Life Sciences Commons^™

Racial Differences In Self-Efficacy Expectations For Exercise, Selena P. Smith

Honors Theses

This project examined the link between race and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy pertains to an individual’s confidence in ability to complete or engage in a particular task or activity (Bandura, 1986). Prior research shows that self-efficacy has a great influence on exercise initiation and adherence (Bandura, 1986; Dishman, 1982; Rodgers and Sullivan, 2001). Research also supports that Caucasians are more likely to participate in exercise than African Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000).

Participants included 51 females, 31 Caucasians and 20 African Americans, between the ages of 18 and 50 years old. The women were recruited from local fitness gyms, …

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 …

Identification Of An Unknown Intracellular Organism In Karenia Brevis, Daniel O. Mcarthur

Honors Theses

The dinoflagellate K. brevis is a mixotrophic marine alga that is of ecological importance in coastal waters especially along the Gulf of Mexico. They are one of a few species of algae responsible for the production of “harmful algae blooms” or HABs in which they release neurotoxins called brevetoxins which negatively impact fishing industries, local wildlife, tourism, and coastal health. Because of the danger these algae pose their lifecycle and characteristics merit intensive study.

During a previous experiment in Dr. McLean’s lab involving salinity stressing cultured K. brevis, the stressed cultures exhibited an unusual data pattern when having their …

Fluctuating Asymmetry Of Menidia Beryllina As A Measure Of The Environmental Stress Caused By The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Savannah A. Michaelsen

Honors Theses

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is often used as an indicator of environmental stress on a population. Stress encountered during development can result in asymmetries in bilateral traits. By quantifying fluctuating asymmetry in Menidia beryllina, FA can be used as an indicator of possible environmental stress linked to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The hypothesis states that the levels of FA will be greater in M. beryllina from post oil spill samples compared to pre oil spill samples. Menidia beryllina were used because they are a numerically dominant species found in high wave action coastal …

The Trap-Neuter-Return Program As A Means For Collecting, Analyzing, And Comparing Data In Animal Care Facilities In Florida, Louisiana, And Mississippi, Stephanie T. Doty

Honors Theses

The TNR program has been met with both scrutiny and approval as a result of conflicting data from studies that examine its usefulness as a means of controlling the free-roaming cat population explosion (Levy & Crawford, 2004). Though the differing opinions will be discussed, it is not the intention of this paper to provide evidence in support of one or the other; instead, the purpose is to examine the various clinics’ implementation of the TNR program and its usefulness in providing data. In addition, an analysis of the data was done to determine what they may suggest about the free-roaming …

Delivery Of Antiviral Sirna With Gold Nanoparticle Against Dengue Virus, Amanda J. Cooley

Honors Theses

The goal of this study was to use specific small-interfering RNA (siRNA) sequences to target the E gene of the Dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2). It was predicted that this targeted binding of siRNA would prevent subsequent translation of the E gene protein, as well as virion production in infected cells. Due to the instability of the antiviral siRNA, the siRNA was conjugated to gold nano-particles (AuNP) in order to provide stability during delivery to the infected Vero cells. Cells were transfected with siRNA-AuNP complexes prior to DENV-2 infection. The siRNA-AuNP complexes tested included two different siRNA sequences (at varying …

Arthropod Density In A Fragmented Urban Landscape Along The Northern Coast Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Anna E. Williams

Honors Theses

Ecologists once focused their research on “pristine” habitats that were considered untouched by human activity. As urbanization rapidly increases, the concept of pristine habitats becomes obsolete. Urban habitats must be studied in order to understand the ecology of our increasingly developed society. Rapid urbanization greatly affects coastal habitats. Popular real estate, strip malls, casinos, and resorts all fragment urban landscapes. Much of the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico is a fragmented urban landscape caused by rapid development. That same coastal landscape is ecologically important and includes habitats important to many different organisms, among them intercontinental migratory songbirds that …

Comparative Effects Of Upper Or Lower Body Ergometry To Facilitate Recovery From High-Intensity Combined Arm And Leg Exercise, Benjamin Chad Lyman

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of upper body versus lower body ergometry on blood lactate concentration ([La]) disappearance. Ten individuals (age: 20.6 ± 1.3 yrs, height: 1.72 ± 0.08 m, weight: 66.77 ± 10.42 kg) completed preliminary testing sessions, 3-5 days apart, to determine the power output corresponding with the subject’s onset of blood lactate (OBLA), which for the purposes of this study is considered the subject’s lactate threshold (LT), for leg ergometry (LT_L) and arm ergometry (LT_A). Participants then returned to the laboratory on three separate occasions to complete the …

A Quantitative Comparison Of Energy Expenditure Between Exergames And Physical Activity Recommendations, Dalton A. Newell

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to analyze the energy expenditure associated with two commercially available exergames (Dance Dance Revolution 2 (DDR2) and Wii Sports 1: Tennis) and evaluate whether or not this type of activity could be used as a means to obtain the recommended amount of physical activity. Thirty individuals (15 males, 15 females) participated in the study. Each participant attended 3 sessions: a 30-min familiarization session and 2, 45-min testing sessions. During each testing session, participants played one of the exergames for 30 min while continuously being measured for oxygen consumption (VO₂), respiratory exchange ratio …

Cloning And Expression Of The Cbbo (0910) Gene From Halothiobacillus Neapolitanus And Its Potential To Code For Rubisco Activase, Emily F.E. Bustin

Honors Theses

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase or RubisCO is an enzyme found in autotrophic organisms that functions to fix CO₂ and therefore plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. In order for RubisCO to increase its slow enzymatic rate, it must be exposed to high amounts of its substrate, CO₂. Carboxysomes, which sequester the RubisCO and its substrate, provide this function. It was previously believed that all the components necessary for carboxysome function were encoded by genes within the traditional cso operon. Recently, however, a gene in an operon located downstream of the cso operon was found to encode …

Determination Of 14c-Acetate Incorporation To Fungal Mass Conversion Factors Of Selected Saprophytic Fungal Organisms, Jakayla M. Harrell

Honors Theses

A growing body of evidence has emerged over the last several decades on the usefulness of the fungal sterol, ergosterol, in quantifying fungal biomass within decaying plant litter and the technique for measuring instantaneous growth rates of fungi via rates of [¹⁴C]-acetate incorporation into ergosterol. Although popular, an underlying problem with these methods is the paucity of studies that have determined conversion factors that relate the precursor molecules to meaningful measurements of fungal biomass and growth rates, respectively. This research was conducted to establish conversion factors relating rates of ¹⁴C-acetate incorporation to rates of fungal mass synthesis …

Targeted Delivery Of Ribonucleotide Reductase Sirna In Cancer Cells Via Gold Nanoplexes, John Caleb Grenn

Honors Theses

Cancer treatment has much room for improvement, as therapies today cannot differentiate well between what cells are part of a tumor and which are healthy. Our research involves targeting cancer cells by their overexpressed folic acid receptors, and delivering small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to silence genes crucial to cell survival by the RNA interference gene knockdown pathway. By using Gaussia luciferase siRNA (siGLuc) as a model for cell delivery, we have been able to test our ability to deliver siRNA via a gold nanoparticle delivery system, also developed in our lab. We also synthesized ribonucleotide reductase siRNA (siRRM2), which will …

Plasmodium Prevalence In Northern Cardinals Over An Eight Month Period, Kaylee M. Gentry

Honors Theses

This study implemented microscopic assays on field collected data to assess the prevalence of avian malaria in a non-migratory species, Cardinalis cardinalis. Following capture, blood smears were collected from birds at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Lake Thoreau Environmental Education and Research Center over an eight month period from September 2012 to March 2013. These smears were then stained using a Hema 3 stain set and microscopically assessed for the presence of Plasmodium relictum (avian malaria). Stained blood smear samples from a migrant species, Junco hyemalis, were used for comparisons of malarial infection. Additionally, corticosterone (CORT) assays were …

Drosophila T-Box Transcription Factor Midline Functions In The Notch-Delta Signaling Pathway To Regulate Sensory Organ Precursor Cell Fate And Cell Survival And Embryonic Development Profile Of Midline, Senseless, And Achaete In The Cns And Pns, Joseph D. Saucier

Honors Theses

The gene mid of Drosophila is a highly conserved gene that codes for a T-box transcription factor with similar functionality to its vertebrate homolog Tbx20. Mid and Tbx20 are important for their roles in heart and CNS development. Additionally, these transcription factors aid in proper eye development but this area of research is vastly understudied. This study uses the eye of Drosophila to report that mid and its paralog H15 expression aid in the specification of sensory organ precursor (SOP) cell fates and cell survival in the pupal eye imaginal disc. Using RNAi interference to reduce mid expression resulted in …

An Examination Of The Social Functions Of Mouth Behaviors In Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Kirsten E. Lapuyade

Honors Theses

This project examines the social functions of mouthing behaviors in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) houses dolphins which are captive but in a natural habitat. The twenty-six dolphins are used in human interactions, but for the rest of their time they are allowed to roam naturally. These dolphins make it possible to examine natural social behavior in a captive setting. The following study examines video data of these dolphins obtained by Dr. Stan Kuczaj in 2009. Behavior of the dolphins in these videos was recorded, the primary focus being mouthing behaviors.

There …

Characterization Of The Function Of A Mold Specific Gene, Ms95, In The Pathogenic Dimorphic Fungus, Histoplasma Capsulatum, Danielle J. Williamson

Honors Theses

Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphic fungus that causes the respiratory disease histoplasmosis. At 25°C, the fungus grows as a multicellular mold in soils contaminated by bird and bat excreta. Once the soil is disturbed, spores are released and inhaled into the lungs. The fungus shifts to a unicellular, pathogenic yeast within the lungs at 37°C. Our laboratory’s main objective is to characterize the genes that are involved in the mold-to-yeast dimorphism. This study focuses on the mold-specific gene, MS95. According to The Broad Institute Histoplasma capsulatum GenBank Blastx search, MS95 has several homologs, including the well-studied Saccharomyces cerevisiae. …

Biophysical Characterization And Cross-Seeding Properties Of Lfaos, Novel Prion-Like Oligomers Of The Amyloid-Beta Peptide Involved In Alzheimer’S Disease, Morgan C. Woodrow

Honors Theses

The amyloid-beta (Aβ) protein is known to play an important role in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Aβ peptide aggregates in the brains of AD patients to form soluble oligomers as well as insoluble fibrils. Oligomers of Aβ are now known to be the primary toxic agents in AD. Evidence is beginning to emerge regarding a conserved prion-like propagation mechanism in AD. One of the principal characteristics of prion diseases is their ability to self-propagate via a template-assisted-corruptive mechanism. Our lab has previously characterized a unique ‘Aβ prion’ called Large Fatty-Acid- Derived Oligomers (LFAOs). This project examines the ability …

Exploring The Interactions Between Interleukin-8 (Il8) And Amyloid-Β (Aβ) Peptide In Traumatic Brain Injury, Olivia G. Gibson

Honors Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive dysfunction and memory loss, and pathologically characterized by amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and inflammation. Recent research has shown that these Aβ plaques are also found in traumatic

brain injury (TBI) patients. This discovery has led to a proposed pathway leading from traumatic brain injuries to dementia, more specifically AD. After a TBI, human granulin-A (GRN) and interleukin-8 (IL8) are released and the number of elastases in the brain increases in response to the inflammation response. IL8 is a cytokine that is released in acute inflammation responses, and the levels of IL8 …

Attempt To Synthesize The (S) Enantiomer Of A Glutathione Analog To Be An Inhibitor Of Glutathione Reductase, Sidney L. Mcclendon

Honors Theses

Malaria is a disease of the blood that is caused by a parasite and affects over forty percent of the world population today. This small parasite can be treated in a very short period of time; however, there are many countries that do not have access to advanced medicine. This means that the people infected with this disease will usually die from complications arising from the illness. Malaria is prevalent in tropical and subtropical countries close to the equator where more than half of the world’s population resides. Dominance of malaria in these areas is because of the low economic …

Deletion Of Putative Msa Operon Gene Fragment And Its Phenotypic Characterization In Community Acquired-Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Usa300 Strain Lac, Reem A. Dawoud

Honors Theses

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen that causes a wide variety of diseases. Many S. aureus strains have emerged which are resistant to the penicillin class of antibiotics. Of primary importance is methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which has cause frequent hospitalizations due to infections. In the past, MRSA was typically confined to hospital settings, but recently, community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) have been reported. CA-MRSA poses a major public health threat because of increased virulence and success in infecting otherwise healthy individuals. Previously we discovered a gene, msa, which plays a critical role in biofilm formation and regulation of the …

Using Manipulative Models To Develop Tree-Thinking, Donaven C. Mclaurin

Honors Theses

It is well known that students often struggle with tree-thinking, a core aspect of evolutionary education. Scientists consider phylogenetic trees multidimensional hypotheses of evolutionary relationships. However, student view textbook diagrams as static, two-dimensional images. Physical manipulatives have been used to facilitate learning science content in areas such as genetics, but these instructional tools have not yet been tested in tree-thinking. In order to circumvent students’ tree-thinking struggles, I investigated the use of manipulative, three-dimensional tree models in an introductory biology course designed for non-science majors (n=163). Specifically my research questions included: What are the differences in tree-thinking learning gains when …

Intergenic Regions And Repeating Gene Sequences In The Dinoflagellate Karenia Brevis, Colleen A. Gregg

Honors Theses

Karenia brevis is a species of dinoflagellates that is responsible for “red tides” (more formally known as harmful algal blooms) found in the Gulf of Mexico. The blooms have adverse effects on humans and marine animals. Karenia brevis produces toxins that, in humans, can cause upper and lower respiratory problems as well as nausea and vomiting. For marine mammals, birds, fish, and other marine organisms, exposure to brevetoxins can result in morbidity and even death.

Even with the technology and resources we have today, scientist do not fully understand the mechanisms behind toxin production and bloom initiation. Because cellular processes …

The Characterization Of Aunp-Pei Conjugates For Sirna Delivery To Cancer Cells, Albert J. Nosser

Honors Theses

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death for people in the United States. Despite the numerous cancer treatments available, many of these chemotherapy treatments cause negative side effects such as hair and weight loss. With this in mind, in the past 15 years, researchers have discovered a mechanism known as RNA interference, which can be used to control certain genes and their activity. This mechanism is based on the function of siRNA molecules, which can be inserted into cells.(12) These siRNA molecules can be manipulated to target and eliminate specific cancer cells. However, these siRNA molecules are normally …

The Relationship Between Calcium Intake And Body Mass Index In The Participants Of Hub City Steps, Laura P. Ewoldt

Honors Theses

Background: The social, economic, and health impacts of unhealthy dietary behaviors and sedentary lifestyles are quite significant and even more so in the rural South. The majority of individuals in the US do not adhere to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, specifically fruits, vegetables, and calcium.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to address the issue of calcium intake and obesity in a population of primarily African American women in south Mississippi and to determine if levels of calcium intake had a relationship with body mass index.

Methods and Analysis: Data for the current study was …