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The Y-Chromosome's Role In Sexually Dimorphic Evolution And Mother's Curse Compensation, Tobias Nielsen
The Y-Chromosome's Role In Sexually Dimorphic Evolution And Mother's Curse Compensation, Tobias Nielsen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The Y-chromosome and mitochondria (containing mtDNA) appear entirely dissimilar, the former being a sex chromosome found in the nucleus and the latter an organelle with thousands of copies in the cytoplasm. However, both experience uniparental inheritance, with Y-chromosomes being patrilineal and mitochondria matrilineal. This leads to various other similarities including haploidy, high mutation rates, and limited or lack of genetic recombination. Moreover, the low number of protein-coding genes contained on both led to the belief that neither contributes significantly to the adaptive evolution of complex traits. However, recent studies show the Y-chromosome and mitochondria both influence roughly 10% of male …
Synergistic Impacts Of Climate Change And Human Induced Stressors On The Apalachicola Bay Food Web, Kira Allen
Synergistic Impacts Of Climate Change And Human Induced Stressors On The Apalachicola Bay Food Web, Kira Allen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Apalachicola Bay, an estuary located in northwest Florida, is likely to experience an increase in climate change and human-induced stressors, such as sea level rise and changes in freshwater inflow, in the future. A coupled hydrodynamic and food web modeling approach was used to simulate future scenarios of low and high river flow and sea level rise in Apalachicola Bay from 2020 to 2049 and demonstrate the range of temporal and spatial changes in water temperature, salinity, fisheries species populations and the broader food web. Concurrent with model development, a survey of Apalachicola Bay stakeholders was conducted to assess stakeholder …
Computational Strain Analysis In Microbiome Datasets With Application To Skin Disease, Minerva Fatimae Ventolero
Computational Strain Analysis In Microbiome Datasets With Application To Skin Disease, Minerva Fatimae Ventolero
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Identifying bacterial strains is important not only for human health research but also for various environmental and industrial applications. The plethora of available shotgun metagenomic datasets provide an unprecedented opportunity to discover novel bacterial strains in different environmental niches. In this thesis, we evaluated the existing novel-strain-based tools and showed that their performance is still suboptimal. Due to the difficulty in distinguishing strains of similar abundance by available tools, the SMS (strains in multiple samples) tool was developed to de novo identify bacterial strains in multiple shotgun metagenomic samples. We showed that SMS distinguishes strains of similar abundance well and …
Harnessing The Power Of The Nitro Group In Natural Product Synthesis, Katelyn Bobek
Harnessing The Power Of The Nitro Group In Natural Product Synthesis, Katelyn Bobek
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The high reactivity and electron-withdrawing ability of the nitro group makes it a powerful tool in synthesizing a diverse range of bioactive natural products. The potential of the nitro group was employed via two main methodologies: iron (III)-mediated oxidative dearomatization and oxime carbonate butyrolactone formation to reach three important heterocyclic scaffolds; spiro, tropone and γ-butyrolactone. Nitro precursors were enantioselective synthesized by key nitro-aldol (Henry) and nitro-Michael reactions. A library of polysubstituted butyrolactone oxime carbonates were formed under mild DMAP and Boc2O conditions from readily available δ-nitroalcohols in good to high yields with broad functional group tolerability. Six lignan γ-butyrolactone natural …
G-Quadruplex Reporters: Structural Studies And Application For Visual And Fluorescent Detection Of Point Mutations In Nucleic Acid Sequences, Ryan Connelly
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
DNA-based diagnostics traditionally utilize hybridization probes: strands of DNA complimentary to a target sequence that, upon binding, generate a signal to indicate the presence of the target. The classic hybridization probes are the molecular beacon (MB) and TaqMan probes, both single DNA strands with a fluorophore and quencher at opposing ends. Despite their widespread use in applications such as qPCR due to their ability to multiplex with a variety of bound fluorophores, these probes have several shortcomings: temperature limitations for selective target recognition and differentiating single-nucleotide polymorphisms, intrinsic design limitations to interrogate some target sequences, and a high relative cost …
Deciphering The Role And Clinical Application Of The Fgfr4-Klb-Fgf19 Axis In Colorectal Neoplastic Progression, Michael Rohr
Deciphering The Role And Clinical Application Of The Fgfr4-Klb-Fgf19 Axis In Colorectal Neoplastic Progression, Michael Rohr
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common and third deadliest cancer worldwide with rising incidence rates attributed to environmental risk factors like diet. Investigating how these factors impact carcinogenesis requires an understanding of how transcriptional events evolve with respect to neoplastic progression. We employed meta-transcriptomics and latent trajectory modeling to establish a compendium of profiled healthy, adenoma, and CRC samples scored by their position along a pseudotemporal axis. By interpolating a continuous scale from cross-sectional data, dynamic processes occurring throughout disease progression can be analyzed more accurately. For example, smaller pseudotimes represented pre-malignant dysplasia and was characterized by cellular …
Genomic Analysis Of Pollen Grains For Forensic Applications, Luz Kelley
Genomic Analysis Of Pollen Grains For Forensic Applications, Luz Kelley
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
With over 300,000 plant species on the planet and more than 90% of them relying on pollen for reproduction, palynology, the study of pollen grains plays a vital role in many research fields. One of them is forensic palynology, which uses pollen as a proxy to link individuals or objects to a location or instance. It relies on the fact that (1) pollen is an ever-present feature of the environment; (2) different locations have different pollen signatures, allowing for inference related to spatial tracking; (3) plants bloom at different times, allowing for temporal inference; and (4) pollen is exceptionally durable …
Juvenile Dispersal And Genetic Connectivity In The Sea Turtle 'Lost Years', Katrina Phillips
Juvenile Dispersal And Genetic Connectivity In The Sea Turtle 'Lost Years', Katrina Phillips
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Juvenile dispersal is a life history strategy found across taxa and habitat types. In this dissertation, I examine juvenile dispersal in an evolutionary context and explore the conditions that support high dispersal, which necessitates subsequent ontogenetic habitat shifts. I use a sea turtle study system to evaluate the genetic and behavioral patterns associated with juvenile dispersal and ontogenetic shifts in marine environments. Specifically, I focus on four sea turtle species found in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico in the early life stage known as the 'lost years': green turtles (Chelonia mydas), Kemp's ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii), loggerheads (Caretta caretta), and hawksbills …
Complex Dna Mixture Deconvolution By Single Cell Genomics: Direct Physical Cell Subsampling And High Sensitivity Dna Typing, Kaitlin Huffman
Complex Dna Mixture Deconvolution By Single Cell Genomics: Direct Physical Cell Subsampling And High Sensitivity Dna Typing, Kaitlin Huffman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Biological evidence is often found at crime scenes and can comprise of DNA from the victim(s) and perpetrator(s) to a crime as well as from individuals with no direct relationship to the incident. This can complicate analysis as DNA mixtures are one of the more difficult sources of biological evidence to interpret. Probabilistic genotyping (PG) has greatly aided in mixture analysis. However, even with PG, standard bulk mixture approaches do not always result in probative results as allele overlap, artifacts, or low-level minor contributors inevitably cause genotype information loss. Therefore, deconvolution of forensic DNA mixtures into their individual component DNA …
Intrahost Diversity Of Staphylococcus Aureus In Carriage Among Native Americans, Julia Webb
Intrahost Diversity Of Staphylococcus Aureus In Carriage Among Native Americans, Julia Webb
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is an opportunistic pathogen and a commensal member of the human microbiota that frequently colonizes the upper respiratory tract and skin. While SA can cause disease ranging from minor skin infections to life-threatening septicemia, it can also be carried asymptomatically. As carriage is the most significant risk factor for SA disease, surveillance is important for the prevention of outbreaks in vulnerable communities. Native Americans have a greater risk of infectious disease than the general US population, and Native Americans in the Southwestern United States have been shown to experience high rates of invasive SA disease. Here we …
Fibropapillomatosis And Chelonid Herpesvirus 5 Dynamics In Juvenile Green Turtles Of The Indian River Lagoon, Florida, Usa, Jake Kelley
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumor-forming sea turtle disease that mainly affects juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in coastal foraging sites. The cause of FP is unclear, but likely involves the putative pathogen chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5). The overall dynamics of this disease are poorly understood, in part due to the difficulty of inferring disease and infection statuses of turtles without evidence of FP. In this study, I investigated the FP disease system in juvenile green turtles of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, USA, to better understand disease and pathogen dynamics. First, I developed a hierarchical model for predicting FP …
The Test-Retest Reliability Of Single Leg Jump Performance Using The Drift Protocol In Division I Baseball Pitchers, Amy Bergquist
The Test-Retest Reliability Of Single Leg Jump Performance Using The Drift Protocol In Division I Baseball Pitchers, Amy Bergquist
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of the Drift protocol with and without utilizing an arm swing, and to establish if this is an effective assessment tool for single leg vertical jump. Thirteen male Division I Baseball pitchers (18-35 yrs.) completed four testing visits where a single leg hopping protocol was assessed. Visit one consisted of the consent process and familiarization with the Drift protocol. Visits two, three, and four involved two trials of the protocol, with and without an arm swing. The protocol consisted of five single leg hops on both the stride and …
Computational Methods To Analyze Next-Generation Sequencing Data In Genomics And Metagenomics, Saidi Wang
Computational Methods To Analyze Next-Generation Sequencing Data In Genomics And Metagenomics, Saidi Wang
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
This thesis focuses on two important computational problems in genomics and metagenomics with the public available next-generation sequencing data. One is about gene regulation, for which we explore how distal regulatory elements may interact with the proximal regulatory elements. The other is about metagenomics, in which we study how to reconstruct bacterial strain genomes from shotgun reads. Studying gene regulation, especially distal gene regulation, is important because regulatory elements, including those in distal regulatory regions, orchestrate when, where and how much a gene is activated under every experimental condition. Their dysfunction results in various types of diseases. Moreover, the current …
Multiomic Hypotheses Underlying Behavioral Manipulation Of Camponotus Floridanus Ants By Ophiocordyceps Camponoti-Floridani Fungi, Ian Will
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Parasitic manipulation of host behavior lies at the intersection of disease, animal behavior, and coevolutionary processes. In many of these interactions, the underpinning biology is brought into sharp focus as they are obligate relationships, under strong selection to bring about specific changes in host behavior that determine if the parasite will transmit or die. However, experimental and molecular techniques to understand these interactions are still developing and identification of the mechanisms of manipulation is a primary goal in the field. As such, we investigated host-parasite interactions between Camponotus floridanus (Florida carpenter ant) and Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani (Florida zombie ant fungus) from …
Automatic Posture Correction Utilizing Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Ravi Kiran Kattoju
Automatic Posture Correction Utilizing Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Ravi Kiran Kattoju
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Habitually poor posture can lead to repetitive strain injuries that lower an individual's quality of life and productivity. Slouching over computer screens and smart phones, asymmetric weight distribution due to uneven leg loading, and improper loading posture are some of the common examples that lead to postural problems and health ramifications. To help cultivate good postural habits, researchers have proposed slouching, balance, and improper loading posture detection systems that alert users through traditional visual, auditory or vibro-tactile feedbacks when posture requires attention. However, such notifications are disruptive and can be easily ignored. We address these issues with a new physiological …
"Reeling In" Juvenile Sportfish Through Coastal Habitat Restoration: Population, Community, And Trophic Responses In The Indian River Lagoon, Florida, Jennifer Loch
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Coastal habitats provide crucial nursery habitat for predatory fishes, but they are in decline worldwide, impacting economically important fisheries. Habitat restoration can simultaneously mitigate the effects of habitat loss and benefit predators (e.g., sportfish), although this relationship is understudied. Here, the response of juvenile sportfish to oyster reef and living shoreline restoration is compared to controls in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida prior to and following restoration for up to three years through examination of community (diversity, assemblage), population (abundance), biometric (size, body condition), ontogenetic, and trophic (gut contents, stable isotopes) dynamics. Stable isotopes were used to quantify dietary history, …
Mathematical Model For Giraffe Population Dynamics, Huntir Bass
Mathematical Model For Giraffe Population Dynamics, Huntir Bass
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Since the 1980s the overall giraffe population has dropped at least 40% causing some researchers to label this rapid decline as the "Silent Extinction." Due to this plummet, understanding the behaviors of the giraffe population is absolutely necessary before they are on the brink of extinction. Through the usage of mathematical modeling methodologies, a general model is created to illustrate the relationship between juvenile and adult female giraffes through numerous interaction parameters. Variations on specific variables generate different simulations, which allows more biological accuracy. With each variation having an established coexistence equilibrium between the juvenile and adult female populations, the …
Sex Based Differences In Muscle Quality Recovery Following One Week Of Lower Limb Immobilization And Subsequent Retraining, Ryan Girts
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The present project represents the second part of a two-phase clinical trial designed to comprehensively examine the effects of knee joint immobilization and recovery on skeletal muscle size, strength, and central nervous system plasticity in healthy males and females. The purpose of this study was to examine differences between sexes in the recovery of muscle quality, size, and strength in response to a resistance training-based rehabilitation program following one week of knee joint immobilization. Twenty-seven participants (males: n = 16, age = 22 ± 3 years, BM = 81.3 ± 14.8 kg, BMI = 25.0 ± 3.4 kg/cm2; females: n …
From Dna Logic Gates To Dna Nanorobots, Tatiana Molden
From Dna Logic Gates To Dna Nanorobots, Tatiana Molden
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Due to their biocompatibility and parallel data processing, DNA computational devices are highly desired for applications in diagnosis and treatment of cancer, infectious and genetic diseases. Much like in modern electronic devices, DNA computation is based on the logic gates - by directly interacting with DNA or RNA input molecules, they produce a specific output depending on their embedded logic function. This work is devoted to the development of functional parts of a future DNA nanorobot for biomedical applications. Specifically, we used DNA nanotechnology and the concept of multicomponent DNA probes to develop three parts of the DNA nanorobot: computing, …
Characterization Of A Malachite Green Dna Aptamer And Development Of Malachite Green Dna Aptamer Sensor, Martin O'Steen
Characterization Of A Malachite Green Dna Aptamer And Development Of Malachite Green Dna Aptamer Sensor, Martin O'Steen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Hydrogels have been extensively studied for use in applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, wound dressing, actuators, valves, and sensors in Micromechanical Systems (MEMS), among others. Thermo-responsive hydrogels in particular pose various advantages such as their capability to respond to an external stimulus and reverse the response when the stimulus is removed and the ability to imbibe a significant amount of solvent and increase their volume by over 1000%. Extensive research has been conducted to tune and improve hydrogel's rate and degree of swelling and mechanical properties. Previous work showed that when synthetic clay (Laponite) is cross-linked with …
Effects Of Post-Exercise Recovery Drink Composition On Subsequent Performance In Masters Class Athletes, Erica Goldstein
Effects Of Post-Exercise Recovery Drink Composition On Subsequent Performance In Masters Class Athletes, Erica Goldstein
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Carbohydrate (CHO) and carbohydrate-protein coingestion (CHO-P) have been shown to be equally effective for enhancing glycogen resynthesis and subsequent same-day performance when CHO intake is suboptimal (≤0.8 g/kg). Few studies have specifically examined the effect of isocaloric CHO vs CHO-P consumption on subsequent high-intensity aerobic performance with limited time to recover (≤2 hours) in masters class endurance athletes. Participants (n = 22) were assigned to consume one of three beverages during a 2-hour recovery period: PLA (electrolytes and water), CHO (1.2 g/kg bm), or CHO-P (0.8 g/kg bm CHO + 0.4 g/kg bm PRO). All beverages were standardized to one …
Role Of Biological Clocks In Ant Behavioral Plasticity And Parasitic Manipulation Of Ant Behavior, Biplabendu Das
Role Of Biological Clocks In Ant Behavioral Plasticity And Parasitic Manipulation Of Ant Behavior, Biplabendu Das
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Living organisms exhibit daily rhythms as a way to anticipate predictable fluctuations in their environment. Such daily rhythmicity is the phenotypic outcome of oscillating genes and proteins, driven by an endogenous biological clock. Clock-controlled behavioral rhythms are inherently "flexible" since their phase, amplitude, and period can change throughout an animal's life hallmarked by changes in so-called chronotype. How this inherent plasticity of clock-controlled rhythms is linked to plasticity of behavior is still an open question in biology. Characterizing the various mechanistic links between plasticity of the animal clock and behavioral state will not only shed light on the molecular underpinnings …
The Acute Effects Of Continuous And Intermittent Blood Flow Restriction On Sprint Interval Performance And Muscle Oxygen Responses, Aaron Wizenberg
The Acute Effects Of Continuous And Intermittent Blood Flow Restriction On Sprint Interval Performance And Muscle Oxygen Responses, Aaron Wizenberg
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of intermittent and continuous blood flow restriction (BFR) during sprint interval training (SIT) on muscle mitochondrial function and perceived effort. Fifteen men volunteered to participate in this investigation and were randomly assigned to complete SIT with CBFR, IBFR, and NoBFR. Each SIT session consisted of 2, 30s maximal sprints on a cycle ergometer with a resistance of 7.5% of body mass. Peak power (PP), total work (TW), ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), sprint decrement score (Sdec), and muscle oxygen responses were measured during each sprint. Before (pretest) and after (posttest) …
The Effects Of Neural And Mechanical Interventions On Muscle Size Versus Function During Short Term Immobilization Of The Lower Limb, Kylie Harmon
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Limb immobilization is a commonly used therapeutic intervention during periods of recovery from injury. To improve rehabilitation outcomes, interventions that curtail the severe decrements in muscular size and strength that occur during immobilization are critically needed. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of two distinct interventions during one week of knee-joint immobilization on muscular size, strength, and neuromuscular function. Thirty-nine healthy, college-aged adults (21 males and 18 females) participated in this study. Participants were randomized into one of four groups: immobilization only (n = 9) , immobilization + action observation/mental imagery (AOMI) (n = 10), immobilization …
Evaluating Novel Combinations Of Polyamine Targeting Therapeutics In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Sai Preethi Nakkina
Evaluating Novel Combinations Of Polyamine Targeting Therapeutics In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Sai Preethi Nakkina
Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-
Pancreatic cancer overall has a poor five-year survival rate of less than 8%. Well-tolerated regimens and immune cell infiltration to promote anti-cancer treatments are major challenges. Studies described herein leveraged testing different combinations/doses of polyamine targeting inhibitors to further understand the impact of targeting key polyamine pathway mediators in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Placebo controls were compared to groups treated with difluoromethylornithine (DFMO, a polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase), different polyamine transport inhibitors, and compound combinations in strategies for polyamine blockage therapy (PBT). Informatic analyses showed that the dysregulation of key polyamine pathway mediators are associated with poor patient …