Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Real-Time Visualizations Of Ocean Data Collected By The Norus Glider In Svalbad, Norway, Daniel Medina, Mark A. Moline, Christopher M. Clark, Zoë J. Wood

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Modern robotics and sensors have expanded the ability to collect science data in underwater settings. Oftentimes, the collected data are deposited into files and databases where they sit in their separate and unique formats. Without easy to use visualization tools, it is difficult to understand and interpret the information within these data sets. NORUS, the North America-Norway educational program, has a scientific focus on how climate-induced changes impact the living resources and ecosystems in the Arctic. In order to obtain the necessary science data, the NORUS program utilizes the Slocum Glider, a form of underwater robot. We present a compelling, …

Direct Imaging Of Two-State Dynamics On The Amorphous Silicon Surface, S. Ashtekar, Gregory E. Scott, J. Lyding, M. Gruebele

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Amorphous silicon is an important material, amidst a debate whether or not it is a glass. We produce amorphous Si surfaces by ion bombardment and vapor growth, and image discrete Si clusters which hop by two-state dynamics at 295 K. Independent of surface preparation, these clusters have an average diameter of ~5 atoms. Given prior results for metallic glasses, we suggest that this cluster size is a universal feature. The hopping activation free energy of 0.93 ± 0.15 eV is rather small, in agreement with a previously untested surface glass model. Hydrogenation quenches the two-state dynamics, apparently by increasing surface …

Soil Development Processes On The Western Slope Of The Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains: A Geographic Study, Kristopher (Kris) Osterloh

Earth and Soil Sciences

No abstract provided.

Groundwater Research In Middle Earth, Thomas Lapoint

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

My senior project focused on studying saltwater intrusion in a coastal town of New Zealand. I feel lucky that I was able to travel to such a distant place, conduct research that was insightful and interesting, and immerse myself in an international culture all in the name of my education. As a Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies student, I aim to analyze not only the cultural differences and similarities that the foreign environment offers to me but also the detailed, technical, engineering aspect of my research. I believe that my education should be approached with a well rounded perspective that …

Artificial Muscle Project: Process Development Of Polydimethyl Siloxane Thin Films For Use In Dielectric Electroactive Polymer Artificial Muscle Actuators, Vincent J. Gayotin, Richard W. Morrison, Paul A. Preisser

Materials Engineering

An artificial muscle design was created founded on the principles of a dielectric electroactive polymer (DEAP), which is fundamentally similar to a capacitor. A polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS)-based elastomer, Sylgard 184 from Dow Corning, was chosen for the design and spun coat onto polystyrene (PS) Petri dishes at varying speeds to create a thin film, using speeds of 2000 rpm, 3000 rpm, 4000 rpm, 5000 rpm, and 6000 rpm. The film thicknesses were measured optically through use of a microscope with coupled computer imaging software to generate a characteristic curve of film thickness to spin speed, achieving a minimum film thickness …

The Effects Of Cure Schedule On Properties Of Glass-Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Matrix Composites, Trevor J. Lee

Materials Engineering

Two different two-component resin systems were cured, via Differential Scanning Calorimetry, for the times recommended by their respective manufacturers. The resin cure schedules were designed to simulate typical and attainable processing conditions; they were cured at 120°F, 140°F, and 160°F, and in-mold post-cured at 200°F, 230°F, and 260°F. The resulting scans were then compared to a baseline cure for each resin system, consisting of two heating-cooling cycles at a constant rate of temperature change. These baseline cures were then used to determine the percent cure of each sample and the shift in glass transition temperature between the baseline cure and …

Music And Radio Preferences On The Cal Poly Campus, Rory Bloch

Statistics

No abstract provided.

Using Survival Analysis Methods To Study Santa Barbara County Divorces, Joel Vazquez

Statistics

No abstract provided.

Dietary Patterns In Relation To Sleep And Stress In Cal Poly Freshman, Emily J. Conklin, Jongyoon Lee

Statistics

The Cal Poly FLASH study is a research project that was developed to assess overall health of college students. Beginning in Fall 2009, data have been collected longitudinally via online surveys and physical assessments on Cal Poly freshmen. Responses from 1520 students from Fall 2009 were used to investigate whether stress and sleeping habits are related to dietary patterns among Cal Poly students.

Factor analysis was used to categorize 33 food frequency variables into two categories – junk food and healthy food. Then, stepwise selection in a general linear model was conducted to identify lifestyle and demographic variables associated with …

An Exploration Of Non-Detects In Environmental Data, Juliana Fajardo

Statistics

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Roms Estimated Posterior Error Utilizing 4dvar Data Assimilation, Joseph Patrick Horton

Mathematics

The appropriateness of the approximate error calculated by the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) is analyzed using Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation (4DVAR) performed on a numerical model of the San Luis Obispo Bay. An effective method of sampling data to minimize the actual error associated with the assimilated numerical model is explored by using different data sampling methods. An idealized state of the SLO bay region ("Real Run") is created to be used as the real ocean, then a numerical model of this region is created approximating this Real Run; this is known as the "Simulated State". By taking samples from …

Creating An Environmental Education Program For Camp Fire Usa, Shannon Diaz

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The topic area for this Senior Project is Environmental Education. There were four environmental hands-on lesson plans that were created for the non-profit organization Camp Fire USA, Central Coast Council. These lessons will be implemented at Camp Natoma, the resident camp the Central Coast Council owns in Paso Robles, California. The lesson plans take up hour-long increments and have been created for youth ages eight through fifteen. The topics covered in the lessons include: composting; reduce, reuse, and recycle; solar energy; and wetlands. These lesson plans will be implemented as a new “Nature Class” that campers can choose to take …

Camera Study For Mammalian Carnivore Presence Across Seasons In Montana De Oro State Park, San Luis Obispo County, Ca, Samuel R. Young

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Montana de Oro (MDO) is one of the largest state parks in California. Little is known however about its wildlife or their habits. Large predators such as mountain lion (Puma concolor) and black bear (Ursus americanus), and non–native species such as red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral pig (Sus scropha) are of management concern because of their potentially dramatic ecological roles. Cameras were deployed at 5 sites along the Coon Creek hiking trail in spring (May 3–June 7), summer (July 15–August 19), and fall (October 10–November 23) sessions with the goal of …

The Mass Of The Black Hole In Arp 151 From Bayesian Modeling Of Reverberation Mapping Data, Brendon J. Brewer, Tommaso Treu, Anna Pancoast, Aaron J. Barth, Vardha N. Bennert, Misty C. Bentz, Alexei V. Filippenko, Jenney E. Greene, Matthew A. Malkan, Jong-Hak Woo

Physics

Supermassive black holes are believed to be ubiquitous at the centers of galaxies. Measuring their masses is extremely challenging yet essential for understanding their role in the formation and evolution of cosmic structure. We present a direct measurement of the mass of a black hole in an active galactic nucleus (Arp 151) based on the motion of the gas responsible for the broad emission lines. By analyzing and modeling spectroscopic and photometric time series, we find that the gas is well described by a disk or torus with an average radius of 3.99 ± 1.25 light days and an opening …

Megamaser Detection And Nuclear Obscuration In Seyfert Galaxies, M. Ramolla, M. Hass, V. N. Bennert, R. Chini

Physics

We revisit the relation between H₂O maser detection rate and nuclear obscuration for a sample of 114 Seyfert galaxies drawn from the CfA, 12 μm, and IRAS F25/F60 catalogs. These sources have mid-infrared spectra from the Spitzer Space Telescope and we search for accompanying X-ray and [O III] 5007 Å fluxes from the literature. We use the strength of the [O IV] 25.9 μm emission line as a tracer of the intrinsic AGN strength. After the normalization by [O IV], the observed X-ray flux provides information about X-ray absorption. The distribution of X-ray/[O IV] flux ratios …

130Te Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay With Cuoricino, E. Andreotti, C. Arnaboldi, F.T. Avignone Iii, M. Balata, I. Bandac, M. Barucci, J.W. Beeman, F. Bellini, C. Brofferio, A. Bryant, C. Bucci, L. Canonica, S. Capelli, L. Carbone, M. Carrettoni, M. Clemenza, O. Cremonesi, R.J. Creswick, D. Di Domizio, M.J. Dolinski, L. Ejzak, R. Faccini, H. A. Farach, E. Ferri, E. Fiorini, L. Foggetta, A. Giachero, L. Gironi, A. Giuliani, P. Gorla, E. Guardincerri, Thomas D. Gutierrez, E. E. Haller, K. Kazkaz, S. Kraft, L. Kogler, C. Maiano, R. H. Maruyama, C. Martinez, M. Martinez, S. Newman, S. Nisi, C. Nones, E. B. Norman, A. Nucciotti, F. Orio, M. Pallavicini, V. Palmieri, L. Pattavina, M. Pavan, M. Pedretti, G. Pessina, S. Pirro, E. Previtali, L. Risegari, C. Rosenfeld, C. Rusconi, C. Salvioni, S. Sangiorgio, D. Schaeffer, N. D. Scielzo, M. Sisti, A. R. Smith, C. Tomei, G. Ventura, M. Vignati

Physics

We report the final result of the CUORICINO experiment. Operated between 2003 and 2008, with a total exposure of 19.75 kg · y of ¹³⁰Te, CUORICINO was able to set a lower bound on the ¹³⁰Te 0vββ half-life of 2.8 x 10²⁴ years at 90% C.L. The limit here reported includes the effects of systematic uncertainties that are examined in detail in the paper. The corresponding upper bound on the neutrino Majorana mass is in the range 300–710 meV, depending on the adopted nuclear matrix element evaluation.

Coffee_Shop: Investigations Into Modern Word Processors., Nathaniel Welch

Computer Science and Software Engineering

My senior project was spent building a desktop application similar to WriteRoom and OmmWriter. These two applications are both word processors for the Macintosh OS X operating system. Both of these applications are designed to be a reset on word processing software, bringing their interfaces back to the days of Microsoft Word 3.0 and Word Perfect. They do this by spending more time on focusing on the design of the software interface, and focusing on keeping it minimalistic, instead of filling the product with new obscure features, which is a common complaint against the current iterations of Microsoft Word.

The …

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Connor Drake

Physics

The goal of this work is to use a Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) Laser, spectrometer, and computer to create a Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) system. LIBS utilizes a focused, high-powered, pulsed laser whose peak electric field ionizes materials at the beam focal point, creating localized plasma. The plasma state includes broken molecular bonds, atom/electron-ionization, and excited electrons, which on the macroscopic level is a loud “snap” and a bright spark. In this project, a fiber optic cable is used to capture light emitted from the spark, and direct it into a spectrometer which tallies the number of photons …

Projected Pinhole Diffraction, David Moore

Physics

The goal of this experiment was to observe the effects of passing light through a pinhole, more specifically, to observe the interference and diffraction that occurs due to the pinhole and to successfully achieve CCD camera recording of a projected diffraction pattern from a pinhole. This experiment involved the diffraction of a laser incident upon a 100-mm diameter circular aperture. The diffraction pattern is then projected using a 100-mm focal length plano-convex lens. The lens allows for the pattern to be magnified and stretched a few focal lengths past the lens where it can be then viewed using a CCD …

Submerged Pressure Differential Wave Energy Converter, Christopher F. Ferguson

Physics

As supplies of fossil fuels are becoming depleted, it is necessary to look for alternative sources of energy. The ocean is a vast, largely untapped source of renewable energy. This project attempts to design a device which can cheaply and reliably convert the energy from ocean waves into usable electrical energy. Computer simulations and oceanographic knowledge are utilized to develop a working design for an entirely submerged wave energy conversion device.

Analysis Of The 2008 Flare Of Markarian 421 Flare With Veritas, Casey Allard

Physics

A theoretical light curve model is fit to an observed short term flare of Markarian (Mrk) 421 in the very high energy spectrum. The flare is characterized by its measured light curve from the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging telescope Array System (VERITAS). The flare we analyzed occurred in May 2008. We successfully fit a theoretical model to the Mrk 421 data light curve. The data appears to agree with the Wagner [1] and Salvati [2] models. These models appear to fit both broad and sharp flaring regions found in the measured light curve. Furthermore the Wagner model is used to …

Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Computation, And The Density Operator In Sympy, Addison Cugini

Physics

Because aspects of quantum mechanics are both difficult to understand and difficult algebraically, there is a need for software which symbolically simulates quantum mechanical phenomena. To accomplish this goal, code has been added to an open-source computer algebra system, called SymPy, which models the abstraction of Dirac notation and the density operator. Additionally, a quantum computer simulation has been built using this abstraction. This paper shall discuss the code that has been added as well as any relevant physics important to understanding the code. In particular, we shall focus on the density operator of statistical quantum mechanics using SymPy's density …

Human Powered Helicopter: Observing The Impacts Of Ground Effect And Intermeshed Rotors, Shane Stowe

Physics

No abstract provided.

Symbolic Quantum Circuit Simplification In Sympy, Matthew Curry

Physics

In the field of quantum information science, one can design a series of quantum logic operations known as a circuit. Circuits are the basis for quantum computations in quantum computing. As circuits will most likely be designed from a logical standpoint, there could exist mathematical redundancies which will lead to a larger circuit than necessary. These redundancies are computationally expensive, and there is a need for them to be found and eliminated to simplify the circuit. We present our research on finding the rules for simplifying circuits and its implementation in SymPy.

Saturated Absorption For A Magneto-Optical Atom Trap As A Step Toward Atomic Dipole Traps In A Diffraction Pattern From A Circular Aperture, Andrew Ferdinand

Physics

Neutral atom quantum computing is a promising avenue toward the realization of a physical quantum computer. The diffraction pattern formed by laser light immediately behind a circular aperture can be used as optical atomic dipole traps, and has the potential to be scaled up to create a two dimensional array of individually addressable qubit sites. In working towards experimental demonstration of the dipole traps, we are constructing a MOT. The function of the MOT is to cool and trap ⁸⁷Rb in a localized cloud in our vacuum chamber, which will be used to load the dipole traps. One critical …

A Modular Design For Nuclear Battery Technology, Randy Lao

Physics

This paper is an exploration of the physics and technology behind the development and on-going research of nuclear batteries. This includes the topics of isotope radiation suitable for such a device as well as the components necessary to utilize the energy of natural decay, such as solid and liquid semiconductors. Most importantly for public use, the battery requires a safe containment system while allowing convenient modularity. An efficiency and total output comparison will be made with standard button cell and dry cell batteries. Also, a proposal is made for the design of an enclosure to contain radioactive materials. The safe …

Ferrofluids, James Patt

Physics

Ferrofluids are truly fascinating. Technologically savvy artists have been able to capture the human imagination with little but a judicious application of a magnetic field. The substance seems to defy gravity, flowing and shaping itself seemingly like magic (see Figure 1). The true magic, however, is the vast range of properties that this intrinsically simple substance can exhibit. It can vary its viscosity given the strength of the magnetic field. It can draw heat away from an over worked mechanical component. It can even split a beam of light in two. It’s hard to imagine what kind of strange and …

Android Application Controlled Surge Protector, Lok An

Electrical Engineering

A significant amount of consumer electronics cannot be switched off completely without being unplugged. Standby power, also known as phantom power, refers to the electric power consumed by electronic appliances when they are switched off. There are some devices that need constant power; items like alarm clocks and security systems need constant power to function correctly. Some devices, such as video game consoles and televisions, consume power without offering any features. Electricity lost from standby power has been increasing with the amount of consumer electronics increasing in households.

This project’s goal is to create a low power remote that can …

A Study Of Semi-Automated Tracing, Jeffrey Holden

Master's Theses

Requirements tracing is crucial for software engineering practices including change analysis, regression testing, and reverse engineering. The requirements tracing process produces a requirements traceability matrix(TM) which links high- and low-level document elements. Manually generating a TM is laborious, time consuming, and error-prone. Due to these challenges TMs are often neglected. Automated information retrieval(IR) techniques are used with some efficiency. However, in mission- or safety-critical systems a human analyst is required to vet the candidate TM. This introduces semi-automated requirements tracing, where IR methods present a candidate TM and a human analyst validates it, producing a final TM. In semi-automated tracing …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Linear And Branched Polylactic Acid For Use In Food Packaging Applications, Kyle C. Bentz

Master's Theses

Polylactic acid (PLA) resins of various molecular weights and molecular weight distributions were synthesized. Linear, narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD) PLA resins were synthesized, as well as resins containing both high molecular weight branched structures and low molecular weight chains and oligomers. Narrow MWD resins were synthesized for use as adhesives for corrugated paperboard and broad MWD resins were synthesized for use as a waterborne coating. PLA resins were dispersed for use as a waterborne coating. Success has been made at forming films utilizing various plasticizers and surfactants as well as polyvinyl alcohol as dispersing agents. A cold dispersion procedure …