Life Sciences Commons^™

Pcom Biomedical Sciences Neuro-Behavior Track: Pilot Students' Perspective, Jenna Wynn, Catherine Tauro, Erica Stagliano

Research Day

INTRODUCTION: Three Master’s degree candidate students opted to pilot a neuro-behavior concentration track after completing the first year of core Biomedical Sciences courses.

METHODS: Courses from the Mental Health Counseling, School Psychology and Clinical Psychology programs as well as select classes from the second year Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Clinical and Basic Neuroscience course were integrated into the curriculum. Routine discussions and additional clinical or research experiences enhanced the understanding and appreciation of the combination of courses from the various disciplines.

RESULTS: The integrated curriculum provides a unique angle to view the neuro-bio-psycho-social contributions to studying neuroscience …

Capstone: The Biopsychosocial Approach To The Mind-Brain-Body Connection, Erica Stagliano

Research Day

Introduction

The mind-brain-body connection The relationship between the mind, brain, and body was the highlight of the Neurobehavioral Biomedical Sciences Masters Concentration. While the brain and body are concrete entities, the mind is more abstract and complex and is different from one individual to another. The idea of the mind encompasses opinions, personality, and emotion, which, although seemingly philosophical, have been shown to have a real impact on physical health.

Mental Health and Primary Care Primary care providers are becoming more involved in the role of managing mental health, particularly depression and suicidal patients. 50% of all patients who commit …

Deer Droppings As A Diverse Invertebrate Habitat, Allison Furr, Dr. Kevin Geedey

Celebration of Learning

This project was performed at Augustana's Green Wing Environmental Laboratory and studied the richness and diversity of soil invertebrates in two conditions, deer poop enriched and surrounding soil. Soil invertebrates play an important role in soil quality which greatly affects ecosystems. The hypothesis of this study was that the diversity and richness would be the higher in the poop enriched soil samples. Soil samples were collected, Burlese funnels were used to collect the invertebrates, the invertebrates were examined under the microscope, and were assigned to taxa. The number of taxa (richness) and the number of individuals in each taxa (Simpson's …

The Effects Of Urbanization On Nitrogen Processing In Urban Streams, Peter Francissen, Dr. Kevin Geedey, Dr. Michael Reisner

Celebration of Learning

Urban stream syndrome is described as the deterioration of stream health in an urbanized watershed and is associated with the loss of ecosystem services, which in turn degrades downstream environments. One key symptom of the urban stream syndrome is reduced processing of inorganic nitrogen. Previous research suggests that as urbanization increases and water quality decreases, the uptake length (Sw) of inorganic N increases. This indicates that the stream is increasing the export of N downstream compared to in situ incorporation of N into the ecosystem. We measured uptake length (Sw) of NO3, using a pulse addition method, along 9 different …

A Behavioral Prerequisite For The Genetic Analysis Of Auditory Feature Detection Mechanisms In Female Crickets, Rebecca L. Blisko

Senior Honors Projects

Sexual dimorphism is exhibited across all cricket species and is a central aspect of the mating processes of these insects. Only male crickets possess wing structures and pattern generators in the central nervous system that allow them to produce a mating call that is unique to their species in order to attract conspecific females. Conspecific females possess an auditory feature detection circuit in the central nervous system that is capable of detecting the species-specific frequency and temporal pattern of sound pulses within a male call. In order for dimorphic differences in mating behavior to result in successful continuation of a …

Dark-Adapted Fluorescence And Stomatal Conductance After Dcmu (3-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-1, 1-Dimethylurea)) Exposure On Malva Parviflora Plants, Piueti Maka, Mia Bryant, Isabelle Sarwono

Featured Research

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the disturbance effect of indirect exposure to DCMU (3-[3,4-dichlorophenyl]-1,1-dimethylurea), a popular herbicide, on dark adapted fluorescence and stomatal conductance in Malva parviflora plants. We utilized a test site exposed to sunlight and free from other external interference. Two main apparatuses were used to collect data; stomatal conductance was measured by a leaf porometer, and dark-adapted fluorescence (Fv/Fm) was measured using a Pulse Modulated Fluorometer. Our data yielded significant comparison results for dark-adapted fluorescence (P0.05). Additionally, observations six days after disturbance showed a drastic presence of hollyhock rust (Puccinia malvacearum) and …

Photoprotection Adaptiveness In Native (Lupinus 
Succulentus) And Invasive (Malva Parviflora) Heliotropic Plants, Joseph Davidson, Cameron Juarez, Collin Scott

Featured Research

Addressed here is the question of whether invasive heliotropic plants can adapt better than native heliotropic plants, to conditions in which their solar tracking capabilities are hindered. In order to test this, a heliotropic species native to Southern California (Lupinus succulentus) was compared to a weedy heliotropic species invasive to Southern California (Malva parviflora). We hypothesized that the photoprotection mechanisms of M. parviflora would adapt better to being restrained as it is an invasive species and it was more abundant in the area. Values of Fv’/Fm’ and qN were measured in order to compare the efficacy …

Reflectance, Transmittance, And Absorbance Values In Salvia Apiana
 Result In Better Performance Than Salvia Mellifera In Drought- Like Conditions, Haley Bekins, Caroline Boone, Kristen Hardin

Featured Research

Salvia apiana, due to the physically lighter color and thickness of the leaves, will have higher reflectance values, lower transmittance values, and lower absorbance values than Salvia mellifera. These measurements exemplify characteristics of a better adapted species for droughts, and then the absorption values can be used to calculate more information on the species like ERT. We measured transmittance and reflectance of six leaves from randomly selected plants of both species through the use of an integrating sphere. After obtaining the R and T value of each plant, we calculated the leaf absorbance,α. This was done by using the …

A Comparative Study Of Adults Vs. Resprouts’ Stomatal Conductance And Xylem Water Potential In Malosma Laurina, Lauren Dam, Brinna Lee, Sarah Dahlberg, Stephen Davis

Featured Research

The purpose of this study is to compare the stomatal conductance and xylem water potential between adults and resprouts of Malosma laurina growing at the Drescher Campus at Pepperdine University. Our data suggest that stomatal conductance and xylem water potential of adult and resprout M. laurina are not significantly different (p = 0.09312, p = 0.7064 respectively), implying that M. laurina at that study site has had sufficient time to recover from the drought due to the increased levels of rainfall.

A Comparison Of Photoprotection In C3 Plants Between A Native And An Invasive Species, T. Cao, M. Field, K. Godon

Featured Research

Now more so than ever with the increasing demands placed upon plant species as a direct result of climate change, competition between native and invasive species determines which species are able to survive and reproduce. Biologically the two species, native and invasive, carry out the same functions yet it is in how they carry out said functions that they differ. Prior to the commencement of the study the belief was held that the invasive species (here Avena) would contain increased photoprotection than the native species (here Elymus) for it to possess a competitive advantage. Testing of the stated hypothesis including …

Comparative Fitness Of Transplanted Nassella Pulchra: A Study Of Native And Invasive Grasses, Grace Palmer, Yash Pandey, Isabelle Panos

Featured Research

Previous study of the fitness of California, perennial N. pulchra was conducted at the transplant garden on the Drescher campus of Pepperdine University in the spring of 2016. A follow up study was conducted to understand how the recent increase in rainfall has affected the comparative health of N. pulchra in the transplant garden and in the wild, as well as the health of the invasive, annual grass A. fatua. The height, water potential, photoprotection, and stomatal conductance were measured in transplant N. pulchra, wild N. pulchra, and the competing A. fatua. It was hypothesized that A. fatua …

Solar Tracking Fitness In Native Lupulinus Succulentus Vs. Non-Native Malva Sylvestris, Kathryn Maidlow, Logan Scott

Featured Research

For this experiment, we hypothesized, that while both native and non-native species use solar tracking, the native species Lupulinus succulentus (bluebonnet) will solar track to increase light levels with low leaf temperatures; however, the non-native species Malva sylvestris (cheeseweed) will solar track to increase light levels with an elevated leaf temperature over the native species. Solar tracking was also hypothesized as a significant benefit to each plant species, thus we assumed that if a leaf was prevented from solar tracking that we would see a difference between the solar trackers and non-solar trackers of each species. We decided to use …

Comparison Of Physiological Measurements And Water Potential Of Malosma Laurina During And After The Drought In Southern California, Nicolette Jessen, Kirstin Van Fleet, Rachel White

Featured Research

After 5 years of drought, southern California has recently experienced increases in precipitation. Malosma laurina is a chaparral shrub that displays vulnerability to fungal infection during severe drought conditions, particularly in its adult branches, resulting in severe dieback throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. M. laurina is known to produce resprout leaves during times of environmental stress that are less affected by the fungus based on its ability to maintain water status and thus are more capable of displaying resilience in more favorable environmental conditions. We hypothesize that the increase in rain will not be enough to alter the vitality of …

C-Myc’S Role On Methylation Of The Gata-2 Gene In Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, Jonathan D. Hajduk

Student Scholar Showcase

Lung cancer accounts for more deaths per year than any other form of cancer, resulting in a total of 158,000 deaths per year in the U.S. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is diagnosed in greater than 224,000 Americans every year. Methylation and subsequent downregulation of certain genes has been directly linked to the uncontrolled growth of NSCLC cells. Natural killer (NK) cells are key innate immune cells responsible for apoptosis of cells with incorrect genetic code. It is believed that one component of uncontrolled NSCLC growth is due to the NK cells’ inability to detect errors within NSCLC cells. Perhaps …

Plant Water Relations During Drought-Induced Dieback In Greenbark Ceanothus, Ceanothus Spinosus, In The Santa Monica Mountains, Christopher F. Ross, Andrew Palaski

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

This experiment investigated Ceanothus spinosus dieback in the natural landscape of Pepperdine University’s campus in Malibu, California. We measured midday water potential, gas-exchange rates (photosynthesis and transpiration), chlorophyll fluorescence, and native embolism levels of stem xylem, comparing irrigated controls on campus to plants undergoing severe water stress in the natural landscape of our campus. The water potentials for naturally occurring C. spinosus (-6.6 MPa) was much lower than for irrigated controls (-3.4 MPa). Water stressed plants experience 47.2% embolism in their stem xylem that blocks water transport to leaves compared to 12.6% embolism in irrigated controls. This high embolism level …

A Comparison Of Water Potential, Photosynthetic Rate, Electron Transport Rate, And Stomatal Conductance Between Native Malosma Laurina And Exotic Schinus Molle, Karagan L. Smith, Agatha C. Heng, Viridiana Hernandez-Lopez

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

A Comparison of Water Potential, Photosynthetic Rate, Electron Transport Rate, and Stomatal Conductance between Native Malosma laurina and Exotic Schinus molle

Karagan L. Smith, Agatha C. Heng, and Viridiana Hernandez-Lopez

First-year Students as Scholars Program

Mentors: Natalie M. Aguirre, Kaitlyn E. Sauer, and Stephen D. Davis

Schinus molle is a relatively new invasive species in chaparral shrub communities of the Santa Monica Mountains, and has only recently been observed to displace native species of shrubs, such as Malosma laurina. To investigate the probably cause of S. molle’s invasiveness and mechanisms of competitive displacement of M. laurina, we compared …

Effect Of Drought On Resin Production In Woody Stems Of Rhus Ovata, Sydney T. Adams, Melody Young, Moriah Hall

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Resin production in stems of woody plants is generated from resin canal secretions and is thought to play a significant role in protection from fungal infection and spread. This may be one of several factors associated with fungal infection and fungal induced dieback in plants during severe water stress or drought. We set out to determine if reduction in resin production in a chaparral shrub, Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata), was associated with severe drought in southern California. We hypothesized that dehydrated R. ovata would produce less resin than hydrated plants. Our null hypothesis was that there is no …

The Effect Of Water Levels On Crayfish Aggression, Emory B. Johnson, Sarah E. Blase

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Crayfish are a very prevalent invasive species that affect many different environments all over the world. Crayfish, specifically Procambarus clarkii, are an invasive species that have currently taken a foothold in the Santa Monica mountains and are threatening native stream species. There is currently a severe drought occurring in the Santa Monica mountains. The drought has been reshaping many aquatic environments by limiting space and resources such as food and shelter. Crayfish are a very aggressive species and adversely affect the habitat they inhabit by rapidly colonizing, burrowing, and their voracious diets. Due to the adverse effects crayfish can have …

Genetic Effect Of Drought On The California Newt, Taricha Torosa, Madeleine M. Perrault, Samantha Fiallo, Alero Arueyingho, Cindy Kim, Laiken Ritchie

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Droughts are now a common occurrence in Southern California and are known to cause population declines in many species, and such bottlenecks can cause a loss of genetic variation. Genetic variation was examined in a population of the California newt located in Arroyo Sequit Creek in the Santa Monica Mountains. Genetic data from animals examined prior to the current drought were compared to similar data collected from the population after it experienced several years of severe drought. We hypothesized that the drought impacted population should show less genetic variation in comparison to the pre-drought population. Nevertheless, there were no genetic …

Comparison Of Leaf Water Potential, Stomatal Conductance, And Chlorophyll Fluorescence Between An Invasive Weed, Schinus Molle, And A Native Chaparral Shrub, Ceanothus Spinosus, In The Santa Monica Mountains, Adam L. Fahey, Harry Zhou, Katie Callahan

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

The Peruvian peppertree, Schinus molle, is an invasive species in California that has escaped cultivation to competitively exclude native species in the landscape. One example of such competition is between a dominant member of the chaparral shrub community, greenbark ceanothus (Ceanothus spinosus), and S. molle. The mechanism of competitive displacement of chaparral by S. molle is not understood nor has it been previously studied. We hypothesized that during severe drought, such as occurred during the sumer/fall of 2016, S. molle would have a more favorable water balance then its native competitor C. spinosus, eventually leading to higher survival and species …

Hydraulic Mechanisms Of Fungal-Induced Dieback In A Keystone Chaparral Species During Unprecedented Drought In California, Natalie M. Aguirre, Marissa E. Ochoa, Helen I. Holmlund, Frank E. Ewers, Stephen D. Davis

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Between 2012-2016, southern California experienced unprecedented drought that caused dieback in Malosma laurina, a keystone species of chaparral shrub communities. Dieback was especially severe in coastal exposures of the Santa Monica Mountains, leading to whole plant mortality exceeding 50% at some sites. We hypothesized that the endophytic fungus causing the dieback, Botryosphaeria dothidea, was successful in invading the xylem tissue of M. laurina because of protracted water stress, carbon starvation, or a combination of the two. We tested these possibilities in a controlled pot experiment by comparing three treatments, each inoculated with the fungus: (1) irrigated controls (2) …

Natural History And Diet Of A Population Of Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Viridis) In Kansas, Colleen Rothe-Groleau

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The primary goal of this study was to gather enough data to create a life history table for this population that can be used in future studies on this and similar species, such as timber rattlesnakes. A second goal was to compile diet data for comparison to datasets within the primary literature from populations of C. viridis and other crotalid species throughout the United States and Canada.

Using morphological characteristics, I attempted to determine whether there are methods that are less invasive for determining sex of C. viridis in the field than those currently in use. Snout-vent length (SVL) and …

Landscape Effects On Brown-Headed Cowbird (Molothrus Ater) Abundances In Crp Patches, Chase Wickard

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Many grassland bird species have experienced significant population declines and are the focus of conservation efforts. Recovery of these species is slowed, in part, due to nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Cowbirds are nest parasites that lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species and rely on the host species parents to raise their offspring. This in turn can reduce the reproductive success of hosts. This study attempts to determine whether landscape variables surrounding CRP patches may be driving cowbird densities.

Differences In Behavioral Responses To Stress In Zebrafish: Exploring Underlying Neural Mechanisms, Jacalyn B. Russ

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Two alternative “stress coping styles” are documented across a wide range of taxa: proactive and reactive. While behavior differences can be observed between coping styles, brain regions potentially mediating these differences have not been studied extensively. Understanding differences in how the brain processes information between the coping styles can lead to insights on how these responses might be controlled. To assess the neural mechanisms underlying alternative stress coping styles, I utilized Danio rerio (zebrafish) and the Novel Tank Diving Test (NTDT). I hypothesize (i) that proactive fish will spend less time in the lower portion of the NTDT and spend …

Microflora In The Cheek Pouches Of Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Ordii) From The Nebraska Sandhills, Devin M. Christensen

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The microflora living within the Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodymis ordii) cheek pouches has never been extensively studied before. Kangaroo rats use their cheek pouches to transport seeds and grasses in their mouths that they later store. It is predicted that the cheek pouches harbor fungal and bacterial growth that could be either helpful or harmful to the kangaroo rat and its environment. 8 kangaroo rats were humanely captured using Sherman live traps in the Nebraska Sandhills; their cheek pouches were swabbed, and the microorganisms obtained were grown on agar plates and in liquid media until an adequate amount …

The Effect Of Bilateral Vestibular Stimulation On Locomotor Adaptation, Allison Hoover

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Locomotor adaptation requires input from vision, somatosensory and vestibular systems. The contribution of the vestibular system is important for maintaining postural control during gait specifically orientation of the head on the trunk and acceleration (linear and angular) feedback. Disrupting this system causes instabilities during locomotion. However, it is not clear, how much the vestibular system contributes to gait adaptation. Eighteen healthy adults adapted to a split-belt treadmill task with or without additional vestibular perturbation using bilateral mastoid vibration. The symmetry index for step length and step time, as well as the change in standard deviation in stride time for both …

Assessment Of Olfactory-Based Social Recognition: Designing A Paradigm For Marmosets, Stephanie Womack

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Navigation of the social world depends largely on one’s responsiveness to social stimuli and information from a wide range of senses can be used to discriminate between individuals. Mammals use several sensory modes to communicate and respond to their surroundings, but olfaction is the dominant sense across most species. Chemosignals provide a wealth of information including sex, age, reproductive status, and individual identity. Currently, assessment of olfaction is largely limited to the habituation-dishabituation paradigm or the two-choice discrimination task used primarily in rodents. These paradigms are limited by their reliance on inherent reward of interaction with stimuli without providing additional …

Augmenting Human Muscle Performance Through Added Foot Stiffness, Samuel F. Ray

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

In human walking, the relationship between foot and ankle structure and function is not fully known. The foot and toe structures seem to dissipate energy while the ankle generates force through the plantarflexor muscles. Increasing foot stiffness through added carbon fiber insoles has been shown to increase force output and decrease contraction velocity of the ankle plantarflexor muscles. This shift in the muscular force-velocity operating range may be beneficial in fast walking. During fast walking, muscle fascicles contract at high velocities and low force output. We predict that added foot stiffness can reduce the metabolic cost of fast walking by …

Taxonomic Placement Of The Nidulariaceae Of Nebraska And Iowa Based On Molecular And Morphological Data, Goodmond H. Danielsen Iv

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Proper taxonomic and molecular study is necessary to better organize closely related species that may not only be used for human needs, but also in the quest for knowledge of how the world around us works. Though important, the taxonomic placement of Nebraskan and Iowan bird’s nest fungi (Nidulariaceae) is not well documented. Here, phylogenetic analysis is used to place the Nidulariaceae of Nebraska and Iowa in the tree of life using molecular and morphological techniques. Based on these results and results of further work done on these specimens, it will be possible to better place the Nidulariaceae of Nebraska …

Gait Biomechanics In Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease After Revascularization, Sarah Baker

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular disease manifesting blockages to arteries while limiting blood flow to the legs. Patients with PAD have pain/tingling in calves, thighs, and/or buttocks emanating by physical activity called intermittent claudication. PAD causes physical function limitations and increases cardiovascular morbidity by 3-6 times. PAD becomes particularly more prevalent with age. Patients with PAD walk differently than their healthy counterparts. Surgical revascularization to restore blood flow is the typical intervention, but whether walking patterns are restored following surgery has not been studied. This study compared walking patterns of patients with PAD at baseline and six-months post-revascularization. …