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Articles 1 - 19 of 19
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Mitochondrial Replacement And Mitonuclear Interactions In The Broadstripe Topminnow (Fundulus Euryzonus), Auburn Ansley
Mitochondrial Replacement And Mitonuclear Interactions In The Broadstripe Topminnow (Fundulus Euryzonus), Auburn Ansley
Honors Theses
When species hybridize, mitochondrial and nuclear introgression can take place. This is commonly observed in freshwater fish species, such as the Fundulus notatus complex, which is composed of F. notatus, F. olivaceus, and F. euryzonus. The broadstripe topminnow, F. euryzonus, is only found in the Amite and Tangipahoa Rivers in the Lake Pontchartrain drainage, where it overlaps in distribution with F. olivaceus. Previous studies determined that F. euryzonus in the Tangipahoa River system possesses mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from F. olivaceus as a result of hybridization between the two species. The goal of this thesis was …
The Effect Of Truncated Complement Constructs On Biofilm Formation, Protease Production, And Pigmentation, Cara L. Cothern
The Effect Of Truncated Complement Constructs On Biofilm Formation, Protease Production, And Pigmentation, Cara L. Cothern
Honors Theses
The msaABCR operon regulates virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus, a Gram-positive commensal organism that colonizes healthy individuals but can also be a human pathogen. These virulence factors include biofilm development, pigmentation, and extracellular protease production. The operon consists of the msaB gene, which produces a coding transcript, the msaA gene and the msaC gene, which produce noncoding RNAs, and msaR, which produces an antisense RNA. The latter three transcript regions of the operon are referred to as untranslated regions (UTRs) and are essential for the function of the operon, but only msaB encodes a protein. The mechanism of …
A Comparison Of Egg Desiccation Tolerance And Development Under Different Temperatures For Three Common Aedes Mosquitoes, Shelby A. Hosch
A Comparison Of Egg Desiccation Tolerance And Development Under Different Temperatures For Three Common Aedes Mosquitoes, Shelby A. Hosch
Honors Theses
With the rise in global temperatures, invasive mosquito species like Aedes albopictus may be able to reach regions that were previously inhospitable to these species. Therefore, if A. albopictus were to potentially reach Puerto Rico, it would come into contact with the species of Aedes aegypti and Aedes mediovittatus in local containers, and it is unclear how the tropical temperatures and precipitation patterns would affect the co-occurrence of these three species. Egg desiccation and temperature dependent growth among the species were measured to test how these species hatched and developed during different humidity and temperature. It was hypothesized that there …
The Incorporation Of Lipids Into The Cellular Membrane Of Salmonella, Betsy H. Redfern
The Incorporation Of Lipids Into The Cellular Membrane Of Salmonella, Betsy H. Redfern
Honors Theses
Salmonella is a gram negative, facultative anaerobic food borne pathogen and is the leading cause of deaths related to food borne illnesses. In order to establish an infection successfully, Salmonella must be able to survive in the presence of various stressors that it encounters, namely changes in pH, oxygen availability, osmolarity and bile. Previous research has shown that exposure to bile causes a shift in fatty acid composition in the cell membrane of the enteric bacterium Enterococcus faecalis. Thus, this led to the hypothesis that Salmonella incorporates fatty acids into its cellular membrane following exposure to bile and thereby protects …
Does Interest Equal Success? Evaluating Student Perceptions Of The Study Of Biology And Their Effects On Student Success In An Introductory Biology Course, Courtney Irene Barlow
Does Interest Equal Success? Evaluating Student Perceptions Of The Study Of Biology And Their Effects On Student Success In An Introductory Biology Course, Courtney Irene Barlow
Honors Theses
As instructors begin to devote more time to improving student perceptions of biology, the validity of these efforts should be determined. Do students possessing favorable views of biology regularly perform on a higher level than those with less favorable impressions, or would class time be better spent without exercises intended to increase student interest? The goal of this project was to address the research questions “How do students view the study of biology?”, “How do student perceptions of the subject area affect their performance in an Introductory Biology course?”, and “How does a student’s chosen area of study affect their …
Effects Of Marsh Fragmentation And Patch Area On Fish And Nekton Assemblages In Mississippi, Jennifer R. Main
Effects Of Marsh Fragmentation And Patch Area On Fish And Nekton Assemblages In Mississippi, Jennifer R. Main
Honors Theses
Fragmentation divides continuous habitat into smaller patches. Fragmentation can also produce smaller populations of species, because fragmentation can split a population into smaller groups. Both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems suffer from fragmentation. There are a variety of fishes that live along marsh, each depending upon the marsh for protection, food, and sometimes even competition. Species richness of fishes can be altered due to marsh fragmentation. I predict islands with a larger patch index should have a higher species richness of fishes. For this study, fish assemblages at 20 islands of marsh were sampled in the months of June and July …
Expression Of Glycine-Rich Proteins Found In Salivary Glands Of The Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma Americanum) Using A Mammalian Cell Line, Annabelle Clark
Expression Of Glycine-Rich Proteins Found In Salivary Glands Of The Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma Americanum) Using A Mammalian Cell Line, Annabelle Clark
Honors Theses
Ticks play an important ecological role as well as a growing role in human health and veterinary care. Ticks are hosts to a plethora of microbial pathogens that can be transferred during feeding to cause tick-borne diseases in humans and many animals. Ticks may in large part owe the success of the transfer of these pathogens between hosts to their complex saliva. The saliva secreted upon a tick’s attachment to a host serves the following, among other, functions: anti-hemostasis of the blood pool, preventing an inflammatory response at the bite site, and serving as a natural anti-microbial substance. An important …
Using Intrinsic Properties Of Polyaniline To Sense Expression Of The Microrna Let-7, Jared N. Gloria
Using Intrinsic Properties Of Polyaniline To Sense Expression Of The Microrna Let-7, Jared N. Gloria
Honors Theses
MicroRNAs are approximately 22-nucleotide long RNA molecules that function through decay and translational repression of messenger RNA. The microRNA let-7 is found to play a role in maintaining the fate of differentiated cells in humans. Thus, expression level of this microRNA is a reliable biomarker of tumor cell phenotype. However, there are significant limitations in the current profiling techniques of microRNA. The current methods like northern blotting, microarrays, RT-PCR, or using locked nucleic acid (LNA) for in-situ hybridization are either laborious, semi-quantitative, or expensive. In this research we try to address this issue by developing a fast, specific, and inexpensive …
Does Gut Microbiota Affect The Diet Preference In Anurans?, Jordan A. Rice
Does Gut Microbiota Affect The Diet Preference In Anurans?, Jordan A. Rice
Honors Theses
Gut microbiota is a community of bacteria that live in the digestive track of a host. These microbes assist in the breakdown of indigestible materials as food passes through the alimentary canal. Metabolites from bacteria may play a role cell to cell communication with their host and thus gut microbiota may affect the diet preference of the animal host. Southern Leopard frogs (Rana sphenocephala) and Green Tree frogs (Hyla cinerea) were used as focal species to test whether gut microbiota affect their diet preference. Three groups of tadpoles were tested. The control group was fed a …
Alternative Material Nest Boxes And Impacts On Nestling Physiology And Adult Behavior In The Eastern Bluebird (Sialia Sialis), Jamie E. Jackson
Alternative Material Nest Boxes And Impacts On Nestling Physiology And Adult Behavior In The Eastern Bluebird (Sialia Sialis), Jamie E. Jackson
Honors Theses
In the mid-nineteenth century, Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis, a native cavity nesting species) populations experienced serious declines because of a decrease in natural cavities and the introduction of non-native, competitive cavity nesting species. The creation of nest box programs led to an increase in bluebird populations and these programs continue to be of importance. In this study, a recycled metal ammunition can was used as a nest box to determine if this was a viable resource for bluebirds. This work investigated the effects of this alternate material nest box on nestling physiology and adult behavior with special emphasis …
Differences In Consumption Rates Between Juvenile And Adult Laccophilus Fasciatus Rufus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) On Larval Culex Quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae), Carmen E. Bofill
Honors Theses
With the increase of global temperature and human populations, prevalence of vector-borne diseases is becoming an issue for public health. Over the years these vectors have been notorious for developing resistance to human regulated insecticides. Thus, other forms of control, including the use of natural predators, have become an important topic in research. Research on member of the family of predaceous diving beetles (Dytiscidae) and their predatory ability to decrease aquatic mosquito larvae populations has been of recent interest. The purpose of this study is to 1) quantify consumption rates of the dytiscid Laccophilus fasciatus rufus juvenile and adults on …
Regulation Of Gene Expression In Karenia Brevis, Skylar C. Rodgers
Regulation Of Gene Expression In Karenia Brevis, Skylar C. Rodgers
Honors Theses
Karenia brevis is species of dinoflagellate responsible for most of the harmful algal blooms that occur in the Gulf of Mexico. These blooms can be detrimental to the environment and the economy of a coastal region due to the brevetoxins produced by Karenia brevis. Currently, the cause of these blooms, as well as the mechanisms of associated toxin production, are unknown. Efforts to characterize Karenia brevis at a molecular level are ongoing. However, based on genomic findings, researchers have hypothesized that regulation of gene expression occurs post-transcriptionally. In many organisms, non-coding RNAs, such as natural antisense transcripts (NATs), play …
Role Of Il-17 In Cd8+ T Cell Mediated Clearance Of West Nile Virus, Jordan E. Lowery
Role Of Il-17 In Cd8+ T Cell Mediated Clearance Of West Nile Virus, Jordan E. Lowery
Honors Theses
West Nile virus (WNV), a positive sense single stranded RNA flavivirus, is prevalent in many countries worldwide and is a growing threat in the United States. Some patients infected with WNV develop severe neuroinvasive disease including meningitis or encephalitis which may lead to death. The recently characterized cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17) has been implicated in several autoimmune diseases, neuroinflammatory conditions, and immune responses to various microbial infections. Previous research has indicated that a known contributor to IL-17 production, interleukin-23, is produced in response to WNV infection, but the role of IL-17 during WNV infection has not been studied before. This study …
Developmental Expression Profile Of Bric Á Brac 2, Midline And H15 In The Developing Eye And Central Nervous System Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Petra Visic
Honors Theses
Aberrant activity of a single gene can lead towards development of cancerous cells. Drosophila melanogaster is a useful model system to study cancer because there is high degree of evolutionary conservation in signaling pathways between humans and flies that play major roles in regulating cell proliferation and growth (Miles et al., 2011). At The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), Dr. Leal’s lab has gathered evidence suggesting that bab1 and bab2 interact with the T-box gene midline (mid) and its paralog H15, while the early developmental function of bab1 and bab2 remains unknown. That is why elucidating the early …
The Identification Of Arachnid Species In The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Lauren Auer
The Identification Of Arachnid Species In The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Lauren Auer
Honors Theses
Despite the known diversity of arachnids in neotropical ecozones there has been little considerable movement towards creating a collective means for identification of arachnids in Belize. Previous studies on ecotourism indicate positive trends between biodiversity education and conservation concern. This study was conducted to engage in a field-based study of arachnids in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary to determine the most frequently encountered arachnid species. For this study, four separate locations were surveyed within the Sanctuary: three trail sites and the main camp area. Each site was surveyed during two alternate time periods to account for diurnal and nocturnal species. …
Determining The Diversity Of Wetland Fungi Through Molecular-Based Species Identification, Kimberly Chesteen
Determining The Diversity Of Wetland Fungi Through Molecular-Based Species Identification, Kimberly Chesteen
Honors Theses
This study used molecular techniques to examine the diversity of fungal species inhabiting leaf and stem litter of the freshwater emergent macrophyte, Typha angustifolia, during decomposition. Because morphological identification of fungal species is frequently inaccurate and underestimates the number of fungal species present, molecular techniques involving rRNA genes such as ITS regions (internal transcribed spacer regions) are used to better determine specific fungal species within a sample. In this study, samples of decaying leaf and stems litter of Typha angustifolia were obtained from Independence Lake, Michigan over the span of a year. DNA from litter samples obtained from the months …
Spiders Of Riparian Communities In The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize, Megan Chevis
Spiders Of Riparian Communities In The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize, Megan Chevis
Honors Theses
Currently there is little literature on what arachnids inhabit the tropics of Central America, especially within the country of Belize. This study aimed to find which spider species are found in riparian areas within the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in central Belize and to distinguish trends among spiders and the microhabitats in which they live. Nocturnal samples were predicted to have greater diversity than diurnal samples at all sites. Pisauridae, Salticidae, and Lycosidae were predicted to be the most common spider families collected. Specimens were collected from three riparian sites located on trails within Cockscomb. Diurnal and nocturnal samples were …
The Effects Of An Informal Science Education Setting On Students’ Attitudes Towards Learning Science, Lauren Finley
The Effects Of An Informal Science Education Setting On Students’ Attitudes Towards Learning Science, Lauren Finley
Honors Theses
Informal science education is becoming increasingly popular in today’s classrooms, and for this reason, it is important to understand the effects of informal science education on students. In this study, the Children’s Attitude Survey (Wulf, Mayhew, & Finkelstein, 2009) was used to measure the effects of informal science education on students’ attitude toward science. Questionnaires were administered to two sample sets, and results indicated a slight decrease in attitude after participating in an informal science field trip. Continuing research in this area will provide more insight into why these effects were seen, and how informal science education can be best …
The Role Of Midline And Pexin10 In Regulating Drosophila Eye Development, John Forstall
The Role Of Midline And Pexin10 In Regulating Drosophila Eye Development, John Forstall
Honors Theses
The Drosophila midline (mid) transcription factor gene encodes a highly conserved invertebrate ortholog of the mammalian Tbx20 gene essential for regulating the development of diverse tissues including the central nervous system (CNS), epidermis and heart. Decreasing mid transcript levels within larval eye discs using RNAi (mid- RNAi) results in poorly organized IPCs and in adult eyes, interommatidal bristles derived from sensory organ precursors are significantly reduced in number within the ventral eye field. We also observe gross abnormalities in bristle polarity, ommatidial organization, cellular adhesion and pigmentation in adult mid-RNAi flies. By combining a classical …