Digital Commons Network^™

Dynamics Of Mutualism In A Two Prey, One Predator System With Variable Carrying Capacity, Randy Huy Lee

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We considered the livelihood of two prey species in the presence of a predator species. To understand this phenomenon, we developed and analyzed two mathematical models considering indirect and direct mutualism of two prey species and the influence of one predator species. Both types of mutualism are represented by an increase in the preys' carrying capacities based on direct and indirect interactions between the prey. Because of mutualism, as the death rate parameter of the predator species goes through some critical value, the model shows transcritical bifurcation. Additionally, in the direct mutualism model, as the death rate parameter decreases to …

Isolation And Characterization Of Bacteriophage Targeting Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease-Causing Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, Khrongkhwan Thammatinna

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Vibrio parahaemolyticus causing Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (VPAHPND) has been a major cause of serious shrimp aquaculture economic losses. Moreover, many isolates have exhibited the resistance of various antibiotic drugs. Most recently, bacteriophage or phage, the killer of bacteria, has been gaining interest as an alternative tool to prevent and control pathogens. In this study, we discovered two novel vibriophages - vibriophage Seahorse and vibriophage phiKT1024 – that target various strains of VPAHPND. vibriophage Seahorse and vibriophage phiKT1024 were assigned to the family Siphoviridae and Myoviridae, respectively. Based on the cut-off of genome size that is less than 200 kbp …

Pesticide Intoxication On Hepatic And Renal Functions Among Farmers In Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, Ekarat Sombatsawat

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

In developing countries, pesticides are commonly used to protect crops and increase productivity among agricultural workers. These might cause effects to their health. The study aimed to compare the various variables between the pesticides unexposed and unexposed groups and find an association between pesticide intoxication on erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and hepatic and renal functions in farmers. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted with 30 nonfarmers and 71 farmers during August to October 2022. Socio-demographic characteristics and variables related to pesticide exposure were collected using a questionnaire-based interview. The erythrocyte AChE inhibition, hepatic, and renal functions were measured by EQM Test-mate …

Dna-Templated Synthesis Of Cationic Styryl Dyes, Kriangsak Faikhruea

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Styryl dye is a class of pi-conjugated dye that shows several desirable optical properties, such as high photostability, solvatochromic characteristics, and high fluorescence quantum yields. Due to the responsiveness to the binding with the target biomolecules such as nucleic acids, some of these dyes have been widely employed for biomolecular detection and cellular imaging. These dyes are typically synthesized via an aldol-type reaction between a methyl heterocycle and an aromatic aldehyde in the presence of acid or base as a catalyst. However, the conventional method of synthesizing these dyes is inefficient, time-consuming, and involves the use of excessive chemicals, as …

Conserving Endangered Black-Footed Ferrets: Biological Threats, Political Challenges, And Lessons Learned, Travis M. Livieri, Steven C. Forrest, Marc R. Matchett, Stewart Breck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There may be few stories in the annals of wildlife management that are as dramatic as the near demise and comeback of the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Endemic only to North America, this charming little carnivore found only in the continent’s central grasslands was hardly known to science until the mid-20th century. By then, vast colonies of the prey it depended on for food and shelter, the prairie dog (Cynomys spp.), had been wiped out through disease (sylvatic plague) and an agricultural industry with little tolerance for burrowing and grazing rodents. At its low point, the species’ …

Prefrontal Glutamate Neurotransmission In Ptsd: A Novel Approach To Estimate Synaptic Strength In Vivo In Humans, Lynnette A Averill, Lihong Jiang, Prerana Purohit, Anastasia Coppoli, Christopher L Averill, Jeremy Roscoe, Benjamin Kelmendi, Henk M De Feyter, Robin A De Graaf, Ralitza Gueorguieva, Gerard Sanacora, John H Krystal, Douglas L Rothman, Graeme F Mason, Chadi G Abdallah

Staff and Researcher Publications

Background: Trauma and chronic stress are believed to induce and exacerbate psychopathology by disrupting glutamate synaptic strength. However, in vivo in human methods to estimate synaptic strength are limited. In this study, we established a novel putative biomarker of glutamatergic synaptic strength, termed energy-per-cycle (EPC). Then, we used EPC to investigate the role of prefrontal neurotransmission in trauma-related psychopathology.

Methods: Healthy controls (n = 18) and patients with posttraumatic stress (PTSD; n = 16) completed 13C-acetate magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) scans to estimate prefrontal EPC, which is the ratio of neuronal energetic needs per glutamate neurotransmission cycle (VTCA/VCycle).

Results: Patients …

Comparative Analysis Of Gene Expression Patterns For Oral Epithelial Cell Functions In Periodontitis, Michael J Novak

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The structure and function of epithelial cells are critical for the construction and maintenance of intact epithelial surfaces throughout the body. Beyond the mechanical barrier functions, epithelial cells have been identified as active participants in providing warning signals to the host immune and inflammatory cells and in communicating various detailed information on the noxious challenge to help drive specificity in the characteristics of the host response related to health or pathologic inflammation. Rhesus monkeys were used in these studies to evaluate the gingival transcriptome for naturally occurring disease samples (GeneChip® Rhesus Macaque Genome Array) or for ligature-induced disease (GeneChip® Rhesus …

An Interdisciplinary Assessment Of The Mud Crab Scylla Serrata As A Sustainable Livelihood Resource In Southwest India, Elina Apine

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Fishing and aquaculture are important income-generating activities for coastal communities in India. However, the challenges of climate change and overexploitation have prompted the exploration of new, alternative, sustainable, target species that previously have received little attention. This thesis considers the potential of the mud crab Scylla serrata as a sustainable livelihood resource for local communities in southwest India where currently crab fishing and, particularly, farming is less common compared to southeast India. As fisheries and aquaculture are inherently complex social-ecological systems affected both by biological and socio-economic factors, this thesis has taken an interdisciplinary approach to identify the main barriers …

Morphological Description Of Laevicaulisstuhlmanni (Simroth, 1895) (Pulmonata, Veronicellidae) From Egypt, Reham Fathey Ali, David G Robinson, Fabio Liberto

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Terrestrial slugs and snails are increasingly becoming serious pests of agricultural, horticultural and ornamental plants in Egypt, resulting in major economic losses.

NEW INFORMATION: This paper provides a detailed morphological and anatomical description of the veronicellid slug Laevicaulisstuhlmanni (Simroth, 1895) that has been recently recorded from Egypt. This population from Egypt is compared with Laevicaulis populations recently reported and described from Libya as L.striatus (Simroth, 1896) and with available data in literature. Some notes and a distribution map of the veronicellids introduced in north-eastern Africa are provided.

Preparation, Characterization, And Antimicrobial Activities Of Mixed Ibuprofen-Salicylic Acid Metal-Drug Complexes, Mercy O Bamigboye, Ikechukwu P Ejidike, Racheal O Awolope, Joshua A Obaleye, Favour K. Ejimofor

Tanzania Journal of Science

Most variants of bacteria are resistant to traditional antibiotics which are organic. To overcome the growing infections, bacteria resistant infections, and multiple drug resistance (MDR) rates, transition metals with biological importance were coordinated to organic ligands (Ibuprofen and Salicylic acid) with anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, metal complexes of mixed Ibuprofen and Salicylic acid were prepared using a standard method to give of the type [M(Ibu)(Sal)X] (where M = Fe2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and X = Cl2, Ibu = Ibuprofen, Sal = Salicylic acid). The complexes were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, conductivity measurements, melting points, FT-IR, and X-ray diffraction. The metal …

A Nanoscale Shape-Discovery Framework Supporting Systematic Investigations Of Shape-Dependent Biological Effects And Immunomodulation, Wei Zhang, Hender Lopez, Luca Boselli, Paolo Bigini, André Perez-Potti, Zengchun Xie, Valentina Castagnola, Qi Cai, Camila P. Silveira, Joao M. De Araujo, Laura Talamini, Nicolò Panini, Giuseppe Ristagno, Martina B. Violatto, Stéphanie Devineau, Marco P. Monopoli, Mario Salmona, Valeria A. Giannone, Sandra Lara, Kenneth A. Dawson, Yan Yan

Articles

Since it is now possible to make, in a controlled fashion, an almost unlimited variety of nanostructure shapes, it is of increasing interest to understand the forms of biological control that nanoscale shape allows. However, a priori rational investigation of such a vast universe of shapes appears to present intractable fundamental and practical challenges. This has limited the useful systematic investigation of their biological interactions and the development of innovative nanoscale shape-dependent therapies. Here, we introduce a concept of biologically relevant inductive nanoscale shape discovery and evaluation that is ideally suited to, and will ultimately become, a vehicle for machine …

Synthesis, Bio-Evaluation And Quantum Chemical Studies Of Some Coumarin Derivatives, Samar M. Shakir, Yasameen K. Al-Majedy

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

Coumarins are oxygen heterocyclic compounds that exist naturally and have a wide range of pharmacological properties, making them ideal as lead compounds for developing more powerful analogs. The modification of 4-methyl, 7-hydroxycoumarin by different reaction steps was done in this study to yield target compounds. They were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR and NMR), melting point and a thin layer chromatography. The microbiological activity of these compounds was investigated in a variety of bacterial and fungal species. Since the newly synthesized derivatives contain a variety of functional groups and may be microbiologically active, so the microbiological function of these …

Algorithm Hardware Codesign For High Performance Neuromorphic Computing, Haowen Fang

Dissertations - ALL

Driven by the massive application of Internet of Things (IoT), embedded system and Cyber Physical System (CPS) etc., there is an increasing demand to apply machine intelligence on these power limited scenarios. Though deep learning has achieved impressive performance on various realistic and practical tasks such as anomaly detection, pattern recognition, machine vision etc., the ever-increasing computational complexity and model size of Deep Neural Networks (DNN) make it challenging to deploy them onto aforementioned scenarios where computation, memory and energy resource are all limited. Early studies show that biological systems' energy efficiency can be orders of magnitude higher than that …

Synthesizing, Structuring, And Characterizing Bioactivities Of .Cr(Iii), La(Iii), And Ce(Iii) .Complexes With Nitrogen, Oxygen .And Sulpher Donor Bidentate Schiff Base Ligands, Anaam M. Rasheed, Sinan M. M. Al-Bayati, Dr.Rehab A.M. Al-Hasani, Muna Ali Shakir

Baghdad Science Journal

Two Schiff bases, namely, 3-(benzylidene amino) -2-thioxo-6-methyl 2,5-dihydropyrimidine-4(3H)-one (LS])and 3-(benzylidene amino)-6-methyl pyrimidine 4(3H, 5H)-dione(LA)as chelating ligands), were used to prepare some complexes of Cr(III), La(III), and Ce(III)] ions. Standard physico-chemical procedures including metal analysis M%, element microanalysis (C.H.N.S) , magnetic susceptibility, conductometric measurements, FT-IR and UV-visible Spectra were used to identify Metal (III) complexes and Schiff bases (LS) and (LA). According to findings, a [Cr(III) complex] showed six coordinated octahedral geometry, while [La(III), and Ce(III) complexes]were structured with coordination number seven. Schiff's bases and mineral complexes were examined in vitro to investigate potential inhibition against Gram-positive bacteria such as Pseudonomous …

Juvenile Alewife (Alosa Pseudoharengus) Feeding Habits, Movement And Residency In A Northern Temperate Estuary, Amy E. Webb

All Student Scholarship

River herring is a term applied collectively to both alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, and blueback herring, A. aestivalis, anadromous fish that spend most of their life in the ocean and migrate upriver to freshwater to spawn each spring (NEFSC 2006). Juveniles spend their first summer in freshwater and are thought to migrate to the ocean in fall, where they remain until they are sexually mature and ready to spawn (three to five years; ASMFC 2012).

Acoustic Radiation Force And Its Application For Cell Manipulation And Ion Channels Activation, Xiangjun Peng

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Sound is a stress wave that carries energy and momentum flux. Scattered sound waves can generate acoustic radiation force that can be used to manipulate particles or cells. This dissertation demonstrates the physics behind cell manipulation by ultrasound. The work begins with a detailed analysis of the mechanics of using standing surface acoustic waves to fabricate acoustic tweezers for contactless particle manipulation using acoustic radiation force. Models to design and analyze acoustic radiation force have traditionally relied on plane wave theories that cannot predict how standing surface acoustic waves can levitate cells in the direction perpendicular to the substrate. We …

Deep Learning For Automatic Microscopy Image Analysis, Shenghua He

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Microscopy imaging techniques allow for the creation of detailed images of cells (or nuclei) and have been widely employed for cell studies in biological research and disease diagnosis in clinic practices.Microscopy image analysis (MIA), with tasks of cell detection, cell classification, and cell counting, etc., can assist with the quantitative analysis of cells and provide useful information for a cellular-level understanding of biological activities and pathology. Manual MIA is tedious, time-consuming, prone to subject errors, and are not feasible for the high-throughput cell analysis process. Thus, automatic MIA methods can facilitate all kinds of biological studies and clinical tasks. Conventional …

Lipid A-Ara4n As An Alternate Pathway For (Colistin) Resistance In Klebsiella Pneumonia Isolates In Pakistan, Kiran I. Masood, Seema Umar, Zahra Hasan, Joveria Farooqi, Safina Abdul Razzak, Nazish Jabeen, Jason Rao Jason Rao, Sadia Shakoor, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objectives: This study aimed to explore mechanism of colistin resistance amongst Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates through plasmid mediated mcr-1 gene in Pakistan. Carbapenem and Colistin resistant K. pneumoniae isolates (n = 34) stored at - 80 °C as part of the Aga Khan University Clinical Laboratory strain bank were randomly selected and subjected to mcr-1 gene PCR. To investigate mechanisms of resistance, other than plasmid mediated mcr-1 gene, whole genome sequencing was performed on 8 clinical isolates, including 6 with colistin resistance (MIC > 4 μg/ml) and 2 with intermediate resistance to colistin (MIC > 2 μg/ml).
Results: RT-PCR conducted revealed absence of …

Paralyzed Within A Plastic World, Gena Leib

Honors Projects

Our oceans are one of the largest ecosystems found on our planet, and they are also one of the driving forces to a balanced planet. I believe that it is very important to restore our oceans to the once clean environment, and it is up to mankind to make that first step to do so soon and without hesitation. I believe that many people are uniformed on the topics of pollution, and it is important to bring attention to the issues through a perspective that society can see. Social media has had a huge influence on helping this, but for …

Microwave-Promoted Iminyl Radical Fragmentations And The Total Synthesis Of Yaku'amide A And Its Simplified Analogues, Concordia Lo

Theses and Dissertations

The first project in this dissertation describes the use of microwave-promoted iminyl radical fragmentations to form functionalized nitriles. Nitrogen-centered radical chemistry is a useful tool to construct valuable C-N bonds commonly found in pharmaceuticals and biologically active molecules. Classically, these reactions require the use of toxic initiators and propagators. Iminyl radical chemistry has been gaining momentum as a means of avoiding these harsh conditions. This project utilizes the fragmentation of cyclic iminyl radicals via irradiation of O-phenyl oxime ethers to produce a synthetically useful nitrile tethered to an alkyl radical in the absence of metal catalysts and redox chemistry. The …

Electronic And Magnetic Properties Of Metal Doped Silicon-Carbide Fullerene-Type Nanostructures, Hussain Jabreel Alathlawi

Physics Dissertations - Archive

Silicon carbide (SiC) is a technologically significant material. A recent report on the abundance of C60 fullerenes in interstellar space, along with the presence of SiC precursors, sparked interest in potentially similar SiC nanostructures. C60 and C70 fullerenes were found experimentally and are an exceptionally stable form of carbon. As Si and C have similar valence electron configurations, it has been long envisioned that Si and SiC could also form similar fullerene-type structures. In this dissertation, Si30C30 fullerene-derived clusters were studied from the first principles theory, starting from an ideal Si60 fullerene template with various arrangements of silicon and carbon …

Development Of Visible-Light-Mediated Photoredox Catalysis, Sarbjeet Kaur

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT

Hidden Markov Models Identify Major Movement Modes In Accelerometer And Magnetometer Data From Four Albatross Species, Melinda G. Conners, Théo Michelot, Eleanor I. Heywood, Rachael A. Orben, Richard A. Phillips, Alexei L. Vyssotski, Scott A. Shaffer, Lesley H. Thorne

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Inertial measurement units (IMUs) with high-resolution sensors such as accelerometers are now used extensively to study fine-scale behavior in a wide range of marine and terrestrial animals. Robust and practical methods are required for the computationally-demanding analysis of the resulting large datasets, particularly for automating classification routines that construct behavioral time series and time-activity budgets. Magnetometers are used increasingly to study behavior, but it is not clear how these sensors contribute to the accuracy of behavioral classification methods. Development of effective classification methodology is key to understanding energetic and life-history implications of foraging and other behaviors. Methods: We deployed …

Local Canopy Disturbance As An Explanation For Long-Term Increases In Liana Abundance, Stefan A. Schnitzer, David M. Defilippis, Marco Visser, Sergio Estrada-Villegas, Rigoberto Rivera-Camaña, Boris Bernal, Salomé Peréz, Abelino Valdéz, Seberino Valdéz, Antonio Aguilar, James W. Dalling, Eben N. Broadbent, Angelica M. Almeyda Zambrano, Stephen P. Hubbell, Maria Garcia-Leon

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Canopy disturbance explains liana abundance and distribution within tropical forests and thus may also explain the widespread pattern of increasing liana abundance; however, this hypothesis remains untested. We used a 10-year study (2007–2017) of 117,100 rooted lianas in an old-growth Panamanian forest to test whether local canopy disturbance explains increasing liana abundance. We found that liana density increased 29.2% and basal area 12.5%. The vast majority of these increases were associated with clonal stem proliferation following canopy disturbance, particularly in liana-dense, low-canopy gaps, which had far greater liana increases than did undisturbed forest. Lianas may be ecological niche constructors, arresting …

Reintegrating Biology Through The Nexus Of Energy, Information, And Matter, Kim L. Hoke, Sara L. Zimmer, Adam B. Roddy, Mary Jo Ondrechen, Craig E. Williamson, Nicole R. Buan

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Information, energy, and matter are fundamental properties of all levels of biological organization, and life emerges from the continuous flux of matter, energy, and information. This perspective piece defines and explains each of the three pillars of this nexus. We propose that a quantitative characterization of the complex interconversions between matter, energy, and information that compose this nexus will help us derive biological insights that connect phenomena across different levels of biological organization. We articulate examples from multiple biological scales that highlight how this nexus approach leads to a more complete understanding of the biological system. Metrics of energy, information, …

Biological Evaluation And Theoretical Study Of Bi-Dentate Ligand For Amoxicillin Derivative With Some Metal Ions, Sahar S. Hassan, Nidhal M. Hassan, Shaymaa Rajab Baqer, Asmaa M. Saleh

Baghdad Science Journal

In this paper, the complexes of Shiff base of Methyl -6-[2-(diphenylmethylene)amino)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamido]-2,2-dimethyl-5-oxo-1-thia-4-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptane-3-carboxylate (L) with Cobalt(II), Nickel(II), Cupper(II) and Zinc(II) have been prepared. The compounds have been characterized by different means such as FT-IR, UV-Vis, magnetic moment, elemental microanalyses (C.H.N), atomic absorption, and molar conductance. It is obvious when looking at the spectral study that the overall complexes obtained as monomeric structure as well as the metals center moieties are two-coordinated with octahedral geometry excepting Co complexes that existed as a tetrahedral geometry. Hyper Chem-8.0.7 program was employed, after calculating the heat of formation (ΔH°f), binding energy (ΔEb), dipole moment( µ ), …

Social Disorganization And Violent Crime Across Nonmetropolitan Areas Of Kentucky., Daniel Ray Jude

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This macro-level study examines the effects of social disorganization predictors on violent crime registered in nonmetropolitan areas of Kentucky from 2012 to 2016. The study intends to expand the line of research interested in verifying the applicability of the social disorganization theory (Shaw & McKay, 1942), including its new theoretical developments, to non-urban settings and plans to contribute to the literature willing to provide a better understanding of violent crime in rural areas. In response to Narag et al.’s (2009) call for a theoretical integration of environmental contaminants among the ecological factors that influence variations in crime, the study also …

Synthesis Of Phytosulfokine Analogs As Probes For Studying Plant Signaling And Molecular Trafficking, Thomas Ntim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plants are exposed to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses that hinder their growth and reduce crop productivity. In their adaptive response, plants use signaling molecules that are trafficked throughout the plant. This research focuses on the chemical synthesis and assessment of analogs of the plant signal phytosulfokine (PSK, a sulfated pentapeptide), its delivery to plants and its observation using a fiber-optic fluorescence microscope. PSK regulates growth, cell expansion, heat tolerance, and tissue longevity. Analogs of PSK were synthesized using solid-phase peptide synthesis. Pure PSK and TAMRA-labeled PSK were delivered into the wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 and a …

Does Bambi Need Privacy? The Impact Of Human Recreational Trail Traffic On Abundance And Daily Activity Of The White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Diana Alvarez

Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research

Humans have a significant impact on wildlife populations. Although not as obvious, even non-consumptive recreational activities (i.e. hiking and mountain biking) can impact wildlife. Previous research has suggested that human traffic can impact the movement patterns of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Specifically, as human traffic increases, deer sightings decrease. Also, due to their crepuscular nature, deer peak activity is at dawn and dusk, yet one study reported a decrease in deer sightings in the evening that seemed to correspond to a peak in human traffic. However, the cause-and-effect relationship between human traffic and deer daily movements has …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - November 5, 2021, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the November 5, 2021 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents include:

• Video online: 'Emerging Trends in Radiation for Breast Cancer'
• Williams presents on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy at national meeting
• Estrada recognized by Sun Belt Conference for pandemic collaboration
• Mitchell Cancer Institute's colon cancer research featured in national journal
• Faculty Spotlight: Daniel McMahon, M.D.
• Carpenter recognized for top academic performance
• Trauma surgeon and youth advocate joins surgery faculty
• Thakur to discuss 'Skull Base Neurosurgery and Brain Tumors' at Med School Café
• Meet a Med Student: Lita Araysi
• Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program …