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The Role Of Interleukin-1 Beta In Methamphetamine Mediated Increases In Dopamine Release Within The Mesolimbic Pathway, Anneke Klomp, Ben Lee, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In this study we wanted to determine the effect that Interleukin-1 Beta (IL-1𝛃) would have in changing the effects that methamphetamines have on dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (reward center of the brain). It has been well established previously that methamphetamines increases dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. Given that IL-1𝛃 increases inflammation in the brain which has been seen to be involved in dopamine release and that IL-1𝛃 is able to act on other parts of the brain, we suspected that by inhibiting IL-1𝛃 we would see a decrease in dopamine response to methamphetamines. If the IL-1𝛃 blocker, …

Prenatal Androgens And The Stability Of Temperament And Anxiety: A Study Of Testosterone-Mediated Digit Ratios In Rhesus Macaques, Alexander Baxter, Dr. J. Dee Higley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Prenatal androgen exposure (PAE) is the organizational force that masculinizes the brain. It has impact on other parts of the body as well. For example, PAE induces growth in the ring finger. Consequently, the pointer-to-ring-finger digit ratio (2D:4D ratio) is frequently used to assess PAE.¹ Though this phenotype is sexually dimorphic, research indicates that PAE’s effect on digit ratio may be in the opposite direction when comparing humans and nonhuman primates.²² Very few studies have investigated 2D:4D ratio in rhesus macaques (Macacca mulatta), and to our knowledge, none have reported a sex difference in digit ratio. The purpose …

The Architecture Of Belief: Developing Personal Convictions And Preserving Tradition, Kalli Abbott, Dr. Jacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Hmong people are a diasporic, highland ethnic minority group spread throughout Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. Contenders of Christianity have penetrated their communities with religious change to a significant extent. Hmong traditional religious practices include a repertoire of ancestral and spiritual rituals influenced by Taoist and Confucian ritual systems. Challenging these traditional systems today is the influx of conversions to Protestant Christianity in Thailand (about 10% from community surveys). Beginning in the 1960s, the war in Laos began to cause major disruption in the life of Hmong people. Escaping as refugees to Thailand and eventually to …

Baseline Effects Of Lysophosphatidylcholine And Nerve Growth Factor In A Rat Model Of Sciatic Nerve Regeneration After Crush Injury, Ryan L. Wood, Keaton S. Karlinsey, Austin D. Thompson, Mark N. Rigby, Greggory D. Boatright, William G. Pitt, Beverly L. Roeder, Scott C. Steffersen, Alonzo D. Cook

Faculty Publications

Schwann cells play a major role in helping heal injured nerves. They help clear debris, produce neurotrophins, upregulate neurotrophin receptors, and form bands of Büngner to guide the healing nerve. But nerves do not always produce enough neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors to repair themselves. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an important neurotrophin for promoting nerve healing and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) has been shown to stimulate NGF receptors (NGFR). This study tested the administration of a single intraneural injection of LPC (1 mg/mL for single LPC injection and 10 mg/mL for multiple LPC injections) at day 0 and one (day 7), two …

A Thirsty Growing Idaho: Increasing The Fluidity Of Water Transfers In Idaho Assists Future Growth, Trevor Gruwell

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

As with many other western states Idaho water law is based on “prior appropriation,” with a requirement that water be put to a “beneficial use.” In the transfer of a water right there are also expectations that no other water rights be injured in the process, and that there will not be an enlargement of the water right in question. Examining how these criteria relate to each other combined with incorporating practices from other western states will help avoid stagnation in Idaho’s water right transfer system. Ultimately a more fluid exchange of water rights will provide be beneficial for a …

Adaptive Fluid Simulation Using A Linear Octree Structure, Sean A. Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

An Eulerian approach to fluid flow provides an efficient, stable paradigm for realistic fluid simulation. However, its traditional reliance on a fixed-resolution grid is not ideal for simulations that simultaneously exhibit both large and small-scale fluid phenomena. Octree-based fluid simulation approaches have provided the needed adaptivity, but the inherent weakness of a pointer-based tree structure has limited their effectiveness. We present a linear octree structure that provides a significant runtime speedup using these octree-based simulation algorithms. As memory prices continue to decline, we leverage additional memory when compared to traditional octree structures to provide this improvement. In addition to reducing …

Association Between Toxoplasma Gondii Seropositivity And Memory Function In Non-Demented Older Adults, Cynthia Elizabeth Wyman, Shawn D. Gale, Ariana Hedges-Muncy, Lance D. Erickson, Eric Wilson, Dawson W. Hedges

Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) seropositivity may be associated with decreased memory in older adults. To further investigate the association between T. gondii seropositivity and memory in nondemented older adults, we obtained serum samples from 114 non-demented older adults evaluated by the Alzheimer’s Disease and Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, USA. We determined T. gondii seropositivity and anti-T. gondii IgG antibody titer and examined associations with memory function while controlling for socioeconomic status, education level, age, and apolipoprotein E4 status. There were few associations between T. gondii seropositivity or anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies and memory, although there …

Project Management Online Course – An Instructional Design Project, Fred R Hyatt

Student Works

Project management is a subject that is in demand at today’s institutions of higher learning. It is a valuable skill for employees in sectors from instructional design to information technology, and in many other fields. This report summarizes a project to create an online course with content similar to the IS 405 Project Management course in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. A brief literature search is described along with a design model based on the combination of Merrill’s First Principles and Gibbon’s Layer Theory of Instructional Design. The scope of the project was adjusted to be …

Serving Two Masters: The Paralysis Of Early 20th-Century Women In A. E. Coppard’S “The Hurly-Burly”, Juliana Avery

Modernist Short Story Project

The theme of paralysis is evident throughout early twentieth-century British literature. Consider Joyce’s “Eveline,” in which a young woman cannot make up her mind about whether to go with her lover to South America or stay behind with her father. Eventually she stays behind, not of her own volition but rather because she is paralyzed by not knowing what her duty is, and so she cannot take the decisive step onto the boat. Joyce’s language shows this paralysis: “She stood among the swaying crowd” (15). Everyone can move but Eveline As Frank calls out to her from behind the barrier, …

The Real Captivity In Graham’S “The Captive”, Amanda Breck

Modernist Short Story Project

There are so many fascinating things about R. B. Cunninghame Graham’s short story entitled “The Captive,” and indeed about the author himself. Graham was born in London in 1852 to Scottish parents. After attending private schools in London and Brussels, Graham left for South America when he was seventeen, where he was a cattle rancher, a horse dealer, and an explorer (Watts). He married a woman in 1878 who claimed to be from Chile but was actually from Yorkshire. His travels and adventures in South America and other places around the globe had a heavy influence on his writing, which …

Through The Eyes Of A Deaf-Mute, Nicole Finlayson

Modernist Short Story Project

Author of England and one of Ezra Pound’s lovers, B.M. Goold-Adams (Gould-Adams), or most commonly referred to as Bride Scratton, was a writer who drew from personal experiences to create short stories that “explores the lives of people from different classes, and backgrounds living in England” (England). The events in Scratton’s life – especially the loss of her father, birth of disabled daughter, and divorce from Ned Scratton in 1923 – greatly influenced her writings and were key components in her short story “The Obsequies.” This story was written in 1923 and published in England, a collection of Bride’s short …

Waste Vegetable Oil Properties With Usage And Its Impact On Artisan Soap Making, Jenalyn Thorpe

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the impact of vegetable oil usage in industrial and home settings on the properties of the vegetable oil and how its usage in soap affects the final product. Waste vegetable oil (WVO) is often used to make soap as a way to be more environmentally-friendly and create soap at a low cost in developing countries. Two settings are examined: home usage (i.e. short-term, small-scale usage) and industrial (i.e. long-term, almost continuous usage). This thesis found that lightly used oil (household use) had little to no impact on the quality of the oil, except for its scent. This …

Gender And Religion In A Shifting Social Landscape: Anglo-Saxon Mortuary Practices, Ad 600-700, Caroline Palmer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

My thesis examines seventh-century East Anglian mortuary practices and cross-correlates grave goods and human remains to determine whether there was an expression of the sexual division of labor during this period of social and religious change. I argue that gender roles changed as a result of adopting kingdoms and Christianity. Prior to this time period, Anglo-Saxons were primarily pagan and were buried with extensive burial goods. In addition to changes in religious and burial practices, during the Final Phase (600-700 AD) there appears to have been a division of labor that was not as dichotomous in the Migration Phase (450-600 …

Comparison Of A Prepositioned Areal Electrofishing Device And Fixed Underwater Videography For Sampling Riverine Fishes, Philip R. Branigan, Michael C. Quist, Bradley B. Shepard, Susan C. Ireland

Western North American Naturalist

Prepositioned areal electrofishing devices (PAEDs) are used to evaluate microhabitat use by fishes because they minimize fright biases associated with traditional electrofishing techniques (e.g., boat electrofishing). Similarly, fixed underwater videography (FUV) is commonly used to minimize the effect of observers on fish behavior. The specific objectives of this research were to evaluate estimates of taxonomic occurrence and diversity between PAEDs and FUV and determine an appropriate time interval between positioning and electrifying of a PAED to reduce effects of PAED positioning on fish occurrence. Video cameras were positioned instream at 28 locations on the Kootenai River, Idaho, prior to PAED …

Landscape Foundations: A Practical & Technical Guide To Landscape Maintenance, Marco Crosland

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many homeowners struggle to maintain healthy landscapes. Often, they simply don’t understand basic principles that, if followed, would make a significant difference in the health and appearance of their landscape. The hope of Landscape Foundations is to help homeowners maintain healthy and excellent landscapes by teaching these “correct principles”.

What makes Landscape Foundations different than other landscape guides is that it brings in current research and explains it in a simple way. This guidebook provides pictures and additional resources to explain landscape maintenance principles. It teaches both the practical and technical sides.

Landscape Foundations is written for both beginners and …

Occurrence Of Chironomid Species (Diptera: Chironomidae) In The High Se-78 Concentrations And High Ph Of Fountain Creek Watershed, Colorado, Usa, Del Wayne R. Nimmo, Scott J. Herrmann, James E. Sublette, Igor V. Melnykov, Lisa K. Helland, John A. Romine, James S. Carsella, Lynn M. Herrmann-Hoesing, Jason A. Turner, Brian D. Vanden Heuvel

Western North American Naturalist

High selenium (Se) in watersheds can cause detrimental effects to many vertebrate species, but less is known regarding its effects on invertebrates comprising the basis of the food chain. This study addressed the response of a natural community of chironomid (midge) species to Se in 2 high-gradient streams that join to form a sandy-bottom front-range stream known to contain increasing downstream concentrations of Se. We identified a total of 151 species of adult male midges (n = 714) collected in 2007 and 2008 from 14 sites in the Fountain Creek Watershed, Colorado, USA. In the initial analysis, the midge …

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Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

No abstract provided.

The Irony Of Empiricism In The Psychology Of Religion, Alex Calder

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Current researchers are considering the relevant new knowledge that psychological studies in the past 100 years have produced concerning the psychology of religion. Experimental methods typically employed have the aim of producing value-neutral scientific results, especially in the arena of religion. How ever, methods are inextricably tied to assumptions, since how a person investigates something reflects their understanding or belief about that thing (Hood, 2013). Those methods present in psychology today take after the natural sciences in an effort to arrogate psychology to the status of a hard science. Naturalist methods are also based on naturalist presuppositions about the nature …

Mass Upstream Dispersal Of Pelagic-Broadcast Spawning Cyprinids In The Rio Grande And Pecos River, New Mexico, Thomas P. Archdeacon, Stephen R. Davenport, Joshua D. Grant, Eileen B. Henry

Western North American Naturalist

Pelagic-broadcast spawning minnows are a reproductive guild of fishes, of which several species occur in the American Great Plains and Southwest. The eggs and larvae of these species drift laterally and downstream, with drift distances varying depending on channel conditions and flow. Persistence or recolonization of these species in upstream reaches must depend on retention of eggs and larvae or upstream dispersal of later life stages, otherwise net downstream displacement of eggs and larvae would result in upstream extirpations. However, only a few individuals of several species have been observed dispersing. Here, we describe 2 direct visual observations of the …

Broadcasting The Search For Understanding: The Essay's Relationship With The Podcast, Miriam Bay Sweeney

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this creative thesis project, I explore the relationship between the modern essay and the podcast. I do so by producing the first three episodes of my own essayistic podcast, called Peer-Refined Health. In this foundational exploration, I consider the value of the podcast as a new medium of communication for the essay. I begin this project report with a background on both the podcast and the essay as well as a discussion of my project development. The transcripts of three episodes of Peer-Refined Health follow. Finally, I analyze the relationship between the essay and the podcast and suggest additional …

The Impact Of Gap Years On Academic Outcomes For Women: A Case Study From The Missionary Age Change, Margaret Marchant

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Young adults throughout the United States and other countries participate in “gap years,” or time away from school, often for travel, work, or volunteering. This practice is promoted as a way to mature and refocus. However, some worry that it lowers the likelihood of college completion. Previous literature has investigated the academic, social, and personal benefits of gap years with mixed results; however selection into gap years confounds the true impact with unobservable personal characteristics. To overcome selection issues, I exploit an exogenous policy change that lowered age requirements for missionary service, a unique type of gap year, resulting in …

T.D.A. Cockerell (1866–1948) Of The University Of Colorado: His Contributions To The Natural History Of The California Islands And Establishment Of Channel Islands National Monument, Daniel R. Muhs

Western North American Naturalist

Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell was a naturalist at the University of Colorado from 1904 to 1947 and studied botany, zoology, and paleontology in North and South America, Asia, Australia, Africa, and Europe. In the latter part of his career, he studied the California islands and published many papers on their natural history, 16 of them in four years (1937–1940). He made important contributions to the natural history of the islands in four distinct ways: entomology of the islands, including identification of a number of new species of bees; discovery of fossil marine invertebrate faunas and recognition that the zoogeography of …

Streamlined Extract Preparation For Escherichia Coli-Based Cell-Free Protein Synthesis By Sonication Or Bead Vortex Mixing, Prashanta Shrestha, Troy Michael Holland, Bradley Charles Bundy

Faculty Publications

Escherichia coli-based cell extract is a vital component of inexpensive and high-yielding cell-free protein synthesis reactions. However, effective preparation of E. coli cell extract is limited to high-pressure (French press-style or impinge-style) or bead mill homogenizers, which all require a significant capital investment. Here we report the viability of E. coli cell extract prepared using equipment that is both common to biotechnology laboratories and able to process small volume samples. Specifically, we assessed the low-capital-cost lysis techniques of: (i) sonication, (ii) bead vortex mixing, (iii) freeze-thaw cycling, and (iv) lysozyme …

Small Mammal Diversity, Rattlesnake Demographics, And Resource Utilization In The Great Basin: Implications For Management And Stable Isotope Proxies, Bryan T. Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

Plant carbon isotopes were used to track assimilation of riparian resources by small mammals. Voles and shrews derived significant portions of their carbon from riparian vegetation. Deer and harvest mice were abundant in riparian habitat but assimilated little riparian vegetation indicating that the riparian corridor provided resources other than food. This is first use of stable carbon isotopes to trace riparian resources into a vertebrate community. Conifer encroachment in sagebrush ecosystems negatively affects many wildlife populations. Conifer removal is recommended across millions of hectares in the Great Basin. However the effects of conifer encroachment and conifer removal are unknown for …

Effects Of Larynx Preservation Method On Phonation Threshold Flow In An Excised Porcine Benchtop Model, Emily Huber Webster

Theses and Dissertations

An excised animal larynx model has been used in many studies to better understand the physiological and anatomical properties of the human larynx. One difference between an ex vivo model and an in vivo model is that ion loss occurs postmortem. To compensate for this in the excised model, researchers most commonly use a preservation method that includes completely submerging the specimen in isotonic saline (0.9% Na+Cl-) and then flash freezing it in liquid nitrogen. The flash freezing method allows researchers to maintain the integrity of the structures while also being able to gather specimens as they become available. Not …

Pun Strategies Across Joke Schemata: A Corpus-Based Study, Robert Nishan Crapo

Theses and Dissertations

In the linguistic study of humor, research has largely been centered around the formulation of models and theories or the dissecting and categorization of jokes. Because of the often difficult-to-categorize aspects of verbal jokes, much time has been spent trying to create taxonomies for humor types and mechanisms. Linguists such as Raskin and Attardo have sought to categorize all verbal humor according to various functional elements (Attardo & Raskin, 1991). Such elements include, but are not limited to, the logical mechanism that drives the humor in the joke or the situation where the joke takes place. These categorizations are helpful …

Genomic Structural Variation Across Five Continental Populations Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Evan Michael Long

Theses and Dissertations

Chromosomal structure variations (SV) including insertions, deletions, inversions, and translocations occur within the genome and can have a significant effect on organismalphenotype. Some of these effects are caused by structural variations containing genes. Modern sequencing using short reads makes the detection of large structural variations (> 1kb) very difficult. Large structural variations represent a significant amount of the genetic diversity within a population. We used a global sampling of Drosophila melanogaster (Ithaca, Zimbabwe, Beijing, Tasmania, and Netherlands) to represent diverse populations. We used long-read sequencing and optical mapping technologies to identify SVs in these genomes. Because the average read length …

Odessa 1919, Ron French

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Nonlinear Model Predictive Control For A Managed Pressure Drilling With High-Fidelity Drilling Simulators, Junho Park

Theses and Dissertations

The world's energy demand has been rapidly increasing and is projected to continue growing for at least the next two decades. With increasing global energy demand and competition from renewable energy, the oil and gas industry is striving for more efficient petroleum production. Many technical breakthroughs have enabled the drilling industry to expand the exploration to more difficult drilling such as deepwater drilling and multilateral directional drilling. For example, managed pressure drilling (MPD) offers ceaseless operation with multiple manipulated variables (MV) and wired drill pipe (WDP) provides two-way, high-speed measurements from bottom hole and along-string sensors. These technologies have maximum …

Guide To The Iscsc Archives, Dickinson College

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.