Biology Commons^™

A New Species Of Sphaerowithius (Pseudoscorpiones, Withiidae) From Namibia, Mark S. Harvey, V. Menhert

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A new species of Sphaerowithius Mahnert, 1988, S. ansieae sp. n., is described from specimens collected in caves in northern Namibia. The specimens show some slight modifications to an obligate cavernicolous existence including small eyes and long, slender pedipalps.

An Extracellular Antifungal Chitinase From Lecanicillium Lecanii: Purification, Properties, And Application In Biocontrol Against Plant Pathogenic Fungi, Huu Quan Nguyen, Dinh Thi Quyen, Sy Le Thanh Nguyen, Van Hanh Vu

Turkish Journal of Biology

An extracellular antifungal chitinase from L. lecanii strain 43H was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and DEAE-Sephadex A-50 ion exchange chromatography; it showed a molecular mass of approximately 33 kDa with a specific activity of 167.5 U/mg protein and purification factor of 2.5. Optimum temperature and pH were observed at 40 °C and pH 6.0, respectively. This enzyme was stable at up to 40 °C and at pH 5.0-6.0. The kinetic constants K_m and V_{max} determined for the chitinase with colloidal chitin as substrate was 0.82 mg/mL and 4.51 U/mg, respectively. The presence of 5-15 mM tested metal ions led …

Activity Of Antioxidant Enzymes In The Liver Of Wild Boars (Sus Scrofa) From A Selenium-Deficient Area Depending On Sex, Age, And Season Of The Year, Dorota Jankowiak, Renata Pilarczyk, Radoslaw Drozd, Bogumila Pilarczyk, Agnieszka Tomza-Marciniak, Gabriela Wysocka, Izabella Rzad, Arleta Drozd, Jaroslaw Kuba

Turkish Journal of Biology

The aim of this study was to compare the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and total and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (total GSH-Px and Se-GSH-Px) in the liver of wild boars (Sus scrofa) selected from a selenium-deficient area with respect to season of the year, sex, and age. Only season had a significant effect on liver Se content. Liver selenium concentration in the wild boars was highest in spring (0.292 µg/g wet weight) and lowest in winter (0.185 µg/g wet weight) (P < 0.05). The highest mean activity of total GSH-Px, Se-GSH-Px, and CAT (404.0, 309.9, and 1170.0 U/mg protein, respectively) was found in the spring season, and the respective highest mean activity of SOD was found during autumn (31.5 U/mg protein). Females showed markedly higher mean activities of total GSH-Px (388.2 and 314.7 U/mg protein) and CAT (1151.0 and 765.8 U/mg protein) compared to males. In comparison to other groups of animals, those aged between 1 and 1.5 years were characterized by higher mean activity of total GSH-Px and Se-GSH-Px, and those over 2 years of age showed higher activity of CAT and SOD. The analysis showed that the strongest oxidative stress and the greatest risk of peroxidative damage to the liver occurred during the winter.

A New Entomopathogenic Nematode Species From Turkey, Steinernema Websteri (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), And Its Virulence, Ci̇han Gökçe, Zeynep Erbaş, Hüseyi̇n Yilmaz, Zi̇hni̇ Demi̇rbağ, İsmai̇l Demi̇r

Turkish Journal of Biology

Entomopathogenic nematodes were isolated from a population of larvae of the cutworm Agrotis segetum Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) collected from the Black Sea region of Turkey in 2009 using White traps. The isolated nematodes were identified as Steinernema websteri based on morphological and molecular properties. Steinernema websteri was also found for the first time in Turkey and in A. segetum larvae. The efficacy of isolates was tested on A. segetum larvae in plastic boxes. Different concentrations of nematodes (100, 300, and 500 infective juveniles (IJs) g^{-1} of dry sand) at 23 ± 1 °C were used. The obtained …

Effects Of The Algal Toxin Microcystin On Fishes In The James River, Virginia, Maxwell D. Haase

Theses and Dissertations

With the global rise in frequency of harmful algal blooms in estuarine environments comes an increase in prevalence of toxic metabolites, such as microcystin (MC), that some of the cyanobacteria involved will produce. At high concentrations, MC may accumulate in consumer tissues and have deleterious effects on organisms; however impacts of the toxin on aquatic living resources at ecologically relevant concentrations have not been widely documented. We analyzed the effects of MC on juveniles of five fish species from the James River, Virginia to determine if MC has the potential to impede growth. Using three separate experimental approaches, it was …

Effects Of Gradual Soil Drought Stress On The Growth, Biomass Partitioning, And Chlorophyll Fluorescence Of Prunus Mongolica Seedlings, Youyan Guo, Hongyuan Yu, Dongsheng Kong, Fang Yan, Donghua Liu, Yajuan Zhang

Turkish Journal of Biology

The present studyaimed to determine the effects of gradual drought stress on Prunus mongolica seedlings. The growth and chlorophyll fluorescence of the seedlings were investigated under drought and control conditions. The short-term (21 day) decline in soil water content from 30.46% to 15.55% did not significantly influence the growth of P. mongolica seedlings but increased the height, basal diameter, crown, leaf number, stem mass, leaf mass, and root mass of the seedlings. The growth of the drought group reached the maximum, but remained lower than that of the control group, within 21 days. Compared with the control group, the drought …

Genetic Integrity Assessment Of Cryopreserved Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum Mill.) Genotypes, Ana Coste, Dana Suteu, Ioan Bacila, Constantin Deliu, Sergiu Valimareanu, Adela Halmagyi

Turkish Journal of Biology

Shoot tips of five tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) genotypes were successfully cryopreserved by droplet vitrification. Recovered plants were studied for genetic stability by two different assays: amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) using 4 primer combinations and sequencing of lycopene $\beta$-cyclase gene (LCY-B) from leaves. The highest shoot regeneration after cryopreservation was 70% (Pontica) following 24 h osmoprotection in 0.5 M sucrose and 30 min dehydration in plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2). The data inferred from AFLP showed no genetic dissimilarities between in vitro regenerants derived from cryopreserved tissues compared with the noncryopreserved controls. Although a single nucleotide polymorphism, a G→T …

Expression Profiles Of Genes Related To Melatonin And Oxidative Stress In Human Renal Proximal Tubule Cells Treated With Antibiotic Amphotericin B And Its Modified Forms, Joanna Gola, Aleksandra Skubis, Bartosz Sikora, Celina Kruszniewska-Rajs, Jolanta Adamska, Urszula Mazurek, Barbara Strzalka-Mrozik, Grzegorz Czernel, Mariusz Gagos

Turkish Journal of Biology

Melatonin protects cells from oxidative stress caused by antibiotics. Through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), amphotericin B (AmB) causes oxidative injuries of the kidneys and liver. Generation of oxidized forms of AmB (AmB-ox) in a patient's circulation may also generate ROS, causing side effects. Studies aimed at elimination of toxic properties of AmB are focused on forming complexes of AmB with copper(II) ions (AmB-Cu2+). However, the influence of such modified forms on renal cells and their transcriptome has not been studied so far. Therefore, the aim of this study was to answer the question of whether AmB-Cu2+ complexes …

Melatonin Induces Antiproliferative Activity Through Modulation Of Apoptoticpathway In H-Ras Oncogene Transformed 5rp7 Cells, Ayşe Kaplan, Gülşen Akalin Çi̇ftçi̇, Hati̇ce Mehtap Kutlu

Turkish Journal of Biology

In the present study, cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of melatonin were investigated on H-ras oncogene transformed rat embryo fibroblast 5RP7 cells. Melatonin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in 5RP7 cells. We showed inhibition of cell proliferation that was time- and dose-dependent in 5RP7 cells for 24 and 48 h. Melatonin was not toxic in NIH/3T3 primary mouse embryonic fibroblast cells at low doses for 24 and 48 h. The IC50 (380 μM) value of melatonin for 48 h was chosen for advanced assays. The percentages of early/late apoptotic cells to which melatonin (IC50: 380 μM) was administered were increased …

Sensitivity Of Cellular Oxidative Damage To Biosynthetic Rate And Metabolic Rate, Palihawadana Walauwe Kamalika Kaushalya Amunugama

Masters Theses

"The relationship between energy expenditure and longevity is a long standing question in aging studies. The empirical results have contradictory effects on the existing theories. A theoretical model and an experimental test of it were presented, revealing the detailed tradeoffs between metabolic rate, biosynthetic rate and cellular damage level. The dissipative mechanisms of oxidative metabolism cause various forms of cellular damages. To counteract the accumulation of damage, organisms have evolved highly efficient maintenance mechanisms. If there is no other energy demand possess, then most of the cellular damage would be repaired, regardless of how metabolic rate varies. However, the repairing …

Infection And Dissemination Of Tav-Gfp Tagged Sindbis In Aedine Mosquitoes And Cell Lines, Jason J. Saredy

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Arthropod-borne-viruses (arboviruses) pose a global threat due to their ability to be transmitted by hematophagous insects to vertebrate hosts resulting in a range of serious infectious diseases. Sindbis virus (SINV) is the prototype arbovirus of the genus Alphavirus in the family Togaviridae. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a fluorescent tagged reporter virus in both in vitro and in vivo environments. The fluorescent protein GFP was inserted between the Capsid and PE2 in the genome of TR339; SINV TaV-GFP (Wm. Klimstra Lab). This virus construct should have the same infectivity and virulence as wild type …

The Reproductive Biology Of The Finetooth Shark, Carcharhinus Isodon, In The Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Amanda N. Brown

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Shark fisheries are a multimillion dollar industry in the United States and have significant contributions both recreationally and commercially. In order to maintain this industry, fisheries must be properly managed. An understanding of life history and reproduction is crucial in order to adequately manage shark fisheries. The finetooth shark, Carcharhinus isodon, is a member of the small coastal shark (SCS) fishery complex. It is found in Atlantic waters from South Carolina to Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. This species has recently come under increased fishing pressure and has previously been overfished. New data is needed in order …

Molecular Identification And Functional Characteristics Of Peptide Transporter 1 (Pept1) In The Bonnethead Shark (Sphyrna Tiburo), Hannah Hart

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many elasmobranchs are considered top predators with worldwide distribution, and in general these fish play an important role in the transfer of energy from the lower to the upper trophic levels within the marine ecosystem. Despite this, little research has been done regarding the rates of prey ingestion, digestion, and the processes of energy and nutrient absorption. Specifically understudied is enzymatic digestion within the intestinal brush border, which functions to break down macromolecules into smaller subunits for luminal absorption across the gastrointestinal epithelium. Given their carnivorous diet, the present study sought to expand knowledge on nutrient intake in elasmobranchs by …

Effects Of The Exotic Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis Invicta) On The Growth And Survival Of The Threatened Hooded Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia Minor), Edward Marques

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plants and insects are some of the most biodiverse groups in the world and are constantly interacting. One unique interaction that has been observed occurs between carnivorous plants and insects; some plant species are capable of capturing and digesting insects for nutrients. Despite preying on these insects, there are cases where such interactions can been viewed as mutualistic. For instance, a nectar reward is produced by the plant to attract insects, and during visitation insects may fall prey to these plants. Additionally, carnivorous myrmecophytic plants may receive an added indirect benefit in the form of reduced herbivory, since ants have …

Healing Of Bone Defects In A Rodent Calvarial Defect Model Using Strong Porous Bioactive Glass (13-93) Scaffolds, Yinan Lin

Masters Theses

"The main objective of this project was to evaluate the capacity of strong porous silicate (13-93) bioactive glass scaffolds prepared by a robocasting technique to regenerate bone and stimulate angiogenesis in a rat calvarial defect model. The scaffolds were created with the same grid-like microstructure but in a variety of formulations: (i) as-fabricated, (ii) pretreated in an aqueous phosphate solution to convert the glass surface to hydroxyapatite, (iii) loaded with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) (1 µg per scaffold), and (iv) doped with copper (0.4-2.0 wt. % CuO). When compared to the as-fabricated scaffolds, the pretreated scaffolds enhanced bone regeneration at …

The Tyrosine Kinase Bcef And The Phosphotyrosine Phosphatase Bced Of Burkholderia Contaminans Are Required For Efficient Invasion And Epithelial Disruption Of A Cystic Fibrosis Lung Epithelial Cell Line, Ana S. Ferreira, Ines N. Silva, Fabio Fernandes, Ruth Pilkington, Máire Callaghan, Siobhán Mcclean, Leonilde M. Moreira

Articles

Bacterial tyrosine kinases and their cognate protein tyrosine phosphatases are best known for regulating the biosynthesis of polysaccharides. Moreover, their roles in the stress response, DNA metabolism, cell division, and virulence have also been documented. The aim of this study was to investigate the pathogenicity and potential mechanisms of virulence dependent on the tyrosine kinase BceF and phosphotyrosine phosphatase BceD of the cystic fibrosis opportunistic pathogen Burkholderia contaminans IST408. The insertion mutants bceD::Tp and bceF::Tp showed similar attenuation of adhesion and invasion of the cystic fibrosis lung epithelial cell line CFBE41o- compared to the parental strain B. contaminans …

The Expression Pattern Of Death Associated Protein Kinase1 In Normal Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons And Following Peripheral Nerve Injury, Maryam Sulaiman Mohammed Al Saadi

Theses

Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) is a calcium/calmodulin (Ca^2+/CaM) regulated serine/threonine kinase. An increasing body of evidence supports the significance of DAPK 1 protein in cancer and CNS diseases. The role of DAPK in peripheral nerve regeneration and neuropathic pain remains completely unexplored. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression pattern of DAPK1 along with key pro-and anti-apoptotic cell signaling molecules (p53, Bax, Akt, ERK5, p38) and to verify the possibilities of DAPKI1-NMDA NR2B relationship in dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRG) after 2 hours, 7 days and 14 days following a sciatic nerve injury. Gene …

The Expression Pattern Of Death Associated Protein Kinase1 In Normal Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons And Following Peripheral Nerve Injury, Maryam Sulaiman Mohammed Al Saadi

Dissertations

Death-associated protein kinase1 (DAPK1) is a calcium/calmodulin (Ca2+/CaM) regulated serine/threonine kinase. An increasing body of evidence supports the significance of DAPK1 protein in cancer and CNS diseases. The role of DAPK in peripheral nerve regeneration and neuropathic pain remains completely unexplored. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression pattern of DAPK1 along with key proand anti-apoptotic cell signaling molecules (p53, Bax, Akt, ERK5, p38) and to verify the possibilities of DAPK1-NMDA NR2B relationship in dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRG) after 2 hours, 7 days and 14 days following a sciatic nerve injury. Gene expression analysis and immunohistochemistry …

Self-Reported Race/Ethnicity In The Age Of Genomic Research: Its Potential Impact On Understanding Health Disparities, Tesfaye B. Mersha, Tilahun Abebe

Faculty Work

This review explores the limitations of self-reported race, ethnicity, and genetic ancestry in biomedical research. Various terminologies are used to classify human differences in genomic research including race, ethnicity, and ancestry. Although race and ethnicity are related, race refers to a person’s physical appearance, such as skin color and eye color. Ethnicity, on the other hand, refers to communality in cultural heritage, language, social practice, traditions, and geopolitical factors. Genetic ancestry inferred using ancestry informative markers (AIMs) is based on genetic/genomic data. Phenotype-based race/ethnicity information and data computed using AIMs often disagree. For example, self-reporting African Americans can have drastically …

Metabolic Consequences Of Long-Term Rapamycin Exposure On Common Marmoset Monkeys (Callithrix Jacchus), Corinna N. Ross, A. Salmon, R. Strong, E. Fernandez, M. Javors, A. Richardson, S. Tardif

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Rapamycin has been shown to extend lifespan in rodent models, but the effects on metabolic health and function have been widely debated in both clinical and translational trials. Prior to rapamycin being used as a treatment to extend both lifespan and healthspan in the human population, it is vital to assess the side effects of the treatment on metabolic pathways in animal model systems, including a closely related non-human primate model. In this study, we found that long-term treatment of marmoset monkeys with orally-administered encapsulated rapamycin resulted in no overall effects on body weight and only a small decrease in …

Ph Dependent Antibiotic Resistance Of An Alkaliphilic, Halotolerant Bacterium Isolated From Soap Lake, Washington, Tiffany Charlynn Edwards

Masters Theses

"Soap Lake, located in Washington State, is a meromictic, soda lake. Many bacterial isolates retrieved from Soap Lake have been noted to possess resistance to multiple antibiotics. A likely explanation for the wide range of antibacterial resistance exhibited by these strains is due to the impact of high alkalinity on the antibiotics themselves and not due to the presence of antibiotic resistance genes. The aim of our study was to determine if select antibiotics are effective against Halomonas eurialkalitoleranis, a bacterium capable of growth over a wide range of neutral to alkaline pH values, to investigate the influence of alkalinity …

Biodiversity And Ecosystem Function And The Design Of Tallgrass Restorations For Biomass Production, Dustin Robert Jon Graham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Biodiversity and ecosystem function research (BEF) suggests species richness may provide high levels of ecosystem functions. However, few studies have applied a BEF perspective of restoration, which utilizes biodiversity to achieve increases in ecosystem functions. In this study, we test the application of the BEF perspective of restoration in the design of tallgrass prairie plantings as a biomass crops. Specifically, we examine the effects of planted species richness on biomass production, resistance to disturbance, and resistance to invasion by weeds.

Four seed mixes which range in species richness (1, 5, 16 and 32 species) were established in four, field-scale (0.33-0.55 …

First Report Of The Herb Field Mouse, Apodemus Uralensis (Pallas, 1811) From Mongolia, Setev Shar, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Dietrich Dolch, Scott Gardner, Ottmar Kullmer, V. S. Lebedev, Davaa Lkhagvasuren, Ulrike Menz, Ravchig Samiya, Michael Stubbe, Нermann Ansorge

Scott L. Gardner Publications

The herb field mouse, Apodemus uralensis (Pallas, 1811) is recorded for the first time in Mongolia, from western part of the Mongolian Altai and the adjacent Mongolian part of the Dzungarian Gobi. In addition, we discovered several additional fi ndings of this species recorded as early as 1976 from different scientific collections. Body and skull measurements are presented along with a molecular genetic analysis of one specimen.

Evolution In Action: Climate Change, Biodiversity Dynamics And Emerging Infectious Disease, Eric P. Hoberg, Daniel R. Brooks

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Climatological variation and ecological perturbation have been pervasive drivers of faunal assembly, structure and diversification for parasites and pathogens through recurrent events of geographical and host colonization at varying spatial and temporal scales of Earth history. Episodic shifts in climate and environmental settings, in conjunction with ecological mechanisms and host switching, are often critical determinants of parasite diversification, a view counter to more than a century of coevolutionary thinking about the nature of complex host–parasite assemblages. Parasites are resource specialists with restricted host ranges, yet shifts onto relatively unrelated hosts are common during phylogenetic diversification of parasite lineages and directly …

Development And Characterization Of Microsatellite Loci For The Endangered Scrub Lupine, Lupinus Aridorum (Fabaceae), Angela Ricono, Glen Bupp, Cheryl Peterson, Schyler O. Nunziata, Stacey L. Lance, Christin L. Pruett

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Scrub lupine ( Lupinus aridorum McFarlin ex Beckner) is an endangered plant restricted to the Winter Haven and Mount Dora ridge systems in central Florida that has declined primarily due to habitat loss ( USFWS, 1987 ). Polymorphic genetic markers are needed to answer questions about genetic diversity and connectivity among L. aridorum populations, genetic relatedness among Florida lupine species including the closely related Gulf Coast lupine ( L. westianus Small), and hybridization between sympatric populations of L. aridorum and sky-blue lupine ( L. diffusus Nutt.; Bupp, 2013 ).

Different Sites Of Alcohol Action In The Nmda Receptor Glun2a And Glun2b Subunits, Yulin Zhao, Hong Ren, Donard S. Dwyer, Robert W. Peoples

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The NMDA receptor is a major target of alcohol action in the CNS, and recent behavioral and cellular studies have pointed to the importance of the GluN2B subunit in alcohol action. We and others have previously characterized four amino acid positions in the third and fourth membrane-associated (M) domains of the NMDA receptor GluN2A subunit that influence both ion channel gating and alcohol sensitivity. In this study, we found that substitution mutations at two of the four corresponding positions in the GluN2B subunit, F637 and G826, influence ethanol sensitivity and ion channel gating. Because position 826 contains a glycine residue …

Fouling And Its Next Generation Management: A Perspective, Daniel Rittschof, Christina Chai, Serena Lay Ming Teo, James Maki

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The last 50 years of fouling research and management taught us that indiscriminate use of toxic approaches damages ecosystem services of estuaries and oceans critical to man’s existence. Next generation environmentally benign management requires knowledge of the fouling process and an understanding of the consequences of different management options. An intermediate step may be additives that fit with existing business models and distribution systems, but that carry a much reduced environmental footprint. Subsequently, the evolution of a next generation hull fouling management system with limited toxicity easy clean surfaces should replace or augment the existing commercial easy-release coatings. These new …

Liana Competition With Tropical Trees Varies Seasonally But Not With Tree Species Identity, Leonor Álvarez-Cansino, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Joseph P. Reid, Jennifer S. Powers

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Lianas in tropical forests compete intensely with trees for above‐ and belowground resources and limit tree growth and regeneration. Liana competition with adult canopy trees may be particularly strong, and, if lianas compete more intensely with some tree species than others, they may influence tree species composition. We performed the first systematic, large‐scale liana removal experiment to assess the competitive effects of lianas on multiple tropical tree species by measuring sap velocity and growth in a lowland tropical forest in Panama. Tree sap velocity increased 60% soon after liana removal compared to control trees, and tree diameter growth increased 25% …

Type I Interferons Link Viral Infection To Enhanced Epithelial Turnover And Repair, Lulu Sun, Hiroyuki Miyoshi, Sofia Origanti, Timothy J. Nice, Alexandra C. Barger, Nicholas A. Manieri, Leslie A. Fogel, Anthony R. French, David Piwnica-Worms, Helen Piwnica-Worms, Herbert W. Virgin, Deborah J. Lenschow, Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The host immune system functions constantly to maintain chronic commensal and pathogenic organisms in check. The consequences of these immune responses on host physiology are as yet unexplored, and may have long-term implications in health and disease. We show that chronic viral infection increases epithelial turnover in multiple tissues, and the antiviral cytokines type I interferons (IFNs) mediate this response. Using a murine model with persistently elevated type I IFNs in the absence of exogenous viral infection, the Irgm1^−/− mouse, we demonstrate that type I IFNs act through nonepithelial cells, including macrophages, to promote increased epithelial turnover and wound …

The Ecology Of Lianas In Tropical Forests, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.