Biology Commons^™

Host Specificity Of Ecuadorian Bat Flies (Diptera: Streblidae), Eric Stamper

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Diptera: Streblidae are ectoparasites of bat populations found in many locations throughout the world. These ectoparasites are generally known as bat flies. They attach themselves to the wing membranes and bodies of bats to bite and feed on their blood. Using a large sample consisting of over 2,000 bats and 6,000 bat flies, I have conducted a study of the degree of host specificity of these ectoparasites. Host specificity is a measurement of the degree to which a particular parasite is restricted to its host or hosts. Here I find evidence to support more recent findings that bat flies are …

Cytosolic Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases Interact With Phospholipase Dδ To Transduce Hydrogen Peroxide Signals In The Arabidopsis Response To Stress, Xuemin Wang, Liang Guo, Shivakumar Devaiah, Rama Narasimhan, Xiangqing Pan, Yanyan Zhang, Wenhua Zhang

Biology Department Faculty Works

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in plants under various stress conditions and serve as important mediators in plant responses to stresses. Here, we show that the cytosolic glycolytic enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases (GAPCs) interact with the plasma membrane–associated phospholipase D (PLDδ) to transduce the ROS hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) signal in Arabidopsis thaliana. Genetic ablation of PLDδ impeded stomatal response to abscisic acid (ABA) and H2O2, placing PLDδ downstream of H2O2 in mediating ABA-induced stomatal closure. To determine the molecular link between H2O2 and PLDδ, GAPC1 and GAPC2 were identified to bind to PLDδ, and the interaction was demonstrated by coprecipitation …

Aggressive Acoustic Behavior In Yasuhikotakia Modesta: Does The Lombard Effect Hold Water?, Bethany Coffey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Lombard effect is the automatic and involuntary change in the intensity of vocalizations in the presence of background noise in order to maintain a constant signal to noise ratio. While this phenomenon is commonly found in vocalizing terrestrial vertebrates, it had not previously been examined in aquatic vertebrates such as fishes. This experiment tests the presence of the Lombard effect in the red-finned loach, Yasuhikotakia modesta, which make two types of sounds: butting and clicking. I recorded three pairs of Y. modesta during aggressive interactions over territory and compared the sounds produced in silence with sounds produced …

Semipermeable Membranes, Diffusion, And Osmosis Inquiry: Effective Modeling In A High School Classroom, Amar Patel

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

A novel approach is taken in teaching the core chemical and biological concepts of mass transport properties, specifically diffusion and osmosis, in an investigation-rich unit of instruction spanning fifteen days. The unit is based on the highly successful 5-E, inquiry based approach known as project-based instruction which emphasizes the use of laboratories and interactive discussions. The entire unit will center on a grand challenge which the students will provide a media-based solution for by encompassing the concepts taught in the unit. When introducing these topics in the high school classroom, the instructor must be able to help students understand the …

Identifying Context-Specific Gene Profiles Of Social, Reproductive And Mate Preference Behavior In A Fish Species With Female Mate Choice, Mary E. Ramsey, Tara L. Maginnis, Ryan Y. Wong, Chad Brock, Molly E. Cummings

Biology Faculty Publications

Sensory and social inputs interact with underlying gene suites to coordinate social behavior. Here we use a naturally complex system in sexual selection studies, the swordtail, to explore how genes associated with mate preference, receptivity, and social affiliation interact in the female brain under specific social conditions. We focused on 11genes associated with mate preference in this species (neuroserpin, neuroligin-3, NMDA receptor, tPA, stathmin-2, β-1 adrenergic receptor) or with female sociosexual behaviors in other taxa (vasotocin, isotocin, brain aromatase,α-1 adrenergic receptor, tyrosinehydroxylase). We exposed females to four social conditions, including pairings of differing mate choice complexity (large males, large/ small …

Oxaliplatin And Oxaliplatin Derivatives: Synthesis, Characterization, And Reactivity With Biologically Relevant Ligands, Amy Poynter

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Oxaliplatin is a third generation anticancer drug that has proven to be successful in fighting ovarian and testicular cancer. We are interested in determining how oxaliplatin and oxaliplatin derivatives interact with proteins, as well as how that interaction is affected by the size and shape of these platinum compounds. We have synthesized oxaliplatin as it is used in cancer treatment, as well as similar platinum compounds with the same diaminocyclohexane ligand as oxaliplatin but with additional bulk added to the nitrogen atoms. We are reacting oxaliplatin with key amino acids, including methionine, and will be comparing the kinetics of this …

Roles For Chd7 In Zebrafish Development With Implications For Human Disease, Nicole Lynn Mcdaniels

Biology - Dissertations

The Chromodomain Helicase DNA Binding Protein (CHD) family consists of a group of nine known proteins that function in controlling DNA dynamics and transcription. The CHD family member of interest in this work, Chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 7 (chd7), has been implicated in human CHARGE (coloboma of the eye, heart defects, atresia of the choanae, retardation of growth and/or development, genital and/or urinary abnormalities, and ear abnormalities and deafness) Syndrome and Idiopathic Scoliosis, however little is known about the roles this gene plays during development.

Using zebrafish as a model system, morpholino antisense technology, whole mount in situ hybridization …

The Effects Of Varying Levels Of Perchlorate On The Metabolism Of Methanogens, Chris Hearnsberger

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The search for life on Mars has been one of the more intriguing pursuits of NASA and astrobiologists over the last fifteen years. With the help of NASA’s Martian landers and orbiters, discoveries about the red planet have narrowed the range of possible known organisms that could survive on its surface or beneath its icy crust. The discoveries of water ice, methane, and perchlorate on Mars have excited astrobiologists and prompted experimentation on Earth to help determine whether life could exist on Mars. Methanogens seem an ideal candidate to be the organism responsible for biological production of methane on Mars, …

Clark's Nutcracker Seed Harvest Patterns In Glacier National Park And A Novel Method For Monitoring Whitebark Pine Cones, Monika E. Maier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) is the primary seed disperser of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), which is in decline throughout its range. There is concern that a decline in whitebark pine will lead to a subsequent decline in local populations of Clark's Nutcracker. Because natural regeneration depends on the presence of Clark's Nutcracker, the process of harvesting whitebark pine seeds needs to be fully understood. In addition, resource managers need a cost-effective method for monitoring nutcracker occurrence in whitebark pine stands during the seed harvest season. I visited eleven study sites in Glacier National Park, Montana, where …

Effects Of Moderate Swim Exercise On Adiposity And Metabolic Function In Mice, Roberta L. Pohlman, Ana Carneiro, Vera Farah, Lynn K. Hartzler, Mariana Morris

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Chlorine And Ozone In Controlling Microbes On Organically Grown Cilantro And Carrots, Adam Holtz

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project investigates the relative efficacy of ozonated water and chlorinated water for the purpose of sanitizing freshly-harvested organic produce. The aim of this study was to assist the Cal Poly Organic Farm in deciding whether or not to invest in an ozone generator. The crops used for testing were grown organically in the same field. Carrots and cilantro were harvested and promptly treated with 5 ppm ozone solution or 25 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution. Carrots were sampled at 0, 7, and 14 days storage to determine microbial populations. Cilantro was similarly tested at 0, 6, and 12 days …

Identification Of Amino Acids Essential For Estrone-3-Sulfate Transport Within Transmembrane Domain 2 Of Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide 1b1, Nan Li, Weifang Hong, Hong Huang, Hanping Lu, Guangyun Lin, Mei Hong

School of Information Faculty Publications

As an important structure in membrane proteins, transmembrane domains have been found to be crucial for properly targeting the protein to cell membrane as well as carrying out transport functions in transporters. Computer analysis of OATP sequences revealed transmembrane domain 2 (TM2) is among those transmembrane domains that have high amino acid identities within different family members. In the present study, we identify four amino acids (Asp70, Phe73, Glu74, and Gly76) that are essential for the transport function of OATP1B1, an OATP member that is specifically expressed in the human liver. A substitution of these four amino acids with alanine …

Cloning, Heterologous Expression In Yeast, And Biochemical Characterization Of Recombinant Putative Glucosyltransferase Clones 9 And 11 From Grapefruit (Citrus Paradisi), Anye Wamucho

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Flavonoids are plant secondary metabolites that play diverse roles in plants and human health. These compounds in most part exist in the glucosylated form. Grapefruit accumulates high levels of glucosylated flavonoids. Plant secondary product glucosyltransferases (GTs) catalyze the glucosylation reaction, but due to low homology at both the nucleotide and amino acid sequence level of different GTs, it is not possible to ascribe function based on sequence only. The hypotheses that PGT clones 9 and 11 are plant secondary product GTs and are biochemically regulated were tested. PGT 9 has been cloned into Pichia pastoris using the pPICZA and pPICZAα …

Challenging Disciplinary Boundaries In The First Year: A New Introductory Integrated Science Course For Stem Majors, Lisa Gentile, Lester Caudill, Mirela Fetea, April L. Hill, Kathy Hoke, Barry Lawson, Ovidiu Z. Lipan, Michael Kerckhove, Carol A. Parish, Krista J. Stenger, Doug Szajda

Biology Faculty Publications

To help undergraduates make connections among disciplines so they are able to approach, evaluate, and contribute to the solutions of important global problems, our campus has been focused on interdisciplinary research and education opportunities across the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. This paper describes the mobilization, planning, and implementation of a first-year interdisciplinary course for STEM majors that integrates key concepts found in traditional first-semester biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics courses. This team-taught course, Integrated Quantitative Science (IQS), is half of a first-year student’s schedule in both semesters and is composed of a double lecture and …

Influence Of Habitat Heterogeneity On Small Mammals In The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska, Justin D. Anderson

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Although the loss of prairie is substantial across the extent of its historic range, large portions of native rangeland still remain throughout Nebraska. It is critical that resource managers and private landowners manage rangelands in a manner that will enhance ecosystem integrity by using techniques that provide disturbance regimes. Heterogeneity based management, such as patch-burn grazing and rest-rotation grazing, can be used as a conservation tool to increase biodiversity within management units and at a landscape level. Heterogeneity-based management has received much attention in the literature within the past decade, but there has been little focus on how these management …

Exploring The Regulation Of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase In Retinal Amacrine Cells, Glynis B. Mattheisen

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Moss Mural, Chelsea Fredrikson

Senior Honors Projects

Moss Mural: Bridging the Arts and Sciences

Chelsea Fredrikson

Major: Fine Arts

Advisor: Robert Dilworth

Advisor Department: Fine Arts

Date 5-2012

Abstract

When we are young, in elementary school, we are encouraged to learn subjects together. Fine arts, science, math, and literature all work as one, and overlap to teach us valuable lessons and tools we can use as we grow. But as we become older school systems segregate subjects, forcing students to chose a direction. Do I have a creative mind, or a logical mind?

As an art student I’ve tried over the course of my college …

Ecology Of The Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon Platirhinos) At Cape Cod National Seashore, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Scott W. Buchanan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) is an understudied species of increasing conservation concern, especially in the northeastern portion of its range. Conservation and management efforts often rely on ecological information to guide best practices when dealing with vulnerable and/or cryptic species. A radiotelemetry study was initiated at Cape Cod National Seashore, Barnstable County, Massachusetts on H. platirhinos in an effort to increase the understanding of spatial ecology, habitat selection, and associated natural history attributes. Sixteen adult H. platirhinos were tracked over two years yielding a total of 413 relocations. We observed a large variation in home range size among …

The Role Of Protons In Synaptic Transmission In Rat Cortical Neurons, Paul Castellano

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Acid Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) have recently been identified as inhibitors of voltage and calcium gated ion channels (BK) (Petroff et al. 2008), and their overexpression has been shown to reduce seizure elongation and severity in mice (Ziemenn et al.2008). ASICs regulate BK channel activity in accordance with pH variation (Petroff et al. 2008), and seizures are concurrent with increased acidity in the brain (Ziemenn et al. 2008). Influx of Na⁺ through the ASIC pore domain has been speculated to cause membrane potential repolarization that reduces seizure proliferation (Vukicevic and Kellenburger, 2004), but this is counterintuitive to what is …

Evidence That Inducible Cyclic Amp Early Repressor Is A Potent Tumor Suppressor Protein That May Hold Therapeutic Promise For Targeted Therapy Of Various Malignancies, Marni Crow

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

There is compelling evidence supporting Inducible cAMP Early Repressor (ICER) as a potent anti-proliferative and potential tumor suppressor protein. ICER is a dominant negative transcription factor that is inducible upon cAMP level increase and represses genes important for cell-cycle regulation, proliferation and differentiation. This thesis discusses the evidence in support of ICER as a tumor suppressor gene product and elucidates mechanisms by which cancer cells that express ICER can nullify its antiproliferative properties. Interestingly, when ICER is put back in the nucleus of particular cancer cells where it works to repress cAMP genes, these cells have impaired tumorigenicity.

This thesis …

Investigation Of Autoregulation Of Icer And Electrochemical Properties Of Tryptophan, Mark Demilio

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

A relatively new development in the field of research-based chemistry is to study biomolecules, their interactions, and a biochemical mechanisms by examination of their physical properties and application of laboratory techniques rooted in concepts of physical chemistry. Both projects that are encompassed within this master's thesis indeed fall under the umbrella of biophysical chemistry, as they apply physical chemical techniques study particular biomolecular interactions.

The first of these two projects is the study of a leucine zipper protein, Inducible cAMP Early Repressor [ICER], which is a product of the cAMP Responsive Element Modulator [CREM] gene. ICER functions as a transcriptional …

Molecular Mechanisms Involved In Regulation Of Glial Cell Proliferation, Jennifer C. Guercio

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Glioma, the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer, involves faster glial proliferation. Increased activity of large conductance calcium and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels has been shown to accelerate glial proliferation. Our previous studies have shown that Acid Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) inhibit BK current at physiological pH levels, and that this inhibition can be relieved at acidic pH (Petroff et al, 2008). ASICs can therefore act as endogenous pH-dependent regulators of BK channel activity. Both normal glia and glioma tissue express BK and ASIC channels. We hypothesized that ASICs may function as endogenous inhibitors of glial cell growth …

The Antiviral Activity Of Curcumin On Herpes Simplex Virus-1, Susan A. Pungitore

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Herpes simplex virus 1 is a common human pathogen that causes an initial productive infection followed by a lifelong latent infection of sensory neurons. Although the active infection is self-limiting in healthy populations, HSV can pose serious health risks to immunocompromised individuals. Furthermore, drug-resistant strains of HSV-1 have emerged in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) afflicted populations, necessitating the development of efficacious treatment options to combat HSV-1 infections. In recent years, plant derived products have gained popularity as promising antiviral agents. Studies of plant-derived compounds, including polysaccharide extracts from algae and hydrolyzable tannins, indicated that antiviral activity may be contributed …

Sexual Selection Dynamics In A Smoky Hills Population Of Crotaphytus Collaris, Katherine Talbott

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Recent studies in behavioral ecology have suggested environmental pressures might influence sexual selection dynamics to the extent that sexually-selected signals reflect local adaptation. I experimentally tested this hypothesis by manipulating a potential male ornament and observing the sexual selection dynamics in a Smoky Hills population of eastern collared lizards (Crotaphytus collaris). Sexual selection dynamics were investigated by characterizing habitat structure, describing individual lizard spatial distribution, and investigating morphological predictors of adult male territorial success. Habitat occupied by lizards had significantly different and higher percentages of rock cover, and significantly different and lower percentages of vegetation cover, than unoccupied habitat. No …

Gas Exchange And Leaf Anatomy Of Andropogon Gerardii Ecotypes Over A Climatic Gradient Of The Great Plains, Jacob T. Olsen

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The phenotype of two Andropogon gerardii subspecies, big bluestem and sand bluestem, varies broadly throughout the Great Plains of North America, giving rise to ecotypes within the species. This study sought to discriminate between genetic and environmental variation of big bluestem and sand bluestem by examining gas exchange and leaf anatomy in common gardens across a climatic gradient of the Great Plains. Thirteen populations of big bluestem and one population of sand bluestem, constituting five ecotypes, were planted in community plots and a single plant plots in a common garden at each of four sites ranging from western Kansas to …

Drag Reduction In Wave-Swept Macroalgae: Alternative Strategies And New Predictions, Patrick T. Martone, Laurie Kost, Michael L. Boller

Biology Faculty/Staff Publications

Premise of the study: Intertidal macroalgae must resist extreme hydrodynamic forces imposed by crashing waves. How does frond flexibility mitigate drag, and how does flexibility affect predictions of drag and dislodgement in the field? Methods: We characterized flexible reconfiguration of six seaweed species in a recirculating water flume, documenting both shape change and area reduction as fronds reorient. We then used a high-speed gravity-accelerated water flume to test our ability to predict drag under waves based on extrapolations of drag recorded at slower speeds. We compared dislodgement forces to drag forces predicted from slow- and high-speed data to generate new …

Investigating The Roles Of Lhx1a, Lhx1b, And Lhx5 In Zebrafish Spinal Cord Interneuron Specification And Function, Samantha Balakirsky

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Located in the vertebral column, the human spine is responsible for regulating body movements and receiving sensory input about pain and touch. Currently, few treatments for neurological diseases and spinal cord injuries exist, partly because we know little about how a fully functioning spinal cord is constructed. As such, studying spinal cord development, specifically neuronal specification and patterning, should be useful for developing better treatments for people with spinal cord injuries and diseases. Zebrafish are a prime model organism for studying neuronal specification because their transparent embryos develop outside the mother, allowing us to easily examine gene expression, cell movements …

Signaling Pathways And Genetic Interactions That Lead To Metastatic Cancer In Drosophila Melanogaster, Amanda Cole

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Cancer is a complex and multigenic disease, which is typically initiated by genetic mutations in tumor suppressor genes that regulate homeostatic mechanisms within cells. Oncogenic promoter mutations, like those involved in signal transduction pathways, also have the potential to induce cancer in an otherwise healthy organism. Transformation is highly dependent upon mutations to both tumor suppressor and oncogenes, as neither mutation is exclusive in its ability to generate malignant tumors. In the model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, I have generated metastatic cancer through the genetic effect of overactive Raf signaling, in conjugation with silencing selected tumor suppressor genes using RNA …

Effect Of Combining Bcl-2 Inhibition And Radiation On Apoptotic Cell Death In Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines As Determined By Clonogenic Assay And Western Blots, Amari Sasha Howard

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by abnormal control of cell growth and cell survival. Current treatment for cancer employs a combination of modalities including surgery, radiation, chemotherapeutic drugs, and immunotherapy. Our lab focuses on personalized medicine and treatments that can specifically target molecular features of a tumor as presented by the particular patient being treated. Cancers often exhibit an over-expression or under-expression of certain proteins that play a large role in regulating the process of apoptosis, which is programmed cell death. This study focuses on proposing drug treatment for cancer that is personalized in that it targets a …

Role Of Progesterone Receptors In Neonatal Ovary Development, Marta N. Dzyadyk

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

In female mammals, proper oocyte development is a vital prerequisite for future gamete viability and fertility. This development of oocytes, known as oogenesis, begins with the migration of primordial germ cells to the genital ridge of the early embryo, where multiple rounds of mitotic division occur without complete cytokinesis. The result is temporary cyst morphology. Cyst breakdown is a crucial process in the next developmental stage, resulting in formation of the single oocytes which will grow in follicles surrounded by granulosa cells and eventually develop into eggs. These aspects of embryogenesis are conserved across multiple species, including Drosophila, mice, and …