Life Sciences Commons^™

Menstrual Cycle Variations In Ultrasound And Biomechanical Risk Factors For Acl Injury In Adolescent Female Athletes, Jessica Garcia

Kinesiology Dissertations - Archive

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are a significant concern in adolescent female athletes, with rates consistently higher than their male peers. This disparity is attributed to a complex combination of anatomical, hormonal, and neuromuscular factors that elevate injury risk while performing dynamic movements common in running and cutting sports such as soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and volleyball. Knee laxity has been identified as a potential risk factor, yet current measurement tools lack the sensitivity, reliability, and validity needed for practical application. Additionally, fluctuating sex hormones throughout the menstrual cycle (MC) have been implicated in changes to ligament properties and neuromuscular control, …

The Effects Of Speed, Grade And Footwear On Knee Adduction Moment And Tibial Shock, Alexis C. Gant

Kinesiology Dissertations - Archive

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage deterioration, chronic pain, and reduced mobility. Alterations in gait mechanics, particularly increased knee adduction moment (KAM) and tibial shock, are strongly associated with OA onset and progression. These biomechanical markers reflect abnormal joint loading and provide valuable insights for developing non-invasive interventions. This dissertation investigates how modifiable external factors, specifically walking slope, footwear type, and walking speed, influence knee joint loading patterns. The goal is to inform rehabilitation strategies that can decrease joint stress, alleviate symptoms, and slow disease progression.

Study 1 examines the effects of walking slope …

Force Matters: An Exploration Of Manual Therapies Effects On Passive Tension Properties Of The Lower Extremity., Loran D. Wade Jr

Kinesiology Dissertations - Archive

Musculoskeletal dysfunction is a leading cause of pain, functional limitation, and disability worldwide, necessitating the exploration of non-invasive therapeutic strategies. Manual therapy, which encompasses massage, stretching, and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM), has long been used to address musculoskeletal dysfunction, yet its mechanisms of action and clinical efficacy remain inconsistently defined within the literature. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the historical foundations, physiological effects, and current applications of manual therapy techniques in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Emphasis is placed on how these interventions influence key musculoskeletal properties, including tissue stiffness, joint range of motion, neuromuscular function, and …

The Role Of Sodium Butyrate As An Inflammatory Regulator And Its Effect On Long Noncoding Rnas In Neuroinflammation, Angel Covarrubias

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses - Archive

Inflammation is a crucial homeostatic process that contributes to both the elimination of foreign invaders and tissue repair. Inflammation at sites of tissue injury or infection is initiated by the detection of a harmful stimulus, triggering vital inflammatory immune signaling pathways and a cascade of cytokines and inflammatory mediators. The dysregulation of this process, however, can result in inappropriate inflammatory responses manifesting in tissue damage and compromised cell function. Dysregulation of the inflammatory response is seen frequently in many human diseases such as Diabetes, Cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases.

In the context of the Central Nervous system, inflammation is …

The Evolution Of The Stress Response In The Trinidadian Killifish: Ecological Drivers And Maternal Mediation, Mikaela E. Feder

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Ecological variables can induce the stress response in organisms. Yet, few studies have tested for evolutionary shifts in stress responses across ecological gradients. In these studies, we used Trinidadian killifish found in sites with predators (high predation, HP) and sites where they are the only fish present (killifish only, KO). HP and KO populations differ in a suite of behavioral and life-history traits, making the Trinidadian killifish an excellent model to examine evolutionary physiology. My dissertation addresses the knowledge gap by examining: (1) how baseline cortisol differs in wild-caught Trinidadian killifish found in HP and KO sites, (2) the influence …

Atorvastatin Alters Neuronal Morphology Data Set, Carolyn L. Pytte

Publications and Research

Statins are highly effective and widely prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs. However, statins cross the blood-brain barrier and decrease neural cholesterol in animal models, raising concern that long-term statin use may impact cholesterol-dependent structures and functions in the brain. Cholesterol is a fundamental component of cell membranes and experimentally decreasing membrane cholesterol has been shown to alter cell morphology in vitro. In addition, brain regions that undergo adult neurogenesis rely on local brain cholesterol for the manufacture of new neuronal membranes. Thus neurogenesis may be particularly vulnerable to long-term statin use. Here we asked whether oral statin treatment impacts neurogenesis …

Assessing Understory Along The Elk River (Hikshari') In Headwaters Forest Reserve, Humboldt County, California, Julie R. Meyers, Aliyah M. Ingram, Caleb N. Larkin, Joshua L. Carpenter

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

Northern California’s extensive logging history and lack of forest management has altered old-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests, leaving dense, homogenous second and third-growth forest stands. This has led to the use of modern restoration techniques such as variable density thinning (VDT) which aims to rehabilitate old-growth forest conditions by improving stand heterogeneity and light availability for understory species. Our study was done in Headwaters Forest Reserve (HFR) along the Elk River (Hikshari’) Trail in Humboldt County, California. Initially, the project was supervised by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arcata Field Office. However, the 2025 U.S. government …

Jmorph Summary Data Cownose And Eagle Ray, Frank E. Fish

Biology Data Repository

The data are for the examination of hydrodynamic lift of the cephalic lobes of the cownose ray and spotted eagle ray. Data are from flow tank test of model heads of the two species.

Sea Turtle Turning, Frank E. Fish

Biology Data Repository

Data are for the analysis of the kinematics of turning by juvenile sea turtles.

The Work Of Cross Dating: A Look Into The Dendrochronology Of Great Basin Bristlecone Pine At The Carpenter Canyon Middle Site, Zeb Mendenhall, Otto De Groff, Steven L. Petersen

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva, hereafter bristlecone) is the longest living organisms on earth. Their annual growth rings are vital resources for understanding climate change¹ (Fig. 1)

Like all trees, bristlecone develops a “ring” every year during the growing season. Because of their exceptional longevity, this makes them an ideal “archive” of past climate conditions²

While climate is a variable affecting bristlecone growth, little research has been conducted that identifies factors the influence bristlecone growth, in particular elevation.

This study investigates these factors to better understand bristlecone’s response environmental variability at specific elevations.

For Dust Thou Art, And Unto Dust Shalt Thou Return — Testing Soil-Derived Plant-Beneficial Bacteria For Potential As Biofertilizers, Johnathon Brim, Blake Oler, Jacob Hardy, Joseph Richardson, Ryan Bjazevich, Kate Whalen, Emmelia Wevers, Foxx Naylor, Ethan Shreeve, Alex Cherry, Ethan Cherry, Tanner Gunnell, Jayden Longhurst, Andrew Burrows, Mailon Odell, Jacob Sy, Jeffrey Schacterle

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

• The results of plant testing have shown that bacteria treated seeds outperform the control seeds on a consistent basis
• We will continue to receive more data from out own experiments as well as crowdsourcing methods.
• Our next step is to begin comparing results of our soil/seed treatment against commercially available fertilizers that use beneficial bacteria.

Pedestrian Safety South Of Brigham Young University Campus, Emma Mayo, Alisha H. Redelfs

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

8,500 crossings happen on 800 North every day. In Provo last year, 57 car crashes involved pedestrians. A pedestrian’s view of the road is obstructed by cars parked on the right hand side of the road causing them to walk in the crosswalk to see if there is a car coming. Sidewalks on connecting streets are uneven and cracked. Multiple blocks on 800 North without a stop sign to slow drivers down. Currently no posted speed limit signs on 800 North. Drivers can’t see pedestrians crossing on 200, 300, 400, or 500 East because of inadequate lighting. Cars obstruct areas …

Examining Purkinje Cell Modulation Of The Vor: An Optogenetic Study, Ben Davis, D Garcia, B Haack, J Lewis, J Jackson, C Worthington, Trace Stay

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is coordinated eye movement to maintain a stable gaze during head rotation. This reflex can be adapted in behavioral training by using repeated head movements and shifting visual stimuli.

Previous research (Kimpo et al., 2014) implicates cerebellar output as critical to VOR adaptation, but it is unclear whether Purkinje cell (PC) output paired with a vestibular or visual stimulus is sufficient for driving reflex adaptation.

We hypothesize that PC output is sufficient for driving gain up behavioral VOR adaptation when paired with peak ipsiversive head movement in mice. Stimuli include a rotating vestibular environment or visual …

How Microbiota Affect The Drosophila Melanogaster Life History Approach, Ricardo Romo, John M. Chaston

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

• The microbiota of Drosophila melanogaster plays a significant role in its life history strategy and local adaptation [1]. This study examines how variations in microbiota composition influence the trade-offs between reproduction and somatic maintenance.
• Previous research has shown that LAB and AAB bacteria affect Drosophila Melanogaster life history strategies and this research explores the effects of LAB and AAB bacterial strains on flies raised under controlled conditions.
• This study contributes to the growing evidence that microbiota is an essential factor in understanding local adaptation and evolutionary biology and how certain bacterial strains affect an organism’s reproductive strategy.

Population Monitoring Of Packera Castoreus, Autumn Gudmundsen, Madison Huie, Steve Flinders, Loreen Allphin

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Packera castoreus is a rare flowering plant, endemic to high elevations in the Belknap volcanic substrates of the Tushar Mountains of Utah (fig.1 & 2).

• The species has been classified as high priority for monitoring and conservation by the Utah Native Plant Society.1

There have been conservation concerns for rare alpine species recently due to increased threats, primarily:

• Grazing from large ungulates (mountain goats, deer, & elk)2
• Human impacts (especially hiking)1
• Climate change1

To better understand the impacts of these various threats on P. castoreus, we monitored populations from 2018-2022 and assessed plant morphology, community composition, and population …

Mitigating Herbivory Impacts On Aspen Forest Regeneration Through Fire And Mechanical Thinning In High-Grazing Landscapes, Chloe Denham, Sam St. Clair

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

• Monroe Mountain in Fishlake National Forest has experienced rising herbivory pressure from elk, deer, and cattle in its stable aspen forest.
• Stable aspen stands have minimal conifers, low stand turnover, and rare disturbances.
• We looked at how herbivory patterns change over time under different treatments on Monroe Mountain.

Investigating The Role Of The Liver-Brain Axis In Addiction, Camryn Holt, Isabella Roque, Shimran Sharma, Chris Galbraith, Jordan T. Yorgason

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Ethanol (EtOH) increases dopamine (DA) release, leading to addictive behaviors.

Ex vivo, EtOH only alters DA release at supraphysiological levels.

The liver metabolizes EtOH, and metabolites can escape into systemic circulation and cross the blood-brain barrier.

We hypothesize that these metabolites may induce changes in the mesolimbic circuitry and thus contribute to the reinforcing effects of EtOH.

We examined the effects of bile acids (BAs) and other EtOH metabolites on accumbal DA release and CIN firing.

We also investigated downstream effects of EtOH metabolism, such as macrophage migration and TGR5-mediated release of glucagon- like peptide-1 (GLP-1).

Socioeconomic Advantage Effects On Family Health Across Three Generations, Brooklyn Richins, Gladys Lopez Mph, Kato Haupeakui Mph, Ali Crandall Ph.D.

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2025

Family health is a resource at the level of the family unit that influences each family member’s health (Weiss-Laxer et al., 2020).

Socioeconomic status (SES) is measured by education, employment, and income; prior research suggests that SES influences quality of life (Baker, 2014).

We examined how parent and grandparent SES affects young adult report of family health.

German Cockroach Allergen Mitigation, Olivia Katz

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

German cockroaches (Blatella germanica L.) remain one of the most challenging indoor pests to manage, due in large part to their cryptic nature, rapid reproduction, and resistance to insecticides. Because of their close proximity to humans, they also pose several serious health threats, including the production and dissemination of several potent allergens linked to asthma development and exacerbation. Given the risks associated with cockroach allergens, we examined the longevity of two distinct cockroach allergens (Bla g 1 and Bla g 5) in the home environment and the efficacy of cleaners at removing these allergens. Our findings show that Bla …

Including Black Farmers, Excluding Pests: Perspectives On Participation In The Cooperative Extension Service, Briana Bazile

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has faced renewed scrutiny for documented discrimination against Black farmers, yet far less attention has focused on its century-old partner in public service delivery, the Cooperative Extension Service (CES). This gap is especially notable considering 1) federal parity mandates extant since 1972 in response to significant disparities between Black and White constituents and staff,2) public commitments to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in 2020 and, 3) the contributions of Black leaders at the origins of CES, at Tuskegee University in the late nineteenth century. Using the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (KYCES) as a …

Unveiling The Bacterial Communities Of Aphaenogaster: Taxonomic Composition, Developmental And Species Influences, And The Impact Of Climate Change, Lily Kelleher

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Ants are vital keystone species in many ecosystems because they provide ecosystem services such as: seed dispersal, soil bioturbation, and pest control. However, ant bacterial symbioses remain largely unstudied, but these interactions are crucial because microbes play a vital role in the ants’ overall health. Today, global climate change is impacting our biodiversity, and we can use information about how changing temperatures impact the symbiotic bacterial communities associated with ants to predict future impact. Aphaenogaster rudis and A. fulva remain understudied in terms of their bacterial community and are important North American species. For this study, ants from several colonies …

Wild Horse Overpopulation- Consequences And Environmental Effects, Tessa M. Eslick Ms.

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

When considering wild horse overpopulation, there are many different facets of the issue that need to be addressed. Wild horse overpopulation is a significant issue across the American West, particularly on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management( BLM). The largest populations are often found in Nevada, other states include California, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, and Arizona. Whether there are thousands of horses on many acres of land, or hundreds spread across smaller reservations or public lands, the effects of their overpopulation remain as imminent as ever. Overpopulation is causing ecological damage and strain on resources leading to concerns …

The Power Of Plate & Knowledge: Nutrition’S Role In Pcos Management For Asian American Women, Cassandra Curameng Diego Curameng

Nursing | Senior Theses

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic endocrine condition with symptoms that severely impair women's physical and reproductive health. However, individuals with PCOS, especially Asian American women, lack sufficient understanding of non-pharmacological symptom management options, such as dietary and lifestyle modifications. This research proposal explores whether culturally appropriate nutrition education can help manage PCOS symptoms and lessen the need for medical management. The literature critique focuses on addressing the knowledge gap regarding treatment management among women diagnosed with PCOS, health risks related to PCOS, ethnic differences, and nutrition. This proposal investigates the impact of a dietary education program tailored …

Effects Of Educational Intervention On Asthmatic Children, Zoe Coggins

Nursing | Senior Theses

Abstract

Children are more vulnerable to asthmatic symptoms due to the physiological immaturity of their respiratory systems. Therefore, irritants are deemed more hazardous for the pediatric population. Pollution is a growing health concern, and within the literature review, several approaches to the measurement of the impact of low air quality and educational interventions are discussed. The themes identified in the literature review are increased risk of pollution-induced exacerbation due to age, behavior, and residential proximity to emission-producing facilities. The review of the literature demonstrated how pollution is a growing public health concern, especially among the pediatric population. Interventions, reviewed in …

Contents 43(1)

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

No abstract provided.

A Vascular Flora Of Ladd Canyon, Santa Ana Mountains, Orange And Riverside Counties, California, Daniel P. Donovan, Amanda E. Fisher

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The Santa Ana Mountains are a coastal range on the border of Orange and Riverside counties in southern California. Ladd Canyon, covering 18.2 km² in the Cleveland National Forest, is a botanical black hole relative to the rest of the Santa Ana Mountains because of limited access. It is dominated by chaparral and coastal sage scrub and includes significant knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) stands and riparian woodland. Features that make it an intriguing area to study include the only serpentine soil in the Santa Ana Mountains, large tracts of habitat that have no recorded fire history, steep …

The Rare, Endangered And Endemic Plants Of The California Floristic Province Portion Of Baja California, Mexico, Bart C. O'Brien, Jon P. Rebman, José Delgadillo-Rodríguez, Kanchi Natarajan Gandhi, Steven A. Junak, Thomas A. Oberbauer, Hugo Riemann, Sula E. Vanderplank

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

The California Floristic Province (CFP) is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, known for high levels of plant endemism. The CFP extends from southwestern Oregon, through cismontane California, south to northwestern Baja California, Mexico. The flora of the California Floristic Province portion of Baja California (CFP Baja) has historically been poorly documented and understood. This study provides data to address this deficiency by inventorying and assessing the native flora of CFP Baja from a conservation perspective: evaluating the rarity, endangerment and endemism of its native taxa. A total of 2392 taxa were assessed to determine this listing of rare, endangered …

Swosu Research And Scholarly Activity Fair 2025, Swosu Office Of Sponsored Programs

SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair Programs

On behalf of the members of the University Research and Scholarly Activity Committee (USRAC) and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) — welcome to the Thirty-Third SWOSU Research and Scholarly Activity Fair!

This year’s event features 99 poster presentations and 9 oral presentations, showcasing the work of over 170 student and faculty researchers, writers, presenters, artists, collaborators, and faculty sponsors. These presentations represent a wide array of scholarly and academic activity from across SWOSU’s academic community, including the Departments of Art, Communication, and Theatre; Allied Health Sciences; Biological Sciences; Business; Chemistry & …

A Histopathology Aware Dino Model With Attention Based Representation Enhancement, Merve Ozkan, Caner Ozcan, Cody Bumgardner, Mahmut Selman Gokmen

Institute for Biomedical Informatics Faculty Publications

Histopathological image analysis plays a critical role in modern medical diagnostics, particularly in the detection and classification of various types of cancer. This study proposes a method called HistoDARE (Histopathology-Aware DINO with Attention-based Representation Enhancement), which offers an innovative approach to the attention module used in the Vision Transformers architecture. Unlike conventional attention mechanisms, HistoDARE introduces a novel three-stage AttentionWrapper module that sequentially applies spatial and channel attention followed by a residual refinement stage, enabling the extraction of spatially-aware and semantically distinctive feature representations. HistoDARE is a method integrated into the DINOv2 model, which uses the ViT-L/14 architecture. The obtained …

Characterizing And Targeting The Non-Catalytic Functions Of Phosphatase Of Regenerating Liver 3 (Prl-3) In Oncogenesis And Cancer Progression, Jeffery T. Jolly

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Phosphatase of Regenerating Liver 3 (PRL-3) is frequently upregulated in various cancers and is associated with poor patient prognosis. Although traditionally studied for its phosphatase activity, PRL-3 also interacts with the CNNM family of magnesium transporters through its catalytic site, and these two functions are mutually exclusive at any given time. Most previous studies relied on a commonly used PRL-3 mutation that disrupts both phosphatase activity and CNNM binding, making it challenging to determine which function drives its oncogenic effects. To address this gap in the field, I utilized a panel of PRL-3 mutants that selectively disrupt either phosphatase activity …