Life Sciences Commons^™

Natural Sciences Newsletter - Fall 2018, Parkland College, Manuel I. Rodriguez

Department of Natural Sciences Newsletter

In this semester's Parkland College Natural Sciences Newsletter, you'll find a letter from Department Chair Scott Siechen, updates from the Natural Science Commons, the Planetarium, the Professional Development Committee, and Astronomy and Science Clubs. Also, we say hello and good bye to incoming and outgoing faculty, and learn about conference happenings.

Impact Of A School-Based Culinary Nutrition Education Program On Vegetable Consumption Behavior, Intention, And Personal Factors Among Korean Second-Graders, Yeon Bai, Young Hee Kim, Young Hee Han, Taisun Hyun

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Scholarship and Creative Works

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Veggiecation was developed to improve children’s vegetable consumption through classroom lecture and cooking activities. In this study, we explored potential determinants of vegetable consumption behavior and intention, and examined the impact of Veggiecation on vegetable consumption behavior, intention and personal factors among Korean children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The 4-week Veggiecation program was implemented for second-graders in South Korea (35 children in the intervention group, 36 in the control group). We identified personal and environmental factors influencing vegetable consumption behavior and intention using multiple regression analyses. Consumption behavior, intention and, personal factors such as preference, attitude, and self-efficacy were compared between the …

Ectopic High Endothelial Venules In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Unique Site For Targeted Delivery., Baharak Bahmani, Mayuko Uehara, Farideh Ordikhani, Xiaofei Li, Liwei Jiang, Naima Banouni, Takaharu Ichimura, Vivek Kasinath, Siawosh K Eskandari, Nasim Annabi, Jonathan S Bromberg, Leonard D. Shultz, Dale L Greiner, Reza Abdi

Faculty Research 2018

BACKGROUND: Nanomedicine offers an excellent opportunity to tackle treatment-refractory malignancies by enhancing the delivery of therapeutics to the tumor site. High endothelial venules (HEVs) are found primarily in lymph nodes or formed de novo in peripheral tissues during inflammatory responses. They express peripheral node addressin (PNAd), which is recognized by the monoclonal antibody MECA79.

METHODS: Here, we demonstrated that HEVs form de novo in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We engineered MECA79 coated nanoparticles (MECA79-NPs) that recognize these ectopic HEVs in PDAC.

FINDINGS: The trafficking of MECA79-NPs following intravenous delivery to human PDAC implanted in a humanized mouse model was …

Implications Of Spatially Variable Costs And Habitat Conversion Risk In Landscape-Scale Conservation Planning, Max Post Van Der Burg, Neil Chartier, Ryan Drum

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

‘‘Strategic habitat conservation’’ refers to a process used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop cost-efficient strategies for conserving wildlife populations and their habitats. Strategic habitat conservation focuses on resolving uncertainties surrounding habitat conservation to meet specific wildlife population objectives (i.e., targets) and developing tools to guide where conservation actions should be focused on the landscape. Although there are examples of using optimization models to highlight where conservation should be delivered, such methods often do not explicitly account for spatial variation in the costs of conservation actions. Furthermore, many planning approaches assume that habitat protection is a preferred …

Survival Of Patients With Subglottic Squamous Cell Carcinoma, S D. Macneil, K Patel, K Liu, S Shariff, J Yoo, A Nichols, K Fung, A X Garg

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

Objective: Subglottic squamous cell carcinoma is a rare subsite of laryngeal cancer that behaves more aggressively and portends a worse prognosis. Using a population-based cancer registry, our objective was to report overall survival (OS) and laryngectomy-free survival (LFS) in patients diagnosed with subglottic squamous cell carcinoma, and to determine whether primary laryngectomy results in improved survival.

Methods: This retrospective population-based study considered patients with a new diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma in the province of Ontario over a 15-year period (1995-2009). The Ontario Cancer Registry was examined for patients with the diagnosis of interest during the period …

Brca1 And Brca2 5′ Noncoding Region Variants Identified In Breast Cancer Patients Alter Promoter Activity And Protein Binding, Leslie J. Burke, Jan Sevcik, Gaetana Gambino, Emma Tudini, Eliseos J. Mucaki, Ben C. Shirley, Phillip Whiley, Michael T. Parsons, Kim De Leeneer, Sara Gutiérrez-Enríquez, Marta Santamariña, Sandrine M. Caputo, Elizabeth Santana Dos Santos, Jana Soukupova, Marketa Janatova, Petra Zemankova, Klara Lhotova, Lenka Stolarova, Mariana Borecka, Alejandro Moles-Fernández, Siranoush Manoukian, Bernardo Bonanni, Stacey L. Edwards, Marinus J. Blok, Thomas Van Overeem Hansen, Maria Rossing, Orland Diez, Ana Vega, Kathleen B.M. Claes, David E. Goldgar, Etienne Rouleau

Biochemistry Publications

© 2018 The Authors. Human Mutation published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The widespread use of next generation sequencing for clinical testing is detecting an escalating number of variants in noncoding regions of the genome. The clinical significance of the majority of these variants is currently unknown, which presents a significant clinical challenge. We have screened over 6,000 early-onset and/or familial breast cancer (BC) cases collected by the ENIGMA consortium for sequence variants in the 5′ noncoding regions of BC susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, and identified 141 rare variants with global minor allele frequency < 0.01, 76 of which have not been reported previously. Bioinformatic analysis identified a set of 21 variants most likely to impact transcriptional regulation, and luciferase reporter assays detected altered promoter activity for four of these variants. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that three of these altered the binding of proteins to the respective BRCA1 or BRCA2 promoter regions, including NFYA binding to BRCA1:c.-287C>T and PAX5 binding to BRCA2:c.-296C …

Dissociable Effects Of Self-Reported Daily Sleep Duration On High-Level Cognitive Abilities, Conor J. Wild, Emily S. Nichols, Michael E. Battista, Bobby Stojanoski, Adrian M. Owen

BrainsCAN Publications

© 2018 Sleep Research Society. Most people will at some point experience not getting enough sleep over a period of days, weeks, or months. However, the effects of this kind of everyday sleep restriction on high-level cognitive abilities - such as the ability to store and recall information in memory, solve problems, and communicate - remain poorly understood. In a global sample of over 10000 people, we demonstrated that cognitive performance, measured using a set of 12 well-established tests, is impaired in people who reported typically sleeping less, or more, than 7-8 hours per night - which was roughly half …

Sagestep News, Fall 2018, No. 33, Sagestep

Newsletters

Seasonal newsletter of SageSTEP.

Predicting Kidding Date Using Prepartum Milk Calcium Concentrations And Comparing Kid Growth To Colostrum Quality In Goats, Justin Hamm

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Goats have a very long history with mankind and are commonly used as a nutritious red meat source around the world. The supply of goat meat in the United States does not meet the growing demand from ethnic consumers. This provides an economic opportunity in Arkansas agriculture because goats are uniquely adapted to the Ozark environment. There is a wide gap in caprine research which facilitated the conception of the study’s objectives to determine whether prepartum milk in goats showed a sudden rise in calcium levels within 24 to 48 hours of kidding and to ascertain whether an increased …

Defining The Genetic Regulation Of Appressorium Formation In Cercospora Zeae-Maydis, Hazel Apiyo Buyu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cercospora zeae-maydis is one of the primary pathogens associated with gray leaf spot, one of the most damaging foliar diseases of maize in the world. Gray leaf spot can be managed to some extent by cultural practices and fungicide applications. To infect maize, C. zeae-maydis grows towards stomata and forms infectious structures, termed appressoria, over stomatal pores. Prior research on the pathogen revealed that appressorium formation is crucial for foliar infection. Although several genes involved in pathogenesis have been identified in C. zeae-maydis, the molecular regulation of appressorium formation in this pathogen is poorly understood. Specifically, how the fungus senses …

Molecular Basis Of Pathogenesis And Host Determination In Cercospora Sojina: From Phenotypic To Genotypic Patterns, Wagner Calegari Fagundes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Frogeye leaf spot (FLS), caused by Cercospora sojina, is an important and recurrent disease of soybean in many production regions. Genetic resistance is potentially one of the most cost-effective and sustainable strategies to control FLS. However, C. sojina has already demonstrated the ability to overcome resistance conveyed by single R-genes (resistance genes) of soybeans, followed by the emergence of new physiological races. Although understanding population genomics and the virulence gene inventories in fungal plant pathogens is extremely important to improve disease control measures, studies regarding host specificity and pathogenesis in C. sojina are very limited. Therefore, the overarching goal of …

Understanding And Predicting Nematode Damage On Soybean Using Spatially Weighted Analysis, Barry Boney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aerial imagery offers great potential as a predictive scouting method and could allow growers to better understand crop performance over time. Evidence suggests that the seed treatments fluopyram and abamectin result in decreased reproduction and root galling by Meloidogyne incognita, but yield protection in fields with higher or different nematode pressure is unclear. The objective of this work was to determine the efficacy of these seed treatments compared to 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) applied site-specifically and then predict where these might best be applied to other fields. In a soybean field infested with M. incognita, apparent electrical conductivity was highly correlated with …

A Generative Statistical Approach For Data Classification In A Biologically Inspired Design Tool, Marvin Manuel Arroyo Rujano

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the research this thesis describes is to find a way to classify text-based descriptions of biological adaption to support Biologically Inspired design. Biologically inspired design is a fairly new field with ongoing research. There are different tools to assist designers and biologists in bio-inspired design. Some of the most common are BioTRIZ and AskNature. In recent years, more tools have been proposed to aid and make research in the field easier, for example, the Biologically Inspired Adaptive System Design (BIASD) tool. This tool was designed with the goal of helping designers in early design stages generate more …

Water Conservation Practices For Irrigation Of Turfgrass Lawns, Daniel Sandor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Turfgrass lawns are widely used in residential and commercial landscapes, providing many environmental, aesthetic, and recreational benefits. However, concerns and scrutiny arise with perceived maintenance requirements, particularly with regards to irrigation. It is important to manage irrigation in order to maximize water conservation without significantly reducing lawn quality. A series of field and greenhouse studies were conducted to investigate how water usage might be reduced in irrigation practices with the following proposed objectives: 1) evaluate the use of rain and soil moisture sensors in a humid transition zone environment; 2) evaluate the effects of chronic drought stress between drought-resistant and …

Epidemiological Studies Of Soybean Vein Necrosis Virus And Potential Resistance Mechanisms To Its Vector Neohydatothrips Variabilis (Beach), Jing Zhou

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is one the most important crops in global agriculture with annual production of over 260 million metric tons. As the dependence of a growing global population to soybean has increased, so does the importance of soybean diseases and pests. Over 200 pathogens attack soybean; among them, viruses pose a major threat to the soybean industries accounting for approximately 10% of the annual yield reduction caused by diseases in the past two decades. Soybean vein necrosis virus (SVNV) is a relatively newly discovered virus causing the homonymous disease. The widespread occurrence of the disease in major …

Assessing Biofiltration Without Ozonation For Removal Of Trihalomethane Precursors In Drinking Water At The Beaver Water District Drinking Water Treatment Plant, Sana Ajaz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biofiltration without pre-ozonation has the capability to remove natural organic matter (NOM) fractions that serve as precursors of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), which include the four regulated trihalomethanes (THMs) and dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN). Rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs) and Pilot Plant filters operated at empty-bed contact times (EBCTs) of 4, 8, and 16 minutes were used to evaluate the performance of nutrient-amended (free ammonia and phosphorus) biofiltration for THM and DCAN precursor removal, as measured using formation potential (FP) tests. NOM surrogates – which include dissolved organic carbon (DOC), specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA254) and fluorescence-PARAFAC components – were measured weekly throughout the …

Improvements In The Root Morphology, Physiology, And Anatomy Of Platycladus Orientalis Seedlings From Air-Root Pruning, Zhipei Feng, Xitian Yang, Hongyan Liang, Yuhua Kong, Dafeng Hui, Jiabao Zhao, Erhui Guo, Beibei Fan

Biology Faculty Research

Air-root pruning (AP) has been identified as an effective technique for enhancing root growth and development. However, little information is available regarding the temporal changes in the root system of Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco under AP. We performed integrated morphological, physiological, and anatomical analyses of the roots in P. orientalis seedlings that had been air-root pruned for 120, 150, and 190 days. Our results found that the whole root length, number of root tips, and root surface area of AP seedlings at 120, 150, and 190 days were higher than those of the non–root-pruned (NP) seedlings (P < 0.05), but the average root diameter did not differ significantly between the treatments. Compared with NP treatment, AP increased the root length, surface area, number of tips, and specific root length of the ≤0.5 mm diameter roots in P. orientalis during the experimental periods (P < 0.05), but those of 0.5- to 1-mm-diameter roots were only increased on day 190 (P < 0.05). The AP plants also exhibited higher root vitality and proportion of live fine roots than the NP plants (P < 0.05). Our anatomical evaluation of the ≤0.5 mm roots and taproots revealed features that could account for the morphological differences found between the AP and NP plants. In conclusion, our results indicate that air-root pruning induced changes in the roots that promote the root system development in P. orientalis compared with the NP treatment during the experimental period. These results thus provide experimental evidence to support the use of AP in P. orientalis seedlings.

Responses Of Ornamental Grass And Grass-Like Plants To Saline Water Irrigation, Youping Sun, Alyssa Lanae Palmer

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Ornamental grasses are popular in urban landscapes in Utah and the Intermountain West United States, one of the driest and fastest growing regions in the United States. This experiment evaluated the responses of five ornamental grass species [blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), indian sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), ‘Blue Dune’ sand ryegrass (Leymus arenarius), pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris), ‘Foxtrot’ fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)] and two ornamental grasslike species [fox sedge (Carex vulpinoidea), common rush (Juncus effusus)] to saline irrigation water in a greenhouse. Plants were irrigated weekly …

Fuller Together: An Understanding Of The Nexus Between Disability And Food Security, Zach Curinga

Public Health, Food Studies, and Nutrition

American society is currently structured to function for those individuals bestowed with inherent abilities. As such, it ignores access to participate socially and culturally for those who are disabled. There is a trend that elected representatives often limit access of the socio-cultural rights of others who are unlike themselves, interpreted by their own personal, non-disabled, socioeconomic experience. This trend is the root of the problem for those who are disabled: they cannot access and participate in society fully, which makes them often disregarded by their representatives who do not face their same barriers.

In this thesis, I apply a human …

Optimization Of Detergent-Mediated Reconstitution Of Influenza A M2 Protein Into Proteoliposomes, Catherine Hirshfeld Crouch, Margaret H. Bost , '17, Tae H. Kim , '14, Bryan M. Green , '16, Douglas Stuart Arbuckle , '17, Carl H. Grossman, Kathleen P. Howard

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works

We report the optimization of detergent-mediated reconstitution of an integral membrane-bound protein, full-length influenza M2 protein, by direct insertion into detergent-saturated liposomes. Detergent-mediated reconstitution is an important method for preparing proteoliposomes for studying membrane proteins, and must be optimized for each combination of protein and membrane constituents used. The purpose of the reconstitution was to prepare samples for site-directed spin-labeling electron paramagnetic resonance (SDSL-EPR) studies. Our goals in optimizing the protocol were to minimize the amount of detergent used, reduce overall proteoliposome preparation time, and confirm the removal of all detergent. The liposomes were comprised of (1-palmitoyl-2-oleyl-sn-glycero-phosphocholine (POPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] …

Investigating Autophagy Dysfunction Induced By A Parkinson's Disease-Causing Mutation In Vps35, Abir Ashfakur Rahman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is an idiopathic disorder with no known cure. With number of cases steadily rising around the world, it is imperative to turn to the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of the disease manifestation and neurodegeneration to craft novel modes of therapy. VPS35 is one of the few genes that have identified and definitively linked to familial PD. The particular mutation that has been associated is known to cause dysfunction of a key cellular process known as autophagy. This process is primarily responsible for clearance of unwanted, damaged or misfolded proteins, among other things. Our study reveals an …

Polyglutamine Repeat Proteins Disrupt Actin Structure In Drosophila Photoreceptors., Annie Vu, Tyler Humphries, Sean Vogel, Adam Haberman

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

Expansions of polygutamine-encoding stretches in several genes cause neurodegenerative disorders including Huntington's Disease and Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 3. Expression of the human disease alleles in Drosophila melanogaster neurons recapitulates cellular features of these disorders, and has therefore been used to model the cell biology of these diseases. Here, we show that polyglutamine disease alleles expressed in Drosophila photoreceptors disrupt actin structure at rhabdomeres, as other groups have shown they do in Drosophila and mammalian dendrites. We show this actin regulatory pathway works through the small G protein Rac and the actin nucleating protein Form3. We also find that Form3 has …

Herbivorous Turtle Ants Obtain Essential Nutrients From A Conserved Nitrogen-Recycling Gut Microbiome, Yi Hu, Jon G. Sanders, Piotr Łukasik, Catherine L. D'Amelio, Mark P. Schotanus

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Nitrogen acquisition is a major challenge for herbivorous animals, and the repeated origins of herbivory across the ants have raised expectations that nutritional symbionts have shaped their diversification. Direct evidence for N provisioning by internally housed symbionts is rare in animals; among the ants, it has been documented for just one lineage. In this study we dissect functional contributions by bacteria from a conserved, multi-partite gut symbiosis in herbivorous Cephalotes ants through in vivo experiments, metagenomics, and in vitro assays. Gut bacteria recycle urea, and likely uric acid, using recycled N to synthesize essential amino acids that are acquired by …

Development And Validation Of Hybrid Continuum/Structural Finite Element Model For Evaluating Foot And Ankle Biomechanics, Saif Alrafeek

Dissertations

Bone is composed of two structures: compact bone and spongy bone. Spongy bone porosity highly affects the strength and the physical endurance of bone to carry loads. Most studies use continuum finite element (FE) approaches to model spongy bone and neglect porosity. Neglecting porosity may not efficiently assist orthopaedic surgeons to treat patients who experience bone physical disability. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate an inexpensive approach that simulates spongy bone with more accurate capturing of porosity and less requirements of bone information. The approach is developed through investigating the mechanical characteristics of spongy bone; that is, by …

Acute High-Intensity Exercise Impairs Skeletal Muscle Respiratory Capacity, Gwenael Layec, Gregory M. Blain, Matthew J. Rossman, Song-Young Park, Corey R. Hart, Joel D. Trinity, Jayson R. Gifford, Simranjit K. Sidhu, Joshua C. Weavil, Thomas J. Hureau, Markus Amann, Russell S. Richardson

Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Purpose

The effect of an acute bout of exercise, especially high-intensity exercise, on the function of mitochondrial respiratory complexes is not well understood, with potential implications for both the healthy population and patients undergoing exercise-based rehabilitation. Therefore, this study sought to comprehensively examine respiratory flux through the different complexes of the electron transport chain in skeletal muscle mitochondria before and immediately after high-intensity aerobic exercise.

Methods

Muscle biopsies of the vastus lateralis were obtained at baseline and immediately after a 5-km time trial performed on a cycle ergometer. Mitochondrial respiratory flux through the complexes of the electron transport chain was …

Synergistic Negative Effects Of Thermal Stress And Altered Food Resources On Echinoid Larvae, Colette Feehan, Zoe Ludwig, Suzannah Yu, Diane K. Adams

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Multiple changes to the marine environment under climate change can have additive or interactive (antagonistic or synergistic) effects on marine organisms. Prompted by observations of anomalously warm sea temperatures and low chlorophyll concentrations during the 2013–2016 warm “Blob” event in the Northeast Pacific Ocean, we examined the combined effects of thermal stress and a shift in food resources on the development of a larval echinoid (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) in the laboratory. A high concentration of phytoplankton yielded faster echinus rudiment development at warm versus historical temperature, indicating a mitigating effect of abundant food on thermal stress; however, low phytoplankton concentration or …

The Effects Of Ginger Supplementation On Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, Alyssa Contreraz

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) peaks 24 to 48 hours after eccentric exercise. DOMS is characterized by increased pain, decreased range of motion, decreased strength, and inflammation to the working muscles. The most common ways this condition is treated is by the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS),cryotherapy, massage, and stretching. Ginger is known to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Ingestion of ginger may be used to decrease recovery time and to reduce the effects of DOMS and after eccentric exercise. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the use of ginger prior to …

The Effect Time Of Day Has On Maximal Exercise, Maurice Isuo, Aliceson Edwards

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: The circadian rhythm, also known as sleep/wake cycle, is a cycle that is constantly running as long as you are alive. The circadian rhythm is on a 24-hour clock that cycles between sleepiness and alertness at regular intervals. The circadian rhythms will affect physiological variables such as heart rate, oxygen consumption and blood pressure which can have a large impact on exercise performance. The Bruce Protocol is a treadmill test used to measure maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the VO2max, Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), Time of exercise (min: sec), and …

Soy- Based Flexographic Ink For Linerboard Printing, Rahul Ramchandra Pingale

Masters Theses

Many printing inks use volatile solvents in the formulation, which are hazardous to the environment from emission of VOC’s and at the same time, synthetic resins in these inks are not biodegradable. These problems with the fluctuating and rising price of petroleum are main reasons to look for new resources for making more environmentally friendly printing inks. The majority of the commercially available water based inks are formulated based on using acrylic resins, synthetic colorants, solvents/water and additives, which are the common main components for formulating printing inks. In this research, soy proteins were tested for their suitability to partially …

The Influence Of Time Spent In Beginning And End-State Postures On Grasp Choice, Rachel Modersitzki

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The choice to end comfortably often requires adoption of uncomfortable beginning states, demonstrating that a sequence of movement is planned in advance of movement onset. Many factors may influence the choice of comfortable end-state postures including the greater precision and speed afforded by postures at joint angle mid-ranges (Short & Cauraugh, 1999). There has been no evaluation of the hypothesis that postures are chosen based on minimizing time spent in postures. Typically, the time spent in beginning and end-states are not explicitly constrained, but the end-state posture is likely held for the longer amount of time due to greater precision …