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- A process termed mechanotransduction. Through cell-ECM focal adhesions (1)
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- And polyacrylamide gels containing fluorescent beads. The mobility of integrin on the different substrates was assessed using fluorescent recovery after photo-bleaching (FRAP) and analyzed along with cell traction force measurements. These studies serve to further the understanding of our knowledge of integrin and its role in mechanotransduction and migration. It will (1)
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- But can also be utilized by cancerous cells. Angiogenesis requires the directed migration of the endothelial cells lining the nascent blood vessels. This process is largely mediated by integrin (1)
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Articles 1 - 17 of 17
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Coral Restoration: Comparisons In Space, Time, Impacts, And Costs, Allison Fargo
Coral Restoration: Comparisons In Space, Time, Impacts, And Costs, Allison Fargo
Honors College
Seventy-five percent of coral reefs globally face crisis due to anthropogenic disturbances, prompting heightened global coral restoration initiatives to preserve these vital ecosystems. Various regions employ diverse active coral restoration methodologies, including coral gardening, transplantation, micro-fragmentation, artificial reefs, and sexual propagation. Of these methods, coral gardening stands out as one of the most common and highly successful methods, alongside widespread transplantation practices. Restoration efforts predominantly focus on acroporids due to their relatively rapid growth and asexual fragmentation; however, a diverse range of coral species, including large, slow-growing varieties, is also employed in these endeavors. Costs vary significantly, ranging from $10,000 …
Lethal And Sublethal Effects Of Beauveria Bassiana On Maine Ticks Across Soil Ph, Alexander Mahar
Lethal And Sublethal Effects Of Beauveria Bassiana On Maine Ticks Across Soil Ph, Alexander Mahar
Honors College
Ticks are obligate parasite arthropods that are becoming increasingly common in northern regions of the United States. Ticks such as the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) are vectors for pathogens that cause a wide range of diseases, and as these ticks increase their exposure to humans, the diseases they transmit become more prevalent. This upward trend in cases of tick-borne illnesses has necessitated the pursuit of tick control methods that can be used across the diverse environments that are present in tick habitat ranges. One such control method is the fungal biological control, Beauveria …
Riders On The Storm: Using Satellite Transmitters To Quantify American Woodcock Movement Behavior Following Extreme Weather Events, Katherine Trebilcock
Riders On The Storm: Using Satellite Transmitters To Quantify American Woodcock Movement Behavior Following Extreme Weather Events, Katherine Trebilcock
Honors College
The American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) has experienced steady declines in abundance over the past fifty years, which has raised questions as to why (Sauer et al. 1991). Migration for many birds, woodcock included, is energetically intensive, and may be the cause for greater mortality compared to other times of the year (Newton 2007). Despite this, there remains uncertainty in how conditions encountered during migration affect their movements and survival. One obstacle that birds must face is extreme weather, which has been increasing in intensity and occurrence due to climate change. How these events impact a migrating woodcock has been speculated …
Predicting Range Shifts For The Virginia Opossum In Maine, Sara Griffin
Predicting Range Shifts For The Virginia Opossum In Maine, Sara Griffin
Honors College
Species distribution and movement are increasingly influenced by climate change and human expansion. The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) has been observed expanding their range northward due to the warming temperatures and urbanization. The Virginia opossums’ northern range is thought to be restricted by two abiotic winter factors, snow cover and low temperatures, which prevents foraging and ultimately leads to starvation. For this study, I predicted the movement of the Virginia opossum northward into central Maine and beyond based on current climate change trends. Microclimate temperatures were recorded using data-loggers and climate variable datasets were used to determine if …
Evaluating The Capacity Of Ascophyllum Nodosum Habitats To Act As Carbon Sinks In The Gulf Of Maine, Megan Sinclair
Evaluating The Capacity Of Ascophyllum Nodosum Habitats To Act As Carbon Sinks In The Gulf Of Maine, Megan Sinclair
Honors College
Some coastal ecosystems are defined as being carbon sinks for their ability to absorb more carbon than they release as a result of their high primary productivity. There has been support for the claim that macroalgal communities can act as carbon sinks and reduce levels of CO2in seawater through photosynthesis and potentially mitigate some local effects of climate change (Chung et al., 2011; Chung et al., 2013; Hill et al., 2015; Sondak et al., 2017). Within the state of Maine, rocky intertidal zones are coastal ecosystems that are particularly vulnerable to climate change and dominated by Ascophyllum nodosum (rockweed) communities …
What’S Going To Happen To My Pancakes? The Impacts Of Climate Change Upon Blueberries And Sugar Maple, Ashley Kayser
What’S Going To Happen To My Pancakes? The Impacts Of Climate Change Upon Blueberries And Sugar Maple, Ashley Kayser
Honors College
The United Nations believes that the foremost challenge of the future will be climate change. Because of human use of fossil fuels, greenhouse gases have been released into the atmosphere at unsustainable rates, which have resulted in an altered climate that will impact weather patterns around the globe. There have already been measurable shifts in precipitation and temperature in many regions; in the state of Maine the general trend has been toward higher temperatures and increased precipitation. This is resulting in impacts to agriculture throughout the state. Blueberries and sugar maple are two culturally and economically valuable crops which will …
A Biogeographical Assessment Of Arctic Marine Fungi, Bentley E. Simpson
A Biogeographical Assessment Of Arctic Marine Fungi, Bentley E. Simpson
Honors College
Marine fungi play a crucial role in recycling nutrients and channeling energy to higher trophic levels in the world oceans. Despite their critical role, their distributions and community composition, particularly in the Arctic, are largely unknown. This study reveals depth-related trends of abundance, diversity, and community composition of Arctic marine fungi through analysis of data obtained in the Tara Oceans expedition. With samples from surface (0-50 m), deep chlorophyll max (50-200 m), and mesopelagic (200-1000 m) depths, relative abundance, operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness, and diversity were found to increase as a function of depth. Basidiomycota and Ascomycota were found …
Effect Of Hydroculture Methods On Tomato Root Morphology And Anatomy, Lia Maclellan
Effect Of Hydroculture Methods On Tomato Root Morphology And Anatomy, Lia Maclellan
Honors College
Three methods of hydroculture were compared for their effects on the root anatomy and morphology of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv. Defiant). A hydroponic deep water culture method, an ebb-flood system using expanded clay pellets as a solid medium and an aeroponic sub-mist system were compared, with a solid peat/perlite medium for control. The treatments were found to have significant effects on plant root and shoot length, as well as root and shoot biomass. Root morphology was visually distinct among treatments, and all methods of hydroculture were associated with a significant increase in vascular tissue in plant roots compared with the …
The Effect Of Embryonic Arsenic Exposure On The Sensorimotor Behavior Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Laura Paye
The Effect Of Embryonic Arsenic Exposure On The Sensorimotor Behavior Of Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Laura Paye
Honors College
The goal of this study is to determine the effect of arsenic exposure on vision in zebrafish (Danio rerio). The optic system of D. rerio is ideal for examining visual defects. Their eyes are similar to eyes of humans and can therefore be useful models in studies of human eye disease. Their optic system functions similarly to humans, so it is beneficial to observe how zebrafish are affected by contaminants in the environment. Arsenic is ubiquitous in groundwater, due to its natural presence in bed rock, but is elevated by human activities. In order to see any …
Does Drought Affect Reproduction In The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus Caudacutus)?, Valerie K. Watson
Does Drought Affect Reproduction In The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus Caudacutus)?, Valerie K. Watson
Honors College
The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) is experiencing steep population declines, with extinction likely within the next few decades. Sea-level rise has been identified as a major threat to the species, but little has been done to examine the effects of other aspects of climate change on Saltmarsh Sparrow populations. In this study, I examine whether drought affects reproductive success in the Saltmarsh Sparrow. I use nest- and chick-monitoring data collected over five years across the northern half of the species range to test whether drought conditions affect four metrics of reproductive success in these birds: hatch rate, clutch …
The Black Bear Food Guild: Student-Run Community Supported Agriculture From Roots To Fruition, Sara L. Lyons
The Black Bear Food Guild: Student-Run Community Supported Agriculture From Roots To Fruition, Sara L. Lyons
Honors College
The University of Maine is a Land Grant Institution developed, among other reasons, to promote education in the agricultural sciences. Sustainable Agriculture emerged as a new discipline, reflecting the sentiment of the times. The concept of Community Supported Agriculture gained popularity in the United States in the late 1970s. In Maine, Community Supported Agriculture farms have increased steadily since their establishment in the United States. The University of Maine Black Bear Food Guild is an entirely student-run Community Supported Agriculture operation that provides several benefits to the university and the surrounding community. These benefits include: student learning, student work opportunities, …
Environmental Features Influencing Myotis Bat Presence In The Penobscot Experimental Forest In Central Maine, Usa, Emily K. Anderson
Environmental Features Influencing Myotis Bat Presence In The Penobscot Experimental Forest In Central Maine, Usa, Emily K. Anderson
Honors College
Bat populations in the eastern U.S. continue to decline due to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal pathogen known to produce abnormal behavior and tissue damage in bats. As a result, the composition of bat communities has changed significantly, in part due to the dramatic decrease of cave hibernating bat species. These species rely on forests for summer roosting sites and foraging. Maine is a heavily forested state where timber harvesting is a large source of revenue; therefore it is necessary to understand the factors influencing the presence of vulnerable bat species. However, little is currently known about suitable habitat for …
Silence Is The Loudest Sound, Emma Christian
Silence Is The Loudest Sound, Emma Christian
Honors College
Rhinoceros poaching is an act of killing a rhinoceros in order to take its horn, which is then used for human consumption or for cultural traditions. Both the Asian and the African rhinoceros are targets because of the demand from China, Vietnam, Yemen, and other countries around the world. Traditional Chinese Medicine practice is the main demand for rhinoceros horn and this demand in rhinoceros horn has caused an increase in the black market. Conservation of the rhinoceros is decreasing primarily because the price of rhinoceros horn is more than double the average household income in South Africa, thus making …
A Novel Mechanism For Mechanosensing By Endothelial Cells, Jennifer Macdowell
A Novel Mechanism For Mechanosensing By Endothelial Cells, Jennifer Macdowell
Honors College
The formation of new vasculature is an essential process, but can also be utilized by cancerous cells. Angiogenesis requires the directed migration of the endothelial cells lining the nascent blood vessels. This process is largely mediated by integrin, which plays a key role in the interplay between sensing a force in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and transducing this signal, a process termed mechanotransduction. Through cell-ECM focal adhesions, integrin mediates the signaling both into and out of the cell, promoting growth of focal adhesions and subsequent cell spreading and migration. In order to study focal adhesion dynamics related to force, we …
Bayesian Analysis Of Data On Nest Success For Marsh Birds, Sean Hardy
Bayesian Analysis Of Data On Nest Success For Marsh Birds, Sean Hardy
Honors College
Bayesian methods are an increasingly popular form of statistical analysis which uses informative prior distributions to help calculate posterior distributions of models that represent different hypotheses. Frequentist methods are contrasting methods that are used more commonly and more well known, but have come under recent criticism. I examined data gathered by Ellen Robertson, who used information theoretic methods for a Masters’ Thesis in Ecology and Environmental Science at the University of Maine to analyze the daily survival probabilities of marsh birds with a Bayesian perspective in order to get a sense of the Bayesian analysis. Results were as expected; when …
Fast Pyrolysis Of Muconic Acid And Formic Acid Salts, Laura Duran
Fast Pyrolysis Of Muconic Acid And Formic Acid Salts, Laura Duran
Honors College
Lignocellulosic biomass is emerging as a sustainable resource for the production of alternative liquid fuels. As the need to lessen dependence on petroleum sources grows, lignocellulosic feedstocks are being investigated as a renewable, abundant source of energy. Chemical pulping processes include a high-lignin by-product, black liquor, which is already used for fuel in industry. Black liquor is burned to generate steam and electricity and to recover pulping chemicals. Currently, the thermochemical conversion of black liquor to liquid fuel is being researched at The University of Maine. In this black liquor research, an intermediate lignin-derived acid, muconic acid, and formic acid …
An Evaluation Of An Avian Diversity Model, Tansy Lynn Wagner
An Evaluation Of An Avian Diversity Model, Tansy Lynn Wagner
Honors College
Diversity exists at all temporal and spatial scales but has been studied largely at the community level because of the limited availability of regional or nation-wide data. In the U.S. both the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the Breeding Bird Census (BBC) provide large-scale observations of avian populations over periods of decades and offer a potential source of information. A large-scale model of avian diversity based on the BBS has been developed by O'Connor et. al.(1996). The BBC serves as a source for independently obtained species richness estimates used to evaluate the ability of the model to generate corresponding predictions. …