Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Object Play In Captive Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Victoria L. Johnson

Honors Theses

Behaviors related to play are positively reinforcing as they promote the continued exhibition of play behaviors in a variety of animal species. Play in animals is thought to contribute to the development and practice of skills animals require across their lifespan (i.e., foraging, mating, etc.). In bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), several categories of play can be observed such as solitary play, social play, locomotor play, predatory play, and object play. The aim of the present study was to observe how variables of age-class, sex, object type, and play sociality influenced dolphin object play by utilizing video data from a …

Laterality Preferences Completing A Tool-Use Task In Asian Small-Clawed Otters (Aonyx Cinereus), Stephanie E. James

Honors Theses

Laterality is defined as the occurrence of each cerebral hemisphere having asymmetric control over the different sides of the body, leading to preferences to use one side of the body over the other for various behaviors. Many types of laterality exist, but handedness is the form that is most predominantly assessed. Handedness in animals is of special interest to laterality researchers, as humans were once thought to be the only species that exhibited lateralized hand preferences. The aim of the current study was to determine if Asian small-clawed otters exhibit significant paw preferences in behaviors associated with completing a tool-use …

The In Vitro Effects Of Glucosamine On Equine And Canine Platelet Aggregation And Thromboxane Synthesis, Gabrielle Rands

Honors Theses

Citrated blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture and used to create platelet-rich plasma (PRP). PRP samples were incubated for 5 minutes with four concentrations of glucosamine: 0 µ/ml (control), 10 µ/ml, and 100 µ/ml. Platelet aggregation was determined using turbidometric aggregometry using ADP or collagen as agonists. Thromboxane B2 concentrations were measured using a commercially available ELISA kit. The results were analyzed using mixed model analysis. Significance was set at p<0.05.

Decoding The Contents Of Working Memory Using Eeg Provides Evidence For The Sensory Recruitment Hypothesis, Allison L. Bruning

Honors Theses

Recent fMRI studies have shown that the contents of visual working memory can be decoded from early visual areas, including V1. This result has been interpreted as support for the sensory recruitment hypothesis: the idea that the neurons responsible for vision also sub-serve visual working memory and visual imagery. However, whereas these results imply that the same brain areas are responsible for vision and visual memory, they do not rule out the possibility that these processes rely on completely different populations of neurons within these areas. For example, although viewing and remembering an orientation might lead to the same global …

Exploring The Role Of Local Adaptation In The Response Of Maianthemum Canadense To Climate Warming, Spenser J. Ryan

Honors Theses

By the year 2100, it is projected that average global temperatures will increase by ~4C. Shifts in species distributions have been evidenced as a common response to climate warming across taxonomic groups with migration to higher latitudes and elevations in response to warming being common. Species responses to climate warming can be influenced by the local adaptations of their populations. I hypothesized that populations of M. canadense from warmer locations would respond negatively to warming, while populations from cooler sites would exhibit neutral or positive responses to warming. Maianthemum canadense is a species that is associated with cool, moist microsites …

Gender, Consent, And Hermaphroditic Legibility In James Joyce's Ulysses And Finnegans Wake, Carter R. Elsea

Honors Theses

It is difficult to imagine a more elusive, polemical author than James Joyce. He is often spoken of as both a cosmopolitan and a nationalist, syphilitic madman and genius, and misogynist and writer of écriture feminine. This final paradoxical view of Joyce is one that I find most compelling. However, this is not a project in feminist historiography attempting to reclaim Joyce for feminism, but rather a demonstration of the pulsing bodies that already exist between the texts. When exploring this idea of écriture feminine in Joyce’s Ulysses, one might be surprised that Hélène Cixous refers to Joyce’s treatment of …

Health Benefits Of A Plant-Based Diet, Jenna Jackson

Honors Theses

While the rise and spread of Western culture has created remarkable advances in science, healthcare, and technology, it has also brought about a variety of chronic diseases that never once existed. Much of these ailments can be attributed to the typical Western diet, which places heavy emphasis on meats, dairy, and refined grains, contrasting the typical Eastern or Oriental diet which primarily focuses on fruits, vegetables, fish, and whole grains. This dietary transition has resulted in increased glycemic load, increased levels of unhealthy fats and cholesterol, decreased micronutrient and fiber levels, and skewed acid-base and sodium-potassium ratios. All of these …

Enzyme Characterization Of Sabath Family Members, Troy Burtchett

Honors Theses

Enzymes can have many different functions within an organism. One such common function is methylation. The SABATH family of enzymes perform methylation of various organic acids. Many of the members of this family of enzymes have become specialized in the acid they methylate. For example: salicylic acid methyl transferase (SAMT) will primarily methylate salicylic acid, and benzoic acid methyl transferase (BAMT) will primarily methylate benzoic acid. By comparing the sequence of these enzymes, it has been found that a conserved region consisting of the sequence SSYSLMWLS appears in some form across all the members of the SABATH family. The 6 …

How To Plan, Budget, Write, And Implement A Student Sustainability Grant, Annalisa Wilder

Honors Theses

The Student Sustainability Grant program was created to give students valuable grant writing experience and to promote a culture of sustainability on Western Michigan University’s campus. Despite the enormous opportunity that this program provides, few students apply for the grants with their sustainable ideas. Even fewer students are able to fully complete the projects, research, and initiatives that receive funding. In order to help increase the number of grants that are fully implemented and to provide students interested in writing a grant with a useful resource, this guide was created. This ‘how-to manual’ provides an undergraduate student’s perspective on the …

Effects Of Bpa On Breast Cancer Development During Pre- And Post-Pubertal Exposure, Bernadette Peltier

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Therapeutic Benefits Of Certified Canines For Veterans With War-Related Trauma Disorders, Smith Lauren

Honors Theses

Veterans and their service dogs share a special relationship that is not only a friendship but a working relationship as well. They each give each other something that they cannot get on their own. The purpose of this thesis is to determine the relationship between veterans and their service dogs and the emotional and physical support provided. A review of the literature, combined with systematic interviews of combat veterans led to an initial understanding of the relationship between a veteran and a service dog and the benefits and risks associated with this special connection.

The Effects Of Increased Cycling On Local & Global Green House Gas Emissions, Trevor Roberts

Honors Theses

Throughout history, the human species has been able to out-think most major problems facing us, we are amazing animals after all. Humans are the only species proved to have language, consciousness, and culture — all of which came over time with our outstandingly intelligent and adaptable brains. We’ve developed systems to harness the power of earth (minerals), air (wind energy), fire (combustion), and water (irrigation and also hydro energy); and we’ve also invented tools, workarounds, and cycles to overcome biological, physical, and other myriad roadblocks for us. Even thousands and thousands of years ago human beings were manipulating and disturbing …

Therapeutic Benefits Of Certified Canines For Veterans With War-Related Trauma Disorders, Erin Caspers

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of A Biology Summer Bridge Program For First-Year Biology Majors, Madelyn Aittama

Honors Theses

Students are entering higher education at an escalated rate, but many are unprepared for the rigorous coursework that lies ahead of them. As nationwide programs are continuously being implemented throughout high schools to better prepare students for college life, many students are still not equipped with the skills necessary to succeed in obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Many students feel discouraged and inadequate when they perform below their academic expectations, and for a large portion of students pursuing higher education, this results in discontinuing their education. While retention rates amongst STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students are particularly low, the …

The Regularity Lemma And Its Applications, Elizabeth Sprangel

Honors Theses

The regularity lemma (also known as Szemerédi's Regularity Lemma) is one of the most powerful tools used in extremal graph theory. In general, the lemma states that every graph has some structure. That is, every graph can be partitioned into a finite number of classes in a way such that the number of edges between any two parts is “regular." This thesis is an introduction to the regularity lemma through its proof and applications. We demonstrate its applications to extremal graph theory, Ramsey theory, and number theory.

Identity Development In Korean-American Adoptees: A Content Analysis Of Personal Reflections, Charles Rachor

Honors Theses

This paper examines Korean-American Adoptees and their identity development through a content analysis of online comments concerning four major themes: Parents and Parenting, Siblings, Self-identity, and Current Events. Using two Facebook groups consisting exclusively of adoptees, examinations were made of positive, neutral, and negative replies to posts about the themes. The findings from this analysis lend credence to previous studies about self-identity, some of the influential factors, and the struggles faced in achieving levels of comfort expressing multiple racial and cultural identities.

Cattle Trade Flows In Texas And Foot And Mouth Disease, Emilee H. Peterson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Western Michigan University’S Department Of Dance Marketing Plan, Cassandra Hartline

Honors Theses

The following report constitutes the formal marketing plan for the department of dance at Western Michigan University. This plan is intended to synthesize all of the marketing related information pertinent to Western’s dance department and provide easy one step access to this material at any time. The other purpose of this plan is to dictate the primary objectives the department is looking to accomplish through implementation of marketing tactics.

The first primary objective includes increasing visibility of the department of dance as a whole to both our primary and secondary target audiences; the second objective is to create innovative marketing …

Habitat Selection By The Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx Californianus) In Rural North Texas, Elizabeth Jones

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Soil Sand Content, But Not Solil Myrosinase Enzyme Activity, Affects Mam Efficacy In Suppressing Weed Growth, Warit Chirachevin

Honors Theses

Mustard seed meal (MSM) has been shown to control weeds and pests in crop fields. Prior work showed that a sandy loam soil was superior to a silt loam soil in supporting velvetleaf growth suppression by MSM. To explore this difference, myrosinase enzyme activity was measured in both soils. Results showed no significant difference between the soils. Sand content in Michigan silt loam soil was manipulated in order to test the role of sand content on MSM efficacy in suppressing short-term velvetleaf growth. Results showed that sand enhanced the effect of MSM in suppressing seedling growth and germination.

Chelerythrine Chloride And Its Effects On Phonotactic Behavior In Female Crickets Acheta Domesticus, Haneul Shin

Honors Theses

Selective phonotaxis by female crickets has been shown to be variable. Mechanisms which underlie such behavioral variability are being studied. Juvenile Hormone III is a neuromodulator that has been shown to increase selectivity in phonotactic behavior of female crickets. In an attempt to further explore its effects on the behavioral responses of femaile crickets, experiments have been performed with chelerythrine cloride that is known to have an opposite effect of Juvenile Hormone III. Chelerythrine chloride, a potent protein kinase C blocker, has been hypothesized to block the effect of Juvenile Hormone III which acts through a protein kinase C pathway, …

Molecular Mass Of L-Arginine-Based Potentially Carcinogenic Heterocyclic Amines, Irene S. Hwang

Honors Theses

Investigation of cancer-inducing molecules in cooked foods has led to the discovery of mutagenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) in meat. The amino acids creatin(in)e and L-phenylalanine form the precursors for these HCAs. Recent research here at Andrews University have found similar mutagenic HCAs produced from plant-based proteins when L-arginine, rather than creatin(in)e, is substituted in high temperature reactions (simulated cooking) with L-phenylalanine. Our research focused on developing HPLC methods to isolate individual candidates that are then screened for mutagenicity via the Ames test. Mass spectroscopy methods were also developed to identfy the molecular structure of these lead mutagenic L-arginine-based HCAs.

Fluorescence Analysis Of Pamam Dendrimers, Ansel Nam

Honors Theses

Despite their lack of conjugation, polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers are intrinsically fluorescent, and this fluorescent is somewhat manipulable through altering the dendrimer's solvent. This level of fluorescence is dependent on a number of the dendrimer's qualities: the pH of the solvent, the mass percent concentration of the dendrimer in solvent, and the generation size of the dendrimer. In past studies, fluorescent intensity increased as generation size increased and pH decreased. Thus, this research project will attempt to replicate those results as well as further analyze the efficiency of fluorescence of PAMAM dendrimer in comparison to fluorescein.

Synthesis Of A-Cyanostilbenes And Testing Of Their Anticancer Properties, Gabrielle Cook

Honors Theses

This research project involves synthesizing cyanostilbenes and testing their anticancer properties in breast cancer cells. Breast cancer is a global issue, one that great improvement has been found in the last few decades, but also one that remains a large killer. The components of the cyanostilbene hybrids have all been shown to have anticancer properties on their own, and we would like to see if we can increase these properties by combining multiple into a single hybrid. Then these cyanostilbene compounds are tested on Her2+ human breast cancer cells. The goals is to assess whether or not the cyanostilbenes have …

The Role Of Octopamine In Syllable-Period Selective Phonotaxis In Female Cricket Acheta Domesticus, Darley Magno

Honors Theses

Female crickets respond phonotactically to the calls of conspecific males. Females' phonotaxis has been reported to be variable, ranging from unselective to selectve in response to calls with varying syllable periods (30-90 ms). Octopamine, an intertebrate neurotransmitter, has been reported to increase aggressive behavior in crickets, (Stevanson et al. 2005) but the effects of octopamine on behaviors such as phonotaxis have not been investigated. The goal of this study is to determine the effects of octopamine on the syllable-period selective phonotactic response of females. Results suggest a decrease in phonotactic responsiveness shown by 5-10 day-okds after prothroacic nanoinjection of octopamine.

The Relationship Between Cold Stress Syndrome Mortality And Body Shape In Florida Manatees, Purin Chirachevin

Honors Theses

West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are tropical and subtropical aquatic mamals that can develop cold stress syndrome (CSS) when subjected to water temperatures below 20'C for prolonge dperiods. This study investigtes the potential impact that cold winter water temperatures in Florida may have on manatee body shape as a selective force to reduce surface-area-to-volume ratio (SA:Vol; i.e. Bergmann's and Allen's Rule). Morphometric measurements collected from state-mandated necropsies (1974-2014) were used to calculate surface area, volume, and mass. We found that manatees that died of CSS on average had significantly greater SA:Vol and less mass compared to those that died …

Natural Products In Weed Control: Allyl-Isothiocyanate Effects On In Vitro Velvetleaf Seedling Growth And The Influence Of Mustard Seed Meal On Soil Bacterial Populations, Stanford Shin

Honors Theses

Past research has shown that alyl isothiocyanate (AICT) and its sister ITC compounds are effective alternatives to herbicides in reducing growth in weed seedlings. In this project the effects of mustard seed meal (MSM), a source of AITC, on plant-associated soil bacteria populations was assessed along with the effect of AITC on velvetleaf seed in vitro germination. Results show that MSM reduces bacterial levels in the soil. Velvetleaf seed germination was inbibited by micromolar levels of AITC. These results suggest that MSM has the potential to impact velvetleaf growth in the field as well as becoming a weed management tool.

A Comparative Study Of Perspectives In Musical Structural Features And Emotional Stimuli, Cibele Maia Burke

Honors Theses

Music psychology has become increasingly popular in music research given the ability of music to evoke strong emotions. However, there are not many studies that have investigated the mechanisms that induce these emotions. One of the characteristics of recognized composers in Western Art Music is their ability to manipulate musical devices in a way that will evoke an emotional state within the listener. This study looks into theories and perspectives regarding the influence of music upon emotions (such as the Doctrine of ethos) while analyzing certain musical structural features and their impact on emotional expression. By comparing musical works and …

Fish Populations In A Changing World, Christine Booker

Honors Theses

Freshwater ecosystems in North America face many threats including habitat degradation, fragmentation, and hydrological changes to the river system. This is especially obvious in Southern Appalachia region, which is a hotspot for freshwater biodiversity. Large inputs of sediment from coal mining and nutrients from agriculture degrade water quality. Dams and other stream modifications have led to changes in the habitat and hinder migration. Numerous native and endemic species have small isolated populations that are threatened by extinction. Recovery rates of species depend on numerous factors, including abiotic and biotic ecosystem factors and the natural history of the species. Species like …

Science And Literature: An Exploration Through A Shared Language, Maura D. Stovall

Honors Theses

Science and fiction are often deemed opposing forces, incompatible “languages” and “cultures.” Science is the realm of fact and reality while fiction is mere fantasy, useless to the rational mind. Yet, the works of Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, Aldous Huxley, H.G. Wells, and numerous others continue to stand the test of time even as scientific knowledge and understanding broaden. Science and fiction, science and literature, are so often thought of as separate, irreconcilable entities and yet science fiction enraptures and intrigues. Science fiction is the playground of science. Where science has not yet or cannot dare to go, science fiction …