-mors, and the …

Regulation Of St6gal-I In Cancer: Sox2 Identified As Novel Driver Of St6gal-I Expression, Kaitlyn Alexandra Dorsett

All ETDs from UAB

ST6Gal-I is a sialyltransferase that functions to add an 2-6 linked sialic acid to N-linked glycoproteins. The expression of ST6Gal-I is upregulated in many cancers at both the mRNA and protein levels. ST6Gal-I has also been shown to promote cancer stem cell (CSC) characteristics including chemoresistance, tumor-initiating potential, and spheroid growth. However, the transcriptional drivers of ST6Gal-I expression in stem-like cells remain largely unknown. Herein we highlight that SOX2 and ST6GAL1 are both located on one of the most commonly amplified chromosomal segments in cancer, amplicon 3q26. Copy number gains in both SOX2 and ST6GAL1 are observed in roughly 25% …

Identification Of Two Spop-Mediated Pathways In Prostate Cancer Progression, Joshua Fried

All ETDs from UAB

Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies and causes of cancer related death in men. Morbidity is primarily attributed to late-stage and metastatic disease. Re-cent genomic screening studies have revealed that the Speckle type Poz Protein (SPOP) is the most frequently altered gene by missense mutations in prostate cancer. Interestingly, all of the identified mutations were located in the substrate binding domain of SPOP. Here, two pathways highlighting the impact of SPOP mutation on prostate cancer are pre-sented. First, evidence showing that one of the naturally occurring SPOP mutations, ser-ine 119 to asparagine (S119N), induces radiosensitivity and an …

The Role Of Nudc In Rod Photoreceptor Cell Maintenance: A New Function For An Old Protein, Evan Boitet

All ETDs from UAB

The overall health and maintenance of rod photoreceptors depends on directed vectorial transport of rhodopsin from its synthesis within the inner segment to its target destination the outer segment disk membranes. Numerous proteins are known to be involved in molecular interactions with rhodopsin during transport, including the interaction of nuclear distribution protein C (nudC) with rhodopsin that was first described in Xenopus laevis. We found that the interaction of nudC and rhodopsin is conserved in mammalian retina. This interaction is direct and aberrant expression of nudC results in subcellular localization of rhodopsin. We show for the first time that nudC …

Social Support And Self-Care Efficacy As Mediators Of Racial Disparities In Diabetes Health In Older Adults, Wesley Browning

All ETDs from UAB

Diabetes is a health problem that affects millions of Americans annually, and Black Americans have a higher prevalence with more complications than White Americans. A disparity exists between Black and White older adults living with diabetes in distress related to symptoms, treatment, and complications associated with the disease. Additionally, there are differences in levels of performing diabetes self-care behaviors between Blacks and Whites. One series of factors that may predict better diabetes self-care and diabetes distress in older adults are self-care efficacy and components of social support. This study used linear regression models to predict racial differences between Blacks and …

Peruvian Medical Students' Attitudes Toward People With Disabilities, Shane Daniel Burns

All ETDs from UAB

Patients with disabilities often interpret health care providers’ skills and facilities inadequate, are denied health care services, and report poor treatment in the medical setting. Key stakeholders in reforming this process are medical students, a demographic that currently provides services for patients with disabilities and will shape tomorrow’s health care systems. Past research has demonstrated that medical students often hold negative attitudes toward people with disabilities with much of this research being conducted in the developed world and none in Latin America. As a result, this study pursued to understand Peruvian medical students’ attitudes toward people with disabilities and how …

Bioactive Materials: Ion Release & Recharge, Wear, Gloss & Hydroxyapatite Formation, Mohammed Badahman

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction : Dental caries is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases 1. Unfortunately, there have been numerous failures with the treatment rendered, the materials used and how they are used. One significant cause for dental restoration failure is secondary caries and the need to replace the existing restoration. It has been reported that more than half of the restorations placed have been replaced because of recurrent caries. New materials and techniques have been developed to enhance adhesives in dentistry and improve the bonded interface however that interface still remains the weakest component of composite restorations. Marginal degradation and the …

Role Of Developmental Protein, Nudc, In The Retina, Skyler Boehm

All ETDs from UAB

Rod photoreceptors are the most prominent light sensitive cell in the retina of most mammals. The outer segments of photoreceptors contain the cellular machinery necessary for phototransduction to occur. The process of generating the phototransduction components occurs in the inner segment before being trafficked to the outer segment. These processes are highly regulated and require many different trafficking proteins and chaperones. The developmental protein nuclear distribution gene C (nudC) was found to be present in the photoreceptor, but its function is yet to be determined. Here we confirm that nudC is present in the retina and necessary in the photoreceptors. …

Vagal Mediated Heart Rate Variability And Cognitive Impairments In Hiv-Seropositive Women, William C. Nicholson

All ETDs from UAB

Regardless of sufficient viral suppression, HIV exerts an ongoing inflammatory process that promotes chronic autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction, accelerates physiological aging, and increases the risk of developing a spectrum of cognitive disorders (known as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders [HAND]). Given this, identifying pathological mediators of this inflammatory response could provide insight into the mechanisms driving HAND. The vagus nerve (indexed by vagal-mediated heart rate variability [vmHRV]) could provide such a mediator as it regulates ANS activity via reciprocal cardio-neural pathways, which regulate inflammation and homeostasis. Vagal dysfunction is associated with persistent inflammatory signaling (e.g., stress or inflammatory-based disorders [such as …

Early Life Stress And Immune Responses In Adult Rat Kidneys, Ijeoma E. Obi

All ETDs from UAB

Globally, human studies show overwhelming associations between adverse childhood experiences and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD risks throughout adult life. As early as 6 years old, there are significant associations between childhood adversity and inflammation, and those association are observed throughout adult life as well. Over a decade ago, rodent models were used to establish the importance of the immune cells in hypertension, which is the major risk factor in developing CVD. Although these associations in humans are important, they pose several limitations that can be overcome by the use of animal models to study the molecular mechanisms that are …

The Role Of Protein Synthesis Attenuation And Eif2-Alpha Phosphorylation In Retinal Degeneration, Christopher Ryan Starr

All ETDs from UAB

Inherited retinal degeneration is a class of diseases in which there is no cure and very few treatment options available. An activated unfolded protein response has been detected in various animal models of retinal degenerative diseases. Several groups have found heightened activation of one pathway of the unfolded protein response in particular, the protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase signaling cascade, which converges on and phosphorylates the alpha subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 to transiently halt protein synthesis and allow the cell to reestablish homeostasis. Although it is widely accepted that this signaling is inherently protective, hyperactivity or …

Dysregulation In The Central Nervous System Upon Mcmv Infection In Newborn Mice, Cathy Yea Won Sung

All ETDs from UAB

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a major cause of morbidity in infants and children throughout the world. Between 0.2-1.2% of all live births is infected with HCMV in the United States. Approximately 5-15% of these newborn babies will develop long-term neurological damage resulting in motor disorders, mental retardation, and sensorineural hearing loss. Although the neurological sequelae associated with congenital HCMV infections are well characterized, little is known about the pathogenesis of the damage to the central nervous system (CNS). To study the pathogenesis of congenital HCMV infection, we have developed a mouse model in which newborn mice are infected intraperitoneally …

Therapeutic Mechanisms In Sickle Cell Nephropathy, Crystal Taylor

All ETDs from UAB

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a commonly inherited genetic blood disorder that causes hypoxia-induced polymerization of mutant hemoglobin resulting in erythrocyte sickling, transient microvascular occlusion, ischemic injury, and end-organ damage. Systemic endothelial dysfunction and vaso-occlusive episodes observed in SCD are particularly deleterious to the kidney, where the hypoxic, hyperosmotic environment of the medulla makes it particularly susceptible to ischemic injury. Over recent decades, chronic kidney disease has emerged as a significant contributor to mortality and morbidity in SCD patients. Despite a growing interest in the importance of sickle cell nephropathy (SCN), therapeutic options are limited and much remains undiscovered regarding …

The Role Of Protein O-Glcnacylation In Regulating Mitochondrial Function, Jalessa Nicole Wright

All ETDs from UAB

The attachment of O-linked-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) to the serine/threonine residues of proteins has emerged as an important regulatory mechanism in transcriptional regulation, protein activation as well as cell survival. Several studies have reported that elevated O-GlcNAc levels have adverse effects on mitochondrial function. These negative effects have been linked to O-GlcNAc modification of mitochondrial proteins that are integral across multiple metabolic cell processes i.e. VDAC, NDUFA9 and DRP-1. Mitochondrial complexes I, III and IV all contain subunit proteins that are O-GlcNAc modified and increased O-GlcNAcylation of these proteins is associated with deficits in oxidative phosphorylation in these models. Conversely, it has …

Methods For The Establishment Of A Dss-Induced Ibd Model In Adult Zebrafish, Ningxiang Zeng

All ETDs from UAB

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a group of idiopathic chronic inflammatory intestinal conditions. To reveal its pathogenesis, several different animal models have been established. Although no single model captures the complexity of human IBD, each model provides valuable insights into one or another major aspect of disease, and together they have led to the establishment of a generally accepted understanding for human IBD pathogenesis. Recently, zebrafish have become an important platform for IBD research, and several murine IBD outcomes have been adapted to the zebrafish. Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS) -induced colitis, the most widely used murine IBD model, has never …

Exploring The Link Between Dietary Fiber, The Gut Microbiota And Estrogen Metabolism Among Women With Breast Cancer, Ayse G. Zengul

All ETDs from UAB

Breast cancer continues to be a very prevalent disease and impacts over 260,000 new patients per year in the United States. The gut microbiota composition may affect breast cancer risk by modulating various hormonal metabolites including endogenous estrogens. Dietary factors impact gut microbial ecology and influence the regulation of estrogen metabolism. Current evidence supports the potential role of dietary fiber in breast cancer prevention and its possible modulating influence on serum estrogen levels through the gut microbiota associated with β-glucuronidase activity. However, this mechanism is not clearly understood. In this study, we aimed to explore the associations between dietary fiber, …

Male Sexual Jealousy: Lost Paternity Opportunities?, John E. Edlund, David J. Buller, Brad J. Sagarin, Jeremy D. Heider, Cory R. Scherer, Maria-Magdalena Farc, Oluyinka Ojedokun

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Numerous studies have shown that men experience relatively greater levels of jealousy in response to the sexual aspects of an infidelity (relative to women), whereas women experience relatively greater levels of jealousy in response to the emotional aspects of an infidelity (relative to men). The traditional explanation for this relationship suggests that men experience this greater level of jealousy due to threats of a loss of paternal certainty. In this article, we present three studies that demonstrate that men’s differentially greater jealousy occurs in response to situations that threaten paternity opportunities. These results suggest that a loss of perceived paternity …

Transcranial Focal Electrical Stimulation Via Concentric Ring Electrodes In Freely Moving Cats: Antiepileptogenic And Postictal Effects, Alejandro Valdés-Cruz, Benjamín Villasana-Salazar, Brandon Williams, David Martínez-Vargas, Víctor Manuel Magdaleno-Madrigal, Salvador Almazán-Alvarado, Walter Besio

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Transcranial focal electrical stimulation (TFS) via tripolar concentric ring electrodes (TCRE), tripolar TFS, is proposed to treat pharmacoresistant epilepsy. We determined the effect of tripolar TFS on electrical amygdaloid kindling (AK) in freely moving cats. Fifteen cats were bilaterally implanted with electrodes in the amygdala (AM) and prefrontal cortex and assigned to three groups: the control group, which only received AK; the tripolar TFS before AK group, in which TCREs were placed over the vertex and tripolar TFS (300 Hz, 200 μs biphasic equal charge, square pulses) was delivered for 40 min just prior to AK; and the tripolar TFS …

Synthesis Of Silver Nanoparticles Using A Modified Tollens’ Method In Conjunction With Phytochemicals And Assessment Of Their Antimicrobial Activity, Muna A. Abudalo, Ismaeel R. Al-Mheidat, Alham W. Al-Shurafat, Colleen Grinham, Vinka Oyanedel-Craver

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have attracted great attention due to their outstanding electrical, optical, magnetic, catalytic, and antimicrobial properties. However, there is a need for alternative production methods that use less toxic precursors and reduce their undesirable by-products. Phyto-extracts from the leaves of olive and rosemary plants can be used as reducing agents and (in conjunction with Tollens’ reagent) can even enhance AgNP antimicrobial activity.

Methods: Conditions for the proposed hybrid synthesis method were optimized for olive leaf extracts (OLEs) and rosemary leaf extracts (RLEs). The resultant AgNPs were characterized using UV–visible spectroscopy, an environmental scanning electron microscope, …

Enhancing The Thermal Stability Of Carbon Nanomaterials With Dna, Mohammad Moein Safee, Mitchell Gravely, Adeline Lamothe, Megan Mcsweeney, Daniel E. Roxbury

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have recently been utilized as fillers that reduce the flammability and enhance the strength and thermal conductivity of material composites. Enhancing the thermal stability of SWCNTs is crucial when these materials are applied to high temperature applications. In many instances, SWCNTs are applied to composites with surface coatings that are toxic to living organisms. Alternatively, single-stranded DNA, a naturally occurring biological polymer, has recently been utilized to form singly-dispersed hybrids with SWCNTs as well as suppress their known toxicological effects. These hybrids have shown unrivaled stabilities in both aqueous suspension or as a dried material. Furthermore, …

Biomolecular Functionalization Of A Nanomaterial To Control Stability And Retention Within Live Cells, Mitchell Gravely, Mohammad Moein Safaee, Daniel E. Roxbury

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Noncovalent hybrids of single-stranded DNA and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have demonstrated applications in biomedical imaging and sensing due to their enhanced biocompatibility and photostable, environmentally responsive near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence. The fundamental properties of such DNA-SWCNTs have been studied to determine the correlative relationships between oligonucleotide sequence and length, SWCNT species, and the physical attributes of the resultant hybrids. However, intracellular environments introduce harsh conditions that can change the physical identities of the hybrid nanomaterials, thus altering their intrinsic optical properties. Here, through visible and NIR fluorescence imaging in addition to confocal Raman microscopy, we show that the oligonucleotide length …