Life Sciences Commons^™

Resveratrol And Pinostilbene Confer Neuroprotection Against Aging-Related Deficits Through An Erk1/2-Dependent Mechanism, Erika N. Allen, Sneha Potdar, Victor Tapias, Mayur Parmar, Cassia S. Mizuno, Agnes Rimando, Jane E. Cavanaugh

HPD Articles

Age-related declines in motor function may be due, in part, to an increase in oxidative stress in the aging brain leading to dopamine (DA) neuronal cell death. In this study, we examined the neuroprotective effects of natural antioxidants resveratrol and pinostilbene against age-related DAergic cell death and motor dysfunction using SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and young, middle-aged, and old male C57BL/6 mice. Resveratrol and pinostilbene protected SH-SY5Y cells from a DA-induced decrease in cell viability. Dietary supplementation with resveratrol and pinostilbene inhibited the decline of motor function observed with age. While DA and its metabolites (DOPAC and HVA), dopamine transporter, and …

The Lli Chronicle Volume 9 Issue 2, Nova Southeastern University

Lifelong Learning Institute Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Preventative Medicine In Conjunction With Modern Day Genetic Studies, Sierra Sandler, Lauren Alfino, Mir Saleem

Biology Faculty Articles

Genetic screening in the primary care setting is the future of preventative medicine. Genetic testing is an important medical tool for assessing various inheritable diseases, conditions, and cancers. The ability to diagnose patients before symptoms surface can help lessen the severity of symptoms and promote quality of life. However, genetic screening can cause psychological distress from the knowledge of test results, in some cases only serving to increase the risk of developing a condition due to stress. Genetic testing can be conducted anytime in life, even before birth. In this review, a compilation of genetic testing's definitions and boundaries, factors …

Microbiome And Bacterioplankton Rrna Gene Sequence Data Collected From Gulf Of Mexico Seawater Samples, Cruises Dp03 And Dp04 From April - August 2016, Cole Easson, Lindsey Freed

DEEPEND Datasets

Seawater was collected and filtered for microbiome and bacterioplankton sequencing and analyses at various depths during planned DEEPEND cruise expeditions to the GOM in 2016. Filters were stored and then processed for total environmental genomic DNA according to standard methods (see earthmicrobiome.org). 16S rRNA amplicon libraries covering the V4 hypervariable regions were generated with universal PCR primers and then sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq DNA sequencing platform. Raw paired-end sequences were joined and quality filtered in the bioinformatics program, QIIME. Vertical baseline characterizations will track alpha and beta diversity at different depths ranging from 0 – 1500 m, assess seasonal …

Communicating Discovery-Based Research Results To The News: A Real-World Lesson In Science Communication For Undergraduate Students, Julie Torruellas Garcia

Biology Faculty Articles

Communicating science effectively to the general public is a necessary skill that takes practice. Generally, undergraduate science majors are taught to communicate to other scientists but are not given formal training on how to communicate with a nonscientist. An opportunity to appear on a news segment can be used as a real-world lesson on science communication for your students. This article will describe how to contact a producer to get your class on a news segment, ideas for types of research that may be of interest to the media, and how to practice communicating the results effectively.

Whole-Genome Analysis Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis From Patients With Tuberculous Spondylitis, Russia, Ekaterina Chernyaeva, Mikhail Rotkevich, Ksenia Krasheninnikova, Andrey Yurchenko, Anna Vyazovaya, Igor Mokrousov, Natalia Solovieva, Viacheslav Zhuravlev, Piotr Yablonsky, Stephen J. O’Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Whole-genome analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates collected in Russia (N = 71) from patients with tuberculous spondylitis supports a detailed characterization of pathogen strain distributions and drug resistance phenotype, plus distinguished occurrence and association of known resistance mutations. We identify known and novel genome determinants related to bacterial virulence, patho-genicity, and drug resistance.

Outplanting Technique, Host Genotype, And Site Affect The Initial Success Of Outplanted Acropora Cervicornis, Elizabeth Goergen, David S. Gilliam

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Acropora cervicornis is the most widely used coral species for reef restoration in the greater Caribbean. However, outplanting methodologies (e.g., colony density, size, host genotype, and attachment technique) vary greatly, and to date have not been evaluated for optimality across multiple sites. Two experiments were completed during this study, the first evaluated the effects of attachment technique, colony size, and genotype by outplanting 405 A. cervicornis colonies, from ten genotypes, four size classes, and three attachment techniques (epoxy, nail and cable tie, or puck) across three sites. Colony survival, health condition, tissue productivity, and growth were assessed across one year …

Dna Sequences Of The Mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase I (Coi) Genes From Deep Sea Fishes, Cruises Dp03 And Dp04 From May 2016 - August 2016, Max Weber, Kimberly A. Finnegan, Andrea Bernard, Ron Eytan, Mahmood S. Shivji

DEEPEND Datasets

The deep sea ecosystem is believed to contain the highest biomass of fish in the oceans. However, the taxonomic diversity in this ecosystem is incompletely described and likely to be vastly underestimated. DNA sequence data (barcodes) have become a key tool to discover hidden biodiversity. We generated mitochondrial DNA barcode datasets based on the Cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene from deep sea fishes. These data were analyzed using phylogenetic and statistical methods to reveal cryptic species and make taxonomic linkages between adult fishes and their early life stages. These datasets were generated from fishes collected in the northern Gulf …

Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents As Natural Egg-Case Incubators At The Galapagos Rift, Pelayo Salinas-De-Leon, Brennan Phillips, David A. Ebert, Mahmood S. Shivji, Florencia Cerutti-Pereyra, Cassandra Ruck, Charles R. Fisher, Leigh Marsh

Biology Faculty Articles

The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in 1977 challenged our views of ecosystem functioning and yet, the research conducted at these extreme and logistically challenging environments still continues to reveal unique biological processes. Here, we report for the first time, a unique behavior where the deep-sea skate, Bathyraja spinosissima, appears to be actively using the elevated temperature of a hydrothermal vent environment to naturally “incubate” developing egg-cases. We hypothesize that this behavior is directly targeted to accelerate embryo development time given that deep-sea skates have some of the longest egg incubation times reported for the animal kingdom. Similar egg …

A Global Perspective On The Trophic Geography Of Sharks, Christopher S. Bird, Ana Verissimo, Sarah Magozzi, Katya G. Abrantes, Alex Aguilar, Hassan Al-Reasi, Adam Barnett, Dana M. Bethea, Gerard Biais, Asuncion Borrell, Marc Bouchoucha, Mariah Boyle, Edward J. Brooks, Juerg Brunnschweiler, Paco Bustamante, Aaron Carlisle, Diana Catarino, Stephane Caut, Yves Cherel, Tiphaine Chouvelon, Diana Churchill, Javier Ciancio, Julien Claes, Ana Colaço, Dean L. Courtney, Pierre Cresson, Ryan Daly, Leigh De Necker, Tetsuya Endo, Ivon Figueiredo, Ashley J. Frisch, Joan Holst Hansen, Michael Heithaus, Nigel E. Hussey, Johannes Iitembu, Francis Jaunes, Michael J. Kinney, Jeremy J. Kiszka, Sebastian A. Klarian, Dorothee Kopp, Robert Leaf, Yunkai Li, Anne Lorrain, Daniel J. Madigan, Aleksandra Maljkovic, Luis Malpica-Cruz, Philip Matich, Mark G. Meekan, Frederic Menard, Gui M. Menezes, Samantha E. M. Munroe, Michael C. Newman, Yannis P. Papastamatiou, Heidi Pethybridge, Jeffrey D. Plumlee, Carlos Polo-Silva, Katie Quaeck-Davis, Vincent Raoult, Jonathan Reum, Yassir Eden Torres-Rojas, David S. Shiffman, Oliver N. Shipley, Conrad W. Speed, Michelle D. Staudinger, Amy K. Teffer, Alexander Tilley, Maria Valls, Jeremy Vaudo, Tak-Cheung Wai, R. J. David Wells, Alex S. J. Wyatt, Andrew Yool, Clive N. Trueman

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Sharks are a diverse group of mobile predators that forage across varied spatial scales and have the potential to influence food web dynamics. The ecological consequences of recent declines in shark biomass may extend across broader geographic ranges if shark taxa display common behavioural traits. By tracking the original site of photosynthetic fixation of carbon atoms that were ultimately assimilated into muscle tissues of 5,394 sharks from 114 species, we identify globally consistent biogeographic traits in trophic interactions between sharks found in different habitats. We show that populations of shelf-dwelling sharks derive a substantial proportion of their carbon from regional …

Rare Parthenogenic Reproduction In A Common Reef Coral, Porites Astreoides, Alicia A. Vollmer

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Multiple stressors have caused a decline in coral populations. Broadcast spawning corals once dominated the Florida Reef Tract (FRT), but since their decline, smaller brooding corals, soft corals, and macroalgae are replacing them. Brooding corals are more resilient to current threats in part because they are reproductive throughout much of the year and their larvae are competent to settle after release. Despite the ubiquity of brooders on Florida reefs, much of their reproductive strategy remains unknown. This study aimed to examine paternity as a function of colony size and density in Porites astreoides, a common brooding coral in the …

Relative Abundance Of Bacillus Spp., Surfactant-Associated Bacterium Present In A Natural Sea Slick Observed By Satellite Sar Imagery Over The Gulf Of Mexico, Kathryn Howe, Cayla W. Dean, John Alexander Kluge, Alexander Soloviev, Aurelien Tartar, Mahmood S. Shivji, Susanne Lehner, William Perrie

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The damping of short gravity-capillary waves (Bragg waves) due to surfactant accumulation under low wind speed conditions results in the formation of natural sea slicks. These slicks are detectable visually and in synthetic aperture radar satellite imagery. Surfactants are produced by natural life processes of many marine organisms, including bacteria, phytoplankton, seaweed, and zooplankton. In this work, samples were collected in the Gulf of Mexico during a research cruise on the R/V F.G. Walton Smith to evaluate the relative abundance of Bacillus spp., surfactant-associated bacteria, in the sea surface microlayer compared to the subsurface water at 0.2 m depth. A …

Mitochondrial Dna Sequence Alignments And Raw Fastq Files For The Population Genetic Analysis Of The Deep Sea Isopod, Bathynomus Giganteus, Laura Timm, Barbara Moahamed

DEEPEND Datasets

This data set includes three alignments (12S, 16S, COI) of mitochondrial DNA sequences, as well as two raw fastq files generated through the next-generation sequencing (NGS) method ddRADseq. This data was collected from Bathynomus giganteus specimens collected from throughout the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.

Mitochondrial And Nuclear Sequences For Phylogenetic Analysis Of Three Cephalopod Species, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, May 2015 To May 2017, Amanda Sosnowki

DEEPEND Datasets

The midwater column contains a wide diversity of cephalopods in the northern Gulf of Mexico. DNA sequence data (barcodes) have become a key tool to discover hidden biodiversity. We generated mitochondrial DNA barcode datasets based on the Cytochrome c oxidase I (COI), 16s, and 28s genes from cephalopods. These data were analyzed using phylogenetic methods to examine possible connectivity of 3 species (Vampyroteuthis infernalis, Pyroteuthis margaritifera, and Cranchia scabra) between two basins, the Gulf of Mexico and the area surrounding Bear Seamount in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. These datasets were generated from cephalopods collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico …

Chlorophyll Concentration And Optical Absorption Spectra Of Particulate And Dissolved Material, Collected At Several Depths On Deepend Cruises Dp05 From January-December 2017, Chuanmin Hu

DEEPEND Datasets

The optical absorption spectra from seawater’s particulate and dissolved components can be used to compute the penetration of light to various depths, estimate the proportion of living to non-living particulate matter, assess photosynthetic light availability and the type of phytoplankton present, and to validate satellite or airborne ocean color measurements. Chlorophyll and phaeopigment concentrations are often used to estimate the amount of phytoplankton present, and to allow extrapolation of in situ fluorometric measurements. Water was collected using a CTD rosette near the surface and from several depths at each sampling station occupied by the DEEPEND cruise DP05 (see GRIIDC dataset …

Stable Isotope (13c/15n) Data Of Meso- And Bathypelagic Nekton, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, March - September 2011, T. M. Richards, E. E. Gipson

DEEPEND Datasets

These data represent stable isotope values (13C/15N) of eight species of meso- and bathypelagic nekton collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico during spring (22-March to 11-April), summer (23-June to 13-July), and fall (8-September to 27-September) of 2011. The species examined in this study include: Anoplogaster cornuta, Chauliodus sloani, Coccorella atlantica, Gigantura chuni, Gigantura indica, Omosudis lowii, Photostomias guernei, and Stomias affinis. Isotope values are derived from white muscle tissue dissected from 212 individual fish that were collected using large mid-water trawls towed from the surface to depths of either 700 or 1400 m. The samples were collected as part …

Is There A Link Between Aging And Microbiome Diversity In Exceptional Mammalian Longevity?, Graham M. Hughes, John Leech, Sébastien J. Puechmaille, Jose V. Lopez, Emma C. Teeling

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A changing microbiome has been linked to biological aging in mice and humans, suggesting a possible role of gut flora in pathogenic aging phenotypes. Many bat species have exceptional longevity given their body size and some can live up to ten times longer than expected with little signs of aging. This study explores the anal microbiome of the exceptionally long-lived Myotis myotis bat, investigating bacterial composition in both adult and juvenile bats to determine if the microbiome changes with age in a wild, long-lived non-model organism, using non-lethal sampling. The anal microbiome was sequenced using metabarcoding in more than 50 …

Is There A Link Between Aging And Microbiome Diversity In Exceptional Mammalian Longevity?, Graham M. Hughes, John Leech, Sebastien J. Puechmaille, Jose V. Lopez, Emma C. Teeling

Biology Faculty Articles

A changing microbiome has been linked to biological aging in mice and humans, suggesting a possible role of gut flora in pathogenic aging phenotypes. Many bat species have exceptional longevity given their body size and some can live up to ten times longer than expected with little signs of aging. This study explores the anal microbiome of the exceptionally long-lived Myotis myotis bat, investigating bacterial composition in both adult and juvenile bats to determine if the microbiome changes with age in a wild, long-lived non-model organism, using non-lethal sampling. The anal microbiome was sequenced using metabarcoding in more than 50 …

16s And Coi Barcoding Sequences For Crustaceans Collected From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico For Cruises Dp02, Dp03, And Dp04 From August 2015 - August 2016, Heather Bracken-Grissom Dr.

DEEPEND Datasets

These are the 16S and COI barcoding sequences for crustaceans collected on cruises DP02, DP03, and DP04. These barcodes, obtained from the species we collected, will be used to aid in species identification efforts, evolutionary relationships analyses, adult-larval linkages, and new species discoveries. Samples were taken from animals collected during cruises that took place in the northern Gulf of Mexico from August 2015 - August 2016.

Habitat Classification Of The Gulf Of Mexico (Gom) Using The Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (Hycom) And Salinity/Temperature Profiles, Cruises Dp01-Dp04, May 2015 To August 2016, Matt Johnston, Rosanna Milligan, Cole Easson, Sergio Derada, Brad Penta, Tracey Sutton

DEEPEND Datasets

Deep pelagic habitat from the entire Gulf of Mexico (GOM) was classified using the deviation of sea surface height (SSH) from mean SSH for the entire GOM and water temperature at 300 m water depth, founded on ocean condition data from the 1/25° GOM HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Pelagic habitats were segregated into anticyclonic, mixed boundaries, and common water units – all of which likely produce varying levels of forage for deep-sea fauna and may be trophic drivers. Model classifications were compared to classifications based on water column temperature and salinity at depth, as measured by CTD casts during …

Dna Sequences Of Mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase I (Coi) Genes From Deep Sea Fishes Collected During Deepend Cruise Dp05 From 2017-05-01 To 2017-05-11, Kimberly A. Finnegan, Andrea Bernard, M. Weber, Ron Eytan, Mahmood S. Shivji

DEEPEND Datasets

Deep sea fishes were collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico during DEEPEND cruise DP05 from May 1 to 11, 2017. This dataset contains Genbank accession numbers of DNA sequences of the mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene from fish species collected.

The Lli Chronicle Volume 9 Issue 1, Nova Southeastern University

Lifelong Learning Institute Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Porifera Bacterial Symbiont Community Profiles Based On Host Species And Source Template, Celeste Banfill, Jose Lopez

Lopez Laboratory: Genomics & Microbial Data

The present microbiome study reports a follow up microbiome characterization of the Porifera Tree of Life (PorToL) project, which has recognized the significance of understanding the evolutionary relationships among diverse sponge taxa (Redmond et al 2012; Thacker et al, 2013; and see http://Portol.org). The aim of this research is to opportunistically expand on the work of Hill et al. (2013) to provide preliminary data that 1) compares the diversity of bacterial communities across eight sponge taxa and 2) compares the differences between DNA and cDNA (RNA) generated 16S rRNA data to distinguish active vs. non-active bacteria.

A Moving Landscape For Comparative Genomics In Mammals, Stephen James O'Brien, Gaik Tamazian, Aleksey Komissarov, Pavel Dobrynin, Ksenia Krasheninnikova, Sergey Kliver, Nikolay Cherkasov, Klaus-Peter Koepfli

Biology Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Today we count some 62,000 species of vertebrates (half are fishes) including some 550 species of mammals on earth. The genome sequencing of non-laboratory species in recent years is expanding our breadth and understanding of genetic bases of adaptation and evolution in varied and amazing ways.

Recent completion and inspection of whole genome sequence and assembly for over 200 species of mammals, from platypus to panda to human, offer the prospect of a better view of the patterns of changes within genome organization across the mammalian radiations. In 2009 my colleagues and I have created Genome-10K, an international consortium of …

X Chromosome Evolution In Cetartiodactyla, Anastasiya A. Proskuryakova, Anastasia I. Kulemzina, Polina L. Perelman, Alexey I. Makunin, Natalya A. Lemskaya, Violetta R. Beklemisheva, Denis M. Larkin, Marta Farre, Anna V. Kukekova, Oliver A. Ryder, Stephen James O'Brien, Alexander S. Graphodatsky

Biology Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

The mammalian X chromosome is characterized by high level of conservation. On the contrary the Cetartiodactyl X chromosome displays variation in morphology and G-banding pattern. It is hypothesized that X chromosome has undergone multiple rearrangements during Cetartiodactyla speciation. To investigate the evolution of this sex chromosome we have selected 26 BAC clones from cattle CHORI-240 library evenly distributed along the cattle X chromosome. High-resolution maps were obtained by fluorescence in situ hybridisation in a representative range of cetartiodactyl species from different families: pig (Suidae), gray whale (Eschrichtiidae), pilot whale (Delphinidae), hippopotamus (Hippopotamidae), Java mouse deer (Tragulidae), pronghorn (Antilocapridae), Siberian musk …

Pinniped Karyotype Evolution Substantiated By Comparative Chromosome Painting Of 10 Pinniped Species (Pinnipedia, Carnivora), Violetta R. Beklemisheva, Polina L. Perelman, Natalya A. Lemskaya, Anastasia I. Kulemzina, Anastasiya A. Proskuryakova, Vladimir N. Burkanov, Stephen James O'Brien, Alexander S. Graphodatsky

Biology Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

Numerous Carnivora karyotype evolution investigations have been performed by classical and molecular cytogenetics and were supplemented by reconstructions of the Ancestral Carnivora Karyotype (ACK). However, the group of Pinnipedia was not studied in detail. Here we reconstruct pinniped karyotype evolution and refine ACK using published and our new painting data for 10 pinniped species. The combination of human (HSA) and domestic dog (CFA) whole-chromosome painting probes was used for the construction of the comparative chromosome maps for species from all three pinniped families: Odobenidae– Odobenus rosmarus Linnaeus, 1758, Phocidae – Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758, Pusa sibirica Gmelin, 1788, Erignathus barbatus …

Impact Of An Exercise Program On Stress, Fatigue, And Quality Of Life For Individuals Living With Primary Immunodeficiency Disease, Kerri Sowers

Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: There are over 300 Primary Immunodeficiency diseases (PID) that are a result of a genetic or idiopathic dysfunction of any aspect of the immune system. These conditions result in a higher frequency of infections, autoimmune conditions, or malignancies. Moderate intensity exercise is thought to help the immune system, while high intensity exercise may have a negative impact on immune function. The impact of exercise on individuals with an impaired immune system due to PID is not yet understood. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a low to moderate intensity exercise program would have an effect …

Starch, Lipid, And Protein Accumulation In Nutrient-Stressed Microalgal Cells Studied Using Fourier Transform Infrared Microscopy, Gary Hastings, Jodian Thomas, Keillor Witt, Dimitri Giarikos, Reza Razeghifard

Chemistry and Physics Faculty Articles

Microalgae are fast growing organisms that can be used as feedstock for the production of biofuels. The metabolism of microalgae can be manipulated by exposing them to different environmental conditions for favoring the accumulation of lipids, carbohydrates or proteins. For example, a change in growth conditions can cause the accumulation of large amounts of lipids, representing an opportunity for biodiesel production. Monitoring changes in the composition of microalgal cells is therefore important in assessing new growth conditions. However, at present, most techniques are time consuming, invasive and expensive. Here we have used FTIR microscopy to quantify lipid, protein, and starch …

Diet Of The Invasive Lionfish Pterois Sp. In Broward County, Florida, Sarah Ann Jasper, J. D. Thomas, David Kerstetter

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

The geographic range of invasive lionfish Pterois sp. currently extends throughout the Greater Caribbean in the western North Atlantic, prompting concerns about the impacts of its predation on local ecosystems. We focused on dietary habits of lionfish in Broward County, Florida, where there is only limited, anecdotal information on the species’ prey selection. Diet was determined using percent number, percent occurrence and percent weight, as well as the composite index of relative abundance (%IRI). A high percent teleost diet was documented during the third quarter (July-September) and a high crustacean diet in the fourth quarter (October-December), but seasonal effects by …

Treatment Outcomes Of Mohs Surgery Vs. Imiquimod In Basal Cell Carcinoma, Mir Saleem, Julianna Robinson

Biology Faculty Articles

Background: Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is a type of skin cancer, and a growing number of cases are diagnosed each year. There are many treatment options available, however finding the best treatment that has the lowest recurrence rate and morbidity is a challenge. The treatment options vary from topical or systemic medications to special procedures to surgical interventions. Treatment’s effectiveness largely differs on the BCC sub-type and its individual features. Method: Data was collected from the charts of patients that were diagnosed with BCC. The selected patients were treated by either Mosh surgery or Imiquimod. Results: Majority …