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Biochemical And Enzymatic Studies Of The Midgut Serine Protease Aaspvii From The Aedes Aegypti Mosquito, James Thientoan Nguyen

Master's Theses

The Aedes aegpyti mosquito is an efficient biological vector of four known neglected tropical arboviruses: the yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Since the female mosquito can acquire multiple blood meals to complete the gonotrophic cycle, she can potentially infect multiple hosts. With the reemergence of these viruses, especially due to global warming, it is crucial to slow the spread of the mosquito and the blood-borne diseases she transmits. The Ae. aegypti mosquito relies heavily on midgut serine proteases that digest blood meal proteins to provide nutrients required for the egg laying process. The focus of this work is …

Recombinant Expression And Potential Autocatalysis Of Aedes Aegypti Trypsin-Like Serine Proteases (Aaspii And Aaspiv), Diane Francine Eilerts

Master's Theses

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can be found globally in tropical and subtropical urban areas and spread Zika, Dengue fever, yellow fever, and Chikungunya viruses. Current vector control methods are limited and nonspecific. The female Ae. aegypti mosquito uses blood meal proteins to obtain nutrients required for oogenesis; inhibition of the midgut trypsin-like serine proteases responsible for blood meal digestion may provide a novel method of vector control. Ae. aegypti blood meal digestion is complex and the role of uncharacterized serine proteases in blood digestion is unclear; specifically, a group of trypsin-like serine proteases (AaSPII–V) is expressed at constant levels before and …

A Taxonomic Revision Of Eastern North Pacific Softnose Skates (Arhynchobatidae: Bathyraja Ishiyama), James Desmond Stanley Knuckey

Master's Theses

Softnose skates (Rajiformes: Arhynchobatidae: Bathyraja Ishiyama) are the most diverse genus of skates, with 54 described species, and are readily distinguishable from their congeners by their relatively uncalcified and flexible rostral cartilages. Six species of Bathyraja are considered valid in the eastern North Pacific, including: deepsea skate, B. abyssicola, Aleutian skate, B. aleutica, sandpaper skate, B. kincaidii, fine-spined skate, B. microtrachys, Pacific white skate, B. spinosissima, and roughtail skate, B. trachura. As with other skate genera, the eastern North Pacific Bathyraja lacks a well-supported phylogeny, which leads to issues with setting catch limits and creating management plans. This study identifies …

Conservative Endodontic Access – Cone Beam Computed Tomography (Cbct)-Guided Preparation And Its Impact On Endodontic Referrals, Jeremiah M. Granados

Master's Theses

Conservative endodontic access (CEA) results in minimal access in comparison to traditional endodontic access (TEA) which is defined as straight-line access. Our survey suggested that while 81% of general dentists would prefer to restore a tooth that received a CEA preparation, only 33% considered it a determining factor for their endodontic referrals (100 out of 129 responded: Response rate 77.52%). To test our hypothesis that CBCT images aid endodontists in CEA preparation, 45 extracted molars were accessed by one endodontic resident using techniques of TEA (Group A), CEA (Group B) or CEA with preoperative CBCT images provided (Group C)(n=15 per …

Parent–Child Reciprocity? Parental Aggression And Oppositional Defiant Symptoms In Girls, Olivia J. Derella

Master's Theses

Objective. Evidence suggests that parents’ verbal aggression, corporal punishment, and inter-partner conflict are linked to children’s heightened conduct problems and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). While children mutually influence parenting, strength of bidirectional relationships among these specific behaviors have been inconsistent across gender; further investigation is warranted to understand links between parental aggression and girls’ ODD symptoms. The current study tests independent reciprocal effects between specific forms of parental aggression and girls’ ODD dimensions of oppositionality, antagonism, and irritability. Method. Annual data from the longitudinal Pittsburgh Girls Study were used to evaluate parental aggression and girls’ ODD symptoms in a …

An Examination Of Daily Dietary Intake And Swallow Function In An Older Adult Population, Lillian A. Barone

Master's Theses

This study aims to determine the relationship, if any, of daily dietary intake of adult individuals living independently in the community and swallow function/ dysfunction. It appears that individuals modify their diet as they age and the correlation between this awareness of diet modification and dysphagia is unclear. Using the Yale Swallow Protocol and a study specific questionnaire, this relationship was examined. The results indicate future research should focus on the bi-directional relationship between malnutrition and dysphagia in the aging, community dwelling population.

A Finite Element Analysis Of Maxillary Centers Of Resistance, Edward A. Cronauer

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

“You Don’T Just Eat ‘Em, You Get Match Ready With ‘Em”: A Content Analysis Of Alcohol, Food, And Non-Alcoholic Beverage Advertising In The United States During The 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil, Melissa M. Feulner

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Lipid 654 R And S Isoforms In Bacteroidetes Known To Produce Lipid 654, Anuj Camanocha

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Recovery Of Protein From Egg Yolk Protein Extraction Granule Byproduct, Irene Jennifer Kaufman

Master's Theses

In addition to proving an excellent source of nutrients, eggs are used in the food, cosmetic, and biotechnology industries for their rheological and bioactive properties. Much of the potential for the added value is in individual components of the egg, rather than the whole egg. At low speed centrifugation, yolk separates into two distinct fractions—granules and plasma. It is becoming increasingly popular in the industry to remove the plasma fraction of the egg yolk to use for its livetins, particularly immunoglobulin Y, leaving behind a granule by-product (“yellow cake”). Previous research has shown potential added-value from the granule fraction, especially …

The Design, Manufacture, And Testing Of A Novel Adhesion System For A Climbing Vehicle, Michael William Schier

Master's Theses

We present the design and fabrication of a prototype wall-climbing vehicle employing a unique combined locomotion and adhesion system in which the adhesive vacuum is transmitted through moving, perforated treads. Implementing the adhesion/drive system involved a broad range of design challenges, including: developing reliable sealing of sliding and static interfaces, understanding the frictional interactions between the drive treads and various vehicle components and surfaces on which they ride, as well as designing for lightness, manufacturability, and adjustability. The clean sheet design presented in this thesis was taken from concept to functioning prototype in less than 6 months, requiring a considered …

Ecosystem-Based Management In The Morro Bay Watershed And Estuary, Lucas Earle Crandall

Master's Theses

The following thesis discusses the implementation of ecosystem-based management, an emerging concept in the field of environmental planning and management, in the Morro Bay watershed and estuary. Ecosystem-based management offers solutions to problems associated with human interaction within the natural environment; former President Barack Obama advised by the National Ocean Council, Pew Oceans Commission Report and the US Commission on Ocean Policy, has mandated implementation of this concept in coastal and marine systems (National Ocean Council, 2016). The theory behind ecosystem-based management challenges many tenets of existing natural resource management. This thesis finds the concept of ecosystem-based management as favorable …

An Investigation Of Avian Wing Tip Vortex Generation Using A Biomimetic Approach, David Stewart Martin

Master's Theses

An experimental study has been conducted to develop a process allowing the creation of biologically accurate aerodynamic test models mimicking the slotted primary feather geometry of the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). Preserved examples of both a full Brown Pelican wing and a single primary feather were 3D scanned and digitally reconstructed using a combination of MATLAB and CAD software. The final model was then 3D printed as a collection of smaller components using a LulzBot TAZ 6 printer and Taulman3D T-Glase PET filament. After using various surface finishing techniques to improve the finish of all 3D printed parts, …

Anaerobic Fermentation Of Food Waste And Glycerol To Hydrogen, Eric Robert Krikorian

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Anaerobic Fermentation of Food Waste and Glycerol to Hydrogen

Eric Krikorian

Hydrogen has several well-known advantages as a fuel and chemical feedstock, but current methods of hydrogen production are costly and energy intensive. A potentially advantageous source of hydrogen is fermentation of organic wastes, especially any abundant, low-cost wastes with a high content of simple sugars. Molar hydrogen yields from fermenters (aka digesters) are affected by pH, organic loading rate (OLR), hydraulic residence time (HRT), and substrate type. A less studied process to increase yield is sparging with low-H₂ content gas to strip H₂ from the digester …

Development And Characterization Of Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel Mimics Under "Diabetic" Conditions, Shelby Gabrielle Kunz

Master's Theses

The development of tissue engineered blood vessel mimics for the testing of intravascular devices in vitro has been established in the Cal Poly tissue engineering lab. Due to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients and minimal accessible studies regarding the interactions between diabetes and intravascular devices used to treat vascular disease, there is a need for the development of diabetic models that more accurately represents diabetic processes occurring in the blood vessels, primarily endothelial dysfunction. This thesis aimed to create a diabetic blood vessel mimic by implementing a high glucose environment for culturing human endothelial cells from healthy …

Development Of A Sensor Readout Integrated Circuit Towards A Contact Lens For Wireless Intraocular Pressure Monitoring, Sung Tran

Master's Theses

This design covers the design of an integrated circuit (IC) in support of the active contact lens project at Cal Poly. The project aims to monitor intraocular eye pressure (IOP) to help diagnose and treat glaucoma, which is expected affect 6.3 million Americans by 2050. The IC is designed using IBM’s 130 nm 8RF process, is powered by an on-lens thin film 3.8 V rechargeable battery, and will be fabricated at no cost through MOSIS. The IC features a low-power linear regulator that powers a current-starved voltage-controlled oscillator (CSVCO) used for establishing a backscatter communication link. Additional circuitry is included …

Effects Of Food Consumption On Cell Proliferation In The Brain Of Python Regius, Stacy Star Habroun

Master's Theses

Neurogenesis is an important and vastly under-explored area in reptiles. While the ability to generate new brain cells in the adult mammalian brain is limited, reptiles are able to regenerate large populations of neuronal cells. Pythons exhibit a characteristic specific dynamic action (SDA) response after food intake with an increase in metabolic rate that facilitates processing the meal. Associated with this change in SDA, pythons (Python spp.) also exhibit impressive plasticity in their digestive and cardiovascular physiology due to the sheer magnitude of the increase in organ growth that occurs after a meal to speed digestion, absorption, and assimilation of …

Hand (Motor) Movement Imagery Classification Of Eeg Using Takagi-Sugeno-Kang Fuzzy-Inference Neural Network, Rory Larson Donovan

Master's Theses

Approximately 20 million people in the United States suffer from irreversible nerve damage and would benefit from a neuroprosthetic device modulated by a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). These devices restore independence by replacing peripheral nervous system functions such as peripheral control. Although there are currently devices under investigation, contemporary methods fail to offer adaptability and proper signal recognition for output devices. Human anatomical differences prevent the use of a fixed model system from providing consistent classification performance among various subjects. Furthermore, notoriously noisy signals such as Electroencephalography (EEG) require complex measures for signal detection. Therefore, there remains a tremendous need to …

The Population Genetics Of Morro Bay Eelgrass (Zostera Marina), Julia Gardner Harencar

Master's Theses

Seagrass populations are in decline worldwide. Zostera marina (eelgrass), one of California’s native seagrasses, is no exception to this trend. In the last 8 years, Morro Bay, California has lost 95% of its eelgrass. Eelgrass is an ecosystem engineer, providing important ecosystem services such as sediment stabilization, nutrient cycling, and nursery habitats for fish. The failure of recent restoration efforts necessitates a better understanding of the causes of eelgrass decline in this estuary. Previous research on eelgrass in California has demonstrated a link between population genetic diversity and eelgrass bed health, ecosystem functioning, and resilience to disturbance and extreme climatic …

Facial Morphology As A Determinant Of Anchorage Control, Jonathan Norman Dzingle

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

La Madre Competitiva: An Experimental Study Of Women's Competitiveness In Medellin, Colombia, Miranda I. Lambert

Master's Theses

Abstract: This project is a follow up to Cassar, Wordofa, and Zhang (2015), which aimed at testing whether extending incentives beyond cash would alter the estimated competitive tendencies of men and women. Here we extend this work to an urban Colombian setting. In the previous study conducted in China, men have proven more competitive than women; however, once the incentive changes to a child-benefitting voucher, women increased their likeliness to compete. This research uses statistical and regression analysis to test whether or not women become more competitive when competing for a voucher, which directly benefits their child as opposed to …

Income Shocks And The Acceptance Of Intimate Partner Violence In Indonesia, Matthew N. Krupoff

Master's Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive issue affecting 1 in 3 women worldwide. Despite the negative welfare impacts, it is still seen as acceptable in some parts of the world, even amongst women. This paper examines how elastic these accepting attitudes towards IPV are to changing economic conditions. Specifically, this paper focuses on changes in intra-household resources from negative shocks to male-sourced income. The setting and context takes place in coastal communities in Indonesia, where fishing is a main source ofincome generated primarily by men. This paper uses satellite-derived fishing conditions to measure how women's attitudes towards IPV change …

Agricultural Technology Adoption And Adaptation Under Climate Change: Microevidence From Niger, Berenger Djoumessi Tiague

Master's Theses

Many regions of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are experiencing fast increases in human population pressure and urbanization. By 2050, feeding a planet of 9 billion people will require an estimated 50 percent increase in agricultural production. Farmers in in the Sahel are exposed to a highly variable weather over time, and to their limited adaptive capacity, therefore often use livestock as income generator, export earnings, and as insurance against weather risk. There is an increasing demand for livestock products, which increase pressure on crop residues use on the land. In this study, I use panel socio-economic data combined with village rainfall …

The Acquisition And Analysis Of Electroencephalogram Data For The Classification Of Benign Partial Epilepsy Of Childhood With Centrotemporal Spikes, Jessica A. Scarborough

Master's Theses

In this thesis, I will expand upon each step in the process of acquiring and analyzing electroencephalogram (EEG) for the classification of benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes. Despite huge advancements in the field of health informatics—natural language processing, machine learning, predictive modeling—there are significant barriers to the access of clinical data. These barriers include information blocking, privacy policy concerns, and a lack of stakeholder support. We will see that these roadblocks are all responsible for stunting biomedical research in some way, including my own experiences in acquiring the data for the second chapter of this thesis.

This second chapter …

Competitive Mothers: An Experimental Study Of Female Competitiveness And Polygamy In Togo (West Africa), Aminata Cissokho

Master's Theses

Are women in a patriarchal society like Togo as competitive as men? How does being a parent, in a polygamous vs. monogamous marriage and having high income affect one’s willingness to compete? With an incentivized experiment, we explore whether there are gender differences in selecting into competitive environments, especially when the incentives switch from cash to voucher. This experiment is conducted in Togo, West Africa, with 428 subjects including females-males, parent-non parent. Overall, the findings reveal no significant differences between the females and males’ willingness to compete. Female parents are more competitive than male parents regardless of the incentive. Subjects …

Gender Differences In Willingness To Compete: Experimental Evidence From Bosnia, Boris Jokic

Master's Theses

Abstract: This research examines gender differences in willingness to compete with differing incentives . The results of previous experiments show that women are significantly less competitive, even when they perform equally well as men. However, in these experiments cash was the only incentive provided. Therefore, we investigate what happens to gender differences in willingness to compete when we switch the incentive from cash to non-cash prize. Similar to Cassar, Whordofa, and Zhang (2016) who found that women become equally competitive as men when incentive is related to wellbeing of their children, we find that the gender gap in competitiveness still …

Embodying The Oppressed And The Oppressor: Critical Mixed Race Studies For Liberation And Social Justice Education, Gwendlyn C. Snider

Master's Theses

This study will focus on the educational and social experiences of mixed race Filipinx PEP (Pin@y Educational Partnerships) instructors in the San Francisco/Bay Area and the connection of these various, lived experiences to their teaching pedagogy and praxis in Ethnic Studies curriculum. The main purpose of this research is to create additional evidence for the need of critical mixed race studies and acknowledgement of mixed race students’ unique experiences to be valued and included in Ethnic Studies curriculum. In addition, the research will also serve as reaffirmation of not only the efficacy of Ethnic Studies curriculum but also the need …

With Language Brings Light: Narratives By Deaf Ethiopians And Their Right To Sign Language, Jackie M. Eugster

Master's Theses

The goal of this case study is to share the narratives of Deaf individuals in Ethiopia and how the Deaf community uses Deaf Community Cultural Wealth in order to explore and flourish in audist and colonized spaces. This study engaged photovoice, in a participatory action research technique that can empower and enhance the community’s sense of identity (Wang & Burris, 1997). This study considers the influence of American missionaries and how colonization of African nations has also influenced the trajectory of Deaf education in Ethiopia. Moving away from deficient thinking, DCCW attempts to reframe the Deaf experience as one that …

Development And Application Of A 30-Year Vegetation Dataset To Assess The Impacts Of Fence Removal Within The Kruger To Canyons Biosphere Reserve, South Africa, Helaine M. Linden

Master's Theses

Maintaining habitat heterogeneity is favorable when conserving protected areas due to its positive relationship with biodiversity. Fence removal across protected areas improves connectivity and allows herbivory to occur over a larger landscape extent. In the mid-1990’s, reserves within the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (K2C) removed their fences, becoming connected to Kruger National Park (KNP). The fundamental research objective was to determine how fence removal influenced the vegetation dynamics within the reserves residing in the K2C. We had three goals: 1) determine if multiple satellite sensors could be used within the TIMESAT program to provide robust vegetation metrics that measure …

Predictors Of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease In Children And Adults: Findings From The Continuous National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey Nhanes 2001-2006, Lina Jaradat

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.