Digital Commons Network^™

The Impacts Of Immune Challenges On Fish Behavior And Physiology, Teisha King

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

For species living in dominance hierarchies, social rank dictates access to resources and often contributes to reproductive success. To ensure survival, individuals constantly evaluate trade- offs between crucial biological systems, like the reproductive and immune systems, depending on their social rank and physiological state. Little is known about how social species balance interactions between immune system function, fluctuations in social status and reproductive fitness, and the performance of behaviors necessary for maintaining social status when sick, particularly in fishes, the largest and most diverse group of vertebrates. My dissertation research uses a whole animal approach to examine how physiological profiles …

A Rapid Species-Specific Diagnostic Assay For Xylaria Necrophora, The Pathogen Behind Taproot Decline Of Soybean In The Southern United States, Sophie Baron Sheffield

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Establishing And Validating Methods To Assess The Influence Of Exercise On Circulating Exosome Profiles In Sedentary Older Adults, Heather Quiriarte

LSU Master's Theses

Aging is associated with progressing cellular structural and functional changes, and sedentary behavior can exacerbate these hallmarks of aging. Routine exercise is known to have beneficial effects on physiological systems, but the exact molecular mechanisms behind the health benefits are unclear. Emerging evidence suggests extracellular vesicles called exosomes are involved in the intercommunication between cells and organs following exercise by delivering their cargo such as proteins and miRNAs. miRNA profiles in older adults following acute and chronic exercise need further exploration. Specifically, the effects of regular low-intensity physical activity (LPA) breaks in sedentary time on proteins and miRNA packaged in …

Sexually Dimorphic Oxytocin Receptor-Expressing Neurons In The Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus Regulates Maternal Behavior, Kaustubh Sharma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The neurohypophysial hormone oxytocin is involved in the regulation of social behaviors, including social recognition, pair bonding, and sex-specific parental behaviors in a variety of species. Oxytocin triggers these social behaviors by binding to oxytocin receptors (OXTR) in various parts of the brain. Oxytocin-induced sex-typical behavior, therefore, suggests a sexual dimorphic distribution of OXTR in the brain. In recent years, the oxytocin system in the brain received tremendous attention as a potential pharmacological target for treatment of many psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, and even sex-specific psychiatric disorder like postpartum depression (PPD). An important problem and a …

Impacts Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill On Reproduction And Ontogeny Of Gulf Killifish (Fundulus Grandis), Charles Alexander Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill released an estimated 779 million liters of Macondo-252 crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the largest marine oil spill in history. Over a thousand kilometers of marshland that many species of fish use as a spawning grounds and nurseries was oiled, exposing breeding adult fish and their offspring to oil. My dissertation investigates the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and associated remediation efforts on the reproduction and ontogeny of a sentinel ecotoxicological species, the Gulf killifish (Fundulus grandis). Concerns were raised regarding use of …

Impact Of Psychological And Physical Stressors On The Exercise-Induced Immune Response In Collegiate Swimmers, Connor Alexander Kuremsky

LSU Master's Theses

Evidence suggests high-intensity exercise training increases incidence of upper respiratory infection in young-adult athletes (Spence et al. 2007). Collegiate athletes experience chronic stress, which has been shown to result in increased proportions of late-differentiated CD8+ T-cells of a dysfunctional phenotype (Bosch et al. 2009). However, many studies fail to consider possible moderators such as psychological stress and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Purpose: To examine the impact of psychological stress, CMV infection, and exercise on proportions of early- and late-differentiated CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in collegiate swimmers over a 7-month training period. Methods: Data were collected from NCAA …

Synergistic Effects Of Temperature And Salinity On The Gene Expression And Physiology Of Crassostrea Virginica, Hollis Jones

LSU Master's Theses

Crassostrea virginica, the eastern oyster, forms reefs that provide critical services and benefits to the resiliency of the surrounding ecosystem. Changes in environmental conditions, including salinity and temperature, can dramatically alter the services oysters provide by affecting their population dynamics. Climate warming may further exacerbate the effects of salinity changes as precipitation events increase in frequency, intensity, and duration. Temperature and salinity independently and synergistically influence gene expression and physiology in marine organisms. We used comparative transcriptomics, physiology, and a field assessment experiment to investigate whether Louisianan oyster are changing their phenotypes to cope with increased temperature and salinity …

An Examination Of Preimplantation Embryos And Endometrium Developed During Induced Aluteal Cycles In The Mare, Chelsey Audra Leisinger

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Changes to the embryonic environment that occur within the first few days of development can have significant effects on subsequent fetal development. The following studies investigate the effects of progesterone-deprivation during the early preimplantation period in the mare. The first study described embryo morphology (diameter, stage, and quality grade) collected from mares with induced aluteal cycles. The second study evaluated the effect of induced aluteal cycles on the future fertility of embryo collections as a potential method for cycle manipulation of embryo donor mares. The third study characterized embryonic and endometrial transcript expression of progesterone-mediated transcripts as well as those …

Within Season Hematological Changes In College Athletes With Sickle Cell Trait, Michael E. Owens

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To explore the hematological differences in African-American athletes with sickle cell trait (SCT) and healthy controls (CON) before preseason camp and the changes that occur after a full season. METHODS: Sixteen (n=8 SCT; n=8 position matched, CON) NCAA Division 1 athletes (12 football, 2 each women’s soccer and volleyball) had blood drawn before preseason camp, after and at the end of the season, and analyzed for Hb electrophoresis (Hb-A, Hb-A2, Hb-S, and Hb-F), complete blood count with differential, chemistry panel 26, and prothrombin time, activity and international normalized ratio (INR). RESULTS: Baseline total Hb was …

Multigeneration Effects Of Chronic Exposure To Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Gulf Killifish (Fundulus Grandis), Andrea Yammine

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of this study was to examine potential adaptation within two generations of Gulf killifish exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) while also investigating the use of mucus as an effective and non-lethal alternative to determine concentrations of 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and vitellogenin (VTG) of F. grandis. Multiple biomarkers were used to assess adaptation within these fish, such as lysozyme (enzyme critical in innate immunity), and 11-ketotestosterone and vitellogenin (endocrine hormones often affected by PAHs).

Mucal concentrations of 11-KT and VTG were determined and evaluated for effectiveness through comparative assays with blood plasma. This method was then applied to …

Video Game Addiction: Truth Or Fiction, Lyles Thibodeaux-Harmony

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Receptor Kinase Gene Expression In Olfactory Receptor Neurons, Michael Moore

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Lectin Binding Affinities Of Egg Coats And Sperm Of The Freshwater Zebra Mussel, Dreissena Polymorpha, Kathryn Margaret Kreimborg

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Octopamine Agonists And Antagonists On Corpus Allatum Syntesis Of Juvenile Hormone In The House Cricket, Acheta Domesticus, Jared James Patterson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.