Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization Of Large-Scale Functional Network Organization In The Human Hippocampus, Annie Zheng

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The hippocampus is critically important for a diverse range of neural processes, such as episodic memory, prospective memory, affective processing, and spatial navigation. Using both individual-specific precision functional mapping and large-sample group-averaged approaches of characterizing large-scale functional network organization in the human hippocampus, we uncovered general principles of and behaviorally-associated individual differences in hippocampal organization across development in children and adults. We found the hippocampus to be modularly organized along the anterior-posterior axis with the anterior hippocampus being preferentially connected to the default mode network (DMN), as expected. However, the posterior hippocampus was strongly connected to the parietal memory network …

Patient Knowledge Of Family History Of Cardiac Events And Risk Factors: Potential For Increase In Preventative Care Of Cardiovascular Diseases, Joseph Marentette

Honors Theses

The following literature review regards the preventative care of cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients with the knowledge of familial cardiac events and personal cardiac risk factors, particularly in younger populations ranging from ages 18 to 39, and develop potential preventative care measures. CVD is preventable with early reduction of risk factors. People can lower the impact of cardiac risk factors through the modification of their current lifestyle and behavioral habits. However, this is limited to the education and motivation of the person. Primary emphasis must be placed on community education and physician-patient interactions regarding CVD and cardiac risk factors. Physicians need …

Use Of Intramodal Odor Cues In Shelter Recognition By An Amblypygid, Nathan Bostelman

Honors Projects

Amblypygids are nocturnal arthropods which live in cluttered habitats and possess the ability to navigate home after displacements of up to ten meters. Homing amblypygids rely on olfactory and tactile information gathered by their antenniform legs to navigate successfully. Given that odor signals encountered in nature are complex and dynamic, navigation via olfaction presents unique challenges related to signal uncertainty. To understand how amblypygids perceive perceive complex odors and what they learn from them, individuals of the subtropical amblypygid P. marginemaculatus were trained to associate a blend of two odors with a shelter and tested on three treatments: the reinforced …

To Stick Or Not To Stick: The Multiple Roles Of Cell Adhesion Molecules In Neural Circuit Assembly, Trevor Moreland, Fabienne E. Poulain

Faculty Publications

Precise wiring of neural circuits is essential for brain connectivity and function. During development, axons respond to diverse cues present in the extracellular matrix or at the surface of other cells to navigate to specific targets, where they establish precise connections with post-synaptic partners. Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) represent a large group of structurally diverse proteins well known to mediate adhesion for neural circuit assembly. Through their adhesive properties, CAMs act as major regulators of axon navigation, fasciculation, and synapse formation. While the adhesive functions of CAMs have been known for decades, more recent studies have unraveled essential, non-adhesive functions …

Kleinstuck Preserve: A Valuable Migratory Bird Stopover In Kalamazoo, Mi, Kelly Giles

Honors Theses

Decreasing bird populations have been noted with habitat loss, climate change, and human development. With an estimated loss of 2.9 billion birds in North American since the 1970’s (Rosenberg et al. 2019), I found it necessary to determine whether this pat tern was reflected in local bird populations. At Kleinstuck Preserve, a birding hotspot in Kalamazoo, MI, I was able to access data from 48 years of bird surveys starting in 1973 with 209 total bird species documented from 1973-2021. Kleinstuck is a 60-acre nature preserve that has been protected as natural land since 1922 despite being surrounded by urban …

Genetic Covariance In Immune Measures And Pathogen Resistance In Decorated Crickets Is Sex And Pathogen Specific, Corinne Letendre, Kristin Duffield, Ben M. Sadd, Scott K. Sakaluk, Clarissa M. House, John Hunt

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

1. Insects are important models for studying immunity in an ecological and evolutionary context. Yet, most empirical work on the insect immune system has come from phenotypic studies meaning we have a limited understanding of the genetic architecture of immune function in the sexes.
2. We use nine highly inbred lines to thoroughly examine the genetic relationships between a suite of commonly used immune assays (haemocyte count, implant encapsulation, total phenoloxidase activity, antibacterial zone of inhibition and pathogen clearance) and resistance to infection by three generalist insect pathogens (the gram-negative bacterium Serratia marcescens, the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus cereus and the fungus …

Exploring The Relationship Between Art And Environmental Education, Mackenzie Haynes

Honors Projects

To explore the relationship between art and environmental education, I created a lesson plan and then put into practice at Crim Elementary School in a 4th grade art class. The art project had to do with the environment, endangered animals and recyclable materials. I titled the project "Habitat Heroes" and students had to imagine that they were the only people left on Earth along with a few animals and lots of trash. They were tasked with selecting an endangered animal in Ohio from one of five different groups (mammals, birds, reptiles/amphibians, birds and fish) to create a habitat for. The …

Mechanobiology In The Comorbidities Of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Shaina P. Royer, Sangyoon J. Han

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDSs) are a group of connective tissue disorders, characterized by skin stretchability, joint hypermobility and instability. Mechanically, various tissues from EDS patients exhibit lowered elastic modulus and lowered ultimate strength. This change in mechanics has been associated with EDS symptoms. However, recent evidence points toward a possibility that the comorbidities of EDS could be also associated with reduced tissue stiffness. In this review, we focus on mast cell activation syndrome and impaired wound healing, comorbidities associated with the classical type (cEDS) and the hypermobile type (hEDS), respectively, and discuss potential mechanobiological pathways involved in the comorbidities.

Effects Of Seasonal Variation Of Abiotic Factors On Edna Detection Of Two Groundwater Crayfish Species, Jared Prine Higgs

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Chromatin Architecture: Mechanisms Of Gene Regulation, Logan O'Donnell

Honors Projects in Science and Technology

The rapid growth and division of cells as they proliferate and penetrate to surrounding tissues defines the collection of disease states known as cancer. Abnormal gene expression drives this uncontrollable replication of cells. In recent studies, aberrant HOX gene expression has been noted in a multitude of cancer types such as myeloid leukemia, prostate cancer, and breast cancer [1]. Within cancerous cells with aberrant HOX expression, late expressing HOX genes are suppressed while early expressing HOX genes are reactivated. HOX genes are significant in controlling early phases of organismal development such as cell cycle, cell movement, and gene expression. Likewise, …

Effects Of Urbanization On House Sparrow (Passer Domesticus) And House Finch (Haemorhous Mexicanus) Song Propagation, Sarah Grimes, Eliza Lewis

21st Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2022)

The recent surge in urbanization has increased pollution, which includes both physical pollution (e.g. exhaust) and sensory pollution (e.g., anthropogenic noise). We know birds increase the frequency and amplitude of their song in urban areas to reduce masking by low frequency noise pollution. However, bird song (i.e., a signal) is also affected by the environment and accompanying ambient noise. This study investigates how anthropogenic disturbances alter the ability of birds to communicate. Specifically, we aim to understand how urbanization affects the propagation of bird song by examining differences in active space, or the maximum distance a receiver can detect a …

Changes In Chromatic Contrast Of Avian Plumage In Forests With Different Levels Of Deer Browsing, Morgan Sherrard, Suihnem Mawi, Timothy Boycott, Megan Gall

21st Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2022)

Visual signal propagation through the environment can be influenced by many factors, including the visual background. For example, normally camouflaged animals can appear quite salient when the environmental substrate is changed. Deer can alter this visual background by consuming the forest understory; ultimately this can have implications for species that use visual signals to attract a mate or defend a territory. We are interested in studying how deer browsing affects the chromatic contrast (i.e., how much an animal stands out from the background for a given receiver) using an avian model system. Brown headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) and wild turkeys …

The Effects Of Anthropogenic Disturbances On The Auditory Processing Of The House Sparrow (Passer Domesticus), Linda Nduwimana, Emma Yonker, Sarah Grimes, Suihnem Mawi, Eliza Lewis

21st Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2022)

Animal communication involves a sender producing a signal (e.g., vocalizations) that travels through the environment before being detected by a receiver. Although we know how senders can vary in signal production, relatively little is known about how receivers process these signals. The recent increase in urbanization can further complicate receiver sensory processing as anthropogenic activities (e.g., noise pollution) affects the way birds communicate. This study aims to investigate the influence of urbanization on the auditory processing system of house sparrows (Passer domesticus). House sparrows are an ideal model because they inhabit urban areas and rely on vocal cues from …

Sex Differences In Hormone-Modulated Neuroplasticity In The Songbird (Serinus Canarius), Paige A. Massa, Elianna E. Sandman, Anders P. Bogard, Matthew Czmer

21st Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2022)

In temperate zone species such as canaries (Serinus canaria) the neural circuitry regulating song behavior undergoes well-defined changes across the seasons. In males, increased daylengths in spring initiates an increase in gonadal volumes and circulating testosterone driving marked changes in brain morphology and song frequency. Females given exogenous testosterone in adulthood also demonstrate male-like changes in brain morphology and song behavior. More specifically, the telencephalic nucleus HVC (acronym is proper name), a key nucleus for song production, undergoes well-defined seasonal changes in neuroplasticity with a high rate of neurogenesis mediating marked changes in HVC volume. Much is known about the …

The Effect Of Serotonin On Males’ Neural And Behavioral Mechanisms To Female Ultrasonic Vocalizations And Urine In The House Mouse (Mus Musculus), Madisyn Kovacs

21st Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2022)

Animals communicate with multimodal signals (e.g., a mix of auditory, visual, or olfactory information) spanning several modalities; these signals may provide receivers with more complete information to allow for more accurate behavioral decisions. Past research suggests that serotonin plays a role in encoding multimodal social information (e.g., social partner presence) during communication events. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, no experiments have explicitly tested this hypothesis. 5-HTP, a precursor for serotonin, has been shown to increase serotonin in a region of the auditory midbrain, and is affected by social context. In our experiment, we asked the question: Does an increase in 5-HTP …

Assessing Environmental Factors That Influence Cyanobacterial Blooms In Skinn Lake, Kloe Atwood

Honors Projects

Global lakes are experiencing an increase in toxic algal blooms that can be damaging to the environment. These blooms are caused by cyanobacteria, specifically a species called Planktothrix. Skinn Lake, in Ohio, is a location of a cyanobacterial bloom that is mainly populated by Planktothrix rubescens. This lake was further examined to identify the major toxin-producing bacteria and identify environmental microbes surrounding the bloom. When the data was examined it was found that the microbiomes of the lake greatly differed between the winter (bloom) months and the summer (non-bloom) months. This difference can be viewed within the nutrient analysis from …

Metabolism, Cognition, And Male Coloration In Eastern Mosquitofish, Katelyn Ashleigh Giltner

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Food For Thought: The Relationship Between Nutrition And Academic Performance, Sarah Freeman

Honors Projects in Science and Technology

Nutrition has been shown to impact the level of cognitive function in individuals. Through the analysis of nutritional diets, this new research will aim to uncover the impact that diet has on cognitive function of Bryant University students by analyzing their ability to perform on a variety of cognitive assessments. This study will provide recommendations to students at Bryant University on what they should eat so they can perform their best academically. This research will also investigate whether Bryant University is offering the best food for students to eat setting them up for success.

Salve Regina University Act On Climate: Strategic Plan For The University To Reach State Carbon Neutrality Goals, Jameson Chace, Jared Barrows, Casey Bermingham, Dylan Bigansky, Avery Braccia, Natalie Bryant, Claire Cavanagh, Jerry Cheatham, Alexander Colon, Courtney Connor, John Deady, Mary Duman, Mia Farley, Alexander Gajic, Brandon Grover, Andrew Hassler, Dhana Hinds, Abigail Hoye, Emma Karpinski, Finn Doherty, Genevieve Mcclelland, Stella Mccormack, Maggie Mccue, Emma Mcgrillen, Kelly Mckenna, Gianfranco Messina, Liam Murphy, Maeve Newton, Mia Pastorok, Tyler Petrosino, Samuel Richard, Marion Riddle, Allison Sagun, Jessica Serra, Aidan Tucker, Patrick Voli

BIO140 Carbon Footprint Project

In order to become more sustainable and meet the mandate set by the 2021 Rhode Island Act on Climate law (RI General Law §42-6.2), Salve Regina University must work to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. Action to meet these standards begins now and must be continually built upon to ensure that Salve Regina University, as leader in Rhode Island, is always working for a more sustainable future. Throughout the Spring 2022 semester, students of the BIO-140: Humans and Their Environment course instructed by Dr. Jameson Chace have researched ways in which Salve Regina can begin on …

Skin Decision: Northern Fowl Mite Infection Alters Diversity Of The Skin Microbiome In European Starling Nestlings Differentially With Age, Kaitlin Couvillion

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Annual Faculty Research Symposium 2022, Oakwood University

Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Crossing The Border: A Novel Mouse Line Using Fgf10-Cre To Drive Gata3 Overexpression In Nonsensory Transcriptional Context, Lucas Cunha

Honors Theses

Hearing loss can occur in a variety of ways, and in every case, they have equally devasting effects. While hearing loss and the people who suffer from it shall not be discriminated against, attempting to offer options for treatments nevertheless should be of priority. As such, there has been much progress in the field of genetically based forms of treatment for sensorineural hearing loss. A gene that has been almost always implicated in the conversation of regeneration, Hair Cell and Spiral Ganglia development, and inner ear development, in general, is the Zing Finger transcription factorsGata3. Furthermore, since the Organ of …

The Consequences Of Climate Change For Native Bee Assemblages, Melanie R. Kazenel

Biology ETDs

Recent declines in terrestrial arthropod biodiversity highlight the need to pinpoint which taxa and ecosystem services are most threatened, and why. But, for most of the world’s ~20,000 bee species, we lack robust evidence of population trends, and the role of climate change remains surprisingly little studied. I used long-term bee monitoring data from the Sevilleta Long-Term Ecological Research Program (Socorro, NM, USA), along with complementary experimental and observational data, to examine how climate relates to bee abundance and diversity patterns over time and space, and to identify the traits that govern bees’ climate sensitivities. Under climate change, drylands worldwide …

In The Face Of Climate Change, Does Human Trampling Affect Dune Resilience And Alter Ecosystem Services?, Alexandra O. Findlay

Honors College Theses

Sand dunes play a valuable role on the coastline supporting unique native species and protecting beach communities. The City of Tybee Island, Georgia, USA has undergone extensive dune restoration to expand and rehabilitate its shoreline to better defend the town against the increasing frequency of hurricanes and storm surge. The project included the recovery of existing dune structures and construction of new dunes filled with sand pumped from offshore and vegetated with a variety of native species. To analyze the impact of human trampling on dune vegetation occurring adjacent to footpaths and crossovers in new and established dunes, we measured …

Nextgen Stats Confirm That All Fossil Horses Belong To The Same Created Kind, Jack Gregory, Luke Ragan, Mary-Elizabeth Tallman, Timothy R. Brophy

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Applied

Molecular Approaches For The Validation Of The Baboon As A Nonhuman Primate Model For The Study Of Zika Virus Infection, Emma Mask, V. L. Hodara, Jessica E. Callery, L. M. Parodi, V. Obregon-Perko, S. Yagi, J. Glenn, P. Frost, E. Clemmons, J. L. Patterson, L. A. Cox, Luis D. Giavedoni

Biology Faculty Research

Nonhuman primates (NHP) are particularly important for modeling infections with viruses that do not naturally replicate in rodent cells. Zika virus (ZIKV) has been responsible for sporadic epidemics, but in 2015 a disseminated outbreak of ZIKV resulted in the World Health Organization declaring it a global health emergency. Since the advent of this last epidemic, several NHP species, including the baboon, have been utilized for modeling and understanding the complications of ZIKV infection in humans; several health issues related to the outcome of infection have not been resolved yet and require further investigation. This study was designed to validate, in …

A Photography-Based, Social Media Walking Intervention Targeting Autonomous Motivations For Physical Activity: Semistructured Interviews With Older Women, Michael C Robertson, Maria Chang Swartz, Ursela Christopherson, Jason R Bentley, Karen M Basen-Engquist, Debbe Thompson, Elena Volpi, Elizabeth J Lyons

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Older adult women are at risk for negative health outcomes that engaging in sustained physical activity can help prevent. However, promoting long-term maintenance of physical activity in this population has proven to be a challenge. Increasing autonomous motivations (ie, intrinsic, integrated, and identified regulations) for physical activity may facilitate enduring behavior change. Digitally delivered games for health that take a celebratory technology approach, that is, using technology to create new ways to experience valued behaviors and express valued beliefs, may be a useful way to target autonomous motivations for physical activity. Formative research with the target population is needed …

The Presence Of Ehrlichia In White-Tailed Deer In Central Virginia, Brenna Kurtz

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

Investigating Antimicrobial Chemicals Released From Developing Amphibian Eggs, Christian Sorensen, Abigail Piddock, Alexandria Hannah, Ciara Johnson, Connor Chapman

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Theoretical Proposal

A Multi-Spatial Analysis Of Land Use Effects On Freshwater Mussels In The Upper Cuyahoga River And Tinkers Creek, Tamar Atwell

ETD Archive

Mussels are considered one indicator of good water quality in rivers, but over the past 20 years mussel populations have continued to decline, while water quality improves. According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), water quality in the Cuyahoga River is now within safe levels for all parameters. However, what are safe levels for humans may not be safe for mussels. An analysis of freshwater mussel populations in two similarly sized watersheds, the Upper Cuyahoga River and Tinkers Creek was conducted. Correlations of mussel abundance and diversity were assessed by multivariate GIS/remote sensing tools to contrast water flow rates, …