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Full-Text Articles in Biological and Physical Anthropology

Addressing Low Vaccination Rates In Lewis County, New York: A Community-Based Participatory Research Study, Samantha Carter May 2026

Addressing Low Vaccination Rates In Lewis County, New York: A Community-Based Participatory Research Study, Samantha Carter

Anthropology

Low rates of on-time human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination continue to remain a significant public health concern, particularly in rural communities, one being Lewis County NY, which reports the lowest rate of vaccination in the state.  This study, through Upstate Medical University, uses a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) model in efforts to examine barriers to HPV vaccination and identifying community-driven solutions formulated by committee members from within the community.  A steering committee composed of researchers and community members, who were also co-researchers, worked collaboratively to develop and distribute surveys to healthcare providers, dentists, and parents.  Responses revealed that while many parents …


Microplastics And Generational Harm, Sara Najafi May 2026

Microplastics And Generational Harm, Sara Najafi

Anthropology

Microplastics are persistent environmental contaminants increasingly detected in ecosystems and the human body, raising concerns about their effects on health and future generations. This paper examines the environmental pathways, biological mechanisms, and reproductive consequences of microplastic exposure, with particular attention to female reproductive health and fetal development. Current evidence indicates that microplastics can contribute to oxidative stress, inflammation, endocrine disruption, DNA damage, and cellular dysfunction, while also accumulating in reproductive tissues, follicular fluid, placental tissue, and breast milk. These exposures may impair ovarian function, fetal development, and long-term health outcomes. The paper also considers environmental inequalities that may increase exposure …


Understanding Hepatitis C Risk And Harm Reduction Needs Among People Who Smoke Drugs: A Client-Centered Qualitative Inquiry, Maxwell Gustin Dec 2025

Understanding Hepatitis C Risk And Harm Reduction Needs Among People Who Smoke Drugs: A Client-Centered Qualitative Inquiry, Maxwell Gustin

Anthropology

The spread of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) via non-injectable equipment is plausible, making people who smoke drugs (PWSD) at-risk for possible infection and transmission. While much research has been conducted into injection drug use (IDU), likely due to the rising opioid epidemic, limited studies focus on the risks PWSD face. Currently, state-funded syringe service programs (SSPs) provide harm reduction education and materials to combat these risks. Safer smoking initiatives have been created and are widely used by PWSD, and have access to SSPs. To gain better insight into the HCV and non-HCV-related risks and burdens PWSD face, a qualitative study …


Primates Shed Light On Glowing Mammals – Adaptation Or Epiphenomenon?, Juliana Hicks May 2025

Primates Shed Light On Glowing Mammals – Adaptation Or Epiphenomenon?, Juliana Hicks

Anthropology

Fluorescence is the ability of chemicals and materials to give off visible or invisible light after absorbing radiation such as ultraviolet light. Fluorescence has been documented in several mammalian families, yet Primates, as an order, have received limited attention in this regard. Within Primates, the suborder Strepsirrhini has been particularly overlooked. Strepsirrhines are compelling subjects due to their retention of primitive mammalian characteristics, representing a significant knowledge gap with respect to the occurrence of fluorescing pelage within the class Mammalia. To address this gap, we investigated the presence and absence of fluorescence in the pelage of preserved museum strepsirrhine specimens …


Accuracy Of Angular Displacement Measurements Using Imu, Aidan Mills May 2025

Accuracy Of Angular Displacement Measurements Using Imu, Aidan Mills

Anthropology

As a part of a larger group, this research focused on gathering data from accelerometers to gather further knowledge on how these devices could be used in further experiments. Using the Sparkfun Artemis accelerometer, angular displacement was isolated and tested to understand the parameters and abilities of the device. Simple tests were run moving the device through 90 degree angular changes. The data collected by the accelerometer was then analyzed using code written specifically to graph angular changes. The data was run through a low and a high pass filter to account for any drift experienced during the tests. An …


Parkinson’S Disease Pathophysiology And Comparative Analysis Of The Efficacy Between Subthalamic Nucleus And Globus Pallidus Interna Deep Brain Stimulation: A Student’S Perspective, Peter C. Solimando Ii May 2025

Parkinson’S Disease Pathophysiology And Comparative Analysis Of The Efficacy Between Subthalamic Nucleus And Globus Pallidus Interna Deep Brain Stimulation: A Student’S Perspective, Peter C. Solimando Ii

Anthropology

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is becoming an increasingly common neurodegenerative disease across the world, presenting with both debilitating motor and non-motor symptoms that progressively worsen throughout the course of the disease. Prominent motor symptoms include tremors, bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, and postural/gait instabilities, while common non-motor symptoms include fatigue, pain, autonomic dysfunction (i.e., bowel and bladder dysfunction), mood disorders, and dementia. The advent of modern medical management of PD has introduced several different medications, the most popular being levodopa, that have shown success in reducing the severity of motor symptoms, particularly in the early stages of the disease. Throughout disease progression, however, …


Accuracy Of Balance Assessment Metrics Using Wearable Sensors, Brandon Sirof May 2025

Accuracy Of Balance Assessment Metrics Using Wearable Sensors, Brandon Sirof

Anthropology

Balance is a critical part of remaining healthy at all ages. Poor balance can lead to life-changing injury. Balance is typically assessed in a lab using a force-platform (FP), by comparing horizontal movements of the center of mass during trials with eyes open and eyes closed. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether inertial measurement units (IMUs) can be used to accurately measure balance. Simultaneous FP and IMU data were collected for 1 subject for 45s trials with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC). We evaluate whether IMU and FP metrics for COM movement (max accel and …


Using Wearable Sensors For Gait Analysis: Measurement Accuracy For Linear Measurements, Evan Block May 2025

Using Wearable Sensors For Gait Analysis: Measurement Accuracy For Linear Measurements, Evan Block

Anthropology

Measurement and analysis of human movement are necessary in a broad range of clinical, sports performance, and artistic applications. Historically, motion data were typically collected using optical motion capture systems. However, these systems are expensive and can only be used in lab spaces, which limits the range and speeds of human behavior. More recently, inexpensive, wearable sensors called Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) have enabled motion measurement in natural settings, but these systems require validation before use. In this study, we evaluate measurement accuracy for linear displacements obtained using Sparkfun OpenLog Artemis IMUs. We conducted a series of tests, moving the …


Comparison Of Femoral Head Loading In Chimpanzees And Humans, Kyra Kalinovsky May 2025

Comparison Of Femoral Head Loading In Chimpanzees And Humans, Kyra Kalinovsky

Anthropology

Chimpanzees are the closest living relatives of humans, despite this, the species do have very different loading on the epiphysis of the proximal head of the femur. The difference in loading is primarily due to a difference in locomotion. These differences affect the properties of subchondral and trabecular bone properties in the femoral head. Previous studies have shown that chimpanzees have thick and concave trabeculae that create a dense bone structure (Georgiou et al., 2018). These are found mostly on the inferior and central part of the femoral head. In humans, the structure of the trabecular bone volume is less …


Literature Review: Parkinson's Disease And Non-Motor Symptoms, With A Focus On Constipation And Potential Therapeutics, Daria Smirnova Dec 2024

Literature Review: Parkinson's Disease And Non-Motor Symptoms, With A Focus On Constipation And Potential Therapeutics, Daria Smirnova

ALL - Honors Theses

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that tends to affect elderly individuals and is most commonly associated with the emergence of motor symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, and bradykinesia. However, non-motor symptoms (NMS), such as gastrointestinal (GI) issues, namely constipation, are also prevalent, and deeply affect the lives of individuals suffering with the disease. Among these, constipation stands out as one of the most common and frustrating problems for patients, typically arising from a variety of interrelated factors including disruptions in the autonomic nervous system (ANS), diminished dopamine activity, gut microbiota imbalances, inflammation, and side effects from PD …


Chromosome 7 Microdeletions: A Literature Review, Catherine Davi May 2024

Chromosome 7 Microdeletions: A Literature Review, Catherine Davi

ALL - Honors Theses

Microdeletions, deletions of part of a chromosome that are too small to be detected by light microscopy using conventional cytogenetic methods, have become a hot topic for geneticists over the past decade or so. Occurring in around one in every 4000 live births, some of these microdeletions do not allow for a viable offspring, while others have distinctive developmental consequences. Many of the genes on chromosome 7 play a large role in the early development of the head, face, and limbs and more generally on cell growth and division (Bethesda 2022). This research study reviews known microdeletions on the seventh …


Limb Stiffness Increases With Hopping Frequency And Sprinting Speed In Elite Sprinters, Laurent Dorvilier Apr 2024

Limb Stiffness Increases With Hopping Frequency And Sprinting Speed In Elite Sprinters, Laurent Dorvilier

ALL - Honors Theses

During sprinting and hopping, the lower limbs act as a mechanical spring as it compresses and recoils to store and release elastic potential energy during each step. This is important because for individuals such as high performing sprinters, the stiffer the spring acting limb is, the more efficient it will be for the sprinter to maintain maximal velocity and optimal performance. The basis of this experiment lies in the fact that the mechanics of the lower limbs are modeled using to the mechanics of a spring, therefore, to calculate an approximate limb stiffness, Hooke’s Law can be used. Hooke’s Law …


An Investigation Into Peak Limb Compliance In College Sprinters, Lilian Sahibdeen May 2023

An Investigation Into Peak Limb Compliance In College Sprinters, Lilian Sahibdeen

Anthropology

During running, the limb acts as a mechanical spring where it compresses and recoils to release elastic potential energy with each ground contact. Maintaining maximal running speed is particularly important during sprinting. Individuals with stiffer limb springs are more efficient because of this. Limb stiffness can be calculated using Hooke’s law (k=F/ ΔL), where k is the spring constant, F is the peak ground reaction force, and ΔL is the change in hip height between the initiation of limb contact and the middle stance phase. Many factors contribute to limb stiffness and this study examines how stiffness variers with contact …


Error Rates In Sex Determination Of Human Skeletal Remains, Vanessa Slone Apr 2023

Error Rates In Sex Determination Of Human Skeletal Remains, Vanessa Slone

Anthropology

The possible fallibility of forensic methods has been under scrutiny for over a decade. Left out of the initial reviews were methods within forensic anthropology. A literature review was conducted to examine modern methods in determining the biological sex of human skeleton remains and their associated error rates in making a correct determination. Results showed no significant correlation between the number of traits being considered the subsequent error rate in determining sex. The skull was shown to be the least accurate in determining biological sex with the pelvis showing the lowest rate of error. Finally, between regression line-based methods and …


The Evolution Of Sex Differences In Mandrills (Mandrillus Sphinx): Micro- And Macroevolution, Jerred Klint Schafer Aug 2021

The Evolution Of Sex Differences In Mandrills (Mandrillus Sphinx): Micro- And Macroevolution, Jerred Klint Schafer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Primates show diverse patterns of adaptive color and body size dimorphism produced by inter- and intrasexual selection. However, the specific microevolutionary processes that produce variation in secondary sexual characteristics remain largely unexplored in primates. Furthermore, sexual conflict theory predicts that female and male secondary sexual traits can coevolve in an antagonistic manner and promote speciation. This dissertation explores the microevolution of secondary sexual characteristics in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) and the macroevolution of these characters in anthropoid primates. I address the microevolution of mandrill facial coloration and body mass by estimating the heritability, phenotypic selection, and genetic evolution of these traits …


Intergenerational Embodiment Of Stress : How The Broader Sociocultural Environment Can Shape Child Growth And Development, Elizabeth A. Holdsworth May 2021

Intergenerational Embodiment Of Stress : How The Broader Sociocultural Environment Can Shape Child Growth And Development, Elizabeth A. Holdsworth

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Childhood growth has been a means of identifying systemic, material inequalities within populations. The plasticity of growth is responsive to multiple environmental factors, most notably adequate nutrition, but also psychosocial stress. Psychosocial stress can be a function of the social and political economic ecology, reinforcing power hierarchies within societies. This dissertation proposes that childhood growth can also reflect inequality in the distribution of psychosocial stress exposure through mothers’ feelings of a chronically stressful environment conveyed through maternal-infant interactions.


Hippocampal Extracellular Potassium Levels And Formation Of Spatial Memory In Response To Retrodialysis Insulin Administration, Gabrielle Shames Dec 2019

Hippocampal Extracellular Potassium Levels And Formation Of Spatial Memory In Response To Retrodialysis Insulin Administration, Gabrielle Shames

Anthropology

Insulin is the most common treatment for hyperglycemia, such as that caused by type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Insulin causes cellular uptake and storage of glucose to maintain homeostasis and also plays important roles in other systems; an important example is regulation of potassium. In the periphery, insulin administration has been shown to increase the cellular uptake of potassium via Na+/K+ ATPase, leading to hypokalemia. Research in our lab and others has shown that insulin is a key regulator of cognitive function and local metabolism within the hippocampus. To date, however, no studies have examined whether insulin acts …


Trauma Analysis From Rapid Staircase Descension, Srinanti Bhattacharya May 2019

Trauma Analysis From Rapid Staircase Descension, Srinanti Bhattacharya

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

This experiment was designed after the release of the Netflix show called the “The Staircase.” A true documentary, a woman’s fall down the staircase results in her death, but the investigators question whether it was an accident or murder. The woman’s husband was initially accused of murder, but after a lengthy trial and the review of additional evidence, it was ruled an accident. In the autopsy results, there was evidence of blunt force trauma (Figure 1) inconsistent with an accidental fall. Therefore this research asks what is the difference in trauma from an accidental fall versus a intentional, assisted descent?


Determination Of Intersex Humans In Human Remains, Audria Payne May 2019

Determination Of Intersex Humans In Human Remains, Audria Payne

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

Currently, there isn’t much research on whether forensic anthropologists include the identification of intersex humans in human remains. Forensic anthropologists tend to have varied training that is related to identifying skeletal remains, but there isn’t much research about how to identify intersex humans after death or whether they have come across intersex in skeletal remains at all, besides those they have classified as ambiguous. In this paper, I will be researching various skeletal remains to see if the current identification methods of identifying sex are accurate in identifying intersex. I will also research ambiguous and undetermined remains to see if …


Bayesian Analysis In Adult Skeletal Age-At-Death Estimation, With Additional Consideration Of Pathological Variables, Jessica L. Campbell Jan 2019

Bayesian Analysis In Adult Skeletal Age-At-Death Estimation, With Additional Consideration Of Pathological Variables, Jessica L. Campbell

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A common task bioarchaeologists face is to estimate age-at-death in populations that have no corresponding documentation. This poses many challenges, the first of which is that age-at-death is highly variable within and among populations and can be further confounded by genetic and environmental influences, as well as other components of the biological profile. Estimating age-at-death in a historic sample can be even more challenging due to missing age indicators or taphonomic changes that obscure the features. Bayesian Analysis offers the potential to mitigate these challenges and to estimate age-at-death with lower degrees of uncertainty and higher probabilities of increased accuracy …


Rack1 Facilitates Efficient Translation Of Viral And Cellular Iress, Natasha Permaul Dec 2018

Rack1 Facilitates Efficient Translation Of Viral And Cellular Iress, Natasha Permaul

Anthropology

Ribosomes, the cellular machinery that translates mRNA sequences into protein sequences, are surprisingly heterogeneous molecules. More and more ribosomal proteins have been shown to facilitate translation of mRNA subsets. These mRNA subsets include mRNAs that can initiate translation using non-canonical pathways, for example using an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). IRESs are RNA structures that facilitate translation with fewer translation initiation factors than are required for canonical cap-dependent translation initiation. The ribosomal protein Receptor for Activated C Kinase 1 (RACK1) has been previously shown to be required for translation of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) IRES, but not required for …


Evolution Of Lemur Pelage Color Variation, Amanda Nicole Spriggs Jan 2017

Evolution Of Lemur Pelage Color Variation, Amanda Nicole Spriggs

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation investigates the selective pressures that may be driving variation in pelage color patterns in Eulemur, Varecia, and Propithecus. This is addressed by exploring the relationship between the lemur pelage colors and ecological variables, such as habitat type, predation pressures, visibility variables, and level of sympatry. The following model is presented here to describe the evolutionary mechanisms that are thought to be maintaining pelage coloration in lemurs: Pelage color and pattern are potentially used to (1) signal to conspecifics information such as mate quality, (2) signal to congenerics species identity, and (3) avoid signaling the individual’s presence to predators. …


Human Feeding Biomechanics : Intraspecific Variation And Evolution, Justin Ledogar Jan 2015

Human Feeding Biomechanics : Intraspecific Variation And Evolution, Justin Ledogar

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study examines feeding biomechanics in modern human crania and those of extinct early members of the human lineage in order to better understand the selective pressures that influenced human craniofacial evolution. Specifically, this study uses finite element analysis to examine: 1) human feeding performance, in terms bite force production and craniofacial strength; 2) intraspecific variation in human feeding biomechanics; 3) feeding biomechanics in fossil hominins, including Australopithecus sediba and Homo habilis, species that are potentially at the root of modern human lineage, and 4) the functional role of purported facial buttresses.


Antibiotics, The Microbiome, And Immunity : A Case Study In Bangladesh, Carmen Fagnani Jan 2015

Antibiotics, The Microbiome, And Immunity : A Case Study In Bangladesh, Carmen Fagnani

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this study was to establish a theoretical impact of antibiotic misuse on the microbiome and its effects on immunity. Recent studies indicate the importance of a microbiome on the immune system. Both the leptin signaling pathways and CD4T cell production are influenced by the microbiome (Mazmanian, et al. 2005). The use of antibiotics has been associated with dysbiosis, a microbial imbalance in the digestive tract. The immune system is limited when the microbiome is dysbiotic.


Examining The Craniofacial Biomechanics Of Paranthropus Boisei, Amanda L. Smith Jan 2015

Examining The Craniofacial Biomechanics Of Paranthropus Boisei, Amanda L. Smith

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

An engineering method, finite element analysis (FEA), was used to examine the craniofacial biomechanics of Paranthropus boisei. The craniofacial morphology of Paranthropus boisei exhibits a number of highly derived characteristics that have commonly been thought to be related to feeding. This series of studies includes an ex vivo strain gage study (validation of techniques), an assessment of the effects of intraspecific craniofacial shape variation in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and an examination of the feeding biomechanics of Paranthropus boisei. Modeling experiments were also conducted to test mechanical hypotheses regarding the effects of specific derived craniofacial features on Paranthropus feeding function.


The Biomechanical And Behavioral Significance Of The Neanderthal Femur, Kelli Hamm Tamvada Jan 2015

The Biomechanical And Behavioral Significance Of The Neanderthal Femur, Kelli Hamm Tamvada

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) femur is distinct from that of recent modern humans (Homo sapiens). Broadly speaking, the Neanderthal femur is more "robust", meaning that it appears to be biomechanically stronger, and it is more curved, which may enhance the predictability of the stresses and strains experienced by the bone. It has been hypothesized that the Neanderthal morphology is an adaptation to withstand elevated and repetitive loads associated with increased mobility. This study tests the mobility hypothesis using comparative and biomechanical methods. Specifically, this study sought to test the mobility hypothesis by a) determining whether or not a relationship exists …


A Biocultural Perspective On The Transition To Agriculture In Ukraine, Jordan Kenneth Karsten Jan 2014

A Biocultural Perspective On The Transition To Agriculture In Ukraine, Jordan Kenneth Karsten

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The development of agriculture and its spread around the globe is one of the most consequential events in the history of our species. The transition to agriculture is associated with many cultural developments, such as craft specialization, urbanization, and the creation of social hierarchies. Many social theorists believe that these changes associated with the adoption of farming were beneficial to the human condition, however, not all agree. The goal of this research is to evaluate the impact of the adoption of agriculture on human health. To do this, bioarchaeological analysis is employed, comparing the skeletal and dental health of Mesolithic …


Developmental Adaptation Hypothesis : Aerobic Capacity, Submaximal Arterial Saturation And Pulmonary Volumes In Peruvian Quechua Natives, Melisa Kiyamu Tsuchiya Jan 2013

Developmental Adaptation Hypothesis : Aerobic Capacity, Submaximal Arterial Saturation And Pulmonary Volumes In Peruvian Quechua Natives, Melisa Kiyamu Tsuchiya

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Quechua populations have inhabited the Andes for hundreds of generations. The ability to thrive in this hostile environment, leading an active and healthy life has generated research questions about the special phenotype of Andean highlanders compared to their sea-level counterparts, such as their higher pulmonary volumes and their outstanding work capacity in spite of the challenge of oxygen transport and delivery in hypoxia. In high altitude natives, there have been two main explanations for the origins of the aforementioned traits: genetic adaptation through natural selection and developmental adaptation through the exposure to hypoxia during growth.


Anthropometric Correlates Of Reproductive Success, Facial Configuration, Risk Taking And Sexual Behaviors Among Indigenous And Western Populations : The Role Of Hand-Grip Strength And Wrist Width, Jeremy Andrew Atkinson Jan 2012

Anthropometric Correlates Of Reproductive Success, Facial Configuration, Risk Taking And Sexual Behaviors Among Indigenous And Western Populations : The Role Of Hand-Grip Strength And Wrist Width, Jeremy Andrew Atkinson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Correlating a sexually dimorphic trait with reproductive success (RS) remains the `gold standard' in evolutionary psychology research. Within each sex, if more dimorphic individuals have increased RS then this is strong evidence that the trait is an important phenotypic fitness marker and potentially used as a same-sex and/or mate-assessment criterion. Many studies have investigated some of these traits, like shoulder to hip ratio (SHR) in males and waist to hip ratio (WHR) in females and have found that a more sex-typical body configuration does indeed indicate higher phenotypic quality and is used in mate assessment. However these traits are aggregate …


Body Size And Mortality In Post-Medieval England, Gail Margaret Hughes-Morey Jan 2012

Body Size And Mortality In Post-Medieval England, Gail Margaret Hughes-Morey

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Short stature and body mass at both extremes of the distribution have consistently been linked to poor health outcomes in modern populations, but the nature of the relationship between body size and mortality is poorly understood. This dissertation examines the relationship between stature, body mass, and mortality, and how that relationship may have varied with socioeconomic status and evidence of morbidity in post-medieval England. Adults from Chelsea Old Church, an 18th-19th century high status skeletal collection from the outskirts of London, and Lower Saint Bride's, an 18th-19th century low status skeletal collection from central London, both housed at the Museum …