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The Effects Of Construction Activity On The Behavior Of Captive Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta), Courtney A. Begnoche Jan 2014

The Effects Of Construction Activity On The Behavior Of Captive Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca Mulatta), Courtney A. Begnoche

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Previous studies have revealed insight into the effects of noises and vibrations on rodents, livestock, and zoo animals, but there is little information about such effects on non-human primates. This study aimed to assess the impact of construction activity on the behavior of animals in a non-human primate (rhesus macaque) facility. Construction activity and modified frequency behavioral data were divided into three phases: baseline (~3 months prior to construction), roof (construction on top of the animal facility), and honors (construction of 7 new buildings adjacent to the facility). We hypothesized that anxiety behaviors (scratch and yawn) would be increased during …


The Role Of Bacterial Microcompartments In The Fermentation Of D-Arabinose In Clostridium Phytofermentans, Megan A. Strough Jan 2013

The Role Of Bacterial Microcompartments In The Fermentation Of D-Arabinose In Clostridium Phytofermentans, Megan A. Strough

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Bacterial microcompartments, or BMCs, are 80-200nm, enzyme-encompassing organelles composed of interlocking proteins that form cyclical hexamers with a small central pore. Clostridium phytofermentans or Cphy, is a Gram-positive, rod shaped, anaerobic soil microbe that has the ability to not only break down multiple polysaccharides simultaneously but also proceeds to ferment them into biofuels. The genome of Cphy contains 3 BMC loci. During growth on fucose and rhamnose, one of these loci is highly expressed and microcompartments can be viewed using TEM. Under these growth conditions, three products, ethanol, propanol and propionate, which could potentially be highly useful in the biofuel …


An Investigation Of Human-Error Rates In Wildlife Photographic Identification; Implications For The Use Of Citizen Scientists, Megan Chesser Jan 2012

An Investigation Of Human-Error Rates In Wildlife Photographic Identification; Implications For The Use Of Citizen Scientists, Megan Chesser

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Rapid technological advancements in digital cameras and widespread public access to the internet have inspired many researchers to consider alternative methods for collecting, analyzing, and distributing scientific data. Two emerging fields of study that have capitalized on these developments are “citizen science” and photo-id in wildlife capture-mark-recapture (CMR) studies. Both approaches offer unprecedented flexibility and potential for acquiring previously inconceivable datasets, yet both remain dependent on data collection by human observers. The absence of rigorous assessment of observer error rates causes many scientists to resist citizen science altogether or to fail to incorporate citizen-collected data into ecological analyses. This same …


A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Armored Scale Insects, Based Upon Nuclear, Mitochondrial, And Endosymbiont Gene Sequences, Jeremy C. Andersen Jan 2009

A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Armored Scale Insects, Based Upon Nuclear, Mitochondrial, And Endosymbiont Gene Sequences, Jeremy C. Andersen

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) are among the most invasive insects in the world. They have unusual genetic systems, including diverse types of paternal genome elimination (PGE) and parthenogenesis. Intimate relationships with their host plants and bacterial endosymbionts make them potentially important subjects for the study of co- evolution. Also, in some groups, the adult female never sheds the second instars cuticle, and remains within its confines, a habit referred to as the pupillarial habit. Here we expand upon recent phylogenetic work (Morse and Normark 2006) by analyzing a partitioned dataset including armored scale and endoysmbiont DNA from one hundred …