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The Role Of Crk And Crkl Adaptor Proteins In The Hair Cells Of Danio Rerio Inner Ear And Lateral Line, Abigail Mae Siniscalco

UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses

The adaptor proteins Crk and Crkl are known to be important regulators of cell migration, particularly in the layers of the Central Nervous System, as well as within heart and muscle tissues. Previous data from our lab has identified, through in situ hybridization in the organism Danio rerio, that they are also present in the sensory hair cells of the inner ear. Their role in this location, in addition to the similar sensory hair cells along the zebrafish lateral line, is unknown. Here, we explore the function of Crk and Crkl in hair cell development and migration along the …

Effect Of Thermal Stress Across Development In Drosophila Melanogaster, Andrew Karl Stoloff

UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses

Animal development is a complex process that requires successful completion of multiple steps at different developmental stages to produce adult organs and systems. Environmental stress experienced during crucial developmental stages could therefore disrupt the proper functioning and survival of individuals as adults long after the stressor has passed. Early embryonic stages may be particularly susceptible to long-lasting effects because cellular mechanisms of stress resistance are relatively underdeveloped. In chronically cold or hot environments, such stress may impose significant natural selection on early embryonic developmental systems to improve developmental resilience in the face of temperature extremes.

In this study, I tested …

Policy And Economic Variables Influencing Adoption Of Sustainable Electrification In Rural Sub-Saharan Africa, Payne William Morgan

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Limited access to electricity remains a primary constraint to economic growth and the improvement of livelihoods throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In rural areas, electricity access is especially sparse. The reasons for the scarcity of electricity supply in the region are well documented, with low population density, limited household incomes, and poor regulatory institutions compounding to often make the investment of expanding electricity access result in poor or risky economic returns. However, the declining cost of solar PV and mandates for clean energy development throughout the region have created new channels for bringing electricity supply in potentially more cost-effective ways.Despite these macro …

Effect Of Thermal Stress Across Development In Drosophila Melanogaster, Andrew Karl Stoloff

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

Animal development is a complex process that requires successful completion of multiple steps at different developmental stages to produce adult organs and systems. Environmental stress experienced during crucial developmental stages could therefore disrupt the proper functioning and survival of individuals as adults long after the stressor has passed. Early embryonic stages may be particularly susceptible to long-lasting effects because cellular mechanisms of stress resistance are relatively underdeveloped. In chronically cold or hot environments, such stress may impose significant natural selection on early embryonic developmental systems to improve developmental resilience in the face of temperature extremes.

In this study, I tested …

Theory Of Mind Differences Between Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder Following Social Story Intervention, Sindhu Donepudi

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interaction and social communication (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). At the core of the social impairment is a likely deficit in the Theory of Mind (ToM). This study uses ToM measures to assess emotion recognition and desire-based emotions pre- and post-intervention in neurotypical and ASD children between the ages of 8 and 12 following nine weeks of social-cognitive intervention (i.e., individualized Social Stories). Results showed that neurotypical children have greater emotion recognition and understanding of desire-based emotion than children with ASD, and that children with ASD exhibit variable improvements in …

Complex Systems Analysis In Selected Domains: Animal Biosecurity & Genetic Expression, Luke Trinity

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

I first broadly define the study of complex systems, identifying language to describe and characterize mechanisms of such systems which is applicable across disciplines. An overview of methods is provided, including the description of a software development methodology which defines how a combination of computer science, statistics, and mathematics are applied to specified domains. This work describes strategies to facilitate timely completion of robust and adaptable projects which vary in complexity and scope. A biosecurity informatics pipeline is outlined, which is an abstraction useful in organizing the analysis of biological data from cells. This is followed by specific applications of …

Neurodevelopmental Roles Of Semaphorin6a/Plexina2 Signaling In Zebrafish, Sarah Elizabeth Emerson

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

A multitude of complex cellular changes are required throughout development in order for a single cell to transform into a fully functioning organism. Cellular events including proliferation, migration, and differentiation have to be carefully controlled in order for development to proceed correctly. In order to study such dynamic processes, in vivo models are often utilized. Using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model system, we have investigated the role of an axon guidance signaling pair, Semaphorin6A (Sema6A) and PlexinA2 (PlxnA2), in neurodevelopment.

A previous investigation into the developmental expression patterns of sema6A and plxnA2 in zebrafish, revealed overlapping expression …

A Quality Improvement Study Of The Implimentation Of The Vermont Newborn Plan Of Safe Care Among Nursing Staff At Vermont Hospitals, Annik Buley

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

PURPOSE: The purpose of this quality improvement needs assessment was to evaluate the implementation of the Vermont Newborn Plan of Safe Care (VNPSC) since its introduction 17 months ago. These plans were created in response to federal mandates to create plans that address the needs of infants affected by substance exposure during pregnancy. A secondary goal of the study was to identify areas for improvement of its implementation by nursing staff.

METHODS: This study was conducted using a mixed-methods, cross sectional survey design. Data collection took place over a 3-week period and included 12 Vermont hospitals. Analysis was completed using …

Developing Toward Generality: Combating Catastrophic Forgetting With Developmental Compression, Shawn L. Beaulieu

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

General intelligence is the exhibition of intelligent behavior across multiple problems in a variety of settings, however intelligence is defined and measured.

Endemic in approaches to realize such intelligence in machines is catastrophic forgetting, in which sequential learning corrupts knowledge obtained earlier in the sequence or in which tasks antagonistically compete for system resources. Methods for obviating catastrophic forgetting have either sought to identify and preserve features of the system necessary to solve one problem when learning to solve another, or enforce modularity such that minimally overlapping sub-functions contain task-specific knowledge. While successful in some domains, both approaches scale poorly …

The Sh2 Domain-Containing Adaptor Protein Shd Reversibly Binds The Crkl-Sh2 Domain And Knockdown Of Shdb Impairs Zebrafish Eye Development, Brendan Chandler

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The adaptor protein CT10-Regulator of Kinase (CRK) and the closely related CRK-Like (CRKL) are adaptor proteins that play important roles in many signaling pathways regulating cell proliferation and cell motility. A notable example is their required role in Reelin signaling during development of the laminated structures of the vertebrate central nervous system, including the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, and retina. As adaptors, CRK/CRKL are important in coupling phosphotyrosine signaling to G protein activity to regulate both cell proliferation and changes in the actin cytoskeleton, thereby exerting control over cell motility, and migration. While many proteins that interact with CRK/CRKL have …

Spawning Site Selection And Fry Development Of Invasive Lake Trout In Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Lee Simard

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Since their discovery in Yellowstone Lake in 1994, Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) have been the object of an intensive gillnet suppression program due to their predation on native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri). Managers are also interested in targeting early life stages to augment suppression. A benthic sled was used to sample for Lake Trout eggs at 24 locations, hypothesized to be spawning sites, that encompassed a range of depths, slopes, and substrate composition to determine the location and characteristics of spawning sites in Yellowstone Lake. Lake Trout eggs were collected at seven sites, five of which had not …

Exercise In Developing Rats Promotes Plasticity In The Prefrontal Cortex: Behavioral And Neurobiological Indications, Meghan Eddy

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Physical exercise has repeatedly been shown to trigger positive effects on brain function including improved learning, memory, and executive functions. In addition, corresponding physiological changes have been observed, such as increased neurotrophic factors, changes in neurotransmitter concentrations, and increased dendritic spines. However, these changes have not been well described outside of the hippocampus, including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and have not been directly compared at different points of development. Because the prefrontal cortex is one of the last brain areas to fully mature, considering the age at which intervention, such as exercise, takes place is particularly important. Additionally, in …

Evolution Of Vernalization And Photoperiod-Regulated Genetic Networks In The Grass Subfamily Pooideae, Meghan Mckeown

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Flowering time is a carefully regulated trait that integrates cues from temperature and photoperiod to coordinate flowering at favorable times of the year. This dissertation aims to understand the evolution of genetic architecture that facilitated the transition of Pooideae, a subfamily of grass, from the tropics to the temperate northern hemisphere approximately 50 million years ago. Two traits hypothesized to have facilitated this evolutionary shift are the use of long-term low-temperature (vernalization) to ready plants for flowering, and long-day photoperiods to induce flowering. In chapter one I review literature on the regulation of grass flowering by vernalization and photoperiod, and …

Parental Tobacco Use: Impact On Child Emotion Identification Ability, Allison R. Giroux

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

Although the physical effects of tobacco on an individual are well-known, the impacts that smoking has on social skills of family members are less understood. The ability for children to identify emotions is crucial for normal social functioning, and the impact of parental tobacco use during child development of this skill is not known. The proposed research compares parent-reported tobacco use to child emotion identification ability (EIA). Information regarding parental tobacco use history was gathered from a structured diagnostic interview of DSM-IV symptoms called the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Child EIA was assessed using a paradigm called Emotional Faces, which …

How Wildlife Information, Recreation Involvement And Demographic Characteristics Influence Public Acceptability Of Development, Jessica Espenshade

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Increasing development like roads and houses will alter the future landscape of Vermont. Development provides important resources for people and society, but also results in consequences for wildlife and opportunities for recreation. Managing development requires information on the public's acceptability of development and how acceptability is shaped by information on various consequences. In this study, I examined three questions: 1) What is the public's acceptability of development? 2) Does wildlife information influence public acceptability of development and 3) Is the maximum amount of acceptable development influenced by views about wildlife, involvement in recreation, and demographic factors? I surveyed 9,000 households …

The Role Of Plxna1 In Visual System Development Of Danio Rerio, Sarah Light

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

Plexin (PLXN) receptors, and their ligands, semaphorins (SEMAs), traditionally mediate axon growth in the visual system by facilitating actin cytoskeletal rearrangements and initiating growth cone collapse through intracellular signaling mechanisms. A proposed novel mechanism for the development of the early eye involves the interaction of SEMA6A and PLXNA2 to direct migration and proliferation of retinal precursor cells (Ebert et al., 2014). However, this model is not fully explained by previous data; we propose that a related PLXNA family member, PLXNA1a, also plays a role in these processes. This research uses in situ hybridization and antisense morpholino gene knockdown to identify …

American Food Aid: Disruption And Development In Haiti, Kaitlyn Vitez

UVM Patrick Leahy Honors College Senior Theses

In this senior thesis, the state of American foreign aid in the form of food aid is evaluated for its effectiveness, as well as its impacts on the Haitian state, people, and food system. A historical context is offered to map changes to Haitian food production and foreign intervention into the Haitian food market and agricultural sector. From this research, I detail the decision making processes in food aid distribution, and gain insight into the US government’s own evaluations into the work it has done to alleviate global food insecurity. The discussion of Haiti's future also talks about common global …

An Ecological Design Approach To Wastewater Management, Sacha Lozano

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Global water depletion and unsustainable food production systems represent two iconic crises of our time. These two crises have important themes in common, referring to basic human needs and the way we interact with landscapes in order to satisfy them. But they are also closely related to the way we produce and dispose wastes in our current societal organization. Insufficient, or inadequate, sanitation and waste management practices continue to undermine not only human well-being, but the entire planet’s ecological integrity, on which humans depend. An ecological design approach to manage human waste invites to learn how to participate more harmoniously …