Digital Commons Network^™

Design And Fabrication Techniques Of Devices For Embedded Power Active Contact Lens, Errol Heradio Leon

Master's Theses

This thesis designed and fabricated various devices that were interfaced to an IC for an active contact lens that notifies the user of an event by detection of an external wireless signal. The contact lens consisted of an embedded antenna providing communication with a 2.4GHz system, as well as inductive charging at an operating frequency of 13.56 MHz. The lens utilized a CBC005 5µAh thin film battery by Cymbet and a manufactured graphene super capacitor as a power source. The custom integrated circuit (IC) was designed using the On Semiconductor CMOS C5 0.6 µm process to manage …

Hybrid Rocket Motor Scaling Process, Joseph B. R. Vanherweg

Master's Theses

Hybrid rocket propulsion technology shows promise for the next generation of sounding rockets and small launch vehicles. This paper seeks to provide details on the process of developing hybrid propulsion systems to the academic and amateur rocket communities to assist in future research and development. Scaling hybrid rocket motors for use in sounding rockets has been a challenge due to the inadequacies in traditional boundary layer analysis. Similarity scaling is an amendment to traditional boundary layer analysis which is helpful in removing some of the past scaling challenges. Maintaining geometric similarity, oxidizer and fuel similarity and mass flow rate to …

Telepresence: Design, Implementation And Study Of An Hmd-Controlled Avatar With A Mechatronic Approach, Darren Michael Chan

Master's Theses

Telepresence describes technologies that allow users to remotely experience the sensation of being present at an event without being physically present. An avatar exists to represent the user whilst in a remote location and is tasked to collect stimuli from its immediate surroundings to be delivered to the user for consumption. With the advent of recent developments in Virtual Reality technology, viz., head-mounted displays (HMDs), new possibilities have been enabled in the field of Telepresence. The main focus of this thesis is to develop a solution for visual Telepresence, where an HMD is used to control the direction of a …

Using Archived Transit Data To Analyze The Effect Of Rainfall On Transit Performance Measures At The Route Level, Nicholas F. Bleich

Master's Theses

This study investigates the effect of rainfall on transit performance measures at the route level in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Transit agencies are required to report certain performance metrics to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), but performance measures can also be used to evaluate service and provide customers with information regarding the transit system. Using a three-year sample of archived automatic vehicle location (AVL) and hydrologic data the relationships between ridership, travel time, delay, and rainfall were investigated. The analysis of daily ridership and rainfall resulted in no statistically significant results, however, the results are supported by …

Screening Of Biocontrol Organisms For The Management Of Phytopathogenic Fungi And Foodborne Pathogens On Produce, Antoinette Boyee De Senna

Master's Theses

The multibillion dollar agricultural industry is an important part of the United States economy, and the management of factors that affect crop and human health is imperative to maintaining this economic sector. The fungi Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium pallidoroseum, and Fusarium moniliforme are the causative agents of several plant diseases and can cause significant crop loss both before and after harvest in commodities such as strawberries, lettuce, citrus, and grains. Fungicides are employed to control these phytopathogens, but the use of these chemicals has led to an increase in fungicide resistance and may negatively affect the environment and human …

Heide: An Ide For The Homomorphic Encryption Library Helib, Grant Taylor Frame

Master's Theses

Work in the field of Homomorphic Encryption has exploded in the past 5 years, after Craig Gentry proposed the first encryption scheme capable of performing Homomorphic Encryption. Under the scheme one can encrypt data, perform computations on the encrypted result (without needing the original data), and then decrypt the data to get the result as if the computations had been run on the unencrypted data.

Such a scheme has wide reaching implications for cloud computing. Computations on sensitive data, just like regular data, could now be performed in the cloud with the added security that even the cloud service provider …

The Impact Of A Controlled 10-Week Pistachio Feeding Crossover Trial On Blood Lipids And Measures Of Adiposity, Alison Helen Bushnell

Master's Theses

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States and has negative impacts at both the individual- and population-level through reduced quality of life, economic burden, and strain on the healthcare system. Dietary modifications, such as pistachio consumption, may help prevent CVD and two of its leading risk factors: dyslipidemia and overweight/obesity. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of pistachio consumption (20% daily energy need) on measures of adiposity and blood lipids in healthy young adult females. This study utilized 10-week crossover feeding trials at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo …

Gpuhelib And Distributedhelib: Distributed Computing Variants Of Helib, A Homomorphic Encryption Library, Ethan Andrew Frame

Master's Theses

Homomorphic Encryption, an encryption scheme only developed in the last five years, allows for arbitrary operations to be performed on encrypted data. Using this scheme, a user can encrypt data, and send it to an online service. The online service can then perform an operation on the data and generate an encrypted result. This encrypted result is then sent back to the user, who decrypts it. This decryption produces the same data as if the operation performed by the online service had been performed on the unencrypted data. This is revolutionary because it allows for users to rely on online …

Investigation Of Larval Sensory Systems In The Marine Bryozoan, Bugula Neritina, Heather Leigh Price

Master's Theses

Bugula neritina is a sessile marine bryozoan with a pelagic larval stage. Larvae frequently settle on boat hulls, facilitating the introduction of B. neritina to bays and estuaries worldwide. Adrenergic agonists, such as the vertebrate hormone noradrenaline, inhibit larval settlement in a variety of marine invertebrate species, including B. neritina. Light also inhibits B. neritina larval settlement, yet the underlying mechanisms by which light and adrenergic compounds exert their effects on larvae are not well understood. Octopamine is considered the invertebrate analog of noradrenaline, and may be an endogenous hormone involved in larval settlement pathways. I observed the effects of …

Effect Of Surfactant Architecture On Conformational Transitions Of Conjugated Polyelectrolytes, Greg A. Braggin

Master's Theses

Water soluble conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs), which fall under the category of conductive polymers, possess numerous advantages over other conductive materials for the fabrication of electronic devices. Namely, the processing of water soluble conjugated polyelectrolytes into thin film electronic devices is much less costly as compared to the processing of inorganic materials. Moreover, the handling of conjugated polyelectrolytes can be performed in a much more environmentally friendly manner than in the processing of other conjugated polymers because conjugated polyelectrolytes are water soluble, whereas other polymers will only dissolve in toxic organic solvents. The processing of electronic devices containing inorganic constituents such …

Physiological Factors Affecting The Bactericidal Activity Of The Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus Occidentalis) For The Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia Burgdorferi, Kyle Russell Weichert

Master's Theses

The Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) is a major host of juvenile stages of the Western Black-legged Tick (Ixodes pacificus), which is the vector for the Lyme disease causative spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi in the western United States. Because S. occidentalis is reservoir incompetent and capable of eliminating spirochetes from infected ticks, it has been implicated as a major factor in the ecology of Lyme disease in the West. Although complement proteins in lizard blood have been established as the borreliacidal factor, no studies have examined intraspecific variability in host lizard borreliacidal capacity. In Chapter 1 …

The California Coastal Commission's Approach To Lower Cost Overnight Visitor-Serving Accommodations Mitigation: A Policy And Legal Analysis, David Francis Pierucci

Master's Theses

Section 30213 of California Coastal Act requires the California Coastal Commission (“CCC”) to protect, encourage, and, where feasible, provide for lower cost overnight visitor accommodations (“LCOVA”) along the State’s coast. As mitigation measure consistent with this charge, the CCC imposes a $30,000 fee for 25 percent for rooms of new hotel developments determined to be higher cost (the “$30,000/25% fee”), in-lieu of LCOVA facility provision. Generally, the CCC applies this fee in two circumstances: (1) As an ad hoc fee for developers upon CCC review of coastal development permit (“CDP”) applications, and (2) as a legislatively imposed fee to be …

Criticality And Risk Assessment For Pipe Rehabilitation In The City Of Santa Barbara Sewer System, Rossi Carmelo Rossi Ii

Master's Theses

Aging sewer infrastructure is posing greater and greater risk to the health and well-being of City residents. Issues can range from pipe blockages in sewer laterals to Sanitary Sewer Overflows. This thesis develops a risk analysis method that can be used by municipalities to maintain and rehabilitate sewer assets. Risk combines the effect of Likelihood of Failure (LOF) and Consequence of Failure (COF) to perform a complete two-dimensional analysis that allows for relative comparison between different pipes in the system. The LOF rating has been equated to pipe integrity while the COF rating was related to the environmental, economic, and …

Ir-Depth Face Detection And Lip Localization Using Kinect V2, Katherine Kayan Fong

Master's Theses

Face recognition and lip localization are two main building blocks in the development of audio visual automatic speech recognition systems (AV-ASR). In many earlier works, face recognition and lip localization were conducted in uniform lighting conditions with simple backgrounds. However, such conditions are seldom the case in real world applications. In this paper, we present an approach to face recognition and lip localization that is invariant to lighting conditions. This is done by employing infrared and depth images captured by the Kinect V2 device. First we present the use of infrared images for face detection. Second, we use the face’s …

The Effects Of A Novel Exercise Training Suit On Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Composition And Leg Strength, Trevor M. Curry, Steven C. Davis, Aydin Nazmi, Don Clegg

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

The Effects of a Novel Exercise Training Suit on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Composition and Leg Strength

Trevor Michael Curry

The physiological responses to physical activity or exercise using external load carriage systems (LCS) in the form of weighted personal protective equipment, backpacks, or vests have biomechanical and human performance implications. It remains unclear whether a new unique LCS in the form of a weighted (5.45 kg) full-bodied exercise suit can induce greater improvements in performance and body composition. Twenty-one healthy males (20±3 years; 24.9±3.6 body mass index (BMI); 25.1±6.4% total percentage body fat ( % fat); 120.1±17.3 kg lean …

Utility Scale Solar Projects In California: An Initial Survey, Meaghan Mroz-Barrett

Master's Theses

The lack of a comprehensive database for both concentrating and photovoltaic utility-scale solar power projects, those with a generation capacity of greater than 50 MW, hinders the ability of researchers and policy makers to examine the state of solar development in the state of California. This research project seeks to fill this gap in understanding by creating a database of proposed and developed projects in order to examine trends in proposals, process time, approvals, and construction starts. Existing literature was evaluated to determine potential factors for project success in approval and construction. Upon determination of these factors, the project database …

Understanding And Incentivizing Workforce Housing: A Professional Project For The City Of San Luis Obispo, Jennifer L. Wiseman

Master's Theses

Adding workforce housing to the City of San Luis Obispo Zoning Regulation is a needed component to successfully begin, and promote, the development of housing in the City to those making between 121 and 160% of the Area Median Income. This regulation would ensure eligible households are provided with housing choices within the community, preferably the community in which they work. The addition of Workforce Housing has been a large phenomenon throughout the State of California, and the County as a whole, as housing market prices increase and most salaries maintain at a steady rate. It is important to note …

Micro Electrostatic Actuation Of A Silicon Diaphragm, Matthew W. Samples

Master's Theses

There are a number of applications, from hearing aids to microfluidic pumps, which utilize micro-scale actuating diaphragms. These MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) devices can be actuated by electrostatic forces, which utilize an induced electric field to pull two charged plates towards one another. Such devices were fabricated and electrostatic actuation of the diaphragms was performed to analyze its viability as a micro-speaker. The long-term performance of such products requires adequate diaphragm deflection to create audible pressure waves with relatively low maximum stresses to ensure a high cycle fatigue life. With these requirements, initial calculations and FEA (finite element analysis) were performed …

Using The Papathoma Tsunami Vulnerability Assessment Model To Forcast Probable Impacts, And Planning Implications, Of A 500-Year Tsunami In Cayucos, California, Andrew Robert Marshall

Master's Theses

This report focuses on using the Papathoma Tsunami Vulnerability Assessment Model (PTVA) to demonstrate the vulnerability of Cayucos to a 500-year tsunami, and using the results to inform specific planning recommendations. By modeling inundation with GIS and analyzing building attributes via the PTVA model, this study has gone beyond any previous vulnerability assessments of Cayucos. Findings include: delineation of the most vulnerable areas, estimates of numbers of lost civic buildings, commercial buildings and houses, as well as estimates of people displaced from tsunami damaged homes. The report goes on to discuss what mitigation measures are in place and what further …

Development Of Electronics, Software, And Graphical User Control Interface For A Wall-Climbing Robot, Lynda Beatriz Tesillo

Master's Theses

The objective for this project is to investigate various electrical and software means of control to support and advance the development of a novel vacuum adhesion system for a wall-climbing robot. The design and implementation of custom electronics and a wirelessly controlled real-time software system used to define and support the functionalities of these electronics is discussed. The testing and evaluation of the overall system performance and the performance of the several different subsystems developed, while working both individually and cooperatively within the system, is also demonstrated.

Detecting Change In Central California Coast Coho Salmon Habitat In Scotts Creek, California, From 1997–2013, Ashley Brubaker Hillard

Master's Theses

Scotts Creek, in Santa Cruz County, Calif., supports the southernmost extant population of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in North America. In 1997, the California Department of Fish and Game (now Fish and Wildlife) conducted an extensive habitat typing survey of mainstem Scotts Creek, describing all habitat units from the top of the estuary to the limit of anadromy approximately 12 km upstream. I repeated this survey in 2013 to (1) assess changes in the quantity and quality of instream habitat, (2) compare the current condition to goals and standards established in the federal Central California Coast (CCC) Coho …

Treatment Of Petroleum Hydrocarbons In Oil-Based Drill Cutting Mud Using Biowish Bioaugmentation Products, Diego Jose Cardenas Zepeda

Master's Theses

The efficacy of BiOWiSHTM-Thai Aqua, a commercially discontinued microbial product, in remediating oil based drill-cutting mud (DCM) was researched in this study. Experimentation was performed directly on DCM and on sand contaminated with oil extracted from DCM. A gas chromatograph-mass spectrometrer and a respirometer were used for analysis of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and CO2 production respectively. Five experiments were analyzed by TPH extraction and analysis; four experiments were analyzed by respirometric analysis. The specific microcosm conditions tested in the experiments were control, nutrient-only control, and bioaugmentation product.

This study concluded that there might be potential for bioaugmentation of TPH …

Design Of An Ultra-Wideband Spiral Antenna For Ground-Penetrating Microwave Impulse Radar Applications, Bradley Curtis Hutchinson

Master's Theses

Radar systems that allow early detection of underground IEDs can save lives. The Microwave Impulse Radar (MIR) capable of IED detection requires antennas capable of transmitting sub-nanosecond pulses over ultra-wideband (UWB) frequency ranges. This thesis investigates the suitability of a novel MIR antenna for high-accuracy ground-penetrating radar (GPR) applications. Key GPR antenna considerations are pulse dispersion, size, and cost. UWB horn antennas provide excellent dispersion performance but limit system efficacy due to significant size and cost requirements. Micro-strip spiral antennas provide a low-cost alternative to UWB horn antennas, but common spiral designs demonstrate poor pulse dispersion performance. The article “Low-Dispersion …

A Finite Element Analysis On The Viscoelasticity Of Postmenopausal Compact Bone Utilizing A Complex Collagen D-Spacing Model, Austin C. Cummings

Master's Theses

The nanoscale dimension known as D-spacing describes the staggering of collagen molecules, which are fundamental to the biphasic makeup of bone tissue. This dimension was long assumed to be constant, but recent studies have shown that the periodicity of collagen is variable. Given that the arrangement of collagen molecules is closely related to the degree of bone mineralization, recent studies have begun to look at D-spacing as a potential factor in the ongoing effort to battle postmenopausal osteoporosis. The theoretical models presented by previous studies have only opted to model a single collagen-hydroxyapatite period, so the creation of an intricate …

Program Visualization: An Exploration Of Graph Based Visualizations To Assist In Student Learning And Programmatic Evaluation, Taylor Woods

Master's Theses

As computer science students develop more complex programs at the end of their first year of course work, comprehending the complex and varied interactions of program execution, potential control flow and data relationships become more and more difficult. Additionally, for instructors when evaluating student's programs, a simplified view of more complex (longer) programs is desirable. This thesis explores algorithms to create a tool for students that provides a simplified view of these concepts via visualization. The tool created for this thesis provides interactive visual representations of student programs. This allows for a simplified representation of the entire program along with …

The City Of Milpitas Historic Gateway Background Report And Design Guidelines, Jaime Marie Jaramillo

Master's Theses

The aim of this project report is to investigate and identify the needs of the historic area (focus area) in the City of Milpitas, to positively contribute to the City’s planning process, and to make recommendations for the focus area’s future development. In the first chapters, City and focus area research results are presented. Currently, there is a lack of exclusive regulatory standards for attractive development in the City’s historic core. The project report then discusses the results of a short empirical everyday user survey, a parcel-by-parcel land use survey, and a walkability analysis. Research results indicate that the focus …

Characterization Of Two Vernier-Tuned Distributed Bragg Reflector (Vt-Dbr) Lasers Used In Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography (Ss-Oct), Greg M. Bergdoll

Master's Theses

Insight Photonic Solutions Inc. has continued to develop their patented VT-DBR laser design; these wavelength tunable lasers promise marked image-quality and acquisition time improvements in SS-OCT applications.

To be well suited for SS-OCT, tunable lasers must be capable of producing a highly linear wavelength sweep across a tuning range well-matched to the medium being imaged; many different tunable lasers used in SS-OCT are compared to identify the optimal solution.

This work electrically and spectrally characterizes two completely new all-semiconductor VT-DBR designs to compare, as well. The Neptune VT-DBR, an O-band laser, operates around the 1310 nm range and is a …

Stability Analysis Of Negative Resistance-Based Source Combining Power Amplifiers, Hannah S. Homer

Master's Theses

An investigation into the stability of negative resistance-based source combining power amplifiers is conducted in this thesis. Two different negative resistance-based source combining topologies, a series and parallel version, are considered. Stability is analyzed using a simple and intuitive broadband approach that leverages linear circuit stability criterion and two different linearization methods: linearization around the operating point and in the frequency domain. Using this strategy, it is shown that conditions for self-sustained oscillation exist for both topologies. For the series combining topology, self-sustained oscillation is prevented by means of injection locking.

Interplanetary Ridesharing: Exploring Potential Cubesat Trajectories, Liam Colin Smith

Master's Theses

Ever since the revolutionary CubeSat form factor took hold in the Aerospace industry, there has been a desire to send them further and further into space. This thesis introduces an optimization approach to deployment that explores new possibilities of interplanetary CubeSats. In this approach there are three categories of objective functions that are defined by the type of trajectory of a “primary” spacecraft, which carries the CubeSat deployer. These categories are flyby, orbiter, and lander. For each category the objective function starts with four design variables. These are the ΔV of the deployer broken up into three component directions and …

Development And Validation Of A Tibiofemoral Joint Finite Element Model And Subsequent Gait Analysis Of Intact Acl And Acl Deficient Individuals, Nicholas Czapla

Master's Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition of articular cartilage that affects more than 25 million people in the US. Joint injuries, like anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, can lead to OA due to a change in articular cartilage loading. Gait analysis combined with knee joint finite element modeling (FEM) has been used to predict the articular cartilage loading. To predict the change of articular cartilage loading during gait due to various ACL injuries, a tibiofemoral FEM was developed from magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of a 33 year male, with no prior history of knee injuries. The FEM was validated for …