Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Rodent Species Counts And Diversity In The Not-Grazed Montana De Oro State Park And The Rotationally Grazed Pecho Ranch, Nancy Marie Lemos

Master's Theses

The available data examining the influence of rotational grazing on rodent responses are limited. This study investigated how rotational livestock grazing practices influence small mammal rodent abundances and species diversity. We looked for evidence of variation in the occurrence and/or numbers of certain rodent species among three plant community types (grassland, shrubland, grass-shrub mix), managed with or without grazing. We used Sherman live traps over a total of eight trapping sessions. We totaled 486 trapnights for each of the six plant community and grazing management combinations. The three plant community types were identified by visual cover.

Out of the eight …

A Study On The Vibrational Performance Characteristics Of An E22 Isolator After Outgassing And Bake-Out, Alma Melendez

Master's Theses

The launch environment experiences many vibration, shock, and acoustic loads. A great concern is the high random vibration levels that can damage components and spacecraft structures, which can cause a mission failure. An effective method of reducing high frequency energy is using isolators. Overall, the need for vibration isolation has been increasing because there has been an increase in the use of mechanisms in which vibrations are prevalent. In addition, there has not been extensive research on the effects of isolators that are outgassed and cured. Therefore, it is important to investigate and understand the vibrational effects on isolators. It …

Smart Wall Outlet Design And Implementation For The Dc House Project, Kevin Roy Mendoza

Master's Theses

Most everyday AC appliances are designed to operate off of 120V coming from the wall outlet in our homes. This voltage is a standard set from our established infrastructure. Unlike AC devices, DC devices do not have any set standard of voltage they all will run off of. This presents a problem for the DC house as the various loads that will be used will have different required input voltages. One set voltage for a wall outlet will not suffice for the DC House. This Smart Wall Outlet is designed with a DC-DC converter that will have its output voltage …

Effects Of Ovariectomy And Anatomical Position On The Compact Bone As Seen In Three Month Summer Ovine Model, Bryan C. Kraft

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to characterize the compact-bone remodeling response to an ovariectomy model of human postmenopausal osteoporosis. Animal models are a beneficial practice allowing for the evaluation of the effectiveness of medical therapies and devices on diseases. The ovine model was chosen for this study due to its large size, similar bone remodeling to humans, and cost effectiveness. The main obstacle to overcome with the use of the ovine model was the lack of natural menopause experienced by this species. To overcome this, it was necessary to perform an ovariectomy to create estrogen depletion and artificially induce …

Development And Implementation Of Dispersion Phase Diagrams (Dpds) For Four Different Hydrophobically Modified Ethoxylated Urethane (Heur) Based Acrylic Paint Systems, Tyler J. Bell

Master's Theses

Latex polymers serve as binders in a wide range of architectural paints and coatings. A latex is an aqueous colloidal dispersion of polymer particles that when dried above the polymer’s film formation temperature coalesces into a dry polymer film (Dragnevski, Routh, Murray, & Donald, 2010). The other main components of paint include associative thickeners, surfactants, pigments and fillers with the thickener being the primary area of focus for this study.

The relatively simple system of latex, associative thickener and surfactant has been studied extensively. These studies have shown the mechanism of thickening for the associative thickener, and surfactant effects on …

City Of San Luis Obispo Open Space Vegetation Management Plan, Danielle Rose Althaus

Master's Theses

This Master’s Professional Project is focused on the development of a draft Vegetation Management Plan for the City of San Luis Obispo Open Space properties. The purpose of the plan is to provide a comprehensive document which identifies how the city is addressing wildfire preparedness in city-owned open space properties. Methods used in plan development include a literature review, content analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), a course audit, and consultation with city staff and other stakeholders. Each open space property is identified in the plan, describing its location, vegetation, topography, assets, access points, water supply, evacuation routes, historical fire data, …

A Frequency-Domain Method For Active Acoustic Cancellation Of Known Audio Sources, Ryan D. Rocha

Master's Theses

Active noise control (ANC) is a real-time process in which a system measures an external, unwanted sound source and produces a canceling waveform. The cancellation is due to destructive interference by a perfect copy of the received signal phase-shifted by 180 degrees. Existing active noise control systems process the incoming and outgoing audio on a sample-by-sample basis, requiring a high-speed digital signal processor (DSP) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with strict timing requirements on the order of tens of microseconds. These timing requirements determine the maximum sample rate and bit size as well as the maximum attenuation that the system can …

An Investigation Of Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) For Applications With Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Devices, Haydn Thomas Mitchell

Master's Theses

N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide-crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), also known as P(NIPAM), was developed as a fluid delivery system for use with microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (microPADs). MicroPADs are postage-stamp-sized devices made out of paper that can be used as platforms for low-cost, simple-to-use point-of-care diagnostic assays. P(NIPAM) is a thermally responsive polymer that absorbs aqueous solutions at room temperature and will expel the solutions to microPADs when heated. The fluid delivery characteristics of P(NIPAM) were assessed, and P(NIPAM) was able to deliver multiple solutions to microPADs in specific sequences or simultaneously in a laminar-flow configuration. P(NIPAM) was then shown to be suitable …

Cayucos Community Health Plan, Jennifer Joyce Franich

Master's Theses

Recent, mounting research shows that chronic disease, the leading causes of death and primary driver of health care costs, cannot be effectively addressed through education or preventative health alone. A physical environment that promotes health—through access to healthy food, opportunities for physical activity, quality housing, transportation options, and safe schools—is an integral part of making our communities healthier. This research and accompanying Healthy Community Plans will serve as a way for the County to begin looking in-depth at the ways the built environment (our streets, parks, and neighborhoods) contribute or detract from the health of the community. Though the creation …

Public Art: Context & Process In San Luis Obispo, Ca, Kristin Ann Kiefer

Master's Theses

Public spaces are noted by historians, philosophers, planners, etc as being the lifeblood of civic centers, spaces that bring people in community together for a myriad of reasons. Recalling the ancient Agricola’s of ancient Greece to the modern version of malls and pedestrian plazas, these spaces are where social interactions occur, ideas are spread, and are open for all people to enjoy. Beautifying these spaces with public art and well-thought out design encourage the use of these spaces and work to empower those who use them. While the mode in which public art populates public spaces has changed, the notion …

Addressing Childhood Obesity Through The Built Environment: The Guadalupe Case Sudy, Sophia Y. Lai

Master's Theses

This project takes a look at the impacts of our built environment on obesity in children living in racial and ethnic communities in relation to city planning. The results of this project results in a comprehensive report to provide an in-depth look into understanding the important relationships between children’s health and the built environment and understanding the best practices and recommendations for improving health in Guadalupe.

Located in the Santa Barbara County, the City of Guadalupe is mainly an agricultural town with over 85 percent of its residents who are of Hispanic Origin. With almost half of its Latino population …

Water And Nutrient Recycling In High Rate Algae Ponds Fed In Primary Treated Municipal Wastewater, Michael Field Chang

Master's Theses

Algal biofuels present a promising future alternative to petroleum based fuels. Water nutrient recycling is a key step to increase the sustainability of algae biofuel production facilities. This thesis discusses the process of nutrient and water recycling in high rate algae raceway ponds (HRAP) fed primary treated municipal wastewater. Research was conducted primarily at the San Luis Obispo Water Resource Reclamation Facility (SLOWRRF). Nine 30 m², 0.3 m deep HRAP’s were operated continuously from June 1, 2013 to April 17, 2014. The ponds were arranged in three sets of triplicate ponds, with two pond sets run on 3-day …

University Square Development Proposal, Tom Gregory Van Pelt

Master's Theses

The University Square Development Proposal (USDP) explores the redevelopment of the underutilized University Square site (the Site) in the City of San Luis Obispo (the City.) The Sites proximity to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), a university with significant student housing needs, makes it an ideal location for student housing. The City has also expressed interest in the Site, having identified it in the General Plan Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) update as a “Special Planning Area”. The LUCE proposes a new mixed-use typology on the Site that may include a mixture of multi-family housing, …

Juiciness In Citizen Science Computer Games: Analysis Of A Prototypical Game, Eric D. Ebucktha Buckthal

Master's Theses

Incorporating the collective problem-solving skills of non-experts could ac- celerate the advancement of scientific research. Citizen science games leverage puzzles to present computationally difficult problems to players. Such games typ- ically map the scientific problem to game mechanics and visual feed-back helps players improve their solutions. Like games for entertainment, citizen science games intend to capture and retain player attention. “Juicy” game design refers to augmented visual feedback systems that give a game personality without modi- fying fundamental game mechanics. A “juicy” game feels alive and polished. This thesis explores the use of “juicy” game design applied to the citizen …

The Use Of Mobile Technology In Professional Planning And Local Government Practice, Kayla Gordon

Master's Theses

As advances in web and mobile technologies have rapidly changed the world of businesses, they have also begun to fundamentally change the way local governments understand and interact with their communities. In an effort to evaluate the use of online and mobile technology for government work, this thesis examines the use of mobile technology as a vehicle for local government practice, specifically looking at the field of urban planning. These opportunities have been broadened with the introduction of Internet-enabled mobile devices, as location-based information is used to increase awareness of user activity, movements and behaviors in real-time conditions and specific …

Characterizing The Reproducibility Of The Properties Of Electrospun Poly(D, L-Lactide-Co-Glycolide) Scaffolds For Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessel Mimics, Toni M. Pipes

Master's Theses

“Blood vessel mimics” (BVMs) are tissue-engineered constructs that serve as in vitro preclinical testing models for intravascular devices. The Cal Poly Tissue Engineering lab specifically uses BVMs to test the cellular response to stent implantation. PLGA scaffolds are electrospun in-house using the current “Standard Protocol” and used as the framework for these constructs. The performance of BVMs greatly depends on material and mechanical properties of the scaffolds. It is desirable to create BVMs with reproducible properties so that they can be consistent models that ultimately generate more reliable results for intravascular device testing. Reproducibility stems from the consistency of the …

Pismo Beach Public Art Program, Garrett Tyler Norman

Master's Theses

Public art plays a significant role in communities around the world. It embodies a close relationship between the artist, the space in which it’s being exhibited, and the public. The development of this project examined various literary sources that demonstrated the importance of public art and how cities, artists, and community members may benefit from the incorporation of public art. This project included the framework for development of a Public Art Program for the City of Pismo Beach, California, which outlined the critical steps of a planning process and implementation of the program.

Flight Testing Small Uavs For Aerodynamic Parameter Estimation, Adam Thomas Chase

Master's Theses

A flight data acquisition system was developed to aid unmanned vehicle designers in verifying the vehicle's design performance. The system is reconfigurable and allows the designer to choose the correct combination of complexity, risk, and cost for a given flight test. The designer can also reconfigure the system to meet packaging and integration requirements. System functionality, repeatbility, and accuracy was validated by collecting data during multiple flights of a radio-controlled aircraft. Future work includes sensor fusion, thrust prediction methods, stability and control derivative estimation, and growing Cal Poly's small-scale component aerodynamic database.

Reduced-Order Reference Models For Adaptive Control Of Space Structures, Alexander I. Scherling

Master's Theses

In addition to serving as a brief overview of aspects relevant to reduced-order modeling (in particular balanced-state and modal techniques) as applied to structural finite element models, this work produced tools for visualizing the relationship between the modes of a model and the states of its balanced representation.

Specifically, error contour and mean error plots were developed that provide a designer with frequency response information absent from a typical analysis of a balanced model via its Hankel singular values. The plots were then used to analyze the controllability and observability aspects of finite element models of an illustrative system from …

Communicative Design: Transit Architecture For Growing Cities, James Derek Holloway

Master's Theses

Increasing urban populations are currently magnifying the importance of the transit station in the context of its surrounding systems. In order to prepare our cities for higher population densities in the future, an examination of the relationships between station form and individual experience may lead to the identification of specific design objectives with implications for increased public transit riderships. Data is collected through research on sensory perception in architecture, spatial organization, and connectivity between an individual structure and it’s local surroundings. Site-specific observations and information describing current professional practices are used to determine prominent design objectives for future implementation.

Optimization Of Growth Parameters For Algal Regrowth Potential Experiments, Chadwick D. Boggess

Master's Theses

Water cost is one of the key deterrents in making algal biofuels a feasible alternative to traditional petroleum fuels. Research into recycling of algal media was conducted in a laboratory setting at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. A growth assay was created to allow for algal cultures, specifically Ward’s Chlorella sp., to proliferate in sealed culture vessels. Bold’s Basal Medium (BBM) was selected as the media due to its extensive use with freshwater algal strains. However, this medium can limit algal growth through nutrient limitation and it became necessary to augment the original recipe. 50mM …

Recognizing Specific Errors In Human Physical Exercise Performance With Microsoft Kinect, Ryan Staab

Master's Theses

The automatic assessment of human physical activity performance is useful for a number of beneficial systems including in-home rehabilitation monitoring systems and Reactive Virtual Trainers (RVTs). RVTs have the potential to replace expensive personal trainers to promote healthy activity and help teach correct form to prevent injury. Additionally, unobtrusive sensor technologies for human tracking, especially those that incorporate depth sensing such as Microsoft Kinect, have become effective, affordable, and commonplace.

The work of this thesis contributes towards the development of RVT systems by using RGB-D and tracked skeletal data collected with Microsoft Kinect to assess human performance of physical exercises. …

Stabilization Of Horseradish Peroxidase Using Epoxy Novolac Resins For Applications With Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Devices, Cory A. Chaplan

Master's Theses

Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (microPADs) are an emerging platform for point-of-care diagnostic tests for use by untrained users with potential applications in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and food safety. These devices can be developed for a multitude of different tests, many of which employ enzymes as catalysts. Without specialized treatment, some enzymes tend to lose their activity when stored on microPADs within 48 hours, which is a major hurdle for taking these types of devices out of the laboratory and into the real world. This work focused on the development of simple methods for stabilizing enzymes by applying polymers to chromatography …

Improving Hybrid Solar Cells: Overcoming Charge Extraction Issues In Bulk Mixtures Of Polythiophenes And Zinc Oxide Nanostructures, Grant T. Olson

Master's Theses

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have received a great deal of focus in recent years as a possible alternative to expensive silicon based solar technology. Current challenges for organic photovoltaics are centered around improving their lifetimes and increasing their power conversion efficiencies. One approach to improving the lifetime of such devices has been the inclusion of inorganic metal oxide layers, but interaction between the metal oxides and common conjugated polymers is not favorable. Here we present two methods by which the interactions between polythiophenes and nanostructured ZnO can be made to be more favorable. Using the first method, direct side on attachment …

Variable Precision Tandem Analog-To-Digital Converter (Adc), Colton A. Parsons

Master's Theses

This paper describes an analog-to-digital signal converter which varies its precision as a function of input slew rate (maximum signal rate of change), in order to best follow the input in real time. It uses Flash and Successive Approximation (SAR) conversion techniques in sequence.

As part of the design, the concept of "total real-time optimization" is explored, where any delay at all is treated as an error (Error = Delay * Signal Slew Rate). This error metric is proposed for use in digital control systems. The ADC uses a 4-bit Flash converter in tandem with SAR logic that has variable …

The Effect Of Pretreatment Methods On Methane Yield And Nutrient Solubilization During Anaerobic Digestion Of Microalgae, Alexander Scott Hill

Master's Theses

Microalgal biomass is a candidate feedstock for biofuel production. To improve the sustainability of algae biofuel production, following biofuel recovery, the biomass nutrients should be recycled for additional algae growth. Anaerobic digestion of algae or oil-extracted algae is a means of recovering carbon and other nutrients, while offsetting algae production electricity demand. The major limiting factor in microalgae digestion is the low biodegradability of the cell walls. In the present study, various pretreatment technologies were tested at bench scale for their ability to improve raw, non-lipid-extracted algae biodegradability, which was assessed in terms of methane yield, volatile solids destruction, and …

Mos Current Mode Logic (Mcml) Analysis For Quiet Digital Circuitry And Creation Of A Standard Cell Library For Reducing The Development Time Of Mixed Signal Chips, David Marusiak

Master's Theses

Many modern digital systems use forms of CMOS logical implementation due to the straight forward design nature of CMOS logic and minimal device area since CMOS uses fewer transistors than other logic families. To achieve high-performance requirements in mixed-signal chip development and quiet, noiseless circuitry, this thesis provides an alternative toCMOSin the form of MOS Current Mode Logic (MCML). MCML dissipates constant current and does not produce noise during value changing in a circuit CMOS circuits do. CMOS logical networks switch during clock ticks and with every device switching, noise is created on the supply and ground to deal with …

Investigation Of Chromosome Size Effect On The Rate Of Crossovers In The Meiotic Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Lanie Maria Galland

Master's Theses

Meiosis is a specialized type of cell division characterized by a single round of DNA replication and two rounds of chromosome segregation, ultimately resulting in four haploid cells. During meiosis I, chromosomes align and reciprocal recombination results in the formation of a crossover, creating the tension required to properly segregate homologs during the first round of meiosis.

Two mechanisms involved in regulating the occurrence of crossing over are assurance and interference. Crossover assurance describes the phenomenon that at least one crossover will form between each pair of homologous chromosomes during prophase I. Crossover interference, on the other hand, describes the …

Latino Rhythms In Downtown Los Angeles: A Case Study Of The Social, Physical, And Economic Environment Of "La Broadway", Ulises Antonio Gonzalez

Master's Theses

In an attempt to practice inclusive planning, this research project explores whether Broadway Avenue functions as an ethnic commercial strip and identifies social, physical, and economic components that contribute to the Latino neighborhood/ barrio. Using pilot studies Loukaitou-Sideris (2000), Loukaitou-Sideris (2002), Rojas (1993), Manzumdar et al. (2000), Main (2007), and Fernando (2007) as a foundation, this research uses a single case study in addition to several research methods: 42 random surveys, literature review and analysis, site observations/pictures, and land use survey.

Various scholars write that barrios have unique physical, social, economic, and political attributes. A new aesthetic, art, symbols, …

Cooperative Construction In Schools In California, John Mauck Donley

Master's Theses

Cooperative Construction in Schools in California

John M. Donley

The construction industry has lost efficiency since 1964, while becoming increasingly more litigious. Schools in California can ill afford the time to allow the construction industry time to fully evolve. It may take years or decades to fully improve the efficiency of, and reduce the conflict within the construction industry.

At the same time, the construction industry has developed new processes to improve efficiency and reduce conflict. These processes are beginning to be broadly embraced by the industry. They all contain cooperative elements. Taken together they represent a new organizing principle …