Life Sciences Commons^™

Eccentric Resistance Training And Blood Flow Restriction, Zachary Pope

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare the muscular strength and hypertrophic response following a four week training intervention involving resistance exercise utilizing only eccentric muscle contractions with, or without blood flow restriction (BFR), as well as a control group maintaining their current training regimen. Sixteen young male volunteers were recruited to participate in this study. Prior to the training intervention, subjects attended three sessions in order to obtain demographic information (age, height, body mass) and familiarize each of the participants with the testing and training equipment. After the familiarization session, muscular strength was assessed via elbow flexion one …

Determination Of Structural Stabilities Of Metal-Free Porphyrin Cytochrome C, Zinc Cytochrome C, And Cobalt Cytochrome C, Usha K. Tottempudi

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms Underlying The Interaction Of Apoe And Estrogen In Olfactory Neuronal Growth-Potential Relevance To Alzheimer's Disease, Minh Luong

Masters Theses

In recent years, there have been many studies looking at estrogen therapy (ET) as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Literature review suggests a close relationship between estrogen and apolipoprotein E (apoE) in the central nervous system. The mechanism underlying the interaction of apoE genotype with estrogen in the nervous system is not yet known. Therefore, the objectives of this research are 1) to determine the effects of estradiol treatment on basal cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation and 2) to identify the estrogen receptor subtype (ERα and ERβ) that mediates the increase of apoE levels, neurite outgrowth and neuronal numbers.

Results …

Effects Of Utilizing A Myofascial Foam Roll On Hamstring Flexibility, Elizabeth Sherer

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify if using a foam roller on the hamstring muscles would have positive effects and in tum increase hamstring flexibility. Hamstring injuries are prevalent in sports today. Lack of flexibility is seen as a possible cause for these injuries, so this study focused on a potential way of increasing hamstring flexibility. Self-induced myofascial release, using a foam roller, was the type of intervention used to try to have an effect on hamstring muscle flexibility. The use of a foam roller is becoming a popular tool utilized in many settings but there has been …

Freeze Tolerance Conferred By Transgenic Expression Of Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein In Insect Cells, Alyssa N. Walser

Masters Theses

Anhydrobiotic organisms such as the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana have developed strategies to survive and thrive under conditions of limited water availability. One strategy is the accumulation of late embryo genesis abundant (LEA) proteins. Cells of Drosophila melanogaster (Kc167), which had previously been genetically modified to express a group 1 LEA protein (LEA1.3) found in A. franciscana, were used to test the impact of water stress due to freezing to -80°C. Two different freezing devices were used to determine the impact of the freezing protocol on the viability of cells after freezing and thawing. The first method used a 12-well …

Short-Term Responses Of Fish Assemblages To Habitat Restoration In A Small Midwestern Stream, John Leon West

Masters Theses

Recent efforts to restore stream habitat have become a common practice, yet evaluations of biotic responses to these practices are not as common. I evaluated fish assemblage response to restoration in a reach of Kickapoo Creek, a fourth order stream southwest of Charleston, Illinois. Restoration included 446 meters of bank stabilization, pool scouring keys, and the creation of two artificial riffles. To have a representation of pre-restoration fish assemblages, I sampled four stream reaches of Kickapoo Creek twice before construction of habitat restoration: two control reaches (upstream and downstream) and two restored reaches within a 0.5 km restoration stretch (upstream …

Dietary Ecology Of An Actively-Foraging Snake Species: Coluber Constrictor Foxii, Corissa Pauline Lennon

Masters Theses

The trophic niche width of a species varies depending on the foraging strategy employed by the individuals within a population. Among reptiles, the niche breadth of many species of snakes is relatively understudied. Within this clade, the genus Coluber includes wide-ranging, actively foraging snakes that have been historically labeled as dietary generalists. The dietary information on Blue Racers (Coluber constrictor foxii) is limited, and little is known about ontogenetic or seasonal differences in the prey species consumed. Additionally, this information is available from gut and fecal content only. In addition to obtaining gut and fecal contents, I employed stable isotope …

Morphometric Study Of Variation In The Genus Galeopsis (Lamiaceae), Michael T. Hughes

Masters Theses

The genus Galeopsis L. of the family Lamiaceae, also known as hemp-nettle, grows naturally in Europe and Asia, with four species naturalized in North America. The number of real species is in doubt, because of conflict over whether certain taxa are species, subspecies, or synonyms. The genus consists of five to eight taxa. I studied flower and leaf size ratios to clarify the distinctions of taxa in Galeopsis. These data were analyzed statistically, using cluster analysis, Principal Components Analysis (PCA), and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results indicated that although some measurements, such as leaf width in G. angustifolia, …

Resolving The Nutritional Requirements Of The Bile Acid-Dehydroxylating Gut Bacterium Clostridium Scindens, Oindrila Paul

Masters Theses

Compared to the other parts of the human body, the gastrointestinal tract harbors a complex microbiota. The impact of the indigenous microbiota on host physiology is most pronounced in the colon, where the primary bile acids chenodeoxycholic acid and cholic acid are converted, via 7α-dehydroxylation, to the toxic secondary bile acids lithocholic acid and deoxycholic acid, respectively, by Clostridium scindens, an obligate anaerobe. Interestingly, other than bile acid dehydroxylation, little is known about the basic physiology of C. scindens. Understanding the metabolism of C. scindens will hopefully provide much-needed information as to how this gut bacterium impacts human health and …

The Effect Of Accurate Categorical Activity Selection On The Prediction Of Percent Body Fat When Using The Omron Hbf-306 Bioelectric Impedance Analyzer, Abby Moulton

Masters Theses

Accurate methods for assessing body composition are important in evaluating health risk and fitness levels in individuals. Bioelectric Impedance Analysis has become a popular field method for assessing body composition because it is inexpensive, noninvasive, and easy to administer. The purpose of this study was to compare the activity level settings (Normal vs. Athlete) on the Omron HBF-306 bioelectrical impedance device to the criterion method, air displacement plethysmography, to evaluate the accuracy of the settings for college age females. It was hypothesized that the "Normal" setting would be more accurate for individuals described as normal by FIT index scores and …

Relationship Between Fundamental Movement Skills And Body Mass Index In Rural Elementary Age Children, Mariah L. Bolin

Masters Theses

A factor of how much physical activity a child gets could be determined by the level of mastery of fundamental movement skills that are needed for the establishment of skills used in many forms of adult physical activity. Children who master a number of fundamental movement skills are more likely to be physically active and they also may be more likely to take part in physical activity when being compared to peers with a lesser level of motor skill proficiency. Children who are considered overweight tend to engage less often in physical activities, which in turn may prevents them from …

Molecular Mechanisms Involved In Anhydrobiosis Of Insect Cells, Diyagama Arachchi Ralalage Dilini Sewwandi Samarajeewa

Masters Theses

Animals possessing tolerance to extreme water stress are termed anhydrobiotes. Many desiccation tolerant organisms respond to water stress by intracellular accumulation of selected sugars such as trehalose and larger macromolecules such as Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins and thereby maintain the cell viability. Evidence indicates that the presence of trehalose and Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins may work synergistically to confer cellular protection during drying in eukaryotic cells. We evaluated any increase in cellular desiccation tolerance by expressing different LEA proteins in a non-desiccation tolerant insect cell line Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) (Kc167 cells) in the presence of trehalose.

Transgenic …

Parasites Of Invasive Carp And Native Fish In The Wabash River, Justin Wilcox

Masters Theses

Although the majority of introduced non-native species fail to establish, proliferate and spread to the point of causing observable damage, there are a significant minority that achieve biological successes far beyond what they do in their native ranges. Parasites and pathogens are theorized to play an important role in determining the outcome of invasions by non-native species, both as potential mediators of the population growth of invasive species and as invasive species themselves. This study examines and compares the abundance and species richness of digestive tract helminths in native and non-native fish of the lower Wabash River, a single waterpool …

Survey Of Medicinal Herbs Of Central Illinois Prairie And Woodlands, Debra Ann Welch

Masters Theses

Illinois has been named the "Prairie State" for good reason. When the pioneers discovered a vast sea of grasses and forbs, they thought the prairie infertile. However, they soon found out that the blacksoil prairie was composed of a rich diversity of plant species that could provide much of the medical and nutritional needs of everyday life. The medicinal uses of many prairie species have not only been tested throughout history, but today modern science has also discovered their therapeutic importance.

The purpose of this study was to survey prairie species growing in the central Illinois counties of Coles and …

Demographics Of A Commercially Exploited Population Of Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis Olivaris) In The Wabash River, Cassi Jo Moody-Carpenter

Masters Theses

Flathead catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, are a popular game and commercial fish in the Midwestern United States. In the lower 322 km of the Wabash River, flathead catfish are commercially and recreationally harvested by Illinois and Indiana fishers. Current management regulations are different between the two states; Illinois and Indiana have minimum length limits of 381 and 254 mm, respectively. Indiana has proposed changing their minimum length limit to 381 mm and allowing only one fish> 889 mm to be harvested per day. My study examined the current status of flathead catfish in the Wabash River to determine a standardized …