Biology Commons^™

Origin And Dynamics Of Adaption In Schizosaccharomyces Pombe: Standing Genetic Cariation Vs. De Novo Mutation, Alexandre Rego

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Construction Of Synthetic Genes Of The Acinoform Spider Silk Protein (Acsp1), P. Tate Weller, Samuel T. Briggs, Paula F. Oliveira, Fernando A. Agarraberes

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Willow Park Zoo Internship, Lynnessa Zika

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

From Spider To Silk: Constructions Of Synthetic Genes Of The Acinoform Spider Silk Protein (Acsp1), P. Tate Weller, Samuel T. Briggs, Paula F. Oliveira, Fernando A. Agarraberes, Randy V. Lewis

Biology Posters

Spider silks have remarkable physical properties due to a combination of strength and elasticity. In addition, spider silks are biocompatible and biodegradable. Our laboratory has shown that the strength products, such as fibers, produced with other silk proteins correlates with the size of the silk protein. The aciniform silk (AcSp1), has been shown to produce the thinnest and strongest fibers of all the natural spider silks. Aciniform silk is composed of a nonrepetitive amino-terminal region, 14 repeats of approximately 200 amino acids each, and a nonrepetitive carboxy-terminal region. We have been able to produce different versions of these genes encoding …

Optimal Fish Feed Quantity For Leatherside Chub Fry, Tyrel Hanson, Eric Wagner

Biology Posters

Leatherside chub are a threatened species and little has been studied concerning how to optimally raise them in a controlled environment. Leatherside’s are susceptible to fungal growth. This makes it difficult to balance how much feed to give the fry for their optimal development. Giving them an excess of feed can cause fungal blooms, which can kill the fry. Our goal was to better understand how much feed fry will eat at different stages of development without creating an excess of feed leading to fungal growth.

How Vegetation Around Usu Main Campus Impacts Bird-Window Collisions, Brooklyn J. Atkinson, Kimberly A. Sulivan

Biology Posters

A poster detailing the issues and potential solutions for bird-window collisions on USU Main Campus.

Antiviral Drug Sensitivity Of Influenza Virus Isolates Collected From Migratory Birds, Justin D. Moscon, Bart Tarbet

Biology Posters

Aquatic birds are the natural reservoirs of a wide variety of influenza A viruses. Novel influenza strains occasionally emerge from wild bird populations and spread to other species. Historically, pandemic influenza strains crossing over to humans have led to serious outbreaks. The rapid evolution of influenza strains in birds presents a major public health concern. Globalization and intensified agriculture have increased human contact with avian influenzas in the past century. Antiviral drugs effective against influenza are an important part of preparing for outbreaks, as well as common seasonal flu’s. Two major classes of antiviral drugs widely used against influenza are …

Windows: The Number One Killer, Lynnessa Zika

Biology Posters

Windows are the number one killer of birds in America. Following a large number of bird window collisions in the fall of 2015, Utah State University created a committee to decrease the bird window collisions on campus. The BNR building was identified as a building with frequent collisions.

Detecting Fitness Trade-Offs Using A Reversion Experiment, Kemyla Sacre, Frank Messina

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Analyses Of Bordetella Isolates Collected From Turkeys With Respiratory Disease Using Maldi-Tof Mass Spectroscopy And Comparison To A Bordetella Avium Vaccine, Bart Tarbet, J. Barney, L. Mcmillan, A. Mason, E. Gonder, L. Temple, D. Frame

Biology Posters

Bordetella avium has been isolated from turkeys showing clinical signs of respiratory disease and increased mortality in Sanpete County Utah, despite receiving the B. avium vaccine. To determine if recent B. avium isolates are related, or unrelated to the vaccine strain, twenty-five isolates from different time periods and different locations in the U.S. were collected for comparison by MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy. Spectra were evaluated by MALDI Biotyper software (Bruker Co.) to determine relationships among the clinical isolates. Cluster analysis of the spectra showed four major clusters using the principle component scores for the three spectral peaks in highest abundance. These …

Tag-Team Takeover: Usurpation Of Woodpecker Nests By Western Bluebirds, Sammy Cowell, Hannah Domgaard, Phil Fischer, Teresa Lorenz, Sara Lorscheider, Mariah Panoussi, Lindsey Parrish, Taryn Rodman, Kim Sullivan

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Thermoregulatory Responses In Lamprophis Fuliginosis, Michael Ryan

Biology Posters

No abstract provided.

Social Environment Relationship To Ovary Development Of B.Impatiens, Andy Nguyen, Mariah Panoussi

Biology Posters

Ovary development measures showed that, among pairs of bees isolated from the nest, one female became reproductively dominant and the other bee was reproductively subordinate. There was statistical significance in the difference in average length of the terminal oocytes between the pairs within a petri dish.

Conductive Ink Meets Spider Silk, Jay Merrill, Amir Ghazi, Thomas I. Harris, Ibrahim Hassounah, Randolph V. Lewis

Biology Posters

Spider silk proteins can be created synthetically and are highly valued for their strength, durability, and flexibility. By altering the genome of goats, silk worms, and the bacteria E. coli we are able to manufacture spider silk products in lab. The production and manipulation of these ‘recombinant spider silk proteins’ along with the process of aqueous solubilization can yield many useful spider silk materials such as films, fibers, gels, coatings, and more. Conductive ink is a recent and popular scientific discovery that let’s you create flexible working circuits. This product has many applications including RFID tags, circuit boards, and printers. …

Initiating A Bird Window Collision Survey On The Logan Main Campus Of Utah State University, Eliza Browning, Kimberly Sulivan

Biology Posters

Bird deaths resulting from window collisions are responsible for over 1 billion deaths annually and are ranked the number one threat to bird populations across the country.

Prothonotary Warbler Nestling Growth And Condition Inresponse To Variation In Aquatic And Terrestrial Preyavailability, Jenna C. Dodson, Nicholas J. Moy, Lesley P. Bulluck

Biology Publications

Aquatic prey subsidies entering terrestrial habitats are well documented, but little is known about the degree to which these resources provide fitness benefits to riparian consumers. Riparian species take advantage of seasonal pulses of both terrestrial and aquatic prey, although aquatic resources are often over-looked in studies of how diet influences the reproductive ecology of these organisms. Ideally, the timing of resource pulses should occur at the time of highest reproductive demand. This study investigates the availability of aquatic(mayfly) and terrestrial (caterpillar) prey resources as well as the nestling diet of the prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea) at two sites along …

Cadherin-2 Is Required Cell Autonomously For Collective Migration Of Facial Branchiomotor Neurons, Jane K. Rebman, Kathryn E. Kirchoff, Gregory S. Walsh

Biology Publications

Collective migration depends on cell-cell interactions between neighbors that contribute to their overall directionality, yet the mechanisms that control the coordinated migration of neurons remains to be elucidated. During hindbrain development, facial branchiomotor neurons (FBMNs) undergo a stereotypic tangential caudal migration from their place of birth in rhombomere (r)4 to their final location in r6/7. FBMNs engage in collective cell migration that depends on neuron-to-neuron interactions to facilitate caudal directionality. Here, we demonstrate that Cadherin-2-mediated neuron-to-neuron adhesion is necessary for directional and collective migration of FBMNs. We generated stable transgenic zebrafish expressing dominant-negative Cadherin-2 (Cdh2ΔEC) driven by the islet1 promoter. …

The Confluence Of Philosophy And Biology: An Excavation Of Philosophical Issues In Molecular And Developmental Biology, Patrick Johnson Mendie, Emmanuel Bassey Eyo (Ph.D)

Journal of Health Ethics

Philosophical evaluations have played an influential role in the growth and development of molecular and developmental biology to ensure that every individual is born healthy, born wanted and has the privilege to fulfil his or her potentials for a life free from disease and disability. This is why it becomes necessary for biologists to carefully understand human genes, evolution, cells and general human anatomy to fulfil this project. During this process, they are faced with challenges where they also lack the foundation on how to solve them. This challenge gave birth to a philosophical excavation of molecular and developmental biology. …

Neuroprotection Comparison Of Different Nutraceutical Compounds Against Mechanistically Distinct Cell Death Inducing Agents, Faten I. Taram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), include the progressive loss of structure and function of neurons leading to neuronal death. All of these diseases are fatal, as there is no cure for them. The causes of these diseases are unknown; however, there are many proposed mechanisms that lead to neurodegenerative diseases. Oxidative stress is the leading cause of cell death in neurodegenerative diseases, in addition to other mechanisms including endoplasmic reticulum stress, proteasome inhibition, nitrosative stress, inflammation and excitotoxicity. More understanding of the death mechanisms at work in neurodegeneration is necessary to …

Ex-Vivo Slaughterhouse Porcine Crystalloid-Perfused Beating Heart Via Langendorff Method, Rahiemin Talukder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to resuscitate isolated beating porcine hearts obtained from slaughterhouse swine for a minimum of 1 hour with a crystalloid buffer reperfusion instead of blood via an extracorporeal Langendorff apparatus. The isolated beating heart functions outside of the body under simulated physiologic conditions. Live functional anatomy was controlled under benchtop experimental settings. Porcine hearts (26 total) were topically cooled with saline. 300mL of 25°C cardioplegia with 20KU Streptokinase was preflushed via aortic root. WIT was less than 5 minutes. 1L 4°C cardioplegia was flushed antegrade with aortic cannula (Group 1) or coronary catheterization (Group 2). …

The Role Of P38 Mapk In Protein Homeostasis And Aging, Sarah Mae Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aging is characterized by a failure to maintain proper protein homeostasis, potentially leading to tissue dysfunction. Though a variety of genes have been found to regulate lifespan and age-related behaviors how these genetic factors contribute to protein homeostasis has not been fully explored. Here, we report that the evolutionarily conserved aging gene p38 MAPK (p38Kb) regulates age-dependent protein homeostasis. Over-expression of p38Kb results in reduced protein aggregation, while knockout of p38Kb leads to increased protein aggregation. Furthermore, we find that p38Kb regulates protein homeostasis, lifespan, and age-dependent locomotor functions through an interaction with the Chaperone Assisted Selective Autophagy complex; a …

Behavioral And Neural Indices Of Metacognitive Sensitivity In Preverbal Infants, Louise Goupil, Sid Kouider

Biology Faculty Publications

Humans adapt their behavior not only by observing the consequences of their actions but also by internally monitoring their performance. This capacity, termed metacognitive sensitivity [1 ; 2], has traditionally been denied to young children because they have poor capacities in verbally reporting their own mental states [3; 4 ; 5]. Yet, these observations might reflect children’s limited capacities for explicit self-reports, rather than limitations in metacognition per se. Indeed, metacognitive sensitivity has been shown to reflect simple computational mechanisms [1; 6; 7 ; 8], and can be found in various …

Effects Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Additions On Nitrous Oxide Emission In A Nitrogen-Rich And Two Nitrogen-Limited Tropical Forests, Mianhai H. Zheng, Tao Zhang, Lei Li, Weixing X. Zhu, Wei Zhang, Jiangming M. Mo

Biological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Nitrogen (N) deposition is generally considered to increase soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission in N-rich forests. In many tropical forests, however, elevated N deposition has caused soil N enrichment and further phosphorus (P) deficiency, and the interaction of N and P to control soil N2O emission remains poorly understood, particularly in forests with different soil N status. In this study, we examined the effects of N and P additions on soil N2O emission in an N-rich old-growth forest and two N-limited younger forests (a mixed and a pine forest) in southern China to test the following hypotheses: (1) soil N2O …

A Comparative Study Of The Flora And Soils Of Great Duck And Little Duck Islands, Maine, Usa, Luka Negoita, Matthew Dickinson, Glen Mittelhauser, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Strong environmental gradients and varied land-use practices have generated a mosaic of habitats harboring distinct plant communities on islands on the coast of Maine. Botanical studies of Maine's islands, however, are generally limited in number and scope. Baseline studies of Maine's islands are necessary for assessing vegetation dynamics and changes in habitat conditions in relation to environmental impacts imposed by climate change, rising sea levels, invasive species, pests and pathogens, introduced herbivores, and human disturbance. We conducted a survey of the vascular plants and soils of forest, field, and ocean-side communities of Great Duck and Little Duck Islands, ME. These …

Species Interactions In Constructed Wetlands Result In Population Sinks For Wood Frogs (Lithobates Sylvaticus) While Benefitting Eastern Newts (Notophthalmus Viridescens), Chelsea S. Kross, Stephen C. Richter

Biological Sciences Faculty and Staff Research

Wetland construction has been used as a tool to mitigate wetland loss, but constructed wetlands might not provide the same functions as natural wetlands. Hundreds of long-hydroperiod wetlands have been constructed within the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, in a ridge-top ecosystem where natural wetlands dry annually (i.e., have short hydroperiods). The constructed wetlands have been colonized by several amphibian species not historically associated with this ecosystem and that could have negative impacts on native amphibian species. We compared wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) reproductive success at constructed and natural wetlands and benefits of wood frog presence in constructed wetlands to …

Technologies For Detecting Botulinum Neurotoxins In Biological And Environmental Matrices, Luisa W. Cheng, Kirkwood M. Land, Christina C. Tam, D. L. Brandon, L. H. Stanker

College of the Pacific Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Biomonitoring of food and environmental matrices is critical for the rapid and sensitive diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases caused by toxins. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has noted that toxins from bacteria, fungi, algae, and plants present an ongoing public health threat, especially since some of these toxins could compromise security of the food supply. Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), produced by Clostridium spp., are among those bacterial toxins that pose life-threatening danger to humans. BoNTs inhibit the release of acetylcholine at peripheral cholinergic nerve terminals and cause flaccid paralysis. BoNTs are grouped in seven serotypes and …

The Heterocyst Regulatory Protein Hetp And Its Homologs Modulate Heterocyst Commitment In Anabaena Sp. Strain Pcc 7120, Patrick Videau, Orion S. Rivers, Kathryn Hurd, Blake Ushijima, Reid T. Oshiro, Rachel J. Ende, Samantha M. O'Hanlon, Loralyn M. Cozy

Research & Publications

The commitment of differentiating cells to a specialized fate is fundamental to the correct assembly of tissues within a multicellular organism. Because commitment is often irreversible, entry into and progression through this phase of development must be tightly regulated. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, the multicellular cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 terminally commits ∼10% of its cells to become specialized nitrogen-fixing heterocysts. Although commitment is known to occur 9–14 h after the induction of differentiation, the factors that regulate the initiation and duration of this phase have yet to be elucidated. Here, we report the identification of four genes that share …

The Biology Of Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, Kay Etheridge

Biology Faculty Publications

Book Description: This facsimile of one of the most beautiful books of natural history ever created contains sixty magnificent illustrations showing exotic insects, with the original descriptions. The reissue is the same size as the original and is enriched with an illustrated introduction about the life, work and significance of Maria Sibylla Merian, and a new scientific description of all the insects, animals and plants.

The life and work of this German woman who moved to the Netherlands has been the subject of international research by botanists, entomologists and historians concerned with the history of science, art, religion and economics. …

Characterization Of Sterility And Germline Defects Caused By Smed-Boule Rna-Interference, Jessica Kathryne Steiner

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Evolutionarily conserved molecular processes involved in construction of the germline and embryonic development are essential for the procreation of many species. Infertility affects 15% of couples in the world and can be caused by dysfunctions during egg and sperm development, anatomic defects, as well as faulty embryonic development. Although there are some infertility disorders that are genetically defined, such as Turner and Klinefelter syndromes, many clinical infertility cases are diagnosed as idiopathic due to the lack of understanding of basic fertility mechanisms. Schmidtea mediterranea is a freshwater planarian species that has the ability to regenerate complete organisms, including germ cells …

Efficient Seed-Specifically Regulated Autoexcision Of Marker Gene (Nptii) With Inducible Expression Of Interest Gene In Transgenic Nicotiana Tabacum, Shiva Hamzeh, Mostafa Motallebi, Mohammad Reza Zamani

Turkish Journal of Biology

In this study, we developed the seed-specifically regulated autoexcision system based on Cre/loxP site-specific recombination for coelimination of nptII and cre genes from transgenic plants. To accomplish this, a seed-specific gene promoter, BcNA1, from Brassica napus was used to drive conditional expression of recombinase. NptII and recombinase cassettes were placed between two directly repeated loxP sites. The loxP-flanked DNA was located between the SP-DDEE synthetic pathogen inducible promoter and pr??omoterless β-glucuronidase (Gus) gene, as a model gene of interest. Upon seed-specific expression of cre recombinase, the excision event would eliminate loxP-flanked DNA and bring the gus reporter gene under the …