Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Geometrical Properties On Strength Of Externally Prestressed Steel-Concrete Composite Beams, Anwar B. Abu-Sena, Ibrahim G. Shaaban, Mohamed S. Soliman, Khaled Abd Allah Mohamed Gharib

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

A parametric study was carried out to investigate the structural behaviour of composite steel-concrete T-beams under different prestressing conditions. The studied parameters include different cases of loading, tendon profiles, beam spans, initial prestressing levels and different dimensions of steel sections and concrete deck. The studied beams were modelled by the finite-element software Ansys. The effect of three geometrical parameters was investigated for three different tendon profiles. It was found that straight tendon profiles are more appropriate for beams under distributed loads, whereas a draped tendon profile is more convenient for beams under concentrated loads. In addition, the ratio of the …

A Brief History Of International Meetings Of The Western Society Of Naturalists, Diana L. Steller, Julio Lorda, Rodrigo Beas-Luna, Michael S. Foster

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Is It Permissible To Teach Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation In A Critical Thinking Course?, Anand Jayprakash Vaidya

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This essay argues for the permissibility of teaching Buddhist mindfulness meditation in a critical thinking course. One might object that Buddhist mindfulness meditation is part of a religion, and religions are thought to be dogmatic and uncritical, and thus inappropriate for a critical thinking course. However, I argue that there is a pathway from the importance of self-regulation for good critical thinking to the permissibility of including mindfulness meditation in a critical thinking course. I offer three arguments for the permissibility of inclusion: the self-regulation argument, the expansion by way of cognitive science argument, and the persistence through emotional volatility …

Design And Delivery Of An Online Information Systems Management Course For Mba Programs, Xihui Paul Zhang, Ming Wang, M. Shane Banks, Qiunan Zhang, Colin G. Onita

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Aim/Purpose In this paper, we present our experience in design and delivery of a graduate Information Systems Management (ISM) course in an online MBA program. Also presented are a detailed examination of the design and delivery of the online course, survey results of students' perceptions and backgrounds, course evaluation results, best practices and lessons learned, and potential changes and future actions. Background This graduate ISM course needs to not only cover a broad range of dynamic technology and business topics, but also strike a balance between the width and depth of the content. Effective course design and delivery are critical …

The Assembly History Of The Nearest S0 Galaxy Ngc 3115 From Its Kinematics Out To Six Half-Light Radii, Arianna Dolfi, Duncan A. Forbes, Warrick J. Couch, Anna Ferre-Mateu, Sabine Bellstedt, Kenji Bekki, Jonathan Diaz, Aaron J. Romanowsky, Jean P. Brodie

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Using new and archival data, we study the kinematic properties of the nearest field S0 galaxy, NGC 3115, out to ∼6.5 half-light radii (Re) from its stars (integrated starlight), globular clusters (GCs), and planetary nebulae (PNe). We find evidence of three kinematic regions with an inner transition at ∼0.2 Re from a dispersion-dominated bulge (Vrot/σ < 1) to a fast-rotating disc (Vrot/σ > 1), and then an additional transition from the disc to a slowly rotating spheroid at ∼ 2-2.5Re, as traced by the red GCs and PNe (and possibly by the blue GCs beyond ∼ 5Re). From comparison with simulations, we propose an assembly history in which …

Making Implementation Last: Understanding The Sustainability Of An Evidence-Based Treatment, Carrie Beth Jackson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although advances have been made in facilitating the implementation of evidence-based treatments, little is known about the most effective way to sustain their use over long periods of time. Prior systematic reviews and research have suggested that organizational characteristics and training methods may be strategies that support sustainability, yet this has remained relatively unstudied in the field of behavioral health. The current study examined the sustainability of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy following a statewide implementation trial testing three training methods. Participants included 100 clinicians and 50 administrators from 50 organizations across Pennsylvania. Multi-level path analysis was utilized to examine the role …

An Expanded Catalogue Of Low Surface Brightness Galaxies In The Coma Cluster Using Subaru/Suprime-Cam, Adebusola B. Alabi, Aaron J. Romanowsky, Duncan A. Forbes, Jean P. Brodie, Nobuhiro Okabe

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

We present a catalogue of low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies in the Coma cluster obtained from deep Subaru/Suprime-Cam V- and R-band imaging data within a region of -4 deg2. We increase the number of LSB galaxies presented in Yagi et al. (2016) by a factor of -3 and report the discovery of 29 new ultradiffuse galaxies (UDGs). We compile the largest sample of UDGs with colours and structural parameters in the Coma cluster. While most UDGs lie along the red-sequence relation of the colour–magnitude diagram, -16 per cent are outside (bluer or redder) the red-sequence region of Coma cluster galaxies. …

Congestion-Clearing Payments To Passengers, Paul Minett, John Niles, Richard Lee, Brittany Bogue, Marco D. Schaefer

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This paper reports on a project that considers whether the goals of (de)congestion pricing could be achieved in whole or in part by incentivizing mode-shift rather than using charging to force it: buying rather than selling decongestion. The project developed a method for estimating the net present value of the costs and benefits of a permanent ITS-enabled program of paying people to travel as passengers rather than as drivers-to reduce existing congestion in a target corridor to a target maximum level of delay-taking into account the mix of the traffic and the potential impact of latent demand and induced trips. …

A Method For Balancing Provider Schedules In Outpatient Specialty Clinics, Bjorn P. Berg, S. Ayca Erdogan, Jennifer Mason Lobo, Kathryn Pendleton

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background. Variability in outpatient specialty clinic schedules contributes to numerous adverse effects including chaotic clinic settings, provider burnout, increased patient waiting times, and inefficient use of resources. This research measures the benefit of balancing provider schedules in an outpatient specialty clinic. Design. We developed a constrained optimization model to minimize the variability in provider schedules in an outpatient specialty clinic. Schedule variability was defined as the variance in the number of providers scheduled for clinic during each hour the clinic is open. We compared the variance in the number of providers scheduled per hour resulting from the constrained optimization schedule …

Soul Food: [Re]Framing The African-American Farming Crisis Using The Culture-Centered Approach, Andrew Laurence Carter, Adam Alexander

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Historically, African-American farmers faced a long and challenging struggle to own land and operate independently. In recent years, several factors, including unfair policy legislation, institutionalized racism, the mechanization of agriculture, and increases in agricultural technology have exacerbated land loss and decreases in farm ownership. Currently, African-American farmers are vastly underrepresented, comprising just 2% of the nation's farmers, 0.5% of farmland and 0.2% of total agricultural sales. As a site for inquiry, this topic has been examined across many academic sub-disciplines, however, the literature has not yet explored how the erasure of the African-American farmer influences the conversation about broader diet-related …

Third-Party Effects In Stakeholder Interviews, Melissa Beresford, J. Leah Jones, Julia C. Bausch, Clinton F. Williams, Amber Wutich, Sarah Porter, Barbara Quimby, Weston M. Eaton, Kathryn J. Brasier

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This paper examines the effect of having a third-party scientific expert present in stakeholder interviews. The study was conducted as part of a larger project on stakeholder engagement for natural resource management in the Verde Valley region of Arizona. We employed an experimental design, conducting stakeholder interviews both with and without an identified scientific expert present. Our sample consisted of 12 pairs of interviewees (24 total participants) who we matched based on their occupation, sex, and spatial proximity. For each pair, the scientific expert was present as a third party in one interview and absent in the other. We used …

Nexgen D-Tcp: Next Generation Dynamic Tcp Congestion Control Algorithm, Madhan Raj Kanagarathinam, Sukhdeep Singh, Irlanki Sandeep, Hanseok Kim, Mukesh Kumar Maheshwari, Jaehyun Hwang, Abhishek Roy, Navrati Saxena

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

With the advancement of wireless access networks and mmWave New Radio (NR), new applications emerged, which requires a high data rate. The random packet loss due to mobility and channel conditions in a wireless network is not negligible, which degrades the significant performance of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The TCP has been extensively deployed for congestion control in the communication network during the last two decades. Different variants are proposed to improve the performance of TCP in various scenarios, specifically in lossy and high bandwidth-delay product (high- BDP) networks. Implementing a new TCP congestion control algorithm whose performance is …

Applied Machine Learning In Agro-Manufacturing Occupational Incidents, Fatemeh Davoudi Kakhki, Steven A. Freeman, Gretchen A. Mosher

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Commercial grain elevators are hazardous agro-manufacturing work environments where workers are prone to serious and life-threatening injuries. The aim of this study is to give insight into safety risks in grain handling facilities through information processing of workers' compensation data on agro-manufacturing occupational incidents within commercial grain elevators in the Midwest region of the United States between 2008 and 2016. The severity of occupational incidents is determined by total dollar amount incurred on medical, indemnity, and other expenses in workers' compensation claims. The most important factors that affect the cost escalation of occupational incidents are extracted using bootstrap partitioning method, …

Tcad-Machine Learning Framework For Device Variation And Operating Temperature Analysis With Experimental Demonstration, Hiu Yung Wong, Ming Xiao, Boyan Wang, Yan Ka Chiu, Xiaodong Yan, Jiahui Ma, Kohei Sasaki, Han Wang, Yuhao Zhang

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This work, for the first time, experimentally demonstrates a TCAD-Machine Learning (TCAD-ML) framework to assist the analysis of device-to-device variation and operating (ambient) temperature without the need of physical quantities extraction. The ML algorithm used in this work is the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) followed by third order polynomial regression. After calibrated to limited 'expensive' experimental data, 'low cost' TCAD simulation is used to generate a large amount of device data to train the ML model. The ML was then used to identify the root cause of device variation and operating temperature from any given experimental current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. We …

Improvement Of Tcad Augmented Machine Learning Using Autoencoder For Semiconductor Variation Identification And Inverse Design, Kashyap Mehta, Sophia Susan Raju, Ming Xiao, Boyan Wang, Yuhao Zhang, Hiu Yung Wong

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

A machine learning (ML) model by combing two autoencoders and one linear regression model is proposed to avoid overfitting and to improve the accuracy of Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD)-augmented ML for semiconductor structural variation identification and inverse design, without using domain expertise. TCAD-augmented ML utilizes TCAD simulations to generate sufficient data for ML model development when experimental data are inadequate. The ML model can then be used to identify semiconductor structural variation for given experimental electrical measurements. In this study, the variation of layer thicknesses in the p-i-n diode is used as a demonstration. An ML model is developed to …

Spatial Particulate Fields During Highwinds In The Imperial Valley, California, Frank R. Freedman, Paul English, Jeff Wagner, Yang Liu, Akula Venkatram, Daniel Q. Tong, Mohammad Z. Al-Hamdan, Meytar Sorek-Hamer, Robert Chatfield, Ana Rivera, Patrick L. Kinney

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

We examined windblown dust within the Imperial Valley (CA) during strong springtime west-southwesterly (WSW) wind events. Analysis of routine agency meteorological and ambient particulate matter (PM) measurements identified 165 high WSW wind events between March and June 2013 to 2019. The PM concentrations over these days are higher at northern valley monitoring sites, with daily PM mass concentration of particles less than 10 micrometers aerodynamic diameter (PM10) at these sites commonly greater than 100 μg/m3 and reaching around 400 μg/m3, and daily PM mass concentration of particles less than 2.5 micrometers aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) commonly greater than 20 μg/m3 and …

Recent Advances On Visual Cycle Protein Research And Progress On Clinical Translation, Xin Yee Ooi, Rujman Khan, Anjalee Choudhury, Francisco Xavier Elisarraras, Jeff Grigsby, Brandi Obregon, Andrew T C Tsin

School of Medicine Publications

Since the publication of our previous paper, Visual cycle proteins: Structure, function, and roles in human retinal disease (Tsin, et.al, JBC 293:13016, 2018) there has been significant progress on multiple topics discussed in this paper. In the present communication, we further explore research advances on two visual cycle proteins: DES1 and IRBP. In addition, we emphasize the progress of clinical translation of other visual cycle protein research, including the breakthrough of FDA-approved gene therapy for Leber’s congenital amaurosis, and additional gene therapies at different stages of clinical trials for various retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy, and Stargardt’s …

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Associated With Renal Function In Apparently Healthy Young Students: A Cross-Sectional Study, Lucia M. Perez-Navarro, Rafael Valdez-Ortiz, Araceli Alegria-Diaz, Miguel Murgia-Romero, Rafael Jimenez-Flores, Rafael Villalobos-Molina, Srinivas Mummidi, Ravindranath Duggirala, Juan Carlos Lopez Alvarenga

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) appear decades before developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adulthood.

Objective: The objective of the study was to identify the prevalence and association between CMRFs and kidney function in apparently healthy young adults (18-25 years old).

Methods: We included 5531 freshman year students. Data collected on CMRFs included central obesity, high body mass index (hBMI >25), blood pressure, glycemia, lipids, uric acid (UA >6.8 mg/dL), and insulin. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated by CKD-Epidemiology Collaboration formula. We used logistic regression and a log linear for odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence level) and probabilities.

Results: …

Skill Development And The Making Of The Global Citizen: An Analysis Of Student Experiences With Study Abroad At Humboldt State University, Kellie S. Wilkerson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Global citizenship is seen as an emerging necessity as work places are shifting to a more global environment and as challenges we face are becoming more global in nature. This thesis focuses on the creation and nurturing of global citizenship through participation in study abroad programming at Humboldt State University (HSU). Research has shown participation in study abroad has an impact on the participant’s skill development (Farraguia and Sanger 2017) and such skill development can be applied to advancement of global citizenship. This thesis utilizes a mixed methodology to develop a thorough understanding of the level of skills associated with …

The Independence Effects Of Gravitational And Inertial Forces On Gait Transitions In Humans, Nathan Frakes

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Dynamic Similarity hypothesis suggests gravitational and inertial forces plays a role in determining preferred transition speed (PTS) for walk to run transitions (WRT) and run to walk transitions (RWT), and that humans prefer to transition gait when the ratio of inertial force (IF) to gravitational force (GF) (i.e. Froude #) is ~0.5. Purpose: To investigate the effect of gravitational and inertial forces on PTS, Froude # (Fr) and kinematics for both WRT and RWT. Methods: Twelve healthy adults (9 M, 3 F) performed WRT and RWT trials on a treadmill across seven combinations of altered body weight (BW) and …

(In)Equities In The Publishing Industry: The Politics Of Representation, Hallie R. Lepphaille

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project contains an overview and key introductory sections of an intersectional, equity-based literary publishing course textbook. The full-length edited collection, currently under external review for publication, seeks to rectify long-held disparities of the publishing industry in regard to hiring, acquisitions, developmental editing, and considerations in audience, readerships, and marketing. Each chapter examines the ways that racism, ableism, heterosexism, and cisnormativity, operate in the industry, limiting who is represented at an editor’s desk and in the pages of published books. The collection is intended to be utilized in upper-division and graduate-level literary publishing courses. This project is a response to …

Spatiotemporal Variability Of Rockfish Recruitment On California's North Coast In Relation To Habitat Availability, Carolyn Belak

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Characterizing primary drivers of temporal and spatial variability in recruitment is imperative to understanding the role of pre- and post-settlement processes influencing marine population dynamics. On benthic reefs, the quality and quantity of suitable settlement habitat can alter post-settlement density-dependent mortality rates and increase chances of survival. The north coast of California has experienced highly unusual oceanographic conditions in recent years, leading to severe loss of highly productive kelp forests and potentially deleterious ecosystem consequences. In the present thesis, I aimed to determine the effects of canopy-forming bull kelp (Nereocystis) and alternative complex habitats on the recruitment of …

Community Development Financial Institutions (Cdfis): An Analysis Within The Political And Economic Context Of Neoliberalism, Tracie Victoria Wynand

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis explores Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) business models by examining the organizational structures, procedural operations, services, and geography. It aims to understand its overall behavior as a financial institution providing low-income communities financial services and ultimately the role it plays within the neoliberal context. The research identifies that CDFIs ultimately hold a mission that promotes economic prosperity from within the neoliberal project by expanding free-market capitalist beliefs and practices when servicing low-income communities. Additionally, the findings suggest that CDFIs take on the role of the neoliberal state by operating in tandem with the Nonprofit Industrial Complex (NPIC), which …

Habitat Use And Prey Selection By Mountain Lions In An Altered Sagebrush Steppe Environment, Jonathan Ewanyk

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Throughout the American West there is an increasing trend of encroachment of woody vegetation on previously open sagebrush steppe habitat. The Modoc Plateau in northeastern California has not been excluded from this encroachment trend and has seen an increase in western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) densities, likely as a result of long-term fire suppression. Mountain lions (Puma concolor) have not previously been studied on the Modoc Plateau, and there is potential for an increase in cover due to juniper encroachment to benefit the hunting behavior of lions. To better understand if the presence of cover is being …

Efficacy Of Forest Restoration Treatments Across A 40-Year Chronosequence At Redwood National Park, Kevin Soland

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Following 20^th century logging, much of the natural coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) range consists of dense second-growth stands with slow tree growth and low biodiversity. There is a landscape-scale effort in much of coastal northern California to increase tree growth rates and ecosystem biodiversity via thinning treatments, thereby hopefully accelerating the development of old-growth forest characteristics. Redwood National Park (RNP) has been experimenting with thinning in these forest types since the 1970s. Given the interesting history of logging and restoration in RNP and the future plans for widespread thinning in this region, my thesis examined the effects …

Electrification Of Domestic Hot Water To Aid The Integration Of Renewable Energy In The California Grid, Alejandro Cervantes

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Water heating in residential buildings, also known as domestic hot water (DHW), is the third largest use of energy after appliances and space conditioning. About 90% of the residential buildings in the state use natural gas fueled water heaters, 6% use electricity, and a small percent use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or solar water heaters. The current energy use associated with residential water heating is small relative to the total amount of energy consumption in the residential building sector, but it is still a contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Improving hot water systems can be beneficial for bill customer …

Changing Seasons Of Resistance: Impacts Of Settler Colonialism And Climate Change In Indigenous Worlds, Elizabeth Jackson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This paper looks at the relationship between neoliberal capitalism, genocide, the biopolitics of settler colonialism and the impacts of climate change on the cultures and traditional lifeways of Indigenous communities. It also explores Indigenous modes and methods of adaptation and resilience. Climate Change is almost certainly the most urgent social problem in the history of human life on planet Earth. Many Indigenous people are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to marginalization and their commitment to land-based practices. Using in depth interviews with Indigenous Peoples, primarily from the Pacific Northwest, and the analysis of existing literature, this …

A Tale Of Two Cervids: Habitat Selection And Spatial Ecology Of Roosevelt And Tule Elk In California, Adam S. Mohr

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

California’s Roosevelt (Cervus canadensis rooseveltii) and tule elk (C. c. nannodes) populations have experienced a remarkable recovery after over-hunting and habitat loss nearly extirpated them from the state. Greater clarity of Roosevelt and tule elk habitat selection patterns would help managers continue to effectively support the recovery of these two iconic subspecies. As the manner in which elk populations balance their competing resource needs is unique to each population (Skovlin et al. 2002), I have examined Roosevelt and tule elk habitat selection patterns in separate analyses and present these results in independent chapters. In both cases, …

Changes In Prey Mortality: The Efects Of Multiple Predators And Temperature On California Mussels, Wesley Hull

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Organisms serve as prey to a variety of predators within natural systems, detecting threats through physical and chemical means. While predator feeding behavior is also affected by the presence of other predators, it is unclear whether differing modes of detection have similar effects on predator feeding behavior. In rocky intertidal zones in northern California, the California mussel (Mytilus californianus) is a competitively dominant foundation species consumed by a variety of predators. I quantified the individual and combined effects of ochre star (Pisaster ochraceus) and rock crab (Romaleon antennarium) predation on mussels by implementing mussel …

Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus Kisutch) Dispersal And Life History Variations Among Humboldt Bay Watersheds, Madison J. Halloran

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The decline of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in California is the result of various anthropogenic effects across the landscape, affecting all stages of their anadromous life history. Monitoring a subset of the remaining populations is essential to evaluate the success of management actions and develop new restoration projects. Defining the appropriate spatial scale for this monitoring and restoration depends on the frequency and extent of dispersal of individuals across watershed boundaries. Coho Salmon life-cycle monitoring projects in California estimate the abundance of juveniles and adults over time in selected focal watersheds. If individuals frequently enter or leave the …