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Articles 91 - 120 of 271

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Chemosensitivity Of Locus Coeruleus Neurons Decreases With Postnatal Development, Yasmeen Samar Jan 2022

Chemosensitivity Of Locus Coeruleus Neurons Decreases With Postnatal Development, Yasmeen Samar

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The locus coeruleus (LC) is a chemosensory area partially responsible for ventilation. Control over ventilation relies on inter-network communication via chemical and electrical synapses and chemosensitivity to CO2/pH. As the LC develops, it’s neural control over ventilation changes. This study investigates the chemosensitivity of the locus coeruleus over the course of development in postnatal rats. We hypothesize that 1) the CO2 sensitivity of LC neurons is highest at birth and declines with development 2) LC neurons are intrinsically chemosensitive and this chemosensitivity does not decrease with development and 3) the presence of gap junctions is highest at the beginning of …


Community-Level Effects Of A Widescale Reduction In White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Density, Mariah Slaughter Jan 2022

Community-Level Effects Of A Widescale Reduction In White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Density, Mariah Slaughter

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The prolonged overabundance of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) throughout the deciduous forests of eastern North America has resulted in widespread changes in the understory community. Studies have demonstrated that the exclusion of deer can allow some aspects of the understory to recover, but there are strong time-lags for deer-preferred species. Additionally, these exclosures only test the presence/absence of deer, which is not a feasible management option or desirable as deer are a part of the community. Here I evaluate how large-scale deer density manipulations within the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative of Pennsylvania affected understory vegetation communities. Using data from six …


Exploring The Host Range, Impacts, And Distribution Of Black Rot Disease On Alliaria Petiolata, Gabriela Ivette Harney-Davila Jan 2022

Exploring The Host Range, Impacts, And Distribution Of Black Rot Disease On Alliaria Petiolata, Gabriela Ivette Harney-Davila

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Garlic mustard is an invasive Eurasian biennial spreading in deciduous forests of North America. Garlic mustard plants in Ohio can be infected with a strain of Xanthomonas campestris, the causal agent of black rot disease in brassicas. I examined variation in susceptibility to X. campestris among garlic mustard populations, several native wild species, and agricultural crop varieties. Twenty-four garlic mustard populations were universally susceptible to X. campestris, though disease severity varied. Cardamine concatenata and Cardamine diphylla were susceptible but can phenologically escape infection in the field. Of the 14 agricultural crops tested, three cultivars (Raphanus sativus, Brassica rapa var. Rapa …


The Impact Of Sentiment And Misinformation Cycling Through The Social Media Platform, Twitter, During The Initial Phase Of The Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout, Emily Grace Burwell Jan 2022

The Impact Of Sentiment And Misinformation Cycling Through The Social Media Platform, Twitter, During The Initial Phase Of The Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout, Emily Grace Burwell

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This study assesses the underlying topics, sentiment, and types of information regarding COVID-19 vaccines on Twitter during the initiation of the vaccine rollout. Tweets about the COVID-19 vaccine were collected and the relevant tweets were then filtered out using a relevancy classifier. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) was used to uncover topics of discussion within the relevant tweets. The NRC lexicon was used to assess positive and negative sentiment within tweets. The type of information (information, misinformation, opinion, or question) in tweets was evaluated. The relevancy classifier resulted in a dataset of 210,657 relevant tweets. Eight topics provided the best representation …


Modeling Als-Associated Matrin-3 Toxicity In Yeast, Widad El-Zein Jan 2022

Modeling Als-Associated Matrin-3 Toxicity In Yeast, Widad El-Zein

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ALS is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord leading to progressive paralysis and ultimately death. Perturbations in RNA metabolism and RNA binding proteins have emerged as underlying defects in ALS pathogenesis. Matrin-3 is a multifunctional RNA binding protein that has been linked to familial and sporadic ALS. Matrin-3 is normally found in the nucleus, but mutations in the gene cause mislocalization of the protein from the nucleus into the cytoplasm of neuronal cells where it forms protein aggregates. In this study, we show that over-expressing human MATR3 in …


A Cross-Ecoregion Evaluation Of Nitrogen Fixation And Denitrification In Streams And Rivers Of The United States Of America, Amy Marcarelli, Erin K. Eberhard, Michelle Kelly, Kevin Nevorski Dec 2021

A Cross-Ecoregion Evaluation Of Nitrogen Fixation And Denitrification In Streams And Rivers Of The United States Of America, Amy Marcarelli, Erin K. Eberhard, Michelle Kelly, Kevin Nevorski

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

It is typically assumed that dinitrogen (N2) fixation and denitrification are mutually exclusive processes in riverine ecosystems because N2 fixation is favored in high light, low nitrogen (N) environments but denitrification is favored under anoxic, high N conditions. Yet recent work in marine and lake ecosystems has demonstrated that N2 fixation can happen under high N conditions and in sediments, challenging this assumption. We conducted a cross-ecoregion study to test the hypothesis that N2 fixation and denitrification would co-occur in streams and rivers across a range of reactive N concentrations. Between 2017 and 2019, we sampled 30 streams in 13 …


Β-Hydroxy-Β-Methylbutyrate Supplementation Promotes Antitumor Immunity In An Obesity Responsive Mouse Model Of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Michael F. Coleman, Kristyn A. Liu, Alexander J. Pfeil, Suhas K. Etigunta, Xiaohu Tang, Salvador Fabela, Et. Al. Dec 2021

Β-Hydroxy-Β-Methylbutyrate Supplementation Promotes Antitumor Immunity In An Obesity Responsive Mouse Model Of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Michael F. Coleman, Kristyn A. Liu, Alexander J. Pfeil, Suhas K. Etigunta, Xiaohu Tang, Salvador Fabela, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Pancreatic cancer (PDAC) is a deadly disease, exacerbated by obesity, which lacks effective therapeutic interventions. Most PDAC has a limited response to immune- and chemotherapy. Treating PDAC is made additionally challenging by the rapid emergence of muscle wasting and cachexia, which predict poor response to several therapies. We have found that dietary supplementation with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate promotes immunosurveillance in PDAC tumors and protects muscle. This dietary supplement has the potential to be an important adjuvant in PDAC therapy, opening the doors to immunotherapy response.


Adsorption Of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (Pfoa) And Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (Pfos) By Aluminum-Based Drinking Water Treatment Residuals, Zhiming Zhang, Dibyendu Sarkar, Rupali Datta, Yang Deng Nov 2021

Adsorption Of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (Pfoa) And Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (Pfos) By Aluminum-Based Drinking Water Treatment Residuals, Zhiming Zhang, Dibyendu Sarkar, Rupali Datta, Yang Deng

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a family of emerging persistent organic pollutants. Cost-effective remediation of PFAS contamination via chemical or biochemical degradation is challenging due to their extremely high stability. This study reports the removal of two representative PFAS species, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), from water by adsorption using aluminum-based water treatment residuals (Al-WTR), a non-hazardous waste generated during the process of drinking water treatment by alum salts. Rapid adsorption of PFOA and PFOS onto Al-WTR followed a pseudo 2nd order kinetic pattern. Lower pH facilitated the adsorption process with a faster adsorption rate and greater …


Activation Of Orexin System Stimulates Camkii Expression, Yuanyuan Fan, Enshe Jiang, Huanjia Gao, Jeremy Bigalke, Bojun Chen, Chunxiu Yu, Qinghui Chen, Zhiying Shan Jul 2021

Activation Of Orexin System Stimulates Camkii Expression, Yuanyuan Fan, Enshe Jiang, Huanjia Gao, Jeremy Bigalke, Bojun Chen, Chunxiu Yu, Qinghui Chen, Zhiying Shan

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Hyperactivity of the orexin system within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) has been shown to contribute to increased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and blood pressure (BP) in rodent animals. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we test the hypothesis that orexin system activation stimulates calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) expression and activation, and stimulation of CaMKII expressing PVN neurons increases SNA and BP. Real-time PCR and/or western blot were carried out to test the effect of orexin-A administration on CaMKII expression in the PVN of normal Sprague Dawley (SD) rats and orexin receptor 1 (OX1R) expressing PC12 cells. Immunostaining was …


Nutrient Limitation Of Algae And Macrophytes In Streams: Integrating Laboratory Bioassays, Field Experiments, And Field Data, Christopher A. Mebane, Andrew M. Ray, Amy Marcarelli Jun 2021

Nutrient Limitation Of Algae And Macrophytes In Streams: Integrating Laboratory Bioassays, Field Experiments, And Field Data, Christopher A. Mebane, Andrew M. Ray, Amy Marcarelli

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Successful eutrophication control strategies need to address the limiting nutrient. We conducted a battery of laboratory and in situ nutrient-limitation tests with waters collected from 9 streams in an agricultural region of the upper Snake River basin, Idaho, USA. Laboratory tests used the green alga Raphidocelis subcapitata, the macrophyte Lemna minor (duckweed) with native epiphytes, and in situ nutrient-limitation tests of periphyton were conducted with nutrient-diffusing substrates (NDS). In the duckweed/epiphyte test, P saturation occurred when concentrations reached about 100 μg/L. Chlorophyll a in epiphytic periphyton was stimulated at low P additions and by about 100 μg/L P, epiphytic periphyton …


Scientific Access Into Mercer Subglacial Lake: Scientific Objectives, Drilling Operations And Initial Observations, John C. Priscu, Jonas Kalin, John Winans, Timothy Campbell, Matthew R. Siegfried, Mark Skidmore, Trista J. Vick‐Majors, Et. Al. Jun 2021

Scientific Access Into Mercer Subglacial Lake: Scientific Objectives, Drilling Operations And Initial Observations, John C. Priscu, Jonas Kalin, John Winans, Timothy Campbell, Matthew R. Siegfried, Mark Skidmore, Trista J. Vick‐Majors, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA) Project accessed Mercer Subglacial Lake using environmentally clean hot-water drilling to examine interactions among ice, water, sediment, rock, microbes and carbon reservoirs within the lake water column and underlying sediments. A ∼0.4 m diameter borehole was melted through 1087 m of ice and maintained over ∼10 days, allowing observation of ice properties and collection of water and sediment with various tools. Over this period, SALSA collected: 60 L of lake water and 10 L of deep borehole water; microbes >0.2 μm in diameter from in situ filtration of ∼100 L of lake water; …


Hdac6 Inhibitors Sensitize Non-Mesenchymal Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells To Cysteine Deprivation, Tahiyat Alothaim, Morgan Charbonneau, Xiaohu Tang May 2021

Hdac6 Inhibitors Sensitize Non-Mesenchymal Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells To Cysteine Deprivation, Tahiyat Alothaim, Morgan Charbonneau, Xiaohu Tang

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly malignant type of breast cancer and lacks effective therapy. Targeting cysteine-dependence is an emerging strategy to treat the mesenchymal TNBC. However, many TNBC cells are non-mesenchymal and unresponsive to cysteine deprivation. To overcome such resistance, three selective HDAC6 inhibitors (Tubacin, CAY10603, and Tubastatin A), identified by epigenetic compound library screening, can synergize with cysteine deprivation to induce cell death in the non-mesenchymal TNBC. Despite the efficacy of HDAC6 inhibitor, knockout of HDAC6 did not mimic the synthetic lethality induced by its inhibitors, indicating that HDAC6 is not the actual target of HDAC6 inhibitor …


Open Source Vacuum Oven Design For Low-Temperature Drying: Performance Evaluation For Recycled Pet And Biomass, Benjamin R. Hubbard, Lindsay I. Putman, Stephen Techtmann, Joshua M. Pearce May 2021

Open Source Vacuum Oven Design For Low-Temperature Drying: Performance Evaluation For Recycled Pet And Biomass, Benjamin R. Hubbard, Lindsay I. Putman, Stephen Techtmann, Joshua M. Pearce

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Vacuum drying can dehydrate materials further than dry heat methods, while protecting sensitive materials from thermal degradation. Many industries have shifted to vacuum drying as cost-or time-saving measures. Small-scale vacuum drying, however, has been limited by the high costs of specialty scientific tools. To make vacuum drying more accessible, this study provides design and performance information for a small-scale open source vacuum oven, which can be fabricated from off-the-shelf and 3-D printed components. The oven is tested for drying speed and effectiveness on both waste plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and a consortium of bacteria developed for bioprocessing of terephthalate wastes …


Co-Occurrence Of In-Stream Nitrogen Fixation And Denitrification Across A Nitrogen Gradient In A Western U.S. Watershed, 2015 - 2016, Erin K. Eberhard, Amy Marcarelli, Colden V. Baxter Apr 2021

Co-Occurrence Of In-Stream Nitrogen Fixation And Denitrification Across A Nitrogen Gradient In A Western U.S. Watershed, 2015 - 2016, Erin K. Eberhard, Amy Marcarelli, Colden V. Baxter

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This data was collected as part of the NSF CAREER Grant DEB 14-51919 to Amy Marcarelli to evaluate if nitrogen fixation and denitrification co-occur in streams across a gradient of nitrate concentrations. This data was collected during summer 2015 and 2016 in the Portneuf River watershed near Pocatello, ID. In summer 2015, rates of nitrogen fixation were only measured on rock substrate and denitrification only on sediment substrate. In summer 2016, both process rates were measured on both rock and sediment substrate to more accurately capture variation in rates.


Removal Of Antibiotics And Nutrients By Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon Zizanioides) From A Plug Flow Reactor Based Constructed Wetland Model, Saumik Panja, Dibyendu Sarkar, Zhiming Zhang, Rupali Datta Apr 2021

Removal Of Antibiotics And Nutrients By Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon Zizanioides) From A Plug Flow Reactor Based Constructed Wetland Model, Saumik Panja, Dibyendu Sarkar, Zhiming Zhang, Rupali Datta

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Overuse of antibiotics has resulted in widespread contamination of the environment and triggered antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not equipped to remove antibiotics. Effluents from WWTPs are usually the primary source of antibiotics in aquatic environments. There is an urgent need for cost-effective, environment-friendly technologies to address this issue. Along with antibiotics, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) are also present in conventional WWTP effluents at high concentrations, causing environmental problems like eutrophication. In this study, we tested vetiver grass in a plug flow reactor-based constructed wetland model in a greenhouse setup for removing antibiotics ciprofloxacin …


Drosophyla: Genomic Resources For Drosophilid Phylogeny And Systematics, Cédric Finet, Victoria A. Kassner, Antonio B. Carvalho, Henry Chung, Komal K. B. Raja, Thomas Werner, Et. Al. Mar 2021

Drosophyla: Genomic Resources For Drosophilid Phylogeny And Systematics, Cédric Finet, Victoria A. Kassner, Antonio B. Carvalho, Henry Chung, Komal K. B. Raja, Thomas Werner, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster is a pivotal model for invertebrate development, genetics, physiology, neuroscience, and disease. The whole family Drosophilidae, which contains over 4000 species, offers a plethora of cases for comparative and evolutionary studies. Despite a long history of phylogenetic inference, many relationships remain unresolved among the groups and genera in the Drosophilidae. To clarify these relationships, we first developed a set of new genomic markers and assembled a multilocus data set of 17 genes from 704 species of Drosophilidae. We then inferred well-supported group and species trees for this family. Additionally, we were able to determine the …


Rna In Situ Hybridization For Detecting Gene Expression Patterns In The Abdomens And Wings Of Drosophila Species, Mujeeb Olushola Shittu, Tessa Steenwinkel, William Dion, Nathan Ostlund, Komal Raja, Thomas Werner Mar 2021

Rna In Situ Hybridization For Detecting Gene Expression Patterns In The Abdomens And Wings Of Drosophila Species, Mujeeb Olushola Shittu, Tessa Steenwinkel, William Dion, Nathan Ostlund, Komal Raja, Thomas Werner

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) is used to visualize spatio-temporal gene expression patterns with broad applications in biology and biomedicine. Here we provide a protocol for mRNA ISH in developing pupal wings and abdomens for model and non-model Drosophila species. We describe best practices in pupal staging, tissue preparation, probe design and synthesis, imaging of gene expression patterns, and image-editing techniques. This protocol has been successfully used to investigate the roles of genes underlying the evolution of novel color patterns in non-model Drosophila species.


Rebuild The Academy: Supporting Academic Mothers During Covid-19 And Beyond, Robinson W. Fulweiler, Sarah W. Davies, Jennifer F. Biddle, Amy J. Burgin, Emily H.G. Cooperdock, Torrance C. Hanley, Carly D. Kenkel, Amy Marcarelli, Catherine M. Matassa, Talea L. Mayo, Lory Z. Santiago-Vàzquez, Nikki Traylor-Knowles, Maren Ziegler Mar 2021

Rebuild The Academy: Supporting Academic Mothers During Covid-19 And Beyond, Robinson W. Fulweiler, Sarah W. Davies, Jennifer F. Biddle, Amy J. Burgin, Emily H.G. Cooperdock, Torrance C. Hanley, Carly D. Kenkel, Amy Marcarelli, Catherine M. Matassa, Talea L. Mayo, Lory Z. Santiago-Vàzquez, Nikki Traylor-Knowles, Maren Ziegler

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The issues facing academic mothers have been discussed for decades. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is further exposing these inequalities as womxn scientists who are parenting while also engaging in a combination of academic related duties are falling behind. These inequities can be solved by investing strategically in solutions. Here we describe strategies that would ensure a more equitable academy for working mothers now and in the future. While the data are clear that mothers are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, many groups could benefit from these strategies. Rather than rebuilding what we once knew, let us be the architects of …


Butterfly Eyespots Evolved Via Co-Option Of The Antennal Gene-Regulatory Network, Suriya Narayanan Murugesan, Heidi Connahs, Yuji Matsuoka, Mainak Das Gupta, Manizah Huq, Thomas Werner, Et. Al. Mar 2021

Butterfly Eyespots Evolved Via Co-Option Of The Antennal Gene-Regulatory Network, Suriya Narayanan Murugesan, Heidi Connahs, Yuji Matsuoka, Mainak Das Gupta, Manizah Huq, Thomas Werner, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Butterfly eyespots are beautiful novel traits with an unknown developmental origin. Here we show that eyespots likely originated via co-option of the antennal gene-regulatory network (GRN) to novel locations on the wing. Using comparative transcriptome analysis, we show that eyespots cluster with antennae relative to multiple other tissues. Furthermore, three genes essential for eyespot development (Distal-less (Dll), spalt (sal), and Antennapedia (Antp)) share similar regulatory connections as those observed in the antennal GRN. CRISPR knockout of cis-regulatory elements (CREs) for Dll and sal led to the loss of eyespots and antennae, and …


Machine Learning Applications In Microbial Ecology, Human Microbiome Studies, And Environmental Monitoring, Ryan B. Ghannam, Stephen Techtmann Jan 2021

Machine Learning Applications In Microbial Ecology, Human Microbiome Studies, And Environmental Monitoring, Ryan B. Ghannam, Stephen Techtmann

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Advances in nucleic acid sequencing technology have enabled expansion of our ability to profile microbial diversity. These large datasets of taxonomic and functional diversity are key to better understanding microbial ecology. Machine learning has proven to be a useful approach for analyzing microbial community data and making predictions about outcomes including human and environmental health. Machine learning applied to microbial community profiles has been used to predict disease states in human health, environmental quality and presence of contamination in the environment, and as trace evidence in forensics. Machine learning has appeal as a powerful tool that can provide deep insights …


Characterizing The Effects Of 14-3-3 Isoforms On Alpha-Synuclein Toxicity In A Yeast Model, Angela Marie Braunschweiger Jan 2021

Characterizing The Effects Of 14-3-3 Isoforms On Alpha-Synuclein Toxicity In A Yeast Model, Angela Marie Braunschweiger

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The presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein encoded by SNCA is the primary component of Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites which are the histopathological hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease. While the etiology of Parkinson’s remains unclear, SNCA mutations and copy number variations are one of several genes linked to Parkinson’s. The family of highly conserved chaperone proteins 14-3-3 have been shown to co-aggregate and share regions of 40% homology with alpha-synuclein. Mitochondrial dysfunction also plays a role in Parkinson’s disease with abnormalities in mitochondrial respiration due to interference of complex I in the electron transport chain being found in Parkinson’s patients. Alpha-synuclein increases fragmentation …


Functional Characterization Of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus Matrix Protein In Host Cellular Responses, Jeffery Ringiesn Jan 2021

Functional Characterization Of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus Matrix Protein In Host Cellular Responses, Jeffery Ringiesn

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Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a deadly fish pathogen that poses a global threat to aquatic ecosystems and the aquaculture industry. For decades, research has focused on developing vaccine therapeutics utilizing a variety of techniques and strategies. While these studies have met with some success in identifying potential vaccine targets that provided protective immunity, a commercially viable IHNV vaccine is currently unavailable. Here we explore the relationship between the structure and function of the IHNV matrix (M) protein through the introduction of mutations that reduce anti-host effects, with the goal of developing a novel recombinant IHNV with reduced pathogenicity …


Anticancer Activities Of Plant Secondary Metabolites: Rice Callus Suspension Culture As A New Paradigm, Wusirika Ramakrishna, Anuradha Kumari, Nafeesa Rahman, Pallavi Mandave Jan 2021

Anticancer Activities Of Plant Secondary Metabolites: Rice Callus Suspension Culture As A New Paradigm, Wusirika Ramakrishna, Anuradha Kumari, Nafeesa Rahman, Pallavi Mandave

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Plant natural products including alkaloids, polyphenols, terpenoids and flavonoids have been reported to exert anticancer activity by targeting various metabolic pathways. The biological pathways regulated by plant products can serve as novel drug targets. Plant natural compounds or their derivatives used for cancer treatment and some novel plant-based compounds which are used in clinical trials were discussed. Callus suspension culture with secondary metabolites can provide a continuous source of plant pharmaceuticals without time and space limitations. Previous research has shown that rice callus suspension culture can kill >95% cancer cells with no significant effect on the growth of normal cells. …


Nitrogen Fixation: A Poorly Understood Process Along The Freshwater-Marine Continuum, Amy M. Marcarelli, Robinson W. Fulweiler, J. Thad Scott Jan 2021

Nitrogen Fixation: A Poorly Understood Process Along The Freshwater-Marine Continuum, Amy M. Marcarelli, Robinson W. Fulweiler, J. Thad Scott

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

N2 fixation is a major component of the global N cycle and has been extensively studied in open-ocean and terrestrial ecosystems. Yet rates and ecological dynamics remain virtually unknown for the inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems (lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams, and estuaries) that connect terrestrial and marine biomes. This is due to the diversity of these habitats as well as the traditional paradigm that N2 fixation rates were low to nonexistent, and therefore not important, in these ecosystems. We identify three major research themes to advance understanding of aquatic N2 fixation: (1) the biological diversity of diazotrophs and variability of …


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 …


Maize Microrna166 Inactivation Confers Plant Development And Abiotic Stress Resistance, Na Li, Tianxiao Yang, Zhanyong Guo, Qiusheng Wang, Mao Chai, Mingbo Wu, Xiaoqi Li, Weiya Li, Guangxian Li, Jihua Tang, Guiliang Tang Dec 2020

Maize Microrna166 Inactivation Confers Plant Development And Abiotic Stress Resistance, Na Li, Tianxiao Yang, Zhanyong Guo, Qiusheng Wang, Mao Chai, Mingbo Wu, Xiaoqi Li, Weiya Li, Guangxian Li, Jihua Tang, Guiliang Tang

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

MicroRNAs are important regulators in plant developmental processes and stress responses. In this study, we generated a series of maize STTM166 transgenic plants. Knock-down of miR166 resulted in various morphological changes, including rolled leaves, enhanced abiotic stress resistance, inferior yield-related traits, vascular pattern and epidermis structures, tassel architecture, as well as abscisic acid (ABA) level elevation and indole acetic acid (IAA) level reduction in maize. To profile miR166 regulated genes, we performed RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis. A total of 178 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 118 up-regulated and 60 down-regulated genes. These DEGs were strongly enriched in cell …


The Modular Expression Patterns Of Three Pigmentation Genes Prefigure Unique Abdominal Morphologies Seen Among Three Drosophila Species, William A. Dion, Mujeeb O. Shittu, Tessa Steenwinkel, Komal K.B. Raja, Prajakta P. Kokate, Thomas Werner Dec 2020

The Modular Expression Patterns Of Three Pigmentation Genes Prefigure Unique Abdominal Morphologies Seen Among Three Drosophila Species, William A. Dion, Mujeeb O. Shittu, Tessa Steenwinkel, Komal K.B. Raja, Prajakta P. Kokate, Thomas Werner

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

To understand how novel animal body colorations emerged, one needs to ask how the development of color patterns differs among closely related species. Here we examine three species of fruit flies – Drosophila guttifera (D. guttifera), D. palustris, and D. subpalustris – displaying a varying number of abdominal spot rows. Through in situ hybridization experiments, we examine the mRNA expression patterns for the pigmentation genes Dopa decarboxylase (Ddc), tan (t), and yellow (y) during pupal development. Our results show that Ddc, t, and y are co-expressed in modular, identical patterns, each foreshadowing the adult abdominal spots in D. guttifera, D. …


The Making Of Transgenic, Mujeeb Olushola Shittu, Tessa Steenwinkel, Shigeyuki Koshikawa, Thomas Werner Apr 2020

The Making Of Transgenic, Mujeeb Olushola Shittu, Tessa Steenwinkel, Shigeyuki Koshikawa, Thomas Werner

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The complex color patterns on the wings and body of Drosophila guttifera (D. guttifera) are emerging as model systems for studying evolutionary and developmental processes. Studies regarding these processes depend on overexpression and downregulation of developmental genes, which ultimately rely upon an effective transgenic system. Methods describing transgenesis in Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) have been reported in several studies, but they cannot be applied to D. guttifera due to the low egg production rate and the delicacy of the eggs. In this protocol, we describe extensively a comprehensive method used for generating transgenic D. guttifera. Using the protocol described here, …


Growing Biofuel Feedstocks In Copper-Contaminated Soils Of A Former Superfund Site, Virinder Sidhu, Dibyendu Sarkar, Rupali Datta Feb 2020

Growing Biofuel Feedstocks In Copper-Contaminated Soils Of A Former Superfund Site, Virinder Sidhu, Dibyendu Sarkar, Rupali Datta

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Copper mining in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the mid-19th century generated millions of tons of mining waste, called stamp sand, which was deposited into various offshoots of Lake Superior. The toxic stamp sand converted the area into barren, fallow land. Without a vegetative cover, stamp sand has been eroding into the lakes, adversely affecting aquatic life. Our objective was to perform a greenhouse study, to grow cold-tolerant oilseed crops camelina (Camelina sativa) and field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) on stamp sand, for the dual purpose of biofuel production and providing a vegetative cover, thereby decreasing erosion. Camelina and field …


Effects Of Invasive Watermilfoil On Primary Production In Littoral Ones Of North-Temperate Lakes, Ryan R. Van Goethem, Casey Huckins, Amy Marcarelli Feb 2020

Effects Of Invasive Watermilfoil On Primary Production In Littoral Ones Of North-Temperate Lakes, Ryan R. Van Goethem, Casey Huckins, Amy Marcarelli

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Species invasions are changing aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Submerged aquatic macrophytes control lake ecosystem processes through their direct and indirect interactions with other primary producers, but how these interactions may be altered by macrophyte species invasions in temperate lakes is poorly understood. We addressed whether invasive watermilfoil (IWM) altered standing crops and gross primary production (GPP) of other littoral primary producers (macrophytes, phytoplankton, attached algae, and periphyton) in littoral zones of six Michigan lakes through a paired-plot comparison study of sites with IWM (standardized abundance 7–56%) compared to those with little or no IWM (standardized abundance 0–2%). We found that primary …