Digital Commons Network^™

Understory Light, Regeneration, And Browsing Effects In Irregular Structures Created By Partial Harvesting In Coast Redwood Stands, Kurt Anthony Schneider

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Regeneration of commercial species is central to long-term success of multiaged management for wood production. We used a replicated uneven-aged silviculture experiment to study regeneration by stump sprouting (Chapter 1) and planted seedlings (Chapter 2). In Chapter 1, we present relationships between understory light, varying overstory tree retention, and growth of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) stump sprouts initiated by group selection (GS) and single-tree selection harvesting. First, we quantified understory light throughout this 20 ha experiment comparing four different silvicultural treatments repeated at four sites. Then, we related understory light to post-treatment …

Diy Art And Community Activism, Preston Allen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study explores the collaborative process of members of DIY art collectives in the Pacific Northwest as understood through a collective action lens focused on the cooperative links and motivations of the art collectives. Participant observation and in-depth interviews were used to gather data showing the process of establishing and maintaining membership in a DIY art collective, and the values that motivate the collective’s continuation. Drawing on Howard Becker’s art world framework as well as literature on social movements and art activism, I show how the DIY art world of this study is fluid, open, and driven by values of …

Wild Blueberries Increase Fat Oxidation Rate During Moderate Intensity Exercise, Jessie Armendariz

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Consumption of fruits high in anthocyanins, such as wild blueberries (WB)s, have been shown to influence lipolytic enzymes and increase fatty acid (FA) oxidation during rest. Purpose: Examine the effect of a WB drink on FA oxidation during moderate intensity exercise. Methods: Eleven aerobically trained males (26 ± 7.5 years, 74.9 ± 7.54 kg, 10.5 ± 3.2% body fat) completed an incremental cycling test to determine VO_2peak (55.1 ± 7.5 ml/kg/min) followed by a washout diet avoiding foods high in anthocyanins. After two weeks, subjects completed a control cycling protocol at 65% of VO_2peak for 40 minutes. Next, …

Analysis Of Aboral Spine Variation In The Forcipulate Sea Star, Pisaster Ochraceus (Brandt 1835), Angela Jordane Jones

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rocky intertidal zones are highly dynamic environments that exhibit substantial spatial and temporal variation in abiotic conditions, which can drive body form variation and energy allocation within calcifying species. Wave exposure, specifically, has been shown to be a significant driver of skeletal and structural morphology in organisms including gastropods, bivalves, and sponges. Many of such organisms, from sponges to echinoderms, rely on calcium carbonate for structural support and protection.

In the phylum Echinodermata (named for possessing a ‘spiny skin’), research on the form and function of calcium carbonate spines is largely relegated to Class Echinodea (e.g., urchins and sand dollars) …

Distribution Of Sea Star Wasting Disease Symptoms In Pisaster Ochraceus In The Rocky Intertidal Zone, Jana N. Litt

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Beginning in 2013, many species of sea stars (phylum Echinodermata) along the Pacific coast experienced severe mortality due to sea star wasting disease (SSWD). The ochre sea star, Pisaster ochraceus, experienced one of the highest mortality rates during this outbreak. To test the hypothesis that the intertidal distribution of ochre sea stars influences the incidence and progression of SSWD symptoms, I documented the occurrence of symptoms and survivorship in adult and juvenile stars in the upper and lower portions of the mid-intertidal zone. I also chronicled the progression of SSWD symptoms among individually tagged adult stars to assess changes in …

Targeting Social Cohesion In Female Roosevelt Elk (Cervus Canadensis Roosevelti) Groups Minimizes Survey Efforts For Fecal Dna Capture-Recapture Estimates Of Abundance, Rudolph Gabriel Mena

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Group size abundance estimates of Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, California have largely been inferred through visual counts. However immigration and emigration, the inability to sight elk behind viewing obstructions, and a lack of individual identifiers makes precise and accurate estimates difficult to obtain. Using DNA collected through fecal samples left by elk groups can aid in addressing these difficulties. I tested the hypothesis that GPS (Global Positioning System) collar data from adult female elk could indicate discrete site use locations of their social groups, which in turn yield sufficient sample sizes …

Beyond Sound: A Descriptive Study Of Fifth And Sixth Grade Children's Listening Perceptions Of Rap And Classical Music, David Camilo Aristizabal Ruiz

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This action, non-experimental, empirical, descriptive study using a survey technique was aimed at observing the immediate reality of one particular urban school in one cosmopolitan city of the United States of America’s Pacific Northwest. The purpose of this study was to narrate the listening perceptions of 137 fifth and sixth grade elementary aged children while they compared two examples of music: USA east coast rap versus European classical music. Their responses to 24 survey questions were the basis for exploring the idea that social-economic values reflected in bias are affecting their listening perceptions. Moreover, the purpose of this research was …

“A Dark Archway Of Rusticated Stone”: Depictions Of Moral Obligation In Greene’S The Human Factor And Waugh’S Brideshead Revisited, Thomas J. Carter

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Digital Scan To Enhance Patient Education, Dana Leann Tasche

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the use of a 3D intraoral scan as a visual aid improves a patient’s communication self-efficacy and risk-literacy concerning their periodontal disease status.

Methods: This study used a parallel experimental research design and collected quantitative data through a pre-test and two post-tests for both groups. The Ask, Understand, Remember Assessment (AURA) survey was used to collect quantitative data pertaining to patient communication self-efficacy and the Protection Motivation Survey (PMS) was used to evaluate each patient’s risk-literacy of their periodontal disease. The addition of four Likert-scale questions concerning experience with the …

Improving Dopamine Monitoring With Ncam And The Effects Of Intranasal Oxytocin On Dopamine Signaling In The Rat Brain, Darren Earl Ginder

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Dopamine (DA) is a neurohormone highly involved in learning and memory. Oxytocin (OXT), another neurohormone, has also been implicated in learning and memory. Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) is a method used for the real-time examination of DA neurotransmission in the brain. Implanting FSCV electrodes is an invasive technique that likely results in an inflammatory response (i.e. gliosis) that can restrict FSCV recording of DA signals. Neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) may reduce gliosis and potentially improve the ability of FSCV electrodes to monitor DA signaling. Chapter 1 Methods: FSCV electrodes were coated with NCAM and implanted in the rat brain. …

Analyzing The Diet Composition Of Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namaycush) In Upper Priest Lake, Coty W. Jasper

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) were intentionally introduced to the Priest Lake system in 1925 with the intentions of creating a recreational fishery. As the Lake Trout population increased within this system, the native Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) population began to decline. Possible negative impacts of Lake Trout on Bull Trout include direct effects such as predation, or indirect effects, such as resource competition. In this study our objective was to estimate the frequency of piscivory of Lake Trout from Upper Priest Lake and document any possible Lake Trout predation upon Bull Trout in the Upper Priest Lake system. We obtained …

The Application Of Cloud Resources To Terrain Data Visualization, Gregory J. Larrick

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

In this thesis, the recent trends in cloud computing, via virtual machine hosted servers, are applied to the field of big data visualization. In particular, we investigate the visualization of terrain data acquired from several major open data sets with a graphics library for browser based rendering. Similar terrain data visualization solutions have not fully taken advantage of remote computational resources. In this thesis, we show that, by using a collection of Amazon EC-2 machines for fetching and decoding of terrain data, in conjunction with modern graphics libraries, three dimensional terrain information may be viewed and interacted with by many …

Greg Duenow And Other Stories, Jane Elizabeth Snyder

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Standards For Early Childhood Education, Yasmin Aljouf

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

I have been researching and focusing on a topic that has been of interest to me from the beginning of my undergraduate studies in the field of kindergarten education. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not have its own standards for the early childhood stage. It took from the United States. When I started my graduate level studies, I focused on the perception of Saudi Arabian faculty, graduate students, and kindergarten teachers regarding standards for early childhood education. I designed a survey and published it to faculty in Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, as well as graduate students and kindergarten …

Halfwayish: An Entwined Story Collection, Deanna Duplechain

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

The Vaccine Race In The 21st Century, Ana Santos Rutschman

All Faculty Scholarship

In a world in which infectious diseases are spreading increasingly faster, the development of new human vaccines remains a priority in biopharmaceutical innovation. Legal scholars have addressed different aspects of vaccine regulation and administration, but less attention has been paid to the role of laws governing innovation during the stages of research and development (R&D) of vaccines.

This Article explores the race to develop new vaccines from its beginnings through the early 21st century, with a particular focus on the progressively pervasive role of intellectual property in governing vaccine innovation. It describes the insufficiencies of current innovation regimes in promoting …

An Incomplete Masterpiece, Chad Flanders, Sean Oliveira

All Faculty Scholarship

The recent wave of popular and academic commentary on Masterpiece Cakeshop sounded a common theme: disappointment, even frustration. Masterpiece was held out as a case that was finally going to explain and resolve the conflicts between free expression, free exercise, and discrimination that were coming up again and again in the lower courts. But Justice Kennedy, the critical consensus went, avoided reaching many of the main First Amendment issues in the case and had instead ruled narrowly, giving us a prime example of"judicial minimalism:•

This assessment may be far too generous. In our short Article, we make the case that …

Eradicating The Label “Offender” From The Lexicon Of Restorative Practices And Criminal Justice, Lynn S. Branham

All Faculty Scholarship

This Essay enumerates three reasons for abandoning the prevailing practice of utilizing the label “offender” when referring to a person who has committed a crime. The Essay next identifies and debunks reasons that have been cited for persisting in referring to a person as an “offender.” The Essay then explores the question of what term or terms could supplant this label and profiles signs of emerging support for desisting from the convention of calling people “offenders.” One of the themes that permeates this Essay is that the language we use when referring to people can thwart systemic and cultural change …

Ground Ingredients: Analysis Of Lead Exposure In The California Condor’S (Gymnogyps Californianus) Ground Foraging Habitat, Evan Michael Mcwreath

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a critically endangered species that reached its nadir in 1987 with a population of 27 birds in the wild. Intensive management efforts have been implemented to aid the condors’ recovery, however, anthropogenic factors, like use of lead ammunition, continue to cause fatalities in this vulnerable population. Lead toxicosis, which is responsible for approximately 40% of all condor deaths since 1992, is one of the most significant threats to condors. In birds lead poisoning leads to neurological dysfunction, reproductive impairment, immune suppression, gastrointestinal disturbance, anemia, and ultimately increased vulnerability to predation, starvation, and infection. For …

Lead Exposure Of North American Raptors, Vincent A. Slabe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lead is an anthropogenic threat to terrestrial wildlife, has no physiological benefits, and is considered a neurotoxin. Legislation adopted in many developed countries restricts the uses of lead in consumer and industrial products such as pipe fittings, petrol, paint, and shot for use in waterfowl hunting. However, lead is currently categorized by the United States (US) government as a critical metal and common uses of lead still persist in North America. These include the use of rifle ammunition, shot in upland gamebird hunting, and fishing sinkers. Lead is also a by-product of multiple industrial operations including smelters, coal power plants, …

The Effects Of Obesity, Chronic Stress, And Exercise On Pancreatic Health, Abigail Tice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Obesity is concomitant with hyperglycemic conditions, increased proinflammatory cytokines, and increased oxidative stress. Under hyperglycemia, thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP) is increased and causes increased oxidative stress and pancreatic b-cell apoptosis. Chronic stress is associated with increased glucocorticoid levels and a proinflammatory environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of obesity, chronic stress, and exercise on pancreatic health.

Lean Zucker Rats (LZRs) and Obese Zucker Rats (OZRs) were randomly assigned to four groups: 1) sedentary controls (C: n=8 per); 2) unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) (S: n=8); 3) exercise (E: n=8); and 4) combined UCMS and exercise …

Acute And Repeated Effects Of Synthetic Cannabinoid Agonism And Cannabinoid Receptor 1 Positive Allosteric Modulation, Kristen R. Trexler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent years have seen a rise in the diversity and use of synthetic cannabinoids. Currently, there is little known about the effects of specific synthetic cannabinoid compounds. As such, little research has been done evaluating the acute and chronic effects of synthetic cannabinoid administration or the development of tolerance and withdrawal. The present study aimed, in part, to evaluate the acute and repeated effect of a third-generation synthetic cannabinoid, AB-FUBINACA. Mice were treated with AB-FUBINACA (0.1-3 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle and were tested repeatedly in the tetrad battery of assays, which included tests of catalepsy, antinociception, hypothermia, and locomotor activity. …

Emily Dickinson's Echology: A Listener's Reconceptualization Of Citizenship, Consciousness, And The World, Beth Ann Staley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

What I call Emily Dickinson’s “echology” combines the terms “echo” and “ecology” to understand how Dickinson’s work echoes – and is an echo – of the world and how, consequently, her work resides not just in her handwritten documents and their publication in various editions but in an ecology that’s tied to the earth that hosted her, the air that faced her, and the sea kept her listening. To assess the critical value of Dickinson’s echology, this dissertation begins by apprehending how the story of the echo is a story about sound masking, specifically about how the echo that is …

A Critical Assessment On The Resources And Extraction Of Rare Earth Elements From Acid Mine Drainage, Christopher R. Vass

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial to many modern products used in both civilian and defense applications. Currently, a reliable supply of these elements is uncertain with the clear majority of REE production and refining occurring predominately in China. Furthermore, domestic ore deposits with commercially attractive concentrations of REEs are uncommon in the United States. As a result, the identification of a domestic supply of these technology metals is essential not only for manufacturing consumer merchandise but also for national security. Recently, one promising source of REEs has been identified: coal and coal-byproducts. One of those is acid mine drainage …

Stockmanship Education And Evaluation, John K. Yost

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation documents two separate works. The first is an evaluation of WVU SFMS/SOIDC Large Animal Module and the second is the development and use of the Stockman’s Scorecard. The WVU SFMS/SOIDC Large Animal Module provides foundational information on food animal husbandry and veterinary procedures to SOF Combat Medic candidates. A quasi-experimental design was used to determine if the module content resulted in an increase in food animal production knowledge for the participants. Seventy-five percent of the subjects had no previous livestock exposure and only seven percent had previously participated in 4-H or FFA. Matched pair analysis determined that the …

Regulator Of G Protein Signaling-12 (Rgs12) In Dopaminergic And Kappa Opioid Receptor-Dependent Signaling And Behavior, Joshua David Gross

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dopaminergic neurotransmission is critically involved in the etiology and treatment of many psychiatric and neurological disorders. One modulator of dopaminergic neurotransmission is the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) -- a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is densely expressed within dopaminergic neurons and circuits. GPCRs are tightly regulated by a variety of intracellular signaling molecules, including Regulator of G Protein Signaling (RGS) proteins. Canonically, RGS proteins act as GTPase accelerating proteins (GAPs) on GTP-bound Ga subunits following GPCR activation, thereby hastening the rate at which GPCR-mediated G protein signaling is terminated. However, some RGS proteins exhibit more complex mechanisms of action on …

Investigation Of Bovine Conceptus Galectins And The Effect Of Bovine Conceptus Secretory Proteins On The Endometrial Epithelial Transcriptome, Heather Lynn Baldwin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pregnancy loss in cattle is greatest in the first 30 days of gestation. Near d15 of gestation, bovine conceptuses elongate and express LGALS1, an immunosuppressive glycan-binding protein believed to be essential for implantation. However, other members of the bovine galectin family, including LGALS3, LGALS4, LGALS7, LGALS8, LGALS9 and a galectin-13-like gene (LGALS13L), also may be expressed by the elongating conceptus. Therefore, galectin expression in elongating, d16 bovine conceptuses and intercaruncular endometrium as well as elongating, d14 ovine conceptuses and intercaruncular endometrium was assessed by RT-qPCR. Angus heifer and Texel ewes underwent estrous cycle synchronization and either inseminated or not bred. …

Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective Boracarboxylation Of Vinyl Arenes: Catalytic Efficiency And Synthetic Utility, Trina M. Perrone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hetero(element) carboxylation is an appealing transformation that involves the installation of CO2 and another hetero(element) in one step. This transition metal-catalyzed one-pot synthesis provides a route to achieve highly functionalized carboxylic acid products with an abundant and cheap C1 feedstock. This difunctionalization also avoids the use of reactive metal hydride species, which is a prominent limitation of hydrocarboxylation chemistry. A copper-catalyzed regioselective boracarboxylation of vinyl arenes has been developed to access pharmaceutically relevant β-boryl-α-aryl propionic acid products. One drawback of this reaction is the necessity for high catalyst loading to achieve catalytic turnover. To circumvent this issue, the reduction of …

Evaluating Post-Fire Plantation Restoration In A Mixed Conifer Forest In The Sierra Nevada, Iris C. Allen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Forests in the western United States have experienced a shift from historical disturbance regimes in the past century. Many of these changes were induced by European settlers logging the forests and suppressing fires. In the past, the dry mixed conifer forests of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains experience frequent, low to mixed severity fires. This fire regime helped maintain a heterogeneous landscape comprised of groups of trees and openings. However, due to fire suppression and high grading logging, forest structure has changed; there are less openings and more small, fire-intolerant trees that can carry a fire into the forests crown. The …

Untangling The Reciprocal Relation Of The Behavioral And Physiological Immune Systems, Baris Sevi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the past decade, there has been an exponential increase in the study of the Behavioral Immune System (BIS), a suite of psychological processes that serves an infectious disease avoidance function. The BIS is proposed to be inherently intertwined with the physiological immune system. However, very few studies have actually demonstrated this fundamental, theoretical assumption. The purpose of this thesis was to test the possible relation between the physiological and behavioral immune systems in two studies. In Study 1 (N = 388), the relation between implied activation of the physiological immune system and BIS sensitivity was examined. Participants who reported …