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Nutrient Removal Using Microalgae In Wastewater-Fed High Rate Ponds, Matthew N. Rodrigues

Master's Theses

This thesis discusses the mechanisms associated with the removal of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater-fed high rate algae ponds (HRAP) designed to operate as triplicates. Research was conducted at the San Luis Obispo Water Reclamation Facility (SLOWRF) as a pilot-scale study of nine 30-square meter ponds one foot in depth. During period of study, triplicates were operated at hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 4, 3 or 2-days. Main objectives for the study were to determine minimum HRTs required to achieve secondary and tertiary treatment. Experimental conditions such as CO₂ supplementation, nighttime aeration and operation of ponds in …

Applied Hw/Sw Co-Design: Using The Kendall Tau Algorithm For Adaptive Pacing, Kenneth W. Chee

Master's Theses

Microcontrollers, the brains of embedded systems, have found their way into every aspect of our lives including medical devices such as pacemakers. Pacemakers provide life supporting functions to people therefore it is critical for these devices to meet their timing constraints. This thesis examines the use of hardware co-processing to accelerate the calculation time associated with the critical tasks of a pacemaker. In particular, we use an FPGA to accelerate a microcontroller’s calculation time of the Kendall Tau Rank Correlation Coefficient algorithm. The Kendall Tau Rank Correlation Coefficient is a statistical measure that determines the pacemaker’s voltage level for heart …

Establishment And Validation Of A Novel Fucci (Fluorescent Ubiquitination-Based Cell Cycle Indicator) In An In Vitro Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Model, Jane Marie Isquith

Master's Theses

The deregulation of the cell cycle is important in the leukemic transformation and in the continued discovery of more efficient targeted therapies. After elucidation of the role of the RNA editor ADAR1 in the malignant reprogramming of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) progenitors to leukemia stem cells (LSCs) during the chronic phase to blast crisis stages of the disease, current research seeks to uncover the mechanism of action of ADAR1 in this process. To study the potential role ADAR1 plays in the changes to cell cycle during this disease progression, a novel Fucci (fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator) system was introduced …

Adaptive Eating Device, Patrick Yale, Jillian Hiu, Jeremy Black, Kevin Farmer

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

A Critique Of Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty, Sarah Scott

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Degradation Of The Chicken Egg Over Time By Method Of Haugh Unit Score, Serena Gurley

Animal Science

The purpose of this senior project was to measure the degradation of the chicken egg over time under different treatments. 864 eggs were collected and divided into six treatment groups. The six groups of study were refrigerated: unwashed, washed, washed and oiled as well as room temperature: unwashed, washed, washed and oiled. The Haugh unit score was measured individually for one dozen eggs taken randomly from each of the six groups once a week for twelve weeks. The Haugh unit score statistical assessment of the eggs found washed and oiled eggs held in refrigeration maintain freshness longer than the other …

Lives Interrupted: A Sibling’S Guide To Cancer, Robin Sweeney

Communication Studies

For my project I propose to write a handbook for teens to help them cope with the difficult challenges they may experience while having a sibling who has been diagnosed with cancer. I also hope to help them discover the positive that can happen throughout this experience. The purpose of this handbook is to help eliminate some level of uncertainty, to prepare a teen with the feelings they and their sibling will be going through, to prepare them for their different changes in roles and responsibilities in their family and friends, to show them ways to help, how to continue …

Gender Discrimination In The Workforce, Natalie Hays, Katherine Morrow

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Personal And Professional Expectations Of Students At California Polytechnic State University Based On Socialization Of Gender Norms In Education, Marisa Wishart

Social Sciences

Two hundred and one students from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo completed a one page survey regarding their role models and expectations for life after graduation in order to gain insight on the gender differences that are present within the student community. The results were analyzed using cross tabulations in IBM SPSS and supported the hypotheses (1) traditional gender roles, such as men as the provider and women as the domestic caretaker, will be reflected by survey respondents, and (2) due to a lack of female role models for women in professional fields, women are less likely than …

Examining Sexual Assault On College Campuses, Kelsey Wank

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Westernization On The Fijian Birth Model, Sophia Heick

Social Sciences

Over the past 200 years a dramatic shift in the method of birth has occurred in the world and especially in the United States. Birth has been transformed from a common event overseen by a local midwife, a process that was common and largely mysterious as it lacked any scientific understanding, to an infrequent event overwhelmingly overseen by obstetricians and scientifically dissected in attempts to maximize health outcomes. Although many countries have gone through a transition similar to this, this specific transition is unique to the culture of the United States. With the impact that US Western culture is having …

The Theory Of Continuity: An Alternate Analysis And Supporting Experiment On The Expressed Modes Of Human Interaction, Michael J. Vogel

Social Sciences

The methods currently used to survey, analyze and understand human relationships and interactivity fail to grasp the complexity and intricacy brought forth by a globalized, cohesive and communicative society. The conventional sociometric schools of social-group analysis are not fully equipped to understand the depth and complexity of interpersonal relations, losing out on the intricacies that exist between acquaintanceships, friendships, romances, and everything in between. This in mind, I have crafted and designed a new paradigmatic system for understanding and working with human relationships: the theory of Continuity. Employing a system of mutually-exchanged socio-emotive currency, Continuital theory seeks to quantify the …

Templeton Affordable Housing Study & Implementation Strategy, Trent L. Sanson

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Motivations And Relationship Quality Of Friends With Benefits Relationships Among Emerging Adults, Olivia Giorgi

Psychology and Child Development

This study was conducted to understand more about college-aged students’ motivations for Friends with Benefits (FWB) relationships, and the quality of those relationships. These casual relationships are gaining acceptance among college populations, but we understand little about gender differences in engaging in them. An online survey was created and participants were recruited from various groups and classes on campus. From this pool of students, 233 undergraduate students completed the survey. Measures included five motivation categories: sex, wanted FWB, relationship avoidance, friendship, and relationship simplicity (Hughes, Morrison, and Asada, 2005), in addition to six relationship quality aspects: satisfaction, commitment, intimacy, trust, …

Automatic Site Reconstruction With A Mobile Robot And Scanning Laser Proximity Sensor, Erik Nelson, Sean Willis, Nathan Lucero

Computer Engineering

Leading research in robotics, especially in the areas of computer vision, planning, and probabilistic learning, require a mobile robot platform to program. The design and construction of such a platform is a laborious task, calling upon knowledge from many branches of engineering. Additionally, hot research topics in robotics such as vision-based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), advanced trajectory planning algorithms, and adaptive control for collision avoidance contain algorithms that build upon a localization and mapping architecture which is time-consuming to program in itself. To bring future senior project teams from Cal Poly's computer engineering and computer science departments closer to …

Templeton Expansion Area Plan, Derrick Rinauro, Peter Vasilieff

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Electrical And Programmable Logic Controller Design, Construction, And Economic Analysis Of A Reusable Plastic Container Dumper, Thomas Marderosian

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the electrical and programmable logic controller design, the construction, and an economic analysis of a reusable plastic container dumper. The RPC Dumper will be part of the processing of citrus fruits at Bee Sweet Citrus, Inc. This system will be a mobile and partially automated system to dump these reusable plastic containers full of citrus fruit instead of having them manually dumped.

The total bill of materials of the project totaled $11,257.05 and the RPC Dumper was able to dump four RPCs per minute.

Boundary Retracement Survey Of Cal Poly’S Serrano Ranch, John Lanfranki

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Thermophile Algae In Horizontal Photo-Bioreactor, Olivier Schmied

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Business Strategy For A Newly Designed Husk Fly Trap, Taylor Denney

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the analysis, evaluation and business strategy for a newly designed Husk Fly Trap from Ag Chem Wholesalers located in Yuba City, California. This prototype is designed to hold 2 to 3 weeks’ worth of Ammonium Carbonate and alleviate the hassle of monitoring the Walnut Husk Fly. This system is cost affective, able to hold the same amount, or 2 – 3 weeks, of Ammonium Carbonate as a “supercharged” trap. The Prototype Trap is easier to handle by not having to replace blown away traps or ruined sticky cards saving Pest Control Advisors time and allowing them …

Management Feasibility Of Solar Energy Capture System In A Poultry Production Facility, Dan Leitcher

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project involves designing a solar system for an agriculture entity and conducting a feasibility management study on the system. The feasibility study will look the initial cost, amount of energy generated, and estimated payback of the system. These factors will determine whether or not the Cal Poly poultry unit should ever implement solar into their operations. It will be ideal if the designed system can generate enough power to cover the electric usage associated. The system can be either photovoltaic or thermal and could either be a ground or roof mount system. The agriculture entity selected was the …

Design, Constuction, And Evaluation Of A Flame Cultivator Attachment, Aaron Evans

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design, construction, and testing of a flame cultivator attachment. The project used existing torches, a tractor, and a cultivation sled to increase the usability of the farmer’s torches. This project includes two torch clamps, two propane tank brackets, and a removable valve panel. Testing showed that the new system increases the safety and efficiency of the torches.

Design Of Vineyard Irrigation System And Reservoir Enlargement, Matthew M. Moore

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The goal of this project is to design a drip irrigation system for a 25 acre vineyard in Potter Valley, Ca. This allows water to be efficiently delivered to the plants in a timely manner in order to maximize yield or fruit quality. This design will also include the resizing of the current reservoir in order to accommodate for the new water requirements; however this design will not include the overhead sprinkler system needed for frost protection.

Energy Conservation And Green Roofing, Michael Meskin

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Baby Boomer Living: Designing A Modern Continuing Care Retirement Community, Ryan Michael Wassum

Master's Theses

With the largest U.S. generation in the midst of retirement, the Baby Boomer cohort is vastly changing the senior housing landscape. As the housing market gradually improves and the development of senior housing chases the increasing demand, Baby Boomers are a highly selective cohort with more buying and spending power than their predecessors, are healthier and more active, and are demanding an unconventional modification of alternative senior housing. The “traditional” senior community is outdated and no longer seen as a viable choice for retirement, and new and innovated models have surpassed the old-fashioned establishments.

Among the innovative senior community models, …

The Effect Of A Triphasic Pulse On Scs To Icd Crosstalk, Ryan James Wensley

Master's Theses

It is a known problem that a Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS) can interact with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) when both devices are implanted in the same patient. Interactions between the SCS and ICD can cause inappropriate therapy which can be harmful to the patient. While ICD devices have a distinct narrowband sensing bandwidth, the pulse configurations that current SCS devices deliver were not designed with this frequency region in mind. In this thesis, I recommend a new pulse configuration for SCS devices that will minimize the interaction between the two devices. I produce a theoretical equation for each pulse …

Addressing The Administration Of Planned Developments: The Case Of Arroyo Grande, California, Matthew J. Downing

Master's Theses

The City of Arroyo Grande, California has a problem administering the

regulations of five Planned Developments in the City. This problem arises

from these regulations being included in a 167-page appendix at the back of

the City’s Development Code. This appendix includes the original approvals

for the Developments. It also includes amendments to those approvals.

These amendments are only added to the appendix. Therefore, changes to

the regulations governing the Planned Developments are not tracked. It

takes City staff considerable amounts of time to research answers when

members of the public have questions regarding development in one of these

Developments. …

Evaluation Of The Anterior Talofibular And Calcaneofibular Ligament In Relation To Supination Ankle Sprains, Peter Tran

Biomedical Engineering

Ankle injuries have always posed an issue to a number of athletes. Sports that involve running and jumping accumulate about 25% of injuries correlating to ankle sprains. In most ankle sprains the inversion (supination) of the ankle cause damage to lateral ligaments. The two most common lateral ligaments to experience damage are the anterior talofibular (ATFL) and calcaneofibular (CFL) ligaments. The methods of taping and ankle braces have allowed athletes to prevent recurring sprains from occurring. However, sprains can still occur even when one or both methods are applied. The purpose of each method is to restrict the range of …

Shelf Life Study Of Electrospun Plga Copolymers, Sean Youra, Nick Hudson

Biomedical Engineering

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is one of the most commonly used copolymers for electrospinning in tissue engineering applications. However, most research has not focused on the copolymer itself in regards to how long it can be used effectively and if varying the concentrations of polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA) affect the resulting properties. Electrospinning is the method we use to create the three-dimensional constructs, or “scaffolds”, for the blood vessel mimic (BVM) in the tissue engineering lab. The aim of our project was to investigate if the morphology and mechanical properties of the scaffolds changed over time when they …

Effect Of Oral Lipids On Blood Glucose, Tyler R. Knisley

Biomedical Engineering

Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which insulin hormone is ineffective or no longer produced. Multiple pathophysiologies can cause either insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or insulin independent diabetes mellitus (IIDM), which can lead to chronic hyperglycemia and an array of short and long term health risks. Prior research has shown that IDDM patients have dyslipidemia, and experiments infusing lipids directly into the blood result in heightened insulin resistance. The hypothesis that dyslipidemia increases insulin resistance was tested by performing oral glucose tolerance tests across three treatment conditions. Participants were nondiabetic college-aged students. Data from a control group was gathered …