Browsing Biology by Type"Honors Thesis"
Now showing items 41-60 of 62
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REDUCING ENVIORNMENTALLY INDUCED BIRTH DEFECTS WITH PRENATAL SUPPLEMENTION
(East Carolina University, 2019-05-02)Pollutant exposure during development has been shown to induce developmental malformations. For example, penis deformities are the most common birth defects occurring in boys born in the United States, and are associated ... -
SEQUENCING AND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL CYTOCHROME B GENE IN THE MARION UPLANDS FLORIDA SAND SKINK (PLESTIODON REYNOLDSI)
(East Carolina University, 2016-04-28)The Florida sand skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi)—a small (~10 cm) lizard endemic to the peninsula—is a ‘sand-swimming’ specialist restricted to Florida scrub habitat on the state’s central highland ridges. Florida scrub has ... -
SMAD3 OVEREXPRESSION ENHANCES VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL ATTACHMENT
(East Carolina University, 2016-04-28)Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and illness in the United States and worldwide. Smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration and secretion of extracellular matrix materials are key components of adverse ... -
Social Regulation of the Escape and Swim Motor Circuits in Dopamine Receptor Type 1 Mutant Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
(East Carolina University, 2019-05-03)Dominance hierarchies are an evolutionary mechanism to ensure the stability of animal groups by enabling the division of resources like food and mates according to social rank. Once dominance is established, the behavior ... -
Soul FOOD: An Examination on the Physical Activity of Black Women
(East Carolina University, 2023-12-15)Overweight and obesity diseases lead to various critical health issues, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. These diseases severely and disproportionately affect the Black female population ... -
Suppression of claudin-7 enhances human lung cancer cell survival
(East Carolina University, 2016-04-29)Claudin-7 belongs to a group of tight junction membrane proteins that play vital roles in many human diseases including human lung cancer. Lung cancer is noted to be the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women ... -
SYSTEMATIC BENZOATE PRESERVATIVE ANALYSIS IN POPULAR BEVERAGES
(East Carolina University, 2019-05-02)Introduction Benzoic acid derivatives (such as sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate) are frequently added to commercial beverages as a preservative. FDA regulations prohibit benzoate levels from exceeding 1000 mg/L (0.1% ... -
TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL GRADIENTS IN PHYTOPLANKTON PIGMENTS IN THE TAR-PAMLICO RIVER ESTUARY
(East Carolina University, 2016-04-28)Phytoplankton form the base of most aquatic food webs, and their biomass and the composition of their communities directly impact upper trophic levels. Phytoplankton chlorophyll a concentrations in aquatic environments ... -
TGF-β1-directed Smad3 stimulates proliferation and alters morphology of rat primary vascular smooth muscle cells
(East Carolina University, 2017-05-05)With cardiovascular disease (CVD) being the leading cause of morbidity and death in the United States and worldwide (2, 28), studying the mechanisms of these pathologies is imperative. Recent studies have shown that a ... -
The effect of the Achilles tendon moment arm on knee joint contact force
(East Carolina University, 2016-04-29)Musculoskeletal (MSK) models are used extensively in the study of human movement. The validity of a given MSK model is affected by the architectural features of the system. The Achilles tendon moment arm is one important ... -
The Effect of Visual Queues on Social Status Formation and Mauthner Sensitivity in Zebrafish
(East Carolina University, 2017-04-27)Zebrafish of the TLN strain, a genetic variant of the Tüpfel Long-fin (TL) wild-type zebrafish that does not display the trademark striped scale pattern of wild-type zebrafish, but are instead pale, were tested through a ... -
The Effects of Benzoic Acid in C. elegans: Germ Cell Apoptosis
(East Carolina University, 2017-05-05)Benzoic acid is widely consumed by humans everyday through means of fruit juices, soft drinks, pickles, salad dressings and more. However, the health impact of long-term benzoic acid exposure remains largely unknown. This ... -
The Effects of Coal Ash on pH and Microbial Respiration in Neuse River Sediments
(East Carolina University, 2016-04-28)Coal combustion residuals are by-products of energy production resulting from the burning of coal. The coal combustion residuals, or simply coal ash, are then cleaned from the furnaces and added to water to form a thick ... -
The Effects of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products on Mosquito Oviposition Site Selection
(East Carolina University, 2018-05-09)The products that humans use every day to shower, drink, prevent sickness, protect their crops, etc. are having an effect on the environment. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products, or PPCPs, have been becoming notable ... -
The Fundulus diaphanus Species Complex: A Case Study of Convergent Evolution?
(East Carolina University, 2017-05-09)The Fundulus diaphanus (banded killifish) species complex of Eastern North Carolina streams and Carolina bays provides a possible case study of convergent evolution with important conservation implications. It was originally ... -
The Generation of an Antibody to the Bearded-Ear Protein in Maize
(East Carolina University, 2019-05-02)Flowers are essential for plants to reproduce and also produce seeds and fruits that are consumed as food. Zea mays (maize) is both a staple crop and serves as a model for other grass species. In maize, male and female ... -
THE ROLE OF HNRNPS ON THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF GERMLINE STEM CELLS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER
(East Carolina University, 2018-05-03)An organism’s ability to grow and regulate tissue repair relies on the stimulation of stem cells in response to changes in physiological state, such as cell damage, sexual maturation and growth. Tissue-resident stem cells ... -
The Role of Pre-Replication Complex Proteins in Drosophila Ovarian Stem Cell Maintenance and Proliferation
(East Carolina University, 2017-05-05)Cancer stem cells (CSCs) may hold the key to advances in cancer research. Like adult tissue-specific stem cells, CSCs are able to self-renew and last a lifetime. These shared characteristics can thus be used to help learn ... -
The Role of the Melanocortin-1 Receptor Gene in Müllerian Mimic Ranitomeya imitator
(East Carolina University, 2019-05-02)The Peruvian poison dart frog Ranitomeya imitator has undergone a Müllerian mimetic radiation, which means that this species has evolved color patterns that mimic three other poison dart frogs in different geographic regions ... -
Thermal stress in artificial cavity-nesting Eastern Bluebirds: killing them with kindness?
(East Carolina University, 2018-05-03)Artificial nest boxes are used to help cavity-nesting species with declining populations that compete for limited nest sites. Proper use of nest boxes has been shown to lower predation rates and ectoparasite loads. However, ...