Digital Commons Network^™

A Study On Api Security Pentesting, Hadi Asemi

Master's Theses

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are essential in the digital realm as the bridge enabling seamless communication and collaboration between diverse software applications. Their significance lies in simplifying the integration of different systems, allowing them to work together effortlessly and share data. APIs are used in various applications, for example, healthcare, banks, authentication, etc. Ensuring the security of APIs is critical to ensure data security, privacy, and more. Therefore, the security of APIs is not only urgent but mandatory for pentesting APIs at every stage of development and to catch vulnerabilities early. The primary purpose of this research is to provide …

Nira Ya Mtumwa Aliye Huru: Granville Kachipumo's Life Of Slavery And Redemption In Nineteenth-Century East Africa, Zachary Tyler Levy

Master's Theses

Granville Kachipumo was the Universities Mission to Central Africa’s African-born teacher at Mkului in East Africa near today’s Muheza district of Tanga, Tanzania. He was taken from his home along River Lintipe at 10 to 12 years old. Granville Kachipumo’s life began with his family west of Lake Nyasa. Ripped from the arms of his parents, Granville Kachipumo faced two inland journeys, each with its complex forms of slave trade. From the inland environment, Granville Kachipumo navigated to the mission halls of Masasi and beyond. Kachipumo’s story is, as Arthur Cornwallis Madan stated, “a story of an intelligent boy who …

Nanodiscs: A Novel Approach To The Study Of The Methionine Abc Transporter System, Michael T. Winslow

Master's Theses

Membrane transporter proteins play the vital role of moving compounds in and out of the cell and are essential for all living organisms. ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) family transporters function both as importers and exporters in prokaryotes. MetNI is an E. coli Type I ABC transporter responsible for the uptake of methionine into the cytosol from the cell periplasmic space through the cell membrane to maintain intracellular methionine pools. ABC transporters, like other membrane proteins, are most often mechanistically and structurally studied in vitro, solubilized by detergents. However, detergent micelles may affect the conformational changes of membrane proteins relative to …

Investigating Putative Toxin-Immunity Pairs From A New Class Of Rhs Proteins In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Syed Faieq Imam

Master's Theses

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen that is ubiquitous in nature, especially in human/animal impacted environments. One of the reasons for this is the arsenal of protein systems and toxins that P. aeruginosa utilizes to mold its environment to suit its needs. Recently, we discovered a novel locus in the P. aeruginosa genome, which resembles other loci that are known to mediate interbacterial competition. Our bioinformatic analysis found this locus to be enriched in a rearrangement hotspot (rhs) motif which led us to ad-interim term the three ORFs of the loci as rhsB, rhsC, and rhsI. Furthermore, we have …

Cobalt Nanowire Catalyst For Fischer-Tropsch Reaction, Jordan Gates

Master's Theses

The Fischer Tropsch reaction is a long-standing chemical reaction that enables the generation of hydrocarbons from hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Funding for research in this field has varied over the years due to the economics of producing synthetic fuel versus processing crude oil. The development of new reactors and catalysts has increased the viability of this process, but it still isn’t enough. Presented in this thesis is a novel nanowire catalyst that is not structured in the same manner as conventional catalysts. In this work it is our goal to compare the nanowire catalyst with a traditional catalyst on the …

An Examination Of School Resource Officers' Self-Perception Of Role, Student Encounters And Duties, Alexandra Swanty

Master's Theses

As the rates of school shootings and school violence rise, the effectiveness of school resource officers (SROs) has come into question. As of now, there is no nationwide standard for the role and duties of school resource officers. Therefore, these differ from state to state and even school district to school district. One variable that had yet to be examined was the impact that location has on the roles of school resource officers. From this, three different school resource officer roles were identified: teaching-based role, community-based role, and law enforcement-based role. To determine the relationship between these variables, an online …

Comparing Effects Of Praise Rates On Classroom Behavior, Brittany Pigg

Master's Theses

High-quality academic instruction, and, in turn, student success, are correlated with effective classroom management (Gage, Scott, Hirn, & MacSuga-Gage, 2018; Johnson, 1997; Stronge, Ward, & Grant, 2011; Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1993). Students are spending up to 50% of their instructional time engaged in non-instructional activities such as classroom procedures, transitions, and discipline (Codding & Smyth, 2008). However, academic activities should account for at least 70% of classroom time (Little & Akin-Little, 2008). Praise, a simple classroom behavior management procedure, includes statements commending behavior and is intended to increase the future probability of the behavior that warranted praise. Behavior-specific praise …

An Overview Of Speech-Language Pathologists’ Current Practices For Bilingual Children With Childhood Apraxia Of Speech, Yessica Villanueva Guerra

Master's Theses

Purpose: This study aimed to explore and describe current practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who presently work or have worked with bilingual children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) in diverse settings. Exploration of this topic may contribute to the need for more knowledge in the Speech-Language Pathology field regarding evidence-based practices for the target population. The primary aims addressed in this study were: 1) To describe the assessment procedures currently used by speech-language pathologists to diagnose bilingual children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, 2) To describe the intervention approaches currently used by speech-language pathologists to treat bilingual children with …

Co-Simulation Of Active Magnetic Bearing Rotors Using Adams, Msc Apex, And Simulink, Shea A. Charkowsky

Master's Theses

Apex-Adams-Simulink co-simulation is applied to active magnetic bearing (AMB) rotors, demonstrating results unshown in literature, including continuous frequency response, and unavailable in known rotor dynamics software, including touchdown bearing impact. AMBs levitate rotors without contact, so they involve no friction, wear, lubrication, pollution, or shaft speed limits and are thus valuable for large, high-speed applications. Modeling of such rotors, necessary for safety and performance, simultaneously requires flexible body dynamics and advanced control design, but simulation programs tend to specialize in only one or the other. The co-simulation method combines multiple such programs—MSC Apex (finite element modeling), Adams (multibody dynamics), and …

Mate Choice And Sexual Conflict In A Livebearing Fish, Julia C. Kasper

Master's Theses

Eavesdropping occurs when a receiver extracts information from an interaction without directly engaging with the signaler. Eavesdropping has been shown to be an effective way of evaluating the quality of potential mates and their abilities in male-male competition, without having to directly interact with them, thereby reducing energy costs and mating harassment. Girardinus metallicus is a livebearing poeciliid fish endemic to Cuba whose mating system is dominated by mating harassment in the form of sneak copulations, persistent displaying, and male-male aggression. G. metallicus has a male specific polymorphism in both melanin coloration and behavior. Males with melanin coloration are known …

Animal Abuse And Psychopathy: Examining Psychopathic Personality Traits In Both Animal Abusers And Non-Abusers, Allison Renegar

Master's Theses

Despite the soaring popularity of household pets in America, very little thought is given about the rights of our domesticated animals to exist free from harm and abuse. Little research has been done concerning animal abuse as most studies measured animal abuse dichotomously, providing essentially no contextual information. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between psychopathy and animal abuse using the Psychopathic Personality Traits Scale (PPTS; Boduszek et al., 2016) and the Boat Inventory on Animal-Related Experiences (Boat Inventory; Boat, 1994) while accounting for other factors including what types of animals are abused and the methods …

Auto-Resistance Toward Snake Venom Metalloproteases In United States Pitvipers, Kaleb Hill

Master's Theses

Analysis of natural snake venom inhibitors in snake blood began in the 18th century with the pioneering work of Fontana on European vipers (Hawgood, 1995). Serum resistance to conspecific and heterospecific venoms has subsequently been identified in many snakes, but results vary. Many of these snakes demonstrating resistance are either allopatric or distantly related, making the ecological explanation of this resistance unclear. Auto-resistance to one’s own venom for protection against self-envenomation has been suggested to be provided by endogenous serum-based protective molecules that bind to the venom components. Toxin resistance could develop in venomous organisms resulting from the physiological production …

Genetic Parameters For Heat And Salinity Stress Tolerance In Northern Gulf Of Mexico Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, Paul Mcdonald

Master's Theses

Summer mortalities in Gulf of Mexico eastern oysters have been linked to excessively high temperatures, and chronic exposure to low salinity. In this study, the feasibility of improving tolerance to these two stresses by selection was evaluated in common garden experiments employing a pool of 160 families. Heat stress tolerance was evaluated in seed (3.5 months) and adults (14 months) by applying a sustained temperature of 38-39 °C until all oysters expired. Low salinity challenges on juveniles (9 months) and adults (15 months) applied a salinity of 2.5 psu. Survival duration of individual oysters during challenges was recorded and tissue …

Subject-Specific Human Knee Fea Models For Transtibial Amputees Vs Control Tibial Cartilage Pressure In Gait, Cycling And Elliptical Training, Ali Yazdkhasti

Master's Theses

Millions of individuals around the globe are impacted by osteoarthritis, which is the prevailing type of arthritis. This condition arises as a result of gradual deterioration of the protective cartilage that safeguards the ends of the bones. This is especially true of transtibial amputees, who have a significantly higher incidence of osteoarthritis of the knee in their intact limb than non-amputees. Engaging in regular physical activity, managing weight effectively, and undergoing specific treatments can potentially slow down the advancement of the disease and enhance pain relief and joint function. Nevertheless, the relationship between the type of exercise and its impact …

Mountain Lion Resource Selection In The California Central Coast: Modeling Habitat Suitability For A Large Carnivore In A Rapidly Changing Environment, Megan Elizabeth O'Connor

Master's Theses

Land use conversion toward agriculture such as orchards and vineyards can have severe negative impacts on habitat and wildlife, particularly large carnivores, globally through habitat fragmentation and loss. The mountain lion (Puma concolor) population in the California Central Coast is thought to provide “stepping-stone” connectivity between several severely genetically compromised coastal populations throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains and several mountain ranges in Southern California; however, the California Central Coast is one of the fastest-developing regions of California with little protection against future land use conversion. Conserving areas of and corridors between high-quality mountain lion habitat through conservation easements …

Theoretical And Experimental Study Of Active Magnetic Bearing Control Integrated On Bently's Rotor Kit, Arturo Mario Flores

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the comprehensive study of controlling a customized Active Magnetic Bearing (AMB) installed on Bently Nevada’s RK4 rotor kit in Cal Poly’s Vibrations and Rotordynamics Lab. The AMB was uniquely designed and manufactured by a Cal Poly senior project team to fit Bently’s rotor kit and the results of this research are distinctive to the custom system. To achieve practical functionality of the AMB system, we designed a controller a Virtual Instrument (VI) using the National Instrument software, LabVIEW. From the experimental study, we calibrated the programming to find unknown parameters of the AMB system and validated …

Annotation Of Non-Model Species’ Genomes, Taiya Jarva

Master's Theses

The innovations in high throughput sequencing technologies in recent decades has allowed unprecedented examination and characterization of the genetic make-up of both model and non-model species, which has led to a surge in the use of genomics in fields which were previously considered unfeasible. These advances have greatly expanded the realm of possibilities in the fields of ecology and conservation. It is now possible to the identification of large cohorts of genetic markers, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and larger structural variants, as well as signatures of selection and local adaptation. Markers can be used to identify species, define population …

Design And Validation Of A Wearable Smartsole For Continuous Detection Of Abnormal Gait, Karoline M. Wucherer

Master's Theses

Residual gait abnormalities are common following lower limb injury and/or stroke and can have several negative impacts on an individual’s life. Without continuous treatment and follow up, individuals can be prone to chronic pain as abnormal gait may lead to non-physiological loading of the musculoskeletal system. The current industry gold standard for diagnosing abnormal gait requires specialty equipment that is generally only available at designated gait facilities. Due to the inaccessibility and high cost associated with these facilities, a wearable SmartSole device to continuously detect abnormal gait was proposed. A previous iteration of the SmartSole was unable to properly detect …

Evaluating The Field Efficacy Of Uv-C On Two California Strawberry Arthropod Pests, Jose Luis Alvarado Rojas

Master's Theses

The efficacy of two different autonomous Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) units on two spotted spidermite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), and greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum. (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). was tested in four commercial strawberry fields in California.

In 2020, California strawberry growers used 12 million pounds of active ingredients (AIs) to keep pests under economic thresholds. While pesticides are an important part of an integrated pest management program, their use poses threats to the environment and human health. To protect agricultural workers, the public and the environment, regulators in California have consistently limited or removed the use of certain pesticide AIs. For …

Analytical Pipeline To Facilitate Electroencephalography Pain State Identification In Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain, Emma Katharina Jacobs

Master's Theses

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) affects the quality of life of over 23% of American adults and places an immense burden on the economy.^1–3 To more effectively diagnose and treat cLBP, quantitative biomarkers are needed to objectively measure pain and better identify the underlying mechanisms of cLBP. The overarching goal of this work is to create an analytical pipeline to investigate brain activity patterns measured with electroencephalogram (EEG) data of cLBP patients treated with transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS). The specific aims of this project are to 1) investigate whether there is a difference between baseline EEG measurements and …

Gyroless Nanosatellite Attitude Determination Using An Array Of Spatially Distributed Accelerometers, Kory J. Haydon

Master's Theses

The low size and budget of typical nanosatellite missions limit the available sensors for attitude estimation. Relatively high noise MEMS gyroscopes often must be employed when accurate knowledge of the spacecraft’s angular velocity is necessary for attitude determination and control. This thesis derived and tested in simulation the “Virtual Gyroscope” algorithm, which replaced a standard gyroscope with an array of spatially distributed accelerometers for a 1U CubeSat mission. A MEMS accelerometer model was developed and validated using Root Allan Variance, and the Virtual Gyroscope was tested both in the open loop configuration and as a replacement for a gyroscope in …

Evaluation Of Potential Surrogates For Listeria Monocytogenes In Fresh Citrus-Specific Validation Studies, Kimiko Grace Casuga

Master's Theses

The FSMA Produce Safety Rule (PSR) requires citrus packers to more closely assess, manage, and monitor food safety risks. Although there have been no foodborne illness outbreaks and only one recall in fresh citrus, the risk of pathogens coming in on the fruit and cross contamination during washing still exists. Packhouses have dynamic washing systems and in-plant validations may be the only way to demonstrate compliance with the PSR. In-plant validations use surrogates in place of pathogens, and none have been identified or validated for citrus. The aim of this research was to identify a surrogate for use in fresh …

Mobile Firewall System For Distributed Denial Of Service Defense In Internet Of Things Networks, Lorenzo B. Gardea

Master's Theses

Internet of Things (IoT) has seen unprecedented growth in the consumer space over the past ten years. The majority of IoT device manufacturers do not, however, build their products with cybersecurity in mind. The goal of the mobile firewall system is to move mitigation of network-diffused attacks closer to their source. Attack detection and mitigation is enforced using a machine that physically traverses the area. This machine uses a suite of security tools to protect the network. Our system provides advantages over current network attack mitigation techniques. Mobile firewalls can be deployed when there is no access to the network …

The Effect Of Irrigation On Dry-Farmed Vitis Vinifera L. Cv. Zinfandel As A Function Of Age, Jocelyn Alvarez Arredondo

Master's Theses

A one-year study was conducted in the Central Coast of California at a commercial vineyard to evaluate the effect of supplemental irrigation on dry-farmed Vitis vinifera L. cv. Zinfandel with varying vine ages during the 2021 growing season. The experimental block was historically dry-farmed on own-rooted Zinfandel vines, older vines were replaced as production quality decreased with a genetically identical scion grafted onto St. George (Vitis vinifera Scheel) rootstock. Six total treatments were included in this study, with Young vines (5 to 12 years old), Old vines (40 to 60 years old), and Control (2:1 ratio of old to …

Food For Thought: The Effects Of Feeding On Neurogenesis In The Ball Python, Python Regius, Hannah F. Bow

Master's Theses

Pythons are a well-studied model of postprandial physiological plasticity. Consuming a meal has been shown by past work to evoke a suite of physiological changes in pythons and elicit one of the largest documented increases in post-feeding metabolic rates relative to resting values. However, little is known about how this plasticity manifests in the brains of ball pythons, Python regius. Previous work using the cell-birth marker 5-bromo-12’-deoxyuridine (BrdU) has shown that cell proliferation in the python brain increases six days following meal consumption. This study aimed to confirm these findings and build on them in the long term by …

Predicting Location And Training Effectiveness (Plate), Erik Rolf Bruenner

Master's Theses

Abstract Predicting Location and Training Effectiveness (PLATE)
Erik Bruenner

Physical activity and exercise have been shown to have an enormous impact on many areas of human health and can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. In order to better understand how exercise may affect the body, current kinesiology studies are designed to track human movements over large intervals of time. Procedures used in these studies provide a way for researchers to quantify an individual’s activity level over time, along with tracking various types of activities that individuals may engage in. Movement data of research subjects is often collected through …

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Autonomous Attitude Consensus For Nanosatellite Formations In Leo, Laird J. Mendelson

Master's Theses

Consensus strategies are examined as a possible approach to achieving attitude alignment for a large, close-proximity formation of nanosatellites in low earth orbit (LEO). An attitude-only distributed consensus approach is selected for further consideration due to its comparatively low data transmission requirements. The convergence of a connected network of satellites to the attitude agreement subspace under this control law is shown using a Lyapunov stability approach with a set of idealizing assumptions. A moderate-fidelity simulation demonstrates the performance of the control law under realistic conditions that violate those assumptions. Particular emphasis is placed on the conditions that arise from the …

Detecting Coherent Transport Structures In Ocean Surface Flows, Leah Hoogstra

Master's Theses

Ocean surface transport plays a critical role in marine ecosystems, influencing the complex spatiotemporal patterns of both marine species and pollutants. The theory of Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) aims to identify fundamental patterns within time-dependent, nonlinear fluid flows. LCSs are material surfaces that act as dividing lines which fluid does not cross for a relevant period of time. LCS theory is still under active development, and there are multiple proposed ways to mathematically determine an LCS. Each proposed mathematical definition aims to capture the same physical properties, and some capture those properties more successfully and consistently than others. Here we …

Neural Tabula Rasa: Foundations For Realistic Memories And Learning, Patrick R. Perrine

Master's Theses

Understanding how neural systems perform memorization and inductive learning tasks are of key interest in the field of computational neuroscience. Similarly, inductive learning tasks are the focus within the field of machine learning, which has seen rapid growth and innovation utilizing feedforward neural networks. However, there have also been concerns regarding the precipitous nature of such efforts, specifically in the area of deep learning. As a result, we revisit the foundation of the artificial neural network to better incorporate current knowledge of the brain from computational neuroscience. More specifically, a random graph was chosen to model a neural system. This …

Analyzing Tortuosity In Patterns Formed By Colonies Of Embryonic Stem Cells Using Topological Data Analysis, Jackie Driscoll

Master's Theses

Pluripotent stem cells have been observed to segregate into Turing-like patterns during the early stages of Dox-inducible hiPSC differentiation. In this thesis, we de- velop a tool to quantify the tortuosity in the patterns formed by colonies of pluripo- tent stem cells using methods from topological data analysis. We use clustering techniques and the mapper algorithm to create simplicial complexes representing samples of cells and detail a method of evaluating the tortuosity of these complexes. We use the resulting persistence landscapes and their associated norms to evaluate experimental data and simulated data from an agent based model. This thesis finds …