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Cytotoxicity Of Zno Nanoparticles Can Be Tailored By Modifying Their Surface Structure: A Green Chemistry Approach For Safer Nanomaterials, Alex Punnoose, Kelsey Dodge, John W. Rasmussen, Jordan Chess, Denise Wingett, Catherine Anders

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

ZnO nanoparticles (NP) are extensively used in numerous nanotechnology applications; however, they also happen to be one of the most toxic nanomaterials. This raises significant environmental and health concerns and calls for the need to develop new synthetic approaches to produce safer ZnO NP, while preserving their attractive optical, electronic, and structural properties. In this work, we demonstrate that the cytotoxicity of ZnO NP can be tailored by modifying their surface-bound chemical groups, while maintaining the core ZnO structure and related properties. Two equally sized (9.26 ± 0.11 nm) ZnO NP samples were synthesized from the same zinc acetate precursor …

Evolution Of The Morphology Of Bottom Walking Turtles, Victor David Munteanu

Honors Theses

Ecomorphology and functional morphology are two distinct disciplines within biology that are often conflated and erroneously used interchangeably. By investigating the morphological distinctiveness of bottom-walking turtles relative to aquatic swimmers and terrestrial walkers, we can disentangle the effects of ecology and performance. Shell morphology, tail length, digit length, webbing length, and integumental differences were examined using dry and wet preserved specimens. Bottom-walkers were hypothesized to be distinct in all measurements. Instead, bottom-walkers were typically distinct from terrestrial taxa but not aquatic taxa, although for integumentary structures, only bottom-walkers were found to have significantly more integumentary structures than terrestrial turtles. This …

Alteration Of Host Cell Ubiquitination By The Intracellular Bacterial Pathogen Coxiella Burnetii, Lindsey Elizabeth Pritchett

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The intracellular bacterial agent of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii, replicates within a phagolysosome-like parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in human macrophages and delivers effector proteins to the host cytosol via a Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS). T4SS effectors are critical for PV formation and prevention of host cell death that allows sufficient time for bacterial replication. Recruitment of ubiquitin-related components to the C. burnetii PV is also predicted to be involved in PV formation and bacterial replication and is likely controlled by effector proteins. In this study, we assessed the role of the Dot/Icm T4SS in regulating ubiquitination by comparing subcellular …

Colonization Of Intestinal Pathogen Changes The Gut Microbiota, Kaitlyn Shondelmyer

Senior Honors Theses

Enterohemorrhagic Escherechia coli is a serious human pathogen causing bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome. It is difficult to study in animal models, but pathogenesis may be modeled in mice with the similar murine pathogen, Citrobacter rodentium. C. rodentium does not cause disease in streptomycin-treated mice, suggesting that it is competition with other facultative anaerobes that triggers pathogenesis. Streptomycin-treated mice were co-colonized with C. rodentium and a commensal E. coli strain. The intestinal microbiota of each group was observed over a 15-day period using quantitative PCR. Colon weights were also measured over the same period. Results indicate that the …

Sexual Dimorphism Of Staminate- And Pistillate-Phase Flowers Of Saponaria Officinalis (Bouncing Bet) Affects Pollinator Behavior And Seed Set, Dana A. Dudle, Leah M. Freestone, Peter Konieczny, Michael B. Tobin, Michael M. Britton

Biology Faculty publications

The sequential separation of male and female function in flowers of dichogamous species allows for the evolution of differing morphologies that maximize fitness through seed siring and seed set. We examined staminate- and pistillate-phase flowers of protandrous Saponaria officinalis for dimorphism in floral traits and their effects on pollinator attraction and seed set. Pistillate-phase flowers have larger petals, greater mass, and are pinker in color, but due to a shape change, pistillate-phase flowers have smaller corolla diameters than staminate-phase flowers. There was no difference in nectar volume or sugar content one day after anthesis, and minimal evidence for UV nectar …

Chronic Corticosterone Exposure Persistently Elevates The Expression Of Memory-Related Genes In The Lateral Amygdala And Enhances The Consolidation Of A Pavlovian Fear Memory, Melissa S. Monsey, Lara M. Boyle, Melinda L. Zhang, Caroline P. Nguyen, Hope G. Kronman, Kristie T. Ota, Ronald S. Duman, Jane R. Taylor, Glenn E. Schafe

Publications and Research

Chronic exposure to stress has been widely implicated in the development of anxiety disorders, yet relatively little is known about the long-term effects of chronic stress on amygdala-dependent memory formation. Here, we examined the effects of a history of chronic exposure to the stress-associated adrenal steroid corticosterone (CORT) on the consolidation of a fear memory and the expression of memory-related immediate early genes (IEGs) in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA). Rats received chronic exposure to CORT (50 μg/ml) in their drinking water for 2 weeks and were then titrated off the CORT for an additional 6 days followed …

Effects Of Prey Abundance On Breeding Season Diet Of Northern Goshawks (Accipiter Gentilis) Within An Unusual Prey Landscape, Robert A. Miller, Jay D. Carlisle, Marc J. Bechard

Intermountain Bird Observatory Publications and Presentations

A critical element of diet analysis is species adaptability to alternative prey sources. The breeding-season diet of Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) includes both mammalian and avian species, varies geographically, and is often dependent upon tree squirrels of the genera Sciurus andTamiasciurus. We studied alternative prey sources of Northern Goshawks in the South Hills of south-central Idaho, an area where tree squirrels are naturally absent and other prey frequently important in the diet of goshawks, such as smaller corvids, are uncommon. We quantified the diet of goshawks using nest cameras and surveyed abundance of prey using line …

Spring 2014

Scientia

Q&A with Dean Koocher; Proud graduate discovers love of learning at DePaul; Intrepid biologist inspires lifelong lessons; Student organization spotlight: Psi Chi; Smart phones and synthetic bone capture Associate Professor Gabriela Gonzalez Aviles' interest; All for DePaul; Lab notes

Genome Wide Association Mapping Of Grain Arsenic, Copper, Molybdenum And Zinc In Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Grown At Four International Field Sites, Gareth J. Norton, Alex Douglas, Brett Lahner, Elena Yakubova, Mary Lou Guerinot, Shannon R.M Pinson, Lee Tarpley, George C. Eizenga, Steve P. Mcgrath, Fang-Jie Zhao

Dartmouth Scholarship

The mineral concentrations in cereals are important for human health, especially for individuals who consume a cereal subsistence diet. A number of elements, such as zinc, are required within the diet, while some elements are toxic to humans, for example arsenic. In this study we carry out genome-wide association (GWA) mapping of grain concentrations of arsenic, copper, molybdenum and zinc in brown rice using an established rice diversity panel of ~300 accessions and 36.9 k single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The study was performed across five environments: one field site in Bangladesh, one in China and two in the US, with …

C. Elegans Cep-1/P53 And Bec-1 Are Involved In Dna Repair, Sandy Hoffman, Daniel Martin, Alicia Meléndez, Jill Bargonetti

Publications and Research

p53 is a transcription factor that regulates the response to cellular stress. Mammalian p53 functions as a tumor suppressor. The C. elegans p53, cep-1, regulates DNA-damage induced germline cell death by activating the transcription of egl-1 and ced-13. We used the C. elegans model to investigate how, in the whole animal, different forms of DNA damage can induce p53-dependent versus p53-independent cell death and DNA repair. DNA damage was induced by ultraviolet type C (UVC) radiation, or 10-decarbamoyl mitomycin C (DMC, an agent known to induce mammalian p53-independent cell death). Wild-type or cep-1 loss-of-function mutant animals were assayed for germline …

Tribute To Tinbergen: The Place Of Animal Behavior In Biology, Joan E. Strassmann

Biology Faculty Research

Tinbergen is famous for emphasizing behavioral fieldwork and experimentation under natural circumstances, for founding the field of ethology, for getting a Nobel Prize, and for mentoring Richard Dawkins. He is known for dividing behavior studies into physiology, development, natural selection, and evolutionary history. In the decades since Tinbergen was active, some of the best research in animal behavior fuses Tinbergen's questions, connecting genes to behavioral phenotypes, for example. Behavior is the most synthetic of the life sciences, because observing the actions of an organism can tell us what all those physical and physiological traits are for. Insights from behavior tell …

The Influence Of Topographic And Dynamic Cyclic Variables On The Distribution Of Small Cetaceans In A Shallow Coastal System, Marijke N. De Boer, Mark P. Simmonds, Peter J.H. Reijnders, Geert Aarts

Ecology Collection

The influence of topographic and temporal variables on cetacean distribution at a fine-scale is still poorly understood. To study the spatial and temporal distribution of harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena and the poorly known Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus we carried out land-based observations from Bardsey Island (Wales, UK) in summer (2001–2007). Using Kernel analysis and Generalized Additive Models it was shown that porpoises and Risso’s appeared to be linked to topographic and dynamic cyclic variables with both species using different core areas (dolphins to the West and porpoises to the East off Bardsey). Depth, slope and aspect and a low variation …

The Covert World Of Fish Biofluorescence: A Phylogenetically Widespread And Phenotypically Variable Phenomenon, John S. Sparks, Robert C. Schelly, W. Leo Smith, Matthew P. Davis, Dan Tchernov, Vincent A. Pieribone, David F. Gruber

Publications and Research

The discovery of fluorescent proteins has revolutionized experimental biology. Whereas the majority of fluorescent proteins have been identified from cnidarians, recently several fluorescent proteins have been isolated across the animal tree of life. Here we show that biofluorescence is not only phylogenetically widespread, but is also phenotypically variable across both cartilaginous and bony fishes, highlighting its evolutionary history and the possibility for discovery of numerous novel fluorescent proteins. Fish biofluorescence is especially common and morphologically variable in cryptically patterned coral-reef lineages. We identified 16 orders, 50 families, 105 genera, and more than 180 species of biofluorescent fishes. We have also …

Evaluating Cecal Ligation And Puncture- Induced Kidney Injury In Diabetic Meprin Deficient Mice, Kasheena Burris

Theses

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD), and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Key histological changes observed in DN include accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Meprins are metalloproteinases that are abundantly expressed in the brush border membranes of proximal kidney tubules. Meprins are also expressed in leukocytes (monocytes and macrophages) and podocytes. Meprins cleave/degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as collagen IV, collagen VI, fibronectin, laminin, and nidogen-1 in vitro. Meprins have been implicated in the pathology of DN. Sepsis is a complex medical condition, where the …

Lifelines Winter 2014, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

The Winter 2014 issue of Lifelines contains articles on a dinosaur dig in Wyoming, student missions to Lebanon, an alumni feature, undergraduate research, and a pictorial directory of 2014 biology and allied health graduates.

Relationship Between Canopy Location And Tensile Strength Of Leave Of Heteromeles Arbutifolia In Malibu, Ca, Elena Witham, Melinda Marchiano, Danielle Reynolds

Featured Research

Our hypothesis is that canopy location has an effect on the characteristic tensile strength of leaves, with the leaves on the top of the canopy having greater strength than the leaves on the bottom. We tested our experiment by sampling leaves from the top and bottom of three H. arbutifolia specimens, obtaining raw measurements of size, and testing the tensile strength of each leaf using the Instron. We performed t-tests on the data to determine if the average length, width, thickness, and tensile strength were statistically different depending on if our p values were < 0.05 when top and bottom leaves of the same tree were compared. We chose a chapparral stand removed from heavy human traffic and influence, eliminating as many extraneous variables as possible by taking leaves from the same tree of the same age from the same position on the branch and chose three trial specimen of similar height in the same area to reduce the possibility of varying sunlight exposure or water supply from affecting leaf morphology in a way that canopy position would not. The results show that blade length between top and bottom is statistically significantly different, while blade thickness and lateral strength at midsection were not statistically different. From our analysis of the data, it is clear that leaves on the bottom of the plant were longer and broader than leaves on the top, but we determined that canopy location does not have a major effect on tensile strength or thickness, supporting a null hypothesis.

Relationship Between Canopy Location And Tensile Strength Of Leaves Of Heteromeles Arbutifolia In Malibu, Ca, Elena Witham, Melinda Marchiano, Danielle Reynolds

Featured Research

Our hypothesis is that canopy location has an effect on the characteristic tensile strength of leaves, with the leaves on the top of the canopy having greater strength than the leaves on the bottom. We tested our experiment by sampling leaves from the top and bottom of three H. arbutifolia specimens, obtaining raw measurements of size, and testing the tensile strength of each leaf using the Instron. We performed t-tests on the data to determine if the average length, width, thickness, and tensile strength were statistically different depending on if our p values were < 0.05 when top and bottom leaves of the same tree were compared. We chose a chapparral stand removed from heavy human traffic and influence, eliminating as many extraneous variables as possible by taking leaves from the same tree of the same age from the same position on the branch and chose three trial specimen of similar height in the same area to reduce the possibility of varying sunlight exposure or water supply from affecting leaf morphology in a way that canopy position would not. The results show that blade length between top and bottom is statistically significantly different, while blade thickness and lateral strength at midsection were not statistically different. From our analysis of the data, it is clear that leaves on the bottom of the plant were longer and broader than leaves on the top, but we determined that canopy location does not have a major effect on tensile strength or thickness, supporting a null hypothesis.

Enzymatic Activity In The Chorion For Hatching In The California Grunion, Emily R. Pierce, Vince V. Quach, Karen L. Martin

Featured Research

Leuresthes tenuis is a small, silverside fish that spawns on the beaches during some of the highest tides of the summer months. Of the many unique traits to the species including that the eggs develop fully out of water to the point of hatching competence but will not hatch until presented with an environmental cue, which causes them to hatch in less than a minute. The purpose of this study is to better understand the role of enzymes called chorionases, which act to break down the chorion (egg membrane). I hypothesize that the chorion begins to weaken in this species …

A Rare View Of Coding Mutations And Plasma Lipid Levels, Aniruddh Pradip Patel

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

A RARE VIEW OF CODING MUTATIONS AND PLASMA LIPID LEVELS. Aniruddh P. Patel, Sekar Kathiresan. Center for Human Genetics Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA and Program in Medical and Population Genetics, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA (Sponsored by Richard P. Lifton, Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT).

Plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) are quantitative, heritable risk factors for coronary heart disease. Genome-wide association screens (GWAS) of common DNA sequence variants have identified many loci associated with plasma lipid levels. Targeted …

Ubiquitin-Proteasome System Modulates Platelet Function, Nilaksh Gupta

ETD Archive

Atherothrombotic diseases are responsible for more than 25 of all deaths worldwide. Anti-platelet drugs are the mainstay treatment because of the direct involvement of platelets in the initiation and propagation of thrombosis. However, the currently available anti-platelet drugs, such as antagonists of platelet receptors or of effector systems participating in platelet activation, have their own limitations. A new mode of affecting platelet reactivity may prove to offer unique advantages in a host of clinical settings. Proteasome inhibitors are in clinical use to treat hematologic cancers, but also reduce thrombosis. Whether the proteasome participates in platelet activation or function is opaque …

Acute And Chronic Rejection: Compartmentalization And Kinetics Ff Counterbalancing Signals In Cardiac Transplants, Anupurna Kaul

ETD Archive

Heart disease is the major cause of mortality in the United States and other parts of the world. Heart transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with end stage heart failure. However, transplanted organs fail due to either acute or chronic rejection. This acute and chronic rejection impacts distinct compartments of cardiac allografts. Acute rejection is characterized by infiltration of mononuclear cells whereas chronic rejection is characterized by progressive narrowing of coronary arteries. In a minor histoincompatibility mismatch mouse model we found hearts transplanted from male to female C57BL/6 mice undergo an acute rejection with diffuse interstitial infiltrates at …

Trypanosoma Brucei Telomere Functions In Antigenic Variation, Unnati M. Pandya

ETD Archive

Trypanosoma brucei is a protozoan parasite that causes sleeping sickness in humans and Nagana in cattle. They evade the host's immune defense by periodically switching their major surface antigen, variant surface glycoprotein (VSG), a phenomenon termed antigenic variation. Inside its mammalian host, bloodstream form (BF) T. brucei monoallelically expresses its major surface molecule VSG from the VSG Expression Sites (ESs) located at subtelomeric loci. Monoallelic VSG expression ensures effective antigenic variation and maximizes the efficiency of T. brucei pathogenesis. In the mid-gut of its insect host (tsetse), procyclic form (PF) T. brucei expresses procyclins as the major surface molecules and …

Study Of Role Of Ribosomal Protein L13a In Resolving Inflammation, Darshana Poddar

ETD Archive

Inflammation is an obligatory attempt of the host immune system to protect the body against infection. However, unregulated synthesis of pro-inflammatory products can have detrimental effects. Though mechanisms which contribute to inflammation are well appreciated, those that resolve inflammation are poorly understood. Therefore, understanding the molecular basis of such pathways will provide an entirely novel approach to treat and prevent inflammatory diseases. Transcript-selective translational control can regulate the expression of a set of inflammatory genes. We have identified one such mechanism in a novel animal model which relies on the abrogation of ribosomal protein L13a-dependent translational silencing by creating macrophage-specific …

Evaluation Of The Three-Dimensional Patterns And Ecological Impacts Of The Invasive Old World Climbing Fern (Lygodium Microphyllum), Alexis Maldonado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasion by non-native species has had significant ecological and economic impacts on a global scale. In the state of Florida, Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum) is an invasive plant listed by FLEPPC as a category one invader with significant ecological impacts that threaten native plant diversity. This species relies on existing vegetative structures for support to climb into the forest canopy and forms dense mats that cover tree crowns. This subsequently affects the resources available to other species present. Quantifying the structural changes due to the presence of this species has proved logistically difficult, especially on a large spatial …

Origins Of The Classical Gene Concept, 1900–1950: Genetics, Mechanistic, Philosophy, And The Capitalization Of Agriculture, Garland E. Allen

Biology Faculty Research

In the period of “classical genetics” (roughly 1915–1950), the common view of the gene was mechanistic—that is, genes were seen as individual, atomistic units, as material components of the chromosomes. Although it was recognized early on that genes could interact and influence each other’s expression, they were still regarded as individually functioning units, much like the chemists’ atoms or molecules. Although geneticists in particular knew the story was more complex, the atomistic gene remained the central view for a variety of reasons. It fit the growing philosophy of mechanistic materialism in the life sciences, as biologists tried to make their …

Reproductive Phase Determination In Male Meagre (Argyrosomus Regius, Sciaenidae): Testis Development And Histologic Corroboration Of A Gross Anatomical Scale, Nuno Prista, Leonel Gordo, Jose L. Costa, Maria J. Costa, Cynthia M. Jones

OES Faculty Publications

Reproductive stage determination of male gonads has received sparse attention in fish biology literature with few studies detailing the building of gross anatomical-and histologic scales. The meagre (Argyrosomus regius) is one of the world's largest sciaenids and supports a significant regional fishery in European and North African waters whose reproductive patterns are yet to be fully investigated. In the present study, we derive a macroscopic grading system for meagre testis using semi-quantitative graphs that feature the testis variability along the species size range and time of the year. We then describe the histological stages and reproductive phases of …

An Avian Survey Conducted At Five Water Sources Within The Northern Chihuahuan Desert On Indio Mountains Research Station, Texas, Geoffrey Hugh Wiseman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study was to conduct an avian survey of five water sources (four ephemeral former cattle tanks and one perennial spring), determine how many species inhabit or use Indio Mountains Research Station, and show a hierarchal similarity between the survey sites. This survey was conducted in a Chihuahuan Desert scrub landscape on Indio Mountains Research Station (IMRS) in Hudspeth County, Texas. There have been no previous formal studies of the avifauna at IMRS. All species accounts or sightings have been from casual sightings.

Eighty-five avian species were recorded during this project bringing the total of avian species …

Measurments Of Haptoglobin, Serum Amyloid A, Fibrinogen, And Leukocytes To Evaluate Stress In Organically Managed, Pasture-Fed And Conventional Managed, Totally Mixed Ration-Fed Jersey Cattle., Dorothy Ann Perkins

Master's Theses and Capstones

In cattle sub-acute inflammatory disorders are difficult to assess because visual symptoms of diseases are not easily detectable with large numbers of dairy cattle in loose housing. In addition, inflammation is not always followed by leukocytosis in cattle, which makes the use of common blood tests like total white blood cell counts less reliable as a diagnostic tool. More sensitive and objective methods are needed to evaluate health status. Research has been focused on the use of acute phase proteins (APPs) to diagnose acute and chronic illness in cattle, because acute phase proteins respond very quickly when an inflammation event …

Co-Evolution Of Mitochondrial And Nuclear Genomes In Caenorhabditis , Emily Elaine Hill

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear and mitochondrial genomes have co-adapted through evolution. Interactions between these genomes are required for mitochondrial functions. My goal was to determine how divergence of these interactions affected mitochondrial function and organismal fitness. The impact of divergence between Caenorhabditis briggsae populations and between C. briggsae and its sister species, C. nigoni was assessed. To accomplish this, four sets of hybrid lines were constructed. Each hybrid line possessed the nuclear genome of one parental strain and mitochondria from another parental strain. Two sets of hybrid lines were constructed from strains derived from different C. briggsae populations. The other two were constructed …

Effect Of Increased Temperature And Decreased Food Quality On Metabolism And Growth Of An Algivorous Cichlid, Tropheus Duboisi And Effect Of Food Habit On The Field Metabolism Of African Cichlids., Lesley Yu-Jung Kim

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The metabolic rate of an organism is influenced by mass, temperature, and diet. Climate change is anticipated to increase ambient temperatures of aquatic systems and decrease the quality of food available to algivorous fish. We conducted a lab experiment and a field study to quantify the influence that temperature and diet have on standard and field metabolic rate of cichlids from Lake Tanganyika. The lab experiment demonstrated the effects of increased temperature and decreased food quality on the relative growth rate (RGR) and standard metabolic rate of an algivorous cichlid, Tropheus duboisi. We found that in all temperature treatments fish …