Enhanced Hydrocarbon Biodegradation Using Bioaugmentation With Biowish™-Aqua Fog, Michael Robert Lehrer

Master's Theses

This study was done to determine the effectiveness of a commercially available bioaugmentation product, BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua FOG, for remediating petroleum-contaminated sandy soil. Biodegradation enhancement by BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua FOG was evaluated in laboratory microcosms by directly measuring total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) and indirectly using respirometry. Attempts were made to enrich hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua FOG, and the resulting enrichment cultures were screened using respirometry as well. Potential hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua FOG were isolated. Experiments were performed at bench-scale using microcosm bottles containing sand contaminated with either motor oil or No. 2 diesel fuel. The …

A Proteomic Analysis Of Differentiation In The Mammary Epithelium, Laura Therese Strand

Master's Theses

While a great deal is known about the changing hormonal environment and the structural development of the mammary gland from pregnancy to lactation, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms governing differentiation of the mammary epithelium into a milk-secreting phenotype. It is important to acknowledge the diversity among the mammary glands of different species in order to better understand applications in human health and the dairy industry. In this study, we examined global protein expression during two states of differentiation in mammary epithelial cells from two species: in vitro proliferating and differentiated MAC-T cells (a bovine immortal cell-line), and …

Seasonal Food Habits Of Burrowing Owls (Athene Cunicularia) In Human-Altered Landscapes, Carie Marie Wingert

Master's Theses

In 2004, I initiated a year-long study to investigate the food habits of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia). Burrowing owls have been found in a variety of human-altered landscapes; however, little is known about burrowing owl food habits in urban landscapes. Burrowing owl food habits during the non-breeding season are also largely undocumented, despite increasing concern over the survival of overwintering burrowing owls. Differences in prey consumption between reproductive and non-reproductive owls during the breeding season have not yet been examined. I collected pellets over a 12 month period at four study sites affected by different levels of human …

Mapping Plant Biodiversity Hotspots At The County Scale: A New Tool For Establishing Resource Conservation Strategies, Kristie Haydu

Master's Theses

Myers first identified the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots and pioneered innovative ideas about the usefulness of biodiversity models for establishing long-term resource conservation strategies at global scales. Since Myers, most of the subsequent studies using hotspot science for biodiversity modeling have used large spatial scales like countries, provinces or states, and other biogeoraphic regions. The California Floristic Province continues to be one of the recognized global biodiversity hotspots. Our study site, San Luis Obispo County is within this hotspot and we created a map of plant biodiversity hotspots at the county scale using GIS technology. We wanted to determine the …

Synthesis Of S-Ribosyl-L-Homocysteine And Analogs Modified At The Homocysteine-C3 Position, Ruoyi Liu

Master's Theses

Quorum sensing (QS) is a process of bacterial cell-to-cell communication that conveys population density information in order to coordinate gene expression to produce synchronized behaviors. QS regulates the expression of virulence genes in many species of bacteria; hence, the manipulation of QS pathways may lead to treatment options against many bacterial diseases. The LuxS enzyme converts S-ribosyl-L-homocysteine (SRH) into homocysteine (HCys) and 4(S),5-dihydroxypentane-2,3-dione (DPD), which is the precursor of autoinducer-2 (AI-2). Thus, inhibitors of LuxS could prevent QS by halting the conversion of SRH to AI-2 rendering the cell “uncommunicative”. This work shows the successful chemical synthesis …

The Secondary School Football Coach’S Relationship With The Athletic Trainer And Their Perspectives On The Recognition And Prevention Of Exertional Heat Stroke, William M. Adams

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Cholesterol Lowering Effects Of Milk With Added Phytosterols, Laura Kells Cusack

Master's Theses

Foods incorporating plant sterols (PS) reduce Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) on average approximately 10%. PS with a higher lipid solubility may promote greater reductions. We examined the cholesterol lowering effect of a novel triglyceride recrystallized phystosterol (TRP). Twenty subjects (mean ± SD; age, 56 ± 10 years; BMI, 27 ± 5) with elevated LDL (>100 mg/dL) participated in three 4-week phases; Phase I, 2% milk; Phase II, milk with 2.0 grams (g) free PS; Phase III, milk with 2.0 g TRP. Before and after each phase two fasting blood draws were obtained for determination of serum cholesterol. Between the 2% …

The Effects Of Phytosterols On Lipoprotein Particle Size, Laura J. Kunces

Master's Theses

Phytosterols (PS) have become a recent popular medication alternative for treatment of hypercholesterolemia and have proven effective. Whether PS decrease risk of cardiovascular disease through other mechanisms, such as lipoprotein particle size and inflammatory markers, remains unclear. PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to examine the effects of two forms of PS in milk on lipoprotein particle size, inflammatory markers and fat-soluble vitamins. METHODS: Twenty subjects (13 males, 7 females; age; 55±6.1 years, height; 169±10 cm, weight; 77.9±16.9 kg, BMI; 27.3) consumed 16oz of cow’s milk daily for 12 weeks. The three sequential four-week phases consisted of 2% …

An Approach For Use Of Dual Frequency Identification Sonar (Didson) To Quantify Behavioral Aspects Of Piscivory At Ecologically Relevant Time And Space Scales, Victoria E. Price

Master's Theses

Predator-prey interactions of large vagile fishes are difficult to study in the ocean due to limitations in the space and time requirements for observations. Small-scale direct underwater observations by divers (<10m >radius) and large-scale hydroacoustic surveys (10s - 100s km2) are traditional approaches. However, large piscivorous predators identify and attack prey at the scale of meters to tens of meters. Dual- Frequency Identification Sonar, or DIDSON, is a high-resolution acoustic camera operating in the MHz range that provides detailed continuous video-like imaging of objects out to 30 m range. This technology can be used to observe predator-prey interactions at ecologically …

Educational Prepardness Of Entry-Level Athletic Trainers Regarding Preventing Sudden Death And Emergency Procedures, Thomas M. Yabor

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Fraxinus Americana Branch Sway Using A 3 Dimensional Motion Capture System, Anna T. Campiformio

Master's Theses

Abstract

Wind is a dominant abiotic factor that a tree experiences throughout its lifetime and can cause severe tree damage, resulting in risk of injury to humans, and economic and ecological losses. It is thought that trees develop structural properties and architectures that help withstand loading conditions by dissipating wind energy through damping mechanisms. The role of branch motion in reducing potential dangerous wind loads has been the focus of relatively few studies. Even fewer studies have examined tree sway response to natural wind loaded conditions. In this investigation, branch frequencies were calculated for three Fraxinus americana using a three-dimensional …

Evaluation Of Viability Of Lactobacillus Acidophilus La-5 During Simulated Digestion Process Using A Dynamic In Vitro Model, Jenifer Tharani

Master's Theses

In recent years, there has been an upsurge in medical research assessing the therapeutic benefits of probiotic bacteria and growing commercial interest in food fortification with these bacteria. Probiotic bacteria such as L. acidophilus are known to be predominant Lactobacilli species in the intestinal tract of healthy humans and suggested to provide clinical health benefits such as enhancement of immunity against intestinal infections, prevention of diarrhea and hypercholesterolaemia and improvement in lactose utilization. Many studies have demonstrated the possibility of incorporating probiotic bacteria in an ice cream matrix and shown its viability can be maintained throughout the shelf life of …

Influence Of Habitat Heterogeneity On Small Mammals In The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska, Justin D. Anderson

Master's Theses

Although the loss of prairie is substantial across the extent of its historic range, large portions of native rangeland still remain throughout Nebraska. It is critical that resource managers and private landowners manage rangelands in a manner that will enhance ecosystem integrity by using techniques that provide disturbance regimes. Heterogeneity based management, such as patch-burn grazing and rest-rotation grazing, can be used as a conservation tool to increase biodiversity within management units and at a landscape level. Heterogeneity-based management has received much attention in the literature within the past decade, but there has been little focus on how these management …

The Face Of Extinction: Are Charismatic Species More Vulnerable To Endangerment?, Andrée M. Brisson

Master's Theses

Conservationists have suggested extinction is non-random; some species are more prone to extinction than others. Multiple traits (e.g., large bodied, long-lived, slow-reproducing, migratory, habitat and/or dietary specialists) have been cited as contributing to the endangerment of species. Due to global anthropogenic demand for wild species (e.g., sport, trade, fashion, medicine, religion, food), I propose charisma as an additional trait of endangerment. This predicts charismatic species are more often targets of direct exploitation than less charismatic species, and that global demand will continue to increase with world population and development. These species represent our most iconic and animated organisms. I quantified …

The Effect Of Climate Change On The Distributions Of Invasive Plants And Their Associated Biological Control Agents In North America, Caroline A. Curtis

Master's Theses

Climate change has the potential to alter the size, shape, and location of species’ distributions. As a result, the interactions between species are also likely to be impacted as novel species encounter each other and historical community assemblages are broken apart. To quantify the impact of distributional changes as a result of climate change on interacting species, distribution maps were produced for three species of invasive plant and their associated biological control agent at three time periods: current, 2050, and 2080. For each of the future time periods, two distribution maps were created for each species, representing the minimum and …

Assessment Of Aging Structures And Recruitment Of Walleye Sander Vitreus In Cedar Bluff Reservoir, Weston L. Fleming

Master's Theses

Most walleye Sander vitreus populations in Kansas are supplemented or sustained with stocking. In 2006, gamete collection for hatchery production was initiated at Cedar Bluff Reservoir because the walleye population has a high abundance of potential brood fish and has been sustained by natural reproduction since 2001. However, no quantitative index has been developed to assess walleye recruitment in this fishery. Accordingly, from July through November 2010, I evaluated catch-per-unit-effort (overnight sets) of age-0 walleye in 19 and 25-mm mesh gill nets biweekly and at random and standard sites. There was not a significant difference in catch-per-unit-effort between site types …

Gas Exchange And Leaf Anatomy Of Andropogon Gerardii Ecotypes Over A Climatic Gradient Of The Great Plains, Jacob T. Olsen

Master's Theses

The phenotype of two Andropogon gerardii subspecies, big bluestem and sand bluestem, varies broadly throughout the Great Plains of North America, giving rise to ecotypes within the species. This study sought to discriminate between genetic and environmental variation of big bluestem and sand bluestem by examining gas exchange and leaf anatomy in common gardens across a climatic gradient of the Great Plains. Thirteen populations of big bluestem and one population of sand bluestem, constituting five ecotypes, were planted in community plots and a single plant plots in a common garden at each of four sites ranging from western Kansas to …

Survey Of The Freshwater Gastropods Of Southeastern Kansas With Emphasis On The Distribution And Habitat Use Of The Delta Hydrobe (Probythinella Emarginata), Bryan Sowards

Master's Theses

The status of many aquatic gastropods in North America is not well understood. Many are exposed to threats similar to those that affect bivalves and other aquatic macroinvertebrates. The delta hydrobe (Probythinella emarginata) is a gill-breathing (prosobranch) snail that occurs in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. It is 1 of only 5 species of prosobranchs in Kansas and is highly sensitive to changes in water quality within watersheds. Probythinella emarginata is presumed to be a Pleistocene relic in the state; it was first collected alive in Kansas in 2001 within Cedar Creek, Chase County, Kansas. I surveyed 13 …

Spatial Conservation Prioritization Of Kansas For Terrestrial Vertebrates, Megan R. Rohweder

Master's Theses

Biological diversity is being threatened by the encroachment of humans, which limits the habitat available for conservation and strains resources allocated for conservation efforts. However conservation goals have to be achieved within these limitations. Conservation priorities can ensure that habitat and resources are used effectively and efficiently. I developed a conservation prioritization plan for the terrestrial vertebrates of Kansas. I used modeled distributions of every terrestrial vertebrate species found in Kansas to build three biodiversity indices; species richness, vulnerability, and endemicity. Kansas was divided into a grid of planning units, 34.5 km2. For each taxonomic group the planning units were …

Sexual Selection Dynamics In A Smoky Hills Population Of Crotaphytus Collaris, Katherine Talbott

Master's Theses

Recent studies in behavioral ecology have suggested environmental pressures might influence sexual selection dynamics to the extent that sexually-selected signals reflect local adaptation. I experimentally tested this hypothesis by manipulating a potential male ornament and observing the sexual selection dynamics in a Smoky Hills population of eastern collared lizards (Crotaphytus collaris). Sexual selection dynamics were investigated by characterizing habitat structure, describing individual lizard spatial distribution, and investigating morphological predictors of adult male territorial success. Habitat occupied by lizards had significantly different and higher percentages of rock cover, and significantly different and lower percentages of vegetation cover, than unoccupied habitat. No …

American Pika (Ochotona Princeps): Persistence And Activity Patterns In A Changing Climate, Cody P. Massing

Master's Theses

An increasing amount of evidence suggests that as temperatures increase, montane animals are moving upward in elevation (IPCC 2007, Parmesan and Yohe 2003). As suitable habitats rise in elevation and then disappear altogether, these animals could be pushed to extinction. The American pika, Ochotona princeps, is a montane mammal that lives in western North America, usually at elevations above 1500 m (Smith and Weston 1990). Recent evidence suggests that pika population numbers are dropping in response to rising temperatures (Beever et al. 2010). The pika is a small herbivorous lagomorph, a relative of hares and rabbits. Its habitat is …

Detection Of Sk2 Channels On Hippocampal Neurons, Jamie L. Maciaszek

Master's Theses

Calcium-activated small conductance potassium channels (SK) are crucial for synaptic plasticity, sleep, and learning and memory (Hammond, Bond et al. 2006; Cueni, Canepari et al. 2008; Lin, Lujan et al. 2008). Despite the recent progress on SK channel physiology, the precise spatial organization of SK channels in neurons has remained unknown. Such knowledge is critical as the subcellular distribution of SK channels is an important determinant of neuronal excitability. Currently, there are no techniques to image ion channel distribution quantitatively at the nanometer scale in living cells. Here, it is demonstrated that integration of natural toxins with single molecule atomic …

Strawberry Growth, Yield, Fruit Nutrition, And Control Of Verticillium Wilt With Pre-Plant Soil Fumigants, Ozone, And Biological Control, Justin J. Scurich

Master's Theses

Verticillium wilt is a widespread soilborne disease of strawberry historically controlled by soil fumigation with methyl bromide (MB). MB was banned by the United Nations in 1995 and will be completely phased out by 2015. Research has concentrated on alternative methods of disease control without finding a single alternative able to replace MB in widespread disease control and yield increase. For the current study, strawberries were greenhouse grown in container pots filled with soil from both infested and non-infested areas of a commercial strawberry field in Watsonville, CA. Treatments included pre-plant soil fumigation with commercially available formulations of methyl bromide, …

Investigation Of Bacillus Subtilis As A Biopesticide Against Botrytis Cinerea, Kenneth K. Ng

Master's Theses

The objective of this thesis was to investigate BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua, a commercial dry solid formulation containing a consortium of bacteria and yeast, as a biopesticide for treatment of Botrytis cinerea, a gray mold that affects strawberries. BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua was compared with another commercial product specifically used as a fungicide and bacteriocide, Serenade® Garden Disease Control Spray (concentrated Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713). Both laboratory tests as well as in vivo lab tests were conducted. BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua results varied widely from plate to plate, regardless of experimental conditions. In some of these plates, inhibition zones were observed …

Vitamin D Sub-Set Analysis From The Flash Study, Megan Bishop, Laura Hall, Ann Mcdermott, Aydin Nazmi

Master's Theses

Vitamin D is important to the health of college students. The objective of our study was to measure sun exposure, skin pigmentation, vitamin D intake, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) in a subset of participants from The Following the Longitudinal Aspects of Student Health (FLASH) Study to determine the best predictors of 25(OH)D status. Participants were college-aged freshman who had their blood drawn in spring (Visit 1) and fall 2010 (Visit 2) at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, CA. (35.3°N). Vitamin D intake was measured using a 28-day food frequency recall questionnaire (specific to vitamin D …

Comparing The Demographics Of Two Steelhead Populations And Their Habitat Characteristics, Eileen Ann Baglivio

Master's Theses

Currently, little is known about the demographics of the Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus, or steelhead trout, populations in San Luis Obispo County. Specifically, demographic information including length, age, and condition when first leaving a watershed for the open ocean is lacking. This thesis takes a closer look at a biological and environmental data collected by the California Department of Fish and Game Central Coast Steelhead and Coho Salmon project under the direction of Associate Biologist Jennifer Nelson. The main goal of this thesis is to analyze demographic and habitat data from the steelhead populations of two northern San Luis Obispo …

The Proteomic Response Of Sea Squirts (Genus Ciona Congeners) To Hyposalinity Stress, James S. Koman

Master's Theses

The ascidian species Ciona savignyi and C. intestinalis are invasive species but show interspecific differences in their population response to hypo-saline stress associated with heavy winter-run off events that are predicted to become more frequent due to climate change. Despite an almost world-wide distribution, C. intestinalis seems to be more susceptible to hypo-saline stress than the geographically more limited C. savignyi. Given that the genomes of both species are fully sequenced, we were able to compare their proteomic response to both acute and chronic salinity to characterize the mechanisms that are responsible for setting tolerance limits to hyposaline conditions …

Desert Hedgehog Is A Mammal-Specific Gene Expressed During Testicular And Ovarian Development In A Marsupial, William A. O'Hara

Master's Theses

Desert hedgehog (DHH) belongs to the hedgehog gene family that act as secreted intercellular signal transducers. DHH is an essential morphogen for normal testicular development and function in both mice and humans but is not present in the avian lineage. Like other hedgehog proteins, DHH signals through the patched (PTCH) receptors 1 and 2. Here we examine the expression and protein distribution of DHH, PTCH1 and PTCH2 in the developing testes of a marsupial mammal (the tammar wallaby) to determine whether DHH signalling is a conserved factor in gonadal development in all therian mammals.

The Effect Of Glucose On Transcription At Cpxr- And Ompr-Regulated Promoters, Andrew Charles Cosgrove

Master's Theses

While reversible acetylation of proteins has been well studied in eukaryotes and is now recognized in bacteria, global protein acetylation in bacteria is a recently appreciated phenomenon. Protein acetylation is known to affect almost every aspect of cellular physiology in eukaryotes and there is proteomic evidence that this may also hold true in bacteria. In eukaryotes, lysines are acetylated by acetyltransferases that use acetyl-CoA as the acetyl group source, and de-acetylated by deacetylases. In bacteria, this reversible process uses enzymes homologous to those used by eukaryotes.

Our lab has recently found that acetylation of RNA polymerase (RNAP) can activate transcription …

Binge Ethanol Leads To Decreased Macrophage Accumulation In Infected Cutaneous Wounds, Sara Hlavin

Master's Theses

Trauma patients who consumed alcohol prior to sustaining injuries have higher rates of morbidity and mortality than those with comparable injuries who did not drink. Additionally, those who drank had impaired wound healing and increased susceptibility to infection. Despite these clinical observations, few studies have explored the effect of ethanol on the innate immune cell function in a healing wound or how this may alter resolution of cutaneous infection. A murine model of ethanol and cutaneous wound infection was used to examine bacterial growth and recruitment of innate immune cells. Mice were given either ethanol (2.2 g/kg) or saline 30 …