Biology subjects

Morgan, W.

Publications and source records attributed to Morgan, W..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Overlapping flower and pollen production in two imperiled pitcher plants raises conservation challenges

Balancing sexual reproduction with vegetative growth poses challenges for many plants. Additionally, reproductive effort, such as production of pollen or flowers, is not always correlated with numbers of viable and germinable seeds. Energetic tradeoffs like these can be particularly fraught for imperiled species and might be especially complicated in landscapes with a possibility of interspecific hybridization. In this multi-year study, we track the reproductive effort, flowering phenology, and reproductive output of two interfertile Sarracenia (pitcher plants). We show that reproductive effort varies among years and sites, and that production of pollen and flowers does not always result in higher seed output. We demonstrate that phenological overlap in the timing of flower production and pollen viability could enable hybridization, and that the more imperiled taxon produces fewer seeds per flower. Results have implications for conservation of these pitcher plants, management of hybridization in these and other systems, and general principles of reproductive allocation.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

An In-Vitro Standardized Protocol for Preparing Smoke Extract Media from Cigarette, Electronic Cigarette and Waterpipe.

Cigarette smoke exposure is a major risk factor for various diseases, and in vitro studies using smoke medium (SM) are crucial for elucidating underlying mechanisms. However, the lack of standardized protocols for SM preparation has led to inconsistencies in experimental results. This paper presents an optimized protocol for reproducible generation of SM from conventional cigarette smoke extract (CSE), electronic cigarette smoke (ECS), and waterpipe vapour (WPV). The protocol involves: O_LIA custom-built apparatus for smoke capture in a cell culture medium C_LIO_LISpecific parameters mimicking human smoking topography C_LIO_LIRigorous aseptic techniques and safety measures C_LI Extensive details are provided for material preparation, apparatus setup, smoke generation procedures, and post-processing steps. This standardized method enables reliable in vitro exposure models, easing comparative studies across different tobacco products. To prove protocol consistency, we present optical. Additionally, we highlight the protocols utility by figuring out the SM quality through analysing O.D. data and morphological changes, cell viability assays, ELISA and gene expression analyses i.e., RNA sequencing through several in-vitro models, i.e., Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells, (HUVECs, Merck), human leukaemia monocytic cell line (THP-1, Sigma) and induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated to cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs, Axol) respectively. This optimized protocol addresses variability in SM preparation, enabling consistent investigations into smoke-induced pathologies and potential therapeutic interventions. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=124 SRC="FIGDIR/small/606957v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (26K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@142ca65org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1f5d797org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@11d1e63org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@b5fd55_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG Specifications table O_TBL View this table: org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@af8a3org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@49ccbforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@121329forg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@828a3borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@413930_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_TBL C_TBL

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2017

Barriers to Integration of Bioinformatics into Undergraduate Life Sciences Education

Bioinformatics, a discipline that combines aspects of biology, statistics, and computer science, is increasingly important for biological research. However, bioinformatics instruction is rarely integrated into life sciences curricula at the undergraduate level. To understand why, the Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education (NIBLSE, \"nibbles\") recently undertook an extensive survey of life sciences faculty in the United States. The survey responses to open-ended questions about barriers to integration were subjected to keyword analysis. The barrier most frequently reported by the ~1,260 respondents was lack of faculty training. Faculty at associates-granting institutions report the least training in bioinformatics and the least integration of bioinformatics into their teaching. Faculty from underrepresented minority groups (URMs) in STEM reported training barriers at a higher rate than others, although the number of URM respondents was small. Interestingly, the cohort of faculty with the most recently awarded PhD degrees reported the most training but were teaching bioinformatics at a lower rate than faculty who earned their degrees in previous decades. Other barriers reported included lack of student interest in bioinformatics; lack of student preparation in mathematics, statistics, and computer science; already overly full curricula; and limited access to resources, including hardware, software, and vetted teaching materials. The results of the survey, the largest to date on bioinformatics education, will guide efforts to further integrate bioinformatics instruction into undergraduate life sciences education.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2017

Bioinformatics Core Competencies for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education

Bioinformatics is becoming increasingly central to research in the life sciences. However, despite its importance, bioinformatics skills and knowledge are not well integrated in undergraduate biology education. This curricular gap prevents biology students from harnessing the full potential of their education, limiting their career opportunities and slowing genomic research innovation. To advance the integration of bioinformatics into life sciences education, a framework of core bioinformatics competencies is needed. To that end, we here report the results of a survey of life sciences faculty in the United States about teaching bioinformatics to undergraduate life scientists. Responses were received from 1,260 faculty representing institutions in all fifty states with a combined capacity to educate hundreds of thousands of students every year. Results indicate strong, widespread agreement that bioinformatics knowledge and skills are critical for undergraduate life scientists, as well as considerable agreement about which skills are necessary. Perceptions of the importance of some skills varied with the respondents degree of training, time since degree earned, and/or the Carnegie classification of the respondents institution. To assess which skills are currently being taught, we analyzed syllabi of courses with bioinformatics content submitted by survey respondents. Finally, we used the survey results, the analysis of syllabi, and our collective research and teaching expertise to develop a set of bioinformatics core competencies for undergraduate life sciences students. These core competencies are intended to serve as a guide for institutions as they work to integrate bioinformatics into their life sciences curricula.\n\nSignificance StatementBioinformatics, an interdisciplinary field that uses techniques from computer science and mathematics to store, manage, and analyze biological data, is becoming increasingly central to modern biology research. Given the widespread use of bioinformatics and its impacts on societal problem-solving (e.g., in healthcare, agriculture, and natural resources management), there is a growing need for the integration of bioinformatics competencies into undergraduate life sciences education. Here, we present a set of bioinformatics core competencies for undergraduate life scientists developed using the results of a large national survey and the expertise of our working group of bioinformaticians and educators. We also present results from the survey on the importance of bioinformatics skills and the current state of integration of bioinformatics into biology education.

bioinformatics↗