Digital Commons Network^™

Responding To Dangerous Accidents Among The Elderly: A Fall Detection Device With Zigbee-Based Positioning, Michael R. Putnam

Master's Theses

The following paper describes a fall detection and activity monitoring system with position detection based on Zigbee transceivers.The main objective is to reduce the time taken for emergency personnel to respond to falls among the elderly. Especially when the victim is unconscious or delirious, position tracking reduces location determination time within a busy hospital or nursing home environment and facilitates immediate treatment. Reduced response times correlate to decreased morbidity and mortality rates. Background is provided on the major wireless network advances currently deployed in a healthcare setting for asset and personnel tracking, etiology of falls, and several methods of detecting …

Ethics, Law, And The Science Of Fish Welfare, Colin Allen

Between the Species

Fish farming is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture, attracting considerable attention to the question of whether existing farming regulations and animal welfare laws are adequate to deal with the expanding role of fish in feeding humans. The role of fish as model organisms in scientific research is also expanding -- a majority of research biology departments now keep zebrafish for the purposes of genome biology, and they are used widely used for basic neuroscience research. However, due to their diversity and distance from mammalian biology, fish pose difficult questions for the application of legal and ethical principles …

Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling Of Acetaminophen Metabolism And Toxicity, David M. Ng, Ali Navid

STAR Program Research Presentations

Acetaminophen is a common analgesic and antipyretic. Metabolism of acetaminophen and acetaminophen-induced liver necrosis are predicted using physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. Pharmacokinetic means the model determines where the drug is distributed in the body over time. Physiologically-based means the anatomy and physiology of the human body is reflected in the structure and functioning of the model. Acetaminophen is usually safe and effective when taken as recommended, but consumption at higher levels may lead to liver damage. Additionally, other factors such as alcoholic liver disease, smoking, and malnutrition affect the maximum safe dose of acetaminophen.

Improving The Efficiency Of Homologous Gene Replacement By Disrupting Non-Homologous End Joining Pathway Gene Kusa In The Oleaginous Fungus Mortierella Alpina, Kathleen T. Krueger, Ziyu Dai Dr, Ugur Uzuner, Scott E. Baker Dr

STAR Program Research Presentations

Mortierella alpina , a oleaginous filamentous fungus, is one of industrial fungal strains known for the production of arachidonic acid. It is also of particular interest for hydrocarbon biofuel production since it is able to produce up to 50% of its mass in rich, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFA’s]. In addition to high fatty acid production, M. alpina like many other oleaginous fungi, already have mechanisms for accumulating significant concentrations of hydrophobic compounds making it a naturally equipped candidate to handle potential toxic concentrations of hydrocarbons. To date, three different transformation methods have been established for M. alpina that are …

A Genetic Survey Of English Sole Populations In The Salish Sea, Elizabeth S. Gutierrez, Gary A. Winans, Jon Baker, Amanda Cope

STAR Program Research Presentations

This summer I interned at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA and participated in NOAA’s Salish Sea Project. The Salish Sea Project’s goal is to identify genetically distinctive groups of species in the Salish Sea that may have unique evolutionary and/or adaptive backgrounds. These findings will allow NOAA to promote and monitor the natural production of species in the Salish Sea, to select representative populations for experimental work regarding pollution, ocean acidification and climate change, to contribute to managing the ecosystem for intra- and inter-species diversity, and to help make informed decisions about adaptive management and marine protected …

Using Stable Isotope Analysis To Study Zooplankton Trophic Ecology In San Francisco Estuary, Steven C. Westbrook, Julien Moderan, Wim Kimmerer

STAR Program Research Presentations

Zooplankton biomasses in estuaries are often high and represent an important food source for fish, like theendangered Delta Smelt. Human interferences (nitrates from crops, freshwater flow alteration, invasive species introduction…) have altered the structure of the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) ecosystem. We use stable isotope analysis to improve our knowledge of the planktonic food web in the SFE and gain insights into its evolution over the past decades. Every living thing has a specific isotopic signature. For example, in the plankton we study exists Carbon 13 and Carbon 12. Carbon 13 is different only because it has one extra neutron, …

Functional Response Of Protected Larval Stage Delta Smelt (Hypomesus Transpacificus), Jorge Ruiz, Lindsay Sullivan, Wim Kimmerer, Joan Lindberg

STAR Program Research Presentations

Delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) is a protected slender-bodied fish endemic to the San Francisco Estuary. Smelt prey upon various zooplankton including the copepods such as Pseudodiaptomus forbesi. This experiment studied the prey maximum feeding rate of 2 larval stages (21 DHP, 35 DPH) of Delta smelt on various concentrations of P. forbesi. The copepod prey was offered at 7 different concentrations (2No./L–120No./L). After feeding was terminated the free prey and ingested prey were counted and analyzed to find the feeding rate of Delta smelt. Maximum feeding rate was found to be at much higher prey densities …

Quantification And In Vitro Analysis Of Nanolipoproteins (Nlps) Containing Adjuvants, Purna Venkataraman, Craig Blanchette, Nicholas O. Fischer

STAR Program Research Presentations

Nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) self-assemble into nanoscale structures that can be used as vaccines or drug delivery agents. Due to the nature of the NLPs, a variety of immune stimulating compounds or adjuvants can be readily incorporated into NLPs: a characteristic difficult to engineer into most other nanoscale platforms. In light of this, a method for quantifying the amount adjuvant actually incorporated into NLPs is a question of high importance. Through the use of reverse phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD), standard curves can be constructed by analyzing mixtures of NLP components of known concentration, …

Analyzing Environmental Microbes For Genomic Regions Promoting Ionic Liquid Tolerance In E. Coli, Ann Nguyen, Alison Richins, Thomas Rüegg, Steven Singer, Michael Thelen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Ionic liquids (ILs) are promising as solvents to increase the efficiency of biofuel production; however, ILs are toxic to microbes used in the fermentation of liquid fuels. To engineer IL resistant biofuel hosts, environmental bacteria were screened for tolerance, and these were used to create gene libraries to test in E. coli. Future characterization of these libraries using molecular techniques will be used to identify genes that contribute IL-tolerance to transformed microbes.

Screening The Farallon Island Bacterial Collection For Ionic Liquid Tolerance To Create Genomic Libraries, Alison Richins, Ann Nguyen, Thomas Rüegg, Steven Singer, Michael Thelen

STAR Program Research Presentations

To find a gene that confers ionic liquid resistance in bacteria, environmental samples of bacteria were taken from a high salt environment in the FarallonIslands. The bacteria were grown on different media that contained either 1‐Ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride (EMiM‐Cl) or 1‐Ethyl‐3‐ methylimidazolium acetate (EMiM‐Ac) to determine which bacteria should be used to create a genomic library to screen for genes conferring ionic liquid resistance. Bacterial isolates IL 210, IL 15, CX32 AND CX 38 grow on media containing EMiM‐Cl as well as media containing EMiM‐Ac and are recommended for the creation of a gene library.

Molecular Modeling Of Novel Fuel Cell Membranes, Tessa Brown, Ram Devanathan

STAR Program Research Presentations

Fuel cells are clean and efficient energy conversion devices. The fuel cells of interest contain polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) that inhibit the conduction of electrons and facilitate the transport of protons. Nafion® is the most widely used membrane for fuel cell applications. However, alternatives are desired because Nafion is expensive, allows significant amounts of methanol crossover, and functions poorly at low humidity or high temperature. An acid-base blend membrane composed of both acidic sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone ketone) (Ph-SPEEKK) and basic polysulfone tethered with 5-amino-benzotriazole (PSf-BTraz) has been show to perform better than traditional acidic PEMs such as Nafion and …

Characterization Of Coke From The Catalytic Pyrolysis Of Biomass, Kristen Ryan, Kristiina Lisa

STAR Program Research Presentations

The conversion of non‐food sources of biomass to liquid transportation fuels could be a viable alternative to non‐renewable petroleum based fuels with high carbon dioxide emissions if the process can become cost effective. One of the problems with the catalytic pyrolysis as a thermochemical pathway to biomass based fuel production is the accumulation of carbonaceous deposits (aka coke) that can completely deactivate catalysts over time. A multiple technique approach was used to analyze four different stages of coke development. Solid samples of coke were analyzed via multiple techniques; elemental, 13C NMR, TGA, and SEM analysis confirmed the presence of two …

Propidium Monoazide Qpcr For Viability Assessment Of Microbes With Species Specificity, Carolyn Laymon, Adrian Ponce, Nicholas Fingland

STAR Program Research Presentations

Currently, there are no portable instruments capable of both pathogen viability assessment and microbial identification. There is an urgent need to distinguish between viable and inactivated microorganisms, as well as assess if they are pathogenic. Propidium monoazide (PMA) is a DNA intercalating dye that is cell membraneimpermeable, thus it only comes in contact with the DNA of dead cells. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifies specific sequences of DNA allowing for the precise identification of organisms, such as pathogens. Through binding of DNA, PMA strongly inhibits PCR amplification of dead cells, which enables the selective DNA‐based detection of viable pathogens. Therefore, …

Developing Monitoring Methods For Leptasterias Spp. As Sentinel Species In Detecting Local Environmental Changes, Zachary Sturbaum, Kathryn Nuessly, Riley J. Smith, C. Sarah Cohen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Leptasterias spp., a six-rayed sea star, is found in rocky intertidal habitats ranging from Alaska to central California. Leptasterias spp. can be monitored on a broad scale throughout their range by a variety of means using timed counts and random plot censusing in order to detect both large-scale and local-level changes in the environment due to climate change, land-based human activity, or other environmental events. Leptasterias brood their young externally until the embryos grow into fully developed juveniles. These juveniles disperse by crawling away, limiting their dispersal potential. This localized dispersal provides an opportunity to use Leptasterias spp …

Classification Of Multi-Domain Glycoside Hydrolases To Aid In The Enzymatic Production Of Biofuels From Biomass, Emi Leonard, Gregg Beckham, Deanne Sammond, Michael Crowley

STAR Program Research Presentations

Biomass conversion to renewable biofuels provides an alternative to conventional fossil-fuel based transportation fuels and a means to reduce dependence on foreign oil. However, plant cell walls have evolved to be quite resistant to enzymatic deconstruction, a phenomenon generally termed biomass recalcitrance. As enzymes represent a substantial cost in biofuels production, there is significant impetus to understand and improve their efficiency in converting cell wall carbohydrates to fermentable sugars. Much research has been conducted on single "free" enzymes with one catalytic unit per protein and on the much larger, complexed "cellulosomes" with many tens of catalytic units per protein, but …

Testing The Salinity Tolerance Levels Of Similar Invasive Species Found In The San Francisco Bay, Julia M. Smith, C. Sarah Cohen, Elizabeth Sheets

STAR Program Research Presentations

Testing the salinity tolerance levels of similar invasive species found in the San Francisco Bay

Julia Smith^1,2, Elizabeth Sheets², and C. Sarah Cohen²

¹Department of Teacher Education, California State University, Sacramento ²Department of Biology and Romberg Tiburon Center, San Francisco State University

Three non-indigenous colonial ascidian species, Botrylloides violaceus, Botrylloides diegensis, and Botryllus schlosseri, have become well established in San Francisco Bay. Two species, B. violaceous and B. schlosseri, are globally distributed, and understanding the salinity ranges and tolerances of these successful invaders in their introduced habitats is important for …

Further Development Of The Chemical Mixture Methodology (Cmm) Wizard, Sarah Horn, Cliff Glantz, Xiao-Ying Yu, Alex Booth

STAR Program Research Presentations

Title: Further development of the Chemical Mixture Methodology (CMM) Wizard – an on-line tool

Sarah Horn, University of Colorado, Boulder

The Chemical Mixture Methodology (CMM) program was developed to ensure individuals’ safety in the event of a chemical release into the atmosphere. The CMM uses Health Code Numbers (HCN) and user entered chemical concentrations to calculate hazard indices (HIs). The HIs indicate the level of adverse health effects an individual could experience from exposure to a mixture of chemicals. Current focus is on furthering development of the CMM Wizard, an online application that allows a user to input information about …

Population Density Of Carcinus Maenas In Seadrift Lagoon, Khalila Sailor, Gregory Ruiz

STAR Program Research Presentations

Seadrift Lagoon is a small private community located within the Stinson Beach community of Marin County in Central California. Its seclusion provides the perfect getaway for wealthy San Franciscans and the invasive European green crab, Carcinus maenas. It is believed that Seadrift Lagoon harbors a seedling population of Carcinus maenas capable of spreading these invader along the west coast of the United States and Canada. In 2009, collaborated efforts were made to eradicate this invasive crab from Seadrift Lagoon by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), Portland State University, and the University of California, Davis. This is an assessment …

Leds And Astronomy, Britny N. Delp, Stephen M. Pompea

STAR Program Research Presentations

Using a Czerny-Turner spectrometer, 45 different types of outdoor lights were categorized. These spectra were used to determine how useful the light is to human eyes and how dark skies friendly these lights are. Dark skies friendly lighting means that little to no light shines above a right angle to the light, and should emit as little as possible below 500nm (green) wavelengths. The short wavelengths present a problem to astronomers in the form of Rayleigh scattering. The following criterion were used in selecting the best source for urban and rural lighting: color rendition measured by color rendering index (CRI), …

Size And Weight Changes Of Leatherback Hatchlings Among Emergence Groups, Shane Morales, Kelly Stewart

STAR Program Research Presentations

In ideal leatherback sea turtle nests, all the hatchlings move together as a single group through the sand to leave the nest. Often, though, hatchlings emerge in two separate groups hours or days apart while others remain stuck in the sand where they may die unless they are dug out (excavation). First emergence groups spend the shortest amount of time in the sand while excavated hatchlings spend the longest amount of time in the sand (typically three days longer than first emergence hatchlings). Individuals from each of the separate emergences were weighed and measured (carapace only) in order to compare …

Steroids And Ssris In Wastewater And Ee2 Uptake In Fhm, Elizabeth Ellen Wittenberg, Irvin R. Schultz

STAR Program Research Presentations

Pharmaceuticals have been found in waste water treatment plant (WWTP) effluents and there are scientific studies that indicate at least some of these chemicals have adverse effects on fish health. Two groups of pharmaceuticals that currently cause concerns are natural and synthetic steroids and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Fathead minnows (FHM) are a common species of fish used for research and ethynyl estradiol (EE2) is a synthetic estrogen known to cause decreased fertility in fish. FHMs were exposed to EE2 for time periods between 0.25 hours to 144 hours in order to study uptake and disposition in this species. …

Characterization Of A Vibrio Fischeri Aminopeptidase And Evidence For Its Influence On An Early Stage Of Squid Colonization, Pat M. Fidopiastis, Bethany A. Rader, David G. Gerling, Nestor A. Gutierrez, Katherine H. Watkins, Michelle West Frey, Spencer V. Nyholm, Cheryl A. Whistler

Biological Sciences

Vibrio fischeri cells are the sole colonists of a specialized light organ in the mantle cavity of the sepiolid squid Euprymna scolopes. The process begins when the bacteria aggregate in mucus secretions outside the light organ. The cells eventually leave the aggregate, enter the light organ, and encounter a rich supply of peptides. The need to dissociate from mucus and presumably utilize peptides led us to hypothesize that protease activity is integral to the colonization process. Protease activity associated with whole cells of Vibrio fischeri strain ES114 was identified as the product of a putative cell membrane-associated aminopeptidase (PepN). To …

How Do Host Sex And Reproductive State Affect Host Preference And Feeding Duration Of Ticks?, Nicholas B. Pollock, Larisa K. Vredevoe, Emily N. Taylor

Biological Sciences

Parasitism is one of the most notable forms of symbiosis in the biological world, with nearly all organisms hosting parasites. In many vertebrates, males have higher ectoparasite burdens than females, especially when testosterone concentrations are elevated. Furthermore, reproductive females may have higher ectoparasite burdens than non-reproductive females. It is possible that testosterone-stimulated behaviors in males and offspring investment by females incur energetic costs that inhibit immune function. If questing ticks can sense host sex or reproductive condition prior to attachment, they could potentially choose hosts with the poorest immune function, thereby leading to improved feeding success and decreased feeding duration. …

High School Horticulture Curriculum, Margaret Maratsos

Horticulture and Crop Science

Horticulture is just one of the many topics covered in a high school agriculture curriculum, and yet, there are very few lesson plans or resources available to teachers for these classes specifically. The objectives of this project were to compile a set of lesson plans, lab plans, and tests that would emphasize interactive and investigative learning. The lesson plans were written in such a way that they reflected a certain set of standards, set down by the state of California, and were meant to serve as a bare outline of topics that would be discussed within a week’s worth of …

In Vivo And In Vitro Digestibility Of A Complete Pelleted Feed In Horses, Cassandra Renee Sweeney

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

COMPLETION OF AN IN VIVO DIGESTIBILITY TRIAL IN HORSES AND IN VITRO DIGESTIBILITY ASSAY DEVELOPMENT

Cassandra Renee Sweeney

In vivo analysis of equine feed digestibility has been the gold standard since the late 1800's, although it can be time consuming, costly, and labor intensive. In vitro digestibility analysis may be more economical and beneficial to both feed manufacturers and consumers. The availability of accurate in vivo data is crucial for critical evaluation and validation of any potential in vitro method (Coles et al., 2005). Ten adult American quarter horse geldings were used in the in vivo digestibility evaluation of …

Improved Microalgal Biomass Harvesting Using Optimized Environmental Conditions And Bacterial Bioflocculants, Derek C. Manheim

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

IMPROVED MICROALGAL BIOMASS HARVESTING USING OPTIMIZED ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND BACTERIAL BIOFLOCCULANTS

DEREK CONTE MANHEIM

The cost and energy balance of microalgae biofuel production is sensitive to the algae harvesting method, among many other factors. Bioflocculation and settling of suspended microalgae cultures is a harvesting method with potentially low cost and energy input. However, bioflocculation (the spontaneous flocculation of algal cells without chemical addition) has not been a reliable process with cultures grown in ponds. To provide insights to help improve algae settling, factors affecting the settling of algae were investigated in the laboratory using pure cultures of two common …

The Abundance And Distribution Of Gelatinous Zooplankton In The San Francisco Estuary, Amalia Borson, Lindsay Sullivan, Wim Kimmerer

STAR Program Research Presentations

Until recently, gelatinous zooplankton were not considered important components of the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) foodweb. However, anecdotal evidence, ongoing research, and a few published reports and papers suggest an increase in their abundance over the last 10 to 20 years. Of particular interests are three species of introduced hydromedusae (Blackfordia virginica, Maeotias marginata, and Moerisia lyonsi). All three inhabit the fresh to brackish regions of the estuary, including Suisun Bay, the channels of Suisun Marsh, and the western Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and are seasonally abundant throughout late summer and fall. As a result, they overlap …

Simplified Microbial Mats: Unraveling A Complex Community One Alga At A Time., Donna A. Dela Calzada, Brad M. Bebout, Angela Detweiler

STAR Program Research Presentations

Microbial mats are the oldest known ecosystems with an over 3.4 billion-year fossil record. Understanding their structure and function will help us better understand the biological evolution of life on early earth. They are rich in diversity (phylogenetically and physiologically) ranking amongst the most complex systems on earth. In this investigation, we aim to develop an effective method to study microbial mat organisms in relatively uncomplicated ecosystems that mimic the way they grow in nature. By growing “simplified microbial mats” on polypropylene cloth, we are able to observe the range of biogeochemical processes of a single species in a biogeochemical …

Nutritional Content Of Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca Monocerata) Bill Loads, Dustin Taylor, Ron Heintz

STAR Program Research Presentations

Nutritional Content of Rhinoceros Auklet Bill Loads

Dustin E Taylor

Abstract

An adult Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) can only catch and carry a limited amount of prey to their nestlings after a foraging trip. The auklets therefore must maximize their efficiency by bringing back the most proportionally nutritious prey items to their nestlings. The prey carried back to the nesting sites (known as a ‘bill load’) can contain whole fish, as well as parts, most commonly fish heads. This study is aimed to determine whether returning with just heads to the nestlings was proportionally more nutritious than bringing …

Effects Of Pristane On Growth Of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha), Brielle D. Kemis, Bonita Nelson

STAR Program Research Presentations

Pristane is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon that is generated by copepods in marine ecosystems. Organisms that eat copepods do not readily metabolize pristane, which causes it to accumulate throughout the marine food web. Understanding how pristane affects marine fish is essential because pristane is often used as a bioindicator in lab studies and may be influencing results in those studies. Also, this hydrocarbon may significantly reduce growth of marine fish in the wild. A previous study indicated that pristane is an appetite suppressant and growth retardant in fish. However, the study implemented a feeding regime with unnaturally high levels of …