Digital Commons Network^™

The Detection Of Multiple Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Types Through The Development Of An Isothermal Dna Amplification Assay, Lauren Powell

Doctoral

Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) belong to the Papillomaviridae family, with over 200 known types classified into high-risk (HR-HPV) and low-risk (LR-HPV) groups based on their carcinogenic potential. While most HPV infections are asymptomatic and transient, persistent infection can lead to health issues, including cervical cancer. Given the high prevalence of HPV and its potential for malignant transformation, nucleic acid amplification assays have become a widely implemented tool for routine HPV testing. This study developed a real-time isothermal DNA amplification assay for the detection and differentiation of multiple HPV types. A universal primer set was designed to target a highly conserved region …

Decreasing Food Waste In Home Kitchens By Increasing Food Literacy, Thao Rich

Student Publications

In a world that produces enough food for all of its occupants, a staggering amount of it bypasses empty stomachs and goes into landfills every day. There it sits in a plastic bag, which delays decomposition and increases the harmful greenhouse gas emissions. There are numerous reasons for the inequitable distribution of food ranging from politics to logistics, but the fact is that each person can make a dent in reducing their carbon footprint by simply reducing the amount of food they place in the trash each week. Food waste reduction is a small goal that requires no additional spending, …

Interpreting The Latent Space Of A Convolutional Variational Autoencoder For Semi-Automated Eye Blink Artefact Detection In Eeg Signals, Sabatina Criscuolo, Andrea Apicella, Roberto Prevete, Luca Longo

Articles

Electroencephalography (EEG) allows the investigation of brain activity. However, neural signals often contain artefacts, hindering signal analysis. For example, eye-blink artefacts are particularly challenging due to their frequency overlap with neural signals. Artificial intelligence, particularly Variational Autoencoders (VAE), has shown promise in EEG artefact removal. This research explores the design and application of Convolutional VAEs for automatically detecting and removing eye blinks in EEG signals. The latent space of CVAE, trained on EEG topographic maps, is used to identify latent components that are selective for eye blinks. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and Area Under the Curve (AUC) are employed …

"We'll Never Get This Opportunity Again": Lived Experiences Of Platform-Based Gig Workers, Catey Hoehn

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Platform-based gig work has rapidly expanded in the United States, leading to growing concerns about economic precarity, algorithmic management, and the sustainability of labor performed through apps. Gig work has been accused of fostering exploitative conditions, masking control through the language of flexibility, and deepening cycles of debt and insecurity for workers. However, the lived experiences of gig workers often reveal complexities that differ from public narratives and company portrayals. This thesis builds on sociological studies of labor precarity to examine how platform-based gig workers experience, internalize, and resist algorithmic control. Utilizing qualitative semi-structured interviews, fifteen rideshare and delivery drivers …

Twice-Exceptionalism And The Complexity Of Supporting Students Who Are Both Gifted And Disabled, River Johnathon Taylor

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Drawing on ideas from disabilities studies about compulsory able-bodiedness as well as experiences of disability being fluid and context dependent, this study posits that giftedness, just like disability, is a complex multidimensional form of identity that is both context and temporally dependent. Twice-exceptionalism is defined as an identity in which an individual is gifted in at least one domain of human productivity and manifests at least one disability. Students with unique learning needs (students with disabilities, students with giftedness, and students with twice-exceptionalism) face many complex challenges within Humboldt County, California. Twenty-five educators from Humboldt County working across all grade …

"Gen Z Climate Being": Podcast Series On Youth, Climate Emotions, And Affective Climate Justice, Rachel Wynne Moszkowicz

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

My project is a co-created 6 part podcast series with youth and the program lead from the Climate Mental Health Network’s Gen Z Advisory Board informed by affective climate justice, youth, mental health and education. This work foregrounds the embodied climate knowing and being of youth climate activists, offers ideas for a different relationship to climate change and climate education futures. In this podcast, Gen Zers speak to the youth mental health crisis as it relates to climate. My thesis project engages with and invites conversations that reflect the climate itself, which is non-linear, complex, porous, creative, expansive, and woven …

Resource Guide To Evidence Based Practices For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Guadalupe Cruz

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project seeks to support new teachers who are in their first five years of teaching in the special education field using engaging and visually stimulating infographic tools. Through the analysis and review of evidence-based practices literature and NPDC training. This series of teacher-accessible resources compiles introductory information about 10 most commonly seen Evidence Based practices in the elementary special education settings. Through these resources, the goal is to increase informed decision-making among the IEP team, strengthen teacher confidence, and facilitate EBP implementation in the real-world setting.

An Assessment Of The California Logging Workforce, Kendra Jean Gerstenberg

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

There is limited literature describing the capacity and capabilities of the logging workforce in California. This study examines the logging workforce in California to quantify the number of logging crews, assess demographic diversity, and evaluate capacity and capabilities. The target population was California Licensed Timber Operators (LTOs) who have the legal right to harvest timber. A survey was developed and distributed to LTOs on the CAL FIRE database. Surveys were also distributed at regional logging conferences or collected by phone. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and emergent coding for follow-up interviews was conducted. There …

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 …

An Evaluation Of Fuel Model Accuracy And Multi-Scale Mitigation Strategies In The Wildland-Urban Interface Of Southern Humboldt County, Julia I. Cavalli

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Strategic placement of fuel treatments is critical for mitigating wildfire risk and reducing potential structure losses in wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities. As wildfire activity accelerates across the western United States, the need to identify high-impact fuel treatment locations grows increasingly urgent. Concurrently, housing development in the WUI is expanding, intensifying the exposure of homes and infrastructure to wildfire threats. In response, many communities are looking to mitigate the likelihood and severity of losses during wildfire events. The success of these efforts depends, in part, on robust data to support strategic placement of effective treatments that reduce fuel availability.

This study …

Comparison Of The Division And Fairness Of Household Labor Between The 1980s And Early 2000s, Madeline Rose Provins

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The purpose of this thesis is to examine change in the gendered division of household labor between the 1980s and early 2000s. The division of household labor has historically been inequitable reflecting parallel social hierarchies, power imbalances, and systemic inequalities outside the home.

I used a cohort sample of 1,157 respondents combined from the 1988 Wave 1 of the National Survey of Family and Households (NSFH) and the 2003 Wave 3 to test four hypotheses related to gender and household labor. I found that between 1988 and 2003, the gender gap closed in mean hours a week devoted to indoor …

All Red Inside: Embodied Metaphor In Clive Barker's Books Of Blood, Ian Vargas

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The collection Books of Blood is an anthology series of short stories written between 1984 and 1985. Only two, the very first and last, have any unifying story. For our purposes we will be looking at stories in particular that exemplify the themes I am speaking about. Barker's writing often heavily focuses on the ways that the body stands outside the control of the individual, something that a person resides in and must always rely upon, but is not actually in their control in most senses. His horror explores the ways in which the human body is both the first …

Factors Influencing Elk Road Crossing Behavior, Brielle Christine Jaglowski

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Highways fragment habitat and can impose barriers to wildlife. Installing wildlife crossing systems creates opportunities for safe animal movement, improved human safety, and reduced property damage. Research identifying key zones of connectivity can aid in providing recommendations for locations of these systems and other tools to improve highway safety. Although elk-vehicle collisions occur broadly across northwestern California, factors associated with these highway crossing zones have not been studied in this region. To address this gap in research, the objective of this study was to evaluate how environmental and structural factors influence the probability of elk (Cervus canadensis) crossing US-101 in …

Housing Cal Poly Humboldt Students, Andrea Santamaria

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Student Housing & Residence Life at Cal Poly Humboldt has been consistently critiqued for the shortage of spaces available and unsuitable student placements. Student input from a 2024 survey is used to call for affordable and equity-based housing accommodations. Results showed that the first factor students consider when selecting between housing options is Cost. More incentives are needed to recruit a higher number of students living on campus. 33.88% (41 students) prefer to live on campus regardless of obstacles or challenges. 66.12% (80 students) would rather live off-campus. Improving housing experiences can decrease low retention, graduation, and recruitment rates, as …

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 …

Physiological Conditions Of Barn Owl (Tyto Furcata) Nestlings As Indicators Of Habitat Quality Within The Wine-Growing Region Of Napa Valley, Christian Cortez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The global environmental impacts of increasing agricultural demand a transition to sustainable farming practices, including the use of integrated pest management to decrease reliance on harmful pesticides. Vineyard managers in Napa Valley, California, have implemented this strategy by establishing nest boxes that attract barn owls (Tyto furcata) which, in turn, provide an ecosystem service by removing rodent pests. Studies in this system have found uncultivated landcover to be positively associated with distributional and demographic measures of habitat quality for barn owls, but individual measures have not been thoroughly explored. I examined three physiological conditions of barn owl nestlings …

Patterns Of Tree Damage And Fuels Around Powerlines In Northern California, Zoe J. Ziegler

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Rural powerlines are critical for delivering electricity to communities far from urban areas but present a significant hazard when located in forested regions. During strong wind events, tree failure (i.e., broken branches, snapped stems, and windthrow) can bring combustible material in contact with high-voltage lines, causing electrical outages or setting fire to vegetation below the powerline. Additionally, elevated forest fuel loading can increase wildfire rate of spread and intensity, potentially increasing negative ecosystem impacts and decreasing containment capacity during powerline- ignited wildfires. The risks associated with rural electrical infrastructure, tree failure, and elevated fuel loading emphasize the need for improved …

Groundwater Pumping Impacts On Stream Depletion In Humboldt County, Ca: Integrating Analytical Models And Field Data, Andy Hans Heise

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study addresses the significant concern of stream depletion from groundwater pumping in Humboldt County, CA. The objective of this study is to develop an analytical model for estimating stream depletion and integrating field data into model parameters.

The methodology involved conducting a field study near three operating wells by a stream, installing stream gages upstream and downstream of the wells, and recording pumping rates and schedules for two of the wells. The third well’s pumping data was synthetically generated, for privacy concerns of the well owner. The StreamDepletR package was used for estimating depletion rates in a stream in …

Exploring Coastal Spaces Of Tribal Sovereignty And Self-Determination In Ancestral Waters Proposed For Offshore Wind Development, Alyssa Suarez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Proposed offshore wind development off California’s North Coast raises novel questions about Tribal sovereignty offshore. This project specifically engages claims, assuming the Yurok Tribe’s framing that offshore wind development poses a coastal hazard. The research followed a co-production framework. The research questions were co-designed with the Yurok Tribe and the research itself governed by a Data Sharing Agreement. The work presents findings from 13 semi-structured interviews with individuals and experts navigating sovereignty in the offshore wind space, including government representatives; lawyers; legal researchers; academics; foundation staff; journalists; and Humboldt Bay community members. Participants identified several key tensions surrounding claims of …

Grieving In Doorways: A Critical Autoethnographic Exploration Of Embodied Knowledge Amid Shifting Reality And Radical Possibility, Holly Rae

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis is a critical autoethnographic exploration of embodied knowledge amid shifting reality and radical possibility. Beginning and ending with my own body, I explore how grief, as an embodied companion, offers wisdom and power in moments of profound change. Rooted in a methodology of slowness, rest, walking, and active listening, this work resists the extractive pace of modernity and instead invites building a relationship with grief and discomfort. This research is an experiment in co-creating knowledge with bodies and their intersectionality within systems that would keep us separate from knowing our embodied knowledge. As a location of research for …

Investigating The Role Of Motivation In Open-Label Placebo Responses, Joshua Worthington

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Placebo effects occur when an individual receives an inactive treatment that should be unable to provide therapeutic benefits but still demonstrates meaningful improvements in health. Open-label placebos extend this phenomenon by providing full disclosure to individuals that they are receiving a placebo, as opposed to traditional placebo treatments that utilize deception. The role of expectancy as a mechanism of change in placebo has received some mixed results in open-label placebo studies. To the author’s knowledge, motivation for change has not been examined in open-label placebo. The current study examined the role of motivation as a mechanism of placebo responses. To …

Benthic Community Structure Changes In Northern California Following A Marine Heatwave, Franklin D. Moitoza

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In 2014, an unprecedented ecosystem shift impacted the rocky reef communities of northern coastal California following a rapid succession of severe disturbance events. Rocky reef communities shifted from kelp forests to large scale urchin barrens due to the demise of the sunflower sea star (Pycnopodia helianthoides), an unprecedented marine heatwave event (MHW) and increased purple sea urchin densities. This “perfect storm” caused a decrease in benthic species richness and led to a change in community structure due to intense sea urchin grazing. Here I examine the richness of the benthic community across four survey sites over an 8-year time …

Multi-Grade Classroom Professional Development And Curated Resources, Angie Marshall

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project aims to provide educators and administrators with a comprehensive compendium of resources for effectively designing and implementing instruction in multi-grade classrooms. Limited research exists to support teachers who may struggle with the complexities of teaching multiple grade levels within a single classroom setting. Traditionally, educators obtain their teaching credentials, secure employment, and are expected to effectively instruct the students. However, when assigned to a multi-grade classroom, the instructional demands become significantly more intricate and potentially overwhelming.

The objective of this professional development and resource guide is to equip teachers and administrators with a structured resource to enhance the …

Empowering Former Hispanic Student-Athletes To Become Leaders In College Athletics: An Identity-Specific And Assets-Based Leadership Training Program For Career Advancement, Raquel Orozco

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This work examines the complexities of navigating dual identities as emerging Hispanic women leaders in the spectrum of college athletes, and how Hispanic women can face personal and societal challenges when it comes to transitioning from college and then into the professional world.

By examining multiple assets that are rooted in Hispanic women’s culture, this project presents a leadership workshop by utilizing the ADDIE instructional design model. Each module of the workshop is clearly described, offering community building activities, self-reflections, and the opportunity to complete a leadership profile portfolio.

First-Year College Transition: The Role Of Psychosocial Resources In Student Motivation, Hayley Weatherill

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

First-year students transitioning to college culture have various areas of concern during this developmental period. Adolescents and young adults focus on creating and maintaining social connections while navigating a new environment and keeping up with their academics. With rising tuition costs, economic uncertainty, and pressing social challenges, many students enter college under significant stress. Navigating these challenges successfully requires motivation and support to persist through the first year and beyond. This project explored how college institutions support first-year students’ transition to higher education by helping students fulfill the three basic psychological needs of self-determination theory: autonomy, competency, and relatedness. When …

“Thanks For The [Land] Acknowledgement, Now What?”: Settler Histories And Decolonial Futures At Cal Poly Humboldt’S Schatz Tree Farm, Sangeeta Sarkar

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

As California’s newest polytechnic university, Cal Poly Humboldt is often lauded for its Indigenous-facing programming and commitments to Indigenous peoples. In recent years, Native American Studies faculty, staff, and students, alongside Indigenous community partners, have led conversations about Cal Poly Humboldt meaningfully supporting tribal sovereignty by returning land to Native nations. As Cutcha Risling Baldy summarized in a research interview, “Thanks for the [land] acknowledgement, now what?” (2024, personal interview). However, though Cal Poly Humboldt has made various land acknowledgements and references to Indigenous peoples in its university policies, conversations about #LandBack have been met with resistance from the university. …

Uncertainty Reduction As An Underlying Motive For Optimal Distinctiveness, Chad Hinojosa

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Uncertainty-identity theory and optimal distinctiveness theory posit separate but related motives for social identity. Whereas there has been evidence supporting each theory, little research has investigated the overlap between the two. More specifically, the needs for assimilation (belonging) and differentiation (uniqueness) as postulated by the optimal distinctiveness model may be understood as derivatives of the desire to reduce uncertainty in one’s self and future. In this study, I investigated the overlap between these three motives for social identity by experimentally testing the mediating effect of self-uncertainty on the relationship between the needs posited by optimal distinctiveness and social identity. Participants …

Can Dyslexia Diagnosis Induce A Stereotype Threat Effect? A Literature Review And Research Proposal, David H. Harris

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Dyslexia is a recognized psychiatric diagnosis in the DSM-5, categorized as a specific language disorder. Dyslexia is a hidden disability that affects how individuals process auditory and visual information. Many people have heard of dyslexia but it is largely misunderstood, even by educational professionals, and its general association with learning disability can be the basis for negative stereotyping and discrimination of people with dyslexia. The ‘Stereotype threat effect’ is a term from social psychology research referring to situations where one’s performance on a task is influenced by their identification with a social group that has a well-known stereotype about their …

The Menstrual Cycle, Dual-Hormone Hypothesis, And Competition: Implications For Athletic Performance, Camille Burns

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Female athletes perceive that the fluctuating hormones of the menstrual cycle affect their performance. However, research on objective performance is inconclusive, partly due to a lack of studies conducted in real-world competitive contexts. Testosterone is often seen to be elevated near ovulation and is related to social competitiveness. Under the dual-hormone hypothesis, testosterone only predicts competitive behavior when cortisol is low. The current study had two goals: (1) to test whether the dual-hormone hypothesis applied to competitive drive and objective athletic performance, and (2) to examine whether competitiveness and the intensity of one’s response to competition varied across the menstrual …