Other Life Sciences Commons^™

Quantitative Pcr Assays For Detection Of Five Arctic Fish Species: Lota Lota, Cottus Cognatus, Salvelinus Alpinus, Salvelinus Malma, And Thymallus Arcticus From Environmental Dna, Torrey W. Rodgers, John R. Olson, Stephen L. Klobucar, Karen E. Mock

Ecology Center Publications

The North Slope of Alaska contains arctic fish populations that are important for subsistence of local human populations, and are under threat from natural resource extraction and climate change. We designed and evaluated four quantitative PCR assays for the detection of environmental DNA from five Alaskan fish species present on the North Slope of Alaska: burbot (Lota lota), arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma), arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus), and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus). All assays were designed and tested for species specificity and sensitivity, and all assays detected …

After The Flood: Fish Farming And Climate Change Adaptation In Chitwan, Nepal, Signe Stroming

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Last summer, Nepal’s Terai region experienced some of the worst flooding in recent memory. Climate change is expected to increase the number of natural disasters that Nepal experiences in coming years, and more vulnerable demographics will be more adversely affected. Fish farming is a highly profitable and slowly growing industry based primarily in the Terai, that many believe is less vulnerable to climate-related risks than conventional forms of agriculture, and thus a possible livelihood adaptation strategy. In this study, I conducted semi-structured interviews with ten farmers in Madi, Chitwan, to understand the daily challenges and threats to fish farming, the …

Can Mine Reclamation With An Exotic Grass Species Precede Successful Restoration In Intermountain Grasslands? A Case Study With Agropyron Cristatum., Mark Mariano

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

We performed four experiments to test whether or not native plants germinated with physical and chemical contact with crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.), a grass species native to Eurasia which has been widely used for mine reclamation in North America. In our study area Butte, Montana, A. cristatum was planted on capped mine waste and, in many cases, has formed a monoculture with a large buildup of leaf litter. We found there to be a much higher mean litter depth on these lands when compared to wild grasslands. Leaf litter proved to be a significant barrier for the establishment …

Zoological Label As Literary Form, Victor Fet

Victor Fet

Nabokov’s work is seen through the unique concept of zoological labels and their language. A label, written by a young naturalist, is a concentrated source of information, detail, and “naming the unnamed”; it reflects three Aristotelian unities (place, time, action).

Beheading First: On Nabokov's Translation Of Lewis Carroll, Victor Fet

Victor Fet

Anya v Strane chudes, young Nabokov’s 1923 Russian translation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, contains an intentionally shifted statement “beheading first, sentence later” compared to Lewis Carroll’s “sentence first, verdict later”. The shift is fitting for the 1920s children émigré audience.

An Anti-Locust Campaign In Nabokov (And Pushkin), Victor Fet

Victor Fet

Pushkin’s non-apocryphal anti-locust campaign is reflected in Nabokov’s unpublished sequel to The Gift.

Zoological Nomenclature And Kinbote’S Name Of God, Victor Fet

Victor Fet

In Nabokov’s Pale Fire, Kinbote explains that the Name of God holds priority over Nature, etc. I show that the ‘priority principle’ here can be interpreted in the strict terms of zoological nomenclature.

Notes On Eryx, Omega, And Ata, Victor Fet

Victor Fet

Observations on several Nabokov’s works (Pale Fire, Lolita) where geographic or zoological names provide sources for puns and hidden parallels.

Recognizing Challenges And Opportunities In The Quest To End Hunger, Jennifer Williams Zwagerman

Texas A&M Law Review

As an attorney and professor that does not focus on intellectual property law, I was a bit apprehensive about providing a keynote address for a Symposium focusing on “Agriculture, Intellectual Property, and Feeding the World in the 21st Century.” As I thought about this topic, knowing that there were other speakers who would focus more on the IP issues and technical aspects of various topics, I kept coming back to the importance of technology as we worktowards the goal of feeding the world, and the many ways in which innovation plays a role in meeting that goal. It also brought …

Itraq-Based Proteomics Analysis And Network Integration For Kernel Tissue Development In Maize, Long Zhang, Yongbin Dong, Qilei Wang, Chunguang Du, Wenwei Xiong, Xinyu Li, Sailan Zhu, Yuling Li

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Grain weight is one of the most important yield components and a developmentally complex structure comprised of two major compartments (endosperm and pericarp) in maize (Zea mays L.), however, very little is known concerning the coordinated accumulation of the numerous proteins involved. Herein, we used isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based comparative proteomic method to analyze the characteristics of dynamic proteomics for endosperm and pericarp during grain development. Totally, 9539 proteins were identified for both components at four development stages, among which 1401 proteins were non-redundant, 232 proteins were specific in pericarp and 153 proteins were specific in …

American Woodcock Migration Ecology At An Important Stopover, Cape May, New Jersey, Brian B. Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Migration poses risks and energetic demands to individuals that may be greater than those experienced during non-migratory periods. Most migratory birds require stopover sites to rest and recuperate energy spent during migratory flights, and stopover locations can alleviate risks and provide supplemental energy en route to the animal’s end destination. An individual’s stopover duration is contingent first on energy acquisition that is constrained by resource availability, and secondarily on environmental conditions such as weather that may facilitate or constrain continued migration. From 2010 to 2013 I conducted a radio-telemetry study of a short-distance migrant, the American Woodcock (Scolopax minor), on …

T-Time: A Data Repository Of T Cell And Calcium Release-Activated Calcium Channel Activation Imagery, Cody Arbuckle, Milton L. Greenberg, Adrienne Bergh, Rene German, Nick Sirago, Erik J. Linstead

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND: A fundamental understanding of live-cell dynamics is necessary in order to advance scientific techniques and personalized medicine. For this understanding to be possible, image processing techniques, probes, tracking algorithms and many other methodologies must be improved. Currently there are no large open-source datasets containing live-cell imaging to act as a standard for the community. As a result, researchers cannot evaluate their methodologies on an independent benchmark or leverage such a dataset to formulate scientific questions.

FINDINGS: Here we present T-Time, the largest free and publicly available data set of T cell phase contrast imagery designed with the …

How Science Makes America Great, Kenneth Nickerson

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

The proposed Federal Budget cuts funding for NIH, NSF, and CDC by 16% each and for the EPA by a whopping 31%. Ouch! The situation seems ironic because of President Trump’s slogan “Make America great again!”, which I agree with wholeheartedly. In addition to being a scientist, I also love history (especially military history) and science is at the top of my list of what has made the United States great. ... Why do we do it? I’m in science because it is rewarding. It is invigorating to discover how nature works. Scientists may act individually and in relative obscurity, …

A Healthy Brain: Use It Or Lose It!, Elizabeth B. Fauth, Maria C. Norton

All Current Publications

Challenging your muscles makes for strong healthy muscles, and challenging your brain cells makes for a strong healthy brain. Build up your brain’s cognitive reserve – create a well-connected, high-capacity brain – through overall healthy behaviors (diet and exercise) and making mentally challenging activities part of your daily life. The more options your brain has to get its signals sent, the better able it is to handle areas of damage. A well-connected brain may be better able to delay or prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Creativity As A State Of Consciousness: Creativity And Altered States Of Consciousness, Kari A. D'Amico, Kari A. D'Amico

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Part of a larger research initiative focused on altered states of consciousness as it relates to creativity, this inquiry is a continuation of my independent study completed fall 2016. This project is designed to further develop research in the area of creativity as it relates to altered states of consciousness. It offers a new paradigm for how we might present the concept of altered states of consciousness within the field of creativity. This altered state is in contrast to what will be defined as an ordinary state of consciousness. The product and qualities expressed in an altered state of consciousness …

Saving Lives Saving Life: Incorporation Of Sustainability In Healthcare, Yelenny Argueta

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

I. The High Strain Rate Response Of Hollow Sphere Steel Foam; Ii. The Dynamic Response Of An American Elm Tree, Ignacio Cetrangolo

Masters Theses

PART I

Hollow-sphere (HS) steel foam is a relatively new material whose cellular morphology and material properties qualify it as a metallic foam. This is an innovative foam-like material that exhibits high stiffness paired with low relative densities. Technological advancements in the past few decades have enabled the manufacturing of this material by a sintering process and, as a result, research has begun to accelerate as a multi-school collaboration effort for this particular work. Even though commercialization has been a challenge for metallic foams, it is imperative that researchers continue to prove and promote the advantages of metallic foams despite …

Niche By Basma Kavanagh, Vivian M. Hansen

The Goose

Review of Basma Kavanagh's Niche.

Gosnell Studies And Communicates Ecological Concerns, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Scientists who study environmental problems know that the more you work in the field, the more insight you gain into how to solve problems. In other words, the more field experience you have, the deeper your understanding of nature.

One scientist who has had a lot of field experience is Dr. Stephen Gosnell, and his interest in the environment began when he was still a child. “I had interest really early. I grew up in rural South Carolina in a very small town called Landrum. I was outside on a regular basis, playing in the streams and creeks around me,” …

Beyond The Obvious: Emerging Contaminants And Biogeochemistry As A Cause And Solution For Nitrogen Pollution, Stephanie L. Devries

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Following a comprehensive review of the occurrence and impacts of antibiotics and related pharmaceutical compounds on the terrestrial N-cycle, three experiments were performed to explore the topic of biogeochemistry as a source or a sink for N-pollution. The first of these experiments addresses the question of whether environmentally relevant concentrations of antibiotics (µg·kg^-1) have a significant effect on denitrification or N₂O production, a question that has not been well addressed in previous studies. Having determined that there is a significant shift, the second study aims to comprehensively follow changes to soil N pools and N_{2 …}

Bioethics In The Work Of Ernest Everett Just: + Missing - Some 400 Pages, Theodore Walker

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

Biology + ethics = bioethics. Here we see that Howard University biologist Ernest Everett Just (born 1883, died 1941) connected biology to ethics.

According to Just, various forms of specific biology (including especially cell biology) plus “general biology” are necessary for explaining adequately the origin of ethical behaviors. Social ethical behaviors, especially mutual aid and cooperative interactions with others and the environment, are essential to evolutionary advances among living creatures, ranging from humans to cells. Accordingly, theory of ethics (moral theory) should have roots in biology.

Also, Just wrote an unpublished book-length manuscript—“some 400 typed pages” (Just 1940)—on seeking the …

Human-Nonhuman Chimeras, Ontology, And Dignity: A Constructivist Approach To The Ethics Of Conducting Research On Cross-Species Hybrids, Jonathan M. Vajda

The Hilltop Review

Developments in biological technology in the last few decades highlight the surprising and ever-expanding practical benefits of stem cells. With this progress, the possibility of combining human and nonhuman organisms is a reality, with ethical boundaries that are not readily obvious. These inter-species hybrids are of a larger class of biological entities called “chimeras.” As the concept of a human-nonhuman creature is conjured in our minds, either incredulous wonder or grotesque horror is likely to follow. This paper seeks to mitigate those worries and demotivate reasonable concerns raised against chimera research, all the while pressing current ethical positions toward their …

Oceanographic Data In Rhode Island Waters Ocg 150, Joanna Burkhardt

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

The Finney County, Kansas Community Assessment Process: Fact Book, Debra J. Bolton Phd, Shannon L. Dick M.S.

Dr. Debra Bolton

This multi-lingual/multi-cultural study was called, Community Assets Processt, by the groups that “commissioned” it: Finnup Foundation, Finney County K-State Research & Extension, Western Kansas Community Foundation, Finney County United Way, Finney County Health Department, United Methodist Community Health Center (UMMAM), Center for Children and Families, Garden City Recreation Commission, and the Garden City Cultural Relations Board, because we intend for this to be an ongoing discussion. An objective, for those promoting the study, was to connect foundation, state, and federal funding with activities or services that addressed the true needs of people living in Finney County. The group was looking …

Quorum Sensing In Candida Albicans: Farnesol Versus Farnesoic Acid, Wayne R. Riekhof, Kenneth Nickerson

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Candida albicans is a clinically important dimorphic fungus that exhibits either a budding yeast or a mycelial-hyphal or pseudohyphal growth, depending on environmental conditions. The yeast-to-mycelia morphologic transition, which is generally regarded as an important virulence determinant, depends on the inoculum size of liquid cultures. The yeast form is favored when cultures are inoculated at > 10⁶ cells∙mL^–1, whereas the mycelial form is favored at inoculum densities < 10⁶∙mL^–1. Farnesoic acid (FA) and farnesol (FOH) are two related sesquiterpene quorum- sensing molecules that, upon accumulation, prevent the yeast-to-mycelial conversion. Oh et al. showed that C. albicans …

Deciphering Fungal Dimorphism: Farnesol’S Unanswered Questions, Kenneth Nickerson, Audrey L. Atkin

Kenneth Nickerson Papers

Candida albicans excretes E,E-farnesol as a virulence factor and quorum sensing molecule that prevents the yeast to hyphal conversion. Polke et al. (2016) identified eed1Δ/Δ as the first farnesol hypersensitive mutant of C. albicans. eed1Δ/Δ also excretes 10X more farnesol and while able to form hyphae, it cannot maintain hyphae. This mutant enables new research into unanswered questions, including the existence of potential farnesol receptors and transporters, regulation of farnesol synthesis, and relationships among farnesol, germ tube formation and hyphal maintenance. The eed1 farnesol hypersensitivity can be explained by higher internal concentrations of farnesol or lower thresholds for response. One …

Attack And Defense Movements Involved In The Interaction Of Spodoptera Frugiperda And Helicoverpa Zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), José P. F. Bentivenha, Edson L.L. Baldin, Débora G. Montezano, Thomas E. Hunt, Silvana L. Paula-Moraes

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) and the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) are among the main pests of maize. Both species exhibit cannibalistic behavior and quite often share the same feeding guild in maize (maize ears), which can result in several interspecific and intraspecific interactions. Paired interaction scenarios of intraspecific and interspecific larvae were assessed in arenas in the presence and absence of food to characterize movements resulting from interactions of these insects. There was a difference in the frequency of behavioral movements in all the interactions, except for S. frugiperda in the presence of food. Head …

The Effect Of Combined Sewer Overflow (Cso) On The Abundance Of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria In The James River, Enjolie Levengood, Sunauz Moezzi, Rima B. Franklin

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Antibiotics have been used to treat bacterial infections worldwide since their discovery in the early 20th century and are vital to human health. Unfortunately, the heavy use of antibiotics has led to the increased natural selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In urban rivers, the spread of resistance resistance is through through the direct acquisition of resistance genes by either either either cell-to -cell contact or DNA uptake via a process called horizontal gene transfer transfer(HGT) 2.HGT, resistance genes, and resistant bacteria are in greater abundance in wastewater systems, and are released into the environment in wastewater plant effluent2,3. One problematic …

Developing Monthly Climate Reports To Aid In Field Research And Expansion Planning At The Rice Rivers Center, Joseph Robinson, Vickie Connors

Rice Rivers Center Research

No abstract provided.

Where Policy And Practice Collide: Comparing Us,South African And European Union Approaches Toprotecting Children Online, Monica Bulger, Patrick Burton, Brian O'Neill, Elisabeth Staksrud

Articles

That children have a right to protection when they go online is an internationally well-established principle, upheld in laws that seek to safeguard children from online abuse and exploitation. However, children’s own transgressive behaviour can test the boundaries of this protection regime, creating new dilemmas for lawmakers the world over. This article examines the policy response from both the Global North and South to young people’s online behaviour that may challenge adult conceptions of what is acceptable, within existing legal and policy frameworks. It asks whether the ‘childhood innocence’ implied in much protection discourse is a helpful basis for promoting …