Life Sciences Commons^™

Comparative Analysis Of Zoning Of Food Retail And Urban Agriculture For Richmond, Virginia, Hannah Quigley Mph, Meghan Dinofrio, Sarah Shaughnessy Mph, Aicp, John C. Jones Mpa, Phd

Environmental Studies Publications

This research partnership between local public health practitioners and urban food systems scholars suggests improvements to City of Richmond, Virginia’s zoning code related to food retail and urban agriculture by drawing inspiration from other American central cities. The authors created an empirical process to identify potential sister cities to Richmond as a source for high quality comparative examples. Next, the authors then engaged in a non-empirical, purposive process of identifying potential zoning code improvements from both identified sister cities, as well as other communities. Time and capacity constraints dictated the non-empirical nature of this search. Recommendations for improvement to Richmond’s …

Vision And Radar Steering Reduces Agricultural Sprayer Operator Stress Without Compromising Steering Performance, Travis A. Burgers, Kelly J. Vanderwerff

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Self-propelled agricultural sprayer operators work an average of 15 h d^-1 in peak season, and steering is the task that causes the operator the most stress because of the large number of stimuli involved. Automatic guidance systems help reduce stress and fatigue for operators by allowing them to focus on tasks other than steering. Physiological signals like skin conductance (electrodermal activity, EDA) change with stress and can be used to identify stressful events. The objective of this study was to determine if using a commercially available vision and radar guidance system (VSN®, Raven Industries) reduces agricultural sprayer operators’ stress …

The Role Of Ehd2 In Endothelial Cells, Rachael Judson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of EHD2 in terms of Cav1 interaction had not been previously characterized and was the main goal of this research. Cav1 has been shown to lead to the ubiquitination of Rac1. Because of this, the role of EHD2 in Rac1 regulation was investigated. An increase in long-term migration in endothelial cells was observed and suggested that EHD2 impacts the RhoA pathway instead of the Rac1 pathway. This lead to the hypothesis that EHD2 controls a part of the RhoA pathway. This hypothesis is supported by the loss of filamentous actin and an increase in serrated junctions in cells …

Responses Of Arthropods To Fire And How Pollinators And Pollination Services Are Affected By Fire Severity, Blyssalyn V. Bieber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fires impact ecosystems globally and due to climate change, there are shifts in fire regimes that impact ecological communities which provide essential ecosystem services. Focusing on arthropods, fire can influence this ubiquitous animal group in various way. We performed a comprehensive meta-analysis evaluating how fires impact differing arthropod functional groups. We found that overall, fire negatively effects community level responses for most functional groups with herbivores as the only exception showing some positive effects of fire. We also studied mixed-severity fires that burned >20 years ago and compared floral visitor communities across fire severities. We implemented a pollinator exclusion experiment …

Characterization Of Cyclopropyl Synthases Involved In The Maturation Of Ribosomally Synthesized And Posttranslationally Modified Peptides, Yi Lien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a large class of natural products with significant human health implications. RiPPs are synthesized from a genetically encoded precursor peptide that undergoes significant modifications by maturing enzymes, or maturases. Recently, radical-S-adenosylmethionine (rSAM) enzymes have emerged as an important family of RiPP maturases. rSAM enzymes have been shown to install ether, thioether, and carbon-carbon bonds on the precursor peptide. These modifications usually define the backbone structure of the mature RiPP. This thesis describes the characterization of a novel RiPP modification catalyzed by the radical S-adenosylmethionine enzyme TigE. TigE belongs to the TIG biosynthetic …

Inhibition Of De Novo And The Prion-Like Spread Of Amyloidogenesis Using In Vitro And In Vivo Disease Models, Johnson Anazoba Joseph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aberrant fibrous, extracellular, and intracellular proteinaceous deposits in cells, organs and tissues are referred to as amyloids. These deposits are dominated by β-sheet structures that have been implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. In this work, the types of amyloidosis studied include Parkinson’s disease (PD) using UA196 and NL5901 strains of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using GMC101 strain of C. elegans, and cancer-associated mutant p53 aggregation in MIA PaCa-2 mutant cells. Several molecules including SK-129, NS132, NS163, bexarotene, a polyphenol (-)-epi-gallocatechine gallate (EGCG), ADH40, RD148, and RD242 were screened in vitro and in …

Extracellular Vesicles And Lipid Flippase Regulators In C. Elegans, Lauren Pitts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane derived organelles released by all cell types and carry a vast array of cargos that can influence communication, development, and disease. One type of EV, known as microvesicles, form by budding directly from the plasma membrane in a process known as ectocytosis, however the mechanisms that govern this process are poorly understood. In C. elegans, the P4-ATPase, TAT-5, along with its activator, PAD-1, inhibit EV release from the plasma membrane by inhibiting phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) exposure on the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. We identified 3 key domains of PAD-1 that are required to inhibit …

Environmental Gradients Impact Key Leaf Traits In Riparian Trees, Amanda Malone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Specific leaf area (SLA) reflects a plant’s carbon investment per area and relates to generalized leaf economics spectrum growth strategies (LES). To fill gaps of knowledge about intraspecific SLA variation and why it is often inconsistent with the LES, we studied the response of two riparian tree species along the urban-rural gradient in Northeastern Colorado: an invasive, nitrogen-fixer with broad tolerances and a nitrogen-limited and shade-intolerant native. Despite these differences, the two species responded similarly, apart from the response to the urban-rural gradient, in which lower nitrogen in rural areas was associated with a more conservative strategy in the native …

The Pathophysiological Mechanisms Of Alzheimer's Disease; Investigating Therapeutic Interventions For Disease Onset, Alexandra A. Sandberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease is a multifarious disease that progressively affects more people as both the proportion of older adults in the population and life expectancy increase in both the United States and worldwide. This devastating disease is a result of rampant neuronal loss in the memory centers of the brain that robs the independence of those who are diagnosed and places a heavy burden on those who care for them. Traditionally speaking, research has focused on the hallmark pathology of amyloid plaques, targeting them to try and prevent disease onset. However, countless failures in clinical trials aimed at this said pathology …

Cooperative-Led Green Value Chain Development For Selected Highland Vegetables In Buguias, Benguet, Paul Kenneth B. Maghirang

Journal of Economics, Management and Agricultural Development

This study proposes a cooperative-led green value chain model for selected highland vegetables in Buguias, Benguet. Primary and secondary data were used in the study. Primary data were gathered through KII, FGD, and survey interviews among 30 farmer-members of LIFMPC. Descriptive, cost and returns, and value chain analysis were conducted. The proposed model of cooperative-led green value chain for selected highland vegetables was developed based on current practices of the farmer respondents. The greening opportunities were identified in different segments of the chain, from input sourcing to consumption, as well as the actors and their activities. Performing these green practices …

Interrelationships Of Systemic Changes In Hepatic Encephalopathy, Els Reuvekamp

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Hepatic encephalopathy is a temporary decline in mental function that is often associated with liver disease and/or portal-systemic disease. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) symptoms can range from minor cognitive declines to coma and are known to result from excess ammonia accumulations in the blood stream subsequent to liver failure. While HE is known to result from hepatobiliary disorder, many of the physiological process underlying its development and progression remain to be elucidated. Recent studies have identified neurological, metabolic, and microbiome changes implicated in the disease state of HE. In this review, the roles of traditional pharmaceutical interventions and newly developing understandings …

Non-Invasive Biomarkers For The Diagnosis Of Endometriosis And Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Chandana Kamaraj

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Benign gynecological disorders can affect a high percentage of women of reproductive age, ages 15-44 years. These conditions can affect the lifestyle of the individual and can be associated with infertility. The gold standard to identify and diagnose endometriosis requires invasive surgical procedures, while the Rotterdam Criteria is used to identify and diagnose polycystic ovary syndrome. The purpose of this paper is to discuss, describe, and characterize potential non-invasive biomarkers that are present in various pathological stages of both endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. These biomarkers include CA125, Serum galectin-9, hsa-miRNA-154-5p, miRNA-93, miRNA-320 and ET-1, miRNA-222, miRNA-146a, and miR-30c used …

Healthcare Fraud Investigations: Overview Of Overbroad Investigative Regime And Recommendations For A More Targeted Approach, Salvatore Filippello

Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Stormwater Capture Via Green Infrastructure In The Plaster Creek Watershed, Naomi Dykstra, Noah Millen, Ethan Tulp, Josian Aardema, Deanna Geelhoed, David Warners

Summer Research

Calvin University’s campus is located within the Plaster Creek watershed, an area of land from Caledonia to the Grand River, near downtown Grand Rapids. After many years of neglect and mistreatment, it has become one of the most polluted waterways in West Michigan. Plaster Creek Stewards (PCS) aims to improve the local watershed by focusing on education, research and restoration projects. These projects help through reduction of stormwater runoff containing high amounts of sediment and other pollutants through the use of green infrastructure.

Refugia Gardening: A Good Anthropocene Begins At Home, Robin Kollar, David S. Koetje

Summer Research

Our present age is often called the Anthropocene, an era dominated by human activities that erode biodiversity and ecological functions, altering natural systems and cycles. As a result, we are causing climate and mass extinction crises and undermining the ecosystem services that enable human flourishing. Thus, humans have moral and existential obligations to reverse this trend by realigning our relationships with nature. We are advocating for refugia gardening to build places of renewal in our own yards and in our communities. Refugia are pockets of life where species can survive and adapt during ecological crises. Refugia become “seeds” for repopulating …

Mutations Linked To Rare Diseases Can Be Generated And Tested In Zebrafish, Brianna Jansen, Luke Schipper, Valeria Lacroix, Amy Wilstermann, Rachael Baker

Summer Research

• BCS1L is important for cellular respiration and located in the mitochondria.
• Mutations in BCS1L cause a wide variety of symptoms leading to 3 rare diseases.

The Emma Cole Project: Reevaluating The Flora Of Grand Rapids, William Hofmann, Hayden Janssen, Martin Vanderschoot, David Warners

Summer Research

In 1901, botanist and teacher Emma Cole published an account of all the vascular plants in the Grand Rapids area, which is the most comprehensive documentation of the flora in the area today. The vicinity of Grand Rapids has been developed significantly since then, and with it the surrounding natural spaces have also been greatly altered. Over the past 7 years, Calvin University’s Emma Cole Project has been inventorying the flora of greater Grand Rapids and comparing modern plant life with the flora during Cole’s time 120 years ago. This project strives to both verify species’ presence around Grand Rapids …

Preferential Infection Of Ccr6+ Cd4+ T Cells By Hiv Is Increased By Human Intestinal Endothelial Cells, Fisher Pham, Jessica Eddy, Nathan Dapprich, Anding Shen

Summer Research

Th17 cells are found to be heavily depleted in the gut of HIV patients. Even after successful antiretroviral therapy, HIV patients exhibit a smaller Th17 population for years after treatment. Previous research has found human intestinal endothelial cells (IEC) to increase HIV infection of helper T cells. Using CCR6 as a marker for Th17, we investigated the effect of IEC on HIV infection of Th17 cells. IECs were found to increase the preferential infection of resting and activated CCR6+ cells. Th17 cells are known to be more susceptible to HIV infection than other types of CD4+ T cells. IEC stimulation …

Cysteine-Tyrosine Crosslink Synthesis In Bf4112 From B. Fragilis, Alex Van Uffelen, Sophie Hruska, David Benson

Summer Research

Redox-active crosslinked amino acids are a class of post-translational modifications that extend protein chemistry. These cofactors occur in fifteen known proteins with high resolution Xray crystallography as the primary method for confirmation. One of those proteins is cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV), where HisTyr (figure 1) is responsible for the high-valent oxidative intermediate in O2 reduction to 2H2O. Cys-Tyr was the first of these cofactors to be identified and is characterized in galactose oxidase (coordinated to a Cu ion) and cysteine dioxygenase (distal to a mononuclear non-heme iron ion).

Water Assessment Of Plaster Creek, Lynda Steen, C.D. Tatko

Summer Research

Plaster Creek is a polluted water system in western Michigan that displays a variety of contaminants. Calvin University sits fully withing the Plaster Creek watershed, increasing its relevancy and importance. The Plaster Creek Stewards have a history of working to improve the quality of water and educate residents regarding their impact on the creek. Within the Silver Creek tributary there have been a number of interventions involving the reintroduction of native plant life and altering the creek's path when daylighting. The nutrient load of Silver Creek is important to both the water quality and biological thriving. The chemical analysis herein …

Cbp60-Db: An Alphafold-Predicted Plant Kingdom-Wide Database Of The Calmodulin-Binding Protein 60 (Cbp60) Protein Family With A Novel Structural Clustering Algorithm, Keaun Amani, Vanessa Shivnauth, Christian Castroverde

Biology Faculty Publications

Molecular genetic analyses in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana have demonstrated the major roles of different CAM-BINDING PROTEIN 60 (CBP60) proteins in growth, stress signaling, and immune responses. Prominently, CBP60g and SARD1 are paralogous CBP60 transcription factors that regulate numerous components of the immune system, such as cell surface and intracellular immune receptors, MAP kinases, WRKY transcription factors, and biosynthetic enzymes for immunity-activating metabolites salicylic acid (SA) and N-hydroxypipecolic acid (NHP). However, their function, regulation and diversification in most species remain unclear. Here we have created CBP60-DB, a structural and bioinformatic database that comprehensively characterized 1052 CBP60 gene homologs …

Point-Of-Care Diagnosis Of Cervical Cancer: Potential Protein Biomarkersin Cervicovaginal Fluid, Büşra Köse, Özgüç Takmaz, Mete Güngör, Ahmet Tarik Baykal

Turkish Journal of Biology

Cervical cancer (CxCa) is preventable and treatable via vaccination and screening. Cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) represents the physiological components of the female genital tract. These components are suitable to be utilized for clinical purposes, therefore, making CVF a suitable material for disease screening approaches. Due to high false-negative result rates and low attendance of current expensive routine CxCa screening methods, it has become more important to develop a point-of-care (POC) screening method that every single woman could reach worldwide. For this purpose, various self-usage apparatus have been developed for screening of the human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Furthermore, due to the …

Situation Analysis Of Horticulture In Western Australia: Area, Volume And Value Of Horticultural Crop Production By Local Government Area Within Western Australia, Manju Radhakrishnan, Neil Lantzke, Paul Mattingley

Horticulture research reports

The direct and indirect contribution to the economy from produce grown by WA horticulture industries increases to $3.03b when it moves along the supply chain to reach the end consumer in WAB. This increase results from the addition of storage, packaging, transport and other inputs.

Jobs created on-farm by WA horticulture, the majority of which are in regional communities, are estimated to be 14,520 during peak season (ABARES) making horticulture a significant employer in agriculture in Western Australia.

This study calculates more reliable estimates on the area, volume, and value of horticulture production in the WA across production regions.

The …

Predicting Responses Of Geo-Ecological Carbonate Reef Systems To Climate Change: A Conceptual Model And Review, Nicola K. Browne, Michael Cuttler, Katie Moon, Kyle Morgan, Claire L. Ross, Carolina Castro-Sanguino, Emma Kennedy, Dan Harris, Peter Barnes, Andrew G. Bauman, Eddie Beetham, Joshua Bonesso, Yves-Marie Bozec, Christopher E. Cornwall, Shannon Dee, Thomas M. Decarlo, Juan P. D'Olivo, Christopher Doropoulos, Richard D. Evans, Bradley Eyre, Peter Gatenby, Manuel Gonzalez, Sarah Hamylton, Jeff Hansen, Ryan Lowe, Jennie Mallela, Michael O'Leary, George Roff, Benjamin J. Saunders, Adi Zweilfer

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Books and Book Chapters

[Chapter Abstract] 230Coral reefs provide critical ecological and geomorphic (e.g. sediment production for reef-fronted shoreline maintenance) services, which interact in complex and dynamic ways. These services are under threat from climate change, requiring dynamic modelling approaches that predict how reef systems will respond to different future climate scenarios. Carbonate budgets, which estimate net reef calcium carbonate production, provide a comprehensive ‘snap-shot’ assessment of reef accretionary potential and reef stability. These budgets, however, were not intended to account for the full suite of processes that maintain coral reef services or to provide predictive capacity on longer timescales (decadal to centennial). To …

Foreword, Meera V. Patel

Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents, Annals Of Health Law & Life Sciences

Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Welcome To The Digital Age: Reinventing Contact Tracing And The Public Health Service Act For A Modern Pandemic Response, Michael L. Cederblom

Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Physician Liability In The Age Of Data Reliance And Errors, Laura Montesantos

Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Foreword, Meera V. Patel

Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Mind The App, Leah R. Fowler, Jessica L. Roberts

Annals of Health Law and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.