Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
-
- Biology (5)
- Bacteriophage (3)
- Adhesion (2)
- Agriculture (2)
- Arabidopsis (2)
-
- Costa Rica (2)
- Cyanobacteria (2)
- Locomotion (2)
- Maternal behavior (2)
- Navigation (2)
- Olfaction (2)
- PCB (2)
- Research (2)
- Treatment (2)
- 16S sequencing (1)
- 5E (1)
- ATAC-seq (1)
- Acipenser fulvescens (1)
- Adductor muscle (1)
- Aggression (1)
- Algal blooms (1)
- Alginate (1)
- Alteration (1)
- Amblypygid (1)
- Amino acid (1)
- Anosmia (1)
- Antarctica (1)
- Antibiotic (1)
- Antibiotic Resistance (1)
- Antibiotic resistance (1)
- Publication Year
Articles 1 - 30 of 60
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Evolution Of The Human Eye: As Compared To Other Vertebrates, Madison Queener
Evolution Of The Human Eye: As Compared To Other Vertebrates, Madison Queener
Honors Projects
There are three different types of eyes, the simple eye, the compound eye, and the camera eye (Cambridge Dictionary) (Myer-Rochow, 2014) (UCL, 2020). The retina of the eye has evolved and adapted to fit the lifestyles of the respective organisms. Because of this part of the eye, organisms are able to see different colors and use light to define the world using photoreceptors. Photoreceptors are rod cells, which are light sensitive and process light, and cone cells, which perceive the different color wavelengths, that pass visual information to the brain (Kazilek, 2010). About 5% of the photoreceptors in the retinas …
Exploring The Longitudinal Effects: Non-Traditional Pedagogies And Practical Learning On Biology Education And Medical Understanding, Thomas Ziebro
Exploring The Longitudinal Effects: Non-Traditional Pedagogies And Practical Learning On Biology Education And Medical Understanding, Thomas Ziebro
Honors Projects
Medical disinformation is becoming a rampant problem in the United States, and the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted it. There have been attempts to fight the problem at the source through fact verification. These attempts have been unsuccessful. This paper investigates the efficacy of non-traditional pedagogies and the correlation between them and an individual perceived and practical ability to understand their primary care provider. The purpose of this research was to establish whether non-traditional pedagogies at the secondary and post-secondary level are more effective than traditional lecture-based instruction. The research was conducted through an anonymous cross-sectional survey which included questions about educational …
Modulation Of The Crustacean Cardiac Neuromuscular System By The Sly Neuropeptide Family, Grant Griesman
Modulation Of The Crustacean Cardiac Neuromuscular System By The Sly Neuropeptide Family, Grant Griesman
Honors Projects
Central pattern generators (CPGs) are neuronal networks that produce rhythmic motor output in the absence of sensory stimuli. Invertebrate CPGs are valuable models of neural circuit dynamics and neuromodulation because they continue to generate fictive activity in vitro. For example, the cardiac ganglion (CG) of the Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) and American lobster (Homarus americanus) contains nine electrochemically coupled neurons that fire bursts of action potentials to trigger a heartbeat. The CG is modulated by neuropeptides, amines, small molecule transmitters, gases, and mechanosensory feedback pathways that enable flexibility and constrain output. One such modulator, the …
Mitochondrial Adaptation In The Green Crab Hybrid Zone Of The Gulf Of Maine, Jared Lynch
Mitochondrial Adaptation In The Green Crab Hybrid Zone Of The Gulf Of Maine, Jared Lynch
Honors Projects
The mitochondrial genome has historically been relegated to a neutral genetic marker, but new evidence suggests mitochondrial DNA to be a target for adaptation to environmental stress. The invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas) exemplifies this in the Gulf of Maine’s hybrid zone, where interbreeding populations exhibit thermal tolerances influenced by mitochondrial genotype. To better understand the mechanism behind this phenomenon, the effect of mitochondrial genotype on mitochondrial activity was tested by measuring mtDNA copy number (mtCN) and the activity of complex I, II, and IV of the electron transport system via high-resolution respirometry. Mitochondria isolated from frozen …
Comparison Of Globalfiler Pcr Amplification Inhibition Due To Humic Acid And Canine Dna, Mckinzie Bundy
Comparison Of Globalfiler Pcr Amplification Inhibition Due To Humic Acid And Canine Dna, Mckinzie Bundy
Honors Projects
To obtain a DNA profile from a crime scene sample, the DNA must undergo amplification through the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The PCR process can be inhibited by factors that increase DNase I activity or by factors that interfere with Taq polymerase binding to the DNA. This study compares inhibition to the PCR process caused by dog DNA with inhibition caused by humic acid. The GlobalFiler PCR Amplification Kit was tested using mixtures of dog DNA and human control DNA and mixtures of humic acid and human control DNA. The profiles obtained from these mixtures were then analyzed for instances …
Host And Symbiont-Specific Patterns Of Gene Expression In Response To Cold Stress In The Temperate Coral Astrangia Poculata, Kellie Navarro
Host And Symbiont-Specific Patterns Of Gene Expression In Response To Cold Stress In The Temperate Coral Astrangia Poculata, Kellie Navarro
Honors Projects
The coral Astrangia poculata inhabits hard-bottom environments from the Gulf of Mexico to Massachusetts and withstands large seasonal variation in temperature (–2 to 26 °C). This thermal range and its ability to live in a facultative symbiosis makes this species an ideal model system for investigating stress responses to ocean temperature variation. Although it has been shown that aposymbiotic A. poculata upregulates more genes in response to cold stress than heat stress, the transcriptomic response of the holobiont (coral host and symbiotic algae) to stress is unknown. In this study, we characterize changes in gene expression in both the host …
Functional Redundancy Of A Non-Native Foundation Species (Eelgrass, Zostera Japonica) Across Intertidal Stress Gradients, S. Maria Garcia
Functional Redundancy Of A Non-Native Foundation Species (Eelgrass, Zostera Japonica) Across Intertidal Stress Gradients, S. Maria Garcia
Honors Projects
Non-native species foundation species can alter ecosystems in both positive and negative ways. The creation of habitat can be beneficial to native species when they provide a limiting resource or in a stressful environment. Yet this creation of habitat can also be detrimental by replacing native species and/or facilitating the presence of more non-native species. In Willapa Bay, WA, a non-native foundation species, Zostera japonica, co-exists with the native foundation species Zostera marina. Zostera japonica persists at the higher intertidal in monocultures, the two species overlap in the mid intertidal, and Z. marina persists in monocultures in the low intertidal. …
Standardization Of A Latent Blood Visualizer Based Upon Dna Degradation, Kailey M. Van 'T Hoff
Standardization Of A Latent Blood Visualizer Based Upon Dna Degradation, Kailey M. Van 'T Hoff
Honors Projects
Latent blood visualizers have been used in forensic science since 1937 beginning with Luminol. These visualizers through different types of reactions react with trace amounts of blood that cannot be seen with the naked human eye. These different reactions produce color that can then be seen by examiners. The four types of latent blood visualizers that were compared is luminol, leuco crystal violet, fluorescein, and bluestar. Luminol and bluestar use chemiluminescence, fluorescein uses florescent, and leuco crystal violet uses oxidation to react with iron in hemoglobin. At crime scenes when blood is detected which includes with the blood visualizers the …
Autopsy V. Virtopsy: A New Approach For Postmortem Forensic Examination, Nicole Elaine Lawson
Autopsy V. Virtopsy: A New Approach For Postmortem Forensic Examination, Nicole Elaine Lawson
Honors Projects
Virtopsy as a potential new standard in forensic science investigation in the place of a conventional autopsy. In recent years there have been new advancements across the forensic field and in the scientific world as a whole. These advancements have changed many approaches bringing new capabilities and new challenges and pushback. This report takes a specific interest in the evolution of forensic autopsy. With improvements such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography scan (CT), X-Rays, and other approaches a new term and technique have been coined Virtopsy. As this new potential approach has come to light the resistance against …
Use Of Intramodal Odor Cues In Shelter Recognition By An Amblypygid, Nathan Bostelman
Use Of Intramodal Odor Cues In Shelter Recognition By An Amblypygid, Nathan Bostelman
Honors Projects
Amblypygids are nocturnal arthropods which live in cluttered habitats and possess the ability to navigate home after displacements of up to ten meters. Homing amblypygids rely on olfactory and tactile information gathered by their antenniform legs to navigate successfully. Given that odor signals encountered in nature are complex and dynamic, navigation via olfaction presents unique challenges related to signal uncertainty. To understand how amblypygids perceive perceive complex odors and what they learn from them, individuals of the subtropical amblypygid P. marginemaculatus were trained to associate a blend of two odors with a shelter and tested on three treatments: the reinforced …
Exploring The Relationship Between Art And Environmental Education, Mackenzie Haynes
Exploring The Relationship Between Art And Environmental Education, Mackenzie Haynes
Honors Projects
To explore the relationship between art and environmental education, I created a lesson plan and then put into practice at Crim Elementary School in a 4th grade art class. The art project had to do with the environment, endangered animals and recyclable materials. I titled the project "Habitat Heroes" and students had to imagine that they were the only people left on Earth along with a few animals and lots of trash. They were tasked with selecting an endangered animal in Ohio from one of five different groups (mammals, birds, reptiles/amphibians, birds and fish) to create a habitat for. The …
Assessing Environmental Factors That Influence Cyanobacterial Blooms In Skinn Lake, Kloe Atwood
Assessing Environmental Factors That Influence Cyanobacterial Blooms In Skinn Lake, Kloe Atwood
Honors Projects
Global lakes are experiencing an increase in toxic algal blooms that can be damaging to the environment. These blooms are caused by cyanobacteria, specifically a species called Planktothrix. Skinn Lake, in Ohio, is a location of a cyanobacterial bloom that is mainly populated by Planktothrix rubescens. This lake was further examined to identify the major toxin-producing bacteria and identify environmental microbes surrounding the bloom. When the data was examined it was found that the microbiomes of the lake greatly differed between the winter (bloom) months and the summer (non-bloom) months. This difference can be viewed within the nutrient analysis from …
Isolating Bacteriophage For Potential Treatment Of Chronic Multi-Drug Resistant Escherichia Coli Infections, Leila Oswalt
Isolating Bacteriophage For Potential Treatment Of Chronic Multi-Drug Resistant Escherichia Coli Infections, Leila Oswalt
Honors Projects
The misuse and overuse of antibiotics has led to the intense rise in antibiotic resistance. As society transitions into the post antibiotic era, there will be a great need for new therapeutic strategies to address multiple drug resistant bacterial infections. One such method, called bacteriophage therapy, allows for specific targeting of certain pathogenic bacteria through the use of viruses that attack bacteria; termed “bacteriophage” or simply “phage”. Urinary tract infections are among the most common pathological human infections that rely heavily on the use of antibiotics, the major cause of which is the bacterium Escherichia coli. During the Spring 2021-Spring …
The Role Of Elmo5 In Arabidopsis Thaliana Cell Adhesion, Isabel Kristina Ball
The Role Of Elmo5 In Arabidopsis Thaliana Cell Adhesion, Isabel Kristina Ball
Honors Projects
Plant cell growth and development relies on proper cellular adhesion. As the extracellular matrix serves as the area of connection between two cells, its synthesis and maintenance are essential for cellular adhesion. The middle lamella region, the layer of the extracellular matrix between two adjacent cell walls, is diffuse with the polysaccharide pectin due to its delivery by Golgi vesicles early during cell division. A Ruthenium Red screen for cellular adhesion mutants identified the family of 5 ELMO proteins that are critical for proper cellular adhesion. To further our understanding of plant cellular adhesion and pathways of pectin synthesis and …
Water Color: Inspiring Conservation Of Freshwater Ecosystems By Painting With Algae, Kate Lochridge
Water Color: Inspiring Conservation Of Freshwater Ecosystems By Painting With Algae, Kate Lochridge
Honors Projects
“Water Color: Inspiring Conservation of Freshwater Systems by Painting With Algae” is a project that focuses on raising awareness of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie through the creation of algae-based paint. Its goal is to provide a multidisciplinary outlet for understanding complex interactions between the causes, effects, and solutions of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). The novel part of this project is the creation of watercolor paint from algae cells. This paint was used to create algae-based artwork that facilitates an aesthetic interaction with the science of HABs when other informative materials- such as journal articles- can be confusing and …
An Insider's Guide To Cell Biology, Katie Ludwig
An Insider's Guide To Cell Biology, Katie Ludwig
Honors Projects
An Insider's Guide to Cell Biology is a comic book that follows Alanine the amoeba who tells the reader all about how the cell works.
Alterations To The Brain Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Jacqueline Mader
Alterations To The Brain Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Jacqueline Mader
Honors Projects
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) have been labeled as a modern-day epidemic, increasing exponentially with the advancement of technology and society. Gaining a better understanding of the cognitive paths, including the chemical and electrical signals of the brain, neural correlates, and possible interventions for TBI patients allows for the best possible outcome for every patient, and allows for the further advancement of care. By revising and reassessing the ways in which TBIs are categorized and described the prognosis for recovery paints a more realistic view for each individual patient case. The symptoms and impairments that may occur post-injury can be monitored …
Pectin And Alginate Extraction To Treat Liquid Cafo Manure, Clare Sunderman
Pectin And Alginate Extraction To Treat Liquid Cafo Manure, Clare Sunderman
Honors Projects
For this project, various extraction methods were used to extract pectin from Pastinaca Sativa and alginate from Macrocystis. These extractions were then dried and used in treating 250mL of manure along with a CaCl2 or FeCl3 coagulant. It was found that CaCl2 was not as effective as FeCl3 in coagulating manure. But the results obtained suggest that pectin and alginate obtained with a simpler extraction method is just as effective as the highly purified and refined pectin and alginate produced for the food industry, in the treatment of CAFO manure. The liquid portion of the …
Unsupervised And Supervised Learning For Rna-Protein Interactions And Annotations, Kateland Sipe
Unsupervised And Supervised Learning For Rna-Protein Interactions And Annotations, Kateland Sipe
Honors Projects
This project analyzed the base and amino acid interactions and annotations through the use of unsupervised and supervised learning techniques. For unsupervised learning, clustering found the data was not able to be distinguished into clear groups which matched the original annotations through kmeans clustering and hierarchical clustering. For supervised learning, the use of random forest, glmnet, and deep learning neural networks were successful in creating accurate predictions. However, machine learning likely will not be able to replace the original complex program, but could be used for possible simplification.
Too Little Ph: How Freshwater Acidification Impacts The Abundance Of Macrophytes Consumed By Rusty Crayfish, Lauren Tucker, Paul Moore Dr., Jay Jones Mr.
Too Little Ph: How Freshwater Acidification Impacts The Abundance Of Macrophytes Consumed By Rusty Crayfish, Lauren Tucker, Paul Moore Dr., Jay Jones Mr.
Honors Projects
Anthropogenic activities such as the burning of fossil fuels result in increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. High levels of atmospheric CO2 cause chemical shifts in the carbon cycle. Changes in the carbon cycle due to increased CO2 levels lead to ocean and freshwater acidification. Freshwater acidification is problematic for species that synthesize their own shells as well as species that use olfaction for decision-making. Rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) were subject to simulated freshwater acidification and fed two types of macrophyte, Chara (Chara braunii) and Myriopyllum (Myriophyllum sibiricum). A series …
The Role Of The Golgi Elmo Proteins In Cell Adhesion In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Wesley James Hudson
The Role Of The Golgi Elmo Proteins In Cell Adhesion In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Wesley James Hudson
Honors Projects
Proper growth and development of plant cells is dependent upon successful cell adhesion between cells, and this is mostly mediated by pectin in the plant cell wall. Previously, the Kohorn Laboratory identified a non-enzymatic Golgi protein named ELMO1 as it is required for cell adhesion, likely acting as a scaffold for cell wall polymer synthesis. Plants with mutant ELMO1 demonstrate a weak defective cellular adhesion phenotype as well as reduced mannose content in the cell wall. ELMO1 has homologous proteins in at least 29 different vascular plants. These homologues have 2 possible deletions in their amino acid sequence, but protein …
Mutual Benefits Of Inducible Defenses To Crab Predators In The Blue Mussel Mytilus Edulis In A Multi-Predator Environment, Sophia Walton
Mutual Benefits Of Inducible Defenses To Crab Predators In The Blue Mussel Mytilus Edulis In A Multi-Predator Environment, Sophia Walton
Honors Projects
The blue mussel Mytilus edulis alters its phenotype in species-specific ways in response to either green crab (Carcinus maenus) or sea star (Asterias sp.) predation. Previous studies have shown that only sea stars induce changes in abductor muscle morphology, while green crabs generally alter the shape and thickness of shells. In the Western Gulf of Maine, Blue mussels collected from wave protected sites with abundant green crab predators were shown to have significantly thicker shells and larger adductor muscles than mussels collected from wave exposed sites with few green crab predators. The phenotypes of mussels originating …
Natural Variation In Chromatin Conformation Among Populations Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Utku Ferah
Natural Variation In Chromatin Conformation Among Populations Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Utku Ferah
Honors Projects
The role of polymorphisms in protein-coding and non-coding regions of the genome during adaptive evolution has been a long-debated subject in evolutionary biology. Although the importance of coding-sequence polymorphisms during evolution has been well-documented, the influence of non-coding regions of the genome on phenotypic diversity and adaptive evolution remains less clear. Enhancers are cis-regulatory elements that dictate gene transcription rates, times, and locations; enhancers are located in noncoding regions and, when active, exhibit an open-chromatin conformation. In the current study, we identified putative enhancers that differ in chromatin conformation among three natural isolates of Drosophila melanogaster from different parts …
Aortic Pressure And Heart Rate In The Lobster Homarus Americanus Are Modulated By Mechanical Feedback And Neuropeptides, Grace Marie Hambelton
Aortic Pressure And Heart Rate In The Lobster Homarus Americanus Are Modulated By Mechanical Feedback And Neuropeptides, Grace Marie Hambelton
Honors Projects
Baroreceptors are stretch receptors located in the aorta of mammals; in response to increased afterload, they elicit a decrease in heart rate, creating a negative feedback loop that lowers blood pressure. Although lobsters (Homarus americanus) do not have baroreceptors like mammals, closely related land crabs have been shown to have baroreceptor-like responses. Heart contraction is also regulated by the Frank-Starling response, where increasing stretch or preload increases the contractile force of the heart. In addition to these types of biomechanical modulations, lobsters use a central pattern generator, the cardiac ganglion, to maintain synchronicity of the heartbeat. The heart …
Characterization Of Yellow Family Proteins In Gryllus Bimaculatus, Alexandra W. Rubenstein
Characterization Of Yellow Family Proteins In Gryllus Bimaculatus, Alexandra W. Rubenstein
Honors Projects
Neuronal plasticity occurs in developing nervous systems, with adult organisms rarely able to recover from neurological damage. The cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus, is useful to study neuronal plasticity due to its reorganization of the auditory system in response to injury beyond development. When a cricket ear is removed and auditory afferents severed, a rare phenomenon occurs: the dendrites of interneurons on the deafferented side cross the typically-respected midline of the prothoracic ganglion to form functional synapses with auditory afferents from the opposite side. To find proteins involved in this phenomenon, the Horch Lab assembled a de novo transcriptome from neurons in …
Exposing Lettuce Plants To Cyanobacteria In A Closed Hydroponics System To Reduce Cyanobacterial Growth And Production, Emily Eberly
Exposing Lettuce Plants To Cyanobacteria In A Closed Hydroponics System To Reduce Cyanobacterial Growth And Production, Emily Eberly
Honors Projects
Sandusky Bay is largely populated by cyanobacterial algal blooms, mainly formed by Planktothrix. Fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus run from agricultural lands into the bay, building up excess nutrients forming eutrophic waters. The Planktothrix feed off these nutrients and grow into algal blooms. To determine a potential solution to the growth of these blooms, I implemented a hydroponics system involving Lactuca Sativa for analysis of Planktothrix growth and productivity. Four different nutrient conditions were added to a Planktothrix-only solution and a solution growing Planktothrix with the lettuce in the hydroponics system. The four conditions consisted of no nutrient …
Impact Of Endangered Animal Protection Rights, Policies, And Practices On Zoonotic Disease Spread, Daniella Fedak-Lengel
Impact Of Endangered Animal Protection Rights, Policies, And Practices On Zoonotic Disease Spread, Daniella Fedak-Lengel
Honors Projects
Building on field research in Costa Rica and Belize, this honors project analyzes environmental and endangered animal protection policies, rights, and practices in Central America and the Caribbean, and assesses the impact of veterinary science and biological research and practice, particularly conservation biology, on animal welfare concerns. Informed by the recent surge in awareness regarding zoonoses and zoonotic disease transmission, prevention and control, resulting from the current global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, the project assesses the need for new and innovative types of collaboration, particularly involving conservation biologists, environmental scientists, public health experts, law and policy makers, and global trade and …
Determining The Genetic Control Of Neural Tube Malformation Through Genetic Interactions With Idgf3, Elli N. Fox
Determining The Genetic Control Of Neural Tube Malformation Through Genetic Interactions With Idgf3, Elli N. Fox
Honors Projects
Genetic mutations disrupting human neural tube formation can lead to birth defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Defects can result in lack of neural tube closure in either the caudal (spina bifida) or cranial (anencephaly) regions. Little is known about the genes that cause these malformations. Researchers have been using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster in an attempt to determine genes responsible for neural tube malformations. Recently, an ortholog of human chitin-like protein, imaginal disc growth factor 3 (Idgf3), has been identified as important in the proper formation of Drosophila egg dorsal appendages. However, the molecular mechanism responsible for …
Lysogeny And Use Of Mycobacteriophage Pita2, Eleanor Behling, Neocles B. Leontis, Jill Zeilstra-Ryalls
Lysogeny And Use Of Mycobacteriophage Pita2, Eleanor Behling, Neocles B. Leontis, Jill Zeilstra-Ryalls
Honors Projects
The CDC has classified antibiotic resistance as the biggest health challenge of our era; every year 2 million lives are impacted and even lost due to resistant bacteria. Bacteriophages provide an alternative route to fighting infections that does not further the development of antibiotic resistance among bacterial species. A bacteriophage replicates inside a bacterial cell and then causes that cell to lyse, an event that kills the bacterial host. However, some phage can integrate their genomes into the host chromosome without causing lysis. The HHMI SEA-PHAGES program has generated a collection of bacteriophage that infect Actinobacteria species. Over 13,000 phages …
The Mangroves Of Costa Rica, Kylie Stewart
The Mangroves Of Costa Rica, Kylie Stewart
Honors Projects
Mangroves are a type of coastal vegetation present in the intertidal zone of tropical and subtropical climates. This paper explores the mangroves of Costa Rica, their significance, and various strategies the country utilizes in order to protect mangrove forests. Several books and articles about mangroves and conservationism are examined to explain why mangrove forests are vital to a coastline’s health and growth. The scholarly topic pertains to mangroves located in the United States and Costa Rica along with methods used to maintain the wildlife that live within them. The concept of ecotourism will be explored and how mangrove forests are …