Life Sciences Commons^™

Quantitative Limits On Small Molecule Transport Via The Electropermeome - Measuring And Modeling Single Nanosecond Perturbations, Esin B. Sözer, Zachary A. Levine, P. Thomas Vernier

Bioelectrics Publications

The detailed molecular mechanisms underlying the permeabilization of cell membranes by pulsed electric fields (electroporation) remain obscure despite decades of investigative effort. To advance beyond descriptive schematics to the development of robust, predictive models, empirical parameters in existing models must be replaced with physics- and biology-based terms anchored in experimental observations. We report here absolute values for the uptake of YO-PRO-1, a small-molecule fluorescent indicator of membrane integrity, into cells after a single electric pulse lasting only 6 ns. We correlate these measured values, based on fluorescence microphotometry of hundreds of individual cells, with a diffusion-based geometric analysis of pore-mediated …

Pre-Training Muscle Characteristics Of Subjects Who Are Obese Determine How Well Exercise Training Will Improve Their Insulin Responsiveness, Charles A. Stuart, Michelle L. Lee, Mark A. South, Mary E. A. Howell, Brian M. Cartwright, Michael W. Ramsey, Michael H. Stone

ETSU Faculty Works

Pre-training muscle characteristics of subjects who are obese determine how well exercise training will improve their insulin responsiveness. J Strength Cond Res 31(3): 798–808, 2017—Only half of prediabetic subjects who are obese who underwent exercise training without weight loss increased their insulin responsiveness. We hypothesized that those who improved their insulin responsiveness might have pretraining characteristics favoring a positive response to exercise training. Thirty nondiabetic subjects who were obese volunteered for 8 weeks of either strength training or endurance training. During training, subjects increased their caloric intake to prevent weight loss. Insulin responsiveness by euglycemic clamps and muscle fiber composition, …

Reduced Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cell Number Alters Muscle Morphology After Chronic Stretch But Allows Limited Serial Sarcomere Addition, Matthew C. Kinney, Sudarshan Dayanidhi, Peter B. Dykstra, John J. Mccarthy, Charlotte A. Peterson, Richard L. Lieber

Physiology Faculty Publications

Introduction: Muscles add sarcomeres in response to stretch, presumably to maintain optimal sarcomere length. Clinical evidence from patients with cerebral palsy, who have both decreased serial sarcomere number and reduced satellite cells (SCs), suggests a hypothesis that SCs may be involved in sarcomere addition. Methods: A transgenic Pax7‐DTA mouse model underwent conditional SC depletion, and their soleii were then stretch‐immobilized to assess the capacity for sarcomere addition. Muscle architecture, morphology, and extracellular matrix (ECM) changes were also evaluated. Results: Mice in the SC‐reduced group achieved normal serial sarcomere addition in response to stretch. However, muscle fiber cross‐sectional …

Phylogenetic Relationships, Species Boundaries, And Studies Of Viviparity And Convergent Evolution In Liolaemus Lizards, Cesar Augusto Aguilar

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I have connected different evolutionary studies of Lioalemus lizards. In Chapter 1, I followed an integrative approach to delimit species in the Liolaemus walkeri complex. Using mitochondrial markers, morphological data, bioclimatic information and methods appropriate for each data type, we found that the name L. walkeri was covering three new lineages. Three new species were described and one of them (L. chavin) is now categorized as Near Threatened in the IUCN red list. In Chapter 2, I change the subject from species boundaries to the study of viviparity and placentation. In this paper we employed …

Alterations In Tight Junctional Proteins And Their Effects On Pulmonary Inflammation, Joshua B. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

The lungs represent one of the earliest interfaces for pathogens and noxious stimuli to interact with the body. As such, careful maintenance of the permeability barrier is vital in providing homeostasis within the lung. Essential to maintaining this barrier is the tight junction, which primarily acts as a paracellular seal and regulator of ionic transport, but also contributes to establishing cell polarity, cell-to-cell integrity, and regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. The loss of these tight junctions has been documented to result in alterations in inflammation, and ultimately the development of many respiratory disorders such as COPD, Asthma, ARDS, and pulmonary …

Beavers, Jimmy D. Taylor, Greg K. Yarrow, James E. Miller

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

The American beaver (Castor canadensis) (Figure 1) is known as an “ecosystem engineer” because of the benefits their dams provide to biological diversity and ecosystem function. It also is considered a “keystone species” because of its ability to transform its environment, creating new habitats upon which other species depend. Despite the many positive benefits beavers provide through foraging and dam building, beavers also create conflict with people when their activities cause damage. The authors of this publication acknowledge and appreciate the many positive benefits that beavers provide; however, the focus of this publication is to provide basic information on beaver …

Barriers To Breastfeeding Among Rural Women In The United States, Kimberly Aschbrenner, Disa Lubker Cornish

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Breastfeeding is well-established as a beneficial practice for both infants and mothers; substantial evidence from a wide variety of international settings supports the positive impacts of breastfeeding. However, a significant proportion of U.S. infants are not fed according to this standard. While poor breastfeeding rates can be found in all parts of the United States, the problem is particularly prevalent among mothers living in rural environments where health outcomes are consistently worse than national averages. Significant differences have been found between urban and rural women in many breastfeeding behavioral outcomes, including consistently lower rates reported among rural populations. The problem …

Students Can Be Important Link Between Academia And Practice, Jason W. Marion, Charles D. Treser

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Editor’s Note: In an effort to promote the growth of the environmental health profession and the academic programs that fuel that growth, NEHA has teamed up with the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP) to publish two columns a year in the Journal. AEHAP’s mission is to support environmental health education to ensure the optimal health of people and the environment. The organization works hand in hand with the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) to accredit, market, and promote EHAC-accredited environmental health degree programs. AEHAP focuses on increasing the environmental health workforce, supporting students and …

Draft Genome Sequences Of Three Closely Related Isolates Of The Purple Nonsulfur Bacterium Rhodovulum Sulfidophilum, Michael S. Guzman, Beau Mcginley, Natalia Santiago-Merced, Dinesh Gupta, Arpita Bose

Biology Faculty Research

We report here the draft genome sequences of three isolates of Rhodovulum sulfidophilum from a single population that will serve as a model system for understanding genomic traits that underlie metabolic variation within closely related marine purple nonsulfur bacteria in natural microbial communities.

Fundamental Theorems Of Evolution, David C. Queller

Biology Faculty Research

Evolutionary biology is undergirded by an extensive and impressive set of mathematical models. Yet only one result, Fisher’s theorem about selection and fitness, is generally accorded the status of a fundamental theorem. I argue that although its fundamental status is justified by its simplicity and scope, there are additional results that seem similarly fundamental. I suggest that the most fundamental theorem of evolution is the Price equation, both because of its simplicity and broad scope and because it can be used to derive four other familiar results that are similarly fundamental: Fisher’s average-excess equation, Robertson’s secondary theorem of natural selection, …

Climate Mitigation Through Food-Energy-Water (Few) Conservation, Kathleen E. Halvorsen

TechTalks

Climate change is our biggest challenge to date. Moving toward mitigating or reducing the likelihood of catastrophic climate change is therefore critical. We need to engage all the "wedges" or strategies we can to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and achieve this, including increased energy conservation, consumption of low carbon renewable energy sources, and carbon sequestration. Research integrating social, natural, and engineering sciences that includes non-academic organizations is key to reducing emissions across the energy production and consumption supply chain. This presentation describes such research studying greenhouse gas emissions reductions through household scale food-energy-water consumption in the USA and Netherlands.

The Human Microbiome: An Emerging Tool In Forensics, Jarrad T. Hampton-Marcell, Jose V. Lopez, Jack A. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

A Multivariate Mixed Hidden Markov Model For Blue Whale Behaviour And Responses To Sound Exposure, Stacy L. Deruiter, Roland Langrock, Tomas Skirbutas, Jeremy A. Goldbogen

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Characterization of multivariate time series of behaviour data from animal-borne sensors is challenging. Biologists require methods to objectively quantify baseline behaviour, and then assess behaviour changes in response to environmental stimuli. Here, we apply hidden Markov models (HMMs) to characterize blue whale movement and diving behaviour, identifying latent states corresponding to three main underlying behaviour states: shallow feeding, travelling, and deep feeding. The model formulation accounts for inter-whale differences via a computationally efficient discrete random effect, and measures potential effects of experimental acoustic disturbance on between-state transition probabilities. We identify clear differences in blue whale disturbance response depending on the …

Pdip46 Is Involved In Replication Timing Control, Hsiao H. Chao, Hong Zhao, Sufang Zhang

NYMC Faculty Posters

No abstract provided.

Mice With Infectious Colitis Exhibit Linear Growth Failure And Subsequent Catch-Up Growth Related To Systemic Inflammation And Igf-1, Mark D. Deboer, Vidhya Vijayakumar, Meiqing Gong, John L. Fowlkes, Rachel M. Smith, Fernando Ruiz-Perez, James P. Nataro

Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center Faculty Publications

In developing communities, intestinal infection is associated with poor weight gain and linear-growth failure. Prior translational animal models have focused on weight gain investigations into key contributors to linear growth failure have been lacking. We hypothesized that murine intestinal infection with Citrobacter-rodentium would induce linear-growth failure associated with systemic inflammation and suppressed serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). We evaluated 4 groups of mice infected or sham-infected on day-of-life 28: uninfected-controls, wild-type C.-rodentium-infected, partially-attenuated C. rodentium-infected (with deletion of 3 serine protease genes involved in colonization), and pair-fed (given the amount of daily food consumed by the …

Biomass Yield Of Switchgrass Cultivars Under High- Versus Low-Input Conditions, Michael D. Casler, Sergio Sosa, Lindsey Hoffman, Hilary Mayton, Calvin Ernst, Paul R. Adler, Arvid R. Boe, Stacy A. Bonos

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is undergoing development as a biomass crop to support conversion of cellulosic biomass to energy. To avoid the competition of biomass with food or feed crops, most commercialization proposals suggest that switchgrass should be grown exclusively on marginal lands that are not fit for food or feed production. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential for cultivar x environment interactions that would affect the methods and approaches for breeding and evaluating switchgrass cultivars, including both upland and lowland types, for high-input versus low-input types of environments. Biomass yield was measured on 14 cultivars …

The Lx Report Of The Bean Improvement Cooperative No. 60, March 2017.

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

CONTENTS

LX Annual Report of the Bean Improvement Cooperative xi

BIC Coordinating Committee Membership - 1957 to 2017 . xii

BIC Meritorious Service and Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients - 1957 to 2015 xiii

BIC Awards Nomination Request for 2017 xvi

BIC/NAPIA Meeting in 2017 . xix

In Memory of Guillermo E. Galvez-Enriquez xx

RESEARCH PAPERS FOR 2017

OPTIMIZING SPORULATION OF Pseudocercospora griseola IN VITRO • Paula F. de Pádua1, Rafael Pereira1, Luanna B. W. Gomes1 and Elaine A. de Souza1* 1

FINE MAPPING THE BROAD SPECTRUM ANTHRACNOSE RESISTANCE GENE IN AMENDOIM CAVALO 3 • Gilio, T.A.S.1, Oscar P. Hurtado-Gonzales2, Giseli …

Lkb1 Regulation Of High-Fat Diet-Induced Adaptation In Mouse Skeletal Muscle, Ting Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Ad libitum high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity leads to insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, altered gene expression, and altered growth signaling, all of which contributes to pathological changes in metabolism. Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is an important metabolism regulator. The purpose of this dissertation was to understand how knocking out LKB1 influences HFD induced adaptations in mouse skeletal muscle. To do so, control and skeletal muscle LKB1 knock-out (LKB1-KO) mice were put on either standard diet (STD) or HFD for 1 week or 14 weeks, or put on the HFD for 14 weeks and then switched to STD for 1 week …

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2016, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Rapid technological changes in crop management and production require that the research efforts be presented in an expeditious manner. The contributions of soil fertility and fertilizers are major production factors in all Arkansas crops. The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university’s research efforts. Additionally, soil-test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

A Parasite's Modification Of Host Behavior Reduces Predation On Its Host, John Soghigian, Linda R. Valsdottir, Todd P. Livdahl

Biology

Parasite modification of host behavior is common, and the literature is dominated by demonstrations of enhanced predation on parasitized prey resulting in transmission of parasites to their next host. We present a case in which predation on parasitized prey is reduced. Despite theoretical modeling suggesting that this phenomenon should be common, it has been reported in only a few host–parasite–predator systems. Using a system of gregarine endosymbionts in host mosquitoes, we designed experiments to compare the vulnerability of parasitized and unparasitized mosquito larvae to predation by obligate predatory mosquito larvae and then compared behavioral features known to change in the …

Psychoactive Plants: A Bibliography, James P. Smith Jr

Botanical Studies

No abstract provided.

High Resolution Time-Course Mapping Of Early Transcriptomic, Molecular And Cellular Phenotypes In Huntington's Disease Cag Knock-In Mice Across Multiple Genetic Backgrounds., Seth A Ament, Jocelynn R Pearl, Andrea Grindeland, Jason St Claire, John C Earls, Marina Kovalenko, Tammy Gillis, Jayalakshmi Mysore, James F Gusella, Jong-Min Lee, Seung Kwak, David Howland, Min Young Lee, David Baxter, Kelsey Scherler, Kai Wang, Donald Geman, Jeffrey B Carroll, Marcy E Macdonald, George Carlson, Vanessa C Wheeler, Nathan D Price, Leroy Hood

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Huntington's disease is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of a CAG repeat in the HTT gene. In addition to the length of the CAG expansion, factors such as genetic background have been shown to contribute to the age at onset of neurological symptoms. A central challenge in understanding the disease progression that leads from the HD mutation to massive cell death in the striatum is the ability to characterize the subtle and early functional consequences of the CAG expansion longitudinally. We used dense time course sampling between 4 and 20 postnatal weeks to characterize early transcriptomic, …

Assessing And Improving Student Understanding Of Tree-Thinking, Tyler A. Kummer

Theses and Dissertations

Evolution is the unifying theory of biology. The importance of understanding evolution by those who study the origins, diversification and diversity life cannot be overstated. Because of its importance, in addition to a scientific study of evolution, many researchers have spent time studying the acceptance and the teaching of evolution. Phylogenetic Systematics is the field of study developed to understand the evolutionary history of organisms, traits, and genes. Tree-thinking is the term by which we identify concepts related to the evolutionary history of organisms. It is vital that those who undertake a study of biology be able to understand and …

Poor Transferability Of A Distribution Model For A Widespread Coastal Marsh Bird In The Southeastern United States, Nicolette S. Roach, Elizabeth A. Hunter, Nathan P. Nibbelink, Kyle Barrett

Publications

Species distribution models have been applied across a wide range of spatial scales to generate information for conservation planning. Understanding how well models transfer through space and time is important to promote effective species–habitat conservation. Here, we assess model transferability in coastal tidal marshes of the southeastern United States using count data of a widespread marsh bird: the Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans). We developed species–habitat models at a state level in both South Carolina and Georgia, and then assessed how well top models from each state predicted abundance in the other state. Internally (locally) validated models performed well …

The Host Microbiome Regulates And Maintains Human Health: A Primer And Perspective For Non-Microbiologists, Sunil Thomas, Jacques Izard, Emily Walsh, Kristen Batich, Pakawat Chongsathidkiet, Gerard Clarke, David A. Sela, Alexander J. Muller, James M. Mullin, Korin Albert, John P. Gilligan, Katherine Diguilio, Rima Dilbarova, Walker Alexander, George P. Prendergast

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Humans consider themselves discrete autonomous organisms, but recent research is rapidly strengthening the appreciation that associated microorganisms make essential contributions to human health and well being. Each person is inhabited and also surrounded by his/her own signature microbial cloud. A low diversity of microorganisms is associated with a plethora of diseases, including allergy, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and even neuropsychiatric disorders. Thus, an interaction of microorganisms with the host immune system is required for a healthy body. Exposure to microorganisms from the moment we are born and appropriate microbiome assembly during childhood are essential for establishing an active …

Testing The Terminal Investment Hypothesis In California Oaks, Walter D. Koenig, Johannes M.H. Knops, William J. Carmen, Mario B. Pesendorfer

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The terminal investment hypothesis—which proposes that reproductive investment should increase with age-related declines in reproductive value—has garnered support in a range of animal species but has not been previously examined in long-lived plants, such as trees. We tested this hypothesis by comparing relative acorn production and radial growth among 1,0001 mature individuals of eight species of California oaks (genus Quercus) followed for up to 37 years, during which time 70 trees died apparently natural deaths. We found no significant differences in the radial growth, acorn production, or index of reproductive effort, taking into consideration both growth and reproduction among dying …

Homocysteine As A Biomarker For Thrombosis: What Is The Learning Curve?, Bushra Moiz

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

Testing Of Great Bay Oysters For Two Protozoan Pathogens, Douglas E. Grout

PREP Reports & Publications

Two protozoan pathogens, Haplosporidium nelsoni (MSX) and Perkinsus marinus (Dermo) are known to be present in Great Bay oysters. With funds provided by the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP), the Marine Fisheries Division of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG) continues to assess the presence and intensity of both of these disease conditions in oysters from the major natural beds within the Great Bay estuarine system. Histological examinations of Great Bay oysters have also revealed other endoparasites

Diversity Of Deep-Sea Fishes Of The Easter Island Ecoregion, Erin E. Easton, Javier Sellanes, Carlos F. Gaymer, Naiti A. Morales, Matthias Gorny, Eric Berkenpas

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Easter Island Ecoregion is in the center of the South Pacific gyre and experiences ultra-oligotrophic conditions that could make it highly susceptible to global change and anthropogenic activities, so it is imperative that these regions are characterized and studied so that conservation and sustainable management strategies can be developed. From the few studies from the region, we know that the coastal areas are relatively depauperate and have relatively high rates of endemism. Here, we present a brief report from the first video observations from this region of the deep-dwelling fishes from ROV exploration of benthic communities from …

Recruitment Patterns Of Juvenile Fish At An Artificial Reef Area In The Gulf Of Mexico, Rachel Noel Arney, Catheline Y. M. Froehlich, Richard Kline

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

In 2011 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Coastal Conservation Association of Texas deployed over 4,000 concrete culverts in a designated artificial reef area off Port Mansfield, Texas, to enhance habitat for sport fish species in the Gulf of Mexico. A study was conducted to assess juvenile fish recruitment at varying culvert densities within the artificial reef area. Standard monitoring units for the recruitment of reef fish (SMURFs) were used to sample juvenile fish, and these collections were compared with visual scuba surveys. The 0.027-m3 SMURFs were placed at four different culvert densities (0, 1–50, 51–100, and 101+ …