Vid klinisk enbaspolymorfi (SNP) analys inkluderas DNA-kontroller med kända genotyper i varje analysomgång för att säkerställa riktigheten vad gäller analysresultatet. DNA-kontrollerna har en central roll för resultatens trovärdighet vid genotypningen. Vissa kontrollprover som används är av sällsynt genotyp och kan vara mycket svåra att få tag på. Detta arbete har utförts för att undersöka om det går att erhålla DNA-material från sällsynta genotyper med hjälp av helgenomamplifiering och på så sätt säkerställa en tillgång till dessa. I arbetet testades helgenomamplifiering med hjälp av två olika kit. De helgenomamplifierade produkternas kvantitet och kvalitet analyserades och jämfördes med det ursprungliga DNA:t, med avsikt att redogöra för det mest fördelaktiga kitet för SNP-analys i kliniskt syfte. Båda helgenomamplifierings-kiten påvisade god förmåga att amplifiera genomiskt DNA med hög kvalité. Helgenomamplifierat DNA från det bästa kitet sekvenserades och här var skillnader mellan ursprungligt och helgenomamplifierat DNA marginella. Vid sekvensanalys av ett 464 baspar långt fragment av faktor II genen och 585 baspar långt fragment av ApoE genen på fem helgenomamplifierade DNA-prover påvisades endast en eventuell diskrepans. / Clinical single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) analysis includes DNA controls with known genotypes in each run to ensure the accuracy of the analysis results. DNA controls have a central role for the credibility of the results in the genotyping process. Some of the used control samples are rare and can be very difficult to obtain. This work was carried out to investigate whether it is possible to obtain DNA from samples with a rare genotype using whole genome amplification and as a result ensure access to these samples. In this work the whole genome amplification method was tested by two different kits. The quantity and quality of the whole genome amplification products were analyzed and compared with the original DNA, with the intention to describe the most advantageous kit for clinical SNP analysis. Both tested kits demonstrated a good ability to amplify genomic DNA with high quality. Whole genome amplified DNA from the best kit was sequenced and the difference between the original DNA and whole genome amplified DNA was negligible. Sequence analysis of 464 base pairs of the factor II gene and 585 base pairs of the ApoE gene in five whole genome amplified DNA samples indicated only one possible discrepancy.

Offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are becoming an accepted method for generating electricity. The environmental conditions of offshore locations often impose high wind and wave forces on OWTs making them susceptible to intense loading and undesirable vibrations. One method to reduce system vibrations is through the use of structural control devices typically utilized in civil structures. Tuned liquid column dampers (TLCDs) show great promise in the application to OWTs due to their high performance and low cost. This thesis examines the use of TLCDs in OWTs. Equations of motion for limited degree-of-freedom TLCD-turbine models are presented. A baseline analysis of each OWT is performed to generate a quantitative comparison to show how a TLCD would affect the overall dynamics of the system. The models are then subjected to two methods of testing. Optimal TLCD dimensions are derived for the models using a deterministic sweep method. The TLCD configurations examined include those with a uniform and non-uniform column cross-sectional area. The TLCD is shown to successfully reduce overall tower top displacement of each of the OWTs as well as the platform pitch when applicable. In some cases, use of the TLCD actually increases overall tower and platform motion. This thesis also examines the use of idealized tuned mass dampers (TMDs) in OWTs. Comparisons between the optimized TLCD and the idealized TMD are made with regards to motion reduction and parameter values.

It is often desirable to study simulated turbulent flows at steady state even if the flow has no inherent source of turbulence kinetic energy. Doing so requires a numerical forcing scheme and various methods have been studied extensively for turbulence that is isotropic and homogeneous in three dimensions. A review of these existing schemes is used to form a framework for more general forcing methods. In this framework, the problem of developing a forcing scheme in Fourier space is abstracted into the two problems of (1) prescribing the spectrum of the input power and (2) specifying a force that has the desired characteristics and that adds energy to the flow with the correct spectrum. The framework is used to construct three forcing schemes for horizontally homogeneous and isotropic, vertically stratified turbulence. These schemes are implemented in large-eddy simulations and their characteristics analyzed. Which method is “best” depends on the purpose of the simulations, but the framework for specifying forcing schemes enables a systematic approach for identifying a method appropriate for a particular application.

Offshore wind turbines have the potential to be an important part of the United States' energy production profile in the coming years. In order to accomplish this wind integration, offshore wind turbines need to be made more reliable and cost efficient to be competitive with other sources of energy. To capitalize on high speed and high quality winds over deep water, floating platforms for offshore wind turbines have been developed, but they suffer from greatly increased loading. One method to reduce loads in offshore wind turbines is the application of structural control techniques usually used in skyscrapers and bridges. Tuned mass dampers are one structural control system that have been used to reduce loads in simulations of offshore wind turbines. This thesis adds to the state of the art of offshore wind energy by developing a set of optimum passive tuned mass dampers for four offshore wind turbine platforms and by quantifying the effects of actuator dynamics on an active tuned mass damper design. The set of optimum tuned mass dampers are developed by creating a limited degree-of-freedom model for each of the four offshore wind platforms. These models are then integrated into an optimization function utilizing a genetic algorithm to find a globally optimum design for the tuned mass damper. The tuned mass damper parameters determined by the optimization are integrated into a series of wind turbine design code simulations using FAST. From these simulations, tower fatigue damage reductions of between 5 and 20% are achieved for the various TMD configurations. A previous study developed a set of active tuned mass damper controllers for an offshore wind turbine mounted on a barge. The design of the controller used an ideal actuator in which the commanded force equaled the applied force with no time lag. This thesis develops an actuator model and conducts a frequency analysis on a limited degree-of-freedom model of the barge including this actuator model. Simulations of the barge with the active controller and the actuator model are conducted with FAST, and the results are compared with the ideal actuator case. The realistic actuator model causes the active mass damper power requirements to increase drastically, by as much as 1000%, which confirms the importance of considering an actuator model in controller design.

Through the use of multiple methodologies and analytical approaches, this dissertation combines (1) sales control; (2) call center service; and (3) motivational theory to extend sales control literature beyond its current state, to consider the conflicting motivational perspectives an inside sales agent has to experience. To achieve this unification, this dissertation consists of three essays intended to: (1) identify the influence of autonomous and controlled motivation on operational sales outcome controls and performance; (2) explore the influence these motivators have on sales controls and sales performance; and, (3) understand the impact of autonomous and controlled motivation on sales agent tenure.

The Cal Poly Sustainable Power for Electrical Resources (SuPER) project is a solar power DC distribution system designed to autonomously manage and supply the energy needs of a single family off-the-grid home. The following thesis describes the improvement and re-design of a MATLAB Simulink model for the Cal Poly SuPER system. This model includes a photovoltaic (PV) array, a lead-acid gel battery with temperature effects, a wind turbine model, a re-designed DC-DC converter, a DC microgrid, and multiple loads. This thesis will also include several control algorithms such as a temperature controlled thermoelectric (T.E.) cooler, intelligent load switching, and an intelligent power source selector. Furthermore, a seven day simulation and evaluation of the results are presented. This simulation is an important tool for further system development, re-design, and long term system performance prediction.

ABSTRACT Bridgeless Active Power Factor Correction Using a Current Fed Push Pull Converter Jeramie Seth Bianchi Switched Mode Power Supplies have become increasingly popular for efficient methods of delivering power to an assortment of electronic devices. This thesis proposes a method of using a current fed push pull converter to provide active power factor correction and rectification in a single stage. While most AC-DC converters utilize a bridge rectifier to convert AC-DC and then perform DC-DC conversion, the proposed circuit will utilize its output diodes to perform rectification, thus eliminating the need for a bridge rectifier. This circuit will also inherently provide power factor correction because the input current has a continuous path for current flow due to the current fed topology where no time exists for both switches to be off. Through analog circuitry for the controller, multiple methods of AC main switching are tested, including isolation techniques using optocouplers, to prove the most efficient way to control a bidirectional switch. Simulations with PSPICE and hardware implementation of the design prove that alternative methods to provide quality power conversion for Switched Mode Power Supplies are available. Keywords: Active Power Factor Correction, Current Fed Push Pull Converter, SMPS, Bidirectional Switching, IGBT, Bridgeless Rectification

Football is a much loved sport in the United States. Unfortunately, it is also hard on the players and puts them at very high risk of concussion. To combat this an inventor in Santa Barbara brought a new design to Cal Poly to be tested. The design was tested in small scale first in order to make some preliminary conclusions about the design. In order to fully test the helmet design; however, full scale testing was required. In order to carry out this testing a drop tower was built based on National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, NOCSAE, specification. The drop tower designed for Cal Poly is a lower cost and highly portable version of the standard NOCSAE design. Using this drop tower and a 3D printed prototype the new design was tested in full scale.

Structural dynamics is at the center of wind turbine tower design - excessive vibrations can be caused by a wide range of environmental and mechanical sources and can lead to reduced component life due to fatigue, noise, and impaired public perception of system integrity. Furthermore, periodic turbulent wind conditions can cause system resonance resulting in significantly increased structural loads. Structural vibration issues may become exacerbated in small wind applications where the analytical and experimental resources for system verification and optimization are scarce. This study combines several structural analysis techniques and packages them into a novel and integrated form that can be readily used by the small wind community/designer to gain insight into tower/rotor dynamic interaction, system modal characteristics, and to optimize the design for reduced tower loads and cost. The finite element method is used to model the tower structure and can accommodate various configurations including fixed monopole towers, guy-wire supported towers, and gin-pole and strut supported towers. The turbine rotor is modeled using the Equivalent Hinge-Offset blade model and coupled to the tower structure through the use of Lagrange’s Equations. Standard IEC Aeroelastic load cases are evaluated and transient solutions developed using the Modal Superposition Method and Runge-Kutta 4th order numerical integration. Validation is performed through comparisons to theoretical closed form solutions, physical laboratory test results, and peer studies. Finally a case study is performed by using the tool to simulate the Cal Poly Wind Power Research Center Wind Turbine and Tower System. Included in the case study is an optimization for hypothetical guy-wire placement to minimize tower stresses and maximize the tower’s natural frequency.

The focus of this document is on the design, modeling, and control of a self-balancing two wheel robot, hereafter referred to as the balance bot, driven by independent brushless DC (BLDC) motors. The balance bot frame is composed of stacked layers allowing a lightweight, modular, and rigid mechanical design. The robot is actuated by a pair of brushless DC motors equipped with Hall effect sensors and encoders allowing determination of the angle and angular velocity of each wheel. Absolute orientation measurement is accomplished using a full 9-axis IMU consisting of a 3-axis gyroscope, a 3-axis accelerometer, and a 3-axis magnetometer. The control algorithm is designed to minimize deviations from a set point specified by an external radio remote control, which allows the remote operator to steer and drive the bot wirelessly while it remains balanced. Multiple dynamic models are proposed in this analysis, and the selected model is used to develop a linear-quadratic regulator based state-feedback controller to perform reference tracking. Controller tracking performance is improved by incorporating a prefilter stage between the setpoint command from the remote control and the state-feedback controller. Modeling of the actuator dynamics is considered brie y and is discussed in relation to the control algorithm used to balance the robot. Electrical and software design implementations are also presented with a focus on effective implementation of the proposed control algorithms. Simulated and physical testing results show that the proposed balance bot and controller design are not only feasible but effective as a means of achieving robust performance under dynamic tracking profiles provided by the remote control.