Digital Commons Network^™

Fridge/Freezer Temperature And Power Wireless Alert System, Peter M. Nelson

Electrical Engineering

In this document is a design, build, and application of a new system to help reduce the problem of lost or tainted samples and experiments held in fridges and freezers.

Raising Native Plant Awareness As A Method For Re-Naturalization, Meredith L. Haaker

Social Sciences

Humans are inseparable from the natural environment. We are one and the same, interconnected within the ecology of creation and care, not only destruction. By grounding ourselves in Indigenous wisdom and the principles of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, we are more able to recognize the important relational facets between humans and three native Californian plants (California black walnut, California blue elderberry, California bay laurel). In introducing Kimmerer’s concept of re-naturalization of humans, we can draw a connection to the same process a naturalized plant undergoes; immigration from a foreign place, dependence on the surrounding resources, and settlement of an area …

Alzheimer’S Detection With The Discrete Wavelet Transform And Convolutional Neural Networks, Melissa N. Nardone

Master's Theses

Alzheimer’s disease slowly destroys an individual’s memory, and it is estimated to impact more than 5.5 million Americans. Over time, Alzheimer’s disease can cause behavior and personality changes. Current diagnosis techniques are challenging because individuals may show no clinical signs of the disease in the initial stages. As of today, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s. Therefore, symptom management is key, and it is critical that Alzheimer’s is detected early before major cognitive damage.

The approach implemented in this thesis explores the idea of using the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) for Alzheimer’s detection. The neural …

Detection Methods, Occupancy Rates, Management And Conservation For Rodents, Jaran Hopkins

Master's Theses

Chapter 1. Species’ occurrences are dependent on a variety of habitat characteristics, including physical landscape factors and anthropogenic land use and change. Understanding the influence of habitat attributes on species occurrence is essential to successful wildlife and habitat management, specifically in areas with active human use. We tested the influence of vegetation alliance, fragmentation, and human recreation in the form of off-highway vehicles (OHV) in an area of active land management in coastal California, with a focus on the occurrences of six small mammal species. The area is composed of sand dunes subject to natural habitat fragmentation. OHV recreation occurs …

Academic Senate - Agenda, 11/29/2022, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Hypoxic Incubation Chamber, Simone Lisette Helfrich, Makenzie Nicole Jones

Biomedical Engineering: Graduate Reports and Projects

This paper describes the design, manufacturing, and testing of a novel controllable hypoxic incubator with fully functional oxygen gas control and temperature control in a humid environment. On the current market, a majority of the few hypoxic incubators use pre-mixed gas that does not offer precise control over gas concentration. The objective for this project was to create a chamber that allows the user to set the O2 concentration to varying set points of % O2 while maintaining the chamber at a constant body temperature, CO2 level, humidity, and sterility. To start the project, multiple concepts were developed for the …

Hypoxic Incubation Chamber, Simone Lisette Helfrich, Makenzie Nicole Jones

Master's Theses

This paper describes the design, manufacturing, and testing of a novel controllable hypoxic incubator with fully functional oxygen gas control and temperature control in a humid environment. On the current market, a majority of the few hypoxic incubators use pre-mixed gas that does not offer precise control over gas concentration. The objective for this project was to create a chamber that allows the user to set the O2 concentration to varying set points of % O2 while maintaining the chamber at a constant body temperature, CO2 level, humidity, and sterility. To start the project, multiple concepts were developed for the …

Water Quality Assessment For San Luis Obispo Creek And Stenner Creek, Jesse Stewart

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Water quality was assessed in five stream segments in San Luis Obispo Creek and its tributary Stenner Creek in spring 2022. Two sites were selected along the San Luis Obispo Creek, and three sites along Stenner Creek. The stream segments were evaluated using the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program’s procedures for bioassessment of California streams. This procedure describes the collection of physical, chemical, and biological parameters including streamflow, substrate, flow habitat, and benthic macroinvertebrates toward a quantification of a California Stream Condition Index (CSCI). The California Polytechnic State University: San Luis Obispo, Stream Measurements and Water Quality course provided student …

Fabrication Of Thin-Film Composite, Reverse-Osmosis Membranes With Polyethylenimine Modifications For Enhancing Membrane Fouling Resistance, Stephanie N. Hamilton

Master's Theses

Increasing water reuse opportunities for communities has become increasingly important as access to clean water is becoming more scarce. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is an advanced treatment technology used in water recycling wastewater for potable reuse applications. RO is a promising technology; however, the membranes have limitations including their high energy demand and their susceptibility to membrane fouling. The main objective of this study was to develop a reproducible method for the fabrication of RO membranes with enhanced flux and reduced susceptibility to fouling. Literature contains numerous publications on fabrication of thin film composite (TFC) RO membranes with high performance. However, …

Seasonal Controls On Nearshore Dissolved Oxygen Variability And Hypoxia In A Coastal Embayment, Ryan K. Walter, Stephen A. Huie, Jon Christian P. Abraham, Alexis Pasulka, Kristen A. Davis, Thomas P. Connolly, Piero L.F. Mazzini, Ian Robbins

Physics

Declining dissolved oxygen (DO) is emerging as an increasingly important stressor in nearshore ecosystems, and there is a growing need to better understand DO dynamics and hypoxia risk in this highly variable environment. In this study, we collected data from monthly cruises on the inner shelf, continuous nearshore moorings inside and outside a small coastal upwelling embayment (San Luis Obispo Bay in Central California), and weekly phytoplankton measurements inside the bay during the upwelling season. Nearshore DO was generally dominated by low-frequency synoptic variability, with increased DO variance near the surface relative to the bottom and inside the bay compared …

Executive Committee - Minutes, 10/11/2022, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda 10/11/2022, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Agenda, 10/4/2022, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Extreme Tail Ratios And Overrepresentation Among Subpopulations With Normal Distributions, Theodore P. Hill, Ronald F. Fox

Research Scholars in Residence

Given several different populations, the relative proportions of each in the high (or low) end of the distribution of a given characteristic are often more important than the overall average values or standard deviations. In the case of two different normally-distributed random variables, as is shown here, one of the (right) tail ratios will not only eventually be greater than 1 from some point on, but will even become infinitely large. More generally, in every finite mixture of different normal distributions, there will always be exactly one of those distributions that is not only overrepresented in the right tail of …

Functionality Of The Gracilis Collateral Is Impaired Following Arteriogenesis And Cell Transplantation, Ada A. Tadeo

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Arterial Disease involves narrowed arteries, reducing blood flow to limbs. Increasing blood flow to those extremities is possible by redirecting the blood to flow through natural bypasses (i.e. collateral arteries), which can enlarge via arteriogenesis to maintain blood supply once the prominent arteries have become occluded. This study aims to investigate how arteriogenesis affects collateral function, if myoblast transplantation can stimulate collateral growth, and how that in turn may affect collateral function. Femoral artery ligation was performed to mimic the blockage that occurs in patients with ischemic diseases on lean mice and mice with diet induced obesity (DIO). A …

Academic Senate Retreat - Minutes, 9/16/2022, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Awdry V. British Rail: The Politicization Of Thomas The Tank Engine, Matthew J. Bea

The Forum: Journal of History

No abstract provided.

From Paternalism To Superiority: Colonial Ideologies Of The New Norcia Mission, 1847-1974, Evie Levin

The Forum: Journal of History

No abstract provided.

“She May Look Clean, But—”: Venereal Disease In The U.S. Military During World War Ii, Emma Lukin

The Forum: Journal of History

No abstract provided.

Captured At The Cape: The Enslaved Africans Aboard Bom Caminho, Gracie L. Edler

The Forum: Journal of History

No abstract provided.

Post-Fire Erosion Following The Czu Lightning Complex Fire: Quantifying Hillslope Erosion And Providing Guidance Towards Improving Post-Fire Response, Matthew C. Crockett, Matthew Crockett

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

The size and severity of wildfires have increased in California during recent decades. This trend is highlighted through the CZU Lightning Complex fire of August 2020 which burned over 86,000 acres in the Santa Cruz mountains of California. The fire greatly impacted the Little Creek watershed, a roughly 1,300 acre watershed that exists largely within Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Swanton Pacific Ranch (SPR). The current trends of California’s increased wildfire regime are expected to continue, raising concerns regarding the direct and secondary effects on forest watersheds and the effectiveness of current post-fire erosion control management. Accelerated rates of erosion …

Vermicompost Versus Traditional Compost Amendments Leads To Different Soil Health Outcomes In A Mediterranean Vineyard, Elizabeth L. Luck

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Compost application has become a common practice in vineyard management to increase soil and crop health, however, the environmental externalities such as greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from cropping systems that utilize organic fertilizers, such as compost, is uncertain. Vermicompost, which is compost created through the digestion of organic matter by earthworms, and its related ‘extract’ are commonly thought to provide more benefits for soil and crop health compared to standard compost. However, organic fertilizers such as vermicompost, vermicompost extract, and compost have not been compared in their effects on soil health in Mediterranean vineyards. In this two-year study, I assessed …

Removing Soluble Phosphorus From Tertiary Municipal Wastewater Using Phosphorus- Deprived, Filamentous Microalgae, Aloysia Ahern

Master's Theses

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can be detrimental to ecosystems, human health, and economies. The low levels of phosphorus remaining in the effluent of municipal wastewater treatment plants can contribute to HAB formation. To achieve more complete phosphorus removal, an effluent treatment method has been proposed that uses phosphorus-deprived, filamentous microalgae to quickly assimilate soluble phosphorus to low concentrations. This study investigated two parameters that influence the feasibility of such a system: (1) the biomass growth productivity of algal cultures during the phosphorus deprivation period and (2) the correlation between the duration of this period and the phosphorus uptake rate by …

Impacts Of Fertility On Physiological Stress, Photosynthetic Activity, And Crop Development In Salanova Lettuce, Sarah I. Miller

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

The agricultural industry is one of the main drivers of soil degradation due to conventional crop production methods and overuse of soil which results in accelerated erosion, loss of soil fertility, acidification, and salinization (Lal, 2015). Loss of soil fertility from degradation can be detrimental to crop production as plants grown under nutrient limited conditions show signs of physiological stress and reduced photosynthetic rates leading to reduced yields (Zangani et al., 2021). Organic crop production and fertilizers are viable alternatives to conventional methods as they improve soil fertility and the physiological and biological properties of soil (Ilahi et al., 2021). …

An Integrated Approach For Controlling Verticillium Wilt Of Strawberry, Jack T. Koster

Master's Theses

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa, Duch.) is an important crop in California, with more than 35,000 acres planted in 2018 resulting in a farm gate value of $3.1 billion. In 2020, California strawberry production accounted for more than 85% of national strawberry production and faces serious threats to production due to various soil-borne diseases. One such disease, Verticillium wilt, is caused by the fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae and is commonly found in temperate zones around the world where strawberries are grown. Due to the phase-out of efficacious fumigants like methyl bromide, alternative disease management methods have become necessary to …

Determination Of Fungicide Resistance In Botrytis Cinerea On Wine Grapes In California's Central Coast Region, Evelyn Alvarez-Mendoza

Master's Theses

Botrytis bunch rot, caused by Botrytis cinerea, is a fungal disease that primarily affects the fruit of wine grapes. Infection of fruit consequently results in reduced yields and wine quality. These factors lead to significant economic losses for growers which prompts the implementation of management practices to control the disease. One objective of this study was to evaluate the level of resistance that populations of B. cinerea in the Central Coast region showed to various chemicals. A fungicide assay was conducted to determine resistant phenotypes to six fungicide active ingredients (pyrimethanil, iprodione, fenhexamid, fludioxonil, trifloxystrobin, boscalid). Thirty-five (2020) and …

Ethical Extensionism Defended, Joel P. Macclellan

Between the Species

Ethical extensionism is a common argument pattern in environmental and animal ethics, which takes a morally valuable trait already recognized in us and argues that we should recognize that value in other entities such as nonhuman animals. I exposit ethical extensionism’s core argument, argue for its validity and soundness, and trace its history to 18th century progressivist calls to expand the moral community and legal franchise. However, ethical extensionism has its critics. The bulk of the paper responds to recent criticisms, including (1) environmental ethicists’ objection against its austere conception of moral value (2), feminist ethicists’ claim that extensionism fails …

Spatial And Temporal Characteristics Of California Commercial Fisheries From 2005 To 2019 And Potential Overlap With Offshore Wind Energy Development, Yi-Hui Wang, Ryan K. Walter, Crow White, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg

Physics

As climate change accelerates and fisheries management continues to evolve, California's commercial fisheries are changing. To improve the understanding of recent California fisheries dynamics, we compiled and analyzed commercial landings receipts to characterize temporal and spatial variation in landing and value of key fisheries groups within the exclusive economic zone across the state from 2005 to 2019. We found that California fisheries continue a shift first observed in the 1980s from higher‐biomass, lower‐value species, such as coastal pelagic species and market squid, toward lower‐biomass, higher‐value species, such as Dungeness crab Cancer magister and groundfish. Over the 15‐year time series analyzed, …

Testing The Reliability Of Civic Science Data Collection Of Plant Traits In A Perennial Sunflower Domestication Experiment, Robyn A. Brooks

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

Civic science has been prevalent in environmental science for many years. The use of volunteers and the community as a helping hand in research continues to link society and science, as well as increases the magnitude and breadth of environmental studies. Assessments of data quality produced by civic science is an important component in validating the accuracy and reliability of the research. In this study, the reliability of civic science was tested by assessing the variation within data gathered from undergraduate Cal Poly students. Using a common garden experimental set up, the health of twelve wildtype silphium genotypes were assessed …

Establishing A Baseline Vegetation Study Of The Monterey Pine Forest Understory In The Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, Natalie Nemeth

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

There is invaluable genetic information in native Monterey pine forests; having unadulterated genetic information is critical for the pine industry as well as conserving native trees in native stands. The Monterey pine forest and its understory are incredibly sensitive and precious ecological systems. Maintaining healthy remnant forests, including understory vegetation, is important for local biodiversity. In 2020, the Monterey pine was listed as an endangered species candidate, yet so little has been published about Monterey pine in California, with outdated reports and a lack of information about the forest floor. Monterey pine is endemic to only three locations on the …