9th Annual Science Research Symposium€¦ · College of Science 9th Annual Science Research...

CAL POLY POMONA

College of Science

9th Annual Science Research Symposium

Friday, May 30, 2014 Noon–2 p.m.

University Quad (in front of Building 8)

http://web.sci.csupomona.edu/students/research_symposium/

Sponsored by: Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) College of Science, Cal Poly Pomona

Visit the Science Research Symposium web site for full abstracts of the presentations. Presenters’ names are underlined in the list of research presentations.

CAL POLY POMONA

College of Science 9th Annual Science Research Symposium

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The Effect of High Calorie Meals on c-FOS Activation in Dopamine Receptor Knockout Mice .................................................................... 1 Antonio Aguayo1 Natalie Garcia1 Dr. Andrew Steele1 1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 1

THE PROGRESSION OF POTASSIUM CHANNEL DEFECTS IN HUNTINGTONS’S DISEASE SKELETAL MUSCLE .................. 1 Michelle Mendizabal*1 Monica Wong1 Daniel R. Miranda1 Dr. Andrew Voss1 1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 1

EFFECTS OF RACTOPAMINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON MUSCLE ACCRETION IN PIG SKELETAL MUSCLE ......................... 2 Diego Jaime Lanuza1 Dr. Robert Talmadge1 2 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2

REVISED ION/SUBSTRATE COUPLING STOICHIOMETRY OF GABA TRANSPORTERS ................................................................. 2 Samantha L. Willford*1 Cynthia M. Anderson Sanchez1 Dr. Sepehr Eskandari1 2 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2

Cellular activation of monocytes and astroglial cells following ambient air particulate matter exposure ..................................................... 3 Erick Antonio Garcia1 Kevin Ivan Tran2 Dr. Arezoo Campbell2 3 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Pol Pomona 2 Western University of Health Sciences 3

DIFFERENTIAL CELL-SPECIFIC LOCALIZATION OF CYTOCHROME OXIDASE IN EPITHELIAL TISSUES IN RAT ............ 3 Jamie Adkins1 Jessica Avila1 Daniel Wege1 Michelle Ta1 Surya Vanguri1 Amber Syage1 Briana Ho1 Dr. Glenn Kageyama1 3 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 3

Smoking and Candy on Oral Bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, Adherence ........................................................................................................ 4 Kay Chanea1 Ashley Palmire1 Dr. John Chan1 4 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 4

PESTICIDES AFFECT THE QUALITY OF OOCYTES, EGGS, AND EARLY EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT IN AMPHIBIANS . 4 Qichao Steve Ji1 Jessica N. Lee1 Dr. Junjun Liu1 4 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 4

Cell Death And Genomic Damage To Human Bone Marrow Stromal Stem Cells By Ion Release Of Metal Prosthetics ............................. 5 Francisca Cabrera*1 Maria I. Garcia1 Dr. Steve Alas1 5 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 5

DNA Damage in Human T Cells by Human Prosthetic Ion Shedding and Debris Particles ........................................................................... 5 Sonia Ramirez1 Lucy Wei Li1 Dr. Steve Alas1 5 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 5

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Investigating the Role of Garlic and Allicin in Modulating the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Pathways in LPS-induced TNF-α Secretion ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Martha P. Zamora*1 Dr. Nancy E. Buckley1 Dr. Yan Liu2 Dr. James A. Rego2 6 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona 6

THE EFFECT OF GARLIC ON THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM OF TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-α SECRETION BY MACROPHAGE INDUCED BY LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE ........................................................................................................................... 7

M. Abid B. Nordin*1 Dr. Nancy Buckley1 7 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 7

EFFECT OF GARLIC AND ALLICIN ON CANDIDA ALBICANS-INDUCED TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-a) SECRETION FROM J774A.1 MURINE MACROPHAGES ............................................................................................................................. 7

Dileshni Tilakawardane*1 Dr. Yan Liu2 Dr. Nancy Buckley1 7 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona 7

THE ROLE OF CELLULAR PROLIFERATION DURING ADIPOGENESIS IN HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS ............ 8 Maribel P. Marquez*1 Frances Alencastro*1 Jossue Loya Jimenez1 Laura L. Keagy1 Dr. Yuanxiang Zhao1 8 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 8

Understanding RGS2 and RGS4 function in Human Adipogenesis and Osteogenesis ..................................................................................... 8 Alma Madrigal1 Alberto Herrera1 Dr. Yuanxiang Zhao1 8 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 8

Analysis of Breast Cancer Associated (BRCA) Gene Mutations in Nuevo Leon, Mexico ................................................................................ 9 Alberto Herrera*1,2 Dr. Jeffrey N. Weitzel2 Dr. Daniel Sumarriva2 9 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Clinical Cancer Genetics, City Of Hope 9

AUTOTRANSPORTER PROTEINS SAT AND TSH OF PROBIOTIC ESCHERICHIA COLI NISSLE 1917 .......................................... 9 Taylor Lane*1 Maha Abdulrahim1 Martina S. Corsi1 Manuela Raffatellu1 Dr. Christos Stathopoulos1 9 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 9

Ag43 and PicU Autotransporters of Probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 .................................................................................................... 10 Maha Abdulrahim1 Taylor Lane1 Martina S. Corsi1 Manuela Raffatellu1 Dr. Christos Stathopoulos1 10 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 10

Detection of the CD40 Receptor on the Cell Surface of Macrophages ............................................................................................................. 10 Sarineh Zadorian1 Suming Chiang2 Sam Ho2 Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1 10 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Molecular Express Inc., Rancho Dominguez 10

Dispersion of Phase Integrases in Acinetobacter baumannii Strains ................................................................................................................. 11 Eleana S. Guardado*1 German M. Traglia2 Dr. M. Soledad Ramirez2 11 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Instituto de Microbiología y Parasitología Medica (IMPaM), Buenos Aires, Argentina 11

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THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS VACCINE FOR PROTECTION AGAINST PULMONARY ASPERGILLOSIS IN MAMMALS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Adrienne P. Gilkes*1 Pamela M. Farah1 Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1,2 11 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Molecular Express Inc., Rancho Dominquez, CA 11

Investigating the Proper Dosage of Streptozocin Required to Induce Type 1 Diabetes in Mice ................................................................... 12 Alejandro Varela*1,2 Juan Ruiz1,2 Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1 12 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 SEES RaMP Fellowship 12

DEVELOPMENT OF A SEVERE H3N2 INFLUENZA INFECTION MODEL IN MICE .......................................................................... 12 Jonathan J. Tringali*1 Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1 12 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 12

COMPARISON OF EFFICACY AND DRUG CONCENTRATIONS IN TISSUES OF CANDIDA ALBICANS-INFECTED MICE TREATED WITH INCREASING DOSES OF AMBISOME ........................................................................................................................... 13

Juan Ruiz1 Nhu Nguyen1 Jon Olson1 Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1 13 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 13

IDENTIFICATION OF MENAQUINONE-7 PRODUCING BACTERIA ..................................................................................................... 13 Prashan De Zoysa*1 Dr. Wei-Jen Lin1 13 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 13

Prevalence of Tetracycline Resistance in Clostridium Species Isolated from Horses ...................................................................................... 14 Kun Ho Lee*1 Angelica Castaneda1 Stefan F. Riedel1 Dr. Shelton Murinda2 Dr. Wei-Jen Lin1 14 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 14

METAGENOMICS APPROACH TO PREDICT FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES OF MICROBES IN CLEAN ROOM FACILITIES14 Alexander Mahnert*2,3 Matthew Christensen1,3 Kasthuri Venkateswaran3 Gabriele Berg2 Parag Vaishampayan3 14 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria 3 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology 14

ALIENS, PARASITES AND BIOTIC RESISTANCE: STUDYING THE POTENTIAL DISPERSAL OF HAMINOEA JAPONICA (MOLLUSCA: OPISTHOBRANCHIA) INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ................................................................................................ 15

Jennifer B. Green*1 Dr. Ángel Valdés1 Dr. David Moriarty1 Dr. Jayson Smith1 15 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 15

POPULATION GENETICS OF FELIMARE CALIFORNIENSIS: THE REGIONAL EXTINCTION AND NASCENT RECOVERY OF A CONSPICUOUS DORID NUDIBRANCH IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ....................................................................................... 15

Jeff Goddard*1 Craig A. Hoover2 Dr. Ángel Valdés2 15 1 Marine Science Institute, UCSB 2 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 15

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DENSE TAXON SAMPLING OF NUDIBRANCHIA AND PHYLOGENETIC PLACEMENT OF THE GENERA DORIDOXA AND BATHYDORIS, AND THE SPECIES TRITONIA PAPALOTLA .................................................................................................................. 16

Jermaine Mahguib*1 Dr. Ángel Valdés1 16 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 16

Pacific Nudibranchs: The changing spots of the Leopard Dorid ...................................................................................................................... 16 Tabitha Lindsay*1 Anton Chichvarkhin2 Julie Kelly3 Hiroshi Kajihara4 Dr. Ángel Valdés1 16 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Institute of Marine Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences 3 Biological Sciences Department, Humboldt State University 4 Institute of Marine Biology, Hokkaido University of Japan 16

A TALE OF TWO CEPHALASPIDEANS: THE GENETIC SIMILARITIES BETWEEN NAVANAX INERMIS AND NAVANAX POLYALPHOS ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Sarah Cary*1 Dr. Ángel Valdés1 17 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 17

Pacific Nudibranchs: The twin Doriopsilla has a twin! ...................................................................................................................................... 18 Craig Hoover*1 Tabitha Lindsay*1 Jeff Goddard2 Hans Bertsch3 Matthew McPhillips1 Eric Breslau1 Dr. Ángel Valdés 1 18 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California 3 Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara 18

CHARACTERIZATION OF SUPPRESSORS OF SPE-27 IN C. ELEGANS ................................................................................................ 18 Aubrie L. De La Cruz*1 Nick G. Sullivan1 Dr. Craig LaMunyon1 18 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 18

Managing the Spread of Fire in a Tropical Ecosystem in Hawaii .................................................................................................................... 19 Brian Myers*1 Dr. Erin Questad1 19 1 Biological Sciences Department, California Poly Pomona 19

NITROGEN EFFECTS ON MYCORRHIZAE COLONIZATION IN A CALIFORNIA NATIVE GRASS AND INVASIVE GRASS . 19 Rari Marks*1 Dr. Erin Questad1 19 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona USDA Watershed Management Internship; Cal State San Bernardino 19

Fire restoration prescriptions among dynamic Hawaii dryland communities ................................................................................................ 20 Marcus Douglas Hubbell1 Dr. Erin Questad1 20 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 20

ARTHROPOD COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO PLANT INVASION AND NITROGEN DEPOSITION ................................................. 20 Eliza Hernandez*1 Dr. Erin Questad1 20 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 20

AN EVALUATION OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO PROTECT ROCKY INTERTIDAL SPECIES FROM THE IMPACTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES: A LOOK INTO THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE ............................................................. 21

Benjamin J. Lucas*1 Dr. Jayson Smith1 21 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 21

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POPULATION DECLINES IN ORANGE COUNTY, CA OF THE ROCKY INTERTIDAL OCHRE SEA STAR PISASTER OCHRACEUS FROM WASTING DISEASE ..................................................................................................................................................... 21

Sean T. Agler*1 Benjamin Lucas1 Dr. Jayson Smith1 21 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 21

EFFECTS OF FLORAL VISITATION FREQUENCY AND TIME OF DAY ON CUMULATIVE POLLEN DEPOSITION BY BEE ASSEMBLAGES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WATERMELON CROPS .............................................................................................. 22

Jacob M. Cecala*1 Dr. Joan Leong1 22 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 22

DETERMINING THE PREVALENCE OF THE FUNGAL PARASITE, NOSEMA, IN THE EUROPEAN HONEY BEE IN MANAGED AND FERAL HIVES ....................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Stephanie M. Duenas*1 Dr. Joan Leong 22 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 22

FACTORS INFLUENCING HONEY BEE (APIS MELLIFERA) SPATIAL MEMORY ON WATERMELON (CITRULLUS LANATUS) ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23

Jon R. Sacro*1 Dr. Joan Leong 23 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 23

INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF TIME AND FIELD CONDITIONS ON WATERMELON POLLEN VIABILITY, AND THE RESULTING IMPLICATIONS REGARDING RESEARCH INTO SECONDARY POLLEN TRANSFER ............................................ 23

Christopher H. Lee*1 Dr. Joan Leong1 23 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona1 23

A SURVEY OF URBAN/SUBURBAN BEE POLLINATORS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY ASSOCIATED WITH WILDFLOWERING L.A. NATIVE WILDFLOWER PLANTINGS .............................................................................................................. 24

Jacob Cecala*1 Jesus Cepeda1 Stephanie Duenas1 Pierre Lau*1 Carmel Tabush1 Andrew To1 Alycia Uyeoka1 Dr. Joan Leong*1 24 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 24

Analysis of sexual size and shape dimorphism in California Alligator Lizards (Elgaria): lineage and population level divergence in form and function .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 24

Thomas A. Marino*1 Marlena L. Lopez1 Dr. A. Kristopher Lappin1 24 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 24

Territory Establishment and Maintenance in Two Territorial Lizard Species: the Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) and the Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana) ....................................................................................................................................................... 25

Mark Kameron Roth1 Dr. A. Kristopher Lappin1 25 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 25

The Effect of L-theanine and Caffeine on Cognitive Performance in Terms of Short Term Memory ......................................................... 26 Jimmy Duong*1 Andrew R. Gibson1 Dr. Bonny Burns-Whitmore, RD1 26 1 Human Nutrition and Food Science Department, Cal Poly Pomona 26

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Biofilm Formation on Traditional and Novel Metal Alloys ............................................................................................................................... 26 Selma Reyes1 Aaron Alvarado1 Dr. Steve Alas1 Dr. Nina Abamzon2 26 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 26

Biofilm Prevention Project .................................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Ashley Matsushita2 Lindsey Kabot2 Selma Reyes1 Aaron Alvarado1 Tanner Worden2 Dr. Steve Alas1 Dr. Nina Abramzon2 27 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 27

Synthesis of Phenyl (3, 3’-dipyridyl) amine ......................................................................................................................................................... 27 Monique G. Sobero*1 Dr. Francis Flores1 27 1 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona 27

THE NATURE OF STRESS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEPRESSION-LIKE BEHAVIOR IN MICE .......... 28 Sidney Vanessa Perez1 Dr. Kabir Lutfy2 28 1 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, Western University 28

ONLINE ORGANIC CHEMISTRY EXERCISES FOR ALKENE REACTIONS: DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND ASSESSMENT ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

Joyann S. Barber*1 William K. Weigel*1 Dr. Laurie Starkey1 28 1 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona 28

GROUND CONTROL EXPERIMENTS AND FLIGHT SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION OREOCUBE: ORGANICS EXPOSURE IN ORBIT EXPERIMENT ......................................................................................... 29

Jillian S. Walker1 Richard C. Quinn*2,3 29 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Pol Pomona 2 SETI Institute 3 NASA Ames Research Center 29

DETECTING LEVOGLUCOSAN BY A GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY METHOD ...................................... 29 Dianne Sanchez1 Dr. Yan Liu*1 29 1 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona 29

Analytical Discrepancies in Fiber Model Analysis of Unbonded Post-tensioned Precast Concrete Walls ................................................... 30 Lucas M. De Buren*1,2,3 Dr. Felipe J. Perez, P.E.1 30 1 Civil Engineering Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Ronald E. McNair Scholars Fellowship 3 Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) 30

Depth of Earthquake Rupture in the Indian Ocean Lithosphere ..................................................................................................................... 30 Austin J. Baca*1 Dr. Jascha Polet1 30 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 30

MORPHOTECTONIC INDEX ANALYSIS AS AN INDICATOR OF NEOTECTONIC SEGMENTATION OF THE NICOYA PENINSULA, COSTA RICA ............................................................................................................................................................................... 31

Shawn C. Morrish*1 Dr. Jeffrey Marshall1 31 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 31

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Preliminary Analysis Of Field Data And Thin Sections From Blue Ridge ...................................................................................................... 31 Oliver Wolfe*1 Dr. Jonathan Nourse1 31 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 31

HYDROGEOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF BEDROCK VS. LANDSLIDE-SOURCED SPRINGS IN THE EASTERN SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA ......................................................................................................................................................... 32

Paula M. Soto*1 Lucas Lenhert2 Dr. Jonathan Nourse1 Dr. Stephen Osborn1 32 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 32

Identification Of Beachrocks In The Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica ............................................................................................................. 32 Lilibeth A. Wenceslao*1 Dr. Jonathan Nourse1 32 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 32

HYDROGEOLOGIC AND GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF ROBUST SPRING DISCHARGE FROM A MAJOR LANDSLIDE IN THE EASTERN SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA ..................................................................................... 33

Logan E. Wicks*1 Dr. Jonathan Nourse*1 Dr. Stephen Osborn1 33 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona1 33

Water Flow Rates Near Crystal Lake in the San Gabriel Mountains .............................................................................................................. 33 Cody E. Reigel*1 Dr. Jonathan Nourse1 33 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 33

ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF CROWDSOURCED WATER DATA WITH GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) . 33 Felipe Tolliver1 Dr. Lourdes Abellera*1 33 1 Civil Engineering Department, Cal Poly Pomona 33

Impacts of 500-year Flood on Surface Water Resources in Areas of Oil/Gas Production, South Platte River, CO .................................... 34 Patrick S. Thomas*1 Dr. Stephen Osborn 1 34 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 34

TRACING GROUNDWATER AND SALINITY SOURCES FOR THE DOS PALMAS PRESERVE ...................................................... 34 Jacob Loukeh*1 Katrina Kaiser1 Dr. Stephen Osborn1 34 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 34

GULLIES ON MARS: FLUVIAL GEOLOGIC PROCESSES AS EVIDENCE FOR LIQUID WATER ON MARS ............................... 35 Deborah J. Hernandez*1,2 Virginia C. Gulick1,3 Carly A. Narlesky1,4 35 1 NASA-Ames Research Center 2 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 3 SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 4 MBK Engineers, Sacramento, CA 35

EFFECTS OF STROKE AND REHABILITATION ......................................................................................................................................... 35 Nasser Hashem*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1 35 1 Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department, Cal Poly Pomona 35

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PREVENTION OF REOCCURING LUMBAR SPINE INJURIES IN OLDER ADULTS THROUGH REHABILITATION ................ 36 Veronica L Ramos*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1 36 1 Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department, Cal Poly Pomona 36

MAKING EXERCISE CANCER’S WORST ENEMY ..................................................................................................................................... 36 MaLisa C. Crowe*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1 36 1 Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department, Cal Poly Pomona 36

Motivating Stroke Patients ................................................................................................................................................................................... 37 Michael J. Le*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1 37 1 Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department, Cal Poly Pomona 37

STRETCHING, RANGE OF MOTION, AND STRENGTHENING EXERCISES FOR TREATMENT AND CONDITIONING OF THE ROTATOR CUFF ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 37

Tri Duong*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1 37 1 Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department, Cal Poly Pomona 37

Knee arthritis & knee pain the largest contributors for disability in the elderly ............................................................................................ 38 Cindy P. Paez*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1 38 1 Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department, Cal Poly Pomona 38

Fall Prevention Among Senior Citizens: Don’t Fall, Make the Call To Senior Fitness .................................................................................. 38 Ryan Manuwa1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1 38 1 Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department, Cal Poly Pomona 38

RELATION OF PRESSURE PLACED ON ATHLETES IN SPORT TO THE PREVALANCE OF OVERUSE INJURIES ................. 39 Shawna Emi Lempert*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1 39 1 Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department, Cal Poly Pomona 39

Maximum Log Likelihood Analysis of Diffraction-Limited Images ................................................................................................................. 39 Davon T. Webb*1 Dr. Alexander Small1 39 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 39

ASTEROID FAMILY IDENTIFICATION AND MODELING THEIR EVOLUTION USING WISE/NEOWISE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 39

Mario S. Cabrera*1 Dr. Joseph Masiero2 39 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Jet Propulsion Laboratory 39

THE BROOD OF THE SWAN: A MULTIGENERATIONAL STELLAR POPULATION IN M17? ........................................................ 40 N. Nicole Sanchez*1 Dr. Matthew Povich1 J. H. Bieging2 40 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona, 2 Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona 40

Embedding tapered fiber sensors within microfluidic channels for Bacterial sensing ................................................................................... 40 Adrian A. Ortiz1 Dr. Ertan Salik*2 40 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 40

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Computational microscope in a cellphone ........................................................................................................................................................... 41 David Vega1 Dr. Ertan Salik1 41 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 41

BI-CONICALLY TAPERED FIBER SENSORS WITH ULTRAHIGH REFRACTIVE INDEX SENSITIVITY ..................................... 41 Victor M. Herrera*1 Martin Sanchez1 Dr. Ertan Salik1 41 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 41

Controlling the Shape and Sensitivity of Tapered Optical Fibers .................................................................................................................... 41 Conor Rowland1 Martin Sanchez1 Dr. Ertan Salik1 41 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 41

SPECTROMETER BASED ON A TUNABLE ERBIUM-DOPED FIBER LASER WITH AUTOMATED DATA ACQUISITION ON LABVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 42

Nicolas R. Perez*1 Ryan A. Omidi2 Dr. Ertan Salik1 42 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Cal Poly Pomona 42

Embedding of Tapered Fiber Optical Sensors in Microfluidic Channels ........................................................................................................ 42 Miguel Reyes*1 Dr. Ertan Salik2 42 1 Chemical and Materials Engineering Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 42

STRUCTURAL POUNDING SIMULATION OF ADAJACENT STEEL STRUCTURES .......................................................................... 43 Miguel A. Rodriguez*1 Dr. Hubertus F. von Bremen1 43 1 Mathematics and Statistics Department, Cal Poly Pomona 43

MODELS FOR HOMELESS HOUSING ........................................................................................................................................................... 43 Joe Gani*1 Natalie C. Gasca2 Dr. Randall Swift2 43 1 Mathematical Sciences Institute, Australian National University 2 Mathematics and Statistics Department, Cal Poly Pomona 43

Image Processing for Photo Analysis of Germinating Seeds ............................................................................................................................. 44 David Scianni*1 Dr. Amar Raheja1 44 1 Computer Science Department, Cal Poly Pomona 44

LOCATION BASED APPS FOR CAMPUS EVENTS AND NAVIGATION ................................................................................................. 44 Huy Le1 Zach Kysar1 Dr. Daisy Sang1 44 1 Computer Science Department, Cal Poly Pomona 44

TWITTER COVERT CHANNEL: HOW TO HIDE IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR ............................................................................................ 45 Nicholas M. Pantic*1 Jonathan Mansur1 Mohammad I. Husain1 45 1 Computer Science Department, Cal Poly Pomona 45

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The Effect of High Calorie Meals on c-FOS Activation in Dopamine Receptor Knockout Mice

Antonio Aguayo1 Natalie Garcia1

Dr. Andrew Steele1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Mice, like humans and other organisms, obtain an internal biological clock that is responsible for mediating changes in behavior, daily activity, scheduled mealtimes, and sleep. This phenomenon, better known as a circadian rhythm, follows a 24-hour time period and has shown to be a key mediator in Food Anticipatory Activity (FAA) in rodents. Like other nocturnal rodents wild type mice (WT) display a majority of their daily activity before a scheduled mealtime, whereas mice that been depleted of Dopamine Receptor 1 (DIR KO) fail to illustrate (FAA). This pilot study aims to study the c-Fos protein expression of (WT) mice versus the protein activation shown in (DIR KO) by placing both types of mice on a high calorie diet with peanut butter. By triggering the dopamine receptor cells with a fatty meal, we aim to determine whether there is inherit difference in neuronal activation in the nucleus accumbens and hypothalamus of dopamine knockout mice to those of wild type mice.

THE PROGRESSION OF POTASSIUM CHANNEL DEFECTS IN HUNTINGTONS’S DISEASE SKELETAL MUSCLE

Michelle Mendizabal*1 Monica Wong1

Daniel R. Miranda1 Dr. Andrew Voss1

1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a debilitating, fatal, and progressive disorder that is characterized by severe motor and cognitive defects. Involuntary muscle contractions underlie the motor defects, which include chorea (irregular jerky movements), dystonia (abnormal muscle tone resulting in muscular spasm and irregular posture), weakness, and muscle rigidity. Typically, the symptoms of HD have been attributed to defects in the central nervous system. Previous work done in our lab has shown there is a reduction in resting chloride and potassium currents in skeletal muscle from the transgenic R6/2 mouse line of HD. The inward rectifying potassium (Kir) and chloride (ClC-1) conductances buffer the membrane potential at rest. If they are reduced, the membrane becomes hyperexcitable; thus less stimulating current is required to initiate action potentials (a physiological signal for muscle contraction) and involuntary contractions can occur. Our goal here is to examine the progression of the skeletal muscle Kir channel defects in HD mice as a function of age. Using electrophysiological techniques on individual ex vivo flexor digitorum brevis and interosseous muscle fibers, we found a significant difference, across the age groups, in Kir conductances (normalized to capacitance) between HD mice (0.74 ± 0.03 mS/μF, n=76) and their age-matched wild type littermates (0.99 ± 0.04 mS/μF, n=69), values are shown as mean± SEM with a P=0.001. This reduction in the Kir conductance may help explain the motor symptoms throughout the lifetime of the HD mice.

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EFFECTS OF RACTOPAMINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON MUSCLE ACCRETION IN PIG SKELETAL MUSCLE

Diego Jaime Lanuza1 Dr. Robert Talmadge1


Paylean® (Elanco Corporation) is a common feed additive containing ractopamine as the active agent and is used to increase muscle mass in swine and bovine prior to slaughter. Ractopamine is a beta-adrenergic receptor agonist whose cellular mechanism of action remains unknown. Ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) is found within the 40S subunit of the ribosome and phosphorylation has been shown during cell growth. In addition, rpS6 phosphorylation has been correlated to protein synthesis. Because ractopamine results in increased muscle mass, protein accretion, and increased cell size, we hypothesized that ractopamine would increase the phosphorylation state of p70 S6 kinase and rpS6 allowing for enhanced protein synthesis via enhanced translation; similarly, we hypothesize an increase in myofiber cross-sectional area (CSA) of ractopamine treated animals. Pigs were separated into treated and control groups. Treated pigs were fed (ad libitum) a standard feed supplemented with ractopamine (9 grams of ractopamine per ton of feed) for 3, 7, 14, 28, 42 days while controls had no ractopamine supplementation. Western blots were performed using clarified supernatant of homogenized white semitendinosus muscles. The membranes were probed for total rpS6, phospho-rpS6, scanned, and quantified. Ractopamine supplementation resulted in a significant body mass gain at 14 and 28 days of treatment. Fiber CSA was significantly larger at 28 days in ractopamine treated groups. Additional experiments will be performed to the time point at which fiber CSA is significant. Furthermore, densitometric analysis and normalization is necessary to establish statistical significance of activated p70 S6 kinase and its substrate rps6 to identify whether ractopamine enhances protein synthesis.

REVISED ION/SUBSTRATE COUPLING STOICHIOMETRY OF GABA TRANSPORTERS

Samantha L. Willford*1 Cynthia M. Anderson Sanchez1

Dr. Sepehr Eskandari1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Plasma membrane γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporters (GAT) are electrogenic transport proteins that couple the cotranslocation of Na+, Cl–, and GABA across the plasma membrane of neurons and glia. It is thought that GATs operate with a stoichiometry of 2 Na+ : 1 Cl– : 1 GABA, however, this model is inconsistent with several experimental results. In the present study, we expressed GAT1 and GAT3 in Xenopus laevis oocytes and utilized a thermodynamic approach, as well as uptake under voltage clamp experiments, in order to determine a definitive stoichiometry for the GABA transporters. Voltage-clamped GAT1-expressing oocytes were preloaded with GABA and then superfused with solutions containing different external concentrations of Na+, Cl–, or GABA (while the concentrations of the other two co-substrates remained the same). For any given substrate concentration, the reversal potential (Vrev) of transporter-mediated current was recorded. The shifts in Vrev for a 10-fold change in the external Na+, Cl–, and GABA concentration were 84 ± 4 mV, 30 ± 1 mV, and 29 ± 1 mV, respectively. We then measured Na+, Cl–, and GABA fluxes under voltage clamp in GAT3-expressing cells in order to determine the ratio of charge flux to substrate flux. We found that for every Na+ ion translocated across the plasma membrane by GAT3, 0.7 ± 0.1 elementary charge enters the cell. For every Cl– ion translocated across the plasma membrane, 2.0 ± 0.2 elementary charges enter the cell. For every GABA molecule translocated across the plasma membrane, 2.1 ± 0.1 elementary charges enter the cell. Altogether, the thermodynamic and flux measurements are inconsistent with the currently-accepted 2 Na+ : 1 Cl– : 1 GABA stoichiometry model, but rather strongly suggest a 3 Na+ : 1 Cl– : 1 GABA coupling stoichiometry for the GABA transporters.

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Cellular activation of monocytes and astroglial cells following ambient air particulate matter exposure

Erick Antonio Garcia1 Kevin Ivan Tran2

Dr. Arezoo Campbell2 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Pol Pomona

2 Western University of Health Sciences

Particulate Matter (PM) is a mixture consisting of solid particles in ambient air as result of pollution. Recent reports have suggested that PM may have adverse health outcomes, however little is known of cell-specific pathway and the extent of damage. This study will focus on the formation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), mitochondrial activity, cell proliferation, and the production of TNF-α. Human monocytic (THP-1) cells and human CCF-STTG1 astroglial cells were used to determine activation and formation of ROS following PM exposure and compare and contrast the different responses between cell lines. PM was collected with a Via-Cell Bioaerosol Sampling Cassette in Pomona, CA. The samples consisted of PM from construction site, bus station, railway tracks, and heavy vehicular traffic; collectively representing a modern urban environment. Samples were collected on three separate days for a period of two hours. ROS formation, measured by a fluorescent method, showed increased levels in THP-1 cells but not CCF-STTG1 cells. Mitochondrial activity, measured by MTS assay, generally showed no significant activity in either THP-1 or CCF-STTG1 cells with the exception of collection 2 media in CCF-STTG1 cells. Cell proliferation, measured by CyQUANT cell proliferation assay, indicated significant increased proliferation in THP-1 cells but not CCF-STTG1 cells. Future endeavors will further explore unique characteristics between cell lines to analyze the different effects of PM exposure.

DIFFERENTIAL CELL-SPECIFIC LOCALIZATION OF CYTOCHROME OXIDASE IN EPITHELIAL TISSUES IN RAT

Jamie Adkins1 Jessica Avila1 Daniel Wege1 Michelle Ta1 Surya Vanguri1

Amber Syage1 Briana Ho1 Dr. Glenn Kageyama1


The relationship between neuronal activity and cytochrome oxidase levels has previously been shown to be of significant importance in understanding prominent energy requiring processes in the CNS. Elevated cytochrome oxidase activity has been observed primarily in post-synaptic dendrites, where there is a substantial amount of energy required for active ion transport. We hypothesize that high levels of oxidative metabolic activity are directly correlated with cell types that are specialized for active ion transport. To further support earlier CNS findings, we are examining a variety of epithelial tissues taken from rats that contain specific cell types that exhibit distinct specialized cellular functions. In the present study, we cut frozen sections of rat kidney, gastric epithelium, duodenum, and parotid gland and reacted these tissues for cytochrome oxidase histochemistry to localize areas demonstrating elevated levels of oxidative metabolism. Some of these sections were counterstained with cresyl violet, used to localize areas that are specialized for protein synthesis. We expect to find the highest levels of oxidative metabolic activity in cell types specialized for ion transport such as striated duct cells in salivary glands, distal, proximal, and convoluted tubules in kidney, and parietal cells of the gastric mucosa. We also expect that, in comparison, cells whose main functions include protein or glycoprotein (mucus) synthesis and secretion will show very low levels of cytochrome oxidase activity, as these cell types do not typically utilize high levels of active ion transport. Therefore, we predict that cells utilizing high levels of active ion transport have significantly higher energy requirements than those cells that predominately produce and secrete protein or mucus, supporting previous CNS studies that the oxidative metabolic activity in neurons is predominately linked to active ion transport which is used to maintain the ionic gradients needed for electrical signaling.

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Smoking and Candy on Oral Bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, Adherence

Kay Chanea1 Ashley Palmire1 Dr. John Chan1


Nicotine and sugar are consumed by millions of people worldwide everyday. It has been documented that people who use nicotine experience more dental cavities, which are frequently caused by the common oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans (SM). The objective of this study is to examine how nicotine affects the adherence of SM and how different sugars affected this adherence. Adherence of SM was measured in terms of optimal density (OD). SM (ATCC 25175) was subcultured on TSA agar and used in the study. The variables examined included different media, incubation times, pH of TSB, ethanol concentration, different supplements of sucrose, glucose, fructose, galactose, and lactose (5%-25%). Log-phase SM culture was used as innoculum into 96-well microtiter plate. After incubation, the non-adhered cells were decanted and the adhered SM cells were stained using 0.1% crystal violet which was measured by a microtiter plate reader (SpectraMax 190) at 565nm. The magnitude of absorbance reading was indicative of the degree of adherence. After statistical analysis using student’s t-test, the data show that maximum adherence was detected with 6.5 pH TSB, 6 hours incubation time, 0.1% crystal violet, 5% sugar (sucrose, lactose, fructose, galactose, and glucose), and using 99% ethanol for crystal violet extraction from the adhered SM. Under the optimal adherence conditions, the effects of different concentrations of nicotine (10-1 - 10-10 M) on SM adherence was tested and compared to the control without nicotine. The data indicate that nicotine enhances the adherence of SM in the presence of sucrose.

PESTICIDES AFFECT THE QUALITY OF OOCYTES, EGGS, AND EARLY EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT IN AMPHIBIANS

Qichao Steve Ji1 Jessica N. Lee1

Dr. Junjun Liu1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

The use of pesticides in California (CA) is on the rise in recent years. Based on the latest report, CA used 160, 173 and 192 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients in 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively (Summary of Pesticide Use Report Data, 2011, by CA Department of Pesticide Regulation). It is therefore important to evaluate the impact of the pesticides on environment. Amphibians are good indicator species for environmental health due to not only their highly permeable skin, but also the nature of their reproduction, which makes their entire life cycle very susceptible to environmental contaminants. Meanwhile, amphibian populations have been declining dramatically worldwide since the 1980s. In CA, severe declines were observed in agriculture areas such as the Sierra Mountains east of the Central Valley and San Joaquin Valley.

In this study, we used Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog) as a model to investigate the effect of two commonly used pesticides in CA, atrazine and malathion, on early reproduction of the frogs. Our results showed that both pesticides affected the quality of immature and mature eggs, including causing abnormal morphology and accelerated egg maturation, and resulted in defective cell division after fertilization. We also showed that these effects were concentration dependent, and a mixture of the two pesticides resulted in more significant effects on eggs and fertilization. Since the use of multiple pesticides are common, our data suggest that the impact of pesticides on amphibian population and environment could be significant in agriculture areas.

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Cell Death And Genomic Damage To Human Bone Marrow Stromal Stem Cells By Ion Release Of Metal Prosthetics

Francisca Cabrera*1 Maria I. Garcia1 Dr. Steve Alas1


Metal implants tend to corrode due to the salinity and warm environment they inhabit inside the human body. Titanium and stainless steel are currently the most popular materials that comprise modern prosthetics. However, prosthetics have to be commonly replaced when they fail due to corrosion that leads to prosthetic loosening, or prosthetic colonization by infectious bacteria. Over time, implants may corrode and release metal nanoparticles, which leads to inflammation, bone degradation and prosthetic loosening. New concerns about genotoxicity to the surrounding tissue of a prosthetic have arisen. The mechanisms by which nanoparticles induce genotoxicity and carcinogenicity have not yet been fully studied. It has been suggested, however, that metal debris and ions from the implants can cause DNA single- and double-strand breaks.

DNA Damage in Human T Cells by Human Prosthetic Ion Shedding and Debris Particles

Sonia Ramirez1 Lucy Wei Li1 Dr. Steve Alas1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) is a common metal used worldwide for prosthetics; however, in recent years there has been an increase in the rate of revisions of prosthetic implants due to osteolysis and device loosening caused by the release of nanoparticles from the titanium metal prosthesis. Other studies have also suggested that the metal debris can cause prolonged inflammatory and DNA double and single strand damage. The mechanisms by which nanoparticles induce genotoxity and carcinogenicity have not been fully studied. In this research, CEM cells (human T-cell line) were grown in culture and exposed to ion solutions derived from corrosion experiments performed on novel titanium-boron alloys developed by researchers in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. The engineers from Cal Poly Pomona incorporated different percentages of boron into the titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). The twelve titanium-boron alloy ion solutions researched were the following: Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-6Al-4V-1.09B, Ti-6Al-4V-0.4B, Ti-6Al-4V-0.19B, Ti-6Al-4V- 0.02B, Ti-6Al-4V-0.04B, Ti-6Al-4V-0.5B, Ti-6Al-4V-0.10B, Ti-6Al-4V-0.01B, Ti-6Al-4V-0.001B, Ti-6Al-4V-0.04B, and Ti-6Al-4V-0.43B. CEM cells were incubated for 24, 48, and 72 hours in solutions consisting of a 70% ion concentration and 30% media. Saline concentration curves demonstrated that a mixture of 70% saline and 30% growth media was the highest saline concentration the cells could be treated with, without the saline solvent inducing a high level of cell death. Saline was used to set the curve due to the corroded ions dispersed in a saline solvent. A FACSCalibur Flow Cytometer was used to analyze apoptosis of CEM cells after exposure to the titanium-boron alloy ion solutions and the Comet Assay evaluated the CEM cells for DNA damage.

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There was no significant increase in apoptosis of CEM cells when exposed to the ion solutions for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Ions corroded from the titanium-alloy (Ti-6AL-4V) induced CEM DNA damage at the 24 hour incubation time point. Further investigation needs to be performed by evaluating the effect of the remaining titanium-boron alloy ion solutions on CEM DNA damage. The populations of cells treated with different ion solutions will be compared in order to determine whether exposure to the corroded ions from the titanium-boron alloys produce less DNA damage than traditional titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V).

Investigating the Role of Garlic and Allicin in Modulating the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Pathways

in LPS-induced TNF-α Secretion

Martha P. Zamora*1 Dr. Nancy E. Buckley1

Dr. Yan Liu2 Dr. James A. Rego2

1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Garlic (Allium sativum) has been used as a preservative for its anti-bacterial properties and has shown to possess immune stimulatory properties. Allicin is the major orgnanosulfur component in crushed garlic and has been shown to contain medicinal properties on its own. One effect of garlic on immune regulation is its effects on cytokine production. An important cytokine that mediates the innate immune response is tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) which is secreted by cells such as macrophages upon bacterial stimulation. Lipopolyssacharide (LPS) is a gram-negative cell wall component that is able to stimulate TNF-α production from macrophages via the mitogen activated protein kinase pathway (MAPK). Two proteins involved in the MAPK pathway are the extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) and p38. We have found that an aqueous garlic extract stimulates TNF-α secretion from J774A.1 murine macrophages in the absence or presence of LPS. To investigate the role of MAPK pathways in mediating the stimulation of garlic and Allicin on TNF-α secretion, cells were treated with PD98059 ERK inhibitor (50μM) or SB203580 p38 inhibitor (20µM) and incubated for 1h. Cells were treated with aqueous garlic extract at a 1:500 dilution or Allicin at a 5µg/ml and then challenged with LPS (0.1μg/ml). In some experiments, cells were first treated with garlic for one hour, treated with the PD inhibitor for an additional hour and subsequently with LPS. Cells were left to incubate for an additional 8h after LPS treatment and supernatants were collected. TNF-α levels were quantified via ELISA. We found that TNF-α levels induced by LPS treatments were suppressed with PD and SB, but this suppression was not as marked in the presence of garlic or Allicin. These data suggest that aqueous garlic extract and Allicin stimulation of TNF-α in J774A.1 murine macrophages may be partially mediated by ERK or p38.

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THE EFFECT OF GARLIC ON THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM OF TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-α

SECRETION BY MACROPHAGE INDUCED BY LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE

M. Abid B. Nordin*1 Dr. Nancy Buckley1


Garlic has been widely used since ancient times as a preservative for its anti-microbial properties and consumed as nutritional supplement. Garlic has also been known to have stimulatory effects on the immune system. It has been shown that garlic enhances the secretion of cytokines from macrophages challenged by bacteria. One of the important cytokines in the innate immune response produced by macrophages is Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a cell wall component of gram-negative bacteria, is known to stimulate secretion of TNF-α by macrophages. LPS binding to macrophages triggers activation of diverse intracellular signaling cascades including the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. It is known that activation of the MAPK pathway induces TNF-a secretion from macrophages. Amongst the MAPK pathway proteins are protein kinase p38 and Extracellular Receptor Kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). In our laboratory, we have found that garlic further enhances LPS-induced macrophage TNF-a secretion, that p38 and ERK 1/2 inhibitor suppresses LPS induced TNF-a secretion and that garlic reverses this inhibitory effect. To further characterize the effect of garlic on MAPK activation by LPS, we will investigate the phosphorylation levels of p38 and ERK1/2 using Immunoblotting techniques. Thus, proteins will be isolated from untreated macrophages and from macrophages treated with LPS in the absence or presence of garlic. We expect that garlic further stimulates LPS-induced TNF-a secretion by altering p38 and ERK activity.

EFFECT OF GARLIC AND ALLICIN ON CANDIDA ALBICANS-INDUCED TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA

(TNF-a) SECRETION FROM J774A.1 MURINE MACROPHAGES

Dileshni Tilakawardane*1 Dr. Yan Liu2 Dr. Nancy Buckley1

1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Allium sativum (garlic) is known to have immune modulatory properties. Garlic is also known to have antifungal properties. However, it is not well understood how garlic modulates the immune system to fight off yeast and which component in garlic is responsible for this modulation. Allicin has been found to be one of the main components found in crushed garlic. Thus, we investigated the effect of garlic and allicin on macrophage response to heat killed (HK) Candida albicans (C. albicans). Macrophages are key cells in the innate immune response and one of their major functions is cytokine production. Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-a) is a potent cytokine produced by macrophages in response to pathogens such as C. albicans. We have found that garlic reduces C. albicans-induced TNF-a secretion from J774A.1 murine macrophages. In the present study, we further characterized this effect of garlic and we investigated whether allicin, was responsible for this effect. Thus, J774A.1 macrophages were challenged with C. albicans and treated with garlic. The cells were then incubated at 37oC for 6h, 16h, 29h, 53h, 77h and 102h at which times the cell supernatants were collected. TNF-a levels were determined from the cell supernatants via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that while C. albicans-induced TNF-a secretion increased overtime, peaking at around 2 days, garlic suppressed the yeast-induced TNF-a secretion. To determine whether allicin within the garlic was causing the effects, garlic was incubated at 37oC for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 days. HPLC has revealed that the allicin content in garlic decreases under these conditions. We found that as incubation time of the garlic increased C. albicans -induced TNF-a secretion increased, suggesting that the allicin within garlic is at least partially responsible for the effect of garlic on C. albicans-induced TNF-a. Our results show that garlic modulates macrophage TNF-a secretion. Furthermore, our results suggest that allicin is at least partially responsible for this modulation.

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THE ROLE OF CELLULAR PROLIFERATION DURING ADIPOGENESIS IN HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS

Maribel P. Marquez*1 Frances Alencastro*1 Jossue Loya Jimenez1

Laura L. Keagy1 Dr. Yuanxiang Zhao1


Adipogenesis is the process in which uncommitted stem cells differentiate into mature adipocytes (fat cells). It has been widely accepted that mitotic clonal expansion/cellular proliferation is a pre-requisite for adipogenesis in murine cells. However, it is not clear whether this also holds true for human adipogenesis. We used human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), a type of adult stem cell, as an in-vitro model to study human adipogenesis. Microarray studies identified a number of genes including a group of cell cycle regulators, which showed significant expression changes in response to exogenous adipogenic inducing media. Our research has focused on: 1) Validating gene expression changes identified from the microarray analysis by RT-PCR; 2) Examining cellular proliferation trends during early adipogenesis; and 3) Characterizing the functional roles of validated cell cycle genes in human adipogenesis. Our RT-PCR results confirmed the expression changes of 20 selected genes implicated in adipogenesis from previous microarray studies, including 6 cell cycle genes that were universally down regulated. Consistent with the expression data, cell proliferation was limited to the first 48hrs of adipogenic induction and subsequently inhibited. To address the role of cell proliferation during early adipogenesis, cell proliferation was either inhibited using siRNAs targeting specific cell cycle genes (CDK1 and CDK2), or enhanced by supplementing exogenous growth factor bFGF in a time course dependent manner. Our results so far demonstrated that cell proliferation was not a pre-requisite for adipogenic initiation; rather its further inhibition by siCDK1 treatment promoted greater adipogenesis by increasing the percentage of total fat cells (hyperplasia). Stimulation of cell proliferation by bFGF on the other hand is only beneficial for adipogenesis when applied during the first 24hrs of adipogenic induction, most likely by expanding the population of hMSCs that are capable but have not yet committed to the adipogenic lineage.

Understanding RGS2 and RGS4 function in Human Adipogenesis and Osteogenesis

Alma Madrigal1 Alberto Herrera1

Dr. Yuanxiang Zhao1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) are multi-potent adult stem cells capable of deriving mesodermal tissues including bone, adipose, muscle, and other connective tissues. Understanding the cellular commitment of these cells to specific lineages has important clinical applications that could assist in the treatment of an array of metabolic, cellular, and degenerative diseases. The therapeutic potential of these cells, however, remains intangible due to the poor understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing these processes. In this study we focus on understanding the role of RGS2 and RGS4 during adipogenesis (adipocyte commitment) and osteogenesis (osteocyte commitment). RGS2 and RGS4 proteins are GTPase regulators implicated in adipogenic and osteogenic commitment in murine systems. In this study, we (1) characterize RGS2/RGS4 expression levels throughout adipogenesis and osteogenesis in adipose derived hMSCs by gene expression analysis and (2) determine the role of RGS2 during early adipogenic commitment of hMSCs by siRNA silencing. Gene expression analysis of RGS2 showed an inverse upregulation in adipogenesis and downregulation in osteogenesis during early induction. On the other hand, RGS4 expression was up-regulated during osteogenesis and down-regulated during adipogensis. The reciprocal expression pattern of RGS2 and RGS4 during adipogensis and osteogenesis indicates an important role of both in the regulation of hMSC lineage commitment. Our preliminary study of silencing RGS2 by SIRNA showed a non-significant decrease in adipocyte formation. Future studies will focus on evaluation of RGS2 and RGS4 function by sequential siRNA silencing and CDNA over-expression.

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Analysis of Breast Cancer Associated (BRCA) Gene Mutations in Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Alberto Herrera*1,2 Dr. Jeffrey N. Weitzel2

Dr. Daniel Sumarriva2 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Clinical Cancer Genetics, City Of Hope

Breast cancer is the deadliest cancer among women globally. Hispanic populations have a lower incidence of breast cancer than US whites but a disproportionately high mortality rate. This trend is more pronounced in Mexico. Early detection in high risk families with a history of breast cancer could dramatically increase survival rates. 90% of hereditary breast cancer is associated with mutations in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes, but current costs for sequencing put early mutation detection beyond the reach of many. A new low-cost ancestry informed test for BRCA-associated breast cancer mutations was tested on 68 blood samples collected at Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Leon from breast cancer patients with a family history of breast cancer in north-east Mexico. DNA was extracted and tested with a panel of 114 common Hispanic BRCA mutations (HISPANEL) using a Sequenom® mass spectroscopy platform and PCR. Results and demographics were compared with 188 previously collected samples from Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia (INCan) Mexico City. The study found that 9% of patients had a BRCA mutation. 25% of triple negative breast cancer cases were found to have a BRCA mutation. These values are nearly identical to the values found in Mexico City but there were different patterns in the types of mutations between both cities. BRCA1 ex9-12del mutation was much more frequent in Mexico City (35% vs 16%), while 50% of the carriers of a BRCA mutation in Nuevo Leon had a BRCA1 2552delC mutation not seen in Mexico City. This is consistent with the hypothesis of BRCA1 ex9-12del originating in Puebla. A correlation between early onset breast cancer (under 40 years old) and a germline BRCA mutation was also observed. Results show promising signs of using low-cost ancestry/region informed mutation testing as an important clinical tool for early detection and to promote preventative services in low-income areas.

AUTOTRANSPORTER PROTEINS SAT AND TSH OF PROBIOTIC ESCHERICHIA COLI NISSLE 1917

Taylor Lane*1 Maha Abdulrahim1 Martina S. Corsi1

Manuela Raffatellu1 Dr. Christos Stathopoulos1


Probiotic bacteria are live microorganisms that contribute health benefits to their hosts. Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN), also known as Mutaflor, is a non-pathogenic E. coli isolate that is utilized as a probiotic to treat gastrointestinal disorders. However, the exact mechanism by which EcN exerts its beneficial effects is not fully understood. It is believed EcN possesses a variety of unique secreted fitness factors that assist in the colonization of the gut. Gram negative bacteria utilize a highly efficient mechanism for secretion of large-size proteins to their extracellular environment, known as the autotransporter or Type V secretion mechanism. Atuotransporter proteins are secreted via a two-step self-export mechanism and commonly act as virulence factors in pathogenic bacteria. Previous bioinformatical analyses using the available genomic sequences of three genomic islands in EcN and the complete genome of its closely related E. coli strain, CFT073 of uropathogenic E. coli, have indicated that EcN could express autotransporter proteins. It was determined that there are 11 potential autotransporter proteins in EcN. For this study, two were chosen for further analysis: Sat and Tsh. A knockout mutant has been constructed for Sat. The secretion of these autotransporter proteins was determined via a concentrated supernatant silver stain of EcN and CFT073 along with the constructed mutant. Western blots with antibodies specific to Tsh and Sat were used to confirm the results of the silver stain. Preliminary functionality experiments were done using protein-specific oligopeptide assays to determine protease activity. It has been determined that Sat and Tsh are expressed and secreted by EcN. In terms of functionality, EcN shows relatively high protease activity for both Sat and Tsh. This study has confirmed the presence of autotransporter proteins in the probiotic EcN, although more data is required to determine their contribution to the overall probiotic effects of EcN.

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Ag43 and PicU Autotransporters of Probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917

Maha Abdulrahim1 Taylor Lane1

Martina S. Corsi1 Manuela Raffatellu1

Dr. Christos Stathopoulos1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN), also known as Mutaflor, is a viable, probiotic microorganism that is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders in humans. However, the mechanism of the beneficial effects applied by EcN is still unknown. EcN is thought to express unique fitness factors that help the bacteria to colonize the gastrointestinal tract. On the other hand, pathogenic bacteria express multiple virulence factors to assist them in the colonization of their host tissues. Uropathogenic E. coli strain CFT073 is used as a model to study virulence factors needed to infect the urinary tract. The analysis of the EcN genome showed the presence of genomic islands that are closely related to those found in CFT073. Our study focuses on autotransporters of the Type V secretion pathway. This secretion mechanism is utilized by Gram-negative bacteria via a two-step self-export mechanism. The aim of the study is to determine the expression, function, and role of probiotic effects of EcN’s autotransporter proteins. Bioinformatical analyses using the available genomic sequence of the three genomic islands of EcN have indicated 11 putative autotransporter proteins expressed by EcN. Two were chosen for our study: PicU and Ag43. Knockout mutants have been constructed for both autotransporters. The secretion of the autotransporter proteins were determined by sliver staining concentrated supernatant after it is separated by SDS-PAGE. For further confirmation, immunoblots with antibodies specific for PicU were used. To fulfil the goal of the study and determine the protein’s function, protein-specific oligopeptide assay was used to detect protease activity of PicU. To study the presence and function of Ag43, outer membrane isolation, autoaggregation, and biofilm formation assays were performed. Our studies determined that both autotransporters are well secreted by EcN. The results also showed some PicU related protease activity in EcN. However, the results of Ag43 function were inconclusive.

Detection of the CD40 Receptor on the Cell Surface of Macrophages

Sarineh Zadorian1

Suming Chiang2 Sam Ho2

Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Molecular Express Inc., Rancho Dominguez

Introduction: CD40 is a cell surface receptor which plays an important role in the activation of macrophages, and a ligand for CD40 receptor is being investigated in our laboratory as a targeting molecule for liposomal vaccines to help stimulate a potent immune response.

Methods: Confluent monolayers of murine RAW (leukemic monocyte) cells and CHO (Chinese hamster cells) were harvested from tissue culture flasks, and 500 µl of a 1.0 x 10^6/ml cell suspension of each cell type added into 3 wells/testing condition in 12 well plates. CHO cells, which are not macrophages, were used as controls. Cells were incubated for 10h, 24h, or 48h with or without increasing concentrations of the TLR4 agonist LPS (lipopolyssacharide) (0.01µg, 0.1 µg, 1 µg). Samples were read in a FACSCaliber® and analyzed with CellQuest® Software.

Results: Significant fluorescence of the RAWS cells was observed following incubation with anti-CD40 Abs for 10h with 1 µg LPS. There was only moderate fluorescence of RAW cells incubated with anti-CD40 Abs after 24h with LPS and after 10h without LPS. The CHO cells showed no fluorescence.

Conclusion: Using these incubation conditions, we can determine if different types of liposomal vaccines, labeled with a ligand for the CD40 receptor,will be able to bind with macrophages and stimulate an upregulation of cytokines needed for producing a strong immune response.

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Dispersion of Phase Integrases in Acinetobacter baumannii Strains

Eleana S. Guardado*1 German M. Traglia2

Dr. M. Soledad Ramirez2 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Instituto de Microbiología y Parasitología Medica (IMPaM), Buenos Aires, Argentina

Research on the antibiotic resistance of bacterial strains has expanded in the past years due to increasing antibiotic resistance levels of various bacteria. Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram (-) bacillus commonly found in hospital settings and an important nosocomial pathogen. Infections caused by pan-drug resistant A. baumannii present challenges for treatment. Recent studies comparing whole genome sequences of A. baumannii isolates demonstrated a high genomic plasticity, which explains its ability to acquire multiple antibiotic resistance determinants and to survive in hospital environments. This study determines the distribution of phage integrases among a collection of clinical A. baumannii strains. A total of 83 A. baumannii clinical strains were included in the present study. Total DNA was obtained through DNA extraction and was used as the template in the PCR reactions carried out to identify the presence of different phage integrases. In parallel, the amplification of the 16sRNA was done to confirm DNA extraction. Gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the PCR products. The A. baumannii strain Ab40977, which was positive for 1656phg integrase was sent for sequencing. Results showed the presence of phage integrase in 8 A. baumannii strains out of 83, which were positive for the presence of the AYEphgInt. In the case of the ATCCphgInt integrase and AYEphgAP22, 9 and 16 out of 83 strains were positive, respectively. Finally, the results obtained for the 1656phg integrase showed a high dispersion of this integrase, with 28 strains positive for this integrase. Phage integrase distribution was highest amongst the strains tested for the 1656phg. The AYEphgAP22 had the second highest distribution followed by ATCCphgInt and AYEphgInt. Learning more about the distribution of phage integrases in the A. baumannii will give a better understanding of the mechanisms that take place in these bacterial strains and ultimately lead to more effective antibiotic treatments.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS VACCINE FOR PROTECTION AGAINST

PULMONARY ASPERGILLOSIS IN MAMMALS

Adrienne P. Gilkes*1

Pamela M. Farah1

Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1,2 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Molecular Express Inc., Rancho Dominquez, CA

Introduction: Aspergillus fumigatus, the most common cause of pulmonary aspergillosis, affects immunosuppressed people with a survival rate of 58% despite antifungal treatment. The present studies were done to compare the efficacy of vaccinating mice with a sublethal dose of A. fumigatus versus (vs) a liposomal vaccine (LV) containing A. fumigatus proteins Aspf3, Aspf9, and Hemolysin (He), and the adjuvant monophosphoryl Lipid A(MPL).

Methods and Results: Mice were given A. fumigatus intranasally (i.n.)(3.2x10^6 spores/mouse) or buffer on d0, and d21 challenged i.n. with A. fumigatus (1.5x10^7 spores/mouse). Survival was only 29% for vaccinated mice, with BAL and lung fungal burdens similar to buffer mice (Lungs, 3.3x10^5CFU/g vs 1.2x10^5CFU/g; BAL, 2.9x10^3CFU/mL vs 2.2x10^3CFU/mL) and elevated anti-Aspergillus antibody titers for vaccinated vs buffer mice. Thus, anti-Aspergillus antibodies did not confer protection. Other mouse groups were vaccinated subcutaneously d0, and i.n. d21 and d49 with Asp3, Asp9, and He liposomes at 5, 10, or 25ug for each protein/dose or buffer and challenged i.n. d63 with 8.10x10ex6spores/mouse. Survival was highest with 5ug/dose vs buffer mice( 70% vs 30%, respectively) with average lung CFU of 1.0x10^5/g vs 6.2x10^5/g (p<0.05) and elevated gamma interferon levels by splenocytes from liposomal vaccinated mice incubated with Aspf9 or He.

Conclusions: Although vaccination with a sublethal dose of A. fumigatus produced elevated anti-Aspergillus antibody titers, it did not confer protection while the liposomal vaccine with three immunogenic Aspergillus proteins along with MPL was protective against pulmonary aspergillosis, with evidence of a Th1 response characterized by increased gamma interferon levels.

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Investigating the Proper Dosage of Streptozocin Required to Induce Type 1 Diabetes in Mice

Alejandro Varela*1,2

Juan Ruiz1,2

Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 SEES RaMP Fellowship

Introduction: Streptozocin, a chemical with diabetogenic properties, was used in the current study to establish the dosage of Streptozocin (Sz) necessary to induce type 1 diabetes in mice to be used in future studies investigating antifungal therapy in diabetic Candida infected mice.

Methods: Mice [7-8 weeks, non-obese (NO) or 17-18 weeks, obese (Ob)] were treated once intraperitoneally with 150mg/kg, 160mg/kg, 170mg/kg, or 180mg/kg Sz. Glucose Urine percent (GU%) and ketone level were tested every day for 21 days using Ketodiastix reagent strips. A GU% between 1-2 indicated a diabetic state. Mice were weighed daily and assessed for morbidity.

Results: Over 21 days, NO mice given 150mg/kg or 170mg/kg had a GU of ~2%, indicating that they had become diabetic with 100% survival. With 160 mg/kg, the GU was ~1% with 80% survival and at a dose of 180mg/kg, mice had a GU of ~1.5% but only 60% survival. In comparison, Ob mice were much more sensitive to Sz and when given 180mg/kg had a GU of ~1.5% but a survival rate of only 28%. At 170mg/kg, Ob mice developed a BU% of ~2% although the survival was again 28%. With 160mg/kg, the BU% was ~1.5%, with 44% survival and at the lowest dose tested (150mg/kg), the BU% was ~1% with 28% survival. Ketone levels peaked day 3 at ~100mg/dl for all groups and dropped to <70 mg/dl for all groups by day 21.

Discussion: A single dose of 150mg/kg or 170mg/kg of Sz produced diabetes in NO mice without morbidity. These same doses of Sz also produced diabetes in Ob mice but were associated with low survival rates. These results showed increased susceptibility of the Ob mice for developing life-threatening diabetes, paralleling the increased risk of diabetes in obese people.

DEVELOPMENT OF A SEVERE H3N2 INFLUENZA INFECTION MODEL IN MICE

Jonathan J. Tringali*1 Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1


Introduction: Influenza, caused by different viral subtypes, varies in its hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) proteins. However, we have previously determined that a liposomal vaccine containing the conserved protein (M2e) is protective against H1N1 mouse challenge. We now need to test the vaccine's efficacy against H3N2. To do this, we developed an H3N2 murine infection model.

Methods: H3N2 stock was assayed for virulence in an MDCK cell cytotoxicity assay by incubating increasing viral dilutions with MDCK cells for 48h, staining cells with crystal violet and determining the highest virus dilution to produce cell lysis. These results were used to determine the range of H3N2 dilutions for infecting Swiss Webster mice. Two studies were done to determine the viral dilution that would produce morbidity in 50% of the mice (LD50). Mice were sedated and different dilutions of H3N2, were administered into the nares. Mice were monitored for weight loss, disease signs and morbidity for 15 days (Study 1) and 22 days (Study 2).

Results: The cytotoxicity assay showed that the highest viral dilution exhibiting cell lysis was 1:256-1:512. The 1st study indicated that viral dilutions 1:512, and 1:1024 produced 40% and 20% survival, respectively, while in study 2, viral dilution 1:1024 produced 83% survival. Disease signs and weight loss were the highest with the 1:512 and 1:1024 dilutions. Thus, a 10X LD50 dose of H3N2 would be about 1:50 dilution and will be used in subsequent vaccine efficacy studies to ensure non-vaccinated mice will become moribund.

Conclusion: H3N2 was less virulent than H1N1 since more H3N2 had to be administered to produce a severe infection (1:4500 dilution for H1N1 based on previous studies versus 1:50 dilution for H3N2). This H3N2 model will now be used to test the liposomal M2e vaccine, containing different immunostimulating adjuvants.

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COMPARISON OF EFFICACY AND DRUG CONCENTRATIONS IN TISSUES OF CANDIDA ALBICANS-

INFECTED MICE TREATED WITH INCREASING DOSES OF AMBISOME

Juan Ruiz1 Nhu Nguyen1 Jon Olson1 Dr. Jill Adler-Moore1


Introduction: Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by many different Candida species which can be life-threatening in immunocompromised people. It can be treated with AmBisome (L-AmBi), a liposomal form of Amphotericin B. The present study was done in Candida albicans infected mice to determine if there was a correlation between efficacy and tissue drug concentration with increasing L-AmBi doses.

Methods: Swiss-Webster mice were immunosuppressed, infected with 3.0x10ex4 yeast/mouse, treated intravenously with 5, 10 or 15mg/kg L-AmBi or 5% dextrose (control) every 24h for five days. Spleen, liver, kidneys, and fat were collected 24h after the final treatment, homogenized and used in an Amphotericin B Bio-Assay to determine drug concentration and also plated to determine fungal burden based on Colony Forming Units (CFU)/g tissue.

Results: Candida was cleared from the liver, spleen and fat of all L-AmBi treated mice at day 6 post-challenge. There was a dose dependent reduction in fungal burden in the kidneys for all L-AmBi groups compared to controls (P=0.0006). Decreasing amounts of yeast in kidneys correlated with increasing kidney drug concentrations while in spleen and liver, there was no statistical difference in drug concentrations between L-AmBi groups. There was no correlation between prolonged survival and tissue drug concentration since at the end of the 28 day study, there was 90% survival with 5mg/kg L-AmBi, 80% survival with 10mg/kg L-AmBi, but only 30% survival with 15mg/kg L-AmBi. This indicated that there was some drug toxicity at 15mg/kg L-AmBi.

IDENTIFICATION OF MENAQUINONE-7 PRODUCING BACTERIA

Prashan De Zoysa*1 Dr. Wei-Jen Lin1


Vitamin K2, also known as menaquinone, is a variant of Vitamin K. They act as a component of the electron transport chain in the cytoplasmic membrane of many Gram positive bacterial species. Menaquinones (K2) come in several variants depending on their structure. Hence, they are named menaquinone 4 -14 depending on the length of the chain attached to the napthoquinone ring. Menaquinones, especially menaquinone-4 (MK-4) and menaquinone-7(MK-7), are helpful for humans for various health benefits including fighting against cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Since it has been found that the bioavailability of MK-4 is low compared to MK-7, much research has focused on MK-7 producing bacteria, specifically Bacillus subtilis subspecies natto. This bacteria is involved in fermenting a soy bean product called natto. The objective of our study was to screen and understand the diversity of MK-7 producing bacteria in the environment.

By comparing the biosynthetic pathways of MK-7 and MK-8, we were able to identify the unique enzyme, heptaprenyl diphosphate synthase, that is involved in producing MK-7. It has been further identified that two genes in the Bacillus subtilis subspecies natto, namely hepT and hepS, take part in the assembly of this enzyme. Multiple Sequence Alignment analyses have revealed a greater identity for the hepT and hepS genes between the Bacillus subtilis subspecies natto with other Bacillus species, as well as some Listeria species. Using those results, two pairs of PCR primers were designed for screening hepT in environmental isolates. These primers are being tested using Bacillus and Listeria control strains as well as bacterial samples collected from the environment. Our study will provide insights into the diversity and spread of MK-7 in bacteria, as well as a potential source of MK-7 for use as a nutritional supplement.

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Prevalence of Tetracycline Resistance in Clostridium Species Isolated from Horses

Kun Ho Lee*1 Angelica Castaneda1

Stefan F. Riedel1

Dr. Shelton Murinda2

Dr. Wei-Jen Lin1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Clostridium species have a symbiotic and a pathogenic role in interactions with horses. When their interaction is pathogenic, they cause gastrointestinal malice characterized by hemorrhagic colitis, which can lead to the death of young horses. In order to treat this disease and prevent death, it is important to understand the antibiotic susceptibility of Clostridium. Clostridium species were previously isolated from horse fecal samples during four seasons (fall 2008 – summer 2009)from three horse farms in Southern California. We have identified that tetracycline resistance is most prevalent in our 188 Clostridium isolates, followed by ampicillin and metronidazole. In this study, we characterized the 14 tetracycline resistant Clostridium isolates for their minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and resistant mechanisms. The MICs of tetracycline in the Clostridium isolates were determined by a modified National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS*)agar dilution method. The presence of various tetracycline genes, tet(K), tet(L), tet(M), tet(P), and tetA(P), was screened by gene specific PCR to identify their modes of antibiotic resistance. Our results show tet(M) in 13 out of 14 isolates, tetA(P) in three isolates, and none for tet(K), tet(L), tet(P) genes. Some strains harbored multiple tetracycline resistant genes. Sequence analysis shows at least four variations of tet(M) among the 13 isolates. Our results revealed the prevalence and identities of tetracycline resistant genes in Clostridium species isolated from horses, which may lead to a better understanding of how resistance genes evolved and transferred and its relationship to drug usage.

[*Now Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, CLSI]

METAGENOMICS APPROACH TO PREDICT FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES OF MICROBES

IN CLEAN ROOM FACILITIES

Alexander Mahnert*2,3 Matthew Christensen1,3

Kasthuri Venkateswaran3 Gabriele Berg2

Parag Vaishampayan3 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria

3 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

In compliance with the Committee on Space Research Planetary Protection policy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) monitors the total microbial burden of spacecraft as a means for minimizing forward contamination, the inadvertent transfer of viable contaminant microorganisms to extraterrestrial environments (Committee on Preventing the Forward Contamination of Mars, 2006). Using conventional and state-of-the-art molecular techniques, a wide range of investigations have examined cultivable and noncultivable bacterial diversity associated with spacecraft and associated cleanrooms (SAC). Despite numerous characterizations of microbial populations in SAC, understanding metabolic traits responsible for persistence and survival remains a significant challenge. Functional capabilities required for survival in harsh and extreme environments might be found only in “problematic” microbial strains or species. As such, not all microorganisms pose an equivalent threat to forward contamination and the confounding of life-detection experiments. Understanding the resistance traits of these microbial populations would factor significantly in the ability to accurately assess forward contamination risk for NASA missions.

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ALIENS, PARASITES AND BIOTIC RESISTANCE: STUDYING THE POTENTIAL DISPERSAL OF HAMINOEA JAPONICA

(MOLLUSCA: OPISTHOBRANCHIA) INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Jennifer B. Green*1 Dr. Ángel Valdés1

Dr. David Moriarty1 Dr. Jayson Smith1


Haminoea japonica is an invasive species from Japan and Korea, which has spread to Europe and the Eastern Pacific. The vector was oyster spat imported from Northeastern Japan. Southern California receives shipments from oyster farms in Washington, where H. japonica is present, yet there is no evidence of this species in southern California. We wanted to test if any specific abiotic or biotic factors may be preventing establishment of H. japonica in southern California. For abiotic factors we considered temperature, because the non-native populations of H. japonica originated in cold waters. For biotic factors we considered interaction with the native species Haminoea vesicula (which occupies a similar niche), predation by Navanax inermis (a native predatory species common in southern California), and availability of certain food sources. Studies were done in a laboratory tank, with different combinations of the two species of Haminoea, temperature, or algae. We found that temperature had no effect on the survival or mass of H. japonica. Haminoea japonica also seems to eat epiphytic diatoms off algae, but can consume both red (Caulacanthus ustulatus) and green (Ulva sp.) algae and survivorship or mass does not suffer from the switch. Potential interaction between H. vesicula and H. japonica may not be a factor either, as in all studies H. vesicula had poor survivorship, even when by itself. When Navanax inermis was offered the two different Haminoea species it did not have a preference. None of the factors we tested effect survivability or success of H. japonica.

POPULATION GENETICS OF FELIMARE CALIFORNIENSIS: THE REGIONAL EXTINCTION AND NASCENT RECOVERY

OF A CONSPICUOUS DORID NUDIBRANCH IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Jeff Goddard*1 Craig A. Hoover2 Dr. Ángel Valdés2

1 Marine Science Institute, UCSB 2 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Felimare californiensis historically ranged from Monterey, California to Bahia Magdalena on the Pacific side of Baja Sur, and was also found in the Sea of Cortez . Unobserved north of Point Conception for the past hundred years, F. californiensis began to disappear from Southern California in the 1970s and by 1984 was regionally extinct. Sightings began in 2003 at Catalina Island and have occurred regularly since then. Repopulation of Southern California may be the result of larval dispersal from Baja California, or may be dispersal from a relict population at Catalina Island. We are sequencing the mitochondrial DNA genes CO1 and 16S to understand the population genetics of these populations and how they may be related to one another.

Felimare californiensis is unique among the California nudibranchs in its historical abundance, regional extinction, and recovery decades later. The mechanisms affecting the distributions and abundances of these beautiful creatures are unknown. More research is needed to test the correlation between cycles of oceanic temperature and the ranges of nudibranchs.

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DENSE TAXON SAMPLING OF NUDIBRANCHIA AND PHYLOGENETIC PLACEMENT OF THE GENERA

DORIDOXA AND BATHYDORIS, AND THE SPECIES TRITONIA PAPALOTLA

Jermaine Mahguib*1

Dr. Ángel Valdés1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

A number of factors can affect the accuracy of phylogenetic analyses. Increased taxon sample size and gene number have been shown to improve accuracy in many cases, but for systematists working with non-model organisms sampling a broad range of taxa can sometimes be economically unfeasible. Over the past couple of decades there has been debate in the literature regarding the best approach to consider for the generation of data sets for non-model organisms in terms of cost effectiveness. Some studies have shown that increasing taxon density (the number of representative sub-taxa per clade below the level of interest in a phylogeny) can increase phylogenetic accuracy more than increasing total taxon sampling. Here we investigated the difference in accuracy of phylogenies of nudibranch sea slugs differing in terms of taxon density. Sequences from the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA and the CO1 enzyme coding gene, and the nuclear H3 protein coding gene and 18S ribosomal RNA gene were used to run Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses to reconstruct the phylogeny of Nudibranchia. The taxon dense phylogeny (three or more species per genus) showed more support for relationships among genera but weaker support for basal relationships among clades. The low taxon density phylogeny (only one species per genus) had slightly greater support for basal relationships by comparison and less support among genera. We also investigated the phylogenetic placement of two enigmatic genera, Doridoxa and Bathydoris, consisting of deep-ocean and very cold-water species for which few specimens have ever been collected and little to no molecular data has been available. Additionally, the placement of a peculiar sea slug species, Tritonia papalotla, which has a number of unique morphological characteristics not found in any other species of tritoniid nudibranchs in the Eastern Pacific where it was collected, was investigated.

Pacific Nudibranchs: The changing spots of the Leopard Dorid

Tabitha Lindsay*1

Anton Chichvarkhin2 Julie Kelly3

Hiroshi Kajihara4 Dr. Ángel Valdés1

1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Institute of Marine Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences

3 Biological Sciences Department, Humboldt State University 4 Institute of Marine Biology, Hokkaido University of Japan

Some North Pacific species of marine coastal organisms have distinct populations that occur separately in the western and eastern Pacific. Several North Pacific species of opisthobranchs have unusually large geographic ranges, including California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Siberia and northern Japan. The explanation for this wide range is unclear and there are two competing hypotheses: 1) Bidirectional expansion: the ranges of transpacific species during the previous interglacial period/s were split by costal ice formation in the Northern Hemisphere and diverged allopatrically resulting in sister species pairs – these sister species are similar morphologically and are currently classified as the same species, but because they have been separated for at least 100,000 years should be distinguishable using molecular tools. 2) Unidirectional expansion: postglacial expansion northward from refugia in North America allowed species to cross the North Pacific and become established in Siberia and northern Japan – because of the direction of ocean currents, expansion from Asia to North America is less likely. Due to the subsequent formation and melting of costal ice sheets during glacial and interglacial periods, the history of the North Pacific Ocean is incredibly complex. The study of species with transpacific ranges is potentially important to understand how climate change will affect polar species in the future. My preliminary data for Diaulula sandiegensis has shown that it is not a single species as previously thought, but two distinct species found along the coast of North America.

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One species has a range encompassing the entire coast of North America from Kodiak, Alaska to the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico. The second species appears to be restricted to a more northern range from Kodiak, Alaska down through Humbolt, California. The specimens found in Japan and Russia appear to be grouping with the northern species of D. sandiegensis indicating the possibility of a truly pan-Pacific ranging species. Future research will focus on developing a larger genetic library for comparison of these two species and morphological comparison using scanning electron micrographs of the radula. Additional species with similar ranges to D. sandiegensis will also be sequenced and compared morphologically to determine the true ranges of each of these species in the North Pacific Ocean. Furthermore, molecular clock dating will be used to determine the timing for the expansion and population history of each species. This will also determine how their populations have been affected by historical glacial and interglacial periods.

A TALE OF TWO CEPHALASPIDEANS: THE GENETIC SIMILARITIES BETWEEN NAVANAX INERMIS

AND NAVANAX POLYALPHOS

Sarah Cary*1 Dr. Ángel Valdés1


Taxonomic classification of sea slugs has long relied on morphological characteristics such as color or pattern when identifying species. With the advent of molecular technique, it is now possible to organize species based on a molecular level. The cephalaspideans Navanax inermis and Navanax polyalphos are considered to be closely related, separate species. This distinction is based on the differences in size and coloration, with N. inermis being larger and typically striped as opposed to N. polyalphos which is smaller, darker, and spotted. Preliminary data comparing the mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) of the two species has revealed that they may not be separate species, but two variations of a single species. By collecting tissue samples and photographs from individuals along the Pacific coastline of California and Mexico, as well as the Gulf of California, I hope to discover a pattern in either the genetic variation or morphological differences between N. inermis and N. polyalphos. Genetic analysis will be done on three different mDNA sequences: CO1, 16S, and H3. Photographic analysis will compare the color and patterns of the different individuals, sorting them into one of four categories: spotted, striped, speckled, or mixed. In using a computer program to categorize the patterns, we hope to remove the variability usually associated with such a subjective characteristic.

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Pacific Nudibranchs: The twin Doriopsilla has a twin!

Craig Hoover*1 Tabitha Lindsay*1

Jeff Goddard2 Hans Bertsch3

Matthew McPhillips1 Eric Breslau1

Dr. Ángel Valdés 1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California

3 Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara

Doriopsilla albopunctata is a dorid nudibranch commonly found along the coast of North America. It is characterized by having a yellow to orange colored mantle and white spots along the dorsum. In 1999, this D. albopunctata was divided into two separate species. The name D. albopunctata was retained for specimens with a white gill and the new name Doriopsilla gemela (which means twin) was introduced for specimens with a distinct bright yellow to orange colored gill. Both Doriopsilla species range from Monterey, California to Bahia Tortugas in Baja California, and they are also found in the Sea of Cortez. Currently, the populations of both D. albopunctata and D. gemela found in the Pacific coast and the Gulf of California are considered the same species. However, morphological, developmental and genetic differences suggest that D. gemela and D. albopunctata may constitute more than two species. In this study we investigate the genetic difference between the two populations of each species by the creation of a gene library containing the mitochondrial sequences CO1, 16S, and H3. DNA from individuals throughout the range was obtained from collection of specimens in the field, samples of museum specimens or through the assistance of colleagues in Baja California.

CHARACTERIZATION OF SUPPRESSORS OF SPE-27 IN C. ELEGANS

Aubrie L. De La Cruz*1 Nick G. Sullivan1

Dr. Craig LaMunyon1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

C. elegans is a nematode worm that has become an important model organism used to study genetics and developmental biology. For our purposes, this organism is used to more closely study the molecular mechanisms of spermatogenesis, and specifically, spermiogenesis, or the transformation of spherical spermatids to amoeboid spermatozoa. Spermiogenesis is controlled by the action of a suite of proteins, termed the SPE-8 group. The gene products from the spe-8 group (spe-8, spe-12, spe-19, spe-27, and spe-29) encode a signal transduction pathway that relays the spermiogenesis signal from the extracellular domain into the cytosol. When there is a mutation in any of these genes, the worms become sterile because the spermatids do not mature into crawling spermatozoa. Interestingly, when specific additional mutations are induced in spe-8 group mutants, such as worms mutant for spe-27, some of the fertility is returned to the worms. These are called suppressor mutations because they suppress the sterility conferred by a mutation in spe-27. A large suppressor screen was done that created many strains that countered the sterility in spe-8 group mutant worms. Several of the mutations have been found to define new genes, which makes characterization of suppressor mutations of interest to us. Here, we show several methods used to characterize two suppressor mutations: sup1-15 and hc201 (K01D12.7). Prior work has shown that sup1-15 resides on chromosome I, but the exact locus has not been identified. We used SNP-mapping to narrow down the region where the mutation may be located. For hc201 (K01D12.7), the gene harboring the mutation has been identified, but the localization of the gene product within the organism remains unknown. We started working on a transcriptional reporter fusion construct to allow us to identify where the hc201 (K01D12.7) gene product localizes within C. elegans. Characterization of these mutations will give us a more complete understanding of spermiogenesis.

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Managing the Spread of Fire in a Tropical Ecosystem in Hawaii

Brian Myers*1 Dr. Erin Questad1

1 Biological Sciences Department, California Poly Pomona

The Hawaiian tropics are subjected to fires that have greatly diminished the native landscape (Loope 1998). As fire-promoting invasive grasses have been introduced to Hawaii, wildfires have greatly increased in size and intensity. These grasses, such as Pennisetum setaceum (African Fountain Grass), increase fuel loads and increase the probability of fire ignition and spread. Wildfires promote recruitment of invasive grasses and inhibit native species, increasing the likelihood of future fires, leading to a cycle that promotes a landscape dominated by invasive grasses (D'Antonio & Vitousek 1992).

Areas that lack vegetation can be utilized to reduce the spread of wildfires, and a non-destructive way to create such areas could potentially be through “greenstrips” planted with fire-resistant native species. Our study addressed the following question: Do greenstrips plantings reduce fuel loads, fire spread, and fire intensity? In the experiment, the goal was to see if shaded plots (used to mimic a native canopy) would decrease the biomass of Pennisetum setaceum (African Fountain Grass), an invasive grass that greatly increases fuel loads in the area.

NITROGEN EFFECTS ON MYCORRHIZAE COLONIZATION IN A CALIFORNIA NATIVE GRASS AND INVASIVE GRASS

Rari Marks*1 Dr. Erin Questad1

1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona USDA Watershed Management Internship; Cal State San Bernardino

Invasive species cost the US about $120 billion per year in economic losses. The entire ecological community can be permanently altered and degraded by their presence. Additional nitrogen in the atmosphere is thought to contribute to invasive annual grasses, and Southern California has the most altered nitrogen cycle in the country. Nutrient availability directly affects the growth of plants and most vascular plants have a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizae (fungus) in order to increase the uptake of certain nutrients. In this study, an invasive grass (Bromus hordeaceus) and a native grass (Stipa pulchra) were examined for mycorrhizae infection. The question is whether or not there is a difference in infection rates between a native and a non native grass species, and how does the addition of nitrogen affect infection rates. If differences are detected, this may provide insight into how to better manage and restore habitats damaged or threatened by invasive grass species.

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Fire restoration prescriptions among dynamic Hawaii dryland communities

Marcus Douglas Hubbell1 Dr. Erin Questad1


Successful restoration of native dry forests in Hawaii requires overcoming a number of barriers. The most significant threat to these ecosystems is fire; however once fires are controlled regeneration of native species is often strongly limited by other factors: the effects of ungulate grazing, lack of seed sources and dispersal agents, and competition with grasses for limiting resources (Cabin et al. 2002a; Thaxton et al. 2011). The relative importance of these barriers can also change across sites or from one type of dryland ecosystem to another. The most effective and efficient methods for native species restoration may differ as a result of which factors are important. Each step involves more effort and expense, so it is in the best interest of land managers to have an ecosystem-specific prescription for dry forest restoration.

The experiment uses three factors: habitat quality (high or degraded); invasive plants (present or removed); and outplants (plants transplanted from the greenhouse to study sites). Each treatment combination is replicated three times in each of three ecosystem types: lowland dry forest, subalpine woodland, and subalpine shrubland. The experiment was designed to test the following question: How do effective restoration prescriptions change across dryland community type and from degraded to more intact stands?

There was no significant difference of SLA among species, site, and habitat quality (p>0.05). A significant difference was found within invasive grass treatments (F= 1.01, p=0.039, DF=6). Although invasive grasses compete with natives, they may also encourage infiltration and decrease evaporation of available water. Hawaii is currently experiencing drought conditions that create an important emphasis on water availability for restoration outplanting. The results from this study suggest that restoration efforts should focus on removal of invasive grass in conjunction with other means to encourage soil saturation.

ARTHROPOD COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO PLANT INVASION AND NITROGEN DEPOSITION

Eliza Hernandez*1 Dr. Erin Questad1


Insects play key ecological roles by providing regulating services such as pollination and decomposition. Anthropogenic activity threatens the conservation of beneficial insects and may be responsible for the observed decline in insect diversity. Nitrogen deposition, a human-accelerated process, may pose a threat to insect diversity and thus, their valuable services. Increased nitrogen levels have been found to increase insect abundances yet decrease their species richness. Invasive plant species that can take up nitrogen faster than native species may accelerate these changes in the insect community. The primary focus of this project is to determine the effects of nitrogen and invasion on the abundance and taxonomic richness of insects and other arthropods in a managed grassland experiment at the South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine. I am sampling from ten of the fifteen plots at the South Coast experiment, five of which are homogeneously treated with nitrogen and the other five are not. To sample soil and litter-dwelling arthropods throughout the growing season, each plot contains two pitfall traps, one placed in a patch of native grass, Stipa pulchra, and the other in a patch of invasive grass, Bromus hordeaceus. Arthropods are being identified at the taxonomic rank, family. I predicted to find greater arthropod abundance but not necessarily diversity among the nitrogen-treated plots and the invasive grass plots. However, preliminary results show that fertilized plots host a greater number of arthropod groups than unfertilized plots.

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AN EVALUATION OF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO PROTECT ROCKY INTERTIDAL SPECIES

FROM THE IMPACTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES: A LOOK INTO THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE

Benjamin J. Lucas*1 Dr. Jayson Smith1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

In urbanized southern California, marine rocky intertidal habitats are frequented during low tide periods by a large number of human visitors. The activities of visitors, such as collecting, rock turning, trampling, and handling, have multiple harmful effects, including a reduction in the abundance of faunal/floral populations, a loss of biodiversity, shifts in the size/age structure of populations towards smaller/younger individuals, and alterations of normal ecosystem functioning. Research conducted in the mid-1990s in Orange County, California, suggested that human visitation and, more importantly, the frequency of collecting was high and that these behaviors have adversely impacted target organisms, despite being legally protected under Marine Protected Area (MPA) regulations. In the decade following these studies, a series of supplemental management strategies, in addition to the long-standing MPA regulations, were enacted by the Orange County Marine Protected Area Council (OCMPAC) to alleviate some of the detrimental human activities. As with any management policy, it is vital to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation strategies to determine if adaptive management policies need to be set in place. To test the effectiveness of OCMPAC management strategies, we conducted both human use surveys and biological sampling based on methods conducted in the mid-1990s. Data on the number of visitors and their behaviors, as well as abundance and sizes of target organisms, were compared over time. Preliminary results indicate that human activity has significantly increased since 1995. While the number of collectors, the most detrimental of the behaviors, has not changed markedly, the proportion of visitors that are collecting has declined over time. Additionally, the size distributions of the ecologically important herbivorous Owl Limpet, with size of this species being a strong indicator of exploitation pressure, significantly increased, suggesting that collecting has declined. Together, these early results suggest that OCMPAC management has been effective.

POPULATION DECLINES IN ORANGE COUNTY, CA OF THE ROCKY INTERTIDAL OCHRE SEA STAR

PISASTER OCHRACEUS FROM WASTING DISEASE

Sean T. Agler*1 Benjamin Lucas1 Dr. Jayson Smith1


Sea stars, including the Ochre Star Pisaster ochraceus, are keystone predators in shallow marine habitats and are important drivers of community composition and species diversity. A mysterious sea star wasting disease decimated subtidal and intertidal populations of sea stars in Washington State starting in summer 2013. This disease is first detected by signs of white lesions with many of the infected sea stars losing arms and quickly dying. Diseased sea stars began to be documented at several additional locations along the Pacific northwest shortly afterwards. To determine if the disease had reached southern California, sea stars were quantified in summer 2013 at eight rocky intertidal locations in Orange County using a standardized one hour time search. During this sampling period, sea stars were abundant with very few showing signs of infection. These eight sites were then resampled in spring 2014. We found a significant decline in the population of sea stars (up to 100%) across all sites we sampled, including losses of hundreds of individuals. In concert with long-term, semi-annual monitoring of sea stars at 4 of the 8 sites, we show that Orange County sea star populations have been devastated by this disease. The loss of this ecologically vital, keystone predator will have severe ramifications on coastal community composition with alterations likely be apparent for many years to decades.

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EFFECTS OF FLORAL VISITATION FREQUENCY AND TIME OF DAY ON CUMULATIVE POLLEN

DEPOSITION BY BEE ASSEMBLAGES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WATERMELON CROPS

Jacob M. Cecala*1 Dr. Joan Leong1


Measurements of pollinator performance are vital to agriculture, especially for crops like watermelon that are fully dependent on bees to set fruit. Pollinator performance is often estimated by bagging a female flower before it opens to ensure a clean or “virgin” stigma, allowing a single visit from a pollinator, then quantifying the amount of pollen deposited on the stigma. However, pollination models based on these measurements can be problematic if female flowers accumulate artificially high volumes of nectar while bagged, which has been shown to influence honey bee (Apis mellifera) foraging behavior and to induce overestimates of pollen deposition. Another approach to modeling pollination services is to examine the performance of the collective pollinator assemblage per unit time, beyond single-visit estimates. This study aims to measure rates of cumulative pollen deposition on virgin female watermelon flowers (depleted of excess nectar) per 20-minute time period by the collective pollinator assemblage at a variety of farms during the early hours of anthesis. It is hypothesized that visitation frequency and a higher abundance of native bee visitors will be positively associated with cumulative pollen deposition rates. An analysis of 34.7 hours of pollinator activity from 5 farms indicates that 20-minute cumulative stigmatic pollen deposition is positively associated with visitation frequency of honey bees but not with that of native bees, which accounted for only 3.7% of total observed visits. Additionally, pollen deposition displayed a negative relationship with time of day at organic farms, despite no decreases in honey bee visit frequency over time. This suggests differences in pollen availability (and thus deposition) among farms or watermelon cultivars. Future research will focus on sampling farms with higher abundances of native bee pollinators.

DETERMINING THE PREVALENCE OF THE FUNGAL PARASITE, NOSEMA, IN THE EUROPEAN HONEY BEE

IN MANAGED AND FERAL HIVES

Stephanie M. Duenas*1 Dr. Joan Leong


Approximately one-third of all commercially consumed agricultural crops need honeybee pollination in order to produce crops. Due to the heavy reliance on honeybee pollination in agriculture, honeybee health is a priority. Managed honey bees undergo additional stresses when comparing honeybees found in a feral, or a naturally occurring setting. These factors include being shipped and living in honeybee boxes, varying weather conditions such as extreme heat in field and travel settings, and increased exposure to pesticides or insecticides. Because of these additional stresses, honeybees in managed settings are thought to differ in the prevalence of Nosema, a fungal parasite and recent concern in honeybee health. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the prevalence of Nosema between treatments of managed and feral hives. Approximately 16-40 honey bees were collected by sweep net from three managed hives and two feral hives found in Southern California beginning in the Winter 2012 to Summer 2013. Feral honeybees were collected from hives found in natural settings, which foraged near the feral hive on flowering plants. Managed honey bees were collected from agricultural field sites, which had honeybee boxes, as the bees foraged on the crops or near the boxes. Once collected, midguts of the honeybees were examined under a microscope after staining with Giemsa stain for the Nosema fungus. Preliminary results show a 3.8% prevalence in honey bees found in one of the managed hives and 10% in one feral hive and 0% in a second feral hive. Thus, prevalence of Nosema varies among the levels of infection found in honeybee hives from both a managed and feral setting. Nosema species was also determined in one of the feral hives to be N. ceranae. Additional data are needed to determine whether management of honeybee causes a difference in the prevalence of Nosema.

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FACTORS INFLUENCING HONEY BEE (APIS MELLIFERA) SPATIAL MEMORY

ON WATERMELON (CITRULLUS LANATUS)

Jon R. Sacro*1 Dr. Joan Leong


Insect pollination is the process in which insects transfer pollen from the anthers of a male flower to the same species of an accessible female surface (stigma) for reproduction. Honey bees are one of the primary pollinators for most of the crops that rely on insect pollination. Greater knowledge of honey bee activities and foraging behavior can help in the continued understanding of pollination efficiency in agricultural ecosystems. Spatial memory refers to an organism’s ability to distinguish and associate multiple pieces of information of its surroundings. The study seeks to examine if bees have a higher tendency to revisit flowers with high volumes of nectar. Unopened staminate flower buds will be bagged to ensure no previous pollinator visitation and should contain higher amounts of nectar in comparison to any unbagged flowers left in the field without manipulation. Revisitation will be measured after the bee revisits a high nectar flower after it has visited at least one other flower in the array. Comparing revisitation frequency between groups of varying nectar volume can indicate whether honey bees use spatial memory while foraging as further visits to low nectar flowers will be avoided. A one-factor ANOVA will be used to determine whether any significant relationship is present between nectar volume and revisitation behavior by looking at the differences between revisits to low high volume nectar flowers. Prior studies of spatial memory in honey bees were done in enclosed environments that may have inhibited or altered the natural functioning of bees. Empirical studies in an agricultural ecosystem would be significant in revealing pollinator behavior by minimizing other factors that can negatively impact results. The results of this study are important in applied pollination studies because it can evaluate pollinator efficacy in terms of distinguishing multiple locations of varying reward in their surroundings.

INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTS OF TIME AND FIELD CONDITIONS ON WATERMELON POLLEN

VIABILITY, AND THE RESULTING IMPLICATIONS REGARDING RESEARCH INTO SECONDARY POLLEN

TRANSFER

Christopher H. Lee*1 Dr. Joan Leong1

1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona1

Pollinator performance has relied on measuring many factors, including the amount of pollen a given bee species can carry at a time, and the frequency a species visits flowers. However, it is possible that other factors are not being investigated that could otherwise contribute to our understanding of pollinator/pollination dynamics, such as secondary pollen transfer. This involves pollen being left on a non-stigmatic surface of a flower (i.e. the petals) from a previous pollinator, which is then retransferred to the stigma by a subsequent pollinator. However, details regarding this process is still not fully understood, such as how much pollen does secondary pollen transfer contribute to the pollen load of the flower, or if the pollen grains are able to remain viable during the period they are on the petals to when they are retransferred. Given the lack of hard research on this subject, investigating secondary pollen transfer could help elucidate new facets of pollination. My thesis proposal aims to investigate whether or not diploid pollen grains of commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.), family Cucurbitaceae) that were left on the petals of the flower can remain viable for pollen tube germination and subsequent fertilization of the ovules. Said proposal should determine if secondary pollen transfer could be considered a significant factor in pollination dynamics.

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A SURVEY OF URBAN/SUBURBAN BEE POLLINATORS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY ASSOCIATED WITH WILDFLOWERING L.A. NATIVE WILDFLOWER

PLANTINGS

Jacob Cecala*1 Jesus Cepeda1 Stephanie Duenas1 Pierre Lau*1 Carmel Tabush1 Andrew To1 Alycia Uyeoka1

Dr. Joan Leong*1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Urban and suburban areas are rapidly expanding worldwide, where the degree or intensity of urbanization is generally inversely related to the level of biodiversity within urban landscapes. Studies of the effect of urbanization on arthropod diversity have shown either no effects or declines in species richness and diversity. However, urban gardens planted with a high diversity of native and ornamental plant species can attract and support a wide variety of bee species. Though studies of urban bees have been done in other major cities (i.e. San Francisco, New York), no systematic surveys of bees in urban/suburban L.A. County have been conducted. We initiated a short-term survey of urban bees in L.A. County using ten new native wildflower gardens established by the Wildflowering L.A. Project (http://wildflowering.org/about/). The ten gardens were seeded with eight different native flowering species. We used colored pan traps to sample bees and other flower visitors since this method causes the least trampling and disturbance to flowering plants. We also measured honey bee floral visitation frequencies on Clarkia unguiculata flowers at a subset of the ten sites since honey bees are not readily caught by pan traps. We found more native bee species richness than expected, given the amount of sampling effort at each site. Collectively, ten bee genera and at least thirteen species were represented in our samples that were taken over a four-week period. An additional four bee genera were observed but not caught in traps. Honey bees were the most common bees and the most frequent floral visitors at the garden sites. Samples from our CPP site contained the highest bee species richness. Our preliminary survey results suggest that several species of bees in the genera Halictus, Lasioglossum and Megachile, along with Apis mellifera (honey bee), are synanthropic species in the urban/suburban L.A. landscape.

Analysis of sexual size and shape dimorphism in California Alligator Lizards (Elgaria):

lineage and population level divergence in form and function

Thomas A. Marino*1 Marlena L. Lopez1

Dr. A. Kristopher Lappin1 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Sexual dimorphism is a pan-taxonomically exhibited phenomenon contributing to the performance, behavior, ecology, and evolutionary life history of organisms. The widespread situation of sexual dimorphism in iguanian lizards predicts female-larger body size and more robust male head shape relative to snout-vent length within a species. This trade-off has been shown to be driven by allowance of larger clutch sizes in female lizards and increased bite force in males, both aspects of sexual selection. Further analysis is needed into the pressures responsible for driving such patterns in mating systems that do not display intrasexual mating interactions, as the case with the Southern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) and Northern Alligator lizard (E. coerulea).

Preliminary data collection and primary literature review have shown that there is significant sexual dimorphism in body size and head shape within North American species of Elgaria. Individual genetic variation, discerned through morphological disparity, will be quantified in an analysis of body size and head shape in relation to bite force performance. Biogeographical influence and the driving forces of evolution act through these individuals, ensuing measurable variation among populations, which will be more closely examined with a population and lineage level analysis with respective environmental factors.

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I aim to reveal the level of within and among population of lineage variation, as well as disentangle the potential factors responsible for geographically structured variation. The hypotheses being tested as potential factors of variation include accordance with two biogeographical rules (Bergmann’s rule and Foster’s rule), the fecundity advantage hypothesis, the copulatory success hypothesis, and variation of factors associated with environmental space encompassed by the species distribution. The results of this study will provide insight to the driving forces of sexual dimorphism associated with selective pressures other than those known to result from intrasexual competition for mates.

Territory Establishment and Maintenance in Two Territorial Lizard Species: the Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)

and the Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana)

Mark Kameron Roth1 Dr. A. Kristopher Lappin1


Territoriality is a widespread phenomenon among animals in which aggressive behavior, often complemented by visual, auditory, and/or olfactory signaling, is used to actively defend a defined area. Two lizards native to southern California, the Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) and the Side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana), are classic cases of territorial lizards that exhibit these behaviors. In particular, these lizards use visual cues (push-ups, lateral displays, gaping) in their territory defense repertoire, but only the side-blotched lizard typically gets into physical altercations that involve biting and supplanting opponents. Known predictors of territory size include bite force and body size, but little is known about the behaviors and cues that factor into how territorial boundaries for defense are chosen. The focus of my M.S. thesis research is to experimentally evaluate how males of these two lizard species establish and maintain territories and what factors can entice or deter an individual from choosing a particular space to occupy and defend. I will perform experiments using custom-built outdoor wooden enclosures housing groups of lizards to analyze territory establishment and maintenance. These data will be used to decipher the relative importance of habitat quality, competition among consexuals, and relative arrival time of individuals in a group on territory size.

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The Effect of L-theanine and Caffeine on Cognitive Performance in Terms of Short Term Memory

Jimmy Duong*1 Andrew R. Gibson1

Dr. Bonny Burns-Whitmore, RD1 1 Human Nutrition and Food Science Department, Cal Poly Pomona

The effects of L-theanine, caffeine, and the combination of the two were measured amongst college students (n = 22; male = 13 & female = 9). The purpose of this study was to build upon a study done by Tamano (2013) on stress-induced mice and their ability to recognize certain objects. The mice given L-theanine fared significantly better than the control mice and showed noticeable alterations to the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus areas, and explored the effects of both on the frontal and temporal cortex-which is associated with memory). The pilot study was designed as a double-blind quadruple crossover study with 4 treatments administered every week ranging from 50 mg caffeine, 75 mg l-theanine, a combination of both 50 mg caffeine & 75 mg l-theanine, and a placebo (nothing) mixed in 200 mL of water. The tests were assessed and measured by two short term memory games called the Digit Span Test & the Number Ladder Test hosted by the Cambridge Brain Science website. In conclusion, we failed to reject our null hypothesis, as we were unable to find any statistical significance within the data. The “learning effect” was evident and played a heavy role in the influence of the study. The isolation of dependent variable “short term memory” is extremely difficult as other cognitive functions can play a heavy role such as learning, motor skills, and long term memory especially in a study with multiple sessions of the same tests.

Biofilm Formation on Traditional and Novel Metal Alloys

Selma Reyes1 Aaron Alvarado1 Dr. Steve Alas1

Dr. Nina Abamzon2 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona

As we enter the new ages we see that the use of prosthetics seems to increase, rather than diminish. Not only does the use of prosthetics grow, but the age of the beneficiaries decreases. Internal prosthetics are currently produced of metals which generally become rejected by the body or colonized by bacteria within the body, essentially leading to their replacement. In this lab, our long term goal is to extend the life of a prosthetic by diminishing bacterial colonization. Consequently we are testing biofilm production by 2 different bacteria, Staphylococcus epidermidis (gram positive) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram negative) on six different types of metals. Three of the metals being tested are the traditional metals, which are currently being used as prosthetics; commercially pure titanium (CpTi), a titanium alloy (Ti64), and stainless steel (SS). The other three metals are new alloys having different percentages of boron; 1.0, 0.4 and 0.05. Our first goal is to quantify colonization of bacteria by measuring biofilm formation on the surface of each metal. For the second part of our project we treated the traditional metals (CpTi, Ti64, SS) as well as a new set of boron metal alloys (0.01, 0.04, 0.43) with oxygen plasma to alter their surface and once again quantified the bacterial biofilm formation. Using both of these techniques we have found that the plasma treated boron metals alloys do not provide a viable surface for bacteria to colonize and that the plasma treated traditional metals have lower biofilm formation when grown with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. For the last part of our project we will follow the same parameters to measure the biofilm formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis on both traditional metals and boron metal alloys. Essentially our goal is to find a metal with low bacterial colonization in order to help increase the life of a prosthetic.

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Biofilm Prevention Project

Ashley Matsushita2 Lindsey Kabot2 Selma Reyes1

Aaron Alvarado1 Tanner Worden2 Dr. Steve Alas1

Dr. Nina Abramzon2 1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona


Plasma surface modification has a unique advantage to treat surfaces to selectively enhance the surface’s properties, adhesion strength and biocompatibility while leaving the bulk of the material unaffected. Oxygen gas is the most effective and environmentally safe method for critical surface cleaning. The oxygen gas breaks most of the organic bonds of surface contaminants. For our preliminary studies we examined the effect of the plasma from a Surfx Plasma reactor by infusing Helium gas and Oxygen gas on three types of metals; stainless steel, pure titanium, and a titanium alloy, by measuring the contact angle through Image J software to assess surface wettability and roughness. We kept three plasma parameters constant; power at 40W, the distance from the shower head to the top surface at 2.0cm, and gas flow, and we will vary the plasma treatment time. Each sample will be treated for one minute, two minutes, 5 minutes and no treatment (the control). In our second phase of the experiment we proceeded to analyze how these treated samples will react to the exposure of two types of bacteria; Staphylococcus Epidermidis and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. We compared the biofilm grown on the treated surface with the biofilm grown on a non-treated surface (control).

Synthesis of Phenyl (3, 3’-dipyridyl) amine

Monique G. Sobero*1 Dr. Francis Flores1

1 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona

The purpose of this research is to synthesize phenyl (3, 3’-dipyridyl) amine via a diazonium salt reaction. Diazonium salts are any organic compound that has a general molecular structure where R can be an alkyl or aryl group and X is an inorganic or organic anion such as a halogen. Diazonium salts are typically prepared by the reaction of primary substituted amines with nitrous acid. One of their more striking properties is their instability. Diazonium salts are rapidly converted into carbocations after the loss of nitrogen, and can yield products derived from substitution, elimination or rearrangement processes. These reactions make it possible for the preparation of a wide variety of aromatic derivatives such as phenyl (3, 3’-dipyridyl) amine.

In this study, human bone marrow stromal stem cells were grown in culture and exposed to ion solutions derived from corrosion experiments performed on experimental alloys. These novel alloys were developed by researchers in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. After ion exposure, the cells are analyzed for cell death and DNA damage, via flow cytometer and the Comet Assay, respectively. We expect to see distinct differences in cellular damage when cells are exposed to various titanium alloys and hope to use our results to identify a more biocompatible prosthesis material to be used in future implants.

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THE NATURE OF STRESS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT

OF DEPRESSION-LIKE BEHAVIOR IN MICE

Sidney Vanessa Perez1

Dr. Kabir Lutfy2 1 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, Western University

Depression is a serious medical condition affecting 350 million people worldwide. Symptoms of depression include loss of interest, anxiety, and trouble in making decisions. It is known to weaken the immune system and causes the body to be more susceptible to other illnesses. In addition, depression affects gender, where it is seen that women are more affected than men. Also, populations that live in poverty experience depression 15.1% more than those who do not live in poverty 1(Brown, 2014). Depressive disorder is known to influence the outcome of cancer (Lazure et al., 2009), cardiac disorder, and diabetes.

One of the leading causes of depression is stress; however, it is not known whether the nature of stress is important for the development of depressive-like behaviors. In order to address this issue, mice will be exposed to a forced swim test for 15 min using (23C) and lukewarm water (32C) on daily for 5 consecutive days. Three days later, mice will be exposed to swim (23C) for 15 min and the amount of time that mice remain immobile will be recorded, which will be used as a measure of depressive-like behavior.

ONLINE ORGANIC CHEMISTRY EXERCISES FOR ALKENE REACTIONS: DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND

ASSESSMENT

Joyann S. Barber*1 William K. Weigel*1 Dr. Laurie Starkey1

1 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Oftentimes the problems found in textbooks are too difficult for struggling students so they get left further and further behind. We have developed a set of exercises to bridge the gap between what a student understands and the level of difficulty of textbook problems. These exercise sets have been designed as a supplemental resource for students in undergraduate organic chemistry curricula. Collectively, the exercises cover several reactions associated with electrophilic additions to alkenes as well as two introductory topics: carbocation rearrangements and elimination reactions. There is a heavy emphasis on mechanistic repetition as problems are presented in a “drill” type fashion to develop and strengthen pattern recognition to the arrow pushing formalism of these reactions. The problem sets are electronic and can be accessed online so students are self-guided and can move at any desired pace. Assessment of the effectiveness of these problems was done through optional online surveys asking users to evaluate understanding and confidence of the material before and after spending time working through the problems. Additionally, students were asked how effective they believed the tutorial to be and a practice problem was asked to further assess understanding. Overall, the results were extremely positive with an increase in both confidence and understanding for every student.

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GROUND CONTROL EXPERIMENTS AND FLIGHT SAMPLE PREPARATION FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE

STATION OREOCUBE: ORGANICS EXPOSURE IN ORBIT EXPERIMENT

Jillian S. Walker1 Richard C. Quinn*2,3

1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Pol Pomona 2 SETI Institute

3 NASA Ames Research Center

The OREOcube International Space Station experiment investigates the effects of solar and cosmic radiation on organic molecules in space. By depositing organic samples as thin films onto inorganic substrates, structural changes and organic-inorganic interactions can be examined in order to understand the role that solid mineral surfaces play in the (photo)chemical evolution and distribution of organics in the interstellar medium, comets, meteorites, and other bodies. The photochemistry of organic molecules adsorbed on surfaces is substantially different from molecules in the gas phase or isolated in matrices. An understanding of these processes is needed to characterize and model the chemistry of organic species associated with mineral surfaces in an astrobiological context. Organic thin‐film samples prepared at NASA Ames for the ISS experiments include porphyrins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and quinones. Thin-film inorganic catalysts that will be used include iron oxides, titanium dioxide, chromium oxide and iron‐nickel alloys. By measuring changes in the UV‐vis‐NIR spectra of samples as a function of time in situ, OREOcube will provide data sets that capture critical kinetic and mechanistic details of sample reactions that are not obtainable with the current exposure facilities on the ISS. Combining in situ measurements with post-flight sample analysis will provide time course studies as well as in-‐depth chemical analysis.

Discussion: Increasing tissue drug concentration correlated with fungal burden reduction in the kidneys, but not in the other organs. L-AmBi at 5 or 10mg/kg prolonged survival compared to 15mg/kg L-AmBi or control even though 15mg/kg significantly reduced the fungal burden in all tissues at day 6 post-challenge. We hypothesize that since Amphotericin B stimulates yeast cells to produce toxic oxygen radicals, the high levels of L-AmBi in the kidneys at 15mg/kg led to killing of both the yeast and the kidney host cells.

DETECTING LEVOGLUCOSAN BY A GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY METHOD

Dianne Sanchez1

Dr. Yan Liu*1 1 Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Wildfires of wood and grass are common during summers in Southern California. During the process of biomass combustion, many organic species are produced. Cellulose is broken down into monosaccharaide anhydrides (MA) such as levoglucosan, mannosan, and galactosan which remain in the atmosphere in their particulate phase and can significantly aggravate air quality. Particles in the submicron size range can affect Earth’s radiation budget by scattering and absorbing solar radiation or by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. A high amount of organic particulate matter can also cause serious health problems. Consequently, it is important to quantify these components in biomass combustion for air quality monitoring. Levoglucosan (LG) is commonly used as a key molecular marker related to biomass combustion due to its source-specific nature and chemical structure stability. This study uses gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry to detect levoglucosan.

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Analytical Discrepancies in Fiber Model Analysis of Unbonded Post-tensioned Precast Concrete Walls

Lucas M. De Buren*1,2,3 Dr. Felipe J. Perez, P.E.1

1 Civil Engineering Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Ronald E. McNair Scholars Fellowship

3 Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)

This presentation is based on the analytical investigation the cause of discrepancies in a fiber model of DRAIN-2DX when used to analyze lightly prestressed unbonded post-tensioned precast concrete walls under combined gravity and cyclic lateral loads.

Through the developmental studies of Dr. Perez it was discovered that the fiber model analysis of prestressed unbonded post-tensioned precast concrete walls holds true to experimental and analytical values of static monotonic and cyclic lateral loading of walls subjected to a relatively large initial prestress. Yet for walls with half the initial prestress the fiber model for cyclic lateral loading "appears to have difficulties achieving the right lateral load response." (Perez) In two individual cases the walls subjected to half the initial prestress and the base shear analysis for the cyclic model exceeded both experimental and analytical values for monotonic lateral loading. It is expected that the monotonic lateral loading response values serve as an indicator of the limit that can be reached by response values attained from a cyclic lateral load test. Through this research we aim to provide a threshold value of prestress for which the fiber model is able to accurately predict the lateral load response values of an unbounded post-tensioned precast concrete wall subjected to cyclic lateral loading.

Depth of Earthquake Rupture in the Indian Ocean Lithosphere

Austin J. Baca*1 Dr. Jascha Polet1

1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

The Indian Ocean is a region of complex tectonics and anomalous seismicity. The great magnitude 8+ strike-slip events that took place in the Indian Ocean on April 11th, 2012 are unique because their rupture extended to a depth within the plate where seismic activity was considered to be impossible. The oceanic lithosphere in this region possesses many bathymetric features, most notably the multiple inactive fracture zones within the Wharton Basin, and the Ninetyeast Ridge. Studies have described the high seismic activity within the oceanic lithosphere in this area as delineating a diffuse deformation region where the Indian sub-plate is separating from the Australian sub-plate. Other studies have found that the aforementioned fracture zones have been reactivated due to the current stress regime. We will present the results of our investigation of the focal depth of dozens of intraplate earthquakes that have occurred throughout the Indian Ocean in the past three decades. For these events global moment tensor inversions are commonly carried out with fixed hypocentral depths, and a more detailed examination of the waveforms is required to determine accurate depths. A majority of the earthquakes we selected are between Mw5.5-6.5 with large tension axis plunge, chosen to provide optimal teleseismic P-waves for waveform analysis. We computed 1-D synthetic seismograms for a range of depths based on existing lithospheric velocity models. Through a comparison of these synthetic waveforms with the recorded data we determine improved earthquake hypocentral depths. The majority of our events differed from the Global CMT catalog depths. According to the lithospheric ages in the study area our events appear to be occurring within the oceanic lithosphere and not deeper than 45km.

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MORPHOTECTONIC INDEX ANALYSIS AS AN INDICATOR OF NEOTECTONIC SEGMENTATION

OF THE NICOYA PENINSULA, COSTA RICA

Shawn C. Morrish*1 Dr. Jeffrey Marshall1


The Nicoya Peninsula lies within the Costa Rican forearc where the Cocos plate subducts under the Caribbean plate at ~8.5 cm/yr. Rapid plate convergence produces large earthquakes (~50yr recurrence interval) and pronounced crustal deformation (0.1-2.0m/ky uplift). Previous studies identified seven uplifted segments using broad geomorphic surfaces (Hare & Gardner 1984) and late Quaternary marine terraces (Marshall et al. 2010). These surfaces suggest long-term net uplift and segmentation of the peninsula in response to contrasting domains of subducting seafloor (EPR, CNS-1, CNS-2). In this study, 10m contour digital topographic data (CENIGA-Terra Project) will be used to characterize and delineate this segmentation using morphotectonic analysis of drainage basins and correlation of fluvial terrace/ geomorphic surface elevations. The peninsula has six primary watersheds which drain into the Pacific Ocean; the Río Andamojo, Río Tabaco, Río Nosara, Río Ora, Río Bongo, and Río Ario which range in area from 200 km2 to 350 km2. Trunk rivers follow major lineaments defining morphotectonic segment boundaries and in turn their drainage basins are bisected by them. Morphometric analysis of lower (1st and 2nd) order drainage basins will provide insight into segmented tectonic uplift and deformation by comparing values of drainage basin asymmetry, stream length gradient, and hypsometry with respect to margin segmentation and subducting seafloor domain. A geomorphic analysis will be conducted alongside the morphometric analysis to map previously recognized (Morrish et al. 2010) but poorly characterized late Quaternary fluvial terraces. Stream capture and drainage divide migration are common throughout the peninsula in response to ongoing deformation. Identification and characterization of basin piracy will provide insight into landscape evolution in response to differential uplift. Conducting this morphotectonic analysis of the Nicoya Peninsula will provide further constraints on segment uplift rates, segment boundary locations, and advance the understanding of long-term deformation of the region in response to subduction.

Preliminary Analysis Of Field Data And Thin Sections From Blue Ridge

Oliver Wolfe*1

Dr. Jonathan Nourse1 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

The Pelona Schist represents an important geologic feature within southern California. The main goals of this project were to study the field relationships between the rock units that make up the Pelona Schist, and study their mineralogy with respect to their metamorphic grade and protoliths. Much of southern California’s geology, and by extension geography, owes itself to the complex faulting and compression from the collision of the Farallon Plate and the North American Plate. The field site chosen for this project, Blue Ridge, San Gabriel Mountains, contains excellent exposures of the Pelona Schist and associated rock types. Geographically close to the San Andreas Fault, Punchbowl Fault, and the Vincent Thrust, Blue Ridge is within an area of extensive deformation. The current mineralogy of the schists give insight into both the original protolith and metamorphic conditions in which they were exposed to.

This project consisted of a week and a half of geologic mapping using a Brunton compass and GPS, and producing thin sections of representative rock samples. As a result of mapping, there is a general trend of south dipping foliations and a set of calcsilicate rock types that can be used to determine the stratigraphy of several areas within my mapping area. Study of my thin sections revealed details about the mineralogy of the rocks and the metamorphic processes that produced them. Based on the mineral assemblage present now, most rocks have undergone greenschist to amphibolite grade metamorphism.

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HYDROGEOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF BEDROCK VS. LANDSLIDE-SOURCED SPRINGS IN THE EASTERN

SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA

Paula M. Soto*1 Lucas Lenhert2

Dr. Jonathan Nourse1 Dr. Stephen Osborn1


The Palmer Canyon, Evey Canyon and Icehouse Canyon are major tributaries that feed the San Antonio Creek watershed. An improved understanding of the water quality in the area will affect the water resources management decisions of the watershed by the surrounding cities and stakeholders. This was done using the results of flow gauging and geochemical analyses. During the May-July, 2013 sampling period, two types of springs were gauged and sampled: 1) direct discharge from the fault zone in the quartz diorite gneiss bedrock, and 2) drainage from the landslides along the contact of the gneiss bedrock. The Evey Canyon fault transects the upper parts of Evey and Palmer watersheds and possibly creates a groundwater dam in the local bedrock. This allows the mixing of deeper groundwaters with shallower landslide discharge waters. Levels of total dissolved solids increases further downstream as the tributary waters’ interaction with the surrounding geological structures increases. Tritium age dating and hydrogen-oxygen isotopes can be used to distinguish between the landslide discharge waters and the deeper groundwaters and their flow paths.

Identification Of Beachrocks In The Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica

Lilibeth A. Wenceslao*1 Dr. Jonathan Nourse1


The Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica is a tectonically active convergent margin along the Pacific Rim. With Costa Rica tectonic active with the subducting Cocos plate moving under the Caribbean plate at a rate of 9 cm/year it produces constant earthquakes. These large earthquakes resulted in changes in coastal land-level that lifts the coastline and subsequent tides. These changes in the coast can be seen in the form of geomorphic formations such as wave-cut terraces, incised river channels and beachrock. Beachrocks are defined as hard coastal sedimentary formations consisting of various beach sediments, lithified through the precipitation of carbonate cements. During field studies at Costa Rica and lab work at Cal Poly Pomona my hypothesis is that beachrocks occur in close proximity to ocean water and tide-controlled estuary systems. My research is to take hand samples and thin slides of beachrock and get a better understanding on how beachrocks are form by the identification of what it consists of. To see in microscopic view of what is exactly inside of these carbonate beachrock and map each sample on the precise location to better understand why it forms in that location and not in other locations. Not much research has been done in identifying beach rocks in a macro and microscopic view in the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. To understand the whole concept of beachrocks is by taking a sample and analyzing what it consists of, it can be surprising what little secrets it can tell. With this research as a base we can have a better understanding of mechanics of beachrock formations.

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HYDROGEOLOGIC AND GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF ROBUST SPRING DISCHARGE

FROM A MAJOR LANDSLIDE IN THE EASTERN SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA

Logan E. Wicks*1 Dr. Jonathan Nourse*1 Dr. Stephen Osborn1

1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona1

Wingate spring system discharges from a major landslide in Kerkhoff Canyon, a tributary of San Antonio watershed located in the Eastern San Gabriel Mountains. Flow measurements taken during summer 2011 and throughout 2013 yield hydrographs following abnormally wet and dry recharge periods, respectfully. Discharge from main Wingate spring varied from 334 to 281 gallons per minute during 2011 and 194 to 114 gpm during 2013. This spring demonstrates remarkably robust, sustained flow as recorded by low baseflow recession constants (0.0021 – 0.0017 days-1), compared to landslide-fed springs in nearby Icehouse Canyon (0.0068 days-1) and Upper San Antonio Canyon (0.0154 days-

1). To investigate groundwater flow paths and reasons for the robust flow we mapped the local bedrock and surface deposits, and collected multiple spring water samples for geochemical analysis. Wingate Spring overlap a major strike-slip fault that displays a 100+ meter-wide damaged zone within quartz diorite gneiss. This transversely oriented structure may create a bedrock funnel to focus landslide discharge in addition to probable conduit for a deep groundwater source. Optimally oriented fracture networks may also provide pathways to discharge groundwater during drought periods. Geochemical analyses of alkalinity, pH, and anions (Fluoride, Chloride, Nitrate, and Sulfate) from several spring on Wingate Ranch show intriguing results. Alkalinity ranges from 126 mg/L to 188 mg/L and pH from 7.25 to 7.89 which are consistent with natural waters of mountain front recharge. Initial anion data suggests that a spring discharging from alluvium has elevated nitrate (possibly a shallower source) compared to landslide-fed Wingate Springs. The combined geochemical tritium age dates and oxygen-hydrogen isotope data aid in the interpretation of near surface vs. deeper bedrock groundwater sources and flow paths within the study area. Wingate springs provide a unique laboratory for studying hydrogeologic controls of an important sustainable groundwater supply in recently uplifted crystalline mountain terrain.

Water Flow Rates Near Crystal Lake in the San Gabriel Mountains

Cody E. Reigel*1 Dr. Jonathan Nourse1


California is in the middle of a severe drought, in which this last winter was the warmest and third driest on record according to the U.S. National Drought Monitor. During this drought it is imperative to monitor and predict water flow from watersheds that feed into rivers and reservoirs. This study seeks to create preliminary data that to monitor one such drainage basin near Crystal Lake in the San Gabriel Mountains, which flows into the San Gabriel River Watershed. In order to create a data set of water flow patterns, six streams near Crystal Lake were sampled for water flow throughout a year. These flow rates were then compiled and compared in order to predict seasonal flow and at which points they are either gaining or losing streams. With the lack of rainfall during this drought, water flow rates are below average. Even accounting for exceptionally intense rainstorm in early March of this year, water levels are still below year and seasonal averages and are decreasing.

ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF CROWDSOURCED WATER DATA WITH GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)

Felipe Tolliver1 Dr. Lourdes Abellera*1

1 Civil Engineering Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Environmental data are difficult to collect because of cost, physical inaccessibility, and other reasons. Currently, some of these data are provided by volunteers (called citizen scientists) who make them accessible to the public via the internet. Although this practice (called crowdsourcing) is beneficial, the quality of these data is not monitored. When used in spatial analysis, these data can significantly affect the overall results of the study.

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Impacts of 500-year Flood on Surface Water Resources in Areas of Oil/Gas Production, South Platte River, CO

Patrick S. Thomas*1 Dr. Stephen Osborn 1


There is a considerable amount of concern regarding potential effects of oil/gas production on water resources. The Denver-Julesburg basin in Colorado has been an area of historic oil/gas production with little research investigating potential risks on water quality. The South Platte River, which flows through the center of this area of intensive oil and gas production, is the focus of this quality assessment. Water samples were collected in July 2013 to assess basic water quality parameters. Following this, a 500-year flood struck the South Platte River and surrounding areas with several reports of damaged oil tanks and pipelines. As a result, there was great concern raised by the public regarding potential impacts to flood waters. Samples were collected in September (2013) during the flooding and for an additional month as the flood water receded with the new objective of assessing potential impact related to heavy flooding in this region. Samples were tested for alkalinity, pH, electrical conductivity, and salinity (chloride, bromide). Chloride was analyzed to trace mixing relationships of pre-flood and post-flooding waters. Preliminary results indicate that chloride levels were diluted by a factor of ~2.5 between July and September (during flooding) and by a factor of ~17 (flood water recession). These results have important implications for assessing other contaminants that were likely diluted by flood waters.

TRACING GROUNDWATER AND SALINITY SOURCES FOR THE DOS PALMAS PRESERVE

Jacob Loukeh*1 Katrina Kaiser1

Dr. Stephen Osborn1 1 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Natural springs with in arid environments are an integral part of ecosystem functions often supporting wildlife such as endangered desert pupfish, migratory birds, and human recreation. The Dos Palmas Springs and Natural Preserve forms a literal oasis in the middle of the arid Coachella Valley and Mojave Desert, that in recent years, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) personnel have observed lower water levels and increased salinity. The preserve is designated by the BLM as an “area of critical environmental concern” and is comprised of man-made marshes, naturally occurring springs and fan palm oases. Yet, there has been little recent study at the springs addressing recent observations. The Coachella Canal was a bare earth canal from 1949 until 2006 when it was lined with concrete to reduce natural seepage. The canal lining project is likely to impact the recharge flowing to the springs within Dos Palmas. This project, funded by a Kellogg FUTURES minigrant, funded analysis of twenty seven samples were collected from springs, ponds, and local groundwater across two sample events (April and September 2013) to understand the source(s of water and salinity. Field measurements of pH and salinity were made, while laboratory analysis included alkalinity, chloride and bromide concentrations, and oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of water. Preliminary results indicate that there are two types of water discharging at the springs: 1) natural groundwater, and 2) recharged canal water (Colorado River water). Recharged canal water appears to be the dominant source at the springs, however. Interestingly, the salinity of groundwater is higher than the less saline canal water.

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GULLIES ON MARS: FLUVIAL GEOLOGIC PROCESSES AS EVIDENCE FOR LIQUID WATER ON MARS

Deborah J. Hernandez*1,2 Virginia C. Gulick1,3 Carly A. Narlesky1,4 1 NASA-Ames Research Center

2 Geological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 3 SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 4 MBK Engineers, Sacramento, CA

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter HiRISE camera has provided unprecedented high-resolution (~25cm/px) views of the surface of Mars. Using a HiRISE Digital Terrain Model (DTM) PSP_006261_1410_ ESP_014093_1410, we analyzed gully slopes and their geomorphology and morphometry in Corozal Crater. Generating numerous cross-sections across each gully along its profile, we calculated the eroded gully volumes. We also generated longitudinal profiles along each gully, determined that all gully profiles are concave and that average slopes ranged from 14°-21°. Although gullies form and are modified by various processes, our preliminary findings are consistent with fluvial processes playing a role in eroding, transporting, and depositing sediment from crater walls to debris aprons.

Gullies are geomorphic landforms that serve as drainage ways for water and sediment. In terrestrial gullies, alcoves are generally formed with a 20°-25° angled slope, channels are formed with a 10°-20° slope, and the debris fans normally exhibit an angle of less than 10° slope. Average gully slopes in Corozal crater range between 14° and 21°. Several gullies are eroded into underlying bed rock and exhibit fluvial bed-form characteristics as seen in terrestrial gully systems.

Analyzing slope versus location of the gully (clockwise from the Northern position of Corozal Crater) yielded no significant difference (see graphs in Figure 6 below). The average slope of the twelve gullies studied was 19°, with a minimum slope of 14°, and a maximum slope of 21°. These relatively low slope values suggest that fluvial processes may have been more effective in moving sediment through the system than pure dry gravitational flows alone. A common trend is noted by a sinusoidal wave of the volume versus the location on the crater, and the SCI versus location. This may suggest a correlation between the volume eroded and the impact of stream power as reflected in the stream concavity index.

EFFECTS OF STROKE AND REHABILITATION

Nasser Hashem*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1

1 Kinesiology and Health Promotion Department, Cal Poly Pomona

The core cause of a stroke is due to the lack of blood flow delivered to the brain, significantly decreasing the amount of oxygen delivered allowing brain cells to die. A stroke can be caused by a blood clot creating a blockage within an artery, or an artery that leads to the brain has ruptured or burst. Though many individuals survive and recover from stroke incidents, it is still the most frequent cause of adult disability across the United States and around the world. The objectives of this observational study is to determine the symptoms of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, identify the physical and cognitive impairments experienced in patients affected by stroke, identify stroke rehabilitation techniques and their ability to return normal function to patients suffering from impairments, learn how to properly operate machinery needed during the rehabilitation process such as resistance bands, treadmills, and cycle ergometers, and discover the best techniques necessary to motivate the patient to provide maximal effort during their recovery process. The observational study at Kaiser Hospital provided a valuable experience in monitoring and communicating with stroke victims. It allowed me to visualize first hand the effects of stroke and the implications that accompany it. The observational hours at this facility also allowed me to visualize the rehabilitation process of stroke patients. Throughout my observational study, rehabilitation techniques such as motivational encouragement and electric stimulation have had a significant positive effect on the betterment of patients affected by stroke.

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PREVENTION OF REOCCURING LUMBAR SPINE INJURIES IN OLDER ADULTS THROUGH REHABILITATION

Veronica L Ramos*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1


A common problem among older adults is lower back pain that affects the lumbar portion of the spine. These injuries can occur from over usage, work related and different diseases that affect the spine. Rehabilitation is one way that lower back pain can be improved. During the rehabilitation processes a patient will go through specific exercises designed for their type of injury. The exercises will target specific muscles, tendons and ligaments to improve a patient’s strength and range of motion. Another form of therapy that is used being used in the rehabilitation setting is electro stimulation therapy. This therapy helps reduce pain and strengthening of the muscles around that targeted area. As a kinesiology exercise science student my first goal for a lumbar spine injury patient is to be able to properly write an exercise prescription for a lumbar spine injury patient with the approval of the therapist that I will be working under. In order to prevent reoccurring injuries in any patient it starts with a well-designed exercise prescription program to help progress them to an optimal recovery. Through my experience working at a rehabilitation center I can be confident to demonstrate and explain the proper mechanics that each exercise entails for a lumbar spine injury to a patient as my second learning goal. My third learning goal I would like to be able to properly demonstrate the different electro stimulation therapy such as interferential current (IFC), Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve stimulation (TENS), and neuromuscular stimulation (NMES) to patients with lumbar spine pain during rehabilitation and explain the benefits of the therapy to a patient that is receiving this type of therapy. In addition I will be able to determine which exercises are most preferred by patients with a lumbar injury that assisted them to a successful recovery.

MAKING EXERCISE CANCER’S WORST ENEMY

MaLisa C. Crowe*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1


Annually in the US, there is an estimated 185,000 cases of breast cancer related to women, and there are approximately 2.4 million survivors. Unfortunately, it is difficult to meet the medical needs of individuals with breast cancer due to the treatments they must undergo while battling the disease. These treatments consist of surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and radiation, to name a few. One way to help prevent, reduce or even reverse these side effects is through exercise. Because exercise helps restore function and rehabilitate damaged body systems, it is important that breast cancer patients and survivors understand the usefulness of exercise, why it is important to work with a physical therapist, as well as the need to commit to some sort of exercise program.

By way of this project, I hope to learn how I can better assist breast cancer patients with their ability to do their activities of daily living (ADLs). I also want to know how I can help them increase their functional ability after surgery or treatment.

My first learning goal was to monitor the progress of breast cancer patients by charting performance exercises that are being used to enhance their aerobic endurance. I was able to do this by creating an aerobic exercise prescription using an exercise bike. My next learning goal was to evaluate if functional limitations were being restored by creating a fatigue management program that incorporates mental and physical fatigue. My third and fourth learning goals were to administer and explain the benefits of the 6-minute walk test through the use of an instructional video and to create an educational video on how to perform goniometry related to breast cancer patients and properly assess range of motion in the upper body.

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Motivating Stroke Patients

Michael J. Le*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1


Post-stroke depression is one of the most common psychiatric complications of a stroke. Survivors diagnosed with post-stroke depression have higher mortality rates and often show less improvement compared to survivors without post-stroke depression. Thus, early intervention of post-stroke depression may have a large impact on the rehabilitation process. The purpose of this project is to become accustomed with the techniques used to motivate stroke patients. I accomplished this by completing the project at the Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina, CA. My first goal for this project was to gain the ability to assess a patient’s motivation for rehabilitation. I was able to accomplish this goal by creating a survey that questioned each patient’s reasons for choosing rehabilitation. These options included family, work, independence, and other. The second goal of my project was to be able to analyze and demonstrate the motivational techniques I learned from shadowing the physical therapists at the clinic. In addition to the skills that I have acquired from the experience, I was able to apply other knowledge I acquired from research to create techniques that can be applied to stroke patients. I accomplished this goal by creating pamphlets that outlined three main goals for motivating stroke patients along with examples on how each goal can be applied in rehabilitation. My third and final goal was to design an exercise prescription for stroke patients. The exercise prescription specifically applies to patients with hemiplegia.

STRETCHING, RANGE OF MOTION, AND STRENGTHENING EXERCISES FOR TREATMENT AND CONDITIONING

OF THE ROTATOR CUFF

Tri Duong*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1


Shoulder and rotator cuff injuries are very common occurrences. It does not target a common demographic, and all groups are easily susceptible. Common causes of rotator cuff injury comes from overuse, muscle overload, and falling. The purpose of this study was to observe the purpose of various methods of treating shoulder and rotator cuff rehabilitation. It focused mostly on stretching, range of motion, and strengthening exercises. These are the most important aspects of treatment because it conditions the person against the possibility of reinjury. These are also effective as preventative measures for those at higher risk of injury. The study observed the progress of five physical therapy clients at various stages of recovery. The group was comprised of three females and two males. Their average age was 38 years with a standard deviation of 20.6. Therabands were used as a measure of how much the clients strength had increased. Through the course of the study, all five clients have shown improvement to rotator cuff strength and range of motion from the use of the various exercises. The improvements to the patients were indicative of the effectiveness of the exercise treatment.

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Knee arthritis & knee pain the largest contributors for disability in the elderly

Cindy P. Paez*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1


One of the leading causes of disability in adults over the age of 60 is knee pain caused by the inflammation or swelling of joints also known as arthritis. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are two of the most commonly seen in elders with knee pain. For this reason, the study is focused only on 2 forms of arthritis, osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease attacking normal joints and causing inflammation, while osteoarthritis is inflammation of joints caused by the breakdown of cartilage around the joint. Serious conditions of knee arthritis may cause severe pain or impair mobility, which in turn will limit capacity of individual to carry out their ADL (activities of daily living), largely decreasing quality of life. The purpose of this study is to obtain hands on experience on how to avoid this from occurring by learning prevention/treatment strategies and proper exercises to help build or maintain strength for knee stability.

Fall Prevention Among Senior Citizens: Don’t Fall, Make the Call To Senior Fitness

Ryan Manuwa1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1


Fall prevention programs utilize different activities to reduce senior’s risk of falling. These programs utilize many factors which can include: education on falls; risk factors associated with falling; strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance exercises; medication reviews/adjustments; and regularly scheduled doctor examinations (Painter, J. & Elliot, S., 2004). Fall prevention programs utilize strength training, and flexibility exercises to help maintain the muscles of the lower body; which are vital for maintaining balance and reducing the risk of falling. For our project we will be utilizing: education on falls and risk factors associated with falling; and strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance exercises.

Project Goals: After completing senior project I will be able to:

• Educate senior citizens, their family members, and the general population about falls among seniors, and risk factors associated with falling.

• Develop, utilize, and explain an Exercise Prescription (ExRx) for Senior Citizens.

• Demonstrate and explain different exercises and stretches to promote physical well-being among senior citizens.

In order to judge if I have successfully completed my goals, the following can be implemente

• After educating about falls and risk factors, I will ask the individuals who participated to assess themselves; and tell me if they are at a high or low risk of falling.

• After developing the ExRx, I will have a printed copy that I can handout to participants or colleagues. I will be able to lead an exercise program utilizing the ExRx, and will be able to justify the program I developed. I will have different programs to accommodate to my clients’ needs.

In order to show I have knowledge of different exercises and stretches, I can include pictures or video of me carrying out various exercises and stretches.

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RELATION OF PRESSURE PLACED ON ATHLETES IN SPORT TO THE PREVALANCE OF OVERUSE INJURIES

Shawna Emi Lempert*1 Dr. Hyun Gu Kang1


Part of having attaining a healthy quality of life includes physical activity and recreation in sport. However, what is often overlooked as part of having an active lifestyle is the prevalence of overuse injuries that occurs from constantly participating in a specific sport. Varying extrinsic and intrinsic factors contribute to overuse injuries; however, the most common factor that leads to overuse injuries is overtraining. An athlete may experience both external and interpersonal pressures that presents a cause for them to overtrain. One of the goals of this project is to be able to evaluate these pressures an athlete will likely experience from being involved in a sport; this will be accomplished through the use of a pre and post-test survey. The second goal of this project is to be able to relay knowledge of the most common overuse injuries that occur in different sports and be able to explain and educate how the injury occurs; which will be achieved through a lesson plan and assessment. The third goal is to be able to demonstrate and explain preventative measures that would decrease the chances of an overuse injury from happening or reoccurring; which will be accomplished through a program of prevention exercises. In conclusion, the purpose of this project is to be able to encourage a change in how athletes experience pressure, to become more aware of how they train and be to be able to be more proactive in preventing overuse injuries due to overtraining.

Maximum Log Likelihood Analysis of Diffraction-Limited Images

Davon T. Webb*1 Dr. Alexander Small1


Using the computer programming language Python, we were able to simulate diffraction limited images using the point spread function of a lens and a realistic noise model. We were able to fit our images to an approximate Gaussian PSF by maximizing the log likelihood function. We used the Newton-Rhaphson method to maximize the log likelihood function. Our estimates of the position of the molecule were unbiased. The standard deviation was proportional to the width of the image and inversely proportional to the square root of the number of photons.

ASTEROID FAMILY IDENTIFICATION AND MODELING THEIR EVOLUTION

USING WISE/NEOWISE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Mario S. Cabrera*1

Dr. Joseph Masiero2 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona

2 Jet Propulsion Laboratory

We have used the Hierarchial Clustering Method (HCM) to be able to associate the 76 known asteroid families in the main belt based on their proper orbital elements. Converting the difference in the proper orbital elements between the center body (also referred to as the Parent of the family) and surrounding objects into a pseudo-velocity, objects that are within a certain velocity will be added into the family or may be rejected if they are determined to be background objects. Plots consisting of orbital elements such as diameter, albedo, proper semi-major axis, eccentricity, and inclination were carefully analyzed at different cutoff velocities to reject possible background objects or to add those that may belong to the family. The size, albedo, and orbital distribution representative of the whole family will be used in modeling the behavior of these families forward in time, which will then be used to investigate the behavior and the evolution of these objects within our solar system.

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THE BROOD OF THE SWAN: A MULTIGENERATIONAL STELLAR POPULATION IN M17?

N. Nicole Sanchez*1 Dr. Matthew Povich1

J. H. Bieging2 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona,

2 Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona

The M17 nebula, one of our Galaxy's youngest, brightest, most massive and nearby star formation regions, features a prominent HII region and expansive giant molecular cloud (GMC). The young stellar population in M17 is characterized by a massive, main cluster within the HII region and a more dispersed and extended population enclosed by a large, shell-like structure of the GMC1. This analysis utilizes the Massive Young star-forming Complex Study in Infrared and X-rays (MYStIX)2 catalog of probable members for the M17 region. This two-component population raises the possibility of triggered star formation within the nebula. As the fraction of young stars with circumstellar disks declines with age, we compare the infrared-excess fractions among this two-component population to assess the relative ages of the extended and clustered populations.

Embedding tapered fiber sensors within microfluidic channels for Bacterial sensing

Adrian A. Ortiz1 Dr. Ertan Salik*2

1 Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona

There is an urgent need for portable, simple, cost-effective, biosensor systems with sufficient sensitivity, specificity, and speed for rapid and timely detection and quantitation of pathogens of economic and public health significance. Current methods employed using polymerase chain reaction take as much as 8 hours to days or weeks, from sampling to result. Recent Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC) O157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria outbreaks resulted in thousands of illnesses and several deaths, in addition to costing millions of dollars in associated expenses. We can address this important need by using tapered fiber optic biosensors, which are fabricated by heating and pulling standard glass optical fibers. For bacterial sensing, the sensor can be immersed in a solution where bacteria are present. However, when there are very few (<1000 cells/mL) bacterial cells in a solution, the likelihood of capturing them on the biosensor surface is preventively small. To increase sensitivity, we aim to perform bacterial detection when the sensor is placed within microfluidic channels. Here, we present our preliminary experiments for tapered fiber biosensors embedded in various types of microchannels. We demonstrated that the sensor can endure fast liquid flow, and sensor transmission spectrum can be reliably monitored. We also show results of our tests with salt solutions with varying concentrations for sensors within a microfluidic channel.

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Computational microscope in a cellphone

David Vega1

Dr. Ertan Salik1 1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Microscopy has been a widely used technique in biomedical sciences to identify viruses, bacteria, and cells. In recent years, with advances in computational microscopy, portable yet sufficiently powerful microscopes have been in development. Using small attachments with inexpensive lenses, one can even turn a cell phone into a microscope. For example, with this device a doctor in a low-income country can test for bacteria or viruses in a blood sample without having to access expensive laboratory equipment.

Using a current working model developed by Cal Poly Pomona students, but changing the lens configuration, we have tested the limitations of a computational microscope on a Samsung Galaxy S3 smart phone. We characterized the resolution, and the field of view by imaging a US Air Force resolution target and microspheres of diameter 6-30 micrometers.

BI-CONICALLY TAPERED FIBER SENSORS WITH ULTRAHIGH REFRACTIVE INDEX SENSITIVITY

Victor M. Herrera*1 Martin Sanchez1 Dr. Ertan Salik1


Tapered fiber optic sensors have the potential to address the need for cost-effective biosensors to enable rapid immunoassays. We studied ways to enhance the sensitivity of tapered fiber sensors, which are modal Mach-Zehnder interferometers realized with single-mode optical fibers. Using ethanol-water mixtures, we experimentally measured refractive index sensitivity, and using a scanning electron microscope we characterized the taper profile. We report experimental refractive index sensitivity of 20000-28000 nm/RIU, which is an order of magnitude enhancement over our previously published sensors.

Controlling the Shape and Sensitivity of Tapered Optical Fibers

Conor Rowland1 Martin Sanchez1 Dr. Ertan Salik1


Tapered optical fibers have many potential applications within biosensing systems for environmental monitoring, food safety, and medical diagnostics by detecting the presence of specific substances like toxins and proteins. The shape of an optical fiber largely affects the properties of electromagnetic waves as they propagate through the fiber. We studied how the shape of the tapered region can be controlled using the flame-brushing technique. To create thin, symmetrical tapered regions, we oscillated a butane torch at different frequencies and amplitudes. As a result, we demonstrated high sensitivity to changes in the refractive index of a solution. We will present measurements of taper profiles, transmission spectra, and sensitivities of tapered fiber sensors to refractive index changes in aqueous solutions.

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SPECTROMETER BASED ON A TUNABLE ERBIUM-DOPED FIBER LASER WITH AUTOMATED DATA ACQUISITION

ON LABVIEW

Nicolas R. Perez*1 Ryan A. Omidi2 Dr. Ertan Salik1

1 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Spectrometers are indispensable laboratory instruments. One direct need in our lab is the spectral monitoring of fiber optic sensors. We have created a software-hardware interface which can tune the operation wavelength of a tunable erbium-doped fiber laser, and collect a fiber sensor's transmission signal through a photodetector and an oscilloscope. Our testing platform can simultaneously measure the environment temperature and elapsed time. All the data can be saved to a file continuously, or at certain moments. We have tested the accuracy of the measured spectra using tapered fiber sensors which were also measured on a commercial optical spectrum analyzer available in our lab. Our tunable-fiber based spectrometer has key advantages, such as portability and ratiometric measurements with two photodetectors.

Embedding of Tapered Fiber Optical Sensors in Microfluidic Channels

Miguel Reyes*1 Dr. Ertan Salik2

1 Chemical and Materials Engineering Department, Cal Poly Pomona 2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Tapered fiber optic biosensors used for chemical and biological label-free detection are very fragile, susceptible to ambient conditions, and reagents used for functionalization of the sensors are costly. Embedding the sensors in a microfluidic channel provides a robust packaging and reduces the volume of reagent needed to 70-90 µL, while maintaining the functionality of the sensor. These microfluidic channels are fabricated of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer and a mold of stacked transparency film that sets the channel depth. We have tested embedded sensors within microfluidic channels to show that their functionality are not compromised by factors that could cause a shift in the refractive index. Such factors are air bubble formation within the channel as well as surface-sensor interactions. With the use of a microfluidic channel, we can minimize the volume of our sample and reagents used in the process to functionalize the sensor, while housing the sensor from possible damage from handling and contaminants from the air.

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STRUCTURAL POUNDING SIMULATION OF ADAJACENT STEEL STRUCTURES

Miguel A. Rodriguez*1 Dr. Hubertus F. von Bremen1

1 Mathematics and Statistics Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Structural pounding refers to the lateral collision of adjacent buildings observed during major earthquakes. Such phenomenon occurs when the at-rest separation is insufficient to accommodate the out-of-phase vibration of adjacent buildings. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial to the design of structures in areas prone to earthquakes, as well as the retrofitting of old structures. Simulations of two adjacent steel structures are carried out using a lumped mass model and are to be compared with experimental data and calibrated accordingly.

Metagenomics approach provides a comprehensive microbial census as well as the functional potential of a microbial community surviving in a given habitat. We will adopt well-developed Metagenomics approaches to Predict Functional Capabilities (MPFC) of the microbial community present on spacecraft and associated surfaces. We will utilize next generation sequencing technologies and advanced bioinformatics capabilities that have been developed and implemented by the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a co-investigator institution. The principal objective of this study is to establish functional traits by exploring the entire gene content of the microbial community. This investigation will aim at understanding “what these microbes are capable of doing,” which will provide new insights into the genetic variability and functional capabilities of unknown or uncultured microorganisms of spacecraft associated surfaces. Such knowledge will promote NASA’s ability to gauge the probability of spacecraft transfer of organisms with functional attributes relevant to microbial survival in extraterrestrial environments.

MODELS FOR HOMELESS HOUSING

Joe Gani*1 Natalie C. Gasca2 Dr. Randall Swift2

1 Mathematical Sciences Institute, Australian National University 2 Mathematics and Statistics Department, Cal Poly Pomona

Modeling the movement of populations is a common application of mathematics and statistics to biology. When modeling, deterministic versions refer to systems in which the output is unique and will remain consistent. In stochastic models chance is included, so there is a range of values possible for the output, which is described by probability distributions. In 2003, Byatt-Smith et al., presented a model for the housing of homeless populations in the U.K. They obtained a deterministic model as well as a numerical solution. Berk et al. in their 2008 paper reported on attempts to count the homeless in Los Angeles County. We expanded on both these efforts, creating models of the housing circumstances of homeless people, in particular using U.S. data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. With partial differential equations, birth-death processes, Kolmogorov equations, and probability generating functions, we first examined a simplified model in which only temporary and government units were considered, with both a deterministic and stochastic version solved. A more complex model involving private sector, temporary, and government housing was then considered with solutions again for both deterministic and stochastic versions. These findings expand the applications of birth-death models to estimating the location of homeless populations, a topic that is inherently difficult to track.

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Image Processing for Photo Analysis of Germinating Seeds

David Scianni*1 Dr. Amar Raheja1

1 Computer Science Department, Cal Poly Pomona

The world today has become a much more efficient place thanks to Computer Programs. Everything from building cars to blank have been made easier by automating the processes with programs. One process that could be made more efficient is the measurement of germinating seeds. When selling seeds to consumers, certain tests must be done to ensure that the seeds meet a specific quality control. One of these tests is to measure the length of a seed in the process of germination. Currently, this is done by hand, which takes up lots of man-hours and excess workforce.

My research will try to reduce the amount of time and effort involved in this process by creating a program that will take in an image of germinating seeds as an input, and output information about the seeds. This information will include the amount of seeds in the photo, and the length of each seed.

At its preliminary stage, this research will investigate water data (e.g., water discharge rates, water quality) generated by citizen scientists and compare equivalent water data obtained from official sources (e.g., National Hydrography Dataset). This can be done in two ways. One, by directly comparing the two sets of data using spatial statistics methods, for example, computing the correlation between the two datasets. Another way is to process these sets independently by using spatial estimation techniques such as interpolation, prediction, and core area delineation. Some of the spatial interpolation techniques available are inverse distance weighted interpolation and nearest neighbor interpolation. Examples of spatial prediction methods include spatial regression and kriging. Kernel mapping and use of convex hulls are some of the strategies in published literature for core area delineation. Initially, crowdsourced datasets will be selected based on availability of official data at nearby and/or similar locations. Dataset characteristics will be studied to determine which techniques will be applicable. Factors to consider are number of observations in the dataset,spatial patterns, and spatial autocorrelation. All these steps will be done using the software ArcGIS.

The results will be a quantitative analysis of data quality of the water parameters in the selected crowdsourced dataset. The most problematic parameters will be identified along with any relationships with geographic locations.

LOCATION BASED APPS FOR CAMPUS EVENTS AND NAVIGATION

Huy Le1 Zach Kysar1

Dr. Daisy Sang1 1 Computer Science Department, Cal Poly Pomona

We have developed an Android application in the smartphone environment that creates a new standard for university campus mapping. This project contains two parts. The first part discusses our attempt to improve the battery performance of location based systems in mobile devices. Through the use of the phone’s acceleration detector, we disable location tracking when the user is in a state of non-motion. The second part discusses the implementation of our university mapping application. Our application allows a user to navigate to specific buildings on campus via sidewalks and crosswalks. Along the way, users will be notified of campus events that are close to their location. This will keep both new and old students both informed and educated.

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TWITTER COVERT CHANNEL: HOW TO HIDE IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Nicholas M. Pantic*1 Jonathan Mansur1

Mohammad I. Husain1 1 Computer Science Department, Cal Poly Pomona

A covert or subliminal channel is a communication technique that hides the presence of a message, often inside another message sent through a public channel. These channels can be used to transmit messages without a third party recognizing that any sensitive communication has taken place. Generally, such a channel is best suited for short communications such as communicating to bots from a botnet command and control center without drawing suspicion. In our research, we have designed and implemented such a covert channel that uses the high availability, consistency, and ubiquitous nature of a modern social networking website, Twitter, to send short hidden communications through messages posted on the website (tweets). In this channel, the sender will masquerade as a legitimate Twitter user, posting messages that appear innocuous, while hiding the true messages as information obtained from the length of the actual posted message. These short messages can be used to send commands to a botnet that is monitoring the correct Twitter user account.

9th Annual Science Research Symposium€¦ · College of Science 9th Annual Science Research...

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