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The Effect Of Poverty On Child Development And Educational Outcomes, Patrice L. Engle, Maureen M. Black

Psychology and Child Development

Poverty affects a child’s development and educational outcomes beginning in the earliest years of life, both directly and indirectly through mediated, moderated, and transactional processes. School readiness, or the child’s ability to use and profit from school, has been recognized as playing a unique role in escape from poverty in the United States and increasingly in developing countries. It is a critical element but needs to be supported by many other components of a poverty alleviation strategy, such as improved opportunity structures and empowerment of families. The paper reviews evidence from interventions to improve school readiness of children in poverty, …

Robotic Fingerspelling Hand For The Aid Of The Deaf And Blind, Alan Tepe, Saeed Niku

Honors Undergraduate Research Journal

This quarter, work continued on the design and construction of a robotic fingerspelling hand. The hand is being designed to aid in communication for individuals who are both deaf and blind. In the winter quarter, research was centered on determining an effective method of actuation for the robotic hand. This spring 2008 quarter, time was spent designing the mechanisms needed to mimic the size and motions of a human hand. Several methods were used to determine a proper size for the robotic hand, including using the ManneQuinPro human modeling system to approximate the size of an average male human hand …

Optical Low Coherence Reflectometry Applications To Meat Tenderness Testing, Matthew Schlutz, Dennis Derickson

Honors Undergraduate Research Journal

The goal of this research project is to develop an optical low coherence reflectometry (OLCR) system for use in testing meat tenderness. This system will use a precision reflectometer that sends out infrared light to a sample and collects the reflections from the outer layers of the meat to plot a structural representation of the sample in a reflectivity-over-distance measurement. Tenderness is correlated to the relative densities of proteins and connective tissues in the meat, which this technique may be able to image. In the winter of 2007, a system was constructed for testing purposes. In the spring of 2007, …

Design And Verification Of A Sterile Incubator Volume For Maintaining Post-Deposition Cell Viability For Cell Printing Processes, Emily Hakun

Master's Theses

The growing field of tissue engineering requires the design and verification of an environmentally-controlled sterile incubator volume. As this technology advances and the field of cell printing emerges, the need for such a volume increases. This volume shall maintain post-deposition cell viability of printed cells, by maintaining volume sterility and controlling temperature. This becomes more important as more delicate cells are used. Sterility maintenance prevents contamination of the cells, while temperature regulation maintains the optimum temperature for cell viability. Several existing incubator systems are capable of regulating environmental conditions, but none are designed to function with a moving cell deposition …

Two-Dimensional Computer-Generated Ornamentation Using A User-Driven Global Planning Strategy, Dustin Robert Anderson

Master's Theses

Hand drawn ornamentation, such as floral or geometric patterns, is a tedious and time consuming task that requires much skill and training in ornamental design principles and aesthetics. Ornamental drawings both historically and presently play critical roles in all things from art to architecture; however, little work has been done in exploring their algorithmic and interactive generation. The field of computer graphics offers many algorithmic possibilities for assisting an artist in creating two-dimensional ornamental art. When computers handle the repetition and overall structure of ornament, considerable savings in time and money can result. Today, the few existing computer algorithms used …

Contributors

Moebius

No abstract provided.

Holiday Weight Management By Successful Weight Losers And Normal Weight Individuals, Suzanne Phelan, Rena R. Wing, Hollie A. Raynor, Julia Dibello, Kim Nedeau, Wanfeng Peng

Kinesiology and Public Health

This study compared weight control strategies during the winter holidays among successful weight losers (SWL) in the National Weight Control Registry and normal weight individuals (NW) with no history of obesity. SWL (n = 178) had lost a mean of 34.9 kg and had kept =13.6 kg off for a mean of 5.9 years. NW (n = 101) had a body mass index of 18.5-24.9 kg/m². More SWL than NW reported plans to be extremely strict in maintaining their usual dietary routine (27.3% vs. 0%) and exercise routine (59.1% vs. 14.3%) over the holidays. Main effects for group indicated that …

Contributing Students

Honors Undergraduate Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Bone Mass Preservation And Fracture Risk Assessment With Bisphosphonate Therapy During Spaceflight, Christopher Gardina

Master's Theses

Space exploration and microgravity have substantial negative effects on the human body. Symptoms of space explorers include cardiovascular deconditioning, bone loss, muscular atrophy, and impairment of neurovestibular and sensory function. The great loss of bone due long-duration spaceflight increases fracture risk, jeopardizing the success of the mission and postflight recovery. Bisphosphonates may be able to counteract this bone loss by altering the remodeling process. These drugs increase bone mass, thus reducing fracture risk, but also lead to increased levels of fatigue microdamage. Fracture risk can be lowered by increasing both bone mass (quantity) and bone quality.

The purpose of this …

Development Of A Cell Depositing System Using Inkjet Technology, Jason Robert Ozaeta

Master's Theses

In the past decade, advances in tissue engineering have allowed researchers to fabricate simple tissues. However, the process of creating these native tissues is a time consuming and inefficient process. A scaffold must first be fabricated then exposed to a sea of cells in the hopes of seeding. Furthermore, even though cells may have attached, more time must be spent in order to allow the cells to migrate to their ideal locations. To deal with this problem, researchers have investigated whether rapid prototyping principals could be adapted to facilitate the cell seeding process by placing cells in their respective locations …

Mustang Daily, May 29, 2008

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

May 28, 2008 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Unleashed: Cal Poly 5th Year Architecture Show, Architecture Department, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

Architecture

Pamphlet to accompany the Architecture Department thesis show at the Chumash Auditorium, May 23-25, 2008.

Mustang Daily, May 23, 2008

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Mustang Daily, May 22, 2008

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Mustang Daily, May 15, 2008

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

May 14, 2008 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Mustang Daily, May 13, 2008

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Mustang Daily, May 12, 2008

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Cal Poly Students Succeed At Statewide Competition, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Spatial And Temporal Variation In The Natal Otolith Chemistry Of A Hawaiian Reef Fish: Prospects For Measuring Population Connectivity, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg, Scott L. Hamilton, Robert R. Warner

Biological Sciences

One of the most compelling unanswered questions in marine ecology is the extent to which local populations are connected via larval exchange. Recent work has suggested that variation in the chemistry of otoliths (earstones) of fishes may function as a natural tag, potentially allowing investigators to determine sources of individual larvae and estimate larval connectivity. We analyzed the spatial and temporal variation in natal otolith chemistry of a benthic-spawning reef fish from the Hawaiian Islands. We found no consistent chemical variation at the largest scale (>100 km, among islands), but found significant variation at moderate scales (sites within islands, …

Mustang Daily, May 8, 2008

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Mustang Daily, May 7, 2008

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Midwifery, Politics Of Genetics To Be Explored In Two Talks At Cal Poly, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Three-Dimensional Scaffolds For Mammary Epithelial Cell Growth, Megan M. Barry

Master's Theses

Mammary epithelial cells are highly efficient secreting cells. This natural phenomenon has triggered research efforts to focus on using these cells to assist in the production of viable liquids. The application of this technology is nearly endless. If developed successfully, mammary epithelial cells could be used by industries from farming to pharmacology.

The feasibility of culturing epithelial mammary cells which secrete within a three-dimensional scaffold was investigated and is documented within this paper. A biocompatible film with suitable mechanical characteristics and processing properties for use in a bioreactor was developed through multiple iterations. The film that was developed also withstands …

Integrating Across Life-History Stages: Consequences Of Natal Habitat Effects On Dispersal, Michael F. Benard, Shannon J. Mccauley

Biological Sciences

Ecological and evolutionary processes are affected by forces acting at both local and regional scales, yet our understanding of how these scales interact has remained limited. These processes are fundamentally linked through individuals that develop as juveniles in one environment and then either remain in the natal habitat or disperse to new environments. Empirical studies in a diverse range of organisms have demonstrated that the conditions experienced in the natal habitat can have profound effects on the adult phenotype. This environmentally induced phenotypic variation can in turn affect the probability that an individual will disperse to a new environment and …

Inhibition Of Barnacle (Amphibalanus Amphitrite) Cyprid Settlement By Means Of Localized, Pulsed Electric Fields, Rodolfo E. Perez-Roa, Marc A. Anderson, Dan Rittschof, Beatriz Orihuela, Dean Wendt, Gregory L. Kowalke, Daniel R. Noguera

Biological Sciences

The increasing needs for environmental friendly antifouling coatings have led to investigation of new alternatives for replacing copper and TBT-based paints. In this study, results are presented from larval settlement assays of the barnacle Amphibalanus (= Balanus) amphitrite on planar, interdigitated electrodes (IDE), having 8 or 25 mum of inter-electrode spacing, upon the application of pulsed electric fields (PEF). Using pulses of 100 ms in duration, 200 Hz in frequency and 10 V in pulse amplitude, barnacle settlement below 5% was observed, while similar IDE surfaces without pulse application had an average of 40% settlement. The spacing between the electrodes …

Honestly, Who Else Would Fund Such Research? Reflections Of A Non-Smoking Scholar, Michael L. Marlow

Economics

Many public-health researchers are quick to raise charges of bias to explain away the few studies that reach politically incorrect conclusions. Claims of bias are often thrown at researchers who are funded by the industries targeted for aggressive intervention. This paper discusses whether it makes sense that bias is a relevant issue only when researchers have connections to private industry or find fault with government intervention. I focus on the issue of whether smoking bans harm any restaurant or bar owners. This area of research has experienced a large number of claims of bias and deception, leveled against research that …

Bioengineering Cartilage Growth, Maturation, And Form, Gregory M. Williams, Stephen M. Klisch, Robert L. Sah

Mechanical Engineering

Cartilage of articular joints grows and matures to achieve characteristic sizes, forms, and functional properties. Through these processes, the tissue not only serves as a template for bone growth but also yields mature articular cartilage providing joints with a low-friction, wear-resistant bearing material. The study of cartilage growth and maturation is a focus of both cartilage biologists and bioengineers with one goal of trying to create biologic tissue substitutes for the repair of damaged joints. Experimental approaches both in vivo and in vitro are being used to better understand the mechanisms and regulation of growth and maturation processes. This knowledge …

Correlates Of C-Reactive Protein Levels In Young Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study Of 3827 Subjects In Brazil, Aydin Nazmi, I. O. Oliveira, Cesar G. Victora

Food Science and Nutrition

The socio-demographic, behavioral and anthropometric correlates of C-reactive protein levels were examined in a representative young adult Brazilian population. The 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study (Brazil) recruited over 99% of births in the city of Pelotas that year (N = 5914). Individuals belonging to the cohort have been prospectively followed up. In 2004-2005, 77.4% of the cohort was traced, members were interviewed and 3827 individuals donated blood. Analyses of the outcome were based on a conceptual model that differentiated confounders from potential mediators. The following independent variables were studied in relation to levels of C-reactive protein in sex-stratified analyses: skin …