Life Sciences Commons^™

Synthesis, Evaluation, And Characterization Of An Ergotamine Imprinted Styrene-Based Polymer For Potential Use As An Ergot Alkaloid Selective Adsorbent, Manoj B. Kudupoje, Eric S. Vanzant, Kyle R. Mcleod, Alexandros Yiannikouris

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Alkaloid toxicities negatively impact livestock health and production. To assess alkaloid occurrences, adsorbent technologies may offer effective means to their extraction and isolation from a complex feed matrix. In this study, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were synthesized and evaluated for their specificity of binding to various ergot alkaloids. Co-polymers of styrene and hydroxyethyl methacrylate were synthesized in the absence or presence of an ergotamine (ETA) template, yielding non-imprinted polymer (NIP) and molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), respectively. The influence of parameters such as pH, temperature, and initial concentration on the adsorption of ergot alkaloids was evaluated along with their application as …

Novel “Acid Tuned” Deep Eutectic Solvents Based On Protonated L-Proline, Patrycja Janicka, Andrzej Przyjazny, Grzegorz Boczkaj

Natural Sciences Publications

The paper presents new types of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) based on L-proline protonated using three different acids (hydrochloric, sulfuric and phosphoric)and playing the role of a hydrogen bond acceptor(HBA). Glucose and xylitol were used as hydrogen bond donors (HBD). A series of deep eutectic solvents with various mole ratios were obtained for the systems L-proline: glucose and L-proline: xylitol. Density, melting point, pH and viscosity of the synthesized DESs were determined along with the effect of water content, mole fraction of the HBA in DES and temperature on properties of the DESs. A wide range of densities (1343–1606 kg/m3), …

Synthesis Of Thresholds Of Ocean Acidification Impacts On Echinoderms, N. Bednaršek, P. Calosi, R. A. Feely, R. Ambrose, M. Byrne, Kit Yu Karen Chan, S. Dupont, J. L. Padilla-Gamiño, J. I. Spicer, F. Kessouri, M. Roethler, M. Sutula, S. B. Weisberg

Biology Faculty Works

Assessing the vulnerability of marine invertebrates to ocean acidification (OA) requires an understanding of critical thresholds at which developmental, physiological, and behavioral traits are affected. To identify relevant thresholds for echinoderms, we undertook a three-step data synthesis, focused on California Current Ecosystem (CCE) species. First, literature characterizing echinoderm responses to OA was compiled, creating a dataset comprised of >12,000 datapoints from 41 studies. Analysis of this data set demonstrated responses related to physiology, behavior, growth and development, and increased mortality in the larval and adult stages to low pH exposure. Second, statistical analyses were conducted on selected pathways to identify …

Novel Insights To Be Gained From Applying Metacommunity Theory To Long-Term, Spatially Replicated Biodiversity Data, Sydne Record, Nicole M. Voelker, Phoebe L. Zarnetske, Nathan I. Wisnoski, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Christopher Swan, Luca Marazzi, Nina Lany, Thomas Lamy, Ado Compagnoni, Max C. N. Castorani, Riley Andrade, Eric R. Sokol

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Global loss of biodiversity and its associated ecosystem services is occurring at an alarming rate and is predicted to accelerate in the future. Metacommunity theory provides a framework to investigate multi-scale processes that drive change in biodiversity across space and time. Short-term ecological studies across space have progressed our understanding of biodiversity through a metacommunity lens, however, such snapshots in time have been limited in their ability to explain which processes, at which scales, generate observed spatial patterns. Temporal dynamics of metacommunities have been understudied, and large gaps in theory and empirical data have hindered progress in our understanding of …

Synthetic Pathways For Potential Platinum 1,10-Phenanthroline Compounds, Jacob Young

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

There are extremely important uses for platinum when it comes to the treatment of cancers and dementias. One potential therapeutic combines platinum with a structure known as phenanthroline. This platinum phenanthroline structure is normally extremely water-insoluble, rendering it difficult to study and use in biological systems. The Williams’ Biochemistry Laboratory endeavored to find a simpler synthetic pathway for a water-soluble phenanthroline product. While unsuccessful in identifying a product as of yet, many synthetic pathways have been ruled out, and more hypothetical pathways are being formulated for testing.

Among the strategies analyzed are varying solvent, reagents, apparatus, methodology, and temperature in …

A Threatened Ecological Community: Research Advances And Priorities For Banksia Woodlands, Alison L. Ritchie, Lauren N. Svejcar, Bronwyn M. Ayre, Julian Bolleter, Aaron Brace, Michael D. Craig, Belinda Davis, Robert A. Davis, Eddie J. B. Van Etten, Joseph B. Fontaine, William M. Fowler, Ray H. Froend, Christine Groom, Giles E. S. J. Hardy, Paula Hooper, Anna J. M. Hopkins, Michael Hughes, Siegfried L. Krauss, Matthias Leopold, Ben P. Miller, Russell G. Miller, Cristina E. Ramalho, Katinka X. Ruthrof, Christopher Shaw, Jason C. Stevens, Ryan Tangney, Leonie E. Valentine

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The rapid expansion of urban areas worldwide is leading to native habitat loss and ecosystem fragmentation and degradation. Although the study of urbanisation's impact on biodiversity is gaining increasing interest globally, there is still a disconnect between research recommendations and urbanisation strategies. Expansion of the Perth metropolitan area on the Swan Coastal Plain in south-western Australia, one of the world's thirty-six biodiversity hotspots, continues to affect the Banksia Woodlands (BWs) ecosystem, a federally listed Threatened Ecological Community (TEC). Here, we utilise the framework of a 1989 review of the state of knowledge of BWs ecology and conservation to examine scientific …