Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Biology Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2013

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 391 - 420 of 1508

Full-Text Articles in Biology

The Natural Variants Of The Streptococcus Nad+-Glycohydrolase Spn Modulate Divergent Host Cell Signaling Pathways And Death, Sukantha Chandrasekaran Aug 2013

The Natural Variants Of The Streptococcus Nad+-Glycohydrolase Spn Modulate Divergent Host Cell Signaling Pathways And Death, Sukantha Chandrasekaran

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus pyogenes has an arsenal of virulence factors that promote its ability to cause a broad range of diseases and fight host defenses. One of these factors is the S. pyogenes NAD+-glycohydrolase (SPN), which is secreted from the bacterial cell and translocated into the host cell cytosol where it contributes to cell death. Every strain examined to date has SPN and recent studies suggest that SPN is continuing to evolve diverging into two variants that correlate with tissue tropism, one of which lacks the signature NADase activity. SPN's roles in both cytotoxicity and niche selection are unknown. To gain insight …

Go to article

Type 1 Diabetes And The Male Reproductive Axis, Erica Schoeller Aug 2013

Type 1 Diabetes And The Male Reproductive Axis, Erica Schoeller

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Glucose regulation is important in both spermatogenesis as well as mature sperm function. The impact of diabetes on sperm function is becoming increasingly clear, though much work is still needed to elucidate the mechanism by which diabetes impairs spermatogenesis. Diabetes causes disruptions in the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis, the regulatory system that controls reproduction. The HPG axis functions by secreting GnRH pulses from the hypothalamus, which bind to receptors on the pituitary and cause secretion of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, which then bind to receptors in the testes and facilitate spermatogenesis. Type 1 diabetes can severely impact …

Go to article

Dysfunctional Gene Regulation Of The Meiotic Program In An Interspecific Yeast Hybrid, Devjanee Swain Lenz Aug 2013

Dysfunctional Gene Regulation Of The Meiotic Program In An Interspecific Yeast Hybrid, Devjanee Swain Lenz

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Speciation, the evolutionary process by which species arise, is a fundamental biological concept. One of the major goals of evolutionary genetics is to understand the genetic basis of reproductive isolation (RI), a collection of barriers that prevents two species from forming viable or fertile hybrids. Given the lack of viable or fertile hybrid progeny, identifying genes that impact RI as well as their functions has been difficult. Thus we lack a view of the total genetic contribution to RI. Recently the budding yeast Saccharomyces has served as an evolutionary model, as abundant sequence, expression, and phenotypic data exist for the …

Go to article

Development Of Polarizable Force Field Models For Transition Metal Ions, Jin Yu Xiang Aug 2013

Development Of Polarizable Force Field Models For Transition Metal Ions, Jin Yu Xiang

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the development of polarizable molecular mechanics (MM) force field models for the third-row transition metal (TM) ions. These TM ions perform important structural and chemical functions in a wide range of organic and biological environments because of the unique properties of the 3d orbitals. Being able study these systems in silico can provide a tremendous amount of information that is difficult to obtain through experiments. However, the standard treatment of ions in traditional MM models has shown to be insufficient for describing the d-shell electronic effects. In this work, empirical models for TM electronic effects are …

Go to article

Quantification Of Conformational Heterogeneity And Its Role In Protein Aggregation And Unfolding, Nicholas J. Lyle Aug 2013

Quantification Of Conformational Heterogeneity And Its Role In Protein Aggregation And Unfolding, Nicholas J. Lyle

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Proteins can exhibit significant conformational heterogeneity either under denaturing conditions or in aqueous solutions. The latter is true for a class of proteins whose sequences predispose them to form heterogeneous ensembles of conformations. Characterization of conformational heterogeneity in a protein ensemble requires the quantification of the amplitudes of spontaneous fluctuations in conjunction with information regarding coarse grain measures that report on the average sizes, shapes, and densities. This often demands multiplexed experimental approaches whose readouts are interpreted or annotated using ensembles drawn from atomistic or coarse grain computational simulations. Efforts to characterize conformational heterogeneity contribute directly to our understanding of …

Go to article

Post-Translational Regulation Of Fas-Mediated Pparα Activation, Anne Patricia Louise Jensen-Urstad Aug 2013

Post-Translational Regulation Of Fas-Mediated Pparα Activation, Anne Patricia Louise Jensen-Urstad

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The liver is a central organ to whole-body metabolism and mediates many of the adaptive responses to changes in nutrient availability, such that the appropriate energy sources are used and blood glucose levels maintained, whether directly after a meal or after a twelve-hour fast. The adaptive responses to fasting in liver are largely mediated by the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, or PPARα. PPARα can be activated by a de novo synthesized lipid ligand—16:0/18:1- glycerophosphocholine (16:0/18:1-GPC)—the synthesis of which is dependent on fatty acid synthase (FAS), but little is known about the regulation of this pathway. My thesis focused …

Go to article

“A Rose By Any Other Name…” A Study Of Flowering Plant Classification And Species Recognition, Angela Jensen, Dr. Leigh Johnson Aug 2013

“A Rose By Any Other Name…” A Study Of Flowering Plant Classification And Species Recognition, Angela Jensen, Dr. Leigh Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Speciation is a scientific “gray area.” Conservation biologists are familiar with the many different proposed definitions for a species, encased in the 10 or so existing species concepts. Individual organisms of the same species are inherently different, possessing a wide variety of characteristics and behaviors. When is an individual a new species? Why does it matter?

Go to article

Family-Level Phylogeny Of Orthoptera (Arthropoda: Insecta) Based On Complete Mitochondrial Genome Data, Kevin Hiatt, Dr. Michael Whiting Aug 2013

Family-Level Phylogeny Of Orthoptera (Arthropoda: Insecta) Based On Complete Mitochondrial Genome Data, Kevin Hiatt, Dr. Michael Whiting

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The insect order Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets) is the most diverse member of the group of polyneopteran insect orders, with more than 23,000 described species (Kevan 1982). Previous studies have recovered the monophyly of the two orthopteran suborders Caelifera (grasshoppers) and Ensifera (crickets and katydids); however, the family-level phylogeny of the order remains largely unresolved. Flook et al. (1995) sequenced the first entire orthopteran mitochondrial genome (mtgenome), and 25 complete mtgenomes are currently available on GenBank. These available mtgenomes only represent two caeliferan and four ensiferan families. Flook et al. (1995) also discovered a tRNA rearrangement (a reversal of …

Go to article

Candidatus Syngnamydia Venezia, A Novel Member Of The Phylum Chlamydiae From The Broad Nosed Pipefish, Syngnathustyphle Typhle, Alexander Fehr, Elisabeth Walther, Heike Schmidt-Posthaus, Lisbeth Nufer, Anthony B. Wilson, Miroslav Svercel, Denis Richter, Helmut Segner, Andreas Pospischil, Lloyd Vaughan Aug 2013

Candidatus Syngnamydia Venezia, A Novel Member Of The Phylum Chlamydiae From The Broad Nosed Pipefish, Syngnathustyphle Typhle, Alexander Fehr, Elisabeth Walther, Heike Schmidt-Posthaus, Lisbeth Nufer, Anthony B. Wilson, Miroslav Svercel, Denis Richter, Helmut Segner, Andreas Pospischil, Lloyd Vaughan

Publications and Research

Chlamydia are obligate intracellular bacteria and important pathogens of humans and animals. Chlamydia-related bacteria are also major fish pathogens, infecting epithelial cells of the gills and skin to cause the disease epitheliocystis. Given the wide distribution, ancient origins and spectacular diversity of bony fishes, this group offers a rich resource for the identification and isolation of novel Chlamydia. The broad-nosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) is a widely distributed and genetically diverse temperate fish species, susceptible to epitheliocystis across much of its range. We describe here a new bacterial species, Candidatus Syngnamydia venezia; epitheliocystis agent of S. typhle and close relative to …

Go to article

A Study Of Biological Photonic Crystals In The Internal Opal Scale Structures Of Iridescent Beetle Species In The Cerambycidae Family, Lauren Richey, Dr. John Gardner Aug 2013

A Study Of Biological Photonic Crystals In The Internal Opal Scale Structures Of Iridescent Beetle Species In The Cerambycidae Family, Lauren Richey, Dr. John Gardner

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A photonic crystal is a periodic structure that confines, manipulates, and guides photons. Such structures affect the propagation of electromagnetic waves by defining allowed and forbidden frequency bands known as photonic band gaps. Therefore, a photonic crystal can be thought of as the optical counterpart of a semiconductor, allowing only certain frequencies, or wavelengths, to propagate through the crystal. It is difficult to create photonic crystals operating in the visible frequencies due to the requirement of small periodicities to interact with visible light frequencies.

Go to article

An Evalutaion Of Robber Fly (Diptera: Asilidae) Diversity In Mongolia, Tristan Mcknight, Dr. C. Riley Nelson Aug 2013

An Evalutaion Of Robber Fly (Diptera: Asilidae) Diversity In Mongolia, Tristan Mcknight, Dr. C. Riley Nelson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The last few decades have seen an explosion of agricultural expansion and mining in Mongolia. These developments—loosely regulated at best—strain the ecological health of the steppe environment with pollution and overgrazing. Robber flies (Fig. 1) are small predators common in most terrestrial ecosystems that may play an important, yet frequently overlooked role in maintaining balanced insect populations. Unfortunately, very little baseline data exist for evaluating robber fly diversity in Mongolia. Our study set out to provide a comprehensive catalogue of Mongolian robber flies which we hope will assist future efforts to manage and conserve Mongolia’s ecosystems.

Go to article

The Misapplication Of Dna Barcodes To Taxonomic Classification, Taylor Southwick, Dr. Keith Crandall Aug 2013

The Misapplication Of Dna Barcodes To Taxonomic Classification, Taylor Southwick, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The classification of organisms into different taxa is a central issue in biology. If similar organisms are grouped together, then comparative analyses can be used from the genome to the systems level to understand how they work, both biologically and behaviorally. There are two ways to perform this classification: morphologically and phylogenetically. Morphological demarcations are based on visual differences in anatomical structure and physiological function. Phylogenetic classification is based upon the evolutionary relationship among the individuals in the population quantified by the similarity or dissimilarity of their DNA strands.

Go to article

Evolution Of Nuclear Mitochondrial Pseudogenes Of Three Genes Within Orthoptera (Arthropoda:Insecta), Matthew Moulton, Dr. Michael Whiting Aug 2013

Evolution Of Nuclear Mitochondrial Pseudogenes Of Three Genes Within Orthoptera (Arthropoda:Insecta), Matthew Moulton, Dr. Michael Whiting

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Mitochondria are unique organelles that contain their own genomes. Metazoan mitochondrial genomes typically encode 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNA, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes) that are used for cellular respiration.

Go to article

Phylogeography And Population Structure Of Scottnema Lindsayae, Mac Martin, Dr. Byron Adams Aug 2013

Phylogeography And Population Structure Of Scottnema Lindsayae, Mac Martin, Dr. Byron Adams

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Glaciologists have suggested that because of the extent of the ice sheets during the last glacial maximum (LGM) in Antarctica no terrestrial species could have survived these harsh conditions. However, substantial evidence suggests that some invertebrate species did indeed survive the LGM. We hypothesize that S. lindsayae survived the LGM in Antarctica through hypothetical refugia, areas that remained ice-free during the LGM. These are coastal areas characterized by high elevation, which would have remained ice-free during the LGM and would not have been inundated under episodes of elevated sea levels.

Go to article

What Can Phylogeographic Breaks In The Livebearer Poeciliopsis Turrubarensis Tell Us About Fish Community Boundaries In Western Costa Rica?, April Larson, Dr. Jerald B. Johnson Aug 2013

What Can Phylogeographic Breaks In The Livebearer Poeciliopsis Turrubarensis Tell Us About Fish Community Boundaries In Western Costa Rica?, April Larson, Dr. Jerald B. Johnson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

One active area of study in ecology, termed biogeography, is the determination of how communities are formed. A basic knowledge of what factors have shaped the formation of ecological communities leads to greater understanding of a system as a whole and specific species interactions. One possible factor that is rarely taken into account when studying biogeography is the effect that early earth history events could have playing in the shaping of community boundaries. Molecular phylogeographic data is a useful tool in helping to determine the contribution of vicariant events in community formation. If single species genetic breaks coincide with community …

Go to article

The Genus Odontophrynus (Anura: Odontophrynidae): A Larval Perspective, Filipe Augusto C. Do Nascimento, Tamí Mott, José A. Langone, Christine A. Davis, Rafael O. De Sá Aug 2013

The Genus Odontophrynus (Anura: Odontophrynidae): A Larval Perspective, Filipe Augusto C. Do Nascimento, Tamí Mott, José A. Langone, Christine A. Davis, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The genus Odontophrynus consists of 11 species of medium-sized frogs distributed across south and east South America. This study examines and describes the chondrocrania and oral cavities of 0. americanus, 0. maisuma, 0. carvalhoi, and 0. cu/tripes, and reviews current knowledge about the larval external morphology of the genus. Twenty-one tadpoles were cleared and double-stained for chondrocranium description and five tadpoles were dissected for analysis in a scanning electron microscope. The presence of a tectum parientale may be considered here as a putative synapomorphy of the genus. The 0. americanus and 0. cu/tripes species groups were partially differentiated by the …

Go to article

Exploring Phylogenetic Relationships, Origins Of Claws, And Loss Of Functional Eyes In Decapod Lobsters (Infraorder Astacidea, Achelata, Glypheidea, Polychelida), Dohyup Kim, Dr. Keith Crandall Aug 2013

Exploring Phylogenetic Relationships, Origins Of Claws, And Loss Of Functional Eyes In Decapod Lobsters (Infraorder Astacidea, Achelata, Glypheidea, Polychelida), Dohyup Kim, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The order Decapoda represents a species-rich and economically important group of crustaceans. Among decapods, lobsters play a huge role of monetary significance, bringing in billions of dollars each year to world fisheries.

Go to article

Resolving Genetic Relationships Within Shrimp-Like Decapods And Tracing The Phylogenetic Significance Of Morphological Traits Within Caridea (Crustacea: Decapoda), Jennifer Rasmussen, Dr. Keith Crandall Aug 2013

Resolving Genetic Relationships Within Shrimp-Like Decapods And Tracing The Phylogenetic Significance Of Morphological Traits Within Caridea (Crustacea: Decapoda), Jennifer Rasmussen, Dr. Keith Crandall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Shrimp-like decapods–including sergestoids, penaeoids, carideans, procaridids, and stenopodideans–are a species-rich and morphologically diverse group of crustaceans. Some taxa, such as the penaeoids and carideans, are economically important, bringing in billions of dollars each year to world fisheries. The economic importance of this group, together with their distinctive morphology and ecological diversity, makes shrimp-like decapods popular research subjects in all fields of biology.

Go to article

Confocal Microscopy Study Of The Embryonic Development Of The Viviparous Nemertean Prosorhochmus Americanus Reveals Larval Features Supporting Indirect Development In Hoplonemerteans, S Tyler Spindle Aug 2013

Confocal Microscopy Study Of The Embryonic Development Of The Viviparous Nemertean Prosorhochmus Americanus Reveals Larval Features Supporting Indirect Development In Hoplonemerteans, S Tyler Spindle

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies of hoplonenemertean planuliform larvae have clarified their development and provided insight into larval evolution within the phylum. However, an assessment of viviparous development using modern techniques is lacking. To help facilitate a comprehensive comparative evaluation of developmental diversity within hoplonemerteans, we have conducted a confocal laser scanning microscopy investigation of the development in Prosorhochmus americanus, one of the few viviparous hoplonemertean species. Phalloidin staining provides evidence of a modified transitory larval epidermis, and reveals that the foregut, midgut, proboscis, central nervous system, and body wall musculature form early in development, consistent with observations for planktonic and encapsulated hoplonemertean …

Go to article

Impacts Of An Ethanol-Blended Fuel Release On Groundwater And Fate Of Produced Methane: Simulation Of Field Observations, Kevin P. Feris Aug 2013

Impacts Of An Ethanol-Blended Fuel Release On Groundwater And Fate Of Produced Methane: Simulation Of Field Observations, Kevin P. Feris

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

[1] In a field experiment at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) designed to mimic the impact of a small-volume release of E10 (10% ethanol and 90% conventional gasoline), two plumes were created by injecting extracted groundwater spiked with benzene, toluene, and o-xylene, abbreviated BToX (no-ethanol lane) and BToX plus ethanol (with-ethanol lane) for 283 days. We developed a reactive transport model to understand processes controlling the fate of ethanol and BToX. The model was calibrated to the extensive field data set and accounted for concentrations of sulfate, iron, acetate, and methane along with …

Go to article

A Study On The Regulation Of Amino Acids And Glucose Sensing Pathways In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Mengying Chiang Aug 2013

A Study On The Regulation Of Amino Acids And Glucose Sensing Pathways In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Mengying Chiang

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient availability regulates eukaryotic cell growth. This study focuses on two signaling pathways, involved in sensing amino acids and carbon sources, which allow cells to respond appropriately to their presence. The first part of this study shows that Ssy1, a plasma membrane localized sensor in the Ssy1-Ptr3-Ssy5 (SPS) amino acid sensing pathway, can detect 19 common L-amino acids with different potencies and affinities based on the physiochemical structure of amino acids. Substituents around alpha carbon are critical for amino acid sensing by Ssy1. Furthermore, a high concentration of cysteine is toxic to cells. Inactivation of SPS signaling confers resistance to …

Go to article

Antibacterial And Herbicidal Activity Of Ring-Substituted 2-Hydroxynaphthalene-1-Carboxanilides, Rodeney Govender, Et. Al. Aug 2013

Antibacterial And Herbicidal Activity Of Ring-Substituted 2-Hydroxynaphthalene-1-Carboxanilides, Rodeney Govender, Et. Al.

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

In this study, a series of twenty-two ring-substituted 2-hydroxynaphthalene-1-carboxanilides were prepared and characterized. Primary in vitro screening of the synthesized compounds was performed against Staphylococcus aureus, three methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains, Mycobacterium marinum, M. kasasii, M. smegmatis. and M. avium paratuberculosis. The compounds were also tested for their activity related to inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport (PET) in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts. 2-Hydroxy-N-phenylnaphthalene-1-carboxanilide and 2-hydroxy-N-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)naphthalene-1-carboxamide (IC50 = 29 µmol/L) were the most active PET inhibitors. Some of tested compounds showed the antibacterial and antimycobacterial activity against the tested strains comparable or higher than the standards ampicillin or isoniazid. Thus, …

Go to article

Development Of Pectoral Apparatus In Ictalurid Catfish, Shweta Lahiri Aug 2013

Development Of Pectoral Apparatus In Ictalurid Catfish, Shweta Lahiri

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis contains two manuscripts- 1) Developmental changes in pectoral muscle fiber diameter and number in the Blue Catfish, Ictalurus furcatus and 2) Reduction in pectoral spine and girdle in domesticated Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus is likely caused by the absence of fish predators. The first study showed that fiber diameter increased linearly with fish size, whereas fiber number increases non linearly with fish size in the Blue Catfish correlated with dietary shift. The second study showed shorter spines in domesticated Channel Catfish as compared to wild Channel Catfish was a result of reduction in selection pressure during domestication in …

Go to article

Environmental Influences On Sex Ratio And Spatial Distribution Of Dioecious Morella Cerifera L. On A Virginia Barrier Island., Molly Hokkanen Aug 2013

Environmental Influences On Sex Ratio And Spatial Distribution Of Dioecious Morella Cerifera L. On A Virginia Barrier Island., Molly Hokkanen

Theses and Dissertations

For dioecious plant species, sex ratios within a population depend on multiple environmental and life history characteristics. Sex ratio is an indicator of population health and can be a predictor for genetic bottlenecking. My study established the previously unknown sex ratio for the shrub, Morella cerifera, on a Virginia barrier island. The ratio was compared with multiple environmental and reproductive traits to determine their potential influence on sex determination and/or distribution of male and female plants. Multivariate analyses were used to identify relationships between sex, sex ratio and environmental drivers. The sex ratio for M. cerifera changed depending on scale. …

Go to article

2013 Annual Meeting Program Aug 2013

2013 Annual Meeting Program

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Aspergillosis Of Pseudopterogorgia Americana: Increased Host Range Of Aspergillus Sydowii From The Wider Caribbean, Garriet W. Smith Aug 2013

Aspergillosis Of Pseudopterogorgia Americana: Increased Host Range Of Aspergillus Sydowii From The Wider Caribbean, Garriet W. Smith

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Reports of gorgonian diseases have been increasing in the past few years,but, with the exception of Gorgonia spp., the etiological agents responsible are generally unknown. In the summer of 1999, populations of Pseudopterogorgia americana were observed with lesions and galls, somewhat similar to Aspergillus sydowii infections on Gorgonia ventalina, in Bermuda. Surveys of three sites were made, repeated the following two years, and compared with sites in the Bahamas. Microscopic observations of affected tissue and subsequent pure culture studies indicated the pathogen was also A. sydowii. Over half of the colonies at the Bahamas site were affected, but …

Go to article

Colonization History And Origin Of The Galapagos Flycatcher (Myiarchus Magnirostris) And Its Parasites, Eloisa Helena Reis Sari Aug 2013

Colonization History And Origin Of The Galapagos Flycatcher (Myiarchus Magnirostris) And Its Parasites, Eloisa Helena Reis Sari

Dissertations

The Galápagos flycatcher (Myiarchus magnirostris) is an endemic species to the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, and is among the least studied Galápagos terrestrial birds. In this work I unveiled the origin and colonization history of the Galápagos flycatcher, and also the origin of the parasites that are currently found in/on this bird species. To determine the origin of the Galápagos flycatcher, I rebuilt the phylogeny of the Myiarchus genus using cytb and ND2, and applied a Bayesian approach to estimate its colonization time. I discovered that the closest living relative of the Galápagos flycatcher is Myiarchus tyrannulus (Brown-crested flycatcher) …

Go to article

Learning Upper Level Molecular Biology Using The Yeast Two-Hybrid (Y2h) System, Brandon Wubben, Kim Buyert, Sam De Nooy, Nick Wilson, Tony N. Jelsma, Robbin Eppinga Aug 2013

Learning Upper Level Molecular Biology Using The Yeast Two-Hybrid (Y2h) System, Brandon Wubben, Kim Buyert, Sam De Nooy, Nick Wilson, Tony N. Jelsma, Robbin Eppinga

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

A challenge with upper level biology labs is that experiments cannot normally be done in a 3-hour window. It can also be a challenge to stay motivated when doing labs with predetermined outcomes. Third, a “one size fits all” laboratory can be boring for those of us with previous experience. Finally, having to share a small lab space with many classmates simultaneously makes working efficiently difficult. An unexpectedly large enrollment in our molecular biology lab course provided our professor with an opportunity to use a class project to address the above concerns. One of our professors has a collection of …

Go to article

Life Support: Long Term Storage Of Solid Waste In An Enclosed Membrane System, Emmy O. Trieu, Michael Flynn, Rocco Mancinelli Aug 2013

Life Support: Long Term Storage Of Solid Waste In An Enclosed Membrane System, Emmy O. Trieu, Michael Flynn, Rocco Mancinelli

STAR Program Research Presentations

In deep space missions, maintaining life support is of the utmost priority. In such a closed system, human waste must be stored and treated. Simulated feces (ersatz) will be inoculated with microbes representing normal fecal flora, mixed with urine brine and shredded refuse of products typically used in space missions. Composting methods often use alternating layers of waste with scraps of carboniferous materials (finely shredded refuse). By preparing membrane bags with a homogenized ersatz and carboniferous refuse mixture and membrane bags with alternating layers of ersatz and carboniferous refuse, it may be possible to monitor anaerobic thermophillic digestion of the …

Go to article

Identifying Molecular Markers Associated With Salt And Boron Tolerance In Poplar Trees, Darshanpreet Gill, Nathan Follen, Davis W. Cheng, Kyan Salehi, Gary Banuelos, James P. Prince Aug 2013

Identifying Molecular Markers Associated With Salt And Boron Tolerance In Poplar Trees, Darshanpreet Gill, Nathan Follen, Davis W. Cheng, Kyan Salehi, Gary Banuelos, James P. Prince

STAR Program Research Presentations

Standard irrigation practices promote salt and boron accumulation in soils on the Westside of Central California. The build-up of these inorganic salts leads to the degradation of arable land and reduction of crop production. Different clones of poplar trees have been shown to grow in salt- and boron-contaminated soils, and in doing so, gradually remove significant amounts of these inorganic salts from the soil. In an effort to identify molecular markers linked with salt and boron tolerance in poplars, 31 PCR primer pairs have been designed based on candidate genes identified from the literature, and an additional 31 PCR primer …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last