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Glia Excitation In The Cns Modulates Intact Behaviors And Sensory-Cns-Motor Circuitry, Shelby Mccubbin, Douglas A. Harrison, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

Glial cells play a role in many important processes, though the mechanisms through which they affect neighboring cells are not fully known. Insights may be gained by selectively activating glial cell populations in intact organisms utilizing the activatable channel proteins channel rhodopsin (ChR2XXL) and TRPA1. Here, the impacts of the glial-specific expression of these channels were examined in both larval and adult Drosophila. The Glia > ChR2XXL adults and larvae became immobile when exposed to blue light and TRPA1-expressed Drosophila upon heat exposure. The chloride pump expression in glia > eNpHR animals showed no observable differences in adults or larvae. In …

Variable Anterior Segment Dysgenesis And Cardiac Anomalies Caused By A Novel Truncating Variant Of Foxc1, Mariya R. Ahmed, Saumil Sethna, Laura A. Krueger, Michael B. Yang, Robert B. Hufnagel

Biology Graduate Research

Anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD) encompasses a wide spectrum of developmental abnormalities of the anterior ocular segment, including congenital cataract, iris hypoplasia, aniridia, iridocorneal synechiae, as well as Peters, Axenfeld, and Rieger anomalies. Here, we report a large five-generation Caucasian family exhibiting atypical syndromic ASD segregating with a novel truncating variant of FOXC1. The family history is consistent with highly variable autosomal dominant symptoms including isolated glaucoma, iris hypoplasia, aniridia, cataract, hypothyroidism, and congenital heart anomalies. Whole-exome sequencing revealed a novel variant [c.313_314insA; p.(Tyr105*)] in FOXC1 that disrupts the α-helical region of the DNA-binding forkhead box domain. In vitro studies …

Sex Differences In Desiccation Tolerance Varies By Colony In The Mesic Liverwort Plagiochila Porelloides, Juliana Da C. Silva-E-Costa, Andrea P. Luizi-Ponzo, David Nicholas Mcletchie

Biology Faculty Publications

Water scarcity, a common stress factor, negatively impacts plant performance. Strategies to cope with it, such as desiccation tolerance, are becoming increasingly important to investigate. However, phenomena, such as intraspecific variation in stress responses have not received much attention. Knowledge of this variability and the environmental drivers can be leveraged to further investigate the mechanisms of desiccation tolerance. Here we tested for variation in desiccation tolerance in Plagiochila porelloides among colonies and sexes within the same riparian zone. Field-collected dehardened plants were subjected to a desiccation event, under controlled conditions and then rehydrated. Plant water status, photosynthetic rates, net carbon …

Using Low-Fix Rate Gps Telemetry To Expand Estimates Of Ungulate Reproductive Success, Nathan D. Hooven, Kathleen E. Williams, John T. Hast, Joseph R. Mcdermott, R. Daniel Crank, Gabe Jenkins, Matthew T. Springer, John J. Cox

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Background

Population parameters such as reproductive success are critical for sustainably managing ungulate populations, however obtaining these data is often difficult, expensive, and invasive. Movement-based methods that leverage Global Positioning System (GPS) relocation data to identify parturition offer an alternative to more invasive techniques such as vaginal implant transmitters, but thus far have only been applied to relocation data with a relatively fine (one fix every  < 8 h) temporal resolution. We employed a machine learning method to classify parturition/calf survival in cow elk in southeastern Kentucky, USA, using 13-h GPS relocation data and three simple movement metrics, training a random forest on cows that successfully reared their calf to a week old.

Results

We developed a decision rule based upon a predicted probability threshold across individual cow time series, accurately classifying 89.5% (51/57) of cows with a known reproductive status. When used to infer status of …

Plant Canopy May Promote Seed Dispersal By Wind, Xuanping Qin, Wei Liang, Zhimin Liu, Minghu Liu, Carol C. Baskin, Jerry M. Baskin, Zhiming Xin, Zhigang Wang, Quanlai Zhou

Biology Faculty Publications

Seed dispersal has received much research attention. The plant canopy can intercept diaspores, but the effect of the plant canopy (the aboveground portion of a plant consisting of branches and leaves) on dispersal distance has not been explored empirically. To determine the effect of plant canopy on seed dispersal distance, a comparison of diaspores falling through open air and through plant canopy was made in a wind tunnel using three wind speeds and diaspores with various traits. Compared with diaspores falling through open air, the dispersal distance of diaspores falling through plant canopy was decreased or increased, depending on wind …

Understanding The Cellular And Physiological Mechanisms Of Fertilization And Early-Stage Seed Development, Mohammad Foteh Ali

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Flowering plants have evolved a unique double-fertilization process. Two sperm cells fuse with two female gametophytic cells, the egg and central cells within the ovule, giving rise to the embryo and endosperm, respectively. Sperm cells in flowering plants are nonmotile and delivered in close proximity to the egg and central cells by the pollen tube. Flowering plants have established filamentous actin (F-actin) based sperm nuclear migration system for successful fertilization. Prior to fertilization, the female gamete forms a mesh-like structure of F-actin that shows constant inward movement from the plasma membrane periphery to the center of the cell where the …

Estrogen Regulation Of Daily Metabolic Rhythms In Female Mice, Oluwabukola Omotola

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Circadian rhythms are approximately 24-hour cycles of behavior, physiology, and gene expression. In mammals, these circadian rhythms are generated by clocks located in nearly every tissue in the body. The function of circadian clocks is to synchronize physiology and behavior with environmental cycles such as the light-dark cycle. After menopause, when circulating levels of estrogens are very low, women are more susceptible to obesity comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, suggesting that estrogens regulate these processes. Estrogens could protect females from metabolic dysfunction by regulating circadian rhythms. Consumption of diets that are high in fat contribute to obesity. …

Understanding The Effects Of Embryonic Hyperglycemia On Retinal Development And Maintenance, Kayla Titialii-Torres

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Hundreds of millions of people are affected by diabetes worldwide. Whether they are diagnosed with prediabetes or Type I or II diabetes, there are a variety of mechanisms in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Diabetes is a disease which consists of recurring states of hyperglycemia that can be difficult to manage due to either lack of insulin production or improper utilization of insulin. While these mechanisms of action differ, complications induced by diabetes occur in both poorly regulated Type I and II. Common complications of diabetes include nerve damage, kidney damage, and eye damage. Eye damage specifically is called diabetic retinopathy …

The Ecology And Evolution Of Human Reproductive Behavior, Kaylynne Glover

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

The complexity of human reproductive behavior has necessitated its examination through a variety of scientific disciplines, each focusing on specific elements of our biology, behavior, and society. However, this complexity also necessitates that we reintegrate the information learned from each discipline into a single framework, one rooted in the evolutionary principles that have shaped the development of all life on earth. In this dissertation, I use this framework to explore human reproductive behavior, with a particular focus on sexual coercion and fertility-mediated sexual behavior.

In Chapter 1, I introduce the approach taken in this document, identify several key limitations, and …