Life Sciences Commons^™

The Influence Of Age, Foot Sensation, And Gaze Direction On Foot Placement During Goal- Directed Stepping, Victoria Donze

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Potential Effects Of Tfiiic Binding To The Rad2 Promoter, Margaret Agosta

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Proteomic Analytical Viability Of Ffpe Preserved Tissue Using Laser Ablation- Capture And Tandem Mass Spectrometry (Ms/Ms), Joshua Edwards

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Louisiana Agriculture Spring, 2017, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Material Evaluation Of A Lightweight, Automated Canned Pet Food Dispenser, Lauren Carriere

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Uncovering Novel Interactions Of The Mec1 Dna Damage Response Protein, Hug1, Ashley Curran

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Human Trbp And Pact In Rnai-Mediated Antiviral Immunity And Exogenous Rnai Pathways In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Victoria Lulich

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Abalone Aquaculture In Western Australia, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Principles and considerations relating to management of abalone aquaculture in Western Australia

Biokinetics Of Nanomaterials: The Role Of Biopersistence, Peter Laux, Christian Riebeling, Andy M. Booth, Joseph D. Brain, Josephine Brunner, Cristina Cerrillo, Otto Creutzenberg, Irina Estrela-Lopis, Thomas Gebel, Gunnar Johanson, Harald Jungnickel, Heiko Kock, Jutta Tentschert, Ahmed Tlili, Andreas Schäffer, Adriënne J. A. M. Sips, Robert A. Yokel, Andreas Luch

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Nanotechnology risk management strategies and environmental regulations continue to rely on hazard and exposure assessment protocols developed for bulk materials, including larger size particles, while commercial application of nanomaterials (NMs) increases. In order to support and corroborate risk assessment of NMs for workers, consumers, and the environment it is crucial to establish the impact of biopersistence of NMs at realistic doses. In the future, such data will allow a more refined categorization of NMs. Despite many experiments on NM characterization and numerous in vitro and in vivo studies, several questions remain unanswered including the influence of biopersistence on the toxicity …

Nephrotoxicity In Patients With Or Without Cystic Fibrosis Treated With Polymyxin B Compared To Colistin, Ryan L. Crass, Wilbur Cliff Rutter, Donna R. Burgess, Craig A. Martin, David S. Burgess

Pharmacy Practice and Science Faculty Publications

Nephrotoxicity is the primary adverse effect of the polymyxins. The relative rates of toxicity of polymyxin B and colistin have not been fully elucidated, especially in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). A retrospective cohort study of adults treated with polymyxin B or colistin for at least 48 h was conducted. The primary endpoint was the incidence of kidney injury assessed by RIFLE (i.e., risk, injury, failure, loss, end-stage renal disease) criteria. Risk factors for kidney injury were evaluated using multivariate Cox regression. A total of 414 patients were evaluated, 220 of whom had CF. In patients without CF, there was …

Disappearance And Appearance Of An Indigestible Marker In Feces From Growing Pigs As Affected By Previous- And Current-Diet Composition, Brandy M. Jacobs, John F. Patience, Merlin D. Lindemann, Kenneth J. Stalder, Brian J. Kerr

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Indigestible markers are commonly utilized in digestion studies, but the complete disappearance or maximum appearance of a marker in feces can be affected by diet composition, feed intake, or an animal’s BW. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of previous (Phase 1, P1) and current- (Phase 2, P2) diet composition on marker disappearance (Cr) and appearance (Ti) in pigs fed 3 diets differing in NDF content.

Results: When pigs were maintained on the 25.1, 72.5, and 125.0 g/kg NDF diets, it took 5.1, 4.1, and 2.5 d, respectively, for Cr levels to decrease below the …

Lethal Effects Of The Non-Native Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii) On A Model Aquatic Organism (Hyalella Azteca), Eric B. Borth

Honors Theses

The invasive plant Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) has had a variety of ecological effects as it continues to spread through the eastern United States including the loss of plant biodiversity and alterations in ecosystem function in forests. Streams meander through many forests where Amur honeysuckle is present and recent evidence suggests that this terrestrial invasion has consequences for stream biology. Leaves of Amur honeysuckle have been shown to have strong negative effects on terrestrial insects and we hypothesized that these negative effects may also occur in aquatic macroinvertebrates. In this set of experiments we used a sequence of microcosm assays …

Overcoming Hurdles To Development Of A Vaccine Against Pneumocystis Jirovecii, Beth A. Garvy

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Development of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a common problem among immunosuppressed individuals. There are windows of opportunity in which vaccination would be beneficial, but to date, no vaccines have made it to clinical trials. Significant hurdles to vaccine development include host range specificity, making it difficult to translate from animal models to humans. Discovery of cross-reactive epitopes is critical to moving vaccine candidates from preclinical animal studies to clinical trials.

Effectiveness Of A Novel Porphyrin Exhibiting Dark Toxicity Against The Model Organism Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Marissa C. Jama

Honors Theses

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizing porphyrins has emerged as a possible ancillary treatment against antibiotic resistant bacteria. Porphyrins, such a novel zinc containing porphyrin designated ZnP, create reactive oxygen species that are toxic to bacterial cells utilizing light by a mechanism that is not yet fully understood. Previous experiments have shown ZnP to be able to kill microorganisms in the dark which is unique to few porphyrins. The aim of this research is to understand the effect ZnP has on Mycobacterium smegmatis, a model organism for the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuburculosis which causes the lung infection tuberculosis. Further experimentation is …

Understanding The Impact Of State & Federal Aid On The Catholic Identity Of Colleges And Universities In New York State, Fernando Ontiveros

Biology Faculty/Staff Publications

There are close to 200 institutions of higher education in the US that claim a Catholic identity. The degrees to which the values and attitudes proclaimed by this identity are actually experienced by students on campus varies widely across the country. One of the defining influences on the institutional history and leadership composition of many colleges and universities founded by religious orders has been the availability of governmental monetary support, in particular during the last five decades. Federal and state laws regarding the use of public funds to support higher education at institutions with a religious affiliation have prompted changes …

Flexibility, Hailey M. Drollinger, Gaige J. Rinkenberger, Nolan J. Woller

Kinesiology 288

The goal of this research was to see if there was any correlation between the time of day and a person's flexibility. The students hypothesized that a person would be more flexible toward the end of the day than at the beginning of the day. Subjects had to do a sit and reach test and one part of the Berg Balance test, the reaching forward with outstretched arms test. The subjects performed these tests three times a day on four different occasions. The measurements show a general increase in flexibility throughout the day with the highest flexibility being in the …

Effect Of Caffeine On Heart Rate And Calories Burned During Exercise, Steven E. Franco, Luis A. Galvan, Ronny M. Olvera, Malcom J. Taylor

Kinesiology 288

Four active collegiate level students were asked to participate in a 3 day study, conducted in a strict environment. These students were required to perform the same exact exercise each day at the same time upon waking on an empty stomach following a fasted sleep. All individuals performed the exercise at 7:00 AM. On day one, the participant was to perform the exercise with no caffeine consumption. The following day, the participant was to drink one cup of coffee and perform the required exercise. On the last day of the experiment, each participant drank two cups of coffee before the …

An Entomological Survey Of Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Comparing Species Richness Between Different Areas And Degrees Of Human Use, Ronald Hirzel

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

The insect fauna of Camp Arifjan, Kuwait was sampled to determine species richness and how it was impacted by human development and activities. Insects were sampled at twelve sites representing three each of work, public use, residential and vacant brownfield areas. Sampling was conducted using net, sticky trap and pit traps for 60 days. Sticky traps were discarded as unworkable. The first of each species captured from each site was retained as a voucher specimen. Specimens were determined to lowest level possible using a dissecting microscope, available literature and the internet. Collecting and trapping obtained 355 specimens representing 170 species. …

Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates For The Wasatch Front, Shawn Olsen

All Current Publications

This fact sheet provides suggested vegetable planting dates for an average year along the Wasatch Front.

Helping Your Children Love Vegetables, Carrie Durward, Chelsea Feller

All Current Publications

This fact sheet gives tips on how to get children to eat more vegetables.

The Importance Of Increasing Milk Quality By Deceasing The Somatic Cell Count (Scc), Kelci Dalton, C. Israelsen, A.J. Young

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Rod-Shaped Microglia Morphology Is Associated With Aging In 2 Human Autopsy Series, Adam D. Bachstetter, Eseosa T. Ighodaro, Yasmin Hassoun, Danah Aldeiri, Janna H. Neltner, Ela Patel, Erin L. Abner, Peter T. Nelson

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

A subtype of microglia is defined by the morphological appearance of the cells as rod-shaped. Little is known about this intriguing cell type, as there are only a few case reports describing rod-shaped microglia in the neuropathological literature. Rod-shaped microglia were shown recently to account for a substantial proportion of the microglia cells in the hippocampus of both demented and cognitively intact aged individuals. We hypothesized that aging could be a defining feature in the occurrence of rod-shaped microglia. To test this hypothesis, two independent series of autopsy cases (total n=168 cases), which covered the adult lifespan from 20 – …

Thiamine Deficiency Induces Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress And Oxidative Stress In Human Neurons Derived From Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Xin Wang, Mei Xu, Jacqueline A. Frank, Zun-Ji Ke, Jia Luo

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency (TD) plays a major role in the etiology of Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) which is a severe neurological disorder. TD induces selective neuronal cell death, neuroinflammation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and oxidative stress in the brain which are commonly observed in many aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. The progress in this line of research is hindered due to the lack of appropriate in vitro models. The neurons derived for the human induced pluripotent stem …

Population Dynamics Of The Cotton Rat In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose, Heather Green Salamone

Virginia Journal of Science

We used monthly live trapping for 2.5 years to evaluate the life-history features of the most common small mammal, Sigmodon hispidus (hispid cotton rat), in an old field at its northern limit of distribution on the Atlantic Coast. Peak densities, achieved in late autumn or early winter, were among the highest recorded for the species and were more typical of geographically marginal populations rather than of central ones. Unlike some other marginal populations, hispid cotton rats in southeastern Virginia did not lose significant body mass over the winter (when few juveniles were present) and survival in winter was not significantly …

High Throughput In Vivo Analysis Of Plant Leaf Chemical Properties Using Hyperspectral Imaging, Piyush Pandey, Yufeng Ge, Vincent Stoerger, James C. Schnable

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The possibility of predicting plant leaf chemical properties using hyperspectral images was studied. Sixty maize and 60 soybean plants were used, and two experiments were conducted: one with water limitation and the second with nutrient limitation, with the purpose of creating wide ranges of these chemical properties in plant leaf tissues. A hyperspectral imaging system with a spectral range from 550 to 1700 nm was used to acquire plant images in a high throughput fashion (plants placed on an automated conveyor belt). Leaf chemical properties were measured in the laboratory. Partial least squares regression was implemented on spectral data to …

Genetic Code Expansion In Biochemical Investigations And Biomedical Applications, Nanxi Wang

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Genetic code expansion provides a powerful tool for site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (unAAs) with novel biochemical and physiological properties into proteins in live cells and organisms. To achieve this, a nonsense codon suppression system, which consists of an orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) and tRNA pair that specifically decodes a nonsense codon (e.g., amber codon and quadruplet codon) with an unAA but do not “cross talk” with their endogenous counterparts, was established. This Ph.D. thesis presents our efforts on evolution and application of nonsense codon suppression systems for biochemical and biomedical investigations.

In Chapter 1, a brief overview of …

Carisbamate Blockade Of T-Type Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels, Do Young Kim, Fang-Xiong Zhang, Stan T. Nakanishi, Timothy Mettler, Ik-Hyun Cho, Younghee Ahn, Florian Hiess, Lina Chen, Patrick G. Sullivan, S. R. Wayne Chen, Gerald W. Zamponi, Jong M. Rho

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

Objectives

Carisbamate (CRS) is a novel monocarbamate compound that possesses antiseizure and neuroprotective properties. However, the mechanisms underlying these actions remain unclear. Here, we tested both direct and indirect effects of CRS on several cellular systems that regulate intracellular calcium concentration [Ca²⁺]_i.

Methods

We used a combination of cellular electrophysiologic techniques, as well as cell viability, Store Overload‐Induced Calcium Release (SOICR), and mitochondrial functional assays to determine whether CRS might affect [Ca²⁺]_i levels through actions on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, and/or T‐type voltage‐gated Ca²⁺ channels.

Results

In CA3 pyramidal neurons, kainic …

A Program Aimed Toward Inclusive Excellence For Underrepresented Undergraduate Women In The Sciences, Laura A. Katz, Kathryn M. Aloisio, Nicholas J. Horton, Minh Ly, Sara B. Pruss, Kate Queeney, Cate Rowen, Patricia Marten Dibartolo

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Created to foster inclusive excellence, Smith College’s Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (AEMES) Scholars program provides early faculty-mentored research opportunities and other programming as a way to foster success in academic outcomes for underrepresented women in science. Using academic record data, we compared Scholars’ outcomes over time with those of underrepresented students before program launch and to relevant peer comparison groups. Since its launch, AEMES Scholars have achieved significantly higher gateway life sciences course grade point averages (GPAs), rates of persistence in life and natural sciences, and participation in natural sciences advanced research relative to baseline. Gains for …

Climate Change, Managed Relocation, And The Risk Of Intra-Continental Plant Invasions: A Theoretical And Empirical Exploration Relative To The Flora Of New England, Jesse Bellemare, Bryan Connolly, Dov F. Sax

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The high rate of anthropogenic climate change projected for coming decades and evidence of low migration ability for many species have led researchers to warn of a looming extinction crisis. This threat is expected to be most acute for small-ranged endemic species, which could see novel climatic conditions develop rapidly across the entirety of their limited geographic ranges. To avoid extinctions, some conservationists have proposed that climateimperiled species might be candidates for "assisted colonization" or "managed relocation" to new regions, outside their historical ranges. One major concern related to managed relocation is the possibility that some relocated species could later …

Differential Toxic Effects Of Ulva Lactuca (Chlorophyta) On The Herbivorous Gastropods, Littorina Littorea And L. Obtusata (Mollusca), Paulette Peckol, Alysha B. Putnam

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Members of the genus Ulva are widespread and abundant in intertidal and shallow subtidal areas but there are conflicting data regarding susceptibility to herbivory. While some studies have documented that Ulva spp. were favored by a diversity of marine herbivores, other work has revealed herbivore deterrence. We investigated grazing and growth rates of the littorinid species, Littorina littorea and L. obtusata, when offered Fucus vesiculosus, Ascophyllum nodosum, Ulva lactuca, and Chondrus crispus, highlighting distinctive vulnerabilities to toxic effects of U. lactuca. Ulva lactuca was the preferred food of L. littorea, while L. obtusata showed no grazing on this ephemeral algal …