A Kinetic Study Of Anti-Vegf-A Polyclonal Antibodies And Anti-Vegf-A Ssdna Aptamers, Heather A. Hedeen

Master's Theses

A new detection reagent that could possibly augment or replace antibodies research and diagnosis methods are aptamers. Aptamers are ssDNA, RNA or polypeptide constructs that function like active antibodies. Antibodies and aptamers both specifically bind to selected target molecules, and as such they enable the detection or targeting of the presence or absence of a specific antigen.

In order to ensure that ssDNA aptamers perform similarly to antibodies, anti-VEGF-A polyclonal antibody and anti-VEGF-A ssDNA aptamer were evaluated against vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). It was hypothesized that the anti-VEGF-A aptamer had the same, if …

Teaching Introductory Programming Concepts: A Comparison Of Scratch And Arduino, Anne Beug

Master's Theses

Computing has become an integral part of modern America. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that between 2008 and 2018, the United States will have 1.4 million job openings in computing fields [1]. Since the early 2000's (just after the "dot com bust"), the number of students enrolled in computing majors (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, etc.) dropped precipitously by over 50%, only starting to rise again in 2009 [2]. One way to rectify to this gap between demand and supply is to start training students in computational thinking during high school. While the Computer Science Advanced Placement AB test has …

Mapping Plant Biodiversity Hotspots At The County Scale: A New Tool For Establishing Resource Conservation Strategies, Kristie Haydu

Master's Theses

Myers first identified the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots and pioneered innovative ideas about the usefulness of biodiversity models for establishing long-term resource conservation strategies at global scales. Since Myers, most of the subsequent studies using hotspot science for biodiversity modeling have used large spatial scales like countries, provinces or states, and other biogeoraphic regions. The California Floristic Province continues to be one of the recognized global biodiversity hotspots. Our study site, San Luis Obispo County is within this hotspot and we created a map of plant biodiversity hotspots at the county scale using GIS technology. We wanted to determine the …

Mid-Twentieth Century Residential Development In San Luis Obispo, Allison Dean Zike

Master's Theses

San Luis Obispo’s mid-century spanned the years beginning in the Great Depression and ending during the post-World War II housing boom. During this time the City grew in population and in size, adding several acres of land and thousands of single-family residential parcels. This research presents a chronological representation of the City’s growth, as well as key events in the City’s history. Residential development in the mid-century brought several new styles of architecture to the City including Mid-century Modern and Prairie homes among others. These architectural styles are detailed and presented in order to identify and guide the preservation of …

Growing Gardens: Botanical Gardens, Public Space And Conservation, Terra Celeste Colburn

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the history of botanical gardens and their evolution

from ancient spaces to the modern gardens of the 20th century. I provide a brief

overview of botanical gardens, with a focus on the unique intersection of public

participation and scientific study that started to occur within garden spaces during

the 20th century, which still continues today. I reveal the history of gardens that

influenced the uses of gardens today, with a focus on: the first ancient gardens

and the dependency societies had on them, the influence of science in gardens

starting in the Enlightenment period, the shift away …

Assessment Of Site And Soil Characteristics Of Rill Erosion Following The Lockheed Fire In The Little Creek Watershed, Swanton Pacific Ranch, Lynette Kristine Niebrugge

Master's Theses

The Lockheed Fire occurred in August 2009, burning 7,819 acres of the coastal mountains north of Santa Cruz, California. The fire burned a large portion of the Scotts Creek watershed, including over 90 % of the Little Creek watershed, much of which is on Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR). After intense winter rains in 2010 there was a significant amount of hillslope-derived sediment deposited on the roads and in the creek. A large portion of this material was derived from two chaparral hillslopes. These hillslopes were identified as the only two hillslopes within the Little Creek subwatershed where an …

Application Of A Heuristic Method To A Water Distribution System For Determining Optimal Water Quality Monitoring Locations, Lawrence David Johnson

Master's Theses

Although regulations and requirements for water quality source monitoring have increased, drinking water distribution systems can still be considered vulnerable to purposeful or accidental contamination.

This study analyzes the transport of the hypothetical contaminant Cryptosporidium through the distribution system of a city with a population of 30,000 to 50,000 in an attempt to locate the optimal monitoring locations in the distribution system. Cryptosporidium was selected due to its resistance to chlorine and it’s conservative properties for vulnerability assessments. The method for selecting the optimal monitoring locations was taken from Chastain (2004) which developed and examined the method for a virtual …

A New Computational Model To Augment The Design Of Microfluidic Separations: Electric Field Assisted, Hydrodynamic Chromatography, Jeffrey D. Wells

Master's Theses

This project encompasses the implementation of a computational model to simulate the microfluidic separation of like-charged particles in a continuous flow environment. By accomplishing this task the model can be used to optimize future fractionations by tailoring the process parameters to the properties of the target particles. The primary goal of this project is to develop a vectorized code within Matlab® that captures a sufficient quantity of the physics in separations to assist with the optimization and design of microfluidic systems.

This project differs from other computational models in that it utilizes a personal computer to run the simulation in …

Cascaded High Voltage Converter With Variable Control For Pulsed Electric Field Applications, Emmanuel Loza

Master's Theses

Living a sustainable lifestyle while facing increasing population and decreasing natural resources has become one of humanity’s largest challenges. Locating fossil fuels is becoming more difficult while the demand for them to power our societies is ever increasing. Instead of finding more efficient methods of extracting fossil fuels, developing technologies that create renewable substitutes for fossil fuels is now the strategy. Algae biofuel matches fossil fuel performance while also meeting the criteria for renewable energy. The focus now shifts to finding methods for commercially producing algae biofuel. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to develop a system that provides …

Feasibility Study Into The Use Of 3d Printed Materials In Cubesat Flight Missions, Daniel Fluitt

Master's Theses

The CubeSat Program has provided access to space for many universities, private companies, and government institutions primarily due to the low cost of CubeSat satellite development. While these costs are orders of magnitude lower than similarly capable nano-satellite missions, they are still outside of the budgetary constraints of many potential developers including university and high school clubs. Using 3D printed plastics in the production of CubeSat structures and mechanisms presents a large cost savings opportunity that will allow these institutions to participate in the development of these satellites, expanding the educational and scientific impact of the CubeSat Program.

Five rapid …

The Characterization Of Biofilm Attachment To Metal Interfaces: Effects Of Substratum Properties, Marcel D. Mendes

Master's Theses

Bacteria are among the most abundant microorganisms on earth, and can be found in essentially every environment. When a clean surface is exposed to media containing planktonic bacteria, the bacterial cells will attach to the surface and aggregate to form what is known as a biofilm. Biofilms have been shown to negatively affect many industries including medical, industrial, and food science applications. While biofilms have been well characterized from a microbiology perspective, there has been much less research from a materials science standpoint. It is hypothesized that the material properties of the substratum (such as the micro-structure) have a significant …

Preparation And Characterization Of Electrospun Poly(D, L-Lactide-Co-Glycolide) Scaffolds For Vascular Tissue Engineering And The Advancement Of An In Vitro Blood Brain Barrier Model, Deven Chandrakant Patel

Master's Theses

Developing an in vitro Blood Brain Barrier model that will replicate the physiological, anatomical, and functional characteristics of the native BBB has gained significant attention. Such a model would enable prediction of the penetration of CNS targeting drug candidates across the BBB, allow pre-screening and optimization strategies to be developed for new drugs and gene delivery formulations, and permit research groups to further understand how a dysfunctional BBB is involved in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases.

The Tissue Engineering laboratory at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo is currently in the process of developing a dynamic in …

A Proteomic Analysis Of Differentiation In The Mammary Epithelium, Laura Therese Strand

Master's Theses

While a great deal is known about the changing hormonal environment and the structural development of the mammary gland from pregnancy to lactation, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms governing differentiation of the mammary epithelium into a milk-secreting phenotype. It is important to acknowledge the diversity among the mammary glands of different species in order to better understand applications in human health and the dairy industry. In this study, we examined global protein expression during two states of differentiation in mammary epithelial cells from two species: in vitro proliferating and differentiated MAC-T cells (a bovine immortal cell-line), and …

Development And Characterization Of Phospholipid Encapsulated Quantum Dot Constructs For Biologic Applications, Laura C. Sparks

Master's Theses

DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PHOSPHOLIPID ENCAPSULATED QUANTUM DOT CONSTRUCTS FOR BIOLOGIC APPLICATIONS

The American Cancer Society predicts that 577,190 cancer-related deaths and 1,638,910 newly diagnosed cases of cancer will occur in 2012. As these statistics show, cancer is a prevalent and devastating health issue; determined by the Mayo Clinic to be the second leading cause of death in the United States. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. In 2012 more than 68,000 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma, 48,000 will be diagnosed with an early form of the disease that has not yet …

Seasonal Food Habits Of Burrowing Owls (Athene Cunicularia) In Human-Altered Landscapes, Carie Marie Wingert

Master's Theses

In 2004, I initiated a year-long study to investigate the food habits of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia). Burrowing owls have been found in a variety of human-altered landscapes; however, little is known about burrowing owl food habits in urban landscapes. Burrowing owl food habits during the non-breeding season are also largely undocumented, despite increasing concern over the survival of overwintering burrowing owls. Differences in prey consumption between reproductive and non-reproductive owls during the breeding season have not yet been examined. I collected pellets over a 12 month period at four study sites affected by different levels of human …

Botanic Garden User Outcomes: A Means-End Investigation, Christopher Lee Wassenberg

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Botanic Garden User Outcomes: A Means-End Investigation

Christopher Lee Wassenberg

This study explored the outcomes that Leaning Pine Arboretum users experience from visiting the botanic garden. Understanding visitor motivations and benefits has been a focus in the field of outdoor recreation, and the subject of a number of botanic garden and green space visitor studies. Previous studies have found that visiting a botanic garden can serve as a coping strategy for dealing with and reducing life stress (Holbrook, 2010; Kohlleppel, Bradley, & Jacob, 2002; Maller, Townsend, Pryor, Brown, & St Leger, 2005) and that visiting public outdoor green spaces …

Physiological Politics: Stress And Dominance Responses To Political News, Erin Strauts

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of S-Ribosyl-L-Homocysteine And Analogs Modified At The Homocysteine-C3 Position, Ruoyi Liu

Master's Theses

Quorum sensing (QS) is a process of bacterial cell-to-cell communication that conveys population density information in order to coordinate gene expression to produce synchronized behaviors. QS regulates the expression of virulence genes in many species of bacteria; hence, the manipulation of QS pathways may lead to treatment options against many bacterial diseases. The LuxS enzyme converts S-ribosyl-L-homocysteine (SRH) into homocysteine (HCys) and 4(S),5-dihydroxypentane-2,3-dione (DPD), which is the precursor of autoinducer-2 (AI-2). Thus, inhibitors of LuxS could prevent QS by halting the conversion of SRH to AI-2 rendering the cell “uncommunicative”. This work shows the successful chemical synthesis …

Assessing Help-Seeking Attitudes, Service Utilization, And Provider Preferences Among Undergraduate Students With Self-Reported Sexual Functioning Concerns, Ashley M. Reckert

Master's Theses

Researchers who have studied help-seeking for sexual concerns have consistently documented that individuals, couples, and families underutilize services. Additionally, research has demonstrated that individuals endorse myriad barriers to seeking informal and formal help, especially for sexual functioning concerns. This study examined the types of sexual concerns faced by a sample of 347 of undergraduate students, their provider preferences in the past, present, and future, and their help-seeking behaviors for formal and informal help sources. Despite the occurrence of sexual functioning concerns in the current study, services that address sexual concerns were largely underutilized. However, barriers to seeking help and negative …

Impact Of Adiposity Status On The Association Of Regular Statin Use And Increased Number Of Aberrant Crypt Foci, Homaira Rasool

Master's Theses

INTRODUCTION: While animal studies consistently show a preventive role of statin use in colon cancer development, evidence from human studies is conflicting with recent reports suggesting an increased risk of aberrant crypt foci and adenoma. We hypothesize that insufficient control of confounding due to indication bias for prescribing of statins, particularly obesity-induced physiologic dysregulation, might partly explain discrepant results. METHODS: We analyzed data from patients receiving standard colonoscopy at the Colon Cancer Prevention Program of the University of Connecticut Health Center, which was followed by chromoendoscopy for ACF detection. ACF number was categorized at low (RESULTS: Participants who reported regular …

Raccoon Acclimation Towards Traps And Its Effect On Surveillance And Monitoring Of Zoonotic Diseases, Lindsay Rollend

Master's Theses

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) serve as a source of infection with various pathogens for people, most notably, rabies. Raccoons are specifically targeted for the control of rabies in the United States, primarily due to the 100% fatality rate in humans and animals. There is no cure or treatment for rabies and vaccines may be administered to people if it is administered promptly. In order to evaluate how successful trapping of raccoons is by using conventional methods, motion sensing cameras were placed on traps in order to captured raccoon behaviors. Pictures were coded based on these behaviors (around the trap but not …

High Speed Atomic Force Microscopy Techniques For The Efficient Study Of Nanotribology, James L. Bosse

Master's Theses

As mechanical devices scale down to micro/nano length scales, it is crucial to understand friction and wear at the nanoscale (nanotribology) especially at technically relevant sliding velocities. Accordingly, three novel techniques have been developed to study nanotribology, leveraging recent advances in high speed AFM. The first method utilizes high line-scanning rates coupled with sinusoidal scanning along the AFM fast scan axis, enabling rapid friction measurements as a function of velocity up to 20 mm/sec. The second method rapidly acquires friction versus force curves through disabling the feedback loop during scanning and relating the resulting lateral data with the correspondingly varying …

Nanocharacterization Of Porous Materials With Atomic Force Microscopy, Yasemin Kutes

Master's Theses

Scanning Probe Microscopy techniques have proven very useful in the investigation of porous nanostructured surfaces. Especially, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has been widely used due to its compatibility with non-conducting surfaces. In particular, AFM often complements other techniques like scanning and transmission electron microscopy by providing quantitative surface information coupled with nanoscale spatial resolution. Its ability to operate in fluid is also important, as this allows researchers to mimic the physiological environment of biological materials and systems. In this work, two main types of porous materials are studied with AFM, including Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC) electrode catalyst layers, and …

Mothers Do Not Drive The Development Of Adult Homesign Systems: Evidence From Comprehension, Emily Carrigan

Master's Theses

Studying the communication systems that arise in spontaneously occurring cases of degraded linguistic input can help clarify human predispositions for language. Some deaf individuals born into hearing families, who do not receive conventional linguistic input, develop gestures, called “homesign,” to communicate. We examined homesign systems used by four deaf Nicaraguan adults (ages 15-27), and evaluated whether homesigners’ hearing mothers are potential sources for these systems. Study One measured mothers’ comprehension of descriptions of events (e.g., “A man taps a woman”) produced in homesign and spoken Spanish. Mothers comprehended spoken Spanish descriptions (produced by one of their hearing children) better than …

Cholesterol Lowering Effects Of Milk With Added Phytosterols, Laura Kells Cusack

Master's Theses

Foods incorporating plant sterols (PS) reduce Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) on average approximately 10%. PS with a higher lipid solubility may promote greater reductions. We examined the cholesterol lowering effect of a novel triglyceride recrystallized phystosterol (TRP). Twenty subjects (mean ± SD; age, 56 ± 10 years; BMI, 27 ± 5) with elevated LDL (>100 mg/dL) participated in three 4-week phases; Phase I, 2% milk; Phase II, milk with 2.0 grams (g) free PS; Phase III, milk with 2.0 g TRP. Before and after each phase two fasting blood draws were obtained for determination of serum cholesterol. Between the 2% …

Eurotech Students In Germany: Preparation, Experience And Outcome, Daisy A. Michaels

Master's Theses

Higher education study abroad programs for U.S. students are on the rise. A variety of undergraduate disciplines are being coupled with international components to bring U.S. students to a higher level of global awareness to meet the demands of today’s economy. The University of Connecticut’s Eurotech Program is an example of this trend. Its students earn degrees in both German and engineering in a five year program. They are given practical training through study and internships in Germany under the auspices of the Baden-Württemberg Exchange Program. One of the Eurotech Program’s major goals is to enhance job opportunities for its …

An Approach For Use Of Dual Frequency Identification Sonar (Didson) To Quantify Behavioral Aspects Of Piscivory At Ecologically Relevant Time And Space Scales, Victoria E. Price

Master's Theses

Predator-prey interactions of large vagile fishes are difficult to study in the ocean due to limitations in the space and time requirements for observations. Small-scale direct underwater observations by divers (<10m >radius) and large-scale hydroacoustic surveys (10s - 100s km2) are traditional approaches. However, large piscivorous predators identify and attack prey at the scale of meters to tens of meters. Dual- Frequency Identification Sonar, or DIDSON, is a high-resolution acoustic camera operating in the MHz range that provides detailed continuous video-like imaging of objects out to 30 m range. This technology can be used to observe predator-prey interactions at ecologically …

The Effect Of Different Set-Repetition Protocols On Squat Technique In Resistance Trained Individuals, Ashley Pandit

Master's Theses

The effect of different set-repetition protocols on squat technique in resistance trained individuals.

Pandit, AL, Kraemer, WJ, Hooper, DR.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether or not the increase in repetitions within a set will change the technique of the exercise, and how repetition number in a set affects exercise technique in resistance trained individuals in three different set-repetition protocols equated by total volume.

Methods: 10 men (24.3 ± 2.8 yrs; 179.7 ± 5.7 cm; 85.5 ± 12.5 kg) and 10 women (23.9 ± 2.4 yrs; 166.2 ± 9.1 cm; 66.8 ± 8.4 kg) were the …

An Investigation Of Fraxinus Americana Branch Sway Using A 3 Dimensional Motion Capture System, Anna T. Campiformio

Master's Theses

Abstract

Wind is a dominant abiotic factor that a tree experiences throughout its lifetime and can cause severe tree damage, resulting in risk of injury to humans, and economic and ecological losses. It is thought that trees develop structural properties and architectures that help withstand loading conditions by dissipating wind energy through damping mechanisms. The role of branch motion in reducing potential dangerous wind loads has been the focus of relatively few studies. Even fewer studies have examined tree sway response to natural wind loaded conditions. In this investigation, branch frequencies were calculated for three Fraxinus americana using a three-dimensional …

Evaluation Of Viability Of Lactobacillus Acidophilus La-5 During Simulated Digestion Process Using A Dynamic In Vitro Model, Jenifer Tharani

Master's Theses

In recent years, there has been an upsurge in medical research assessing the therapeutic benefits of probiotic bacteria and growing commercial interest in food fortification with these bacteria. Probiotic bacteria such as L. acidophilus are known to be predominant Lactobacilli species in the intestinal tract of healthy humans and suggested to provide clinical health benefits such as enhancement of immunity against intestinal infections, prevention of diarrhea and hypercholesterolaemia and improvement in lactose utilization. Many studies have demonstrated the possibility of incorporating probiotic bacteria in an ice cream matrix and shown its viability can be maintained throughout the shelf life of …