Life Sciences Commons^™

Interdevice Reliability Of A-Mode Ultrasound To Measure Body Composition, Megan Bigler

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A-mode ultrasound is a noninvasive and rapid method for measuring subcutaneous fat thickness and estimating body fat percentage (%BF). The validity and reliability of the BodyMetrix BX2000 A-mode ultrasound has been reported; however, the purpose of this study was to compare results from two machines to determine interdevice reliability. Ultrasound measures were repeated with two BX2000 machines at 10 body sites (chest, biceps, triceps, scapula, lower back, hip, waist, thigh, calf, axilla) on 42 males of varying age and leanness (age: 28.6 ± 11.9 y, BMI: 25.4 ± 4.6 kg/m²). The intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.939 to …

Male Reproductive Infection And Sexual Transmission Of Zika Virus In An Immunocompromised Mouse Model, Chad S. Clancy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a sexually transmitted viral infection most frequently transmitted by mosquitoes. The source of infectious virions in the male reproductive tract has yet to be elucidated. The goals of the studies included developing and characterizing two mouse models for reproductive transmission studies and demonstration of sexual transmission of virus via artificial insemination. The mouse strains used in the study lacked receptors to interferon molecules, key signaling proteins of the host immune response. Inflammation severity was assessed during acute disease, 5-11 days after infection using a novel histopathology grading system. ZIKV proteins and genome were initially detected in …

Influence Of Change In Ph On Whey Expulsion From Cheddar Cheese Curds Made From Recombined Concentrated Milk, Kanak Bulbul

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Western Dairy Center at Utah State University funded this project to investigate cheese research using concentrated milks. Concentrated milk was provided by the South Dakota State University and starter culture for this study was prepared and donated by Vivolac Cultures Corporation, Greenfield, Indiana.

The project initiated as a continuation of a previous study on effects of protein concentration, coagulum cut size and set temperature on curd moisture loss kinetics while stirring during cheesemaking. It was aimed at determining the extent to which pH drop prior to draining and final cheese moisture when using microfiltered concentrated milk.

We performed twelve …

Evaluation Of Casein Hydrolysate As An Alternative Dry-Off Treatment And Milk Quality Management Tool In Dairy Cows, Justine Elena Britten

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mastitis, an infection of the mammary gland, is the most common and expensive animal health problem for the dairy industry and affects every dairy farm to some degree. This disease complex is painful for dairy cows, increases the on-farm use of antibiotics, presents a threat to milk quality and is a waste of time, money and milk production. Each year, the dairy industry loses as much as a billion dollars to mastitis.

Many cows will experience mastitis at least once during a lactation cycle and some animals will develop recurring mastitis episodes in a single mammary quarter. These mastitic quarters …

Young Germ Cell Depleted Ovaries In Post-Reproductive Mice And Its Effects On Immune Function, Mckenna Walters

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

It has previously been shown that young, cycling ovarian transplantation in aged female mice increased the general health and life span in regard to their post-reproductive health. It has further been hypothesized that this enhancement of health is directly influenced by the ovarian somatic cells. To address this hypothesis, transplants of young germ cell depleted and germ cell containing ovaries were performed on female mice. The purpose of this study is to continue to discern the reproductive influence on aging health, specifically in the area of immunological well-being. Control group mice were separated by age and treatment mice were subsequently …

Evaluating The Potential Of Repurposing Commercially Available Drugs For The Treatment Of Viral Infections, Brennan Connor Mcewan

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Viral infections that are often overlooked as common seasonal illnesses such as influenza can rapidly become a public threat. They threaten society as new, more dangerous strains of these common viruses emerge and as strains develop resistance to current vaccines and antiviral treatments (Kochanek, Murphy, Xu, & Tejada-Vera, 2014). To combat this, the development of antiviral treatments with novel mechanisms of action is essential. Repurposing drugs instead of developing new drugs can save years of development time and hundreds of millions of dollars (DiMasi, Hansen, & Grabowski, 2003). To support the effort to discover drugs with unique mechanisms of action, …

Manipulation Of Ovarian Function Significantly Influenced Glucose Metabolism In Cba/J Mice, Kyleigh Ann Tyler

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Menopause is associated with a decline in overall health in women. One health aspect impacted is glucose metabolism. As women experience menopause, their metabolism declines dramatically. The current study addressed the influence of ovarian somatic cells on the improvement of metabolic health through transplantations of young, germ cell-depleted ovaries. The purpose of this study is to expand the understanding of female reproductive health on metabolism. Control mice were grouped by age and treatment mice were age-matched. Treatment mice were placed into one of three groups: 1) mice received germ cell-depleted ovaries, 2) mice received germ cell-containing ovaries, and 3) mice …

A Review Of Osteoarthritis, Madelin Brooke Session

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease which plagues many older animals and humans. It is a disease that is characterized by the degeneration of joint cartilage, inflammation, as well as chronic pain and stiffness that results from this disorder. Unfortunately, most of the treatments for this painful and chronic disease mostly involve pain management and temporary relief strategies. These strategies usually include pain medication, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, injectable lubricants, as well as surgical techniques. However, because these treatments are just temporary fixes meant for pain management and to improve quality of life they must continue throughout the remainder of the …