Life Sciences Commons^™

A Neurological Foundation For Freedom, Nita A. Farahany

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Qcm-Adhering Bacillus Anthracis Soil Phage Assemblage Is Less Diverse Than A Total B. Anthracis Soil Phage Assemblage, Gabriel David Connell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Recently, phages have been used as affinity reagents in quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-based biodetection methods. The goal of this study was to isolate and characterize a Bacillus cereus group soil-phage assemblage, which was isolated from 5 grams of local topsoil, and compare its population structure to that of a similar phage assemblage that had been additionally selected by adhering to a QCM electrode. Viruses aren't well-defined in terms of 'species', therefore operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were defined by structural protein profiles from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). We were able to obtain a conservative estimate of soilphage 'species' richness …

Serine 910 Phosphorylation Of Focal Adhesion Kinase Is Critical For Costamere Assembly, Miensheng Chu

Dissertations

Tyrosine-phosphorylated FAK is required for the hypertrophic response of cardiomyocytes to growth factors and mechanical load, but the role of FAK serine phosphorylation in this process is unknown. Endothelin-1 (ET-1; 1-100nM, 2-30min) and other hypertrophic factors induced a time- and dose-dependent increase in FAK-S910 phosphorylation in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM). FAK-S910 phosphorylation required ET_AR-dependent activation of PKCδ and Src via parallel Raf-1→MEK1/2→ERK1/2 and MEK5→ERK5 signaling pathways. Using co-immunoprecipitation, TIRF-microscopy and FRAP, ET-1 stimulation of NRVM expressing a nonphosphorylatable, S910A-FAK mutant decreased the interaction of paxillin and vinculin within costameres. This interaction was important in stabilizing α-actinin within …

Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Chemokine Receptor Cxcr4 Signaling And Trafficking, Rohit Malik

Dissertations

CXCR4 is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that binds to the chemokine, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1alpha; a.k.a. CXCL12). The SDF-1alpha/CXCR4 signaling axis plays an essential role during embryogenesis in the development of the heart, brain and vasculature and in the adult mediating immune cell trafficking and stem cell homing to the bone marrow. Dysregulation of SDF-1alpha/CXCR4 signaling is linked to several pathological conditions, including cardiovascular disease, immunological disorders as well as cancer growth and metastasis. However, the mechanisms that govern CXCR4 signaling remain poorly understood. In this dissertation project, we attempt to further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that …

An Investigation Of The Phospholamban-Serca Regulatory Interaction With Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer, Philip Adam Bidwell

Dissertations

With Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET), we are able to detect changes in the structure and affinity of the PLB-SERCA regulatory complex in live cells. Using this approach, we have detected a high level of PLB-SERCA interaction even at Ca2+ concentrations known to fully relieve PLB inhibition of SERCA, suggesting that dissociation is not required for relief of inhibition. We also detect no real-time change in PLB-SERCA binding over the course of a single Ca2+ transient in paced myocytes. The effect of Ca2+ on the PLB-SERCA interaction is best described as a reduced affinity with no change in the structure …

Receptor-Mediated Hypertrophic Signaling Via Protein Kinase D And Histone Deacetylase 5 In Adult Myocytes, Chia-Wei Jenny Chang

Dissertations

Hemodynamic stress and neurohumoral signaling are common causes of cardiac hypertrophy. These extrinsic stress stimuli typically act on GPCR and induce a cascade of signal transduction to re-program terminally differentiated myocytes to grow in length or width. The compensatory hypertrophic response can enhance cardiac output briefly due to increased work load. However, prolonged stress results in maladaptive changes in the heart and gradually deteriorates ventricular function to supply blood throughout the body. Sustained hypertrophic signaling can also progress toward heart failure.

My dissertation research focuses on the hypertrophic signaling in adult cardiac myocytes in response to neurohumoral stimuli, ET-1 and …

The Role Of Cyp33 In Mll Mediated Gene Repression, Steven D. Poppen

Dissertations

Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) is a multidomain protein whose gene is translocated in a subset of AML leukemias. Translocation of the MLL gene is present in approximately five percent of adult acute leukemias and ten percent of pediatric leukemias (Daser, A 2004, Look, A 1997, Huret, J 2001) Patients presenting in the clinic at the time of diagnosis with an MLL fusion have been shown to respond poorly to treatment and have a worse prognosis than matched wild type MLL patients (Rubnitz, J 1994, Rubnitz, J 1999). Novel therapies therefore are needed in order to more effectively treat patients with …

Compositional Determinants Of The Pharmacological Actions Of Heparins, Angel Lee Gray-Shah

Dissertations

This dissertation primarily focuses on how differences in molecular weight (MW) and structural composition affect the pharmacological activity of heparin and its derivatives. Heparins are a mixture of glycosaminoglycans chains which are used to prevent thrombosis in a number of clinical indications. Heparins promote the inhibition of blood coagulation via their plasmatic cofactors antithrombin (AT) and heparin cofactor II (HCII).

In these studies, various heparins with molecular weights ranging from 2.6 to 16.5 kDa were investigated. Not only the molecular weight but also the oligosaccharide composition greatly varied in these agents. One of the major objectives of this research was …

Cgi-58/Abhd5-Derived Signaling Lipids Regulate Systemic Inflammation And Insulin Action, Caleb C. Lord, Jenna L. Betters, Pavlina T. Ivanova, Stephen B. Milne, David S. Myers, Jennifer Madenspacher, Gwynneth Thomas, Soonkyu Chung, Mingxia Liu, Matthew A. Davis, Richard G. Lee, Rosanne M. Crooke, Mark J. Graham, John S. Parks, Dawn L. Brasaemle, Michael B. Fessler, H. Alex Brown, J. Mark Brown

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Mutations of comparative gene identification 58 (CGI-58) in humans cause Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disease in which excess triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulates in multiple tissues. CGI-58 recently has been ascribed two distinct biochemical activities, including coactivation of adipose triglyceride lipase and acylation of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). It is noteworthy that both the substrate (LPA) and the product (phosphatidic acid) of the LPA acyltransferase reaction are wellknown signaling lipids. Therefore, we hypothesized that CGI-58 is involved in generating lipid mediators that regulate TAG metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Here, we show that CGI-58 is required for the generation of signaling lipids …

Muscadine Grape (Vitis Rotundifolia) And Wine Phytochemicals Prevented Obesity-Associated Metabolic Complications In C57bl/6j Mice, Vishnupriya Gourineni, Neil F. Shay, Soonkyu Chung, Amandeep K. Sandhu, Liwei Gu

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of muscadine grape or wine (cv. Noble) phytochemicals on obesity and associated metabolic complications. Muscadine grape or wine phytochemicals were extracted using Amberlite FPX66 resin. Male C57BL/6J mice were given a low-fat diet (LF, 10% kcal fat), high-fat diet (HF, 60% kcal fat), HF + 0.4% muscadine grape phytochemicals (HF+MGP), or HF + 0.4% muscadine wine phytochemicals (HF+MWP) for 15 weeks. At 7 weeks, mice fed HF+MGP had significantly decreased body weights by 12% compared to HF controls. Dietary MGP or MWP supplementation reduced plasma content of free fatty acids, …

Successful Aging: A Psychosocial Resources Model For Very Old Adults, G. Kevin Randall, Peter Martin, Mary Ann Johnson, Leonard W. Poon

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Objectives.Using data from the first two phases of the Georgia Centenarian Study, we proposed a latent factor structure for the Duke OARS domains: Economic Resources, Mental Health, Activities of Daily Living, Physical Health, and Social Resources. Methods. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on two waves of the Georgia Centenarian Study to test a latent variable measurement model of the five resources; nested model testing was employed to assess the final measurement model for equivalency of factor structure over time. Results. The specified measurement model fit the data well at Time 1. However, at Time 2, …

Vorinostat: A Potent Agent To Prevent And Treat Laser-Induced Corneal Haze, Ashish Tandon, Jonathan C. K. Tovey, Michael R. Waggoner, Ajay Sharma, John W. Cowden, Daniel J. Gibson, Yuanjing Liu, Gregory S. Schultz, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

PURPOSE—This study investigated the efficacy and safety of vorinostat, a deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, in the treatment of laser-induced corneal haze following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in rabbits in vivo and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) -induced corneal fibrosis in vitro.

METHODS—Corneal haze in rabbits was produced with −9.00 diopters (D) PRK. Fibrosis in cultured human and rabbit corneal fibroblasts was activated with TGFβ1. Vorinostat (25 μm) was topically applied once for 5 minutes on rabbit cornea immediately after PRK for in vivo studies. Vorinostat (0 to 25 μm) was given to human/rabbit corneal fibroblasts for 5 minutes or 48 …

Physiochemical Characteristics Contributing To The Cytotoxicity Of Transition Metal Oxides, Chi-Heng Wu

Masters Theses

"In the past ten years nanotechnology has not only evolved to play a prominent role in our economy but also increased the concern over potential adverse effects caused by nanomaterials to human health and the environment. Nanotoxicity is to understand the nature and origin of the toxicity imposed by nanomaterials. Studies from our laboratory have shown that nanoparticle induces oxidative stress, perturbs calcium homeostasis, alter gene expression, and produces pro-inflammatory responses. We also identified a trend of toxicity: TiO₂ < Cr₂O₃ < Fe₂O₃ < Mn₂O₃ < NiO < ZnO < CuO. We then asked a question: what are physiochemical factors of transition metal nanoparticles that contributed to this increasing cytotoxicity. In this thesis I investigated the correlation between physicochemical properties and toxicity of the transition metal oxides in the 4th Period of the Periodic Table of Elements. Particle size, BET surface area, point of zero charge, metal dissolution, and degree of surface adsorption of transition metal oxide nanoparticles were measured. There were no increasing trends in both particle size and specific surface area. The point of zero charge showed an increasing trend as TiO₂ < Cr₂O₃ < Fe₂O₃ < NiO < CuO = ZnO < Mn₂O₃. The number of available binding sites of nanoparticle showed an increasing trend as Cr₂O₃ > ZnO > CuO > NiO > Fe₂O₃ > Mn₂O₃ > TiO₂. The degree of adsorption on the surface of nanoparticles showed an increasing trend with atomic …

Development Of Capillary Electrophoresis For The Analysis Of Phenolics And Glucoraphanin In Brassica Oleracea, Iris Lee

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been used increasingly more over the last decade in the area of food analysis. Numerous food products and food components have been analysed using this technique because of its high efficiency and short separation times. However, the inherent lack of detection sensitivity in CE combined with the complex matrices present in many food samples, especially those of plant origins, is one of the contributing factors to the limited development on CE in this particular area of food analysis. In this project, the potential of CE as a tool in the analysis of vegetables belonging to the …

The Impact Of Black Swan (Cygnus Atratus) Grazing On The Seagrass Halophila Ovalis In The Lower Swan River Estuary, Gary Choney

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Grazing is an important ecosystem process, influencing community structure and rates of ecosystem processes. Although grazing on seagrasses is generally considered to be minor in many temperate regions of the world, waterfowl are often considered significant grazers in temperate lagoons and estuaries. This study examined spatial and temporal variation in swan abundance, grazing pressure and the impact grazing has on seagrass. Little is known on how grazing rates vary on larger water bodies in the southern hemisphere at different times of year and whether temporal changes in grazing rates affect the ability of seagrasses to tolerate grazing. The plant response …

Lno Data Access Cedar Creek Site, Long Term Ecological Research Network

Long Term Ecological Research Network

This memorandum asks for feedback on a data availability policy to be used by PI of grants for LTER.

Coping Behaviour As An Adaptation To Stress: Post-Disturbance Preening In Colonial Seabirds, Shandelle M. Henson, Lynelle M. Weldon, James L. Hayward, Daniel Greene, Libby C. Megna, Maureen C. Serem

Faculty Publications

In humans, coping behaviour is an action taken to soothe oneself during or after a stressful or threatening situation. Some human behaviours with physiological functions also serve as coping behaviours, for example, comfort sucking in infants and comfort eating in adults. In birds, the behaviour of preening, which has important physiological functions, has been postulated to soothe individuals after stressful situations. We combine two existing modelling approaches – logistic regression and Darwinian dynamics – to explore theoretically how a behaviour with crucial physiological function might evolve into a coping behaviour. We apply the method to preening in colonial seabirds to …

Crosstalk Between Lysophospatidic Acid (Lpa) And Transforming Growth Factor Beta (Tgfβ) In Breast And Ovarian Cancer Cells, Jinhua Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) are platelet-derived intercellular mediators of cell proliferation and motility. LPA is a general growth, survival and motility-stimulating factor in mammalian cells. TGFβ prevents proliferation of normal epithelial cells. However, the growth-inhibitory effect of TGFβ is lost or reduced in most malignant cells. Instead, TGFβ promotes migration and invasion of advanced cancer cells. Since LPA and TGFβ are both present in the blood and tumor microenvironments, we were interested in signal integration and functional outcomes in malignant epithelial cells in an LPA and TGFβ co-stimulatory context. In a subset of breast and …

Diet And Reproductive Biology Of The Blacknose Shark (Carcharhinus Acronotus) From The Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, Ryan Michael Ford

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The blacknose shark (Carcharhinus acronotus) is a common small coastal shark species found in nearshore waters along the southeast coast of the United States, from North Carolina into the Gulf of Mexico and extending further south into the Bahamas. There has been some debate in recent years over the reproductive periodicity of C. acronotus in waters off the U.S. coast. Earlier studies have suggested that Gulf C. acronotus reproduce on an annual basis whereas the Atlantic populations of this species may reproduce biennially. Additionally, there have been no known studies on the diet of C. acronotus. The goal of the …

The Influence Of Seawater And Sulfate Reduction On Phosphate Release From Tidal Wetland Soils In The St. John’S River, Florida, Asher Williams

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change and increasing sea level elevation are predicted to increase salinity in estuarine tidal wetlands in the Southeastern United States. Since much of the ecosystem function in these areas is predicated upon salinity regimes, many fundamental changes are likely to occur as a result. The influence of salinity and SO4 2- reduction on PO4 3- release from tidal wetland soils was evaluated along a salinity gradient at three sites in The St. John’s River, Florida using both field and laboratorybased methods. Porewater was sampled over the course of 10 months to determine ambient levels of SO4 2- and PO4 …

Population Structure And Nest Success Of Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus Polyphemus), And Vegetative Response To Prescribed Burning In Northeast Florida, Kristine Constance Amatuli

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A gopher tortoise population on the campus of University of North Florida is part of an ongoing study initiated during the early 1990s, and this project presents data on this population collected during the 2009-2011 field seasons. The project has three major objectives: 1) measure population demographics including density and structure to assess long-term viability and recruitment, 2) evaluate decadal growth rates of individuals by comparing measurements of tortoises captured and marked in the 1990-1994 study done at the same site with those tortoises recaptured during the current study, and 3) assess the effect of prescribed burning on vegetation. In …

Nutrient Transport By Shrimp Hepatopancreas, Tamla A. Simmons

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purified brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) were isolated to characterize primary cellular transport mechanisms for white shrimp. The ultimate goal is to determine the effective components of a shrimp’s diet, thereby enhancing growth, as well as nutrient content. Juvenile shrimp are dependent on plant material as a food source. Potassium is a key component of plants, thus it may play a role in nutrient transport. In addition, divalent metals have been shown to act as co-transporters in several other organisms, thus they may serve as a transport mechanism for shrimp.

Fresh, live, white or brown shrimp were obtained, and from …

Biomass Yield And Nutrient Removal Rates Of Perennial Grasses Under Nitrogen Fertilization, M. K. Kering, T. J. Butler, J. T. Biermacher, John A. Guretzky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Perennial grasses may provide a renewable source of biomass for energy production. Biomass yield, nutrient concentrations, and nutrient removal rates of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), giant miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), giant reed (Arundo donax L.), weeping lovegrass [Eragrostis curvula (Shrad.) Nees], kleingrass (Panicum coloratum L.), and Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers.) were evaluated at four N fertilizer rates (0, 56, 112, or 168 kg Nha⁻¹) on a Minco fine sandy loam soil in southern Oklahoma. Species were established in 2008 and harvested for biomass in winter of 2009 and 2010. Biomass …

Crop Management Of Switchgrass, Matt A. Sanderson, Marty R. Schmer, Vance Owens, Pat Keyser, Wolter Elbersen

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Management of switchgrass for bioenergy and forage share some commonalities, of particular interest in bioenergy crop production is: (1) rapid establishment of switchgrass to generate harvestable biomass in the seeding year, (2) highly efficient management of soil and fertilizer N to minimize external energy inputs, and (3) harvest management to maximize yields of lignocellulose. Bioenergy cropping may entail management for multiple services in addition to biomass yield including soil C sequestration, wildlife habitat, landscape management, and water quality protection. Management is a critical factor especially as land classified as marginal or idle land will be emphasized for bioenergy production to …

Managing Nitrogen And Phosphorus Nutrients For Switchgrass Produced For Bioenergy Feedstock In Phosphorus-Deficient Soil, Mohua Haque, Jon T. Biermacher, Maru Kering, John A. Guretzky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

There is limited information available explaining the agronomic and economic relationships between yield and nitrogen and phosphorus applications to growing switchgrass produced in phosphorus-deficient soils. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on feedstock yield and measures of expected total cost, gross revenue, net return, and breakeven price of feedstock produced in phosphorus-deficient soils in the southern Great Plains. Data were collected from a three-year, two-location agronomic field study conducted in south-central Oklahoma. Two discrete nitrogen treatments (0 and 134 kg ha^-1) and four discrete phosphorus treatments (0, 30, 60 …

Auxin Controls Arabidopsis Adventitious Root Initiation By Regulating Jasmonic Acid Homeostasis, Laurent Gutierrez, Gaëlle Mongelard, Kristýna Floková, Daniel I. Păcurar, Ondrej Novák, Paul E. Staswick, Mariusz Kowalczyk, Monica Păcurar, Gaia Geiss, Catherine Bellini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Vegetative shoot-based propagation of plants, including mass propagation of elite genotypes, is dependent on the development of shoot-borne roots, which are also called adventitious roots. Multiple endogenous and environmental factors control the complex process of adventitious rooting. In the past few years, we have shown that the auxin response factors ARF6 and ARF8, targets of the microRNA miR167, are positive regulators of adventitious rooting, whereas ARF17, a target of miR160, is a negative regulator. We showed that these genes have overlapping expression profiles during adventitious rooting and that they regulate each other’s expression at the transcriptional …

Modulation Of Kernel Storage Proteins In Grain Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench), Tejinder Kumar, Ismail M. Dweikat, Shirley Sato, Zhengxiang Ge, Natalya Nersesian, Han Chen, Thomas Elthon, Scott Bean, Brian P. Ioerger, Mike Tilley, Thomas E. Clemente

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Sorghum prolamins, termed kafirins, are categorized into subgroups α, β, and γ. The kafirins are co-translationally translocated to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where they are assembled into discrete protein bodies that tend to be poorly digestible with low functionality in food and feed applications. As a means to address the issues surrounding functionality and digestibility in sorghum, we employed a biotechnology approach that is designed to alter protein body structure, with the concomitant synthesis of a co-protein in the endosperm fraction of the grain. Wherein perturbation of protein body architecture may provide a route to impact digestibility by reducing disulphide …

Local Conditions, Not Regional Gradients, Drive Demographic Variation Of Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia Trifida) And Common Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) Across Northern U.S. Maize Belt, Samuel E. Wortman, Adam Davis, Brian J. Schutte, John L. Lindquist, John Cardina, Joel Felix, Christy L. Sprague, J. Anita Dille, Analiza H. M. Ramirez, Graig Reicks, Sharon A. Clay

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Knowledge of environmental factors influencing demography of weed species will improve understanding of current and future weed invasions. The objective of this study was to quantify regional-scale variation in vital rates of giant ragweed and common sunflower . To accomplish this objective, a common field experiment was conducted across seven sites between 2006 and 2008 throughout the north central U.S. maize belt. Demographic parameters of both weed species were measured in intra- and interspecific competitive environments, and environmental data were collected within site-years. Site was the strongest predictor of below ground vital rates (summer and winter seed survival and seedling …

Registration Of ‘Ne01481’ Hard Red Winter Wheat, P. Stephen Baenziger, Robert A. Graybosch, Teshome H. Regassa, Lenis Alton Nelson, Robert N. Klein, Dipak K. Santra, D. D. Baltensperger, Lei Xu, Stephen N. Wegulo, Y. Jin, J. Kolmer, Ming-Shun Chen, Guihua Bai

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

‘NE01481’ (Reg. No. CV-1061, PI 659689) hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed cooperatively by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS and released in April 2010. NE01481 will be marketed as Husker Genetics brand McGill. In addition to superior agronomic performance, Nebraska wheat growers would like to have increased resistance to Wheat soilborne mosaic virus. NE01481 was selected from the cross NE92458/‘Ike’ that was made in 1995. The pedigree of NE92458 is OK83201/‘Redland’ and the pedigree of OK83201, an experimental line developed by Oklahoma State University is ‘Vona’//‘Chisholm’/‘Plainsman V’. NE01481 was selected with the bulk …

Optimizing Cover Crop Benefits With Diverse Mixtures And An Alternative Termination Method, Samuel E. Wortman, Charles A. Francis, Mark L. Bernards, Rhae A. Drijber, John L. Lindquist

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Previous studies have demonstrated benefits of individual cover crop species, but the value of diverse cover crop mixtures has received less attention. The objectives of this research were to determine the effects of spring-sown cover crop mixture diversity and mechanical cover crop termination method on cover crop and/or cash crop productivity, soil moisture and N, and profitability in an organic cropping system. An experiment was conducted between 2009 and 2011 near Mead, Nebraska, United States, where mixtures of two (2CC), four (4CC), six (6CC), and eight (8CC) cover crop species, or a summer annual weed mixture were included in a …