Biology Commons^™

The Effects Of Coaching Strategies For Primary Prevention Of Coronary Heart Disease Involving Asymptomatic Hospital Employees, Gabriel Mario Moreno

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Introduction: An effective coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention program is needed. Currently, prevention of CHD is being sought through pre-CHD risk stratification of patients using office-based screening tools such as the Framingham risk model (Greenland, Smith, and Grundy, 2001). However, patients who are given recommendations for lifestyle behavior modification find difficulty employing and sustaining the changes. The recent popularity of coaching for health behavior change has prompted the question of whether coaching is an effective method to produce a higher success rate for lowering cardiovascular disease following risk stratification.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness …

Risk-Sensitive Foraging Facilitates Species-Level Trophic Cascades Among Terrestrial Mammals: A Meta-Analysis, Bryan David Murray

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The widespread removal of large carnivores from terrestrial ecosystems may be contributing to plant species loss and biotic homogenization through trophic cascades. A few plants not preferred by ungulates are increasing in abundance while the majority of preferred plants are in decline. A meta-analysis of recruitment gaps in browse-sensitive tree species demonstrated that failed recruitment coincided in time with carnivore loss. In all studies recruitment continued in nearby browsing refugia. A second meta-analysis revealed that the mechanism of mammalian herbivore-mediated trophic cascades contains a behavioral component. Foraging mammals exhibited higher giving-up densities (GUDs) when under higher predation risk. GUDs were …

A Potential Strategy To Maintain Hsv-1 In A Latent State: Use Of Immunoregulatory Peptide Mimetics, Nasrin Majidi

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This study reviews the role of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in HSV-1 latency. CD8+ T cells inhibit the reactivation of HSV-1 in trigeminal ganglia (TG) by production of IFN-gamma. Although CD8+ T cells include all the cytotoxic apparatus for cytotoxicity, latently infected neuronal cells are not killed by CD8+ T cells. The CD94-NKG2a molecule on CD8+ T cells, binds to Qa-1b (a MHC class I like molecule) present on neuronal cell to inhibit CD8+ T cells cytotoxicity. Other studies have also determined that the IFN-gamma peptide mimetic 95-132 inhibits HSV-1 replication in the same way as IFN-gamma in infected cells. IFN-gamma mimetic …

Finding The Trophic Trickle: Using Herbaceous Indicator Species To Investigate Plant Recovery From Intense Browsing By White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) After The Re-Colonization Of A Top Predator (Canis Lupus), Krystle A. Bouchard

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High densities of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been implicated in changing forest community structure and composition. Top predators, including gray wolf (Canis lupus), were extirpated from much of their range by the mid 1900s, but have since returned to Northern Wisconsin. To determine whether the re-colonization of wolves could initiate a trophic cascade resulting in the recovery of understory plants from deer browsing, I surveyed four herbaceous species in areas without wolves and areas with 4-6 year old wolf packs and 12-13 year old wolf packs. Plant size and reproduction were greater in areas where wolves had been for …

Influence Of Diet On Population Growth And Allergen Production In Cultured House Dust Mites - Dermatophagoides Farinae And Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus, Swetha Avula Poola

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Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus culture extracts are used for skin testing, immunotherapy and research studies. There is a need to develop an effective culture method so that standardized extracts and allergens can be produced. The purpose of this study was to examine if different diets effect mite population growth and the amount of allergen produced in cultures. Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were cultured on diets A and B. The density of mites, life stage composition and allergen concentration was determined at two week intervals. Enzyme-linked immune sorbent assays (ELISA) were used to assess group 1 and group 2 …

Characterization Of Microtubule Depolymerization By The Hiv Protein Rev, Shimpi Bedi

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The HIV-1 Rev protein enables the nucleocytoplasmic export of unspliced or partially spliced mRNAs that is required for the synthesis of structural proteins. By doing so, it regulates the switch to the late phase of the viral replication cycle (Cullen, 1992). This regulatory control over viral replication makes Rev an attractive target for anti-viral intervention. The development of anti-viral remedies is hindered because the three-dimensional structure of Rev has not yet been solved by X-ray crystallography and NMR. Rev, which polymerizes into regular hollow filaments at high concentrations, forms side-to-side and end-to-side interactions making it prone to aggregation and precipitation …

Immunolocalization And Changes In Expression Levels Of Glyceroporin Hc-3 In Several Tissues Of Gray Tree Frogs, Hyla Chrysoscelis Under Different Physiological Conditions, Sushmita Yaganti

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Previous studies show that aquaporin HC-3 in gray tree frogs, Hyla chrysoscelis, a homolog of mammalian AQP3 is an aqua glyceroporin also responsible for freeze tolerance. Our study tried to localize and compare the protein expression levels of aquaporin HC-3 in seven different organs of gray tree frogs under five different physiological conditions using immuno histofluorescence and western blot. HC-3 was immunolocalized in the epidermis and dermis of the skin, basolateral portion of the collecting ducts in the kidney, red blood cells in the liver and other tissues, muscle Schwann cells and the basolateral portion of the large intestine epithelial …

Probing A Role For Trap150 In Gene Regulation, Divya Potabathula

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The mammalian cell nucleus is a highly organized cellular compartment. The nucleus is surrounded by the nuclear envelope and contains distinct domains such as nucleoli, nuclear speckles and Cajal bodies that may reflect nuclear functions such as transcription and RNA processing. Nuclear speckles are regions in the nucleus that are enriched in splicing factors and other RNA processing factors, as well as some transcription factors and the large subunit of RNA polymerase II. Mass spectrometry analysis of purified nuclear speckles revealed 146 nuclear speckle proteins of which 33 are novel nuclear speckle components. One such novel nuclear speckle protein is …

Inflammatory Cytokines In Jet Propulsion Fuel-8 Induced Irritant Contact Dermatitis In Male Fischer Rats, Thomas Joseph Kannanayakal

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Contact dermatitis is one of the most common occupational diseases. Absenteeism of the affected workers and associated health care costs makes this disease an economically important issue. Irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) is a common contact dermatitis observed among workers. As each category of irritants triggers the inflammatory process by different method, studying the mechanism of ICD is difficult. Information on the mechanism of action of an irritant is indispensable for the development of effective prophylactic and therapeutic measures. In this study, we have investigated the early changes in rat skin induced by jet fuel-8 (JP-8). Although previous studies have described …

Physiological Effects On The Expression Of Aquaporin 1-Like Hc-1 In Cope's Gray Tree Frog, Hyla Chrysoscelis, Ram Naresh Pandey

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Aquaporin 1 is a cell membrane integral protein, which functions for water transport through the hydrophobic cell membrane to the cytoplasm. HC-1 is an aquaporin 1-like protein expressed in Hyla chrysoscelis and amphibian that survives at sub-freezing temperatures in its natural habitat. The goal of the current study was to investigate the expression of HC-1 during changing physiological conditions. The expression level of HC-1 was determined in skin, muscle, liver, kidney, and intestines of warm, cold, frozen, and dehydrated frogs using Western blot and immunohistofluorescence. Although HC-1 was widely distributed, the expression level varied among tissues and physiological conditions. In …

The Influence Of Temperature On Population Growth And Allergen Production In Cultured House Dust Mites - Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus And Dermatophagoides Farinae, Lakshmi Yella

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Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae are commercially cultured to produce materials to make extracts for diagnostic tests and immunotherapy. There is some speculation as to how the culture conditions such as time of culture, temperature, relative humidity and food might influence the mite populations and subsequent production of allergens. The purpose of our investigation was to see how temperature influenced the population growth and allergen production of cultured house dust mites. D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae were cultured at 20°C and 25°C. Samples were collected at two week intervals for live mite count, life stage composition and to determine Group …

A Discourse On The Public Nature Of Research In Contemporary Life Science: A Law-Policy Proposal To Promote The Public Nature Of Science In An Era Of Academia-Industry Integration, Michael J. Malinowski

Journal Articles

This article addresses the impact of integration of academia, industry, and government on the public nature of research. The article concludes that, while the integration has benefited science immensely, regulatory measures should be taken to restore the public nature of research in an age of integration.

A Redescription Of Three Species Of Monoecocestus (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) Including Monoecocestus Threlkeldi Based On New Material, Terry R. Haverkost, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Because we have new and detailed data on species in the genus, herein we redescribe both Monoecocestus macrobursatus and M. minor based on existing museum specimens. We also redescribe M. threlkeldi (Parra, 1952) using material collected in Bolivia. Based on the specimens representing M. thelkeldi, we affirm that Perutaenia Parra, 1953 should remain a junior synonym of Monoecocestus.

Sex Effects On Life Span And Senescence In The Wild When Dates Of Birth And Death Are Unknown, Felix Zajitschek, Chad Brassil, Russell Bonduriansky, Robert C. Brooks

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Males and females allocate and schedule reproductive effort in very different ways. Because the timing and amount of reproductive effort influence survival and thus the optimization of life histories, mortality and senescence are predicted to be sex specific. However, age-specific mortality rates of wild animals are often difficult to quantify in natural populations. Studies that report mortality rates from natural populations are, therefore, almost entirely confined to long-lived, easy-to-track species such as large mammals and birds. Here, we employ a novel approach using capture–mark–recapture data from a wild population of black field crickets (Teleogryllus commodus) to test for …

Blood Sampling Reduces Annual Survival In Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon Pyrrhonota) -- La Toma De Muestras De Sangre Reduce La Supervivencia Anual En Petrochelidon Pyrrhonota, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Researchers commonly collect blood samples from wild birds, and most workers assume that blood sampling has no adverse effect on the birds’ survival. Few studies, however, have done controlled comparisons among bled and non-bled individuals and estimated survival using modern statistical methodology. We used a data set on Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) that included 2,945 bled and 7,822 non-bled birds captured at the same times and sites in southwestern Nebraska from 1986 to 2006 to estimate annual survival and recapture probabilities of each group. Blood was collected with brachial venipuncture in amounts varying from 0.3% to 1.2% of …

Long 3’-Utrs Target Wild-Type Mrnas For Nonsense-Mediated Mrna Decay In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Bessie W. Kebaara, Audrey L. Atkin

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway,

present in most eukaryotic cells, is a specialized

pathway that leads to the recognition and rapid

degradation of mRNAs with premature termination

codons and, importantly, some wild-type

mRNAs. Earlier studies demonstrated that aberrant

mRNAs with artificially extended 3’-untranslated

regions (3’-UTRs) are degraded by NMD. However,

the extent to which wild-type mRNAs with long

3’-UTRs are degraded by NMD is not known.

We used a global approach to identify wild-type

mRNAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that have

longer than expected 3’-UTRs, and of these

mRNAs tested, 91% were degraded by NMD. We

demonstrate for the first …

The Impact Of Co-Occurring Tree And Grassland Species On Carbon Sequestration And Potential Biofuel Production, Ramesh Laungani, Johannes Knops

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

We evaluated how three co-occurring tree and four grassland species influence potentially harvestable biofuel stocks and above- and belowground carbon pools. After 5 years, the tree Pinus strobus had 6.5 times the amount of aboveground harvestable biomass as another tree Quercus ellipsoidalis and 10 times that of the grassland species. P. strobus accrued the largest total plant carbon pool (1375 gCm -2 or 394 gCm -2 yr), while Schizachyrium scoparium accrued the largest total plant carbon pool among the grassland species (421 gCm -2 or 137 gCm -2 yr). Quercus ellipsoidalis accrued 850 gCm -2, Q. macrocarpa 370 gCm -2, …

A Study Of The Waterborne And Dietary Toxicityof Cadmium To Hydra Attenuata And Daphnia Plux In Soft Waters And The Development Of Biotic Ligand Models To Predict Such Toxicity, Matthew S.A. Clifford

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The goal of this thesis was to compare the effects of waterborne Cd exposures and dietary Cd exposures to Hydra attenuata. Before the Hydra could be exposed to dietborne exposures of Cd, the effects of waterborne exposures had to be understood. This was done by looking at the sensitivity of D. pulex to Cd and then understanding the accumulation of Cd. After bioaccumulation patterns of Cd. to D. pulex were known, we could then feed the prey to the Hydra and comapre the effects to waterborne effects of Cd to Hydra.

To understand the waterborne effects of Cd to …

Using Chemical, Optical And Biological Methods To Characterize Cu Complexation By Different Natural Organic Matter Sources Collected From Canadian Shield Waters, Keegan Andrew Hicks

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The effects of natural organic matter (NOM) source on Cu complexation were characterized chemically, optically and biologically in soft waters. NOM from different Canadian Shield soft water lakes were concentrated using reverse osmosis and for comparison NOM was also sampled from a hard water source. NOM complexation capacity was assessed directly in Cu spiked solutions (with and without additions of NOM) by measuring free Cu activity using an ion selective electrode. Additional chemical and optical characterizations of NOM included specific absorbance coefficient (SAC; at 340 nm), excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy, protein content, and molecular weight fractionation (fraction of DOCkDa). The biological …

Metabolic And Molecular Approaches To The Study Of Bacterial Communities In Wetlands Of The Alberta Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Jessica Dawn Morrison

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Bacterial communities in wetlands from the Athabasca region (Alberta, Canada) were surveyed and their utility as bio-indicators for wetland reclamation was assessed. Sediment samples were collected from wetlands categorized as: (1) natural (off mining leases), (2) reference (on mining sites but not directly impacted by oil sands processed material (OSPM)), and (3) OSPM (directly affected by OSPM). Wetlands of the latter two groups ranged in age from 11 to 24 years. Analysis involved community level physiological profiling (CLPP) with BIOLOG™ EcoPlates, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Multivariate analysis applied to data from both techniques revealed differences in the bacterial …

Characterization Of The Interaction Between Arabidopsis Toc159 And Toc33 Gtpase Domains, Wesley A. Farquharson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Protein-protein interactions are critical for many biochemical processes and for cellular function. Understanding interactions between proteins and ligands, as well as other proteins are necessary for the modelling of biological systems. Protein import into chloroplasts is one such system where the understanding of interactions between members of the translocation complex is limited. The translocon at the outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts (Toe complex) consists of three core components: Toc75, Tocl59, and Toc34. Members of the Tocl59 and Toc34 gene families in Arabidopsis thaliana have been shown to assemble differentially into structurally and functionally distinct complexes. More specifically, there is evidence …

The Epidemiological Status Of Pav1, And The Effects Of Infection On Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) Condition, Olfaction, And Predation Risk, Donald C. Behringer, Mark J. Butler Iv, Jeffrey D. Shields

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Costs Of Transportation At Mckillop Library, Elizabeth Giambusso, Timothy Hanrahan, Raine Raab

BIO140 Carbon Footprint Project

Much like other libraries and institutions across the United States, Salve Regina faces its share of efficiency problems. In turn, these problems add to the many environmental issues we face today. These are mostly paper waste, recycling, or lack thereof, and the amount of energy needed to heat buildings. Notwithstanding the excessive consumption and waste, our group focused on transportation. The main goal of this project was to measure the current transportation costs and explore ways to cut carbon emissions. By sending a questionnaire through email, the staff responded with the type of vehicle they drive and their commuting distance. …

Student Assessment Of The Environmental Footprint Of The Mckillop Library, Salve Regina University - Executive Summary, Jameson Chace

BIO140 Carbon Footprint Project

No abstract provided.

Paper Waste In Mckillop Library, Kristina Lowe, Charles "Ben" Parrish, William Pearce, Sarah Petro, Allison Smith, Sarah Tolman

BIO140 Carbon Footprint Project

The goals of our project were to determine the amount of the library’s paper waste. In order to do this we decided to focus on the total sheets of paper used, the recycling that occurs in the library, the use of recycled paper, and the discarding of books. The methods that were used were talking to library staff about the amount of paper used and the discarding of books, surveying the students who use the library about their recycling practices, and hanging educational flyers about the benefits of recycling. After researching the amount of paper waste in McKillop Library, the …

Green Heating And The Mckillop Library Building, Alexandra Riewer, Anthony Rothwell, Kalei Sullivan, Other Student

BIO140 Carbon Footprint Project

As global warming becomes an ever increasing problem, it is Salve Regina University and the Newport communities job to do their part. In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, we performed a series of tests on the heating and building of McKillop library at Salve Regina to measure its carbon emissions and environmental impact. As a team, we tested for areas of heat loss and temperature change and internal temperature and humidity fluctuation. We also focused on the types of insulation that the building uses and the efficiency of its HVAC – heating, ventilation, and air conditioning – system. …

Appendices

BIO140 Carbon Footprint Project

No abstract provided.

Dynamics Of Aggregation Formation In Japanese Beetles, Popillia Japonica, Katelyn A. Kowles

Masters Theses

For most insect aggregations to form, they need to be started by an initial individual (the pioneer) andjoined by later individuals (the joiners). Pioneers and joiners may differ with regard to characteristics such as sex and body size. We carried out three field experiments to examine the characteristics of Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica, pioneering and joining aggregations on host plants. Individual beetles were captured as they arrived on uninhabited grape plants, as well as plants designed to simulate aggregations with model beetles and feeding damage. For all experiments and treatments, the beetles arriving were significantly female-biased, with pioneer females having …

Ecology And Impacts Of Lianas In Regenerating Forests, Laura Marie Ladwig

Masters Theses

Although they are important components of forest communities, the general ecology of temperate lianas, especially during forest regeneration, is largely unknown. The dependence of lianas on other plants for physical support makes them a potentially important driver of community dynamics. I examined current and past vegetation data from an old-field succession study in the Piedmont region of New Jersey, USA to determine the dynamics of liana expansion and their role in forest regeneration. Fifty years of vegetation data were utilized to determine community controls and population dynamics oflianas during expansion. Five lianas, Celastrus orbiculatus, Lonicera japonica, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Toxicodendron radicans, …

Aging In The Mammalian Olfactory System, Stephen Clark

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to investigate genetic and age~related differences in the mammalian olfactory system. The molecule of interest is apolipoprotein E (apoE), a component oflipoprotein molecules which functions in the transport of cell membrane components (triglycerides, lipids, and cholesterol). Specifically in the nervous system, apoE is synthesized by glial cells that function in recycling dead nervous tissue components for delivery to growing or dividing neurons. ApoE is present in three protein isofon11s: apoE2, which has been associated with type III hyperlipoproteinemia; apoE3, rhe normal human isoforrn; and apoE4, which has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The …