Digital Commons Network^™

Is Everything Securities Fraud?, Emily Strauss

Faculty Scholarship

“An odd fact of the U.S. legal system for public companies is that every crime is also securities fraud: If a company does a bad thing, and regulators find out about it, then the bad-thing regulators can punish it for doing the bad thing, but the securities regulators can also punish it for not disclosing the bad thing to shareholders. . . . It is a strange combination: Generally speaking the companies do the bad things on behalf of shareholders—to make more money for them—but then the securities regulators come in and fine them for defrauding shareholders.” -Matt Levine1 Securities …

In Search Of The Public Interest, Jodi L. Short

Faculty Scholarship

“Public interest” standards in statutory delegations to agencies represent the greatest hopes and the darkest fears of the U.S. administrative state. On the one hand, the public interest standard provides a vessel for agencies to infuse policymaking with the moral and ethical commitments of the community. On the other hand, regulation in the public interest opens the door to the arbitrary exercise of tyrannical state power. Despite the lofty aspirations and ominous warnings about regulation in the public interest, little is known about how agencies actually decide what is in the public interest when charged by statute to do so. …

Crisis Construction In Contract Boilerplate, Emily Strauss

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

"Easing Out" The Fcpa Facilitation Payment Exception, Emily Strauss

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Investigating Seed Maturation And Mortality: A Mechanism For Post-Fire Regeneration In Non-Serotinous Conifers, Madeleine A. Lopez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Climate warming and associated dry conditions are contributing to increased fire frequency, severity, and size, for many regions in western North America. These changes in fire activity have prompted concern over the long-term persistence of some conifer species, specifically those not adapted to withstand high-severity fire. However, regeneration of non-serotinous conifer species is possible if the timing of fire occurs following seed maturation, and within a heat range that seeds can withstand, in a regenerative mechanism termed “facultative serotiny.” To address this mechanism, I determined the timing of conifer seed maturation using viability testing for four California conifer species: ponderosa …

Normative Values Of College-Aged Men And Women For The 1.5-Mile Run Test On A Treadmill For Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Eli Baginski

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Physical activity has been shown to positively affect both mental and physical health. A means of determining an individual’s physical fitness is a necessary tool in developing and maintaining a healthy exercise routine. The 1.5-mile run test provides an accurate and reliable estimate of VO₂ max and can be used to routinely assess cardiorespiratory fitness. The aim of this study is to develop normative data for the 1.5 mile run test for both college-aged women and men. We examine how the calculated normative data presented produced by the Cooper Institute compares to our measured values, as well as compare …

Evaluating The Use Of Barn Owl Nest Boxes For Rodent Pest Control In Winegrape Vineyards In Napa Valley, Ashley N. Hansen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Attracting natural enemies to farms to reduce pests has long been a part of integrated pest management for insects, but knowledge of the impact of raptors on rodents and other vertebrate pests is comparatively sparse. In this study, I compared rodent prey on winegrape vineyards in Napa California with and without occupied barn owl nest boxes. We collected data before the breeding season, when hunting pressure should be light, and again when adult owls were hunting actively to feed their chicks. I used the open-hole method to quantify an index of gopher activity, and Sherman live traps to estimate the …

Settler Colonialism And White Environmentalism In The 'Uba, Aleena Church

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Settler colonialism continues to shape present injustices of Indigenous Peoples. The settlers of Nevada County do not recognize the historical past of colonialism and how it has changed the Nisenan Tribes relationship to these lands/waters. Or how colonization still thrives in Nevada County through settler relationships with these lands/waters. Settler colonialism is ongoing, it is not an event that happened during the gold rush. I use the South 'Uba River (South Yuba River) as an example for how settler colonialism continues to perpetuate violence and genocide amongst the Nisenan Peoples. As we, settlers, occupy these lands and waters we must …

Our Place In Research: Understanding Social Productions Of Knowledge Using Digital Spaces, Allison C. Iafrate

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Academic research and research-writing are increasingly being recognized across disciplines as social and collaborative processes, involving many different voices and perspectives in the negotiation of meaning. However, within the context of the university classroom, research is often framed as an individualized process where students learn and perform research skills as single authors. This project approaches this discrepancy with a critical eye towards change by introducing digital spaces as a tool for reframing student perceptions of academic research. A selected review of literature is offered, which touches on topics such as critical research pedagogy, language varieties and language-play, multimodality and genres …

Protecting Public Trust Resources In America's Private Forests: Case Studies In The Diversity Of U.S. State-Level Forestry Policies, Brita Ann Goldstein

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Privately-owned forests in the U.S. provide ecological and socioeconomic benefits to Americans. At the same time, they challenge common law principles that govern the administration of public goods. There is long-standing tension between private property rights, which entitles forest landowners to make land management decisions about their properties, and the role of state governments in protecting public trust resources on behalf of the general public. Each state chooses to protect public trust resources on private lands in a different way, meaning the U.S. is a patchwork of diverse private forest policy approaches. Describing this range of approaches can help inform …

Uncertainty, Populist Deprivation Rhetoric, And Extremism, Crane Conso

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The present study investigates the influence of leadership messages on support for extremism using a social identity framework. Specifically, the study highlights the potential role of populist deprivation rhetoric and self-uncertainty in generating support for leaders and extremism. The study seeks to fill a gap in the existing research to understand the use of deprivation rhetoric as a direct process of populist leadership. Political extremism can serve to reduce feelings of uncertainty. Group relative deprivation results from a social comparison in which a person believes another individual or group is denying them something to which they feel entitled. Leaders can …

Assessing The Potential And Pathways For Renewable Energy Transformations In Orleans, California, Malcolm Prescott Moncheur De Rieudotte

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In what is now known as the state of California in the United States, the Karuk Tribe is interested in deploying a renewable-powered microgrid in the rural community of Orleans to improve electricity system reliability and resilience to address a wide range of challenges, including extreme events such as wildfires. This study assesses the potential of local distributed renewable energy and battery storage to meet Orleans' energy needs today and in the increasingly electrified future using an energy model. It also identifies existing cultural and social priorities for energy technology along with structural barriers to renewable energy adoption and the …

Johnson V. M'Intosh: Christianity, Genocide, And The Dispossession Of Indigenous Peoples, Cynthia J. Boshell

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Using hermeneutical methodology, this paper examines some of the legal fictions that form the foundation of Federal Indian Law. The text of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1823 Johnson v. M’Intosh opinion is evaluated through the lens of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to determine the extent to which the Supreme Court incorporated genocidal principles into United States common law. The genealogy of M’Intosh is examined to identify influences that are not fully apparent on the face of the case. International jurisprudential interpretations of the legal definition of genocide are summarized and used as …

Resource Access And Equity In Humboldt County (How Social Myth Becomes Social Fact), Colton J. Hubbard

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rural areas of Northern California have gone without health and social services for decades. The shortcomings of local services have given rise to the idea that there are no services in these rural and isolated communities. Conditions and beliefs have brought up two important questions. The first question is how can access and knowledge of available services be improved in rural areas? The second question is, through what mechanisms do communities develop their facts?

To address the previous questions, I worked with the primary health and social service provider in Humboldt County, CA. We developed a database of local services …

Envisioning A Grassroots Framework For Community-Based Mental Health Crisis Intervention, Xandra C. Gradine

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The mental health and well-being of both individuals and communities are going to be best served by community-based services and care completely unreliant on traditional top-down models that often include inaccessible services and/or coercive methods. This is especially prevalent in the case of mental health crisis intervention; where most state-based interventions involve coercive agents who often are not given any specific training on mental health crisis response. As mental health crisis and suicide rates continue to rise in the U.S., and even the most well-respected model of crisis intervention has done little to resolve the issues of prisons serving as …

Modulation Of Polyamines To Elucidate Function Within Osteogenesis Of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, Amin S. Cressman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Snyder-Robinson Syndrome (SRS), an X-linked intellectual disability that arises in children, exhibits debilitating phenotypes like severe osteoporosis. These patients demonstrate an inability to produce mineralized new bone in comparison to the rate at which bone is resorbed, thus leading to weaker skeletal structure and atraumatic fractures. The known cause of SRS is due to loss-of-function mutations within the gene that encodes Spermine Synthase (SMS). Loss of SMS enzymatic activity, which catalyzes the conversion of polyamines spermidine into spermine, demonstrates an increase in the spermidine/spermine ratio in all documented cases of this disorder. The involvement of polyamines in osteogenesis is still …

“There's Always People In The Room For Whom This Is Not Merely Theory”: Emergent Pedagogies, Casey Mccullough

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Colleges and universities are generally regarded as a place for students to expand their skill sets and knowledge in preparation for specific fields of work. Many academic institutions and disciplines are also focused on recruiting and retaining students from socially marginalized communities in the name of equity, inclusion, and diversity. Despite this, some institutions in practice prioritize image, status, and wealth while deprioritizing resources, care, and support for students and their learning conditions. Often within these institutions are educators who challenge these systems in their courses, on campus, and across the country, encouraging and empowering students to directly confront those …

Techno-Economic Feasibility Of Electrifying Food Markets In Nigeria With Biogas Hybrid Mini-Grids, Demi Temitope Ogunwo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis explored the feasibility of electrifying a food market in an urban city in Nigeria with a hybrid biogas-powered mini-grid. Under the Energizing Economies Initiative of the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria, nine markets in the country currently receive constant access to electricity via hybrid mini-grid systems. As a majority of these systems are diesel-solar-battery systems, this thesis explored the use of biogas generators as a substitute for diesel generators in hybrid mini-grids for food markets. A fruit and vegetable market in Ketu, Lagos was used as a case study for the research. The research for this thesis was …

Does The Thatcher Effect Extend To Infant Faces?, Sarang Jew

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Decades of research on the mechanisms of face processing have demonstrated that humans rely heavily on configural processing strategies when viewing faces. However, this work has been done using almost exclusively adult facial stimuli. More recently, researchers have proposed that infant faces may elicit different neural activity and behavioral responses than adult faces. These observed differences may start at the very early stages of face processing (i.e., the structural encoding occurring within 200ms of seeing a face). However, no studies to date have explored potential differences in processing strategies used for infant faces compared to adult faces. The current study …

Geographic And Seasonal Variation Of Flying Squirrel Vocalizations In California, Travis A. Farwell

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Advancements in bioacoustics field studies have further elucidated spatial, temporal, and behavioral aspects of otherwise-cryptic species, as well as offering insights into species communication. The discovery of high-frequency vocalizations in North American flying squirrels in particular has allowed researchers to use ultrasonic acoustic recorders to detect these cryptic species in the wild. Investigations into vocalizations of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and southern flying squirrels (G. volans) have highlighted call type variation between species and the potential use of recorders as a tool to examine vocal activity patterns. However, high-frequency vocalizations had yet to be quantitatively …

Restorative Practices In Education: A Case Study, Emily Morris

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Literature shows that restorative justice practices, over time, are an effective practice for reducing negative student behaviors. This study will examine teacher and staff viewpoints on restorative practices and how they are being implemented on our campus. Additionally, this study will explore what impact restorative practices have on our campus, according to teachers and staff. My goal is to answer some of the questions that were unanswered through the literature. For instance, do the restorative justice consequences have a positive impact on student behavior? Do the staff feel that the current system, which uses restorative practices, is effective in dealing …

Process Optimization For An Integrated Reverse Osmosis—Pressure Retarded Osmosis Pilot-Scale System Operated On Humboldt Bay, Ca, Galen O'Toole

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is an emerging osmotic power technology that could mitigate the major challenges faced by seawater reverse osmosis desalination (RO): brine disposal and high energy consumption. The primary focus of this paper is process optimization for a linked seawater reverse osmosis (RO) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) water purification system. PRO generates power by using osmosis to “pump” water through a membrane from low pressure and low concentration to high pressure and high concentration (RO brine). This commercial-scale pilot effort explores process optimization for pressure retarded osmosis as an industrial process rather than theoretical or experimental process. …

Nā Pua Makani Wind Farm: The Shifting Winds Of Renewable Development In HawaiʻI, George Webster Ross Iv

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In 2015, Hawaiʻi set the most ambitious renewable energy portfolio goal in the nation by vowing to reach 100% renewable energy by 2045. Since then, many renewable energy development projects in Hawaiʻi have been met with strong community opposition, including the Nā Pua Makani wind farm (NPM) in Kahuku. The aim of this project is to analyze the process timeline of NPM to identify factors in the development process that contributed to organized protest, and to offer recommendations for improving the process. In order to get a full picture of the events throughout the Nā Pua Makani project’s timeline, my …

A Preliminary Study For The Development Of Free Weight Back Squat Muscular Fitness Reference Norms For Adults Aged 19-29, Eden G. Marquez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The barbell back squat is a simple and common resistance training exercise that is used to evaluate muscular fitness. Its use as an evaluative method for muscular fitness in the general population is limited due to a lack of published reference values for this free weight exercise in the general population. This study presents reference values for the back squat muscular fitness in healthy active young adults (aged 19-29). This data is made of 399 subjects (51% male/49% female). Mean ±SD for participants in anthropometric data were 23.1±2.8 years of age, 73.0±12.9 kg weight, 170.6±9.4 cm height, and 25.0±3.4 body …

Determining Haplotype Specific X Chromosome Inactivation State And Related Epigenetic Features In Female X-Linked Genes, Ariah Dawn Mackie

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Females with heterozygous X-linked mutations are prone to pseudo-haploinsufficiency because random X chromosome inactivation (XCI) silences one of their two X chromosomes. A prior study explored the theory that reactivating the silenced healthy allele could be a treatment for pseudo-haploinsufficient females. The next step was to evaluate this approach in a clinically relevant stem cell model of the rare neurological disease CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD). It was necessary to validate X-inactivation state with respect to CDKL5 allele expression in one of these models. We explored CDKL5 allele expression in two populations of CDD female patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) …

Escherichia Coli And Salmonella Sp. In Domestic Cattle And Wild Roosevelt Elk: Fecal Pathogens At The Wildlife-Domestic Interface, Emily A. Buck

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Direct or indirect contact between domestic populations of animals and wildlife carries an inherent risk for transmission of pathogens that cause infectious disease. In Humboldt and Del Norte counties of northern California, ongoing conflict between ranchers and Roosevelt elk groups results from elk use of ranching pastures and pastures on private land. Fecal samples from elk in association with cattle, cattle, and from elk not in known association with cattle were assessed for the presence of bacteria Salmonella enterica and pathogenic Escherichia coli to assess whether association with cattle increases risk of infection for elk. Group identity (one of the …

Prevalence Of Rickettsia Sp. Phylotype G022 And Rickettsia Tillamookensis In Ixodes Pacificus Nymphs From Northern California, Erin Rose Trent

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Back in 2011 an unknown Rickettsia species was discovered in adult Ixodes pacificus and became known as Rickettsiaspecies phylotype G022. Preliminary analyses placed it among the Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia, indicating unknown pathogenicity. Another Rickettsia species previously found in I. pacificus, R. tillamookensis, was only recently the subject of research efforts after its original discovery in the 1960s. The main focus of this research was to determine the prevalence of phylotype G022 in nymphal I. pacificus to gain further insight into this tick-Rickettsia relationship. The prevalence of R. tillamookensis was also a topic of this …

Counter Archives: Unfolding Hidden Stories, Berlin Loa

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

We select what we value as history creating collective memory that can obfuscate or devalue other threads in the story intentionally or unintentionally. Through collections of material culture, curated and described by archivists, we receive information that constructs our collective memory of self. These cultural artifacts reflect and reconstruct the past. Material artifacts in the archives depend largely on the story that is told about their provenance to provide meaning. This paper takes photographic collections in archives as examples of material culture to demonstrate how archival presentation affects the stories of collections items, and examines modalities and subverted stories in …

Contributions To The Field Of Library And Information Sciences In Pakistan: A Bio Bibliometric Study Of Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan, Abid Hussain Mr, Nasir Shakoor

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Purpose- This paper presents the bio-bibliometric analysis of Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan's contributions to the Library and Information Science (LIS) field in Pakistan. This study includes the following: the year-wise distribution of research produced; authors' collaboration; publications by type; language; geographical preference for research; and coverage of different subject areas.

Methodology/Design- The data for this retrospective study was requested through email from Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan with advance ethical permission and further verified from Scholar Google, the official university website, and departments where required.

Findings- The results of the study indicate that Dr. Saeed Ullah Jan is a prolific …

Analysis Of Digital Information Management Strategies By The Faculties Of Higher Education Institutions, Ashoka R., Pavan N.S., Priya R.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study investigated ‘Digital Information Management practices pertaining to personal and professional digital information by the faculties of ‘Higher Education Institutions’. The study is envisioned to discover the use of Digital Information Management (DIM) and all its multiplicity, degree of usage, form and formats, advantages, and problems encountered while practicing digital preservation and access. This qualitative study used the survey method and questionnaire technique for data accumulation. The study reveals that almost 50% of the faculty members manage their digital content and perceive that they acquired their skills towards DIM from themselves and their colleagues and friends. As the …