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Fission Yeast As A Model Organism For Fus-Dependent Ycytotoxicity In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Alan J. Cone Jan 2016

Fission Yeast As A Model Organism For Fus-Dependent Ycytotoxicity In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Alan J. Cone

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative motor neuron disease that causes progressive paralysis and death by asphyxiation. There is no cure or effective treatment; however, previous research has identified several genes that appear related to the pathology of ALS. When mutated, these genes result in proteins that gain toxic functions and disrupt normal cellular processes. Fused in Sarcoma (hFUS) is a human transcription factor in the nucleus that binds to DNA and RNA. Mutations in hFUS are associated with both familial and sporadic cases of ALS, frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and cancer. In ALS and FTLD, hFUS is mislocalized …


Genetic Analysis Of Male-Specific Lethality Between Caenorhabditis Briggsae:: Caenorhabditis Nigoni F1 Hybrids, Vaishnavi Ragavapuram Jan 2016

Genetic Analysis Of Male-Specific Lethality Between Caenorhabditis Briggsae:: Caenorhabditis Nigoni F1 Hybrids, Vaishnavi Ragavapuram

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Speciation occurs when there is a lack of reproduction due to genetic barriers. These genetic barriers to gene flow are referred as reproductive isolation mechanisms. Pre-zygotic and post-zygotic isolation are types of reproductive isolation mechanisms. In this project, post-zygotic isolation mechanisms were examined. Haldane's Rule states that in F1 hybrids, individuals of the heterogametic sex are less fit than those of the homogametic sex. Darwin's Corollary to Haldane's rule states that there is asymmetry in hybrid progeny between interspecific reciprocal crosses. Crosses done between Caenorhabditis briggsae males to Caenorhabditis nigoni females produce viable F1 hybrid females and males, yet the …


Genomic Signatures Of Population History In A Pair Of Recently Diverged Australian Teal Support Strong Selection On The Z Sex-Chromosome, Kevin Kyle Hawkins Jan 2016

Genomic Signatures Of Population History In A Pair Of Recently Diverged Australian Teal Support Strong Selection On The Z Sex-Chromosome, Kevin Kyle Hawkins

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Sex chromosomes are thought to be an important component of the genome associated with speciation and the buildup of reproductive isolation. Recent advances in sequencing technologies and improvements in population genetics and modeling techniques have made it possible to better assess genomic signatures of selection, genetic drift and gene flow in diverging lineages. Recent studies have shown elevated differentiation on the Z sex-chromosome between the Australian grey teal (Anas gracilis) and chestnut teal (Anas castanea). Here, we used next generation sequencing to scan ~3,400 autosomal loci and ~190 Z loci to examine genomic differentiation and signatures of selection and gene …


Chemosensitivity In Mealworms And Darkling Beetles (Tenebrio Molitor) Across Oxygen And Carbon Dioxide Gradients, Andrew King Patterson Jan 2016

Chemosensitivity In Mealworms And Darkling Beetles (Tenebrio Molitor) Across Oxygen And Carbon Dioxide Gradients, Andrew King Patterson

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Breathing in most insects is controlled through a negative feedback loop consisting of signals (O2, CO2, pH), sensors (chemoreceptors), integrators (neural ganglia), and effectors (spiracles over tracheae). I hypothesized that mealworms and their adult counterparts Darkling beetles, Tenebrio molitor, can sense anoxic and hyperoxic environments and preferentially avoid these environments. I also hypothesize that mealworms are attracted to hypercarbia while Darkling beetles avoid hypercarbia. I constructed a test arena to create an O2 or CO2 gradient. Velocity, total distance traveled, and time spent in each area of the O2 or CO2 gradients …


The Effects Of Various Laundering Factors On The Recoverability Of Dna, Erin L. Houston Jan 2016

The Effects Of Various Laundering Factors On The Recoverability Of Dna, Erin L. Houston

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Criminals have been documented to launder clothing in an attempt to hide evidence; however, there limited studies on this type of evidence manipulation. This study looked at: 1) the effects of eighteen laundry additives at diluted and undiluted strengths on human blood, 2) the effects of a delay between deposit and laundering, 3) the amount of recoverable DNA on laundered clothing with different deposited volumes of blood, and 4) the transfer of genetic material within a primary load and between primary/secondary and primary/tertiary loads. There was a reduction in volume of DNA for some laundry additives. Nevertheless, all genotyped samples …


The Development And Validation Of A One Tier Diagnostic Assessment To Test Premedical Students' Misconceptions About Traumatic Brain Injury, Md Hasan Iqbal Jan 2016

The Development And Validation Of A One Tier Diagnostic Assessment To Test Premedical Students' Misconceptions About Traumatic Brain Injury, Md Hasan Iqbal

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Since brain injury is common in the United States, it is important for health professionals and the public to have accurate knowledge about traumatic brain injury (TBI). Understanding misconceptions is important for health educators, nurses, and physicians, who work with TBI patients. While previous studies on misconceptions about TBI have been undertaken, these have not focused on pre-medical students, nor utilized validated assessments. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a one tier diagnostic test with a confidence index to determine premedical students' misconceptions about TBI. Using the theoretical framework suggested by Treagust (1986, 1988, and 1995), …


Evidence Of Morphological Variation Between Bluegill Lepomis Macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 Populations Across Grand Lake St. Mary’S Watershed, Anthony Jerome Bell Jan 2016

Evidence Of Morphological Variation Between Bluegill Lepomis Macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 Populations Across Grand Lake St. Mary’S Watershed, Anthony Jerome Bell

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A myriad of factors have been shown to affect the morphology of freshwater fish. Despite the growing base of ecomorphology literature there is little information available exploring how these factors relate to body morphology of Centrarchidae, specifically in the Lepomis genera. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe variation in body morphology of Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) across Grand Lake St. Mary’s watershed area and test for covariation of morphology with size, sex, and habitat. Geometric morphometric methods were used to assess variation among individuals and general linear models were used to test for covariation of morphology with size, …


Determining Protein-Protein Interactions Of Als-Associated Sod1, Leah A. Shurte Jan 2016

Determining Protein-Protein Interactions Of Als-Associated Sod1, Leah A. Shurte

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder that occurs due to the death of motor neurons and leads to paralysis and death within three to five years after symptoms present (Byrne et al., 2013). Superoxide Dismutase 1 (SOD1) was first identified to be associated with ALS in 1993. The objective of this study is to determine which proteins interact with wild type and mutant SOD1 and find any similarities or differences between them. ALS is attributed to a gain of toxicity, therefore abnormal protein interactions in mutant SOD1 are important. The results of this study will provide insight on …


The Effects Of Cold And Freezing Temperatures On The Blood Brain Barrier And Aquaporin 1, 4, And 9 Expression In Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla Chrysoscelis), Dalal Nouruldeen Felemban Jan 2016

The Effects Of Cold And Freezing Temperatures On The Blood Brain Barrier And Aquaporin 1, 4, And 9 Expression In Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla Chrysoscelis), Dalal Nouruldeen Felemban

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In sub-freezing temperatures, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood plasma within the brain of freeze-tolerant gray treefrogs, Hyla chrysoscelis, are likely to freeze. We hypothesized that this would challenge blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity and volume regulation for cells in the brain. Our first hypothesis, tested as cerebral Evans blue permeability, was not supported; BBB integrity appeared uncompromised by cold. Our second hypothesis, tested as changing expression of aquaporin (AQP) proteins, was partially supported. Whole-brain expression (Western blot) of AQP1 and AQP4 were unchanged by cold conditions, but AQP9 expression increased in thawed animals. AQP1 was found (immunohistochemistry) in ependymal cells, endothelial …


Regulation Of Mitotic Progression By Btf And Trap150, Divya Cheedu Jan 2016

Regulation Of Mitotic Progression By Btf And Trap150, Divya Cheedu

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Serine-arginine-rich (SR) or SR-like splicing factors interact with exon junction complex proteins during pre-mRNA processing to promote mRNA packaging into mature messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs) and to dictate mRNA stability, nuclear export, and translation. In this thesis, I examined if depletion of two homologous non-classical serine-arginine-rich (SR) splicing factors, Btf (BCLAF1) and TRAP150, impacts regulation of cell cycle regulator transcripts and mitosis. Previous work showed that depletion of these proteins by RNAi causes mitotic defects including chromosome misalignment in metaphase. However, since Btf and/or TRAP150 did not co-localize with mitotic structures during mitosis, I hypothesized that Btf and/or TRAP150 depletion affect …


Investigation Of Exoribonuclease-1 Function In Regulation Of Stem Cells During Planarian Regeneration, Steven Gobinsing Sayson Jan 2016

Investigation Of Exoribonuclease-1 Function In Regulation Of Stem Cells During Planarian Regeneration, Steven Gobinsing Sayson

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Precise regulation of gene expression is crucial for the maintenance of pluripotency and proper differentiation of stem cells. Due to their exceptional capacity for stem cell-driven regeneration, planarians are ideal models to dissect mechanisms regulating gene expression that secure stem cell function in vivo. While mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of gene expression in stem cells have been extensively investigated, less is known about regulation at the post-transcriptional level. Exoribonuclease-1 (XRN-1) is a conserved enzyme in eukaryotes that catalyzes 5' to 3' exonucleolytic degradation of RNA. XRN-1 is known to be required for proper regeneration of Dugesia japonica. Here, I …


How Specialist And Generalist Herbivores Are Responding To Invasive Plant Threats, Lauren Elizabeth Shewhart Jan 2016

How Specialist And Generalist Herbivores Are Responding To Invasive Plant Threats, Lauren Elizabeth Shewhart

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The purpose of this study was to investigate novel interactions of native herbivores (Abia inflata, Abia americana, Zaschizonyx montana, and Hyphantria cunea) with non-native plants in Ohio. No-choice and choice bioassays were conducted with adults and larvae to examine life history traits, performance, and preference of these herbivores feeding exclusively on native and non-native species and damaged and undamaged foliage. It was found that all organisms in this study can perform well and complete their whole life cycle on L. maackii. Adult A. americana will oviposit in non-native hosts however newly emerged larvae have …


Characterization Of Sterility And Germline Defects Caused By Smed-Boule Rna-Interference, Jessica Kathryne Steiner Jan 2016

Characterization Of Sterility And Germline Defects Caused By Smed-Boule Rna-Interference, Jessica Kathryne Steiner

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Evolutionarily conserved molecular processes involved in construction of the germline and embryonic development are essential for the procreation of many species. Infertility affects 15% of couples in the world and can be caused by dysfunctions during egg and sperm development, anatomic defects, as well as faulty embryonic development. Although there are some infertility disorders that are genetically defined, such as Turner and Klinefelter syndromes, many clinical infertility cases are diagnosed as idiopathic due to the lack of understanding of basic fertility mechanisms. Schmidtea mediterranea is a freshwater planarian species that has the ability to regenerate complete organisms, including germ cells …


Host Location And Host-Associated Divergence In Parasitoids Of The Gall Midge, Asteromyia Carbonifera, Jeffrey L. Howell Jan 2016

Host Location And Host-Associated Divergence In Parasitoids Of The Gall Midge, Asteromyia Carbonifera, Jeffrey L. Howell

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Some of the world's greatest mysteries are the series of ecological and behavioral processes that promote adaptive radiation: when one species rapidly diverges into multiple descendants due to ecological selective pressures. Selective pressures from natural enemies have the potential to drive such radiations, as has been suggested in the diversification of the goldenrod gall-midge, Asteromyia carbonifera (Stireman et al., 2008, 2012). This complex, multitrophic system involves the midge species complex, their goldenrod host plants (Solidago sp.), and a suite of parasitoid enemies in the diverse wasp superfamily, Chalcidoidea. There is evidence that the midge is undergoing host-associated differentiation (HAD), in …


The Genomics Of Speciation Within The Globally Distributed Blue-Winged Ducks, Joel Thomas Nelson Jan 2016

The Genomics Of Speciation Within The Globally Distributed Blue-Winged Ducks, Joel Thomas Nelson

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The ability to disperse over long distances can result in a high propensity for colonizing new geographic regions and lead to lineage diversification via allopatric speciation. However, high vagility can also result in gene flow between otherwise allopatric populations, and in some cases, parapatric or divergence-with-gene-flow models of speciation might be more applicable to widely distributed lineages. Here, I used five nuclear introns and the mitochondrial control region to examine divergence, gene flow, and phylogenetic relationships within a cosmopolitan lineage comprising six species, the blue-winged ducks (genus Anas), which inhabit all continents except Antarctica. I found two primary sub-lineages, the …


Parasitoid Communities Of Remnant And Constructed Prairie Fragments In Western Ohio, Michael Drew Sheaffer Jan 2016

Parasitoid Communities Of Remnant And Constructed Prairie Fragments In Western Ohio, Michael Drew Sheaffer

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The ability of organisms to disperse to, utilize, and persist in novel habitats in a fragmented landscape is vital to the success of many ecosystem restoration and construction efforts. With less than four percent of original tallgrass prairie persisting across its range, conservationists have made efforts to both protect and restore remnant prairies as well as to plant new prairies. Previous studies suggest that restored ecosystems do not support the same levels of biodiversity and ecosystems services as their remnant counterparts. In this study I measured tachinid fly diversity and orthopteran parasitism rates in order to assess ecological similarity of …