Digital Commons Network^™

Associations Between Ectomycorrhizal Fungi And Bacterial Needle Endophytes In Pinus Radiata: Implications For Biotic Selection Of Microbial Communities, Megan A. Rúa, Emily C. Wilson, Sarah Steele, Arielle R. Munters, Jason D. Hoeksema, Anna C. Frank

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Studies of the ecological and evolutionary relationships between plants and their associated microbes have long been focused on single microbes, or single microbial guilds, but in reality, plants associate with a diverse array of microbes from a varied set of guilds. As such, multitrophic interactions among plant-associated microbes from multiple guilds represent an area of developing research, and can reveal how complex microbial communities are structured around plants. Interactions between coniferous plants and their associated microbes provide a good model system for such studies, as conifers host a suite of microorganisms including mutualistic ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi and foliar bacterial endophytes. …

Generating Steam: Haydn And The Arts In General Education At A "Career-Oriented" Institute Of Technology, Michael E. Ruhling

HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America

Teaching music within a general education scaffolding at a self-identified “career-oriented university” focused on the STEM disciplines (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics), with no music degree program, offers many challenges.  Over my eighteen years at such a place, where I teach in the traditional classroom and am conductor of its orchestra, I have come to recognize a striking similarity between the relationship my students have with music, and the arts and humanities in the broader sense, and the new emerging “general” audiences of the late eighteenth century.  Thus, my goal as a teacher is not unlike Handel’s, Haydn’s, and Mozart’s goal of seeking approbation …

Cloth - Modeling, Deformation, And Simulation, Thanh Ho

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project presents the concepts of modeling cloth objects with different materials by using parameters such as mass, stiffness, and damping. This project also introduces deformation and simulation methods to present the movement and interaction of cloth objects. The implementation is developed using C++ for fast processing but the visualization is done by Maya, which is a professional 3D modeling and animation tool.

Geodesics In Lorentzian Manifolds, Amir A. Botros

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

We present an extension of Geodesics in Lorentzian Manifolds (Semi-Riemannian Manifolds or pseudo-Riemannian Manifolds ). A geodesic on a Riemannian manifold is, locally, a length minimizing curve. On the other hand, geodesics in Lorentzian manifolds can be viewed as a distance between ``events''. They are no longer distance minimizing (instead, some are distance maximizing) and our goal is to illustrate over what time parameter geodesics in Lorentzian manifolds are defined. If all geodesics in timelike or spacelike or lightlike are defined for infinite time, then the manifold is called ``geodesically complete'', or simply, ``complete''. It is easy to show that …

Development Of A Model And Optimal Control Strategy For The Cal Poly Central Plant And Thermal Energy Storage System, Daniel Douglas Castro

Master's Theses

This thesis develops a calibrated model of the Cal Poly Central Chilled Water Plant with Thermal Energy Storage for use in determining an optimal operating control strategy. The model was developed using a transient systems simulation program (TRNSYS) that includes plant performance and manufacturer data for the primary system components, which are comprised of pumps, chillers, cooling towers, and a thermal energy storage tank. The model is calibrated to the actual measured performance of the plant using the current control strategy as a baseline. By observing and quantifying areas for potential improvement in plant performance under conditions of high campus …

Reducing Costs In Human Assisted Speech Transcription, Justin Rovin

Master's Theses

The only official documentation of the lawmaking process at the California Legislature is unedited video recordings of committee hearings, bill texts, votes and analyses. While the bills resulting from these hearings are clear, using video recordings to understand how a bill was created is far too laborious for the average citizen. To increase public transparency, a service that provides easier access to the bill creation process was needed. In response to this need, the Digital Democracy initiative was established at Cal Poly by the Honorable Sam Blakeslee, former California State Senator and founder of the Institute for Advanced Technology and …

Seasonal And Dilution Rate Impacts On Nannochloropsis Oceanica Productivity In Algae Raceway Ponds, Garrett Dameron Murawsky

Master's Theses

Biomass growth of the alga Nannochloropsis oceanica, cultivated outdoors in six pilot-scale raceway ponds, was monitored over the course of 1.5 years, at two different dilution regimes each season, to establish the effects on algal biomass productivity and concentration of dilution rate, pond water temperature, and solar radiation. The 4.5-m² ponds were located in a mild, mid-latitude, coastal region (central California). Experimental conditions were operated in duplicates or triplicates with a consistent artificial seawater medium, pond depth, pH range, paddle wheel mixing speed, and replete nutrient conditions for the duration of the study. Two cultivation regimes were used …

Toward High Performance Nanocarbon Fibers, Michaela R. Pfau

Master's Theses

High performance carbon fibers (CFs) have been a commercially available since their commercial boom in the 1970s, and are generally produced via carbonization of poly (acrylonitrile) (PAN). More recently, carbon nanomaterials like graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been discovered and have shown excellent mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties due to their sp² carbon repeating structure. Graphene and CNTs can both be organized into macroscopic fibers using a number of different techniques, resulting in fibers with promising mechanical performance that can be readily multifunctionalized. In some cases, the two materials have been combined, and the resulting hybrid fibers have …

A Simulation Model For Decision Support In Business Continuity Planning, Marissa Anne Mosunich

Master's Theses

Enterprises with a global supply network are at risk of lost revenue as a result of disruptive disasters at supplier locations. Various strategies exist for addressing this risk, and a variety of types of research has been done regarding the identification, assessment and response to the risk of disruption in a supply chain network.

This thesis establishes a decision model to support Business Continuity Planning at the first-tier supplier level. The decision model incorporates discrete-event simulation of supply chain networks (through Simio software), Monte Carlo simulation, and risk index optimization. After modeling disruption vulnerability in a supply chain network, costs …

Towards Improving Interface Modularity In Legacy Java Software Through Automated Refactoring, Raffi T. Khatchadourian, Olivia Moore, Hidehiko Masuhara

Publications and Research

The skeletal implementation pattern is a software design pattern consisting of defining an abstract class that provides a partial interface implementation. However, since Java allows only single class inheritance, if implementers decide to extend a skeletal implementation, they will not be allowed to extend any other class. Also, discovering the skeletal implementation may require a global analysis. Java 8 enhanced interfaces alleviate these problems by allowing interfaces to contain (default) method implementations, which implementers inherit. Java classes are then free to extend a different class, and a separate abstract class is no longer needed; developers considering implementing an interface need …

Unsupervised Saliency Estimation Based On Robust Hypotheses, Fei Xu, Min Xian, H. D. Cheng, Jianrui Ding, Yingtao Zhang

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Visual saliency estimation based on optimization models is gaining increasing popularity recently. In this paper, we formulate saliency estimation as a quadratic program (QP) problem based on robust hypotheses. First, we propose an adaptive center-based bias hypothesis to replace the most common image center-based center-bias. It calculates the weighted center by utilizing local contrast which is much more robust when the objects are far away from the image center. Second, we model smoothness term on saliency statistics of each color. It forces the pixels with similar colors to have similar saliency statistics. The proposed smoothness term is more robust than …

Creating A Lifeline Back To Books For Adolescent Boys Through Multimedia Enhanced Read-Alouds, Jana Wilkening Mcnally

Dissertations

Due to a growing concern regarding the reading motivation levels of adolescent males, educators have been encouraged to broaden their definition of literacy beyond the traditional fiction novel. This study sought to target the reading motivation levels of unmotivated adolescent boys through the use of a multimedia-enhanced read aloud (MERA). Research questions included: (a) How does the implementation of the MERA impact the reading motivation of adolescent male students? (b) How does the implementation of the MERA impact the reading motivation of unmotivated adolescent male students? (c) How does the implementation of the MERA impact the reading motivation of adolescent …

Retrieving Transient Conformational Molecular Structure Information From Inner-Shell Photoionization Of Laser-Aligned Molecules, Xu Wang, Anh-Thu Le, Chao Yu, R. R. Lucchese, C. D. Lin

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We discuss a scheme to retrieve transient conformational molecular structure information using photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) that have averaged over partial alignments of isolated molecules. The photoelectron is pulled out from a localized inner-shell molecular orbital by an X-ray photon. We show that a transient change in the atomic positions from their equilibrium will lead to a sensitive change in the alignment-averaged PADs, which can be measured and used to retrieve the former. Exploiting the experimental convenience of changing the photon polarization direction, we show that it is advantageous to use PADs obtained from multiple photon polarization directions. A simple …

An Efficient Scheme For Numerical Solution Of Burgers’ Equation Using Quintic Hermite Interpolating Polynomials, Shelly Arora, Inderpreet Kaur

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

A numerical scheme combining the features of quintic Hermite interpolating polynomials and orthogonal collocation method has been presented to solve the well-known non-linear Burgers’ equation. The quintic Hermite collocation method (QHCM) solves the non-linear Burgers’ equation directly without converting it into linear form using Hopf–Cole transformation. Stability of the QHCM has been checked using Eucledian and Supremum norms. Numerical values obtained from QHCM are compared with the values obtained from other techniques such as orthogonal collocation method, orthogonal collocation on finite elements and pdepe solver. Numerical values have been plotted using plane and surface plots to demonstrate the results graphically. …

Counter Machines And Crystallographic Structures, Natasha Jonoska, Mile Krajcevski, Gregory Mccolm

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

One way to depict a crystallographic structure is by a periodic (di)graph, i.e., a graph whose group of automorphisms has a translational subgroup of finite index acting freely on the structure. We establish a relationship between periodic graphs representing crystallographic structures and an infinite hierarchy of intersection languages DCL_d,d=0,1,2,…, within the intersection classes of deterministic context-free languages. We introduce a class of counter machines that accept these languages, where the machines with d counters recognize the class DCL_d. An intersection of d languages in DCL₁ defines DCL_d. We prove that there is …

New Type Of Al-Based Decagonal Quasicrystal In Al60Cr20Fe10Si10 Alloy, Zhanbing He, Haikun Ma, Hua Li, Xingzhong Li, Xiuliang Ma

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

A new kind of decagonal quasicrystal (DQC) with a periodicity of 1.23 nm was observed in the as-cast quaternary Al₆₀Cr₂₀Fe₁₀Si₁₀ alloy. The intensity distribution of some spots in the selected-area electron diffraction pattern along the tenfold zone axis was found to be different from other Al-based DQCs. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy was adopted to reveal the structural features at an atomic level. Both the tenfold symmetry and symmetry-broken decagonal (D) clusters of 1.91 nm in diameter were found, but with structural characteristics different from the corresponding D clusters in the …

Introduction: Expanding Our Educational Goals: Exploring Intercultural Competence, Alvino E. Fantini, Paula Garrett-Rucks

Dimensions

We are delighted to present this collection of manuscripts that focus on various aspects of Intercultural Competence in this Special Issue of Dimensions 2016. Our hope for this Special Issue is not only to bring attention to the innovative programmatic changes and best teaching practices presented in the following chapters, but also to stimulate discussion in the field on the convergence of the diverse terminology used for a common end goal of fostering learners’ intercultural competence. The development of language learners’ intercultural competence—or more completely stated, intercultural communicative competence—engages them in a most profound educational experience, one that will serve …

Exploring Collaborative Work For The Creation Of Interdisciplinary Units Centered On Intercultural Citizenship, Manuela Wagner, Fabiana Cardetti, Michael Byram

Dimensions

In this work we report on a collaborative project at a large Northeastern University, in which we explored how to best collaborate to develop interdisciplinary teaching units, which integrate intercultural citizenship (Byram, 2008) into world languages, mathematics and social studies sixth grade curricula. We argue for the importance of addressing current critical areas in education. After introducing a framework that allows teachers to focus on the development of intercultural citizenship while at the same time fostering skills in the diverse content areas, we report on how we worked with a group of graduate students, teachers and administrators in order to …

Time-Dependent Neutral Stochastic Functional Differential Equations Driven By A Fractional Brownian Motion, B Boufoussi, S Hajji, E Lakhel

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

On The Second Fundamental Theorem Of Asset Pricing, Rajeeva L Karandikar, B V Rao

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

A Stochastic Transport Theorem, Pedro Catuogno, Simão N Stelmastchuk

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Solution Of The Dirichlet Problem For A Linear Second-Order Equation By The Monte Carlo Method, José Villa-Morales

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Mean-Field Limit Versus Small-Noise Limit For Some Interacting Particle Systems, Samuel Herrmann, Julian Tugaut

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Moments Estimates For Local Times Of A Class Of Gaussian Processes, Olga Izyumtseva

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Probability Distributions And Orthogonal Polynomials Associated With The One-Parameter Fibonacci Group, Andreas Boukas, Philip Feinsilver, Anargyros Fellouris

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Chemistry, Spring 2016, Patti Mccall

Libraries' Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Physics, Spring 2016, Patti Mccall

Libraries' Newsletters

No abstract provided.

A Measurement Of Historical And Contemporary Functional Diversity On The Monahan Reclaimed Grassland, Jacob A. Heil

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

In 1984 a portion of the Monahan, a PSU Biology field site, was reclaimed to establish a native grassland community and to prevent runoff of acidic groundwater. In the years since then, several student projects have analyzed the vegetation community on the site, estimating the biodiversity found there. In this study, conducted in 2014, the biodiversity of the Monahan was measured using four indices of functional diversity. Functional diversity describes the variety of ecological functions in a community; functional diversity indices measure and describe these functions instead of individual species. Results from two past graduate theses were compared to the …

Academic Senate - Agenda, 3/1/2016, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Potentially Diagnostic Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectra Elucidate The Underlying Mechanism Of Mitochondrial Dysfunction In The Deoxyguanosine Kinase Deficient Rat Model Of A Genetic Mitochondrial Dna Depletion Syndrome, Brian Bennett, Daniel Helbling, Hui Meng, Jason Jarzembowski, Aron M. Geurts, Marisa W. Friederich, Johan L.K. Van Hove, Michael W. Lawlor, David P. Dimmock

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

A novel rat model for a well-characterized human mitochondrial disease, mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome with associated deoxyguanosine kinase (DGUOK) deficiency, is described. The rat model recapitulates the pathologic and biochemical signatures of the human disease. The application of electron paramagnetic (spin) resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to the identification and characterization of respiratory chain abnormalities in the mitochondria from freshly frozen tissue of the mitochondrial disease model rat is introduced. EPR is shown to be a sensitive technique for detecting mitochondrial functional abnormalities in situ and, here, is particularly useful in characterizing the redox state changes and oxidative stress that can result …