Part 1:
White muscle disease (WMD), a degenerative muscle disease brought on by a deficiency of the essential trace nutrient selenium, is thought to be mediated by the protein Selenoprotein W (SeW). In its relationship with WMD, SeW, like many selenoproteins, binds to glutathione, serving some purpose in redox mechanisms...
Obesity is achieved at the point where fat accumulation begins to exert deleterious effects on an organism. The human body accrues fat when there is an energy imbalance occurring, where caloric intake exceeds expenditure.Many anti-obesity drugs used in the past have had undesirable side effects, and currently there is a...
Most animals are active either during the day, night, or twilight, and transition periods between these times exhibit interesting behavior. Actions may be related to avoiding predators, seeking shelter, defending territory, feeding, or other interests. Herbivorous fishes on coral reefs, such as parrotfishes, forage constantly throughout daylight periods due to...
Mt. Hood, in north-central Oregon, has experienced 13 M ≥ 3.0 earthquakes since 1980. 1812 earthquakes that range in magnitude from -1.1 to 4.5 have been recorded in the region during the same time frame. This paper analyzes four of the larger earthquakes to provide moment tensor solutions and relocated...
The Ratio Mountain Quadrangle is located in Southwest Montana, East of the city of
Butte. This quadrangle features two major geologic units; the Elkhorn Mountain
Volcanics, a series of several ignimbrites of varying composition, and the Boulder
Batholith, a large granite pluton that rose through the EMV. Previous studies in...
This research analyzes the effects of unauthorized immigration on unemployment levels in the states of Texas and California in the United States. Data from the Department of Homeland Security is utilized to best estimate the size of unauthorized populations. This research finds that a one person increase in the unauthorized...
This paper presents a brief discussion on the phenomenon of exercise-induced insulin sensitization, including the effects of exercise on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and potential mechanisms mediating these effects. Originally created for KIN 481 (Writing Intensive Curriculum course).
This article analyzes how this transition occurred and what significant developments took place that allowed beer and ale to become a tradable and profitable good on the European market. Specifically, it examines the development of brewing as a tripartite progression: (a) that beer and ale were brewed in the 3...
Presented via Zoom at the OSU Religious Studies 2021 Spring Conference.
This paper takes an analytical look at the 2014 Supreme Court Case Burwell v Hobby Lobbly. This case is an example of the intersection of religion with capitalism, healthcare, feminism, and public policy. This case looks to answer the...
The Marinoan Snowball Earth ended 635 Ma ago during the Neoproterozoic Era, after an interval in which the Earth was completely covered by glaciers. Thawing of these glaciers formed cap carbonates across shallow marine depositional environments. The Noonday Formation is a cap carbonate that formed after the deglaciation of the...
In this study, the gene expression levels between 6 month old mice and 26 month
old mice were compared. The purpose of this research was to identify genes that are
differentially regulated due to aging. The results showed 148 significantly differentiated
genes in the analysis of a total of 44,170...
The release of transgenes into the environment by transgenic plant species is a significant ecological concern, and consequently a containment method for these genetically modified organisms is highly sought after. For poplar trees, an option for containment is to produce trees that do not flower and therefore cannot spread genetic...
The origin of hornblendite and other mafic mineral-rich veins found in Cretaceous plutonic rocks from the Northern Cascades is currently not well known. This study seeks to investigate the possible relationship between host plutonic rocks and hornblendite and pyroxene-rich veins by comparing the chemical compositions and petrographic features between the...
This paper was written for GEOG 323 Climatology in the Spring of 2021, and was awarded the Writing in Culture Award within the College of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
Metacarcinus magister, the Dungeness crab, is a commercially important species on the Pacific Northwest coast as the most profitable fishery in Oregon and an important ecological player as both predator and prey. Understanding the spatial distribution of Dungeness throughout different life history stages is beneficial both ecologically and economically. Zostera...
Metacarcinus magister, the Dungeness crab, is a commercially important species on the Pacific Northwest coast as the most profitable fishery in Oregon and an important ecological player as both predator and prey. Understanding the spatial distribution of Dungeness throughout different life history stages is beneficial both ecologically and economically. Zostera...
The forebody wake effect (FWE) is important to consider when designing parachute systems because it can affect parachute performance. Parachutes work by altering the aerodynamic properties of an attached forebody to control a descent. The FWE can reduce parachute drag, causing the system to descend faster than desired. This drag...
Carbon dioxide emissions greatly affect the carbon chemistry mechanisms within the ocean. Carbon absorbed by the ocean, drops the pH level and creates an environment that is acidic. Acidic conditions prevent calcification mechanisms in coralline algae, and hinder their ability to establish within the intertidal. Coralline algae display structural relevance...
David Hume’s resolution of the paradox of taste poses an interesting question for us to ponder. Rather than take a purely subjectivist or objectivist view of the topic, Hume strikes a balance between the two positions by upholding two of three statements regarding taste that are widely held to be...
The physical properties of hydrochloric acid and deuterium chloride were derived through the use of the harmonic oscillator and rigid rotor quantum mechanical models. By first obtaining angular momentum quantum values for HCl and DCl through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, these two systems could be summed and processed with additional...
Utilization and preference of whelk shells by the hairy hermit crab are examined in the following to further define the ecology of Oregon’s mid to low intertidal ecosystems. The study was conducted at Tokatee Kloochman State Natural Area (TK) where I made observations before collecting data. My observations were of...
It has been observed and documented that Pisaster ochraceus has very striking colors, but the reasons behind the coloration are still unknown. Three coloration categories were determined and used for a feeding trial study to investigate the effects of diet on coloration in Pisaster ochraceus. This study involved 30 hand...
New antibiotic compounds with novel mechanisms of action have become essential in response to the recent paradigm of increasingly resistant strains of bacteria. Secondary metabolites (natural products) from bacteria such as Actinobacteria serve as lead compounds for the development of pharmaceutical drugs widely used to fight bacterial, viral and fungal...
This study used a factorial mesocosm design to quantify American bullfrog (Lithobates castebeianus) eDNA to assess the relationship between body size, density, and eDNA shedding rates.
The purpose of this inventory is to detail the state of environmental justice in the Mid- Willamette Valley in an up-to-date, centralized format. The inventory is based on information from various government sources, and a survey to gather first-person perspective to take a pulse of the wellbeing of our community....
Ocean acidification has led to many issues regarding the decline of calcifying organisms, such as
coralline algae. Acidified sea water inhibits precipitation of CaCO3 that affects the structure and
growth of coralline algae. Therefore, non-calcifying algae may outcompete calcifying algae in the
intertidal systems with future acidic ocean condition. Variety...
Non-toxic species of desiccated blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, may offer potential for use as a fertilizer on irrigated crops. Here, the non-toxic cyanobacteria species Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), collected from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, was evaluated for use as a biofertilizer in a controlled experiment on Swiss chard “Bright Lights” (Beta...
The stocking density for chickens can have major impacts on their health and welfare. There is no single correct answer for how many chickens you can house in a specified area, as it depends on the quality of housing. Chickens can tolerate a higher stocking density without major health concerns...
Fusarium solani is a chronic disease that causes root rot which affects bean production worldwide. Recently, a QTL map was generated which identified several SNPs which were found to be associated with resistance to the pathogen. To be useful in a breeding program, INDELs must be identified which co-seggregate with...
There are record numbers of immigrants in the U.S., with no indication of declining in the future. Social debates surrounding issues such as immigration are fragile. It is critical that research and knowledge put out to the public and used by policy makers to create or reform immigration legislation must...
Carbonic anhydrases are ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze the reverse hydration and dehydration of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate respectively. A variety of tumors in humans show overexpression of human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II) leading to an acidic breakdown of carbon dioxide into bicarbonate. While a variety of drug inhibitors exist,...
A better understanding of the distribution and spawning behavior of Crangon shrimp and their relationship with their predators, including the green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris, is an important step toward the larger goal to understand food webs of the nearshore continental shelf of the northeastern Pacific. Here, I examined how the...
This study tested natural products from cyanobacteria from the Red Sea in Egypt and marine tunicates from the Algoa Bay in South Africa. Products from marine organisms have been used as lead compounds for the synthesis of new drugs because of their biological activity mechanism. Specifically, these products may contain...
ABSTRACT: In 2006 Alaska’s first artificial reef (AR) was deployed as mitigation for habitat lost due to coastal development. Surveys conducted the following year suggested AR assemblages resembled those of adjacent natural reefs (NR). However, there is little known about the ecological succession of AR’s long-term in high latitude locations....
Cystic ovarian disease (COD) is one of the main causes of infertility in dairy cattle and has a high economic impact on farmers. COD is caused by an endocrine imbalance within the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis which prevents the mature Graafian follicle from ovulating. The cause at the molecular level is not...
Pedometers have become a frequently used tool to measure physical activity. The accuracy of pedometers has been an interest of many researchers given the popularity of the tool. When, pedometers are employed, there are many potential sources of error, including missing data. Because previous studies indicated that the amount of...
This project calculates the melting temperature as a function of pressure for a system defined by the Lennard-Jones 12-6 potential using molecular dynamic simulations. In a single atomistic simulation, the initial conditions are manipulated such that both a liquid and solid phase exist when thermal equilibrium is reached. Phase coexistence...
To model the behavior of the spring run Chinook salmon, we expanded the current dataset of salmon counts at the Winchester Dam, Winchester, Oregon, to include historical data from 1991 through 1997. These counts were used to identify Chinook salmon behavior that resulted in defining preferable water conditions during their...
Crime rates affect everything from home values, to the quality of education. Through the use of Social Disorganization Theory this paper will support the hypothesis that there is a correlation between neighborhood upkeep and crime rates within neighborhoods. Social Disorganization theory itself aims to show the correlation between the place...
This paper is an assignment for my Ichthyology class at Oregon State University. I was tasked with creating a new fish species that is scientifically possible and telling a fictional story of its discovery.
Research paper for GEOG323 (Climatology) class describing the effects of physiographic setting, climate elements related to energy, moisture, and pressure and corresponding results on New Zealand's North Island Climate. The paper analyzes major circulation modes, weather patterns and extremes, climate change, and the overall climate type of the region.
Ocean acidification is negatively impacting organisms that use calcium carbonate to form their shells. Increasing OA conditions are putting a strain on these calcareous animals by weakening their shells, thus causing them to become more vulnerable to predation. Worsening shell integrity may lead to a decline in hard-shelled prey populations...
Horticultural and nursery crops are the leading agricultural commodity in Oregon. Among currently grown nursery plants, Verbena x hybrida is a staple ornamental. It is grown and shipped worldwide, thus requiring a high level of certainty concerning the plants’ health and potential viability. V. x hybrida cultivars have been infected...
Sea stars are well known on the Pacific coast as being keystone species. Pisaster ochraceus plays a major role in controlling the lower limits of the high zone mussel beds, normally preying on medium to large-sized species. Leptasterias hexactis is often found feeding on smaller prey. According to the competitive...
1. To determine whether plastics are being ingested by black rockfish at three sites along the Oregon coast
2. To determine if there is a significant difference in rates of plastic ingestion between marine reserve locations and Newport location.
3. To quantify the extent of plastic ingestion and to identify...
In the field of religious studies, it is common to separate meta theories about the concept of religion itself into two equally problematic categories that both make claims about the truth of religious doctrine. This is done by attempting to define religion by historically excluding non-Christian religious traditions from the...
Throughout Cane, a colon is representative of both characters’ thought and dialogue in a quasidrama technique that perpetuates the idea of a staged performance (Foley 233). Through this form, Cane encapsulates the non-authentic expression that African Americans were subjected to by a means of acting and/or pretending in fear of...
Saccharina sessilis, lettuce kelp, is a macroalgae that contributes to the primary production in the intertidal zone off of the Oregon Coast. Macroalgae can serve as a bioindicator of increased nutrient input, water quality, and shifts in the intertidal environment. Competition for light exists between macroalgae species and with other...