Digital Commons Network^™

Common Core For Social Justice?: Arendtian Critical Thinking And The Common Core State Standards, Chandler Bain Meyer

Master's Theses

Through Hannah Arendt’s inspection of Adolf Eichmann, her studies of Kant’s political philosophy, and Life of the Mind she examines what it means to think critically and deconstructs the taken-for-granted action of thought. This paper is premised by the same guiding question as Arendt asks herself: Could thinking be a condition that makes people abstain from committing injustice or be conditioned against it? Arendt, clearly building on Kant, certainly thought it is probable; suggesting that Eichmann was not purely wicked or laced with stupidity, but the “macabre comedy” he landed a starring role in was a result of simple thoughtlessness. …

The Church And The Body, Kristina Russie

Master's Theses

An inquiry into the dominant messages surrounding bodies in mainstream protestant church discourse, "The Church and the Body" discusses where these messages come from, critically evaluates them, and considers alternative theological messages.

Summertime Sleep And Bmi In Urban Minority Girls: Relations To Physical Activity And Executive Functions, Carolyn Rose Bates

Master's Theses

Urban minority youth, particularly females, are at high risk for increased weight gain during the summertime months, and may also experience insufficient sleep at this time. Few studies have objectively measured summertime sleep in this population or related sleep to weight gain during this season. The current study draws on a sample of 66 urban minority girls aged 10-to-14 who participated in a community-based summer day camp program promoting physical activity (PA). The study objectively characterizes sleep in this sample, both in unstructured and structured contexts. Additionally, the study examines potential pathways underlying summertime relations between sleep and weight, including …

Troubadours Of The Disaster, Peter Christian Caravalho

Master's Theses

Following the death of his father, San Francisco-based music critic Manuel “Manny” Soares is sent by his editor to Amsterdam to find the next big thing in music. Manny hopes that the physical distance from his home will help him work through his father’s passing. Manny finds himself on a late-night flight to Schipol Airport. On a layover in Frankfurt, Manny manages to cause a small riot in the airport bar and escapes. Once he makes “groundfall” in Amsterdam as his editor, Ian, puts it, Manny is on the hunt. Globalization mixed with culture shock follow him as he navigates …

Popularity Prediction Of Reddit Texts, Tracy Rohlin

Master's Theses

Popularity prediction is a useful technique for marketers to anticipate the success of marketing campaigns, to build recommendation systems that suggest new products to consumers, and to develop targeted advertising. Researchers likewise use popularity prediction to measure how popularity changes within a community or within a given timespan. In this paper, I explore ways to predict popularity of posts in reddit.com, which is a blend of news aggregator and community forum. I frame popularity prediction as a text classification problem and attempt to solve it by first identifying topics in the text and then classifying whether the topics identified are …

Preliminary Investigation Of Commercially Available Pluronics As Uv Curable 3d Printing Inks For Tissue Engineering Applications, A'Lester Cordell Allen

Master's Theses

Three-dimensional printing (3DP) emerged from simple beginnings in the field of additive manufacturing (AM) over 31 years ago as an economical technique for rapid prototyping. Now 3DP has become the premier method for fabricating materials from unique consumer products to lifesaving customized human organs. Current challenges in bioprinting center around balancing material properties such as stiffness, yield strength, and surface chemistry with non-Newtonian fluid flow to construct interconnected, porous scaffolding geometries that simulate the complex vasculature found in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the human body needed to promote cell growth and regeneration. In this study, several copolymers of poly(ethlyene …

Solitary By Any Other Name: Silence To Segregation In American Prisons, Chelsea Van Aken

Master's Theses

This thesis examined the United States’ ability to circumvent international and constitutional law in regards to solitary confinement in American prisons. Drawing on scholarship examining inmates’ rights and inmates’ resistance movements, international human rights doctrine, United States constitutional law, activist led movements, and inmate testimony, the thesis demonstrates that the United States is able to simultaneously claim that it is meeting its human rights violations while resisting reforms to both state and federal current policy of warehousing inmates in solitary confinement for decades at a time through two strategies. First, the United States utilizes framing strategies to deny the use …

Enhancing Scalability And Performance In Software-Defined Networks: An Opendaylight (Odl) Case Study, Priyanka Neelakrishnan

Master's Theses

One of the main attributes of software-defined networking (SDN) is the ability to make networks programmable and virtualizable. The SDN controller is the brain that sends instructions to the data plane and can be programmed via application APIs. The scalability and performance of the controller is of paramount importance to support large networks, such as the ones found in modern settings. This research work focused on exploring the ways in which the controller design could be scaled while maintaining sustainable performance using the OpenDaylight (ODL) SDN controller as a case study. This thesis shed light on a method of modifying …

Pretty Maps: Evaluating Gis Adoption Of Cartographic Design Standards And Best Practices In Professional Publications, David Medeiros

Master's Theses

The nature of GIS maps, as tools designed for visual communication, puts them in the realm of art that is in many ways unique among scientific tools. As a visual form of communication, maps are responsive to methods of visual design, affecting the map’s appeal and function. Through cartography, a well established body of standards and best-practices exists to help GIS users avoid common design errors and create effective and meaningful maps that support their work. This research examines the adoption rate of those standards amongst professionals using GIS software for creating maps for journal publications. A selection of 80 …

Effects Of Zoledronate During Simulated Weightlessness On Bone Structure And Mechanics, Ryan T. Scott

Master's Theses

Spaceflight causes astronauts to experience an unbalanced level of bone remodeling favoring resorption. The combination of an antiresorptive drug and weightlessness may have negative effects on the mechanical and structural properties of bone by increasing elastic stiffness but diminishing plasticity. At 16 weeks of age, skeletally postpubescent male mice (n = 32, C57BL/6) were evenly divided and subcutaneously given either zoledronate (45 µg/kg) or vehicle (saline, same volume). Three days postinjection, half of each group were divided to undergo 3 weeks of hindlimb unloading or act as a control undergoing normal ambulation (n = 8 for each of the 4 …

The Impact Of Climate Change On Coastal Fog Hours Of California's Central Coast, Chrissy Rogers

Master's Theses

This study used observations and downscaled model output from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 to investigate diurnal temperature differences and their relationship to the number of fog hours in the future along California’s central coast. The study area extended north-south from Bodega Bay to the Santa Lucia Range and east-west from the coast of California to the western flank of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Analyses of Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios 4.5 and 8.5 showed that most of California’s central coast will likely see minimal changes in the number of fog hours per day through the turn of the …

Design And Analysis Of A Low-Power 8-Bit 500 Ks/S Sar Adc For Bio-Medical Implant Devices, Ehsan Mazidi

Master's Theses

This thesis project involves the design and analysis of an 8-bit Successive Approximation Register (SAR) Analog to Digital Convertor (ADC), designed for low- power applications such as bio-medical implants. The sampling rate for this ADC is 500 KS/s. The power consumption for the whole SAR ADC system was measured to be 2.1 uW. The novelty of this project is the proposal of an extremely energy efficient comparator architecture. The result is the design of a final ADC with reasonable sampling speed, accuracy and low power consumption. In this project, all the different subsystems have been designed at the transistor level …

A Fully Automated Solver For Multiple Square Jigsaw Puzzles Using Hierarchical Clustering, Zayd Hammoudeh

Master's Theses

The square jigsaw puzzle is a variant of traditional jigsaw puzzles, wherein all pieces are equal-sized squares; these pieces must be placed adjacent to one another to reconstruct an original image. This thesis proposes an agglomerative hierarchical clustering based solver that can simultaneously reconstruct multiple square jigsaw puzzles. This solver requires no additional information beyond an input bag of puzzle pieces and significantly outperforms the current state of the art in terms of both the quality of the reconstructed outputs as well the number of input puzzles it supports. In addition, this thesis defines Enhanced Direct Accuracy Score (EDAS), Shiftable …

Environmental Drivers Of Benthic-Interior Exchange Events Over The Continental Shelf Of Monterey Bay, California, Ben Yair Raanan

Master's Theses

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of oceanographic data collected by an automated profiling mooring and fixed instrumentation platforms deployed over the mud belt on the southern continental shelf of Monterey Bay, California at 70 m depth during the fall of 2012. Physical and optical measurements taken at the study site documented the frequent occurrence of suspended particulate matter (SPM) layers in the mid-water column, the majority of which were detached from the seafloor and overlaid clearer water. This study examines the temporal and spatial variations of these detached SPM layers using time series analysis and modeling methods, and investigates …

Studying Globular Clusters In The Dwarf Galaxy Ngc 247 Using Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam Imaging, Vakini Santhanakrishnan

Master's Theses

While globular clusters (GCs) are among the most ancient stellar systems in the universe, there are still lingering questions about how and where they formed. There is relatively little known about GCs in spiral galaxies beyond the Milky Way. We analyzed confirmed GCs, examined putative GC candidates, and looked for new GCs around the nearby dwarf spiral galaxy NGC 247 at about 3.5 Mpc away in the Sculptor group, based on wide-field imaging data from the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), with a 1.5 degree field of view. The extremely wide-area coverage, depth, and image quality of HSC provide great potential …

Exploring The Relationship Between Commuting Stress, Job Strain And Safety Behaviors While Commuting: The Dual Role Of Work-Related Rumination, Katrina A. Burch

Master's Theses

For those who commute to and from work on a daily basis, this is an activity that requires attention to both what one is doing and the environment, in order for the commute to be done safely. Although research has shown that work can spill over into home and other non-work domains, very little attention has been paid to the impact that work may have on the transition time between one’s work and home domains. The present study sought to examine the impact of daily commuting stress and end-of-day job strain on the safety of one’s commute through the experience …

Authoritarian Member States In International Organizations, Matt Barg

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates under which conditions do authoritarian Member States exist in International Organizations that require democratic governance in their treaty law. The European Union is used as a case study along with two of its Member States that are in the process of transitioning to democracy from previous authoritarian regimes—Hungary and Romania. This thesis employs stealth authoritarian theory to analyze how a democratizing Member State may violate these laws and revert to authoritarian governance. It also critiques international enforcement mechanisms to consider their effectiveness to enforce their laws and norms as well as prevent an authoritarian reversal. Finally, cultural …

Revisiting Community Water Fluoridation, Jessica Marie Seyfried

Master's Theses

There is a bourgeoning controversy unknown to many surrounding one of the CDC’s top ten public health achievements of the 20^th century. After more than 50 years of implementation, community water fluoridation may not have achieved the declines in caries rates we once thought or hoped for, especially in light of alternative approaches to preventing caries including but not limited to other sources of fluoride supplementation, changes in diet, and tooth brushing behavior.

In fact, a survey of past research highlights the fact that this policy decision may be based on out of date and/or a lack of research …

The Role Of The State, Multinational Oil Companies, International Law & The International Community: Intersection Of Human Rights & Environmental Degradation Climate Change In The 21st Century Caused By Traditional Extractive Practices, The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous People And Universal Jurisdiction To Resolve The Accountability Issue, Marcela Cabrera Luna

Master's Theses

Local, national and international conventions that protect indigenous sovereignty and their territories, where many of the resources are extracted from by multinational corporations (MNCs) particularly oil, the number one commodity of the world and cause of climate change, continue to be jeopardized because of the lack of a clear international legal framework that can protect them and potentially hold multinationals accountable for their actions. These practices are causing not only environmental issues to the indigenous and surrounding communities, but climate change is in fact, the real human rights issue of the 21^st century and it affects everyone. By using …

Evolution Of A Nation After A Dictatorship: How Law, Politics And Society Of The 1973 Dictatorship In Uruguay And Of The Subsequent Return Of Democracy In 1985, Potentially Helped Evolve The Nation Of Today., Jonathan A. Fein Proaño

Master's Theses

In 1973, Uruguay’s president authored a coup d’état with the military and changed the history and fabric of Uruguay. Once democracy returned to Uruguay in 1985, it was a chance to see if an evolution of the law, politics and society would occur. This thesis aims to analyze and understand the patterns of change and de-evolution or evolution that happened during the dictatorship and then over the last 30 years. I break down the process of changes that happened legally and politically, how the dictatorship and its leaders used law to destroy rule of law, and how society changed.

This …

Paleostress States And Tectonic Evolution Of The Early Mesozoic Hartford Basin, James Farrell

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Ecological Importance Of Brachiopods Versus Bivalves In The Paleozoic: Taphonomy, Biomass, And Energy Use, Shannon (Shin-Nan) Hsieh

Master's Theses

Brachiopods have commonly been considered more important than bivalves in Paleozoic ecosystems due to their greater global diversity and greater abundance in many fossil assemblages. New sampling-standardized diversity curves verify that brachiopods were more diverse than bivalves at the global level in the Paleozoic; they declined in the Permian-Triassic extinction, largely recovered, then faded away later in the Mesozoic. However, the subordinate ecological status of bivalves within local Paleozoic ecosystems has been challenged on two fronts. First, bivalve abundance may be underestimated due to preferential dissolution of aragonitic shells. Second, bivalve contribution to ecosystem function may be underestimated by abundance …

Predictors Of Improvement In Risk Reduction Skills Among Hiv Infected Drug Users, Rashmi Dahal

Master's Theses

Background and Objective: Unsafe needle use and unprotected sex are behaviors that have been associated with HIV transmission. Evidence-based behavioral intervention approaches are widely available for preventing HIV transmission, but neurocognitive impairment (NCI) may impede many intervention participants’ capacity to fully benefit from such interventions, leaving them vulnerable to HIV transmission risk. This study examines the impact of NCI on specific intervention outcomes expected to be enhanced through intervention participation.

Methods: Participants were 74 HIV+ opioid-dependent persons participating in methadone maintenance drug treatment and who reported drug- or sex- related HIV risk behavior. Using regression analyses, NCI, HIV knowledge (information), …

Adaptive Pi Control To Realize Sinusoidal Ripple Current Charging In Battery Charger Systems, Jen-Guey Chen

Master's Theses

This thesis proposes the adaptive PI gain control to regulate sinusoidal ripple current (SRC) in battery charger systems. The SRC charge method is suited for fast and efficient charging. Y.D Lee (2015) propose that SRC charge method can reduce the charging time, decrease the charging temperature and improve the charging efficiency by applying optimal frequency to charge the battery. In order to determine optimal frequency for charging, the swept frequency is required in SRC charge method. Therefore, in order to perform SRC charge approach, the battery charger systems have to be capable of handling swept frequency input and regulating high …

Density-Based Clustering Of High-Dimensional Dna Fingerprints For Library-Dependent Microbial Source Tracking, Eric Johnson

Master's Theses

As part of an ongoing multidisciplinary effort at California Polytechnic State University, biologists and computer scientists have developed a new Library-Dependent Microbial Source Tracking method for identifying the host animals causing fecal contamination in local water sources. The Cal Poly Library of Pyroprints (CPLOP) is a database which stores E. coli representations of fecal samples from known hosts acquired from a novel method developed by the biologists called Pyroprinting. The research group considers E. coli samples whose Pyroprints match above a certain threshold to be part of the same bacterial strain. If an environmental sample from an unknown host animal …

Medical Image Registration Using Artificial Neural Network, Hyunjong Choi

Master's Theses

Image registration is the transformation of different sets of images into one coordinate system in order to align and overlay multiple images. Image registration is used in many fields such as medical imaging, remote sensing, and computer vision. It is very important in medical research, where multiple images are acquired from different sensors at various points in time. This allows doctors to monitor the effects of treatments on patients in a certain region of interest over time. In this thesis, artificial neural networks with curvelet keypoints are used to estimate the parameters of registration. Simulations show that the curvelet keypoints …

Three Degree-Of-Freedom Parallel Actuator Telescope Mount, Garrett Daniel Gudgel

Master's Theses

This thesis contains the design, implementation, and testing of an original, small-scaled two degree-of-freedom telescope mount and a medium-scaled three degree-of-freedom telescope mount inspired by the six degree-of-freedom Stewart-Gough platform telescope mount. The end product is intended to achieve research-standard resolution of targeted sky coverage for binary star research. The scaled prototype was carried through concept design, manufacturing, software development, and testing. The mount software development and electronic design is applicable to a full-scale mount as the drivers have been designed to be easily adapted to different actuator configurations. It is recommended that this design be implemented into a telescope …

Ergonomics Analysis Of Touchscreen Utilization As A Function Of Preferred Hand And Gender, Jordan E. Odell

Master's Theses

The growth of touchscreen technology has changed the way users interface with a wide range of computing and communication products and systems. Examples range from personal tablets and laptops to industrial applications such as process control, point-of-sales, and ticketing kiosk systems. An important area of application is the automobile industry which is designing cars with touchscreen control panels to replace the previously designed mechanical knobs and buttons. However, interacting with touchscreens does not provide the same tactile feedback as physical mechanisms, therefore they require more precise movement and visual attention, which distracts the user from the primary task.

The purpose …

Inductive Monitoring Systems: A Cubesat Ground-Based Prototype, Michelle Haddock

Master's Theses

Inductive Monitoring Systems (IMS) are the newest form of health monitoring available to the aerospace industry. IMS is a program that builds a knowledge base of nominal state vectors from a nominal data set using data mining techniques. The nominal knowledge base is then used to monitor new data vectors for off-nominal conditions within the system. IMS is designed to replace the current health monitoring process, referred to as model-based reasoning, by automating the process of classifying healthy states and anomaly detection. An IMS prototype was designed and implemented in MATLAB. A verification analysis then determined if the IMS program …

Two-Phase Anaerobic Digestion To Reduce The Nox Emission Potential Of Biogas, Nathaniel Manuel Olivas

Master's Theses

Anaerobic digestion can be used to decrease the mass of organic wastes to be disposed of while producing useful biogas (CH₄ and CO₂) for heat or power production, but in air basins with strict emissions limits, biogas combustion is difficult to implement due to the high costs of controlling NOx emissions. NOx production can be minimized by blending H₂ gas with CH₄ at a volume ratio of 15:85 H₂:CH₄, which allows burning at ultra-lean air-to-fuel ratios. For biogas systems, a potential low-cost NOx control strategy is to produce H₂-CH …