This study examines the utility of diagnostic CT scans as sources of data to quantify facial growth in children. Subadults often suffer facial trauma arising from a variety of circumstances. Pediatric surgeons are then confronted with devising surgical pre- and post-operative strategies that present numerous complications. One of these involves predicting how specific areas of a child's face will change with time. The proliferation of CT scans use in pre-operative planning throughout healthcare provides potential data for addressing many concerns, including those involving facial growth. To add to the burgeoning body of literature focusing on facial growth and provide insight anatomical variation this study used data derived from CT scans from Phoenix Children's Hospital. Quantitative data derived from CTs were used to examine normative growth and develop predictive equations that surgeons can use to visualize facial change for males and female patients.

By studying organismal performance, one can gain insight regarding the evolutionary and developmental processes that shape the adult organism. Bite force is an important trait that can be linked to performance, and therefore survival, of the entire organism. In order for an animal to successfully feed upon its prey, the components of the jaw, such as the skeleton and attached muscles, must be strong enough to withstand the forces required for capturing and then processing (masticating) the prey. Because sharks and skates have a fully cartilaginous skeleton, they theoretically bite off more than deemed biologically possible, these organisms, therefore, are excellent models for study when trying to understand bite performance. The goal was to measure the bite force of Leucoraja erinacea. Dissections were completed for 14 individuals, in order to expose the muscles beneath the skin. The muscles were then removed, and the mass was recorded. Calculations derived from the literature were used to determine total bite force. Linear regression was used to determine the relationship between bite force and size of the organism. The average maximum bite force of Leucoraja erinacea was determined to be roughly 23.3 Newtons (N). There was a positive relationship between bite force and size. This skate produces a much smaller bite force than many other organisms, providing insight into its ecological role in food webs. Many of the shells of commercially important prey were also much stronger than the bite forces estimated for these skates, suggesting that either the skates were not mature or large enough to feed on these prey, or, perhaps this species is unable to feed on these organisms entirely.

Currently, Arizona State University's West Campus offers students a Bachelor's of Science degree in Forensics. This degree program has been at ASU's West campus for over three years now and is at its capacity of 300 students due to limitations on lab space. In order to support the growth and provide students with a valuable experience, the Math and Natural Sciences department seeks to create a "fee-for-service" enterprise within the Forensics division. This new lab called the Arizona State University Forensic Science Center (ASU-FSC) would serve city, county, state, and federal government agencies. The mission of the ASU-FSC is to provide robust, accurate and efficient forensic services while leading innovation in research and education in forensics for Arizona, the Southwest and the country. The School of Natural Science and Mathematics has sought help from W. P. Carey School of Business students to analyze the possibility of adding a Forensics fee-for-service lab to ASU West campus. The deliverables from this report will provide a comprehensive marketing, supply chain and financial review of all aspects of the business, and will aid in the decision making process for the creation of the Arizona State University Forensic Science Center.

Aquatic vertebrates that emerge onto land to spawn, feed, or evade aquatic predators must return to the water to avoid dehydration or asphyxiation. How do such aquatic organisms determine their location on land? Do particular behaviors facilitate a safe return to the aquatic realm? In this study, we asked: will fully-aquatic mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) stranded on a slope modulate locomotor behavior according to body position to facilitate movement back into the water? To address this question, mosquitofish (n = 53) were placed in four positions relative to an artificial slope (30° inclination) and their responses to stranding were recorded, categorized, and quantified.

We found that mosquitofish may remain immobile for up to three minutes after being stranded and then initiate either a “roll” or a “leap”. During a roll, mass is destabilized to trigger a downslope tumble; during a leap, the fish jumps up, above the substrate. When mosquitofish are oriented with the long axis of the body at 90° to the slope, they almost always (97%) initiate a roll. A roll is an energetically inexpensive way to move back into the water from a cross-slope body orientation because potential energy is converted back into kinetic energy. When placed with their heads toward the apex of the slope, most mosquitofish (>50%) produce a tail-flip jump to leap into ballistic flight. Because a tail-flip generates a caudually-oriented flight trajectory, this locomotor movement will effectively propel a fish downhill when the head is oriented up-slope. However, because the mass of the body is elevated against gravity, leaps require more mechanical work than rolls. We suggest that mosquitofish use the otolith-vestibular system to sense body position and generate a behavior that is “matched” to their orientation on a slope, thereby increasing the probability of a safe return to the water, relative to the energy expended.