RSS 1.0Theses and Dissertations-Biology
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Specificity of TLS11a Aptamer Towards Hepatocellular Carcinoma as a Means of Detection and Targeted Drug Delivery
(2017-08)Liver cancer is the sixth most commonly occurring cancer and second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide with an estimated 75% of all liver malignancy cases being hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common ... -
The Prevalence of Endoparasitic Helminths of the Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) on the Island of Puerto Rico
(2018-05)The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus; hereafter mongoose) has been widely introduced to islands around the world as a biological control agent. Species targeted for control were various rodents and venomous ... -
Understanding Wind Energy Impacts to Bats and Testing Reduction Strategies in South Texas
(2019-08)Negative impacts from burning fossil fuels, including climate change, are promoting an increase in development of renewable energy alternatives. In response, wind energy development is expanding at an exponential rate ... -
Ecophysiology and Food Web Dynamics of Spring Ecotone Communities in the Edwards Aquifer, USA
(2019-07-12)Spring orifices serve as ecotones between groundwater and surface water habitats. It is thought that organisms living in physicochemically stable spring ecotones should exhibit small tolerance ranges; however, previous ... -
Vegetation Survey of the Yegua Knobbs Preserve, Bastrop and Lee Counties, Texas
(2019-07-10)The Yegua Knobbs Preserve (YKP) is a private, nearly rectangular 122-hectare tract that sits on the Bastrop and Lee County lines in the Oak Woods and Prairies natural region of east-central Texas. This region is considered ... -
An Assessment of Visual Encounter Surveys for an Elusive Species - The Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus)
(2019-07-18)The Dunes Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus - DSL) is a highly cryptic, habitat specialist that shows a preference for environments comprised of large wind-blown sand dune complexes and dense arrays of shinnery oak ... -
Spatial and Temporal Use of Caves by Eleutherodactylus marnockii and Craugastor augusti in the Western Edwards Plateau
(2019-07-12)Understanding the spatial and temporal habitat associations of rarely encountered species is an important component of understanding their ecology. Barking frogs (Craugastor augusti) and Cliff-chirping frogs (Eleutherodactylus ... -
Determining the status and distribution of the eastern black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) in coastal Texas
(2019-07)The black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) is a small and secretive marsh bird that inhabits coastal high marshes and freshwater wetlands throughout the Americas and is a species of conservation concern. In Texas, winter ... -
Predicting Future Range Expansion of Whooping Crane (Grus americana) Winter Habitat Using Long-Term Census and Remotely Sensed Data
(2019-05)The whooping crane (Grus americana) is one of the most threatened crane species in the world and has been identified as an endangered species since 1967. The last wild-population of the whooping crane, the Aransas-Wood ... -
Elk Population Dynamics When Carrying Capacities Vary Within and Among Herds
(2019-07)Population and land management relies on understanding population regulation and growth, which may be impacted by variation in carrying capacity (K) within and among populations. I fit linear Ricker growth models using ... -
Integration of a lateral flow immunoassay panel for gastroenteritis with swab-based sample preparation cartridge
(2017-05)Gastroenteritis is one of the most common and deadly diseases, causing a combination of diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In developing countries, there is a lack of advanced medical instruments, well-trained medical ... -
Factors influencing community structure of riverine organisms. Implications for imperiled species management
(2019-04-24)Riverine environments are dynamic with numerous biophysical components influencing community structure of riverine biota. Common theme among my dissertation chapters is the quantification of community structure related ... -
Perceptions of Principals in a Science and Mathematics Professional Development Program
(2019-04-30)No abstract prepared. -
Rumen-reticulum organ mass and rumen mucosa surface area of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) consuming two diets
(2019-04-30)Ungulate diets display spatial and temporal variation. To accommodate dietary variation, elasticity, organ mass, and absorptive capacity presumably change in the rumen-reticulum. The gastrointestinal organs, where most of ... -
Intra- and interspecies variability in mercury concentrations in Texas marine fish and shellfish
(2019-04-26)Mercury (Hg) is a toxic pervasive global pollutant that can bioaccumulate in marine organisms and biomagnify in marine food webs. The Gulf of Mexico has a higher concentration of Hg than the connecting Atlantic Ocean. ... -
Influence of Surface and Near-surface Geology on Fish Assemblages in the Colorado River Basin of Texas
(2019-04-10)Fish communities are distributed heterogeneously within river basins. Heterogeneity is attributed to a number of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Among river basins that traverse a diversity of surficial ... -
Distribution of Unionid Mussels in the Big Thicket Region of Texas
(2019-04-15)The Big Thicket located in Southeast Texas harbors the highest number of regional endemic freshwater mussel species and the highest diversity of unionid mussels in the state, including five state-threatened species. ... -
Invertebrate community structure and habitat associations in the arid Davis Mountains region of West Texas.
(2019-02-27)In arid regions, springs often represent ecologically important aquatic habitats which are patchily distributed across the landscape. This separation can lead to localized endemic populations of organisms that exhibit small ... -
Using museum and citizen-science data to monitor the range contraction of a threatened lizard species
(2019-03-06)To assess the utility of museum and citizen-science databases in observing range dynamics of a species that is suspected to have experienced a significant contraction in recent decades, the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma ... -
Exploring Latino Parent Attitudes Toward Science, Involvement in Science, and Perceptions of Value and Comfort of Family Science Events
(2018-11-27)Diversity within teams and organizations guards against groupthink and overconfidence and improves their ability to problem solve and make predictions. Even though efforts have been made to increase diversity within the ...
