SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
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Enzyme Hydrolysis of Unbleached Kraft Pulp Fiber Fines Using Membrane Bioreactor and Recycle
Full text linkEnhancement of hydrolysis yield is achieved by minimizing product inhibition using a membrane bioreactor. A membrane bioreactor was able to mitigate the negative effects of calcium ions on hydrolysis of waste fines and fiber rejects. Enzyme loading and membrane molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) influenced the performance of hydrolysis. At an enzyme loading below 7.5 FPU/ g substrate, a membrane bioreactor didn’t improve the hydrolysis. Better hydrolysis performance is achieved using a membrane with lower MWCO. However, at higher enzyme loadings, membrane MWCO didn’t influence the hydrolysis performance in MBR.
Enzyme in the liquid phase of the hydrolysate was efficiently recovered using zeolite. Enzyme adsorption on zeolite was driven mostly by hydrophobic interactions. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was very effective at eluting the adsorbed enzyme. A very low concentration of high molecular weight PEG was enough to elute the proteins. The recovered enzyme retained its activity. The adsorption and desorption processes of the enzymes on zeolite β using PEG as an eluent was evaluated using mathematical modeling
Effects of Corn Availability on Diets, Body Condition, and Stress in American Black Ducks and Mallards on Long Island, New York
Full text linkWinter habitat and forage for American black ducks (Anas rubripes) can be limiting. Urbanization, sea level rise, and other stressors often make restoration of coastal wetlands infeasible or logistically difficult. Agriculture fields may need to increasingly serve as winter foraging sites for black ducks. I compared diets, body condition, and stress indices of black ducks and mallards (A. platyrhynchos) on Long Island, New York. Isotopic diet signatures differed by species and habitats. Body condition and stress indices differed between habitats. I also determined initial corn yield, depletion rates, waterfowl use days, and waterfowl energy needs on corn sites. My results do not suggest substantial benefits of corn to black ducks because they exploit and benefit from waste corn resources less than mallards. Continuing protection and restoration of coastal wetlands along the Atlantic coast is important with the aim of increasing black duck carrying capacity
Disulfide Bond Reduction And Reoxidation Of Monoclonal Antibodies In Biologics Therapeutics Processes - Kinetics Understanding And Applications
No full textMonoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are the dominant biotherapeutics currently on the market. A typical mAb has a molecular weight of approximately 150 kDa and consists of two identical light chains and heavy chains, linked by interchain disulfide bonds. Disulfide bonds play a crucial role in protein folding and structural stabilization. However, during mAb manufacturing, disulfide bond reduction may occur, causing low-molecular-weight species and impacting protein quality and stability. Producing high quality mAb with complete disulfide bonds is integral to ensure protein structure and activity. Therefore, studies are necessary for better understanding of disulfide bond reduction and development of strategies to produce high-purity antibodies.
This dissertation is composed of five chapters. First chapter provided a review of mAb disulfide reduction and oxidation, covering structural perspective of antibody and disulfide bonds, root causes of disulfide reduction and current industrial mitigation strategies, historical studies of in-vitro disulfide reoxidation and analytical techniques for monitoring and characterizing antibody disulfide reduction and integrity. Second, a systematic study was performed to examine factors that influence disulfide formation kinetics. A kinetic model was constructed to predict disulfide formation rates and to help optimize the disulfide reoxidation condition. Third, the optimal condition for in-vitro disulfide reoxidation was applied to downstream Protein A chromatography using a redox wash to promote on-column disulfide formation, thus to produce intact antibodies from the reduced form. Fourth, factors that affect antibody stability were holistically investigated. By applying the fundamental redox reactions, a redox system (cysteine/cystine) was introduced into drug substance formulation. Acting as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from light exposure, the redox system stabilizes the protein by inhibiting aggregation, suppressing oxidation and diminishing product coloration. Lastly, the dissertation was concluded with a summary and outlook.
Overall, the results indicate that redox reaction, a fundamental phenomenon that occurs in our daily life, can be readily applied in antibody manufacturing to ensure product quality and efficacy, and ultimately to affect patients’ safety. This study offers a good example of out-of-box thinking for biopharmaceutical industry so that these seemingly complex issues can be solved through a simplified solution occurring in our daily life
The Effects of Riparian Management Zone Delineation on Timber Value and Ecosystem Services in Diverse Forest Biomes Across the United States.
Full text linkHeadwater streams are disproportionately affected by forest management activities in working forests of the United States (US) due to their high densities within watersheds. Thus, assigning the right buffer distance and buffer type to represent the ecology and topography of headwater streams is an important management decision. Focusing on headwater streams, this dissertation examines different riparian delineation techniques practiced within the US and proposes alternative approaches that balance ecological and economic factors. This primary objective was addressed using two datasets. The first dataset of stand data and understory vegetation was collected from forests distributed across New York and New Hampshire. The second dataset comprised of 1-meter digital terrain models and FIA data of 33 watersheds across 17 states within the contiguous US.
On a regional scale, an ecologically significant riparian buffer was mapped using understory plants along headwater streams in Northeastern forests. A threshold distance of 6-12 m from stream edge was identified using plant species richness. Although this is not the actual extent of a functional riparian area, this distance represents an important zone for increased plant species diversity.
A functional riparian area representing topography and forest structure developed by the US Forest Service was used as a variable width riparian buffer delineation technique in this study. The functional approach was compared with state-specific riparian delineation guidelines and a 30- meter fixed width riparian buffer across a broad range of forest regions in the US. From a regional context, when using the functional approach, 16–20 % of watersheds in the West and Pacific Northwestern regions were delineated as riparian. The functional method consistently delineated more land to the riparian area than other riparian delineating methods except for sampled watersheds in the Lake States where there was little to no topography along headwater streams.
Delineating valuable timber land as riparian areas is an opportunity cost for landowners given the density of headwater streams in working forests. Alternative riparian management options such as increasing carbon stocks within riparian management zones for carbon markets can not only offset riparian allocation costs but also serve as an investment opportunity for large- scale forest landowners
Mycologia Obscura: Hidden and Layered Realms of Fungal Diversity
Full text linkCollectively, this dissertation explores taxonomy, biodiversity studies, natural history collections, ecology, and theory. The first chapter is focused on the genus Prolixandromyces, in which 4 new species are described, representing the first records of this genus in South America. The genus is emended and a key to the genus is provided. The second chapter is focused on the genus Laboulbenia, in which four new species are described on a new host family, Gerridae (Heteroptera) or water striders. The third chapter also includes the description of 4 new species of Laboulbenia on Heteroptera, and targets significant gaps in the literature on Heteroptera associated Laboulbeniales. By utilizing the entomological collection at the American Museum of Natural History, this chapter explores host utilization patterns in the group and tracks insect infection rate at the family level. These three chapters all emphasize the scientific value of maintaining our natural heritage in accessible, research oriented biological collections. The fourth chapter is a field-based ecological pilot study focused on exploring how Laboulbeniales and their insect hosts are impacted by urbanization at two lakes in central Florida. Using the historical records of Laboulbeniales diversity from 1897 of mycologist Roland Thaxter, a comparison is drawn to modern (2018) diversity. A rapid biodiversity assessment was conducted on insects and fungi at a protected area and a developed area in 2018 and the results are compared. This study highlights the potential relevance of Laboulbeniales as environmental health indicators and a proposal for future directions is included in the appendix. Lastly, the fifth chapter approaches the field of mycology through a theoretical framework rooted in queer and feminist theories, as well as philosophy of science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge. This chapter is relevant as it challenges, pushes, and explores central tenets of institutional science and functions to socially and historically situate current research dilemmas in mycology. By excavating and laying bare ingrained, systemic biases in scientific institutions, this chapter seeks to disarm fallacious assertions of ―purity‖ in science. Additionally, this work reiterates themes introduced in the preceding chapters, such as the value of taxonomy and biodiversity studies, the importance of biological collections, and the urgent need for expanded and imaginative conservation practices in the age of climate change
Molecular Phylogenetics, Biogeography, and Conservation of the Punctoid land snails of Palau and the Systematics of land snails in Burmese amber
No full textMany aspects of the evolution and biogeography of land snails remain unexplored for all but the most well studied families in select few areas of the world. The evolutionary history of land snails is further complicated by their poor fossil record especially in extant centers of their diversity (e.g. Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands). The objectives of this dissertation were to investigate: 1) the land snail fauna of mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, and 2) the evolution and biogeography of the threatened punctoid land snail fauna of Belau (Republic of Palau, Oceania).
Twelve specimens were described from Burmese amber representing 5 new genera, and 6 new species from 4 families (Diplommatinidae, Cyclophoridae, Pupinidae, and Assimineidae). These specimens include some of the earliest fossil representatives of these families and reveal the faunal stability of this land snail community since the late Mesozoic. After nearly a century of taxonomic confusion, the position of superfamily Punctoidea is confirmed as basal within the stylommatophoran suborder Helicina. Superfamily Punctoidea and Endodontidae are estimated to have originated on Gondwana in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous respectively, based on divergence time estimation and the fossil and extant biogeography of Punctoidea. The Pacific endemic distribution of the Endodontidae is thus likely due to long distance dispersal events from the fragmenting supercontinent and source continental extinction. The phylogenetic relationships of the Belau punctoid fauna were also resolved revealing a lack of geographic signal characterisitic of more well studied island land snail faunas. In addition, shell morphologies traditionally interpreted as being adaptive (e.g. shell shape and apertural barriers) have arisen and have been lost without ecological divergence suggesting non-adaptive trait shifts. In addition, six new Belau punctoid taxa are reported from living individuals for the first time in over 50 years. Finally, molecular species delimitation methods conducted for the three described Semperdon species reveal 3 additional cryptic lineages. The phylogeographic structure of Semperdon ITS2 haplotypes reveal high genetic distance between island groups within the archipelago despite short geographic distances. This isolation between island groups is likely maintained through the extremely low-vagility of these snails and fine-scale vicariance events associated with sea-level change
Great Lakes Research Consortium 2020 Triennial Report
Full text linkThe year 2020 has been a time of transition: transition to online learning and finding new ways to conduct research while staying six feet apart and to keep in touch and share scientific findings without getting together in person. During all of this unprecedented time, the values of New York’s Great Lakes Research Consortium (GLRC) remain intact. The GLRC has three principle goals: 1) To facilitate research and scholarship on the chemical, physical, biological, and social processes that affect the Great Lakes, 2) to provide opportunities for the training and education of students, and 3) to disseminate information and research findings. These principles were described in a 2007 SUNY ESF proposal to the GLRC to continue hosting the organization. They hold true today and I am delighted to highlight some of these efforts in the pages that follow
Modeling the OH-Initiated Oxidation of Mercury in the Global Atmosphere Without Violating Physical Laws
Full text linkIn 2005, Calvert and Lindberg wrote that the use of laboratory-derived rate constants for OH + Hg(0) “…to determine the extent of Hg removal by OH in the troposphere will greatly over-estimate the importance of Hg removal by this reaction.” The HOHg• intermediate formed from OH + Hg will mostly fall apart in the atmosphere before it can react. By contrast, in laboratory experiments, Calvert and Lindberg expected HOHg• to react with radicals (whose concentrations are much higher than in the atmosphere). Yet almost all models of oxidation of Hg(0) ignore the argument of Calvert and Lindberg. We present a way for modelers to include the OH + Hg reaction while accounting quantitatively for the dissociation of HOHg•. We use high levels of quantum chemistry to establish the HO-Hg bond energy as 11.0 kcal/mole, and calculate the equilibrium constant for OH + Hg = HOHg•. Using the measured rate constant for association of OH with Hg, we determine the rate constant for HOHg• dissociation. Theory is also used to demonstrate that HOHg• forms stable compounds, HOHgY, with atmospheric radicals (Y = NO2, HOO•, CH3OO•, and BrO). We then present rate constants for use in in modeling OH-initiated oxidation of Hg(0). We use this mechanism to model the global oxidation of Hg(0) in the period 2013-2015 using the GEOS-Chem 3D model of atmospheric chemistry. Because of the rapid dissociation of HOHg•, OH accounts fo
Host Volatile Percepts of Two Sympatric Longhorned Beetles, Anoplophora Chinensis and Anoplophora Glabripennis
Full text linkAnoplophora chinensis (CLB) and Anoplophora glabripennis (ALB) are sympatric sibling species of pest lamiine cerambycids. Both are destructive invasives under strong domestic and international focus. Monitoring lures for both species need improvement. Under the current ratio hypothesis of insect host detection, insects orient towards their hosts via identification of a host-indicative, attractive blend of multiple volatile compounds. I evaluated multivariate statistical comparison of host versus non-host hardwood volatiles as a method for simultaneously identifying host-indicative compounds for both species. Statistical methods determined the commercially unavailable (E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene was indicative of CLB hosts and a multicomponent blend including benzyl acetate, α-humulene, (E)-nerolidol, (E)-caryophyllene, isoamyl benzoate, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-ol was indicative of ALB hosts. I hypothesized that the CLB host indicative blend is inclusive of the ALB host indicative blend and tested the six ALB host-indicative compounds for attraction to both species in Bengbu, China. Field trapping treatments were host volatiles only, male pheromone only, host volatiles + pheromone, and isopropanol control. Pheromone containing treatments captured significantly greater numbers of CLB with the host volatile + pheromone treatment capturing the greatest number of CLB. To further examine intraspecies chemical communication between ALB and CLB, cuticular hydrocarbon extracts from ALB and CLB were collected. Stepwise discriminate analysis showed differences in samples by species and sex, illustrating that ALB and CLB males and females can be identified by their cuticular extracts. In addition, principle component analysis indicated ALB cuticular hydrocarbon samples collected from beetles from Hunchun, Jilin, diverged from the rest of the samples. This research found supporting evidence for the ratio hypothesis of insect host detection, characterized the cuticular hydrocarbons of ALB and CLB, and identified potential geographic variation in ALB cuticular hydrocarbons
Influence of Water Level Management on Vegetation and Bird Use Of Restored Wetlands in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex
Full text linkWetland managers use water draw downs to increase productivity of wetland vegetation, especially to benefit foraging waterfowl. I sought to identify effects of three water draw down treatments done over three years (full and partial water draw down, and passive wetlands) on plant community and bird abundance in wetlands of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex in central New York. I detected few plant community differences during summer, but during autumn I detected greater vegetative forage quality index, annual plant cover and seed density in full and partial draw downs and greater vegetation height variation in passive and partial draw downs. Bird abundance was greater in summer in passive wetlands and greater in autumn in full draw downs. During spring migration, duck densities were greater in full and partial draw downs. Management should target full draw downs and passive wetlands to benefit the greatest number and diversity of wetland dependent bird species