There are many possible benefits that can arise from the ability to take real-time measurements of soil water nitrate concentrations in a field, from ecological to agricultural to industrial reasons. In order to achieve this, we adapted a NitraLED sensor with a ceramic porous cup in order to allow diffusion...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a known class of chemicals that are linked to a multitude of adverse health outcomes. There are over 1,500 of these chemicals across various families and subgroups. 16 of these PAHs, known as parent PAHs, are identified by the EPA for focused risk assessment within...
Soil contains approximately 75% of the carbon pool on land - three times more than the amount stored in living plants and animals (Schlesinger 1999). Therefore, soils play a major role in maintaining a balanced global carbon cycle. Models of the soil carbon ecosystem assume a strong relationship between organic...
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by the degeneration of motor neurons in the motor cortex and spinal cord. Recent evidence suggests that the purine receptor P2X7 (P2X7R) plays a central role in the pathology of ALS. Previous research indicates that P2X7R activation by oxidatively modified heat shock protein 90...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known to cause adverse health effects in the human lung. Here, we evaluated biomarkers relevant for PAH toxicity in a 3D human primary bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) model collected from normal and asthmatic donors. We previously found that PAHs decrease cellular barrier function integrity, which...
Phytochemicals from the genus, Fagonia, have been attracting increasing attention due to their potential beneficial effects on human health, particularly, anti-cancer properties. Certain Fagonia species contain various types of phytochemicals such as saponins, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, terpenoids, and tannins. In this study, we investigated the phytochemical composition of a...
The purpose of this project was to optimize the biomass growth of Schizochytrium limacinum SR21. This was achieved by studying the effect of various concentrations of glucose, use of pure glycerol and purified crude glycerol as alternative carbon sources, and inhibition of cell growth with the presence of copper. The...
Many studies in recent literature have shown a significant link between the abnormalities of a newly born individual and the type of environment that their mothers encountered during pregnancy. More specifically, over the last two decades, a discipline of research commonly known as “fetal programming” has linked abnormalities at birth...
Abstract
Understanding the effects of climate change on forest ecosystems requires exploration of the relationships of different components of the system, such as the response of biota to local hydrology, temperature, precipitation, and elevation. The Long-term Ecological Research Program at the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest, located in the Western...
Abstract
Current methods employed in the textile industry are unsustainable because they use an abundance of water in the dying process, and discharge the waste into the environment, causing adverse health effect on aquatic life and local communities. The technology that is in place to remove dye from textile effluents...
Respiratory illnesses caused by both viral and bacterial infection are serious issues for global healthcare providers. With the emergence of new, drug-resistant forms of these diseases, innovative drugs and treatment therapies are needed. M tuberculosis is an infection that affects a large portion of the world’s population each year. Aerosol...
Many Gram-negative bacteria use a type III secretion system (TTSS) to establish a relationship with a host. Pathogens can use the secretion system as a way to deliver proteins known as type III effectors (TTEs) into a host cell and block host defense. The variation and redundancy of the type...
Epidermal RNA samples from FVB/N mice treated with PAH standards and
environmental PAH mixtures were harvested and purified using Trizol extraction and
RNeasy mini prep kit purification. Epidermal RNA integrity was low (RIN mean 3.5),
indicating significant RNA degradation and the need to modify handling, collection, and
processing of skin...