Life Sciences Commons^™

Thermal Physiological Ecology Of The Relict Leopard Frog At Hot And Cold Springs, Robert P. Pelletier Iii

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The relict leopard frog (Rana onca) once ranged across drainages in southern Nevada, northwestern Arizona, and southwestern Utah. Following a decline, the species only persisted in a few geothermally influenced hot springs, which led to the perspective that hot springs were high-quality habitat. Rana onca has been under intensive, multiagency management and the species has been translocated to establish additional populations, including at cold-water sites. Three research studies are presented into the thermal physiological ecology of R. onca with the aim of informing conservation strategy. The research was focused at a thermally influenced hot spring and a cold-water spring to …

Methylation-Dependent Regulatory Pathway That Governs The Stability Of The Sox Family Proteins And Related Developmental Regulators, Keshari Gayathri Rajawasam

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The SRY (Sex-determining Region Y) protein is a transcription factor encoded on the Y chromosome and is the key regulator responsible for initiating male sex determination in mammals. During early embryonic development, SRY activates the genetic program that leads to testis formation by promoting the expression of downstream genes involved in male gonadal differentiation. Mutations or dysregulation of SRY can lead to disorders of sex development such as male-to-female sex conversion and hermaphroditism, highlighting its critical role in sex determination.

SRY belongs to the SOX (SRY-related HMG-box) family of transcription factors, which includes the proteins SOX1, SOX2 and SOX3. These …

Examining Demographic And Contextual Differences In Stress-Related Sport Interference Among U.S. Collegiate Sport Participants, Heather Tran

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Collegiate athletes experience a range of stressors that may interfere with sport performance; however less is known about how stress-related sport interference varies across demographic groups and contexts. Guided by the transactional model of stress and coping, this study examined differences in stress-related sport interference by gender, race/ethnicity, and year in school, as well as across situational contexts (training, competition, and life outside of sport). Data were drawn from a secondary dataset of 288 collegiate sport participants who completed the Sport Interference Checklist (SIC). Independent samples t-test and analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to examined demographic differences, and a …

Effectiveness Of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy On The Quality Of Life Of Adults With Dementia: A Secondary Analysis, Evelyn Airam

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This secondary analysis study evaluated the effectiveness of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) on quality of life (QoL), depressive symptoms, and cognitive function in 108 community-dwelling older adults with cognitive impairments, including dementia. Outcomes involved Quality of Life (QoL) measured by the Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease (QoL-AD), symptoms of depression by the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), and cognitive function using the Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS). After the CST, significant improvements were observed in QoL (p = .004), depressive symptoms (p = .002), and cognitive function (p < .001), with small effect sizes. Additionally, a significant interaction between sex and dementia diagnosis status was found in predicting cognitive changes, suggesting that the relationship between dementia diagnosis and cognitive improvement differs by sex. No between-group differences were found for QoL or depression. Findings support CST as a multidimensional, non-pharmacological intervention that improves cognitive, psychological, and social outcomes. Although effects were small, consistent improvements are clinically meaningful given the progressive nature of dementia. This study extends existing literature by demonstrating CST’s effectiveness in a community-based setting and reinforces its alignment with occupational therapy’s emphasis on participation and holistic care. Results highlight the need for early intervention and expanded access to CST programs to enhance quality of life in this population.

Unknowing Sacrifices: Public Health And Radiation Illness In New Mexico And Nevada, 1940s-1960s, Beatriz Avila-Marquez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The detonation of the first atomic bomb in the early morning of July 16, 1945, in New Mexico welcomed the atomic age that forever changed the world. After that day, thousands of lives were lost due to nuclear weapons, and hundreds of thousands more continued to suffer from the effects of atomic testing. The Atomic Energy Commission, fueled by the arms race of the Cold War, chose Nevada to continue the United States’ nuclear weapons testing. Knowledge of the dangers of radiation exposure, the effects of radiation, and techniques to prevent exposure are now available in part due to the …

Junctional Actin As A Mechanical Hub For Supracellular Actomyosin Force Transmission During Apical Constriction, Jasneet Brar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Apical constriction is a conserved morphogenetic mechanism that drives epithelial folding during development. During ventral furrow formation in Drosophila melanogaster, contractile actomyosin networks generate forces that reduce apical cell area resulting in tissue invagination. For these cell-scale forces to produce coordinated tissue-scale changes, contractile networks must be mechanically integrated across neighboring cells. Although adherens junctions are known to mediate this coupling, it is unclear how junctions are integrated into cortical actin cytoskeleton, which directly determines cell, and consequently tissue, shape. This thesis tests the hypothesis that supracellular actomyosin organization during apical constriction depends on distinct adherens junction based mechanical couplings: …

The Competition Between Splicing And 3′ Processing Shapes The Human Transcriptome, Lindsey V. Soles, Shuangyu Li, Liang Liu, Kristianna S.K. Sarkan, Erik G. Alvstad, Lusong Tian, Yoseop Yoon, Marielle Valdez, Ivan Marazzi, Yongsheng Shi

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Eukaryotic pre-mRNA processing steps, including splicing and 3′ processing, are tightly coordinated, yet the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. U1 snRNP has been proposed to inhibit 3′ processing at intronic polyadenylation (IPA) sites through a splicing-independent mechanism termed telescripting. In contrast, we discovered that disrupting splicing by using six different methods—targeting various key components such as U1 snRNP, U2 snRNP, U2AF, and SF3b—activates 3′ processing at thousands of IPA sites. Notably, splicing inhibition, especially of U1 snRNP, induced widespread premature transcription termination within gene bodies through both IPA-coupled and IPA-independent mechanisms. Inhibition of different splicing factors activated overlapping and distinct …

P300/Cbp Inhibition With Inobrodib In Combination With Gilteritinib And Venetoclax Targets Leukemia Stem Cells In Epigenetic Mutant Aml, Melanie L. Goetz, Jennifer S. Romer-Seibert, Amanda M. Versace, Scott Kogan, Chetan Jeurkar, Robert L. Bowman, Nigel Brooks, Kris Frese, Sara E. Meyer

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a fatal blood cancer with cytotoxic chemotherapy offering at best 25% 5-year survival. While targeted BCL2 and FLT3 inhibitors venetoclax and gilteritinib are used upfront in the treatment of a subset of adult patients with AML and help to extend the survival of some patients, a curative treatment combination with minimal side effects has yet to be discovered. We find that use of the dual histone acetyltransferase p300/CBP bromodomain inhibitor CCS1477 (inobrodib), together with venetoclax and gilteritinib, virtually eliminates leukemia stem cells in an aggressive preclinical model of DNMT3A/FLT3-mutant AML by impairing pro-oncogenic survival and …

Protecting Galápagos’ Marine Ecosystems: Biosecurity And Network Design Against Invasive Species From Tourist Vessels, Marnie L. Campbell, T.U. Le, Chad Hewitt

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The modern world is characterized by high connectivity, enhancing economic productivity, and global communication, but outpacing our ability to manage its consequences. This connectivity increases the risk of pathogen, pest, and invasive species transmission. In the Galápagos islands, Ecuador, tourist vessel networks operate with limited restrictions and connect high conservation value locations, boosting tourism and the economy. These vessels frequently travel between multiple islands, leading to moderate connectivity and high vessel promiscuity. To prevent the spread of invasive species via these vessels, we propose a biosecurity system that combines social network tools with risk management frameworks that balances environmental protection …

Multiscale Modeling Of Chemoattractant-Guided Collective Cell Migration In The Drosophila Egg Chamber, Lara Scott, Bradford E. Peercy, Meghan Kwon, Michelle Starz-Gaiano

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Innate, Adaptive, And Cellular Immunity On Viral Reproductive Cycle: A Stochastic Extinction Analysis, Rahnuma Islam, David Swigon

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Phase-Preserving Machine Learning Forecasting Of Nonlinear Predator–Prey Dynamics, Saira Batool, Muhammad Imran, Brett Mckinney

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Modeling Epidemic Dynamics With Renewal Processes And General Lifetime Distributions, Divine Wanduku, Divine Wanduku

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Remote Sensing To Detect Crop Damage By An Invasive Species, Cole Butler

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

A New Framework For Studying Transient Reactivity In Two-Dimensional Linear Systems., Mary Lou Zeeman, Alanna Haslam-Hyde, James Broda

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Homeostasis In Relaxation And Bursting Oscillations, Christopher J. Ryzowicz

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

How Human Behavior Shapes Epidemic Dynamics, Leah Lejeune, Navid Ghaffarzadegan, Lauren M. Childs, Omar Saucedo

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Basics Of Forest Certification: A Primer For Forest Owners, Miah Maye Pormon, Joan U. Ureta, Marzieh Motallebi, Barry Graden

Forestry and Natural Resources

Forest certification promotes sustainable forest management, enhances market access for forest products, and improves ecosystem services. This article addresses forest owners’ hesitations in certifying their forest lands by providing information on the importance and requirements of the three biggest certification systems in the Southern U.S. This study can serve as a resource to raise awareness towards forest certification systems and encourage greater participation among forest landowners.

Dynamics For Complex Quadratic Networks, Templates And Mutations, Anca R. Radulescu, Eva Kaslik, Alexander Fikl, Sarah Muldoon, Johan Nakuci, Mark Comerford

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Delineating Differences In Firing Rate Estimates Of Healthy And Parkinsonian Single-Unit Basal Ganglia Recordings, Richard R. Foster, Cheng Ly

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Artificial Photosynthesis To Overcome Oxygen Deprivation During Respiratory Disease Crisis-A Mini Review, Devadass Jessy Mercy Ms, Harini Rm Ms, Agnishwar Girigoswami Prof, Koyeli Girigoswami Prof

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Respiratory diseases are mainly treated using several symptomatic treatments, supported by oxygen for the patients. During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, oxygen concentrators were in high demand, and even after that, many patients lost their lives to this pandemic due to a shortage of oxygen cylinders. This crisis instigated many entrepreneurs to open oxygen plants, which needed a large scale set up. The articles were searched using Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science using appropriate keywords to write this review article. In this review, we have summarized the need for oxygen that can be overcome using artificial photosynthesis. …

Psychometric Framework For Coexistence With Large Carnivores, Benjamin Ghasemi, Gerard Kyle, Tara Teel, Rebeca Niemiec, Kevin Crooks, Jenny Anne Glikman, Neil H. Carter, John A. Vucetich, Michelle L. Lute, Stewart Breck, Beatrice Frank, Dana Hoag, Jonathan Salerno, Lily M. Van Eeden, Jeremy T. Bruskotter

Michigan Tech Publications

Human–carnivore coexistence is essential for biodiversity conservation, yet measuring the attitudes and behaviors that support it remains methodologically challenging. We developed psychometric scales to assess willingness to coexist with carnivores and the underlying beliefs of this coexistence through an iterative expert elicitation process grounded in risk perception theory and moral psychology to ensure strong content validity. The scales measure willingness to coexist and encompass individual and collective behaviors and their cognitive antecedents: perceived positive consequences, perceived negative consequences, and ethical considerations. We validated the scales based on three representative samples of Colorado residents (n = 434, 442, 433) focused on …

Thrombin-Induced Myofibroblast Differentiation Is Regulated By Myocardin And Novel Effector Genes In Ipf Fibroblasts, Christiana Okeke

Biotechnology Theses

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease characterized by fibroblast activation, excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, and irreversible respiratory decline. In this study, we investigated the role of myocardin and its downstream effectors, RGS5, DLGAP5, and TAGLN, in thrombin-induced myofibroblast differentiation and ECM remodeling using primary human IPF fibroblasts. Myocardin knockdown significantly attenuated thrombin-induced expression of profibrotic genes, including FN1, COL1A1, PAI-1, ACTA2, and CNN1, as well as the novel effectors RGS5, DLGAP5, and TAGLN, confirming myocardin as a central regulator of fibrotic signaling. Silencing RGS5 produced minimal effects on gene and protein expression despite minor downward …

First Recombinant Expression, Purification, And Film Formation Of A Single Solitary Bee Silk Protein From Osmia Lignaria, Oran Wasserman, Kristin K. Durrant, Jackson J. Morley, Paula E. Oliveira, Mallory R. Wootton, Brianne E. Bell, Ethon D. Van Noy, Randolph V. Lewis, Justin A. Jones

Biology Student Research

Solitary bees account for most described bee species worldwide, with many spinning silk fibers to form protective cocoons during development; however, solitary bee silk proteins remain largely unexplored in recombinant systems and biomaterial fabrication. Here, we report the first recombinant expression and biomaterial formation from a solitary bee silk protein. Osmia lignaria silk fibroin 2 (OligF2) was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) using an expression and purification scheme adapted from a recombinant hagfish intermediate filament (rHIF) workflow, yielding 0.34 g/L at ~70% purity. The purified OligF2 protein was cast into films at 0.75% and 1% (w/v). …

Simulation Of Post-Tensioned Clt Rocking Wall And Platform Structure Response Under Earthquake Lateral Loads With Simplified Equivalent Model, Yunxiang Ma, Qingli Dai, Da Huang, Miaomiao Li, Xiang Zhao

Michigan Tech Publications

The post-tensioned cross-laminated timber (CLT) rocking wall is a recently developed resilient CLT lateral force-resisting system with a self-centering feature. The structural responses of the systems with different designs need to be determined and evaluated efficiently to promote the development and standardization of industrial applications. This study developed a computationally efficient, component-assembled numerical model for post-tensioned cross-laminated timber (PT CLT) rocking walls that captures decompression, post-tension self-centering, and energy dissipation within a framework. The single wall model was assembled using nonlinear zero-length springs for the compression at the CLT bottom, truss bar element for the PT tendon, and elastic shell …

Care As Method: Sound, Duration, Relation In Contemporary Art Practice, Violet L. White

MFA in Visual Art

Abstract Care as Method: Sound, Duration, and Multispecies Relation in Contemporary Art Practice

This thesis proposes care as a method of artmaking, not a subject, theme, or aesthetic position, but the actual structural logic through which a body of work is built, sustained, and understood. Working at the intersection of ecological art practice and relational aesthetics, it asks what happens when the encounter at the center of the work is not between two people but between species, infrastructures, and histories of use and what obligations that encounter generates.

The argument is developed through six interconnected works: installations, sound compositions, sculptures, …

Environmental Dna (Edna) Assessment Of Fish And Decapod Diversity And Their Association With Cetacean Distribution In Matang Coastal Waters, Perak, Lim Chuan Hui

Student Works (2020-2029)

The estuarine and coastal regions of Matang, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, are vital fishing grounds and recognised biodiversity hotspots, but are increasingly exposed to human activities. Understanding the biodiversity of marine fish and decapods is crucial for effective conservation efforts. Conventional biodiversity monitoring methods face several challenges, including invasiveness, inconsistencies in sampling techniques, reduced taxonomic accuracy, time-consuming processes, high costs, and often only providing approximate estimates. In this study, we evaluated the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to assess marine fish and decapod diversity in Matang waters and to explore possible associations between fish assemblages and local cetacean occurrence. Water …

A Reassessment Of “Tityus” Tenuimanus Banks, 1910, As A Misidentified Leiurus Sp. (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Mohamed Mousaid, Ersen A. Yağmur, Zoe Flores, Alana Rivera, Aziza Lansari, Abdellah Bouazza

Euscorpius

This study re-examines the holotype of “Tityus” tenuimanus Banks, 1910, previously synonymized with Buthus atlantis Pocock, 1889 by Lourenço & Francke (1984). Our results indicate that the specimen is a misidentified representative of Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828, as it exhibits the diagnostic characters of this genus: the central lateral and posterior median carinae of the carapace fused into a lyre-shaped configuration, and tergites I–II bearing five granular carinae (a character absent in the genus Buthus Leach, 1815). Moreover, the holotype lacks one of the most distinctive characters of the genus Tityus Koch, 1836, namely the presence of a subaculear tubercle. The …

A Size-Structured Approach For Modeling Coral-Algal Dynamics, Anayse Miller, Julie C. Blackwood, Lauren M. Childs

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Dynamics Of Synchrony On Replicating Biological Populations, Montse Torres Garcia, Kevin Mcgoff, Francis Motta, Breschine Cummins, Steve Haase

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.