Digital Commons Network^™

Mapping Plant Biodiversity Hotspots At The County Scale: A New Tool For Establishing Resource Conservation Strategies, Kristie Haydu

Master's Theses

Myers first identified the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots and pioneered innovative ideas about the usefulness of biodiversity models for establishing long-term resource conservation strategies at global scales. Since Myers, most of the subsequent studies using hotspot science for biodiversity modeling have used large spatial scales like countries, provinces or states, and other biogeoraphic regions. The California Floristic Province continues to be one of the recognized global biodiversity hotspots. Our study site, San Luis Obispo County is within this hotspot and we created a map of plant biodiversity hotspots at the county scale using GIS technology. We wanted to determine the …

The American Duality: Exceptionalism Or Exemptionalism?, Courtney Muniz

Communication Studies

Discusses how the ethnocentric tendencies found within American exceptionalism translate into U.S. foreign policy.

Rethinking Juvenile Justice: Using Communication To Combat Inequality, Victimization And Recidivism Among Detained Youth, Christine Alyse Herman

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Design And Testing Of A Low Cost Prosthetic Foot, Shalan Ertis, John Kearns, Seija Maniskas

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design Of Indio High School Agriculture Shop, Justin Mcbride

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Irrigation System Evaluation And Pump Efficiency, Gregory Borges

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project encompasses the Evaluation of a drip irrigation system for a Pistachio orchard in Tulare, Ca. The project parameters were decided on by Borges Farms. After the evaluation suggestions are to be made for improving the system’s efficiency. These suggestions must be approved by the grower and show whether they are cost efficient. The irrigation system cannot be modified to fit the pump chosen.

Research for the project encompasses drip irrigation systems, irrigation pump efficiency, irrigation management, well reclamation techniques and pistachio water requirements. A Distribution Uniformity evaluation was performed to understand how sand has affected the system. I …

Stream Channel Survey And Fish Population Study Of Upper Stenner Creek, Adam Butler

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Viscoelastic Anisotropic Finite Element Mixture Model Of Articular Cartilage Using Viscoelastic Collagen Fibers And Validation With Stress Relaxation Data, Matthew Alexander Griebel

Master's Theses

Experimental results show that collagen fibers exhibit stress relaxation under tension and a highly anisotropic distribution. To further develop the earlier model of Stender [1], the collagen constituent was updated to reflect its intrinsic viscoelasticity and anisotropic distribution, and integrated with an existing mixture model with glycosaminoglycans and ground substance matrix. A two-term Prony series expansion of the quasi-linear viscoelastic model was chosen to model the viscoelastic properties of the collagen fibers. Material parameters were determined by using the simplex method to minimize the sum of squared errors between model results and experimental stress relaxation data of tissue in tension. …

Comparing Anti-Vegf Antibodies And Aptamers On Paper Microfluidic-Based Platforms, Katherine Noel Clayton

Master's Theses

The field of microfluidics is expanding into what is known as paper microfluidics. This uses a paper platform rather than materials (i.e. PDMS, PMMA) that are commonly used in microfluidics research. Current devices require an expensive manufacturing process and external sources to power the device. Such devices are not practical in low resource environments. As a consequence, it is the goal of this Thesis to develop a three-dimensional, multiplexed assay chip using nitrocellulose membranes. This device comprises of multiple layers of nitrocellulose membranes with defined fluidic channels. The multiple layers are bound together using double backed tape, and imbedded between …

Becoming Cittaslow: A City's Journey To Becoming A Cittaslow Member, Megan Alexis Elovich

Master's Theses

The project will explore Cittaslow as an alternative to traditional urban development. Sprawl and consumption of non-local resources are discouraged with Cittaslow and preservation of culture and history become the tangible benchmarks of the community. It will explore the history of Cittaslow as a movement and an organization; as well as its influences on existing member cities and the criteria used to distinguish them from others. The City of San Luis Obispo is used as a case study to determine whether existing conditions measure up to Cittaslow criteria.

Characterization Of Raw Milk Fouling On Plate-Type Heat Exchangers Using Different Alloys And Cow Phenotypes, Stephen Ernest Nelson

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Characterization Of Raw Milk Fouling On Plate-Type Heat Exchangers Using Different Alloys And Cow PhenotypeS

Stephen Ernest Nelson

Milk and other dairy products are widely used in many households today. Milk is a popular beverage that is seen as a healthy alternative to other synthetic beverages such as soda pop and other sugar based drinks. It became law that milk, and milk products are pasteurized before its release to the general public (FDA 2003). Pasteurization is a thermal process where the intent is to lower the concentration of microorganisms in the milk to render it safe to drink with …

Development Of A Protocol To Measure Gene Expression In The Mouse Tibia, Daniel Hoover

Biomedical Engineering

Numerous molecular factors active in bone tissue direct fracture repair and remodeling which can be altered by disease conditions such as Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and Osteoporosis. Methods of molecular biology are commonly applied to investigate the expression and role of these molecular factors. This project presents a robust three-step protocol for examining gene expression in the mouse tibia. The protocol begins with isolating RNA from a flash frozen tibia sample. The isolated RNA is reverse transcribed into cDNA. Finally, PCR is performed to indentify expressed genes. Establishing this protocol will allow further research into the mechanisms of bone remodeling …

Gaussian Beam Steering On A Target Plane Via High Speed Orthogonal Mirror-Mounted Galvanometers, Keith Gresiak

Physics

No abstract provided.

Spread Spectrum Jamming, Edward Hwang, Karl Sanders

Electrical Engineering

Direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) is a modulation technique that has been used in many telecommunication devices. Unlike the case of a single frequency carrier, the modulated signal in DSSS occupies a much wider bandwidth in order to reduce the possible interferences with narrow band communication signals. Considering the fact that spread spectrum is generally used to resist jamming, there are very few documented techniques or methods on jamming spread spectrum signals

In this project, we attempt to jam a remote control (RC) car (manufactured by Traxxas) that employs DSSS. The multichannel transmitter of a Sony camera is used as a …

A Conservation Plan For Reservoir Canyon Natural Reserve, San Luis Obispo, Ca, Brian M. Provenzale

Master's Theses

My thesis project is to create a conservation plan for the Reservoir Canyon Natural Reserve (RCNR) in San Luis Obispo, California. It is a professional project for the City of San Luis Obispo with the goal of eventual adoption by the City Council. The plan was motivated by City policy, which advises creating conservation plans for open spaces, and by a particular need to address management issues in RCNR that include plant and wildlife conservation, trail access, erosion, electrical utility easements, and other legal matters. The project consists of two main components: the conservation plan and a companion paper. The …

A Kinetic Study Of Anti-Vegf-A Polyclonal Antibodies And Anti-Vegf-A Ssdna Aptamers, Heather A. Hedeen

Master's Theses

A new detection reagent that could possibly augment or replace antibodies research and diagnosis methods are aptamers. Aptamers are ssDNA, RNA or polypeptide constructs that function like active antibodies. Antibodies and aptamers both specifically bind to selected target molecules, and as such they enable the detection or targeting of the presence or absence of a specific antigen.

In order to ensure that ssDNA aptamers perform similarly to antibodies, anti-VEGF-A polyclonal antibody and anti-VEGF-A ssDNA aptamer were evaluated against vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). It was hypothesized that the anti-VEGF-A aptamer had the same, if …

Teaching Introductory Programming Concepts: A Comparison Of Scratch And Arduino, Anne Beug

Master's Theses

Computing has become an integral part of modern America. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that between 2008 and 2018, the United States will have 1.4 million job openings in computing fields [1]. Since the early 2000's (just after the "dot com bust"), the number of students enrolled in computing majors (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, etc.) dropped precipitously by over 50%, only starting to rise again in 2009 [2]. One way to rectify to this gap between demand and supply is to start training students in computational thinking during high school. While the Computer Science Advanced Placement AB test has …

Scanning Electron Microscopy And Histology Imaging And Analysis Of Decellularized Porcine Vessel, Evans Moc, Jimmy Thai

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

"I Had The Craziest Dream Last Night...": A Foucauldian Analysis Of Black Swan, Samantha Rose Prochnow

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

The Spatial Games: Investigating The Spatial Distribution Of Anax And Select Prey As A Function Of Predator-Prey Interactions, Shane Elizabeth Johnson, Nene Kumashe Ugbah

Biological Sciences

Our study investigated the spatial distribution and movement behavior of predatory dragonfly larvae (Anax) and of two prey types: mosquito larvae and amphipods. Predator-prey interactions have important consequences for the population dynamics of both predator and prey groups and these interactions can shape community structure. We measured behavior of each prey type in the presence of the Anax predator and the behavior of the predator in the presence of these alternative prey types. Observations were made in five-gallon aquaria where a grid pattern allowed us to track the number of moves made by individuals. We compiled data from …

Esem Analysis Of Mice Femurs With Varying Sost Levels, Patrick K. Mcclay

Biomedical Engineering

This project’s goal was to analyze the properties of the cortical femur on 100 mice bones from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Analysis was limited to imaging which determined the ratio of bone volume to total volume (BV/TV) and osteocyte lacunae density. Mice were altered to knock out their SOST gene: a negative regulator of bone formation. Twelve groups were created to differentiate their treatment, duration, and phenotype. Transgenic (TG) mice had an overexpression of the SOST gene: they carried a bacterial artificial chromosome. Mice with limb defects (DEF) were the offspring of two TG mice and carried twice the amount …

Sustainable Agriculture, Charlene Mills

Social Sciences

This paper is about sustainable agriculture and how we can strive to achieve it. It discusses what is wrong with our food system today and how we can go about changing that. It incorporates Geography and Anthropology while discussing different issues around the world.

The Invasion Of California Grasslands: Past, Present, And Future Implications, Danielle Simone Caziarc

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Solid Set Sprinkler Design For An Apricot Orchard, Kyle Moeller

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The goal of this project was to design a solid set sprinkler system as well as a cost analysis for a 60 acre field. This allows for water to be distributed throughout an entire field at low flow rates allowing water to be used more efficiently and effectively. Completing a design such as this will allow some cost saving by the farmer throughout the systems use.

A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Women's Sexual Health, Ariel Manu Eastburn

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Life Of Water, Sherry Pogorzelski

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Reducing The Enviromental Impact Of Horse Keeping, Amanda R. Shere

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Articulating Sexuality: A Critical History Of Gay And Lesbian Anthropology, Carly Fox

Social Sciences

The purpose of this paper is to explore anthropological discourses regarding sexuality and relate them to the lived experiences of individuals. The paper is divided into two interrelated sections: historical and theoretical. Section one identifies a subfield within anthropology, gay and lesbian anthropology, most prominently represented by The Society of Lesbian and Gay Anthropologists (SOLGA), and traces its emergence within the wider discipline of anthropology. It highlights the foundational scholars and theoretical shifts that have been crucial in defining the subfield as it is today and looks at how early anthropologists approached sexuality in general, and same- sex sexuality in …

Aging Out Of Foster Care: A Review Of Best Practices Towards Prevention And Amelioration, Katherine Lukov Stock

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Concentration, Stir Rate, And Processing Temperature On The Iridescence Of Polymethyl Methacrylate Nanoparticles, David Baruela

Materials Engineering

Synthetic opals were synthesized by creating polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanospheres in order to determine which conditions would create the best iridescent samples. The factors affecting the iridescence were nanosphere concentration, stir rate, and processing temperature. PMMA solutions were made by adding 17 mg of granular azobis to a solution of 16 mL of distilled water with 3 mL of methyl methacrylate (MMA). The solution was stirred at different rates, slow and fast, and different temperatures, 70 °C and 90 °C, under a constant flow of nitrogen gas for 40 minutes until the polymerization reaction was complete. Glass substrates were prepared …