Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Hardiness, Family Hardiness, And Parenting Self-Efficacy On Parenting Stress In Adoptive Parents, Erica Danielle Raisanen

Master's Theses

Adoptive parents are at risk for experiencing a high level of parenting stress (McGlone, Santos, Kazama, Fong, & Mueller, 2002) throughout the duration of the adoption experience. Adoptee background factors have been found to contribute to increased levels of parenting stress and distress in adoptive parents (Brooks, Simmel, Wind, & Barth, 2005; McDonald, Lieberman, Partridge, & Homby, 1991; McGlone et al., 2002). Increased parenting stress has been associated with negative outcomes for both parent and child (Ang, 2008; Deater-Deckard, Smith, & Ivy 2005; Morgan, Robinsion, & Aldridge, 2002). Hardiness, family hardiness and parental self-efficacy are protective factors that have all …

Family Structure And Child Emotion Regulation Difficulties As Important Factors In The Relation Between Maternal Depression And Child Externalizing Behaviors, Kristy Marie Disabatino

Master's Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate if child emotion regulation difficulties mediated the relation between maternal depression and child externalizing behaviors. In addition, understanding whether family structure is an important moderator in the relation between maternal depression and child emotion regulation difficulties was of interest in the present study. Archival data from 210 children (64.3% boys; 71.9% self-identified as non-Caucasian, 28.1% as Caucasian), one female caregiver, and the child's teacher were used. It was hypothesized that child emotion regulation difficulties would be positively related to maternal depression and child externalizing behaviors and would mediate the relation between …

Pink And Dude Chefs: A Nutrition And Culinary Intervention For Middle School Students, Tianna R. Sheehan

Master's Theses

Pink and Dude Chefs: A nutrition and culinary intervention for middle school students

Tianna Sheehan

The prevalence of obesity in US adolescents has more than tripled in the past 35 years, and the greatest impact has been among low-income and minority racial/ethnic populations. Adolescents report inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, an overconsumption of sweetened beverages, and a high reliance on fast food locations for meals or snacks; increasing the risk of adolescent obesity. Building knowledge and skills through culinary interventions may empower middle school students to create and also choose healthful foods.

Pink and Dude Chefs, a six-week nutrition and …

Determinants Of Food Insecurity Among Vulnerable White And Latino Households: Contextualizing The Impact Of Sociodemographic And Household-Level Factors, Alexandra Lund

Master's Theses

Household-level characteristics have been shown to be associated with food insecurity but studies among vulnerable populations are sparse. A food security assessment was developed to determine food security and collect sociodemographic and household level data across San Luis Obispo County. The assessments were administered to vulnerable groups through interviews at multiple sites across the County. Three household characteristics (marital status, number of children in the household and number of workers in the household) were examined in this analysis. A total of 808 surveys were collected, 69% in English and 31% in Spanish. Through ethnicity-stratified sequentially adjusted logistic regression models, the …

Modeling And Analysis Of A Pv Grid-Tied Smart Inverter's Support Functions, Benjamin Anders Johnson

Master's Theses

The general trends in the past decade of increasing solar cell efficiency, decreasing PV system costs, increasing government incentive programs, and several other factors have all combined synergistically to reduce the barriers of entry for PV systems to enter the market and expand their contribution to the global energy portfolio. The shortcomings of current inverter functions which link PV systems to the utility network are becoming transparent as PV penetration levels continue to increase. The solution this thesis proposes is an approach to control the inverters real and reactive power output to help eliminate the problems associated with PV systems …

Parenting Nutrition Skills Workshop: An Evaluation Of Facilitated Group Discussions To Enhance Parenting Nutrition Self Efficacy, Lisa A. Dawes

Master's Theses

Abstract

Parenting Nutrition Skills Workshops: An Evaluation of Facilitated Group Discussions to Enhance Parenting Nutrition Self-Efficacy

By: Lisa Dawes, RD, CDE

This research study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using facilitated group discussion (FGD), a less traditional method of nutrition education, for increasing parents’ feelings of self-efficacy in their ability to make nutrition-related decisions, and to set and enforce nutrition-related boundaries with their children.

Childhood obesity is on the rise; poor food choices, portion control, and inactivity are identified as contributing causes. Parents play a major role in creating healthy habits and providing a well-balanced diet for their …

Comparison Of Stated Iron Concentrations Between Name Brand And Generic Children's Multivitamins, Ashlea Nicole Pettengill

Master's Theses

The mineral iron is one of the most common minerals on Earth; not only is iron found in the atmosphere, water, and plants, it is an essential mineral needed for the human body. Children need iron at a young age to ensure proper growth and development of myelin, to promote oxygen transportation within red blood cells, and to assist in Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA). With iron readily available in children's multivitamins, iron toxicity can become an issue when taking too many tablets. With two types of brands, generic and name brand, parents should be aware of the …

Financing Public Solar Projects: California Public Jurisdictions' Experiences In Acquiring And Financing Solar Photovoltaic Installations, Dana M.C. Hoffman

Master's Theses

More efficient technologies, state laws as well as environmental, social, and political pressures have all contributed to placing solar acquisition on the agenda for California’s public entities over the last half decade. But a key question for these frequently cash-strapped jurisdictions is how to utilize public dollars and lands, and how to leverage incentives to obtain solar PVs. As an alternative to outright purchase, a promising financing option made available to jurisdictions in recent years is ownership by a third party, usually the solar company, including various forms of Power Purchase Agreements (PPA’s) and leasing. Due in part to state …

Empowerment And Health In A Low Income Community In Mumbai, India, Lwendo Moonzwe

Master's Theses

The data on which this thesis is based were collected in three study communities located in a marginalized area of Mumbai. We draw on two data sources: in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with 66 married women and a survey sample of 260 married women. This thesis examines the relationship between empowerment to women’s self-reported general health status and women’s self-reported health during pregnancy in low-income communities in Mumbai. The results of the analysis show that empowerment functions differently in relation to women’s general health situation and their pregnancy status. Findings indicate that women who are more empowered are more likely to …

A Transnational And Intergenerational Account Of Value Preference Patterns: Revisiting Needs-Gratification And Post-Materialist Theories, Fouad Bou Zeineddine

Master's Theses

The socio-political values predominant in a particular society will reflect the correspondent needs of that society, and these needs can include factors other than material acquisition. In contrast to needs-gratification theory (Maslow, 1970), and post-materialist theory (Inglehart, 1971), this paper discusses agency in terms of relational autonomy (Oshana, 2006), as it pertains to power. I argue that a) personal and national economic affluence or security may not be sufficient to describe social ecology nor fully describe the ways that power can influence values, b) individual and collective relational power is utilitarian and essential, c) fulfillment of material and social needs …

Modulation Of Synaptic Transmission By Adenosine In Layer 2/3 Of The Rat Visual Cortex In Vitro, Nicholas M. Bannon

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

An Experimental Investigation Of The Stol Performance Of Cal Poly's Amelia In The Nfac, Jonathan Andrew Lichtwardt

Master's Theses

Results from Cal Poly's recent wind tunnel test, during the Winter of 2011-2012, in the 40- by 80-foot test section at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) at NASA Ames Research Center are presented. AMELIA, the Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved Aeroacoustics, is the first full-span, cruise efficient, short take-off and landing (CESTOL) model incorporating leading- and trailing-edge blowing wing circulation control and over-the-wing mounted turbine propulsion simulators (TPS) to date. Testing of the 10 foot span model proved successful and was the result of a 5 year NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program Research Announcement. The test generated extensive …

Stress, Anxiety, And Somatic Symptoms: A Comparison Of Biomarkers In A Clinical Sample, David J. Finitsis

Master's Theses

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent class of mental disorders, often characterized by a chronic course and comorbid psychopathology. The anxiety-stress literature utilizing cortisol as a biomarker of the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis has been inconsistent. The establishment of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) as a biomarker of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation allows researchers an opportunity to examine the stress response more fully. This study sought to explore relationships between trait anxiety and salivary stress biomarkers in an outpatient sample attending a specialized anxiety treatment center. Multiple regression and moderator analyses were conducted to examine associations between psychosocial and physiological …

Migration And Children's School And Labor: Evidence From El Salvador, Zachary Intemann

Master's Theses

This paper examines the impact of parental migration on schooling outcomes for children left behind in El Salvador. Using cross sectional data collected in 2012, outcomes for children are observed for children with migrant parents. The outcomes are also analyzed by gender of the migrant parent who left his or her child behind. Results are observed using instrumental variable estimations, as well as a seemingly unrelated regression to estimate the impact of migration on a child’s time allocation. Outcomes are also analyzed measuring the impact of remittances. Results show that children with at least one migrant parent will complete more …

Effect Of Post Manufacture Thermal Dip Treatment On Proteolysis Of Commercial String Cheese During Storage, Melissa Karen Hsu

Master's Theses

String cheese, a Mozzarella cheese, has the unique ability to string in fibrous strands when pulled apart. Graders judge string cheese by its stringy texture; samples with copious amounts of string are awarded high ratings. But just as the texture of natural cheeses softens with time, the stringy texture of string cheese can diminish with age too.

Age related softening in cheese is due primarily to an important biochemical event known as proteolysis, which is attributed to inherent milk proteinases, residual coagulant activity, and enzymes from the lysis of starter culture microorganisms. It is hypothesized that a post manufacture heat …

Effects Of Ovariectomy And Anatomical Location On Osteonal Encroachment In Adult Cortical Ovine Bone, Paige Brell Ryan

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to further quantify adult ovine ovariectomized bone for new remodeling characteristics to obtain a better understanding of how remodeling is occurring and the effectiveness of this animal model for the study of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a major health concern and animal models to test new treatment options are needed. The ovine model is a good option because the ewes undergo Haversian remodeling, are a large sized animal, and have a similar hormone profile to humans. Ewes, however, do not undergo a natural menopause, so an ovariectomy surgery was conducted in the sheep …

Home Range And Habitat Use Of Santa Rosa Island Foxes (Urocyon Littoralis Santarosae), Elizabeth Marie Drake

Master's Theses

Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) are currently listed as federally endangered on four of the six Channel Islands to which they are endemic. The Santa Rosa Island (SRI) population declined by 99% during the 1990’s due to non-native golden eagle (Aguila chrysaetos) predation and is currently the lowest fox population (~280) and density (0.86 foxes/km²) of any of the Channel Islands. The goals of this study were to assess new miniaturized GPS technology and to quantify home range and habitat use of the SRI population. This is only the second use of Global Positioning System (GPS) …

Hydrologic Modeling Of The San Joaquin Valley Watershed For Purposes Of Nitrate Analysis, Stephen Carl Clayton

Master's Theses

The San Joaquin Valley is regarded as one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world. This extensive agriculture has, however, caused extensive pollution of both ground water and surface water. This thesis develops a hydrologic model of the surface and ground waters of the San Joaquin Valley. Such modeling is useful in the development and implementation of water quality regulations such as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). A properly validated watershed simulation model can supplement data collection and can account for watershed characteristics including topography, soils, climate, land cover, anthropogenic activities, as well as simulate watershed responses including …

Rfid Technology Selection And Economic Justification For Healthcare Asset Tracking, Tyler Robert Peabody, Tali Freed

Master's Theses

Although Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Real-Time Location System (RTLS) technologies for inventory tracking have been growing in popularity, the healthcare industry has been reluctant to adopt these technologies. One of the primary reasons for this lack of enthusiasm has been the risk associated with electromagnetic interference between RFID/RTLS systems and medical equipment functionality. The other reason has been the substantial cost and complexity of implementing RFID/RTLS in healthcare organizations. In this study, we show that there are several ways to safely install RFID/RTLS systems to improve the inventory management processes of hospitals and clinics. We then analyze the inventory …

Cloth Filter For Disaster Relief Water Treatment, Shasta Le'ja Billings

Master's Theses

Relief organizations and governments strive to provide safe drinking water to natural disaster survivors as quickly as possible. However, drinking water is typically provided either as bottled water or via mobile water treatment equipment, both of which can be difficult or expensive to transport rapidly into disaster zones. An alternative is the waterbag point-of-use treatment device developed at Cal Poly that allows survivors to produce safe drinking water from contaminated local sources. The waterbag is a 10-L bladder designed for use with Procter & Gamble Purifier of Water (PŪR^®) sachets, which contain coagulant and chlorine compounds. Following treatment …

Bacterial Growth On Metal And Non-Metal Surfaces In A Static Bioreactor, Rolan Yuk Loong Liong

Master's Theses

Research was conducted to observe bacterial growth on the surface of metals in a static bioreactor. Metal and non-metal samples were subjected to bacterial exposure (1 day and 9 days). The metal samples were surface treated prior to bacterial exposure. The microstructures of the surface treated samples were analyzed by optical microscopy. After exposure, the microstructures of the samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The analysis suggested that microbial attachment on the surface was related to the underlying microstructure of steel. The preferential attachment of microbes could potentially be influenced by cathodic and anodic regions created by the …

Monitoring Mdpc-23 Odontoblast-Like Cell Proliferation Using Cell Count And Dna Content Methods, Marina Funtik D.M.D.

Master's Theses

There is growing interest in the development of an engineering process by which dentin stem/progenitor cells can predictably proliferate, differentiate and produce mineralization nodules in cell culture. The engineering of 3D scaffolds could then be used to aid in proliferation and differentiation of these progenitor cells to aid in regeneration of the pulp/dentin complex in vivo.

In the present study, the goal was to characterize the MDPC-23 cell line and its behavior during proliferation. The cells in culture reach high numbers upon reaching confluence. When cells are growing in multilayers, as will occur in planned dentin regeneration experiments, it …

Exploring The Efficacy Of The Community Organization Health Model As A Tool For Evaluating Sport-For-Development Programs: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Three Model Programs, Lauren Faye Denman

Master's Theses

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is currently one of the most pressing world-wide concerns regarding the health and well-being of our global population. Due to the lack of a cure, recent efforts have focused on prevention measures for the disease. HIV prevention, particularly with the youth population, has spawned creative programs, such as the use of sport as an educational tool to equip youth with the skills to avoid contracting HIV. Due to the potent effect sport-for-development efforts exhibit on both individual and cultural level change, it can be assumed that HIV prevention sport-for-development programs are worth maintaining. Within the use of …

Structural Health Monitoring For In-Service Highway Bridges Using Smart Sensors, Sushil Dahal

Master's Theses

With the rapid development of electrical circuits, Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) and network technology, wireless smart sensor networks (WSSN) have shown significant potential for replacing existing wired Structural health monitoring (SHM) systems due to their cost effectiveness and versatility. A few structural systems have been monitored using WSSN measuring acceleration, temperature, wind speed, humidity; however, a multi-scale sensing device which has the capability to measure the displacement has not been yet developed. In this research, a new high accuracy displacement sensing system has been developed combining a high resolution analog displacement sensor and MEMS-based wireless microprocessor platform. The developed multi-scale sensing …

Optimizing Propagation Of Ceanothus Americanus L., (New Jersey Tea), Corylus Cornuta Marsh. (Beaked Filbert), Lonicera Canadensis Bartr. (American Fly Honeysuckle), And Viburnum Acerifolium L. (Mapleleaf Viburnum) By Softwood Stem Cuttings, Julia A. Cartabiano

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Automated Point-Of-Care Image Processing Methodology For The Diagnosis Of Malaria, Michael B. Jorgensen

Master's Theses

Malaria has profoundly influenced human history for over four thousand years and despite numerous attempts at eradication, the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of malaria have been largely ineffective. More than five hundred million people are affected by malaria every year resulting in over one million deaths. Drug resistance development by the parasite has diminished the effectiveness of numerous treatment options due, in part, to overtreatment of negative patients based on insufficient clinical algorithms and diagnostic methods. The goal of this research was to develop an image analysis algorithm to diagnose malaria with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity in …

The Effect Of Statins On Resting Blood Pressure And The Peak Blood Pressure Response To A Graded Exercise Stress Test, Marianne L. Mentch

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Dax-1 In Regulating Pluripotency In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells, Anthony Torres

Master's Theses

The orphan receptor Dax-1 is highly expressed in pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells and shows a correlative reduction in expression as these cells differentiate. While it is known that Dax-1 is expressed in pluripotent mouse ES cells, the precise function of Dax-1 in these cells is not as well understood. Recent studies employing RNA interference (RNAi) to specifically reduce the expression of the Dax-1 gene in mouse ES cells found that upon the knock down of Dax-1, ES cells differentiated. These findings indicate that Dax-1 functions in a novel role in the maintenance of a relatively undifferentiated state in ES …

The Role Of Self-Esteem, Perceived Social Support, And Coping Strategy In The Escalation Of Depressive Symptomatology During The First Year Of College, Catherine Lee

Master's Theses

The first year of college is a significant life transition that can be a particularly stressful experience, which may lead to the development or exacerbation of depressive symptoms. Due to the considerable negative outcomes that are associated with depressive symptoms across the lifespan, it is important to understand the mechanisms and pathways through which such symptoms arise. This prospective study examines how self-esteem, perceived social support, and coping strategies are associated with the development of depressive symptoms during the transition to college. The findings of this longitudinal study indicate that self-esteem may affect both perceived social support and disengagement coping …

The Effect Of Sensor Mass, Sensor Location, And Delamination Location Of Different Composite Structures Under Dynamic Loading, Albert Darien Liu

Master's Theses

This study investigated the effect of sensor mass, sensor location, and delamination location of different composite structures under dynamic loading. The study pertains to research of the use of accelerometers and dynamic response as a cost-effective and reliable method of structural health monitoring in composite structures. The composite structures in this research included carbon fiber plates, carbon fiber-foam sandwich panels, and carbon-fiber honeycomb sandwich panels. The composite structures were manufactured with the use of a Tetrahedron MTP-8 heat press. All work was conducted in the Cal Poly Aerospace Structures/Composites Laboratory. Initial delaminations were placed at several locations along the specimen, …