Life Sciences Commons^™

Investigating Changes In Er-To-Golgi Protein Transport Following A Short Calcium Pulse: Roles Of Alg-2 And Peflin, Alaa Mohammed Yosri Shaheen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The ER-Golgi interface is a very dynamic environment that involves the movement of protein-loaded vesicles forward and backward. The movement of COPII-coated vesicles from the ER to the Golgi is the initial step in the movement of secreted, organellar, and cell surface proteins toward their final destinations. Many factors can regulate this step, including cytosolic calcium increases. In this study, we examined the effect of a transient calcium pulse on recruitment to ER exit sites of cargo proteins for ER export, the calcium-sensitive regulatory proteins apoptosis-linked gene 2 (ALG-2) and peflin, and the COPII outer coat subunits Sec31A and Sec13. …

Traditional Ecological Philosophy, Michael J. Desrosier

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A collection of creative essays that span a range of topics centered on Indigenous environmental wisdom.

Seedy Business: Unveiling Fruit-Frugivore Interactions In Loango National Park, Gabon, Diandra Mary Lewis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Fruit-frugivore interactions within forest ecosystems are intricate and are critical determinants of community structure, function, and composition. Increasing anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity in general and forests in particular highlight the need to better understand these plant-animal relationships. This thesis focuses on connections between fruit-bearing plants and the animals that eat their fruits in a relatively undisturbed rainforest in Gabon. The work combines two studies: one scrutinising fruit trait clustering, and the other delving into the difference between using dispersers versus consumers in seed dispersal networks.

In chapter 1, we focused on fruit traits and how they group together in order …

Impacts Of Climate And Wildfire On Western Larch Regeneration, Spencer T. Vieira

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Fire plays a critical role in forests of the western United States (US), but as wildfire and climate deviate from historical patterns, increasing fire activity may significantly alter forest ecosystems. To understand the impacts of changing climate and wildfire activity on conifer forests, we studied the impact of wildfire and annual post-fire climate on western larch (Larix occidentalis) regeneration. We destructively sampled 1651 seedlings from 57 sites within 32 fires that burned at moderate or high severity from 2000-2015 in the northwestern US. Using dendrochronological methods, we estimated germination years of seedlings to calculate annual recruitment rates. We …

Genetic And Environmental Contributions To Wolbachia-Induced Cytoplasmic Incompatibility, Kelley Van Vaerenberghe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Maternally-transmitted Wolbachia infect the cells of most insect species, but their frequencies in host populations vary. While much of their success can be attributed to their ability to manipulate host reproduction, these manipulations are context-dependent, varying due to several biotic and abiotic factors. Wolbachia’s most common manipulation, cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), is a conditional sterility phenotype where male-female host compatibility depends on their infection status. Specifically, CI occurs when infected males produce modified sperm that cause increased embryonic lethality unless the female carries a similar infection. Rescuing their eggs from CI increases the relative fitness of infected females, promoting Wolbachia spread …

An Interdisciplinary Approach To Understanding Ecosystem Processes And Human Perceptions Of Montana’S Mountain Lakes, Carly Innis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Mountain lake ecosystems are critical in their roles in global biogeochemical cycling and providing vital ecosystem services, including freshwater resources, ecological habitats, and recreational opportunities. Ecological processes in mountain lakes, especially those occurring in the littoral, or near-shore zones, are linked to society and can be negatively influenced by human behavior, consequently threatening ecosystem services a lake provides. To investigate this problem, this study interrogates two inter-related issues. First, I assessed ecosystem metabolic services of biological activity that demonstrate a lake’s role in carbon cycling through sampling and monitoring a series of mountain lakes. During the summer of 2022, we …

Predicting Mountain Lion Resource Selection And Abundance In North America, William Connor O'Malley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The relationship between habitat quality and density is well documented in lower trophic levels but to what extent it can be extended to higher trophic levels is unknown. I tested the relationship between habitat quality, home-range size and density using a wide-ranging, well-studied, top carnivore, the mountain lion (Puma concolor). First, I created a second-order resource selection function (RSF) for mountain lions in their current North American range using GPS collar data from 476 individuals in 20 study sites and remotely-sensed landscape data. I used the RSF and home range estimates derived from collared animals to quantify mountain …

Association Between Baseline Field Test Performance And Match Physical Performance In D1 Female Soccer Players, Benito Joel Cecenas

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Background: Fitness testing is utilized by numerous soccer programs as a means for evaluation of player physical capacity. Previous literature has shown Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIR1) performance is associated with match physical performance in elite adult and youth soccer players. Until now, these relationships have not been investigated in the collegiate soccer setting, despite the YYIR1 being regularly utilized at the collegiate level to determine eligibility for competition, influence playing time, and to assess adaptation to training programs. For these reasons the association between the YYIR1 and match physical performance was investigated in women’s collegiate soccer.

Aims: …

A Comparison Of Barriers To Traditional And Home-Based Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Participation: Potential Implications For The Maintenance Phase, Erin Rose Madison

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Cardiac rehabilitation provides medically supervised therapeutic exercise and multifaceted risk factor modification as a form of secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease, a persistent leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and internationally. Despite robust evidence of compelling patient outcomes, decreased disease recurrence, and the indications from the ACC/AHA endorsing phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) as a crucial aspect of recovery from cardiac events and qualifying conditions, CR is widely underutilized. A variety of patient barriers can serve as mitigating factors to CR referral, enrollment, participation, and completion contributing to, in part, the underutilization of CR. Barriers to …

Individual And Population Responses To Hydrologic Variability In A Headwater Stream Salamander, Madaline Cochrane

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding how organisms respond to environmental variability is a central goal in ecology – a goal made even more pressing by the herculean challenge global climate change presents to all organisms. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of floods and droughts, which will likely have disproportionate effects on freshwater organisms. Many stream-associated species have multi-stage life histories. However, we lack an empirical understanding of life history and movement responses of these organisms to hydrologic disturbances, and how these responses may influence demographic rates. In my dissertation, I used a combination of growth, developmental, movement, and demographic data to …

Umfc 140 A Comprehensive Case Report, Daniel D. Warila

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

UMFC 140 Is a teaching specimen from purchased from China assigned To Daniel Warila B.A. for the purpose of a Forensic case study. This case study covers a wide variety of forensic procedures that can be applied to these remains. The forensic procedures used consist of past as well as current procedures were applied to the remains with the resulting findings discussed and analyzed. This case study was focused on finding as many forensic answers as possible on the remains in their current condition.

Responses Of Elk To Mangement Actions And Hunter Access In The Northern Sapphire Mountains, Montana, Usa, Peter O. Mumford

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Chapter 1

Regulation of rifle hunting of adult female elk is the main tool wildlife managers use to manage the abundance of elk (Cervus canadensis) in the western United States. However, elk are increasingly located in areas where hunting access is restricted during rifle-hunting season, decreasing the ability of managers to reduce elk abundance through hunter harvest. Management actions that restricted hunter access in a 26 km2 area and closed 62 kms of predominantly 2-wheel motorized routes occurred in the northern Sapphire Mountains, Montana, USA. We collected data on elk locations before and two years after the management actions and …

"Our Loons": Participant Attachments And Motivations Within A Community-Based Monitoring Program, Taylor Tewksbury

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Organizations can benefit from understanding person-place relationships and volunteer motivations as they recruit and sustain involvement in their community-based monitoring (CBM) programs. Place attachment, or the bond between people and their meaningful environments, is one lens through which to explore these relationships. Past studies have associated place attachment with environmentally responsible behaviors (ERB), such as CBM involvement. However, few studies have explored the relationship between place attachment and CBM in the context of volunteers’ attachment to the species of study.

The purpose of this research study was to explore the place-based relationships and motivations among volunteers of the Loon Preservation …

Investigating Intellectual Diversity: A Critical Examination Of Academic Publishing Practices And Their Effects On Wildlife Conservation, Madeline M. Damon

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Academic publishing processes and standards play a fundamental role in communicating, reviewing, and expanding scientific knowledge in wildlife conservation. However, various publishing biases privilege some research perspectives and worldviews while limiting others. These biases directly impact intellectual diversity, or differences in ontology, axiology, and epistemology. This study aims to quantify intellectual diversity in the field of wildlife conservation and identify how publishing biases affect knowledge available to researchers and decision-makers worldwide.

The study employed a sample of 50,000 articles published between 2018 and 2022, collected from the Web of Science database. To analyze the vast amount of article records, natural …

How Aquatic Insects Mitigate Temperature-Oxygen Challenges Via Behavioral, Morphological, And Physiological Plasticity, Jackson H. Birrell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

How do organisms respond to environmental challenges and to environmental change? These questions occupy a central place in ecology and answering them will help us to understand why species live where they do, how organisms are affected by human activities, and, ultimately, how to choose among alternative conservation strategies. These questions are difficult, however, for two reasons. First, environmental challenges often involve multiple, interacting stressors. Second, individual responses can be modified by behavioral, morphological, and physiological plasticity. My dissertation investigates how interactions between temperature and oxygen influence the performance and survival of aquatic insects and how plasticity allows individuals to …

Factors Contributing To Legacy Hardwood Mortality Following Prescribed Fire, Heather D. Rickard

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Interruption of Indigenous stewardship has resulted in hardwood decline along what is now known as the middle Klamath River in northern California related to adverse effects to Tribal food sovereignty and community wellbeing. The survivors of a “legacy” of Indigenous stewardship are highly valued by the Karuk and neighboring Tribes for a myriad of culturally beneficial ecological associations and sources of traditional staple foods. Prescribed fire, following a century of fire exclusion, has resulted in unanticipated mortality of legacy tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), California black oak (Quercus kelloggii), and madrone (Arbutus menziesii), warranting further investigation. …

Western Gulls’ (Larus Occidentalis) Reproductive And Behavioral Responses To Human Disturbance, Lilamarie 'Asta Bowen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Human disturbances can negatively affect wildlife by causing stress, altering behavior, or even impacting populations through changes in survival or productivity. Colonial-nesting seabirds are of particular concern due to population declines and their gregarious and conspicuous nature, which may attract human visitors. However, the effects of nearby human activities, though frequently negative, could be neutral or even positive through phenomena like habituation to human activities or subsidization by human-supplied food sources. In this observational study, I evaluated relative support for three hypotheses which may explain how Western Gulls are impacted by human activity: disturbance, habituation, and subsidization. I investigated this …

Use Of Foreign Edna Tracers To Resolve Site- And Time-Specific Edna Distributions In Natural Streams, Braden A. Herman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Substantial uncertainty in how to interpret eDNA observations motivates a need for a technique to effectively and efficiently measure of system- and time-specific eDNA distributions. Using a technique to robustly calibrate eDNA dynamics in a given system would improve established eDNA methods such as presence and absence and has the potential to refine estimates of organism abundance using eDNA concentration that are less well understood. Particles of eDNA are present in a wide variety of size and type resulting in varying transport dynamics, persistence, decay, among others. This variation likely makes eDNA transport more complex than that of conservative tracers …

The Relationship Between Gluteus Maximus Activation And Running Kinematics In Recreational Distance Runners, Ricardo Sanchez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Within the running community, there are strategies that a trainer will utilize to improve the performance of an athlete. One of these strategies suggests that an increase in activation of the Gluteus Maximus (GM) muscle will result in an increase in the efficiency of runners. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between GM activation and running kinematics.

Methods: Three female and seven male recreational runners (27±8 yrs) from California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt and the local community. A Pearson product-correlation was used to determine the strength of the relationship between Gluteus Maximus activation and kinematic …

Effects Of Exergaming On Health And Fitness Outcomes For Students With Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis, Jason Abaya

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Background: The high prevalence of obesity in America can be attributed to the lack of resources and physical activity for students with disabilities. This meta-analysis presents how current literature on exergaming affects the Health Related Fitness, Skill Related Fitness, and Motor Skills of students with a diagnosed disability.

Method: The search strategy for this meta-analysis was to identify previous studies using specific keywords (e.g., Exergaming, Wii-Fit, VR, Physical Education, Adapted Physical Education). Studies were included and sorted based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results: Based on 20 studies that met the inclusion criteria, there were increased fitness outs, however not …

Olfactory Organ Morphology And Ultrastructure Of The Larval Koh Tao Island Caecilian (Ichthyophis Kohtaoensis), Jaclyn M. Patmore

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The olfactory system of living amphibians (Lissamphibia) undergoes major changes as it transitions from an aquatic to a terrestrial system during metamorphosis. Patterns of change in the cellular morphology of the nose have been examined for frogs (Anura) and salamanders (Caudata). However, it remains unknown if caecilians (Gymnophiona) have similar patterns of change in their nasal ultrastructure. In particular, no data on larval caecilian olfactory cell types are available. Here, using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, I examined the olfactory organ of larvae of the caecilian Ichthyophis kohtaoensis, to establish the ultrastructure of the epithelium and compare it …

Impact Of Self Determination Theory Amongst Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Physical Activity: Modifying A Survey, Ruben Guillermo Diaz

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Prior research has expressed concern for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who may be at risk regarding exercise and physical activity due to lack of interest, delays in motor skill development, and/or social impairment. Self Determination theory (SDT) has been suggested as an effective approach for supporting individuals with ASD across a variety of domains. SDT expresses that with the satisfaction of three fundamental psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), higher levels of intrinsic motivation will develop which will lead to enhanced development and well-being. While SDT is an effective approach to promoting motivation, it has been suggested that …

Physical Characteristics And Fine Roots Within Duff Mounds Of Old-Growth Sugar And Jeffrey Pine In A Fire-Excluded Sierran Mixed-Conifer Forest, Jules Bartley

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Fire exclusion has profoundly impacted frequent fire forests in western North America, disrupting fundamental ecological processes while leaving large, old pine trees vulnerable to drought, insects and disease, and fire. Forest managers want to increase the pace and scale of prescribed burning, yet heavy accumulations of organic material (duff mounds) at the bases of large pines can smolder for prolonged periods, damaging the cambium or consuming fine roots occupying the O horizon and/or upper mineral soil horizons. Increased duff mound depth is associated with greater mortality risk during prescribed fire, yet the biotic and abiotic drivers of duff mound accumulation …

Polymorphism Of Melanin-Based Pigments In Barn Owls In Winegrape Vineyards In Napa Valley, California, Laura Mariana Echávez Montenegro

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Many raptor species exhibit plumage polymorphism. Through the expression of a particular phenotype, polymorphism allows individuals to exploit alternative spatial or temporal environments and food resources most successfully. Barn Owls display within-species variation in their plumage, ranging from reddish to whitish and from heavily spotted to having no spots at all. In heterogeneous landscapes in Europe and the Middle East, reddish Common Barn Owls (Tyto alba) inhabit territories with proportionally more arable fields and consume proportionally more voles than mice in contrast to their whiter counterparts; a phenomenon known as habitat matching choice. This study sought to quantify …

State And Transition Models For Tussock Grasslands And Woodlands Of The Kimberley: Final Project Report, Anna E. Richards, Brett Abbott, Robert Sudmeyer, Matthew Fletcher, Kath Ryan, Suzanne Prober, Philip Thomas, Pouria Ramzi, Jodie Hayward, Chris Hetherington, Karyn Reeves, Wayne J. Fletcher

Natural resources commissioned reports

The Kimberley region in north-west Western Australia is covered by extensive savanna woodlands and tussock grasslands. Approximately half the region is under pastoral leases predominately used for beef production. The Western Australian (WA) government Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) undertakes lease assessment and inspection to ensure the maintenance of pastoral land condition (maintenance of perennial grass cover that supports livestock grazing and soil condition). This presents several challenges around defining land condition and practices that support and improve long-term ecological sustainability of pastoral lands. The objective of this project was to develop state and transition models (S&TMs) …

[Research Note] The Random Somatic Mutation Is Not Quite Random, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This research note challenges the idea that Random Somatic Mutations are entirely random, highlighting their non-equiprobable nature and their influence on evolution, involution, or indeterminacy. It recalls the Neutrosophic Theory of Evolution, extending Darwin’s theory, and emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between different senses of “random mutation” in evolutionary theory.

Neutrosophic Superhyperalgebra And New Types Of Topologies, Florentin Smarandache, Memet Sahin, Derya Bakbak, Vakkas Uluçay, Abdullah Kargı

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In general, a system S (that may be a company, association, institution, society, country, etc.) is formed by sub-systems Si { or P(S), the powerset of S }, and each sub-system Si is formed by sub-sub-systems Sij { or P(P(S)) = P^2(S) } and so on.

That’s why the n-th PowerSet of a Set S { defined recursively and denoted by P^n(S) = P(P^(n-1)(S) } was introduced, to better describes the organization of people, beings, objects etc. in our real world.

The n-th PowerSet was used in defining the SuperHyperOperation, SuperHyperAxiom, and their corresponding Neutrosophic SuperHyperOperation, Neutrosophic SuperHyperAxiom in order …

Development Of Probiotic Fermented Beverage From Gac Fruit (Momordica Cochinchinensis) And Its Functional Properties On Gut Health, Marisa Marnpae

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The study aimed to develop a probiotic beverage using gac fruit and assess its characteristics and functional properties related to gut health through probiotic lactic acid fermentation. Gac juice (GJ) at 5–10 g/100 g was fermented with Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei (L. CASEI 431®), and various aspects were explored, including probiotic viability, physicochemical properties, phytochemicals, antioxidant activity, functional properties, volatile flavor compounds, and sensory acceptability of fermented GJ (FGJ). The results indicated a decrease in pH and sugar content, alongside an increase in lactic acid, acetic acid, and probiotic viability, up to 108 CFU/mL, post-fermentation. Notably, FGJ, particularly at 10 …

Probiotic Beverage From Different Cultivars Of Pomelo Juices (Citrus Grandis (L.) Osbeck) Fermented With Lactobacillus Spp., Vernabelle Balmori

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Pomelo fruit contains prebiotic and bioactive components which makes it a promising substrate for non-dairy probiotic beverages. The study investigated the potential of fermenting five pomelo cultivars with Lactobacillus paracasei for non-dairy probiotic beverages. Fermentation enhanced lactic acid bacteria (8.80–9.28 log CFU/ml), organic acids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity, disrupting cholesterol micellization and inhibiting pancreatic lipase. Some cultivars showed improved volatile compounds and sensory scores post-fermentation. Tubtim Siam exhibited the highest functionality and health benefits based on principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering and was used for further analysis for beneficial effects. The in-vitro colonic fermentation of fermented and non-fermented …

Identification And Functional Characterization Of Mads-Box Proteins And Ccos Involved In Carotenoid Metabolism In Durian Durio Zibethinus L. Pulps, Kittiya Tantisuwanichkul

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Durian (Durio zibethinus L.), known as the "King of fruits," holds significant economic importance in Thailand. Apart from its unique odor and sweet taste, durian pulp exhibits a yellow color, which is an important aspect of fruit quality. Carotenoids are essential compounds responsible for the yellow, orange, and red coloration in many fruits and vegetables. During durian fruit development and ripening processes, its pulp changes from white to yellow due to increased carotenoid accumulation. The carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, responsible for carotenoid production, is controlled by ethylene. However, the mechanism underlying this process in durian fruit is still unknow. Notably, the …