Destigmatizing Care In Pregnant People with Substance Use Disorder

Nicky Edwards, School of Applied Health Undergraduate Student

College of Professional Studies

Pregnant people and families with substance use disorder who receive care at local rural clinics and hospitals need more recovery resources. Community nurses can assist by educating parents and families about proper Narcan use and first aid. Public health departments can assist by utilizing a collaborative referral system for additional resources. Physicians can be educated about compassionate care practices in communicating with patients. These interventions will lead to goals of pregnant people feeling safe seeking support from their providers, fewer newborns experiencing withdrawal symptoms, and less children being placed with child protective services thus keeping families together.

Detection of Trace Metals in Seawater: The Importance of UV-Oxidation

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

According to oceanographic research, trace metals are essential in life of marine phytoplankton, since many trace metals are micronutrients that are essential for biological processes. However, due to extremely low concentrations of trace metals in seawater, it is difficult to measure their concentrations; therefore, specific analysis methods must be performed in order to determine the concentrations of trace metals. Preliminary data on the effectiveness of UV irradiation to the recovery and analysis of cobalt and copper will be presented.

Determination of Bioaccumulated Trace Metals in Marine Macroalgae

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Trace metal bioaccumulation negatively impacts marine ecosystem health and increases the risk of human exposure to contaminants. Pollution trends can be investigated by measuring trace metal bioaccumulation in algae, but little is known about which algal groups are the most reliable bioindicators. The objectives of this study were to use dry ashing, wet digestive, and spectroscopic techniques to determine the concentrations Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn across major macroalgae groups in Humboldt Bay, and evaluate bioindicator ability using BSAF values. Our results indicate that Chlorophyta and Rhodophyta are the most sensitive and suitable bioindicators for trace metal pollution.

Determination of Metal Accumulation and Loading in the Oxidation Ponds at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

The determination of temporal variations of metals, in the primary effluent and oxidation ponds, were collected biweekly (2007-2008) and weekly (2012-2013) at the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility. The data demonstrates the removal of contaminant metals in the oxidation ponds through sludge deposition as well as the role weather events play in elevated metal concentrations. The sludge in the oxidation pond systems where also measured to allow the projection of the accumulation of metals in the sludge within the system 30 years from now.

DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF HIGH-INCLINE WALKING ON BIOMECHANICAL VARIABLES AND EMG PATTERNS ON DIFFERENT TREADMILL DECK SYSTEMS

ROHIT KUNDU, School of Applied Health Graduate Student

College of Professional Studies

While walking on the ground and using a treadmill are the standard mode of exercise, treadmill walking has gained popularity recently. Treadmills are more efficient and reliable because of the better control of speed, and grade, and can be used in all weather conditions. Even though multiple studies looked over the impact of surfaces at different inclines at biomechanics (gait, impact forces, tibial acceleration, and muscle activation), still the impact of surfaces has not been examined using different treadmill manufacturers while comparing high-incline (20%) with low-incline (1%).

Determining Habitat Prferences of Great Egrets through Foraging Rates

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

My research project looked into determining habitat preferences of Great Egrets through foraging rates across Arcata, CA. The three habitats I chose were the Arcata Marsh, Mad River Slough, and Agricultural Fields.

Determining Iron Concentrations in Seawater using Flow Injection Analysis

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Iron concentrations in the ocean are important for the health and success of the ocean because it is an essential micronutrient for phytoplankton. However, iron is insoluble in oxygenated seawater and so most iron precipitates and sinks out of the water column. Here we present a method to analyze these low concentrations of iron using flow injection analysis, which we built following Lohan et al. (2006).

Determining Magma Mixing Duration and Dynamics Through Analysis of Reaction Rims on Olivine Crystals in Natural Samples of Black Dacite From the 1915 Eruption of Lassen Peak, CA

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

Disequilibrium reaction rim textures on olivine grains from black dacite from the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak were measured and coupled with experimental reaction rim growth rates to estimate the duration of magma mixing that took place prior to the 1915 eruption. Reaction rims on 100 olivine grains were measured and the duration of magma mixing prior to the 1915 eruption was estimated to be between 12-17 months. The abundance of reaction rim growth varies during the duration of magma mixing and is evidence that the eruption of Lassen Peak was catalyzed by multiple injections of hot basaltic andesite into a relatively cool and mushy dacitic reservoir magma chamber prior to eruption.

Developing a Database to Understand Cannabis Compliance and Quantifying California's Certified Testing Labs Preliminary Results

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of the cannabis testing regulations in the state of California. Research was conducted identifying all Certified Cannabis Testing Labs currently doing product tests. We hoped to understand what these labs were discovering in their product safety tests. Because this was the first year of regulated certification and testing the research conducted was meant to create a baseline standard from which we can judge future years' progress against. This research will also hopefully be able to be utilized by growers in the future to find out which contaminants are most common and thus identify suitable alternatives to increase compliance.

Developing a three-dimensional culture system to improve the yield of placental mesenchymal stem cell derived extracellular vesicles

College of Natural Resources & Sciences

In this study, we developed a novel approach to produce placental mesenchymal stem cell derived extracellular vesicles (PMSC-EVs) by utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system to potentially use in regenerative medicine applications. CELLine bioreactors are a 3D culture system that is comprised of a polystyrene scaffold, to support a high-density culture, encased in a semipermeable membrane to concentrate all proteins produced by the cells within. When conditioned medium is collected from the compartment PMSC-EVs were produced over an eight-week continuous culture. This method potentially could be used as an alternative to conventional culture methods to improve PMSC-EV yield.