Digital Commons Network^™

Stress Effects On The Growth Physiology Of Pacific Rockfishes (Sebastes Spp.): Negative Impacts Of Cortisol And Elevated Temperature Exposure, Hayley M. Mapes

Master's Theses

Fish experiencing stressful conditions increase production of the glucocorticoid hormone cortisol, which alters energy intake and allocation to help recover physiological homeostasis. Fish experiencing prolonged elevations of cortisol, however, often exhibit reduced somatic growth. While it has been shown previously in fish that cortisol inhibits anabolic growth processes in part via changes in endocrine growth hormone (Gh)/insulin- like growth factor-1 (Igf1) signaling, it is not fully understood which components of Gh/Igf1 pathways are modulated by cortisol. Here, we explored how cortisol influences the Gh/Igf1 system in blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus) by administering exogenous cortisol and examining effects on …

Insights Into Cellular Evolution: Temporal Deep Learning Models And Analysis For Cell Image Classification, Xinran Zhao

Master's Theses

Understanding the temporal evolution of cells poses a significant challenge in developmental biology. This study embarks on a comparative analysis of various machine-learning techniques to classify cell colony images across different timestamps, thereby aiming to capture dynamic transitions of cellular states. By performing Transfer Learning with state-of-the-art classification networks, we achieve high accuracy in categorizing single-timestamp images. Furthermore, this research introduces the integration of temporal models, notably LSTM (Long Short Term Memory Network), R-Transformer (Recurrent Neural Network enhanced Transformer) and ViViT (Video Vision Transformer), to undertake this classification task to verify the effectiveness of incorporating temporal features into the classification …

A Comparison Of Western And Eastern Soft Systems Approaches, John L. Anaya, John L. Anaya, John L. Anaya

Master's Theses

Soft System Approaches have been developed worldwide to help problem-solvers and decision-makers develop solutions to complex problems, such as aerospace systems. Soft System Approaches were designed to help lower the disorder of developing a complex system by increasing understanding of a situation. Four Soft System Approaches were investigated, two from the West and two from the East. Within the context of the paper, the West refers to thought patterns associated with thinkers and scientists in Europe and North America, and the East refers to those from and around China. The two from the West are Peter Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology …

An Exploratory Framework For Benchmarking Vehicle Miles Traveled (Vmt) Estimates Associated With University Campuses, Troy Kawahara

Master's Theses

Although vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has become the standard for assessing transportation related impacts in California, some have concerns that many VMT estimates are not properly grounded or informed by real world data, potentially resulting in flawed estimates and impact assessments. This is especially true of special generators, like college and university campuses, which have complex travel patterns distinct from that of the general public. This thesis attempts to resolve a significant disparity observed between two credible VMT estimates for Cal Poly’s campus wide VMT. As part of a campus master planning effort, a VMT estimate was produced in 2019 …

Supersonic Air Inlet Modeling Using The Method Of Characteristics, Shay S. Takei

Master's Theses

The Air Inlet Method of Characteristics Analysis Tool (AIMCAT), a tool based in Python 3, is developed to model supersonic air inlet geometries during the early phases of design. The method of characteristics (MOC) is used to solve the governing equations for an inviscid, irrotational, isentropic, steady, supersonic flowfield. A comparison is made between modeling shock waves implicitly using Mach wave coalescence and modeling them explicitly using oblique shock relations. Multiple test cases are used to assess the accuracy of the tool by comparing to experimental wind tunnel data. Good general agreement was achieved over the majority of the supersonic …

3d Pano Inpainting: Scene Construction Using A Single Input Panorama, Shivam Asija

Master's Theses

Creating 360-degree 3D content has gained traction in the past few years, being used for Virtual Reality environments. However, creating such content is challenging because it requires a multi-camera setup or a collection of images from different perspectives. This paper proposes 3D Pano Inpainting, a pipeline capable of transforming a single equirectangular panoramic RGBD image into a complete 360° 3D virtual reality scene represented as a textured mesh. Our methodology is as follows: we estimate a consistent depth map for the input panorama; we use a pre built framework to convert the image and its depth map into a textured …

Improving Automatic Transcription Using Natural Language Processing, Anna Kiefer

Master's Theses

Digital Democracy is a CalMatters and California Polytechnic State University initia-
tive to promote transparency in state government by increasing access to the Califor-
nia legislature. While Digital Democracy is made up of many resources, one founda-
tional step of the project is obtaining accurate, timely transcripts of California Senate
and Assembly hearings. The information extracted from these transcripts provides
crucial data for subsequent steps in the pipeline. In the context of Digital Democracy,
upleveling is when humans verify, correct, and annotate the transcript results after
the legislative hearings have been automatically transcribed. The upleveling process
is done with the …

Finite Element Analysis Of The Bearing Component Of Total Ankle Replacement Implants During The Stance Phase Of Gait, Timothy S. Jain

Master's Theses

Total ankle replacement (TAR) implants are an effective option to restore the range of motion of the ankle joint for arthritic patients. An effective tool for analyzing these implants’ mechanical performance and longevity in-silico is finite element analysis (FEA). ABAQUS FEA was used to statically analyze the von Mises stress and contact pressure on the articulating surface of the bearing component in two newly installed fixed-bearing total ankle replacement implants (the Wright Medical INBONE II and the Exactech Vantage). This bearing component rotates on the talar component to induce primary ankle joint motion of plantarflexion and dorsiflexion. The stress response …

Spatial Drivers Of Soil Health In A Post-Fire Watershed, Reed Jd Williams

Master's Theses

Wildland fires are increasing in both severity and intensity leading to severe and lasting biogeochemical effects on soil. The CZU lightning complex started on August 16^th, 2020, and burned 86,509 acres causing severe social and ecological damage. To better understand the impact of fire on soil properties at the landscape scale, we created a digital soil mapping model with the inclusion of remotely sensed burn severity covariates. We combined a raster-stack of environmental covariates with rasters for fire severity and soil samples, to disentangle the relative contribution of fire to the spatial distribution of soil properties in the …

Effects Of Temperature On Economic Preferences: A Cross-Cultural Laboratory Study Of Prosocial Behavior, Nikita Tkachenko

Master's Theses

In light of the pressing issue of climate change, our study investigates the implications of rising temperatures on social and economic behaviors through a laboratory experiment conducted among students at university sites in Mexico, India, Kenya, Colombia, and the United States. This paper examines the influence of temperature differences and exposure length on economic decision-making among students at university sites in Mexico, Kenya, and the United States. Analyzing data from the dictator game, we explored how temperature, both ambient and wet bulb, and session length affect prosocial behavior. Our results suggest a link between temperature measures and prosocial behavior, with …

Habitat Characterization Of American Badgers (Taxidea Taxus) Of Northern California, Mitchell Victoria

Master's Theses

American badgers (Taxidea taxus) are a semi fossorial mammal that lives in grassland and open prairie ecosystems as well as coastal prairies, agricultural fields, deserts, and deforested habitats. Many researchers have published work on badgers, but we still require more information on their ecology. The American badger is a semi fossorial, solitary, predatory mammal of grassland ecosystems. They are classified as mesopredators when compared to larger apex predators such as brown bears, wolves, and pumas. However, when larger carnivores are absent, Badgers become apex predators of their ecosystems. Los Vaqueros Watershed in Brentwood, California, was my study site because badgers …

Thermal Runaway Analysis And Cooling Strategies For Nmc 523 Li-Ion Battery Packs Using Pcm, Heat Pipes, And Air Cooling, Vijethvardhan Singh

Master's Theses

The growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) necessitates efficient thermal management of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), especially NMC 523 cells. This thesis investigates thermal runaway (TR) mechanisms and evaluates cooling strategies to mitigate overheating risks. Using ANSYS Fluent, the TR of four cells in series was simulated and validated with Jun Wu et al.'s experimental data, achieving an error margin below 10%. Peak temperatures reached 1,126°C in the first cell, with delayed propagation in adjacent cells. Sensitivity analysis of voltage, current, and state of charge (SOC) under varying C-rates was performed using a multi-scale multi-domain (MSMD) battery model. A logarithmic voltage …

The Impact Of Video Game Play On Attention And Perception, Krish Pradhan

Master's Theses

Past research shows that individuals who play action video games have stronger attentional resources. However, the role of expertise and player experience is yet to be operationalized in cognitive video game research. This thesis aimed to discover if there is a systematic relationship between video game expertise, specifically percentile-based ranks and actual hours played, on perception and attentional skills. Percentile-based rankings were used as a new, objective measure of expertise that accounts for an individual's skill level relative to all other players of the same game. The number of weekly hours played was gathered from the participants and divided into …

The Relationship Between Communication With Coworkers And Job Satisfaction Among Teleworkers: The Moderating Role Of Communication Modality, Madison L. Mariano

Master's Theses

Teleworking has become increasingly prevalent due to public health concerns and advancements in communication technologies. While organizations should take steps to promote job satisfaction among teleworkers, there is little research on the predictors of job satisfaction among full-time teleworkers. Specifically, few studies have focused on how coworker communication might impact job satisfaction among full-time teleworkers. This study focused on this gap in the literature by examining the relationship between the frequency of communication with coworkers and job satisfaction and the moderating role of communication modality. Communication modality refers to a form of communication technology available to teleworkers, ranging from rich …

Unrealvision: A Synthetic Dataset Generator For Human-Pose Estimation And Behavior Analysis, Thinh Lu

Master's Theses

For over a decade, computer vision (CV) has become an indispensable component of numerous camera surveillance applications as well as intelligent autonomous systems. Thanks to new advances in AI, Edge Computing, and IoT technologies, there is now a rapidly growing number of smart camera devices, industrial and consumer robots that are using computer vision for various applications - from human tracking and analysis, object classification, to visual inspection and anomaly detection. For most common use cases, building vision-based applications can be a straightforward and affordable task thanks to the increasing number of publicly accessible datasets and research publications. However, it …

Unveiling The Cognitive Impact: An Exploratory Study On Food Insecurity And Value-Driven Attentional Capture, Nichole S. Hogoboom

Master's Theses

Food insecurities have been shown to lead to serious negative health outcomes such as increased risk for diabetes and obesity in adulthood, food-related mental health and behavioral issues, all of which can have a crossover effect in many areas of a person’s life. This experiment explores whether previous history of food insecurity is associated with how people allocate attention to pictures of food; whether they are prioritizing or ignoring food stimuli in their environment. We hypothesized that the severity of food insecurity experienced in childhood would correlate with attentional bias towards food images, and that how hungry or thirsty participants …

Uncovering Weaknesses In Autonomous Driving: A Formal Approach To Adversarial Scenario Generation And Falsification, Carlos O. Hernandez

Master's Theses

Autonomous vehicles utilize advanced safety features like proactive driving assistance and pre-collision alerts to minimize the risk of accidents. However, evaluating the correct functionality of these systems is complex. First, safety systems are highly sophisticated, integrating software, networking, and hardware components, many of which rely on advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. Second, an array of dynamic factors, including numerous actors and physical variables, can influence the performance of safety mechanisms during critical scenarios. Each actor’s unique behavior introduces unpredictability, making it difficult to anticipate future states and outcomes. This thesis presents a comprehensive framework for testing autonomous vehicle …

The Watchmen In The Song Of Songs: An Intertextual Study, Gabriel Xavier Del Valle

Master's Theses

Problem

The watchmen are a shocking feature in the Song of Songs that have received limited exploration and research. Their dual nature in the Song of Songs is illustrated by their two responses to the women in the song; benign indifference illustrated in Song of Songs 3:1-5 and hostility exemplified in Song of Songs 5:2-8. This has led to a myriad of interpretations regarding their function and identity; however, none have been subject to a thorough examination. The watchmen have not been previously investigated as a potential metaphorical or symbolic representation of the brothers related to the woman in the …

Posttraumatic Symptoms As Predictors Of Mobile App Engagement: An Evaluation Of Usage Data From Public Users Of An App For Military Sexual Trauma, Shilpa Hampole

Master's Theses

Veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST) often face barriers to help-seeking. Mental health mobile applications (apps) such as Beyond MST, developed by the National Center for PTSD, can expand access to evidence-based coping tools, psychoeducation, and resources. However, user engagement is crucial for these apps to be effective. Researchers are exploring factors impacting app engagement, with emerging evidence suggesting that symptom severity may play a key role. This study examined whether the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and posttraumatic negative cognitions, as well as level of well-being, are associated with app engagement. Anonymous app usage data …

Electron-Induced Chemical Transformations In Polymer Films: Understanding The Role Of Electrons In Euv Lithography, Maximillian Mueller

Master's Theses

The next generation of computer processors, memory, and nano-scale technologies all rely on our ability to create patterns at the nanometer scale reliably. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography can create sub-10 nm features by exposing photoresist materials, typically polymers or organic networks, to 13.5 nm, 92 eV light. At these energies, absorption of photons by the photoresist leads to the emission of a primary electron around 80 eV which inelastically scatters throughout the material, initiating chemistry and creating secondary electrons. The resulting cascade of electrons and chemical reactions remains poorly understood for most photoresist materials systems. This work aims to characterize …

The Polyvalent Stone Laid Before Joshua In Zechariah 3:9: An Exegetical And Intertextual Study, Sergey Panfilov

Master's Theses

The Problem

The imagery of “the one stone” laid before Joshua and the meaning of the related symbols and dynamics surrounding this object in Zech 3 remains an issue of scholarly debate. Although there are Hebrew Bible references and archaeological backgrounds to elucidate the object, they are found to be mutually conflicting or incomplete, suggesting the need for a methodological contribution to aid the investigation.

Methodology

The current study uses three independent methodological processes: (1) mining of data, (2) attribute-based theological evaluations of potential backgrounds, and (3) exegetical synthesis. These three processes can be viewed as independent or interdependent. As …

The Nature And Role Of Health Laws In The Writings Of Ellen G. White, Lehel Somogyi

Master's Theses

The Topic

Since the founding of their denomination, Seventh-day Adventists have advocated a particular concept of health based on the visions and writings of denominational co-founder Ellen G. White (1827–1915). According to her writings, certain natural laws are crucial for maintaining health. These laws are often called “the laws of health” or “the eight laws of health” and include principles such as diet, exercise, water, temperance, and hygiene. In Seventh-day Adventist circles, Ellen G. White is usually perceived as the originator of these health principles. Some scholars suggest that she simply borrowed her health principles from other contemporary health reformers. …

Senegambia And The American South: Where Identity Belongs, Malika David

Master's Theses

When you think of identity, what is the first thing that comes to mind? While I knew the dictionary definition, the actual meaning of identity remained unclear to me. I couldn't quite grasp the concept or how it related to me. That changed when I visited my mother’s homeland of Senegambia in December 2022. There was always a hunch that identity was connected to a sense of belonging and self-discovery, and I was surprised to realize how similar Senegambian. culture. was to my own southern upbringing. Ultimately, that provided a lot of curiosity and shaped my perspective on identity and …

The Anticipation Is Killing Me! - Examining The Mediating And Moderating Relationships Between Mistreatment Anticipation And Work Engagement, Mia N. Fagan

Master's Theses

The mistreatment of workers by customers in the service industry is widespread and well-known. Although customer mistreatment is associated with negative consequences for employees, there is little knowledge about the potential consequences of the expectation of future mistreatment. The present study examined the relationship between mistreatment anticipation and work engagement and hypothesized that mistreatment anxiety would mediate the relationship between the two and that perceived organizational support (POS) would moderate the relationship between mistreatment anticipation and mistreatment anxiety. Data were collected from a sample of 183 individuals via an online survey. Results showed a significant and negative relationship between mistreatment …

Optimizing Field-Linked Simulations Of Dry Season Uptake And Monsoon Infiltration Within An Aspen-Mixed Conifer Forest, Raymond J. Hess

Master's Theses

Climate models forecast that headwater catchments in the western U.S. will undergo a reduction in snowpack, early season snowmelt, and increases in evapotranspiration. The resulting extended dry season will stress vegetation in mountainous watersheds throughout the Upper Colorado River Basin. We investigate infiltration patterns and root water uptake in response to dry season disturbances within the East River watershed in Colorado. To do this, we collected soil cores, measured matric potential and sap flow, and monitored tree xylem and soil for stable isotopes of water (2H, 18O) in two soil profiles to 90 cm depth (with three Engelmann spruce and …

Covalent Inhibition Of Enzyme Sortase A As A New Pathway Against Bacterial Resistance Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Umyeena Bashir

Master's Theses

The continued rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), has made the discovery of novel antibiotics critical. While bacteriostatic and bactericidal antibiotics inevitably exert evolutionary pressure on bacteria to develop resistance, small molecules that target mechanisms of bacterial virulence present a promising alternative for treatment. Sortase A (Srt A), a cysteine protease of S. aureus, promotes bacterial virulence by covalently attaching proteins such as pilin to the bacterial surface, enabling bacterial adhesion to mammalian cells. Inhibitory studies of this enzyme have gained prominent interest as a new pathway for drug development since blocking this enzyme's ability to …

Heat & Social Cooperation: The Effects Of Thermal Stress On Altruism, Alexander J. Courtman

Master's Theses

Recent literature has highlighted the effects of temperature on economic outcomes and violence in humans, on both the interpersonal and intergroup levels: as temperatures rise, humans are more likely to exhibit increased aggression and agitation. However, little research has been done on how pro-social behaviors like cooperation and altruism among humans might respond to increased temperatures. As extreme heat events increase in frequency, will humans and communities work together in the face of adverse shocks and crises? Leveraging experimental data collected randomized controlled trails held in 4 locations across the world, this paper seeks to establish a relationship between thermal …

Lemons And Other Grand Delusions, Jake A. Yarnold

Master's Theses

Lemons and Other Grand Delusions explores a host of characters as they come face to face with their greatest fears, as they get exactly what they think they want. From magic dimension-bending lemons, to automatons powered by the Philosopher’s Stone, as the powers from beyond become in-hand realities, the characters find their greatest desires are not as simple and powerful in their hands as they first thought. Exploring the limits of greed and desire within ourselves and in the society we live in, the collection asks who are we, if not a collection of our own desires, and the impulses …

From Margins To Museums: Tracing The Evolution Of Representation For Contemporary African Artists In The United States, Victoria Mouraux Durand-Ruel

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on the art community in the United States and the evolution of representation for Contemporary African artists. By analyzing the careers and artistic contributions of Omar Ba, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, the study explores the concept of artistic agency according to which African artists have more control over the production and distribution of their works.

The research begins with a comprehensive literature review, investigating the historical contexts that have shaped the art landscape, including the impact of colonization, decolonization, and globalization. The study reveals how these …

Evaluation Of Polyvinyl Alcohol (Pva) For Electrospinning Utility In The Blood Vessel Mimic (Bvm) Lab, Logan Vandenbroucke

Master's Theses

Electrospinning has provided the opportunity to create extracellular matrix (ECM) mimicking scaffolds for the development of tissue-engineered constructs. Within Professor Kristen Cardinal’s Blood Vessel Mimic (BVM) Lab, at Cal Poly, there exists a constant demand for innovation and the expansion of polymer types and electrospinning capabilities for its BVM model. Along these lines, the BVM Lab has recently acquired two new electrospinning systems: the Spinbox, a commercially graded electrospinning system, and the Learn-By-Doing system, which was part of a recently completed thesis conducted by Jason Provol. Additionally, recently published literature has demonstrated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a viable option for …