Digital Commons Network^™

Can The Insertion Of An E. Coli Shine-Dalgarno Sequence Upstream Of M. Ruber Proa Of The Proba Operon Enhance Its Expression, As Measured By A Complementation Assay Using E. Coli Null Strains?, Matthew D. Murphy, Dr. Lori Scott

Meiothermus ruber Genome Analysis Project

The process by which the thermophilic bacteria Meiothermus ruber (M. ruber) synthesizes the amino acid proline is examined in this paper. In the well-studied E. coli system, proline biosynthesis involves three enzymes ProA, ProB and ProC; proA and proB form the proBA operon and both proA and proB possess an upstream Shine-Delgarno sequence; and ProB is functionally dependent on ProA as components of a ProBA complex. In previous studies in Dr. Scott’s lab, the putative M. ruber proA (locus tag Mrub1079), proB (Mrub1080) and proC (Mrub1345) genes were cloned into the pKt1 expression vector, transformed into the corresponding …

Using Social Justice And Intersectionality To Improve Stakeholder Conflict In Conservation: A Transdisciplinary Solution, Ana V. Gomez

Biology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The social sciences can help to further our causes and help limit conflict within conservation efforts.

A New Algorithm For “The Lcs Problem” With Application In Compressing Genome Resequencing Data, Richard Beal, Tazin Afrin, Aliya Farheen, Donald Adjeroh

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background: The longest common subsequence (LCS) problem is a classical problem in computer science, and forms the basis of the current best-performing reference-based compression schemes for genome resequencing data.

Methods: First, we present a new algorithm for the LCS problem. Using the generalized suffix tree, we identify the common substrings shared between the two input sequences. Using the maximal common substrings, we construct a directed acyclic graph (DAG), based on which we determine the LCS as the longest path in the DAG. Then, we introduce an LCS-motivated reference-based compression scheme using the components of the LCS, rather than the LCS …

Changes In Cytoskeleton Proteins In Hsv-1 Infection Of J774a.1 Macrophage Phenotype, Riham Abbas Subahi

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The cell cytoskeleton, a unique intracellular matrix found in all eukaryotes, is composed of three main protein structures, microtubules, microlaments and intermediate laments. The cytoskeleton maintains cell shape and internal structures providing mechanical support that facilitates intracellular transport (Parker et al., 2014). Many viruses such as the herpesviruses use the cytoskeleton system of the cell for infectivity (Henry Sum, M. S. 2015). HSV-1 utilizes the cell cytoskeleton in many steps of its life cycle from entry through assembly to egress (Lyman et al., 2008). During infection, HSV-1 viral proteins cause drastic changes and rearrangement of the cellular actin and cell …

Tag-Team Takeover: Usurpation Of Woodpecker Nests By Western Bluebirds, Sammy Cowell, Hannah Domgaard, Phil Fischer, Teresa Lorenz, Sara Lorscheider, Mariah Panoussi, Lindsey Parrish, Taryn Rodman, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

The Confluence Of Philosophy And Biology: An Excavation Of Philosophical Issues In Molecular And Developmental Biology, Patrick Johnson Mendie, Emmanuel Bassey Eyo (Ph.D)

Journal of Health Ethics

Philosophical evaluations have played an influential role in the growth and development of molecular and developmental biology to ensure that every individual is born healthy, born wanted and has the privilege to fulfil his or her potentials for a life free from disease and disability. This is why it becomes necessary for biologists to carefully understand human genes, evolution, cells and general human anatomy to fulfil this project. During this process, they are faced with challenges where they also lack the foundation on how to solve them. This challenge gave birth to a philosophical excavation of molecular and developmental biology. …

Full Issue: Volume 10, Number 1

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

No abstract provided.

Aristotle's Clivus Naturae, John Thorp

Philosophy Presentations

It is usually thought that Aristotle's understanding of the soul sees it has having four distinct parts, cumulatively arranged, resulting in a kind of scala or ladder: all living things have the nutritive and reproductive soul; animals have, in addition, the sensitive soul, and most of them also the locomotive soul; only humans have all these plus the intellective soul. This ladder-like picture emerges from his theoretical work de Anima. In his more empirical studies, though, the discreteness of these levels is softened, and the image is more that of a clivus or slope, rather than a scala or ladder …

Development Of A Testicular Cancer Vaccine, Roberto Aguilar Iii

ETD Archive

Testicular cancer mainly affects men between the ages of 20 and 35 but is the most common male neoplasm between the ages of 15 and 34. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that localized testicular cancer has a recurrence rate of 15-20% and tumors that are Sertoli or Leydig cell derived fail to respond to chemotherapy or radiation treatments. The recurrence rate may increase to 32% if at diagnosis the tumor is greater than 4 cm in size with invasion of the rete testes. To improve therapy for testicular cancer, we examined the usefulness of a testicular cancer vaccine. We …

Calorie Restriction Effect On Circadian Clock Gene Expression, Sonal Arvind Patel

ETD Archive

Calorie Restriction (CR) is a powerful paradigm known to delay aging and thus increase longevity in several organisms, from yeast to non-human primates. Many molecular pathways have been proposed to mediate the beneficial effects of CR, however, the mechanism is still unknown. Circadian clock which is an internal time keeping system is regulated by feeding. Thus our aim was to study the effect of CR on the circadian clock. Here we show that CR significantly affects the expression of circadian clock genes in mice at the mRNA and protein levels, suggesting that CR reprograms the clocks at the transcriptional and …

The Role Of Rnase L In Type I Diabetes And Development Of Quantitative Lc-Ms/Ms Methods For The Pharmacological Studies Of Anti-Cancer Drug Candidates, Chun Zeng

ETD Archive

PROJECT I: The cause of type I diabetes continues to be a focus of investigation. In this study, we found that 2-5A dependent RNase L (RNase L), an IFN-a-inducible enzyme that functions in IFN action against viruses and cell proliferation, played an important role in dsRNA-induced onset of type I diabetes. By using RNase L deficient RIP-B7.1 mice which are more vulnerable to environmental harmful factors such as viral infection, we demonstrated that deficiency of RNase L in mice resulted in a significant delay of diabetes onset induced by polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), a type of dsRNA, and streptozotocin (STZ). …

Suppression Of Pulmonary Innate Immunity By Pneumoviruses, Jayeeta Dhar

ETD Archive

Pneumonia Virus of Mice (PVM) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) are negative sense, single-stranded, enveloped RNA viruses from Pneumovirus genus, Paramyxoviridae family. RSV is the leading cause of respiratory diseases in infants. PVM causes similar respiratory illness in mice. PVM is used as an animal model to study RSV pathogenesis because of its similarity with RSV infection. Viral infection induces type I interferon (IFN) response as an antiviral strategy. PVM and RSV both have two non-structural (NS) proteins that are known to be IFN antagonists. While RSV can target different signaling components of IFN pathway, the mechanism of IFN suppression …

Effects Of Hypoxic Conditions On Skeletal Myoblasts, Shuai Zhao

ETD Archive

Hypoxic injury in skeletal muscle occurs in response to musculoskeletal traumas, diseases and following reconstructive and transplantation surgeries. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for hypoxic injury in skeletal myoblasts have yet to be fully investigated. Understanding of these molecular mechanisms would identify potential therapeutic targets. Herein, we have determined that treatment with cobalt chloride (CoCl2, a hypoxia mimicking agent) first leads to an inhibition of proliferation followed by a decrease in the number of viable myoblasts over time. FACS analysis revealed a marked increase in G2/M arrest after 24 hours of treatment. We next assessed PARP cleavage, a well-known hallmark …

Structure-Function Relationship Between Quercetin, Its Methylated Derivatives And Cytotoxicity In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Jyoti Phatak

Master's Theses

Quercetin is a member of the flavonoid family, found in fruits and vegetables, and has

shown cytotoxic effects on many cancers, including breast cancer. Quercetin’s methylated derivatives, 3-O-methyl quercetin, pentamethyl quercetin, isorhamnetin, and tamarixetin, differ in their substitution patterns of the methyl capping at the 5-hydroxyl groups. Cell death assays performed on MDA-MB-231 cells showed increased cytotoxicity with quercetin and all its methylated derivatives, except pentamethyl quercetin, after 72 hours of treatment. Loss of the mitochondrial outer membrane potential (MOMP) was seen using a JC-1 assay after 15 min incubation with compounds, except for pentamethyl quercetin. We saw no change …

Channeled Whelk (Busycotypus Canaliculatus) Ecology In Relation To The Fishery In Vineyard And Nantucket Sounds, Massachusetts, Shelley Ann Edmundson

Doctoral Dissertations

Channeled whelks (Busycotypus canaliculatus) are predatory marine gastropods that support lucrative commercial fisheries along the east coast of the United States, with areas around Massachusetts supplying the largest landings. In the absence of a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of channeled whelk biology, it is unclear how to sustainably manage their fisheries. Within this dissertation, various aspects of whelk ecology were investigated to determine how to protect this species, while effectively managing the local fishery.

Early life history experiments revealed channeled whelk egg strings may incubate for 8 to 9 months in MA water temperatures. Incubation period decreased with increasing …

A Revision Of The Genus Eremoleon Banks (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae: Nemoleontini), Robert B. Miller, Lionel A. Stange

Insecta Mundi

Descriptions or diagnoses are given for 36 species of New World Eremoleon including 12 new species:

Eremoleon attenuatus, E. durangoensis, E. jacumba, E. jamaica, E. inca, E. monagas, E. morazani, E. pygmaeus, E.

samne, E. tanya, E. tepuyiensis and E. venezolanus. A neotype is designated for Hesperoleon atomarius Navás 1933.

The larvae of 25 species are described and keyed. Keys to the adults and larvae are given, and biological notes are

provided. Twenty-five species were reared from larvae found in cave mouths, rock overhangs, or other less common

habitats; for example, E. nigribasis were found in deep recesses of …

First Record Of The Bermuda Grass Scale Odonaspis Ruthae Kotinsky, 1915 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) In Colombia, José Mauricio Montes Rodríguez, Takumasa Kondo

Insecta Mundi

The Bermuda grass scale Odonaspis ruthae Kotinsky, 1915 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) is reported for the first time in Colombia. The scale insect was collected in two localities, in northwestern and southwestern Colombia. This is the first record of the tribe Odonaspidini in Colombia. Aspects of the distribution and biology of the species are discussed. A key to separate the species of Odonaspis recorded in the Neotropical region is provided.

Se registra por primera vez la escama del pasto Bermuda Odonaspis ruthae Kotinsky, 1915 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) en Colombia. El insecto escama fue recolectado en dos localidades, una al noroccidente y …

Morphological Comparisons Of Five Species Of Tamarins In Peru, Leila M. Porter, Tyler D. Kotowski

Honors Capstones

Tamarins of the genus Leontocebus (formerly Saguinus), subfamily Callitrichinae, represent one of the most diverse primate taxa but detailed information about their phylogeny is still lacking. Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have led to the reclassification of many taxa. In Peru, ten subspecies of tamarins were reclassified as eight new species and four new subspecies based on genetic differences among these taxa. However, no one has attempted to determine whether these new “genetic species” have distinguishable morphological traits. To do this, we examined twenty crania and skins representing five Peruvian “genetic species” housed in the Mammals Collection at the Field Museum …

Investigation Of The Localization And Expression Of The G-Protein Coupled Receptor Fshr-1 In C. Elegans Neurons, Kyle Cherry

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Neurons communicate at specialized junctions called synapses. Synaptic transmission occurs when presynaptically released neurotransmitters bind to receptors either continuing (excitatory) or stopping (inhibitory) the signal in the postsynaptic cell. Excitatory to inhibitory (E:I) balance is critical for proper neurological function. This balance is achieved through the function of various proteins such as the ubiquitin ligase, the anaphase promoting complex (APC). My thesis project focuses on one potential APC substrate, a G protein-coupled receptor called FSHR-1, and its role in synaptic transmission at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) in Caenorhabditis elegans. Previous data from our lab and others showed that worms lacking …

A Comparison Of Macrofaunal And Algal Communities In Oyster Aquaculture Gear, An Eelgrass Bed, Oyster Reef, And A Mudflat In Great Bay, New Hampshire, Megan Elizabeth Glenn

Master's Theses and Capstones

Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and eelgrass (Zostera marina) are important ecosystem engineers in Great Bay, NH, however despite restoration efforts they have been in decline. In addition to loss of the resource, this degradation results in loss of associated ecosystem services such as habitat provision. It is possible that the recent increase in oyster farming in Great Bay could help mitigate habitat loss. My research objective was to quantify the biotic communities present in three natural habitats (eelgrass beds, oyster reefs and mudflats) in Great Bay NH and compare those to communities living on the type of gear (“racks and bags”) …

Understanding, Evaluating, And Diagnosing Undergraduate Student Difficulties With Graph Choice And Construction, Aakanksha Angra

Open Access Dissertations

Creating effective graphical representations of biological data is an essential component in the practices of science and involves engaging concepts and skills of quantitative literacy. With undergraduate biology students increasingly involved in scientific inquiry and experimentation, they are faced with the task of choosing and creating appropriate graphical representations of their data to communicate their findings. However, difficulties with graph choice and construction that were previously documented in literature, still exist today at both the K-12 and undergraduate levels. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the reasoning involved behind choosing certain graph types and the process that occurs …

The Health Exception, Monica E. Eppinger

All Faculty Scholarship

The abortion doctrine laid out in Roe v. Wade permits a procedure necessary to preserve the life or the health of the pregnant woman, setting out what has come to be called the “life exception” and the “health exception.” This Article investigates the background and antecedents of the health exception, identifying three periods of formation and change up to the drafting of the Model Penal Code in 1959. It argues that theories of health lie at the heart of legal doctrine, shaping common-law treatment of abortion and persisting in nineteenth- and twentieth-century statutes. This account reveals origins of a health …

How High School Biology Students Epistemically Frame Project-Based Learning, Vincent Amodeo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

Biology Discipline 5-Year Plan 2016-2021, Biology Discipline

Assessment of Student Learning Reports

No abstract provided.

Reproduction And Recruitment Of American Lobster (Homarus Americanus) In The Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire, Elizabeth M. Morrissey

Master's Theses and Capstones

The overall goal of this research project was to determine if lobsters reproduce and settle in the Great Bay estuary (GBE), NH. First, I mapped the distribution and abundance of ovigerous lobsters carrying late-stage eggs in the estuary, during May and June of 2015. Ovigerous lobsters were concentrated in Little Bay and adjacent sections of the Piscataqua River, with CPUE in these areas of 0.12 ± 0.02 lobsters/trap haul. Very few were found in the regions furthest from the coast. Next, egg samples were collected from these lobsters, as well as from ovigerous lobsters captured along the NH coast and …

3: "The Current Extinction: Defaunation & Ecosystem Disruption", Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

Information taken from: Dirzo, R. et al (2014). Defaunation in the Anthropocene. Science, 345(401).

Scientists estimate, conservatively, that there are 5 to 9 million different animal species on the planet. But that number is continually changing, and unfortunately, dropping, as we are likely losing 11,000- 58,000 species annually, and evidence suggests that on average, there has been a decline of about 28% in terms of numbers of individuals within a species over the last four decades. Both of these statistics are vitally important. The critical nature of the first is perhaps more obvious, as total loss of a species is …

2a: "Illinois Carbon Dioxide Emissions Activity", Sarah O'Leary-Driscoll, Crystal Randall

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

Your goal for this activity is to compare the different sources of carbon dioxide emissions, stemming from the consumption of fossil fuels, in Illinois. To do this you will be working with data spanning from 1980 to 2012.

The Greenhouse Effect: Does The Concentration Of Carbon Dioxide Affect The Air Temperature In A Closed Environment?, Climate Science Investigations - Nasa

Ecosystem Disruption & Climate Change

The purpose of this lesson is to investigate the effect of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration on air temperature in a closed environment.

Full Issue: Volume 9, Number 2

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

No abstract provided.

When The Leaves Fall: Modeling Seasonal Variation Of Litter Flux In An Urban Forest, Scott W. Oswald

Honors College Theses

I propose a statistical model to describe the seasonal variation in forest litter flux rates. To examine the effectiveness of the proposed model and to estimate the model parameters, a small set of litter flux data was collected. Data collection was continuous from November 2014 to January 2016. Model parameters were estimated from the data. Using the estimated parameters, the model was applied to an existing dataset to provide some evidence of the model's potential to predict future litter flux rates. While the model did reasonably fit the data, it only had some limited success at prediction. Future research is …