Life Sciences Commons^™

Detection Of Bacterial Retroelements Using Genomics, Sen Mu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The reverse flow of genetic information can occur when a special DNA polymerase called Reverse Transcriptase (RT) copies the genetic information in an RNA molecule back into a complementary DNA. One type of RT encoding gene found in bacteria is called a retron element. Recent bacterial genome sequencing projects have revealed many examples of retron RT genes. This gene assignment is based on comparison with a few known retron RT proteins. However, RT proteins are highly diverse in their amino acid sequences, and thus the assigned identity of these RT proteins as retrons in genome databases is questionable. One way …

Genetic Imbalances In Endometriosis Detected By Oligonucleotide-Array Based Comparative Genomic Hybridization, Natalie Burke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological diseases as it is thought to affect up to 15% of the female population. Characterized by the growth and proliferation of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity, it is a complex condition with varying degrees of severity and can affect multiple regions of the body with symptoms ranging from a total lack of symptoms to debilitating pain and infertility. The most accepted theory of how endometriosis initiates is that of retrograde menstruation; however, approximately 90% of women with unobstructed fallopian tubes are thought to have some menstrual debris in the peritoneal …

Assessment Of Dietary Behaviors Of College Students Participating In The Health Promotion Program Bucs: Live Well, Courtney E. Mckinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rates of adult obesity in the United States continue to rise, especially among the college-age population who typically practice poor dietary choices, contributing to weight gain. College-age students experience a transitional phase called ‘emerging adulthood’ where they learn autonomy in many areas that influence long-term health status. The purpose of the online health promotion program BUCS: Live Well was to promote self-efficacy in ability to incorporate positive dietary changes, assess incidences of positive dietary habits after completing the program, and determine if weight status, residence, and health perceptions influence dietary behaviors. BUCS: Live Well was successful in assessing current dietary …

Building A Foundation For Interprofessional-Education (Ipe) Between Dietetic Students And Dental Hygiene Students At East Tennessee State University (Etsu), Monique Richard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nutrition education is an integral part of dental education as well as a variety of other healthcare professions¹, but interprofessional education (IPE) between the fields of dietetics and dental hygiene is limited. The purpose of this pilot study was to define areas of opportunity to establish a foundation for the implementation of complimentary curriculum between the dietetics and dental hygiene programs at ETSU. A 76-question survey was developed and administered to dietetic interns (n=26), dental hygiene students (n=49), dietetic faculty (n=23), and dental hygiene faculty (n=19) at ETSU and Baylor College of Dentistry at Texas A&M Health Science …

Fossil Trachemys (Testudines: Emydidae) From The Late Hemphillian Of Eastern Tennessee And Its Implications For The Evolution Of The Emydidae, Steven E. Jasinski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trachemys (Testudines: Emydidae) represents one of the most well-known turtles today. The evolution of Trachemys, while being heavily documented with various fossil representatives, is not well understood. Numerous fossils from the Gray Fossil Site in northeastern Tennessee are helping to elucidate the taxon’s evolution. The fossil Trachemys at the Gray Fossil Site represent a new species. A review of previously named Trachemys taxa reveals that a huge majority of them are not valid or have been previously misinterpreted. A phylogenetic analysis preformed on modern emydids and supposed fossil representatives of those genera also shows the evolution of a portion …

Cholera Toxin Activates The Unfolded Protein Response Through An Adenylate Cyclase-Independent Mechanism, Neyda Vanbennekom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cholera toxin (CT) is a bacterial protein toxin responsible for the gastrointestinal disease known as cholera. CT stimulates its own entry into intestinal cells after binding to cell surface receptors. Once internalized, CT is delivered via vesicle-mediated transport to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where the CTA1 subunit dissociates from the rest of the toxin and is exported (or translocated) into the cytosol. CTA1 translocates from the ER lumen into the host cytosol by exploiting a host quality control mechanism called ER-associated degradation (ERAD) that facilitates the translocation of misfolded proteins into the cytosol for degradation. Cytosolic CTA1, however, escapes this …

Bone Morphogenetic Protein-7 Attenuates Inflammation And Apoptosis And Improves Cardiac Function In Diabetes, Princess Urbina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bone Morphogenetic Protein-7 (BMP-7) belongs to the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) family of cytokines has is known to have potent anti-inflammatory properties. It has been used in patients to treat osteoporosis clinically and has been reported to treat diabetic nephropathy in murine models. Moreover, studies show that inflammation is up-regulated in patients with pre-diabetes (PD). We, therefore, hypothesize that the administration of BMP-7 will attenuate inflammation in the heart of Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced PD mice. In this study, we divided C57Bl/6 mice into three groups: CONTROL, PD, and PD+BMP-7. CONTROL mice received intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of Sodium Citrate Buffer while PD …

Native Grass And Forb Establishment In Post-Agricultural Soil, Courtney D. Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Restoration of degraded and abandoned agricultural land in arid and semiarid climates is a global problem. The erratic patterns of precipitation these lands experience makes restoration of a plant community difficult. Application of supplemental irrigation and inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are two restoration techniques that have been suggested to overcome deficits in natural precipitation. The effects and the interactions of irrigation and seeding date on the ground cover of intended species and unintended exotic species were tested in a post-agricultural restoration experiment in south-central Colorado, USA. The greatest ground cover of intended species and lowest ground cover of …

Evolution Of Melanocortin-2 Receptor Activations: Studies On A Mammal And A Fish, Liang Liang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The structure and function relationship between melanocortin-2 receptor (MC2R) and ACTH are the most complicated in melanocortin receptor gene family. A comparative study on the activation of human and rainbow trout MC2R will provide a useful model system for understanding how ACTH emerged as the sole ligand for the MC2R of bony vertebrates. This dissertation will discuss how studies utilizing analogs of hACTH(1-24) have revealed two critical amino acid motifs in this ligand (HFRW and KKRRP) which are required for the activation of MC2R. In addition, the KKRRP motif functioned as the unique binding site for MC2R that directly contributes …

Regulation Of Actin Dynamics During Drosophila Germband Extension, Ashley M. Motlong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Convergent extension is a process that occurs in the development of a wide variety of organisms, including gastrulation in the Drosophila embryo to begin to lay out the adult body plan. In fly embryos, this is known as germband extension and is mainly driven by cell intercalation or neighbor exchange by planar polarized cell-cell interface contraction to shorten the tissue along the dorsal-ventral axis. In this thesis, I show that interface contraction consists of phases of fast interface shortening and intervals of stable interface size. My data also suggests that regulation of F-actin aggregates at these shrinking interfaces is important …

Mitochondrial Glutathione Transport: Implications For Bcl-2 And Neuronal Survival, Heather Marie Wilkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oxidative stress is a contributing factor to many neurodegenerative diseases. In particular, mitochondria are a key source of oxidative stress due to electron leakage at the level of the electron transport chain. To combat the endogenous production of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species mitochondria are equipped with several redox-cycling systems, such as glutathione (GSH). Mitochondrial GSH has been shown to be a critical reservoir of this antioxidant, where selective depletion of mitochondrial GSH can induce apoptosis in several systems. Many studies have intricately linked Bcl-2 to cellular GSH status and it has been previously shown that Bcl-2 is a …

X-Band Rapid-Scan Epr, Deborah Gale Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The advantages of rapid-scan EPR relative to CW and pulse techniques for samples with long longitudinal relaxation time T₁ (N_s⁰ defects in diamond, N@C₆₀, and amorphous hydrogenated silicon), heterogeneous samples (crystalline 1:1 α,γ-bisdiphenylene-β-phenylallyl (BDPA):benzene), lossy samples (aqueous nitroxyl radicals), and transient radicals (5-tert-butoxycarbonyl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (BMPO)-superoxide adduct) were studied.

For samples with long relaxation times, CW (continuous wave) EPR is challenging due to power saturation and distortions from passage effects. In rapid-scan EPR, the field is swept through resonance in a time that is short relative to T₂. In rapid-scan EPR, the magnetic field is …

Seeded Propagation Of Tau Fibrils, Paul David Dinkel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, Pick's disease, and corticobasal degeneration, the deposition of fibrils composed of misfolded tau protein is observed. Recent evidence suggests that tau fibrils transfer between cells and spread throughout the brain, underscoring the significance of fibril propagation.

Six tau isoforms exist in the adult human brain that can be grouped into 4-repeat (4R) tau and 3-repeat (3R) tau based on the presence or absence of the second of four microtubule binding repeats. We demonstrate in vitro that seeded fibril growth, a prerequisite for the spreading of the tau pathology, is crucially …

Isolation And Characterization Of A Full Length Retrotransposon: Cr1, Cassandra Michelle Weason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transposable elements (TE) have been found in all genomes and have clearly had a major impact on genomic evolution. The described research takes advantage of an abundant transposable element present in the genomes of Anseriformes, called Chicken Repeat 1 (CR1). Previous studies in Anseriformes suggest that CR1 is presently active in recent evolutionary time (St. John, 2004). A fully functional CR1 element itself is approximately 4.5kb long (Kajikawa, 1997), where almost all inserts are truncated at the 5' end. Because of this, it has been a challenge to isolate a full length, active element. In this study, two CR1 sequences …

Novel Functions For Neuronal Rna Processing Bodies In The Control Of Axon Terminal Growth In Drosophila Melanogaster, Sarala Joshi Pradhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we first characterized neuronal functions for HPat/Pat1, a core component of RNA processing bodies or "P bodies". We show that hpat mutants exhibit a strong synaptic hyperplasia at the developing and acutely stimulated Drosophila larval neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). The synaptic defects observed in hpat mutants are associated with rearrangement of the axonal microtubule cytoskeleton suggesting that HPat negatively regulates presynaptic microtubule-based growth during NMJ development. Interestingly, we also found that both pre-and postsynaptic HPat expression controlled rapid axon terminal growth in response to acute spaced synaptic stimulation. We also demonstrate that HPat interacts genetically with the catalytic …

A Role For Dynamin-Dependent Endocytosis During Drosophila Gastrulation, Marissa Kay Kuhl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gastrulation, a process conserved among many higher organisms, is the directed migration of cells into layers that will establish various tissues targeted to become anatomical structures. This process is accomplished through another conserved morphogenetic event, known as cell intercalation. Early in development, this movement of cells within an organized tissue leads to unique cellular arrangements where neighboring cells contract their shared interfaces in order to meet at a shared vertex. In this thesis, I present work that demonstrates a requirement for Dynamin-dependent endocytosis during these contraction events. Using quantitative analysis, I have identified varied cell behaviors during experiments which knockdown …

Biophysical Approaches To Human Genetic Disease: Adsl Deficiency As A Model, Stephen P. Ray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biophysical tools are becoming more useful in approaching human genetic disease. The pathogenic mechanisms behind many disorders have been attributed to protein loss of function or gain in toxic function. For example, changes in the protein Adenylosuccinate Lyase (ADSL) lead to ADSL deficiency, a disorder that causes symptoms ranging from epilepsy to expression of autistic features. Biophysics offers different tools to study intrinsic properties of proteins. We have applied such tools to study the enzyme kinetics and protein stability of ADSL and two mutations (R426H and R303C) to formulate better hypotheses regarding the pathogenic mechanism. Enzyme kinetic findings indicate a) …

Child Friendliness Of Restaurants: A Pilot Study, Amy Mccluskey Bardwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to develop an instrument to measure the child friendliness of restaurants using a combination of previous literature and focus groups. The pilot study consisted of a thirty-six item survey instrument that was distributed to forty individuals. Among the forty individuals who received the survey instrument, thirty-three of them completed the survey. A panel of experts reviethe survey results using cognitive factor analysis. The experts were asked to place each item of the survey instrument into categories. From this, five factors emerged. These included: facilities, service, atmosphere, activities, and menu. Six items from the survey …

Screening Of Quantum Dots For Toxicity On The Growth And Viability Of Escherichia Coli, Jeremy Tharkur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metal (HM) containing quantum dots (Qdots) are increasingly used in commercial products due to their unique electronic, optoelectronic, optical and magnetic properties. Once disposed to the landfill, environmental weathering is likely to compromise HM Qdot integrity, leading to release of heavy metal ions. To minimize any negative environmental impact of HM Qdots, there is an increasing demand for developing HM free or environmentally-friendly surface modified HM Qdot alternatives. In this study, synthesis of HM free ZnS:Mn/ZnS and surface modified HM CdS:Mn/ZnS Qdots (using N-acetylcysteine, NAC, and Dihydrolipoic acid, DHLA) and their potential toxicity assessment using E. coli as a …

Is Breakdown Of Fatty Acid Peroxides Involved In The Induction Of Apolipoprotein A1?, Rajat Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few years the number of deaths caused due to cardiovascular diseases has been increasing and is of major concern. In the United States, 75% of cardiovascular-related deaths have been attributed to atherosclerosis. Western diets containing large quantities of peroxidized lipids are considered atherogenic. Heated oil in the form of fried food brings high levels of peroxidized fat and its decomposition products in the diet. Peroxidized lipids are known to increase the susceptibility of serum lipoproteins to undergo oxidation, thereby contributing to the progression of atherosclerosis. The intestinal cells are responsible for the absorption of dietary fatty acid …

Identification Of Epithelial Stromal Interaction 1 And Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor As Novel Kruppel-Like Factor 8 Targets In Promoting Breast Cancer Progression, Tianshu Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the major cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Understanding the mechanisms underlying breast cancer progression remains urgent for developing effective treatment strategies to eliminate breast cancer mortality. Our recent studies have demonstrated that Krüppel-like transcriptional factor 8 (KLF8) plays a critical role for breast cancer progression. Other studies have shown that Epithelial stromal interaction 1 (EPSTI1), a recently identified stromal fibroblast-induced gene in non-invasive breast cancer cells and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are highly overexpressed in aggressively invasive breast carcinomas including triple negative breast cancers. In this thesis project, we demonstrate high co-overexpression of KLF8 …

Testing For Indirect Benefits Of Polyandry In The Florida Green Turtle, Christopher Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral studies in the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) have indicated that promiscuous mating is commonplace. Though it has been shown that there is much variation in the rate of polyandry (females mating with multiple males), the drivers behind polyandry in this species are unknown. It has been speculated, but never demonstrated, that indirect benefits (fitness benefits resulting from offspring genetic diversity) play a role. However, previous tests of this hypothesis have limited scope of inference due to lack of environmental control. In this thesis, I attempted to study the indirect benefits of polyandry in Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR) …

Florida Local Government Conservation Planning: Variability, Drivers, And Policy Implications, Pamela Pannozzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the quality of Florida county government conservation planning. To assess conservation planning quality, a theoretical model of conservation planning as prescribed by the conservation science literature was first developed. A plan evaluation coding protocol was applied to local comprehensive plan Conservation Elements to determine the extent to which county-level conservation planning met the theoretical model. A high degree of variability in conservation planning quality was found. Highest quality conservation planning occurred in the Gulf coast counties of southwest Florida. Lowest conservation planning quality occurred in the Florida Panhandle counties. The quality of conservation planning of coastal counties …

Sex Ratios Of Juvenile Green Turtles (Chelonia Mydas) In Three Developmental Habitats Along The Coast Of Florida, Cheryl Sanchez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The concept of temperature dependent sex determination (TSD) has been somewhat of an evolutionary enigma for many decades and has had increased attention with the growing predictions of a changing climate, particularly in species that are already threatened or endangered. TSD taxa of concern include marine turtles, which go through various life stages covering a range of regions. This, in turn, creates difficulties in addressing basic demographic questions. Secondary sex ratios (from life stages post-hatchling) were investigated by capturing juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas), 22.6-60.9 cm in straight carapace length (SCL), from three developmental areas along the east coast of …

Population Dynamics And Environmental Factors Influencing Herbs In Intact And Degraded Florida Rosemary Scrub, Elizabeth Stephens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Species have complex and contextual relationships with their environment; both the relative contributions of life-history stages to population growth and the effect of environmental factors on each stage can be different among co-existing species. Timing and extent of reproduction, survival, and mortality determine population growth, species distributions, and assemblage patterns. I evaluate the role of habitat (intact, degraded) and microsite (shrub, leaf litter, bare sand) on population dynamics of Florida scrub herbs. Isolated overgrown shrubs and extensive bare sand areas in degraded scrub were expected to decrease seed predation, reduce competition of herbs with shrubs, and provide larger habitat for …

Ecological Effects And Genetic Diversity Of The Invading Rhizocephalan Parasite Loxothylacus Panopaei In The Flatback Mud Crab Eurypanopeus Depressus, Kathryn A. O'Shaughnessy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rhizocephalan barnacle Loxothylacus panopaei (Gissler, 1884) is a parasite of xanthid crabs. Infection results in parasitic castration and anecdysis of the host. Loxothylacus panopaei is invasive to the US Atlantic coast. The parasite's range was expanded by introduction of infected crabs to Chesapeake Bay in the mid-1960s, and now extends from Long Island Sound, New York to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Monthly flatback mud crab (Eurypanopeus depressus Smith, 1869) collections over 13 months (January 2012-January 2013) at three South Carolina locations found an overall parasite prevalence of 24.2% (391 of 1,615), and provided the first reports of L. panopaei at …

Evaluating The Use Of Autonomous Recording Units To Monitor Yellow Rails, Nelson's Sparrows, And Le Conte's Sparrows, Anna Marie Sidie-Slettedahl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Population status and habitat use of yellow rails (Coturnicops noveboracensis) (YERA), Nelson’s sparrows (Ammodramus nelsoni) (NESP), and Le Conte’s sparrows (Ammodramus leconteii) (LCSP) are poorly known, so systematic surveys of these elusive species are needed to inform conservation planning and guide management. A standardized protocol for monitoring secretive marsh birds exists (Conway 2009, 2011); however, these species call at night and may be missed during early-morning marsh bird surveys. I tested the effectiveness of autonomous recording units (ARUs) to survey these species by analyzing recorded vocalizations using bioacoustics software. I deployed 22 ARUs at 54 sites in northern Minnesota and …

Sagebrush Ecosystem Characterization, Monitoring, And Forecasting With Remote Sensing: Quantifying Future Climate And Wildlife Habitat Change, Collin G. Homer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems constitute the largest single North American shrub ecosystem and provide vital ecological, hydrological, biological, agricultural, and recreational ecosystem services. Disturbances continue to alter this ecosystem, with climate change possibly representing the greatest future disturbance risk. Improved ways to characterize and monitor gradual change in this ecosystem are vital to its future management. A new remote sensing sagebrush characterization approach was developed in Wyoming which integrates three scales of remote sensing to derive four primary continuous field components (bare ground, herbaceousness, litter, and shrub), and four secondary components (sagebrush, big sagebrush, Wyoming sagebrush, and shrub …

Impacts Of Spring-Interseeded Cover Crops On Late-Emerging Weed Suppression And Ground Cover In Corn (Zea Mays L.) Production Systems, Alex D. Bich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Any alternative crop management strategy will only be adopted by growers if yield is not negatively impacted, fits within a current management practice, is easily implementable with minimal cost, or provides other beneficial features such as weed control or suppression. Corn production that incorporates a cover crop as an alternative weed control strategy and ground cover may support a sustainable system that is less dependent on herbicidal weed control. In addition, the cover crop may be used as a fall forage, act as a slow release fertilizer source the following year, and provide ground cover to reduce soil erosion. In …

Perspectives On Ethanol Toxicity In Medaka Embryogenesis And Possible Protection By Asian Ginseng (Panax Ginseng): Histological And Biochemical Analysis, Mona Hamdi Haron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol is recognized as a classic teratogen capable of inducing a wide range of developmental abnormalities. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy may produce permanent brain damage in the fetus and is associated with the development of a life-long behavioral, social, and cognitive disorder now known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The most clinically recognizable form of FASD is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) which is characterized by specific features including facial dysmorphogenesis, mental dysfunction, growth retardation, and cardiovascular and limb defects. Due to ethical constraints, human studies of FASD are very limited. Therefore our current understanding of FASD is mainly based …