Biology Commons^™

Anatomical Identification Of Primary Auditory Cortex In The Developing Gerbil, Luis Pendola

Dissertations and Theses

Cortical development is an active field of study. The gerbil provides an excellent model for research because at the moment of birth its brain is rather immature, anatomically and functionally. Furthermore, the gerbil auditory cortex is particularly amenable to investigation in that the gerbil's onset of hearing occurs approximately after 14 days of postnatal life. Despite these advantages of the gerbil for auditory cortex development not much is known about the anatomy of the postnatal gerbil auditory cortex. For example, where is the gerbil auditory cortex? Prior to the onset of hearing, sounds cannot be used to localize auditory cortex. …

Healthy Choices; Preferential Foraging Of Insects Within Senescent, But Nutrient-Rich, Tropical Flowers., Amie Whigman

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Hearing In Rats; Reliability Of Wave 1 As A Determinant Of Auditory Maturation And Contributions Of Peripheral Structure Progression, Aminat Saliu

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Biological Reserves Under Climate Change; A Case Study In Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest, Maria Amin

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Phenolic Constituents From Garcinia Intermedia And Related Species, Ulyana Muñoz Acuña

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Antioxidants from plants scavenge free radicals and prevent reactive oxygen species from having damaging effects in common ailments such as inflammation, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. As part of our ongoing studies of antioxidants from tropical edible fruits, we have studied Garcinia intermedia (Pittier) Hammel [synonym: Rheedia edulis (Seem.) Planch. & Triana], native to Central America. In the fruits the following compounds were identified: guttiferone A, guttiferone E, xanthochymol, fukugetin, volkensiflavone and fukugeside. A new compound was tentatively identified in the fruits of this species. The antioxidant activity of guttiferone A in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was IC50 = 46 μM. …

The Vocal Behaviors Of North American River Otters (Lontra Canadensis) Individual Differences And Shared Repertoires, Carla Almonte

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current information on the vocal repertoire of the North American River Otter is very limited. To date there have been no direct studies conducted on their repertories. In this study, I examined the vocal behavior of 12 captive river otters. The discriminant function analysis suggests that river otters have 4 distinct call types with 7 sub-call types and one call the whistle is unique to one group of pups. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis comparing acoustical structures shows strong evidence for the presence of individuality with some individuals showing greater differences in comparison to the others. I also examined …

Genetic, Morphological And Ecological Relationships Among Populations Of The Clam Shrimp, Caenestheriella Gynecia, Jonelle Orridge

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Little is known about the ecology of the clam shrimp, Caenestheriella gynecia. Caenestheriella gynecia was first discovered in 1939 in a single pool in Oxford, Ohio. Schmidt and Kiviat (2007) reported four new localities of C. gynecia in New York and New Jersey, three within the Hudson Valley of New York and one in northeastern New Jersey. Caenestheriella gynecia may have originated from a very small founder population due possibly to unusual dispersal vectors from its natural range to the west, in Ohio. Egg samples and hatched individuals were obtained from all study sites and specimens were raised in …

Phytosociology, History And Diversity In Farmer-Managed Landscapes On The Tonle Sap Floodplain, Cambodia, Andrew S. Roberts

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Driven by the annual flood pulse of the Tonle Sap Lake, the Tonle Sap floodplain in central Cambodia is a landscape characterized by dynamism, both ecological and social. Annual floods and rainfall vary in timing, duration and intensity from year to year. Patterns of burning, grazing, and agricultural expansion and contraction all leave their imprint on the landscape. While in the social domain, the region is likewise as complex. The genocidal, Maoist regime of Pol Pot darkened the 1970s. However, this was both preceded by, and followed by, years of civil war and social unrest. In recent years, Cambodia has …

Influenza A And Flavivirus Manipulation Of Cell Death, Jeffrey E. Mclean

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Viruses employ a variety of strategies to manipulate cell fate and maximize their replication potential during infection. Interacting specifically with cell death pathways allows viruses direct control over the cellular decision to survive or die during infection.

Influenza A virus, of the family Orthomyxoviridae, encodes proteins that interact with the cell at several points along the apoptosis pathway to induce apoptosis. We demonstrate that caspase activation through pro-apoptotic Bax, a downstream target of Bcl-2, is a critical determinant of the nature of cell death induced by Influenza A infection. Influenza A virus cannot establish an apoptotic response without functional Bax, …

Myth4 And Ferm Have Overlapping And Distinct Roles In The Function Of Myo1, A Class Xiv Myosin In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Michael Gotesman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

MyTH4 and FERM are conserved tail domains in myosin classes VII, X, XII, XIV, XV and in MyoG. Myo1, a class XIV myosin in Tetrahymena thermophila, contains MyTH4 and FERM. Previous studies have shown that Myo1 localizes to phagosomes, the cytoskeleton, and the macronucleus, and that phagosome trafficking and division of the macronucleus are affected in a MYO1 knockout. To investigate the roles for MyTH4 and FERM in the function of Myo1, GFP-tagged MyTH4, FERM, and truncated FERM were separately overexpressed in Tetrahymena. Actin antibody coprecipitated tubulin, GFP-MyTH4, and GFP-FERM. GFP-MyTH4 and GFP-FERM cosedimented with either exogenous microtubules or exogenous …

Chronic Pulmonary Cavitary Tuberculosis In Rabbits: A Failed Host Immune Response, Selvakumar Subbian, Liana Tsenova, Guibin Yang, Paul O'Brien, Sven Parsons, Blas Peixoto, Leslie Taylor, Dorothy Fallows, Gilla Kaplan

Publications and Research

The molecular determinants of the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis HN878 infection in a rabbit model of pulmonary cavitary tuberculosis were studied. Aerosol infection of rabbits resulted in a highly differentially expressed global transcriptome in the lungs at 2 weeks, which dropped at 4 weeks and then gradually increased. While IFNγ was progressively upregulated throughout the infection, several other genes in the IFNγ network were not. T-cell activation network genes were gradually upregulated and maximally induced at 12 weeks. Similarly, the IL4 and B-cell activation networks were progressively upregulated, many reaching high levels between 12 and 16 weeks. Delayed peak …

Role For Sumoylation In Systemic Inflammation And Immune Homeostasis In Drosophila Larvae, Indira Paddibhatla, Mark J. Lee, Marta E. Kalamarz, Roberto Ferrarese, Shubha Govind

Publications and Research

To counter systemic risk of infection by parasitic wasps, Drosophila larvae activate humoral immunity in the fat body and mount a robust cellular response resulting in encapsulation of the wasp egg. Innate immune reactions are tightly regulated and are resolved within hours. To understand the mechanisms underlying activation and resolution of the egg encapsulation response and examine if failure of the latter develops into systemic inflammatory disease, we correlated parasitic wasp-induced changes in the Drosophila larva with systemic chronic conditions in sumoylation-deficient mutants. We have previously reported that loss of either Cactus, the Drosophila (IkB) protein or Ubc9, the SUMO-conjugating …

Identification Of An Archaeal Presenilin-Like Intramembrane Protease, Celia Torres-Arancivia, Carolyn M. Ross, Jose Chavez, Zahra Assur, Georgia Dolios, Filippo Mancia, Iban Ubarretxena-Belandia

Publications and Research

Background: The GXGD-type diaspartyl intramembrane protease, presenilin, constitutes the catalytic core of the c-secretase multi-protein complex responsible for activating critical signaling cascades during development and for the production of b-amyloid peptides (Ab) implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. The only other known GXGD-type diaspartyl intramembrane proteases are the eukaryotic signal peptide peptidases (SPPs). The presence of presenilin-like enzymes outside eukaryots has not been demonstrated. Here we report the existence of presenilin-like GXGD-type diaspartyl intramembrane proteases in archaea.

Methodology and Principal Findings: We have employed in vitro activity assays to show that MCMJR1, a polytopic membrane protein from the archaeon Methanoculleus marisnigri JR1, …

Drug Off-Target Effects Predicted Using Structural Analysis In The Context Of A Metabolic Network Model, Roger L. Chang, Lei Xie, Philip E. Bourne, Bernhard O. Palsson

Publications and Research

Recent advances in structural bioinformatics have enabled the prediction of protein-drug off-targets based on their ligand binding sites. Concurrent developments in systems biology allow for prediction of the functional effects of system perturbations using large-scale network models. Integration of these two capabilities provides a framework for evaluating metabolic drug response phenotypes in silico. This combined approach was applied to investigate the hypertensive side effect of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor torcetrapib in the context of human renal function. A metabolic kidney model was generated in which to simulate drug treatment. Causal drug off-targets were predicted that have previously been …

Identification And Structural Characterization Of Fyve Domain-Containing Proteins Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Ewa Wywial, Shaneen M. Singh

Publications and Research

Background FYVE domains have emerged as membrane-targeting domains highly specific for phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PtdIns(3)P). They are predominantly found in proteins involved in various trafficking pathways. Although FYVE domains may function as individual modules, dimers or in partnership with other proteins, structurally, all FYVE domains share a fold comprising two small characteristic double-stranded β-sheets, and a C-terminal α-helix, which houses eight conserved Zn2+ ion-binding cysteines. To date, the structural, biochemical, and biophysical mechanisms for subcellular targeting of FYVE domains for proteins from various model organisms have been worked out but plant FYVE domains remain noticeably under-investigated.

Results We carried out an …

Tyrannobdella Rex N. Gen. N. Sp. And The Evolutionary Origins Of Mucosal Leech Infestations, Anna J. Phillips, Renzo Arauco-Brown, Alejandro Oceguera-Figueroa, Gloria P. Gomez, María Beltrán, Yi-Te Lai, Mark E. Siddall

Publications and Research

Background: Leeches have gained a fearsome reputation by feeding externally on blood, often from human hosts. Orificial hirudiniasis is a condition in which a leech enters a body orifice, most often the nasopharyngeal region, but there are many cases of leeches infesting the eyes, urethra, vagina, or rectum. Several leech species particularly in Africa and Asia are well known for their propensity to afflict humans. Because there has not previously been any data suggesting a close relationship for such geographically disparate species, this unnerving tendency to be invasive has been regarded only as a loathsome oddity and not a unifying …

Patterns Of Subnet Usage Reveal Distinct Scales Of Regulation In The Transcriptional Regulatory Network Of Escherichia Coli, Carsten Marr, Fabian J. Theis, Larry S. Liebovitch, Marc-Thorsten Hutt

Publications and Research

The set of regulatory interactions between genes, mediated by transcription factors, forms a species’ transcriptional regulatory network (TRN). By comparing this network with measured gene expression data, one can identify functional properties of the TRN and gain general insight into transcriptional control. We define the subnet of a node as the subgraph consisting of all nodes topologically downstream of the node, including itself. Using a large set of microarray expression data of the bacterium Escherichia coli, we find that the gene expression in different subnets exhibits a structured pattern in response to environmental changes and genotypic mutation. Subnets with fewer …

A Multidimensional Strategy To Detect Polypharmacological Targets In The Absence Of Structural And Sequence Homology, Jacob D. Durrant, Rommie E. Amaro, Lei Xie, Michael D. Urbaniak, Michael A. J. Ferguson, Antti Haapalainen, Zhijun Chen, Anne Marie Di Guilmi, Frank Wunder, Philip E. Bourne, J. Andrew Mccammon

Publications and Research

Conventional drug design embraces the ‘‘one gene, one drug, one disease’’ philosophy. Polypharmacology, which focuses on multi-target drugs, has emerged as a new paradigm in drug discovery. The rational design of drugs that act via polypharmacological mechanisms can produce compounds that exhibit increased therapeutic potency and against which resistance is less likely to develop. Additionally, identifying multiple protein targets is also critical for side-effect prediction. One third of potential therapeutic compounds fail in clinical trials or are later removed from the market due to unacceptable side effects often caused by off-target binding. In the current work, we introduce a multidimensional …

The Impact Of Microclimate On Branch Colonization By Neotropical Cerambycid Beetles, Christina Lee

Dissertations and Theses

"Vertical stratification contributes to the great diversity of insects found in tropical rainforests. Due to differences in both biotic and abiotic factors, different strata of the forest provide different habitats for insects. A previous study in French Guiana revealed that wood-boring cerambycid beetles preferentially colonized branches at ground level in the dry season, but shifted to canopy level in the rainy season. The current beetle-rearing study was conducted to confirm the occurrence of this seasonal shift, explore possible causes, and to determine if similar microclimate conditions occurred at ground level in the dry season and the canopy level in the …

The Effect Of The Study Region On Gis Models Of Species Geographic Distributions And Estimates Of Niche Evolution; Preliminary Tests With Montane Rodents (Genus Nephelomys) In Venezuela, Ali Raza

Dissertations and Theses

Various niche-based techniques exist to model a species' potential geographic distribution in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework. These models compare the environmental conditions of localities of a species' occurrence versus those of the overall study region. In addition to uses in areas such as macroecology and conservation biology, this approach has been applied recently to studies of niche evolution and historical biogeography. Definition of the study region is critical for all of these applications but has not been addressed previously. Here, I examine the effect of changes in the extent of the study region on potential distribution models of …

Role Of Drosophila Rap/Fzr (Cdh1) In Retinal Axon Targeting And Its Interactions With Loco, Liprin-A And Ras, Marta Gronska

Dissertations and Theses

The development of the wild type Drosophila compound eye involves stereotypical targeting of photoreceptor axons to the specific layers of the optic ganglion, medulla and lamina, in the third instar larvae. To test the hypothesis that ubiquitin ligases play an important role during retinal axon targeting we have examined the patterns of axon targeting in the developing eye of the retina aberrant in pattern (rap/fzr) mutants. Rap/Fzr is a homolog of mammalian Cdh1, an activator of anaphase promoting complex (APC), an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Previous work has shown that Rap/Fzr is required in cell cycle regulation, glia differentiation and pattern …

Using Geographically Structured Evaluations To Assess Performance And Transferability Of Ecological Niche Models For Species With Many Occurrence Records: A Test Using The Caribbean Spiny Pocket Mouse, Heteromys Anomalus, Aleksandarc Radosavljevi

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Antidepressant Stimulation Of Cdp-Diacylglycerol Synthesis Does Not Require Monoamine Reuptake Inhibition, Ashiwel S. Undieh, Marwa A. Aboukhatwa

Publications and Research

Background: Recent studies demonstrate that diverse antidepressant agents increase the cellular production of the nucleolipid CDP-diacylglycerol and its synthetic derivative, phosphatidylinositol, in depression-relevant brain regions. Pharmacological blockade of downstream phosphatidylinositide signaling disrupted the behavioral antidepressant effects in rats. However, the nucleolipid responses were resistant to inhibition by serotonin receptor antagonists, even though antidepressant-facilitated inositol phosphate accumulation was blocked. Could the neurochemical effects be additional to the known effects of the drugs on monoamine transmitter transporters? To examine this question, we tested selected agents in serotonin-depleted brain tissues, in PC12 cells devoid of serotonin transporters, and on the enzymatic activity of …

Poly-Paraphyly Of Hirudinidae: Many Lineages Of Medicinal Leeches, Anna J. Phillips, Mark E. Siddall

Publications and Research

Background: Medicinal leeches became infamous for their utility in bloodletting popularized in the 19th century, and have seen a recent resurgence in post-operative treatments for flap and replantation surgeries, and in terms of characterization of salivary anticoagulants. Notorious throughout the world, the quintessential leech family Hirudinidae has been taken for granted to be monophyletic, as has the non-bloodfeeding family Haemopidae.

Results: This study is the first to evaluate molecular evidence from hirudinid and haemopid leeches in a manner that encompasses the global scope of their taxonomic distributions. We evaluated the presumed monophyly of the Hirudinidae and assessed previous well-accepted classification …

My 20-Year Research Journey For A New Species Of Spiders, Or How To Come To A New Discovery, Vladimir Ovtcharenko

Touchstone

From time to time students ask me whether it is difficult to discover new species of organisms on our planet. To answer this question, I have decided to tell my story of how I discovered a new species of spider that I have dedicated to Eugenio María de Hostos.

Biology Department To Honor Larry Hinck, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Cave Biology: It’S Not A Job, It’S An Adventure, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Measuring Knowledge Of Natural Selection: A Comparison Of The C.I.N.S., An Open-Response Instrument, And An Oral Interview, Ross Nehm, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Growing recognition of the central importance of fostering an in-depth understanding of natural selection has, surprisingly, failed to stimulate work on the development and rigorous evaluation of instruments that measure knowledge of it. We used three different methodological tools, the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS), a modified version of Bishop and Anderson's (Bishop and Anderson [1990] Journal of Research in Science Teaching 27: 415-427) open-response test that we call the Open Response Instrument (ORI), and an oral interview derived from both instruments, to measure biology majors' understanding of and alternative conceptions about natural selection. We explored how these instruments …

Biological Collections Get International Certification, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Book Slated On Biologists’ Adventures, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Joy Trauth

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.