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Articles 1 - 12 of 12
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Social Behavior In A Herd Of Captive Male Giraffes, Patrick Ziarnowski, Kaidi Fenrich
Social Behavior In A Herd Of Captive Male Giraffes, Patrick Ziarnowski, Kaidi Fenrich
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
Giraffes (Giraffa spp.) are a common feature of zoological institutions, where conditions differ from those of the wild, a reality that may cause behavioral changes. A recent management technique has been to house all-male herds in zoos that have not been selected for giraffe breeding, with breeding confined to certain zoos. To date, no studies have looked at social behavior in captive herds comprised exclusively of males. In a herd of one adult (named Emba) and two subadult male giraffes (named Rafiki and Gage), the dominant adult giraffe, Emba, demonstrated sociosexual behavior—apparent courtship, investigation, and flehmen responses—almost exclusively …
Preventing Introductions To Sustain Healthy Ecosystems: Establish Eradication Protocols For A Popular Aquarium Seaweed, Julie Deslauriers
Preventing Introductions To Sustain Healthy Ecosystems: Establish Eradication Protocols For A Popular Aquarium Seaweed, Julie Deslauriers
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
Aquarium release, a vector that introduces non-native species, recently caused the costly invasion of the green macroalga (seaweed) Caulerpa taxifolia along the Californian, Mediterranean, and Australian coasts. C. taxifolia was classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as one of the world's 100 worst invasive species and cost California over $7 million to control with black tarps and chlorine bleach. Since the incident, educational efforts at conferences and conventions have influenced more than 50% of surveyed hobbyists to switch to another green macroalga, Chaetomorpha, as their primary alga in their saltwater tanks. C. taxifolia and Chaetomorpha …
The Impact Of Crown Conch On Intertidal Oyster Populations In Mosquito Lagoon, Casey Craig, Courtney Buck, Chelsea Landau, Jordan Filipponi
The Impact Of Crown Conch On Intertidal Oyster Populations In Mosquito Lagoon, Casey Craig, Courtney Buck, Chelsea Landau, Jordan Filipponi
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
Commercial oyster harvesters in Florida have long complained that the Florida crown conch Melongena coronais in competition with them for harvestable-sized eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Harvesters also suggest that crown conch, rather than overharvesting, has led to a large decline in oyster populations. To determine the role of M. corona on oysters in Mosquito Lagoon, we must first better understand the biology and ecology of M. corona., and to comprehend crown conch biology in Mosquito Lagoon along the east coast of central Florida, we conducted a three-part experiment in Canaveral National Seashore (northern Mosquito Lagoon). Specifically, …
Small Mammal Response To The Gunnison's Prairie Dog Reintroduction, Melissa Ariella Paduani
Small Mammal Response To The Gunnison's Prairie Dog Reintroduction, Melissa Ariella Paduani
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
The Gunnison's Prairie Dog (GPD, Cynomys gunnisoni) is an herbivorous, burrowing rodent that was extirpated from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in the 1930's by ranchers to make land available for grazing livestock. Currently, the GPD is the subject of a long-term reintroduction experiment overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The burrowing and feeding habits of the GPD influences an ecosystem's biotic and abiotic factors significantly, making this species a keystone ecosystem engineer that plays a vital role creating heterogeneous mosaics of habitat. Their presence is correlated with diverse biological communities and maintenance of grassland ecosystems. To better …
Determining Tidal Elevations In Dry Elements Within A Coastal Salt Marsh Model, Martin Coleman
Determining Tidal Elevations In Dry Elements Within A Coastal Salt Marsh Model, Martin Coleman
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
An integrated hydrodynamic/marsh biomass model is a useful tool for analyzing multiple hydrologic activities on a shoreline. A key component of this type of model is the location of local tidal elevations. During astronomic tide simulations, nodes in the finite element mesh are either wet or dry. At nodes that are continuously wet during the simulation, tidal elevations are computed from ADCIRC-2DDI (ADvanced CIRCulation) output. In areas that are intermittently wetted, tidal constituents cannot be determined using ADCIRC because the drying of nodes leaves a gap in the water-level time series. The Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation method can be …
Improving Community-Based Shoreline Erosion Stabilization Projects: Impacts Of Potential Nurse Plants On Red Mangrove Biomass Production And Survival, Paula Yespelkis, Melinda Donnelly
Improving Community-Based Shoreline Erosion Stabilization Projects: Impacts Of Potential Nurse Plants On Red Mangrove Biomass Production And Survival, Paula Yespelkis, Melinda Donnelly
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
Mangrove communities provide habitat for many terrestrial and aquatic species and act as nurseries and breeding grounds for fish, crustaceans, and birds. They also protect coastal areas from erosion and storm events. However, globally 35% of mangrove habitat has been degraded or destroyed, making mangroves one of the most endangered ecosystems on earth. Thus, there is a demand for methods to restore mangrove habitats successfully. The red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) is often associated with other marsh plants. We investigated whether two marsh plants (Batis maritima, Sarcocornia perennis ) act as nurse plants and increase R. mangle success by altering seedling …
Analysis Of The Repair Of Topoisomerase Ii Dna Damage, Eric Goldstein
Analysis Of The Repair Of Topoisomerase Ii Dna Damage, Eric Goldstein
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
A large number of anti-cancer chemotherapeutics target DNA topoisomerases. Etoposide is a specific topoisomerase II poison that causes reversible double strand DNA breaks. This project analyses the repair of DNA damage induced by etoposide, a common anti-cancer chemotherapeutic. Through the comparison of two known DNA repair pathways, anti-cancer chemotherapy may become more cytotoxic. Double strand DNA break repair is mediated by either non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homologous recombination (HR). NHEJ repairs through direct ligation of a double stranded break, whereas HR utilizes a homologous template to recover the wild type sequence. Reporter cassettes involving the expression of green fluorescent …
Cold Temperature Effects On Byssal Thread Production By The Native Mussel Geukensia Demissa Versus The Non-Native Mussel Mytella Charruana, Sasha Brodsky
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
Mytella charruana is a Central/South American mussel that has been found as an introduced species along the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States since 2004. Previous experiments have determined the lethal thermal minimum of M. charruana to be between 6-9° C. Continuous byssal thread production is essential for mussel survival as it is used for attachment to substrates in natural environments, but may decrease when environmental conditions deviate from their optimum. We sought to determine whether M. charruana exhibits a non-lethal, thermal response involving a reduction in byssal thread production. Mytella charruana and, for comparison, a native mussel species, …
Characterization Of Cytokeratin 8 In Cancer, Daniel S. Leventhal
Characterization Of Cytokeratin 8 In Cancer, Daniel S. Leventhal
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
A Cytokeratin 8 (K8)/Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) fusion construct was created to better understand the behavior of K8 within cancer cells. This intermediate filament (IF) protein is a member of the cytoskeletal gene family, along with actin and tubulin. IFs are normally expressed in a tissue-specific and differentiation-dependent manner, in which their role is more supportive than essential to the cell. Such roles include rigidity of cellular shape, protein trafficking, cellular locomotion, and cell-signaling platforms. K8 mutation, over-expression, and aberrant post translational modifications have been observed in various carcinoma cell lines to be the cause of several phenotypes, including apoptosis …
Subsidies And The Significance Of Ethanol In Corn Markets, Nathan Goldschlag
Subsidies And The Significance Of Ethanol In Corn Markets, Nathan Goldschlag
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
The empirical relationship among corn prices, ethanol production, and government subsidies is investigated. An econometric model of the demand for corn is proposed and then estimated with two stage least squares. The estimated demand function is used to evaluate the effects of changes in ethanol markets on domestic corn markets. The results show that an increase in the price of ethanol increases both the equilibrium quantity demanded and price of corn. Agricultural subsidies are then brought under question in light of econometric evidence and coupled with current trends in the ethanol and corn industries.
Allelopathy Of Invasive Brazilian Pepper (Schinus Terebinthifolius) On Mobile Invertebrates From The Indian River Lagoon, Lori Konar, Tiffany Sheldon, Stephanie Garvis, Melinda Donnelly
Allelopathy Of Invasive Brazilian Pepper (Schinus Terebinthifolius) On Mobile Invertebrates From The Indian River Lagoon, Lori Konar, Tiffany Sheldon, Stephanie Garvis, Melinda Donnelly
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
Brazilian pepper Schinus terebinthifolius is a highly invasive plant species that can be found in many different ecosystems, including the edges of estuaries in south and central Florida. Brazilian pepper fruits contain chemicals that are toxic to native salt marsh plants. Previous researchers found that high densities of crushed Brazilian pepper fruits negatively impacted growth and final biomass of the black mangrove Avicennia germinans and the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle. Here, we investigated the impact of S. terebinthifoliuson the viability of mobile estuarine invertebrates commonly found in the Indian River Lagoon, as well as the brine shrimp, a …
Computational Analysis Of Broad Complex Zinc-Finger Transcription Factors, Barbara Mascareno-Shaw
Computational Analysis Of Broad Complex Zinc-Finger Transcription Factors, Barbara Mascareno-Shaw
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal
Studies of transcription factors have provided important contributions toward understanding the cell morphology and developmental regulation of fruit flies based on sequence analysis of amino acid substitutions. In this report we describe the construction of four protein-DNA models based on two experimentally determined X-ray crystal structures (2DRP and 1A1H) using computational simulations of Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 zinc-finger DNA binding proteins. Once these models were constructed, 3 mutants were generated for the Z1/Z3 proteins. We evaluated the construction of the models and mutants against the templates using molecular mechanics (MM3) calculations in an attempt to determine the effect of …