Life Sciences Commons^™

Engineering And Characterizing Proteins: A Dual Study On Canine P53 Protein And Cyan Thermal Protein, Dhruv B. Sitapara

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This research aims to explore protein development and characterization, focusing on a dual study of canine p53 protein and cyan thermal protein. For the canine p53 protein, the goal is to comprehend its structure to better understand a key component of canine cancers. This multi-step process involved expressing the canine p53 DNA-binding domain in E. coli and purifying it through affinity and ion-exchange chromatography. The purified protein was studied to test the binding of canine p53 protein to human DNA sequences using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) experiments and an Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA), visualized with a SYBR-safe stain. The …

Influence Of Cell Cycle On Aim2 Inflammasome Activation, Ashok Kumar Dubey

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

A cell cycle's progression has a significant role in the development of a disease. All the signaling pathways and inflammatory reactions are maintained in a healthy mode if cell cycle checkpoints are precisely regulated and kept in homeostasis. AIM2 inflammasome is a cytoplasmic double-stranded DNA sensor. Upon activation, it elicits an inflammatory reaction with the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and IL-18 and they are cleaved by the proteases, Caspase-1 from their inactive form. Also, the AIM2 inflammasome helps in regulating cell division and inhibits cell proliferation; thus, leading to a cell death called pyroptosis. Here, I examined …

Morphological And Genetic Analysis Of The Root System In Two American Grapevines (Vitis Species), Parinaz Mohtasebi

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The North American grapes species Vitis rupestris Scheele and Vitis riparia Michx have been the pillars of rootstock breeding for many decades. Though a large body of viticultural knowledge has been accumulated on their impact on grafted scions, the genetic basis of their root system architecture (RSA) has received limited scientific attention. In this study, I generated and analyzed adventitious root systems from dormant cuttings of 22 V. riparia and 19 V. rupestris accessions, as well as 162 interspecific F1 hybrid progeny from a cross between V. rupestris (♀) and V. riparia (♂). I photographed the roots and then extracted …

Activity Patterns Of The Critically Endangered Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys Mawii), Cora Dyslin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii) is native to southern Mexico, eastern Guatemala, and Belize and is primarily restricted to watersheds that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Hunting, both for personal consumption and market meat, has been the primary driver of declines, and the species is now classified as critically endangered. Results from past studies that have used netting and visual surveys to detect D. mawii suggest that the species is chiefly nocturnal. However, it is unclear to what extent the perception of nocturnality has been biased by the timing of survey efforts …

Between Choice And Compulsion: An Examination And Critique Of The Evolution Of 'Original Sin', Matthew James Wynn

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

“Why are we the way that we are?” is one of the hardest questions to answer because it requires grasping the origin of human beings. This has left philosophers and theologians in century-long debates on forming a “cosmogony of ontology” (i.e., how the origin of the universe informs the human condition). The concept, “original sin” was developed by a North African theologian named Augustine (354 – 430 CE). Augustine’s reading of Genesis 3, and inaccurate translation of Romans 5:12, taught that a person is born morally culpable for a fault antecedent to their existence. This way of thinking about the …

Attack Of The Clones: Elucidating The Role Of Clonality In The Invasion Success Of Carpobrotus Edulis, Eduardo Luis Cruz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Transcriptomics is a modern technique in genomics that utilizes RNA sequences to get a snapshot of genetic expression. This is a powerful tool in non-model species lacking a reference genome. Thus, the application of comparative transcriptomics has the potential to help us elucidate the evolutionary mechanisms that facilitate species invasion. Carpobrotus edulis is a prolific and widespread invasive succulent plant belonging to the Aizoaceae family. A native to South Africa, this species has become a dominant invader of many Mediterranean coastal areas. In this study, we leveraged the use of RNAseq to investigate evolutionary changes among invasive populations. RNA-seq data …

Thermotrophy Exploratory Study, James Weifu Lee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The question of whether environmental heat energy could be utilized as a source of energy for biological metabolism is the center of this exploratory research. In 1979, this author postulated a hypothesis for the existence of thermotrophs that could isothermally utilize environmental heat energy as a source of their energy on Earth. According to this hypothesis, the thermotrophs could be the first primitive forms of life in the early Earth environment. The chemotrophs and phototrophs that we currently are all well familiar with might have been evolved somehow from the primitive thermotrophs. Furthermore, all the organisms currently regarded as the …

Enhancing Crop Resilience By Harnessing The Synergistic Effects Of Biostimulants Against Abiotic Stress, Anam Asif, Maratab Ali, Muslim Qadir, Rajmohan Karthikeyan, Zora Singh, Ravjit Khangura, Francesco Di Gioia, Zienab F. R. Ahmed

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Plants experience constant exposed to diverse abiotic stresses throughout their growth and development stages. Given the burgeoning world population, abiotic stresses pose significant challenges to food and nutritional security. These stresses are complex and influenced by both genetic networks and environmental factors, often resulting in significant crop losses, which can reach as high as fifty percent. To mitigate the effects of abiotic stresses on crops, various strategies rooted in crop improvement and genomics are being explored. In particular, the utilization of biostimulants, including bio-based compounds derived from plants and beneficial microbes, has garnered considerable attention. Biostimulants offer the potential to …

Sun Exposure And Protective Behaviors Among U.S. Hispanic Farmworkers, Claudia Marie Delgado Cebollero

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sun exposure increases the risk of sun-related illnesses and skin cancer among U.S. Hispanic farmworkers. Reinforced by the health belief model, the purpose of this study was to determine the association between socio-demographic factors (i.e., age, educational attainment, gender, income, and marital status) and skin cancer with the level of sun exposure (sun’s effect on skin, sunburn reported) and protective behaviors (use of cap/visor, use of sunscreen) among adult Hispanic farmworkers in the United States. The study included Hispanic farmworkers aged 21 or older (N = 112) who responded to the 2015 National Health Interview Survey. Ordinal logistic regression showed …

Screening For Obstructive Sleep Apnea In A Sample Of Egyptian Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Female Patients Using The Berlin Questionnaire, Nada Elsaid, Ahmed A.H. Mosa, Ahmed Saied

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one of the risk factors of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The Berlin questionnaire (BQ) is a validated reliable method for identification of increased likelihood of OSA. We aimed to screen a sample of female IIH patients for OSA using the BQ. Methods: This study included 40 females; 20 newly diagnosed IIH patients and 20 healthy control subjects. The BQ was obtained from all of the study participants and it was divided into high or low risk for OSA. Results: The patient and control cohorts were age matched. The BMI was significantly higher in the …

Evaluation Of Cxcl2 And Autophagy Genes Expression In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients And Its Relation To Cardiovascular Diseases, Mona Elhelaly, Dalia Kamal Nassar, Mohammed Kamal Nassar, Khaled Tarek Abdelalim, Samar Tharwat

Mansoura Medical Journal

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is among the most common comorbidity and the leading cause of mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The aim of this study was to assess at the levels of CXCL2 and autophagy genes such LC3 and Beclin 1 in RA patients and how they relate to the clinical manifestations and carotid intimal medial thickness. Methods This cross-sectional study included RA patients. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical and therapeutic data were recorded. Thorough medical and clinical examination was conducted to evaluate the disease status including the number of swollen and tender joints, visual analogue scale and disease activity score …

The Gastrointestinal-Brain-Microbiota Axis: A Promising Therapeutic Target For Ischemic Stroke, Jian-Zhuang Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Ischemic stroke is a highly complex systemic disease characterized by intricate interactions between the brain and gastrointestinal tract. While our current understanding of these interactions primarily stems from experimental models, their relevance to human stroke outcomes is of considerable interest. After stroke, bidirectional communication between the brain and gastrointestinal tract initiates changes in the gastrointestinal microenvironment. These changes involve the activation of gastrointestinal immunity, disruption of the gastrointestinal barrier, and alterations in gastrointestinal microbiota. Importantly, experimental evidence suggests that these alterations facilitate the migration of gastrointestinal immune cells and cytokines across the damaged blood-brain barrier, ultimately infiltrating the ischemic brain. …

Association Of Hearing Loss And Tinnitus Symptoms With Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Long-Term Oropharyngeal Cancer Survivors, Puja Aggarwal, Marc-Elie Nader, Paul W Gidley, Raj Pratihar, Shirin Jivani, Frank E Mott, Christopher Wallace Ogboe, Camille Charles, Clifton D Fuller, Stephen Y Lai, G Brandon Gunn, Erich M Sturgis, Ehab Y Hanna, Katherine A Hutcheson, Sanjay Shete

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the association of hearing loss and tinnitus with overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among long-term oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) survivors.

METHODS: This study included OPC survivors treated between 2000 and 2013 and surveyed from September 2015 to July 2016. Hearing loss and tinnitus were measured by asking survivors to rate their "difficulty with hearing loss and/or ringing in the ears" from 0 (not present) to 10 (as bad as you can imagine). Hearing loss and tinnitus scores were categorized as follows: 0 for none, 1-4 for mild, and 5-10 for moderate to severe. The primary outcome …

Examination Of Intramural Sport Officials’ Training, Development And Performance: A Mixed Methods Study, Daniel Comas

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Sports officials play a significant role in organized sports, yet academic research surrounding their training, development, and performance is minimal. Across the nation, athletes are attempting to safely resume play after the COVID-19 pandemic, and many sports officials have decided that they will not return to their respective fields or courts. More robust training and development within intramural sports programs on college campuses could be the solution to recruiting and retaining sports officials.

This mixed methods study examined intramural sports officials’ training, development, and performance within a collegiate intramural sports department. This study utilized a two-phase explanatory sequential mixed methods …

The Molecular Circadian Clock Of Phox2b-Expressing Cells Drives Daily Variation Of The Hypoxic But Not Hypercapnic Ventilatory Response In Mice, Aaron A. Jones, Gabriella M. Marino, Allison R. Spears, Deanna M. Arble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

While the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) controls 24-h rhythms in breathing, including minute ventilation (V_E), the mechanisms by which the SCN drives these daily changes are not well understood. Moreover, the extent to which the circadian clock regulates hypercapnic and hypoxic ventilatory chemoreflexes is unknown. We hypothesized that the SCN regulates daily breathing and chemoreflex rhythms by synchronizing the molecular circadian clock of cells. We used whole-body plethysmography to assess ventilatory function in transgenic BMAL1 knockout (KO) mice to determine the role of the molecular clock in regulating daily rhythms in ventilation and chemoreflex. Unlike their wild-type littermates, BMAL1 …

In Light Of Breathing: Environmental Light Is An Important Modulator Of Breathing With Clinical Implications, Aaron A. Jones, Deanna M. Arble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In vertebrate animals, the automatic, rhythmic pattern of breathing is a highly regulated process that can be modulated by various behavioral and physiological factors such as metabolism, sleep–wake state, activity level, and endocrine signaling. Environmental light influences many of these modulating factors both indirectly by organizing daily and seasonal rhythms of behavior and directly through acute changes in neural signaling. While several observations from rodent and human studies suggest that environmental light affects breathing, few have systematically evaluated the underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance of environmental light on the regulation of respiratory behavior. Here, we provide new evidence and discuss …

Tyramine And Its Amtyr1 Receptor Modulate Attention In Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera), Joseph S. Latshaw, Reece E. Mazade, Mary Peterson, Julie A. Mustard, Irina Sinakevitch, Lothar Wissler, Xiaojiao Guo, Chelsea N. Cook, Hong Lei, Jürgen Gadau, Brian Smith

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Animals must learn to ignore stimuli that are irrelevant to survival and attend to ones that enhance survival. When a stimulus regularly fails to be associated with an important consequence, subsequent excitatory learning about that stimulus can be delayed, which is a form of nonassociative conditioning called ‘latent inhibition’. Honey bees show latent inhibition toward an odor they have experienced without association with food reinforcement. Moreover, individual honey bees from the same colony differ in the degree to which they show latent inhibition, and these individual differences have a genetic basis. To investigate the mechanisms that underly individual differences in …

Strong Dispersal Limitation Of Microbial Communities At Shackleton Glacier, Antarctica, Nathan P. Lemoine, Byron J. Adams, Melisa A. Diaz, Nicholas B. Dragone, Andre L.C. Franco, Noah Fierer, W. Berry Lyons, Ian Hogg, Diana H. Wall

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Microbial communities can be structured by both deterministic and stochastic processes, but the relative importance of these processes remains unknown. The ambiguity partly arises from an inability to disentangle soil microbial processes from confounding factors, such as aboveground plant communities or anthropogenic disturbance. In this study, we characterized the relative contributions of determinism and stochasticity to assembly processes of soil bacterial communities across a large environmental gradient of undisturbed Antarctic soils. We hypothesized that harsh soils would impose a strong environmental selection on microbial communities, whereas communities in benign soils would be structured largely by dispersal. Contrary to our expectations, …

Excess Dietary Sugar Alters Colonocyte Metabolism And Impairs The Proliferative Response To Damage, Ansen H.P. Burr, Junyi Ji, Kadir Ozler, Heather L. Mentrup, Onur Eskiocak, Brian Yueh, Rachel Cumberland, Ashley V. Menk, Natalie Rittenhouse, Christopher Marshall, Pailin Chiaranunt, Xiaoyi Zhang, Lauren Mullinax, Abigail Overacre-Delgoffe, Vaughn S. Cooper, Amanda C. Poholek, Greg M. Delgoffe, Kevin P. Mollen, Semir Beyaz, Timothy W. Hand

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Background & Aims

The colonic epithelium requires continuous renewal by crypt resident intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and transit-amplifying (TA) cells to maintain barrier integrity, especially after inflammatory damage. The diet of high-income countries contains increasing amounts of sugar, such as sucrose. ISCs and TA cells are sensitive to dietary metabolites, but whether excess sugar affects their function directly is unknown.

Methods

Here, we used a combination of 3-dimensional colonoids and a mouse model of colon damage/repair (dextran sodium sulfate colitis) to show the direct effect of sugar on the transcriptional, metabolic, and regenerative functions of crypt ISCs and TA cells. …

The Effect Of Genetic Relatedness On Mate Selection And Spatial Distribution In The American Alligator, Alligator Mississippiensis, Mark Hoog

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

To date, most genetic studies on the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) have focused on population genetics and multiple paternity. There have not been any studies looking at how relatedness affects alligator behavior and movement. This study focused on three main questions: 1) what is the genetic diversity among alligators in this location? 2) can parentage be accurately defined among parents and offspring? and 3) how does individual relatedness affect their spatial distribution? We examined the relatedness of 174 unique individuals from the Okefenokee Swamp Park, in South Georgia, USA. In addition, we placed Telonics^® satellite tags on …

Use Of Hematological Markers To Assess Physiological Condition And Health Status In Free-Ranging Sand Tiger Sharks (Carcharias Taurus), Chestina N. Craig

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The contents of blood can provide information about the physiological condition and health of vertebrates. This study seeks to better understand the stress physiology and blood bacteria presence of the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus), as sharks are known to have unique physiology and immune systems. In this study the blood metabolites glucose, lactate, and ketones (3-hydroxybuteric acid and acetoacetate), were used to understand how biotic and abiotic factors affect the acute stress response to capture and handling. Metabolite concentrations from blood plasma were analyzed using colorimetric assays. Glucose and ketones showed no significant responses to capture and …

Identification And Creation Of Novel Bacteriocins With Potential Food And Clinical Applications, David Lynch

Theses

Bacteriocins represent a heterogeneous group of small, ribosomal-synthesized, potent antibacterial peptides produced by bacteria, capable of inhibiting bacteria both closely related or indeed those from other genera than the producer. In addition to their role as food preservatives, bacteriocins have potent activity against medically significant pathogens and are considered attractive alternatives to antibiotics, due to their inherent heat stability, potency at nanomolar scale, resistance to proteases and low levels of acquired resistance in commercial applications. The aim of this thesis was to identify, purify and bioengineer novel bacteriocins from Staphylococcus and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), with a view to expanding …

Analysis Of Competencies Of The Engineering Research And Development For Technology Alumni Of The University Of The Philippines Los Banos, Paulyn G. Micor, Maria Ana T. Quimbo, John Erinorio M. Perez, Ruth Ortega-Dela Cruz

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

In the context of local and global workforce and people skills competitiveness, this study sought to determine whether the Engineering Research and Development for Technology - University of the Philippines Los Banos (ERDT-UPLB) alumni are competent in their chosen employment fields. Using the Likert scale of measurement, the skills, knowledge, and attitude competencies of engineering graduates were compared to the preferred competencies of employers and potential employers. Results showed no significant difference between the existing competencies of the ERDT alumni and the preferred competencies of prospective employers. Moreover, employers and potential employers have indicated a positive and favorable response to …

Agricultural Extension Services And Household Food Security Of Women Rice Farmers In The Ayeyarwady Region Of Myanmar, Yi Mon Thu, Rowena Dt. Baconguis, Myra E. David, Merlyne M. Paunlagui, Pompe C. Sta. Cruz

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The study aimed to analyze women's households' farming practices towards household food security, particularly in six villages of the Ayeyarwady region. Data were collected from 126 randomized respondents. Findings show that the respondents are respondents who had a mean age of 45 years, married, natives of the study sites, and have attended primary education with an average of four family members. The government is the primary agency that provides training programs, mostly in rice production. They have access to extension worker visitation in which the most common topic discussed is pest management. Less than a fourth of the respondents are …

Influence Of Lactobacillus Plantarum Administration On Some Serum/Tissue (Uterus) Antioxidant And Cytokine Levels In Female Rats Exposed To Cadmium (Cd), İhsan Kisadere, Bariş Güner, Hakan Tavşanli, Mehmet Faruk Aydin, Mustafa Usta

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The study aimed to investigate the effects of oral Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) administration on some serum/tissue (uterus) antioxidant and cytokine levels as well as histopathologic changes in female rats exposed chronically to Cd. For this purpose, rats were separated into four groups including control (C, n = 8), cadmium (Cd, n = 8), Lp (n = 8), and Cd + Lp (n = 8). Cd (dissolved in water at a dose of 2.04 mg/mL) was orally administered to Cd and Cd + Lp groups for 28 days. Besides, active-live Lp, which was grown at a level of approximately 10$^{8}$-10$^{9}$ cfu/mL …

Effect Of Menstrual Cycle Phase On The Rewarding Properties Of Alcohol In Women, Annie K. Griffith

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Compared with men, women are disproportionately affected by alcohol, including greater risks of behavioral impairment and relapse. One likely mechanism underlying this disparity is fluctuations of ovarian hormones, particularly estradiol (E2), across phases of the menstrual cycle. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have shown that higher E2 levels correlate with heavier patterns of alcohol consumption, suggesting E2 may modulate drinking. This relationship is thought to be mediated by the rewarding properties of alcohol. The present thesis tested the hypothesis that elevated E2 during the late follicular phase would increase the rewarding properties of alcohol. Fifty young-adult women participated in a within-subjects …

The Effects Of Extended Fructose Access On Relative Value And Demand For Fructose, Saccharin, And Ventral Tegmental Stimulation, Megan Halloran

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Globally, food addiction (FA) is a growing area of research and is largely attributed to the availability of foods that are both energy dense and high in fats and sugars. Further, it has been suggested, that sugar and fat, when consumed frequently, have properties similar to drugs of abuse. While the validity of FA is questioned, researchers have drawn parallels between substance use disorder (SUD) and FA. For example, sugar binge models emphasize craving, withdrawal and binging as primary components of FA, which are also hallmarks of SUD. Additionally, both natural rewards, like sugars, and drug rewards act on the …

Calcium Imaging Of Central Amygdala Activity After Fentanyl Escalation, Samantha Malone

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Evidence suggests that rats given long access (LgA) sessions to self-administer (SA) opioids escalate their intake, while also showing greater withdrawal severity and drug-induced reinstatement compared to rats maintained on short access (ShA) daily SA sessions. Little is known about the neural changes that occur during opioid escalation that may impact withdrawal and relapse. Past work examining opioid SA using ShA sessions in rodents has identified the central amygdala (CeA) as an area of interest that becomes hyperactive in acute withdrawal and may be involved in the incubation of craving that occurs after protracted withdrawal. However, these studies have not …

Raw Data Files For The Manuscript 'Elastin Recoil Is Driven By The Hydrophobic Effect', Nour M. Jamhawi, Ronald Koder, Richard J. Wittebort

Publications and Research

These are the raw data files associated with the manuscript 'Elastin Recoil is Driven by the Hydrophobic Effect' by Nour M. Jamhawi, Ronald L. Koder, and Richard J. Wittebort

Elucidating The Role Of A Staphylococcal Glucosaminidase In Host Innate Immune Responses, Zachary Resko

Dissertations

The peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus is a critical cell envelope constituent and virulence factor that subverts host immune defenses and provides protection against environmental stressors. Peptidoglycan chains of the S. aureus cell wall are processed to characteristically short lengths by the glucosaminidase, SagB. It is well established that peptidoglycan is an important pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) that is recognized by the host innate immune system and promotes production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β. However, how bacterial processing of peptidoglycan drives IL-1β production is comparatively unexplored. Here, we tested the involvement of staphylococcal glucosaminidases in shaping innate immune responses and identified …