Digital Commons Network^™

Constant Voltage Hot-Wire Anemometry For The Boundary Layer Data System, Hon Yee Li

Master's Theses

To continue the development of the Boundary Layer Data System (BLDS), a constant voltage hot-wire anemometer (CVA) is implemented into the BLDS for flight-testing. The hot-wire anemometer was chosen as an alternative to the traditional pressure probe because of the ability to measure both average velocity and fluctuating velocity within the boundary layer. Previous work done on the benchtop has led to the design of miniaturization, flight-capable hardware for the BLDS. The next step in the development of the BLDS – CVA calls for quantifying the accuracy of the boundary layer measurements measured by the CVA system. To do this, …

Adaptive Control Techniques For Transition-To-Hover Flight Of Fixed-Wing Uavs, Brian Decimo Marchini

Master's Theses

Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with the ability to hover combine the speed and endurance of traditional fixed-wing fight with the stable hovering and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities of helicopters and quadrotors. This combination of abilities can provide strategic advantages for UAV operators, especially when operating in urban environments where the airspace may be crowded with obstacles. Traditionally, fixed-wing UAVs with hovering capabilities had to be custom designed for specific payloads and missions, often requiring custom autopilots and unconventional airframe configurations. With recent government spending cuts, UAV operators like the military and law enforcement agencies have been urging …

Investigating The Relationship Between Operations Efficiency And Customer Satisfaction, Monica Jane Reinwald

Master's Theses

The importance of efficiency in the service industry has continued to grow with the increase of services in today’s society. As a result, services must maintain efficient operations in order to achieve positive customer satisfaction and retain their customers. The fear of receiving negative customer satisfaction often results in a firm owner’s reluctance to improve efficiency operations because he or she believes it will hurt sales. This thesis provides a background on restaurant operations efficiency and customer satisfaction and discusses a case study used to explore the effect of efficiency on customer satisfaction. The case study consisted of a time …

Reassessment Of Biowish Activation Procedure For Denitrification, William Wah Yee

Master's Theses

BiOWiSH^TM – Aqua is a blend of preserved multi-bacteria culture with the capability of denitrification. If an anaerobic nitrate rich activation procedure is used instead of the standard aerobic activation procedure, the denitrification rate is increased by 28 percent under the conditions of 30°C, 1C:1N, 200mg/L of carbon, and 200mg/L nitrogen.

Changes In Soil Salinity Levels With The Use Of Recycled Water On Cool Season Vegetables, Dana Cameron Ripley

Master's Theses

Agricultural production in Monterey County, California is a multi-billion dollar industry. Near the coast, seawater intrusion has threatened to degrade the groundwater quality due to over-pumping of the aquifer. The Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA), in partnership with the Monterey County Water Resources Agency, has provided recycled water since 1998 to over 12,000 acres of prime agricultural farmland in the northern Salinas Valley in an effort to reduce groundwater removal. The dominant soil types in the region are clay loam and clay soils, which are both susceptible to sodium (Na) accumulation and water infiltration problems. Recycled water blended …

High Voltage Pulse Measurement System, Angelo J. Ballungay

Master's Theses

Using isolation and noise immunity techniques, this thesis designs and constructs a low cost measurement system to safely and accurately measure high voltage, high frequency pulses in harsh EM environments. High voltage pulses apply to medical, plasma, and food industries. The difficulty of accurately measuring high voltage pulses continues to pose an issue. Measuring high voltage systems can cause damage to the system, the measurement system, and the user. High voltage and high frequency pulses create a harsh environment of electromagnetic fields that can disrupt the circuitry of the measurement system and harm the user. Implementing isolation from the high …

Nanoparticles And Polymer Crystallization Kinetics In Hybrid Electronic Devices, Taylor William Wagner

Master's Theses

Conjugated semi-conducting polymers have become well known for their potential applications in hybrid electronic devices like solar cells, LEDs, and organic displays. These hybrid devices also contain inorganic nanoparticles, which complement the polymer when they are combined into the same layer. Control over the conformation and crystallinity of the polymer is critical for device performance, yet not much is known about the effect that these nanoparticles have on the polymer. Here, zinc oxide nanowire was surface modified with mono-substituted-carboxylic acid tetraphenylporphyrin and dodecanethiol, and introduced to poly(3-hexyl thiophene) in solution. The electron transfer, kinetics, and thermodynamics of this system were …

Enhancing Gan Led Efficiency Through Nano-Gratings And Standing Wave Analysis, Gabriel M. Halpin

Master's Theses

Improving energy efficient lighting is a necessary step in reducing energy consumption.Lighting currently consumes 17% of all U.S. residential and commercial electricity, but a report from the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy projects that switching to LED lighting over the next 20 years will save 46% of electricity used in lighting.GaN LEDs are used for their efficient conversion of electricity to light, but improving GaN efficiency requires optically engineering the chip to extract more light.Total internal reflection limits GaN LED performance since light must approach the chip surface within 23.6° of normal to escape into air.This thesis …

Lipid Production By Microalgae Treating Municipal Wastewater, James Edward Kelley

Master's Theses

Microalgae hold much promise as a feedstock in liquid biofuel production. Lipid content of microalgae cells range from 30-80% dry weight of biomass. It is projected that microalgae can produce between 1,000-6,500 gallons/acre/year of oil. Currently, production of industrial algae operates in open raceway ponds that use minimal capital and energy inputs to culture algae. Raceway ponds can also be used to grow microalgae from municipal waste streams. Although high biomass productivity can be achieved in these systems, there remains a large production gap between large volumes of biomass cultivation and high lipid content from microalgae cells. Low lipid content …

Protective Effects Of Sphingomyelin Against Uv Photodamage In Human Keratinocytes, Kathleen De Guzman

Master's Theses

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been demonstrated in numerous studies to be a major risk factor for non-melanoma skin cancer development. Despite the emergence of current UV-preventative strategies, such as sunscreens and skin-protective clothing, the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer has continued to rise. This has encouraged investigations on alternative methods for UV prevention. In particular, bovine milk sphingomyelin has been studied for its potential in protecting human skin against UV photodamage. While the previous studies have suggested that sphingomyelin exhibits UV-protective properties in a human skin equivalent model, the exact mechanisms behind sphingomyelin’s photoprotective effects are yet unknown.

This thesis …

Large-Displacement Lightweight Armor, Eric C. Clough

Master's Theses

Randomly entangled fibers forming loosely bound nonwoven structures are evaluated for use in lightweight armor applications. These materials sacrifice volumetric efficiency in order to realize a reduction in mass versus traditional armor materials, while maintaining equivalent ballistic performance. The primary material characterized, polyester fiberfill, is shown to have improved ballistic performance over control samples of monolithic polyester as well as 1095 steel sheets. The response of fiberfill is investigated at a variety of strain rates, from quasistatic to ballistic, under compression, tension, and shear deformation to elucidate mechanisms at work during ballistic defeat. Fiberfill’s primary mechanisms during loading are fiber …

Action Potential Simulation Of The Hirudo Medicinalis's Retzius Cell In Matlab, Zechari Ryan Tempesta

Master's Theses

Modification of Hodgkin and Huxley’s experimentally derived set of nonlinear differential equations was implemented to accurately simulate the action potential of the Hirudo Medicinalis’s Retzius cell in MATLAB under analogous conditions to those found in the Retzius cell environment. The voltage-gated sodium and potassium channel responses to changes in membrane potential, as experimentally determined by Hodgkin and Huxley, were manipulated to suit simulation parameters established by electrophysiological Retzius cell recordings. Application of this methodology permitted additional accurate simulation of the Hirudo Medicinalis’s P cell under analogous conditions to those found in the P cell environment. Further refinement of this technique …

Development And Validation Of A Human Knee Joint Finite Element Model For Tissue Stress And Strain Predictions During Exercise, Spencer D. Wangerin

Master's Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition of cartilage and is the leading cost of disability in the United States. Motion analysis experiments in combination with knee-joint finite element (FE) analysis may be used to identify exercises that maintain knee-joint osteochondral (OC) loading at safe levels for patients at high-risk for knee OA, individuals with modest OC defects, or patients rehabilitating after surgical interventions. Therefore, a detailed total knee-joint FE model was developed by modifying open-source knee-joint geometries in order to predict OC tissue stress and strain during the stance phase of gait. The model was partially validated for predicting the …

Development And Validation Of A Human Hip Joint Finite Element Model For Tissue Stress And Strain Predictions During Gait, Jeffrey D. Pyle

Master's Theses

Articular cartilage degeneration, called osteoarthritis, in the hip joint is a serious condition that affects millions of individuals yearly, with limited clinical solutions available to prevent or slow progression of damage. Additionally, the effects of high-risk factors (e.g. obesity, soft and hard tissue injuries, abnormal joint alignment, amputations) on the progression of osteoarthritis are not fully understood. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to generate a finite element model for predicting osteochondral tissue stress and strain in the human hip joint during gait, with a future goal of using this model in clinically relevant studies aimed at prevention, treatment, …

Formulation Development Of A Polymer-Drug Matrix With A Controlled Release Profile For The Treatment Of Glaucoma, Eric W. Tsoi

Master's Theses

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States accounting for 9-12% of all cases of blindness. Currently, the front line treatment for glaucoma are prostaglandins that may have to be taken up to several times a day. Even with proper treatment, roughly 11% of the patients using the treatment are non-compliant and lose their vision. In this project, ForSight Laboratories has developed a pharmaceutical drug delivering implant with the capability of sustaining long-term release of a prostaglandin as a new way to treat the condition. This project reports the product development of a polymer drug matrix with …

Hollow Plume Mitigation Of A High-Efficiency Multistage Plasma Thruster, Scott Alan Mcgrail

Master's Theses

Since 2000, a relatively new electric thruster concept has been in research, development, and production at Thales Electron Devices in Germany. This High Efficiency Multistage Plasma Thruster, or HEMPT, has promising lifetime capabilities due to its plasma confinement system. However, the permanent magnet system that offers this and other benefits also creates a hollow plume, where ions are accelerated at angles rather than up the thruster centerline, causing a dip in ion current along the centerline. A laboratory model, built at JPL, was run at Cal Poly to characterize this plume shape and implement a shield to restore a conical …

Investigation Into The Mitigation Of The Effects Of Uncertain Optical Degradation On An Interplanetary Solar Sail Mission Using A Single Model Update, Jordan Smiroldo

Master's Theses

The renewed academic interest in using solar sails as a source of spacecraft propulsion has been accompanied by a recent fervor of investigations into non-ideal and off-nominal sail performance considerations. One of the most influential considerations, uncertain optical degradation, has been shown to present significant trajectory design difficulties. This paper investigates the potential of using a mid-course degradation model update to mitigate the risk of missing the target destination in a sample 300 day Earth-Venus trajectory. Using a range of potential degradation profiles, it is shown that correcting in the first half of the mission is highly likely to result …

Effects Of Waste Placement Practices On The Engineering Response Of Municipal Solid Waste, Jason Taylor Cox

Master's Theses

An extensive laboratory and field investigation was conducted at Santa Maria Regional Landfill (SMRL) in Santa Maria, CA to determine the effects of waste placement practices on the engineering response of municipal solid waste (MSW). Laboratory and field testing was used to determine the engineering properties and monitor field response of MSW.

The specific gravity (G_s) of manufactured MSW (MMSW), fresh MSW (FMSW), and old MSW (OMSW) was determined experimentally using a modified version of standard soil testing procedures. Effects of particle size, compactive effort, and degradation on the specific gravity of waste were evaluated. Specific gravity …

Design Of A Robotic Arm Manipulator Camera Unit For Mini Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles, Michael John Poretti

Master's Theses

Underwater remotely operated vehicles are essential tools for marine researchers and workers. Their robust nature allows them to serve a wide range of purposes. For example, they can be used for remote visual inspection of pipelines and can manipulate tools such as screwdrivers and claws. Cameras are the main method for providing operator feedback to the surface as they enable an operator to accurately maneuver or handle objects from thousands of feet away. Although large ROVs have cameras attached to their robotic arms for closer inspection of objects, mini ROVs do not because no camera tool has been specifically designed …

Numerical Flow Field Analysis Of An Air Augmented Rocket Using The Axisymmetric Method Of Characteristics, Jeffrey Massman

Master's Theses

An Axisymmetric Rocket Ejector Simulation (ARES) was developed to numerically analyze various configurations of an air augmented rocket. Primary and secondary flow field visualizations are presented and performance predictions are tabulated. A parametric study on ejector geometry is obtained following a validation of the flow fields and performance values.

The primary flow is calculated using a quasi-2D, irrotational Method of Characteristics and the secondary flow is found using isentropic relations. Primary calculations begin at the throat and extend through the nozzle to the location of the first Mach Disk. Combustion properties are tabulated before analysis to allow for propellant property …

An Assessment Of Habitat Suitability For Pronghorn Populations Of The Central Valley Region Of California, Virginia Burroughs

Master's Theses

Efforts to reintroduce and maintain populations of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) to the California Central Valley, specifically the Carrizo Plain National Monument (CPNM) and the Mojave Desert (Antelope Valley) portion of Tejon Ranch, have largely been unsuccessful due to dwindling numbers of translocated animals. The objective of this study was to improve upon previous models for the CPNM using aerial survey data and then apply the model to the Tejon Ranch. Aerial survey data collected from 2000-2010 on the CPNM was used to establish “use” and “non-use” areas in the model. Model variables included vegetation type (forest, shrub, grassland, …

Cae Methods On Vibration-Based Health Monitoring Of Power Transmission Systems, Brian Fang

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on different methods to analyze power transmission systems with computer software to aid in detection of faulty or damaged systems. It is split into three sections. The first section involves utilizing finite element software to analyze gear stiffness and stresses. A quasi-static and dynamic analysis are done on two sets of fixed axis spur gears and a planetary gear system using ABAQUS to analyze the stress, strain and gear mesh stiffness variation. In the second section, the vibrational patterns produced by a simple bevel gear system are investigated by an experiment and by dynamic modeling in ADAMS. …

Mechanical Properties Of Bone Due To Sost Expression: Nanoindentation Assessment Of Murine Femurs, Amir Rafie

Master's Theses

In the human genome, the SOST gene codes for a protein sclerostin. Sclerostin is an osteocyte-expressed negative regulator of bone formation. When the SOST gene is not coded, bone formation is reduced in individuals during skeletal maturation. This study utilizes nanoindentation methods to test for the mechanical properties of bones that both express and do not express the SOST gene. 100 transgenic murine femurs were obtained from Lawrence Livermore Labs in the form of 6 and 8 month SOST transgenic mice, 6 and 12 month SOST knockout mice, and wild type control littermates for each of the 4 age groups. …

Parsing Of Natural Language Requirements, Jamie L. Patterson

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to automate verification of the software requirements for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator with minimal manual rework. The requirements were written in plain English with only loose stylistic constraints. While full automation proved infeasible, many significant advances were made towards solving the problem, including a framework for storing requirements, a program which translates most of the natural language requirements into the framework, and a novel approach to parts of speech analysis.

Carton Clamp Methodologies And The Effects On Load Containment And Retention, Tyler D. Blumer

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Carton Clamp Test Methodologies and the Effects on

Load Containment and Retention

Tyler Don Blumer

A carton clamp is an alternative device for moving packages and material. Instead of using iron tines like that of a conventional forklift, a carton clamp uses two large aluminum platens to slightly compress and secure the load for handling. This is advantageous as it allows operators to move layers of a unitized load individually, and eliminates the need for a pallet when handling full unitized loads. When using a carton clamp attachment, it is often difficult for operators to accurately gauge the amount …

Phase Behavior And Rheology Of Latex, Thickener, Surfactant Mixtures And Liquid Crystal Based Compositions For Printing High-Efficiency Flexible Electronics, Franceska Anna Santos

Master's Theses

This project consists of two parts. One area of focus in the first part is understanding the interactions between a non-ionic, block copolymer type dispersant and hydrophobically-modified, ethoxylated urethane (HEUR) associative thickeners in water. The dispersant was mixed at various concentrations (0-2% by weight) with HEUR thickeners at 1% by weight concentration in the aqueous medium. This study is an integral part of our attempts to determine mechanisms of viscosity drop when colorant dispersions are added to latex tint base formulations thickened with associative thickeners. One of the HEUR thickeners is a product that has been available for over three …

Scale Model Shake Table Testing Of Seismic Earth Pressures In Soft Clay, Ron Edward Noche

Master's Theses

This research consists of scale model shake table tests to investigate the development of seismic earth pressures in soft clay. The soft clay was modeled after prototype San Francisco Bay Mud consisting of a mixture of kaolinite, bentonite, class C fly ash and water. A flexible walled testing container founded on a 1g shake table was used to house the model soil and mimic 1D site response. An array of accelerometers embedded in the model soil measure during an input earthquake motion.

A scale model wall is equipped with pressure sensors to measure the seismic earth pressures over the duration …

Investigation Of Compressed Air Energy Storage Efficiency, James W. Keeney

Master's Theses

This study investigates Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) application in the

electrical power and transportation industries. Information concerning current CAES projects is

presented. A thorough thermodynamic analysis of the CAES process is completed; including

theoretical efficiency determination for several variants of the compression and expansion

processes. Industry claimed efficiencies ranging from 26% to 82% are presented and explained.

Isothermal and Isentropic efficiency baselines are developed. Energy density of compressed air

on both a mass and volume basis is compared to other energy storage methods. Best expected

efficiency of a hypothetical CAES system is determined to be 34% using currently achievable …

The Influence Of Hydrogeomorphology, Soil Redox Conditions, And Salinity On The Spatial Zoning Of Saltgrass, Salt Rush, And Cattails In Scotts Creek Marsh, Swanton Pacific Ranch, Ca, Mark D. Gormley

Master's Theses

Scotts Creek Marsh (SCM) is a small coastal wetland ecosystem in Davenport, CA. The vegetation of SCM is dominated by three halophytic zones comprised of saltgrass, salt rush, cattails. The objectives of the study were (i) to investigate the variables that influence the zoning of the three dominant halophyte communities in SCM and (ii) to the test the effectiveness of Indicator of Reduction in Soil (IRIS) tubes to indicate the reduction of S. The study examined the following parameters from April 6 to July 21, 2013: (i) the HGM of Scotts Creek Marsh, (ii) soil oxidation and reduction (redox) conditions, …

Conjugated Linoleic Acids Alter Body Composition Differently According To Physiological Age In Moulard Ducks, Jeff Fesler, Daniel Peterson

Master's Theses

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) have been shown to have remarkable yet inconsistent metabolic effects in mice, rats, hamsters, chickens, cattle, and humans. In particular, effects on lipogenesis vary with tissue, physiological state and specie. In this study we tested the hypothesis that CLA would differentially affect ducks of the same genetic background but of differing age. Growing (7 wk) and maintenance (11 wk) Moulard ducks were grouped by age and fed a standard diet supplemented with either 5% soybean oil (control) or 5% CLA isomer mixture. Animals were harvested after 3 weeks or 6 weeks for assessment of body composition …