Digital Commons Network^™

Cattle Producer Motivations And Willingness To Participate In Industry Animal Welfare Program Verification, Chase Decoite

Master's Theses

As consumers have become increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it is grown, the cattle and beef industry is without exception. Many consumers are beginning to question traditional animal husbandry practices and on-farm animal welfare protocol. It is essential that the food system meets new demands and understands consumer views. In order to address these concerns, the industry has rallied around the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program to set the standard for cattle welfare and beef quality, with the explicit goal of improving consumer confidence. The goal of this research is to determine if cattle producers …

A Method For Monitoring Operating Equipment Effectiveness With The Internet Of Things And Big Data, Carl D. Hays Iii

Master's Theses

The purpose of this paper was to use the Overall Equipment Effectiveness productivity formula in plant manufacturing and convert it to measuring productivity for forklifts. Productivity for a forklift was defined as being available and picking up and moving containers at port locations in Seattle and Alaska. This research uses performance measures in plant manufacturing and applies them to mobile equipment in order to establish the most effective means of analyzing reliability and productivity. Using the Internet of Things to collect data on fifteen forklift trucks in three different locations, this data was then analyzed over a six-month period to …

Modeling Action Potential Propagation During Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Through A Three-Dimensional Computational Model, Julia Elizabeth Kelley

Master's Theses

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common monogenic disorder and the leading cause of sudden arrhythmic death in children and young adults. It is typically asymptomatic and first manifests itself during cardiac arrest, making it a challenge to diagnose in advance. Computational models can explore and reveal underlying molecular mechanisms in cardiac electrophysiology by allowing researchers to alter various parameters such as tissue size or ionic current amplitudes. The goal of this thesis is to develop a computational model in MATLAB and to determine if this model can accurately indicate cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This goal is achieved by combining …

Minimizing Leakage In Thin Walled Structures Printed Through Selective Laser Melting, Andrew Spencer Yap

Master's Theses

In this project, the scan strategy of selective laser melting (SLM) for thin walled structures was investigated by changing laser parameters and tool path. Producing thin walled structures is difficult due to defects such as warpage and porosity. A layer on the SLM 125 consists of hatch volume, fill contours, and borders, however, for thin walls, hatch volume can become unavailable, resulting in a solely border/fill contour laser tool path.

Three central composite designs (CCD) were created to optimize the laser parameters of borders to minimize leakage rate and porosity. The two factors changed were border laser power and scanning …

Design Of An Automatic Fish Processing Line Using Machine Learning, Sangam Mainali

Master's Theses

This thesis presents an approach to automatic fish processing in the fishing industry using artificial intelligence. Using transfer learning approach (VGG16 model), convolutional neural network (CNN), and image processing, this thesis demonstrates the series of steps from intake of fishes, chopping of head and tail to collecting the body parts of fishes separately thus making it ready for post-processing or direct packaging as per the industrial and consumer needs. To present the idea of the classification of fishes, we have considered five different fishes and one shrimp, altogether six classes. After the classification, the fishes are sorted out according to …

Zero Voltage Switching Hybrid Voltage Divider Converter, Timothy Jeong

Master's Theses

This project proposes a new hybrid voltage divider DC-DC converter that utilizes switching capacitors and inductors to produce zero voltage switching (ZVS) at the turn on state of its switches. By achieving ZVS, the switching losses are significantly reduced; thus, increasing the overall efficiency of the converter at various loads. The goal for this thesis is to perform analysis of the operation of the converter, derive equations for sizing the main components, and demonstrate its functionality through computer simulation and hardware prototype. Results of the simulation and hardware testing show that the proposed converter produces the desired output voltage while …

Exploring Material Representations For Sparse Voxel Dags, Steven Pineda

Master's Theses

Ray tracing is a popular technique used in movies and video games to create compelling visuals. Ray traced computer images are increasingly becoming more realistic and almost indistinguishable from real-word images. Due to the complexity of scenes and the desire for high resolution images, ray tracing can become very expensive in terms of computation and memory. To address these concerns, researchers have examined data structures to efficiently store geometric and material information. Sparse voxel octrees (SVOs) and directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) have proven to be successful geometric data structures for reducing memory requirements. Moxel DAGs connect material properties to these …

A Flat Plate Skin Friction Correlation Including Transition, Jaret M. Wedow

Master's Theses

Many existing boundary layer models treat transition as a rapid switch from laminar to turbulent flow, with correlations defining properties in each respective region. Natural transition, however, is not always a very spanwise uniform process, with the onset of transition varying somewhat between different streamwise paths of fluid flow. Thus, a spanwise average of natural transition can result in a more gradual, extended transition region than many existing models predict. Modern applications, such as aircraft wings and fuselages, are extremely streamlined and smooth, allowing for natural transition to occur rather than flow tripping to turbulent near the leading edge. Under …

Graph Theoretical Modelling Of Electrical Distribution Grids, Iris Kohler

Master's Theses

This thesis deals with the applications of graph theory towards the electrical distribution networks that transmit electricity from the generators that produce it and the consumers that use it. Specifically, we establish the substation and bus network as graph theoretical models for this major piece of electrical infrastructure. We also generate substation and bus networks for a wide range of existing data from both synthetic and real grids and show several properties of these graphs, such as density, degeneracy, and planarity. We also motivate future research into the definition of a graph family containing bus and substation networks and the …

Los Zetas, Neoliberalism, And Popular Opposition: A Study In Linkages, Gina R. Lyle

Master's Theses

Los Zetas are considered by security analysts to be a transformative force within transnational criminal organizations (TCO), exporting their unique model throughout Mexico. Los Zetas’ idiosyncratic interventions include their diversification of criminal operations, professionalization of TCO security, sophisticated use of media and technology, extreme forms of violent coercion, and decentralized command structure. This project aims to complicate the narrative that Los Zetas emerged because of top leaders’ sadistic tendencies or due to an inherently violent culture in Mexico by reframing the group’s evolution within historical processes. Moving beyond Los Zetas, this project examines how persons affected by Los Zetas’ indiscriminate …

Upending The "Racial Death-Wish": Black Gay Liberation And The Culture Of Black Homophobia, Kailyn Pope

Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes the origin and impact of Black homophobia found in activist spaces of mid- to late-twentieth-century American society. Black gay Americans were subjected to intersecting forms of systemic and cultural oppression that were exceedingly hard to escape due to both the homophobia in Black spaces and the racism in gay spaces. Black gay activists and artists thus had to create their own avenues of expression where they and others could fully embrace what it meant to be Black and gay. This work utilizes a Black feminist framework to explore the roots of Black homophobia and how this type …

Insects As A Sustainable Food Ingredient – Utilization Of Carrot Pomace, Identification Of Early Adopters, And Evaluation Of Mealworm Acceptability, Dominic Rovai

Master's Theses

Insects have been proposed as a sustainable alternative to livestock to help feed the growing population. Edible insects such as mealworms require less land and resources and can utilize food by-products to grow. While insects are consumed by over 2 billion people worldwide, they are not widely accepted in developed countries like the United States because of their unfamiliarity and the perception of disgust associated with entomophagy. The objectives of this research are to 1) grow mealworms using carrot pomace and determine an optimum diet for growth and nutritional composition, 2) identify and classify early adopters of insects, and propose …

Modeling And Control Of A Vertical Hopping Robot, Bradley Y. Kwan

Master's Theses

Single degree-of-freedom hopping robots are typically modeled as spring loaded inverted pendulums (SLIPs). This simplified model, however, does not consider the overall leg geometry, consequently making it difficult to investigate the optimized inertial distribution of the leg for agile locomotion. To address this issue, the first part of this thesis establishes an accurate mathematical model of a DC-motor-driven, two-link hopping robot where the motors are modeled as torque sources. The equations of motion for the two distinct phases of locomotion (stance and flight) are derived using the Lagrangian approach for holonomic systems. A Simulink/Stateflow model is developed to numerically simulate …

Design And Implementation Of A Modular Human-Robot Interaction Framework, Michael J. Juri

Master's Theses

With the increasing longevity that accompanies advances in medical technology comes a host of other age-related disabilities. Among these are neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke, which significantly reduce the motor and cognitive ability of affected individuals. As these diseases become more prevalent, there is a need for further research and innovation in the field of motor rehabilitation therapy to accommodate these individuals in a cost-effective manner. In recent years, the implementation of social agents has been proposed to alleviate the burden on in-home human caregivers. Socially assistive robotics (SAR) is a new subfield of research …

Metal Dust Cloud Distribution Characterization Through Image Analysis, Shelby Lampshire

Master's Theses

With the increasing development of metal additive manufacturing technology, the present need for accurate explosivity testing of high density and exotic metal powders is under active research. The accuracy of such tests depends upon the uniformity of the dust dispersion within the testing chambers during ignition. There is a need for further research to understand the dust cloud dispersion process in order to determine the best time for ignition. This study explores a methodology of using high-speed footage and image analysis to characterize the uniformity of a dust cloud temporally that future applications may build upon.

This thesis consisted of …

Effects Of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria And Fungi On Strawberry Plant Health, Fruit Yield, And Disease Susceptibility, Mary Maher

Master's Theses

Studies on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and fungi (PGPF) as biostimulants have shown significant positive effects on plant health, fruit yield, or pest management. However, very few published studies to date have been specific regarding their effects on strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa), particularly on soilborne disease prevalence in organically grown strawberries. Empirical data on the results of using these products in commercial growing applications under various conditions would be highly valuable, especially for organic growers who have limited synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers registered for use. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of …

Modeling Covid-19 Spread Using An Agent-Based Network, Stephen Yh Hung

Master's Theses

Beginning in 2019 and quickly spreading internationally, the Coronavirus disease Covid-19 became the first pandemic that many people have witnessed firsthand along with the severe disruption to their daily lives. A key field of research for Covid-19 that is studied by epidemiologists, biologists, and computer scientists alike is modeling the spread of Covid-19 in order to better predict future outbreaks of the pandemic and evaluate potential strategies to reduce infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.

This thesis proposes a method of modeling Covid-19 spread and interventions for local environments based on different levels of perspective. The goal for this thesis is to …

Analysis And Optimization Of A Colorimetric Nanosensor For Rapid Detection Of Escherichia Coli In Water, Sarah M. Stabler

Master's Theses

Safe drinking water is essential for life, yet at least two billion people around the world consume water contaminated with pathogens among other pollutants. Standard methods like polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and membrane filtration have been developed to detect enteric pathogens in water. However, these methods are limited in their accessibility due to long wait times to obtain results, and the requirements of skilled expertise, electricity, and laboratory equipment. This research has focused on addressing some of these limitations by analyzing the mechanisms of work and optimizing an indirect colorimetric nanosensor developed in previous research. The colorimetric nanosensor investigated herein …

Monte Carlo Stack-Up Tolerance Analysis Of The Hybrid Rf/Optical Antenna Edge Sensors, Kara Hewson

Master's Theses

The Deep Space Network (DSN), located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is developing an RF/Optical Hybrid Antenna. This antenna concept will support the reception of high-bandwidth optical deep-space communications with simultaneous support of conventional RF uplink and downlink. The optical system on the antenna consists of sixty-four hexagonal mirrors positioned to form a spherical aperture. To align the mirrors, a Position Opto-Electronic Metrology Sensor (POEMS) system is used to measure the position of each mirror relative to one another. The POEMS system consists of a sender called a collimator, which sends collimated light to the receiving component, called a …

The Effect Of Reaction Conditions On The Nucleation And Particle Growth Of A Colloidal Covalent Organic Framework, Brendan Posson

Master's Theses

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a novel class of crystalline materials with regular porosity, high specific surface area, and various linkage chemistries. Conventional chemical syntheses of these materials lead to the formation of bulk powders characterized as polycrystalline aggregates. Synthesizing these materials as colloidal systems is an effective means to prevent aggregation and achieve larger single-crystalline domain sizes. In this thesis, I describe the effect of temperature and transimination catalyst strength on COF particle nucleation and particle growth. Morphology and crystallinity of the COF-300 particles were confirmed using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The onset of colloidal …

Development Of A Cubesat Conceptual Design Tool And Implementation Of The Eps Design Module, Sean K. Nogrady

Master's Theses

This thesis is the product of an effort to develop a CubeSat Conceptual Design Tool for the California Polytechnic State University CubeSat Laboratory. Such a tool is necessary due to inefficiencies with the current conceptual design process. It is being developed to increase accessibility, reduce design time, and promote good systems engineering within CubeSat development.

The development of the architecture of a conceptual design tool, the core user-interface element, and the completion of a module for the electrical power subsystem is the focus of this thesis. The architecture is built around different modules to design different subsystems that work in …

Leveraging Intermediate Artifacts To Improve Automated Trace Link Retrieval, Alberto D. Rodriguez

Master's Theses

Software traceability establishes a network of connections between diverse artifacts such as requirements, design, and code. However, given the cost and effort of creating and maintaining trace links manually, researchers have proposed automated approaches using information retrieval techniques. Current approaches focus almost entirely upon generating links between pairs of artifacts and have not leveraged the broader network of interconnected artifacts. In this paper we investigate the use of intermediate artifacts to enhance the accuracy of the generated trace links – focus- ing on paths consisting of source, target, and intermediate artifacts. We propose and evaluate combinations of techniques for computing …

Cultivating Creativity In Aerospace Systems Engineering To Manage Complexity, Kenneth Lucas Dodd

Master's Theses

In recent decades, complexity in aerospace programs has been increasing, leading to large budget and schedule overruns. Many of the risks of complex system development can be attributed to the inadequacy of linear methods when applied to nonlinear domains, i.e., oversimplification in a program amplifies the amount of risk produced when a system behaves unexpectedly. Effectively managing complexity involves responding to the various sources of complexity, whether it appears in the objective behavior of the system itself or in the subjective behavior of the people developing it. Thus, the engineering of complex systems requires nonlinear modeling methods of the system …

Investigating Daily Fantasy Baseball: An Approach To Automated Lineup Generation, Ryan Smith

Master's Theses

A recent trend among sports fans along both sides of the letterman jacket is that of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS). The DFS industry has been under legal scrutiny recently, due to the view that daily sports data is too random to make its prediction skillful. Therefore, a common view is that it constitutes online gambling. This thesis proves that DFS, as it pertains to Baseball, is significantly more predictable than random chance, and thus does not constitute gambling.

We propose a system which generates daily lists of lineups for Fanduel Daily Fantasy Baseball contests. The system consists of two components: …

A Study Of Implementation Methodologies For Distributed Real Time Collaboration, Lauren A. Craft

Master's Theses

Collaboration drives our world and is almost unavoidable in the programming industry. From higher education to the top technological companies, people are working together to drive discovery and innovation. Software engineers must work with their peers to accomplish goals daily in their workplace. When working with others there are a variety of tools to choose from such as Google Docs, Google Colab and Overleaf. Each of the aforementioned collaborative tools utilizes the Operational Transform (OT) technique in order to implement their real time collaboration functionality. Operational transform is the technique seen amongst most if not all major collaborative tools in …

An Inclusive Design Approach To Integrating An External Human Machine Interface With Autonomous Vehicles, Sandra Roksic

Master's Theses

As autonomous vehicles become more prevalent in urban traffic settings, the safety of vulnerable road users, predominantly pedestrians, must be placed in high regard relative to the design of the autonomous vehicle's (AV's) external human machine interface (HMI). Traditionally, there exist communication methods between drivers and pedestrians, such as hand gestures, eye contact, and verbal cues that convey the driver's awareness of the pedestrian's presence. However, with autonomous vehicles, there is a shift in communicative responsibility from the driver to the vehicle itself. It is the vehicle's responsibility to intuitively and clearly indicate its actions to the pedestrian.

This research …

Proving Correctness Of A Chez Scheme Compiler Pass, Ian R. Atol

Master's Theses

We present a proof of correctness for a pass of the Chez Scheme compiler over a subset of the Scheme programming language. To improve trust in our proof approach, we provide two different validation frameworks. The first, created with the Coq proof assistant, is a partial mechanization of the proof, notably implementing a formal semantics for our subset of Scheme. This framework was designed to serve as a basis for the future work of a complete mechanization of our proof. The second framework uses an existing implementation of the Scheme semantics to demonstrate correctness of the pass on a variety …

An Equity-Minded Assessment Of Belonging Among Computing Students At Cal Poly, Kylan Nicole Stewart

Master's Theses

Creating a Computer Science and Software Engineering Department that supports students with diverse identities and backgrounds is essential to creating a computing workforce that reflects the world at large. Inspired by the work of Metcalf et al.'s survey conducted at the University of Illinois, we use the same methods to examine the state of our computing department with respect to issues of inclusive climate and student sense of belonging, which have been shown to be important for retention in STEM fields. We use the four areas that contribute to belonging based on the work of Rainey et al. along with …

Selection Of Overwintering Microclimate By Migratory Western Monarch Butterflies, Kiana Saniee

Master's Theses

Migratory species are expected to demonstrate habitat selection that occurs at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Western monarch butterflies migrate seasonally to overwinter in groves at geographically predictable locations along the California coast. To date, overwintering habitat selection by western monarch butterflies has been studied assuming that habitat selection occurs where overwintering aggregations form, meaning at the spatial scale where monarchs form dense overwintering aggregations within overwintering groves. We argue that since western monarch butterflies are migratory, studies of habitat selection could have commingled selection at different scales into a single spatial scale. This likely leads to ignoring some levels …

A Survey Of Computer Graphics Facial Animation Methods: Comparing Traditional Approaches To Machine Learning Methods, Joseph A. Johnson

Master's Theses

Human communications rely on facial expression to denote mood, sentiment, and intent. Realistic facial animation of computer graphic models of human faces can be difficult to achieve as a result of the many details that must be approximated in generating believable facial expressions. Many theoretical approaches have been researched and implemented to create more and more accurate animations that can effectively portray human emotions. Even though many of these approaches are able to generate realistic looking expressions, they typically require a lot of artistic intervention to achieve a believable result. To reduce the intervention needed to create realistic facial animation, …