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Man-Made Menopause, Madeline Horwitz

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

In this study I suggest that there are three distinct time periods mark new developments in society’s understanding of menopause, Victorian America in the mid and late nineteenth century, mid-twentieth century America, and contemporary America. This is the case not only in terms of advances in biological science, but also the ways in which the medical establishment has viewed menopause has also changed, and in terms of changes in prevalent gender assumptions. In this paper I hope to expose the ways science, history, and society has medicalized menopause, and the ways in which menopause has been viewed by individual women, …

Notopleural Mutations Enhance Defects In Imaginal Disc Epithelial Morphogenesis And Macrochete Elongation Associated With Mutations In The Stubble-Stubbloid Locus, Robert Ruggiero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Stubble-stubbloid locus encodes a transmembrane serine protease (Stubble) necessary for the proper formation of sensory bristles, and the morphogenesis of leg and wing epithelia. Genetic and cell biological analysis indicate a role for Stubble in actin cytoskeletal dynamics and cell shape changes in developing epithelia and bristles. Previously reported genetic interactions between Stubble and the Rho1 signaling pathway suggest Stubble influences actin cytoskeleton dynamics in developing imaginal discs through interactions with the Rho1 pathway. This work will discuss a genetic screen conducted to further investigate the role of Stubble in bristle and imaginal disc morphogenesis. From 50,000 EMS-mutagenized chromosomes …

Mapping And Characterization Of 18-5 And 12-5, Genes Which Potentially Link The Rhoa Signaling Pathway To The Ecdysone Response, Samuel Fox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Systemic steroid hormone and intracellular signaling pathways are known to act cooperatively during the development of vertebrate and invertebrate epithelia. However, the mechanism of this interaction is poorly understood. Morphogenesis of Drosophila leg imaginal disc epithelia is regulated both by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (ecdysone) and the RhoA GTPase signaling pathway. Recent evidence suggests that these pathways act cooperatively to control imaginal disc morphogenesis. Thus, leg imaginal disc morphogenesis is an excellent system in which to study the interaction of steroid hormone and intracellular signaling pathways. We have identified mutations in three genes, 12-5, 18-5, and 31-6, with roles in …

The Cardiomyocyte Cell Cycle, Pascal J. Lafontant

Biology Faculty publications

Many forms of cardiac disease are characterized by cardiomyocyte death due to necrosis, apoptosis and/or oncosis. Recently, the notion of promoting cardiac regeneration as a means to replace damaged heart tissue has engendered considerable interest. One approach to accomplish heart muscle regeneration entails promoting cardiomyocyte cell cycle activity in the surviving myocardium. Genetically modified mice have provided useful model systems to test the efficacy of specific pathways to promote cardiomyocyte proliferation in normal and diseased hearts. For example, expression of a heart-restricted dominant interfering version of p193 (an E3 ubiquitin ligase also known as Cul7) resulted in an induction of …

Dispersal Behavior Of Mosquitofish (Gambusia Holbrooki), Shireen Alemadi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) are native to the southeastern United States but invasive elsewhere, and are dominant predators in many ecosystems that they inhabit. Information on dispersal behavior will help better understand and predict mosquitofish metapopulation dynamics and invasions. I experimentally tested dispersal behavior of individual mosquitofish under a range of laboratory conditions relevant to field situations. Preliminary experiments showed that gender, lighting conditions, hunger and acclimation time did not significantly affect net dispersal rate. Power analysis based on this preliminary experiment determined that 6 replicate fish were sufficient for each subsequent experiment; I used 24 fish, and each fish was …

Gis-Based Analysis Of Ice-Breeding Seal Strandings In The Gulf Of Maine, David Harris Ph.D., Sat Gupta

Faculty Publications

Phoca groenlandica (harp seals) and Cystophora cristata (hooded seals), two species of ice-breeding seals, are being sighted more frequently onshore in the Gulf of Maine since 1990, but little is known about their behavior in this ecosystem. We obtained records of 904 ice-breeding seal stranding locations in the Gulf of Maine between 1996 and 2002 from NOAA Fisheries and used a geographic information system (GIS) to conduct group-wise comparisons by species (using non-parametric techniques), and to determine the predictors of high seal-stranding density (using ordinal logistic regression analysis). Compared to harp seals, hooded seals stranded closer to deep water, farther …

Sexually Dimorphic Social Development And Female Intrasexual Chemical Signaling Of African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Jordana M. Meyer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: African elephants are a polygynous species in which males and females carry out dimorphic lifestyles. Males search and compete for reproductively active females, while females care for offspring and facilitate group cohesion. The objectives of this study was a) to compare the development of sexually dimorphic behaviors and developmental trends between young male and female wild African elephants and b) to determine the ability of captive female African elephants to discern between the follicular and luteal phase of conspecifics through trunk-tip contacts and the investigation of urine, and whether the reproductive phase of the receiver affected the response …

Life History And Biology Of Forbestra Olivencia (Ithomiinae, Nymphalidae), Ryan I. Hill

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

Forbestra is the only mechanitine genus lacking a thorough life history description and little is known of its biology. Accordingly I describe the immature stages including first instar chaetotaxy, and provide observations on the biology of Forbestra olivencia from Garza Cocha in eastern Ecuador. Morphological characters from the early stages of Forbestra olivencia are identified that are unique to Forbestra and support the close relationship of Forbestra and Mechanitis. Forbestra olivencia was a moderately common butterfly at Garza Cocha during the sample period, far outnumbering other sympatric Forbestra. Ecological observations demonstrate similarities between F. olivencia and Mechanitis, but suggest F. …

Trehalose Uptake Through P2x7 Purinergic Channels Provides Dehydration Protection., Gloria Elliott, Jennifer Cusick, Xiang-Hong Liu, Michael Menze, Trudy Witt, Steven Hand, Mehmet Toner

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The tetra-anionic form of ATP (ATP4-) is known to induce monovalent and divalent ion fluxes in cells that express purinergic P2X7 receptors (Steinberg et al., 1987; Sung et al., 1985), and with sustained application of ATP it has been shown that dyes as large as 831 daltons can permeate the cell membrane (Steinberg et al, 1987). The current study explores the kinetics of loading α,α-trehalose (342 daltons) into ATP stimulated J774.A1 cells, which are known to express the purinergic P2X7 receptor (Steinberg et al., 1987). Cells that were incubated at 37 ̊C in a 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) …

Differential Habituation Of Male Betta Splendens To Qualitatively Different Stimuli, Lauren Baard

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

Habituation is a learning mechanism that functions to decrease the amount of energy and attention focused on a certain stimuli. Male Siamese Fighting Fish, Betta splendens, are territorial animals that defend their territories using a number of aggressive displays. Male Bettas have previously shown the ability to habituate to the presence of a conspecific male when visually exposed to each other. Due to the costly nature of many of the male Betta’s displays, I hypothesized that male Bettas should differentially habituate to qualitatively different stimuli. I presented each of three groups of male Betta splendens with a different stimulus, each …

"Taxonomy And Biogeography Of The Freshwater Crabs Of Tanzania, East Africa" , Sadie K. Reed, Neil Cumberlidge

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Fast-Swimming Hydromedusae Exploit Velar Kinematics To Form An Optimal Vortex Wake, John O. Dabiri, Sean Colin, John H. Costello

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Fast-swimming hydromedusan jellyfish possess a characteristic funnel-shaped velum at the exit of their oral cavity that interacts with the pulsed jets of water ejected during swimming motions. It has been previously assumed that the velum primarily serves to augment swimming thrust by constricting the ejected flow in order to produce higher jet velocities. This paper presents high-speed video and dye-flow visualizations of free-swimming Nemopsis bachei hydromedusae, which instead indicate that the time-dependent velar kinematics observed during the swimming cycle primarily serve to optimize vortices formed by the ejected water rather than to affect the speed of the ejected flow. Optimal …

Proceedings Of The Western Australian Dhufish Workshop 2004, Mark Pagano, Terry Fuller

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The Western Australian Dhufish Workshop 2004 was a joint project between Recfishwest and the Western Australian Department of Fisheries.

The workshop incorporated presentations from the Department of Fisheries, Recfishwest, the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council, Murdoch University and Challenger TAFE to showcase current knowledge relating to the iconic dhufish in Western Australia. The perspectives of a recreational fisher, a commercial wetline operator and a metropolitan charter boat operator were also presented.

Through information sharing and discussion the workshop provided a platform to better understand the fundamental issues that underpin current and future management arrangements for this valuable resource. Both commercial …

A Broad-Spectrum Mer Operon In A Multi-Drug Resistant Strain Of The Fish Pathogen, Aeromonas Salmonicida, Erin Parry

Honors Theses

Aeromonas salmonicida AS03, a potential fish pathogen, was isolated from Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, in 2003. This strain was found to be resistant to ≥1000 mM HgCl2 and ≥32 mM phenylmercuric acetate as well as multiple antimicrobials. Mercury (Hg) and antibiotic resistance genes are often located on the same mobile genetic elements, so the genetic determinants of both resistances and the possibility of horizontal gene transfer were examined. Specific PCR primers were used to amplify and sequence distinctive regions of the mer operon. A. salmonicida AS03 was found to have a pDU1358-like broad-spectrum mer operon, containing merB as well as …

The Response Of Macroinvertebrate Communities To Habitat Fragmentation, Ross W. Widinski

Masters Theses

Aquatic fragmentation may be characterized as a lack of connectivity between upstream and downstream populations or sites (Page et al. 1997). Fragmentation in stream ecosystems occurs when changes in the surrounding landscape (loss/modification of riparian zone vegetation) render the in-stream habitats unsuitable for aquatic organisms. Additionally, Page et al. (1997) suggest that organisms also can be impacted or fragmented by in-stream modifications (dams, bridges) that further eliminate usable aquatic habitat and prevent movement through the aquatic system.

Intact riparian zones are of utmost importance in maintaining a healthy aquatic environment. Riparian zones with abundant vegetative cover serve to shade the …

Biodiversity Loss And The Taxonomic Bottleneck: Emerging Biodiversity Science, Ke Chung Kim, Loren B. Byrne

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Human domination of the Earth has resulted in dramatic changes to global and local patterns of biodiversity. Biodiversity is critical to human sustainability because it drives the ecosystem services that provide the core of our life-support system. As we, the human species, are the primary factor leading to the decline in biodiversity, we need detailed information about the biodiversity and species composition of specific locations in order to understand how different species contribute to ecosystem services and how humans can sustainably conserve and manage biodiversity. Taxonomy and ecology, two fundamental sciences that generate the knowledge about biodiversity, are associated with …

Changes In The Diet Of Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaycush) In Near-Shore Lake Michigan With The Invasion Of The Round Goby (Neogobius Melanostomus): 1995-2005, Marybeth Kathryn Brey

Masters Theses

The predator-prey base of the Great Lakes has been altered since the early 1900's, with the majority of these changes occurring due to invasive species such as the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), alewife (Alosa pseudoharangus), and rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). These changes have forced large piscivorous fish to find alternate prey species. One predator, the lake trout (Salvelinus namaychush) has experienced a series of diet shifts in the last century, due to a changing prey base. In recent years the Great Lakes, particularly Lake Michigan has experience a new invader, the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), which has colonized the …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 33 - Department Of Fisheries Community Survey 2005, Tara Baharthah

Fisheries Occasional Publications

A telephone survey of the Western Australian public was conducted to assess the level of success of programs implemented by the Department of Fisheries. The sample comprised of 700 interviews, 422 in the metropolitan area and 278 in regional areas throughout the State.

This community survey was used to determine the level of recall and awareness of the Department of Fisheries, the understanding and support of the community for the Department of Fisheries' management strategies and to examine key aspects of community participation in recreational fishing.

It is estimated that the overall participation rate for recreational fishing in Western Australia …

A Taxonomy Of Teleology: Phillip Johnson, The Intelligent Design Community, And Young-Earth Creationism, Marcus R. Ross, P. A. Nelson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Varying The Timing Of Inputs On A Neural Oscillator, Christina Ambrosio-Mouser, Farzan Nadim, Amitabha Bose

Publications and Research

The gastric mill network of the stomatogastric ganglion of the crab Cancer borealis is comprised of a set of neurons that require modulatory input from outside the stomatogastric ganglion and input from the pyloric network of the animal in order to oscillate. Here we study how the frequency of the gastric mill network is determined when it receives rhythmic input from two different sources but where the timing of these inputs may differ. We find that over a certain range of the time difference one of the two rhythmic inputs plays no role what so ever in determining the network …

Food Restriction Affects Locomotor Activity In Mongolian Gerbils (Meriones Unguiculatus), Alper Karakaş, Erdi̇nç Seri̇n, Bülent Gündüz

Turkish Journal of Biology

The circadian rhythm of the locomotor activity is regulated by at least 2 external pacemakers, environmental photoperiod and food availability. In the present study, the effects of short-term (2 weeks) food restriction on locomotor activity rhythm in adult male and female Mongolian gerbils were investigated. Animals were fed ad libitum with no restriction during the first week of the experiment and their daily ad libitum food consumptions were determined. Then the food was restricted 40% of ad libitum for the next 2 weeks. At constant temperature, locomotor activity was monitored by running wheel in animals exposed to a long photoperiod …

The Development And Structure Of Feeding Arms In Antarctic Species Of Pterobranchs (Pterobranchia, Hemichordata), Catherine Krahe '06

Honors Projects

Pterobranchs are of particular interest to evolutionary biologists because as members of the phylum Hemichordata, they share characteristics with vertebrate animals and other chordates. The focus of this study is an examination of the development, structure, and function of the feeding arms in several species of pterobranchs collected from depths greater than 500 m from waters surrounding Antarctica. Pterobranch zooids in the genus Cephalodiscus feed using a crown of arms held over the dorsal surface of the body to filter particles from the water. Larvae released from adult tubes are ciliated, but lack feeding arms and are thought to derive …

Foraging Behavior And Success Of Herons And Egrets In Natural And Artificial Wetlands, Henry Dewayne Mincey

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The southeastern United States has approximately 13.2 million hectares of wetland habitat, but these sensitive areas are subject to loss and degradation from draining and development. The effects, both positive and negative, that manipulation of these wetlands have on wildlife is still under study. In particular, there is a need to know whether artificial (mitigated) wetlands can serve as an appropriate substitute for the loss of natural wetlands. Therefore, I quantified the foraging behavior of herons and egrets (species that are dependent on wetlands for food) in natural and artificial wetlands in southeastern coastal Georgia and southern coastal South Carolina. …

The Winter Ecology Of The Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus) In Coastal Georgia, Brandon Lennon Noel

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: The Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is a federally listed species with three distinct breeding populations, including Great Plains (threatened), Great Lakes (endangered), and Atlantic Coast (threatened), all of which winter along the Atlnatic and Gulf coasts of the United States. I studied the winter ecology of the Piping Plovers on Little St. Simons Island (LSSI), Georgia, from 2003-2006, with emphasis on the conservation significance of this site for the endangered Great Lakes population. During 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, LSSI supported up to 100 Piping Plovers during peak migration, and approximately 40 birds wintered at this site. All populations had …

Tick Pheromones And Their Use In Tick Control, Daniel E. Sonenshine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tick pheromones that regulate assembly, attraction/aggregation/attachment, and mating behavior have been described. Most of the compounds regulating these behaviors are purines, substituted phenols, or cholesteryl esters. Other pheromonal compounds include organic acids, hematin, or ecdysteroids. Novel devices have been developed that combine the specific compounds comprising these pheromones with an acaricide. When applied to tick-infested vegetation or directly to the body surfaces of livestock or companion animals, these devices are effective for tick control. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of tick pheromones. In addition, this review also presents examples illustrating how devices using tick pheromones can offer …

Patterns Of Habitat Use By Bats Along A Riparian Corridor In Northern Utah, Duke S. Rogers, Mark C. Belk, Malinda W. González, Brent L. Coleman

Faculty Publications

We examined patterns of habitat use within a community of bats along the Provo River in Heber Valley, Utah. The landscape was divided into 5 habitat categories: riparian forest, wetland, agricultural field, edge, and a habitat restoration site. We used Anabat II bat detectors to record the number of echolocation calls per night within each habitat type as an index of bat activity. Echolocation calls were classified into foraging guilds based on acoustic traits, and we analyzed activity by entire community and by the 4 guilds related to habitat type and environmental variables. Activity was not significantly related to moon …

Integration Without Unification: An Argument For Pluralism In The Biological Sciences, Michael Dietrich, Sandra D. Mitchell

Dartmouth Scholarship

In this article, we consider the tension between unification and pluralism in biological theory. We begin with a consideration of historical efforts to establish a unified understanding of evolution in the neo-Darwinian synthesis. The fragmentation of the evolutionary synthesis by molecular evolution suggests the limitations of the general unificationist ideal for biology but not necessarily for integrating explanations. In the second half of this article, we defend a specific variety of pluralism that allows for the integration required for explanations of complex phenomena without unification on a large scale.

Bogidiella Indica, A New Species Of Subterranean Amphipod Crustacean (Bogidiellidae) From Wells In Southeastern India, With Remarks On The Biogeographic Importance Of Recently Discovered Bogidiellids On The Indian Subcontinent, John R. Holsinger, Y. Ranga Reddy, Mohammed Messouli

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bogidiella indica, new species, is described from three water wells in southeastern India, including a bore-well on the campus of Acharya Nagarjuna University in Nagarjunanagar, a water well in Guntur town, and an agricultural well in the Godavari and Krishna Basin, all in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The new species is assigned to the genus Bogidiella Hertzog and to a newly designated species group within the genus. Despite the near circum-global distribution of the family Bogidiellidae, only a single, partially intact specimen of a bogidiellid had been collected from the Indian subcontinent prior to the discovery of specimens …

Distribution And Status Of The Southern Bog Lemming, Synaptomys Cooperi, In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose

Virginia Journal of Science

The Dismal Swamp subspecies of the Southern bog lemming, Synaptomys cooperi helaletes, was named based on specimens collected during the 1895-1898 biological surveys conducted in the Dismal Swamp by the US Department of Agriculture. Unknown in the 20th Century until re-discovered in 1980, this small boreal rodent was believed to be restricted to the Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia and North Carolina where the cool damp conditions had permitted it to survive during the Holocene. However, field studies conducted since 1980 have revealed southern bog lemmings to be widespread throughout southeastern Virginia, with populations encompassing an area of more …

The Presence, Prevalence And Antibiotic Resistance Of Microbes In The Pamunkey River Basin, Christina Mcdowell

Honors Theses

This project examined the presence, prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Coliforms (mainly Escherichia coli), Staph/occocus aureus, fecal Streptococcus, andEnterobacteriacae found in the water samples taken from three selected sites on the North Anna, South Anna, and Little Rivers of the Pamunkey River Basin. The diversity and concentration of the microbes isolated from these sites was evaluated in late January and late March allowing for a comparison of the occurrence of microbes at different times and between the different sites. Over the course of two months the concentration of colonies increased based on colony counts from Nutrient agar. The rate of …