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A Sensitive and Robust Machine Learning-Based Framework for Deciphering Antimicrobial Resistance

Description: Antibiotics have transformed modern medicine in manifold ways. However, the misuse and over-consumption of antibiotics or antimicrobials have led to the rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Unfortunately, robust tools or techniques for the detection of potential loci responsible for AMR before it happens are lacking. The emergence of resistance even when a strain lacks known AMR genes has puzzled researchers for a long time. Clearly, there is a critical need for the development of novel app… more
This item is restricted from view until September 1, 2024.
Date: August 2022
Creator: Sunuwar, Janak
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Temperature Change and Its Consequences for the Physiology of the Eurythermic Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus)

Description: The estuarine sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) is the most eurythermic fish species, with a thermal tolerance window between 0.6°C and 45.1°C. However, little is known about the physiological mechanisms that allow this species to survive this temperature range. In order to understand how sheepshead minnow physiology is affected by temperature acclimation and acute changes in temperature, I conducted research on this species using a multi-level approach. I began at the organismal level,… more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Reynolds, Amanda Caroline
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Correlation of Watershed NDVI Values to Benthic Macroinvertebrate Biodiversity in Eight North American Wadeable Streams

Description: Water quality of a stream or river is influenced by the surrounding landscape and vegetation. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is commonly used to characterize landcover and vegetation density. Benthic macroinvertebrates are ubiquitous in freshwater streams and are excellent indicators of the quality of freshwater habitats. Data from one NDVI remote sensing flight and one macroinvertebrate sampling event for eight wadeable stream study sites in the National Ecological Observ… more
Date: May 2022
Creator: Gallagher, Denice Lynne
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Ecosystem Services and Sustainability: A Framework for Improving Decision-Making in Urban Areas

Description: Ecosystem services are the varied goods and benefits provided by ecosystems that make human life possible. This concept has fostered scientific explorations of the services that nature provides to people with the goal of sustaining those services for future generations. As the world becomes increasingly urban, ecosystems are reshaped, and services are degraded. Provisioning and regulating ecosystem services, landscape planning, decision making, and agricultural systems and technologies play a d… more
This item is restricted from view until June 1, 2024.
Date: May 2022
Creator: Valencia Torres, Angélica
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Investigation of Gene Functions in the Cyanotrophic Bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 11764

Description: Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 11764 (Pf11764) is one of a group of bacteria known as cyanotrophs that exhibit the unique ability to grow on toxic cyanide as the sole nitrogen source. This ability has previously been genetically linked to a conserved cluster of seven genes (Nit1C), the signature gene (nitC) coding for a nitrilase enzyme. Nitrilases convert nitriles to ammonia and a carboxylic acid. Still, for the Pf11764 NitC enzyme (Nit11764), no in vivo substrate has been identified, and the… more
This item is restricted from view until June 1, 2027.
Date: May 2022
Creator: Gullapalli, Jaya Swetha
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Metacommunity Dynamics of Medium- and Large-Bodied Mammals in the LBJ National Grasslands

Description: Using metacommunity theory, I investigated the mechanisms of meta-assemblage structure and assembly among medium- to large-bodied mammals in North Texas. Mammals were surveyed with camera-traps in thirty property units of the LBJ National Grasslands (LBJNG). In Chapter II the dispersal and environmental-control based processes in community assembly were quantified within a metacommunity context and the best-fit metacommunity structure identified. A hypothesis-driven modelling approach was used … more
Date: May 2022
Creator: McCain, Wesley Craig Stade
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Role of DEFECTIVE IN SYSTEMIC DEFENSE INDUCED BY ABIETANE DITERPENOID 1 (DSA1), a Putative O-Fucosyltransferase, in Plant Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR)

Description: Dehydroabietinal (DA), an abietane diterpenoid, was previously demonstrated to be a potent activator of systemic acquired resistance (SAR). DA also promotes flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana by repressing expression of the flowering repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) while simultaneously upregulating expression of FLOWERING LOCUS D (FLD), FLOWERING LOCUS VE (FVE) and RELATIVE OF EARLY FLOWERING 6 (REF6), a set of flowering time promoters. To further understand the mechanism underlying signa… more
This item is restricted from view until June 1, 2024.
Date: May 2022
Creator: Mohanty, Devasantosh
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

CO2 Transport and Acid-Base Status during Fluctuations in Metabolic Status in Reptiles

Description: Reptiles can often experience perturbations that greatly influence their metabolic status (e.g., temperature, exercise, digestion, and ontogeny). The most common cause of fluctuations in metabolic status in post-embryonic reptiles is arguably digestion and physical activity (which will be further referred to as exercise). The objective of this thesis is to determine the mechanisms involved in CO2 transport during digestion, determine the mechanisms that allow for the maintenance of acid-base ho… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Conner, Justin Lawrence
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Influence of Hypoxia on Acute Lead Toxicity and Calcium Homeostasis in Early Life Stage Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Pb and hypoxia co-exposure on Pb toxicity and Ca homeostasis in early life stage (ELS) zebrafish (Danio rerio). Previous evidence indicates that exposure of ELS zebrafish to hypoxia (~20% air saturation) reduces Ca uptake, likely through down-regulation of the apical epithelial Ca channel (ECaC). Considering that Pb and Ca are known antagonists and compete for uptake pathways, it was hypothesized that co-exposure of Pb with hypoxia wou… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Moghimi, Mehrnaz
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Investigating the Effects of Inhaled Diesel Exhaust Particles on Gut Microbiome, Intestinal Integrity, Systemic Inflammation, and Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease in Wildtype Mice

Description: We investigated the hypothesis that exposure to inhaled diesel exhaust PM can alter the gut microbiome and intestinal integrity, thereby promoting systemic inflammatory response and early CVD risk, which are exacerbated by HF diet. Furthermore, we investigated whether the observed exposure and diet-mediated outcomes could be mitigated through probiotic treatment. We performed an exposure study on C57Bl/6 male mice, placed on either a low fat (LF) diet or a high-fat (HF) diet, and exposed via or… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Phillippi, Danielle T.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Manipulation of Lipid Droplet Biogenesis for Enhanced Lipid Storage in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana

Description: In this study, I examined the use of mouse (Mus musculus) Fat Specific Protein 27 (FSP27) ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana as a means to increase lipid droplet (LD) presence in plant tissues. In mammalian cells, this protein induces cytoplasmic LD clustering and fusion and helps prevent breakdown of LDs contributing to the large, single LD that dominates adipocytes. When expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana, FSP27 retained its functi… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Price, Ann Marie
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Multiple Dimensions of Fish Functional Traits, Trait Relationships, and Associations with Community Structure and Dynamics

Description: Trait-based approaches are useful in ecological research because of their potential ability to predict species responses from patterns present in the community and to infer mechanisms driving community assembly. Current approaches for fishes are lacking traits across all five fundamental niche dimensions (i.e. habitat, life history, trophic, metabolic and defense). This study quantified a broad range of fish functional traits across all five niche dimensions (commonly used traits and novel trai… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Harried, Brittany Lee
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Production and Optimization of Para-Hydroxybenzoic Acid (pHBA) in Algae Using Metabolic Engineering and Genomics Approaches

Description: Microalgae being photosynthetic and having quick growth cycles can prove to be excellent candidates as biofactories for the production of aromatic compounds like para-hydroxybenzoic acid (pHBA) that act as a monomer in liquid crystal polymers. We developed transgenic lines of the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by performing nuclear transformation using electroporation. The transgenic cell lines expressed the ubiC gene that utilized chorismate from the shikimate pathway as a substrate to p… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Saxena, Garima Girish
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Quantifying the Effects of Single Nucleotide Changes in the TATA Box of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S Promoter on Gene Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana

Description: Synthetic biology is a rapidly growing field that aims to treat cellular biological networks in an analogous way to electrical circuits. However, the field of plant synthetic biology has not grown at the same pace as bacterial and yeast synthetic biology, leaving a dearth of characterized tools for the community. Due to the need for tools for the synthetic plant biologist, I have endeavored to create a library of well-characterized TATA box variants in the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S pr… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Amack, Stephanie Carolina
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Reduced Visceral Fat and Biological Indices of Inflammation Following Combined Prebiotic/Probiotic Supplementation in Free Living Adults

Description: Probiotics/prebiotic supplementation represents a viable option for addressing systemic inflammation and chronic disease risk resulting from excessive body weight. The purpose of this feasibility study was to determine if 90-d of supplementation with prebiotic and probiotic could alter mRNA responsible for inflammation and subsequently metabolic health in weight stable overweight adults. Participants were advised to not change their diet or exercise habits during the study. All protocols were a… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Tanner, Elizabeth A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Analysis of Multipartite Bacterial Genomes Using Alignment-Free and Alignment-Based Pipelines

Description: In this work, we have performed comparative evolutionary analysis, functional genomics analysis, and machine learning analysis to identify the molecular factors that discriminate between multipartite and unipartite bacteria, with the goal to decipher taxon-specific factors and those that are prevalent across the taxa underlying the these traits. We assessed the roles of evolutionary mechanisms, namely, horizontal gene transfer and gene gain, in driving the divergence of bacteria with single and… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Almalki, Fatemah
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Analysis of the Accumulation, Toxic Effects, and Risk of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Pinnipeds

Description: The present studies determine the accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in three pinniped species, evaluate the relationship with relevant biomarkers of exposure, and calculate toxic effect thresholds. Stranded harp and hooded seals were found to be accumulating PBDEs at levels which could pose a based on threshold levels determined in this study. Northern fur seals are accumulating all three classes of POPs (PCBs, PBDEs, and OCPs) with significant relationships being seen with b… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Soulen, Brianne K
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Biomonitoring at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport: Relating Watershed Land Use with Aquatic Life Use

Description: The Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport is located in a densely urbanized area with one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S.A. The airport property includes a large tract of "protected" riparian forest that is unique to the urban surroundings. This dissertation explores variables that influence the benthic macroinvertebrate community structure found in urbanized prairie streams that were initially assessed by the University of North Texas (UNT) Benthic Ecology Lab during fou… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Harlow, Megann Mae Lewis
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Ecological Responses to Severe Flooding in Coastal Ecosystems: Determining the Vegetation Response to Hurricane Harvey within a Texas Coast Salt Marsh

Description: Vegetative health was measured both before and after Hurricane Harvey using remotely sensed vegetation indices on the coastal marshland surrounding Galveston Island's West Bay. Data were recorded on a monthly basis following the hurricane from September of 2005 until September of 2019 in order to document the vegetation response to this significant disturbance event. Both initial impact and recovery were found to be dependent on a variety of factors, including elevation zone, spatial proximity … more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Hudman, Kenneth Russell
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Effect of Phosphorus Starvation on Metabolism and Spatial Distribution of Phosphatidylcholine in Medicago truncatula Wild-Type and PDIL3 Genotypes

Description: Symbiotic nitrogen (N) fixation (SNF) occurs in specialized organs called nodules after successful interactions between legume hosts and rhizobia. Within nodule cells, N-fixing rhizobia are surrounded by plant-derived symbiosome membranes, through which the exchange of nutrients and ammonium occurs between bacteria and the host legume. Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient, and N2-fixing legumes have a higher requirement for P than legumes grown on mineral N. First, I investigated the im… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Dokwal, Dhiraj
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Exploring Flavonoid Glycosylation in Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)

Description: The isoflavones in kudzu roots, especially the C-glycosylated isoflavone puerarin, have been linked to many health benefits. Puerarin contains a carbon-carbon glycosidic bond that can withstand hydrolysis. The C-glycosylation reaction in the biosynthesis of puerarin has not been thoroughly investigated, with conflicting reports suggesting that it could take place on daidzein, isoliquiritigenin, or 2,7,4ʹ-trihydroxyisoflavanone. Kudzu species were identified for use in comparative transcriptomic… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Adolfo, Laci Michelle
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Flow-Recruitment Relationships of Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) in Three Texas River Basins

Description: This project focused on the relationship between instream flows and smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) recruitment in the Gulf Coastal Plain of Texas. The flow regime is the dominant factor in lotic systems and, consequently, the relationship between instream flows, including impacts to natural flow regimes, and life-history is a subject of growing interest. Smallmouth buffalo is a good model to investigate the relationship between river flows and variable interannual recruitment success of … more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Reeves, Cole Griffin
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation

Ozone Pollution Monitoring and Population Vulnerability in Dallas-Ft. Worth: A Decision Support Approach

Description: In urban environments, ozone air pollution, poses significant risks to respiratory health. Fixed site monitoring is the primary method of measuring ozone concentrations for health advisories and pollutant reduction, but the spatial scale may not reflect the current population distribution or its future growth. Moreover, formal methods for the placement of ozone monitoring sites within populations potentially omit important spatial criteria, producing monitoring locations that could unintention… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Northeim, Kari M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
open access

Sociality in Harris's Hawks Revisited: Patterns of Reproductive Output and Delayed Dispersal

Description: In the lower Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, more than half the nesting groups of Harris's hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) include at least one auxiliary group member in addition to a breeding pair. To provide further insight into cooperatively breeding raptors, I evaluated sociality in Harris's hawks through the dual benefits framework. I explored the formation, structure, and stability of cooperative group formation across a spatially variable study area, which includes high levels of urbaniza… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Gibbons, Andrea L
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
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