Digital Commons Network^™

Mustang Daily, April 11, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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

Mustang Daily, April 6, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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

Mustang Daily, April 3, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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

University News

Cal Poly Magazine

No abstract provided.

Human Sex Ratios And Sex Distribution In Sibships Of Size 2, William D. Stansfield, Matthew A. Carlton

Biological Sciences

We previously analyzed data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS, 1998 to 2002) on families with two biological children (10 years of age and younger) and found that the distribution of families with two boys, two girls, and one boy + one girl did not statistically conform to a binomial distribution regardless of the boy/girl sex ratio used. Using the best estimate of the sex ratio from the data, we found that there were significantly more families with opposite-sex siblings than families with same-sex siblings. No biological mechanism could explain these results at the time. In the present …

Agriculture At The Urban Interface: Attitudes Of New Rural Residents, Daniel Levi, Kathryn Sperry

Focus

As the buffer between farming and residential areas shrinks, pesticide related conflicts increase. Dan Levi and Kathryn Sperry discuss their study examining environmental attitudes and health impacts of living at the agricultural / urban interface in Oceano, California. The discussion illustrates the importance of including these potential environmental impacts and their mitigation in the planning agenda.

Cal Poly Magazine, Spring 2007

Cal Poly Magazine

No abstract provided.

Review: An End To Qualia? Dennett's Defense Of Heterophenomenology, Jason A. Williams

Psychology and Child Development

No abstract provided.

A Bimodular Polyconvex Anisotropic Strain Energy Function For Articular Cartilage, Stephen M. Klisch

Mechanical Engineering

A strain energy function for finite deformations is developed that has the capability to describe the nonlinear, anisotropic, and asymmetric mechanical response that is typical of articular cartilage. In particular, the bimodular feature is employed by including strain energy terms that are only mechanically active when the corresponding fiber directions are in tension. Furthermore, the strain energy function is a polyconvex function of the deformation gradient tensor so that it meets material stability criteria. A novel feature of the model is the use of bimodular and polyconvex “strong interaction terms” for the strain invariants of orthotropic materials. Several regression analyses …

Spontaneous Hybridization Between Maize And Teosinte, Norman C. Ellstrand, Lauren C. Garner, Subray Hedge, Roberto Guadagnuolo, Lesley Blancas

Horticulture and Crop Science

The closest wild relatives of maize, Zea mays ssp. mays are various Zea taxa known as ‘‘teosinte.’’ Hybrids between maize and the teosinte taxon, Zea mays ssp. mexicana, often occur when the 2 are sympatric in Mexico. Measuring the spontaneous hybridization rate of the 2 taxa would shed light on the mechanisms contributing to the evolution and persistence of these hybrid swarms. We conducted a series of field experiments in Riverside, CA, to measure the natural hybridization rates between maize and 2 teosinte taxa, Z. m. ssp. mexicana and Zea mays ssp. parviglumis. We planted teosinte within and …

Mustang Daily: Best For Cal Poly 2007, March 16, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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

March 14, 2007 Cal Poly Report, Public Affairs Office

Cal Poly Report

No abstract provided.

Hb A1c In Relation To Intrauterine Growth Among Male Adolescents In Southern Brazil, Aydin Nazmi, S. R. Huttly, Cesar G. Victora, R. C. Lima, P. R. Post, J. W.L. Elizalde, B. M.C. Gerson

Food Science and Nutrition

The fetal origins hypothesis states that nutritional deprivation in utero affects fetal development and contributes to the incidence of diseases associated with the metabolic syndrome in later life. This study investigated whether haemoglobin (Hb) A_1c, an indicator of blood glucose, varied among healthy male adolescents according to their fetal growth rate, in a middle-income setting. Participants were men aged 18 years, belonging to the 1982 Pelotas birth cohort. Complete data, including gestational age and Hb A_1c at age 18 years, were available for 197 individuals. There was an inverse association between mean Hb A_1c and birthweight …

Environmental And Genetic Influences On Mating Strategies Along A Replicated Food Availability Gradient In Guppies (Poecilia Reticulata), Gita R. Kolluru, Gregory F. Grether, Heidy Contreras

Biological Sciences

Food availability is expected to influence the relative cost of different mating tactics, but little attention has been paid to this potential source of adaptive geographic variation in behavior. Associations between the frequency of different mating tactics and resource availability could arise because tactic use responds directly to food intake (phenotypic plasticity), because populations exposed to different average levels of food availability have diverged genetically in tactic use, or both. Different populations of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) in Trinidad experience different average levels of food availability. We combined field observations with laboratory “common garden” and diet experiments to examine how this …

Specimens Of The Billfish Xiphiorhynchus Van Beneden, 1871, From The Yazoo Clay Formation (Late Eocene), Louisiana, Harry L. Fierstine, Gary L. Stringer

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Swimming Speed On Metabolic Rates Of Juvenile Pacific Bluefin Tuna And Yellowfin Tuna, Jason M. Blank, Charles J. Farwell, Jeffery M. Morrissette, Robert J. Schallert, Barbara A. Block

Biological Sciences

Bluefin tuna are endothermic and have higher temperatures, heart rates, and cardiac outputs than tropical tuna. We hypothesized that the increased cardiovascular capacity to deliver oxygen in bluefin may be associated with the evolution of higher metabolic rates. This study measured the oxygen consumption of juvenile Pacific bluefin Thunnus orientalis and yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares swimming in a swim-tunnel respirometer at 20°C. Oxygen consumption ( Mo₂) of bluefin (7.1–9.4 kg) ranged from 235 ± 38 mg kg^-1 h^-1 at 0.85 body length (BL) s^-1 to 498 ± 55 mg kg^-1 h^-1 at 1.80 …

A Novel Lux Operon In The Cryptically Bioluminescent Fish Pathogen Vibrio Salmonicida Is Associated With Virulence, Eric J. Nelson, Hege S. Tunsjø, Pat M. Fidopiastis, Henning Sørum, Edward G. Ruby

Biological Sciences

The cold-water-fish pathogen Vibrio salmonicida expresses a functional bacterial luciferase but produces insufficient levels of its aliphatic-aldehyde substrate to be detectably luminous in culture. Our goals were to (i) better explain this cryptic bioluminescence phenotype through molecular characterization of the lux operon and (ii) test whether the bioluminescence gene cluster is associated with virulence. Cloning and sequencing of the V. salmonicida lux operon revealed that homologs of all of the genes required for luminescence are present: luxAB (luciferase) and luxCDE (aliphatic-aldehyde synthesis). The arrangement and sequence of these structural lux genes are conserved compared to those in related species of …

Genome Size Evolution In Relation To Leaf Strategy And Metabolic Rates Revisited, Jeremy M. Beaulieu, Ilia J. Leitch, Charles A. Knight

Biological Sciences

• Background and AimsIt has been proposed that having too much DNA may carry physiological consequences for plants. The strong correlation between DNA content, cell size and cell division rate could lead to predictable morphological variation in plants, including a negative relationship with leaf mass per unit area (LMA). In addition, the possible increased demand for resources in species with high DNA content may have downstream effects on maximal metabolic efficiency, including decreased metabolic rates.

• MethodsTests were made for genome size-dependent variation in LMA and metabolic rates (mass-based photosynthetic rate and dark respiration rate) using our own …

Generalized Mixture Models, Semi-Supervised Learning, And Unknown Class Inference, Samuel J. Frame, Sreenivasa Rao Jammalamadaka

Statistics

In this paper, we discuss generalized mixture models and related semi-supervised learning methods, and show how they can be used to provide explicit methods for unknown class inference. After a brief description of standard mixture modeling and current model-based semi-supervised learning methods, we provide the generalization and discuss its computational implementation using three-stage expectation–maximization algorithm.

Quantitative Regional Associations Between Remodeling, Modeling, And Osteocyte Apoptosis And Density In Rabbit Tibial Midshafts, Nicole L. Hedgecock, Tamer Hadi, Andrew A. Chen, Shane B. Curtiss, R. Bruce Martin, Scott J. Hazelwood

Biomedical Engineering

Evidence suggests that osteocyte apoptosis is involved in the adaptive response of bone, although the specific role of osteocytes in the signaling mechanism is unknown. Here, we examined and correlated regional variability in indices of remodeling, modeling, osteocyte apoptosis, and osteocyte density in rabbit tibia midshafts. Histomorphometric analysis indicated that remodeling parameters (BMU activation frequency, osteon density, forming osteon density, and resorption cavity density) were lower in the cranial region compared to other quadrants. In addition, pericortical subregions displayed less remodeling relative to intracortical and endocortical ones. Modeling indices also demonstrated regional variability in that periosteal surfaces exhibited a greater …

Counterproductive Mix Of Science And Theology: Review Of Astronomy And The Bible - Questions And Answers By Donald B. Deyoung, William D. Stansfield

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Availability Of Dissolved Organic Matter Offsets Metabolic Costs Of A Protracted Larval Period For Bugula Neritina (Bryozoa), Collin H. Johnson, Dean E. Wendt

Biological Sciences

For nearly a century researchers have investigated the uptake and utilization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by marine invertebrates, but its contribution to their growth, reproduction, and survival remains unclear. Here, the benefit of DOM uptake was assessed for the marine bryozoan Bugula neritina (Linnaeus 1758) through performance comparisons of individuals in the presence and absence of DOM. The experiments were performed using B. neritina collected from floating docks in Beaufort, NC, USA from July to September 2004. Seawater was subjected to ultraviolet irradiation to reduce naturally occurring DOM, and then enriched with either 1 μM of palmitic acid or …

Mustang Daily, March 1, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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

Mustang Daily, February 28, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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

Mustang Daily, February 22, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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

Estimating The Probability Of Failure And Associated Risk Of The California Bay Delta Levee System, Robb E.S. Moss, J. Michael Eller

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Recent events in New Orleans have shown the magnitude of life loss and property damage that can occur due to the failure of man-made levees. The California Bay Delta and Sacramento levee systems in California pose a similar or greater level of risk to life and property. In order to effectively mitigate the hazard associated with levee failure a systematic evaluation of risk must be carried out. This paper presents preliminary research into the risk associated with the California Bay Delta. A comprehensive list of failure modes for man-made levees is presented. Preliminary empirical data on the temporal frequency of …

Mustang Daily, February 12, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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

Mustang Daily, February 7, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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

Water Quality Relative To Slope Toe Strip Type And Length, Brent G. Hallock, Lauren Corkins, Steve Rein, Michael Curto, Misty Scharff

Earth and Soil Sciences

Vegetation plays an important role in decreasing soil particle detachment and transport from sites following disturbance. Past rainfall simulator research (Caltrans 2004) using 2.5 m L x 0.6 m W soil test boxes with a 0.25 m sod strip (1 :10 slope proportion) at the slope toe found statistically significant reduction of total sediment loss to near zero. A principle limitation of the previous in house experiment is that a 1: 10 proportion of sod strip to slope length is not practical, nor equivalent with many industry specifications. Therefore, another rainfall simulator experiment was designed and conducted from October 2005 …

Mustang Daily, February 6, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

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