Biology Commons^™

Detection Of Cyanotoxins (Microcystins/Nodularins) In Hepatic Tissues And Epidermal Mats Of Stranded Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Northeast Florida, Amber Brown

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The St. Johns River (SJR; Jacksonville, FL, USA) is a large, brackish, estuarine system characterized by considerable anthropogenic pollution, recurrent harmful algal blooms (HABs), and diverse toxin-producing cyanobacteria. The most prevalent toxins in SJR water samples are microcystins/nodularins (MCs/NODs). Additionally, the SJR provides critical habitat for a genetically and behaviorally distinct estuarine community of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that routinely uses and strands in low mesohaline and oligohaline areas of the river. This population has been subject to two unusual mortality events (UME) since 2010 and has since been described as having substantial declines in population health, characterized …

The Effects Of Tension, Curvature, And Lipid Diffusion On The Enrichment Of Ras Proteins In Model Membranes, Nina Daneshvar

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

An intriguing aspect of the cell membrane that provokes study is lipid-anchor enrichment of lipidated proteins on the cell membrane. Specifically, recent in vitro studies involving the enrichment of Ras proteins were done to see how enrichment was affected by changes in membrane curvature. These studies demonstrated the Ras protein’s inclination to the expanded, or outer, leaflet of highly curved membranes. Other research done in vivo, however, provoked further inquiry into Ras protein behavior, since when highly curved protrusions were created in living cells, Ras proteins showed affinity for the inner leaflet. This inspired research to determine the exact mechanism …

The Effects Of Sports Related Head Impact On Balance And Neurocognitive Functions, Shaquanda D. Ross-Simmons, Michelle L. Vieyra, Abhishek Jain, Keri Weed

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of sports-related head injury on balance, attention, and memory. Reliable differences have been found using measures that directly tap into brain functioning, such as the auditory oddball task combined with EEG recording. We hypothesized that athletes reporting a diagnosed concussion or participation in high-risk sports would have compromised balance and neurocognitive functioning compared to athletes in low risk sports. Forty-five undergraduate participants were identified as either concussed, non-concussed in high-risk sports, or non-concussed in low-risk sports using a survey of athletic history, head trauma and demographics. The Biopac MP36 system, …

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Differential Uptake Of Gold Nanoparticles By 2 Species Of Tadpole, The Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus) And The Bullfrog (Lithobates Catesbeianus), Lucas B. Thompson, Gerardo L.F. Carfagno, Kurt Andresen, Andrea J. Sitton, Taylor B. Bury, Laura L. Lee, Kevin T. Lerner, Peter P. Fong

Biology Faculty Publications

Engineered nanoparticles are aquatic contaminants of emerging concern that exert ecotoxicological effects on a wide variety of organisms. We exposed cetyltrimethylammonium bromide–capped spherical gold nanoparticles to wood frog and bullfrog tadpoles with conspecifics and in combination with the other species continuously for 21 d, then measured uptake and localization of gold. Wood frog tadpoles alone and in combination with bullfrog tadpoles took up significantly more gold than bullfrogs. Bullfrog tadpoles in combination with wood frogs took up significantly more gold than controls. The rank order of weight-normalized gold uptake was wood frogs in combination > wood frogs alone > bullfrogs in combination …

Biophysical And Computational Studies Of The Vcci:Vmip-Ii Complex, Anna Nguyen, Nai-Wei Kuo, Laura Showalter, Ricardo Ramos, Cynthia Dupureur, Michael Colvin, Patricia Liwang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

Certain viruses have the ability to subvert the mammalian immune response, including interference in the chemokine system. Poxviruses produce the chemokine binding protein vCCI (viral CC chemokine inhibitor; also called 35K), which tightly binds to CC chemokines. To facilitate the study of vCCI, we first provide a protocol to produce folded vCCI from Escherichia coli (E. coli.) It is shown here that vCCI binds with unusually high affinity to viral Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-II (vMIP-II), a chemokine analog produced by the virus, human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8). Fluorescence anisotropy was used to investigate the vCCI:vMIP-II complex and shows that vCCI binds to …

Cellular And Molecular Targets Of Menthol Actions, Murat Oz, Eslam El Nebrisi, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Frank Christopher Howarth, Lina T. Al Kury

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Menthol belongs to monoterpene class of a structurally diverse group of phytochemicals found in plant-derived essential oils. Menthol is widely used in pharmaceuticals, confectionary, oral hygiene products, pesticides, cosmetics, and as a flavoring agent. In addition, menthol is known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. Recently, there has been renewed awareness in comprehending the biological and pharmacological effects of menthol. TRP channels have been demonstrated to mediate the cooling actions ofmenthol. There has been new evidence demonstrating thatmenthol can significantly influence the functional characteristics of a number of different kinds of ligand and voltage-gated ion channels, indicating that at …

Species Identification Of Necrophagous Insect Eggs Based On Amino Acid Profile Differences Revealed By Direct Analysis In Real Time-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry, Justine E. Giffen, Jennifer Y. Rosati, Cameron M. Longo, Rabi A. Musah

Publications and Research

The colonization of decomposing remains by necrophagous insects such as blow flies is of forensic importance because the progression through the various stages of insect development can be correlated to time of death. The ability to infer this information hinges on accurate determination of the fly species that are associated with the entomological evidence collected. This evidence can include eggs, larvae, pupae, and puparial casings. Determination of the egg’s identity is particularly challenging because the eggs of multiple species are morphologically very similar. We report here that the species identity of fly eggs can be determined from their chemical fingerprint …

The Coastal Monitor: Vol 2. No 1., John Tanacredi Ph.D.

The Coastal Monitor

There is something enchanting and vibrant about viewing the coast. Every day at CERCOM we are welcomed by either a vivid sunrise, a view of the barrier island Fire Island and a blending of the sky across the horizon, ultimately flooding the Great South Bay with either clouds or sunshine that reveals the Bay’s surface as either shimmering with sunlight, or an integration of sky and water as an endless ocean. I don’t normally wax poetic but the varying sights along the near shore ocean and this embayment beckon our scientific inquisitiveness. What’s below the surface water? How do animals …

Integrating The Field Of Prebiotic Chemistry Into A Christian Worldview, Matthew B. Anderson

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will provide an overarching examination into the scientific field of prebiotic chemistry, the purported chemistry of the formation of life on earth. Prebiotic chemistry is a critical area of science particularly for Christian scientists to study since it is used by many evolutionists as evidence for the evolution of life, rather than the formation by an intelligent designer. Extensive literature-based research from previously published articles will be conducted on the formation of biologically necessary molecules, including amino acids. Primary focus will be placed on the formation of amino acids in a primordial earth environment, first demonstrated by the …

A Program Aimed Toward Inclusive Excellence For Underrepresented Undergraduate Women In The Sciences, Laura A. Katz, Kathryn M. Aloisio, Nicholas J. Horton, Minh Ly, Sara B. Pruss, Kate Queeney, Cate Rowen, Patricia Marten Dibartolo

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Created to foster inclusive excellence, Smith College’s Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (AEMES) Scholars program provides early faculty-mentored research opportunities and other programming as a way to foster success in academic outcomes for underrepresented women in science. Using academic record data, we compared Scholars’ outcomes over time with those of underrepresented students before program launch and to relevant peer comparison groups. Since its launch, AEMES Scholars have achieved significantly higher gateway life sciences course grade point averages (GPAs), rates of persistence in life and natural sciences, and participation in natural sciences advanced research relative to baseline. Gains for …

Emerging Antimicrobial Research Against Superbugs: Perspectives From A Polymer Laboratory, Mitra S. Ganewatta, Md Anisur Rahman, Chuanbing Tang

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Infectious diseases caused by drug-resistant microorganisms have become a major contributor for human morbidity and mortality. To overcome such threats, we have developed various antimicrobial agents using natural product derivatives and metallopolymers. Abundant biomass such as resin acids can be utilized to prepare cationic polymers for inhibiting a variety of bacteria. These polymers have been used in solution as well as surfaces as antimicrobial materials with low cytotoxicity. In addition, a class of charged metallopolymers have been developed to kill superbugs such as MRSA.

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Antitumor Activity Of Selected Derivatives Of Pyrazole- Benzenesulfonamides From Dilithiated C(Α), N-Phenylhydrazones And Lithiated Methyl 2-(Aminosulfonyl)Benzoate, N. Dwight Camper [Deceased], James M. Gum, Darby E. Lyles, William T. Pennington, Charles F. Beam, Clyde R. Metz

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Several pyrazole-benzenesulfonamides were subjected to biological evaluation involving tumor formation on potato discs caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This assay led to some excellent and promising initial results with three of the pyrazole compounds showing increased tumor inhibition when compared to a recognized standard, camptothecin. The select pyrazole-benzenesulfonamides were prepared by condensation-cyclization of several dilithiated C(α),N-phenylhydrazones with lithiated methyl 2-aminosulfonyl-benzoate.

Differential Response Of Coral Symbiotic Dinoflagellates To Bacterial Toxins That Produce Bleaching In Stony Corals, Diego L. Gil-Agudelo, Yael Ban-Haim, Eugene Rosenberg, Garriet W. Smith

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Bleaching of corals and other organisms with symbiotic zooxanthellae is a worldwide phenomenon with increasing importance due to global warming scenarios. Bleaching has been historically related to changes in the environment, especially water temperature increase, that stress corals and provoke the release of zooxanthellae. The discovery of Vibrio shilonii, a bacterium causing bleaching under thermal stress in corals of the Mediterranean Sea has changed our thinking about the cause (or explanation) for bleaching of corals worldwide. During this study, we evaluated the effect of a proline rich toxin, extracted from Vibrio shilonii, on zooxanthellae obtained from: Oculina patagonica from the …

Utilizing Phluorin-Tagged Receptors To Monitor Subcellular Localization And Trafficking, Ashley M. Fox-Loe, Brandon J. Henderson, Christopher I. Richards

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Understanding membrane protein trafficking, assembly, and expression requires an approach that differentiates between those residing in intracellular organelles and those localized on the plasma membrane. Traditional fluorescence-based measurements lack the capability to distinguish membrane proteins residing in different organelles. Cutting edge methodologies transcend traditional methods by coupling pH-sensitive fluorophores with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). TIRF illumination excites the sample up to approximately 150 nm from the glass-sample interface, thus decreasing background, increasing the signal to noise ratio, and enhancing resolution. The excitation volume in TIRFM encompasses the plasma membrane and nearby organelles such as the peripheral ER. Superecliptic …

Session C-1: Modeling Stem Activities Into Classroom Practice, Sowmya Anjur

Professional Learning Day

Students understand concepts better when they have had a chance to work hands on with relevant material. Examples will be presented from my classroom where difficult concepts have been modeled into simple experiments with considerable success in enhancing student understanding. Special focus will be given to selected topics that students seem to have the most difficulty grasping. The objective is to enable students to transfer their understanding to solve complex problems with considerable ease and apply their understanding to real world scenarios on assessments. Suggestions will also be provided for implementation of various concepts into the high school classroom.

Cyclipostins And Cyclophostin Analogs As Promising Compounds In The Fight Against Tuberculosis, Phuong Nguyen, Vincent Delorme, Anaïs Bénarouche, Benjamin Martin, Rishi Paudel, Giri Gnawali, Abdeldjalil Madani, Rémy Puppo, Valérie Landry, Laurent Kremer, Priscille Brodin, Christopher Spilling, Jean-François Cavalier, Stéphane Canaan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

A new class of Cyclophostin and Cyclipostins (CyC) analogs have been investigated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (M. tb) grown either in broth medium or inside macrophages. Our compounds displayed a diversity of action by acting either on extracellular M. tb bacterial growth only, or both intracellularly on infected macrophages as well as extracellularly on bacterial growth with very low toxicity towards host macrophages. Among the eight potential CyCs identified, CyC 17 exhibited the best extracellular antitubercular activity (MIC50 = 500 nM). This compound was selected and further used in a competitive labelling/enrichment assay against the activity-based probe Desthiobiotin-FP in order …

Evaluation Of Chemical Immersion Treatments To Reduce Microbial Populations In Fresh Beef, Ahmed Kassem, Joseph Meade, James Gibbons, Kevina Mcgill, Ciara Walsh, James Lyng, Paul Whyte

Articles

The aim of the current study was to assess the ability of a number of chemicals (acetic Acid (AA), citric acid (CA) lactic acid (LA), sodium decanoate (SD) and trisodium phosphate (TSP)) to reduce microbial populations (total viable count, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes) on raw beef using an immersion system. The following concentrations of each chemical were used: 3 & 5% for AA, CA, LA, SD and 10 & 12% for TSP. Possible synergistic effects of using combinations of two chemicals sequentially (LA +CA and LA +AA) were also investigated. L*, a* and b* values …

Complementary Charged Molecular Imprints Of West Nile Virus Antibodies, Julio Rincon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

There is a significant demand for robust and stable receptor molecules that can mimic biological molecules, such as antibodies. Relying only on natural recognition molecules have greatly limited the uses and capabilities of many aspects of health sciences due to product expense and stability. This is especially important in medically underserved areas where the lack of resources and faulty or limited cold-chain makes antibody based diagnostics very difficult to implement.

With molecular imprinting, it is possible to recognize diseases with the added advantage of product stability, long term use, fast preparation and ease of scalability, all while being cost effective. …

Phytoplankton Plastid Proteomics: Cracking Open Diatoms To Understand Plastid Biochemistry Under Iron Limitation, Skyler J. Nunn, Phoebe Dreux Chappell, Kristofer Gomes, Anasthasia Bonderenko, Bethany D. Jenkins, Brook L. Nunn

OES Faculty Publications

Diatoms, such as Thalassiosira pseudonana, are important oceanic primary producers, as they sequester carbon dioxide (CO₂) out of the atmosphere, die, and precipitate to the ocean floor. In many areas of the world’s oceans, phytoplankton, such as diatoms, are limited in growth by the availability of iron (Fe). Fe is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton, as it is central in the electron transport chain component of photosynthesis. Through this study, we examined if Fe-limitation makes a significant difference in the proteins expressed within the chloroplast, the power source for diatoms. Here, we utilized a new plastid isolation technique specific …

Extraction And Quantification Of Sinapinic Acid From Irish Rapeseed Meal And Assessment Of Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme (Ace-I) Inhibitory Activity, Leah Quinn, Steven G. Gray, Steve Meaney, Stephen Finn, Padraig Mcloughlin, Maria Hayes

Articles

Phenolic compounds, including phenolic acids, are known to play a protective role against the development of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this work was to generate a phenolic acid extract from Irish rapeseed meal, to determine the quantity of sinapinic acid (SA) in this fraction and to assess the ability of this fraction to inhibit the enzyme angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE-I; EC 3.4.15.1). A crude phenolic extract (fraction 1), free phenolic acid containing extract (fraction 2), and an extract containing phenolic acids liberated from esters (fraction 3) were generated from Irish rapeseed meal using a methanol:acetone:water solvent mixture (7:7:6). The …

Synthesis And Performance Of Novel Supramolecular Tools For Single-Particle Cryogenic Electron Microscopy And Drug And Gene Delivery, Kyle J. Wright

Open Access Dissertations

High-resolution biomacromolecular structure elucidation is fundamentally important to structure-based drug design and basic research into complex biochemical processes. Cryo-EM is an emerging alternative to XRD and NMR that is complementary in many ways relative to XRD and NMR. Materials approaches to cryo-EM are anticipated to greatly facilitate the cryo-EM process, allowing progress toward a more high-throughput application of cryo-EM to address challenges in structural biology. ^ Various affinity-based approaches inspired by approaches previously introduced for 2D crystallization were developed for facilitation of cryo-EM. A library of affinity lipopolymer constructs were synthesized consisting of lipopolymers of various PEG molecular weights conjugated …

Use Of A Uav For Water Sampling To Assist Remote Sensing Of Bacterial Flora In Freshwater Environments, Dylan Cornell, Maryann Herman, Fernando Ontiveros

Undergraduate External Publications

Ground truth data collection in bodies of water traditionally relies on the use of watercraft and manual sampling. The transport and cost associated with the use of this type of equipment, as well as the time required to reach the site of collection, may all be significantly reduced by the use of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones. In this project we evaluate the implementation of a modified UAV with the ability to collect a small volume of surface water up to 400m offshore. The bacterial flora found in the water of several locations in the Lake Ontario-Rochester Embayment …

The Coastal Monitor: Vol. 1, No. 3, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

The Coastal Monitor

Each fall I teach a course in “Ecology” and in the spring, “Marine Biology”; two seminal courses absolutely necessary and required to complete a BS Degree in Earth and Environmental Studies at Molloy College. To a large extent I draw on my 48 years of life experiences; flight meteorologist, “Hurricane Hunter” in the US Navy (1968-1970), environmental impact analyst with the US Coast Guard’s Bridge Administration on Governors Island (1974-1978); Coastal Barrier Parks Coordinator and Research Ecologist with the National Park Service (1978-2001); Research Associate in the Invertebrate Zoology Department at the American Museum of Natural History(1982-2000); Chairman Department of …

App Regulates Microglial Phenotype In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Gunjan Manocha, Angela Floden, Keiko Rausch, Joshua Kulas, Brett Mcgregor, Lalida Rojanathammanee, Kelley Puig, Kendra Puig, Sanjib Karki, Michael Nichols, Diane Darland, James Porter, Colin Combs

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

Prior work suggests that amyloid precursor protein (APP) can function as a proinflammatory receptor on immune cells, such as monocytes and microglia. Therefore, we hypothesized that APP serves this function in microglia during Alzheimer's disease. Although fibrillar amyloid β (Aβ)-stimulated cytokine secretion from both wild-type and APP knock-out (mAPP−/−) microglial cultures, oligomeric Aβ was unable to stimulate increased secretion from mAPP−/− cells. This was consistent with an ability of oligomeric Aβ to bind APP. Similarly, intracerebroventricular infusions of oligomeric Aβ produced less microgliosis in mAPP−/− mice compared with wild-type mice. The mAPP−/− mice crossed to an APP/PS1 transgenic mouse line …

Using Intrinsic Properties Of Polyaniline To Sense Expression Of The Microrna Let-7, Jared N. Gloria

Honors Theses

MicroRNAs are approximately 22-nucleotide long RNA molecules that function through decay and translational repression of messenger RNA. The microRNA let-7 is found to play a role in maintaining the fate of differentiated cells in humans. Thus, expression level of this microRNA is a reliable biomarker of tumor cell phenotype. However, there are significant limitations in the current profiling techniques of microRNA. The current methods like northern blotting, microarrays, RT-PCR, or using locked nucleic acid (LNA) for in-situ hybridization are either laborious, semi-quantitative, or expensive. In this research we try to address this issue by developing a fast, specific, and inexpensive …

An Analysis Of Environmentally-Persistent Free Radical Formation On Surrogate Soil Systems Containing Iron(Iii) And Copper(Ii) And The Potential Remediation Effects Of Laccases, Andrew Paul Mullet

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

From Mollusks To Medicine: A Venomics Approach For The Discovery And Characterization Of Therapeutics From Terebridae Peptide Toxins, Aida Verdes, Prachi Anand, Juliette Gorson, Stephen Jannetti, Patrick Kelly, Abba Leffler, Danny Simpson, Girish Ramrattan, Mandë Holford

Publications and Research

Animal venoms comprise a diversity of peptide toxins that manipulate molecular targets such as ion channels and receptors, making venom peptides attractive candidates for the development of therapeutics to benefit human health. However, identifying bioactive venom peptides remains a significant challenge. In this review we describe our particular venomics strategy for the discovery, characterization, and optimization of Terebridae venom peptides, teretoxins. Our strategy reflects the scientific path from mollusks to medicine in an integrative sequential approach with the following steps: (1) delimitation of venomous Terebridae lineages through taxonomic and phylogenetic analyses; (2) identification and classification of putative teretoxins through omics …

The Coastal Monitor: Vol. 1, No. 2, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

The Coastal Monitor

At a recent event a colleague asked me, “So what do you do at CERCOM?” My immediate response was the “M” word fundamentally! After 45 years involved in environmental sciences, monitoring remains the most important and critical aspect of not only any field station in support of the academics conducted, but the seminal responsibility to be able, as a scientist, to reveal trends in the massive volume of data collected through routine monitoring exercises. It is extremely rare for a single data point, or even a single season of data, no matter how accurate the individual data point is, to …