Life Sciences Commons^™

Synthesis And In Vitro Experiment Of Biomaterial Tricalcium Phosphate, Bui X.V

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Calcium phosphate ceramics consist of materials such as hydroxyapatite, tricalcium phosphate (TCP), calcium phosphate cement (CPC), biphasic calcium phosphate, etc. CPCs have been used for filling bone defects in dentistry and orthopedics. Among these materials, β-tricalcium phosphate is suggestedas an ideal candidate for bone graft in hard tissue engineering due to its high biocompatibility, bioactivity and bone bonding. The preparation, as well as the application of this powder material, has been the important topic of research in material science. In this paper, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), a component that has chemical formulation similar to bone structure, was synthesized by the precipitate …

A Clinical Audit On The Compliance Of Ultrasound Users To The Standard Operating Procedure Of Ultrasonography In A Private Radiologic Academy, Yuliawati Y, Dioso P

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This clinical audit identified the compliance rate of ultrasound users to the standard operating procedures (SOP); and identified the factors that led to a compliance rate of ultrasound human users. The review was conducted for six days in a private radiologic academy in Indonesia. Only 23 subjects selected randomly were audited. Of the 23 participants, there were 11 males and 12 females. Of the 11 males, seven were compliant, and three were non-compliant. Of the 12 females, eight were compliant, and four were non-compliant. The factors that affect the compliance to the SOP were based on the skills of the …

Knowledge And Caring Attitude Of Sri Lankan Nurses In Providing Care For Dying Patients ― A Cohort Study, Rajudeen M.M, Janoof M., Dioso P

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This research identified evidence of knowledge and caring attitude among Sri Lankan nurses caring for dying patients; and identified the factors affecting nursing care for the dying in the eastern province of Sri Lanka. A quantitative cohort study design was used having questionnaires as the means of collecting the data. The purposive way of sampling selected 120 staff nurses employed in a government hospital as respondents who falls under the inclusion and exclusion criteria.There was significant evidence of caring attitude towards the dying (p = 0.005534) and knowledge on the end-of-life nursing care (p = 0.0004703) for the dying patients. …

Front Cover, Kesmawan Andri Putra

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board, Kesmawan Andri Putra

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

No abstract provided.

Comparative Genetic Screens In Human Cells Reveal New Regulatory Mechanisms In Wnt Signaling, Andres M. Lebensohn, Ramin Dubey, Leif Neitzel, Ofelia Tacchelly-Benites

Dartmouth Scholarship

The comprehensive understanding of cellular signaling pathways remains a challenge due to multiple layers of regulation that may become evident only when the pathway is probed at different levels or critical nodes are eliminated. To discover regulatory mechanisms in canonical WNT signaling, we conducted a systematic forward genetic analysis through reporter-based screens in haploid human cells. Comparison of screens for negative, attenuating and positive regulators of WNT signaling, mediators of R-spondin-dependent signaling and suppressors of constitutive signaling induced by loss of the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli or casein kinase 1α uncovered new regulatory features at most levels of the …

Wound Healing Post-Mesh Repair ― An Observational Study, Lebbe M.N, Kularajasingham J, Dioso P

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This study identified the best surgical mesh repair techniques for inguinal hernia and prevalence of wound healing post-mesh repair. The cross-sectional study design used cluster sampling for data collection. Of the 120 respondents, 48.3% preferred anterior tension-free mesh repair and 49.2% Lichtenstein mesh repair, both identified as the common surgical techniques in eastern Sri Lanka. About 82.5% of the respondents (n = 99) healed while 17% (n = 21) had recurrence of hernia after one month. Nevertheless, 2.5% of the total respondents said that the hernia repaired after one month but less than two months; and 97.5% of the interviewees …

Sirt1 Regulates Glial Progenitor Proliferation And Regeneration In White Matter After Neonatal Brain Injury., Beata Jablonska, Marcin Gierdalski, Li-Jin Chew, Teresa Hawley, Mackenzie Catron, Arturo Lichauco, Juan Cabrera-Luque, Tracy Yuen, David Rowitch, Vittorio Gallo

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Regenerative processes in brain pathologies require the production of distinct neural cell populations from endogenous progenitor cells. We have previously demonstrated that oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) proliferation is crucial for oligodendrocyte (OL) regeneration in a mouse model of neonatal hypoxia (HX) that reproduces diffuse white matter injury (DWMI) of premature infants. Here we identify the histone deacetylase Sirt1 as a Cdk2 regulator in OPC proliferation and response to HX. HX enhances Sirt1 and Sirt1/Cdk2 complex formation through HIF1α activation. Sirt1 deacetylates retinoblastoma (Rb) in the Rb/E2F1 complex, leading to dissociation of E2F1 and enhanced OPC proliferation. Sirt1 knockdown in culture …

Act On The Registration And Evaluation Of Chemicals (K-Reach) And Replacement, Reduction Or Refinement Best Practices, Soojin Ha, Troy Seidle, Kyung-Min Lim

Legal Regulation of Animal Research Collection

Objectives - Korea’s Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (K-REACH) was enacted for the protection of human health and the environment in 2015. Considering that about 2000 new substances are introduced annually across the globe, the extent of animal testing requirement could be overwhelming unless regulators and companies work proactively to institute and enforce global best practices to replace, reduce or refine animal use. In this review, the way to reduce the animal use for K-REACH is discussed. Methods - Background of the enforcement of the K-REACH and its details was reviewed along with the papers and regulatory …

A Mineralized Alga And Acritarch Dominated Microbiota From The Tully Formation (Givetian) Of Pennsylvania, Usa, John A. Chamberlain Jr., Rebecca B. Chamberlain, James O. Brown

Publications and Research

Sphaeromorphic algal cysts, most probably of the prasinophyte Tasmanites, and acanthomorphic acritarch vesicles, most probably Solisphaeridium, occur in a single 20 cm thick bed of micritic limestone in the lower part of the Middle Devonian (Givetian) Tully Formation near Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Specimens are composed of authigenic calcite and pyrite crystals about 5–10 µm in length. Some specimens are completely calcitic; some contain both pyrite and calcite; and many are composed totally of pyrite. The microfossils are about 80 to 150 µm in diameter. Many show signs of originally containing a flexible wall composed of at least two layers. Some …

The Vibrio Cholerae Minor Pilin Tcpb Initiates Assembly And Retraction Of The Toxin- Coregulated Pilus, Dixon Ng, Tony Harn, Tuba Altindal, Subramania Kolappan, Jarrad M. Marles, Rajan Lala, Ingrid Spielman, Yang Gao, Caitlyn A. Hauke, Gabriela Kovacikova, Zia Verjee, Ronald K. Taylor, Nicolas Biais, Lisa Craig

Publications and Research

Type IV pilus (T4P) systems are complex molecular machines that polymerize major pilin proteins into thin filaments displayed on bacterial surfaces. Pilus functions require rapid extension and depolymerization of the pilus, powered by the assembly and retraction ATPases, respectively. A set of low abundance minor pilins influences pilus dynamics by unknown mechanisms. The Vibrio cholerae toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) is among the simplest of the T4P systems, having a single minor pilin TcpB and lacking a retraction ATPase. Here we show that TcpB, like its homolog CofB, initiates pilus assembly. TcpB co-localizes with the pili but at extremely low levels, equivalent …

The Vibrio Cholerae Minor Pilin Tcpb Initiates Assembly And Retraction Of The Toxin-Coregulated Pilus, Dixon Ng, Tony Harn, Tuba Altindal, Subramania Kolappan, Jarrad Marles, Rajan Lala, Ingrid Spielman, Yang Gao, Caitlyn Hauke, Gabriela Kovacikova

Dartmouth Scholarship

Type IV pilus (T4P) systems are complex molecular machines that polymerize major pilin proteins into thin filaments displayed on bacterial surfaces. Pilus functions require rapid extension and depolymerization of the pilus, powered by the assembly and retraction ATPases, respectively. A set of low abundance minor pilins influences pilus dynamics by unknown mechanisms. The Vibrio cholerae toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) is among the simplest of the T4P systems, having a single minor pilin TcpB and lacking a retraction ATPase. Here we show that TcpB, like its homolog CofB, initiates pilus assembly. TcpB co-localizes with the pili but at extremely low levels, equivalent …

Synthesis Of Biphasic Calcium Phosphate And Its Behaviour In Simulated Body Fluid, Bui X.V, Thang T.D

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The main goal of this study is to elaborate and evaluate the physicochemical properties of the synthetic biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) powder: an associate compound of hydroxyapatite (HA): Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 and beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP): Ca3(PO4)2. The new compound BCP has two advantages: high bioactivity (HA) and fast biodegradation (β-TCP). The obtained powder of BCP was prepared by the precipitate method. XRD analysis confirmed the synthetic material contained both HA and β-TCP crystalline phases. SEM images showed that the small particles of HA attached to bigger particles of β-TCP in the structure morphology of BCP. The in vitro experiment was carried out …

The Fate Of Icd-1 During Misfolded Protein Induced Apoptosis In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Kyle H. Perez

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Severe misfolded protein stress initiates cellular responses that often result in the death of the affected cell, typically by apoptosis. An essential aspect of apoptosis is caspase-mediated cleavage of proteins that, once cleaved, further propagate death. One heterodimeric structure putatively targeted in this process in the nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC), a translational chaperone thought to help prevent misfolded protein stress in the ER. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the beta subunit of the NAC in C. elegans (ICD-1) is cleaved during the induction of apoptosis, with the hypothesis that ICD-1 is cleaved during stressed-induced apoptosis to …

The Hemostatic Effects Of Acute Exposure To Colored Cornstarch Powder During A 5k Run, Robert C. Allsbrook

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

PURPOSE: To examine the acute hemostatic effects of particulate matter (PM) in the form of colored corn starch powder during a 5 kilometer race. METHODS: 10 recreationally active adults completed two 5k runs, one with color and one without color. 10 mL blood samples were taken 6 hours prior to the trial and immediately following the trial. PAI-1 activity, FVIII antigen, and tPA activity were measured using an ELISA. RESULTS: No significant main effects or interaction effects (P<0.05) were observed among any of the variables although a trend (P = 0.082) was observed for increased PAI-1 activity during exercise in the color condition. CONCLUSIONS: There is a trend towards increased PAI-1 activity levels during exercise during color runs that could be due to increased inflammation. Furthermore, the lack of increased FVIII:ag and tPA activity suggests that the intensity of the exercise may not have been adequate and further research should be conducted in this area.

Effect Of Reproductive Efficiency In Regards To Workload On Peripheral Circulations Of Blood Cortisol And Leptin In The Open Mare, Michaelle K. Coker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Effect of Reproductive Efficiency in Regards to Workload on Peripheral Circulations of Blood Cortisol and Leptin in the Open Mare

(December, 2016)

Michaelle Kathleen Coker, B.S., Texas A&M University

Thesis Director: Dr. John Michael Mehaffey

Quarter and Paint horse mares (n= 9) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups after being blocked based by expected conception date. Groups consist of mares on no work (NW), light work (LW), and moderate work (MW). Blood was taken weekly via jugular venipuncture prior to first heat cycle from each mare. Additionally, blood was taken at time of ovulation and then weekly …

Mitigating The Impacts Of Human Land-Use Change On Biodiversity: With A Focus On Large Migratory Herbivores, Kina Rebekah Murphy

Biology ETDs

Land-use change, commercial over-harvesting of species, and climate change are recognized as the main drivers of biodiversity loss. As a result, it is estimated that 30% of the planet’s biodiversity may go extinct by 2050. This dissertation focuses on how to mitigate the impacts of land-use change on biodiversity. I focus on large migratory herbivores because they are among the most heavily impacted by global change due to their large home range requirements. Habitat fragmentation, illegal hunting, and human-wildlife conflicts are among the biggest threats to large herbivores and result from land-use change. For this reason, my first chapter focuses …

Impacts Of Long-Term Precipitation Manipulation On Hydraulic Architecture, Xylem Function, And Canopy Status In A Piñon-Juniper Woodland, Patrick J. Hudson

Biology ETDs

The Southwestern US is predicted to become hotter and drier, as global climate change forces increasing temperatures and variability in timing and size of precipitation inputs. Drought stress has become more frequent in recent decades, and resulted in massive forest mortality in piñon-juniper woodlands. During recent severe droughts (2000-2003, 2009-2012), piñon pine (Pinus edulis Englem.) suffered disproportionately high mortality compared to co-occurring one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma [Engelm.] Sarg.). A large-scale precipitation manipulation experiment was established in a piñon-juniper woodland in central New Mexico to test hypotheses regarding tree survival and mortality with respect to altered water regimes. Our …

Integrating Habitat Suitability Modeling And Radio Telemetry To Describe Habitat Use Of The Western Massasaugas, Sistrurus T. Tergeminus, In Texas, Mitchell R. Barazowski

Biology Theses

Habitat suitability modeling using the software package MaxEnt (Phillips, Anderson, & Schapire, 2006) is a popular method for describing the habitat of rare species. MaxEnt uses “presence only” data to develop models; however presence data are highly skewed towards areas of high detection probability and these areas may not represent the full range of habitat use. Thusly, predictions from models developed using only data from areas with high detection probability may not represent all suitable habitat. This study tested the ability of MaxEnt models developed using three different data sets to accurately describe Western Massasauga (Sistrurus t. tergeminus) habitat at …

Changes In Mitochondrial Homeostasis And Redox Status In Astronauts Following Long Stays In Space, Hiroko P. Indo, Hideyuki J. Majima, Masahiro Terada, Shigeaki Suenaga, Kazuo Tomita, Shin Yamada, Akira Higashibata, Noriaki Ishioka, Takuro Kanekura, Ikuya Nonaka, Clare L. Hawkins, Michael J. Davies, Daret K. St Clair, Chiaki Mukai

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

The effects of long-term exposure to extreme space conditions on astronauts were investigated by analyzing hair samples from ten astronauts who had spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS). Two samples were collected before, during and after their stays in the ISS; hereafter, referred to as Preflight, Inflight and Postflight, respectively. The ratios of mitochondrial (mt) to nuclear (n) DNA and mtRNA to nRNA were analyzed via quantitative PCR. The combined data of Preflight, Inflight and Postflight show a significant reduction in the mtDNA/nDNA in Inflight, and significant reductions in the mtRNA/nRNA ratios in both the Inflight and …

Why We Still Need To Worry About Bees, Meaghan Lee Callaghan

Capstones

American honey bees, and other native bee species, are still in decline, though the specter of colony collapse disorder may be fading behind us. Colony decline, the loss of bees overwinter experienced across the country at a quarter to third lost per hive (sometimes more), is now expected. Losses can include those from colony collapse disorder. The author discusses the different causes for colony decline and speaks to bee health scientists and local beekeepers. Read more at: http://www.meaghanleecallaghan.com/capstone/index.html

Inquiry-Based Biotechnology Education For Kent Intermediate School District Early College Program, Meāgan N. Treadway

Masters Theses

Growth in the field of biotechnology, combined with the ability to access information instantaneously, requires a new model of science education that will nurture deeper understanding and higher order thinking to develop a scientifically literate population. Inquirybased learning is a student-centered model built on the theoretical framework of constructivism, which allows students to learn in a way that reflects how scientists come to understand the natural world. This project aimed to address the need for an inquiry-based biotechnology curriculum in a local Early College program by developing, piloting, revising, and implementing an inquiry-based biotechnology unit while simultaneously evaluating the impact …

The Role Of Diaphanous In Ring Canal Development In Drosophila Melanogaster, Alexandra M. Kindred

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Infertility is a widespread condition that does not always have a known cause, and for which we often do not have a cure. One potential cause of infertility is defects in gametogenesis, or the formation of sperm and egg. During gametogenesis in most organisms, the developing sperm and egg are connected to each other or to supporting cells through intercellular bridges, allowing transfer of materials between cells. Defects in these connections can lead to infertility. The developing fruit fly egg is an excellent model system to study intercellular bridges, or ring canals. Rich in f-actin and actinbinding proteins, ring canals …

Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms Interfere With Macrophage Antimicrobial Responses Through Differential Gene Regulation, Toxin Production, And Purine Metabolism, Tyler D. Scherr

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an opportunistic pathogen that is a leading cause of both nosocomial and community-associated infections. Armed with a myriad of virulence factors and the propensity to form a biofilm on native tissues and implanted medical devices alike, S. aureus infections represent a very real public health threat, the treatment of which results in an excessive economic burden. S. aureus biofilm infections are notoriously recalcitrant to antibiotic therapy and adept at evading and neutralizing the host immune antimicrobial response. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that S. aureus biofilms are able to cause persistent …

Defining The Role Of Phosphorylation And Dephosphorylation In The Regulation Of Gap Junction Proteins, Hanjun Li

Theses & Dissertations

Gap junctions are intercellular channels that permit the free passage of ions, small metabolites, and signaling molecules between neighboring cells. In the diseased human heart, altered ventricular gap junction organization and connexin expression (i.e., remodeling) are key contributors to rhythm disturbances and contractile dysfunction. Connexin43 (Cx43) is the dominant gap junction protein isoform in the ventricle which is under tight regulation by serine/tyrosine phosphorylation. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation regulate many aspects of Cx43 function including trafficking, assembly and disassembly, electrical and metabolic coupling at the plaque, as well as to modulate the interaction with other proteins.

Serine phosphorylation has long been …

Chimerscope: A Novel Alignment-Free Algorithm For Fusion Gene Prediction Using Paired-End Short Reads, You Li

Theses & Dissertations

Fusion genes are those that result from the fusion of two or more genes, and they are typically generated due to the perturbations in the genome structure in cancer cells. In turn, fusion genes can contribute to tumor formation and progression by promoting the expression of an oncogene, deregulation of a tumor-suppressor, or producing much more active abnormal proteins. More importantly, oncogenic fusion genes are specifically expressed in the tumor cells, which provide enormous diagnostic and therapeutic advantages for cancer treatment. With the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, RNA-Seq becomes increasingly popular for transcriptomic study because of its high …

Dna Polymerase Zeta-Dependent Mutagenesis: Molecular Specificity, Extent Of Error-Prone Synthesis, And The Role Of Dntp Pools, Olga V. Kochenova

Theses & Dissertations

Despite multiple DNA repair pathways, DNA lesions can escape repair and compromise normal chromosomal replication, leading to genome instability. Cells utilize specialized low-fidelity Translesion Synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases to bypass lesions and rescue arrested replication forks. TLS is a highly conserved two-step process that involves insertion of a nucleotide opposite a lesion and extension of the resulting aberrant primer terminus. The first step can be performed by both replicative and TLS DNA polymerases and, because of non-instructive DNA lesions, often results in a nucleotide misincorporation. The second step is almost exclusively catalyzed by DNA polymerase ζ …

Regulation Of Alteration/Deficiency In Activation 3 (Ada3) By Acetylation And Its Role In Cell Cycle Regulation And Oncogenesis, Shashank Srivastava

Theses & Dissertations

The ADA3 (Alteration/Deficiency in Activation 3) protein is a transcriptional adaptor protein that was initially discovered as a component of several HAT (Histone Acetyltransferase) complexes, the enzyme complex responsible for histone acetylation, which is a prerequisite for transcription. Earlier the studies from Dr. Band’s laboratory and that of others’ have deciphered a crucial role of ADA3 in cell cycle regulation (both through G₁/S and G₂/M phase transitions) and in maintaining the genomic stability.

While our laboratory investigated the mechanism behind the role of ADA3 in G₁/S transition, the same remained unknown for G_{2 …}

The Functions Of The Cid And Lrg Operons In S. Aureus Programmed Cell Death, Xinyan Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus cid/lrg operons regulate the formation of S.aureus biofilm formation and programmed cell death based on previous in vivo work done in Dr. Bayles's lab. cid operon, which encodes CidA/CidB/CidC proteins, has been shown to be an effector in leading to the lysis and death of the S.aureus; While lrg operon, encoding LrgA and LrgB proteins, is an inhibitor of the lysis and death. Recent studies suggest that CidA behaves like holin proteins from bacterial phage, by increasing the murein hydrolysis activity under aerobic culturing conditions. LrgA, together with LrgB, appears to inhibit this function. …

Motor Control In Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis, David Arpin

Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explored motor control in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) by quantifying the behavioral and neurophysiological deficits present in these individuals. We behaviorally quantified the precision of the ankle plantarflexor musculature of individuals with MS. Our results indicated that the individuals with MS had a greater amount of variability in the precision of the isometric ankle torques, and that this greater variability was related to decreased walking performance. To further explore whether these motor control deficits were due to aberrant cortical activity associated with planning motor actions, we used magnetoencephalography to assess the motor planning and execution stages of …