Life Sciences Commons^™

Mechanisms Of Connectivity In Neuronal Development, Janay Vacharasin

Theses and Dissertations

The development of neuronal connectivity requires the careful orchestration of multiple cellular processes including the control of neuronal arborization and synapse formation or function. Defects in these processes during neuronal development will give rise to disorders of neuronal connectivity like autism. In the present work, we examine the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that build the neuronal wiring of the developing brain. We use human stem cell-derived neurons to study neuronal arborization and function focusing on genetic and environmental risk factors of neurodevelopmental disorders that include autism and intellectual disability. Specifically, we focused on the contribution of the endomembrane, chromatin, and …

Using A Multi-Direction Reaching Approach To Investigate Fitts’ Law And The Effect Of Attentional Focus On Motor Learning, Charles R. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The Index of Difficulty value (ID) derived from Fitts’ Law’s speed-accuracy trade-off is commonly used to determine the difficulty of a targeted reaching movement and balance difficulty in sequence learning tasks. However, this value does not account for the mechanical difficulty of multi-directional movements which could affect both performance and learning. Where we direct our focus when completing a task/skill can also have an effect on how we perform and learn that task, however, the manner in which differing focus instructions affect learning a whole-arm reaching task is relatively unknown. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine 1) how …

Methyltransferase Mystery: Epigenetic Mechanisms Induced By Food Limitation In Daphnia Pule, Trenton C. Agrelius

Theses and Dissertations

Daphnia are ecologically important organisms that have been well studied in the context of evolution, ecology, ecotoxicity, and genomics. Daphnia have strong maternal effects in which the environment experienced by the mother can alter offspring disease resistance, life history traits, and morphology, as well as gene expression and methylation for multiple generations. Coupled with their ability to reduce genetic differences via parthenogenesis, Daphnia are an ideal system for epigenetic studies involving the transmission of maternal effects. Using two clones of Daphnia pulex, we investigated the plasticity of life history and DNA methyltransferase (Dnmt) gene expression with respect to food …

Soybean Management For Seed Composition: The Perspective Of U.S. Farmers, Andre F. Borja Reis, Luiz Rosso, Dan Davidson, Peter Kovacs, Larry C. Purcell, Frederick E. Below, Shaun Casteel, Hans J. Kandel, Seth Naeve, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Ignacio A. Ciampitti

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

The soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] compositional quality is mainly provided by the seed concentration of protein and oil. These traits are critical for sustaining global use, and although there is demand for high protein soybean, no mechanism to differentiate production is in place. At the opposite end of the supply chain, farmers are remunerated on a mass basis without having any incentive regarding seed composition. This study evaluated farmers' perspectives and knowledge on soybean quality and their propensity to adopt quality improvement technologies. Farmers from the main U.S. producing regions (n = 271) were investigated with a …

Simulating The Impact Of Crop–Livestock Interaction On Crop Performance Using Dssat, Teerath Rai, Sandeep Kumar, Thandiwe Nleya, Gerrit Hoogenboom

Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Faculty Publications

An integrated crop–livestock system (ICL) can help with enhancing soil quality and crop productivity, ultimately increasing farm income. Field experiments that evalu- ated the impact of cover crops (CCs) and grazing on crop productivity have shown mixed results primarily because of a relatively short duration of the crop–livestock system. Dynamic crop models can help to simulate the long-term impact of soils and crop management on crop yield. The objectives of the current study were to develop a simple simulation methodology for crop–livestock interaction using the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) and to evaluate the perfor- mance of CC …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 08 - July 2022, Benjamin S. Congdon, Svetlana Micic, Cindy L. Webster, Jean Galloway, Janette Pratt

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 08 - July 2022 contents:

• Cold winter conditions are reducing winged aphid activity
• Russian wheat aphid
• UCI BlacklegCM – A new decision support tool for upper canopy blackleg management

Linkage Analysis And Residual Heterozygotes Derived Near Isogenic Lines Reveals A Novel Protein Quantitative Trait Loci From A Glycine Soja Accession, Yia Yang, Thang C. La, Jason D. Gillman, Zhen Lyu, Trupti Joshi, Mariola Usovsky, Qijian Song, Andrew Scaboo

Biomedical Sciences

Modern soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] cultivars have low overall genetic variation due to repeated bottleneck events that arose during domestication and from selection strategies typical of many soybean breeding programs. In both public and private soybean breeding programs, the introgression of wild soybean (Glycine soja Siebold and Zucc.) alleles is a viable option to increase genetic diversity and identify new sources for traits of value. The objectives of our study were to examine the genetic architecture responsible for seed protein and oil using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from hybridizing a G. max …

Ong-Term Effects Of Developmental Exposure To Oxycodone On Gut Microbiota And Relationship To Adult Behaviors And Metabolism, Zhen Lyu, Robert R. Schmidt, Rachel E. Martin, Madison T. Green, Jessica A. Kinkade, Jiude Mao, Nathan J. Bivens, Trupti Joshi, Cheryl S. Rosenfeld

Biomedical Sciences

Opioid drugs are commonly prescribed analgesic to pregnant women. Direct exposure to such drugs may slow gut motility, alter gut permeability, and affect the gut microbiome. While such drugs affect gut microbiome in infants, no study to date has determined whether developmental exposure to such drugs results in longstanding effects on gut microbiota and correspondingly on host responses. We hypothesized developmental exposure to oxycodone (OXY) leads to enduring effects on gut microbiota and such changes are associated with adult neurobehavioral and metabolic changes. Female mice were treated daily with 5 mg OXY/kg or saline solution (control [CTL]) for 2 weeks …

Differential Regulation Of Flower Transpiration During Abiotic Stress In Annual Plants, Ranjita Sinha, Sara I. Zandalinas, Yosef Fichman, Sidharth Sen, Shuai Zeng, Aurelio Gómez-Cadenas, Trupti Joshi, Felix B. Fritschi, Ron Mittler

Biomedical Sciences

Heat waves occurring during droughts can have a devastating impact on yield, especially if they happen during the flowering and seed set stages of the crop cycle. Global warming and climate change are driving an alarming increase in the frequency and intensity of combined drought and heat stress episodes, critically threatening global food security. Because high temperature is detrimental to reproductive processes, essential for plant yield, we measured the inner temperature, transpiration, sepal stomatal aperture, hormone concentrations and transcriptomic response of closed soybean flowers developing on plants subjected to a combination of drought and heat stress. Here, we report that, …

Changes In The Morphology Of Widgeon Grass (Ruppia Maritima) With The Onset Of Reproduction And Impacts On Fish Assemblages At The Chandeleur Islands, La, Matthew Byrnes

Master's Theses

Seagrasses are important submerged coastal habitats that support nearshore communities. Ruppia maritima (widgeon grass) is a widespread species whose leaves branch extensively when reproductive. The goal of this study was to understand use of reproductive and non-reproductive R. maritima by fishes, recognizing the morphological change undergone by the plant when flowering. During the peak reproductive season in August and September 2021, R. maritima meadows at the Chandeleur Islands, LA were sampled to describe the spatial distribution and morphology of reproductive plants and investigate habitat use by fish assemblages. We assessed spatial trends in R. maritima presence and occurrence of reproduction …

An Analysis Of The Recent Us Dietary Guidelines Process In Light Of Its Federal Mandate And A National Academies Report, Cheryl Achterberg, Arne Astrup, Dennis M Bier, Janet C King, Ronald M Krauss, Nina Teicholz, Jeff S Volek

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The US Dietary Guidelines for Americans is an enormously influential policy that has guided US nutrition programs since 1980. During these last 40 years, some researchers have expressed concern that the guidelines are based on an insufficiently rigorous assessment of the scientific evidence, a view that was largely substantiated by a Congressionally mandated 2017 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which identified a need for enhanced transparency, greater scientific rigor, and updates to the scientific methodology for the DGA process. This paper traces the history of these ideas and contextualizes the DGA within the law and …

Worldwide Consequences Of Covid-19 On Research In Stem, Michelle Hoang, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

A global public health emergency like the Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires accurate and timely data collection in the research community. High-impact research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been prioritized in the fight against COVID-19. The present study analyzed the consequences of COVID-19 on STEM research and the collaboration between research institutions and industries worldwide. It was noted that COVID19 had caused significant delays in non-COVID-19-related research projects and the onset of several remote studies. Most importantly, researchers in the STEM fields directed their attention and expertise to help mitigate virus transmission, treat patients, and …

The Apoe Ε4 Allele Association With Cholesterol Related Phenotypes In The Mexican American Population, Stephanie Lozano

Theses and Dissertations

Diseases linked to high cholesterol have been well studied and several diseases-associated candidate genes have been suggested. Among these, the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) gene associated with lipid metabolism and lipid-related traits was reported in the non-Hispanic population. There are three types of alleles APOE ε2, ε3, and ε4. The APOE ε4 allele has been identified as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In recent years, there have been limited studies regarding the association between the APOE gene and hypercholesterolemia in the Mexican American population. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate …

Regulation Of The Heat Shock Response Via Lysine Acetyltransferase Cbp-1 And In Neurodegenerative Disease In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Lindsey N. Barrett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The decline of proteostasis is a hallmark of aging that is, in part, affected by the dysregulation of the heat shock response (HSR), a highly conserved cellular response to proteotoxic stress in the cell. The heat shock transcription factor HSF-1 is well-studied as a key regulator of proteostasis, but mechanisms that could be used to modulate HSF-1 function to enhance proteostasis during aging are largely unknown. In this study, we examined lysine acetyltransferase regulation of the HSR and HSF-1 in C. elegans. We performed an RNA interference screen of lysine acetyltransferases and examined mRNA expression of the heat-shock inducible gene …

Modulation Of Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis In Yeast – Role Of The Mrp7 (Bl27) Protein, Jessica Anderson

Dissertations (1934 -)

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is responsible for the generation of most of the cellular energy (ATP) within the cell. OXPHOS enzymes are mosaic in origin, as protein subunits are encoded by both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Mitochondrial ribosomes have been shown to respond to the availability and import of nuclearly encoded OXPHOS components, and thus the current dogma states that mitochondrial translation is synchronized to the import of these nuclear encoded proteins, as well as the availability of chaperones to co-assemble them within the inner mitochondrial membrane. We demonstrate here that the yeast Mrp7 (bL27) protein is involved in the coordination …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 10 - July 2022, Saleh Adnan, Benjamin S. Congdon, Alan Lord

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 10 - July 2022 contents:

• Russian wheat aphids found at Geraldton
• Turnip yellows virus detected n canola in Albany port zone
• Meet PestFacts WA team member – Alan Lord

Targeting Mutated Kras And Galectin-1 In Pancreatic Cancer, Ana Izavelle Martinez Bulnes

Theses and Dissertations

The poor patient survival rate in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a challenge. KRAS activating point mutation on codon-12 is found in 70–95 percent of PDAC patients, and no progress in inhibiting KRAS has been obtained thus far. KRASG12D is a transcription factor that controls cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Recent preliminary and published research indicates that Galectin-1 (Gal-1) levels are high in both PDAC and stromal cells, which modulates tumor microenvironment and metastasis. As a result, we created a new combination treatment for PDAC that targets both proliferation and metastasis in PDAC by targeting mutant KRASG12D and Gal-1. This …

Influence Of Paclitaxel Nanomedicine On The Pancreatic Tumor Immune Components, Godwin Peasah-Darkwah

Theses and Dissertations

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortalities in the U.S due to ineffective therapeutic options. Pancreatic tumors are highly desmoplastic and inhibit efficient uptake of therapeutic payloads. Paclitaxel (PTX) has been tested in PanCa therapy with marginally better clinical outcomes, but remain limited by its poor hemocompatibility, biodistribution and intracellular accumulation in tumor cells. Thus, we synthesized a next generation nanoparticle system for PTX to improve its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PKPD) in treating PanCa. We also examined ability of the nano formulation to potentiate gemcitabine (GEM) activity in combating chemoresistance in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment …

Embryology Of The Gekkota: Insights Into The Evolution An Development Of Morphological Diversity, Aaron Harp Griffing

Dissertations (1934 -)

Understanding the patterns and processes which result in morphological diversity is a central goal of evolutionary developmental biology or evo-devo. This diversity encompasses morphologies which have evolved numerous, independent times within a clade (evolutionary convergence) and others which have evolved only once within a clade (i.e. evolutionary novelty). Though many of these diverse morphologies exhibit functional capabilities and are intertwined with the ecology and diversification of the evolutionary lineage in question, their origins are largely unknown. Robust phylogenic analysis, genomic information, and detailed developmental data are critical lines of evidence to explain the evolutionary and ontogenetic origins of morphological novelty …

Evolution Of Sex Chromosomes In Geckos (Reptilia: Gekkota), Shannon Elizabeth Keating

Dissertations (1934 -)

Sex chromosomes control sex determination in many plants and animals, playing a vital role in a species’ evolution. Current models of sex chromosome evolution have been formulated by studying clades with stable, morphologically distinct (heteromorphic) sex chromosomes, such as mammals and birds. However, many taxa have morphologically indistinguishable (homomorphic) sex chromosomes, including many fish, amphibians, and reptiles. The knowledge gained from these understudied systems may provide new insights into the overarching paradigms of sex chromosome evolution. Thus, the historical focus on stable, heteromorphic sex chromosomes and failure to consider homomorphic sex chromosomes or systems with frequent turnovers may mean the …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 11 - July 2022, Ciara Beard, Geoff J. Thomas

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 11 - July 2022 contents:

• Wheat powdery mildew in the Geraldton port zone

Relationships Among Sleep, Physical Activity, And Weight Status In Children And Adolescents, Agnes Bucko

Theses and Dissertations

Sleep and physical activity are both associated with multiple behavioral and metabolic health outcomes, and both behaviors have been linked to the development of weight status. Recent estimates suggest that many children are not meeting sleep recommendations or participating in adequate levels of physical activity, which may be related to the high prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity. Much of the research assessing these relationships has focused on adults and older children, and has relied on parent- or child-reported, cross-sectional research in predominantly White samples. Little work has focused on these relationships in very young children. Although more research has …

Effects Of Positive Social Comparative Feedback During Practice On Motor Sequence Learning, Performance Expectancies, And Resting State Connectivity, Allison Foster Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Positive social comparative feedback indicates to the learner that they are performing better than others. While this type feedback supports motor skill learning in some tasks, the effect of social comparative feedback on motor sequence learning remains unknown. In addition, the OPTIMAL theory predicts that positive social comparative feedback may trigger a dopaminergic response in the brain. However, no studies have utilized neuroimaging techniques to investigate this question. Therefore, the aim of these studies was to determine the effect of positive social comparative feedback on motor sequence learning, performance expectancies, and resting state connectivity of dopaminergic neural pathways.

In the …

Access To Online Formative Assessments In Introductory Biology Courses: Investigating Barriers To Student Engagement, Allison M. Upchurch

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Instructors use a variety of online formative assessment (FA) activities to support learning outside of class. Previous studies have revealed barriers for students in online courses, but little is known about the barriers students experience when completing online FA assignments. Understanding these barriers to access is critical to fostering more inclusive learning for all students. Using a framework from previous work in online learning, we examined student perceptions of online FA access with respect to five barrier categories: technical resources, instructor organization, social interactions, personal engagement, and learning environment. We developed and administered a survey to over 1200 undergraduate biology …

Methanogen Metabolic Flexibility, Sean R. Carr

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Methanogens are obligately anaerobic archaea which produce methane as a byproduct of their respiration. They are found across a wide diversity of environments and play an important role in cycling carbon in anaerobic spaces and the removal of harmful fermentation byproducts which would otherwise inhibit other organisms. Methanogens subsist on low-energy substrates which requires them to utilize a highly efficient central metabolism which greatly favors respiratory byproducts over biomass. This metabolic strategy creates high substrate:product conversion ratios which is industrially relevant for the production of biomethane, but may also allow for the production of value-added commodities. Particularly of interest are …

Transcriptome Assembly And Characterization Of Chemoreceptors For Corn Rootworms, Bailee Egan

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) is the most important insect pest of corn in the United States Corn Belt, costing the agricultural industry over two billion dollars per year. As current management practices have been losing their effectiveness, new targets for corn rootworm control need to be explored. In this thesis, we focused on identifying rootworm chemoreceptors, which can be considered for potential targets for management. Transcriptomes from seven life stages were assembled for the western corn rootworm as well as two other related corn rootworm species, the northern corn rootworm (D. barberi) …

Micronutrient Fortified Soymilk Processing Supplemental Data Tables, Michael L. Dunn, Oscar A. Pike, Bradley J. Taylor, Dallin M. Hardy

ScholarsArchive Data

This data set contains Supplemental Tables (created using Microsoft Word) for the following manuscript submitted for publication:

Vitamin stability and sensory acceptability in micronutrient-fortified soymilk prepared by small-scale batch processing

Authors: Dallin M. Hardy, Oscar A. Pike, Bradley J. Taylor, Michael L. Dunn

The above manuscript was prepared with modifications from portions of the M.S. thesis of Dallin M. Hardy, which can be found at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/8284/

The data set includes five supplementary tables containing data values for vitamin retention during processing and sensory acceptance of micronutrient fortified soymilk. The data in these tables had no statistically significant differences between treatments.

You Eat How You Think: A Review On The Impact Of Cognitive Styles On Food Perception And Behavior, Thadeus L. Beekman, Philip Glen Crandall, Han-Seok Seo

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sensory perception is understood to be a complex area of research that requires investigations from a variety of different perspectives. Although researchers have tried to better understand consumers' perception of food, one area that has been minimally explored is how psychological cognitive theories can help them explain consumer perceptions, behaviors, and decisions in food-related experiences. The concept of cognitive styles has existed for nearly a century, with the majority of cognitive style theories existing along a continuum with two bookends. Some of the more common theories such as individualist-collectivist, left-brain-right-brain, and convergent-divergent theories each offered their own unique insight into …

Targeting Ribosome Biogenesis For Pancreatic Cancer Treatment, Carlos Perez Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in the United States. Currently, PanCa is one of the recalcitrant cancers that has very limited therapeutic options available for its treatment. The current standard care of PanCa is gemcitabine (GEM) alone or in combination with FOLFIRINOX, nab-paclitaxel, erlotinib, or 5-FU PanCa, which often show poor response. Therefore, new treatment strategies are required for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Ribosome biogenesis process is dysregulated in most of the cancer types of results in production of more ribosomes and synthesis of oncoproteins which lead to the induction, progression, …

Soil Quality Indicators And Vegetation Responses Following Ecological Restoration Thinning Of Ponderosa Pine On Three Soil Parent Material Types Under Grazing And Non-Grazing In Northern Arizona, Christopher Macdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research was performed in a northern Arizona ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. & C., Lawson) forest. The objectives were to a) increase understanding of long-term vegetation responses to ecological restoration treatments on three soils types, with and without grazing, b) evaluate the responses soil physical, chemical, and biological properties to restoration treatments, with and without grazing, c) determine the utility of measured soil quality indicators to informing risks to sustainable soils management in southwestern ponderosa pine forests.

There were no significant differences in soil bulk density by soil type, treatment type, or grazing treatment. No significant differences …