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Minibrain And Wings Apart Control Organ Growth And Tissue Patterning Through Downregulation Of Capicua, Liu Yang

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The regulation of organ growth is a fundamental aspect of developmental biology. My work uses Drosophila as a model system to understand how the various growth regulators are coordinated. The transcriptional repressor Capicua (Cic) controls tissue patterning and restricts organ growth, and has been recently implicated in several cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Cic has emerged as a primary sensor of signaling downstream of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, but how Cic activity is regulated in different cellular contexts remains poorly understood. In order to identify Cic regulators, I have used affinity purification/mass spectrometry (AP-MS) to study …

Evolution In The Deep Sea: Scales And Mechanisms Of Population Divergence, Amanda E. Glazier

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The deep sea is the Earth’s largest ecosystem and harbors a unique and largely endemic fauna. Although most research has focused on the ecological mechanisms that allow coexistence, recent studies have begun to investigate how this remarkable fauna evolved.. My work quantifies geographic patterns of genetic variation and investigates potential mechanisms that shape evolution in the deep ocean.

Bathymetric genetic divergence is common in the deep sea with population structure typically decreasing with depth. The evolutionary mechanisms that underlie these patterns are poorly understood. Geographic patterns of genetic variation indicated that the protobranch bivalve Neilonella salicensis was composed of two …

Exploring Knowledge, Beliefs And Practices Of Radon Gas Exposure Among Public Health Workers, Paschal Nwako

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Radon gas exposure is the highest cause of lung cancer among people that never smoked in the United States. People exposed to elevated levels of radon had a higher risk of developing lung cancer. Achieving the long term goal of the Indoor Radon Abatement Act (IRAA) of 1988 require a combined efforts of government agencies. Public health workers are change agents and their role in protecting and improving the health of their communities are well documented. This study created and utilized a multi question survey, the Public Health Workers Radon Assessment Instrument (PHWRAI) to explore knowledge, beliefs, personal and professional …

Macroinvertebrate Community Composition, Food Web Structure, And Emergence Rate In Neotropical Cloud-Forest Streams In Mindo, Ecuador, Anna M. Harris

Masters Theses

Tropical cloud forest streams are one of the most threatened and understudied ecosystems in the world. Understanding how these ecosystems function is essential for effective conservation. In this study, macroinvertebrate community composition, functional feeding group analysis, ecosystem attributes, and physicochemical parameters were used to evaluate biophysical stream conditions of 3 low-order Neotropical cloud forest streams at Reserva Las Gralarias in Mindo, Ecuador. Additionally, food web structure was analyzed via stable isotope analysis and aquatic insect emergence rate was also examined. As stream size increased from 1st to 3rd order, the macroinvertebrate communities shifted from being collector-gatherer dominated (65.2 to 29.8%, …

Protein Kinase M Zeta-Mediated Ltp Maintenance In The Non-Human Primate Hippocampus: A Role For Stress And Serotonergic Signaling In Affective Processing, Sasha L. Fulton

Theses and Dissertations

Early-Life Stress (ELS) is associated with vulnerability to mood disorder, but it’s not well understood how ELS contributes to deficits in cognitive function. Atypical PKMzeta is critical for LTP maintenance and memory. The current study aims to characterize the ELS phenotype with respect to this key marker of hippocampal LTP.

Pdz Protein Regulation Of Β-Arrestin Recruitment And Gpcr Trafficking, Sarah Gupta

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

β-arrestins are versatile adaptor proteins that play a vital role in regulation of G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) trafficking and signalling properties. PDZ proteins have previously been shown to modulate β-arrestin2 recruitment and receptor internalization for many GPCRs including Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor 1 (CRFR1), a receptor whose antagonists have been shown to demonstrate both anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects. Further characterization of the interplay between β-arrestins and PDZ proteins may aid in determining a potential mechanism for PDZ protein regulation of GPCR trafficking. Our findings suggest that PDZ proteins PSD-95, MAGI1, and PDZK1 complex with β-arrestin2 by interacting via the PDZ …

New Insights Into Signal Detection Of The Effects Of Exposures During Pregnancy, Fatma Etwel

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is inadequate information on the fetal safety of drugs during pregnancy for the majority of marketed drugs. It is challenging to examine the safety and efficacy of drugs during pregnancy due to the ethical issues of exposing unborn babies to these chemicals. It often takes many years before associations between a drug and its safety, efficacy, and toxicity in pregnancy can be established. This thesis will examine strategies in signal detection of the effects of drug exposures during pregnancy.

Meta-analyses have become useful in the area of clinical teratology. Observational studies provide the main source of information in these …

The Hemostatic Effects Of Acute Exposure To Colored Cornstarch Powder During A 5k Run, Robert C. Allsbrook

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

PURPOSE: To examine the acute hemostatic effects of particulate matter (PM) in the form of colored corn starch powder during a 5 kilometer race. METHODS: 10 recreationally active adults completed two 5k runs, one with color and one without color. 10 mL blood samples were taken 6 hours prior to the trial and immediately following the trial. PAI-1 activity, FVIII antigen, and tPA activity were measured using an ELISA. RESULTS: No significant main effects or interaction effects (P<0.05) were observed among any of the variables although a trend (P = 0.082) was observed for increased PAI-1 activity during exercise in the color condition. CONCLUSIONS: There is a trend towards increased PAI-1 activity levels during exercise during color runs that could be due to increased inflammation. Furthermore, the lack of increased FVIII:ag and tPA activity suggests that the intensity of the exercise may not have been adequate and further research should be conducted in this area.

Effect Of Reproductive Efficiency In Regards To Workload On Peripheral Circulations Of Blood Cortisol And Leptin In The Open Mare, Michaelle K. Coker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Effect of Reproductive Efficiency in Regards to Workload on Peripheral Circulations of Blood Cortisol and Leptin in the Open Mare

(December, 2016)

Michaelle Kathleen Coker, B.S., Texas A&M University

Thesis Director: Dr. John Michael Mehaffey

Quarter and Paint horse mares (n= 9) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups after being blocked based by expected conception date. Groups consist of mares on no work (NW), light work (LW), and moderate work (MW). Blood was taken weekly via jugular venipuncture prior to first heat cycle from each mare. Additionally, blood was taken at time of ovulation and then weekly …

The Fate Of Icd-1 During Misfolded Protein Induced Apoptosis In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Kyle H. Perez

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Severe misfolded protein stress initiates cellular responses that often result in the death of the affected cell, typically by apoptosis. An essential aspect of apoptosis is caspase-mediated cleavage of proteins that, once cleaved, further propagate death. One heterodimeric structure putatively targeted in this process in the nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC), a translational chaperone thought to help prevent misfolded protein stress in the ER. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the beta subunit of the NAC in C. elegans (ICD-1) is cleaved during the induction of apoptosis, with the hypothesis that ICD-1 is cleaved during stressed-induced apoptosis to …

Mitigating The Impacts Of Human Land-Use Change On Biodiversity: With A Focus On Large Migratory Herbivores, Kina Rebekah Murphy

Biology ETDs

Land-use change, commercial over-harvesting of species, and climate change are recognized as the main drivers of biodiversity loss. As a result, it is estimated that 30% of the planet’s biodiversity may go extinct by 2050. This dissertation focuses on how to mitigate the impacts of land-use change on biodiversity. I focus on large migratory herbivores because they are among the most heavily impacted by global change due to their large home range requirements. Habitat fragmentation, illegal hunting, and human-wildlife conflicts are among the biggest threats to large herbivores and result from land-use change. For this reason, my first chapter focuses …

Impacts Of Long-Term Precipitation Manipulation On Hydraulic Architecture, Xylem Function, And Canopy Status In A Piñon-Juniper Woodland, Patrick J. Hudson

Biology ETDs

The Southwestern US is predicted to become hotter and drier, as global climate change forces increasing temperatures and variability in timing and size of precipitation inputs. Drought stress has become more frequent in recent decades, and resulted in massive forest mortality in piñon-juniper woodlands. During recent severe droughts (2000-2003, 2009-2012), piñon pine (Pinus edulis Englem.) suffered disproportionately high mortality compared to co-occurring one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma [Engelm.] Sarg.). A large-scale precipitation manipulation experiment was established in a piñon-juniper woodland in central New Mexico to test hypotheses regarding tree survival and mortality with respect to altered water regimes. Our …

Integrating Habitat Suitability Modeling And Radio Telemetry To Describe Habitat Use Of The Western Massasaugas, Sistrurus T. Tergeminus, In Texas, Mitchell R. Barazowski

Biology Theses

Habitat suitability modeling using the software package MaxEnt (Phillips, Anderson, & Schapire, 2006) is a popular method for describing the habitat of rare species. MaxEnt uses “presence only” data to develop models; however presence data are highly skewed towards areas of high detection probability and these areas may not represent the full range of habitat use. Thusly, predictions from models developed using only data from areas with high detection probability may not represent all suitable habitat. This study tested the ability of MaxEnt models developed using three different data sets to accurately describe Western Massasauga (Sistrurus t. tergeminus) habitat at …

Inquiry-Based Biotechnology Education For Kent Intermediate School District Early College Program, Meāgan N. Treadway

Masters Theses

Growth in the field of biotechnology, combined with the ability to access information instantaneously, requires a new model of science education that will nurture deeper understanding and higher order thinking to develop a scientifically literate population. Inquirybased learning is a student-centered model built on the theoretical framework of constructivism, which allows students to learn in a way that reflects how scientists come to understand the natural world. This project aimed to address the need for an inquiry-based biotechnology curriculum in a local Early College program by developing, piloting, revising, and implementing an inquiry-based biotechnology unit while simultaneously evaluating the impact …

Phylogenetics, Biogeography, And Climate Niche Variation Of South Pacific And Hawaiian Psychotria, Elaine Zhang

Master's Theses

Why do some species have broad geographic distributions, while other species are confined to a narrow distribution? Species age, ecological niche, or dispersal traits may help explain why some insular species are abundant and found on many islands, while others are rare and restricted to one island. In this study, I inferred a robust, time-calibrated phylogeny of the Hawaiian Psychotria, using two nuclear and eight chloroplast loci, sampling 67 individuals. I coupled my phylogenetic hypothesis with climatic data, ecological niche modeling, and morphological dispersal characteristics to explain the variation in number of islands occupied by each species. My inferred phylogeny …

The Role Of Diaphanous In Ring Canal Development In Drosophila Melanogaster, Alexandra M. Kindred

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Infertility is a widespread condition that does not always have a known cause, and for which we often do not have a cure. One potential cause of infertility is defects in gametogenesis, or the formation of sperm and egg. During gametogenesis in most organisms, the developing sperm and egg are connected to each other or to supporting cells through intercellular bridges, allowing transfer of materials between cells. Defects in these connections can lead to infertility. The developing fruit fly egg is an excellent model system to study intercellular bridges, or ring canals. Rich in f-actin and actinbinding proteins, ring canals …

American Milk: The Raw Deal, Dan Heching

Capstones

This report takes a look at the difficulty in procuring raw milk, an increasingly desired alternative to processed dairy, in New York City. It also tells the story of one woman's journey to tasting raw milk for the first time, despite reservations.

link: https://social.shorthand.com/MoodyHeching/uyYgLmuoNp6/american-milk-the-raw-deal

Riding The Mind Lightning, William A. Fortuna

Capstones

Neuromodulation is the practice of applying external stimulation, either electric or magnetic, to the human in order to affect positive change. TDCS or transcranial direct current stimulation is a neuromodulatory technique using a 9-volt battery. Because of the simplicity of the device, and it's relatively low potential for harm, the technique is popular with both researchers and at-home enthusiasts. To find out whether this technique works the way some people say it does, I built my own.

Flight Of The Freshwater Fish, Michael H. Wilson

Capstones

Michael H. Wilson

Capstone Abstract

December 27, 2016

Flight of the Freshwater Fish

The Hudson River provides for millions of people as a path for commercial and private transportation, a source of food and energy, and perhaps most importantly for many living in the tri-state area as a destination for recreation and relaxation. The most overlooked feature of the river is how the wildlife shows clear signs of a changing climate and rapid environmental response to the impacts of global warming on the river.

Entire populations of fish species in the lower Hudson have been forced to leave the river …

Why We Still Need To Worry About Bees, Meaghan Lee Callaghan

Capstones

American honey bees, and other native bee species, are still in decline, though the specter of colony collapse disorder may be fading behind us. Colony decline, the loss of bees overwinter experienced across the country at a quarter to third lost per hive (sometimes more), is now expected. Losses can include those from colony collapse disorder. The author discusses the different causes for colony decline and speaks to bee health scientists and local beekeepers. Read more at: http://www.meaghanleecallaghan.com/capstone/index.html

An Analysis Of Gulf Of Maine Cod Metapopulation Structure And Localized Stability, With Application To Area-Based Fisheries Management, Derek Olson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The complex metapopulation structure of groundfish stocks in the Gulf of Maine, particularly Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), is largely ignored under the current system of broad-scale stock assessment and management. This mismatch of biological and administrative scales has contributed to severe overall stock decline and localized serial depletion of Gulf of Maine cod. Such chronic management failure has led to growing calls for a more area-based, finer-scale approach to managing groundfish in the Gulf of Maine. A primary difficulty hindering the development of finer-scale groundfish management has been the challenge of estimating fishing mortality upon local stock components. …

Target Validation And Pharmacological Characterization Of Novel Nmdar Modulators, Kiran Sapkota

Theses & Dissertations

The N-methyl-D aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are ligand-gated ion channels, which play important roles in learning and memory. Excessive activity of NMDARs is implicated in damage due to stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, whereas hypoactivity of NMDARs contributes to schizophrenia. The initial goal of my dissertation is to evaluate the potential role of the GluN2D-containing NMDARs in neuropathological, behavioral and cognitive alterations associated with schizophrenia and characterize the pharmacology and mechanisms of action of NMDAR modulators which could potentially be used to modulate these receptors in schizophrenia.

A subanesthetic dose of the NMDAR antagonist ketamine elicits symptoms of schizophrenia. This property led …

Defining The Role Of Phosphorylation And Dephosphorylation In The Regulation Of Gap Junction Proteins, Hanjun Li

Theses & Dissertations

Gap junctions are intercellular channels that permit the free passage of ions, small metabolites, and signaling molecules between neighboring cells. In the diseased human heart, altered ventricular gap junction organization and connexin expression (i.e., remodeling) are key contributors to rhythm disturbances and contractile dysfunction. Connexin43 (Cx43) is the dominant gap junction protein isoform in the ventricle which is under tight regulation by serine/tyrosine phosphorylation. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation regulate many aspects of Cx43 function including trafficking, assembly and disassembly, electrical and metabolic coupling at the plaque, as well as to modulate the interaction with other proteins.

Serine phosphorylation has long been …

Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms Interfere With Macrophage Antimicrobial Responses Through Differential Gene Regulation, Toxin Production, And Purine Metabolism, Tyler D. Scherr

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an opportunistic pathogen that is a leading cause of both nosocomial and community-associated infections. Armed with a myriad of virulence factors and the propensity to form a biofilm on native tissues and implanted medical devices alike, S. aureus infections represent a very real public health threat, the treatment of which results in an excessive economic burden. S. aureus biofilm infections are notoriously recalcitrant to antibiotic therapy and adept at evading and neutralizing the host immune antimicrobial response. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that S. aureus biofilms are able to cause persistent …

Amino Acid Catabolism In Staphylococcus Aureus, Cortney Halsey

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus must rapidly adapt to a variety of carbon and nitrogen sources during invasion of a host. Within a staphylococcal abscess, preferred carbon sources such as glucose are limiting, suggesting S. aureus survives through the catabolism of secondary carbon sources. S. aureus encodes pathways to catabolize multiple amino acids including those that generate pyruvate, 2-oxoglutarate, and oxaloacetate. To assess amino acid catabolism, S. aureus JE2 and mutants were grown in complete defined medium containing 18 amino acids but lacking glucose (CDM). A mutation in glutamate dehydrogenase (gudB), which generates 2-oxoglutarate from glutamate, abrogated growth in CDM suggesting …

Global Gene Expression Profiling Of Healthy Human Brain And Its Application In Studying Neurological Disorders, Simarjeet K. Negi

Theses & Dissertations

The human brain is the most complex structure known to mankind and one of the greatest challenges in modern biology is to understand how it is built and organized. The power of the brain arises from its variety of cells and structures, and ultimately where and when different genes are switched on and off throughout the brain tissue. In other words, brain function depends on the precise regulation of gene expression in its sub-anatomical structures. But, our understanding of the complexity and dynamics of the transcriptome of the human brain is still incomplete. To fill in the need, we designed …

The Functions Of The Cid And Lrg Operons In S. Aureus Programmed Cell Death, Xinyan Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus cid/lrg operons regulate the formation of S.aureus biofilm formation and programmed cell death based on previous in vivo work done in Dr. Bayles's lab. cid operon, which encodes CidA/CidB/CidC proteins, has been shown to be an effector in leading to the lysis and death of the S.aureus; While lrg operon, encoding LrgA and LrgB proteins, is an inhibitor of the lysis and death. Recent studies suggest that CidA behaves like holin proteins from bacterial phage, by increasing the murein hydrolysis activity under aerobic culturing conditions. LrgA, together with LrgB, appears to inhibit this function. …

Evidence Of A Role For G Protein Signaling Modulator 3 In Cell Division, Drew C. Wallace

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Components of G protein-mediated signaling are associated with positioning and orienting the mitotic spindle in the process of cell division. However, a functional role for G protein signaling modulator 3 (GPSM3) in cell division has yet to be defined. The purpose of this study was to investigate a potential role for GPSM3 in cell division. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats, that are known to express GPSM3, were used as a model system. Here I report that GPSM3 mRNA and protein levels varied during different stages of the cell cycle in SHR VSMCs. …

The Forgotten Cousin In Freshwater Community Ecology: Tidal Freshwater Wetlands, Jack R. Mclachlan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tidal freshwaters are unique in their placement in the landscape, forming where freshwater riverine flows are sufficient to overwhelm the saline water of the incoming tide, but not strong enough to suppress tidal water-height fluctuations. Tidal freshwaters and their wetlands have been overlooked by freshwater and marine researchers alike; neither discipline considers tidal freshwaters to fall under their purview. Invertebrate communities in tidal freshwaters are thought to be species depauperate; the consensus is that they support fewer taxa than nearby non-tidal freshwaters, but little is known about how these communities are structured. This study investigated how tidal hydrology, an atypical …

Roles Of Siphon Flows In Suspension Feeding, Kevin Du Clos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Benthic marine suspension feeders provide an important link between benthic and pelagic ecosystems. The strength of this link is determined by suspension-feeding rates. Many studies have measured suspension-feeding rates using indirect clearance-rate methods, which are based on the depletion of suspended particles. Direct methods that measure the flow of water itself are less common, but they can be more broadly applied because clearance-rate measurements are affected by properties of the cleared particles. We present pumping rates for three species of suspension feeders, the clams Mya arenaria and Mercenaria mercenaria and the tunicate Ciona intestinalis, calculated using a direct method …