Biology Commons^™

Emerging Issues In Forensic Dna Profiling: Databases And Advisory Boards, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Shifts In Southern Wisconsin Forest Canopy And Understory Richness, Composition, And Heterogeneity, David A. Rogers, Thomas P. Rooney, Daniel Olson, Donald M. Waller

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We resurveyed the under- and overstory species composition of 94 upland forest stands in southern Wisconsin in 2002–2004 to assess shifts in canopy and understory richness, composition, and heterogeneity relative to the original surveys in 1949–1950. The canopy has shifted from mostly oaks (Quercus spp.) toward more mesic and shade-tolerant trees (primarily Acer spp.). Oak-dominated early-successional stands and those on coarse, nutrient-poor soils changed the most in canopy composition. Understories at most sites (80%) lost native species, with mean species density declining 25% at the 1-m² scale and 23.1% at the 20-m² scale. Woody species have increased …

Tachinid Collecting In Southwest New Mexico And Arizona During The 2007 Nads Field Meeting, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The 2007 field meeting of the North American Dipterists Society (NADS) was held August 13–16 in southwestern New Mexico, centered in Silver City (at Western New Mexico University), and the surrounding Gila National Forest. This was the first NADS meeting that I have been able to attend, and I think I can speak for all in saying it was enjoyable, productive, and interesting; an overall success. A more detailed account and evaluation of this meeting is available in the 2007 Fly Times article (O’Hara 2007).

Qtl Analysis Of Ray Pattern In Caenorhabditis Elegans Recombinant Inbred Lines, Adam Joseph Guess

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Ray pattern is the most divergent morphological character among rhabditid nematodes. The ancestral ray pattern of Elegans group nematodes is commonly referred to as a 2(1)3+3 pattern, with rays 1 and 2 located anterior of the cloaca, ray 3 positioned at the cloaca, and rays 4-6 and 7-9 grouped in two clusters posterior of the cloaca. C. elegans males primarily exhibit the 2(1)3+3 pattern; however some isolates display variant patterns at a low frequency. The Hawaiian strain CB4856 exhibits a 3/3+3 pattern at a frequency of 0.09. In this pattern, ray 3 is located anterior of the cloaca in a …

Using Geographic Information Systems To Select Sites For Wetland Restoration In West Central Ohio's Agricultural Areas, Janice M. Hartkorn

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The Mississippi River Basin, includes a major part of Ohio has encountered increasing phosphorus and nitrogen loads from agricultural fields since the 1800's when intensive agriculture moved into the Midwest. Agriculture has drained ninety percent of Ohio's native wetlands. A portion of those drained wetlands can be restored to functional wetlands to intercept excess nutrients from non-productive or low yield agricultural fields to improve overall water quality. Little is known about finding potential restoration sites, partly because of the difficulty in locating sites capable of supporting successful restoration.

This study investigated the utility of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a …

Immunomodulation Of Human Skin Cells By Extracts Of The Scabies Mite, Sarcoptes Scabiei, Jeremi Stevan Mullins

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Sarcoptes scabiei infests its host through burrowing into the stratum corneum layer of skin. Keratinocytes and fibroblasts responding to the burrowing mite(s) and/or mite products produce inflammatory and immune activating cytokines and chemokines. The purpose of this study was to determine if an extract of S. scabiei can modulate cytokine and chemokine expression from keratinocytes and fibroblasts in vitro. Normal human keratinocytes and fibroblasts were exposed to an extract of S. scabiei var. canis with or without various pro-inflammatory stimuli. Cytokine and chemokine expression were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Scabies extract increased expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), growth-related oncogene-α …

The Effects Of Nutritional Supplement, Mass Fx™, On Muscular Strength, Body Composition, And Blood Chemistries In Resistance Trained Adult Males, Patrick S. Dib

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The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a nutritional supplement, Mass FX, on muscular strength, body composition, and blood chemistries in resistance-trained adult males. Eight subjects, mean age 25 +/- 3.02 years, were randomly assigned to two groups (n=4). Each group was given either Mass FX or a Placebo in a double-blind manner to be taken orally for six weeks (4caps/day regardless of bodyweight). For the duration of the study, both groups were following the same training program and a diet customized to each subject's bodyweight in conjunction to the supplementation. Data were analyzed using Analysis …

Effects Of Forest Fragmentation And Honeysuckle Invasion On Forest Lepidoptera In Southwest Ohio, Annie Lynn Doyle

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Habitat loss and exotic species invasion is a rapidly growing threat facing forest animal communities worldwide. The goal of the current study is to assess the impact of forest fragmentation and the associated invasion of honeysuckle on immature tree-feeding Lepidoptera communities in southwestern Ohio. Caterpillar abundance, richness, and honeysuckle density were sampled along 100 meter transects conducted in ten forest fragments. Generalized linear models were developed to determine the effects of fragment area, landscape forest cover, and honeysuckle density on caterpillar abundance and richness. Caterpillar abundance and richness was positively related to landscape forest cover and fragment area. However, these …

The Community Structure Of Methanogenic, Methanotrophic, And Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria In Vertical Flow Greenhouse Wetland Mesocosms Exposed To Pce, William Evan Gruner

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Chlorinated ethenes are among the top contaminants on the EPA National Priorities List due to their abundance in contaminated sites and their recalcitrant nature. These compounds, which are used in large scale degreasing and textile processes, are known liver and kidney toxins, and suspected carcinogens. Wetland ecosystems are capable of degrading PCE and its breakdown products TCE, DCE, and VC by providing anaerobic and aerobic growth conditions for microbes that express enzymes such as dehalogenases and monooxygenases with dual affinity for chlorinated solvents. Greenhouse mesocosms at Wright State University are used to mimic field conditions at a treatment wetland at …

Evaluating Forensic Dna Evidence - A Day-Long Workshop, Dan E. Krane, William C. Thompson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Keeping Insects At Bay: Beyond Deet, Thomas P. Rooney

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of C. Elegans And C. Briggsae Genome Sequences Reveals Extensive Conservation Of Chromosome Organization And Synteny, Ladeana W. Hiller, Raymond D. Miller, Scott Everet Baird, Asif Chinwalla, Lucinda A. Fulton, Daniel C. Koboldt, Robert H. Waterston

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

To determine whether the distinctive features of Caenorhabditis elegans chromosomal organization are shared with the C. briggsae genome, we constructed a single nucleotide polymorphism-based genetic map to order and orient the whole genome shotgun assembly along the six C. briggsae chromosomes. Although these species are of the same genus, their most recent common ancestor existed 80-110 million years ago, and thus they are more evolutionarily distant than, for example, human and mouse. We found that, like C. elegans chromosomes, C. briggsae chromosomes exhibit high levels of recombination on the arms along with higher repeat density, a higher fraction of intronic …

Essential Elements Of A Defense-Review Of Dna Testing Results, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Some Of The Problems Associated With Lcn (Low Copy Number) Testing, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Run-Specific Limits Of Quantitation And Detection (An Alternative To Minimum Peak Height Thresholds), Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Empirical Analysis Of The Str Profiles Resulting From Conceptual Mixtures, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Implications For Close Relatives In The Event Of Similar But Non-Matching Dna Profiles, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Notes On Tachinidae Reared From Lepidoptera In The Ecuadorian Andes, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Current estimates of the species richness of Tachinidae among geographical provinces suggest that the Neotropical Region harbors the largest number of species and represents a geographic epicenter of tachinid diversification (O’Hara 2006). The Neotropics boasts an impressive fauna consisting of 2864 described species belonging to 822 genera at the time of the Neotropical catalog (Guimarães 1971), making it almost twice as species rich as any other geographic realm (O’Hara 2006; Stireman et al. 2006). This diversity is most apparent at middle elevations (1000– 2000m) along the mountain chains of tropical Central and South America, where tachinids are an abundant and …

Autoregulation Of Gld-2 Cytoplasmic Poly(A) Polymerase, Labib Rouhana, Marvin Wickens

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation regulates mRNA stability and translation and is required for early development and synaptic plasticity. The GLD-2 poly(A) polymerase catalyzes cytoplasmic polyadenylation in the germline of metazoa. Among vertebrates, the enzyme is encoded by two isoforms of mRNA that differ only in the length of their 3′-UTRs. Here we focus on regulation of vertebrateGLD-2 mRNA. We show that the 3′-UTR of GLD-2 mRNA elicits its own polyadenylation and translational activation during frog oocyte maturation. We identify the sequence elements responsible for repression and activation, and demonstrate that CPEB and PUF proteins likely mediate repression in the resting oocyte. …

Molecular Identification Of Chironomid Species Based On Its-1 And Its-2 Regions Of Rdna, Monita Sharma

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Of all major aquatic invertebrate groups, members of family Chironomidae are most abundant and show a wide range of habitat preferences. The importance of correct identification of Chironomids has been realized in many bioassessment studies mainly because of their worldwide distribution, substrate specificities and predictable responses to various pollutants in the water sources. This study establishes that the sequence data from the Intergenic Spacer Regions (ITS) of ribosomal DNA could be used as molecular markers to distinguish between different Chironomidae species and also to identify them. The need to use molecular approaches, to identify various Chironomidae species, comes from the …

Tree Seedling Establishment Under The Native Shrub, Asimina Triloba, Marilyn Cabrini Baumer

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Species that form forest understory layers affect canopy tree seedling establishment worldwide. In the Eastern United States, shrub understories like Rhododendrom maximum, a native evergreen species, and Lonicera maackii, an exotic, invasive species, diminish tree seedling survival. I compared the density and survival of canopy tree seedlings under and outside patches of the native shrub, Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal (Annonaceae) (pawpaw). I also conducted a manipulative experiment to determine whether above ground or below ground competition was more important in seedling growth and survival. Above ground competition was manipulated by tying back the leaves of the pawpaw and below ground …

Acute Toxicity And Immunotoxicity Testing Of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons In Aquatic And Terrestrial Organisms, Andrea Renee Handy

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The acute toxicity and immunotoxicity of JP-8 jet fuel on Chironomus tentans, Hyallela azteca, Lactuca sativa, Eisenia foetida, and Lumbricus terrestris was assessed using standard USEPA acute toxicity and static renewal toxicity tests. Three methods of spiking test soil with jet fuel were evaluated. In one method acetone was utilized as a carrier and the soil was dried in the fume hood; in another the soil was spiked directly with jet fuel and also was dried; and in the last the soil was spiked directly without drying. There was low survival in C. tentans in all treatments, including controls. There …

Distribution Of Ground-Layer Plant Species In A Fragmented Landscape In The Corozal District, Belize, Central America, Divan Catzim

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In this study, I specifically looked at three major issues regarding 36 target plant species in a fragmented landscape in the Corozal district, Belize: 1) Determine woodlot characteristics that tend to favor the target species. 2) Determine plant characteristics that tend to favor the target species. 3) Determine whether age and size of a woodlot favors the presence of the target species. The study area was divided into three areas and each area had woodlots varying in sizes and ages. 36 plant species were sampled in all woodlots upon which woodlot characteristics and species characteristics were associated with the number …

Investigation Of Interactions Between Rev And Microtubules: Purification Of Wild-Type And Mutant Rev Protein And Optimization Of Microtubule Depolymerization Assays, Miller, Kelly Robbins

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As a logical pharmaceutical target for antiviral drugs, HIV-1 Rev is a regulatory protein essential for viral infection (Hope, 1999). The development of antiviral drugs that target Rev has been hindered by the lack of high-resolution structural information due to the protein's tendency to aggregate in solution. While searching for solution conditions rendering Rev amenable to crystallographic analyses, Watts et al., (2000) discovered a novel in vitro interaction between Rev and microtubules (MTs) whereby addition of equimolar Rev and tubulin forms bilayered rings called Rev-tubulin toroidal complexes (RTTs). RTTs are similar to those seen when MTs are mixed with certain …

Analysis Of Sex Reversal And Tra-2 Nucleotide Variation In Tropical And Temperate Clades Of Caenorhabditis Briggsae, Irene Zelepuhin

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Reproductive isolation results when members of the same species cannot reproduce due to either prezygotic or postzygotic mechanisms, therefore restricting gene flow between populations. A leading model describing reproductive isolation developed by J.B. Haldane (1922) states, "When offspring from two different animal species have one sex that is rare, absent, or sterile, that sex is the heterozygous (XO) or heterogametic (XY) sex". Haldane's rule is illustrated among various animal taxa regardless of which sex is heterogametic. To date, Caenorhabditis mating tests are the only example of Haldane's rule that is caused by sexual transformation and not gender specific lethality or …

Immunological And Developmental Effects Of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (Pbdes) And 2,3,7,8-Tetrachloro-P-Dioxin (Tcdd) In Birds, Randy T. Stetzer

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This thesis contains two separate and distinct research projects with a common overall theme - the study of immunotoxicity associated with the developmental exposure of young birds to halogenated chemicals posing environmental concern. These chemicals share many chemical characteristics, including environmental ubiquity and longevity, one has been studied extensively since the 1970s, and one is a relatively new environmental contaminant with few studies pertaining to toxicological affects on humans or wildlife. Specific summaries of each study begin each project chapter. The first study was entitled Developmental and Immunological Effects of a Commercial Mixture of PBDE Flame Retardants in Chicken Embryos. …

Modulation Of The 3'Igh Regulatory Region (3'Igh Rr), A Prospective In Vitro Screening Tool For Identifying Potential Immunotoxicants, Rebecca Anne Henseler

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The immune system is critical to human survival. However, assessing alterations of immune function by potential immunotoxicants is complicated by the diffuse nature of the immune system, which is composed of various effector cells each with differing effector functions. Current immunotoxicity testing is limited to animal studies. We have developed a model, which may provide an in vitro alternative to animal studies in identifying immunotoxicants that specifically target B cell function (i.e., alteration of immunoglobulin (Ig) or expression and antibody secretion). This model consists of a well-characterized B cell line, CH12.LX, which appears to appropriately model primary B cell function. …

Caenorhabditis Briggsae Methods, Scott Everet Baird, Helen M. Chamberlin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Caenorhabditis briggsae is being developed in parallel to C. elegans as a model system, primarily for the study of evolution. Like C. elegans, C. briggsae is a protandrous hermaphrodite and like C. elegans, its genome has been sequenced. From this point, these two model systems diverge. The development, behavior, and physiology of C. elegans have been characterized through tens of thousands of genetic and molecular studies. Genetic and molecular characterizations of C. briggsae are relatively few. Experimental resources in C. elegans include a high density recombination map that is well integrated with the genome sequence. The C. briggsae …

Essential Elements Of A Defense-Review Of Dna Testing Results, Dan E. Krane

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Coronary Heart Disease Risk Stratification In Full-Time Miami Valley Hospital Employees, Vicki K. Streng

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Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States (American Heart Association, 2005). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the results of a twelve-week exercise program on coronary heart disease risk factors in full-time hospital employees. Methods: The participants were given cardiovascular, weight training, and flexibility recommendations to follow during a twelve-week period. The main heart disease risk factors measured before and after the completion of the exercise program were blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and body mass index. The information was put into the Framingham Heart Score to estimate the participants’ 10-year risk of developing …