Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Forest Fragmentation And Honeysuckle Invasion On Forest Lepidoptera In Southwest Ohio, Annie Lynn Doyle

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Habitat loss and exotic species invasion is a rapidly growing threat facing forest animal communities worldwide. The goal of the current study is to assess the impact of forest fragmentation and the associated invasion of honeysuckle on immature tree-feeding Lepidoptera communities in southwestern Ohio. Caterpillar abundance, richness, and honeysuckle density were sampled along 100 meter transects conducted in ten forest fragments. Generalized linear models were developed to determine the effects of fragment area, landscape forest cover, and honeysuckle density on caterpillar abundance and richness. Caterpillar abundance and richness was positively related to landscape forest cover and fragment area. However, these …

The Community Structure Of Methanogenic, Methanotrophic, And Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria In Vertical Flow Greenhouse Wetland Mesocosms Exposed To Pce, William Evan Gruner

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Chlorinated ethenes are among the top contaminants on the EPA National Priorities List due to their abundance in contaminated sites and their recalcitrant nature. These compounds, which are used in large scale degreasing and textile processes, are known liver and kidney toxins, and suspected carcinogens. Wetland ecosystems are capable of degrading PCE and its breakdown products TCE, DCE, and VC by providing anaerobic and aerobic growth conditions for microbes that express enzymes such as dehalogenases and monooxygenases with dual affinity for chlorinated solvents. Greenhouse mesocosms at Wright State University are used to mimic field conditions at a treatment wetland at …

Using Geographic Information Systems To Select Sites For Wetland Restoration In West Central Ohio's Agricultural Areas, Janice M. Hartkorn

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The Mississippi River Basin, includes a major part of Ohio has encountered increasing phosphorus and nitrogen loads from agricultural fields since the 1800's when intensive agriculture moved into the Midwest. Agriculture has drained ninety percent of Ohio's native wetlands. A portion of those drained wetlands can be restored to functional wetlands to intercept excess nutrients from non-productive or low yield agricultural fields to improve overall water quality. Little is known about finding potential restoration sites, partly because of the difficulty in locating sites capable of supporting successful restoration.

This study investigated the utility of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a …

Immunomodulation Of Human Skin Cells By Extracts Of The Scabies Mite, Sarcoptes Scabiei, Jeremi Stevan Mullins

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Sarcoptes scabiei infests its host through burrowing into the stratum corneum layer of skin. Keratinocytes and fibroblasts responding to the burrowing mite(s) and/or mite products produce inflammatory and immune activating cytokines and chemokines. The purpose of this study was to determine if an extract of S. scabiei can modulate cytokine and chemokine expression from keratinocytes and fibroblasts in vitro. Normal human keratinocytes and fibroblasts were exposed to an extract of S. scabiei var. canis with or without various pro-inflammatory stimuli. Cytokine and chemokine expression were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Scabies extract increased expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), growth-related oncogene-α …

Qtl Analysis Of Ray Pattern In Caenorhabditis Elegans Recombinant Inbred Lines, Adam Joseph Guess

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Ray pattern is the most divergent morphological character among rhabditid nematodes. The ancestral ray pattern of Elegans group nematodes is commonly referred to as a 2(1)3+3 pattern, with rays 1 and 2 located anterior of the cloaca, ray 3 positioned at the cloaca, and rays 4-6 and 7-9 grouped in two clusters posterior of the cloaca. C. elegans males primarily exhibit the 2(1)3+3 pattern; however some isolates display variant patterns at a low frequency. The Hawaiian strain CB4856 exhibits a 3/3+3 pattern at a frequency of 0.09. In this pattern, ray 3 is located anterior of the cloaca in a …

The Effects Of Nutritional Supplement, Mass Fx™, On Muscular Strength, Body Composition, And Blood Chemistries In Resistance Trained Adult Males, Patrick S. Dib

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The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a nutritional supplement, Mass FX, on muscular strength, body composition, and blood chemistries in resistance-trained adult males. Eight subjects, mean age 25 +/- 3.02 years, were randomly assigned to two groups (n=4). Each group was given either Mass FX or a Placebo in a double-blind manner to be taken orally for six weeks (4caps/day regardless of bodyweight). For the duration of the study, both groups were following the same training program and a diet customized to each subject's bodyweight in conjunction to the supplementation. Data were analyzed using Analysis …