Biology Commons^™

Incubation And Grazing Effects On Spirotrich Ciliate Diversity Inferred From Molecular Analyses Of Microcosm Experiments, Jean David Grattepanche, Doris L. Juarez, Cameah C. Wood, George B. Mcmanus, Laura A. Katz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

We used an experimental approach of analyzing marine microcosms to evaluate the impact of both predation (top-down) and food resources (bottom-up) on spirotrich ciliate communities. To assess the diversity, we used two molecular methods-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). We carried out two types of experiments to measure top-down (adult copepods as predators) and bottom-up effects (phytoplankton as food resources) on the spirotrich ciliates. We observed both strong incubation effects (untreated controls departed from initial assessment of diversity) and high variability across replicates within treatments, particularly for the bottom-up experiments. This suggests a rapid community turn-over during …

Exploring The Effects Of Gut Microbiota With The Association Of Parkinson’S Disease, Kristina Babic

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

Parkinson’s disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder. It is associated with the central nervous system that affects movement, it often includes tremors, stiffness, and inability to plan and think. Nerve cell damage in the brain causes lower production of dopamine leading to those symptoms. There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but there are medications that can help control the symptoms. Researchers are suggesting that dysbiosis in gut microbiota could lead to the development of a protein called alpha synuclein in the intestines, and through intestinal leakage, this protein could possibly spread pathologically to the brain by the central nervous …

Cd4 + Th1 Helper Cells: The Unifying Link Between Diabetes And Periodontitis, Jocelyn Stewart

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

Type II diabetes and Periodontitis are both chronic inflammatory diseases that affect people worldwide. Periodontitis is characterized by the obliteration of teeth. It affects 10-15% of adults and causes many problems on the quality of life (Preshaw et al., 2012). Diabetes is a disease that arises when your blood sugar is too high. Your blood glucose is the primary source of energy which is consumed by the food you eat. The hormone insulin is produced by the pancreas, which helps the glucose from allowing food to enter your cells. Many studies have shown that type 2 diabetes is a major …

Current Limitations In Crispr/Cas9 Cancer Screening, Blake Branch

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Detecting The Cold: Do Innexins Function In Cold Nociception?, Rachel Barborek

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Nociception is the perception of and response to harmful stimuli. Nociception is essential for minimizing tissue damage, but aberrant nociceptive pathways can result in chronic pain. Chronic pain in the U.S. is commonly managed with wide-acting opioids, and precisely defining the components of nociceptive pathways could uncover novel targets for pain therapies. I hypothesize that the vitally quick process of nociception would utilize electrical synapses because they transmit signals between neurons more quickly than chemical synapses do. This study, therefore, aims to uncover the potential role of the eight Drosophila melanogaster gap junction proteins, the Innexins, in cold nociception. Wild …

Development Of A Long-Acting Nanoformulation Of Dolutegravir For Prevention And Treatment Of Hiv-1 Infection, Brady Sillman

Theses & Dissertations

Dolutegravir (DTG) is a potent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase strand-transfer inhibitor (INSTI) with a high barrier to viral drug resistance. However, opportunities to improve its profile abound. These include extending the drug’s apparent half-life, increasing penetrance to “putative” viral reservoirs, and reducing inherent toxicities. These highlight, in part, the need for long-acting, slow effective release antiretroviral therapy (LASER ART) delivery schemes. A long-acting (LA) DTG was made by synthesizing a hydrophobic and lipophilic prodrug encased with poloxamer (P407) surfactant. This modified DTG (MDTG) reduced systemic metabolism and polarity, increased lipophilicity and membrane permeability, improved encapsulation, and formed …

Bacteria In Salt Pans Along The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Lauren A. Lawson

Honors Theses

Salt pans form in shallow depressions in the ground where salt water evaporates leaving a hypersaline environment remaining. These pans become flooded during extremely high tides and as time progresses, this additional salt water is evaporated leaving behind more salt deposits. Marine salt pans can provide habitat for halophilic microorganisms and provide an interesting environment for study as conditions can change with both sediment and water depth. Towards the surface of sediment in salt pans, oxygen is still available, however, deeper sediments have limited oxygen availability and are likely anaerobic. Deeper sediments can also have higher salt concentrations so may …

Resiliency In Cranial Bones In Relation To Age And Trauma, Jada Dubose

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

The development of bone, nonetheless the skull, may be a major line of defense in relation to traumas they may face. As individuals get older, their bone density decreases for a number of mechanical and hormonal reasons, weakening the bone and increasing fragility. This decreased bone mass density, along with its increased risk of fragility, often lead to a higher likelihood of fractures and severe traumatic injuries; this combination of factors is a lot greater than in younger individuals. This study will evaluate skulls thickness, cross referenced by age and sex, will determine resiliency in terms of the biological structure …

The Impact Of Bifidobacterium Longum/Infantis On Infants, Shanice Clarke

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

This review focuses on the impact of Bifidobacterium longum/infantis on infants and to associate these impacts to effect of B. longum/infantis on the titers of polio IgA in infants.

Bifidobacterium longum/infantis is a ubiquitous inhabitant of the gastrointestinal tract of infants; these bacteria are the champion colonizer of the gastrointestinal tract blocking out other harmful bacteria from colonizing. B. longum/infantis have been shown to improve dysbiosis condition and prevent infants from getting any allergy or harmful disease such as poliomyelitis. This review was aimed to assess the impact B. longum/B. infantis has on infants and to associate these impacts to …

Aluminum Adjuvants In Vaccines: Movement Towards Understanding Their Role And Mechanism Of Action, Thad Rehmert

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

Aluminum adjuvants have been used in vaccines for over 80 years in order to increase the immune response in vaccinated individuals. While the addition of aluminum adjuvants has been extremely successful, the success powered the adjuvants to be used in numerous vaccines without a proper understanding of their mechanisms of action. Advancements in medical understanding over the last 4-5 decades has resulted in researchers understanding the harsh reality of aluminum toxicity. Due to this, researchers have begun to delve into the actions and mechanisms of these adjuvants in an effort to enhance understanding of how they work. This review will …

Tissue-Engineered Grafts: The Future Of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructive Surgery, Amber Braxton

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are common injuries, specifically for young athletes, and in order to repair this injury, the patients must undergo ACL reconstructive surgery. This surgery commissions the use of autografts and allografts in order rebuild the torn ligament. Traditional autografts are the patellar tendon autograft, which is the most common, and the hamstring autograft. These grafts are made by transplanting tissue from the patellar tendon or the hamstring to the ruptured ACL. Allografts are another type of graft that involves transplanting tissue from a donor cadaver to the patient. Traditional autografts and allografts have been used for …

Bringing Science To Life In The Fifth-Grade Classroom Through Hands-On Learning, Kelly Gately

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Science helps provide insight into the unknown and provides an outlet for exploration of living things. Children are innately curious about how thing work, and they are eager to ask questions. Science is the perfect outlook for students to fully engage in their inquisitiveness, but yet, many classrooms are skipping over science lessons or choosing to heavily focus on other subjects, such as reading and writing. Science is often taught as an elective, integrated with other subjects or it is only focused on for a short period of time. Unfortunately, when this subject does receive attention, lessons are heavily text-book …

Herbicide Toxicity To Non-Target Aquatic Organisms Does Not Increase In Mixtures With Surfactants, Courtney L. Telfort

Honors College Theses

Agricultural herbicides enter aquatic environments after rain events where they affect microscopic aquatic plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) that form the base of aquatic food webs. Atrazine, an herbicide with low solubility in water, is often mixed with surfactants such as alkyl polyglucoside (APG) to improve effectiveness. Although APG has low-toxicity, a potential drawback to increased atrazine solubility is greater adverse effects on aquatic organisms. I hypothesized that atrazine and APG decrease phytoplankton abundance more than atrazine alone. Specifically, I predicted phytoplankton abundance should 1) decrease with increasing concentrations of the mixture compared to the same atrazine concentrations individually, and …

Chronic Wasting Disease Management Through Culling, Baiting, And Vaccination Methods, Jake Brockman

BIO 410 Spring 2019 Research Papers

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a lethal, progressive, and highly infectious disease that targets cervid populations through transmission by prions. There are currently no treatment options that are highly effective at stopping CWD, but the scientific community has great knowledge on CWD’s transmission and effects. In this literature review: culling, baiting and vaccination techniques are analyzed and compared to view which method could potentially work the best to control CWD. Long term effects of CWD could result in cervid population extermination and enormous economic losses for areas that are inhabited by cervids.

Reproductive Character Displacement In Calopteryx Aequabilis And C. Maculata: Improving Species Recognition Through The Divergence Of Male Mating Preferences, Melissa Encinias

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

An ongoing evolutionary question is how co-occurring species maintain reproductive barriers when they are morphologically, behaviorally, and ecologically similar. Without geographic isolation, traits involved in species recognition may be under selection to enhance reproductive barriers. Exaggerated trait differences between species in sympatric populations may reflect selection to reduce misdirected mating between species, or reproductive character displacement. While this phenomenon is widely recognized as an important stage in the speciation process, there is little direct evidence of this process in nature. In two North American damselfly species, Calopteryx aequabilis and C. maculata, wing pigmentation is sexually dimorphic and also shows …

The Microcystis Microbiome: Interactions With Heterotrophic Bacteria In The Microcystis Phycosphere, Alexa Hoke

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Harmful algal blooms are a growing problem globally in both freshwater and marine systems. Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) can have numerous environmental and economic impacts. cHABs can reduce oxygen levels in the water column, ultimately leading to the death of larger organisms, and reduce light penetration, impacting aquatic vegetation. cHABs can also release toxins into the water and efforts to prevent toxins from entering drinking water can cost cities millions of dollars in added filtration. Microcystis is a freshwater cyanobacterium that is globally distributed. While many of the abiotic factors that can impact bloom formation are known, biotic factors, …

Draft Genome Sequences Of Three Monokaryotic Isolates Of The White-Rot Basidiomycete Fungus Dichomitus Squalens, Sara Casado López, Mao Peng, Paul Daly, Bill Andreopoulos, Jasmyn Pangilinan, Anna Lipzen, Robert Riley, Steven Ahrendt, Vivian Ng, Kerrie Barry, Chris Daum, Igor Grigoriev, Kristiina Hildén, Miia Mäkelä, Ronald De Vries

Faculty Publications, Computer Science

Here, we report the draft genome sequences of three isolates of the wood-decaying white-rot basidiomycete fungus Dichomitus squalens. The genomes of these monokaryons were sequenced to provide more information on the intraspecies genomic diversity of this fungus and were compared to the previously sequenced genome of D. squalens LYAD-421 SS1.

Longitudinal Homogenization Of The Microbiome Between Both Occupants And The Built Environment In A Cohort Of United States Air Force Cadets, Anukriti Sharma, Miles Richardson, Lauren Cralle, Christopher E. Stamper, Juan P. Maestre, Kelly A. Stearns-Yoder, Teodor T. Postolache, Katherine L. Bates, Kerry A. Kinney, Lisa A. Brenner, Christopher A. Lowry, Jack A. Gilbert, Andrew J. Hoisington

Faculty Publications

The microbiome of the built environment has important implications for human health and wellbeing; however, bidirectional exchange of microbes between occupants and surfaces can be confounded by lifestyle, architecture, and external environmental exposures. Here, we present a longitudinal study of United States Air Force Academy cadets (n = 34), which have substantial homogeneity in lifestyle, diet, and age, all factors that influence the human microbiome. We characterized bacterial communities associated with (1) skin and gut samples from roommate pairs, (2) four built environment sample locations inside the pairs’ dormitory rooms, (3) four built environment sample locations within shared spaces …

Biotransformation Of Natural Antioxidants Osajin And Pomiferin By Cunninghamella Elegans (Atcc® 9245tm), Stephen Luis

Theses & Dissertations

Osajin and pomiferin, prenylated isoflavones extracted from the fruit of the osage orange tree (Maclura pomifera) have been reported as antioxidant compounds. The purpose of this study is to analyze the metabolization of osajin and pomiferin by the fungi Cunninghamella elegans (ATCC 9245) and supporting strains Umbelopsis ramanniana and Aspergillus fumigatus fresnius.

HPLC analysis of the extracts showed new, more polar compounds were formed, evidenced by peaks at lower retention times for each strain of fungi. To further investigate the metabolites produced, HPLC-guided chromatographic purification will be performed, and the pure metabolites will be analyzed through nuclear magnetic resonance and …

Biotransformation Of Praziquantel By Cunninghamella Elegans, Umbelopsis Ramanniana, And Yarrowia Lipolytica Metabolism, Samuel Chivers

Theses & Dissertations

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease rampant in developing countries. Widespread chemotherapy is reliant on a single drug, praziquantel, which increases the risk of resistance and creates an urgent need for the development of new alternatives for treatment. Fungal biotransformation is a well-documented tool in the pharmaceutical synthesis of new drugs. This study examined the efficacy of four fungal strains, Cunninghamella elegans (ATCC 9245 and ATCC 8688a), Umbelopsis ramanniana, (ATCC 9628) and Yarrowia lipolytica (ATCC 20225), in the biotransformation of praziquantel. Colonies were cultured, dosed with praziquantel, incubated for 5, 10 or 15 days to metabolize, after which the …

Med12 Mutations Promote Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Through Hyperactivated Gli3/Shh Signalling, Soundharrya Muthukumar

Theses & Dissertations

When cells of the prostate gland start growing uncontrollably, it results in cancer due to genetic aberrations. The development and progression of prostate cancer depend on androgenic stimulation. Although prostate cancer is temporarily treated by depriving a tumor of androgen, the patient relapses getting a castration-resistant form of the disease called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). CRPC can specifically develop through crosstalk of androgen receptor signalling pathways. One such pathway that is of specific interest in this paper is the MED12 regulated SHH signalling pathway. The mediator is a signal processor that helps in the transduction of gene-specific transcription factors to …

Tetrahydrocannabinol Reduces Hapten-Driven Mast Cell Accumulation And Persistent Tactile Sensitivity In Mouse Model Of Allergen-Provoked Localized Vulvodynia, Beebie Boo, Rohit Kamath, Erica Arriaga-Gomez, Jasmine Landry, Elizabeth Emanuel, Sookyong Joo, Marietta Sald Montivero, Tijana Martinov, Brian T. Fife, Devavani Chatterjea

Faculty Publications

Vulvodynia is a remarkably prevalent chronic pain condition of unknown etiology. An increase in numbers of vulvar mast cells often accompanies a clinical diagnosis of vulvodynia and a history of allergies amplifies the risk of developing this condition. We previously showed that repeated exposures to oxazolone dissolved in ethanol on the labiar skin of mice led to persistent genital sensitivity to pressure and a sustained increase in labiar mast cells. Here we sensitized female mice to the hapten dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) dissolved in saline on their flanks, and subsequently challenged them with the same hapten or saline vehicle alone for ten …

The Role Of Oxytocin On Social Behavior Associated With The Formation Of A Social Pair-Bond In The Socially Monogamous Convict Cichlid (Amatitlania Nigrofasciata), Christopher Garcia

Graduate Theses

The mechanisms for monogamy have evolved several times throughout history across various taxa in accordance with selective pressures. In vertebrates, monogamy is facilitated by the formation and the maintenance of social pair-bonds between mates. Social pair-bonds are a form of selective attachment that require complex neurobiological pathways in order to develop and continue. These neurobiological pathways are often regulated by neuroendocrine mechanisms, such as the release of the two neuroendocrine nonapeptides, oxytocin and arginine vasopressin, in specific parts of the brain or body. These neuroendocrine peptides play a big role in social and sexual behaviors. In prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) …

The Effect Of Cortical Remodeling On Bone Stiffness In White-Tailed Deer Proximal Humerus, Jack Nguyen

Graduate Theses

Cortical remodeling is a process that replaces primary bone tissue with secondary or osteonal bone. Osteonal bone is characterized by the presence of secondary osteons or Haversian systems, which are cylindrical structures made up of concentric layers of bone tissue known as lamellae that surround a central canal. Remodeling is mediated by specialized cells known as osteoclasts and osteoblasts. These cells are signaled to selectively resorb and deposit secondary bone in specific areas by mechanical strain. Variations in the loading environment of bones can produce variations in secondary osteon size and morphology. This study investigated the effect of diverse in …

A Test Of The Use Of Timber Wolf (Canis Lupus) Urine To Reduce Coyote (Canis Latrans) Depredation Rates On Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta) Nests, Michael Wauson

Graduate Theses

Loggerhead sea turtles are currently listed as vulnerable by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with a decreasing population trend. Over the past four years, coyotes (Canis latrans) have depredated 24.18% of loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nests on the night they were laid on South Island beach at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, near Georgetown, SC. This has resulted in an estimated 4,002 eggs lost each year there. Over that time, a South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Turtle Technician Team patrolled the beach at dawn every morning to cage and catalog loggerhead eggs and nests …

A Gradient Of Pollination Specialization In Three Species Of Bolivian Centropogon, Laura Lagomarsino, Nathan Muchhala

Biology Department Faculty Works

PremiseClosely related plant species with overlapping ranges often experience competition for pollination services. Such competition can select for divergence in floral traits that attract pollinators or determine pollen placement. While most species in Centropogon(Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae) have flowers that suggest adaptation to bat or hummingbird pollination, actual pollinators are rarely documented, and a few species have a mix of traits from both pollination syndromes. We studied the pollination biology of a “mixed‐syndrome” species and its co‐occurring congeners to examine the relationship between floral traits and visitation patterns for Centropogon.Methods Fieldwork at two sites in Bolivian cloud forests involved filming floral visitors, …

Observations And Applications Of Husbandry Methodologies On A Backyard Poultry Farm In Dangriga, Belize, Bailey Carpenter

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study explores the husbandry methodologies on a backyard poultry farm in Dangriga, Belize, with the purpose of producing a set of guidelines for backyard poultry growers that have limited resources in similar regions. The majority of data collection occurred through survey questions approved by the IRB, necropsies approved by IACUC, and general observations. There has been a steady increase in poultry production in developing regions due to its positive effects on income and relative nutrition. However, due to a lack of accessible communication and education regarding effective and safe poultry production, these operators typically see poor productivity and/or profitability …

The Evolution Of Complexity: Tests Of The Ecological Drivers Of Eye Size Evolution In Nature, Shannon Marie Beston

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Organisms exhibit extensive variation in eye size and structure across the animal kingdom. The long standing hypothesis is that divergent ecological selective pressures drive and maintain this variation. While multiple studies have explored variation in eye size across species, far fewer studies have explored how ecological factors shape the evolution of eye size within species. Additionally, the vast majority of studies to date have evaluated light availability as a key selective force in the evolution of the eye while far fewer studies have addressed the role of alternative ecological selective pressures, such as predation and competition. My dissertation examines (1) …

Who Cares About Models When You Have Genomes?, Richard Hunter Adams

Biology Dissertations - Archive

There is no question about it: genomic data are revolutionizing biology. This is certainly evident in the fields of population genetics and phylogenetics for which genome-scale analyses have been used to study a myriad of evolutionary processes and organismal relationships across the Tree of Life. While genomic data have unquestionably advanced our understanding of biology by incredible leaps and bounds, the ease and affordability of generating such large and complex data has unfortunately, in some circumstances, led to the idea that simply “throwing more data” at a particular evolutionary question is likely to be sufficient. This notion has led to …

Uncovering Genomic Insights To The Dynamics And Mechanisms Of Speciation Using Lialis Burtonis And Heteronotia Binoei, James E. Titus-Mcquillan

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Species are fundamental entities in biology because their existence represents the cohesion that binds populations into a single unit. One facet of evolutionary biology is to identify the processes that cause the origin of species and maintain this cohesion apart from closely-related lineages. Two aims that speciation research attempts to answer are: (1) How do lineages diverge to form new species? and, (2) What prevents the merging of nascent species? One useful approach to address both questions is to study areas of contact where independent populations coexist and exchange genetic material. By investigating the size of contact zones, the extent …