Digital Commons Network^™

Aboveground Herbivory Influences Belowground Defense Responses In Maize, Lise Pingault, Saumik Basu, Prince Zogli, W. Paul Williams, Nathan Palmer, Gautam Sarath, Joe Louis

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The European corn borer (ECB; Ostrinia nubilalis) is an economically damaging insect pest of maize (Zea mays L.), an important cereal crop widely grown globally. Among inbred lines, the maize genotype Mp708 has shown resistance to diverse herbivorous insects, although several aspects of the defense mechanisms of Mp708 plants are yet to be explored. Here, the changes in root physiology arising from short-term feeding by ECB on the shoot tissues of Mp708 plants was evaluated directly using transcriptomics, and indirectly by monitoring changes in growth of western corn rootworm (WCR; Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) larvae. Mp708 defense responses …

Elucidation Of The Microrna Transcriptome In Western Corn Rootworm Reveals Its Dynamic And Evolutionary Complexity, Xiaozeng Yang, Elane Fishilevich, Marcelo A. German, Premchand Gandra, Robert E. Mcewan, André Billion, Eileen Knorr, Andreas Vilcinskas, Kenneth E. Narva

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (western corn rootworm, WCR) is one of the most destructive agricultural insect pests in North America. It is highly adaptive to environmental stimuli and crop protection technologies. However, little is known about the underlying genetic basis of WCR behavior and adaptation. More specifically, the involvement of small RNAs (sRNAs), especially microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of endogenous small non-coding RNAs that regulate various biological processes, has not been examined, and the datasets of putative sRNA sequences have not previously been generated for WCR. To achieve a comprehensive collection of sRNA transcriptomes in WCR, we constructed, sequenced, and analyzed …

A 30-Year History Of Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, Ellipsoptera Nevadica Lincolniana (Casey, 1916) (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Visual Population Estimates, Stephen M. Spomer, Shaun Dunn, Michael I. Fritz

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The federally endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle, Ellipsoptera nevadica lincolniana (Casey, 1916), is found only in the saline wetlands around Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Low numbers of adults seen in the 1980s prompted a study to estimate adult numbers by visual counts. Population estimates were conducted from 1991 to 2020, and adult estimates ranged from a low of 115 in 1993 to a high of 777 in 2002. The beetle has disappeared from six out of twelve sites and the metapopulation has shrunk from three sites in 1991 to one site in 2020. Supplemental releases of laboratory reared larvae began in …

The Body After Representation: Figuring Posthumanist Corporealities In Contemporary Art, Devon Ma

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis discusses the use of bodily matter in contemporary art, identifying an emergent tendency in which artists manipulate the materiality of the body, often via experimental media, as a means of uncovering new modes of racial and gendered embodiment.

The Internet-Extended Mind: The Psychological Ramifications And Philosophical Implications Of Cognitive Offloading, Gloria Choi

Scripps Senior Theses

In this thesis, I explore the internet-extended mind through both philosophical and psychological lenses in order to investigate the questions “To what extent is the mind extended onto the internet and, more generally, outside our bodies?” and “How will an increasingly internet-extended brain change the ways in which humans communicate, remember, and behave?”. First, I introduce the idea of a mind that extends out into the world, instead of lying solely in the brain. Then, I outline existing research that introduces the challenges and implications of an internet-extended mind in an ever-changing internet landscape. Next, I discuss how the internet …

Identification And Sequence Analysis Of Set Superfamily Genes In Hymenopteran Insects, Tanima Joshi

Scripps Senior Theses

Post-translational chemical modifications of histones, the proteins that package DNA, are a key component of the “language” of epigenetics. SET (Suppressor of Variegation 39, Enhancer of Zeste, Trithorax) domain-containing proteins are crucial enzymes that establish histone methylations as a major part of the histone code. Studies using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism have provided most of the known information on SET genes/protein diversity and function in insects. To expand our knowledge of this important protein family, I identified all SET domain-containing genes in a select group of insects belonging to the Hymenoptera order: wasps, bees, ants, …

Racial Disparities In Liver Disease In The Us: Addressing The High Prevalence Of Hepatitis B Infection In The Apia Community, Lindsey L. Trinh, Lindsey Trinh

Scripps Senior Theses

Chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma are some of the leading causes of death in the United States, resulting in a number of annual deaths that has only increased over the past several decades. A vast proportion of these liver-related deaths is due to chronic hepatitis B infection, which currently affects approximately 1.2 million people in the US. However, the hepatitis B virus does not affect every racial group in the United States equally: Asian Americans experience a disproportionately high prevalence of HBV infection. In fact, even though the APIA community comprises only 4% of the US population, they account …

Does Cover Crop Management Affect Arthropods In The Subsequent Corn And Soybean Crops In The United States? A Systematic Review, Gabriela Inveninato Carmona, Leslie Delserone, Julia Nogueira Duarte Campos, Tauana Ferreira De Almeida, Dânia Vieira Branco Ozório, Juan David Betancurt Cardona, Robert J. Wright, Anthony J. Mcmechan

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Cover crops (CC) support populations of pest and beneficial arthropods. The status of these arthropods in the subsequent cash crop depends on several factors such as CC species, management, biomass production, and weather conditions. A systematic review was performed to identify how CC management influences pest and beneficial arthropods and to identify knowledge gaps for the future research efforts. Eight studies included in this review indicated that CC increase beneficial arthropods or some beneficial arthropods compared with the CC managed fields. A minority of the studies indicated an increase in pest presence when using CC. Cover crop species, termination time …

The Comfort Watch: Psychology And Media Theory Perspectives On Nostalgia And Film, Sohni Kaur

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explored the relationship between nostalgia, film, and coping mechanisms,

using both media theory and psychological lenses. Nostalgia, a concept with roots in both media theory and psychology, is best defined as homesickness for a time rather than a place. Nostalgia, when combined with film, leads to the concept of “comfort watches”, a scarcely researched topic. From a psychological standpoint, research suggests that nostalgia and media usage are commonly used coping mechanisms, yet there has been little to no research combining the two. The psychological study included in this thesis was conducted online in the United States using 83 …

Introduction: Latinidad, Memory, And Literature, David A. Colón, Daniel L. Archer

Journal of Latino/Latin American Studies (JOLLAS)

In the early hours of Cinco de Mayo in St. Petersburg, Florida, my grandmother, Carmen Ramos, passed away peacefully in her sleep. Nana had been hospitalized in March with a case of pneumonia that was cause for alarm during the outbreak, but as it turned out, her test for COVID-19 proved negative. Notwithstanding, she was denied visitors, new medical protocols being what they were. This was very different from how she remembered previous hospital stays, busy with family and flowers and Mylar balloons, and when she finally felt like herself again, she badgered staff to discharge her as soon as …

Asymmetry In Mie Scattering By A Homogeneous Sphere, Samuel Hanna

Honors Program Theses

Azimuthal asymmetry is present in the Mie scattering pattern of light scattered by a homogeneous sphere within a uniform medium. This asymmetry is predicted by Mie theory, which describes such scattering mathematically using solutions to Maxwell's equations. This thesis shows that the asymmetry in Mie scattering patterns is related to the polarization of the light incident on the scatterer. This relationship is reflected in the mathematics of Mie theory. Furthermore, this thesis demonstrates empirically that the polarization of the incident light is related to the asymmetry in Mie scattering patterns. Mie scattering by single polystyrene beads was recorded using an …

2015-2016, University Of Memphis Bulletin

Bulletins

University of Memphis bulletin containing the graduate catalog for 2015-2016.

Timing Of Predation Risk During Early Development Influences Oyster Shell Morphology, Armorel Eason, Andrew B. Powell, Sarah H. Roney, Carter Lin, Christa M. Russell, Benjamin A. Belgrad, Delbert Lee Smee

Gulf and Caribbean Research

No abstract provided.

Reducing Disease Exacerbation In Women With Confirmed Copd: A Systematic Literature Review, Jill Essay

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Abstract

A systematic literature review was conducted to establish whether gender specific treatment exists for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), specifically, women with (COPD). The PICO question developed for this review is as follows: In women with confirmed diagnoses of COPD, does gender-specific treatment, compared to standard treatment, impact the frequency of exacerbations? Could the number of COPD exacerbations in women be reduced by incorporating interventions designed with (female) gender in mind? Four databases were included in the search: CINAHL, Pubmed, Medline, and Nursing and Allied Health. Articles included addressed gender differences in relation to the disease process, …

The Impact Of A Plant-Based Diet On The Prevention And Management Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Megan E. Ziola

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Background: In the United States, type 2 diabetes is on the rise. Through lifestyle modifications, adults can prevent, delay, or help manage diabetes. Consuming a plant-based diet means limiting or eliminating animal products while focusing on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. This dietary habit may be beneficial when it comes to diabetes prevention and treatment.

Objectives: A literature review was conducted to determine the effects of a plant-based diet on the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults.

Methods: The search process was limited to 2010-2020. The databases including Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, …

Investigation Of Fermentation Efficiency In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Through Telomere Integrity And Maltase Expression, Dana Bennett

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Many microbreweries practice serial fermentation, or serial repitching. Serial repitching is the process by which one yeast culture is reused for multiple batches of beer. Each batch of subsequent beer is called a “pitch.” This technique helps breweries limit production costs. However, fermentation is difficult to predict throughout serial fermentation. This leads to beer quality issues such as fluctuation in alcohol production, buildup of unwanted flavor compounds, and decreased carbon dioxide production, which results in reduced profit. To combat this issue, many breweries will attempt to predict fermentation efficiency through viable cell counting in order to ensure a consistent number …

Developmental Influences On The Initial Subjective Rewarding Effects Of Etoh, Madison Waldron

Master’s Theses

The present studies were aimed to better understand developmental contributions to the risk for disordered drinking, and facilitate the long-term goal of developing effective interventions for individuals at high risk for alcohol use disorders. Experiment 1 assessed the effect of adolescent pre-exposure to ethanol on adult place preference, as well as, sex- and beta-endorphin(bE)-related contributions. Adolescent C57BL/6J and bE deficient mice were injected with 1.5g/kg of ethanol or saline and put back into their home cages. At the time of adulthood, we employed a single-exposure conditioned place preference paradigm (SE-CPP) to investigate the impact of preexposure on the initial subjective …

Existential Reactions To Modernity: An Analysis Of Lovecraft's Nihilistic Cosmicism & Dostoevsky's Christian Existentialism, Olivia Maikisch

Master’s Theses

Literary representations of existentialism demonstrate the movement’s efficacy as a tool for ideological and personal exploration, particularly as it pertains to issues of identity-formation, the Other, and rising concerns about modernized life. Despite their differences in genre, location, and time period, both H.P. Lovecraft and Fyodor Dostoevsky in their fiction greatly emphasize facets of existentialism as a response to their cultural concerns about modernity. They highlight complex relationships between socio-political concerns, philosophy, and literature in their different uses of existentialist themes. This study places both Dostoevsky’s Christian existentialism and Lovecraft’s nihilistic cosmicism within the existing spectrum of existential thought. The …

Enter Invisible: Atavistic Dualism In Shakespeare, Donne, And Milton, Andrew Scott

Master’s Theses

This thesis explores the different ways in which either dualistic or monistic points of view are represented in select works of William Shakespeare, John Donne, and John Milton. I am relying principally on the broad definition of dualism Ioan Couliano utilizes in his book The Tree of Gnosis. Per Couliano, dualism is not necessarily a discrete tenet of a systematized belief; rather, he means by the word to indicate an intellectual tendency toward splitting certain complex ideas—body and soul, God and man, evil and its opposite, etc.—into separate, sometimes opposing parts. This in contrast to monism, which brings into …

Importance Of Instream Habitat To Recruitment And Community Structure Of Aquatic Invertebrates, Catherine R. Billé

Master’s Theses

This thesis investigates how mechanisms of colonization by aquatic insects, both by ovipositing adults and or larval drift, operate at either micro-, meso-, or macro-scales to influence larval community assemblage in streams. Our study took place in a forested floodplain stream characterized by uniform soft clay and loose detritus substrate. Within this study reach we built three sets of riffles, with each set comprised of three identical riffles built either 15, 10, or 5 m apart. We examined microscale influences on community assemblage by studying recruitment of egg masses to our constructed riffles. We found that riffle habitat additions were …

Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 15. Wallace's Many "Hats": What Should We Call Him?, Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823−1913) has been referred to by name through the aid of a variety of labels – some thirty or more, in fact – that link him to his emphases of attention. How many of these labels are/were justifiable? The assessment here is that he is probably best remembered as a ‘naturalist,’ ‘geographer,’ ‘evolutionist,’ and ‘social critic.’

Biology (Nucleo)Tidings- March 2021, Biology Department Staff

Biology (Nucleo)tidings

News from the Biology Department at Northeastern Illinois University

Protocadherin-19 Expression And Function In Vertebrate Brain Review, Makana Mcguire

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project, a systematic review will be conducted on published studies on protocadherin-19 expression and function in vertebrate central nervous system development in the last 10 years. Protocadherin-19 (pcdh19) is a member of the cadherin superfamily. Cadherins are calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecules show to play important roles in vertebrate tissue development including the formation of the central nervous system. Understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the function of pcdh19 will help aid in understanding disease(s) caused by malfunction of this molecule, and lead to potential strategies for treatment. Data will be collected via online search of databases. The project …

An Enumeration Of Nested Networks, Nathan Cornelius

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Nested networks have several applications in phylogenetics and electrical circuit theory. In many cases, there may exist more than one distinct network which correctly models a given data set. This proposes a combinatorial problem to determine all possible network solutions. In this paper, we partially solve this problem by developing exponential generating functions which enumerate all 1-nested and 2-nested unicyclic networks. We also describe our procedure to directly count all 1-nested and 2-nested networks and provide all 1-nested networks with 7, 8, and 9 terminal nodes.

The Effects Of Increasing Positively Charged Metal Ions Within Synovial Fluid, Kandisi Anyabwile

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects 10% of men and 13% of women over age of 60. It is the degradation of the cartilage between two bones; obesity, age, overuse, or injury are major contributors to the development of this disease. The joint is incapsulated by the synovial sac filled with a viscous solution that aids in lubrication referred to as synovial fluid. If the synovial sac is ruptured due to injury, positive ions (K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Fe³⁺) may affect viscoelastic properties within the sac. The purpose of this …

A Conceptual Proposal For The Epigenetically Causal Relationship Between Parental Ptsd And Inflammatory Disease In Post Hoc Offspring., Emma Griffith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Could a combat veteran's horrific experiences in early-2000s Afghanistan have a direct, biological impact his now-adult daughter's risk of a heart attack later in her life? This concept would have been unapologetically mocked a mere twenty years ago, and it has only been in the past decade that the new field of epigenetics has revealed a distinct possibility for this event to actually take place—for parents' experiences to profoundly influence the biology of their children. The major objective of this research project is to argue for the legitimacy of this theoretical phenomenon by discussing the latest data regarding PTSD's interaction …

Academics’ Motivations To Engage In Espionage For The People’S Republic Of China, Kevin Feezel

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This work will explore and detail the methods of Chinese espionage used to steal information and technology from other countries using researchers, scientists, and academics. It will describe how this type of espionage is conducted, who is targeted, what types of information and technology are stolen, why this is the chosen method and the components of the successes and failures of this method of espionage. It will specifically focus on the Chinese Thousand Talents Program, recently officially identified by the United States as a form of Chinese espionage.

Effects Of E-Cigarette Vapor On Zebrafish Cell Regeneration And Wound Healing, Alyssa A. Grismer, Jenna E. Pumneo, Brian Bagatto

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In regards to wound healing, smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes is known to have negative effects on wound healing (Akoz, 2002). An increased risk of skin necrosis has been observed in patients who smoke throughout the surgical process (Akoz, 2002). It is known that nicotine, whether introduced through inhalation or intravenously, leads to peripheral skin vasoconstriction (Akoz, 2002). The full physiological effects of e-cigarettes are not known and research is being done to improve our understanding on the effects that these products may have on our bodies. This research is intended for that purpose. Zebrafish have recently been used as a …

Comparing Various Robust Estimation Techniques In Regression Analysis, Tracy S. Morrison

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In regression analysis, the use of the ordinary least squares (OLS) method is inadvisable when dealing with outlier or extreme observations. As a result, we require a method of robust estimation in which the estimation value is not significantly affected by outlier or extreme observations. Four methods of estimation will be compared in this paper in order to determine the best estimation: the M estimation method, the Least Trimmed Square Estimator, the S-estimation method, and the MM estimation method in robust regression. We discover that the best method is the MM-estimation method in this study. The M-estimation method is an …

The Characterization Of Purified Citrate-Coated Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Prepared Via Hydrothermal Synthesis, Matthew L. Hancock, Robert A. Yokel, Matthew J. Beck, Julie L. Calahan, Travis W. Jarrells, Eric J. Munson, George A. Olaniyan, Eric A. Grulke

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Hypothesis

Cerium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using a hydrothermal approach with citric acid as a stabilizing agent. Citric acid adsorption onto the nanoceria particle surface can cease particle formation and create a stable dispersion for an extended shelf life. The product was dialyzed immediately following the synthesis to remove unreacted cerium that could contribute to biological effects. Nanoparticle characterization results are expected to help identify the surface citrate bonding structure.

Experiments

Many characterization techniques were utilized to determine size, morphology, surface properties, and citrate complexation on the nanoceria particle surface. These included transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, dynamic …