Digital Commons Network^™

Comparison Of Downstream Cell Survival Responses In Huvecs And Hlecs During Vegf Signaling, Haley M. Smith, Thomas Vandergon

Featured Research

Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are vital processes that allow the formation of new blood and lymph vessels from existing vessels to bring oxygen and vital nutrients to the body. These processes occur through Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) signaling to vascular endothelial cells where they bind to cell surface receptors. There are a variety of responses to these signals including cell proliferation, migration and survival. In this study Human Umbilical Vascular Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) and Human Lymphatic Endothelial Cells (HLECs) were stressed with Tunicamycin and supplemented with various VEGF signals to examine how cell survival pathways might respond during VEGF signaling. …

Reduced Ability Of Drought-Effected Plants To Assimilate Carbon Dioxide, Adrian Alvarado, Francisco De Mendiola, Julia Namkoong, Yunni Zhai

Featured Research

As a group, we hypothesized that plants affected by the drought will absorb less CO2 compared to those that are irrigated regularly by Pepperdine University. In order to test this out we used the Carbon Dioxide CO2 transmitter which analyzed the carbon dioxide levels and conduction of three leaves that are under the drought and three leaves that are fully irrigated. The results were outstanding. As we hypothesized, the irrigated leaves had significantly higher CO2 and photosynthesis values than the leaves that were in the drought. The results are clearly reflected in the data, and consistent with the initial hypothesis. …

What You Can Do About The Negative Effects Of Methane, Jb Maza, Laurel Rodewald, Ashley Thurmond

Featured Research

Our central objective was to investigate the apparent rise in methane emissions and whether or not they are having a negative effect on the environment. By themselves, methane emissions are natural and self-regulating (and thus do not cause damage to the atmosphere), but our thesis is that a build up of methane emissions as a result of increased human activity/negligence poses a threat to the environment, and needs to be addressed in the quest to live sustainably. In our research, we chose to focus specifically on one source of methane emissions: permafrost, both because there is a significant amount of …

Initial Post-Fire Resprout Success Of Q. Agrifolia, J. Californica, And P. Racemosa In Sycamore Canyon, Frida Morales, Sawyer Mcgale, Drew Bowers, Zahra Madraswala, Michael Mori

Featured Research

Resprouting after fire and during a drought can be one of the greatest challenges a plant faces. This phenomena was observed and recorded in three different species of trees: P. racemosa, Q. agrifolia, and J. californica, all located in the Sycamore Canyon study site in Pt. Mugu State Park. P. racemosa was hypothesized to initially be the most successful post fire resprouter. The rationale for this is that the DBH and deciduous factor would cause the tree's vascular system to survive and possess usable starches to power resprouting. The data was analyzed and found to support the hypothesis.

Community Structure And Differential Mortality Of Chaparral During Extreme Drought, Keb Doak, Allison Hubbard, Alawna Jamison

Featured Research

We have set out to find, in extreme drought, which species of chaparral are dominant and why they are dominating. We thought that the indicator species of chaparral, Adenostoma fasciculatum, would have highest relative density, relative frequency, and dominance in our research area. Additionally, plants with higher water potential values would have lower percentages of mortality. Chaparral with stronger ability to fluoresce (higher Fv/Fm value) would have lower mortality percentages due to their ability to dissipate excess energy, and therefore reduce water loss. By analyzing our vegetation area using point-quarter sampling system, we were able to record data that show …

Effects Of Personal Gardens On The Reduction Of Atmospheric Co2 And Climate Change, Jacqueline N. Brody, Paige L. Elson, Brittany V. New

Featured Research

This study aims to explore the long-term benefits of home gardening if every student at Pepperdine were to hypothetically sustain their own home garden in the state of California and the effect that this would have on state carbon absorption as a means of decreasing atmospheric CO2 and reducing further climate change.

Measuring Performance Of A Weedy Species (Nicotania Glauca) Vs. A Native Species (Venegasia Carpesioides) On The Pepperdine Campus, Emily J. Blair, Zach G. Coffman, Celina Y. Jones

Featured Research

This study investigated four different mechanisms of growth performance of a native chaparral species, Venegasia carpesioides, and a weedy species, Nicotiana glauca. The research group hypothesized that one or more of the following variables would be higher for the weedy species than the native species: photosynthetic rate, conductance, fluorescence, and electron transport rate (ETR). This hypothesis was formulated in order to provide a plausible explanation for why weedy species often outcompete native species when grown in proximity to each other, especially in a chaparral environment experiencing drought conditions. This hypothesis was tested by obtaining two groups of each species and …

Water Analysis Of The Malibu Lagoon And Pacific Ocean, Emily E. K. Kelly, Jillian S. Unruh, Maxwell K. Gamboa

Featured Research

This experiment tested the waters of the Malibu Lagoon and the Pacific ocean to compare levels of E.coli. We hypothesized that greater amount of E.coli would be present in the waters of the Malibu Lagoon. Because of the runoff and pollution existing in the lagoon, we predicted that higher levels of this bacteria would be found there. This study is significant because many organisms living in these waters can be negatively effected by large levels of E.coli. We used the most probable number method to determine the amounts of bacteria. A collection of samples from three testing sites in both …

Climate Change And Drought In California, Jake Szarzynski, Wei Zhang, Brennan Tatem

Featured Research

we believe that there is a correlation between the increasing frequency and duration of droughts in California and climate change. The first step to solving any problem, such as a drought, is to identify the cause of the problem. As a result of the research conducted, we can determine that it is possible that climate change is a leading cause to droughts. We hope that by providing evidence that climate change is causing droughts, people will become aware that climate change does have negative results that we experience on a daily basis. We used several different scholarly resources when conducting …

Coreopsis Gigantea And Ice Plant Relationship On Point Dume, Lizzie Fichtner, Mccartney Ruff, Sean Hanson

Featured Research

This study looks to determine the affects of the non-native ice plant on the native Coreopsis gigantea located at Point Dume in Malibu, California. After examining the size of the Coreopsis we were able to identify that they were smaller in height when growing next to the ice plant and greater height when farther away. We concluded that the Coreopsis does survive next to the ice plant, however its growth is restricted. Through our research we discovered many factors that could attribute to the growth difference, yet further research is necessary to decipher the main one.

Post-Fire Recovery Of Juglans Californica In Sycamore Canyon: Gas Exchange Performance Of Unburned Mature And Burned Epicormic And Basal Resprouts, Taylor Stucky, Gabby Gurule-Small

Featured Research

Sycamore Canyon experienced a fire during April of 2013. This allowed for the comparison of burned and unburned individuals in the area. Based on its resprouting types and abundance in the area, Juglans californica made for a good test species. A total of eighteen individuals were tagged and used with a LiCor6400-XT to find fluorescence, Jmax, Vcmax, TPU, gm, photosynthesis, and conductance. Leaf samples were sent to California State University, Bakersfield for Nitrogen analysis to obtain PPNUE and percent nitrogen (with specific leaf area). These data were compared between unburned mature, and burned basal and epicormic resprouts. ANOVA testing established …

Seedling Survival After Novel Drought-Induced Germination In Ceanothus Megacarpus, Amanda M. Burns

Featured Research

As California is experiencing what is believed to be the worst drought in 500 years, monitoring the change of vegetation is of utmost importance. This spring we observed novel germination of Big Pod Ceanothus seedlings (Ceanothus megacarpus). Germination was novel in that seeds typically require a fire heat cue but in this particular case, germination was likely due to excessive soil temperatures resulting from drought-induced canopy reduction. This is a phenomenon not well known to science as Ceanothus megacarpus seedlings are typically not found between fire events. We believe this results from increased soil temperatures due to greater openings in …

Assessment Of P38 And Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase (Erk) In Regulating Apoptosis During Low And High Er Stress, Zachary G. Coffman

Featured Research

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an important organelle within the cell that has many functions including protein folding. When the protein folding capabilities of the ER are compromised ER stress occurs. Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) and p38 are MAP kinases that are induced as a result of ER stress. ERK is a protein that has been associated with cell proliferation and survival while p38 is a protein that has been associated with apoptosis, which is programmed cell death. The objective of this study was to measure ERK and p38 induction over time during low and high ER stress. Another objective …

Elevation’S Effect On Malosma Laurinais Leaf Size, Callyn E. Shelley, Nathan R. Gehring

Featured Research

Our hypothesis was that the average leaf size of Malosma laurinais would be different at high and low elevations due to the variance in temperature and solar radiation. This is especially relevant considering the severe drought conditions of California. Testing the factors of growth for chaparral may help ecologists to better understand how the plants cope with abnormalities in the ecosystem. Our study examined variance in Malosma laurinais leaf length, width, area, curvature, and thickness at high elevation (610 meters to 629 meters) and low elevation (27 meters to 53 meters) located along Sycamore Canyon. Differences were only significant in …

Flow-Induced Dilation Of Skeletal Muscle Feed Arteries: Relevance To Exercise Hyperemia, Brittni M. Moore, Jeffrey L. Jasperse

Featured Research

During exercise, an increase in blood flow to working skeletal muscle is accomplished by dilation of arteries and arterioles supplying the muscle. Arterioles, located within contracting muscle, are exposed to dilatory metabolites released by the muscle; however, the mechanism by which feed arteries, located external to the muscle, dilate is still unknown.

One potential mechanism for feed artery dilation is flow-induced dilation, occurring when arteries dilate in response to increased vascular wall shear stress. Shear stress is the frictional force between blood and the arterial wall, which increases when blood flow velocity increases. Data from previous in vitro experiments (8) …

Foliar Water Uptake And Resurrection: Mechanisms Of Drought Tolerance In Eight Species Of Ferns In The Santa Monica Mountains, Victoria M. Lekson

Featured Research

In a region where drought is severe, ecological surveys provide insight into the adaptations of organisms living on the edge of survival. In this study, the mechanisms of drought tolerance for eight species of ferns in the Santa Monica Mountains were assessed with a focus on foliar water uptake and resurrection strategies. We find that species are significantly different (P < 0.001) in their ability to absorb water through leaves (assessed gravimetrically) and correlate this to minimum seasonal water potential and hydrophobicity of leaf surfaces. Secondly, we irrigated Pentagramma triangularis in the field and tracked chloroplast recovery. We found possible evidence of embolism reversal. Taken together, this study explored the methods of survival of the most ancient family of vascular plants.

Approaches To Restoration: Assessing The Roles Of Structure And Function In Saltmarsh Restoration In Light Of Climate Change, Abby O. Pearson Ms

All Student Scholarship

The aim of this thesis is to review the current goals and methods for salt marsh restoration, to question how those goals and methods may change in light of global change, and to present a case study that offers a look at the kinds of information that can be gleaned by studying both structure and functionality in restoration.

Life Beneath The Surface Of The Central Texan Balcones Escarpment: Genus Anillinus Casey, 1918 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Bembidiini): New Species, A Key To The Texas Species, And Notes About Their Way Of Life And Evolution, Igor M. Sokolov

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

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 …

Structure-Functional Prediction And Analysis Of Cancer Mutation Effects In Protein Kinases, Anshuman Dixit, Gennady M. Verkhivker

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

A central goal of cancer research is to discover and characterize the functional effects of mutated genes that contribute to tumorigenesis. In this study, we provide a detailed structural classification and analysis of functional dynamics for members of protein kinase families that are known to harbor cancer mutations. We also present a systematic computational analysis that combines sequence and structure-based prediction models to characterize the effect of cancer mutations in protein kinases. We focus on the differential effects of activating point mutations that increase protein kinase activity and kinase-inactivating mutations that decrease activity. Mapping of cancer mutations onto the conformational …

Instructional Scientific Humor In The Secondary Classroom, Francine Wizner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study is an examination of the manner in which educators employ scientific content humor and how that humor is perceived by their students. Content humor is a useful strategy in drawing the attention of students and improving their receptivity toward scientific information. It is also a useful tool in combating the growing distractions of the electronic classroom. Previous studies have found that humor has a positive effect on knowledge, memory, and understanding. However, few studies have been conducted below the undergraduate level and mainly quantitative measures of student recall have been used to measure learning. This study employed multiple …

Biology Discipline Assessment Plan 2014-2017, Biology Discipline

Assessment of Student Learning Reports

No abstract provided.

Full Issue: Volume 8, Number 1

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

No abstract provided.

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 …

The Foliose Bangiales (Rhodophyta) In The Northern Part Of The North Atlantic And The Relationship With The North Pacific Foliose Bangiales - Diversity, Distribution, Phylogeny And Phylogeography, Agnes Mols-Mortensen

Doctoral Dissertations

Foliose Bangiales species have a long history of study in the North Atlantic, but regions, especially in the northern parts, need more attention. Based on both new collections and herbarium material from Iceland, the Faroe Islands, West Greenland, UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Northwest Atlantic coast (from Newfoundland to Florida) the aim was to document diversity and distribution of foliose Bangiales species in the North Atlantic and to make floristic comparisons between the geographical areas. Species Identification was based on DNA sequences using the mitochondrial cox1, chloroplast rbcL and 3' rbcL + 5' rbcL-S markers. The North Atlantic species …

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 …

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 …

The Distribution Of Fitness Effects Of Spontaneous Mutations In Vibrio Fischeri, Chelsea K. Jones

Honors Theses and Capstones

Mutations are the ultimate source of the biological diversity on which natural selection acts, but the vast majority of these mutations are harmful. As such, mutations lead to disease states like cancer, extinction of small populations, and can drive pathogen evolution. Unfortunately, because mutations are rare and past studies have been subject to detection biases, very little is known about the distribution of fitness effects from naturally occurring mutations. In this study, we used mutation accumulation and full genome sequencing to capture naturally occurring mutations before they were exposed to the sieve of natural selection in Vibrio fischeri. We …

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 …

Effects Of Rev Protein On Microtubule Arrays In Living Cells, Nayana M. Nikumbh

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The HIV protein Rev regulates the expression of essential viral proteins during the course of infection by a mechanism that is well understood. It promotes nuclear export of viral transcripts, normally retained in the nucleus owing to the presence of introns, by interacting with host cell transport factors. However, over-expression of Rev in cells leads to defects in cell cycle progression, specifically slowing growth and impairing progression through mitosis (43). While it is possible that Rev may be altering the proteins in transport pathways, cell cycle defects may be attributed to Rev's interactions with other proteins.

In vitro experiments show …