Life Sciences Commons^™

Carbon-Sensitive Pedotransfer Functions For Plant Available Water, Dianna K. Bagnall, Cristine L.S. Morgan, Michael Cope, Gregory M. Bean, Shannon Cappellazzi, Kelsey Greub, Daniel Liptzin, Charlotte L. Norris, Elizabeth Rieke, Paul Tracy, Ezra Aberle, Amanda Ashworth, Oscar Bañuelos Tavarez, Andy Bary, R. Louis Baumhardt, Alberto Borbón Gracia, Daniel Brainard, Jameson Brennan, Dolores Briones Reyes, Darren Bruhjell, Cameron Carlyle, James Crawford, Cody Creech, Steven Culman, William Deen, Curtis Dell, Justin Derner, Thomas Ducey, Sjoerd Willem Duiker, Miles Dyck, Benjamin Ellert, Martin Entz, Avelino Espinosa Solorio, Steven J. Fonte, Simon Fonteyne, Ann Marie Fortuna, Jamie Foster, Lisa Fultz, Audrey V. Gamble, Charles Geddes

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Currently accepted pedotransfer functions show negligible effect of management-induced changes to soil organic carbon (SOC) on plant available water holding capacity (θAWHC), while some studies show the ability to substantially increase θAWHC through management. The Soil Health Institute's North America Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements measured water content at field capacity using intact soil cores across 124 long-term research sites that contained increases in SOC as a result of management treatments such as reduced tillage and cover cropping. Pedotransfer functions were created for volumetric water content at field capacity (θFC) and permanent wilting point (θPWP). New pedotransfer functions had …

Impact Of Harvest On Switchgrass Leaf Microbial Communities, Esther Singer, Elizabeth M. Carpenter, Jason Bonnette, Tanja Woyke, Thomas E. Juenger

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Switchgrass is a promising feedstock for biofuel production, with potential for leveraging its native microbial community to increase productivity and resilience to environmental stress. Here, we characterized the bacterial, archaeal and fungal diversity of the leaf microbial community associated with four switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) genotypes, subjected to two harvest treatments (annual harvest and unharvested control), and two fertilization levels (fertilized and unfertilized control), based on 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region amplicon sequencing. Leaf surface and leaf endosphere bacterial communities were significantly different with Alphaproteobacteria enriched in the leaf surface and Gammaproteobacteria and Bacilli enriched in the …

Novel Molecular Approaches To Diagnostic And Epidemiological Analyses Of Cryptosporidiumspp.Implicated In Clinical Infection, Jennifer K. O'Leary

Theses

Cryptosporidium remains an underestimated, yet highly prevalent, parasitic agent of gastrointestinal illness worldwide. In clinical settings, diagnosis has previously relied on microscopic techniques. However, enteric parasite targeting molecular tools, such as real-time PCR panels, have superseded microscopy in recent years. This body of work examines the nature, implications and opportunities of this paradigm shift. This thesis is divided into seven chapters that consist of a literature review chapter, five experimental chapters focusing on the molecular diagnosis and epidemiological analysis of Cryptosporidium spp., and a final summary chapter. Chapter I provides the contextual narrative and supportive reasoning behind the research undertaken …

Positive Motivational Self-Talk: The Influence Of Gender On Performance, Perception Of Self-Talk, And Performance Anxiety During A Disc Golf Putting Exercise Before And After A Self-Talk Intervention, Samantha L. Hennessy

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Impa2 & Isyna1 Gene Expression And Intracelular Myo-Inositol Levels In Bipolar And Non-Bipolar Disorder Derived Human Lymphoblasts, Christina Rosette

Master's Theses

The thesis objective was to determine if myo-inositol concentration levels and the gene expression of IMPA2 & ISYNA1 differ among bipolar disorder types 1 and 2 compared to healthy controls (non-bipolar disorder). Previous studies have correlated different myo-inositol concentration levels with specific phases of bipolar and pharmaceutical treatments. Two genes, inositol monophosphatase 2 (IMPA2) and inositol-3-phosphate synthase 1 (ISYNA1), involved in de novo myo-inositol biosynthesis have been implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar. In this study, differences in myo-inositol concentration and IMPA2 & ISYNA1 gene expression in lymphoblasts derived from subjects with bipolar types 1, 2, and healthy control were …

Temozolomide-Nsaid Mixtures And Novel Diclofenac-Purine Hybrids As Potential Antiglioblastoma Agents, Joshua Rotich

Master's Theses

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common, lethal and aggressive brain tumor in adults. Standard treatment involves surgery, radiation therapy and temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy. However, GBM recurs and the average survival rate is between 12 to 18 months with 25% 1-year survival rate and 9% 5 years survival rate. Treatment options and advancement is limited by the blood brain barrier (BBB) which restricts drug entry into the brain and the immense heterogeneity of the tumor which limit adequate control of the entire tumor using one drug. In this research, we explored whether a combination mixture of TMZ and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs …

Peruvian Mammals Collected By The Andrews University. Department Of Biology : Expeditions & Patterns Of Diversity, Kieran M. Taylor

Master's Theses

The Department of Biology at Andrews University conducted three expeditions to Peru in 1964, 1965, and 1968. During the expeditions, thousands of specimens were collected of several taxa, including mammals. As far as we know, no complete summary of the expeditions and the mammals collected has been created. Knowledge of the expeditions and evaluation of the mammals collected compared to current literature could have conservation implications. My purpose was to recreate the story of the expeditions and use this contextual information to catalog and identify the number of mammal species collected and evaluate the mammal diversity collected according to current …

Importin-Mediated Pathological Tau Nuclear Translocation Causes Disruption Of The Nuclear Lamina, Tdp-43 Mislocalization And Cell Death, Robert F. Candia, Leah S. Cohen, Viktoriya Morozova, Christopher Corbo, Alejandra D. Alonso

Publications and Research

Tau is a cytosolic protein that has also been observed in the nucleus, where it has multiple proposed functions that are regulated by phosphorylation. However, the mechanism underlying the nuclear import of tau is unclear, as is the contribution of nuclear tau to the pathology of tauopathies. We have previously generated a pathological form of tau, PH-tau (pseudophosphorylation mutants S199E, T212E, T231E, and S262E) that mimics AD pathological behavior in cells, Drosophila, and a mouse model. Here, we demonstrated that PH-tau translocates into the nucleus of transiently transfected HEK-293 cells, but wildtype tau does not. We identified a putative …

Aims: Action Against Infirmity And Malnutrition In Seniors, Maeve Lorraine Mary O'Connell

Theses

Aim: The primary aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between nutrition and frailty in Irish older adults. The nutritional status, dietary quality and perceived barriers/motivators to nutrition were also examined, and a frailty intervention protocol was designed. Methods: Cross-sectional study in Irish community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years. Nutritional status, dietary intake, functional mobility and food choice motivators/healthy eating barriers were assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment – Short Form (MNA-SF), a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and a custom designed 2-item questionnaire, respectively. Frailty was defined as three or more of …

Emerging Hot Spot Analysis To Indicate Forest Conservation Priorities And Efficacy On Regional To Continental Scales: A Study Of Forest Change In Selva Maya 2000-2020, Nicholas Cuba, Laura A. Sauls, Anthony J. Bebbington, Denise Humphreys Bebbington, Avecita Chicchon, Pilar Delpino Marimón, Oscar Diaz, Susanna Hecht, Susan Kandel, Tracey Osborne, Rebecca Ray, Madelyn Rivera, John Rogan, Viviana Zalles

Geography

Despite the importance of preserving contiguous tropical forest areas to maintain biodiversity and terrestrial carbon stocks, methodological challenges continue to hinder broad-scale analysis of threats to these forests. Emerging Hot Spot Analysis (EHSA) is a spatial-statistical method that conveys complex information about the temporal dynamics of deforestation across a range of moderate to coarse spatial scales. Using Global Forest Change (GFC) data as inputs, EHSA produces spatially comprehensive, gridded outputs that represent a standardized, reproduceable way to instantiate contiguous forest tracts as spatial objects. Doing so allows aggregation of other GFC-derived values and analysis of alternative geographic configurations besides sub-national …

The Influence Of Burn Severity On Post-Fire Spectral Recovery Of Three Fires In The Southern Rocky Mountains, Jaclyn Guz, Florencia Sangermano, Dominik Kulakowski

Geography

Increased wildfire activity and altered post-fire climate in the Southern Rocky Mountains has the potential to influence forest resilience. The Southern Rocky Mountains are a leading edge of climate change and have experienced record-breaking fires in recent years. The change in post-fire regeneration and forest resilience could potentially include future ecological trajectories. In this paper, we examined patterns of post-fire spectral recovery using Landsat time series. Additionally, we utilized random forest models to analyze the impact of climate and burn severity on three fire events in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Fifteen years following the fires, none of the burned stands …

Rocky Mountain Forests Are Poised To Recover Following Bark Beetle Outbreaks But With Altered Composition, Kyle C. Rodman, Robert A. Andrus, Amanda R. Carlson, Trevor A. Carter, Teresa B. Chapman, Jonathan D. Coop, Paula J. Fornwalt, Nathan S. Gill, Brian J. Harvey, Ashley E. Hoffman, Katharine C. Kelsey, Dominik Kulakowski, Daniel C. Laughlin, Jenna E. Morris, José F. Negrón, Katherine M. Nigro, Gregory S. Pappas, Miranda D. Redmond, Charles C. Rhoades, Monique E. Rocca, Zoe H. Schapira, Jason S. Sibold, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann, Thomas T. Veblen, Jianmin Wang, Xiaoyang Zhang, Sarah J. Hart

Geography

Amplified by warming temperatures and drought, recent outbreaks of native bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) have caused extensive tree mortality throughout Europe and North America. Despite their ubiquitous nature and important effects on ecosystems, forest recovery following such disturbances is poorly understood, particularly across regions with varying abiotic conditions and outbreak effects. To better understand post-outbreak recovery across a topographically complex region, we synthesized data from 16 field studies spanning subalpine forests in the Southern Rocky Mountains, USA. From 1997 to 2019, these forests were heavily affected by outbreaks of three native bark beetle species (Dendroctonus ponderosae, Dendroctonus rufipennis and Dryocoetes …

The Test-Retest Reliability Of Single Leg Jump Performance Using The Drift Protocol In Division I Baseball Pitchers, Amy Bergquist

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of the Drift protocol with and without utilizing an arm swing, and to establish if this is an effective assessment tool for single leg vertical jump. Thirteen male Division I Baseball pitchers (18-35 yrs.) completed four testing visits where a single leg hopping protocol was assessed. Visit one consisted of the consent process and familiarization with the Drift protocol. Visits two, three, and four involved two trials of the protocol, with and without an arm swing. The protocol consisted of five single leg hops on both the stride and …

Synergistic Impacts Of Climate Change And Human Induced Stressors On The Apalachicola Bay Food Web, Kira Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Apalachicola Bay, an estuary located in northwest Florida, is likely to experience an increase in climate change and human-induced stressors, such as sea level rise and changes in freshwater inflow, in the future. A coupled hydrodynamic and food web modeling approach was used to simulate future scenarios of low and high river flow and sea level rise in Apalachicola Bay from 2020 to 2049 and demonstrate the range of temporal and spatial changes in water temperature, salinity, fisheries species populations and the broader food web. Concurrent with model development, a survey of Apalachicola Bay stakeholders was conducted to assess stakeholder …

Environmental Effects On Constructed Wetland Microbial Diversity And Function In The Context Of Wastewater Management, Sandrine Grandmont-Lemire

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Microbial communities play a crucial role in ecosystems, yet we know little about how microbial diversity influences ecosystem functioning. An important gap in our understanding is how environmental change affects microbial Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function relationships (BEF). These complex interactions between microbial biodiversity and ecosystem function can influence major biogeochemical processes, such as the nitrogen cycle in wetland ecosystems, which play an important role in managing wastewater. To address the effect of biodiversity on function, my study investigates the BEF relationships between microbial diversity and the function in terms of ammonia removal from wastewater at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility (AWTF) both …

Small Mammal Species Richness And Relative Abundance Across The Elevational Gradient And Microhabitats Of Pine Mountain, Eastern Kentucky, Sarah Elizabeth Baker

Online Theses and Dissertations

Identifying microhabitat conditions influencing species abundance is critical to understanding distributions of species. Pine Mountain has forest types uncommon in Kentucky, but systematic small mammal surveys are dated. My objectives were: investigate variation in small mammal occurrence on Pine Mountain, and update small mammal records in the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) mammal collection. I deployed pitfall traps, open from May - November 2021, at four state nature preserves (SNPs) on Pine Mountain. I measured microhabitat using 1 m2 quadrats at traps, then used redundancy analysis and generalized linear mixed (GLM) models to determine which conditions best explained variation in occurrence …

Phenotypic Plasticity Of Geographically Central And Peripheral Populations Of Jefferson Salamanders (Ambystoma Jeffersonianum) In Response To Simulated Climate Change, Aaron Devine

Online Theses and Dissertations

Climate change will elicit various species responses as it causes habitats to change. Species with limited dispersal must respond to these changes “in place”, yet some biogeographical hypotheses indicate isolated and less abundant populations experience reduced gene flow and genetic diversity that may limit phenotypic plasticity, contrasting with evidence suggesting more variable habitats select for increased plasticity in peripheral populations. To gain insight into associations between range position and intensity of plasticity, mesocosm experiments were done to assess plasticity in larval growth, size at, and time to, metamorphosis, and survivorship in larval Ambystoma jeffersonianum salamanders from geographically core and peripheral …

The Price Of “Normal”: Masking In The Autistic Community, Phyllis Elizabeth Holloway

Online Theses and Dissertations

The Autistic community has a rich history that often includes poor mental health outcomes due to the increased stress and anxiety surrounding the push to have “normal” social skills. On Twitter, many autistic people utilize a hashtag to connect with others in the online Autistic community. This qualitative study analyzes the Twitter hashtag, #ActuallyAutistic, to understand masking and camouflaging from the autistic point of view. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to perform this analysis. The themes found emphasize the need for professionals to increase their understanding of the Autistic community’s value and contributions. By improving the ability of non-autistic …

Comparison Of Spawning Habitat And Nest Density Between Buck Darter (Etheostoma Nebra) And Striped Darter (Etheostoma Virgatum) Populations In The Cumberland River Drainage, Kentucky, Jacob Charles Murphy

Online Theses and Dissertations

The Buck Darter (Etheostoma nebra) is an imperiled, small-stream species in the Cumberland River drainage in southern Kentucky. It was originally thought to be a population of the Striped Darter (E. virgatum) species and was prevalent throughout the Buck Creek system. It was separated from the Striped Darter and deemed a separate species in 2015; however, the population has declined dramatically. Presently, the species is found in three streams of the Flat Lick Creek system, two originally established populations in Big Spring Branch and Stewart Branch, and one newly introduced population, established in 2018, in an unnamed tributary. The decline …

Body Size And Habitat Shading Influence The Consumptive And Non-Consumptive Effects Of Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus) Tadpoles On Aquatic Invertebrate Communities, Brady Patrick Parlato

Online Theses and Dissertations

Consumptive (direct) effects of predation have been well-studied in most aquatic systems, but non-consumptive (indirect) effects on prey have only recently received limited attention in some groups. As aquatic consumers, tadpoles have traditionally been considered strict herbivores, leaving their predatory impacts via consumptive and non-consumptive interactions on aquatic invertebrates largely unexplored. The objectives of this study were to quantify omnivory among wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpoles, determine their consumptive and non-consumptive effects on invertebrate communities, and investigate whether such effects are mediated by habitat shading and tadpole body size. Lithobates sylvaticus tadpoles and egg masses were randomly sampled from 11 …

Genetic And Morphological Assessment Of Pigtoe Mussels (Unionidae: Pleurobemini: Fusconaia/Pleurobema Spp.) In Ozark Drainages, Logan Tyler Phelps

Online Theses and Dissertations

North America is home to nearly 300 species of native freshwater mussels. Many species within this group are in need of conservation efforts and for these efforts to be effective, species delimitations must be as accurate as possible. Intraspecific variation and interspecific convergence are sources of confusion within morphology-based taxonomy, particularly within the Pleurobemini. Molecular phylogenetic work has revealed multiple problems within currently accepted Pleurobemini classifications. Specifically, Fusconaia has been shown to harbor cryptic diversity within drainages of the Ozarks. Further, Pleurobema rubrum and P. sintoxia have been shown to be possible conspecifics despite have differing shell morphologies. This study …

Chromatographic Studies Of Some Hormone And Metabolic Modulators Used For Doping In Sports, Ruth Marie Speidel

Online Theses and Dissertations

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is an international agency that monitors the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in sports; their mission is “to lead a collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport” (Who We Are, 2022). For this mission, the WADA needs quick, sensitive, reproducible, and accurate methods for analyzing athletes’ biological fluids for possible PEDs. This research focuses on developing and validating simple, sensitive, rapid, and reliable gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods for the analysis of two hormone and metabolic modulators, toremifene and trimetazidine. Previously, there has been limited GC-MS methods used to analyze toremifene and trimetazidine. Quantification …

From Dna Logic Gates To Dna Nanorobots, Tatiana Molden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Due to their biocompatibility and parallel data processing, DNA computational devices are highly desired for applications in diagnosis and treatment of cancer, infectious and genetic diseases. Much like in modern electronic devices, DNA computation is based on the logic gates - by directly interacting with DNA or RNA input molecules, they produce a specific output depending on their embedded logic function. This work is devoted to the development of functional parts of a future DNA nanorobot for biomedical applications. Specifically, we used DNA nanotechnology and the concept of multicomponent DNA probes to develop three parts of the DNA nanorobot: computing, …

Decreased Photosynthetic Efficiency In Response To Site Translocation And Elevated Temperature Is Mitigated With Lps Exposure In Porites Astreoides Symbionts, Tyler E. Harman, Briana Hauff-Salas, Joshua A. Haslun, James M. Cervino, Kevin Strychar

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Coral reefs have been detrimentally impacted causing health issues due to elevated ocean temperatures as a result of increased greenhouse gases. Extreme temperatures have also exacerbated coral diseases in tropical reef environments. Numerous studies have outlined the impacts of thermal stress and disease on coral organisms, as well as understanding the influence of site-based characteristics on coral physiology. However, few have discussed the interaction of all three. Laboratory out-planting restoration projects have been of importance throughout impacted areas such as the Caribbean and southern Florida in order to increase coral cover in these areas. This study analyzes photosynthetic efficiency of …

Movement Probabilities Of Bigheaded Carps (Hypophthalmichthys Spp.) In The Illinois River Estimated From Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods, A. A. Coulter, M. K. Brey, M. Lubjeko, J. L. Kalis, D. Coulter, D. C. Glover, G. W. Whitledge, J. E. Garvey

NRM Departmental Data Sets

Previously published work used program MARK to estimate parameters for multistate models for Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and Silver Carp (H. molitrix) (Coulter et al. 2018) movements in the Illinois River. Multistate models estimate transition probability (psi), survival probability (S), and detection probability (p) and models with those parameters varying by state and time (state*time), just state (state), just time (time), and neither (.) were evaluated for each species (Coulter et al. 2018). Using the format of the top model for each species identified in Coulter et al. (2018), Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods were …

The Relationship Between Food Retailers And Distributors, Madison Seigler, Julia Anderson, Aidan Morton, Cassandra Williams, Victoria Bloomgren, Jacob Tutty

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Our understanding of the science of anthropogenic climate change and its immediate and indirect impacts has grown within the last decade.Alongside anincrease in concern for the inequities within the industrialized food system, climate change is impacting agriculture and the communities that depend on it in myriad ways. These challenges have catalyzed investment in sustainable agriculture, “eat local” food movements, and rethinking of all aspects of food systems, including consumers, producers, retailers, and distributors. The body of literature on food systems primarily focuses on the connection between consumers and retailers; however, there is a notable absence of literature on the relationships …

A Call To Action: Education Driven Strategies For Successful Implementation Of Blue Economy Initiatives At Coastal Universities, Matthew Tallino

Education Theses

Microplastic pollution impacts the earth’s oceans. Research at the deep sea and surface level, as well as research examining different bodies of water, indicates this problem is widespread. This research examines data from 2012 to the present to assess the impact the human stressor of microplastic has on marine ecosystems and ocean sampling and the insight that peer reviewed research on microplastics can provide as coastal universities create Blue Economy strategic action plans. Data indicates microplastics are a critical issue to the oceans overall health. The implications of the research are designed to target a variety of community members at …

Fluorescent Cellular Assays For Kinase Inhibitors, Myar Mohamed

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

One of the most successful and fastest growing groups of kinase inhibitors are small molecules that compete with ATP binding. Kinase function is closely related to many diseases, specifically cancer. Kinases within living cells are essential elements in signaling cascades and post-translational modifications. However, actual kinase activity and the efficacy of its inhibitors in living systems are hard to evaluate. A way to assess inhibitor activity is through cellular assays that directly report the inhibitor’s engagement in native environments. Our goal is to develop a simple near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent HTS-compatible cellular assay for kinase inhibitor profiling in native cellular environments. …

Robust Meta-Analysis For Large-Scale Genomic Experiments Based On An Empirical Approach, Sinjini Sikdar

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Recent high-throughput technologies have opened avenues for simultaneous analyses of thousands of genes. With the availability of a multitude of public databases, one can easily access multiple genomic study results where each study comprises of significance testing results of thousands of genes. Researchers currently tend to combine this genomic information from these multiple studies in the form of a meta-analysis. As the number of genes involved is very large, the classical meta-analysis approaches need to be updated to acknowledge this large-scale aspect of the data.

METHODS: In this article, we discuss how application of standard theoretical null distributional assumptions …

Desmanthus Virgatus - Environmental Weed Risk Assessment 2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Environmental Weed Risk Assessments

Introducing new plants to an area may have both positive and negative effects on the environment, economy and community. To minimise the negative environmental impact of introducing new agricultural species, DPIRD conducts a risk assessment procedure based on widely accepted scientific standards. This report assesses Desmanthus (Desmanthus virgatus). Desmanthus is a summer-growing, perennial legume adapted to neutral to alkaline, clay soils.