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Item Adaptive-optics Optical Coherence Tomography Processing Using a Graphics Processing Unit(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2014) Shafer, Brandon A.; Kriske, Jeffery E.; Kocaoglu, Omer P.; Turner, Timothy L.; Liu, Zhuolin; Lee, John J.; Miller, Donald T.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyGraphics processing units are increasingly being used for scientific computing for their powerful parallel processing abilities, and moderate price compared to super computers and computing grids. In this paper we have used a general purpose graphics processing unit to process adaptive-optics optical coherence tomography (AOOCT) images in real time. Increasing the processing speed of AOOCT is an essential step in moving the super high resolution technology closer to clinical viability.Item Analysis of a Novel SPS Configuration Enabled by Lunar ISRU(2015) Schubert, Peter J.; Pinto, Sheylla Monteiro; Pires, Bruna Caroline; do Nascimento, Moises; Barks, Edward; Nderitu, Jonathan; Goncalves, Gabriel; Tokmo, Fatih; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyArchitectures for space-based solar power using in situ resource utilization (ISRU) of space materials can greatly reduce earth launch mass and can enable geometric capacity growth. These two factors allow the potential for low cost power generation after development of an in-space infrastructure. A collection of extraction and processing methods designed for lunar operation provides for large volumes of low cost solar panels. With abundant panels a novel configuration for solar power satellites (SPS) is possible which avoids many of the challenges of existing designs. The so-called "tin can" SPS has no moving parts. It includes integral thermal radiators. Station-keeping requirements are minimal. Structural integrity is designed-in so that balance of plant mass is minimal. In this work the architecture and infrastructure supporting the tin can SPS is developed to support rapid construction and deployment. Performance estimates for the SPS are provided regarding heat and energy balance, and specific mass requirements.Item Assessment of STEM e-Learning in an Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) Environment(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06) El-Mounayri, Hazim; Rogers, Christian; Fernandez, Eugenia; Satterwhite, Jesse Connor; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyThis paper shows the early research findings of utilizing a virtual reality environment as an educational tool for the operation of a computerized numerical control (CNC) milling machine. Based off of a previous work, the Advanced Virtual Machining Lab (AVML), this project features a virtual environment in which a virtual CNC machine is fully operable, designed to allow STEM students and training professionals to learn the use of the CNC machine without the need to be in a physical lab. Users operate in the virtual environment using an immersive virtual reality headset (i.e. Oculus Rift) and standard input devices (i.e. mouse and keyboard), both of which combined make for easy movement and realistic visuals. On-screen tutorials allow users to learn about what they need to do to operate the machine without the need for outside instruction. While designing and perfecting this environment has been the primary focus of this project thus far, the research goal is to test the ease of use and the pedagogical effectiveness of the immersive technology as it relates to education in STEM fields. Initial usability studies for this environment featured students from the graduate level CAD/CAM-Theory and Advanced Applications (ME 54600) course at IUPUI. Results from the study were tabulated with a survey using a four-point Likert scale and several open-ended questions. Findings from the survey indicate that the majority of users found the environment realistic and easy to navigate, in addition to finding the immersive technology to be beneficial. Many also indicated that they felt comfortable navigating the environment without the need for additional assistance from the survey proctors. Full details on the first usability study, including data and discussion, can be found in this paper. The general consensus from the study was that, while some features needed refinement, the immersive environment helped them learn about the operation of a CNC machine. Additional usability studies will need to be undergone to refine said features before beginning the final study, in which students learning from the immersive virtual environment will be tested against students learning from traditional methods. Details on this last study will be discussed in the final paper, which will also discuss the methods used for preparing the environment, full results and detailed discussion on each of the usability studies, and conclusions on the usability and educational effectiveness of the immersive virtual reality technology in STEM education.Item A Building-Block Approach to Industrial Controls Laboratories Using Programmable Logic Controllers(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06) Durkin, Robert J.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyIndustrial control systems design often incorporates reusable sections of prior design that can easily be adapted for new machine and process control systems. For instance, inclusion of a tri-mode control structure (Manual, Automatic and Set-up modes) often becomes a ‘cut and paste’ section from a previous control system design. The prior design is already proven, and development time is available for the newer aspects of the control system. This building-block method can also be used to structure university laboratory exercises for EET (Electrical Engineering Technology) industrial controls design courses. Reusing software sections from previous laboratories can enhance the student’s design capability by focusing lab time on the new problem instead of recreating the old structures. This paper describes a semester-long industrial controls laboratory using programmable logic controllers (PLC) as the primary lab equipment. It describes twelve increasingly difficult PLC laboratory experiments that generally build on the components of the prior labs. The final lab assignment is an open-ended team project to design a complete system for a typical industrial machine or process. All of the PLCs are networked to provide the students with communications content within the lab experience. The pedagogical features of the laboratory exercises are illustrated and results from student comments and numerical ratings of the effectiveness of the lab exercises and equipment are also included in the paper.Item Capstone Design Project Experience: Lunar Ice Extraction Design(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-01) Zusack, Steven Anthony; Patil, Raveena; Lachenman, Sean; Johnson, Chanel Antoinette; Schubert, Peter J.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyA group of senior undergraduate students came together as part of a non-traditional capstone design project. The assignment was to take part in the NASA RASC-AL competition and required adjustment to the class curriculum. Two examples are that a direct point of contact from the customer would not be possible as there is no specific person at NASA meant to act as the customer and the submission deadline was after the semester concluded. The students were all from the mechanical engineering department and had a fascination with space technology but came from vastly different demographic backgrounds representing multiple spheres of diversity. This diversity brought unique and unexpected approaches to the project. The project required close interaction of the group throughout and after the semester to accomplish a very difficult goal: the design of a full scale lunar ice extraction facility capable of running autonomously and producing at least 100 metric tonnes of ice per year. The operational plan is to be accompanied by a detailed budget and launch plans to begin taking effect in 2025. Having no experience working with one another prior to this project, the group was required to quickly develop a productive team ethos to address such a large challenge. The aim of this study is to assess the outcomes and reactions during a project from a diverse group of students attempting to complete an unusual capstone design. Accompanying this are pre-, intra-, and post-project surveys to assess effectiveness of the group on key project issues. The primary research questions to answer are: does the perception of the group regarding effectiveness positively correlate with the feelings of ownership of the project and feelings that the individual students’ passions are being considered. Further, because the competition is staged and set to go on the full academic year, the students are interviewed regarding plans on continuing the project beyond the current semester when the majority of the team will have graduated.Item Chondroprotective effects of Salubrinal in a mouse model of osteoarthritis(The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery, 2015-05) Hamamura, K.; Nishimura, A.; Iino, T.; Takigawa, S.; Sudo, A.; Yokota, H.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyOBJECTIVES: Salubrinal is a synthetic agent that elevates phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α) and alleviates stress to the endoplasmic reticulum. Previously, we reported that in chondrocytes, Salubrinal attenuates expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) through downregulating nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) signalling. We herein examine whether Salubrinal prevents the degradation of articular cartilage in a mouse model of osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: OA was surgically induced in the left knee of female mice. Animal groups included age-matched sham control, OA placebo, and OA treated with Salubrinal or Guanabenz. Three weeks after the induction of OA, immunoblotting was performed for NFκB p65 and p-NFκB p65. At three and six weeks, the femora and tibiae were isolated and the sagittal sections were stained with Safranin O. RESULTS: Salubrinal suppressed the progression of OA by downregulating p-NFκB p65 and MMP13. Although Guanabenz elevates the phosphorylation level of eIF2α, it did not suppress the progression of OA. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of Salubrinal has chondroprotective effects in arthritic joints. Salubrinal can be considered as a potential therapeutic agent for alleviating symptoms of OA. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2015;4:84-92.Item Comparison of Engineering Education in the United States versus the United Kingdom(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06) Hylton, Pete; Otoupal-Hylton, Wendy; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyThere is debate within history books as to exactly who first made the assertion that "America and Britain are two countries divided by a common language." However, no matter who said it first, the statement is an acknowledgement that despite centuries of common goals and aspirations, as well as historic and cultural ties, the two countries have some very distinctive differences. A recent opportunity to teach for two terms at a major university in the United Kingdom, as part of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Exchange program, provided an opportunity for one U.S. engineering faculty member to examine not only the gaps in our common language, but also the major differences in our university educational systems. Opportunities to associate with four different campuses in Scotland and England provided an excellent chance to compare and contrast how engineering higher education is conducted within these two English-speaking countries on opposite sides of the Atlantic. This paper will examine significant differences which were found in the areas of course conduct, projects, assignments, exams, expectations of student work, coursework assessment and program assessment. Additionally, differences in campus life, pre-collegiate education and general work-life philosophy of both faculty and students will be discussed.Item Controlled Fluxes of Silicon Nanoparticles to a Substrate in Pulsed Radio-Frequency Argon–Silane Plasmas(Springer, 2017-01) Larriba-Andaluz, Carlos; Girshick, Steven L.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyIt has been hypothesized that high-energy impact of very small silicon nanoparticles on a substrate may lead to epitaxial growth of silicon films at low substrate temperature. A possible means for producing such energetic nanoparticle fluxes involves pulsing an RF silane-containing plasma, and applying a positive DC bias to the substrate during the afterglow phase of each pulse so as to collect the negatively charged particles generated during the RF power on phase. We here report numerical modeling to provide a preliminary assessment of the feasibility of this scheme. The system modeled is a parallel-plate capacitively-coupled RF argon–silane plasma at pressures around 100 mTorr. Simulation results indicate that it is possible to achieve a periodic steady state in which each pulse delivers a controlled flux of nanoparticles to the biased substrate, that average particle sizes can be kept below 2–3 nm, that impact energies of the negatively-charged nanoparticles that are attracted by the applied bias can be maintained in the ~1 eV/atom range thought to be conducive to epitaxial growth without causing film damage, and that the volume fraction of neutral nanoparticles that deposit by low-velocity diffusion can be kept well below 1 %. The effects of several operating parameters are explored, including RF voltage, pressure, the value of the applied DC bias, and RF power on and off time during each pulse.Item Depositing Catalyst Layers in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells: A Review(ASME, 2015-12) Strong, Austin; Thornberry, Courtney; Beattie, Shane; Chen, Rongrong; Coles, Stuart R.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyFuel cell technology continues to advance and offers to be a potentially promising solution to many energy needs. Of particular interest are manufacturing techniques to improve performance and decrease overall cost. For catalyst deposition on the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), there are a number of techniques that have been used in the past decades. This paper aims to review many of these main techniques that have been published to show the wide variety of catalyst deposition methods.Item Determining Driver Phone Use by Exploiting Smartphone Integrated Sensors(IEEE, 2016-08) Wang, Yan; Chen, Yingying (Jennifer); Yang, Jie; Gruteser, Marco; Martin, Richard P.; Liu, Hongbo; Liu, Luyang; Karatas, Cagdas; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and TechnologyThis paper utilizes smartphone sensing of vehicle dynamics to determine driver phone use, which can facilitate many traffic safety applications. Our system uses embedded sensors in smartphones, i.e., accelerometers and gyroscopes, to capture differences in centripetal acceleration due to vehicle dynamics. These differences combined with angular speed can determine whether the phone is on the left or right side of the vehicle. Our low infrastructure approach is flexible with different turn sizes and driving speeds. Extensive experiments conducted with two vehicles in two different cities demonstrate that our system is robust to real driving environments. Despite noisy sensor readings from smartphones, our approach can achieve a classification accuracy of over 90 percent with a false positive rate of a few percent. We also find that by combining sensing results in a few turns, we can achieve better accuracy (e.g., 95 percent) with a lower false positive rate. In addition, we seek to exploit the electromagnetic field measurement inside a vehicle to complement vehicle dynamics for driver phone sensing under the scenarios when little vehicle dynamics is present, for example, driving straight on highways or standing at roadsides.