Digital Commons Network^™

Health Implications Of Mercury, Selenium, And A Red Pelage In Pacific Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina Richardii) Off Central California, Elizabeth Alexis Mchuron

Master's Theses

San Francisco Bay (SFB) is the largest estuary on the west coast of the United States. It provides habitat for many species, although is heavily urbanized with a history of selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) contamination. Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) are good indicators of the health of SFB because they are long–lived, upper–level trophic consumers, and present in the estuary year–round. The objective of this study was to examine the role of Se and Hg contamination on the health of harbor seals in this region, and the role of Se in the development of a red pelage. Between 2009 and …

Luminescence Studies Of Europium (Iii) - D-Glucosamine Complexes In Water, Triny Trinh Pham

Master's Theses

LUMINESCENCE STUDIES OF EUROPIUM(III) - D-GLUCOSAMINE

COMPLEXES IN WATER

by Triny Trinh Pham

Lanthanide complexation interactions measured by luminescence have become

interesting topic in recent years. Europium is a rare earth metal and the Eu(III) ion is a hard acid; when Eu(III) and a monosaccharide ligand are present, a complex may be formed. The goal is to determine the equilibrium constant KEuL between the europium ion and a D-glucosamine ligand. At 25oC and pH ~ 7.40, a physiologically important pH, adding D-glucosamine enhanced the luminescence of 0.0025 M Eu(III). As the concentration of ligand increased, the emission intensity was also …

Differential And Temporal Immunomodulation Of Alpha4 Integrins On Cd4+ Memory Cells By Bordetella Pertussis And Bordetella Parapertussis, Dipti Ravindra

Master's Theses

Pertussis, caused by Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis), is reemerging worldwide due to vaccine inefficacy. The hallmarks of infection are extreme lymphocytosis and delayed recovery, which are partially associated with pertussis toxin. Lymphocytes migrate to infected tissues using trafficking receptors. Specific combinations of these lymphocyte trafficking receptors are identified for skin and gut but are not well established for lung.

This study focused on the effect of pertussis toxin on lung-associated trafficking receptors and tested the hypothesis that pertussis toxin alters dendritic cell imprinting of lung trafficking receptors on T cells, thus delaying resolution of the infection. B. pertussis-infected mice were …

Plasmablast Frequency And Trafficking Receptor Expression Are Altered In Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis, Nicole Jeanne Tarlton

Master's Theses

Background: The incidence of pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic autoinflammatory disease of the colon, is on the rise. Although an increased infiltration of B cells from the peripheral blood into the colon occurs in UC, B cell trafficking is understudied. We hypothesized that the frequency of circulating plasmablasts (PBs) and their trafficking receptor (TR) expression may be indicative of the location and degree of pathology in pediatric UC. Methods: We conducted multicolor flow cytometry analyses of circulating IgA+/- PBs and IgA+ memory B cells (MBCs) in pediatric UC patients with remission, mild, moderate, and severe disease (n=12) and healthy …

Feral Cat Management: Perceptions And Preferences (A Case Study), Rachel Lm Wilken

Master's Theses

Feral cat management is a highly debated topic. Trap, Neuter, and Return (TNR) programs have become increasingly popular as an alternative to eradication. Public preference about how to manage feral cats has been explored by previous authors, but no consensus has been reached. Public policy and best management practices depend in part upon public opinion on this topic. Wording of a feral cat management preference in surveys can play a role in respondent opinion. For this thesis, the researcher examined public opinion about feral cat control by surveying 298 Stanford University faculty and staff members using two different communication approaches. …

Effects Of Tissue Nitrogen And Media Nitrate On Trace Metal Uptake And Trophic Transfer By Ulva Spp., Sonya Meenakshi Sankaran

Master's Theses

A general survey of trace metal content in Ulva spp. (Linnaeus) around Moss Landing, California was carried out. The next objective was to evaluate whether tissue nitrogen or media nitrate affects metal uptake (As, Pb, Mn, Zn) by Ulva spp. under eutrophic conditions. Additionally, the role of metal burden in the invertebrate Idotea resecata as a function of metal content in its diet was examined. Mean trace metal concentrations in Ulva differed significantly among sites in Moss Landing, California. Laboratory measurements using samples from 15 sites along the central California coast revealed a significant positive correlation between Ulva spp. tissue …

The Biology And Ecology Of Six Rare Plants From Plumas National Forest, Northern California, Usa, Suzie Woolhouse

Master's Theses

The majority of our knowledge about the natural world has come from the study and observation of common species, yet a significant portion of species in the world are rare. In this study, biological and ecological data was collected for six rare taxa from Plumas National Forest. The taxa were Monardella stebbinsii, Monardella follettii (Lamiaceae), Lewisia cantelovii (Montiaceae), Cypripedium californicum, Cypripedium fasciculatum (Orchidaceae) and Clarkia mildrediae subsp. mildrediae (Onagraceae). The two Monardella's and Cypripedium californicum are serpentine endemics, and the Lewisia is found growing both on and off serpentine. Five sites were visited per species, and soil samples …

A Study On Taiwanese International Students And Taiwanese American Students: The Interface Between Naming And Identity, Yi-An Chen

Master's Theses

In this study, I analyze how Chinese and English naming practices influence name adoption and explicate how the use and choice of names by Taiwanese international students and Taiwanese American students at San José State University, California, are structured through social interaction and cultural context. The data were collected from in-depth interviews with 10 Taiwanese international students and 10 Taiwanese American students. The interviews focused on how they construct their identities and produce social relations with others through their choice and use of ethnic and/or English names.

The study findings help to illuminate areas that until now have not received …

Genetic Population Structure And Cryptic Speciation Of Ghost Shrimp (Neotrypaea Californiensis) In North American West Coast Estuaries, Daphne Anne Gille

Master's Theses

Many marine species produce larvae that disperse and develop into post-larvae in the open ocean over a period of weeks to months. However, the patterns and potential of larvae to disperse across long geographic distances are poorly understood. Here genetic variation found at the mitochondrial locus, cytochrome C oxidase subunit I, in adult ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, was used as a proxy to infer dispersal potential of ghost shrimp larvae found in estuaries along the west coast of the United States. Multiple haplotypes were shared among 346 adult ghost shrimp specimens collected from estuaries in Washington, Oregon, and California indicated …

The Effects Of Restored Aquatic Large Woody Debris Structures On Invertebrate Populations In The Napa River, Clayton Christopher Leal

Master's Theses

Agricultural encroachment and habitat destruction within the riparian zone of many California ecosystems have created a need for restoration of stream hydrology in order to enhance and support native flora and fauna. On the Napa River, adjacent vineyards have caused the channel to become deeply incised, so that the stream now lacks geomorphic variability and biodiversity. In order to restore channel complexity, large woody debris (LWD) structures were installed in the river in the summer of 2010. In this study I evaluated the effects of installing LWD structures within the Napa River on benthic invertebrates in the first year after …

Investigation Of The Role Of Dietary Flavonoids On Cell Death: Evidence To Support A Non-Classical Apoptotic Mechanism, Tetiana Lialiutska

Master's Theses

Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds widely distributed in plants and have been shown to be cytotoxic to cancer cells. Our lab has previously shown that some flavonoids are able to induce cytotoxicity and inhibit caspase activity in human breast cancer cell lines. The goal of our study was to identify the specific molecular pathways required for flavonoid-induced cytotoxicity. MDA-MB-231 cells, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) lacking caspase 3 and 7, and primary baby mouse kidney epithelial cells lacking Bax and Bak were cultured. Flavonoid-treated MDA-MB-231 cells showed cytochrome c release. We detected caspase 3 activation and PARP cleavage in MDA-MB-231 cells after …

A Descriptive Study Of Old-Growth Sequoia Sempervirens Growth Form And Canopy Structure On A Pygmy Forest Ecotone In Mendocino County, Zuhayl Rochin Lambert

Master's Theses

The tallest tree in the world is the coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, a species endemic to a 16-km-wide coastal belt extending from Big Sur, California, to southern Oregon. Old-growth redwood forests are home to other plant and animal species that depend on structural characteristics that have formed over hundreds of years. While a great deal of research regarding growth form and structure has taken place on highly productive stands, little work has been done on marginal sites, where redwoods are on the edge of their ecological tolerance. In the Northern California County of Mendocino, hydrophobic spodosol are host to …

Utilization Of Protein Tertiary Contacts To Improve Protein Structure Prediction Using Sequence Homology, Trung Thanh Nguyen

Master's Theses

The structure of a protein ultimately determines its function; therefore, knowledge of three-dimensional structure is essential for understanding its function and mechanism of action. The two most common methods for determining protein structure are x-ray crystallography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. These methods are quite successful but can be very time-intensive and costly. An alternative method is protein structure prediction, where structure is computationally predicted from amino acid sequence. As opposed to x-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy, protein structure prediction is not encumbered by potential experimental problems. In this research, we attempted to determine if certain protein structure features, …

Profiling Flavonoid Cytotoxicity In Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines, Sina Yadegarynia

Master's Theses

Flavonoids are part of a large family of polyphenols that are found extensively in fruits and vegetables. This class of compounds has been of considerable medical interest due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. Although extensive effort has been made to identify the biological effects responsible for the chemopreventive activity of these compounds, the exact molecular mechanisms involved are not fully understood. In this study, we focused on the cytotoxic effects of fourteen different flavonoids against a series of breast cancer cell lines and evaluated the induction of cell cycle arrest at G1 or G2/M phase as result of such …

Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy: Efficacy With A Clinical Preschool Population, Kristen Friedrich Schaffner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy (TCIT), which is an adaptation of the empirically-based treatment of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), addresses the needs of children and teachers through increasing positive teacher-child interactions while educating teachers on effective discipline techniques. The theoretical and empirical basis for PCIT provides the foundation for the appropriate and effective application of the adaptation of this treatment model for use with teachers.

The efficacy of Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy (TCIT) with a clinical preschool population was evaluated through a single subject A-B design conducted across subjects. The current study examined the impact of the intervention, TCIT, on child behavior, teacher …

Enhancement Or Recovery: The Scientific And Legal Paradox Of Performance-Enhancing Substances, Robert M. Gallman

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

No abstract provided.

Services For Adults With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Paul T. Shattuck, Anne M. Roux, Laura E. Hudson, Julie L. Taylor, Matthew J. Maenner, Jean-Francois Trani

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objective: The need for useful evidence about services is increasing as larger numbers of children identified with an autism spectrum disorder age toward adulthood. The objective of this review was to characterize the topical and methodological aspects of research on services for supporting success in work, education, and social participation among adults with an autism spectrum disorder and to propose recommendations for moving this area of research forward. Method: Review of literature published in English from 2000 to 2010.Results: We found that the evidence base about services for adults with an ASD is underdeveloped and can be considered a field …

Infants’ Perception Of Emotion From Dynamic Body Movements, Nicole R. Zieber

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

In humans, the capacity to extract meaning from another person’s behavior is fundamental to social competency. Adults recognize emotions conveyed by body movements with comparable accuracy to when they are portrayed in facial expressions. While infancy research has examined the development of facial and vocal emotion processing extensively, no prior study has explored infants’ perception of emotion from body movements. The current studies examined the development of emotion processing from body gestures. In Experiment 1, I asked whether 6.5-month-olds infants would prefer to view emotional versus neutral body movements. The results indicate that infants prefer to view a happy versus …

Using The Scrambled Sentences Test To Examine Relationships Between Cognitive Bias, Thought Suppression And Borderline Personality Features, Paul Jefferson Geiger

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Cognitive bias and thought suppression are two maladaptive patterns of thinking that have been associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Negative cognitive biases related to BPD include thoughts that they are bad, powerless, or vulnerable and that the world is dangerous. Thought suppression is a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy where unwanted thoughts are intentionally pushed out of one’s consciousness. However, previous research has connected thought suppression and cognitive biases to BPD only via self-report measures. The present study examined whether a laboratory task meant to measure cognitive bias and thought suppression (Scrambled Sentences Test) would predict BPD features over and …

Impulsivity Traits And The Longitudinal Prediction Of Addictive Behaviors During The Transition From Elementary To Middle School, Leila Guller

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

The aim of this study was to test for prospective relationships between personality factors measured in elementary school and drinking, smoking, and binge eating during the first year of middle school. Data were collected among adolescents drawn from 23 elementary schools and 15 middles schools in central Kentucky. In a two-wave study, 1,906 children completed questionnaire measures in the spring of 5^th grade and the spring of 6^th grade. After controlling for sex, pubertal status, and prior engagement in addictive behaviors, it was found that urgency at wave 1 predicted drinking, smoking, and binge eating at wave 2, …

Shame And Borderline Personality Features: The Potential Mediating Role Of Anger And Anger Rumination, Jessica R. Peters

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Two prominent emotions in borderline personality disorder (BPD) are anger and shame. Rumination has been demonstrated to occur in response to shame and to escalate anger, and rumination, particularly anger rumination, has been shown to predict BPD symptoms. The present study examined whether one way that shame leads to the features of BPD is via increased anger and anger rumination. A sample of 823 undergraduates completed self-report measures of global and situational shame, trait- level anger, anger'rumination, and BPD features. A structural equation model was constructed using these measures. The hypothesized model of shame to anger and anger rumination to …

Program Evaluation Of A Curriculum For Increasing Empathy, Self-Awareness, Personal Healing, And Knowledge Of Abuse And Sex-Trafficking, Haley H. Crowl

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Diffuse Optical Imaging Using Decomposition Methods, Binlin Wu, M. Alrubaiee, W. Cai, M. Xu, S. K. Gayen

Publications and Research

Diffuse optical imaging (DOI) for detecting and locating targets in a highly scattering turbid medium is treated as a blind source separation (BSS) problem. Three matrix decomposition methods, independent component analysis (ICA), principal component analysis (PCA), and nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) were used to study the DOI problem. The efficacy of resulting approaches was evaluated and compared using simulated and experimental data. Samples used in the experiments included Intralipid-10% or Intralipid-20% suspension in water as the medium with absorptive or scattering targets embedded.

The Technological Edge, Elizabeth I. Winston

Scholarly Articles

To grant a patent to natural phenomena hinders innovation, taking back from the public that which the public has a right to possess. To deny a patent to man’s manufacture undercuts the fundamental bargain of the patent system. All inventions, at their core, may be deemed natural, rendering it difficult to distinguish between man’s manufacture and natural phenomena. Determining whether the innovative aspect of the product is a technological one, rather than a natural one, can clarify whether the patent grant promotes the progress of science and the useful arts. The higher the level of skill in the art required …

Model Individualization For Real-Time Operator Functional State Assessment, Guangfan Zhang, Roger Xu, Wei Wang, Aaron A. Pepe, Feng Li, Jiang Li, Frederick Mckenzie, Tom Schnell, Nick Anderson, Dean Heitkamp

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Proper assessment of Operator Functional State (OFS) and appropriate workload modulation offer the potential to improve mission effectiveness and aviation safety in both overload and under-load conditions. Although a wide range of research has been devoted to building OFS assessment models, most of the models are based on group statistics and little or no research has been directed towards model individualization, i.e., tuning the group statistics based model for individual pilots. Moreover, little emphasis has been placed on monitoring whether the pilot is disengaged during low workload conditions. The primary focus of this research is to provide a real-time engagement …

Empirically Supported Treatment Interventions For Persons With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder, Megan Seliga

Dissertations

The overall stigma- and gender-related controversies that surround the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) present a unique ethical mandate to the practitioner. The relationship between trauma and the BPD diagnosis strengthens the need for carefully designed treatment interventions in order to secure the benefits of trauma-focused work, while minimizing the risk of undue regression. The complexity and risk of harm introduced by a diagnosis of comorbid BPD and PTSD urges the need for clarification of optimal treatment interventions to guide practitioners. Trauma-focused therapies, particularly EMDR, tend to be the treatment of choice for PTSD; however, comorbid borderline pathology has …

Acute-To-Home Care Nursing Handoffs: Distributed Cognition Across Patterns Of Knowledge, Rosemary Kennedy

Dissertations

Timely, explicit, and effective communication of patient information during care transitions is fundamental to safe care. Studies show that handoffs or transfers of patient care from one provider to another are susceptible to communication failures (Riesenberg et al., 2009a). Most studies on communication failures focus on communication between providers within the same setting of care. Few studies, if any, focus on communication between care settings in different locations. However, research has identified gaps in care during critical transitions and identified poor communication and incomplete transfer of information as the root cause (Naylor et al., 2004). This qualitative dissertation consists of …

Promoting Thymopoiesis With Age: Potential Role Of The Transcription Factor Foxn1, Erin Christine Zook

Dissertations

It is known that the elderly are more susceptible to illnesses and infections and respond poorly to immunization. A contributing factor to a decrease in the immune response in the elderly is the decline in the production of naïve T cell by the thymus. In the thymus, the notch receptor expressed on early T cell progenitors (ETP) binds to its ligand expressed on thymic epithelial cells (TEC), signaling ETP to develop through a series of developmental stages before maturing into naive T cells. Because ETP are non-self renewing, the thymus relies on the bone marrow (BM) for a continuous supply …

The Lord Opened Her Heart: Women, Work, And Leadership In Acts Of The Apostles, Teresa Jeanne Calpino

Dissertations

This dissertation will explore two women in The Acts of the Apostles, Tabitha (Acts 9:36-42) and Lydia (Acts 16:11-15) who have been routinely ignored by scholars, or mentioned only in praising the apostle associated with their story. As a result, stereotypical categorization has swept these important characters from their rightful place into relative obscurity. In fact, an examination of their stories set against the expectations of women in Greco-Roman antiquity reveals their unconventional situations. In particular, this dissertation takes special notice of the ways in which representations of the `ideal woman' in the Greco Roman world are at variance with …

The Effects Of Curriculum And Social Capital On Post-Secondary Educational Attainment Among Public High School Students: A Multi-Level Analysis, Elisabeth Davis

Dissertations

Using a social capital framework, the current study examined the effect of curriculum and cohort size in addition to parental and teacher social capital factors on public high school students' likelihood of college attendance. Using Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling with the ELS (2002), student and school level factors were examined on the likelihood of postsecondary educational attainment among public high school students. At the student level, girls, students with higher SES, more intergenerational closure and higher parent and teacher educational expectations were significantly more likely to pursue postsecondary enrollment. At the school level, lower percentages of girls in the cohort, …