Life Sciences Commons^™

A Tetrahedral Version Of The Mach Model For Explaining Biological Mechanisms, Caleb M. Trujillo, Trevor R. Anderson, Nancy J. Pelaez

PIBERG Instructional Innovation Materials

This document is intended for both instructors and students. Modified from the original MACH model this version, once cut and folded, creates a tetrahedral model that can conveniently be used as a teaching and learning tool to inform and guide students on how to write expert quality explanations of biological mechanisms. Each vertex of the tetrahedron represents a component of the model namely, Methods, Analogy, Context, and How. For a coherent and complete explanation about molecular mechanisms, it is important to integrate information pertaining to all four components of the model. The tetrahedral MACH model has been tested in both …

Metabolic Engineering Of Oilseed Crops To Produce High Levels Of Novel Acetyl Glyceride Oils With Reduced Viscosity, Freezing Point And Calorific Value, Jinjie Liu, Adam Rice, Kathleen Mcglew, Vincent Shaw, Hyunwoo Park, Thomas E. Clemente, Mike Pollard, John Ohlrogge, Timothy P. Durrett

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Seed oils have proved recalcitrant to modification for the production of industrially useful lipids. Here, we demonstrate the successful metabolic engineering and subsequent field production of an oilseed crop with the highest accumulation of unusual oil achieved so far in transgenic plants. Previously, expression of the Euonymus alatus diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (EaDAcT) gene in wild-type Arabidopsis seeds resulted in the accumulation of 45 mol% of unusual 3-acetyl-1,2- diacyl-sn-glycerols (acetyl-TAGs) in the seed oil (Durrett et al., 2010 PNAS 107:9464). Expression of EaDAcT in dgat1 mutants compromised in their ability to synthesize regular triacylglycerols increased acetyl-TAGs to 65 mol%. Camelina and soybean …

Longitudinal Quantitative Analysis Of Gait And Balance In Friedreich's Ataxia, Jeannie B. Stephenson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) is an autosomal-recessive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive lower extremity muscle weakness and sensory loss, balance deficits, limb and gait ataxia, and dysarthria. FA is considered a sensory ataxia because the dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord dorsal columns are involved early in the disease, whereas the cerebellum is affected later. Balance deficits and gait ataxia are often evaluated clinically and in research using clinical rating scales. Recently, quantitative tools such as the Biodex Balance System SD and the GAITRite Walkway System have become available to objectively assess balance and gait, respectively. However, there are limited studies …

Smokejumper Obituary: Spence, James Maxwell (Missoula 1953), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Smokejumper Obituary: Thorsrud, Garfield N. "Gar" (Missoula 1946), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Cloning And Characterization Of Farnesyl Diphosphate Synthase Gene Involved In Triterpenoids Biosynthesis From Poria Cocos, Jianrong Wang, Yangyuan Li, Danni Liu

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

Poria cocos (P. cocos) has long been used as traditional Chinese medicine and triterpenoids are the most important pharmacologically active constituents of this fungus. Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPS) is a key enzyme of triterpenoids biosynthesis. The gene encoding FPS was cloned from P. cocos by degenerate PCR, inverse PCR and cassette PCR. The open reading frame of the gene is 1086 bp in length, corresponding to a predicted polypeptide of 361 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 41.2 kDa. Comparison of the P. cocos FPS deduced amino acid sequence with other species showed the highest identity with Ganoderma …

U.S. Drought Monitor, December 2, 2014, Anthony Artusa

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for December 2, 2014 (12/2/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Wellness And Food Preferences Among Children Of Latino Immigrant Families In The Arcadia Community Of Spartanburg County, Sarah Grace Keaveny

Student Scholarship

The topic of this capstone is the result of my synthesis across disciplines. As a student with majors in Biology and Spanish with a concentration in Medical Humanities, I wanted to research a topic that would include my disciplines in a way that would meaningfully prepare me to leave my undergraduate years for medical school. This project seeks to generate an understanding of the culturally created eating habits and perceptions of wellness in Latino children living in the Arcadia Community, as told by their mothers. By seeking this understanding, I hope that this project may serve as a tool to …

Dprp: A Database Of Phenotype-Specific Regulatory Programs Derived From Transcription Factor Binding Data, David T. W. Tzeng, Yu-Ting Tseng, Matthew Ung, I-En Liao, Chun-Chi Liu, Chao Cheng

Dartmouth Scholarship

Gene expression profiling has been extensively used in the past decades, resulting in an enormous amount of expression data available in public databases. These data sets are informative in elucidating transcriptional regulation of genes underlying various biological and clinical conditions. However, it is usually difficult to identify transcription factors (TFs) responsible for gene expression changes directly from their own expression, as TF activity is often regulated at the posttranscriptional level. In recent years, technical advances have made it possible to systematically determine the target genes of TFs by ChIP-seq experiments. To identify the regulatory programs underlying gene expression profiles, we …

Food And Identity Formation Among Jain Laywomen, Kristin Mcconnell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Jains are a small but influential minority community in India. Their religion is structured around the concept of ahimsa, the strict adherence to nonviolence in one’s every under taking. The ideal Jain diet does the least amount of harm to both oneself and one’s environment, including plants and microscopic organisms. Many foods — including meat, honey, alcohol, and underground vegetables — are forbidden. While Jain philosophy is adamant about avoiding foods that are obtained through violence, it says little about the perspectives and lifestyles of those most often charged with maintaining this diet: Jain laywomen. Because these women are …

Over-Expression Of Copper/Zinc Superoxide Dismutase In The Median Preoptic Nucleus Attenuates Chronic Angiotensin Ii-Induced Hypertension In The Rat., John P. Collister, Mitch Bellrichard, Donna Drebes, David Nahey, Jun Tian, Matthew C. Zimmerman

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

The brain senses circulating levels of angiotensin II (AngII) via circumventricular organs, such as the subfornical organ (SFO), and is thought to adjust sympathetic nervous system output accordingly via this neuro-hormonal communication. However, the cellular signaling mechanisms involved in these communications remain to be fully understood. Previous lesion studies of either the SFO, or the downstream median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) have shown a diminution of the hypertensive effects of chronic AngII, without providing a clear explanation as to the intracellular signaling pathway(s) involved. Additional studies have reported that over-expressing copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), an intracellular superoxide (O2·-) scavenging enzyme, in …

Agricultural Experiences And Factors Of Undergraduates Who Enroll In A College Of Agriculture, Benjamin G. Swan, Ann M. De Lay

Agricultural Education and Communication

Industry partners and College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) faculty have observed students entering the college possessed fewer agriculture experiences and skills than their predecessors. They have also lamented the increasing pressure to develop industry-ready students, when the gaps are ever wider between their experience and skills entering college and what are required upon graduation. During the 2011 spring quarter, all CAFES students (N = 3,366) were sent an electronic survey that resulted in 911 responses (27% response rate). Three quarters of the students were female and one third were seniors. Prior to enrolling at the university, 34% …

Using Avifauna To Access The Functional Success Of The Restored Beaver Creek Wetlands Near Cave Run Lake, Menifee County, Kentucky, Brian D. Wulker

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology by Brian D. Wulker on December 1, 2014.

Biomass Burning Fuel Consumption Rates: A Field Measurement Database, T. T. Van Leeuwen, G. R. Van Der Werf, A. A. Hoffmann, R. G. Detmers, G. Rücker, Nancy H. F. French, S. Archibald, J. A. Carvalho Jr, G. D. Cook, William J. De Groot, C. Hély, Eric S. Kasischke, S. Kloster, Jessica Mccarty, M. L. Pettinari, P. Savadogo, E. C. Alvarado, L. Boschetti, S. Manuri, C. P. Meyer, F. Siegert, L. A. Trollope, W. S. W. Trollope

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Landscape fires show large variability in the amount of biomass or fuel consumed per unit area burned. Fuel consumption (FC) depends on the biomass available to burn and the fraction of the biomass that is actually combusted, and can be combined with estimates of area burned to assess emissions. While burned area can be detected from space and estimates are becoming more reliable due to improved algorithms and sensors, FC is usually modeled or taken selectively from the literature. We compiled the peer-reviewed literature on FC for various biomes and fuel categories to understand FC and its variability better, and …

Ag In Motion, Kerri Bermudez, Annelise Jensch, Michaela Stone

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to gauge the interest levels of Ag in Motion for the Central Coast. Positive feedback would allow the project to continue on after this project is finished. Ag in Motion is an important asset to middle school aged children because they have the opportunity to learn about agriculture and it’s value. This is especially important considering California is number one producer of agricultural commodities in the United States.

The Central Coast is defined as these three counties: Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, and Santa Barbara County. An online survey was developed and sent …

Seasonal Variation Of Milk In Central Valley California And The Association Of Milk Variation With The Composition And Texture Of Low Mositure Part Skim Mozzarella, Vaideki Jai

Master's Theses

The chemical composition of milk (specifically casein, fat, and calcium) is known to affect the quality and functional properties of Mozzarella cheese. Therefore, concentrations of total nitrogen, casein nitrogen, non-casein nitrogen, non-protein nitrogen, true nitrogen, casein nitrogen to total nitrogen ratio, casein nitrogen to true nitrogen ratio, fat, total calcium, total solids, somatic cells, and pH were measured in silo milk samples collected weekly over 18-months from a large dairy plant in Central Valley, California from July 2008 to December 2009 to verify changes and correlate to low moisture part skim Mozzarella (LMPS) characteristics. LMPS mozzarella cheese from the same …

Diversity Of Cortical Interneurons In Primates: The Role Of The Dorsal Proliferative Niche, Nevena V. Radonjić, Fani Memi, Xiaojing Yu, Igor Jakovcevski, Nada Zecevic

UCHC Articles - Research

Evolutionary elaboration of tissues starts with changes in the genome and location of the stem cells. For example, GABAergic interneurons of the mammalian neocortex are generated in the ventral telencephalon and migrate tangentially to the neocortex, in contrast to the projection neurons originating in the ventricular/subventricular zone (VZ/SVZ) of the dorsal telencephalon. In human and nonhuman primates, evidence suggests that an additional subset of neocortical GABAergic interneurons is generated in the cortical VZ and a proliferative niche, the outer SVZ. The origin, magnitude, and significance of this species-specific difference are not known. We use a battery of assays applicable to …

The Effect Of Weather During Rearing On Morphometric Traits Of Juvenile Cliff Swallows, Erin A. Roche, Mary Bomberger Brown, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Episodes of food deprivation may change how nestling birds allocate energy to the growth of skeletal and feather morphological traits during development. Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are colonial, insectivorous birds that regu­larly experience brief periods of severe weather–induced food deprivation during the nesting season which may affect offspring development. We investigated how annual variation in timing of rearing and weather were associated with length of wing and tail, skeletal traits, and body mass in juvenile cliff swallows reared in southwestern Nebraska during 2001–2006. As predicted under conditions of food deprivation, nestling skeletal and feather measurements were generally smaller …

2013 Oregon Vineyard And Winery Census Report, Southern Oregon University Research Center

Oregon Wine Board Documents

This statewide survey report on vineyards and wineries in Oregon covers bearing and nonbearing acres, size of vineyard operation, variety and county, size distribution, prices, yields, crush, inventory, and sales. The report also contains some comparisons of data sor 2012 and 2013. According to this report, the wine industry continued to grow in multiple areas.

The View From Lu Cooperative Extension, December 2014, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension

The View from LU Cooperative Extension

Volume 2, Issue 1

A Retrospective Observational Study Of Maximal Enteral Nutrition Rates In A Burn Patient Population, Stephanie Phillips

Theses & Dissertations

Enteral nutrition (EN) is frequently interrupted in the critically ill patient, which can lead to nutritional deficits and severe weight and lean body mass loss. Increased EN rates are being used more frequently to account for these interruptions. This study examined the maximum hourly EN rate (MAX rate) received by each subject and evaluated outcomes and tolerance in an effort to determine if there is a maximum threshold for the EN rate in this population. This retrospective observational study was conducted on an adult population admitted to a major burn center during a three year period who received EN and …

Waas, Glonass, And Gps Accuracy, Yanli Zhang, Daniel Unger, I-Kuai Hung, David Kulhavy

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ecosystem Regime Change Inferred From The Distribution Of Trace Metals In Lake Erie Sediments, Fasong Yuan, Richard Depew, Cheryl Soltis-Muth

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Many freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems across the world may have undergone an ecosystem regime change due to a combination of rising anthropogenic disturbances and regional climate change. Such a change in aquatic ecosystems is commonly seen as shifts in algal species. But considerably less detail is known about the eutrophication history in terms of changes in algal productivity, particularly for a large lake with a great deal of spatial variability. Here we present an analysis of trace metals (Cu, Ni, Cd, and Pb) on a sediment core recovered from Lake Erie, off the Vermilion coast of northern Ohio, USA, …

Perceived Depth In Non-Transitive Stereo Displays, Bart Farell, Cherlyn J. Ng

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

The separation between the eyes shapes the distribution of binocular disparities and gives a special role to horizontal disparities. However, for one-dimensional stimuli, disparity direction, like motion direction, is linked to stimulus orientation. This makes the perceived depth of one-dimensional stimuli orientation dependent and generally non-veridical. It also allows perceived depth to violate transitivity. Three stimuli, A, B, and C, can be arranged such that A > B (stimulus A is seen as farther than stimulus B when they are presented together) and B > C, yet A ≤ C. This study examines how the visual system handles the depth of A, …

Effect Of Predator Type, Season, Brood Size, And West Nile Virus Infection On The Nest Defense Behavior Of Male And Female Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis), Kayde L. Gilbert, Gary L. Ritchison

Biological Sciences Faculty and Staff Research

Parent birds may benefit by defending nests from potential predators if such behavior increases the likelihood that their young will survive. However, such behavior may also be costly, with some risk of injury or even death. Thus, because birds seek to maximize life-time reproductive success rather than current reproductive success, parents must assess the danger posed by a potential nest predator and then choose appropriate responses (Radford and Blakey 2000)

Long Wavelength Analysis Of A Model For The Geographic Spread Of A Disease, Layachi Hadji

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

We investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of the spread of an infectious disease by performing a long-wavelength analysis of a classical model for the geographic spread of a rabies epidemic in a population of foxes subject to idealized boundary conditions. We consider twodimensional and three-dimensional landscapes consisting of an infinite horizontal strip bounded by two walls a finite distance apart and a horizontal region bounded above and below by horizontal walls, respectively. A nonlinear partial differential evolution Equation for the leading order of infectives is derived. The Equation captures the space and time variations of the spread of the …

2015-2016 Burley And Dark Tobacco Production Guide, Robert C. Pearce, William A. Bailey, Lowell P. Bush, Jonathan D. Green, Anne M. Jack, Robert D. Miller, William M. Snell, Lee H. Townsend, Mark A. Purschwitz, Larry D. Swetnam, John H. Wilhoit, Eric Walker, Steve Bost, Neil Rhodes, David Reed, Chuck Johnson, Loren Fisher, Matthew Vann, Scot Whitley, Mina Mila

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

Burley and dark tobacco growers in the U.S. make hundreds of decisions every growing season that impact the yield and quality of the crops that they produce. These decisions may include choosing appropriate varieties, planning effective pest control measures or perhaps deciding the best time to top or harvest a crop. Increasingly, tobacco growers are being required by the industry to record and justify their management decisions and actions. The most comprehensive example of this is the U.S. Tobacco Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) program that was initiated during the 2013 growing season and expanded in 2014. Under …

Reniform Nematode (Rotylenchulus Reniformis) Manipulation Of Host Root Gene Expression During Syncytium Formation In Upland Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum), Wei Li

All Theses

Background: The semi-endoparasitic reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) is a major yield-limiting pest of multiple crops in the tropics and sub-tropics, including upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Reniform-resistant cotton varieties are urgently needed, but genes that confer resistance to reniform nematode have not been identified in any species. Parasitism by reniform nematode involves significant developmental changes in plant roots, leading to the formation of multicellular feeding structures called syncytia. Here, we present de novo transcriptomes assembled from syncytial and non-syncytial cotton roots on three sampling dates across a 12-day time course. Results: Total mRNA samples extracted from reniform-infected …

The Importance Of Maintaining Upland Forest Habitat Surrounding Salamander Breeding Ponds: Case Study Of The Eastern Tiger Salamander In New York, Usa, Valorie Titus, Dale Madison, Timothy Green

Biological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Most amphibians use both wetland and upland habitats, but the extent of their movement in forested habitats is poorly known. We used radiotelemetry to observe the movements of adult and juvenile eastern tiger salamanders over a 4-year period. Females tended to move farther from the breeding ponds into upland forested habitat than males, while the distance a juvenile moved appeared to be related to body size, with the largest individuals moving as far as the adult females. Individuals chose refugia in native pitch pine-oak forested habitat and avoided open fields, roads, and developed areas. We also observed a difference in …

Characterization Of The Early Development And Quality Of Red Snapper (Lutjanus Campechanus) Eggs And Larvae In Aquaculture Conditions, Agnès Bardon Albaret

Dissertations

The quality of red snapper Lutjanus campechanus eggs is highly variable and unpredictable in aquaculture, leading to high mortality during early larval rearing. In this work, the viability of red snapper eggs was investigated from fertilization until larvae expired due to exhaustion of vitellin reserves. The studied spawns were obtained via strip spawning wild-caught (n=17) and captive (n=7) females following hormonal induction. The fertilization rate, the hatch rate, and the duration of survival of unfed larvae post hatch were weakly correlated to each other, revealing occurrence of distinct and independent components of egg quality.

Spawns from captive females were characterized …