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Collection Description
Collection of student theses and dissertations from as early as 1939, but mainly from 2010 to present.
Pages
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- Wildfire, dust, heat and adverse child health and birth outcomes: A global analysis across low-to-middle income countries
- As the climate continues to change, there is a heightened public health concern about how extreme weather events can affect adverse health outcomes, especially in more vulnerable populations. Children and pregnant women living in low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs) are considered highly vulnerable populations. Acute respiratory infections have become the number one cause of under-five mortality across the globe. Additionally, preterm birth, complications from preterm birth, and stillbirths are the number one cause of neonatal deaths worldwide. These adverse health outcomes are preventable. Thus, research needs to focus on preventable environmental determinants that can help reduce the number of childhood respiratory infections and adverse birth outcomes in LMICs. Air pollution and extreme heat are preventable risk factors because exposure levels can be determined by individual behaviors and population-level policies and action plans. Wildland fire smoke and dust storms can release substantial amounts of particulate matter into the atmosphere. Prior evidence has tied these extreme weather events with adverse respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes and premature mortality in children. Additionally, exposure to extreme heat has been linked to higher risks of preterm birth and stillbirth in high-income countries. The proposed biological mechanisms of how particulate matter and extreme heat can cause these outcomes involve oxidative stress and inflammation. Previous evidence has mainly come from high-income countries, which may be because of challenges in exposure measurement. The first chapter of this dissertation reviews the epidemiological evidence regarding the relationship of three extreme weather events (wildland fire smoke, dust, and extreme heat) and childhood respiratory outcomes and adverse birth outcomes in LMICs. The second chapter of this dissertation examines acute exposure to wildland and agricultural fire smoke affecting the risk of childhood respiratory outcomes in 14 LMICs. The third chapter is a case-study of acute exposure to heightened dust days and the risk of childhood cough in Benin. The fourth chapter studies the relationship between extreme heat and aims to identify specific susceptible windows of increased risk of preterm birth and stillbirth in a comprehensive set of LMICs. The latter three chapters expand on the limited evidence base of these exposure and outcome relationships in LMICs. The final chapter summarizes key findings, describes the implications and innovations of this research, and highlights future research objectives to build upon this dissertation research., San Diego State University; University of California, San Diego
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- Wind over the moon
- This thesis is a collection of twenty-six original poems and lyrics. Of these, five are followed by revised versions to show how a poem is changed in structure when, as is often the case, the poet reapprehends and reevaluates something he has written, and considers it either unfinished or finished incorrectly, and so remedies it accordingly. The poems are divided according to the feeling around which their images and thoughts are built: despair, hope, the indifference of Nature to men, lyrics, and an experiment., San Diego State College, Digitization of this archival thesis was made possible through a generous donation from Robin B. Luby.
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- Wind tunnel experiments on the flow over a NACA 65(1)-412 airfoil at a Reynolds number of 20,000
- Flow over a NACA 65(1)-412 airfoil is studied for a moderate chord-based Reynolds number of 20,000 typically encountered in small-scale technologies such as micro-turbines and small unmanned air vehicles. Experiments are conducted at the San Diego State University (SDSU) Low-Speed Wind Tunnel with a turbulence intensity level of 0.27% in the test section. The SDSU data is compared to a similar experiment conducted at the University of Southern California Dryden Wind Tunnel (DWT) which has notably lower turbulence intensity of 0.035%. Finite span wing models are fabricated independently and vertically centered with endplates in their respective wind tunnel test sections to mimic quasi-2D flow. The SDSU’s model has an aspect ratio of 12.6 while the DWT model is 12.9. Experimental lift and drag polars are measured with force balances, compared and verified against X-Foil computations for varying turbulence intensities and Reynolds numbers. China Clay is used to visualize the separation location in the SDSU experiment. The lift and drag polars of both SDSU and DWT experiments show a sudden increase in the lift and decrease in the drag at a critical angle of attack, αcrit, at which the flow changes with increasing angle of attack from a laminar separated flow to a flow with a laminar separation bubble that transitions the laminar boundary layer to a turbulent boundary layer. However, the αcrit occurs at different values; in SDSU’s experiment αcrit occurs at 8◦ whereas for DWT it occurs at 9.5◦. Increasing the freestream turbulence appears to promote earlier onset of the critical angle. Beyond the critical angle, SDSU’s lift polar increases for two degrees before reaching the maximum lift and after which the lift gradually decreases. By comparison, DWT’s reaches its maximum lift at the αcrit and reduces beyond it. Comparison with X-Foil trends confirm that higher freestream turbulence intensities promote an earlier onset of boundary layer transition. Recommendations for future experimental work following this effort should consider emulating varying levels of freestream turbulence intensities in a single wind tunnel using a controlled turbulence generation instruments., San Diego State University
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- Wired to adapt
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 55-59), Digital version is not available, We are immersed in a world full of mobile gadgets that fit into our pockets, purses, and fill our homes. They allow us to connect to the rest of the world and have the capabilities to assist us in completing tasks with ease and efficiency. Changes in our behavior have resulted from the use of devices such as the cell phone and computer. A shift in etiquette, expression, and habits has become our way of life and are evident and documented in the media. As more research is studied, predictions of how technology might affect society flourish. Technology is pervasive and constantly evolving, which forces us to either adapt to the changes it initiates or to resist the temptation. I stand in the middle, pulled in two directions, appreciating the value of technology and resisting total immersion. On the one hand I embrace the devices I use but question how I interact with them. In Wired to Adapt, I examine individually and collectively how we perceive, communicate, and behave with devices defined by the latest technologies. Wired to Adapt was exhibited in the Everett Gee Jackson Gallery February 12 through 17, 2011. A digital version is available for viewing in Love Library.