Digital Commons Network^™

Acoustic Analysis Of Cattle (Bos Taurus) Mother–Offspring Contact Calls From A Source–Filter Theory Perspective, Mónica Padilla De La Torre, Elodie F. Briefer, Tom Reader, Alan G. Mcelligott

Sentience Collection

Cattle vocalisations have been proposed as potential indicators of animal welfare. How-ever, very few studies have investigated the acoustic structure and information encoded in these vocalisations using advanced analysis techniques. Vocalisations play key roles in a wide range of communication contexts; e.g. for individual recognition and to help coordinate social behaviours. Two factors have greatly assisted our progress in developing an understanding of animal vocal communication. Firstly, more rigorous call analysis methods allow us to describe the variation in the vocal parameters in unprecedented detail. Secondly, the adoption of the “source–filter theory” of call production links the acoustic structure of …

Fisheries Occasional Publication 119: Australian Fisheries Management Forum - Fisheries Management Workshop, Adelaide 26 And 27 March 2014, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Loss Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (Vegfa) Isoforms In Granulosa Cells Using Pdmrt-1-Cre Or Amhr2-Cre Reduces Fertility By Arresting Follicular Development And By Reducing Litter Size In Female Mice, Kevin M. Sargent, Ningxia Lu, Debra T. Clopton, William E. Pohlmeier, Vanessa Brauer, Napoleone Ferrara, David W. Silversides, Andrea S. Cupp

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Because VEGFA has been implicated in follicle development, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of granulosa- and germ cell-specific VEGFA loss on ovarian morphogenesis, function, and female fertility. pDmrt1-Cre mice were mated to floxed VEGFA mice to develop granulosa-/germ cell-specific knockouts (pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/-). The time from mating to first parturition was increased when pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/- females were mated to control males (P = 0.0008) and tended to be longer for heterozygous females (P < 0.07). Litter size was reduced for pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/- females (P < 0.007). The time between the first and second parturitions was also increased for heterozygous females (P < 0.04) and tended to be increased for pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/- females (P < 0.07). pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/- females had smaller ovaries (P …

Evolution Of Bat-Trypanosome Associations And The Origins Of Chagas Disease, Christian Miguel Pinto

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Trypanosoma cruzi is a genetically diverse parasite that causes Chagas disease, one of the most important zoonoses in the Americas. This generalist parasite of mammals belongs to a clade mostly comprised of bat parasites, the T. cruzi clade. The origins (i.e., biogeographic history and evolution of hosts associations) of this parasite are far from being understood, and the main areas that need further study are: species limits within T. cruzi sensu lato, further studies on the diversity of T. cruzi clade members and their hosts, and research on adaptations of the hosts to trypanosome infections. In this dissertation I explore …

The Effects Of Actomyosin Disruptors On The Mechanical Integrity Of The Avian Crystalline Lens, Gah-Jone Won, Douglas S. Fudge, Vivian Choh

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: Actin and myosin within the crystalline lens maintain the structural integrity of lens fiber cells and form a hexagonal lattice cradling the posterior surface of the lens. The actomyosin network was pharmacologically disrupted to examine the effects on lenticular biomechanics and optical quality. Methods: One lens of 7-day-old White Leghorn chickens was treated with 10 μM of a disruptor and the other with 0.01% dimethyl sulfoxide (vehicle). Actin, myosin, and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) disruptors were used. The stiffness and the optical quality of the control and treated lenses were measured. Western blotting and confocal imaging …

Prevalence And Risk Factors For Mast Cell Tumours In Dogs In England, Stephanie J.W. Shoop, Stephanie Marlow, David B. Church, Kate English, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Anneliese J. Stell, Peter C. Thomson, Dan G. O'Neill, David C. Brodbelt

Epidemiology Collection

Background

Mast cell tumour (MCT) appears to be a frequent tumour type in dogs, though there is little published in relation to its frequency in dogs in the UK. The current study aimed to investigate prevalence and risk factors for MCTs in dogs attending English primary-care veterinary practices.

Methods

Electronic patient records from practices participating in the VetCompass animal surveillance project between July 2007 and June 2013 were searched for MCT diagnosis. Various search terms and standard diagnostic terms (VeNom codes) identified records containing MCT diagnoses, which were evaluated against clinical criteria for inclusion to the study. MCT prevalence for …

The Leishmania Years At Unl (Or, My Life As A Cell Biologist, 1966-1981), John J. Janovy Jr.

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Slides for a talk during which Professor Janovy discussed the methods he used in researching Leishmania during the years 1966-1981. Includes lists of references.

Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection In Golden Syrian Hamsters, Dionna Scharton, Arnaud J. Van Wettere, Kevin W. Bailey, Zachary Vest, Jonna B. Westover, Venkatraman Siddharthan, Brian B. Gowen

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a formidable pathogen that causes severe disease and abortion in a variety of livestock species and a range of disease in humans that includes hemorrhagic fever, fulminant hepatitis, encephalitis and blindness. The natural transmission cycle involves mosquito vectors, but exposure can also occur through contact with infected fluids and tissues. The lack of approved antiviral therapies and vaccines for human use underlies the importance of small animal models for proof-of-concept efficacy studies. Several mouse and rat models of RVFV infection have been well characterized and provide useful systems for the study of certain aspects …

Postnatal Growth Rates Covary Weakly With Embryonic Development Rates And Do Not Explain Adult Mortality Probability Among Songbirds On Four Continents, Thomas E. Martin, Oteyza C. Oteyza, Adam E. Mitchell, Ahva L. Potticary, Penn Lloyd

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Growth and development rates may result from genetic programming of intrinsic processes that yield correlated rates between life stages. These intrinsic rates are thought to affect adult mortality probability and longevity. However, if proximate extrinsic factors (e.g., temperature, food) influence development rates differently between stages and yield low covariance between stages, then development rates may not explain adult morality probability. We examined these issues based on study of 90 songbird species on four continents to capture the diverse life-history strategies observed across geographic space. The length of the embryonic period explained little variation (ca. 13%) in nestling periods and growth …

Gene Expression Patterns That Support Novel Developmental Stress Buffering In Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Josiah T. Wagner, Jason E. Podrabsky

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The cellular signaling mechanisms and morphogenic movements involved in axis formation and gastrulation are well conserved between vertebrates. In nearly all described fish, gastrulation and the initial patterning of the embryonic axis occur concurrently with epiboly. However, annual killifish may be an exception to this norm. Annual killifish inhabit ephemeral ponds in South America and Africa and permanent populations persist by the production of stress-tolerant eggs. Early development of annual killifish is unique among vertebrates because their embryonic blastomeres disperse randomly across the yolk during epiboly and reaggregate several days later to form the embryo proper. In addition, annual …

Top Ten Forage Improvements: The Big Picture, Garry D. Lacefield

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

This marks the 20th consecutive year we have done a Forage’s at KCA Program and I find it hard to believe the past 20 years have passed so quickly. The opportunities for forages in Kentucky were indeed great twenty years ago; however, they are much greater now than when we started this Conference.

Estimation Of Breed-Specific Heterosis Effects For Birth, Weaning, And Yearling Weight In Cattle, Lauren N. Schiermiester, R. M. Thallman, Larry Kuehn, Stephen D. Kachman, Matthew L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Heterosis, assumed proportional to expected breed heterozygosity, was calculated for 6834 individuals with birth, weaning and yearling weight records from Cycle VII and advanced generations of the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) Germplasm Evaluation (GPE) project. Breeds represented in these data included: Angus, Hereford, Red Angus, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Simmental, Limousin and Composite MARC III. Heterosis was further estimated by proportions of British × British (B × B), British × Continental (B × C) and Continental × Continental (C × C) crosses and by breed-specific combinations. Model 1 fitted fixed covariates for heterosis within biological types while Model 2 fitted …

Single-Unit Turbines And Bat Mortality In Arkansas, Phillip Nathaniel Jordan

Student Theses and Dissertations

Wind power has become a substantial investment in the United States energy portfolio. It is approximated that by the year 2030, 30% of the world's energy will be produced by wind. An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 bats are killed in the United States every year by wind turbines. Using Anabat SD2, mist netting, fatalities searches, and two automatic-acoustic identifiers, I investigated six single-single unit turbines and their effects on bats in two ecoregions of Arkansas during the summers of 2012 and 2013. Netting effort totaled 30 nights with 94 bats captured during that time. I performed a combined 142 fatality …

News Of The Department Of Animal Science, Department Of Animal Science

Animal Science Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Critical Importance Of Large Expanses Of Continuous Forest For Bird Conservation, Robert A. Askins

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Survey Methods For Documenting Presence Of Myotis Leibii (Eastern Small-Footed Bats) At Roosting Areas In Western Virginia, John K. Huth, Alexander Silvis, Paul R. Moosman Jr., W. Mark Ford, Sara Sweeten

Virginia Journal of Science

Many aspects of foraging and roosting habitat of Myotis leibii (Eastern Small-Footed Bat), an emergent rock roosting-obligate, are poorly described. Previous comparisons of effectiveness of acoustic sampling and mist-net captures have not included Eastern Small-Footed Bat. Habitat requirements of this species differ from congeners in the region, and it is unclear whether survey protocols developed for other species are applicable. Using data from three overlapping studies at two sampling sites in western Virginia’s central Appalachian Mountains, detection probabilities were examined for three survey methods (acoustic surveys with automated identification of calls, visual searches of rock crevices, and mist-netting) for use …

Analysis Of Standard Dna Procedures On Feathers Of Late 19th To Late 20th Century Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus), Alia A. Hamdan, Catherine B. Viverette, Rodney J. Dyer

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Species with well-documented demographic histories and well known perturbations to gene flow provide good models for understanding how historic events impact contemporary population genetic structure1,2. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), a marine bird-of-prey, experienced steep declines after widespread organochloride pesticide (e.g. DDT) use in the mid-twentieth century 3, however, population genetic consequences remain unknown. Use of historic specimens can aid population genetic studies4,5, however, these samples can degrade over time impacting quantity and quality of extracted DNA5. We compared the concentrations of extracted DNA of Osprey feathers from museum and research collections to those of contemporary samples collected according to standard field …

Communicating The Overall Experience Of Research Through Various Approaches Using Art: A Case Study Of The Prothonotary Warbler, Hannah Huddle, Lesley P. Bulluck, Sarah E. Faris

Rice Rivers Center Research Symposium

Recommended Citation

In general, scientific research has publication of data as the end goal. The process and experience, which are of great importance in art disciplines, is not necessarily represented or valued. However, science has an inherent element of art to it, which deserves to be shown. I have been studying Prothonotary Warblers with a team from the VCU Biology Department to learn how I can reinterpret the research in a way that bridges the gap between the experience and typical scientific products. The research team measured spatial and temporal variation in warbler prey abundance (caterpillars and mayflies) and assessed …

The Jackrabbit Dairy Review, Vikram Mistry

The Jackrabbit Dairy & Food Review

No abstract provided.

Changes In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Startle Responses Due To Stressors Related To Marine Bycatch, Margot Wilsterman

Biology Honors Papers

Marine bycatch is one of the most pressing issues that result from modern industrialized fishing. Scientists do not have good estimates of rates of cryptic mortality, which is the mortality of individuals that are not landed but die from interactions with fishing gear below the water surface. One of the main causes of cryptic mortality is depredation, which occurs after individuals have escaped through fishing equipment and are eaten by predators waiting close behind for an effortless meal. In this study the effects of scale loss, slime loss, and exhaustion on the startle response of zebrafish were examined. These stressors …

2015 Oklahoma Research Day Full Program, Northeastern State University

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

This document contains all abstracts from the 2015 Oklahoma Research Day held at Northeastern State University.

A New Record Of Zerconid Mites (Acari, Mesostigmata, Zerconidae) From The Thrace Region Of Turkey, Mehmet Karaca, Raşi̇t Urhan

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In this study, Prozercon martae Ujvári, 2010 is recorded for the first time from Turkey. On the basis of the samples collected from the Thrace region of Turkey, its morphological features are given with drawings.

Copidosoma Boucheanum Ratzeburg (Hym.: Encyrtidae): New Record From Iran, Hossein Lotfalizadeh, Mehri Bab-Morad

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The encyrtid species Copidosoma boucheanum Ratzeburg (Hym.: Chalcidoidea, Encyrtidae) was identified and is reported for the first time from Iran. These specimens were reared from leafroller larvae (Lep.: Tortricidae) on Populus sp. as a polyembryonic endoparasitoid. Copidosoma species of Iran are listed with their distribution.

First Record Of The Genus Diarthrodella Klie, 1949 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Paramesochridae) From The Mediterranean Sea, With Description Of A New Species From Turkey, Serdar Sönmez, Suphan Karaytuğ, Serdar Sak

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Both sexes of Diarthrodella ergeneae sp. nov. (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Paramesochridae), which were collected from the intertidal zone of Kurtpınarı Beach along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, are described in detail. The new species is morphologically most similar to D. convexa Kunz, 1981; D. secunda secunda Kunz, 1954; and D. lancifera Kunz, 1981 according to the setal formula of the swimming legs, but D. ergeneae sp. nov. can easily be differentiated from D. convexa by the ratio of P1 exopod/enp-1, by the lack of an inner seta on P2 enp-2, and by the shape and armature of P5; from D. secunda …

The Genus Glyptholaspis Filipponi & Pegazzano (Acari: Macrochelidae) Of Kelkit Valley (Turkey), With First Description Of Male Of The Species G. Saprophila Mašán, Hasan Hüseyi̇n Özbek, Sali̇h Doğan, Durmuş Ali̇ Bal

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This study was carried out on the genus Glyptholaspis in Kelkit Valley, Turkey, during 2007-2012. Three species, G. americana (Berlese, 1888), G. confusa (Foa, 1900), and G. saprophila Masan, 2003, were recorded from Kelkit Valley. G. americana has been previously recorded from Turkey; G. confusa and G. saprophila are first records for the Turkish fauna. The male of G. saprophila is described for the first time in this study. Original drawings for all known species of the genus from Kelkit Valley are included. Additionally, an identification key to the Turkish species of Glyptholaspis is given here.

Investigation Of Genetic Variation Among Turkish Populations Ofandricus Lignicola Using Mitochondrial Cytochrome B Gene Sequence Data, Serap Mutun, Hülya Karagözoğlu

Turkish Journal of Zoology

No abstract provided.

Growth Hormone (Gh), Prolactin (Prl), And Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase (Dgat1) Gene Polymorphisms In Turkish Native Cattle Breeds, Emel Özkan Ünal, Eda Şeyma Kepenek, Havva Di̇nç, Füsun Özer, Gi̇zem Sönmez, İnci̇ Zehra Toğan, Mehmet İhsan Soysal

Turkish Journal of Zoology

No abstract provided.

Trichodinid Fauna Of Freshwater Fishes With Infestation Indices In The Lower Kızılırmak Delta In Turkey And A Checklist Of Trichodinids(Ciliophora: Trichodinidae) In Turkish Waters, Ahmet Özer, Türkay Öztürk

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This paper provides both the results of a comprehensive research study on trichodinid parasites of several fish species and a review of current trichodinid fauna of fish species revealed during parasitological survey studies in Turkey. The present study yielded 1 Tripartiella, 1 Paratrichodina, and 8 Trichodina identified to the species level and 3 Trichodina identified to the generic level in 12 fish species belonging to several families; their host preferences and infestation indices have also been presented. As a result of fish parasite investigations, a total of 33 trichodinid species have been identified on 30 fish species in Turkey. Considering …

Description Of The New Species Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) Negarinae Sp. Nov. (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae) From Iran, Mahrad Nassirkhani, Reza Vafai Shoushtari

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A new species, Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) negarinae sp. Nov., is described from Iran. In addition, illustrations and measurements are given.

Some New Records And One New Species Of The Genus Lebertia Neuman (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Lebertiidae) From Turkey, Yunus Esen, Orhan Erman

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In this study, water mites of the genus Lebertia Neuman, 1880 (Acari: Hydrachnidia) collected from Antalya, Artvin, Bingöl, Erzurum, Kahramanmaraş, and Siirt provinces of Turkey are presented. In total, 12 species were determined. Of these, Lebertia (s. Str.) marasensis sp. Nov. İs described as new to science, while L. (s. Str.) rufipes Koenike, 1902; L. (Pilolebertia) longiseta Bader, 1955; L. (Pilolebertia) pilosa Maglio, 1924; L. (Mixolebertia) separata Lundblad, 1930; and L. (Brentalebertia) minutipalpis K. Viets, 1920 are new records for the Turkish fauna.