Life Sciences Commons^™

Serum Coenzyme Q10, Α-Tocopherol, Γ-Tocopherol, And C-Reactive Protein Levels And Body Mass Index In Adolescent And Premenopausal Females, Weiwen Chai, Rachel Novotny, Gertraud Maskarinec, Loic Le Marchand, Adrian A. Franke, Robert V. Cooney

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Objective

Lipid-soluble antioxidants are associated with a lower incidence for many chronic diseases of aging, possibly by preventing damage from chronic inflammation. In the current study, we compared serum levels of coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀), α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and C-reactive protein (CRP) between adolescent girls and premenopausal women to assess changes from childhood to midlife.

Methods

Baseline serum CoQ₁₀, α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and CRP levels were measured in 207 girls (13-19 years) and 183 premenopausal women (34-47 years) using standard methods and the two age groups were compared by t-test. The influence of age, body mass index (BMI) …

Egg Intake During Carbohydrate Restriction Alters Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Inflammation And Cholesterol Homeostasis In Metabolic Syndrome, Catherine J. Andersen, Ji-Young Lee, Christopher N. Blesso, Timothy P. Carr, Maria Luz Fernandez

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Egg yolk contains bioactive components that improve plasma inflammatory markers and HDL profiles in metabolic syndrome (MetS) under carbohydrate restriction. We further sought to determine whether egg yolk intake affects peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) inflammation and cholesterol homeostasis in MetS, as HDL and its associated lipid transporter ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) reduce the inflammatory potential of leukocytes through modulation of cellular cholesterol content and distribution. Thirty-seven men and women classified with MetS consumed a moderate carbohydrate-restricted diet (25%–30% of energy) for 12 weeks, in addition to consuming either three whole eggs per day (EGG) or the equivalent amount …

A Quantitative Analysis Of The Effect Of Cash-4-Grass Programs On Water Consumption, Cynthia Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Water supplies in California are stretched to critical levels as a result of population growth, periodic drought, and climate change. The California legislature recognized that the best way to increase supply is to decrease demand so the Water Use Efficiency Senate Bill 7 (SBx7-7) was signed into law in 2009. The law requires water purveyors to reduce per capita water usage by 20% by the year 2020. To comply, water purveyors are searching for innovative ways to increase water conservation. A review of the literature has shown that many factors influence water consumption. However, the majority of household water consumption …

Mutations In Phospholamban Alter The Structure And Function Of The Calcium Atpase Regulatory Complex, Neha Abrol

Dissertations

Phospholamban (PLB) is an integral membrane protein that plays an important role in regulation of cardiac calcium handling and contractility. PLB exists as a homopentamer in the membrane, which upon deoligomerization into active monomers reversibly inhibits sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA). Mutations in PLB that change the PLB monomer-pentamer equilibrium result in dysregulation of SERCA. To determine the structural and regulatory role of the C-terminal residues of PLB in the membranes of living cells, we fused fluorescent protein tags to PLB and SERCA. We then studied the effect of C-terminal alanine substitutions and truncation mutations on PLB oligomerization and SERCA …

Functional Importance Of Oxidative Post-Translational Modifications Of Ryanodine Receptor In Cardiac Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+ Handling During Oxidative Stress, Stefan R. Mazurek

Dissertations

Free ionic calcium (Ca2+) plays an essential role as a second messenger that initiates muscle contraction in the heart. Ryanodine receptor (RyR2) acts as the primary Sarcoplasmic Reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release channel in the heart. In the event that intracellular SR Ca2+ handling is compromised, both the contractility and electrical excitability of the heart can be altered. As a consequence, heart function may not be able to maintain the necessary cardiac output to meet the metabolic demand of the body.

Increased oxidation of RyR2 has been implicated in abnormal Ca2+ handling that promotes the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease. …

The Dape-Encoded N-Succinyl-L,L-Diaminopimelic Acid Desuccinylase (Dape) From Haemophilus Influenzae As A Prospective Target For The Development Of Novel Antibiotics, Anna Starus

Dissertations

The rapid emergence of bacteria that are resistant to todayfs antibiotics makes them more and more ineffective. Consequently, the need for a novel class of antibacterial agents is rapidly increasing. The importance of this project is emphasized by the emergence of several pathogenic bacterial strains that are resistant to all currently available antibiotics on the market today. One way to approach this problem is to develop drugs that target essential bacterial biosynthetic pathways. Based on bacterial genetic information, the meso]diaminopimelate (mDAP)/lysine biosynthetic pathway offers several potential anti]bacterial targets that have not been yet explored. One of these, the dapE-encoded N-succinyl-L,L-diaminopimelic …

Simultaneous Bactericidal And Osteogenic Effect Of Nanoparticulate Calcium Phosphate Powders Loaded With Clindamycin On Osteoblasts Infected With Staphylococcus Aureus, Vuk Uskoković, Tejal A. Dasai

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

S aureus internalized by bone cells and shielded from the immune system provides a reservoir of bacteria in recurring osteomyelitis. Its targeting by the antibiotic therapy may thus be more relevant for treating chronic bone infection than eliminating only the pathogens colonizing the bone matrix. Assessed was the combined osteogenic and antibacterial effect of clindamycinloaded calcium phosphate nanoparticles of different monophasic compositions on co-cultures comprising osteoblasts infected with S aureus. Antibiotic-carrying particles were internalized by osteoblasts and minimized the concentration of intracellular bacteria. In vitro treatments of the infected cells, however, could not prevent cell necrosis due to the …

Testing The Utility Of Environmental Cluster Analysis Based Upon Biodiversity Surrogates Within Geographic Information Systems For Conservation Planning: A Case Study Of Inland Temperate Rainforest In The Northern Rocky Mountains, Matthew J. Heimel

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Environmental surrogates have been proposed as a method for addressing a lack of taxonomic data in biodiversity conservation planning. These surrogates, used as variables in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis, can be used in classification procedures to classify areas that are hypothesized to support or be able to support a targeted species or community. The peripheral range of the inland temperate rainforest’s (ITRF) in northwest Montana and northern Idaho was used as a case study for testing the utility of a method known as Environmental Cluster Analysis (ECA) within a GIS using abiotic environmental variables encompassing broad environmental attributes to …

Epigenetic Changes After Prenatal Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure And Asthma, Sonja Christensen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Allergic asthma affects over 300 million people worldwide. Multiple factors have been shown to alter an individuals' susceptibility to this allergic airway disease such as exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), endotoxin, and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Prenatal exposure to these contaminants, especially ETS, has been shown to increase risk for an individuals’ asthma risk, however, the mechanism by which this happens is still unknown. Epigenetic alterations, particularly DNA methylation patterns, have been introduced as a proposed mechanism. The goals of this project were to use a house dust mite (HDM) murine model of asthma to determine the methylation alterations …

Developing Strategies To Initialize Landscape-Scale Vegetation Maps From Fia Data To Enhance Resolution Of Individual Species-Size Cohort Representation In The Landscape Disturbance Model, Simpplle, Jacob Muller

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The ability of forest resource managers to understand and anticipate landscape-scale change in composition and structure relies upon an adequate characterization of the current forest composition and structure of various patches (or stands), along with the capacity of forest landscape models (FLMs) to predict patterns of growth, succession, and disturbance at multiple scales over time. Comprehensive vegetation maps, which classify patch polygons or raster cells into forest cover types, can be developed from available inventory data (e.g., FIA Grid) in combination with remotely sensed data, but a simple categorical forest type, even one incorporating average size, may not provide adequate …

Correlates Of Canada Lynx Reproductive Success In Northwestern Montana, Megan K. Kosterman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Habitat loss and fragmentation continue to threaten the persistence of forest carnivores in the contiguous US. The recovery of federally threatened species, such as the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), will be greatly enhanced by identifying a demographic-based definition of lynx habitat based on habitat analyses of animals with differential reproductive success. We collected field data on denning and offspring survival in northwestern Montana from 1998–2012. We used these data to define four response variables as measures of female Canada lynx reproductive success: (1) potential reproductive events, (2) initial litter size, (3) litter success (≥1 survivor), and (4) surviving …

Habitat Quality Influences Migratory Strategy Of Female White-Tailed Deer, Charles R. Henderson Jr.

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Partial migration is a life history strategy that is common for ungulate species living in seasonal environments. One factor that influences the decision to migrate by ungulates is access to high quality habitat. We evaluated the influence of access to winter habitat of high quality on the probability of an individual migrating, the differences in seasonal habitat use between and within migratory and resident classes of deer, and the effects of this decision on the survival of female white-tailed deer. We hypothesized that deer with home ranges of relatively low quality in winter would have a relatively high probability of …

Disturbed Waters – A Montana Chemist Searches For The Source Of A Persistent Poison, Kindra Mcquillan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In December 2008, when Montana's great Clark Fork River tested its historic banks for the first time in 100 years, a crowd of hundreds gathered to watch the removal of Milltown Dam at the confluence of the river with the Big Blackfoot. After a century of pollution from Butte's copper mines, the river was undergoing the nation's largest­yet restoration project, the Upper Clark Fork River Superfund Complex.

But in a windowless laboratory a mile away, University of Montana chemist Heiko Langner had troubling news. Toxic methylmercury flowed through the river at concentrations of concern, undetected and undermining the project. It …

An Environmental Toxic Model Of Parkinson's Disease: The Fruit Fly, Jennene Lyda

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder with no known specific cause; although genetic risk factors and/or environmental exposure are thought to be involved. The etiology of PD is currently unknown, although the combination of non-genetic components such as environmental exposures, the accumulation of exposure, and gene-environment interactions are thought to play a major role. However, despite this knowledge it is important to develop better models that parallel PD pathophysiology to further understand the mechanisms underlying dopaminergic neuron (DaN) damage. The use of mammalian models to study the degenerative processes in PD has been the most common …

Understanding Traditions And Practices Of Medicinal Plant Use In Carhuamayo, Junin, Peru, Anastasia Orkwiszewski

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding and preserving Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Practices (TEKP) are essential for the continued resilience and cultural diversity of humanity. TEKP faces a multitude of threats from habitat loss, growth of the market economy, globalization, and acculturation. Medicinal plant use in the high Andean town of Carhuamayo, Junín, was studied to assess the vibrancy of that particular branch of TEKP in that area, in what parts of the population it was held, and what factors influence its loss or growth. Gender, age, migrant status, and acculturation levels were not found to be statistically significant in predicting medicinal plant knowledge. Analysis …

Spatial Patterns And Physical Factors Of Smokejumper Utilization Since 2004, Tyson A. Atkinson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This research examines patterns of aerial smokejumper usage in the United States. I assess landscape and environmental factors of their deployment using a detailed nine-year record of smokejumper activity in combination with terrain, fuels, and transportation network data. Specifically, the research seeks to identify commonalities in location (proximity), terrain, fuels, fire occurrence, and accessibility of smokejumper actions that inform current usage and identify opportunities for improved utilization. Terrain parameters (steep, rugged, inaccessible) of the western U.S. were classified and a baseline travel time grid was created (30 meter resolution). Fires in which smokejumpers responded were compared with all fires that …

The Effects Of Seed Source Health On Whitebark Pine Regeneration Density After Wildfire, Signe B. Leirfallom

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is declining nearly range-wide largely from mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks and the exotic pathogen Cronartium ribicola, which causes the disease white pine blister rust. With high mortality in cone-bearing whitebark pine, seed production may not be sufficient to support natural regeneration after disturbance such as wildfire. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between whitebark pine seed source health and whitebark pine regeneration density in adjacent, stand-replacing burns. I sampled regeneration patterns and seed source health and status in 15 burns within six national forests and …

Effects Of Road-Stream Crossings On Populations Of The Idaho Giant Salamander (Dicamptodon Aterrimus), Richard K. Honeycutt

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Habitat disturbances affect wildlife populations through numerous mechanisms, and determining specific components of habitat disturbances affecting those populations is challenging. For example, a single disturbance can both change local habitat conditions and impose limitations on dispersal of animals. Both of these components can negatively affect biological responses, such as body condition, local movement patterns, or survival. Culverts are a habitat disturbance having both of these components. Culverts affect local habitat conditions by increasing sediment levels in downstream reaches, negatively affecting animals downstream of culverts. Culverts also impose limits on dispersal by blocking passage of stream organisms to upstream reaches, negatively …

Establishment Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (Amf) On Micropropagated Teak (Tectona Grandis L. F.), Maria Isabel Ramirez Caro

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Improvement of root production and ability to establish mycorrhizas from different Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) inoculum sources on two micropropagated teak (Tectona grandis L. f.) clones was examined at the acclimatisation phase. Teak shoots were maintained on a multiplication medium containing Murashige and Skoog (MS) nutrients and organics, 30 g L-1 sucrose, 0.5 μM benzyl amino purine, 0.5 μM kinetin, 2.5 g L-1 agar, 2.5 g L-1 gelrite and pH 5.8. After 35 days shoots were exposed to a rooting medium (RM) containing ¼ strength MS macronutrients, ½ strength MS iron, full strength MS micronutrients, and 20 g L-1 …

Health Promotion In Multiple Domains: Capitalizing On The Spillover Effect, Gabrielle Maria D'Lima

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Lifestyle behaviors, such as physical activity and food consumption choices, play a critical role in the development of chronic diseases and ultimately mortality. Optimally, multiple health-related behaviors are changed to reduce risk rather than targeting only one risk behavior. The purpose of the current research was to examine the potential utility of the spillover effect in the application of a multiple health behavior intervention. The online intervention developed in this study aimed primarily to foster self-regulation, bolstered by impulsivity control and self-efficacy, in one health-related behavior (i.e., physical activity) in order to potentially affect change in other health-related behaviors (e.g., …

Developing A Caenorhabditis Elegans Model For Marfan Syndrome, Pauline Fotopoulos

Theses and Dissertations

Marfan Syndrome (MFS) is one of the most common monogenic diseases and affects approximately 1 in 5,000 individuals worldwide. The syndrome is characterized by elongated extremities, tall stature, slender frame, and cardiac, and vision abnormalities due to severe connective tissue defects. It is caused by mutations in the fbn1 gene, which encodes an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, and is required for proper cardiac and skeletal development and for sequestration of TGFβ (transforming growth factor beta) and BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) within the extracellular matrix (ECM). The primary objective of this study was to establish a C.elegans MFS model and use this …

Voltage Sensing Mechanism In The Voltage-Gated And Proton (H+)-Selective Ion Channel Hv1, Aaron L. Randolph

Theses and Dissertations

Activation of the intrinsic aqueous water-wire proton conductance (GAQ) in Hv1 channels is controlled by changes in membrane potential and the transmembrane pH gradient (ΔpH). The mechanism by which changes in ΔpH affect the apparent voltage dependence of GAQ activation is not understood. In order to measure voltage sensor (VS) activation in Hv1, we mutated a conserved Arg residue in the fourth helical segment (S4) to His and measured H+ currents under whole-cell voltage clamp in transfected HEK-293 cells. Consistent with previous studies in VS domain containing proteins, we find that Hv1 R205H mediates a robust resting-state H+ ‘shuttle’ conductance …

The Group Iva Cytosolic Phospholipase A2/C1p Interaction And Its Role In Eicosanoid Synthesis And Inflammation, Jennifer A. Mietla

Theses and Dissertations

In the presented study, we demonstrate that the interaction of group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 and ceramide-1-phosphate is crucial for production of eicosanoid synthesis in inflammation. Inflammation is a critical component of many disease states including anaphylaxis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and asthma. Eicosanoids are well established mediators of inflammation, and the initial rate limiting step in the production of eicosanoids is the liberation of arachidonic acid (AA) from membrane phospholipids by a phospholipase A2 (PLA2). The major phospholipase involved in this liberation of AA during the inflammatory response is group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α). Previous studies …

Developing C. Elegans As A Model To Study Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Jheesoo Ahn

Theses and Dissertations

Caenorhabditis elegans has been studied as a model organism in various areas of biomedical research because it shares many conserved functions at molecular and genetic levels with humans. Specifically, it is an ideal organism to study heterogeneous metabolic syndromes such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) as C. elegans can be used to delineate molecular pathways that are at the core of its problems. A growing number of populations worldwide are faced with chronic T2DM, which also manifests several complications, such as blindness, neuropathy and cardiovascular diseases. Currently, metformin is the first-line drug of choice administered to treat T2DM. While …

The Effects Of Sampling Design On Abundance And Distribution Of Bottlenose Dolphins In The St. Johns River, Florida, Samantha Ryanne Nekolny

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is tasked with upholding the regulations prescribed in the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. One of the ways this is accomplished is by producing regular stock assessment reports. For these reports, knowledge about a species abundance and distribution is a vital component, allowing informed management decisions to be made that may potentially reduce the natural and anthropogenic impacts on the organisms. In 2010, an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) occurred in the lower St. Johns River, resulting in an unusually large number of bottlenose dolphin strandings. As the data regarding this population was …

Reproductive Biology Of The Bonnethead (Sphyrna Tiburo) From The Southeastern U.S. Atlantic Coast, Melissa I. Gonzalez De Acevedo

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the life history of marine wildlife is essential for the management of both commercial and recreational fisheries. Bonnetheads (Sphyrna tiburo) are a component of the small coastal shark (SCS) fishery complex, and are caught regularly in both types of fisheries. Despite being well studied in the Gulf of Mexico, little is known about bonnetheads from the U.S. Atlantic coast. The goal of the first component of this study was to provide new, key information on their life history to improve management of U.S. Atlantic populations, particularly by identifying reproductive seasonality, periodicity and fecundity. This was accomplished by examining sexually …

Development Of Leaf Shape And Vein Homologies In Five Species Of The Genus Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae), Austin William Jones

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Angiosperm leaves are extremely variable in form while predominantly maintaining the function of the primary photosynthetic organ of the plant. Changes in leaf form can result from myriad physiological processes which may be influenced by ecology, physical stimuli, phylogeny, or other factors. In studying the development of divergent leaf forms among closely related species, conserved morphological elements may be identified that are not apparent in the mature form. The genus Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) contains over 600 species and a wide range in leaf shapes. Five species, I. purpurea, I. coccinea, I. sloteri, I. quamoclit, and I. cairica show a range in …

Tracking Above- And Below- Ground Seed Persistence And Mortality In A Native Tallgrass Prairie Restoration, Carmen Pellish

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The large cost of seed and low seedling establishment rates make restoring native tallgrass prairies expensive and difficult. Tallgrass prairie restorations typically achieve seedling emergence rates of only 10%. This begs the question of what happens to the remaining 90% of seeds that do not emerge as seedlings. This thesis sought to assess or quantify the importance of seed predators and death by microorganisms or to senescence on seed survival and seedling establishment within a newly planted native tallgrass prairie restoration under typical restoration conditions. I hypothesized that small vertebrate seed predators would play be detrimental to overall seedling emergence …

Geometric Morphometric Analysis Of Skeletal Shape Variation Across The Pleuronectiformes, Corinthia R. Black

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Pleuronectiformes, commonly called flatfishes, is a large order of highly specialized fishes that display two eyes on one side of the head. Comprised of approximately 716 species, flatfishes share many similar characteristics. However, the complex history of the classification of the group reveals the diversity of shape across the order. This study focused on the diversity of shape across the order by examining skeletal elements. Landmark-based geometric morphometrics was used to visualize shape variation across the order of Pleuronectiformes. A total of 457 specimens were radiographed from collections at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian National …

Effect Of Feed Additives On Amino Acid And Dipeptide Transport By Intestines Of American Lobster And Atlantic White Shrimp, Maria Louise Peterson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous nutritional physiology research using L-histidine and zinc in American lobster intestine (Homarus americanus) has suggested that these solutes can be co-transported as complexes (Histidine-Zinc-Histidine) across the intestine using a peptide transporter. Furthermore, transport of L-leucine was shown to be inhibited by high calcium concentrations. Dipeptide and bis-complex transport and the role of calcium were investigated in the perfused intestines of lobster and Atlantic white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus). Following trans-intestinal transport, serosal medium was analyzed for amino acid composition by gas chromatography. In lobster, the transport of glycylsarcosine (Gly-Sar) from mucosa to serosa was stimulated two-fold …