Life Sciences Commons^™

An Update On The Habitat Suitability Model Of Dacrycarpus Imbricatus (Blume) De Laub. And Its Conservation Status In Bali, Indonesia, Sutomo, Muhammad Bima Atmaja, I. Dewa Putu Darma, Rajif Iryadi, Aditya Hani, I. Made Saka Wijaya, Made Maha Widyartha, Eddie Van Etten

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Dacrycarpus imbricatus provides essential ecosystem functions and various potential uses. Therefore, studying this distribution and conservation status in Bali Islands is crucial. The Habitat Suitability Model (HSM) and Geospatial Conservation Assessment Tool (GeoCAT) were used to predict this distribution and conservation status. The results showed changes in the predicted habitat suitability in 2050. Climate change conditions will impact the preferential habitat of the current location. The analysis classifies D. imbricatus as an endangered (EN) species in Bali. The model does not consider anthropogenic factors which change the land use/land cover. Therefore, more severe conservation efforts in Bali are needed for …

Effects Of Habitat Management On Rodent Diversity, Abundance, And Virus Infection Dynamics, Nathaniel Mull, Amy Schexnayder, Abigail Stolt, Tarja Sironen, Kristian M. Forbes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

As anthropogenic factors continue to degrade natural areas, habitat management is needed to restore and maintain biodiversity. However, the impacts of different habitat management regimes on ecosystems have largely focused on vegetation analyses, with limited evaluation of downstream effects on wildlife. We compared the effects of grassland management regimes (prescribed burning, cutting/haying, or no active management) on rodent communities and the viruses they hosted. Rodents were trapped in 13 existing grassland sites in Northwest Arkansas, USA during 2020 and 2021. Rodent blood samples were screened for antibodies against three common rodent-borne virus groups: orthohantaviruses, arenaviruses, and orthopoxviruses. We captured 616 …

Smokejumper Magazine, April 2023, National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper and Static Line Magazines

This issue of the National Smokejumper Association (NSA) Static Line, contains the following articles: Message from the President; 1958: The Best Summer Ever Part 2: Tanoak and the Old Glory Fire; Defending the Tribe; Landowners File Suits Against USFS—Chetco Bar Fire Oregon; Recollections of My Rookie Year; Cinnamon Marked the Time; History Preservation..............................................17 Too Steep/Too Roughy—A New Book....................19 Odds and Ends; Input from Jumper Who Lives Outside the City; Moose Creek 1959 "Let's Not Forget; Save Our National Forests with Shaded Fuel Breaks; Touching All Bases; The Rescue Jump for "Animal" Ed Weissenback; Catastrophic Fire Awareness, Prevention, Response, Suppression and …

Be-03 Effects Of Dietary Iron On Taxonomic Composition And Function Of The Zebrafish Gut Microbiome, Megan D. Whisonant, Jeremiah L. Jackson, Sam L. Evans, Stuart Gordon Ph.D.

SC Upstate Research Symposium

A healthy gut microbiota is essential to promote host health and well-being, therefore, effects of dietary components on the gut microbiome are important to investigate as the gastrointestinal tract can be a major route of infection. Iron—an essential component of heme and iron-sulfur proteins—plays a central role in many biological activities, including oxygen transport and cellular respiration.

In particular, the iron homeostasis system is one of the best characterized due to iron's causative relationship with iron-deficiency anemia. Dietary iron supplementation is a commonly used treatment for iron deficiency anemia; however, the known direct impacts of iron on the gut microbiome …

Mc-01 Identification Of Genes In Blastocoel Fluid Associated With Successful Ivf Outcomes Of Women Of Advanced Maternal Age, Hannah C. Archer, Thao Nguyen, Carson Collins, Kayla Vaillant, Molly Riehs, Sarayu Bethi, Renee J. Chosed

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Introduction: A patient may seek the use of IVF technology when they are struggling to become pregnant. To improve IVF outcomes, much research is focused on identifying markers to allow embryologists to transfer embryos with the greatest chance of a successful pregnancy. Women of advanced maternal age, which is thirty-five years and older have a lower chance of success on a first attempt with IVF, women at the age of 40 have a 9% chance of a live birth with IVF. Therefore, identification of an additional biomarker during preimplantation embryo development that is associated with successful implantation in AMA patients, …

Mc-02 Increased Wound Healing In P-Glycoprotein Deficient Intestinal Cells, Madison T. Mcneill, Scott Tanner

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease of unknown cause and includes conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. With no cure and only palliative therapies available, many patients with these conditions struggle with diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other chronic symptoms. This study is interested in investigating the multidrug resistance gene (MDR) which encodes the small molecule pump P-glycoprotein (P-gp).

This gene is responsible for regulating drug absorption and accumulation in various parts of the body such as the intestines which is of particular interest to this study. Polymorphisms of the MDR1 gene (encoding p-glycoprotein) have consequently been …

Up-03 Identifying The Determinants Of Pediatric Vaccine Uptake During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Colleen Phan, Brandon Mercardo, Justin Travis Ph.D., Ginny Webb Ph.D.

SC Upstate Research Symposium

COVID-19 has caused over a million deaths in the United States. Preventative measures such as masks, social distancing, and vaccination have been implemented to fight against the disease. Unfortunately, a large subset of Americans opposed these efforts.

SC DHEC reports that as of January 2023, only 53.9 % of eligible South Carolinians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Previous studies have shown vaccine hesitancy is influenced largely by personal concerns about vaccine development, peer vaccination status, and general skepticism of immunization.

Hesitancy towards pediatric vaccination is particularly concerning because unvaccinated children can act as vessels to exponentially accelerate COVID-19 transmission. …

A Comparison Of Continuous And Interval Exercise On Cognition In Young Adults, Emily C. Tagesen, Lawrence W. Judge, David M. Bellar

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(5): 458-468, 2023. Exercise stimulates the production and secretion of testosterone, cortisol, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and affects cognitive performance. However, the interaction of these variables is unknown. To investigate these interactions, 21 college-aged men completed two work-matched exercise protocols: continuous (CONT) exercise and an interval protocol (INT). Blood and saliva samples were collected before and after exercise to quantify BDNF, cortisol, and testosterone. Participants completed a battery of cognitive assessments after exercise. A MANOVA analysis of condition demonstrated that no domains were significantly different after CONT and INT (p > 0.05). A repeated …

Blood Flow Restriction Attenuates Muscle Damage In Resistance Exercise Performed Until Concentric Muscle Failure., Victor Magalhães Curty, Paulo Vinicios Camuzi Zovico, Rafael Barrera Salgueiro, Leonardo Carvalho Caldas, Richard Diego Leite, Nuno Manuel Frade Souza, Lucas Guimaraes-Ferreira, Valério Garrone Barauna

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(2): 469-481, 2023. The present study aimed to evaluate whether blood flow restriction (BFR) can prevent exercise-induced muscle damage in resistance exercise (RE) performed until concentric muscle failure (CMF). Twenty healthy volunteers (25 ± 4 years, 80.4 ± 11.8 kg, 175 ± 8 cm) performed three sets of unilateral biceps curl exercise (40% of 1RM) with (RE + BFR) and without (RE) BFR until CMF. A third condition was to perform the same number of repetitions as RE + BFR without using BFR (matched). Performing fewer repetitions, RE + BFR caused muscle fatigue post-exercise as …

Foliar Expression Of Candidate Genes Involved In Condensed Tannin Biosynthesis In White Clover (Trifolium Repens), Stephen N. Panter, J. Simmonds, A. Winkworth, A. Mouradov, G. C. Spangenberg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Bloat disease in cattle and sheep is caused by the rapid microbial degradation of protein-rich fodder in the rumen. This leads to the production of protein foams that trap gases, causing bloat, a condition that is often fatal to livestock and costly to farmers. Condensed tannins (CTs) are phenolic polymers produced by the phenylpropanoid pathway of plants (Figure 1). CTs bind to proteins under acidic to neutral conditions, such as those present in the rumen, slowing their breakdown. A diet with a CT content of between 2% and 4% by dry weight, which is provided by some pasture legumes (e.g. …

Discovery, Isolation And Characterisation Of Promoters In White Clover (Trifolium Repens), C. M. Labandera, Y. H. Lin, E. Ludlow, M. Emmerling, U. John, P. W. Sale, C. Pallaghy, G. C. Spangenberg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The availability of a suite of promoters with a range of spatial, temporal and inducible expression patterns is of significant importance to control targeted expression of genes for molecular breeding in forage species. A range of resources and tools have been developed for promoter isolation and characterisation in white clover (Trifolium repens L.), including a comprehensive BAC library and a 15K unigene microarray.

Novel Genotypes Of The Subtropical Grass Eragrostis Curvula For The Analysis Of Apomixis (Diplospory), S. Cardone, P. Polci, J. P. Selva, M. Mecchia, S. C. Pessino, P. Voigt, G. C. Spangenberg, V. Echenique

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees is a variable grass native to Southern Africa. Its several forms, known as lovegrasses, were introduced to Australia, USA and Argentina as forage perennial grasses. Apomixis is a common trait in the genus Eragrostis, with diplospory being the most frequent type. Sexual reproduction also occurs in Eragrostis, although not frequently. Since most tetraploid Eragrostis lines are apomictic, the generation of a sexual tetraploid strain is a requirement for linkage analysis of the gene(s) governing the apomictic character. Furthermore, isogenic lines of the same ploidy, reproducing alternatively by sexuality or apomixes, represent an ideal system …

Isolation And Characterisation Of Genes Encoding Malate Synthesis And Transport Determinants In The Aluminum-Tolerant Australian Weeping-Grass (Microlaena Stipoides), R. M. Polotnianka, E. Ribarev, L. Mackin, K. A. Sivakumaran, G. D. Nugent, U. P. John, G. C. Spangenberg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Acid soils cover some 40% of the Earth’s arable land where they represent a major limitation to plant production. Plant growth on acid soils is primarily limited due to aluminium (Al) solubilized by acidity into toxic Al³⁺ cations which will inhibit root growth resulting in poor uptake of water and nutrients. Many important pasture species lack sufficient Al tolerance within their germplasm to allow effective breeding for this character.

Development And Use Of A Tool For Automated Alignments Of Genes In The Rice Bac's Genbank Card Against Other Species, P. Barre, G. Darrieutort, J. Auzanneau, B. Julier

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In many cases, the analysis of the genetic bases of any trait requires molecular markers and if possible co-dominant PCR-based ones. In perennial fodder species, the number of publicly available markers (microsatellites and Sequence Tagged Site (STS)) is limited. Our goal is to use sequences from model grass species, i.e. rice, wheat, maize, barley, in L. perenne in order to develop STS markers in interesting regions such as under a QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) or around a candidate gene,. As the genome sequence of rice is now available, the objective was to use the sequences of genes included in the …

Application Of Molecular Markers Derived From Medicago Truncatula In White Clover (Trifolium Repens L.), C. Jones, M. T. Abberton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

White clover is the major forage legume of temperate areas. Genome maps have been produced recently (Jones et al., 2003; Barrett et al., 2004) and the location of QTL for important agricultural traits reported (Abberton et al., 2004). White clover is closely related to the model legume Medicago truncatula and there is likely to be considerable benefit in applying genomic resources from model to crop. However, the extent of synteny between the species must be established. Here we present preliminary results detailing progress towards this goal.

Screening Of Perennial Grasses And A Mutant Maize Collection By Fourier-Transformed Infrared (Ftir) Spectroscopy For Improved Biofuel Traits, S. C. Thain, P. Morris, S. Hawkins, C. Morris, I. S. Donnison

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Currently the potential of biomass crops, including grasses, is limited because most species have not been bred for this purpose. However traits such as lignification, phenolic cross-linking and carbohydrate accessibility, which are also important for nutritive quality in forage grasses, can affect potential biofuel quality in applications such as combustion, fast-pyrolysis or fermentation. A collection of Lolium and Festuca species known to exhibit a range of lignin, cell wall phenolic and carbohydrate concentrations have been used to test optimum characteristics for biofuel processing. This collection formed a “calibration” set for subsequent high through-put FTIR chemical screening of additional plant lines: …

A Proposal For An International Transcriptome Initiative For Forage And Turf: Microarray Tools For Expression Profiling In Ryegrass, Clover And Grass Endophytes, T. Webster, N. Nguyen, C. Rhodes, S. A. Felitti, R. Chapman, D. Edwards, G. C. Spangenberg

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Knowledge of the expression pattern of genes provides a valuable insight into gene function and role in determining the observed heritable phenotype. High–density cDNA and oligonucleotide microarrays represent powerful tools for transcriptome analysis to gain an understanding of gene expression patterns for thousands of genes. Internationally coordinated efforts in transcriptome analyses and sharing of microarray resources will benefit the advancement of our understanding of gene function in forage and turf species.

Effects Of Various Dietary Carbohydrate Sources On The Growth Performance And Body Composition Of The Dog Conch, Laevistrombus Canarium, Jen-Hong Chu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study investigates the effects of dietary supplementation with various carbohydrate sources on the growth and dietary nutrient utilization efficiency of a 0.72-g dog conch, Laevistrombus canarium. Five treatment diets had supplementation with alpha-starch (Sta), dextrin (Dex), pullulan gum (Pg), xanthan gum (Xg), and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). At the end of the feeding trial, the best growth performance (weight gain, 442.23%) and diet efficiency (protein efficiency ratio, 1.25, and feed conversion ratio [FCR], 2.04) were exhibited by the dog conch fed the Sta diet, whereas the lowest growth performance was observed in the dog conch fed the Xg and CMC …

Cost Advantages Of Far East/Europe Trunk Route Deployment With Port Selection In East Asia, Tai Hui-Huang, Chang Chin-Wei

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

To cater to the gradually increasing sizes of ships, several traditional container ports in East Asia built deep-water wharves to attract shipping carriers to berth, a decision that is considered highly reasonable because it allows for shipping carriers to gain a cost advantage. For traditional Far East/Europe (F/E) trunk routes, shipping carriers must deploy vessels that are large enough at hub ports to maintain low transshipment costs. However, for a port to attract shipping carriers, it should be able to first meet the cargo demand of these carriers. The port would also need to improve the loading ratio to enjoy …

Influence Of Vacuum Condition On Rapid Chloride Migration (Rcm) Test For Chloride Penetration Resistance Of Concrete, Chih-Yen Lin, Chun-Fu Chang, Chung-Chia Yang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

NT Build 492 regulates that the pressure be set at 7.5–37.5 torr and be maintained for 3 h for vacuum processing. This large range of acceptable vacuum pressure is awkward for research, and 3 h of pump-down time may be excessive. In this study, vacuum conditions were divided into vacuum pressure and pump-down time groups: various vacuum pressures and pump-down times were used to preprocess specimens to explore the effect of vacuum conditions on the RCM test. The salt ponding test was also conducted to identify the optimal vacuum conditions. It is shown that the relationship between vacuum pressure and …

Exhaust Noise Elimination Using Silencers Fortified With Perforated Tubes, Extended Tubes, Penetrable Resin Inlet And Orifice Plate, Min-Chie Chiu, Ho-Chih Cheng

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Pneumatic equipment in marine diesel engine and associated piping system often emit extremely high level of noises when releasing pressure. Concerning the crew’s hearing health, discovering an efficient noise silencing device becomes essential. A silencer fortified with extended tubes, perforated tubes, orifice plate, and penetrable resin inlet is presented in order to competently dampen the blown-up noises. A simplified objective function by means of FEM, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), and a Genetic Algorithm (GA) is established to enable the numerical calculation when using a finite element method. Three silencer designs, silencer A (with element A, a penetrable resin inlet), B …

Deep Learning–Based, Oceantdlx Sea Ice Detection Model For Sar Image, Liu Lin, Li Wanwu, Li Hang, Sun Yi

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study constructs four deep-learning OceanTDLx series models and uses a WinR-AdaGrad gradient descent algorithm to train and optimize the constructed models. Through an analysis of the loss, accuracy, and time consumption of the four models (i.e., OceanTDL2, OceanTDL3, OceanTDL5 and OceanTDL8), we reveal that the models’ performance does not improve when the number of layers is increased and that OceanTDL5 provides the optimal performance. OceanTDL5 is compared with OceanTDA9 (a model that we previously constructed), and the curves for training loss_batch and training accuracy_batch indicate that OceanTDL5 is more suitable than OceanTDA9 for detecting distributed targets, particularly semi-melted sea …

Application Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle–Based Infrared Images In Determining Characteristics Of Sea Surface Temperature Distribution, Hsing-Yu Wang, Hui-Ming Fang, Yun-Chih Chiang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study investigated the temperature field of a body of water by using rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual) comprising visible light and infrared cameras to determine sea temperature distribution. With a flight height of 150 m, image overlap of 80%, and image resolution of 4.75 cm/pixel, the proposed method was more effective than the conventional portable conductivity–temperature–depth device in rapidly measuring sea surface temperature and determining sea temperature distribution. The discharged heated water of the Hoping Power Plant traveled 100–330 m from the wastewater outfall and then gradually diffused in the range of 100–490 m before …

Exploration Of C9or72c9-500 Sk2, Sk3 Channel Expression, Teresa L. Garrett

Festival of Research

ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) is a neurodegenerative disease that weakens muscles and impacts physical function. The C9 Gene is responsible for creating proteins that help neurons send and receive signals across the synapse. Small Conductance calcium activated potassium channels (SK channels) affect the hyperpolarization phase of an action potential. Hypothesis: SK2 and SK3 clusters of C9 positive cells should decrease in size and intensity when exposed to a disease state compared to C9 negative controls.

Pamam- Cyclodextrin Conjugate Upregulates Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor In Arpe-19 Cells, Gopika Ashokan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major contributor to death and disability due to motorvehicle accidents, sports, physical abuse, and battlefield injuries. The primary insult to the brain leads to inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and oxidative stress in the brain as well as in the eye. This leads to loss of Retinal Ganglion Cells (RGCs) and downregulation of Brain derived Neurotopic Factor (BDNF). BDNF is a neurotrophic factor that binds to Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase B (TrkB) receptor to promote cell growth, survival, and differentiation. Current treatment strategies do not promote neuronal regeneration. Therefore, novel treatments are needed to restore vision …

Establishment Of Wildflower Islands To Enhance Roadside Health, Ecological Value, And Aesthetics Phase Ii, Jackson Ebbers, Heidi L. Hillhouse, John A. Guretsky, Thomas J. Weissling

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Acoustic Telemetry Provides Insights For Improving Conservation And Management At A Spawning Aggregation Site Of The Endangered Nassau Grouper (Epinephelus Striatus), Richard S. Nemeth, Elizabeth Kadison, Jonathan Jossart, Mahmood Shivji, Bradley Wetherbee, Jordan Matley

Biology Faculty Articles

Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus, Serranidae) were one of the most important fishery species in the Caribbean, but are now listed as critically endangered. Population collapse in most places occurred primarily by fishers targeting their spawning aggregation sites, where thousands of fish gathered during full moon periods from December to April. Identifying management options for protecting this vulnerable period is crucial for their survival. In the US Virgin Islands, we tagged 24 Nassau grouper with acoustic transmitters at a fish spawning aggregation (FSA) site called the Grammanik Bank, a 1.5 km2, marine protected area (MPA) closed each year from …

Effect Of Uv-C Light Against Listeria Monocytogenes On Hydroponically Grown Lettuce And Its Effect On Quality, Ivannova Lituma

LSU Master's Theses

Controlled agriculture environments like hydroponic systems are a growing industry. However, studies have shown potential of microbial growth in hydroponic systems, highlighting the need for decontamination techniques to prevent the risk of foodborne diseases. This study evaluated the effect of UV-C light against Listeria monocytogenes on hydroponically grown lettuce and seeds. Lettuce leaves were spot inoculated (100μL) with Listeria monocytogenes cocktail and exposed to UV-C light (0.28mW/cm2) for 10 to 50 seconds in 10-second increments and 1 to 5 minutes in 1- minute increments. UV treated leaves were stored at 4C° and visually inspected for 5 days. Additionally, the smooth …

Small Molecule Compounds, Active Ingredients Of Tcm, As Novel Therapeutics For Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Anish Maskey

NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations

Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), a chronic inflammatory condition of the esophagus, characterized by esophageal dysfunction and eosinophilic inflammation. Current treatments for EoE include dietary elimination and swallowed steroids. Recently, Dupixent was approved for the treatment of EoE, but it has side effects such as eye inflammation and eczema. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice has been used to improve GI symptoms in EoE patients. Two key active ingredients of a TCM formula, 7,4’-Dihydroxyflavone (DHF) and Berberine (BBR), have shown remarkable results in treating EoE.

To understand the role of two active ingredients in EoE, different experimental models were used. First, a computational …

Thermal Inactivation Of Salmonella, Escherichia Coli, And Enterococcus Faecium Nrrl B-2354 In Pasta Matrices, Kristi Shannon Gowans

Theses and Dissertations

Limited data are currently available characterizing the thermal resistance of foodborne pathogens in semolina flour and intermediate pasta matrices representative of commercial conditions during mixing, extrusion, and drying. These data are essential to pasta producers seeking to be compliant with federal regulations since Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli demonstrate survival in wheat flour and dried pasta products. This study investigated the heat resistance of Salmonella, pathogenic E. coli, and E. faecium NRRL B-2354 in raw semolina flour and partially dried pasta intermediates via thermal death time (TDT) studies. This study also assessed the appropriateness of E. faecium NRRL B-2354 as …