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Sex Dependent Efficacy Of Taurine As A Treatment For Cocaine Drug Use: A Study Of Reward, Kevin Uribe Jan 2015

Sex Dependent Efficacy Of Taurine As A Treatment For Cocaine Drug Use: A Study Of Reward, Kevin Uribe

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.


Effects Of Temperature Stress On Coral Fluorescence And Reflectance, Andrea Gomez Jan 2015

Effects Of Temperature Stress On Coral Fluorescence And Reflectance, Andrea Gomez

Dissertations and Theses

Around the world, climate change, land-based pollution and fishing impacts are recognized as principal threats to coral reef ecosystems. Sea surface temperatures, in particular, are expected to change dramatically over the next decades and result in high coral mortality in some regions. Through controlled experiments, I examined changes in coral fluorescence and reflectance in response to water temperature alterations to assess the potential of employing these signatures as a diagnostic tool to measure coral health. At the NOAA Coral Culture and Collaborative Research Facility, I conducted controlled laboratory-based heat stress experiments on three Caribbean species of coral: Acropora cervicornis, Orbicella …


Effects Of Acetyl Salicyclic Acid On Drosophila Models Of Cancer-Inflammation, Roma Rajwani Jan 2015

Effects Of Acetyl Salicyclic Acid On Drosophila Models Of Cancer-Inflammation, Roma Rajwani

Dissertations and Theses

Chronic inflammation is a fundamental condition underlying many human disease pathologies including diabetes, cancer, and neurodegeneration. Indeed, one of the most commonly-used anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of many cancers. To understand the mechanistic linkages between inflammation and cancer, we used Drosophila models in which hyperactive immune signaling causes overproliferation of the hematopoietic system leading to the production of inflammatory blood tumors. In mutant animals, hematopoietic cells divide uncontrollably and exhibit pre-mature differentiation giving rise to large sticky cells. Some mutant cells infiltrate and adhere to cells of the fat body. The fat …


Characterization Of The Interaction Between Ftsz-Ring Stabilizer Zapc And The Conserved Protease Clpxp In E. Coli Cytokinesis, Andrea Cardenas Arevalo Jan 2015

Characterization Of The Interaction Between Ftsz-Ring Stabilizer Zapc And The Conserved Protease Clpxp In E. Coli Cytokinesis, Andrea Cardenas Arevalo

Dissertations and Theses

Cell division in bacteria requires the assembly of a macromolecular protein machinery at midcell that is spatiotemporally regulated during the bacterial cell cycle. Central to the process of division is the assembly of a cytokinetic ring-like structure, termed the Z-ring, formed by polymers of the essential tubulin-homolog FtsZ. Polymerization of FtsZ is regulated by a number of proteins that bind FtsZ and regulate its assembly/disassembly mechanisms. Despite being extensively studied, the molecular nature of the diverse protein-protein interactions that regulate the assembly of FtsZ during early stages of division is not well understood. Here, I focus on an FtsZ-ring stabilizer …


"Model Complexity And Variable Selection In Maxent Niche Models: Analyses For Rodents In Madagascar", Peter Galante Jan 2015

"Model Complexity And Variable Selection In Maxent Niche Models: Analyses For Rodents In Madagascar", Peter Galante

Dissertations and Theses

Ecological niche models (ENMs) characterize the relationship between localities where a species is known to occur and the abiotic characteristics of these regions. While widely used, ENMs remain subject to several outstanding issues, including those related to model complexity and violation of modeling assumptions (e.g., representative sampling). Critical in resolving these issues is a better understanding of the effectiveness of model selection techniques. Here, I compare two strategies for optimizing ENMs: an information-criterion approach (AICc) and a sequential approach that assesses model performance on withheld data. I do so for a single species using two datasets, one with all available …


Development And Maintenance Of Thymic Epithelial Microenvironment, Varan J. Singh Jan 2015

Development And Maintenance Of Thymic Epithelial Microenvironment, Varan J. Singh

Dissertations and Theses

Thymus is a primary lymphoid organ responsible for proper development and selection Of T-­‐cells. The thymic microenvironment, however, undergoes age related involution, Resulting in a reduction of the repertoire of T-­‐cells that are produced, and a decreased Capacity to respond to new antigen. Even though significant thymic epithelial turnover occurs, it is unclear if postnatal thymic progenitors/stem cell are responsible for the maintenance of the TEC microenvironment. Here we use the K5rtTA:TetO-­‐H2BGFP transgenic model to identify a slow cycling potential stem cells/progenitor population in the postnatal thymus. These cells were isolated, expanded in culture, and successfully differentiated into adipocytes, chondrocytes …


The Widespread Skink Mabuya Dorsivittata Reveals Complex Patterns Of Genetic Diversity In South America, Danielle Rivera Jan 2015

The Widespread Skink Mabuya Dorsivittata Reveals Complex Patterns Of Genetic Diversity In South America, Danielle Rivera

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.


The Impact Of Forest Successional Status On Community Structure Of Neotropical Cerambycid Beetles, Lin Li Jan 2015

The Impact Of Forest Successional Status On Community Structure Of Neotropical Cerambycid Beetles, Lin Li

Dissertations and Theses

Due to anthropogenic activities, tropical rain forests face many challenges in sustaining biodiversity and maintaining global climates. This project examines how forest successional status affects community composition of saproxylic cerambycids, which, as early colonists of moribund trees, have an important role in nutrient cycling. In the lowland rain forest of Costa Rica, thirty-nine trees in five plant families (Fabaceae, Lecythidaceae, Malvaceae, Moraceae, and Sapotaceae) were sampled in a mosaic of old growth and secondary forest. They yielded 3545 cerambycid individuals in 49 species. Species richness was almost identical in old growth and secondary forest; but abundance was higher in old-growth. …


Refinement Of Feedforward Projections, Neuronal Density, And Characterization Of Synapsesin Layer 4 Of Ferret Primary Visual Cortex, Violeta Contreras Ramirez Jan 2015

Refinement Of Feedforward Projections, Neuronal Density, And Characterization Of Synapsesin Layer 4 Of Ferret Primary Visual Cortex, Violeta Contreras Ramirez

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.


The Drosophila Dynamin, Shibire, Contributes To Blood Cell Division And Differentiation, But May Not Be Required For Host Defence Against Parasitic Wasps, Adam D. Hudgins Jan 2015

The Drosophila Dynamin, Shibire, Contributes To Blood Cell Division And Differentiation, But May Not Be Required For Host Defence Against Parasitic Wasps, Adam D. Hudgins

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.