Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Water Submersion On Skeletal Muscle Activation, Fatigue, And Whole-Body Gas Exchange, Caroline Griffin, Robert J. Shute

Honors Projects

THE EFFECTS OF WATER SUBMERSION ON SKELETAL MUSCLE ACTIVATION, FATIGUE, AND WHOLE-BODY GAS EXCHANGE

C.C. Griffin. Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA.

Email: Cgriffin@eagles.bridgewater.edu

Fatigue of skeletal muscle can be affected by multiple environmental elements. Fatigue threshold can be measured by VO2 max on a cycle ergometer combined with the use of a metabolic cart and Electromyography (EMG) measurements. PURPOSE: The purpose of this experiment is to determine if water submersion affects skeletal muscle activation, fatigue, and whole-body gas exchange. METHODS: Three participants were recruited to participate in a cold and no temperature trial. Participants arrived and baseline vitals and measurements were …

Cultivating Excellence: A Literature Review On Harnessing The Power Of The Gut Microbiome For Athletic Performance, Maya Katharine Dean

Honors Projects

The interplay between our gut microbiome and health is immense. This literature review analyzes the current research assessing the interplay between gut microbiome and athletic performance. Knowing how to improve gut microbial diversity via nutrition and supplementation can take athletic performance to the next level; namely improvements in immune, mental, and physical health.

The Effect Of Nutrition Education On Perceived Fatigue Of Collegiate Endurance Athletes, Quinn Murphy

Honors Projects

Background: Based on previous research, athletes have low knowledge when it comes to nutrition. This puts them at a greater risk for poor dietary choices that could ultimately impact their ability to perform optimally, increase fatigue, and increase the risk of injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine if after taking a nutrition education class, the athletes would better fuel their bodies and improve their perceived fatigue levels.

Methods: Initially, five BGSU club runners were recruited to participate. They were asked to track five sequential days of food and drink intake and the level of daily fatigue (consisting …

Evolution Of The Human Eye: As Compared To Other Vertebrates, Madison Queener

Honors Projects

There are three different types of eyes, the simple eye, the compound eye, and the camera eye (Cambridge Dictionary) (Myer-Rochow, 2014) (UCL, 2020). The retina of the eye has evolved and adapted to fit the lifestyles of the respective organisms. Because of this part of the eye, organisms are able to see different colors and use light to define the world using photoreceptors. Photoreceptors are rod cells, which are light sensitive and process light, and cone cells, which perceive the different color wavelengths, that pass visual information to the brain (Kazilek, 2010). About 5% of the photoreceptors in the retinas …

The Decline In Monarch Butterfly, Danaus Plexippus, Populations: An Example Of The Global Threat To Biodiversity, Olivia Sidoti

Honors Projects

Biodiversity encompasses the variety of all life on Earth and how these aspects of nature interact with each other. To have stable and abundant biodiversity, vast amounts of species and organisms are required within an ecosystem. As a result of the increase in negative impacts of human activities and behaviors on the health of nature, biodiversity has been decreasing. An example of the decrease in biodiversity is depicted by the recent decline of the monarch butterfly species. The monarch butterfly is an iconic North American insect that is experiencing a decline in its population due to threats such as deforestation, …

Exploring Pedagogical Approaches: A Comparative Analysis Of Information Delivery Methods In Fish Dissection Instruction, Kiara Smidt

Honors Projects

The Covid-19 pandemic prompted a global shift to remote work and education, challenging traditional teaching methods. This research explores the effectiveness of audiovisual versus visual-only guides in teaching perch dissection anatomy, safety, and procedure. The study involves a cross-sectional experiment with students from an Introduction to Biology course at Bowling Green State University. Participants were divided into groups using either a video or a written guide, and their knowledge was assessed before and after the dissection. Results calculated through a Student’s t-test indicate no significant difference in overall effectiveness between the two methods, apart from labeling an anatomy diagram and …

Faa Medical Reform, Dana Rose

Honors Projects

This project investigates the challenges and implications of obtaining medical certification for pilots with a history of childhood misdiagnoses, focusing on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Misdiagnoses in childhood can lead to significant obstacles in the aviation industry's medical certification process, posing unique hurdles for aspiring pilots. The study examines the current FAA guidelines and procedures for medical certification, particularly the evaluation requirements for individuals with ADHD. It also explores common challenges faced by pilots, the effects of childhood misdiagnoses on their eligibility, and the impact of the FAA's ADHD evaluation process.

Through interviews with Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs), this project identifies …

Exploring The Longitudinal Effects: Non-Traditional Pedagogies And Practical Learning On Biology Education And Medical Understanding, Thomas Ziebro

Honors Projects

Medical disinformation is becoming a rampant problem in the United States, and the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted it. There have been attempts to fight the problem at the source through fact verification. These attempts have been unsuccessful. This paper investigates the efficacy of non-traditional pedagogies and the correlation between them and an individual perceived and practical ability to understand their primary care provider. The purpose of this research was to establish whether non-traditional pedagogies at the secondary and post-secondary level are more effective than traditional lecture-based instruction. The research was conducted through an anonymous cross-sectional survey which included questions about educational …

An Analysis On The Capacity Of Visual Art To Promote Conservation Efforts, Devi Bell

Honors Projects

In recent decades, we have become more aware of the ways in which anthropogenic actions are harming Earth’s climate, ecosystems, and overall stability. Scientists generally agree on the urgency of our situation, yet the public may find difficulty in comprehending the multitude of information on it. This study aims to educate the public on biodiversity loss and related ecological issues in Ohio by discussing these topics through the medium of visual art. Five pieces involving different scientific subject matter and art mediums were created and displayed for participants to view. Participants completed two surveys, one before viewing the art and …

Cortisol Production In Female Soccer Players, Katelyn Seagraves

Honors Projects

Cortisol is released from the adrenal glands when there is an apparent stressor. Exercise, while beneficial, is seen as stress to the body and incites increased cortisol release. Cortisol is known to increase with exercise, and higher-intensity exercise tends to raise cortisol more compared to lower intensities. However, less is known about interval training and cortisol concentrations.

This review of literature dives into the background of cortisol: how it's produced, what systems it regulates, and differences in production based on gender, stressors, exercise intensity, and duration. This paper identifies some knowledge gaps and links training intensities in soccer to cortisol …

Dorsal Fin Innervation Of The Bluegill, Lepomis Macrochirus, Amanda Torick

Honors Projects

Recent work has shown that the dorsal fins in fish operate not only as locomotive appendages, but also as sensory structures that aid in proprioception. To investigate how fish use these structures for sensing, the innervation of the dorsal fins in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) was assessed through immunohistochemistry assays. I conducted staining using anti-acetylated tubulin (AAT), a non-specific neuron marker, calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) which stains sensory neurons and cytokeratin 20 (CK20), which binds to mechanoreceptor structures. Stained samples of bluegill dorsal fins were imaged under a laser scanning epifluorescence microscope to visualize mechanoreceptors, as well as sensory and …

The Combinatorial Effects Of Temperature And Salinity On The Nervous System Of The American Lobster, Homarus Americanus, Katrina Carrier

Honors Projects

The ability of nervous systems to maintain function when exposed to global perturbations in temperature and salinity is a non-trivial task. The nervous system of the American lobster (H. americanus), a marine osmoconformer and poikilotherm, must be robust to these stressors, as they frequently experience fluctuations in both. I characterized the effects of temperature on the output of the pyloric circuit, a central pattern generator in the stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) that controls food filtration and established the maximum temperature that neurons in this circuit can withstand without “crashing” (ceasing to function but recovering when returned to normal …

Modulation Of The Stretch Feedback Pathway In The Cardiac Neuromuscular System Of The American Lobster, Homarus Americanus, Karin Van Hassel

Honors Projects

The cardiac ganglion (CG) is a central pattern generator, a neural network that, when activated, produces patterned motor outputs such as breathing and walking. The CG induces the heart contractions of the American lobster, Homarus americanus, making the lobster heart neurogenic. In the American lobster, the CG is made up of nine neurons: four premotor pacemaker neurons that send signals to five motor neurons, causing bursts of action potentials from the motor neurons. These bursts cause cardiac muscle contractions that vary in strength based on the burst duration, frequency, and pattern.

The activity of the CG is modulated by feedback …

Neural Compensation In Response To Salinity Perturbation In The Cardiac Ganglion Of The American Lobster, Homarus Americanus, Josephine P. Tidmore

Honors Projects

Central pattern generator (CPG) networks produce the rhythmic motor patterns that underlie critical behaviors such as breathing, walking, and heartbeat. The fidelity of these neural circuits in response to fluctuations in environmental conditions is essential for organismal survival. The specific ion channel profile of a neuron dictates its electrophysiological phenotype and is under homeostatic control, as channel proteins are constantly turning over in the membrane in response to internal and external stimuli. Neuronal function depends on ion channels and biophysical processes that are sensitive to external variables such as temperature, pH, and salinity. Nonetheless, the nervous system of the American …

Investigating The Impacts Of Drought On Turfgrass (Festuca Arundinacea) Chlorophyll-A Fluorescence Emission, Ayanna S. Hatton

Honors Projects

When photons from sunlight are absorbed by plants, they can take paths of photosynthesis, fluorescence, or energy dissipation. Instruments to quantify fluorescence have expanded in scale to allow measurements from satellites and flux towers using Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF). Studies have found a positive correlation between SIF and gross primary productivity (GPP; representative of photosynthesis), suggesting SIF is a proxy for GPP. This conclusion encourages the use of SIF to inform decisions about carbon budgets and responding to climate change. Studies of fluorescence on the single-leaf scale have revealed that SIF measurements do not account for all variables nor is …

A Histological Investigation Of Arceuthobium Pusillum Infections In Picea Rubens And Picea Glauca, Sade K. Mcclean

Honors Projects

Arceuthobium pusillum is a hemiparasite that infects select Picea species. The hosts of A. pusillum do not experience the same symptoms of infection. A. pusillum infections are more fatal to P. marinara, and P. glauca. P. rubens, on the other hand, can survive longer with sustained infection. This presents itself as a contemporary issue because P. glauca, one of the parasite’s most vulnerable hosts, was untethered from ecological competition when old growth forests were subjected to large scale anthropogenic disturbances. These disturbances allowed P. glauca to proliferate, with A. pusillum following. A deeper understanding of the host-species specific …

Modulation Of The Crustacean Cardiac Neuromuscular System By The Sly Neuropeptide Family, Grant Griesman

Honors Projects

Central pattern generators (CPGs) are neuronal networks that produce rhythmic motor output in the absence of sensory stimuli. Invertebrate CPGs are valuable models of neural circuit dynamics and neuromodulation because they continue to generate fictive activity in vitro. For example, the cardiac ganglion (CG) of the Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) and American lobster (Homarus americanus) contains nine electrochemically coupled neurons that fire bursts of action potentials to trigger a heartbeat. The CG is modulated by neuropeptides, amines, small molecule transmitters, gases, and mechanosensory feedback pathways that enable flexibility and constrain output. One such modulator, the …

Mitochondrial Adaptation In The Green Crab Hybrid Zone Of The Gulf Of Maine, Jared Lynch

Honors Projects

The mitochondrial genome has historically been relegated to a neutral genetic marker, but new evidence suggests mitochondrial DNA to be a target for adaptation to environmental stress. The invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas) exemplifies this in the Gulf of Maine’s hybrid zone, where interbreeding populations exhibit thermal tolerances influenced by mitochondrial genotype. To better understand the mechanism behind this phenomenon, the effect of mitochondrial genotype on mitochondrial activity was tested by measuring mtDNA copy number (mtCN) and the activity of complex I, II, and IV of the electron transport system via high-resolution respirometry. Mitochondria isolated from frozen …

To Hum Or Not To Hum: Analyzing And Provoking Sound Production In The American Lobster (Homarus Americanus), Renske Kerkhofs

Honors Projects

American lobsters (Homarus americanus) produce humming sounds by vibrating their carapace. These sounds have a fundamental frequency on the order of 100 Hz, with multiple higher harmonics. Though I found no relationship between lobster carapace length and hum frequency, I observed sounds similarly structured to hums but with frequencies an order of magnitude higher, suggesting that lobsters may use a wider range of sounds than previously thought. Using laser vibrometry, I was able to pick up high frequencies of carapace vibration that were similar to those I observed on sound recordings. Lobsters seem to hum most readily when …

Physiological Responses Of The American Lobster Cardiovascular System To Neuropeptide Sgrnflrfamide (Sgrn), Andre Eden

Honors Projects

During every second of a human’s life, the cardiovascular system is modulated by factors both intrinsic and extrinsic to the physiology of the heart. We can uncover new insights regarding the nature of our system through investigations of similar systems in other model species. One example materializes itself in the form of the American Lobster (Homarus americanus) whose single-chambered heart finds resemblance to the function and anatomy to that of humans. The lobster heart is powered by the cardiac ganglion (CG), a group of neurons that drive contractions of surrounding heart muscles, known as the myocardium. Both the …

Extraction Of Transcriptional Regulators For The Polyhydroxyalkanoate Depolymerase Gene From Streptomyces Nymphaeiformis, Kara B. Eppard, Stephen F. Baron

Honors Projects

Plastic waste has become an increasingly prevalent environmental pollutant. This problem is exacerbated by the inability of plastic to degrade under most natural conditions. In contrast, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biologically produced, plastic-like polymers that can be broken down and metabolized by bacteria. The bacterium Streptomyces nymphaeiformis can degrade the PHA, polyhydroxybutrate (PHB), using an extracellular PHB depolymerase, which is encoded by the phaZ gene. PHB depolymerase is synthesized only in the presence of PHB or its monomer, but not glucose, suggesting that transcription of phaZ is regulated, presumably by transcriptional regulatory proteins that bind to its promoter region. The DNA …

Investigations Of The Impact Of Excess Gut Volume On Spinal Angles, Carly Stoops

Honors Projects

This compilation of research projects investigates the impact of increased gut volume on the lumbosacral disc angle and the central lumbar angle of the spine. The magnitudes of the lumbosacral disc angle can change due to age, pregnancy, sex, and, as hypothesized, gut volume. It is unknown how the central lumbar angle changes due to increased gut volume. This is important because these spinal modifications can result in pain, specifically in the lower back. The consequences of being overweight or obese rarely include the anatomical changes that result due to excess gut volume and center of mass changes. My goal …

Reviewing Research On Down Syndrome To Then Inform And Create A Children’S Book With A Child Protagonist Who Has Down Syndrome, Trey Williams

Honors Projects

Children's literature continually evolves, requiring a steadfast commitment to align with new insights into various disabilities for genuine and accurate portrayal. This project delves into leveraging research to craft a children's book featuring Bonnie Lynn, a protagonist with Down Syndrome, recognizing the growing presence of individuals with Down Syndrome in today's society and the imperative for empathetic understanding within this community.

Altering United States Drug Policy And Shifting The Focus Of Drug Use From Conviction Toward Drug Addiction Treatment, Natalie Marra

Honors Projects

While these substances were not always controlled by law, drug use has been as issue throughout time going back thousands of years and continues to be a concern in the twenty-first century. Possession, distribution, and manufacturing of controlled substances outside of what is considered legal can lead to fines and or jail time and can also increases the severity of other crimes committed either due to or under the influence of drugs. As of Saturday June 10th, 2023, 44.5% of Federal inmates are incarcerated for drug offenses, including possession, distribution, and manufacturing1. Drug offenses make up the largest percentage of …

Identity And Body Image: How Bicultural Influences Affect The Development Of Negative Body Image And Disordered Eating In Korean American Adolescents, Abigail G. Brown

Honors Projects

The objective of this research project is to examine the existing literature related to culture, body image, and disordered eating in Korea and the United States as they are related to the identity and body image formation of Korean American adolescents in the United States. Because there is not much existing literature specifically investigating the experience of Korean American adolescents, this paper aims to synthesize the current research regarding Korean and United States culture to create a summary of factors that contribute to the development of negative body image and/or disordered eating in this population. In addition, these factors will …

Humanity In Animals: A Exploration Of The Complexity Of Elephants As Intellectual Beings, Xing Z. Huang

Honors Projects

Loxodonta (Elephants) are endangered species with only around 40,000-50,000 left in the world. They are part of the Elephantidae family with only three known existing species. Known for their cognitive capacity in their ability to recognize themselves in a mirror among many other actions, such as using self-made tools to aid them in their daily lives. Through past studies, it can be seen that vocalization and physical touch are the key steps of communication. Elephants have demonstrated their ability to distinguish between different frequencies and utilize them to communicate changes in the environment or indicate the absence of a herd …

Creating Project Contrast: A Video Game Exploring Consciousness And Qualia, Pierce Papke

Honors Projects

Project Contrast is a video game that explores how the unique traits inherent to video games might engage reflective player responses to qualitative experience. Project Contrast does this through suspension of disbelief, avatar projection, presence, player agency in storytelling, visual perception, functional gameplay, and art. Considering the difficulty in researching qualitative experience due to its subjectivity and circular explanations, I created Project Contrast not to analyze qualia, though that was my original hope. I instead created Project Contrast as an avenue for player self-reflection and learning about qualitative experience. While video games might be just code and art on a …

Social Creatures: The Impact Of Solitary Confinement On Psychophysiological Health And How Inmates Percieve Their Humanity And Social Well-Being, Julia Austin

Honors Projects

This paper will define and examine the use of solitary confinement within the United States prison system and review its mental, physical, and social impacts. As social creatures, human mental and physical well-being depends on meaningful social interactions absent in segregation units. As it currently stands, vulnerable populations, including racial minorities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and those with developmental disabilities or psychological disorders, are at risk of irrevocable harm and abuse within these facilities from staff as well as other inmates. With a rotating 80,000 inmates held in solitary confinement every day, the current structure of the prison system deemphasizes rehabilitation and …

Human Trafficking And Nutrition: Assessing The Effects Of U.S. Public Policy On Food Security And The Malnourishment Of Refugees, Moxie R. Mccandless

Honors Projects

This research paper aims to assess the challenges associated with human trafficking within the lived experience of refugees, specifically focusing on food security, and the resulting system shaped by existing United States policies and programs. By examining this complex relationship, the study seeks to shed light on the influence of power dynamics on fulfilling basic human needs and to propose more effective strategies for improving food security among marginalized populations.

A comprehensive literature review is conducted, and a community nutrition needs assessment is performed in King County, Washington. Qualitative interviews are conducted with human trafficked organizations, government officials, and experts …

Legacy Effects Of Forest Clearcutting On Ecosystem Function And Biogeochemical Cycling In A New England Forest, Andre Solomon Gomes

Honors Projects

Terrestrial soils comprise the largest reservoirs of carbon (C) in the biosphere holding some 2500 Gt C, which is 4x the amount found in plant biomass and 3x the C content of the atmospheric pool. Approximately 1500 Gt of soil C is in an organic form, thus making it available to mineralization by heterotrophic organisms [10]. Changes to the drivers of mineralization such as climate change and aeration due to anthropogenic land use, such as logging, have the potential to strongly affect global carbon and associated nutrient cycles, plant production, and atmospheric composition. With the aim of better understanding the …