The data retrieved from gt;momic sequencing techniques provides the raw information required to infer the basis of mutations and their resulting phenotypes, wherein plant ontologies can be utilized in annotating said phenotypes using a common, shared vocabulary. By relating mutant genes of similar phenotypes both within and between plant species,...
This project describes the investigation of marine cyanobacteria collected from the Red Sea with an emphasis on the identification and prioritization of biologically active fractions for future purification and molecular structure elucidation of medicinally relevant secondary metabolites.
Five crude extracts of taxonomically unidentified Red Sea cyanobacteria supplied by Egyptian collaborators...
Recent studies have shown that novel continuous dropout methods can be viewed as a Bayesian interpretation of model parameters, though most such studies have shown results using normal distributions. As the posterior distributions over neural network nodes and parameters are intractable, given that they are a result of artificial construction...
This thesis describes the implementation of ultrasonic sensors to trigger a stimulus to increase peer interaction for children with disabilities using modified ride-on-cars for mobility. Modified ride-on-car technology has improved mobility for children with disabilities by effectively replicating the social benefits of a powered mobility device, yet there are opportunities...
Using X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning to characterize the physical characteristics of soil and sediment cores allows scientists to observe and analyze stratigraphy without destroying the integrity of different layers. Microbiologists often work with geologists to characterize the microbial communities in such cores; however, X-rays are known to be destructive...
With the rise of resistant bacterial pathogens, currently prescribed antibiotics are rendered useless. In recent years, marine natural products (MNPs) have emerged as novel sources for drug leads. The ocean is a complex environment where marine animals cohabitate with many, and sometimes harmful microorganisms and viruses, but resist infections. Developed...
Heat flux measurements of radiation emissions from turbulent premixed flames diluted with N 2 and CO 2 were taken to identify sensitivities of radiation heat loss to diluent fraction and species. This work is motivated by the desire to better characterise radiant heat transfer in the presence of combustion products,...
Under the Paris Agreement, parties submitted documents outlining their commitments to climate change mitigation and adaptation, called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are set to be updated to increase ambition by 2020. Costa Rica and México are known for their significant national actions on climate change, so comparing these two...
Chiropractic treatment is used to reduce stiffness and pain. While more thoroughly studied in humans, it has been shown to be effective in horses, but relatively little evidence exists to quantify the benefits. To address this shortcoming, four methods were used to assess the effects of chiropractic treatment in horses...
Electrochemical sensing provides a quantitative alternative to colorimetric reactions within paper-based devices. The paper-based devices were fabricated by screen printing the conductive and reference inks onto porous substrates that were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. Devices were evaluated based on the magnitude of the average anodic peak height, which correlates with...
Stream light availability is an important factor influencing aquatic food webs. In forested headwaters, stream algal production is often highly light-limited, so an increase in light enhances benthic algal growth, which in turn increases food availability for primary consumers in the stream. In forested headwater streams, light availability is almost...
Oregon State laboratories are responsible for a significant portion of the university’s overall resource and energy consumption, and therefore minimizing waste in a sustainable way should be a top priority for the university while aiming for carbon neutrality by 2025. This study addresses major factors that should be considered when...
The relationship between a parent and child in the first years of life have a significant effect on the development of children. Parenting education can be a valuable resource for learning evidence-based parenting strategies, but access to parenting education is limited in many states. Oregon has a unique statewide system...
This research examined the potential for using peanut husk as a fiber alternative to wood in the production of melamine-formaldehyde (MF) particleboard. MF resin was used to produce panels with one, three, six, nine or 12 percent resin contents. Modulus of Rupture (MOR), Modulus of Elasticity (MOE), Internal Bond (IB)...
There is no shortage of challenges in modern science, including the task of obtaining high resolution images of biomolecular structures, such as proteins. Current atomic-resolution structure determination methods include x-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which present issues like protein crystallization and loss of resolution with increasing size. Dr....
This study sought to understand the commonality of vaccine misconceptions among college students and where individuals feel they are obtaining their vaccine information. An IRB approved survey was used to collect 126 responses from Oregon State University students. Individuals, on average, correctly answered only 54.10% of the statements based on...
Hypoproteinemia secondary to gastrointestinal disease in horses has traditionally been treated with the administration of colloids such as equine plasma or hetastarch. While plasma transfusion is common, evidence-based guidelines for its use in hypoproteinemic horses are lacking. This study involved prospective and retrospective components that aimed to weigh the efficacy...
As one of database types, CSV type database is widely used by many people because the type serves various useful purposes for business, engineering, and environment. However, the CSV type database could be complicated to understand because it is usually written on spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel format. Therefore, data visualization...
This qualitative study on the experiences of English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) educators in the process of reclassifying English Learner Students with Disabilities (ELSWDs) from English Language Development (ELD) services in Oregon sought the answers to two questions: (1) Who is making reclassification decisions? and (2) How are reclassification decisions made on behalf of ELSWDs?...
The proliferation of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are increasing human light exposure, yet the long-term effects of such exposure remains unknown. The current study aims to address this by measuring the longevity of Drosophila melanogaster kept in several light conditions. Initial longevity testing determined that flies kept in daily light-dark...
This thesis project explores Tim O’Brien’s use of fiction to go beyond simply recounting an experience in the Vietnam War to write a true war story through examination of his writing, interviews, and their impact on me as a reader. I dissect three of O’Brien’s fictional narratives for their similarities...
Histones, as part of nucleosomes, are responsible for DNA packaging in chromosomes. They also affect DNA expression by a multitude of post-translational modifications, especially prevalent on the amino terminus of histones. Co-activator protein complexes “write”, “read”, or “erase” histone modifications, and in balance determine which sections of DNA are free...
Degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is a phenomenon that has yet to be adequately addressed. Treatment options remain limited and incomplete. The ability to effectively cryopreserve IVDs would allow for better allograft transplantations and storage of samples for research purposes. This study aimed to assess how cryopreservation with different...
This thesis is a study of the effects of social media and the influence it has over people and their wellbeing. The study within the thesis manipulates the social media habits of Oregon State students, and looks at the changes in their wellbeing. Throughout the background research the evidence supports...
Highly elastic solutions have been shown to increase contaminant removal from silicon wafers, indicating the possibility for reduced reliance upon hazardous chemicals and expensive technologies during the fabrication of semiconductor devices. The onset of this enhanced removal is explored using rinsing and siphoning experimentswith polymer fluids of high molecular weights...
Coded metrics that compare representations of structures within the human body to evaluate their similarity are considered useful for planning radiation therapy on cancer targets. However, existing metrics fail to take into account the dose of radiation that will be received by both the target, and surrounding non-target tissue, during...
A long running problem in mathematical biology is the prediction of extinction events, a specialized case of the larger global stability problem found in differential equations and dynamical systems theory. A central technical question is how to introduce the randomness observed in real ecological systems not accounted for in deterministic...
“The Effects of Digital Music Streaming on the Revenue Models of Independent Musicians” discusses the rise of online music distribution, the current state of the music industry, and specifically, analyzes how online music distribution effects the revenue generation methods and careers of independent musicians. While the issues of music streaming...
This study aimed to explore the relationship between urinary cortisol levels and proximity-seeking behavior in shelter cats and the impact of socialization programs on these two factors. A Spearman’s correlation test found no correlation between cortisol levels and proximity-seeking behavior in shelter cats. Fisher’s 2x2 tests confirmed that the changes...
The purpose of this study was to understand current caregiver attitudes towards powered mobility devices for young children with disabilities. This data was obtained by collecting surveys from pediatric physical therapists who interact with many caregivers on a daily basis and often act as the bridge between families and access...
More than twenty million people in the United States are estimated to have substance use disorders, and it is expected that the number will increase in the future. Physicians, especially general practitioners, play important roles in the treatment of substance use and other addiction disorders because they focus on overall...
Our society today is heavily dependent on fossil fuels such as coal and oil. However, growing environmental concerns and future fossil fuel supplies have led to interests in alternative fuels. Dimethyl Ether (DME) is an inexpensive, clean-burning, non-toxic, and potentially renewable fuel, making it a suitable choice as an alternative...
The electrical output of solar panels is reduced when dust covers the panels, but the air movement produced by a flying drone can be used to remove this debris. This research project will study the effectiveness of a quadcopter drone in dusting a solar panel. A solar panel was covered...
Drought represents an import part of natural hydrologic cycles that govern the rate and transportation of water on global and regional scales. (Trenberth, et al. 2015) Agriculturally, drought represents a threat to crop production and can endanger political and economic stability through the loss of resources and the threat of...
This project concerns the design, layout, assembly, debugging, and testing of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) that autonomously, reliably, and effectively conducts Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) measurements. CV is an electrochemical procedure done to analyze, quantize, and visualize reversible reduction-oxidation reactions, often used in medical devices to monitor the levels of...
Urban stormwater runoff contains pollutants that have a detrimental effect on pond water quality and watershed water quality. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs), such as a constructed wetland, can treat these pollutants through processes like infiltration, adsorption, and plant uptake. It is hypothesized that the surface-runoff fed pond at Bruce...
This paper analyzes macroeconomic variables to determine their effect on the United States’ trade balance. Data on GDP, exchange rates, money supply and the trade balance are adjusted for inflations to get inflation-adjusted variables. This will lead to a regression with the goal of determining which factors explain the variability...
The Walt Disney Company is one of the most recognizable and pervasive sources of children’s entertainment worldwide and has carefully crafted an image of childhood innocence. This wholesome image is contradicted by Disney’s consistent use of racist and sexist tropes, as well as its record of covertly using political themes...
Traffic exhaust is an important source of air pollution. This exposure assessment study examined traffic related air pollution in Curitiba, Brazil, and is particularly relevant due to 75% of the population using diesel public transportation. Traffic density was tabulated, and vehicle-type was distinguished based on their fuel type (diesel or...
The SpiderHarp is a bio-inspired electronic musical instrument that uses a localization algorithm developed at Oregon State University to translate plucks of its strings into musical notes. This localization algorithm was inspired by the way spiders locate prey in their webs. The SpiderHarp frame, sensors, and web design are also...
Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) like trichloroethene (TCE) were mostly used to replace drying cleaning fluids which contained hydrocarbons like benzene, and were highly flammable. Through improper disposal, storage, and spills, TCE and its downstream products, like cis-dichloroethene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC), leached into groundwater and threaten human and environmental...
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. but is often thought of as a man’s disease. Women with CVD, however, suffer poorer health outcomes due to previous education of stereotypically “male” signs and symptoms of heart attacks, despite the fact...
The OSU-Benton County Green Stormwater Infrastructure Research (OGSIR) Facility was created to test various methods of stormwater treatment. At this facility, runoff from the Benton County Development Department property is captured and pumped into a bioswale. This bioswale is comprised of layers of rock, gravel, sand, and soil, and is...
In this study, we characterize the behavioral response of larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) to the noxious chemical allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), an agonist of the nociceptive TRPA1 ion channel, and utilize AITC as an aversive stimulus in an associative learning paradigm. We find that larvae exposed to AITC in both a...
Modern product development is a complex combination of multidisciplinary processes ranging from market research to design, engineering analysis, and logistics. The product development process has a significant impact on the success or failure of new product launches. The majority of consumer product launches fail, resulting in significant sunk cost in...
OSU Extension provides important educational services to members of the agricultural community. Programming options can be guided by needs assessment surveys, which are used to determine gaps in knowledge and understanding for communities. The objective of this study was to develop and execute a survey to gather information on: 1)...
Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) originates from organic matter. Climate and vegetation have been found to alter DOC production. The goal of this study was to determine where the differences in DOC production originate from. Mineral soil and substrate including maple leaves, needles, old wood, and sticks were collected from the...
Brucella canis is a zoonotic proteobacterium causing brucellosis in dogs and other wild canidae. It is primarily spread to the fetus through the placenta, to other dogs through fetal fluids and vaginal discharge after abortion, and to mating partners through vaginal and seminal fluids. Transmission to other dogs can also...
Heightened cortisol levels are a typical physiological response to stress. The many responsibilities of animal shelter workers can lead to increased stress levels and negative effects on their job satisfaction and overall wellness. As a result, workers are subject to burnout and compassion fatigue. While working in shelter environments may...
The goal of my thesis is to (a) help reveal to the Corvallis community who comprises this local population and (b) to share with local resource agencies what potential gaps are present from the perspectives of the homeless individuals who call Corvallis home. We interviewed eight (8) individuals who have...