Life Sciences Commons^™

The Thermal Ecology Of Sceloporus Occidentalis, Luis Patricio Burgos

Master's Theses

With temperatures rising globally, assessing the possible impacts of the changing climate becomes more and more urgent. Ectotherms are excellent indicators of potential climatic ramifications on biodiversity because of their heavy reliance on the environment for their thermoregulation. Studies have historically looked at thermal tolerance values to establish predictive models for population and species extinctions.

In chapter 1, we looked at recent studies that suggest that thermal tolerance may be a plastic trait and test the effects empirically. Most studies are based on captive lizards acclimated to laboratory conditions that do not necessarily reflect natural environments, and if thermal tolerance …

Assessing The Effects Of Genetic Selection For Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Resistance Or Feed Additives On Nursery And Grow-Finish Pig Performance, Dana Michael Van Sambeek

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The swine industry is ever evolving as it strives to produce healthy, wholesome pork for consumers. As such, the industry is constantly looking for ways to improve production and reduce costs. This includes using novel feed ingredients to reduce cost and improve animal health, genetic selection for increased performance, and vaccines to attenuate or prevent illness. Research plays a significant role in assessing the effectiveness of these strategies. Overall, the objective of this thesis was to assess how genetic selection, vaccines, and feed additives may impact growth performance, health, nutrient digestibility, and the microbiome.

In Chapter 2, pigs were either …

Impact Of Ethanol Process Changes On Distillers’ Grains For Beef Cattle, Shelby A. Garland

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Distillers grains plus solubles (DGS) have been widely utilized in beef cattle diets. Fractionation of the corn kernel pre- and post-fermentation has changed the composition of DGS and allowed for the production of other feed byproducts over time. The use of fractionated DGS and other feed byproducts from the ethanol industry has not been heavily researched in beef cattle diets. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding high protein distillers grains (HiPro DDG) and corn bran plus solubles (Bran + Solubles) in beef cattle diets. Experiment 1 evaluated the effect of byproduct type on finishing performance and …

Quality Effects On Beef From Cattle Fed High-Protein Corn Distillers' Grains Or Other Ethanol By-Products, Kellen B. Hart

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding high protein corn distillers grains on fresh beef quality. Steers (n = 300) were fed one of five diets (6 pens with 10 head/pen): a corn control, 40% high protein dry distillers grains plus solubles (HP-DDGS), 40% dry distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS), 40% wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS), or 40% bran plus solubles (Bran). Eighteen Choice carcasses (3 head/pen) were randomly selected within each treatment (n = 88). Strip loins were aged for 2, 9, or 23 d, after which steaks were placed under …

Risk Of Nitrate Toxicity When Grazing Annual Forages, Mary E. Lenz

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Annual forages provide a valuable grazing resource for producers; however, annuals are prone to accumulating nitrate and toxicity can be a potential challenge. There are multiple publications regarding nitrate toxicity, but few, if any, address grazing high nitrate forages. There is variability on what amount of nitrate is considered toxic to cattle, and information is not available on the frequency producers experience toxicity when feeding annual forages. To understand the incidence of nitrate toxicity in the North Central Region of the U.S., a survey was distributed through the “UNL BeefWatch” newsletter to producers. Though producers appeared concerned about nitrates in …

The Relationship Of Maximal Aerobic Capacity And Body Fat Percentage In Athletes And Non-Athletes, Sandra Mendoza, Rj Williams

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) is the maximum capacity of the body to transport and utilize oxygen during incremental exercise. The relative units are expressed as milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min) and the absolute rate is liters of oxygen per minute (L/min). Body Fat percentage is the total mass of fat divided by the total body mass, and multiplied by 100%. It is expressed as a percent value. Research shows that athletes tend to have a lower body fat percentage and a higher VO 2maxas compared to non athletes. PURPOSE: The purpose of this …

The Relationship Between Body Composition And Blood Pressure In College Age Students, Arely Ortiz, Fabiana Villari

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: Body composition is divided into two components: fat-free mass and fat mass. Fat-free mass includes organs, muscles, bones, blood, and skin which is chemically broken down into water, protein, and bone mineral. Whereas, fat mass would be considered essential or stored fat. A common way to measure body composition is to determine percent of body fat or body mass index (BMI). Many studies suggest that BMI is associated with blood pressure. Unlike measuring percent body fat, BMI does not consider fat-free mass and instead uses the ratio of total body weight to height. Considering fat-free mass when associated to …

The Effect Of A 12-Hour Fast On Maximal Aerobic Performance, Colby Boyko, Madison Helt

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

Maximum aerobic capacity (VO2max) is an indicator of physical fitness and a measurement of an individual’s ability to transport and utilize oxygen. It is measured in absolute terms in (L/min) and can be normalized with weight in (ml/kg/min). Often times food may not be considered a contributing factor to an individuals VO2max, however, ones diet could have a direct effect on their ability to perform incremental exercise to max. Research suggests fasting may have detrimental effects on individual’s ability to exercise, resulting in a lower VO2max and a quicker time to fatigue.

Effect Of Creatine Supplementation On Anaerobic Power As Determined By Wingate Cycle Ergometer Testing In Men, Sarah Ballinger

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: Creatine monohydrate is widely available and regularly used by amateur and elite athletes in order to better anaerobic performance. Oral supplementation of Creatine can increase skeletal muscle stores by as much as 20%, especially in those that do not regularly consume meat and fish because although Creatine is produced endogenously by the liver, the body also relies on exogenous sources. Phosphocreatine stores are considered a limiting factor for short duration, high intensity exercise. Augmenting available stores has been shown to decrease the rate of fatigue and increase energy availability to power muscular contraction force for longer durations and aid …

Effects Of Sleep On Maximal Exercise, Jose Rios

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: Sleep is a function of the body that is essential for proper recovery physically and mentally. Necessary for tissue repair and growth, muscle relaxation and healthy balance of hormones. The average time of sleep for the body to function properly is approximately seven to eight hours a night. Sleep deficiency is common among adults and it can cause chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and kidney disease. Research shows that sleep has no effect on maximal exercise. Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) is the maximum capacity of the body to transport and utilize oxygen …

The Effects Of Dynamic And Static Stretching On Anaerobic Power And Capacity, Toan T. Nguyen

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: There are various ways to warm up and many studies suggest that different forms of warm-ups and stretches can positively or negatively affect athletic performance. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if dynamic and static stretching would have an effect on anaerobic performance as measured through the vertical jump, broad jump, and Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT). METHODS: Participants came in on 3 nonconsecutive days. The first visit consisted of a pre-screening to determine the participants’ age, weight, and activity level. Once completed, the participants performed the experimental procedure without any form of stretching. Three trials of …

The Effects Of Exercise Intensity On Short-Term Memory, Karina Puentes, Joselynn Rivas

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

The ability to recall information from the past is what is known as memory. There are two types of memory: short-term memory and long-term. Short-term is responsible for small temporary memory that can allocate past information within minutes and seconds. Long-term memory that is responsible to store large information for an extended period of time for months and years. Evidence shows that with increase exercise there is an improvement in memory retention/ cognitive function over time (Coles, 2008). People, more specifically college students, utilize their memory every single day, for example to recall an important note that the professor covered. …

The Physiological Effects Of Advocare Spark Energy On Submaximal Aerobic Exercise, Tommy Tran, Dagoberto Pozos

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: AdvoCare-Spark energy is a multi-nutrient supplement that incorporates ergogenic aids such as creatine and caffeine. The referred ergogenic aids are substances that enhance performance, and is one of the most studied research areas in athletic performance. Many supplements contain nutrients including water-soluble vitamins, metabolic by-products of nutrients, plant extracts, substances found in food (vitamin B6, creatine, caffeine) and are found in high amounts naturally in foods. Studies have shown that ingestion of caffeine pre-exercise can enhance endurance performance by decreasing the rate of perceived exertion. The combination of caffeine . and taurine in Advocare-Spark energy are both stimulants that …

Queen's College Step Test And Its Validity Of Vo(2max) Prediction On Young Healthy Females, Aaron Newland, Kevin Nguyen

Kinesiology Student Research - Archive

INTRODUCTION: The Queen's college step test (QCT) is a submaximal exercise test that is used to measure cardiorespiratory fitness. The test consists of 3 minutes of stepping up and down on a 15-inch step at a set rate of 22 steps/min. This test can also be used to estimate maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). VO2max is an internationally accepted reference standard for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness (Shepard 1968). A lower maximal oxygen capacity is a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease. Despite claims that the QCT is a valid measure of VO2max, its validity in young healthy women has been contested (Chatterjee 2003). …

Engineering Yeast To Evaluate Human Proteins Involved In Selective Rna Packaging During Hiv Particle Production, Ryan M. Bitter

Master's Theses

Despite recent advances in antiretroviral therapy, nearly 37 million people continue to live with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Basic and applied research on the assembly of HIV could be enhanced by using a genetically tractable organism, such as yeast, rather than mammalian cells. While previous studies showed that expression of the HIV Gag polyprotein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae spheroplasts resulted in the production of virus-like particles (VLPs), many questions regarding the utility of yeast in HIV assembly remain uninvestigated. Here, we report use of S. cerevisiae for both the production of VLPs with selectively packaged RNA and to evaluate the human …

Presence Of Antibiotic Resistant Salmonella Spp. In Backyard Poultry And Their Environment, Nicole Land

Master's Theses

As keeping backyard poultry rises, human contact with zoonotic pathogens will increase. One such pathogen that backyard enthusiasts have exposure risks to is Salmonella spp. which may cause a potential public health threat due to its increasing multidrug resistancy. Salmonella spp. were present in 33 of 50 samples collected from 29 sites with backyard poultry coops in San Luis Obispo County during March to May in 2014. Two different Hardy-CHROME™ Salmonella Selective Media plates were used to culture and isolate positive samples of Salmonella spp.. Each positive isolate was tested for antimicrobial sensitivity to 6 standard antibiotics: Ampicillin, Bacitracin, …

Il-12 Gene Electrotransfer Triggers A Change In Immune Response Within Mouse Tumors, Guilan Shi, Chelsea Edelblute, Sezgi Arpag, Cathryn Lundberg, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Metastatic melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer with a relatively low survival rate. Immune-based therapies have shown promise in the treatment of melanoma, but overall complete response rates are still low. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of plasmid IL-12 (pIL-12) delivered by gene electrotransfer (GET) to be an effective immunotherapy for melanoma. However, events occurring in the tumor microenvironment following delivery have not been delineated. Therefore, utilizing a B16F10 mouse melanoma model, we evaluated changes in the tumor microenvironment following delivery of pIL-12 using different GET parameters or injection of plasmid alone. The results revealed a unique immune cell …

Structure-Activity Relationship Of Novel Rgd-Containing Cyclic Peptides Against Αvβ3 Integrin, Aaron Silva

Honors Theses

The αvβ3 integrin, a receptor for many extracellular matrix proteins with the RGD sequence motif, is involved in multiple physiological processes. The integrin is highly expressed on tumor cells, therefore making it a target for cancer therapy and imaging. Efforts have been made to develop an RGD-containing ligand against the αvβ3 integrin.

A series of RGD-containing cyclic octapeptides (LXW analogs) were previously synthesized, tested in vitro, and screened as integrin antagonists with a different binding affinity (Xiao et al., 2010; Wang et al., 2015), but the structure-activity relationship remains to be elucidated. In the current study, the structures of three …

Watersheds In Planetary Health Research And Action, Aaron Jenkins, Anthony Capon, Joel Negin, Ben Marais, Tania Sorrell, Margot Parkes, Pierre Horwitz

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Watersheds (also known as water catchments and river basins) are recognised in contemporary science as important natural systems in which to investigate the complex socioecological foundations of health. A watershed is the spatially bound geophysical unit within which surface and shallow groundwater drain to a single collecting stream or river (see appendix). Watersheds are physical and abstract systems: they are open and hydrologically permeable, yet can be represented as functionally distinct. Collectively, watersheds comprise a complex hierarchical network, and thus exemplify the upstream and downstream nature of ecosystems. Watersheds include the social actors, relationships, and institutions located within their boundaries. …

A Low-Intensity, Hybrid Design Between A "Traditional" And A "Course-Based" Research Experience Yields Positive Outcomes For Science Undergraduate Freshmen And Shows Potential For Large-Scale Application, Thushani Rodrigo-Peiris, Lin Xiang, Vincent M. Cassone

Biology Faculty Publications

Based on positive student outcomes, providing research experiences from early undergraduate years is recommended for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. To this end, we designed a novel research experience called the “STEMCats Research Experience” (SRE) for a cohort of 119 second-semester freshmen with diverse college preparatory levels, demographics, and academic majors. The SRE targeted student outcomes of enhancing retention in STEM majors, STEM competency development, and STEM academic performance. It was designed as a hybrid of features from apprenticeship-based traditional undergraduate research experience and course-based undergraduate research experience designs, considering five factors: 1) an authentic research experience, 2) …

Ocean Deoxygenation And Zooplankton: Very Small Oxygen Differences Matter, K. F. Wishner, Brad A. Seibel, C. Roman, C. Deutsch, D. Outram, Caroline T. Shaw, Matthew A. Birk, K. A. S. Mislan, T. J. Adams, D. Moore, S. Riley

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), large midwater regions of very low oxygen, are expected to expand as a result of climate change. While oxygen is known to be important in structuring midwater ecosystems, a precise and mechanistic understanding of the effects of oxygen on zooplankton is lacking. Zooplankton are important components of midwater food webs and biogeochemical cycles. Here, we show that, in the eastern tropical North Pacific OMZ, previously undescribed submesoscale oxygen variability has a direct effect on the distribution of many major zooplankton groups. Despite extraordinary hypoxia tolerance, many zooplankton live near their physiological limits and respond to slight …

Lakeshore Modification Reduces Secondary Production Of Macroinvertebrates In Littoral But Not Deeper Zones, Marlene Pätzig, Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Mario Brauns

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Littoral macroinvertebrates are an integral component of lake food webs, but their productivity may be affected by shoreline alteration. We hypothesized that human modification of lake shores simplifies habitat diversity, which, in turn, affects littoral macroinvertebrate production and patterns of depth–production relationships. Furthermore, we expected that lakeshore modification would favor nonnative species, potentially compensating for negative effects of lakeshore modification on production of native taxa. To test these ideas, we estimated benthic macroinvertebrate production in the upper littoral, middle littoral, and profundal zones of a large lowland lake (Lake Scharmützelsee) in Northeast Germany. We collected samples between April and November …

Comprehensive Inventory Of True Flies (Diptera) At A Tropical Site, Brian V. Brown, Art Borkent, Peter H. Adler, Dalton De Souza Amorim, Kevin Barber, Daniel Bickel, Stephanie Boucher, Scott E. Brooks, John Burger, Zelia L. Burington, Renato S. Capellari, Daniel N.R. Costa, Jeffrey M. Cumming, Greg Curler, Carl W. Dick, John H. Epler, Eric Fisher, Stephen D. Gaimari, Jon Gelhaus, David A. Grimaldi, John Hash, Martin Hauser, Heikki Hippa, Sergio Ibáñez-Bernal, Mathias Jaschhof, Elena P. Kameneva, Peter H. Kerr, Valery Korneyev, Cheslavo A. Korytkowski

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Estimations of tropical insect diversity generally suffer from lack of known groups or faunas against which extrapolations can be made, and have seriously underestimated the diversity of some taxa. Here we report the intensive inventory of a four-hectare tropical cloud forest in Costa Rica for one year, which yielded 4332 species of Diptera, providing the first verifiable basis for diversity of a major group of insects at a single site in the tropics. In total 73 families were present, all of which were studied to the species level, providing potentially complete coverage of all families of the order likely to …

Data On Spectrum-Based Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Measurement Of E. Coli Multidrug Transporter Acrb, Yuguang Cai, Thomas E. Wilkop, Yinan Wei

Chemistry Faculty Publications

This paper presented the dataset of correction parameters used in the determination of the energy transfer efficiencies from the spectrum-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurement in a trimeric membrane protein AcrB. The cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) and yellow fluorescent protein (YPet) were used as the donor and acceptor, respectively. Two AcrB fusion proteins were constructed, AcrB-CFP and AcrB-YPet. The proteins were co-expressed in Escherichia coli cells, and energy transfer efficiency were determined in live cells. To obtain reliable energy transfer data, a complete set of correction parameters need to be first determined to accommodate for factors such as background …

Spectral Sensitivity In Ray-Finned Fishes: Diversity, Ecology And Shared Descent, Lorian E. Schweikert, Robert R. Fitak, Eleanor M. Caves, Tracey Sutton, Sonke Johnsen

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A major goal of sensory ecology is to identify factors that underlie sensory-trait variation. One open question centers on why fishes show the greatest diversity among vertebrates in their capacity to detect color (i.e. spectral sensitivity). Over the past several decades, λ_max values (photoreceptor class peak sensitivity) and chromacy (photoreceptor class number) have been cataloged for hundreds of fish species, yet the ecological basis of this diversity and the functional significance of high chromacy levels (e.g. tetra- and pentachromacy) remain unclear. In this study, we examined phylogenetic, physiological and ecological patterns of spectral sensitivity of ray-finned fishes (Actinoptergyii) via …

Phylogenetic Taxon Definitions For Fungi, Dikarya, Ascomycota And Basidiomycota, David S. Hibbett, Meredith Blackwell, Timothy Y. James, Joseph W. Spatafora, John W. Taylor, Rytas Vilgalys

Biology

Phylogenetic taxon definitions (PTDs) are explicit, phylogeny-based statements that specify clades. PTDs are central to the system of rank-free classification that is governed by the PhyloCode, but they can also be used to clarify the meanings of ranked names. We present PTDs for four major groups: Fungi, Dikarya, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota.

Morphometric Characteristics And Time To Hatch As Efficacious Indicators For Potential Nanotoxicity Assay In Zebrafish, Seyed-Mohammadreza Samaee, Nafiseh Manteghi, Robert A. Yokel, Mohammad Reza Mohajeri-Tehrani

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Although the effects of nano-sized titania (nTiO₂) on hatching events (change in hatching time and total hatching) in zebrafish have been reported, additional consequences of nTiO₂ exposure (i.e., the effects of nTiO₂-induced changes in hatching events and morphometric parameters on embryo-larvae development and survivability) have not been reported. To address this knowledge gap, embryos 4 h postfertilization were exposed to nTiO₂ (0, 0.01, 10, and 1000 μg/mL) for 220 h. Hatching rate (58, 82, and 106 h postexposure [hpe]), survival rate (8 times from 34 to 202 hpe), and 21 morphometric characteristics (8 times …

Regional Specialization Of The Adult Meninges Supports Different Brain Areas And Alters With Age, Christina Ann Calabrese

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The meninges comprise three heterogeneous connective tissue coverings, referred to as the dura, arachnoid, and pia mater, which completely envelop the brain and spinal cord. Given the meninges’ vast coverage over the entire CNS and its unique development, I hypothesized that regional leptomeninges (arachnoid and pia mater layers combined) provide specialized support to different brain areas. During development, anterior meninges, overlying the frontal cortex, derive from neural crest cells that are ectodermal in origin. Posterior meninges, overlying the midbrain to the spinal cord, derive from a mesodermal lineage. This difference in lineage and location suggests potential functional differences between the …

Integrating Node Embeddings And Biological Annotations For Genes To Predict Disease-Gene Associations, Sezin Kircali Ata, Le Ou-Yang, Yuan Fang, Chee-Keong Kwoh, Min Wu, Xiao-Li Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Background: Predicting disease causative genes (or simply, disease genes) has played critical roles in understandingthe genetic basis of human diseases and further providing disease treatment guidelines. While various computationalmethods have been proposed for disease gene prediction, with the recent increasing availability of biologicalinformation for genes, it is highly motivated to leverage these valuable data sources and extract useful information foraccurately predicting disease genes. Results: We present an integrative framework called N2VKO to predict disease genes. Firstly, we learn the nodeembeddings from protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for genes by adapting the well-known representationlearning method node2vec. Secondly, we combine the learned node …

The Impact Of Whoop Technology On Sleep, Recovery, And Performance In Naia Baseball Players, Nolan Harms

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

Many key factors – including but not limited to – sleep, nutrition, travel, stress, and practice influence the optimization of athletic performance. Although previous studies have investigated the use of wearable technology in sport to track several such factors, peer-reviewed research specific to WHOOP technology is limited at best. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of WHOOP technology on sleep, recovery, and batting performance in healthy NAIA baseball players. Data was collected over the course of 4 weeks of in-season play on 10 varsity NAIA baseball players (20.40 ± 0.97 years). All games – 18 total …