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Documenting Tetranychus Urticae And Lygus Hesperus Resistance Status In California Strawberries, Kiley William Jensen

Master's Theses

The resistance status of Tetranychus urticae Koch and Lygus hesperus Knight sourced from California strawberry fields was evaluated in laboratory bioassay experiments. Adult female T. urticae sourced from a miticide naïve population were exposed to a range of miticide active ingredient concentrations mixed with acetone in contact bioassay experiments. LC₅₀ concentrations for the active ingredients fenpyroximate, abamectin, bifenazate, and spiromesifen as well as LC₉₀ concentrations for the active ingredients fenpyroximate, abamectin, and bifenazate were derived from this susceptible population. A total of ten field populations of T. urticae, five from the Santa Maria growing region and five …

​ Soilborne Pathogens Of Strawberry In The Central Coast Region Of California: ​ Survey And Cover Cropping With Wheat For Management Of Macrophomina Phaseolina, Mary Steele

Master's Theses

Surveys of the four major soilborne pathogens of strawberry (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae, Macrophomina phaseolina, Phytophthora spp., and Verticillium dahliae) to determine their relative prevalence were conducted in Watsonville-Salinas, CA in 2021 and in Santa Maria, CA in 2022. All four major pathogens were detected at relatively similar prevalence in Watsonville-Salinas, between 22% and 31% of sampled fields. In Santa Maria, M. phaseolina was far more prevalent at 52% of sampled fields, the other three falling between 14% and 17%. Additionally replicated greenhouse and field trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of wheat as …

Assessing The Resilience Of Mycorrhizal Networks Following Central Tree Removal, Deon Lillo

Master's Theses

Mycorrhizal networks (MNs), or the networks of fungal mycelia that connect plants to each other, are vital in contributing to the well-being of ecosystems. They not only assist in the transport of nutrients across an ecosystem, but also help protect an ecosystem from disease and adverse conditions. However, more research into these networks is needed and modelling these networks as graphs can help us achieve this. By applying centrality analysis and performing k-core partitioning on these networks, we are able to identify the trees that are most important and central to a MN and observe the effects of removing these …

Impact Of Long-Term Trauma Exposure On Competitiveness And Generosity, Anchal Khandelwal

Master's Theses

: Although half of all nations in the world have experienced armed conflict in the last 50 years, there is still a glaring lack of evidence on the persistent human costs of these conflicts. We exploit the quasi-random variation in abduction (Blattman and Annan 2009) and establish a control (neighboring) sub-county based on the intensity of exposure by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Northern Uganda to investigate the long-term impact of trauma exposure on competitiveness and generosity. We do this by conducting lab-in-field experiments on a sample of adult North Ugandan women and find that trauma exposure reduces competitiveness in …

Charity Begins At Home: Investigating How Culture Shapes In-Group Bias In Altruistic Behavior, Angira Shukla

Master's Theses

The paper builds a structural model of altruistic transfers based on identity matches with another individual and estimates the weights that people place on the characteristic matches. We also take a comparative look at the role of culture in these transfers. The culture here is trying to contrast a traditional society versus a cosmopolitan one. I run an experiment in India to examine these differences. I find that in both the urban and rural samples individuals tend to give more to girls and donate largely on the basis of the need of the receiver. I also find that the rural …

Impacts Of Rising Temperatures On Human Behavior With A Focus On Gender Differences, Stephanie Marie Emilia J. Hermoso

Master's Theses

Climate change is one of the biggest and most pressing issues the world is facing today. While its economic implications are substantial, it is also important to investigate the effects of climate change on human behavior. This paper examines the relationship of rising temperatures and its effect on an individual’s cooperative behavior – specifically egalitarianism, generosity, selfishness, and spite. This study will focus on the differences between how males and females react to the temperature. Research indicates that there are substantial behavioral differences between men and women. How do the economic decisions of men and women differ when interacted with …

Ties That Bind: Allomaternal Care And Cooperation Among Matrilocal And Patrilocal Northeast Indian Tribes, Shreeja Guha

Master's Theses

Why do humans cooperate? Given the extensive range of literature from various disciplines on the puzzle of human cooperation, there is no one answer to that question. In this paper, I look at whether childcare provided by individuals other than the genetic mother, i.e. allomaternal care, can be one possible explanation for the evolution of human cooperation, especially in small communities with no formal childcare. The data for this study comes from field experiments & surveys conducted with a sample of 416 mothers and fathers from matrilocal and patrilocal tribes in North-east India. I present evidence that allomaternal care plays …

Between Life And Death: Reimagining Black Reproductive Healthcare, Briana Britton

Master's Theses

The state of Black reproductive health is in crisis with mortality rates of birthing people in the U.S. being the worst in the developed world. What compounds this issue is historical and cultural evidence of unethical and inhumane treatment of Black people – Black birthing people in particular – by the U.S. healthcare system primarily due to racism and sexism. Those who do not identify with the binary and heteronormative structures of our healthcare system are at further risk of discrimination and health disparities. Due to social and cultural ideals, stigma, and other structural forces, Black, Black birthing and Black …

Feeling The Heat: Heterogeneous Treatment Effects Of Heat On Human Cooperation, Scott K. Klaus

Master's Theses

The goal of this paper is to examine how increased temperatures affect human behavior in terms of cooperation. Currently, there is an abundance of literature regarding increased aggression in humans as temperatures rise. However, there is ambiguity concerning whether a similar effect exists in altering levels of cooperation in human interactions. Additionally, people of different characteristics may be influenced by heat at varying levels. First, we run a baseline model of prosociality on different heat measurements, such as standard and wet-bulb temperatures. Included in this model are experimental specification variables, a “trigger”, and characteristics. The trigger is defined as losing …

Abolition Ecologies And The Making Of Freedom As A Place In Bayview-Hunters Point, Spencer Daniel O'Hara

Master's Theses

In this paper, I critically explore the subjectivities of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard (HPNS), part of the largest redevelopment project in San Francisco since 1906. Applying an abolition ecologies framework, I ask what explains the duplicity of the Shipyard as a site of radioactive contamination and capital accumulation, and in the same time-space one that creates the conditions for radical place-making. Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is a former commercial and military shipyard located on a peninsula in southeastern San Francisco. Motivated by its desire for a major shipbuilding and repair facility to project maritime power in the Pacific, the Navy …

Giving Birth To A Stateless Citizen: Gendered Citizenship Laws In International Human Rights., Serena Nader

Master's Theses

Citizenship rights are gendered in over 50 countries worldwide. Gendered citizenship laws limit how citizenship is granted to spouses of citizens, or how citizenship is passed from parent to child. These laws often discriminate against women or minority groups and have the potential to violate a number of human rights. Based on three specific characteristics, gendered citizenship laws have maintained social order and reinforced by incorrect internalization processes. Accordingly Gendered citizenship laws negatively impact the recognition of the international human rights of citizens, remarkably when systems are culturally patriarchal, when religion overshadows basic human rights, and when internalization processes are …

The Relationship Between Economic Complexity And Income Inequality: A Study On The United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Brooke Johnson

Master's Theses

This paper examines the relationship between income inequality and economic complexity, adding to the literature by providing new evidence for Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). With populations in cities rapidly increasing world-wide, settlement scaling research has revealed significant correlations between population size and various aspects of socio-economic wellbeing, including income inequality. Our study utilizes the Economic Complexity Index (ECI), a recently developed measure of economic development, to examine how changes in regional production structures influence inequality and shed light on the evolving nature of urban economies. By employing fixed effects OLS regression with clustered standard errors on both panel data from …

Development And Economic Complexity Of Mexican Municipalities: Based On Their Energy Access And Gross Production., Angelica Gloria Velasco

Master's Theses

In 2015, Mexico ranked 22nd in the international list of ECI; Out of 136 countries, Mexico had a higher index than Netherlands and Denmark. How is this possible for a developing economy that in 2014 reached its highest inequality index at 50.3%? This research is focused on the behavior of the Economic Complexity Index when it interacts with income inequality (Gini Coefficient), the gross production and human development (which in this case is focused on access to basic services: education and electricity). In the first and second sections, this paper highlights the importance of the analysis at a municipality level …

Understanding The Impacts Of Topobathymetric Data On Storm Surge Model Predictions, Sydni Crain

Master's Theses

The topobathymetric characteristics of a region are regularly altered by natural and anthropogenic causes. This directly impacts the resulting storm surge during a hurricane. The primary goal of this research was to gain a better understanding of the impact that topography and bathymetry have on storm surge models, particularly the Advanced Circulation (ADCIRC) Model. Hurricane Zeta (2020) and Hurricane Ida (2021) were chosen as case studies; therefore, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) was chosen as the study site. This research was completed by comparing ADCIRC storm surge results which were based on older, lower-resolution data with results derived from more …

Comparative Analysis Of Rhizosphere And Endosphere Microbiome Of Different Blueberry Species (Vaccinium Sp.), Niladri Bhowmik

Master's Theses

Blueberries are an important agricultural commodity in all over the United States. Due to its health benefits, there is a huge demand globally, thus expanding the industry. Breeding programs are essential to maintain such industries. Challenges that play a role in contemporary breeding programs are various biotic and abiotic stress factors. Studies have shown that microorganisms are recruited by plants to alleviate them during stressful conditions. Though blueberries have been cultivated for about 100 years, how the microbiome has been affected due to this is poorly understood. We hypothesized that interspecific crosses and artificial selection have significantly changed the microbiome …

Determining The Refractive Index Of Phytoplankton Via Direct Measurement Of Cellular Structures, Michael Kamowski

Master's Theses

The refractive index of phytoplankton has never been directly measured before despite its importance towards studying the optical characteristics of marine particles. Previous attempts to measure it have been done through indirect methods. While these methods have proven useful, they contain assumptions about the particles morphology and composition that cause for uncertainty with the measurements. Through the use of the 3D Cell Explorer, a high precision holotomographic microscope, the RI of phytoplankton can be directly measured for the first time. With volume measurements, the phytoplankton were found to not display a single bulk RI, instead the bulk RI was different …

Ramie (Boehmeria Nivea): An Underutilized Plant For A Multipurpose Industrial Application; A Perennial Plant With Protein Identification Using Maldi-Ms, A Biosorbent For Hg (Ii) Removal From Water And As A Bast Fiber Production Via Enzymatic Degumming, Abdul Rashid Issifu

Master's Theses

Identifying plant species that can offer life support to humans and animals without damaging the environment is quite challenging. Ramie, one of the oldest fiber crops was studied due to its nutritional value as fodder and other multipurpose applications in, e.g., medicinal, environmental, and textile industrial fields.

With a brief discussion of background in Chapter I, Chapter II focused on using a proteomic method to investigate unknown proteins in the leaves of ramie and to study their benefits to the biological system. PPiase and RuBisCO with molecular weight 15 and 52 KDa were identified as the proteins after peptide mass …

Freckled Darter (Percina Lenticula) And Other Fishes’ Usage Of Wood Pile Habitat, Noah Daun

Master's Theses

Effectively sampling habitat with the proper techniques is essential for our understanding of the animals that use the habitat, both for individual species and entire species assemblages. Percina lenticula is a species of special concern in the state of Mississippi due to low numbers of historical records. This species is known to inhabit wood pile habitat in rivers, a habitat that has been under-sampled historically due to inefficiency with most commonly used gear. Seines are typically not effective at sampling wood piles, resulting in sampling bias underestimating the number of P. lenticula and potentially other species utilizing such habitats. This …

Fourthspace: The Role Of Active Social Inclusion In The Workforce Entry Of Syrian Refugees In Scandinavia, Anisa Abeytia

Master's Theses

The 2015 displacement of Syrian refugees into Scandinavian countries provoked a refugee integration policy adjustment that focused on workforce and higher education entry. It is a policy approach that requires attention on barriers to workforce entry to ensure effective policy implementation. This article provides insight into the larger, often overlooked barriers of Eurocentrism and historical biases on refugee labor integration and provides policy solutions to reduce their impact. Active social inclusion (ASI) and Fourthspace are introduced as a framework to reduce biases to workforce entry and integration time barriers faced by Syrian refugees. ASI can provide mechanisms to increase access …

New Insights Into The Paleovegetation Of The Ancient Underwater Forest Located In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Karla Lizarraga Garcia

Master's Theses

A well-preserved remnant of an ancient bald cypress forest (hereafter, Underwater Forest) constitutes the only known archive of a glacial refuge on the once exposed continental shelf of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. This forest existed around 41-72 yBP (MIS 3-5) according to the existing dating methods applied on previous studies. As the climate conditions and sea levels changed, the vegetation of this glacial refuge shifted from bald cypress forests to open marshes, altering the vegetation dynamics. The present research analyzed four new cores (21DF-5A, 21DF-5B, 15DF-6, and 16DF-3A), which provided additional insights into the vegetation that once existed in …

An Investigation Of Resistance Training Behavior, Non-Specific Psychological Distress, And Perceived Barriers To Resistance Training In Self-Identifying Female Undergraduate Students, Jody Sobel

Master's Theses

The prevalence and severity of depression symptoms amongst college students, specifically female identifying undergraduate students, is worrisome. There is a great deal of research that suggests a relationship between exercise, specifically resistance training (RT), and mental health. That said, current literature suggests that many female identifying students are not engaging due to perceived barriers. This, perhaps because of the plethora of barriers one can perceive. The purpose of this study was multifold 1) to examine the prevalence and severity of non-specific psychological distress; 2) to determine if there were differences between Kessler 6 Non-Specific Psychological Distress Scale (K6) categories (i.e., …

Implementation Of Methods For Cell Therapy Research And Assessment Of The Impact Of Cryopreservation, Samantha Lynes

Master's Theses

Cell therapy is the administration of living cells into a patient to prevent or treat a variety of diseases and illnesses. The cell therapy industry is rapidly expanding, and continued research is necessary for manufacturing safe and effective therapies. Although cell therapy manufacturing generally involves cryopreservation processes for storage, there are limited standards for cryopreservation processes and assays required to evaluate cell therapies post-thaw, and limited understanding exists about how a recovery period post-thaw could impact cell health. The overall goal of this thesis was to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation and potential subsequent recovery time on cell viability.

Because …

A Proof Of Concept For Detection Of Palato-Lingual Contact Without Intraoral Electrodes In A Human Participant, Amitava Biswas

Master's Theses

The author of this thesis conceived and investigated an unexpected electrical signal that may not be noticed during regular electroglottography (EGG) when electrodes are conventionally placed on the anterior surface of the throat. It appears that there is a measurable electrical signal from the EGG equipment when electrodes are placed over the frontal cheek (belly of zygomatic muscle), and the tongue is elevated to contact the hard palate, or the tongue is lowered to break the contact. Therefore, this phenomenon is designated as unconventional electroglottography (UEGG, Dr. Steven Cloud, private communication, July 17, 2022).

Two distinctive patterns of waveforms were …

I’Ll Be Goldenrod And You’Ll Be Aster: The Case For Revolutionizing Western Methods Of Teaching Using Indigenous Ontologies, Joanna Logerfo

Master's Theses

An interesting facet of living as a human in the 21st century is contending with the end of the world. It’s been imagined in a thousand ways over the past twenty years. Will it be zombies? Aliens? An AI revolution? Or will it perhaps be something more mundane, more “down-to-Earth”? The floods, the droughts, the famines, and all the rest of the cataclysmic global events that occur every year have taken center stage in the world-ending debate, parading under a name as threatening and expansive as the Boogeyman: climate change. A recent article from NPR covered the United Nations’ 2022 …

Nutritional Adequacy Of Dietary Intake Among College Students Who Follow A Veget, Kayanna L. Pulliam

Master's Theses

In recent years, forms of the vegetarian diet have been popularized for various reasons, including health benefits, support of animal rights, and greater sustainability claims. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the diet quality and adequacy and iron status of college students’ diets, and compare eating disorder (ED) risk between self-proclaimed vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The study sample was a convenience sample of students at Louisiana Tech University who were 18 years of age or older (N = 179). Students were recruited via email, flyers, and classroom announcements. Participants completed an online questionnaire with multiple validated tests; The …

An Evaluation Of The Effect Of Degradation On Irisplex Snps, Maria Gruber

Master's Theses

The information from short tandem repeats (STRs), the current standard forensic DNA typing technology, does not always result in identification. In these cases, there are other informative markers in DNA that can be used to help generate investigative leads, one of which is single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). One of the uses of SNPs is for phenotype determination. Among the phenotypic characteristics that can be predicted is eye color. A commonly used tool for eye color prediction is the free, online statistical prediction model IrisPlex, which includes 6 SNPs known to control eye color.

While SNPs can be useful, they, like …

Select Pathways Revealed In A. Thaliana During Spaceflight Via Meta-Analysis Of National Aeronautics And Space Administration Genelab Data, Zachary Thomas Baham

Master's Theses

In this study, a combination analysis using the pathview and pathfindR packages for the R programming language was performed on a collection of openly available Arabidopsis thaliana sequencing data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) GeneLab to discover broad connections between three primary spaceflight stressor types and altered pathway regulation to provide focused targets for future research. Studies were divided into groups based on their exposure to microgravity, cosmic radiation, or a theorized heat-stress factor caused by reduced convection in certain technologies. Through this study, three major pathways were identified: the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, proteasome, and starch and sucrose …

Pollinator Diversity On A Shortleaf Pine-Oak-Hickory Restoration Site, Taygan Kohlman

Master's Theses

Land use and cover are increasingly changing due to climate change and anthropogenic activities with many of these changes negatively impacting biodiversity. However, ecosystem restoration may help reverse these patterns. Northern Louisiana was historically dominated by shortleaf pine-oak-hickory forests but has been converted largely to loblolly pine forests with little-to-no herbaceous ground cover. The objective of this study is to determine how different practices on a shortleaf pine-oak-hickory forest restoration site affect pollinator diversity. I sampled pollinators from locations within areas under three different management regimes: 1) prescribed burning with active herbicide treatments for non-desirable plant species, 2) burning only, …

The Impact Of Leaf Litter Diversity On The Colonization Of Aquatic Insects, Daniel Edwards

Master's Theses

Ephemeral pools provide habitat to a wide diversity of aquatic insects which colonize pools to establish new populations in higher quality habitats. These pools rely on nutrient inputs from the surrounding terrestrial landscape, predominantly through leaf litter. Using mesocosms, we tested for the effect of leaf litter diversity (richness and functional diversity) on the colonization of aquatic insects. Leaf litter influences characteristics of a pool (tannins, water color, and nutrients) which may make them more or less desirable to potential colonizers. I added unique mixtures of leaf litter with different numbers of species (0, 3, 5, 7, and 9) and …

Lunar Applications Of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation For Regolith And Hydroponic Water Processing, Mark Wong

Master's Theses

Water management has always been a critical issue facing lunar missions, since its uses are as numerous as they are vital. Using ionic liquids has been proposed for the purpose of processing the metal oxides in lunar regolith into oxygen and metals. The process used dilutes the ionic liquid. Recycling the ionic liquid solution after regolith processing is essential to reduce materials required in resupply missions and to supply oxygen. Water will also be needed for lunar farms to both grow food and assist in maintaining a habitable atmosphere. The use of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) technology is a …