Life Sciences Commons^™

Nsaids And Oral Drug Absorption: Ibuprofen Through A Pharmacokinetic Lens, Courtney Gant

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human pharmacokinetics is the study of how administered medications move throughout and behave within the body. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion are four integral parts of this field of study and are commonly known as the ADME principles of pharmacokinetics, but other processes are studied within the field. For orally administered drugs, the absorption process lies within the small intestine and colon, two components of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract; this bodily system is associated with many variables––many of which must be considered in the study of oral drug absorption. Often administered orally, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) make up a group …

The Covid-19 Pandemic And Its Influence On The Human Immune System, Nicole L. Riha

Undergraduate Honors Theses

COVID-19 rapidly infected the world, and scientists continue to research how the disease spread and killed as many as it did by analyzing how it affects the human immune system and referring to past pandemics. Since the pandemic is ongoing, scientists do not fully understand how the virus works and if lockdowns were effective. Nevertheless, a discussion on what is known about COVID-19's influence on the human immune system is needed. With an understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists can make more effective treatments for COVID-19 and learn how to manage future pandemics.

Porifera: Biology And Medicinal Properties, Emma L. Rayfield

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The focus of this thesis is the possibility of oceanic medicine through understanding the general biology of poriferans, their symbionts, medicinal properties, and how we could harvest sponges conservatively. It was necessary to understand the basic biology of poriferans regarding their structures, differences in their classes, and how they obtain nutrition, develop, and reproduce. The ecology of the poriferans was also researched including their larval and sessile stages and how their environment determines where they settle. Additionally, ecology was examined including how poriferans interact with symbionts and other organisms. This then was utilized to seek whether poriferans had useful medical …

Parental Instincts: The Neurological And Biological Factors Associated With Parenthood, Jared Reeder

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The following project involves a systematic review of the scientific literature on neural and biological changes of mothers and fathers in parenthood. Until very recently, little scientific research was devoted to studying how bearing children affects a man or woman’s long-term biology. Over the last twenty years, studies of neuroplastic changes in new mothers show specific neural mechanisms responsible for altering the behaviors of mothers during and after pregnancy. These changes in neuroplasticity alter behavior in such a way that led to mothers requiring less sleep and being more prone to hearing the cries of their children. In addition to …

American Sign Language (Asl): Linguistically And Cognitively - Why Deaf People Should Learn Asl & Learn It Early, Helena Isabel Berczes

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis presents data supporting the value of including American Sign Language (ASL) in the education of Deaf people. Historically, Deaf education has not fully included or has excluded ASL in an effort to focus on English due to a belief that ASL hinders learning English. ASL must fit within the definition of language with unique linguistic features for its inclusion in language education. Plasticity of the brain lends itself to the ability for language processing networks to form based on language experience. Deaf people can fully access visual language versus auditory language. Therefore, acquiring ASL early in life, during …

Analysis Of Bacterial Dna And Water Quality: Surface Water Sampling At Gardner-Webb University, Celsea Reeder

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Part 1 of this experiment was to explore the bacterial types within the surface water on the campus of Gardner-Webb University, located in Boiling Springs, NC. Two water samples were collected from four locations on campus, including the boiling spring, Lake Hollifield, and an adjacent creek. Using the Zymo Research “Quick-DNA^™ Fungal/Bacterial Miniprep Kit,” the bacterial DNA within these samples was isolated and sent to Psomagen, Inc. for analysis. The resulting DNA sequences were analyzed through BLAST, and subsequently interpreted. For the second part of this experiment, one surface water sample was taken from the boiling spring, and another …

More Than Growth? A Study Of The Additional Functions Of Growth Hormone In The Human Body, Damien Chance Hutchins

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Growth Hormone (GH) may have many more effects on the human body than those commonly known by the public. A study was conducted to determine what these additional functions may be, if these functions could necessitate the continued use of GH treatment for adults with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD), and how these effects might invite the additional usage of GH as a treatment for normal individuals. Research consisted of a literature review and a statistical analysis of 86 adult GHD reports regarding how GH treatment had affected various symptoms. Reports were analyzed for significance using one-way ANOVAs. Observed results support …

Statistics And Biomechanics: An Interdisciplinary Evaluation Of The Mathematical, Practical, And Athletic Applications Of Principal Component Analysis, Sydney Grace Davis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Excerpt from Introduction

Coaches and athletes around the world are in constant pursuit of improving their athletic performance. For some, a routine amount of weight lifting, cardiovascular exercise, agilities and flexibility training with gradual advancement may be enough to see growth. However, many are not satisfied and turn to in-depth analyses of their techniques in order to measure their progress. After an intense workout or competition, coaches spend time breaking down athletic performances based on major movements. By compartmentalizing these activities, they can identify which motions are efficient and which ones hinder fluid motion. From this evaluation and discernment, athletes …

Crash And Burnout: The Sophomore Slump In College Athletics, Jessica Ferguson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study analyzed and compared the severity of performance slumps of collegiate student-athletes in general and across academic years. The factors examined with performance slumps included athlete burnout, academic burnout, relationship satisfaction, and grade point averages. The first hypothesis was that reduced accomplishment scores from the athlete burnout questionnaire would indicate the severity of performance slumps. The results did not support the hypothesis. The second hypothesis was that the severity of performance slumps would positively correlate with academic burnout and negatively correlate with relationship satisfaction. The results supported this hypothesis. The third hypothesis was that student-athletes who experienced a performance …