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Effect Of Social Status On The Behavior And Neurophysiology Of Crayfish, Fadi Aziz Issa

Biology Dissertations

Adaptation to changing social conditions is important for many social animals. Here, the effects of social experience on the behavior and neurophysiology of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, were studied. Evidence is presented that shows juvenile crayfish interact and form social order, and their behavior patterns shift in accordance to social status. Dominant animals maintain a high level of aggressive behavior, while subordinates shift their behavior pattern from aggressive to submissive behavior. Adult male crayfish show similar behavior pattern during dominance formation. However, this work demonstrates that male crayfish adopt a unique strategy to signify the formation of a …

Assessment Of A Non-Invasive High-Throughput Classifier For Behaviours Associated With Sleep And Wake In Mice, Kevin D. Donohue, Dharshan C. Medonza, Eli R. Crane, Bruce F. O'Hara

Biology Faculty Publications

This work presents a non-invasive high-throughput system for automatically detecting characteristic behaviours in mice over extended periods of time, useful for phenotyping experiments. The system classifies time intervals on the order of 2 to 4 seconds as corresponding to motions consistent with either active wake or inactivity associated with sleep. A single Polyvinylidine Difluoride (PVDF) sensor on the cage floor generates signals from motion resulting in pressure. This paper develops a linear classifier based on robust features extracted from normalized power spectra and autocorrelation functions, as well as novel features from the collapsed average (autocorrelation of complex spectrum), which characterize …

Survey Of Dairy Management Practices On One Hundred Thirteen North Central And Northeastern United States Dairies, W. K. Fulwider, T. Grandin, B. E. Rollin, T. E. Engle, N. L. Dalstead, W. D. Lamm

Farm Animal Welfare Collection

The objective was to conduct a broad survey of dairy management practices that have an effect on animal well-being. Dairies were visited during the fall and winter of 2005 and 2006 in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, and New York. Data were collected on 113 dairies on colostrum feeding, dehorning, tail-docking, euthanasia methods, producer statements about welfare, use of specialized calf-raising farms (custom), level of satisfaction with calf-raising by producers, and cow behavior. Calves were raised by the owner on 50.4% of dairies; 30.1% were raised on custom farms during the milk-feeding period, 18.6% were custom raised after weaning, and 1% …

Use Of Phylogenetic Stains To Determine The Feeding Preferences Of Microbivorous Soil Nematodes, E. Harlan Michelle

Honors Theses

Due to their numerous and diverse roles in soil ecological processes – most notably decomposition and nutrient mineralization – nematodes have long been recognized as important biotic indicators of soil health (Ekschmitt et al., 2001; Ritz and Trudgill, 1999). The predominate means of assessing the information that these organisms might contain has been through nematode community analyses, a methodology that seeks to convert the vast amount of data regarding features such as diversity, maturity and richness into a series of indices which can be used to evaluate soil health and make comparisons across samples. Performance of these analyses typically involves …

The Effects Of A Resveratrol Derivative On Regulatory Behaviors And Reproductive Health In Male And Female Long-Evans Rats, Kimberly Michelle Fabick

Theses and Dissertations

Phytoestrogens are chemicals produced by plants that act like estrogens and have the ability to bind to the mammalian estrogen receptor system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new phytoestrogen analog called 4-acetoxy Resveratrol. Resveratrol is a phytoestrogen that has been found in the skin of grapes. Resveratrol has been shown to be able to bind to the estrogen receptors and has a similar molecular structure as estradiol. Resveratrol has been shown to have many positive health benefits such as improving cardiovascular health, serving as a neuroprotective agent, acting as an anti-inflammatory agent, working as an anti-cancer …

The Effects Of Prenatally Administered Phytoestrogens On The Reproductive And Behavioral Development Of Long-Evans Rats, Crystal Blake

Theses and Dissertations

Equol is known to be a selective androgen modulator and has the ability to bind and inhibit 5-alpha dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT). Equol is also a selective estrogen receptor modulator and is able to bind beta estrogen receptors with high affinity. As estrogen receptors are found in the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads, prenatally administered equol could affect the morphological and reproductive development of offspring. To test this hypothesis, during gestational days 14 to 20, forty-two pregnant Long-Evans rats were given one of six treatments: 1) no treatment, 2) injection with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 3) injection with 10 mg/kg equol, 4) injection with …

Enkephalin-Encoding Herpes Simplex Virus-1 Decreases Inflammation And Hotplate Sensitivity In A Chronic Pancreatitis Model, Hong Yang, Terry A. Mcnearney, Rong Chu, Ying Lu, Yong Ren, David C. Yeomans, Steven P. Wilson, Karin N. Westlund

Physiology Faculty Publications

Background: A chronic pancreatitis model was developed in young male Lewis rats fed a high-fat and alcohol liquid diet beginning at three weeks. The model was used to assess time course and efficacy of a replication defective herpes simplex virus type 1 vector construct delivering human cDNA encoding preproenkephalin (HSV-ENK).

Results: Most surprising was the relative lack of inflammation and tissue disruption after HSV-ENK treatment compared to the histopathology consistent with pancreatitis (inflammatory cell infiltration, edema, acinar cell hypertrophy, fibrosis) present as a result of the high-fat and alcohol diet in controls. The HSV-ENK vector delivered to the pancreatic surface …

Behavior Comparisons For Whooping Cranes Raised By Costumedcaregivers And Trained For An Ultralight-Led Migration, Glenn H. Olsen, John B. French

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The successful reintroduction program being run by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership using whooping cranes (Grus americana) trained to fly behind ultralight aircraft depends on a supply of these trained crane colts each year. The crane colts are hatched from eggs contributed by the various partners and trained to follow costume clad humans and ultralight aircraft at USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland, USA. After several seasons of raising small numbers of crane colts (7-14), we wanted to increase the number of birds being trained, but were restrained by limits in our facilities. By altering the established …

A Study On The Population Size And Natural History Of The Eastern Six‐Lined Racerunner, Aspidoscelis Sexlineata, In West Virginia, With Notes On Other Lizard Species, Emmy Johnson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Species will expand ranges through natural or human‐alterations. Such an occurrence has happened in West Virginia with Eastern Six‐lined Racerunner, Aspidsocelis sexlineata, a species that has been found to thrive in areas of high disturbance from humans. While found abundantly in other states, they are thought to occur only in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia (Morgan County) where they are believed to have come from Maryland via a railroad bridge. Without the bridge, the Potomac River forms a natural barrier between these two states. The objectives of my study were to determine the population size and natural history …

Effects Of Concentrate Level And Pen Configuration On Performance Of Boer Crossbred Goat Kids, M. E. Corrigan, J. S. Drouillard, E. R. Loe, B. E. Depenbusch, M. J. Quinn

Panhandle Research and Extension Center

One hundred eighty-one Boer-sired goat kids from dams of predominantly Spanish breeding (17.6 ± 2.34 kg initial BW; 177 wethers, 4 doelings) were used to determine optimum inclusion level of concentrate in diets fed to goats in confinement. Effects of elevated loafing areas on performance were also examined. Goats were blocked by weight (2 blocks per treatment) and randomly assigned to 1 of 12 outdoor pens (4.3 m2; 15 to 16 head/pen) with concrete floors. Pens of goats were randomly assigned, within block, to 1 of 6 treatments. A 2 × 3 factorial arrangement was used with factors consisting of …

Movement Patterns And Feeding Behavior Of The Limpet Tectura Testudinalis (Müller) Along The Mid-Maine Coast, Joshua Lord

Honors Theses

Tectura testudinalis is a limpet that lives in the mid-intertidal zone along the coast of Maine and grazes on a variety of encrusting algae. A previous study asserted that T. testudinalis preferred to feed and rest on the encrusting alga Clathromorphum circumscriptum and that this species of limpet displayed homing behavior. However, I show that T. testudinalis does not home or return to any specific substrate while resting. Conclusive evidence was found for nocturnal movement. I show that C. circumscriptum was the preferred food source for this limpet, closely followed by Hildenbrandia rubra, another encrusting alga. Field and lab experiments …