Biology Commons^™

Potential Effects Of Climate Change On The Geographic Distribution Of The Endangered Plant Species Manihot Walkerae, Gisel Garza, Armida Rivera, Crystian Sadel Venegas Barrera, Jose Guadalupe Martinez-Avalos, Jon Dale, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Walker’s Manihot, Manihot walkerae, is an endangered plant that is endemic to the Tamaulipan thornscrub ecoregion of extreme southern Texas and northeastern Mexico. M. walkerae populations are highly fragmented and are found on both protected public lands and private property. Habitat loss and competition by invasive species are the most detrimental threats for M. walkerae; however, the effect of climate change on M. walkerae’s geographic distribution remains unexplored and could result in further range restrictions. Our objectives are to evaluate the potential effects of climate change on the distribution of M. walkerae and assess the usefulness of natural protected areas …

Toxin Transcripts In Crotalus Atrox Venom And In Silico Structures Of Toxins, Ying Jia, Ivan Lopez, Paulina Kowalski

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) is a common and widespread North American pit viper species, and its venom possesses medical applications. In this research, we identified 14 of the most common transcripts encoding 11 major venom toxins including transcripts for a three-finger toxin (3FTx) from the crude venom of C. atrox. In silico three-dimensional (3D) structures of 9 venom toxins were predicted by using deduced toxin amino acid sequences and a computer programme-MODELLER. The accuracy of all predicted toxin structures was evaluated by five stereochemical structure parameters including discrete optimised protein energy (DOPE) score, root mean square deviation (RMSD), …

Diversity Of Trichoptera Emergence And Their Longitudinal Distribution Along Streams In Central Palawan, The Philippines, Hendrik Freitag, Wolfram Mey

Biology Faculty Publications

Trichoptera emergences were cumulatively collected from two rivers in central Palawan over 11 months by use of specially modified emergence traps. The quantitative samples were identified at species level. Fifty morphospecies, of which fifteen have been recently newly described, are recognized. The highest species diversity was found in pristine headwater streams. Leptoceridae were most speciose with eleven Oecetis spp., four Leptocerus spp., two Adicella spp., and one species each of Tagalopsyche, Triaenodes, and Triplectides. Highest abundances were observed for Ecnomus cabayugani (Ecnomidae), Dipseudopsis digitata, and Hyalopsyche winkleri (Dipseudopsidae) which contributed alone 34% of the annual emergence. A mid-stream site where …

How Many Tree Species Of Birch Are In Alaska? Implications For Wetland Designations, Carol A. Rowe, Robert W. Lichvar, Paul G. Wolf

Biology Faculty Publications

Wetland areas are critical habitats, especially in northern regions of North America. Wetland classifications are based on several factors, including the presence of certain plant species and assemblages of species, of which trees play a significant role. Here we examined wetland species of birch (Betula) in North America, with a focus on Alaska, and the use of birche tree species in wetland delineation. We sampled over 200 trees from sites, including Alaska, Alberta, Minnesota, and New Hampshire. We used genetic data from over 3000 loci detected by restriction site associated DNA analysis. We used an indirect estimate of …

Introducing Lu-1, A Novel Lactobacillus Jensenii Phage Abundant In The Urogenital Tract, Taylor Miller-Ensminger, Rita Mormando, Laura Maskeri, Jason W. Shapiro, Alan J. Wolfe, Catherine Putonti

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

Bacteriophages (phages) play a key role in shaping microbial communities, including those of the human body. Phages are abundant members of the urogenital tract, most often persisting through the lysogenic life cycle as prophages integrated within the genomes of their bacterial hosts. While numerous studies of the urogenital microbiota have focused on the most abundant bacterial member of this niche–Lactobacillus species–very little is known about Lactobacillus phages. Focusing on Lactobacillus jensenii strains from the urinary tract, we identified numerous prophages related to the previously characterized Lv-1 phage from a vaginal L. jensenii strain. Furthermore, we identified a new L. jensenii …

Low Intensity Vibrations Augment Mesenchymal Stem Cell Proliferation And Differentiation Capacity During In Vitro Expansion, Guniz Bas, Stacie Loisate, Stephanie F. Hudon, Kali Woods, Eric J. Hayden, Xinzhu Pu, Richard Beard, Julia T. Oxford, Gunes Uzer

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

A primary component of exercise, mechanical signals, when applied in the form of low intensity vibration (LIV), increases mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) osteogenesis and proliferation. While it is generally accepted that exercise effectively combats the deleterious effects of aging in the musculoskeletal system, how long-term exercise affects stem cell aging, which is typified by reduced proliferative and differentiative capacity, is not well explored. As a first step in understanding the effect of long-term application of mechanical signals on stem cell function, we investigated the effect of LIV during in vitro expansion of MSCs. Primary MSCs were subjected to either a …

Solution Blow Spinning Of Polyvinylidene Fluoride Based Fibers For Energy Harvesting Applications: A Review, Rasheed Atif, Jibran Khaliq, Madeleine Combrinck, Ahmed H. Hassanin, Nader Shehata, Eman Elnabawy, Islam Shyha

Biology Faculty Publications

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based piezoelectric materials (PEMs) have found extensive applications in energy harvesting which are being extended consistently to diverse fields requiring strenuous service conditions. Hence, there is a pressing need to mass produce PVDF-based PEMs with the highest possible energy harvesting ability under a given set of conditions. To achieve high yield and efficiency, solution blow spinning (SBS) technique is attracting a lot of interest due to its operational simplicity and high throughput. SBS is arguably still in its infancy when the objective is to mass produce high efficiency PVDF-based PEMs. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the critical parameters …

Regional Phenotypic Differences Of The Opener Muscle In Procambarus Clarkii: Sarcomere Length, Fiber Diameter, And Force Development, Rachel C. Holsinger, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

The opener muscle in the walking legs of the crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) has three distinct phenotypic regions although innervated by only one excitatory motor neuron. These regions (distal, central, and proximal) have varied biochemistry and physiology, including synaptic structure, troponin-T levels, fiber diameter, input resistance, sarcomere length, and force generation. The force generated by the central fibers when the excitatory neuron was stimulated at 40 Hz was more than the force generated by the other regions. This increase in force was correlated with the central fibers having longer sarcomeres when measured in a relaxed claw. These data support …

Identification Of Tandem Repeat Families From Long-Read Sequences Of Humulus Lupulus, Katherine A. Easterling, Nicholi J. Pitra, Taylan B. Morcol, Jenna R. Aquino, Lauren G. Lopes, Kristin C. Bussey, Paul D. Matthews, Hank W. Bass

Publications and Research

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is known for its use as a bittering agent in beer and has a rich history of cultivation, beginning in Europe and now spanning the globe. There are five wild varieties worldwide, which may have been introgressed with cultivated varieties. As a dioecious species, its obligate outcrossing, non-Mendelian inheritance, and genomic structural variability have confounded directed breeding efforts. Consequently, understanding the hop genome represents a considerable challenge, requiring additional resources. In order to facilitate investigations into the transmission genetics of hop, we report here a tandem repeat discovery pipeline developed using k-mer filtering and dot plot …

Synthesis, Characterisation And Biological Evaluation Of Tyramine Derived Schiff Base Ligand And Its Transition Metal(Ii) Complexes, Abdul Khader Jailani, N.S.K. Gowthaman, Mookkandi Palsamy Kesavan

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In this study, a new tyramine derived Schiff base ligand (L) (L=1,3-phenylene-bis-4-aminoantipyrinyl-4-aminoethylphenol) and its derived transition metal(II) complexes [Cu(L)Cl₂](1), [Ni(L)Cl₂](2), [Co(L)Cl₂] (3) and [Zn(L)Cl₂] (4) have been synthesized and well characterized by the way of different spectroscopic and analytical techniques. Analytical and spectroscopic studies result suggests that metal(II) complexes more probably have octahedral geometry. DNA binding tendency of L and metal(II) complexes 1-4 have been assessed by probing their ability to bind with Calf Thymus DNA (CT-DNA) via electronic absorption and cyclic voltammetry titration methods. The results clearly reveal that the metal(II) …

Evaluation Of Structure And Properties Of Various Sol–Gel Nanocoatings On Biomedical Titanium Surface, Mohsin Talib Mohammed, Sarah Mohammed Hussein

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This study deals with the preparation and characterization of different bioceramic nanofilms formed on the surface of new metastable β-titanium (Ti) alloy. The films of pure TiO₂, pure HA, TiO₂/HA bilayer and HA/TiO₂ composite were coated successfully on Ti surface by sol-gel using spray pyrolysis deposition technique. The surface characteristics of coated substrates, such as thickness, topography, morphology, phase transformations and wear behavior, were evaluated and compared to uncoated substrate. The results showed that the sol-gel is a promising technique to create biocoatings on Ti surface with outstanding structure and properties for biomedical applications.

On The Dynamic Behaviour Of Automobile Pulleys Under Cyclic Loading, Haval Kamal Asker, Thaker Saleh Dawood

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

This paper investigates the dynamic characteristics of pulley systems with different numbers of bolt holes. Models with four, six and eight bolt holes were chosen for the pulley. Three sets of cyclic pressure were applied to the pulley system to resemble the different running revolutions of an engine. The study investigates the effect of the number of holes on the system’s stiffness and natural frequency. Finite element models were used to simulate the obtained deformations, stresses and frequency response function (FRF) for pulley models comprising four, six and eight bolt holes under different cyclic pressures. The results show that the …

Optically Thick Radiating Free Convective Mhd Nanofluid Flow Over An Exponentially Accelerated Plate, D.P. Bhatta, S.R. Mishra, J.K. Dash

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The present analysis investigates an unsteady conducting water-based nanofluid embedding with porous medium over an exponentially accelerated vertical plate. The plate is accelerated with moving ramped temperature. However, water is treated as the base fluid with Copper (Cu) and Titanium Oxide (TiO₂) as nanoparticles. Effects of thermal radiation, heat source, and radiation absorption are taken care of in the energy equation which may enhance the heat transfer properties of nanofluid. The crux of the investigation is to find the closed-form solution of nonlinear coupled partial differential equations. Laplace Transform technique is employed to solve these equations. The influence …

A Support Vector Machine-Based Prediction Model For Electrochemical Machining Process, Subham Agarwal Mr., Shruti Sudhakar Dandge Ms., Shankar Chakraborty Prof.

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Manufacturing of quality products is one of the core measures to address competitiveness in industries. Hence, it is always necessary to accomplish quality prediction at early stages of a manufacturing process to attain high quality products at the minimum possible cost. To achieve this goal, the past researchers have developed and investigated the applications of different intelligent techniques for their effective deployment at various stages of manufacturing processes. In this paper, support vector machine (SVM), a supervised learning system based on a novel artificial intelligence paradigm, is employed for prediction of three responses, like material removal rate, surface roughness and …

Molecular And Ultrastructure Study Of Tight Junction During Experimental Entamoeba Spp. Infection, Athraa A. Al-Hilfi Dr, Maha Khalil Al-Malak, Shereen Jawad Al-Ali, Muslim Abd-Ulrahman Al-Tomah

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Entamoeba spp. in particular E.histolytica is the main reason of human amoebiasis. The molecular mechanism of its pathogenicity is poorly understood, therefore the aim this study is to investigate these mechanism on both molecular and ultrastructure levels. Tight junction (TJ) genes Claudin-1 (Cldn1) and Occludin (Ocln) were investigated by real time PCR and the pathological changes by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), the result showed that the gene expression levels of TJ genes were significantly high in rats infected with E. histolytica E. dispar and E. moshkovskii after 28, 14, 7 days in compare with healthy …

Influence Of Carbon Fibres On Strain Sensing And Structural Properties Of Rc Beams Without Stirrups, Arvind Kumar Cholker, Manzoor Ahmad Tantray

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In present study, effect of micro carbon fibres on strain sensing property and structural behavior of the reinforced concrete (RC) beams in absence of stirrups was experimentally investigated. A total of three RC beams of dimensions, 125 mm width, 350 mm height and 1500 mm long were manufactured without stirrups. All the three beams had different longitudinal reinforcement ratios (0.9%, 1.43% and 1.03 %) and uniform strength of concrete of 36.5 MPa. All the beams had carbon fibre based concrete (CFBC) at top and bottom surface in mid span for a length of 350mm and depth of 78 mm. All …

Approximating Fixed Points In Modular Spaces, Salwa Salman Abed, Meena Fouad Abduljabbar

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

A generic two theorems for the two step iterative sequence of multivalued mappings are proved in a complete convex real modular space, and then cite some corollaries that are special cases of these theorems.

Editorial Board

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

No abstract provided.

Draft Genome Sequence Of Escherichia Coli Umb1353, Isolated From The Female Urinary Tract, Tanea Crawford, Taylor Miller-Ensminger, Adelina Voukadinova, Alan J. Wolfe, Catherine Putonti

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Escherichia coli UMB1353, isolated from a patient with a urinary tract infection. The sequence of this antibiotic-resistant E. coli strain contains one intact P2-like phage.

A Retrospective Look At The Physiological Stress Response Of Polar Bears: Implications For Health And Reproduction, Susannah S. French

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Draft Genome Sequence Of Actinomyces Neuii Umb1295, Isolated From The Female Urinary Tract, Tijana Markovic, Taylor Miller-Ensminger, Adelina Voukadinova, Alan J. Wolfe, Catherine Putonti

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

Actinomyces neuii is an opportunistic pathogen. Within the urogenital tract, it has been associated with bacterial vaginosis and overactive bladder symptoms. Here, we investigate a draft genome sequence of A. neuii UMB1295, which was isolated from a catheterized urine sample from a woman with a urinary tract infection.

Draft Genome Sequence Of Escherichia Coli Umb9246, Isolated From The Bladder Of A Woman With Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection, Mikalina Belmonte, Taylor Miller-Ensminger, Adelina Voukadinova, Alan J. Wolfe, Catherine Putonti

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped bacterium that causes the majority of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). Here, we report the draft genome of E. coli strain UMB9246, an isolate from a woman with recurrent UTI.

Draft Genome Sequence Of Lactobacillus Crispatus Umb1163, Isolated From The Female Urinary Tract, Fabeiha Khan, Taylor Miller-Ensminger, Adelina Voukadinova, Alan J. Wolfe, Catherine Putonti

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

Lactobacillus crispatus is a Gram-positive bacterium shown to protect against urinary and vaginal infections. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of L. crispatus UMB1163, isolated from the female urinary tract.

Draft Genome Sequence Of Streptococcus Anginosus Umb0839, Isolated From The Female Urinary Tract, Thomas Scott, Taylor Miller-Ensminger, Adelina Voukadinova, Alan J. Wolfe, Catherine Putonti

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Streptococcus anginosus UMB0839, isolated from the female urinary tract. The total size of the genome is 2,104,786 bp assembled into 42 contigs with a GC content of 38.8% and 284× genome coverage.

Insights Into Desiccation Tolerance: Properties Of Late Embryogenesis Abundant Proteins From Embryos Of Artemia Franciscana, Blase Matthew Leblanc

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

LEA proteins are a family of intrinsically disordered proteins that are expressed in various life stages of anhydrobiotic organisms and have been strongly associated with survival during water stress. The brine shrimp Artemia franciscana is the only known anhydrobiotic animal that expresses LEA proteins from Groups 1, 3, and 6. Here, I report that AfrLEA6, a novel Group 6 LEA protein, is most highly expressed in embryos during diapause and decreases throughout pre-emergence development. Notably, there is an acute drop in expression upon termination of the diapause state and the titer of AfrLEA6 during diapause is 10-fold lower than values …

Deploying Big Data To Crack The Genotype To Phenotype Code, E. L. Westerman, S. E. J. Bowman, Bradley Justin Davidson , '91, M. C. Davis, E. R. Larson, C. Sanford

Biology Faculty Works

Mechanistically connecting genotypes to phenotypes is a longstanding and central mission of biology. Deciphering these connections will unite questions and datasets across all scales from molecules to ecosystems. Although high-throughput sequencing has provided a rich platform on which to launch this effort, tools for deciphering mechanisms further along the genome to phenome pipeline remain limited. Machine learning approaches and other emerging computational tools hold the promise of augmenting human efforts to overcome these obstacles. This vision paper is the result of a Reintegrating Biology Workshop, bringing together the perspectives of integrative and comparative biologists to survey challenges and opportunities in …

From Theory To Practice: Interdisciplinary Science In Undergraduate Education, Brie Tripp

Dissertations and Theses

Science has undergone a major transformation in the 20th and 21st centuries with new fields emerging at the intersection of disciplines, such as bioethics, bioinformatics, and chemical ecology. Yet, opportunities to engage with interdisciplinary science, and the skills needed to work in these fields, are largely absent from undergraduate biology classrooms. As a consequence, students are potentially deprived of opportunities to think interdisciplinarily and engage with real-world issues that often necessitate interdisciplinary efforts. To be informed citizens in society and forward-thinking scientists in the workforce, undergraduate students will undoubtedly benefit from exposure to these interdisciplinary science experiences.

Given these considerations, …

The More We Do, The Less We Gain? Balancing Effort And Efficacy In Managing The Solidago Gigantea Invasion, Dávid U. Nagy, Emily S.J. Rauschert, Tamás Henn, Kevin Cianfaglione, Szilvia Stranczinger, Robert W. Pal

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Developing invasive plant management strategies is an important task in modern ecology, conservation biology and land management. Solidago gigantea is considered a problematic invader in Europe and Asia, where it forms dominant stands that can decrease species diversity. There is, therefore, an urgent need for effective management to reduce S. gigantea infestations and their negative impacts. We examined the efficacy of multiple approaches to S. gigantea management in Hungary. In our study, we evaluated the effect of several long-term management techniques such as grazing, mowing and periodic flooding on the invader's density as well as native community diversity. In addition, …

Blue Swimmer Crab Resource Of Shark Bay Harvest Strategy : 2020-2025 : Version 1.0, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.

Saucer Scallop Resource Of The Abrolhos Islands Harvest Strategy : 2020 - 2025 : Version 1.1, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.