Life Sciences Commons^™

Hibernating Tricolored Bats At A Southeastern Recreation Site: Microsite Use And Public Perceptions, Rebecca Brown

All Theses

High bat mortality from white-nose syndrome (WNS) has increased the need to manage hibernation sites. Management decisions should be based on science, and when sites are accessible to the public, also need to consider human dimensions. We used Stumphouse Tunnel, a recreation site and tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) hibernaculum in northwestern South Carolina, as a case study to understand potential conflicts between conservation and recreation. The population declined by 90% after the arrival of white-nose syndrome (WNS), followed by stabilization and slight increases. Because the increase was associated with more bats roosting in the publicly accessible section, a potential …

Immediate Response Of Bats To Prescribed Fire And Impact Of Experiences On Women's Self-Image In Natural Resources Professions, Zebria Hicks

All Theses

To inform use of prescribed fire management practice in the southeastern US, we studied its impact on bats, which are important and at-risk species. We evaluated if prescribed fire had a positive, neutral, or negative effect on bat activity in the two weeks following the burns. We recorded bat activity after prescribed burns in February and March 2022 in northwestern South Carolina in select hardwood and pine stands and control sites ≥ 500 m from burn boundaries. We measured insect abundance, canopy cover, basal area, and understory density at each site. We recorded 687 passes during our 45-day study period. …

Integrating Omim And Intact Data For The Analysis Of Gene-Phenotype Interactions In Complex Diseases: A Linux-Based Computational Tool For Network Analysis, Devin Keane

All Theses

The field of genetics is constantly evolving. New advances in bioinformatics and computational approaches are leading to exciting new developments in our ability to treat and prevent diseases. Computational genetics provides valuable insights into the complex mechanisms and layers of biological communication that shape an organism's phenotype. Understanding these mechanisms is critical to advancing human health.

The study of diseases in genetics requires a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between various biological processes, including gene expression, protein synthesis, RNA, metabolism, and cell-cell communication. To effectively address the root causes of such diseases, multi-disciplinary approaches that integrate information from different levels …

Disinfectant Efficacy Against Sars-Cov-2 Surrogates, Bovine Coronavirus And Human Coronavirus Oc43, On Hard And Soft Non-Porous Surfaces, Breanna Kimbrell

All Theses

The novel human coronavirus (HCoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged from Wuhan, China in the latter part of 2019. The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 amid the most recent COVID-19 pandemic forced countless foodservice establishments (FSEs) across the United States to close, taking a tremendous toll on the foodservice industry. Although primarily transmitted person-to-person, previous studies indicate that the duration of SARS-CoV-2 survival on different environmental surfaces provides adequate time for secondary transmission to occur. To prevent the further spread of SARS-CoV-2, effective disinfection of surfaces in FSEs is necessary. While disinfectants approved for use against SARS-CoV-2 are …

The Influence Of Diet Recommendations On Exercise Performance, Specifically Single And Multi-Nutrient Effects, Samuel Maurer

All Theses

Objectives: The main question in this study was “Do nutrients present within the MyPlate and Paleo dietary patterns affect exercise parameters in a positive way?” An auxiliary question was “Do nutrients present within these two diets reduce comorbidities of chronic diseases?”

Methods: This study analyzed secondary data collected from a previous diet and exercise study. Dietary records were analyzed for correlations between nutrient intake and exercise performance in both diet groups. Further stratification by VO2 peak performance was done to analyze nutrient intake differences between high and low-performing individuals.

Results: The MyPlate eating pattern increased body fat percentage, blood pressure, …

Growth, Mortality, And Movement Of Endemic Bartram's Bass And Invasive Alabama Bass In Upper Savannah River Basin Tributaries, Tyler Zumwalt

All Theses

Bartram’s Bass are an endemic to the Upper Savannah River basin in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Bartram’s Bass are facing many risks, primary among them being hybridization with nonnative Alabama Bass. More recently, nonnative Alabama Bass and their hybrid congeners have been observed moving from reservoirs into tributaries where the remaining Bartram’s Bass populations exist. Thus, for Chapter 1 we sought to better understand the threat of nonnative gene spreading in tributary systems. To do this, we 1) quantified the movement of pure Alabama Bass, Bartram’s Bass, and their hybrids, 2) assessed correlations between movement and abiotic variables, …

Influence Of Potassium Fertilizer Application Timing On Cotton Production As Related To Soil Potassium On U.S. Coastal Plain Soils, Shruthy Suresh Kumar

All Theses

Understanding soil K dynamics is highly significant in cotton production owing to its prominent role in cotton fiber quality. About 31 % of cotton production in the U.S. is concentrated in SE states, with coastal plain soils having low innate K availability. Crop fertilizer-K recommendations are primarily made worldwide and across the U.S. using pre-plant STK concentrations. A literature review on cotton K studies suggests that fertilizer-K recommendations based on pre-plant STK concentrations alone need fine-tuning to meet the increasing K demands in modern cultivars, variations in crop K requirement patterns, and varied soil K supplying capacity. Studies have been …

Meta-Analysis Of The Effects Of Endophytes And Their Secondary Metabolites On Herbivory From Insects, Derrick Taylor

All Theses

Endophyte-infected plants have reduced the level of herbivory. The defense to herbivory can vary due to the metabolites in the plant and the method of feeding from the pest. Secondary metabolites produced by the endophytes are mainly alkaloids. The associations between endophytes and some alkaloid groups are studied in greater detail. The lack of research of certain alkaloid groups ultimately means that some alkaloids had more data that could be analyzed. As a result, the alkaloid groups were not evenly represented in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis analyzed the relative effectiveness of the metabolites or endophytes in each of the articles …

Early Solid Diet Supplementation Influences The Proteomics Of Rumen Epithelium In Goat Kids, Yimin Zhuang, Xiaokang Lv, Kai Cui, Jianmin Chai, Naifeng Zhang

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is well known that solid diet supplementation in early life can significantly promote rumen development and metabolic function in young ruminants. However, the changes in the expressed proteome and related metabolism in rumen epithelium in response to a supplemented solid diet remain unclear. In this study, rumen epithelial tissue from goats in three diet regimes including milk replacer only (MRO), milk replacer supplemented concentrate (MRC), and milk replacer supplemented concentrate plus alfalfa pellets (MCA) were collected for measurement of the expression of epithelial proteins using proteomic technology (six per group). The results showed that solid diet significantly improved the …

Developing A Continuous Cell Line Derived From The Gulf-Coast Tick (Amblyomma Maculatum) Embryos, Sabrina Walia

Honors Theses

Tick cell lines provide an affordable, reproducible, and efficient in vitro experimental system to study tick-pathogen interactions at the cellular level. Before the first tick cell lines were developed, there was no established method to perform in vitro studies with ticks. Tick research at the organismal level is full of difficulties and challenges. An increase in tick-borne infections and the availability of cutting-edge molecular tools have stimulated the research community's interest in using tick cell lines to answer important biological questions related to new and emerging tick-borne diseases. Unfortunately, not all medically relevant tick species have a cell line available. …

Impact Of Lyophilization On Porcine Hemoglobin Properties., Mustafa Almosawi

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Blood transfusion is the single most often performed lifesaving procedure in hospitals worldwide. Unfortunately, packed red blood cells (RBCs) used for transfusion can only be stored for 42 days at 4 °C before being discarded due to irreversible damage that occurs during storage. Any reduction in available RBCs for an extended period can lead to blood shortages. To increase the shelf-life of RBCs, we investigated freeze-drying (lyophilizing) in the presence of the non-toxic sugar trehalose as a method for long-term preservation. However, the oxidative stress of the lyophilization and storage processes can compromise the functionality of these cells, and the …

Seasonal Variation In Condition, Body Lipid, Reproductive Investment, And Diet In Brook Stickleback (Culaea Inconstans), Matthew P. Basista, Randal Snyder, Christopher Pennuto, Alicia Perez-Fuentetaja

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

North-temperate fishes are subject to significant changes in abiotic and biotic conditions across seasons, which are likely reflected in temporal differences in energy dynamics, reproductive investment, and diet. This study explores seasonal changes in body lipid content, female reproductive investment (GSI), body condition (Fulton’s K), and diet in brook sticklebacks (Culaea inconstans) in Western New York. I expected body lipid content and body condition would decline during the breeding season reflecting energy expenditure for reproduction, and these parameters would increase in the summer and fall prior to the onset of winter. Based on previous studies, I also expected …

A Field‐Capable Rapid Plant Dna Extraction Protocol Using Microneedle Patches For Botanical Surveying And Monitoring, Jonathan Selz, Nicolas R. Adam, Céline E. M. Magrini, Fulvia Malvido Montandon, Sven Buerki, Sebastian J. Maerkl

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Premise: A novel protocol for rapid plant DNA extraction using microneedles is proposed, which supports botanic surveys, taxonomy, and systematics. This protocol can be conducted in the field with limited laboratory skills and equipment. The protocol is validated by sequencing and comparing the results with QIAGEN spin-column DNA extractions using BLAST analyses.

Methods and Results: Two sets of DNA extractions were conducted on 13 species spanning various leaf anatomies and phylogenetic lineages: (i) fresh leaves were punched with custom polymeric microneedle patches to recover genomic DNA, or (ii) QIAGEN DNA extractions. Three plastid (matK, rbcL, and trnH-psbA …

Psychopathy In Society: Understanding The Neural Mechanisms That Give Rise To Psychopathic Traits, Phoebe Zalenski

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Psychopathy is characterized as an individual exhibiting callousness, grandiosity, lack of empathy, and manipulative behavior towards others over a long period of time. Given these symptoms, psychopathy is associated with a markedly increased risk of arrest and imprisonment. Together, these findings highlight the importance of understanding the cause(s) of psychopathy, as doing so may help to develop treatments or preventative interventions. Prior work has suggested that structural abnormalities in the amygdala may play a role in clinical psychopathy; however, it is less clear whether amygdala abnormalities exist on a continuum of psychopathic traits. In this study, I aimed to determine …

Effects Of Cyclic Heat Stress On The Acute Inflammatory Response In Broilers, Alessandro J. Rocchi

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Heat stress (HS) is a growing concern in broiler production due to increasing environmental temperatures. Little is known of the overall effect of HS on innate immunity. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an outer membrane component of Gram-negative bacteria, is commonly used to study the inflammatory response. In avian species, the local tissue and systemic inflammatory activities in response to LPS may be determined concurrently, over time, in an individual, using the growing feather (GF) pulp dermal test along with blood measurements (dual-window approach). To examine the effect of cyclic HS on the local and systemic acute inflammatory responses, Cobb 500 male broiler …

A Dna-Peptide Crosslink (Dpc) Increases Mutagenicity In Sos-Induced Escherichia Coli, Alessandra Bassani

Honors Scholar Theses

Bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, have an inducible system in response to DNA damage termed the SOS response. This system is activated when the replicative DNA polymerase (Pol) III encounters a lesion, uncouples from DNA helicase, and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) accumulates at the replication fork. In this study, we investigated DNA-peptide crosslink (DpC), a common lesion that results from cross-linking of proteins or peptides, UV irradiation, and alkylating agents. To increase survival following formation of a lesion, the SOS response can utilize homologous recombination, translesion synthesis (TLS), or excision repair. With TLS, the levels of DNA Pol II, IV, …

Complete Genome Sequences Of Evolutionary Clade C-Iii Strains Of Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile Isolated From The Environment In Western Australia, Nirajmohan Shivaperumal, Natasza M. R. Hain-Saunders, Barbara J. Chang, Thomas V. Riley, Daniel R. Knight

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile in the environment is thought to contribute to C. difficile infection in community settings. Here, we provide complete genome assemblies for two esculin hydrolysis-negative strains of C. difficile that were isolated from soils in Western Australia; the strains produce white colonies on chromogenic media and belong to evolutionarily divergent clade C-III.

Use Of Space And Foraging Behavior Of Loggerhead Shrikes In Urban Areas, Katie Anne Maddox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Loggerhead shrikes, Lanius ludovicianus, are a declining grassland songbird native to North America. Land-use change has been associated with the decline of grassland bird species. However, the process of urbanization creates novel short-grass habitats reminiscent of shrikes’ natural habitats. Loggerhead shrikes have been observed living in developed areas, particularly in Southeastern coastal states. Understanding the long-term impacts of urban-dwelling on loggerhead shrike populations is vital to identifying whether urban areas offer refuge or act as an ecological sink for shrike populations.

In chapter one, I quantified the use of space by shrikes in urban habitats within Horry County, South …

Deterrent Effects Of The Select Magnetic And Repellent Treated (Smarttm) Hooks And The Recently Developed "Smarter" Hooks On Sharks In Recreational Hook-And-Line And Longline Trials, Ryan Lowndes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As bycatch continues to impact global shark populations, there is a continuing need for effective bycatch reduction devices. Prior research has shown promise in exploiting sharks' electrosensory ability to this end. We tested the deterrent efficacy of the Select Magnetic and Repellant Treated (SMARTTM) and the newly developed "SMARTER" hooks in experimental longline and hook-and-line trials. Both are magnetized and contain an electropositive metal component made of magnesium (SMART) and a magnesium alloy designed to extend longevity (SMARTER). We deployed 127 longlines with SMART hooks, SMARTER hooks, controls, and procedural controls from 2021-2022 in Winyah Bay, South Carolina, and caught …

Exploring The Role Of Microrna-1 (Mir-1) On Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, Shengyi Fei

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Skeletal muscle hypertrophy is a complex process that involves a range of signaling pathways and transcriptional regulators. Many hormones and growth factors can activate key signaling pathways, such as the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, MAPK, and cAMP pathways, which play a crucial role in the regulation of muscle hypertrophy. In Chapter 1, we reviewed some of the hormones and growth factors known to be associated with skeletal muscle hypertrophy, as well as the function of these key signaling pathways, and revealed some unresolved issues. In Chapter 2, we explored the role of microRNA-1 (miR-1) in skeletal muscle hypertrophy and aimed to determine the …

Gene Expression Changes Linked To Phenylpropanoid-Based Resistance To Fusarium Head Blight Of Wheat, Shiv Singla

Department of Plant Pathology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fusarium graminearum is a devastating pathogen of wheat that causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) and contaminates the grain with the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON). Resistance to FHB is quantitative and it is important to identify additional genes conferring resistance against it. The goal of this thesis was to examine if the constitutive expression of two sorghum phenylpropanoid pathway genes, SbCCoAOMT (encoding caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase) and SbC3’H (encoding p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase), in the moderately-susceptible spring wheat CB037 can provide Type-I and Type-II resistance to F. graminearum and determine the underlying mechanisms of the enhanced resistance. The constitutive expression lines (CCoAOMT413, CCoAOMT421, C3H112, …

Optimizing Soil Nutrient Management To Improve Dry Edible Bean Yield And Protein Quality, Emily Jundt

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soil nutrient management is of the utmost importance to ensure crop yields are maximized to feed the world’s growing population. Micro and macronutrient deficiencies can be detrimental to plant growth and cause a drastic reduction in yield. Optimization of nutrient management needs extensive research. Nutrients such as nitrogen increase crop yield, even in legumes capable of using a large amount of nitrogen (N) via biological N fixation. Iron (Fe) fertilizers are also crucial for legumes as they are susceptible to Fe deficiency induced chlorosis.

Dry edible beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are leguminous plants and excellent dietary protein sources. Great …

Importance Of Pelvic Floor Education And Rehabilitation Techniques For Adolescents And Young Adults: A Review, Katherine Laura Schmidt

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The pelvic floor is the collection of many muscles forming what is often called the pelvic girdle. Understanding the different muscles and their roles is an important part of pelvic floor education. Although both males and females have pelvic floors, there is a lack of knowledge of basic anatomy seen in adolescents and young adults. This review analyzes the importance of providing more education for students about the pelvic floor, gives examples of common pelvic disorders for young adults, and provides details on the physical therapy rehabilitation techniques offered today to treat these conditions.

Extranodal Tumors And Chromosomal Abnormalities Associated With Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma In T(14;18)-Positive Patients, Alexis Finch

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Nebraska is mostly an agricultural state with a non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) incidence rate of 20.1 per 100,000 individuals, which is greater than the US incidence rate of 19 per 100,000 individuals. It is possible that the higher incidence rate in Nebraska is due to an increase in pesticide usage. Pesticide exposure is linked to t(14;18), a genetic translocation involving the BCL2 gene that regulates apoptosis. The dysregulation of apoptosis could contribute to the proliferation of NHL. This exploratory study utilized the Nebraska Lymphoma Study Group, which consists of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, or some other neoplastic hematologic disorder …

Antimicrobial Resistance In Eskape Pathogens And Its Effect On Modern Medicine And Treatment, Cameran Runge

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Abstract

ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella

pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter

spp.) are seeing a growing resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics have played directly into the resistance observed, and the problem is growing exponentially. Antibiotic resistance is partially due to several intrinsic factors limiting the drug's uptake. These include efflux pumps, increased biofilm production, and reduced cell wall permeability in the resistant bacteria. ESKAPE pathogens also acquire resistance through horizontal gene transfer and plasmids. As antibiotics have become less effective, the bacteria can continue to thrive, leading to a detrimental …

Education, Beliefs, And Health Literacy Of Care Providers On Mouth Care Of Older Adults, Molly Lakin

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Oral health is important to one’s overall health and quality of life as it can lead to chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and neurodegenerative disorders (Haumschild et al. 2021). In long-term care facilities, it is important that dependent older adults are provided mouth care to maintain their oral health and decrease their chances of developing a chronic illness; however, there are barriers affecting the level, quality, and quantity of mouth care being provided in these facilities. A survey was developed to look at the education, beliefs, and health literacy of care providers on providing mouth care in hopes …

A Review Of How Bioinformatics And Genome Sequencing Are Affecting Precision Medicine, Taylor S. Hickey

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Advancement in genomic sequencing and bioinformatics methods have been affecting biomedical research through precision medicine, especially in the area of cancer. Vaccine therapies can be developed using neoantigens that target specific mutations in tumors. The goals of this research are to identify mutations that lead to cancer and then define subpopulations in which patients can easily be identified. The future goal is to have targeted vaccines that are specific to each subpopulation ready to be used in treatment of their cancer. Limitations to reaching these goals have been due to tumor heterogeneity, cancer location, and difficulty in creating neoantigens for …

Evaluation Of Anaplasma Marginale Elisa Positive Cattle For Co-Infection With Ehrlichia Spp., Grayson Robbins

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bovine Anaplasmosis is an infectious, hemolytic disease transmitted by the rickettsia parasite Anaplasma marginale in cattle. A. marginale parasitizes the red blood cells of an animal throughout their lifetime. The beef cattle industry is the fifth largest agricultural commodity in Arkansas, so potential economic losses due to bovine anaplasmosis is a critical issue. Previously tested beef cattle herds at the University of Arkansas’ Savoy and Batesville units have tested seropositive for A. marginale with low percent inhibitions; however, all seropositive animals tested negative for infection on DNA analysis. The objective of this study was to determine the current infection status …

Examining Transcriptional Regulators During Muscle Development In Drosophila Melanogaster, Chaamy Yapa

Student Theses and Dissertations

In Drosophila melanogaster embryos, a distinct approach to study the transcriptional regulation is to examine the larval somatic muscle development. Transcription factors are essential regulatory proteins that help to control gene expression and respond to signaling pathways and various cues. Today, there are at least twenty transcription factors that have been discovered to contribute to the development of the 30 distinct larval somatic muscles in each abdominal hemisegment of Drosophila melanogaster. Several studies have already been conducted on muscle regulatory transcription factors including midline and apterous. These transcription factors were shown to control the development of muscles through mutant …

Validating A New In Vivo Model To Study Als, Izabela J. Cimachowska

Student Theses and Dissertations

Buildup of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are well known characteristics of both sporadic and hereditary amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). While both forms of the disease seem to arise from common cellular dysfunction, the genetic disease is studied to a much greater extent. Engineering novel animal models of the sporadic form of the disease is crucial for development of druggable targets to treat ALS and understand the underlying mechanisms. Interestingly, accumulation of oxidative stress by exacerbated emission of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from presynaptic mitochondria is a hallmark of both hereditary and sporadic ALS. Previous work by our laboratory showed …