Life Sciences Commons^™

Mitochondria Imaging And Targeted Cancer Treatment, Tinghan Zhao

Dissertations

Mitochondria are essential organelles as the site of respiration in eukaryotic cells and are involved in many crucial functions in cell life. Dysfunction of mitochondrial metabolism and irregular morphology have been frequently found in human cancers. The capability of imaging mitochondria as well as regulating their microenvironment is important both scientifically and clinically. Mitochondria penetrating peptides (MPPs), certain peptides that are composed of cationic and hydrophobic amino acids, are good candidates for mitochondria targeting. Herein, a novel MPP, D-argine-phenylalanine-D-argine-phenylalanine-D-argine-phenylalanine-NH₂ (rFrFrF), is conjugated with a rhodamine-based fluorescent chromophore (TAMRA). The TAMRA-rFrFrF probe exhibits advantageous properties for long-term mitochondria tracking of …

The Potential For Dickeya Dianthicola To Be Vectored By Two Common Insect Pests Of Potatoes, Jonas K. Insinga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dickeya dianthicola (Samson) causing blackleg and soft rot was first detected in potatoes grown in Maine in 2014. Previous work has suggested that insects, particularly aphids, may be able to vector bacteria in this genus between plants, but no conclusive work has been done to confirm this theory. In order to determine whether insect-mediated transmission is likely to occur in potato fields, two model potato pests common in Maine were used: the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decimlineata Say) and the green peach aphids (Myzus persicae Sulzer). Olfactometry and recruitment experiments evaluated if either insect discriminates between infected and …

A Landscape On The Threshold Of Change: Patterns Of Soil Microbial Ecology Along Dynamic Geomorphic And Hydrologic Features In A Polar Desert, Kelli L. Feeser, David J. Van Horn, Heather N. Buelow, Daniel R. Colman, Theresa A. Mchugh, Jordan G. Okie, Egbert Schwartz, Cristina D. Takacs-Vesbach, Becky A. Ball, Andrew G. Fountain, Michael N. Gooseff, Joseph S. Levy, Maciej K. Obryk

Biology ETDs

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) of Antarctica are on the threshold of widespread landscape scale change due to increasing temperature and solar radiation and altered hydrology: buried ice is melting, the soil active layer is thickening, thermokarst features are developing along streams, water tracks are expanding, and lake levels are rising. These changes will impact the microbial communities found in each of the affected habitats. The purpose of this work is to first, understand the spatial distribution of soil bacteria in the MDV, specifically investigating the scale-dependent effects of environmental heterogeneity, and second, to perform surveys and coupled experiments to …

Effects Of Temperature On Enzyme Activity Of Aquatic Litter-Associated Fungi, Nicholas Bautz

Honors Theses

The decomposition of leaf litter in aquatic ecosystems is carried out mostly by microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. Fungi, known as aquatic hyphomycetes, dominate microbial communities in the decomposition of leaf litter. These fungi produce extracellular enzymes that aid in the sequestration of carbon and nutrients and lead to the breakdown of complex plant polymers. We evaluated the effects of temperature on extracellular enzyme activity within the framework of the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE). The activity of β-1,4-glucosidase and β-1,4-xylosidase was estimated fluorometrically using artificial substrate analogs. Phenol oxidase activity was estimated spectrophotometrically from oxidation of L-DOPA (L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine). We …

Trade-Offs Between Survival And Reproduction In Starvation-Selected Drosophila Melanogaster, Tammara Beeghly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Evolutionary outcomes are demonstrated by traits that affect an organism’s schedule of reproduction and survival. These life history traits are reflected in an organism’s physiology, development and behavior. Environmental changes, such as availability of nutritional resources, can profoundly affect evolutionary outcomes of individuals and populations. When shortages arise, there will be trade-offs in the allocation of resources, where one trait prevails at the expense of another.

In the laboratory, we can mimic conditions in nature and study the specific effects of the conditions that we re-create. In our case, over 100 generations of Drosophila melanogaster have been selected for starvation …

Early Child Development Amid The Pandemic, Zain Saeed Siddiqui

MSJ Capstone Projects

I would like to bring to notice the importance of early child development because the early years are crucial for the development especially the skills that are going to help children succeed in life. Basically, I would like to focus on the natural development of the human being from birth to maturity, enabling children to become the transforming elements of society, leading to a harmonious and peaceful world.

Emotional well-being and social competence provide a strong foundation for emerging cognitive abilities, and together they are the bricks and mortar that comprise the foundation of human development.

Generally, development happens in …

Landscape Scale: Inter- And Intraspecific Variation In Plant Interactions Along A Stress Gradient In The Sheep Range Of Nevada, Jordan Dowell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Impending threats to shrubland ecosystems, posed by climate change, necessitate niche modeling efforts to project vegetation range shifts. However, efforts often remain unguided by individual-scale interspecific plant interactions. The stress gradient hypothesis posits that facilitation should increase in areas of high abiotic stress, only if the individuals are able to ameliorate the surrounding area via functional traits. The Sheep Range of Nevada was used to assess the role of functional traits as predictors of plant association. Larrea tridentata, Coleogyne ramosissima, and Artemisia nova were selected as shrubs with variable life history strategies and ranges in order to identify general patterns …

An Evolving Epigenome That Determines Tissue And Cell Specificity, Renee Louise Sears

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the mechanisms driving phenotypic variation is a major goal of biology that unifies classical genetics with the emerging fields of genomics and epigenomics. Human and mouse share over 90% of genes and global tissue-specific patterns of expression are maintained between the species. Thus, it is hypothesized that gene expression is influenced through distinctive regulation among species in order to account for the unmistakable phenotypic divergence. DNA methylation, histone modifications, open chromatin patterns, transcription factor binding, and other epigenetic factors are all associated with shaping, maintaining, and repressing regulatory regions which in turn coordinate gene expression. It is vital to …

Mojave Desert Plant Community Long-Term Response To Disturbance, Dominic M. Gentilcore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

All vegetation communities have been shaped by disturbances. This dissertation consists of three separate chapters: Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) natural regeneration in the Great Basin-Mojave Desert Transition Zone on two fires, Long-term Response to Fire in Eastern Mojave Desert semi-arid shrubland communities, and an Annotated Checklist of Gold Butte National Monument in the Mojave-Colorado Plateau Transition Zone. The section on blackbrush natural regeneration was a long-term dataset from two fires in Basin and Range National Monument that burned in 2008 with monitoring events in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2019. The monitoring documented some of the strongest post-fire regeneration for the …

The Effect Of Pleistocene Glacial - Interglacial Cycles On Patterns Of Genetic Diversity And Differentiation Of Populations Of Leptodactylus Albilabris (White-Lipped Frog) In The Puerto Rican Bank, Andre Nguyen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The historical distributional shifts of various species have been attributed to the glacial-interglacial cycles of the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 mya – 10,000 ya). Sea level changes caused by Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles impacted the total area of landmasses, particularly in island systems. Cooler, glacial periods increased emergent (subaerial) island area via lower sea levels. Adjacent islands may have become connected through emergent land bridges, resulting in a larger subaerial landmass. Warmer interglacial periods led to higher sea levels, which in turn reduced island area, and in some cases, submerged land bridges, fragmenting larger islands into separate, smaller units. The Puerto Rican …

Restructuring Of The Axon Initial Segment In Mouse Models Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Rachel Ali Rodriguez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) affect more than 36% of children in countries with low- and middle- incomes (Boivin, 2015; McCoy, 2016). Interestingly, these heterogeneous disorders share a high incidence of epileptic seizures, suggesting a shared pathology. Seizures result when neuronal firing activity becomes disturbed and neurons fire excessively or in unregulated patterns. A key site in the control of neuronal firing patterns is the axon initial segment (AIS), where the local density of proteins and the morphology of the AIS in part determine the firing of neurons. We hypothesized that a disruption in the morphology and/or composition of the AIS can …

Pre-Juvenile Naked Goby (Gobiosoma Bosc) Age And Growth, Annamaria Deitz, Juliana Harding

Honors Theses

Due to the abundance of larval naked gobies, Gobiosoma bosc, within the estuarine ichthyoplankton, it is important to understand their age and growth. Naked gobies are a largely distributed, both geographically and within an estuary, small, benthic fish species. There are 3 pairs of otoliths, calcium carbonate structures within the ear canal, that detect vibrations and record the age of the fish, both daily and annually. Using laboratory-reared gobies of a known age (Tremont et al. 2015), daily signatures on the sagittal otoliths were first validated to be daily, then a growth curve for the wild caught larvae was …

Investigating The Relationship Between Hormone Receptors Dax-1 And Estrogen Receptor Within Prostate Cancer Cell Lines, Meghana G. Vijayraghavan

Master's Theses

Prostate cancer (PCa) is estimated to be the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United States in 2019. While most prostate tumors rely on androgens for growth signaling, there are subsets of tumors that become androgen-resistant, therefore resisting conventional androgen-depravation therapy. Consequently, research has focused on targeting different hormone receptors for novel therapeutics. One such receptor is Dosage-sensitive sex reversal, adrenal hypoplasia critical region, on chromosome X, gene 1 (DAX-1). DAX-1 is known to interact with other hormone receptors, such as androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptors (ERs) to suppress the proliferative effects …

Quantification Of Neuronal Specific Responses To Depletion Of The Nascent Polypeptide-Associated Complex In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Harrison Hall

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Cells experiencing misfolded protein stress can become debilitated and die, consistent with this stress being linked to numerous diseases. When misfolded proteins accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the unfolded protein response (UPR) initiates mechanisms that resolve this stress or trigger apoptosis, dependent on the severity and/or duration of the stress. The nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC) is a heterodimeric chaperone that mediates proper protein folding and localization during translation; depletion of the NAC promotes misfolded protein stress in the ER, resulting in the initiation of the UPR in affected cells. The relationship between the NAC and the UPR is not …

Overcompensation In Aedes Mosquitoes Populations: Field Tests On Likelihood And An Agent-Based Model To Investigate The Influence Of Cohort Structure, Katherine G. Evans

Theses and Dissertations

The number of individuals in a competitive environment can affect the growth rate, survival, size, and fecundity of those individuals, which is known as density-dependent effects. Overcompensation may occur if few juveniles survive to adulthood in a high-density environment. Overcompensation arises when density dependent survival interacts with extrinsic sources of mortality, such that more juveniles survive to adulthood than if no extrinsic mortality had occurred.

I tested the hypothesis that density dependent effects are common and strong in the field for three mosquito species: Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Aedes triseriatus. I surveyed naturally occurring densities in novel and established …

Undergraduates And Stress, Mahra Crone

Honors Projects

America is facing a serious mental health crisis, which may be an effect of increased chronic stress. Students, in particular, are vulnerable to this hazard as most face a moderate to extreme amount of stress. The programs which colleges and universities have put into place are outdated. Ineffective treatment of mental health crises leads to disastrous consequences. The present study analyzed the effects of major and grade level on stress level and sources of stress for undergraduate universities at both a large, public university and a small, private college. The author found that a student’s grade level and choice of …

Biological And Psychological Implications Of Mindfulness Meditation For College Students, Kelsey Madison Dietrich

Honors Projects

The purpose of this capstone project was threefold: investigate the psychological implications of mindfulness meditation for college students enrolled in a semester-long course introducing these practices, investigate the biological implications of mindfulness meditation for these students, and create the Peer Education “Mindfulness” presentation for the Wellness Connection to introduce mindfulness meditation methods to a greater quantity of college students. The following paper describes the two components of this capstone project that examine the implications of mindfulness meditation opportunities available for college students specifically at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.

A Male-Female Genotype-By-Genotype Interaction Mediates The Effect Of Mating On Female Immunity In Decorated Crickets, Kylie J. Hampton

Theses and Dissertations

Sexually antagonistic coevolution should lead to the rapid divergence of male and female genotypes related to the effects of ejaculatory substances on female physiology. Hence, the outcome of mating should depend on an interaction between male and female genotypes. Although mating has been shown to influence female immune responses in diverse insect taxa, a male-female genotype-by-genotype effect on female immunity post-mating remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate both the effects of mating on female immunity and the potential for a male-by-female genotype interaction on the form and magnitude of this response in decorated crickets. Females from three distinct genotypic backgrounds …

Reconstructing Energy Flow Through Modern And Historical Marine Communities: Insights From Amino Acid Isotope Analysis, Emma A. Elliott Smith

Biology ETDs

The fundamental currency of life is energy. Organisms need energy to grow, to survive and to reproduce. Understanding the acquisition of energy by consumers is thus a foundational aspect of biological research. This is especially important in the modern era, as impacts of ongoing anthropogenic effects will be mediated or amplified through food webs. Here, I explore how isotopic analysis of individual amino acids – a technique new to ecological studies – can be used to trace energy flow through animal communities in modern and ancient time periods. In particular, I focus on kelp forest food webs, which are nearshore …

A Multivariate Ecological Approach To Delineate Unionid Freshwater Mussel Species, Ava M. Laszlo

Biology Theses

Freshwater mussels represent one of the most imperiled faunal groups on the planet and are critical to freshwater ecosystems. If mussel species are not carefully defined, our conservation plans may miss differences in the habitat needs of different species and the conservation strategies may not be as successful. Because ecological niche models can be used to provide evidence to support similar or dissimilar ecological niches and habitat requirements, I used modelling to forecast suitable habitat for Fusconaia askewi and F. lananensis, two purported threatened Texas species. The modeling results indicated that these species are not ecologically different. Based upon …

The Macroevolution Of Diadromous And Non-Diadromous Clupeiformes., Lindsey Dehaan

Honors Theses

Migration is a common life history strategy across the animal tree of life. This behavior is energetically demanding and may trigger strong selection for the evolution of an optimal ecomorphology to lessen energetic costs, yet the ecomorphology of migratory aquatic species remains poorly understood. Previous studies have demonstrated that migratory fishes exhibit predictable phenotypic patterns in body size evolution in response to evolving migration: migratory fishes are larger than non-migratory fishes. Migratory fishes may also have functional traits (e.g. fin shape) associated with locomotion that have experienced similar selective forces and exhibit predictable evolutionary patterns, resulting in migratory lineages sharing …

Trematodes And Neorickettsia: Diversity Of Digeneans And Their Bacterial Endosymbionts (Neorickettsia) In Mollusk First Intermediate Hosts From Eastern Mongolia, Morgan Gallahue

Honors College Theses

This study focused on the survey of 34 freshwater snail samples collected from NE Mongolia for larval flatworm parasites in the class Trematoda. 32 of the snail samples were infected, and the parasites were identified based on morphology and DNA sequences. Nine of the identified parasite samples were screened for the presence of bacterial endosymbionts in the genus Neorickettsia in the family Anaplasmataceae. All of the samples screened for Neorickettsia were negative for the bacterium. Species of Neorickettsia are known to cause several diseases such as Sennetsu Fever (in humans) and Potomac Horse Fever. There have been relatively few reliable …

Diet Composition And Mercury Exposure In Bank Swallows (Riparia Riparia) Breeding At Lakeshore And Aggregate Pits, Corrine S. V. Génier

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia), a threatened species in Ontario, breed primarily in banks at lakeshores and in artificial aggregate pits. Inland pits may be ecological traps for this species, but the relative tradeoffs between these two nesting habitats are unknown. Availability of aquatic emergent insects at lakeshores may have associated nutritional benefits (e.g. Omega-3 fatty acids) and contaminants (e.g. mercury) that can directly influence juvenile growth. This study compares these breeding habitats to evaluate dietary differences as revealed by fatty acids, stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, δ²H), fecal DNA barcoding, and mercury. Lakeshore-nesting …

Is Natural Selection Shaping Florida Manatees? : An Investigation Into The Body Shapes Between The Subspecies Of The West Indian Manatee, Juliane Johnson

Honors Theses

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) is currently divided into two subspecies: the Antillean (T. m. manatus) and Florida manatee (T. m. latirostris). Florida manatees are found at the northern extreme of the species range, primarily inhabiting the waters around the Florida peninsula, while the Antillean manatee inhabits the remaining range from the Caribbean islands to eastern Brazil. Only in the range of the Florida manatee does water temperature drop below 20°C during the winter, and these manatees have to seek warm water refuge for thermal regulation. Allen's rule predicts that in colder climates animals will adapt to have smaller …

Bone Mineral Density Of The Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops Truncatus: A Proposed Model For Monitoring Osteological And Ecosystem Health, James Wright Burrus Powell

Dissertations and Theses

Bone mineral density (BMD) in the pectoral flipper of the common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, was examined to address the need to define a comprehensive target site for clinical osteodensitometric assessment and to establish ranges of observed bone density values for this species. Radii were analyzed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the accepted standard in human medical studies. Multiple loci within the radius were identified and assessed for their correlation to BMD of the entire bone. Radii BMD were also examined for differences based on sex, age, total body length, handedness, geographical affinity, and nutritional status at time …

Inhibition Of Serine, Glycine, One-Carbon Metabolism Reduces Proinflammatory Response, Ashlynn Mccall

Honor’s College Freeman Research Journal

Acute lung injury affects around 200,000 critically ill patients annually, with a mortality rate near 33%. With a lack of targeted therapies, it is vital to discover and understand the fundamental cellular processes that drive macrophage inflammation. In the field of macrophage immunometabolism, it is accepted that macrophages upregulating glycolysis indicates a role in proinflammatory processes, however, there is a lack of knowledge surrounding the intermediate pathways in glycolysis. This study examined the effects of serine, glycine, one-carbon metabolism inhibition on LPS-induced inflammation in bone marrow-derived macrophages. We show that the enzymatic expression of PHGDH and PSATl is unaffected when …

Movements And Behaviors Of Resident And Translocated Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys Geographica) In The Upper Niagara River With Artificial Basking/Nesting Platforms As A Management Strategy, Chelsea L. Moore

Biology Theses

Urbanization and degradation of riparian zones has contributed to the decline of fish and wildlife populations throughout the world. Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica) in the upper Niagara River face similar declines due to shoreline development and the concurrent loss of backwater habitats and terrestrial nesting sites. A project was initiated in which basking/nesting platforms were created, and Northern Map Turtles from a Lake Erie population were translocated into the river. Resident and translocated turtles were tracked using biotelemetry and their habitat use, behaviors, and swimming paths were compared. Translocated turtles exhibited homing behavior and had longer home …

Investigation Of The Amino Acids Responsible For Isomerase Activity Through Mutagenesis Of Bilin Lyase Mpew From Synechococcus Sp. A15-62, Kourtney Weaver

Senior Honors Theses

Synechococcus sp. A15-62 is a marine cyanobacterium that undergoes Type IV chromatic acclimation (CA4) by altering the bilin content of the phycobilisome (PBS) or light harvesting complex to match the light color of its environment. The PBS is a protein complex comprised of rods containing phycobiliproteins (PBP) and linker proteins. In this species, phycoerythrin I and phycoerythrin II (PEI and PEII) are the phycobiliproteins located on the distal ends of the rods and the alpha () subunits of these proteins are the ones with altered bilin content during CA4. Bilin chromophores such as phycoerythrobilin (PEB) and phycourobilin (PUB) are bound …

Impacts Of Shoreline Restoration And Source Of Nutrient Enrichment On Macrophytes And Epiphytic Algal Communities, Paige Marie Kleindl

Masters Theses

Macrophytes and their epiphytic algal communities are integral for optimizing littoral ecosystem functioning in lakes. Epiphytic algae’s placement on the plant’s surface can reduce light and nutrient availability (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) for the host macrophyte. Macrophyte and epiphytic algal proximity complicates these primary producer group interactions and responses to bioavailable nutrients in the water column or porewater. For example, epiphytic algae may have a competitive advantage over surface water nutrients compared to macrophytes, which may have a competitive advantage over porewater nutrients via root systems.

Muskegon Lake’s industrial history and designation as an Area of Concern prompted shoreline restoration, …

Seasonal Offshore/Inshore Migration Of Round Gobies, Erik Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the invasion of round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) in Lake Michigan, they have become integrated into both the nearshore and offshore food webs. Round gobies can be found in shallower water (<20 m) during the summer, but they disappear from these depths in early fall. They have been collected, occasionally, offshore in depths greater than 70 m during fall and early spring. These observations and other anecdotal evidence indicate that round goby migrate offshore during the fall and return in the spring. To study this, a large remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used to conduct video transects offshore at various depths. The offshore sampling showed that round gobies migrated away from nearshore habitat in early October and were almost exclusively found deeper than 20 m by November. The round gobies remained offshore (>30 m) until mid-May, when they began the return to nearshore habitat. The cues to start the offshore and return migrations were not the focus of this project, but the fall offshore migrations coincided with decreasing temperatures nearshore in the fall, and in spring, the offshore movement of the thermal bar. The offshore migration in fall provide an increase in forage opportunity for deep, cold-water predators such as …