Browsing by Department "Biological Sciences"
Now showing items 1-20 of 124
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(2014-09-22)Department: Biological SciencesThis research utilizes aphids to address some of the emerging themes in social evolution. To begin to address these themes, I identified traits to measure sociality in aphids. I found that for the ecological and behavioural ...
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(2007-12-17)Department: Biological SciencesFragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited mental retardation. In this thesis, I describe my work using a Drosophila model to study cellular, molecular and genetic mechanisms that underlie the cognitive ...
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(2014-09-25)Department: Biological SciencesThe zebrafish epithalamus, which includes the dorsal habenular nuclei and pineal complex, displays robust molecular and anatomical asymmetries. The full elaboration of molecular and anatomical differences between the left ...
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(2018-02-14)Department: Biological SciencesCell migration is vital to numerous biological processes, and is misregulated in pathological processes, such as cancer metastasis. Cell migration is a tightly, spatiotemporally regulated process that requires the coordination ...
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(2008-07-23)Department: Biological SciencesThe influence of the mammalian retinal circadian clock on retinal physiology and function has been widely recognized, yet the cellular locations and neural regulation of retinal circadian pacemaking remains unclear. ...
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(2018-04-10)Department: Biological SciencesPreterm birth (PTB), or birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation, is the leading cause of newborn death worldwide. Despite its toll on human lives and economies, however, our understanding of its pathogenesis and ...
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(2007-10-26)Department: Biological SciencesThe cerebellum, which forms from anterior hindbrain, coordinates motor movements and balance. Sensory input from the periphery is relayed and modulated by cerebellar interneurons, which are organized into layers. The ...
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(2009-07-19)Department: Biological SciencesDuring spinal cord development, precursor cells transition from proliferative divisions to differentiative divisions. Traditionally proliferative divisions, which increase cell numbers, are thought to be symmetric, whereas ...
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(2010-08-13)Department: Biological SciencesMyotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) is an autosomal dominant human disease caused by the expansion of a tetranucleotide repeat in the first intron of the ZNF9 gene. While multiple studies link nucleotide expansions such as ...
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(2014-03-05)Department: Biological SciencesVesicular transport of proteins is a process essential for cell health and viability. Integral membrane proteins, called phospholipid flippases, play important roles in the formation of transport vesicles at sites of ...
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(2009-04-21)Department: Biological SciencesThis dissertation examines the natural history, potential adaptations, and tradeoffs of fecal cases of Neochlamisus leaf beetles. Fecal cases begin as wrappings around eggs. Each larva maintains and expands its case ...
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(2014-07-02)Department: Biological SciencesMany eukaryotes use the ribonucleoprotein telomerase to replenish telomeric sequences lost during conventional DNA replication. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, telomerase contains the catalytic reverse transcriptase, Est2p, ...
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(2008-03-13)Department: Biological SciencesDopamine plays key roles in many basic functions in the central nervous system. In order to study developmental and functional roles of dopaminergic cells in the zebrafish, we have examined a transgenic line of zebrafish ...
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(2018-06-11)Department: Biological SciencesDNA glycosylases preserve genome integrity and define the specificity of the base excision repair pathway for discreet, detrimental modifications. Bacterial HEAT-like repeat glycosylases AlkC and AlkD are specific for ...
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(2010-08-04)Department: Biological SciencesA systematic Drosophila forward genetic screen for photoreceptor synaptic transmission mutants identified no-on-and-no-off transient C (nonC) based on loss of retinal synaptic responses to light stimulation. The cloned ...
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Characterization of Recent Evolutionary Signatures of Genetic Elements involved in Human Pregnancy (2019-05-08)Department: Biological SciencesEutherian pregnancy is characterized by relatively prolonged gestation and early establishment of direct maternal-fetal contact. In order to support extended growth of a genetically distinct fetus, the maternal immune ...
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(2005-08-11)Department: Biological SciencesPSF (PTB-associated splicing factor) has been implicated in both early and late steps of pre-mRNA splicing as well as multiple nuclear events including transcription regulation, nuclear RNA retention/export, topoisomerase ...
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(2013-07-18)Department: Biological SciencesCells that are migrating in a chemical gradient display a polarized distribution of signaling and cytoskeletal components. We have investigated the mechanism of polarity establishment by using the model system Dictyostelium ...
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(2012-06-11)Department: Biological SciencesTelomeres are protective protein/DNA complexes that cap the ends of linear chromosomes. The repetitive, TG-rich telomeric sequences are elongated by the telomerase ribonucleoprotein. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the ...
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(2008-10-22)Department: Biological SciencesOne of the greatest factors contributing to the worldwide decline in biodiversity is habitat destruction leading to the loss and fragmentation of populations of many species. Knowledge of the genetic and demographic factors ...