Biology Commons^™

Undergraduate Research Science: Principles And Practice Bio 200, Michael Cerbo

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

An Amyloid Core Sequence In The Major Candida Albicans Adhesin Als1p Mediates Cell-Cell Adhesion, Vida Ho, Philippe Herman-Bausier, Christopher Shaw, Karen A. Conrad, Melissa C. Garcia-Sherman, Jeremy Draghi, Yves F. Dufrene, Peter N. Lipke, Jason M. Rauceo

Publications and Research

ABSTRACT The human fungal commensal Candida albicans can become a serious opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised hosts. The C. albicans cell adhesion protein Als1p is a highly expressed member of a large family of paralogous adhesins. Als1p can mediate binding to epithelial and endothelial cells, is upregulated in infections, and is important for biofilm formation. Als1p includes an amyloidforming sequence at amino acids 325 to 331, identical to the sequence in the paralogs Als5p and Als3p. Therefore, we mutated Val326 to test whether this sequence is important for activity. Wild-type Als1p (Als1pWT) and Als1p with the V326N mutation (Als1pV326N) were expressed …

Gut Microbiome Diversity Is Associated With Sleep Physiology In Humans, Robert Smith, Cole Easson, Sarah M. Lyle, Ritishka Kapoor, Chase P. Donnelly, Eileen Davidson, Esha Parikh, Jose Lopez, Jaime L. Tartar

Biology Faculty Articles

The human gut microbiome can influence health through the brain-gut-microbiome axis. Growing evidence suggests that the gut microbiome can influence sleep quality. Previous studies that have examined sleep deprivation and the human gut microbiome have yielded conflicting results. A recent study found that sleep deprivation leads to changes in gut microbiome composition while a different study found that sleep deprivation does not lead to changes in gut microbiome. Accordingly, the relationship between sleep physiology and the gut microbiome remains unclear. To address this uncertainty, we used actigraphy to quantify sleep measures coupled with gut microbiome sampling to determine how the …

Petri Nets As A Unifying Tool To Link Physiologically Based Toxicokinetic (Pbtk) Models To Adverse Outcome Pathways (Aops), Ian Edhlund

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Integrating Mathematics And Biology In The Classroom: A Compendium Of Case Studies And Labs, Becky Sanft, Anne Walter

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Binary (Part 1): Re-Envisioning The Complexity Of Life History Evolution In The Bromeliaceae With Comparative Data, Rachel Jabaily, Erin Bodine

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Oscillation In Mathematical Epidemiology, Meredith Greer

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Plant Cell-Derived Growth Factors For Ex Vivo Mass Production Of Red Blood Cells, Xiaoting Wang

Student Theses and Dissertations

Generation of red blood cells from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) used for blood transfusion represents one of the focus in regenerative medicine. Erythropoietic growth factors (eGFs), including stem cell factor (SCF), erythropoietin (EPO) and interleukin 3 (IL-3) are vital for proliferation and differentiation of HSCs into mature red blood cells (RBCs) ex vivo. However, massive production of RBCs requires significant quantity and high quality of eGFs, making manufacturing at large scale cost prohibitive. Plant cell culture is proposed to be a promising bioproduction platform for growth factors based on the advantages of, fast growing, no risk of human pathogen, and …

Optimizing Hydroxyproline-O-Glycan Engineering In Tobacco Transient Protein Expression: Fish Il-22 And Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (Egfp), Cristofer Calvo

Student Theses and Dissertations

Despite the advantages of plant-produced recombinant proteins, the most important bottleneck that limits the commercialization is the low protein yields. Plants have a unique type of O-glycosylation that has potential to enhance the stability and solubility of recombinant proteins. Specifically, target gene sequences are fused with a sequence to code for hydroxyproline-O-glycosylated peptide (HypGP) tags. We targeted the expression of a very unstable rainbow trout interleukin 22 (rtIL-22) and a readily-monitored enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The HypGP-tagged rIL-22 accumulation in planta was significantly enhanced over the untagged protein and showed increase stability. Changes in gene expression of the marker …

Mite Load Predicts The Quality Of Sexual Color And Locomotor Performance In A Sexually Dichromatic Lizard, Richard W. Orton, Chase T. Kinsey, Lance D. Mcbrayer

Biology: Faculty Publications

Since Darwin, the maintenance of bright sexual colors has recurrently been linked to mate preference. However, the mechanisms underpinning such preferences for bright colors would not be resolved for another century. Likely, the idea of selection for colors that could decrease the chances of survival (e.g., flashy colors that can inadvertently attract predators) was perceived as counterintuitive. It is now widely accepted that these extreme colors often communicate to mates the ability to survive despite a “handicap” and act as honest signals of individual quality when they are correlated with the quality of other traits that are directly linked to …

Lifelines Fall 2019, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Diet‐Induced Obesity Decreases Rate‐Dependent Depression In The Hoffmann’S Reflex In Adult Mice, Gerard Nguyen, Shea Putnam, Mulatwa Haile, Zahra Raza, Martina Bremer, Katherine Wilkinson

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Obesity is associated with balance and motor control deficits. We have recently shown that Group Ia muscle spindle afferents, the sensory arm of the muscle stretch reflex, are less responsive in mice fed a high-fat diet. Here we test the hypothesis that reflex excitability to sensory information from Group Ia muscle spindle afferents is altered in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity. We measured the anesthetized Hoffmann’s or H-reflex, the electrical analog of the muscle stretch reflex. Adult mice of both sexes were fed a control diet (CD; 10% kcal from fat) or a high-fat diet (HFD; 60% kcal from …

The Saint John's Maple Syrup Operation: Something Sweet For Everyone, Sarah Gainey, Kyle Rauch, Stephen G. Saupe

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Amendments To The 1995 Offshore Constitutional Settlement, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.

Green Club After School Program Curriculum, Megan Willburn

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

Green Club is an after school program which encourages students to develop environmental empathy, passions for environmental sustainability, and knowledge about the workings of environmental systems.

Artful Nature And The Legacy Of Maria Sibylla Merian, Emily N. Roush, Shannon R. Zeltmann, Felicia M. Else, Kay Etheridge, Shannon Egan

Schmucker Art Catalogs

The exhibition Artful Nature and the Legacy of Maria Sibylla Merian celebrates the skills and influences of a remarkable woman from seventeenth-century Europe. Curated by Emily Roush ’21 and Shannon Zeltmann ’21 with the guidance of Professors Kay Etheridge (Biology) and Felicia Else (Art History), Emily and Shannon selected the prints, organized them into categories, and carried out research on them, much of which was relatively obscure and would have been challenging even for graduate students.

Maria Sibylla Merian lived and worked in a time of vibrant intersections of art and science in Europe. Her images of insects and plants …

A Csra-Binding, Trans-Acting Srna Of Coxiella Burnetii Is Necessary For Optimal Intracellular Growth And Vacuole Formation During Early Infection Of Host Cells, Shaun Wachter, Matteo Bonazzi, Kyle Shifflett, Abraham S. Moses, Rahul Raghavan, Michael F. Minnick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular gammaproteobacterium and zoonotic agent of Q fever. We previously identified 15 small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) of C. burnetii. One of them, CbsR12 (Coxiella burnetii small RNA 12), is highly transcribed during axenic growth and becomes more prominent during infection of cultured mammalian cells. Secondary structure predictions of CbsR12 revealed four putative CsrA-binding sites in stem loops with consensus AGGA/ANGGA motifs. We subsequently determined that CbsR12 binds to recombinant C. burnetii CsrA-2, but not CsrA-1, proteins in vitro. Moreover, through a combination of in vitro and cell culture assays, we identified several in trans mRNA …

Fear Of Humans As Apex Predators Has Landscape-Scale Impacts From Mountain Lions To Mice, Justin P. Suraci, Michael Clinchy, Liana Y. Zanette, Christopher C. Wilmers

Biology Publications

Apex predators such as large carnivores can have cascading, landscape-scale impacts across wildlife communities, which could result largely from the fear they inspire, although this has yet to be experimentally demonstrated. Humans have supplanted large carnivores as apex predators in many systems, and similarly pervasive impacts may now result from fear of the human ‘super predator’. We conducted a landscape-scale playback experiment demonstrating that the sound of humans speaking generates a landscape of fear with pervasive effects across wildlife communities. Large carnivores avoided human voices and moved more cautiously when hearing humans, while medium-sized carnivores became more elusive and reduced …

Availability And Quality Of Resources And Their Effect On Continuance To Higher Education, Tabitha Lenhart

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

This project is a research proposal. The main purpose of this proposal is to determine if resources have an effect on the number of students who go on to higher educations after high school. Many studies have been done to see what resources effect students achievement levels. This proposed study looks to determine which resources have the greatest effect on students confidence and preparedness to go on to higher education. Once this is discovered, certain schools would receive extra funding to go towards these resources and survey the students and teachers again to see if there is an increase of …

Standardizing Spider Guilds And Seasonal Guild Diversity, William Kish

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

I propose a new standardized guild classification system for classifying spiders into guilds. With this new guild system, I propose a new seasonal study comparing the guild comparing the guild composition in an off-season Christmas tree farm.

Proposed Research Project Regulation Of Human Intestinal Microbes To Treat And Manage Anxiety, Madison Rea

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

This is my proposed research project on the regulation of gut microbiota to help treat anxiety disorders. My proposal talks about using prebiotics and probiotics to regulate anxiety disorders as an alternative to medications that cause horrible side effects.

A Comparison Of Fertility Surgery And Fertility Medication, Saveya Patterson

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

This poster is comparing fertility surgery and fertility medication with women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Why Are Dental Anxieties So Prevalent: Effects On Dental Hygiene, Maya Young

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

This paper focuses on how to resolve and decrease dental anxiety (DA) levels in order to maintain descent oral hygiene

Proposal For Finding Treatments For Liver Cancer Using Liver Organoids, Adrianna Doggett

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Proposal for creating two different types of liver organoids. Liver tumor organoids are three-dimensional miniature models of human liver tumors. Each type of liver organoid will be added to various chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments at different dosages to better understand how the tumor cells will respond to the treatments.

Potential Restoration Methods Of Native Fish In The Clinch And Powell Rivers, Hartley Thacker

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

This proposal uses citizen science to attempt to restore native fish populations in southwestern Virginia and the Tennessee River Valley.

Are Science Fairs Still Beneficial For K-12 Students?, Matthew Bowman

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Science fairs have evolved drastically overtime, and I wanted to determine if science fairs were still beneficial for students. If science fairs are still beneficial for students, under what conditions are science fairs the most beneficial?

Testing Differences In Vital Lung Capacity Between Long-Term Cigarette Smokers, Vapers, And Non-Smokers, Madison Rea, Makayla Davis, Tatyana Green, Megan Curry

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Our research group sampled 15 subjects lungs in a semester-long project. Will there be a significant difference between the lung capacity and lung volume of cigarette smokers, vapers, and non-smokers? It is hypothesized that the lung capacity and lung volume of cigarette smokers and vapers should be relatively equal. Additionally, it is hypothesized that the non-smokers’ lung capacity and lung volume should be significantly higher relative to cigarette smokers and vapers.

The Effect Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids On Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury, Sarah Wampler

Honors Projects

Past research has been conducted on rats and mice to determine behavioral and physiological effects of omega-3 fatty acids on recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI). These studies found that omega-3s can be helpful for recovery from TBI, however, the results did not carry over to human clinical trials. This paper aimed to compare and analyze the results of these studies through meta-analysis to help explain why omega-3 fatty acids were not as effective for human recovery from head injury. A systematic literature search was completed to obtain all studies that looked at this effect. Some of the articles acquired …

Evolution And Unprecedented Variants Of The Mitochondrial Genetic Code In A Lineage Of Green Algae, David Zihala, Marek Eliáš, Laura A. Katz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Mitochondria of diverse eukaryotes have evolved various departures from the standard genetic code, but the breadth of possible modifications and their phylogenetic distribution are known only incompletely. Furthermore, it is possible that some codon reassignments in previously sequenced mitogenomes have been missed, resulting in inaccurate protein sequences in databases. Here we show, considering the distribution of codons at conserved amino acid positions in mitogenome-encoded proteins, that mitochondria of the green algal order Sphaeropleales exhibit a diversity of codon reassignments, including previously missed ones and some that are unprecedented in any translation system examined so far, necessitating redefinition of existing translation …

Positive Genetic Associations Among Fitness Traits Support Evolvability Of A Reef-Building Coral Under Multiple Stressors, Rachel M. Wright, Hanaka Mera, Carly D. Kenkel, Maria Nayfa, Line K. Bay, Mikhail V. Matz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Climate change threatens organisms in a variety of interactive ways that requires simultaneous adaptation of multiple traits. Predicting evolutionary responses requires an understanding of the potential for interactions among stressors and the genetic variance and covariance among fitness-related traits that may reinforce or constrain an adaptive response. Here we investigate the capacity of Acropora millepora, a reef-building coral, to adapt to multiple environmental stressors: rising sea surface temperature, ocean acidification, and increased prevalence of infectious diseases. We measured growth rates (weight gain), coral color (a proxy for Symbiodiniaceae density), and survival, in addition to nine physiological indicators of coral and …