Digital Commons Network^™

Wastewater Treatment And Nitrogen Removal In Bench-Scale Photobioreactors Operated With Solids Recycling, Erik Hoffnagle

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the effect of solids recycling on nitrification, organic carbon removal, and algal-bacterial productivity in bench-scale photobioreactors (PBRs) simulating winter pond conditions in San Luis Obispo, California and a 6-acre raceway system in Delhi, California. Two sets of duplicate photobioreactors operated with or without solids recycling were fed primary clarifier effluent (1^oEff) for the first experiment, and facultative pond effluent (FAC) for the second experiment.

In both experiments mean productivity was lower in solids recycled PBRs (3.67 and 2.3 g/m²-day), than in controls without solids recycling (4.15 and 3.9 g/m²-day). When fed …

On The Ethical Significance Of Ecological Restoration: Domination Or Collaboration?, Roger J.H. King

Between the Species

Ecological restoration is essential both to a sustainable human culture and to the well being of the more-than-human world. Yet some philosophers criticize enthusiasm for restoration as yet another manifestation of human domination and anthropocentric arrogance. The paper critiques this view as persistently presented by Eric Katz, and offers an alternative view of restoration’s ethical significance. Rather than seeing restoration as a unilateral human imposition on nature, restoration deserves defense as an expression of an interspecies etiquette, attentive to collaboration with the more-than-human world. But the full ethical significance of ecological restoration will not be realized without deep change in …

Academic Senate - Agenda, 2/12/2019, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Does The Acorn Barnacle Balanus Glandula Exhibit Predictable Gradients In Metabolic Performance Across The Intertidal Zone?, Kali Horn

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

Intertidal organisms live in one of the most environmentally stressful habitats on the planet, and daily fluctuations they experience in abiotic factors (e.g., temperature, oxygen, salinity, pH) are predicted to intensify as our global climate continues to change. Elevated temperature and oxygen limitation are two dominant stressors associated with periodic air emersion in the littoral zone; both of which have substantial direct effects on metabolism in ectotherms. In the proposed study, we aim to profile the ‘metabolic phenotype’ of acorn barnacles (Balanus glandula) from different intertidal zones (low, mid, high). We define metabolic phenotype as the individual’s baseline metabolic performance, …

Real-Time Ray Traced Global Illumination Using Fast Sphere Intersection Approximation For Dynamic Objects, Reed Phillip Garmsen

Master's Theses

Realistic lighting models are an important component of modern computer generated, interactive 3D applications. One of the more difficult to emulate aspects of real-world lighting is the concept of indirect lighting, often referred to as global illumination in computer graphics. Balancing speed and accuracy requires carefully considered trade-offs to achieve plausible results and acceptable framerates.

We present a novel technique of supporting global illumination within the constraints of the new DirectX Raytracing (DXR) API used with DirectX 12. By pre-computing spherical textures to approximate the diffuse color of dynamic objects, we build a smaller set of approximate geometry used for …

Quantifying Proliferative And Surface Marker Heterogeneity In Colony‐Founding Connective Tissue Progenitors And Their Progeny Using Time‐Lapse Microscopy, Edward Kwee, Gerald M. Saidel, Kimerly Powell, Christopher M. Heylman, Cynthia A. Boehm, George F. Muschler

Biomedical Engineering

Connective tissue progenitors (CTPs) are defined as the heterogeneous population of tissue‐resident stem and progenitor cells that are capable of proliferating and differentiating into connective tissue phenotypes. The prevalence and variation in clonal progeny of CTPs can be characterized using a colony formation assay. However, colony assays do not directly assess the characteristics of the colony‐founding CTP. We performed large, field‐of‐view, time‐lapse microscopy to manually track colonies back to the founding cells. Image processing and analysis was used to characterize the colonies and their founding cells. We found that the traditional colony‐forming unit (CFU) assay underestimates the number of founding …

Effectiveness Of Windrow Composting Methodology In Killing A Thermo-Tolerant Species Of Salmonella During Mortality Composting, Spencer Gabriel Myers

Master's Theses

In a large agricultural operation, such as the one at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, disposal of deceased animals is an immense issue. The cost of transporting and rendering every dead animal is inhibitory to the general function of the agricultural operations and their thin budget. Therefore, we propose that composting mortalities could be an economical alternative. Composting is a recognized method for taking animal waste products along with carbon waste and turning it into a pathogen-free, nutrient-rich topsoil. Carcass composting is in fact performed in other countries and states to varying degrees of success. However, the California EPA limits …

Bentham And The “Famous Footnote”, Randall Otto

Between the Species

It is the contention of this paper that animal liberationists have misconstrued and misused Bentham’s “famous footnote” as an advocacy of species equivalency of interests, as though he were an incipient opponent of what has come to be known as “speciesism.” The context of Bentham’s footnote was of mistreatment of others that are capable of feeling pain. He was advocating in the footnote for laws that would end what he viewed as instances of cruelty toward animals. He was not advocating for vegetarianism or an end to killing animals where they can be of benefit to human beings, where “we …

Academic Senate - Meeting Minutes, 1/22/2019, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Agenda, 1/22/2019, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Envisioning A Future For Dinuba: Revitalizing Downtown And The Railroad Corridor, Vicente Del Rio, Hemalata C. Dandekar

Focus

During the Spring Quarter 2018, a graduate and an undergraduate studio run by Hemalata Dandekar and Vicente del Rio, respectively, collaborated with Dinuba, a small town in California's Central Valley. Responding to a request from the city manager, the students were charged with envisioning how to redesign and revitalize the city's downtown and the abutting under-developed and under-utilized railroad corridor.

Urban Water Scarcity In Sana'a, Yemen, Aliza Herzberg

Focus

This essay is based on Aliza Herberg's final paper for the CRP Department's Cities in a Global World taught by Dr. Laura Tate in the Winter quarter of 2018. Open to all majors, the class explores the social and economic implications of urbanization and the international political economy on global cities, such as authenticity, gentrification, migration, social and environmental justice, and urban security. Students also assess global challenges through specific case studies, such as the one discussed by Aliza in this essay.

From Food Consumption To Eating Awareness, Barbara Ribeiro

Focus

Working on her research towards a doctorate, Barbara Ribeiro discusses the importance of introducing sustainable and inclusive food processes in cities. A methodology for planning and designing urban food forestry in public spaces is explored through proposals for two parks in the city of Auckland.

Bo01: Planning Precedent, Ali Chen, Killian Angell

Precedents

Bo01, Malmö, Sweden (2001): Developed on abandoned industrial sites close to the center of Sweden’s third largest city, Bo01 is a high-density urban district completely reliant on renewable energy. It is known also for its innovative recycling of rainwater and wastewater. The dense, irregular street pattern was meant to provide both a pleasant pedestrian character as well as a buffer against strong winds coming off the ocean. Bo01 was designed by prominent architect Renzo Piano, among others.

The purpose of looking at this precedent was to spur the students’ thinking about sustainable features in terms of both planning and architecture.

Effect Of Prolonged Probiotic Supplementation In A High-Fructose Diet In A Pig Model Of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Victoria Smith, Meghan Melnyk

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of pediatric chronic liver condition, caused by hepatic inflammation, insulin resistance and steatosis. We hypothesize that prolonged intake of diets rich in carbohydrates, specifically fructose, will induce NAFLD in infants, whereas probiotics may ameliorate the symptoms of the disease. To assess the effect of dietary fructose and probiotics in the pathology of the disease, 24 leptin resistant neonate pigs will be assigned to 1 of 4 treatment diets for 10 weeks: 1) control (CON), 2) high fructose (HF), 3) CON + probiotics, 4) HF + probiotics. Animals will be fed 40 …

Paradise W.E.T. Center, Arielle Eleazar

Studio Projects

Arielle Eleazar’s Paradise W.E.T. Center is a project focused on water education and actual treatment, located just below the proposed East Village downtown. The goal of this center is to provide an alternative solution to the town’s wastewater management by showcasing a hybrid system heavily reliant on biological filtration. This building also serves as a live demonstration area for water conservation, educating the public about the importance of water as a resource.

Comparing Regional Population Genetic Effects In Leptasterias Spp., Kristen N. Runge, Sarah Cohen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Leptasterias spp. is a species complex of six-rayed intertidal sea stars found along the northeast Pacific coast. A developmental mode of brooding their young, rather than broadcasting for planktonic development, limits dispersal away from the natal area, and may also result in local adaptation of populations. Local adaptation may lead to morphological and behavioral differences among populations. Previous studies on behavior in Leptasterias spp. have shown that activity levels may vary by population and region. Across three regions from California to Washington, differences were only observed between central California and more northern regions while northern California, Oregon, and Washington were …

Land Use Patterns: Life In Paradise, Sophia Smith, Nolan Delgado, Tiana Shiroma

Research

This poster shows a map of the town, depicting the different land uses. As shown here, most of the town was zoned low-density residential. While there were some higher density residential developments, apartment complexes and mobile home parks, for example, single-family homes were the dominant house type. Commercial zones were concentrated on the two main north-south routes, Skyway and Clark Roads.

The map shows the many riparian corridors in the town, as well as various community facilities. Agricultural areas are prevalent on the south side of town, and resource conservation areas are located on the east and west.

Long-Term Phytoremediating Abilities Of Dalbergia Sissoo Roxb. (Fabaceae), Saqib Ul Kalam, Fauzia Naushin, Fareed Ahmad Khan, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

The boom of tanneries in north India has converted the river Ganga into a waste dumping stream. The tanneries discharge their heavy metal-rich effluents into the river. Tissues of two-year-old tree saplings of Dalbergia sissoo, soil sediments and river water samples were collected from three sites along the river Ganga at Jajmau, Kanpur. Site-1 was located 1 km upstream from the point of discharge of the effluents of the tanneries, Site-2 was close to the source point, and Site-3 was about 1 km downstream from the source point. Accumulation of Cu, Cr and Ni in leaves, bark, wood growth rings, …

California Livestock Owners: An Assessment Of Familiarity With New Antimicrobial Rules And Access To Educational Outreach, Philip Theodor Paulson

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research is to support the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) with education and outreach about recent changes regarding antimicrobial use in livestock, and to enhance their emergency communications network. This was done by characterizing a population of small-scale livestock owners underserved with regards to educational outreach about animal health issues, such as antimicrobial use rules. The project also seeks to enhance public understanding of the importance of responsible antimicrobial use in animal and human health.

To accomplish this, the study used a survey administered in person at local farm supply stores and online to …

Reducing Energy Use In Excavators With Biodiesel, Omeed Abolfathi

Construction Management

In assessing the life-cycle cost of a building, the operation energy and construction energy are considered. The operation energy constitutes 90 to 95 percent of the lifetime energy use of a building. Concern over reducing operation energy has led to advancements where many buildings can now be considered net zero. While considerable advancements were made in achieving net zero in the operation, construction energy use has largely remained the same. To achieve net zero for the entire life-cycle of the building, construction energy consumption needs to be reduced. Excavators are one of the most popular pieces of construction equipment. They …

Enhancing Group Social Perceptiveness Through A Swarm-Based Decision-Making Platform, David A. Askay, Lynn E. Metcalf, Louis Rosenberg, Gregg Willcox

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Swarm Intelligence is natural phenomenon that enables social animals to make group decisions in real-time systems. This process has been deeply studied in fish schools, bird flocks, and bee swarms, where collective intelligence has been observed to emerge. The present paper describes swarm.ai—a collaborative technology that enables swarms of humans to collectively converge upon a decision as a real-time system. Then we present the results of a study investigating if groups working as “human swarms” can amplify their social perceptiveness, a key predictor of collective intelligence. Results showed that groups reduced their social perceptiveness errors by more than half when …

A Decade Of Change: A Case Study Of Regulatory Compliance Costs In The Produce Industry, Lynn Hamilton, Michael Mccullough

Agribusiness

Regulatory pressure is a source of increasing concern to the California agricultural industry. In the decade since 2006, new rules at both the state and federal levels have imposed significantly higher regulatory burdens on growers, specifically with respect to food safety, water quality, labor wages, air quality; and worker health and safety. Additional regulations are in process as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is developed at the local levels for implementation in 2022, and minimum wage and overtime laws for farmworkers are phased in, also by 2022.

Previous studies regarding the regulatory environment in California have quantified the total cost …

Proposal For Cal Poly Livestock Judging Team Golf Tournament, Megan E. Farley, Gracie Nino

Agricultural Education and Communication

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Livestock Judging Team was founded in 1948. Since then, there had consistently been a team competing for Cal Poly until 2002. Unfortunately, the judging team was cut due to budget constraints placed on the Animal Science Department. In 2017, Mr. Lee Rincker spearheaded the reinstatement of the team, recruiting five members to compete for the season.

Intercollegiate livestock judging is a co-curricular activity where competitors apply their knowledge of animal science to determine the quality of livestock animals for use in real-world situations. Research has determined that this program develops both life and professional skills. …

Radio Frequency Identification In The Beef Cattle Production Cycle At Livestock Services Inc., Edwin Mendoza

Agricultural Education and Communication

As time and technology has progressed, precision tracking has led many in the livestock industry to look into the next type of technology available to make their operations more efficient. This technology allows producers to individually track animals, with information ranging from weight, vaccinations used and pasture movements throughout the whole production cycle.

Applying Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology early in the production cycle can show that there is a higher accuracy in traceability that will decrease losses, and incorporate a better management style (Nääs, 2006).

Although this technology is in the initial testing stages in the multiple variations it …

Creating An Efficient Business Plan For Longview Club Lambs, Karlee J. Dornbush

Agricultural Education and Communication

Longview Club Lambs is a small startup business located in Lincoln, California. Longview Club Lambs has the goal to maintain a high of level efficiency and productivity to compete with other club lamb businesses within the next three years (Longview Club Lambs, 2018). In order to do this, Longview Club Lambs will need to evaluate its current practices and determine the necessary adjustments that should be made to their business plan.

To create this new business model, the business will need to re-evaluate all its management practices and make the needed changes to adjust to a larger scale operation. Implementing …

Review Of Traveling Prehistoric Seas: Critical Thinking On Ancient Transoceanic Voyages, Terry L. Jones

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Entrepreneur`S Guide To Starting A Rabbit Agricultural Enterprise, Mary Maldonado

Agricultural Education and Communication

At San Luis Obispo, the University Cal Ploy has an Animal Science Department that offers over twenty enterprises pertaining to livestock production which “provide the environment for students to get outside the classroom and work with the animals in teams of students” (Cal Poly 2017-19). As reported from the “Animal Science Department Enterprise Class List”, the classes involved help develop technical skills by having students learn and work in active production settings with livestock such as cows, steers, pigs, lambs, goats, and chickens (Animal Science Department 2017-19). However, when compared to the livestock accounted for at a traditional county fair …

Agricultural Sciences Outreach Program, Maghan Lea England, Sophie Lorraine Johnston

Agricultural Education and Communication

The College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) mission statement and vision of the Agricultural Education and Communication Department is to develop future leaders, educators, and communicators to advance and advocate for the agricultural industry in a global economy (AGED, 2018). Student organizations, such as Agriculture Ambassadors and Agriculture Leadership Society, facilitate several outreach events to engage and excite prospective students in pursuing their higher education goals in agriculture at Cal Poly (CAFES Ag Council, 2018). In order to maintain growing student numbers, the Agricultural Education and Communication Department, specifically, the Agricultural Science major needs revamped recruiting efforts and …

Graduate Internship Report- Maxwell High School, Amber Charter

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship and project report includes documentation required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are concurrently used for the Agriculture Incentive Grant review process at Maxwell High School conducted by representatives of the California Department of Education. The supporting material includes information to receive state and local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of Maxwell High School, the agriculture program and the community.