Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Mitochondria Imaging And Targeted Cancer Treatment, Tinghan Zhao

Dissertations

Mitochondria are essential organelles as the site of respiration in eukaryotic cells and are involved in many crucial functions in cell life. Dysfunction of mitochondrial metabolism and irregular morphology have been frequently found in human cancers. The capability of imaging mitochondria as well as regulating their microenvironment is important both scientifically and clinically. Mitochondria penetrating peptides (MPPs), certain peptides that are composed of cationic and hydrophobic amino acids, are good candidates for mitochondria targeting. Herein, a novel MPP, D-argine-phenylalanine-D-argine-phenylalanine-D-argine-phenylalanine-NH₂ (rFrFrF), is conjugated with a rhodamine-based fluorescent chromophore (TAMRA). The TAMRA-rFrFrF probe exhibits advantageous properties for long-term mitochondria tracking of …

A Landscape On The Threshold Of Change: Patterns Of Soil Microbial Ecology Along Dynamic Geomorphic And Hydrologic Features In A Polar Desert, Kelli L. Feeser, David J. Van Horn, Heather N. Buelow, Daniel R. Colman, Theresa A. Mchugh, Jordan G. Okie, Egbert Schwartz, Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach, Becky A. Ball, Andrew G. Fountain, Michael N. Gooseff, Joseph S. Levy, Maciej K. Obryk

Biology ETDs

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica are on the threshold of widespread landscape scale change due to increasing temperature and solar radiation and altered hydrology: buried ice is melting, the soil active layer is thickening, thermokarst features are developing along streams, water tracks are expanding, and lake levels are rising. These changes will impact the microbial communities found in each of the affected habitats. The purpose of this work is to first, understand the spatial distribution of soil bacteria in the MDV, specifically investigating the scale-dependent effects of environmental heterogeneity, and second, to perform surveys and coupled experiments to …

Landscape Scale: Inter- And Intraspecific Variation In Plant Interactions Along A Stress Gradient In The Sheep Range Of Nevada, Jordan Dowell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Impending threats to shrubland ecosystems, posed by climate change, necessitate niche modeling efforts to project vegetation range shifts. However, efforts often remain unguided by individual-scale interspecific plant interactions. The stress gradient hypothesis posits that facilitation should increase in areas of high abiotic stress, only if the individuals are able to ameliorate the surrounding area via functional traits. The Sheep Range of Nevada was used to assess the role of functional traits as predictors of plant association. Larrea tridentata, Coleogyne ramosissima, and Artemisia nova were selected as shrubs with variable life history strategies and ranges in order to identify general patterns …

Mojave Desert Plant Community Long-Term Response To Disturbance, Dominic M. Gentilcore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

All vegetation communities have been shaped by disturbances. This dissertation consists of three separate chapters: Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) natural regeneration in the Great Basin-Mojave Desert Transition Zone on two fires, Long-term Response to Fire in Eastern Mojave Desert semi-arid shrubland communities, and an Annotated Checklist of Gold Butte National Monument in the Mojave-Colorado Plateau Transition Zone. The section on blackbrush natural regeneration was a long-term dataset from two fires in Basin and Range National Monument that burned in 2008 with monitoring events in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2019. The monitoring documented some of the strongest post-fire regeneration for the …

Pre-Juvenile Naked Goby (Gobiosoma Bosc) Age And Growth, Annamaria Deitz, Juliana Harding

Honors Theses

Due to the abundance of larval naked gobies, Gobiosoma bosc, within the estuarine ichthyoplankton, it is important to understand their age and growth. Naked gobies are a largely distributed, both geographically and within an estuary, small, benthic fish species. There are 3 pairs of otoliths, calcium carbonate structures within the ear canal, that detect vibrations and record the age of the fish, both daily and annually. Using laboratory-reared gobies of a known age (Tremont et al. 2015), daily signatures on the sagittal otoliths were first validated to be daily, then a growth curve for the wild caught larvae was …

Design Of Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams Using Particle Swarm Optimization Technique, Qais F. Hasan, Dler A. Al-Mamany, Omer K. Fayadh

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Researches available in literature interrelating neural networks to civil engineering design problems, especially for beep beams, are very rare. Therefore, an optimization algorithm is developed and verified in this study and coded using MATLAB functions to determine the optimum cost design of reinforced concrete deep beams. ACI 318-14 code method is used benefiting from iterative particle swarm optimization technique due to its efficiency and reliability. Minimizing total cost is used as the objective function in terms of four decision variables. Self-adaptive penalty function technique is used to handle constraints for each of the 300 randomly selected particles, and in each …

Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm For Solving Fuzzy Multi-Objective Bed Allocation Model, Abdulhakeem Luqman Hasan

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

With the improvement of the medical services frameworks rivalry, hospitals face more and more challenges. In the interim, allotment of resource has a crucial influence on performing competitive benefits in a hospitals. To choose the suitable beds number is one of the most essential tasks in hospital administration. Anyway, in true condition, bed allotment choice is a multiple-side problem with weakness and haphazardness of the information available. It is so sophisticated. Therefore, the research about bed allotment difficulty is comparatively rare under considering multiple departments, nursing hours, and stochastic information about arrival and service of patients. In this paper, we …

Evaluation Of Atmospherically Gases Using Models Flaash And Quac To Hyper-Spectral Imagery, Asmaa Maher

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The important step is correction of the effect of atmospheric on hyper-spectral imagery of the VIS “visible”, short wave & NIR “near-infrared” spectral range. In general, the cause for limiting the use of hyperspectral images is the atmospheric effects, so, atmospheric correction is necessary for any accurate processing. In this work, two atmospheric correction techniques have been applied on Hyper-spectral image. From the raw original image and also from the FLAASH and QUAC atmospheric corrected images the spectra of vegetation, water and soil were extracted. The acquisition data for study contained Hyperion bands for year “2015” images over each of …

Editorial Board

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

No abstract provided.

Reconstructing Energy Flow Through Modern And Historical Marine Communities: Insights From Amino Acid Isotope Analysis, Emma A. Elliott Smith

Biology ETDs

The fundamental currency of life is energy. Organisms need energy to grow, to survive and to reproduce. Understanding the acquisition of energy by consumers is thus a foundational aspect of biological research. This is especially important in the modern era, as impacts of ongoing anthropogenic effects will be mediated or amplified through food webs. Here, I explore how isotopic analysis of individual amino acids – a technique new to ecological studies – can be used to trace energy flow through animal communities in modern and ancient time periods. In particular, I focus on kelp forest food webs, which are nearshore …

Importance Of Refractory Ligands And Their Photodegradation For Iron Oceanic Inventories And Cycling, Christel Hassler, Damien Cabanes, Sonia Blanco-Ameijeiras, Sylvia G. Sander, Ronald Benner

Faculty Publications

Iron is an essential micronutrient that limits primary production in up to 40% of the surface ocean and influences carbon dioxide uptake and climate change. Dissolved iron is mostly associated with loosely characterised organic molecules, called ligands, which define key aspects of the iron cycle such as its residence time, distribution and bioavailability to plankton. Models based on in situ ligand distributions and the behaviour of purified compounds include long-lived ligands in the deep ocean, bioreactive ligands in the surface ocean and photochemical processes as important components of the iron cycle. Herein, we further characterise biologically refractory ligands in dissolved …

Seasonal Offshore/Inshore Migration Of Round Gobies, Erik Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the invasion of round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) in Lake Michigan, they have become integrated into both the nearshore and offshore food webs. Round gobies can be found in shallower water (<20 m) during the summer, but they disappear from these depths in early fall. They have been collected, occasionally, offshore in depths greater than 70 m during fall and early spring. These observations and other anecdotal evidence indicate that round goby migrate offshore during the fall and return in the spring. To study this, a large remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used to conduct video transects offshore at various depths. The offshore sampling showed that round gobies migrated away from nearshore habitat in early October and were almost exclusively found deeper than 20 m by November. The round gobies remained offshore (>30 m) until mid-May, when they began the return to nearshore habitat. The cues to start the offshore and return migrations were not the focus of this project, but the fall offshore migrations coincided with decreasing temperatures nearshore in the fall, and in spring, the offshore movement of the thermal bar. The offshore migration in fall provide an increase in forage opportunity for deep, cold-water predators such as …

Understanding The Fundamental Molecular Mechanism Of Osteogenic Differentiation From Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Imelda Trejo, Hristo V. Kojouharov

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

A mathematical model is presented to study the regulatory effects of growth factors in osteoblastogenesis. The model incorporates the interactions among mesenchymal stem cells, osteoblasts, and growth factors. The resulting system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is studied analytically and numerically. Mathematical conditions for successful osteogenic differentiation and optimal osteoblasts population are formulated, which can be used in practice to accelerate bone formation. Numerical simulations are also presented to support the theoretical results and to explore different medical interventions to enhance osteoblastogenesis.

Bifurcation Analysis For Prey-Predator Model With Holling Type Iii Functional Response Incorporating Prey Refuge, Lazaar Oussama, Mustapha Serhani

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, we carried out the bifurcation analysis for a Lotka-Volterra prey-predator model with Holling type III functional response incorporating prey refuge protecting a constant proportion of the preys. We study the local bifurcation considering the refuge constant as a parameter. From the center manifold equation, we establish a transcritical bifurcation for the boundary equilibrium. In addition, we prove the occurrence of Hopf bifurcation for the homogeneous equilibrium. Moreover, we give the radius and period of the unique limit cycle for our system

Dynamics In A Respiratory Control Model With Two Delays, Saroj P. Pradhan, Ferenc Hartung, Janos Turi

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper we study ventilation patterns in a set of parameter dependent nonlinear delay equations with two transport delays modeling the human respiratory control system with peripheral and central control loops. We present a convergent numerical scheme suitable to perform simulations when all disturbances and system parameters are known, then we consider the numerical identifiability of various system parameters based on ventilation data. We are especially interested in the identification of the transport delays in the control loops because these parameters are not measurable directly, but they have a strong influence on system stability/instability.

On The Weighted Pseudo Almost Periodic Solutions Of Nicholson’S Blowflies Equation, Ramazan Yazgan, Cemil Tunç

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

This study is concerned with the existence, uniqueness and global exponential stability of weighted pseudo almost periodic solutions of a generalized Nicholson’s blowflies equation with mixed delays. Using some differential inequalities and a fixed point theorem, sufficient conditions were obtained for the existence, uniqueness of at the least a weighted pseudo almost periodic solutions and global exponential stability of this solution. The results of this study are new and complementary to the previous ones can be found in the literature. At the end of the study an example is given to show the accuracy of our results.

Effects Of Water Table Depth And Edaphic Characteristics On Plant Diversity In A Southern Mississippi Pitcher Plant Bog, Patrick Kirby

Master's Theses

This study examined the effects that water table depth and soil characteristics have on plant species richness and species composition within pitcher plant bogs across seasons. Eight piezometers were installed at random distances to monitor long-term water table depth and pressure fluctuations along a ~710-meter line transect traversing upland and bog habitats. Vegetation sampling quadrats (n=128) were set up near each piezometer. Cover data and water table depths were collected in spring and late summer. Soil samples collected from each treatment group were used to obtain soil texture and nutrient data. The summer collection period yielded a total gdiversity of …

Δscope: A New Method To Quantify 3d Biological Structures And Identify Differences In Zebrafish Forebrain Development, Morgan S. Schwartz, Jake Schnabl, Mackenzie P.H. Litz, Benjamin Baumer, Michael Barresi

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Research in the life sciences has traditionally relied on the analysis of clear morphological phenotypes, which are often revealed using increasingly powerful microscopy techniques analyzed as maximum intensity projections (MIPs). However, as biology turns towards the analysis of more subtle phenotypes, MIPs and qualitative approaches are failing to adequately describe these phenotypes. To address these limitations and quantitatively analyze the three-dimensional (3D) spatial relationships of biological structures, we developed the computational method and program called ∆SCOPE (Changes in Spatial Cylindrical Coordinate Orientation using PCA Examination). Our approach uses the fluorescent signal distribution within a 3D data set and reorients the …

Mammal Species Inventory Using Various Trapping Methods In Zone 4 Of Billy Barquedier National Park, Belize During Rainy Season, Mersady Redding

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Belize is a small country, but it is extremely ecologically diverse. Based on the few studies conducted in Belize, the abundance of mammals is low but diversity is high. Particular findings note the number and identity of species differed between four sites in the Maya Mountains of Belize, indicating that a data set from a single site is not representative of the Neotropical region. Insufficient data is available to estimate current species richness of many areas in Belize, including Billy Barquedier National Park (BBNP). The objective of this study was to explore trapping and documentation methods of terrestrial mammals in …

Salty Sensors, Fresh Ideas: The Use Of Molecular And Imaging Sensors In Understanding Plankton Dynamics Across Marine And Freshwater Ecosystems, Trisha Lyn Spanbauer, Christian Briseno-Avena, Kathleen Johnson Pitz, Elizabeth A. Suter

Faculty Works: Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Studies

Understanding plankton dynamics in marine ecosystems has been advanced using in situ molecular and imaging instrumentation. A range of research objectives have been addressed through high‐resolution autonomous sampling, from food web characterization to harmful algal bloom dynamics. When used together, molecular and imaging sensors can cover the full‐size range, genetic identity, and life stages of plankton. Here, we briefly review a selection of in situ instrumentation developed for the collection of molecular and imaging information on plankton communities in marine ecosystems. In addition, we interviewed a selection of instrumentation developers to determine if the transfer of sensor technology from marine …

The Adaptations Of The Sulfur-Oxidizing, Gammaproteobacterium "Candidatus Endoriftia Persephone", Endosymbiont Of The Giant Tubeworm Riftia Pachyptila, To Hydrothermal Vent Habitat Heterogeneity, Juliana M. Leonard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The siboglinid tubeworm Riftia pachyptila is a dominant member of the deep-sea megafauna where seawater and hydrothermal vent (HTV) effluent interface and mix. It is one of the fastest growing invertebrates on land or in the sea. It does not have a digestive tract (e.g. mouth, gut, or anus), and is completely dependent on its sulfur-oxidizing endosymbiont, the Gammaproteobacterium “Candidatus Endoriftia persephone” for its nutritional requirements. This association was the first and is the most well studied among chemolithoautotrophic symbioses. “Ca. E. persephone” is a chemolithoautotrophic bacterium that oxidizes sulfide as an electron donor for energy, reduces oxygen as a …

Spatial And Temporal Variation Of Offshore Wind Power And Its Values Along The Central California Coast, Yi-Hui Wang, Ryan K. Walter, Crow White, Matthew D. Kehrli, Stephen F. Hamilton, Patrick H. Soper, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg

Physics

The analysis of the spatiotemporal variability of wind power remains limited during the planning stage of an offshore wind farm. This study provides a framework to investigate how offshore wind power varies along the Central California Coast over diurnal and seasonal time scales, which is critical for reliability and functionality of the grid system. We find that offshore wind power in this region peaks during evening hours across all seasons and maximizes in spring and summer. The timing of peak offshore wind power production better aligns with that of peak demand across California than solar and land-based wind power production, …

Integrating Mathematics And Biology In The Classroom: A Compendium Of Case Studies And Labs, Becky Sanft, Anne Walter

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Oscillation In Mathematical Epidemiology, Meredith Greer

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Microwave Solventless Synthesis Of Meso-Tetrakis (Pentafluorophenyl)Poprphyrin (Tppf20) And Tris(Pentafluorophenyl))Corrole [Chemistry], Sunaina Singh

Open Educational Resources

Organic chemistry is a two-semester course (Organic Chemistry I, SCC 251 and Organic Chemistry II, SCC 252) required for majors in Biology. The SCC 251 course has been designated for the Integrative Learning Core Competency as well the Digital Communication Ability. This course emphasizes the synthesis, structure, reactivity, and mechanisms of reaction of organic compounds. Laboratory stresses various organic synthetic and analytic techniques (distillation, extraction, chromatography and spectroscopy).

This lab provided an opportunity for students to go deeper with the chemistry content by correlating to the concepts they learned in General Chemistry courses such as Valence shell electron pair repulsion …

Titration Of A Newtown Creek Environmental Water Sample To Determine The Amount Of Chloride Ions [Chemistry], Kevin Mark

Open Educational Resources

Main Course Learning Objectives:

The General Chemistry 1 (SCC 201) course has multiple course learning objectives, which articulate key introductory chemistry concepts that all STEM students should possess. In particular, the Newtown Creek titration experiment aligns with SCC 201 learning objectives of:

1. Demonstrate an appreciation of the role of chemistry in various aspects of life
2. Perform basic laboratory skills such as the proper execution of titration techniques
3. Describe and explain the fundamental chemistry concept of solution concentration
4. Analyze and represent experimental data in tables and graphs, interpret experimental results and write laboratory reports

In the SCC 201 laboratory, students are …

Potential Restoration Methods Of Native Fish In The Clinch And Powell Rivers, Hartley Thacker

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

This proposal uses citizen science to attempt to restore native fish populations in southwestern Virginia and the Tennessee River Valley.

Impact Of The Degree Of Urbanization On Bird Abundance And Diversity, Gabrielle Doyle, Sheila Garcia, Sophie Kidd, Tra'dayja Smith

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

Bird diversity and abundance in Farmville, Virginia. Sampling twice a day, four days a week.

Global Conservation Status And Threat Patterns Of The World’S Most Prominent Forage Fishes (Teleostei, Clupeiformes), Tiffany L. Birge

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Conserving biodiversity is one of the greatest ethical responsibilities and challenges humans face. Understanding the conservation status of taxonomic groups provides a systematic way to prioritize efforts to combat biodiversity loss. The 405 species within the order Clupeiformes are the herrings, shads, sardines, anchovies, menhadens and relatives that include many of the most important marine forage fishes. These small, schooling fishes are economically, ecologically and culturally significant globally. Despite their contribution to global fisheries and our increasing reliance on these fishes for food and industrial commodities, they are generally poorly known with limited information regarding basic biology and population trends. …

The Stability Of Temperate Lakes Under The Changing Climate, Aleksey Paltsev

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is a collective prediction among ecologists that climate change will enhance phytoplankton biomass in temperate lakes. Yet there is noteworthy variation in the structure and regulating functions of lakes to make this statement challengeable and, perhaps, inaccurate. To generate a common understanding on the trophic transition of lakes, I examined the interactive effects of climate change and landscape properties on phytoplankton biomass in 12,644 lakes located in relatively intact forested landscapes. Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration was used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass. Chl-a concentration was obtained via analyzing Landsat satellite imagery data over a 28-year period (1984-2011) and using …