Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of San Luis Obispo Housing Elements, Madison M. Driscoll

City and Regional Planning

This project focuses on analysis and recommendations for housing elements within San Luis Obispo County. The project details housing element requirements made by the State of California Housing and Community Development Department and how the incorporated cities of San Luis Obispo meet these requirements. Cities analyzed include Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Grover Beach, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, and San Luis Obispo.

Course Design For Quality Online Education: Effective Strategies From The Viewpoint Of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants, Cassady E. Healy, Jackson D. Stayner, Jafra Thomas

Kinesiology and Public Health

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced colleges and universities to suddenly transition to a mostly-to-fully online teaching format. Given the nature of the transition and general reservations about online instruction, many were concerned educational quality and achievement would be compromised by large margins. We sought to determine what course design features, if any, helped support undergraduate educational achievement during a sudden transition to 100% online instruction. We addressed our research aim using adapted principles for reflexive thematic analysis, the discernment of ways to interpret data using diverse perspectives and the critique of assumptions (RWJ Foundation, 2008). Following instructor request (JDT), …

Positive Parenting Approaches And Their Association With Child Eating And Weight: A Narrative Review From Infancy To Adolescence, Katherine N. Balantekin, Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, Lori A. Francis, Alison K. Ventura, Jennifer O. Fisher, Susan L. Johnson

Kinesiology and Public Health

Parents play a critical role in the development of children's eating behaviours and weight status, serving as providers, models and regulators of the food environment. Many research reviews have focused on the robust body of evidence on coercive control in feeding: how parenting practices such as restriction and pressure to eat increase children's risk for developing undesirable eating behaviours and unhealthy weight outcomes. Fewer reviews adopt a strengths-based perspective focusing on the ways that parents can actively support the development of healthy eating behaviours and weight trajectories. Emerging research on such positive parenting styles and practices offers solutions beyond the …

Academic Senate - Minutes, 09/29/2020, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

Includes Minutes, Orientation to Academic Senate Slides, and the transcript from the COVID-19 Update.

A Naturalistic Ethic Supporting A Vegan Diet, Michael Morris

Between the Species

Nutritional evidence suggests that a vegan diet is the most adaptive one for humans. An ethical principle based on following our biological nature (naturalistic ethic) could therefore provide additional support for a vegan diet. However, some argue that humans in the natural world could not eat a vegan diet, since it relies on supplements, particularly vitamin B12. This leads to the conclusion that humans are naturally omnivores, and therefore our natural diet should include small amounts of animal products.

Three approaches to this conclusion are discussed. The first rejects a naturalistic ethic in favour of normative principles based on animal …

Executive Committee - Meeting Minutes, 9/15/2020, Academic Senate Executive Committee

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 9/15/2020, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate Retreat - Agenda, 9/11/2020, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate Retreat - Minutes, 09/11/2020, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Queering Kitchens: Dismantling Violence And Reimagining Livable Spaces, Asher Warg

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

This paper addresses the ways in which the kitchen has historically existed as a site of violence and worked to actively exclude marginalized people. Working with Judith Butler’s definition of queer and José Muñoz’s concept of queer futurity, the concept of queering the kitchen is discussed as a method for creating accessible, equitable, and inclusive kitchens.

Public Participation In Disaster Mitigation In Cambria, Ca, Erin Lucett

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Communities throughout the Western United States are threatened by wildfires. Due to years of fire suppression these fires can be more severe and devastating to communities. To reduce the negative effects from wildfires, many communities engage in disaster mitigation. An example of a community that faces significant wildfire threat and is using disaster mitigation techniques is Cambria, Ca. This study investigates the treatments (chipping, limbing, invasive species removal, and prescribed fire) that would be accepted in the community of Cambria as well as identifying common areas of management priorities among Cambrians. We found that there was a general support for …

Observing And Measuring Water Quality Of Central California Estuaries For Steelhead Trout (Onchorynchus Mykiss), Charles Alexander Taylor

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Estuaries support abundant biodiversity but are threatened by anthropogenic influences making it a priority to effectively monitor water quality to identify if and when it becomes detrimental to aquatic life. The purpose of the study was to analyze water quality in local San Luis Obispo estuaries to measure baseline conditions to inform future studies and management and to identify if key water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen or temperature result in stressful or lethal conditions for steelhead trout (Onchorynchus mykiss). An EXO1 multiparameter snode (probe) was used to measure dissolved oxygen (mg/l), temperature (in Celsius), conductivity (Us/cm), salinity (parts …

Kyoto University Students’ Perceptions Towards Sexual And Gender Minorities, Mingfang Xu, Pasindu Herath

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

LGBTQ movements have attracted attention to the rights of sexual and gender minorities across many parts of the world in recent years. Japan holds a middle-of-the-road stance by neither criminalizing nor legalizing same sex sexual acts. However, various sources describe incessant discrimination faced by LGBTQ people in Japan. It is evident that sexual and gender minorities experience hardships in numerous spheres such as employment, accommodation, family life, and education. Discrimination in educational institutions has, in extreme cases, even resulted in the loss of lives. Therefore, LGBTQ-friendliness has drawn a significant amount of attention in Japanese universities. While research about LGBTQ …

Editorial: Undergraduate Knowledge Production As Transformative Pattern Making, Katie Ettl

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

No abstract provided.

(Re)Memberance In Practice: Making Famous, Transforming The Legacies Of Ill-Fame, Fionna Fahey

sprinkle: an undergraduate journal of feminist and queer studies

Recent legislation has increased scrutiny and vulnerability to sex worker communities. Sex work has been a highly contested issue in academia and politics, despite its long history. By centering works of thinkers from historically marginalized communities, this research will act intentionally in solidarity with sex workers most vulnerable to harm. Theorizers in Black and Indigenous Feminisms, Queer theory and Trans studies have crafted methodologies to (re)cover and (re)member histories lost to colonial structures of violence. This project centers the epistemologies of these communities in order to account for the variety of intersecting identities held by sex workers. Archival (re)search, oral …

A Study Of Best Practices To Address College-Student Homelessness & Housing Insecurity, Nick Johnston

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Dairy Manure Flushwater Treatment By Algae Raceway Ponds And Aerated Biofilm Reactors, Darin Son

Master's Theses

Nitrogen removal technologies can help dairy industries meet their nutrient management needs. This thesis investigated two separate treatment technologies for total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) removal: algae raceway ponds and aerated biofilm reactors. Six 1000- liter algae raceway ponds and four 1000-liter tote tanks, each equipped with 10 sheets of nonwoven geotextile (i.e., thermally bonded or needle-punched) biofilm substrate, were used to treat the effluent from a flush dairy in central coastal California (TAN = 251 mg/L, cBOD5 = 204 mg/L). For the algae raceway ponds (TAN loading rate = 7 - 35 g/m³-day among 7-, 10- and 14-day hydraulic residence …

Development Of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks For Enhancing Post-Combustion Co2 Capture, Dustin Lee

Master's Theses

Post-combustion CO₂ capture is a promising approach for complementing other strategies to mitigate climate change. Liquid absorption is currently used to capture CO₂ from post-combustion flue gases. However, the high energy cost required to regenerate the liquid absorbents is a major drawback for this process. As a result, solid sorbents have been investigated extensively in recent years as alternative media to capture CO₂ from flue gases. For example, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are nanoporous materials that have high surface areas, large pore volumes, and flexible designs. A large number of MOFs, however, suffer from 1) low CO …

How Mandatory Stretches Increase Safety In The Workplace, Alec Pitts

Construction Management

The construction industry is one that revolves around safety. Without safety this industry fails. Jobsite safety keeps companies afloat longer whether it's financially, physically, or even mentally. This senior project dives into the benefits of mandatory stretching prior to each work day. This study also questions contractors and tests the stretches and their results. These benefits include muscle warm ups, increase of focus, added flexibility, increased range of motion, and even mental awareness. The idea of these morning stretches means more upfront costs for less costs later down the road. These stretches are an extra form of insurance when completed …

A Water Balance And Sediment Yield Analysis Model For The Lopez Lake Reservoir, Lee Joon Faraca

Master's Theses

Lopez Lake Reservoir is the primary source of potable water for the Cities of Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Pismo Beach, and to the Community Service Districts of Oceano and Avila Beach. In this study, a water balance and sediment yield analysis model was developed for the reservoir’s watershed. The model was used to estimate evaporation from the lake and to examine the effects of a wildfire on the reservoir. Evaporation and wildfire are dependent on variables that change on a spatial and temporal scale, making modeling challenging. The County of San Luis Obispo uses pan coefficients to estimate evapotranspiration losses …

Pressure Driven Desalination Utilizing Nanomaterials, Fangyou Xie

Master's Theses

Nanomaterials such as graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes, have demonstrated excellent properties for membrane desalination, including decrease of maintenance, increase of flux rate, simple solution casting, and impressive chemical inertness. Here, two projects are studied to investigate nanocarbon based membrane desalination. The first project is to prepare hybrid membranes with amyloid fibrils intercalated with graphene oxide sheets. The addition of protein amyloid fibrils expands the interlayer spacing between graphene oxide nanosheets and introduces additional functional groups in the diffusion pathways, resulting in increase of flux rate and rejection rate for the organic dyes. Amyloid fibrils also provide structural assistance to …

Abalone Recruitment In Abalone Recruitment In Low-Density And Aggregated Populations Facing Climatic Stress, Ryan K. Walter

Physics

Understanding spatial and temporal patterns in the recruitment of marine invertebrates with complex life histories remains a critical knowledge gap in marine ecology and fisheries. As marine invertebrates are facing multiple stressors from overfishing and climatic stress, it is important to evaluate the conditions that facilitate recruitment in low-density populations. The red abalone Haliolis rufescens historically supported an economically important fishery in California, but the fishery was sequentially closed as stocks declined, and the last fished area was closed in 2018 following the collapse of the kelp forests in Northern California. Here, red abalone recruitment was evaluated annually from 2012 …

How The Tax Court Can Account For Risk In Medtronic Transfer Pricing, David G. Chamberlain

Accounting

In this report, Chamberlain explores how the Tax Court, on remand in Medtronic, can address the challenge of determining arm’s-length transfer prices when one of the related parties bears substantial risk but owns no valuable intangible property.

Maleic Anhydride Compatibilized Peach Waste As Filler In Polypropylene And High Density Polyethylene Biocomposites, Caralyn Wong, Stephanie Jung, Joongmin Shin, Ajay Kathuria

Master's Theses

It is estimated that roughly 103, 515 tons of peach waste is produced annually in the US. The majority of the waste is disposed of in landfills, which contributes to climate change as they release 93 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent. Peach waste principally consists of remaining stone and seed after flesh removal. The agro-waste includes both cellulose and lignin, which can be utilized as a filler in plastic packaging to reduce carbon footprints and material cost. The objectives of this research are (1) to develop peach flour (PF)-filled biocomposites with a polyolefin matrix using maleic anhydride-g-high density …

Influences Of Conservation Farming Practice Adoption Amongst Vineyards On The Central Coast Of California, Jazlyn Guerrero

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Farming practices will require changes to reduce crop sensitivity to climate change, which is projected to cause extreme heat events, variable precipitation, extended periods of drought, and increasing presence of pest and disease. Conservation agricultural practices build farm resiliency to climate impacts by improving soil health, reducing erosion and sediment runoff, and improving water infiltration. Literature on the adoption of conservation agriculture practices find no universal factors that indicate adoption of practices but suggest that the adoption of practices can be better understood by investigating practices specific variables and farm level characteristics and their implications on adoption. Our objective is …

Assessing Undergraduate Sustainability Knowledge At California Polytechnic State University, Elysa Briens

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Sustainability education has become an important focus of many higher education institutions (HEIs), with the inclusion of many sustainability-related learning objectives for undergraduate students. As sustainability is a new, rising discipline, an increasing number of HEIs have made efforts to assess their teaching and learning effectiveness. However, most assessments fall short in determining the relationship between sustainability curriculum and the impacts on leaning outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of academic setting, specifically of a structured sustainability curriculum, on undergraduate sustainability knowledge, as well as analyze the implications of perceived barriers and opportunities to implementing sustainability into …

Efectos De La Pandemia De Coronavirus Covid-19 En Estudiantes Extranjeros Y Su Posible Impacto En Los Programas De Estudio En El Extranjero En El Futuro, Gloria Chavez

World Languages and Cultures

The purpose of this project is to discover the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the study abroad experience of American students participating in a study abroad program in Lyon, France during the 2019-20 academic year, and to evaluate possible impacts on and changes in the future of study abroad in consideration of their experiences and the pandemic. These students were subject to an early departure from France when their in-person program was shut down by the rising pandemic in March 2019. Participating students were interviewed about this early departure, the measures taken by the study abroad provider in …

Cooking Systems Using Aluminum Foam, Ryan Tetsuo Mizukami

Physics

In developing countries, the use of wood burning fires for cooking is cause for illness and death. With this in mind, research was conducted to develop a solar cooking device capable of cooking of soup within 15 mins in order to reduce the negative impacts of cooking with wood. Current methods of solar-based cooking, such as solar concentrators and solar tube ovens, are impractical. A small solar panel is a cost-effective way to produce energy but will not produce enough power to cook within a reasonable amount of time. Even if it is assumed that all of the energy produced …

Exploring The Relationships Between Mothers' Use Of Food To Soothe, Feeding Type And Mode, Maternal Feeding Style, Infant Behavior, And Infant Weight-Related Outcomes During Early Infancy, Megan K. Hupp

Master's Theses

Rapid infant weight gain (RWG) in the first six months postpartum is a strong predictor for obesity during childhood and adolescence. Although biological factors can influence infant weight gain trajectories, the modifiable factor of parent feeding practices can also have an influence. The use of food to soothe (FTS), or the act of feeding a child when he/she is upset for reasons other than hunger, has been associated with unhealthy eating behaviors and less-favorable weight outcomes in children and older infants. However, limited studies have explored the use of FTS during early infancy before the introduction of solids foods. The …

Traffic Privacy Study On Internet Of Things – Smart Home Applications, Ayan Patel

Master's Theses

Internet of Things (IoT) devices have been widely adopted in many different applications in recent years, such as smart home applications. An adversary can capture the network traffic of IoT devices and analyze it to reveal user activities even if the traffic is encrypted. Therefore, traffic privacy is a major concern, especially in smart home applications. Traffic shaping can be used to obfuscate the traffic so that no meaningful predictions can be drawn through traffic analysis. Current traffic shaping methods have many tunable variables that are difficult to optimize to balance bandwidth overheads and latencies. In this thesis, we study …