Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Bacterial Metabolites In Conditioned Media On Colon Cancer Proliferation, Hunter Panier

Master's Theses

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States with colorectal cancer (CRC) being the third most common type. Available treatments include a combination of surgery and chemotherapy but have debilitating side effects. These also have limited effectiveness in some cases, creating the need for additional treatment options, or supplementary treatments to increase their effectiveness. This is leading scientists to consider the microbiome to fix this shortcoming. Current research is focusing on the microbiome and its interactions with certain diseases, which could lead to pro- or prebiotic therapies. This work aims to establish specific bacterial species can …

Using Zebrafish As A Model System For Studying The Autism Risk Gene Adnp In Early Embryonic Development, William Theune

Master's Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a group of debilitating neurodevelopmental disorders, estimated to affect 1 in 54 children. Despite the identification of many autism-risk genes, the underlying mechanisms for ASD remain unclear. One of the most common forms of ASD is associated with de novo mutations in the ADNP gene (Activity-Dependent Neuroprotector Homeobox; accounting for 0.17% of ASD individuals). Termed ADNP syndrome, this disorder is characterized by intellectual disability, facial dysmorphia, and is comorbid with multiple organ system deficits. We set out to use zebrafish as a model organism to gain mechanistic insights into ADNP function. Zebrafish have the advantage …

Evaluating Changes In Reactive Oxygen Species (Ros) As A Plausible Mechanism Underlying The Effect Of Noise On The Dopamine System In The Hub For Central Auditory Processes, Bridget Doe

Master's Theses

Excessive exposure to noise leads to hearing loss but the mechanism by which this happens remains unknown. Presently, dopamine, a neurotransmitter widely known for its involvement in learning and reward-based actions, has also been linked to auditory processes in the inferior colliculus, a principal integration center for hearing and related processes. Preliminary data from our research laboratory, has demonstrated that exposure to deafening noise leads to decreased dopamine release in the inferior colliculus, thus implicating the dopamine system in hearing loss. One plausible mechanism underlying this noise-induced alteration in dopamine neurotransmission could be via excessive production of reactive oxygen species …

Synthesis Of Functionalized Ionic Liquids For Coal Dissolution And Pretreatment, Michael Franklin

Master's Theses

Brown coal (lignite) is a bulk organic mixture of conjugated hydrocarbons that are complexed together via hydrogen bonds. Coal [partial] dissolution is essential to the better utilization of low-rank coal for power sources because the direct combustion of brown coal is not energy efficient. To break hydrogen bonds of low-rank coal and make it partially soluble, this project evaluates a series of ionic liquids (ILs) with specific properties as non-volatile alternatives to conventional organic solvents. A series of nitrogen- and phosphorus-based cations have been synthesized via a nucleophilic substitution reaction, the resultant bromide-based IL being converted to an acetate-based IL …

Queerness In French Baroque Opera: The Relationship Between Achilles And Patroclus In Jean Baptiste Lully’S Achille Et Polyxène, Jason Thompson

Master's Theses

The myth of Achilles has long been considered a narrative model for homosexual relationships. Jean-Baptiste Lully set the story of Achilles and Patroclus to music in the first act of his last opera, Achille et Polyxène. In 17th-century France, various queer men held positions of significant influence, including members of the royal family, such as Louis XIII and Philippe of Orléans. Another powerful queer man was Louis Joseph de Bourbon, the duc de Vendôme who was part of an influential group of libertines. Lully entered the service of the duc in 1685, when he was banished from court after he …

Evaluating Marsh Restoration Success Using Structural And Trophic Metrics On Deer Island, Ms, Emelia Marshall

Master's Theses

Coastal marshes in the northern Gulf of Mexico provide essential habitat for various consumer species, however, land loss has severely degraded marsh habitat in this region. Few studies have examined restored black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus) marshes, such as those found in Mississippi (MS), and how they affect faunal inhabitants.

Restoration of Juncus-dominated marshes on Deer Island, MS sought to reestablish ecological functions with the intention of supporting natural consumer assemblages. To test this, quadrat and minnow trap sampling were used to compare invertebrate and nekton abundance, species richness, and diversity of two restored marshes (5+ yrs and …

Trophic Ecology Of Mesopelagic Fish Larvae And Juveniles In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Emily Gipson

Master's Theses

The deep-pelagic environment encompasses ocean waters below 200 m depth, and comprises 90% of the volume of the Gulf of Mexico. Deep-pelagic fishes are important prey for many oceanic consumers, but relatively little is known about their early life history, including larval fish trophic ecology. An understanding of the role deep-pelagic fish larvae have in oceanic food webs is important in the development of ecosystem models that examine the connectivity (via vertical migrations) between the deep-pelagic and epipelagic environments with respect to trophic interactions, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. In this study, archived plankton samples collected during 2010 and 2011 …

No More Shade: Deforestation And Rural-Urban Migration In Nigeria, Kambre Sims

Master's Theses

Some of the most well-documented motivating factors of migration in Nigeria include education, employment opportunities, and cultural conflicts. However, as the deforestation crisis has not improved and Nigeria has maintained its spot as the country with the most deforestation on Earth, access to critical forest resources may be in danger. In light of this crisis, this paper attempts to determine if deforestation has become a new motivating factor for migration as those in rural communities seek other avenues of obtaining those vital resources. Subsequently, Nigeria is also experiencing a housing crisis within its rapidly growing urban centers; obtaining and keeping …

Projecting Ecuadorian Cultures In Andean Dream: A Compositional Exploration Of Psycho-Ethnomusicology For Electronics And Chamber Ensemble, Daniela Paez

Master's Theses

The musical culture of Ecuador, despite being quite unknown to the world and to a great part of the Ecuadorian people, holds an unimaginable richness and diversity rooted in thousands of years of musical traditions. Mestizaje, the process of racial mixture that followed the European conquest, has encouraged homogeneity and uniformity. I am a part of this mestizo culture, that, in reality, does not hold the same worldviews as the diverse Indigenous Ecuadorian communities. The Kichwa community of Cotacachi, presented through musical materials in this thesis, experiences an undeniable connection between the rituals relevant to agricultural life, dance and music …

Exploring The Neurochemical Basis For Toluene-Induced Alterations In Accumbal Dopamine Neurotransmission, Kristofer Reiser

Master's Theses

Inhalants as environmental contaminants or recreational drugs pose a considerable health concern, but little is known about their mode of action. In 2011, a study from the National Institute for Drug Addiction revealed that an estimate of 21.7 million people aged 12 or older have used inhalants that contain high concentrations of volatile organic compounds, primarily toluene. These compounds can have debilitating impact on brain chemistry. While the impact of toluene on the central dopamine reward pathway has been already reported, the exact mechanism underlining the effect of toluene is still obscure. Towards this goal, the present work seeks to …

Indirect Impact Of Soil Microbial Communities On Plant-Aphid Interactions, Zachary Tiemann

Master's Theses

The community dynamics of soil micro-environments are influenced by root, fungal, and bacterial exudates that can preferentially select for functional classes of microbes. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM) fungi and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are members of this community form symbiotic relationships with plants and play an important role in triggering induced systemic resistance (ISR), resulting in defensive “priming.’ Consequently, ‘primed’ plants can activate stronger and faster defense responses to future attacks by pathogens and insects. The biological system in this study involved four genotypes of barrel medic plants (Medicago truncatula), pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum), and microbial communities present in …

Characterizing Of Monoamine Neurotransmitters At The Hub Of The Central Auditory System, Patrick Wilson

Master's Theses

In the United States, loss of hearing impacts approximately 48.1 million people. The cumulative effects of noise are experienced in every area of society whether occupational, environmental, or through aging. A number of studies have linked noise induced hearing disorders to changes in spontaneous neuronal activity in certain auditory brain regions, especially, the inferior colliculus, a region that integrates auditory inputs from both ascending and descending pathways. However, the exact neurochemical basis of these disorders remains elusive. Currently, there are several compelling pieces of evidence that implicate the monoamine neurotransmitter, dopamine, in auditory processing. Based on this data, we have …

Resistance To Rattlesnake Venoms In An Eastern Colorado Rodent Community, Neil Balchan

Master's Theses

The grasslands of eastern Colorado are inhabited by two species of rattlesnakes, the Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) and the Desert Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus tergeminus edwardsii). An array of rodent species, both native and introduced, also occupy these grasslands, and serve as a varied prey base for the previously listed rattlesnakes. Predator-prey interactions in this system gain an additional level of complexity due to the presence of venoms, a chemical arsenal possessed by both rattlesnakes to incapacitate their prey. Rodents in other systems have demonstrated resistance to snake venoms, and there is potential for a similar dynamic to be present in …

Cannabigerol Attenuate Methionine/Choline Deficient Diet- Induced Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Symptoms In C57bl/6 Male Mice Via Modulating The Expression Of Cannabinoid Receptors, Nouf Aljobaily

Master's Theses

Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) is the advanced and more aggressive form of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). NASH is associated with severe hepatic fibrosis and inflammation. Methionine/choline deficient (MCD) high fat diet is known to induce NASH in a short period of time without showing signs of metabolic syndrome. Cannabigerol (CBG) is a plant-derived, non-psychotropic cannabinoid that has a potential anti-inflammatory effect. Other hemp extracts reduce the progression of NAFLD to NASH, whereas the impact of CBG on NASH is still unknown. Therefore, these studies aim to 1. Evaluate the therapeutic potential of CBG on reducing hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. 2. …

Application Of Machine Learning Techniques To Forecast Harmful Algal Blooms In Gulf Of Mexico, Bala Tripura Sundari Yerrapothu

Master's Theses

The Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) forecast is crucial for the mitigation of health hazards and to inform actions for the protection of ecosystems and fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). For the sake of simplicity of our application we assume ocean color satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a proxy for HABs.

In this study we use a deep neural network trained on the 2-Dimensional time series proxy data to provide a forecast of the HABs’ manifestations in the GoM.Our approach analyzes between both spatial and temporal features simultaneously. In addition, the network also helps …

A Deep Learning-Based Automatic Object Detection Method For Autonomous Driving Ships, Ojonoka Erika Atawodi

Master's Theses

An important feature of an Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV) is its capability of automatic object detection to avoid collisions, obstacles and navigate on their own.

Deep learning has made some significant headway in solving fundamental challenges associated with object detection and computer vision. With tremendous demand and advancement in the technologies associated with ASVs, a growing interest in applying deep learning techniques in handling challenges pertaining to autonomous ship driving has substantially increased over the years.

In this thesis, we study, design, and implement an object recognition framework that detects and recognizes objects found in the sea. We first curated …

“I’Ll Make A Captain Among Ye, And Do Somewhat To Be Talk Of Forever After”: Female Civic Agency In Sir Thomas More’S Staged Insurrection, Heather Miller

Master's Theses

Sir Thomas More is an English chronicle play that has received far less critical attention than generically similar histories written by Shakespeare. Doll Williamson, the play’s strongest female character, assumes a leadership position in initiating, as well as ultimately quelling, the Evil May Day riots, which provide the play’s initial dramatic impetus. Despite the critical tendency to overlook or diminish the seriousness of her dramatic role in the play, including in the staged insurrection scene, I argue in this thesis that we should take the concerns that Doll articulates and embodies seriously from a feminist perspective. Furthermore, I place Doll’s …

Effects Of Adolescent Motivation And Personality On Adherence And Success In A Voluntary Residential Bootcamp Program, Lydia Sigurdson

Master's Theses

The Youth ChalleNGe Program is a voluntary program for adolescents who have dropped out of high school and is intended to address various needs of at-risk youth. As a result, individuals are motivated to enroll for an array of reasons. Though prior research on the Youth ChalleNGe Program has sought to identify individual factors that determine program outcomes, no study has considered motivation for enrollment as a predictor of program success. Further, personality traits related to goal setting and self-regulation may impact the relationship between motivation and program outcome. Archival data was gathered from 710 participants in the Youth ChalleNGe …

Inclusion Of Olive Or Coconut Oil In A High-Fructose High-Fat Diet Increases Liver Injury In A Pig Model Of Pediatric Nafld, Kayla A. Dillard

Master's Theses

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents the major cause of pediatric chronic liver pathology in the United States. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of partial substitution of dietary lard by an isocaloric amount of olive or coconut oil on endpoints of NAFLD. Thirty-eight 15-d-old Iberian pigs housed in pens balanced for weight and sex were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 3 hypercaloric high-fructose high-fat (HFF) diets for 10 weeks: 1) lard (LAR; n=5 pens), 2) lard + olive oil (OLI, n=10), and 3) lard + coconut oil (COC; n=10). Additional pigs (BSL, n=4) were …

Lotus: A Web-Based Computational Tool For The Preliminary Investigation Of A Novel Mst Method Utilizing A Library Of 16s Rrna Bacteroides Otus, Ginger Dewitte

Master's Theses

Microbial Source Tracking (MST) is a field of study that attempts to identify the source of fecal contamination in waterways in order to assist with development of remediation strategies. Biologists at Cal Poly Center for Applications in Biotechnology (CAB) are developing a new MST method using microbes from the genus Bacteroides. Bacteroides species are host-specific microorganisms that can theoretically be used to trace back to a single host species. After fecal samples are collected, biologists use Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques to obtain only the genetic sequences of microorganisms belonging to the phylum Bacteroidetes. Investigators hypothesize that similar sequences belong …

Found Media: Interactivity And Community In Online Horror Media 2021, Jax Mello

Master's Theses

Being isolated is a common fear. The fear can take many forms, from the fear of being the last one alive in a horrific situation to being completely deserted by everyone you love. This is a fear that has been showcased many different times in movies, novels, and every other piece of media imaginable. Although not always tied to the horror genre, the fear of being isolated is tightly intertwined with many horror stories. Therefore, it is interesting when a horror production goes out of their way to encourage interactivity within its audience. This goes beyond an artist’s desire for …

The Effects Of Increased Nacl Salinization On Riparian Plant Productivity And Decomposition Processes, Connor Gruntz

Master's Theses

NaCl salinization in inland ecosystems is increasing globally due to anthropogenic activity and may alter organism abundances and ecosystem processes. Because sodium is an essential nutrient for heterotrophs but not required by autotrophs, this salinization can alter species abundance and performance. Riparia may be particularly sensitive to increases in salinization. Here, I examined the Sodium Subsidy-Stress Hypothesis, which states that deviations from an organism’s optimal nutrient target can decrease abundance and performance, by studying the effects of NaCl salinization on plant chemistry, productivity, and decomposition rates in riparia. First, I selected three focal common riparian plants (water oak: Quercus nigra, …

Relationship Between Calcium Consumption From Dairy And Non-Dairy Sources On Bone Mineral Density Of College Students, Andrew M. Pescovitz

Master's Theses

Dairy product consumption has been on the decline for decades in the US and worldwide, and the increase in plant-based substitutes has grown substantially. Osteoporosis and the risk of bone fractures are serious public health issues. To date, little scientific-based studies have compared the relationship between calcium intake from dairy sources vs non-dairy sources and bone mineral density. The purpose of this study is to compare the relationships between calcium consumption from dairy vs. non-dairy sources and bone mineral density among college students. There was a total of 66 participants in the study including 15 (23%) males and 51 (77%) …

Natural And Experimental Noise Affects Acoustic Communication In Songbirds, Veronica Arlene Reed

Master's Theses

Background noise is ubiquitous and can impair acoustic communication and influence signaling behavior in animals. Despite evidence demonstrating myriad effects of anthropogenic noise on animal communication, precisely how natural background noise influences communication and behavior remains unclear. Yet, natural sources of background noise, such as rushing rivers or crashing ocean surf, share similar power spectra to sources of anthropogenic noise and can occur at high amplitudes, potentially masking acoustic signals.

To investigate the effects of water-generated noise on songbird behavior, we experimentally broadcast landscape-level playbacks of ocean surf and river noise in coastal California, USA, and riparian habitat in Idaho, …

Studying The Efficacy Of An Injectable 3-Dimensional Fibrin Extracellular Matrix To Characterize The Effects Of Antitumor Agents On Sw620 Cells In A Microfluidic Device, Thèo Anastos

Master's Theses

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and there is currently a lot of research going into new antitumor agents to kill the cancer. One method for replicating the tumor response to a drug in vivo is by creating an in vitro drug testing model to replicate the in vivo condition. This research project was conducted to determine the efficacy of testing tumor cultures in a microfluidic device as a way to provide accurate drug responses in vitro instead of using in vivo subjects in clinical trials. A total of four experiments were conducted with …

Adaptive Laboratory Evolution Of Scenedesmus Obliquus For Increased Carbohydrate Content And Biomass Productivity, Nahel Ali

Master's Theses

The economics of microalgal bioproduct commercialization would benefit from increased accumulation of energy storage compounds, such as carbohydrates and lipids, and increased biomass productivity. This thesis explores two adaptive laboratory evolution strategies for improving Scenedesmus obliquus: single UV-mutagenesis and low light cultivation at a high dilution rate to produce cultigens with greater carbohydrate content and iterative UV-mutagenesis and selection under outdoor conditions in a raceway pond at a high dilution rate to increase biomass productivity.

Two cultigens were generated with the goal of increased carbohydrate content: K5 and K7. Both were mutagenized for 5 seconds and cultivated in 50-mL …

Development Of A Robust Methodology To Obtain And Assess Myogenic Precursor Cells For Their Use In Regenerative Therapies, Ricardo Lasa

Master's Theses

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) is characterized by buildup of atherosclerotic plaque in peripheral arteries that leads to an occlusion that can interrupt the supply of blood to the peripheral tissue, causing downstream tissue ischemia/hypoxia. PAOD is estimated to affect over 200 million patients worldwide. Current surgical revascularization treatments can be effective in about half of the patient population, leading to a significant number of patients with no treatment options beyond pharmacological intervention and lifestyle modification. The decrease in blood flow downstream of the occlusion leads to increased blood pressure gradient in the microvasculature, specifically in vessels that connect arterial …

A Single-Stage Passive Vibration Isolation System For Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Toan T. Le

Master's Theses

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) uses quantum tunneling effect to study the surfaces of materials on an atomic scale. Since the probe of the microscope is on the order of nanometers away from the surface, the device is prone to noises due to vibrations from the surroundings. To minimize the random noises and floor vibrations, passive vibration isolation is a commonly used technique due to its low cost and simpler design compared to active vibration isolation, especially when the entire vibration isolation system (VIS) stays inside an Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) environment. This research aims to analyze and build a single-stage …

Estimating Food Waste Due To Food Safety Recalls And Investigating Ways To Minimize Negative Impacts, Mykayla Latronica

Master's Theses

For years the issue of food waste has been recognized and quantified; however, food safety issues often go unrecognized as a source of food waste. One objective of this research is to estimate quantities and monetary value of fruits and vegetables implicated in food safety recalls, and thus wasted. Using publicly available data we identified all recalls involving vegetable or fruit commodities contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, pathogenic E. coli, or Salmonella during 2015-2018. When quantities were provided, monetary value of recalled product was calculated using USDA ERS 2016 average retail prices. Although data limitations only allowed analysis of …

Your One Wild And Precious Life: The Prayer-Poems Of William Blake & Mary Oliver, Amanda Iacampo

Master's Theses

The poetry of illuminated printmaker William Blake is remembered long after his death and the passing of the Romantic Movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His collection, Songs of Innocence and Experience, examines individualism in celebration of the natural world and connections with God, or the divine, by using animals as subjects and metaphors for the human condition. Readers of Blake's work can see the influence of his "prayer-poems" in the works of other writers, such as the late American poet Mary Oliver, whose poetry is also rich in religious undertones. While Blake's "The Lamb" and its …