Digital Commons Network^™

Diet Of The Gopher Rockfish (Sebastes Carnatus) Inside And Outside Of Marine Protected Areas In Central California, Erin Kimberly Loury

Master's Theses

Marine protected areas (MPAs) can potentially impact food web dynamics by increasing the density of predatory fishes within their borders. Such increases in density can cause shifts in the prey use of generalist predators. This study investigated the effects of increased conspecific density on the diet of Gopher Rockfish (Sebastes carnatus) at a 35-year-old MPA at Point Lobos and four newly established central California MPAs at Año Nuevo, Point Lobos, Piedras Blancas, and Point Buchon. Analysis of 710 stomachs collected in 2007-2009 indicated the most important overall prey were crabs, especially of the family Pisidae and the genus Cancer, as …

Can The Fear Of Death Inspire Creativity?, Michelle Murphy

Master's Theses

The current study examined whether participant's creative performance changed after they became aware of their mortality. The main hypotheses predicted that (1) participants who have highly creative personalities would show an increase in creative performance following mortality salience, (2) participants with less creative personalities would show a decrease in creative performance following mortality salience. Highly creative individuals were distinguished from less creative individuals based on their personality composition. The Consequences Test (Guilford, 1970) was used to measure creative performance. To examine whether creative performance changed after mortality salience, participants completed Form 1A of the Consequences Test, a mortality salience manipulation, …

Distribution, Growth, And Disturbance Of Catalina Island Rhodoliths, Paul Anthony Tompkins

Master's Theses

Rhodoliths are free-living coralline algae (Rhodophyta) that form large beds on the seafloor. Rhodolith beds are globally widespread and biologically diverse shallow marine habitats. Beds are ecologically sensitive, disturbed by humans, and in Europe are protected by law. While rhodolith beds have been found in California waters at Catalina Island, no literature exists regarding their distribution or ecological significance. This study sought to (1) map the distribution and characterize the rhodolith beds around Catalina, (2) determine the seasonal growth rates, and (3) investigate the effect of common sources of disturbance. A systematic search of shallow subtidal (0-40 meters) areas revealed …

Teaching And Learning Of Proof In The College Curriculum, Maja Derek

Master's Theses

Mathematical proof, as an essential part of mathematics,

is as difficult to learn as it is to teach. In this thesis, we

provide a short overview of how mathematical proof is understood

by students in K-16. Furthermore, we answer questions about

mistakes students usually make in the transition period from high

school to college in understanding mathematics and mathematical

proof. Through a case study, we learned that deduction mistakes

characteristic for early mathematical education, such as arguing

from an example, can be abandoned very easily as students begin to

understand the inadequacy of one, or finitely many, examples when

arguing …

The Relationship Between Diversity And Performance In Major League Baseball Teams: Conflict's Mediating Effect, Michelle Maureen Campion

Master's Theses

Diversity in the workplace is a growing reality around the world as the globalizing economy has prompted the growth of work teams comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds with different values, experiences, knowledge, and skills. Researchers have been investigating the way diversity impacts organizational outcomes, including performance. However, it is not clearly understood how diversity impacts performance. Using data from 30 Major League Baseball teams over a two-year period, this research proposed that conflict might mediate the relationship between diversity and performance. Both diversity and performance were measured using multiple indicators. Although results did not indicate that conflict mediated the …

Detection Of The Sire1 Env-Like Protein, A Potential Retroviral Protein In Soybean, Garen Gaston

Master's Theses

Long terminal repeat (LTR) retroelements are mobile DNAs that are ubiquitous in eukaryotic genomes and include retroviruses, endogenous retroviruses and retrotransposons. Though retrotransposons, which are noninfectious, can make up as much as 80% of plant genomes, no traces of retroviral elements have been confirmed in plants. However, the 2000-copy soybean retrotransposon SIRE1 has an extra open reading frame, that has been described as env-like, because its conceptual translation product is predicted to have features of retroviral envelope proteins, which sponsor infectivity. Demonstrating that this region encodes an envelope protein would extend the range of endogenous retroviruses to plants. Demonstrating also …

Happily Ever After: Construction Of Family In Disney Princess Collection Films, Jennifer Hecht

Master's Theses

This thesis examined the role and characterization of family members in Disney princess films. The purpose of this study was to fill gaps in previous research on the Disney princess films by analyzing the themes and collection as a whole, including the newest film in the collection, The Princess and the Frog. Using content analysis, this study identified three variables that were present in every Disney princess film in the collection - nuclear family, love, and appearance. The researcher found little family diversity in terms of types of households, parenting roles, and characterization of family members. Siblings were especially underrepresented. …

Halogenation Enzymes In Bacteria Associated With The Red-Banded Acorn Worm, Ptychodera Jamaicensis, Milena May Lilles

Master's Theses

Organohalogens have diverse biological functions in the environment. Marine acorn worms produce brominated products that may act as antifoulants, chemical deterrents, and substrates in bioluminescence reactions. Haloperoxidases purified from the homogenates of acorn worms synthesize bromophenols. Commensal or mutualistic bacteria living on the worms may produce halogenation enzymes that brominate organics.

The genomic DNA of 48 bacterial isolates from the surface of the red-banded acorn worm, Ptychodera jamaicensis, was extracted and screened for bromoperoxidase and FADH2-dependent halogenase genes. A 16S rDNA phylogenetic tree showed that the isolates were gram-positive bacteria and included 36 Firmicutes and 12 Actinobacteria. Nineteen isolates had …

Emancipatory Pedagogy Through Serialized Heuristic Reflection: Fostering Self-Awareness Of Dental Students' Prejudicial Beliefs, Deborah Narcisso

Master's Theses

This study investigated dental students' prejudicial beliefs towards underserved patient populations as an upstream constituent of provider attitudinal barriers to care. The objectives were to explore the nature of prejudicial beliefs, to assess the value of critical reflection as essential preparation for patient care, and to identify insights that would inform the preclinical curriculum that, ultimately, reduce oral health disparity.

An original reflection assignment was introduced into the preclinical curriculum of first year dental students to journal about the legitimacy of their prejudicial beliefs. Results indicated dental students identified a range of prejudicial beliefs and, through self-direction, experienced awareness and …

Developing Criteria And Metrics For Assessing Recycled Water Program Effectiveness, Michelle Arias

Master's Theses

Many U.S. states are currently experiencing or expect to experience water shortages in the next ten years. Recycling water is one strategy states are pursuing to minimize water shortages. Many states, however, have been unable to reach goals for volume of water recycled, and many regional and municipal programs have been ineffective in meeting production goals. Existing literature focuses primarily on how to implement a program and defines success as the ability to establish a program. After several decades of recycled water use in the United States, there is a lack of accepted metrics that allow for a cross comparison …

The Role Of T-Type Calcium Channels In Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Cycle Regulation, Abigail Prier

Master's Theses

Results from previous experiments have provided evidence for T-type channel expression in adult pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) using electrophysiology and qRT-PCR. Studies have also shown that when T-type channels are blocked, either pharmacological or with small hairpin RNA targeted against T-type channel Cav3.1 subunit, mRNA levels are reduced and cell proliferation is inhibited. These results suggest a connection between T-type calcium channels and cell proliferation. In this thesis, Cav3.1 and its possible interplay with cyclin D, an early marker of the cell cycle, was investigated. The time course of cyclin D's translocation to the nucleus to begin the …

Differences In Eubacterial And Archaeal Soil Communities Along A Precipitation Transect In The Mojave Desert, Elaine Pressly Bryant

Master's Theses

Deserts occupy one third of the total land mass of Earth, yet little is known about microbial soil communities under conditions of low precipitation and humidity. The Mojave Desert of the Southwestern United States provides an opportunity to observe microbial communities along a precipitation transect. The diversity of these communities can elucidate which specific groups of Eubacteria and Archaea are best adapted to limited liquid water.

Two methods were utilized to determine patterns and trends of the microbial soil communities under varying precipitation levels. Viable plate counts allowed comparison of culturable microorganisms over a four-year period. Molecular techniques distinguished unculturable …

The Environmental Impact Of The Retail Photoprocessing Industry In Santa Clara County: 1996 Vs. 2006, Benoit Delaveau

Master's Theses

Consumer digital cameras appeared on the market in 1994. Consequently, the photoprocessing industry experienced a downturn beginning in 2000, with a sudden drop in activity. This study focuses on the evolution of the retail photoprocessing industry between 1996 and 2006 and evaluates its four major environmental impacts: (1) energy use, (2) associated greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), (3) silver discharge, and (4) water consumption. The main method used for data analysis is based on the ISO 14040 standard for Life Cycle Assessment. The study utilizes data from: (a) impact quantification for two photoprocessing labs in Santa Clara County, and (b) a …

Synthesis Of Hybrid Inositol Glycan Analogues, Smita Fulzele

Master's Theses

Inositol glycans (IGs) are small oligosaccharides exhibiting insulin-like metabolic activities in insulin-sensitive cells. The signal transduction pathways activated by IGs in these cells are still under study, but it is known that there is cross talk between the IG-signaling pathway and the insulin-signaling pathway downstream of the insulin receptor. Therefore, IGs may have potential for use in the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus. However, natural IGs are heterogeneous and difficult to isolate. Hence, synthetic IGs and their analogues have been chemically synthesized and evaluated for insulin-mimetic properties by various research groups. Unfortunately, the most biologically active IG analogues are …

Social Support And Gender Effects On Academic Confidence In Foster Youth, Carolyn Suzanne Gillard

Master's Theses

Finding the predictors for academic success is critical for foster youth to become productive citizens as adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of social support in the academic confidence of transitional foster youth. Because the literature suggests men and women benefit from social support differentially, I also examined gender as the moderating variable for social support and academic confidence. A sample of 82 foster youth (15-18 years old) from San Joaquin County's Human Service Agency volunteered to participate. Participants were given the Student Perceived Availability of Social Support Questionnaire (SPASSQ) to assess their perceptions of …

The Influence Of Neuroticism On Stress Perception And Its Resultant Negative Affect, Irum Saeed Abbasi

Master's Theses

There is contemporary literature reporting the role of the neuroticism (N) personality type in the stress process. People with elevated neuroticism experience more interpersonal stressors, perceive daily events as more negative, and use maladaptive ways to combat stressors. This thesis explores the influence of neuroticism on stress perception and the associated negative affect. In the current study, mood and stress perception of pre-screened college students who scored high and low on the neuroticism subscale were manipulated, with a laboratory psycho-social stressor, after their moods were initially neutralized to their respective base levels. Later, their mood and stress perception were manipulated …

Surface Nitriding And Oxidation Of Nitinol, Edin Bazochaharbakhsh

Master's Theses

Nitinol has been widely employed in biomedical devices due to its unique mechanical properties such as superelasticity, shape memory, and good biocompatibility. However, nickel ion release from the surface of the Nitinol is an issue. Surface nitriding and oxidation was performed on the Nitinol specimens to develop a nickel-free oxide layer on the surface. Nitinol specimens were nitrided in nitrogen + 4% hydrogen at 800 - 1000oC for 10 - 30 min and further nitrided in nitrogen + 5% ammonia at 500 - 675oC for 0 - 30 min. The thickness and chemical composition, specifically the nickel content of the …

Nearshore Fish Assemblage Patterns With Respect To Landscape-Scale Habitats In Central California, Kristin Irene Hunter-Thomson

Master's Theses

In most ecosystems, the distribution of species across a landscape is greatly influenced by the type, amount, and spatial configuration of habitats. Studies in terrestrial environments have shown that species diversity, density, and length frequency often positively correlate with the size of a habitat patch, patch shape, and proximity to a patch edge. These patterns, however, have not been conclusively shown in temperate sub-tidal marine studies. Data from visual strip–transects collected from the Delta submersible were used to characterize fish assemblages with respect to rocky bank habitat patches. Specifically, the density, diversity, and length frequency of nearshore fishes were examined …

Performing Asexuality Through Narratives Of Sexual Identity, Janet Sundrud

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the social construction of asexual identities through everyday narrative performances and critically examines the marginalizing effects of heteronormative discourses. This thesis posits narrative performance as a framework for understanding asexual identities within a heteronormative society. Drawing upon oral history and ethnographic methodologies, this thesis examines the narrative performances of three self-identified asexuals and explores four themes within each narrative: 1) the breach of heteronormative expectations, 2) the creation of commonality among individuals within the asexual community, 3) the negotiation of heteronormative discourses within the family, and 4) the construction of future-oriented liminoid narratives of asexuality. This thesis …

The Uses Of Expertise: Science, Medicine And Body/Self-Fashioning, Amanda J. Counts

Master's Theses

This paper draws on empirical evidence collected from pro-anorexia websites and qualitative interviews with dieters to develop an analysis of the uses of medical and scientific expertise in processes of body- and self-fashioning. It builds on previous work by examining how `lay publics' refashion expertise in order to use it for new purposes, sometimes contradictory to the purposes of medicine itself. Four distinct groups are analyzed: Women diagnosed with anorexia; women diagnosed with EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified); dieters using traditional methods of caloric restricting; and dieters using a new method called Primal Dieting. Overall, respondents indicated an ambivalence …

Predictors Of Academic Achievement And Failure Among Low-Income Urban African American Adolescents: An Ecological Perspective, Israel Moses Gross

Master's Theses

Predictors of academic achievement among urban low-income African American adolescents have primarily been investigated by examining "main effects," or limited interactions with conventional statistical techniques. This paper adds to the literature by examining the factors that influence academic outcomes among this population within an ecological systems framework. This allowed for a comprehensive understanding of how numerous protective and risk factors, across ecological settings, interact to influence academic outcomes.

Optimal Data Analysis (ODA) was employed to create prediction models for mathematic and reading achievement. ODA allowed for the examination of a vast number of variables in one statistical model without increasing …

Projects Of Identity Creation In English Languate Textbooks Aimed At Adult Immigrants: 1900 And 2000, Steven Herbert Fehr

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the temporal parallels and differences between adult immigrant education and latent identity projects intertwined with the textbooks being used in the classrooms. By analyzing a sample of textbooks from both the turn of the 20th and 21st century I attempt to find both similarities and differences between these two time periods. These two periods are similar in that they are when the largest number of immigrants arrived in America, but in many ways (global context, technology, and political environment) they are also very different. How the American educational system responded to these …

Emplacing Ideologies Of Risk And The Use Of The Built Environment In Two Women's Residential Clubs In Turn Of The 20th Century Chicago, Robin Bartram

Master's Theses

Risk emplacement is a way we might better understand how power relations are built into people's everyday lives, and thus how they may be contested. Though previous research has documented that built form can regulate and express ideology, little attention has been paid to how buildings are employed and utilized to manage risk. In this paper, I argue that differences in ideas about risk and the built form of two residential women's clubs in Progressive Era Chicago can be explained by emplaced risk ideologies. Risk ideologies are sets of ideas about danger, and risk emplacement is a practice that links …

Global Influences And Resistance Within: Inclusive Practices And South Africa's Apartheid Government, Jean Marie Fagin

Master's Theses

South Africa's racially segregating apartheid government officially lasted for over forty years, from 1948 to 1994. Black South Africans were the victims of established oppression resulting in poverty, poor health care, and limited educational opportunities. Black South Africans with disabilities faced even greater exclusion from society due to their physical and cognitive challenges. Education for black students was neither compulsory nor free, and few black students with disabilities received services.

During the apartheid regime (1948-1994), disability issues were being address globally. The United Nations issued declarations, conventions, and a programme of action devoted to people with disabilities. In the early …

Protein Kinase C Δ Is Critical For Nucleotide Excision Repair Of Cyclobutane Pyrimidine Dimers, Christopher Michael Negro

Master's Theses

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is the process by which cells identify and repair bulky, helix-distorting DNA lesions such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and 6-4 photoproducts (6-4PP). NER in human cells is a complex biochemical process requiring several complementation groups. Defects in complementation group genes result in rare, autosomal recessive cancer syndromes such as xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), cockayne syndrome (CS), and trichothiodystrophy, supporting the tumor suppressive effects of NER. Protein Kinase C delta (PKCδ) expression is lost in squamous cell carcinomas where it functions as a tumor suppressor gene. Additionally, in response to UV radiation, PKCδ is …

Contributory Factors Of Extraneous New Bone Growth On The Endocranial Surfaces Of Human Infant And Sub-Adult Skeletal Remains, Mark Andrew Zahareas

Master's Theses

This study investigates the factors that may contribute to endocranial bone changes in human sub-adult skeletal remains in an effort to differentiate bone changes, or lesions, caused by pathological processes and those caused by growth and development. The contributory factors investigated included the presence of endocranial bone lesions, the age-at-death of the individual, the precise location of the bone change, the dynamic nature of the locations, and the presence (or absence) of postcranial and/or ectocranial indicators of pathology within the individual. The sample population used for this research was comprised of 129 individuals from 15 different Native American groups over …

Cattail (Typha X Glauca) Invasion In Wetlands Of The Great Lakes Region: Are Impacts Time-Dependent?, Mark Edwin Mitchell

Master's Theses

Some species introduced into new regions have the potential to greatly impact native diversity and ecosystem functioning. The invasive hybrid cattail, Typha X glauca, has established in wetlands across the Great Lakes region decreasing native plant diversity and altering soil and microsite characteristics. We utilized 80 years of historical aerial photographs from the Illinois Beach State Park wetland complex to map the spread and determine the age of T. X glauca stands. Floristic, edaphic, and environmental data were collected from plots across an invasion-age gradient to determine the impacts of T. X glauca and time since invasion on environmental variables. …

Community Structure And Secondary Production Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates In Coastal Wetland Ponds Of The West Copper River Delta, Alaska, Following Tectonic Uplift, Ryan Glen Van Duzor

Master's Theses

The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 (magnitude 9.2) greatly altered the coastal landscape in southcentral Alaska and had particularly dramatic effects on the Copper River Delta (CRD), an ecologically and economically important area within the Chugach National Forest. The earthquake caused tectonic uplift (up to 3.5m) of the CRD coastal tidal marsh and transformed it into a perched freshwater marsh. Copper River Delta ponds, which are crucial habitat to a myriad of migrating songbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl, are of particular interest to wildlife managers in the CRD and along the Pacific coasts of North, Central and South America. This study …

The River Continuum Redux: Aquatic Insect Diets Reveal The Importance Of Autochthonous Resources In The Salmon River, Idaho, Kathryn Vallis

Master's Theses

Along a river network, changes in the physical characteristics of a stream - changes articulated by the River Continuum Concept (RCC) - have been predicted to influence stream food webs, particularly the resources supporting aquatic macroinvertebrates. Although diets of macroinvertebrates can track resource availability along the longitudinal gradient of streams, insect diets were not assessed in the original RCC study; rather, insects were grouped into functional feeding groups (FFGs). In addition, global climate change is increasing the frequency and spatial extent of wildfire and beetle outbreaks throughout the western United States and could affect riparian vegetation and the amount of …

Wee1 Is A Biological Target Of The Mir-17-92 Cluster In Leukemia, Sonia Susan Olikara

Master's Theses

MicroRNAs are noncoding RNAs that bind to the 3' untranslated region of their mRNA targets, which causes downregulation of target gene expression. Previous studies have shown that the miR-17-92 cluster, which encodes six miRNAs, is overexpressed in leukemias arising from chromosomal translocations of the Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) gene. In the present study, prediction algorithms identified WEE1, a kinase that inhibits cell cycle progression, as a possible target of five of the six miRNAs. Through luciferase reporter assays, we found that miR-17, miR-20a, and miR-18a specifically target nucleotides 465 to 487 of the 3' UTR of WEE1, while miR-19a and …