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- Creators: School of International Letters and Cultures
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Description
Ciao is a product and digital application that allows people with celiac disease to gain control over their health as well as lead a more freeing life. The product is a compact cooking set that keeps utensils safe from the common cross-contamination that can be life-threatening to a person with celiac disease. The application allows people to find new restaurants that will be safe for them to eat at, scan the barcode of common food products for 8 of the most common allergens, and provide the most up to date research about celiac disease. Within the app, they can also find a sense of community by connecting with other members.
ContributorsBodney, Anna Claire (Author) / Bacalzo, Dean (Thesis director) / Shin, Dosun (Committee member) / Dean, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / The Design School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Hypoxia-responses help coordinate the growth of oxygen-transporting tissues with the growth of other tissues during development. In Drosophila, hypoxia strongly affects development with flies being reared in a low oxygen environment showing smaller body sizes and diminished tracheal growth. The primary regulator of cellular hypoxic-responses is the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), and under normoxic conditions, HIF-alpha is hydroxylated by prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD) on a proline residue inside the alpha leading to the proteins proteasome degradation downstream. However, in response to reduced oxygen, cells accumulate HIF- alpha, which then joins with the constituent HIF-beta in the cytosol, forming a HIF- alpha/beta heterodimer. Which, in turn, enters the nucleus and binds to hypoxic response elements, activating the hypoxic response genes. Hyperoxia has recently been shown to stimulates metabolic rates only at the last stage Drosophila's larval development (L3), indicating oxygen limitation occurs towards the end of development. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) was added to the oxygen-dependent domain of Drosophila HIF- Alpha (Sima) and a monomeric red fluorescent protein with a nuclear localization signal (mRFP-nls) was added to a protein under the same ubiquitin-69E promoter but is not affected by changing O2 levels. Using a Leica SP5 AOBS Spectral Confocal, third instar larvae were analyzed at the cellular level with attention focused on HIF- signaling in the central nervous system (CNS). L3 Drosophila were divided into groups of 0-12h, 12-24h, 24-48h, and 48-60h corresponding to their development. In each group, flies were either treated for 10-12 hours in 5% O2 or were left normoxic before fixation. What was overwhelmingly found is that HIF-signaling was most prominent during their early development (0-12h), with a significant decline as age increased (P=<0.001). There was also an observed hypoxic effect as animals treated in lower oxygen concentrations had significantly higher HIF signaling (P=<0.001). However, this effect still declines as larvae continued developing. This data supports the idea that internal hypoxia does not become severe during late third instar growth but may occur during the actual molt of the flies.
ContributorsWerkhoven, Simon (Author) / Harrison, Jon (Thesis director) / VandenBrooks, John (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Agriculture is the second largest water consumer in the Phoenix Metropolitan region, after the municipal sector. A significant portion of the cultivated land and agricultural water demand is from the production of animal feed, including alfalfa (~69% of total cropland area), corn (~8), and sorghum (-3%), which are both exported and needed to support local dairy industry. The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the impacts on water demand and crop production of four different crop portfolios using alfalfa, corn, sorghum, and feed barley. For this aim, the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) platform and the embedded MABIA agronomic module are applied to the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA), a political/hydrological region including most of Phoenix Metro. The simulations indicate that the most efficient solution is a portfolio where all study crop production is made up by sorghum, with an increase of 153% in crop yield and a reduction of 60% of water consumption compared to current conditions. In contrast, a portfolio where all study crop production is made up by alfalfa, which is primary crop grown in current conditions, decreased crop yield by 77% and increases water demand by 105%. Solutions where all study crop production is achieved with corn or feed barley lead to a reduction of 77% and 65% of each respective water demand, with a portfolio of all corn for study crop production increasing crop yield by 245% and a portfolio of all feed barley for study crop production reducing crop yield by 29%.
ContributorsRees, Kendall Marcella (Author) / Mascaro, Giuseppe (Thesis director) / Muenich, Rebecca (Committee member) / Chhetri, Netra (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This study examines the effectiveness of two modes of exercise on self-efficacy (SE) and exercise perception (EP) in adults with Down syndrome (DS). Thirteen participants attended four sessions: a baseline assessment, an Assisted Cycling Therapy (ACT) session, a resistance training (RT) session, and a session of no training (NT). In the baseline assessment, 1-repetition max (1RM) measurements and voluntary pedal rate measurements were taken. In the cycling intervention, the participant completed 30 minutes of assisted cycling at 35 percent greater than their voluntary pedaling rate. In the resistance training session, 2 sets of 8-12 repetitions of the leg press, chest press, seated row, leg curl, shoulder press, and latissimus pulldown were performed. During the session of no training, participants played board games with student researchers for 35 minutes.Two subsets of the Physical Activity and Self Efficacy Survey were administered prior to each session (i.e., pretest) and after the intervention (i.e., post-test). The results were consistent with the hypothesis that ACT would lead to higher SE than RT or NT. However, ACT did not lead to higher EP than RT or NT as hypothesized. Additionally, it was hypothesized that RT would lead to higher SE and EP than NT, but the results did not support this. In conclusion, an acute session of ACT demonstrated a significant trend for improved self-efficacy in adults with DS.
ContributorsOberbillig, Nicole (Author) / Ringenbach, Shannon (Thesis director) / Ofori, Edward (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Fermentation and humanity have a very long intertwined history, neither would exist without the other. Fermenting food preserves it so it can survive long beyond its normal shelf life by maintaining an environment that promotes the survival of healthy bacteria and not dangerous ones. Recently, largely thanks to the dawn of social media and the internet, the notion that eating healthily is important has once again come around. Kombucha has taken advantage of this revolution by promoting good tasting probiotics that are easily consumed and incorporated into day to day life. Sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables have not caught on because they are not presented in an easy to use format, there is no variety of flavoring, and consumers have no idea how to start eating it in their daily diet. This is the whole in the market that Fermentation Station is filling.
Normally, sauerkraut is only sold in very large containers that are intimidating to the average consumer. Fermentation Station will solve this issue by selling sauerkraut in small serving size containers or slightly bigger containers for a week long supply. Additionally, Fermentation Station will sell multiple different flavors of sauerkraut. This is necessary to intrigue a younger audience who desires variety and choice
The other place where sauerkraut falls short is that people are unaware of how to incorporate into their day to day meals. To solve this the company social media team has been growing its following on several platforms. By providing easy recipes through these platforms, consumers can see how they too can easily start eating more sauerkraut without actually altering their diet much. To augment the creator, Ryan Conley’s talents, two additional team members were brought on to help with branding and marketing, mostly on social media.
Normally, sauerkraut is only sold in very large containers that are intimidating to the average consumer. Fermentation Station will solve this issue by selling sauerkraut in small serving size containers or slightly bigger containers for a week long supply. Additionally, Fermentation Station will sell multiple different flavors of sauerkraut. This is necessary to intrigue a younger audience who desires variety and choice
The other place where sauerkraut falls short is that people are unaware of how to incorporate into their day to day meals. To solve this the company social media team has been growing its following on several platforms. By providing easy recipes through these platforms, consumers can see how they too can easily start eating more sauerkraut without actually altering their diet much. To augment the creator, Ryan Conley’s talents, two additional team members were brought on to help with branding and marketing, mostly on social media.
ContributorsConley, Ryan Christopher (Author) / Sebold, Brent (Thesis director) / Schoepf, Jared (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Arizona children covered by AHCCCS experience increased poor oral health outcomes in comparison to their higher-income counterparts despite receiving comprehensive dental service coverage under the state Medicaid program. The dental health disparities consistently present among this population allude that other barriers are in place preventing pediatric AHCCCS recipients from accessing guaranteed dental care. This thesis addresses the gaps faced by AHCCCS recipients in utilizing dental insurance coverage on behalf of provider availability in proximity and time. A “secret shopper” study was executed to reveal the accessibility barriers experienced by AHCCCS patients in comparison to privately insured patients and the adequacy of AHCCCS contracted providers in maintaining availability for this population. Based on the collected data, AHCCCS patients generally experience increased lengths of time until the next available appointment in comparison to the privately insured, suggesting that despite AHCCCS contracting, there are not currently adequate protective standards ensuring that child AHCCCS patients receive equitable opportunity for good dental health. Furthermore, this study revealed the significant obstructions to accessing dental care for rural Arizonans covered by AHCCCS, as four separate counties were notably found to not have a single AHCCCS provider. State policy must evolve to better support this demographic in achieving equitable oral health, working towards the relief of social determinants oppressing the wellbeing of lower-income families regarding distance to contracted practices and provider availability for the population of AHCCCS recipients.
ContributorsZiegler, Madison Brooke (Author) / Reddy, Swapna (Thesis director) / Speer, Matthew (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
For my thesis, I made a coloring book that acts as a guide for refugee children and their parents of the city of Phoenix as well as new life in the United States. The book works to tackle the difficulty of transitioning into a new country as well as encourage a dialog between refugee children and their parents surrounding learning and education. I formatted the book into two sections. The front half of the book is targeted towards the children. It is full of coloring pages depicting daily life in Phoenix as well as many fun things that our city has to offer. There are also activity pages scattered in that prompt the children to complete them with their parents and read together. This is aimed to help children succeed in a new learning environment and school system as well as bring the latter half of the book into the parents’ attention. The second half of the book is tailored for the parents as it is a full directory of resources for both refugees and Phoenix residents alike. It includes resources such as free language and literacy classes, employment services, refugee clinics, international food markets, public safety, public transportation, and more. While there are so many different wonderful organizations out there for refugees, it can be overwhelming to navigate our complicated systems rendering these resources difficult to find. With this book, I have compiled these resources into a format that is fun, easily read and translated, and accessible to refugees of all ages.
Link to E-book: https://read.bookcreator.com/B34KYvw00jNsXE7pfoC6lGDtTDC3/p_qX4KXxSte2Ox-DJrFTqg
Link to E-book: https://read.bookcreator.com/B34KYvw00jNsXE7pfoC6lGDtTDC3/p_qX4KXxSte2Ox-DJrFTqg
ContributorsWinkley, Sofia Claire (Author) / Larson, Dr. Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Sivak, Dr. Henry (Committee member) / Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Small cell carcinoma of the ovary (SCCOHT) is a rare ovarian cancer affecting young women and characterized by mutation in SMARCA4 and silencing of SMARCA2, two tumor suppressors that function as ATPases in the SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex. SCCOHT patients face a 5-year survival rate of only 26%, but recently we have identified sensitivity of SCCOHT models to a natural product, triptolide. This study aims to ascertain the mechanism of action of triptolide. Previous SCCOHT epigenetic drug research has shown that some drugs reverse SMARCA2 epigenetic silencing to inhibit tumor growth, therefore it is hypothesized that triptolide acts the same and restores SWI/SNF function. Cells treated with triptolide have no change in SMARCA2 expression, suggesting that re-expression of epigenetically silenced tumor suppressor gene does not underlie its mechanism of action. Growth rates following triptolide treatment were observed in the presence and absence of SMARCA4, but no difference in sensitivity was observed. Thus, it is not likely that triptolide acts by restoring SWI/SNF. Others have observed that triptolide acts on xeroderma pigmentosa type B protein (XPB), a component of super-enhancers, which are DNA regions with high levels of transcription that regulate genes responsible for cell identity and oncogenes driving tumorigenesis. Both SCCOHT-1 and BIN67 cell lines treated with triptolide displayed lower expression of the super-enhancer associated MYC oncogene compared to untreated cells, supporting the theory that triptolide could be inhibiting super-enhancers regulating oncogenes.. A western blot confirmed reduced protein levels of RNA polymerase II and bromodomain 4 (BRD4), two essential components found at high levels at super-enhancers, in BIN67 cells treated with triptolide. ChIP-sequencing of Histone H3 Lysine-27 Acetylation (H3K27ac) marks in BIN67 and SCCOHT-1 cell lines identified super-enhancers in SCCOHT using tools CREAM and ROSE, which were mapped to neighboring genes associated genes and compared with the COSMIC database to identify oncogenes, of which the top 11 were examined by qRT-PCR to ascertain whether triptolide reduces their expression. It has been found that 6 out of 11 of the oncogenes examined (SALL4, MYC, SGK1, HIST1H3B, HMGA2, and CALR) decreased in expression when treated with triptolide. Thus, there is reason to believe that triptolide’s mechanism of action is via inhibition of super-enhancers that regulate oncogene expression.
ContributorsViloria, Nicolle Angela (Author) / Lake, Douglas (Thesis director) / Hendricks, William (Committee member) / Lang, Jessica (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Terrestrial crude oil spills compromise a soil’s ability to provide ecosystem services by inhibiting plant life and threatening groundwater integrity. Ozone gas, a powerful oxidant, shows promise to aid in soil recovery by degrading petroleum hydrocarbons into more bioavailable and biodegradable chemicals. However, previous research has shown that ozone can change the soil pH and create harmful organic compounds.
The research objective was to determine the short-term ecological toxicity of ozonation byproducts on seed germination of three distinct plant types (radish, lettuce, and grass) compared to untreated and uncontaminated soils. We hypothesize that the reduction of heavy hydrocarbon contamination in soil by ozone application will provide more suitable habitat for the germinating seeds. The effect of ozone treatment on seed germination and seedling quality was measured using ASTM standards for early seedling growth in conjunction with a gradient of potting soil amendments. Ozonation parameters were measured using established methods and include total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and pH.
This study demonstrated the TPH levels fall up to 22% with ozonation, suggesting TPH removal is related to the amount of ozone delivered as opposed to the type of crude oil present. The DOC values increase comparably across crude oil types as the ozonation dose increases (from a background level of 0.25 g to 6.2 g/kg dry soil at the highest ozone level), suggesting that DOC production is directly related to the amount of ozone, not crude oil type. While ozonation reduced the mass of heavy hydrocarbons in the soil, it increased the amount of ozonation byproducts in the soil. For the three types of seeds used in the study, these changes in concentrations of TPH and DOC affected the species differently; however, no seed type showed improved germination after ozone treatment. Thus, ozone treatment by itself had a negative impact on germination potential.
Future research should focus on the effects of post-ozonation, long-term bioremediation on eco-toxicity. By helping define the eco-toxicity of ozonation techniques, this research can improve upon previously established ozone techniques for petroleum remediation and provide economic and environmental benefits when used for soil treatment.
The research objective was to determine the short-term ecological toxicity of ozonation byproducts on seed germination of three distinct plant types (radish, lettuce, and grass) compared to untreated and uncontaminated soils. We hypothesize that the reduction of heavy hydrocarbon contamination in soil by ozone application will provide more suitable habitat for the germinating seeds. The effect of ozone treatment on seed germination and seedling quality was measured using ASTM standards for early seedling growth in conjunction with a gradient of potting soil amendments. Ozonation parameters were measured using established methods and include total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and pH.
This study demonstrated the TPH levels fall up to 22% with ozonation, suggesting TPH removal is related to the amount of ozone delivered as opposed to the type of crude oil present. The DOC values increase comparably across crude oil types as the ozonation dose increases (from a background level of 0.25 g to 6.2 g/kg dry soil at the highest ozone level), suggesting that DOC production is directly related to the amount of ozone, not crude oil type. While ozonation reduced the mass of heavy hydrocarbons in the soil, it increased the amount of ozonation byproducts in the soil. For the three types of seeds used in the study, these changes in concentrations of TPH and DOC affected the species differently; however, no seed type showed improved germination after ozone treatment. Thus, ozone treatment by itself had a negative impact on germination potential.
Future research should focus on the effects of post-ozonation, long-term bioremediation on eco-toxicity. By helping define the eco-toxicity of ozonation techniques, this research can improve upon previously established ozone techniques for petroleum remediation and provide economic and environmental benefits when used for soil treatment.
ContributorsJanuszewski, Brielle (Author) / Rittmann, Bruce (Thesis director) / Yavuz, Burcu (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Eng Program (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
There are currently no disease-modifying treatments to halt or attenuate the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Transgenic rodent models have provided researchers the ability to recapitulate particular pathological and symptomological events in disease progression. Complete reproduction of all features of AD in a rodent model has not been achieved, potentially lending to the inconclusive treatment results at the clinical level. Recently, the TgF344-AD transgenic rat model has started to be evaluated; however, it has not been well characterized in terms of its cognition, which is fundamental to understanding the trajectory of aging relative to pathology and learning and memory changes. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to identify cognitive outcomes at 6, 9, and 12 months of age in the TgF344-AD rat model. Sixty female transgenic (Tg) and wildtype (WT) rats were tested on the water radial arm maze, Morris water maze, and visible platform task to evaluate cognition. Results from the asymptotic phase of the water radial arm maze showed that the 6 mo-Tg animals had marginally impaired working memory compared to 6 mo-WT rats, and 12 mo-Tg rats had significantly impaired working memory compared to 12 mo-WT rats. The 9 mo-Tg animals did not demonstrate a significant difference in working memory errors compared to the 9 mo-WT animals. This pattern of impairment, wherein Tg animals made more working memory errors compared to WT animals at the 6 and 12 month time points, but not at the 9 month time point, may be indicative of an inflammatory response that proves helpful at incipient stages of disease progression but eventually leads to further cognitive impairment. These results provide insight into the potential earliest time point that prodromal cognitive symptoms of AD exist, and how they progress with aging. Brain tissue was collected at sacrifice for future analyses of pathology, which will be used to glean insight into the temporal progression of pathological and cognitive outcomes.
ContributorsBulen, Haidyn Leigh (Co-author) / Bulen, Haidyn (Co-author) / Bimonte-Nelson, Heather (Thesis director) / Presson, Clark (Committee member) / Conrad, Cheryl (Committee member) / Woner, Victoria (Committee member) / Peña, Veronica (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05