Digital Commons Network^™

Filtering Efficiency And Feeding Mechanisms Of Daphnia Pulex On Microcystis Aeruginosa And Nannochloropsis, Elizabeth Orlowicz

Honors Theses and Capstones

The filtering and feeding rate of Daphnia pulex from the Old Durham Reservoir, Durham, NH, were measured to determine the feeding efficiency on different concentrations of non-toxic Nannochloropsis (Class Eustigmatophyceae) and toxigenic cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa. Direct observations of thoracic appendage beats and post-abdominal rejections were also measured at 5*10⁵ and 10⁶ cells mL^-1 concentrations of Nannochloropsis and M. aeruginosa to examine the feeding mechanisms of the D. pulex. In the presence of increasing Nannochloropsis concentrations, the filtering rates decreased and the feeding rates increased. When exposed to M. aeruginosa, both the filtering and feeding …

Forest Regeneration On The Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, Manette E. Sandor

Master's Theses

Woody species diversity of secondary forest has the potential to converge with that found in old growth forest. This study is the first to examine multiple aspects of species and reproductive trait diversity, and their relationship to each other, across a successional chronosequence. Species richness and species diversity increases with increasing age of forest. Diaspore size and diversity as well as fruit size generally increased with increasing age of forest, but fruit size diversity did not. Abundance of animal-dispersed species increased whereas wind-dispersed species decreased in abundance over succession. Insect-pollinated individuals were most abundant overall. Diaspore diversity, pollination diversity, and …

Genome Profiling Of Two Strains Of The Green Alga Chlamydomnas Raudensis, Rajesh Kumar Gupta

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Chlamydomonas raudensis Ettl consists of two strains, SAG 49.72 and UWO 241. They have identical Internal Transcribed Spacer sequences and are thus considered to belong to the same species, even though they are geographically separate and physiologically and biochemically very distinct. Using the technique of random amplification of polymorphic DNA to measure the extent of genome polymorphism, the aim of this research was to estimate the similarity of the nuclear genomes of the two strains. The analysis shows that the two strains only share approximately 10% of the total number of amplicons. Surprisingly, the data also indicates, indirectly, that the …

The Effect Of Dendritic Cell Mobilization On Cd8+ T Cell Responses To Influenza A Virus, Adil N. Shivji

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Influenza A viruses (IAV) cause respiratory infections with potentially catastrophic consequences. Neutralizing antibodies towards surface proteins of IAV prevent reinfection. However, mutations in these proteins allow the virus to evade these antibodies. Enhancing cytotoxic T cell-mediated immunity has been proposed as an attractive strategy to combat flu. Recombinant human FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FL) is known to mobilize dendritic cells (DCs) in mice. Given that DCs are the most potent antigen-presenting cells, I hypothesized that their mobilization by FL will improve the CD8+ T cell response to IAV. Quantification of CD8+ T cell responses to IAV epitopes by intracellular …

Characterization Of The Circadian Properties Of Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 (Runx2) And Its Role In The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus, Meghan E. Reale

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Circadian rhythms orchestrate physiological, behavioral and cognitive processes in order to anticipate and adapt organisms to key environmental cues. These endogenously driven oscillations are generated by a network of interlocked auto-regulatory transcriptional-translational feedback loops driven forward by the Bmal1/Clock heterodimer transcription factor. Given the ubiquitous and dynamic quality of circadian rhythms, the identification of factors involved in the coordination and regulation of the endogenous oscillations is central in broadening our understanding of biological timing systems. In an examination of gene expression in the mammalian central circadian pacemaker, the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), revealed a previously unreported rhythmic expression of runt-related …

Comprehensive Assessment Of Cnv Calling Algorithms: A Family Based Study Involving Monozygotic Twins Discordant For Schizophrenia, Sujit Maiti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Genetic variability is essential to human individuality. Genetic variation includes differences in sequence at the single nucleotide level to structural variations of large segments of DNA called copy number variations (CNVs). CNVs within a genome can be identified using microarray technology; however, the analysis of microarray results resulting in the “calling” of CNVs is not always precise. The research included in this manuscript describes the identification and analysis of CNVs using three commercially-available packages, Affymetrix^® Genotyping Console^TM, Partek^® Genome Suite^TM and PennCNV, that are most commonly used in the analysis of SNP and CNV data. …

Detection Of Genomic Inversion From Single End Read, Pankaj Ghimire

Master's Theses

Structural Variations (SVs) are genomic rearrangements that include both copy-number variants,such as insertion,deletions, duplications and balanced variants like inversion and translocations. These SVs are getting more attentions for research and investigation because of their role on human phenotype, genetic diseases and genomic rearrangements. Evolution of Next-generation Sequencing has provided golden opportunities to investigate these variants and make their wider and clear spectrum in human genome. This investigation includes identification of type of SVs and their breakpoints at base pair level. For their effective identification and breakpoint resolution, many techniques are devised mainly based on paired end read. With relatively low …

Effects Of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Brain Injury On Spatial Working Memory, Amanda L. Smith

Master's Theses

Children born prematurely or at very low birth weight (VLBW) have an increased risk for hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HI). HI refers to a lack of adequate blood and oxygen flow in the brain. HI can also occur in the term infant due to birth complications such as prolonged labor, placental dysfunction, or cord prolapse. In both populations (though exact patterns of neuropathology vary) brain damage is likely to occur in the form of decreased hippocampal and cortical volume, and enlargement of the ventricles (Kesler et al., 2004, Nagy et al., 2009). Resulting neuropathology can in turn lead to cognitive …

Differences In Food Availability For Venus Flytraps In Resident And Restored Populations, J. Mason Truluck

Honors Theses

Expanding on a previous two-year study of resident and restored populations of Venus flytraps in Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, the arthropod populations at resident and restored sites were sampled and compared to determine if there was a significant difference between them. Fourteen orders of invertebrates were collected from the sites, with the most numerous being Collembola (springtails) and Hymenoptera of the Family Formicidae (ants). There was no significant difference between the sample groups, though two of the traps from the restored sites were unusable. This study suggests that the arthropod population size and composition does not differ between the …

Autonomic And Behavioral Reactivity To An Acute Laboratory Stressor, Jeremy C. Peres

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Stress has been widely shown to directly influence people’s emotional and behavioral processing as well as their underlying biological systems. This project examined physiological and behavioral responses as indicators of stress and coping in the context of a psychosocial stressor in a controlled laboratory setting. We examined the association between indicators of behavioral coping and underlying physiological reactivity within participants while experiencing stress. Participants included 68 emerging adults. Physiological measures include autonomic biomarkers (e.g., heart-rate, skin conductance) at rest and during the stressor while behavioral indicators that were coded include acute verbal and non-verbal actions exhibited by participants during the …

Application Of Web Mashup Technology To Oyster Information Services, Christian Chuindja Ngniah

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Web mashup is a lightweight technology used to integrate data from remote sources without direct access to their databases. As a data consumer, a Web mashup application creates new contents by retrieving data through the Web application programming interface (API) provided by the external sources. As a data provider, the service program publishes its Web API and implements the specified functions.

In the project reported by this thesis, we have implemented two Web mashup applications to enhance the Web site oystersentinel.org: the Perkinsus marinus model and the Oil Spill model. Each model overlay geospatial data from a local database …

Cloning, Expression, And Characterization Of Ara H 3, A Major Peanut Allergen, Cathryn E. Garvey

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract There are eight foods that contribute to food allergies in the western world and peanut is the most common. Currently, there are no medical treatments that can cure an individual of food allergy, so avoidance of the allergic food is the only option. In the United States, there are three immunodominant allergic proteins accountable for patient sensitization to peanut, Arachis hypogea 1, 2, and 3 (Ara h 1, Ara h 2, Ara h 3). Therefore, research into why peanuts are more allergic than other foods that have homologous proteins is critical and may be obtained by studying the structural …

The Debate On Marine Mammals In Captivity, Lorna C. Scribner

Honors Theses

Are marine mammal species better off today because of captivity? Is captivity ethical and should it be continued? As this debate grows stronger, both of these sides of the argument offer substantial evidence in their favor. In this paper, I discuss data for both sides and evaluate the justifications of marine mammal captivity. Ideally, no matter the outcome, this research will educate the public on influential factors of wild and captive populations.

Quantifying Acclimation Levels Of Mimus Polyglottos In The Presence Of People, Jordan Rutherford

Honors Theses

The northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a common bird species found in North America that in the past 150 years has expanded its distribution north. It is now commonly seen in urban and suburban areas were at one point, it was rarely seen outside of rural and forested areas. For the study, I observed northern mockingbirds at nine different sites over a period of a month between September and October 2012. After the study, I determined that there is a negative relationship between the number of people in the surrounding area and the distance when the birds flew away.

Investigating The Compatibility Between Natura 2000 Site Protection And Geomorphological Landscapes, Faye Zammit

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Natura 2000 was established under the 1992 Habitats Directive as a EU wide network of nature protection areas by ensuring long-term survival of Europe’s most valuable and threatened species and habitats. Under the Natura 2000 scheme, there are a total of 32 protection areas in both Malta and Gozo. The different structural properties of the various rock layers results in various characteristic formations which are of ecological importance providing important refuge for many Maltese flora and fauna. In Malta, the different geomorphologic features are mainly a result of tectonic movement in which some are still dynamic and over the years …

A Comparison Of Placental Tissue In The Skinks Eulamprus Tympanum And E. Quoyii, Lauren Yates

Honors Theses

The species Eulamprus tympanum and Eulamprus quoyii are viviparous skinks that are said to have a Type I placenta. This research compared histological characteristics of the oviduct during pregnancy in E. tympanum and E. quoyii and assessed whether structural features are consistent with a Type I placentation. A similarity was seen in both of these species and was not consistent with a Type I placenta. Extreme folding of the uterine tissue was observed in the early stages. An increase in glands around the later stages was observed while there was no change in blood vessel density over the course of …

Analyzing Land-Cover Change Within North West Rural Landscapes, Chantal Cassar

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Landscape change is an issue of concern within the Maltese Islands; records of landscape change go back at least 450 years, and the rate of change has been particularly accelerated in recent decades. Notwithstanding the importance of this phenomenon, there have been few attempts to trace out patterns of landscape change over time. This study seeks to develop an understanding of landscape change within rural landscapes, over a period of 400 years. A qualitative analytical approach was used with a focus on five case study rural settlements in the North West of Malta. Land surveys and historic documentary sources together …

Effects Of Selenium On The Freshwater Alga Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii With And Without The Proteasome Inhibitor Mg132, E. Patrick Vallentine

Honors Theses

Selenium is a required nutrient in animal life but has not been shown to be needed in plants. The model plant cell Chlamydomonas reinhardtii may be an exception as it appears to increase its growth rate in the presence of selenium. Because selenium has the same valence state as sulfur it may be incorporated into proteins as the modified amino acid selenocysteine. This incorporation of selenocysteine into protein may disrupt the disulfide bridges that give proteins the correct conformation. Misfolded proteins can wreak havoc on a cell. This stress can be measured through several parameters. Chlorophyll levels, glutathione levels, growth, …

Comparing Biology Grades Based On Instructional Delivery And Instructor At A Community College: Face-To-Face Course Versus Online Course., Amanda Rosenzweig

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Through distance learning, the community college system has been able to serve more students by providing educational opportunities to students who would otherwise be unable to attend college. The community college of focus in the study increased its online enrollments and online course offerings due to the growth of overall enrollment. The need and purpose of the study is to address if there is a difference in students’ grades between face-to-face and online biology related courses and if there are differences in grades between face-to-face and online biology courses taught by different instructors and the same instructor. The study also …

Localization And Mutational Analysis Of The Nuclear And Aggregation-Prone Ime4 Protein In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Patricia M. Dehon

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ime4 is a protein that is induced during meiosis and has a primary role in regulating sporulation in starving diploids. One function of Ime4 is methylation of adenosine residues within mRNA transcripts. Recent studies have shown Ime4 to be induced in haploids during the mating response, although its role in mating has not been determined. In this report, I identify the subcellular localization of Ime4 during the mating response through treatment with alpha factor. A plasmid containing IME4-GFP under the control of the medium strength promoter CYC1 was created in order to express the protein in a …

Lipophilic And Hydrophilic Quantitative Analysis Of Antioxidant Activity In Tomatoes And Tomato Products, Anna Tran Dinh

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The amount of antioxidants present in food varies depending on environmental conditions in which produce was grown and how products were processed prior to consumption. It would, therefore, be useful to quantify antioxidant activities in these foods. This study focused on quantitative analysis of antioxidant activities in commercially produced whole tomatoes and processed tomato products. For commercially processed tomatoes, diced tomatoes had total antioxidant activities (TAA) ranging from 1.243 to 2.243 μmol TE/g fresh weight (fw), juice 1.573 to 6.86 μmol TE/g fw, paste 6.3 to 13.248 μmol TE/g fw, sauce 1.62 to 3.168 μmol TE/g fw, and soup 1.073 …

Economic Analysis Of The Upper South River Special Regulation Area In Augusta County, Virginia, Brian Rapp

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The Upper South River Special Regulation Area (SRA) is a fishery in Augusta County, Virginia that opened as a trout fishery in January 2011. There is a need to estimate the economic impact of the fishery on the local community in order to find the value of the fishery. The economic value of the fishery is important because of its implications in the management practices as well as funding for future restoration and conservation projects. In this study, the economic impact was estimated to be $78,181 from January 2011 through June 2012. This was calculated based on prior surveys and …

Understanding Marine Ecosystem Services In Malta: A Focus On Climate Regulation, Nursery Habitat And Recreational Services, Erin Marie Reilly

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The research explored the relationship that people have with marine environments around Malta through the framework of ecosystem services with the idea that the results of this research could be used as a starting point for the development of a management plan for the marine environment around Malta. Surveys were conducted targeting residents, tourists, and divers to gain an understanding of stakeholder perception of the threats facing climate regulation, provision of nursery habitat and recreation. These data were used to develop a GIS where essential areas and impacts were compared and areas of potential conflict were identified. There were significant …

The Effects Of Intracerebroventricular Leptin On Milk Availability In Lactating Rats, Brittany Lynita Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reports have linked energy balance along with adipocyte derived leptin action to improved fertility. Recent evidence indicates that leptin hormone is present in breast milk and leptin receptors are well expressed in mammary epithelial cells. The hypothesis that insufficiency of leptin restraint in the hypothalamus may underlie infertility in rodents and the failure of lactating breast to express adequate amount of milk was tested. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were injected leptin through intracerebroventricular cannulation (ICVC) of the third ventricle. Female rats were mated with stud males and observed throughout gestation. Compared to the control groups, leptin treatment increased prolactin levels in …

The Influence Of Ubiquitin-Related Modifier Protein Urm1 On Prion Formation, Jacob Beaver

Honors Theses

Prions are infections proteins that are auto-catalyzing (form by altering a regular protein into the structurally different prion form), and are the cause of many common diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (or Mad Cow disease). This experiment tested the effect of three different plasmids, pH317, pER62 and pmp46 on prion formation in both wild-type and Urm1 deletion mutants in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The proposed hypothesis was overexpression of the prion forming protein would increase the frequency of prion formation, as well as yield less sustainable prion amyloids (or prion aggregations) that are easier to …

Distribution And Social Structure Of An Estuarine Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Population In Northern South Carolina, Jamie L. Brusa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Information regarding habitat preference of apex predators may pinpoint areas dense in resources such as prey species. Knowledge of how animals use their habitat can enable the classification and targeted management of important habitat features. This study was conducted to determine the distribution and social structure of an inshore population of bottlenose dolphins within the North Inlet-Winyah Bay estuary in northern South Carolina. Photo-identification surveys were conducted along defined transect routes. Home ranges of individual dolphins were calculated using the minimum convex polygon method and the fixed kernel density method using Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Mean group sizes and …

Stream-Associated Amphibian Habitat Assessment In The Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Region, Andrew Evans Dietrich

Dissertations and Theses

This study assessed the influence of landscape development on stream-associated amphibians in forested riparian areas within the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. Human alteration of landscapes may dramatically affect the ecology of neighboring aquatic systems. It was hypothesized that lotic amphibians would be negatively associated with greater amounts of landscape development and positively associated with forested area within the surrounding watershed. Thirty-seven 1st-3rd order streams were sampled between June 21st and September 21st in 2011. Streams potentially providing adequate habitat for stream-obligate amphibians were randomly selected. Amphibians were surveyed along 30-meter stream transects using an active-cover search (ACS). Environmental variables associated with …

Cerebellar Degeneration In Harlequin Mice Is Associated With Inflammation Unaltered By Low-Dose Phenobarbital Treatment, Anita Prtenjaca

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Canadian population demographics are shifting to an increase in aged individuals and an increase in the prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases. The post-mitotic nature of most neurons highlights the need to understand the etiology and early mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases and design targeted therapies. Currently, the etiologies of neurodegeneration are poorly understood but oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation are early mechanisms in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. An anti-aging strategy that can be adapted for use in neurodegeneration is hormesis, where repeated low-level exposures to stressors are beneficial to the cell. Hormesis has demonstrated efficacy in inhibiting …

The Cost Of Ethanol Synthesis During Recovery From Exhaustive Exercise In Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella), Simon A. Bradford

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) reduce white muscle glycogen (~14 µmol glucosyl units/g wet tissue) in response to exhaustive exercise. This reduction results in a small increase in muscle lactate (~9 µmol/g wet tissue) and a larger increase in muscle ethanol (~30 µmol/g wet tissue). Tissue-specific and whole-body measures of glycogen, ethanol and lactate confirm that ethanol is the major “anaerobic” glycolytic end-product. Additionally, while peak muscle and blood ethanol levels occur immediately post-exercise, the excretion of ethanol to the environment is delayed, occurring over a 30-minute period beginning ~105 minutes following exercise. As the total amount of ethanol …

Assessment Of Land Use And Neotropical Herpetofauna Along Steep Gradients Of Elevation In An Ecuadorian Ramsar Wetland Site #1143, Nicholas K. Henke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using a comparative ecological approach, over the course of 18 days at the transition from a particularly wet to dry season in 2010, I assessed herpetofaunal assemblages and related abiotic parameters (i.e., photosynthetically active radiation, specific conductance, temperature and coarse woody debris) between contiguous forest and human impacted areas along three paired transects across the steep elevation gradient at Laguna de Cube, Ramsar site # 1143. Visual encounter surveys were used to capture herpetofauna with species being processed (e.g., weight, digit length, photographed) and identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. After evaluating transect data for pooling (i.e., no significant …