Biology Commons^™

Methods To Improve The Remediation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Aerobic And Anaerobic Environments, Brian Wartell

Dissertations

Oil spills occur regularly in terrestrial environments and crude oil can contain many compounds that are highly resistant to degradation. Among these compounds are high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are not only toxic but can also be carcinogenic and/or mutagenic. The first chapter of this dissertation includes an extensive review chapter on the variables affecting the anaerobic degradation of hydrocarbons, with a particular focus on PAHs. Electron acceptors, electron donors, temperature, salinity, pH all play key roles in determining the possibility effective of effective degradation occurring. Thus, by addressing solutions, such as biostimulation, improving environmental variables for …

The Effect Of An Historical Geology Course On Students’ Attitudes Towards Science And Their Knowledge Of Deep Time As A Threshold To Their Knowledge Of Evolution, Allan Nolan

Dissertations

In America there exists a conflict between a small group of its citizens and the concept of evolution. Researchers have studied this conflict and the ways in which teachers might approach educational methodologies that not only address evolution in a sensitive manner, but also remain legally acceptable.

This research was designed to address teaching evolution in the context of deep time – the concept that time is vast and that geology and biology operate in a timescale of hundreds of millions to billions of years. In previous peer-reviewed works, it has been stated that deep time acts as a threshold …

Myosin Assembly Into Elongating Thick Filaments Is Dependent On The Function Of Conserved Apmk-Related Kinase Unc-82 In C. Elegans, Natasha R. Schiller

Dissertations

The mechanism of assembly of sarcomeric myosins into elongating thick filaments is not well understood. The results of this study suggest a novel mechanistic model in which the AMPK-related kinase UNC-82, which is orthologous to mammalian ARK5/NUAK1 and SNARK/NUAK2, acts as an assemblase on sarcomeric myosin molecules, mediating their addition into the elongating thick filaments of C. elegans body-wall muscle. The classical genetic crosses performed in this study produced over 53 different worm strains that contain thick-filament-affecting mutations and/or transgenes in single-, double- or triple-mutant combinations. The phenotypes of these strain were documented and analyzed using viability assays, brood analysis, …

Direct And Indirect Controls On Bee Community Composition, Caroline Marie Devan

Dissertations

Bees are important pollinators, critical for the continued survival of plants in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Diverse bee communities have been shown to increase richness in plant communities and plant reproduction depends upon bee community richness. Yet there is growing concern that pollinators, especially bees, are declining globally. This dissertation focuses on evaluating the mechanisms responsible for bee community composition in order to promote bee conservation in natural systems and their restoration in human-dominated urban and agricultural landscapes.

Bee populations are impacted directly by three things: floral resources, nesting resources and risk, primarily from natural enemies. Bees are indirectly …

Role Of Micrornas In Impaired Gut Permeability Following Ethanol And Burn Injury, Niya Latrice Morris

Dissertations

Every year there are nearly 500,000 reported burn injuries in the United States; half of which occur under the influence of alcohol. Clinical studies have shown that burn patients who are intoxicated at the time of injury have a worse prognosis; including increased risk of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and sepsis. The etiology behind these pathological consequences of ethanol and burn injury remains to be elucidated. The Gut-lymph hypothesis of MODS theorizes that trauma (e.g. ethanol and burn injury) results in a redistribution of blood flow to protect more vital organs which leads to ischemia/hypoxia (diminished oxygen delivery) in …