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Executive Committee - Agenda, 10/10/2017, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Meeting Minutes, 10/3/2017, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Streamlining Computational Methods In Industrial Hygiene, Rebecca Baiman, Miriam Rodón-Vachon

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Industrial Hygiene office is tasked with identifying health hazards and implementing programs to protect employees at NASA Armstrong as outlined in NPR 1800.1. Common health hazards at the center include noise, oxygen depletion, ionizing radiation, and non-ionizing radiation. Two methods are utilized for analyzing hazards: computation and surveying. Industrial hygienists employ computational methods to check their survey results, to analyze hazards where measurement is impossible, and to analyze future scenarios. Theoretical calculations provide hazard distances for industrial hygienists to avoid harmful radiation when surveying radio frequency (RF) instruments. The process of finding hazard distances for RF instruments is tedious …

Understanding Cost-Of-Care Conversations, Erica Oberg, Susan L. Perez

STAR Program Research Presentations

Healthcare costs are increasing for patients. Choosing Wisely is an initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine (AIMB) Foundation in partnership with Consumer Reports to promote conversations between physicians and patients to avoid unnecessary tests, procedures, and medications. The Choosing Wisely Initiative developed the resource “Five Questions to Ask Your Doctor” to support patient engagement in cost conversations and empower patients to ask questions about what care is right for them. The purpose of this study was to understand patients’ response to the “Five Questions”. Four focus groups were conducted in English and Spanish in rural and urban communities …

Diversity, Distribution And Dynamics Of Larval Cephalopods Off Northern California, Anacena Zander, Eric P. Bjorkstedt

STAR Program Research Presentations

Cephalopods are the fastest growing invertebrate, often putting on 3- 5 % of their body weight each day. Due to the nature of their diet, their body mass can be up to 80% protein, offering humans an easy and fast source of protein. This offers fisheries a new option to explore. The main problem behind wild-catching Cephalopods, is the issue of where they are. This study examined retrospective larval Cephalopod samples collected from 2009-2017 to examine trends in the diversity and distribution of the larvae. Notably, some of the collected data was taken during the warm water event that started …

Effective Communication To 4th Graders About Vector Borne Diseases, Ricardo Wells, Rebecca Haacker, Lorena Luna

STAR Program Research Presentations

This summer I have worked on a vital research project that is important to overall public health. This project has also afforded me the opportunity to develop a lesson plan around this research to be used in an elementary classroom setting. The first part of this research experience has centered around studying how the general public learns best through classroom activities and exhibits. I have expanded my understanding of how people learn by reading several books, articles, and shadowing teachers educators here at NCAR. This preliminary research was important so that I can communicate effectively with 4th grade students. The …

Optimization Of A Single Particle Soot Photometer For Metallic Particle Detection And Differentiation, Melanie C. Thatcher, Kara Lamb

STAR Program Research Presentations

Metallic particles can be detrimental when present in the atmosphere, because they could contribute to global climate change through direct atmospheric absorption and reduction of snow albedo. There have also been links between the presence of iron-oxide particles in the brain and Alzheimer’s diseaseA, suggesting metallic particles as a potentially important air pollutant that is not currently well-characterized. The ability to detect these particles in real time will help further our understanding of them. Single particle soot photometers (SP2) are primarily used to measure black carbon, but can be modified to measure and characterize metallic particles, as indicated in a …

The Detection Of Iridium Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Amelia C. Teare, Matthew L. Burnette, Steve D. Chambreau, G L. Vaghjiani

STAR Program Research Presentations

Although one thinks of a thruster as utilizing both a fuel and an oxidizer, as well as an ignition source to release molecular energy, thrusters exist that combine the fuel and oxidizer in a single fluid. These monopropellant thrusters can utilize either an ignition source or a catalyst to release the molecular energy stored within the propellant. Monopropellant thrusters are especially attractive for space flight systems because they only require a single propellant line which reduces systems weight and complexity. Some monopropellant thrusters, including legacy hydrazine thrusters, and newer thrusters using hydrazine replacements, that utilize a heterogeneous catalyst have experienced …

Harming (Respectfully) Some To Benefit Others: Animal Rights And The Moral Imperative Of Trap-Neuter-Release Programs, Cheryl E. Abbate

Between the Species

Because spaying/neutering animals involves the harming of some animals in order to prevent harm to others, some ethicists, like David Boonin, argue that the philosophy of animal rights is committed to the view that spaying/neutering animals violates the respect principle and that Trap Neuter Release (TNR) programs are thus impermissible. In response, I demonstrate that the philosophy of animal rights holds that, under certain conditions, it is justified, and sometimes even obligatory, to cause harm to some animals (human or nonhuman) in order to prevent greater harm to others. As I will argue, causing lesser harm to some animals in …

Full Issue

.RAW Journal of Art and Design

No abstract provided.

Does Breastfeeding Shape Food Preferences? Links To Obesity, Alison K. Ventura

Kinesiology and Public Health

The first 2 years of life have been recognized as a critical window for obesity prevention efforts. This period is characterized by rapid growth and development and, in a relatively short period of time, a child transitions from a purely milk-based diet to a more varied solid-food diet. Much learning about food and eating occurs during this critical window, and it is well-documented that early feeding and dietary exposures predict later food preferences, eating behaviors, and dietary patterns. The focus of this review will be on the earliest feeding experiences - breast- and formula-feeding - and the unique role of …

Associations Between Bottle-Feeding Intensity And Maternal Encouragement Of Bottle-Emptying, Alison K. Ventura, Patsy Garcia, Andrew A. Schaffner

Kinesiology and Public Health

Objective: To explore longitudinal associations between bottle-feeding and maternal encouragement of infant bottle-emptying during the first 6 months of infancy.

Design: Mothers completed questionnaires during the third trimester of pregnancy, then monthly during the first 6 months postpartum. Questionnaires assessed family demographics, maternal and infant weight status, infant feeding patterns and maternal encouragement of infant bottle-emptying.

Setting: The Infant Feeding Practices Study 2, conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

Subjects: Mothers (n 1776).

Results: Repeated-measures regression was used to explore associations between bottle-feeding intensity (BFI; defined as the percentage …

As-844-17 Resolution On Kinesiology Department Name Change To Department Of Kinesiology And Public Health, Kinesiology Department

Academic Senate Resolutions

That the name of the Department of Kinesiology be changed to the 17 Department of Kinesiology and Public Health.

Solar Powered Single-Axis Heliostat Active Solar Tracking Device, Mason Kyle Roberts

Physics

As a means of cooking food, the burning of biomass accounts for over 4 million premature deaths in third world countries (“Household Air Pollution and Health”). The focus of this project was to explore an alternative that could utilize focused sunlight to cook food. A solar tracker was designed to be affixed to a parabolic, reflective, tilted single axis heliostat to follow the sun throughout the day and focus the reflected light to the bottom of a cooking surface. This surface became hot enough to for the preparation of food or boiling/sterilization of water.

A goal for each project was …

Influence Of Fibroblasts On Functional Arteriogenesis In A Murine Chronic Hindlimb Ischemia Model, Ashli A. Santos

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) occurs when there is a narrowing or blockage – usually a buildup of plaque - within the arteries that reduces blood flow to tissues which can chronic ischemia. As with most diseases, early detection and proactive treatment are important to maximize prognosis. Exercise effectively treats PAOD, but due to ischemic pain in the limbs, or intermittent claudication (IC), exercise can become painful and difficult. Due to the buildup of plaque, occlusions create an ischemic environment that changes the pressure distribution in collateral networks and increases the shear stress in transverse collaterals. Those two responses signal …

Assessing The Effect Of Nutritional Interventions On Body Composition Changes During Pregnancy In Moderately Malnourished Malawian Women, Megan K. Kitagawa

Master's Theses

Background: Malnutrition can affect the body composition changes that occur in healthy pregnancy, resulting in adverse effects to both the mother and infant. Supplementary foods with high quality protein may result in more favorable changes in lean mass and fat mass in pregnant malnourished women.

Objective: To retrospectively assess changes in body composition in moderately malnourished pregnant Malawian women in response to one of three nutritional interventions.

Methods: Height, weight, MUAC, and TSF were measured in pregnant women with MUAC >20.6 cm and19) were compared using ANOVA. If differences were detected, differences between groups were tested using the Tukey HSD …

Swanton Pacific Ranch: Student Research Bibliography, Jeanine Marie Scaramozzino, Cameron Anvari, Bailey Kirby, Duncan Davis-Hall, Kate Tenley

Library Scholarship

Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR) is a 3,200-acre ranch in Santa Cruz County, California, outside the town of Davenport. The ranch is an educational and research facility owned by the Cal Poly Corporation and managed by the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. SPR is a learning laboratory that employs Cal Poly’s Learn By Doing philosophy. Many students have completed research projects at SPR but no complete list of student projects exists.

This bibliography includes Cal Poly authored student research and those co-authored with Cal Poly faculty and staff. Documents include senior projects, master’s …

Proteomic Analysis Of The Crustacean Molting Gland (Y-Organ) Over The Course Of The Molt Cycle, Talia B. Head

Master's Theses

Molting in crustaceans is a highly complex physiological process involving negative regulation by two paired endocrine glands, the X-organ/sinus gland complex (XO/SG) and the Y-organ (YO). The XO/SG complex is responsible for making molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) which negatively regulates synthesis of the molting hormones, ecdysteroids, by the YO. Analysis of gene expression in the XOs and YOs has led to the development of a proposed molecular signaling pathway which regulates ecdysteroidogenesis and subsequent molting in crustaceans. In this study, changes in protein abundance in the YO were characterized over the course of a molt cycle (intermolt, early premolt, mid premolt, …

Sex Differences And The Effects Of Exercise Training On Functional Vasodilation Following Arterial Occlusion In The Balb/C Mouse Spinotrapezius, Britta Nelson

Master's Theses

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) often presents as intermittent claudication, which may be caused by impaired vasodilation. Impairment of resistance vessels may contribute to the pathogenesis of PAOD, and explain the poor correlation between resting blood flow and limb function. Collateral function following arterial occlusion is not well defined, however collaterals and arterialized collateral capillaries (ACCs) in male and female animal models exhibit impaired vasodilation following arterial occlusion, which can potentially be improved with exercise training. Furthermore, resistance vessels in the ischemic tree and stem are likely involved in the pathogenesis of PAOD, however the relative importance of each is …

Forest Densification Over 85 Years In A Sierra Nevada Mixed-Conifer Forest Decreases Conifer Regeneration And Limits Survival, Marissa A. Vossmer

Master's Theses

Forest densification in response to a century of fire suppression in Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests has decreased conifer regeneration and survival. Increases in overstory biomass and decreases in canopy heterogeneity, along with decreases in shrub cover in the understory, has created unfavorable establishment site conditions for conifer species. Establishment site conditions are key in promoting germination and establishment of conifers seeds and in determining the survival of these seedlings into the overstory. These changes in establishment site suitability resulting from the removal of disturbance from these forests has decreased conifer regeneration and survival into other age classes. In Sierra …

Exploring The Relationship Of Urban Form And Mental Health In The 500 Largest Cities Of The United States, Daniel Sam Harrison

Master's Theses

Sustainable development efforts frequently focus on understanding and promoting the factors that influence health and wellbeing. Urban environments have received attention in recent years as spaces which can increase psychological distress. Despite hypothesized reports of urban environments being less conducive to good mental health then natural environments, few studies have investigated the effects of urban form characteristics (size, density, nuisances, transportation, and housing characteristics) and mental health measures at the city level. Using 2014 data from the 500 largest cities in the United States, this thesis evaluates the relationship between urban form and aggregate self-report scores of poor mental health. …

Planning For A Community Wildfire Protection Plan In San Luis Obispo County, Justin Sauder

City and Regional Planning

San Luis Obispo County has a long history of wildfires and can be expected every fire season. Agencies providing fire protection do an excellent job at reducing the risk to loss of life, property, and natural resources in the area, but there is always room for improvement. California in general is experiencing increasingly longer, hotter, and drier fire seasons due to climate change, and San Luis Obispo County is no exception. As the population increases urban development is pushed to the outer limits of city boundaries where it often conflicts with forests in an area called the wildland urban interface. …

Potential Of Ozone And Hydroxyl Radicals To Degrade Emerging Organic Contaminants, Lisa Elaine Vance

Master's Theses

Advanced water treatment processes are necessary for the treatment of emerging organic contaminants. Traditional treatment processes do not filter or treat these contaminants causing humans and animals to come into contact and ingest them, both causing illness. Advanced oxidation processes are a good alternative method, but are cost and time intensive.

Previous research on ozone and hydroxyl radicals leads to the conclusion that they might be a vial option for advanced water treatment processes. To test the effects of ozone and hydroxyl radicals on the destruction of algae, ozonated phosphate buffer was mixed with Anabaena and modified BG11 culture media …

Strategies For Increasing The Release Of Pigments In Red Wine, Briana Heywood

Master's Theses

The perception of wine’s quality is directly influenced by its color. Anthocyanin molecules are responsible for imparting color to red wines. They are extracted from grape skins during alcoholic fermentation. This work compares the effects of three parameters: berry integrity, enzyme addition, and fermentation temperature, on phenolic compound extraction (total phenol, tannin and anthocyanin) during the production of Paso Robles’ Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Analyses on phenolic compounds were completed during alcoholic fermentation and barrel aging over the course of eighteen months. Berry integrity compared the degree of berry crushing (whole destemmed berries versus fully crushed berries). Results showed that phenolic …

Investigation Of Ammonia And Nitrate Removal From Municipal Wastewater Using Biowish, Emily Holland

Master's Theses

This research entails investigation of ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite removal from wastewater using a proprietary blend of bacteria known as BiOWiSH^TM. The degradation rates of ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite for Aqua were determined using wastewater at the San Luis Obispo Water Resource Recovery Facility (SLO WRRF). Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to test how Aqua compared with natural bacteria for removal of nitrogen compounds. Preliminary data suggested that Aqua performed nitrate removal best in SLO WRRF wastewater at the secondary clarifier. Aqua could perform anoxic and aerobic denitrification in secondary clarifier wastewater. In mineral media, Aqua removed …

Multi-Scale Assembly Methodologies Of Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) Derivative Systems For Enhanced Optoelectronic Anisotropy, David William Bilger

Master's Theses

Conjugated polymers represent a class of semi-conducting materials with numerous applications in optoelectronic devices, including organic light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors, and photovoltaics. Because of the numerous advantages of macromolecular systems, including solution processing and mechanical flexibility, conjugated polymers have become a burgeoning field of research with the hopes of producing cost-effective solution-based electronics. Importantly, optoelectronic device performance is heavily influenced by conjugated polymer backbone orientation and overall thin film morphology. As such, the processing conditions of these systems are important to the construction of high- performance optoelectronics. Polythiophenes are model conjugated polymers that have been studied extensively in halogenated organic …

Removal Of Nitrates From Stormwater Using Nanoclays, Rubia Siddiqi

Master's Theses

Creeks and rivers are often polluted as a result of stormwater runoff that carries various contaminants in to open water bodies, causing adverse environmental and health effects. Low impact development (LID) techniques are currently employed to treat this runoff prior to discharge. Nitrate, however, is not consistently removed by these LID techniques. This study analyzed the ability of several nanoclays to remove nitrate in runoff and determined the feasibility of using them as a soil supplement for LID implementation. Six different nanoclays and HCl-treated clays were compared (pre-modified trimethyl stearyl ammonium nanoclay, pre-modified dimethyl dialkyl amine nanoclay, unmodified hydrophilic bentonite, …

Socioeconomic Status, Air Quality And Geographic Variation In Emergency Room Visits For Acute Bronchitis On The California Central Coast, Sean Lang-Brown, Heather W. Starnes, Gary B. Hughes

Symposium

IMPORTANCE: Analysis of geospatial variation in acute bronchitis due to socioeconomic and environmental factors can allow the efficient delivery of resources to populations most at risk.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine if small scale variation in socioeconomic factors and emergency room (ER) visits for acute bronchitis are associated in small cities or rural communities. We also modeled the effects of air quality on daily rates of ER visits for acute bronchitis in the context of socioeconomic factors to investigate modifying relationships.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We examined ER visits for acute bronchitis in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties …

Symposium Volume 4, Issue 1, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Symposium

Collection of research projects conducted by students of the College of Science and Mathematics at California Polytechnic State University

Reflections On Tom Regan And The Animal Rights Movement That Once Was, Gary L. Francione

Between the Species

No abstract provided.