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Modeling Oyster Growth Dynamics In Flupsy Systems To Develop A Decision Support Tool For Seed Management, Gretchen Clauss Jan 2023

Modeling Oyster Growth Dynamics In Flupsy Systems To Develop A Decision Support Tool For Seed Management, Gretchen Clauss

Honors Projects

As the Gulf of Maine warms and lobsters move north to colder waters, Maine’s working water front has begun to diversify. There is a thriving new ecosystem of aquaculturists looking to keep Maine’s waterfront traditions alive in a lasting, sustainable way. One of the most popular aquaculture industries is oyster farming. With an increasing number of oyster farms developing in Midcoast Maine each year, we seek to develop a decision support tool to aid farmers in seed management. Oyster farmers can choose weather or not to use an upweller on their farm, and our goal is to provide guidance on …


Functional Redundancy Of A Non-Native Foundation Species (Eelgrass, Zostera Japonica) Across Intertidal Stress Gradients, S. Maria Garcia Jan 2023

Functional Redundancy Of A Non-Native Foundation Species (Eelgrass, Zostera Japonica) Across Intertidal Stress Gradients, S. Maria Garcia

Honors Projects

Non-native species foundation species can alter ecosystems in both positive and negative ways. The creation of habitat can be beneficial to native species when they provide a limiting resource or in a stressful environment. Yet this creation of habitat can also be detrimental by replacing native species and/or facilitating the presence of more non-native species. In Willapa Bay, WA, a non-native foundation species, Zostera japonica, co-exists with the native foundation species Zostera marina. Zostera japonica persists at the higher intertidal in monocultures, the two species overlap in the mid intertidal, and Z. marina persists in monocultures in the low intertidal. …


Ifn-Γ Increases The Expression Of Sars-Cov-2 Receptors On Vero E6 Cells, Bindu Madhavi Madabattula Jan 2022

Ifn-Γ Increases The Expression Of Sars-Cov-2 Receptors On Vero E6 Cells, Bindu Madhavi Madabattula

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory epithelial cells are the initial target for SARS-CoV-2 infection. IFN-γ is known to increase the expression of ACE-2, an initial receptor for SARS-CoV-2, on epithelial cells. This study focuses on examining the effect of IFN-γ for ACE-2, TMPRSS2, and neuropilin-1 on Vero E6 cells using two immunofluorescence methods, namely, direct (membrane) fluorescence method and Cytation5 method. Direct fluorescence was determined using an Accu-Scope and ImageJ analysis. Using this method, significance (p<0.023) was observed only for ACE-2 when Vero E6 cells were treated with IFN-γ. Cytation5 fluorescence was determined using a Bio-tek Cytation5 plate reader. The results showed that IFN-γ significantly increased (p<0.001) the expression of ACE-2, neuropilin-1, and TMPRSS2. These results indicate Cytation5 is a more sensitive method for determining the expression of receptors on Vero E6 cells. The elevated levels of SARS-CoV-2 receptors expression resulting from IFN-γ treatment makes the epithelial cells more susceptible targets of SARS-CoV-2 infection. IFN-γ is most likely provided by innate immune cells in the initial COVID-19 infection, consequently contributing to the severity of disease.


Regulation Of Gut Commensal-Specific T Cell Differentiation By Dendritic Cell Subsets, Emilie Russler-Germain May 2021

Regulation Of Gut Commensal-Specific T Cell Differentiation By Dendritic Cell Subsets, Emilie Russler-Germain

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mammalian gastrointestinal tract can harbor both beneficial commensal organisms important for host health, but also pathogenic organisms capable of intestinal damage. It is therefore important that the host immune system mounts appropriate responses to different intestinal organisms – promoting tolerance to some, controlling the colonization of others, and inducing sterilizing immunity in cases of noxious pathogens. Failure to induce tolerance to commensal organisms may underlie immune-mediated diseases such as human inflammatory bowel disease, while inappropriate tolerance to more harmful organisms has the potential to result in infection, inflammation, or even malabsorption. Adaptive immune responses to intestinal commensal organisms are …


Psychedelics Can Save: The Scientific And Social Case For Rescheduling Psychedelic Compounds, Galen M. Fader May 2021

Psychedelics Can Save: The Scientific And Social Case For Rescheduling Psychedelic Compounds, Galen M. Fader

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.


Ecological Repentance, Emmanuel Salem Jan 2021

Ecological Repentance, Emmanuel Salem

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In an age ripe with discovery and analysis regarding anthropogenic pollution and the resultant climate change, a causal ideological explanation is naturally sought. This paper seeks to delve deep into the Christian religion and its relationship to the current climate crisis, as well as discuss whether or not predictions and speculative assertions professed in the famous essay by Lynn White, Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis, hold up when surveyed with a more critical and thorough evaluative lens. This conversation is undertaken under three core considerations: biblical cosmology, what has happened in the world of Christian bioethics since White’s time, …


The Fear Of Reptiles And How To Change It, Maxwell Lyman Dec 2020

The Fear Of Reptiles And How To Change It, Maxwell Lyman

Honors Projects

Reptile fear is prominent across many cultures. Anti-reptilian attitudes can lead to anti-conservation attitudes towards reptiles. Person-animal interaction has been shown to decrease fear desensitization and increase positive attitudes towards "unpopular" animals. My project demonstrates the effectiveness of live animal presentation in dispelling negative attitudes of reptiles. However, due to the sample size of the project, further research is highly suggested.


The Ability Of Thaumoctopus Mimicus To Be Operantly Conditioned To A Sound Stimulus, Stephanie Wittman May 2020

The Ability Of Thaumoctopus Mimicus To Be Operantly Conditioned To A Sound Stimulus, Stephanie Wittman

Honors Projects

This paper focuses on the ability of the mimic octopus Thaumoctopus mimicus to be operantly conditioned to an auditory stimulus. The octopus is known to be the most advanced of the invertebrates and has learning abilities that are comparable to vertebrates in spite of their differences in brain structure. These animals have been shown to react to visual and tactile stimuli and can be operantly conditioned to perform behaviors to obtain a food reward. The goal of this experiment is to determine whether the octopus can be operantly conditioned to swim into a box on the side of its tank …


Comparing Water Quality For Aquaponics Systems With Different Solids Removal Methods And Biofilter Media, And Effluent Output To Grow Beds, John W. Cutt, Heather M. Joesting, Brigette A. Brinton Jan 2020

Comparing Water Quality For Aquaponics Systems With Different Solids Removal Methods And Biofilter Media, And Effluent Output To Grow Beds, John W. Cutt, Heather M. Joesting, Brigette A. Brinton

Honors College Theses

Aquaponics is a closed-loop, sustainable method of food production that combines fish and plant production. This method of agriculture has the potential to bring fresh, local food to food-insecure areas, but challenges remain due to high operating costs. In order to develop a strong aquaponics industry, the creation of the most efficient system designs will be critical in optimizing production. This study’s purpose was to compare water quality between two aquaponics system designs that differ in filtration and solid removal methods. System 1 used a sock filter for solid removal and Kaldnes media for biofiltration while System 2 used a …


Prevention Of Harmful Algal Blooms By The Mitigation Of Phosphorus Nutrient Loading Via Filtration By Steel Wool And Activated Carbon, Sara Kidd, Ronald Simpson, Samantha Zidd Jan 2019

Prevention Of Harmful Algal Blooms By The Mitigation Of Phosphorus Nutrient Loading Via Filtration By Steel Wool And Activated Carbon, Sara Kidd, Ronald Simpson, Samantha Zidd

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are a devastating ecological and economic consequence of the abundance of nutrient-rich agricultural runoff entering aquatic ecosystems (Baker et al. 2014). Bioavailable phosphorus from synthetic fertilizers is one of the major nutrients contributing to this global issue. Preliminary studies indicate that dissolved phosphorus can be removed from an aqueous environment when passed through a composite mixture of granular steel wool particles and activated carbon (Erickson, Gulliver, and Weiss (2007). Further research was conducted using higher quality concentration measurements to determine what grades of steel wool (0000, 000, 00) and types of activated carbon (GAC, PAC, EAC) …


The Use Of Molecular Dynamics Simulations To Predict Thymine Dimer Formation In Histone Bound Dna, Emily Ann Brune Heinsen Apr 2017

The Use Of Molecular Dynamics Simulations To Predict Thymine Dimer Formation In Histone Bound Dna, Emily Ann Brune Heinsen

CUP Undergraduate Research

Thymine dimers are the major lesions in DNA that are caused by environmental conditions that can lead to apoptosis or can become carcinogenic (Schreier, et al., 2007). These dimers form when the pi electrons of one thymine in a neighboring thymine pair is excited by a photon from UV light, and occurs on the picosecond time scale (Schreier, et al., 2007). Due to the ultrafast nature of this reaction, the thymines must be in proper conformation prior to excitation in order for the reaction to take place. The proper conformation for the reaction has been found to occur when the …


Extracellular Matrix Breakdown Blocks Repair And Regeneration Following Preterm Brain Injury, Rachel Siltman, Stephen Black, Taasin Srivastava Jan 2016

Extracellular Matrix Breakdown Blocks Repair And Regeneration Following Preterm Brain Injury, Rachel Siltman, Stephen Black, Taasin Srivastava

CUP Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.


Seasonal Dimorphism In Gastropod Hatchling Size: What Can We Learn From Egg Mass Morphology And Deposition Site Conditions?, Lily A. Harrison Jan 2016

Seasonal Dimorphism In Gastropod Hatchling Size: What Can We Learn From Egg Mass Morphology And Deposition Site Conditions?, Lily A. Harrison

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Egg size is one of the most important features of marine invertebrate reproduction because it provides insight into developmental patterns, offspring size, and adult investment per offspring. Intraspecific variation in egg size and the resulting hatchling size may depend on many factors including environmental and maternal conditions and geographic location. Therefore, both the season in which eggs are laid and the spatial heterogeneity of deposition sites may influence egg size and hatchling size. Natica chemnitzii deposits egg masses on sandy beaches along the coast of the Bay of Panama. During the wet (non-upwelling) season hatchling size is unimodal. However, monthly …


Biosynthesis Of Long-Chain Fatty Acid Amides, Kristen A. Jeffries Jan 2015

Biosynthesis Of Long-Chain Fatty Acid Amides, Kristen A. Jeffries

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The vast variety of long-chain fatty acid amides identified in biological systems is intriguing. The general structure of a fatty acid amide is R-CO-NH-X, where R is an alkyl group and X is derived from an immense variety of biogenic amines. Although structurally simple, the bioactivities of these molecules as signaling lipids are very diverse and have just recently begun to emerge in the literature. Interest in the long-chain fatty acid amides dramatically increased following the identification and characterization of one specific N-acylethanolamine, N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), as the endogenous ligand for the cannabinoid receptors in the mammalian brain. Since …


A Literature Review Of Risk Factors For The Development Of Breast Cancer: Risks And Prevention Methods, Anna K. Manneschmidt May 2013

A Literature Review Of Risk Factors For The Development Of Breast Cancer: Risks And Prevention Methods, Anna K. Manneschmidt

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.


2013 Ii Cu Suri (Common Poster), Vanessa Selimovic, Loriann Reese, Ruthie Nelson, Emma Sleeman, Hibery Ho, Maria Polozova Jan 2013

2013 Ii Cu Suri (Common Poster), Vanessa Selimovic, Loriann Reese, Ruthie Nelson, Emma Sleeman, Hibery Ho, Maria Polozova

CUP Undergraduate Research

A common poster providing information for several research projects: aerosol particles, deoxycytidine kinase, squaraine rotaxanes, glycol nucleic acied, and Kombucha.


Florida Red Tides From A Scientific And Public Information Perspective, Kristen M. Kusek Apr 1998

Florida Red Tides From A Scientific And Public Information Perspective, Kristen M. Kusek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of a comprehensive historical review and evaluation of Florida red tide research and a multifaceted analysis of red tide coverage by the St. Petersburg Times from 1953 to 1997. Red tides caused by Gymnodinium breve along the Florida Gulf coast are riddled with complexity; scientists have been asking many of the same questions for nearly 50 years. Red tides also attract considerable media publicity. This thesis addressed the following: 1. What have scientists learned about Florida red tides since G. breve was identified in 1948?, and 2. How well was the issue covered by the newspaper media? …


A Comparative Study Of The Osteology And Myology Of The Thoracic Limb Of The Pocket Gopher And Kangaroo Rat, Leland R. Allen Dec 1950

A Comparative Study Of The Osteology And Myology Of The Thoracic Limb Of The Pocket Gopher And Kangaroo Rat, Leland R. Allen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the morphological differences in the osteology and musculature of the thoracic limb of the pocket gopher and kangaroo rat. This was accomplished by first, collection of specimens, second, the preservation and preparation of bones and muscles tor study and illustration, third, sketching and photograph­ing the sketches, fourth, noting and recording origins and insertions as well as any differences in the modification of anatomy with relation to habitat requirements. These two closely related families, Geomyide and Heteromyidae, show great morphological differences. Comparative volumetric measurements show that the forelimb of the pocket gopher is …