Life Sciences Commons^™

Cooperative Stimulation Of Megakaryocytic Differentiation By Gfi1b Gene Targets Kindlin3 And Talin1, Divya Singh, Ghanshyam Upadhyay, Ananya Sengupta, Mohammed A. Biplob, Shaleen Chakyayil, Tiji George, Shireen Saleque

Publications and Research

Understanding the production and differentiation of megakaryocytes from progenitors is crucial for realizing the biology and functions of these vital cells. Previous gene ablation studies demonstrated the essential role of the transcriptional repressor Gfi1b (growth factor independence 1b) in the generation of both erythroid and megakaryocytic cells. However, our recent work has demonstrated the down-regulation of this factor during megakaryocytic differentiation. In this study we identify two new gene targets of Gfi1b, the cytoskeletal proteins Kindlin3 and Talin1, and demonstrate the inverse expression and functions of these cytoskeletal targets relative to Gfi1b, during megakaryocytic differentiation. Both kindlin3 and talin1 promoters …

The Variation Of Productivity And Its Allocation Along A Tropical Elevation Gradient: A Whole Carbon Budget Perspective, Yadvinder Malhi, Cécile A. J. Girardin, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Christopher E. Doughty, Norma Salinas, Daniel B. Metcalfe, Walter Huaraca Huasco, Javier E. Silva-Espejo, Jhon Del Aguilla-Pasquell, Filio Farfán Amézquita, Luiz E.O.C. Aragão, Rossella Guerrieri, Françoise Yoko Ishida, Nur Bahar, William Farfan-Rios, Oliver L. Phillips, Patrick Meir, Miles Silman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

• Why do forest productivity and biomass decline with elevation? To address this question, research to date generally has focused on correlative approaches describing changes in woody growth and biomass with elevation.
  
  
• We present a novel, mechanistic approach to this question by quantifying the autotrophic carbon budget in 16 forest plots along a 3300 m elevation transect in Peru.
  
  
• Low growth rates at high elevations appear primarily driven by low gross primary productivity (GPP), with little shift in either carbon use efficiency (CUE) or allocation of net primary productivity (NPP) between wood, fine roots and canopy. The lack of trend in …

Euotophorus Imeldae New Genus And New Species Of Mexican Aphodiini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), Marco Dellacasa, Giovanni Dellacasa, Robert D. Gordon

Insecta Mundi

Euotophorus new genus and E. imeldae new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) from Mexico are described and figured.

A New Species Of Psalidognathus Gray, 1831 From Peru (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae), Taketsune Noguchi, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Psalidognathus antonkozlovi (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae), a new species from Peru, is described and illustrated. The new species is included in a previous key.

Currently, Psalidognathus Gray, 1831 encompasses 10 species distributed from Costa Rica to northern South America (Monné 2016). The species can be included in two groups: the “modestus” group, species without a spine at the apex of the basal antennomeres; and the “friendii” group, species with a spine at the apex of the basal antennomeres. Santos-Silva and Komiya (2012) published a provisional study of the species of the “modestus” group, considering seven species in it. The key to …

Miles, Marshall (Fa 990), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Collection 990. Project titled: "Early Traditional Use of Yellow Root in Monroe County" written by Marshall Miles for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. The paper examines the medicinal uses of yellow root or golden seal in Monroe County, Kentucky.

Mcmurray, Becky (Fa 988), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 988. Project titled: “Folk Housing: Deatsville and Bardstown, Kentucky.” Project includes survey sheets with brief descriptions of the informant’s beliefs and superstitions as well as information abpit structures in the Deatsville and Bardstown areas of Nelson County, Kentucky. Sheets may include a brief description, informant’s name, motif index number of the belief, and a photo of the structure.

The Village Market: New Columbia Goes Shopping For Food Justice, Jane Therese Waddell

Dissertations and Theses

The Village Market is a nonprofit Healthy Corner Store that has been open since May of 2011 in the mixed-use, mixed-income New Columbia housing development in Portland, Oregon's Portsmouth neighborhood. The venture began as a "community-led" effort in partnership with Janus Youth Programs and Home Forward. The project was conceived after a private enterprise in the small grocery space designed into the development failed, leaving the neighborhood without easy access to healthy foods. This dissertation is a case study of the development process, the operation of the market, and the degree to which it addresses food justice and health equity …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Stress-Induced Increases In Fear Memory Consolidation Within The Amygdala, Antonio V. Aubry, Peter A. Serrano, Nesha S. Burghardt

Publications and Research

Stress can significantly impact brain function and increase the risk for developing various psychiatric disorders. Many of the brain regions that are implicated in psychiatric disorders and are vulnerable to the effects of stress are also involved in mediating emotional learning. Emotional learning has been a subject of intense investigation for the past 30 years, with the vast majority of studies focusing on the amygdala and its role in associative fear learning. However, the mechanisms by which stress affects the amygdala and amygdala-dependent fear memories remain unclear. Here we review the literature on the enhancing effects of acute and chronic …

Newsroom: The Legal Impact Of Marine Debris 10-21-2016, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

The European Eel Nccβ Gene Encodes A Thiazide-Resistant Na-Cl Cotransporter, Erika Moreno, Consuelo Plata, Alejandro Rodríguez-Gama, Eduardo R. Argaiz, Norma Vázquez, Karla Leyva, Carmen Y. Hernández-Carballo, León Islas, Christopher P. Cutler, Diana Pacheco-Alvarez, Adriana Mercado, Raquel Cariño-Cortés, Gerardo Gamba

Biology: Faculty Publications

The thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl cotransporter (NCC) is the major pathway for salt reabsorption in the mammalian distal convoluted tubule. NCC plays a key role in the regulation of blood pressure. Its inhibition with thiazides constitutes the primary baseline therapy for arterial hypertension. However, the thiazide-binding site in NCC is unknown. Mammals have only one gene encoding for NCC. The eel, however, contains a duplicate gene. NCCα is an ortholog of mammalian NCC and is expressed in the kidney. NCCβ is present in the apical membrane of the rectum. Here we cloned and functionally characterized NCCβ from the European eel. The cRNA …

Annotated Checklist And Biogeographic Composition Of The Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera) Of Trinidad, West Indies, Matthew Cock, Robert K. Robbins

Insecta Mundi

A revised annotated checklist for the butterfl y family Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera) of Trinidad is presented, updating nomenclature, and indicating synonyms from earlier lists and papers. The checklist includes 131 species of Lycaenidae, comprising 127 species of 49 genera of Eumaeini, Theclinae, and four species of three genera of Polyommatinae. There are more than 30 new island records. No lycaenid species is endemic to Trinidad, and the fauna consists primarily of widespread species (71%) that occur from Central America to the Amazon Basin. However, the primary biogeographic affi nity is the Amazon Region, where 94% of the Trinidad lycaenid fauna also …

Parajulid Milliped Studies Xi: Initial Assessment Of The Tribe Gosiulini (Diplopoda: Julida), Rowland M. Shelley, Jamie M. Smith

Insecta Mundi

The parajulid milliped tribe Gosiulini (Diplopoda: Julida) comprises two genera – Gosiulus Chamberlin, with three projections on the posterior gonopod and two species in the southcentral/southwestern United States (US) [Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas], and monotypic Minutissimiulus Shelley, n. gen., with two projections, in Nuevo León, Mexico. Gosiulus conformatus Chamberlin occupies the plains/fl atlands of Texas, while its congener inhabits high elevations to the west in all four US states. Both are anticipated in Mexico (Coahuila, Chihuahua, and Sonora), and G. conformatus is expected in southeastern Colorado, eastern New Mexico, and the Oklahoma panhandle. The eastern boundary …

Biology Internship In Austria, Maria Gabriela Herrera, Valentina Ramirez

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

The summer biology internship in Austria is an excellent opportunity for students who desire to pursue the field of medicine. As part of the program, students will be assigned to the organ transplant team where they will have the opportunity to not only observe such surgeries, but also actually participate and assist during the procedure. Other possible specialties during this program include plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and urology depending on availability. The selected students will travel to Graz, Austria and meet with the organ transplant team and learn how to prepare for and assist in surgery. The …

The Scripps Research Institute Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Ezana Assefa

Trick to the Treat of Internships and Research

This program is a 10-week internship designed for undergraduates interested in the scientific field to engage in current research. Students have the option of requesting to work under three mentors, one of which they will be paired. Students will work in the lab with the principal investigator and other members of the lab. Along with working in the lab, students in the program will also attend bi-weekly talks/lectures from researchers, grad students, and professionals at TSRI as well as participating in two presentations and a final poster or oral presentation.

Common Genetic Variants Found In Hla And Kir Immune Genes In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anthony R. Torres, Thayne Sweeten, Randall C. Johnson, Dennis Odell, Jonna B. Westover, Patricia Bray-Ward, David C. Ward, Christopher J. Davies, Aaron J. Thomas, Lisa A. Croen, Michael Benson

Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice Publications

The “common variant—common disease” hypothesis was proposed to explain diseases with strong inheritance. This model suggests that a genetic disease is the result of the combination of several common genetic variants. Common genetic variants are described as a 5% frequency differential between diseased vs. matched control populations. This theory was recently supported by an epidemiology paper stating that about 50% of genetic risk for autism resides in common variants. However, rare variants, rather than common variants, have been found in numerous genome wide genetic studies and many have concluded that the “common variant—common disease” hypothesis is incorrect. One interpretation is …

Nunn, Bobby (Fa 977), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 977. Project titled: “The Dairy Barns of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century of Western Metcalfe County.” Project includes descriptions of two dairy barns and agricultural structures in Metcalfe County, Kentucky. Survey sheets include a brief description, informant’s name, and a photo or illustration of the barn or structure.

Nemo-Like Kinase (Nlk) Is A Pathological Signaling Effector In The Mouse Heart, Ruijie Liu

Peer Reviewed Articles

Nemo-like kinase (NLK) is an evolutionary conserved serine/threonine protein kinase implicated in development, proliferation and apoptosis regulation. Here we identified NLK as a gene product induced in the hearts of mice subjected to pressure overload or myocardial infarction injury, suggesting a potential regulatory role with pathological stimulation to this organ. To examine the potential functional consequences of increased NLK levels, cardiac-specific transgenic mice with inducible expression of this gene product were generated, as well as cardiac-specific Nlk gene-deleted mice. NLK transgenic mice demonstrated baseline cardiac hypertrophy, dilation, interstitial fibrosis, apoptosis and progression towards heart failure in response to two surgery-induced …

The Archaeopalynology Of Crystal River Site (8ci1), Citrus County, Florida, Kendal Jackson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Woodland-period (ca. 1000 B.C. to A.D. 1050) fisher-hunter-gatherers of the Crystal River drainage on Florida’s Big Bend Coast are well known among southeastern archaeologists for their elaborate shell mound architecture, maritime lifeway, and exotic exchange goods. Recent archaeological investigations at the Crystal River site have employed high-resolution topographic mapping, geophysical surveys, trench excavations, and coring to model the temporality of mound construction and occupation at the site; this work has set the stage for subsequent research focusing on community structure, resource extraction, and human-ecosystem dynamics. However, like many central and north peninsular Gulf Coast sites, our understanding of Crystal …

Characterization And Development Mechanism Of Apios Americana Tuber Starch, Hanyu Yangchen, Vikas Belamkar, Steven B. Cannon, Jay-Lin Jane

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Apios americana is a wild legume-bearing plant with edible tubers. Domestication of Apios is in progress because of the superior nutritional value and health benefits of the tuber. Objectives of this study were to: (1) characterize physicochemical properties of the Apios tuber starch; and (2) understand differences in starch structures and properties between the mother (seed) and child (progeny) tubers and the mechanism of starch development. Granules of the Apios tuber starch displayed ellipsoidal, rod, or kidney shape with diameter ranges of 1–30 m. The mother tuber starches displayed greater percentage crystallinity, larger gelatinization enthalpy-changes, longer branch-chain lengths of amylopectin, …

Comparative Profiling Of Micrornas In The Winged And Wingless English Grain Aphid, Sitobion Avenae (F.) (Homoptera: Aphididae), Xiangrui Li, Fangmei Zhang, Brad Coates, Yunhui Zhang, Xuguo Zhou, Dengfa Cheng

Entomology Faculty Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short single-stranded non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression, particularly during development. In this study, 345 miRNAs were identified from the English green aphid, Sitobion avenae (F.), of which 168 were conserved and 177 were S. avenae-specific. Quantitative comparison of miRNA expression levels indicated that 16 and 12 miRNAs were significantly up-regulated in winged and wingless S. avenae small RNA libraries, respectively. Differential expression of these miRNAs was confirmed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR validation. The putative transcript targets for these candidate miRNAs were predicted based on sequences from a model species Drosophila melanogaster and four aphid species …

Apple Tree Responses To Deficit Irrigation Combined With Periodic Applications Of Particle Film Or Abscisic Acid, Khalid M. Al-Absi, Douglas D. Archbold

Horticulture Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to determine if the application of two antitranspirant compounds would moderate water deficit stress effects on physiological responses of “Granny Smith”, “Royal Gala” and “Golden Delicious” apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees on MM106 rootstock that occur during deficit irrigation. Uniform trees were grown in pots under water supply regimes of 30%, 60%, and 80% depletion of available water (DAW) before irrigation to runoff and received applications of kaolin particle film (PF) or abscisic acid (ABA) at 0, 30 and 60 days. At 120 days, genotype and deficit irrigation affected nearly all leaf traits, …

Juvenile Hormone Regulation Of Female Reproduction In The Common Bed Bug, Cimex Lectularius, Hemant Gujar, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

To begin studies on reproduction in common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, we identified three genes coding for vitellogenin (Vg, a protein required for the reproductive success of insects) and studied their hormonal regulation. RNA interference studied showed that expression of Vg3 gene in the adult females is a prerequisite for successful completion of embryogenesis in the eggs laid by them. Juvenile hormone (JH) receptor, Methoprene-tolerant (Met), steroid receptor coactivator (SRC) and GATAa but not ecdysone receptor (EcR) or its partner, ultraspiracle (USP) are required for expression of Vg genes. Feeding and mating working through Vg, Met, SRC, EcR, and …

Feeding Patterns And Trophic Food Web Dynamics Of Armases Cinereum Across A Mangrove/Upland Ecotone, Erin Paige Kiskaddon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The feeding ecology of a common saltmarsh crab, Armases cinereum (Armases), was investigated to determine how habitat (mangrove vs. ecotone, natural mangrove vs. modified mangrove fringe) influenced this species’ feeding behavior and trophic ecology in its southwestern Florida, USA, distribution. In the laboratory, Armases’ preference for mangrove material was examined using leaves of three mangrove species (Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa, and Rhizophora mangle) and leaves of different degradation levels (fresh, senescent, and partially-decomposed). Leaf material from A. germinans was preferentially consumed over the other taxa at fresh and partially-decomposed levels of leaf decay. When Armases were …

Cache Water District: Risks And Opportunities: Research And Policy Analysis Report On Formation Of A Water Conservancy District In Cache County, Utah, Lisa Welsh, Joanna Endter-Wada

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In the November 2016 election, Cache County residents will vote on Proposition #11, Formation of the Cache Water District. The question before voters is: Should the Cache Water District be created? Voters can respond “yes” or “no.” The Cache County Water Master Plan was released in 2013. Discussion and analysis conducted through that planning effort suggested that a water conservancy district would be the best organizational structure for Cache County and its municipalities to collectively and cooperatively manage water. Cache County created the Bridgerland Water Conservancy Work Group (BWC Work Group) to draft a purpose statement and bylaws for the …

Enrichment Of Phosphatidylethanolamine In Viral Replication Compartments Via Co-Opting The Endosomal Rab5 Small Gtpase By A Positive-Strand Rna Virus, Kai Xu, Peter D. Nagy

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Positive-strand RNA viruses build extensive membranous replication compartments to support replication and protect the virus from antiviral responses by the host. These viruses require host factors and various lipids to form viral replication complexes (VRCs). The VRCs built by Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) are enriched with phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) through a previously unknown pathway. To unravel the mechanism of PE enrichment within the TBSV replication compartment, in this paper, the authors demonstrate that TBSV co-opts the guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-bound active form of the endosomal Rab5 small GTPase via direct interaction with the viral replication protein. Deletion of Rab5 orthologs in …

Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management Afs/Ocg 560x, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Bostic, Patti (Fa 966), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 966. Paper titled: “The Function of Various Barns Located in Jefferson County, Outside Jeffersontown.” Includes survey sheets with brief descriptions of barns in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Sheets include a brief description, owner’s name, terms, and a photo of the barn.

High-Throughput Allele-Specific Expression Across 250 Environmental Conditions, Gregory A. Moyerbrailean, Allison L. Richards, Daniel Kurtz, Cynthia A. Kalita, Gordon O. Davis, Chris T. Harvey, Adnan Alazizi, Donovan Watza, Yoram Sorokin, Nancy J. Hauff, Xiang Zhou, Xiaoquan Wen, Roger Pique-Regi, Francesca Luca

Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics

Gene-by-environment (GxE) interactions determine common disease risk factors and biomedically relevant complex traits. However, quantifying how the environment modulates genetic effects on human quantitative phenotypes presents unique challenges. Environmental covariates are complex and difficult to measure and control at the organismal level, as found in GWAS and epidemiological studies. An alternative approach focuses on the cellular environment using in vitro treatments as a proxy for the organismal environment. These cellular environments simplify the organism-level environmental exposures to provide a tractable influence on subcellular phenotypes, such as gene expression. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) mapping studies identified GxE interactions in response …

A New Timepiece: An Epigenetic Mitotic Clock, Brock C. Christensen, Karl T. Kelsey

Dartmouth Scholarship

A new mitotic clock and mathematical approach that incorporates DNA methylation biology common among human cell types provides a new tool for cancer epigenetics research.

Useful To Usable: Developing Usable Climate Science For Agriculture, Linda S. Prokopy, J Stuart Carlton, Tonya Haigh, Maria Carmen Lemos, Amber Saylor Mase, Melissa Widhalm

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The Useful to Usable (U2U) project was a six-year research and extension project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture to provide both useful and usable climate information for the agricultural (corn) sector in the Midwestern United States. The project adopted an extensive co-production of knowledge and decision-making approach that involved intense iteration with potential end-users, including farmers and a variety of pro- fessional agricultural advisors, through focus groups and surveys, feedback at outreach events, and frequent informal interactions to develop both decision support tools and delivery mechanisms that met stakeholder needs. This overview paper for this special issue …