Digital Commons Network^™

Impedance-Based Detection Of Tissue Using A Multi-Electrode Device, Shane Killian Fleshman

Master's Theses

Melanoma skin cancer is the abnormal growth of the melanocytes – the pigmented cells located in the epidermis. The current gold standard diagnostic technique for determining whether a lesion is cancerous involves subjectively examining suspicious lesions and performing an invasive biopsy to confirm melanoma. This method may neglect some lesions or cause scarring from biopsies that turn out to be benign. Thus, impedance-based detection using a multi-electrode device was investigated as a noninvasive technique to diagnose melanoma skin cancer. The multi-electrode device was designed with 8 equally spaced Ag/AgCl electrodes surrounding one central electrode at a 5 mm radius. The …

Living With Emerging Contaminants: Proteomics Of 4-Nonylphenol Exposed Arrow Goby (Clevelandia Ios), Sarah Emily Johnson

Master's Theses

Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs) are widely used in industrial and household products as surfactants. APEs degrade into more toxic ethoxylates, such as 4-nonylphenol (NP), which has been shown to be an endocrine disruptor and enhance the growth of tumor cells. Nonylphenol is wider spread in Pacific estuaries than originally thought. Organisms in Morro Bay, California contain some of the highest concentrations of NP reported, while containing few other contaminants. As a benthic mud-dwelling fish, the arrow goby (Clevelandia ios) may be exposed to high levels of NP due to high contaminant sequestration rates in anaerobic mud. While ecotoxicology suggests …

Residential Water Conservation: A Cross Comparative Analysis, Jeffrey M. Cook

Master's Theses

This thesis will explore different water conservation strategies and systems in the residential home, using the city of Irvine as a basis. The thesis will compare the financial implications between the different systems and as a return on investment. The analysis will also account for ecological and social implications on the occupants, in particular their standard of living and lifestyle changes. The thesis will explore the ability to conserve water in new residential construction and will provide a sustainable and conscientious schematic water design for the particular area of concern.

This thesis will act as a preliminary case study for …

Factors That Relate To Overweight And Obesity In Preschool Children: An Investigation Of Preschool Children In San Luis Obispo County, Kyla Tom

Master's Theses

In the United States the trend towards overweight and obesity has been a major health concern as it has been linked to a variety of health problems. A nation-wide initiative, “Let’s Move” created by Michelle Obama was launched in February 2010 with the goal that, in one generation; every child born will be at a healthy weight at the start of adulthood. Healthy People 2020 are national health objectives for the United States to obtain by 2020. In 2009, San Luis Obispo (SLO) County preschool children overweight and obesity rates mirrored national rates of 1 in 5 four-year-old children were …

Wind- Chimney (Integrating The Principles Of A Wind-Catcher And A Solar-Chimney To Provide Natural Ventilation), Fereshteh Tavakolinia

Master's Theses

WIND-CHIMNEY

Integrating the principles of a wind-catcher and a solar chimney to provide natural ventilation

Fereshteh Tavakolinia

Abstract

This paper suggests using a wind-catcher integrated with a solar-chimney in a single story building so that the resident might benefit from natural ventilation, a passive cooling system, and heating strategies; it would also help to decrease energy use, CO2 emissions, and pollution. This system is able to remove undesirable interior heat pollution from a building and provide thermal comfort for the occupant.
The present study introduces the use of a solar-chimney with an underground air channel combined with a wind-catcher, all …

Simulated Effects Of Varied Landscape-Scale Fuel Treatments On Carbon Dynamics And Fire Behavior In The Klamath Mountains Of California, Kevin J. Osborne

Master's Theses

I utilized forest growth model (FVS-FFE) and fire simulation software (FlamMap, Randig), integrated through GIS software (ArcMap9.3), to quantify the impacts varied landscape-scale fuel treatments have on short-term onsite carbon loss, long-term onsite carbon storage, burn probability, conditional flame length, and mean fire size. Thirteen fuel treatment scenarios were simulated on a 42,000 hectare landscape in northern California: one untreated, three proposed by the US Forest Service, and nine that were spatially-optimized and developed with the Treatment Optimization Model in FlamMap. The nine scenarios developed in FlamMap varied by treatment intensity (10%, 20%, and 30% of the landscape treated) and …

Impact Of Collateral Enlargement On Smooth Muscle Phenotype, Alexander Jerome Bynum

Master's Theses

Peripheral Artery Disease is a very serious disease characterized by an arterial occlusion due to atherosclerotic plaques. In response to an arterial occlusion, arteriogenesis occurs, causing smooth muscle cells to transition from a contractile to synthetic state. Also following an arterial occlusion, functional impairment was seen in the collateral circuit. An immunofluorescence protocol was developed in order to assess the impact of collateral enlargement (arteriogenesis) on smooth muscle phenotype at various time points. Smooth muscle α-actin was used to mark all smooth muscle cells, Ki-67 was used to label proliferating smooth muscle cells, and a fluorescent nuclear stain was used …

Freight Truck Traffic Associated With The Port Of Oakland: A Case Study Of Roadway Impacts, James Hinkamp

Master's Theses

The Port of Oakland (“Port”) is the 5th largest container seaport by volume in the U.S. and the largest in Northern California. Maritime shipping activity at the Port exceeds 2 million import and export twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers annually. Containers may be full or empty, but nonetheless typically require hinterland shipment and intermodal transfer between maritime and land-based freight distribution systems. The freight trucking mode (“drayage”) handles approximately 80% of all TEU throughput at the Port, thus constituting the majority of landside Port traffic. The Port is also situated adjacent to dense urban development thereby exacting certain external impacts. …

Engine Simulation And Diagnostic Test Bed: Final Design Report, Jeff Lewis, Cody Scott, Todd Smith

Mechanical Engineering

The San Luis Obispo High School Automotive Technology Shop has a 1991 Buick V-6 Engine which uses the OBD-I (On-Board Diagnostics, generation one) standard for diagnostic testing and troubleshooting. In order to expand the capabilities of the Automotive Technology program and allow students to gain first-hand experience troubleshooting older OBD-I engines, the shop has a need for this engine to become part of a diagnostic and troubleshooting test bed. Some of the diagnostic tests the students will perform include checking cylinder pressure, monitoring coolant system temperatures, interpreting error codes from the OBD-I system, and conducting enhanced smog testing. All of …

Review Of Package Warning Labels And Their Effect On Consumer Behaviour With Insights To Future Anticounterfeit Strategy Of Label And Communication Systems, John Spink, Jay Singh, S. Paul Singh

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This paper investigates and reviews literature regarding a range of topics important to the research question – the themes apply across all the topics. The topics include label and package warnings, including tamperevident features, to review their effect on the consumer behaviour of changing usage or purchase decisions. This information was then applied to gain insight into anticounterfeit product/package efforts. Based on this research, it appears that there is value for brand marketers to enhance their anticounterfeit efforts and consumer confidence by utilizing warning labels and information labels on their labels or packages. Currently, consumer perception of a domestic counterfeit …

Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy And Risk Factors For Cardiovascular Disease In Adulthood, Bernardo Lessa Horta, Denise P. Gigante, Aydin Nazmi, Vera Maria F. Silveira, Isabel Oliveira, Cesar G. Victora

Food Science and Nutrition

Objective: This study was aimed at assessing the effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on metabolic cardiovascular risk factors in early adulthood in a Brazilian birth cohort, after controlling for possible confounding variables and health behaviors in early adulthood.

Methods: In 1982, the maternity hospitals in Pelotas, southern Brazil, were visited and all births were identified. Those livebirths whose family lived in the urban area of the city were studied prospectively. In 2004–2005, we attempted to follow the whole cohort, the subjects were interviewed, examined and blood sample was collected. The following outcomes were studied: blood pressure; HDL cholesterol; triglycerides; …

City Of Industry: An Historical Precedent And Its Concrete Effects, Christina A. Hernandez

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

No abstract provided.

Wiihopp, Jeff Christian, Ben Hoselton, Derek Simon

Mechanical Engineering

Childhood obesity is becoming a growing problem in the United States. According to the CDC, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years [7]. It can lead to health problems previously reserved for adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. For the team WiiHopp project, we plan to turn a JumpSport mini-trampoline into a controller for the Nintendo Wii console. The hope is to help turn the problem of video games and the laziness surrounding them into an active solution to combat the problem of childhood obesity.

Our goal is to produce an add-on …

Strider, George Cummings, Brian Kreidle, Ricky Lee, Clark Steen

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of An Antimicrobial Textile Coating, William M. Morris

Chemistry and Biochemistry

A titania nanosol was synthesized and coated onto nylon/cotton blended textile substrates. The substrates were characterized via SEM for adhesion and nanoparticle formation, then subjected to antimicrobial efficacy tests. The titania nanosol was successfully coated on to textiles samples. Particles were observed to be around 2 by 3 micrometers and formed between the interstitial space of textile fibers. Although larger than typical nanoparticles, the coatings exhibited what seemed to be antimicrobial activity. Titania nanosol coated textile samples were subjected to Kirby Bauer Assay in the presence of S. aureus. The coated textile sample exhibited an inhibition of growth around its …

Early Forest Fire Detection In The Spectral Domain, Dennis Keyes

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Activity And Rumination Monitoring For Calving Times, David Weststeyn

Dairy Science

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Amylase Supplementation With Low-Starch Rations: Effects On Milk Production And Feed Consumption, Alfred Eaton

Dairy Science

The objective of this trial was to determine if there was an increase in milk production or a decrease in feed consumption by dairy cattle when fed an exogenous rumen-resistant amylase, named RumiStar. High feed prices have caused dairymen to look for new ways to be more efficient. Commercial feed additives have been proposed as opportunities to improve efficiency. In our study a minimum of eighty multiparous Holstein cows were assigned to each of two pens, with a minimum of forty cows in each. Cows that completed their lactation during the study period were replaced with fresh cows to keep …

Digitally-Controlled Deep Brain Stimulation Lead Implant System, Matthew Joseph Phillips

Master's Theses

Deep brain stimulation, the treatment of disorders by applying electrical stimulation to brain tissue, is a relatively new field of medicine with great potential to provide cures for neurological disorders. It utilizes a system very similar to a cardiac pacemaker and lead to electrically stimulate brain tissue. This electrical stimulation is programmed to disrupt or mask aberrant brain signals while not impeding the normal function of the brain. The advances in implantable pulse generators designed for deep brain stimulation have been remarkable, and the applications for deep brain stimulation continue to grow including multiple sclerosis (Berk, et al. 2002), severe …

Improving Flavor Of Slo: Volunteer Engagement, Motivation, And Goal Setting In Event Planning, Kendall Ann Young

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Cabbychic, Stephanie Stroud

Communication Studies

College students are presented with new challenges as they transfer from their known world to a new one with social pressures, challenging education, and time management issues, just to name a few. Over the past decade there has been a change in the social dynamics of college students, especially as it relates to partying. As a result there is a growing demand for safe, sober and available rides home, which women in particular feel comfortable taking. This senior project and business plan will solve the need for such a service in the San Luis Obispo area as well as investigate …

Hiring And Recruitment As Rhetorical Strategies: An Analysis Of The Way Businesses Approach Graduating University Students And Influence Their Choices, Sean D. Gibson

Communication Studies

To answer the question, which rhetorical strategies are most persuasive to university graduates regarding hiring and recruitment, I surveyed three classrooms with a questionnaire that gauged university graduates attraction to three different types of rhetorical strategies. The rhetoric came from three major businesses that recruit university graduates: College Works Painting, Peace Corps, and Hewlett Packard.

Each one of these businesses uses a different type of strategy to recruit university graduates. College Works Painting uses an Experience Illusion strategy based on the premise that the company will help train university graduates to become managers and leaders in business. Peace Corps’ uses …

Overview Of Healthcare Quality: Hospitals And Public Health Trends: Rural Vs. Urban, Sandy S. Lee

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Communication Differences Among International Nonprofit Public Relations, Emily Morelli

Journalism

This is an explorative study on the issues among communication professionals in the international nonprofit field, particularly public relations practitioners. This study will analyze data gathered from professional and peer-reviewed publications detailing the communication styles of public relations practitioners working in and with nonprofits on an international level. Information on education, culture and government were taken into account. Interviews with professionals in the international journalism and education field, international nonprofit field and international public relations field were conducted to gather further information regarding cultural, educational and governmental differences that affect the communication of public relations practitioners in international nonprofit organizations

Poly Press Association: Unifying A Department Through The Development Of A Student Organization, Jessica Tam

Journalism

The Poly Press Association is designed to help students who are enrolled in the journalism department at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California as they go through their academic years in the university. The goal of this project is to unite all three of the department’s concentrations – Public Relations, News Editorial, and Broadcasting – to create a more holistic environment. With the help of faculty intuition and student opinion, this student organization is centered on helping and building a stronger department.

Peer Intervention Strategies For Breastfeeding Promotion Among Low Income Latinas In The Us: A Literature Review, Amanda Torres

Food Science and Nutrition

No abstract provided.

Seasonal And Anatomical Variation In Compact Bone Remodeling In The Adult Sheep, Joseph Calcagno

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

SEASONAL AND ANATOMICAL VARIATION IN COMPACT BONE REMODELING IN THE ADULT SHEEP

Joseph Calcagno

In order to determine whether ovine compact bone is suitable for study of osteoporosis, the remodeling parameters of the untreated animal must be fully characterized. Ovine compact bone is an attractive large animal model due to its similarities in size and bone remodeling to humans. However hormonal, exercise, and dietary changes due to seasonal changes can cause treatment effects to be hidden or superimposed on existing changes in the bone. In order to determine if any seasonal or anatomical variation occurred in the compact bone …

Dimensional Stability Of Geosynthetic Clay Liners In Landfill Applications, Gregory R. Olsen

Master's Theses

An investigation was conducted related to the dimensional stability of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) in landfill applications. Multiple occurrences of panel separation of overlap seams in GCLs have been documented; however, explanation for the relative contribution of various mechanisms causing shrinkage has been limited. A systematic test program was conducted to determine the effects of a variety of conditions on GCL dimensional stability.

Effects of initial moisture content, permeant type, and overburden pressure were tested by subjecting various GCL products to wet-dry cycles and measuring the dimensional change with each cycle. Different GCL types were each tested under various combinations …

The Influence Of Chilling And Heat Accumulation On Bloom Timing, Bloom Length And Crop Yield In Almonds (Prunus Dulcis (Mill.)), Melanie M. Covert

Master's Theses

Almonds are one of the first commercial nut trees to bloom in early spring and thus are susceptible to temperature patterns prior to and during bloom which affect bloom timing, bloom length, pollination and nut set. Data used in this project include yearly dates of 90% bloom from 1996-2006, bloom length in days and final crop yields in pounds per tree for Nonpareil and Mission varieties. Data were collected from the University of California Cooperative Extension reports on the 1993-2006 Regional Almond Variety Trials in Butte, San Joaquin and Kern Counties. Temperature pattern models in the form of Chill Hours …

Madonna Inn: A Hotel In Context, Galadriel Bree Highhouse

Master's Theses

This paper examines the political, economic and social influences that contributed to the development of the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. I provide a brief history of the hotel industry and place the Madonna Inn within the historiography and argue that the nexus of three elements in the 1950s and 1960s led to the growth and popularity of the Madonna Inn: fear of nuclear war, growth of the middle class, and the rise of automobile culture in America.