The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) in combination with Prenatal Stress on Learning, Memory, and Anxiety in Rats

During development the fetus is exposed to the internal chemical environment of the mother and as a result is exposed to the same chemicals the mother is exposed to daily. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in receipts, linings of food cans, and dental sealants and is known to leach into food and water and affect human health. As a result of its prevalence, pregnant mothers are exposed to this chemical daily and therefore their developing fetus is exposed to this chemical in utero. Additionally, exposure to a stressor drastically changes the internal chemical makeup in animals and therefore can effect the environment of the developing fetus. Independently, prenatal exposure to BPA as well as stress decreases learning and memory, and increases anxiety. This study examined the combined effects of prenatal exposure to BPA+stress on learning, memory, and anxiety in rats. Three groups of rodents were used in this study: BPA, stress, and BPA+stress. BPA was administered daily at a dose of 5 mg/kg of body weight per day during pregnancy. Stress was administered via restraint stress for a total of an hour daily during pregnancy. Pups were tested at six weeks of age in the morris water maze, elevated plus maze, and light dark box. NR2B NMDA receptor subunit levels were analyzed using western blotting, as these receptors are critical to the cellular mechanism of learning and memory, Long Term Potentiation. The combined BPA+stress group exhibited no further deficits in learning than the stress group, which showed greater deficits than the BPA group. There was no effect of BPA, stress, or the combination of BPA+stress on anxiety or NR2B NMDA receptor subunit levels. Based on the results of this study it seems as though there are no additive effects of combined BPA and stress prenatal exposure on learning, memory, and anxiety

Acroneuria lycorias (Boreal Stonefly, Plecoptera: Perlidae) Emergence Behaviors Discovered in Pinus strobus Canopy

Species of Plecoptera, or stoneflies, are known to use vertical emergence supports, and researchers believe many species of Plecoptera exploit arboreal habitats during emergence. However, the exact nature of these arboreal behaviors has largely remained a mystery. While exploring the habitat potential of Pinus strobus (L.) (Eastern White Pine) canopies in northern Wisconsin we observed Acroneuria lycorias (Newman) (Boreal Stonefly, Plecoptera: Perlidae) exuviae at heights as high as 12m (observations at 6.6, 9, 9.5, and 12m). Most A. lycorias exuviae appeared to have a strong preference for emergence sites at the underside or base of branches similar to some Odonate species. We also observed A. lycorias, adults climbing upwards along the main stem, post-emergence, to heights up to 22m. To our knowledge, these heights represent the greatest heights ever documented for A. lycorias adults and exuviae, or any Plecopteran species. While other researchers have speculated that A. lycorias uses arboreal habitats during emergence, these behaviors were considered almost impossible to describe. Our observations provide us with new insights into Plecopteran emergence behaviors, especially for this species. We propose three alternative hypotheses that may explain these unique emergence behaviors

The (other) butterfly effect

Aside from the occasional butterflies that soar around campus, the only insects most students come in contact with are ants crawling on buildings and cockroaches in the dormitories. Though these miniscule creatures have most of us running in the other direction, insects are actually vital to our survival on Earth

Trying out tradition

I never walk around the zodiac, instead I dart right on top of it, taking pleasure in stomping the snow off my boots on the taurus, my astrological sign, and my test scores have not sunk to failure territory in response. Also, the super dog seems fine in theory, a smashing together of recipes that individually satisfy, but in performance during a drunken haze, the super dog ultimately underwhelms and the line is always too long anyways

Minding their business

College is full of questions that determine our fate for years to come. The biggest questions of them all may be, How am I going to make money after college? While some are still searching for an answer, a number of Iowa State students have gotten a head start on the process

Along for the ride: Stories from the drunk bus

Stepping onto the Moonlight Express just shy of 11:00 p.m., a lingering odor of vomit and poor choices greets me. There’s an Instagram-worthy aesthetic, three red vomit buckets all in a row, their hue complementing the red pleather seats. I prepare myself for a long night

Passionate performers

With only 40 students enrolled in the performing arts program... small numbers don’t measure the success of the department. In fact, some believe it’s one of its biggest strengths

Workout for the average joe

As an athlete on the Iowa State crosscountry team, I run a minimum of 70 miles each week. I’m also a member of the track team, so that treasured “off” season so many athletes talk about — yeah, I’ve never experienced one of those. With yearlong training and competing, I needed a go-to workout that is ideal for off days from practice, or on busy days when school and life got the best of me

Racialized Patterns Of Inequality In United States Birth Outcomes, 1990-2018

Low birthweight is a pernicious public health problem that has seen little to no improvement in the United States for over 50 years. Being born low birth weight carries an increased risk of a broad range of adverse health and development outcomes and has been identified as a likely mechanism through which health and socioeconomic inequality is reproduced across generations. Racial disparities in birth weight are particularly stark. However, despite considerable attention to the issue, existing research fails to fully explain the social, institutional, and historical processes that operate to uphold racialized inequality in adverse birth outcomes. In light of recent declines in average birth weight and increases in pre-term births over recent decades, this puzzle is of particular importance to the public health and medical community, as well as to the racially minoritized populations affected by these shifts. The current dissertation approaches the problem from three different angles to better understand how racialized patterns in birth weight inequality are shaped via 1) vast shifts in the timing and level of participation in the institutions of marriage and education over time and the associated implications for racialized age patterns of low birth weight risk; 2) rapid increases in the use of obstetric interventions that have had widespread implications for the distribution of births by gestational age; and 3) the dilution of Black voting power via racialized disenfranchisement. Using standard regression techniques, classic demographic life table methods, and decomposition techniques, this dissertation finds that racialized disparities in educational attainment, exposure to obstetric intervention, and political exclusion all operate to exacerbate and/or maintain long-standing disparities in birth weight risk for racially minoritized populations. Implications of this work for future research and policy call for increased attention to the institutional and historical processes that produce racialized patterns of risk for adverse birth outcomes in Black communities