Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Determining The Impacts Of Environmental Contaminants To Zebra Mussels Using Genetic Biomarkers, Nicklaus James Neureuther

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DETERMINING THE IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS TO ZEBRA MUSSELS USING GENETIC BIOMARKERS

by

Nicklaus James Neureuther

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2016

Under the Supervision of Professor Rebecca Klaper, PhD

Persistent legacy contaminants and emerging chemicals of concern continue to be a threat to the function and health in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs). While chemical monitoring programs traditionally sample water and sediment, these studies can only provide information of the type and level of contamination within an (AOC). This being said, information on the biological impacts to the biota are needed to measure impairments of chemical exposure, …

Stage-Specific Predictive Models For Cancer Survivability, Elham Sagheb Hossein Pour

Theses and Dissertations

Survivability of cancer strongly depends on the stage of cancer. In most previous works, machine learning survivability prediction models for a particular cancer, were trained and evaluated together on all stages of the cancer. In this work, we trained and evaluated survivability prediction models for five major cancers, together on all stages and separately for every stage. We named these models joint and stage-specific models respectively. The obtained results for the cancers which we investigated reveal that, the best model to predict the survivability of the cancer for one specific stage is the model which is specifically built for that …

Symmetry And Reconstruction Of Particle Structure From Random Angle Diffraction Patterns, Sandi Wibowo

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of determining the structure of a biomolecule, when all the evidence from experiment consists of individual diffraction patterns from random particle orientations, is the central theoretical problem with an XFEL. One of the methods proposed is a calculation over all measured diffraction patterns of the average angular correlations between pairs of points on the diffraction patterns. It is possible to construct from these a matrix B characterized by angular momentum quantum number l, and whose elements are characterized by radii q and q’ of the resolution shells. If matrix B is considered as dot product of vectors, which …

Late Paleo-Indian Period Lithic Economies, Mobility, And Group Organization In Wisconsin, Ethan Adam Epstein

Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation focuses upon the organization of Pleistocene / Holocene period lithic technology in Wisconsin circa 10,000 – 10,500 years before present. Lithic debitage and flaked stone tools from the Plainview/Agate Basin components of the Heyrman I site (47DR381), the Dalles site (47IA374), and the Kelly North Tract site at Carcajou Point (47JE02) comprise the data set. These Wisconsin sites are located within a post glacial Great Lakes dune environment, an inland drainage/riverine environment, and an inland wetland/lacustrine environment. An assemblage approach is used to examine the structure of each site’s lithic economy. This broad approach to lithic organization …

Point Of Use Biosand Filters Of The Rural Dominican Republic, Kurtis Quamme

Theses and Dissertations

The point of use biosand filter (BSF) is used globally as a drinking water treatment solution. In this research, point of use BSFs were inoculated with active biosand from the Linnwood Drinking Water Treatment plant slow sand filter beds (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and with sands collected from point of use filters operating in the Dominican Republic. These filters were maintained with varying source waters (surface water, groundwater, or tap water to simulate chlorination encountered in the field). The microbial community of filters with varied influents and biosand inoculum were analyzed quantitatively by sequencing and qPCR. Filter efficacy and microbial community were …

Mhealth Technology: Towards A New Persuasive Mobile Application For Caregivers That Addresses Motivation And Usability, Suboh M. Alkhushayni

Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing use of mobile technologies and smartphones, new methods of promoting personal health have been developed. For example, there is now software for recording and tracking one's exercise activity or blood pressure. Even though there are already many of these services, the mobile health field still presents many opportunities for new research.

One apparent area of need would be software to support the efforts of caregivers for the elderly, especially those who suffer from multiple chronic conditions, such as cognitive impairment, chronic heart failure or diabetes. Very few mobile applications (apps) have been created that target caregivers of …

Development Of An Automated Detection System For Nitrite In Aquatic Environments, Tim Schierenbeck

Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of the project is to develop an automated nitrite sensor for use in aquatic environments, and more specifically for use in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), where monitoring can help sustain a controlled environment, protect against nitrite intoxication, and promote fish health. Detecting nitrite manually with semi-quantitative colorimetric test kits, although inexpensive and simple, is prone to inter-user variability and poor sensitivity. An automated nitrite sensor has potential to provide higher resolution measurements at both concentration and time scales and can serve as a research tool for the study of filtration systems essential in maintaining a healthy RAS …

The Role Of Proteome In Cellular Zn2+ Trafficking And In The Ability Of The Fluorescent Zinc Sensors To Image Intracellular Zn2+, Mohammad Rezaul Karim

Theses and Dissertations

Zinc is an essential biological trace metal used in as many as 3000 Zn-proteins, about 10% of the eukaryotic proteome, as either a structural constituent or a catalytic cofactor. These proteins include the zinc fingers, the most prevalent transcription factors that bind a wide range of gene promoters and thus regulate gene expression. A eukaryotic cell contains several hundred micromolar of Zn2+- almost all of it is bound to specific Zn-proteins. Recently, Zn2+ has been reported to serve as a regulatory signal and a neurotransmitter, suggesting that there also exists a dynamic Zn2+ pool in cells. These findings led to …

Structural And Functional Characterization Of Acetoacetate Decarboxylase-Like Enzymes, Lisa Mueller

Theses and Dissertations

The acetatoacetate decarboxylase-like superfamily (ADCSF) is a largely unexplored group of enzymes that may be a potential source of new biocatalysts. Bioinformatic analysis has grouped these approximately 2000 enzymes into seven different families based on comparison of predicted active site residues. To date, only the prototypical ADCs (Family I) that catalyze the decarboxylation of acetoacetate have been studied. Analysis of gene context suggests that Family V contains predominantly enzymes predicted to be involved in secondary metabolism. On average, these share about 20% sequence identity to the true ADCs. To learn more about the diversity of chemistries performed by members of …

Development Of Cellular High Throughput Assays To Determine The Electrophysiological Profile Of Gaba(A) Receptor Modulators For Neurology And Immunology, Nina Yina Yuan

Theses and Dissertations

Gamma (γ) -aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter found in

the mammalian central nervous system. Its effect stems from its ability to cause the opening of ion channels which causes an influx of negatively charged chloride ions or an efflux of positively charged potassium ions. This hyperpolarization of the neuron lowers the threshold for neuronal firing. This has an overall inhibitory effect on neurotransmission, decreasing the excitability of the neuron and diminishing the likelihood of a successful action potential occurring. There are two classes of GABA receptor: ligand-gated GABAA receptor (GABAAR) and metabotropic GABAB receptor (GABABR). The GABAAR …

The Function Of Renalase, Brett Allen Beaupre

Theses and Dissertations

Renalase was originally reported to be an enzyme secreted into the blood by the kidney to lower blood pressure and slow heart rate. Despite multiple reports claiming to confirm this activity in vivo there has been considerable discord in regards to the reaction catalyzed by renalase. The structural topology of renalase resembles that of known flavoprotein oxidases, monooxygenases and demethylases, but the conserved active site residues are unique to renalase. It has been reported that the catalytic function of renalase is to oxidize circulating catecholamines, however in vitro studies have failed to demonstrate a catalytic activity in the presence of …

The Selective Survival Of Escherichia Coli In Freshwater Beach Sand, Natalie Ann Rumball

Theses and Dissertations

The quantification of Escherichia coli or E. coli is the most common method used to detect recent fecal pollution in recreational water, as this species is known for its high abundance in fecal matter and assumed host-associated nature. However, it has been determined that some strains are capable of long-term survival and potential propagation in non-host environments, such as the beach sand. These long-term environmental survivors are host-independent and are not associated with the same health risks as those E. coli from recent fecal pollution. However, they have been shown to impact how water quality is perceived as they are …

Applying The Water Governance Framework On Rural Water Development Projects In Guatemala, Muhanad M. Alkharaz

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), ‘Water crisis is mainly a governance crisis’, (OECD, 2013). Many water experts, as individuals, organizations and even governmental bodies have developed water governance frameworks to overcome water challenges on local, national, and international levels such as Integrated Water Resource Management. In rural areas, especially in developing countries, access to safe drinking water is a daily challenge due to a variety of political, economic, and social constraints. For in-stance, some developing countries have a strong centralized governance system. Due to lack of capacity and resources, central governments are incapable of providing …

Are We Missing The Forest For The Trees? Quantifying The Maintenance Of Diversity In Temperate Deciduous Forests, Kathryn Barry

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most pressing questions of community ecology is: Why do we have so many species? Over 100 hypotheses have been proposed to answer this question for woody plants over the past 70 years, yet there remains no consensus among community ecologists. In this dissertation, I explore the evidence supporting several different hypotheses (Chapter 1). I provide evidence that negative density dependence, where individuals perform poorly near members of their own species, may only be relevant for canopy tree species (Chapter 2). Understory species do not demonstrate negative density dependence while canopy trees demonstrate negative density dependence that increases …

Effects Of Drift, Selection And Gene Flow On Immune Genes In Prairie Grouse, Zachary Bateson

Theses and Dissertations

Fragmentation of natural habitats is related to population decline in many species. The resulting small and isolated populations are expected to lose genetic variation at a rapid rate, which reduces the ability to adapt to environmental change. One concern is that small populations are more susceptible to emerging pathogens due to the loss of variation at immune genes. My dissertation examined the relative effects of gene flow, genetic drift and selection on immune genes in prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido), a species that has undergone drastic population declines across their range. In the first chapter, I examined how artificial gene flow through …