New highly polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.). were developed from several sources. The markers were characterized, and segregation in a mapping population allowed to assign them to linkage groups. Their transferability across genera and species in the Betulaceae family was investigated. SSR markers...
Intracellular delivery of mRNA holds great potential for vaccine and therapeutic discovery and development. This is realized by the preeminent role mRNA is playing in the record-breaking pace of SARS-CoV-19 vaccine development. Recent advances in chemical modifications of mRNA have enabled high-efficiency gene expression with superior spatiotemporal control while eliminating...
Bipedal locomotion is a complex phenomenon to understand and control, making it difficult for legged robots to achieve the speed, agility, efficiency, and robustness of their animal counterparts. This thesis argues for the use of numerical optimization to investigate and implement bipedal control as it applies to biology, dynamical models,...
The fact that 80 percent of Mexican forestlands are under common ownership impacts the competitiveness of the forest products industry and forest sustainability. Community forest enterprises (CFE) are a heterogeneous group of forest industries managed by indigenous and local communities for livelihood and profit. Many CFEs face inner competitiveness problems,...
Managers of forest and plantation ecosystems are encountering growing problems involving plant pathogens and the expanding geographic ranges of these pathogens. Historically unexposed stands are exceptionally vulnerable when a non-native pathogen is introduced because these pathogens can cause devastating disease in a host population that lacks co-evolved resistance mechanisms. One...
All animals have developed the critical ability to detect, respond to, and detoxify a large array of environmental chemicals and stressors that can cause adverse health effects. Important examples of landmark contaminants around the world are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins, both of which can act via the aryl...