Biology Commons^™

Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Towards The Use Of Iron And Folic Acid Supplements Among Pregnant And Lactating Women In Dar Es Salaam, Cecilia N. Mshanga, Elina J. Maseta

Tanzania Journal of Science

The current study investigated knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding the use of iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements among pregnant and lactating women living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Dar es Salaam. A cross-sectional survey involved 294 pregnant and lactating women attending Prevention of Mother-To Child Transmission (PMTCT) clinics. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the subjects. The data were analysed using SPSS. Multivariate regression analysis was carried out to determine factors associated with IFA supplement use among the study subjects. The findings indicated that knowledge of IFA supplement use among the subjects was good …

Bed Ii Phytolith Palaeolandscapes (1.5-1.1 Ma) At Oldupai Gorge, Tanzania, Makarius P. Itambu

Tanzania Journal of Science

The primary approach for reconstructing ancient plant landscapes is normally through the analysis of environmental proxy data and ultimately the application of the data from plant micro-remains to infer the vegetation patterns, distribution, and nature of past environments. Phytolith analyses serve as an important tool for identifying different micro-ecological niches in which human activities occurred. They are indicative of certain plant types and vegetation patterns, and the way in which plant landscapes respond to regional climate changes. Hence, in order to understand the ancient plant landscape of the Pleistocene Bed II sites of Oldupai Gorge 1.5 to 1.1 million years …

Generation Of Geochemical Exploration Targets From Regional Stream Sediment Data Using Principal Component And Factor Analysis: A Case Study Of Kibaya-Kiteto, Manyara-Tanzania, Yusto J. Shine, Charles D. Moye, Godfrey J. Mallya, Ambaliche L. Tamambele

Tanzania Journal of Science

A regional-scale stream sediment geochemical sampling was carried out with an average sampling density of one sample per nine square-kilometre in Kiteto District, Manyara Region. A total of 358 stream sediment samples were collected and analysed for major and trace elements by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and fire assay with atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) finish methods. In this study, Factor and Principal Component Multivariate (FPCM) analyses have been used to the stream geochemical data to delineate potential mineralization zones by plotting correlated factors as geochemical anomaly maps. Four factors that account for 73.7% of the total variance of the stream sediment …

Chemical Composition And Bioactive Potential Of Extracts From Diospyros Capricornuta F. White Against Aspergillus Flavus And Aspergillus Parasiticus, Princess W. Ngowi, Juma A. Mmongoyo, Lilian D. Kaale

Tanzania Journal of Science

Diospyros capricornuta is an endemic species widely distributed along the coast of Tanzania that is used as food condiments and traditional medicine. The chemical compositions of Diospyros capricornuta leaves, stem-bark, and root-bark extracts; and their bioactive potentials against Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus were investigated. The leaves, stem-bark, and root-bark samples of D. capricornuta were extracted using Soxhlet apparatus and the resultant extracts were analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 14 compounds were identified from the extracts, whereby 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol was the most abundant compound in all extracts. The growth and aflatoxin production inhibitions against A. flavus and …

Pulse-Field Analysis Diversity Of Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases Producing Gram Negative Bacteria Isolated From Periplaneta Americana (Cockroaches), Omolara D. Popoola, Moses O. Efuntoye, Georgia C. Agu, Benjamin T. Thomas

Tanzania Journal of Science

Extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria are organisms of public health significance that have been implicated in prolonged hospital stay, treatment failures and higher fatalities. These organisms were originally thought to be widely distributed in hospital, but have since grown in terms of their epidemiological coverage. This study was therefore aimed at using pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to understand the diversity of ESBL producing organisms originating from cockroaches in Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria. The diversity was determined by using a set of twenty six (26) ESBL producing bacterial strains isolated from cockroaches sampled in Ago-Iwoye community, Ogun State, Nigeria. PFGE analysis …

Effects Of Small-Scale Mining Activities On Fisheries And Livelihoods In The Birim River In Atiwa District, Eastern Region Of Ghana, Elliot Haruna Alhassan, Samuel Opoku Dandi, Sandra Akugpoka Atindana

Tanzania Journal of Science

The socioeconomic importance of small-scale mining in Ghana is of great interest to the country. It provides employment, supports the livelihood of poor rural areas, and also contributes to national income. Despite all these importance, it has a great influence on the surroundings, with surface and groundwater bodies being the most affected. The study was conducted to determine the effects of small-scale mining activities on fisheries and livelihoods along the Birim River in Atiwa District of Ghana, and also, to ascertain the nature of mining in the catchment and the current status of fisheries in the river. Data were collected …

A Review On Serum, Genetic And Mirna Associated Biomarkers For The Early Diagnosis Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Hcc)), Ambreen Kanwal, Asima Tayyeb

Journal of Bioresource Management

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most devastating complication of liver cirrhosis and diagnosis in earlier stages could be useful in curative interventions. The main aim of this review was to analyze current diagnostic biomarkers which are available for the early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). For this purpose, we searched different web databases including Medline/Pubmed. We found multiple significant serum biomarkers for imperative diagnosis including α- Fetoprotein, Des- γ -carboxyprothrombin (DCP), Osteopontin (OPN), Glypican-3 (GPC3), Golgi protein-73 (GP73), Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA), Annexin A2 (ANXA2) and Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) but all of these represent low sensitivity and low …

Access To Online Formative Assessments In Lower-Division Undergraduate Biology Courses: Investigating Barriers To Student Engagement, Allison M. Upchurch, Dana L. Kirkwood-Watts, Kathleen R. Brazeal, Lorey A. Wheeler, Brian A. Couch, Gabrielle B. Johnson, Sarah K. Spier

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Instructors use a variety of online formative assessment (FA) activities to support learning outside class. Previous studies have revealed barriers for students in online courses, but little is known about the barriers students experience when completing online FA assignments. Understanding these barriers to access is critical to fostering more inclusive learning for all students. Using a framework from previous work in online learning, we examined student perceptions of online FA access with respect to five barrier categories: technical resources, instructor organization, social interactions, personal engagement, and learning environment. We developed and administered a survey to more than 1,200 undergraduate biology …

Editorial: C. Elegans Host-Microbiome Interactions: From Medical To Ecological And Evolutionary Model, Michael A. Herman, Javier E. Irazoqui, Buck S. Samuel, Nic Vega

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Microbiomes often form specific functional associations with their hosts. Correlations between microbiome membership and states of host health and disease abound in many systems. However, there are few systems that allow for in depth functional studies that include precise manipulation and interrogation of both microbiome composition and host function. Recently the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans - an excellent genetic model organism for studying many fields of biology, including neurobiology and behavior, development, cell biology, and innate immunity - has proven to be a robust system to probe microbiome interactions and their effect on host physiology.

Editorial: C. Elegans Hostmicrobiome Interactions: From Medical To Ecological And Evolutionary Model, Michael A. Herman, Javier E. Irazoqui, Buck S. Samuel, Nic Vega

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Not The Same Cure: Student Experiences In Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Vary By Graduate Teaching Assistant, Emma C. Goodwin, Jessica R. Cary, Erin E. Shortlidge

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

To expose all undergraduate science students to the benefits of participating in research, many universities are integrating course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) into their introductory biology laboratory curriculum. At large institutions, the bulk of introductory labs are instructed by graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). Graduate students, who are often teachers and researchers in training, may vary in their capacity to effectively teach undergraduates via the CURE model. To explore variation in GTA teaching and the subsequent outcomes for students, we used a case study research design at one institution where introductory biology students participate in GTA-taught CURE lab sections. We used …

Temperature Has A Unimodal Effect On The Functional Response Of Wolf Spiders, John Delong, Stella F. Uiterwaal, Alondra Magallanes

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The response of biotic interactions to changes in temperature will play a large role in determining the impact of climate change on ecological communities. In particular, how warming alters predator-prey interactions will influence population stability, food web connectivity, and the movement of energy across trophic levels. The functional response relates predator foraging rates to prey availability, and it is often predicted to increase monotonically with temperature, at least within the limits of predator function. However, some studies suggest that functional responses peak and then decline, and such a difference has critical implications for the effect of warming on ecological communities. …

Forty Years Without Family: Three Novel Bacteriophages With High Similarity To Spp1 Reveal Decades Of Evolutionary Stasis Since The Isolation Of Their Famous Relative, Veronique A. Delesalle, Brianne E. Tomko, Albert C. Vill, Katherine B. Lichty, Gregory P. Krukonis

Biology Faculty Publications

SPP1, an extensively studied bacteriophage of the Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis, is a model system for the study of phage–host interactions. Despite progress in the isolation and characterization of Bacillus phages, no previously fully sequenced phages have shared more than passing genetic similarity to SPP1. Here, we describe three virulent phages very similar to SPP1; SPP1 has greater than 80% nucleotide sequence identity and shares more that 85% of its protein coding genes with these phages. This is remarkable, given more than 40 years between the isolation of SPP1 and these phages. All three phages have somewhat larger genomes and more …

Development Of Phage Therapy Strategies Against Gram-Positive Bacterial Pathogens, Sara Arroyo Moreno

Theses

Bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics has become an urgent healthcare issue worldwide. In this light, a renewed interest has emerged for therapy with bacteriophages (phages), which are viruses that can specifically infect bacteria. These viruses encode different proteins that degrade specific bonds within the bacterial cell wall, both to inject their genomic material into the bacterial cells and to release the viral progeny: virion-associated hydrolases and endolysins, respectively. Elimination of Gram-positive pathogens with recombinant versions of phage enzymes represents a promising alternative to classical antibiotics. In this thesis, different phage therapy strategies involving either whole phages or the use of …

The Use Of Non-Model Drosophila Species To Study Natural Variation In Tor Pathway Signaling, Tessa Steenwinkel, Kailee K. Hamre, Thomas Werner

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Nutrition and growth are strongly linked, but not much is known about how nutrition leads to growth. To understand the connection between nutrition through the diet, growth, and proliferation, we need to study the phenotypes resulting from the activation and inhibition of central metabolic pathways. One of the most highly conserved metabolic pathways across eukaryotes is the Target of Rapamycin (TOR) pathway, whose primary role is to detect the availability of nutrients and to either induce or halt cellular growth. Here we used the model organism Drosophila melanogaster (D. mel.) and three non-model Drosophila species with different dietary needs, Drosophila …

Ecological Interactions Disrupted By Habitat Alteration In The Neotropics, Aniko Toth, Andrew Allen, S. Kathleen Lyons, John Alroy

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Ecological interactions help determine the distribution of species across landscapes and play crucial roles in ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control1. Human disturbances, particularly habitat alteration, have the potential to modify or erase ecological interactions^2,3 and so jeopardise the processes they control. While examples of interactions becoming rewired under human influence have been recorded, studies of this process for speciose assemblages at regional to continental scales are uncommon⁴ and obstructed by logistical difficulties2. The consequences for ecological communities and people are therefore poorly understood. Here we show that human habitat alteration is associated with …

Mechanistic Insight Into Functionally Different Human Islet Polypeptide (Hiapp) Amyloid: The Intrinsic Role Of The C-Terminal Structural Motifs, Dibakar Sarkar, Narayan Chandra Maity, Gourav Shome, Kyriakos Gabriel Varnava, Vijayalekshmi Sarojini, Subramanian Vivekanandan, Nirakar Sahoo, Sourav Kumar, Atin Kumar Mandal, Ranjit Biswas, Anirban Bhunia

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

Targeting amyloidosis requires high-resolution insight into the underlying mechanisms of amyloid aggregation. The sequence-specific intrinsic properties of a peptide or protein largely govern the amyloidogenic propensity. Thus, it is essential to delineate the structural motifs that define the subsequent downstream amyloidogenic cascade of events. Additionally, it is important to understand the role played by extrinsic factors, such as temperature or sample agitation, in modulating the overall energy barrier that prompts divergent nucleation events. Consequently, these changes can affect the fibrillation kinetics, resulting in structurally and functionally distinct amyloidogenic conformers associated with disease pathogenesis. Here, we have focused on human Islet …

Multiple Generations Of Antibiotic Exposure And Isolation Influence Host Fitness And The Microbiome In A Model Zooplankton Species, Reilly O. Cooper, Sarah Tjards, Jessica Rischling, David T. Nguyen, Clayton E. Cressler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background

Chronic antibiotic exposure impacts host health through changes to the microbiome, increasing disease risk and reducing the functional repertoire of community members. The detrimental effects of antibiotic perturbation on microbiome structure and function after one host generation of exposure have been well-studied. However, much less is understood about the multigenerational effects of antibiotic exposure and how the microbiome may recover across host generations.

Results

In this study, we examined microbiome composition and host fitness across five generations of exposure to a suite of three antibiotics in the model zooplankton host Daphnia magna. By utilizing a split-brood design where …

Seqcode: A Nomenclatural Code For Prokaryotes Described From Sequence Data, Brian P. Hedlund, Maria Chuvochina, Philip Hugenholtz, Konstantinos T. Konstantinidis, Alison E. Murray, Marike Palmer, Donovan H. Parks, Alexander J. Probst, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Luis M. Rodriguez-R, Ramon Rossello-Mora, Iain C. Sutcliffe, Stephanus N. Venter, William B. Whitman

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Most prokaryotes are not available as pure cultures and therefore ineligible for naming under the rules and recommendations of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP). Here we summarize the development of the SeqCode, a code of nomenclature under which genome sequences serve as nomenclatural types. This code enables valid publication of names of prokaryotes based upon isolate genome, metagenome-assembled genome or single-amplified genome sequences. Otherwise, it is similar to the ICNP with regard to the formation of names and rules of priority. It operates through the SeqCode Registry (https://seqco.de/), a registration portal through which names and …

Targeting Of The Hedgehog Signaling Pathway In Cancer Treatment, Andrew J. Hawes

The Cardinal Edge

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is a developmental pathway that is highly conserved evolutionarily. While typically only displaying high activity during embryogenesis, overactivation of the Hh pathway in adults has been linked to multiple forms of cancer including acute myeloid leukemia, myelofibrosis, basal-cell carcinoma, pancreatic ductal adrenal carcinoma, and triple negative breast cancer. The prevalence of Hh activation in many different cancers has made it a prime target for inhibition of these cancers through novel therapies. This literature review sought to assess the current state of cancer treatment through inhibition of Hh signaling. Most current clinical trials involving the pathway …

Pollutants Corrupt Resilience Pathways Of Aging In The Nematode C. Elegans, Andrea Scharf, Annette Limke, Karl Heinz Guehrs, Anna Von Mikecz

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Delaying aging while prolonging health and lifespan is a major goal in aging research. One promising strategy is to focus on reducing negative interventions such as pollution and their accelerating effect on age-related degeneration and disease. Here, we used the short-lived model organism C. elegans to analyze whether two candidate pollutants corrupt general aging pathways. We show that the emergent pollutant silica nanoparticles (NPs) and the classic xenobiotic inorganic mercury reduce lifespan and cause a premature protein aggregation phenotype. Comparative mass spectrometry revealed that increased insolubility of proteins with important functions in proteostasis is a shared phenotype of intrinsic- and …

Species Distribution Models And Climatic Niche Comparisons Provide Clues On The Geographic Origin Of A Spider Invasion In The Americas, Laura Segura‑Hernandez, Gilbert Barrantes, Eduardo Chacon‑Madrigal, Adrián Garcia‑Rodriguez

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Identifying the source population of alien species is important to assess the distribution and potential effects in the invaded area. The araneid spider Cyrtophora citricola is widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and Africa; however, in the last 26 years, it has been reported in several countries across the Americas. To date, the geographic origin of the populations established in the Americas remains unclear, but considering the successful colonization after its recent arrival, assessing climatic similarities between the invaded and native geographic ranges could be useful to address this question. In this study, we used a combination of Species Distribution Models …

Quantitative Assay For Farnesol And The Aromatic Fusel Alcohols From The Fungus Candida Albicans, Cory H. T. Boone, Daniel Gutzmann, Jaxon J. Kramer, Audrey L. Atkin, Kenneth Nickerson

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The dimorphic fungus Candida albicans is a commensal and opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans. It secretes at least four small lipophilic molecules, farnesol and three aromatic fusel alcohols. Farnesol has been identified as both a quorum sensing molecule (QSM) and a virulence factor. Our gas chromatography (GC)-based assay for these molecules exhibits high throughput, prevention of analyte loss by avoiding filtration and rotary evaporation, simultaneous cell lysis and analyte extraction by ethyl acetate, and the ability to compare whole cultures with their cell pellets and supernatants. Farnesol synthesis and secretion were separable phenomena and pellet:supernatant ratios for farnesol were high, …

Visualizing Hormonal Effects On Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophic Growth Dynamics Using Digital Holographic Microscopy: Does Size Matter?, Jacquelyn Simmons

McNair Research Journal SJSU

Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States. Humans are unable to regenerate their heart tissue following an injury. However, neonatal mice are able to regenerate their heart tissue when cardiomyocytes (CMs) proliferate. This regenerative ability is lost approximately one week after birth when proliferating mononucleated CMs become binucleated and can no longer complete the cell-cycle. Recent studies have shown the combined inhibition of thyroid hormone (T3) and norepinephrine (NE) increases CM proliferation, promotes heart regeneration, and reduces cell size in vivo. Using digital holographic microscopy, the aim of this study was to (1) …

Characterizing First-Year Biology Majors’ Motivations And Perceptions Of The Discipline, Jeremy L. Hsu, Lauren Dudley

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding why students choose to major in biology provides important insight into the motivations of biology majors. It is similarly important to investigate how biology majors perceive the discipline, including associated activities, such as independent research, which can influence students’ interests in the field and likelihood to persist in science, engineering, technology, and math. However, there has been little work done examining biology student motivations and perceptions, particularly at non-research-intensive universities or after the COVID-19 pandemic started. To address this gap, we surveyed the first-year cohort of biology majors at a private, comprehensive university. We found that students largely reported …

The Pioneer Advantage: Filling The Blank Spots On The Map Of Genome Diversity In Europe, Taras K. Oleksyk, Walter Wolfsberger, Khrystyna Schubelka, Serghei Mangul, Stephen James O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Documenting genome diversity is important for the local biomedical communities and instrumental in developing precision and personalized medicine. Currently, tens of thousands of whole-genome sequences from Europe are publicly available, but most of these represent populations of developed countries of Europe. The uneven distribution of the available data is further impaired by the lack of data sharing. Recent whole-genome studies in Eastern Europe, one in Ukraine and one in Russia, demonstrated that local genome diversity and population structure from Eastern Europe historically had not been fully represented. An unexpected wealth of genomic variation uncovered in these studies was not so …

Drosophila Melanogaster As A Model For Male Reproductive System Ethanol Toxicity, Gbemisola Ilelaboye

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Drosophila melanogaster has been extensively used in different types of research as a model organism due to its high reproductivity, short life span, and easy maintenance. In this paper, we examined drosophila as a model for ethanol toxicity in the male reproductive system. We developed three assays: The DAPI assay, sperm viability assay, and tubulin staining assay. The DAPI assay is a nuclear staining assay that assesses the effects of various ethanol concentrations in late spermiogenesis in which increased detrimental effects to the sperm bundles were observed. The second assay consisted of the sperm viability assay which showed an increase …

Caloric Restriction Prevents Obesity- And Intermittent Hypoxia-Induced Cardiac Remodeling In Leptin-Deficient Ob/Ob Mice, Aaron A. Jones, Sarah N. Framnes-Deboer, Arianne Shipp, Deanna M. Arble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

Intermittent hypoxia (IH), a key characteristic of obstructive sleep apnea, is independently associated with cardiometabolic impairment. While endogenous leptin levels may provide cardioprotective effects against hypoxia, leptin resistance is common among obese individuals presenting with obstructive sleep apnea.

Methods:

Here, we assessed left ventricle (LV) function using M-mode echocardiography in lean wild-type, calorically-restricted ob/ob, and obese ob/ob mice before and after 6 days of IH to determine how obesity and intermittent hypoxia interact to affect cardiac function independent of leptin signaling.

Results:

Calorically-restricting ob/ob mice for 4 weeks prior to IH exposure prevented weight gain (−2.1 ± 1.4 …

Recovery Of Soil Microbial Diversity And Functions Along A Tropical Montane Forest Disturbance Gradient, Renee Sniegocki, Jessica B. Moon, Abigail L. Rutrough, Jude Gireneus, Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan, Michael C. Farmer, David C. Weindorf, Kusum Naithani

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Logging and forest conversion are occurring at alarming rates in tropical forests. These disturbances alter soil microbial community structure and functions. While direct links between changes in soil properties, such as pH and microbial community structure are well established, the indirect effects of logging and forest conversion on soil microbial community structure and functions are poorly understood. We used a space-for-time substitution to investigate the changes in soil microbial diversity and functions across a forest recovery gradient in the tropical montane forests of northern Borneo. We used surface (top 5 cm) soil to assess soil physicochemical and microbial (next-generation DNA …

Circadian Clock Controls Rhythms In Ketogenesis By Interfering With Ppar Alpha Transcriptional Network, Volha Mezhnina, Oghogho P. Ebeigbe, Nikkhil Velingkaar, Allan Poe, Yana I. Sandlers, Roman Kondratov

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

Ketone bodies are energy-rich metabolites and signaling molecules whose production is mainly regulated by diet. Caloric restriction (CR) is a dietary intervention that improves metabolism and extends longevity across the taxa. We found that CR induced high -amplitude daily rhythms in blood ketone bodies (beta-hydroxybutyrate [beta OHB]) that correlated with liver beta OHB level. Time-restricted feeding, another periodic fasting-based diet, also led to rhythmic beta OHB but with reduced amplitude. CR induced strong circadian rhythms in the expression of fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis genes in the liver. The transcriptional factor peroxisome-proliferator-activated-receptor alpha (PPAR alpha) and its transcriptional target hepatokine …