Life Sciences Commons^™

Olfactory Behavior In Apoe Knockout Mice, John P. Yost

Masters Theses

Apolipoprotein E (apoE), a lipid transporting protein, has been shown to play a vital role in nerve repair and remodeling. Since the olfactory system is in a continuous state of remodeling, the present study tested the hypothesis that apoE is required for normal functioning of the olfactory system. Olfactory function of the wild type (WT) and apoE deficient (apoE KO) mice was assessed by using three standard olfactory tests: 1) the buried food pellet (BFP) test; 2) the odor choice (OC) test; and 3) the odor cued taste avoidance (OCTA) test. The visible food pellet test (VFP) was not used …

Renesting - Female's Success After Nesting Failure And The Renesting Of The Dickcissel (Spiza Americana) At Prairie Ridge State Natural Area, Kevin L. Wentworth

Masters Theses

Renesting - Female's success after nesting failure. Many birds are unsuccessful in their first nesting attempt, so renesting is often a very important way for birds to increase their lifetime fitness and for populations to maintain stable numbers. I examined the importance of renesting and the factors that encourage or discourage a female from renesting and also the factors that affect the success of these renests. I also looked for patterns in renesting behavior (e.g., renesting interval, renesting distance, percentage of females that attempt renests, and the success of renests) of birds by comparing different studies. I used a total …

The Effects Of Social Physique Anxiety Levels, Body Mass Index, And Program Type On Exercise Adherence And Reasons For Exercise, Colleen N. Vandever

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare adult females across various age groups, body mass index, and exercise facilities on their levels of social physique anxiety, reasons for exercise, and adherence rates over an 8-week period. Female members of the Eastern Illinois University Adult Fitness Program (n = 14), Curves for Women (n = 19), and the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center Employee Wellness Program (n = 14) took part in the study. Two age group categories were made: 30-50 (n = 21) and 51+ (n = 26) in order to compare female age groups. Specifically, the purposes of …

The Effects Of Strength Training On The Bone Mineral Density Of Aerobically Trained Perimenopausal Women, Jill Marie Kowalski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if a strength training program has an effect on the bone mineral density of aerobically trained perimenopausal women. The study also hoped to determine if high intensity strength training with low repetitions will result in a greater increase in bone density as compared with low intensity strength training with high repetitions. The duration of the study was six months.

The participants were twenty-five aerobically trained perimenopausal female volunteers. They were randomly selected to be in one of three groups. Group 1 was the aerobic control where the participants continued with their aerobic …

Isolation Effects Of Aquatic Habitat Fragmentation On Greenside (Etheostoma Blennioides) And Fantail (Etheostoma Flabellare) Darters, Rita M. Klein

Masters Theses

Aquatic habitat fragmentation is defined as the lack of connectivity between upstream and downstream populations and can occur along two gradients, the longitudinal gradient and the lateral gradient. The longitudinal gradient focuses on objects within the stream and is concerned with the disruption of stream flow, which is normally brought about by the presence of dams and bridges. Fragmentation along the lateral gradient, on the other hand, examines factors outside of the stream and is related to any loss or modification of the surrounding riparian zone.

In Illinois within the last 100 years, stream habitats have become increasingly fragmented by …

Managing Wetland Vegetation For Marsh Birds And Waterfowl At Carlyle Lake Wildlife Management Area, Il, Matthew W. Bowyer

Masters Theses

The high cost of restoring and managing wetlands warrants careful assessment of their management potential. We designed this study to provide basic information on how seed banks and hydroperiod influence the development of habitat for migratory birds in restored wetlands at Carlyle Lake Wildlife Management Area (CLWMA). The objectives were to: (1) survey the composition of the seed banks; (2) investigate the effects of early- vs. late-drawdowns on the germination and growth of these plants; and (3) monitor the use of these communities by wetland birds during migration and the breeding season. The study was conducted on a marsh complex …