Biology Commons^™

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys Ludovicianus) State-And-Transition Model For Loamy Ecological Sites In Mlra 62 In Custer State Park, South Dakota, Mark R. Hendrix

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are native burrowing rodents that occupy large areas in the shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies of the Northern Great Plains. They are an important component of these prairie systems due to their impacts on plant communities. Currently State-and-Transition models (STMs) for grassland Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) address grazing by livestock as a major factor affecting states and phases within states. Impacts from other grazers, such as prairie dogs, are either not addressed directly, or are included only in a transition to a generalized early seral state. There are, however, dramatic differences in plant communities …

The Holobiont With Its Hologenome Is A Level Of Selection In Evolution, Scott F. Gilbert, E. Rosenberg, I. Zilber-Rosenberg

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Expression Analyses And Identification Of Key Molecular Participants In Plant Responses To Environmental Cues, Praveena Kanchupati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plants constantly engage and interact with the environment and respond to the changes in conditions like temperature, water, and photoperiod, by regulating expression of genes of multiple regulatory and signaling pathways. Insight into these pathways and their participants has provided and will provide candidates to improve various agronomically important traits in crops through marker-assisted breeding and genetic manipulation. With this aim in mind, in the present study, I attempted to identify key candidate genes that are involved in the regulation of; i) plant response to low temperature stress, ii) plant roots’ response to soil moisture content and iii) flowering time. …

The Role Of Genomic Versatility In Multi-Niche Preferences Of Escherichia Coli, Gitanjali Nandakafle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Escherichia coli strains are naturally present as either commensals or pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals and some other vertebrates. Until recently, it was assumed that E. coli are solely associated with the gut and are unable to survive outside of a host for a long period of time, the basis of its use as an indicator organism. Recent reports suggest that E. coli can become naturalized to several tropical, subtropical or temperate soils and aquatic environments, where they have been isolated repeatedly. Several studies have shown that these strains are capable of surviving and proliferating in the environment …

Microbial Communities And Their Impact On Bioenergy Crops In Dynamic Environments, Brandon Monier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Native perennial grasses, such as prairie cordgrass (PCG, Spartina pectinata Link), and switchgrass (SG, Panicum virgatum L.) have a great potential as bioenergy crops, because they require fewer inputs, produce more energy, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in comparison to annual cropping systems such as corn and soybean. SG has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for development as bioenergy crop, but studies have shown that PCG can outcompete switchgrass in terms of biomass production. These crops can also form associations with a wide variety of plant growth promoting microbes including arbuscular mycorrhial (AM) fungi. In CHAPTER 2, …

Total Antioxidant Levels Of Individual Foods Versus Combinations Of Food And The Effect On Apoptotic Induction In Hela Cells, Natalie Van Ochten

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Cancer affects over 14.5 million U.S. citizens of all ages, socioeconomic statuses, and races. Some countries have much lower cancer incident rates than the U.S. One major contributing factor to the lower incident rates is diet. Diets in countries with low rates of cancer include antioxidant-rich foods like raw fruits, raw vegetables, and spices. Studies have shown that antioxidants in black tea and berries induce apoptosis in cancerous cells. Because studies have shown that diet and cancer rates are related, it is important to analyze what we eat and how it impacts us. In this study, I quantified antioxidant levels …

Effects Of Yoga On The Motor Skills Of A Ten-Year-Old Male With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Amber Schmitt

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD} is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is typically diagnosed in childhood due to the presence of atypical development, social interactions, and repetitive stereotypical patterns of behavior. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a yoga intervention on a ten-year-old male diagnosed with ASD. It was hypothesized that the yoga intervention on select instructed poses would increase both pose duration and pose performance and that the results would generalize to longer pose duration and better pose performance on non-instructed poses. Pre-intervention assessments of motor functioning were administered, including the Movement ABC, BOT-2, TGMD, …

Global-Change Effects On Early-Stage Decomposition Processes In Tidal Wetlands – Implications From A Global Survey Using Standardized Litter, Peter Mueller, Lisa M. Schile-Beers, Thomas J. Mozdzer, Gail L. Chmura, Thomas Dinter, Yakov Kuzyakov, Alma V. De Groot, Peter Esselink, Christian Smit, Andrea D'Alpaos, Carles Ibáñez, Magdalena Lazarus, Urs Neumeier, Beverly J. Johnson, Andrew H. Baldwin, Stephanie A, Yarwood, Diana I. Montemayor, Zaichao Yang, Jihua Wu, Kai Jensen, Stefanie Nolte

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Tidal wetlands, such as tidal marshes and mangroves, are hotspots for carbon sequestration. The preservation of organic matter (OM) is a critical process by which tidal wetlands exert influence over the global carbon cycle and at the same time gain elevation to keep pace with sea-level rise (SLR). The present study assessed the effects of temperature and relative sea level on the decomposition rate and stabilization of OM in tidal wetlands worldwide, utilizing commercially available standardized litter. While effects on decomposition rate per se were minor, we show strong negative effects of temperature and relative sea level on stabilization, as …

Peaks Of Otter Salamander (Plethodon Hubrichti) Condition Declines Along An Elevational Gradient, Olivia De Araujo, Jesse Hughes, Josh Twiddy, Liam Cusack, Cass Rupert, Timothy R. Brophy, Paul W. Sattler, Norman Reichenbach

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Motor Affordance For Grasping A Handrail, D. Mcdannald, M. Mansour, Garrett Rydalch

Research on Capitol Hill

Mere observation of objects around us can potentiate motor action by priming specific areas in the brain. This concept, referred to as the affordance effect, suggests that humans put viewed objects into motor terms automatically. Such automated linking of observations to action offers potential advantages to interact with our environment quickly and efficiently when producing goal-directed movements.

One possible application of this affordance effect includes the rapid balance reactions needed to avoid a fall. In reactive balance control, movements must be extremely fast yet simultaneously appropriate for a given environment (e.g. quickly grasping a nearby handrail to avoid a fall). …

Testing Rearing Diets For A New Invasive Insect Pest In Utah, The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, James Withers, Loren Linford

Research on Capitol Hill

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, is an invasive insect from Asia. It has caused millions of dollars in damage to fruit, vegetable, ornamental, and field crops since its arrival in North America, and can be a severe nuisance pest when it congregates on human structures to overwinter. The BMSB caused $37 million of apple crop damage in the Mid-Atlantic Region in 2007 to 2010. To study the insect, effective rearing methods are needed. Previous research (Funayama 2004 & 2006; Medal et al. 2012) showed that carrot, raw peanut and soybean increased rearing efficiency. Recent lab experience …

The Effect Of Gender And Socioeconomic Factors On Reporting Of Concussions Among Ncaa Student-Athletes, Joshua Hansen

Research on Capitol Hill

Concussions are traumatic brain injuries that result from “brain shaking” as a result of transmit force to the head. Concussions result in immediate and transient post-traumatic impairment of neural functions which lead to both psychological and physiological symptoms.

As knowledge of the long-term implications of these injuries grows, concussions are becoming an increasing health concern worldwide. One subset, sports-related concussions, are receiving an increasing amount of attention from scientists and health-care practitioners.

More than 3.8 million sport-related concussions occur annually in the United States alone, and some studies suggest that up to 43% of these go unreported and untreated.

How Pesticide Additives Alter Feeding Behavior And Viral Infections In Honey Bees, Matthew Thompson

Research on Capitol Hill

Honey bees are vital to agriculture; the decline of honey bee populations in Utah and worldwide is concerning. Several factors can reduce honey bee health and when they interact can increase in magnitude (Fig. 1). We are investigating the interactions of a pesticide ingredient, organosilicone surfactant (OSS), and viral pathogens.

Goals

• Determine if OSS exposure alters honey bee feeding behavior.
• Determine if OSS synergizes with and increases the negative impact of viruses on honey bees.

Does Requiring Participation In Research Have A Positive Effect On Students’ Perception Of Undergraduate Research?, Mikayla Austin

Research on Capitol Hill

Undergraduate research is not only beneficial to the university and community for all the new ideas it brings to light, but plays an important role in student development.

Studies have shown that students who are involved in research as undergraduates are proficient in:

• Critical thinking
• Communication
• Confidence
• Problem solving

There have been many studies conducted on the best ways to get students involved in research in order to gain these benefits, most of which are based around increasing awareness.

My research is focused on the impact of bringing research into the classroom and requiring students to participate. Will this increase …

Transplanting A Bacterial Immune System: Determining The Function Of A Novel Crispr System, Riannon Smith, Melena Garrett

Research on Capitol Hill

CRISPR (Clusters of Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) loci and cas (CRISPR-associated) genes provide adaptive immunity (see panel below) in bacteria and have recently been repurposed for genome editing.

Systems are structurally and functionally diverse.

• 2 classes, 6 types, 33 subtypes
• Very few have been studied experimentally
• None of the Type IV systems have been characterized

Caveolin-1 Is Dispensable For Early Lymphoid Development, But Plays A Role In The Maintenance Of The Mature Splenic Microenvironment, Tyler Herek, Jacob E. Robinson, Tayla B. Heavican, Catalina Amador, Javeed Iqbl, Christine E. Cutucache

Biology Faculty Publications

Objective

Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is known for its role as both a tumor suppressor and an oncogene, harboring a highly context-dependent role within a myriad of malignancies and cell types. In an immunological context, dysregulation of CAV1 expression has been shown to alter immunological signaling functions and suggests a pivotal role for CAV1 in the facilitation of proper immune responses. Nonetheless, it is still unknown how Cav1-deficiency and heterozygosity would impact the development and composition of lymphoid organs in mice. Herein, we investigated the impacts of Cav1-dysregulation on the lymphoid organs in young (12 weeks) and aged (36 weeks) …

Treatment Of Hiv-Infected Individuals With The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Panobinostat Results In Increased Numbers Of Regulatory T Cells And Limits Ex Vivo Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Responses, Christel Rothe Brinkmann, Jesper Falkesgaard Højen, Thomas Aagaard Rasmussen, Anne Sofie Kjær, Rikke Olesen, Paul W. Denton, Lars Østergaard, Zhengyu Ouyang, Mathias Lichterfeld, Xu Yu, Ole Schmeltz Søgaard, Charles Dinarello, Martin Tolstrup

Biology Faculty Publications

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) modulate the transcriptional activity of all cells, including innate and adaptive immune cells. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate immunological effects of treatment with the HDACi panobinostat in HIV-infected patients during a clinical phase IIa latency reversal trial. Using flow cytometry, we investigated changes in T cell activation (CD69, CD38, HLA-DR) and the expression of CD39 and CTLA4 on regulatory T cells (Tregs). Whole-blood stimulations were performed and cytokine responses measured using Luminex. Gene expression in purified peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was evaluated using an Affymetrix HTA 2.0 gene chip. We found that proportions of CD4+ …

Habitat-Specific Capture Timing Of Deer Mice (Peromyscus Maniculatus) Suggests That Predators Structure Temporal Activity Of Prey, Brian M. Connolly, John L. Orrock

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Timing is an essential component of the choices that animals make: The likelihood of successful resource capture (and predator avoidance) depends not just on what an animal chooses to do, but when it chooses to do it. Despite the importance of activity timing, our ability to understand the forces that constrain activity timing has been limited because this aspect of animal behavior is shaped by several factors (e.g., interspecific competitors, predators, physical conditions), and it is difficult to examine activity timing in a setting where only a single factor is operating. Using an island system that makes it possible to …

Evaluating The Success And Monitoring The Usage Of Wildlife Crossing Structures In Bedminster, Nj, Nicole Heather Bergen

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Expanding road networks are detrimental to the populations of many reptile and amphibian species. The fragmenting of the landscape creates barriers, separating the populations of native organisms from the necessary resources. Wildlife crossing structures can be beneficial in aiding the movement of amphibians and reptiles across previously installed wildlife crossing culvert in Bedminster, New Jersey. The wildlife crossing culverts are located underneath River Road, which forms a barrier between the woods on one side of the road and the ponds on the other side. We used a combination of wildlife cameras and pitfall traps to determine the usage and success …

Impacts Of Drainage Basin Characteristics On Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Communities In The Upper Passaic River, Michael J. Levinson

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Increase in development throughout the Northern Piedmont region of New Jersey since the 1970’s has greatly degraded much of the natural environment throughout the state. Certain regulations are currently in place to reduce this development’s impact on New Jersey’s streams at a local (riparian) scale, however it may also be important to examine these impacts at a regional (drainage basin) scale. We examined the aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages at seven sites along the Upper Passaic River of New Jersey to assess their ecological health and compare to the corresponding drainage basin characteristics at each site. The sites ranged in location from …

Rack1 Is A Critical Component In Ires-Mediated Translation, Ethan Asher Lafontaine

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Due to its sheer number of interacting partners, core ribosomal protein RACK1 is a key player in many cellular processes and has been shown to play a vital role of translation initiation of the Hepatitis C virus RNA. The HCV 5′ untranslated region contains an internal ribosome entry site. IRES-mediated translation is a process employed in eukaryotes by select viruses and some cellular mRNAs by which translation initiation bypasses the canonical mRNA cap-dependent pathway by means of an RNA secondary structure (the IRES). While cap-dependent translation requires the recruitment of a suite of initiation factors, IRES-mediated translation requires few to …

Control Of Striatal Activity By Neuronal Glutamate Transporters, Modhurika De

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The basal ganglia are subcortical nuclei that control the execution of learnt motor behaviors and emotions. The striatum, the main output nucleus of the basal ganglia, receives glutamatergic inputs from the cortex and thalamus and sends GABAergic inputs to the sub-thalamic nucleus via the axonal projections of D1- and D2-receptor (D1R and D2R) expressing medium spiny neurons (D1- and D2-MSNs, respectively). The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is mainly involved in movement execution, whereas the ventromedial striatum (VMS) regulates emotions. Excitatory inputs onto D1- and D2-MSNs are mediated by post-synaptic ionotropic (GluA, GluN) and metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRI). The diffusion distance of …

Modulation Of Cytokine Signaling In Optic Nerve Regeneration In Xenopus Laevis, Rupa Priscilla Choudhary

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The axons of the optic nerve, like other central nervous system (CNS) axons, tend to lose their capacity to regenerate following an injury in adult amniotes, but these axons are able to regenerate throughout life in anamniotes. In mammals, optic axon regeneration is promoted by inhibiting the increased expression in retinal ganglion cells of a cytokine signaling molecule, Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 (SOCS3), that accompanies injury. In animals capable of regeneration, SOCS3 mRNA expression also increases dramatically in retinal ganglion cells after optic nerve injury, but somehow this increase is insufficient to block regeneration. To gain insights into how …

The Influence Of Submandibular Salivary Gland Mesenchyme On The Proacinar Epithelial Cell Phenotype, Zeinab Farajallah Hosseini

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Current treatments for patients suffering from salivary hypofunction are insufficient and there is clinical need for regenerating the damaged tissue and restoring function of the gland. Reconstruction of 3D architecture is essential for stimulating secretory differentiation of epithelial progenitor cells in the salivary gland, which involves input from extracellular matrix and basement membrane as well as heterotypic cell interactions. However, the specific requirements for differentiation of secretory progenitor cells in salivary glands remain unclear. To determine what mechanisms and factors are required to promote proacinar differentiation, we isolated primary epithelial cells from embryonic day 16 (E16) submandibular salivary gland (SMG) …

The Dissemination, Regulatory Role, And Evolution Of Mycobacterial Inteins, Danielle Skye Kelley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Inteins are intervening protein elements, capable of coordinating escape from a host protein through a self-catalyzed mechanism, called protein splicing. This results in free intein and a mature host protein product. Inteins are also mobile elements and many contain homing endonucleases that enable the targeting to ectopic sites and invasion of novel niches. Inteins have been found across all three domains of life and are often present in replication, recombination, and repair proteins. However, it is unclear if the observed distribution is simply a factor of endonuclease preference or if inteins have been selectively maintained due to an adaptation that …

Comparison Of A Ceramidase Inhibitor (Ceranib-2) With C2 Ceramide And Cisplatin On Cytotoxicity And Apoptosis Of Glioma Cells, Gökhan Kuş, Mete Özkurt, Ayşe Pinar Öztopcu Vatan, Ni̇lüfer Erkasap, Ruhi̇ Uyar, Selda Kabadere

Turkish Journal of Biology

Inhibiting ceramidase activity in cancer cells has been identified as a promising target for cancer therapy in recent studies. Thus, we examined the possible role of ceranib-2, a novel ceramidase inhibitor, on growth and apoptotic mechanisms of the human normal glia cell line (HNA), human glioma cell lines (T-98G and U-87MG), and a rat glioma cell line (C6). We also compared the results with the effects of C2 ceramide and cisplatin. We determined the in vitro survival rate with MTT assay, apoptosis with flow cytometry, gene expressions with qRT-PCR, and statistical significance by one-way analysis of variance together with Tukey's …

Biogenic Production Of Silver Nanoparticles By Enterobacter Cloacae Ism26, Khaled Elbaghdady, Einas El-Shatoury, Omnia Abdallah, Mostafa Khalil

Turkish Journal of Biology

A bacterial isolate capable of tolerating 30 mM silver nitrate (AgNO3) was recovered from soil contaminated with industrial waste. The isolate was identified by 16S rRNA as

Comparative Study Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells From Rat Bone Marrow And Adipose Tissue, Qing He, Zhaoyang Ye, Yan Zhou, Wen-Song Tan

Turkish Journal of Biology

Several therapeutic products based on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been translated into clinical applications. MSCs should undergo in vitro culture before a sufficient quantity can be achieved. Hence, both expansion kinetics and the biological characteristics of derived cells from primary culture are pertinent to their applications. In the present study, MSCs were isolated from rat bone marrow and adipose tissue (designated as bMSCs and aMSCs, respectively) and cells were comparatively analyzed regarding cell morphology, proliferation, colony formation, differentiation potential, and immunophenotype following the long-term subculture. No apparent differences could be noticed concerning the morphology between bMSCs and aMSCs. The …

Absorbance Of 0.15 Seen At 440 Nm Double Peak In Sepia Eyed Drosophila Melanogaster, Fabiola Padron, Liping Zhao

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This poster for the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College reports on an experiment in which the objective was to observe absorbance of eye pigments in both sepia and white eyed fruit flies. Three types of chromatography were used, paper, TLC, and 2D. It was determined that 2D Chromatography was ideal in separating blue and green pigment from sepia toned eyes in fruit flies.

Zero Textbook Cost Syllabus For Bio 3005 (Molecular And Cellular Biology), Krista Dobi, Kim Macklin

Open Educational Resources

The biology of cells is examined with an emphasis on the relationship between organelle structure and function. Activity of the nucleus, cell structure, division and growth, and tools for studying genes will be discussed. Laboratory experiments are performed with isolated organelles or intact cells. Techniques include cell fractionation, bio-chemical assays, and DNA isolation and modification. Students will also read and analyze articles from scientific journals.