Biology Commons^™

Long Wavelength Analysis Of A Model For The Geographic Spread Of A Disease, Layachi Hadji

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

We investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of the spread of an infectious disease by performing a long-wavelength analysis of a classical model for the geographic spread of a rabies epidemic in a population of foxes subject to idealized boundary conditions. We consider twodimensional and three-dimensional landscapes consisting of an infinite horizontal strip bounded by two walls a finite distance apart and a horizontal region bounded above and below by horizontal walls, respectively. A nonlinear partial differential evolution Equation for the leading order of infectives is derived. The Equation captures the space and time variations of the spread of the …

An Optimal Harvesting Strategy Of A Three Species Syn-Ecosystem With Commensalism And Stochasticity, M. N. Srinivas, A. Sabarmathi, K. S. Reddy, M. A. S. Srinivas

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper we have studied the stability of three typical species syn-ecosystem. The system comprises of one commensal S₁ and two hosts S₂ and S₃ . Both S₂ and S₂ benefit S₁ without getting themselves affected either positively or adversely. Further S₂ is a commensal of S₃ and S₃ is a host of both S₁ and S₂. Limited resources have been considered for all the three species in this case. The model equations of the system constitute a set of three first order non-linear ordinary differential equations. …

The Breeding Biology Of Pheasant Tailed Jacana, Hydrophasianus Chirurgus In Wetlands Of Pakistan, Zahid Iqbal Khan, Mohammad Shareef Mughal

Journal of Bioresource Management

Pheasant Tailed Jacana, Hydrophasianus chirurgus is an attractive bird sustaining its presence in wetlands of Pakistan during summers. To facilitate conservation, the breeding biology of specific birds was recorded during 2004-07. According to the observations, the clutch size remains between 1-4 eggs, and most of the fertile females laid 2 consecutive clutches to hand over to two different males for hatching and chick rearing. Incubation calculated between 25-29 days hatchability was found to be around 80%. Defensive responses, egg laying, and chick care were observed to better understand the general behaviour of the species.

Biodiversity Assessment And Its Effect On The Environment Of Shakarparian Forest, Inayat Ullah Malik, Abul Hasan Faiz, Fakhar -I- Abbas

Journal of Bioresource Management

Shakarparian is known for its scenic beauty and wilderness and has a significant recreational value. It is a part of Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP), Islamabad and can be a good recourse to conduct various environmental studies. This study was aimed to explore the overall biodiversity of Shakarparian forest in terms of flora and its associated fauna. Phytosociological survey was carried out in order to identify the existing plant communities. The plant associations were then correlated to the existing fauna of the area. The results will provide the baseline data to support further studies on biodiversity analysis of ecologically rich …

A Checklist Of Birds Of Prey Of Rawalpindi, Islamabad And Adjacent Areas, Nadia Yousaf, Madeeha Manzoor

Journal of Bioresource Management

Wildlife is declining worldwide due to loss of habitat, pollution, introduction of exotic species, climatic changes etc. Birds of prey are believed to be rapidly declining in Pakistan though no reliable recent data is available and the available literature suggests its previous wide distribution throughout Pakistan. This current study was carried out in the Rawalpindi, Islamabad and some adjacent areas (latitude N 33^o27.34-33^o48.05 longitude E 72^o59.34-73^o27.30) to make a checklist of previously and newly existing prey birds as well as to study their general behaviors and biology. Targeted areas were studied at …

Review: Role Of Syrphids (Diptera: Syrphidae) As Biotic Agents And Pollinators In Pakistan, Mohammad Irshad

Journal of Bioresource Management

The agriculture sector is important in the overall economy of Pakistan. There are many limiting factors in crop production. The two important factors are pest damage and pollination in addition to many others. Pest damage remained a serious problem since the dawn of human civilization. With the advancement of knowledge regarding safety of environment, pests are now tackled through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques. In IPM, biological control through use of natural enemies is quite significant and the favored approach. Pollination is an essential ecosystem service. Effective pollination results in increased crop production, quality improvement and more seed production. One …

Toxic Metal Effect On Filamentous Fungi Isolated From The Contaminated Soil Of Multan And Gujranwala, Anam Rasool, Shazia Irum

Journal of Bioresource Management

Considering the importance of filamentous fungi for bioremediation of wastewater and contaminated soils, this study was planned to investigate the metal tolerance potential of indigenous filamentous fungi. Certain metals are important to biological actions. However all metals, whether essential or inessential will show toxicity at certain levels. During 2012 total 17 fungi were isolated and preserved from contaminated peri-urban agricultural areas of Multan and Gujranwala for further detail investigation of heavy metal tolerance. Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus isolated from both soil and water samples while Aspergillus terreus and Penicillium sp were only isolated from soil samples …

Un Cuento Satírico En Medio Del Debate Sobre El Darwinismo En México, Miguel A. Fernández Delgado Mafd

Alambique. Revista académica de ciencia ficción y fantasía / Jornal acadêmico de ficção científica e fantasía

Charles Darwin's theory of biological evolution of species was accepted or rejected by Mexican scientists, including Gabino Barreda, representative of Comte's philosophy. It was also included by Justo Sierra in a history book for the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria, a decision which raised a lot of criticism from conservative groups. It is also discussed the implications of social Darwinism in the early Twentieth Century Mexico. The document we offer is a satire published in those years, which resembles the tone of Swift's Gulliver Travels.

A Comparison Of Techniques Measuring Stress In Birds, Deborah A. O'Dell, Michael A. Carlo, Abigail Kimmitt, Ellen Bikowski, Katherine R. Morris, Andrew Dolby

Virginia Journal of Science

Free-living birds are subjected to both external and internal stresses which can affect their health, activity, and reproductive success. To study stress in free living birds, they must be captured in nets and handled by the researcher to take blood samples for commonly used measures of stress, an activity which itself can induce stress and confound results. This study compares the effects of handling time on three different measures of stress: levels of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT), levels of Heat Shock Protein 60 (HSP 60) and the ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes (H/L ratio) in tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor …

2014 Scas Annual Meeting Program

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Genotypic And Phenotypic Characterization Of Aerosolized Bacteria Collected From African Dust Events, Christina A. Wilson, Robin L. Brigmon, Chris Yeager, Garriet W. Smith, Shawn W. Polson

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Twenty-one bacteria were isolated and characterized from air samples collected in Africa and the Caribbean by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Isolates were selected based on preliminary characterization as possible pathogens. Identification of the bacterial isolates was achieved using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profiling, the BIOLOG Microlog^® System (carbon substrate assay), and repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP)-PCR analysis. The majority of isolates (18/21) were identified as species of the genus Bacillus. Three isolates were classified within the Bacillus cereus senso lato group, which includes Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Bacillus …

Remembering To Perform Actions In The Future: Can Intentions Pop Into Mind?, Gilles O. Einstein

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Role Of Vitamin A In Retinal Diseases, Rosalie K. Crouch, Masahiro Kono, Peter H. Tang

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Vitamin A has an essential role in vision in that it forms the photosensitive pigments that absorb light and initiate the visual process. However, vitamin A and its analogues also have critical roles in maintaining the structural integrity of the retina. Disruption of the metabolism of vitamin A results in several blinding diseases. This review focuses on our recent studies on the role of a protein critical to the processing of vitamin A, RPE65. The absence or dysfunction of this protein causes the childhood blinding disease Leber congenital amaurosis.

Scas Officers And Council Members 2014-2015

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Acceptance Of Evolution By America’S Educators Of Prospective Teachers, Guillermo Paz-Y-Miño-C, Avelina Espinosa

New England Science Public: Series Evolution

Paz-y-Miño-C G & Espinosa A. 2014. Acceptance of Evolution by America’s Educators of Prospective Teachers. New England Science Public: Series Evolution 2(1): 1-92 (ISSN: 2326-0971). In NESP Series Evolution Vol 2 No 1, Paz-y-Miño-C and Espinosa use the conceptual framework of the Incompatibility Hypothesis (i.e. science/evolution and belief in supernatural causation are incompatible) to document the patterns of acceptance of evolution of 495 Educators of Prospective Teachers affiliated with 281 colleges and universities widely distributed in 4 regions, 9 divisions, and 50 states in the United States. These higher-education professionals (65% PhD-, 22% doctorate-holders) were polled in five areas: (i) …

The Show Cave Of Diros Vs. Wild Caves Of Peloponnese, Greece - Distribution Patterns Of Cyanobacteria, Vasiliki Lamprinou, Daniel B. Danielidis, Adriani Pantazidou, Alexandra Oikonomou, Athena Economou-Amilli

International Journal of Speleology

The karst cave ‘Vlychada’of Diros, one of the oldest show caves in Peloponnese, sustains extended phototrophic biofilms on various substrata – on rocks inside the cave including speleothems, and especially near the artificial lighting installation (‘Lampenflora’). After a survey of the main abiotic parameters (Photosynthetically Active Radiation -PAR, Temperature -T, Relative Humidity -RH, Carbon Dioxide -CO₂) three clusters of sampling sites were revealed according to Principal Component Analysis (PCA): i) the water gallery section predominately influenced by CO₂, ii) the dry passages influenced by RH and PAR, and iii) the area by the cave exit at …

Oswald Biological Sciences First Place: Development Of Three-Dimensional Lung Multicellular Spheroids In Air And Liquid Interface Culture For The Evaluation Of Anti-Cancer Therapeutics, Alexandra Tsoras

Kaleidoscope

The implementation of in vitro results to in vivo applications has limitations due to conventional two-dimensional (2D) in vitro conditions lacking the ability to create a physiologically representative model. This study investigated a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture technique to model lung tumors in vitro. A 3D lung cancer model was created by applying collagen (a semi-non-adhesive material) to a transwell, which allowed for nutrient transfer through the collagen. Two lung cancer cells lines (H358, a bronchioalveolar carcinoma and A549, a lung adenocarcinoma) were seeded on top of the collagen. The non-adhesive collagen allowed the cells to preferentially attach to one …

Oswald Biological Sciences Second Place: Rna Degradation Is Elevated With Age-, But Not Disuse-Associated Skeletal Muscle Atrophy, Aman Shah

Kaleidoscope

Aging and inactivity are both associated with decreased muscle size and protein content. The possible role of RNA degradation in the loss of protein has not yet been investigated. Therefore, we hypothesized that RNA degradation was elevated with muscle atrophy in aging and disuse. Brown Norway/Fisher344 male rats at 6 and 32 months were hindlimb suspended (HS) for 14 days to induce muscle atrophy or remained weight bearing (WB). Cytosolic extracts from gastrocnemius muscles were prepared for Western analysis of DCP-2 protein (marker of p-bodies) and RNA degradation assay. In vitro total RNA decay assay was performed using 30ug of …

Fty720 (Fingolimod) Provides Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Multiple Sclerosis, Madelyn Elizabeth Crawford

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a prolonged immune- mediated inflammatory response that targets myelin. Nearly all of the drugs approved for the treatment of MS are general immunosuppressants or only function in symptom management. The oral medication fingolimod, however, is reported to have direct therapeutic effects on cells of the central nervous system in addition to immunomodulatory functions. Fingolimod is known to interact with sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors, and the most widely- accepted theory for its mechanism of action is functional antagonism of the receptor. This review examines significant neuromodulatory effects achieved by functional antagonism of the …

Body Shape Divergence In Invasive Round Goby, Cat Collins

DePaul Discoveries

The round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, originally native to the Black and Caspian seas, was introduced into the Great Lakes via ballast water in the 1990’s. Since then, the species has spread to all of the Great Lakes, thriving in the Lake Michigan region and spreading to surrounding bays and rivers. Invasive species are considered to have a high evolutionary potential. Differences in environmental conditions between native and introduced ranges stimulate adaptive evolution. Multiple introductions of an exotic species can result in separate instances of founder effects, further increasing the chance of evolutionary change. A total of 267 round goby specimens …

Arthropod Communities And Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes Erythrocephalus) Habitat Selection, Michael C. Lordon

DePaul Discoveries

Red-headed woodpecker populations are near-threatened. Their habitat selection and reproductive success may be related to the availability of arthropods. We sampled the arthropod community within 0.04 ha plots surrounding known nests and compared these findings to plots without nests in the same fragments of forest or park in Cook County, IL. After 14 days, the traps were recovered, yielding close to 45,000 arthropods across 10 orders. Nest and control site differences were not statistically significant. Differences between park and forest diversity were not statistically significant either, but the greater diversity values in forests were consistent with expectations. We conclude that …

Investigating The Viability Of Two Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Isolates After Air-Drying, Samantha Lane, Joanna Brooke

DePaul Discoveries

Abstract

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a water-borne infectious bacterium that is found in both clinical (hospitals) and non-clinical environments. This human pathogen is commonly recovered from respiratory tract infections. A recent study at a hospital in Taiwan suggested that dry patient charts can serve as a vehicle of transmission of this bacterium⁷. As S. maltophilia is not commonly isolated from dry surfaces, this current study tested the hypothesis that this pathogen can remain viable for some time on a dry surface. This study was designed to determine how long S. maltophilia could remain viable after air-drying by observing …

Vitamin A Deficiency Causes Ovulation Abnormalities In Mice, Rebecca Ursin

DePaul Discoveries

Retinoic acid (RA) is an active metabolite of vitamin A (VA) and is involved in tissue organization, patterning, and growth. RA has been shown to regulate male reproduction, however information on its role in ovary development is limited. To investigate the functions of RA in the ovary, we examined its role in ovary development and ovulation using an in vivo dietary VA-deprivation animal model. Our preliminary results have shown that VA deficiency causes a variety of ovarian pathologies, including reduced numbers of total follicles and corpus lutea, formation of hemorrhagic and atretic follicles, and formation of bursa and follicular cysts. …

Dreams And Learning, Cody Mebane Gibbons

Symposium

Project Summary: This study is being done to test one aspect of how paying attention to one’s dreams may influence our waking lives. The idea was inspired by research linking the brain processes involved in long-term memory storage to qualities of dreaming, as well as the potential for learning in lucid dreams. It is hypothesized that the more conscious one is of one’s dreams and dream world, the better one will be at learning. In order to test this, the dreaming ability of 300 Cal Poly students will be analyzed via dream questionnaires with the purpose of seeing if any …

Characterizing The Response Of Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae Species To The Application Of A Phage Cocktail, Steven Liu

Symposium

Project Summary: The application of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections is known as phage therapy, which takes advantage of bacteriophage’s natural ability to infect and lyse bacterial hosts. Phages have been shaped by billions of years of evolution to be highly specialized deliverers of bactericidal agents to the cytoplasm of their target bacteria. Ever since discovery of bacteriophages in 1915, phage therapy was recognized as a potentially powerful tool for eliminating bacterial infections. The effectiveness of phage therapy can be increased by creating a mixture of multiple phages to target a wider variety of bacterial strains. Furthermore, phage therapy has …

Modeling The Transmission Dynamics Of Typhoid In Malaria Endemic Settings, Steady Mushayabasa, Claver P. Bhunu, Ngoni A. Mhlanga

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

Typhoid and malaria co-infection is a major public health problem in many developing countries. In this paper, a deterministic model for malaria and typhoid co-infection is proposed and analyzed. It has been established that the model exhibits a backward bifurcation phenomenon. Overall, the study reveals that a typhoid outbreak in malaria endemic settings may lead to higher cumulative cases of dually-infected individuals displaying clinical symptoms of both infections than singly-infected individuals displaying clinical symptoms of either malaria or typhoid.

Effect Of Toxic Metal On Root And Shoot Biomass Of A Plant A Mathematical Model, O. P. Misra, Preety Kalra

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, a mathematical model is proposed to study the impact of toxic metals on plant growth dynamics due to transfer of the toxic metal in plant tissues. In the model, it is assumed that the plant uptakes the metal from the soil through the roots and then it is transfered in the plant tissues and cells by transport mechanisms. It is observed experimently that when toxic (heavy) metals combines with the nutrient they form a complex compound due to which nutrient loses its inherent properties and the natural charaterstics of the nutrient are damaged. It is noticed that …

Dynamics Of Phytoplankton, Zooplankton And Fishery Resource Model, B. Dubey, Atasi Patra, R. K. Upadhyay

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, a new mathematical model has been proposed and analyzed to study the interaction of phytoplankton- zooplankton-fish population in an aquatic environment with Holloing’s types II, III and IV functional responses. It is assumed that the growth rate of phytoplankton depends upon the constant level of nutrient and the fish population is harvested according to CPUE (catch per unit effort) hypothesis. Biological and bionomical equilibrium of the system has been investigated. Using Pontryagin’s Maximum Principal, the optimal harvesting policy is discussed. Chaotic nature and bifurcation analysis of the model system for a control parameter have been observed through …

Growth Patterns Of Ethnic Groups In Bexar County With Dynamic Leslie Models, Judith Arriaza, Zhanbo Yang, Flor De María García-Wukovits

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The purpose of this study is to modify the Leslie model with a dynamic matrix for better population projections in Bexar County, where UIW is located and the authors reside. A dynamic matrix was used to improve the static Leslie model used in the previous study since human population growth is dynamic and complex. The matrix was constructed with functions that modeled the birth rates and survival rates. This allowed the rates to change from year to year. The population projections using the dynamic matrix were compared to the real population data and the static matrix. The researcher concluded that …