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How It\u27s Made: The Crime and Kombucha Podcast
Get PDFThe goal of this senior project is to write, produce, edit and market a podcast through the application of skills acquired throughout the culmination of a Cal Poly journalism degree. The podcast created in conjunction with this senior project is called Crime and Kombucha. Crime and Kombucha is a true crime and pop culture podcast hosted by two bubbly best friends, Marcela Cabral and Melissa Nemeth. It explores the relationship between true crime and pop culture, both of which cannot exist without the other in modern internet culture, using one genre to understand the other. In fact, the “Kombucha” in the name is a placeholder for pop culture. Crime and Kombucha aims to be a form of catharsis for its listeners, because, let’s face it, the world is crazy and it is human nature to desire sense out of what is being experienced and justification for beliefs and fears. Successfully communicating this mission is another key objective in this project
Abbott Cardiac Electrophysiology Wet Lab Project
Get PDFCardiac mapping systems provide electrophysiologists with pertinent information about ablation treatment plans for patients who suffer from cardiac arrhythmias. This thesis describes the process of designing a functional wet lab that integrates with Abbott’s EnSite Precision 3D Mapping System, with the purpose of providing Cal Poly students and faculty with an opportunity to have a hands-on learning experience with cardiac mapping. This project encompassed a thorough literature review of cardiology, electrophysiology, and in vitro lab systems, followed by the design, manufacturing, and evaluation of a functional and anatomically representative wet lab. This is a continuation of previous master’s projects that had similar goals. Improvements included more accurate geometry collection, anatomical landmarks and physiologically accurate conditions, and usability improvements. The outcome of this project was a functional wet lab, fully integrated with the Abbott EnSite System with accurate geometry collection within 6% error. Anatomically accurate vasculature and a left atrium were incorporated to further enhance the capabilities and authenticity of the lab. We hope that the Cal Poly community will continue to expand upon and make use of the wet lab
Developing a Data Acquisition System for Use in Cold Neutral Atom Traps
Get PDFThe rising interest in quantum computing has led to new quantum systems being developed and researched. Among these are trapped neutral atoms which have several desirable features and may be configured and operated on using lasers in an optical lattice. This work describes the development of a new data acquisition system for use in tuning lasers near the precise hyperfine transition frequencies of Rb 87 atoms, a crucial step in the functionality of a neutral atom trap. This improves on previous implementations that were deprecated and limited in laser frequency sweep range. Integration into the experiment was accomplished using an Arduino microcontroller and Python for real-time data acquisition and visualization
Integration of Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy for Multichannel Cell Culture Measurement
Get PDFELECTROCHEMICAL IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY (EIS) has been widely used to study the electrical properties of biological material due to its non-invasive nature and experimental reliability. However, most of the precision impedance analyzers used in EIS only provide single- or two-channel measurements which are inadequate for larger-scale multiplexed measurements, such as those found in modern microfluidic cell culture experiments. The Biomedical Microsystems Laboratory has developed a 16-channel cell culture platform with integrated electrode arrays for monitoring cell growth and electrical properties (i.e., the so-called “electrical phenotype”). In this paper, a system consisting of a 16-channel solid-state analog multiplexer (MUX)paired with a low-cost, impedance analyzer is developed to replace high-cost physical relay MUX and impedance analyzer systems. System requirements and design constraints for monitoring biological systems are considered and a prototype device was fabricated. Initial testing was performed on a breadboard to verify the feasibility of the design idea. Results identified measurement errors due to parasitic elements in the system. Software compensation successfully corrected for parasitic capacitance in the analog MUX design. The accuracy of the measurement system was evaluated on a developed Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) by comparing theoretical values to MUX compensated data. Finally, an EIS experiment was carried out with tap water with the PCBA system, and measurement results were analyzed using an equivalent Circuit Model (ECM). These results successfully captured the dynamics of charge transport in the electrical double layer, consistent with a modified-Randlecell ECM
Effect of Indentation on Sandwich Composite Structure Mechanical Behavior
Get PDFComposite sandwich structures are prevalent in engineering applications where high strength to weight ratios are critical. A composite sandwich includes the addition of a core material between two composite face sheets to increase ultimate stress in compression and bending loading cases. The performance of many composite sandwich structure configurations is well understood in the undamaged case. This analysis examines a type of damage, low velocity indentation, and determines the effect on mechanical behavior. The scope of the analysis includes manufacturing sandwich composite structures, creating indentation in the composite, and testing the sandwich composite structure. The mechanical behavior of the composite sandwich structures is characterized through ASTM C364 test standard for compressive strength and ASTM C393 standard test standard for flexural properties of sandwich constructions. The experiment is conducted with varied indentation depth, core materials, composite sandwich thickness, and composite face sheet thickness. The findings are compared to control specimens and used to determine the effect of indentation depth and create a relationship for the mechanical performance of indented sandwich composites
Assessing the Impact of Bicycle Infrastructure and Modal Shift on Traffic Operations and Safety Using Microsimulation
Get PDFA transportation system designed to prioritize the mobility of automobiles cannot accommodate the growing number of road users. The Complete Streets policy plays a crucial part in transforming streets to accommodate multiple modes of transportation, especially active modes like biking and walking. Complete streets are referred to as streets designed for everyone and enable safety and mobility to all users. A strategy of complete streets transformation is to connect isolated complete street segments to form a complete network that improves active mobility and public transit ridership.
This research assessed the impact of efficiently and equitably connecting and expanding the biking network using dedicated lanes on the safety and operation of the network in Atlanta, Georgia. These connections are aimed at increasing the multimodal use of the streets in midtown and downtown Atlanta and achieving the mobility and public health goals through the integration of various modes of travel. The evaluation was done by modeling a well-calibrated and validated network of Midtown and Downtown Atlanta in VISSIM using existing travel demand and traffic design conditions (i.e., the baseline or Scenario 0). A total of three different conditions: existing, proposed, and alternative conditions, were modeled to see the effectiveness of bike infrastructure design improvement and expansion. Three scenarios were then modeled as variations of modal demand of the different condition models. Scenarios modeled are based on input from the City and Community stakeholders. Using the trajectory data from microsimulation, the surrogate safety assessment model (SSAM) from FHWA was used to analyze the safety effect on the bike infrastructure improvement and expansion. Results of this study showed a positive impact of complete streets transformation on the streets of Midtown and Downtown Atlanta. These impacts are quantified in this thesis
Impact of Incorporating Intuitive Eating Principles Into a College Nutrition Course on Eating Behaviors
Get PDFObjective: This study aimed to assess the impact of an online introductory college nutrition course that implements evidence-based intuitive eating (IE) concepts and principles on students’ application of IE behaviors. A secondary outcome explored the relationship between student grades and changes in IE behavior implementation. Researchers hypothesized an increase in the average use of IE practices post-intervention.
Methods: This study was a non-randomized pilot intervention using pre- and post-test surveys. Enrolled students completed the intuitive eating scale-2 (IES-2) survey on the first and last days of the 16-week course. Students participated in typical nutrition coursework throughout the semester with the addition of information on IE. Total and subscale average IES-2 scores were calculated and analyzed before and after the intervention.
Results: Weight-neutral, non-diet nutrition education on IE led to improvement in the total average implementation of IE behaviors (p=0.022) in twenty-three college students. No significant changes were detected in the IES-2 subscale measures. A significant positive association was observed between student grades and changes in mean IES-2 scores.
Conclusions and Implications: Based on study findings, adding education regarding IE principles into a basic nutrition course is an effective way to significantly increase total IE habits within an undergraduate student population. Results warrant consideration for standardizing incorporation of weight-neutral education in health courses to improve health behaviors
Structural Loads and Preliminary Structural Design for a World Speed Record-Breaking Turbo-Prop Racing Airplane
Get PDFThe Cal Poly SLO Turbo-Prop Racer project aims to design a world speed record-breaking aircraft, capable of flying more than 550 miles per hour on a 3-kilometer closed course. To further this endeavor, this thesis presents the calculations of load distributions across the aircraft’s wing and tail and preliminary structural estimates of primary structural components for verification of the loads calculations and for use in a future finite element model. The aircraft’s fundamental design characteristics effect on the structure of the aircraft, namely the unique Y-tail design, are first examined. Then, loads are calculated in accordance with the regulation dictated by CS-23. Maneuvering loads, gust loads, ground loads, and engine loads are calculated through the Vortex-Lattice Method and CS-23 to provide input for detailed structural analysis. Structural thickness estimates are found using simplified analytical stress analysis. The wing and tail’s primary spars’ spar-caps and shear-webs, the wing and tail skins, and the rear fuselage are all calculated. The loads and thicknesses found are shown to be within order of reason and to support the fundamental design characteristics of the aircraft, pushing the project to continue toward its goal
