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Articles 1 - 12 of 12
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Non-Suitable Habitat A Cause For Declining Bobolink Populations In Northern Utah, Bethany Q. Unger
Non-Suitable Habitat A Cause For Declining Bobolink Populations In Northern Utah, Bethany Q. Unger
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryxivories, populations are declining in Utah. I characterized the habitat conditions of known bobolink nesting sites in Utah and compared these conditions to those for nest sites in Wisconsin where bobolinks are abundant. My habitat assessment included identifying vegetation species, vegetation cover, pH, temperature, and precipitation at each site location. Vegetation cover different between Utah and Wisconsin nest sites. Precipitation varied for both locations with no correlation between water availability and bobolink presence. One possible driver for the reduction in bobolinks throughout Utah is the drastic increase in temperature. Other possible external factors include livestock grazing, edge distance, …
Effect Of Aggregation At A Winter Feeding Station On Intestinal Parasite Load In Elk (Cervus Canadensis), Morgan Jaromilla Hughes
Effect Of Aggregation At A Winter Feeding Station On Intestinal Parasite Load In Elk (Cervus Canadensis), Morgan Jaromilla Hughes
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Winter feeding stations are used throughout the western US to reduce elk depredation of crops and haystacks on private lands. Many of the unintended effects of such artificial congregation remain unexamined, but generally, across species, locally increased host densities result in increased parasite loads. This adds physiological stress to individual animals and in game species such as elk it could reduce their value to sportsmen. Through laboratory analyses of fresh samples, we recorded nematode egg densities in elk feces collected during two periods ( early and late) in the supplementary feeding season. Mean nematode egg density remained fairly constant in …
Dna Methylation Analysis Of Lin28a & Hand1 In Electrostimulated Genetically Unmodified Porcine Fibroblast Cells Grown In Vitro, Sara E. Calicchia
Dna Methylation Analysis Of Lin28a & Hand1 In Electrostimulated Genetically Unmodified Porcine Fibroblast Cells Grown In Vitro, Sara E. Calicchia
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Pluripotent (undifferentiated) cells are important for their applications in regenerative medicine. However, gene-based nuclear reprogramming of adult somatic cells is a slow and inefficient process, and poses some risk to recipient patients. Therefore, a major goal within the field of stem cell biology is to find a way to accomplish adult somatic cell de-differentiation using small chemical modulators of gene expression or other non-genomic mechanisms. Pilot studies in our laboratory have suggested that cells exposed to silver ions generated by the passage of a weak electrical current through a silver wire show morphological and gene expression changes reminiscent of de-differentiation. …
Developing A Portable System For Measuring Human Motor Learning, Karen Elizabeth Tew
Developing A Portable System For Measuring Human Motor Learning, Karen Elizabeth Tew
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Point-to-point reaching is a commonly used paradigm in the field of human motor control. By studying how people move their arms from one location in space to another, researchers have gained insight into how the central nervous system controls and learns skilled movement. Many experimental methods that are designed to study reaching are not portable. This makes it difficult for researchers to access certain clinical populations with limited mobility or motor dysfunction. We have addressed this issue by developing a point-to-point reaching system that can capture key movement variables (e.g. speed and accuracy) yet is portable and inexpensive. We have …
Group Housing And Social Stress In Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana), Marilize Van Der Walt
Group Housing And Social Stress In Side-Blotched Lizards (Uta Stansburiana), Marilize Van Der Walt
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Stress in regards to an animal's social housing environment is well studied in mammals; however there are few studies examining this in reptiles and the results are thus far unclear. For example, behavioral evidence shows adverse effects from individual housing in juvenile chameleons, however physiological measures in whiptail lizards show adverse effects from group housing. Because some reptiles appear to be affected negatively by their social housing environment while others are impacted positively, if we can discover the reason for these differences, we will be able to implement the most effective housing regimes for reptiles. In this study, we tested …
Sources Of Uncertainty In Stream Nutrient Sampling Below A Point Source, Alexandria Hayden Campbell
Sources Of Uncertainty In Stream Nutrient Sampling Below A Point Source, Alexandria Hayden Campbell
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
The goal of this study was to determine what aspects of sampling and sample storage could lead to uncertainty when taking samples in a stream below a point source. Sources of uncertainty studied were the locations where the samples were taken to assess if nutrients were adequately mixed within a cross-section, different filtration techniques, dilution errors, analytical uncertainty, and freezing time. Bootstrapping analyses were used to determine whether mixing and dilution errors led to uncertainty, while one-way ANOVAs were used to evaluate filtration techniques and storage time. Sample spikes to determine percent recovery of nutrients and repeat sample analyses are …
An Overview Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In Utah, With A Focus On Boreal Toads And Their Changing Conservation Status, Samantha A. Beirne
An Overview Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In Utah, With A Focus On Boreal Toads And Their Changing Conservation Status, Samantha A. Beirne
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
The Boreal Toad (Anaxyrus boreas) has disappeared from a large portion of its range in southern Utah and it has been questioned whether Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd, also known as chytrid) has played a role in its disappearance. The role of chytrid in range contraction of Boreal Toads and other amphibians in Utah is unknown. The primary objective of this project is to determine if any historic Boreal Toad specimens have chytrid to determine its arrival in Utah. If any old specimens test positive, the secondary goal of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between …
Quantifying Non-Game Fish Sampling Biases And Demographics To Better Understand The Role Of Fish In Pelican Diet And Distribution At Strawberry Reservoir, Ut, Jamie Reynolds
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Predation and competition are natural ecological processes, though these interactions occasionally cause concern among humans when ecosystem services are involved (e.g., popular fisheries in highly managed systems). The population of American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) at Strawberry Reservoir (Utah) has increased dramatically in the last decade, as have the populations of Utah sucker (Catostomus ardens) and Utah chub (Gila atraria). Anglers and managers are concerned that predation by pelicans and competition from non-game fish species are negatively impacting the reservoir's prized Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) fishery. My project focused on …
The Effects Of Zno Nanoparticles On Egg, Larva, And Adult Rough-Skinned Newts (Taricha Granulosa), Austin Reid Spence
The Effects Of Zno Nanoparticles On Egg, Larva, And Adult Rough-Skinned Newts (Taricha Granulosa), Austin Reid Spence
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on egg, larva, and adult rough-skinned newts, Taricha granulosa. To date, little research has been done to investigate the potentially detrimental effects of nanoparticles on amphibians, especially salamanders and newts (caudates). Chronic toxicity was tested on eggs and larvae, and acute toxicity was tested on eggs, larvae, and adults. For eggs, chronic exposure to ZnO nanoparticles caused higher mortality at 10.0 and 100.0 mg/L compared to 0.0, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/L. When given an acute exposure (24h) to nanoparticles at a late incubation stage, …
Investigating The Pathogenecity Of Chl1 Leu17phe Polymorphism In Schizophrenia, Brooke Nichole Hansen
Investigating The Pathogenecity Of Chl1 Leu17phe Polymorphism In Schizophrenia, Brooke Nichole Hansen
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Schizophrenia is a devastating brain disorder that affects a surprising 1% of the world's population. Despite this prevalence, little is known about the molecular aspects of this disorder making it both difficult to diagnose and treat. Several studies have identified the CHL1 gene (Close Homolog of L1), sometimes referred to as CALL, as a risk gene for schizophrenia. CHL1, a neural cell adhesion molecule, has major roles in cell migration, and the development of dendritic and axonal projections. Therefore any deficiency in CHL1 may result in brain defects similar to those identified in schizophrenic populations. Moreover, in genetically engineered mice, …
Increasing Vaccine Accessibility Through Cost Alternative Manufacturing And Elimination Of The Cold Chain, Jorgen Madsen
Increasing Vaccine Accessibility Through Cost Alternative Manufacturing And Elimination Of The Cold Chain, Jorgen Madsen
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Millions of people die each year from infectious diseases. This is partly due to the difficulty of transporting temperature dependent vaccines through what is called the cold chain in developing countries. I hypothesize that we can increase vaccine accessibility by finding cost effective alternatives to vaccine production and by eliminating the cold chain through vaccine stabilizers. The gold standard in purification of influenza virus is by means of ultracentrifugation. Although effective, this process is very expensive and thus impractical for developing countries. I hypothesize that column chromatography can be a cost efficient alternative that is as effective as ultracentrifugation. The …
The Influence Of Invasive Plants On The Small Mammal Community In A Cold Desert, Trinity N. Smith
The Influence Of Invasive Plants On The Small Mammal Community In A Cold Desert, Trinity N. Smith
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Exotic invasive species can alter ecosystem health. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), Russian thistle (Salsola kali) and tall tumble mustard (Sisymbrium altissimum) are widely distributed invasive plants occurring throughout desert and shrub-steppe communities in the western United States. Due to the relative ease of capture, small mammal community metrics are often used to quantify overall ecosystem health. Studies examining small mammal communities are numerous but few have specifically examined the effects of invasive plants at the community level in arid ecosystems. In this study I examined community level small mammal responses to changes in microhabitat features, …