Understanding Context Dependent Responses To Climate Change In Arizona Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma Mavortium Nebulosum), Kentrell Richardson

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Future emissions scenarios project climate change to increase average global temperatures by at least two ℃ in the next 50 years resulting in changes in local climate and causing increased variability within microclimates. Ectotherms are especially sensitive to climate change due to their dependence on environmental temperatures to regulate physiological functions. Changes in temperature are likely to impact thermally cued processes within amphibians and result in changes in variable magnitudes and directions within local populations.

Salamanders were placed in cups and partially submerged in a water bath and heated at a rate of ~0.27℃/ minute. Once salamanders were unable to …

The Effect Of Acute Caffeine Withdrawal On Exercise Performance In Habitual Caffeine Users, Timothy D. Griest

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate how exercise performance is impacted by acute withdrawal from caffeine (CAF) in habitual users and if CAF ingestion will reverse the negative impact of withdrawal or have a net positive benefit. Methods: Ten recreational cyclists (age 39.1 ± 14.9 y; VO_2max 54.2 ± 6.2 mL/kg/min) who were habitual CAF consumers (394 ± 146 mg/d) completed four trials, each consisting of peak isokinetic torque testing and a 10-km time trial (TT). On each trial day, subjects consumed either 1.5 mg/kg CAF to prevent withdrawal or placebo (PLA) 8 hours before their …

The Effect Of Creatine Supplementation On Body Composition And Total Body Water Measured By Multi-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance, Emily A. Buck

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Background: Acute fluid ingestion causes an increase in estimated body fat percentage (BF%) measurements by single frequency (SF-BIA) and multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance (MF-BIA). However, it is unknown if MF-BIA accurately measures total body water (TBW) and BF% after chronic fluid retention. Creatine supplementation causes fluid retention, and resultant increases in TBW and body mass. Research is needed to determine if MF-BIA is capable of detecting fluid retention secondary to creatine supplementation. Methods: 13 male and 14 female subjects (18-22 y) completed one week of creatine monohydrate or maltodextrin supplementation at a dose of 0.3 g/kg body weight. Subjects completed pre-supplementation …

The Effect Of Dietary Nitrate Supplementation On Physical And Cognitive Performance During Load Carriage In Military Cadets, Nicholas C. Bordonie

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on physical and cognitive performance during exercise conducted under heavy pack load in military cadets. Methods: Ten college-aged males (VO_2max 56.2 ± 3.7 ml/kg/min) consumed 140mL/d of concentrated beetroot juice (BRJ; containing 12.8 mmol of dietary nitrate) or a placebo (PL; flavor, color, energy, and texture-matched with no dietary nitrate) for six days preceding an exercise trial. The trial consisted of 45 min of constant-load exercise on a treadmill at 4.83 km/h and 1.5% grade, followed immediately by a 1.6-km time-trial completed at maximal …

Does A Bout Of Acute Resistance Exercise Attenuate The Post-Prandial Lipemic Response To A High Fat Meal In 50-80 Year-Old Adults, Summer Simulcik

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Background: A single high-fat meal (HFM) is known to elevate blood lipid levels above what is normal, resulting in postprandial lipemia (PPL). Chronic hyperlipemia has been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) development. Current physical activity (PA) guidelines recommend at least one set of 8-12 repetitions of each exercise to attenuate this risk. Adults older than 50 (OF) years (y) are at an increased risk for cardiometabolic disease compared to younger adults (YA). Aerobic exercise (AE) performed in the pre-prandial period has been observed to attenuate PPL in both OF and YA. However, …

Identifying The Molecular Pathways That Drive Retinal Degeneration In The Childhood Neurodegenerative Disease: Mucolipidosis Type Iv, Michael Pamonag

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Humans, like many other vertebrates, possess five Aristotelian senses (vision, olfaction, hearing, taste, and touch) which we use to experience and navigate our environment. Our visual system is the only source of light detection and light signaling in our bodies. This makes our visual system essential for detecting movement, distance, time of day, and seasonal changes in the length of days within our environment. The visual systems of most animals are designed to capture photons of visible light and convert that energy into a neurological signal (visual signal) to be transmitted to brain regions responsible for visual perception1 . This …

Postprandial Exhaled Nitric Oxide Responses In Older And Younger Adults With And Without Acute Exercise, Molly Miller

Masters Theses, 2020-current

A single high fat meal (HFM) increases airway inflammation in young, healthy individuals. Additionally, aging increases airway resistance and inflammation, though the airway inflammatory response to a HFM has not been investigated. Exercise is a natural anti-inflammatory, but has yet to be administered with a HFM as a method to study postprandial airway inflammation in older adults. Purpose: To investigate whether older individuals have greater postprandial airway inflammation compared to younger counterparts, and to explore whether exercise may modify the postprandial airway response in older adults. Methods: 12 younger adults (23.3±3.9 years; 5 M/7 F) and 12 older adults (67.7±6 …

Influence Of Testosterone On Male-Male Competition In The Red-Sided Garter Snake, Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis, Isabella M. G. Bukovich

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Female mimicry in the red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis, is described in several well-studied evolutionary advantages, but an aspect that remains elusive is how reproductive traits are linked to the 3-fold higher circulating androgens in males with this phenotype. In this study, we implanted male garter snakes (n=15 per group) with either a blank implant (SHAM; control) or a T implant, the latter simulating the female mimic phenotype. Following simulated low-temperature dormancy, males were scored for courtship intensity over three days of behavioral trials with females housed in the same facility. Males were sacrificed, and sperm were collected …

Efficacy Of Pulmonary Ultrasound Compared To N-Terminal Prohormone Brain Natriuretic Peptide As A Diagnostic Tool For Congestive Heart Failure In Patients Presenting With Acute Dyspnea In The Emergency Setting, Leah Krohn, Michael Burns

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2020-current

Objective: To determine the efficacy of using pulmonary ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in acute dyspnea of undetermined cause compared to the use of serum N-Terminal prohormone Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) in the diagnosis of heart failure.

Design: Systematic literature review

Methods: Searches were conducted in PubMed and Scopus using the terms pulmonary ultrasound and congestive heart failure and studies within the last 10 years. Studies that used pulmonary ultrasound compared to BNP as a marker for the diagnosis of heart failure were included.

Results: All three studies found that the use of pulmonary ultrasound was a more specific …

Characterizing The Role Of Β-Amylase3 In Cold Stress Response And Recovery In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Isabelle G. Houston

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Starch is a polymer of glucose that is used as an energy store in plants. Mobilization of starch has implications in abiotic stress survival and recovery. While the importance of carbon and energy allocation in plant survival has been explored, the specific roles of starch degrading enzymes in plant responses to stress are still unclear. β-Amylase3, or BAM3, is the principle starch degrading enzyme at night and is transcriptionally upregulated in response to cold stress in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Using single and quadruple knockout mutant plants, I aimed to clarify the role of BAM3 in the response to …

Effect Of Ambient Temperature On Recovery Of Surgically Instrumented Sprague-Dawley Rats, Gianna Mangone

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Based on current guidelines for housing rodents after surgical instrumentation, rodents may be housed at temperatures that hinder surgical recovery and cause thermal stress– room temperature (21°C) being one of them. Rodents are often housed at room temperature since this temperature is easy for humans to be caring for them. However, if recovering rodents are thermally stressed, experimental results will be confounded. To address this issue, Sprague-Dawley rats were surgically instrumented with radiotelemtry thermoprobes (Data Sciences, #TA-10F40) to monitor their core temperatures, then housed at one of five temperatures to assess the effect ambient temperature had on multiple aspects of …

The Effects Of Caffeine Ingestion On The Hemostatic Response To Simulated Firefighting Activities, Sierra Wassell

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

The leading cause of death among firefighters is sudden cardiac event, and it is acknowledged that most ischemic events are due to an occlusive thrombus formation. In addition, due to the demanding job requirements and shift work, firefighters are commonly known to overuse caffeine as an ergogenic aid. The purposes of this study were to examine the potential effects of caffeine on the hemostatic response to simulated firefighting activity.

The Effect Of Oral Contraceptives On Caffeine Metabolism And Cycling Performance, Annette M. Lemanski

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

This project objectives were to determine the effects of oral contraceptives and menstrual cycle on the benefits of caffeine supplementation for cycling performance. Seventeen recreationally trained female cyclists completed four trials consisting of 3 kilometer time trials. Subjects ingested either caffeine or a placebo one hour prior to each trial. The magnitude of the ergogenic aid of caffeine was compared between oral contraceptive users and eumenorreheic females. In addition, the effect of caffeine was compared across different phases of the menstrual cycle, specifically the follicular and luteal phases.

The Effects Of Ocular Dominance On Visual Processing In College Students, William Alexander Holland

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

The role of ocular dominance in processing visual memory and analytic tasks is unknown. Research has variably showed both significant effects and no effect of ocular dominance on visual perception, motor control, and sports performance. The goal of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between ocular dominance and visual processing under a variety of computer gaming tasks. This was accomplished by first determining subjects’ ocular dominance through the Miles test, and then examining the subjects’ visual performance on four different Lumosity games under three conditions: left eye, right eye, and both eyes. Results suggest a relationship …

Validity And Reliability Of The Ymca Submaximal Cycle Test Using An Electrically Braked Ergometer, Justin Kidd

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Purpose: To test the effect of using an electrically braked ergometer on the validity and reliability of the YMCA submaximal cycle test.

Methods: 22 male and 13 female subjects ages 19 to 31 completed one maximal treadmill test and four submaximal cycle tests to measure and estimate VO_2max, respectively. The maximal tests involved recording heart rate and VO₂ during graded exercise until volitional fatigue; an actual max was verified when two out of the following criteria: respiratory Exchange Ratio > 1.1, VO₂ plateau (< 150 ml/min increase in VO₂ during final stage), and achievement of 90% age-predicted HR max (or completed …

Searching For Potential Binding Partners Of Arabidopsis Β-Amylase9 Using Yeast 2-Hybridization, Sheikh Hossain

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In plants, starch is a major carbon and energy storage compound. Starch is made as a product of photosynthesis while plants are in light and is degraded at night. Our lab is interested in the cellular mechanism of starch degradation in plants and for our studies we use Arabidopsis thaliana as a model. β-amylases are primarily responsible for the hydrolysis of starch in plants and a total of nine β-amylases genes are encoded in Arabidopsis thaliana. These nine genes are identified as BAM1-9. BAM9 is located in the chloroplast where starch is located, and is present …

The Effect Of Incline On Caloric Expenditure Measured By A Wrist-Worn Commercial Activity Monitor, Kaitlin M. Bickel

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Purpose Physical activity monitors have become popular among the general public to monitor steps, floors climbed, active minutes, and energy expenditure (EE). While there is evidence to support that these devices are accurate in counting steps, there is limited and inconclusive research regarding how accurate they are in measuring EE. This study aimed to test the accuracy of a newer commercial physical activity monitor, the Fitbit Charge (FC), in reporting EE compared to a research-grade accelerometer (GT3X), and indirect calorimetry (IC) while walking on a treadmill with and without incline.

Methods 30 subjects (22 female and 8 male) walked on …

The Effect Of Ambient Temperature On Recovery Of Surgical Stress In Sprague-Dawley Rats, Romie D. Powell

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Laboratory animals are housed at ambient temperatures ranging from 20°C – 26°C per recommended guidelines. Rats in particular typically prefer ambient temperatures (Tamb) of ~27°C (Brown et al, 2011). When rats undergo surgical instrumentation for experimental use, they often recover at normal room temperature (~21°C). While this is comfortable to those maintaining them, it may lead to a cold thermal stress for the rats. It is hypothesized that housing rats at ambient temperatures away from their preferred Tamb could lead to a thermal stress, which adversely affects surgical recovery. To address this, rats (220g-350g) were surgically instrumented with a radiotelemetry …

The Effects Of Caffeine Ingestion On The Hemostatic Response To Simulated Firefighting Activities, Sierra D. Wassell

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Sudden cardiac events are the leading cause of death among firefighters, and it is acknowledged that most ischemic events are due to an occlusive thrombus formation. In addition, due to the demanding job requirements and shift work, firefighters commonly overuse caffeine. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential effects of caffeine on the hemostatic response to simulated firefighting activity. Twelve healthy male firefighters (age, 31.3 ± 5.4 yrs; weight, 94.2 ± 13.1 kg; BMI, 28.7 ± 2.9 kg·m^-2) participated in this study, wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Subjects completed …

The Effects Of Coffee Ingestion On The Acute Testosterone Response To Exercise, Taylor Landry

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of coffee ingestion (COF) on serum testosterone responses to exercise in recreationally weight-trained males. Subjects ingested either 12 ounces of 6mg/kg caffeinated coffee (COF), decaffeinated coffee (DEC), or water (PLA) one hour prior to exercise in a randomized, within-subject, crossover design. The exercise session consisted of 21 minutes of high intensity interval cycling (alternating intensities corresponding to two minutes at power outputs associated with 2.0 mmol/L lactate and 4.0 mmol/L lactate) followed by resistance exercise (7 exercises, 3 sets of 10 repetitions, 65% 1RM, 1-minute rest periods). Subjects also completed repetitions to fatigue tests …

Sensory Modalities Underlying The Escape Response Of The Cricket, Acheta Domesticus, To Looming Stimuli, Ariel M. Childs

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In order to prevent injury or capture by a predator, animals have evolved escape behavior. Despite offering a more realistic, multimodal, approximation of an approaching predator, looming stimuli have rarely been used to evoke escape behavior in crickets. Wind stimuli, however, have been used on a variety of insects, including crickets where it has been found that direction of escape is directly correlated to the angle of incoming wind stimuli. Wind stimuli are detected by sensilla trichodea, small filiform hairs covering the cerci of crickets, locusts and cockroaches. Despite having other complex sensory systems, such as antennae and vision, …

Escape Strategy Of The Cockroach (Gromphadorhina Portentosa) To Heat And Looming Stimuli, Jiangda Ou

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Escape responses to aversive stimuli have been observed in insects, including species of cricket, fly, locust, and cockroach. The goal of this study was to investigate the escape strategy of the Madagascar cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa. In regard to this species, Erickson and colleagues (2015) showed that electrical stimulation of both cerci and antennae together could generate an escape response. However, in other reports (Olsen and Triblehorn, 2014), it was observed that wind could not elicit the escape response. In this study, G. portentosa was stimulated by looming and heat stimuli. A 2.5’’ black ball approaching at 1 m/s was used …

The Effect Of Run Sprint Interval Training On Diabetic Metabolic Markers In Prediabetic Adults, Kathryn L. Hilovsky

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Abstract

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to compare the effects of an 8-week run-sprint interval training (R-SIT) and continuous moderate-intensity training (MIT) on fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, insulin sensitivity, and β-cell function in sedentary, prediabetic adults. Secondary outcomes of the study included anthropometric, body composition variables, and aerobic capacity.

Methods: Sedentary, physician diagnosed prediabetic individuals were randomized into R-SIT (n=7, BMI 36.76 ± 9.79) or MIT (n=8, BMI 40.59 ± 12.49) interventions. Subjects participated in supervised exercise three times a week and attended a Diabetes Prevention Program course, once weekly. R-SIT participants performed 4-6 x 30-second …

The Effect Of Taste On Swallowing Function, Rachel Mulheren

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This study investigated the effects of taste on swallowing frequency and cortical activation in the swallowing network. The effects of salivary flow and taster status were also examined, along with genetic taster status. The effects of a 3ml bolus compared sour, sour with slow infusion, sweet, water, and water with infusion. Swallowing frequency was significantly higher 0-15 seconds after bolus delivery than 16-30 seconds. Swallowing frequency was higher in the sour conditions, whereas sweet and water did not differ. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy recordings measured changes in blood oxygenation (HbO) in the right and left hemispheres in the premotor, S1 and …