Digital Commons Network^™

The Interplay Between Injury And Body Composition With Performance In Police Recruits, Vanessa Sutton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The occupational demands of policing are challenging and potentially hazardous, with substantial rates of musculoskeletal injuries occurring during recruit training. Academy injury prevalence can be as high as one in five recruits. Injuries impact performance, result in lost training, and impose financial burdens on police agencies. However, limited research has explored pre-injury body composition or musculoskeletal characteristics in relation to police recruit performance. This thesis investigates injuries, body composition and musculoskeletal characteristics in physical performance and injury risk among law enforcement recruits.

Study One quantified prevalence and severity of pre-academy injuries and association with performance. Among 121 recruits, nearly half …

Effects Of Crevice Corrosion On Metal Adhesive Performance And Shear Strength In Marine Environments, Westin Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Corrosion is a leading challenge that engineers and researchers face when working in marine environments. Annually, corrosion costs an estimated $2.5 trillion globally and can lead to environmental damage and pose a threat to public safety. This thesis investigates the effects of crevice corrosion on the performance of different epoxy adhesives when mated with stainless steel to determine if using epoxy is a viable option for the development of systems operating in marine environments. To accomplish this, metal-to-metal lap shear samples were created using Araldite 2015-1, Plexus MA560-1, Plexus MA310, and Plexus MA8120 epoxies and different preparation methods. These samples …

An Exploratory Attempt To Incorporate Social Criteria Into Spent Nuclear Fuel Site Screening And Relocation, Julie M. Sorfleet

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Spent nuclear fuel, also known as nuclear waste, is the byproduct of nuclear power generation. The need for safe and responsible long-term storage and disposal of radioactive fuel presents significant technical and social challenges. These challenges are compounded by several factors, including the emerging nuclear renaissance in the United States, climate and coastal hazards, and the lack of consolidated interim or permanent storage. This research explores perceptions of risk, relocation, and siting spent nuclear fuel, predominantly focusing on Humboldt County, California. I used online surveys, the Analytic Hierarchy Process, and geographic information systems (GIS) analysis to inform how social and …

Exploring The Influence Of Ethnic Studies On Latinx Students In Rural Northern California, Georgina C. Salvarrey

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Latinx students have historically encountered a traditional education system that often neglects their perspectives, histories, and epistemologies through curricula and pedagogical practices that favor hegemonic narratives. This marginalization has led to the obscuration of significant aspects of the histories of non-dominant racial and ethnic groups, effectively diminishing students’ ability to engage with both their local and global realities critically. Ethnic Studies, as an academic field, proposes an interdisciplinary educational approach that challenges the colonizing methods inherent in the Western educational paradigm by centering the narratives and experiences of People of Color. This ethnographic study investigates the experiences of Latinx high …

Snag Failure And Fuel Recovery Following Stand-Replacing Fire In The Klamath Mountains, Joseph R. Nicholas

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

High-severity wildfires can produce extensive patches of standing dead trees (snags), which later contribute to surface fuel loading and present a hazard as they decay and fall. In the Klamath Mountains of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, recent increases in the occurrence of large stand-replacing wildfires have raised concerns about fuel and vegetation recovery trajectories, the likelihood of future fires, and resulting impacts to local communities. Nevertheless, the post-fire environment may offer opportunities to enhance ecological and community resilience. Estimates of snag failure and fuel loading can support land management planning and risk assessment following wildfire, though such work is …

Lineation To Liberation: The Transformative Power Of Poetic Rhetoric, Amber Rae Alvarez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project explores the transformative power of poetic rhetoric and examines how poetry as a form of expressive art serves as a means of reclamation in the aftermath of encounters with the American criminal justice system. I contend that poetry provides a space where folks can reimagine (and reclaim) their identities, asserting their agency in empowering and authentic ways. Taking a Cultural Studies and Critical Prison Studies informed approach, this project engages the concept of lineation to liberation to conduct a close reading analysis of artist (Reginald) Dwayne Betts’ poetry. Betts’ work not only provides a powerful example of how …

Sex Work And Covid-19: An Intersectional Discussion Of U.S.-Based Sex Worker Experiences During The Pandemic, Sabrina M. Grandia

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all forms of industry, including that of sex work. Between October 2020 until November 2022, I did field research and interviews with nine U.S.-based sex workers throughout those months of the pandemic. Using a grounded theory approach, I asked open-ended questions about their entrance into the industry, business practices, and personal experiences before and during the pandemic. Their stories allow us to gain insight into the impact the pandemic had on them as individuals and their broader communities. My analysis highlights a prominent influence of anti-trafficking policy, politicization of the virus, and the impact of Black …

Examining Kentucky Agriculture Teachers’ Use Of Student Credentialing In Agricultural Education Programming, Kaycee J. Palmeri, Kevin T. Wells

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore Kentucky agriculture teachers’ perceptions regarding current industry credential offerings, how they operationalize the curricula, knowledge, and skills necessary to prepare for industry credential offerings, and the perceived benefits for students who earn such credentials. The current study was undergirded by human capital theory. Using random sampling across the 12 Kentucky FFA service regions, the researcher collected data from nine current Kentucky agriculture teachers via semi-structured interviews. Further, the researcher used a Qualtrics-based instrument to collect participant demographics data. The analysis of the interview data revealed eight distinct emerging themes. The researcher …