Two major types of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are commonly
used in paleoecological and paleoclimatological reconstructions: isoprenoidal and
branched GDGTs. In aquatic environments, it was originally assumed that isoprenoidal
GDGTs, especially crenarchaeol, derive mainly from aquatic Thaumarchaeota, whilst
branched GDGTs are an allochthonous input derived from soil Bacteria. Recently,...
Disease acts as a powerful selective force in natural systems, driving the rapid evolution of resistance in the host. In the face of a myriad of pathogenic challenges in natural systems, hosts must balance the energetic needs of maintenance and reproduction with costly resistance mechanisms. In this dissertation I will...
The ongoing worldwide loss of biodiversity has been described as a "biodiversity crisis," "the Anthropocene defaunation," and alternatively "an extinction spasm." More recently, many scientists have come to the conclusion that we are witnesses to Earth's sixth major mass extinction event, which has the potential to fundamentally alter basic ecological...
Community colleges have become a practical educational option for undocumented students seeking an associate degree; thus reflecting the community college's very mission and purpose by providing access and affordability for these students. Specifically, undocumented Latino students are known to select community colleges due to their low tuition cost, proximity to...
Few remote health monitoring (RHM) studies have included Mexican-origin Latinos, and even fewer have explored RHM acceptance and utility, reasons for RHM uptake success or failure, or how cultural values influence RHM use among this population. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the remote health monitoring (RHM)...
As obligate intracellular parasites, viruses rely on host machinery for their own reproduction. Viruses are therefore required to interact with a wide variety of host proteins, despite limitations in viral genome size. The most parsimonious method of success is to hijack central and essential proteins, known as hub proteins. LC8...