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Changes In Perceived Self-Efficacy And Attitude Toward Science And Teaching Science In Elementary School, Betsy Ann Sullivan

Dissertations

This study was developed in an effort to ascertain if a proposed biological laboratory curriculum as developed and modeled by the instructor would affect the attitudes and perceived self-efficacy towards science, science teaching and ability to learn science of pre-service elementary teachers. Self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies were incorporated as the variation. Attitudinal topics investigated were the perceived ability to learn science and to teach science.

Students in one biology for non-science majors' biology laboratory class at the University of Southern Mississippi participated in this case study. The group participated in the modified laboratory section which utilized SRL activities, including reflections …

Effects Of Transforming Growth Factor Beta1 On Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome, Stephanie Flynn James

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Impaired Structural Connectivity Of Socio-Emotional Circuits In Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study, Stephanie H. Ameis, Jin Fan, Conrad Rockel, Aristotle N. Voineskos, Nancy J. Lobaugh, Latha Soorya, A. Ting Wang, Eric Hollander, Evdokia Anagnostou

Publications and Research

Background Abnormal white matter development may disrupt integration within neural circuits, causing particular impairments in higher-order behaviours. In autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), white matter alterations may contribute to characteristic deficits in complex socio-emotional and communication domains. Here, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tract based spatial statistics (TBSS) to evaluate white matter microstructure in ASD. Methods/Principal Findings DTI scans were acquired for 19 children and adolescents with ASD (∼8–18 years; mean 12.4±3.1) and 16 age and IQ matched controls (∼8–18 years; mean 12.3±3.6) on a 3T MRI system. DTI values for fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity and axial …

A Novel Mutation In The Hsd17b10 Gene Of A 10-Year-Old Boy With Refractory Epilepsy, Choreoathetosis And Learning Disability, Laurie H. Seaver, Xue-Ying He, Keith Abe, Tina Cowan, Gregory M. Enns, Lawrence Sweetman, Manfred Philipp, Sansan Lee, Mazhar Malik, Song-Yu Yang

Publications and Research

Hydroxysteroid (17beta) dehydrogenase 10 (HSD10) is a mitochondrial multifunctional enzyme encoded by the HSD17B10 gene. Missense mutations in this gene result in HSD10 deficiency, whereas a silent mutation results in mental retardation, X-linked, syndromic 10 (MRXS10). Here we report a novel missense mutation found in the HSD17B10 gene, namely c.194T>C transition (rs104886492), brought about by the loss of two forked methyl groups of valine 65 in the HSD10 active site. The affected boy, who possesses mutant HSD10 (p.V65A), has a neurological syndrome with metabolic derangements, choreoathetosis, refractory epilepsy and learning disability. He has no history of acute decompensation or …

The Grizzly, November 10, 2011, Liz Kilmer, Nick Pane, Jordan Demcher, Ron Stranix, Lisa Jobe, Rosie Clark, Jenna Yaich, Sarah Bollert, Jane Helmick, Kahlil Pitman, Marina Mccann, Sara Hourwitz, Sabrina Mcgettigan, Victoria Cameron, Jacquelyn Heikel, James Noebels

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Dean Judith Levy Announces Retirement • Faculty to Challenge Students in Charity Game • Students Offered "Working World" Experience • Student Spearheads Peer Advocacy Program • "Which Fork?" Prepares Students • Senior Spends Summer Interning at Arts Center • Committee Kicks Off Preparation for 29th Annual Airband Event • UC Junior Wins Miss NJ "Most Photogenic" • Best Buddies Forms Lasting Bonds • Opinion: Graduation Date Change Helps More Than Hurts; Bring Back "Baby Bio" for Non-Science Majors • Men's Basketball is Young, but Well-Prepared • Women's Basketball Turns to Senior Leadership • Women's Track & Field Ready for Championship …

Cervical Remodeling/Ripening At Term And Preterm Delivery: The Same Mechanism Initiated By Different Mediators And Different Effector Cells, Juan M. Gonzalez, Zhong Dong, Roberto Romero, Guillermina Girardi

Publications and Research

Background Premature cervical remodeling/ripening is believed to contribute to preterm delivery (PTD), the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Despite considerable research, the causes of term and PTD remain unclear, and there is no effective treatment for PTD. We previously demonstrated that complement activation plays a causative role in cervical remodeling that leads to PTD in mice. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we found that complement activation is not required for the physiological process that leads to term delivery in mice. Neither increased C3 cervical deposition nor increased C3a and C5a serum levels were observed at term. In addition, macrophages infiltration …

Lifelines Fall 2011, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

The Fall 2011 issue of Lifelines features articles on biology student research, the pre-professional campout, and new professors Dr. Timothy Trott and Dr. Lucinda Hill.

Biol 4103 Course Proposal 09/29/2011, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

$1.5 Million Gift Establishes Endowed Professorship In Biological Sciences, Lawrence University

Press Releases

An abiding belief in the value of education and the importance of the biological sciences in the liberal arts curriculum has led a former Lawrence University biology major and her husband — Charlot and Dennis Singleton of Atherton, Calif. — to establish a new endowed professorship at the college with a $1.5 million gift.

Professor of Biology Bart De Stasio has been named the first holder of the Singleton Professorship in the Biological Sciences. Appointments to endowed professorships are made in recognition of academic and artistic distinction through teaching excellence and/or scholarly achievement.

“Bart’s outstanding research record and his exemplary …

Lytopylus Förster (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae) Species From Costa Rica, With An Emphasis On Specimens Reared From Caterpillars In Area De Conservación Guanacaste, Michael J. Sharkey, Stephanie Clutts, Erika M. Tucker, Daniel Janzen, Winnie Hallwachs, Tanya Dapkey, M. Alex Smith

Entomology Faculty Publications

Twelve species of Costa Rican Lytopylus are treated; these include all species reared from Lepidoptera caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, over 32 years of caterpillar inventory, as well as two species recorded in the literature as occurring in Costa Rica. Ten new species are described, i.e., Lytopylus bradzlotnicki, Lytopylus colleenhitchcockae, Lytopylus gregburtoni, Lytopylus jessicadimauroae, Lytopylus jessiehillae, Lytopylus mingfangi, Lytopylus rebeccashapleyae, Lytopylus robpringlei, Lytopylus sandraberriosae, Lytopylus vaughntani. The following species are transferred to Lytopylus: Metriosoma flavicalcar Enderlein 1920 to Lytopylus flavicalcarcomb. n.; Bassus macadamiae Briceño and Sharkey 2000 to Lytopylus macadamiaecomb. n.; Metriosoma bicarinatum Enderlein 1920 to Lytopylus …

Phosphodiesterase-4 Inhibition Alters Gene Expression And Improves Isoniazid – Mediated Clearance Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis In Rabbit Lungs, Selvakumar Subbian, Liana Tsenova, Paul O'Brien, Guibin Yang, Mi-Sun Koo, Blas Peixoto, Dorothy Fallows, Veronique Dartois, George Muller, Gilla Kaplan

Publications and Research

Tuberculosis (TB) treatment is hampered by the long duration of antibiotic therapy required to achieve cure. This indolent response has been partly attributed to the ability of subpopulations of less metabolically active Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to withstand killing by current anti-TB drugs. We have used immune modulation with a phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor, CC-3052, that reduces tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) production by increasing intracellular cAMP in macrophages, to examine the crosstalk between host and pathogen in rabbits with pulmonary TB during treatment with isoniazid (INH). Based on DNA microarray, changes in host gene expression during CC-3052 treatment of Mtb infected …

The Hedgehog Receptor Patched Is Involved In Cholesterol Transport, Michel Bidet, Olivier Joubert, Benoit Lacombe, Marine Ciantar, Rony Nehmé, Patrick Mollat, Lionel Brétillon, Hélène Faure, Robert Bittman, Martial Ruat, Isabelle Mus-Veteau

Publications and Research

Background Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling plays a crucial role in growth and patterning during embryonic development, and also in stem cell maintenance and tissue regeneration in adults. Aberrant Shh pathway activation is involved in the development of many tumors, and one of the most affected Shh signaling steps found in these tumors is the regulation of the signaling receptor Smoothened by the Shh receptor Patched. In the present work, we investigated Patched activity and the mechanism by which Patched inhibits Smoothened. Methodology/Principal Findings Using the well-known Shh-responding cell line of mouse fibroblasts NIH 3T3, we first observed that enhancement of …

A New Undergraduate Curriculum On Mathematical Biology At University Of Dayton, Muhammad Usman, Amit Singh

Mathematics Faculty Publications

The beginning of modern science is marked by efforts of pioneers to understand the natural world using a quantitative approach. As Galileo wrote, "the book of nature is written in the language of mathematics". The traditional undergraduate course curriculum is heavily focused on individual disciplines like biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics rather than interdisciplinary courses. This fragmented teaching of sciences in majority of universities leave biology outside the quantitative and mathematical approaches. The landscape of biomedical science has transformed dramatically with advances in high throughput experimental approaches, which led to the huge amount of data. The best possible approach to generate …

An Examination Of Laboratory Activities For Elements Of Inquiry In Arkansas Secondary Biology Courses, Michele E. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

In the last 20 years, several panels recommended improving science teaching by incorporating inquiry approaches into K-12 classrooms. These panels assert that inquiry improves student learning in large part by giving students ownership. However, many teachers still present labs that simply call for students to follow written directions. This cookbook approach is the antithesis of inquiry. To take a "snap shot" of biology teaching, I surveyed Arkansas biology teachers to 1) determine teachers' qualifications, 2) assess the labs that they considered their "best" via a rubric that assesses inquiry activities, and 3) discover the reasons teachers valued certain labs. The …

Ecology, Daisy Wang, Yipsel Ramos

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Goals/TEKS:

(10) The student knows that biological systems are composed of multiple levels. The student is expected to:

(C) analyze the levels of organization in biological systems and relate the levels to each other and to the whole system.

(11) The student knows that biological systems work to achieve and maintain balance. The student is expected to:

(B) investigate and analyze how organisms, populations, and communities respond to external factors;

(C) summarize the role of microorganisms in both maintaining and disrupting the health of both organisms and ecosystems

*(D) describe how events and processes that occur during ecological succession can …

Global Environmental Problems, The Isa Way, Mitzi Moore, Kathleen Pedder

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit asks freshmen to verbally advocate for an assigned policy option from an assigned roll, during a simulation in which they work in teams to influence a mock Presidential Advisory Panel on Environmental Issues. Learning the content (global environmental problems), researching, and collaborating to establish a position will take one month and be taught primarily through Biology and World Geography classes, with support from Math and Multimedia. They will also read Ishmael in English class, and extend their understanding of sustainability issues by taking a week-long field trip immediately following the simulation.

Bamboo People—An Interdisciplinary Unit For High School, Mitzi Moore

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

A summer assignment asks students to read the book Bamboo People, by Mitali Perkins, and complete assignments in every class that are connected to the book. At the beginning of the school year, teachers use the assignments to extend the learning and help students understand the major themes of the book (child soldiers, landmines, literacy, and service to others). A video conference with the author is planned, as well as interactions with people familiar with modern-day Myanmar/Burma. The culminating activity is to bring all the assignments together in one place by publishing a blog post.

Transformation Of Arabidopsis Thaliana With Heat Stress-Related Genes From A Copaifera Officinalis Expressed Sequence Tag Library, Samuel R. Zwenger

Dissertations

This dissertation has three components: (1) discovery of genes involved in heat stress-related processes derived from a tropical plant known as the diesel tree (C. officinalis) by means of an expressed sequence tag (EST) library, (2) stable transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana with C. officinalis heat stress-related genes and (3) assessing the degree to which C. officinalis heat-stress associated genes provide thermotolerance in transgenic A. thaliana. This dissertation project has important plant biotechnological components as well as agriculturally important themes. Global climate change is predicted to result in elevated temperatures over the next century and so studying the influence of heat …

Histone Modifications Influence Mediator Interactions With Chromatin, Xuefeng Zhu, Yongqiang Zhang, Gudrun Bjornsdottir, Zhongle Liu, Amy Quan, Michael Costanzo, Marcela Davila Lopez, Jakub Orzechowski Westholm, Hans Ronne, Charles Boone, Claes M. Gustafsson, Lawrence C. Myers

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Mediator complex transmits activation signals from DNA bound transcription factors to the core transcription machinery. Genome wide localization studies have demonstrated that Mediator occupancy not only correlates with high levels of transcription, but that the complex also is present at transcriptionally silenced locations. We provide evidence that Mediator localization is guided by an interaction with histone tails, and that this interaction is regulated by their post-translational modifications. A quantitative, high-density genetic interaction map revealed links between Mediator components and factors affecting chromatin structure, especially histone deacetylases. Peptide binding assays demonstrated that pure wild-type Mediator forms stable complexes with the …

Using The Communication In Science Inquiry Project Professional Development Model To Facilitate Learning Middle School Genetics Concepts, Dale R. Baker, Elizabeth B. Lewis, Sibel Uysal, Senay Purzer, Michael Lang, Perry Baker

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This study describes the effect of embedding content in the Communication in Inquiry Science Project professional development model for science and language arts teachers. The model uses four components of successful professional development (content focus, active learning, extended duration, participation by teams of teachers from the same school or grade level) and instructional strategies for inquiry, academic language development, written and oral discourse, and learning principles as components of science activities. Teachers were given a pre/ post-institute genetics assessment. There was a statistically significant increase in scores for the entire sample and a statistically significant difference between science and language …

Transcriptional Analysis Of Schistosoma Mansoni Treated With Sub-Lethal Doses Of The Anthelmintic Drug Praziquantel, Jarrett Hines-Kay

Biology ETDs

Schistosoma mansoni is one of the most common etiological agents responsible for the disease schistosomiasis. More than 200 million people suffer from this disease making it the most severe tropical disease after malaria in terms of morbidity. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the treatment of choice for schistosomiasis and has been used almost exclusively to treat the disease since the 1970s. However, while the drug is lethal for sexually mature schistosomes, it is ineffective against juveniles. Thus, while morbidity can be eased, a cure is difficult to achieve. As a result there is an urgent need to develop a new generation of …

Mathematical Modeling And Dynamical Analysis Of The Operation Of The Hypothalamus - Pituitary - Thyroid (Hpt) Axis In Autoimmune (Hashimoto's) Thyroiditis, Balamurugan Pandiyan

Dissertations (1934 -)

This thesis is a mathematical modeling study of the operation of the negative feedback control through the hypothalamus-pituitary- thyroid (HPT) axis in autoimmune (Hashimoto's) thyroiditis. Negative feedback control through the HPT axis is a mechanism in which the high levels of thyroid hormone; free thyroxine (FT4) in the blood inhibits the secretion of the pituitary hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) into the blood. Similarly, the low levels of free thyroxine (FT4) sensed by the pituitary gland and then it secretes thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) into the blood. Autoimmune (Hashimoto's) thyroiditis is a disease in which the immune system turns against …

Usf Board Of Trustees Approves Biology Degree At Usfsp, June 17, 2011, Melanie Marquez

USF St. Petersburg Campus News and Press Releases

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Population Structure And Aluminum Tolerance In Cultivated Sorghum, Fernanda F. Caniato, Claudia T. Guimarães, Martha Hamblin, Claire Billot, Jean-François Rami, Barbara Hufnagel, Leon V. Kochian, Jiping Liu, Antonion Augusto F. Garcia, C. Tom Hash, Punna Ramu, Sharon Mitchell, Stephen Kresovich, Antônio Carlos Oliveira, Gisela De Avellar, Aluízio Borém, Jean-Christophe Glaszmann, Robert E. Schaffert, Jurandir V. Magalhaes

Faculty Publications

Background: Acid soils comprise up to 50% of the world’s arable lands and in these areas aluminum (Al) toxicity impairs root growth, strongly limiting crop yield. Food security is thereby compromised in many developing countries located in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. In sorghum, SbMATE, an Al-activated citrate transporter, underlies the AltSB locus on chromosome 3 and confers Al tolerance via Al-activated root citrate release.

Methodology: Population structure was studied in 254 sorghum accessions representative of the diversity present in cultivated sorghums. Al tolerance was assessed as the degree of root growth inhibition in nutrient solution containing Al. …

Yeast Bax Inhibitor, Bxi1p, Is An Er-Localized Protein That Links The Unfolded Protein Response And Programmed Cell Death In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Nicanor Austriaco, James Cebulski, Joshua Malouin, Nathan Pinches, Vincent Cascio

Biology Faculty Publications

Bax inhibitor-1 (BI-1) is an anti-apoptotic gene whose expression is upregulated in a wide range of human cancers. Studies in both mammalian and plant cells suggest that the BI-1 protein resides in the endoplasmic reticulum and is involved in the unfolded protein response (UPR) that is triggered by ER stress. It is thought to act via a mechanism involving altered calcium dynamics. In this paper, we provide evidence that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein encoded by the open reading frame, YNL305C, is a bona fide homolog for BI-1. First, we confirm that yeast cells from two different strain backgrounds lacking YNL305C, …

Reducing High-Risk Drinking In Mandated College Students: Evaluation Of Two Personalized Normative Feedback Interventions, Diana M. Doumas, Camille Workman, Diana Smith, Anabel Navarro

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study evaluated the efficacy of two brief personalized normative feedback interventions aimed at reducing heavy drinking among mandated college students (N = 135). Students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: web-based assessment with self-guided personalized normative feedback (SWF) or web-based assessment with counselor-guided personalized normative feedback (CWF). Results indicated students in the CWF condition reported significantly greater reductions in weekly drinking quantity and binge drinking frequency than those in the SWF group at follow-up (M = 8 months). Students in the CWF group also reported significantly greater reductions in estimates of peer drinking from baseline to the …

The Fate Of Alpine Species In The Face Of Climate Change: A Biogeographic Perspective, Madaline Cochrane

Macalester Reviews in Biogeography

Will global climate change affect the spatial distribution and abundance of biodiversity along mountains equally? The elevational gradients inherent as one moves up a mountain slope help define the many biological patterns that emerge as key indicators for species richness in an era of rising global temperatures. When global temperatures arise, the microclimates found along different elevational ranges on mountains also fluctuate. As abiotic characteristics such as daily air temperature, daily precipitation, and annual snowmelt change overtime, so will the biotic communities on a mountain. Some species may be able to adapt to their new environments, while other may have …

Eugenics And Modern Biology: Critiques Of Eugenics, 1910-1945, Garland E. Allen

Biology Faculty Research

Eugenics in most western countries in the first four decades of the twentieth century was based on the idea that genes control most human phenotypic traits, everything from physical features such as polydactyly and eye color to physiological conditions such as the A-B-O blood groups to mental and personality traits such as “feeblemindedness”, alcoholism and pauperism. It assessing the development of the eugenics movement – its rise and decline between 1900 and 1950 – it is important to recognize that its naïve assumptions and often flawed methodologies were openly criticized at the time by scientists and non-scientists alike. This paper …

A Case Study Of Single-Sex Biology Classes In A High School In South Georgia, Robert Huston Costlow

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The research on single-sex classrooms, especially in high schools, is at best, sparse. Settings and findings vary so dramatically from one area to another that correlating studies is difficult. However, with the advent of No Child Left Behind (2001), schools have been given the opportunity to explore new and creative ways to increase student achievement. Single-sex classrooms are one of the ways schools across the country are attempting to meet the criteria of NCLB. Some single-sex studies have shown that female students improve test scores in areas that are generally thought of as male-dominated areas, such as math and science; …

Drug Discovery Using Chemical Systems Biology: Weak Inhibition Of Multiple Kinases May Contribute To The Anti-Cancer Effect Of Nelfinavir, Li Xie, Thomas Evangelidis, Lei Xie, Philip E. Bourne

Publications and Research

Nelfinavir is a potent HIV-protease inhibitor with pleiotropic effects in cancer cells. Experimental studies connect its anti-cancer effects to the suppression of the Akt signaling pathway, but the actual molecular targets remain unknown. Using a structural proteome-wide off-target pipeline, which integrates molecular dynamics simulation and MM/GBSA free energy calculations with ligand binding site comparison and biological network analysis, we identified putative human off-targets of Nelfinavir and analyzed the impact on the associated biological processes. Our results suggest that Nelfinavir is able to inhibit multiple members of the protein kinase-like superfamily, which are involved in the regulation of cellular processes vital …