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Articles 751 - 780 of 20604
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
The Investigation Of Lateral Foraging Patterns In Fin And Sei Whales, Alex Eschmann
The Investigation Of Lateral Foraging Patterns In Fin And Sei Whales, Alex Eschmann
Theses - ALL
Lateralization is the specialization that enhances an organism’s survival by dedicating specific tasks to the hemispheres of the brain, strengthening neural pathways to enhance speed and dexterity of task performance. First described in humans in 1861, lateralization has also been observed in non-human organisms where it often plays a critical role in predator-prey dynamics. Lateralized behaviors for prey foraging, social interactions, and communication have been described in some species of marine mammals from across all three distinct taxonomic orders. In the Order Cetacea, toothed and baleen whale species exhibit lateralized foraging behaviors for prey capture. In this study, I investigated …
Temporal Assessment Of Fish Communities In A South Central Plains Ecoregion Watershed, Tara L. Schnelting
Temporal Assessment Of Fish Communities In A South Central Plains Ecoregion Watershed, Tara L. Schnelting
ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present
Among South Central Plains ecoregion fish communities, there is limited knowledge of the importance of headwaters yet this information is needed to understand their role in fish communities. I addressed this gap by assessing seasonal changes in fish communities in headwater streams of the Moro Creek watershed, Arkansas. I conducted two studies pertaining to temporal fish community assessments: (i) utilize multi-season, community occupancy models to estimate μ (species probability), Ω (community occupancy mean), and p (detection probability) and (ii) utilize beta diversity (β) analyses to address the diversity across different scales in the headwaters of the Moro Creek …
Impacts Of Polyploidization On Endocrine Regulation And Vocalization In The Gray Treefrog Complex, Avery Thigpen
Impacts Of Polyploidization On Endocrine Regulation And Vocalization In The Gray Treefrog Complex, Avery Thigpen
Honors Theses
Comparative genomics data suggest that vertebrates are descendants of ancestral polyploids and that historical polyploidization events fueled evolutionary innovations. For example, polyploidization can modify gene expression patterns and/or increase gene mutation rates to alter the phenotype. While considerable emphasis has been placed on the evolutionary impact of ancient polyploidization events, less is known regarding phenotypic modifications in extant polyploids. I examined circulating levels of adrenal glucocorticoids and gonadal steroids in the diploid-tetraploid gray treefrog complex to understand how polyploidization has impacted hormonal regulation. Furthermore, I examined the relationships between levels of these hormones and acoustic signals to examine if and …
Depalmitoylation Regulates Metabolism And Mitochondrial Function, Sarah Lilly Speck
Depalmitoylation Regulates Metabolism And Mitochondrial Function, Sarah Lilly Speck
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Tens of millions of Americans suffer from metabolic disorders, predisposing patients to cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, liver disease, infertility, and cancer. Unfortunately, the etiology of many of these diseases remains a mystery, limiting our ability to identify targets for pharmacologic therapies. Due to the relationship between altered lipid dynamics and metabolic dysfunction, we decided to study the effect of the posttranslational lipid modification, S-palmitoylation, on metabolism. S-palmitoylation is the only known reversible lipid modification for proteins, and this depalmitoylation process is catalyzed by acyl-protein thioesterases including APT1 and APT2. We hypothesized that APT deficiency in various tissues would predispose mammals …
Oxycodone Self-Administration Modulates Ventral Pallidal Neuron Activity And Plasticity, Jessica Tooley
Oxycodone Self-Administration Modulates Ventral Pallidal Neuron Activity And Plasticity, Jessica Tooley
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Opioid use disorder is an urgent public health crisis in the United States. Over 800,000 Americans have died from opioid-related overdoses since 2000. Nearly 30% of people who misuse opioids begin with prescription oral opioids, such as oxycodone, and continue misusing to avoid the immediate aversive state of withdrawal and the persistent dysphoria associated with protracted abstinence from opioids. The persistency of these dysphoric symptoms increases the risk of relapse even after long periods of abstinence. Treatment for opioid use disorder currently consists of pharmacological opioid treatment to reduce withdrawal symptoms and behavioral counseling. However, these strategies have significant real-world …
Parental Guidance Suggested: Genetic, Epigenetic, And Environmental Factors Shape Allele-Specific Gene Regulation In Metabolic Traits, Celine Louise St. Pierre
Parental Guidance Suggested: Genetic, Epigenetic, And Environmental Factors Shape Allele-Specific Gene Regulation In Metabolic Traits, Celine Louise St. Pierre
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Deciphering the “genotype to phenotype” map is a crucial goal of biology. We will not improve our ability to predict phenotypes from DNA sequences until we better incorporate epigenetic and environmental variation into our models of human health and disease. Genes are typically presumed to express both parental alleles equally, but genetic and epigenetic factors can cause one allele to function differently than the other (e.g. expressed or silenced more). These allele-specific imbalances can alter the final composition of a gene’s transcriptional product and ultimately shape phenotypes. Allele-specific effects have widespread impacts on complex traits, but how environmental signals contribute …
A Subset Of Senescent Myofibroblasts Orchestrates Immunosuppression In Pancreatic Cancer., Jad Belle
A Subset Of Senescent Myofibroblasts Orchestrates Immunosuppression In Pancreatic Cancer., Jad Belle
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most lethal solid malignancy with a 12% 5-year survival rate. Most tumors are detected at metastatic stages that are extremely resistant to therapy. PDAC recalcitrance is driven by a unique tumor microenvironment (TME) comprising dense collagenous fibrosis embedded with an abundance of cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and infiltrating leukocytes. Preclinical studies have indicated that PDAC CAFs can have both pro- and anti-tumorigenic effects. This is likely owed to CAF phenotypic heterogeneity which was recently uncovered by single cell transcriptomics. Three major CAF subpopulations have been identified in mouse and human PDAC thus far: myofibroblastic …
Circuit-Specific Vulnerability In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Samuel Brunwasser
Circuit-Specific Vulnerability In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Samuel Brunwasser
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
The relationship between brainwide functional decline and accumulation of pathological protein aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is complex and not well understood. A set of highly interconnected cortical regions known as the Default Mode Network (DMN) exhibits selective vulnerability to both functional decline and amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques in early AD. One possibility is that early Aβ accumulation in the DMN drives vulnerability. However, it is unknown whether there is something intrinsic to neuronal projections within the DMN that biases these circuits towards dysfunction. In this dissertation, I describe the development of a multisite in vivo electrophysiology pipeline for chronic …
Parapinopsin: A Photoswitchable Inhibitory Gpcr For Two-Photon Optogenetics, Bobbie J. Brown
Parapinopsin: A Photoswitchable Inhibitory Gpcr For Two-Photon Optogenetics, Bobbie J. Brown
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
The development of optogenetic tools has greatly advanced the capability of researchers to understand the connection between neuronal activity and behavior. Optogenetics makes use of opsins, which are light activated ion-channels, ion pumps, or G-Protein coupled receptor (GPCR-based) proteins used to regulate cellular activity. Coupled with technological advances in genetics and optical physics/microscopy, optogenetics can be used to control specific populations of cells in a time-locked, spatially specific manner. The experiments possible with optogenetics depend largely on the capabilities and limitations of the opsin used; thus, there have been continuous efforts to design and employ new opsins with a variety …
Disrupting Nrf2-Driven Cancer Biology Through One-Carbon Metabolism Inhibition, Julius Chembo
Disrupting Nrf2-Driven Cancer Biology Through One-Carbon Metabolism Inhibition, Julius Chembo
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with treatment resistance and recurrence posing major barriers to long-term survival. Despite advancements in targeted therapies, many cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy, significantly limiting their effectiveness. One key driver of therapeutic resistance is nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NFE2L2/NRF2), a transcription factor that regulates antioxidant responses and drug detoxification. While NRF2 protects normal cells from oxidative stress, its aberrant activation in cancer promotes tumor progression, metabolic reprogramming, and resistance to standard treatments. Alarmingly, NRF2 hyperactivation is implicated in some of the most aggressive and refractory malignancies, yet no …
Computational Design Of Potent Sirna For Braf Oncogene Silencing For Enhancing Cancer Therapy, Muhammad Hermawan Widyananda, Ricadonna Raissa
Computational Design Of Potent Sirna For Braf Oncogene Silencing For Enhancing Cancer Therapy, Muhammad Hermawan Widyananda, Ricadonna Raissa
Karbala International Journal of Modern Science
The discovery of oncogenic BRAF mutations has prompted the development of inhibitors, yet resistance remains widespread. A more effective strategy involves targeting BRAF mRNA with siRNA to overcome resistance to BRAF inhibitors. This study aims to design potent siRNA for BRAF oncogene silencing using a computational approach. The full coding sequence of BRAF was retrieved from the NCBI database and potential siRNAs were predicted using the Ui-Tei, Reynolds, and Amarzguioui rules. Identified siRNAs were further analyzed using various prediction systems and parameters, including their interaction with the hAgo2 protein. The results identified that seven siRNAs (siRNA 23, siRNA 24, siRNA …
Performative Biomechanics : Evolving Buildings Into Inhabitable Organisms, Josh Lopez
Performative Biomechanics : Evolving Buildings Into Inhabitable Organisms, Josh Lopez
Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year
There has always been a connection between biology and architecture. Michael Pawlyn, in Biomimicry in Architecture, coined “biomechanical designs” to describe structural techniques derived from creatures. This study investigates chitin-based creatures. Crustaceans, insects, and microscopic organisms all have exoskeletons in nature. With a focus on crabs, other crustaceans and bugs, this study examines and evaluates the formal characteristics of chitin-based organisms. The architectural creations of OXMAN, NOX, which was founded by Lars Spuybroek; and Lebbeus Woods are among those that are analyzed and studied due to their inspiration from living things. They follow functional effectiveness in nature, which is why …
Effects Of Angptl3 Deficiency On The Regulation Of Hepatic Lipoprotein Production And Lipid Metabolism, Kendall Helene Burks
Effects Of Angptl3 Deficiency On The Regulation Of Hepatic Lipoprotein Production And Lipid Metabolism, Kendall Helene Burks
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. A major treatment goal is to lower plasma lipids, especially low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), the cardinal risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) experience early-onset CAD due to extremely high LDL. Underdiagnosis and undertreatment of FH are exacerbated by limited therapeutic options. However, one strategy has successfully lowered LDL in FH patients: Inhibition of the hepatically secreted protein Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3). Despite promising clinical data, the mechanism by which ANGPTL3 inhibition lowers LDL has not been fully described. Although ANGPTL3 has been shown to modulate …
Understanding Loss Of Beta-Cell Identity And Progression Of Diabetes In Polygenic Mouse Models Of T2dm, Sumitkumar Patel
Understanding Loss Of Beta-Cell Identity And Progression Of Diabetes In Polygenic Mouse Models Of T2dm, Sumitkumar Patel
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is caused by the complex interaction of multiple genes and environmental factors. T2DM is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance in peripheral tissues and impaired insulin secretion by the pancreas. While the decline in insulin production and secretion was previously attributed to apoptosis of insulin-producing β-cells, recent studies indicate that β cell apoptosis rates are relatively low in diabetes. In this dissertation, I investigated β-cell failure in diabetes using KK and KKAy mouse models of polygenic T2DM, which spontaneously develop hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, glucosuria, impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance. I found that β-cell failure in KK …
Investigating The Roles Of Sox10 And Etv4 In Melanocyte And Melanoma Development, Catherine Marie Newsom-Stewart
Investigating The Roles Of Sox10 And Etv4 In Melanocyte And Melanoma Development, Catherine Marie Newsom-Stewart
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
The neural crest is a transient, multipotent cell population unique to vertebrates that gives rise to diverse lineages, including craniofacial cartilage, peripheral neurons, glia, and pigment-producing melanocytes. Proper specification and differentiation of neural crest derivatives are orchestrated by tightly regulated gene regulatory networks, and disruption of these developmental programs can lead to congenital disorders and malignancies. Melanocytes, derived from the neural crest, are best known for their role in skin pigmentation but also contribute to homeostasis and specialized functions in the eye, ear, and heart. These cells produce melanin to protect tissues from ultraviolet radiation and oxidative damage, and they …
Jarid2-Mediated Reprogramming Of Human Hematopoietic Progenitors For Stem Cell Transplantation, Wentao Han
Jarid2-Mediated Reprogramming Of Human Hematopoietic Progenitors For Stem Cell Transplantation, Wentao Han
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a well-established treatment for various hematological disorders. Umbilical cord blood (UCB) has emerged as an alternative source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). However, the limited number of functional repopulating cells in UCB units has encouraged researchers to develop methods to expand them ex vivo. Hematopoiesis is strictly regulated by epigenetic modifiers. JARID2 is a co-factor of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), which recruits the complex to specific genomic loci and promotes the deposition of Histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), a repressive epigenetic mark that mediates condensed chromatin packing to silence …
The Role Of Il-33 In Itch, Anna M. Trier
The Role Of Il-33 In Itch, Anna M. Trier
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Chronic itch is associated with a broad range of medical conditions, from inflammatory skin diseases to cancer and organ dysfunction, and has a lifetime prevalence of up to 20%. Despite being common and debilitating, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive chronic itch are just beginning to be elucidated. Thus, therapeutic options are limited. Recent studies have identified that various pro-inflammatory cytokines can directly activate sensory neurons. This has resulted in mounting interest in the therapeutic potential of inhibiting these neuro-immune interactions. IL-33 is constitutively expressed by epithelial cells, which allows for its rapid release upon tissue damage or stress. …
Treatment Wastewater Of Oil Refinery By Fe2o3 Nps Produce By The Novel Alishewanella Jeotgali Strain Haq8., Hawraa Qays Al-Assdy, Wijdan Hussein Al-Tamimi, Asia Fadhile Almansoory
Treatment Wastewater Of Oil Refinery By Fe2o3 Nps Produce By The Novel Alishewanella Jeotgali Strain Haq8., Hawraa Qays Al-Assdy, Wijdan Hussein Al-Tamimi, Asia Fadhile Almansoory
Karbala International Journal of Modern Science
Metal oxide nanoparticles like iron oxide (Fe2O3) exhibit strong reactivity and photolytic features in wastewater treatment and serve as an effective adsorbent for water purification due to its substantial surface area and affinity for different functionalized groups. Iron oxide nanoparticles) IONPs) are currently applied to treat oil-contaminated water. Fe₂O₃NPs were produced using an extracellular approach utilizing the Alishewanella jeotgali strain HAQ8. IONPs were characterized using UV-vis, FT-IR, XRD, AFM, SEM-EDX, and Zeta potential. λ max for the synthesized nanoparticles observed at (358) nm. The bands at 485 cm⁻¹ in the FT-IR spectrum confirmed the formation of …
Examing The Role Of Complement Signaling In Viral Neuroinflammatory Responses, Marlene Kanmogne
Examing The Role Of Complement Signaling In Viral Neuroinflammatory Responses, Marlene Kanmogne
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
The complement system is an ancient pathway that serves dual roles as a key regulator of neuroinflammation and a critical regulator of neural networks. Few studies have addressed how these two pathways may interact during infection of the central nervous system. While some components of complement are expressed in the healthy developing brain, complement component 3a receptor (C3aR) is a G protein coupled receptor that is expressed by astrocytes, microglia and infiltrating immune cells during inflammatory states. We previously found that C3aR is required for engulfment of synaptic material by activated microglia during neuroinvasive viral infection. Here, we used a …
Mutant-Specific Analysis Of Tumor Cell Heterogeneity In Glioblastoma, Patrick Desouza
Mutant-Specific Analysis Of Tumor Cell Heterogeneity In Glioblastoma, Patrick Desouza
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor driven by the interplay between tumor cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic heterogeneity, enabling rapid evolution. To investigate how canonical GBM mutations promote functional plasticity, we developed an isogenic human neural stem cell (NSC) model of GBM by sequential addition of TERT promoter, TP53, and PDGFRA point mutations. TP53 loss-of-function increased TERT expression during serial mutagenesis, but only triple mutant NSCs reliably formed lethal brain tumors in vivo that recapitulate GBM. Tumor cell evolution triggered stress-related metabolic changes and transitioned toward a neuronal progenitor network driven by transcription factor INSM1. INSM1 is highly expressed in human …
Mechanisms Of Protective Humoral Immunity And Pathogenesis In Alphavirus Infection, Natasha Monir Kafai
Mechanisms Of Protective Humoral Immunity And Pathogenesis In Alphavirus Infection, Natasha Monir Kafai
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Alphaviruses are enveloped, mosquito-transmitted, positive-sense RNA viruses of the Togaviridae family classified into Old and New World groups based on endemic regions and human disease characteristics. Old World alphaviruses, including chikungunya virus preferentially cause arthritogenic disease, whereas New World viruses like Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), and Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) can cause neurological disease. Since the 1920s, VEEV has been responsible for major periodic outbreaks affecting hundreds of thousands of humans and equines in South and Central America. Expansion of mosquito vectors raises concern for possible VEEV reemergence. In addition, VEEV is a …
Proteogenomic Analysis To Inform Causal Gene Prioritization For Human Disease, Daniel Western
Proteogenomic Analysis To Inform Causal Gene Prioritization For Human Disease, Daniel Western
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been key in expanding our understanding of the genetic contributions to common diseases. However, these genetic associations frequently fail to clarify causal disease mechanisms, as they often fall in non-coding regions and are difficult to interpret. One solution is to perform a GWAS for the levels of a cellular trait, known as quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. Through methods such as colocalization, Mendelian Randomization, and transcriptome/proteome-wide association studies, the QTL variants can be compared to disease GWAS, identifying shared variation between cellular and disease traits. We can then prioritize cellular traits as potential causative, targetable …
Genomic Structure Among Populations Of A Regionally Rare Perennial Plant Indicates The Need For Reevaluation Of Management Units, Cheyenne Moore, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Scott Schuette, Christopher T. Martine
Genomic Structure Among Populations Of A Regionally Rare Perennial Plant Indicates The Need For Reevaluation Of Management Units, Cheyenne Moore, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Scott Schuette, Christopher T. Martine
Faculty Journal Articles
Conservation of rare species often relies on the delineation of management units and genomic tools can now be applied for this purpose. However, this is not as common on a local scale, where populations are often small and fragmented, despite the utility of informing conservation and management practice at the regional level. We use a genotyping by sequencing (GBS) approach to assess the perennial riparian plant species Baptisia australis (Fabaceae) in Pennsylvania, where the taxon is at the edge of its natural distribution and considered threatened. In this system, we investigate whether sampled subpopulations exhibit genetic structure. We find that …
Role Of The Small Intestinal Microbiota In The Pathogenesis Of Environmental Enteric Dysfunction In Undernourished Children And Mothers, Clara Kao
Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations
Undernutrition in women and its propagation in their children remains a major global health challenge. Worldwide, one in five children under five years of age manifests undernutrition as impaired linear growth, or stunting. Stunting, defined as having a length-for-age z-score (LAZ) <-2, is associated with poor developmental outcomes, including impaired neurodevelopment and immune responses. Furthermore, stunting and its long-term sequelae persist across generations, contributing to an intergenerational cycle of undernutrition. Existing nutritional interventions fail to substantially improve stunting, highlighting the need to (i) better understand other factors contributing to stunting and (ii) focus clinical efforts towards treating maternal undernutrition. Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is a subclinical inflammatory enteropathy of the small intestine proposed to contribute to stunting. EED is diagnosed histologically by blunted intestinal villi, epithelial barrier disruption and an immunoinflammatory infiltrate in the lamina propria. However, the pathophysiology of EED remains poorly defined. Furthermore, the small intestinal microbiota remains understudied due to difficulties in sampling. Evidence that the small intestinal microbiota contributes to EED pathogenesis comes in part from our collaborative work with colleagues at icddr,b (the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) who oversaw the Bangladesh EED (BEED) study. In this study children, aged 12-18 months residing in an urban slum in the Mirpur district of Dhaka who failed a nutritional intervention for their stunting, underwent esophago-gastroduodenoscopy (EGD) to obtain duodenal mucosal biopsies, aspirates of duodenal luminal fluid and plasma samples. A set of 14 bacteria taxa (defined by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing) were identified in the duodenal microbiota of >80% of children with EED. Moreover, the absolute abundances of these ‘core taxa’ were positively correlated with duodenal mucosal and systemic inflammation in study participants and negatively correlated with linear growth. Our lab showed that introduction of a consortium of bacteria cultured from these duodenal aspirates, including these core taxa, produced small intestinal inflammation in young adult gnotobiotic, providing …
Unraveling The Antiviral Mechanisms Of Bat Cells: Processing Of Genomic Rnas By Dicer In Bat Cells Limits Sars-Cov-2 Replication, Iyanuoluwani Owolabi
Unraveling The Antiviral Mechanisms Of Bat Cells: Processing Of Genomic Rnas By Dicer In Bat Cells Limits Sars-Cov-2 Replication, Iyanuoluwani Owolabi
Dissertations
Bats are reservoirs for numerous viruses that cause serious diseases in other animals and humans. Several mechanisms are proposed to contribute to the tolerance of bats to these pathogens. This study investigates the response of bat cells to double-stranded RNA generated by SARS-CoV-2 replication. Here, we found the involvement of Dicer in the processing of viral genomic RNAs during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Examining RNA sequencing of infected cells, small-interfering RNA (siRNA)-like fragments were found derived from viral RNAs. Depletion of Dicer showed a reduction in these RNAs and an increase in viral loads suggesting unlike other mammals, bats may use Dicer …
Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs (Ocypode Quadrata) As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish
Ghosts In Glass: Ghost Crabs (Ocypode Quadrata) As Judges Of Glass Sand For Coastal Restoration, Emily Parrish
Poster Presentations
Coastal erosion is heavily impacting coastal ecosystems across the Gulf. For instance, the state of Louisiana loses a football field worth of land every 100 minutes (Couvillion, 2017). The drastic loss of coastline highlights the dire need for restoration in the Northern Gulf Coast. An unexpected solution to this sediment loss may solve two major environmental issues at once by diverting millions of tons of glass waste from entering America’s landfills each year. By crushing glass to create sand and gravel for coastal restoration, we may generate a consistent and sustainable source of substrate. Our goal is to determine the …
Genomic Analysis Of The Lyme Disease Vector Across Virginia’S Spatial Expansion Front, Amy Jablonski
Genomic Analysis Of The Lyme Disease Vector Across Virginia’S Spatial Expansion Front, Amy Jablonski
Honors Theses
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States and is expanding with rising incidence in Virginia . This study investigates populations of lxodes scapularis across Virginia using RAD-seq to analyze SNPs from ticks collected in seven Virginia counties and four U.S. states as references . Results show a clear genetic split between western and eastern Virginia ticks . These results follow previously noted patterns in regional differences in Lyme disease risk.
The Great Animal Rights Debate: From The Past Into The Present, Dayna Wiley
The Great Animal Rights Debate: From The Past Into The Present, Dayna Wiley
Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)
Animal rights are not a novel concept, and everyone has their own beliefs about where animals should fit into the hierarchy of life. Not so different from today, a debate occurred in the ancient world between the Stoics, represented by Aristotle, and Plutarch, with each questioning whether animals are capable of rational thought or feelings, and therefore whether they are deserving of justice. There is much to learn from the ancient world about the modern debate on animal rights, and there is a striking comparison between this ancient debate and the modern questions of animal rights. But how similar are …
Investigation Into The Microbiome Of Blow Fly Eggs Using Microseqtm Id, Samantha S. Davis, Drusilla Sheridan, Jennifer Rosati
Investigation Into The Microbiome Of Blow Fly Eggs Using Microseqtm Id, Samantha S. Davis, Drusilla Sheridan, Jennifer Rosati
Undergraduate Research
There is little published research characterizing the microbiome associated with blow fly eggs and how they may affect the colonization behaviors of certain blow fly species. Once deposited, blow fly eggs are rapidly introduced to a diverse range of microorganisms, which can vary depending on the species of blow fly, the environment, and the decomposition stage of the substrate (Junqueira et al., 2017). Since blow flies are among the first insects to colonize decomposing remains, the microbial communities present on their eggs could serve as key indicators of the decomposition stage at the time of egg-laying, thus providing a potential …
Investigating Stress Hormone Variations In Green Frogs (Lithobates Clamitans) During The Mating Season, Abby Mciver
Investigating Stress Hormone Variations In Green Frogs (Lithobates Clamitans) During The Mating Season, Abby Mciver
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Monitoring stress hormones in wildlife populations is increasingly used to understand how human activities may impact the environment. The goal of this study was to quantify corticosterone in green frogs (Lithobates clamitans) at baseline levels and in response to an acute stressor throughout the mating season. The project was conducted from May to September of 2024 at Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport, Tennessee. Corticosterone levels were determined over six consecutive days each month from May to September using a non-invasive dermal swab technique. Additionally, body metrics, water chemistry, and weather and habitat conditions were evaluated on each sampling …