Life Sciences Commons^™

Attentional Blink: An Antecedent To Binge Eating Behavior, Gregory Denke

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how attentional sub-processes contribute to binge-eating. Dense-array EEG and a version of the canonical attentional blink task were used to ascertain the neural correlates underlying the attentional sub-processes that comprise the Posner model of attention (alerting, orienting, and executive control) and how attentional activation differs for binge-eaters vs. non-binge eaters. Furthermore, we examined a number of the event-related potentials (ERP), including P2 activation, which has been linked with orientating of attention, and N2 activation which has been linked with attentional conflict. We found decreased P2 activation for binge-eaters, in the negative condition, for incorrect target 2 (T2) …

Phylogenetics And Mating System Evolution In The Southern South American Valeriana (Valerianaceae), Lauren A. Gonzalez

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Species of Valerianaceae in South America represent one of the best examples of rapid diversification on a continental scale. The phylogeny of Valerianaceae has received a lot of attention within the last 10 years, but relationships among the South American species are fairly unresolved. Results from previous studies have not been well resolved with traditional genetic markers, most likely due to its recent and rapid radiation. Species in this clade exhibit a variety mating systems and inflorescence types. For the first part of this research I used several traditional plastid markers, and 3 new low copy nuclear markers to better …

Synthesis And Applications Of Mutimodal Hybrid Albumin Nanoparticles For Chemotherapeutic Drug Delivery And Phototherml Therapy Platforms, Donna V. Peralta

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Progress has been made in using human serum albumin nanoparticles (HSAPs) as carrier systems for targeted treatment of cancer. Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant human blood protein, can form HSAPs via a desolvation and crosslinking method, with the size of the HSAPs having crucial importance for drug loading and in vivo performance. Gold nanoparticles have also gained medicinal attention due to their ability to absorb near-infrared (NIR) light. These relatively non-toxic particles offer combinational therapy via imaging and photothermal therapy (PPTT) capabilities.

A desolvation and crosslinking approach was employed to encapsulate gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), hollow gold nanoshells (AuNSs), …

Host Specificity And Ectoparasite Load Of Bat Flies In Utila, Honduras, Courtney Miller

Senior Honors Theses

Bat flies (Streblidae) are obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites of bats that display varying degrees of host specificity. A total of 265 streblid bat flies were collected from 122 bats belonging to the families Phyllostomidae and Natalidae from Utila, the smallest bay island of Honduras. Out of four host-parasite associations, three were considered primary. Out of the three bat species analyzed, one had significantly lower parasite prevalence and another had significantly higher parasite load and intensity. Both male and female bats were equally likely to be infested and variables of parasite density did not differ amongst host sex for any species. However, …

Identification Of The Transcriptional Co-Repressor Complex And Its Functions In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Barsha Shrestha

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Comparative Biology Of Three Species Of Costa Rican Haeterini, Laura Alexander

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Documenting life history characteristics of populations, especially of herbivorous insects such as butterflies, is fundamental to the ecological study of tropical rainforests. However, we know relatively little about tropical forest butterflies. Here, I combine information gathered using the mark-release-recapture (MRR) approach with manipulative and observational experiments in a natural environment to explore aspects of the population biology of three closely-related species of Costa Rican fruit-feeding understory butterflies (Cithaerias pireta, Dulcedo polita, and Pierella helvina), specifically: vertical stratification, attraction to and persistence in fruit-baited traps, relative abundance and distribution, movement patterns, probabilities of recapture and daily survival, …

Arthropod Abundance And Diversity In Restored Longleaf Pine Savannas At Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve, Cara B. Nighohossian

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to determine whether changes in arthropod community structure in restored longleaf pine savannas corresponds to differences in vegetation structure often associated with burn frequency. Longleaf pine savannas are fire-maintained ecosystems characteristic of the southeastern United States and have experienced severe declines (around 97%) since European settlement. Changes in fire regime have been instrumental in the declines. Restoration of these ecosystems has involved reinstitution of periodic burnings to promote and maintain vegetative characteristics of the savannas. This study investigates trends in arthropod communities from areas heavily invaded by hardwood shrubs against those dominated by longleaf …

In Vitro Incubation Of Gills Isolated From The Gulf Killfish, Fundulus Grandis, Joseph Anthony Diaz

Senior Honors Theses

The use of viable and reliable tissue preparations allows for experimental approaches in vitro that would not be possible in vivo. In this experiment, gills were isolated from gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis, and subjected to various incubation conditions. A combination of two types of media and two incubation apparatuses were compared in their ability to sustain tissues, as measured by the vital stain trypan blue (TB) and percent lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage. Trypan Blue analysis indicated no significant difference in tissue viability, regardless of the treatment or incubation time. However, percent LDH leakage analysis revealed that the two most …