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Articles 1 - 30 of 51
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Analysis Of Heart Muscle Tissue For Detection Of Fluorescently Labeled Cells In Conventional- And Frozen-Section Tissue Preparations, Lena Anna Mitchell
Analysis Of Heart Muscle Tissue For Detection Of Fluorescently Labeled Cells In Conventional- And Frozen-Section Tissue Preparations, Lena Anna Mitchell
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Symptoms, Infectious Pathway, Treatment, And History Of Rabies In The United States, Paul Beckman-Ellenwood
Symptoms, Infectious Pathway, Treatment, And History Of Rabies In The United States, Paul Beckman-Ellenwood
Honors Theses
Rabies is a virus of the Lyssavirus family that is endemic to almost all parts of the world and claims over 55,000 lives every year. The virus is capable of being vectored through any warm-blooded animal and has a variable incubation time in its hosts. Once the disease finishes incubating and symptoms appear in the host, the disease is always fatal to humans. To prevent this there are several treatments available, but they can be expensive or difficult to obtain in parts of the world that have the most problems with rabies. To solve this vaccines have been created to …
Color Vision And Signal Color Evolution In Anolis Lizards, Catherine S. Wadman
Color Vision And Signal Color Evolution In Anolis Lizards, Catherine S. Wadman
Honors Theses
Anolis is a diverse genus of small arboreal lizards that utilize a visual communication system using a colorful expandable throat-fan (dewlap). They signal either to attract females or repel males. The environment the lizard lives in has influenced the coloring of these dewlaps. Species that occupy shaded habitats tend to have yellow dewlaps while those that inhabit brighter habitats tend to have red dewlaps. In experiment 1 we used a color perception assay to test whether a red or yellow stimulus against a green background was more visible to the lizard under different light intensities mimicking a dewlap appearing in …
The Linkage Between Hpa Axis Dysregulation And Metabolic Syndrome, Brianna Godlewski
The Linkage Between Hpa Axis Dysregulation And Metabolic Syndrome, Brianna Godlewski
Honors Theses
A diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome (MSX) requires patients to present with three or more of the following symptoms: elevated fasting blood glucose levels, elevated serum triglyceride levels, low serum HDL levels, elevated blood pressure, and truncal obesity. This pathology shares many similarities with Cushing’s Syndrome (CS) but a diagnosis of CS requires hypercortisolemia. This similarity has led our lab and others to hypothesize that MSX may be a Cushingoid-like state caused by hypersensitivity of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a nuclear hormone receptor that is activated when cortisol binds, and or hyperactivity of the enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11?- HSD) type 1, …
Development Of Novel Allele Specific Pcr Based Assays To Investigate The Contribution Of Cortisol To Metabolic Syndrome And It's Potential Implications In Depression Treatment, Justin Robert Salm
Development Of Novel Allele Specific Pcr Based Assays To Investigate The Contribution Of Cortisol To Metabolic Syndrome And It's Potential Implications In Depression Treatment, Justin Robert Salm
Honors Theses
The shared circuitries of depression and the stress response, regulated by the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, implies that major depression may reflect dysregulations of the HPA axis. Previous studies find that that melancholic depression is accompanied by hyperactive HPA activity, anxiety, insomnia etc. Adversely, patients with atypical depression present CRH deficiency accompanied by lethargy and fatigue. According to the corticosteroid receptor hypothesis, HPA axis dysregulation that causes these variable phenotypic depressive moods may be attributed to defective GR expression or function. Multiple GR polymorphisms that could impact its expression or function have been identified. Due to limitations, it was not feasible …
Fitness And Exercise As Linked To Overall Stress And Physiological Stress Responses, Justine Monthony
Fitness And Exercise As Linked To Overall Stress And Physiological Stress Responses, Justine Monthony
Honors Theses
Exercise negatively correlates with physiological stress responses, but there is less research on short-term stress hormones for this response. For this thesis, I hypothesized that exercise and fitness levels would be negatively correlated with perceived stress and with physiological stress from a standard stressor. Undergraduate college participants reported their chronic stress, current mood, past week’s physical activity (amount and intensity), perceived physical fitness, and demographic characteristics. Participants also engaged in a social stress task, on which they had limited time to prepare a speech with no notice or resources that was given in front of peers who were ostensibly analyzing …
Investigating The Relationship Between Invasive Garlic Mustard Alliaria Petiolata And Blacklegged Ticks Ixodes Scapularis, Nicole Shauffer
Investigating The Relationship Between Invasive Garlic Mustard Alliaria Petiolata And Blacklegged Ticks Ixodes Scapularis, Nicole Shauffer
Honors Theses
Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata is an invasive herb that has been studied for its chemical allelopathy ability to hinder plant growth of its competitors and potential to inhibit entomopathogenic fungi. It has been suggested that these fungi which infect and kill insects and arthropods like blacklegged ticks Ixodes scapularis may be negatively impacted by garlic mustard presence. This study investigated the potential relationship between garlic mustard and blacklegged tick populations through two experiments. One experiment measured the effect of garlic mustard soil and leaf extract on waxworm survival where waxworms were used as a bioassay for the presence of fungi. …
Modelling The Role Of Chance In Mating Dynamics, Libby K. Boykin
Modelling The Role Of Chance In Mating Dynamics, Libby K. Boykin
Honors Theses
This undergraduate honors thesis examines the role of chance in mating dynamics, focusing on the popular measures of Is and OSR and whether or not they are accurate measures of sexual selection. The first chapter is an overview of sexual selection and how biologists typically measure it, and the second chapter describes the modelling scenarios we created to assess the interaction of Is and OSR with both chance and parental investment. Our results show that Is and OSR have indeed been used incorrectly, and that we should shift our focus to trait-based methods when measuring sexual selection.
Prevalence Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis (Bd) In Watercourses Situated In Southeast Tennessee, Macall A. Nabors
Prevalence Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis (Bd) In Watercourses Situated In Southeast Tennessee, Macall A. Nabors
Honors Theses
Four hundred and twenty-seven amphibian species are critically endangered. The fungal disease Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been correlated with amphibian decline and extinction. Numerous studies concerning the nature of Bd have been conducted; however, additional studies are needed to adequately evaluate Bd in southeastern Tennessee. As a result of previous studies, the following hypothesizes were proposed: watercourses in southeastern Tennessee will test positive for Bd, non-impacted streams will have a greater presence of Bd than impacted streams, and increased canopy coverage has a positive correlation with the presence of Bd. Field sampling took place from June 2nd 2016 to August …
Effects Of Marsh Fragmentation And Patch Area On Fish And Nekton Assemblages In Mississippi, Jennifer R. Main
Effects Of Marsh Fragmentation And Patch Area On Fish And Nekton Assemblages In Mississippi, Jennifer R. Main
Honors Theses
Fragmentation divides continuous habitat into smaller patches. Fragmentation can also produce smaller populations of species, because fragmentation can split a population into smaller groups. Both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems suffer from fragmentation. There are a variety of fishes that live along marsh, each depending upon the marsh for protection, food, and sometimes even competition. Species richness of fishes can be altered due to marsh fragmentation. I predict islands with a larger patch index should have a higher species richness of fishes. For this study, fish assemblages at 20 islands of marsh were sampled in the months of June and July …
Measuring The Presence Of The Amphibian Pathogen Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In East Tennessee, Erin A. Schrenker
Measuring The Presence Of The Amphibian Pathogen Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In East Tennessee, Erin A. Schrenker
Honors Theses
I examined the presence and absence of the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in three survey areas in Eastern Tennessee. Amphibians were swabbed to assess for Bd and other ecological qualities like canopy cover, and air and water temperature are a few of the measurements evaluated. DNA was extracted from the swabs using a Qiagen DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit and samples were PCRed in triplicate to confirm presence or absence. All 48 animals that were swabbed in the field were negative for Bd. These results parallel other findings that few Bd positive assays have been conducted in East Tennessee from …
Enzyme Characterization Of Sabath Family Members, Troy Burtchett
Enzyme Characterization Of Sabath Family Members, Troy Burtchett
Honors Theses
Enzymes can have many different functions within an organism. One such common function is methylation. The SABATH family of enzymes perform methylation of various organic acids. Many of the members of this family of enzymes have become specialized in the acid they methylate. For example: salicylic acid methyl transferase (SAMT) will primarily methylate salicylic acid, and benzoic acid methyl transferase (BAMT) will primarily methylate benzoic acid. By comparing the sequence of these enzymes, it has been found that a conserved region consisting of the sequence SSYSLMWLS appears in some form across all the members of the SABATH family. The 6 …
Characterization Of A Putative Ccm Transporter, Cia8, In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Using Rnai Knockdown Mutants, Joshua Schwartzenburg
Characterization Of A Putative Ccm Transporter, Cia8, In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Using Rnai Knockdown Mutants, Joshua Schwartzenburg
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Implementation Of A Biology Summer Bridge Program For First-Year Biology Majors, Madelyn Aittama
Implementation Of A Biology Summer Bridge Program For First-Year Biology Majors, Madelyn Aittama
Honors Theses
Students are entering higher education at an escalated rate, but many are unprepared for the rigorous coursework that lies ahead of them. As nationwide programs are continuously being implemented throughout high schools to better prepare students for college life, many students are still not equipped with the skills necessary to succeed in obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Many students feel discouraged and inadequate when they perform below their academic expectations, and for a large portion of students pursuing higher education, this results in discontinuing their education. While retention rates amongst STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students are particularly low, the …
The Relationship Between Cold Stress Syndrome Mortality And Body Shape In Florida Manatees, Purin Chirachevin
The Relationship Between Cold Stress Syndrome Mortality And Body Shape In Florida Manatees, Purin Chirachevin
Honors Theses
West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are tropical and subtropical aquatic mamals that can develop cold stress syndrome (CSS) when subjected to water temperatures below 20'C for prolonge dperiods. This study investigtes the potential impact that cold winter water temperatures in Florida may have on manatee body shape as a selective force to reduce surface-area-to-volume ratio (SA:Vol; i.e. Bergmann's and Allen's Rule). Morphometric measurements collected from state-mandated necropsies (1974-2014) were used to calculate surface area, volume, and mass. We found that manatees that died of CSS on average had significantly greater SA:Vol and less mass compared to those that died …
Soil Sand Content, But Not Solil Myrosinase Enzyme Activity, Affects Mam Efficacy In Suppressing Weed Growth, Warit Chirachevin
Soil Sand Content, But Not Solil Myrosinase Enzyme Activity, Affects Mam Efficacy In Suppressing Weed Growth, Warit Chirachevin
Honors Theses
Mustard seed meal (MSM) has been shown to control weeds and pests in crop fields. Prior work showed that a sandy loam soil was superior to a silt loam soil in supporting velvetleaf growth suppression by MSM. To explore this difference, myrosinase enzyme activity was measured in both soils. Results showed no significant difference between the soils. Sand content in Michigan silt loam soil was manipulated in order to test the role of sand content on MSM efficacy in suppressing short-term velvetleaf growth. Results showed that sand enhanced the effect of MSM in suppressing seedling growth and germination.
Synthesis Of A-Cyanostilbenes And Testing Of Their Anticancer Properties, Gabrielle Cook
Synthesis Of A-Cyanostilbenes And Testing Of Their Anticancer Properties, Gabrielle Cook
Honors Theses
This research project involves synthesizing cyanostilbenes and testing their anticancer properties in breast cancer cells. Breast cancer is a global issue, one that great improvement has been found in the last few decades, but also one that remains a large killer. The components of the cyanostilbene hybrids have all been shown to have anticancer properties on their own, and we would like to see if we can increase these properties by combining multiple into a single hybrid. Then these cyanostilbene compounds are tested on Her2+ human breast cancer cells. The goals is to assess whether or not the cyanostilbenes have …
The Role Of Octopamine In Syllable-Period Selective Phonotaxis In Female Cricket Acheta Domesticus, Darley Magno
The Role Of Octopamine In Syllable-Period Selective Phonotaxis In Female Cricket Acheta Domesticus, Darley Magno
Honors Theses
Female crickets respond phonotactically to the calls of conspecific males. Females' phonotaxis has been reported to be variable, ranging from unselective to selectve in response to calls with varying syllable periods (30-90 ms). Octopamine, an intertebrate neurotransmitter, has been reported to increase aggressive behavior in crickets, (Stevanson et al. 2005) but the effects of octopamine on behaviors such as phonotaxis have not been investigated. The goal of this study is to determine the effects of octopamine on the syllable-period selective phonotactic response of females. Results suggest a decrease in phonotactic responsiveness shown by 5-10 day-okds after prothroacic nanoinjection of octopamine.
Natural Products In Weed Control: Allyl-Isothiocyanate Effects On In Vitro Velvetleaf Seedling Growth And The Influence Of Mustard Seed Meal On Soil Bacterial Populations, Stanford Shin
Honors Theses
Past research has shown that alyl isothiocyanate (AICT) and its sister ITC compounds are effective alternatives to herbicides in reducing growth in weed seedlings. In this project the effects of mustard seed meal (MSM), a source of AITC, on plant-associated soil bacteria populations was assessed along with the effect of AITC on velvetleaf seed in vitro germination. Results show that MSM reduces bacterial levels in the soil. Velvetleaf seed germination was inbibited by micromolar levels of AITC. These results suggest that MSM has the potential to impact velvetleaf growth in the field as well as becoming a weed management tool.
Chelerythrine Chloride And Its Effects On Phonotactic Behavior In Female Crickets Acheta Domesticus, Haneul Shin
Chelerythrine Chloride And Its Effects On Phonotactic Behavior In Female Crickets Acheta Domesticus, Haneul Shin
Honors Theses
Selective phonotaxis by female crickets has been shown to be variable. Mechanisms which underlie such behavioral variability are being studied. Juvenile Hormone III is a neuromodulator that has been shown to increase selectivity in phonotactic behavior of female crickets. In an attempt to further explore its effects on the behavioral responses of femaile crickets, experiments have been performed with chelerythrine cloride that is known to have an opposite effect of Juvenile Hormone III. Chelerythrine chloride, a potent protein kinase C blocker, has been hypothesized to block the effect of Juvenile Hormone III which acts through a protein kinase C pathway, …
Effectiveness Of A Novel Porphyrin Exhibiting Dark Toxicity Against The Model Organism Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Marissa C. Jama
Effectiveness Of A Novel Porphyrin Exhibiting Dark Toxicity Against The Model Organism Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Marissa C. Jama
Honors Theses
Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizing porphyrins has emerged as a possible ancillary treatment against antibiotic resistant bacteria. Porphyrins, such a novel zinc containing porphyrin designated ZnP, create reactive oxygen species that are toxic to bacterial cells utilizing light by a mechanism that is not yet fully understood. Previous experiments have shown ZnP to be able to kill microorganisms in the dark which is unique to few porphyrins. The aim of this research is to understand the effect ZnP has on Mycobacterium smegmatis, a model organism for the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuburculosis which causes the lung infection tuberculosis. Further experimentation is …
Insights Into Stat5 Biology, Taylor Millar
Characterizing Two Bestrophin Mutants Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Camille I. Prejean
Characterizing Two Bestrophin Mutants Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Camille I. Prejean
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Localization Of The Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator In Retinal Amacrine Cells, Jordan Renschler
Localization Of The Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator In Retinal Amacrine Cells, Jordan Renschler
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Secrets Of Sines: The Story Of Platy-1 Propagation In The Saimiri Lineage, Sarah Brantley
Secrets Of Sines: The Story Of Platy-1 Propagation In The Saimiri Lineage, Sarah Brantley
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Proteomic Analytical Viability Of Ffpe Preserved Tissue Using Laser Ablation- Capture And Tandem Mass Spectrometry (Ms/Ms), Joshua Edwards
Proteomic Analytical Viability Of Ffpe Preserved Tissue Using Laser Ablation- Capture And Tandem Mass Spectrometry (Ms/Ms), Joshua Edwards
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Urban Soils In Response To Flooding, Katherine Henry
Urban Soils In Response To Flooding, Katherine Henry
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Effects Of Ultrasound On Amyloid Beta 42 (Aβ42) Mediated Neurodegeneration, Sarah Byrne
Effects Of Ultrasound On Amyloid Beta 42 (Aβ42) Mediated Neurodegeneration, Sarah Byrne
Honors Theses
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age related progressive neurodegenerative disease. The exact mechanisms that lead to cell death are not entirely understood. It has been shown that accumulation of amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) plaques generated by mis-cleavage of amyloid-precursor-protein is the cause of neurodegeneration seen in AD. This is due to the hydrophobic nature of Aβ42 due to extra two amino acids added to the typical and naturally occurring Aβ40 in the body. These Aβ42 plaques trigger neuronal death because of the toxic nature and stress they exert on the neurons. In this study, Drosophila melanogaster transgenic model where human Aβ42 coding …
Lethal Effects Of The Non-Native Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii) On A Model Aquatic Organism (Hyalella Azteca), Eric B. Borth
Lethal Effects Of The Non-Native Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii) On A Model Aquatic Organism (Hyalella Azteca), Eric B. Borth
Honors Theses
The invasive plant Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) has had a variety of ecological effects as it continues to spread through the eastern United States including the loss of plant biodiversity and alterations in ecosystem function in forests. Streams meander through many forests where Amur honeysuckle is present and recent evidence suggests that this terrestrial invasion has consequences for stream biology. Leaves of Amur honeysuckle have been shown to have strong negative effects on terrestrial insects and we hypothesized that these negative effects may also occur in aquatic macroinvertebrates. In this set of experiments we used a sequence of microcosm assays …
Pravastatin™ Suppresses Venous Shear Stress Dependent Induction Of Aquaporin 1 Protein Expression In Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells In Vitro, Raphael J. Crum
Pravastatin™ Suppresses Venous Shear Stress Dependent Induction Of Aquaporin 1 Protein Expression In Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells In Vitro, Raphael J. Crum
Honors Theses
Background: Aquaporins (AQPs) are transmembrane water channels that facilitate osmotically-driven transmembrane water flux. AQP1 is abundantly expressed in vascular endothelium, where it functions in endothelial cell migration, wound healing, and cell volume regulation in response to mechanical stimuli. AQP1 protein abundance is enhanced in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in response to fluid shear stress. Statins, a pharmacological class of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, suppress the early development of vein graft intimal hyperplasia by improving endothelial cell function, most likely by affecting endothelial response to arterial shear stress. Statins may also differentially regulate the expression of specific AQPs by …