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Full-Text Articles in Research Methods in Life Sciences

Impacts On Fast-Start Performance: How Do Group Size And Habitat Degradation Alter The Escape Behavior Of A Schooling Coral Reef Fish?, Monica D. Bacchus Aug 2022

Impacts On Fast-Start Performance: How Do Group Size And Habitat Degradation Alter The Escape Behavior Of A Schooling Coral Reef Fish?, Monica D. Bacchus

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Escaping predation is essential for species survival, but prey must effectively match their response to the perceived threat imposed by a predator. Fish evaluate their surroundings using several sensory stimuli, including olfactory, visual, auditory, and mechanical cues. A range of taxa use the fast-start response to evade predators, including fishes, sharks, and larval amphibians. While the fast-start response (rapid bursts of swimming) is extensively studied in solitary fishes, the factors that mediate the collective escape response in schools of fish have historically been investigated far less. To address this knowledge gap, the collective escape behavior and individual escape performance of …

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Early-Exercise Effects On Mice Tendon Remodeling, Miles Valencia Aug 2022

Early-Exercise Effects On Mice Tendon Remodeling, Miles Valencia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Tendons connect and transmit energy between muscles and bones and play a key role in movement. Tendon remodels by breaking down and absorbing tendon components including collagen fibers and elastin while replacing them with newly formed tendon. These processes can be influenced by short- and long-term factors such as exercise and aging; the magnitude of influence on tendon remodeling remains unclear. I researched the effects of maturation and exercise on tendon remodeling using a mice colony artificially selected for high voluntary wheel running called high-runner mice. Control and high-runner linetype mice were separated into 2 age cohorts that started training …

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The Role Of The Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2 In Pancreatic Cancer: Mechanisms Of Tumor Immunosuppression And Intestinal Radioprotection, Carolina Garcia Garcia Aug 2022

The Role Of The Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 2 In Pancreatic Cancer: Mechanisms Of Tumor Immunosuppression And Intestinal Radioprotection, Carolina Garcia Garcia

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with dismal prognosis. The only curative option for patients is surgery, but over 80% of patients are not surgical candidates. Unfortunately, PDAC is resistant to the three remaining options. PDAC is characterized by a profoundly hypoxic and immunosuppressive stroma, which contributes to its therapeutic recalcitrance. Alpha-smooth muscle actin+ (αSMA+) cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant stromal component, as well as mediators of stromal deposition. The hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF1 and HIF2) coordinate responses to hypoxia, yet, despite their known association to poor patient outcomes, their functions within the PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME) …

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Effects Of An Injectable Zinc Solution At Weaning As An Alternative Castration Method In Beef Cattle, Reagan Nicole Cauble Aug 2022

Effects Of An Injectable Zinc Solution At Weaning As An Alternative Castration Method In Beef Cattle, Reagan Nicole Cauble

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted to investigate a 1 mL intratesticular zinc (100 mg Zn) injection administered into each testicle at weaning (Z) and its effects on growth, health, behavior and testosterone. In the first experiment, beef bulls were assigned randomly to treatment at birth: 1) surgically castrated at birth (S; n = 37) or 2) Z (n = 37). Testicular thickness differed by day (P < 0.01) for Z. Testosterone concentrations were greater in Z by d 77 and remained so through d 280 (P = 0.02) compared to S. Zinc injected calves were heavier at the trail’s conclusion (P ≤ 0.04), had greater ADG overall (P < 0.01), heavier hot carcass weight (P = 0.01), and greater lean muscle area (P = 0.01) compared to S; but a lower marbling score (P < 0.01). Yield Grade, dressed carcass yield and fat thickness were similar (P ≥ 0.14). Zinc injected calves had greater haptoglobin (Hp) concentrations (P < 0.01). Zinc injected calves had greater concentrations of white blood cells on d 1 and 2 and greater concentrations and proportions of neutrophils on d 1, 2 and 3 (P < 0.01). Conversely, S had a greater percentage of lymphocytes on d 1, 2 and 3 and a lower ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes during that same time (P < 0.01). Zinc injected calves spent more time on their side or sternum on d 1 and more time on their side on d 2 while S spend more time standing during that time (P < 0.01). During d 3, 4, 5, and 6, Z stood more while S laid on their sternum (P < 0.01). In trail 2, beef bulls were allocated randomly to treatment one week post weaning: 1) banded (B; n = 42) or 2) Z (n = 39). Body weights were similar (P ≥ 0.39) but ADG improved for Z compared to B (P = 0.05). Testosterone concentrations were greater in Z compared to B (P ≤ 0.02). Testicular width in Z differed by d (P < 0.01). Zinc castrated calves spent more time on their side compared to B one day post castration (P = 0.03) until d 3 and 4 where B spent more time on their side (P ≤ 0.02). Banded calves stood more the first two days (P ≤ 0.01). On days 3, 4, 5, and 6, Z stood more (P ≤ 0.01) while B were on their sternum (P ≤ 0.03). Banded calves had lower Hp concentrations compared to Z (P ≤ 0.01). Total white blood cell concentrations, proportions and concentrations of neutrophils, and proportion of lymphocytes were greater in Z compared to B on d 1, 2, and 3 (P ≤ 0.01). There was no interaction between treatments over time for IL1β, IL6, and TNFα expression (P ≥ 0.83). The findings in both studies indicate that intratesticular Zn injections at weaning can improve growth performance and some carcass attributes but produce a heightened inflammatory and immune response and cause discomfort. Injecting zinc, as formulated and administered in these trails, does not result in complete castration of beef calves at this age and therefore cannot be considered a true castration alternative.

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Intestinal Microbiota Analysis Of Broiler Chickens Under Necrotic Enteritis Challenge And Tributyrin Supplementation, Taylor Nicole Mckinney Aug 2022

Intestinal Microbiota Analysis Of Broiler Chickens Under Necrotic Enteritis Challenge And Tributyrin Supplementation, Taylor Nicole Mckinney

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poultry is a staple protein source for most of the planet. Until recently, antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) were used to prevent illnesses in commercial chicken production. Currently, this is not possible due to regulations and consumer concern, but without such a preventative, diseases like necrotic enteritis (NE) have reemerged, posing a threat to bird health, and ultimately, our food source. Necrotic enteritis is a severe gastrointestinal disease caused by the gram-positive pathogen, Clostridium perfringens. Clinical features of this disease are diarrhea, intestinal lesions, and death, with a high transmission rate. In a subclinical form, growth performance is diminished and is …

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The Role Of Microbiota On Campylobacter Jejuni Colonization And Growth Performance In Broiler Chickens, Ayidh Almansour Aug 2022

The Role Of Microbiota On Campylobacter Jejuni Colonization And Growth Performance In Broiler Chickens, Ayidh Almansour

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The successful poultry production at modern era comes from the vertical integratedindustrialization, which has fundamentally changed how animals have been living for millions of years. Antimicrobial growth promoters have been used to sustain the efficient industrialized animal production, driving antimicrobial overuse and resistance. Because of the increasing pressure from consumer’s concerns and government regulations, it is urgent to develop antimicrobial free alternatives as growth promoters in poultry production, but few effective antimicrobial alternatives are currently available. Campylobacter jejuni is one of the worldwide prevalent foodborne bacterial pathogens mainly transmitted from poultry. However, few mechanisms are available on why C. jejuni …

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Effect Of Sensory Additives On Sow Lactation Performance, Subsequent Reproductive Performance, And Nursey Pig Performance, Nathan E. Davis Aug 2022

Effect Of Sensory Additives On Sow Lactation Performance, Subsequent Reproductive Performance, And Nursey Pig Performance, Nathan E. Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Maximizing nutrient intake during lactation is vital to sow performance as well as litter performance. The aim of these studies was to evaluate the impact of a sensory additive on sow lactation performance and nursery pig performance. Five groups of sows were farrowed, three during winter (October, December and January) and two during summer months (June, July, August). Sows were weighed, and back fat depth was measured, at 110 d of gestation prior to entering the lactation room, and again at weaning. The sows were blocked by parity, and then allotted by BW at d 110 to Control or 0.075% …

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Effects Of Chronic Stress On Safety Processing And Physiology In The Medial Prefrontal-Amygdala-Basal Forebrain Circuit, Itamar S. Grunfeld Jun 2022

Effects Of Chronic Stress On Safety Processing And Physiology In The Medial Prefrontal-Amygdala-Basal Forebrain Circuit, Itamar S. Grunfeld

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Chronic stress increases generalization of fear to non-threatening cues, a key symptom in numerous psychiatric mood disorders. However, the mechanisms through which stress impacts safety learning remain poorly understood. To probe the relationship between stress and safety learning, this dissertation employed multiple behaviors, in conjunction with in-vivo multisite physiology during explicit safety and fear discrimination learning. In Chapter 1, I outline the role of chronic stress in driving neurological adaptations that result in generalized fear and highlight how this occurs because of impaired safety cue encoding. In Chapter 2, I show that chronic stress in the form of social defeat …

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Monitoring The Abundance Of Microplastics In Mussels And Marine Ecosystems May Indicate Human Health Risks., Puja Kaur Janda May 2022

Monitoring The Abundance Of Microplastics In Mussels And Marine Ecosystems May Indicate Human Health Risks., Puja Kaur Janda

Master's Projects and Capstones

The numerous scientific methodologies and procedures used in marine research on microplastic pollution restrict our present understanding of this severe environmental issue threatening marine organisms and human health. The abundance and bioaccumulation of microplastic in the food web is causing adverse implications for marine wildlife and potentially human health via seafood consumption. The absence of standardized methods for quantifying and characterizing microplastics is a major limiting factor in comparing current research. To evaluate the issue of monitoring microplastics in the marine environment, I conducted a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis on mussels as a biomonitoring tool. Because mussels …

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Developing A Novel Place Preference Assay To Compare Drosophila Species Over Time, Martha M. Brinson May 2022

Developing A Novel Place Preference Assay To Compare Drosophila Species Over Time, Martha M. Brinson

Honors Theses

Across phylogeny, integration of external factors, memory, and internal states of the organism dictate organismal behavior and mechanisms. The underlying genetic components can affect these behaviors such as in genomic changes arising from speciation. In this thesis, a new place preference assay was evaluated in the analysis and investigation of two species of Drosophila flies (D. melanogaster and D. simulans) to measure similarities and differences and their attraction to two different food substrates. Sleep and circadian measurements were also recorded during experimentation. The Drosophila Activity Monitor 5M (DAM5M) System and Sleep Circadian Analysis MATLAB Program (SCAMP) analysis were …

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The Role Of Calprotectin In T-Lymphocyte Driven Inflammation In A Mouse Model Of Psychological Trauma, Cassandra Moshfegh May 2022

The Role Of Calprotectin In T-Lymphocyte Driven Inflammation In A Mouse Model Of Psychological Trauma, Cassandra Moshfegh

Theses & Dissertations

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychological disorder that affects nearly 45 million Americans. This mental disorder is characterized by behavioral symptoms such as learned helplessness, hyperarousal, withdrawal, and flashbacks. The deleterious effects of PTSD are far-reaching and go beyond behavioral dysfunction, as these individuals are at a three-fold higher risk of comorbid inflammatory diseases. Autonomic, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases plague these individuals later in their lifetime, however, the mechanistic link connecting psychological trauma to this systemic peripheral immunological dysfunction remains elusive. T-lymphocyte-induced inflammation plays a significant role in all these disease pathologies. Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated …

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The Role Of Foxd1 In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Kyle H. Bond May 2022

The Role Of Foxd1 In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Kyle H. Bond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the 8th most common cancer in the United States, with the clear cell variant (ccRCC) being the most prevalent. Over 14,000 people die every year to RCC, with rates continuing to increase with an aging general population. Patients suffering from metastatic RCC (mRCC) have extremely poor prognoses, with a 5-year survival of only 11.2%. Current treatment options include resection of primary lesions, tyrosine kinase inhibition (Sunitinib, Pazopanib), mTOR inhibition (Temsirolimus, Everolimus), and immune checkpoint inhibition (Nivolumab, Atezolizumab). Recent attention has been drawn to inhibition of transcription factors like HIF2α (Belzutifan). There is a need …

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Characterizing The Roles Of Cannabinoid Receptor 1 & 2 In Zebrafish Behavior, Metabolism, And Seizure-Induced Activity, Kayci Kimmons May 2022

Characterizing The Roles Of Cannabinoid Receptor 1 & 2 In Zebrafish Behavior, Metabolism, And Seizure-Induced Activity, Kayci Kimmons

Honors Theses

Epileptic disorders like Dravet Syndrome require novel studies to determine the most ideal treatment. New research linking the endocannabinoid system (ECS) to epileptic disorders is arising, but there is still much to be discovered about the function and regulatory impact of the endocannabinoid system and its receptors in epilepsies like Dravet. In this study, knockout models of larval and adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) were used to investigate the roles of cannabinoid receptors 1 & 2 in behavior, brain mitochondrial metabolism, and seizure-induced activity following exposure to THC and CBD. Larval zebrafish which lacked cannabinoid receptor 1 exhibited increased …

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Impact Of Brain State On Visual And Prefrontal Population Coding In Behaving Animals, Russell Milton May 2022

Impact Of Brain State On Visual And Prefrontal Population Coding In Behaving Animals, Russell Milton

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Patterns of neural activity in the brain constantly shift between different processing states. Earlier studies have established that the ongoing, spontaneous activity has major repercussions regarding how the brain processes incoming sensory stimuli. However, the interaction between behavioral activity and brain states throughout the cortical hierarchy of primates has not been understood. In particular, technical considerations have greatly limited the range of physical activities in which primate neuronal activity can be recorded. We have implemented two separate strategies to overcome these limitations. First, we have advanced wireless electrophysiological methodologies that enable recording high-yield neuronal data from animals as they freely …

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Development Of The Ark Assay For Quantitating Dna- Protein Crosslink Accumulation And Fanconi Anemia Pathway Involvement In The Repair Process, Naeh Klages-Mundt May 2022

Development Of The Ark Assay For Quantitating Dna- Protein Crosslink Accumulation And Fanconi Anemia Pathway Involvement In The Repair Process, Naeh Klages-Mundt

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) are a common DNA lesion naturally arising in cells, wherein protein becomes covalently and irreversibly bound to the DNA. Given their excessive size, these adducts present a significant challenge to replication and transcription, thus requiring timely and efficient repair. However, the precise mechanisms involved with processing DPC removal remain unclear. Moreover, current methodologies to quantitate DPC accumulation and removal are restrained by a range of limitations. Here, we describe and discuss a new DPC detection assay – the ARK assay – capable of overcoming the limitations incurred by prior assays. The design, which uses dual chaotropic lysis …

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Pandemics And Animal Welfare: A Quantitative Inquiry Into How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected The Companion Animal Industry In Northwest Arkansas, Kayla N. Desmet May 2022

Pandemics And Animal Welfare: A Quantitative Inquiry Into How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected The Companion Animal Industry In Northwest Arkansas, Kayla N. Desmet

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019, industries have been impacted globally. The companion animal care industry has not received much recognition in mainstream news, and though multiple grants have been allocated (Nolen, 2020), limited resources were available to individual facilities such as animal shelters, animal day cares, and boarding facilities. Little is known about the long-term effects of the pandemic on these facilities and how companion animal care may have changed. The purpose of this study was to explore the day-to-day impacts and long-term effects of COVID-19 on the companion animal industry in Northwest Arkansas from …

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Investigating Molecular Mechanisms Behind Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis (Bco) Pathogenesis In Modern Broilers, Alison Ramser May 2022

Investigating Molecular Mechanisms Behind Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis (Bco) Pathogenesis In Modern Broilers, Alison Ramser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), a leading cause of lameness in broiler chickens, is characterized by infection, inflammation, and bone attrition. There are currently no effective treatments and positive diagnosis is only possible through necropsy evaluations. Lameness is also a rising animal welfare and economic concern, making prevention and detection of BCO all the more critical. These challenges are exacerbated by a lack of mechanistic understanding of BCO’s etiology. The question I asked during my dissertation was how bacteria induce bone attrition in BCO pathology. My research has shown that mitochondrial dysfunction is characteristic of BCO conditions along with autophagy …

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Macronutrient Availability Shapes Host Response To Infection And Feeding Behavior, Weston Gerald Perrine May 2022

Macronutrient Availability Shapes Host Response To Infection And Feeding Behavior, Weston Gerald Perrine

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Macronutrients in the diet are vital to the physiological processes necessary for an organism to effectively clear a pathogen. Diet can be important to a host’s susceptibility to infection and severity of pathology, though results can vary across host-pathogen systems (Sen et al. 2016). Manipulating the ratio of specific macronutrients in the diet is an effective method to begin understanding how individual macronutrients, rather than food types, have on immune responses. Using an avian host-pathogen system, I explored the effects of dietary macronutrient composition, specifically lipid and protein content, on disease pathology and behavior of canaries (Serinus canaria) infected with …

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Growth Differentiation Factor 5 Is A Paracrine Regulator Of Sarcopenic Obesity, Landen W. Saling May 2022

Growth Differentiation Factor 5 Is A Paracrine Regulator Of Sarcopenic Obesity, Landen W. Saling

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sarcopenic obesity attributes to skeletal muscle loss more than sarcopenia and obesity alone. Individuals with SO suffer from the comorbidity of excess body fat and concurrent muscle mass loss due to aging. Growth differentiation factors (Gdfs) have never been recognized as playing a role in skeletal muscle maintenance in those with SO. Specifically, Gdf5, has been recognized as playing a part in Bone Morphogenic Protein signaling to activate protein synthesis and deactivate protein degradation via SMAD 1/5/8 and SMAD 4 complex. Using RNA sequencing, Gdf5 was identified as being significantly upregulated in SO mice. Purpose: To determine the cellular role …

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Evaluation Of The Effect Of A Lippia Organoides Essential Oil Extract On Clostridium Perfringens Proliferation In Vitro And Necrotic Enteritis In Broiler Chickens, Makenly E. Coles May 2022

Evaluation Of The Effect Of A Lippia Organoides Essential Oil Extract On Clostridium Perfringens Proliferation In Vitro And Necrotic Enteritis In Broiler Chickens, Makenly E. Coles

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present research was to assess the effects of essential oils derived from the plant Lippia organoides on performance parameters, intestinal integrity, and necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens. To do this, a previously established challenge model for NE was utilized which included challenging with Salmonella Typhimurium on day 0, Eimeria maxima on day 18, and Clostridium perfringens on days 22 and 23. Treatment groups included a 1) non-challenged, negative control, 2) challenged control, and 3) challenged, Lippia origanoides (37ppm in the diet). Group 1 (negative control) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher body weight gain from d8-25 and d0-25 compared to both challenged groups. Feed intake was significantly different for all three groups (P < 0.05) at 8-25 days and 0-25 days with group 1 having the highest feed intake for both time periods. Total mortality was greater in the positive control when compared to both the negative and treatment groups. NE lesion scores were significantly different between all groups with the positive control having the highest mean lesion scores and the negative control having a mean lesion score of 0. The positive control group had the highest FITC-d amounts detected in the sera, being statistically higher than both the treatment group and negative group which were both statistically different from each other. At the present inclusion rate for the essential oil (37 ppm), there was an overall reduction in the negative impact from the NE infection. Further studies should be conducted to reach more significant conclusions.

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Behavioral And Physiological Effects Of Heavy Metals On Fish: A Review And Preliminary Results, Diana V. Morales Mar 2022

Behavioral And Physiological Effects Of Heavy Metals On Fish: A Review And Preliminary Results, Diana V. Morales

Theses and Dissertations

Pollution, specifically heavy metal pollution, in various bodies of water has been a significant issue for decades. Research has been conducted on heavy metals and their effects on the environment, larger fish species, and humans since the 1970s (Skidmore, 1964; Adeniyi et al., 2007; Adeosun et al., 2015; Bawuro et al., 2018). It is known that zinc is a neurotoxin in some species and causes harm to the environment. It is also known that it causes harm to people if it is ingested or if they are exposed to it for long periods of time (Mahurpawar, 2015; Mizuno and Kawahara, …

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Mytrials: Clinical Trial Application Concept, Katie Hollister Mar 2022

Mytrials: Clinical Trial Application Concept, Katie Hollister

Graphic Communication

A clinical trial’s success is dependent upon whether a patient attends their highly-structured clinical trial visit schedule, which may include both in-person clinic visits and virtual check-in visits. MyTrials is a clinical trial journey app prototype that enables patients to schedule, reschedule, and attend join their in-person or virtual clinic visits. This product seeks to reduce the burden that scheduling places on the patient, and provides trial-provided resources and a daily and weekly timeline to help patients navigate their clinical trial journey.

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Ephemeroptera Culturing Methods: An Analysis On Rearing And Toxcity Testing On Sensitive Early Life Stages Of Native Mayfly Taxa, Geneve Rainette Edwards Jan 2022

Ephemeroptera Culturing Methods: An Analysis On Rearing And Toxcity Testing On Sensitive Early Life Stages Of Native Mayfly Taxa, Geneve Rainette Edwards

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Standard toxicity testing organisms are utilized for regulatory purposes and often ecological risk assessments. Ephemeroptera taxa have been reported to be more sensitive to aquatic contaminants than the standard toxicity testing organisms currently used in determining effects on aquatic ecosystems. Establishing methods for culturing native Ephemeroptera taxa will provide a more sensitive test organism to determine the toxicity of contaminants and will be more representative of the responses of native taxa. Additionally, it will provide a test organism at the most sensitive life stages. The objective of this research is to develop methods for culturing and testing of native Ephemeroptera …

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Ephemeroptera Culturing Methods: Development Of Culturing And Rearing Methodology And High Sulfate Simulated Mine Effluent Toxicity Test Using Field Collected Water, Daniel Edward Brady Jan 2022

Ephemeroptera Culturing Methods: Development Of Culturing And Rearing Methodology And High Sulfate Simulated Mine Effluent Toxicity Test Using Field Collected Water, Daniel Edward Brady

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Ephemeroptera taxa are not frequently used in toxicity testing; however, some mayfly taxa may be more sensitive to aquatic pollutants than standard test organisms used to determine anthropogenic effects on aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, some standard test organisms are not native to the Appalachian region and may not be truly reflective of the effects on native organisms. With mayflies not being the typical test organism, there is not a great deal of literature on culturing methods for this organism. For a standard acute toxicity test, there must be 80% survival within the control organisms for the test to be considered viable. …

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Conditioned Territory Defense In Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina Portentosa), Macy R. Albaitis Jan 2022

Conditioned Territory Defense In Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina Portentosa), Macy R. Albaitis

Honors Theses

In male blue gourami fish (Trichogaster trichopterus), signaled presentation of a male rival produces an aggressive conditioned response that results in an increased likelihood of the male winning the contest (Hollis, 1984). I replicated this classic study in a species that also shows territorial aggression: the Madagascar hissing cockroach (MHC; Gromphadorhina portentosa). During training, four adult male MHCs were designated as “CS+” animals and received a light (NS) followed by visual access to a rival male (US). Simultaneously, another group of four adult male MHCs designated as “UNC” animals received the light (NS) and visual access to a …

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Increasing Detection Sensitivity For Rare And Endangered Species In Kansas Through Development Of An Aquatic Environmental Dna Sampling Protocol, Sarah Hallyburton Jan 2022

Increasing Detection Sensitivity For Rare And Endangered Species In Kansas Through Development Of An Aquatic Environmental Dna Sampling Protocol, Sarah Hallyburton

Master's Theses

Anthropogenic global climate change is forcing the mass extinction of wildlife across the globe. Humans depend on freshwater ecosystems for many aspects of life including agricultural production, sanitation, and recreation. Healthy levels of biodiversity in freshwater environments ensure economically beneficial ecosystem services are maintained. Freshwater ecosystems are hotspots for biodiversity and have higher levels of imperiled organisms compared to terrestrial and marine systems. Within freshwater systems, freshwater mussels (Family: Unionidae) are the most imperiled with over 70% of North American species assigned to a conservation class as judged by state or federal management agencies. The objective of this study was …

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Screening Ocean Samples From Georgia For The Presence Of Msx And Dermo Using Pcr And Qpcr Methods, Olivia Michelle Williams Jan 2022

Screening Ocean Samples From Georgia For The Presence Of Msx And Dermo Using Pcr And Qpcr Methods, Olivia Michelle Williams

Honors Theses and Capstones

This Senior Thesis project aimed to be able to screen samples that came in from a PhD student in Georgia for the presence of two oyster diseases, MSX and Dermo. This study was done using PCR followed by visualizing on E-gels for initial presence of disease. These were then followed by qPCR and visualization on Criterion gels. These Criterion gels were able to be analyzed in order to calculate the pg/uL of MSX and Dermo in the original ocean samples. Since the samples were sent in over the course of February-August ‘21 the presence over time was also able to …

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The Effect Of Visitor Density And Interaction On The Behavior Of Four Ray Species (Hypanus Sabina, Hypanus Say, Pseudobatos Lentiginosus, And Rhinoptera Bonasus) Housed In An Aquatic Touch Pool, Aimee Marie Little Jan 2022

The Effect Of Visitor Density And Interaction On The Behavior Of Four Ray Species (Hypanus Sabina, Hypanus Say, Pseudobatos Lentiginosus, And Rhinoptera Bonasus) Housed In An Aquatic Touch Pool, Aimee Marie Little

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human-Animal Interactions (HAI) in zoological institutions are thought to be important in helping visitors to establish a connection with animals and thus making them more likely to contribute to conservation efforts. However, animals can respond to visitor interaction in both negative and positive ways. The growing focus on animal welfare in zoological institutions emphasizes the need for assessing different environmental inputs, including visitor interaction, and how these inputs influence behavioral outputs associated with welfare. A touch pool exhibit presents a novel interactive experience that allows visitors to directly interact with various aquatic species, including elasmobranchs, whose conservation has important implications …

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Development Of Novel Pyridazine Derivatives And Drug Delivery Systems Against Dengue, Janae A. Culmer Jan 2022

Development Of Novel Pyridazine Derivatives And Drug Delivery Systems Against Dengue, Janae A. Culmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The lack of approved vaccines, medications and treatment regimens has significantly contributed to the rapid spread of mosquito-borne viruses such as Dengue and Zika virus. The complex immunopathology of these viruses presents limitations for the development and implementation of a definitive, safe and effective approach to combat infections.Previous research has demonstrated that vector control strategies such as the elimination of larval habitats, larviciding with insecticides, the use of biological agents and the application of adulticides have been unsuccessful in the reduction of viral transmission leading to the need for the continued development of antivirals. This research proposes an approach for …

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Evaluating Relative Abundance, Fish Length, And Marine Protected Area Effectiveness For Four Key Rocky Reef Species Along The Northern Californian Coast, Leon Davis Jan 2022

Evaluating Relative Abundance, Fish Length, And Marine Protected Area Effectiveness For Four Key Rocky Reef Species Along The Northern Californian Coast, Leon Davis

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Marine protected areas (MPAs) were created with the purpose of helping conserve and restore diminished populations of marine organisms. Measuring the effectiveness of MPAs requires long-term monitoring, investigating the abundance and size distributions of the species that utilize the conservation areas, and comparing the results to neighboring reference sites that are not currently protected. In this study, observations from long-term MPA monitoring in northern California (2010-2019) were modeled with substrate, oceanographic, spatial, temporal, and body size variables to describe the variability in abundance and size of three fish groups: Black rockfish (Sebastes melanops), the Blue rockfish group (comprised …

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