Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Native Parasitoids And Rearing Diet Efficacy For The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Halyomorpha Halys, Zachary R. Donais

Master's Theses

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) Halyomorpha halys (Stål), (Hemiptera; Pentatomidae) is an insect native to Asia. It was first discovered in the United States in the mid-1990s near Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was found in Connecticut in 2008 and since then numbers have continuously grown to where the pest is becoming an agricultural problem. A study was done to detect what native parasitoids attack the BMSB. Two different parasitoids were detected along with numerous accounts of egg predation. A second study focused on the effect of rearing diets on BMSB development. Time to maturation and longevity were significantly affected by …

The Relationship Between Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure And Asthma Severity Among The Pediatric Population In Connecticut, Christtopher Hammel

Master's Theses

Background: Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure (STSE) has been associated with an increased incidence of asthma exacerbations, but the relationship between STSE and asthma severity is less clear.

Objective: To determine whether STSE is associated with asthma severity in children living in Connecticut who have physician-diagnosed asthma and to examine whether it is modified by common markers of community-level socioeconomic status (SES) using the Five Connecticuts study.

Methods: The Easy Breathing database identified 32,691 children with physician-diagnosed asthma living in 161 towns in Connecticut. This large database was linked by participant zip code to census data, allowing classification by community, with …

The Effect Of Vitamin D On Blood Pressure At Rest And In Response To A Peak Graded Exercise Test, Braden Armstrong

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Separation And Characterization Of Reconstituted Skim Milk Powder Treated With Mineral Chelators, Amy Kringle

Master's Theses

The proteins found in milk are largely important in the functionality of many dairy products and dairy processes. The casein micelle system in milk is a complex and highly studied system. The micelle is thought to be a sponge like structure containing four caseins, α_s1, α_s2, β, and κ casein, and bound together with colloidal calcium phosphate. When a chelating agent such as a citrate, phosphate, or polyphosphate are added to milk systems, the CCP is bound to the chelator and removed from the micelle. It has been shown through past research that the use of …

Effect Of Lactose Source, Lactose Level, And Type Of Emulsifying Salts On The Properties Of A Processed Cheese Product, Gabrielle Alyss Gunter

Master's Theses

Previous studies on the use of nonfat dry milk, whey protein concentrate 34 and lactose powders in processed cheeses or cheese analogs found that increasing the percentage of lactose was associated with an increase in browning and crystallization. There has been little work done of the effects of lactose in processed cheese functionality. Therefore, the objective of this research is to build on and understand the effects of lactose from by three commercially produced dairy powders (nonfat dry milk (NFDM), whey protein concentrate 34 (WPC), lactose) and two different emulsifying salts on properties of processed cheese. Processed cheeses were made …

Determining The Optimal Combination Of Lifting Method And Intensity For Power Production During The Hang Clean 2016, Thomas P. Murray

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal combination of lifting method and load intensity for power production during the hang clean. Twenty college students (18 male, 2 female) performed one set of three repetitions of the hang clean at four different intensities for each method while standing on a force platform embedded in the floor. Intensities were set at 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80% 1RM and the methods tested were Contact, where the participant maintained contact with the force platform throughout the lift, and Jump, where the participant jumped through the pull phase of the lift and …

The Effect Of Descriptive Norms On Resistance Exercise Self-Efficacy In College-Aged Females 2016, Justin Kompf

Master's Theses

Resistance training is a form of physical activity that provides substantial health benefits. Despite these widespread benefits, participation in resistance training is considerably low, particularly among females. To engage in a skill-related activity such as resistance training, individuals need to have confidence in their abilities. Self-efficacy is a cognitive construct that is used to describe situation-specific self-confidence. Descriptive norms are a type of social norm that describes the behavior of others. Descriptive norms have been useful in positively changing health related behaviors. The exact mechanism of how descriptive norms alter behavior is unknown. However, it has been show in research …

Effects Of A Twelve Week Aerobic And Strength Training Intervention On Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy, Sherilyn M. Sommerville

Master's Theses

Chemotherapy is one of the most effective cancer treatments to date; however, it has the potential to produce debilitating life-long side effects. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a side effect caused by toxic chemotherapy agents that deteriorate the peripheral nerves of the body. Research has suggested that aerobic and strength training may be able to alleviate some of the symptoms associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Some of the benefits of both aerobic and strength training include increasing blood and nutrient flow to the peripheral nerves, which could help restore sensation and alleviate the some symptoms of chemotherapyinduced peripheral neuropathy. However, to …

Effect Of Reduced Sodium Cheese On The Growth Of Pathogenic Bacteria And Inactivation Of Listeria Innocua Using Supercritical Fluid Extraction With Co2, Suyapa Padilla Antunez

Master's Theses

Listeria monocytogenes continues to challenge the dairy industry in causing post-process contamination of cheeses. To reduce risk of contamination, it is crucial to understand the growth and survival of pathogenic bacteria in cheese products and to develop post-process mitigation strategies. This study evaluated the fate of pathogens in reduced and regular sodium Mozzarella cheese, and the potential of Supercritical Fluid Extraction with CO₂ (SFE) to reduce Listeria innocua on Mozzarella and Queso Fresco. The survival of L. monocytogenes, Salmonella, and E.coli O157:H7 (2-3 log CFU/g) in reduced sodium Mozzarella (1.62%), compared to regular sodium Mozzarella cheese (2.15%) …

Nutrition And Health-Related Quality Of Life In Older Adults In The Us, Nhanes 2009–2012, Jessica Anne Hews

Master's Theses

Few studies have investigated the relationship between diet quality and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), especially in the older adult population that is most at risk for poor diet and health. Self-perceived HRQOL is a more powerful predictor of morbidity and mortality than objective measures of health. The aim of this thesis was to examine the association between nutrition-related factors (especially diet quality) and HRQOL in community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and above. This research used cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010 and 2011-2012 cycles to select and include diet quality variables, meal-related variables, …

Pink And Dude Chefs: Impact Of A Nutrition And Culinary Education Program With Middle School Students In An Afterschool Setting, Jessie R. Bierlich-Wesch

Master's Theses

The epidemic of adolescent obesity has become one of the greatest public health concerns in the United States. Approximately 20.5% of adolescents of both sexes aged 12-19 years are considered obese. Higher rates of obesity are evident in ethnic minority and lower income status children with the highest prevalence among Hispanic/Latino and Black populations. The causes for obesity are multifactorial in nature and highlight disparities nationwide. These factors include socioeconomic status, education, environment, availability and access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and behavior patterns. Successful intervention methods that have reduced the impact of adolescent obesity have incorporated nutrition knowledge and …

Cortical And Psychological Mechanisms Of Visceral Pain, Kelly L. Polnaszek

Master's Theses

Objective: Dysmenorrhea is an incapacitating type of visceral pain that affects numerous menstruating women and is defined by painful menstrual cramps and often occurs in the absence of pelvic pathology. Women with dysmenorrhea have reported higher sensitivity to experimental pain, and vulnerability to pain sensitivity may be a primary risk factor for developing chronic pelvic pain for women with dysmenorrhea. Cross-organ sensitization (COS), or the theory that uterine inflammation during menstruation can contribute to chronic pelvic pain by generating neurogenic inflammation in other organs, may be a primary mechanism associated with pelvic pain in women with dysmenorrhea. Dysmenorrhea sufferers with …

Lipoate Metabolism In Staphylococcus Aureus Pathogenesis, Maria Azul Zorzoli

Master's Theses

Lipoate is an essential cofactor of several proteins involved in cellular energy homeostasis and catabolism. Lipoate metabolism has been linked to pathogenesis in some microbial species, but its role in Staphylococcus aureus infections had not been explored. In this thesis, we tested the hypothesis that lipoate acquisition mechanisms promote S. aureus infectivity. We used a bacterial genetics approach to elucidate the biological function of the S. aureus genes involved in lipoate metabolism. Our findings allowed us to propose a model for lipoic acid de novo biosynthesis and salvage pathways in S. aureus. Moreover, we detail hitherto undescribed genetic arrangements of …

Group-Level Differences Of Moral Foundations, Jeremy Winget

Master's Theses

Previous research has started to map the moral domain for individual actors. In particular, Haidt and colleagues (Haidt, 2007, 2008; Haidt & Graham, 2007; Haidt & Joseph, 2004) have extended the moral domain beyond the traditional notions of justice and rights concerns. From this line of research, moral foundations theory emerged, which holds moral intuitions derive from innate psychological mechanisms that co-evolved with cultural institutions and practices. However, to date, there has not been a systematic demonstration of how these moral foundations operate within intergroup settings. Janoff-Bulman and Carnes (2013) have proposed a comprehensive model of the moral landscape that …

Evaluation Of A Silica Hydride Based Diol Stationary Phase For High Pressue Liquid Chromatogrphy, Kathleen Talbott

Master's Theses

The impact of chromatography across many scientific fields and applications is limitless. It is a vital everyday separation, characterization, and purification tool for many scientists worldwide. Innovations in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) stationary phases have led to more diverse separations essential to many fields including the pharmaceutical industry and research. Silica hydride based stationary phases have been shown to display both reverse phase (RP) and aqueous normal phase (ANP) chromatographic behavior. This is a result of both the silica hydride surface and the bonded phase. The goal of this work was to characterize silica hydride based diol stationary phases …

Testing Camera Trap Density Estimates From The Spatial Capture Model And Calibrated Capture Rate Indices Against Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Spp.) Live Trapping Data, Timothy A. Walker

Master's Theses

Camera trapping studies often focus on estimating population density, which is critical for managing wild populations. Density estimators typically require unique markers such as stripe patterns to identify individuals but most animals do not have such markings. The spatial capture model (SC model; Chandler & Royle, 2013) estimates density without individual identification but lacks sufficient field testing. Here, both the SC model and calibrated capture rate indices were compared against ten sessions of live trapping data on kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp). These camera and live trapping data were combined in a joint-likelihood model to further compare the two methods. From …

Evaluation Of A Silica Hydride-Based Undecynoic Acid Stationary Phase For High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Veena Menon Kozhikote

Master's Theses

Undecynoic acid (UDA) attached to a silica hydride surface has been found to exhibit weak cationic exchange properties and an aqueous normal phase (ANP) type of retention. ANP is a mechanism similar to normal phase chromatographic retention, except for the use of a polar solvent such as water in the mobile phase. In ANP, the retention of a polar molecule is increased with a higher concentration of the non-polar mobile phase solvent (usually acetonitrile). Non-polar molecules exhibit retention behavior as in reverse phase (RP) chromatography. The goal of this research was to characterize the chromatographic retention pattern of an undecynoic …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Silica Hydride-Based Pentynoic Acid Stationary Phase, Nasrin Syed

Master's Theses

High performance liquid chromatography is an important analytical technique used for the separation and identification of components in a mixture. The aim of this research project was to synthesize and characterize a silica hydride-based pentynoic acid stationary phase. Analytical techniques like elemental analysis and diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFT) were used to confirm the success of bonding between silica hydride and pentynoic acid moiety. The pentynoic acid Si-H column allows for retention of both polar and non-polar compounds by carefully selecting the concentration ratio of organic solvent to water in the mobile phase. The characterization of the column …

Revisiting Community Water Fluoridation, Jessica Marie Seyfried

Master's Theses

There is a bourgeoning controversy unknown to many surrounding one of the CDC’s top ten public health achievements of the 20^th century. After more than 50 years of implementation, community water fluoridation may not have achieved the declines in caries rates we once thought or hoped for, especially in light of alternative approaches to preventing caries including but not limited to other sources of fluoride supplementation, changes in diet, and tooth brushing behavior.

In fact, a survey of past research highlights the fact that this policy decision may be based on out of date and/or a lack of research …

The Multidimensionality Of Schoolgirl Dropouts In Rural Bangladesh, Tiffany Yancey

Master's Theses

This thesis outlines the underlying causes for girl dropouts in the secondary school system of rural Bangladesh and assesses the barriers that affect adolescent girls and their families. The complex dynamics of the historical context within the patriarchal-dominant structure of society creates a system that hinders girls’ education and forces them into marriage at an early age. Poverty and lack of parental involvement in schools, as well as societal traditions and lack of government infrastructure play an enormous role and are the main structural factors that are linked to schoolgirl dropouts in this study. This thesis also analyzes previous education …

Una Legua Cuadrada: Exploring The History Of Swanton Pacific Ranch And Environs, Jeanine Marie Scaramozzino

Master's Theses

Swanton Pacific Ranch is an educational and research facility owned by the Cal Poly Corporation and managed by the Cal Poly State University (Cal Poly) College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. Located about 180 miles north of campus and just 14 miles north of Santa Cruz, California on Highway 1, the property was first leased to and then donated to Cal Poly by the late Albert E. Smith in 1993. The rancho’s original inhabitants included Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, as well as various European immigrants and their descendants; currently, the staff, faculty, and students of Cal Poly occupy the …

Management Strategy Evaluation For The Atlantic Surfclam, Spisula Solidissima, Using A Fisheries Economics Model, Kelsey M. Kuykendall

Master's Theses

The Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima, is an economically valuable bivalve harvested along the northeastern United States. The surfclam’s range has contracted and the center of the stock’s distribution has shifted north driven by warmer bottom water temperatures. Declining landings per unit effort (LPUE) in the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) is one result. Declining stock abundance and LPUE suggest that overfishing may be occurring off New Jersey. The objective of this project is to perform a management strategy evaluation (MSE) for Spisula solidissima. The terminal goal is to identify a preferred management option that promotes enhanced surfclam productivity in the …

Gut Microbiota Of Migratory Passerines At Stopover, William Bagley Lewis

Master's Theses

Although the gut microbiota provides many beneficial functions to animal hosts, relatively little is known about the gut microbiota of passerines. It is likely that gut microbes are especially important during the migratory phase; however gut atrophy experienced during prolonged migratory flight may cause disruptions of the stable microbiota. Fecal samples were collected from several species of passerine after crossing the Gulf of Mexico during spring migration and before crossing during fall, and microbiota communities were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. Despite showing large inter-individual variation, a core microbiota composed largely of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria was identified in all birds. Microbiota …

Bioarchaeological Analysis Of Oak View Landing (40dr1): An Archaic Population In The Kentucky Lake Reservior, Katy D. Grant-Mclemore

Master's Theses

The biocultural examination of the Archaic population recovered at Oak View Landing (40DR1) investigates the lifeways and adaptations of prehistoric people as they reflect sociopolitical and subsistence strategies.

A comprehensive bioarchaeological analysis was conducted on the adult individuals (18 males, 16 females, 16 of indeterminate sex) excavated from a multiple occupation site located along the Tennessee River in Decatur County, Tennessee. Skeletal indicators used to understand biocultural phenomena were assessed macroscopically on cranial and postcranial elements. Furthermore, mortuary data, for adults and subadults, were used to determine any patterns of preferential treatment at death.

Results from this study indicate that …

An Integrated Drought Index (Idi) Incorporating Physical And Social Aspects, Rebecca L. Lanier

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to determine significant bio-physical (physical and environmental) and social variables that can be integrated into a drought index to predict areas susceptible to drought. Severe drought events are capable of causing millions of dollars in damage. The 1988 drought caused the United States approximately $40 billion in damage. Drought forecasting, modeling, and detection have, therefore, become imperative to understand the social, economic and environmental impacts of droughts, and also to explore how these impacts play a role in the occurrence of a drought. A number of drought indices widely used in the U.S. rely …

Paleopathology At The Shady Grove Site (22qu525): A Study Of Health In The Upper Yazoo Basin During The Middle Mississippian Period, Christopher Brady Davis

Master's Theses

The Mississippian Period (AD 1000-1539) is characterized by increasingly sedentary populations, mound building, ranked societies, and intensified agriculture. As agriculture spread throughout the Eastern Woodlands, it led to widespread health consequences, including poor nutrition and increased levels of infection. Also, environmental shifts during the Mississippian Period (AD 1000-1539) caused drier conditions, potentially leading to crop failures further exacerbating nutritional problems.

This thesis focuses on the health of the Shady Grove site in the Upper Yazoo Basin, a Middle to Late Mississippian medium sized mound center where an ossuary containing up to 100 individuals was excavated in 2010. Focusing only on …

Maternal Effects And Offspring Behavior: Potential Contributors To The Lack Of Recruitment In Mississippi Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus Polyphemus), Aaron L. Holbrook

Master's Theses

Federally threatened in Mississippi, gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations within the state have strongly variable recruitment and are generally in decline. Hatching success is significantly lower in Mississippi than in any other part of the species’ range , and most hatchlings die within the first year. There are few refuges where survival and hatching success is high. Here I compare two populations that differ in recruitment and offspring survival for differences in corticosterone. Corticosterone is a hormone that influences both energy availability and is released in elevated levels during stressful events, like living in poor quality habitat. Prolonged corticosterone elevation …

Feeding The South: An Assessment Of Food Availability In Rural Mississippi, Nicole Baiza Lawrence

Master's Theses

The overall goal of this project is to investigate Mississippi’s rural food environment by assessing the food resources available to rural Mississippians. The primary objectives were to identify sample locations in each of the four cultural regions of Mississippi and determine the food resources available to residents of those counties. The intellectual merit of this research lies in its in-depth exploration of food accessibility in rural areas. Though there is a wealth of literature on the topics of urban food access and food deserts, very little research has been done in rural areas. Most studies focus on urban environments which …

Burial Chronological Sequencing Of The Colonial Maya Cemetery At Tipu, Belize Using Fluoride Ion Analysis, Nicole Musselwhite

Master's Theses

This thesis ascertains the sequence of burials using fluoride ion electrode analysis at the colonial cemetery at Tipu, Belize in order to explore demographic and other cultural effects associated with European contact. The cemetery at Tipu in west central Belize, dating from within the first century of Spanish contact, has provided one of the largest and best preserved Maya skeletal series, with over 500 burials recovered. While this series has undergone vast amounts of analysis, there has yet been an analysis conducted to view how patterns changed over time. This is of interest given the rapid culture change associated with …

Digestibility Of Two Complete Pelleted Diets By The Horse (Equus Caballus) As A Model Animal For Nondomestic Hindgut Fermenters, Emily M. Schwartz

Master's Theses

Estimating nutrient and energy requirements of exotic animals is a necessary component of nutrition management in zoos and other wildlife facilities. In the absence of species-specific data, domestic animal models are often referenced. Herbivorous hindgut fermenters, such as horses, zebra, and rhinoceros, rely on microbial fermentation in the cecum and colon to utilize dietary structural carbohydrates. The study objective was to measure the digestible energy of two (LOW, HIGH) complete pelleted diets by the horse as a model for nondomestic hindgut fermenters. Seven, individually housed, adult Quarter Horse (Equus caballus) geldings were assigned to one of two diets as 100% …