Life Sciences Commons^™

Characterization Of Calcium Homeostasis Parameters In Trpv3 And Cav3.2 Double Null Mice, Aujan Mehregan

Masters Theses

In mammals, calcium influx is required for oocyte maturation and egg activation, as it supports the persistent calcium oscillations induced by fertilization. These oscillations are required for the initiation of embryo development. The molecular identities of the plasma membrane calcium-permeant channels that underlie calcium influx are not established. Among these channels, Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid, member 3 (TRPV3) allows divalent cations, namely strontium (Sr²⁺) and calcium (Ca²⁺) with high permeability, into cells, and its expression pattern seems to predict an essential role in the initiation of development. Another channel that was identified to be expressed in …

Uncovering Tasselsheath3. A Genomic And Phenotypic Analysis Of A Maize Floral Mutant., Thompson Zhang

Masters Theses

In the modern era, maize has become the most successful crop grown in the United States. According to the USDA over 90 million acres of land are planted to corn and 96.2% of the U.S feed grain production is made up of the cereal. Part of the success of maize is due to its floral architecture, and its pollination technique in which the flower opens, exposing stamens containing pollen into the air. A unique organ called the lodicule functions as a release mechanism, forcing the flower to open. Lodicules from grasses and eudicot petals are homologous, yet there is little …

The Effect Of Pericyte Cell Therapy On Postischemic Neovascularization In Wild Type And Type 2 Diabetic Mice, Katherine E. Hayes

Doctoral Dissertations

Peripheral artery disease is an atherosclerotic disease that causes limb ischemia and has few effective treatments. Stem cell therapy is a promising treatment option, but concomitant diabetes may limit its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of skeletal muscle pericytes to augment postischemic neovascularization following the induction of limb ischemia in wild type and type 2 diabetic (T2DM) mice. The hypothesis was that diabetes impairs the ability of skeletal muscle pericytes to augment postischemic neovascularization and differentiate in vivo. Pericytes were isolated via fluorescence activated cell sorting for CD45^-CD34^-CD146 …

The Effects Of Anthropogenic Stress On Nitrogen-Cycling Microbial Communities In Temperate And Tropical Soils, George S. Hamaoui Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation several research studies are discussed that characterize the effects of anthropogenic, or human-induced, stress on both ammonia-oxidizing and total bacterial soil microbial communities. The disturbances of land-use change in tropical, South American rainforests and artificial warming and nitrogen (N) fertilization in temperate, North American forests were investigated as these disturbances represent past and current disturbances caused by human landscape alteration and climate change. Initially, the response of soil ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities to land-use change from primary rainforest to pasture and, finally, back to secondary forest was determined. Next, these analyses of land-use change effects were expanded to …

Potential Enhancement Of Dietary Isothiocyanates Combination On Biological Activities, Kanyasiri Rakariyatham

Doctoral Dissertations

Isothiocyanates (ITCs) such as allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) and sulforaphane (SFN) are well-known bioactives with wide range of beneficial properties, which may be consumed simultaneously through diets containing cruciferous vegetables. However, biological activities of ITCs in combinations had not been well defined. The present study evaluated the potential efficacy of AIT, SFN and their combinations on three important biological properties: anticancer, anti-inflammation and antioxidant. Our results showed that the combination between AIT and SFN led to a stronger growth inhibition on A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells than treatments with the individual compounds. The enhanced effect was proved to be synergistic …

The Role Of Phenotypic Integration In Mammalian Tooth Function And Jaw Morphological Diversity, Andrew Conith

Doctoral Dissertations

Here I investigate how two major components of the mammalian feeding system, teeth and jaws, are influenced by functional, environment, and developmental factors. First, I build physical models of the molars from two early mammals, Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium, and compare their ability to process a proxy food item. Early mammals were under strong selection to reduce metabolic costs, so any savings in energy during feeding would be advantageous. I tested the ability of both mammals to process a hard and soft food item with material properties similar to that of the insects they would have likely consumed. Morganucodon was …

Burrowing And Walking Mechanisms Of North American Moles, Yi-Fen Lin

Doctoral Dissertations

Moles (Family Talpidae) are a classic example of extreme specialization, in their case highly derived forelimb morphologies associated with burrowing. Despite many observations of mole burrows and behaviors gathered in the field, we know very little about how and how well moles use their forelimbs to dig tunnels and to walk within the built tunnels to collect and transport food. The first chapter investigates the effect of soil compactness on two sympatric mole species under controlled laboratory conditions. My results demonstrate that increasing soil compactness impedes tunneling performance as evidenced by reduced burrowing speed, increased soil transport, shorter tunnels, shorter …

Factors Influencing Impact Of Biological Control Agents Of The Emerald Ash Borer, Theresa Murphy

Masters Theses

Agrilus planipennis, the emerald ash borer (EAB), is a destructive invasive forest pest decimating North American ash trees. Population-wide management of EAB focuses on biological control, with the introduction of four parasitic wasps; one egg parasitoid, Oobius agrili and three larval parasitoids- Spathius galinae, Spathius agrili and Tetrastichus planipennisi. This thesis examines some of the factors influencing the establishment of these larval biocontrol agents. Chapter 1 examines the relationship between woodpeckers and the parasitoids S. agrili and T. planipennisi. Both woodpeckers and these parasitoids attack the larval stage of EAB, which means their impacts overlap and …

An Adult Zebrafish Brain Atlas To Investigate Shh Mediated Cell-Cell Signaling In Neurogenic Zones, Alyssa P. Lutservitz

Masters Theses

Adult neurogenesis occurs in proliferative zones of the brain that contain neural progenitor cell populations capable of differentiating into specific cell types. However, we remain limited in our understanding of the signals that regulate neural progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation in adults. Recently zebrafish (Danio rerio) have emerged as an excellent model for studying the molecular mechanisms behind adult neurogenesis, because sixteen proliferative zones remain active in the adult brains. Thousands of fluorescent transgenic reporter lines have been generated in zebrafish that reveal gene expression patterns of cell-cell signaling systems, some of which may regulate neurogenesis in these …

Context-Dependent Medicinal Effects Of Anabasine And Infection-Dependent Toxicity In Bumble Bees, Evan C. Palmer-Young, Alison Hogeboom, Alexander J. Kaye, Dash Donnelly, Jonathan Andicoechea, Sara June Connon, Ian Weston, Kimberly Skyrm, Rebecca E. Irwin, Lynn S. Adler

Biology Department Faculty Publication Series

Background

Floral phytochemicals are ubiquitous in nature, and can function both as antimicrobials and as insecticides. Although many phytochemicals act as toxins and deterrents to consumers, the same chemicals may counteract disease and be preferred by infected individuals. The roles of nectar and pollen phytochemicals in pollinator ecology and conservation are complex, with evidence for both toxicity and medicinal effects against parasites. However, it remains unclear how consistent the effects of phytochemicals are across different parasite lineages and environmental conditions, and whether pollinators actively self-medicate with these compounds when infected.

Approach

Here, we test effects of the nectar alkaloid anabasine, …

Sex-Biased Oviposition By A Nursery Pollinator On A Gynodioecious Host Plant: Implications For Breeding System Evolution And Evolution Of Mutualism, Laura A. D. Doubleday, Lynn S. Adler

Biology Department Faculty Publication Series

Dioecy, a breeding system where individual plants are exclusively male or female, has evolved repeatedly. Extensive theory describes when dioecy should arise from hermaphroditism, frequently through gynodioecy, where females and hermaphrodites coexist, and when gynodioecy should be stable. Both pollinators and herbivores often prefer the pollen-bearing sex, with sex-specific fitness effects that can affect breeding system evolution. Nursery pollination, where adult insects pollinate flowers but their larvae feed on plant reproductive tissues, is a model for understanding mutualism evolution but could also yield insights into plant breeding system evolution. We studied a recently established nursery pollination interaction between native Hadena …

Investigating Patterns Using Analyzing Digital Images (Adi) Software, Jennifer Welborn, Wayne Kermenski

Patterns Around Us

The mean and variation of a population are easily seen by graphing the number of individuals that have a trait of a given value. In this experiment, we will investigate color variation found in a mealworm population using ADI.

In this investigation, we will use digital images and ADI to measure the increased surface area created by villi located in the small intestines.

Wrinkling Of A Floating Sheet, Narayanan Menon

Patterns Around Us

The objective of today’s work will be to generate wrinkle patterns on very thin polymer films using the forces generated by the surface tension of a water drop. You’ll do a few sizes of water drop and we’ll give you a couple of thicknesses of film. Digital images of the pattern will allow us to make observations of the number and size of the wrinkles generated. We will try to develop an understanding of the dependence of the pattern on the materials used and the forces applied

Branching In Nature, Jennifer Welborn, Wayne Kermenski

Patterns Around Us

No abstract provided.

Wrinkling In Nature, Jennifer Welborn, Wayne Kermenski

Patterns Around Us

This lab experience is separated into four investigative segments:

1. Human saliva and enzymes

2. Osmosis and Dialysis Tubing

3. Analyzing dry and imbibed weights of wrinkled and smooth pea seeds

4. Putting it All Together, What makes Wrinkled Peas?

Overview, Benjamin Davidovitch, Narayanan Menon, Jennifer Welborn, Wayne Kermenski

Patterns Around Us

No abstract provided.