Other Life Sciences Commons^™

Beat Behind The Bark: Investigating The Effects Of Music Tempo On Canine Physiological And Psychological States, Marley Lanier

Honors Theses

This study explores how the tempo of music, measured in beats per minute (BPM), affects dogs' heart rate and oxytocin levels, adding to past research that shows that music affects physiological and behavioral states in dogs. Being able to understand these effects holds practical implications for improving overall well-being in canines in environments such as homes, shelters, and clinical environments. Using a within-subjects design, the dogs were exposed to slow and fast versions of one instrumental track, along with a white noise baseline condition before each randomized condition. Heart rate was recorded continuously throughout the session, and oxytocin saliva samples …

Evaluating Fungal Endophytes Inoculation As A Mechanism For Salt Tolerance In Juncus Roemarianus, Rani Badve

Honors Theses

Salinity stress is increasing in coastal and estuarine ecosystems due to increasing temperatures and the reduction of freshwater inputs via precipitation pattern changes. Elevated salinity can negatively affect plant survival, threatening the stability of coastal wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide. Juncus roemerianus is a common and dominant marsh plant in the Northern Gulf Coast that lives in varying salinities. Growing evidence suggests that root-associated fungal endophytes may contribute to enhanced stress tolerance; however, the response of fungal communities to salinity remains poorly understood.

This study evaluated how salinity influences the abundance and diversity of culturable root-associated fungal communities …

Impacts Of Disturbance And Nutrient Addition On Coastal Dune Arthropod Communities, Kayla Beitzel

Honors Theses

Coastal dune ecosystems are globally distributed ecosystems that occur from the tropics to the poles and serve as the first line of defense during storms. They are critical habitats for a variety of organisms and also play a critical role in stabilizing coastal habitats. These systems face increased pressure via urban development, recreational expansion, and sea-level rise (Newman et al. 2023; Webster et al. 2005). Insects are vital consumers in coastal ecosystems and act as regulators of plant growth. Low-diversity ecosystems, like coastal dune systems, often contain a higher abundance of low-diverse insect consumers (Ripple et al. 2021), which can …

The Effect Of Wee1 On Mitosis In The Spb Mutant, David Leroy

Honors Theses

The speedbump mutant has been identified as an early arrest mutant, becoming apparent as soon as 80% epiboly (8.5 hours of development). This mutant has a mutation in wee1, which is a protein regulating entry into mitosis ensuring the completion of DNA replication before mitosis. The lack of this protein in speedbump allows for early entry into mitosis resulting in damage to the chromosome. Here, we investigate two questions: if mitosis in the speedbump mutant phenotype is more frequent than wild-type phenotype, and, if so, is there a phase in which the mutant phenotype favors. We used phosphorylated histone H3 …

Bacteriophages That Can Lyse Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Michael Monaco

Honors Theses

A Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteriophage was isolated from waste water and purified over multiple rounds of plaque removals and serial titrations. This bacteriophage was imaged in a transmission electron microscope and then tested with selected antibiotics for effectiveness in reducing optical density of K. pneumoniae colonies. The phage was shown to have an increased effectiveness in reducing the optical density when used together with an antibiotic that the bacteria was susceptible to.

"Patterns In The Abundance Of Benthic Algae In Streams", Courtney Wright

Honors Theses

Benthic, microscopic algae are the main drivers of primary productivity in streams. The relationship between the abundance and productivity of benthic algae in streams and lakes and the availability of limiting nutrients, especially soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), has been extensively studied (reviewed in Allan and Castillo 2007, Larned 2010). However, nearly all of this research has been conducted on the periphyton assemblage found on hard substrates (e.g., stones, wood), while very little work has addressed the factors affecting the abundance of epipelic algae (i.e., the algae associated with depositional (soft) sediments such as sands and silts). One of the few …

Effects Of Age On Induced Glaucoma In An In Vivo Rat Model, Robert Cox

Honors Theses

Previous in vitro studies from this lab have demonstrated that injection of a hypertonic saline solution into the episcleral vein of the rat’s eye mimics the effect of glaucoma. However, the age of the rat related to the amount of cell loss in the retina ganglion cell (RGC) layer is unknown. To address this issue, we propose to analyze the correlation of age and cell loss between 3-6 month and 1-year-old Long Evan rats. When inducing glaucoma in the Long Evan rats, the left eye in each rat was left untreated and used as an internal control. In the right …

Intraocular Pressure Measurements In A Rat Glaucoma Model, Michael Doyle

Honors Theses

The main objective of this study was to determine if consistent intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements could be obtained from an in vivo Long Evans rat glaucoma model. An increase in IOP is the primary risk factor associated with glaucoma and reliable IOP measurements would validate our in vivo glaucoma model that we are inducing in rats. The study used nine Long Evans rats. Three rats severed as controls, three received surgery to induce glaucoma and three were administered PNU-282987 neuroprotective eye drops and then surgery to induce glaucoma. IOP measurements were obtained by tapping the retina of the rat eye …