Master of Science in Biological Sciences, Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) excavate burrow systems for predatory avoidance and social organization. As such, they have evolved a suite of musculoskeletal traits in their forelimbs that are employed for scratch-digging (i.e., digging motion performed by alternating power and recovery strokes). However, the degree to which their muscular anatomy has become modified in response to the selective pressures of their semi-fossorial lifestyle is unknown. To better understand the functional capacities of their forelimb musculature, dissections of C. ludovicianus (N=9) were conducted to quantify limb mechanical advantage, muscle architectural properties, and myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform content. Compared with previous data from ground squirrels, forelimb muscle mass distribution is broadly similar with a large investment of scapular and shoulder muscle mass that accounts for two-thirds of the total forelimb muscle mass. The majority of muscles have long fascicles with correspondingly high LF/ML ratios, whereas aside from FCR and ECU, the main digital flexors/extensors, selected intrinsic shoulder flexors/extensors, and the smallest elbow extensors, most muscles have low PCSA/MM ratios. Notably, only the massive PECS was considered to be a high-power muscle by its architectural properties, although several muscles are modified for large joint torque or torque range, including PECS, LAT, and a well-developed m. triceps brachii long head. Mechanical advantage is correspondingly greatest at the shoulder joint, appreciable at the elbow joint, and low at the carpal joint. Lastly, muscle composition is faster-contracting by moderate expression of fast MHC-2B and low expression of slow MHC-1. That said, %MHC isoform content shows a predominance of MHC-2A as predicted, which progressively increases distally throughout the forelimb. These findings collectively suggest that C. ludovicianus is less-specialized among burrowing rodents as hypothesized. Its forelim (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Butcher PhD (Advisor); Thomas Diggins PhD (Committee Member); Jillian Tall PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Animal Sciences; Animals; Biology; Biomechanics; Comparative; Comparative Literature; Experiments; Zoology

Bachelor of Science (BS), Ohio University, 2023, Biological Sciences

Properties of the avian skeleton system such as histological organization and cross-sectional geometry have been used to make inferences about organismal biology, locomotion, ecology, and evolution. However, we lack a fundamental organization about how bone naturally develops. This study is the first of its kind, examining developments in vascular orientation, shape, and post-cranial pneumatization in a controlled turkey model. The use of such a model allows for the observation of natural bone development in the absence of ecological or locomotive factors. The humerus and ulna were examined using both micro-CT and a histological workflow. Our results indicate certain periods (weeks 5-7) characterized by notable increase in length and cross-sectional shape measured used to infer resistance to mechanical loading. There is also variation in cortical area (thickness) that may be due to redistribution of cortical bone around the neutral axis. Circumferential canals appear at the border of developing bone and later in the growth series, suggesting it is a normal part of bone development. However, regional differences in histological organization paint a complicated picture between canal orientation and factors such as growth or locomotion. Post-cranial pneumatization of the midshaft appears at week 4 in humeri and air-like space is found in the ulna, which has previously been interpreted as a non-pneumatic bone. This project lays a foundation for further studies into bone as a developing system, helping to understand how bone's appearance may be related to its environment, ecology, growth, and locomotion.

Committee: Patrick M. O'Connor (Advisor) Subjects: Anatomy and Physiology; Animal Sciences; Biology; Biomechanics; Biomedical Research; Developmental Biology; Evolution and Development; Histology; Morphology

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2022, Physiology and Neuroscience

Using forelimb asymmetry analysis along with Montoya Staircase methodology we tested how a fluoxetine simvastatin ascorbic acid drug cocktail would affect recovery from a demyelinating event in a rat model, with the hypothesis that if administered then it would help female recovery but hinder male recovery. It was found that a fluoxetine simvastatin and ascorbic acid drug cocktail did not significantly enhance recovery from a demyelination model injury in female rats, and that the same drug cocktail significantly slowed male rat recovery from the same type of injury. It was also apparent that the more effective methodology for investigating this model further would be the Montoya staircase. This was due to compensatory behavior masking the behavioral symptoms of white matter damage in forelimb asymmetry analysis.

Committee: Adrian M. Corbett Ph.D. (Advisor); Michael Mattot Ph.D. (Committee Member); Christopher N. Wyatt Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Neurobiology; Neurosciences

Master of Science in Biological Sciences, Youngstown State University, 2018, Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry

Armadillos (Family: Dasypodidae) are the most diverse group of the basal superorder Xenarthra, which is evident by their various lifestyles and range of scratch-digging ability. Descriptions of myology and quantifications of osteology reflect adaptations of the post-cranium and are essential for understanding the functional morphology of animal limbs. While there have been several studies on the limb bone proportions in numerous armadillos, limb myology has been reported for a limited number of species. Many of these descriptions need updating, and quantitive muscle data are available for only a single species. The objective of this study is to assess the forelimb myology of the pichi (Z. pichiy), screaming hairy (Cha. vellerosus), big hairy (Cha. villosus), and pink fairy (Chl. truncatus) armadillos with comparisons to previous documentations, and evaluate numerous osteological features of the forelimb among multiple species. Several myological features were variable among cingulates, such as the origin of m. trapezius pars cervicalis, variable presence of a distinct m. rhomboideus profundus, and number of heads present for m. triceps brachii and m. flexor digitorum profundus. Multiple osteological traits associated with greater fossoriality were also indicated, including robust limb bones, a prominent olecranon process, and short distal limb elements, which corresponded with the predictions of scratch-digging ability by Discriminant Function Analysis. Strong negative allometry of the humeral mid-shaft width/depth also reinforced the necessity for increased bone robustness as body size increases. These morphological features indicate various scratch-digging specializations among cingulates and their potential reorganization into separate families with future phylogenetic assessments of ancestral versus dervived traits associated with their lifestyles.

Committee: Michael Butcher PhD (Committee Chair); Thomas Diggins PhD (Committee Member); Mark Womble PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Anatomy and Physiology; Animals; Biology; Zoology

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2016, Pharmacology and Toxicology

In this study, we hypothesize that a pharmacological drug treatment comprised of Fluoxetine, Simvastatin and Ascorbic acid together with physical rehabilitation would reduce infarct sizes. Over the period of 60 days after stroke-induction, 13 of the 23 rats were administered the drugs beginning 20-26 hours after stroke-induction and the rest were assigned to the control group. Physical rehabilitation exercises were initiated from poststroke day 8 and continued for 23 alternate days. The rats were tested for functional recovery using Montoya staircase apparatus and were euthanized after post-stroke day 60. The brains sections were analyzed using Nissl stain for infarct volume analysis. Due to the excess amount physical rehabilitation exercise in comparison to the previous studies conducted in our laboratory, the rats suffered large amount of stress. Stress antagonizing neurogenesis is believed to be the reason for lack of motor functional recovery and lack of any reduction in infarct sizes.

Committee: Adrian Corbett Ph.D. (Advisor); Yanfeng Chen M.D., Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ji Chen Bihl M.D., Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Neurobiology; Neurology; Neurosciences; Pharmacology; Rehabilitation

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2016, Biomedical Sciences PhD

Stroke, a life-threatening medical condition, is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States with an estimated annual cost of treatments above $70 billion. A combination of innovative approaches was used in our lab to optimize the pre-clinical stroke research design by choosing the most appropriate animal model and methodologies to increase the translational capability of the stroke research. The first study, modeled after ongoing clinical trials using fluoxetine, refined the appropriate timing of fluoxetine and ascorbic acid delivery if a rat was on simvastatin for 7 days pre-stroke and throughout the remainder of the study. Administration of fluoxetine and ascorbic acid at 6-12 hours or 48-54 hours (the time used in clinical trials) after stroke in male 10-12 month old rats resulted in larger infarct volume and indicated a high risk of hemorrhagic transformation, while administration of the same drugs 20-26 hours after stroke dramatically reduced infarct volume and the risk of bleeding in the brain. The ability of the combination therapy (fluoxetine and simvastatin) to improve motor recovery following stroke was estimated in both rehabilitated and non-rehabilitated female 10-12 month rats. The combination of drugs and rehabilitation improved motor function recovery, but ultimately, the same functional recovery was seen with the drugs when there was no rehabilitation, making this treatment potentially useful for stroke patients who cannot undergo rehabilitation. The Forelimb Asymmetry test for the motor function was refined so that it showed greater sensitivity and correlated better with results from the Montoya's staircase grasping test. Finally, the potential mechanisms by which the pharmacological treatment works to aid recovery were investigated, exploring any putative sex-specific pattern of gene expression in the peri-infarct region in male and female rats at post-stroke day 7. A preliminary genetic analysis along with protein-protein inter (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Adrian Corbett Ph.D. (Advisor); Michael Hennessy Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jeffery Gearhart Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Ladle Ph.D. (Committee Member); Debra Ann Mayes Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Molecular Biology; Neurology; Neurosciences; Pharmacology; Physiology

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2012, Physiology and Neuroscience

Our laboratory has found increased functional recovery post-stroke with Long Evans rats that received a combination of fluoxetine, simvastatin, and vitamin C. The objectives of this study were to test that treatment and other drug combinations on Sprague Dawley rats, to determine whether Forelimb Asymmetry is a reliable behavioral measure for stroke studies, and to determine the most optimal surgical procedure on Sprague Dawley rats. There were more significant increases in functional recovery observed on the Forelimb Asymmetry than on Montoya Staircase behavioral tests, but there were no significant differences between treatment groups and control. The largest number of rats that had at least a 20% deficit was in the group that underwent stroke induction through injecting 1.5ul endothelin into the strereotactic sites AP (0), ML (-2.5), DV (2.0) and AP (1.5), ML (-2.5), DV (2.0) from bregma, which should be utilized in future stroke studies with Sprague Dawley rats.

Committee: Adrian Corbett PhD (Advisor); Kathrin Engisch PhD (Committee Member); Robert Putnam PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Neurosciences

PHD, Kent State University, 2012, College of Arts and Sciences / School of Biomedical Sciences

Hominoid postcranial morphology has long been thought to be uniform, apart from hominid bipedality. Most postcranial traits were suggested to have evolved for a specific locomotor mode, such as the brachiation or vertical climbing seen in extant apes. However, recent fossil finds have called this view into question. Here, hominoid forelimb morphology is compared to a broad sample of anthropoids to determine if hominoids are similar postcranially and if such similarity is related to a particular locomotor mode. Hominoids have been argued to have long, narrow scapulae with several features favoring arm-raising for brachiation. However, the present study suggests that the hominoid scapula is likely to have only two features that are relevant to locomotor specialization: mediolateral breadth and cranial translation of the glenoid. Other features, including inferior angle dimension, scapular spine orientation, and relative supraspinous/ infraspinous fossa size, appear to be merely byproducts of these two features. Hominoids have been suggested to have long forelimbs for brachiation and/ or vertical climbing. However, the relative proportions of limb segments vary among hominoids, suggesting that they are not derived for a specific behavior, but are instead more likely primitive retentions related to reaching for branches for safety in the canopy. Several elbow joint features have been argued to either create leverage for muscles across this joint or for joint “stability.” However, the only elbow feature that appears to be the product of selection is olecranon length. Trochlear notch orientation, relative trochlea and capitulum breadth, and trochlear keel sizes appear to be either the result of cartilage modeling, or byproducts of selection elsewhere. Suggested knuckle walking traits in the wrist were investigated, but were not found to be consistently identifiable using metric characterization. The capitate shows a less palmar position in modern hominoids, unlike other a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Owen Lovejoy PhD (Advisor) Subjects: Morphology; Physical Anthropology