Life Sciences Commons^™

Decomposition And Macroinvertebrate Shredder Colonization Of Autumnal Shed Sycamore Leaves In Mining-Contaminated Streams, Leslie Marie Hatch

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Leaf decomposition in streams is an important ecological function facilitated by bacteria, fungi, and macroinvertebrates. Metal contamination can decrease leaf decomposition rates and reduce macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity. In the current study, I focused on mining-contamination in well-buffered streams in two different Missouri mining districts with varying extents of mining contamination, Big River and Pierson Creek. I measured decomposition rates of sycamore leaves, and abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrate shredders in leaf pack experiments with a full-factorial design to determine the effects of metal contamination of leaves and stream substrates. Comparisons were made between leaf packs upstream and downstream of …

Evaluating Exploitation Of White Crappie And Black Crappie In Three Southeast Kansas Reservoirs, Danci Lee Johnston

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Populations of white crappie Pomoxis annularis and black crappie P. nigromaculatus were studied in three southeast Kansas reservoirs to assess exploitation and determine if current regulations were conducive for sustainable populations. Trap nets were used to sample crappie in Elk City Reservoir, Big Hill Reservoir, and Parsons City Lake. Crappie with length 210 mm and greater were tagged with FloyFD-94 tags that served as entries into a drawing for a US$300-valued reward to encourage tag reporting. Harvest and angler demographic information were collected when tags were reported. Postcard surveys and motion-sensed cameras were used in conjunction to estimate angler effort …

Public Perceptions Of Human Physical Interactions, Exhibition, And Conservation Of Tigers And Cheetahs, Abbie Knudsen

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Tigers and cheetahs are common in the pet trade, public exhibits, and hands-on encounters with the public. Poor regulation of these experiences has resulted in numerous incidents worldwide in which a person was seriously injured or killed by captive big cats. Additionally, concerns for animal welfare have been raised by industry professionals. Prior research on primates has demonstrated exposing people to photographs of cats in different backgrounds can influence their attitudes about animals in captivity, but no study has addressed whether visual images affect human attitudes toward big cats. I used a survey that asked a series of questions about …

Molecular Mechanism Of Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns In Association With Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease Resistance Of Heat Stressed-Shrimp Penaeus Vannamei, Supitcha Wanvimonsuk

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Non-lethal heat shock (NLHS) is known to enhance resistance to acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VPAHPND) in the Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei. Generally, cell damage induced by stresses leads to the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), molecules that act as endogenous danger signals to promote immune response. The first part of this research aims to study molecular mechanism of DAMPs that can enhance innate immunity upon NLHS treatment on VPAHPND resistance. We identified and characterized the candidate NLHS-induced DAMP that can activate innate immune responses against VPAHPND. The candidate DAMP genes were retrieved from the …

Metabolic Engineering Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae For 3-Hydroxypropionic Acid Production, Supattra Lertsriwong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) is an important building block chemical that can be produced from renewable resources through the malonyl-CoA pathway. This route is the best candidate for 3-HP biosynthesis through the expression of the malonyl-CoA reductase (MCR). However, the problem of the imbalance between MCR-C and MCR-N proteins causes a low conversion rate of malonyl-CoA to 3-HP. Therefore, this study aimed to balance the bi-functional MCR enzyme by dissecting MCR into two fragments and enhancing the supply of intermediates to increase the production of 3-HP. It was found that the recombinant harboring dissected MCR produced 1.26 g/L of 3-HP, which …

Development Of Advanced Lateral Flow Immunoassay For Leptospirosis, Covid-19 And Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Detection, Wanwisa Deenin

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This dissertation focuses on the development of advanced lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA) for the detection of infectious diseases and pharmacologically active phytochemicals. The research is divided into two parts. The first part involves the development of electrochemical LFIA (eLFIA) for the diagnosis of infectious diseases (Leptospirosis and COVID-19) and the detection of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In this approach, ferrocene carboxylic acid (Fc) is utilized as a redox species labeled on a specific antibody targeting the analyte of interest, enabling enhanced electrochemical signal detection. A disposable SPCE is integrated into the LFIA, and a bioreceptor specific to the target analyte is immobilized …

Antimicrobial Efficacy Of Gaseous Chlorine Dioxide For Inactivation Of Salmonella And Enterococcus Faecium Nrrl B-2354 On Dried Basil Leaves, Tushar Verma, Xinyao Wei, Byron D. Chaves, Terry Howell Jr., Jeyamkondan Subbiah

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research aims to investigate the efficacy of chlorine dioxide gas on the inactivation of Salmonella on dried basil leaves and evaluate the suitability of E. faecium as a surrogate for Salmonella. Dried basil leaves (2.0 ± 0.1 g) inoculated with a 5-strain Salmonella cocktail or E. faecium were packed in a paper bag, heat-sealed, and placed inside a chlorine dioxide treatment chamber. The samples were exposed to different levels of gas concentration (5, 10, and 15 mg/L) and relative humidity (60, 70, 80%) for various exposure times. The treated samples were diluted with neutralizing buffer and plated onto …

Design And Validation Of Artificial Feeders To Study Feeding Preferences And Growth Of Hematophagous Juvenile Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus), Gracie Li-Ting-Wai

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The parasitic and invasive land-locked sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus populations contributed to the collapse of the Great Lakes fisheries in the mid-1900s, while native anadromous populations are currently under threat and require conservation efforts for protection. Despite the increasing concern for both populations of this species, the juvenile stage of the sea lamprey’s life cycle has not been well studied. This is due, in part, to ethical concerns raised around holding live host fish with juveniles and the lack of an alternative feeding method to maintain these juveniles in the laboratory. The feeder should be designed to minimize fouling of …

Psychological Resilience In Student-Athletes During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Henley Lapid

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the psychological resilience process in student-athletes during the unique adverse context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sought to answer the following research questions guided by Fisher et al.’s (2019) heuristic framework: (1) What resilience mechanisms, (2) promoting factors, and (3) resilience outcomes were experienced by participants in their resilience demonstrations? and (4) How does the resilience process unfold over time across adverse contexts including the COVID-19 pandemic? Nine student-athletes from Wilfrid Laurier University were interviewed on their experiences demonstrating resilience within and outside of the pandemic. A thematic analysis (Braun …

The Role Of Ovarian Hormones In Appetite-Regulation: Examining The Post-Exercise Appetite Response In Pre- Vs Post-Menopausal Females, Jessica A.L. Tucker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

INTRODUCTION: Appetite fluctuates across the menstrual cycle, suggesting ovarian hormones are involved in the regulation of appetite hormones and energy intake. Exercise is another regulator of appetite with higher intensity exercise generating a greater and more consistent suppression. Considering there is limited evidence investigating the role of ovarian hormones in appetite regulation, menopause represents a stage of life where ovarian function declines, thus providing an opportunity to further explore the role of ovarian hormones in the appetite-regulatory response to exercise. PURPOSE: To examine the role of ovarian hormones on appetite-regulating hormones in pre- and post-menopausal females following a …

Endocrine Disruptors: Challenges And Future Directions In Epidemiologic Research, V. Ho, L. Pelland-St-Pierre, S. Gravel, M. F. Bouchard, M.-A. Verner, F. Labrèche

Études primaires

Public concern about the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on both humans and the environment is growing steadily. Epidemiologic research provides key information towards our understanding of the relationship between environmental exposures like EDCs and human health outcomes. Intended for researchers in disciplines complementary to epidemiology, this paper highlights the importance and challenges of epidemiologic research in order to present the key elements pertaining to the design and interpretation of an epidemiologic study on EDCs.

The conduct of observational studies on EDCs derives from a thoughtful research question, which will help determine the subsequent methodological choices surrounding the careful …

Submaximal Electromyography-Driven Musculoskeletal Modeling Of The Human Trunk During Static Tasks: Equilibrium And Stability Analyses, Farshid Ghezelbash, Aboulfazl Shirazi-Adl, Denis Gagnon, Ali Shahvarpour, Navid Arjmand, Amir Hossein Eskandari, Christian Larivière

Études primaires

Conventional electromyography-driven (EMG) musculoskeletal models are calibrated during maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) tasks, but individuals with low back pain cannot perform unbiased MVCs. To address this issue, EMG-driven models can be calibrated in submaximal tasks. However, the effects of maximal (when data points include the maximum contraction) and submaximal calibration techniques on model outputs (e.g., muscle forces, spinal loads) remain yet unknown. We calibrated a subject-specific EMG-driven model, using maximal/submaximal isometric contractions, and simulated different independent tasks. Both approaches satisfactorily predicted external moments (Pearson’s correlation ∼ 0.75; relative error = 44%), and removing calibration tasks under axial torques markedly improved …

Comparative Genomics, Evolutionary Epidemiology, And Rbd-Hace2 Receptor Binding Pattern In B.1.1.7 (Alpha) And B.1.617.2 (Delta) Related To Their Pandemic Response In Uk And India, Chiranjib Chakraborty, Ashish Ranjan Sharma, Manojit Bhattacharya, Bidyut Mallik, Shyam Sundar Nandi, Sang-Soo Lee

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

BACKGROUND: The massive increase in COVID-19 infection had generated a second wave in India during May-June 2021 with a critical pandemic situation. The Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was a significant factor during the second wave. Conversely, the UK had passed through the crucial phase of the pandemic from November to December 2020 due to B.1.1.7. The study tried to comprehend the pandemic response in the UK and India to the spread of the B.1.1.7 (Alpha, UK) variant and B.1.617.2 (Delta, India) variant.

METHODS: This study was performed in three directions to understand the pandemic response of the two emerging variants. First, …

T-Lymphocyte Tyrosine Hydroxylase Regulates T H 17 T-Lymphocytes During Repeated Social Defeat Stress, Safwan K. Elkhatib, Cassandra M. Moshfegh, Gabrielle F. Watson, Adam J. Case

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder which results in deleterious changes to psychological and physical health. Patients with PTSD are especially susceptible to life-threatening co-morbid inflammation-driven pathologies, such as autoimmunity, while also demonstrating increased T-helper 17 (T_H17) lymphocyte-driven inflammation. While the exact mechanism of this increased inflammation is unknown, overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system is a hallmark of PTSD. Neurotransmitters of the sympathetic nervous system (i.e., catecholamines) can alter T-lymphocyte function, which we have previously demonstrated to be partially mitochondrial redox-mediated. Furthermore, we have previously elucidated that T-lymphocytes generate their own catecholamines, and strong …

Time-Dependent Alteration In The Chemoreflex Post-Acute Lung Injury, Kajal Kamra, Nikolay Karpuk, Ryan Adam, Irving H. Zucker, Harold D. Schultz, Han-Jun Wang

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

Acute lung injury (ALI) induces inflammation that disrupts the normal alveolar-capillary endothelial barrier which impairs gas exchange to induce hypoxemia that reflexively increases respiration. The neural mechanisms underlying the respiratory dysfunction during ALI are not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the chemoreflex in mediating abnormal ventilation during acute (early) and recovery (late) stages of ALI. We hypothesized that the increase in respiratory rate (fR) during post-ALI is mediated by a sensitized chemoreflex. ALI was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats using a single intra-tracheal injection of bleomycin (Bleo: low-dose = 1.25 mg/Kg or …

Discovery Of Pharmaceutical Agents Towards The Inhibition Of P38 Mitogen- Activated Protein Kinase (Mapk): In Silico And In Vitro Studies, Utid Suriya

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

In this research, we combined the accelerated in silico screening methods alongside experimental evaluations to search for novel anti-non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) drug candidates specifically targeting the up-regulated kinases including epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR TK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2). A novel compound scaffold, quinoxalinones including CPD4, CPD15, CPD16, and CPD21 was identified to inhibit the EGFR (L858R/T790M/C797S) TK with an IC50 value down to a nanomolar scale as well as showing a cytotoxic effect against NSCLC cell lines. Apart from that, we employed a drug repositioning platform to elucidate …

Characteristics Of Mononucleotide A-Repeats Around Transcription Start Sites In Vertebrates, Jatuphol Pholtaisong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Tandem repeats (TRs) promote a wide variety of phenotypic traits. The imbalance of mononucleotide A-repeats around transcription start sites (TSSs) in human, mouse and rat in previous study. In this study, the imbalance of A-repeats in 60 vertebrates was investigated, and the potential function of upstream A-repeats was identified. We discovered that some vertebrates were the origin of the imbalance pattern. Mammals and birds had a similar pattern, while amphibians and reptiles did not. We hypothesized that the enriched A-repeats upstream of TSSs is a novel hallmark of endotherms or warm-blooded animals. Gene ontology analysis indicates that the primary function …

Software Architecture For Smart Farming (Fasal), Muhammad Asad Bin Khalid

MSCS Research Projects

The paper represents the urge of making this application for betterment of agricultural sector of Pakistan and how this application could result in the growth of the sector. Moreover, the paper presents the research papers work consulted during the research and also contains the flow of application made for POC. Future work is also illustrated at the end to make sure there is a gap that needs to be filled for a proper mature application.

รูปแบบการถ่ายทอดการขยายนิวคลีโอไทด์ซ้ำในโรคลมชักแบบกระตุกที่เริ่มเป็นในวัยผู้ใหญ่และถ่ายทอดในครอบครัวแบบไม่รุนแรงด้วยเทคโนโลยีการหาลำดับเบสแบบสายยาว, ศุภกร รักวงศ์ขจร

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

โรคลมชักแบบกระตุกที่เริ่มเป็นในวัยผู้ใหญ่และถ่ายทอดในครอบครัวแบบไม่รุนแรง (BAFME) เป็นโรคทางระบบประสาทที่ถ่ายทอดแบบยีนเด่นบนโครโมโซมร่างกาย โดยมีการสั่นและ/หรือชักเกร็งเป็นลักษณะของโรค ซึ่งมีช่วงอายุที่เริ่มแสดงอาการของโรคตั้งแต่วัยรุ่นจนถึงวัยผู้ใหญ่ สาเหตุของโรคเกิดจากการขยายเบสซ้ำชนิด TTTTA และตามด้วยการแทรกตัวของลำดับเบสชนิด TTTCA ในบริเวณอินทรอนของยีนมากมาย รวมถึงอินทรอน 4 ของยีน SAMD12 ในโรคลมชักแบบกระตุกที่เริ่มเป็นในวัยผู้ใหญ่และถ่ายทอดในครอบครัวแบบไม่รุนแรงชนิดที่ 1 (BAFME1) และอินทรอน 1 ของยีน YEATS2 ในโรคลมชักแบบกระตุกที่เริ่มเป็นในวัยผู้ใหญ่และถ่ายทอดในครอบครัวแบบไม่รุนแรงชนิดที่ 4 (BAFME4) จากการศึกษาที่ผ่านมาพบว่าความยาวของจำนวนซ้ำที่มากขึ้นทำให้อาการของโรครุนแรงขึ้น วัตถุประสงค์ของการศึกษานี้ คือการใช้เทคโนโลยีการหาลำดับเบสแบบสายยาวของ Pacific Biosciences ในการระบุจำนวนซ้ำ การศึกษาการถ่ายทอดของการขยายเบสซ้ำ และหาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างจีโนไทป์และฟีโนไทป์ในครอบครัวผู้ป่วยชาวไทยที่เป็น BAFME1 และ BAFME4 ผลการศึกษาพบว่าในผู้ป่วยที่เป็นพี่น้องกัน จำนวนซ้ำชนิด TTTCA มีความแตกต่างอย่างมีนัยสำคัญเมื่อเทียบกับจำนวนซ้ำชนิด TTTTA สำหรับจำนวนซ้ำ TTTTA มีจำนวนลดลงในขณะที่จำนวนซ้ำ TTTCA มีจำนวนเพิ่มขึ้น เมื่อมีการส่งถ่ายทอดจากผู้ป่วยรุ่นพ่อแม่ไปยังผู้ป่วยรุ่นลูก และพบความสัมพันธ์แบบผกผันระหว่างจำนวนซ้ำ TTTTA จำนวนซ้ำ TTTCA และจำนวนซ้ำทั้งหมด กับอายุที่เริ่มแสดงอาการของโรคในครอบครัว BAFME1 แต่ไม่พบความสัมพันธ์ดังกล่าวในครอบครัว BAFME4 นอกจากนี้ยังพบโครงสร้างรูปแบบใหม่ ((TTTTA)exp(CAAAA)ins(CCAAA)ins(TTTCA)ins) ในผู้ป่วย BAFME4 โดยการศึกษานี้แสดงให้เห็นถึงพฤติกรรมของการขยายเบสซ้ำที่มีทั้งความซับซ้อนและความหลากหลายระหว่างชนิดของ BAFME ที่ต่างกัน

ฮอร์โมนเอสโตรเจนเหนี่ยวนำให้เกิดการแทรกของ Line-1 ดีเอ็นเอเข้าไปในจีโนมของเซลล์มะเร็งเต้านม, กุลจิรา โรจน์ไพศาลกิจ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ในปัจจุบันโรคมะเร็งเต้านมเป็นมะเร็งที่มีอุบัติการณ์และอัตราการตายสูงที่สุดในเพศหญิงทั่วโลกรวมถึงในประเทศไทยด้วย โดยพบว่า LINE-1 ถือว่าเป็น Retrotransposon element ที่พบมากที่สุดถึง 17 % ของจีโนมและมีความสามารถในการคัดลอกแล้วแทรกตัวเองในบริเวณอื่นของจีโนมซึ่งเป็นสาเหตุของทำให้เกิดความไม่สเถียรของจีโนมอันเป็นสาเหตุของการเกิดโรคมะเร็ง และยังพบว่าการแสดงออกของLINE-1 มีผลต่อการลุกลาม, ขนาด, และระยะของโรคมะเร็งเต้านมด้วย นอกจากนี้ยังพบว่าผู้หญิงที่การได้รับฮอร์โมนเอสโตรเจนต่อเนื่องเป็นระยะเวลานานทำให้ความเสี่ยงของโรคมะเร็งเต้านมเพิ่มมากขึ้น ถึงกระนั้นยังคงไม่ทราบถึงกลไกการทำงานของเอสโตรเจน ดังนั้นผู้วิจัยจึงตั้งสมมุติฐานว่า เอสโตรเจนสามารถเหนี่ยวนำให้เกิดการแทรกของ LINE-1 ดีเอ็นเอเข้าไปในจีโนมของเซลล์มะเร็งเต้านม โดยทำการศึกษาบผลของเอสโตรเจนที่ได้รับต่อการแสดงออกของ LINE-1 mRNA และ LINE-1 โปรตีน รวมถึงผลของเอสโตรเจนที่ได้รับต่อการแทรกของ LINE-1 ดีเอ็นเอโดยวิเคราะห์จากปริมาณดีเอ็นเอในเซลล์มะเร็งเต้านม T47D ผลการทดลองพบว่าที่เอสโตรเจนมีผลทำให้การแสดงออกของ LINE-1 mRNA เพิ่มขึ้นสูงที่สุดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญที่ความเข้มข้นของเอสโตรเจน 5 nM ด้วยวิธี Realtime RT-PCR ในเซลล์มะเร็งเต้านม T47D และผลทำให้การแสดงออกของ LINE-1 mRNA เพิ่มขึ้นสูงที่สุดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญที่ 12 ชม. ด้วยวิธี Realtime RT-PCR ในเซลล์มะเร็งเต้านม T47D และเอสโตรเจนมีผลทำให้การแสดงออกของโปรตีน LINE-1 ORF1p เพิ่มขึ้นสูงที่สุดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญที่ 48 และ 72 ชม. ในเซลล์มะเร็งเต้านม T47D ด้วยวิธี Western blot โดยพบว่าการแสดงออกของโปรตีน LINE-1 ORF1p เพิ่มขึ้นสูงที่สุดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ 72 ชม. นอกจากนี้เอสโตรเจนมีผลทำให้ปริมาณของ LINE-1 ดีเอ็นเอบริเวณ ORF2 เพิ่มขึ้นสูงที่สุดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญที่ 72 ชม.ในเซลล์มะเร็งเต้านม T47D มากที่สุดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญด้วยวิธี Real-time PCR แสดงให้เห็นว่าเอสโตรเจนมีผลทำให้เกิดการแทรกของ LINE-1 ดีเอ็นเอเข้าไปในจีโนมได้ จากผลการทดลองทั้งหมดจึงสรุปได้ว่า เอสโตรเจนมีผลต่อการเพิ่มแสดงออกของ LINE-1 mRNA และ LINE-1 โปรตีน รวมถึงเพิ่มปริมาณ LINE-1 ดีเอ็นเอ อย่างมีนัยสำคัญในเซลล์มะเร็งเต้านม T47D แสดงว่าเอสโตรเจนสามารถเหนี่ยวนำให้เกิดการแทรกของ LINE-1 ดีเอ็นเอเข้าไปในจีโนมนำไปสู่การกลายพันธุ์ของยีนและความไม่เสถียรของจีโนม

การตรวจหายีนดื้อยากลุ่ม Β-Lactams จากมูลสุกรโดยตรง ด้วยเทคนิค Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ร่วมกับ Lateral Flow Assay และเทคนิค Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction, นุชบา สุจันทา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สุกรเป็นอีกหนึ่งแหล่งกักเก็บเชื้อแบคทีเรียที่มียีนดื้อยาสร้างเอนไซม์ Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases (ESBLs) ซึ่งสามารถแพร่กระจายยีนดื้อยามาสู่มนุษย์ สัตว์ และสิ่งแวดล้อมได้ ในการศึกษานี้จึงได้พัฒนาการตรวจหายีนสร้างเอนไซม์ ESBLs จากมูลสุกรโดยตรง ด้วยเทคนิค Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR), mPCR-Lateral flow assay (mPCR-LFA) และเทคนิค Nested PCR (nPCR) เปรียบเทียบกับการตรวจจากเชื้อ ESBL-producing Escherichia coli ซึ่งเพาะแยกจากมูลสุกรตัวอย่างเดียวกัน ด้วยเทคนิค PCR-sequencing เชื้อ ESBL-producing E. coli จำนวน 149 isolates ที่เพาะแยกจากมูลสุกรทั้งหมด 139 ตัวอย่าง พบความชุกของยีนชนิด blaCTX-M-15 (34.2%) มากที่สุด รองลงมาคือ blaCTX-M-15+TEM-1 (17.5%) และ blaCTX-M-55+TEM-1 (13.4%) โดยเชื้อ ESBL-producing E. coli ส่วนใหญ่มีการดื้อยาหลายขนาน โดยดื้อต่อยา Ceftriaxone (100%), Cefotaxime (100%), Ciprofloxacin (31.5%) และ Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole (30.9%) ความไว ความจำเพาะ และขีดจำกัดของการตรวจจากเชื้อ ESBL-producing E. coli ด้วยเทคนิค mPCR-LFA เท่ากับ 100% และ 0.1-1 ng ตามลำดับ เทคนิค mPCR ที่พัฒนาขึ้น สำหรับตรวจจากมูลสุกรโดยตรง พบว่าต้องใช้ปริมาณเชื้อมากถึง 107 CFU จึงจะตรวจพบ โดยมีความไวในการตรวจยีน blaCTX-M และ blaTEM เท่ากับ 30.43% และ 87.65% ตามลำดับ ขีดจำกัดและความไวของการตรวจพบยีน blaCTX-M โดยตรง …

Targeting The Bcl6 Transcription Factor In Ovarian Cancer, Harrison H. Parent

Honors Theses and Capstones

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common reproductive malignancies for women in the United States, as well as one of the deadliest. Many deaths attributed to ovarian cancer, as well as cancer generally, are due to metastasis of the original tumor to different tissues throughout the body. The BCL6 transcription factor has been identified to play a key role in the metastasis of these tumors, as well as the invasion of these cancer cells through mesothelial cell layers, which contributes to ovarian cancer’s unique metastatic behavior. In an attempt to target these metastases and prevent mesothelial penetration, drugs were …

Investigating The Main Protease (Mpro) Of Sars-Cov-2 As A Potential Drug Target, Valerie Giovina Pascetta

Honors Theses and Capstones

The rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed the lives of roughly 6.2 million people worldwide as of May 2022. The virus’s main protease (M^pro ) has been identified as an attractive drug target due to the critical role it plays in the viral life cycle. The roughly 34 kDa M^pro cleaves functional viral polypeptides out of two long polyproteins at conserved cut sites, allowing them to fulfill their role in processes like transcription and replication. Here, we have studied the enzymatic activity …

Finding The Best Predictors For Foot Traffic In Us Seafood Restaurants, Isabel Paige Beaulieu

Honors Theses and Capstones

COVID-19 caused state and nation-wide lockdowns, which altered human foot traffic, especially in restaurants. The seafood sector in particular suffered greatly as there was an increase in illegal fishing, it is made up of perishable goods, it is seasonal in some places, and imports and exports were slowed. Foot traffic data is useful for business owners to have to know how much to order, how many employees to schedule, etc. One issue is that the data is very expensive, hard to get, and not available until months after it is recorded. Our goal is to not only find covariates that …

Future Climate Streamflow Estimation In The Donnelly River Catchment, Justin Hughes, Bill Wang

Natural resources commissioned reports

The Donnelly River is located in the south-west of Western Australia. An irrigation development has been proposed in the catchment that would extract water from the Donnelly River and store this in an off stream reservoir for irrigation use. Given the known issues related to non-stationarity and hydrological prediction, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) contracted CSIRO to review the hydrological model that was used to estimate future climate streamflow in the Donnelly River. This model was owned and operated by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER). The CSIRO review of the model, which also …

Elementary Teacher Levels Of Empathy And Responses To Boys Exhibiting Odd-Like Behaviors, Dominique Deveaux

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem that was the focus of this study is that disruptive classroom behavior has increased. According to a 2019 survey conducted by the consulting firm Education Advisory Board, teachers have reported a spike in disruptive classroom behaviors. Attitudes towards school expressed by students who exhibit behavior that characterizes oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are influenced by teacher interactions and support, but no recent study had determined levels of empathy used by elementary school teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how elementary school general education teachers describe the level of empathy they apply in reacting to and …

The Relationship Between First Case On-Time Starts, Turnover Times, And Operating Room Productivity, Rhafia Bucoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Operating room (OR) managers struggle to manage day-to-day surgical operations while meeting and exceeding organizational productivity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The deferral of surgeries contributes to millions of backlogs of surgical case volume and unintended negative consequences. Grounded in the proposition that first-case on-time starts (FCOTS) and turnover time (TOT) are correlates of OR productivity, the purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between FCOTS, TOT, and OR productivity. Archival data from 136 electronic surgical records were collected from two free-standing ambulatory surgery centers and analyzed using multiple regression. The results of the one-service, eye-specialized, ambulatory …

Rickettsial Pathogen Perturbs Tick Circadian Gene To Infect The Vertebrate Host, Supreet Khanal, Vikas Taank, John F. Anderson, Hameeda Sultana, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ixodes scapularis is a medically important tick that transmits several microbes to humans, including rickettsial pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In nature, these ticks encounter several abiotic factors including changes in temperature, humidity, and light. Many organisms use endogenously generated circadian pathways to encounter abiotic factors. In this study, we provide evidence for the first time to show that A. phagocytophilum modulates the arthropod circadian gene for its transmission to the vertebrate host. We noted a circadian oscillation in the expression of arthropod clock, bmal1, period and timeless genes when ticks or tick cells were exposed to alternate 12 h …

Bone Morphogenetic Proteins Shape TReg Cells, Piotr Kraj

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family includes cytokines controlling cell behavior, differentiation and homeostasis of various tissues including components of the immune system. Despite well recognized importance of TGF-β in controlling T cell functions, the immunomodulatory roles of many other members of the TGF-β cytokine family, especially bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), start to emerge. Bone Morphogenic Protein Receptor 1α (BMPR1α) is upregulated by activated effector and Foxp3+ regulatory CD4+ T cells (Treg cells) and modulates functions of both of these cell types. BMPR1α inhibits generation of proinflammatory Th17 cells and sustains peripheral Treg cells. This finding underscores the importance of …

Genomic Degeneration And Reduction In The Fish Pathogen Mycobacterium Shottsi, David T. Gauthier, Janis H. Doss, M. Lagatta, T. Gupta, R.K. Karls, F. D. Quinn

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mycobacterium shottsii is a dysgonic, nonpigmented mycobacterium originally isolated from diseased striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in the Chesapeake Bay, USA. Genomic analysis reveals that M. shottsii is a Mycobacterium ulcerans/Mycobacterium marinum clade (MuMC) member, but unlike the superficially similar M. pseudoshottsii, also isolated from striped bass, it is not an M. ulcerans ecovar, instead belonging to a transitional group of strains basal to proposed “Aronson” and “M” lineages. Although phylogenetically distinct from the human pathogen M. ulcerans, the M. shottsii genome shows parallel but nonhomologous genomic degeneration, including massive accumulation of pseudogenes accompanied by proliferation of …