Life Sciences Commons^™

Biodiversity And Foraging Preferences Of Bee Communities At Pinnacles National Park Over Time, Abigail M. E. Lehner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bees are considered to be the most important animal pollinator, providing billions of dollars in pollination services each year. Despite their importance in both natural and agricultural settings, the status of most native bees is unknown. Native bees are subject to a variety of threats including habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. Yet, monitoring programs have been implemented in few natural areas. Pinnacles National Park, PNP, in California is one of the only natural areas to have a large historical dataset on bees across decades with surveys conducted in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2011, and 2012. These surveys …

Using Cytoplasmic Biopsies To Determine Bovine Oocyte Quality, Madison Lindsey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Embryos resulting from assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), develop with lower efficiencies than embryos resulting from their in vivo counterparts. The reasons behind the developmental discrepancies remain largely unknown. Because the egg is the primary determinant of embryo developmental success, it is reasonable to consider inherent egg quality as a possible cause. The hypothesis for this project is that there are distinct mRNA transcript patterns, or molecular “fingerprints,” that distinguish high- versus low-quality eggs developing within the same environment. In this study, a small cytoplasmic biopsy was removed from 40 eggs …

Impacts Of The Changing Pacific On North American Drought, Atmospheric Rivers, And Explosive Cyclones, Jacob Stuivenvolt-Allen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The impacts of specific weather events can vary greatly from year to year. Much of these impacts depend heavily on the frequency of impactful weather which is constrained by the state of the climate system each year. This research focuses largely on the impacts that climate oscillations from year-to-year or even from decade-to-decade have on the frequency of impactful weather. There are numerous examples of impactful weather that impact North America, but this work focuses on drought in the western United States, atmospheric rivers in Northern California and rapidly developing winter storms along the east coast. While seemingly disparate events, …

Evaluation Of Noninvasive Methods For Determining Pregnancy, Diet, Nutrition, And Stress Among Pronghorn Antelope: Implications For Population Monitoring, Cole Bleke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to increase our understanding of the influence of adult female pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) physiology on fawn summer survival. Pronghorn are a valued big game animal in Idaho, but are particularly sensitive to capture; therefore, we designed a noninvasive fecal sampling study to measure pregnancy (progesterone and estrogen), diet, nutrition (fecal nitrogen and DAPA), and stress (cortisol), during metabolically-demanding female life history stages (late gestation, early lactation, and breeding season). We also compared survey results between ground and aerial methods within mountain valley landscapes.

Pregnancy determination, via progesterone, is possible for pronghorn, but sample collection …

Hidden Mechanisms Of Climate Impacts In Western Forests: Integrating Theory And Observation For Climate Adaptation, Sara J. Germain

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fire, insects, and disease are necessary components of forest ecosystems. Yet, climate change is intensifying these tree stressors and creating new interactions that threaten forest survival. This dissertation combined field observations with statistical predictions of changing disturbances in western forests to identify 1) how conventional models may underestimate future forest loss, and 2) how positive relationships between trees may be exploited by managers to prevent forest loss.

In Chapter II, I tested whether increasingly extreme weather with climate change increases Pacific yew extinction risk. I found that conventional modeling methods underestimated local extinction risk because trees were adapted to a …

Finding Relationships Between Physical Properties Of Butter And Water Loss, Annalisa Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Butter is a desirable fat rich product used for laminated pastries, like croissants, because of its flavor and consumer acceptance. However, butter has some functional aspects that reduce its performance and quality. In manufacturing of butter for laminated pastries, large blocks of butter are pushed through a rectangular opening to form a thin sheet. In this process it is not unusual to see water dripping, indicating water loss in the butter. The purpose of this study was to understand the properties of butter and their role in water loss during processing.

The properties of commercial butters were tested to understand …

Comparing Fecal Dna Capture-Recapture Methods To Traditional Mark-Resight Methods For Estimating Abundance Of Mule Deer On Winter Ranges, Andi M. Stewart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Well-designed monitoring strategies are required to obtain accurate estimates of population abundance, which is important for evaluating conservation and management strategies. Obtaining abundance estimates using traditional survey methods, like aerial surveys, is not possible in all scenarios and can be expensive and risky. One survey method that has gained popularity in the last decade is fecal DNA-based capture-recapture (CMR). However, this method has not been evaluated on winter ranges or in snowy, winter conditions.

My first objective was to implement fecal DNA CMR to estimate abundance of mule deer in the Round Valley and Goodale winter survey areas in the …

An Exploration Of System Level Dimensions Of Nutrition In Relation To Health: Interprofessional Teams And Food Insecurity, Mckenna Christy Voorhees

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many factors influence health; two such factors that warrant additional research include interdisciplinary healthcare teams and food insecurity. These factors may be particularly important among vulnerable populations such as individuals with special healthcare needs, lower income populations, and individuals with disabilities.

Interdisciplinary teamwork promotes improved, and more efficient patient care through the collaboration of healthcare providers in various professional disciplines. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are experts in the science and application of nutrition, which plays an important role in various disease states. Despite the established need for RDNs on interdisciplinary teams, there is limited research in the interdisciplinary scholarship targeting …

Conservation Genetics Of A Declining Bumble Bee In Western North America; The Influence Of Geography, Dispersal Limitation, And Anthopogenic Activity, Ashley T. Rohde

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Conservation biology addresses the problem of species loss by identifying species in need of protection. Conservation biology has subfields to address different aspects of biodiversity loss, including genetics and sociology. I used genetic approaches to assess the conservation status of western bumble bees, a bumble bee species of conservation concern.

The western bumble bee is a bumble bee species that ranges from Alaska to New Mexico and as far east as Wyoming and Colorado. This species is disappearing in some places. It may soon be listed as endangered in the United States and is already listed as endangered in parts …

Smokejumper Obituary: Compton, Leo P. (Mccall 1947), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Invited Perspective: Existing Rules For Disinfection By-Products Are Good, But They Are Not Enough, Susan D. Richardson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

How Getting Friendly With Bacteria Can Promote Student Appreciation Of Microbial Diversity And Their Civic Scientific Literacy, Davida S. Smyth, Simon Chen, Gina Sompanya, Molly Metz, Theresa Conefrey

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

ePortfolios are digital repositories where students can curate papers, projects, and reflections from individual or multiple courses across the disciplines and in a variety of formats to showcase their learning. This transparent and portable medium, which enables students to document their knowledge and abilities for assessment and career development, has been recognized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities as one of 11 high-impact practices. Using tailored rubrics, student assessment of learning gain surveys, and end-of-course exam questions, this study demonstrates how an ePortfolio assignment can be used in microbiology courses taken by majors and nonmajors to measure student …

Mycorrhizae In Maize (Zea Mays L.) Cropping Systems Respond Differently To Nitrogen Fertilization Under Increasing Crop Rotational Diversity, Morgan R. Mcpherson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) remain a vital obligate symbiont of nearly all plants. It is well established that the symbiosis between AMF and host plant improves plant nutrient acquisition, alleviates abiotic and biotic environmental stressors, defends against plant pathogens, and contributes to overall plant fitness and productivity through modification of the soil habitat. Modifications include increased soil aggregation and stability, carbon sequestration through provision of fungal wall precursors to soil organic matter (SOM) formation, and enhanced nutrient cycling in the mycorrhizosphere. The goal of this dissertation was to assess how AMF respond to nitrogen (N) fertilization regimes in maize cropping …

Causal Forest Approach For Site-Specific Input Management Via On-Farm Precision Experimentation, Shunkei Kakimoto

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Estimating site-specific crop yield response to changes to input (e.g., seed, fertilizer) management is a critical step in making economically optimal site-specific input management recommendations. Past studies have attempted to estimate yield response functions using various Machine Learning (ML) methods, including the Random Forest (RF), Boosted Random Forest (BRF), and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) methods. This study proposes use of the Causal Forest (CF) model, which is one of the emerging ML methods that comprise “Causal Machine Learning.” Unlike previous yield-prediction-oriented ML methods, CF focuses strictly on estimating heterogeneous treatment effects (changes in yields that result from changes in input …

Analyzing Flexibility As A Risk Management Strategy In Agricultural Systems, Jedidiah Hewlett

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Agricultural businesses deal with uncertainty of all kinds. Uncertainty arising from variability in resources, markets, human factors, and regulatory policy can be sources of significant risks. Acquiring or building flexibility in an operation is one of the ways suggested to manage risk and uncertainty—reducing the impact of negative outcomes and increasing the benefit of positive outcomes. Although flexibility has been repeatedly encouraged for businesses, the definition of flexibility and its value remains ambiguous after more than 80 years of research. Flexibility is often described as a multi-dimensional ability to effectively deal with change in the business operating environment. Flexibility can …

Examination Of Amphibian Community And Environmental Relationships In South Texas Using Environmental Dna (Edna), Sean Michael Collins

Theses and Dissertations

Developing more efficient tools to assess amphibian biodiversity and understanding what environmental variables drive amphibian biodiversity are top priorities, as amphibians are facing extinction events across the globe. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys are a promising new tool to asses amphibian biodiversity. Throughout the study eDNA metabarcoding along with a targeted eDNA assay and traditional survey methods were used to provide foundational information on amphibian community assemblages throughout South Texas. Water quality, habitat characteristics and soil composition data were collected and used to examine environmental relationships. eDNA metabarcoding detected significantly more amphibian taxonomic units compared to traditional survey …

Assessment Of Nitrogen-Based Fertilizer Transport And Microbial Activities In Sandy Soil Profiles In South Texas, Gladys De La Rosa

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional farming is a common practice in Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) and the application of nitrogen fertilizer is essential for plant growth and support. However, managing the rate of nitrogen that is applied can benefit farmers financially and reduce nitrate leaching that can have an adverse effect on the local environment and aquatic systems, e.g., rivers and estuaries. Sandy soils are more vulnerable to water infiltration due to the large proportion of macropores. This study aims to (i) assess how nitrate from a variety of fertilizers (i.e., synthetic and organic) distributes on the top 60 cm layer of a …

Effect Of Metronome, Hospital Mattress, And Step Stool Usage On Chest Compression Rate And Depth During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (Cpr): A Collection Of Systematic Reviews And Meta-Analyses, Lee A. Doernte

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of: (1) a metronome, (2) a hospital mattress, and (3) a step stool on chest compression rate and chest compression depth during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). These studies comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist for searches and reporting systematic reviews. We utilized the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) to categorize the certainty of evidence.The first analysis focused on metronome usage while performing CPR. Our methods for this study were to conduct literature searches for studies comparing metronome usage to a …

Cognitive Testing For Sport Concussion: The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment And Cognitive Testing (Impact), Julia E. Maietta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sport concussion is among the most common injuries for an athlete to experience during sport participation. Because of the complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain during and after concussion, symptoms can be heterogeneous in presence and severity. Although most acute symptoms (e.g., headache, slowed processing speed, loss of consciousness, irritability, depression, anxiety) resolve within seven to 10 days for most athletes, there is evidence that higher initial symptom burden and other genetically based differences can lead to longer symptom duration and complicated recovery post-concussion. Because structural changes that commonly occur as a result of concussion (e.g., diffuse axonal injury) …

Applications Of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: From Drug Discovery To Protein Structure And Dynamics., Mark Vincent C. Dela Cerna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The versatility of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is apparent when presented with diverse applications to which it can contribute. Here, NMR is used i) as a screening/ validation tool for a drug discovery program targeting the Phosphatase of Regenerating Liver 3 (PRL3), ii) to characterize the conformational heterogeneity of p53 regulator, Murine Double Minute X (MDMX), and iii) to characterize the solution dynamics of guanosine monophosphate kinase (GMPK). Mounting evidence suggesting roles for PRL3 in oncogenesis and metastasis has catapulted it into prominence as a cancer drug target. Yet, despite significant efforts, there are no PRL3 small molecule inhibitors …

Effect Of Dorsal Quadrant Or Ventral Quadrant Spinal Cord Injury On Gait Features During Locomotion., Anya Nicole Trell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Unites States, approximately 1.5 million people currently have a spinal cord injury and suffer permanent sensory and motor loss due to the disruption of the spinal cord. Due to the significant morbidity, it is vital to understand the functional impact of disrupting neural descending pathways that modulate spinal neurons involved in intermuscular coordination critical for gait behaviors. Tasks that are more difficult require additional input from these neural pathways; therefore, fourteen feline subjects were familiarized with level overground locomotion and stair descent gait tasks. After collection of baseline kinematic data, the subjects received either a dorsal or ventral …

Defining The Importance Of The Hnrnp I Interaction To The Sindbis Virus Subgenomic Viral Rna Using An Innovative Tethering Approach., Claire Westcott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Old World alphaviruses cause significant outbreaks of illness and debilitating multi-joint arthritis for prolonged periods. Currently, there are no FDA approved vaccines or antiviral therapies; and thus, there is a critical need to identify and characterize the molecular biology of alphaviruses. Alphaviruses rely on the host cell machinery to complete the viral lifecycle and are dependent on interactions with host RNA binding proteins. Accordingly, several host heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein proteins (hnRNPs) have been found to bind to the Sindbis virus (SINV) RNAs. Disrupting the interaction sites in the viral RNAs of these RNA:Protein interactions results in decreased viral titers in …

Unraveling Dna And Identity: A Humanistic Perspective On Epistemologies And Ethics Of Genetic Ancestry Testing., Eve Carlisle Polley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The advent of DNA ancestry testing motivated a burst of human activities that constitute a scientific-technological-industrial-personal-social movement of immense scale, infused with epistemological and ethical questions of great and important variety. This movement has motivated many discourses in the social sciences, with study subjects ranging from the language usage of geneticists, to moral conundrums faced by test-takers, to potential ramifications in global structures of political power. At the same time, and especially in recent decades, the discourses of the comparative humanities have included with increasing frequency and urgency research and theorization about concepts and consequences of human social identities, alongside …

Engineering Of Ideal Systems For The Study And Direction Of Stem Cell Asymmetrical Division And Fate Determination, Martina Zamponi

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The cellular microenvironment varies significantly across tissues, and it is constituted by both resident cells and the macromolecules they are exposed to. Cues that the cells receive from the microenvironment, as well as the signaling transmitted to it, affect their physiology and behavior. This notion is valid in the context of stem cells, which are susceptible to biochemical and biomechanical signaling exchanged with the microenvironment, and which plays a fundamental role in establishing fate determination and cell differentiation events. The definition of the molecular mechanisms that drive stem cell asymmetrical division, and how these are modulated by microenvironmental signaling, is …

Neurogenesis And Functional Recovery In The Adult Mouse Retina Using An Alpha7 Nachr Agonist After Blast Exposure, Jake Bennett Spitsbergen

Masters Theses

Previous studies have provided evidence that eyedrop application of the selective α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, PNU-282987, induces neurogenesis and regeneration of retinal neurons from Müller glia in adult rodents. The objectives of this research include: 1) examination of the cellular and functional damage associated with ocular blast exposure, and 2) evaluation of structural and functional recovery post PNU-282987 treatment. Significant ocular blast damage was induced in adult mice after exposure to a single blast of 35 psi to the left eye. Blast-exposed transgenic mice expressing tdTomato Müller glia were treated daily with eyedrops containing PNU-282987 for 4 weeks following …

Mechanisms Of Motor Learning In Lmmersive Virtual Reality And Their Influences On Retention And Context Transfer, Julia M. Juliano

Link Foundation Modeling, Simulation and Training Fellowship Reports

lmmersive virtual reality using a head-mounted display (HMD-VR) is increasingly being used for motor learning purposes. These devices have the potential to be useful tools in motor training and rehabilitation as they allow for researchers and clinicians to control and individualize the virtual environment. However, we do not yet know how to maximize these devices potential because the mechanisms underlying how we move and learn motor skills in them are unclear. The central objective of my research is to address gaps in our understanding of what makes movements and motor learning in HMD-VR different from more conventional training environments and …

Identifying A Glucocorticoid-Activated Gpcr That Rapidly And Non-Genomically Increases Camp Levels In Mammalian Cells, Francisco Nunez

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are steroid hormones that regulate diverse physiological processes. Synthetic versions of GCs are commonly used to treat inflammatory diseases such as asthma by modulating gene expression to suppressing several inflammatory activities. However, it is estimated that 5-10% of asthmatics are unresponsive to GCs, which may be explained by receptor desensitization and/or the presence of a neutrophilic endotype. One understudied phenomenon of GCs is their ability to induce rapid, non-genomic actions. For example, GCs can acutely modulate calcium concentrations levels, induce smooth muscle relaxation and modulate nitric oxide synthase activity, within minutes and sometimes seconds, which is too rapid …

Investigating The Relation Between Genetic Variation In Fads1 & Fads2 With The Lcpufa Content Of Extracellular Vesicles From Human Milk, Natalie Paterson

Food Science (MS) Theses

As human milk supports growth and development, the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics advise exclusive consumption of human milk for the first six months of life. Human milk contains numerous bioactive components, including extracellular vesicles (EVs). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FADS gene cluster that encodes the enzymes FADS1 and FADS2 may impact the concentrations of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) in human milk EVs. As integral components of the lipid membrane, the specific composition or balance of LCPUFAs may impact the bioavailability of EVs in newborns consuming human milk. The objective of this study …

Investigating Hops Production In Arkansas To Support Specialty Crop Growth, James Oliver Mcclellan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.) is a perennial, climbing species within the Cannabaceae family that produces cones used for brewing. Hops are grown worldwide. In the United States most hops production occurs in the Pacific Northwest, but growth in the craft beer industry is driving efforts for hops production in other U.S. regions. Recommendations on hops cultivar suitability, fertility, and management are needed for the U.S. mid-south region. Objectives of this research on Arkansas-grown hops were to 1) assess the impact of cultivar and fertility rate on plant and cone attributes of six cultivars of Arkansas-grown hops and 2) …

Habitability, And Evolution Of Microorganisms Under Extreme Conditions, Azarin Yazdani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The choice of a solvent determines the possible biochemistry of life. Life on Earth is based on carbon biochemistry and has evolved in an environment with water as a solvent. As a polar solvent abundant on Earth, water has unique physical properties, including a large range of liquidity and low viscosity, making it a very good solvent for terrestrial life. Liquids other than water are abundant in the universe, and the chemical nature of these liquids might lead to different chemistries of life. In the first chapter, we review the main characteristics of a good solvent, and then we use …