Environmental Health Commons^™

Nucleic Acid Detection Of Live Pathogens On Contaminated Foods, Simerdeep Kaur, Mohit Verma

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

The goal is to develop a point-of-care biosensor for the detection of live pathogens contaminating beef products. Biosensing of live pathogens is based on isothermal amplification of nucleic acid on a paper-based device. A colorimetric dye is employed as an indicator of the amplification product for visual result. The assay incorporates a compound Propidium monoazide (PMA) that makes the DNA from dead cells inaccessible for amplification. This approach is especially applicable for pathogens that can enter a viable but non-culturable state (VBNC).

Holistic Framework To Contextualize Dietary Quality Assessment: A Critical Review, Jessica M. Phelan, Richard R. Rosenkranz, Connor J. Phelan, Sara K. Rosenkranz

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

Numerous dietary quality indices exist to help quantify overall dietary intake and behaviors associated with positive health outcomes. Most indices focus solely on biomedical factors and nutrient or food intake, and exclude the influence of important social and environmental factors associated with dietary intake. Using the Diet Quality Index- International as one sample index to illustrate our proposed holistic conceptual framework, this critical review seeks to elucidate potential adaptations to dietary quality assessment by considering—in parallel—biomedical, environmental, and social factors. Considering these factors would add context to dietary quality assessment, influencing post-assessment recommendations for use across various populations and circumstances. …

Landscape And Site Factors Drive Invasive Phragmites Management And Native Plant Recovery Across Chesapeake Bay Wetlands, Christine B. Rohal, Eric L. G. Hazelton, Eliza K. Mcfarland, Rebekah Downard, Melissa K. Mccormick, Dennis F. Whigham, Karin M. Kettenring

Watershed Sciences Student Research

Successful invasive plant management—where invaders are sufficiently reduced and diverse native plant communities recover—remains an elusive goal for land managers. The site- and landscape-scale drivers of variable management outcomes and vegetation recovery are poorly understood due to a lack of rigorous experiments that characterize longer term vegetation trends across contexts. We present the results of a five-year experiment across eight subestuaries of Chesapeake Bay, representing a gradient of watersheds with differing dominant land-use types and anthropogenic impacts, to evaluate invasive and native plant response to herbicide management. The focal invader, Phragmites australis (common reed), is one of the most aggressive …

Exploring Gaps In City Climate Planning In The Mountain West, Joshua Padilla, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet explores data from the 2022 Brookings Institution report by Joseph W. Kane, Adie Tomer, Caroline George, and Jamal Russell Black called “Not according to plan: Exploring gaps in city climate planning and the need for regional action." The original report analyzes decarbonization plans for 50 of the largest U.S. cities and comparatively ranks each plan using a point system of 5 categories. This fact sheet focuses on Mountain West cities (Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Las Vegas, NV; Salt Lake, UT; and Albuquerque, NM) included in the original study.

Soil Properties And Potassium Availability In Pullen Farm Murray, Kentucky, Ava Isaacs, Gracey Moffitt, Whitney Sides

Posters-at-the-Capitol

One of the most important factors regarding soil and plant health is nutrient availability and fertility. Of these two factors that were mentioned available potassium is a key component. With that being said we decided that it would be beneficial to see how potassium can be traced within the soil in various locations after fertilizer is applied. There were two parts to this experiment. Part one was taking soil core samples in order to obtain various soil properties such as soil organic matter, soil water holding capacity and bulk density and observe if these properties have any effect on the …

Revisiting The 2018 Corsica Oil Spill - A Preliminary Case Study Of Ecosystem Recovery From Pahs In Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus Yelkouan), Makenna Mahrer

CMC Senior Theses

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a specific class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) heavily associated with crude oil, and pose genotoxic and physiological threats to marine life when released into the aquatic environment during a petroleum spill. This study seeks to understand the residual impacts of the 2018 Corsica oil spill on Puffinus yelkouan (Yelkouan Shearwater), a seabird endemic to the Mediterranean basin, using the species as a bioindicator for contamination in the region. Though classified by the IUCN Red List as ‘vulnerable,’ this species remains grossly understudied in present monitoring literature. This study made use of blood samples and …

Entangled Mangrove Roots: The Shrimp Industry, Ancestral Afro-Descendant People, And Community Resistance In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, O'Philia Le

Pitzer Senior Theses

Mangroves are one of the most important ecosystems because of the many services they provide on a local and global scale, but in contrast, are one of the most threatened by anthropogenic activities at a global level. Being sources of food for various kinds of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, they are essential for the economy, culture, and livelihood of locals in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. This thesis takes an environmental justice approach in the discussion of the loss of mangroves in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. While toxic industries may not be apparent at first, environmental injustice prevails in adverse human health effects, environmental degradation, …

Développement De Stratégie Visant À Contrôler Le Niveau De Contamination Des Piscines Par Les Sous-Produits De Désinfection, Maximilien Debia, Elham Ahmadpour, Isabelle Valois, Sami Haddad, Robert Tardif, Stéphane Hallé, Hélène Proulx, Manuel Rodriguez, François Proulx, Ianis Delpla, Jean Sérodes, Sabrina Simard

Rapports de recherche scientifique

La présence de sous-produits de désinfection dans l’eau et l’air des piscines intérieures est une problématique de santé publique et de santé au travail. L’exposition aux sous-produits de désinfection et notamment à la trichloramine est associée à différents effets délétères comme l’irritation des voies respiratoires, l’irritation oculaire et l’hyperréactivité bronchique. La présence des sous-produits de désinfection résulte des réactions chimiques qui surviennent entre les agents désinfectants ajoutés et les matières organiques ou azotées présentes naturellement dans l’eau ou qui y sont amenées par les baigneurs.

L’objectif général de recherche visait à améliorer les connaissances sur les pratiques de gestion et …

An Exploration Of The Causes And Effects Of Interpersonal Conflict Related Stress Among A Self-Selected Cohort Of Second Level Teachers In Ireland, Patrick Bruce

Theses

Teaching has been classified by researchers as a high stress profession. Stress in teaching has been reported to have many negative health outcomes and also affects productivity. The literature also reports that stress in teaching is a difficult matter to resolve satisfactorily, with mixed outcomes from interventions. An emergent cause of work-related stress in education is IPC and this study sets out to investigate the prevalence of this underreported phenomena.

A sample of 25 teachers working in Irish second level schools were recruited. Semi structured interviews were conducted to report on the experiences of stress, it’s causes and effects both …

Lead And Cadmium Exposure Alters Respiration And Shell Bioadhesive Matrix In A Single-Chambered, Agglutinated Foraminiferan Protist: Implications For Marine Biomonitoring, Amanda L. Andreas

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Heavy metal exposure from anthropogenic pollutants negatively affects many marine organisms, including foraminiferan protists. Foraminifera are often used as bioindicators in benthic environments due to their sensitivity to environmental stress. Primary research has commonly focused on how heavy metals affect foraminiferal assemblages, distribution, ultrastructure, and shell morphology. Multi-chambered calcareous and agglutinated forams are the primary focus of such ecotoxicological studies; however, less is known about how heavy metals affect the physiology and shell microarchitecture of monothalamid agglutinated species. The research reported here represents an interdisciplinary environmental toxicology approach to study the exposure effects of heavy metal toxicants, lead (Pb) and …

Examining The Oxidative Stress Effects In Rats Exposed To 2-Aminoanthracene In Utero And High Fat Diet Three Months After, Brianna A. Lanoix

Honors College Theses

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are organic compounds that are created synthetically or found in partially burned oil, gasoline, and coal. 2-aminoanthracene (2AA) is a common example of a PAH and can affect lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and resulting in inflammatory problems and oxidative stress. The objective of the research project is to investigate oxidative stress in relation to diabetes in rats exposed to 2AA in utero and a high fat diet later in life. Pregnant dams were separated into treatment groups based on their dosages of 2AA; 0 mg/kg (control), 50 mg/kg (low), 100 mg/kg (high). During the gestation -postpartum period, …

Biomonitoring Of Exposure To Multiple Metal Components In Urine, Hair And Nails Of Apprentice Welders Performing Shielded Metal Arc Welding (Smaw), Jairo Buitrago-Cortes, Philippe Sarazin, Denis Dieme, Jonathan Côté, Capucine Ouellet, Naïma El Majidi, Michèle Bouchard

Études primaires

Welding fumes are associated with various diseases. Increased air levels of metals were reported during welding. However, few multielement biomonitoring studies were conducted to assess the actual dose of metal components absorbed in apprentice welders in a learning environment. This research aimed to establish the nature and level of exposure to welding fumes and their metallic components in apprentice welders performing ‘Shielded Metal Arc Welding’ (SMAW), based on multi-element and multi-matrix analyses. A total of 86 apprentice welders were recruited in three different schools in Montreal, Québec, Canada. Twenty-one elements were measured in urine, hair, fingernail, and toenail samples collected …

Differences In Drifting Invertebrate Communities Across Arctic Ecozones And The Influence On Potential Growth Of Grayling (Thymallus Arcticus), Charles Chanyi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Invertebrate drift is a key process that potentially affects multiple levels of food web organization within stream environments. However, our understanding of the mechanistic drivers of drift in high latitude streams and subsequent bottom-up control that drift may have on fish predators in these environments remains understudied. This project aimed to gain the baseline knowledge of how drift functions across two major high latitude ecozones, the boreal forest and tundra, and how those possible differences in drifting community characteristics may impact drift-feeding Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus). These objectives were accomplished by characterizing stream environments across both ecozones, sampling …

Concrete Everywhere: A Project-Based Analysis Of The Unequal Distribution Of Warehouses In Fontana, Chanah Haigh

Scripps Senior Theses

Unjust legislation and zoning practices drive the excess of warehouses in Fontana, California whose impacts fall disproportionately on low income communities of color. This paper addresses the environmental and health impacts of warehouses, as well as the legislation and the use of zoning which bring them to Fontana. Original maps show the spread of warehouses over census tract level data depicting race, income, and environmental factors such as diesel particulate matter. State and local legislation is analyzed to determine its intended effect and how well it has been enforced. Research was conducted through a project based thesis done in conjunction …

Bioaccumulation Of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Compounds And Mercury In A Mining Impacted Aquatic Ecosystem, Michelle Bollini

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Keweenaw area continues to be influenced by the century of copper mining that ended nearly 50 years ago. This project is focused on Torch Lake, an aquatic ecosystem that has been heavily impacted by mining waste disposal. The watershed has been impaired by mine discharge and tailings, smelter and smokestack plumes, and poor waste disposal practices. The lake is listed as a Great Lakes Area of Concern with beneficial use impairments of restrictions on fish consumption and a degraded benthic community. Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) and methylmercury (MeHg) are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances (PBTs). These contaminants pose threats …

Teaching Agroecology: Preparing Students For Navigating Uncharted Territory, Charles A. Francis, Steve Gliessman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Agroecologists understand that farming and food systems are more complex than the aggregation of their components. This realization drives our choices of learning strategies and activities that will prepare students for complexity and uncertainty. Our quest for a just, sustainable, and nutritious food system adequate to equitably serve everyone on the planet today and into the future is an enormous challenge. An undertaking of this magnitude will be met only with major adjustments informed by thoughtful teaching and practicing problem solving skills through a new educational lens. The principles of agroecology help us focus this lens on the wicked problems …

Inferring Exposure To Harmful Pseudo-Nitzschia Blooms From Ocean-To-Estuary Gradients In Domoic Acid Concentrations In Humboldt Bay Bivalves, Natasha Hope Ficzycz Winnacott

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) result from outbreaks of any of several different species of toxin-producing phytoplankton and that can have major detrimental effects on marine ecosystems and pose severe health and economic threats to human communities. Of particular concern along the United States West Coast are HABs of pennate diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia that produce the potent neurotoxin domoic acid (DA). The coastal ocean between Cape Mendocino, CA, and Cape Blanco, OR is a hotspot for Pseudo-nitzschia spp. HABs. Such blooms impact coastal fisheries and pose a potential threat to aquaculture operations in Humboldt Bay, California’s second largest estuary and largest …

An Analysis Of Water Quality At Orange County, California Beaches, Naomi Meurice

Pomona Senior Theses

Beaches in Southern California are highly recreated by residents and visitors, making beaches socially and economically important. Public health departments in coastal communities are in charge of measuring water quality and ensuring it is safe for users. Research in the past has indicated that beach water quality gets worse after storms, with bacteria levels jumping on the day of a storm and staying high for up to five days. Studies have shown these spikes in bacteria to be associated with storm runoff, with beaches closer to runoff discharge locations experiencing more impact. However, prior research has not considered the period …

Winter Dynamics Of Storm Water Management Ponds And Winter Tolerance In Three Aquatic Plant Species, Patrick Strzalkowski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The vast majority of the research into the performance of stormwater management ponds (SWMPs) has been performed in warm regions or during the warmer seasons in temperate regions. It is presumed that SWMPs are inactive in the winter as any potential stormwater is trapped in snow and ice. The main goal of this thesis was to test this presumption and to study the dynamics and performance of three SWMPs during the winter. Remote water level loggers were installed into the three SWMPs and daily grab samples from the influents and effluents were taken and analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), chloride, …

Beyond Mitosis, Plk1-Mediated Phosphorylation Re-Wires Cancer Metabolism And Promotes Cancer Progression, Qiongsi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a well- characterized regulator of cell division and is known to be highly expressed in certain types of tumors. It has been demonstrated the multifaceted roles of PLK1 in regulation of transcription, translation, epigenetics, DNA damage and cellular metabolism et al. Despite these findings, the precise mechanisms by which PLK1 regulates these processes beyond mitosis remain unclear. PLK1-mediated phosphorylation and misregulation of its substrates has been linked to tumorigenesis, cancer progression, drug resistance and worse prognosis. In this study, we investigated the non-canonical functions of PLK1 in cancer metabolism and drug resistance. We found that …