Digital Commons Network^™

Early Wildfire Detection With Line Sensors, Virginia Yan

Master's Theses

Over the last few years, wildfires have become more devastating to communities as the fires are inevitably destructive to many homes, businesses, and ecosystems. Frequent wildfires also pose a significant threat to power grids and nearby residents as they can damage transmission lines and other electrical equipment, which in turn can cause major power shutdowns. Especially in western U.S., severe drought conditions and weather variability cause residents to become more vulnerable to wildfire disasters as their safety is threatened. We are incompetent to control the wildfires effectively despite existing advanced technologies. Hence, an algorithm based on energy conservation and heat …

Development Of Novel Hardware And Software For Wind Turbine Condition Monitoring, Ryan A. Zhan

Master's Theses

With the increased use of wind turbines as sources of energy, maintenance of these devices becomes more and more important. Utility scale wind turbines can be time consuming and expensive to repair so an intelligent method of monitoring these devices is important. Commercial solutions for condition monitoring exist but are expensive and can be difficult to implement. In this project a novel condition monitoring system is developed. The priority of this system, dubbed the LifeLine, is to provide reliable condition monitoring through an easy-to-install and low-cost system. This system utilizes a microcontroller to collect acceleration data to detect imbalances on …

Condition Monitoring And Fault Detection Of Blade Damage In Small Wind Turbines Using Time-Series And Frequency Analyses, Luke H. Costello

Master's Theses

Condition monitoring systems are critical for autonomous detection of damage when operating remote wind turbines. These systems continually monitor the turbine’s operating parameters and detect damage before the turbine fails. Although common in utility-scale turbines, these systems are mostly undeveloped in distributed, small-scale turbines due to their high cost and need for specialized equipment. The Cal Poly Wind Power Research Center is developing a low-cost, modular solution known as the LifeLine system. The previous version contained monitoring equipment, but lacked decision-making capabilities.

The present work builds on the LifeLine by developing software-based detection of blade damage. Detection is done by …

Biological Semantic Segmentation On Ct Medical Images For Kidney Tumor Detection Using Nnu-Net Framework, Andres Bergsneider

Master's Theses

Healthcare systems are constantly challenged with bottlenecks due to human-reliant operations, such as analyzing medical images. High precision and repeatability is necessary when performing a diagnostics on patients with tumors. Throughout the years an increasing number of advancements have been made using various machine learning algorithms for the detection of tumors helping to fast track diagnosis and treatment decisions. “Black Box” systems such as the complex deep learning networks discussed in this paper rely heavily on hyperparameter optimization in order to obtain the most ideal performance. This requires a significant time investment in the tuning of such networks to acquire …

The Effect Of Focused Ultrasound On Altering The Diameter Class Of Nerve Fibers Contributing To A Compound Evoked Potential, Analyzed Using A Perturbative Decomposition Technique., Megan Wurden

Master's Theses

Peripheral neuropathies are disorders that involve the damage of peripheral nerve fibers, affecting the ability of different parts of the body to communicate. A differentiating factor in diagnosis between various clinical conditions can be which size class of nerve fibers are affected. A nerve conduction velocity test can be used to assess the viability of the nerve but is a single-parameter test and gives no information about the population characteristics of the remaining active fibers. A method developed and previously reported by Szlavik (2016) utilizes a mathematical perturbed decomposition to determine the normalized frequency of each size class of fiber …

Hypoxic Incubation Chamber, Makenzie Jones, Andrea Skattenborg, Henry Elsner

Biomedical Engineering

In developing a model to test anti-tumor drugs, Dr. Christopher Heylman’s lab requires the ability to culture cells in a hypoxic environment. The purpose of this project was to make this possible. Funding for this project comes from the Biomedical Engineering Department, the Hannah-Forbes Fund, and Dr. Heylman’s lab. The chamber must be able to reach a user-defined oxygen concentration and hold that concentration for 48 hours while creating an environment conducive to cell culture. Importantly, the chamber must also be sterilizable and cleanable for repeated use. While several products exist to create hypoxic environments for cell culture, they are …

The Use Of Virtual Reality In Construction Safety Training, Matthias S. Guegler

Construction Management

The emergence of virtual reality has seemingly limitless possibilities in the construction industry. One of the most significant applications of this technology in construction, is its use in virtual reality safety training, as it allows for more immersive and retainable training programs. Construction VR training programs have been developed to allow workers to train in a safe working environment and develop the necessary skills in recognizing hazardous jobsite situations. The purpose of this study is to measure the effectiveness and potential of virtual reality construction training as it compares to traditional industry training through attitudinal research. To this end, a …

Bilingual Training Course For Redwood Residential Fence Company, Adriana Bernabe Martinez

Construction Management

The Hispanic population has been increasing in the US over the past twenty years, and made up 42.9% of the construction workforce in 2018 (Data USA, n.d.). Because of this population increase, it’s expected that 1 in 4 persons will be of Hispanic descent by the year 2050 (Canales, 2009). Due to this increase, many language barriers exist that can create serious issues in construction. Language barriers cause productivity to decrease and increase concerns for the workers’ safety. Although OSHA trainings are available in Spanish, the opportunity to take these courses vary from company to company and it is rare …

Los Angeles Homeless Epidemic - An Analysis Of Proposition Hhh, Howard T. Duong

Construction Management

Passed in 2016, Proposition HHH is a $1.2 billion bill hoping to curb the homelessness epidemic that is rising in the city of Los Angeles with the newly added construction of 10,000 supportive housing units. This study serves to analyze and detail the homelessness epidemic in the Los Angeles Area, familiarizes the reader with how Proposition HHH funding works together with developers, as well as some of its shortcomings to date so far. To garner additional research, a survey was performed with a sample size from both the developers engaged with Proposition HHH and residents of the product in order …

Risk Management In Response To Covid-19: Comparative Case Study, Justin Hong

Construction Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of the construction industry. Construction industry members such as owners, developers, subcontractors have experienced varying degrees of impacts because of COVID-19. It is important for companies to adopt risk management strategies to mitigate risk and reduce potential injuries. Due to new rules and regulations mandated by the government, companies had to change the way they operate. This comparative case study focuses on how the pandemic has affected large and small residential companies and compare the risk management strategies set in place by different companies. It was determined that most residential companies were not …

Common Issues Of Compliance With Personal Protective Equipment For Construction Workers, Alexandra N. Gattuso

Construction Management

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is an essential component to the safety of workers on construction jobsites. Construction is ranked one of the most dangerous industries to work in, with the highest reports of fatal work injuries. For this reason, it is required that construction employees wear PPE to keep them safe during work. Despite this requirement, many workers neglect to wear PPE, exposing themselves to high risk of injury and death. A survey was conducted on thirty-three (33) construction workers in California to gain a better understanding of issues with PPE and reasons for non-compliance. The survey found that only …

Subcontractor Claim Management And Dispute Resolution Methods In The State Of California Versus The Province Of British Columbia: A Case Study, Harrison A D Grant

Construction Management

In the construction industry, discordance between what is expected versus what is delivered often arises. This disparity is commonly handled using informal negotiation. However, if negotiations fail, then claims and disputes often emerge. Issues involving scope of work, change orders, schedule, and payment can lead to conflicts. Companies try to employ the best alternative dispute resolution method to settle subcontractor claims and disputes without the need for litigation. Speaking with construction professionals in California and British Columbia, a difference in opinion exists as to which method is considered most effective when dealing with subcontractor claims and disputes. In California, the …

Sustainable Bus Stop: Design & Pre-Construction, Nadov O. Rader

Construction Management

The objective of this project is to design and prepare to build a sustainable bus stop for the City of San Luis Obispo (SLO). Compiled are pre-construction plans and documents for delivery of a sustainable bus stop. All pre-construction services include: project budget/estimates, construction plans and specifications including architectural and electrical plans, timeline/schedule, and materials lists. With a strong focus on sustainability, the design incorporates the use of photovoltaic panels as a form of renewable energy to power features of the sheltered bus stop. This includes a light fixture and a pump to use collected rainwater to nourish native vegetation …

Schedule Efficiency Associated With The Tilt-Up Construction Method: A Case Study, Jake A. Barron

Construction Management

Tilt-up is an efficient method of project delivery that is best suited for large, flat projects such as commercial warehouses and distribution centers. The hypothesis is that this method of casting wall panels on site, and then tilting them upright, allows for certain unique activity sequences which could provide faster project completion. In order to prove this theory, analysis of two tilt-up projects completed within a mile of each other by the same contractor, and assessment of their schedules, will provide insight into the specific tasks that allow for better delivery speed. This methodology paired with interviews of team members, …

A Case Study On The Capacity And Competitiveness Of Small-Sized Contractors On The Central Coast Of California, Lev S. Garcia

Construction Management

The market conditions in which small-sized construction firms in California compete can be significantly influenced by the regional location of their projects. This research paper reviews a qualitative case study executed through semi-structured interviews with two construction firms on the Central Coast of California. Through gaining the perspectives of two companies, one that recently grew into a medium sized company and one that is small-sized, this case study aims to identify market characteristics that influence small-sized companies’ abilities to compete on the Central Coast. The case study indicates that competition between existing companies, the threat of new arrivals, the cost …

Residential Bathroom And Tile Shower Addition During Covid-19 Quarantine, Joseph Szillinsky

Construction Management

This paper outlines the design and construction of a new code compliant bathroom including: a low profile shower pan, ceramic-tile shower enclosure, and new plumbing piping and fixtures. One of the main objectives was to complete the new shower which would be easily accessible and maintenance free in order to support a local elderly couple. The selection of this project took place during the COVID-19 pandemic approximately nine months after California issued the first mandatory statewide Stay-at-Home Order. During the early design and development stages an opportunity to collaborate with a local trades-person was identified as well as the need …

The Body Positive Project: Incorporating An Educational Body Image Program At Cal Poly, Maureen Mcnamara

Journalism

The following study explores the presence of eating disorders on Cal Poly’s campus and how the implementation of the Body Positive program as a part of Campus Health and Wellbeing (CHWB) will assist those struggling with eating disorders. 13.5 percent of college women suffer from eating disorders, (Eisenberg 2011), and 20 percent of college students say they have suffered from an eating disorder at some point in their lives (NEDA). The Body Positive at Cal Poly is a program specially designated to address concerns around eating disorders by educating a group of student facilitators on how to hold discussions about …

Academic Senate - Minutes, 02/23/2021, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Agenda, 02/23/2021, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Minutes, 02/16/2021, Executive Committee

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 02/16/2021, Academic Senate Executive Committee

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Agenda, 02/09/2021, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Minutes, 02/09/2021, Academic Senate, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

The Structure Function Relationship Of Disordered Networks Using Young's Modulus And Floppy Modes, Melinda Grace Tajnai

Physics

Disordered networks may have the ability to store information that can be retrieved using a Young’s modulus measurement. The effect of the number of floppy modes a network has on the value of this Young’s modulus measurement is unknown. This experiment uses 28 networks consisting of 3D printed edges in a sliding frame to determine how the Young’s modulus of a network is related to the number of floppy modes.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 01/26/2021, Academic Senate Executive Committee

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Minutes, 01/26/2021, Executive Committee

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Minutes, 01/12/2021, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Agenda, 01/12/2021, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Minutes, 01/05/2021, Academic Senate Executive Committee

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda, 01/05/2021, Academic Senate Executive Committee

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.