Biology Commons^™

Hgs-3 The Influence Of A Tandem Cycling Program In The Community On Physical And Functional Health, Therapeutic Bonds, And Quality Of Life For Individuals And Care Partners Coping With Parkinson’S Disease, Leila Djerdjour, Jennifer L. Trilk

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Purpose Statement: Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on alleviating symptoms experienced by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite this evidence, the potential benefits of exercise for both PD patients and their care partners (PD dyad) remain unexplored. This research project investigates the effectiveness, therapeutic collaborations, and physical outcomes of a virtual reality (VR) tandem cycling program specifically designed for PD dyads.

Methods: Following approval from the Prisma Health Institutional Review Board, individuals with PD were identified and screened by clinical neurologists. The pre-testing measures for PD dyads (N=9) included emotional and cognitive status …

Using Podcasts To Bring National Estuarine Research Reserves Into The Classroom For Grades 6-12, Kaitlyn M. Dirr

Senior Theses

In a typical classroom setting, there are significant challenges to exposing students to concepts related to earth sciences and the environment. These challenges are exacerbated when conveying lessons about geographic areas with limited access, such as oceans and coastlines (Louv, 2010). It is now more important than ever for environmental education to improve and adapt to our changing world. Educators may have the opportunity to bring these subjects to life by using media content such as podcasts to introduce students to new places and the scientists, managers and educators that work in those spaces. In the United States, there exists …

Alu Dimorphism At The Pv92 Locus Of Chromosome 16 Is In Equilibrium For University Student Population, James M. Brooks, Mackenzie L. Thackston

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Alu is a retrotransposable element, which refers to its ability to be copied and move from one region of DNA to another DNA region. At the PV92 locus of chromosome 16, Alu is a 300 bp dimorphic insert that can either be present or absent. It does not encode a protein product and has lost the ability to transpose. It is specific to humans, and differences in genotype and allele frequencies between human populations are important tools in understanding evolution. In this research, data was obtained and analyzed from 269 students at Charleston Southern University (CSU) belonging to four different …

The Bioethical Significance Of “The Origin Of Man’S Ethical Behavior” (October 1941, Unpublished) By Ernest Everett Just And Hedwig Anna Schnetzler Just, Theodore Walker Jr.

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Abstract –

E. E. Just (1883-1941) is an acknowledged “pioneer” in cell biology, and he is perhaps the pioneer in study of egg cell fertilization. Here we discover that Just also made pioneering contributions to general biology and evolutionary bioethics.

Within Just’s published contributions to observational cell biology, there are substantial fragments of his theory of ethical behavior, a theory with roots in cell biology. In addition to such previously available fragments, Just’s fully developed theory is now available. This recently discovered unpublished book-length manuscript argues for the biological origins of ethical behavior (evolving from cells to humans, within a …

Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus Novemcinctus) In Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Jonathan J. Storm

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The distribution range of the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) has been expanding northward across the eastern and central United States over the past several decades. It is thought that armadillos first reached South Carolina in the mid-1980s in the southwestern portion of the state. Armadillo sightings are rare in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Here, we report of an armadillo photographed in southern Spartanburg County on 30 May, 2017. This individual was spotted in mixed deciduous forest along the Tyger River. Our data add further support to the notion that armadillos have expanded their breeding range into …

Scaling Of Anatomically Derived Maximal Bite Force In Primates, Ashley Deutsch

Senior Theses

Bite force analysis is important the examination of the evolutionary factors that have shaped the masticatory apparatus. Unfortunately, in primates, empirically measured bite force is largely unavailable because of the invasive nature of the procedure. Because of this, we have estimated bite force in a large sample across the primate order at three different realistic bite points along the tooth row: the first maxillary incisor, the maxillary canine, and the paracone of the first maxillary molar. Here, we model bite force by combining measured physiological crosssectional area of the jaw adductors from Hartstone-Rose and colleagues (2017) with osteological measurements from …

The Effect Of Survey Date On Assessing Calling Activity Of Hylidae, M. Kyle Brown, Amelia L. Russell, Adrian K.O. Hayes, Elliot P. Gibbs, Melissa A. Pilgrim

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Deeply Rooted: The Story Of Congaree National Park, Taylor Karlin

Senior Theses

This photo-essay book was written to fulfill requirements for completion of a senior thesis project to graduate with honors from the South Carolina Honors College. Its purpose is to promote the enjoyment and preservation of the Congaree National Park by educating the public on the historical and ecological significance of the land and the many activities it has to offer. Despite its proximity to downtown Columbia, there remains a lack of public awareness about the park and the amazing activities and opportunities it has to offer. I have compiled information and pictures that will best depict the unique qualities of …

The Effects Of Salinity, Ph, Temperature, And Dissolved Oxygen On Sensitivity Of Pcr Identification Of T4 Bacteriophage, Joesph F. Cannon, Nicholas A. Thurn, Paul E. Richardson

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

Bacteriophages are used as indicators of pathogenic bacteria in drinking, and wastewaters. They also show potential in limiting aquatic bacterial populations through their lytic properties. The effect of different water characteristics (salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and temperature) on the sensitivity of the PCR identification of virus particles were analyzed to determine at what levels bacteriophage can be detected in environmental samples. Results from this preliminary study indicate that a PCR bacteriophage detection technique has potential as a relatively efficient and economical indicator of coliform contamination in multiple aquatic environments. While further evaluation is needed, the protocol appears to function in …

Experimental Demonstration Of Accelerated Extinction In Source-Sink Metapopulations, John M. Drake, Blaine D. Griffen

Faculty Publications

Population extinction is a fundamental ecological process which may be aggravated by the exchange of organisms between productive (source) and unproductive (sink) habitat patches. The extent to which such source-sink exchange affects extinction rates is unknown. We conducted an experiment in which metapopulation effects could be distinguished from source-sink effects in laboratory populations of Daphnia magna. Time-to-extinction in this experiment was maximized at intermediate levels of habitat fragmentation, which is consistent with a minority of theoretical models. These results provided a baseline for comparison with experimental treatments designed to detect effects of concentrating resources in source patches. These treatments showed …

Species Invasion Shifts The Importance Of Predator Dependence, Blaine D. Griffen, David G. Delaney

Faculty Publications

The strength of interference between foraging individuals can influence per capita consumption rates, with important consequences for predator and prey populations and system stability. Here we demonstrate how the replacement of a previously established invader, the predatory crab Carcinus maenas, by the recently invading predatory crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus shifts predation from a species that experiences strong predator interference (strong predator dependence) to one that experiences weak predator interference (weak predator dependence). We demonstrate using field experiments that differences in the strength of predator dependence persist for these species both when they forage on a single focal prey species only (the …