Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Graduate Landscape Architecture Education Through Transdisciplinary Research Approaches: A Case Study At The University Of Connecticut, Julissa Mendez

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Chelating Agents On Texture Of Lowfat Cheddar Cheese, Mariela Fernanda Poveda

Master's Theses

Effects of two types of chelating agents on proteolysis and texture properties of low fat Cheddar cheese (LFC) were analyzed and compared to full fat Cheddar (FFC) control during ripening for 120 days at 8°C. We hypothesized that chelating agents would bind calcium ions from cheese matrix to give a softer curd due to a decrease of protein-protein interactions and simultaneously increasing moisture content. Cheese milk containing (0.59% fat) was divided into three lots (A, B & C). Sodium citrate (3Na) and disodium EDTA (EDTA) were added to A & B at the rate of (0.02% and 0.2% respectively. C …

Women And Their "Food Time" An Investigation Into Food Purchases, Preparation, And Consumption Atmosphere Using Smartphone Survey Technology, Garland Jaeger

Master's Theses

Women’s food purchasing and eating habits have been studied in detail, but are still not entirely understood. Prior research has sought to segment the female food shopper market, but typically use only demographic characteristics. In this study, fifty females were recruited in San Luis Obispo, CA from March 2012 to May 2012 to keep an electronic food-time diary for one week. By collecting information through surveys distributed using a smartphone application, SurveySwipe, the study investigated the amount of time expended for each meal, as well as the manner in which the meal was prepared or purchased, and the context surrounding …

A Study To Determine The Agricultural Perceptions Of High School Students For The "I Love Farmers…They Feed My Soul!" Organization, Mindy N. Burris

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify a target market of the “I Love Farmers…They Feed My Soul!” (ILF) organization and establish marketing techniques for the organization. ILF is a non-profit organization committed to connecting the younger generations with information about agriculture and how food is produced.

This study thoroughly investigated the markets in three geographic areas throughout California. Surveys were administered to three high school’s English classes to gather data for analysis. The analysis identified the target market of the ILF organization and the associations between each target market and responses to questions regarding their agricultural knowledge, social …

The Fabrication & Characterization Of An Electrokinetic Microfluidic Pump From Su-8, A Negative Epoxy-Based Photoresist, Nash Anderson

Master's Theses

Microfluidics refers to manipulation, precise control, and behavior of fluids at the micro and nanoliter scales. It has entered the realm of science as a way to precisely measure or mix small amounts of fluid to perform highly controlled reactions. Glass and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are common materials used to create microfluidic devices; however, glass is difficult to process and PDMS is relatively hydrophobic. In this study, SU-8, an epoxy based (negative) photoresist was used to create various electrokinetic microfluidic chips. SU-8 is commonly used in microelectromechanical design. Spin coating of various SU-8 formulations allows for 1 μm to 100 μm …

Escherichia Coli Strain Diversity In Humans: Effects Of Sampling Effort And Methodology, Emily R. Neal

Master's Theses

Studies investigating Escherichia coli strain diversity and demographics in human hosts are frequently inconsistent regarding sampling effort and methodology while current strain typing methods are often expensive or laborious. To rectify these inconsistencies, sampling effort was investigated by comparing the diversity of 15-isolate collections to 100-isolate collections from 3 human subjects. Temporal variation in E. coli strain diversity was also studied by collecting 15 isolates once every 6 months. Additionally, strain identification and diversity collected by different sampling methods (fecal swabs vs. anal swabs collected at different times around defecation) were compared to identify any inherent biases in sampling method. …

Effects Of Transit-Oriented Development On Affordable Housing, Job Accessibility, And Affordability Of Transportation In The Metro Green Line Corridor Of Los Angeles (Ca), Audrey M. Desmuke

Master's Theses

The premise of this study is that an understanding of catalysts and impacts of social and economic change in the Los Angeles Metro Green Line study corridor and an analysis of current planning policies can help identify how future planning policies may generate more ideal and positive outcomes for the study corridor. This study evaluated the conditions within the transit corridor with four selected station areas defined by a one-mile radius from each station. The stations that make up the transit corridor are along the Los Angeles Metro Green Line that runs east west between Redondo Beach and Norwalk. A …

Monitoring And Data-Logging For Stand-Alone And Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Systems, Nathan Hara

Master's Theses

This thesis presents the topic of various monitoring and data-logging tools for stand-alone and grid-tied photovoltaic systems. The first part of this report describes the research, testing, and installation of a monitoring system for a stand-alone photovoltaic system created by students of California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo for the 2005 Solar Decathlon. Analysis of the real-time data of the Solar Decathlon House resulted in the discovery of issues within the software of the monitoring system and within the battery bank of the photovoltaic system. The second part of this report gives a detailed description of possible monitoring …

A Generic Decision Making Framework For Autonomous Systems, Connor Lange

Master's Theses

With the rising popularity of small satellites, such as CubeSats, many smaller institutions previously incapable of developing and deploying a spacecraft have starting to do so. Institutions with a history of space flight, such as NASA JPL, have begun to put projects on CubeSats that would normally fly on much larger satellites. As a result, the institutions with space flight heritage have begun to port spacecraft software that was previously designed for much larger and more complex satellites to the CubeSat platform. Unfortunately for universities, who are the majority of all institutions devel- oping CubeSats, these ported systems are too …

Radiance Caching With Environment Maps, Michael Buerli

Master's Theses

The growing demand for realistic renderings in both film and games has led to a number of proposed solutions to the Global Illumination problem. In order to imitate natural lighting, it is necessary to gather indirect illumination of the surrounding environment for lighting computations. This is a computationally expensive problem, requiring the sampling or rasterization of the hemisphere surrounding each ray intersection, to which there is no standardized solution.

In this thesis we propose a new method of approximation using environment maps for caching radiance. The proposed method leverages a voxelized scene representation for storing direct illumination and a cache …

Applications Of Artificial Neural Networks To Synthetic Aperture Radar For Feature Extraction In Noisy Environments, David James Roberts

Master's Theses

It is often that images generated from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) are noisy, distorted, or incomplete pictures of a target or target region. As the goal for most SAR research pertains to automatic target recognition (ATR), extensive filtering and image processing is required in order to extract the features necessary to carry out ATR. This thesis investigates the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) in order to improve upon the feature extraction process by laying the foundation for ANN SAR ATR algorithms and programs. The first technique investigated is that of an ANN edge detector designed to be invariant to …

The Accessible User Interaction Framework For Android Applications, Xiaoxi Luo

Master's Theses

As mobile technologies advance, accessibility features of smartphones are continu- ously improving and becoming more prevalent. It is essential that the user interaction design of mobile applications provides equal access and equal service to all our com- munity, especially for people with disabilities. However, there are no general mobile accessibility design guidelines publicly available. This paper reviews the web acces- sibility development guidelines as a reference, and the current accessibility features provided by modern mobile operating systems.

It is proposed in this paper to use interactive spoken dialogues as the user interac- tion framework for accessible mobile applications. The idea …

Seismic Performance Comparison Of A Fixed-Base Versus A Base-Isolated Office Building, Nicholas Reidar Marrs

Master's Theses

The topic of this thesis is base isolation. The purpose of this thesis is to offer a relative understanding of the seismic performance enhancements that a typical 12-story steel office building can achieve through the implementation of base isolation technology. To reach this understanding, the structures of a fixed-base office building and a base-isolated office building of similar size and layout are designed, their seismic performance is compared, and a cost-benefit analysis is completed. The base isolation system that is utilized is composed of Triple Friction Pendulum (TFP) bearings.

The work of this thesis is divided into four phases. First, …

Computer Sketch Recognition, Richard Steigerwald

Master's Theses

Tens of thousands of years ago, humans drew sketches that we can see and identify even today. Sketches are the oldest recorded form of human communication and are still widely used. The universality of sketches supersedes that of culture and language. Despite the universal accessibility of sketches by humans, computers are unable to interpret or even correctly identify the contents of sketches drawn by humans with a practical level of accuracy.

In my thesis, I demonstrate that the accuracy of existing sketch recognition techniques can be improved by optimizing the classification criteria. Current techniques classify a 20,000 sketch crowd-sourced dataset …

Evaluating Usability Evaluations, Allen Leo Dunlea

Master's Theses

We live in an age when consumers can now shop and browse the web using hand-held devices. This means that competitive companies need to have a website to represent their brand and to conduct business. E-commerce sites need to pay special attention to the usability of their sites, since it has such an impact on how potential costumers view their brand.

Jakob Nielsen defines usability as a "quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use"; he separates usability into five quality components: learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors and satisfaction. The current standard for testing usability involves having …

Dna Purification Process Optimization At Life Technologies Corporation, Trevor J. Shepherd

Master's Theses

This project focused on optimizing the plasmid DNA purification process at Life Technologies. These plasmids are designed to code for specialized proteins used by research universities, national laboratories, or research companies. Once cultivated and harvested, the plasmids must be analyzed for quality and quantity. The project is divided into improving three aspects of the process: 1) plasmid identification, 2) plasmid purity evaluation, and 3) process yield. Plasmid identification is now simpler, more robust and has zero ambiguity. Plasmid purity evaluation is now measured with computer software, which reduces user error and eliminates subjectivity. Using the nascent metrics provided by the …

Effect Of Fatigue Cycle Loading Amplitude Tension-Tension On Composite Laminated Plates With Initial Delamination, Walter Zuluaga

Master's Theses

Effect of Fatigue Cycle Loading Amplitude Tension-Tension on Composite Laminated Plates with Delamination

Composite materials provide many mechanical advantages; however, they are susceptible to failure or delamination due to impact, high concentrated stresses and fatigue produced by high loading and dripping weight due to poor manufacturing processes yielding to delamination. The objective of enhancing delamination in the laminated composite structural panel’s elements is to control the response of the composite structures in order to prevent catastrophic failure due to excessive deformation. The main scope of this thesis is to study the effect of a different amplitude fatigue cycle in tension-tension …

Seismic Rehabilitation Of Steel Moment Frames Vulnerable To Soft-Story Failures Through Implementation Of Rocking Cores, Juan Carlos Sanchez

Master's Theses

During seismic events, inefficient steel moment frame building systems may exhibit soft-story failures. This thesis focuses on development and validation of a seismic retrofit strategy for avoiding soft-story failures in low-rise and mid-rise steel moment frame buildings. The considered retrofit strategy consists of a sufficiently stiff Rocking Core (RC) pinned to the foundation and pin connected to the existing frame. For demonstration purposes, two representative benchmark steel moment frames, which are modified from the three- and nine-story pre-Northridge steel moment frames designed for Los Angeles in the SAC Steel Project, are considered. Finite Element (FE) models of the benchmark buildings …

Stabilization Of Nepheline Syenite Filler In A Uv-Cure Polyurethane Dispersion Wood Coating And Viscosity Stabilization Of Tinted Latex Architectural Coatings, Maung Ye Htet

Master's Theses

PART I ABSTRACT

STABILIZATION OF NEPHELINE SYENITE FILLER IN A UV-CURE

POLYURETHANE DISPERSION WOOD COATING

Nepheline syenite is a naturally occurring, silica deficient, sodium potassium aluminum silicate functional filler used in polymeric coatings, adhesives, and inks. Due to its unique optical characteristics, it can be utilized in formulating a low-viscosity polyurethane dispersion UV-cure clear wood coating system to enhance its functional properties. However, when the coating is formulated with the ultrafine filler, especially at a high loading level (e.g. >10% solids), the filler rapidly settles after formulated, forming a densely packed sediment layer shortening its shelf-life. Suspension of the filler …

A Flyback Inverter Topology Without Electrolytic Input Capacitors As Energy Storage Element, Robert Stefan Baake

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

A Flyback Inverter Topology without Electrolytic Input Capacitors as Energy Storage Element

Robert Baake

In today’s PV inverters, the high input capacitance, necessary for the energy storage during the slow 60Hz cycle is provided by bulky electrolytic capacitors. Liquid electrolyte stored in the capacitor is quickly evaporated due to above rating temperatures, leading to a rise in ESR (equivalent series resistance). The resulting elevated heat dissipation reduces efficiency and accelerates degradation, possibly leading to eventual failure of the inverter. The challenge is to replace these electrolytic capacitors with a different energy storage element. This thesis proposes a new inverter …

How Land Use Regulations Inform Sustainable Development: A Look At Commercial Development In Bakersfield, California, Darcy Marie Reed

Master's Theses

This research analyzes the relationship between local land use regulations and commercial development in the City of Bakersfield, California, specifically focusing on how the regulations are used to inform commercial development to be sustainable or not. This research contributes to similar research efforts through its contribution of the Sustainable Development Indicator Checklist, the tool used to measure sustainable development within the regulations as well as the built environment. Analysis of six case study locations falling under the C-B (Central Business), C-C (Commercial Center), and PCD (Planned Commercial Development) zone designations indicated the local land use regulations were not informing development …

Feasibility Of Microsatellite Active Debris Removal Systems, Karsten J. James

Master's Theses

Space debris has become an increasingly hazardous obstacle to continued spaceflight operations. In an effort to mitigate this problem an investigation of the feasibility of a microsatellite active debris removal system was conducted. Through proposing a novel concept of operation, utilizing a grapple-and-tug system architecture, and by analyzing each resultant mission phase in the frame of a representative example, it was found that microsatellite scale systems are capable of fulfilling the active debris removal mission. Analysis of rendezvous, docking, control and deorbit mission requirements determined that the design of a grapple-and-tug system will be driven by sizing of the propellant …

Cplop: The Cal Poly Library Of Pyroprints, Jan Lorenz Villaceran Soliman

Master's Theses

To date, microbial source tracking (MST), i.e. determining the source of microbial contamination based on the specific strains observed in the environment, often uses methods that are time-consuming, expensive and not always reliable. The biology department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo has developed a new method for MST called pyroprinting. Pyroprints can be used as DNA fingerprints for identifying sources of fecal contamination and studying bacterial populations in host animals. The MST method consists of two parts: the pyroprinting process and a database of pyroprints. The Cal Poly Library of Pyroprints (CPLOP) was developed to provide a database application …

Computational Modeling To Evaluate Helical Electrode Designs For Use In Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Anthony W. Cowley

Master's Theses

An estimated 0.5% of world’s population has been diagnosed with epilepsy. Of these patients 20-30% will be unable to achieve seizure control with anti-epileptic drugs. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) may be an appropriate treatment option for some patients with pharmaceutically refractory, partial-onset seizures.

VNS therapy uses a helical electrode to interface between the implantable pulse generator and the vagus nerve. While there have been several studies related to the mechanical and electrical safety of such electrodes, little work has been done toward understanding the effectiveness of the helical electrode in nerve stimulation. A better understanding of the voltage field and …

In-Ground Plastic Hinge Analysis For Piles Used In Marine Oil And Lng Terminals, Neda Eva Saeedy

Master's Theses

The design and maintenance of Marine Oil and LNG Terminals is governed by the Marine Oil Terminal Engineering and Maintenance Standards (MOTEMS) which is part of the 2010 Title 24 California Code of Regulations, Part 2, California Building Code, Chapter 31F: Marine Oil Terminals. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the current recommendations for the in-ground plastic hinge length and depth for piles in section 7 of MOTEMS for all typical soil properties and pile dimensions found in Marine Oil and LNG Terminals. The pile types considered in this analysis are 24-inch octagonal prestressed concrete piles and 24-, …

Latent Cysteine Residues From Polymers Prepared Via Free And Controlled Radical Polymerizations, Douglas Vincent Amato

Master's Theses

One less commonly used “click” reaction is thiazolidine chemistry. Thiazolidine chemistry is a commonly used reaction used in biological systems because the reaction requires the presence of both cysteine (a common amino acid) and an aldehyde or ketone. If cysteine residues could be incorporated into a polymer then a variety of applications could be developed. Polymers containing free thiols (aka thiomers) have developed in the last decade to become great mucoadhesives. If there was a facile route to control the amount of free thiols along the polymer then more fine-tuned and potentially stronger adhesives could be made. For these reasons …

Multiple Input Single Output (Miso) Tablet/ Phone Charger, Kevin Wong

Master's Theses

This thesis entails the design and implementation of a multiple input single output (MISO) DC-DC converter using the flyback topology to charge tablets/ smartphones or any USB powered portable device. The MISO converter will enable the use of various renewable energy sources such as a solar panel/ rechargeable battery combination, bicycle dynamo, hydroelectric power, and wind turbine. This paper will cover the design, simulations, and test results of the MISO converter. The flyback topology was chosen due to its low part count and its efficiency at low power. The proposed converter has a nominal 12V input to output USB 2.0 …

Real Time Visibility Culling With Hardware Occlusion Queries And Uniform Grids, Ilya Iseletsk Seletsky

Master's Theses

Culling out non-visible portions of 3D scenes is important for rendering large complex worlds at an interactive frame rate. Past 3D engines used static prebaked visibility data which was generated using complex algorithms. Hardware Occlusion Queries are a modern feature that allows engines to determine if objects are invisible on the fly. This allows for fully dynamic destructible and editable environments as opposed to static prebaked environments of the past. This paper presents an algorithm that uses Hardware Occlusion Queries to cull fully dynamic scenes in real-time. This algorithm is relatively simple in comparison to other real-time occlusion culling techniques, …

Design And Modeling Of Centralized Distribution Network For The Dc House Project, Harpreet S. Bassi

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the design, modeling, simulation, and performance evaluation of Centralized Distribution Network for the DC House Project. Power System Computer Aided Design (PSCAD) is used to model a Centralized PV Source, Battery Bank, and Distribution Network for 25 DC Houses. Design and modeling of each component in the proposed system are described. For the performance evaluation, emphasis is on voltage stability and system reliability under different operating conditions. Results from the simulation demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed Centralized Distribution Network for the DC House Project to support the houses during non-generation periods and distribution network voltage …

Manufacturing Execution System (Mes) An Examination Of Implementation Strategy, Riley F. Elliott

Master's Theses

The priorities of executing the manufacturing orders generated by an MRP system are often in operational conflicts with the dynamics of the manufacturing floor. It is not uncommon for a given manufacturing order to reach the shop floor several weeks or longer after being "opened" by an MRP system where it may face a chaotic case of large queues, machine down-time, parts shortage, scrap problems and other resource management constraints. Many companies have resorted to the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software solution to resolve these problems. This method first gained popularity in mid-90’s within the semiconductor industry. An MES approach …