Digital Commons Network^™

Studies To Characterize Heavy Metal Content And Migration From Recycled Polyethyleneterephthalate, Michael John-Ross Whitt

Master's Theses

Packaging Materials account for 31% of the world’s municipal solid waste. Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are pushing for the increased use of recycled thermoplastic materials. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commonly recycled thermoplastic which is used to package ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables. Most recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) packaging materials contain heavy metal catalysts, the most common being antimony. The recent increased use of recycled plastic materials has been suspected as the source of increased human heavy metal exposure. In this study, cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead and antimony …

Teacher Internship Report- Ceres High School, Michael L. Patterson

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 Ceres High School conducted by representatives of the California Department of Education. The internship included the development of a comprehensive program plan for Ceres High School. The plan includes information to receive state/local funding, outline the goals and objectives of the program, along with an overview of Ceres High School, the agriculture program and community.

Cal Poly India Project, Derek Babine, Austen Hibler, Alex Hernandez

Mechanical Engineering

This report documents the research, ideation, and development of a solution, implemented by the Cal Poly India Sanitation Team per the request of Mr. Harish Bhutani, to solve the problem of hazardous human waste management in poor villages in India. The sponsor envisioned a universal design that would give each household in those villages access to a private toilet system because the current solution is open defecation in water sources and farming fields. The initial constraints required the project be low cost, not use of electricity or water, have the ability to cater to an 8-10 person household, and be …

Printed Electronics Applications For Publications, Abel Marquez

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this research was to demonstrate that the printing industry can potentially benefit from the incorporation of printed electronics into the publications and packaging fields. Taking advantage of this technology would attract more consumers, especially younger generations who are immersed in the digital world and feel more engaged with products that offer user interactivity.

Experts in the field were interviewed to get information and feedback about the project. Also, a survey was conducted. Cal Poly students, from different areas and departments were included to see if they would be interested in subscribing or buying a magazine that incorporates …

Compositing Brought To Life, Anika Morris

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

No abstract provided.

Aquaponics Art, Alexander Horton

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Aquaponics has enormous potential to change the way we farm. I wanted to connect more people to Cal Poly's first aquaponics club by creating a functioning aquaponics art installation that allows people to plant their own plants. This paper is catalog of the design process as a reflection of what this project hopes to accomplish.

The Effect Of Artery Bifurcation Angles On Fluid Flow And Wall Shear Stress In The Middle Cerebral Artery, Zachary Ramey Jones

Master's Theses

Saccular aneurysms are the abnormal plastic deformation of veins and arteries that can lead to lethal thrombus genesis or internal hemorrhaging. Medication and surgery greatly reduce the mortality rates, but treatment is limited by predicting who will develop aneurysms. A common location for saccular aneurysm genesis is at the main middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcation. The main MCA bifurcation is comprised of the M1 MCA segment, parent artery, and two M2 segments, daughter arteries. Studies have found that the lateral angle (LA) ratio of the MCA bifurcation is correlated with aneurysm formation. The LA ratio is defined as the angle …

Microcosm Study Of Natural Attenuation, Biostimulation, And Bioaugmentation Of Soils Contaminated With Pcbs, Dioxins, Pahs, And Petroleum Hydrocarbons, Mackenzie L. Billings

Master's Theses

Remediation of weathered petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) through monitored natural attenuation, in-situ biostimulation, and/or bioaugmentation was assessed using laboratory-scale microcosms. These contaminants of interest (COIs) have persisted in Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) soils for over 40 years in some cases. The objective of this United States Department of Energy (DOE)-funded study was to determine the potential of the aforementioned remediation methods to reduce COI concentrations in soil and estimate potential biodegradation rates of COIs in SSFL soils.

Several types of soil microcosms were established: one set of microcosms was run without amendments …

Methane Production By A Packed-Bed Anaerobic Digester Fed Dairy Barn Flush Water, Sean Richard Thomson

Master's Theses

Packed-bed digesters are an alternative to covered lagoon digesters for methane production and anaerobic treatment of dilute wastewaters such as dairy barn flush water. The physical media of packed-beds retain biofilms, often allowing increased treatment rates. Previous studies have evaluated several types of media for digestion of dilute wastewaters, but cost and media fouling have setback commercial development. A major operational cost has been effluent recirculation pumping.

In the present effort, a novel approach to anaerobic digestion of flush dairy water was developed at pilot-scale: broken walnut shells were used as a low-cost packed-bed medium and effluent recirculation was replaced …

Field And Greenhouse Studies Of Phytoremediation With California Native Plants For Soil Contaminated With Petroleum Hydrocarbons, Pahs, Pcbs, Chlorinated Dioxins/Furans, And Heavy Metals, Matthew Robert Poltorak

Master's Theses

Native and naturalized California plant species were screened for their phytoremediation potential for the cleanup of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs), poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated dioxins/furans, and heavy metals. This screening was followed by controlled greenhouse experiments to further evaluate the phytoremediation potential of the best candidates. Field specimens and soils used for this study were collected from the former Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Southern California that was operated by the Department of Energy (DOE). Soils at this site contain all of the contaminants of interest (COIs). Nine …

Smooth Muscle Cell Organization In The Stem Region Of The Gracilis Collateral Circulation In Balb/C Mice, Laura Lenae Burckhardt

Biomedical Engineering

Of the approximately 8 million Americans who suffer from ischemic peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), many present with intermittent claudication, or pain associated with exercise. Impaired vasodilation of resistance vessels is a potential explanation for this symptom. Occluded arteries can lead to increased flow through collateral vessels, which function as natural bypasses around the obstruction. This increase in blood flow and resulting shear stress can cause outward remodeling, or arteriogenesis, which improves the efficacy of collaterals. However, following femoral artery ligation in a mouse model of chronic ischemia, vasodilation in the stem region of collateral vessels is impaired at day …

November 26, 2014 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 11/25/2014, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Egalitarianism And Animals, Oscar Horta

Between the Species

The moral consideration of nonhuman animals and the critique of speciesism have been defended by appeal to a variety of ethical theories. One of the main approaches in moral and political philosophy today from which to launch such a defense is egalitarianism, which is the view that we should aim at favoring the worse off by reducing inequality. This paper explains what egalitarianism is and shows the important practical consequences it has for nonhuman animals, both those that are exploited by humans and those in need of aid in the wild. Egalitarianism implies rejecting speciesism, and in practice it prescribes …

November 19, 2014 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Cal Poly Mustang Mascot Name Honors Past President Margaret Chase, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

November 5, 2014 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 11/04/2014, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Peter And Mary Beth Oppenheimer Pledge $20 Million To Cal Poly, Largest Cash Gift In University's History, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

A Heterogeneous Compute Solution For Optimized Genomic Selection Analysis, Trevor Devore, Scott Kenneth Winkleblack, Bruce Golden, Chris Lupo

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper presents a heterogeneous computing solution for an optimized genetic selection analysis tool, GenSel. GenSel can be used to efficiently infer the effects of genetic markers on a desired trait or to determine the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) of genotyped individuals. To predict which genetic markers are informational, GenSel performs Bayesian inference using Gibbs sampling, a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm. Parallelizing this algorithm proves to be a technically challenging problem because there exists a loop carried dependence between each iteration of the Markov chain. The approach presented in this paper exploits both task-level parallelism (TLP) and …

Development Of A High Precision Quantum Dot Synthesis Method Utilizing A Microfluidic Reactor And In-Line Fluorescence Flow Cell, William Henry Lafferty

Master's Theses

Quantum dots show great potential for use as spectral converters in solar cells, lighting applications, and biological imaging. These applications require precise control of quantum dot size to maximize performance. The quality, size, and fluorescence of quantum dots depend on parameters that are difficult to control using traditional batch synthesis processes. An alternative, high precision process was developed for the synthesis of cadmium-selenide quantum dots using a microfluidic reactor and fluorescence flow cell. The process required creating separate cadmium and selenium precursors that were then mixed in a nitrogen environment at 17°C. Using an NE-300^® syringe pump, the solution …

A Comparison Of Meat Purchasing Attitudes Across Generations, Jamie M. Mickelson

Master's Theses

To identify the factors that influence different generations meat purchasing behaviors. The list of the features for respondents to report are desirable to them when they purchase meat. The results of features will provide the answer to meat purchasing attitudes across generations, which will help to analyze which features influence generations purchasing behaviors. There were 290 respondents to the survey. The target markets are split in to four groups – young Millennials, older Millennials, Generation Xers, and Baby Boomers. The highest desirability for respondents decisions to purchase meat is good value for the money and second is no hormones added. …

Utilizing Indicator Of Reduction In Soils Tubes To Affirm A Serpentinitic Hydric Soil On The California Central Coast, Jason Demoss

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Wetlands are vital ecosystems that are crucial in maintaining the life of rare and unique soils, plants, and animals. These ecosystems are key players in water storage, water filtration, carbon storage, and harboring unique species. Since the intervention of human development on the Earth’s surface, almost 50% of the Earth’s original wetlands have either been damaged or destroyed. The identification and assessment of both new and old wetlands is crucial in the survival of these precious ecosystems and their conservation. A 3 month-long study was performed to confirm the hydric status of a soil derived from serpentinitic parent material. The …

Merced College Botanical Garden And Quality Program Criteria, Bryan Tassey

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This project includes a narrative, detailed outline, promotional PowerPoint and landscape plans for the development of a ten acre Botanical Garden on campus at Merced College. The categories discussed are organizing, funding, design and implementation. In addition, the twelve Quality Program Criteria is included with “Expected Supporting Completion Materials for the Community College Master’s Degree Candidate”.

En Dire Trop Sur Les Noirs? Contextualizing Genet’S Preface To Les Nègres, Brian Gordon Kennelly

World Languages and Cultures

What does the French playwright Jean Genet accomplish by rewriting the lengthy preface that he had prepared for his play Les Nègres? After discussing how the preface contextualizes the play, we consider for the first time the significance of the evolution of Genet’s authorial intentions both at the microtextual and macrotextual levels by comparing the full-length preface with its shortened, reordered version. We show that in rewriting his preface Genet endeavored to be more ambiguous as well as to counterbalance the cuts he had also made in rewriting the play for which it was written.

Re-Visioning For The City Of Milpitas, Ca: Identity And Positive Transformation Through Urban Design, Clarissa Caruso, Vicente Del Rio

Focus

No abstract provided.

Alumni: Class Notes

Cal Poly Magazine

No abstract provided.

University News

Cal Poly Magazine

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 10/14/2014, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

October 8, 2014 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.