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Morphological Response In Sister Taxa Of Woodrats (Genus: Neotoma) Across A Zone Of Secondary Contact, Michaela M. Koenig

Master's Theses

This study focuses on a secondary contact zone between two sister species of woodrat, Neotoma fuscipes (dusky-footed woodrat) and N. macrotis (big-eared woodrat). Along the Nacimiento River, on the border of southern Monterey and northern San Luis Obispo counties, the ranges of these sister species of woodrats meet and overlap forming a secondary contact zone. The zone of secondary contact is estimated to include a 500-meter (~1,650 linear feet) portion of the Nacimiento River riparian corridor.

This research examines quantifiable morphological change that is likely associated with heightened inter-specific competition within the contact zone. When in sympatry the sister species …

Artificial Superintelligence: Extinction Or Nirvana?, Jens Pohl

Architecture

The purpose of this paper is to explore the subject of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) and identify in summary form the principal drivers and current status of Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), the impact that intelligent software in combination with the Internet serving as a Global Knowledgebase is already having on human capabilities, the likely path to ASI, the possible threats posed by ASI and proposed measures to curtail those threats, and finally the potential benefits to the human species if AGI and ASI remain under human control.

The Effect Of Environmental Selection Pressure On The Rate Of Recombination To An Advantageous Receptor Mutation In Bovine Coronavirus, Gavin Schroter, Sally Hall, Mona Hwang, Monica Borucki

STAR Program Research Presentations

Bovine Coronavirus (BCoV) is an important analogue in understanding the effectiveness of zoonotic, single-stranded, positive sense RNA viruses. Many of the most recent viral outbreaks have been attributed to RNA viruses that have one, or more, animal reservoirs [1]. BCoV is such a great candidate for studying these types of viruses because they are from the family Coronaviridae, which also contains the viruses that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The goal of this study was to observe changes in genetic makeup of the virus’ outer membrane Spike protein via recombination between two …

Impacts Of Kelp Forest Restoration On Species Richness And Carbon Sequestration, Lisa Calhoun, Jamie Kneitel

STAR Program Research Presentations

Kelp forests are a very productive marine ecosystem with high species diversity found in many parts of the world, including off the coast of California. As a consequence, they are a major contributor to atmospheric carbon sequestration (storage) on the North American Pacific Coast. However, many kelp forests have been destroyed by the overpopulation of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (purple sea urchin), which reduce kelp growth, productivity, and species diversity (urchin barrens). The rocky reefs along the southern end of the Santa Monica Bay contain 61.5 hectares of urchin barrens. Organizations are working to remove the urchins and restore kelp forests and …

Fatty Acid Recovery And Identification In Mars Analogue Soil Samples, Kimberly E. Lykens

STAR Program Research Presentations

A primary goal of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission is to gather and store samples of Mars soil that could possibly be returned to Earth in a future mission for investigations into past or present life. In years leading up to a potential sample return mission on Mars and potentially other worlds, samples taken from Chile’s Atacama Desert, the most arid, biologically limited desert in the world, are valuable in developing a capacity for biosignature detection, specifically when exploring fatty acid abundance. Eighteen samples were collected from two sites in the Atacama characterized by biological soil crusts (BSC). BSCs are areas …

Using High Throughput Genomic Sequencing To Predict Ecological Impacts On Sea Turtle Populations, Lesley Anderson

STAR Program Research Presentations

Marine turtles are long-lived, migratory vertebrates that encounter a variety of human and natural stressors throughout their lives. Understanding the biology and threats of these animals is challenging because they are hard to observe, and can migrate across whole ocean basins. Minimally invasive sampling techniques (e.g., blood samples) allow us to learn about their physiology, genetics, and the environmental conditions they have experienced. In this project, we developed a novel method to extract the RNA from whole green and loggerhead turtle blood from animals inhabiting a variety of sites across the Pacific Ocean. Some habitats are more pristine, while others …

Determining Antimicrobial Activity In Hydrolysates Obtained From Buttermilk Substrates By Trypsin And Pepsin, Deborah Kim, Karen Ramun, Stephanie Carpintero, Suyapa Padillo, Antonio-Jose Trujillo, Rafael Jimenez-Flores

STAR Program Research Presentations

Milk proteins within their structure and sequence, contain peptides that exhibit antithrombotic, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, and other bioactivities. These peptides are released as the enzymes cleave milk proteins at certain locations of the amino acid chains. In this research, four different substrates were hydrolyzed with the gastrointestinal enzymes, pepsin and trypsin. The substrates were buttermilk (BM) and whey buttermilk (WBM), which are waste products of butter and cheese production, and supercritical CO₂ fluid (SFE) treated buttermilk (S-BM) and whey buttermilk (S-WBM). SFE acts as a solvent which removes triglycerides from the substrates and changes the overall composition of samples. …

Hypometabolic Stasis In Snails (Cornu Aspersum) For Adaptability And Survivability Under Extreme Environmental Conditions, Jamie Lyn D. Pacada, Lauren Mc Keown, Sadaf Esteaneh, Oscar L. Ramos, Yekaterina Popova, Yuri V. Griko

STAR Program Research Presentations

NASA’s endeavor to engage in long-haul space travel, requires a human defense system against harmful environments in space. Muscle atrophy and bone mass loss are documented effects of long term exposure to space flight environment and microgravity. Our aim is to approach an adaptation to extreme environments on the biological level, rather than simulate a terrestrial environment in space. A correlation has been shown between metabolic suppression and the protection of biological organisms from damaging effects of space environments. Certain bacteria and invertebrates have indicated a link between the reduction and suspension of metabolism, and surviving exposure to cosmic radiation. …

Assessing Functional Vasodilation In The Gracilis Collateral Arteriole, Megan T. Chu

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) involves arterial occlusion due to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. It is suggested that intermittent claudication, the most frequent clinical presentation of PAOD, is caused by impaired vasodilation. Current treatments for PAOD are not directed at improving vascular reactivity and are often insufficient. Stimulating arteriogenesis in collateral arterioles has therapeutic potential for PAOD, but because arterioles are the primary site of blood flow resistance, it is important that these treatments do not impair collateral vasodilation. Before this can be evaluated, the effects of arteriogenesis on collateral function must be studied in untreated collaterals. There is …

An Investigation Of The Effect Of Malathion On Adaptive Plasticity Of Pseudacris Sierra, Michael Jonathan Maples

Master's Theses

This thesis is composed of two chapters. Chapter one reviews what is known about adaptive plasticity in response to predators, describes the physiological systems involved in such plasticity, and outlines the evolutionary consequences of adaptive plasticity. Chapter two describes a scientific experiment that investigates how malathion may impact adaptive plasticity in the Sierran Treefrog, Pseudacris sierra. Anuran tadpoles suffer high mortality rates due to predation. In response to strong selective forces relating to these high predation rates, tadpoles evolved the ability to adaptively respond to predators through morphological and behavioral plasticity. The morphological and behavioral responses are varied and depend …

One Earth, Mary De La Valette

Between the Species

ONE EARTH

When the birds are gone

Will we care ?

Will we sit outside

And mourn the quiet ?

Will there be

A sense of loss ?

Of missing beauty ?

Of Nature diminished ?

Or will we merely

Go inside

And turn on the TV ?

When there are

No more animals

And we own the earth

What will we do ?

When the wind

Is no longer

Soft and warm

But a raging monster

Tearing off roofs

And whipping fire,

Will we curse Nature

Or ourselves ?

And, when the oceans die

And we own

The stinking …

Measuring Blood Flow In The Skeletal Muscle Microcirculation Using Laser Speckle Flowmetry, Kenneth Howard Gouin Iii

Biomedical Engineering

The presence of a native collateral circulation, which serves as a natural bypass for blood flow around an occlusion, improves prognosis for patients with ischemic diseases, such as peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). However, not all patients have a native collateral circulation, and animal models suggest a genetic basis for this variability. In mice, such as the BALB/c, that lack native arteriolar collaterals, neocollateral formation from capillaries that connect two arterial trees can occur after arterial occlusion, resulting in reperfusion of the ischemic watershed. Immature arterialized collateral capillaries (ACCs) at 7 days post arterial occlusion do not vasodilate in response …

Academic Senate - Agenda, 6/2/2015, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

On The Dynamics Of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, The!Immune Response, And Multiple Drugs, John Shamshoian, David Kato, Caleb Miller

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a cancer that begins in the bone marrow and spreads to the bloodstream and other organs if left uncontrolled. Although most patients undergo some sort of remission with the standard drug imatinib, patients will inevitably relapse [1]. Many CML researchers utilize mathematical models to understand leukemia and immune-­‐ response interaction and to create novel methods of treatment. We adopt a time-­‐delay differential equation model, used by Michor et. al [2], which incorporates biologically significant parameters and leukemia –T-­‐cell interactions. Inconveniently, the model is a system of nine nonlinear differential equations encompassing over two dozen parameters. …

Application Of Pyroprinting For Source Tracking Of E. Coli In Pennington Creek, Charles Moritz, Dillon Shapiro, Christopher Pann

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

The goal of this project is to determine the source of fecal contamination in Pennington Creek. Dangerously high numbers of E. coli were recorded in the creek by the Morro Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) over the last 10 years. This is of particular concern because the creek runs directly through an outdoor school for K-12 education. One potential source of the contamination is the cattle in fields on either side of the creek for several miles, though they are supposedly kept out by fences. Another possibility is local wildlife—specifically wild turkeys, which roam around in flocks of over 100 …

Monterey County 4-H Round Robin Study Guide, Lauren Bellone

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create a Round Robin Study Guide for the youth members of the Monterey County 4-H Youth Development Program. It is intended to be used a curriculum resource for youth members eligible to compete in Round Robin at the local county fairs. The guide provides information about each species of livestock commonly shown in Round Robin, as well as techniques on how to show each species. It is hoped that the guide will reduce the amount of time taken to research and prepare for Round Robin and provide Monterey County 4-H members a competitive …

Bioresource & Agricultural Engineering Department Magazine: Development And Design Of The Annual Magazine Following Cal Poly Standards, Alyssa Moore

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of the annual BioResource and Agricultural Engineering (BRAE) magazine is to provide the BioResource & Agricultural Engineering Department with a magazine that reflects the department and relays information to alumni, students, industry partners, and the general public. Future student assistants for the BRAE Department will have a template and strategy behind what they will need to accomplish each year by looking and reading this senior project. This magazine includes; Department Head Message, Club Features, Alumni Highlights, Successful Students, Highlight on Past Department Head, Industry Sponsors, Class Feature, BRAE Banquet, Irrigation Training and Research Center, and New Staff Features. …

Orchard Management Practices And Handbook, Brian A. Snyder, Kellie M. Mancino

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to develop an SAE start-up handbook for the Hollister FFA program's orchard. The orchard was being underutilized by the chapter and the hopes are that the chapter will supply students with this handbook allowing for a more diverse group of SAE projects within the chapter. Implementing the steps outlined in this handbook would also create a more competitive chapter in the areas of proficiencies and degrees.

An Advertising Plan For Clarityadm, Chelsey Porter

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project is to develop an advertising plan for a small business based on the central coast. In this project you will find information pertaining to the aquarium keeping hobby as well as creating business website and business cards. This was designed to create a website and business cards in order to broaden the customer base for the business and increase profits.

A Livestock Employee Manual For Junior Livestock Shows, Kylin Costa

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create a manual for junior livestock show staff to abide by for the duration of a county fair’s show. By implementing the manual, the show process should run smoother, and should alleviate turnover problems with each new barn steward that comes into the fair. The author hopes that this manual will be of use at fairs statewide.

Simangus Crossbreeding Proposal, Kaity Arburua

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project is to develop a proposal for a crossbreeding plan specifically oriented towards a Central Valley beef producer interested in SimAngus cattle. In this project you will find information pertaining to the Simmental, Angus and SimAngus breeds, as well as industry goals and possible outcomes. This was designed in order to create tangible evidence and information, such a pamphlet/brochure, for the producer to evaluate; in hopes that the beef producer will implement this crossbreeding plan.

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Agriculture Ambassador Program Of Work, Jacob Odello

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project is to help the Cal Poly Ag Ambassador Program bridge the continuity gap from year to year by providing a comprehensive roadmap of the responsibilities Ag Ambassadors take on year to year. The program of work for Ag Ambassadors that was developed through this project will help the future generations of ambassadors continue the long standing traditions and legacies of the Ag Ambassadors, which has been a premier program at Cal Poly since 1989. The program of work has been designed to mold and change as the program grows, or changes are made to university …

Promotional Video: "Cattlemen's Livestock Market", Jenna Forster

Agricultural Education and Communication

The following is a promotional video for Cattlemen's Livestock Market. The video promotes Cattlemen's Livestock Market as a whole, including their new video sales system.

Quality Improvement At Patio Pacific, Petdoors, Tri Minh Nguyen, In Woo Suh

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Quality is key in manufacturing any type of product. Customer expectations only rise with time, and it has become more crucial than ever for companies to produce quality products to survive. This project sets out to improve quality of flagship products at Patio Pacific. This report contains the background of the company, Patio Pacific, the process of finding critical problems, and the methodology to solve them.

Customer returns and inquiries have the ability to eat up cash flow in any type of company. This senior project sets out with introduction of the project that explains how the project came about, …

Printed Circuit Board For Introductory Animatronics Course, Preston Brown

Computer Engineering

For many years, freshmen Computer Engineering students at California Polytechnic State University have taken a course that introduces them to the “processes of electronics manufacturing. They are lectured on concepts such as CAD/CAM design, Design for Manufacture (DFM), documentation requirements, prototyping and production planning”. The laboratory portion of the course allows students to “use hands-on techniques to solidify knowledge of project planning, soldering, automation, hand tool usage and production methods” by manufacturing their own power supply, starting with aluminum sheets, a bag of components, and and an unassembled printed circuit board (PCB).

While the project is popular among students, department …

Graduate Internship Report - Linden High School, Christopher Charles Lemos

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship/project report includes validation documents 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 Linden High School conducted by representatives of the California Department of Education. The internship included updating the Agriculture Mechanics program at Linden High School in areas of safety and technology.

Graduate Internship Project & Report - Ron Sa, Ronald Sa

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship project includes validation documents that are required in meeting the quality criteria for Agriculture Programs in the secondary level programs for the California Department of Education for the Reedley Middle College High School program. The internship included the development and implementation of a comprehensive program plan RMCHS, which is a new program in its third year of existence. It outlines the goals and objectives of the FFA and school program to include a Program of Activities, and how the program is to follow criteria to meet the quality objectives for an Ag Program. It also contains the development …

Dynamic Voxel Based Terrain Generation, Thomas Sanford

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This project is an implementation of an editable terrain system. By maintaining an octree of volumetric data and performing the mesh creation on the GPU, the program can allow for free editing of the surroundings which is then reflected in real time. This allows for real time applications to have terrain that can change depending on how the user interacts with it.

The Struggle Of The Rubiniumite Wars, Timothy Mendez, Evan Peterson, Darren Huang, Kyle Lozier

Computer Science and Software Engineering

The Struggle of the Rubiniumite Warsis a browser-based, one- to two-player, simultaneous turn-based strategy game set amongst the stars. It uses WebGL and Three.js for 3D graphics in the browser, Node.js for game engine and artificial intelligence design on the backend, and Socket.io for networking using websockets. The development group’s inspiration, motivation, and reflections are discussed. Additionally, details on the development of the game engine, database integration with Parse, user registration with Nodemailer, graphics with Three.js and HTML/CSS, and audio with HTML5.

X264 Video Encoding Frontend, Alvin Lam

Computer Science and Software Engineering

x264 is a free video codec for encoding video streams into the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format. It has become the new standard for video encoding, providing higher quality with a higher compression than that of XviD. x264 provides a command line interface as well as an API and is used in popular applications such as HandBrake and FFmpeg. Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) is a very popular audio coding standard for lossy digital audio compression. AAC provides a higher sound quality than MP3 at similar bitrates. This senior project describes the design and implementation of a x264 video encoding frontend that uses …