Other Animal Sciences Commons^™

The Impacts Of Embryonic Arsenic Exposure Of Fundulus Heteroclitus, Torey Bowser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Arsenic is a toxic metalloid that exceeds safe drinking water standards in groundwater in many locations worldwide. Arsenic exposure in fish has been linked to destruction of gill tissues, impairment of growth, decreased muscle mass, memory impairment, increased aggression, and avoidance behaviors. We examined the behavior of mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) following arsenic exposure during development in two studies. Embryos were collected from fish from three reference sites: Scorton Creek (SC), Massachusetts, Wells Harbor (WE), Maine, and Block Island (BLOC), Rhode Island and two contaminated sites: Callahan Mine (CM), Brooksville, Maine, and New Bedford Harbor (NBH), Massachusetts. Embryos were …

Tpr-Containing Proteins Control Protein Organization And Homeostasis For The Endoplasmic Reticulum, Jill Bradley-Graham

Doctoral Dissertations

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a complex, multifunctional organelle comprised of a continuous membrane and lumen that is organized into several functional regions. It plays various roles including protein translocation, folding, quality control, secretion, calcium signaling, and lipid biogenesis. Cellular protein homeostasis is maintained by a complicated chaperone network, and the largest functional family within this network consists of proteins containing tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs). TPRs are well-studied structural motifs that mediate intermolecular protein-protein interactions, supporting interactions with a wide range of ligands or substrates. Nine TPR-containing proteins have been shown to localize to the ER and control protein organization and …

Patterns Of Morphological Plasticity In Metriaclima Zebra And Danio Rerio Suggest Differently Canalized Phenotypes Due To Form-Function Relationships, Dylan Jockel

Masters Theses

In order to ascertain the degree of compatibility in developmental restructuring and behavioral plasticity between two fish species frequently made subject of laboratory research (Metriaclima zebra & Danio rerio), alternative trophic niche exposure experiments utilizing novel three-prong feeding treatments were conducted to obtain morphometric data, which demonstrated both species do bear some degree of plasticity. The results are somewhat complicated by differences in locality of detectable restructuring, which may be due to disparity in the form-function relationship for each species’ lineage. Each is notable in the manner of respective species’ jaw protrusion, as it is driven by anterior …

Relación Entre La Grasa Subcutánea Y Desempeño Maternal En Vacas Angus Primerizas, Esteban Mendoza De La Pava, Adel David Kalil Rey

Zootecnia

El objetivo del presente estudio, tuvo como finalidad lograr identificar el porcentaje de grasa dorsal que se moviliza en vacas Angus primerizas posterior al parto y cómo este podría verse relacionado con el desempeño maternal y el peso al destete del ternero. Para poder lograr este objetivo, se evaluaron doce vacas primerizas de la raza Angus del CIC (centro de investigación y capacitación) San Miguel en Facatativá, Cundinamarca, con diversos parámetros productivos como: peso corporal, puntaje de condición corporal del preparto y al destete, espesor de grasa dorsal (preparto y destete), espesor de grasa en el anca (preparto y destete), …

An Examination Of Preimplantation Embryos And Endometrium Developed During Induced Aluteal Cycles In The Mare, Chelsey Audra Leisinger

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Changes to the embryonic environment that occur within the first few days of development can have significant effects on subsequent fetal development. The following studies investigate the effects of progesterone-deprivation during the early preimplantation period in the mare. The first study described embryo morphology (diameter, stage, and quality grade) collected from mares with induced aluteal cycles. The second study evaluated the effect of induced aluteal cycles on the future fertility of embryo collections as a potential method for cycle manipulation of embryo donor mares. The third study characterized embryonic and endometrial transcript expression of progesterone-mediated transcripts as well as those …

Influencing Pathways That Cause Metastasis And Stemness In Epithelial Ovarian Cancer, Alyse Lynn Huisken-Hill

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 35 and 74. With 22 thousand new cases and 15 thousand deaths annually ovarian cancer is among the most deadly cancers with a death to incidence ratio of 68%. With 70% of cases High Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma (HGSOC) is the most common type of ovarian cancer and causes 90% of ovarian cancer deaths. 80% of patients have reoccurrence within five years and only 15-30% of patients with recurrent metastatic ovarian cancer respond to current therapies, chemotherapy and surgery. One reason for the high …

Characterization And Transplantation Of Felid Spermatogonial Stem Cells, Robin H. Powell

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSC) self-renew and differentiate into spermatozoa throughout the life of the male. SSC transplantation is a potential method for the propagation of genetically important males. These cells have been isolated in different mammalian species using specific cell surface markers, but not in felines.

The goal of this study was to explore a relevant strategy for conservation of endangered felids by characterizing domestic cat (Felis catus) SSCs and assessing their ability for self-renewal after transplantation. Firstly, SSC and pluripotent surface markers, identified in non-feline species, were tested for expression in mixed germ cells from adults by …

The Differential Roles Of D-Pax2 Variants In Regulating Drosophila Eye And Bristle Development, Colin J. O’Shea

Honors Theses

The ability to appropriately interact with the environment is crucial to an organism’s survival. The establishment of functional sensory systems, such as the bristles and eyes in Drosophila, is a critical event during the development of the organism. The transcription factor D Pax2 is involved in the differentiation of the shaft and glial cells in the developing bristle (Kavaler et al., Dev, 126:2261-2272, 1999) and of the cone and primary pigment cells in the developing eye (Fu and Noll, Genes Dev, 11:389-405, 1997). How D-Pax2 contributes to distinct differentiative pathways in different cell types is not known. Recent work by …

Distribution And Conservation Genetics Of The Cow Knob Salamander, Plethodon Punctatus Highton (Caudata: Plethodontidae), Matthew R. Graham

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Being lungless, plethodontid salamanders respire through their skin and are especially sensitive to environmental disturbances. Habitat fragmentation, low abundance, extreme habitat requirements, and a narrow distribution of less than 70 miles in length, makes one such salamander, Plethodon punctatus, a species of concern (S1) in West Virginia. To better understand this sensitive species, day and night survey hikes were conducted through ideal habitat and coordinate data as well as tail tips (10 to 20 mm in length) were collected. DNA was extracted from the tail tips and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene fragments. …

Response Properties Of Tibial Campaniform Sensilla On The Cockroach Leg In Restrained Preparations And Freely Moving Animals, Angela L. Ridgel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The ability to detect changes in forces is important for effective use of a leg in posture and locomotion. This thesis examines how forces are detected in the legs of cockroaches by tibial campaniform sensilla. Campaniform sensilla are mechanoreceptors that encode forces through ovoid cuticular caps embedded in the exoskeleton. The tibial sensilla are unique in that they consist of two subgroups with mutually perpendicular cap orientations.

We characterized the responses of the tibial receptors in restrained preparations by applying forces to the leg at controlled magnitudes and rates. The tibial sensilla, as a group, were sensitive to increasing and …

In Vivo Incorporation Of Tritium To Measure Lipogenesis In Red Skeletal Muscle: Significance Of A Nonlipogenic Diet In La/N-Fa(K)("Corpulent") And Zucker Fa Rat Strains, Karin Traci Mann

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Skeletal muscle lipogenesis in rodents may equal that of liver but its importance in the obese animals is not known. We evaluated the rate of fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis and storage content in red skeletal muscles, liver, inguinal fat, and retroperitoneal fat of the LA/N-fa^k (“corpulent”) and Zucker fa obese rat strains. Obese-lean pairs of both rat strains, weaned at 32 days, fed a nonlipogenic diet (54% starch for 21 days) were either dosed with 2 µCi 3H-H² O per gram of body weight and tested after 60 minutes for whole body 3H-incorporation into fatty acids and …

Postnatal Development Of The Neural Retina In A South American Opossum: Monodelphis Domestica, Tracy L. Soltesz

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Postnatal retinal development was studied in a marsupial opossum, Monodelphis domestica using light microscopy and 3H-thymidine autoradiography. For the light microscopic study, opossum neonates at 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 25 and 28 days of age were euthanized, fixed and processed into paraffin sections for hematoxylin and eosin staining. The distinct ganglion cell layer, first observed on postnatal day (P) 7, was separated from the outer neuroblasts by the inner plexiform layer. The neuroblast layer was divided into inner and outer nuclear layers on P25 by the presumptive outer plexiform layer, indicated by discrete intercellular spaces located between the nuclear …

Geographic And Nongeographic Variation In The Genus Microtus (Mammalia: Rodentia) In West Virginia, Tina M. Savage

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Geographic and nongeographic variation was assessed on 12 cranial and 4 external characters in approximately 400 specimens of Microtus (M. ochrogaster, M. chrotorrhinus, M. pinetorum, M. pennsylvanicus) in West Virginia. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to examine age-related variation, sexual dimorphism, elevation and geographic variation and litter size for each species of Microtus in the state. Cranial characters were more beneficial than external in detecting variation. Examination of data for each species of Microtus studied demonstrated that values and trends in variation is a specific rather than a generic trait. Age-related variation was present in some, …