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Articles 1921 - 1950 of 2421

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

How Cross-Modality Effects During Intraspecific Interactions Of Jumping Spiders Differ Depending On Whether A Female-Choice Or Mutual-Choice Mating System Is Adopted, Fiona R. Cross, Robert R. Jackson Feb 2009

How Cross-Modality Effects During Intraspecific Interactions Of Jumping Spiders Differ Depending On Whether A Female-Choice Or Mutual-Choice Mating System Is Adopted, Fiona R. Cross, Robert R. Jackson

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

An important prediction from game theory is that the value of a resource influences the level to which conflict escalates. Here we use jumping spiders (Salticidae) to consider this prediction in the context of species adopting different mating systems ('female mate-choice' and 'mutual mate-choice'). Our experiments are designed for determining whether the odour of conspecific females, more than the odour of heterospecific females, primes males to escalate conflict with a potential same-sex rival and also whether the odour of conspecific males, more than the odour of heterospecific males, primes females to escalate conflict with a potential same-sex rival. Four species …

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Parasitoids Associated With Mussidia Spp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) In Kenya, Benjamin Kimwele Muli, Fritz Schulthess, Johnnie Van Den Berg Feb 2009

Parasitoids Associated With Mussidia Spp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) In Kenya, Benjamin Kimwele Muli, Fritz Schulthess, Johnnie Van Den Berg

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The pyralid Mussidia nigrivenella, a pest of cotton, maize and Phaseolus bean in West Africa, has never been reported as a crop pest in East and Southern Africa, although reportedly it exists in the wild. It is hypothesized that the difference in pest status of M. nigrivenella between western and eastern Africa was either due to differences in natural enemy compositions or that there exist several populations and/or species of Mussidia, which vary in their host plant range. Thus, a catalogue of parasitoids of Mussidia spp. was established through surveys in mid-altitude and coastal Kenya, between 2006 and 2007. Mussidia …

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Understanding The Physical Properties That Control Protein Crystallization By Analysis Of Largescale Experimental Data, W. Nicholson Price Ii, Yang Chen, Samuel K. Handelman, Helen Neely, Philip Manor, Richard Karlin, Rajesh Nair, Jinfeng Liu, Michael Baran, John Everett, Saichiu N. Tong, Farhad Forouhar, Swarup S. Swaminathan, Thomas Acton, Rong Xiao, Joseph R. Luft, Angela Lauricella, George T. Detitta, Burkhard Rost, Gaetano T. Montelione, John T. Hunt Jan 2009

Understanding The Physical Properties That Control Protein Crystallization By Analysis Of Largescale Experimental Data, W. Nicholson Price Ii, Yang Chen, Samuel K. Handelman, Helen Neely, Philip Manor, Richard Karlin, Rajesh Nair, Jinfeng Liu, Michael Baran, John Everett, Saichiu N. Tong, Farhad Forouhar, Swarup S. Swaminathan, Thomas Acton, Rong Xiao, Joseph R. Luft, Angela Lauricella, George T. Detitta, Burkhard Rost, Gaetano T. Montelione, John T. Hunt

Law Faculty Scholarship

Crystallization is the most serious bottleneck in high-throughput protein-structure determination by diffraction methods. We have used data mining of the large-scale experimental results of the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium and experimental folding studies to characterize the biophysical properties that control protein crystallization. This analysis leads to the conclusion that crystallization propensity depends primarily on the prevalence of well-ordered surface epitopes capable of mediating interprotein interactions and is not strongly influenced by overall thermodynamic stability. We identify specific sequence features that correlate with crystallization propensity and that can be used to estimate the crystallization probability of a given construct. Analyses of …

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Effect Of Oil Content And Processing Conditions On The Thermal Behavior And Physicochemical Stability Of Oil-In-Water Emulsions, Megan Tippetts, Silvana Martini Jan 2009

Effect Of Oil Content And Processing Conditions On The Thermal Behavior And Physicochemical Stability Of Oil-In-Water Emulsions, Megan Tippetts, Silvana Martini

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The destabilisation mechanism of oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions was studied as a function of oil content (20% and 40% o/w), homogenisation conditions and crystallisation temperatures (10, 5, 0, −5 and −10 °C). A mixture of anhydrous milk fat and soya bean oil was used as the lipid phase and whey protein isolate (2 wt%) as emulsifier. Crystallisation and melting behaviours were analysed using differential scanning calorimetry. Physicochemical stability was measured with a vertical scan macroscopic analyser. Emulsions with 20% oil were found to be less stable than those with 40% oil. For 20% o/w emulsions, the crystallisation was delayed and inhibited …

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Element Stoichiometry Of Ochromonas Danica As A Function Of Growth Rate And Temperature, Savannah Simonds Jan 2009

Element Stoichiometry Of Ochromonas Danica As A Function Of Growth Rate And Temperature, Savannah Simonds

Biology Theses - Archive

The microbial loop stresses the importance of flagellated protozoa as predators of bacteria and regenerators of nutrients, the outcome of which affects higher trophic levels. The element stoichiometry of flagellates has only been examined while feeding upon bacteria or phytoplankton. In this study, the element stoichiometry of the protozoan flagellate, Ochromonas danica, was determined while growing osmotrophically thus eliminating the potential errors due to element contributions of prey in food vacuoles. The element and nucleic acid content of the flagellate were examined under a range of environmentally relevant temperatures and growth rates using chemostat cultures. Growth rate was the driving …

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Diversity And Community Organization In The Periphyton Of Recirculating Streams Channels Are Defined By Current Velocity And Nutrient Supply, Chad A. Larson Jan 2009

Diversity And Community Organization In The Periphyton Of Recirculating Streams Channels Are Defined By Current Velocity And Nutrient Supply, Chad A. Larson

Biology Dissertations - Archive

In a series of experiments taking place in recirculating artificial stream channels, periphyton communities growing on ceramic tiles were subjected to variations in current velocity and nutrient supply. The first experiment used stream water and manipulated current velocity, subjecting periphyton communities to either high or low current velocities (30 and 10 cm * sec-1 respectively), while in experiments 2-4, modified WC media was used and periphyton communities subjected to different nutrient (low and high) and current regimes (low, high, and variable flow). Each experimental run lasted 35 days. In all experiments, greater species richness of periphyton communities was observed in …

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Natural Hybridization And Speciation In Toads Of The Anaxyrus Americanus Group., Brian E. Fontenot Jan 2009

Natural Hybridization And Speciation In Toads Of The Anaxyrus Americanus Group., Brian E. Fontenot

Biology Dissertations - Archive

The goal of speciation research is to elucidate the processes that lead to the formation of new species. Examining natural hybridization and the evolution of reproductive isolating barriers provides an opportunity to understand the dynamic processes that occur before, during, and after speciation events. Here, I use true toads of the Anaxyrus americanus group to examine the effects of natural hybridization on (1) the evolution of reproductive isolation using previously published laboratory hybridization data on multiple species within the family Bufonidae, (2) morphological variation using morphometric analysis of known Anaxyrus americanus group hybrids, and (3) molecular variation and genetic population …

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Morphology And Habitat Use Among Insular Populations Of The Lizard Anolis Lemurinus From The Cayos Cochinos Archipelago Of Honduras, Michael Latter Logan Jan 2009

Morphology And Habitat Use Among Insular Populations Of The Lizard Anolis Lemurinus From The Cayos Cochinos Archipelago Of Honduras, Michael Latter Logan

Biology Theses - Archive

In Honduras, Anolis lemurinus is distributed along the Atlantic versant of the mainland and on the Caribbean island system consisting of the Bay Islands and Cayos Cochinos archipelagos. In the Cayos Cochinos, A. lemurinus occurs on the two largest islands, Cayo Mayor and Cayo Menor, which are separated by less than 1km. A previous study using genetic (amplified fragment-length polymorphisms) and morphometric (mass and SVL) data suggested that populations of A. lemurinus in the Cayos Cochinos did not differ from each other (Klutsch et al. 2007). Despite the extremely close proximity of Cayo Mayor and Cayo Menor populations, I hypothesized …

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How Soil Nutrient Availability Affects Plant Sexual Reproduction And Seedling Recruitment In Alaskan Dry Heath Tundra: Implications For Response To Climate Change, Carol Moulton Jan 2009

How Soil Nutrient Availability Affects Plant Sexual Reproduction And Seedling Recruitment In Alaskan Dry Heath Tundra: Implications For Response To Climate Change, Carol Moulton

Biology Theses - Archive

The harsh growing conditions of the arctic biome, in particular low temperatures and soil nutrient availability, restrict the growth and reproduction of arctic plant species. Recent and ongoing changes in climate are increasing air and soil temperatures in these ecosystems, thus affecting decomposition rates of arctic soils. As decomposition increases, nutrients that are currently immobilized in the soil organic layer become available to nutrient-limited tundra plants. Plant species within the tundra communities then compete for the newly available nutrients, potentially causing a shift in community composition. As an important component of plant life cycles, seeds provide new individuals and genetic …

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Ecomorphology Of The Mexican Fence Lizards Of The Sceloporus Formosus Group (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae), Gloria Andrea Acevedo Jan 2009

Ecomorphology Of The Mexican Fence Lizards Of The Sceloporus Formosus Group (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae), Gloria Andrea Acevedo

Biology Theses - Archive

A central belief of ecomorphological studies is the link between morphology and performance, but, surprisingly few analyses demonstrate this relationship. Fence lizards of the genus Sceloporus offer a useful system for addressing correlations between morphology and performance because they possess keratinized and keeled scales, a distinctive morphological character that might influence water balance. A common observation across different taxa of reptiles is that many organisms in dry habitats have few scales on their bodies, compared to organisms inhabiting moist environments. This pattern is also present in fence lizards. I investigated if the number of dorsal and lateral scales varies across …

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Analysis Of Novel Regulatory Region And Function Of A Young Drosophila Retrogene: Dntf-2r, Mansi Motiwale Kunte Jan 2009

Analysis Of Novel Regulatory Region And Function Of A Young Drosophila Retrogene: Dntf-2r, Mansi Motiwale Kunte

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Dntf-2r is a young retroposed gene that originated from the nuclear transport gene Dntf-2. Here the function, quality and evolutionary origin of the regulation of this retrogene are explored. In Chapter 1, I introduce the background of what is known of Dntf-2r as well as the function of its parental gene. This includes their evolutionary histories, and known functional and regulatory aspects. Chapter 2 describes my work on the novel regulatory region recruited by the retrogene and I explore the tissue specific expression pattern (i.e. testis expression) driven by this region. In Chapter 3 I set myself up to review …

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Thermal Tolerance, Physiologic Condition, And Population Genetics Of Dreissenid Mussels (Dreissena Polymorpha And D. Rostriformis Bugensis) Relative To Their Invasion Of Waters In The Western United States, John T. Morse Jan 2009

Thermal Tolerance, Physiologic Condition, And Population Genetics Of Dreissenid Mussels (Dreissena Polymorpha And D. Rostriformis Bugensis) Relative To Their Invasion Of Waters In The Western United States, John T. Morse

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, and quagga mussels, D. rostriformis bugensis, Eurasian freshwater bivalves, invaded the North American (NA) Great Lakes in the mid 1980's. Subsequently, they invaded water bodies east of the Rocky Mountains. Their more recent expansion into warm, isolated, southwestern U.S. water bodies suggests that both species are developing thermally-tolerant physiological races. Chronic upper thermal tolerance limits were determined for D. polymorpha populations from Winfield City Lake (KS) (WCL), Lake Oologah (OK) (OL) and Hedges Lake (NY) (HL), and the D. rostriformis bugensis population from Lake Mead (NV/AZ) (LM). Individuals from WCL had 12-d and 28-d incipient upper …

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Sex, War And Disease: The Effects Of Infection On Horn Size And Intra-Sexual Competition In The Broad-Horned Flour Beetle, Gnathocerus Cornutus, Amrita Naidu Jan 2009

Sex, War And Disease: The Effects Of Infection On Horn Size And Intra-Sexual Competition In The Broad-Horned Flour Beetle, Gnathocerus Cornutus, Amrita Naidu

Biology Theses - Archive

Sexual selection is widely used to explain the evolution of mating systems where most often it is manifest as the competition among males for access to females. This competition takes the form of direct male-male interactions in broad-horned flour beetle Gnathocerus cornutus and often results in exaggerated male phenotypes. Sexually selected traits are interesting because in many cases their existence appears to contradict natural selection. For example, the "handicap hypothesis" suggests that there may be a trade-off between immune response and horn size because mounting an immune response necessary for survival (natural selection) may divert resources away from growing longer …

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Sequence Evolution Of Recurrently Recruited Retroposed Genes In Drosophila And Their Possible Role In Meiotic Drive, Charles David Tracy Jan 2009

Sequence Evolution Of Recurrently Recruited Retroposed Genes In Drosophila And Their Possible Role In Meiotic Drive, Charles David Tracy

Biology Theses - Archive

Gene duplications are a valuable source of genetic information that can evolve under positive selection creating a new gene function without affecting the original function.A gene duplication mechanism is retroposition. Retroposed copies of genes (retrogenes) are created by reverse transcription of a mRNA into the host organism's genome producing a new sequence that has the same protein coding capacity as the parental gene but lacks introns and regulatory regions. Ran and Dntf-2 are genes involved in nuclear transport that have given rise to retrogenes three times in the Drosophila genus.Recently, genes involved in nuclear transport such as Ran and Dntf-2 …

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Ros-Mediated Oxidative Stress Influence Anti-Apoptotic Genes And Cyt C Release In Hyperglycemic Mouse Kidneys To Initiate Late Nephropathic Complications, Krina Shah, Mayur S. Parmar, Sidhartha D. Ray Jan 2009

Ros-Mediated Oxidative Stress Influence Anti-Apoptotic Genes And Cyt C Release In Hyperglycemic Mouse Kidneys To Initiate Late Nephropathic Complications, Krina Shah, Mayur S. Parmar, Sidhartha D. Ray

HPD Articles

Decades of intense research has shown that hyperglycemiainduced ROS production can lead to a redox-imbalance causing oxidative stress (OS) in a variety of target organs in vivo. In the absence of an efficient antioxidant counteracting system, massive OS often leads to activation of stress-responsive signaling pathways resulting in deregulated expression of pro-survival and/or pro-death genes. Persistent deregulation of such pathways eventually masterminds late complications of diabetes. Most studies hold hyperglycemia-induced OS as the ‘cause’, and premature onset of apoptosis as the ‘effect’. This ‘cause and effect’ axis ultimately initiates the development and progression of macro and microvascular complications including diabetic …

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Theoretical And Practical Utility Of Gene Sequences In Phylogenetic And Phylogeographic Analysis, Robert Aaron Makowsky Jan 2009

Theoretical And Practical Utility Of Gene Sequences In Phylogenetic And Phylogeographic Analysis, Robert Aaron Makowsky

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Phylogenetics, or the study of evolutionary relationships among organisms, is a rapidly changing field due primarily to the dramatic increase in available molecular characters and increasingly sophisticated theoretical and computational methods. Current phylogenetic methods, though, poorly handle such large datasets due to the extremely large number of calculations required. In this dissertation, I focus on a method that can reduce datasets with a large number of molecular characters and at the same time optimize the performance of phylogenetic methods. Chapter 1 provides background information about phylogenetic methods, with a specific emphasis on Bayesian phylogenetic methods. MrBayes is the most common …

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Field Release Of A Non-Toxigenic Aspergillus Flavus L Strain In Central Benin, A. M. Klueken, C. Borgemeister, B. Hau Jan 2009

Field Release Of A Non-Toxigenic Aspergillus Flavus L Strain In Central Benin, A. M. Klueken, C. Borgemeister, B. Hau

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Non-toxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus (Link) can be used as biological control agents to reduce the contamination of grains such as maize with carcinogenic and immunotoxic aflatoxins. Based on its sclerotial morphology, A. flavus is commonly divided into two types: L strains and S strains. In this study, we applied the non-toxigenic A. flavus L strain BN030D to the soil of five maize fields in Djidja, central Benin, to investigate its effects on the composition of the prevailing fungal communities, on the ratio of A. flavus L strains and S strains, and on the vegetative compatibility of L strains with …

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Larvicidal Activity Of Extracts From Three Plumbago Spp Against Anopheles Gambiae, Barasa M. Maniafu, Lwande Wilber, Isaiah O. Ndiege, Cornelius C. Wanjala, Teresa Ayuko Akenga Jan 2009

Larvicidal Activity Of Extracts From Three Plumbago Spp Against Anopheles Gambiae, Barasa M. Maniafu, Lwande Wilber, Isaiah O. Ndiege, Cornelius C. Wanjala, Teresa Ayuko Akenga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Three Plumbago spp have been tested for mosquito larvicidal activity. The crude extracts exhibiting the highest larvicidal activity against Anopheles gambiae were hexane (LC50 = 6.4 μg/mL) and chloroform (LC50 = 6.7 μg/mL) extracts from Plumbago zeylanica Linn, chloroform (LC50 = 6.7 ug/mL) extract from Plumbago stenophylla Bull and ethyl acetate (LC50 = 4.1 μg/mL) extract from Plumbago dawei Rolfe. These LC50 values were within 95% confidence limits. 5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (plumbagin) 1 (LC50 = 1.9 μg/mL) and β-sitosterol 2 were characterised from ethyl acetate extract of root bark of P. dawei, a native medicinal plant growing in Kenya, based on spectral …

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Describing Anopheles Arabiensis Aquatic Habitats In Two Riceland Agro-Ecosystems In Mwea, Kenya Using A Negative Binomial Regression Model With A Non-Homogenous Mean, Benjamin G. Jacob, Daniel Griffith, Ephantus Muturi, Erick X. Caamano, Josephat Shililu, John I. Githure, Robert J. Novak Jan 2009

Describing Anopheles Arabiensis Aquatic Habitats In Two Riceland Agro-Ecosystems In Mwea, Kenya Using A Negative Binomial Regression Model With A Non-Homogenous Mean, Benjamin G. Jacob, Daniel Griffith, Ephantus Muturi, Erick X. Caamano, Josephat Shililu, John I. Githure, Robert J. Novak

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This research illustrates a geostatistical approach for modeling the spatial distribution patterns of Anopheles arabiensis Patton (Patton) aquatic habitats in two riceland environments. QuickBird 0.61m data, encompassing the visible bands and the near-infra-red (NIR) band, were selected to synthesize images of An. arabiensis aquatic habitats. These bands and field sampled data were used to determine ecological parameters associated with riceland larval habitat development. SAS® was used to calculate univariate statistics, correlations and Poisson regression models. Global autocorrelation statistics were generated in ArcGIS® from georeferenced Anopheles aquatic habitats in the study sites. The geographic distribution of Anopheles gambiae s.l. aquatic habitats …

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The Malina Oceanographic Expedition: How Do Changes In Ice Cover, Permafrost And Uv Radiation Impact On Biodiversity And Biogeochemical Fluxes In The Arctic Ocean?, Phillippe Massicotte, Rainer Amon, David Antoine, Philippe Archambault, Sergio Balzano, Simon Bélanger, Ronald Benner, Dominique Boeuf, Annick Bricaud, Flavienne Bruyant, Gwenaëlle Chaillou, Malik Malik, Bruno Charrière, Jing Chen, Hervé Claustre, Pierre Coupel, Nicole Delsaut, David Doxaran, Et. Al. Jan 2009

The Malina Oceanographic Expedition: How Do Changes In Ice Cover, Permafrost And Uv Radiation Impact On Biodiversity And Biogeochemical Fluxes In The Arctic Ocean?, Phillippe Massicotte, Rainer Amon, David Antoine, Philippe Archambault, Sergio Balzano, Simon Bélanger, Ronald Benner, Dominique Boeuf, Annick Bricaud, Flavienne Bruyant, Gwenaëlle Chaillou, Malik Malik, Bruno Charrière, Jing Chen, Hervé Claustre, Pierre Coupel, Nicole Delsaut, David Doxaran, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

The MALINA oceanographic campaign was conducted during summer 2009 to investigate the carbon stocks and the processes controlling the carbon fluxes in the Mackenzie River estuary and the Beaufort Sea. During the campaign, an extensive suite of physical, chemical and biological variables was measured across seven shelf–basin transects (south-north) to capture the meridional gradient between the estuary and the open ocean. Key variables such as temperature, absolute salinity, radiance, irradiance, nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll-a concentration, bacteria, phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance and taxonomy, and carbon stocks and fluxes were routinely measured onboard the Canadian research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen and from a barge …

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Effect Of Common Wild Crucifer Species Of Kenya On Fitness Of Two Exotic Diamondback Moth Parasitoids, Cotesia Plutellae And Diadegma Semiclausum, R. Kahuthia-Gathu, B. Löhr, H. M. Poehling Dec 2008

Effect Of Common Wild Crucifer Species Of Kenya On Fitness Of Two Exotic Diamondback Moth Parasitoids, Cotesia Plutellae And Diadegma Semiclausum, R. Kahuthia-Gathu, B. Löhr, H. M. Poehling

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Plutella xylostella is the most abundant and damaging pest of cruciferous crops in Kenya and has gained economic importance over the years. During a survey conducted in the major crucifer areas of Kenya a number of wild crucifers recorded in the region were found infested with diamondback moth. As a result, research was conducted in the laboratory and greenhouse to investigate whether exotic parasitoids recently introduced would develop and survive on the wild crucifers. Experiments were conducted on development, survival, reproductive potential and parasitism of Cotesia plutellae and Diadegma semiclausum on cultivated Brassica (Brassica oleracea var. capitata and B. oleracea …

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North Shore Bays Benthic Mapping: Groundtruth Studies Gis Data, Robert M. Cerrato, Lee Holt Nov 2008

North Shore Bays Benthic Mapping: Groundtruth Studies Gis Data, Robert M. Cerrato, Lee Holt

SoMAS Research Data

We combined high-resolution remote sensing techniques with detailed study of the physical and faunal characteristics at point locations in different seafloor environments within the Oyster Bay- Cold Spring Harbor Complex, the Huntington-Northport Bay Complex, and Port Jefferson Harbor, including Conscience Bay. High-resolution backscatter and bathymetric maps created by side scan and multibeam sonar surveys were used to classify the seabed into provinces. Samples for macrofauna and sediment properties were collected within each province to provide "ground truth" for the acoustic maps. Oyster Bay, Huntington Harbor, and Port Jefferson Harbor were sampled at 40, 38, and 50 locations, respectively, with two …

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Effect Of The Addition Of Waxes On The Crystallization Behavior Of Anhydrous Milk Fat, Silvana Martini, Amalia A. Carelli, Jiwon Lee Nov 2008

Effect Of The Addition Of Waxes On The Crystallization Behavior Of Anhydrous Milk Fat, Silvana Martini, Amalia A. Carelli, Jiwon Lee

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Physicochemical characteristics of lipid-based foods depend, among other factors, on the microstructure and the characteristics of the lipid network formed during crystallization. The objective of this study, was to evaluate the effect of the addition of sunflower oil waxes on the crystallization and melting behavior of anhydrous milk fat (AMF), a lipid with a low content of palmitic and trans-fatty acids. The crystallization and melting behavior of AMF alone and with the addition of 0.25 and 0.5% of waxes was studied using a differential scanning calorimeter. The morphology of the crystallized samples was evaluated with a polarized light microscope. The …

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Regulation Of Oviposition In Anopheles Gambiae S.S.: Role Of Inter- And Intra-Specific Signals, Leunita A. Sumba, C. Brandon Ogbunugafor, Arop L. Deng, Ahmed Hassanali Nov 2008

Regulation Of Oviposition In Anopheles Gambiae S.S.: Role Of Inter- And Intra-Specific Signals, Leunita A. Sumba, C. Brandon Ogbunugafor, Arop L. Deng, Ahmed Hassanali

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Females of Anopheles gambiae Giles normally oviposit in a large number of fresh, small, sunlit, and spatially spread temporary pools. Such pools are associated with lower levels of predation compared to large, longer-lasting habitats. We compared oviposition levels on preferred (water collected from natural anopheline larval habitats) and non-preferred (distilled water) aqueous substrates by gravid females that contained different densities of conspecific eggs or early and late instar larvae. The presence of conspecific larvae, but not eggs, had a positive or negative effect on the ovipositional responses of gravid An. gambiae females, depending on the quality (preferred or non-preferred by …

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Cross Mating Studies Among Five Fruit Fly Parasitoid Populations: Potential Biological Control Implications For Tephritid Pests, Maxwell K. Billah, Susan W. Kimani-Njogu, Robert A. Wharton, William A. Overholt, David D. Wilson, Millicent A. Cobblah Oct 2008

Cross Mating Studies Among Five Fruit Fly Parasitoid Populations: Potential Biological Control Implications For Tephritid Pests, Maxwell K. Billah, Susan W. Kimani-Njogu, Robert A. Wharton, William A. Overholt, David D. Wilson, Millicent A. Cobblah

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The reproductive compatibility between four different species/populations of the tephritid parasitoid Psyttalia (Walker) species from Kenya and individuals of the morphologically identical Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from a laboratory culture in Italy used in augmentative biological control of olive fly, Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) (Diptera: Tephritidae) was assessed through cross mating tests using single-pair and group mating methods. Reciprocal crosses among the species resulted in the production of viable offsprings up to the second generation. In spite of the successful production of viable offspring in the laboratory, Psyttalia species are known to have specific host fruit and/or host fly preferences …

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Unforeseen Misuses Of Bed Nets In Fishing Villages Along Lake Victoria, Noboru Minakawa, Gabriel O. Dida, Gorge O. Sonye, Kyoko Futami, Satoshi Kaneko Sep 2008

Unforeseen Misuses Of Bed Nets In Fishing Villages Along Lake Victoria, Noboru Minakawa, Gabriel O. Dida, Gorge O. Sonye, Kyoko Futami, Satoshi Kaneko

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background. To combat malaria, the Kenya Ministry of Health and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have distributed insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) for use over beds, with coverage for children under five years of age increasing rapidly. Nevertheless, residents of fishing villages have started to use these bed nets for drying fish and fishing in Lake Victoria. This study investigated the extent of bed net misuse in fishing villages. Methods. Seven fishing villages along the lake were surveyed to estimate how widely bed nets were being used for fishing and drying fish. Villagers were asked why they used the bed nets for such purposes. …

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Recent Reduction In The Water Level Of Lake Victoria Has Created More Habitats For Anopheles Funestus, Noboru Minakawa, Gorge Sonye, Gabriel O. Dida, Kyoko Futami, Satoshi Kaneko Aug 2008

Recent Reduction In The Water Level Of Lake Victoria Has Created More Habitats For Anopheles Funestus, Noboru Minakawa, Gorge Sonye, Gabriel O. Dida, Kyoko Futami, Satoshi Kaneko

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background. The water level of Lake Victoria has fallen more than 1.5 m since 1998, revealing a narrow strip of land along the shore. This study determined whether the recent drop in the water level has created additional breeding grounds for malaria vectors. Methods. The recent and past shorelines were estimated using landmarks and a satellite image. The locations of breeding habitats were recorded using a GPS unit during the high and low lake water periods. GIS was used to determine whether the breeding habitats were located on newly emerged land between the new and old shorelines. Results. Over half …

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The Effects Of An Artifically Elevated Thermal Environment And Seasonal Acclimatization On The Thermal Tolerance Of The Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Rebbekah Watson Aug 2008

The Effects Of An Artifically Elevated Thermal Environment And Seasonal Acclimatization On The Thermal Tolerance Of The Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Rebbekah Watson

Biology Theses - Archive

Gambusia affinis, the western mosquitofish, is a very hardy, live-bearing fish that has invaded freshwater habitats worldwide. The success of the western mosquitofishs' invasion is due to its reproductive capabilities and ability to tolerate a wide range of temperatures. The mosquitofish can inhabit waters as low as 0°C and higher than 40°C. Because of this species' eurythermicity, questions have been raised regarding the impact of artificially heated environments on its thermal tolerance limits and whether its thermal tolerance limits are consistent across seasons. Past studies have shown that mosquitofish populations inhabiting hot ponds receiving thermal effluents at steam-electric power stations …

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Comparative Thermal Biology And Associated Niche Differentiation Among The Five-Lined Skinks, Charles Matthew Watson Aug 2008

Comparative Thermal Biology And Associated Niche Differentiation Among The Five-Lined Skinks, Charles Matthew Watson

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Three species of five-lined skinks (Plestiodon fasciatus, P. laticeps, and P. inexpectatus) occur in regional sympatry across much of the Southeastern United States. These closely-related species, at one or more levels of development, all exhibit a like phenotype and a high amount of prey resource overlap as documented by published data. Under competitive exclusion hypotheses, these species should therefore not locally co-occur. This study confirms, through analysis of habitat type and canopy cover at the point of capture, that P. inexpectatus and P. fasciatus do not typically inhabit the same forest habitat. In fact, where their ranges overlap, P. fasciatus …

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Effect Of Emulsifiers On Shortenings, Silvana Martini, Maria Lidia Herrera Aug 2008

Effect Of Emulsifiers On Shortenings, Silvana Martini, Maria Lidia Herrera

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The quality of a shortening depends on its physicochemical characteristics. These include amount of solids, texture and melting behavior, among others. The type of shortening, the processing and storage conditions strongly affect these characteristics. Different strategies can be used to formulate shortenings with low trans fatty acids content while maintaining their physicochemical characteristics. This article describes some of these strategies and aims to provide information about the different variables that need to be controlled to obtain a high quality shortening.

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