Contemporary environmental change encompasses massive biodiversity loss and
increasing numbers of emerging diseases worldwide. As part of a global biodiversity
crisis, amphibians are disappearing at unprecedented rates. Batrachochytrium
dendrobatidis is an emerging infectious pathogen prominently associated with many
declines. Chapter 1 reviews the past decade of research on this system...
Obstetric fistula is estimated to affect 1–2 million women worldwide, predominantly in low-resource countries in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia. The primary intervention for obstetric fistula is surgery, which is described as a relatively simple surgical procedure with an extremely high psychosocial and economic benefit relative to cost. Research addressing...
The neurohypophysial peptide system is involved in modulating a
variety of physiological, neurological, and behavioral responses in
vertebrates. The principal forms of these peptides in non-mammalian
tetrapods are vasotocin (VT) and mesotocin (MT). The studies described
in this thesis used pharmacological, molecular, and biochemical
techniques, along with phylogenetic analyses, to...
Two native shrub species (Piliostigma reticulatum and Guiera senegalensis) are prominent vegetation components in farmers’ fields in Senegal. However, their role in nutrient cycling and ecosystem function has largely been overlooked. A study including both laboratory and field experiments was conducted to evaluate potential biophysical interactions of the two shrub...
Water availability is a critical limiting element in semi-arid ecosystem productivity and presents particular challenges in Sahelian countries such as Senegal. The landscapes are characterized by the presence of two common semi-arid shrubs (Piliostigma reticulatum and Guiera senegalensis), both of which may be important hydraulic regulators in these water-limited ecosystems....
The study of natural products (NPs) and their application has shaped humanity. Starting with the idea of using plants as medicine, it has now grown into the science of purifying and identifying organic molecules from nature to study their inherent biological activities. Understanding the molecular structures of NPs is the...