Life Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Brain Stem 5-Ht1a And Gaba-A Receptors In The Thermoregulatory Response To Hypoxic Stress, Alexander Schmidt

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a leading cause of infant mortality. Alterations in brainstem development of Serotonin (5HT) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are linked to its cause. The sympathetic premotor neurons located in the Nucleus of the Raphe Pallidus (NRP) in the brainstem have both 5-HT1A and GABA-A receptor subtypes that mediate protective cardiovascular responses to environmental stress. It is hypothesized that alteration in these receptors at the NRP will also modify protective thermoregulatory responses to hypoxic stress such as hypothermia. Using aseptic techniques, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (230-385g) were instrumented with radiotelemetry probes to non-invasively measure core …

Tetrameric Structure Of Beta-Amylase 2 (Bam2) In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Lauren Elizabeth Pope

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Plants store starch during the day for use at night. This process of transitory starch degradation is mostly attributable to the β-Amylase (BAM) family, which are starch exohydrolases that cleave the penultimate α-1,4 glycosidic bonds of starch to release maltose. BAM2 was recently characterized as a catalytically active, K⁺-requiring tetramer with sigmoidal kinetics and cooperativity. All other catalytically active BAMs display Michaelis-Menten kinetics, no cooperativity, and do not require salt, making BAM2’s characteristics intriguing. Due to a lack of a crystal structure, a monomeric homology model of BAM2 was generated using I-TASSER based on a BAM5 from soybean. …

Lipophosphoglycan Polymorphisms Do Not Affect Leishmania Amazonensis Development In The Permissive Vectors Lutzomyia Migonei And Lutzomyia Longipalpis, Paula M. Nogueira, Agna C. Guimarães, Rafael R. Assis, Jovana Sadlova, Jitka Myskova, Katerina Pruzinova, Jana Hlavackova, Salvatore J. Turco, Ana C. Torrecilhas, Petr Volf, Rodrigo P. Soares

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background: Lipophosphoglycan (LPG) is a dominant surface molecule of Leishmaniapromastigotes. Its species-specific polymorphisms are found mainly in the sugars that branch off the conserved Gal(β1,4)Man(α1)-PO₄ backbone of repeat units. Leishmania amazonensis is one of the most important species causing human cutaneous leishmaniasis in the New World. Here, we describe LPG intraspecific polymorphisms in two Le. amazonensis reference strains and their role during the development in three sand fly species.

Results: Strains isolated from Lutzomyia flaviscutellata (PH8) and from a human patient (Josefa) displayed structural polymorphism in the LPG repeat units, possessing side chains with 1 and 2 β-glucose …

Small-Animal Models Of Zika Virus, Justin G. Julander, Venkatraman Siddharthan

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can result in serious consequences, including severe congenital manifestations, persistent infection in the testes and neurologic sequelae. After a pandemic emergence, the virus has spread to much of the new world and has been introduced to many countries outside of endemic areas as infected travelers return to their home countries. Rodent models have been important in gaining a better understanding of the wide range of disease etiologies associated with ZIKV infection and for the initial phase of developing countermeasures to prevent or treat viral infections. We discuss herein the advantages and disadvantages of small animal models …

Monitoring Soft-Mast Production In Pine Woodland Restoration Areas On The Ouachita National Forest, Tamara B. Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of prescribed fire is integral to the restoration of open woodland habitats in the southeast, including shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) woodlands in the Ouachita Mountains. Mature pine habitats maintained with recurrent disturbances have an open understory with a rich floristic diversity that provides quality habitat for many wildlife species, including the endemic and endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis). Fire has many potential benefits for wildlife; however, the effects of fire on several important woody soft-mast producing species are not fully understood. Soft-mast quantity and quality is a key component in determining year-round habitat quality …

Nature, The New Rx, Christina Dabney

Capstones

In 2010, Candice Opperman's job made her sick. The weight of working full-time while going to grad school began to create so much stress and anxiety that she felt like she was being "held down by a lead vest."

In 2013, after three years at Merrill Lynch, Opperman’s doctors diagnosed her with burnout and insisted she go on disability. Thats when she started using nature in her recovery.

Opperman turned to green spaces instinctively, but doctors are increasingly prescribing nature as therapy. Experimental data suggest that parks and open spaces can help heal the human brain, especially from disorders involving …

Predicted Suitable Habitat Declines For Midwestern United States Amphibians Under Future Climate And Land-Use Change Scenarios, Brock Struecker, Joseph Milanovich

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

With current declines of vertebrate taxa meeting or exceeding those of historic mass extinction events, there is a growing need to investigate the main drivers of losses. Two of the main drivers of declines are global climate and land-use changes, both affecting multiple groups of taxa. Amphibians are at great risk from these two drivers of change and investigations into the impact of future change could assist with the formation of conservation plans to mitigate losses. Forecasting changes in suitable habitat with ecological niche modeling serves as a useful tool to begin to understand how species may respond to anthropogenic …

Unseen Science: Modern Discoveries Too Far Away Or Tiny For Human Eyes, Lucy Huang

Capstones

As science has progressed, scientists have realized that evidence goes beyond the realms of physical sight. Whether it is too small or difficult to find, scientists have developed different ways to get around this problem. We see this in cancer genomics and in extrasolar planetary research. Scientists use what they know and what they measure to validate their work.

https://lucy-huang-9tge.squarespace.com/

Of Rats And Men, Thomas S. Walsh

Capstones

This capstone is a data-driven investigation into New York City's rat problem. By using publicly available government data to map rat activity in NYC, I identified several socio-economic variables that correlate with rat populations at the community district, borough, and city-scale. I used these findings (mainly that rat problems are linked to lower incomes) as the basis of an investigation, which includes interviews with residents, experts, and city officials. Prof. Bobby Corrigan, urban rodentologist and formerly with the NYC Department of Health criticizes the city's efforts for the first time on the record.

https://thomasseiyawalsh.wixsite.com/ratstone

Literary Digest: Cannibal Poetry And Biology, Alicia Anzaldo, Claire Boeck, Sara Schupack

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

A humanities professor and a biology professor at Wilbur Wright College collaborated to create a lesson on human digestion and poetry, enriching the humanities course theme on cannibalism. This article describes the lesson plan, examples of student work, and faculty reflections.

Nature In Deconstruction, Russell Chowdhury

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This 'desconstructive photography' shows how humans interact with nature.

Justin's Save The Frogs Project, Justin Sather

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Justin’s Save the Frog Project goals are 1) to spread the awareness about the rapid decline in frog population 2) inspire others to make the environment a better place for people and animals 3) make an impact by building wetlands in California specifically for the CA Red-Legged Frogs and Foothill Yellow Legged.

Science And Sentiment: Affecting Change In Environmental Awareness, Attitudes, And Actions Through The Daily Nature Project, Elizabeth D. Haynes Poronsky

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Knowledge about what motivates pro-environmental behavior is important to organizations that seek to encourage environmental stewardship. Research suggests that targeting emotions and beliefs about nature can be more effective in changing environmental actions than increasing knowledge. Daily Nature, a site on the social media platform Facebook, features a daily nature photograph, a quote from a notable historical person and a related lyrical written passage. The popularity of this site lends credence to the appeal of interdisciplinary formats, and underscores the benefits of encouraging emotional and aesthetic ties to nature.

Creativity, Laterality And Critical State Balance In Learning, Jenny Rock, Asher Flatt

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Understanding the intersecting cognitive pathways that are integral to ways of thinking, creating and functioning in both art and science is an important grounding for a STEAM educational approach. We combine three divergent concepts, including creativity, hemisphere laterality, and critical state theory, to argue for a more balanced approach to learning as part of a modern meaning-centered education in STEAM. Reviewing the concept of hemisphere laterality, or how the two hemispheres of our brain have different (though not disconnected) ways of processing sensory information, we note how these two means of interpreting the world have become unbalanced in traditional modes …

Three New Food Plants And First Wisconsin Record Of Publilia Reticulata (Hemiptera: Membracidae), Andrew H. Williams

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Publilia reticulata was found feeding on the composites Silphium perfoliatum, S. integrifolium and Ambrosia trifida at eight sites in five Wisconsin counties in 1993-1995. This is the first report of P. reticulata using these plants and of its occurrence in Wisconsin.

First County Records For Acarapis Woodi (Acari: Tarsonemidae) In Michigan, Murray Hanna, Sharon Pratt Anzaldua

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Acarapis woodi is an internal parasite of Apis mellifera. Surveys conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture in years 1986-1990 produced first county records for A. woodi in 63 of the 83 counties of Michigan.

Urophora Quadrifasciata (Diptera: Tephritidae), An Introduced Seedhead Fly New To Midwestern North America, A. G. Wheeler Jr.

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The Old World tephritid Urophora quadrifasciata, a gall-inducing seed- head fly, was released in western and eastern North America for the biological control of knapweeds, Centaurea spp. (Asteraceae). Its establishment in the West (BC, CA, ID, MT, OR, WA) and in the East (CT, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV) has been previously reported. Collections from eastern Minnesota and western Michigan in 1995 are the first for the Northcentral region of North America.

A Michigan Record For Clytus Marginicollis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Clytini), James E. Zablotny

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Clytus marginicollis Castlenau and Gory is a small, rarely collected clytine cerambycid endemic to coniferous forests of Eastern North America (Knull 1943, Linsley 1964). Gosling (1973) did not mention any records for it in his survey of Michigan cerambycids. Knull (1943) reports that this species probably occurs in Ohio but he had seen no specimens to confirm its presence.

Adult Female Mydas Clavatus (Diptera: Mydidae) Feeding On Flowers In Wisconsin, Andrew H. Williams

The Great Lakes Entomologist

An adult female of Mydas clavatus was observed feeding on flowers. This confirms that females of this species feed as adults and that they feed on flowers. This species is reported for the first time from Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Distribution Of The Milliped Narceus Americanus Annularis (Spirobolida: Spirobolidae) In Wisconsin, Dreux J. Watermolen

The Great Lakes Entomologist

(excerpt)

The spirobolid milliped Narceus americanus annularis Rafmesque 1820 is common and widespread throughout the eastern United States and Canada (Keeton 1960, Shelley 1988, Hoffman 1990). It has previously been recorded \ from Wisconsin. Cahn (1915) reported it from the Wingra Springs region in \ central Dane County, and Keeton (1960) reported it from Clark and Sauk Counties.