Life Sciences Commons^™

A Comparison Of Photoprotection In C3 Plants Between A Native And An Invasive Species, T. Cao, M. Field, K. Godon

Featured Research

Now more so than ever with the increasing demands placed upon plant species as a direct result of climate change, competition between native and invasive species determines which species are able to survive and reproduce. Biologically the two species, native and invasive, carry out the same functions yet it is in how they carry out said functions that they differ. Prior to the commencement of the study the belief was held that the invasive species (here Avena) would contain increased photoprotection than the native species (here Elymus) for it to possess a competitive advantage. Testing of the stated hypothesis including …

Comparative Fitness Of Transplanted Nassella Pulchra: A Study Of Native And Invasive Grasses, Grace Palmer, Yash Pandey, Isabelle Panos

Featured Research

Previous study of the fitness of California, perennial N. pulchra was conducted at the transplant garden on the Drescher campus of Pepperdine University in the spring of 2016. A follow up study was conducted to understand how the recent increase in rainfall has affected the comparative health of N. pulchra in the transplant garden and in the wild, as well as the health of the invasive, annual grass A. fatua. The height, water potential, photoprotection, and stomatal conductance were measured in transplant N. pulchra, wild N. pulchra, and the competing A. fatua. It was hypothesized that A. fatua …

Solar Tracking Fitness In Native Lupulinus Succulentus Vs. Non-Native Malva Sylvestris, Kathryn Maidlow, Logan Scott

Featured Research

For this experiment, we hypothesized, that while both native and non-native species use solar tracking, the native species Lupulinus succulentus (bluebonnet) will solar track to increase light levels with low leaf temperatures; however, the non-native species Malva sylvestris (cheeseweed) will solar track to increase light levels with an elevated leaf temperature over the native species. Solar tracking was also hypothesized as a significant benefit to each plant species, thus we assumed that if a leaf was prevented from solar tracking that we would see a difference between the solar trackers and non-solar trackers of each species. We decided to use …

Granulosa Cell Endothelin-2 Expression Is Fundamental For Ovulatory Follicle Rupture, Joseph A. Cacioppo, Po-Ching Patrick Lin, Patrick R. Hannon, Daniel R. Mcdougle, Arnon Gal, Chemyong Ko

Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Publications

Ovulation is dependent upon numerous factors mediating follicular growth, vascularization, and ultimately oocyte release via follicle rupture. Endothelin-2 (EDN2) is a potent vasoconstrictor that is transiently produced prior to follicle rupture by granulosa cells of periovulatory follicles and induces ovarian contraction. To determine the role of Edn2 expression, surgical transplant and novel conditional knockout mice were super-ovulated and analyzed. Conditional knockout mice utilized a new iCre driven by the Esr2 promoter to selectively remove Edn2. Follicle rupture and fertility were significantly impaired in the absence of ovarian Edn2 expression. When ovaries of Edn2KO mice were transplanted in wild type …

Can Carbon Fluxes Explain Differences In Soil Organic Carbon Storage Under Aspen And Conifer Forest Overstories?, Antra Boča, H. Van Miegroet

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Climate- and management-induced changes in tree species distributions are raising questions regarding tree species-specific effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and stability. Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is the most widespread tree species in North America, but fire exclusion often promotes the succession to conifer dominated forests. Aspen in the Western US have been found to store more SOC in the mineral soil than nearby conifers, but we do not yet fully understand the source of this differential SOC accumulation. We measured total SOC storage (0–50 cm), characterized stable and labile SOC pools, and quantified above- and belowground …

Creation Of An Immunodeficient Hla-Transgenic Mouse (Humamice) And Functional Validation Of Human Immunity After Transfer Of Hla-Matched Human Cells, Yang Zeng, Bingrun Liu, Marie-Therese Rubio, Xinyue Wang, David M. Ojcius, Ruoping Tang, Antoine Durrbach, Zhitao Ru, Yusen Zhou, Yu-Chun Lone

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Research on human immunology has been hindered by the lack of optimal small animal models, given that the protective immune responses of human and non-human species show significant differences. However, due to ethical constraints[1] and the high cost of clinical trials, it is urgent to improve the current animal models that can mimic faithfully human physiology, particularly the human immune system (HIS). HIS mice had been generated recently by engrafting human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSCs) or human peripheral mononuclear cells (hPBMCs) into highly immuno-deficient mice such as NSG, NOG or NRG mice. However, a major experimental drawback for studies using …

Development Of Site Fidelity In The Nocturnal Amblypygid, Phrynus Marginemaculatus, Jacob M. Graving, Verner P. Bingman, Eileen Hebets, Daniel D. Wiegmann

Eileen Hebets Publications

Amblypygids are capable of navigation in the complex terrain of rainforests in near complete darkness. Path integration is unnecessary for successful homing, and the alternative mechanisms by which they navigate have yet to be elucidated. Here, our aims were to determine whether the amblypygid Phrynus marginemaculatus could be trained to reliably return to a target shelter in a laboratory arena—indicating goal recognition—and to document changes in behavior associated with the development of fidelity. We recorded nocturnal movements and space use by individuals over five nights in an arena in which subjects were provided with two shelters that differed in quality. …

Genetic Variants Of Ptpn2 Are Associated With Lung Cancer Risk: A Re-Analysis Of Eight Gwass In The Tricl-Ilcco Consortium, Yun Feng, Yanru Wang, Hongliang Liu, Zhensheng Liu, Coleman Mills, Younghun Han, Rayjean J. Hung, Yonathan Brhane, John Mcclaughlin, Paul Brennan

Dartmouth Scholarship

The T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP) pathway consists of signaling events mediated by TCPTP. Mutations and genetic variants of some genes in the TCPTP pathway are associated with lung cancer risk and survival. In the present study, we first investigated associations of 5,162 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 43 genes of this TCPTP pathway with lung cancer risk by using summary data of six published genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of 12,160 cases and 16,838 controls. We identified 11 independent SNPs in eight genes after correction for multiple comparisons by a false discovery rate < 0.20. Then, we performed in silico functional analyses for these 11 SNPs by eQTL analysis, two of which, PTPN2 SNPs rs2847297 and rs2847282, were chosen as tagSNPs. We further included two additional GWAS datasets of Harvard University (984 cases and 970 controls) and deCODE (1,319 cases and 26,380 controls), and the overall effects of these two SNPs among all eight GWAS studies remained significant (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.92–0.98, and P = 0.004 for rs2847297; OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.92–0.99, and P = 0.009 for rs2847282). In conclusion, the PTPN2 rs2847297 and rs2847282 may be potential susceptible loci for lung cancer risk.

Respons Tanaman Jagung (Zea Mays L.) Akibat Pemberian Pupuk Fosfat Dan Waktu Aplikasi Pupuk Hayati Mikroba Pelarut Fosfat Pada Ultisols Jatinangor, Agus Wahyudin, Betty Natalie Fitriatin, Fiky Yulianto Wicaksono, Ruminta, A. Rahadiyan

Jurnal Kultivasi

Jagung merupakan salah satu komoditas tanaman pangan yang mempunyai peranan strategis dalam pembangunan pertanian dan perekonomian Indonesia karena memiliki potensi dalam kebutuhan pangan, pakan, bahan baku industri, dan kerajinan tangan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh jenis pupuk fosfat dan waktu pengaplikasian pupuk hayati mikroba pelarut fosfat (MPF) terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman jagung pada Ultisols Jatinangor. Percobaan dilaksanakan di Kebun Percobaan Ciparanje Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Kabupaten Sumedang, Jawa Barat dengan ketinggian tempat +_ 750 meter di atas permukaan laut dan ordo tanah Ultisol, curah hujan rata-rata termasuk tipe C3 menurut Oldeman, dan temperatur udara berkisar antara 22,00 …

Pengaruh Jarak Tanam Berbeda Dan Berbagai Dosis Pupuk Kandang Ayam Terhadap Pertumbuhan Dan Hasil Tanaman Hanjeli Pulut (Coix Lacryma-Jobi L.) Di Dataran Tinggi Punclut, Aep Wawan Irwan, Tati Nurmala, Tia Dian Nira

Jurnal Kultivasi

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat bagaimana pengaruh jarak tanam yang berbeda dan berbagai dosis pupuk kandang ayam serta memperoleh salah satu kombinasi jarak tanam dengan dosis pupuk kandang ayam yang memberikan pengaruh terbaik pada pertumbuhan dan hasil hanjeli pulut. Percobaan dilaksanakan dari bulan Desember 2015 sampai bulan Mei 2016 di Punclut, Lembang, Kabupaten Bandung dengan ketinggian tempat mencapai 1095 m di atas permukaan laut, dengan tanah Latosol dan tipe iklim C2 menurut klasifikasi Oldeman. Rancangan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) yang terdiri dari 9 perlakuan dan diulang sebanyak 3 kali, dengan perlakuan kombinasi jarak tanam …

Overestimasi Penggukuran Gas Exchange Tanaman Dengan Menggunakan Photosynthesis Analyzer Li-6400, Mochamad Arief Soleh

Jurnal Kultivasi

Salah satu tujuan penelitian adalah dihasilkannya data penelitian yang valid dan terpercaya. Semuanya itu tentu memerlukan usaha keras dalam memahami topik penelitian, serta memahami cara kerja alat penelitian yang akan digunakan. Beberapa kesalahan yang penulis temui dalam mengukur laju fotosintesis tanaman atau gas exchange dengan alat LI-6400 adalah ditemukannya overestimasi pengukuran. Seperti ditemukan pada dua publikasi jurnal, misalnya laju fotosintesis tanaman bawang merah mencapai 97-158 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 dan laju fotosintesis jangung mencapai 85 – 100 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1. Secara umum tanaman C4 (Jagung) memiliki laju fotosintesis jauh lebih tinggi dibanding tanaman C3 (Bawang). Ada dua faktor kemungkinan …

Identifikasi Morfologi Dan Agronomi Jagung Hibrida Unpad Pada Tumpangsari Dengan Padi Hitam Di Dataran Tinggi Arjasari Jawa Barat, Elia Azizah, A. Setyawan, Muhamad Kadapi, Yuyun Yuwariah, Dedi Ruswandi

Jurnal Kultivasi

Produksi jagung di Indonesia belum mampu menutupi tingginya permintaan jagung nasional. Padi hitam pun secara umum mengalami kondisi yang sama. Upaya peningkatan produksi jagung dapat ditingkatkan melalui penggunaan jagung hibrida. Namun, penggunaan varietas hibrida akan mendatangkan permasalahan lingkungan karena over aplikasi pupuk sintetis. Modifikasi lingkungan secara aktif pada budidaya hibrida jagung dan padi hitam dapat dilakukan dengan cara tumpangsari. Hal ini merupakan salah satu solusi yang ramah lingkungan karena memperkaya bahan organik dan anorganik melalui pemilihan tanaman kedua secara selektif, mencegah gagal panen, diversifikasi pangan dan asupan nutrisi yang berbeda. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mendapatkan varietas jagung hibrida unpad …

Smokejumper Obituary: Flaharty, T. Richard (Missoula 1944), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Hawkes Co. V. United States Army Corps Of Engineers, Sarah M. Danno

Public Land & Resources Law Review

A peat mining company will not be required to obtain a permit under the Clean Water Act to discharge dredged and fill material into wetlands. The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota held that the United States Army Corps of Engineers fell short in its attempts to establish jurisdiction over the wetlands by twice failing to show a significant nexus existed between the wetlands and navigable waters. Further, the district court enjoined the Corps from asserting jurisdiction a third time because it would force the mining company through a “never ending loop” of administrative law.

Metastasis-Associated Protein 1 Is An Upstream Regulator Of Dnmt3a And Stimulator Of Insulin-Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 In Breast Cancer., S Deivendran, Hezlin Marzook, T R Santhoshkumar, Rakesh Kumar, M Radhakrishna Pillai

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Despite a recognized role of DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3a) in human cancer, the nature of its upstream regulator(s) and relationship with the master chromatin remodeling factor MTA1, continues to be poorly understood. Here, we found an inverse relationship between the levels of MTA1 and DNMT3a in human cancer and that high levels of MTA1 in combination of low DNMT3a status correlates well with poor survival of breast cancer patients. We discovered that MTA1 represses DNMT3a expression via HDAC1/YY1 transcription factor complex. Because IGFBP3 is an established target of DNMT3a, we investigated the effect of MTA1 upon IGFBP3 expression, and found …

Metastasis-Associated Protein 1 Is An Upstream Regulator Of Dnmt3Α And Stimulator Of Insulin-Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 In Breast Cancer, S Deivendran

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Despite a recognized role of DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3a) in human cancer, the nature of its upstream regulator(s) and relationship with the master chromatin remodeling factor MTA1, continues to be poorly understood. Here, we found an inverse relationship between the levels of MTA1 and DNMT3a in human cancer and that high levels of MTA1 in combination of low DNMT3a status correlates well with poor survival of breast cancer patients. We discovered that MTA1 represses DNMT3a expression via HDAC1/YY1 transcription factor complex. Because IGFBP3 is an established target of DNMT3a, we investigated the effect of MTA1 upon IGFBP3 expression, and found …

The Olfactory System Revealed: Non-Invasive Mapping By Using Constrained Spherical Deconvolution Tractography In Healthy Humans, Demetrio Milardi, Alberto Cacciola, Alessandro Calamuneri, Maria F. Ghilardi, Fabrizia Caminiti, Filippo Cascio, Veronica Andronaco, Giuseppe Anastasi, Enricomaria Mormina, Alessandro Arrigo, Daniele Bruschetta, Angelo Quartarone

Publications and Research

Although the olfactory sense has always been considered with less interest than the visual, auditive or somatic senses, it does plays a major role in our ordinary life, with important implication in dangerous situations or in social and emotional behaviors. Traditional Diffusion Tensor signal model and related tractography have been used in the past years to reconstruct the cranial nerves, including the olfactory nerve (ON). However, no supplementary information with regard to the pathways of the olfactory network have been provided. Here, by using the more advanced Constrained Spherical Deconvolution (CSD) diffusion model, we show for the first time in …

Four New Species Of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) From Guatemala And Honduras, José Monzón Sierra

Insecta Mundi

Four new species of the genus Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) are described from cloud forests of Guatemala and Honduras. The Guatemalan species are C. alexae n. sp. from Purulhá, Baja Verapáz in the central mountains and C. woodruffi n. sp. from Bulej, Huehuetenango in Los Cuchumatanes Mountains at elevations from 1500 to 2000 meters. The species from Honduras are C. antonkozlovi n. sp. from Celaque, Lempira and C. maishei n. sp. from El Güisayote, Ocotepeque, at elevations between 2000 and 2600 meters above sea level.

Se describen cuatro especies nuevas del género Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) de …

Oxidation Of Substituted Catechols At The Air-Water Interface: Production Of Carboxylic Acids, Quinones, And Polyphenols, Elizabeth A. Pillar, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Anthropogenic activities contribute benzene, toluene, and anisole to the environment, which in the atmosphere are converted into the respective phenols, cresols, and methoxyphenols by fast gas-phase reaction with hydroxyl radicals (HO(•)). Further processing of the latter species by HO(•) decreases their vapor pressure as a second hydroxyl group is incorporated to accelerate their oxidative aging at interfaces and in aqueous particles. This work shows how catechol, pyrogallol, 3-methylcatechol, 4-methylcatechol, and 3-methoxycatechol (all proxies for oxygenated aromatics derived from benzene, toluene, and anisole) react at the air-water interface with increasing O3(g) during τc ≈ 1 μs contact time and contrasts their …

Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, And Metabolism Of The Dna-Decoy Ayx1 For The Prevention Of Acute And Chronic Post-Surgical Pain, Julien Mamet, Scott Harris, Michael Klukinov, David C. Yeomans, Renee R. Donahue, Bradley K. Taylor, Kelly Eddinger, Tony Yaksh, Donald C. Manning

Physiology Faculty Publications

Background: AYX1 is an unmodified DNA-decoy designed to reduce acute post-surgical pain and its chronification with a single intrathecal dose at the time of surgery. AYX1 inhibits the transcription factor early growth response protein 1, which is transiently induced at the time of injury and triggers gene regulation in the dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord that leads to long-term sensitization and pain. This work characterizes the AYX1 dose-response profile in rats and the link to AYX1 pharmacokinetics and metabolism in the cerebrospinal fluid, dorsal root ganglia, and spinal cord.

Results: The effects of ascending dose-levels of AYX1 on mechanical …

Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter (No. 29) = 嶺南彩園通訊 (第29期), Lingnan Gardeners, Kwan Fong Cultural Research And Development Programme, Lingnan University

Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter 嶺南彩園通訊

油菜花 Rapeseed Flowers

Nutritional Plasticity In Gray Treefrogs: Interactions Between Competition And Predation Threat, Troy C. Neptune, Sarah S. Bouchard

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Anurans utilize digestive tradeoffs to best survive in their environment, often in response to competition and predation pressure. In some larval anurans, intraspecific competition induces longer guts, providing a digestive advantage under limiting resources. However, predation threat can induce deeper tails and associated shorter guts in larvae. The purpose of this study was to describe nutritionally plastic responses of larval eastern gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor, reared with simultaneous environmental stressors: predation and competition. Specifically, we asked if larval guts lengthen to increase digestive efficiency or will tail morphology change to better evade predators? H. versicolor larvae were reared in …

Potential Influence Of A Marine Heatwave On Range Extensions Of Tropical Fishes In The Eastern Indian Ocean—Invaluable Contributions From Amateur Observers, Rodney C J Lenanton, Christopher E. Dowling, Kimberley A. Smith, David V. Fairclough, Gary Jackson

Fisheries Research Articles

Global changes to fish distributions are expected to continue in coming decades with predicted increases in ocean temperatures and the frequency of extreme climatic events. In the eastern Indian Ocean during the 2010/11 summer, sea surface temperatures 4–5 °C above average and an unseasonal, anomalously strong, Leeuwin Current (LC) triggered a “marine heatwave” along the west coast of Australia, with elevated water temperatures persisting for a further two years. Peak LC flows in summer/autumn transported pelagic early life history stages of summer-spawning coastal subtropical and tropical fishes southwards. This study examined whether the heatwave enabled the arrival, persistence and reproduction …

A Pre-Emptive Rangeland Restoration Approach To Improving Biodiversity And Provision Of Ecosystem Services, Kari E. Veblen

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Intervention Effects Of An Eating Disorder Prevention Program Utilized By A Public University, Krista B. Deceault

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Negative body image, disordered eating, and eating disorders affect large numbers of young women each year. The use of dissonance-based eating disorder prevention programs in college-aged women has been shown to improve how women feel about their bodies and better equip women for challenging stereotypes that exist in the culture today.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the intervention strategies of the “Body Project,” an eating disorder prevention program, and assess the effectiveness on reducing five eating disorder risk factors; thin-ideal internalization, diet restraint, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, and eating disorder symptoms.

Design: Two years of …

The Ethical Viability Of In Vitro Fertilization, Jack Hamilton

Dialogue & Nexus

In vitro fertilization is considered from multiple ethical positions and whether or not it is limited to disease prevention or used for genetic enhancement. The first can be in line with most ethical theories provided time and resources are allowed for the technology to be provided for all. The latter seems to devalue humans and remove compassion for the disenfranchised.

A Political Theology Of Ecological Action: Liberation Of The Poor Through Democratic Stewardship Of Creation, Zach Snyder

Dialogue & Nexus

In the United States, many popular forms of evangelical Christianity hold a deep skepticism and antipathy toward ecological activism for reasons ranging from political interests to eschatology. In this paper I will present a legitimate model for the role of the Christian faith in ecological action that is developed by considering and synthesizing the work of two theologians, Leonardo Boff and Christopher Southgate. The contributions from each of these authors are centered on the call to care for creation as a response to their respective areas of emphasis: the suffering and striving of the poor and marginalized in the case …

Downward Mobility: Rediscovering A Narrative Of Justice, Josh Smith

Dialogue & Nexus

In this paper, social justice is defined by examining key perspectives of what it is from philosophy, theology, and biology. We will note where it is absent in order to discover what people deserve in a society governed by social justice. All of this will be evaluated in light of the Carmen Christi, the Hymn of Christ from Philippians 2. The example of Christ’s self-emptying (kenotic) refusal to consider equality with God (harpagmos) a thing to be grasped provides a crucial framework that enables us to emulate self-sacrificial altruism.

The Gift Of Soul, Cory Holt

Dialogue & Nexus

An evaluation of biblical concepts of the soul in light of neuroscience reveals that it is not something that we possess but is a gift from God. Using the concept of forms, emergence, and supervenience, I will show that Greek concepts of dualism, where the soul is an added entity to a body, are untenable in light of both the biblical witness and neuroscience.

Categorizing The Complexity Of The Origin Of Consciousness, Lydia Brown

Dialogue & Nexus

I propose a four-category Cartesian spectrum that contains most, if not all, the extant theories of the origin of consciousness. This spectrum consists of four broad philosophical descriptions that help us organize the various theories of consciousness along lines of non-divine to divine (aka naturalism to non-naturalism) and along the lines of continuous to discontinuous (aka non-interventionist to interventionist). I give examples of each, ultimately favoring Nagel’s view of Discontinuous Divine Influence (aka interventionist non-naturalism).