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Human–Wildlife Interactions

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A Critical Look At Wild Pig Elimination: Myths And Facts, Kim M. Pepin, Travis L. Guerrant, Jeremiah L. Psiropoulos, Jeanine T. Neskey, John M. Tomeček, Michael J. Bodenchuk, Janean L. Romines

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are abundant and widely distributed in the United States. They damage crops and pastures, predate livestock and sensitive species, impact ecosystem functions, and damage personal property. To address these issues, some states in the United States are seeking complete elimination. A frequently asked question by stakeholders is: “What portion of the population needs to be removed annually to reach elimination?” The number 70% is widely touted as the answer. There is little scientific evidence to support that this percent annual removal would be needed to achieve elimination, yet 70% has now become a standard …

The Importance Of Highlighting Wildlife Conservation Success In Urban Areas, Jonathon D. Cepek

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife professionals in urban areas face many challenges balancing wildlife conservation and managing human–wildlife conflicts. The urban public is often more influenced by news and social media of wildlife than they are by firsthand experiences. The information they hear is typically about high-density urban species in conflict situations. Therefore, it is important to find ways to engage the public through these outlets about wildlife conservation. Recently, Cleveland Metroparks (Ohio, USA) highlighted the return of extirpated wildlife species through news and social media. This offered opportunities to capture media and public attention and share information about wildlife conservation, the value of …

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Human–Wildlife Interactions

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Evaluating How Acidic Solutions Affect The Microhardness Of Bioceramic Sealers, Colton Fischer

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: With growing use of bioceramic sealers (BCS) in root canal therapy, there have been challenges when retreating BCS cases. Weak acids may be effective in removing BCS and their efficacy as a solvent can be measured by their influence on the microhardness of BCS. Microhardness can be used as an indirect measurement of material hardness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the microhardness of BCS when placed in contact with various acidic solutions to assess their potential use as a solvent for retreatment procedures.

Methods: EndoSequence BC Sealer (Brasseler USA) was injected into four 10 × 3mm …

Dune Building Dynamics Impact Cross-Island Connectivity And Barrier Island Characteristics, Alexander Sabo

Theses and Dissertations

Located at the land-sea interface, barrier islands are important protective features that reduce wave energy and erosion from mainland areas. Further, barrier islands provide habitat for many different organisms and serve as popular areas for recreation and tourism. As sandy landforms, barrier islands are easily disturbed, but often recover after disturbance as a result of island plant communities, specifically dune building grasses. Disturbance on barrier islands is driven by storms, tides, and overwash events. After disturbance has occurred, dune grasses colonize the dunes allowing for dune building and habitat restoration. On the Virginia barrier islands, there are three dominant dune …

The Type Iv Pilus Secretin Bfpb: Structural Analysis And Binding Interactions, Janay I. Little

Theses and Dissertations

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) causes severe diarrhea in young children. The type IV pilus (T4P) of EPEC, known as the bundle-forming pilus (BFP), plays an important role in EPEC pathogenesis. T4Ps are a family of surface appendages that are important for adhesion, colonization, biofilm formation, virulence, twitching motility and many other functions. One essential component of the BFP system is the secretin, BfpB. Secretins are a large family of integral outer membrane proteins found in T4Ps as well as type II and type III secretion systems, and filamentous phages. Details of the secretin structure have been limited to the overall …

Quantifying Insect Emergence In Tidal Freshwaters And The Importance Of Aquatic Prey In Wetland-Dependent Songbird Diet, Samantha L. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Insectivorous birds and their arthropod prey are experiencing widespread population declines, driven largely by anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. For wetland-dependent insectivores that consume a mixture of terrestrial and aquatic insects, understanding the availability, consumption, and nutritional qualities of aquatic diet subsidies is important for conservation. I use prothonotary warblers (Protonotaria citrea) as a model species throughout this work, because their breeding season aligns with aquatic insect emergence and they include aquatic insects when provisioning nestlings. In the first chapter, I estimate aquatic insect emergence from tidal freshwaters, which are understudied compared to nontidal systems. Using continuous field …

Modulation Of Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression By Stimulants And Their Associated Monoaminergic Receptor Mechanisms In Mice Using Whole Body Plethysmography, Harrison J. Elder

Theses and Dissertations

Opioid overdose and associated deaths involving opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) began to accelerate beginning in 2015 with the emergence of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and its analogs and currently represents one of the most significant public health challenges in the United States. The increases in overdose deaths have occurred despite the increased availability of the opioid overdose reversal agent, naloxone, to first responders and the public. This new phase of the opioid epidemic has been paralleled by substantial growth in the co-use of opioids with stimulants, particularly methamphetamine. The objective of this dissertation is to ascertain whether fentanyl is particularly resistant …

The Hepatic Immunological Pattern Shaped By Dominant-Subdominant Cellular Interactions Creates A Collective Function Beyond The Function Of Each Cellular Constituent To Orchestrate Progression Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Nicholas J. Koelsch

Theses and Dissertations

Abundance of data on the role of inflammatory immune responses in the progression or inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has failed to offer a curative immunotherapy for HCC. This is largely because of taking reductionist approaches and missing the collective function of the hepatic immune system by focusing on specific immune cell types. To this end, we propose that focusing on the dominant-subdominant patterns of the immune cells would allow understanding of the mechanism by which a collective immune function emerges. To identify the collective immune function through a systems immunology perspective, we performed high-throughput analysis of snRNAseq data collected …

Exploring The Relationship Between The Epigenome And Metabolism In Mycn-Amplified Neuroblastoma, Krista M. Dalton

Theses and Dissertations

High risk neuroblastoma (NB) is responsible for nearly 15% of all cancer related deaths in the pediatric population. The transcription factor MYCN is the most studied oncogene in NB, automatically conferring high-risk and has been found to be difficult to target. One way that MYCN amplification in NB functions to support tumorigenicity is through altered metabolism, satisfying the demand for rapid proliferation by increasing the nutrient flux through biosynthetic pathways. We performed an unbiased screen on select metabolic targeted therapy combinations and correlated sensitivity with over 20 subsets of cancer. We found that MYCN-amplified NB is hypersensitive to the …

Kpt-330 Synergizes With Everolimus To Reduce Mtorc1-Overactive Basal-Like Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis Burden, Aaron D. Valentine

Theses and Dissertations

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a highly metastatic breast cancer subtype, accounts for approximately 20% of all breast cancer diagnoses. Basal-like TNBC is notably difficult to treat due to the lack of actionable drug targets such as estrogen and progesterone receptors, as well as HER2. Due to the deficiency in TNBC-targeting drugs that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for breast-to-brain metastasis, there is a need to develop novel BBB-permeable treatments. After preliminary testing, KPT-330 (XPO1 inhibitor) and everolimus (FKBP1A/mTOR inhibitor) were selected as drug candidates for this study. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models for in vitro and in vivo …

Studying Gene Function In Streptococcus Sanguinis Using Rna-Sequencing Analysis, Ahmed Ismail

Theses and Dissertations

The oral cavity hosts hundreds of bacterial species, amongst them are the Streptococci family. More specifically, S. sanguinis is a benign bacteria in the oral cavity to protect the tooth surface from S. mutans. which is a pathogen causing dental caries. While S. sanguinis is harmless in the oral cavity, it becomes pathogenic once entering the bloodstream and causing Infective Endocarditis (IE). To further study S. sanguinis and eventually develop an effective drug to treat IE caused by S. sanguinis, a gene expression study was conducted. In order to study gene expression, RNA-sequencing was conducted, and appropriate methods to remove …

Evaluation Of Spliceai For Improved Genetic Variant Classification In Inherited Ophthalmic Disease Genes, Melissa Reeves

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

EVALUATION OF SPLICEAI FOR IMPROVED GENETIC VARIANT CLASSIFICATION IN INHERITED OPHTHALMIC DISEASE GENES

By Melissa Jean Reeves, Ph.D.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2023

Major Director: Melissa Jamerson, PhD, MLS(ASCP)

Associate Professor, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences

Inherited ophthalmic diseases impact individuals around the globe. Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are the leading cause of blindness in individuals aged 15 to 45. The personal, social, and economic impact of vision loss is profound. Due to individual differences, symptoms can be variable, and …

Mechanistic Insight Into Traumatic Brain Injury Induced Neuronal Membrane Disruption: Cathepsin B Relocalization And A Neun Negative Cortical Neuron Subpopulation, Martina L. Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a mechanical insult to the head that leads to brain damage and, in turn, causes long-term sensory, motor, cognitive, and affective dysfunction. Diffuse pathologies seen following such injury are associated with these life-altering outcomes that impact the daily lives of TBI survivors. The diffuse pathology that this body of work focuses on is neuronal membrane disruption; it is characterized by increased permeability of the neuron’s plasma membrane. Moreover, our lab had previously found that membrane disruption is exacerbated with intracranial pressure (ICP) elevation. We set out to measure the duration of membrane disruption following injury …

Characterizing 3-O-Sulfation-Induced Novel Compact Topologies In Heparan Sulfate And Their Interactions With Proteins, Samuel Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

Heparan sulfate (HS) is highly-charged, linear polysaccharide that interacts with numerous proteins in humans as consituents of proteoglycans. The action of sulfotransferase enzymes during the biosynthesis of HS can generate a combinatorially massive library of differentially sulfated sequences. Furthermore, the number and position of these sulfate groups are key to their biological activity, modulating their selectivities for certain proteins at the cell surface or ECM. The installation of a sulfate on the C3 hydroxyl of a glucosamine residue in HS represents the rarest of the sulfations, despite the HS 3-O-sulfotransferase (3OST) family being the most diverse of the other sulfotransferases. …

Mitigation Of Nicotine Reward And Withdrawal By The N-Acyl Amino Acids: N-Oleoyl Glycine And N-Oleoyl Alanine, Kimberly Karin

Theses and Dissertations

A growing body of research is exploring the efficacy of N-acyl amino acids (N-oleoyl glycine; OlGly and N-oleoyl alanine; OlAla) in rodent models of drug reward and dependence. In particular, OlGly attenuated the reinforcing effects of nicotine in the mouse nicotine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm and reduced somatic and affective signs of mecamylamine-precipitated withdrawal in nicotine-dependent mice. Based on the addition of a methyl group on the head group, OlAla was proposed to have increased metabolic stability compared to OlGly. While OlAla has been assessed in assays of reward and withdrawal of opioids, cocaine, and …

Quantitative And Molecular Genetic Analyses Of Brain Structure, Substance Use, And Posttraumatic Stress Phenotypes: Data From Children, Adolescents And Adults, Daniel Bustamante

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

QUANTITATIVE AND MOLECULAR GENETIC ANALYSES OF BRAIN-IMAGING, SUBSTANCE USE, AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS PHENOTYPES: DATA FROM CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS

By Daniel Bustamante, B.S., B.A.

Doctoral dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Integrative Life Sciences – Behavioral and Statistical Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2023.

Dissertation directors: Michael C. Neale, Ph.D., Banks Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry & Human and Molecular Genetics; and, Ananda B. Amstadter, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Human and Molecular Genetics.

Substance use (SU) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) phenotypes are comorbid, share …

Treponema Denticola Synthesizes C-Di-Amp And Encodes The Cdaa-Type Diadenylate Cyclase Cdaa, Claire R. O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is a form of oral disease characterized by dysbiosis of the oral microbiome, leading to inflammation, bone resorption, and in severe cases, entire tooth loss, affecting 42% of adults in the US. One of the bacteria most associated with periodontal disease progression is Treponema denticola (Td), an oral spirochete which inhabits the mouth in small quantities during health but which can dominate the biofilms that form during periodontal disease. The ability of Td to survive in a disease environment and contribute to the progression of disease requires the use of robust signaling networks. Analysis of Td cultures …

Tgif1 Physiological Levels Limit Β-Cell Distress And Neonatal Diabetes, Creighton J. Friend

Theses and Dissertations

TGIF1 belongs to the superfamily of homeodomain proteins, which regulate a wide variety of biological functions, including cell stemness and specification of cell fate during early development. Perhaps surprisingly, we found that enforced expression in pancreatic progenitor cells during embryogenesis resulted in severe diabetes, hinting at the possibility that TGIF1 might regulate pancreas development. Subsequent genetic experiments targeting β-cells showed that TGIF1 affected β-cell function and homeostasis. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that TGIF1 expression inhibits the expression of essential components of UPR signaling, underscoring a potential mechanism in which TGIF1 disrupts protein folding and secretion. Congruently, TGIF1 expression led to a …

Cryogenic X-Ray Crystallographic Studies Of Biomacromolecules At Turkish Light Source "Turkish Delight", Necati̇ Atalay, Enver Kami̇l Akcan, Mehmet Gül, Esra Ayan, Ebru Destan, Fatma Betül Ertem Kuzucu, Nuretti̇n Tokay, Bariş Çakilkaya, Zeli̇ş Nergi̇z, Gözde Karakadioğlu Usta, Abdullah Kepceoğlu, İlki̇n Yapici, Bi̇lge Tosun, Ni̇lüfer Baldir, Günseli̇ Yildirim, J Austin Johnson, Ömür Güven, Alaleh Shafiei, Nazli Eylül Arslan, Merve Yilmaz, Cahi̇ne Kulakman, Seyi̇de Seda Paydos, Seynep Sena Çi̇nal, Kardelen Şabanoğlu, Ayşegül Pazarçevi̇ren, Ayşenur Yilmaz, Başak Canbay, Bengi̇su Aşçi, Esra Kartal, Serra Tavli, Mehmet Çaliseki̇, Günce Göç, Ari̇f Mermer, Gamze Yeşi̇lay, Sevde Altuntaş, Hiroshi Tateishi, Masami Otsuka, Mikako Fujita, Şaban Teki̇n, Hali̇li̇brahi̇m Çi̇ftçi̇, Serdar Durdaği, Gi̇zem Di̇nler Doğanay, Ezgi̇ Karaca, Burcu Kaplan Türköz, Burak Veli̇ Kabasakal, Ahmet Kati, Hasan Demi̇rci̇

Turkish Journal of Biology

X-ray crystallography is a robust and powerful structural biology technique that provides high-resolution atomic structures of biomacromolecules. Scientists use this technique to unravel mechanistic and structural details of biological macromolecules (e.g., proteins, nucleic acids, protein complexes, protein-nucleic acid complexes, or large biological compartments). Since its inception, single-crystal cryocrystallography has never been performed in Türkiye due to the lack of a single-crystal X-ray diffractometer. The X-ray diffraction facility recently established at the University of Health Sciences, İstanbul, Türkiye will enable Turkish and international researchers to easily perform high-resolution structural analysis of biomacromolecules from single crystals. Here, we describe the technical and …

Sdf-1 Induces Directional Chemotaxis Of Endogenous Bmscs At The Intervertebral Fusion Site And Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation By Regulating Wnt/Ss-Catenin In The Bone Marrow Chimera Spinal Intervertebral Fusion Mouse Model, Qiwen Zhang, Ning Liang, Bin He, Siyou Wu, Depeng Wen, Xiaoyong Tang, Xiongcheng Shen

Turkish Journal of Biology

Clinical observations show that the current spinal fusion with internal fixation has a nonfusion rate of 5%-35%; however, methods to promote spinal fusion are limited. This study aimed to investigate the role of SDF-1-induced directional chemotaxis of BMSCs in bone marrow chimera spinal intervertebral fusion mouse model. BMSCs were isolated from bone marrow and identified by detecting CD44/CD34 positive cells. BMSCs (GFP-BMSCs) were labeled with GFP for tracking in vivo. Mice were inoculated with GFP-BMSCs to construct bone marrow chimera spinal intervertebral fusion model, which were divided into BM-SIF model, BM-SIF+SDF-1, BM-SIF+SDF-1-Anta group. The callus area of intervertebral fusion site …

The Protective Impact Of Growth Hormone Against Rotenone-Induced Apoptotic Cell Death Via Acting On Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress And Autophagy Axis, Özge Rencüzoğullari, Selay Tornaci, Yağmur Çeli̇k, Nayat Narot Taş, Pinar Obakan Yerli̇kaya, Eli̇f Damla Arisan, Ajda Çoker Gürkan

Turkish Journal of Biology

Human growth hormone (GH) is crucial modulator of cellular metabolisms, including cell proliferation and organ development, by stimulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which has various functions such as cell proliferation, tissue growth, survival, or neuroprotection. Therefore, GH is implicated as a critical player in the cell and can enhance neurogenesis and provide neuroprotection during the treatment of neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, the neuroprotective role of GH was investigated in rotenone-induced PD models for the first time. Both SH-SY5Y and SK-N-AS neuroblastoma cells were exposed to rotenone to mimic PD pathogenesis as stated in previous …

Rpi-1 (Human Dcdc2) Displays Functional Redundancy With Nephronophthisis 4 In Regulating Cilia Biogenesis In C. Elegans, Oktay İsmai̇l Kaplan

Turkish Journal of Biology

Projecting from most cell surfaces, cilia serve as important hubs for sensory and signaling processes and have been linked to a variety of human disorders, including Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS), Meckel-Gruber Syndrome (MKS), Nephronophthisis (NPHP), and Joubert Syndrome, and these diseases are collectively known as a ciliopathy. DCDC2 is a ciliopathy protein that localizes to cilia; nevertheless, our understanding of the role of DCDC2 in cilia is still limited. We employed C. elegans to investigate the function of C. elegans RPI-1, a Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of human DCDC2, in cilia and found that C. elegans RPI-1 localizes to the entire ciliary …

Astragaloside Iv Improves Renal Function And Alleviates Renal Damage And Inflammation In Rats With Chronic Glomerulonephritis, Dong Zhang, Zongying Li, Yuan Gao, Hailing Sun

Turkish Journal of Biology

From Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge.var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao, astragaloside IV (AS-IV), a saponin can be purified and is considered traditional Chinese medicine. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the AS-IV-mediated mechanism on chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN). A cationic bovine serum albumin-induced CGN rat model was established and 10, 15, or 20 mg/kg of AS-IV was administered to measure renal function and inflammatory infiltration. Influences of AS-IV on proliferation, cell cycle, and inflammation of LPS-induced rat mesangial cells (RMCs) were determined. The results demonstrated that AS-IV alleviated renal dysfunction, renal lesions, and inflammation in CGN rats. AS-IV prolonged the G0-G1 …

A Ph-Responsive Shell-Sheddable Polymeric Nanoparticles As The Photodynamic Drug Carrier: Synthesis, Characterization, And In Vitro Studies, Jing Lu

Turkish Journal of Biology

Shell-sheddable nanoparticles, composed of amphiphilic blockpolymers, have emerged as an attractive vehicle for the site-specific delivery of therapeutic agents. In this study, pH-responsive sheddable copolymers bearing an orthoester linker were synthesized via the ring-opening polymerization between γ-benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride and orthoester-bearing poly (ethylene glycol) macroinitiator (PEG-pH-NH₂). The obtained poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PEG-PBLG) could form stable nanoparticles in aqueous solutions due to the amphiphilic nature of the block copolymers. The PEG-PBLG-based nanoparticle exhibited good stability in physiological conditions (pH 7.4), whereas the nanoparticle was disassembled under acidic conditions (pH 5.0). The nanoparticles could encapsulate a photosensitizer, protophorphyrin IX …

Application Of Scanning Acoustic Microscopy For Evaluation Of Mmp Activation In Multiple Cancer Cell Lines With A Smart Probe, Hasan Ozan Otaş, Nasi̇re Uluç, İrem Demi̇rkan, Ayli̇n Alkan, Açelya Yilmazer, Seda Yaşa Ercan, Davod Khalafkhany, Nesri̇n Özören, Mehmet Burçi̇n Ünlü

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in the evaluation of many cancer types; however, the detection usually presents a challenge. Further assays for a better understanding of the fundamental roles of MMPs in pathophysiology are still needed. We aimed to use an activatable probe in scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) to evaluate acoustically if the probe can aid the visualization of the effects of in vitro MMP activity. Materials and methods: We applied scanning acoustic impedance microscopy to obtain acoustic impedance maps of the cell line models of HT1080, THP-1, and SK-MEL-28 with and without MMPSense 680 probe incubation. …

Functional Enhancement Of Acute Infracted Heart By Coinjection Of Autologous Adipose-Derived Stem Cells With Matrigel, Baozhu Wang, Mengmeng Wang, Yan Li, Meihua Shao, Dan Zhan, Shiqi Yan, Xiang Ma, Yitong Ma

Turkish Journal of Biology

Recent clinical developments in tissue bioengineering have applications in acute cardiac ischemia and infarction and include the use of stem cells that combine injectable scaffold material. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) that combine the Matrigel scaffold on cardiac morphology/functions. The autologous ADSCs myocardial infarction (MI) model was induced by the permanent ligation method of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). MI-operated rats were randomly divided into PBS group, Matrigel group, PBS plus ADSCs group (PBS+ADSCs), and Matrigel plus ADSCs group (Matrigel+ADSCs). Matrigel was used as an injectable scaffold. Rats with a 1-week-old …

Tsrna-15797-Modified Bmsc-Derived Exosomes Mediate Lfng To Induce Angiogenesis In Osteonecrosis Of The Femoral Head, Shanhong Fang, Mengqiang You, Jie Wei, Peng Chen

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is an ischemic disease characterized by the impairment of angiogenesis. We have previously elucidated the role of tsRNAs and BMSC exosomes in ONFH, but whether tsRNA-modified BMSC exosomes promote angiogenesis in ONFH remains unclear. Methods: The expression of angiogenesis-related tsRNA in plasma exosomes from ONFH patients was examined by q-PCR. The function of tsRNA in HUVECs was identified by CCK-8 and angiogenesis assay. Exosomes purified from tsRNA-15797 overexpressed BMSCs were cocultured with HUVECs to examine their role in angiogenesis. The molecule mechanism of tsRNA-15797-modified exosomes was explored by RNA sequencing, dual-luciferase assay, and …