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Parasitism And Feather Reflectance In Mourning Doves (Zenaida Macroura), Wesley Youngblood
Parasitism And Feather Reflectance In Mourning Doves (Zenaida Macroura), Wesley Youngblood
Honors Theses
The theory of sexual selection has proven to be an important factor in understanding the mechanisms behind the evolution of secondary sexual traits. The Hamilton and Zuk (1982) hypothesis of parasite-mediated sexual selection postulates that birds evolved ornamentation to indicate parasite resistance to potential mates. My research explores the relationship between parasite load and plumage coloration in hunter-harvested mourning doves. Plumage from seven body areas was collected, ectoparasites were quantified and blood smears made so that intracellular hematozoan parasites could be quantified. Tarsometatarsi were measured, and the testes of males were collected to determine any effects of parasite load on …
Simulated Diabetes Testing Experiment Using Artificially Manipulated Livestock Blood, Hollie E. Ables
Simulated Diabetes Testing Experiment Using Artificially Manipulated Livestock Blood, Hollie E. Ables
Honors Theses
Due to the prevalence of diabetes and lack of simple endocrine experiments, a laboratory protocol was developed in order to increase student knowledge of the disease and the diabetic testing process. In this paper, we present the protocol for manipulating the glucose concentration of commercially available bovine blood. The bovine blood was manipulated using Ringer's solution to which glucose was added, and six samples were prepared (pre-prandial and postprandial, normal; pre-prandial and postprandial, pre-diabetic; pre-prandial and postprandial, diabetic). This laboratory exercise provides a physical, hands-on student activity that highlights pancreatic endocrinology and the results of pancreatic malfunction. The laboratory exercise …
Bacteria Con Leche: Bacterial Populations And Antibiotic Resistance Within Conventional, Usda Organic, And Local Milk, Kristen M. Wilson
Bacteria Con Leche: Bacterial Populations And Antibiotic Resistance Within Conventional, Usda Organic, And Local Milk, Kristen M. Wilson
Honors Theses
Concerns over food production and processing, along with increasing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and antibiotic resistant infections have led many consumers to seek alternative food sources in the organic and local food markets. This study compared conventional, USDA certified organic, and local farmer's market milk types to determine whether there is any noticeable benefit to purchasing organic or locally harvested milk in terms of their bacterial populations and level of antibiotic resistance. Samples from various milk types were plated on Tryptic Soy Agar and Milk Agar plates to enumerate bacteria, and the cultivated bacteria tested for resistance to the antibiotics …
Regulators Of Repo: A Search For Gcm/Repo Transcription Factors, Kathy Ann Nipper
Regulators Of Repo: A Search For Gcm/Repo Transcription Factors, Kathy Ann Nipper
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The role of the Drosophila melanogaster gene glial cells missing (gcm) is that of a binary switch in both the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) in specification of the glial fate for multipotent precursor cells. However, Gcm is also essential for maturation of hematocytes and tendon cells ( Alfonso and Jones, 2002; Jones, et al., 1995; Hosoya et al., 1995; Soustell et al., 2004). The varied outcomes of gcm expression imply the interaction of co-factors capable of giving the Gcm protein different "meanings" in different developmental contexts. The Gcm target repo is expressed exclusively in …
Octocoral Physiology: Calcium Carbonate Composition And The Effect Of Thermal Stress On Enzyme Activity, Hadley Pearson
Octocoral Physiology: Calcium Carbonate Composition And The Effect Of Thermal Stress On Enzyme Activity, Hadley Pearson
Honors Theses
Octocorals are a diverse group of organisms, and within the Caribbean they contribute substantially to coral-reef cover. In this thesis, two different studies performed on these marine organisms are detailed. In Section I, the percent calcium carbonate composition of several species was analyzed. Octocorals produce sclerites: calcium carbonate crystals that serve as the skeletal elements of the coral. Determining the percent calcium carbonate composition of eight Caribbean octocoral species can give comparative insight into the form and function in these animals. This study also offers clues about potential evolutionary tradeoffs between rigidity and flexibility, as well as establishes some basic …
Attempts To Determine The Community Structure Of Archaea In Major Tributaries Of The Mississippi River, Thomas Douglas Bateman
Attempts To Determine The Community Structure Of Archaea In Major Tributaries Of The Mississippi River, Thomas Douglas Bateman
Honors Theses
Archaea were once thought to be limited to extreme environments, but it has now been established that they are found in diverse ecosystems worldwide. Archaea may possess distinctive properties that affect biogeochemical processes, which makes understanding their distribution crucial in determining their effect on these processes. Little research has been done on the ecology of Archaea in rivers, and this study represents the first attempt to gain an understanding of the diversity of Archaea within major tributaries of the Mississippi River. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of archaeal DNA and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was used to examine community …
Electromyography Of Mastication Muscles In College Athletes, John Ratliff
Electromyography Of Mastication Muscles In College Athletes, John Ratliff
Honors Theses
The purpose of this experiment was to determine if co-activation in enhanced neck muscles increased surface electromyography (sEMG) activity in the masseter while chewing with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd molars. Sixteen football players from The University of Mississippi volunteered for this study. Football players were examined because they strengthen their neck 4 days a week to help prevent neck injuries and concussions. Participants' average body fat was 15.68% and average body mass was 100.69 kilograms showing that the participants were larger, muscular individuals compared to non student-athletes and represent a unique, study group. Participants performed maximum weight on a …
Evaluation Of Microbial Diversity Present In Herbal Supplements As Revealed By Pcr-Based 16s Sequence Analysis, Stephen Stone
Evaluation Of Microbial Diversity Present In Herbal Supplements As Revealed By Pcr-Based 16s Sequence Analysis, Stephen Stone
Honors Theses
Over the last few decades people have become more aware of their general wellness and have turned towards alternative measures to ensure good health. One of these alternative measures, the herbal supplement market, has risen significantly in recent years, even though there is no conclusive research that points to the effectiveness of herbal supplements. Also, because of sparse regulation from the FDA, there are many questions related to the efficacy, composition, processing methods, and, consequently, safety of these supplements. The aim of this study was to determine the microbial composition of herbal supplements in an attempt to identify potential targets …
Understanding The Karoo: Investigating The Function Of A Copulation Call In Female Wild Turkeys Meleagris Gallopavo, Callie Grey
Understanding The Karoo: Investigating The Function Of A Copulation Call In Female Wild Turkeys Meleagris Gallopavo, Callie Grey
Honors Theses
Even with the vast amount of research regarding mating vocalizations and their adaptive functions, the copulation call of female wild turkeys, Meleagris gallopavo, has yet to be described. The purpose of this study was to describe this novel call, referred to as karoo and to test three hypotheses for its function. Previously collected data in the form of video tapes and data sheets provided the basis of this study. Dr. Richard Buchholz conducted experimental trials in 2008 and 2009. Male behavioral data was recorded on the videos. The videos and the data sheets were used to collect female behavioral data. …
Meta-Analysis Of Melanoma Incidence In The United States: Demographic Variation And Relationship With Uv Index And Latitude, Charles Thomas Pritchard
Meta-Analysis Of Melanoma Incidence In The United States: Demographic Variation And Relationship With Uv Index And Latitude, Charles Thomas Pritchard
Honors Theses
A link between exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and melanoma skin cancer formation has generally been accepted in the scientific community, but precise quantification of such a link into a predictive equation is difficult to find in scientific literature. It was the aim of this study to determine if a quantifiable relationship exists between UV exposure and melanoma rates in the United States. Prior to the initiation of this study, it was hypothesized that existing predictive equations using accumulated UV index and latitude for general skin cancer incidence (i.e., including both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers) in Chile would be …
Dna-Based Species Identification And Population Genetics Of The Eastern Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes Flavipes, In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Benjamin Collins
Dna-Based Species Identification And Population Genetics Of The Eastern Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes Flavipes, In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Benjamin Collins
Honors Theses
This study investigates the distribution patterns of Reticulitermes flavipes, an important recycler of nutrients and well-known destroyer of man-made structures, in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. As a precursor to this work, it was first necessary to distinguish the target species from other co-occurring termite species. To combat this problem, a modified Polymerase Chain Reaction- Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay that uses a 384-bp segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) gene was designed. To test the accuracy of this tool, predictions made from using this method were compared to predictions made by genetic sequencing. This modified PCR-RFLP …
Investigation Of Bax Vdac Interactions And Their Relationship Regarding Apoptosis In Drosophila Melanogaster, John Sullivan
Investigation Of Bax Vdac Interactions And Their Relationship Regarding Apoptosis In Drosophila Melanogaster, John Sullivan
Honors Theses
Cell mediated death, or apoptosis, is a critical biological process that once fully understood could unlock a potentially new understanding of the mechanisms of both cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. The general mechanism of apoptosis includes cytochrome c being released from the mitochondrial membrane through a channel created by an activated pro-apoptotic BH123 protein. Once the cytochrome c leaves the mitochondrial membrane it goes on to ultimately activate a caspase cascade, which results in cell apoptosis. Similar to BH123 channels, VDACs (voltage-dependent anion channels) are also pore-forming proteins that regulate the intake and output of metabolites from the mitochondrial intermembrane space …
Preliminary Investigations Into The Population Genetics Of The Horned Passalus Beetle, Odontotaenius Disjunctus (Coleoptera), In Forests Of The Southeastern United States, Rachel Yi
Honors Theses
As a major hotspot of biodiversity, the Appalachian Mountains have been a source of great interest for ecologists in many ways. The mountains' north-south orientation, varying degrees of elevation and environmental conditions, and historical cycles of glacial encroachment have been thought to contribute to this unusual level of population variation. As such, population genetic studies of species have been a growing area of investigation. Phylogeography, the study of how historical processes could lead to current geographic distributions of individuals and populations of a species, is a particularly prominent direction. The focus of this study examines the horned passalus and its …
The Effects Of Adrenergic Antagonists On Spatial Memory In The Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata), Taylor Williams
The Effects Of Adrenergic Antagonists On Spatial Memory In The Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata), Taylor Williams
Honors Theses
The adrenergic system appears to be involved in the consolidation and reconsolidation of hippocampally dependent spatial memories in mammals. Based on connectivity, cell types, ontogeny and receptor distribution, the avian hippocampus is thought to be a homolog to the mammalian hippocampus. The adrenergic system appears to be fairly conserved but may show some species specializations. To determine if the adrenergic system plays a role in spatial learning and memory in birds, we used a series of experiments to investigate the role of α- and β-adrenergic receptors on spatial navigation and memory in an avian species, zebra finches, using the Day …
An Evaluation Of Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activity In Response To Burning As A Forest Restoration Technique, William M. Steward
An Evaluation Of Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activity In Response To Burning As A Forest Restoration Technique, William M. Steward
Honors Theses
Burning is a method of forest restoration with the goal of returning natural tree species to ecosystems. Burning has a wide range of effects on an ecosystem, including the alteration of important soil processes and characteristics. One of the key components of soil is the activity of extracellular enzymes, which can be used to provide insight into the nutritional requirements of soil microbes as well as nutrient availability and cycling. Because enzymes are important in the overall functioning of soil and can be used to assess soil health, there is great need to examine the effects of burning on soil …