Digital Commons Network^™

Systematic Status Of The Chilean Genus Carlota Arias-Bohart, 2014 (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Agrypninae: Agrypnini), Elizabeth T. Arias-Bohart

Insecta Mundi

The click beetle genus Carlota Arias-Bohart (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Agrypninae: Agrypnini) was considered as a junior synonym of Candanius Hayek recently. However, there are deep morphological differences between these genera which justify the validity of Carlota. The morphology of this genus was re-examined in detail and based on the short and shallow antennal grooves, strongly serrate antennae from antennomeres 3 through 10, subquadrate pronotum with four distinct subcircular depressions, and straight prosternal process not bent dorsally, I resurrect the genus Carlota from synonymy.

Designación Del Lectotipo De Ectinogonia Costata (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Y Descripción De Una Nueva Especie De Ectinogonia (Ectinogonia) Spinola De Chile, Cristian Pineda, José Mondaca

Insecta Mundi

El tipo primario de Psiloptera costata Fairmaire, actualmente en Ectinogonia Spinola (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), fue descubierto y se designa lectotipo. Como la descripción original es incompleta, la especie es brevemente redescrita e ilustrada en función del lectotipo. Adicionalmente, con base en ejemplares de Ectinogonia Spinola recolectados en planicies litorales de las regiones de Atacama y Coquimbo, se describe una nueva especie del desierto costero de Chile, E. gigantea Pineda y Mondaca, nueva especie. Se presentan caracteres diagnósticos, fotografías de los adultos y de los órganos genitales del macho y la hembra, junto a observaciones sobre el hábitat, historia natural, …

The Psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) Of Florida: Newly Established And Rarely Collected Taxa And Checklist, Susan E. Halbert, Daniel Burckhardt

Insecta Mundi

Psyllids are an economically important group of insects. Several species are serious emerging pests with regulatory significance. About 20 adventive species have been discovered in Florida in the past 20 years, including several pests. Additionally, five species new to science have been found. We provide an annotated checklist of Florida species with taxonomic information and identification tools, including keys to Florida genera and known species. Seventy species of Psylloidea currently are reported from Florida. Forty-one are native to Florida, with 12 endemic to the state. Twenty are adventive, the majority being from the Neotropics. One was introduced deliberately for biological …

Host-Use Patterns Of Canopy-Inhabiting Click Beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae) In A Lowland Rainforest In Southern Venezuela, Susan Kirmse, Paul J. Johnson

Insecta Mundi

The arboreal click beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in a lowland tropical rainforest in south­ern Venezuela was observed and collected by means of a tower crane for a full year. The evaluation of the elaterid assemblage is part of a general survey of Coleoptera associated with several canopy trees. The Elat­eridae represented the tenth most species-rich beetle family in the canopy of the crane plot and was therefore selected for a detailed analysis of host-use patterns. In total, 20 species of Elateridae with 402 adult indi­viduals were sampled, including seven singletons. Species were either flower visiting (Aeolus Eschscholtz and Cosmesus …

Apiomerus Cazieri Berniker And Szerlip (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae) Predaceous On Trichodes Ornatus Say (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae), Jacques Rifkind

Insecta Mundi

The assassin bug Apiomerus cazieri Berniker and Szerlip (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) was observed to prey on the clerid beetle Trichodes ornatus Say (Coleoptera: Cleridae). This observation is the first recorded instance of Trichodes Herbst as a prey insect, and the second record for reduviid predation on Cleridae.

An Approach To Classifying Subjective Cognitive Decline In Community-Dwelling Elders, Laura A. Rabin, Cuilling Wang, Jacqueline A. Mogle, Richard B. Lipton, Carol A. Derby, Mindy J. Katz

Publications and Research

Introduction: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be an early symptomatic man- ifestation of Alzheimer’s disease, though published research largely neglects how to classify SCD in community-based studies.

Methods: In neuropsychologically intact Einstein Aging Study participants (n = 1115; meanage=78;63%female;30%non-White),weusedCoxmodelstoexaminetheasso- ciation between self-perceived cognitive functioning at baseline (using three different approaches) and incident amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) with covariates of age, sex, education, race/ethnicity, general (objective) cognition, depressive symp- toms, and four other SCD-related features.

Results: After a median of 3 years, 198 participants developed aMCI. In models that included all the variables, self-perceived cognitive functioning was consistently asso- ciated …

Water Quality Assessment And Monitoring Of Closed Rearing System Of The Sea Cucumber Holothuria Scabra, Meirinawati Hanny, Prayitno Hanif Budi, Indriana Lisa Fajar, Firdaus Muhammad, Wahyudi A'An Johan

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Sea cucumbers are an essential fishery resource. Therefore, effective aquaculture methods should be developed to achieve their optimal production. Sea cucumbers are susceptible to various environmental factors, one of which is water quality. Monitoring water quality based on physical and chemical parameters should be useful to the rearing system in aquaculture. In practical use, farmers usually monitor only temperature, salinity, and pH, neglecting the essential role of chemical parameters. This review focuses on and urges the monitoring of physical and chemical parameters. We explored the water quality parameters that may be crucial to the sea cucumber rearing system, including temperature, …

New Approaches For Isolation And Characterization Of Extracellular Vesicles, Mehdi Dehghani

Theses

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane vesicles secreted by cells and distributed widely in all biofluids. Extracellular vesicles can modulate the biological activities of the recipient cells. Due to their role in intercellular communication, they are receiving attention for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The first step to better understand EVs and to utilize them as therapeutic and diagnostic tools is to purify them from a variety of biofluids. Membranes have been extensively used for purification of different biological species from biological fluids. As the first aim, a novel microfluidic system, termed as tangential flow for analyte capture (TFAC) was developed to …

177Lu-Labeled Eu-Doped Mesoporous Sio2Nanoparticles As A Theranostic Radiopharmaceutical For Colorectal Cancer, Rodrigo Da Silva Viana, Luciana Amaral De Mescana Costa, Ashlyn C. Harmon, Manoel Adrião Gomes Filho, Eduardo H.L. Falcão, Maria G.H. Vicente, Severino A. Junior, J. Michael Mathis

Faculty Publications

Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society. Colorectal cancer is one of the most significant types of cancer, ranking second in the world's mortality cases. As colorectal cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage of disease progression, effective treatments are necessary. Therefore, radiotherapy has become a fundamental approach in the treatment of colorectal cancer, especially those based on the use of 177Lu. A potential approach to meet this challenge is the use of nanotechnology through the development of radionuclide-based nanomaterials. In this work, we investigated a SiO2-derived class of nanomaterials formed by the insertion of the coordination complex, based on …

Feature Selection Via Random Subsets Of Uncorrelated Features, Long Kim Dang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The role of feature selection is crucial in many applications. A few of these include computational biology, image classification and risk management. In biology, gene expression micro array data sets have been used extensively in many areas of research. These data sets typically suffer from an important problem: the ratio between the number of features over the number of examples is very high. This problem mainly affects prediction accuracy because it is best to collect more labeled examples than features. A correlation based random subspace ensemble feature selector (CCC_RSM) was proposed to handle this problem [5]. In this approach, first …

A Review On The Biodistribution, Pharmacokinetics And Toxicity Of Bismuth-Based Nanomaterials, Samireh Badrigilan, Fatemeh Heydarpanahi, Jalal Choupani, Mehdi Jaymand, Hadi Samadian, Mojtaba Hoseini-Ghahfarokhi, Thomas J. Webster, Lobat Tayebi

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Here, bismuth-based nanomaterials (Bi-based NMs) are introduced as promising theranostic agents to enhance image contrast as well as for the therapeutic gain for numerous diseases. However, understanding the interaction of such novel developed nanoparticles (NPs) within a biological environment is a requisite for the translation of any promising agent from the lab bench to the clinic. This interaction delineates the fate of NPs after circulation in the body. In an ideal setting, a nano-based therapeutic agent should be eliminated via the renal clearance pathway, meanwhile it should have specific targeting to a diseased organ to reach an effective dose and …

Engineering And Application Of A Biosensor With Focused Ligand Specificity, Dennis Della Corte, Hugo L. Van Beek, Falk Syberg, Marcus Schallmey, Felix Tobola, Kai U. Cormann, Christine Schlicker, Philipp T. Baumann, Karin Krumbach, Sascha Sokolowsky, Connor J. Morris, Alexander Grünberger

Faculty Publications

Cell factories converting bio-based precursors to chemicals present an attractive avenue to a sustainable economy, yet screening of genetically diverse strain libraries to identify the best-performing whole-cell biocatalysts is a low-throughput endeavor. For this reason, transcriptional biosensors attract attention as they allow the screening of vast libraries when used in combination with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). However, broad ligand specificity of transcriptional regulators (TRs) often prohibits the development of such ultra-high-throughput screens. Here, we solve the structure of the TR LysG of Corynebacterium glutamicum, which detects all three basic amino acids. Based on this information, we follow a semi-rational engineering …

Variation In Female And Male Dialogue In Buffy The Vampire Slayer: A Multi-Dimensional Analysis, Amber Morgan Sanchez

Dissertations and Theses

Media representations of gender often reflect normative societal beliefs about gender and have the ability to both reinforce and subvert those beliefs. The current study examines the linguistic characterization of male and female characters on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a series with an overt feminist message. Previous studies of gender variation in dramatic dialogue have found that female characters tend to be portrayed as using more linguistic features associated with an interpersonal and emotional focus (involvement), while male characters are portrayed as using more features centered on the transfer of information. Previous research has also found …

Rho Gtpases: Big Players In Breast Cancer Initiation, Metastasis And Therapeutic Responses, Brock Humphries, Zhishan Wang, Chengfeng Yang

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Rho GTPases, a family of the Ras GTPase superfamily, are key regulators of the actin cytoskeleton. They were originally thought to primarily affect cell migration and invasion; however, recent advances in our understanding of the biology and function of Rho GTPases have demonstrated their diverse roles within the cell, including membrane trafficking, gene transcription, migration, invasion, adhesion, survival and growth. As these processes are critically involved in cancer initiation, metastasis and therapeutic responses, it is not surprising that studies have demonstrated important roles of Rho GTPases in cancer. Although the majority of data indicates an oncogenic role of Rho GTPases, …

Saliva-Extracted Dna Is A Noninvasive Sampling Technique For Examining Oprm1 Gene Methylation In Preterm Infants, Linda A. Hatfield, Rebecca K. Hoffman

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Mitigating pain in early life may prevent epigenetic changes that increase an individual"s susceptibility for developing chronic pain. Adverse effects and the quality of the DNA collected challenge the suitability of saliva-extracted DNA. Saliva-extracted DNA is a feasible, noninvasive DNA sampling technique for examining OPRM1 gene methylation in preterm infants.

Adaptive Utility: Observing The Rate Of Adaptation In Happiness As Short Run Shifts Revert To Long Run Averages, Cameron Bellamoroso

Honors Thesis

In economics, human decision-making models are based on the utility, or happiness, a person experiences from the choices they make. Individual happiness is closely tied to societal and global well-being, a common political and and research goal. Psychological studies on happiness show that people generally return to an average level of happiness after experiencing a significant positive or negative change in their life, a process known as the ``hedonic treadmill.'' Empirically, it is often difficult for people to predict the specific utility they will experience from a given choice, leading them to maintain constant preferences for only frequently experienced options. …

A Syndemic Perspective On The Management Of Non-Communicable Diseases Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Uday Narayan Yadav, Binod Rayamajhee, Sabuj Kanti Mistry, Shradha S. Parsekar

Open Access archive

The global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly affected the lives of people living with non-communicable diseases (PLWNCDs). The health of PLWNCDs worsens when synergistic epidemics or “syndemics” occur due to the interaction between socioecological and biological factors, resulting in adverse outcomes. These interactions can affect the physical, emotional, and social well-being of PLWNCDs. In this paper, we discuss the effects of the COVID-19 syndemic on PLWNCDs, particularly how it has exposed them to NCD risk factors and disrupted essential public health services. We conclude by reflecting on strategies and policies that deal with the COVID-19 syndemic among PLWNCDs in …

Matrine Inhibits Cns Autoimmunity Through An Ifn-Β-Dependent Mechanism, Yaojuan Chu, Wendi Ma, Rodolfo Thome, Jie Dan Ping, Fangzhou Liu, Mengru Wang, Mingliang Zhang, Guang-Xian Zhang, Lin Zhu

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Matrine (MAT), a quinolizidine alkaloid component derived from the root of Sophora flavescens, suppresses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), by inducing the production of immunomodulatory molecules, e.g., IL-10. In an effort to find the upstream pathway(s) of the mechanism underlying these effects, we have tested certain upregulated immunomodulatory molecules. Among them, we found increased levels of IL-27 and IFN-β, one of the first-line MS therapies. Indeed, while low levels of IFN-β production in sera and type I interferon receptor (IFNAR1) expression in spinal cord of saline-treated control EAE mice were detected, they were significantly …

Memory-Like Responses Of Brain Microglia Are Controlled By Developmental State And Pathogen Dose, Trim Lajqi, Milan Stojiljkovic, David L. Williams, Hannes Hudalla, Michael Bauer, Otto W. Witte, Reinhard Wetzker, Reinhard Bauer, Christian Schmeer

ETSU Faculty Works

Microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system, feature adaptive immune memory with implications for brain homeostasis and pathologies. However, factors involved in the emergence and regulation of these opposing responses in microglia have not been fully addressed. Recently, we showed that microglia from the newborn brain display features of trained immunity and immune tolerance after repeated contact with pathogens in a dose-dependent manner. Here, we evaluate the impact of developmental stage on adaptive immune responses of brain microglia after repeated challenge with ultra-low (1 fg/ml) and high (100 ng/ml) doses of the endotoxin LPS in vitro. We …

Time For Some Drugs Or Drugs For Some Time, Linda Zhang, Lauren Wilson, Benjamin Pierce

Psychiatry

No abstract provided.

On The Expanding Roles Of Trna Fragments In Modulating Cell Behavior, Rogan Magee, Isidore Rigoutsos

Computational Medicine Center Faculty Papers

The fragments that derive from transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are an emerging category of regulatory RNAs. Known as tRFs, these fragments were reported for the first time only a decade ago, making them a relatively recent addition to the ever-expanding pantheon of non-coding RNAs. tRFs are short, 16-35 nucleotides (nts) in length, and produced through cleavage of mature and precursor tRNAs at various positions. Both cleavage positions and relative tRF abundance depend strongly on context, including the tissue type, tissue state, and disease, as well as the sex, population of origin, and race/ethnicity of an individual. These dependencies increase the urgency …

Interns Continue To Gain Experience Amid Pandemic, University Communications

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

3d-Printed Leg Design And Modification For Improved Support On A Quadruped Robot, Jasmin S. Collins

Maseeh Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

The Agile and Adaptive Robotics Lab aims to uncover the biological and physiological complexities in animal agility and adaptive control, which can be replicated through robotics and provide further applications in biology and medicine. One project within the lab focuses on understanding structure, actuation, and control through the modeling of a canine quadruped robot.

The AARL has developed a full-body quadruped robot with artificial muscles that control limb movement and a body that is built from 3D-printed parts. This specific project involved modification of these existing parts to (a) minimize deflections in the front legs, causing unwanted lateral and abduction/adduction …

Chimes: September 25, 2020, Calvin University

Chimes

West Coast blazes have reshaped students' hometowns by Katherine Benedict

Core curriculum vote delayed to late in semester by Juliana Knot

Calvin students start two new political clubs by Lauren Vanden Bosch

Student senators to provide prizes for using CampusClear by Susannah Epp

Praising in pandemic: how worship apprentices are leading virtual chapel by Alex Raycroft

Intramurals offer new activities for the fall by Ellington Smith

Sanitized over sustainable: how COVID-19 makes reducing waste difficult by Abigail Ham

Modulation Of Rab7a-Mediated Growth Factor Receptor Trafficking Inhibits Islet Beta Cell Apoptosis And Autophagy Under Conditions Of Metabolic Stress, Nirun V. Hewawasam, Fadel Lhaf, Henry A. Taylor, Katrina Viloria, Amazon Austin, Aileen King, P Jones, L Jones, Mark D. Turner, Natasha J. Hill

School of Biomedical Sciences

Abstract Regenerative medicine approaches to enhancing beta cell growth and survival represent potential treatments for diabetes. It is known that growth factors such as insulin, IGF-1 and HGF support beta cell growth and survival, but in people with type 2 diabetes the destructive effects of metabolic stress predominate and beta cell death or dysfunction occurs. In this study we explore the novel hypothesis that regulation of growth factor receptor trafficking can be used to promote islet beta cell survival. Growth factor signalling is dependent on the presence of cell surface receptors. Endosomal trafficking and subsequent recycling or degradation of these …

Experimental Approach And Initial Forest Response To A Simulated Ice Storm Experiment In A Northern Hardwood Forest, Lindsey E. Rustad, John L. Campbell, Charles T. Driscoll, Timothy J. Fahey, Peter M. Groffman, Paul G. Schaberg, Gary J. Hawley, Ian Halm, Frank Bowles, Wendy Leuenberger, Geoffrey Schwaner, Gabriel Winant, Brendan Leonardi

Advanced Science Research Center

Ice storms are a type of extreme winter weather event common to north temperate and boreal forests worldwide. Recent climate modelling studies suggest that these storms may become more frequent and severe under a changing climate. Compared to other types of storm events, relatively little is known about the direct and indirect impacts of these storms on forests, as naturally occurring ice storms are inherently difficult to study. Here we describe a novel experimental approach used to create a suite of ice storms in a mature hardwood forest in New Hampshire, USA. The experiment included five ice storm intensities (0, …

Atrial Myocyte Nlrp3/Camkii Nexus Forms A Substrate For Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation, Jordi Heijman, Azinwi Phina Muna, Tina Veleva, Cristina E Molina, Henry Sutanto, Marcel Tekook, Qiongling Wang, Issam H Abu-Taha, Marcel Gorka, Stephan Künzel, Ali El-Armouche, Hermann Reichenspurner, Markus Kamler, Viacheslav Nikolaev, Ursula Ravens, Na Li, Stanley Nattel, Xander H T Wehrens, Dobromir Dobrev

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

RATIONALE: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common and troublesome complication of cardiac surgery. POAF is generally believed to occur when postoperative triggers act on a preexisting vulnerable substrate, but the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are largely unknown.

OBJECTIVE: To identify cellular POAF mechanisms in right atrial samples from patients without a history of atrial fibrillation undergoing open-heart surgery.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Multicellular action potentials, membrane ion-currents (perforated patch-clamp), or simultaneous membrane-current (ruptured patch-clamp) and [Ca

CONCLUSIONS: Preexisting Ca

Impacts Of Microplastic Fibres On The Marine Mussel, Mytilus Galloprovinciallis, Nashami Alnajar, Awadhesh N. Jha, Andrew Turner

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Paying It Forward: A Gift Economy Of Poetry And Visual Art Images, Susan Gerofsky, Daniel Barney, Mira Gerard

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

As our world has changed rapidly and ineluctably with the COVID-19 pandemic, many are advocating an ethos of generosity and a gift economy, based on generative, creative offerings, as an alternative or balance to the excesses of a mainstream neoliberal exchange economy. What is the gift economy, and how does it entangle us in a fabric of mutual responsibility, obligation, creative practices and love, within the human and greater-than-human world? A Pay-It-Forward New Year's gift game amongst a group of artist/ educators, ongoing since 2014, gives rise to this meditation on the gift economy, based on Mauss, Hyde, Kimmerer, Vaughan …

Full Issue Artizein October 2020, Barbara Bickel, Darlene St.Georges

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Full PDF of the 2020 issue edited by Barbara Bickel with Guest Assistant Editor & Design by Darlene St. Georges