Digital Commons Network^™

Rplidar A2 Accuracy, Ramiro O. Garcia

STAR Program Research Presentations

Traffic is not only a source of frustration but also a leading cause of death for people under 35 years of age. Recent research has focused on how driver assistance technology can be used to mitigate traffic fatalities and create more enjoyable commutes. In addition, self-driving vehicles can reduce fuel consumption the amount by 5% and increases the number of cars on the highway. To achieve this we need to research reliable sensors. This summer I research Rplidar A2 sensor which hopefully will be responsible for recording distance to the preceding car and helping prevent Insider Attacks or Misbehaviors of …

Cubesat Astronomy Mission Modeling Using The Horizon Simulation Framework, Alexander W. Johnson

Master's Theses

The CubeSat Astronomy Network is a proposed system of multiple CubeSat spacecraft capable of performing follow-up observations of astronomical targets of interest. The system is intended to serve as a space-borne platform that can complement existing systems utilized for astronomical research by undergraduate and high school students. Much research and development work has been performed to develop model-based system engineering methodologies and products for CubeSat missions, including the Horizon Simulation Framework. The Horizon Simulation Framework enables the development of system models using the Extended Markup Language (XML), and its simulation program can generate system simulations over model-specified timespans. System requirements …

Millimeter Wave Radar Object Detection Through Frequency Selective Surfaces, Jacob D. Trevithick

Master's Theses

Millimeter wave (mmWave) radar systems are a leading technology in autonomous vehicle object sensing. The radar’s ability to detect surrounding objects is critical to its performance. One method of increasing object detection performance is to enhance object visibility. Frequency selective reflectors can increase object visibility. This work examines the performance of a mmWave 77 GHz radar system developed by Texas Instruments in conjunction with frequency selective surfaces. Two bandpass frequency selective surfaces are designed and fabricated using a loaded cross aperture configuration to analyze their application to object detection. The chosen design frequencies are 8 GHz and 79 GHz. The …

A Comparison Of Crushing Parameters Of Graphite Composite Thin-Walled Cylinders Cured In Low And High Pressures, Trenton John Matson

Master's Theses

Out-of-Autoclave (OoA) processes for manufacturing aerospace-grade parts needs to be better understood to further the development and success of industries that are manufacturing reusable launch vehicles, military and commercial aircraft, and spacecraft. Overcoming the performance limitations associated with OoA, also known as low-pressure prepreg curing, methods (void count, energy absorption, etc.) will help decrease the costs associated with aerospace composite manufacturing and the negative environmental effects correlated with high-pressure composite curing methods. Experimental, theoretical, and numerical approaches are used to explore both low and high-pressure curing cycles and how the two different processes affect final cured parts. Quasi-static uniaxial compression …

The Effects Of Cluster Thinning On Vine Performance, Fruit, And Wine Composition Of Pinot Noir (Clone 115) In The Edna Valley Of California, Paul F W Mawdsley

Master's Theses

A three-year study was conducted at a commercial vineyard site in California’s Edna Valley AVA to evaluate the physiological and agronomical effects of the timing of cluster thinning on Pinot noir (clone 115) grapevines. Vines were thinned to one cluster per shoot at three selected time-points during the growing season (bloom, bloom + 4 weeks, bloom + 8 weeks), and fruit from each treatment was harvested and made into wine. Across all growing seasons, yield decreased 43% in thinned vines relative to un-thinned control vines. No effect of cluster thinning or interaction with growing season was found in vine shoot …

Predictors Of Ransomware From Binary Analysis, Aaron M. Otis

Master's Theses

Ransomware, a type of malware that extorts payment from a victim by encrypting her data, is a growing threat that is becoming more sophisticated with each generation. Attackers have shifted from targeting individuals to entire organizations, raising extortions from hundreds of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In this work, we analyze a variety of ransomware and benign software binaries in order to identify indicators that may be used to detect ransomware. We find that several combinations of strings, cryptographic constants, and a large number loops are key indicators useful for detecting ransomware.

Improving The Accuracy Of Wood Diaphragm Deflection Computations And Its Impact On Asce 41 Pseudo-Lateral Force Estimates, John Lawson

Architectural Engineering

Structures with flexible seismic resisting systems tend to develop less seismic forces than their stiffer counterparts. While it has been commonly known that taller buildings in general have longer periods that result in a reduced spectral response, the analysis of one-story buildings with large, wide horizontal flexible diaphragms supported by stiff shear walls are now recognized as having a similar response. This building type often referred to as rigid wall – flexible diaphragm (RWFD) is very common in warehousing and big-box retail occupancies. Estimating the diaphragm deflection has become more important recently, not only because diaphragm deflections are more frequently …

Space Telescope And Optical Reverberation Mapping Project. Viii. Time Variability Of Emission And Absorption In Ngc5548 Based On Modeling The Ultraviolet Spectrum, G. A. Kriss, G. De Rosa, J. Ely, B. M. Peterson, Vardha Nicola Bennert, Y. Zu

Physics

We model the ultraviolet spectra of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope during the 6 month reverberation mapping campaign in 2014. Our model of the emission from NGC 5548 corrects for overlying absorption and deblends the individual emission lines. Using the modeled spectra, we measure the response to continuum variations for the deblended and absorption-corrected individual broad emission lines, the velocity-dependent profiles of Lyα and C iv, and the narrow and broad intrinsic absorption features. We find that the time lags for the corrected emission lines are comparable to those for the original …

A Single Fast Radio Burst Localized To A Massive Galaxy At Cosmological Distance, K. W. Bannister, A. T. Deller, C. Phillips, J.-P. Macquart, Vardha Nicola Bennert, C. D. Wilson

Physics

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief radio emissions from distant astronomical sources. Some are known to repeat, but most are single bursts. Nonrepeating FRB observations have had insufficient positional accuracy to localize them to an individual host galaxy. We report the interferometric localization of the single-pulse FRB 180924 to a position 4 kiloparsecs from the center of a luminous galaxy at redshift 0.3214. The burst has not been observed to repeat. The properties of the burst and its host are markedly different from those of the only other accurately localized FRB source. The integrated electron column density along the line …

Are You Ready For A Non-Binary Job Applicant And Co-Worker? Creating A Fabulous And Accepting Workplace For Non-Binary Employees, Mark Bieraugel

Library Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Customization Of Aneurysm Scaffold Geometries For In Vitro Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessel Mimics To Use As Models For Neurovascular Device Testing, Camille D. Villadolid

Master's Theses

Cerebral aneurysms occur due to the ballooning of blood vessels in the brain. Rupture of aneurysms can cause a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which, if not fatal, can cause permanent neurologic deficits. Minimally invasive neurovascular devices, such as embolization coils and flow diverters, are methods of treatment utilized to prevent aneurysm rupture. The rapidly growing market for neurovascular devices necessitates the development of accurate aneurysm models for preclinical testing. In vivo models, such as the rabbit elastase model, are commonly chosen for preclinical device testing; however, these studies are expensive, and aneurysm geometries are difficult to control and often do not replicate …

Examining The Effectiveness Of Electromyography Biofeedback At Improving The Upper Trapezius To Serratus Anterior Muscle Activation Ratio, Julia Evelyn Holton

Master's Theses

Purpose: The upper trapezius to serratus anterior muscle activation ratio is essential for optimal shoulder function. An alteration of this ratio, specifically a decrease in upper trapezius and increase in serratus anterior activation, is a main area of focus in shoulder rehabilitation (Kibler, 1998; Paine & Voight, 1993). Electromyography (EMG) biofeedback has been shown to be an effective rehabilitation technique to address many musculoskeletal disorders but there is limited research on the retention of improvements seen with EMG biofeedback (Ma et al., 2011; Lim et al., 2014; Weon, et al., 2011). The purpose of this study was to determine if …

Infestation Intensities, Attachment Patterns, And The Effect On Host Contest Behavior Of The Tick Ixodes Pacificus On The Lizard Sceloporus Occidentalis, Dylan M. Lanser

Master's Theses

Parasites often have profound effects on the survival and evolution of their hosts, and hence on the structure and health of entire ecosystems. Yet basic questions, such as the degree of virulence of a given parasite on its host, and factors influencing which hosts in a population are at the greatest risk of infection, are vexingly difficult to resolve. The western blacklegged tick-western fence lizard (Ixodes pacificus-Sceloporus occidentalis) system is important, primarily because I. pacificus, a vector of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is dependent on S. occidentalis for blood meals in its subadult stages, …

Torture And The Corrida, Andrew Brei

Between the Species

In recent years the debate over the moral status of bullfighting has been focused on whether or not it should be characterized as a form of torture. Francis Wolff has argued that it should not be, and Gabriel Andrade has claimed that it should be. But in my view neither author adequately defines bullfighting or torture. In this essay I have three goals. The first is to provide an adequate account of bullfighting, including its structure and meaning. The second is to define the necessary conditions for torture. And the third is to show that bullfighting meets those conditions. Thus, …

Keeping Humans In The Loop: Pooling Knowledge Through Artificial Swarm Intelligence To Improve Business Decision Making, Lynn E. Metcalf, David A. Askay, Louis B. Rosenberg

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This article explores how a collaboration technology called Artificial Swarm Intelligence (ASI) addresses the limitations associated with group decision making, amplifies the intelligence of human groups, and facilitates better business decisions. It demonstrates of how ASI has been used by businesses to harness the diverse perspectives that individual participants bring to groups and to facilitate convergence upon decisions. It advances the understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to enhance, rather than replace, teams as they collaborate to make business decisions.

Beaver (Castor Canadensis) Of The Salinas River: A Human Dimensions-Inclusive Overview For Assessing Landscape-Scale Beaver-Assisted Restoration Opportunities, Stuart Christian Suplick

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Across the western United States, researchers are increasingly working with beaver (Castor canadensis) for process-based stream and watershed restoration. One recently-developed geographic information system-based tool, the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT), analyzes opportunities for beaver-assisted restoration (BAR) at a landscape-scale. However, this tool benefits significantly from human dimensions-inclusive, basin-centralized beaver knowledge for proper interpretation. Unfortunately, this information is scattered or absent in most semi-arid and arid southern California basins. This study thus sought to gather and produce this information through an explorative, benefits-maximizing approach to landscape-scale BAR opportunities assessment in one of these basins, the Salinas River. 49.2 …

The Five Tribes Of Machine-Learning: A Brief Overview, Jens G. Pohl

Architecture

This paper reviews recent advances in automated computer-based learning capabilities. It briefly describes and examines the strengths and weaknesses of the five principal algorithmic approaches to machine-learning, namely: connectionism; evolutionism; Bayesianism; analogism; and, symbolism. While each of these approaches can demonstrate some degree of learning, a learning capability that is comparable with human learning is still in its infancy and will likely require the combination of multiple algorithmic approaches. However, the current state reached in machine-learning suggests that Artificial General Intelligence and even Artificial Superintelligence may indeed be eventually feasible.

Advanced Structural Integration Collaboratory Model For Architecture Students, Thomas Fowler, Iv

Architecture

The architecture program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California, has a strong technology component (as part of the Polytechnic Mission of the University) over the years since its inception in the 1960’s, that led to the establishment of the College of Architecture andEnvironmental Design. The paper presents an advanced structural integration collaboratory model that works with recent changes in the curriculum. The history of the program is important, since the curriculum has always had a very intensive architectural engineering (structural systems focus) sequence of courses. While architecture students were definitely acquiring a strong knowledge of a wide range of …

Implementation Of A Scale Semi-Autonomous Platoon To Test Control Theory Attacks, Erik Miller

Master's Theses

With all the advancements in autonomous and connected cars, there is a developing body of research around the security and robustness of driving automation systems. Attacks and mitigations for said attacks have been explored, but almost always solely in software simulations.

For this thesis, I led a team to build the foundation for an open source platoon of scale semi-autonomous vehicles. This work will enable future research into implementing theoretical attacks and mitigations. Our 1/10 scale car leverages an Nvidia Jetson, embedded microcontroller, and sensors. The Jetson manages the computer vision, networking, control logic, and overall system control; the embedded …

The Effects Of Atomic Oxygen On Patch Antenna Performance And Lifetime, Max J. Barta

Master's Theses

The space environment is a volatile and challenging place for satellites to survive in. For Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, atomic oxygen (AO) is a constant corrosive effect that degrades the outer surface of satellites over long durations. Atomic oxygen exists in the atmosphere between 180 and 675 km and has a relatively high energy at 4.5 eV, which allows AO to break molecular bonds in materials on the surfaces of spacecraft. As the number and complexity of CubeSat missions increase, there is an increased risk that AO degradation on commercial off the shelf parts (COTS), such as antenna, could …

Brightest Cluster Galaxy Evolution Exploration: Comparing The Separation Of Cluster X-Ray Light And Visible Wavelength Galaxy Light With Spectral Data, Matthew Aaron Salinas

Physics

Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs), the brightest galaxy in a cluster of hundreds to thousands of galaxies, are some of the biggest, brightest, and most massive galaxies in the universe. Characterizing a BCG can help discover more about galaxy evolution - the aging, changing, and possible merging (collisions) of galaxies. This project involves determining the separation of the peak of x-ray emission of the galaxy cluster, and the peak of visible emission of the BCG to characterize the system as being disturbed or undisturbed that can then lead to discoveries about its formation and evolution. We have found that 17.4% of …

Electronic Cvt - Controls, Alec William Hardy, Jessalyn Leora Ann Bernick, Nicholas Esteban Capdevila, Tristan Charles Perry

Mechanical Engineering

The following document outlines the design process, manufacturing, and testing of the control system for an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (ECVT). This control system was integrated into the custom designed and manufactured mechanical transmission system created in parallel by another senior project group. The transmission was designed for use in the Cal Poly Baja SAE vehicle. Through researching customer needs, competition requirements, previous and alternate CVT designs, and vehicle characteristics, we were able to determine the requirements and specifications for our unique system. Input, output, speed, and durability requirements guided our hardware selection. The primary components which comprised our …

Data-Driven Database Education: A Quantitative Study Of Sql Learning In An Introductory Database Course, Andrew C. Von Dollen

Master's Theses

The Structured Query Language (SQL) is widely used and challenging to master. Within the context of lab exercises in an introductory database course, this thesis analyzes the student learning process and seeks to answer the question: ``Which SQL concepts, or concept combinations, trouble students the most?'' We provide comprehensive taxonomies of SQL concepts and errors, identify common areas of student misunderstanding, and investigate the student problem-solving process. We present an interactive web application used by students to complete SQL lab exercises. In addition, we analyze data collected by this application and we offer suggestions for improvement to database lab activities.

Diversity, Inclusion And The Exceed Teaching Workshop, Allen C. Estes

Architectural Engineering

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Teaching Workshops are currently in their 20th year of existence and have been highly successful. There is a growing body of literature on creating a multi-cultural classroom that celebrates diversity, accounts for the global differences and experiences of students, and deliberately fosters inclusivity. This paper examines the content of the existing culturally inclusive literature and quantifies how much is already present in the current ETW curriculum. It then suggests how much more could be included if a deliberate effort is made to include diversity and inclusivity into …

A Paper-Based Elisa Device For The Rapid Detection Of Ischemic Stroke, Andrea Larsen

Baker/Koob Endowments Awarded Projects

Diagnosing an ischemic stroke accurately and quickly is essential for appropriate treatment and results in more effective management of the stroke, leading to better patient outcomes. Specifically, the determination of ischemic versus hemorrhagic stroke leads to critically different treatment paths, which would be potentially fatal if administered incorrectly. Currently, ischemic strokes are diagnosed through a series of tests, including a physical examination, CT scans, and a panel of blood tests to exclude hemorrhagic stroke or other similarly presenting conditions, in order to administer tPA (the main treatment) within the three hour window. The discovery of biomarkers, molecules which are upregulated …

Creating Online Training Modules For Student Employees At The California Polytechnic State University Dairy Using Train Trac, Olivia K. Taylor

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this project was to create training modules for the Cal Poly Dairy. The author’s goal was to incorporate the safety aspect of dairy work into the modules as well. To properly obtain all the necessary information for the modules, the author first had to compile lists from the Cal Poly Dairy’s written standard operating procedures. From here, the majority of time was used to gather video and picture content using a surface tablet that would later be used in the online modules. Once the content was gathered, it had to be organized into files for each module …

Creation And Implementation Of Marketing Collateral For The Agricultural Education And Communication Department At California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Bekah Marjorie Reed

Agricultural Education and Communication

In January, 2019 the author created a template in Adobe InDesign to input information to be gathered from professors. The intent of the template was to display relevant information to help students learn more about their future faculty: hometown, areas of research, industry/teaching experience, alma maters, among other information (email address, office location, and office phone number). The author then developed questions and emailed all of the faculty and staff in the Agricultural Education and Communication Department along with a request for a headshot from each member. For those who did not have a headshot available to them, or who …

Ryan Family Olive Orchard, Jack Murphy Ryan

Agricultural Education and Communication

For ten years the Ryan Family has been growing seven acres of Merlot grapes on their property in the Napa Valley. One block of grapes is located on the side of a dam of a small pond in the middle of the property. This block of grapes contains many diseased plants with low crop yields. The Ryan Family decided they wanted to remove the grapes and plant olive trees at this location. The family wants a variety of olives that produce high quality olive oil. Although the project is straight forward, one of the issues with the established location of …

Lazy Fault Recovery For Redundant Mpi, Elie Saliba

Master's Theses

Distributed Systems (DS) where multiple computers share a workload across a network, are used everywhere, from data intensive computations to storage and machine learning. DS provide a relatively cheap and efficient solution that allows stability with improved performance for computational intensive applications. In a DS faults and failures are the norm not the exception. At any moment data corruption can occur especially since a DS usually consists of hundred to thousands of units of commodity hardware. The large number and quality of components guarantees, by probability, that at any given time some of the components will not be working and …

Implementation Of Multivariate Artificial Neural Networks Coupled With Genetic Algorithms For The Multi-Objective Property Prediction And Optimization Of Emulsion Polymers, David Chisholm

Master's Theses

Machine learning has been gaining popularity over the past few decades as computers have become more advanced. On a fundamental level, machine learning consists of the use of computerized statistical methods to analyze data and discover trends that may not have been obvious or otherwise observable previously. These trends can then be used to make predictions on new data and explore entirely new design spaces. Methods vary from simple linear regression to highly complex neural networks, but the end goal is similar. The application of these methods to material property prediction and new material discovery has been of high interest …