Biology Commons^™

Mate Guarding Against Strong Men Displaying Affiliative And Aggressive Humor, Jacob Pauley

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mate retention behaviors serve to discourage partner defection from a current pairbond. Such behaviors are oftentimes more prevalent toward intrasexual rivals exhibiting physical and behavioral cues implicating that rival as an optimal mate. Among these features in men are their upper body strength, a feature diagnostic of heritable fitness, and men's ability to produce humor, a cue to their social competence. This study considered the intersection of these desirable features in shaping men's mate retention behavior toward an intrasexual rival. After learning of a hypothetical interloper exhibiting high or low upper body strength while similarly using humor in an affiliative …

Effect Of Progesterone On Cognition Among College Aged Women, Katelyn Helberg

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women who have a reoccurring menstrual cycle and do not take hormonal birth control naturally experience changes in the amount of sex hormones that their body produces. These sex hormones help promote sexual development, fertility, and mood regulation, but can be hard to study due to their conflicting effects on each other. One such hormone, progesterone, is produced in different concentrations throughout the menstrual cycle to prepare the uterus for a potential pregnancy. However, it also may have secondhand effects on how well women can complete everyday tasks involving memory, attention, processing speed, and more which is what we measured …

The Effect Of Hormonal Contraceptive Use On Dominance And Prestige Tactics, Carson Chappell

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between hormonal contraceptives and prestige and dominance status-seeking tactics. Existing literature has examined how the hormones estrogen and progesterone, especially in relation to the fertile window of the menstrual cycle, are associated with prestige and dominance but has yet to look in depth at how hormonal contraceptives might alter this impact. The current study asked participants to complete a 22- item questionnaire assessing dominance and prestige. I hypothesized that women on hormonal contraceptives would have lower scores for prestige and dominance compared to women who are naturally cycling. The results did not …

The Impact Of Brain Cholesterol (24-Hydroxycholesterol (24-Hc) And 27- Hydroxycholesterol (27-Hc)) On Invitro Phenotypes Of Brain Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Cherish Iroabuchi

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: Brain metastases is one of the leading causes of breast cancer mortality and rates continue to increase. It has been previously shown that cholesterol metabolism is an important regulator of cancer progression. 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol (24-HC) and 27- hydroxycholesterol (27-HC) are cholesterol derivatives primarily found in the brain but their role in regulating oncoprotein expression remains unclear. The goal of this thesis was to determine the effect of 24-HC and 27-HC on in-vitro metastatic phenotypes of breast cancer cells previously shown by the Bailey laboratory to metastasize to the brain in a hematogenous metastasis xenograft model.

Materials and Methods: Western blot …

Verifying The Taxonomic Validity And Resolving The Subspecific Boundaries Of The Lomatium Foeniculaceum Complex, Daniel Botello

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Plant species in western North America historically have been delimited using morphological differences and geographic distribution of the species’ populations. Historically, the subspecies rank was relegated to populations that are geographically coherent but morphologically intergradient at areas of sympatry, resulting in doubts on the taxonomic validity and usefulness of the subspecific rank. The Lomatium foeniculaceum complex of the Perennial Endemic North American clade (PENA) of Apiaceae is present across much of the Great Plains and Intermountain Region, and as far north as northeast British Columbia. It is comprised of five subspecies and is the most widely distributed complex in the …

Gopher Tortoises In Protected Natural Areas: Effects Of Natural Area Characteristics On Populations, Taryn Lagor

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is native to the Southeast region of the United States. The burrows it digs supports the survival and wellbeing of over 350 other species, with over 60 of those being other vertebrates, making it a keystone species. It is ranked threated to rare by differing organizations with the main threat throughout its entire natural range being habitat loss. The Florida Scrub is the natural habitat of Florida gopher tortoise populations and is one of the fastest declining ecosystems in Florida, particularly in South Florida, due to rapid urban development. Many of the remaining …

Pipecolic Acid And Novel Insights Into Cerebral Malaria, Akua E. Mensah

Theses and Dissertations

Cerebral malaria (CM), a severe manifestation of Plasmodium infection, prompts our investigation into the nuanced role of pipecolic acid in its pathophysiology. To unravel the molecular intricacies, we conducted in vitro lysine labeling techniques of mice infected with P. berghei ANKA parasites, and human P. falciparum grown in vitro, aiming to discern the impact of Plasmodium on pipecolic acid production. Previous observations indicated an elevation in pipecolic acid levels correlating with neurological decline in children with CM. In our study, confirming elevated pipecolic acid presence in the plasma and brain tissues of CM patients and the animal model of CM, …

Analysis Of Water Pollutants Across Greater Omaha, Desmond Marshall

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Water is a finite resource, and most water has the potential to become contaminated in sitting bodies. Health complications have an increased chance of occurring when these water sources have pollutants. Preventative and treatment methods are components of the legislation put in place to prevent concentrations from reaching levels capable of causing these ailments. However, sites sometimes fail to keep them under tolerated levels. This study is intended to examine if several locations across Omaha are keeping pollutants under legal concentrations and analyze any trends in the data. Locations (n=10) are sampled twice, with exactly two-weeks between collections. The water …

Survey Of The Bolctes From Fish River Nature Preserve, Noah T. Nelson

Honors Theses

Boletes are a special kind of mushroom inside of the Kingdom Fungi that are distinguished from other mushrooms by their uniquely pored hymenium, as opposed to gills. Many boletes are ectomycorrhizal, meaning they are mutualists with vascular plants, and thus beneficial to the overall health of the terrestrial ecosystem. Some are well-known for their edibility and are of economic importance. In the United States 59 genus-level clades comprising 290 operational taxonomic units have been reported. The southeastern US and Gulf Coast regions however are less researched and recorded for their mushroom ecology. In Alabama, only 56 bolete species have been …

Persistence And Evolution Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Following Initiation Of Highly Effective Modulator Therapy In Cystic Fibrosis, Catherine R. Armbruster, Yasmin K. Hilliam, Anna C. Zemke, Samar Atteih, Christopher Marshall, John Moore, Junu Koirala, Leah Krainz, Jordan R. Gaston, Stella E. Lee, Vaughn S. Cooper, Jennifer M. Bomberger

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Today, more than 90% of people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) are eligible for the highly effective cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapy called elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) and its use is widespread. Given the drastic respiratory symptom improvement experienced by many post-ETI, clinical studies are already underway to reduce the number of respiratory therapies, including antibiotic regimens, that pwCF historically relied on to combat lung disease progression. Early studies suggest that bacterial burden in the lungs is reduced post-ETI, yet it is unknown how chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations are impacted by ETI. We found that pwCF remain infected throughout their …

Stopping The Bleed At Uri, Emily Lefebre

Senior Honors Projects

The number one cause of preventable death is uncontrolled bleeding from traumatic injury. From the unlikely scenario of a school shooting, to a campus car accident or an injury during a sports or club event, possessing skills to effectively stop a life-threatening bleed becomes a matter of life or death. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) STOP THE BLEED® program is a campaign to teach communities how to respond effectively and efficiently to life-threatening bleeding in emergencies. STOP THE BLEED® aims to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills to stop severe bleeding by tourniquet application, …

College Of Natural Sciences Newsletter, Spring 2024, College Of Natural Sciences

College of Natural Sciences Newsletters and Reports

Page 1 Dean's Message
Page 2 New Faculty and New Club on Campus
Page 3 2024 URSCAD Awards
Page 4 Day of Scholars 2024
Page 5 SDSU's First Representation at the Association for Anatomy's 2024
Annual Conference
Page 6-7 2024 Honor's College Convocation
Page 8 Other Student Activities
Page 9 Faculty Awards
Page 10-11 Other News
Page 12 2024 Drone Day and American Association of Geographers Convention - Hawaii
Page 13 55th Annual Geography Convention
Page 14 2024 Stethoscope Ceremony
Page 15 Open PRAIRIE Data

Clonal Growth And Trait Variation In The Colorado Front Range: The Influence Of Elevation And Ecosystem, Jordan Conley

Master's Theses

Amid global climate change, exploring adaptive strategies among alpine flora, particularly through clonal growth, becomes critical for biodiversity conservation. This study aims to explore the patterns of dominance and distributions among clonal species across environmental gradients in the Colorado Front Range, employing a trait-based comparative analysis to understand the adaptive strategies of alpine flora and their implications for conservation amid rapid climate change. We focused on two species, studying traits like lateral spread, bud count, and bulbil numbers. Advanced statistical methods such as Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PerMANOVA) and Multi-Response Permutation Procedures (MRPP) were used to evaluate community compositions …

Investigating Large Repeats In The Arabidopsis Thaliana Mitochondrial Genome Using Mitotalens, Megan Gusso

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This lab project explores the complexity of the mitochondrial genome by investigating large genomic repeats and their effect on flowering plants’ reproduction and viability. Mitochondria are the site of cellular respiration to create energy and contain their own DNA. This is counterintuitive because the byproducts of cellular respiration impose a threat of mutation for the stored DNA. The mitochondrial genome differs in size between animals and plants. Plant mitochondrial DNA is larger due to the presence of large, noncoding repeated sequences, and a large amount of DNA of unknown function. These sequences undergo high levels of recombination and rearrangement. The …

Evaluating Embryo Survival Of Surrogate Fish Species Using Multiple Incubators: Continuing Efforts Towards Reintroducing Arctic Grayling (Thymallus Arcticus) Into Lower Michigan Streams, Joshua Mutchler

All NMU Master's Theses

Arctic Grayling Thymallus arcticus have been successfully reintroduced to the Upper Missouri River Basin of Montana using Remote Site Incubators (RSI). Widespread use of RSIs as part of reintroduction efforts in Michigan is challenged by low gradient streams, which limit deployment success. In this study, I evaluated the utility of an alternative instream rearing device, the Floating Basket Incubator (FBI), by directly comparing the survival of Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis, and Walleye Sander vitreus (as Arctic Grayling surrogates) between RSI and FBI in stream and hatchery environments. In addition, I assessed how abiotic and …

Biological And Environmental Factors Associated With The Autumn Migration Timing Of North American Raptors, Nora R. Honkomp

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Migration is an energetically expensive and risky event in the life cycles of many organisms, and migration impacts survival and reproductive success through direct and carry-over effects. The timing of migration departure from the summer breeding grounds is important for determining the probability of survival and physical condition upon arrival at wintering sites. Many internal and external factors contribute to departure timing. It is important to study these factors across species, populations, and individuals to determine which traits and conditions are most important for shaping departure timing and its variability. Improving our understanding of the factors that affect organisms’ phenological …

Nesting In Urban Areas Affects American Kestrel Home Range Size And Adult Female Health, Jessica Michele Taylor

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization is happening at an unprecedented rate, and wildlife must adapt or face population declines. American Kestrels inhabit urban areas, however, whether human-dominated landscapes impact kestrel space-use, survival and reproductive success is largely unknown. We monitored American Kestrel nest boxes along a gradient of urbanization, measured using impervious surface area (ISA), and deployed GPS tags on breeding adults to examine the relationship between urbanization, home range size, and adult and nestling health. Male kestrel home ranges were 9.14 times larger than female home ranges, and home range size decreased as ISA increased for both sexes (β = -1.96, SE = …

Survival Of Methanogens Desiccated On Mars Soil Simulants: Implications For Life On Mars, Lanee Knight

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Because of Mars’s chemical features, it can be studied in the search for life and is a significant figure in the study of astrobiology (McKay, 2010). Dr. Kral’s laboratory studies methanogens, microorganisms in the domain Archaea, as possible life forms on Mars. Since some methanogens can withstand harsh environmental conditions and emit methane as a waste product, the growth of these microorganisms can be used as an indicator of potential life in the Mars subsurface (Kral et al., 1998). In this research, four methanogens, Methanothermobacter wolfeii, Methanobacterium formicicum, Methanosarcina barkeri, and Methanococcus maripaludi were desiccated in the …

Growth Of Methanogens On Kaolinite, A Clay That Has Been Identified On Mars, Hailey Littrell

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Methanogens have been studied as a model for life on Mars for 28 years now in the Kral lab. The discovery of methane in the Martian atmosphere by ground-based and orbital observations as well as Curiosity Rover (Formisano, V. et al., Krasnopolsky, V.A. et al., Mumma, M.J. et al.) has added relevance to these types of studies. Methanogens were chosen due to their ability to live in harsh environments, very similar to the Martian terrain. In addition to methane in the atmosphere, phyllosilicate clays have also been identified. One of those clays is kaolinite. Kaolinite has been found to not …

Dispersal Movement And Overwintering Ecology Of A Cryptic Migratory Forest Owl, Mitchell Lee Pruitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding species’ distributions and how a species uses its environment is a vital aspect of ecology and important for the development and implementation of conservation planning. In migratory species, with distinct breeding and nonbreeding ranges, understanding distributions is a complex endeavor. Nevertheless, evaluating movement behavior by linking seasonal distributions and identifying source areas is vital for understanding a species’ full annual cycle ecology. Understanding distributions is particularly important for predators, like birds of prey, that can exert top-down effects on community structure and ecosystem function through their influence on prey populations. Among raptors, owls are severely understudied in large part …

Stability Of Dna In Saliva Evidence Collected With Two Different Swabbing Solutions, Kuanwei Lu

Student Theses

As the significance of trace DNA has increased over time, it has become more important to optimize each process to avoid any loss of genetic material. Factors that could negatively affect the quality and quantity of DNA during transport or storage include environmental temperature, the DNA collection devices, the packaging, and possible contamination. This study compared the DNA stability of saliva stain swabs collected by moistening the swab with deionized water or Sample Keeper and stored at room temperature. Sample Keeper (Microread Genetics, Beijing) is a proprietary buffer marketed as a DNA stabilizing agent. We swabbed 110 saliva stains from …

Thamnophis And Their Toxic Relationship: Testing For Intraspecific Venom Variation In The Common Garter Snake, Thamnophis Sirtalis, Grace E. Coppinger

Poster Presentations

Project Objective - Estimate intraspecific venom variation between male and female garter snakes collected from the University of South Alabama of different sizes.

Foxo4 Impacts Akt In Glioblastoma Multiforme, David Uribe

Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive cancer with patients surviving 13 months on average after diagnosis. The PI3K-PKB/AKT pathway is conserved from flies to mammals. The PI3K signaling pathway aids in the growth and survival of tumor cells. Forkhead box transcription factors subclass O (FOXO1, FOXO3, and FOXO4) act as tumor suppressors in some contexts. In GBM, our group and others showed that FOXO transcription factors drive stem gene expression to promote growth and survival. We disrupted the FOXO4 gene in U87MG cells using CRISPR Cas9 genome editing and performed RNA-seq to identify targets of this …

Role Of Arabidopsis Ltp12 In Environmental Stress Response, Bikram Giri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) constitute a pervasive class of small proteins implicated in many biological and physiological processes, including seed development, germination, cuticle formation, and abiotic stress responses. In this study, we explored the role of Arabidopsis LTP12 protein in mitigating environmental stresses. To address this, we analyzed the T-DNA knockout mutant ltp12, focusing on its responses to salinity and osmotic stress. Utilizing antioxidant enzyme assays, phenotypic analyses (including water loss, chlorophyll content, seed germination rates, root length, and relative water content), and lipid profile analysis via Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), we found that ltp12 mutants showed reduced catalase and …

The Study Of Dmrt1 In Zebrafish And How It Impacts Sex Determination, Raymond Michael Poirier

Graduate Masters Theses

The dmrt1 gene is common amongst most animals and functions to determine or maintain male sex during development. Similarly, in zebrafish dmrt1 is important for male sex determination and maintaining proper testis morphology. This gene is expressed in two different cell types of the testis in zebrafish, germ cells and Sertoli cells. While we know where this gene is expressed and what its role is, it is not known if it is sufficient to drive male fate. If so, then in which cells is it sufficient to drive male fate in the testis? I aimed to answer this question by …

Indoor Tent Management For Extending Honey Bee Research Season: Benefits And Caveats, Trevor Bawden, Adam G. Dolezal, Chelsea N. Cook

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Honey bees are important organisms for research in many fields, including physiology, behavior, and ecology. Honey bee colonies are relatively easy and affordable to procure, manage, and replace. However, some difficulties still exist in honey bee research, specifically that honey bee colonies have a distinct seasonality, especially in temperate regions. Honey bee colonies transition from a large society in which workers have a strict temporal division of labor in the summer, to a group of behaviorally flexible workers who manage the colony over winter. Furthermore, opening colonies or collecting bees when they are outside has the potential to harm the …

Enhancement Of Favipiravir With Compound X In A Hamster Model Of Yellow Fever Virus Infection, Hunter Stanger

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Yellow fever virus (YFV) has long been a worldwide health concern, and recent outbreaks in South America and Africa have resulted in significant mortality. There is currently an effective vaccine to prevent infection, but there are no currently developed antiviral drugs to treat patients that have already contracted the disease. Because of this, an effective antiviral is needed to combat unanticipated cases or emergence in areas that have previously been unaffected by this virus. A drug called favipiravir has shown promising results previously. This compound acts as a nucleoside analog to halt the replication of the virus and stop infection. …

Identification Of The Phosphatase Nudt5 As A Target For The Treatment Of Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Jing Qian

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Abstract

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most malignant subtype of breast cancer, characterized by the absence of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression, as well as the lack of overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Unlike ER-positive and HER2-positive tumors that can be treated with hormone therapy or HER2-targeted treatment, respectively, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) poses a challenge with limited treatment alternatives for affected women. The currently FDA-approved systemic regimens for TNBC patients remain as conventional chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors (only applicable for a subset of BRCA-mutated TNBC patients). Consequently, our …

Acute Pain Prediction In Oral Cavity And Oropharyngeal Cancer Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy, Vivian Salama

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Oral-Cavity and oropharyngeal cancers (OC/OPC) are types of head and neck cancers that are increasing in incidence domestically. Radiation therapy (RT) is crucial in OC/OPC management. Pain is a common and challenging symptom for most patients during therapy, as nearly all patients undergoing locoregional RT in OC/OPC require analgesia for acute iatrogenic pain. Moreover, about 45% of long-term survivors report chronic pain, with more than 10% exhibiting severe chronic pain. Pain control is challenging due to the multifactorial clinical, molecular, and cellular etiology of cancer/therapy pain, as well as variation in pain assessment and the non-uniform management of pain between …

Biophysical Model Of Retraction Motor Neurons And Their Modification By Operant Conditioning, Maria Rasheed

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Operant conditioning (OC) is a form of associative learning in which an animal modifies its behavior based on the consequences that follow that behavior. Despite its ubiquity, the underlying mechanisms of OC are poorly understood. Insights into the mechanisms of OC can be obtained by studying Aplysia feeding behavior as it can be modified by OC. This behavior is mediated by a central pattern generator (CPG) network in the buccal ganglia that contains a relatively small number of neurons. This CPG generates rhythmic motor patterns (BMPs) that move food into the gut by closing a tongue-like structure (i.e., radula) during …