Life Sciences Commons^™

Health & Nutritional Sciences Free Communication Day: Spring 2019 Plan B Abstracts, Viola Davies, Jonathan Shaeffer, Amy Hommes, Zachary Fehringer, Andrew Cheney, Alli Delay, Alyssa Finke, Kaitlin Reece, Jacob Elfmann, Maggan Froseth, Kala Nurnberg, Keith Thompson, David Andersen, Samantha Kratovil, Makenna Meier, Lezlie Pommer, Amanda Nack

Health and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students Plan B Capstone Projects

This document contains Plan B abstracts presented by graduate students at the Health and Nutritional Sciences Free Communication Day, held on April 30th 2019.

Abstract titles include:

• Effect of supervised aquatic therapy and supervised land-based therapy on chronic low back pain.
• The College Football Recruiting Process and Ways to Improve It
• The Effects of Probiotics on Depression and Anxiety
• Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy versus Physical Therapy: Best Intervention to Improve Outcomes in Patients with Meniscal Tears?
• Does the inclusion of mental health education programs have an effect on the help seeking behavior of collegiate student-athletes?
• Establishing a Sustainable Nutrition Education Program …

Comparative Optic Nerve Head Physiology: Glaucoma Induced Retinal Ganglion Cell Apoptosis By Disruption Of The Translaminar Pressure Gradient And Reduced Neurotrophic Signaling, Cassidy Christopherson

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, and the second leading vision loss neurodegenerative disease affecting millions worldwide. Glaucoma is characterized as a group of eye disorders which are initially asymptomatic but may progress to significant optic nerve head damage and vision loss with time. Early stages of glaucoma often go undetected, leading to irreversible damage to the optic nerve head prior to patients seeking medical care. Glaucoma leads to vision loss via death of retinal ganglion cells. Retinal ganglion cell apoptosis is thought to begin due to interference with the normal transmission of neurotrophic signals that arrive by …

Pathogenesis Of Cte: A Review Of Ptau, Lewy Bodies, And Cytokine Involvement In Cte, Karter Keefer

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neuropathological disease that develops years after experiencing repetitive traumatic brain injuries. In recent years, this disease has been gaining recognition from professional, college, and high school teams that participate in contact sports. The purpose of this paper is to review available information about this neurodegenerative disease. Only limited published experiments are available on this disease. Research on CTE has been limited by the fact that patients can only be diagnosed with the disease by a post mortem autopsy. Many experiments were analyzed regarding different CTE pathologies, symptoms, and treatments. Articles used in this paper …

A Review: The Association Of Asthma And The Microbiome, Kathleen Olson

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

The microbiome gut-lung axis has been associated with asthma. Asthma is a respiratory disease that presents itself in many different ways. The microbiome is the bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses found in a particular environment. The association of the microbiome gutlung axis in an asthmatic individual compared to a healthy individual has shown that different types and/or concentrations of bacterial genera are present in an asthmatic individual compared to a healthy individual. A causal relationship between the microbiome and asthma has not yet been identified. The aim of this review is to present the association of asthma and the microbiome …

A Review Of Asthma Treatments: Monoclonal Antibody, Corticosteroid, Leukotriene Modifier, And Bronchodilator, Alec Williams

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Medical research has created multitudes of medications to help control the symptoms of asthma. Asthmas effects the respiratory system in different ways, creating unique challenges to researchers and doctors alike to create or a manage the symptoms of asthma. Identifying the common treatment methods and understanding their effect on the human physiology can aid in treating patients. The goal of this review is to identify the common medications used to treat asthma, how these medications work on the human’s physiology, as well as bring to light a new upcoming medication with greater asthma control. As asthma research continues, the need …

Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Constipation (Ibs-C) Treatment Efficacy And The Emerging Importance Of Serotonin, Meghan Schenk

Biology and Microbiology Graduate Students Plan B Research Projects

Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) affects a large proportion of the population. It decreases quality of life for the patient both physically and mentally. Patients report higher levels of mental health issues and other gastrointestinal maladies compared to the normal population, in addition to an IBS diagnosis. Patients have increased healthcare visits and costs, raising insurance rates for all, and also results in more missed time from work. There are limited treatments available for IBS-C, and medicinal and non-medicinal modalities are differentially prescribed to patients throughout the country. Recently, serotonin has emerged as a key mediator of normal gut …

Alternative Treatment Options For Controlling Anthelmintic-Resistant Haemonchus Contortus Populations In South Dakota Sheep Herds, Adam Sarah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Haemonchus contortus is a common economically important gastrointestinal nematode that obliges the survival and productivity of small ruminants, especially sheep and goats. Anthelmintic resistance is a primary challenge in ruminant health management programs in preventing and controlling the H. contortus populations; therefore, there is a great necessity in finding and developing natural plant products for use as alternatives to commercial anthelmintics for controlling H. contortus in pastured sheep and goats. This dissertation has three major aims conducted in three separate studies: the first in vivo one was to evaluate the extended effect of a springtime, combined-treatment with 3 anthelmintics having …

The Effect Of Proteolytic Queues On Antibiotic Tolerance And Persistence Cells Population In Escherichia Coli, Alawiah Abualrahi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A major contributing factor to the abundance of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and failed antibiotic treatment is survival due to antibiotic tolerance and persistence. Antibiotic tolerance is a widespread phenomenon that enables cells to survive treatment without carrying a resistance gene. This phenomenon renders antibiotic treatments less effective and facilitates antibiotic resistance. We are particularly interested in proteases, responsible for degradation of proteins, because of their known relationship to tolerance and persistence. Here, we examine the effects of proteases and antibiotic survival using queueing theory, in which one type of customer competes for processing by servers, that has traditionally been applied to …

Improvement Of Dried Distillers’ Grains With Solubles Utilizing Pretreatments And Fungal Fermentation, Burgandy Zschetzsche

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Limited inclusion of distillers’ grains in animal feed is primarily due to low protein and high fiber content. Other elements, such as phytate phosphorus levels in DDGS are still an issue for monogastric animals such as swine, poultry, and fish. Furthermore, unabsorbed phytic acid in manure poses a high risk for environmental pollution, because bacteria can hydrolyze phytic acid into free phosphorus that can result in algal blooms and eutrophication of surface or ground water. The objective of this thesis was to improve the nutritional value of corn dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS). This was done utilizing submerged fungal …

The Tortoise (Wildfire) And The Hare (Heavy Winter Grazing) For Promoting Heterogeneity And Improving Ecosystem Services, Lucas W. Zilverberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Northern Great Plains (NGP) mixed-grass prairie developed under fire, grazing, and periodic droughts, which created a heterogeneous landscape. Since European settlement, heterogeneous landscapes have declined due to fire suppression and the maximization of livestock production, leading to the need for an alternative management practice. Our overall project objective was to determine if heavy winter grazing could be used as an alternative to patch-burn grazing for promoting heterogeneity and improving ecosystem services in the NGP. Fire has been used very effectively in patch-burn grazing management to create heterogeneity in pastures in some areas, however burning is not readily adopted in …

Brassica Carinata Growth And Yield Response To Nitrogen And Sulfur Fertilizers And Impacts On Selected Soil Parameters And Ghg Fluxes, Dwarika Bhattarai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carinata (Brassica carinata A. Braun), a non-food oilseed crop and an alternative bio-jet fuel feedstock, has received attention for its potential as a low-input option for production in the semi-arid regions of the Northern Great Plains of USA. The crop has a lower N fertilizer requirement as compared to the other oilseeds, suggesting less negative impact on soils and GHGs emissions. Carinata is a new crop to South Dakota (SD), thus, the best management practices have yet to be developed. In addition, no sufficient research to address the impact of growing carinata on soils and GHG emissions has been …

Relationship Of Weight-Related Eating Behaviors And Weight-Loss Of Participants In A Proprietary Weight-Loss Program, Megan Tschakert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is to evaluate weight-related eating behaviors of participants with clinically significant weight loss (CSWL) in a proprietary weight loss program. A crosssectional sample of participants (n=1,454) enrolled in a proprietary weight-loss program that includes meal replacements and health coaching were queried for weight-related eating behaviors (using Weight Related Eating Questionnaire) of routine restraint (RR), compensatory restraint (CR), susceptibility to external cues (SEC), and emotional eating (EE) in relation to CSWL (defined as having achieved a weight loss greater than 10% of starting weight). Participants were dichotomized into those with CSWL (n=973) and with no CSWL …

Eat Smart, Play Hard The Oyate Way: Impact Of A Culturally Tailored Nutrition And Physical Activity Curriculum On Elementary Youth, Abbey Hillestad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To assess changes in nutrition and physical activity (PA) knowledge and behavior in elementary-age participants from school districts with high American Indian enrollment after completion of a culturally tailored education curriculum.
Design: Pre-post intervention study assessing knowledge and behavior using quantitative methods. Participants: A total of 248 participants (Kindergarten through 5th grade, n=248) throughout 13 elementary classrooms in tribal communities participated in Eat Smart. Play Hard.: The Oyate Way. Intervention(s): Baseline and post intervention data from a culturally tailored nutrition and PA knowledge and behavior curriculum.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Dependent variables were nutrition and PA knowledge, and nutrition and …

Development Of Enhanced Weed Detection System With Adaptive Thresholding, K-Means And Support Vector Machine, Dheeman Saha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper proposes a sophisticated classification process to segment the leaves of carrots from weeds (mostly Chamomile). In the early stages, of the plants’ development, both weeds and carrot leaves are intermixed with each other and have similar color texture. This makes it difficult to identify without the help of the domain experts. Therefore, it is essential to remove the weed regions so that the carrot plants can grow without any interruptions. The process of identifying the weeds become more challenging when both plant and weed regions overlap (inter-leaves). The proposed system addresses this problem by creating a sophisticated means …

The Economic And Social Values Associated With Small South Dakota Lakes, Aaron Patrick Sundmark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The valuation of small fishing lakes is a vital component in understanding the importance of fishing and of recreational resources, in general. Knowing the values associated with such lakes is essential when prioritizing management activities. The overall value of a lake as a resource for human benefit is estimated as the summation of both instrumental and non-instrumental values. Instrumental values consist of economic and utilitarian values, as well as the values that a lake provides from ecosystem services. Non-instrumental values consider what the lake is worth as a good of its own, such as aesthetic, moral, and spiritual values gained …

Shrimp Production Environment And The Gut Microbiome: Effects Of Aquaculture Practices And Selective Breeding On The Gut Microbiome Of Pacific Whiteleg Shrimp, Litopenaeus Vannamei, Angela Landsman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of the functional role of the gut microbiome in animal health and nutrition may provide solutions to shrimp aquaculture challenges, such as improving disease resistance and optimizing growth particularly with low cost feeds. Successful manipulation of bacteria found in the gut requires a deeper understanding of shrimp microbial communities and how their compositional structure is influenced by environmental conditions, and inherent host factors such as genetics. The initial research investigated the intestinal bacterial communities of the Pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) reared in pond systems compared to indoor aquaculture facilities as an exploration of the effects of aquaculture practices …

Increasing Accumulation Of Glyceollins In Soybeans Via Optimization Of The Fungal Incubation Process, Stephanie Wootton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Continual use of antibiotics in the feed of food animals was viewed a solution to the problem of disease outbreaks in livestock produced in confinement operations. This practice also improved animal performance, likely due to the reduction in sub-clinical infections. Unfortunately, this practice led to a new problem, the development of antibiotic resistant microbes. This increase in antibiotic resistance reduced the direct benefits of antibiotics in animal production. Moreover, as antibiotic resistance spread from animal to human pathogens, this practice created a major public health concern. This led the FDA to enact the Veterinary Feed Directive in 2017 that greatly …

Evaluation Of Feeding Alternative Feedstuffs Including Hydroponic Barley Sprouts And Carinata Meal To Dairy Cattle, Rhea D. Lawrence

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation research was to examine alternative feed ingredients not typically found in dairy cattle diets. In total, four studies were conducted to evaluate feedstuffs such as hydroponic barley sprouts and carinata meal and how they affect cattle performance. To determine how feeding hydroponic barley sprouts would affect growing dairy heifer and lactating cow performance two feeding studies were conducted. In the first study, inclusion of 14 % (DM basis) hydroponic barley sprouts (HYD) was evaluated in an ad libitum total mixed ration (TMR) compared to a control (CON) diet on dairy heifer performance during a 12 …

Characterizing Spatiotemporal Patterns Of White Mold In Soybean Across South Dakota Using Remote Sensing, Confiance L. Mfuka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soybean is among the most important crops, cultivated primarily for beans, which are used for food, feed, and biofuel. According to FAO, the United States was the biggest soybeans producer in 2016. The main soybean producing regions in the United States are the Corn Belt and the lower Mississippi Valley. Despite its importance, soybean production is reduced by several diseases, among which Sclerotinia stem rot, also known as white mold, a fungal disease that is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is among the top 10 soybean diseases. The disease may attack several plants and considerably reduce yield. According to …

Preservice Agricultural Education Majors’ Perceptions Of Integrating Science Into Agriculture, Kasey Trocke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural science has seen a rise in secondary agricultural classrooms and many studies have been done with regards to integrating science into agriculture. Several recommendations have been to assist preservice agriculture education majors with science integration. Preservice agricultural education majors could influence the future of agricultural science due to their perceptions of integrating science into agriculture into the classroom. The purpose of the study was to assess preservice teachers’ perceptions of integrating science into agriculture curriculum based on the theory of planned behavior. An online survey was administered to the population of agricultural education majors at South Dakota State University. …

Greater Sage-Grouse Survival, Breeding Ecology, Resource Selection, And West Nile Virus Prevalence On The Eastern Fringe Of Their Range, Lindsey Anne Parsons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) obligate species that has experienced population declines over the past several decades. Sage-grouse are a species of conservation concern throughout the Intermountain West and are considered a species of greatest conservation need in South Dakota. Numerous studies have documented drivers of demographic performance at the core of their distribution; however, relatively few studies have examined sage-grouse inhabiting the eastern extent of their range, in South Dakota. We sought to examine sage-grouse space use in multiple seasons, estimate survival, and determine factors affecting nest success in South Dakota …

The Influence Of Preovulatory Estradiol On Uterine Transcriptomics And Proteomics Around Maternal Recognition Of Pregnancy In Beef Cattle, Emmalee J. Northrop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Preovulatory estradiol has been reported to play a crucial role in pregnancy establishment and maintenance, but the mechanism by which estradiol exerts its effects has not been well characterized. Specifically, the interactions between the maternal uterine environment and the developing conceptus can greatly impact pregnancy success or loss. The objective of this dissertation is to determine the effects of preovulatory estradiol exposure on uterine and trophectoderm transcriptomes, and uterine luminal fluid (ULF) protein composition. Beef cows/heifers were synchronized, artificially inseminated (d 0), and grouped into either high (highE2) or low (lowE2) preovulatory estradiol. Uteri were flushed to collect d16 conceptuses …

Performance Differences Between Two Groups Of Commercial Pigs Following Experimental Infection With Prrs Virus 1-7-4, Erin Little

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the costliest swine disease in North America. Vaccines and management alone have not been effective in controlling this disease. Genetic selection for resilience may be a complimentary approach for controlling PRRSV. The objective of this study was to estimate performance differences between two groups of pigs from the same commercial line following infection with PRRSV 1-7-4: 1) pigs sired by boars selected based on a standard index (TN-S), which emphasized feed efficiency and carcass quality; and 2) pigs sired by boars selected based on an experimental index (TN-E), which emphasized feed intake, …

Augmenting Land Cover/Land Use Classification By Incorporating Information From Land Surface Phenology: An Application To Quantify Recent Cropland Expansion In South Dakota, Lan Hoang Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding rapid land change in the U.S. NGP region is not only critical for management and conservation of prairie habitats and ecosystem services, but also for projecting production of crops and biofuels and the impacts of land conversion on water quality and rural transportation infrastructure. Hence, it raises the need for an LCLU dataset with good spatiotemporal coverage as well as consistent accuracy through time to enable change analysis. This dissertation aims (1) to develop a novel classification method, which utilizes time series images from comparable sensors, from the perspective of land surface phenology, and (2) to apply the land …

Physical Activity Environments In Rural Communities: Exploring The Relationship Between Community Perceptions And The Environment, Elizabeth M. Bye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To assess the physical activity environment, community perceptions of the physical activity environment, and the relationship between these variables in rural and/or underserved communities with high obesity prevalence.
Methods: The Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) was used to assess the programs and policies (PPA), town-wide amenities (TWA), and street segments (SSA) of the physical activity environment and the Rural Active Living Perceived Environmental Support Scale (RALPESS) was used to assess community perception of the physical activity environment within eleven rural and/or underserved communities. Each section of the RALA and RALPESS are further broken down into additional subsections in order …

Interactions Of Arbuscular Mychorrhizal Fungi And Bacterial Endophytes On Disease Resistance Of Common Root Pathogens In Wheat, Janice L. Eibensteiner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Arbuscular mycorrhiza, a symbiosis between plants and fungi, help plants to capture nutrients such as phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N) and other micronutrients from the aggre in exchange for up to 20% of the fixed carbon (C) from the plant. In addition, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can improve the resistance against abiotic (drought, salinity), and also biotic (pathogen) stresses. Bacterial endophytes promote plant growth and yield by fixing N2 from the atmosphere, assimilating N and transfer it to the plant. Bacterial endophytes can also solubilize phosphate and stimulate plant defense responses, suppressing pathogens. The host plant provides sucrose and a favorable …

Effect Of Mineral Ions On The Functional Properties Of Starch Films, Aliza Sigdel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Essential minerals are indispensable inorganic micronutrients that modulate vital physiological functions at the molecular level. Their deficiency, though required in small amounts, impairs health significantly. Their supplementation through diet is prudent and carbohydrates standout as favorable choice. Carbohydrates, starches and polysaccharides, exhibit unique chemical structures and functionalities, and interact with mineral ions in several ways. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of mineral ions on the physicochemical properties, tensile strength and in vitro starch digestion of starch-films. Corn starch and potato starch along with Fe2+, Mn2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions have been chosen as model starch …

A Review Of The Genus Acrisis Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) With A New Species From American Licorice And A Survey Of Aphid Parasitoids Of Soybean Fields In Eastern South Dakota, Abigail P. Martens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The diversity of parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in South Dakota is largely unexamined despite these wasps providing innumerable important ecological and biological services and being an essential part of natural and agricultural ecosystems. A new species of Acrisis Foerster was reared and is described from the native prairie legume Glycyrrhiza lepidota (Nuttall) Pursh, a plant studied for its potential for conservation and remediation. A large insect guild of seed predators and their associated parasitoids and hyperparasitoids reported from G. lepidota provides a list of potential hosts associated with the new parasitoid species. The agriculturally significant legume soybean, Glycine max (L.) …

Identifying An Optimal Bald Eagle Monitoring Program For Southwest Alaska National Parks, Rebecca Kolstrom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Southwest Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network includes bald eagle monitoring as part of their Vital Signs Monitoring Plan. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve monitor bald eagles annually, albeit slightly differently among parks. Since monitoring decisions involve multiple objectives and stakeholders, there was a need for a structured approach to identify an optimal monitoring program. We used a structured decision making process and an iterative, four-round Delphi Process to collect information about long-term bald eagle monitoring from experts. We collected information …

Estimating Soil Organic Carbon In Cultivated Soils Using Soil Test Data, Remote Sensing Imagery From Satellites (Landsat 8 And Plantscope), And Web Soil Survey Data, Muhammed Halil Koparan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important soil parameter of cultivated soils that needs to be monitored and mapped regularly to enhance soil health and productivity. SOC levels in cultivated areas is difficult to monitor for farmers and is costly to analyze using traditional methods. The objective of this study was to estimate surface SOC distribution in selected soils of Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) 102A (Rolling Till Plain, Brookings County, SD) and 103 (Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Lac qui Parle County, MN) using soil sample data, Web Soil Survey (WSS) data, and satellite imagery (Landsat 8 and …