Pseudo-Nitzschia (P/N) is a species of naturally occurring phytoplankton that contributes to harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the California Current System (CCS). P/N can produce domoic acid (DA), a toxin which accumulates in organisms that consume phytoplankton, leading to amnesiac shellfish poisoning in higher trophic levels. Thus DA can negatively...
Machine learning models are powerful tools which may aid in the prediction of survival outcomes of cancer patients. This study evaluated eight classification models and eight regression models on their ability to predict survival outcomes on breast cancer and prostate cancer data sets from the SEER database. The most accurate...
During the past two decades, interest has grown in the role and welfare implications of different head and neck positions (HNPs) in equine biomechanics as well as dressage training and competition. To evaluate the influence of HNP on stride length, 17 horses of varying breeds and dressage levels were studied...
The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is between the United States and Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. CAFTA was decided in Costa Rica by a national referendum in 2007, after years of delay that left Costa Rica as the only country to have...
Soil food webs process the majority of terrestrial carbon, and influence overall ecosystem function. A primary distinction among soil food webs is based on fungal versus bacterial pathways of decomposition; these lead to fundamentally different soil function, and are expected to differ in dominance between meadows and forests. This assumption...
Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world, and causes many cultural, environmental, and economic problems. In this thesis, I explore ethics in the field of tourism studies, and identify three ethical models used to discuss ethics in tourism, which are: business ethics, alternative tourism, and philosophical ethics....
California and Steller sea lions (Zalophus californianus, Eumetopias jubatus, respectively) are considered sentinel species because they have long life spans, are long-term coastal residents, feed at high trophic levels, and have large blubber stores that serve as depots for anthropogenic toxicants. There are few studies on sea lion health and...
Ian Angell, in the New Barbarian Manifesto, said “A ‘brave new world’ is being forced upon unsuspecting societies by advances in information technology.” It would seem then, that technological advances happen automatically and have a life of their own. There is a logic to technological advancements that is outside human...
The American School Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics states that counselors and counselor trainees must be competent providers of multicultural counseling, able to practice effectively with clients whose identities differ from their own. Pre-service school counselors receive very little training around immigration status and how to work with clients who...
Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), a pest of thin-skinned fruits, has been detected worldwide recently, with new locations of establishment determined annually since it first became a concern on continental North America in 2008. Drosophila suzukii females are different from most other drosophilids as being one of two known species capable...