Digital Commons Network^™

Disease Ecology Of Two Emerging Amphibian Pathogens In Costa Rica, Felicity Jennifer Wynne

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The emergence of infectious diseases is increasing globally, whilst biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate. The amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) has driven the extinction of more species than any other known pathogen. This loss was particularly severe among Neotropical amphibians, with several infamous extinctions from Costa Rica. Although chytrid has been attributed to all enigmatic population declines in Costa Rica, its presence has only been investigated from a few populations. Alongside chytrid, another pathogen, ranavirus (Ranavirus spp.), is considered a significant threat to amphibian populations. Very little is known about ranaviruses outside of temperate regions, but its …

Driven To Distraction? Behavioural Impacts Of Anthropogenic Noise On The European Hermit Crab Pagurus Bernhardus From Individual To Group Level, Svenja Tidau

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Human activities are altering the planet at an unprecedented scale and pace, ranging from effects on global systems such as climate and carbon cycles to localised but globally wide-spread exposure to anthropogenic pollution such as noise. Anthropogenic noise is an example of human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC) which can mask, distract and disrupt natural stimuli and sensory-cognitive processes. Since HIREC can alter the sensory environment of animals, and how they detect and process information from their biotic and abiotic environment to make accurate decisions, this process has been termed sensory pollution. While growing evidence shows detrimental effects on across taxa, …

Development Of Autochthonous Probiotic Candidates For Tilapia Aquaculture, Rungtawan Yomla

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

This programme of work sought to develop autochthonous probiotic solutions for tilapia aquaculture. Initial work began with the isolation of isolate 34 bacterial cultures from the tilapia intestine, which were tested for probiotic potential in vitro. Fifteen isolates displayed positive probiotic properties in in vitro assays. The selection of high potential probiotic candidates was based on multi-parameter properties using the Z−score method, which ranked isolates identified as Bacillus sp. CHP02 (Z score = 1.48), Bacillus sp. RP01 (1.14) and Bacillus sp. RP00 (1.09) as having the greatest potential. These isolates, along with Enterobacter sp. NP02 (0.50), were then assessed for …

Phaeovirus Infections In Kelp, Dean Andrew Mckeown

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The latent dsDNA viruses of the genus Phaeovirus (family Phycodnaviridae, clade Nucleo-cytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses; NCLDVs) employ genome integration in their brown algae hosts (class Phaeophyceae). The only phaeoviruses described in detail infected the order Ectocarpales, though Phaeovirus major capsid protein (MCP) occurs in 4 kelp (order Laminariales) species. Phaeoviruses are a major knowledge gap because brown algae are ecologically and economically important and have independently evolved complex multicellularity. This study aimed to investigate kelp Phaeovirus morphology, evolution, host range, distribution, host impacts, and genomics. Microscopy of Laminaria digitata gametophytes revealed particles and cell morphology typical of Phaeovirus infections. This …

Marine Invasive Species: Fluorescence Applications For Ballast Water Regulatory Compliance And Use Of Freshwater As A Biosecurity Tool For Biofouling, Maria Cecilia Trindade De Castro

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The present thesis addresses the role of shipping as an unintentional and very efficient pathway for spreading aquatic non-native species around the globe, through two major vectors: ballast water and biofouling. The challenge with ballast water is that a myriad of organisms are transported across natural barriers before dispersal, transcending biogeographic regions and this wholesale movement of marine life contributes to the spread of diseases and to the homogenization of coastal habitats. The United Nations nominated the issue as one of the four greatest threats to the oceans, causing extremely severe environmental, economic and public health impacts. This research is …

The Sources And Fate Of Plastic Entering The Marine Environment, Imogen Napper

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Plastics can come in many forms and bring a wide range of societal benefits in healthcare, agriculture, transport, construction and packaging. However, plastic is a large proportion of marine litter and an internationally recognised pollutant. Marine litter results from the indiscriminate disposal of waste items that are either directly or indirectly transferred into aquatic environments. This debris can cause harmful effects for wildlife, commercial fisheries, maritime industries, tourism and human well-being (Chapter 1). Over the past decade, increased scientific interest has produced an expanding knowledge base for plastic contamination in the environment. However, fundamental questions and issues remain unresolved. This …

Bioturbation In Estuarine Sediments: Modelling Macrofauna-Mediated Oxygen Dynamics, Xiaoyu Fang

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The aim of this thesis was to provide a comprehensive examination of the roles of macrofauna in estuarine biogeochemistry by adopting a multidisciplinary field and laboratory-based approach and integrating species distribution modelling with biomass-dependent ecosystem function relationships. Eventually, an ecosystem management tool to provide insights into the ecological consequences of anthropogenic disturbance in estuaries was developed using the Western Scheldt as a model system. To establish a baseline understanding of the spatio-temporal patterns of macrobenthos (activities) and ecosystem functioning in the Scheldt estuary, a seasonal survey was carried out during four consecutive seasons in 2015 and 2016, sampling three habitats …

Observations And Applications Of Husbandry Methodologies On A Backyard Poultry Farm In Dangriga, Belize, Bailey A. Carpenter, Frank Dustan Clark

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

This study explores the husbandry methodologies on a backyard poultry farm in Dangriga, Belize, with the purpose of producing a set of guidelines for backyard poultry growers that have limited resources in similar regions. The majority of data collection occurred through survey questions approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is responsible for protecting the rights and welfare of human research subjects, necropsies approved by IACUC, and general observations. There has been a steady increase in poultry production in developing regions due to its positive effects on income and relative nutrition. However, due to a lack of accessible communication …

Map Collection - Accession 1535, Maps

Manuscript Collection

The Map Collection consists of various maps from around the world and contains original maps and reproductions of historical maps. This collection focuses on maps from the Southern United States and South Carolina and North Carolina in particular, but also contain maps featuring Africa, Alabama, Arkansas, Asia, Central America, Europe, Florida, Georgia, Global, Holy Land, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North America, South America, Tennessee, United States, Virginia, and World War II as well.

Cytotoxic And Genotoxic Action Of Tagetes Patula Flower Methanol Extract And Patuletin Using The Allium Test, Mudassar Azhar, Ahsana Dar Farooq, Sayedul Haque, Samina Bano, Lubna Zaheer, Shaheen Faizi

Turkish Journal of Biology

Tagetes patula is used to treat cancer patients in alternative healthcare systems. However, its cytotoxic and genotoxic effects have not been reported. Therefore, the methanol extract of T. patula flower, the ethyl acetate fraction, and the pure compound patuletin were evaluated using the Allium test. The methanol extract and fraction contained ~3% and ~36% patuletin, respectively, with ~98% purity. The methanol extract caused inhibition of Allium root growth displaying an IC50 value of ~500 μg/mL, while the fraction and patuletin were more potent by ~2 and ~5 times, respectively. The Allium root tips demonstrated a decline in prophase, metaphase, anaphase, …

Late Quaternary Landscape Evolution Of The Southern Marmara Region:Paleogeographic Implications For Settlements, Nw Turkey, Ni̇zametti̇n Kazanci, Zeynep Ergun, Kaan İren, Suzanne A. Leroy, Sonay Boyraz Aslan, Mehmet Sali̇m Öncel, Koray Koç, Alper Gürbüz

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This study presents the late Quaternary evolution of the southern Marmara region in northwestern Turkey and discusses the suitability of the area for settlements. It is based on interpretation of sediment analyses together with radiometric dates obtained from drilling cores. As three-fourths of the southern Marmara region (ca. 30,000 km2) is covered by the Susurluk Drainage Basin (SDB), the study focuses on this basin. The SDB has a concave surface morphology dipping northward, with highlands in the south (ca. 1300-1700 m a.s.l.) and lowlands in the north (ca. 0-250 a.s.l.). Lake Manyas, Lake Ulubat, and south-north flowing rivers, together with …

Genetic Diversity, Phylogeography And Population Gene Flow Of Tunisian Pistacia Vera L., Sarra Choulak, Zined Marzouk, Khaled Chatti̇, Soumaya Rhouma-Chatti̇, Rim Ouni̇, Noureddine Chatti

Turkish Journal of Botany

The aim of this paper was to determine how the pistachio trees evolve, and the evolving factors that influence pistachio population establishment. For that, we investigated pistachio genetic structure from some regions of Tunisia, by sequencing two noncoding chloroplastic regions (trnL (UAA) and trnL-trnF intergenic spacer). We found strong genetic diversity among groups, with the absence of high differentiation between population pairs. A deep phylogeographical break separated two major clusters: "El-Guetar and "Gafsa/Sidi-Bouzid. This conclusion is proved by the haplotype networks, the phylogenetic trees, and the molecular variance analysis. Different interpretations were proposed to explain this cytoplasm dimorphism, based on …

Folk Medicine In Düzce Province (Turkey), İlhan Gürbüz, Ayşe Mi̇ne Gençler Özkan, Gali̇p Akaydin, Ece Sali̇hoğlu, Tuğba Günbatan, Fati̇h Demi̇rci̇, Erdem Yeşi̇lada

Turkish Journal of Botany

The present study was conducted to collect, record, and document local knowledge of medicinal practices in Düzce, a northwestern Anatolian province. To the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive ethnobotanical study has been reported from this province. Information was acquired through semistructured interviews and personal conversations using a questionnaire and numerous guided field trips with local knowledgeable people. For quantitative analyses and comparisons, recorded data such as informant consensus factor (FIC) and use value (UV) were calculated, respectively. As a result of extensive field studies, 122 taxa were determined as folk medicines; 76 of were wild and 46 were cultivated. …

Squalene Attenuates The Oxidative Stress And Activates Akt/Mtor Pathway Against Cisplatin-Induced Kidney Damage In Mice, Ayşe Arzu Şakul, Mehmet Ozansoy, Bi̇rsen Eli̇bol, Şule Ayla, Mehmet Yalçin Günal, Yasemi̇n Yozgat, Selma Hüveyda Başağa, Kazi̇m Şahi̇n, Rümeyza Kazancioğlu, Ülkan Kiliç

Turkish Journal of Biology

The clinical use of cisplatin, which is a first-line anticancer agent, is highly restricted due to its adverse effects on kidneys that lead to nephrotoxicity. Therefore, some potential reno-protective substances have been used in combination with cisplatin to cope with nephrotoxicity. Due to its high antitumor activity and oxygen-carrying capacity, we investigated the molecular effects of squalene against cisplatin-induced oxidative stress and kidney damage in mice. Single dose of cisplatin (7 mg/kg) was given to male Balb/c mice. Squalene (100 mg/kg/day) was administered orogastrically to mice for 10 days. Following sacrification, molecular alterations were investigated as analysis of the levels …

A Study On The Challenges To Boys' Education In Sabie, Mozambique, Rachel Ledebuhr

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Much research has been conducted on struggles related to female retention rates in schools in Africa. Yet, it was observed that boys are not completing their education, as well, in the region of Sabie, Mozambique. Utilizing semi-structured interviews, this study focused on the challenges that boys face in Sabie that cause them to stop their education, as well as investigated where they go instead of attending school. This qualitative study with six non-student participants from the community, six current students and five drop outs, indicated that boys mainly drop out due to financial problems. Results also indicated that when they …

Improved Methods For The Quantification Of Viable Ascaris Suum And Application To Biosolids, Tanner Keyzers

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The current method for detection of Ascaris ova in biosolids and wastewater has several drawbacks including being labor and time intensive as well as being difficult to quantify viable ova that have larvated during treatment. The goal of this thesis was to improve several methods for the detection and quantification of Ascaris ova during long term-storage of biosolids including improvement of quantifying viable ova using a heat and bleach treatment to promote movement of larvae inside of ova, and comparison of the traditional microscopic method with qPCR and PMA-qPCR to prevent the false-positive results. Improved methods to promote movement of …

Optical Vortex And Poincaré Analysis For Biophysical Dynamics, Anindya Majumdar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Coherent light - such as that from a laser - on interaction with biological tissues, undergoes scattering. This scattered light undergoes interference and the resultant field has randomly added phases and amplitudes. This random interference pattern is known as speckles, and has been the subject of multiple applications, including imaging techniques. These speckle fields inherently contain optical vortices, or phase singularities. These are locations where the intensity (or amplitude) of the interference pattern is zero, and the phase is undefined.

In the research presented in this dissertation, dynamic speckle patterns were obtained through computer simulations as well as laboratory setups …

Attitudes About Acceptable Risk In The Context Of The Biodiversity Crisis, Thomas Offer-Westort

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Crafting and enforcing conservation policy requires making normative judgements about what levels of risk are acceptable. These judgements include crucial decisions that impact which species qualify as “endangered.” If a government’s policies are going to represent the values of the public they govern, then public attitudes should be understood. Unfortunately, essentially nothing is known about public attitudes as they pertain to acceptable risk and the biodiversity crisis.

My research aims to address this gap using data from an internet-based survey (n=1050). I focused on the Endangered Species Act of 1973 which defines an endangered species as “any species which is …

Linking Historical, Field, And Satellite Data To Determine The Relationship Between Gas Emissions And Vegetation Change In The Puhimau Geothermal Area East Rift Zone Kilauea, Hawaii, Christie Torres Rosa

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Puhimau geothermal area, located near the summit of the Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, has been suggested to represent a ‘window’ into the East Rift Zone. The quantification of CO₂ and H₂S soil gas emissions improves our understanding of its gas emission mode- including total emission and spatial distribution and contribute to a more accurate estimation of total CO₂ and H₂S in the thermal area – and how these gas emissions relate to observed vegetation health from satellite data. The total emission of CO₂ and H₂S was interpolated by the sequential Gaussian …

Molecular Characterization Of Free Tropospheric Organic Aerosol And The Development Of Computational Tools For Molecular Formula Assignment, Simeon Schum

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Organic aerosol affects human health and climate. These effects are largely determined by the composition of the organic aerosol, which is a complex mixture of species. Understanding the complexity of organic aerosol is critical to determining its effect on human health and climate. In this study, long range transported organic aerosol collected at the Pico Mountain Observatory was analyzed using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. Organic aerosol transported in the free troposphere had an overall lower extent of oxidation than aerosol transported in the boundary layer. It was hypothesized that the lower oxidation was related to a more viscous phase state …

Accessible Access Control: A Visualization System For Access Control Policy Management, Man Wang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Attacks on computers today present in many different forms, causing malfunction of operating systems, information leakage and loss of business and public trust. Access control is a technique that stands as the last line of protection restricting the access of users or processes to resources on computers. Throughout the years, many access control models have been implemented to accommodate security requirements under different circumstances. However, the learning of access control models and the management of access control policies are still challenging given its abstract nature, the lack of an environment for practice, and the intricacy of fulfilling complex security goals. …

“Because We Have Chosen A Life Of Peace”: A Quantitative And Qualitative Study Of Vegan Food Narratives, Silke H. Feltz

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Restaurants, grocery stores, fast food chains, and companies all over the United States introduce the consumer to more vegan products, dishes, and services than ever before. The rise of veganism therefore offers a rhetorical platform that should be studied. This dissertation discusses the rhetoric of veganism by analyzing food narratives of vegans through a critical intersectional lens and consists of three research stages. The first research stage investigates the narratology of Glenn Scott Lacey’s documentary, Vegan: Everyday Stories(2016). In particular, this rhetorical analysis focuses on the evaluative belief system of vegan storytelling by applying narrative and ideological criticism. The …

Examining Aspen Expansion From Before And After Prescribed Burning In A Native Fescue Grassland Through Geospatial Techniques, Christopher Anderson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Native fescue (Fescue spp.) grasslands of the Intermountain West have become increasingly scarce due to the advent of modern agriculture, the loss of Indigenous people’s land management practices, modern wildfire management and the extirpation of bison (Bison bison bison). Native grassland is a biodiversity hot-spot, is significant for carbon sequestration, and essential to many species of flora and fauna that occur in the ecosystem. Our study site, on the Rocky Mountain Front in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta Canada, consists of 30 discrete aspen stands (Populous tremuloides) which are encroaching on this declining shortgrass fescue …

A Smart Implantable Bone Fixation Plate Providing Actuation And Load Monitoring For Orthopedic Fracture Healing, Brad Nelson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Fracture non-union occurs in roughly 5-10% of all fracture cases, and current interventions are both time-consuming and costly. There is therefore significant incentive to develop new tools to improve fracture healing outcomes. Several studies have shown that low-magnitude, high-frequency (LMHF) mechanical loading can promote faster healing and reduce the risk of refracture in critical-size long bone fractures. This is typically done using whole-body vibration, which may result in undesirable systemic effects on the rest of the body. This work discusses an implantable piezoelectric fixation plate that can both apply LMHF loading directly to the fracture site using flexible scheduling and …

Application Of A Distributed Hydrologic Model For The Analysis Of Land Use Change In Kedougou, Senegal, Francisco Perez

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

West Africa has experienced extensive land use/land cover (LULC) change since the Sahel drought of the 1970s and 80s. Demographic changes, rapid urbanization, and other anthropogenic impacts on land cover in West Africa have potentially altered hydrological regimes. This work was undertaken while I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kedougou region of Senegal, an area that has experienced significant and rapid infrastructural improvements and urbanization since the early 2000s. The Gambia River flows near Kedougou, where flooding is an extensive problem, making access and livelihood practices difficult during the rainy season. Changes in climate and land use …

Spatiotemporal Variability In Winter Severity: Consequences For White-Tailed Deer Populations And Habitat Sustainability, Grace Parikh

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Winter in the northern Great Lakes presents a suite of challenging conditions for animals, in terms of limited food availability and increased energetic cost of locomotion and thermoregulation. Variable winter severity is liable to cause interannual fluctuations in habitat viability and use by animals, in addition to modulating physiological responses in animals to conserve energy. For example, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) congregate at high densities under eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) or northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) stands, which provide forage, thermal cover, reduced snow depth, and enhanced vigilance. However, a suite of climatic, edaphic, and …

Design And Development Of Personal Protective Equipment Products To Reduce The Impacts Of Machete Injuries For Indigenous Ngäbe Subsistence Farmers In Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Micah Koller

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Design and development of personal protective equipment products for workers using machetes (MPPE) is considered in the specific context of indigenous Ngäbe subsistence farmers in a small, rural community in Bocas del Toro, Panama where the author spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer from 2017-2019. People in this community regularly suffer significant health and economic impacts due to accidents with machetes, which are essential tools in their farm work and daily lives. The history, criticisms, and recent frameworks related to product design and development in resource-poor markets is examined, and specific details of the problem of machete injuries …

Degradable Zinc Material Characteristics And Its Influence On Biocompatibility In An In-Vivo Murine Model, Roger J. Guillory Ii

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Biodegradable stents based on zinc have been under development since their introduction in 2013. While metallic zinc is highly ductile, it unfortunately lacks the mechanical strength required for arterial stents. This has led to the development of an abundance of novel zinc-based materials, with the aim of improving the mechanical strength without sacrificing too much ductility. Although these materials are intended to function and slowly degrade within an artery, most zinc-based materials have been developed without deep consideration for their biological effects.

The present work explores the biological effects elicited by zinc-based materials implanted within the arterial system. The biological …

Christian Allen's Digital Media Portfolio, Christian Allen

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

No abstract provided.

A Modified Gravitational Search Algorithm And Its Application In Lifetime Maximization Of Wireless Sensor Networks, Sepehr Ebrahimi Mood, Mohammad Masoud Javidi

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Recently, academic communities and industrial sectors have been affected by significant advancements in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Employing clustering methods is the dominant method to maximize the WSN's lifetime, which is considered to be a major issue. Metaheuristic algorithms have attracted wide attention in the research area of clustering. In this paper, first a novel nature-inspired optimization algorithm based on the gravitational search algorithm (GSA) is defined. To control the exploitation and exploration capabilities of this algorithm, along with calculating the masses value, the tournament selection method is employed. Tournament size, the parameter of this method, is computed automatically using …