Digital Commons Network^™

Life Being An International Student In The United States: Acculturation, Culture Shock, And Identity Transformation, Lai Yan Vivyan Lam

Master's Theses

The population of international students at community colleges in the United States has increased significantly over the past decade. International students play a big role in building the cultural diversity on campus by bringing over different cultures and sharing their global perspective to the local community. However, they often face challenges adapting into American culture due to cultural differences in education system, language, lifestyle, etc. By looking into the acculturation process of international students to analyze the culture shock and cultural identity changes they experienced, this paper intends to seek ways to help this group of students to ease their …

Exploring Employment Equity: Diversity & Inclusion In Canada’S Legislation & Policy, Vanessa Toussaint Miller

Master's Theses

Multiculturalism is considered very much a part of Canada’s national heritage and identity, becoming the first nation to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy in 1971. Over the last 40 years, the Canadian population has undergone significant changes bringing in immigrants with different cultures, ideologies, religions and ways of life. Despite the various changes in society, the multiculturalism policies have remained the same. This thesis examines Canada’s Employment Equity-a policy intended to eliminate systemic discrimination in the workplace-and its effectivity at creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. The main research question is, in the past five years, has Employment Equity …

The Role Of Orphan Nuclear Receptor Dax-1 (Nr0b1) In Human Breast Cancer Cells: Expression, Proliferation And Metastasis, Erin Dishington

Master's Theses

The orphan nuclear hormone receptor DAX-1 (Dosage Sensitive Sex Reversal, Adrenal Hypoplasia Congenita on the X Chromosome, gene 1) plays an important role in the development of adrenal and gonadal tissues and functions as a global negative-regulator of steroidogenesis. In addition, it is known to be involved in several diseases including some cancers. Herein, we describe our examination of the role of DAX-1 in breast cancer, specifically its influence on proliferation and metastasis and its expression during progressive stages of disease. In an effort to understand how DAX-1 influences breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, we used MCF7 breast cancer …

Oxygen Isotopic Composition Of Nitrate Produced By Freshwater Nitrification, Danielle Boshers

Master's Theses

Identifying sources of nitrate (NO₃^-) in the environment is important to elucidate causes of water quality impairment and eutrophication. Measurements of naturally occurring stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (¹⁵N/¹⁴N) and oxygen (¹⁸O/¹⁶O) in NO₃^-, can be used to determine the sources, dispersal, and fate of natural and contaminant NO₃^- in aquatic environments. To this end, it is necessary to know how NO₃^- isotopologues are modified by biological reactions, as heavy and light isotopes have different reaction rates. One important microbial reaction that …

Il-17a And The Receptor Are Regulated By Runx3 During Fracture Healing, Satoko Matsumura

Master's Theses

Enhancing bone repair is the key process which facilitates the improvement of fracture healing outcomes. Despite of many studies regarding osteogenesis induction, Bone morphogenetic proteins-2 (BMP-2) and Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) are still the only two the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment^{1, 2}. To develop potential treatment modalities, it is essential to understand the role of transcription factors in fracture healing and how they may be specifically targeted in preclinical models to enhance bone regeneration. While the Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) is known to play a crucial role in osteoblastogenesis, the role of Runx3, a homologue …

A Neuroprotective Role For Mir-1017, A Non-Canonical Mirna, Matthew De Cruz

Master's Theses

miRNAs are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, with numerous being involved in neurobiology. Within the human genome a quarter of the identified miRNA loci derive from a class of miRNAs termed tailed mirtrons. Despite the identification of this large population of miRNA, no functional studies have been conducted to identify their role. In this study we examined the highly expressed and deeply conserved Drosophila 3’ tail mirtron, miR-1017, as a candidate to elucidate tailed mirtron functionality. We identified acetylcholine receptor transcripts, Da5 and Da2, as bona fide targets for miR-1017. Interestingly, Da2 is also the host transcript for miR-1017. We …

Interfacing A Hirudo Medicinalis Retzius Cell With Insulated Gate Of Mosfet, Rachel M. Smith

Master's Theses

Much work has been done to study the external stimulation of nervous tissue as well as the transmission of neural signals to electronics. Peter Fromherz was one of the pioneers in this area of electrophysiology, with a series of experiments in the 1990s that aimed to characterize and optimize the interface between neural tissue and transistors. In this thesis, Kurt Sjoberg and I interfaced a Retzius cell isolated from a Hirudo medicinalis ganglion with the insulated gate of a MOSFET. The goal was to see change in membrane potential that could be related Fromherz’s original 1991 work. Our experimental setup …

Examining Movement Dynamics Of The Gulf Menhaden Fishery Using An Individual-Based Model, Robert D. Trigg Iii

Master's Theses

This study investigates the movement and harvest dynamics of the Gulf Menhaden Brevoortia patronus fishery. The fishery-dependent data collected by NOAA (years 2006-2009 and 2011) describe vessel-specific information on catch locations (latitude and longitude) and magnitude of harvest in metric tons (mt). A series of probability distribution functions (PDFs) were fit to the frequency distributions of number of harvests per day (Poisson), between-harvest distances (gamma), and harvest magnitude (log-normal). These analyses were used to inform an individual-based model (IBM). The IBM was run under several different spatial restriction regimes, including (1) current regulations in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama; (2) …

A Microdebitage Analysis Of The Winterville Mounds Site (22ws500), Stephanie Leigh-Ann Guest

Master's Theses

The Winterville Mounds site (22WS500) was a civic ceremonial center of 23 mounds and is located near Greenville in northwest Mississippi. Winterville excavations as field schools are ongoing since 2005 under the direction of Dr. H. Edwin Jackson of The University of Southern Mississippi. Examination of the >1/4" (6.35 mm) mesh screened lithic material provided mixed results of reduction stages and lacked variety of non-local materials (Guest 2006, Winter 2009, McClendon 2012). Authors of these analyses called for the examination of the 1/16” (1.58 mm) water-screened lithic material to identify reduction stages and traces of non-local materials to provide evidence …

Effects Of Temperature On Growth And Molting In Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) And Lesser Blue Crabs (Callinectes Similis), Abigail Ann Kuhn

Master's Theses

Temperature can exert impacts on many processes in ectotherms. With global temperatures rising due to climate change, many ectothermic species may exhibit changes in growth rates and size at maturity, and these changes can have population-level effects. Predicting responses of species to climate change will require not only knowledge of thermal tolerance limits, but also effects of temperature change on growth rates and other life history parameters. For arthropods that exhibit discontinuous growth (i.e., molting), this includes both intermolt period and growth per molt. Previous laboratory and field experiments suggest that temperature affects both intermolt period (IMP) and growth per …

Reassessment Of The Red Drum Stock In Mississippi Coastal Waters: The Role Of Ages 3-5 Year-Class Fish, Emily Satterfield

Master's Theses

Red Drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, are highly sought after by sport fishermen in Mississippi coastal waters. In 2016, Mississippi anglers made over 180,000 fishing trips targeting Red Drum, making it the second most targeted marine species. The current Fishery Management Plan of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, prohibits harvest of Red Drum in federal waters. Monitoring of the stock in Mississippi state waters occurs at sites that are almost exclusively estuarine, using gear types selective for juvenile fish. Additional samples come from the for-hire-industry that typically targets larger Red Drum. This project’s goal was to target age three …

Combined Effects Of Dissolved Oxygen And Temperature On Aerobic Respiration And Respiratory Recovery Responses Of The Spioniform Polychaete, Streblospio Gynobranchiata, In Relation To Body Size, Alyssa Bennett

Master's Theses

Elevated surface temperatures exacerbate the threat of hypoxia within coastal ecosystems. These two primary stressors likely interact as they elicit opposing physiological responses from marine organisms. Metabolic depression is typically associated with hypoxia, while metabolic rates increase with temperature. Moreover, physiological effects of combined stressors may not be additive. In light of increasing pressures from hypoxia, elevated ocean temperatures, and other stressors within coastal regions, studies need to examine effects of multiple stressors on physiology of coastal organisms.

Mass-specific aerobic respiration (V_O2) was characterized as a proxy for metabolic cost of Streblospio gynobranchiata, at combined levels of …

Manufacturing And Instrumentation Of An Open End Compressed Air Shock Tube, Josue O. Ruiz

Master's Theses

Shock tubes have been used extensively to study shock wave structures and high speed flow features. The purpose of constructing this open end shock tube was to have the ability to produce shock waves in a laboratory setting but also understand the exit flow coming out which can be applied to future studies that are beyond the scope of this work. This undertaking would require that an open end shock tube be built and instrumented with PCB Integrated Circuit Piezoelectric (ICP) Pressure Sensor Model 113B24 that would then be connected to a PCB Model 482C05 Signal Conditioner with the purpose …

Sex Differences In Collateral Remodeling Following Hindlimb Arterial Occlusion, Laura Burckhardt

Master's Theses

Clinical evidence indicates a higher incidence of peripheral arterial occlusive disease and associated likelihood of critical limb ischemia in women, as well as worse prognosis and decreased survival post myocardial infarction. Therefore, understanding the possible differences in underlying vascular compensation mechanisms is crucial. With arterial occlusions, necrosis and tissue injury can be naturally mitigated by the collateral circulation, improving patient prognosis. Previous sex-comparison studies describing differences in vascular remodeling are inconsistent. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the effect of arterial occlusion on collateral remodeling in healthy male and healthy reproductive-stage female mice. At 7 days following …

Spatiotemporal Variability In The Macroinvertebrate Community Of A Small Coastal California Stream, Little Creek, Davenport, California, John Patrick Hardy

Master's Theses

Macroinvertebrate community structure was characterized along the channel gradient of a headwater stream in a coast redwood forest on Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch in Davenport, California. The significance of physical habitat characteristics in describing macroinvertebrate assemblage structure was assessed in an effort to create a framework to better understand the expected biological response to riparian canopy manipulation. Seven study reaches were established in 2015. These study reaches were evenly spaced throughout the Little Creek watershed, an approximately 4.8 km² drainage characterized by steep inner-gorge areas and dense riparian vegetation. Macroinvertebrate samples were collected seasonally (i.e., spring, summer, and …

Influences Of Anthropogenic Noise On Flight Initiation Distance, Foraging Behavior, And Feeder Community Structure Of Wild Birds, Alissa R. Petrelli

Master's Theses

Throughout the world, birds represent the primary type of wildlife that people experience on a daily basis. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that alterations to the acoustic environment can negatively affect birds as well as humans in a variety of ways, and altered acoustics from noise pollution has the potential to influence human interactions with wild birds. In this thesis, I investigated how anthropogenic noise impacts daily behavior as well as community structure of wild birds. In the first component of this thesis, I assessed the distance at which a bird initiates flight or escape behavior (i.e., flight …

Computer-Aided Diagnoses (Cad) System: An Artificial Neural Network Approach To Mri Analysis And Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease (Ad), Berizohar Padilla Cerezo

Master's Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic and progressive, irreversible syndrome that deteriorates the cognitive functions. Official death certificates of 2013 reported 84,767 deaths from Alzheimer’s disease, making it the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. The rate of AD is estimated to double by 2050. The neurodegeneration of AD occurs decades before symptoms of dementia are evident. Therefore, having an efficient methodology for the early and proper diagnosis can lead to more effective treatments.

Neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect changes in the brain of living subjects. Moreover, medical imaging techniques are the …

The Influence Of Talker Expectations And Acoustic Variability On Speech Perception In Asd, Anders Hogstrom

Master's Theses

Speech perception is dependent upon the ability to map the sensory features of a speech signal onto the perceptual features which make up language (i.e., phonemes). A great deal of research over the past six decades has focused on how variability across talkers influences speech processing. Listeners are required to normalize the acoustic variability across talkers by continuously updating the mapping from the acoustic signal to phonetic representations. As such, processing speech from multiple talkers is cognitively more demanding than listening to a single talker. This processing cost appears to reflect, in part, the influence of listeners’ expectations that speech …

#Sayhername: Negotiating Issues Of Victimhood, Violence, And Visibility, Carol Ann Jackson

Master's Theses

This thesis analyses both news articles and tweets discussing #SayHerName and both implicit and explicit discussions of race, gender, and sexuality. Prior research on media representations of race, gender and violence has found that black women have been denied visibility as victims in unilateral media portrayals of gendered violence, which has contributed to the social problem of black women’s marginalization as their experiences of injustice become invalidated. This denial is not directly stated, rather it functions through a use of controlling images which reproduce racist, sexist, and heteronormative media messages by naturalizing black women as devious, promiscuous, and aggressive. This …

Evaluating The Success Of Making Equitable, Predictable, And Transparent Development Decisions By Encouraging Community And Stakeholder Collaboration Through Two Participatory Design Case Studies, Samantha Stewart

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to use participatory design strategies throughout the design process in order to make fair, transparent, and successful design outcomes. Participatory design is an approach that encourages actively involving all stakeholders, clients, community members, and site users to make sure the solution meets their desires and needs. This approach is used in two community based projects; the Ecological Screen in Fairfield, CT and Wolcott Park in West Hartford, CT. For my research I completed a series of stakeholder and client meetings, public workshops, and surveys in order to educate the public and build a strong …

Enhancing Phylogenetic Resolution With Taxonomic And Geographic Characterization Of The Chilean Species Of The Cicada Genus Tettigades, Katherine Nazario

Master's Theses

The Patagonian cicada genus Tettigades, although abundant and diverse, was poorly documented until Torres (1958) reviewed the species of the genus, describing 17 new species and redescribing others. His review provided useful insights on variation and distribution of species in the genus. However, despite Torres’ efforts, some species descriptions remained vague and many lacked descriptions of morphological variation within or among populations.

The goal of this thesis is to compile, evaluate, and integrate previous work with new data to serve as a reference for future studies of this genus. Morphological, geographical, and molecular data are combined in order to treat …

Assessing The Effect Of Nutritional Interventions On Body Composition Changes During Pregnancy In Moderately Malnourished Malawian Women, Megan K. Kitagawa

Master's Theses

Background: Malnutrition can affect the body composition changes that occur in healthy pregnancy, resulting in adverse effects to both the mother and infant. Supplementary foods with high quality protein may result in more favorable changes in lean mass and fat mass in pregnant malnourished women.

Objective: To retrospectively assess changes in body composition in moderately malnourished pregnant Malawian women in response to one of three nutritional interventions.

Methods: Height, weight, MUAC, and TSF were measured in pregnant women with MUAC >20.6 cm and19) were compared using ANOVA. If differences were detected, differences between groups were tested using the Tukey HSD …

Immunohistochemistry And Electron Microscopy Of Rat Palatine Glands Development, Zaki Hakami

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Identifying And Reducing Variability, Improving Scaffold Morphology, And Investigating Alternative Materials For The Blood Vessel Mimic Lab Electrospinning Process, Evan M. Dowey

Master's Theses

The work of the Cal Poly Tissue Engineering Lab is primarily focused on the fabrication, characterization, and improvement of “Blood Vessel Mimics” (BVMs), tissue engineered constructs used to evaluate cellular response to vascular medical devices. Currently, cells are grown onto fibrous, porous tubes made using an in-house electrospinning process from PLGA, a biocompatible co-polymer. The adhesion and proliferation of cells in a BVM is reliant on the micro-scale structure of the PLGA scaffold, and as such it is of great importance for the electrospinning process to consistently produce scaffolds of similar morphologies. Additionally, it has been shown that cell proliferation …

Proteomic Analysis Of The Crustacean Molting Gland (Y-Organ) Over The Course Of The Molt Cycle, Talia B. Head

Master's Theses

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 the molting hormones, ecdysteroids, by the YO. Analysis of gene expression in the XOs and YOs has led to the development of a proposed molecular signaling pathway which regulates ecdysteroidogenesis and subsequent molting in crustaceans. In this study, changes in protein abundance in the YO were characterized over the course of a molt cycle (intermolt, early premolt, mid premolt, …

Sex Differences And The Effects Of Exercise Training On Functional Vasodilation Following Arterial Occlusion In The Balb/C Mouse Spinotrapezius, Britta Nelson

Master's Theses

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) often presents as intermittent claudication, which may be caused by impaired vasodilation. Impairment of resistance vessels may contribute to the pathogenesis of PAOD, and explain the poor correlation between resting blood flow and limb function. Collateral function following arterial occlusion is not well defined, however collaterals and arterialized collateral capillaries (ACCs) in male and female animal models exhibit impaired vasodilation following arterial occlusion, which can potentially be improved with exercise training. Furthermore, resistance vessels in the ischemic tree and stem are likely involved in the pathogenesis of PAOD, however the relative importance of each is …

Exploring The Relationship Of Urban Form And Mental Health In The 500 Largest Cities Of The United States, Daniel Sam Harrison

Master's Theses

Sustainable development efforts frequently focus on understanding and promoting the factors that influence health and wellbeing. Urban environments have received attention in recent years as spaces which can increase psychological distress. Despite hypothesized reports of urban environments being less conducive to good mental health then natural environments, few studies have investigated the effects of urban form characteristics (size, density, nuisances, transportation, and housing characteristics) and mental health measures at the city level. Using 2014 data from the 500 largest cities in the United States, this thesis evaluates the relationship between urban form and aggregate self-report scores of poor mental health. …

X Chromosome Dosage Compensation And Gene Expression In The Sheep, Kaleigh Flock

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Physiological And Behavioral Responses To Fear In A Virtual Reality Fear Conditioning Paradigm, Emily Errante

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of New England Oyster Aquaculture On Sediment Nitrogen Cycling: Implications For Nitrogen Removal And Retention, Amanda Marie Vieillard

Master's Theses

In this three-year, seasonal study of sediment nitrogen (N) biogeochemistry, we used stable isotope techniques to measure the N cycling reactions nitrification, denitrification (DNF), and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). Rates were compared to dissolved inorganic nitrogen exchanges between the sediment and overlying water to assess denitrification efficiency (DE). All measurements were performed on sediments underlying (oyster) and removed from (control) oyster aquaculture in two oyster farms in the Northeast, USA.

Overall, DNF was small relative to release of DIN from sediment to the overlying water. Based on DE, both sites were found to favor N recycling over N …