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Articles 5941 - 5970 of 20459

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Environmental And Trophic Factors That Influence The Prevalence Of Gonionemus Vertens In The Northeastern United States, Matthew Rigby Jan 2020

Environmental And Trophic Factors That Influence The Prevalence Of Gonionemus Vertens In The Northeastern United States, Matthew Rigby

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Gonionemus vertens, often referred to as the clinging jellyfish, is an invasive hydrozoan first documented in 2016 in New Jersey. Populations of the adult medusa stage bloom in May and continue to persist through the middle of July, during which time it is of particular concern from a public health standpoint. G. vertens 'clings' to sea grasses and other submerged aquatic vegetation in shallow coastal waters, which are highly utilized for recreational activities, and its sting is highly toxic, which can hospitalize victims for days with both physical and psychiatric symptoms. Encounters with highly toxic G. vertens are, unfortunately, becoming …

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A Salty Compromise: The Behavioral Response Of Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus) To Different Concentrations Of Nacl, A Prevalent Road Deicer, Randolph Viola Jan 2020

A Salty Compromise: The Behavioral Response Of Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus) To Different Concentrations Of Nacl, A Prevalent Road Deicer, Randolph Viola

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Many amphibians are bound to a nearby freshwater source such as lakes and vernal pools. Often times, this is because they are fully aquatic; if they are partially terrestrial, they still need freshwater bodies to lay their eggs in a suitable environment. With the constant use of road salt as a deicer during snowing periods, the subsequent runoff has negatively altered nearby soil and water sources. Amphibians, with their permeable skin, are at great risk of desiccation if exposed to a hyperosmotic environment caused by this application. However, some plethodontid salamanders deviate from this restrictive norm by living as dedicated …

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The Stromal Response In Salivary Gland Injury, Kevin O'Keefe Jan 2020

The Stromal Response In Salivary Gland Injury, Kevin O'Keefe

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

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Effect Of Draxin Manipulation On Btbr Mouse Brain And Behavior, Adam Blau Jan 2020

Effect Of Draxin Manipulation On Btbr Mouse Brain And Behavior, Adam Blau

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is known for distinct behavioral phenotypes such as a preference for repetitive activities and difficulty in socialization. However, little is known about what might cause ASD. Current evidence implicates genetics as playing a substantial role in ASD. Mouse models, such as BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) inbred mice, are an invaluable resource for ASD research, as they allow the investigation of both genetics and behavior in parallel. BTBR mice are of interest due to their reduced hippocampal commissure (HC) and absent corpus callosum (CC), along with increased exploratory activity, decreased anxiety, reduced sociability, and increased repetitive self-grooming …

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The Dysregulation Of Circadian Rhythms And Its Relation To Hippocampal Neurodegenerative Disease, John Patrick Mccauley Jan 2020

The Dysregulation Of Circadian Rhythms And Its Relation To Hippocampal Neurodegenerative Disease, John Patrick Mccauley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Circadian rhythms modulate body temperature, sleep-wake cycles and cognitive functions like learning and memory. Interestingly, patients suffering from neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer’s disease and brain insults like traumatic brain injury experience dysregulated circadian rhythms and learning and memory deficiencies as a symptom. The core molecular machinery that establishes these rhythms relies on the activation of positive and negative transcriptional-translational feedback loops within the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Subordinate circadian oscillators distributed throughout the peripheral and central nervous system follow the rhythmic activity of the SCN. One of these, the hippocampus, is mostly involved in regulating memory formation and recall. Experimental …

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Development Of Small Molecule Antibiotics Against A Conserved Rna Gene Regulatory Element In Gram-Positive Bacteria, Ville Yrjö Petteri Väre Jan 2020

Development Of Small Molecule Antibiotics Against A Conserved Rna Gene Regulatory Element In Gram-Positive Bacteria, Ville Yrjö Petteri Väre

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Bacterial infections and the rise of antibiotic resistance, especially multidrug resistant strains, have generated a clear need for discovery of novel therapeutics. Most antibiotics in use today are derivatives of previous antibiotics to which resistance mechanisms already exist, and traditionally they have a single target: either a protein or rRNA. Gram-positive bacteria regulate the expression of several essential genes or operons using a mechanism called the T-box. The T-box is a structurally conserved riboswitch-like gene regulator in the 5’-untranslated region (UTR) of numerous essential genes of Gram-positive bacteria. T-boxes are stabilized by cognate, unacylated tRNA ligands, allowing the formation of …

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Haemoparasite Infection And Immunogenetic Diversity In A Clade Of North American Songbirds, Naima Starkloff Jan 2020

Haemoparasite Infection And Immunogenetic Diversity In A Clade Of North American Songbirds, Naima Starkloff

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The persistence of an organism in a particular habitat is mediated by a complex interplay of abiotic and biotic interactions. These interactions become especially complicated for a vector-transmitted parasite as its persistence relies on its ability to colonize both ectothermic and endothermic host organisms. Host factors, rather than environmental factors, have been highlighted as key predictors of the diversity and prevalence of avian haemosporidians (malaria parasites and relatives) globally. The range of a parasite is limited by its host specificity as well as the community of hosts present. In addition, as haemosporidian infections typically have negative fitness consequences on hosts, …

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Single-Domain Alpaca Antibodies That Disrupt Ricin Toxin Uptake And Trafficking In Mammalian Cells, Amanda Yee Poon Jan 2020

Single-Domain Alpaca Antibodies That Disrupt Ricin Toxin Uptake And Trafficking In Mammalian Cells, Amanda Yee Poon

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Ricin is a member of the ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) family of toxins found throughout the plant and microbial worlds. In its mature form, ricin is a 65 kDa glycoprotein consisting of two subunits, RTA and RTB, joined by a single disulfide bond. RTA (267 amino acids) is an RNA N-glycosidase that mediates the depurination of a universally conserved residue within the Sarcin-ricin loop (SRL) ribosomal RNA element. RTB is a galactose-/N-acetylgalactosamine-specific lectin that facilitates attachment, endocytosis, and intracellular trafficking of ricin in mammalian cells. Following endocytosis, ricin is routed to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and then shuttled to the endoplasmic …

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Daily Energy Expenditure Of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) In Suburban And Wildland Landscapes, Hugh I. Ellis, Reed Bowman Jan 2020

Daily Energy Expenditure Of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) In Suburban And Wildland Landscapes, Hugh I. Ellis, Reed Bowman

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

Urbanization alters ecological systems, disturbance regimes, food webs, and a variety of other processes that can influence local flora and fauna. In birds, most studies have focused on behavioral or demographic responses to altered conditions; however, the physiological mechanisms associated with these responses have been understudied. We have previously documented shifts in foraging behavior because of the availability of human-provided food; we sought to see if this was driven by or associated with a change in field metabolic rates. We measured field metabolic rates (FMR), a measure of daily energy expenditure (DEE), of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) in 2 habitats …

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Humanity’S Best Friend: A Dog-Centric Approach To Addressing Global Challenges, Eric Strauss Jan 2020

Humanity’S Best Friend: A Dog-Centric Approach To Addressing Global Challenges, Eric Strauss

Biology Faculty Works

No other animal has a closer mutualistic relationship with humans than the dog (Canis familiaris). Domesticated from the Eurasian grey wolf (Canis lupus), dogs have evolved alongside humans over millennia in a relationship that has transformed dogs and the environments in which humans and dogs have co-inhabited. The story of the dog is the story of recent humanity, in all its biological and cultural complexity. By exploring human-dog-environment interactions throughout time and space, it is possible not only to understand vital elements of global history, but also to critically assess our present-day relationship with the natural world, and to begin …

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Seasonally Specific Changes In Migration Phenology Across 50 Years In The Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Kristen M. Covino, Kyle G. Horton, Sara R. Morris Jan 2020

Seasonally Specific Changes In Migration Phenology Across 50 Years In The Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Kristen M. Covino, Kyle G. Horton, Sara R. Morris

Biology Faculty Works

The availability of detailed information that encompasses the geographic range of a species, spans a long-term temporal range, and yields individual information (e.g., age and sex), is a principle challenge in ecology. To this end, the North American Bird Banding Laboratory maintains a unique and underutilized dataset that can be used to address core questions of phenological change in migratory birds. We used records from 1966 to 2015 to quantify how the timing of migration has shifted in a long-distance migrant, the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens). Additionally, we examined age and sex differences in the timing of migratory movements. …

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Pterostilbene Administration Improves The Recovery Potential Of Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Field In Acute Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: An Ftir Spectroscopic Study, Hati̇ce Keser, Özlem Bozkurt Gi̇ri̇t, Muhammed Majeed, Mahadeva Nayak, Mehmet Di̇nçer Bi̇lgi̇n Jan 2020

Pterostilbene Administration Improves The Recovery Potential Of Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Field In Acute Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: An Ftir Spectroscopic Study, Hati̇ce Keser, Özlem Bozkurt Gi̇ri̇t, Muhammed Majeed, Mahadeva Nayak, Mehmet Di̇nçer Bi̇lgi̇n

Turkish Journal of Biology

Renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, one of the drastic outcomes of renal failure and organ transplantation, tends to deteriorate over time; therefore, noninvasive therapeutic strategies will avail the progression-free survival of the patients. Magnetic field has been proposed as a noninvasive treatment strategy; however, with recent scientific advances, many controversies have arisen regarding its efficacy. Pterostilbene, a natural analog of resveratrol, was documented to be effective in treatment of I/R injuries. This study aims to assess the acute therapeutic effects of combined extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) and pterostilbene treatment on renal I/R injury. After induction of renal I/R in Wistar …

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Epibrassinolide Activates Akt To Trigger Autophagy With Polyamine Metabolism In Sw480 And Dld-1 Colon Cancer Cell Lines, Kaan Adacan, Pinar Obakan Yerli̇kaya Jan 2020

Epibrassinolide Activates Akt To Trigger Autophagy With Polyamine Metabolism In Sw480 And Dld-1 Colon Cancer Cell Lines, Kaan Adacan, Pinar Obakan Yerli̇kaya

Turkish Journal of Biology

Epibrassinolide (EBR), a plant-derived polyhydroxylated derivative of 5?-cholestane, structurally shows similarities to animal steroid hormones. According to the present study, EBR treatment triggered a significant stress response via activating ER stress, autophagy, and apoptosis in cancer cells. EBR could also increase Akt phosphorylation in vitro. While the activation of Akt resulted in cellular metabolic activation in normal cells to proceed with cell survival, a rapid stress response was induced in cancer cells to reduce survival. Therefore, Akt as a mediator of cellular survival and death decision pathways is a crucial target in cancer cells. In this study, we determined that …

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Discovery And Optimization Of Anti-Cancer Properties Of Traditional Herbal Medicines Using Zebrafish-Human Tumor Xenografts, Ashleigh M. Solheim Jan 2020

Discovery And Optimization Of Anti-Cancer Properties Of Traditional Herbal Medicines Using Zebrafish-Human Tumor Xenografts, Ashleigh M. Solheim

Honors College Theses

Cancer is one of the most well-known diseases around the world. It hurts everyone in some way, whether they have it themselves or they know someone that is diagnosed. But the problem is not just this brutal disease, the problem is its invasive treatments. The most common treatments for cancer have harmful and painful side-effects that occur in most cases. As a solution to invasive cancer treatments, this experiment is testing herbal medications Neem, Nilavembu, Ashwagandha and Tulsi as potential nontoxic cancer treatments. First, the maximum tolerable dosage for each herbal agent was found. This dosage was used for the …

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Genetic Study Of Alkane Production And Oxic Nitrogen Fixation In Anabaena Sp. Pcc 7120, Jaimie L. Gibbons Jan 2020

Genetic Study Of Alkane Production And Oxic Nitrogen Fixation In Anabaena Sp. Pcc 7120, Jaimie L. Gibbons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 is a filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that uses spatial separation to perform photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation simultaneously. Under fixed nitrogen limiting conditions, Anabaena 7120 forms specialized cells, called heterocysts, to fix nitrogen. In this research, I sought to add to the knowledge surrounding the process of heterocystous nitrogen fixation in Anabaena 7120. Cyanobacteria universally produce alkanes, which have been suggested to play a role in helping the organism adapt to abiotic stress, such as diazotrophic conditions. In my first study, I sought to identify the genes required for production of the hydrocarbon heptadecane (C17H36). Through using a …

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Molecular And Phenotypic Diversification Of A Cryptic Group Of Terrestrial Frogs From The Southern Andes Of Ecuador, Veronica Urgiles Penafiel Jan 2020

Molecular And Phenotypic Diversification Of A Cryptic Group Of Terrestrial Frogs From The Southern Andes Of Ecuador, Veronica Urgiles Penafiel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Ecuadorean Andes sustains one of the most remarkable frog diversifications. In this region, nearly one in three known species of amphibians belong to the Pristimantis genus, which contains the majority of the direct-developing terrestrial frog species. Although efforts are ongoing to understand the diversity of Pristimantis, large regions of the ecosystems they occupy remain understudied, and speciation and diversity of this genus remains poorly understood. Within this context, an interesting taxon with many unresolved questions regarding patterns and process of diversification is the Pristimantis orestes species complex which is distributed across the Paramo landscape and montane forests in the …

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Gymnosperm Species Richness Patterns Along The Elevational Gradient And Its Comparison With Other Plant Taxonomic Groups In The Himalayas, Suresh C. Subedi, Khem Raj Bhattarai, Timothy M. Perez, Jay P. Sah Jan 2020

Gymnosperm Species Richness Patterns Along The Elevational Gradient And Its Comparison With Other Plant Taxonomic Groups In The Himalayas, Suresh C. Subedi, Khem Raj Bhattarai, Timothy M. Perez, Jay P. Sah

Faculty Publications - Biological Sciences

Phylogenetic constraints on ecophysiological adaptations and specific resource requirements are likely to explain why some taxonomic and functional groups exhibit different richness patterns along climatic gradients. We used interpolated species elevational distribution data and climatic data to describe gymnosperm species richness variation along elevational and climatic gradients in the Himalayas. We compared the climatic and elevational distributions of gymnosperms to those previously found for bryophytes, ferns, and angiosperm tree lineages to understand the respective drivers of species richness. Our study location was divided into three regions: Eastern; Central; and Western Himalayas. In each region, the sum of gymnosperm species richness …

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Hedgehog Signaling Inhibators And Their Importance For Cancer Treatment, Haileselassie Tefera Jan 2020

Hedgehog Signaling Inhibators And Their Importance For Cancer Treatment, Haileselassie Tefera

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway plays a crucial role during embryonic development as well as tissue maintenances in adults. Deregulated Hh signaling has been implicated in different diseases and conditions including cancer. Previously, the mechanisms of Hh signaling pathway and its role in cancer formation have been studied and has led to the development of therapeutic drugs. Among those agents, vismodegib and sonidegib are FDA approved drugs to treat basal cell carcinoma and other cancers. Up to date, several hedgehogs (Hh) signaling inhibitors and drugs have been made and evaluating for cancer treatment. In this review, I will discuss the …

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Role Of Adiponectin In Neuroinflammation & Neuroprotection, Nathan Stadem Jan 2020

Role Of Adiponectin In Neuroinflammation & Neuroprotection, Nathan Stadem

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Microglial cells play a significant role in defense of the brain. However, in certain disease states, their response can lead to inflammation that can be detrimental to the survival of brain cells and have harmful effects on a person’s brain activity. Currently, the treatment options for microglial induced neuroinflammation are relatively limited. Adiponectin has recently appeared as a potential moderator of neuroinflammation as well as a promoter of neuroprotection. Adiponectin is a naturally occurring cytokine that has been shown to play a role in a multitude of processes throughout the body including potential as a microglial induced neuroinflammation. Adiponectin’s role …

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Hiv Vaccine Development: The Importance Of Gp120 Variable Loop 3 For The Survival Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus And The Potency Of The Neutralizing Antibody To Bind To The Variable Loop 3, Riham Hussien Jan 2020

Hiv Vaccine Development: The Importance Of Gp120 Variable Loop 3 For The Survival Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus And The Potency Of The Neutralizing Antibody To Bind To The Variable Loop 3, Riham Hussien

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

The tendency for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to proliferate and mutate it’s trimeric envelop (Env), is one of the reasons why it’s a challenge for an antibody-based vaccine to be developed. Glycoprotein 160 (gp160,) which consists of glycoprotein 120 (gp120) and glycoprotein 41 (gp41), is the main focus for a research vaccine design. Gp120 consists of an outer membrane, inner membrane and bridging sheet. The protein is trimeric, and non-covalently binds to gp41. The outer domain is where the neutralizing antibody bind, such as 2G12, immunoglobulin G1b12, and anti-V3 antibodies. V3 stands for the Variable loop 3, gp120 has …

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Intermittent Fasting (If) Promotes Longevity Through Alterations Of The Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin (Mtor) And The Epigenome, Tayt Boeckholt Jan 2020

Intermittent Fasting (If) Promotes Longevity Through Alterations Of The Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin (Mtor) And The Epigenome, Tayt Boeckholt

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Many studies with a range of subjects from Nematodes to Homo sapiens have found intermittent fasting (IF) to significantly improve the cardiometabolic health of individuals, but how IF promotes longevity through epigenetic modulations remains a sparse understanding throughout the literature. The process of aging may be characterized by a loss of cellular identity sprouted from a disrupted epigenome rich with information for a cell, while also losing the ability to recycle ineffective cellular components. The nutrient-sensing kinase Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) is disrupted during bouts of fasting which allows for the recycling of cellular components through increased autophagy. Furthermore, …

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Antidepressant Effects On Rem Sleep, Mitchel Adams Jan 2020

Antidepressant Effects On Rem Sleep, Mitchel Adams

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Individuals who deal with depression are typically prescribed antidepressants in order to alleviate the depressive symptoms that they may be having. Polysomnographic sleep research has revealed that depression is associated with altered sleep architecture and distorted REM sleep quality.2 Specifically, increased REM sleep duration and density have proved to be markers that predict recurrence and relapse for depressed individuals. REM sleep serves to stimulate regions of the brain that are important with learning and memory consolidation. However, an increased duration of REM sleep in depressed individuals proves to be unfavorable. Antidepressants drugs aim to weaken sleep quality, which is …

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Impact Of Chytrid Fungus Pathogen On The Skin Microbiome Of Frogs In Northern Idaho And Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, Philip M. Campos Jan 2020

Impact Of Chytrid Fungus Pathogen On The Skin Microbiome Of Frogs In Northern Idaho And Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, Philip M. Campos

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Amphibians worldwide are under threat from the infectious disease chytridiomycosis, which is caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Bd is associated with the population declines of an estimated 501 species, 90 of which are presumed or confirmed extinct, making this the greatest documented loss of biodiversity attributed to a disease. Researching the amphibian skin microbiome may provide solutions to conservation of amphibians. Two main relationships have been observed between Bd and the microbiome: 1) bacteria producing antifungal metabolites can inhibit Bd and improve survival against the disease and 2) infection by Bd is believed to affect the composition …

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Helicobacter Pylori Gene Regulation By Virulence Region Located Srnas, Veronica Janette Albrecht Jan 2020

Helicobacter Pylori Gene Regulation By Virulence Region Located Srnas, Veronica Janette Albrecht

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Approximately 50% of the human population is infected with Helicobacter pylori, which can lead to gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcers and gastric adenocarcinoma. Helicobacter pylori strains are genetically variable, and some contain a DNA region called the cytotoxin associated gene pathogenicity island (cagPAI) that encodes virulence factors. Gastrointestinal disease associated with H. pylori are more likely to occur in infections with cagPAI positive strains. Helicobacter pylori has few known transcriptional regulators, but still must regulate expression to survive a constantly changing environment. A mechanism to facilitate this regulation was revealed in a transcriptome analysis conducted by Sharma et al. (2010) …

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Characterization Of Cofilin Function In Xenopus Laevis, Verginio Persicone Jan 2020

Characterization Of Cofilin Function In Xenopus Laevis, Verginio Persicone

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Proper cell migration is necessary for healthy embryonic development. The EphA4 receptor, when activated, triggers a cell migration response away from the signal molecule ephrin that is displayed by surrounding cells. Little is known about how the EphA4 receptor interacts with the actin cytoskeleton to trigger the migration response. We hypothesize that cofilin is key to downstream actin cytoskeleton regulation by the EphA4 pathway. In this study, we observed cofilin gene expression across several stages of early Xenopus laevis embryonic development by using RT-PCR. We observed cofilin protein presence across those same embryonic stages by using Western Blot. We also …

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Impacts Of Variation In Food Availability On Spatial Habitat Use Of Breeding And Non-Breeding Red Crossbills (Loxia Curvirostra), Liam Pendleton Jan 2020

Impacts Of Variation In Food Availability On Spatial Habitat Use Of Breeding And Non-Breeding Red Crossbills (Loxia Curvirostra), Liam Pendleton

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Movement patterns, habitat use, and reproductive behavior are among many attributes impacted by the distribution of resources within habitats. Our study used radio telemetry to investigate the relationship between food availability and movement patterns of breeding and nonbreeding red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra). Crossbills were captured and tracked in different seasons and under conifer seed mast and non-mast conditions. Telemetry data were used to generate statistical models to analyze spatial habitat use. Total linear distance traveled per total area of the home range was used as a comparative measure of activity within home ranges across specimens. We found a …

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To Eat Or Not To Eat: Urbanization And The Foraging Behaviors Of Michigan Passerines, Victoria T. Vo Jan 2020

To Eat Or Not To Eat: Urbanization And The Foraging Behaviors Of Michigan Passerines, Victoria T. Vo

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Urbanization creates novel problems for wildlife, potentially altering the foraging behavior of passerine birds. Foraging is driven by factors like food preference and food accessibility; the foraging of urban birds may be more innovative due to frequent exposure to unfamiliar items. I hypothesized that high novelty exposure in urban birds would promote faster discovery and longer visits to novel feeders compared to rural conspecifics. Additionally, I hypothesized that birds would prioritize food quality over access regardless of habitat, but when faced with barriers, urban birds would be better at accessing food compared to rural birds because of frequent exposure to …

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Painted Turtle (Chrysemys Picta) Home Range And Habitat Use In A Dam Impoundment, Bria Spalding Jan 2020

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys Picta) Home Range And Habitat Use In A Dam Impoundment, Bria Spalding

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Habitat fragmentation, including damming rivers, is a major threat to species conservation in urban areas causing reduced dispersal and biodiversity. Dam removal is typically beneficial to many species because dams restrict the movement of many organisms. However, the dam removal may negatively impact some species. The purpose of our study was to assess the potential effects that the removal of the Peninsular Paper Dam (Huron River, Ypsilanti) may have on painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) by monitoring their habitat use prior to dam removal. Chrysemys picta is a native species abundant in lentic systems (ponds and lakes) with muddy …

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Fzr-1 Knockdown In C. Elegans To Test The Role Of Apc/CCdh1 In The Abbreviated Cell Cycle, Cassandra Rigor Jan 2020

Fzr-1 Knockdown In C. Elegans To Test The Role Of Apc/CCdh1 In The Abbreviated Cell Cycle, Cassandra Rigor

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Cancer is characterized by defects in the cell cycle, the program cells use to replicate and divide. One important factor controlling the cell cycle is a protein complex known as the anaphase promoting complex (APC/CCdh1). This complex controls the canonical cell cycle, but whether it functions similarly in the abbreviated cell cycle, a non-canonical form of the cell cycle, is unknown. Neural stem cells and embryonic stem cells are examples of cell types that undergo this alternative form of the cell cycle, which is characterized by a shortened G1 phase. We hypothesized that APC/CCdh1 is not required …

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Genetic Analysis Of Tarantulas In The Genus Brachypelma Using Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (Issr), Sarah Holtzen Jan 2020

Genetic Analysis Of Tarantulas In The Genus Brachypelma Using Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (Issr), Sarah Holtzen

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

There is a great deal of morphological and genetic species diversity on Earth that requires careful conservation. One such genetically diverse genus of tarantulas is that of Brachypelma. In this study, we employ a newer DNA fingerprinting technique known as Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR), to study the genetic variation among Brachypelma species and to determine if the invasive Brachypelma tarantula found in Florida B. vagans. Although B. vagans is a species protected under CITES Appendix II, this species has a wide distribution in Mexico and traits allowing for invasion to new habitats. It was hypothesized that the …

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