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Dynamics Of Ant Activity Under Extreme Climatic Changes In 2024: Effects Of Temperature  And Humidity On Formica Rufa And Lasius Fuliginosus Behavior, Stanislav Stukalyuk, Mykola Kozyr, Vira Balabukh

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Global warming and extreme heatwaves, which can alter species distribution and ecosystem dynamics, have profound effects on forest ants. T‍his study investigated the impact of summer and autumn 2024 heatwaves on the activity, prey transport, and nest-building of Formica rufa Linnaeus, 1761 and Lasius fuliginosus (Latreille, 1798) in deciduous forests of Kyiv, Ukraine. Fieldwork was conducted from June to September 2024 in Holosiyivo Forest and the Feofaniya tract. Ant colonies were assigned to experimental plots, where logs were placed along foraging trails, or to control plots with unmanipulated ground-floor trails. The study included 10 F. rufa anthills for activity monitoring …

The Effect Of Spatial Scale Of Habitat On Abundance Of Roe Deer (Capreolus Pygargus) And Water Deer (Hydropotes Inermis Argyropus) During Summer In South Korea, Naeyoung Kim, Hyejin Kim, Hyoun-Gi Cha, Hyun-Su Hwang

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Understanding species-specific habitat preferences provides essential ecological  information about interactions among habitat components. In South Korea, roe deer  (Capreolus pygargus) and water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) are the  dominant large herbivorous mammals of the family Cervidae. The increasing populations of these species have led to ecological and economic  challenges. Therefore, we investigated the effects of spatial scale characteristics on  the habitat preferences of roe deer and water deer. From June to August each year  between 2021 and 2023, we calculated the relative abundance index (RAI) using  camera-trap data and analyzed patch characteristics in the study area using remote  sensing techniques, …

The Ecotoxicological Impact Of Polystyrene On Lissachatina Fulica: A Study Of Growth,  Pedal Mucus Histological Changes, And Protein Mucus Analysis, Atin Supiyani, Wasmen Manalu, Lina Noviyanti Sutardi, Mawar Subangkit, Andriyanto Andriyanto

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Lissachatina fulica mucin can be used as a nutraceutical agent depending on the  quality of their feed. Polystyrene (PS) waste harms soil and plants consumed by  snails, potentially affecting the quality of mucin production. This study investigated  the impact of PS on growth and mucus-producing cell characteristics as well as the  network pharmacology of mucin protein components. Fifty 5–6 cm L. fulica snails  (20–24 g) were fed organic waste (OW) and organic waste with PS (OWPS). After 28  days of ad libitum access to food, the snails’ mucus, meat, and shells were  collected and weighed. Tissue samples from the anterior …

Assessment Of The Bioremediation Potentials Of Biosurfactant-Producing Bacterial Strains Recovered From Spent Engine Oil-Contaminated Environments In Southwest Nigeria, Nafisa Mohammed Babayola, Nasiru Bright Lecky, Chinweizu Obioma Onumaegbu, Olufunmiso Olusola Olajuyigbe, Martins Ajibade Adefisoye

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Environmental pollution from hydrocarbons and their derivatives is predominantly of anthropogenic origin, occurring mainly during mining, transportation, and storage. This often in an annual release of substantial amounts of pollutants into the environment. The effective restoration of petroleum-contaminated environments requires a series of interventions to remediate soil to its natural state. This study aimed to isolate and characterize biosurfactant-producing bacterial strains with potential bioremediation capabilities to assess the potential application for remediating soils polluted with spent engine oil in the Remo district, Ogun State. Bacterial isolates were recovered from soil samples collected from spent engine oil contaminated sites, using standard …

Acute And Chronic Oral Administration Of Cannabidiol-Dominant Cannabis Products: Sex- And Formulation-Dependent Effects On Anxiety-Like Behavioral Patterns In Rats, Carlos R. Maestas-Olguin

Psychology ETDs

Interest in the anxiolytic-like effects of cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating phytocannabinoid found within the genus, Cannabis, has grown significantly in recent years. However, preclinical investigations of CBD’s anxiolytic potential often elect to forgo translationally relevant models that maximize external validity in favor of greater internal and mechanistic validity. As a result, the effects of relatively low dose (< 3mg/kg) oral CBD administration on anxiety-like behaviors are not yet fully characterized. The present studies examined the impact of two orally delivered CBD-dominant cannabis products – a “full-spectrum” formulation derived from the whole plant and a CBD isolate derived from the same chemovar – on innate defensive behaviors exhibited by adult male and female rats in various tests of anxiety. Results indicated that acute and chronic low dose oral CBD administration attenuated anxiety-like behavior in rats, regardless of sex or formulation. These findings extend the growing corpus of literature describing anxiolytic-like effects of CBD.

The Concept 'Pollination' And Bee Pan-Trap Color And Uv Reflectance Determine The Taxonomic Compositions Of Bee Taxa Captures Across An Elevation Gradient And Seasons In The Jemez Mountains Of New Mexico, Esther A. Burton, Kelly B. Miller, Paul J. Watson, David C. Witherington, Steven Poe, David Lightfoot

Biology ETDs

This thesis examines the pollinator concept and tests how sampling methods shape bee communities. Chapter 1 provides a conceptual and philosophical analysis, arguing that pollination is a process and that pollinators are context-dependent functional roles rather than fixed taxonomic categories. It traces the concept’s development from natural history to ecological theory, introduces a dual-goal model separating plant reproduction from visitor foraging, and proposes a classification framework based on evidentiary certainty and pollination potential to resolve ambiguity in pollination research.

Chapter 2 applies these ideas empirically by evaluating how pan-trap color and ultraviolet (UV) reflectance influence bee assemblages across elevation and …

From Cranes To Clinics: Genomic Epidemiology At The Human-Animal Interface, Sarah Shrum

Biology ETDs

Emerging infectious diseases represent a significant, increasing threat to human life, economic stability, and global security. The One Health framework, which promotes human health and wellness through the understanding that animal, environmental, and human health are interwoven, is critical to understanding pathogen emergence and transmission. This is underscored by the fact that roughly 60% of all human pathogens and 75% of emerging infectious disease are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted from animals to humans.

The work presented in this dissertation integrates genomic epidemiology, ecological analysis, and One Health Surveillance approaches to characterize cross-species circulation of opportunistic yeast pathogens (Candida …

Investigating Changes In The Stable Isotopic Composition Of Juniperus Osteosperma Over 34,000 Years Of Climatic Shifts, Lisa S. Garcia

Biology ETDs

Isotopic compositions of plants from the past provides empirical evidence for paleoclimatic shifts and plants physiologically response. This study used Neotoma paleomiddens (fossilized debris piles) collected from Death Valley National Park, which contained preserved abundant plant materials. These middens range from modern to >35,000 years and capture different climatic events in Earth history. Employing Juniperus osteosperma (Utah Juniper) leaves found in middens, I investigated variation in carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic composition. To help interpret paleomidden results, we used modern field and herbaria samples of Juniperus from a spatial gradient stretching across their geographic range. Results showed δ ¹³C …

Rhythms Of Hippocampal Function And Memory After Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure, Lilliana May Sanchez

Psychology ETDs

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders involve morphologic and neurobiological abnormalities in offspring subjected to prenatal alcohol exposure. Although not as well studied as high exposure, moderate prenatal alcohol exposure represents the most common and undetected form in humans. While learning and memory deficits have been well characterized at the behavioral level in humans with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and in animal models of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure, few studies have determined the circuit or systems level mechanisms of the behavioral deficits. A complete understanding of the neural bases of memory deficits after moderate prenatal alcohol exposure is needed to ultimately identify …

Characterizing A Potential Cbp/P300 Histone Acetyltransferase Homolog In Tardigrade Germline Specification And Development, Brittney Michelle Hartshorn

Honors Projects

Germline specification is a fundamental process that ensures the proper development of germ cells. Germline specification occurs either through germ cell determinants maternally inherited through the mechanism of preformation or through induction, where cell interaction and epigenetic modifications direct specification. Determining how these mechanisms evolved and diverged remains an important question in developmental biology. Despite research on germline regulation in model organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans or Drosophila melanogaster, such regulation remains poorly understood in many other animal groups. Tardigrades are an emerging model system for investigating developmental mechanisms due to their phylogenetic placement and experimentally tractable embryos. CBP/P300 is …

The Effect Of Acute Hypoxia Exposure, With Exercise, On Bone Metabolic Biomarkers, Alyssa Bailly

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Hypoxic environments, resulting from decreased atmospheric partial pressure of oxygen, reduce oxygen availability in the blood and tissues, leading to a mismatch between supply and demand. This elicits several physiological adaptations and may influence bone metabolism. Although evidence suggests that hypoxia can modulate bone remodeling through hypoxia-inducible pathways, findings remain mixed, with most data derived from chronic hypoxic exposures in animal and cell culture models. Exercise, an essential stimulus for bone health, may exacerbate hypoxic stress; however, the skeletal response to acute hypoxic exposure combined with exercise remains unclear. We propose that intermittent exercise in hypoxia may increase negative markers …

Harnessing Mechanobiology Of Resident Stem Cells To Refine Cell Based Therapeutics, Dakota R. Kamm

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are resident cells residing with many adult tissues such as adipose tissue and bone marrow that have the potency for multiple lineage differentiation as well as the capacity to secrete a litany of beneficial factors to maintain homeostasis and promote tissue repair. Since 1995, MSCs have been used therapeutically to treat a variety of conditions from osteoarthritis to heart disease to muscle pathologies. Great leaps have been made in improving MSC-based therapies through optimization of culture methods and select enrichment of cellular subpopulations. More recently, the physical microenvironment of tissue in vivo and culture conditions in …

Genomics And Bioinformatics Student Companion Workbook (First Edition), Na Xu, Tina Hu

Open Educational Resources

This Genomics and Bioinformatics Student Companion Workbook provides an integrated, hands-on introduction to the principles and applications of modern genomics and bioinformatics. Designed for undergraduate students, the workbook guides learners from foundational concepts of genome structure and sequencing technologies to advanced topics including variant analysis, comparative genomics, and multi-omics integration. Emphasizing the interplay between experimental biology and computational analysis, it introduces key analytical tools and biological databases that support genome interpretation and data-driven discovery.

Through a structured progression of chapters, students explore genome organization across diverse biological systems, from prokaryotes and viruses to complex eukaryotic genomes, and examine how genomic …

Scb252 Fundamentals Of Biotechniques Laboratory Manual, Na Xu, Hanqi Ye

Open Educational Resources

This laboratory manual for SCB252: Fundamentals of Biotechniques provides an integrated, hands-on introduction to core concepts and methods in modern biological research using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. The manual emphasizes laboratory safety, research integrity, and responsible conduct of research, alongside foundational experimental skills. Students are guided through key biological techniques including fly husbandry, genetic crosses, mutant analysis, microscopy, DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), gel electrophoresis, sequencing technologies, and bioinformatics tools such as BLAST and genome databases. Advanced modules introduce gene structure annotation, RNA-seq data analysis, and primer design, while fluorescence microscopy and protein analysis techniques further expand …

The Extraction And Chemical Characterization Of The Avian Pigments Turacin And Turacoverdin, Sarah R. Bekkali

Honors Scholar Theses

Bird coloration is a trait that extends beyond mere aesthetics as it has an extensive range of biological significance. Plumage patterns and hues can influence camouflage, mate choice, social dominance, and physiological performance. Bird fitness, their ability to survive and reproduce, is greatly dependent on color. Melanins, carotenoids, and pterins are well-studied pigment systems that are commonly found across many avian species’. Alternatively, porphyrin-based pigments are rare and less-studied as they only found in turacos a sub-Saharan African bird belonging to the family Musophagidae. This thesis focuses on two pigments of interest: turacin, the deep crimson-red pigment found in …

Virus-Like Particle Peptoid Conjugate As A Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Targeting Delivery System, Ricky Zhu

Chemistry Theses

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive form of breast cancer, characterized by its lack of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER2) poses a therapeutic challenge as common treatment options are rendered ineffective. Here is a strategy to develop a drug delivery system utilizing poly-glycinated LC129 8, a TNBC targeting peptoid, covalently attached to HK97 virus-like particles (VLP) containing a C-terminal LPETG sequence via a sortase mediated reaction. Using the properties of the cage-like structure of VLPs and the TNBC specificity of the LC129-8, high doses of chemotherapy can be efficiently loaded into the …

Ecological And Nutritional Drivers Of Floral Fidelity In Wild Pollinators, Adelaide Elise Ergastolo

Master's Theses

Plants must receive pollen from the same species in order to successfully reproduce. For most flowering plants, the transfer of pollen occurs via animal pollinators while they forage on plants to obtain food. Therefore, the fidelity of pollinators to individual plant species during foraging trips is directly related to the amount of conspecific pollen plants receive. Low floral fidelity of pollinators can reduce plant reproductive success, which in turn has the potential to lower food resources for pollinators in the future. While many factors can potentially influence pollinator floral fidelity, several important ones may be the nutritional resources provided by …

Unknowing Sacrifices: Public Health And Radiation Illness In New Mexico And Nevada, 1940s-1960s, Beatriz Avila-Marquez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The detonation of the first atomic bomb in the early morning of July 16, 1945, in New Mexico welcomed the atomic age that forever changed the world. After that day, thousands of lives were lost due to nuclear weapons, and hundreds of thousands more continued to suffer from the effects of atomic testing. The Atomic Energy Commission, fueled by the arms race of the Cold War, chose Nevada to continue the United States’ nuclear weapons testing. Knowledge of the dangers of radiation exposure, the effects of radiation, and techniques to prevent exposure are now available in part due to the …

Junctional Actin As A Mechanical Hub For Supracellular Actomyosin Force Transmission During Apical Constriction, Jasneet Brar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Apical constriction is a conserved morphogenetic mechanism that drives epithelial folding during development. During ventral furrow formation in Drosophila melanogaster, contractile actomyosin networks generate forces that reduce apical cell area resulting in tissue invagination. For these cell-scale forces to produce coordinated tissue-scale changes, contractile networks must be mechanically integrated across neighboring cells. Although adherens junctions are known to mediate this coupling, it is unclear how junctions are integrated into cortical actin cytoskeleton, which directly determines cell, and consequently tissue, shape. This thesis tests the hypothesis that supracellular actomyosin organization during apical constriction depends on distinct adherens junction based mechanical couplings: …

A Tale Of Two Mammals: Tenrec Ecaudatus And Homo Sapiens, Debra Renee Kerr

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Most modern mammals maintain stable body temperatures (Tb) ~37ºC and high metabolic rates. Hibernators, like ground squirrels, are homeothermic during the active summer season, but are heterothermic during the hibernation season. During the hibernation season, ground squirrels follow a predictable pattern of torpor bouts interrupted by interbout arousals. Tenrecs are unusual because they are heterothermic and heterometabolic even during the active season. Previously, ground squirrel bile constituents were shown to be predictive of whether a squirrel is in the summer active or winter hibernation season. We found tenrec bile constituents were highly variable and not predictive of seasonal and metabolic …

Methylation-Dependent Regulatory Pathway That Governs The Stability Of The Sox Family Proteins And Related Developmental Regulators, Keshari Gayathri Rajawasam

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The SRY (Sex-determining Region Y) protein is a transcription factor encoded on the Y chromosome and is the key regulator responsible for initiating male sex determination in mammals. During early embryonic development, SRY activates the genetic program that leads to testis formation by promoting the expression of downstream genes involved in male gonadal differentiation. Mutations or dysregulation of SRY can lead to disorders of sex development such as male-to-female sex conversion and hermaphroditism, highlighting its critical role in sex determination.

SRY belongs to the SOX (SRY-related HMG-box) family of transcription factors, which includes the proteins SOX1, SOX2 and SOX3. These …

Contemporary U.S. Anthromes As Defined By Hanpp Regimes, Aishwarya Chandrasekaran, Kat F. Fowler, Christopher Lant

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The concepts of anthromes and human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) are both valuable in understanding our human-dominated planet, yet they have never been integrated theoretically or empirically. Here we utilize an extensive county-level dataset on HANPP and its product-level components to derive, through cluster analysis, ten contemporary US anthromes. From highest to lowest density of harvested HANPP, the anthromes are: rainfed corn–soy, dairy fodder, spring wheat–small grain, dryland winter wheat, subtropical soy–cotton, commercial timber, mixed hardwood and pasture, recovered eastern forest, prairie–sagebrush rangeland, and arid and alpine sparse grazing. Expanding to thirteen anthromes maintains these, while bifurcating the …

P300/Cbp Inhibition With Inobrodib In Combination With Gilteritinib And Venetoclax Targets Leukemia Stem Cells In Epigenetic Mutant Aml, Melanie L. Goetz, Jennifer S. Romer-Seibert, Amanda M. Versace, Scott Kogan, Chetan Jeurkar, Robert L. Bowman, Nigel Brooks, Kris Frese, Sara E. Meyer

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a fatal blood cancer with cytotoxic chemotherapy offering at best 25% 5-year survival. While targeted BCL2 and FLT3 inhibitors venetoclax and gilteritinib are used upfront in the treatment of a subset of adult patients with AML and help to extend the survival of some patients, a curative treatment combination with minimal side effects has yet to be discovered. We find that use of the dual histone acetyltransferase p300/CBP bromodomain inhibitor CCS1477 (inobrodib), together with venetoclax and gilteritinib, virtually eliminates leukemia stem cells in an aggressive preclinical model of DNMT3A/FLT3-mutant AML by impairing pro-oncogenic survival and …

Thermal Physiological Ecology Of The Relict Leopard Frog At Hot And Cold Springs, Robert P. Pelletier Iii

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The relict leopard frog (Rana onca) once ranged across drainages in southern Nevada, northwestern Arizona, and southwestern Utah. Following a decline, the species only persisted in a few geothermally influenced hot springs, which led to the perspective that hot springs were high-quality habitat. Rana onca has been under intensive, multiagency management and the species has been translocated to establish additional populations, including at cold-water sites. Three research studies are presented into the thermal physiological ecology of R. onca with the aim of informing conservation strategy. The research was focused at a thermally influenced hot spring and a cold-water spring to …

Potential Innate And Adaptive Roles Played By Γδ T Cells In A Bacterial Immunization Model, Lee Anne Talbot

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of tularemia, with pulmonary infection resulting in severe disease and high mortality if untreated. While protective immunity to F. tularensis has been largely attributed to CD4⁺ T cell–mediated IFN-γ responses, the contribution of γδ T cells to mucosal immunity and vaccine-induced protection remains poorly defined. The objective of this study was to characterize the role of γδ T cells during primary pulmonary infection with F. tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS) and following intranasal immunization with inactivated F. tularensis (iFt) prior to LVS challenge.

Using a murine intranasal infection …

Skin Of Frog And Scale Of Dragon: Nutritional Cues, Life Cycle Kinetics, And Secretome Dynamics In Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis, Naomi C. Okada

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nearly 50% of amphibian species are at risk of extinction, making them the most threatened group of vertebrates on the planet. A major driver of these declines is the pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which causes the fatal skin disease chytridiomycosis. Since its discovery in the late 1990s, Bd has been directly implicated in the extinction of 90 species of amphibians and the declines of hundreds more. Despite this devastating ecological impact, relatively little is known about its basic cellular biology.

Bd has a multi-stage asexual life cycle consisting of a motile and infectious zoospore, which encysts (into a …

Community Development Professionals’ Perceptions Of Agritourism In Mississippi, Emma Jane Berry

Theses and Dissertations

Agritourism has emerged as a strategy for supporting rural economies, strengthening community identity, and increasing agricultural literacy. Although prior research has examined agritourism operators and visitors, limited attention has been given to the perceptions of community development professionals who influence local planning and program support. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to examine community development professionals’ perceptions of agritourism’s role in community development, economic growth, and agricultural literacy in Mississippi. Guided by Social Exchange Theory, data were collected through two semi-structured virtual focus groups with 12 professionals representing Extension, tourism, economic development, and Main Street organizations. Data were …

Determining Agricultural Literacy Proficiency Of Extension Professionals And Primary Volunteers In Mississippi, Molly Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The development of agricultural literacy is a lifelong process, moving from gaining agricultural knowledge to communicating with others to applying to societal issues, and extends beyond the formal classroom. The Mississippi State University Extension Service has the ability to reach various audiences through educational programming, making them a potential catalyst for change in increasing agricultural literacy across the state. The study aims to determine the agricultural literacy levels of Extension professionals and primary volunteers in Mississippi and the factors potentially influencing these levels. Twenty-nine Extension professionals and eleven primary volunteers completed a survey of demographic questions and the Judd-Murray Agricultural …

Characterizing The Microbial Structure And Function In Black Soldier Fly Digested Dairy Manure And Subsequent Larvae, Branden N. Pierce

Theses and Dissertations

This work examined the microbial structure and gene expression found in Black Soldier Fly larval guts and their frass when reared on dairy cattle manure that had been amended with either R. rhodococcus 21198, P. polymyxa 8158, or both and compare the results to larvae reared on untreated manure. First an overview of literature surrounding projected global food supplies and the possible use of insects to either increase them or mitigate the environmental effect of producing said supply. A cellulose degradation assay was performed to assist in determining which bacterial species to use as amendments. Characterization of the microbial communities …

Effects Of Melatonin Supplementation On Exercise Induced Stress In Horses, Hannah Clark Valigura

Theses and Dissertations

Exercise is a necessary component of athletic conditioning but imposes substantial physiological stress on horses, resulting in oxidative stress, inflammation, muscle damage, and thermal strain that can impair performance and recovery. Melatonin, a neurohormone with potent antioxidant and thermoregulatory properties, has been proposed as a novel nutritional strategy to mitigate these effects. This dissertation aimed to (1) characterize serum melatonin concentrations following oral supplementation, (2) evaluate the effects of melatonin on oxidative stress, inflammation, and muscle damage biomarkers after exercise, and (3) examine its influence on physiological parameters during exercise under warm weather conditions. Across a series of controlled experiments …