Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Evaluating Bat Roost Abundance: A Comparison Of Drone-Acquired Thermal Imagery And Acoustic Estimates With Visual Observations, Karah Jaffe
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Roosts provide an opportunity to census philopatric populations of bats. Comparing the efficacy of traditional methods with novel methods can provide guidance on the use of new technologies in the field. This project aims to compare the count efficacy of external emergence methodologies, i.e., drone-acquired thermal imagery, acoustic estimates, and visual counts. Surveys were conducted ten nights at two emergence sites and synchronized to compare counts. Acoustic estimates could not be established as there was a weak prediction of the linear relationship between root-mean-square pressure and emergence count; therefore, this method was removed from the comparative analysis. A linear mixed-effects …
The Role Of Foxd1 In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Kyle H. Bond
The Role Of Foxd1 In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Kyle H. Bond
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the 8th most common cancer in the United States, with the clear cell variant (ccRCC) being the most prevalent. Over 14,000 people die every year to RCC, with rates continuing to increase with an aging general population. Patients suffering from metastatic RCC (mRCC) have extremely poor prognoses, with a 5-year survival of only 11.2%. Current treatment options include resection of primary lesions, tyrosine kinase inhibition (Sunitinib, Pazopanib), mTOR inhibition (Temsirolimus, Everolimus), and immune checkpoint inhibition (Nivolumab, Atezolizumab). Recent attention has been drawn to inhibition of transcription factors like HIF2α (Belzutifan). There is a need …
A Genomic Analysis Of Bobcat Populations In North America With A Comparison To The Canada Lynx: An Assessment Of Local Adaptation To Unique Ecoregions And Phylogeography, Jennifer C. Broderick
A Genomic Analysis Of Bobcat Populations In North America With A Comparison To The Canada Lynx: An Assessment Of Local Adaptation To Unique Ecoregions And Phylogeography, Jennifer C. Broderick
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are an ecologically and genetically diverse species with a large contiguous range throughout North America. The species not only has a wide array of phenotypic variation compared to other mammals, but shows marked adaptability across ecozones with differing ecological influences. It is these various selective pressures in distinctive parts of the continent that have likely led to localized adaptations within the bobcat metapopulations. The species is also marked by its ability to maintain connectivity and populations in anthropogenically developed areas, an advantage it has over other felids, including its close relative the Canada lynx ( …
Application And Refinement Of Molecular Ecology Techniques For Amphibian Conservation, Stephanie Marie Burgess
Application And Refinement Of Molecular Ecology Techniques For Amphibian Conservation, Stephanie Marie Burgess
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Wildlife conservation has become increasingly difficult due to habitat loss habitat fragmentation and land use change. Thus conservationists have embraced advances in molecular ecology such as landscape genetics and microbial bioinformatics that employ genetic techniques to further understand the relationship between individuals and their environment. In landscape genetics model inferences can be used to identify features that facilitate or resist gene flow providing a framework for anticipating the impacts of land use changes on a species’ ability to disperse. However the factors that affect the transferability of landscape genetics inferences are poorly understood and little is known about the effect …
Description And Alleviation Of The Stress Response In Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks (Rhizoprionodon Terraenovae), White-Spotted Bamboo Sharks (Chiloscyllium Plagiosum), And Golden Shiners (Notemigonus Crysoleucas), Lauren Nicole Fuller
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Sharks are an essential component of many marine ecosystems; however they have experienced population declines mainly attributed to overfishing and capture of sharks as bycatch. Despite sharks often being released when captured as bycatch the act of capture can result in a stress response which may cause severe physiological perturbations. Studies have investigated the physiological impacts of capture stress on elasmobranchs but most have primarily focused on the secondary stress response. I conducted a series of studies to further describe the primary stress response through quantification of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) while also investigating methods such as sedation and limiting air …
Dynamics Of Gene Networks In Cancer Research, Paul Scott
Dynamics Of Gene Networks In Cancer Research, Paul Scott
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Cancer prevention treatments are being researched to see if an optimized treatment schedule would decrease the likelihood of a person being diagnosed with cancer. To do this we are looking at genes involved in the cell cycle and how they interact with one another. Through each gene expression during the life of a normal cell we get an understanding of the gene interactions and test these against those of a cancerous cell. First we construct a simplified network model of the normal gene network. Once we have this model we translate it into a transition matrix and force changes on …
Thinking Beyond The Fried Egg Model: How Accurately Do Students Perceive Cells In A Living Context?, Milissa Knox
Thinking Beyond The Fried Egg Model: How Accurately Do Students Perceive Cells In A Living Context?, Milissa Knox
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This exploratory study investigated three aspects of introductory undergraduate biology students’ understanding about cells. The study, which took place at the University of Maine with voluntary students in Basic Biology (“BIO100”) in the summer and fall of 2009, examined (1) students’ pre-course perceptions of cells as they exist in a living context and (2) gains in students’ perception and knowledge about cells after completing the one-semester course (BIO100). Results are based on lecture exam scores, pre-post surveys developed as a part of this thesis, and interviews with two groups of biology students. A total of 498 students participated in the …
Evaluation Of The Three-Dimensional Patterns And Ecological Impacts Of The Invasive Old World Climbing Fern (Lygodium Microphyllum), Alexis Maldonado
Evaluation Of The Three-Dimensional Patterns And Ecological Impacts Of The Invasive Old World Climbing Fern (Lygodium Microphyllum), Alexis Maldonado
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Invasion by non-native species has had significant ecological and economic impacts on a global scale. In the state of Florida, Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum) is an invasive plant listed by FLEPPC as a category one invader with significant ecological impacts that threaten native plant diversity. This species relies on existing vegetative structures for support to climb into the forest canopy and forms dense mats that cover tree crowns. This subsequently affects the resources available to other species present. Quantifying the structural changes due to the presence of this species has proved logistically difficult, especially on a large spatial …
Phylogeography Of The Malagasy Ant Species Otontomachus Coquereli, Jason Jackson
Phylogeography Of The Malagasy Ant Species Otontomachus Coquereli, Jason Jackson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Madagascar is an extremely diverse and geographically complex area boasting levels of endemism that blatantly raise questions about their origins. There is evidence that these endemics arose via insitu diversification during Madagascar's ~88 million year isolation, even though it was essentially in the middle of Gondwana with ample opportunity to acquire inhabitants. Madagascar's high levels of diversity and endemism make it an ideal location to study speciation, especially considering the evidence that such high levels speciation occurred in Madagascar itself. Several hypotheses have been formulated to relate the complex geography to genetic divergence, and thereby speciation. I explore three hypotheses …
Quantifying The Impacts Of Oyster Reef Restoration On Oyster Coverage, Wave Attenuation And Seagrass Fragment Retention In Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Stephanie Garvis
Quantifying The Impacts Of Oyster Reef Restoration On Oyster Coverage, Wave Attenuation And Seagrass Fragment Retention In Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, Stephanie Garvis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The goal of this project was to determine the effects of oyster reef restoration on oyster coverage, wave height dissipation and seagrass recruitment. First, to assess the current versus historical coverage of natural, dead and restored oyster reefs within Mosquito Lagoon, aerial photographs from 2009, provided by Saint Johns River Water Management District, were digitized using ArcGIS software. Live reefs, restored reefs and dead reefs were screen digitized using a reef ‘signature’ in order to estimate the area of each type of reef. The 2009 maps were used as a guide to digitizing the historical aerial photographs (1943, 1951, 1967, …
Electrophysiology, Cell Calcium, And Mechanisms Of Hepatocyte Volume Regulation, Walid E. Khalbuss
Electrophysiology, Cell Calcium, And Mechanisms Of Hepatocyte Volume Regulation, Walid E. Khalbuss
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The electrophysiologic technique (Reuss, L., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:6014, 1985) was modified to measure changes in steady-state hepatocyte volume during osmotic stress. Hepatocytes in mouse liver slices were loaded with tetramethylammonium ion (TMA$\sp{+}$) during transient exposure of cells to nystatin. Intracellular TMA$\sp{+}$ activity (a$\sp{\rm i}\sb{\rm TMA}$) was measured with TMA$\sp{+}$-sensitive, double-barreled microelectrodes. Loading hepatocytes with TMA$\sp{+}$ did not change their membrane potential (V$\sb{\rm m}$), and under steady-state conditions a$\sp{\rm i}\sb{\rm TMA}$ remained constant over 4 min in single impalements. Hyperosmotic solutions (50, 100, & 150 mM sucrose added to media) and hyposmotic solutions (sucrose in media reduced by …
Adaptation Of Striped Bass To Sea Water Following Direct Transfer From Freshwater: Morphological, Biochemical, And Physiological Parameters, Judy A. King
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
There has been heightened interest in the biology of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) because of increased pollution in their native spawning grounds and because of their extensive use in landlocked sport fisheries. Their euryhalinity makes them an excellent species for osmoregulation studies. The objective of this research was to study the rate of adaptation of striped bass gills to sea water (3% salt) after direct transfer from freshwater using biochemical (ion transport enzyme levels), physiological (chloride efflux), and ultrastructural methods. Striped bass have specialized osmoregulatory cells located on the interlamellar and afferent surfaces of their gill filaments as shown by …
Gall Aphids Of The Elm, Edith M. Patch
Gall Aphids Of The Elm, Edith M. Patch
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
A thesis presented to the faculty of the University of Maine by Edith M. Patch for the degree of Master of Science in Biology, Orono, Maine, June, 1910.