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Full-Text Articles in Biology
Melanocytes In The Developing And Adult Atrioventricular Valves Of The Murine Heart, Flavia Carneiro Brito
Melanocytes In The Developing And Adult Atrioventricular Valves Of The Murine Heart, Flavia Carneiro Brito
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The Neural Crest (NC) is a multipotential group of cells that arises from the dorsal aspect of the neural tube early in development. It is well established that a group of NC cells named Cardiac Neural Crest (CNC) migrates to the heart and plays a critical role in the remodeling of the aortic arch arteries and septation of the outflow tract. In this study, using the mouse mutant Pax3sp/sp that has CNC deficits I have identified a putative novel role for the CNC in regulating apoptosis in the atrioventricular (AV) endocardial cushion. The AV endocardial cushion undergoes remodeling to …
Temporal Variation In Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia Sima) Habitat Use And Group Size Off Great Abaco Island, The Bahamas, Meagan Mná Dunphy-Daly
Temporal Variation In Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia Sima) Habitat Use And Group Size Off Great Abaco Island, The Bahamas, Meagan Mná Dunphy-Daly
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Dwarf sperm whales, Kogia sima, are among the most commonly stranded yet least known pelagic cetaceans. I assessed seasonal and spatial variation in dwarf sperm whale group size and abundance off Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas. After correcting for survey effort and variation in sighting efficiency among sea states, I found that dwarf sperm whale group size and habitat use varied seasonally. In summer, dwarf sperm whale groups were small (median = 2.5, range = 1-8) and were found only in the two deep habitats within the study area (slope 400-900 m, deep 900-1600 in). In winter, group sizes …
Genetic Diversity And Population Structure Of Non-Indigenous Burmese Pythons (Python Molurus Bivittatus) In Everglades National Park, Florida, Barbara L. Freeman
Genetic Diversity And Population Structure Of Non-Indigenous Burmese Pythons (Python Molurus Bivittatus) In Everglades National Park, Florida, Barbara L. Freeman
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
One of the more recent vertebrate introductions to South Florida's Everglades is the Burmese Python, Python molurus bivittatus. These pythons prey on and may compete with native species for habitat and prey. Molecular data including rnitochondrial DNA sequences and microsatellite loci was used to examine the genetic diversity of Burmese pythons sampled from Everglades National Park, determine whether this diversity suggests that the populations are distinct or part of a single large population, and determine if there is genetic evidence for parthenogenetic reproduction in P. m. bivittatus in ENP. Multiple population analyses revealed that the ENP Burmese pythons display …
Anti-Quorum Sensing Agents From South Florida Medicinal Plants And Their Attenuation Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pathogenicity, Allison L. Adonizio
Anti-Quorum Sensing Agents From South Florida Medicinal Plants And Their Attenuation Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pathogenicity, Allison L. Adonizio
FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
With the difficulty in treating recalcitrant infections and the growing resistance to antibiotics, new therapeutic modalities are becoming increasingly necessary. The interruption of bacterial quorum sensing (QS), or cell-cell communication is known to attenuate virulence, while limiting selective pressure toward resistance. This study initiates an ethnobotanically-directed search for QS inhibiting agents in south Florida medicinal plants. Fifty plants were screened for anti-QS activity using two biomonitor strains, Chromobacterium violaceum and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Of these plants, six showed QS inhibition: Conocarpus erectus L. (Combretaceae), Chamaecyce hypericifolia (L.) Millsp. (Euphorbiaceae), Callistemon viminalis (Sol.ex Gaertn.) G. Don (Myrtaceae), Bucida burceras L. (Combretaceae), Tetrazygia …