Estradiol (E2) plays a role in positive and negative feedback mechanisms of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in female mammals. These mechanisms are regulated by two different populations of kisspeptin (KP)-producing neurons: anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) neurons, which are stimulated by E2, and arcuate (arc) neurons, which are inhibited by E2. AVPV...
Microtubules (MT) are highly dynamic cylindrical-like structures within cells whose growth is controlled by motor proteins, a class of biological machines that walk along the MT while simultaneously regulating MT growth. Here we are interested in the behavior of kinesin-14 motor proteins. Although processive behavior of kinesin-14 motors has been...
Fires that affect buildings can have disastrous impacts, including significant losses to people, property, and the environment. Understanding how fires can impact structures provides the foundation to prevent structural collapse in fire. It is critical that the effect of fire is studied to protect the safety and welfare of civilians....
Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host”. A wide variety of putative probiotics exist on the market; however, clinical evidence of their efficacy is lacking. Probiotics have been previously used in the treatment of metabolic diseases like type...
One of the main ways that one can accurately gain knowledge of the experiences of students on a college campus is to talk to the students themselves. In this study, we used Photovoice, a participatory action approach, to help better understand the experiences of the students at Oregon State University...
From British Columbia to northern California, coastal giant salamanders (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) are a dominant vertebrate predator in headwater streams. Though widespread, salamander health and abundance levels differ greatly between locations, provoking the question as to what factors may influence this variation and whether habitat features or biotic variables play a...
Glycomacropeptide (GMP) is a bioactive peptide found in the dairy product whey, along with whey protein isolate (WPI). Past studies have shown that digested GMP retains bioactivity in rodent guts. This study tested whether GMP or GMP-derived peptides or whey protein or whey protein-derived peptides inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokines. THP-1 cells...
Differential access to healthcare contributes to health disparities, and discrimination by language preferences may limit healthcare access to individuals for whom English is not their preferred language. This study looks at whether those who have different language preferences within the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS ) survey reported different...
The North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) times periodic signals from pulsars as a method of detecting gravitational waves. NANOGrav detects waves emitted in the nanohertz frequency range, a range lower than those previously explored by other organizations. This allows for the study of rarely observed sources such...
Although it is the first drug approved for usage to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), riluzole’s mechanism of action is unknown and its therapeutic quality is hampered by its relatively short window of effectiveness. P2X7 is a purine receptor found in astrocytes and other cells, which increases calcium concentrations within...
Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths among women, with an estimated 12.4% of American women diagnosed with this tumor type. Evidence suggests that exogenous disruptors can exert epigenetic changes leading to aberrant gene expression, shifting the cellular balance toward oncogenesis. While chemical pollutant exposure is well-studied, light...
This research paper describes the impacts of a new programming class on first-year, non-CS engineering students. In the spring of 2021, the College of Engineering at Oregon State University piloted a new programming course that will be required of all engineering majors in the following academic years. We used the...
By studying gravitational waves, we can gain new insights into the merging events between massive objects such as black holes as well as neutron stars. Moreover, studying low-frequency waves allows us to observe merging events between supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, which in turn allows us to...
This studies the participants in Black Lives Matter-related communication on the social media app TikTok and the content they posted. Using grounded theory, the information gathered from Black Lives Matter TikTok videos was analyzed to determine the goals of the content creators, as well as the feasibility of community dialogue...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a known class of chemicals that are linked to a multitude of adverse health outcomes. There are over 1,500 of these chemicals across various families and subgroups. 16 of these PAHs, known as parent PAHs, are identified by the EPA for focused risk assessment within...
Industrial waste heat composed of saturated liquid water can be redirected to charge a thermochemical energy storage (TCES) system. This energy can be stored long-term in the inherently energy-dense chemical bonds and used for space heating. Initial reactor scale cycling experiments were conducted in tandem with TCES material improvements. Hydration...
This paper was written for feminist philosophy, and later minimally updated and chosen as a recipient of the Culture of Writing Award through the Writing Intensive Curriculum program.
Computational statistical mechanics leans heavily on the class of Markov Chain Monte Carlo Algorithms. Many such algorithms exist, and simulations can run for several weeks, making the selection of algorithms a difficult, but critical task. In this work, we introduce a benchmark system of two quadratic wells with an analytical...
Due to increasing populations, food production must increase significantly to be sustainable. The Internet of Things has been shown to have potential in the field of agriculture to make farming practices more efficient. However, for IoT to be properly integrated into agriculture, sensors must be applied within the field and...
With the unique conceptual and mathematical backgrounds of every introductory physics student, there is no way to design a rigid curriculum that anticipates and meets every student’s needs. We can employ machine learning to explore the correlations that exist in the voluminous data from educational settings. That is, institutional, gradebook,...