Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
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- Creators: School of Life Sciences
Description
Space microbiology, or the study of microorganisms in space, has significant applications for both human spaceflight and Earth-based medicine. This thesis traces the evolution of the field of space microbiology since its creation in 1935. Beginning with simple studies to determine if terrestrial life could survive spaceflight, the field of space microbiology has grown to encompass a substantial body of work that is now recognized as an essential component of NASA' research endeavors. Part one provides an overview of the early period of space microbiology, from high-altitude balloon and rocket studies to work conducted during the Apollo program. Part two summarizes the current state of the field, with a specific focus on the revolutionary contributions made by the Nickerson lab at the Biodesign Institute at ASU using the NASA-designed Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) Bioreactor. Finally, part three highlights the research I've conducted in the Nickerson lab, as well as continuing studies within the field of space microbiology.
ContributorsMcCarthy, Breanne E. (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This study focused on the connection between the EnvZ/OmpR two-component regulatory system and the iron homeostasis system in Escherichia coli, specifically how a mutant form of EnvZ11/OmpR is able to reduce the expression of fepA::lacZ, a reporter gene fusion in E. coli. FepA is one of several outer membrane siderophore receptors that allow extracellular siderophores bound to iron to enter the cells to power various biological processes. Previous studies have shown that in E. coli cells that expressed a mutant allele of envZ, called envZ11, which led to altered expression of various iron genes including down regulation of fepA::lacZ. The wild type EnvZ/OmpR system is not considered to regulate iron genes, but because these envz11 strains had downregulated fepA::lacZ, this study was undertaken to understand the connection and mechanisms of this downregulation. A large number of Lac+ revertants were obtained from the B32-2483 strain (envz11 and fepA::lacZ) and 7 Lac+ revertants that had reversion mutations not directly correcting the envZ11 allele were further characterized. With P1 phage transduction genetic mapping that involved moving a kanamycin resistance marker linked to fepA::lacZ, two Lac+ revertants were found to have their reversion mutations in the fepA promoter region, while the other five revertants had their mutations mapping outside the fepA region. These two revertants underwent DNA sequencing and found to carry two different single base pair mutations in two different locations of the fepA promoter region. Each one is in the Fur repressor binding region, but one also may have affected the Shine-Dalgarno region involved in translation initiation. All 7 reveratants underwent beta-galactosidase assays to measure fepA::lacZ expression. The two revertants that had mutations in the fepA promoter region had significantly increased fepA activity, with the revertant with the Shine-Dalgarno mutation having the most elevated fepA expression. The other 5 revertants that did not map in the fepA region had fepA expression elevated to the same level as that found in the wild type EnvZ/OmpR background. The data suggest that the negative effect of envZ11 can be overcome by multiple mechanisms, including directly correcting the envZ11 allele or changing the fepA promoter region.
ContributorsKalinkin, Victor Arkady (Co-author) / Misra, Rajeev (Co-author, Thesis director) / Mason, Hugh (Committee member) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / Biomedical Informatics Program (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Einstein's theory of special relativity has been used by accomplished science fiction authors since its discovery in 1905, allowing intrepid adventurers to reach far away worlds without having to fear time's passage. By traveling near light speed, these fictional travelers experience a different passage of time as the universe ensures the commonality of the speed of light in all reference frames. In the here and now, this method of travel has been proposed to assist in interstellar and interplanetary exploration. This paper will investigate the practicality of this method of travel by proposing a mission utilizing a craft with this type of velocity.
ContributorsWaaler, Mason Duran (Author) / Jacob, Richard (Thesis director) / Covatto, Carl (Committee member) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Earth and Space Exploration (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This project studies two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the HBS1L-MYB loci. Both SNPs are associated with a heightened expression of fetal hemoglobin. DNA samples of NCAA athletes who have sickle cell trait were genotyped to find the allele frequency of each SNP. When comparing all populations using information provided from the Human Genome Project on Ensembl, the minor A allele has a frequency of 22% and the major, G, allele has a frequency of 78%. The frequency distribution of the minor allele in the population data was higher than the frequency obtained from the sampled data by 15%. This means that the samples, which are heterozygous for sickle cell, display a lower frequency for the mutation than the global population.
ContributorsCiambella, Michelle Lynn (Author) / Stone, Anne (Thesis director) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / Madrigal, Lorena (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2014-05
DescriptionA literary analysis of Marvel's Civil War comic book and comparing it to post 9/11 America. Specifically out of post 9/11 America the paper focuses on comparing the USA PATRIOT Act and War on Terror to a parallel act passed in the Marvel universe.
ContributorsSilva, Sebastian Miguel (Author) / Facinelli, Diane (Thesis director) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
My thesis project, "An Ethical Evaluation of the Practice of Psychiatric Patient Boarding in the Emergency Department" sets out to address a relatively nameless problem in the healthcare system in the United States. This problem is the boarding of psychiatric patients in emergency departments nationwide. What is psychiatric patient boarding? This term refers to the increasingly common practice of care provided to psychiatric patients upon arrival at an emergency department. When inpatient psychiatric beds or services are not available, "boarding" is performed by simply storing mentally ill patients in hallways or other emergency room areas while they wait for the availability of psychiatric treatment, which may take hours, or in more extreme cases has been cited to last for days at a time (Alakeson et. al, 2010). While any individual can expect to wait a prolonged period of time for medical care in the increasingly overcrowded emergency departments, the psychiatric patient experience is astonishingly unique. A psychiatric patient presenting, or arriving, at the ED in crisis can often times find him or herself not only waiting hours to be admitted and assessed as a medical patient would, but with a limited and ever attenuating supply of psychiatric treatment rooms and services, these patients will often times be harbored in an ED room designed for short-term medical treatment without care until psychiatric services become available. Patients can be left waiting for days for an in-patient vacancy; all the while not receiving true psychiatric treatment and in some cases being held against their will in a chaotic environment far from conducive for treatment of a mental health ailment. In this analysis, I will discuss and review aspects of psychiatric patient boarding from various literature, such as why boarding occurs from a hospital and historical standpoint, negative implications of boarding for psychiatric and medical patients, and the burden placed on the hospital when practicing psychiatric boarding. To learn further on the topic, I will share the results from 14 semi-structured, qualitative interviews performed with ED healthcare professionals, being physicians, charge nurses, nursing staff, and certified nursing assistants or patient safety advocates. This portion of my investigation is designed to offer a perspective that the literature cannot, being a first hand outlook on psychiatric boarding from those working on the front line, focusing on topics of all aspects, such as causation, consequences for all involved parties, and proposed solutions.
ContributorsChun, Tristan Eric (Author) / Brian, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
William Blake posits that without contraries, there will be no progress. The concepts of Heaven and Hell are originally used to represent the contrary of reason and energy, but it is also appropriate to represent Heaven and Hell in terms of order and entropy. This newly proposed contrary relies on the application of entropic brain theory, which states that normal, waking consciousness (secondary consciousness) has decreased entropy relative to primary consciousness. It is argued that Blake uses the concept of Hell to promote the use of psychedelics in order to progress human life by informing the surrounding world that the body limits human perception of the surroundings. This indirectly advocates for an increase in entropy in the brain because psychedelics induce a higher repertoire of functional connectivity motifs that allow for the dissolution of the “self” to help remove the doors of perception and reveal the infinite. Additionally, it is determined that Blake uses the contrary of entropy and order, which is representative of Hell and Heaven, to predict the impending wave of liberty/revolution (progress) in England.
ContributorsEghlimi, Ryan A (Author) / Fette, Don (Thesis director) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
In the last 100 years, humans have grown increasingly dependent on synthetic plastic products. Companies have taken advantage of the low cost and convenience that plastics provide. However, the rise in plastic consumption has had unforeseen consequences. Due to plastic’s resistance to biodegradation the hazardous material has accumulated in the environment. While few plastics are recycled and placed in landfills, the majority of this waste will accumulate in the oceans where it threatens the health of marine wildlife. Ocean organisms often become entangled or consume plastic waste; in the majority of these cases death is inevitable. The consumption of plastics causes contamination throughout all marine trophic levels. Plastic toxins bio-accumulate in tissues. The toxins concentrate as they move up the trophic levels and harm life processes of marine organisms. A vital step in combating plastic pollution is educating the public. Children, in particular, need to understand the negative implications of plastic pollution because they will experience the consequences. The goal of this project is to spread awareness of plastic pollution to young children in an entertaining and emotional way. There are several approaches to publishing a successful children’s book; the story should be captivating, reliable, with a compelling story that the reader may relate too. For this project, three well-structured children’s books were examined for inspiration. A children’s book was then constructed to inform children of ocean plastic pollution.
ContributorsPluhar, Alexis Faye (Author) / Fette, Donald (Thesis director) / Foy, Joseph (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05