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2020

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Articles 1 - 30 of 1996

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Molecular Studies On The Interactions Between Biomphalaria Snails And Schistosoma Mansoni, Lijun Lu Dec 2020

Molecular Studies On The Interactions Between Biomphalaria Snails And Schistosoma Mansoni, Lijun Lu

Biology ETDs

Biomphalaria snails serve as vectors for Schistosoma mansoni, a trematode causing human schistosomiasis. Control of Schistosoma mansoni involves chemotherapy of affected people, but new control methods built on improved understanding of schistosome-snail interactions are needed. My dissertation applies molecular and bioinformatics approaches to understand such interactions. Chapter 1 shows that significant differences exist among Biomphalaria species in Africa with respect to their ability to support schistosome development. Chapters 2 and 3 reveal the transcriptional responses of Biomphalaria glabrata susceptible (SUS) or resistant (RES) to Schistosoma mansoni. Chapter 2 identifies a new family of snail immune factors, the AIG …


Effect Of Cultivation Parameters On Fermentation And Hydrogen Production In The Phylum, Mariamichela Lanzilli, Nunzia Esercizio, Marco Vastano, Zhaohui Xu, Genoveffa Nuzzo, Carmela Gallo, Emiliano Manzo, Angelo Fontana, Giuliana D'Ippolito Dec 2020

Effect Of Cultivation Parameters On Fermentation And Hydrogen Production In The Phylum, Mariamichela Lanzilli, Nunzia Esercizio, Marco Vastano, Zhaohui Xu, Genoveffa Nuzzo, Carmela Gallo, Emiliano Manzo, Angelo Fontana, Giuliana D'Ippolito

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The phylum is composed of a single class (), 4 orders (), 5 families (), and 13 genera. They have been isolated from extremely hot environments whose characteristics are reflected in the metabolic and phenotypic properties of the species. The metabolic versatility of members leads to a pool of high value-added products with application potentials in many industry fields. The low risk of contamination associated with their extreme culture conditions has made most species of the phylum attractive candidates in biotechnological processes. Almost all members of the phylum, especially those in the order , can produce bio-hydrogen from a variety …


Climatic Drivers Of Verticillium Dahliae Occurrence In Mediterranean Olive-Growing Areas Of Southern Spain, Juan M. Requena-Mullor, Jose Manuel García-Garrido, Pedro Antonio García, Estefanía Rodríguez Dec 2020

Climatic Drivers Of Verticillium Dahliae Occurrence In Mediterranean Olive-Growing Areas Of Southern Spain, Juan M. Requena-Mullor, Jose Manuel García-Garrido, Pedro Antonio García, Estefanía Rodríguez

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Verticillium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae, is one of the most harmful diseases in Mediterranean olive-growing areas. Although, the effects of both soil temperature and moisture on V. dahliae are well known, there is scant knowledge about what climatic drivers affect the occurrence of the pathogen on a large scale. Here, we investigate what climatic drivers determine V. dahliae occurrence in olive-growing areas in southern Spain. In order to bridge this gap in knowledge, a large-scale field survey was carried out to collect data on the occurrence of V. dahliae in 779 olive groves in Granada …


Effects Of Covid-19 On Education In Healthcare And Stem, Jessica Hallett, Santanu De Dec 2020

Effects Of Covid-19 On Education In Healthcare And Stem, Jessica Hallett, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

The Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic halted face-to-face classes in most schools, colleges, and universities worldwide, necessitating virtual instruction. This reformation of academics impacted every field of study, especially those students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and in the realm of healthcare science education. Ranging from middle/high school to undergraduate and graduate programs, STEM degrees entail rigorous curricula integrating extensive lectures on theoretical topics, and laboratory exercises to apply those concepts in a practical setting. Likewise, healthcare education involves hands-on, clinical lab components working on patients, guided by supervisors. The guidelines developed by the …


Evidence For Phytoremediation And Phytoexcretion Of Nto From Industrial Wastewater By Vetiver Grass, Abhishek Roychowdhury, Pallabi Mukherjee, Saumik Panja, Rupali Datta, Christos Christodoulatos, Dibyendu Sarkar Dec 2020

Evidence For Phytoremediation And Phytoexcretion Of Nto From Industrial Wastewater By Vetiver Grass, Abhishek Roychowdhury, Pallabi Mukherjee, Saumik Panja, Rupali Datta, Christos Christodoulatos, Dibyendu Sarkar

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The use of insensitive munitions such as 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) is rapidly increasing and is expected to replace conventional munitions in the near future. Various NTO treatment technologies are being developed for the treatment of wastewater from industrial munition facilities. This is the first study to explore the potential phytoremediation of industrial NTO-wastewater using vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.). Here, we present evidence that vetiver can effectively remove NTO from wastewater, and also translocated NTO from root to shoot. NTO was phytotoxic and resulted in a loss of plant biomass and chlorophyll. The metabolomic analysis showed significant differences between treated and …


Inhibition Of Oxidative Metabolism By Nitric Oxide Restricts Emcv Replication Selectively In Pancreatic Beta-Cells, Joshua D. Stafford, Chay Teng Yeo, John A. Corbett Dec 2020

Inhibition Of Oxidative Metabolism By Nitric Oxide Restricts Emcv Replication Selectively In Pancreatic Beta-Cells, Joshua D. Stafford, Chay Teng Yeo, John A. Corbett

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Environmental factors, such as viral infection, are proposed to play a role in the initiation of autoimmune diabetes. In response to encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) infection, resident islet macrophages release the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1b, to levels that are sufficient to stimulate inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and production of micromolar levels of the free radical nitric oxide in neighboring b-cells. We have recently shown that nitric oxide inhibits EMCV replication and EMCV-mediated b-cell lysis and that this protection is associated with an inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. Here we show that the protective actions of nitric oxide against EMCV infection …


Water Availability For Cannabis In Northern California: Intersections Of Climate, Policy, And Public Discourse, Betsy Morgan, Kaitlyn Spangler, Jacob Stuivenvolt-Allen, Christina N. Morrisett, Mark W. Brunson, Shih-Yu Simon Wang, Nancy Huntly Dec 2020

Water Availability For Cannabis In Northern California: Intersections Of Climate, Policy, And Public Discourse, Betsy Morgan, Kaitlyn Spangler, Jacob Stuivenvolt-Allen, Christina N. Morrisett, Mark W. Brunson, Shih-Yu Simon Wang, Nancy Huntly

Biology Faculty Publications

Availability of water for irrigated crops is driven by climate and policy, as moderated by public priorities and opinions. We explore how climate and water policy interact to influence water availability for cannabis (Cannabis sativa), a newly regulated crop in California, as well as how public discourse frames these interactions. Grower access to surface water covaries with precipitation frequency and oscillates consistently in an energetic 11–17 year wet-dry cycle. Assessing contemporary cannabis water policies against historic streamflow data showed that legal surface water access was most reliable for cannabis growers with small water rights ( < 600 m3) and …


Fruiting Body Form, Not Nutritional Mode, Is The Major Driver Of Diversification In Mushroom-Forming Fungi, Marisol Sánchez-García, Martin Ryberg, Faheema Kalsoom Khan, Torda Varga, László G. Nagy, David S. Hibbett Dec 2020

Fruiting Body Form, Not Nutritional Mode, Is The Major Driver Of Diversification In Mushroom-Forming Fungi, Marisol Sánchez-García, Martin Ryberg, Faheema Kalsoom Khan, Torda Varga, László G. Nagy, David S. Hibbett

Biology

With ∼36,000 described species, Agaricomycetes are among the most successful groups of Fungi. Agaricomycetes display great diversity in fruiting body forms and nutritional modes. Most have pileate-stipitate fruiting bodies (with a cap and stalk), but the group also contains crust-like resupinate fungi, polypores, coral fungi, and gasteroid forms (e.g., puffballs and stinkhorns). Some Agaricomycetes enter into ectomycorrhizal symbioses with plants, while others are decayers (saprotrophs) or pathogens. We constructed a megaphylogeny of 8,400 species and used it to test the following five hypotheses regarding the evolution of morphological and ecological traits in Agaricomycetes and their impact on diversification: 1) resupinate …


Ogre-Faced, Net-Casting Spiders Use Auditory Cues To Detect Airborne Prey, Jay A. Stafstrom, Gil Menda, Eya I. Nitzany, Eileen A. Hebets, Ronald R. Hoy Dec 2020

Ogre-Faced, Net-Casting Spiders Use Auditory Cues To Detect Airborne Prey, Jay A. Stafstrom, Gil Menda, Eya I. Nitzany, Eileen A. Hebets, Ronald R. Hoy

Eileen Hebets Publications

Prey-capture behavior among spiders varies greatly from passive entrapment in webs to running down prey items on foot. Somewhere in the middle are the ogre-faced, net-casting spiders (Deinopidae: Deinopis) that actively capture prey while being suspended within a frame web. Using a net held between their front four legs, these spiders lunge downward to ensnare prey from off the ground beneath them. This “forward strike” is sensorially mediated by a massive pair of hypersensitive, night-vision eyes. Deinopids can also intercept flying insects with a “backward strike,” a ballistically rapid, overhead back-twist, that seems not to rely on visual cues. Past …


Juvenile Leaves Or Adult Leaves: Determinants For Vegetative Phase Change In Flowering Plants, Darren Manuela, Mingli Xu Dec 2020

Juvenile Leaves Or Adult Leaves: Determinants For Vegetative Phase Change In Flowering Plants, Darren Manuela, Mingli Xu

Faculty Publications

Vegetative leaves in Arabidopsis are classified as either juvenile leaves or adult leaves based on their specific traits, such as leaf shape and the presence of abaxial trichomes. The timing of the juvenile-to-adult phase transition during vegetative development, called the vegetative phase change, is a critical decision for plants, as this transition is associated with crop yield, stress responses, and immune responses. Juvenile leaves are characterized by high levels of miR156/157, and adult leaves are characterized by high levels of miR156/157 targets, SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcription factors. The discovery of this miR156/157-SPL module provided a critical tool for …


A Cophylogenetic Analysis Of Fungus Gardening Ants And Their Symbiotic Fungi, Katherine Beigel Dec 2020

A Cophylogenetic Analysis Of Fungus Gardening Ants And Their Symbiotic Fungi, Katherine Beigel

Biology Theses

Fungus-growing ants (Tribe Attini) and their fungal cultivars share a 50-million-year coevolutionary history. Large scale phylogenetic analyses depict a strong co-phyletic signal among ants and their farmed fungi yet fungus sharing among unrelated ant lineages is somewhat widespread. An overview of sharing has been hampered by a lack of genetic markers that exhibit intraspecific variation and surveys across geographic regions. For example, previous studies have shown similar sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of fungus in different species of Trachymyrmex, suggesting that these ant species are farming the same fungal clone. To examine whether this was a …


Black Vulture Conflict And Management In The United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, And Research Needs, Bryan M. Kluever, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Scott C. Barras, Brett G. Dunlap, Lee A. Humberg Dec 2020

Black Vulture Conflict And Management In The United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, And Research Needs, Bryan M. Kluever, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Scott C. Barras, Brett G. Dunlap, Lee A. Humberg

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Contrary to rapid declines of many vulture (Accipitridae, Cathartidea) species worldwide, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) populations are increasing and expanding their range in North America. Vultures exhibit complex behaviors and can adapt to any human-dominated landscape or land use. These traits, combined with population growth and range expansion, have contributed to increased human–vulture conflicts. Our goal was to summarize the current status and trends in human–black vulture conflicts (hereafter human–vulture conflicts), review available management strategies, identify knowledge gaps, and provide recommendations to enhance management and understanding of this species and the associated conflicts. We found human–vulture conflicts are …


One Step Closer To A Better Starling Trap, James R. Thiele Dec 2020

One Step Closer To A Better Starling Trap, James R. Thiele

Human–Wildlife Interactions

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are an invasive species in the United States that damage agriculture, personal property, and threaten human health and safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services provides technical support to mitigate damage by controlling starling populations at concentrated animal feeding operations, landfills, utilities, and urban areas. Wildlife Services uses DRC-1339, a registered toxicant, to reduce starling populations. Trapping can also be an effective tool but requires more time at a higher cost than DRC-1339. Trapping starlings, however, may be needed to provide a viable alternative to mitigate damage in areas where toxicant use may …


Imagining The Internal Reproductive Environment: Function And Evolution Of The Drosophila Melanogaster Female Reproductive Tract, Caitlin Elizabeth Mcdonough-Goldstein Dec 2020

Imagining The Internal Reproductive Environment: Function And Evolution Of The Drosophila Melanogaster Female Reproductive Tract, Caitlin Elizabeth Mcdonough-Goldstein

Dissertations - ALL

Sexual reproduction involves complex coordination, and potentially competition, among the reproductive cells, fluids, and structures of all individuals involved. For internally fertilizing species, these interactions occur within the body of one sex, predominantly the female, or ovary-associated, reproductive tract. Thus, characterizing the dynamics of the female reproductive tract is critical to understanding the interactions that mediate reproductive success. Although there has been increasing movement toward revealing the active role of the female reproductive tract in shaping and influencing reproductive outcomes, our knowledge of this environment remains limited as a result of both historical biases and technical constraints. My dissertation advances …


Control Of Blood Volume Following Hypovolemic Challenge In Vertebrates: Transcapillary Versus Lymphatic Mechanisms., Stanley S. Hillman, Robert C. Drewes, Michael S. Hedrick Dec 2020

Control Of Blood Volume Following Hypovolemic Challenge In Vertebrates: Transcapillary Versus Lymphatic Mechanisms., Stanley S. Hillman, Robert C. Drewes, Michael S. Hedrick

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Anurans have an exceptional capacity for maintaining vascular volume compared with other groups of vertebrates. They can mobilize interstitial fluids via lymphatic return at rates that are ten-fold higher than mammals. This extraordinary capacity is the result of coordination of specialized skeletal muscles and pulmonary ventilation that vary volume and pressure of subcutaneous lymph sacs, thus moving lymph to dorsally located lymph hearts that return lymph to the vascular space. Variation in the capacity to mobilize lymph within anurans varies with the degree of terrestriality, development of skeletal muscles, lung volume and lung compliance, and lymph heart pressure development. This …


Influence Of Testosterone On Male-Male Competition In The Red-Sided Garter Snake, Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis, Isabella M. G. Bukovich Dec 2020

Influence Of Testosterone On Male-Male Competition In The Red-Sided Garter Snake, Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis, Isabella M. G. Bukovich

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Female mimicry in the red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis, is described in several well-studied evolutionary advantages, but an aspect that remains elusive is how reproductive traits are linked to the 3-fold higher circulating androgens in males with this phenotype. In this study, we implanted male garter snakes (n=15 per group) with either a blank implant (SHAM; control) or a T implant, the latter simulating the female mimic phenotype. Following simulated low-temperature dormancy, males were scored for courtship intensity over three days of behavioral trials with females housed in the same facility. Males were sacrificed, and sperm were collected …


Adaptive Courseware Implementation: Investigating Alignment, Course Redesign, And The Student Experience, Patricia O'Sullivan, Janelle Voegele, Tonya Buchan, Raiza Dottin, Kari Goin Kono, Misty Hamideh, Wendy S. Howard, Jennifer Todd, Lee Tyson, Stanley Kruse, Johannes De Gruyter, Kevin Berg Dec 2020

Adaptive Courseware Implementation: Investigating Alignment, Course Redesign, And The Student Experience, Patricia O'Sullivan, Janelle Voegele, Tonya Buchan, Raiza Dottin, Kari Goin Kono, Misty Hamideh, Wendy S. Howard, Jennifer Todd, Lee Tyson, Stanley Kruse, Johannes De Gruyter, Kevin Berg

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

In this paper, four institutions share student and faculty feedback on the implementation of adaptive courseware through a common case study: biology for undergraduate non-majors. Additionally, each institution has provided a second case study of their choice. Together, researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, Portland State University in Portland, OR, University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL, and the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS consider student perception of the benefits to the implementation of adaptive courseware, and how the deliberate alignment between adaptive courseware and course organization and structure impacts student experience. This paper highlights the …


Identifying The Effects Naturally Forming Bacterial Communities Have On The Efficiency Of Passive Remediation Systems Built To Treat Abandoned Coal Mine Drainage, Michelle M. Valkanas Dec 2020

Identifying The Effects Naturally Forming Bacterial Communities Have On The Efficiency Of Passive Remediation Systems Built To Treat Abandoned Coal Mine Drainage, Michelle M. Valkanas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abandoned mine drainage (AMD) has resulted in worldwide devastation. Passive remediation systems (PRS) are a cost-effective option to treat AMD. While the geochemistry (abiotic) of these systems is well understood, little work has been done to characterize the microbial communities (biotic) that naturally form within these systems. The goal of this dissertation was to identify the effects that bacterial communities have on the efficiency of PRSs. Four passive remediation sites built to treat coal mine drainage were studied: two that treat acidic discharges (Boyce and Middle Branch) and two that treat circumneutral discharges (Wingfield Pines and Lowber). Survey studies suggested …


Temporal Thermal Heterogeneity As A Potential Evolutionary Driver Of Thermoregulation In The Generalist Grasshopper Melanoplus Differentialis From Five Sites In The Midwestern And Southern United States, Devin Preston Dec 2020

Temporal Thermal Heterogeneity As A Potential Evolutionary Driver Of Thermoregulation In The Generalist Grasshopper Melanoplus Differentialis From Five Sites In The Midwestern And Southern United States, Devin Preston

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Environmental drivers of the evolution of thermoregulation, especially thermal fluctuation, have been incompletely investigated. I used a combination of field and laboratory studies to determine if thermal heterogeneity selected for greater thermal tolerance or ability to thermoregulate in a generalist grasshopper by testing upper and lower thermal limits, behavioral thermoregulation, and acclimation. I measured these from individuals originating from sites that had varying degrees of thermal fluctuation over time. I found partial support for thermal heterogeneity as an evolutionary driver of thermal tolerance, behavioral thermoregulation, and acclimation. However, whether or not differences in these metrics conformed to my hypothesis varied …


Elucidating The Role Of Ecdysoneless In Mrna Processing, Irfana Saleem Dec 2020

Elucidating The Role Of Ecdysoneless In Mrna Processing, Irfana Saleem

Theses & Dissertations

The mammalian orthologue of the evolutionarily conserved Ecdysoneless (ECD) protein is required for embryogenesis, cell cycle progression and mitigation of ER stress. However, the molecular mechanisms of ECD function in mammalian cells remain unclear. Here, using mass spectrometry analysis of the mammalian ECD interactome, we identified several components of the mRNA export complexes as binding partners of ECD and then characterized the functional interaction of ECD with key mRNA export-related DEAD BOX protein helicase DDX39A and its associated partners. FISH analysis of Poly-A-tailed mRNAs revealed that ECD depletion/deletion blocks the mRNA export from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. We have …


Comparison Of Cardiac Muscle Between Male And Female Rats With Exercise And Aging: Analyzing Vitals, Gdnf Expression, Ngf Expression, Rna Expression, Sympathetic Innervation, Parasympathetic Innervation, And Sensory Innervation, Katelyn Kurrie Dec 2020

Comparison Of Cardiac Muscle Between Male And Female Rats With Exercise And Aging: Analyzing Vitals, Gdnf Expression, Ngf Expression, Rna Expression, Sympathetic Innervation, Parasympathetic Innervation, And Sensory Innervation, Katelyn Kurrie

Honors Theses

The direction of my research-based thesis answers the question of how exercise affects the cardiovascular system with aging in male and female rats. My study would highlight the important differences of the cardiovascular system of both sexes which could lead to sex-specific insight on the cardiovascular disease epidemic which prevails as the most common cause of death in the United States. The studies completed will test the hypothesis: neurotrophic factor will be higher in females than males due to the higher presence of estrogen in females. The trophic factor is predicted to increase in both males and females with regular …


Identification Of Clonal Evolution Pattern And Mutation Event Associated With Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Using Next-Generation Sequencing, Cheng Wang Dec 2020

Identification Of Clonal Evolution Pattern And Mutation Event Associated With Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Using Next-Generation Sequencing, Cheng Wang

Theses & Dissertations

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive lymphoid malignancy. About 30% of DLBCL cases respond poorly to initial treatment and eventually relapse. For these patients, the current treatment regimen is quite limited, and the prognosis is poor. Gene mutations and genetic alterations play an important role in lymphomagenesis. However, the genetic alterations or gene mutations underlying the disease resistance/relapse in DLBCL are still unknown. The clonal evolution during the process of disease progression is elusive as well. Our goal is to study the genetic alterations in DLBCL, particularly paired diagnostic and relapsed/refractory DLBCL, to better understand the mutation landscape …


Mechanisms By Which Mnte-2-Pyp Suppresses Prostate Cancer Cell Growth, Yuxiang Zhu Dec 2020

Mechanisms By Which Mnte-2-Pyp Suppresses Prostate Cancer Cell Growth, Yuxiang Zhu

Theses & Dissertations

Prostate cancer patients are often treated with radiotherapy. MnTE-2-PyP, is a superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimic and a known radioprotector of normal tissues. Our recent work demonstrates that MnTE-2-PyP also inhibits prostate cancer progression with radiotherapy; however, the mechanisms remain unclear. In this thesis, we identified that MnTE-2-PyP-induced intracellular H2O2 levels are critical in inhibiting growth of prostate cancer cells. We found that MnTE-2-PyP induced protein oxidations in PC3 cells and one major group of oxidized protein targets were involved in energy metabolism. The oxidative phosphorylation rates were significantly enhanced in both PC3 and LNCaP cells with MnTE-2-PyP treatment, but mitochondrial …


Diagnosis And Distribution Of Florida Sand Darter, Ammocrypta Bifascia (Teleostei; Percidae), In The Flint River, Georgia, Camm C. Swift, Gregory R. Moyer, Christine E. Fallon, Brett Albanese Dec 2020

Diagnosis And Distribution Of Florida Sand Darter, Ammocrypta Bifascia (Teleostei; Percidae), In The Flint River, Georgia, Camm C. Swift, Gregory R. Moyer, Christine E. Fallon, Brett Albanese

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

Abstract: In 2013, we observed the presence of an undocumented Ammocrypta species in the lower Flint River, Georgia. The occurrence represents the first record of the genus in Georgia. Subsequent surveys at 24 sites, using seining or snorkeling, documented additional specimens from mainstem sites (n = 3) between Albany and Bainbridge and from Ichawaynochaway Creek (n = 5 sites), a large tributary to the Flint River. We used morphological and genetic data to identify specimens to species. Morphological examination included 23 morphometric and 8 meristic characters from fifteen specimens that were compared to specimens from Williams (1975). For genetic analyses, …


Inaction On Lead Despite The Relevant Knowledge: Predictors, Covariates, And Outreach Implications, Alessandra Rossi, Bernabas Wolde, Pankaj Lal, Melissa Harclerode Dec 2020

Inaction On Lead Despite The Relevant Knowledge: Predictors, Covariates, And Outreach Implications, Alessandra Rossi, Bernabas Wolde, Pankaj Lal, Melissa Harclerode

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Testing residential soil and paint for lead provides actionable information. By showing where and how much lead exists on the residence, it allows one to quantify risk and determine the best ways to reduce exposure along with the corresponding health and financial costs. For these reasons, several federal and state programs offer outreach to audiences on the benefits of testing residential soil and paint for lead. Not all individuals who know about lead’s adverse health effects, however, test their residence for lead, potentially limiting the actionable information that could have helped to reduce their exposure. Such individuals represent a challenge …


The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna Giberson Dec 2020

The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna Giberson

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.


The Genetic Influence On Subjective Well-Being: A Review Of The Current Knowledge On The Role Of Genetics On Our Sense Of Subjective Well-Being And The Implications It Has For Future Research In Improving Well-Being At Both A Population And Individual Level., Abhishek Gupta Dec 2020

The Genetic Influence On Subjective Well-Being: A Review Of The Current Knowledge On The Role Of Genetics On Our Sense Of Subjective Well-Being And The Implications It Has For Future Research In Improving Well-Being At Both A Population And Individual Level., Abhishek Gupta

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis project explores the genetic underpinnings of one of the most cherished attributes in the world, well-being.1 Specifically, it attempts to understand the influence of the genome on subjective, or experienced, well-being. An investigation was conducted into current literature concerning both the structure of measurement devices of well-being as well as association studies to determine the scope of the correlation that exists between the genome and well-being and identify genetic findings of interest. Ultimately, being able to provide evidence of causality between the genome and sense of well-being at this iteration of well-being and genome research is limited, …


The Decision Maker: Understanding The Role Of Ifrd1 In Urothelial Plasticity And Regeneration, Bisiayo Erionmwon Fashemi Dec 2020

The Decision Maker: Understanding The Role Of Ifrd1 In Urothelial Plasticity And Regeneration, Bisiayo Erionmwon Fashemi

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The bladder urothelium forms a highly specialized watertight barrier to urinary wastes. The urothelium offers an unusual example of tissue regeneration: although urothelial cells do not rapidly turn over under physiological conditions, they have an impressive capacity to regenerate tissue upon injury. Even more remarkable, depending on the modality of injury (sterile, infectious) there appear to be two distinctive modes of urothelial regeneration. We have previously shown that in response to a urinary tract infection (UTI), the urothelial stem cell niche becomes activated and induces rapid restoration of the urothelium, whereas, regeneration following sterile injury does not involve stem cell …


Structural Insights Into Host-Pathogen Interactions Of Alphaviruses, Katherine Basore Dec 2020

Structural Insights Into Host-Pathogen Interactions Of Alphaviruses, Katherine Basore

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Alphaviruses are arthropod-borne, single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses of the Togaviridae family that infect various vertebrates worldwide in tropical and temperate areas, causing emerging and reemerging diseases in humans. Mature virions are 70 nm in diameter and contain a ~11-kilobase genome encapsidated within a nucleocapsid core, a host-derived lipid bilayer, and an envelope comprised of heterodimers of the glycoproteins E1 and E2 arranged into trimeric spikes with T=4 icosahedral symmetry. Alphaviruses are categorized into two groups based on their clinical symptoms: the arthritogenic alphaviruses, such as chikungunya (CHIKV), Mayaro (MAYV), Ross River (RRV), Semliki Forest (SFV), and O’nyong-nyong (ONNV) viruses, which …


Advances In The Understanding Of Auxin Signaling Through Indirect Mechanisms, Ryan Joseph Emenecker Dec 2020

Advances In The Understanding Of Auxin Signaling Through Indirect Mechanisms, Ryan Joseph Emenecker

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The plant hormone auxin is remarkable in its capacity to seemingly regulate all plant growth and developmental processes. Because of this, plants have evolved numerous mechanisms to allow for specific responses to auxin dependent on tissue type and developmental stage. Despite the importance of this specificity, we understand very little with respect to the molecular mechanisms underlying it. In this work, we examine two mechanisms used by plants to modulate auxin response across different tissues. First, we describe our finding that auxin interactions with another plant hormone, abscisic acid, is used as a mechanism to regulate auxin responsiveness in the …