Life Sciences Commons^™

The Benefit Of Foliar Applied Copper Fertilizer On Romaine Lettuce Grown In Low Copper Soils Of The Coastal Santa Maria, California, Emmy R. Williams

Master's Theses

The importance of trace elements nutrients to vegetable crops has received more attention in recent years. Accordingly this experiment investigated the benefit of foliar applied copper fertilizer on romaine lettuce (Lactuca Sativa Longifolia) grown in low soil Copper (Cu) concentration in the coastal Santa Maria, California. The various rates of Cu fertilizer applied include untreated (control), 100, 200, 400 and 800 grams per acre of CuSO4.5H 2O, using a one time and a split application methods. Three consecutive individual experimental fields were established starting in late spring through the fall of 2008. The soil texture was a loam in all …

Preventing Childhood Obesity: What Works?, Ll Birch, A K. Ventura

Kinesiology and Public Health

Rates of overweight in North American children and adolescents have increased dramatically since the 1970s. Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions and calls for prevention and treatment programs to reverse this trend have been made. However, the evidence base needed for effective action is still incomplete, especially for childhood obesity prevention programs. This paper focuses on primary prevention of childhood obesity and has three aims: (1) to briefly describe current primary prevention approaches for childhood obesity and the evidence for their impact; (2) to elucidate promising, but untested intervention strategies using an ecological framework and evidence from experimental and epidemiological …

Epidemiology Of Early And Late Growth In Height, Leg And Trunk Length: Findings From A Birth Cohort Of Brazilian Males, D. P. Gigante, Aydin Nazmi, R. C. Lima, F. C. Barros, Cesar G. Victora

Food Science and Nutrition

Background/Objective:To investigate socioeconomic, gestational and early life exposures as potential determinants of total height, leg and trunk length.

Subjects/Methods:Male subjects from the 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study were examined in 1986 at home, and in 2000 when registering at the local army base. The follow-up rate was 79%. Standing and sitting heights were measured on both occasions. Leg length was calculated as the difference between standing and sitting heights. Outcome measures were height, leg and trunk length at 4 and 18 years and growth in this period. Complete data were obtained for 2012 participants, representing 71% of all …

Effect Of Processing Parameters On Texture, Composition And Applicability Of High Protein Dairy Food, Maulik Shah

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of key process parameters on the flow properties of a novel High Protein Dairy Food (HPDF). HPDF was manufactured by an approach similar to that of manufacture of Halloumi cheese (a semi hard cheese originally from Cyprus). The effect of pasteurization condition, pH of acidification and homogenization were investigated on flowability, composition and texture of the HPDF. The study consisted of three different stages. After each stage of experimentation, the HPDF was analyzed for compositional, textural (by texture profile analysis) and flow properties during heating by microwave, oven and hot …

Efficacy Of Botanical And Mineral Oils On Willamette Mite (Acari: Tetranychidae), Elizabeth Ruby Begonia Church

Master's Theses

Willamette mite (WM), Eotetranychus willamettei, is a major pest throughout most winegrape regions in coastal California and Oregon. These mites puncture leaf tissue with their chelicerae and cause loss of photosynthetically active area. Chemical control treatments on grape include nearly ten registered synthetic miticides, plus soaps and oils. Oils can be petroleum based (mineral oil) or botanical (from seeds of various plants). There has been a lot of interest of late in the use of botanical oils other than soybean, including those derived from the seeds of plants including spearmint, rosemary and clove. This project tested for differences in the …

What Do Physicians Recommend To Their Overweight And Obese Patients?, Suzanne Phelan, Mithun Nallari, Francine E. Darroch, Rena R. Wing

Kinesiology and Public Health

Background: It is recognized that physicians play an important role in responding to the nation's obesity epidemic. Little is known, however, about what physicians say to their obese patients to help them lose weight.

Objective: This cross-sectional survey examined weight loss recommendations of family physicians and internists. Surveys were mailed to 188 physicians and 54% (n = 101) responded. The survey assessed physicians’ weight loss recommendations, the basis for recommendations, and their expected weight loss outcomes for a hypothetical patient. Physicians rated the extent to which they recommended various weight control strategies to their obese patients. They also …

The Effect Of Random, Blocked, And Transition Practice Schedules On Children's Performance Of A Barrier Knockdown Test, Gregory C. Snider

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to examine whether a transition schedule of contextual interference facilitated learning in retention and transfer equal to or better than random and blocked schedules among children. The author selected participants from the central coast of California and from youth activity leagues. The author selected children between the ages of 10 to 13 with a mean age of 11.5. There were a total of 36 subjects, half male and half female. Unfortunately, due to computer error, only data from 15 subjects were saved and available for analysis. Researchers randomly assigned participants to one of three …

The Effects Of Alterations To Upper Limb Inertial Properties On Vertical Point-To-Point Movement, Adrian K. Hongo

Master's Theses

Purpose: Several studies have examined intralimb coordination between the shoulder and elbow joints during target-oriented movements. These studies have observed consistent patterns in coordination despite changes in movement variables such as speed, direction, and inertia. Researchers used intersegmental dynamics to quantitatively analyze these patterns between shoulder and elbow joints while systematically changing values of these movement variables. Some studies have examined central nervous system adaptations to inertial changes at the elbow and entire arm during a movement, but none have examined inertial changes to the upper limb. Methods: Five male and five female participants aged 27 to 39 years (mean …

Development, Implementation And Evaluation Of A Data-Assimilative Ocean Forecasting System Off The Central California Coast, Yi Chao, Zhijin Li, John Farrara, James C. Mcwilliams, James Bellingham, Xavier Capet, Francisco Chavez, Jei-Kook Choi, Russ Davis, Jim Doyle, David M. Fratantoni, Peggy Li, Patrick Marchesiello, Mark A. Moline, Jeff Paduan, Steve Ramp

Biological Sciences

The development and implementation of a real-time ocean forecast system based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) off the coast of central California are described. The ROMS configuration consists of three nested modeling domains with increasing spatial resolutions: the US West coastal ocean at 15-km resolution, the central California coastal ocean at 5 km, and the Monterey Bay region at 1.5 km. All three nested models have 32 vertical sigma (or terrain-following) layers and were integrated in conjunction with a three-dimensional variational data assimilation algorithm (3DVAR) to produce snapshots of the ocean state every 6 h (the reanalysis) and …

Bioluminescence To Reveal Structure And Interaction Of Coastal Planktonic Communities, Mark A. Moline, Shelley M. Blackwell, James F. Case, Steven H.D. Haddock, Christen M. Herren, Cristina M. Orrico, Eric Terrill

Biological Sciences

Ecosystem function will in large part be determined by functional groups present in biological communities. The simplest distinction with respect to functional groups of an ecosystem is the differentiation between primary and secondary producers. A challenge thus far has been to examine these groups simultaneously with sufficient temporal and spatial resolution for observations to be relevant to the scales of change in coastal oceans. This study takes advantage of general differences in the bioluminescence flash kinetics between planktonic dinoflagellates and zooplankton to measure relative abundances of the two groups within the same-time space volume. This novel approach for distinguishing these …

National Beef Market Basket Survey- 2006: External Fat Thickness Measurements And Separable Component Determinations For Beef From Us Retail Establishments, C. L. Mason, K. L. Nicholson, J. C. Brooks, R. J. Delmore, W. R. Henning, D. D. Johnson, C. L. Lorenzen, R. J. Maddock, R. K. Miller, J. B. Morgan, B. E. Wasser, B. L. Gwartney, K. B. Harris, D. B. Griffin, D. S. Hale, J. W. Savell

Animal Science

A market basket survey for beef retail cut composition at the retail level (four stores each from two chains in each city) was conducted in 11 US cities from January to March 2006. Beef cuts (n = 17,495) were measured for external fat thickness with cuts from the chuck (0.05 cm), round (0.05 cm), and miscellaneous (0.04 cm) having less (P < 0.05) fat than cuts from the loin (0.11 cm) and rib (0.11 cm). Beef cuts (n = 1327) were separated physically into separable components with round cuts having more (P < 0.05) separable lean (96.63%) than chuck cuts (86.81%) and miscellaneous cuts (86.18%), which had more (P < 0.05) separable lean than loin cuts (84.53%) with rib cuts (69.34%) having the lowest (P < 0.05) separable lean. Chemical fat from the separable lean differed (P < 0.05) between each cut category: round cuts (3.71%), miscellaneous cuts (4.99%), loin cuts (5.60%), chuck cuts (6.90%), and rib cuts (8.61%). Ground beef samples (n = 235), with declared lean/fat percentages ranging from 73/27 to 96/4, had overall chemical fat values of 13.41% and moisture values of 67.42%. This survey documents the current beef retail cut and ground beef composition, which is helpful to those who need this information for various dietary and marketing purposes.

The Most Widely Publicized Gender Problem In Human Genetics, William D. Stansfield, Matthew A. Carlton

Biological Sciences

In two-child families containing at least one boy, the expected probability that such a family has two boys is 1/3, provided that the boy/girl (B/G) ratio is 1.0 and the population to which they belong has a binomial distribution of BB, (BG + GB), and GG families. It is commonly known that in most human populations the sex ratio at birth (i.e., the ratio of the number of boys to the number of girls) is greater than 1.0. Teachers and textbook writers seldom discuss the more realistic expected distributions in populations where the sex ratio is greater than 1.0. We …

Temperature Influence And Heat Management Requirements Of Microalgae Cultivation In Photobioreactors, Thomas Hagen Mehlitz

Master's Theses

Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuel production for the future. The most efficient way to produce vast amounts of algal biomass is the use of closed tubular photobioreactors (PBR). The heat requirement for a given system is a major concern since the best algae growth rates are obtained between 25-30 °C, depending on the specific strain. A procedure to determine temperature influence on algal growth rates was developed for a lab-scale PBR system using the species Chlorella. A maximum growth rate of 1.44 doublings per day at 29 °C (optimal temperature) was determined. In addition, …

Biological Control Of Marmara Gulosa Guillén And Davis In The San Joaquin Valley, Crystal A. Kirkland

Master's Theses

Peelminer, Marmara gulosa Davis and Guillén, has been reported as a sporadic pest in California and Arizona since 1998. Marmara gulosa has been a persistent pest in the San Joaquin Valley of California (USA) since 1998. Prior to 2000 the only reports of high populations of citrus peelminer were in the Coachella Valley. The larval stages of M. gulosa create serpentine mines scarring the upper epidermal layers of citrus rind, rendering it unacceptable for fresh market sale. Chemicals have failed to provide adequate control of M. gulosa; thus, the use of natural enemies is considered the best long-term option. …

Barriers To Physical Activity And Healthy Eating As Perceived By Parents In Lompoc: Focus Group Results, Ann Yelmokas Mcdermott, David W. Hey, Stephanie F. Teaford, Wendy L. Minarik

Kinesiology and Public Health

Dear members of the Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization, Community Health for Lompoc Valley Community Health Center, Lompoc Valley Partners and Lompoc Valley Healthy Kids Initiative,

On behalf of Cal Poly’s emerging Center for Obesity Prevention and Education (COPE), I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to Dr. Steve McDowell and Ms. Judy Taggart for inviting our research team to partner with your community in this exciting project. It is clear to our research team that the community health agencies have invested a tremendous amount of time, energy and money in planning and implementing changes designed to improve …

Forward And Reverse Genetics Of Rapid-Cycling Brassica Oleracea, Edward Himelblau, Laurie Mentzer, Erin J. Gilchrist, Kelly Buono, Colleen Bizzell, Robert Vogelzang, Thomas Osborn, Richard M. Amasino, Isobel A.P. Parkin, George W. Haughn

Biological Sciences

Seeds of rapid-cycling Brassica oleracea were mutagenized with the chemical mutagen, ethylmethane sulfonate. The reverse genetics technique, TILLING, was used on a sample population of 1,000 plants, to determine the mutation profile. The spectrum and frequency of mutations induced by ethylmethane sulfonate was similar to that seen in other diploid species such as Arabidopsis thaliana. These data indicate that the mutagenesis was effective and demonstrate that TILLING represents an efficient reverse genetic technique in B. oleracea that will become more valuable as increasing genomic sequence data become available for this species. The extensive duplication in the B. oleracea genome …

The Development And Pilot Of A Culinary Intervention Designed Using The Social Cognitive Theory To Teach Nutrition To Adolescent Girls, Julie Chessen, Lisa M. Nicholson, Jeff Sklar, Ann Yelmokas Mcdermott

Food Science and Nutrition

Due to the trend of decreased traditional cooking skills, this study investigated the effectiveness of practical cooking classes on diet quality to reduce the prevalence of obesity in adolescent girls.

The Effect Of Zilpaterol Hydrochloride On Meat Quality Of Calf-Fed Holstein Steers, S. F. Holmer, D. M. Fernandez- Duenas, S. M. Scramlin, C. M. Souza, D. D. Boler, F. K. Mckeith, J. Killefer, R. J. Delmore, J. L. Beckett, T. E. Lawrence, D. L. Vanoverbeke, G. G. Hilton, M. E. Dikeman, J. C. Brooks, R. A. Zinn, M. N. Streeter, J. P. Hutcheson, W. T. Nichols, D. M. Allen, D. A, Yates

Animal Science

The objective of these studies was to evaluate the effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH), fed for 0, 20, or 30 d, on meat quality attributes of calf-fed Holstein steers. Steers were slaughtered at a commercial facility, and carcasses were selected by HCW to represent the pen mean. Further carcass selection was based on quality grade (Choice and Select) and yield grade. Proximate composition, measures of water holding capacity, and tenderness using Warner-Bratzler shear force after 7, 14, or 21 d postmortem were evaluated on the shoulder clod (triceps brachii), top butt (gluteus medius), and strip loin (longissimus lumborum). Percentage of …

Mendel's Search For True-Breeding Hybrids, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Hydrothermal And Thermal Time Models For The Invasive Grass, Arundo Donax, Anthony Graziani, Scott J. Steinmaus

Biological Sciences

Controlled laboratory and field experiments were performed to determine the developmental response to temperature and moisture of Arundo donax, a riparian invasive grass and potential bioenergy crop. A logistic function was parameterized and used to predict thermal times to sprouting and the nine-leaf stage. Consistent estimates of the base temperature (T_b) and base water potential (ψ_b) below which development ceases were obtained from various statistical and mathematical analyses. Estimates of T_b and ψ_b were 12.7 ± 1.7 °C and −1.56 ± 0.43 MPa, respectively, for the median fraction of sprouting rhizomes. Median …

Genome Size As A Predictor Of Guard Cell Length In Arabidopsis Thaliana Is Independent Of Environmental Conditions, Barry H. Lomax, F. Ian Woodward, Ilia J. Leitch, Charles A. Knight, Janice A. Lake

Biological Sciences

• The recent discovery of a strong positive relationship between angiosperm genome size and stomatal guard cell length (GCL) opens the possibility of using plant fossil guard cell size as a proxy for changes in angiosperm genome size over periods of environmental change.
• The responses of GCL to environmental stimuli are currently unknown and may obscure this predictive relationship.
• Here, we investigated the effects of environmental variables (atmospheric CO₂, drought, relative humidity, irradiance, ultraviolet radiation and pathogen attack) on GCL in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana to quantify environmentally induced variation.
• GCL responded to all …

Collaborative Research: An Effective Way To Collect Data For Stock Assessments And Evaluate Marine Proteced Areas In California, Dean E. Wendt, Richard M. Starr

Biological Sciences

Collaborative fisheries research (in contrast to cooperative research) is based on the intellectual partnership between scientists and fishermen and is an effective way to collect data for stock assessments and to evaluate marine protected areas. Collaborative fisheries research is discussed in the context of comanagement of marine resources and how it contributes to a more democratic form of fisheries management. Many benefits result from working together, including (1) the incorporation of fishers’ knowledge and expertise into the management process and (2) the development of shared perspectives derived through science-based investigations on the status of marine resources. The California Collaborative Fisheries …

The Coriolis Effect, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Bryophytes Of Adjacent Serpentine And Granite Outcrops On The Deer Isles, Maine, U.S.A, Laura R. E. Briscoe, Tanner B. Harris, William Broussard, Eva Dannenberg, Fred C. Olday, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

The serpentine-substrate effect is well documented for vascular plants, but the literature for bryophytes is limited. The majority of literature on bryophytes in extreme geoedaphic habitats focuses on the use of species as bioindicators of industrial pollution. Few attempts have been made to characterize bryophyte floras on serpentine soils derived from peridotite and other ultramafic rocks. This paper compares the bryophyte floras of both a peridotite and a granite outcrop from the Deer Isles, Hancock County, Maine, and examines tissue elemental concentrations for select species from both sites. Fifty-five species were found, 43 on serpentine, 26 on granite. Fourteen species …

Group Feeding For The Lactating Cow, Anthony Joseph Martin

Dairy Science

Feeding individualized rations for lactating dairy cattle in the commercial herd based on dietary needs is a popular issue. This has been a debating topic since evolution of the Total Mixed Ration (TMR). Since dairymen were able to mix grain in a feed wagon and mix a specific dietary ration to meet the demand for an organized group, there has been an issue in which protocol cow pen grouping should take. Dairymen have always feed cattle based on if lactating or late in their gestation, nonlactating. With the evolution of the TMR dairymen are then allowed to go into more …

Effects Of Feeding Zilpaterol Hydrochloride For Twenty To Forty Days On Carcass Cutability And Subprimal Yield Of Calf-Fed Holstein Steers, D. D. Boler, S. F. Holmer, F. K. Mckeith, J. Killefer, D. L. Vanoverbeke, G. G. Hilton, R. J. Delmore, J L. Beckett, J. C. Brooks, R. K. Miller, D. B. Griffen, J. W. Savell, T. E. Lawrence, N. A. Elam, M N. Streeter, W. T. Nichols, J. P. Hutcheson, D. A. Yates, D. M. Allen

Animal Science

Zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) is designed to increase carcass leanness, chilled side weight (CSW), and percent saleable yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a single dose of ZH on cutability and subprimal yield of calf-fed Holstein steers when fed for increasing durations. Two hundred forty steers were fed 8.3 mg/kg of ZH on a DM basis for 0, 20, 30, or 40 d, with a 3-d withdrawal before slaughter. After slaughter, steers were fabricated into 4 pieces (round, loin/flank, rib/plate, and chuck), packaged in combos, shipped to 2 locations, and further fabricated into subprimal pieces …

Antifouling Character Of 'Active' Hybrid Xerogel Coatings With Sequestered Catalysts For The Activation Of Hydrogen Peroxide, Daniell M. Mcmaster, Stephanie M. Bennett, Ying Tang, John A. Finlay, Gregory L. Kowalke, Brian Nedved, Frank V. Bright, Maureen E. Callow, James A. Callow, Dean E. Wendt, Michael G. Hadfield, Michael R. Detty

Biological Sciences

Halide-permeable xerogel films prepared from sols containing 50 mol% aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)/50 mol% tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) or 10 mol% APTES/90 mol% TEOS and 0.015 M selenoxide or telluride catalyst in the sol gave reduced settlement of cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite and larvae of the tubeworm Hydroides elegans in the presence of artificial seawater (ASW) and hydrogen peroxide (5-100 μM) relative to glass controls. Settlement of Ulva zoospores was lower on both the 50 mol% APTES/50 mol% TEOS and 10 mol% APTES/90 mol% TEOS xerogel formulations in comparison with glass controls with or without the added catalyst. The 50 mol% …

Food Availability And Parasite Infection Influence Mating Tactics In Guppies (Poecilia Reticulata), Gita R. Kolluru, Gregory F. Grether, Eric Dunlop, Sandra H. South

Biological Sciences

Despite the important effects of diet and parasite infection on male reproductive behavior, few studies have simultaneously addressed their influence on intrasexual selection (male–male competition). We examined the synergistic effects of 2 naturally varying environmental factors, lifetime food intake and infection, with the monogenean parasite Gyrodactylus turnbulli on the mating tactics and foraging behavior of male guppies (Poecilia reticulata). We allowed fish to interact directly with each other during observations and found that unparasitized males won more intermale contests, courted females more frequently, and received positive responses to courtship displays more frequently than males that had been infected. …

Serpentine Geoecology Of Eastern North America: A Review, Nishanta Rajakaruna, Tanner B. Harris, Earl B. Alexander

Biological Sciences

Serpentine outcrops are model habitats for geoecological studies. While much attention has been paid to serpentine outcrops worldwide, the literature on eastern North American serpentine and associated biota is scant. This review examines the available literature, published and unpublished, on geoecological studies conducted on serpentine in eastern North America, from Newfoundland through Québec and New England south to Alabama. Most serpentine outcrops in the region have been mapped, but there have been few intensive mineralogical and pedological investigations. The limited soil analyses available suggest elevated levels of heavy metals such as Ni, near-neutral pH values, and Ca∶Mg ratios < 1, characteristic of serpentine soils worldwide. Botanical studies to date have largely focused on floristic surveys and the influence of fire exclusion and grazing on indigenous vegetation. To date, 751 taxa of vascular plants belonging to 92 families have been reported from serpentine outcrops in the region. Two taxa, Agalinis acuta …