Life Sciences Commons^™

Proteomic Response Of Tidal-Rhythm Entrained Mytilus Californianus To Acute Aerial Heat Stress, D. Hernandez, M. Schuman, L. Tomanek

Biological Sciences

The rocky intertidal mussel species Mytilus californianus is native to the Pacific coast of North America. It is frequently exposed to temperatures that can induce the cellular stress response due to the tidal rhythm. Instead of acclimating mussels to common conditions in the laboratory for several weeks, we collected mussels from a site with mussel body temperature recordings (specimens’ thermal history) and immediately started experimentation by mimicking the tidal rhythm with different levels of heat stress over multiple low tides and with different recovery periods. By using individuals that were entrained to the tidal rhythm and by maintaining it, we …

Model Tractor Teaching Tool, Blair L. Stringam, Benjamin G. Swan

Agricultural Education and Communication

A model tractor was developed to teach students about power consumption and wheel slip of farm tractors. The model was selected because of safety and resource issues. Using this model in the lab provided a safe and quiet atmosphere where the principals of power consumption and wheel slip could be demonstrated and learned. The students that participated in the lab appeared to grasp the concepts that were presented.

The Discovery Of Insulin: A Case Study Of Scientific Methodology, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

The nature of scientific research sometimes involves a trial-and-error procedure. Popular reviews of successful results from this approach often sanitize the story by omitting unsuccessful trials, thus painting the rosy impression that research simply follows a direct route from hypothesis to experiment to scientific discovery. The discovery of insulin is a classical case study in this genre that begs for an explanation to our students because it is so often ignored or misrepresented even in biology and physiology textbooks.

Bioluminescence In The High Arctic During The Polar Night, J. Berge, A.S. Båtnes, G. Johnsen, S.M. Blackwell, Mark A. Moline

Biological Sciences

This study examines the composition and activity of the planktonic community during the polar night in the high Arctic Kongsfjord, Svalbard. Our results are the first published evidence of bioluminescence among zooplankton during the Arctic polar night. The observations were collected by a bathyphotometer detecting bioluminescence, integrated into an autonomous underwater vehicle, to determine the concentration and intensity of bioluminescent flashes as a function of time of day and depth. To further understand community dynamics and composition, plankton nets were used to collect organisms passing through the bathyphotometer along with traditional vertical net tows. Additionally, using a moored bathyphotometer closed …

Β-Casein–Phospholipid Monolayers As Model Systems To Understand Lipid–Protein Interactions In The Milk Fat Globule Membrane, Sophie Gallier, Derek E. Gragson, Rafael Jiménez-Flores, David W. Everett

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Phospholipid–protein monolayer films were studied as model systems to mimic the structure of the native bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) and to understand lipid–protein interactions at the surface of the globule. Phospholipids extracted from bovine raw milk, raw cream, processed milk and buttermilk powder were spread onto the air–water interface of a Langmuir trough, β-casein was then added to the sub-phase, and Langmuir–Blodgett films were studied by epifluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy. In all films, β-casein was responsible for clustering of the sphingomyelin- and cholesterol-rich microdomains into larger platforms. This suggests that the same phenomenon may happen at …

Hunger-Free Communities: Characterizing Vulnerable Populations In San Luis Obispo County, Aydin Nazmi, Alexandra Lund

Food Science and Nutrition

No abstract provided.

New Metrics For Managing And Sustaining The Ocean’S Bounty, Heather Tallis, Sarah E. Lester, Mary Ruckelshaus, Mark Plummer, Karen Mcleod, Anne Guerry, Sandy Andelman, Margaret R. Caldwell, Marc Conte, Stephen Copps, David Fox, Rod Fujita, Steven D. Gaines, Guy Gelfenbaum, Barry Gold, Peter Kareiva, Choong-Ki Kim, Kai Lee, Michael Papenfus, Scott Redman, Brian Silliman, Lisa Wainger, Crow White

Biological Sciences

Policies are arising around the world, most recently in the United States, that mandate the implementation of marine spatial planning as a practical pathway towards ecosystem-based management. In the new United States ocean policy, and several other cases around the globe, ecosystem services are at the core of marine spatial planning, but there is little guidance on how ecosystem services should be measured, making it hard to implement this new approach. A new framework is shown here for practical, rigorous ecosystem service measurement that highlights contributions from both natural and social systems. The novel three-step framework addresses traditional shortcomings of …

Effect Of Powder Source And Processing Conditions On The Solubility Of Milk Protein Concentrates 80, V. Sikand, Phillip S. Tong, S. Vink, J. Walker

Dairy Science

No abstract provided.

Mycorrhizal Colonization Of Hypericum Perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) From Serpentine And Granite Outcrops On The Deer Isles, Maine, Naveed Davoodian, Jason Bosworth, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Given the paucity of literature on plant-fungal interactions on serpentine soils and limited investigation of serpentine geoecology in eastern North America, we examined mycorrhizal colonization of Hypericum perforatum from adjacent serpentine and granite outcrops on the Deer Isles, ME to determine whether plants were differentially colonized based on substrate. We coincided our sampling with three phenologic stages of H. perforatum (preflowering, flowering, postflowering) to determine possible differences in colonization based on plant phenology. The levels of mycorrhizal colonization in H. perforatum were not significantly different between serpentine and granite sites, while levels of colonization in postflowering plants were significantly higher …

A Collaborative Approach To Investigate Site Fidelity, Home Range, And Homing Behavior Of Cabezon (Scorpaenichthys Marmoratus), Carlos Mireles, Royden Nakamura, Dean Wendt

Biological Sciences

Understanding the area use requirements of species targeted for protection by marine protected areas (MPAs) is critical to the future conservation efforts of economically important fish species. Knowledge of home range size and site fidelity is essential in determining whether species will benefit from the protection offered by a MPA, the size of the area needed to protect individuals, and the extent to which surrounding unprotected areas may be supplemented through post-recruitment movement or “spillover”. We utilized a traditional mark and recapture approach, along with GIS spatial analysis to investigate the site fidelity, home range, and homing behavior of the …

A Behavioral Weight Gain Intervention In Pregnancy: A Cost-Benefit Analysis, Keenan Yanit, Suzanne Phelan, Rachel A. Pilliod, Katherine A. Volpe, Aaron B. Caughey

Kinesiology and Public Health

OBJECTIVE: Prior studies have demonstrated that behavioral interventions during pregnancy could prevent excessive gestational weight gain. This study investigates the cost of such interventions, taking into account the costs and benefits associated with outcomes of gestational weight gain according to the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) weight gain recommendations.

STUDY DESIGN: A decision analytic model was built using TreeAge software that compared routine prenatal care vs. routine prenatal care plus a behavioral intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain in the 1,528,000 normal weight women who are pregnant each year in the U.S. The Fit for Delivery Study protocol was …

The Economic Impact Of Gestational Weight Gain According To Iom Guidelines, Keenan Yanit, Suzanne Phelan, Rachel A. Pilliod, Katherine A. Volpe, Aaron B. Caughey

Kinesiology and Public Health

OBJECTIVE: We sought to estimate the costs and outcomes associated with keeping gestational weight gain within the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations.

STUDY DESIGN: A decision analytic model was built using TreeAge software that compared the cost of gestational weight gain categorized by staying within versus exceeding the IOM guidelines in normal weight and obese women. We assumed the obesity prevalence from the most recent data in 2008 and applied to the estimated 4,000,000 million births per year. Outcomes included: gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, macrosomia (>4500g), small-forgestational age, postterm delivery, cesarean delivery, postpartum weight retention, and child obesity.

RESULTS: …

Cal Poly Dairy: Safety And Procedures, Christine Woodman

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create a safety program that was designed specifically for the milkers at the Cal Poly Dairy. It was designed as an orientation program for all new employees at the Dairy. By creating an orientation program that delivers a consistent message time after time, it is hoped that all student employees will be able to maintain a high level of safety while employed at the Dairy. It includes an instructional video as well as a written safety test.

How To Control Texture In Cultured Dairy, Phillip S. Tong

Dairy Science

No abstract provided.

Uses Of Genomic Predictions In Commercial Beef Cattle Operations, Matt Miller

Dairy Science

This paper aimed to achieve two different objectives. The first objective of this study was to identify and explain the genetic gain achieved in commercial beef cattle operations with the use of genomic predictions versus the use of visual appraisal and EPDs. The second goal of this paper was to develop a method to easily explain genomic predictions and their practical applications on commercial beef operations to a lay audience, specifically to ranchers. In order to accomplish these objectives, I evaluated three of the most common selection methods used by producers today. These included visual appraisal, expected progeny differences (EPDs), …

Utilizing Fishermen Knowledge And Expertise: Keys To Success For Collaborative Fisheries Research, Noëlle Yochum, Richard M. Starr, Dean Wendt

Biological Sciences

Collaborative fisheries research provides a mechanism for integrating the unique knowledge, experience, and skills of fishermen and scientists. It is a joint intellectual endeavor that begins with the inception of a project and continues until its final stages, with each group having mutual investment in—and ownership of— the project. Collaborative fisheries research promotes communication and trust among fishermen, scientists, and managers and can provide much-needed scientifically valid data for fisheries management. It can enhance federal and state management data collection programs, which span broad sections of coastline, by increasing the ability to detect changes in local metapopulations that may be …

Living With Emerging Contaminants: Proteomics Of 4-Nonylphenol Exposed Arrow Goby (Clevelandia Ios), Sarah Emily Johnson

Master's Theses

Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) are widely used in industrial and household products as surfactants. APEs degrade into more toxic ethoxylates, such as 4-nonylphenol (NP), which has been shown to be an endocrine disruptor and enhance the growth of tumor cells. Nonylphenol is wider spread in Pacific estuaries than originally thought. Organisms in Morro Bay, California contain some of the highest concentrations of NP reported, while containing few other contaminants. As a benthic mud-dwelling fish, the arrow goby (Clevelandia ios) may be exposed to high levels of NP due to high contaminant sequestration rates in anaerobic mud. While ecotoxicology suggests …

Factors That Relate To Overweight And Obesity In Preschool Children: An Investigation Of Preschool Children In San Luis Obispo County, Kyla Tom

Master's Theses

In the United States the trend towards overweight and obesity has been a major health concern as it has been linked to a variety of health problems. A nation-wide initiative, “Let’s Move” created by Michelle Obama was launched in February 2010 with the goal that, in one generation; every child born will be at a healthy weight at the start of adulthood. Healthy People 2020 are national health objectives for the United States to obtain by 2020. In 2009, San Luis Obispo (SLO) County preschool children overweight and obesity rates mirrored national rates of 1 in 5 four-year-old children were …

Simulated Effects Of Varied Landscape-Scale Fuel Treatments On Carbon Dynamics And Fire Behavior In The Klamath Mountains Of California, Kevin J. Osborne

Master's Theses

I utilized forest growth model (FVS-FFE) and fire simulation software (FlamMap, Randig), integrated through GIS software (ArcMap9.3), to quantify the impacts varied landscape-scale fuel treatments have on short-term onsite carbon loss, long-term onsite carbon storage, burn probability, conditional flame length, and mean fire size. Thirteen fuel treatment scenarios were simulated on a 42,000 hectare landscape in northern California: one untreated, three proposed by the US Forest Service, and nine that were spatially-optimized and developed with the Treatment Optimization Model in FlamMap. The nine scenarios developed in FlamMap varied by treatment intensity (10%, 20%, and 30% of the landscape treated) and …

Impact Of Collateral Enlargement On Smooth Muscle Phenotype, Alexander Jerome Bynum

Master's Theses

Peripheral Artery Disease is a very serious disease characterized by an arterial occlusion due to atherosclerotic plaques. In response to an arterial occlusion, arteriogenesis occurs, causing smooth muscle cells to transition from a contractile to synthetic state. Also following an arterial occlusion, functional impairment was seen in the collateral circuit. An immunofluorescence protocol was developed in order to assess the impact of collateral enlargement (arteriogenesis) on smooth muscle phenotype at various time points. Smooth muscle α-actin was used to mark all smooth muscle cells, Ki-67 was used to label proliferating smooth muscle cells, and a fluorescent nuclear stain was used …

Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy And Risk Factors For Cardiovascular Disease In Adulthood, Bernardo Lessa Horta, Denise P. Gigante, Aydin Nazmi, Vera Maria F. Silveira, Isabel Oliveira, Cesar G. Victora

Food Science and Nutrition

Objective: This study was aimed at assessing the effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on metabolic cardiovascular risk factors in early adulthood in a Brazilian birth cohort, after controlling for possible confounding variables and health behaviors in early adulthood.

Methods: In 1982, the maternity hospitals in Pelotas, southern Brazil, were visited and all births were identified. Those livebirths whose family lived in the urban area of the city were studied prospectively. In 2004–2005, we attempted to follow the whole cohort, the subjects were interviewed, examined and blood sample was collected. The following outcomes were studied: blood pressure; HDL cholesterol; triglycerides; …

Synthesis Of An Antimicrobial Textile Coating, William M. Morris

Chemistry and Biochemistry

A titania nanosol was synthesized and coated onto nylon/cotton blended textile substrates. The substrates were characterized via SEM for adhesion and nanoparticle formation, then subjected to antimicrobial efficacy tests. The titania nanosol was successfully coated on to textiles samples. Particles were observed to be around 2 by 3 micrometers and formed between the interstitial space of textile fibers. Although larger than typical nanoparticles, the coatings exhibited what seemed to be antimicrobial activity. Titania nanosol coated textile samples were subjected to Kirby Bauer Assay in the presence of S. aureus. The coated textile sample exhibited an inhibition of growth around its …

The Effect Of Amylase Supplementation With Low-Starch Rations: Effects On Milk Production And Feed Consumption, Alfred Eaton

Dairy Science

The objective of this trial was to determine if there was an increase in milk production or a decrease in feed consumption by dairy cattle when fed an exogenous rumen-resistant amylase, named RumiStar. High feed prices have caused dairymen to look for new ways to be more efficient. Commercial feed additives have been proposed as opportunities to improve efficiency. In our study a minimum of eighty multiparous Holstein cows were assigned to each of two pens, with a minimum of forty cows in each. Cows that completed their lactation during the study period were replaced with fresh cows to keep …

Brody-Bertalanffy Growth Curves From Tag And Recapture Studies On Cabezon (Scorpaenichthys Marmoratus) And Gopher Rockfish (Sebastes Carnatus) Of The Central Coast, Christie Yorke

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Response To Management Strategies In Young-Growth Giant Sequoia Stands At Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest – Remeasurement Twenty Years After Treatment, Joshua Soderlund

Master's Theses

There is limited information on how young-growth giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum [Lindl.] Buchholz)/mixed conifer stands respond to forest management strategies. An applied research study was initiated in 1989 when 35 approximately 0.1 acre (0.04 hectare) plots were installed in six young-growth giant sequoia/mixed conifer stands. The objective of this study was to determine if there was a difference after 20 years between treatments (a) thin only, (b) thin and prescribe burn, and (c) control in terms of the effect on overstory growth and yield, understory plants, tree regeneration and downed woody debris. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) for cubic-foot growth …

The Influence Of Chilling And Heat Accumulation On Bloom Timing, Bloom Length And Crop Yield In Almonds (Prunus Dulcis (Mill.)), Melanie M. Covert

Master's Theses

Almonds are one of the first commercial nut trees to bloom in early spring and thus are susceptible to temperature patterns prior to and during bloom which affect bloom timing, bloom length, pollination and nut set. Data used in this project include yearly dates of 90% bloom from 1996-2006, bloom length in days and final crop yields in pounds per tree for Nonpareil and Mission varieties. Data were collected from the University of California Cooperative Extension reports on the 1993-2006 Regional Almond Variety Trials in Butte, San Joaquin and Kern Counties. Temperature pattern models in the form of Chill Hours …

Traversing Swanton Road, 6th Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

Parasite Infection And Sand Coarseness Increase Sand Crab (Emerita Analoga) Burrowing Time, Gita R. Kolluru, Zachary S. Green, Larisa K. Vredevoe, Matthew R. Kuzma, Sera N. Ramadan, Marc R. Zosky

Biological Sciences

Parasites with indirect life cycles require trophic transmission from intermediate hosts to definitive (vertebrate) hosts. Transmission may be facilitated if parasite infection alters the behavior of intermediate hosts such that they are more vulnerable to predation. Vulnerability to predation may also be influenced by abiotic factors; however, rarely are the effects of parasites and abiotic factors examined simultaneously. The swash zone of sandy beaches is a particularly harsh environment. Sand crabs (Emerita analoga) burrow rapidly in the swash zone to avoid predators and dislodgment. We examined prevalence and abundance of the acanthocephalan parasite Profilicollis altmani in sand crabs, …

Climate Change, Body Size, And Phenotype Dependent Dispersal, Shannon J. Mccauley, Karen E. Mabry

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Eating Frequency Is Higher In Weight Loss Maintainers And Normal-Weight Individuals Than In Overweight Individuals, Jessica L. Bachman, Suzanne Phelan, Rena R. Wing, Hollie A. Raynor

Kinesiology and Public Health

Eating frequency has been negatively related to body mass index (BMI). The relationship between eating frequency and weight loss maintenance is unknown. This secondary analysis examined eating frequency (self-reported meals and snacks consumed per day) in weight loss maintainers (WLM) who had reduced from overweight/obese to normal weight, normal weight (NW) individuals, and overweight (OW) individuals. Data collected July 2006 to March 2007 in Providence, RI, included three 24-hour dietary recalls (2 weekdays, 1 weekend day) analyzed using Nutrient Data System for Research software from 257 adults (WLM n=96, 83.3% women aged 50.0±11.8 years with BMI 22.1±1.7; NW n=80, 95.0% …