Engineering Commons^™

Signal Processing Algorithms For Doppler Lidar Sensors, Samantha Grubb

Physics and Astronomy Honors Papers

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is a remote sensing technology that obtains relative distance and velocity measurements between a sensor and a defined target by using light transmitted and received from the target. FMCW Doppler LiDAR, a particular variant of LiDAR, functions by analyzing the frequency shift in the reflected light to determine the target's range and velocity. This technology plays a crucial role across various sectors including defense, aerospace, and automotive. This paper presents signal processing algorithms designed to optimize data obtained from Doppler LiDAR sensors. By applying various window functions to time domain data, the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) …

Cignn: Community-Induced Graph Neural Networks, Shi Yin Hong

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Message-passing graph neural networks (MPGNNs) are known to have limitations in their representational power. Recent work proposes subgraph graph neural network (subgraph GNN) models to address these limitations by upgrading the local node representations of MPGNNs to respective subgraph representations. However, existing subgraph GNN models have limited interpretability in capturing inherent local structural dynamics across diverse graph structures. In this work, we present a novel subgraph GNNs framework, termed Community-Induced Graph Neural Network (CiGNN). The key idea of CiGNN is to endow an intuitive interpretability basis for subgraph GNNs by capturing the dynamics of inherent structural community topology in subgraph …

Amazon Fba Vs Fbm; A Strategic Approach To Determine Which Method Can Effectively Utilize Project Management Principles To Enhance Your Success As A New Amazon Seller., Tiffany Renee White

Theses and Dissertations

Navigating the complexities of a platform such as Amazon demands a strategic approach guided by project management principles. A comparative analysis of Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) methods were completed by focusing on how project management principles optimize product acquisition, supply chain management, and shipping methods for Amazon sellers. The objectives of this study included the identification of top product acquisition tools, the evaluation of inventory management software, assessing shipping methods, and determining the most effective fulfillment process for Amazon seller success. A mixed-methods approach was applied, involving an Amazon seller survey, literature review, data analysis, …

An Evaluation Of The Equitable Practices For Stem Education To Prepare All Students For The 21st Century, Elizabeth Simpson

Dissertations

We are almost a quarter of the way through the 21st Century, yet most education institutions do not provide STEM education for all students. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have been a special focus of both industry and federal education initiatives in recent years. STEM is a proven way of building student skills needed for the workforce of tomorrow. The purpose of this study is to determine why education decision-makers resist implementing STEM programs equitably for all students. The context of this inquiry is district and school-based leaders throughout the United States, from elementary to high school, who have …

Drivers’ Hazard Avoidance During Vehicle Automation: Impact Of Mental Models And Implications For Training, Ganesh Pai Mangalore

Doctoral Dissertations

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are vehicle automation systems that have become more accessible and prevalent in vehicles in recent years. But the introduction of such technologies introduces new human factors challenges. Past literature suggests that users of vehicle automation lack the necessary and appropriate knowledge about their automation system. This may play a negative role in their hazard avoidance abilities when driving with automation features. Improving mental models and knowledge could generally lead to safer interactions with vehicle automation systems, but any effort to develop hazard avoidance skills when driving with vehicle automation is impeded by the lack of …

Nonprofit Leader Experiences In Sector-Bending After Lean Six Sigma Training: Tension, Concepts, And Changed Behaviors, Beverly Codallos

Dissertations

Government, business, and nonprofit represent three distinct types of organizations governed by different legal frameworks designed to facilitate collective action (DiMaggio & Anheier, 1990). The emergence of hybrid forms and increasing isomorphic pressures in the nonprofit sector (Bromley & Meyer, 2017; McCambridge, 2014) have challenged the traditional separation of organizational forms. This study explored the phenomenon popularized as sector-bending, “a wide variety of approaches, activities, and relationships that are blurring the distinctions between nonprofit and for-profit organizations, either because they are behaving more similarly, operating in the same realms, or both” (Dees & Anderson, 2003, pg. 16). This qualitative study …

A Comparison Of Western And Eastern Soft Systems Approaches, John L. Anaya, John L. Anaya, John L. Anaya

Master's Theses

Soft System Approaches have been developed worldwide to help problem-solvers and decision-makers develop solutions to complex problems, such as aerospace systems. Soft System Approaches were designed to help lower the disorder of developing a complex system by increasing understanding of a situation. Four Soft System Approaches were investigated, two from the West and two from the East. Within the context of the paper, the West refers to thought patterns associated with thinkers and scientists in Europe and North America, and the East refers to those from and around China. The two from the West are Peter Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology …

A Political Theory Of Engineered Systems And A Study Of Engineering And Justice Workshops, Dominic David Carrese

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Since there are good reasons to think that some engineered systems are socially undesirable—for example, internal combustion engines that cause climate change, algorithms that are racist, and nuclear weapons that can destroy all life—there is a well-established literature that attempts to identify best practices for designing and regulating engineered systems in order to prevent harm and promote justice. Most of this literature, especially the design theory and engineering justice literature meant to help guide engineers, focuses on environmental, physical, social, and mental harms such as ecosystem and bodily poisoning, racial and gender discrimination, and urban alienation. However, the literature that …

Application Of High-Resolution Fiber Optic Data To Enhance Completion Design, Christian J. Pacheco

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

MS Dissertation Defense

By

Christian Pacheco

Title: Application of High-Resolution Fiber Optic Data to Enhance Completion Design Major: Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024 Time: 4:00 PM Place: 141 Engineering Science Building

Abstract

Well stimulation is a technique that has been used in the industry for decades, and with the ability to drill wells horizontally the practice has become more valuable and effective than ever before. Its use is consistently being optimized and completions design plays a crucial role in the recovery of hydrocarbons. Several different downhole tools and measurements have been used to optimize these …

Towards Algorithmic Justice: Human Centered Approaches To Artificial Intelligence Design To Support Fairness And Mitigate Bias In The Financial Services Sector, Jihyun Kim

CMC Senior Theses

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has positively transformed the Financial services sector but also introduced AI biases against protected groups, amplifying existing prejudices against marginalized communities. The financial decisions made by biased algorithms could cause life-changing ramifications in applications such as lending and credit scoring. Human Centered AI (HCAI) is an emerging concept where AI systems seek to augment, not replace human abilities while preserving human control to ensure transparency, equity and privacy. The evolving field of HCAI shares a common ground with and can be enhanced by the Human Centered Design principles in that they both put humans, the user, at …

Volumetric Imaging Using The Pupil-Matched Remote Focusing Technique In Light-Sheet Microscopy, Sayed Hassan Dibaji Foroushani

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

ABSTRACT

The dissertation explores innovative techniques in light sheet microscopy, a pivotal tool in biomedical imaging, to enhance its speed, resolution, and efficiency in capturing dynamic biological processes. Light sheet microscopy allows for quick 3D imaging of biological specimens ranging from cells to organs with high spatiotemporal resolution, large field-of-view, and minimal damage, making it vital for in vivo imaging.

The first project introduces a novel optical concept designed to optimize Axially Swept Light Sheet Microscopy (ASLM). This technique is crucial for imaging specimens ranging from live cells to chemically cleared organs due to its versatility across different immersion media. …

Shop & Speak: The Hottest Eye-Phone App On The Market, Angelo N. Ledonne

Honors Capstones

In the U.S, approximately 20 million individuals (8% of the population) are partly or completely visually impaired. This disability makes some everyday tasks such as reading, writing, shopping, traveling, etc., difficult. But, with the advancement of technology over the past few decades, design products and software have been created that help level the playing field for those in need. The only hurdle that still exists today is the cost and availability of these products, leaving many affected individuals with very little or no assistance in their everyday lives. This project was inspired by my grandmother’s disability. She was born with …

Addressing Mercury Contamination From Artisanal Gold Mining In Colombia: Pollution Exposure, Health Risk, And Educational Efforts In The Communities Of La Toma, Colombia, Kelli Mccourt

All Dissertations

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has become a primary environmental and public health concern in the region of Colombia known as Alto Cauca. The predominantly Afro-descendent communities of Yolombó and La Toma in Alto Cauca have experienced pollution linked to the use of mercury in the ASGM process. For the past decade, mercury has emerged as a contaminant of increasing concern in the communities due to its toxicity and ability to bioaccumulate and biomagnify. Likewise, mining in the region raises concerns over the leaching of metals into local waters. Given the complexity of risk and pollution in the communities, …

Initiation Criteria For The Onset Of Geomagnetic Substorms Based On Auroral Observations And Electrojet Current Signatures, Mayowa Michael Kayode-Adeoye

<strong> Theses and Dissertations </strong>

In recent years, several substorm onset criteria have been developed, either from auroral observations (many authors) or from auroral electrojet properties such as those described by (Forsyth et al., 2015; Maimaiti et al., 2019; Newell & Gjerloev, 2011; Partamies et al., 2011) The different criteria are being investigated using a low order physics model of the magnetosphere called WINDMI (Spencer et al., 2009) and inferences are being made in line with the WINDMI model. The model variables will be compared with the criteria for substorm onset proposed by examining the SML index.

The WINDMI model uses solar wind and IMF …

Development Of A User-Friendly Shelf-Life Model To Evaluate The Suitability Of Sustainable Materials In Roasted And Ground Coffee Fractional Packs, Matthew Baxley

All Theses

Roasted and ground coffee is a shelf stable product yet quite sensitive to oxidative staling. A consumer acceptance-based shelf-life modeling system was proposed with intent for the rapid determination of suitable coffee packages. This model requires as input the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) of the coffee, barrier values of packages, and the size of the packaging. Within the time period tested, it was shown that this model accurately predicted the oxygen uptake of coffee over time. Four bio-based packaging systems with barrier layers including mPLA, mPE, mcellophane, and paper were compared against a control (mPET). These materials displayed a range …

Underwater Image Enhancement: A Pipeline For Underwater Computer Visions, Humberto Lebron Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

Ocean exploration has surged in popularity and significance in recent years, including diverse areas like maritime archeology, underwater resources, and submerged structure inspection. The activities mentioned above heavily depend on vision and imagery, a challenge in the unpredictable marine world. This thesis presents a conditional generative adversarial network model for image-to-image translation problems. We designed and trained the model with the end goal of enhancing underwater images. Five metrics were employed for validation to quantify our model’s resulting enhanced images. By doing so, we aim to establish a pipeline that can leverage aerial computer vision algorithms for marine applications.

Our …

Wave Attenuation Through Submerged Oyster Aquaculture Cages, Liam T. Hanley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal erosion presents a growing issue to shorelines around the world and is especially harmful to Maine, a region where sea-level rise is higher than the global average. Green and hybrid coastal defense strategies are being implemented around the country to provide sustainable, habitat-friendly solutions to erosion control. Maine is a hotspot for commercial aquaculture, with an estimated $13.6 million economic impact. This study looks to bridge the gap between Maine aquaculture and the living shorelines initiative, by determining the wave attenuating properties of submerged oyster cages. The project will be able to inform local oyster farmers, resource planners, and …

A Comparison Of Ground Reaction Forces And Muscle Activity Of The Tsunami Bar® Against A Rigid Barbell During Back Squat Phases, John Carver Middleton

Theses and Dissertations

An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study was conducted to investigate the effects of the Tsunami Bar® (TB), a flexible barbell, on ground reaction force (GRF) production and muscle activity in the quadricep, hamstring, and gluteal muscle groups during phases of the squat exercise and compare the effects to the effects to using a rigid barbell (RB). A two-by-two repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was used to compare the results. Descriptive statistics showed significantly higher GRFs for the TB during the unweighting phase, significant differences in GRFs between speeds for each phase, significantly higher forces on average with the …

The Synthesis And Optimization Of Sulfide And Halide Solid Electrolytes For All Solid-State Batteries, Teerth Brahmbhatt

Doctoral Dissertations

Countries and organizations around the world have established ambitious targets to transition away from fossil fuel-based energy sources and devices. The transition is focused on cleaning up power generation by converting coal, natural gas, and oil-based power generation to renewables and nuclear energy. Decarbonizing other sectors of energy use, transportation for example, will require broader electrification. To drive this move away from fossil fuel powered transportation will require portable energy storage devices. Conventional lithium-ion batteries are a popular candidate to lead this shift. However, these batteries often rely on flammable liquid electrolytes and carbon anodes that suffer from low energy …

All Hands On Deck: Choosing Virtual End Effector Representations To Improve Near Field Object Manipulation Interactions In Extended Reality, Roshan Venkatakrishnan

All Dissertations

Extended reality, or "XR", is the adopted umbrella term that is heavily gaining traction to collectively describe Virtual reality (VR), Augmented reality (AR), and Mixed reality (MR) technologies. Together, these technologies extend the reality that we experience either by creating a fully immersive experience like in VR or by blending in the virtual and "real" worlds like in AR and MR.

The sustained success of XR in the workplace largely hinges on its ability to facilitate efficient user interactions. Similar to interacting with objects in the real world, users in XR typically interact with virtual integrants like objects, menus, windows, …

High-Power Laser Cooling And Temperature-Dependent Fluorescence Studies Of Ytterbium Doped Silica, Brian Topper

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Experimental observation of optical refrigeration using ytterbium doped silica glass in recent years has created a new solution for heat mitigation in high-power laser systems, nonlinear fiber experiments, integrated photonics, and precision metrology. Current efforts of different groups focus on compositional optimization, fiber fabrication, and investigating how much silica can be cooled with a laser. At the start of this work, the best effort in laser cooling ytterbium doped silica saw cooling by 6 K from room temperature. This dissertation follows the experimental efforts that culminated in the increase of this initial record by one order of magnitude. Comprehensive spectroscopic …

Examining Biological Algal Harvest For Use In Clemson University’S Algal Carbon Capture System Using Freshwater Mussel Elliptio Complanata, Jack Grimes

All Theses

Capture of atmospheric carbon by freshwater algae is being proposed in Clemson University’s outdoor algal carbon capture system, formerly described as the Partitioned Aquaculture System (Drapcho and Brune, 2000). Several algal species have been present in the system, depending on cultivation conditions. However, mechanical harvesting of the algae has proven difficult because of the cost of chemical flocculants, the energy cost of filtration due to small particle size of algae, and the relatively dilute algal cell concentrations in the system. Prior research on algal filtration by freshwater mussels has indicated its potential for use as a biological filter. This research …

Experimental Evaluation Of Abl And Downburst Wind Loads On An Elevated Building, Kate Current

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Elevated low-rise buildings are vulnerable to cladding damage underneath the structure due to extreme winds and the absence of proper wind loading codes and standards such as the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC). The space between the ground and the horizontal base surface of an elevated structure affects its aerodynamics differently compared to a ground-mounted structure. Despite the widespread use of elevated low-rise buildings, there is still limited understanding of the wind interaction across building surfaces for different stilt heights and wind types. This research aims to evaluate the impact of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and downburst wind loads …

Design Fire Robert E. Kennedy Library, California Polytechnic State, San Luis Obispo, Jennifer Ocampo

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

This report evaluates the fire protection system of the Kennedy Building using a prescriptive approach and a performance-based design. The prescriptive approach evaluates code compliance of the structural design, fire suppression system, alarm and detection and smoke control. The performance-based design evaluates egress and life safety protection and three design fires that could potentially compromise the goals and objectives of the design.

The Kennedy Building is on the Campus of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and serves as the primary library of the university. This building has five stories of mixed occupancies. It is partially sprinklered, has limited automatic detection …

Fire Protection Engineering For Building A, Ai Choong Loh

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

Building A is a 9-storey mixed used development in Singapore to be completed in 2028. Fire safety provisions of Building A shall be in accordance with Singapore Fire Code 2018.

The report has analyzed the fire safety provisions in the area of structural fire protection provision, means of escape provision, automatic water suppression system provision, automatic fire detection and alarm system provision, engineering smoke control system provision, flammability assessment as well as performance based assessment.

Generally, building A complied to the prescriptive requirements of automatic water suppression system provision, automatic fire detection and alarm system, structural fire provision and means …

Practical Podcasting: A Technical Guide To Producing Studio-Quality Podcasts, Jacob Sarmiento

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Podcasting exists at the intersection of the technical aspects of audio engineering and disciplines such as journalism and story-telling. Podcasts at KCPR, the student radio station, cover a wide range of topics including the soundscape of the DIY music scene in San Luis Obispo (SLO) on SLO-Fi, the intricacies of navigating SLO on Cal Poly 101, the best of Cal Poly Athletics on The Gallop, and the voices of underrepresented populations on campus on Different Matters. KCPR utilizes podcasts to entertain and inform its audience of the various experiences possible as a Cal Poly student. As a student-run entity, KCPR …

Graphite: Open Source 2d Graphics Editor, Christopher H. Mendoza, Oliver A. Dolan

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Graphite is an open source 2D graphics editor aiming to provide a useful alternative to the Adobe product suite while integrating modern ideas from research and industry, including a node-based procedural approach that makes the design process fully non-destructive. Tools from the VFX and gamedev industry like Nuke, Houdini, and Substance Designer have proven the power and flexibility of node-based systems, but they are each lacking in their user experience because of the deep level of complexity that is not abstracted into simpler concepts for users (Adobe Systems, SideFX, The Foundry Visionmongers Ltd., n.d.). Graphite puts the node-based core into …

An Engineering Approach For Evaluating The Lifetime Experience Of Sex Trafficking Victimization, Kimberly Starr Nagulpelli

Dissertations

This research is an original approach that applies industrial engineering and operations research tools to the sociological problem of sex trafficking victimization. Such an approach enables quantitative evaluation of the impacts on an individual’s lifetime by anti-trafficking efforts and public policies.

A fully interconnected, lifetime model for the experience of sex trafficking victimization is defined as the result of a comprehensive review of literature. Beginning with victimization risk, the defined model is an anticipatory tool to understand the incidences and consequences to individuals during their lifetime. This research develops the model further into a Discrete-Time Markov Chain (DTMC) with definitions …

Office Building In Moffett Park District, Cody Williams

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

The objective of this review is to analyze and evaluate the fire safety of a 5-story office building located in the Moffett Park District in Sunnyvale, California. The building is constructed largely of mass timber and classified as a Type IIIA building used primarily as office space. The first section of the report focuses on the building’s defining characteristics and use cases. The second portion of the report presents a comprehensive review of egress design, fire alarm systems, fire suppression systems, structural design, implementation of mass timber elements, and flammability requirements. The results of the analysis show that the building …

Fire Protection Analysis Of A K-12 Classroom Building, Raymond Yip

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

The report evaluates the fire protection features of a K-12 classroom building (Bldg. B) in San Bernardino County, California. Bldg. B is a two-story Type V-A light timber frame construction. At the time of this report’s composition, Bldg. B is undergoing modernization construction. The fire protection analysis of this building consists of prescriptive and performance portions.

The prescriptive analysis verifies the compliance of building egress, passive, and active protection features with the 2019 edition of California Codes of Regulations Title 24 (Title 24) and Title 24-adopted National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. The analysis comprises of four sections: egress, structural …