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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Mapping Hybrid Lethal Genes On The X Chromosome Of C. Briggsae, Blaine E. Bittorf
Mapping Hybrid Lethal Genes On The X Chromosome Of C. Briggsae, Blaine E. Bittorf
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In the cross of C. nigoni males to C. briggsae hermaphrodites, all F1 males arrest during embryogenesis. However in the reciprocal cross there are some viable F1 male progeny. This unidirectional male-specific lethality in the F1 hybrids has been attributed to a hybrid lethal gene in a 500 Kb region of the X chromosome of C. briggsae. Cbr-him-8 is a recessive maternal suppressor of the male-specific lethal phenotype, due to the requirement of the him-8 protein for proper X chromosome pairing. Without proper pairing of any one of the chromosomes in the Caenorhabditis genome, genes present on the unpaired chromosome …
The Effect Of Increased Quizzing On Retention Of Material By Histology Laboratory Students, R. J. Nogrady
The Effect Of Increased Quizzing On Retention Of Material By Histology Laboratory Students, R. J. Nogrady
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In traditional approaches to teaching, examinations and quizzes have been considered secondary activities, designed to assess and motivate learning, but not generally as teaching tools in themselves (Roediger and Butler, 2011). However, abundant psychological research in laboratory settings indicates that the act of taking a quiz or examination on the material can directly enhance retention of that material in ways which are distinct from and often more effective than restudying of the material. This phenomenon is now referred to as the testing effect. The testing effect hypothesis asserts that (1) repeated retrieval attempts have a longer lasting effect on retention …
Comparing Created And Natural Depressional Wetlands Through Trophic Analysis Of Macroinvertebrates, Shante N. Eisele
Comparing Created And Natural Depressional Wetlands Through Trophic Analysis Of Macroinvertebrates, Shante N. Eisele
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Macroinvertebrates are important contributors to wetland ecosystems due to their role in decomposition, nutrient cycling, and as a food resource for other organisms. Several studies have analyzed the macroinvertebrate communities in created wetlands, but few have evaluated them in the context of trophic structure in both created and natural wetlands. The objective of this study is to better understand benthic macroinvertebrate community composition and trophic structure in created and natural wetlands. My central hypotheses were that macroinvertebrate communities in created wetlands would have (1) differing composition and (2) less complex trophic structure with shorter food-chain length compared to natural wetlands. …
Osmotic Activation Of Sperm Motility Via Water Flow Through Aquaporins In The Freeze-Tolerant Cope's Gray Treefrog, Dryophytes Chrysoscelis, Deja Miller
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Gametes of gray treefrogs, Dryophytes chrysoscelis, are deposited into freshwater ponds. Sperm undergo spermatogenesis and maturation beginning in the seminiferous tubules and migrating to the lumen. In mammals and fishes, these cells are immotile within the isosmotic fluid of the testes and have motility activated by exposure to a hyper- or hypoosmotic medium. Water flows into or out of the sperm cell, altering intracellular ionic concentrations, and ultimately stimulates flagellar movement. We tested the hypothesis that exposure to a hypotonic environment activates motility of gray treefrog sperm. We also hypothesized that osmotic water uptake is facilitated by expression of water …
The Missing Metric: An Evaluation Of Microorganism Importance In Wetland Assessments, Aaron John Onufrak
The Missing Metric: An Evaluation Of Microorganism Importance In Wetland Assessments, Aaron John Onufrak
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In the contiguous US, an estimated 50% of original wetland areas have been lost since the late 1700s. In growing recognition of the importance of preserving wetland ecosystem function, federal and state agencies have developed proxy-based functional-assessment procedures to manage and preserve remaining wetland areas. Ohio uses the Ohio Rapid Assessment Method (ORAM) to score wetland quality based on six metrics: wetland size, buffer width and surrounding land use, hydrology, habitat alteration and development, special wetland communities, and vegetation. Currently, the ORAM, and many other wetland scoring systems, do not consider microorganisms when determining wetland quality. This is particularly notable, …
Low-Impact Yoga Improves Flexibility, But Has No Effect On Heart Rate Variability In Sedentary Adult Women, Lauren Marie Shafer
Low-Impact Yoga Improves Flexibility, But Has No Effect On Heart Rate Variability In Sedentary Adult Women, Lauren Marie Shafer
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Heart disease is the leading cause of death among adults in the United States and more than 600,000 people per year die when the condition goes untreated. Many cardiovascular maladies, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, can be markedly improved with lifestyle changes, including eating a healthy diet and regular exercise. In this study, 15 sedentary adult women (aged 19-63 years) participated in a prescribed 12-week yoga program. Electrocardiography was used to measure Heart Rate Variability, a tool that assesses autonomic tone on the heart. Autonomic nervous system activity is assessed at VLF, LF, and HF spectral components. …
Community Structure And Epizootic Infection Prevalence Of Northern Wisconsin Anurans, Kayla Christine Watters
Community Structure And Epizootic Infection Prevalence Of Northern Wisconsin Anurans, Kayla Christine Watters
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Amphibian populations are declining globally at historically rapid rates, and while a multitude of factors have contributed to amphibian population declines, emerging infectious diseases, such as chytridiomycosis and ranavirus have been linked to a large proportion of the reported amphibian mass mortality events. Distribution and infection prevalence data for chytridiomycosis and ranavirus are lacking, and effective surveillance is crucial. This project aims to describe anuran richness, relative abundance, habitat occupancy, and community structure and to identify the chytridiomycosis and ranavirus infection prevalence rates of the anuran population at Dairymen's Inc. Wood frogs, spring peepers, boreal chorus frogs, northern leopard frogs, …
Monitoring Ohio Bat Communities And Populations Using Mobile Acoustics, Molly C. Simonis
Monitoring Ohio Bat Communities And Populations Using Mobile Acoustics, Molly C. Simonis
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The goal of my thesis is to: 1) provide baseline information of where Ohio bats are foraging in Wright State University's (WSU) campus woods in relation to forest age and habitat (Chapter 1), 2) determine potential roost availability for local bats (Chapter 1), and 3) examine changes in state-wide species composition following the introduction of White-nose Syndrome (WNS; Chapter 2). In Chapter 1, I created walking bat acoustic routes and used generalized linear models to determine what forest ages and habitats had the greatest bat activity in the WSU campus woods. I conducted habitat transects throughout all forest ages to …
Anthropogenic Noise Alters Avian Community Composition In Temperate Forests, Chelsea Jill Wright
Anthropogenic Noise Alters Avian Community Composition In Temperate Forests, Chelsea Jill Wright
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Noise is an under-appreciated source of pollution that can influence the spatial distribution of birds. In this study, I examined how noise frequency and intensity (both background noise (kHz) and decibel levels (dB)) affected avian richness, density, and number of birds that sing with the same frequency as anthropogenic noise (low note frequency). I also examined the responses of two species in detail, the Eastern Wood Pewee and the Acadian Flycatcher, because they lack song plasticity. I examined whether they responded to noise by avoiding "noisy" areas or shifting their song frequency. I examined the response of bird communities to …
Demography And Dendrochronology Of A Disjunct Population Of Eastern Hemlock In Southwestern Ohio, Marie Johnson
Demography And Dendrochronology Of A Disjunct Population Of Eastern Hemlock In Southwestern Ohio, Marie Johnson
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Edge and isolated plant populations provide information about the resilience and the most basic resource needs of a species. Plant demography examines changes in population size and structure over time. An isolated, disjunct eastern hemlock population in Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, Yellow Springs, Ohio consists of two distinct subpopulations each with different environmental characteristics, reproductive capacities, and health ratings. Both subpopulations at Clifton Gorge were found to exhibit significant decreases in average annual ring width through time. Linear regression modeling determined that average annual growing season precipitation and temperature were the strongest predictors of these growth trends. A comparative …
A Planarian Tau Tubulin Kinase Homolog Is Required For Spermatogenesis And Epithelial Ciliogenesis, Robert Alan Magley
A Planarian Tau Tubulin Kinase Homolog Is Required For Spermatogenesis And Epithelial Ciliogenesis, Robert Alan Magley
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Tubulin comprises the structural element of microtubules and Tau is one of many microtubule-associated proteins. Tau Tubulin Kinase (TTBK) phosphorylates both Tau and Tubulin and is required for the initial steps of cilia formation. Due to the structural similarities between cilia and sperm flagella, as well as the enriched expression of TTBK1 and TTBK2 in human testes, we hypothesized that TTBK homologs play a role in sperm maturation. This hypothesis was tested in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea, a lophotrochozoan model capable of whole-body regeneration and development a complete reproductive system post-embryonically. Six TTBK homologs were identified in the genome of …
Lonicera Maackii Alters Decay Dynamics Of Coarse Woody Debris, Michaela J. Woods
Lonicera Maackii Alters Decay Dynamics Of Coarse Woody Debris, Michaela J. Woods
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Since industrialization, anthropogenic carbon emissions have led to excess atmospheric carbon dioxide that may alter the stability of ecosystem processes. Microorganisms are essential in mitigating excess carbon and play a notable role in the breakdown of organic material. This process, decomposition, is essential in forested ecosystems where microorganisms can recycle nutrients and store carbon in soil organic matter or release it through respiration. Fungi participate in decomposition through the release of enzymes responsible for carrying out the chemical reactions that break down plant material. Species introductions have the potential to alter decomposition dynamics. In the Midwestern US, the invasive shrub …
Fast Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Currents And Action Potential Firing In R6/2 Skeletal Muscle, Eric Joshua Reed
Fast Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Currents And Action Potential Firing In R6/2 Skeletal Muscle, Eric Joshua Reed
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Huntington’s disease (HD) is a degenerative disorder caused by expanded CAG repeats in the Huntingtin gene, which results in cognitive problems as well as muscle weakness, chorea, rigidity, and dystonia. Most research in HD has focused on neurodegeneration, but recent studies have found peripheral defects that may help explain the debilitating motor symptoms of HD. We have shown that skeletal muscle from the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of HD is hyperexcitable due to decreases in resting chloride and potassium currents. Other groups have speculated that the fast voltage-gated sodium channels may be affected in Huntington’s disease as well. To fully …