Physiology Commons^™

Sympathetic Neural Responses To Acute Thermal Sensations, Hannah August Cunningham

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The influence of thermal stimuli on the sympathetic nervous system is variable and largely depends on the change in temperature and timing of the stimuli. Core temperature changes yield increased muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) while changes in skin temperature yield variable MSNA responses. The MSNA responses to acute heating or cooling sensations remains unclear. Twenty-three participants (11 women, 12 men; age 24±1 years, BMI 26±1 kg/m²) underwent a thermal protocol that included four trials each of cool sensation threshold, warm sensation threshold, and heat pain (12 total trials). Continuous blood pressure (finger plethysmography), heart rate (electrocardiography), and …

Characterization Of Deiodinase Expression In The Hypothyroid Developing Cochlea, Maria A. Uscategui Calderon

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Thyroid hormone (TH) is essential for cochlear development and normal auditory function. Considering the importance of TH in mediating cochlear development, understanding the degree to which developing tissues can adapt to perturbations in thyroid hormone signaling is extremely important. The deiodinases (D2 and D3) are enzymes that tightly control TH availability at the tissue level and have been proposed to function as adaptive mechanisms that maintain tissue TH homeostasis. D2 converts thyroxine (T4) to a biologically active ligand triiodothyronine (T3); locally amplifying a T3 signal. Conversely, Dio3 inactivates T3 and T4 by converting these iodothyronines to the inactive metabolites diiodothyronine …

Physiological And Psychological Responses To Six Weeks Of High-Intensity Interval And Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training In Physically Inactive Young Adults, Emily R. Dunston

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been proposed as a public health strategy to promote physical activity; yet, there is limited evidence examining factors related to adherence to HIIT.

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of six weeks of HIIT and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on physiological and psychological responses to training.

METHODS: Physically inactive young adults (n = 20; age = 21.4 ± 2.2 years) were randomized to the HIIT or MICT group. Assessments of body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior levels were completed prior to and following the intervention. Participants completed 18 training sessions …

Kinetics Of Notch Signaling During Osteoclastogenesis, Amber Larissa Framstad

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Bone remodeling, the process of removing and replacing damaged bone matrix, is a dynamic physiological process essential to maintaining bone composition and integrity. Improper coordination of resorption and formation can lead to pathologic changes in bone composition and quality, as is seen in osteoporosis, a bone disorder most seen in post-metapausal women attributed to decreased estrogen levels. The Notch signal pathway is a highly conserved direct cell communication pathway known to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and survival in many cell types including the differentiation of osteoclasts from bone marrow macrophages (BMMs). Osteoclastogenesis is initiated in BMMs by receptor activator of …

Spinal Motor Neuron Excitability And Balance Control Changes Following Downslope Walking, Nikki Aitcheson-Huehn

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Downslope walking (DSW) has been proposed as a rehabilitation tool for people with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) although there are mixed findings in young adults (YA) regarding the balance control changes, despite both populations experiencing depressed spinal motor neuron (MN) pool excitability. Our aim was to determine whether YAs could demonstrate improved balance control in conjunction with SOL H reflex depression (estimate of spinal MN excitability) following DSW. We also aimed to determine whether reciprocal inhibition was a potential mechanism for H reflex depression via conditioned SOL H reflexes. Thirty young adults (23±1.4y, 6 males) were assigned to 30-minutes of DSW …

Link Between Energy Investment In Biosynthesis And Cellular Resistance To Oxidative Insult: Test The Cost-Quality Hypothesis In Insects, Taiwo Bolanle Iromini

Masters Theses

“The metabolic cost of growth is the amount of energy invested to fuel the anabolic biochemical reactions of biosynthesis. It has been implicated in the efficiency of farm animals and fishes, thus, increased economic profit. The metabolic cost of growth in the cockroach nymph was reported to be 20-fold higher than that of the painted lady butterfly caterpillar. The cost-quality hypothesis was proposed to explain the extremely low biosynthesis energy cost in painted lady caterpillar when physiological and ecological processes the metabolic growth cost was attributed to could not. In this study, the cost-quality hypothesis was tested.

Midgut cells were …

Isothermal Environmental Heat Energy Utilization By Transmembrane Electrostatically Localized Protons At The Liquid-Membrane Interface, James Weifu Lee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

This study employing the latest theory on transmembrane electrostatic proton localization has now, for the first time, consistently elucidated a decades-longstanding bioenergetic conundrum in alkalophilic bacteria and more importantly discovered an entirely new feature: isothermal environmental heat utilization by electrostatically localized protons at the liquid-membrane interface. It was surprisingly revealed that the protonic motive force (equivalent to Gibbs free energy) from the isothermal environmental heat energy utilization through the electrostatically localized protons is not constrained by the overall energetics of the redox-driven proton pump system because of the following: (a) the transmembrane electrostatically localized protons are not free to move …

Prenatal Aromatase Inhibition Alters Postnatal Immunity In Domestic Chickens (Gallus Gallus), Jeff W. Simkins, Abby E. Joseph, Frances Bonier, Z. Morgan Benowitz-Fredericks

Faculty Journal Articles

In birds, exposure to exogenous testosterone during embryonic development can suppress measures of immune function; however, it is unclear whether these effects are due to direct or indirect action via aromatization. Estradiol (E2) is synthesized from testosterone by the enzyme aromatase, and this conversion is a necessary step in many signaling pathways that are ostensibly testosterone-dependent. Many lines of evidence in mammals indicate that E2 can affect immune function. We tested the hypothesis that some of the immunomodulatory effects observed in response to in ovo testosterone exposure in birds are mediated by conversion to E2 by aromatase, by using fadrozole …

The Role Of Melatonin In Biological Rhythms Of Songbirds, Clifford E. Harpole

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

In vertebrates, melatonin is a hormone that is produced and secreted at night and inhibited by light. This unique “darkness-only” expression profile makes it an intellectually appealing candidate for a means of transmitting temporal information to an individual, both time of day and time of year.

In passerine birds, “time of day” information is certainly transmitted via melatonin secretion. The primary producer of systemic melatonin in this family of birds is the pineal gland, and surgical removal of it causes a bird to become arrhythmic in constant conditions. I find that as pinealectomized house sparrows (Passer domesticus) become …

Divergence In Neuronal Calcium Dysregulation In Brain Aging And Animal Models Of Ad, Adam Ghoweri

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Neuronal calcium dysregulation first garnered attention during the mid-1980’s as a key factor in brain aging, which led to the formulation of the Ca²⁺ hypothesis of brain aging and dementia. Indeed, many Ca²⁺-dependent cellular processes that change with age, including an increase in the afterhyperpolarization, a decrease in long-term potentiation, an increased susceptibility to long-term depression, and a reduction in short-term synaptic plasticity, have been identified. It was later determined that increased intracellular Ca²⁺ with age was due to increased Ca²⁺ channel density, elevated release from intracellular Ca²⁺ stores, and decreased Ca²⁺ buffering …

Striated Muscle Specific Ribosomal Protein L3-Like: Effect Of Knockout On Cardiac Function And Protein Translation, Laura P. Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Ribosomes are the molecular machinery of the cell that catalyzes synthesis of peptides from amino acids. The eukaryotic ribosome is made up of four strands of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and ~80 ribosomal proteins. While many tissues routinely exhibit variations of ribosomal protein stoichiometry, tissue specific ribosomal proteins are rare. The ribosomal protein with the highest tissue specificity of any ribosomal protein is found in striated muscle, ribosomal protein L3-like (RPL3L). Other than its tissue specificity, association with atrial fibrillation, and chromosomal location, there is little known about the function of RPL3L. However, its ubiquitously expressed paralog, RPL3, has been well …

Remodeling In The Actin Core Of The Auditory Hair Cell Stereocilia As A Novel Component Of Temporary Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, Jonathan Michael Grossheim

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

The rigid, paracrystalline actin core of auditory hair cell stereocilia is extremely stable and after initial formation must persist for the life of the cell to preserve hearing in mammals. In healthy hair cells, turnover of actin molecules occurs only in a small region near the tips of stereocilia, while the actin filaments of the shaft are stable. For decades damage to the actin core of stereocilia from acoustic trauma has only been attributed to cases of permanent noise-induced hearing loss. Here, we show that repairable actin core damage occurs in temporary noise-induced hearing loss from moderate acoustic trauma.

We …

Appetite-Regulating Hormones In Energy Compensation With Exercise, Jack Moreland

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Background: The appetite-regulating hormones may influence compensatory increases in energy intake with exercise, although this causal relationship has been difficult to prove in a longitudinal trial.

Methods: 37 participants (29 female) aged 18 to 40 years performed aerobic exercise 6 days (6d), 2 days (2d), or 0 days per week for 12-weeks. Concentrations of ghrelin, leptin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and insulin were assessed before (fasting, minute 0) and after a standardized meal at minute 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180. Linear mixed-effects models were used to model the relationships between time point (12 weeks vs. baseline) …

Effect Of Unaccustomed Eccentric Exercise On Motor Unit Firing Characteristics And The Contralateral Repeated Bout Effect: A Pilot Study, Nicholas Coker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Introduction: Eccentric exercise elicits considerable muscle damage. If a bout of unilateral eccentric exercise is repeated on the ipsilateral or contralateral limb, a repeated bout effect (RBE) may be observed where muscle damage is attenuated. Purpose: To examine whether a RBE exists following repeated bouts of damaging eccentric exercise in the ipsilateral and contralateral limbs, and assess changes to motor unit firing characteristics in both limbs following recovery from an initial bout. Methods: Sixteen untrained men were randomized into exercise (EX) or control (CON) groups. EX performed eccentric exercise of the elbow flexors on the dominant (ipsilateral) limb and repeated …

A Tale Of Winglets: Evolution Of Flight Morphology In Stick Insects, Yu Zeng, Connor O'Malley, Sonal Singhal, Faszly Rahim, Sehoon Park, Xin Chen, Robert Dudley

Publications and Research

The evolutionary transition between winglessness and a full-winged morphology requires selective advantage for intermediate forms. Conversely, repeated secondary wing reductions among the pterygotes indicates relaxation of such selection. However, evolutionary trajectories of such transitions are not well-characterized. The stick insects (Phasmatodea) exhibit diverse wing sizes at both interspecific and intersexual levels, and thus provide a system for examining how selection on flight capability, along with other selective forces, drives the evolution of flight-related morphology. Here, we examine variation in relevant morphology for stick insects using data from 1,100+ individuals representing 765 species. Although wing size varies along a continuous spectrum, …

Acute Physiological Responses To Arm-Cranking With Blood Flow Restriction, Benjamin Cockfield

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Physiological responses to aerobic blood flow restriction exercise (BFR) are well documented for lower-body exercise but not upper-body exercise. I evaluated cardiorespiratory (heart rate, VO2, RER, ventilation), metabolic (tissue saturation, deoxyhemoglobin concentrations), and perceptual (effort, pain) responses to arm cranking with BFR at varying arterial occlusion pressures (AOP). Ten adults performed 4 intermittent arm cranking protocols (6x2-min, 1-min recovery): 1) low load (LL) – 40%VO2peak and 0% AOP; high load (HL) – 80%VO2peak and 0% AOP; (BFR50) – 40%VO2peak with 50% AOP; (BFR70) – 40%VO2peak with 70% AOP. Heart rate, RER, and ventilation, were higher with BFR compared to LL …

Oxidative Stress Analysis Of Placental Tissue In The Rupp Pregnant Rat, Natalie Ganios

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Preeclampsia is a disease associated with a vasoconstrictive phenotype due to disrupted signaling in the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) relaxation pathway. The purpose of these studies is to determine the level of oxidative damage that is occurring in the placenta of the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rat, which serves as a common model for preeclampsia. RUPP and SHAM placenta tissue will be examined for oxidative stress as an indicator of tissue damage associated with the pathologically induced ischemia. Oxidative stress in the placental tissue will be measured by performing the following oxidative stress assays: 8-isoprostane test, TBARS assay, …

Modulation Of Epileptogenesis: A Paradigm For The Integration Of Enzyme-Based Microelectrode Arrays And Optogenetics, Corwin R. Butler, Jeffery A. Boychuk, Francois Pomerleau, Ramona Alcala, Peter Huettl, Yi Ai, Johan Jakobsson, Sidney W. Whiteheart, Greg A. Gerhardt, Bret N. Smith, John T. Slevin

Physiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Genesis of acquired epilepsy includes transformations spanning genetic-to- network-level modifications, disrupting the regional excitatory/inhibitory balance. Methodology concurrently tracking changes at multiple levels is lacking. Here, viral vectors are used to differentially express two opsin proteins in neuronal populations within dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus. When activated, these opsins induced excitatory or inhibitory neural output that differentially affected neural networks and epileptogenesis. In vivo measures included behavioral observation coupled to real-time measures of regional glutamate flux using ceramic-based amperometric microelectrode arrays (MEAs).

RESULTS: Using MEA technology, phasic increases of extracellular glutamate were recorded immediately upon application of blue light/488 nm …

The Value Of Patient-Provider Interactions In Orthopedic Settings: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Matthew S. Panetta, Carly J. Wilson, Zachary Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Clinical outcomes are influenced by specific physical therapy interventions and several nonspecific factors associated with the healthcare professional, patient, and setting. The relationship built between patients and providers is based on treatment outcomes is referred to as the patient-provider interaction, which is a nonspecific factor. The purpose of this review was to investigate patients’ and clinicians’ perceptions of factors that influence patient-provider interactions. Eleven different databases were accessed as potential research sources. Thirteen qualitative studies were selected that examined the perceptions of non-specific factors which impact the patient-clinician relationship as well as the perceptions that healthcare providers and patients in …

Towards A Hybrid Comfortable Passenger Cabin Interior For The Flying V Aircraft, Peter Vink, Thomas Rotte, Shabila Anjani, Chiara Percuoco, Roelof Vos

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The Flying-V is a V-shaped airplane in development, which uses less fuel due its form. Passengers are in the oval cabin in the wing, which asks for an alternative design to the interior. At the same time there is a demand for more comfortable interiors.

80 students were asked to develop interior design ideas for this Flying V concept. A jury of experts selected four aircraft interior concepts and these were developed and a 1:1 scale mockup was made, with a hybrid interior. It included a chaise longue seats, the group space, beds and ‘staggered’ seats for the middle of …