Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of An Air-Cycle Environmental Control System For Automotive Applications, Christopher James Forster

Master's Theses

An air‐cycle air conditioning system, using a typical automotive turbocharger as the core of the system, was designed and tested. Effects on engine performance were kept to a minimum while providing the maximum amount of cooling possible and minimizing weight and space requirements. A test stand utilizing shop compressed air was developed to measure component performance. An unmodified automotive turbocharger was tested initially as a baseline in a Reversed‐Brayton Cycle air cooling system. Once the baseline was established, another aircycle machine, assembled from commercial turbocharger components chosen individually to optimize their performance for cooling purposes, was tested to improve the …

Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (Lscm): An Application For The Detection Of Morphological Alterations In Skin Structure, Shea C. Smith

Master's Theses

Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) is an optical imaging technique that provides improved resolution and sensitivity over conventional methods of optical microscopy. However, the cost of most commercial LSCM systems exceeds the financial limitations of many smaller laboratories. The design of a custom LSCM created at a fraction of the cost of a commercial model is discussed in this paper.

The increase in the incidence rate of skin cancer in the world today is alarming, as such, it is essential to provide an early, rapid and effective method for in vivo diagnostics of human skin tissue. LSCM is capable of …

The Electrical Properties Of Human Tissue For The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Melanoma Skin Cancer, Glenn Cameron Stante

Master's Theses

This thesis discusses the research, experimental methods, and data gathered for the investigation of a novel method for the diagnosis of melanoma skin cancer. First, a background about human skin tissue is presented. Then, a detailed description of melanoma along with current diagnosis techniques and treatment options are presented. In the experimental methods, the electrical properties of several types of tissue were analyzed, the purpose of which was to discover if a tissue type can be distinguished by its electrical properties alone. This would allow for the diagnosis of melanoma to be done by examining the electrical properties of the …

Dissolved Organic Matter Influences The Timing Of Embryonic Development Of The Purple Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus., Corbin J. Hodges

Master's Theses

Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) comprises one of the largest carbon reservoirs on earth and has long been considered a potential energy source for marine invertebrates. The importance of DOM transport has been adequately demonstrated for unicellular organisms, where DOM can meet 100% of an organisms energy needs, but the effects of DOM uptake for marine metazoans are less well understood. In this study, three general areas involving the influence of DOM transport to marine invertebrates were explored. First, we assessed the effects of using seawater exposed to high intensity ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on the study organism; embryos of the …

Latent Semantic Web Service Discovery And Composition Framework, (Winnie) Yuki Yick

Master's Theses

A web service is a software system that supports interoperable machine to machine interaction over the network. It can be any kind of service provided on the web that can exchange data between applications. In simple terms, it is any program that is callable by another program across the web using standard protocols. Web services are special because they are independent of the platform, programming language, and model design. In current web applications, more businesses are gradually publishing their business as services over the web. This growing number of web services available within an organization and on the Web raises …

Arroyo Toad (Anaxyrus Californicus) Life History, Population Status, Population Threats, And Habitat Assessment Of Conditions At Fort Hunter Liggett, Monterey County, California, Jacquelyn Petrasich Hancock

Master's Theses

The arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus) is a federally endangered species found on Fort Hunter Liggett, Monterey County, California. The species was discovered in 1996 and was determined to occupy 26.7 km of the San Antonio River from approximately 2.4 km northwest of the San Antonio Mission de Padua, to the river delta above the San Antonio Reservoir. The construction of the San Antonio Reservoir dam in 1963 isolated this northern population of arroyo toads. Through time, the Fort Hunter Liggett landscape has changed drastically. The land was heavily grazed by cattle until 1991, which considerably reduced vegetation in riparian areas. …

A Computational Model Of Apoptotic Osteocyte Correlation To Cortical Bone Remodeling Parameters, Michael Stephen Alexander

Master's Theses

The onset of osteoporosis caused by aging, disease states, and post-menopausal conditions significantly impacts patient quality of life, required healthcare funding, personal autonomy losses from increased fracture risk and the subsequent corrective surgery. Research has indicated that osteocyte apoptosis may be a key parameter in bone remodeling, raising the possibility of remodeling rate modulation for the mitigation of bone mass resorption. By developing therapies that target osteocyte apoptosis, it may be possible to prevent undesired bone remodeling activity while maintaining a healthy balance between damage formation in the form of microcracks induced by the strain environment and the removal of …

The Effect Of Embryo Biopsy And Vitrification On The Development Potential Of Equine Embryos, Richard O. Gearhart

Master's Theses

This study investigated the development potential of equine embryos in vitro after biopsy and vitrification. Twenty embryos were obtained from Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, and mix-breed light mares between three and ten years old. The twenty embryos were divided into a biopsy (n=10) and control group (n=10). The biopsy group underwent microaspiration biopsy using a micromanipulator to obtain a small tissue sample from the embryo. Both groups were then vitrified using a commercially available technique originally described by Carnevale (2006) at Colorado State \ University.

All 20 embryos were cultured in DMEM/Hams F-12 medium under oil at 37°C in 5% CO2 …

An Assessment Of Indoor Infiltration Parameters For Black Carbon From Residential Wood Combustion And The Spectral Dependence Of Light Absorption For Organic Carbon, Christopher John Malejan

Master's Theses

Black carbon, a proxy for woodsmoke was measured indoors and outdoors for an occupied residence in Cambria, CA during the winter months of 2009. The purpose was to investigate the infiltration parameters: air exchange rate, deposition rate, and penetration factor. The second part of this study investigated the light absorption properties of organic carbon from residential wood combustion, the dominant fraction of woodsmoke.

To assess woodsmoke variation, a study conducted parallel to the one presented in this thesis (Ward, 2009), a grid array of personal emission monitors (PEMS) and aethalometers were placed in a small area, approximately one square kilometer, …

Drain Diverter, Hyung Joon Kim

Master's Theses

The DI water is commonly used to rinse production wafers to remove mechanical and chemical residue without any problematic chemical reaction in rinse process. The semiconductor industry wants to save their manufacture cost and reduce the industrial residue by recycling the deionized water during CPM process. The conductivity in recycled DI water is integrated over the time period.

The Drain Diverter, deionized wafer filtering system, is the automated system that detects the level of ions and controls the drain system by using conductive probes. The system contains hysteresis loop, valve feedback, relay circuit, and facility interlock. The recycled water valve …

Changing Portrayals Of Captain James Cook In Hawaiian Education, Christopher Aaron Straub

Master's Theses

This paper covers the portrayals of Captain James Cook within Hawaiian education. It begins by providing a backdrop to early European portrayals of Captain Cook and then proceeds to investigate how these portrayals changed as they were incorporated into Hawaiian textbooks. The paper then continues to illustrate the changes made in Cook’s portrayal within Hawaiian textbooks and how these changes coincide with the prevailing interests of the eras in which the authors wrote them.

A Neural Network Approach To Border Gateway Protocol Peer Failure Detection And Prediction, Cory B. White

Master's Theses

The size and speed of computer networks continue to expand at a rapid pace, as do the corresponding errors, failures, and faults inherent within such extensive networks. This thesis introduces a novel approach to interface Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) computer networks with neural networks to learn the precursor connectivity patterns that emerge prior to a node failure. Details of the design and construction of a framework that utilizes neural networks to learn and monitor BGP connection states as a means of detecting and predicting BGP peer node failure are presented. Moreover, this framework is used to monitor a BGP network …

Design And Performance Of Load Bearing Shear Walls Made From Composite Rice Straw Blocks, Kevin Robert Camann

Master's Theses

Although rice straw and other grains have been used in building since pre-history, in the past two decades, there has been a move to utilize this rapidly renewable, locally available, agricultural byproduct as part of the sustainable construction movement. Up to this point, this has been done by simply stacking up the full straw bales. Stak Block, invented by Oryzatech, Inc., is a modular, interlocking block made of a composite of rice straw and binding agent that serves as an evolution in straw construction. This study investigates the feasibility of using these Stak Blocks as a structural system. The report …

Swept-Frequency Sampled Grating Distributed Bragg Reflector Lasers Optimized For Optical Coherence Tomography Applications, Brandon J. George

Master's Theses

Swept Frequency Source Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) requires high repetition rate and wide spectral width wavelength tunable sources at a low cost. The sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector (SG-DBR) laser provides wide wavelength tuning range while exhibiting a wavelength switching speed that is among the fastest currently available. The SG-DBR laser is used to generate linear frequency ramps with high repetition rates. Since the SG-DBR laser is currently used for the telecommunications industry in high volume, the price of the system is much lower than current OCT sources. Therefore the SG-DBR laser provides a practical solution for Swept Source OCT. …

The War Powers Resolution: Reassessing The Constitutional Balance Of Power, Kasey Elizabeth Cable

Master's Theses

This thesis is an analysis of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and the impact it held on the role of Congress and the President in entering war. More specifically, this thesis takes a look at President Richard M. Nixon’s influence on the 93rd Congress’s decision to pass the War Powers Resolution after multiple failed attempts at similar legislation. Through a major domestic policy blunder, the Watergate break-in, and a foreign policy disaster, the on-going war in Vietnam, opposition to Nixon’s presidential conduct united both the House and the Senate and resulted in legislation that would attempt to restore the …

Effects Of Delamination On Composite Sandwich Structures Under Static And Fatigue Loading, Eugene Everett Eswonia

Master's Theses

This thesis will present the experimental and numerical analysis of composite sandwich structures under monotonic and fatigue loading. The sandwich skins were made of fiberglass and the core used was a closed cell PVC foam. Initial delaminations were introduced into the sandwich structures during manufacturing to see the effect of delamination size on the ultimate strength and monotonic fracture. Fiberglass rods, called shear keys, added to the foam core to determine whether or not they increased the strength of the test specimens. Furthermore, shear key locations were also varied and their effects noted. The fixed rate static behavior for all …

Outcomes Associated With Outward Bound And Nols Programs: A Means-End Study, Daniel Thomas Pronsolino

Master's Theses

Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) are two of the United State’s largest providers of outdoor education and adventure recreation programs. While many studies have examined the outcomes of the different organizations individually, there is very little comparative research. This study compared the attributes, consequences, and values obtained by 510 participants of courses 14 days or longer in the Rocky Mountain region during the summer of 2006.

Means-end theory was used to analyze data obtained from participants through personal interviews. Means-end theory links the physical objects or services, the means, with the outcomes and the personal values …

But Not In Vain: The Civil Rights Movement In San Luis Obispo, California 1947–1969, Joshua M. Harmon

Master's Theses

Civil rights have long been an important focus of historical scholarship. As the United States continues to grapple with issues of racism and the complicated legacy of the Civil Rights Movement, it is imperative that a variety of perspectives are incorporated into scholarship on the subject. Traditional scholarship on the subject has focused on the large organizations, individuals, marches, and activities that have come to characterize the Civil Rights movement. This study seeks to integrate the perspectives of a case study population, African Americans in San Luis Obispo, California, to assess the ways in which African Americans away from large …

Enhancing Dynamics Courses With Model Eliciting Activities, Lawrence H. Fong

Master's Theses

Model eliciting activities are assignments which require students to develop models to describe realistic situations. Every MEA follows six principles: model-construction, reality, self-assessment, model documentation, generalizability, and effective prototype. The six principles provide a solid guideline in which instructors can develop more MEAs, which can then be shared and used among several participating universities. Under NSF CCLI Grant #0717595, Cal Poly is currently developing Model Eliciting Activities for the subject of Mechanical Engineering.

This report documents the undertakings to implement and enhance two Model Eliciting Activities (MEAs) into the Cal Poly curriculum. Specifically, the development of the Vehicle Accident Reconstruction …

No-Till Tomato Production, Bradley L. Booker

Master's Theses

Tillage increases erosion rates and diminishes the quality of soils but has traditionally been a way to manage weeds and prepare a seedbed. No-till vegetable production can ameliorate the ill-effects of tillage in an economically effective way but has not been studied much in California. The objective of this thesis was to determine the viability of no-till vegetable cropping on the Central Coast of California. Tomatoes were grown in no-till and conventionally tilled treatments. Total yield, fruit weight, weed emergence, soil bulk density, soil aggregate stability, and soil organic carbon content were measured and compared. Yields and soil tests in …

Implementation Of Sustainable Management Practices At Two California Central Coast Vineyards And Their Effects On Soil Fertility, Dawn M. Stimson

Master's Theses

Implementation of Sustainable Management Practices at Two California Central Coast Vineyards and Their Effects on Soil Fertility

Dawn Michelle Stimson

“Sustainable agriculture” has gained increased popularity in recent years. This study was conducted to determine the effects of sustainable management practices on soil fertility at two California Central Coast vineyards. The effects of cover crops (Erosion Control Mix - blando brome [Bromus hordeaceus], hykon rose clover [Trifolium hirtum All.], and zorro annual fescue [Vulpia mourns]), green waste compost (Forest Blend), and reduced tillage on soil fertility were investigated in San Luis Obispo, California on a clay and sandy loam soil. …

Sensor Integration For Low-Cost Crash Avoidance, Stephane M. Roussel

Master's Theses

This report is a summary of the development of sensor integration for low-cost crash avoidance for over-land commercial trucks. The goal of the project was to build and test a system composed of low-cost commercially available sensors arranged on a truck trailer to monitor the environment around the truck. The system combines the data from each sensor to increase the reliability of the sensor using a probabilistic data fusion approach. A combination of ultrasonic and magnetoresistive sensors was used in this study. In addition, Radar and digital imaging were investigated as reference signals and possible candidates for additional sensor integration. …

Traffic Signal Control With Ant Colony Optimization, David T. Renfrew

Master's Theses

Traffic signal control is an effective way to improve the efficiency of traffic networks and reduce users’ delays. Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is a metaheuristic based on the behavior of ant colonies searching for food. ACO has successfully been used to solve many NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems and its stochastic and decentralized nature fits well with traffic flow networks. This thesis investigates the application of ACO to minimize user delay at traffic intersections. Computer simulation results show that this new approach outperforms conventional fully actuated control under the condition of high traffic demand.

The Next Generation Router System Cooling Design, Garrett A. Glover

Master's Theses

Advancements in the networking and routing industry have created higher power electronic systems which dissipate large amounts of heat while cooling technology for these electronic systems has remained relatively unchanged. This report illustrates the development and testing of a hybrid liquid-air cooling system prototype implemented on Cisco’s 7609s router. Water was the working fluid through cold plates removing heat from line card components. The water was cooled by a compact liquid-air heat exchanger and circulated by two pumps. The testing results show that junction temperatures were maintained well below the 105°C limit for ambient conditions around 30°C at sea level. …

Digital Circuit Wear-Out Due To Electromigration In Semiconductor Metal Lines, Gregory Ross Wilkinson

Master's Theses

With the constant scaling of semiconductor devices, reliability of these devices is a huge concern. One of the biggest reliability issues is a phenomenon known as electromigration (EM) [1] [2]. Electromigration is the transport of material caused by the gradual movement of the ions in a conductor due to the momentum transfer between conducting electrons and diffusing metal atoms [27]. The damage induced by electromigration appears as the formation of voids and hillocks, resulting in electrical discontinuity.

Based on previous Electromigration research [15], I have created a tool chain that identifies where electromigration is likely to occur in large-scale integrated …

Influence Of Crop Load On Fruit Composition Using Pinot Noir Grapes, Patrick G. Phelan

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Influence of Crop Load on Fruit Composition Using Pinot Noir Grapes

Patrick G. Phelan

November 2009

The two seasons for this trial were conducted in 2002 and 2003 at Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria, California. The trial consisted of pinot noir wine grapes clone 2a, grown on 101-14 rootstock. There were eight treatments with a control consisting of 25 vines per treatment, and 50 vines for the control.

The primary objective of this research experiment was to conduct different vine balance procedures and compare them to the amount of wine phenolics. The vines were altered with two procedures. …

A Rapid Prototyping Method For Constructing A Complex Three-Dimensional Substrate, Kathryn Jacoba Hart

Master's Theses

Cell culturing on three-dimensional structures has increased the possibilities in tissue engineering and bioreactor research. These structures enable cells to differentiate, proliferate, mobilize, and function in a conformation that more accurately mimics in vivo conditions. Computer generated models aid in development and rapid alteration of three-dimensional cell substrates, defining their internal structure as well as their external morphology. The rapid transition from substrate design to a viable culture is imperative to quickly advance research in biomedical and tissue engineering applications.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of a rapid prototyping process by selectively cross-linking and assembling …

Aerodynamic Performance Enhancement Of A Naca 66–206 Airfoil Using Supersonic Channel Airfoil Design, David Michael Giles

Master's Theses

Supersonic channel airfoil design techniques have been shown to significantly reduce drag in high-speed flows over diamond shaped airfoils by Ruffin and colleagues. The effect of applying these techniques to a NACA 66-206 airfoil is presented. The design domain entails channel heights of 8-16.6% thickness-to-chord and speeds from Mach 1.5-3.0. Numerical simulations show an increase in the lift-to-drag ratio for airfoils at Mach 2.5 at a 35,000-ft altitude with a 12% channel height geometry showing a benefit of 17.2% at 6-deg angle of attack and a sharp channel leading edge. Wave drag is significantly reduced while viscous forces are slightly …

The Fundability And Marketability Of Green Buildings At Public Universities: Transcending The Funding Paradigm At Cal Poly, Eileen E. Joseph

Master's Theses

While in recent years Cal Poly has moved in the direction of sustainable building, my research indicates that where other CSU’s have succeeded, Cal Poly has been challenged in developing the type of green buildings that would truly make new construction projects more sustainable. The most commonly cited barriers are cost and lack of funding. The outcome however (as evidenced by other CSU’s) is not just driven by the state’s capital outlay process that has historically supported new construction on CSU campuses. It is determined by the priorities, perceptions and values that have influenced Cal Poly’s decision makers and driven …

The Effect Of All-Trans Retinoic Acid And Fatty Acids On Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Progression, David A. Brown

Master's Theses

Vitamin A metabolites and retinoids may slow the progression of breast cancer and elicit anti-neoplastic properties similar to those of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies using animal models show a decrease in the incidence, growth and metastisis of mammary tumors in the presence of specific fatty acids. This effect is also seen with use of retinoids, specifically all-trans retinoic acid (AtRA). Thus, fatty acids may also alter retinoid homeostasis in mammary carcinoma cells (MCF-7s). The potential for inter/co dependency among fatty acids and retinoids is considerable, and here it has been hypothesized that a decrease in cancer progression will occur in …