Digital Commons Network^™

Isolation And Culture Of Myofiber-Derived Cells From The Extensor Digitorum Longus Muscle, Ethan M. Tietze

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) involves distal artery occlusion by atherosclerotic plaques, which restricts blood flow and leads to ischemia in downstream tissues. Increased blood flow through preexisting collateral vessels leads to increased shear stress that triggers an outward remodeling of the vessel called arteriogenesis. In some cases this natural compensatory mechanism is able to sufficiently restore blood flow following arterial occlusion. However, for many individuals this process is insufficient to relieve peripheral ischemia, and patients experience intermittent claudication, or limb pain with locomotion or exercise. Without treatment, reduced blood flow can lead to tissue necrosis and potentially amputation. The …

Kettle Cooling And Sustainability Project, Nico Degiorgio

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

A particular frozen food processing facility uses a once-through cooling process to bring their kettle-cooked product’s temperature down from nearly boiling temperatures to the eighty degree Fahrenheit range. This process is water intensive and facility managers are seeking to reduce their potable water consumption. Sales engineers from Air Treatment Corporation, an HVAC&R manufacturers’ rep, initiated a number of meetings to propose heat rejection solutions and illustrate their associated payback potentials.

This report contains methods of analyzing a food production process, the technical sales process, thermodynamic principles, refrigeration technologies, and the application of technical knowledge to provide a long-term, system solution. …

Collision Mitigation System: Pedestrian Test Target, Final Design Report, Timothy Ryan Lee, Melanie Lim, Tiffany Margaret Prather, Chris Michael Welch

Mechanical Engineering

Daimler Trucks North America is creating an advanced emergency braking system which uses radar sensors that detect pedestrians and automatically applies the brakes to bring the vehicle to a stop. To improve and validate their technology, they need a mechanical pedestrian target that can mimic a human walking across the street. However, the assisted braking may not work properly during every test and the pedestrian target must be able to survive impact with a vehicle at low speeds. Four senior Mechanical Engineering students from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo decided to take on the challenge.

The main features …

Marine Biomass Analyzer, Kai Jay Staal, Brian Paris, Tyler Cottle

Mechanical Engineering

This report documents the design, fabrication, and testing for a marine biomass analyzer. The goal of the project and constructed system was to determine the validity and efficacy of a process that could flatten benthic macrofauna to a consistent thickness such that a biomass for the collected sample could be accurately determined. The system that was built and tested consists of a drive train that turns a mill subassembly where the organisms are flattened, supply and collection spools that hold the white fabric and clear film used to capture the organisms, a collection zone where the sample is injected, and …

Micro-Spi Sediment Profile Imaging Micro-Inspector, Andrew P. Corvin, Caleb T. Davies, Matt R. Ferrari

Mechanical Engineering

This project was proposed by Dr. Brian Paavo through a desire to more easily study the benthic sediment layers of the ocean. To do so, he asked us to build a simple and compact machine for use in sediment profile imagery (SPI). Although devices like this already exist, they are all large scale devices that require a ship with a crane to deploy, which is expensive and time consuming. Instead, he desired a “micro” SPI, which is capable of being deployed from a small vessel that can easily navigate shallow waters. Our interpretation of these requirements was as follows: a …

Ecosystem-Based Management In The Morro Bay Watershed And Estuary, Lucas Earle Crandall

Master's Theses

The following thesis discusses the implementation of ecosystem-based management, an emerging concept in the field of environmental planning and management, in the Morro Bay watershed and estuary. Ecosystem-based management offers solutions to problems associated with human interaction within the natural environment; former President Barack Obama advised by the National Ocean Council, Pew Oceans Commission Report and the US Commission on Ocean Policy, has mandated implementation of this concept in coastal and marine systems (National Ocean Council, 2016). The theory behind ecosystem-based management challenges many tenets of existing natural resource management. This thesis finds the concept of ecosystem-based management as favorable …

An Investigation Of Avian Wing Tip Vortex Generation Using A Biomimetic Approach, David Stewart Martin

Master's Theses

An experimental study has been conducted to develop a process allowing the creation of biologically accurate aerodynamic test models mimicking the slotted primary feather geometry of the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). Preserved examples of both a full Brown Pelican wing and a single primary feather were 3D scanned and digitally reconstructed using a combination of MATLAB and CAD software. The final model was then 3D printed as a collection of smaller components using a LulzBot TAZ 6 printer and Taulman3D T-Glase PET filament. After using various surface finishing techniques to improve the finish of all 3D printed parts, …

Reusable Container System Optimization For Smart Cities, Aubrey Gail Sloan, Lukas James Pinkston, Andrew James Seaman

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Federal and local governments are investing in methods to discourage use of disposable containers in order to reduce waste generation and protect the environment. In this project we propose the use of reusable takeout food containers as a replacement for disposable takeout food containers. Reusable takeout container systems may use barcode or RFID (radio frequency identification) technology to track and manage the distribution, collection, cleaning, and end-of-life recycling of reusable takeout food containers. Such systems will require the use of container collection bins. The design and optimization of a network of container collection bins is the topic of this project. …

Manufacturing Process And Product Design For Mass Production Of Environmentally-Friendly Fishing Lures And Weights, David Ichlokmanian, Justin Jake Bert

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The current industry standard for the manufacture of recreational fishing tackle uses lead-based weights and PVC or silicone-based lures. Both materials have serious negative effects on those who handle these products, waterfowl, fish, and other animals that may consume this discarded tackle. The goal of this project is to find and design an environmentally safe process and product alternative for this industry. To do this, we researched a large amount of viable safe materials for weights and lures and used decision matrices to decide on the best one. We found that brass would be the most suitable alternative and created …

Self-Healing Concrete In Commercial Construction, James Anthony Frazier

Construction Management

Crack formation is common among concrete used for all different types of construction. While cracking is inevitable in concrete, it can create instabilities that can compromise an entire building’s structural integrity. New advancements are being made in the biological and engineering fields that are providing a solution to this problem. Certain bacteria and chemicals when mixed provide a reaction that creates limestone material to re-heal cracks in concrete. Using these materials to create this reaction, while incorporating the reactants necessary in concrete mixtures for building, it is possible to eliminate maintenance costs and improve building strength over time. Currently, these …

Seestar Iii Sensor Module, Matthew M. Ducasse

Electrical Engineering

SeeStar is an autonomous, underwater camera system for observing aquatic environments. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) developed SeeStar to provide a low cost solution for marine researchers wishing to observe underwater ecosystems over long durations. The system consists of completely open-source designs featuring only common, commercially available components. This means users may purchase the components and build the system themselves. While MBARI originally intended for the system to simply capture photo and video data, many customers have requested additional sensors to gather contextual data to complement the captured images. The latest generation, SeeStar III, features a sensor module, …

Let's Get Real: Problematizing The Use Of The Real Food Calculator In Large-Scale Food Systems And Exploring Alternatives, Stacey Kathleen Olson

Social Sciences

Food is an essential part of the human existence, because of both nutritional necessity and cultural relevance. Recently, food systems have shifted from their historically local scale to an industrial, global market. In light of shifting consumer consciousness and subsequent demands, there has been an ongoing effort on the part of universities across the United States to make campus food systems more sustainable and just. In 2014, the California State University enacted a system-wide goal of spending 20 percent of campus food procurement budgets on sustainable food by 2020 as per the guiding principles of the Real Food Challenge. This …

Marine Gastrobot Final Design Report, Wesley B. Williams, Eric Kane Dreischerf, Tommy Nicholas Yath

Mechanical Engineering

The Marine Gastrobot sponsored by Dr. Christopher Kitts of the Cal Poly Center for Applications in Biotechnology was a research and development effort intended to explore the use of microbial fuel cell technology as a power source for underwater robots. Our team Ocean Locomotion succeeded in developing a first iteration of an underwater robotic platform suitable for microbial fuel cell integration. The primary feature of the design is its sinusoidal fin propulsion intended for benthic exploration with limited risk of entanglement. During the course of development, Ocean Locomotion explored the use of low power actuation methods and determined their limited …

Air Bubble Curtain Anchoring, Christian J. Young, Donavan Wesley Lawrence, Dakota Catherine Schwartz

Mechanical Engineering

To prevent salp (jellyfish) from entering Diablo Canyon Power Plant’s intake pipes, and ultimately having the plant shut down as a result, an air bubble curtain is anchored along the ocean floor for the duration of the salp swarm to create a barrier that prevents the salp and other debris from entering the intake. The curtain consists of four large air compressors connected to four parallel pipes with holes strategically drilled at various places along the length of the pipe. When the air compressors are turned on, a torrent of bubbles are shot out from the pipes which create a …

Anaerobic Fermentation Of Food Waste And Glycerol To Hydrogen, Eric Robert Krikorian

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Anaerobic Fermentation of Food Waste and Glycerol to Hydrogen

Eric Krikorian

Hydrogen has several well-known advantages as a fuel and chemical feedstock, but current methods of hydrogen production are costly and energy intensive. A potentially advantageous source of hydrogen is fermentation of organic wastes, especially any abundant, low-cost wastes with a high content of simple sugars. Molar hydrogen yields from fermenters (aka digesters) are affected by pH, organic loading rate (OLR), hydraulic residence time (HRT), and substrate type. A less studied process to increase yield is sparging with low-H₂ content gas to strip H₂ from the digester …

Development And Characterization Of Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel Mimics Under "Diabetic" Conditions, Shelby Gabrielle Kunz

Master's Theses

The development of tissue engineered blood vessel mimics for the testing of intravascular devices in vitro has been established in the Cal Poly tissue engineering lab. Due to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients and minimal accessible studies regarding the interactions between diabetes and intravascular devices used to treat vascular disease, there is a need for the development of diabetic models that more accurately represents diabetic processes occurring in the blood vessels, primarily endothelial dysfunction. This thesis aimed to create a diabetic blood vessel mimic by implementing a high glucose environment for culturing human endothelial cells from healthy …

Development Of A Sensor Readout Integrated Circuit Towards A Contact Lens For Wireless Intraocular Pressure Monitoring, Sung Tran

Master's Theses

This design covers the design of an integrated circuit (IC) in support of the active contact lens project at Cal Poly. The project aims to monitor intraocular eye pressure (IOP) to help diagnose and treat glaucoma, which is expected affect 6.3 million Americans by 2050. The IC is designed using IBM’s 130 nm 8RF process, is powered by an on-lens thin film 3.8 V rechargeable battery, and will be fabricated at no cost through MOSIS. The IC features a low-power linear regulator that powers a current-starved voltage-controlled oscillator (CSVCO) used for establishing a backscatter communication link. Additional circuitry is included …

Effects Of Food Consumption On Cell Proliferation In The Brain Of Python Regius, Stacy Star Habroun

Master's Theses

Neurogenesis is an important and vastly under-explored area in reptiles. While the ability to generate new brain cells in the adult mammalian brain is limited, reptiles are able to regenerate large populations of neuronal cells. Pythons exhibit a characteristic specific dynamic action (SDA) response after food intake with an increase in metabolic rate that facilitates processing the meal. Associated with this change in SDA, pythons (Python spp.) also exhibit impressive plasticity in their digestive and cardiovascular physiology due to the sheer magnitude of the increase in organ growth that occurs after a meal to speed digestion, absorption, and assimilation of …

Hand (Motor) Movement Imagery Classification Of Eeg Using Takagi-Sugeno-Kang Fuzzy-Inference Neural Network, Rory Larson Donovan

Master's Theses

Approximately 20 million people in the United States suffer from irreversible nerve damage and would benefit from a neuroprosthetic device modulated by a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). These devices restore independence by replacing peripheral nervous system functions such as peripheral control. Although there are currently devices under investigation, contemporary methods fail to offer adaptability and proper signal recognition for output devices. Human anatomical differences prevent the use of a fixed model system from providing consistent classification performance among various subjects. Furthermore, notoriously noisy signals such as Electroencephalography (EEG) require complex measures for signal detection. Therefore, there remains a tremendous need to …

The Population Genetics Of Morro Bay Eelgrass (Zostera Marina), Julia Gardner Harencar

Master's Theses

Seagrass populations are in decline worldwide. Zostera marina (eelgrass), one of California’s native seagrasses, is no exception to this trend. In the last 8 years, Morro Bay, California has lost 95% of its eelgrass. Eelgrass is an ecosystem engineer, providing important ecosystem services such as sediment stabilization, nutrient cycling, and nursery habitats for fish. The failure of recent restoration efforts necessitates a better understanding of the causes of eelgrass decline in this estuary. Previous research on eelgrass in California has demonstrated a link between population genetic diversity and eelgrass bed health, ecosystem functioning, and resilience to disturbance and extreme climatic …

Paper Microzone Plates As Analytical Tools For Studying Enzyme Stability: A Case Study On The Stabilization Of Horseradish Peroxidase Using Trehalose And Su-8 Epoxy Novolac Resin, Kirsten A. Ganaja, Cory Chaplan, Jingyi Zhang, Nathaniel W. Martinez, Andres W. Martinez

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Paper microzone plates in combination with a noncontact liquid handling robot were demonstrated as tools for studying the stability of enzymes stored on paper. The effect of trehalose and SU-8 epoxy novolac resin (SU-8) on the stability of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was studied in both a short-term experiment, where the activity of various concentrations of HRP dried on paper were measured after 1 h, and a long-term experiment, where the activity of a single concentration of HRP dried and stored on paper was monitored for 61 days. SU-8 was found to stabilize HRP up to 35 times more than trehalose …

Soil Science Lesson Plan For The Cal Poly Learn By Doing Lab, Kelsey Ormonde

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

To increase interest in soil science and other related sciences, educational materials need to be tailored to appeal to younger students. The purpose of this project was to create a soil science lesson plan that could be utilized by the Cal Poly Learn By Doing Lab. Information from several articles, textbooks, lesson plans, and websites was reviewed to create a soil science lesson plan for students in 5-8^th grade. The lesson plan focused on the three sub-disciplines of soil science; physical, chemical, and biological. Activities were created to correspond to the three sub-disciplines. Alternate activities were created to allow …

Expierience, Seong Bo Chang, Albert Chen, Emily Nguyen

Computer Engineering

The name of this project is called “exPIERience” and the technological field of focus is virtual reality. We will be working on creating a virtual reality experience using the Oculus Rift for the Center of Coastal Marine Sciences (CCMS). The purpose of this system is to enable people to experience diving at the Cal Poly Pier even during nonoptimal diving conditions which occur frequently. CCMS hopes to attract further interest and possible momentum in future outreach such as a “Live Dive” program, where live videos of divers under the pier can be streamed. A 360° video from the diver’s perspective …

Executive Committee - Agenda 4/25/2017, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Agenda, 4/18/2017, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Executive Committee - Agenda 4/4/2017, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Ultramafic Geoecology Of South And Southeast Asia, M.L. Galey, A. Van Der Ent, M.C.M. Iqbal, N. Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

Globally, ultramafic outcrops are renowned for hosting foras with high levels of endemism, including plants with specialised adaptations such as nickel or manganese hyperaccumulation. Soils derived from ultramafic regoliths are generally nutrient-deficient, have major cation imbalances, and have concomitant high concentrations of potentially phytotoxic trace elements, especially nickel. The South and Southeast Asian region has the largest surface occurrences of ultramafic regoliths in the world, but the geoecology of these outcrops is still poorly studied despite severe conservation threats. Due to the paucity of systematic plant collections in many areas and the lack of georeferenced herbarium records and databased information, …

The Alpine Vascular Plants Of Baxter State Park, Maine, Usa, Abigail J. Urban, Glen H. Mittelhauser, Matthew Dickinson, N. Rajakaruna

Biological Sciences

We conducted 12 days of field surveys on five mountains over 1100 m in elevation (Katahdin, North Brother, South Brother, Mount Coe, and The Owl) in Baxter State Park (BSP), Maine during the summers of 2013–14. In addition, we examined historic manuscripts, unpublished data, and herbarium records for plant records from the five mountains. Katahdin, the largest and tallest of the five mountains, has a rich history of botanical exploration and we documented 1559 herbarium vouchers that were collected from the mountain, primarily before the mid-1900s. Combining all data sources, we documented 38 families, 87 genera, and 131 taxa of …

The Morro Bay Fauna: Evidence For A Medieval Droughts Refugium On The Central California Coast, Terry L. Jones, Deborah A. Jones, Kacey Hadick, Kenneth W. Gobalet, Judith F. Porcasi, William R. Hildebrandt

Social Sciences

A robust collection of mammal, bird, fish, and shellfish remains from an 8,000-year residential sequence at Morro Bay, a small, isolated estuary on the central California coast, shows a strong focus on marine species during the Middle-Late Transition cultural phase (950–700 cal B.P.), which largely coincides with the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA). Previous studies have provided modest evidence for increased fishing and rabbit hunting during the MCA in adjacent regions, but the Morro Bay findings suggest a distinctive marine-focused subsistence refugium during the period of drought. Specifically, the sequence shows striking all-time peaks in marine and estuarine birds, fish NISP/m3, …

Probabilistic Roadmaps For Virtual Camera Pathing With Cinematographic Principles, Katherine Davis

Master's Theses

As technology use increases in the world and inundates everyday life, the visual aspect of technology or computer graphics becomes increasingly important. This thesis presents a system for the automatic generation of virtual camera paths for fly-throughs of a digital scene. The sample scene used in this work is an underwater setting featuring a shipwreck model with other virtual underwater elements such as rocks, bubbles and caustics. The digital shipwreck model was reconstructed from an actual World War II shipwreck, resting off the coast of Malta. Video and sonar scans from an autonomous underwater vehicle were used in a photogrammetry …