Digital Commons Network^™

Air Quality Monitoring Wireless Sensor Network With Electrochemical Sensing Elements, Saeed Faisal Malky

Theses and Dissertations

Harmful atmospheric pollutants have been attributed to causing adverse weather conditions and health problems, which are particularly prevalent in more populated global regions, such as megacities. Nongovernmental and international agencies throughout the world have likewise called for increased awareness and action to effectively counter the increased rates of air pollution, as the consequences seem ominous. Meanwhile, in several major urban landscapes such as Saudi Arabia, no modern apparatus or efficient systematic mechanisms exist for the qualitative detection of dangerous pollutants and gases. The current counterparts for hazardous gas measurements are expensive, bulky and cumbersome to set up. Thus, sensor devices …

An Investigation Of The Adoption Of Social Media Applications By Faculty Members At A Prominent University In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Saad Alshalawi

Theses and Dissertations

A report by Hootsuite (2018) stated that the average time of daily use of social media applications by Saudis in 2017 was two hours and 34 minutes. Even though statistics show that social media applications are very widespread among students, they also suggest that these media are not being utilized by many faculty members for teaching and learning purposes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of social media applications for teaching and learning purposes by faculty members at a prominent university in Saudi Arabia. The Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior (DTPB) was …

Behind The Scenes Of Noninvasive Brain– Computer Interfaces: A Review Of Electroencephalography Signals, How They Are Recorded, And Why They Matter, Kevin M. Pitt, Jonathan S. Brumberg, Jeremy D. Burnison, Jyutika Mehta, Juhi Kidwai

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: Brain–computer interface (BCI) techniques may provide computer access for individuals with severe physical impairments. However, the relatively hidden nature of BCI control obscures how BCI systems work behind the scenes, making it difficult to understand “how” electroencephalography (EEG) records the BCIrelated brain signals, “what” brain signals are recorded by EEG, and “why” these signals are targeted for BCI control. Furthermore, in the field of speech-languagehearing, signals targeted for BCI application have been of primary interest to clinicians and researchers in the area of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). However, signals utilized for BCI control reflect sensory, cognitive, and motor …

Serological Survey And Pathogen Exposure Of Adult Female White-Tailed Deer In The Western Dakotas, Katherine L. Moratz, Bailey S. Gullikson, Eric S. Michel, Daniel M. Grove, Jonathan A. Jenks, William Jensen

The Prairie Naturalist

Establishing baseline values for pathogen exposure and nutritional indices is necessary to monitor population health. However, little is known about white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) pathogen exposure and nutritional condition in the Northern Great Plains. Our objective was to assess pathogen exposure and establish nutritional indices for female white-tailed deer in Dunn and Grant counties, North Dakota and Perkins County, South Dakota. During 2014, we collected blood serum from 150 adult female white-tailed deer. Pathogens with the highest antibody prevalence included West Nile Virus (WNV; 85%), epizootic hemorrhagic disease (48%), and malignant catarrhal fever (32%). Serum values for creatine …

The Prairie Naturalist, Vol. 51, Issue 2, December 2019

The Prairie Naturalist

45 EDITOR’S NOTE: Final Thoughts as Editor-in-Chief, by Christopher N. Jacques

RESEARCH ARTICLES

47 Bats of the Loess Hills Ecoregion of Southeast Nebraska, by Virgil Brack, Jr., Dale W. Sparks, and Darwin C. Brack

58 Serological Survey and Pathogen Exposure of Adult Female White-tailed Deer in the Western Dakotas, by Katherine L. Moratz, Bailey S. Gullikson, Eric S. Michel, Daniel M. Grove, Jonathan A. Jenks, and William F. Jensen

68 Factors Limting Reintroduced Plains Topminnow, Fundulus sciadicus, Populations in Central Great Plains Streams, by Joseph D. Thiessen, Keith D. Koupal, and Casey W. Schoenebeck

NOTES

77 Recent Observations of Water …

Resampling-Based Analysis Of Multivariate Data And Repeated Measures Designs With The R Package Manova.Rm, Sarah Friedrich, Frank Konietschke, Markus Pauly

The R Journal

Nonparametric statistical inference methods for a modern and robust analysis of longitudinal and multivariate data in factorial experiments are essential for research. While existing approaches that rely on specific distributional assumptions of the data (multivariate normality and/or equal covariance matrices) are implemented in statistical software packages, there is a need for user-friendly software that can be used for the analysis of data that do not fulfill the aforementioned assumptions and provide accurate p value and confidence interval estimates. Therefore, newly developed nonparametric statistical methods based on bootstrap- and permutation-approaches, which neither assume multivariate normality nor specific covariance matrices, have been …

Coxed: An R Package For Computing Duration-Based Quantities From The Cox Proportional Hazards Model, Jonathan Kropko, Jeffrey J. Harden

The R Journal

The Cox proportional hazards model is one of the most frequently used estimators in duration (survival) analysis. Because it is estimated using only the observed durations’ rank ordering, typical quantities of interest used to communicate results of the Cox model come from the hazard function (e.g., hazard ratios or percentage changes in the hazard rate). These quantities are substantively vague and difficult for many audiences of research to understand. We introduce a suite of methods in the R package coxed to address these problems. The package allows researchers to calculate duration-based quantities from Cox model results, such as the expected …

A Survey Of Soil Properties Affecting Vegetation Establishment Along Nebraska Highways, Shad D. Mills

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Vegetation along roadsides is important to prevent soil erosion, provide habitat and filter water running off the road. Along some highways in Nebraska vegetation does not readily establish and persist. It is thought that sodium and bulk density issues are the driving factor behind the lack of vegetation. After a construction project, the shoulder is seeded into the compacted soil, and salts can accumulate in the soil due to deicing agents being used during the winter. The purpose of our study was to determine if the bulk density and sodium are the driving factors of the vegetation cover. We also …

Use Of Uav Imagery And Nutrient Analyses For Estimation Of The Spatial And Temporal Contributions Of Cattle Dung To Nutrient Cycling In Grazed Ecosystems, Amanda E. Shine

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nutrient inputs from cattle dung are crucial drivers of nutrient cycling processes in grazed ecosystems. These inputs are important both spatially and temporally and are affected by variables such as grazing strategy, water location, and the nutritional profile of forage being grazed. Past research has attempted to map dung deposition patterns in order to more accurately estimate nutrient input, but the large spatial extent of a typical pasture and the tedious nature of identifying and mapping individual dung pats has prohibited the development of a time- and cost-effective methodology. The first objective of this research was to develop and validate …

Xenobiotic Exposure Requires Mitochondrial Metabolism For Redox Homeostasis And Survival In Astrocytes, Jordan Rose

Department of Biochemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Astrocytes are integral components of glutamatergic neurotransmission, providing essential metabolic processes for neuronal homeostasis and acting as the first line of defense against xenobiotics crossing the blood brain barrier. Arsenic is a xenobiotic with widespread natural and industrial prevalence, and has been linked to impaired neurodevelopment and neuronal death. Given the integrated metabolic nature of astrocytes and neurons, we sought to explore how arsenic impacts astrocyte metabolism in order to better understand the mechanisms of xenobiotic toxicity in the mammalian brain.

We demonstrate that astrocyte viability depends upon de novoglutathione (GSH) synthesis during arsenic exposure, and sub-lethal arsenic exposure …

The Impact Of Student Perception Data On Teachers: A Multisite Case Study At Midwestern K–12 Catholic Schools, Brandi Y. Bibins-Redburn

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

For as long as there have been teachers, there have been efforts to determine the most constructive way to evaluate teacher effectiveness. Research has shown that traditional administrator evaluations do little to improve struggling teachers and that most teachers nationwide are able to earn satisfactory ratings even when they are not performing in a satisfactory manner. This study aims to determine whether using student perception feedback as part of a comprehensive teacher evaluation process would lead to improved practice and targeted professional development. The following questions were investigated in this research: 1. Does student perception feedback drive teachers to reflect …

Interdisciplinary Studio Pavilion 2019, Andrew Jacob Cumpian

Construction Management

The Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo is an organization aimed to preserve the wine making history of the Central Cost of California and share regional viticulture artifacts collected throughout the region. This interdisciplinary pavilion project required design exploration, form development, and constructability review execution to generate a design for a mobile wine-artifact pavilion that will be exhibited throughout the SLO county and beyond. Designing the mobile pavilion required coordination with both architects and architectural engineers to aid in the creation and design a pavilion that was not only visually appealing and functional, but also met the constructability requirements …

The Need For A Real Estate Development Capstone Course, Will Robert Kieckhefer

Construction Management

Cal Poly has extremely well-known programs in Construction Management, Business, Engineering, and Architecture. All of these programs have contributed multiple leaders to the building industry every year yet have neglected to integrate the different disciplines that overlap within the industry. The research the author has collected to support the need for a real estate development capstone course included in-person interviews, online research, personal experience, and team surveys. The research concluded the need for a real estate development capstone course that would integrate students from the school of Business, Architecture, and Construction Management. In order to build a successful project, all …

Implementing Weekly Work Plan Lab Into Cm 214 - Residential Construction, David Maslan

Construction Management

A schedule is one of the primary components of any construction project and can determine the success of a job. Schedules most often contain high-level line items and lack the details it takes to actually implement daily work in the field. Subcontractors, as the specialists, understand the myriad of smaller tasks that a master schedule omits. It is the job of a superintendent to extract this information from subcontractors during pull plans, to build precise schedules, called weekly work plans (WWP). At Cal Poly it is expected that students receive a well-rounded curriculum in how to build various types of …

Motherhood And The Periodical Press: The Myth And The Medium, Susan A. Malcom

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this study, I utilize close readings of the periodically published works of three women writers – Kate Chopin, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, and Elia Peattie –through the lenses of historical/biographical, affective, and biosocial theories. Examining these works against the backdrop of America’s mythologized mother exposes the social ubiquity of the myth and the realities of motherhood nineteenth-century women experienced.

Chapter one examines the mythological nature of American motherhood as it evolved from a politically and socially nuanced Republican Mother and the role of American periodicals as a medium of perpetuating that myth. Historically, American motherhood was an extended function …

Pinworm Infection At Salmon Ruins And Aztec Ruins: Relation To Pueblo Iii Regional Violence, Karl Reinhard, Morgana Camacho

Karl Reinhard Publications

The study of coprolites has been a theme of archaeology in the American Southwest. A feature of archaeoparasitology on the Colorado Plateau is the ubiquity of pinworm infection. As a crowd parasite, this ubiquity signals varying concentrations of populations. Our recent analysis of coprolite deposits from 2 sites revealed the highest prevalence of infection ever recorded for the region. For Salmon Ruins, the deposits date from AD 1140 to 1280. For Aztec Ruins, the samples can be dated by artifact association between AD 1182-1253. Both sites can be placed in the Ancestral Pueblo III occupation (AD 1100-1300), which included a …

Confusing A Pollen Grain With A Parasite Egg: An Appraisal Of “Paleoparasitological Evidence Of Pinworm (Enterobius Vermicularis) Infection In A Female Adolescent Residing In Ancient Tehran”, Morgana Camacho, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

There is often the risk of confusing pollen grains with helminth eggs from archaeological sites. Thousands to millions of pollen grains can be recovered from archaeological burial sediments that represent past ritual, medication and environment. Some pollen grain types can be similar to parasite eggs. Such a confusion is represented by the diagnosis of enterobiasis in ancient Iran. The authors of this study confused a joint-pine (Ephedra spp.) pollen grain with a pinworm egg. This paper describes the specific Ephedra pollen morphology that can be confused with pinworm eggs.

Degree Of Bilingualism, Age, Income And Teacher Ratings Of Giftedness As Potential Predictors Of Dichotic Listening Performance, Francisco J. Sierra

Theses and Dissertations

Bilinguals and gifted individuals have consistently shown distinctive patterns of performance on measures of brain laterality and auditory processing. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between bilingualism, teacher ratings of giftedness, and auditory divided attention by comparing children and adults with income partialed out. Child participants from first to fifth grade were included in addition to an adult comparison group. Assessment of bilingualism, auditory divided attention, and giftedness occurred via the Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey-III (WMLS-III), the Dichotic Test of Attention (DITA), and the Hispanic Bilingual Gifted Screening Instrument (HBGSI). The main hypothesis of this study is …

Cal Poly Women In Construction Youth Outreach: Girl Scouts In Construction Program, Katherine I. Love

Construction Management

Construction is, historically, a predominately male-dominated major, but today, countless efforts are made to change this. Girl Scouts in Construction was created to help the Cal Poly Women in Construction Club increase their youth outreach. This event was hosted to give a positive-hands on construction experience to increase construction exposure to girls at a young age. Through organizing this event, the connections between the Cal Poly Women in Construction Club and the Girl Scouts of California's Central Coast, National Association of Women in Construction, Cal Poly Construction Management Department, and a few general contracting companies were all strengthened. At this …

Environmental Sustainability Assessment Of Small Nebraska Mechanical Water Resource Recovery Facilities: Impacts Of Construction And Operations, Sussan Moussavi

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many small, rural communities struggle with aging or inadequate water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), and face challenges in constructing and operating such systems. Although existing literature has provided insight into the environmental sustainability of large systems including both the construction and operational phases, these studies have not examined small systems in adequate depth or breadth. The environmental impacts associated with construction may be notable for small WRRFs since the initial construction can be a larger share of the total life cycle environmental impact.

The goal of this work is to provide the environmental sustainability profiles of 12 mechanical WRRFs in …

The Economic Impact Of Anti-Corruption Legislation On Foreign Investor Perceptions Of Corruption, Jean-Marie Marthe Auguste Richard Marcel Van Der Elst

Theses and Dissertations

Corruption has increasingly become an international challenge and the coordination of Anti-Corruption Legislation (ACL) and its implementation, a priority for nations. The economic impact of corruption on economic growth, foreign direct investment flows, and international trade is indicated in international research studies. The significant increase in global financial and trade transactions has presented new and increased opportunities for rent-seeking and increased the need for coordinated action against all forms of corruption. The effectiveness of national ACL measures in combatting and reducing corruption in all its forms, remains poorly defined and the extant research inconclusive. This study explores the economic impact …

An Evaluation Of The Utility Of The Performance Diagnostic Checklist - Human Services (Pdc-Hs): A Comparison Of Formal And Informal Assessment Strategies, Cherish Chalk

Theses and Dissertations

The PDC-HS is a performance assessment tool that assists in the identification of variables contributing to performance problems among human service employees. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of the PDC-HS as a formal assessment strategy. Specifically, the PDC-HS was compared to an informal assessment strategy consisting of a single open-ended interview question and a single structured interview question. Participants included 40 supervisors in varying positions in the human services industry. Descriptive statistics were used to compare participant responses to the open-ended and structured questions to the results indicated by the PDC-HS. Results suggest that the …

Examining The Impact Of Standardized Fine Motor Activity Selection On Various Fine Motor Skills In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cheyenne Lee Dong

Theses and Dissertations

Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate deficits in fine motor skills, requiring therapies to help improve their performance of a variety of self-care, daily living, and academic skills. Research in the occupational therapy literature suggests several methods of assessing and teaching fine motor skills and represents an area that is understudied in the applied behavior analysis research. The two disciplines may offer a complementary approach to targeting emerging skills, shaping desired responses in naturalistic contexts, and reinforcing participation. This study aimed to examine the impact of occupational therapy-recommended activities on fine motor skills by blending the occupational therapy …

Foreclosure's Fallout: Economic Adversity And Voter Turnout, Paru Shah, Amber Wichowsky

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

With the foreclosure crisis continuing to impact individuals and communities across the country, understanding the extent of its effect on political life is tantamount. In this paper, we ask how political behaviors are influenced by the economic adversities created by this crisis: loss of home, loss of resources, and perhaps loss of political efficacy. Previous research on economic adversity focuses almost exclusively on unemployment. Here we explore the demobilizing effects of foreclosures at the individual level, community levels, and the intersection of individuals nested in communities. With a unique dataset that matches voter file data to a database on individual …

Multimethod Assessment Of Interpersonal Dysfunction Using The Rorschach And The Mmpi-2-Rf, Ryan Daniels

Theses and Dissertations

Well established and widely used personality measures such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) and Rorschach contain several scales or indices related to interpersonal dysfunction, but from very different methodologies. Using a multimethod assessment framework, the current study examined four primary areas of interpersonal dysfunction assessed by these measures in a sample of 65 adult outpatient clients who underwent services at a Community Psychological Services center. The four areas examined were hostility and aggression; isolation and avoidance; passivity and dependency; and insecurity and ineffectiveness. First, the study postulated that MMPI-2-RF and Rorschach variables within an interpersonal domain would …

Implementing An Abbreviated Assessment To Compare Error-Correction Procedures For Teaching Intraverbal Behavior To Children, Victoria Ryan

Theses and Dissertations

Young children with Autism (ASD) often have difficulty responding appropriately to questions asked by their peers, parents, or teachers. Teaching intraverbal behavior using Discrete Trial Instruction (DTI) has shown effective results with the use of specific stimulus-transfer procedures (e.g., vocal, textual, or pictures). Previous research has suggested using an abbreviated assessment for error correction procedures as a tool to determine the most effective and efficient procedures when teaching children. In addition, such tools have been shown to not only be effective at predicting a child’s most effective error-correction, but also in less time, allowing practitioners to make data-based decisions and …

First-In-Human Experience With Integration Of A Hydrocephalus Shunt Device Within A Customized Cranial Implant, Frank Vrionis

All Publications

Background: Implantable shunt devices are critical and life saving for hydrocephalus patients. However, these devices are fraught with high complication rates including scalp dehiscence, exposure, and extrusion. In fact, high shunt valve profiles are correlated with increased complications compared to those with lower profiles. As such, we sought a new method for integrating shunt valves for those challenging patients presenting with scalp-related complications.

Objective: To safely implant and integrate a hydrocephalus shunt valve device within a customized cranial implant, in an effort to limit its high-profile nature as a main contributor to shunt failure and scalp breakdown, and at the …

Detection And Mitigation Of Attacks In Nonlinear Stochastic System Using Modified Detector, Chandreyee Bhowmick, S. Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel attack detection method is presented for a nonlinear system with known dynamics using the measured output in the presence of additive process and measurement noise. False data injection (FDI) and replay attacks are considered using a modified fault detector. The difference between the measured and the estimated output from an adaptive observer, often known as the innovation signal, is generated and shown to have a Gaussian distribution with non-zero mean. This innovation signal in conjunction with the modified detector is utilized to detect attacks under a stable controller using the estimated state vector. Unlike FDI attack, where the …

“Pissing In The Wind”: Racially Discriminatory Economic Policies’ Impact On Today’S Banking Status, Use Of Alternative Financial Services And Health Outcomes., Gaberiel Jones Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Centuries of discriminatory policies and practices in the United States have created racially segregated, resource-poor urban communities. Differential benefits of banking and housing legislation were among the consequences of these policies as they contributed to drastic racial inequities in wealth. Today, racial differences in banking status and financial practices persist. However, a void exists in the literature exploring what alternative financial services (AFS) are used in lieu of banks by Black Americans, why those services are used, the thoughts and beliefs of Black Americans about the use of those services, the impact of bank locations on financial behavior patterns, and …

Middle School Outreach Efforts To Involve Immigrant Parents: What Are The Perceptions Of School Personnel And Immigrant Parents?, Marcella Denise Franklin-Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the years, a concern plaguing the education world is parent involvement. Ongoing research indicates students whose parents and family members are involved tend to experience greater academic achievement and decreased behavior issues (McNeal, 2015). With regard to parent involvement, immigrant parent involvement takes this concern to a new level with regard to the growing racial and ethnic diversity in education (Outley & Skuza, 2019). Guided by Epstein’s six types of involvement and Yosso’s community cultural wealth, this study explores one urban middle school’s outreach efforts to involve immigrant parents. In this qualitative case study, one middle schools’ stakeholders-the principal, …