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ANALYSIS OF VERTEBRAE PATHOLOGIES OF GRAVE A650 CHRYSSI ISLAND, CRETE, GREECE
No full textThis study of multiple, co-mingled adult individuals located in grave A650 on Chryssi Island, Crete, Greece, examines the prevalence of several pathologies of the vertebrae. This grave was built into a collapsed Late Minoan period house (1400-1100 B.C.E.). Grave A650, which likely dates to the 5th – 7th century C.E., shows evidence of being used over a long period of time and may have served as an ossuary. The pathologies of approximately 30 recovered vertebrae, both complete and incomplete, show signs of degenerative joint disease, spondylolisthesis, and body expansion. No conclusions regarding this data have been made as of yet. However, researching this data aims to accomplish a comprehensive understanding of what the present pathologies indicate about the physical activity endured by the individuals during their lifetime
A Facial Congenital Anomaly in a Mature Male White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Get PDFCongenital anomalies are rarely documented in wild ungulates. This study describes a congenital facial malformation in a mature male white-tailed deer harvested in central Georgia in 2020. The skull displays a mediolateral deflection of the rostrum, and the mandibles display similar deflection with posterior rotation at the mandibular symphysis, a maxillofacial malformation commonly called wry face. Based on physical examination and radiographic imagery, there were no signs of neoplasia or healed bone trauma on the skull or jaws, suggesting a congenital origin for the deformity. Studies of domestic horses displaying wry face conclude that the malformation arises from fetal mispositioning within the uterus during late term pregnancy. Lacking contrasting evidence, fetal mispositioning is a plausible cause for the anomaly documented here. It is likely that such anomalies in wild ungulates are rarely documented due to reduced survivability of afflicted neonates
DEVELOPING PROTEIN-POLYMER NANOCONSTRUCTS AS REUSABLE BIOCATALYSTS**
No full textBiocatalysis is the use of enzymes and proteins to perform chemical transformations. Enzymes and proteins are increasingly used in organic reactions due to excellent chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity, environmental sustainability, milder reaction conditions, improved productivity, simplified work-streams, and greater economic saving potential. Generally, many of these biocatalytic reactions are performed in aqueous buffer solutions so that the enzymes and proteins remain in their natural form, which is also their active form. These aqueous solutions present problems for many organic reactions. These range from low solubility of organic compounds in an aqueous medium, low turnover numbers, and solvent reagent incompatibility. This experiment performs a 3-step construction of engineered myoglobin protein-polymer nano construct (biocatalyst). This process consists of a cationization of the biocatalyst using an amine, electrostatic attachment of negatively charged detergent, and lyophilization to remove water and generate the nano-construct. Once immobilized, the biocatalyst is ready to be used for various organic transformations. All organic transformations (C-X bond forming reactions, where X= C, N, S, Si, B, etc.) will be performed in both aqueous and non-aqueous media (both ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents) and then compared based on % conversion and turn over numbers. Another focus of this study is around the recovery and reusability of the biocatalyst in these reactions and study the reaction kinetics. Another avenue we are exploring is the utility of these types of immobilized non-natural biocatalysts and Deep Eutectic solvent combinations in performing multi-component organic transformations
Quantitative Analysis Of Desalination Efficiency Of Amines For Optimization Of Temperature Swing Solvent Extraction Process**
No full textEfficient, low-cost methods of treating saline wastewater are in high demand with an increase in global population and therefore, industrial water consumption. Hypersaline waste brines are of maximum concern due to their negative effects on in-situ ecology, specifically soil fertility. Temperature swing solvent extraction (TSSE) is a high-efficiency, low-energy desalination technique that utilizes low-temperature heat and a low-polarity solvent in combination with temperature-dependent water solubility. This technique differs from conventional desalination in that it is membrane-less, significantly reducing cost. This study primarily focuses on the parameters influencing TSSE using secondary and tertiary amines which are viable solvents for TSSE as they contain hydrophilic moieties within a mainly hydrophobic structure. In particular, the extraction efficiency of each type of amine is to be calculated on mass-, volume- and molar-basis with a view to providing foundations for the optimization of TSSE process. Extraction experiments were conducted for 50 ml of both hypersaline brine and amine solutions across all trials. Secondary amines have been found to extract the largest quantities of product water from 1M hypersaline NaCl solution, yielding 14.02 mL and 8.07 mL with N-methylcyclohexylamine and diisopropylamine, respectively. The recovery for secondary amines appears to be dependent on the concentration of respective amine solutions, as well. Little correlation has been found between the parameters and the recovery rate of tertiary amines. Notably, substituents such as ethyl, diethyl, and triethyl groups led to the lowest water recovery among their corresponding amine-type groups. Future work will include further tests with varying experimental conditions, particularly the product water recovery from increased molarities of 2M and 4M hypersaline brine solutions. Analysis of amine substituents including asymmetry and chain lengths will be observed through extraction experiments. Overall, the viability of TSSE as a practical desalination technology is assessed through comparison of amine-to-water recovery ratios
Hardware Demonstrations And Experiments For Teaching The Computer Organization Course
No full textComputer Organization is a foundation course for the computer science major. At Valdosta State University, it is the only hardware course in the Computer Science and Computer Information System curriculums. It teaches the students how computers are built, organized, and optimized, as well as how they execute programs to complete the desired tasks. However, because of historical reasons, there was not a hardware lab for this course, so it was taught mainly through classroom lectures and students did not have any hands-on experience to build functional electronic components. In recent years, I collected some old computer hardware and used them to demonstrate how the technologies of building computers have evolved in the past several decades, what components are inside typical computers, and how different components of the computers communicate with each other. I also bought some electronic gates and circuits and designed a few hands-on experiments to teach students how computer components are built from basic gates and circuits. Through building adders, multiplexor, shifter, and various flip-flops, students gain first-hand knowledge on how computer components are built and how they work. In this presentation, I am going to share the hardware, electronic gates and circuits that I collected and purchased, the hardware demonstrations and hands-on experiments I designed, and how I use them to teach the Computer Organization course. I will also explain how these demonstrations and experiments boost students’ interest and improve their learning
DIGITAL TEXTBOOK OF PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY I
No full textThe objective of this project is to prepare an open-source free resource for the science major students who are taking college level Principles of Chemistry I. It is the first course in a two-semester sequence covering the fundamental principles and applications of general chemistry for science majors. This eBook is created from OER (Open Educational Resources) and original materials. It is free, digital, and focused on students’ success at PC. PowerPoint Presentations for each chapter with accessible voice over narratives and multiple-choice interactive practice quizzes are created using PlayPosit program. Concepts are explained using various simulations. This eBook pays special attention to areas where students need extra help, such as challenging word problems and extra math remedy worksheets. This project is funded by ALG (Affordable Learning Georgia) and will end by Spring 2022. Currently, standalone web version: https://gsuprincipleschemistry.org/ and LMS version of the eBook are available on the D2L (iCollege) system. Students using this eBook will be tested on a nationally standardized final exam and complete three-survey questionnaire sets to provide feedback on their background, perception, and experience of using eBook. Currently this eBook is being implemented in classroom. So far positive responses have been obtained from students. Survey results showed most students were are determined to succeed, and there were no issues with eBook usage or how to studying it. Benefits of this eBook includes three major concerns: cost effectiveness, accessibility and LMS integration. Both LMS and web versions of the eBook contain openly licensed materials and accessible text to help with functionally diverse students and always updated. Due to the digital media technologies available to the educator, an opportunity has been created for librarians, instructional designers, and faculty to work together to build well-crafted and pedagogically sound courses, thereby meeting a critical need in higher education
Morphological Effects on Gomphonema parvulum Grown Under Different Stressors**
No full textThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses algae as a biological component to monitor bodies of water in the United States. In this study, we will be investigating differing environmental conditions influence on algal, specifically diatom, morphology, characterizing the different morphotypes between laboratory cultures and varying environments to help characterize the dynamics between diatom morphology and environmental conditions. Diatoms are a group of algae characterized rigid glass cell walls which provides a unique life history model. They are typically identified using the morphological species concept and an ever-varying range of sizes may pose challenges in the identification process. There have been attempts to replicate optimal conditions in laboratory settings, however, at a population level, individuals display different morphologies in artificial environments than they do in natural environments. In this research, we investigated the effects of different environments on the morphological responses of the ubiquitous diatom species, Gomphonema parvulum (Kützing) Kützing 1849. G. parvulum is defined as ranging from 17-30 µm long, 5.5-7.5 µm wide with 10-14 striae within 10 µm. Clonal populations of G. parvulum were grown under idealized conditions, with no limiting light or nutrients, from a single cell isolated from Upper Three Runs Creek, South Carolina. DNA analysis confirmed that laboratory samples were monocultures of G. parvulum. G. parvulum was analyzed in archived samples of Upper Three Runs Creek from the years 1956, 2011, and 2018 to compare morphotype variations temporally in the same environments as well as between laboratory environment and natural environments. Morphological variation will be characterized by length and width of diatom frustules, as well as the number of striae within 10 µm of the cell. The goals of this study are to (1) investigate the morphological responses of G. parvulum under optimal conditions and environmental conditions and (2) differentiate morphological responses of G. parvulum temporally in the same habitat
Effects of Nest Box Temperature Mitigation Treatments on Reproductive Success and Nestling Development in a Southeastern Population of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis)
No full textUnderstanding behavioral responses of wildlife to climate change will be important as global temperatures continue to rise. Effects of rising temperatures may impact many species, including those that breed in seemingly protected nests, such as cavity nesting birds. Variations in nest cavity microclimate during the early development of secondary cavity nesting passerines may affect the growth of offspring and impact nesting success and survival. We examined the effect of two heat mitigation treatments (white exterior, n=11, and an internal foil heat shield, n=16) and nest box opening orientation (north, south, east, west) on internal nest box temperatures and the effect of internal nest box temperature on nest success and nestling development in a population of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) at a restored grassland in central Georgia. We predicted that nest boxes receiving a heat treatment would experience cooler internal temperatures and fledge more offspring of higher body condition compared to control next boxes (n=23). Nest boxes were checked approximately every 2 to 3 days between April and mid-August 2020 and 2021 to record nesting activity and nestling measurements (tarsus and weight). Internal nest box temperature was recorded hourly between April 1st and June 28th using remote data loggers installed on the inside wall of each box. We calculated the maximum daily, minimum nightly and overall averages per nesting attempt and examined the relations of each variable with nestling weight and tarsus length to test the effect of temperature on nest success. While the effect of treatment on nest success varied by year, mean daily high temperatures in painted nest boxes were cooler than both the control and foil treatment by an average of 2.8℃. Implementation of heat treatments to artificial nest boxes may be an effective management strategy to mitigate temperature extremes in an increasingly warming climate
Determining minimum inhibitory concentration of sodium salicylate and developing PCR-based identification of Providencia rettgeri and Providencia stuartii
No full textThe genus Providencia comprises of urease-producing bacteria accountable for an extending range of human infections. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common disease related to Providencia that’s present in patients with long-term urinary catheters. Salicylate and related compounds, commonly present in aspirin, have a variety of effects in eukaryotic systems and are well known for their medicinal properties. Salicylate also has numerous effects on bacteria, yet only a handful of individuals within the scientific community appreciate these findings. This study investigates the effects of sodium salicylate on the growth of P. rettgeri and P. stuartii. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of sodium salicylate were determined by using broth dilution methods. Both P. rettgeri and P. stuartii were grown overnight in tryptic soy broth (TSB) with different concentrations of sodium salicylate to determine MICs of sodium salicylate. MICs of sodium salicylate on the growth of P. rettgeri was determined at 17mM – 20mM and MICs for P. stuartii was determined at 30mM – 35mM. Based on cultural and morphological identification, pathogen detection and identification methods are time consuming and not always reliable. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based pathogen detection method with the genus-specific primers is fast and reliable for detecting Providencia species. We have deigned two pairs of primers based on the global regulatory gene rsmC to detect P. rettgeri and P. stuartii. This study will be helpful to control the growth and break down antibiotic resistance by using sodium salicylate on the growth of Providencia species. Also, PCR based tools of this study should make easier the detection of P. rettgeri and P. stuartii
E411k P-body Protein Interactions**
No full textAdenoviruses have contributed to significant advancements in both the medical and scientific communities by serving as a model virus to enhance our understanding of cellular biology and other DNA viruses. After entry into the host cell, adenoviruses can manipulate host cell machinery to create an ideal cellular environment to sustain viral replication, such as altering gene expression. One of the viral proteins involved in this process, E411k, facilitates the production of viral proteins over cellular proteins. It has been observed that E411k interferes with cytoplasmic processing bodies, known as p bodies, which are influential in gene expression. Some p body functions include mRNA degradation and the segregation of repressed mRNA sequences. One of the p body proteins, Pat1b, is a scaffolding protein and thus important in the formation of p-bodies. During an adenovirus infection, several p body proteins have been observed to be relocated to aggresomes. We hypothesize that E411k will disrupt the localization pattern of Pat1b during an adenovirus infection. We performed an infection without virus (mock), with wild-type virus, virus with only E411k, and virus with a deletion of E411k to determine the localization of Pat1b using immunofluorescence microscopy. We observed a significant increase in the number of cytoplasmic Pat1b foci for the wild-type and E411K-only viruses when compared to the mock, however, there was no significant difference between the E411k deletion virus and the mock. This demonstrates that E411k is necessary and sufficient for the relocalization of Pat1b to cytoplasmic foci. When observing Pat1b localization across adenovirus serotypes, we observed that Ad 5 E411k was solely capable of redistributing Pat1b. The redistribution of p body proteins observed in this study is important as it may indicate the mechanism by which E4 11k manipulates gene expression to drive viral replication