Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Telescope Assembly Alignment Simulator Performance Optimization, Joshua G. Thompson, Brian Eney, Zaheer Ali, Bob Thompson

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Telescope Assembly Alignment Simulator (TAAS) calibrates scientific instruments (SI’s) that are installed on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). An SI’s accuracy is directly dependent on the consistent performance of the TAAS, which has never been fully characterized. After designing various thermal and optical experiments to identify the current unknowns of TAAS, we now have a far better grasp on how the equipment behaves.

Phoenix Mars Mission Wet Chemistry Laboratory Detection Limit Of Martian Soil Oxidants, Lauren B. Petersen, Richard C. Quinn Dr.

STAR Program Research Presentations

This project utilizes the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) Wet Chemistry Laboratory Testbed (WCL), a payload component of the NASA Phoenix Mars Mission, to analyze Mars soil analogs to find the limits of detection for various compounds of interest- including peroxides, chlorates, sulfates, and other oxidants. When the Phoenix Rover landed in the northern plains of Mars in the summer of 2008, three soil samples were analyzed for soluble components. In this analysis, large amounts of perchlorate were detected. Now, we are relooking at the Phoenix data to see if it shows evidence of other oxidants. The electrochemical techniques …

Quantification And In Vitro Analysis Of Nanolipoproteins (Nlps) Containing Adjuvants, Purna Venkataraman, Craig Blanchette, Nicholas O. Fischer

STAR Program Research Presentations

Nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) self-assemble into nanoscale structures that can be used as vaccines or drug delivery agents. Due to the nature of the NLPs, a variety of immune stimulating compounds or adjuvants can be readily incorporated into NLPs: a characteristic difficult to engineer into most other nanoscale platforms. In light of this, a method for quantifying the amount adjuvant actually incorporated into NLPs is a question of high importance. Through the use of reverse phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD), standard curves can be constructed by analyzing mixtures of NLP components of known concentration, …

Raman Mapping Of Mars Relevant Minerals Using Multiple Excitation Wavelenghts, Victoria Campbell, William Abbey

STAR Program Research Presentations

The purpose of this project is to map Mars relevant minerals using the Raman instrument Horiba LabRam Raman. The Raman spectrometer is a non-invasive sampling technique used to identify mineral composition of various compositions by measuring the “Raman Shift” of each mineral. This was accomplished by using a green (532nm) laser which acted as a monochromatic light source. This source was absorbed by the sample and reemitted. The frequency of the reemitted photons are then shifted up or down in comparison with original frequency, which is referred to as the ‘Raman Effect’. The samples with shorter wavelengths produced a stronger …

Uncertainty In Hydrologic Modelling For Estimating Hydrologic Response Due To Climate Change (Santiam River, Oregon), Christopher G. Surfleet, Desirée Tullos

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

This paper explores the predicted hydrologic responses associated with the compounded error of cascading global circulation model (GCM) uncertainty through hydrologic model uncertainty due to climate change. A coupled groundwater and surface water flow model (GSFLOW) was used within the differential evolution adaptive metropolis (DREAM) uncertainty approach and combined with eight GCMs to investigate uncertainties in hydrologic predictions for three subbasins of varying hydrogeology within the Santiam River basin in Oregon, USA. Predictions of future hydrology in the Santiam River include increases in runoff in the fall and winter months and decreases in runoff for the spring and summer months. …

The History And Environment Of A Faded Quasar: Hubble Space Telescope Observations Of Hanny’S Voorwerp And Ic 2497, William C. Keel, Chris J. Lintott, Kevin Schawinski, Vardha N. Bennert, Daniel Thomas, Anna Manning, S. Drew Chojnowski, Stuart Lynn

Physics

We present Hubble Space Telescope imaging and spectroscopy, along with supporting Galaxy Evolution Explorer and ground-based data, for the extended high-ionization cloud known as Hanny's Voorwerp, near the spiral galaxy IC 2497. Wide Field Camera 3 images show complex dust absorption near the nucleus of IC 2497. The galaxy core in these data is, within the errors, coincident with the very long baseline interferometry core component marking the active nucleus. Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) optical spectra show the active galactic nucleus (AGN) to be a type 2 Seyfert galaxy of rather low luminosity. The derived ionization parameter log U …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Graphene Oxide, Jeremy A. Waddell, Arthur Cheng, Bin Chen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Graphene, a single atomic layer of sp² carbon atoms, has gotten a lot of attention from the scientific community because of its excellent mechanical and electronic properties. The mechanical exfoliation methods used to obtain graphene nanosheets are not effective for large scale manufacturing, so scalable synthesis approaches from structurally similar compounds are of great scientific interest. Graphene oxide is one such compound which is synthesized through the oxidation of graphite powder. The oxidation was performed using a modification of the previous experimental procedure. After synthesis, the powder was fabricated into graphene oxide films through vacuum filtration and transfer to …

Exploration Of Charge Carriers In Obsidian, Ryan Nordvik, Friedemann Freund

STAR Program Research Presentations

This research effort is part of an ongoing investigation into stress-activated positive hole charge carriers in common igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. The findings have already revealed potential early earthquake detection mechanisms and caused a re-think on the processes that could conceivably contribute to the formation of and evolution of life. Positive holes are defect electrons in the oxygen anion sub-lattice of silicate minerals that have demonstrated some intriguing capabilities: flowing out of a stressed rock volume; causing oxidation reactions at the rock-water interface and ionization at the rock-air interface; and traveling great distances. This research seeks to determine if …

Nasa Flight Opportunities Program (Fop) Platform Tradeoffs Analysis, Stephanie Kugler, Dougal Maclise

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Flight Opportunities Program (FOP) exemplifies NASA’s shift in policy from a public driven space industry towards an emphasis on public-private partnerships. The Payloads team, as part of FOP, is responsible for soliciting, selecting and shepherding payloads that require flight testing in order to mature technologies, not only to reduce risk in a deep space or manned space missions, but also to develop critical technologies with multiple applications in space. Several companies have been awarded contracts to provide these flight opportunities and each have unique capabilities to fly payloads in environments that closely imitate the environment of space missions. As …

Electronics Development For The Cherenkov Telescope Array, Margaret C. Murphy, Justin Vandenbrouke

STAR Program Research Presentations

Gamma-ray astronomy promises to elucidate the highest-energy particle accelerators in the Universe, and could play a key role in identifying the nature of dark matter. The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), currently in the research and development stage, will study and capture gamma-rays with an order of magnitude grater sensitivity than the instruments already in place. Each telescope in the array will be equipped with dozens of camera modules each containing four TeV Array Readout with GSa/s sampling and Event Trigger (TARGET) chips. TARGET 4 has many internal settings, several of which were tested and analyzed to achieve an optimal operating …

Commissioning Of The Asta Laser Lab With Uv Pulse Length Characterization, Daniel Kelley, Jeff Corbett

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC depends on a photocathode electron gun to provide the linear accelerator with the raw material – electrons – used for making X-ray laser pulses. The photocathode used in the LCLS Injector is a clean copper plate in high vacuum. When the cathode is struck with high energy UV light, electrons are liberated from its surface and then accelerated down the linac with radio-frequency electric fields. These fast-moving bunches of electrons are directed through an undulator magnet to radiate X-ray light.

Although scientists have been using photocathode techniques at SLAC for 25 years, …

Analyzing Wind Turbine Controller Effects On Structure Stress, Leo Groner, Susan Frost

STAR Program Research Presentations

Wind turbines generate electric power from clean renewable sources. They must be robust and reliable. Utility-scale turbines are designed to produce power within a set of wind speed parameters. When winds change, wind turbine blade pitch is used to protect the turbine from over speed damage.

Advanced control algorithms can increase power by extending the performance envelope or they can extend lifetime by reducing stress. A FAST simulation written in MATLAB / Simulink is used to simulate the dynamics of the integrated aerodynamic, mechanical and control subsystems of the turbine. Resonance modes may lead to large amplitude displacements and damage. …

Leds And Astronomy, Britny N. Delp, Stephen M. Pompea

STAR Program Research Presentations

Using a Czerny-Turner spectrometer, 45 different types of outdoor lights were categorized. These spectra were used to determine how useful the light is to human eyes and how dark skies friendly these lights are. Dark skies friendly lighting means that little to no light shines above a right angle to the light, and should emit as little as possible below 500nm (green) wavelengths. The short wavelengths present a problem to astronomers in the form of Rayleigh scattering. The following criterion were used in selecting the best source for urban and rural lighting: color rendition measured by color rendering index (CRI), …

A Local Baseline Of The Black Hole Mass Scaling Relations For Active Galaxies. Ii. Measuring Stellar Velocity Dispersion In Active Galaxies, Chelsea E. Harris, Vardha N. Bennert, Matthew W. Auger, Tommaso Treu, Jong-Hak Woo, Matthew A. Malkan

Physics

We derive spatially resolved stellar kinematics for a sample of 84 out of 104 observed local (0.02 < z < 0.09) galaxies hosting type-1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs), based on long-slit spectra obtained at the 10 m W. M. Keck-1 Telescope. In addition to providing central stellar velocity dispersions, we measure major axis rotation curves and velocity dispersion profiles using three separate wavelength regions, including the prominent Ca H&K, Mg Ib, and Ca II NIR stellar features. In this paper, we compare kinematic measurements of stellar velocity dispersion obtained for different apertures, wavelength regions, and signal-to-noise ratios, and provide recipes to cross-calibrate the measurements reducing systematic effects to the level of a few percent. We also provide simple recipes based on readily observable quantities such as global colors and Ca H&K equivalent width that will allow observers of high-redshift AGN hosts to increase the probability of obtaining reliable stellar kinematic measurements from unresolved spectra in the region surrounding the Ca H&K lines. In subsequent papers in this series, we will combine this unprecedented spectroscopic data set with surface photometry and black hole mass measurements to study in detail the scaling relations between host galaxy properties and black hole mass.

Variability Studies Of Multi-Wavelength Data From Gamma-Ray Blazars Mrk 421 And Mrk 501, Brandon Becker

Physics

In this thesis we take astronomical multi-wavelength data from nearby blazars Markarian 421 and Markarian 501 and perform computational analysis and correlative studies to determine any possible time lag across different bands of our targets as well as to measure the statistical significance of this calculated result. The data was taken over the interval of December 2010 to May 2012 from multiple instruments spanning a broad range of wavelengths. We used the Discrete Correlation Function (DCF) to determine the time lag factor across data set pairs, focusing on X-ray and Very-High-Energy (VHE; >100 GeV) data. To establish the significance of …

Nearshore Internal Bores And Turbulent Mixing In Southern Monterey Bay, Ryan K. Walter, C. Brock Woodson, Robert S. Arthur, Oliver B. Fringer, Stephen G. Monismith

Physics

We observed transient stratification and mixing events associated with nearshore internal bores in southern Monterey Bay using an array of instruments with high spatial and temporal resolution. The arrival of the bores is characterized by surging masses of dense (cold) water that tend to stratify the water column. The bore is followed by a gradual drop in the temperature throughout the water column over several hours (defined here as the bore period) until a sharp warm-front relaxation, followed by high frequency temperature fluctuations, returns the column back to nearly its original state (defined here as the mixing period). Mixing periods …

Assessing County-Level Water Footprints Of Different Cellulosic- Biofuel Feedstock Pathways, Yi-Wen Chiu, May Wu

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

While agricultural residue is considered as a near-term feedstock option for cellulosic biofuels, its sustainability must be evaluated by taking water into account. This study aims to analyze the county-level water footprint for four biofuel pathways in the United States, including bioethanol generated from corn grain, stover, wheat straw, and biodiesel from soybean. The county-level blue water footprint of ethanol from corn grain, stover, and wheat straw shows extremely wide variances with a national average of 31, 132, and 139 L of water per liter biofuel (L_w/L_bf), and standard deviation of 133, 323, and 297 L …

The Lick Agn Monitoring Project 2011: Dynamical Modeling Of The Broad-Line Region In Mrk 50, Anna Pancoast, Brendon J. Brewer, Tommaso Treu, Aaron J. Barth, Vardha N. Bennert, Gabriela Canalizo, Alexei V. Filippenko, Elinor L. Gates, Jenny E. Greene, Weidong Li, Matthew A. Malkan, David J. Sand, Daniel Stern, Jong-Hak Woo, Roberto J. Assef, Hyun-Jin Bae, Tabitha Buehler, S. Bradley Cenko, Kelsey I. Clubb, Michael C. Cooper, Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, Kyle D. Hiner, Sebastian F. Hönig, Michael D. Joner, Michael T. Kandrashoff, C. David Laney, Mariana S. Lazarova, A.M. Nierenberg, Dawoo Park, Jeffrey M. Silverman, Donghoon Son, Alessandro Sonnenfeld, Shawn J. Thorman, Erik J. Tollerud, Jonelle L. Walsh, Richard Walters

Physics

We present dynamical modeling of the broad-line region (BLR) in the Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 50 using reverberation mapping data taken as part of the Lick AGN Monitoring Project (LAMP) 2011. We model the reverberation mapping data directly, constraining the geometry and kinematics of the BLR, as well as deriving a black hole mass estimate that does not depend on a normalizing factor or virial coefficient. We find that the geometry of the BLR in Mrk 50 is a nearly face-on thick disk, with a mean radius of 9.6^+1.2 _–0.9 light days, a width of the BLR of 6.9 …

On Teaching Arrays With Test-Driven Learning In Webide, Michael Hilton, David S. Janzen

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Test-driven development (TDD) has been shown to reduce defects and to lead to better code, but can it help beginning students learn basic programming topics, specifically arrays? We performed a controlled experiment where we taught arrays to two CS0 classes, one using WebIDE, an intelligent tutoring system that enforced the use of Test-Driven Learning (TDL) methods, and one using more traditional static methods and a development environment that instructed, but did not enforce the use of TDD. Students who used the TDL approach with WebIDE performed significantly better in assessments and had significantly higher opinions of their experiences than students …

Stratigraphy Of Quaternary Dunes By Sand Mineralogy And Pedogenic Features, Los Osos, California, Lyssa A. Cousineau

Master's Theses

The goal of this study was to assess mineralogy and pedogenic features of sand dunes in a stratigraphic sequence. The purpose was to determine whether these features significantly differ to reflect age differences with depth within the sequence. This study was conducted in Montaña de Oro State Park, located on the central Californian coast eighteen kilometers northwest of San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo County.

Samples were collected from the vertical exposure of one dune face by stratified random sampling at 1.0-m vertical intervals. Particle size distribution was determined through particle-size analysis by hydrometer and sieve. Electrical conductivity and …

Cuore Crystal Validation Runs: Results On Radioactive Contamination And Extrapolation To Cuore Background, F. Alessandria, E. Andreotti, R. Ardito, C. Arnaboldi, F. T. Avignone Iii, M. Balata, I. Bandac, T. I. Banks, G. Bari, J. Beeman, F. Bellini, A. Bersani, M. Biassoni, T. Bloxham, C. Brofferio, A. Bryant, C. Bucci, X. Z. Cai, L. Canonica, S. Capelli, L. Carbone, L. Cardani, M. Carrettoni, N. Chott, M. Clemenza, C. Cosmelli, O. Cremonesi, R. J. Creswick, I. Dafinei, A. Dally, A. De Biasi, M. P. Decowski, M. M. Deninno, A. De Waard, S. Di Domizio, L. Ejzak, R. Faccini, D. Q. Fang, H. A. Farach, E. Ferri, F. Ferroni, E. Fiorini, L. Foggetta, S. J. Freedman, G. Frossati, A. Giachero, L. Gironi, A. Giuliani, P. Gorla, C. Gotti, E. Guardincerri, T. D. Gutierrez, E. E. Haller, K. Han, K. M. Heeger, H. Z. Huang, K. Ichimura, R. Kadel, K. Kazkaz, G. Keppel, L. Kogler, Yu. G. Kolomensky, S. Kraft, D. Lenz, Y. L. Li, X. Liu, E. Longo, Y. G. Ma, C. Maiano, G. Maier, C. Martinez, M. Martinez, R. H. Maruyama, N. Moggi, S. Morganti, S. Newman, S. Nisi, C. Nones, E. B. Norman, A. Nucciotti, F. Orio, D. Orlandi, J. L. Ouellet, M. Pallavicini, V. Palmieri, L. Pattavina, M. Pavan, M. Pedretti, G. Pessina, S. Pirro, E. Previtali, V. Rampazzo, F. Rimondi, C. Rosenfeld, C. Rusconi, C. Salvioni, S. Sangiorgio, D. Schaeffer, N. D. Scielzo, M. Sisti, A. R. Smith, F. Stivanello, L. Taffarello, G. Terenziani, W. D. Tian, C. Tomei, S. Trentalange, G. Ventura, M. Vignati, B. S. Wang, H. W. Wang, C. A. Whitten Jr., T. Wise, A. Woodcraft, N. Xu, L. Zanotti, C. Zarra, B. X. Zhu, S. Zucchelli

Physics

The CUORE Crystal Validation Runs (CCVRs) have been carried out since the end of 2008 at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories, in order to test the performance and the radiopurity of the TeO₂ crystals produced at SICCAS (Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) for the CUORE experiment. In this work the results of the first 5 validation runs are presented. Results have been obtained for bulk contaminations and surface contaminations from several nuclides. An extrapolation to the CUORE background has been performed.

The Double Pendulum: Construction And Exploration, Benjamin J. Knudson

Physics

The exploration of a nonlinear mechanical system, the Double Pendulum, a physical pendulum on the end of a physical pendulum, using analytic and experimental approaches. Also included discussion of the design and construction of the Double Pendulum apparatus to work with Vernier LabPro and LoggerPro. The apparatus outputs live data of the angles to a LoggerPro which collects and produces time evolution graphs as well as a corresponding animation lending itself to comparison with theoretical models. Normal mode frequencies are found both analytically and experimentally for the the general (real) double pendulum. Examples of both simple (periodic) and complex (chaotic) …

Nuclear Waste Policy Act: Where We've Been And Where We're Headed, Kevin Flournoy

Physics

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act is analysed in its practical and political impact. A policy recommendation is made of greater state and regional autonomy of on-site waste storage.

The Spatial Distribution Of K-Factor Values Across A Toposequence And A Soil Survey Map Unit, Jacqueline Elizabeth Tilligkeit

Master's Theses

Rivers and streams are adversely affected by an increase in sedimentation in their waters from eroding land. High sediment loads in streams can bury fish eggs and prevent hatching, increasing nutrients in the water causing algae blooms, or even contaminating the water with heavy metals carried in or on the aggregates. The erodibility of soil is valuable knowledge to all land users so that we may predict soil loss and its potential to pollute streams. This is done by using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). By predicting soil loss from a given landscape, land managers can take mitigation …

Beaglebone Webcam Server, Alexander Corcoran

Computer Engineering

The Beaglebone Webcam Server is a Linux based IP webcam, based on an inexpensive ARM development board, which hosts its own web server to display the webcam feed. The server has the ability to either connect to a wired router, or to act as a wireless access point in order for users to connect and control its functions via any Wi-Fi enabled device.

Wireless Sensor Network For Wine Fermentation, Kerry Scharfglass, Andrew Lehmer

Computer Engineering

This project implements an automated temperature monitoring system for wine fermentation which is affordable, easy to use, and scalable to typical small winery setups. To realize these requirements, we implemented the system as a wireless sensor network utilizing commercial off-the-shelf hardware. Temperature and system diagnostic information is communicated wirelessly in a peer-to-peer network topology such that all information flows toward an aggregating server. The server makes the temperature information available over the Internet via a web application and alerts the winemaker by email when the temperature has left acceptable bounds that the winemaker may configure. This project also involved materials …

Development Of A Pyrotechnic Shock Simulation Apparatus For Spacecraft Applications, Joseph Binder, Matthew Mccarty, Chris Rasmussen

Aerospace Engineering

This report details the research, design, construction, and testing of a pyrotechnic shock simulation apparatus for spacecraft applications. The apparatus was developed to be used in the Space Environments Lab at California Polytechnic State University. It will be used for testing spacecraft components with dimensions up to 24”x12”x12” as well as CubeSats. Additionally, it may be used as an instructional or demonstrational tool in the Aerospace Department’s space environments course. The apparatus functions by way of mechanical impact of an approximately 20 lb stainless steel swinging hammer. Tests were performed to verify the simulator’s functionality. Suggestions for improvement and further …

Adaptive Randomization Designs, Jenna Colavincenzo

Statistics

Adaptive design methodologies use prior information to develop a clinical trial design. The goal of an adaptive design is to maintain the integrity and validity of the study while giving the researcher flexibility in identifying the optimal treatment. An example of an adaptive design can be seen in a basic pharmaceutical trial. There are three phases of the overall trial to compare treatments and experimenters use the information from the previous phase to make changes to the subsequent phase before it begins.

Adaptive design methods have been in practice since the 1970s, but have become increasingly complex ever since. One …

Analysis Of Dietary Patterns Over Freshman Year Of College, Chelsea Lofland

Statistics

This analysis is an investigation of changes in Cal Poly students’ eating habits over freshman year. The motivation behind this was an interest in college students’ lifestyles; college is the first time most students live on their own and it can be an important maturation period. College is stressful, exciting, liberating, and terrifying all at the same time. This distinctive life experience, along with my desire to handle big and messy data, led me to this research question.

The response variable analyzed was food consumption and the explanatory variables were: sex, race, quarter, food group, stress, exercise, BMI, sleep quality …

Lifestyle Choices In Relation To Bmi And Blood Pressure, Shawna Perry

Statistics

Cal Poly currently has one of the largest ongoing university health studies in the United States. Launched in Fall 2009, the Cal Poly FLASH study, led by the Kinesiology department and STRIDE, is a longitudinal study that tracks the classes of 2013 and 2014 through online surveys and physical assessments. The data collected covers various areas such as perceived health, lifestyle choices, and actual physical health.

My project analyzed the FLASH data to investigate the relationship between various perceived variables and actual health measures for Cal Poly freshmen. The motivation for this analysis was an interest in both diet and …