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Comparison Of Regular Ringer's Solution And Glucose Ringer's Solution On The Longevity Of The Hirudo Medicinalis' Retzius Cell, Nicole Arielle Peretti

Master's Theses

In 1882, Sydney Ringer, a professor of medicine at University College in London, experimented with the frog ventricle to better understand how each constituent of blood influences contraction. The ultimate goal was to create an artificial circulating fluid to use for the perfusion of isolated organs, in this case, a frog heart. Today, Ringer’s solution is still used in research for physiological studies requiring the survival and maintenance of specimens outside of their host bodies. One such example is the use of medicinal leech ganglia for electrophysiological measurements. In this thesis, I am comparing two Ringer’s solutions, original versus added …

Increasing Expression Of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen In Maize Through Breeding, Erin Suzanne Miller

Master's Theses

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a common virus, with two billion people infected worldwide. It causes approximately 600,000 deaths each year, despite the availability of an effective vaccine since 1982. Maize as a platform for oral vaccination can supply a heat stable vaccine, which does not require syringes or trained personnel to administer. The Hepatitis B Surface antigen was transformed into maize and this seed was used to evaluate expression levels through the breeding process. The transgene was transferred into two elite maize inbreds by backcrossing. Highest expressing ears were selected each generation until approximately 99% commercial parent was …

A Three-Dimensional Anatomically Accurate Finite Element Model For Nerve Fiber Activation Simulation Coupling, Shain Ann Fischer

Master's Theses

Improved knowledge of human nerve function and recruitment would enable innovation in the Biomedical Engineering field. Better understanding holds the potential for greater integration between devices and the nervous system as well as the ability to develop therapeutic devices to treat conditions affecting the nervous system. This work presents a three-dimensional volume conductor model of the human arm for coupling with code describing nerve membrane characteristics. The model utilizes an inhomogeneous medium composed of bone, muscle, skin, nerve, artery, and vein. Dielectric properties of each tissue were collected from the literature and applied to corresponding material subdomains. Both a fully …

A Wearable 1.6ghz Non-Invasive Midfield Wave-Based Blood Glucose Sensor, Danielle Nishida

Master's Theses

A non-invasive glucose sensor has been sought after by millions of Americans living with diabetes and scientists alike. Current blood glucose sensors approved by the FDA involve an invasive collection technique coupled with costly chemical analysis materials, which continue to bring pain to the growing diabetic population in America. Previous research of non-invasive sensing methods has shown promise, but the difficulty of transmitting power through tissue has degraded the sensing consistency and accuracy needed to reach the consumer market. This has been overcome with recent research in midfield wave power transmission at Stanford University, which has provided an opportunity for …

Identification Of Saccharina Groenlandica (Phaeophyceae) Around The Svalbard Archipelago: Dna Barcoding Using Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit 1 (Coi), Anniken Lydon

Master's Theses

In the Arctic, brown algae (kelps) and seaweeds are ecologically important: providing habitat, protection, and nutrients for invertebrate and vertebrate species living in nearshore environments. Migrations of biota between the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans have occurred periodically during Earth’s history leading to colonization of the Arctic Ocean. Around 3.5 Mya the “Great Trans-Arctic Biotic Interchange” occurred and the Laminariales order of kelp, thought to be of North Pacific origin, underwent a massive radiation and speciation event around the Arctic Ocean. Phylogenetic analysis performed on “Laminaria-like” specimens collected from six sampling locations around the Svalbard Archipelago identified …

Nutrient Removal From Clarified Municipal Wastewater Using Microalgae Raceway Ponds, Justin Andrew Kraetsch

Master's Theses

Shallow, mixed raceway ponds can be used to grow microalgae for the dual purposes of wastewater treatment and biofuel feedstock production. To improve the environmental sustainability of microalgae biofuels and to alleviate resource limitations, nutrients remaining after biofuel production should be recycled for additional cultivation. This thesis considers three topics: wastewater treatment by algae, nitrogen and phosphorus assimilation by algae, and algae cell disruption to facilitate nutrient recovery.

The main experimental work was done in pilot raceway ponds growing polycultures of microalgae on clarified municipal wastewater. In addition, two lab-scale pretreatment technologies were tested for their ability to disrupt cells, …

Native Small Mammal Use Of An Invasive Grass: Heermann's Kangaroo Rats (Dipodomys Heermanni) And Veldt Grass (Ehrharta Calycina) In Coastal California, Juliana P. Trunzo

Master's Theses

Invasive species are generally regarded as detrimental to native communities because they cause increased competition and community structure alterations. There is therefore a critical need to understand the ecological processes underlying the establishment and spread of invasive species. While most studies to date have focused on the role of competition in species invasions, trophic dynamics may also play a fundamental role in the establishment and spread of non-natives, especially in cases when a non-native species experiences differential predation pressure relative to a native competitor. Herein I explore the potential for differential granivory pressure by a native rodent (Heermann’s kangaroo rat, …

Cal Poly Receives National Award For Efforts To Increase Number Of Physics Teachers In U.S. High Schools, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 2/17/2015, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

February 11, 2015 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Herbivory And The Resilience Of Caribbean Coral Reefs: Knowledge Gaps And Implications For Management, Thomas C. Adam, Deron E. Burkepile, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, Michelle J. Paddack

Biological Sciences

Herbivory is a key process on coral reefs that can facilitate reef-building corals by excluding algae that otherwise negatively impact coral settlement, growth, and survivorship. Over the last several decades, coral cover on Caribbean reefs has declined precipitously. On many reefs, large structurally complex corals have been replaced by algae and other non-reef-building organisms, resulting in the collapse of physical structure and the loss of critical ecosystem services. The drivers of coral decline on Caribbean reefs are complex and vary among locations. On many reefs, populations of key herbivores have been greatly reduced by disease and overfishing, and this has …

The Proteomic Response Of The Carcinus Maenas Y-Organ Over The Course Of The Molt Cycle, Mark S. Hamer

Master's Theses

Molting in arthropods is a complex process governed by regulatory mechanisms that have evolved and adapted over millennia to allow these animals to grow, despite being confined by a hardened exoskeleton. We isolated the molt-regulating Y-organs (YO) from the common shore crab Carcinus maenas at molt stages B, C_1-3, C₄, and D₀ to assess how changes in protein abundances might underline the unique physiology of each of these stages. We found that changes in protein abundance were most notable in the postmolt stages (B and C_1-3), where an increase in energy metabolism and …

January 28, 2015 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Cal Poly To Host Sustainable Grassland Ranching Presentation Feb. 3, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Meeting Minutes, 1/27/2015, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 1/27/2015, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

January 21, 2015 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

January 14, 2015 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

January 7, 2015 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Meeting Minutes, 1/6/2015, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

A Is For Animal: The Animal User’S Lexicon, Joel Marks

Between the Species

In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, Humpty Dumpty explains to Alice, “When I use a word … it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” When Alice questions this license, Humpty Dumpty replies, “The question is … which is to be master — that’s all.” The present article offers a lexicon of words that are used by human beings, however unintentionally or ingenuously, to maintain their mastery or prerogatives over other animals. A motivating assumption of the article is that putting on display the verbal menagerie in animal agriculture, animal experimentation, and …

Cold War Culture: The Social Functions Of The Cal Poly Rotc From 1953-57, Anthony Wong

The Forum: Journal of History

No abstract provided.

Does The Production Of Isoprene Affect The Productivity Of Poplars?, Erik J. Mcfarland, Elizabeth Ann Parra, Greg Barron-Gafford, Rebecca Larkin Minor, Maggie Heard

STAR Program Research Presentations

Poplar trees are known to produce a chemical called isoprene that plays a complex, and not fully understood, role in the chemical process of photosynthesis. Understanding why plants produce isoprene and under what conditions will help scientists make more accurate predictions about poplars’ photosynthetic capabilities in future climates.

What benefit could isoprene provide a plant? The literature suggests its production could help plants tolerate heat stress. We studied two genetic lines of trees in a common garden of Populus, one line with the gene for producing isoprene and a second line without that gene. We subjected some trees of …

The Proteomic Response In The Crustacean Molting Gland Of Land Crab Gecarcinus Lateralis In Response To Artificially Induced Molting Throughout Its Molting Cycle., Andrea Reider, Talia B. Head, Lars Tomanek, Donald L. Mykles

STAR Program Research Presentations

Molting in crustaceans is a highly complex physiological process involving negative regulation by two paired endocrine glands, the X-organ/sinus gland complex (XO/SG) and the Y-organ (YO). The XO/SG complex is responsible for making molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) which negatively regulates synthesis of molting hormones (ecdysteroids) by the YO. Eyestalk ablation (ESA) removes the source of MIH and provides an experimental means to manipulate and induce molting, although the physiological effects of ESA on the YO have not been fully characterized. Analysis of gene expression in the XOs and YOs has lead to the development of a proposed molecular signaling pathway which …

Chloroamino Acids As A Chemical Explanation For Viking Labeled Release Soil Activity On Mars, John C. Hironimus

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Viking missions to Mars, which took place in the 1970’s, performed several experiments on martian soil in an attempt to discern if there was microbial life present. In one set of experiments, a nutrient solution containing amino acids and organic substrates tagged with carbon-14 was injected into sample cells containing martian soil, and the evolution of labeled CO2 was monitored. The evolution of labeled CO2 indicated that there was a process occurring that broke down the nutrients in solution and released CO2 as a byproduct. Cellular metabolism releases CO2, so this result supported the idea of microbial life on …

Detection Of Catecholamines Produced In Planktonic P. Aeruginosa And S. Aureus Treated With Adult Bovine Serum, Jorge A. Serrano, Anil Serrano, Shaleni Singh, Jaime Fuentes, Robert Crawford Dr., Rivkah Isseroff, Thomas Peavy

STAR Program Research Presentations

Bacterial biofilms play a critical role in inducing and sustaining chronic wounds that are serious health threats. Bacterial biofilms can also be found on medical prosthetics and implants that sustain infections in patients and cause life threatening situations. Bacteria self-produce these sticky extracellular substances termed a biofilm which help them to adhere to each other forming a community of microorganisms. One of the major issues is that biofilms have antimicrobial characteristics and provide protection from the immune system; biofilms are found in over 80% of human bacterial infections. Formation of a bacterial biofilm occurs when an individual (planktonic) bacterial cell …

Subversion Of The Transgender Gaze Through Cisnormativity, Debra Beight

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

This paper analyzes Halberstam’s interpretation of the transgender gaze as it applies to the character portrayal of Brandon Teena in the film Boys Don’t Cry. An oppositional approach examines the idea of a cisgender gaze that compromises the subjectivity of not only the character of Brandon but extending to dismissiveness towards trans identity as a whole. Dissecting the reveal scene from the film highlights Halberstam’s process of the transgender gaze and allows for a focus on cisgender interpretation and demands that illustrate cisnormative expectations on trans bodies and behaviors. Connecting these demands is the concept of abjection as described by …

The Case Of M.C. – An Argument For Legal, Medical, And Social Recognition Of Ambiguity, Debra Beight

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

This paper is an examination of the interconnectedness of juridical, medical, and social constructs surrounding intersex/DSD (Difference/Disorder of Sex Development) sex assignment surgeries. Looking at a pending court case involving a child that was in state custody at the time of their sex assignment surgery, we can observe the influences of the medical industry’s tendency to treat intersex conditions like disabilities, as sites of therapeutic interventions. These pathologized intrusions become government-sanctioned interventions that are supported by, and in turn bolster, societal expectations of conformity and normalcy.

Between Autonomy And Alienation: Creating The Self Via Sex-Reassignment Surgery, Annthony M. Duffey

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

Upon a consideration of self-creation and the introduction of the gender binary a potential limiter of autonomy, sexQreassignment surgery (SRS) beckons significant reconsideration by the biomedical/ethical field, ranging from the transpersons who undergo it to the preoperative processes that oversee it. Autonomy does not underlie a majority of SRS on prevailing biomedical hypotheses; SRS is granted to those candidates who report symptoms of dysfunction and denied to candidates who do not confirm such suspicions. This research proposes that, upon his or her failure or refusal to demonstrate some understanding of the potentially limiting influence of the gender binary, a candidate …

Effects Of School Curriculum On Sexual Health, Emma Sturm

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

Surveys indicate that, when asked directly, women have positive perceptions of their vaginas and perceive vaginal, sexual, and reproductive health as important. However, when asked about their actual habits relating to vaginal health, women’s answers seemed to suggest the opposite. This disconnect between perceptions and practice suggest there may be some societal influence keeping the women from carrying out their health maintenance as well as they would like to. This paper examines the role schools play in controlling women’s sexuality, which may be contributing to the lack of accessibility to vaginal, sexual, and reproductive health.