Life Sciences Commons^™

Use Of Baited Attract And Kill Stations As Ipm Alternative To Control Invasive Drosophila Suzukii Matsumura (Spotted Wing Drosophila), Timothy Lampasona

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

The newly invasive Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Spotted Wing Drosophila, SWD) is an economically significant pest of berries and other small fruit in the Northeast United States. Methods of controlling this insect typically consist of frequent sprays of conventional insecticide, often with long pre-harvest intervals. This experiment is intended to determine the efficacy of a unique Attract and Kill (AtK) design using super-absorbent gelatinous media saturated with highly attractive SWD bait adhered to durable netting, sprayed regularly with a range of insecticides. Our lab and field studies determined that presence of AtK stations treated with insecticides placed in vicinity of raspberries …

Pest Management: The Historical Management And Developed Resistance Of Western Corn Rootworm, Insect Resistance Management, And The Future Of Control, Mollie Mcmahon

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte, is a corn pest in the United States that has demonstrated overwhelming success an overcoming pest management strategies. Whether it is cultural, chemical, or transgenic control, western corn rootworm has managed to adapt, develop resistance, and create chaos among farmers and agriculture industries. Insect Resistance Management is a component of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Excellence Through Stewardship global organization. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates resistance through laws and regulations and with the help of other government organizations. The goal is to delay resistance, extend trait durability, and protect the environment …

A Guidebook On Honey Bee Health: Honey Bee Immunity — Pesticides — Pests And Diseases, Joey Caputo

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Pedigo and Rice (2009) described a concept that some ecologists subscribe to called the “balance of nature” phenomenon. This idea holds that spe-cies in communities achieve certain status in their ecosystem and that this status becomes fixed and resistant to change. On average, individuals are only able to replace themselves. Fluctuations may occur, but ultimately the various species in the community will retain their position and relative population size in the ecosystem. According to these ecologists, when humans alter and reduce the diversity of an ecosystem they are acting counter to this balance. In an attempt to re-turn the altered …

Defense And Prosecuting Attorney Perceptions Of Facility Dogs In The Courtroom, Kristy Melissa Donaldson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Attorneys must obtain evidence for purporting their position on a court case. Many factors are considered when working with witness testimony such as age, development, narrative recall, and retraumatization. Research has detailed the hardship of obtaining evidence during witness testimony and the importance of support systems to help with the process. Existing research illustrates the stressors caused by the court processes, witness fear, and difficulty for attorneys to ascertain testimony. Therapeutic animals have been well researched and shown to have an important support role in many professions and situations. Additionally, much has been written regarding the use of varying types …

Assessing For Awareness And Knowledge Regarding Diabetes In Pre-Diabetes Obese Patients, Remona Lysa Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in prevalence of diabetes in the United States. Prevention of diabetes and improving patients' knowledge and awareness of diabetes are crucial for healthcare providers. Using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a theoretical foundation, the student used the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to improve awareness and knowledge of diabetes among obese individuals with prediabetes. The key research question of this project was to determine whether the patients' diabetes knowledge and awareness improved after the NDPP program. A convenience sample of …

Impact Of The Zambian Agricultural Policy On Grain Trade, Onesphore Karuho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The agricultural sector in Zambia is supported through the government use of public expenditure programs to spur the production and subsidize the consumption of key grains to stabilize prices. Previous research has documented the effects of public spending on agriculture in terms of food prices and food security. The effects of government spending on the trade of key grains, however, is not well understood. As such, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the impact of agricultural policy on the agricultural trade. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Zambian agricultural policy on grain trade. A …

Continuous Sweep Versus Discrete Step Protocols For Studying Effects Of Wearable Robot Assistance Magnitude, Philippe Malcolm, Denise Martineli Rossi, Christopher Siviy, Sangjun Lee, Brendan Thomas Quinlivan, Martin Grimmer, Conor J. Walsh

Journal Articles

Background: Different groups developed wearable robots for walking assistance, but there is still a need for methods to quickly tune actuation parameters for each robot and population or sometimes even for individual users. Protocols where parameters are held constant for multiple minutes have traditionally been used for evaluating responses to parameter changes such as metabolic rate or walking symmetry. However, these discrete protocols are time-consuming. Recently, protocols have been proposed where a parameter is changed in a continuous way. The aim of the present study was to compare effects of continuously varying assistance magnitude with a soft exosuit against …

Both Nicotine Reward And Withdrawal Are Enhanced In A Rodent Model Of Diabetes.Le, Laura O'Dell, Luis Carcoba, Joseph Pipkin, Bryan Cruz, Cecilia Hinojosa

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Biochemical, Structural, And Drug Design Studies Of Norovirus And Zika Virus Proteases, Ben Kuiper

Wayne State University Dissertations

Noroviruses, which are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis, cause an estimated 677 million infections and 213,000 deaths each year worldwide. Noroviruses are classified into seven genogroups (GI-GVII); GI, GII, and GIV have been shown to be infectious in humans. However, GII noroviruses cause the majority of outbreaks (89%). No pharmacologic treatment or vaccine currently exists to treat or prevent norovirus infections.

Recently, the development of a norovirus replicon system, a murine model of norovirus infection, and the development of a biochemical protease assay have allowed for the design and development of norovirus inhibitors. However, the replicon and biochemical assay …

Effects Of Dietary Intake Of Antioxidants And Omega-3 Fatty Acids On Free Radical Production In Children At Various Stages Of Chronic Kidney Disease, Linda Marie Sawyer

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between dietary intake of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids on free radical injury and free radical scavenging in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) so that complications of kidney failure, especially cardiovascular disease, may be avoided or delayed. Children with CKD on dialysis and post-renal transplantation are at an extremely high risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that children with CKD who have higher dietary intake of antioxidants and omega-3 FAs, would have lower free radical injury, as measured by 8-Isoprostanes (8-ISOP) and Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) …

Biomaterials Approaches For Utilizing The Regenerative Potential Of The Peripheral Nerve Injury Microenvironment, Melissa Renee Wrobel

Wayne State University Dissertations

Clinically available treatments are insufficient to achieve full functional recovery in large (>3cm) peripheral nerve injuries (PNI). The objectives in this thesis were 1) to study often overlooked elements of intrinsic PNI repair including release of inhibitory CSPGs and post-injury responses of inflammatory macrophages and dedifferentiated Schwann cells; 2) to create biomaterial scaf-folds featuring topographical and adhesive cues to enhance neurite outgrowth; and 3) to test the ability of those cues to direct macrophages and Schwann cells towards a pro-regenerative phe-notype. It is hypothesized that recapitulating the positive and negative cues of the PNI microenvi-ronment can better improve regeneration. …

Functions Of Atr/Mec1 In Meiosis And The Cell Cycle, Layne Weatherford

Wayne State University Dissertations

Mec1 is a protein kinase in S. cerevisiae that is critical for the DNA damage checkpoint response, and is the yeast orthologue of the human ATR protein. Cancer cells rely on ATR to arrest the cell cycle and allow sufficient time to repair DNA damage before proceeding through the cell cycle, and ATR inhibitors have been developed as possible anti-cancer agents. DBF4 is the regulatory subunit of DBF4-dependent kinase (DDK) that regulates initiation of DNA replication and is overexpressed in a number of different cancer types. To better understand ATR and DBF4 function, we took advantage of yeast genetics to …

Optimization Of Growth Conditions And Characterization Of Properties On Christensenella Minuta, Qing Ai

Wayne State University Theses

Currently, increasing numbers of people are suffering from obesity. The gut microbiome becomes a useful approach to control the mechanisms associated with obesity. A novel bacterium, Christensenella minuta, which was discovered in 2012, triggers body weight loss. Our purpose in this study is to further realize characteristics of C. Minuta as a potential probiotic supplement for future obesity studies. This study determines the following characteristics of C. Minuta: DNA identification, turbidity verification, generation time, as well as optimization of pH and temperature. To test the tolerance of C. Minuta as a gastrointestinal treatment, the pH and bile salts concentration in …

Patholigical And Prognostic Role Of Mdig In Pancreatic Cancer, Srinivas Ashok Kumar

Wayne State University Theses

Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive malignant disease having very limited therapeutic options that ultimately results in its poor prognosis. It is still elusive on the etiology and tumorigenic mechanisms of pancreatic cancer. In the present report, we provide evidence showing involvement of the mineral dust-induced gene (mdig) in the pathogenesis and prognosis of the pancreatic cancer. Using immunohistochemistry approach on human pancreatic cancer tissue microarray, we found differential expression of mdig in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and normal pancreas. Based on the staining intensities of mdig in these tissue samples, we found that 12% of the cancer tissues were strongly positive …

The Effect Of Acetylation Of Cytochrome C On Its Functions In Prostate Cancer, Viktoriia Bazylianska

Wayne State University Theses

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in America. The progression of cancer goes along with the Warburg effect, a metabolic switch from depending primarily on mitochondrial respiration to glycolysis. In addition, cancer cells manage to evade apoptosis. Cell signaling, via posttranslational modifications (PTMs), is one of the most important means of regulation, and most commonly dysregulated in cancer. In prostate cancer, androgen signaling plays a crucial role in driving cell proliferation.

Mammalian Cytochrome c (Cytc) is a multifunctional protein involved in cellular life and death decision. It is an essential component of the electron …

Metformin, Glucotoxicity And Islet Dysfunction, Sartaj S. Baidwan

Wayne State University Theses

METFROMIN, GLUCOTOXICITY AND ISLET DYSFUNCTION

by

SARTAJ BAIDWAN

MAY 2017

Advisor: Dr. Anjaneyulu Kowluru

Major: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Degree: Master of Science

Glucotoxicity is the leading cause for β-cell dysfunction [e.g., defective glucose-stimulated insulin secretion] in Type 2 Diabetes [T2DM]. Recent studies from our lab have shown sustained Rac1 activation leading to the activation of downstream signaling steps including stress kinase [p53, p38MAPK] activation and mitochondrial dysregulation [caspase-3 activation] in pancreatic islet beta-cells exposed to glucotoxic [HG] conditions [20 mM; 24 hrs]. Metformin [MF] is an oral anti-diabetic drug that is being widely prescribed to T2DM. MF works by suppressing hepatic …

Investigation Into Roseburia Intesinalis For Optimal Growth And Survivability Conditions For Potential Probiotic Use, Lisa Rana Felczak

Wayne State University Theses

Obesity and diabetes is an epidemic of increasing concern. Certain novel bacteria have been found to be an aid in reversing some of the mechanisms associated. This study focused on investigating the optimal stability conditions for R.intestinalis that can associate with an increase in growth. First, environmental conditions were tested to find the optimal conditions associated with each. Once growth conditions were found, generation time was calculated and various prebiotics were used to investigate a potential for additional growth. Next, common antibiotics were tested to see if the R.intestinalis could still show growth when exposed. Large batches of R.intestinalis were …

An Evaluation Of Endocrine Disrupting Effects Of Emerging Contaminants Using Daphnia Pulex And Danio Rerio, Lakshmi Neha Reddy Alla

Wayne State University Theses

The limit of the availability of water is based on two factors, scarcity and quality. Conserving and protecting our water resources one of the most critical issues facing humanity as we struggle to deal with contaminated lakes and rivers and climate change. The main aim of this study is to examine toxicity of known water contaminants on aquatic model organisms and be able to develop methodology that will enable the characterization of endocrine disrupting potential of water samples with unknown contaminants. Both the category of water contaminants known as pharmaceuticals, personal care products that are known as PPCPs and other …

Integration Of Mutation And Gene Expression Data To Identify Disease Subtypes, Sahar Ansari

Wayne State University Theses

Understanding the biological insights hidden in the vast amount of data collected, while investigating a disease, is the main goal for collecting such data in the first place.

Changes in the gene expression or the function of proteins are important components in progression of a disease and is a key to understanding the disease mechanism.

However, more often than not, the causes of such changes are not easily identified. In many cases, genetic variants may cause some of the observed gene expression changes.

In this thesis, we focus on identifying the variants that significantly alter gene expression for an individual …

Fam129b, A Novel Adherent Junction Protein, Forms A Complex With Keap1, Fatme Ali Hachem

Wayne State University Theses

FAM129B/Minerva, a protein implicated in melanoma cell invasion, has been shown to suppress TNFα induced apoptosis in cancer cells (Song, Evans & Evans (2010), JBC 286, 10201-09), thus contributing to the survival of metastatic cells. KEAP1, a substrate recognition molecule for the CUL3 E3 ubiquitin ligase, plays a central role in the activation of the TNFα pathway. We wish to test the hypothesis that the up-regulation of FAM129B in cancer cells suppresses apoptosis by sequestering KEAP1, thus preventing its participation in the apoptotic pathway. The first step is to demonstrate that FAM129B and KEAP1 form a complex. We have cloned …

Development Of Student Data Visualization Tool, Adaption Of Clostridium Difficile Toxin A Into Protein Delivery Vehicle, And Elucidation Of Tcdc Mechanism Of Toxin Control, Adam Boyden

Wayne State University Theses

Advancing student success in higher education is of paramount importance, and is in need for a tool that visualizes student data in a longitudinal manner. Student Circos plots achieve this by plotting student data in circular plots, depicting the timeline and grades for students selected by demographic or performance information. Cellular delivery of exogenous proteins is a bountiful area of research. However, most current systems have limited in vivo applications and most lack cellular specificity. By adapting Toxin A from Clostridium difficile, the goal was to create a cell specific protein delivery vehicle that would be robust in vivo. However, …

Development Of Gi Sustainable Probiotic Beads Using Microencapsulation, Jiarun Cui

Wayne State University Theses

Scientists tend to pay a lot attention to probiotics in recent years, due to its health related benefits for humans. Encapsulation is a necessary way to protect probiotics from being killed by harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, and to help probiotics to release in the intestinal environment. This study is mainly focusing on the encapsulation technique of Christensenella minuta, and the food product development of C. minuta beads. The extrusion technique was applied as the encapsulation method, with alginate as the encapsulation material. The effect of single encapsulation and double encapsulation of C. minuta was compared to determine the …

Human Cytomegalovirus Cytoplasmic Virion Assembly Complex: Structure In Vivo And Role Of Pul103 In Its Biogenesis, Ma Christina Raye Lim

Wayne State University Theses

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a linear, double stranded DNA virus that causes severe disease in the immunocompromised, and is one of the common cause of congenital disease. Antivirals that are currently available for treatment target the DNA replication of the virus cycle, and are highly toxic. Finding new drug targets, such as proteins responsible for virion assembly and egress, would help to alleviate the disease burden.

HCMV remodels the host cell to form a structure called the cytoplasmic virion assembly complex (cVAC), a site of virion maturation and egress. The first objective of this work is to study the structure …

Determination Of The Direct Protein-Protein Interactions In The Drosophila Sin3a Complex, Ian Moore

Wayne State University Theses

The proteins that comprise the Drosophila SIN3 220 and SIN3 187 complexes are currently known. Limited information with regard to interacting complex member proteins has been described. Much of these data are results of high-throughput investigations, and there have been no studies done to reconstitute all direct interactions within the complex. The unique C-terminal region of the SIN3 220 isoform was used to test for interactions with other complex proteins using the bacterial expression system. Additionally, the region of Caf1-55 necessary for interaction with SIN3 in vivo was identified using a truncation mutant. The results of this work identified novel …

The Potential Stimulation Of C. Minuta Growth By Various Prebiotics, And Its Sensitivity To Various Antibiotics, Maria Elena Hakim

Wayne State University Theses

Gut microbiota play a crucial role in maintaining intestinal health and integrity; a feature that is both heritable, as well as affected by the environment and lifestyle. Probiotics are supplements containing live microorganisms that act in a similar manner to gut microflora, and maintain a balance in the latter. C. minuta is a novel bacterium in the gut that was found to be associated with reduction in body weight and adiposity. The aim of this study was to determine the possible effects of different prebiotics on C. minuta growth, and the survival of C. minuta in response to different antibiotics. …

Effects Of Palm Oil Tocotrienols Rich Fraction On Cholesterol Efflux, Erandi Jayamini Jayawardana Arachchige

Wayne State University Theses

Tocotrienols are naturally occurring bioactive compounds which possess beneficial effects on multiple chronic diseases including atherosclerosis and cancer. It is believed to exert atheroprotective effects via promoting reverse cholesterol transport, a process that removes excess cholesterol from the body. Cholesterol efflux is an early step in reverse cholesterol transport and impaired cholesterol efflux is known to trigger foam cell formation, a hallmark of atherosclerosis. An increase in cholesterol efflux and decrease in cholesterol influx in macrophages has been suggested to reduce atherosclerosis risk by reducing foam cell formation. In addition, tocotrienols have shown anti-cancer effects on Non-small cell lung cancer …

Differential Activation Of Dead Box Rna Helicases Rhlb And Rhle By Hfq/Srnas And Their Target Mrnas, Amit Kumar

Wayne State University Theses

Number of small RNA (sRNA) gene regulators have mounted in E. coli over the years whereas the number of validated protein partners has not changed considerably. Hfq has remained the only well studied global regulatory partner of sRNAs in E. coli. However, direct or indirect involvement of other protein partners has always been speculated. Study from Blasi lab has shown that CsdA, one of the five DEAD-box RNA helicases of E. coli, is required for the DsrA mediated upregulation of rpoS under cold stress condition. Previous study from our lab has identified two other DEAD-box RNA helicases, RhlB and RhlE, …

Fam129b Phosphorylation And Its Effect On Membrane Localization In Confluent Hela Cells, Lakshmi Thompil Somasekharan

Wayne State University Theses

Phosphorylation and de-phosphorylation of many proteins is a key regulator of cellular life. It maintains cellular activity through an array of signaling pathways like cell division, proliferation and growth. However, Overexpression or mutations by the constitutive activation of phosphorylation machinery disrupt the balance in the cell, driving the inappropriate activation or deactivation of the cellular processes it controls. FAM129B is a protein whose activity is partly maintained by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation at the six serine residues at the C-terminal. FAM129B is expressed highly in many forms of cancer and its main function is to suppress apoptosis and enhances cancer cell …

Design, Synthesis And Analysis Of Potential Photo-Activatable Cathepsin K Inhibitors, Khalin Evania Nisbett

Wayne State University Theses

Abstract

DESIGN, SYNTHESIS AND ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL PHOTO-ACTIVATABLE CATHEPSIN K INHIBITORS

by

KHALIN NISBETT

May 2017

Advisor: Dr. Jeremy Kodanko

Major: Chemistry

Degree: Master of Science

Tightly regulated cysteine CA proteases play a major role in maintaining the homeostasis within cells. Subsequently, when these proteases are dysregulated and mislocalized they disrupt healthy cell dynamics and contribute to many life-threatening pathologies such arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis and cancer. As such many pharmaceutical companies and research teams are highly interested in these proteases as targets. One emergent strategy is the spatiotemporal control of biological processes. In relation to this, a series of spatiotemporally controlled …

Elucidating Structure, Function, And Small Molecular Interactions Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus And Chikungunya Virus, Kristin Nicole Slater

Wayne State University Theses

Abstract HIV-1:

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) is a widespread, incurable retrovirus known to cause

immunodeficiency and a shortened life span. Despite successful treatment methods, HIV-1

frequently mutates, resulting in antiviral resistance. Many therapies target the HIV-1 protease

(PR), which is responsible for cleaving the viral polyprotein essential for its life cycle. HIV-1 PR

often evades treatment by way of mutations and less commonly through residue insertions. We

have identified a clinical isolate with a five residue insertion between residues 28 and 29.

Through molecular dynamics simulations we analyzed the protease protein structure and

determined that the residue insertion created a …