2024 Faculty and Student Research Poster Session and Research Fair
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Browsing 2024 Faculty and Student Research Poster Session and Research Fair by Subject "College of Agriculture and Natural Science"
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Item Circadian Regulation of Peripheral Serotonin and Platelets in Mice(2024-03-07) Karaganis, Stephen; Zimmerman, JoeyMost organisms are known to possess biological clocks, which control and coordinate numerous physiological processes over each 24-hour day. Circadian oscillators play a role in generating biological rhythms and coordinating numerous processes with environmental stimuli, such as timing of a meal or exposure to light. The indolamine molecule, serotonin, is an important peripheral hormone produced by the intestinal mucosa of mammals, but its regulation as an output of the circadian clock is not well understood. Recent studies in our lab have investigated circadian rhythmicity of serotonin and its entrainment to light stimuli or food availability in various tissue compartments in mice, including blood serum, stools, and the intestinal wall. Because most serotonin is released into the blood and taken up by platelets, we investigated regulation of circulating platelet levels as well. In these experiments, mice were fed ad libitum (AL) or placed on a gradual daytime restricted feeding regimen (DRF) while maintained in a 12:12 light-dark cycle (LD) or constant darkness (DD). We assessed serotonin levels in duodenum, colon, and stool and demonstrated a high-amplitude circadian rhythm of serotonin in stool samples that persisted in constant conditions and entrained to both light and food availability, with a peak occurring close to the day-night transition under LD conditions. In contrast to some published findings, no circadian rhythm of serotonin was detected in blood serum. Serotonin levels from duodenum and colon also exhibited food-entrainable circadian rhythms, peaking in the early morning under LDRF. mRNA levels of tph 1, the rate-limiting enzyme for non-neuronal serotonin biosynthesis, was also rhythmic in the duodenum, and entrained to food availability, with a peak occurring approximately 16 hours prior to the peak in serotonin. This delay may reflect the kinetics of protein synthesis and turnover, as well as rising levels of serotonin transporter (SERT) measured in the late evening under RF conditions. Interestingly, a circadian rhythm in total platelet number was strongly entrained to cycles of food availability, but not to light.Item Environmental Drivers of Water Quality Variability in Lake Meredith, Texas(2024-03-07) Crosman, Erik; Mukherjee, Maitreyee; Cuthbert, Robyn; Ogle, Heather; Mbanefo, Simon; Olatunbosun, Afolarin; Pool, Grayson; Taylor, DarbyAn ongoing study on water quality that began in March 2023 has resulted in unprecedented data to improve understanding of how environmental variability impact the water quality of Lake Meredith, Texas, the premier recreational and municipal and agricultural storage reservoir on the Texas Panhandle that provides crucial water supplied to both the Amarillo and Lubbock metropolitan areas. The runoff from heavy rains in May and June 2023 raised the level of Lake Meredith by over 10 feet and decreased the Salinity by over 30%. Strong gradients in salinity and temperature were found to result in unusually strong vertical stratification of Lake Meredith in summer 2023, which has implications for water usage and lake biology. Surface and depth profiles of lake physiochemistry (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and salinity) were collected monthly beginning in March 2023 at 6 locations on the north and south sides of Lake Meredith, and every 10 minutes at the Sanford-Yake Marina. This study has provided novel data on understanding how environmental forcing mechanisms impact water quality as well as microbiological communities at Lake Meredith.Item Flexible Foams and Elastomers from Castor Oil(2024-03-07) Shrestha, Maha L.Self-transesterification of castor oil was employed to prepare higher molar mass polyols possessing interesting properties. Detailed structures of the polyols were studied using various standard techniques along with spectrometric analysis such as MALDI-TOF/MS. Polyurethane elastomers prepared from these polyols provided soft material with low Shore A hardness. These polyols were also tested in molded polyurethane foams and their polyurethane properties were compared with that of the commercial bio-polyols.Item History of implementation of Nanotechnology in the novel air purifiers with a special reference in reduction of Pollen, Mold Spore and PM2.5 Indices(2024-03-07) Nguyen, Marytrihn; Burciaga, Betty; Ghosh, NabarunIndoor Air Quality (IAQ) has become a major concern for the public health. Global warming exerts substantial effect on flora and fauna. Increasing greenhouse gases cause accelerated pollinosis and fungal spore production, two major aeroallergens for asthma and allergies. We used a Burkard Spore Trap for aeroallergen sampling that provided us with the information regarding the onset, duration, and severity of the pollen season that clinicians use to guide allergen selection for skin testing and treatment. We also used pollen grains from different plant species of our locality for identifying and characterizing the pollen through Scanning Electron Microscopy. We examined the samples with an SEM (TM-1000) after gold coating and Critical Point Drying. We measured the pollen grains using the TM-1000-imaging software that revealed the micro-morphology with the size of colpi, sulci and the detailed microstructures. This information can aid data for classification and circumscription in Angiosperm taxonomy. For viewing the fluorescence in pollen, we used 2-3 drops of Fluorescein-based dyes with deionized water on the slides. The slides were mounted and observed under the microscope. During the last two decades, the use of SEM has greatly increased our knowledge of the microstructure of pollen. Mature pollen grains are stable in a vacuum: this allows quick preparation for SEM examination. The low level of technical expenditure required, in combination with the high structural diversity exhibited and the intuitive ability to understand the "three dimensional", often aesthetically appealing micro-structures visualized, has turned pollen studies into a favorite tool of many taxonomists. The daily weather was recorded including temperature, wind speed, precipitation, humidity, average soil temperatures. This allowed the estimation of the clinical significance of the various pollen types by combining data concerning in vivo allergenicity and terminal velocity as a means to judge the clinical significance. Presently our Laboratory has been focusing on the issues of PM2.5 pollution. Particulate matter of 2.5 micron is a major issue in Global Air Pollution. WHO reports that a very high number of people die every year due to this particulate pollution. With is current scenario of air pollution we have targeted in developing an advanced level of air purifier to solve the problem of Indoor Air Quality or IAQ. Global economies are so tightly interconnected that companies, governments and industries will soon be forced to cooperate in ways we could not have imagined just a few years ago. Innovations in technology continue to have massive effects on business and society. We're now seeing emerging markets become hotbeds of innovation, especially in efforts to reach the growing middle class and low- income consumers around the globe. This report covers the information on how a Nanotechnology research product was developed and marketed in many countries. Collaboration between the corporate worlds with academia has been proved to be beneficial in scientific inventions. With the increased population growth and industrial expansions most of the cities are experiencing poor air quality. Global warming exerts substantial effect on flora and fauna all over the world. Increasing greenhouse gasses causing accelerated pollinosis and fungal spore production, two major aeroallergens for asthma and allergy symptoms. We are in the need of a much-advanced air purifier that works without filter and improve the air quality with a greater extent than the existing air purifiers in the market. We have been working in developing an efficient device to reduce the indoor aeroallergen to alleviate the symptoms of allergy and asthma. Collaboration between Dr. Ghosh's Aerobiology Lab at the West Texas A&M University and air purifier industries developed a nanotechnology called Advanced Hydrated Photocatalytic Oxidation (AHPCO) technology. This technology has been used for building novel filter-less air purifiers, cell phone sanitizers, food preservation equItem Monitoring Cotton Growth in the Texas Panhandle Using Computer Simulations(2024-03-07) Marcillo, GuillermoCotton is a profitable crop with a low water consumption footprint compared to other row crops, which makes it suitable for water conservation strategies in the TX Panhandle. However drastic variation of climatic patterns coupled with future economic uncertainty would severely impact cotton decision making. Furthermore, insufficient field data as well as a lack of tools adapted to the unique conditions of the region limit the options for growers to make efficient use of inputs and maximize their yields. In this project we propose the initiation of a digital system for monitoring cotton crop conditioning in West Texas. Such a system will merge large volumes of information resulting from computer assisted simulations, remote sensing imagery, and field experiments so users can accurately keep track of cotton phenology - a fundamental indicator of crop health to inform field decisions.