Stennis group receives NESC award

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-14

The NASA Engineering & Safety Center recently presented its Group Achievement Award to a Stennis team in recognition of technical excellence in evaluating the operational anomalies and reliability improvements associated with the space shuttle engine cut-off system. Stennis employees receiving the award were: (standing, l to r) Freddie Douglas (NASA), George Drouant (Jacobs Technology Inc.), Fred Abell (Jacobs), Robert Drackett (Jacobs) and Mike Smiles (NASA); (seated, l to r): Binh Nguyen (Jacobs), Stennis Director Gene Goldman and Joseph Lacker (NASA). Phillip Hebert of NASA is not pictured.

Stennis group receives NESC award

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

The NASA Engineering & Safety Center recently presented its Group Achievement Award to a Stennis team in recognition of technical excellence in evaluating the operational anomalies and reliability improvements associated with the space shuttle engine cut-off system. Stennis employees receiving the award were: (standing, l to r) Freddie Douglas (NASA), George Drouant (Jacobs Technology Inc.), Fred Abell (Jacobs), Robert Drackett (Jacobs) and Mike Smiles (NASA); (seated, l to r): Binh Nguyen (Jacobs), Stennis Director Gene Goldman and Joseph Lacker (NASA). Phillip Hebert of NASA is not pictured.

Leading Part-Time Teaching Staff to Achieve Excellent Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kabouridis, Georgios

2011-01-01

The paper points out the significance of hourly-waged tutors to the quality of the teaching-learning procedure in Mechanical Engineering Department. Existing research shows that higher education faces many challenges in its attempt to keep pace with the needs of students' body for effective learning. The changing nature of higher education is…

Real cases study through computer applications for futures Agricultural Engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moratiel, R.; Durán, J. M.; Tarquis, A. M.

2010-05-01

One of the huge concerns on the higher engineer education is the lag of real cases study that the future professionals need in the work and corporation market. This concern was reflected in Bologna higher education system including recommendations in this respect. The knowhow as why this or other methodology is one of the keys to resolve this problem. In the last courses given in Department of Crop Production, at the Agronomy Engineer School of Madrid (Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos, UPM) we have developed more than one hundred applications in Microsoft Excel®. Our aim was to show different real scenarios which the future Agronomic Engineers can be found in their professional life and with items related to crop production field. In order to achieve our target, each application in Excel presents a file text in which is explained the theoretical concepts and the objectives, as well as some resources used from Excel syntax. In this way, the student can understand and use of such application, even they can modify and customize it for a real case presented in their context and/or master project. This electronic monograph gives an answer to the need to manage data in several real scenarios showed in lectures, calculus resolution, information analysis and manage worksheets in a professional and student level.

Understanding Engineers' Responsibilities: A Prerequisite to Designing Engineering Education : Commentary on "Educating Engineers for the Public Good Through International Internships: Evidence from a Case Study at Universitat Politècnica de València".

PubMed

Murphy, Colleen; Gardoni, Paolo

2017-07-18

The development of the curriculum for engineering education (course requirements as well as extra-curricular activities like study abroad and internships) should be based on a comprehensive understanding of engineers' responsibilities. The responsibilities that are constitutive of being an engineer include striving to fulfill the standards of excellence set by technical codes; to improve the idealized models that engineers use to predict, for example, the behavior of alternative designs; and to achieve the internal goods such as safety and sustainability as they are reflected in the design codes. Globalization has implications for these responsibilities and, in turn, for engineering education, by, for example, modifying the collection of possible solutions recognized for existing problems. In addition, international internships can play an important role in fostering the requisite moral imagination of engineering students.

Highly Efficient Nd:yag Lasers for Free-space Optical Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sipes, D. L., Jr.

1985-01-01

A highly efficient Nd:YAG laser end-pumped by semiconductor lasers as a possible free-space optical communications source is discussed. Because this concept affords high pumping densities, a long absorption length, and excellent mode-matching characteristics, it is estimated that electrical-to-optical efficiencies greater than 5% could be achieved. Several engineering aspects such as resonator size and configuration, pump collecting optics, and thermal effects are also discussed. Finally, possible methods for combining laser-diode pumps to achieve higher output powers are illustrated.

Playbook on Best Practices: Gender Equity in Tech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buse, Kathleen; Evans, Nicole; George, Emma; Ford, Jeremy; Anderson, Jessica

2017-01-01

While girls are studying and excelling in science and math more than ever before, this achievement has not been matched with a similar rise in the representation of women in these careers. Today, women make up just 12 percent of the engineering workforce and 26 percent of the computing workforce. Employers play a critical role in improving the…

76 FR 50267 - Amended Certification Regarding Eligibility To Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-12

... Engineering, Rockwell Engineering, Excel Logistics, and American Food and Vending, Calhoun Spotting Services... Corporation, Conestoga Rovers and Associates, Phillips Engineering, Rockwell Engineering, Excel Logistics, and..., Excel Logistics, and American Food and Vending, Calhoun Spotting Service, and Job World, Inc. working on...

Lessons Learned from Conducting a K-12 Project to Revitalize Achievement by Using Instrumentation in Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapila, Vikram; Iskander, Magued

2014-01-01

A student's first introduction to engineering and technology is typically through high school science labs. Unfortunately, in many high schools, science labs often make use of antiquated tools that fail to deliver exciting lab content. As a result, many students are turned off by science, fail to excel on standardized science exams, and do not…

Efficient in vitro encapsulation of protein cargo by an engineered protein container.

PubMed

Wörsdörfer, Bigna; Pianowski, Zbigniew; Hilvert, Donald

2012-01-18

An engineered variant of lumazine synthase, a nonviral capsid protein with a negatively charged luminal surface, is shown to encapsulate up to 100 positively supercharged green fluorescent protein (GFP) molecules in vitro. Packaging can be achieved starting either from intact, empty capsids or from capsid fragments by incubation with cargo in aqueous buffer. The yield of encapsulated GFP correlates directly with the host/guest mixing ratio, providing excellent control over packing density. Facile in vitro loading highlights the unusual structural dynamics of this novel nanocontainer and should facilitate diverse biotechnological and materials science applications. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Giant energy density and high efficiency achieved in bismuth ferrite-based film capacitors via domain engineering.

PubMed

Pan, Hao; Ma, Jing; Ma, Ji; Zhang, Qinghua; Liu, Xiaozhi; Guan, Bo; Gu, Lin; Zhang, Xin; Zhang, Yu-Jun; Li, Liangliang; Shen, Yang; Lin, Yuan-Hua; Nan, Ce-Wen

2018-05-08

Developing high-performance film dielectrics for capacitive energy storage has been a great challenge for modern electrical devices. Despite good results obtained in lead titanate-based dielectrics, lead-free alternatives are strongly desirable due to environmental concerns. Here we demonstrate that giant energy densities of ~70 J cm -3 , together with high efficiency as well as excellent cycling and thermal stability, can be achieved in lead-free bismuth ferrite-strontium titanate solid-solution films through domain engineering. It is revealed that the incorporation of strontium titanate transforms the ferroelectric micro-domains of bismuth ferrite into highly-dynamic polar nano-regions, resulting in a ferroelectric to relaxor-ferroelectric transition with concurrently improved energy density and efficiency. Additionally, the introduction of strontium titanate greatly improves the electrical insulation and breakdown strength of the films by suppressing the formation of oxygen vacancies. This work opens up a feasible and propagable route, i.e., domain engineering, to systematically develop new lead-free dielectrics for energy storage.

Engineering surface states of carbon dots to achieve controllable luminescence for solid-luminescent composites and sensitive Be2+ detection

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaoming; Zhang, Shengli; Kulinich, Sergei A.; Liu, Yanli; Zeng, Haibo

2014-01-01

Luminescent carbon dots (L-CDs) with high quantum yield value (44.7%) and controllable emission wavelengths were prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. Importantly, the surface states of the materials could be engineered so that their photoluminescence was either excitation-dependent or distinctly independent. This was achieved by changing the density of amino-groups on the L-CD surface. The above materials were successfully used to prepare multicolor L-CDs/polymer composites, which exhibited blue, green, and even white luminescence. In addition, the excellent excitation-independent luminescence of L-CDs prepared at low temperature was tested for detecting various metal ions. As an example, the detection limit of toxic Be2+ ions, tested for the first time, was as low as 23 μM.

Combination of molecular, morphological, and interfacial engineering to achieve highly efficient and stable plastic solar cells.

PubMed

Chang, Chih-Yu; Cheng, Yen-Ju; Hung, Shih-Hsiu; Wu, Jhong-Sian; Kao, Wei-Shun; Lee, Chia-Hao; Hsu, Chain-Shu

2012-01-24

A flexible solar device showing exceptional air and mechanical stability is produced by simultaneously optimizing molecular structure, active layer morphology, and interface characteristics. The PFDCTBT-C8-based devices with inverted architecture exhibited excellent power conversion efficiencies of 7.0% and 6.0% on glass and flexible substrates, respectively. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Silicon-Based Ceramic-Matrix Composites for Advanced Turbine Engines: Some Degradation Issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas-Ogbuji, Linus U. J.

2000-01-01

SiC/BN/SiC composites are designed to take advantage of the high specific strengths and moduli of non-oxide ceramics, and their excellent resistance to creep, chemical attack, and oxidation, while circumventing the brittleness inherent in ceramics. Hence, these composites have the potential to take turbine engines of the future to higher operating temperatures than is achievable with metal alloys. However, these composites remain developmental and more work needs to be done to optimize processing techniques. This paper highlights the lingering issue of pest degradation in these materials and shows that it results from vestiges of processing steps and can thus be minimized or eliminated.

Anomalous Stretchable Conductivity Using an Engineered Tricot Weave.

PubMed

Lee, Yong-Hee; Kim, Yoonseob; Lee, Tae-Ik; Lee, Inhwa; Shin, Jaeho; Lee, Hyun Soo; Kim, Taek-Soo; Choi, Jang Wook

2015-12-22

Robust electric conduction under stretching motions is a key element in upcoming wearable electronic devices but is fundamentally very difficult to achieve because percolation pathways in conductive media are subject to collapse upon stretching. Here, we report that this fundamental challenge can be overcome by using a parameter uniquely available in textiles, namely a weaving structure. A textile structure alternately interwoven with inelastic and elastic yarns, achieved via a tricot weave, possesses excellent elasticity (strain up to 200%) in diagonal directions. When this textile is coated with conductive nanomaterials, proper textile engineering allows the textile to obtain an unprecedented 7-fold conductivity increase, with conductivity reaching 33,000 S cm(-1), even at 130% strain, due to enhanced interyarn contacts. The observed stretching conductivity can be described well using a modified 3D percolation theory that reflects the weaving effect and is also utilized for stretchable electronic interconnects and supercapacitors with high performance.

Robust Tensioned Kevlar Suspension Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Joseph B.; Naylor, Bret J.; Holmes, Warren A.

2012-01-01

One common but challenging problem in cryogenic engineering is to produce a mount that has excellent thermal isolation but is also rigid. Such mounts can be achieved by suspending the load from a network of fibers or strings held in tension. Kevlar fibers are often used for this purpose owing to their high strength and low thermal conductivity. A suite of compact design elements has been developed to improve the reliability of suspension systems made of Kevlar.

Nurturing Competitive Teamwork with Individual Excellence in an Engineering Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanyarusoke, Kant E.

2017-01-01

Team working and business competitiveness awareness are valuable skills for engineering graduates. This paper describes one way to nurture them while motivating individual student excellence in a normal engineering course. In six years, four groups of students were nurtured through real engineering business situations in a model similar to…

Diesel Engine Valve Clearance Fault Diagnosis Based on Features Extraction Techniques and FastICA-SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jing, Ya-Bing; Liu, Chang-Wen; Bi, Feng-Rong; Bi, Xiao-Yang; Wang, Xia; Shao, Kang

2017-07-01

Numerous vibration-based techniques are rarely used in diesel engines fault diagnosis in a direct way, due to the surface vibration signals of diesel engines with the complex non-stationary and nonlinear time-varying features. To investigate the fault diagnosis of diesel engines, fractal correlation dimension, wavelet energy and entropy as features reflecting the diesel engine fault fractal and energy characteristics are extracted from the decomposed signals through analyzing vibration acceleration signals derived from the cylinder head in seven different states of valve train. An intelligent fault detector FastICA-SVM is applied for diesel engine fault diagnosis and classification. The results demonstrate that FastICA-SVM achieves higher classification accuracy and makes better generalization performance in small samples recognition. Besides, the fractal correlation dimension and wavelet energy and entropy as the special features of diesel engine vibration signal are considered as input vectors of classifier FastICA-SVM and could produce the excellent classification results. The proposed methodology improves the accuracy of feature extraction and the fault diagnosis of diesel engines.

Space education in the context of U.S. Government multiagency efforts in science and mathematics education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finarelli, Margaret G.; Brown, Robert W.

1991-01-01

The status of a multiagency endeavor to involve U.S. Federal agencies in the attainment of National Education Goals for the 1990's is presented. Emphasis is placed on the educational activities of NASA, which is one of 16 Federal agencies on the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering and Technology. NASA's is a prototype education program for achieving excellence in mathematics and science in the coming generations of Americans.

High-Speed 3D Printing of High-Performance Thermosetting Polymers via Two-Stage Curing.

PubMed

Kuang, Xiao; Zhao, Zeang; Chen, Kaijuan; Fang, Daining; Kang, Guozheng; Qi, Hang Jerry

2018-04-01

Design and direct fabrication of high-performance thermosets and composites via 3D printing are highly desirable in engineering applications. Most 3D printed thermosetting polymers to date suffer from poor mechanical properties and low printing speed. Here, a novel ink for high-speed 3D printing of high-performance epoxy thermosets via a two-stage curing approach is presented. The ink containing photocurable resin and thermally curable epoxy resin is used for the digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. After printing, the part is thermally cured at elevated temperature to yield an interpenetrating polymer network epoxy composite, whose mechanical properties are comparable to engineering epoxy. The printing speed is accelerated by the continuous liquid interface production assisted DLP 3D printing method, achieving a printing speed as high as 216 mm h -1 . It is also demonstrated that 3D printing structural electronics can be achieved by combining the 3D printed epoxy composites with infilled silver ink in the hollow channels. The new 3D printing method via two-stage curing combines the attributes of outstanding printing speed, high resolution, low volume shrinkage, and excellent mechanical properties, and provides a new avenue to fabricate 3D thermosetting composites with excellent mechanical properties and high efficiency toward high-performance and functional applications. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ford/BASF/UM Activities in Support of the Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Veenstra, Mike; Purewal, Justin; Xu, Chunchuan

Widespread adoption of hydrogen as a vehicular fuel depends critically on the development of low-cost, on-board hydrogen storage technologies capable of achieving high energy densities and fast kinetics for hydrogen uptake and release. As present-day technologies -- which rely on physical storage methods such as compressed hydrogen -- are incapable of attaining established Department of Energy (DOE) targets, development of materials-based approaches for storing hydrogen have garnered increasing attention. Material-based storage technologies have potential to store hydrogen beyond twice the density of liquid hydrogen. To hasten development of these ‘hydride’ materials, the DOE previously established three centers of excellence formore » materials storage R&D associated with the key classes of materials: metal hydrides, chemical hydrogen, and adsorbents. While these centers made progress in identifying new storage materials, the challenges associated with the engineering of the system around a candidate storage material are in need of further advancement. In 2009 the DOE established the Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence with the objective of developing innovative engineering concepts for materials-based hydrogen storage systems. As a partner in the Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence, the Ford-UM-BASF team conducted a multi-faceted research program that addresses key engineering challenges associated with the development of materials-based hydrogen storage systems. First, we developed a novel framework that allowed for a material-based hydrogen storage system to be modeled and operated within a virtual fuel cell vehicle. This effort resulted in the ability to assess dynamic operating parameters and interactions between the storage system and fuel cell power plant, including the evaluation of performance throughout various drive cycles. Second, we engaged in cost modeling of various incarnations of the storage systems. This analysis revealed cost gaps and opportunities that identified a storage system that was lower cost than a 700 bar compressed system. Finally, we led the HSECoE efforts devoted to characterizing and enhancing metal organic framework (MOF) storage materials. This report serves as a final documentation of the Ford-UM-BASF project contributions to the HSECoE during the 6-year timeframe of the Center. The activities of the HSECoE have impacted the broader goals of the DOE-EERE and USDRIVE, leading to improved understanding in the engineering of materials-based hydrogen storage systems. This knowledge is a prerequisite to the development of a commercially-viable hydrogen storage system.« less

Guidelines to design engineering education in the twenty-first century for supporting innovative product development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Violante, Maria Grazia; Vezzetti, Enrico

2017-11-01

In the twenty-first century, meeting our technological challenges demands educational excellence, a skilled populace that is ready for the critical challenges society faces. There is widespread consensus, however, that education systems are failing to adequately prepare all students with the essential twenty-first century knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in life, career, and citizenship. The purpose of this paper is to understand how twenty-first century knowledge and skills can be appropriately embedded in engineering education finalised to innovative product development by using additive manufacturing (AM). The study designs a learning model by which to achieve effective AM education to address the requirements of twenty-first century and to offer students the occasion to experiment with STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) concepts. The study is conducted using the quality function deployment (QFD) methodology.

Recent Advances in Laser-Ablative Synthesis of Bare Au and Si Nanoparticles and Assessment of Their Prospects for Tissue Engineering Applications.

PubMed

Al-Kattan, Ahmed; Nirwan, Viraj P; Popov, Anton; Ryabchikov, Yury V; Tselikov, Gleb; Sentis, Marc; Fahmi, Amir; Kabashin, Andrei V

2018-05-24

Driven by surface cleanness and unique physical, optical and chemical properties, bare (ligand-free) laser-synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) are now in the focus of interest as promising materials for the development of advanced biomedical platforms related to biosensing, bioimaging and therapeutic drug delivery. We recently achieved significant progress in the synthesis of bare gold (Au) and silicon (Si) NPs and their testing in biomedical tasks, including cancer imaging and therapy, biofuel cells, etc. We also showed that these nanomaterials can be excellent candidates for tissue engineering applications. This review is aimed at the description of our recent progress in laser synthesis of bare Si and Au NPs and their testing as functional modules (additives) in innovative scaffold platforms intended for tissue engineering tasks.

Architecturing hierarchical function layers on self-assembled viral templates as 3D nano-array electrodes for integrated Li-ion microbatteries.

PubMed

Liu, Yihang; Zhang, Wei; Zhu, Yujie; Luo, Yanting; Xu, Yunhua; Brown, Adam; Culver, James N; Lundgren, Cynthia A; Xu, Kang; Wang, Yuan; Wang, Chunsheng

2013-01-09

This work enables an elegant bottom-up solution to engineer 3D microbattery arrays as integral power sources for microelectronics. Thus, multilayers of functional materials were hierarchically architectured over tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) templates that were genetically modified to self-assemble in a vertical manner on current-collectors, so that optimum power and energy densities accompanied with excellent cycle-life could be achieved on a minimum footprint. The resultant microbattery based on self-aligned LiFePO(4) nanoforests of shell-core-shell structure, with precise arrangement of various auxiliary material layers including a central nanometric metal core as direct electronic pathway to current collector, delivers excellent energy density and stable cycling stability only rivaled by the best Li-ion batteries of conventional configurations, while providing rate performance per foot-print and on-site manufacturability unavailable from the latter. This approach could open a new avenue for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications, which would significantly benefit from the concept that electrochemically active components be directly engineered and fabricated as an integral part of the integrated circuit (IC).

Microsoft Excel Software Usage for Teaching Science and Engineering Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Gurmukh; Siddiqui, Khalid

2009-01-01

In this article, our main objective is to present the use of Microsoft Software Excel 2007/2003 for teaching college and university level curriculum in science and engineering. In particular, we discuss two interesting and fascinating examples of interactive applications of Microsoft Excel targeted for undergraduate students in: 1) computational…

Preliminary performance of a vertical-attitude takeoff and landing, supersonic cruise aircraft concept having thrust vectoring integrated into the flight control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robins, A. W.; Beissner, F. L., Jr.; Domack, C. S.; Swanson, E. E.

1985-01-01

A performance study was made of a vertical attitude takeoff and landing (VATOL), supersonic cruise aircraft concept having thrust vectoring integrated into the flight control system. Those characteristics considered were aerodynamics, weight, balance, and performance. Preliminary results indicate that high levels of supersonic aerodynamic performance can be achieved. Further, with the assumption of an advanced (1985 technology readiness) low bypass ratio turbofan engine and advanced structures, excellent mission performance capability is indicated.

Women in Aerospace Awards

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-10-26

NASA Langley Aerospace Engineer Jill Lynette Hanna Prince receives the Women in Aerospace Achievement in Aerospace award from North Carolina State Professor Robert Tolson during the Women in Aerospace organization's annual awards ceremony and banquet held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Arlington, VA on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010. Four current NASA leaders and one retiree were recognized for their work by Women in Aerospace. The event celebrates women's professional excellence in aerospace and honors women who have made outstanding contributions to the aerospace community. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Tools for the Conceptual Design and Engineering Analysis of Micro Air Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

problem with two DC motors with propellers, mounted on each wing tip and oriented such that the thrust vectors had an angular separation of 180...ElectriCalc or MotoCalc Database • Script Program (MC) In determination of the components to be integrated into MC, the R/C world was explored since the tools...Excel, ProE, QuickWrap and Script . Importing outside applications can be achieved by direct interaction with MC or through analysis server connections [11

High-wafer-yield, high-performance vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Gabriel S.; Yuen, Wupen; Lim, Sui F.; Chang-Hasnain, Constance J.

1996-04-01

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) with very low threshold current and voltage of 340 (mu) A and 1.5 V is achieved. The molecular beam epitaxially grown wafers are grown with a highly accurate, low cost and versatile pre-growth calibration technique. One- hundred percent VCSEL wafer yield is obtained. Low threshold current is achieved with a native oxide confined structure with excellent current confinement. Single transverse mode with stable, predetermined polarization direction up to 18 times threshold is also achieved, due to stable index guiding provided by the structure. This is the highest value reported to data for VCSELs. We have established that p-contact annealing in these devices is crucial for low voltage operation, contrary to the general belief. Uniform doping in the mirrors also appears not to be inferior to complicated doping engineering. With these design rules, very low threshold voltage VCSELs are achieved with very simple growth and fabrication steps.

Identifying Characteristics of Technology and Engineering Teachers Striving for Excellence Using a Modified Delphi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Mary Annette; Shumway, Steven; Carter, Vinson; Brown, Josh

2015-01-01

Preparing a technology and engineering (TE) teacher who strives for teaching excellence is a fundamental mission of TE teacher education programs in the United States. In 2012, the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA, formerly the International Technology Education Association, ITEA) Council on Technology and…

Growth of Solid Solutions of Aluminum Nitride and Silicon Carbide by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-08-27

Materials Science Center of Excellence REPORT NUMBER Howard University School of Engineering MSRCE ONR 1 2300 6th St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20059 9...Research Center of Excellence, Department of Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering, Howard University , Washington, D.C., USA Abstract We report

Induction hardening treatment and simulation for a grey cast iron used in engine cylinder liners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castellanos-Leal, E. L.; Miranda, D. A.; Coy, A. E.; Barrero, J. G.; González, J. A.; Vesga Rueda, O. P.

2017-01-01

In this research, a technical study of induction hardening in a grey cast iron used in engine cylinder liners manufactured by LAVCO Ltda., a Colombian foundry company, was carried out. Metallurgical parameters such as austenitization temperature, cooling rate, and quenching severity were determined. These factors are exclusively dependent on chemical composition and initial microstructure of grey cast iron. Simulations of induction heating through finite elements method were performed and, the most appropriate experimental conditions to achieve the critical transformation temperature was evaluated to reach a proper surface hardening on the piece. Preliminary results revealed an excellent approximation between simulation and heating test performed with a full bridge inverter voltage adapted with local technology.

Zirconia and Pyrochlore Oxides for Thermal Barrier Coatings in Gas Turbine Engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fergus, Jeffrey W.

2014-06-01

One of the important applications of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is as a thermal barrier coating for gas turbine engines. While YSZ performs well in this function, the need for increased operating temperatures to achieve higher energy conversion efficiencies, requires the development of improved materials. To meet this challenge, some rare-earth zirconates that form the cubic fluorite-derived pyrochlore structure are being developed for use in thermal barrier coatings due to their low thermal conductivity, excellent chemical stability, and other suitable properties. In this paper, the thermal conductivities of current and prospective oxides for use in thermal barrier coatings are reviewed. The factors affecting the variations and differences in the thermal conductivities and the degradation behaviors of these materials are discussed.

The role of social media in clinical excellence.

PubMed

Batt-Rawden, Samantha; Flickinger, Tabor; Weiner, John; Cheston, Christine; Chisolm, Margaret

2014-07-01

The provision of excellent patient care is a goal shared by all doctors. The role of social media (SM) in helping medical students and doctors achieve clinical excellence is unknown. Social media may help facilitate the achievement of clinical excellence This report aimed to identify examples of how SM may be used to help promote the achievement of clinical excellence in medical learners. Three of the authors previously conducted a systematic review of the published literature on SM use in undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education. Two authors re-examined the 14 evaluative studies to identify any examples of SM use that may facilitate the achievement of clinical excellence and to consider whether there were any aspects of clinical excellence for which no studies had been performed, and, if so, whether SM was relevant to these domains. Each study touched on one or more of the following domains of clinical excellence: communication and interpersonal skills; professionalism and humanism; knowledge; diagnostic acumen; exhibiting a passion for patient care; a scholarly approach to clinical practice; and explicitly modelling expertise to medical trainees. No study addressed the role of SM to promote the skillful negotiation of the health care system, and in collaboration with investigators to advance science and discovery; however, additional evidence suggested that SM may play an adjunctive role in promoting the achievement of these aspects of clinical excellence. This report supports the hypothesis that SM may help facilitate the achievement of clinical excellence; however, further research is needed into the role of SM in promoting the achievement of clinical excellence. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Excel for Cost Engineers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butts, Glenn C.

2007-01-01

Excel is a powerful tool with a plethora of largely unused capabilities that can make the life of an engineer cognizant of them a great deal easier. This paper offers tips, tricks and techniques for better worksheets. Including the use of data validation, conditional formatting, subtotals, text formulas, custom functions and much more. It is assumed that the reader will have a cursory understanding of Excel so the basics will not be covered, if you get hung up try Excel's built in help menus, or a good book.

Creating Learning Environment Connecting Engineering Design and 3D Printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pikkarainen, Ari; Salminen, Antti; Piili, Heidi

Engineering education in modern days require continuous development in didactics, pedagogics and used practical methods. 3D printing provides excellent opportunity to connect different engineering areas into practice and produce learning by doing applications. The 3D-printing technology used in this study is FDM (Fused deposition modeling). FDM is the most used 3D-printing technology by commercial numbers at the moment and the qualities of the technology makes it popular especially in academic environments. For achieving the best result possible, students will incorporate the principles of DFAM (Design for additive manufacturing) into their engineering design studies together with 3D printing. This paper presents a plan for creating learning environment for mechanical engineering students combining the aspects of engineering design, 3D-CAD learning and AM (additive manufacturing). As a result, process charts for carrying out the 3D printing process from technological point of view and design process for AM from engineering design point of view were created. These charts are used in engineering design education. The learning environment is developed to work also as a platform for Bachelor theses, work-training environment for students, prototyping service centre for cooperation partners and source of information for mechanical engineering education in Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

Gender Gaps in Achievement and Participation in Multiple Introductory Biology Classrooms

PubMed Central

Brownell, Sara E.; Wenderoth, Mary Pat

2014-01-01

Although gender gaps have been a major concern in male-dominated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines such as physics and engineering, the numerical dominance of female students in biology has supported the assumption that gender disparities do not exist at the undergraduate level in life sciences. Using data from 23 large introductory biology classes for majors, we examine two measures of gender disparity in biology: academic achievement and participation in whole-class discussions. We found that females consistently underperform on exams compared with males with similar overall college grade point averages. In addition, although females on average represent 60% of the students in these courses, their voices make up less than 40% of those heard responding to instructor-posed questions to the class, one of the most common ways of engaging students in large lectures. Based on these data, we propose that, despite numerical dominance of females, gender disparities remain an issue in introductory biology classrooms. For student retention and achievement in biology to be truly merit based, we need to develop strategies to equalize the opportunities for students of different genders to practice the skills they need to excel. PMID:25185231

NASA Engineering Excellence: A Case Study on Strengthening an Engineering Organization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shivers, C. Herbert; Wessel, Vernon W.

2006-01-01

NASA implemented a system of technical authority following the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAE) report calling for independent technical authority to be exercised on the Space Shuttle Program activities via a virtual organization of personnel exercising specific technical authority responsibilities. After the current NASA Administrator reported for duty, and following the first of two planned "Shuttle Return to Flight" missions, the NASA Chief Engineer and the Administrator redirected the Independent Technical Authority to a program of Technical Excellence and Technical Authority exercised within the existing engineering organizations. This paper discusses the original implementation of technical authority and the transition to the new implementation of technical excellence, including specific measures aimed at improving safety of future Shuttle and space exploration flights.

Zirconia and Pyrochlore Oxides for Thermal Barrier Coatings in Gas Turbine Engines

DOE PAGES

Fergus, Jeffrey W.

2014-04-12

One of the important applications of yttria stabilized zirconia is as a thermal barrier coating for gas turbine engines. While yttria stabilized zirconia performs well in this function, the need for increased operating temperatures to achieve higher energy conversion efficiencies, requires the development of improved materials. To meet this challenge, some rare-earth zirconates that form the cubic fluorite derived pyrochlore structure are being developed for use in thermal barrier coatings due to their low thermal conductivity, excellent chemical stability and other suitable properties. In this paper, the thermal conductivities of current and prospective oxides for use in thermal barrier coatingsmore » are reviewed. The factors affecting the variations and differences in the thermal conductivities and the degradation behaviors of these materials are discussed.« less

Excellence Gaps in Education: Expanding Opportunities for Talented Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plucker, Jonathan A.; Peters, Scott J.

2016-01-01

In "Excellence Gaps in Education," Jonathan A. Plucker and Scott J. Peters shine a spotlight on "excellence gaps"--the achievement gaps among subgroups of students performing at the highest levels of achievement. Much of the focus of recent education reform has been on closing gaps in achievement between students from different…

MECHANICAL DESIGN CRITERIA FOR INTERVERTEBRAL DISC TISSUE ENGINEERING

PubMed Central

Nerurkar, Nandan L.; Elliott, Dawn M.; Mauck, Robert L.

2009-01-01

Due to the inability of current clinical practices to restore function to degenerated intervertebral discs, the arena of disc tissue engineering has received substantial attention in recent years. Despite tremendous growth and progress in this field, translation to clinical implementation has been hindered by a lack of well-defined functional benchmarks. Because successful replacement of the disc is contingent upon replication of some or all of its complex mechanical behaviour, it is critically important that disc mechanics be well characterized in order to establish discrete functional goals for tissue engineering. In this review, the key functional signatures of the intervertebral disc are discussed and used to propose a series of native tissue benchmarks to guide the development of engineered replacement tissues. These benchmarks include measures of mechanical function under tensile, compressive and shear deformations for the disc and its substructures. In some cases, important functional measures are identified that have yet to be measured in the native tissue. Ultimately, native tissue benchmark values are compared to measurements that have been made on engineered disc tissues, identifying measures where functional equivalence was achieved, and others where there remain opportunities for advancement. Several excellent reviews exist regarding disc composition and structure, as well as recent tissue engineering strategies; therefore this review will remain focused on the functional aspects of disc tissue engineering. PMID:20080239

Excel Exercises for First-Year Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Geri

2006-01-01

Several Excel applications are presented which are part of the syllabus in the first semester of engineering studies at Haugesund College. The aim of the applications is for the students to acquire both computing skills and mathematical understanding at the same time. The applications cover numerical solution of equations, differentiation,…

Soliton compression to few-cycle pulses with a high quality factor by engineering cascaded quadratic nonlinearities.

PubMed

Zeng, Xianglong; Guo, Hairun; Zhou, Binbin; Bache, Morten

2012-11-19

We propose an efficient approach to improve few-cycle soliton compression with cascaded quadratic nonlinearities by using an engineered multi-section structure of the nonlinear crystal. By exploiting engineering of the cascaded quadratic nonlinearities, in each section soliton compression with a low effective order is realized, and high-quality few-cycle pulses with large compression factors are feasible. Each subsequent section is designed so that the compressed pulse exiting the previous section experiences an overall effective self-defocusing cubic nonlinearity corresponding to a modest soliton order, which is kept larger than unity to ensure further compression. This is done by increasing the cascaded quadratic nonlinearity in the new section with an engineered reduced residual phase mismatch. The low soliton orders in each section ensure excellent pulse quality and high efficiency. Numerical results show that compressed pulses with less than three-cycle duration can be achieved even when the compression factor is very large, and in contrast to standard soliton compression, these compressed pulses have minimal pedestal and high quality factor.

Increasing Persistence in Undergraduate Science Majors: A Model for Institutional Support of Underrepresented Students

PubMed Central

Toven-Lindsey, Brit; Levis-Fitzgerald, Marc; Barber, Paul H.; Hasson, Tama

2015-01-01

The 6-yr degree-completion rate of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at U.S. colleges and universities is less than 40%. Persistence among women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), including African-American, Latino/a, Native American, and Pacific Islander students, is even more troubling, as these students leave STEM majors at significantly higher rates than their non-URM peers. This study utilizes a matched comparison group design to examine the academic achievement and persistence of students enrolled in the Program for Excellence in Education and Research in the Sciences (PEERS), an academic support program at the University of California, Los Angeles, for first- and second-year science majors from underrepresented backgrounds. Results indicate that PEERS students, on average, earned higher grades in most “gatekeeper” chemistry and math courses, had a higher cumulative grade point average, completed more science courses, and persisted in a science major at significantly higher rates than the comparison group. With its holistic approach focused on academics, counseling, creating a supportive community, and exposure to research, the PEERS program serves as an excellent model for universities interested in and committed to improving persistence of underrepresented science majors and closing the achievement gap. PMID:25828403

Modern Management Principles Come to the Dental School.

PubMed

Wataha, John C; Mouradian, Wendy E; Slayton, Rebecca L; Sorensen, John A; Berg, Joel H

2016-04-01

The University of Washington School of Dentistry may be the first dental school in the nation to apply lean process management principles as a primary tool to re-engineer its operations and curriculum to produce the dentist of the future. The efficiencies realized through re-engineering will better enable the school to remain competitive and viable as a national leader of dental education. Several task forces conducted rigorous value stream analyses in a highly collaborative environment led by the dean of the school. The four areas undergoing evaluation and re-engineering were organizational infrastructure, organizational processes, curriculum, and clinic operations. The new educational model was derived by thoroughly analyzing the current state of dental education in order to design and achieve the closest possible ideal state. As well, the school's goal was to create a lean, sustainable operational model. This model aims to ensure continued excellence in restorative dental instruction and to serve as a blueprint for other public dental schools seeking financial stability in this era of shrinking state support and rising costs.

Clean catalytic combustor program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ekstedt, E. E.; Lyon, T. F.; Sabla, P. E.; Dodds, W. J.

1983-01-01

A combustor program was conducted to evolve and to identify the technology needed for, and to establish the credibility of, using combustors with catalytic reactors in modern high-pressure-ratio aircraft turbine engines. Two selected catalytic combustor concepts were designed, fabricated, and evaluated. The combustors were sized for use in the NASA/General Electric Energy Efficient Engine (E3). One of the combustor designs was a basic parallel-staged double-annular combustor. The second design was also a parallel-staged combustor but employed reverse flow cannular catalytic reactors. Subcomponent tests of fuel injection systems and of catalytic reactors for use in the combustion system were also conducted. Very low-level pollutant emissions and excellent combustor performance were achieved. However, it was obvious from these tests that extensive development of fuel/air preparation systems and considerable advancement in the steady-state operating temperature capability of catalytic reactor materials will be required prior to the consideration of catalytic combustion systems for use in high-pressure-ratio aircraft turbine engines.

Engineering Interface Structures and Thermal Stabilities via SPD Processing in Bulk Nanostructured Metals

DOE PAGES

Zheng, Shijian; Carpenter, John S.; McCabe, Rodney J.; ...

2014-02-27

Nanostructured metals achieve extraordinary strength but suffer from low thermal stability, both a consequence of a high fraction of interfaces. Overcoming this tradeoff relies on making the interfaces themselves thermally stable. In this paper, we show that the atomic structures of bi-metal interfaces in macroscale nanomaterials suitable for engineering structures can be significantly altered via changing the severe plastic deformation (SPD) processing pathway. Two types of interfaces are formed, both exhibiting a regular atomic structure and providing for excellent thermal stability, up to more than half the melting temperature of one of the constituents. Most importantly, the thermal stability ofmore » one is found to be significantly better than the other, indicating the exciting potential to control and optimize macroscale robustness via atomic-scale bimetal interface tuning. As a result, we demonstrate an innovative way to engineer pristine bimetal interfaces for a new class of simultaneously strong and thermally stable materials.« less

Climate Leadership Award for Excellence in GHG Management (Goal Achievement Award)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Apply to the Climate Leadership Award for Excellence in GHG Management (Goal Achievement Award), which publicly recognizes organizations that achieve publicly-set aggressive greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.

African American college students excelling in the sciences: College and postcollege outcomes in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maton, Kenneth I.; Hrabowski, Freeman A., III; Schmitt, Carol L.

2000-09-01

This paper describes and assesses the effectiveness of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The Program is designed to increase the number of underrepresented minorities who pursue graduate and professional degrees in science and engineering. Until 1996 the program admitted African American students exclusively, and the current study focuses only on students from that group. The Meyerhoff students have achieved higher grade point averages, graduated in science and engineering at higher rates, and gained admittance to graduate schools at higher rates than multiple current and historical comparison samples. Student survey and interview data revealed that a number of program components were viewed as being especially important contributors to students' academic success: Program Community, Study Groups, Summer Bridge Program, Financial Support, Program Staff, and Research Internships and Mentors.

City of Huntsville Public Housing Areas STEM Initiative Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colon, Tomeka; Smith, Cydale; Pugh, Marcus; Budak, Satilmis; Muntele, Claudiu

2012-02-01

Students in high-poverty and high-minority schools are entering the classroom without the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. In order to bridge the gaps in opportunity and achievement that separate low-income students and students of color from other young Americans, we have introduced elementary and middle school students to the basic concepts of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Within the project, we have provided students with excellent learning opportunities, engaging hands-on experiences, and outstanding advising and mentoring. We have assessed student development and impact before, during, and after the program.

NASA's Suborbital Center of Excellence - reaching young minds and crafting the future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cathey, H.; Hottman, S.; Hansen, K.

The NASA Suborbital Center of Excellence is charting new territory. From an idea to promote science and engineering education and outreach, the Suborbital Center of Excellence is working toward the objective of increasing numbers of college graduates choosing a career in suborbital programs. Approaches to excite university students to want to pursue these careers through relevant and useful work experiences will be highlighted. Suborbital platforms include balloons, sounding rockets, research aircraft (manned and remotely piloted vehicles) and small satellites. Key components of this are the Suborbital Center of Excellence co-op program and the support of Engineering ``Capstone'' projects. A number of these projects and programs have been supported during the past year. Highlights of these student hands-on learning experiences will be presented. The projects have included diverse projects ranging from work on a power beaming demonstration and autonomous aircraft control logic to the development of light weight pressure vessels for balloon flights based on ULDB spin-off technology, and balloon drop sonde development. Preparing these future Scientists and Engineers involves the investment of time, energy, and resources. The Suborbital Center of Excellence is uniquely positioned to do this. Future programs and initiatives will be presented. The Suborbital Center of Excellence is evolving, meeting the needs to promote science and engineering education and outreach. Educational outreach initiatives for young children to university students will also be presented. These include hands-on experiments, demonstrations, and suborbital educational materials.

Sustaining Excellence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moorse, Rosemary; Reisenberger, Anna

This publication outlines prerequisites for success, critical factors in achieving excellence, and strategies for sustaining excellence once high levels of performance have been achieved. It considers how quality and improvement models might be used to support colleges in this work and draws on the work of 10 colleges in the United Kingdom that…

Mechanical design criteria for intervertebral disc tissue engineering.

PubMed

Nerurkar, Nandan L; Elliott, Dawn M; Mauck, Robert L

2010-04-19

Due to the inability of current clinical practices to restore function to degenerated intervertebral discs, the arena of disc tissue engineering has received substantial attention in recent years. Despite tremendous growth and progress in this field, translation to clinical implementation has been hindered by a lack of well-defined functional benchmarks. Because successful replacement of the disc is contingent upon replication of some or all of its complex mechanical behaviors, it is critically important that disc mechanics be well characterized in order to establish discrete functional goals for tissue engineering. In this review, the key functional signatures of the intervertebral disc are discussed and used to propose a series of native tissue benchmarks to guide the development of engineered replacement tissues. These benchmarks include measures of mechanical function under tensile, compressive, and shear deformations for the disc and its substructures. In some cases, important functional measures are identified that have yet to be measured in the native tissue. Ultimately, native tissue benchmark values are compared to measurements that have been made on engineered disc tissues, identifying where functional equivalence was achieved, and where there remain opportunities for advancement. Several excellent reviews exist regarding disc composition and structure, as well as recent tissue engineering strategies; therefore this review will remain focused on the functional aspects of disc tissue engineering. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

GLobal Integrated Design Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kunkel, Matthew; McGuire, Melissa; Smith, David A.; Gefert, Leon P.

2011-01-01

The GLobal Integrated Design Environment (GLIDE) is a collaborative engineering application built to resolve the design session issues of real-time passing of data between multiple discipline experts in a collaborative environment. Utilizing Web protocols and multiple programming languages, GLIDE allows engineers to use the applications to which they are accustomed in this case, Excel to send and receive datasets via the Internet to a database-driven Web server. Traditionally, a collaborative design session consists of one or more engineers representing each discipline meeting together in a single location. The discipline leads exchange parameters and iterate through their respective processes to converge on an acceptable dataset. In cases in which the engineers are unable to meet, their parameters are passed via e-mail, telephone, facsimile, or even postal mail. The result of this slow process of data exchange would elongate a design session to weeks or even months. While the iterative process remains in place, software can now exchange parameters securely and efficiently, while at the same time allowing for much more information about a design session to be made available. GLIDE is written in a compilation of several programming languages, including REALbasic, PHP, and Microsoft Visual Basic. GLIDE client installers are available to download for both Microsoft Windows and Macintosh systems. The GLIDE client software is compatible with Microsoft Excel 2000 or later on Windows systems, and with Microsoft Excel X or later on Macintosh systems. GLIDE follows the Client-Server paradigm, transferring encrypted and compressed data via standard Web protocols. Currently, the engineers use Excel as a front end to the GLIDE Client, as many of their custom tools run in Excel.

Gas turbine power plant with supersonic shock compression ramps

DOEpatents

Lawlor, Shawn P [Bellevue, WA; Novaresi, Mark A [San Diego, CA; Cornelius, Charles C [Kirkland, WA

2008-10-14

A gas turbine engine. The engine is based on the use of a gas turbine driven rotor having a compression ramp traveling at a local supersonic inlet velocity (based on the combination of inlet gas velocity and tangential speed of the ramp) which compresses inlet gas against a stationary sidewall. The supersonic compressor efficiently achieves high compression ratios while utilizing a compact, stabilized gasdynamic flow path. Operated at supersonic speeds, the inlet stabilizes an oblique/normal shock system in the gasdynamic flow path formed between the rim of the rotor, the strakes, and a stationary external housing. Part load efficiency is enhanced by use of a lean pre-mix system, a pre-swirl compressor, and a bypass stream to bleed a portion of the gas after passing through the pre-swirl compressor to the combustion gas outlet. Use of a stationary low NOx combustor provides excellent emissions results.

Strengthening programs in science, engineering and mathematics. Third annual progress report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandhu, S.S.

1997-09-30

The Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Claflin College consists of the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics, Engineering and Mathematics. It offers a variety of major and minor academic programs designed to meet the mission and objectives of the college. The division`s pursuit to achieve excellence in science education is adversely impacted by the poor academic preparation of entering students and the lack of equipment, facilities and research participation, required to impart adequate academic training and laboratory skills to the students. Funds were received from the US Department of Energy to improve the divisional facilities and laboratorymore » equipment and establish mechanism at pre-college and college levels to increase (1) the pool of high school students who will enroll in Science and Mathematics courses (2) the pool of well qualified college freshmen who will seek careers in Science, Engineering and Mathematics (3) the graduation rate in Science,engineering and Mathematics at the undergraduate level and (4) the pool of well-qualified students who can successfully compete to enter the graduate schools of their choice in the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics. The strategies that were used to achieve the mentioned objectives include: (1) Improved Mentoring and Advisement, (2) Summer Science Camp for 7th and 8th graders, (3) Summer Research Internships for Claflin SEM Seniors, (4) Summer Internships for Rising High School Seniors, (5) Development of Mathematical Skills at Pre-college/Post-secondary Levels, (6) Expansion of Undergraduate Seminars, (7) Exposure of Undergraduates to Guest Speakers/Roll Models, (8) Visitations by Undergraduate Students to Graduate Schools, and (9) Expanded Academic Program in Environmental Chemistry.« less

Exploration and practice for engineering innovative talents training based on project-driven

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yishen; Lv, Qingsong; Ye, Yan; Wu, Maocheng; Gu, Jihua

2017-08-01

As one of the "excellent engineer education program" of the Ministry of Education and one of the characteristic majors of Jiangsu Province, the major of optoelectronic information science and engineering in Soochow University has a long history and distinctive features. In recent years, aiming to the talents training objective of "broad foundation, practiceoriented, to be creative", education and teaching reforms have been carried out, which emphasize basis of theoretical teaching, carrier of practical training, promotion of projects and discussion, and development of second class. By optimizing the teaching contents and course system of the theoretical courses, the engineering innovative talents training mode based on the project-driven has been implemented with playing a practical training carrier role and overall managing the second class teaching for cultivating students' innovative spirit and practical ability. Meanwhile, the evaluation mechanism of the students' comprehensive performance mainly based on "scores of theory test" is being gradually changed, and the activities such as scientific research, discipline competitions and social practices are playing an increasing important role in the students' comprehensive assessment. The produced achievements show that the proposed training model based on project-driven could stimulate the students' enthusiasm and initiative to participate in research activities and promote the training of students' ability of engineering practice and consciousness of innovation.

The Exploration and Practice of Gradually Industrialization Model in Software Engineering Education: A Factual Instance of the Excellent Engineer Plan of China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Shu; Ma, Peijun; Li, Dong

2012-01-01

The current education model and practices in the Higher education sector in China have been successful in educating students for academic excellence, for producing industry-linked and practice-oriented graduates, who could quickly fit into the industrial working environment, has been a problem. There is a big gap between the theoretical knowledge…

Performance (Off-Design) Cycle Analysis for a Turbofan Engine With Interstage Turbine Burner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liew, K. H.; Urip, E.; Yang, S. L.; Mattingly, J. D.; Marek, C. J.

2005-01-01

This report presents the performance of a steady-state, dual-spool, separate-exhaust turbofan engine, with an interstage turbine burner (ITB) serving as a secondary combustor. The ITB, which is located in the transition duct between the high- and the low-pressure turbines, is a relatively new concept for increasing specific thrust and lowering pollutant emissions in modern jet-engine propulsion. A detailed off-design performance analysis of ITB engines is written in Microsoft(Registered Trademark) Excel (Redmond, Washington) macrocode with Visual Basic Application to calculate engine performances over the entire operating envelope. Several design-point engine cases are pre-selected using a parametric cycle-analysis code developed previously in Microsoft(Registered Trademark) Excel, for off-design analysis. The off-design code calculates engine performances (i.e. thrust and thrust-specific-fuel-consumption) at various flight conditions and throttle settings.

Predictions of Transient Flame Lift-Off Length With Comparison to Single-Cylinder Optical Engine Experiments

DOE PAGES

Senecal, P. K.; Pomraning, E.; Anders, J. W.; ...

2014-05-28

A state-of-the-art, grid-convergent simulation methodology was applied to three-dimensional calculations of a single-cylinder optical engine. A mesh resolution study on a sector-based version of the engine geometry further verified the RANS-based cell size recommendations previously presented by Senecal et al. (“Grid Convergent Spray Models for Internal Combustion Engine CFD Simulations,” ASME Paper No. ICEF2012-92043). Convergence of cylinder pressure, flame lift-off length, and emissions was achieved for an adaptive mesh refinement cell size of 0.35 mm. Furthermore, full geometry simulations, using mesh settings derived from the grid convergence study, resulted in excellent agreement with measurements of cylinder pressure, heat release rate,more » and NOx emissions. On the other hand, the full geometry simulations indicated that the flame lift-off length is not converged at 0.35 mm for jets not aligned with the computational mesh. Further simulations suggested that the flame lift-off lengths for both the nonaligned and aligned jets appear to be converged at 0.175 mm. With this increased mesh resolution, both the trends and magnitudes in flame lift-off length were well predicted with the current simulation methodology. Good agreement between the overall predicted flame behavior and the available chemiluminescence measurements was also achieved. Our present study indicates that cell size requirements for accurate prediction of full geometry flame lift-off lengths may be stricter than those for global combustion behavior. This may be important when accurate soot predictions are required.« less

Predictions of Transient Flame Lift-Off Length With Comparison to Single-Cylinder Optical Engine Experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Senecal, P. K.; Pomraning, E.; Anders, J. W.

A state-of-the-art, grid-convergent simulation methodology was applied to three-dimensional calculations of a single-cylinder optical engine. A mesh resolution study on a sector-based version of the engine geometry further verified the RANS-based cell size recommendations previously presented by Senecal et al. (“Grid Convergent Spray Models for Internal Combustion Engine CFD Simulations,” ASME Paper No. ICEF2012-92043). Convergence of cylinder pressure, flame lift-off length, and emissions was achieved for an adaptive mesh refinement cell size of 0.35 mm. Furthermore, full geometry simulations, using mesh settings derived from the grid convergence study, resulted in excellent agreement with measurements of cylinder pressure, heat release rate,more » and NOx emissions. On the other hand, the full geometry simulations indicated that the flame lift-off length is not converged at 0.35 mm for jets not aligned with the computational mesh. Further simulations suggested that the flame lift-off lengths for both the nonaligned and aligned jets appear to be converged at 0.175 mm. With this increased mesh resolution, both the trends and magnitudes in flame lift-off length were well predicted with the current simulation methodology. Good agreement between the overall predicted flame behavior and the available chemiluminescence measurements was also achieved. Our present study indicates that cell size requirements for accurate prediction of full geometry flame lift-off lengths may be stricter than those for global combustion behavior. This may be important when accurate soot predictions are required.« less

Software engineering as an engineering discipline

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berard, Edward V.

1988-01-01

The following topics are discussed in the context of software engineering: early use of the term; the 1968 NATO conference; Barry Boehm's definition; four requirements fo software engineering; and additional criteria for software engineering. Additionally, the four major requirements for software engineering--computer science, mathematics, engineering disciplines, and excellent communication skills--are discussed. The presentation is given in vugraph form.

Achieving high carrier mobility exceeding 70 cm2/Vs in amorphous zinc tin oxide thin-film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sang Tae; Shin, Yeonwoo; Yun, Pil Sang; Bae, Jong Uk; Chung, In Jae; Jeong, Jae Kyeong

2017-09-01

This paper proposes a new defect engineering concept for low-cost In- and Ga-free zinc tin oxide (ZTO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). This concept is comprised of capping ZTO films with tantalum (Ta) and a subsequent modest thermal annealing treatment at 200 °C. The Ta-capped ZTO TFTs exhibited a remarkably high carrier mobility of 70.8 cm2/Vs, low subthreshold gate swing of 0.18 V/decade, threshold voltage of -1.3 V, and excellent ION/OFF ratio of 2 × 108. The improvement (> two-fold) in the carrier mobility compared to the uncapped ZTO TFT can be attributed to the effective reduction of the number of adverse tailing trap states, such as hydroxyl groups or oxygen interstitial defects, which stems from the scavenging effect of the Ta capping layer on the ZTO channel layer. Furthermore, the Ta-capped ZTO TFTs showed excellent positive and negative gate bias stress stabilities. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Expedition 52 Crew Patch-042517

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-11-17

ISS052-s-001 (01/27/2016) --- Orbiting the Earth continuously since 1998, the International Space Station (ISS) is one of our greatest engineering achievements. It is depicted in gold, symbolic of constancy and excellence. Flying directly toward a sunrise represents the ISS’s contributions to a bright future. That sunrise and the Earth beneath ituses blue, white, red, and green, the combined national colors of Italy, Russia, and the United States, symbolizing the crew’s cohesiveness. Crewmember names are in blue symbolizing devotion and loyalty. The white border represents sunlight unscattered by the Earth’s atmosphere. Symbolic of new Russian and U.S. spacecraft that will further human exploration, the patch is shaped as a capsule. The number 52 is drawn as a path eventually leading to Mars. Finally, the stars symbolize the values of leadership, trust, teamwork, and excellence lived by mission control teams throughout the history of human space programs, as well as their global vigilance in operating the ISS.

Lincoln Advanced Science and Engineering Reinforcement (LASER) program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Willie E.

1989-01-01

Lincoln University, under the Lincoln Advanced Science and Engineering Reinforcement (LASER) Program, has identified and successfully recruited over 100 students for majors in technical fields. To date, over 70 percent of these students have completed or will complete technical degrees in engineering, physics, chemistry, and computer science. Of those completing the undergraduate degree, over 40 percent have gone on to graduate and professional schools. This success is attributable to well planned approaches to student recruitment, training, personal motivation, retention, and program staff. Very closely coupled to the above factors is a focus designed to achieve excellence in program services and student performance. Future contributions by the LASER Program to the pool of technical minority graduates will have a significant impact. This is already evident from the success of the students that began the first year of the program. With program plans to refine many of the already successful techniques, follow-on activities are expected to make even greater contributions to the availability of technically trained minorities. For example, undergraduate research exposure, broadened summer, and co-op work experiences will be enhanced.

Extending the spectral range of CdSe/ZnSe quantum wells by strain engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finke, A.; Ruth, M.; Scholz, S.; Ludwig, A.; Wieck, A. D.; Reuter, D.; Pawlis, A.

2015-01-01

We demonstrate efficient room-temperature photoluminescence and spectral tuning of epitaxially grown ZnSe/CdSe quantum well structures almost over the whole visible spectrum (470-600 nm wavelength). The key element to achieve the observed high quantum efficiency and enormous tuning range was the implementation of a special strain engineering technique, which allows us to suppress substantial lattice relaxation of CdSe on ZnSe. Previous studies indicated that a CdSe coverage exceeding 3 ML on ZnSe results in the formation of extensive lattice defects and complete quenching of the photoluminescence at low and room temperature. In contrast, our approach of strain engineering enables the deposition of planar CdSe quantum wells with a thickness ranging from 1 to 6 ML with excellent optical properties. We attribute the observed experimental features to a controllable strain compensation effect that is present in an alternating system of tensile and compressively strained epitaxial layers and supported this model by calculations of the transition energies of the ZnSe/CdSe quantum wells.

Sandia National Laboratories Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) software quality plan : ASC software quality engineering practices Version 3.0.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Turgeon, Jennifer L.; Minana, Molly A.; Hackney, Patricia

2009-01-01

The purpose of the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Software Quality Plan is to clearly identify the practices that are the basis for continually improving the quality of ASC software products. Quality is defined in the US Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Agency (DOE/NNSA) Quality Criteria, Revision 10 (QC-1) as 'conformance to customer requirements and expectations'. This quality plan defines the SNL ASC Program software quality engineering (SQE) practices and provides a mapping of these practices to the SNL Corporate Process Requirement (CPR) 001.3.6; 'Corporate Software Engineering Excellence'. This plan also identifies ASC management's and themore » software project teams responsibilities in implementing the software quality practices and in assessing progress towards achieving their software quality goals. This SNL ASC Software Quality Plan establishes the signatories commitments to improving software products by applying cost-effective SQE practices. This plan enumerates the SQE practices that comprise the development of SNL ASC's software products and explains the project teams opportunities for tailoring and implementing the practices.« less

Experimental investigation of homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion of biodiesel fuel with external mixture formation in a CI engine.

PubMed

Ganesh, D; Nagarajan, G; Ganesan, S

2014-01-01

In parallel to the interest in renewable fuels, there has also been increased interest in homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion. HCCI engines are being actively developed because they have the potential to be highly efficient and to produce low emissions. Even though HCCI has been researched extensively, few challenges still exist. These include controlling the combustion at higher loads and the formation of a homogeneous mixture. To obtain better homogeneity, in the present investigation external mixture formation method was adopted, in which the fuel vaporiser was used to achieve excellent HCCI combustion in a single cylinder air-cooled direct injection diesel engine. In continuation of our previous works, in the current study a vaporised jatropha methyl ester (JME) was mixed with air to form a homogeneous mixture and inducted into the cylinder during the intake stroke to analyze the combustion, emission and performance characteristics. To control the early ignition of JME vapor-air mixture, cooled (30 °C) Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technique was adopted. The experimental result shows 81% reduction in NOx and 72% reduction in smoke emission.

Climate Leadership Award for Excellence in GHG Management (Goal Setting Certificate)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Apply to the Climate Leadership Award for Excellence in GHG Management (Goal Achievement Award), which publicly recognizes organizations that achieve publicly-set aggressive greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.

Lycopene overproduction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through combining pathway engineering with host engineering.

PubMed

Chen, Yan; Xiao, Wenhai; Wang, Ying; Liu, Hong; Li, Xia; Yuan, Yingjin

2016-06-21

Microbial production of lycopene, a commercially and medically important compound, has received increasing concern in recent years. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regarded as a safer host for lycopene production than Escherichia coli. However, to date, the lycopene yield (mg/g DCW) in S. cerevisiae was lower than that in E. coli and did not facilitate downstream extraction process, which might be attributed to the incompatibility between host cell and heterologous pathway. Therefore, to achieve lycopene overproduction in S. cerevisiae, both host cell and heterologous pathway should be delicately engineered. In this study, lycopene biosynthesis pathway was constructed by integration of CrtE, CrtB and CrtI in S. cerevisiae CEN.PK2. When YPL062W, a distant genetic locus, was deleted, little acetate was accumulated and approximately 100 % increase in cytosolic acetyl-CoA pool was achieved relative to that in parental strain. Through screening CrtE, CrtB and CrtI from diverse species, an optimal carotenogenic enzyme combination was obtained, and CrtI from Blakeslea trispora (BtCrtI) was found to have excellent performance on lycopene production as well as lycopene proportion in carotenoid. Then, the expression level of BtCrtI was fine-tuned and the effect of cell mating types was also evaluated. Finally, potential distant genetic targets (YJL064W, ROX1, and DOS2) were deleted and a stress-responsive transcription factor INO2 was also up-regulated. Through the above modifications between host cell and carotenogenic pathway, lycopene yield was increased by approximately 22-fold (from 2.43 to 54.63 mg/g DCW). Eventually, in fed-batch fermentation, lycopene production reached 55.56 mg/g DCW, which is the highest reported yield in yeasts. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was engineered to produce lycopene in this study. Through combining host engineering (distant genetic loci and cell mating types) with pathway engineering (enzyme screening and gene fine-tuning), lycopene yield was stepwise improved by 22-fold as compared to the starting strain. The highest lycopene yield (55.56 mg/g DCW) in yeasts was achieved in 5-L bioreactors. This study provides a good reference of combinatorial engineering of host cell and heterologous pathway for microbial overproduction of pharmaceutical and chemical products.

The Bologna Process and the Search for Excellence: Between Rhetoric and Reality, the Emotional Reactions of Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahia, Sara; Freire, Isabel P.; Estrela, Maria Teresa; Amaral, Anabela; Espírito Santo, José António

2017-01-01

There has been an overall change in higher education towards the achievement of outstanding patterns of quality and excellence that assure competitiveness at a global scale. Teachers feel the pressure of official regulations for achieving quality and excellence, based on questionable concepts of quality that do not take into account the experience…

Trends in Education Excellence Gaps: A 12-Year International Perspective via the Multilevel Model for Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutkowski, David; Rutkowski, Leslie; Plucker, Jonathan A.

2012-01-01

A recent study in the USA documented the existence and growth of "excellence gaps" among students. These gaps are similar to the minimum competency achievement gaps that proliferate in policy discussions in many Western countries, but excellence gaps focus on the highest level of achievement rather than minimum competency. We extend this…

Achieving 'excellent' indoor air quality in commercial offices equipped with air-handling unit--respirable suspended particulate.

PubMed

Lam, K S; Chan, F S; Fung, W Y; Lui, B S S; Lau, L W L

2006-04-01

A study was carried out to investigate the feasibility of achieving ultra low respirable suspended particulates (RSP) in commercial offices without major modification of existing ventilation systems by enhancing the particulates removal efficiency of existing central ventilation systems. Four types of filters which include pre-filters, cartridge filters, bag filters and high efficiency particulates air (HEPA) filters were tested in a commercial building in Causeway Bay. The results show that an RSP objective of <20 microg/m3 could be met by removing RSP from both the return air and outdoor air supply simultaneously. This level of performance is classed as 'excellent' by the Hong Kong Government, Environmental Protection Department. Filters with efficiency that exceed 80% placed both in the return air and outdoor air were sufficient to meet the objective. It is not necessary to install HEPA filters to achieve the 'excellent' class. The outdoor air filter has great influence on the steady state indoor RSP concentration while the effective cleaning rate is governed by the return air filter. Higher efficiency filters increased the static drop but the volume flow of the air fan was not affected significantly. The additional cost incurred was <5% of the existing operation cost. This paper reports a field study of RSP control for an indoor office environment. The results are directly applicable to building service engineering in the design of ventilation systems using air-handling units. Field observations indicated that indoor RSP in an office environment could be suppressed below 20 microg/m3 within 1 h by the simultaneous filtration of outdoor air and return air. Outdoor air filtration has a great influence on the steady state indoor concentration and return air filtration governs the cleaning rate. It is believed that the results of this study could be extended to the cleaning of other indoor pollutants such as volatile organic compounds.

Integrated function nonimaging concentrating collector tubes for solar thermal energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winston, R.; Ogallagher, J. J.

1982-09-01

A substantial improvement in optical efficiency over contemporary external reflector evacuated tube collectors has been achieved by integrating the reflector surface into the outer glass envelope. Described are the design fabrication and test results for a prototype collector based on this concept. A comprehensive test program to measure performance and operational characteristics of a 2 sq m panel (45 tubes) has been completed. Efficiencies above 50% relative to beam at 200 C have been repeatedly demonstrated. Both the instantaneous and long term average performance of this totally stationary solar collector are comparable to those for tracking line focus parabolic troughs. The yield, reliability and stability of performance achieved have been excellent. Subcomponent assemblies and fabrication procedures have been used which are expected to be compatible with high volume production. The collector has a wide variety of applications in the 100 to 300 C range including industrial progress heat, air conditioning and Rankine engine operation.

Cyanate ester-nanoparticle composites as multifunctional structural capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Leon, J. Eliseo

An important goal of engineering is to increase the energy density of electrical energy storage devices used to deliver power onboard mobile platforms. Equally important is the goal to reduce the overall mass of the vehicles transporting these devices to achieve increased fuel and cost efficiency. One approach to meeting both these objectives is to develop multifunctional systems that serve as both energy storage and load bearing structural devices. Multifunctional devices consist of constituents that individually perform a subset of the overall desired functions. However, the synergy achieved by the combination of each constituent's characteristics allows for system-level benefits that cannot be achieved by simply optimizing the separate subsystems. We investigated multifunctional systems consisting of light weight polymer matrix and high dielectric constant fillers to achieve these objectives. The monomer of bisphenol E cyanate ester exhibited excellent processing ability because of its low room temperature viscosity. Additionally, the fully cured thermoset demonstrated excellent thermal stability, specific strength and stiffness. Fillers, including multi-walled carbon nanotubes, nanometer scale barium titanate and nanometer scale calcium copper titanate, offer high dielectric constants that raised the effective dielectric constant of the polymer matrix composite. The combination of high epsilon'and high dielectric strength produce high energy density components exhibiting increased electrical energy storage. Mechanical (load bearing) improvements of the PMCs were attributed to covalently bonded nanometer and micrometer sized filler particles, as well as the continuous glass fiber, integrated into the resin systems which increased the structural characteristics of the cured composites. Breakdown voltage tests and dynamic mechanical analysis were employed to demonstrate that precise combinations of these constituents, under the proper processing conditions, can satisfy the needs presented by the aerospace industry and military forces.

The relationship of learning motivation, achievement and satisfaction for nurses learning simple excel VBA information systems programming.

PubMed

Lee, Ying Li; Chien, Tsai Feng; Kuo, Ming Chuan; Chang, Polun

2014-01-01

This study aims to understand the relationship between participating nurses' motivation, achievement and satisfaction before and after they learned to program in Excel Visual Basic for Applications (Excel VBA). We held a workshop to train nurses in developing simple Excel VBA information systems to support their clinical or administrative practices. Before and after the workshop, the participants were evaluated on their knowledge of Excel VBA, and a questionnaire was given to survey their learning motivation and satisfaction. Statistics softwares Winsteps and SPSS were used for data analysis. Results show that the participants are more knowledgeable about VBA as well as more motivated in learning VBA after the workshop. Participants were highly satisfied with the overall arrangement of the workshop and instructors, but didn't have enough confidence in promoting the application of Excel VBA themselves. In addition, we were unable to predict the participants' achievement by their demographic characteristics or pre-test motivation level.

Explorations in the Meanings of Excellence and Its Importance for Counselors: The Culture of Excellence in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Alan E.

2010-01-01

Contemporary narratives of excellence embody the competitive striving and achievement themes underlying the idea of American exceptionalism. The author examines excellence through Aristotle's (trans. 2002) "Nicomachean Ethics". An overemphasis on winning or excelling can undermine general human excellence and harm well-being. Counselors are…

Assessment of polytechnic students' understanding of basic algebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mokmin, Nur Azlina Mohamed; Masood, Mona

2015-12-01

It is important for engineering students to excel in algebra. Previous studies show that the algebraic fraction is a subtopic of algebra that was found to be the most challenging for engineering students. This study is done with 191 first semester engineering students who have enrolled in engineering programs in Malaysian polytechnic. The respondents are divided into Group 1 (Distinction) and Group 2 (Credit) based on their Mathematics SPM result. A computer application is developed for this study to assess student information and understanding of the algebraic fraction topic. The result is analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The test results show that there are significant differences between Group 1 and Group 2 and that most of the students scored below the minimum requirement.

Performance of Maybach 300-horsepower airplane engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sparrow, S W

1923-01-01

This report contains the results of a test made upon a Maybach Engine in the altitude chamber of the Bureau of Standards, where controlled conditions of temperature and pressure can be made the same as those of the desired altitude. The results of this test lead to the following conclusions: from the standpoint of thermal efficiency the full-load performance of the engine is excellent at densities corresponding to altitudes up to and including 15,000 feet. The brake mean effective pressure is rather low even at wide-open throttle. This tends to give a high weight per horsepower, in as much as the weight of many engine parts is governed by the size rather than the power of the engine. At part load the thermal efficiency of the engine is low. Judged on a basis of performance the engine's chief claim to interest would appear to lie in the carburetor design, which is largely responsible excellent full-load efficiency and for its poor part-load efficiency.

Conducting Automated Test Assembly Using the Premium Solver Platform Version 7.0 with Microsoft Excel and the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine Add-In

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cor, Ken; Alves, Cecilia; Gierl, Mark J.

2008-01-01

This review describes and evaluates a software add-in created by Frontline Systems, Inc., that can be used with Microsoft Excel 2007 to solve large, complex test assembly problems. The combination of Microsoft Excel 2007 with the Frontline Systems Premium Solver Platform is significant because Microsoft Excel is the most commonly used spreadsheet…

Validation of GPU based TomoTherapy dose calculation engine.

PubMed

Chen, Quan; Lu, Weiguo; Chen, Yu; Chen, Mingli; Henderson, Douglas; Sterpin, Edmond

2012-04-01

The graphic processing unit (GPU) based TomoTherapy convolution/superposition(C/S) dose engine (GPU dose engine) achieves a dramatic performance improvement over the traditional CPU-cluster based TomoTherapy dose engine (CPU dose engine). Besides the architecture difference between the GPU and CPU, there are several algorithm changes from the CPU dose engine to the GPU dose engine. These changes made the GPU dose slightly different from the CPU-cluster dose. In order for the commercial release of the GPU dose engine, its accuracy has to be validated. Thirty eight TomoTherapy phantom plans and 19 patient plans were calculated with both dose engines to evaluate the equivalency between the two dose engines. Gamma indices (Γ) were used for the equivalency evaluation. The GPU dose was further verified with the absolute point dose measurement with ion chamber and film measurements for phantom plans. Monte Carlo calculation was used as a reference for both dose engines in the accuracy evaluation in heterogeneous phantom and actual patients. The GPU dose engine showed excellent agreement with the current CPU dose engine. The majority of cases had over 99.99% of voxels with Γ(1%, 1 mm) < 1. The worst case observed in the phantom had 0.22% voxels violating the criterion. In patient cases, the worst percentage of voxels violating the criterion was 0.57%. For absolute point dose verification, all cases agreed with measurement to within ±3% with average error magnitude within 1%. All cases passed the acceptance criterion that more than 95% of the pixels have Γ(3%, 3 mm) < 1 in film measurement, and the average passing pixel percentage is 98.5%-99%. The GPU dose engine also showed similar degree of accuracy in heterogeneous media as the current TomoTherapy dose engine. It is verified and validated that the ultrafast TomoTherapy GPU dose engine can safely replace the existing TomoTherapy cluster based dose engine without degradation in dose accuracy.

Resources for Teachers. "Turning Ideas Into Reality: The Executive Branch Fosters Engineering Excellence." An Institute for Pre-College Science and Social Studies Teachers (West Hartford, Connecticut, February 18-19, 24-26, 1989). Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierce, Preston E., Comp.

A compilation of resources is provided for those interested in examining action taken by the executive branch of the federal government to foster scientific and engineering excellence in the United States in the nineteenth century. The resources are intended for use by pre-college secondary science and social studies teachers. Each of the…

What Price Excellence?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Robert J.; Wass, Hannelore

1970-01-01

This article discusses through the use of three case studies, the possible problems caused by pressure placed on high achievers to excell academically. Perhaps the maximization of academic achievement may well be accomplished at some crucial personal or social cost for the individual. (Author/KJ)

Impact of Interfacial Layers in Perovskite Solar Cells.

PubMed

Cho, An-Na; Park, Nam-Gyu

2017-10-09

Perovskite solar cells (PCSs) are composed of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite as the light harvester. Since the first report on a long-term-durable, 9.7 % efficient, solid-state perovskite solar cell, organic-inorganic halide perovskites have received considerable attention because of their excellent optoelectronic properties. As a result, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 22 % was certified. Controlling the grain size, grain boundary, morphology, and defects of the perovskite layer is important for achieving high efficiency. In addition, interfacial engineering is equally or more important to further improve the PCE through better charge collection and a reduction in charge recombination. In this Review, the type of interfacial layers and their impact on photovoltaic performance are investigated for both the normal and the inverted cell architectures. Four different interfaces of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)/electron-transport layer (ETL), ETL/perovskite, perovskite/hole-transport layer (HTL), and HTL/metal are classified, and their roles are investigated. The effects of interfacial engineering with organic or inorganic materials on photovoltaic performance are described in detail. Grain-boundary engineering is also included because it is related to interfacial engineering and the grain boundary in the perovskite layer plays an important role in charge conduction, recombination, and chargecarrier life time. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Superstretchable Nacre-Mimetic Graphene/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite Film Based on Interfacial Architectural Engineering.

PubMed

Zhao, Nifang; Yang, Miao; Zhao, Qian; Gao, Weiwei; Xie, Tao; Bai, Hao

2017-05-23

Through designing hierarchical structures, particularly optimizing the chemical and architectural interactions at its inorganic/organic interface, nacre has achieved an excellent combination of contradictory mechanical properties such as strength and toughness, which is highly demanded yet difficult to achieve by most synthetic materials. Most techniques applied to develop nacre-mimetic composites have been focused on mimicking the "brick-and-mortar" structure, but the interfacial architectural features, especially the asperities and mineral bridges of "bricks", have been rarely concerned, which are of equal importance for enhancing mechanical properties of nacre. Here, we used a modified bidirectional freezing method followed by uniaxial pressing and chemical reduction to assemble a nacre-mimetic graphene/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite film, with both asperities and bridges introduced in addition to the lamellar layers to mimic the interfacial architectural interactions found in nacre. As such, we have developed a composite film that is not only strong (up to ∼150.9 MPa), but also tough (up to ∼8.50 MJ/m 3 ), and highly stretchable (up to ∼10.44%), difficult to obtain by other methods. This was all achieved by only interfacial architectural engineering within the traditional "brick-and-mortar" structure, without introducing a third component or employing chemical cross-linker as in some other nacre-mimetic systems. More importantly, we believe that the design principles and processing strategies reported here can also be applied to other material systems to develop strong and stretchable materials.

Shape Memory Polymers: A Joint Chemical and Materials Engineering Hands-On Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seif, Mujan; Beck, Matthew

2018-01-01

Hands-on experiences are excellent tools for increasing retention of first year engineering students. They also encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, a critical skill for modern engineers. In this paper, we describe and evaluate a joint Chemical and Materials Engineering hands-on lab that explores cross-linking and glass transition in…

76 FR 37158 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-24

... Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) program. In 2003... representative scientific or engineering organization.'' On the basis of these recommendations, the Committee was... individual's work on the current state of physical, biological, mathematical, engineering or social and...

The AXAF/XRS ADR - Engineering model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Serlemitsos, Aristides T.; Sansebastian, Marcelino; Kunes, Evan S.

1991-01-01

A spaceworthy Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator is under development at Goddard Space Flight Center as part of the X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS), an instrument on the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF). XRS will employ an array of 32 microcalorimeters capable of detecting X-rays in the energy range of 0.3 - 10 keV. In order to achieve a desired resolution of 12 eV, these detectors must be operated at a temperature of 0.065 - 0.100 K. An ADR must be used to cool these detectors in space. A breadboard model was designed and built less than two years ago, and provided excellent results. We are presently at the development stage of the engineering model. Several changes have been made to the original design in order to improve the efficiency of the ADR, to reduce its weight, and to strengthen the salt pill suspension system so that the ADR can survive launch loads and have low sensitivity to microphonic inputs. We shall report on the results of these changes; what worked and what did not.

Interface engineering of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and atomic layer deposited Zn(O,S) heterojunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Sebastian S.; Merdes, Saoussen; Steigert, Alexander; Klenk, Reiner; Kaufmann, Christian A.; Simsek Sanli, Ekin; van Aken, Peter A.; Oertel, Mike; Schneikart, Anja; Dimmler, Bernhard; Schlatmann, Rutger

2017-08-01

Atomic layer deposition of Zn(O,S) is an attractive dry and Cd-free process for the preparation of buffer layers for chalcopyrite solar modules. As we previously reported, excellent cell and module efficiencies were achieved using absorbers from industrial pilot production. These absorbers were grown using a selenization/sulfurization process. In this contribution we report on the interface engineering required to adapt the process to sulfur-free multi source evaporated absorbers. Different approaches to a local sulfur enrichment at the heterojunction have been studied by using surface analysis (XPS) and scanning transmission electron microscopy. We correlate the microstructure and element distribution at the interface with device properties obtained by electronic characterization. The optimized completely dry process yields cell efficiencies >16% and 30 × 30 cm2 minimodule efficiencies of up to 13.9% on industrial substrates. Any degradation observed in the dry heat stress test is fully reversible after light soaking.

Strategies and applications for incorporating physical and chemical signal gradients in tissue engineering.

PubMed

Singh, Milind; Berkland, Cory; Detamore, Michael S

2008-12-01

From embryonic development to wound repair, concentration gradients of bioactive signaling molecules guide tissue formation and regeneration. Moreover, gradients in cellular and extracellular architecture as well as in mechanical properties are readily apparent in native tissues. Perhaps tissue engineers can take a cue from nature in attempting to regenerate tissues by incorporating gradients into engineering design strategies. Indeed, gradient-based approaches are an emerging trend in tissue engineering, standing in contrast to traditional approaches of homogeneous delivery of cells and/or growth factors using isotropic scaffolds. Gradients in tissue engineering lie at the intersection of three major paradigms in the field-biomimetic, interfacial, and functional tissue engineering-by combining physical (via biomaterial design) and chemical (with growth/differentiation factors and cell adhesion molecules) signal delivery to achieve a continuous transition in both structure and function. This review consolidates several key methodologies to generate gradients, some of which have never been employed in a tissue engineering application, and discusses strategies for incorporating these methods into tissue engineering and implant design. A key finding of this review was that two-dimensional physicochemical gradient substrates, which serve as excellent high-throughput screening tools for optimizing desired biomaterial properties, can be enhanced in the future by transitioning from two dimensions to three dimensions, which would enable studies of cell-protein-biomaterial interactions in a more native tissue-like environment. In addition, biomimetic tissue regeneration via combined delivery of graded physical and chemical signals appears to be a promising strategy for the regeneration of heterogeneous tissues and tissue interfaces. In the future, in vivo applications will shed more light on the performance of gradient-based mechanical integrity and signal delivery strategies compared to traditional tissue engineering approaches.

Birth of U.S. Naval Aeronautical Engineering and Phenomenal Rise to Excellence

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

Report s Birth of U.S. Naval Aeronautical Engineering and Phenomenal Rise to Excellence by David J. Haas, Eric J. Silberg , Judah H. Milgram W ^^^P... Silberg , Judah Milgram 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 99-2-5300-010-12 17. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES...First International Symposium on Marine Propulsion , Trondheim. Norway, June 22-24, 2009 ’ Silberg , E, Haas, D., Walker. J and Kough, L, "Enhancing

Exploiting endogenous CRISPR-Cas system for multiplex genome editing in Clostridium tyrobutyricum and engineer the strain for high-level butanol production.

PubMed

Zhang, Jie; Zong, Wenming; Hong, Wei; Zhang, Zhong-Tian; Wang, Yi

2018-03-09

Although CRISPR-Cas9/Cpf1 have been employed as powerful genome engineering tools, heterologous CRISPR-Cas9/Cpf1 are often difficult to introduce into bacteria and archaea due to their severe toxicity. Since most prokaryotes harbor native CRISPR-Cas systems, genome engineering can be achieved by harnessing these endogenous immune systems. Here, we report the exploitation of Type I-B CRISPR-Cas of Clostridium tyrobutyricum for genome engineering. In silico CRISPR array analysis and plasmid interference assay revealed that TCA or TCG at the 5'-end of the protospacer was the functional protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) for CRISPR targeting. With a lactose inducible promoter for CRISPR array expression, we significantly decreased the toxicity of CRISPR-Cas and enhanced the transformation efficiency, and successfully deleted spo0A with an editing efficiency of 100%. We further evaluated effects of the spacer length on genome editing efficiency. Interestingly, spacers ≤ 20 nt led to unsuccessful transformation consistently, likely due to severe off-target effects; while a spacer of 30-38 nt is most appropriate to ensure successful transformation and high genome editing efficiency. Moreover, multiplex genome editing for the deletion of spo0A and pyrF was achieved in a single transformation, with an editing efficiency of up to 100%. Finally, with the integration of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene (adhE1 or adhE2) to replace cat1 (the key gene responsible for butyrate production and previously could not be deleted), two mutants were created for n-butanol production, with the butanol titer reached historically record high of 26.2 g/L in a batch fermentation. Altogether, our results demonstrated the easy programmability and high efficiency of endogenous CRISPR-Cas. The developed protocol herein has a broader applicability to other prokaryotes containing endogenous CRISPR-Cas systems. C. tyrobutyricum could be employed as an excellent platform to be engineered for biofuel and biochemical production using the CRISPR-Cas based genome engineering toolkit. Copyright © 2018 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

EPA-RTP STEM Outreach Program recognized for Excellence in Volunteer Experience and Mobilization

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA-RTP’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Outreach Program was recently awarded two US2020 STEM Mentoring Awards – one for Excellence in Volunteer Experience, and a second for Volunteer Mobilization.

The Process of Updating Engineering Management Science in an Australian Regional University Excellence in Developing E-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ku, H.; Fulcher, R.

2007-01-01

The aim of the current paper is to share the processes in revising the courseware of the course of "Engineering Management Science" coded as ENG4004, in the Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical and Electronic, Computer Systems, Instrumentation and Control), Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Mechanical, Building…

Production and installation of the LHC low-beta triplets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feher, S.; Bossert, R.; DiMarco, J.

2005-09-01

The LHC performance depends critically on the low-{beta}, triplets, located on either side of the four interaction points. Each triplet consists of four superconducting quadrupole magnets, which must operate reliably at up to 215 T/m, sustain extremely high heat loads and have an excellent field quality. A collaboration of CERN, Fermilab and KEK was formed in 1996 to design and build the triplet systems, and after nine years of joint effort the production has been completed in 2005. We retrace the main events of the project and present the design features and performance of the low-{beta} quadrupoles, built by KEKmore » and Fermilab, as well as of other vital elements of the triplet. The tunnel installation of the first triplet and plans for commissioning in the LHC are also presented. Apart from the excellent technical results, the construction of the LHC low-{beta} triplets has been a highly enriching experience combining harmoniously the different competences and approaches to engineering in a style reminiscent of high energy physics experiment collaborations, and rarely before achieved in construction of an accelerator.« less

Engineering scale development of the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process for the production of silicon carbide fibrils. Phase 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ohnsorg, R.W.; Hollar, W.E. Jr.; Lau, S.K.

1995-04-01

As reinforcements for composites, VLS SiC fibrils have attractive mechanical properties including high-strength, high modulus, and excellent creep resistance. To make use of their excellent mechanical properties in a composite, a significant volume fraction (>10%) of aligned, long fibrils (>2 mm) needs to be consolidated in the ceramic matrix. The fibrils must be processed into an assembly that will allow for composite fabrication while maintaining fibril alignment and length. With Advanced Product Development (APD) as the yam fabrication subcontractor, Carborundum investigated several approaches to achieve this goaL including traditional yam-forming processes such as carding and air-vortex spinning and nontraditional processesmore » such as tape forming and wet casting. Carborundum additionally performed an economic analysis for producing 500 and 10,000 pounds of SiC fibrils annually using both conservative and more aggressive processing parameters. With the aggressive approach, the projected costs for SiC fibril production for 500 and 10,000 pounds per year are $1,340/pound and $340/pound, respectively.« less

International Dimension in Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borri, C.; Guberti, E.; Melsa, J.

2007-01-01

Engineers of the 21st century will spend appreciable portions of their careers in environments rich with global connections. Therefore, engineering colleges and universities must develop strategies that provide the global perspectives and international experiences that will help their graduates excel in this new world order. The current paper…

Efficient design of multituned transmission line NMR probes: the electrical engineering approach.

PubMed

Frydel, J A; Krzystyniak, M; Pienkowski, D; Pietrzak, M; de Sousa Amadeu, N; Ratajczyk, T; Idzik, K; Gutmann, T; Tietze, D; Voigt, S; Fenn, A; Limbach, H H; Buntkowsky, G

2011-01-01

Transmission line-based multi-channel solid state NMR probes have many advantages regarding the cost of construction, number of RF-channels, and achievable RF-power levels. Nevertheless, these probes are only rarely employed in solid state-NMR-labs, mainly owing to the difficult experimental determination of the necessary RF-parameters. Here, the efficient design of multi-channel solid state MAS-NMR probes employing transmission line theory and modern techniques of electrical engineering is presented. As technical realization a five-channel ((1)H, (31)P, (13)C, (2)H and (15)N) probe for operation at 7 Tesla is described. This very cost efficient design goal is a multi port single coil transmission line probe based on the design developed by Schaefer and McKay. The electrical performance of the probe is determined by measuring of Scattering matrix parameters (S-parameters) in particular input/output ports. These parameters are compared to the calculated parameters of the design employing the S-matrix formalism. It is shown that the S-matrix formalism provides an excellent tool for examination of transmission line probes and thus the tool for a rational design of these probes. On the other hand, the resulting design provides excellent electrical performance. From a point of view of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), calibration spectra of particular ports (channels) are of great importance. The estimation of the π/2 pulses length for all five NMR channels is presented. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Theoretical study of the decomposition mechanism of environmentally friendly insulating medium C3F7CN in the presence of H2O in a discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoxing; Li, Yi; Xiao, Song; Tian, Shuangshuang; Deng, Zaitao; Tang, Ju

2017-08-01

C3F7CN has been the focus of the alternative gas research field over the past two years because of its excellent insulation properties and environmental characteristics. Experimental studies on its insulation performance have made many achievements. However, few studies on the formation mechanism of the decomposition components exist. A discussion of the decomposition characteristics of insulating media will provide guidance for scientific experimental research and the work that must be completed before further engineering application. In this study, the decomposition mechanism of C3F7CN in the presence of trace H2O under discharge was calculated based on the density functional theory and transition state theory. The reaction heat, Gibbs free energy, and activation energy of different decomposition pathways were investigated. The ionization parameters and toxicity of C3F7CN and various decomposition products were analyzed from the molecular structure perspective. The formation mechanism of the C3F7CN discharge decomposition components and the influence of trace water were evaluated. This paper confirms that C3F7CN has excellent decomposition characteristics, which provide theoretical support for later experiments and related engineering applications. However, the existence of trace water has a negative impact on C3F7CN’s insulation performance. Thus, strict trace water content standards should be developed to ensure dielectric insulation and the safety of maintenance personnel.

Achieving Scientific Excellence: An Exploratory Study of the Role of Emotional and Motivational Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Araújo, Liliana S.; Cruz, José Fernando A.; Almeida, Leandro S.

2017-01-01

This study investigates the perceived role of psychological factors in achieving excellence in scientific research. Six outstanding scientists aged 33-42 were interviewed. Data were analyzed inductively resulting in three main dimensions: personality traits and characteristics, psychological skills and processes, and task-specific strategies.…

Working towards Excellence: Results from Schools Implementing New American Schools Designs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New American Schools Development Corp.

This report presents eight different approaches adapted by schools to dramatically raise student achievement. The schools combine comprehensive, whole-school change with systems-level restructuring to help a large proportion of schools around the country achieve excellence. The eight programs include (1) ATLAS (Authentic Teaching, Learning, and…

Seizing Opportunity at the Top: Reaching Every Student with Excellent Teachers--Policymakers' Checklist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Public Impact, 2012

2012-01-01

Research continues to confirm that without "excellent" teachers consistently, most students who start behind stay behind, and too few middling and advanced students leap ahead. Even solid teachers who achieve one year of learning progress leave achievement gaps intact. Schools that "consistently" provide all students with…

Engineered carbon (biochar) prepared by direct pyrolysis of Mg-accumulated tomato tissues: Characterization and phosphate removal potential

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An innovative synthesis was developed to produce engineered biochar from magnesium (Mg) enriched tomato tissues through slow pyrolysis in a N2 environment. The resulting Mg-biochar composites showed excellent sorption ability to phosphate in aqueous solutions. The engineered biochar contained nanosc...

Leading Practice in Space Education: Successful Approaches by Specialist Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schools Network, 2010

2010-01-01

The aim of the Government's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme is to ensure Britain's future success as a major centre for science, engineering and innovation. Specialist science, technology, engineering and maths & computing colleges help to drive this programme by becoming centres of excellence in STEM…

Strategies and Applications for Incorporating Physical and Chemical Signal Gradients in Tissue Engineering

PubMed Central

Singh, Milind; Berkland, Cory

2008-01-01

From embryonic development to wound repair, concentration gradients of bioactive signaling molecules guide tissue formation and regeneration. Moreover, gradients in cellular and extracellular architecture as well as in mechanical properties are readily apparent in native tissues. Perhaps tissue engineers can take a cue from nature in attempting to regenerate tissues by incorporating gradients into engineering design strategies. Indeed, gradient-based approaches are an emerging trend in tissue engineering, standing in contrast to traditional approaches of homogeneous delivery of cells and/or growth factors using isotropic scaffolds. Gradients in tissue engineering lie at the intersection of three major paradigms in the field—biomimetic, interfacial, and functional tissue engineering—by combining physical (via biomaterial design) and chemical (with growth/differentiation factors and cell adhesion molecules) signal delivery to achieve a continuous transition in both structure and function. This review consolidates several key methodologies to generate gradients, some of which have never been employed in a tissue engineering application, and discusses strategies for incorporating these methods into tissue engineering and implant design. A key finding of this review was that two-dimensional physicochemical gradient substrates, which serve as excellent high-throughput screening tools for optimizing desired biomaterial properties, can be enhanced in the future by transitioning from two dimensions to three dimensions, which would enable studies of cell–protein–biomaterial interactions in a more native tissue–like environment. In addition, biomimetic tissue regeneration via combined delivery of graded physical and chemical signals appears to be a promising strategy for the regeneration of heterogeneous tissues and tissue interfaces. In the future, in vivo applications will shed more light on the performance of gradient-based mechanical integrity and signal delivery strategies compared to traditional tissue engineering approaches. PMID:18803499

Shedding light on the subject: introduction to illumination engineering and design for multidiscipline engineering students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ronen, Ram S.; Smith, R. Frank

1995-10-01

Educating engineers and architects in Illumination Engineering and related subjects has become a very important field and a very satisfying and rewarding one. Main reasons include the need to significantly conserve lighting energy and meet government regulations while supplying appropriate light levels and achieving aesthetical requirements. The proliferation of new lamps, luminaries and lighting controllers many of which are 'energy savers' also helps a trend to seek help from lighting engineers when designing new commercial and residential buildings. That trend is believed to continue and grow as benefits become attractive and new government conservation regulations take affect. To make things even better one notices that Engineering and Science students in most disciplines make excellent candidates for Illumination Engineers because of their background and teaching them can move ahead at a brisk pace and be a rewarding experience nevertheless. In the past two years, Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering has been the beneficiary of a DOE/California grant. Its purpose was to precipitate and oversee light curricula in various California community colleges and also develop and launch an Illumination Engineering minor at Cal Poly University. Both objectives have successfully been met. Numerous community colleges throughout California developed and are offering a sequence of six lighting courses leading to a certificate; the first graduating class is now coming out of both Cypress and Consumnes Community Colleges. At Cal Poly University a four course/laboratory sequence leading to a minor in Illumination Engineering (ILE) is now offered to upper division students in the College of Engineering, College of Science and College of Architecture and Design. The ILE sequence will briefly be described. The first course, Introduction to Illumination Engineering and its laboratory are described in more detail alter. Various methods of instruction including lectures, self work, industrial visits and guest lectures, as well as the accompanying laboratory work are discussed. Feedback from the students was very positive.

Towards predictive many-body calculations of phonon-limited carrier mobilities in semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poncé, Samuel; Margine, Elena R.; Giustino, Feliciano

2018-03-01

We probe the accuracy limit of ab initio calculations of carrier mobilities in semiconductors, within the framework of the Boltzmann transport equation. By focusing on the paradigmatic case of silicon, we show that fully predictive calculations of electron and hole mobilities require many-body quasiparticle corrections to band structures and electron-phonon matrix elements, the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling, and an extremely fine sampling of inelastic scattering processes in momentum space. By considering all these factors we obtain excellent agreement with experiment, and we identify the band effective masses as the most critical parameters to achieve predictive accuracy. Our findings set a blueprint for future calculations of carrier mobilities, and pave the way to engineering transport properties in semiconductors by design.

Impact properties of geopolymeric concrete: a state-of-the-art review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Chi; Xie, Jianhe; Zhang, Bingxue; Yuan, Bing; Wang, Chonghao

2018-01-01

The application of geopolymer instead of cement in construction engineering provides an effective way to achieve sustainable development. A large number of studies have shown that geopolymeric concrete (GC) has excellent static performance. However, there are relatively few studies on the dynamic performance of GC which is of dominate importance in cases such as explosion, earthquake and other impact loads. This paper presents a brief review of recent research on the impact properties of GC, in order to facilitate the research development in this field. The effects of strain rate, fiber type, alkali type, elevated temperature, water environment and flow state on the impact resistance performance of GC were analysed. Research findings revealed that GC exhibited better impact properties than ordinary Portland concrete (OPC).

KSC-2013-2208

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-04-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Kelvin Manning, the center's associate deputy director, addresses students, teachers, parents and VIPs during the 2013 DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition awards ceremony. The challenge, now in its 27th year, reaches out to students from grades seven through 12 from all 50 states and Canada. More than 200,000 students entered the competition. The DuPont Challenge aims to inspire students to excel and achieve in scientific writing and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics STEM. The challenge honors space shuttle Challenger's STS-51L crew members who gave their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery. For more information on the challenge, go to http://thechallenge.dupont.com/sponsors/nasa.php.

An ultralight and thin metasurface for radar-infrared bi-stealth applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, C.; Yang, J.; Yuan, W.; Zhao, J.; Dai, J. Y.; Guo, T. C.; Liang, J.; Xu, G. Y.; Cheng, Q.; Cui, T. J.

2017-11-01

We present a thin metasurface with large microwave absorptivity and low infrared emissivity simultaneously. By properly tuning the resonance peaks and impedance of the meta-atom, broadband microwave absorptivity greater than 90% from 8.2 to 16.0 GHz is achieved. In the meantime, owing to large coverage of periodic metal patches on the top surface, low infrared emissivity is exhibited in the infrared region (IR) of 8 µm-14 µm. The excellent agreement between numerical simulation and experimental result demonstrates the good performance of the proposed metasurface. Due to the usage of polymethacrylimide (PMI) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as the substrate, the metasurface is especially advantageous for the light weight, making it a favorite in real engineering applications.

KSC-2013-2209

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-04-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, Marc Doyle, Dupont's global marketing and product director, addresses students, teachers, parents and VIPs during the 2013 DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition awards ceremony. The challenge, now in its 27th year, reaches out to students from grades seven through 12 from all 50 states and Canada. More than 200,000 students entered the competition. The DuPont Challenge aims to inspire students to excel and achieve in scientific writing and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics STEM. The challenge honors space shuttle Challenger's STS-51L crew members who gave their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery. For more information on the challenge, go to http://thechallenge.dupont.com/sponsors/nasa.php.

CBESW: sequence alignment on the Playstation 3.

PubMed

Wirawan, Adrianto; Kwoh, Chee Keong; Hieu, Nim Tri; Schmidt, Bertil

2008-09-17

The exponential growth of available biological data has caused bioinformatics to be rapidly moving towards a data-intensive, computational science. As a result, the computational power needed by bioinformatics applications is growing exponentially as well. The recent emergence of accelerator technologies has made it possible to achieve an excellent improvement in execution time for many bioinformatics applications, compared to current general-purpose platforms. In this paper, we demonstrate how the PlayStation 3, powered by the Cell Broadband Engine, can be used as a computational platform to accelerate the Smith-Waterman algorithm. For large datasets, our implementation on the PlayStation 3 provides a significant improvement in running time compared to other implementations such as SSEARCH, Striped Smith-Waterman and CUDA. Our implementation achieves a peak performance of up to 3,646 MCUPS. The results from our experiments demonstrate that the PlayStation 3 console can be used as an efficient low cost computational platform for high performance sequence alignment applications.

CBESW: Sequence Alignment on the Playstation 3

PubMed Central

Wirawan, Adrianto; Kwoh, Chee Keong; Hieu, Nim Tri; Schmidt, Bertil

2008-01-01

Background The exponential growth of available biological data has caused bioinformatics to be rapidly moving towards a data-intensive, computational science. As a result, the computational power needed by bioinformatics applications is growing exponentially as well. The recent emergence of accelerator technologies has made it possible to achieve an excellent improvement in execution time for many bioinformatics applications, compared to current general-purpose platforms. In this paper, we demonstrate how the PlayStation® 3, powered by the Cell Broadband Engine, can be used as a computational platform to accelerate the Smith-Waterman algorithm. Results For large datasets, our implementation on the PlayStation® 3 provides a significant improvement in running time compared to other implementations such as SSEARCH, Striped Smith-Waterman and CUDA. Our implementation achieves a peak performance of up to 3,646 MCUPS. Conclusion The results from our experiments demonstrate that the PlayStation® 3 console can be used as an efficient low cost computational platform for high performance sequence alignment applications. PMID:18798993

Design of p-type cladding layers for tunnel-injected UV-A light emitting diodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Yuewei; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram; Akyol, Fatih

Here, we discuss the engineering of p-AlGaN cladding layers for achieving efficient tunnel-injected III-Nitride ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV LEDs) in the UV-A spectral range. We show that the capacitance-voltage measurements can be used to estimate the compensation and doping in the p-AlGaN layers located between the multi-quantum well region and the tunnel junction layer. By increasing the p-type doping concentration to overcome the background compensation, on-wafer external quantum efficiency and wall-plug efficiency of 3.37% and 1.62%, respectively, were achieved for the tunnel-injected UV LEDs emitting at 325 nm. We also show that interband tunneling hole injection can be usedmore » to realize UV LEDs without any acceptor doping. The work discussed here provides new understanding of hole doping and transport in AlGaN-based UV LEDs and demonstrates the excellent performance of tunnel-injected LEDs for the UV-A wavelength range.« less

Design of p-type cladding layers for tunnel-injected UV-A light emitting diodes

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Yuewei; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram; Akyol, Fatih; ...

2016-11-09

Here, we discuss the engineering of p-AlGaN cladding layers for achieving efficient tunnel-injected III-Nitride ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV LEDs) in the UV-A spectral range. We show that the capacitance-voltage measurements can be used to estimate the compensation and doping in the p-AlGaN layers located between the multi-quantum well region and the tunnel junction layer. By increasing the p-type doping concentration to overcome the background compensation, on-wafer external quantum efficiency and wall-plug efficiency of 3.37% and 1.62%, respectively, were achieved for the tunnel-injected UV LEDs emitting at 325 nm. We also show that interband tunneling hole injection can be usedmore » to realize UV LEDs without any acceptor doping. The work discussed here provides new understanding of hole doping and transport in AlGaN-based UV LEDs and demonstrates the excellent performance of tunnel-injected LEDs for the UV-A wavelength range.« less

Key Issues in the Practice of College Student Personnel: A Commitment to Excellence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Creamer, Don G.

The first "Student Personnel Point of View" (1937) still stands as the premiere statement of excellence for the student personnel profession. Several propositions are requisites to achieving the goal of development in students. Students, professional staff, and institutions must all achieve their goals. The environment must be…

Integrating Research and Extension for the Nsf-Reu Program in Water Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Judge, J.; Migliaccio, K.; Gao, B.; Shukla, S.; Ehsani, R.; McLamore, E.

2011-12-01

Providing positive and meaningful research experiences to students in their undergraduate years is critical for motivating them to pursue advanced degrees or research careers in science and engineering. Such experiences not only offer training for the students in problem solving and critical thinking via hands-on projects, but also offer excellent mentoring and recruiting opportunities for the faculty advisors. The goal of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program in the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department (ABE) at the University of Florida (UF) is to provide eight undergraduate students a unique opportunity to conduct research in water resources using interdisciplinary approaches, integrating research and extension. The students are selected from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. The eight-week REU Program utilizes the extensive infrastructure of UF - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) through the Research and Education Centers (RECs). Two students are paired to participate in their own project under the direct supervision of one of the four research mentors. Four of the eight students are located at the main campus, in Gainesville, Fl, and four remaining students are located off-campus, at the RECs, where some of the ABE faculty are located. The students achieve an enriching cohort experience through social networking, daily blogs, and weekly video conferences to share their research and other REU experiences. The students are co-located during the Orientation week and also during the 5-day Florida Waters Tour. Weekly group meetings and guest lectures are conducted via synchronously through video conferencing. The integration of research and extension is naturally achieved through the projects at the RECs, the guest lectures, Extension workshops, and visits to the Water Management Districts in Florida. In the last two years of the Program, we have received over 80 applicants, from four-year and advanced degree offering institutions and a variety of majors such as Geology, Meteorology, Environmental Sciences & Engineering, Civil Engineering, Water Resources, Agricultural Engineering, Physics, Geography, Chemical Engineering, to name a few. This model of providing integrated research and extension opportunities in hydrology where not all the REU participants are physically co-located, is unique and can be extended to other disciplines.

On Excellence: Craftsmanship and Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrill, Chris

2013-01-01

At a presentation from the Maley "Spirit of Excellence" Breakfast in Columbus, OH, March 2013, the author shares comments about craftsmanship and leadership as they relate to technology and engineering education. Students need more experience getting their hands dirty troubleshooting, researching and developing, inventing and innovating,…

Supply and Demand for Scientists and Engineers in the Coming Decade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vetter, Betty M.

1990-01-01

With fewer traditional students in the population, and fewer of these electing to earn a degree in natural science and engineering, American colleges are reaching out for women, minorities, and foreign students. Concludes, barring unexpected decline in American economy, job opportunities, especially in engineering, should be excellent. (Author/TE)

Gender gaps in achievement and participation in multiple introductory biology classrooms.

PubMed

Eddy, Sarah L; Brownell, Sara E; Wenderoth, Mary Pat

2014-01-01

Although gender gaps have been a major concern in male-dominated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines such as physics and engineering, the numerical dominance of female students in biology has supported the assumption that gender disparities do not exist at the undergraduate level in life sciences. Using data from 23 large introductory biology classes for majors, we examine two measures of gender disparity in biology: academic achievement and participation in whole-class discussions. We found that females consistently underperform on exams compared with males with similar overall college grade point averages. In addition, although females on average represent 60% of the students in these courses, their voices make up less than 40% of those heard responding to instructor-posed questions to the class, one of the most common ways of engaging students in large lectures. Based on these data, we propose that, despite numerical dominance of females, gender disparities remain an issue in introductory biology classrooms. For student retention and achievement in biology to be truly merit based, we need to develop strategies to equalize the opportunities for students of different genders to practice the skills they need to excel. © 2014 S. L. Eddy et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2014 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Missouri S&T formula electric racing.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

The Formula Electric racing team will promote Missouri S&Ts engineering excellence by successfully competing against other top : engineering universities in the US and around the world. Students on the team will have the opportunity to reinforce t...

PNNL Development and Analysis of Material-Based Hydrogen Storage Systems for the Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brooks, Kriston P.; Alvine, Kyle J.; Johnson, Kenneth I.

The Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence is a team of universities, industrial corporations, and federal laboratories with the mandate to develop lower-pressure, materials-based, hydrogen storage systems for hydrogen fuel cell light-duty vehicles. Although not engaged in the development of new hydrogen storage materials themselves, it is an engineering center that addresses engineering challenges associated with the currently available hydrogen storage materials. Three material-based approaches to hydrogen storage are being researched: 1) chemical hydrogen storage materials 2) cryo-adsorbents, and 3) metal hydrides. As a member of this Center, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been involved in the design andmore » evaluation of systems developed with each of these three hydrogen storage materials. This report is a compilation of the work performed by PNNL for this Center.« less

Students' responses to authentic assessment designed to develop commitment to performing at their best

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzzomi, Andrew L.; Male, Sally A.; Miller, Karol

2017-05-01

Engineering educators should motivate and support students in developing not only technical competence but also professional competence including commitment to excellence. We developed an authentic assessment to improve students' understanding of the importance of 'perfection' in engineering - whereby 50% good enough will not be acceptable in industry. Subsequently we aimed to motivate them to practise performing at their best when they practice engineering. Students in a third-year mechanical and mechatronic engineering unit completed a team design project designed with authentic assessment features to replicate industry expectations and a novel marking scheme to encourage the pursuit of excellence. We report mixed responses from students. Students' ratings of their levels of effort on this assessment indicate that many perceived a positive influence on their effort. However, students' comments included several that were consistent with students experiencing the assessment as alienating.

Evaluation of Polycaprolactone Scaffold with Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor and Fibroblasts in an Athymic Rat Model for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Kabir, Nima; Arshi, Armin; Nazemi, Azadeh; Wu, Ben; Petrigliano, Frank A.; McAllister, David R.

2015-01-01

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common ligamentous injury often necessitating surgery. Current surgical treatment options include ligament reconstruction with autograft or allograft, which have their inherent limitations. Thus, there is interest in a tissue-engineered substitute for use in ACL regeneration. However, there have been relatively few in vivo studies to date. In this study, an athymic rat model of ACL reconstruction was used to evaluate electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) grafts, with and without the addition of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and human foreskin fibroblasts. We examined the regenerative potential of tissue-engineered ACL grafts using histology, immunohistochemistry, and mechanical testing up to 16 weeks postoperatively. Histology showed infiltration of the grafts with cells, and immunohistochemistry demonstrated aligned collagen deposition with minimal inflammatory reaction. Mechanical testing of the grafts demonstrated significantly higher mechanical properties than immediately postimplantation. Acellular grafts loaded with bFGF achieved 58.8% of the stiffness and 40.7% of the peak load of healthy native ACL. Grafts without bFGF achieved 31.3% of the stiffness and 28.2% of the peak load of healthy native ACL. In this in vivo rodent model study for ACL reconstruction, the histological and mechanical evaluation demonstrated excellent healing and regenerative potential of our electrospun PCL ligament graft. PMID:25744933

Seizing Opportunity at the Top II: State Policies to Reach Every Student with Excellent Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Stephanie; Hassel, Emily Ayscue; Hassel, Bryan C.

2014-01-01

Research continues to confirm that without consistently excellent teaching, most students who start behind stay behind, and too few middling and advanced students leap ahead. Even hardworking, solid teachers who achieve one year of learning progress leave achievement gaps intact. When schools create an opportunity culture for teachers and…

Seizing Opportunity at the Top II: State Policies to Reach Every Student with Excellent Teaching. Policymakers' Checklist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Stephanie; Hassel, Emily Ayscue; Hassel, Bryan C.

2014-01-01

Research continues to confirm that without consistently excellent teaching, most students who start behind stay behind, and too few middling and advanced students leap ahead. Even hardworking, solid teachers who achieve one year of learning progress leave achievement gaps intact. When schools create an opportunity culture for teachers and…

Achieving Professional Excellence: Proceedings of a National Conference on Performance-Based Approaches to Training (Little Rock, Arkansas, October 8-10, 1985).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrington, Lois G., Comp.; Kalamas, David J., Comp.

This document contains 47 presentations which focus on professional preparation of personnel in vocational-technical education and industry as an essential step in achieving excellence in educational and industrial training programs. The presentations include "Critical Issues Facing Vocational Teacher Education" (Zellner, Parrish); "A Call for…

Evaluation of Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success Program: Student Outcomes Year One, Grades 11 and 12. Evaluation Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolanin, Natalie; Modarresi, Shahpar

2015-01-01

The Office of Shared Accountability in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) is conducting a multiyear evaluation of the "Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success" (ACES) program. ACES is a collaboration between MCPS, Montgomery College (MC), and the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) to create a seamless pathway from high…

Achieving Excellence in Our Schools...by Taking Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, James, Jr.

This book, based on the author's theory of "success emulation," presents 12 detailed lessons for school districts in adopting principles and practices that have worked for the best-run companies in America. Each lesson presents a step-by-step practical guide for achieving excellence in education by explaining what businesses are doing to…

Parametric (On-Design) Cycle Analysis for a Separate-Exhaust Turbofan Engine With Interstage Turbine Burner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liew, K. H.; Urip, E.; Yang, S. L.; Siow, Y. K.; Marek, C. J.

2005-01-01

Today s modern aircraft is based on air-breathing jet propulsion systems, which use moving fluids as substances to transform energy carried by the fluids into power. Throughout aero-vehicle evolution, improvements have been made to the engine efficiency and pollutants reduction. The major advantages associated with the addition of ITB are an increase in thermal efficiency and reduction in NOx emission. Lower temperature peak in the main combustor results in lower thermal NOx emission and lower amount of cooling air required. This study focuses on a parametric (on-design) cycle analysis of a dual-spool, separate-flow turbofan engine with an Interstage Turbine Burner (ITB). The ITB considered in this paper is a relatively new concept in modern jet engine propulsion. The ITB serves as a secondary combustor and is located between the high- and the low-pressure turbine, i.e., the transition duct. The objective of this study is to use design parameters, such as flight Mach number, compressor pressure ratio, fan pressure ratio, fan bypass ratio, and high-pressure turbine inlet temperature to obtain engine performance parameters, such as specific thrust and thrust specific fuel consumption. Results of this study can provide guidance in identifying the performance characteristics of various engine components, which can then be used to develop, analyze, integrate, and optimize the system performance of turbofan engines with an ITB. Visual Basic program, Microsoft Excel macrocode, and Microsoft Excel neuron code are used to facilitate Microsoft Excel software to plot engine performance versus engine design parameters. This program computes and plots the data sequentially without forcing users to open other types of plotting programs. A user s manual on how to use the program is also included in this report. Furthermore, this stand-alone program is written in conjunction with an off-design program which is an extension of this study. The computed result of a selected design-point engine will be exported to an engine reference data file that is required in off-design calculation.

A mathematical model for jet engine combustor pollutant emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boccio, J. L.; Weilerstein, G.; Edelman, R. B.

1973-01-01

Mathematical modeling for the description of the origin and disposition of combustion-generated pollutants in gas turbines is presented. A unified model in modular form is proposed which includes kinetics, recirculation, turbulent mixing, multiphase flow effects, swirl and secondary air injection. Subelements of the overall model were applied to data relevant to laboratory reactors and practical combustor configurations. Comparisons between the theory and available data show excellent agreement for basic CO/H2/Air chemical systems. For hydrocarbons the trends are predicted well including higher-than-equilibrium NO levels within the fuel rich regime. Although the need for improved accuracy in fuel rich combustion is indicated, comparisons with actual jet engine data in terms of the effect of combustor-inlet temperature is excellent. In addition, excellent agreement with data is obtained regarding reduced NO emissions with water droplet and steam injection.

Principles and Practices Fostering Inclusive Excellence: Lessons from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Capstone Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiBartolo, Patricia Marten; Gregg-Jolly, Leslie; Gross, Deborah; Manduca, Cathryn A.; Iverson, Ellen; Cooke, David B., III; Davis, Gregory K.; Davidson, Cameron; Hertz, Paul E.; Hibbard, Lisa; Ireland, Shubha K.; Mader, Catherine; Pai, Aditi; Raps, Shirley; Siwicki, Kathleen; Swartz, Jim E.

2016-01-01

Best-practices pedagogy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) aims for inclusive excellence that fosters student persistence. This paper describes principles of inclusivity across 11 primarily undergraduate institutions designated as Capstone Awardees in Howard Hughes Medical Institute's (HHMI) 2012 competition. The Capstones…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, James H.

Abstract In 1994 the Department of Energy established the DOE Chair of Excellence Professorship in Environmental Disciplines Program. In 2004, the Massie Chair of Excellence Professor at Howard University transitioned from Dr. Edward Martin to Dr. James H. Johnson, Jr. At the time of his appointment Dr. Johnson served as professor of civil engineering and Dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Sciences. Program activities under Dr. Johnson were in the following areas: • Increase the institution’s capacity to conduct scientific research and technical investigations at the cutting-edge. • Promote interactions, collaborations and partnerships between the private sector,more » Federal agencies, majority research institutes and other HBCUs. • Assist other HBCUs in reaching parity in engineering and related fields. • Mentor young investigators and be a role model for students.« less

Excellence through Minimum Essentials and Individual Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, William M.

1986-01-01

The author states that throughout the past century or more, especially during the twentieth century, the continuing conflict between proponents of the minimum essentials approach to curriculum excellence and those of the individual development approach has been an obstacle to the achievement of excellence. (CT)

Engine & Vehicle Mechanics Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alaska State Dept. of Education, Juneau. Div. of Adult and Vocational Education.

This competency-based curriculum includes all competencies a student will acquire in an engine and vehicle mechanics educational program. It follows guidelines established for automobile technician training programs leading toward certification and addresses requirements of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). The…

Institute for Scientific and Educational Technology (ISET)-Education, Research and Training Programs in Engineering and Sciences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tiwari, S. N. (Principal Investigator); Massenberg, Samuel E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The 'Institute for Scientific and Educational Technology' has been established to provide a mechanism through which universities and other research organizations may cooperate with one another and with different government agencies and industrial organizations to further and promote research, education, and training programs in science, engineering, and related fields. This effort has been undertaken consistent with the national vision to 'promote excellence in America s educational system through enhancing and expanding scientific and technological competence.' The specific programs are directed in promoting and achieving excellence for individuals at all levels (elementary and secondary schools, undergraduate and graduate education, and postdoctoral and faculty research). The program is consistent with the existing activities of the Institute for Computational and Applied Mechanics (ICAM) and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The efforts will be directed to embark on other research, education, and training activities in various fields of engineering, scientific, and educational technologies. The specific objectives of the present program may be outlined briefly as follows: 1) Cooperate in the various research, education, and technology programs of the Office of Education at LaRC. 2) Develop procedures for interactions between precollege, college, and graduate students, and between faculty and students at all levels. 3) Direct efforts to increase the participation by women and minorities in educational programs at all levels. 4) Enhance existing activities of ICAM and ASEE in education, research, and training of graduate students and faculty. 5) Invite distinguished scholars as appropriate and consistent with ISET goals to spend their summers and/or sabbaticals at NASA Langley andor ODU and interact with different researchers and graduate students. Perform research and administrative activities as needed to carry out the above mentioned activities. 6) The implementation of various activities of the ISET programs is carried out through cooperative efforts between Old Dominion University (ODU) and the Office of Education at LaRC. At present, major efforts are directed on the following ISET Programs: ICAM Programs, Academic Programs, Educational Research, Outreach Programs, Educational Technology and Cooperative Programs. These programs are described in the following sections.

Demonstration of ultra-high recyclable energy densities in domain-engineered ferroelectric films.

PubMed

Cheng, Hongbo; Ouyang, Jun; Zhang, Yun-Xiang; Ascienzo, David; Li, Yao; Zhao, Yu-Yao; Ren, Yuhang

2017-12-08

Dielectric capacitors have the highest charge/discharge speed among all electrical energy devices, but lag behind in energy density. Here we report dielectric ultracapacitors based on ferroelectric films of Ba(Zr 0.2 ,Ti 0.8 )O 3 which display high-energy densities (up to 166 J cm -3 ) and efficiencies (up to 96%). Different from a typical ferroelectric whose electric polarization is easily saturated, these Ba(Zr 0.2 ,Ti 0.8 )O 3 films display a much delayed saturation of the electric polarization, which increases continuously from nearly zero at remnant in a multipolar state, to a large value under the maximum electric field, leading to drastically improved recyclable energy densities. This is achieved by the creation of an adaptive nano-domain structure in these perovskite films via phase engineering and strain tuning. The lead-free Ba(Zr 0.2 ,Ti 0.8 )O 3 films also show excellent dielectric and energy storage performance over a broad frequency and temperature range. These findings may enable broader applications of dielectric capacitors in energy storage, conditioning, and conversion.

[System design of small intellectualized ultrasound hyperthermia instrument in the LabVIEW environment].

PubMed

Jiang, Feng; Bai, Jingfeng; Chen, Yazhu

2005-08-01

Small-scale intellectualized medical instrument has attracted great attention in the field of biomedical engineering, and LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench) provides a convenient environment for this application due to its inherent advantages. The principle and system structure of the hyperthermia instrument are presented. Type T thermocouples are employed as thermotransducers, whose amplifier consists of two stages, providing built-in ice point compensation and thus improving work stability over temperature. Control signals produced by specially designed circuit drive the programmable counter/timer 8254 chip to generate PWM (Pulse width modulation) wave, which is used as ultrasound radiation energy control signal. Subroutine design topics such as inner-tissue real time feedback temperature control algorithm, water temperature control in the ultrasound applicator are also described. In the cancer tissue temperature control subroutine, the authors exert new improvments to PID (Proportional Integral Differential) algorithm according to the specific demands of the system and achieve strict temperature control to the target tissue region. The system design and PID algorithm improvement have experimentally proved to be reliable and excellent, meeting the requirements of the hyperthermia system.

Towards engineered branch placement: Unreal™ match between vapour-liquid-solid glancing angle deposition nanowire growth and simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taschuk, M. T.; Tucker, R. T.; LaForge, J. M.; Beaudry, A. L.; Kupsta, M. R.; Brett, M. J.

2013-12-01

The vapour-liquid-solid glancing angle deposition (VLS-GLAD) process is capable of producing complex nanotree structures with control over azimuthal branch orientation and height. We have developed a thin film growth simulation including ballistic deposition, simplified surface diffusion, and droplet-mediated cubic crystal growth for the VLS-GLAD process using the UnrealTM Development Kit. The use of a commercial game engine has provided an interactive environment while allowing a custom physics implementation. Our simulation's output is verified against experimental data, including a volumetric film reconstruction produced using focused ion beam and scanning-electron microscopy (SEM), crystallographic texture, and morphological characteristics such as branch orientation. We achieve excellent morphological and texture agreement with experimental data, as well as qualitative agreement with SEM imagery. The simplified physics in our model reproduces the experimental films, indicating that the dominant role flux geometry plays in the VLS-GLAD competitive growth process responsible for azimuthally oriented branches and biaxial crystal texture evolution. The simulation's successful reproduction of experimental data indicates that it should have predictive power in designing novel VLS-GLAD structures.

Engineering High-Energy Interfacial Structures for High-Performance Oxygen-Involving Electrocatalysis.

PubMed

Guo, Chunxian; Zheng, Yao; Ran, Jingrun; Xie, Fangxi; Jaroniec, Mietek; Qiao, Shi-Zhang

2017-07-10

Engineering high-energy interfacial structures for high-performance electrocatalysis is achieved by chemical coupling of active CoO nanoclusters and high-index facet Mn 3 O 4 nano-octahedrons (hi-Mn 3 O 4 ). A thorough characterization, including synchrotron-based near edge X-ray absorption fine structure, reveals that strong interactions between both components promote the formation of high-energy interfacial Mn-O-Co species and high oxidation state CoO, from which electrons are drawn by Mn III -O present in hi-Mn 3 O 4 . The CoO/hi-Mn 3 O 4 demonstrates an excellent catalytic performance over the conventional metal oxide-based electrocatalysts, which is reflected by 1.2 times higher oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity than that of Ru/C and a comparable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity to that of Pt/C as well as a better stability than that of Ru/C (95 % vs. 81 % retained OER activity) and Pt/C (92 % vs. 78 % retained ORR activity after 10 h running) in alkaline electrolyte. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Academic Success of Montgomery College Students in the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) Program: 2014-2015

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper-Martin, Elizabeth; Wolanin, Natalie

2016-01-01

The Office of Shared Accountability in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is conducting a multiyear evaluation of the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program. The ACES program is a collaboration between MCPS, Montgomery College (MC) and the Universities at Shady Grove to create a seamless pathway from high school to college…

Engine component instrumentation development facility at NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruckner, Robert J.; Buggele, Alvin E.; Lepicovsky, Jan

1992-01-01

The Engine Components Instrumentation Development Facility at NASA Lewis is a unique aeronautics facility dedicated to the development of innovative instrumentation for turbine engine component testing. Containing two separate wind tunnels, the facility is capable of simulating many flow conditions found in most turbine engine components. This facility's broad range of capabilities as well as its versatility provide an excellent location for the development of novel testing techniques. These capabilities thus allow a more efficient use of larger and more complex engine component test facilities.

Air Force Center of Excellence on Bio-nano-enabled Inorganic/Organic Nanostructures and Improved Cognition (BIONIC)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-09

IRG #3)  Mostafa A. El-Sayed, School of Chemistry & Biochemistry (IRG #2)  Andrei Fedorov, School of Mechanical Engineering (IRG #2)  Michael A...Engineering, U.S. Citizen)  *David Anderson (Ph.D. student, School of Mechanical Engineering, U.S. Citizen)  Luke A. Beardslee (Ph.D. student, School...Songkil Kim (PhD student, School of Mechanical Engineering)  Philip Kwon (Ph.D. student, School of Mechanical Engineering, U.S. Citizen)  Erin Lightman

KSC-2013-2210

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-04-26

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, William Badders, resident-elect of the National Science Teachers Association, addresses students, teachers, parents and VIPs during the 2013 DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition awards ceremony. The challenge, now in its 27th year, reaches out to students from grades seven through 12 from all 50 states and Canada. More than 200,000 students entered the competition. The DuPont Challenge aims to inspire students to excel and achieve in scientific writing and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics STEM. The challenge honors space shuttle Challenger's STS-51L crew members who gave their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery. For more information on the challenge, go to http://thechallenge.dupont.com/sponsors/nasa.php.

Phase-Transformation Ductilization of Brittle High-Entropy Alloys via Metastability Engineering

DOE PAGES

Huang, Hailong; Wu, Yuan; He, Junyang; ...

2017-06-07

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) in which interesting physical, chemical, and structural properties are being continuously revealed have recently attracted extensive attention. Body-centered cubic (bcc) HEAs, particularly those based on refractory elements are promising for high-temperature application but generally fail by early cracking with limited plasticity at room temperature, which limits their malleability and widespread uses. In this paper, the “metastability-engineering” strategy is exploited in brittle bcc HEAs via tailoring the stability of the constituent phases, and transformation-induced ductility and work-hardening capability are successfully achieved. Finally, this not only sheds new insights on the development of HEAs with excellent combination of strengthmore » and ductility, but also has great implications on overcoming the long-standing strength–ductility tradeoff of metallic materials in general.« less

Phase-Transformation Ductilization of Brittle High-Entropy Alloys via Metastability Engineering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Hailong; Wu, Yuan; He, Junyang

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) in which interesting physical, chemical, and structural properties are being continuously revealed have recently attracted extensive attention. Body-centered cubic (bcc) HEAs, particularly those based on refractory elements are promising for high-temperature application but generally fail by early cracking with limited plasticity at room temperature, which limits their malleability and widespread uses. In this paper, the “metastability-engineering” strategy is exploited in brittle bcc HEAs via tailoring the stability of the constituent phases, and transformation-induced ductility and work-hardening capability are successfully achieved. Finally, this not only sheds new insights on the development of HEAs with excellent combination of strengthmore » and ductility, but also has great implications on overcoming the long-standing strength–ductility tradeoff of metallic materials in general.« less

Advanced materials for aircraft engine applications.

PubMed

Backman, D G; Williams, J C

1992-02-28

A review of advances for aircraft engine structural materials and processes is presented. Improved materials, such as superalloys, and the processes for making turbine disks and blades have had a major impact on the capability of modern gas turbine engines. New structural materials, notably composites and intermetallic materials, are emerging that will eventually further enhance engine performance, reduce engine weight, and thereby enable new aircraft systems. In the future, successful aerospace manufacturers will combine product design and materials excellence with improved manufacturing methods to increase production efficiency, enhance product quality, and decrease the engine development cycle time.

Cyril M. Harris: Acoustician, educator, and mentor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raichel, Daniel R.

2005-09-01

Cyril M. Harris belongs to that rare breed of technologists who excel in more than one aspect of acoustics. His achievements are legendary in the realms of architectural acoustics, physical acoustics, ultrasound, and speech processes. He coauthored with Vern O. Knudsen a classic text on architectural acoustics and served as editor of several major references. He also excelled as a teacher and mentor. When the author set up the Acoustics Research Center at the Cooper Union, Dr. Harris came over to see the new facility. At my invitation, he gave a lecture before an audience constituted of engineering and architectural students; one surely had to rate this event as one of the best seminars ever given at that institution. When I wrote The Science and Applications of Acoustics, Dr. Harris was generous in giving me permission to use a number of figures from his published texts. He also sent me students from Columbia to use the acoustic facilities at Cooper. One of his referees, a master's degree candidate, conducted a major study on Guastavino tiles for this thesis, which resulted in a prize-winning publication. The manifold accomplishments, influence, and legacy of Cyril Harris will surely resonate for generations to come.

Soaring to New Heights in Engineering Education. Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference Proceedings (42nd, Seattle, Washington, October 3-6, 2012)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frontiers in Education Conference (MS), 2012

2012-01-01

The lifetime of Frontiers in Education (FIE), 42 years and counting, has been a time of many innovations in engineering and computing education. The FIE Conference has become the premiere conference for presentation and discussion of excellent educational research and innovative curricula in engineering education. This accomplishment would not…

Follow the Money: Engineering at Stanford and UC Berkeley during the Rise of Silicon Valley

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Stephen B.

2009-01-01

A comparison of the engineering schools at UC Berkeley and Stanford during the 1940s and 1950s shows that having an excellent academic program is necessary but not sufficient to make a university entrepreneurial (an engine of economic development). Key factors that made Stanford more entrepreneurial than Cal during this period were superior…

Advanced Academic Performance: Exploring Country-Level Differences in the Pursuit of Educational Excellence. Policy Brief No. 7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plucker, Jonathan A.

2015-01-01

Every country strives for its students to have advanced achievement in some way, shape, or form. But too often, competence is a higher policy priority than excellence, and shrinking minimum competency gaps is a higher priority than closing excellence gaps. In this brief, educational excellence is defined as the percent of students who meet or…

The 5 Essentials of Organizational Excellence: Maximizing Schoolwide Student Achievement and Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marazza, Lawrence L.

This book explores the necessity for building strong relationships among administrators, teachers, parents, and the community by applying what the book calls the five essentials of organizational excellence. The five essentials are planning strategically; benchmarking for excellence; leading collaboratively; engaging the community; and governing…

Evaluation of the Centres of Excellence in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kettunen, Juha Matti

2011-01-01

This study presents an evaluation of the centres of excellence in higher education in Finland. This approach is an example of enhancement-led evaluation aiming to improve the long-term development of education. The study presents the Degree Programme in Civil Engineering of the Turku University of Applied Sciences, which was awarded the…

Engineering and Scientific Applications: Using MatLab(Registered Trademark) for Data Processing and Visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sen, Syamal K.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2011-01-01

MatLab(TradeMark)(MATrix LABoratory) is a numerical computation and simulation tool that is used by thousands Scientists and Engineers in many countries. MatLab does purely numerical calculations, which can be used as a glorified calculator or interpreter programming language; its real strength is in matrix manipulations. Computer algebra functionalities are achieved within the MatLab environment using "symbolic" toolbox. This feature is similar to computer algebra programs, provided by Maple or Mathematica to calculate with mathematical equations using symbolic operations. MatLab in its interpreter programming language form (command interface) is similar with well known programming languages such as C/C++, support data structures and cell arrays to define classes in object oriented programming. As such, MatLab is equipped with most of the essential constructs of a higher programming language. MatLab is packaged with an editor and debugging functionality useful to perform analysis of large MatLab programs and find errors. We believe there are many ways to approach real-world problems; prescribed methods to ensure foregoing solutions are incorporated in design and analysis of data processing and visualization can benefit engineers and scientist in gaining wider insight in actual implementation of their perspective experiments. This presentation will focus on data processing and visualizations aspects of engineering and scientific applications. Specifically, it will discuss methods and techniques to perform intermediate-level data processing covering engineering and scientific problems. MatLab programming techniques including reading various data files formats to produce customized publication-quality graphics, importing engineering and/or scientific data, organizing data in tabular format, exporting data to be used by other software programs such as Microsoft Excel, data presentation and visualization will be discussed.

Fan Cart: The Next Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamore, Brian

2016-10-01

For years the fan cart has provided physics students with an excellent resource for exploring fundamental mechanics concepts such as acceleration, Newton's laws, impulse, momentum, work-energy, and energy conversions. The Physics Teacher has even seen some excellent do-it-yourself (DIY) fan carts and activities. If you are interested in developing the `E' portion of your and your students' STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills, one way to accomplish this is to revisit the DIY fan cart. In this article I share a design of a new edition of the DIY fan cart and some ideas for incorporating the engineering design process into your high school curriculum.

Short communication: Conversion of lactose and whey into lactic acid by engineered yeast.

PubMed

Turner, Timothy L; Kim, Eunbee; Hwang, ChangHoon; Zhang, Guo-Chang; Liu, Jing-Jing; Jin, Yong-Su

2017-01-01

Lactose is often considered an unwanted and wasted byproduct, particularly lactose trapped in acid whey from yogurt production. But using specialized microbial fermentation, the surplus wasted acid whey could be converted into value-added chemicals. The baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is commonly used for industrial fermentation, cannot natively ferment lactose. The present study describes how an engineered S. cerevisiae yeast was constructed to produce lactic acid from purified lactose, whey, or dairy milk. Lactic acid is an excellent proof-of-concept chemical to produce from lactose, because lactic acid has many food, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses, and over 250,000 t are produced for industrial use annually. To ferment the milk sugar lactose, a cellodextrin transporter (CDT-1, which also transports lactose) and a β-glucosidase (GH1-1, which also acts as a β-galactosidase) from Neurospora crassa were expressed in a S. cerevisiae strain. A heterologous lactate dehydrogenase (encoded by ldhA) from the fungus Rhizopus oryzae was integrated into the CDT-1/GH1-1-expressing strain of S. cerevisiae. As a result, the engineered strain was able to produce lactic acid from purified lactose, whey, and store-bought milk. A lactic acid yield of 0.358g/g of lactose was achieved from whey fermentation, providing an initial proof of concept for the production of value-added chemicals from excess industrial whey using engineered yeast. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pathways to excellence: A Federal strategy for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

This Strategic Plan was developed by the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET) through its Committee on Education and Human Resources (CEHR), with representatives from 16 Federal agencies. Based on two years of coordinated interagency effort, the Plan confirms the Federal Government's commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education at all levels and in all sectors (i.e., elementary and secondary, undergraduate, graduate, public understanding of science, and technology education). The Plan represents the Federal Government's efforts to develop a five-year planning framework and associated milestones that focus Federal planning and the resources of the participating agencies toward achieving the requisite or expected level of mathematics and science competence by all students. The priority framework outlines the strategic objectives, implementation priorities, and components for the Strategic Plan and serves as a road map for the Plan. The Plan endorses a broad range of ongoing activities, including continued Federal support for graduate education as the backbone of our country's research and development enterprise. The Plan also identifies three tiers of program activities with goals that address issues in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education meriting special attention. Within each tier, individual agency programs play important and often unique roles that strengthen the aggregate portfolio. The three tiers are presented in descending order of priority: (1) reforming the formal education system; (2) expanding participation and access; and (3) enabling activities.

Pathways to excellence: A Federal strategy for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This Strategic Plan was developed by the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET) through its Committee on Education and Human Resources (CEHR), with representatives from 16 Federal agencies. Based on two years of coordinated interagency effort, the Plan confirms the Federal Government's commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education at all levels and in all sectors (i.e., elementary and secondary, undergraduate, graduate, public understanding of science, and technology education). The Plan represents the Federal Government's efforts to develop a five-year planning framework and associated milestones that focus Federal planning and the resources of the participating agencies toward achieving the requisite or expected level of mathematics and science competence by all students. The priority framework outlines the strategic objectives, implementation priorities, and components for the Strategic Plan and serves as a road map for the Plan. The Plan endorses a broad range of ongoing activities, including continued Federal support for graduate education as the backbone of our country's research and development enterprise. The Plan also identifies three tiers of program activities with goals that address issues in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education meriting special attention. Within each tier, individual agency programs play important and often unique roles that strengthen the aggregate portfolio. The three tiers are presented in descending order of priority: (1) reforming the formal education system; (2) expanding participation and access; and (3) enabling activities.

Mentor awards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

The Association of Women in Science (AWIS) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) were two of 19 institutions and individuals that received presidential awards for excellence in science, mathematics, and engineering mentoring, on September 11.Neal Lane, Director of the National Science Foundation, says the awards, which include $10,000 grants, recognize “individuals and institutions working to heighten the participation of underrepresented groups in science, mathematics, and engineering.”

Robotics Laboratory to Enhance the STEM Research Experience

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-30

the Chemistry Program has a student working on the design and development of a Stirling Engine , which the student is planning to construct using...scale): Number of graduating undergraduates funded by a DoD funded Center of Excellence grant for Education, Research and Engineering : The number of... engineering or technology fields: Student Metrics This section only applies to graduating undergraduates supported by this agreement in this reporting

Beyond Standards: Excellence in the High School English Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jago, Carol

Each student is capable of achieving excellence, but it requires a nurturing, vigorous classroom environment. To help current and future high school English teachers create and maintain this kind of environment, this book offers concrete ways to reconceive what it means to foster excellent performance in the classroom and vivid examples of student…

Universities and the Mobilization of Claims of Excellence for Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wangenge-Ouma, Gerald; Langa, Patricio V.

2010-01-01

This study discusses the phenomenon of making claims of excellence by universities, which we interpret as a response, inter alia, to the hitherto unfamiliar context of scarce and diminishing resources. The main objective is to understand how claims of excellence are mobilised by higher education institutions to achieve "competitive advantage". The…

The nature of excellent clinicians at an academic health science center: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Mahant, Sanjay; Jovcevska, Vesna; Wadhwa, Anupma

2012-12-01

To understand the nature of excellent clinicians at an academic health science center by exploring how and why excellent clinicians achieve high performance. From 2008 to 2010, the authors conducted a qualitative study using a grounded theory approach. Members of the Clinical Advisory Committee in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto nominated peers whom they saw as excellent clinicians. The authors then conducted in-depth interviews with the most frequently nominated clinicians. They audio-recorded and transcribed the interviews and coded the transcripts to identify emergent themes. From interviews with 13 peer-nominated, excellent clinicians, a model emerged. Dominant themes fell into three categories: (1) core philosophy, (2) deliberate activities, and (3) everyday practice. Excellent clinicians are driven by a core philosophy defined by high intrinsic motivation and passion for patient care and humility. They refine their clinical skills through two deliberate activities-reflective clinical practice and scholarship. Their high performance in everyday practice is characterized by clinical skills and cognitive ability, people skills, engagement, and adaptability. A rich theory emerged explaining how excellent clinicians, driven by a core philosophy and engaged in deliberate activities, achieve high performance in everyday practice. This theory of the nature of excellent clinicians provides a holistic perspective of individual performance, informs medical education, supports faculty career development, and promotes clinical excellence in the culture of academic medicine.

Bumps on the road to Magnet designation: achieving organizational excellence.

PubMed

Steinbinder, Amy

2009-01-01

The chief nursing officer is in a unique position to guide his or her organization to excellence by creating a compelling vision; maintaining objectivity regarding the nursing department's accomplishments; holding senior nurse leaders accountable as Magnet champions; demonstrating strategic thinking, business planning development, operational connection, and awareness of clinical aspects of care; and establishing levels of ownership and decision making within the nursing department's operational framework. The clear definition of terms including responsibility, authority, delegation, accountability, and empowerment are necessary and, coupled with specific actions, skills, and measures of success, guide individual and group processes to achieve organizational excellence and ultimately Magnet designation.

Increasing persistence in undergraduate science majors: a model for institutional support of underrepresented students.

PubMed

Toven-Lindsey, Brit; Levis-Fitzgerald, Marc; Barber, Paul H; Hasson, Tama

2015-01-01

The 6-yr degree-completion rate of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at U.S. colleges and universities is less than 40%. Persistence among women and underrepresented minorities (URMs), including African-American, Latino/a, Native American, and Pacific Islander students, is even more troubling, as these students leave STEM majors at significantly higher rates than their non-URM peers. This study utilizes a matched comparison group design to examine the academic achievement and persistence of students enrolled in the Program for Excellence in Education and Research in the Sciences (PEERS), an academic support program at the University of California, Los Angeles, for first- and second-year science majors from underrepresented backgrounds. Results indicate that PEERS students, on average, earned higher grades in most "gatekeeper" chemistry and math courses, had a higher cumulative grade point average, completed more science courses, and persisted in a science major at significantly higher rates than the comparison group. With its holistic approach focused on academics, counseling, creating a supportive community, and exposure to research, the PEERS program serves as an excellent model for universities interested in and committed to improving persistence of underrepresented science majors and closing the achievement gap. © 2015 B. Toven-Lindsey et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Development of Nanostructured Austempered Ductile Cast Iron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panneerselvam, Saranya

Austempered Ductile Cast Iron is emerging as an important engineering materials in recent years because of its excellent combination of mechanical properties such as high strength with good ductility, good fatigue strength and fracture toughness together with excellent wear resistance. These combinations of properties are achieved by the microstructure consisting of acicular ferrite and high carbon austenite. Refining of the ausferritic microstructure will further enhance the mechanical properties of ADI and the presence of proeutectoid ferrite in the microstructure will considerably improve the ductility of the material. Thus, the focus of this investigation was to develop nanostructured austempered ductile cast iron (ADI) consisting of proeutectoid ferrite, bainitic ferrite and high carbon austenite and to determine its microstructure-property relationships. Compact tension and cylindrical tensile test samples were prepared as per ASTM standards, subjected to various heat treatments and the mechanical tests including the tensile tests, plane strain fracture toughness tests, hardness tests were performed as per ASTM standards. Microstructures were characterized by optical metallography, X-ray diffraction, SEM and TEM. Nanostructured ADI was achieved by a unique heat treatment consisting of austenitization at a high temperature and subsequent plastic deformation at the same austenitizing temperature followed by austempering. The investigation also examined the effect of cryogenic treatment, effect of intercritical austenitizing followed by single and two step austempering, effect of high temperature plastic deformation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the low alloyed ductile cast iron. The mechanical and thermal stability of the austenite was also investigated. An analytical model has been developed to understand the crack growth process associated with the stress induced transformation of retained austenite to martensite.

3D-printed bioceramic scaffolds with antibacterial and osteogenic activity.

PubMed

Zhang, Yongliang; Zhai, Dong; Xu, Mengchi; Yao, Qingqiang; Zhu, Huiying; Chang, Jiang; Wu, Chengtie

2017-06-20

Bacterial infection poses a significant risk with the wide application of bone graft materials. Designing bone grafts with good antibacterial performance and excellent bone-forming activity is of particular significance for bone tissue engineering. In our study, a 3D printing method was used to prepare β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) bioceramic scaffolds. Silver (Ag) nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on graphene oxide (GO) to form a homogeneous nanocomposite (named Ag@GO) with different Ag-to-graphene oxide mass ratios, with this being synthesized via the liquid chemical reduction approach. Ag@GO nanocomposites were successfully modified on the β-TCP scaffolds by a simple soaking method to achieve bifunctional biomaterials with antibacterial and osteogenic activity. The prepared scaffolds possessed a connected network with triangle pore morphology and the surfaces of the β-TCP scaffolds were uniformly modified by the Ag@GO nanocomposite layers. The Ag content in the scaffolds was controlled by changing the coating times and concentration of the Ag@GO nanocomposites. The antibacterial activity of the scaffolds was assessed with Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, E. coli). The results demonstrated that the scaffolds with Ag@GO nanocomposites presented excellent antibacterial activity. In addition, the scaffolds coated with Ag@GO nanocomposites conspicuously accelerated the osteogenic differentiation of rabbit bone marrow stromal cells by improving their alkaline phosphatase activity and bone-related gene expression (osteopontin, runt-related transcription factor 2, osteocalcin and bone sialoprotein). This study demonstrates that bifunctional scaffolds with a combination of antibacterial and osteogenic activity can be achieved for the reconstruction of large-bone defects while preventing or treating infections.

Comparative Evaluation: Participants versus Nonparticipants in the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) Program at Montgomery County Public Schools in Year One and Year Two

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Modarresi, Shahpar; Wolanin, Natalie; Cooper-Martin, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

The Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program is a collaboration between MCPS, Montgomery College, and the Universities at Shady Grove to create a seamless pathway from high school to college completion; it targets students who are underrepresented in higher education, the first in their family to attend college, or both. As one…

Development of TlBr detectors for PET imaging.

PubMed

Ariño-Estrada, Gerard; Du, Junwei; Kim, Hadong; Cirignano, Leonard J; Shah, Kanai S; Cherry, Simon R; Mitchell, Gregory S

2018-05-04

Thallium bromide (TlBr) is a promising semiconductor detector material for positron emission tomography (PET) because it can offer very good energy resolution and 3-D segmentation capabilities, and it also provides detection efficiency surpassing that of commonly used scintillators. Energy, timing, and spatial resolution were measured for thin (<1 mm) TlBr detectors. The energy and timing resolution were measured simultaneously for the same planar 0.87 mm-thick TlBr device. An energy resolution of (6.41.3)% at 511 keV was achieved at -400 V bias voltage and at room temperature. A timing resolution of (27.84.1) ns FWHM was achieved for the same operating conditions when appropriate energy gating was applied. The intrinsic spatial resolution was measured to be 0.9 mm FWHM for a TlBr detector with metallic strip contacts of 0.5 mm pitch. As material properties improve, higher bias voltage should improve timing performance. A stack of thin detectors with finely segmented readout can create a modular detector with excellent energy and spatial resolution for PET applications. . © 2018 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.

Faculty career flexibility: Why we need it and how best to achieve it

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinn, Kate

2010-02-01

Research conducted over the last decade provides compelling evidence that higher education institutions have a strong business case for providing flexibility for their tenure-track and tenured faculty. Flexibility constitutes an effective tool for recruiting and retaining talented faculty. Career flexibility is especially critical to retaining some of the most qualified female PhDs in academic science, engineering, and mathematics. Acquiring the best talent is essential to an institution's ability to achieve excellence and maintain its competitive advantage in a global environment. In an effort to increase the flexibility of faculty careers, the American Council on Education partnered with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to create the Award for Faculty Career Flexibility. This presentation will address the origins of the award and share findings from the awards process. Fairly simple and cost effective strategies have been successful in accelerating the cultural change necessary to increase the flexibility of faculty careers. This presentation shares these strategies in addition to information about the types of policies and practices being adopted to support faculty work-life balance through career flexibility. )

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

French, T

I am pleased to present the fiscal year 2007 Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) annual report. This represents the first year that SRNL has been eligible for LDRD participation and our results to date demonstrate we are off to an excellent start. SRNL became a National Laboratory in 2004, and was designated the 'Corporate Laboratory' for the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) in 2006. As you will see, we have made great progress since these designations. The LDRD program is one of the tools SRNL is using to enable achievement of our strategic goals for the DOE. Themore » LDRD program allows the laboratory to blend a strong basic science component into our applied technical portfolio. This blending of science with applied technology provides opportunities for our scientists to strengthen our capabilities and delivery. The LDRD program is vital to help SRNL attract and retain leading scientists and engineers who will help build SRNL's future and achieve DOE mission objectives. This program has stimulated our research staff creativity, while realizing benefits from their participation. This investment will yield long term dividends to the DOE in its Environmental Management, Energy, and National Security missions.« less

d-Vision: Seeking Excellence through a Hands on Engineering Multi Discipline Global Internship Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suss, Gavin

2010-01-01

The question is, "What can vision do?" (Fritz, 1989) rather than "What is vision?" Keter's Chairman, Mr. Sami Sagol's vision is to establish an internship program that will strengthen the competitive edge of the Israeli industry, within the international arena. The program will set new standards of excellence for product…

Systems Engineering Leadership Development: Advancing Systems Engineering Excellence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Phil; Whitfield, Susan

2011-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the Systems Engineering Leadership Development Program, with particular emphasis on the work being done in the development of systems engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center. There exists a lack of individuals with systems engineering expertise, in particular those with strong leadership capabilities, to meet the needs of the Agency's exploration agenda. Therefore there is a emphasis on developing these programs to identify and train systems engineers. The presentation reviews the proposed MSFC program that includes course work, and developmental assignments. The formal developmental programs at the other centers are briefly reviewed, including the Point of Contact (POC)

Self-healing behaviour in man-made engineering materials: bioinspired but taking into account their intrinsic character.

PubMed

van der Zwaag, S; van Dijk, N H; Jonkers, H M; Mookhoek, S D; Sloof, W G

2009-05-13

Man-made engineering materials generally demonstrate excellent mechanical properties, which often far exceed those of natural materials. However, all such engineering materials lack the ability of self-healing, i.e. the ability to remove or neutralize microcracks without (much) intentional human interaction. This inability is the unintentional consequence of the damage prevention paradigm underlying all current engineering material optimization strategies. The damage management paradigm observed in nature can be reproduced successfully in man-made engineering materials, provided the intrinsic character of the various types of engineering materials is taken into account.

Engineering Surface Energy and Nanostructure of Microporous Films for Expanded Membrane Distillation Applications.

PubMed

Boo, Chanhee; Lee, Jongho; Elimelech, Menachem

2016-08-02

We investigated the factors that determine surface omniphobicity of microporous membranes and evaluated the potential application of these membranes in desalination of low surface tension wastewaters by membrane distillation (MD). Specifically, the effects of surface morphology and surface energy on membrane surface omniphobicity were systematically investigated by evaluating wetting resistance to low surface tension liquids. Single and multilevel re-entrant structures were achieved by using cylindrical glass fibers as a membrane substrate and grafting silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) on the fibers. Surface energy of the membrane was tuned by functionalizing the fiber substrate with fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) having two different lengths of fluoroalkyl chains. Results show that surface omniphobicity of the modified fibrous membrane increased with higher level of re-entrant structure and with lower surface energy. The secondary re-entrant structure achieved by SiNP coating on the cylindrical fibers was found to play a critical role in enhancing the surface omniphobicity. Membranes coated with SiNPs and chemically modified by the FAS with a longer fluoroalkyl chain (or lower surface energy) exhibited excellent surface omniphobicity and showed wetting resistance to low surface tension liquids such as ethanol (22.1 mN m(-1)). We further evaluated performance of the membranes in desalination of saline feed solutions with varying surface tensions by membrane distillation (MD). The engineered membranes exhibited stable MD performance with low surface tension feed waters, demonstrating the potential application omniphobic membranes in desalinating complex, high salinity industrial wastewaters.

77 FR 15142 - Updated Nuclear Regulatory Commission Fiscal Years 2008-2013 Strategic Plan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-14

... also describes the agency's Organizational Excellence strategies of Openness, Effectiveness, and Operational Excellence, which characterize the manner in which the agency intends to achieve its mission. The...

Community Colleges Giving Students a Framework for STEM Careers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musante, Susan

2012-01-01

Over the coming decade, America will need one million more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals than was originally projected. This is the conclusion of a February 2012 report, "Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics".…

The Electrical Engineering Profession at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emerson, Dawn

2004-01-01

Presentation given at the opening ceremony of the Centre of Vocational Excellence in Birmingham, England on October 7, 2004. Presentation highlights examples of work performed by Electrical Engineers at the NASA Glenn Research Center and highlights the demographics of the NASA workforce. Presentation is intended to be inspirational in nature.

Students' Responses to Authentic Assessment Designed to Develop Commitment to Performing at Their Best

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzzomi, Andrew L.; Male, Sally A.; Miller, Karol

2017-01-01

Engineering educators should motivate and support students in developing not only technical competence but also professional competence including commitment to excellence. We developed an authentic assessment to improve students' understanding of the importance of "perfection" in engineering--whereby 50% good enough will not be…

Interactive Mathematica Simulations in Chemical Engineering Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falconer, John L.; Nicodemus, Garret D.

2014-01-01

Interactive Mathematica simulations with graphical displays of system behavior are an excellent addition to chemical engineering courses. The Manipulate command in Mathematica creates on-screen controls that allow users to change system variables and see the graphical output almost instantaneously. They can be used both in and outside class. More…

Measuring the Immeasurable: An Approach to Assessing the Effectiveness of Engineering Civic Assistance Projects Towards Achieving National Security Objectives

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-12

MEASURING THE IMMEASURABLE: AN APPROACH TO ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENGINEERING CIVIC ASSISTANCE PROJECTS TOWARDS ACHIEVING...SUBTITLE Measuring the Immeasurable: An Approach to Assessing the Effectiveness of Engineering Civic Assistance Projects Towards Achieving National...increasing reliance on Humanitarian and Civic Assistance (HCA), specifically engineering civic assistance projects (ENCAPs), as a way to shape the

Photoautotrophic production of D-lactic acid in an engineered cyanobacterium

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The world faces the challenge to develop sustainable technologies to replace thousands of products that have been generated from fossil fuels. Microbial cell factories serve as promising alternatives for the production of diverse commodity chemicals and biofuels from renewable resources. For example, polylactic acid (PLA) with its biodegradable properties is a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative to polyethylene. At present, PLA microbial production is mainly dependent on food crops such as corn and sugarcane. Moreover, optically pure isomers of lactic acid are required for the production of PLA, where D-lactic acid controls the thermochemical and physical properties of PLA. Henceforth, production of D-lactic acid through a more sustainable source (CO2) is desirable. Results We have performed metabolic engineering on Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 for the phototrophic synthesis of optically pure D-lactic acid from CO2. Synthesis of optically pure D-lactic acid was achieved by utilizing a recently discovered enzyme (i.e., a mutated glycerol dehydrogenase, GlyDH*). Significant improvements in D-lactic acid synthesis were achieved through codon optimization and by balancing the cofactor (NADH) availability through the heterologous expression of a soluble transhydrogenase. We have also discovered that addition of acetate to the cultures improved lactic acid production. More interestingly, 13C-pathway analysis revealed that acetate was not used for the synthesis of lactic acid, but was mainly used for synthesis of certain biomass building blocks (such as leucine and glutamate). Finally, the optimal strain was able to accumulate 1.14 g/L (photoautotrophic condition) and 2.17 g/L (phototrophic condition with acetate) of D-lactate in 24 days. Conclusions We have demonstrated the photoautotrophic production of D-lactic acid by engineering a cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803. The engineered strain shows an excellent D-lactic acid productivity from CO2. In the late growth phase, the lactate production rate by the engineered strain reached a maximum of ~0.19 g D-lactate/L/day (in the presence of acetate). This study serves as a good complement to the recent metabolic engineering work done on Synechocystis 6803 for L-lactate production. Thereby, our study may facilitate future developments in the use of cyanobacterial cell factories for the commercial production of high quality PLA. PMID:24274114

Photoautotrophic production of D-lactic acid in an engineered cyanobacterium.

PubMed

Varman, Arul M; Yu, Yi; You, Le; Tang, Yinjie J

2013-11-25

The world faces the challenge to develop sustainable technologies to replace thousands of products that have been generated from fossil fuels. Microbial cell factories serve as promising alternatives for the production of diverse commodity chemicals and biofuels from renewable resources. For example, polylactic acid (PLA) with its biodegradable properties is a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative to polyethylene. At present, PLA microbial production is mainly dependent on food crops such as corn and sugarcane. Moreover, optically pure isomers of lactic acid are required for the production of PLA, where D-lactic acid controls the thermochemical and physical properties of PLA. Henceforth, production of D-lactic acid through a more sustainable source (CO2) is desirable. We have performed metabolic engineering on Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 for the phototrophic synthesis of optically pure D-lactic acid from CO2. Synthesis of optically pure D-lactic acid was achieved by utilizing a recently discovered enzyme (i.e., a mutated glycerol dehydrogenase, GlyDH*). Significant improvements in D-lactic acid synthesis were achieved through codon optimization and by balancing the cofactor (NADH) availability through the heterologous expression of a soluble transhydrogenase. We have also discovered that addition of acetate to the cultures improved lactic acid production. More interestingly, (13)C-pathway analysis revealed that acetate was not used for the synthesis of lactic acid, but was mainly used for synthesis of certain biomass building blocks (such as leucine and glutamate). Finally, the optimal strain was able to accumulate 1.14 g/L (photoautotrophic condition) and 2.17 g/L (phototrophic condition with acetate) of D-lactate in 24 days. We have demonstrated the photoautotrophic production of D-lactic acid by engineering a cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803. The engineered strain shows an excellent D-lactic acid productivity from CO2. In the late growth phase, the lactate production rate by the engineered strain reached a maximum of ~0.19 g D-lactate/L/day (in the presence of acetate). This study serves as a good complement to the recent metabolic engineering work done on Synechocystis 6803 for L-lactate production. Thereby, our study may facilitate future developments in the use of cyanobacterial cell factories for the commercial production of high quality PLA.

The Effect of Using Microsoft Excel in a High School Algebra Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neurath, Rachel A.; Stephens, Larry J.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of integrating Microsoft Excel into a high school algebra class. The results indicate a slight increase in student achievement when Excel was used. A teacher-created final exam and two Criterion Referenced Tests measured success. One of the Criterion Referenced Tests indicated that the…

Integrated Engineering Information Technology, FY93 accommplishments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harris, R.N.; Miller, D.K.; Neugebauer, G.L.

1994-03-01

The Integrated Engineering Information Technology (IEIT) project is providing a comprehensive, easy-to-use computer network solution or communicating with coworkers both inside and outside Sandia National Laboratories. IEIT capabilities include computer networking, electronic mail, mechanical design, and data management. These network-based tools have one fundamental purpose: to help create a concurrent engineering environment that will enable Sandia organizations to excel in today`s increasingly competitive business environment.

The Road to a College Diploma: The Complex Reality of Raising Educational Achievement for Hispanics in the United States. An Interim Report of the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, Washington, DC.

In 2001, the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans was created to develop a multi-year plan for closing the achievement gap facing Hispanic Americans and attaining the goals established by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. The Commission defined five strategic imperatives: coordinating a national…

Experimental Validation of a Thermoelastic Model for SMA Hybrid Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Travis L.

2001-01-01

This study presents results from experimental validation of a recently developed model for predicting the thermomechanical behavior of shape memory alloy hybrid composite (SMAHC) structures, composite structures with an embedded SMA constituent. The model captures the material nonlinearity of the material system with temperature and is capable of modeling constrained, restrained, or free recovery behavior from experimental measurement of fundamental engineering properties. A brief description of the model and analysis procedures is given, followed by an overview of a parallel effort to fabricate and characterize the material system of SMAHC specimens. Static and dynamic experimental configurations for the SMAHC specimens are described and experimental results for thermal post-buckling and random response are presented. Excellent agreement is achieved between the measured and predicted results, fully validating the theoretical model for constrained recovery behavior of SMAHC structures.

A refractory metamaterial absorber for ultra-broadband, omnidirectional and polarization-independent absorption in the UV-NIR spectrum.

PubMed

Huang, Yijia; Liu, Ling; Pu, Mingbo; Li, Xiong; Ma, Xiaoliang; Luo, Xiangang

2018-05-03

In this paper, efficient ultra-broadband absorption from ultraviolet (UV) to near infrared (NIR) is achieved using a metamaterial perfect absorber (MPA) with refractory constituents. Both simulated and experimental results indicate that this proposed MPA exhibits an average absorption over 95% at wavelengths ranging from 200 nm to 900 nm. Besides, owing to the ultrathin thickness and symmetrical topology of this device, it exhibits great angular tolerance up to 60° independent of the incident polarizations. Excellent thermal stability is also demonstrated at high operation temperatures. The physical origin of the ultra-broadband characteristics is mainly based on diffraction/interference engineering at short wavelengths and the anti-reflection effect at long wavelengths. We believe that such a device may find potential applications ranging from photodetection and photothermal energy conversion to ultraviolet protection and thermophotovoltaics.

Optimal Design of Sheet Pile Wall Embedded in Clay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Manas Ranjan; Das, Sarat Kumar

2015-09-01

Sheet pile wall is a type of flexible earth retaining structure used in waterfront offshore structures, river protection work and temporary supports in foundations and excavations. Economy is an essential part of a good engineering design and needs to be considered explicitly in obtaining an optimum section. By considering appropriate embedment depth and sheet pile section it may be possible to achieve better economy. This paper describes optimum design of both cantilever and anchored sheet pile wall penetrating clay using a simple optimization tool Microsoft Excel ® Solver. The detail methodology and its application with examples are presented for cantilever and anchored sheet piles. The effects of soil properties, depth of penetration and variation of ground water table on the optimum design are also discussed. Such a study will help professional while designing the sheet pile wall penetrating clay.

Porphyrin-sensitized solar cells: systematic molecular optimization, coadsorption and cosensitization.

PubMed

Song, Heli; Liu, Qingyun; Xie, Yongshu

2018-02-15

As a promising low-cost solar energy conversion technique, dye-sensitized solar cells have undergone spectacular development since 1991. For practical applications, improvement of power conversion efficiency has always been one of the major research topics. Porphyrins are outstanding sensitizers endowed with strong sunlight harvesting ability in the visible region and multiple reaction sites available for functionalization. However, judicious molecular design in consideration of light-harvest, energy levels, operational dynamics, adsorption geometry and suppression of back reactions is specifically required for achieving excellent photovoltaic performance. This feature article highlights some of the recently developed porphyrin sensitizers, especially focusing on the systematic dye structure optimization approach in combination with coadsorption and cosensitization methods in pursuing higher efficiencies. Herein, we expect to provide more insights into the structure-performance correlation and molecular engineering strategies in a stepwise manner.

NASA Lewis Helps Develop Advanced Saw Blades for the Lumber Industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

NASA Lewis Research Center's Structures and Material Divisions are centers of excellence in high-temperature alloys for aerospace applications such as advanced aircraft and rocket engines. Lewis' expertise in these fields was enlisted in the development of a new generation of circular sawblades for the lumber industry to use in cutting logs into boards. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Forest Products Laboratory and their supplier had succeeded in developing a thinner sawblade by using a nickel-based alloy, but they needed to reduce excessive warping due to residual stresses. They requested assistance from Lewis' experts, who successfully eliminated the residual stress problem and increased blade strength by over 12 percent. They achieved this by developing an innovative heat treatment based on their knowledge of nickel-based superalloys used in aeropropulsion applications.

Gender Differences in Self-Efficacy and Sense of Class and School Belonging for Majors in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Disciplines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogue, Barbara A.

Research into women's underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines has become a topic of interest due to the increasing need for employees with technical expertise and a shortage of individuals to fill STEM jobs. The discrepancy in women's representation between STEM and other fields cannot adequately be explained by factors such as women's need to balance work and family (medicine and law are both extremely demanding careers), women's fear of competition (admissions into medical and law schools are highly competitive), or women's inability to excel in science (e.g., entry into medicine requires excellent achievement in the basic sciences). The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the role and/or impact a sense of belonging has inside and outside of STEM classrooms. Research questions focused on the role and/or impact of belonging contributes to students' self-efficacy beliefs as a STEM major. Bandura's self-efficacy theory serves as the theoretical framework. Data sources include close-ended surveys of 200 sophomore- and junior-level college students majoring in a STEM discipline. A quantitative exploratory approach allowed participants' responses to be analyzed using both correlation and multiple regression analyses to understand whether a student's sense of belonging is associated with his or her self-efficacy beliefs. Findings suggested that positive support systems impact students' self-efficacy and play a role in fostering students' motivation and decision to major in STEM disciplines. This study contributes to positive social change by providing empirical evidence faculty and administrators may use to promote university-based STEM support programs reflecting the impact belonging has on students' self-efficacy and potentially increasing the number of students majoring in STEM disciplines.

Effects of Gender, Mathematics Anxiety and Achievement Motivation on College Students' Achievement in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ajogbeje, Oke James; Borisade, Fidelis Tunde; Aladesaye, Charles Ademuyiwa; Ayodele, Oludolapo Bolanle

2013-01-01

The urge to excel or perform maximally in mathematics varies from individual to individual because achievement motivation is often developed or learnt during socialization and learning experiences. The study examined the relationship between College of Education students' achievement motivation and mathematics achievement, correlation coefficient…

Sales Training for Army Recruiter Success: Modeling the Sales Strategies and Skills of Excellent Recruiters

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-11-01

strategies used by excellent Army recruiters. Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) was used as the protocol for modeling performance and acquiring...Behavioral and Social Sciences 3001 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22333-5600 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT. PROJECT. TASK ARE* 4 WORK UNIT...Modeling ’Expert knowledge,, Neurolinguistics Knowledge engineering; Recruiting Sales, &’ Sales cycle Sales skills Sales strategies 20

Assessing and Rewarding Excellent Academic Teachers for the Benefit of an Organization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsson, Thomas; Roxå, Torgny

2013-01-01

In this article we describe and analyse a system for rewarding excellence in university teaching developed at the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University in Sweden. Individual teachers are rewarded for the effort they invest in the support of student learning. However, it is the organization that establishes a reward system and it does so for…

Click hydrogels, microgels and nanogels: emerging platforms for drug delivery and tissue engineering.

PubMed

Jiang, Yanjiao; Chen, Jing; Deng, Chao; Suuronen, Erik J; Zhong, Zhiyuan

2014-06-01

Hydrogels, microgels and nanogels have emerged as versatile and viable platforms for sustained protein release, targeted drug delivery, and tissue engineering due to excellent biocompatibility, a microporous structure with tunable porosity and pore size, and dimensions spanning from human organs, cells to viruses. In the past decade, remarkable advances in hydrogels, microgels and nanogels have been achieved with click chemistry. It is a most promising strategy to prepare gels with varying dimensions owing to its high reactivity, superb selectivity, and mild reaction conditions. In particular, the recent development of copper-free click chemistry such as strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition, radical mediated thiol-ene chemistry, Diels-Alder reaction, tetrazole-alkene photo-click chemistry, and oxime reaction renders it possible to form hydrogels, microgels and nanogels without the use of potentially toxic catalysts or immunogenic enzymes that are commonly required. Notably, unlike other chemical approaches, click chemistry owing to its unique bioorthogonal feature does not interfere with encapsulated bioactives such as living cells, proteins and drugs and furthermore allows versatile preparation of micropatterned biomimetic hydrogels, functional microgels and nanogels. In this review, recent exciting developments in click hydrogels, microgels and nanogels, as well as their biomedical applications such as controlled protein and drug release, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine are presented and discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Innovative solar thermochemical water splitting.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hogan, Roy E. Jr.; Siegel, Nathan P.; Evans, Lindsey R.

2008-02-01

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is evaluating the potential of an innovative approach for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using two-step thermochemical cycles. Thermochemical cycles are heat engines that utilize high-temperature heat to produce chemical work. Like their mechanical work-producing counterparts, their efficiency depends on operating temperature and on the irreversibility of their internal processes. With this in mind, we have invented innovative design concepts for two-step solar-driven thermochemical heat engines based on iron oxide and iron oxide mixed with other metal oxides (ferrites). The design concepts utilize two sets of moving beds of ferrite reactant material in close proximitymore » and moving in opposite directions to overcome a major impediment to achieving high efficiency--thermal recuperation between solids in efficient counter-current arrangements. They also provide inherent separation of the product hydrogen and oxygen and are an excellent match with high-concentration solar flux. However, they also impose unique requirements on the ferrite reactants and materials of construction as well as an understanding of the chemical and cycle thermodynamics. In this report the Counter-Rotating-Ring Receiver/Reactor/Recuperator (CR5) solar thermochemical heat engine and its basic operating principals are described. Preliminary thermal efficiency estimates are presented and discussed. Our ferrite reactant material development activities, thermodynamic studies, test results, and prototype hardware development are also presented.« less

ALMA: the completion of the 25 Europeans antennas: focus on main performances, problems found during erection and lessons learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchiori, Gianpietro; Rampini, Francesco; Giacomel, Luigino; Giacomel, Stefano; Marcuzzi, Enrico; Formentin, Federico

2014-07-01

The 2013 saw the completion of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). The array consists of 66 antennas and operates in Chile at the Chajnantor plateau at 5000 m altitude. 25 of the 12 meter diameter antennas have been delivered by the AEM consortium constituted by Thales Alenia Space France, Thales Alenia Space Italy, European Industrial Engineering (EIE GROUP), and MT Mechatronics. The purpose of this paper is to present a summary of the results obtained by the antennas during the different test campaign and a summary of the problems aroused during the erection and the assembly phases and the relative lesson learned. The results of the engineering performances and antenna systems, performed during the acceptance phases of the first antennas, have shown the full correspondence between what was expected during the design phase and what has been achieved in the final product, with a difference of less than 10% and the trend tends to be conservative. As for "on sky antennas performances", all the tests done in the 25 antennas showed excellent results. The antenna All Sky Pointing Error and Offset Pointing Error with and without metrology correction turned to be always excellent. The Fast Motion Capability with the tracking requirements after a step motion was better than an order of magnitude compared to the requests. Four years of on-site activities and the various phases of construction and assembly of 25 antennas have been a major challenge for the European Consortium. The problems encountered in this phase were many and varied: interfaces issues, design and foundation problems, manufacturing and assembly errors, electrical installation, shipment delays, human errors, adverse weather conditions, financial aspects, schedule, etc. The important is being prepared with an "a priori", that is a risk assessment which helps ensuring the best solution for the complete customer satisfaction of the scientific and technical requests. Despite the already excellent knowledge in the field by the companies involved, this period has undoubtedly represented an opportunity for growth and learning. A better understanding of the problems relates to such large project, will be essential for the future major projects.

Ionic Liquids as Novel Lubricants and /or Lubricant Additives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qu, J.; Viola, M. B.

2013-10-31

This ORNL-GM CRADA developed ionic liquids (ILs) as novel lubricants or oil additives for engine lubrication. A new group of oil-miscible ILs have been designed and synthesized with high thermal stability, non-corrosiveness, excellent wettability, and most importantly effective anti-scuffing/anti-wear and friction reduction characteristics. Mechanistic analysis attributes the superior lubricating performance of IL additives to their physical and chemical interactions with metallic surfaces. Working with a leading lubricant formulation company, the team has successfully developed a prototype low-viscosity engine oil using a phosphonium-phosphate IL as an anti-wear additive. Tribological bench tests of the IL-additized formulated oil showed 20-33% lower friction inmore » mixed and elastohydrodynamic lubrication and 38-92% lower wear in boundary lubrication when compared with commercial Mobil 1 and Mobil Clean 5W-30 engine oils. High-temperature, high load (HTHL) full-size engine tests confirmed the excellent anti-wear performance for the IL-additized engine oil. Sequence VID engine dynamometer tests demonstrated an improved fuel economy by >2% for this IL-additized engine oil benchmarked against the Mobil 1 5W-30 oil. In addition, accelerated catalyst aging tests suggest that the IL additive may potentially have less adverse impact on three-way catalysts compared to the conventional ZDDP. Follow-on research is needed for further development and optimization of IL chemistry and oil formulation to fully meet ILSAC GF-5 specifications and further enhance the automotive engine efficiency and durability.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Antolovich, S.D.; Saxena, A.; Cullers, C.

One of the ongoing challenges of the aerospace industry is to develop more efficient turbine engines. Greater efficiency entails reduced specific strength and larger temperature gradients, the latter of which means higher operating temperatures and increased thermal conductivity. Continued development of nickel-based superalloys has provided steady increases in engine efficiency and the limits of superalloys have probably not been realized. However, other material systems are under intense investigation for possible use in high temperature engines. Ceramic, intermetallic, and various composite systems are being explored in an effort to exploit the much higher melting temperatures of these systems. NiAl is consideredmore » a potential alternative to conventional superalloys due to its excellent oxidation resistance, low density, and high melting temperature. The fact that NiAl is the most common coating for current superalloy turbine blades is a tribute to its oxidation resistance. Its density is one-third that of typical superalloys and in most temperature ranges its thermal conductivity is twice that of common superalloys. Despite these many advantages, NiAl requires more investigation before it is ready to be used in engines. Binary NiAl in general has poor high-temperature strength and low-temperature ductility. On-going research in alloy design continues to make improvements in the high-temperature strength of NiAl. The factors controlling low temperature ductility have been identified in the last few years. Small, but reproducible ductility can now be achieved at room temperature through careful control of chemical purity and processing. But the mechanisms controlling the transition from brittle to ductile behavior are not fully understood. Research in the area of fatigue deformation can aid the development of the NiAl system in two ways. Fatigue properties must be documented and optimized before NiAl can be applied to engineering systems.« less

Engine Performance Specialist. Instructor's Manual. Automotive Service Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oklahoma State Dept. of Vocational and Technical Education, Stillwater. Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center.

This curriculum guide is one of a series automotive service specialty publications that continues students' training in the automotive service trade by providing instruction in the engine performance specialty. It is based on the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence task lists. Each of the 16 units includes some or all of the basic…

E-Learning in Engineering Education: Design of a Collaborative Advanced Remote Access Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandra A. P., Jagadeesh; Samuel, R. D. Sudhaker

2010-01-01

Attaining excellence in technical education is a worthy challenge to any life goal. Distance learning opportunities make these goals easier to reach with added quality. Distance learning in engineering education is possible only through successful implementations of remote laboratories in a learning-by-doing environment. This paper presents one…

The South African Engineering Education Model with a European Perspective: History, Analogies, Transformations and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kloot, Bruce; Rouvrais, Siegfried

2017-01-01

South Africa, with its national cultural diversity and post-apartheid challenges and commitments, finds echoes in the European context, especially considering the imperatives of openness and non-discrimination in higher education. With an historical tradition of excellence in engineering education, the emphasis on supporting educationally…

Thinly disguised contempt: a barrier to excellence.

PubMed

Brown-Stewart, P

1987-04-01

Many elements in contemporary leadership and management convey contempt for employees. "Thinly disguised contempt," a concept introduced by Peters and Austin in A Passion For Excellence, explains many barriers to the achievement of excellence in corporations across disciplines. Health care executives and managers can learn from the errors of corporate management and avoid replicating these errors in the health care industry.

ESSA: New Law, New Opportunity. A Brief Guide to Excellence for State Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Stephanie; Hassel, Bryan C.; Hassel, Emily Ayscue; Steiner, Lucy

2016-01-01

State and district leaders have a chance under ESSA (the 2016 Every Student Succeeds Act) to use their new funding flexibility to take a new approach that focuses on excellence for teachers, and students. This brief explains four opportunities to go beyond the requirements of ESSA to achieve a culture of excellence, one that attracts even more…

Improving student learning in calculus through applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, C. Y.; Georgiopoulos, M.; Hagen, S. C.; Geiger, C. L.; Dagley-Falls, M. A.; Islas, A. L.; Ramsey, P. J.; Lancey, P. M.; Straney, R. A.; Forde, D. S.; Bradbury, E. E.

2011-07-01

Nationally only 40% of the incoming freshmen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors are successful in earning a STEM degree. The University of Central Florida (UCF) EXCEL programme is a National Science Foundation funded STEM Talent Expansion Programme whose goal is to increase the number of UCF STEM graduates. One of the key requirements for STEM majors is a strong foundation in Calculus. To improve student learning in calculus, the EXCEL programme developed two special courses at the freshman level called Applications of Calculus I (Apps I) and Applications of Calculus II (Apps II). Apps I and II are one-credit classes that are co-requisites for Calculus I and II. These classes are teams taught by science and engineering professors whose goal is to demonstrate to students where the calculus topics they are learning appear in upper level science and engineering classes as well as how faculty use calculus in their STEM research programmes. This article outlines the process used in producing the educational materials for the Apps I and II courses, and it also discusses the assessment results pertaining to this specific EXCEL activity. Pre- and post-tests conducted with experimental and control groups indicate significant improvement in student learning in Calculus II as a direct result of the application courses.

Thermally Stable Cellulose Nanocrystals toward High-Performance 2D and 3D Nanostructures.

PubMed

Jia, Chao; Bian, Huiyang; Gao, Tingting; Jiang, Feng; Kierzewski, Iain Michael; Wang, Yilin; Yao, Yonggang; Chen, Liheng; Shao, Ziqiang; Zhu, J Y; Hu, Liangbing

2017-08-30

Cellulose nanomaterials have attracted much attention in a broad range of fields such as flexible electronics, tissue engineering, and 3D printing for their excellent mechanical strength and intriguing optical properties. Economic, sustainable, and eco-friendly production of cellulose nanomaterials with high thermal stability, however, remains a tremendous challenge. Here versatile cellulose nanocrystals (DM-OA-CNCs) are prepared through fully recyclable oxalic acid (OA) hydrolysis along with disk-milling (DM) pretreatment of bleached kraft eucalyptus pulp. Compared with the commonly used cellulose nanocrystals from sulfuric acid hydrolysis, DM-OA-CNCs show several advantages including large aspect ratio, carboxylated surface, and excellent thermal stability along with high yield. We also successfully demonstrate the fabrication of high-performance films and 3D-printed patterns using DM-OA-CNCs. The high-performance films with high transparency, ultralow haze, and excellent thermal stability have the great potential for applications in flexible electronic devices. The 3D-printed patterns with porous structures can be potentially applied in the field of tissue engineering as scaffolds.

Computer aided photographic engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hixson, Jeffrey A.; Rieckhoff, Tom

1988-01-01

High speed photography is an excellent source of engineering data but only provides a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional event. Multiple cameras can be used to provide data for the third dimension but camera locations are not always available. A solution to this problem is to overlay three-dimensional CAD/CAM models of the hardware being tested onto a film or photographic image, allowing the engineer to measure surface distances, relative motions between components, and surface variations.

The Impact of Design-Based STEM Integration Curricula on Student Achievement in Engineering, Science, and Mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selcen Guzey, S.; Harwell, Michael; Moreno, Mario; Peralta, Yadira; Moore, Tamara J.

2017-04-01

The new science education reform documents call for integration of engineering into K-12 science classes. Engineering design and practices are new to most science teachers, meaning that implementing effective engineering instruction is likely to be challenging. This quasi-experimental study explored the influence of teacher-developed, engineering design-based science curriculum units on learning and achievement among grade 4-8 students of different races, gender, special education status, and limited English proficiency (LEP) status. Treatment and control students ( n = 4450) completed pretest and posttest assessments in science, engineering, and mathematics as well as a state-mandated mathematics test. Single-level regression results for science outcomes favored the treatment for one science assessment (physical science, heat transfer), but multilevel analyses showed no significant treatment effect. We also found that engineering integration had different effects across race and gender and that teacher gender can reduce or exacerbate the gap in engineering achievement for student subgroups depending on the outcome. Other teacher factors such as the quality of engineering-focused science units and engineering instruction were predictive of student achievement in engineering. Implications for practice are discussed.

Advanced supersonic propulsion system technology study, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allan, R. D.

1975-01-01

Variable cycle engines were identified, based on the mixed-flow low-bypass-ratio augmented turbofan cycle, which has shown excellent range capability in the AST airplane. The best mixed-flow augmented turbofan engine was selected based on range in the AST Baseline Airplane. Selected variable cycle engine features were added to this best conventional baseline engine, and the Dual-Cycle VCE and Double-Bypass VCE were defined. The conventional mixed-flow turbofan and the Double-Bypass VCE were on the subjects of engine preliminary design studies to determine mechanical feasibility, confirm weight and dimensional estimates, and identify the necessary technology considered not yet available. Critical engine components were studied and incorporated into the variable cycle engine design.

A Novel Approach for Reducing Rotor Tip-Clearance Induced Noise in Turbofan Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khorrami, Mehdi R.; Li, Fei; Choudhari, Meelan

2001-01-01

Rotor tip-clearance induced noise, both in the form of rotor self noise and rotor-stator interaction noise , constitutes a significant component of total fan noise. Innovative yet cost effective techniques to suppress rotor-generated noise are, therefore, of foremost importance for improving the noise signature of turbofan engines. To that end, the feasibility of a passive porous treatment strategy to positively modify the tip-clearance flow field is addressed. The present study is focused on accurate viscous flow calculations of the baseline and the treated rotor flow fields. Detailed comparison between the computed baseline solution and experimental measurements shows excellent agreement. Tip-vortex structure, trajectory, strength, and other relevant aerodynamic quantities are extracted from the computed database. Extensive comparison between the untreated and treated tip-clearance flow fields is performed. The effectiveness of the porous treatment for altering the rotor-tip vortex flow field in general and reducing the intensity of the tip vortex, in particular, is demonstrated. In addition, the simulated flow field for the treated tip clearly shows that substantial reduction in the intensity of both the shear layer roll-up and boundary layer separation on the wall is achieved.

Controlled delivery of icariin on small intestine submucosa for bone tissue engineering.

PubMed

Li, Mei; Gu, Qiaoqiao; Chen, Mengjie; Zhang, Chi; Chen, Songdi; Zhao, Jiyuan

2017-02-01

Small intestine submucosa (SIS) has been reported as an excellent biomaterial for tissue engineering because of its naturally occurring collagenous extracellular matrix property with growth factors. However, SIS from submucosal layer of intestine provides different microenvironment from bone tissue, which limits its application to bone regeneration. The object of this study was to improve osteoinductivity of SIS by controlled local delivery of icariin (Ic), a potent osteogenic compound. Sustained release of icariin from SIS scaffold was achieved for >30days and the loading of icariin on SIS scaffold was uniform as scanned by SEM. In vitro experiments revealed that expression of osteogenic differentiation markers (Alp, Bsp and Ocn) was increased after treatment of Ic-SIS scaffold, without significant cytotoxicity. In an in vivo mouse calvarial defect model, bone regeneration was enhanced by SIS implantation at 8weeks, compared to control defect. New bone formation was further improved by implantation with Ic-SIS (low and high) at both 4 and 8weeks. The results of this study suggest that SIS scaffold has the potential as an icariin delivery carrier for enhancement of bone regeneration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermoelectrics in Coulomb-coupled quantum dots: Cotunneling and energy-dependent lead couplings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walldorf, Nicklas; Jauho, Antti-Pekka; Kaasbjerg, Kristen

2017-09-01

We study thermoelectric effects in Coulomb-coupled quantum-dot (CCQD) systems beyond lowest-order tunneling processes and the often applied wide-band approximation. To this end, we present a master-equation (ME) approach based on a perturbative T -matrix calculation of the charge and heat tunneling rates and transport currents. Applying the method to transport through a noninteracting single-level QD, we demonstrate excellent agreement with the Landauer-Büttiker theory when higher-order (cotunneling) processes are included in the ME. Next, we study the effect of cotunneling and energy-dependent lead couplings on the heat currents in a system of two CCQDs. We find that cotunneling processes (i) can dominate the off-resonant heat currents at low temperature and bias compared to the interdot interaction, and (ii) give rise to a pronounced reduction of the cooling power achievable with the recently demonstrated Maxwell's demon cooling mechanism. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the cooling power can be boosted significantly by carefully engineering the energy dependence of the lead couplings to filter out undesired transport processes. Our findings emphasize the importance of higher-order cotunneling processes as well as engineered energy-dependent lead couplings in the optimization of the thermoelectric performance of CCQD systems.

Fast-degrading PLA/ORMOGLASS fibrous composite scaffold leads to a calcium-rich angiogenic environment

PubMed Central

Sachot, Nadège; Roguska, Agata; Planell, Josep Anton; Lewandowska, Malgorzata; Engel, Elisabeth; Castaño, Oscar

2017-01-01

The success of scaffold implantation in acellular tissue engineering approaches relies on the ability of the material to interact properly with the biological environment. This behavior mainly depends on the design of the graft surface and, more precisely, on its capacity to biodegrade in a well-defined manner (nature of ions released, surface-to-volume ratio, dissolution profile of this release, rate of material resorption, and preservation of mechanical properties). The assessment of the biological behavior of temporary templates is therefore very important in tissue engineering, especially for composites, which usually exhibit complicated degradation behavior. Here, blended polylactic acid (PLA) calcium phosphate ORMOGLASS (organically modified glass) nanofibrous mats have been incubated up to 4 weeks in physiological simulated conditions, and their morphological, topographical, and chemical changes have been investigated. The results showed that a significant loss of inorganic phase occurred at the beginning of the immersion and the ORMOGLASS maintained a stable composition afterward throughout the degradation period. As a whole, the nanostructured scaffolds underwent fast and heterogeneous degradation. This study reveals that an angiogenic calcium-rich environment can be achieved through fast-degrading ORMOGLASS/PLA blended fibers, which seems to be an excellent alternative for guided bone regeneration. PMID:28744124

Technical Path Evaluation for High Efficiency, Low Emission Natural Gas Engine

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-05-01

Modeling and Mitigation for Large Bore Natural Gas Engines C. Evaluation of Technologies for Achieving High BMEP Levels in Natural Gas Engines D. Microfine ...Natural Gas Engines C. Evaluation of Technologies for Achieving High BMEP Levels in Natural Gas Engines D. Microfine Water Spray Injection for Knock...91 vi D. MICROFINE WATER SPRAY INJECTION FOR

A management approach that drives actions strategically: balanced scorecard in a mental health trust case study.

PubMed

Schmidt, Stefan; Bateman, Ian; Breinlinger-O'Reilly, Jochen; Smith, Peter

2006-01-01

Achieving excellence is a current preoccupation in U.K. public health organisations. This article aims to use a case study to explain how a mental health trust delivers excellent performance using a balanced scorecard (BSC) management approach. Reports a project to implement a BSC approach in the South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust to achieve its "excellence" objectives. The authors were participants in the project. The design of the pilot project was informed theoretically by the work of Kaplan and Norton and practically by in-house discussions on a strategy to achieve excellence. Explains the process of building a BSC strategy step-by-step. Discusses how the vision and strategies of a mental health trust can be translated into tangible measures, which are the basis for actions that are driven strategically. There are many possibilities for a BSC management approach and this case study is specific to mental health trusts in the UK, although it is believed that the case has a universally applicable modus operandi. This article will help healthcare managers to evaluate the benefits of a BSC management approach. This article explains how actions can be structured in connection with a BSC management approach.

Pulsed current activated synthesis and rapid consolidation of a nanostructured Mg2Al4Si5O18 and its mechanical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shon, In-Jin; Kang, Hyun-Su; Doh, Jung-Mann; Yoon, Jin-Kook

2015-03-01

Nanocrystalline materials have received much attention as advanced engineering materials, with improved mechanical properties. Attention has been directed to the application of nanomaterials, as they possess excellent mechanical properties (high strength, high hardness, excellent ductility and toughness). A singlestep synthesis and consolidation of nanostructured Mg2Al4Si5O18 was achieved by pulsed current heating, using the stoichiometric mixture of MgO, Al2O3 and SiO2 powders. Before sintering, the powder mixture was high-energy ball milled for 10 h. From the milled powder mixture, a highly dense nanostructured Mg2Al4Si5O18 compound could be obtained within one minute, under the simultaneous application of 80 MPa pressure, and a pulsed current. The advantage of this process is that it allows an instant densification to the near theoretical density, while sustaining the nanosized microstructure of raw powders. The sintering behavior, microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg2Al4Si5O18 were evaluated. The fracture toughness of a nanostructured Mg2Al4Si5O18 compound was higher than that of sub-micron Mg2Al4Si5O18 compound.

Advanced Concepts, Technologies and Flight Experiments for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meredith, Barry D.

2000-01-01

Over the last 25 years, NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has established a tradition of excellence in scientific research and leading-edge system developments, which have contributed to improved scientific understanding of our Earth system. Specifically, LaRC advances knowledge of atmospheric processes to enable proactive climate prediction and, in that role, develops first-of-a-kind atmospheric sensing capabilities that permit a variety of new measurements to be made within a constrained enterprise budget. These advances are enabled by the timely development and infusion of new, state-of-the-art (SOA), active and passive instrument and sensor technologies. In addition, LaRC's center-of-excellence in structures and materials is being applied to the technological challenges of reducing measurement system size, mass, and cost through the development and use of space-durable materials; lightweight, multi-functional structures; and large deployable/inflatable structures. NASA Langley is engaged in advancing these technologies across the full range of readiness levels from concept, to components, to prototypes, to flight experiments, and on to actual science mission infusion. The purpose of this paper is to describe current activities and capabilities, recent achievements, and future plans of the integrated science, engineering, and technology team at Langley Research Center who are working to enable the future of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise.

A database for propagation models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kantak, Anil V.; Suwitra, Krisjani; Le, Chuong

1995-01-01

A database of various propagation phenomena models that can be used by telecommunications systems engineers to obtain parameter values for systems design is presented. This is an easy-to-use tool and is currently available for either a PC using Excel software under Windows environment or a Macintosh using Excel software for Macintosh. All the steps necessary to use the software are easy and many times self explanatory.

Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) Program: Center of Automotive Technology Excellence in Advanced Hybrid Vehicle Technology at West Virginia University

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nigle N. Clark

2006-12-31

This report summarizes the technical and educational achievements of the Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) Center at West Virginia University (WVU), which was created to emphasize Advanced Hybrid Vehicle Technology. The Center has supported the graduate studies of 17 students in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. These students have addressed topics such as hybrid modeling, construction of a hybrid sport utility vehicle (in conjunction with the FutureTruck program), a MEMS-based sensor, on-board data acquisition for hybrid design optimization, linear engine design and engine emissions. Courses have been developedmore » in Hybrid Vehicle Design, Mobile Source Powerplants, Advanced Vehicle Propulsion, Power Electronics for Automotive Applications and Sensors for Automotive Applications, and have been responsible for 396 hours of graduate student coursework. The GATE program also enhanced the WVU participation in the U.S. Department of Energy Student Design Competitions, in particular FutureTruck and Challenge X. The GATE support for hybrid vehicle technology enhanced understanding of hybrid vehicle design and testing at WVU and encouraged the development of a research agenda in heavy-duty hybrid vehicles. As a result, WVU has now completed three programs in hybrid transit bus emissions characterization, and WVU faculty are leading the Transportation Research Board effort to define life cycle costs for hybrid transit buses. Research and enrollment records show that approximately 100 graduate students have benefited substantially from the hybrid vehicle GATE program at WVU.« less

How Do You Achieve Inclusive Excellence in the Classroom?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Considine, Jennifer R.; Mihalick, Jennifer E.; Mogi-Hein, Yoko R.; Penick-Parks, Marguerite W.; Van Auken, Paul M.

2017-01-01

This chapter identifies pedagogical strategies promoting equity for all students. Historical roots of Inclusive Excellence (IE), theories surrounding IE, and ways to affirm student identity are described, as well as factors that may interfere with the adoption of inclusive pedagogy.

Test Results of the RS-44 Integrated Component Evaluator Liquid Oxygen/ Hydrogen Rocket Engine

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-10-12

achieved on the same test. Figure 5-1 is a photograph of the RS-44 ICE engine as it achieved mainstage 3 operation on test 87-017-006. Nominal and...engine transition to mainstage main chamber pressure, 3 Igniter operation satisfactory 87-017-004 1.09 Igniter operation / engine Redline cutoff due...ok, transition stage satisfactory, 3 maInstage operation achieved, all other objectives met. 3 I I I -56- 1 CR 194443 Figure 7-22 RS-44 ENGtNE

Mechanical properties of orthodontic wires made of super engineering plastic.

PubMed

Maekawa, Minami; Kanno, Zuisei; Wada, Takahiro; Hongo, Toshio; Doi, Hisashi; Hanawa, Takao; Ono, Takashi; Uo, Motohiro

2015-01-01

Most orthodontic equipment is fabricated from alloys such as stainless steel, Co-Cr and Ni-Ti because of their excellent elastic properties. In recent years, increasing esthetic demands, metal allergy and interference of metals with magnetic resonance imaging have driven the development of non-metallic orthodontic materials. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of using three super engineering plastics (PEEK, PES and PVDF) as orthodontic wires. PES and PVDF demonstrated excellent esthetics, although PEEK showed the highest bending strength and creep resistance. PEEK and PVDF showed quite low water absorption. Because of recent developments in coloration of PEEK, we conclude that PEEK has many advantageous properties that make it a suitable candidate for use as an esthetic metal-free orthodontic wire.

Engineering interfacial photo-induced charge transfer based on nanobamboo array architecture for efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaotian; Liow, Chihao; Bisht, Ankit; Liu, Xinfeng; Sum, Tze Chien; Chen, Xiaodong; Li, Shuzhou

2015-04-01

Engineering interfacial photo-induced charge transfer for highly synergistic photocatalysis is successfully realized based on nanobamboo array architecture. Programmable assemblies of various components and heterogeneous interfaces, and, in turn, engineering of the energy band structure along the charge transport pathways, play a critical role in generating excellent synergistic effects of multiple components for promoting photocatalytic efficiency. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Engineer. The Professional Bulletin of Army Engineers. Volume 44. January-April 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

Building 3201,Suite 2661,Fort Leonard Wood ,MO,65473-8702 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES...and the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence G-37 Publications, Fort Leonard Wood , Missouri. Periodicals postage is paid at Fort Leonard Wood and...manuscript to Engineer Professional Bulletin, 14010 MSCoE Loop, Building 3201, Suite 2661, Fort Leonard Wood , MO 65473-8702. Due to the limited space per

Lead-free BNT-based composite materials: enhanced depolarization temperature and electromechanical behavior.

PubMed

Bai, Wangfeng; Zheng, Peng; Wen, Fei; Zhang, Jingji; Chen, Daqin; Zhai, Jiwei; Ji, Zhenguo

2017-11-14

The development of (Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 )TiO 3 -based solid solutions with both high depolarization temperature T d and excellent piezoelectric and electromechanical properties for practical application is intractable because improved thermal stability is usually accompanied by a deterioration in piezoelectric and electromechanical performance. Herein, we report a 0-3 type 0.93(Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 )TiO 3 -0.07BaTiO 3  : 30 mol%ZnO composite (BNT-7BT : 0.3ZnO), in which the ZnO nanoparticles exist in two forms, to resolve the abovementioned long-standing obstacle. In this composite, Zn ions fill the boundaries of BNT-7BT grains, and residual Zn ions diffuse into the BNT-7BT lattice, as confirmed by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and microstructure analysis. The BNT-7BT composite ceramics with a 0-3 type connectivity exhibited enhanced frequency-dependent electromechanical properties, fatigue characteristics, and thermal stabilities. More importantly, low poling field-driven large piezoelectric properties were observed for the composite ceramics as compared to the case of the pure BNT-7BT solid solution. A mechanism related to the ZnO-driven phase transition from the rhombohedral to tetragonal phase and built-in electric field to partially compensate the depolarization field was proposed to explain the achieved outstanding piezoelectric performance. This is the first time that the thermal stability, electromechanical behavior, and low poling field-driven high piezoelectric performance of BNT-based ceramics have been simultaneously optimized. Thus, our study provides a referential methodology to achieve novel piezoceramics with excellent piezoelectricity by composite engineering and opens up a new development window for the utilization of conventional BNT-based and other lead-free ceramics in practical applications.

Using the Discipline of Agricultural Engineering to Integrate Math and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foutz, Tim; Navarro, Maria; Hill, Roger B.; Thompson, Sidney A.; Miller, Kathy; Riddleberger, Deborah

2011-01-01

An outcome of a 1998 forum sponsored by the National Research Council was a recognition that topics related to food production and agriculture are excellent mechanisms for integrating science topics taught in the K-12 education system and for providing many avenues for inquiry based and project based learning. The engineering design process is…

Evaluating the Impact of Role-Playing Simulations on Global Competency in an Online Transnational Engineering Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wold, Kari

2013-01-01

Successfully interacting with those from different cultures is essential to excel in any field, particularly when global, transnational collaborations in the workplace are increasingly common. However, many higher education students in engineering are not explicitly taught how to display the global competency skills desired by future employers. To…

Ultra Efficient Engine Technology Systems Integration and Environmental Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daggett, David L.; Geiselhart, Karl A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This study documents the design and analysis of four types of advanced technology commercial transport airplane configurations (small, medium large and very large) with an assumed technology readiness date of 2010. These airplane configurations were used as a platform to evaluate the design concept and installed performance of advanced technology engines being developed under the NASA Ultra Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) program. Upon installation of the UEET engines onto the UEET advanced technology airframes, the small and medium airplanes both achieved an additional 16% increase in fuel efficiency when using GE advanced turbofan engines. The large airplane achieved an 18% increase in fuel efficiency when using the P&W geared fan engine. The very large airplane (i.e. BWB), also using P&W geared fan engines, only achieved an additional 16% that was attributed to a non-optimized airplane/engine combination.

An overview on autologous fibrin glue in bone tissue engineering of maxillofacial surgery

PubMed Central

Khodakaram-Tafti, Azizollah; Mehrabani, Davood; Shaterzadeh-Yazdi, Hanieh

2017-01-01

The purpose of this review is to have an overview on the applications on the autologous fibrin glue as a bone graft substitute in maxillofacial injuries and defects. A search was conducted using the databases such as Medline or PubMed and Google Scholar for articles from 1985 to 2016. The criteria were “Autograft,” “Fibrin tissue adhesive,” “Tissue engineering,” “Maxillofacial injury,” and “Regenerative medicine.” Bone tissue engineering is a new promising approach for bone defect reconstruction. In this technique, cells are combined with three-dimensional scaffolds to provide a tissue-like structure to replace lost parts of the tissue. Fibrin as a natural scaffold, because of its biocompatibility and biodegradability, and the initial stability of the grafted stem cells is introduced as an excellent scaffold for tissue engineering. It promotes cell migration, proliferation, and matrix making through acceleration in angiogenesis. Growth factors in fibrin glue can stimulate and promote tissue repair. Autologous fibrin scaffolds are excellent candidates for tissue engineering so that they can be produced faster, cheaper, and in larger quantities. In addition, they are easy to use and the probability of viral or prion transmission may be decreased. Therefore, autologous fibrin glue appears to be promising scaffold in regenerative maxillofacial surgery. PMID:28584530

The Propulsion Center at MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gerrish, Harold; Schmidt, George R. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Propulsion Research Center at MSFC serves as a national resource for research of advanced, revolutionary propulsion technologies. Our mission is to move the nation's capabilities beyond the confines of conventional chemical propulsion into an era of aircraft like access to earth-orbit, rapid travel throughout the solar system, and exploration of interstellar space. Current efforts cover a wide range of exciting areas, including high-energy plasma thrusters, advanced fission and fusion engines, antimatter propulsion systems, beamed energy rockets and sails, and fundamental motive physics. Activities involve concept investigation, proof-of-concept demonstration, and breadboard validation of new propulsion systems. The Propulsion Research Center at MSFC provides an environment where NASA, national laboratories, universities, and industry researchers can pool their skills together to perform landmark propulsion achievements. We offer excellent educational opportunities to students and young researchers-fostering a wellspring of innovation that will revolutionize space transportation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Luyao; Curwen, Christopher; Chen, Daguan

A longstanding challenge for terahertz quantum-cascade (QC) lasers is achieving both a high power and high-quality beam pattern, this is due in part due to their use of sub-wavelength metallic waveguides. Recently, the vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) concept was demonstrated for the first time in the terahertz range and for a QC-laser. This is enabled by the development of an amplifying metasurface reflector capable of coupling incident free-space THz radiation to the QC-laser material such that it is amplified and re-radiated. The THz metasurface QC-VECSEL initiates a new approach for making QC-lasers with high power and excellent beam pattern. Furthermore,more » the ability to engineer the electromagnetic phase, amplitude, and polarization response of the metasurface enables lasers with new functionality. Our article provides an overview of the fundamental theory, design considerations, and recent results for high-performance THz QC-VECSELs.« less

Thrust Measurements for a Pulse Detonation Engine Driven Ejector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santoro, Robert J.; Pak, Sibtosh; Shehadeh, R.; Saretto, S. R.; Lee, S.-Y.

2005-01-01

Results of an experimental effort on pulse detonation driven ejectors aimed at probing different aspects of PDE ejector processes, are presented and discussed. The PDE was operated using ethylene as the fuel and an equimolar oxygen/nitrogen mixture as the oxidizer at an equivalence ratio of one. The thrust measurements for the PDE alone are in excellent agreement with experimental and modeling results reported in the literature and serve as a Baseline for the ejector studies. These thrust measurements were then used as a basis for quantifying thrust augmentation for various PDE/ejector setups using constant diameter ejector tubes and various detonation tube/ejector tube overlap distances. The results show that for the geometries studied here, a maximum thrust augmentation of 24% is achieved. The thrust augmentation results are complemented by shadowgraph imaging of the flowfield in the ejector tube inlet area and high frequency pressure transducer measurements along the length of the ejector tube.

Engineering integrated photonics for heralded quantum gates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meany, Thomas; Biggerstaff, Devon N.; Broome, Matthew A.; Fedrizzi, Alessandro; Delanty, Michael; Steel, M. J.; Gilchrist, Alexei; Marshall, Graham D.; White, Andrew G.; Withford, Michael J.

2016-06-01

Scaling up linear-optics quantum computing will require multi-photon gates which are compact, phase-stable, exhibit excellent quantum interference, and have success heralded by the detection of ancillary photons. We investigate the design, fabrication and characterisation of the optimal known gate scheme which meets these requirements: the Knill controlled-Z gate, implemented in integrated laser-written waveguide arrays. We show device performance to be less sensitive to phase variations in the circuit than to small deviations in the coupler reflectivity, which are expected given the tolerance values of the fabrication method. The mode fidelity is also shown to be less sensitive to reflectivity and phase errors than the process fidelity. Our best device achieves a fidelity of 0.931 ± 0.001 with the ideal 4 × 4 unitary circuit and a process fidelity of 0.680 ± 0.005 with the ideal computational-basis process.

Synthesis of a large-sized mesoporous phosphosilicate thin film through evaporation-induced polymeric micelle assembly.

PubMed

Li, Yunqi; Bastakoti, Bishnu Prasad; Imura, Masataka; Suzuki, Norihiro; Jiang, Xiangfen; Ohki, Shinobu; Deguchi, Kenzo; Suzuki, Madoka; Arai, Satoshi; Yamauchi, Yusuke

2015-01-01

A triblock copolymer, poly(styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine-b-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO) was used as a soft template to synthesize large-sized mesoporous phosphosilicate thin films. The kinetically frozen PS core stabilizes the micelles. The strong interaction of the inorganic precursors with the P2VP shell enables the fabrication of highly robust walls of phosphosilicate and the PEO helps orderly packing of the micelles during solvent evaporation. The molar ratio of phosphoric acid and tetraethyl orthosilicate is crucial to achieve the final mesostructure. The insertion of phosphorus species into the siloxane network is studied by (29) Si and (31) P MAS NMR spectra. The mesoporous phosphosilicate films exhibit steady cell adhesion properties and show great promise as excellent materials in bone-growth engineering applications. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Rational assignment of key motifs for function guides in silico enzyme identification.

PubMed

Höhne, Matthias; Schätzle, Sebastian; Jochens, Helge; Robins, Karen; Bornscheuer, Uwe T

2010-11-01

Biocatalysis has emerged as a powerful alternative to traditional chemistry, especially for asymmetric synthesis. One key requirement during process development is the discovery of a biocatalyst with an appropriate enantiopreference and enantioselectivity, which can be achieved, for instance, by protein engineering or screening of metagenome libraries. We have developed an in silico strategy for a sequence-based prediction of substrate specificity and enantiopreference. First, we used rational protein design to predict key amino acid substitutions that indicate the desired activity. Then, we searched protein databases for proteins already carrying these mutations instead of constructing the corresponding mutants in the laboratory. This methodology exploits the fact that naturally evolved proteins have undergone selection over millions of years, which has resulted in highly optimized catalysts. Using this in silico approach, we have discovered 17 (R)-selective amine transaminases, which catalyzed the synthesis of several (R)-amines with excellent optical purity up to >99% enantiomeric excess.

Engineering integrated photonics for heralded quantum gates

PubMed Central

Meany, Thomas; Biggerstaff, Devon N.; Broome, Matthew A.; Fedrizzi, Alessandro; Delanty, Michael; Steel, M. J.; Gilchrist, Alexei; Marshall, Graham D.; White, Andrew G.; Withford, Michael J.

2016-01-01

Scaling up linear-optics quantum computing will require multi-photon gates which are compact, phase-stable, exhibit excellent quantum interference, and have success heralded by the detection of ancillary photons. We investigate the design, fabrication and characterisation of the optimal known gate scheme which meets these requirements: the Knill controlled-Z gate, implemented in integrated laser-written waveguide arrays. We show device performance to be less sensitive to phase variations in the circuit than to small deviations in the coupler reflectivity, which are expected given the tolerance values of the fabrication method. The mode fidelity is also shown to be less sensitive to reflectivity and phase errors than the process fidelity. Our best device achieves a fidelity of 0.931 ± 0.001 with the ideal 4 × 4 unitary circuit and a process fidelity of 0.680 ± 0.005 with the ideal computational-basis process. PMID:27282928

Engineering integrated photonics for heralded quantum gates.

PubMed

Meany, Thomas; Biggerstaff, Devon N; Broome, Matthew A; Fedrizzi, Alessandro; Delanty, Michael; Steel, M J; Gilchrist, Alexei; Marshall, Graham D; White, Andrew G; Withford, Michael J

2016-06-10

Scaling up linear-optics quantum computing will require multi-photon gates which are compact, phase-stable, exhibit excellent quantum interference, and have success heralded by the detection of ancillary photons. We investigate the design, fabrication and characterisation of the optimal known gate scheme which meets these requirements: the Knill controlled-Z gate, implemented in integrated laser-written waveguide arrays. We show device performance to be less sensitive to phase variations in the circuit than to small deviations in the coupler reflectivity, which are expected given the tolerance values of the fabrication method. The mode fidelity is also shown to be less sensitive to reflectivity and phase errors than the process fidelity. Our best device achieves a fidelity of 0.931 ± 0.001 with the ideal 4 × 4 unitary circuit and a process fidelity of 0.680 ± 0.005 with the ideal computational-basis process.

Optimizing the coupled effects of Hall-Petch and precipitation strengthening in a Al 0.3 CoCrFeNi high entropy alloy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gwalani, B.; Soni, Vishal; Lee, Michael

2017-05-01

A successful demonstration of applying integrated strengthening using Hall-Petch strengthening (grains size effect) and precipitation strengthening is shown in the fcc based high entropy alloy (HEA) Al0.3CoCrFeNi, leading to quantitative determinations of the Hall-Petch coefficients for both hardness and tensile yield strength, aswell as the enhancements in the yield strength fromtwo distinct types of ordered precipitates, L12 and B2. An excellent combination of yield strength (~490MPa), ultimate tensile strength (~850MPa), and ductility (~45% elongation) was achieved by optimizing and coupling both strengtheningmechanisms, resulting from a refined grain size as well as both L12 and B2 ordered precipitates. This opens upmore » new avenues for the future development of HEAs, with the appropriate balance of properties required for engineering applications.« less

Personnel scheduling using an integer programming model- an application at Avanti Blue-Nile Hotels.

PubMed

Kassa, Biniyam Asmare; Tizazu, Anteneh Eshetu

2013-01-01

In this paper, we report perhaps a first of its kind application of management science in the Ethiopian hotel industry. Avanti Blue Nile Hotels, a newly established five star hotel in Bahir Dar, is the company for which we developed an integer programming model that determines an optimal weekly shift schedule for the Hotel's engineering department personnel while satisfying several constraints including weekly rest requirements per employee, rest requirements between working shifts per employee, required number of personnel per shift, and other constraints. The model is implemented on an excel solver routine. The model enables the company's personnel department management to develop a fair personnel schedule as needed and to effectively utilize personnel resources while satisfying several technical, legal and economic requirements. These encouraging achievements make us optimistic about the gains other Ethiopian organizations can amass by introducing management science approaches in their management planning and decision making systems.

Terahertz metasurface quantum-cascade VECSELs: theory and performance

DOE PAGES

Xu, Luyao; Curwen, Christopher; Chen, Daguan; ...

2017-04-12

A longstanding challenge for terahertz quantum-cascade (QC) lasers is achieving both a high power and high-quality beam pattern, this is due in part due to their use of sub-wavelength metallic waveguides. Recently, the vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) concept was demonstrated for the first time in the terahertz range and for a QC-laser. This is enabled by the development of an amplifying metasurface reflector capable of coupling incident free-space THz radiation to the QC-laser material such that it is amplified and re-radiated. The THz metasurface QC-VECSEL initiates a new approach for making QC-lasers with high power and excellent beam pattern. Furthermore,more » the ability to engineer the electromagnetic phase, amplitude, and polarization response of the metasurface enables lasers with new functionality. Our article provides an overview of the fundamental theory, design considerations, and recent results for high-performance THz QC-VECSELs.« less

A fully implantable pacemaker for the mouse: from battery to wireless power.

PubMed

Laughner, Jacob I; Marrus, Scott B; Zellmer, Erik R; Weinheimer, Carla J; MacEwan, Matthew R; Cui, Sophia X; Nerbonne, Jeanne M; Efimov, Igor R

2013-01-01

Animal models have become a popular platform for the investigation of the molecular and systemic mechanisms of pathological cardiovascular physiology. Chronic pacing studies with implantable pacemakers in large animals have led to useful models of heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Unfortunately, molecular and genetic studies in these large animal models are often prohibitively expensive or not available. Conversely, the mouse is an excellent species for studying molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease through genetic engineering. However, the large size of available pacemakers does not lend itself to chronic pacing in mice. Here, we present the design for a novel, fully implantable wireless-powered pacemaker for mice capable of long-term (>30 days) pacing. This design is compared to a traditional battery-powered pacemaker to demonstrate critical advantages achieved through wireless inductive power transfer and control. Battery-powered and wireless-powered pacemakers were fabricated from standard electronic components in our laboratory. Mice (n = 24) were implanted with endocardial, battery-powered devices (n = 14) and epicardial, wireless-powered devices (n = 10). Wireless-powered devices were associated with reduced implant mortality and more reliable device function compared to battery-powered devices. Eight of 14 (57.1%) mice implanted with battery-powered pacemakers died following device implantation compared to 1 of 10 (10%) mice implanted with wireless-powered pacemakers. Moreover, device function was achieved for 30 days with the wireless-powered device compared to 6 days with the battery-powered device. The wireless-powered pacemaker system presented herein will allow electrophysiology studies in numerous genetically engineered mouse models as well as rapid pacing-induced heart failure and atrial arrhythmia in mice.

Automatic concrete cracks detection and mapping of terrestrial laser scan data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabah, Mostafa; Elhattab, Ahmed; Fayad, Atef

2013-12-01

Terrestrial laser scanning has become one of the standard technologies for object acquisition in surveying engineering. The high spatial resolution of imaging and the excellent capability of measuring the 3D space by laser scanning bear a great potential if combined for both data acquisition and data compilation. Automatic crack detection from concrete surface images is very effective for nondestructive testing. The crack information can be used to decide the appropriate rehabilitation method to fix the cracked structures and prevent any catastrophic failure. In practice, cracks on concrete surfaces are traced manually for diagnosis. On the other hand, automatic crack detection is highly desirable for efficient and objective crack assessment. The current paper submits a method for automatic concrete cracks detection and mapping from the data that was obtained during laser scanning survey. The method of cracks detection and mapping is achieved by three steps, namely the step of shading correction in the original image, step of crack detection and finally step of crack mapping and processing steps. The detected crack is defined in a pixel coordinate system. To remap the crack into the referred coordinate system, a reverse engineering is used. This is achieved by a hybrid concept of terrestrial laser-scanner point clouds and the corresponding camera image, i.e. a conversion from the pixel coordinate system to the terrestrial laser-scanner or global coordinate system. The results of the experiment show that the mean differences between terrestrial laser scan and the total station are about 30.5, 16.4 and 14.3 mms in x, y and z direction, respectively.

Dynamic compression of rabbit adipose-derived stem cells transfected with insulin-like growth factor 1 in chitosan/gelatin scaffolds induces chondrogenesis and matrix biosynthesis.

PubMed

Li, Jianjun; Zhao, Qun; Wang, Enbo; Zhang, Chuanhui; Wang, Guangbin; Yuan, Quan

2012-05-01

Articular cartilage is routinely subjected to mechanical forces and growth factors. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are multi-potent adult stem cells and capable of chondrogenesis. In the present study, we investigated the comparative and interactive effects of dynamic compression and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on the chondrogenesis of rabbit ASCs in chitosan/gelatin scaffolds. Rabbit ASCs with or without a plasmid overexpressing of human IGF-1 were cultured in chitosan/gelatin scaffolds for 2 days, then subjected to cyclic compression with 5% strain and 1 Hz for 4 h per day for seven consecutive days. Dynamic compression induced chondrogenesis of rabbit ASCs by activating calcium signaling pathways and up-regulating the expression of Sox-9. Dynamic compression plus IGF-1 overexpression up-regulated expression of chondrocyte-specific extracellular matrix genes including type II collagen, Sox-9, and aggrecan with no effect on type X collagen expression. Furthermore, dynamic compression and IGF-1 expression promoted cellular proliferation and the deposition of proteoglycan and collagen. Intracellular calcium ion concentration and peak currents of Ca(2+) ion channels were consistent with chondrocytes. The tissue-engineered cartilage from this process had excellent mechanical properties. When applied together, the effects achieved by the two stimuli (dynamic compression and IGF-1) were greater than those achieved by either stimulus alone. Our results suggest that dynamic compression combined with IGF-1 overexpression might benefit articular cartilage tissue engineering in cartilage regeneration. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Industry-Supported Team Students' Projects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glozman, Vladimir

The industry-supported team students' project enhances professional, intellectual, and personal development of students while addressing the needs of local industry. In addition to achieving academic excellence, the students are exposed to industry requirements, and excel in effective oral communication and cooperative teamwork. The teamwork…

Implementing Monitored Natural Attenuation and Expediting Closure at Fuel-Release Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-08-01

Center for Environmental Excellence AFCEE/ERS Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence/Science and Engineering Division AFRPA Air Force Real...auger, air - or mud- rotary , cable-tool) was and is dependent on the target drilling depths and the types of subsurface materials expected to be...95(2000) ASTM. 1995c. Guide for the use of direct air - rotary drilling for geoenvironmental exploration and installation of subsurface water quality

Strategies for Excellence: Recommendations for a Productive School Model with Strategies for Achieving the Model. The Final Report of the IASB Committee on Strategies for Excellence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iowa Association of School Boards, Des Moines.

The charge of the Committee on Strategies for Excellence was to examine the current status of elementary and secondary education in Iowa, and to investigate ways in which school districts could be educationally more productive. The report brings together recommendations from various state and national reports, reviews the literature, and makes…

Unionization and Academic Excellence. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions (13th, New York, New York, April 1985).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Joel M., Ed.

Issues concerning excellence in education and the 1985 strike at Yale University are considered in 27 conference papers. Topics include: a faculty and chancellor's perspectives on achieving excellence, employment discrimination, collective bargaining in community colleges, retirement issues, and campus bargaining and the law. Titles and authors…

The Relationship between Title I Funding Allocations and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Contreras, Heather

2011-01-01

Title I legislation was enacted in 1965 under the Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged Act. The goal of Title I was to support disadvantaged students in achieving academic excellence and to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and students from high socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite billions of dollars, and…

Resistance of Silicon Nitride Turbine Components to Erosion and Hot Corrosion/oxidation Attack

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strangmen, Thomas E.; Fox, Dennis S.

1994-01-01

Silicon nitride turbine components are under intensive development by AlliedSignal to enable a new generation of higher power density auxiliary power systems. In order to be viable in the intended applications, silicon nitride turbine airfoils must be designed for survival in aggressive oxidizing combustion gas environments. Erosive and corrosive damage to ceramic airfoils from ingested sand and sea salt must be avoided. Recent engine test experience demonstrated that NT154 silicon nitride turbine vanes have exceptional resistance to sand erosion, relative to superalloys used in production engines. Similarly, NT154 silicon nitride has excellent resistance to oxidation in the temperature range of interest - up to 1400 C. Hot corrosion attack of superalloy gas turbine components is well documented. While hot corrosion from ingested sea salt will attack silicon nitride substantially less than the superalloys being replaced in initial engine applications, this degradation has the potential to limit component lives in advanced engine applications. Hot corrosion adversely affects the strength of silicon nitride in the 850 to 1300 C range. Since unacceptable reductions in strength must be rapidly identified and avoided, AlliedSignal and the NASA Lewis Research Center have pioneered the development of an environmental life prediction model for silicon nitride turbine components. Strength retention in flexure specimens following 1 to 3300 hour exposures to high temperature oxidation and hot corrosion has been measured and used to calibrate the life prediction model. Predicted component life is dependent upon engine design (stress, temperature, pressure, fuel/air ratio, gas velocity, and inlet air filtration), mission usage (fuel sulfur content, location (salt in air), and times at duty cycle power points), and material parameters. Preliminary analyses indicate that the hot corrosion resistance of NT154 silicon nitride is adequate for AlliedSignal's initial engine applications. Protective coatings and/or inlet air filtration may be required to achieve required ceramic component lives in more aggressive environments.

Protein-based hydrogels for tissue engineering

PubMed Central

Schloss, Ashley C.; Williams, Danielle M.; Regan, Lynne J.

2017-01-01

The tunable mechanical and structural properties of protein-based hydrogels make them excellent scaffolds for tissue engineering and repair. Moreover, using protein-based components provides the option to insert sequences associated with the promoting both cellular adhesion to the substrate and overall cell growth. Protein-based hydrogel components are appealing for their structural designability, specific biological functionality, and stimuli-responsiveness. Here we present highlights in the field of protein-based hydrogels for tissue engineering applications including design requirements, components, and gel types. PMID:27677513

Global health: A lasting partnership in paediatric surgery

PubMed Central

Lakhoo, Kokila; Msuya, David

2015-01-01

Background: To emphasise the value of on-going commitment in Global Health Partnerships. Materials and Methods: A hospital link, by invitation, was set up between United Kingdom and Tanzania since 2002. The project involved annual visits with activities ranging from exchange of skill to training health professionals. Furthermore, the programme attracted teaching and research activities. For continuity, there was electronic communication between visits. Results: Six paediatric surgeons are now fully trained with three further in training in Africa. Paediatric surgery services are now separate from adult services. Seven trainee exchanges have taken place with four awarded fellowships/scholarships. Twenty-three clinical projects have been presented internationally resulting in eight international publications. The programme has attracted other health professionals, especially nursing and engineering. The Tropical Health and Education Trust prize was recently achieved for nursing and radiography. National Health Service has benefited from volunteering staff bringing new cost-effective ideas. A fully funded medical student elective programme has been achieved since 2008. Conclusion: Global Health Partnerships are an excellent initiative in establishing specialist services in countries with limited resources. In the future, this will translate into improved patient care as long as it is sustained and valued by long term commitment. PMID:26168748

Global health: A lasting partnership in paediatric surgery.

PubMed

Lakhoo, Kokila; Msuya, David

2015-01-01

To emphasise the value of on-going commitment in Global Health Partnerships. A hospital link, by invitation, was set up between United Kingdom and Tanzania since 2002. The project involved annual visits with activities ranging from exchange of skill to training health professionals. Furthermore, the programme attracted teaching and research activities. For continuity, there was electronic communication between visits. Six paediatric surgeons are now fully trained with three further in training in Africa. Paediatric surgery services are now separate from adult services. Seven trainee exchanges have taken place with four awarded fellowships/scholarships. Twenty-three clinical projects have been presented internationally resulting in eight international publications. The programme has attracted other health professionals, especially nursing and engineering. The Tropical Health and Education Trust prize was recently achieved for nursing and radiography. National Health Service has benefited from volunteering staff bringing new cost-effective ideas. A fully funded medical student elective programme has been achieved since 2008. Global Health Partnerships are an excellent initiative in establishing specialist services in countries with limited resources. In the future, this will translate into improved patient care as long as it is sustained and valued by long term commitment.

Strongly Confined Spoof Surface Plasmon Polaritons Waveguiding Enabled by Planar Staggered Plasmonic Waveguides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Longfang; Xiao, Yifan; Liu, Yanhui; Zhang, Liang; Cai, Guoxiong; Liu, Qing Huo

2016-12-01

We demonstrate a novel route to achieving highly efficient and strongly confined spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) waveguides at subwavelength scale enabled by planar staggered plasmonic waveguides (PSPWs). The structure of these new waveguides consists of an ultrathin metallic strip with periodic subwavelength staggered double groove arrays supported by a flexible dielectric substrate, leading to unique staggered EM coupling and waveguiding phenomenon. The spoof SPP propagation properties, including dispersion relations and near field distributions, are numerically investigated. Furthermore, broadband coplanar waveguide (CPW) to planar staggered plasmonic waveguide (PSPW) transitions are designed to achieve smooth momentum matching and highly efficient spoof SPP mode conversion. By applying these transitions, a CPW-PSPW-CPW structure is designed, fabricated and measured to verify the PSPW’s propagation performance at microwave frequencies. The investigation results show the proposed PSPWs have excellent performance of deep subwavelength spoof SPPs confinement, long propagation length and low bend loss, as well as great design flexibility to engineer the propagation properties by adjusting their geometry dimensions and material parameters. Our work opens up a new avenue for development of various advanced planar integrated plasmonic devices and circuits in microwave and terahertz regimes.

Strongly Confined Spoof Surface Plasmon Polaritons Waveguiding Enabled by Planar Staggered Plasmonic Waveguides.

PubMed

Ye, Longfang; Xiao, Yifan; Liu, Yanhui; Zhang, Liang; Cai, Guoxiong; Liu, Qing Huo

2016-12-05

We demonstrate a novel route to achieving highly efficient and strongly confined spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) waveguides at subwavelength scale enabled by planar staggered plasmonic waveguides (PSPWs). The structure of these new waveguides consists of an ultrathin metallic strip with periodic subwavelength staggered double groove arrays supported by a flexible dielectric substrate, leading to unique staggered EM coupling and waveguiding phenomenon. The spoof SPP propagation properties, including dispersion relations and near field distributions, are numerically investigated. Furthermore, broadband coplanar waveguide (CPW) to planar staggered plasmonic waveguide (PSPW) transitions are designed to achieve smooth momentum matching and highly efficient spoof SPP mode conversion. By applying these transitions, a CPW-PSPW-CPW structure is designed, fabricated and measured to verify the PSPW's propagation performance at microwave frequencies. The investigation results show the proposed PSPWs have excellent performance of deep subwavelength spoof SPPs confinement, long propagation length and low bend loss, as well as great design flexibility to engineer the propagation properties by adjusting their geometry dimensions and material parameters. Our work opens up a new avenue for development of various advanced planar integrated plasmonic devices and circuits in microwave and terahertz regimes.

78 FR 32576 - Proposed Airworthiness Design Standards; AQUILA Aviation by Excellence GmbH, Model AT01

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-31

... aeroplanes, each power or thrust control must be designed so that if the control separates at the engine fuel... control toward lean or shut-off position. (b) Each manual engine mixture control must be designed so that... any generator; and (5) Each generator must have an overvoltage control designed and installed to...

On the Unsteady Shock Wave Interaction with a Backward-Facing Step: Viscous Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, N.; Bowersox, R. D. W.

Unsteady shock propagation through ducts with varying cross-sectional area occurs in many engineering applications, such as explosions in underground tunnels, blast shelter design, engine exhaust systems, and high-speed propulsion systems. These complex, transient flows are rich in fundamental fluid-dynamic phenomena and are excellent testbeds for improving our understanding of unsteady fluid dynamics

Assuring quality in high-consequence engineering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoover, Marcey L.; Kolb, Rachel R.

2014-03-01

In high-consequence engineering organizations, such as Sandia, quality assurance may be heavily dependent on staff competency. Competency-dependent quality assurance models are at risk when the environment changes, as it has with increasing attrition rates, budget and schedule cuts, and competing program priorities. Risks in Sandia's competency-dependent culture can be mitigated through changes to hiring, training, and customer engagement approaches to manage people, partners, and products. Sandia's technical quality engineering organization has been able to mitigate corporate-level risks by driving changes that benefit all departments, and in doing so has assured Sandia's commitment to excellence in high-consequence engineering and national service.

The Ten Outstanding Engineering Achievements of the Past 50 Years.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hightower, George

1984-01-01

Describes the outstanding achievement in each of 10 major engineering categories. These categories include synthetic fibers, nuclear energy, computers, solid state electronics, jet aircraft, biomedical engineering, lasers, communications satellites, the United States space program, and automation and control systems. (JN)

A Dynamic Network Model to Explain the Development of Excellent Human Performance

PubMed Central

Den Hartigh, Ruud J. R.; Van Dijk, Marijn W. G.; Steenbeek, Henderien W.; Van Geert, Paul L. C.

2016-01-01

Across different domains, from sports to science, some individuals accomplish excellent levels of performance. For over 150 years, researchers have debated the roles of specific nature and nurture components to develop excellence. In this article, we argue that the key to excellence does not reside in specific underlying components, but rather in the ongoing interactions among the components. We propose that excellence emerges out of dynamic networks consisting of idiosyncratic mixtures of interacting components such as genetic endowment, motivation, practice, and coaching. Using computer simulations we demonstrate that the dynamic network model accurately predicts typical properties of excellence reported in the literature, such as the idiosyncratic developmental trajectories leading to excellence and the highly skewed distributions of productivity present in virtually any achievement domain. Based on this novel theoretical perspective on excellent human performance, this article concludes by suggesting policy implications and directions for future research. PMID:27148140

Improving Conceptual Understanding and Representation Skills Through Excel-Based Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malone, Kathy L.; Schunn, Christian D.; Schuchardt, Anita M.

2018-02-01

The National Research Council framework for science education and the Next Generation Science Standards have developed a need for additional research and development of curricula that is both technologically model-based and includes engineering practices. This is especially the case for biology education. This paper describes a quasi-experimental design study to test the effectiveness of a model-based curriculum focused on the concepts of natural selection and population ecology that makes use of Excel modeling tools (Modeling Instruction in Biology with Excel, MBI-E). The curriculum revolves around the bio-engineering practice of controlling an invasive species. The study takes place in the Midwest within ten high schools teaching a regular-level introductory biology class. A post-test was designed that targeted a number of common misconceptions in both concept areas as well as representational usage. The results of a post-test demonstrate that the MBI-E students significantly outperformed the traditional classes in both natural selection and population ecology concepts, thus overcoming a number of misconceptions. In addition, implementing students made use of more multiple representations as well as demonstrating greater fascination for science.

Low-Cost Production of Composite Bushings for Jet Engine Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gray, Robert A.

1998-01-01

The objectives of this research program were to reduce the manufacturing costs of variable stator vane bushings by 1) eliminating the expensive carbon fiber braiding operation, 2) replacing the batch mode impregnation, B-stage, and cutting operations with a continuous process, and 3) reducing the molding cycle and machining operations with injection molding to achieve near-net shapes. Braided bushings were successfully fabricated with both AMB-17XLD and AMB-TPD resin systems. The composite bushings achieved high glass transition temperature after post-cure (+300 C) and comparable weight loss to the PNM-15 bushings. ANM-17XLD bushings made with "batch-mode" molding compound (at 0.5 in. fiber length) achieved a +300 lb-force flange break strength which was superior to the continuous braided-fiber reinforced bushing. The non-MDA resin technology developed in this contract appears attractive for bushing applications that do not exceed a 300 C use temperature. Two thermoplastic polyimide resins were synthesized in order to generate injection molding compound powders. Excellent processing results were obtained at injection temperatures in excess of 300 C. Micro-tensile specimens were produced from each resin type and the Tg measurements (by TMA) for these samples were equivalent to AURUM(R). Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) conducted at 10 C/min showed that the non-MDA AMB-type polyimide thermoplastics had comparable weight loss to PMR-15 up to 500 C.

Achieving Educational Excellence for Children at Risk. Selected Papers from the NASW National School Social Work Conference, "Educational Excellence in Transitional Times" (3rd, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 31-February 3, 1985).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, Mable T., Ed.

This book consists of selected conference papers that highlight the barriers faced by children at risk in the quest for educational excellence. After an introduction by Mable T. Hawkins, the following articles appear: (1) "Group Work with Gifted Children: A School Resource," by Jackolyn W. Durrett and others; (2) "Children with…

Microsphere-Based Seamless Scaffolds Containing Macroscopic Gradients of Encapsulated Factors for Tissue Engineering

PubMed Central

Singh, Milind; Morris, Casey P.; Ellis, Ryan J.; Detamore, Michael S.

2008-01-01

Spatial and temporal control of bioactive signals in three-dimensional (3D) tissue engineering scaffolds is greatly desired. Coupled together, these attributes may mimic and maintain complex signal patterns, such as those observed during axonal regeneration or neovascularization. Seamless polymer constructs may provide a route to achieve spatial control of signal distribution. In this study, a novel microparticle-based scaffold fabrication technique is introduced as a method to create 3D scaffolds with spatial control over model dyes using uniform poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres. Uniform microspheres were produced using the Precision Particle Fabrication technique. Scaffolds were assembled by flowing microsphere suspensions into a cylindrical glass mold, and then microspheres were physically attached to form a continuous scaffold using ethanol treatment. An ethanol soak of 1 h was found to be optimum for improved mechanical characteristics. Morphological and physical characterization of the scaffolds revealed that microsphere matrices were porous (41.1 ± 2.1%) and well connected, and their compressive stiffness ranged from 142 to 306 kPa. Culturing chondrocytes on the scaffolds revealed the compatibility of these substrates with cell attachment and viability. In addition, bilayered, multilayered, and gradient scaffolds were fabricated, exhibiting excellent spatial control and resolution. Such novel scaffolds can serve as sustained delivery devices of heterogeneous signals in a continuous and seamless manner, and may be particularly useful in future interfacial tissue engineering investigations. PMID:18795865

Pgas, a Low-pH-Induced Promoter, as a Tool for Dynamic Control of Gene Expression for Metabolic Engineering of Aspergillus niger

PubMed Central

Yin, Xian; Shin, Hyun-Dong; Li, Jianghua; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The dynamic control of gene expression is important for adjusting fluxes in order to obtain desired products and achieve appropriate cell growth, particularly when the synthesis of a desired product drains metabolites required for cell growth. For dynamic gene expression, a promoter responsive to a particular environmental stressor is vital. Here, we report a low-pH-inducible promoter, Pgas, which promotes minimal gene expression at pH values above 5.0 but functions efficiently at low pHs, such as pH 2.0. First, we performed a transcriptional analysis of Aspergillus niger, an excellent platform for the production of organic acids, and we found that the promoter Pgas may act efficiently at low pH. Then, a gene for synthetic green fluorescent protein (sGFP) was successfully expressed by Pgas at pH 2.0, verifying the results of the transcriptional analysis. Next, Pgas was used to express the cis-aconitate decarboxylase (cad) gene of Aspergillus terreus in A. niger, allowing the production of itaconic acid at a titer of 4.92 g/liter. Finally, we found that Pgas strength was independent of acid type and acid ion concentration, showing dependence on pH only. IMPORTANCE The promoter Pgas can be used for the dynamic control of gene expression in A. niger for metabolic engineering to produce organic acids. This promoter may also be a candidate tool for genetic engineering. PMID:28087530

A Leidenfrost Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wells, Gary; Ledesma-Aguillar, Ridrigo; McHale, Glen; Sefiane, Khellil

2015-11-01

The Leidenfrost effect, the sustained levitation of evaporating liquid droplets by a cushion of their on vapour on very hot surfaces, has received increased attention over the past few years. On patterned surfaces, rectification of the vapour layer flow can lead to rich dynamics of evaporating drops or sublimating blocks of dry ice, including self-propulsion, orbiting and conjoint rotation. In this paper we show that the Leidenfrost effect can be exploited to drive the rotation of rigid objects, such as solid hydrophilic plates coupled to water droplets and blocks of dry ice, by using turbine-like substrates. Using a hydrodynamic model, we show that drag-based rotation is achieved at low-Reynolds number by a rectification mechanism of the flow in the vapour layer caused by the underlying turbine-like geometry. Our theoretical model determines the maximum weight of Leidenfrost rotors and the net torque driving their motion in terms of operational parameters, showing an excellent agreement with experiments using dry-ice blocks. We generalise the concept of rotation into a new concept for a heat engine capable of harvesting thermal energy using either thin-film boiling or sublimation as a phase-change mechanism. As a proof principle, we implement the new sublimation engine in the lab to create a simple electromagnetic generator. Our results support the feasibility of low-friction in situ energy harvesting from both liquids and ices in challenging situations such as deep drilling, outer space exploration or micro-mechanical manipulation.

Defect Engineering by Codoping in KCaI3 :Eu2 + Single-Crystalline Scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yuntao; Li, Qi; Jones, Steven; Dun, Chaochao; Hu, Sheng; Zhuravleva, Mariya; Lindsey, Adam C.; Stand, Luis; Loyd, Matthew; Koschan, Merry; Auxier, John; Hall, Howard L.; Melcher, Charles L.

2017-09-01

Eu2 + -doped alkali or alkali earth iodide scintillators with energy resolutions ≤3 % at 662 keV promise the excellent discrimination ability for radioactive isotopes required for homeland-security and nuclear-nonproliferation applications. To extend their applications to x-ray imaging, such as computed tomography scans, the intense afterglow which delays the response time of such materials is an obstacle that needs to be overcome. However, a clear understanding of the origin of the afterglow and feasible solutions is still lacking. In this work, we present a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the physical insights of codoping-based defect engineering which can reduce the afterglow effectively in KCaI3:Eu2 + single-crystal scintillators. We illustrate that Sc3 + codoping greatly suppresses the afterglow, whereas Y3 + , Gd3 + , or La3 + codoping enhances the afterglow. Meanwhile, a light yield of 57 000 photons / MeV and an energy resolution of 3.4% at 662 keV can be maintained with the appropriate concentration of Sc3 + codoping, which makes the material promising for medical-imaging applications. Through our thermoluminescence techniques and density-functional-theory calculations, we are able to identify the defect structures and understand the mechanism by which codoping affects the scintillation performance of KCaI3:Eu2 + crystals. The proposed defect-engineering strategy is further validated by achieving afterglow suppression in Mg2 + codoped KCaI3:Eu2 + single crystals.

Advanced supersonic propulsion study, phases 3 and 4. [variable cycle engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allan, R. D.; Joy, W.

1977-01-01

An evaluation of various advanced propulsion concepts for supersonic cruise aircraft resulted in the identification of the double-bypass variable cycle engine as the most promising concept. This engine design utilizes special variable geometry components and an annular exhaust nozzle to provide high take-off thrust and low jet noise. The engine also provides good performance at both supersonic cruise and subsonic cruise. Emission characteristics are excellent. The advanced technology double-bypass variable cycle engine offers an improvement in aircraft range performance relative to earlier supersonic jet engine designs and yet at a lower level of engine noise. Research and technology programs required in certain design areas for this engine concept to realize its potential benefits include refined parametric analysis of selected variable cycle engines, screening of additional unconventional concepts, and engine preliminary design studies. Required critical technology programs are summarized.

After-school enrichment and the activity theory: How can a management service organization assist schools with reducing the achievement gap among minority and non-minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) during the after-school hours?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flowers, Reagan D.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how a management service organization can assist schools with reducing the achievement gap between minority and non-minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) during the after-school hours. Developing a strategic plan through creating a program that provides support services for the implementation of hands-on activities in STEM for children during the after-school hours was central to this purpose. This Project Demonstrating Excellence (PDE), a social action project, also presents historical and current after-school program developments in the nation. The study is quantitative and qualitative in nature. Surveys were utilized to quantitatively capture the opinions of participants in the social action project on three specific education related issues: (1) disparity in academic motivation of students to participate in after-school STEM enrichment programs; (2) whether teachers and school administrators saw a need for STEM after-school enrichment; and (3) developing STEM after-school programs that were centered on problem-solving and higher-order thinking skills to develop students' interest in STEM careers. The sample consisted of 50 participants comprised of students, teachers, and administrators. The focus groups and interviews provided the qualitative data for the study. The qualitative sample consisted of 14 participants comprised of students, parents and teachers, administrators, an education consultant, and a corporate sponsor. The empirical data obtained from the study survey, focus groups, and interviews provided a comprehensive profile on the current views and future expectations of STEM after-school enrichment, student and school needs, and community partnerships with STEM companies. Results of the study and review of the implementation of the social action project, C-STEM (communication, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Teacher and Student Support Services, Inc., revealed the need and focus for STEM after-school enrichment programs in Houston, Texas. This result, along with requirements of STEM Research and Special Programs Administrations and a multiyear and multilevel strategic plan inspired by this study, led to the conceptualization, development, and implementation of C-STEM Teacher and Student Support Services, Inc. at multiple schools in Houston, Texas. The purpose of C-STEM Teacher and Student Support Services, Inc. is to provide hands-on support services that encourage schools, organizations and families to improve academic achievement and socioemotional development through project-based learning in communication, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (CSTEM) in grades 4-12.

Engineering Design Handbook. Dielectric Embedding of Electrical or Electronic Components

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-04-06

its excellent electrical properties are maintained at elevated temperatures. Even when the insulation is exposed to a direct flame, it burns to a...machine by one operator; these molds are generally equipped with insulated handles to prevent personal in- jury from burns . In electronic embedment...Excellent for large volume runs; tooling is minimal. Pres- ence of a shell or housing as- sures no exposed components, as can occur in casting. Some

"America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010" or the "America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Reauthorization Act of 2010." House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, Second Session. H.R. 5116

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US House of Representatives, 2010

2010-01-01

The America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science) Reauthorization Act of 2010 documented here is divided into the following titles: (1) Office of Science and Technology Policy (Coordination of Federal STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] education;…

Silk Flowers Are Just as Artificial as Plastic Ones: Value Engineering in the University Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodhead, R.; Ball, F.; Li, X.

2004-01-01

This paper moves beyond the competence focus of mainstream value engineering training (e.g. Miles 1989, "Techniques of Value Engineering and Value Analysis"; Kaufman 1990, "Value Engineering for the Practitioner"), such books achieve their training goal well but lack the pedagogic aim we argue in this paper. This paper achieves our aim by…

The third-generation turbocharged engine for the Audi 5000 CS and 5000 CS Quattro

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stock, D.

In September 1985 the new Audi 5000 CS Quattro was introduced to the American market. This luxurious high performance touring sedan has been equipped with a more advanced turbocharged engine with intercooler and electronic engine management giving improved performance, excellent torque, faster response and better fuel economy. The basic engine is the tried-and-tested Audi 5-cylinder unit. The turbocharged engine's ancillary systems, the electronic ignition control and fuel injection have all been newly developed, carefully optimized and well matched in the special demands of a turbocharged engine. The ignition system controls the engine and fuel injection and delivers analog and digitalmore » signals to the car's instrument panel display. The system also has an integrated self-diagnostic function.« less

EmptyHeaded: A Relational Engine for Graph Processing

PubMed Central

Aberger, Christopher R.; Tu, Susan; Olukotun, Kunle; Ré, Christopher

2016-01-01

There are two types of high-performance graph processing engines: low- and high-level engines. Low-level engines (Galois, PowerGraph, Snap) provide optimized data structures and computation models but require users to write low-level imperative code, hence ensuring that efficiency is the burden of the user. In high-level engines, users write in query languages like datalog (SociaLite) or SQL (Grail). High-level engines are easier to use but are orders of magnitude slower than the low-level graph engines. We present EmptyHeaded, a high-level engine that supports a rich datalog-like query language and achieves performance comparable to that of low-level engines. At the core of EmptyHeaded’s design is a new class of join algorithms that satisfy strong theoretical guarantees but have thus far not achieved performance comparable to that of specialized graph processing engines. To achieve high performance, EmptyHeaded introduces a new join engine architecture, including a novel query optimizer and data layouts that leverage single-instruction multiple data (SIMD) parallelism. With this architecture, EmptyHeaded outperforms high-level approaches by up to three orders of magnitude on graph pattern queries, PageRank, and Single-Source Shortest Paths (SSSP) and is an order of magnitude faster than many low-level baselines. We validate that EmptyHeaded competes with the best-of-breed low-level engine (Galois), achieving comparable performance on PageRank and at most 3× worse performance on SSSP. PMID:28077912

Data acquisition and real-time control using spreadsheets: interfacing Excel with external hardware.

PubMed

Aliane, Nourdine

2010-07-01

Spreadsheets have become a popular computational tool and a powerful platform for performing engineering calculations. Moreover, spreadsheets include a macro language, which permits the inclusion of standard computer code in worksheets, and thereby enable developers to greatly extend spreadsheets' capabilities by designing specific add-ins. This paper describes how to use Excel spreadsheets in conjunction to Visual Basic for Application programming language to perform data acquisition and real-time control. Afterwards, the paper presents two Excel applications with interactive user interfaces developed for laboratory demonstrations and experiments in an introductory course in control. 2010 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of gender on academic performance in STEM-related disciplines: Data from a tertiary institution.

PubMed

John, Temitope M; Badejo, Joke A; Popoola, Segun I; Omole, David O; Odukoya, Jonathan A; Ajayi, Priscilla O; Aboyade, Mary; Atayero, Aderemi A

2018-06-01

This data article presents data of academic performances of undergraduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines in Covenant University, Nigeria. The data shows academic performances of Male and Female students who graduated from 2010 to 2014. The total population of samples in the observation is 3046 undergraduates mined from Biochemistry (BCH), Building technology (BLD), Computer Engineering (CEN), Chemical Engineering (CHE), Industrial Chemistry (CHM), Computer Science (CIS), Civil Engineering (CVE), Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), Information and Communication Engineering (ICE), Mathematics (MAT), Microbiology (MCB), Mechanical Engineering (MCE), Management and Information System (MIS), Petroleum Engineering (PET), Industrial Physics-Electronics and IT Applications (PHYE), Industrial Physics-Applied Geophysics (PHYG) and Industrial Physics-Renewable Energy (PHYR). The detailed dataset is made available in form of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in the supplementary material of this article.

Achievement Motivation of the High School Students: A Case Study among Different Communities of Goalpara District of Assam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarangi, C.

2015-01-01

Achievement motivation is a consistent striving force of an individual to achieve success to a certain standard of excellence in competing situation. In this study an attempt was made to study the effect of achievement motivation on the academic achievement of the high school students of tribal and non tribal communities in relation to their sex…

Systems Engineering | Wind | NREL

Science.gov Websites

platform to leverage its research capabilities toward integrating wind energy engineering and cost models achieve a better understanding of how to improve system-level performance and achieve system-level cost research capabilities to: Integrate wind plant engineering performance and cost software modeling to enable

Evaluation of the 1997 Joint National Conference, Women in Engineering Program Advocates Network (WEPAN) and National Association of Minority Engineering Program Administrators (NAMEPA)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brainard, Suzanne G.

1997-07-01

The primary goal of the 1997 Joint National Conference was to unite NAMEPA and WEPAN in a unique collaborative effort to further the cause of increasing the participation of women and minorities in science and engineering. The specific objectives were to: (1) conduct technical and programmatic seminars for institutions desiring to initiate, replicate, or expand women and minorities in engineering program; (2) provide assistance in fundraising and grant writing; (3) profile women in engineering programs of excellence; (4) sponsor inspiring knowledgeable and motivational keynote speakers; and (5) offer a series of workshops focused on a multitude of topics.

The Spirit of Excellence. Each One, Reach One. A Program Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Black Child Development Inst., Inc., Washington, DC.

Because disadvantaged children rarely receive extra assistance or encouragement, the National Black Child Development Institute created Each One, Reach One: The Spirit of Excellence, a comprehensive tutorial program designed to improve the academic skills and self-esteem of African American children to help them achieve. The program, originally…

Diversity and Excellence in Higher Education: Is There a Conflict?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghosh, Ratna

2012-01-01

In her teaching, research, and community activities in Canada, the author has repeatedly confronted questions regarding equality, diversity, and power. In this article, the author discusses diversity and equal opportunity to achieve excellence in education. Reflecting on these issues should help everyone to understand the complexities involved in…

The 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perlstein, Linda

2013-01-01

For millions of Americans, community colleges provide an essential pathway to well-paying jobs and continuing higher education. The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence honors those institutions that strive for and achieve exceptional levels of success for all students, while they are in college and after they graduate. Community colleges…

Cultural Leadership: The Culture of Excellence in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, William G.; Gresso, Donn W.

Changing the system of rules, roles, and relationships that determine how the components of school redesign are addressed is the challenge that confronts administrators who seek to create a culture of excellence in schools. This book examines the role of effective leadership in achieving significant educational improvement, arguing that culture,…

A Cultural Approach to Establishing Equity and Closing the Educational Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Portes, Pedro R.

2008-01-01

Addressing the underdevelopment awaiting most children belonging to historically disparaged groups in the uneven playing field of public education remains--the top problem in advancing equity and excellence in education. Clearly, excellence in the educational system requires equity in opportunities to learn regardless of children's background or…

Profiles of Excellence in Business and Education Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Alliance of Business, Inc., Washington, DC.

This document contains two papers on excellence in business and education leadership. "Corporate Leadership in Improving Student Achievement" (Edward B. Rust, Jr.) explains why business must remain involved in education and discusses the following efforts of the State Farm Insurance Company to assume a leadership role in educational…

Homework Variety: A Way To Educational Excellence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foyle, Harvey C.

Variety in homework is one way to achieve educational excellence in social studies. The twin social studies goals of teaching basic knowledge and teaching reasoning/critical thinking skills are accomplished by providing variety. In accordance with Lee and Pratt's homework taxonomy, homework can be placed under one of the following: preparation,…

Indochinese Refugee Families and Academic Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caplan, Nathan; And Others

1992-01-01

The children of the Southeast Asian boat people excel in the U.S. school system. A review of the factors underlying this achievement suggests that the U.S. educational crisis is more social than academic. (KR)

An Engineering Design Reference Mission for a Future Large-Aperture UVOIR Space Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thronson, Harley A.; Bolcar, Matthew R.; Clampin, Mark; Crooke, Julie A.; Redding, David; Rioux, Norman; Stahl, H. Philip

2016-01-01

From the 2010 NRC Decadal Survey and the NASA Thirty-Year Roadmap, Enduring Quests, Daring Visions, to the recent AURA report, From Cosmic Birth to Living Earths, multiple community assessments have recommended development of a large-aperture UVOIR space observatory capable of achieving a broad range of compelling scientific goals. Of these priority science goals, the most technically challenging is the search for spectroscopic biomarkers in the atmospheres of exoplanets in the solar neighborhood. Here we present an engineering design reference mission (EDRM) for the Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST), which was conceived from the start as capable of breakthrough science paired with an emphasis on cost control and cost effectiveness. An EDRM allows the engineering design trade space to be explored in depth to determine what are the most demanding requirements and where there are opportunities for margin against requirements. Our joint NASA GSFC/JPL/MSFC/STScI study team has used community-provided science goals to derive mission needs, requirements, and candidate mission architectures for a future large-aperture, non-cryogenic UVOIR space observatory. The ATLAST observatory is designed to operate at a Sun-Earth L2 orbit, which provides a stable thermal environment and excellent field of regard. Our reference designs have emphasized a serviceable 36-segment 9.2 m aperture telescope that stows within a five-meter diameter launch vehicle fairing. As part of our cost-management effort, this particular reference mission builds upon the engineering design for JWST. Moreover, it is scalable to a variety of launch vehicle fairings. Performance needs developed under the study are traceable to a variety of additional reference designs, including options for a monolithic primary mirror.

Forum on Workforce Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, Edward

2010-01-01

APPEL Mission: To support NASA's mission by promoting individual, team, and organizational excellence in program/project management and engineering through the application of learning strategies, methods, models, and tools. Goals: a) Provide a common frame of reference for NASA s technical workforce. b) Provide and enhance critical job skills. c) Support engineering, program and project teams. d) Promote organizational learning across the agency. e) Supplement formal educational programs.

Alta Scuola Politecnica: An Ongoing Experiment in the Multidisciplinary Education of Top Students towards Innovation in Engineering, Architecture and Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benedetto, S.; Bernelli Zazzera, F.; Bertola, P.; Cantamessa, M.; Ceri, S.; Ranci, C.; Spaziante, A.; Zanino, R.

2010-01-01

Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino, the top technical universities in Italy, united their efforts in 2004 by launching a unique excellence programme called Alta Scuola Politecnica (ASP). The ASP programme is devoted to 150 students, selected each year from among the top 5-10% of those enrolled in the Engineering, Architecture and…

Base Camp Design Simulation Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

States Military Academy undertook a project to bring base camp design and development simulation support into the classrooms of the US Army Engineer...endeavor was to bring simulation support to Army classrooms . Initial discussions between the ORCEN and the Manuever Support Center of Excellence... classrooms . MSCoE acts as TRADOC’s proponent for base camps, subsequently delegated to the Engineer School (one of three branch schools overseen by

2005 8th Annual Systems Engineering Conference. Volume 2, Wednesday Presentations

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-10-27

Acquisition Programs: An OSD Perspective, Col Warren Anderson, OUSD (AT&L) Defense Systems Implementation of Policy Requiring Systems Engineering Plans...Technical Excellence, Col Warren Anderson, OUSD (AT&L) Defense Systems Applying CMMI to System Safety, Mr. Tom Pfitzer, APT Research, Inc. System...to following pages for Tutorials Schedule) Buffett Lunch Tutorial Tracks (Please refer to following pages for Tutorials Schedule) Reception in

The history of time for capsule endoscopy.

PubMed

Adler, Samuel N

2017-05-01

Capsule endoscopy was conceived by inventive minds of good people. In the beginning there was a will to do something for medicine. The idea fomented after a discourse between the talented engineer with his physician friend. It took years to develop the concept. Then excellent engineers created de novo the necessary components to turn the capsule into a viable reality. The story is a tribute to human ingenuity.

Optimal CV-22 Centralized Intermediate Repair Facility Locations and Parts Repair

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

and Reorder Point for TEWS ............................ 36 Table 8. Excel Model for Safety Stock and Reorder Point for FADEC ...Digital Engine Control ( FADEC ) Main Wheel Assembly Blade Fold System Landing Gear Control Panel Drive System Interface Unit Main Landing Gear...Radar 4 Forward Looking Infrared System (FLIR) 4 Tactical Electronic Warfare System (TEWS) 1 Full Authority Digital Engine Control ( FADEC ) 2 Blade

Excellence in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education Act of 1990. Report To Accompany S. 2114. 101st Congress, 2d Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.

This document contains the transcript of a Senate hearing on the crisis in science and math education. The document includes mathematics, science, and engineering education; enhance the scientific and technical literacy of the U.S. public; stimulate the professional from the state of Oregon; Carl Sagan, Cornell women and minorities in careers in…

Austenite Grain Size Control in Upstream Processing of Niobium Microalloyed Steels by Nano-Scale Precipitate Engineering of TiN-NbC Composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanian, S. V.; Ma, Xiaoping; Rehman, Kashif

There is a growing demand for thicker gage pipes particularly for off-shore projects. Austenite grain size control in upstream processing before pancaking is essential to obtain excellent DBTT and DWTT properties in thicker gage product. This paper examines the basic science aspects of austenite grain size control by nano-scale precipitate engineering.

Artificial Intelligence Research Branch future plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, Helen (Editor)

1992-01-01

This report contains information on the activities of the Artificial Intelligence Research Branch (FIA) at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) in 1992, as well as planned work in 1993. These activities span a range from basic scientific research through engineering development to fielded NASA applications, particularly those applications that are enabled by basic research carried out in FIA. Work is conducted in-house and through collaborative partners in academia and industry. All of our work has research themes with a dual commitment to technical excellence and applicability to NASA short, medium, and long-term problems. FIA acts as the Agency's lead organization for research aspects of artificial intelligence, working closely with a second research laboratory at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and AI applications groups throughout all NASA centers. This report is organized along three major research themes: (1) Planning and Scheduling: deciding on a sequence of actions to achieve a set of complex goals and determining when to execute those actions and how to allocate resources to carry them out; (2) Machine Learning: techniques for forming theories about natural and man-made phenomena; and for improving the problem-solving performance of computational systems over time; and (3) Research on the acquisition, representation, and utilization of knowledge in support of diagnosis design of engineered systems and analysis of actual systems.

3D imaging by serial block face scanning electron microscopy for materials science using ultramicrotomy.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Teruo; Thompson, George E; Zhou, Xiaorong; Withers, Philip J

2016-04-01

Mechanical serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) has emerged as a means of obtaining three dimensional (3D) electron images over volumes much larger than possible by focused ion beam (FIB) serial sectioning and at higher spatial resolution than achievable with conventional X-ray computed tomography (CT). Such high resolution 3D electron images can be employed for precisely determining the shape, volume fraction, distribution and connectivity of important microstructural features. While soft (fixed or frozen) biological samples are particularly well suited for nanoscale sectioning using an ultramicrotome, the technique can also produce excellent 3D images at electron microscope resolution in a time and resource-efficient manner for engineering materials. Currently, a lack of appreciation of the capabilities of ultramicrotomy and the operational challenges associated with minimising artefacts for different materials is limiting its wider application to engineering materials. Consequently, this paper outlines the current state of the art for SBFSEM examining in detail how damage is introduced during slicing and highlighting strategies for minimising such damage. A particular focus of the study is the acquisition of 3D images for a variety of metallic and coated systems. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Total Quality Management in Space Shuttle Main Engine manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, J.

1992-01-01

The Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy developed in the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is briefly reviewed and the ongoing TQM implementation effort which is being pursued through the continuous improvement (CI) process is discussed. TQM is based on organizational excellence which integrates the new supportive culture with the technical tools necessary to identify, assess, and correct manufacturing processes. Particular attention is given to the prime contractor's change to the organizational excellence management philosophy in SSME manufacturing facilities.

A database for propagation models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kantak, Anil V.; Suwitra, Krisjani; Le, Choung

1994-01-01

A database of various propagation phenomena models that can be used by telecommunications systems engineers to obtain parameter values for systems design is presented. This is an easy-to-use tool and is currently available for either a PC using Excel software under Windows environment or a Macintosh using Excel software for Macintosh. All the steps necessary to use the software are easy and many times self-explanatory; however, a sample run of the CCIR rain attenuation model is presented.

Airstart performance of a digital electronic engine control system on an F100 engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burcham, F. W., Jr.

1984-01-01

The digital electronic engine control (DEEC) system installed on an F100 engine in an F-15 aircraft was tested. The DEEC system incorporates a closed-loop air start feature in which the fuel flow is modulated to achieve the desired rate of compressor acceleration. With this logic the DEEC equipped F100 engine can achieve air starts over a larger envelope. The DEEC air start logic, the test program conducted on the F-15, and its results are described.

Possibility of Engineering Education That Makes Use of Algebraic Calculators by Various Scenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umeno, Yoshio

Algebraic calculators are graphing calculators with a feature of computer algebra system. It can be said that we can solve mathematics only by pushing some keys of these calculators in technical colleges or universities. They also possess another feature, so we can make extensive use in engineering education. For example, we can use them for a basic education, a programming education, English education, and creative thinking tools for excellent students. In this paper, we will introduce the summary of algebraic calculators, then, consider how we utilize them in engineer education.

Metal- matrix composite processing technologies for aircraft engine applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pank, D. R.; Jackson, J. J.

1993-06-01

Titanium metal-matrix composites (MMC) are prime candidate materials for aerospace applications be-cause of their excellent high-temperature longitudinal strength and stiffness and low density compared with nickel- and steel-base materials. This article examines the steps GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) has taken to develop an induction plasma deposition (IPD) processing method for the fabrication of Ti6242/SiC MMC material. Information regarding process methodology, microstructures, and mechani-cal properties of consolidated MMC structures will be presented. The work presented was funded under the GE-Aircraft Engine IR & D program.

Form-stable silicone gel breast implants.

PubMed

Jewell, Mark

2009-01-01

This article addresses the question of what is the optimal shape for a breast implant. It is oriented toward processes, system engineering, and operational excellence versus being a treatise on the author's personal technique.

Louis Stokes Midwest Center for Excellence | Argonne National Laboratory

Science.gov Websites

Transformations IGSBInstitute for Genomics and Systems Biology IMEInstitute for Molecular Engineering JCESRJoint Science Center SBCStructural Biology Center Energy.gov U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science

NASA Balloon Highlights 2015-2017

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fairbrother, Debora

2017-01-01

The NASA Balloon Program provides low-cost, quick response, near space access to NASAs science Community for conducting Cutting Edge Science Investigations. Serve as a technology development platform. Excellent training for NASA scientists and engineers.

Binary Synergy Strengthening and Toughening of Bio-Inspired Nacre-like Graphene Oxide/Sodium Alginate Composite Paper.

PubMed

Chen, Ke; Shi, Bin; Yue, Yonghai; Qi, Juanjuan; Guo, Lin

2015-08-25

A crucial requirement for most engineering materials is the excellent balance of strength and toughness. By mimicking the hybrid hierarchical structure in nacre, a kind of nacre-like paper based on binary hybrid graphene oxide (GO)/sodium alginate (SA) building blocks has been successfully fabricated. Systematic evaluation for the mechanical property in different (dry/wet) environment/after thermal annealing shows a perfect combination of high strength and toughness. Both of the parameters are nearly many-times higher than those of similar materials because of the synergistic strengthening/toughening enhancement from the binary GO/SA hybrids. The successful fabrication route offers an excellent approach to design advanced strong integrated nacre-like composite materials, which can be applied in tissue engineering, protection, aerospace, and permeable membranes for separation and delivery.

Gene delivery in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

PubMed

Fang, Y L; Chen, X G; W T, Godbey

2015-11-01

As a promising strategy to aid or replace tissue/organ transplantation, gene delivery has been used for regenerative medicine applications to create or restore normal function at the cell and tissue levels. Gene delivery has been successfully performed ex vivo and in vivo in these applications. Excellent proliferation capabilities and differentiation potentials render certain cells as excellent candidates for ex vivo gene delivery for regenerative medicine applications, which is why multipotent and pluripotent cells have been intensely studied in this vein. In this review, gene delivery is discussed in detail, along with its applications to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. A definition of a stem cell is compared to a definition of a stem property, and both provide the foundation for an in-depth look at gene delivery investigations from a germ lineage angle. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

UC Davis Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, and Hybrid Vehicle (FCH2V) GATE Center of Excellence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Erickson, Paul

This is the final report of the UC Davis Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, and Hybrid Vehicle (FCH2V) GATE Center of Excellence which spanned from 2005-2012. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established the Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) Program, to provide a new generation of engineers and scientists with knowledge and skills to create advanced automotive technologies. The UC Davis Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, and Hybrid Vehicle (FCH2V) GATE Center of Excellence established in 2005 is focused on research, education, industrial collaboration and outreach within automotive technology. UC Davis has had two independent GATE centers with separate well-defined objectives and research programsmore » from 1998. The Fuel Cell Center, administered by ITS-Davis, has focused on fuel cell technology. The Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Design Center (HEV Center), administered by the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, has focused on the development of plug-in hybrid technology using internal combustion engines. The merger of these two centers in 2005 has broadened the scope of research and lead to higher visibility of the activity. UC Davis's existing GATE centers have become the campus's research focal points on fuel cells and hybrid-electric vehicles, and the home for graduate students who are studying advanced automotive technologies. The centers have been highly successful in attracting, training, and placing top-notch students into fuel cell and hybrid programs in both industry and government.« less

What Attracts High-Achieving Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students to the Physical Sciences and Engineering?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conrad, Sarah; Canetto, Silvia Sara; MacPhee, David; Farro, Samantha

2009-01-01

Socioeconomically disadvantaged (SED) students are less likely to major in physical sciences or engineering. To guide recruitment and retention of a diversity of talent, this study examined what attracts high-achieving SED students to these fields. Participants were 50 undergraduates majoring in physical sciences or engineering enrolled in the…

Academic Preparedness as a Predictor of Achievement in an Engineering Design Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentzer, Nathan; Becker, Kurt

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if a student's academic success, measured by grade point average (GPA) in mathematics, science, and communication courses, is correlated with student change in achievement during an engineering design challenge. Engineering design challenges have been implemented and researched in K-16 environments where…

Expedited Development of Diphenhydramine Orally Disintegrating Tablet through Integrated Crystal and Particle Engineering.

PubMed

Wang, Chenguang; Hu, Shenye; Sun, Changquan Calvin

2017-10-02

A palatable direct compression (DC) orally disintegrating tablet (ODT) product of a bitter drug, diphenhydramine (DPH), was developed using an integrated crystal and particle engineering approach. A DPH salt with a sweetener, acesulfame (Acs), DPH-Acs, was synthesized and its solid state properties were comprehensively characterized. Tablet formulation composition and compaction parameters were optimized by employing material sparing techniques. In vivo disintegration time, bitterness, and grittiness of the final ODT product, were evaluated by a taste panel. Physical stability of the ODT tablets was assessed to identify appropriate storage conditions. Phase-pure DPH-Acs exhibited significantly better tabletability and palatability than DPH-HCl. A DC formulation was designed and optimized to obtain a new ODT product with good manufacturability and excellent product characteristics, including fast in vivo disintegration, and acceptable bitterness and grittiness. A new ODT product of DPH with excellent pharmaceutical properties was successfully developed using 15 g of DPH and in two months. This example shows that integrated crystal and particle engineering is an effective approach for developing high quality ODT products using the DC process.

Elastic poly(ε-caprolactone)-polydimethylsiloxane copolymer fibers with shape memory effect for bone tissue engineering.

PubMed

Kai, Dan; Prabhakaran, Molamma P; Chan, Benjamin Qi Yu; Liow, Sing Shy; Ramakrishna, Seeram; Xu, Fujian; Loh, Xian Jun

2016-02-02

A porous shape memory scaffold with biomimetic architecture is highly promising for bone tissue engineering applications. In this study, a series of new shape memory polyurethanes consisting of organic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) segments and inorganic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) segments in different ratios (9 : 1, 8 : 2 and 7 : 3) was synthesised. These PCL-PDMS copolymers were further engineered into porous fibrous scaffolds by electrospinning. With different ratios of PCL: PDMS, the fibers showed various fiber diameters, thermal behaviour and mechanical properties. Even after being processed into fibrous structures, these PCL-PDMS copolymers maintained their shape memory properties, and all the fibers exhibited excellent shape recovery ratios of  >90% and shape fixity ratios of  >92% after 7 thermo-mechanical cycles. Biological assay results corroborated that the fibrous PCL-PDMS scaffolds were biocompatible by promoting osteoblast proliferation, functionally enhanced biomineralization-relevant alkaline phosphatase expression and mineral deposition. Our study demonstrated that the PCL-PDMS fibers with excellent shape memory properties are promising substrates as bioengineered grafts for bone regeneration.

Fiber reinforced superalloys for rocket engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petrasek, Donald W.; Stephens, Joseph R.

1989-01-01

High pressure turbopumps for advanced reusable liquid propellant rocket engines such as that for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) require turbine blade materials that operate under extreme conditions of temperature, hydrogen environment, high-cycle fatigue loading, thermal fatigue and thermal shock. Such requirements tax the capabilities of current blade materials. Based on projections of properties for tungsten fiber reinforced superalloy (FRS) composites, it was concluded that FRS turbine blades offer the potential of a several fold increase in life and over a 200 C increase in temperature capability over the current SSME blade material. FRS composites were evaluated with respect to mechanical property requirements for SSME blade applications. Compared to the current blade material, the thermal shock resistance of FRS materials is excellent, two to nine times better, and their thermal fatigue resistance is equal to or higher than the current blade material. FRS materials had excellent low and high-cycle fatigue strengths, and thermal shock-induced surface microcracks had no influence on their fatigue strength. The material also exhibited negligible embrittlement when exposed to a hydrogen environment.

Fiber reinforced superalloys for rocket engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petrasek, Donald W.; Stephens, Joseph R.

1988-01-01

High-pressure turbopumps for advanced reusable liquid-propellant rocket engines such as that for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) require turbine blade materials that operate under extreme conditions of temperature, hydrogen environment, high-cycle fatigue loading, thermal fatigue and thermal shock. Such requirements tax the capabilities of current blade materials. Based on projections of properties for tungsten fiber reinforced superalloy (FRS) composites, it was concluded that FRS turbine blades offer the potential of a several-fold increase in life and over a 200C increase in temperature capability over current SSME blade material. FRS composites were evaluated with respect to mechanical property requirements for SSME blade applications. Compared to the current blade material, the thermal shock resistance of FRS materials is excellent, two to nine times better, and their thermal fatigue resistance is equal to or higher than the current blade material. FRS materials had excellent low and high-cycle fatigue strengths, and thermal shock-induced surface microcracks had no influence on their fatigue strength. The material also exhibited negligible embrittlement when exposed to a hydrogen environment.

Innovative Double Bypass Engine for Increased Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoharan, Sanjivan

Engines continue to grow in size to meet the current thrust requirements of the civil aerospace industry. Large engines pose significant transportation problems and require them to be split in order to be shipped. Thus, large amounts of time have been spent in researching methods to increase thrust capabilities while maintaining a reasonable engine size. Unfortunately, much of this research has been focused on increasing the performance and efficiencies of individual components while limited research has been done on innovative engine configurations. This thesis focuses on an innovative engine configuration, the High Double Bypass Engine, aimed at increasing fuel efficiency and thrust while maintaining a competitive fan diameter and engine length. The 1-D analysis was done in Excel and then compared to the results from Numerical Propulsion Simulation System (NPSS) software and were found to be within 4% error. Flow performance characteristics were also determined and validated against their criteria.

"Being" Black and Strategizing for Excellence in a Racially Stratified Academic Hierarchy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Carla; Mueller, Jennifer; Lewis, R. L'Heureux; Rivas-Drake, Deborah; Rosenberg, Seneca

2011-01-01

This article reports the findings of an ethnographic study of Black identity and achievement in one predominantly White high school featuring a racially stratified academic hierarchy (RSAH). Foregrounding the experiences of three exceptionally achieving Black girls against those of other high-achieving but less stellar students, the study…

Using Topographic Engineering to Achieve Dominance in Urban and Complex Terrain

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

Information dominance and dominant maneuver are harder to achieve in urban and complex terrain, but there are measures we can take to give our soldiers important advantages. Engineer solutions include physical measures to interdict threat forces, such as countermine operations and emplacement of barriers, as well as command and control (C2) measures that can enhance our information dominance . This article focuses on how the topographic engineering component of information dominance helps achieve dominant maneuver in urban and

Align Your District's Professional Learning under ESSA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Learning Professional, 2017

2017-01-01

The single most important way to achieve equity and excellence is by ensuring a knowledgeable and skillful educator workforce. Ensuring the availability of excellent educators for all students requires a culture of learning and a system of support for every school and school district. This means that the goal is not just to improve professional…

Obstacles to Excellence: Factors Leading to an Exaggerated Sense of Communication Proficiency.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Habbel, David M.

The achievement of excellence in communication is a function of both exposure to the best theory, research, and practice in communication, and the student's level of motivation to learn about communication. A major obstacle to managing conflict and interpersonal relationships successfully in general is the tendency people have to attribute…

Equity and Excellence: African-American Children's Access to Quality Preschool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Steve; Carolan, Megan; Johns, David

2013-01-01

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans (WHIEEAA) has a mandate on behalf of African-American students to close the achievement gap. This goal requires attention to the full education continuum, from the early childhood years through adulthood. Learning begins at birth and the preparation for learning starts well…

Educational Policy Issues for the 1990s: Balancing Equity and Excellence in Implementing the Reform Agenda.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcoulides, George A.; Heck, Ronald H.

1990-01-01

Discusses problems with reform issues that focus specifically on changing the system of educational policymaking to achieve excellence but lack safeguards against compromising equality of educational opportunity in the public school system. Explores the conflicting political views of reform policy, which include economic issues and democratic…

Effective University Leadership as Predictor of Academic Excellence in Southern Nigerian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ofoegbu, Felicia O.; Alonge, Hezekiah O.

2017-01-01

The University is an educational system where high level manpower is trained for socio-economic and political growth of any nation. The leadership of a University plays invaluable roles in achieving academic excellence in dissemination and acquisition of universal knowledge, values; functional, technical and scientific skills and competencies…

Digging Deeper: Professional Learning Can Go beyond the Basics to Reach Underserved Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gleason, Sonia Caus

2010-01-01

Consistent, excellent teaching is the single greatest factor in improving student achievement over time. School leadership is the second. Excellent teaching and strong leadership require deliberate, ongoing professional learning. In working with high-poverty school systems over time, the following basics emerge: (1) time; (2) content; (3)…

Understanding Research Strategies to Improve ERA Performance in Australian Universities: Circumventing Secrecy to Achieve Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diezmann, Carmel M.

2018-01-01

Many Australian universities have prioritised improving discipline performance on the national research assessment--Excellence for Research in Australia. However, a "culture of secrecy" pervades "Excellence in Research for Australia" (ERA). There are no specified criteria for the assignment of ratings on a 5-point scale ranging…

A Fully Implantable Pacemaker for the Mouse: From Battery to Wireless Power

PubMed Central

Zellmer, Erik R.; Weinheimer, Carla J.; MacEwan, Matthew R.; Cui, Sophia X.; Nerbonne, Jeanne M.; Efimov, Igor R.

2013-01-01

Animal models have become a popular platform for the investigation of the molecular and systemic mechanisms of pathological cardiovascular physiology. Chronic pacing studies with implantable pacemakers in large animals have led to useful models of heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Unfortunately, molecular and genetic studies in these large animal models are often prohibitively expensive or not available. Conversely, the mouse is an excellent species for studying molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease through genetic engineering. However, the large size of available pacemakers does not lend itself to chronic pacing in mice. Here, we present the design for a novel, fully implantable wireless-powered pacemaker for mice capable of long-term (>30 days) pacing. This design is compared to a traditional battery-powered pacemaker to demonstrate critical advantages achieved through wireless inductive power transfer and control. Battery-powered and wireless-powered pacemakers were fabricated from standard electronic components in our laboratory. Mice (n = 24) were implanted with endocardial, battery-powered devices (n = 14) and epicardial, wireless-powered devices (n = 10). Wireless-powered devices were associated with reduced implant mortality and more reliable device function compared to battery-powered devices. Eight of 14 (57.1%) mice implanted with battery-powered pacemakers died following device implantation compared to 1 of 10 (10%) mice implanted with wireless-powered pacemakers. Moreover, device function was achieved for 30 days with the wireless-powered device compared to 6 days with the battery-powered device. The wireless-powered pacemaker system presented herein will allow electrophysiology studies in numerous genetically engineered mouse models as well as rapid pacing-induced heart failure and atrial arrhythmia in mice. PMID:24194832

Ferrocene Derived Bifunctional Phosphine-Catalyzed Asymmetric Oxa-[4+2] Cycloaddition of α-Substituted Allenones with Enones.

PubMed

Wang, Huamin; Lu, Weike; Zhang, Junliang

2017-10-04

An efficient ferrocene-derived bifunctional phosphine-catalyzed enantioselective oxa-[4+2] cycloaddition of α-substituted allenones with a broad range of enones is investigated for the preparation of stereodefined dihydropyrans in good to excellent yields (up to 99 %) and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee). Furthermore, a series of valuable chiral polyheterocyclic frameworks can be efficiently achieved in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Online Information on the Treatment of Burning Mouth Syndrome: Quality and Readability.

PubMed

Alnafea, Shatha; Fedele, Stefano; Porter, Stephen; Ni Riordain, Richeal

2017-01-01

To evaluate the quality and readability of online information about the treatment of burning mouth syndrome (BMS). An internet search using the phrase "burning mouth syndrome treatment" was carried out on the Google search engine (www.google.co.uk) on 8 June 2015, and the first 100 websites listed were examined. Data collection included DISCERN score, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks for website analysis score, the presence of the Health on the Net (HON) Foundation seal, and the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES). Descriptive statistics were performed using Microsoft Office Excel. The search strategy initially yielded 635,000 links; following the application of the exclusion criteria, 53 sites remained for analysis. The overall DISCERN score varied between websites, with half of all websites achieving an overall score of 2 and none of these websites achieving the maximum score of 5. The mean score ± standard deviation (SD) was 2.4 ± 0.7. Only 10 (18.9%) of the websites achieved the four JAMA benchmarks while 3 (5.7%) of the websites did not achieve any of them. Only 9 (17%) displayed the HON seal. The FRES of the websites ranged from 32.4 to 82.2; the mean ± SD rating was 55.4 ± 10.7, which is considered to reflect fairly difficult reading. The information available online about BMS is of questionable quality and content. Perhaps engaging patients in determining what type and format of information they desire when searching online for health information could guide clinicians and researchers alike in providing reliable and readable information sources.

Engineering Applications of Neural Computing: A State-of-the-Art Survey

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-01

results of the neural networks and compare with doctor’s knowledge. In veterinary medicine, a system for diag- nosis of mastitis in dairy cows is...construction of a hybrid system for diagnosing mastitis in COWS . Perhaps the most noteworthy application is the neural network-based explosive...diagnosis of mastitis in a limited set of experimental data showed excellent accuracy. In engineering facility management, monitoring and diagnostics are

An Exploratory Study of the United States Naval Academy Engineering Curriculum

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

research was conducted in an entirely quantitative fashion. There is a large amount of qualitative data that was not analyzed. These data are from the... qualitative assessment of the Naval Academy’s engineering program, and would be an excellent opportunity for future research . Overall, the results of...California: Sage Publications. Patton, M. Q. (1987). How to Use Qualitative Methods in Evaluation. California: Sage Publications. 89

The Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Portfolio. A Report from the Federal Inventory of STEM Education Fast-Track Action Committee Committee on STEM Education National Science and Technology Council

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Executive Office of the President, 2011

2011-01-01

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) coordinates Federal programs and activities in support of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education pursuant to the requirements of Sec. 101 of the America COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology…

PR[superscript 2]EPS: Preparation, Recruitment, Retention and Excellence in the Physical Sciences, Including Engineering. A Report on the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Science Summer Camps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bachman, Nancy J.; Bischoff, Paul J.; Gallagher, Hugh; Labroo, Sunil; Schaumloffel, John C.

2008-01-01

Now in its fourth year, PR[superscript 2]EPS is a National Science Foundation funded initiative designed to recruit high school students to attend college majoring in the physical sciences, including engineering and secondary science education, and to help ensure their retention within the program until graduation. A central feature of the…

DOE Chair of Excellence in Environmental Disciplines-Final Technical Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kurunganty, Sastry; Loran, Roberto; Roque-Malherbe, Rolando

The report Massie Chair of Excellence Program at Universidad del Turabo, contract DE-FG02-95EW12610, during the period of 9/29/1995 to 9/29/2011. The initial program aims included development of academic programs in the Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Research and Development focused initially on environmentally friendly processes and later revised also include: renewable energy and international cooperation. From 1995 -2005, the Program at UT lead the establishment of the new undergraduate program in electrical engineering at the School of Engineering (SoE), worked on requirements to achieve ABET accreditation of the SoE B.S. Mechanical Engineering and B.S. Electrical Engineering programs, mentored junior faculty,more » taught undergraduate courses in electrical engineering, and revised the electrical engineering curriculum. Engineering undergraduate laboratories were designed and developed. The following research sub-project was developed: Research and development of new perovskite-alumina hydrogen permeable asymmetrical nanostructured membranes for hydrogen purification, and extremely high specific surface area silica materials for hydrogen storage in the form of ammonia, Dr. Rolando Roque-Malherbe Subproject PI, Dr. Santander Nieto and Mr. Will Gómez Research Assistants. In 2006, the Massie Chair of Excellence Program was transferred to the National Nuclear Security Agency, NNSA and DNN. DoE required a revised proposal aligned with the priorities of the Administration. The revised approved program aims included: (1) Research (2) Student Development: promote the development of minority undergraduate and graduate students through research teams, internships, conferences, new courses; and, (3) Support: (a) Research administration and (b) Dissemination through international conferences, the UT Distinguished Lecturer Series in STEM fields and at the annual Universidad del Turabo (UT) Researchers Conference. Research included: Sub-Project 1: Synthesis and Characterization of low Refractive Index Aerogel Silica for Cherenkov Counters- Dr. Rolando Roque-Malherbe Sub-project PI, Dr. Jose Duconge Sub-project Co-PI, Dr. Santander Nieto Assistant Researcher, Francisco Diaz and Carlos Neira Associate Researchers. The initial aim of this sub-project was changed to the synthesis and characterization of extremely high specific surface area aerogel silica for gas storage. A high specific surface area silica gel that has applications in gas drying, cleaning operation useful in nuclear industry in process was developed. Sub-Project 2: Investigation Study of Magnetic and Electronic Transport Properties at Material Interfaces in Magnetic Multilayer Heterostructure using Gd. – Dr. Yazan Hijazi, Sub-project Co-PI. UT developed the capability and infrastructure to produce high quality thin-film magnetic films and magnetic multilayer structures with fine control over film quality and thickness using sputter deposition capability to perform in-house electric and magnetic characterization of these films. The research experimentally quantified the effect of Gd incorporation within the magnetic multilayer structure and produce magnetic media with exchanged decoupled multilevel magnetic anisotropy. From September 2006 to September 2011 the Massie Chair produced nineteen (19) publications, (including 3 books), five (5) presentations and three (3) international conferences abstracts. A total of fourteen (14) undergraduates and (6) graduate students acquired research experience. Two Ph.D. students presented their dissertations on topics related to nuclear energy and graduated as follows: María Cotto (May 2009) and Eric Calderón (May 2011). Five of the participating undergraduate students graduated: Ramon Polanco (BSME, May 2009), Jason Pérez (BSEE, May 2008), Rafael Colón (BSME, May 2008), Jessenia Marfisi (BS Chemistry, May 2008). Eleven (11) students were sent to National Laboratories (LANL, SNL and LLNL), NNSA and DoE facilities for summer internships. Twenty eight (28) undergraduate students participated in Summer Internships (2010, 2011) at the Puerto Rico Energy Center (PREC). Four international energy symposiums were held aligned with the DoE and the NNSA missions and dissemination of Massie Chair research activities (660 attendees). Academic programs developed or revised under advice of the Massie Chair: Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences (revised); MSc in Environmental Sciences (revised); MSc in Mechanical Engineering with concentration in Alternative Energy (new); BS in Industrial Management & Engineering (revised to fulfill the ABET requirements); BS in Civil Engineering including an environmental option (new); BS in Electrical Engineering (revised); and, Associate in Renewable Energy (new). The Puerto Rico Energy Center (PREC) was designed and developed under the Massie Chair initiative. Thirty-three (33) proposals were developed and submitted during the period of which 12 were approved in the amount of $ $1,931,306.« less

Introducing WISDEM:An Integrated System Modeling for Wind Turbines and Plant (Presentation)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dykes, K.; Graf, P.; Scott, G.

2015-01-01

The National Wind Technology Center wind energy systems engineering initiative has developed an analysis platform to leverage its research capabilities toward integrating wind energy engineering and cost models across wind plants. This Wind-Plant Integrated System Design & Engineering Model (WISDEM) platform captures the important interactions between various subsystems to achieve a better National Wind Technology Center wind energy systems engineering initiative has developed an analysis platform to leverage its research capabilities toward integrating wind energy engineering and cost models across wind plants. This Wind-Plant Integrated System Design & Engineering Model (WISDEM) platform captures the important interactions between various subsystems tomore » achieve a better understanding of how to improve system-level performance and achieve system-level cost reductions. This work illustrates a few case studies with WISDEM that focus on the design and analysis of wind turbines and plants at different system levels.« less

PREFACE: 2nd International Conference on Innovative Materials, Structures and Technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ručevskis, Sandris

2015-11-01

The 2nd International Conference on Innovative Materials, Structures and Technologies (IMST 2015) took place in Riga, Latvia from 30th September - 2nd October, 2015. The first event of the conference series, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of Riga Technical University, was held in 2013. Following the established tradition, the aim of the conference was to promote and discuss the latest results of industrial and academic research carried out in the following engineering fields: analysis and design of advanced structures and buildings; innovative, ecological and energy efficient building materials; maintenance, inspection and monitoring methods; construction technologies; structural management; sustainable and safe transport infrastructure; and geomatics and geotechnics. The conference provided an excellent opportunity for leading researchers, representatives of the industrial community, engineers, managers and students to share the latest achievements, discuss recent advances and highlight the current challenges. IMST 2015 attracted over 120 scientists from 24 countries. After rigorous reviewing, over 80 technical papers were accepted for publication in the conference proceedings. On behalf of the organizing committee I would like to thank all the speakers, authors, session chairs and reviewers for their efficient and timely effort. The 2nd International Conference on Innovative Materials, Structures and Technologies was organized by the Faculty of Civil Engineering of Riga Technical University with the support of the Latvia State Research Programme under the grant agreement "INNOVATIVE MATERIALS AND SMART TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, IMATEH". I would like to express sincere gratitude to Juris Smirnovs, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and Andris Chate, manager of the Latvia State Research Programme. Finally, I would like to thank all those who helped to make this event happen. Special thanks go to Diana Bajare, Laura Sele, Liga Radina and Jana Galilejeva for their major contribution to organizing the conference and to the literary editor Tatjana Smirnova and technical editor Daira Erdmane for their hard work on the conference proceedings.

Super-focusing of center-covered engineered microsphere.

PubMed

Wu, Mengxue; Chen, Rui; Soh, Jiahao; Shen, Yue; Jiao, Lishi; Wu, Jianfeng; Chen, Xudong; Ji, Rong; Hong, Minghui

2016-08-16

Engineered microsphere possesses the advantage of strong light manipulation at sub-wavelength scale and emerges as a promising candidate to shrink the focal spot size. Here we demonstrated a center-covered engineered microsphere which can adjust the transverse component of the incident beam and achieve a sharp photonic nanojet. Modification of the beam width and working distance of the photonic nanojet were achieved by tuning the cover ratio of the engineered microsphere, leading to a sharp spot size which exceeded the optical diffraction limit. At a wavelength of 633 nm, a focal spot of 245 nm (0.387 λ) was achieved experimentally under plane wave illumination. Strong localized field with Bessel-like distribution was demonstrated by employing the linearly polarized beam and a center-covered mask being engineered on the microsphere.

Super-focusing of center-covered engineered microsphere

PubMed Central

Wu, Mengxue; Chen, Rui; Soh, Jiahao; Shen, Yue; Jiao, Lishi; Wu, Jianfeng; Chen, Xudong; Ji, Rong; Hong, Minghui

2016-01-01

Engineered microsphere possesses the advantage of strong light manipulation at sub-wavelength scale and emerges as a promising candidate to shrink the focal spot size. Here we demonstrated a center-covered engineered microsphere which can adjust the transverse component of the incident beam and achieve a sharp photonic nanojet. Modification of the beam width and working distance of the photonic nanojet were achieved by tuning the cover ratio of the engineered microsphere, leading to a sharp spot size which exceeded the optical diffraction limit. At a wavelength of 633 nm, a focal spot of 245 nm (0.387 λ) was achieved experimentally under plane wave illumination. Strong localized field with Bessel-like distribution was demonstrated by employing the linearly polarized beam and a center-covered mask being engineered on the microsphere. PMID:27528093

The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence: magnetic hyperthermia.

PubMed

Baker, Ian; Fiering, Steve N; Griswold, Karl E; Hoopes, P Jack; Kekalo, Katerina; Ndong, Christian; Paulsen, Keith; Petryk, Alicea A; Pogue, Brian; Shubitidze, Fridon; Weaver, John

2015-01-01

The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence - one of nine funded by the National Cancer Institute as part of the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer - focuses on the use of magnetic nanoparticles for cancer diagnostics and hyperthermia therapy. It brings together a diverse team of engineers and biomedical researchers with expertise in nanomaterials, molecular targeting, advanced biomedical imaging and translational in vivo studies. The goal of successfully treating cancer is being approached by developing nanoparticles, conjugating them with Fabs, hyperthermia treatment, immunotherapy and sensing treatment response.

Reinvestment and recovery

PubMed Central

Epstein, Jonathan A.

2009-01-01

When US President Barack Obama declared in his 2009 inaugural address, “We will restore science to its rightful place,” many applauded. The US has led the world in research, innovation, and education in the medical sciences. The National Science Foundation, the NIH, and other government organizations involved in scientific investigations are the primary engines that have fueled this excellence over the past half century. Nevertheless, we cannot afford to assume that preeminence, or even excellence, will persist without attention and cultivation. PMID:19487815

75 FR 3901 - Board of Visitors, United States Military Academy (USMA)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-25

... Organizational Meeting of the USMA Board of Visitors (BoV). Members of the Board will be provided updates on..., Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Center of Excellence, Energy Costs and Initiatives, Wastewater...

Improving System Engineering Excellence at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takada, Pamela Wallace; Newton, Steve; Gholston, Sampson; Thomas, Dale (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) management feels that sound system engineering practices are essential for successful project management, NASA studies have concluded that recent project failures could be attributed in part to inadequate systems engineering. A recent survey of MSFC project managers and system engineers' resulted in the recognition of a need for training in Systems Engineering Practices, particularly as they relate to MSFC projects. In response to this survey, an internal pilot short-course was developed to reinforce accepted practices for system engineering at MSFC. The desire of the MSFC management is to begin with in-house training and offer additional educational opportunities to reinforce sound system engineering principles to the more than 800 professionals who are involved with system engineering and project management. A Systems Engineering Development Plan (SEDP) has been developed to address the longer-term systems engineering development needs of MSFC. This paper describes the survey conducted and the training course that was developed in response to that survey.

Taking It to the Top: A Lesson in Search Engine Optimization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frydenberg, Mark; Miko, John S.

2011-01-01

Search engine optimization (SEO), the promoting of a Web site so it achieves optimal position with a search engine's rankings, is an important strategy for organizations and individuals in order to promote their brands online. Techniques for achieving SEO are relevant to students of marketing, computing, media arts, and other disciplines, and many…

The Meaning High-Achieving African-American Males in an Urban High School Ascribe to Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, LaTasha; Davis, Julius

2013-01-01

Many researchers, educators, administrators, policymakers and members of the general public doubt the prevalence of high-achieving African-American males in urban high schools capable of excelling in mathematics. As part of a larger study, the current study explored the educational experiences of four high-achieving African-American males…

Academic Excellence: The Role of Research in the Physical Sciences at Undergraduate Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, Michael P., Ed.

Chapters of this collection show that students benefit from a research-based teaching environment, and that students who have the opportunity for research complete their science programs in greater numbers than those who do not. The chapters of section 1, "Achieving Excellence," are: (1) "The Role of Research at Undergraduate Institution: Why Is…

Carrying the Beacon of Excellence: Social Class Differentiation and Anxiety at a Time of Transition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucey, Helen; Reay, Diane

2002-01-01

Examines ways in which current United Kingdom school-choice policies interact with parental pressures on their children to achieve excellence and how these pressures affect the emotional health of their middle- and working-class children as they make the transition from primary to secondary school. Finds serious emotional consequences (exam…

Scientific Research in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Potential for Excellence and Indicators of Underdevelopment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alshayea, Ali

2013-01-01

This study analyzes the status of scientific research and development efforts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and then sheds lights on the potential for excellence in this area in terms of organization and structure, financing and partnership, and human resources. Accordingly, the study reviews both achievements and indicators of underdevelopment…

Redesigning Schools: Models to Reach Every Student with Excellent Teachers. Model Summaries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Public Impact, 2012

2012-01-01

In the schoolhouse, nothing matters more to students' learning than their teachers. But only about one of every four U.S. classrooms has an "excellent teacher"--one who produces enough learning progress to close achievement gaps quickly and help all students leap ahead to higher-order learning. What can schools do, now, to reach many…

Tensions and Trade-Offs in Voluntary Involvement: Evaluating the Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenseid, Lija O.; Lawrenz, Frances

2011-01-01

A team at the University of Minnesota conducted the Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP) core evaluation between 1999 and 2004. The purpose of the CETP core evaluation was to achieve consensus among CETP project leaders and project evaluators on evaluation questions; to develop, pilot, and field test evaluation instruments…

Intersection of Re-Designated National League for Nursing Centers of Excellence(TM) and Quality in Nursing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merriam, Deborah

2013-01-01

Nursing education is challenged to meet a growing demand for nurses, while substantiating the quality of the educational experience as well as the achievement of desired student outcomes. The National League for Nursing (NLN) Centers of Excellence (COE) in Nursing Education(TM) program represents high performing nursing schools which utilize…

Awarding Teaching Excellence: "What Is It Supposed to Achieve?" Teacher Perceptions of Student-Led Awards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madriaga, Manuel; Morley, Krystle

2016-01-01

Although there is lack of agreement as to what constitutes teaching excellence, there remains a steady effort to make an intangible, ambiguous, multifaceted concept incarnate in the form of "student-led" teaching awards schemes within higher education institutions. What teaching staff say about such schemes have largely been ignored.…

Urban-Rural Excellence Gaps: Features, Factors, and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernández-Torrano, Daniel

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of excellence gaps (i.e., differences between subgroups of students performing at the highest levels of achievement) in a sample of 563 students nominated as gifted by their teachers in urban, semi-urban, and rural settings in Spain. In general, the results suggested the existence of excellence…

Construction of a Direct Water-Injected Two-Stroke Engine for Phased Direct Fuel Injection-High Pressure Charging Investigations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Somsel, James P.

1998-01-01

The development of a water injected Orbital Combustion Process (OCP) engine was conducted to assess the viability of using the powerplant for high altitude NASA aircraft and General Aviation (GA) applications. An OCP direct fuel injected, 1.2 liter, three cylinder, two-stroke engine has been enhanced to independently inject water directly into the combustion chamber. The engine currently demonstrates low brake specific fuel consumption capability and an excellent power to weight ratio. With direct water injection, significant improvements can be made to engine power, to knock limits/ignition advance timing, and to engine NO(x) emissions. The principal aim of the testing was to validate a cyclic model developed by the Systems Analysis Branch at NASA Ames Research Center. The work is a continuation of Ames' investigations into a Phased Direct Fuel Injection Engine with High Pressure Charging (PDFI-ITPC).

An experimental investigation of performance of diesel to CNG engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misra, Sheelam; Gupta, Ayush; Garg, Ashutosh

2018-05-01

Over the past few decades, diesel engines are widely used in automobiles which is responsible for hazardous increase in pollution. Around the world, many countries are trying to reduce it by replacing diesel with CNG as a fuel which is more economical and leads to pollution free environment. Engineers came up with an idea to convert diesel engine to CNG engine. This conversion is possible by doing some alteration of engine components and it also include adding some extra components to the system which includes spark plug, valves etc. and by decreasing the compression ratio of the engine. It is used worldwide today and many countries have many programs to convert older, polluting diesel vehicles to CNG enable vehicles so that they can run on clean, economical natural gas. This is, an excellent way to reduce fuel cost, reduce pollution, reduce noise with minimum possible capital costs.first, second, and third level headings.

Tailoring Systems Engineering Projects for Small Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horan, Stephen; Belvin, Keith

2013-01-01

NASA maintains excellence in its spaceflight systems by utilizing rigorous engineering processes based on over 50 years of experience. The NASA systems engineering process for flight projects described in NPR 7120.5E was initially developed for major flight projects. The design and development of low-cost small satellite systems does not entail the financial and risk consequences traditionally associated with spaceflight projects. Consequently, an approach is offered to tailoring of the processes such that the small satellite missions will benefit from the engineering rigor without overly burdensome overhead. In this paper we will outline the approaches to tailoring the standard processes for these small missions and describe how it will be applied in a proposed small satellite mission.

Site-Specific Genome Engineering in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

PubMed

Merkert, Sylvia; Martin, Ulrich

2016-06-24

The possibility to generate patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers an unprecedented potential of applications in clinical therapy and medical research. Human iPSCs and their differentiated derivatives are tools for diseases modelling, drug discovery, safety pharmacology, and toxicology. Moreover, they allow for the engineering of bioartificial tissue and are promising candidates for cellular therapies. For many of these applications, the ability to genetically modify pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is indispensable, but efficient site-specific and safe technologies for genetic engineering of PSCs were developed only recently. By now, customized engineered nucleases provide excellent tools for targeted genome editing, opening new perspectives for biomedical research and cellular therapies.

The central equipment pool, an opportunity for improved technology management.

PubMed

Gentles, W M

2000-01-01

A model for a central equipment pool managed by a clinical engineering department has been presented. The advantages to patient care and to the clinical engineering department are many. The distribution of portable technology that has been traditionally managed by the materials management function is a logical match to the expanding role of clinical engineering departments in technology management. Accurate asset management tools have allowed us to provide reliable measures of infusion pump utilization, permitting us to predict future needs as programs expand. Thus we are more actively involved in strategic technology planning. The central equipment pool is an excellent opportunity for the clinical engineering department to increase its technology management activities.

Pgas, a Low-pH-Induced Promoter, as a Tool for Dynamic Control of Gene Expression for Metabolic Engineering of Aspergillus niger.

PubMed

Yin, Xian; Shin, Hyun-Dong; Li, Jianghua; Du, Guocheng; Liu, Long; Chen, Jian

2017-03-15

The dynamic control of gene expression is important for adjusting fluxes in order to obtain desired products and achieve appropriate cell growth, particularly when the synthesis of a desired product drains metabolites required for cell growth. For dynamic gene expression, a promoter responsive to a particular environmental stressor is vital. Here, we report a low-pH-inducible promoter, P gas , which promotes minimal gene expression at pH values above 5.0 but functions efficiently at low pHs, such as pH 2.0. First, we performed a transcriptional analysis of Aspergillus niger , an excellent platform for the production of organic acids, and we found that the promoter P gas may act efficiently at low pH. Then, a gene for synthetic green fluorescent protein ( sGFP ) was successfully expressed by P gas at pH 2.0, verifying the results of the transcriptional analysis. Next, P gas was used to express the cis -aconitate decarboxylase ( cad ) gene of Aspergillus terreus in A. niger , allowing the production of itaconic acid at a titer of 4.92 g/liter. Finally, we found that P gas strength was independent of acid type and acid ion concentration, showing dependence on pH only. IMPORTANCE The promoter P gas can be used for the dynamic control of gene expression in A. niger for metabolic engineering to produce organic acids. This promoter may also be a candidate tool for genetic engineering. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Enhanced cellulase recovery without β-glucosidase supplementation for cellulosic ethanol production using an engineered strain and surfactant.

PubMed

Huang, Renliang; Guo, Hong; Su, Rongxin; Qi, Wei; He, Zhimin

2017-03-01

Recycling cellulases by substrate adsorption is a promising strategy for reducing the enzyme cost of cellulosic ethanol production. However, β-glucosidase has no carbohydrate-binding module (CBM). Thus, additional enzymes are required in each cycle to achieve a high ethanol yield. In this study, we report a new method of recycling cellulases without β-glucosidase supplementation using lignocellulosic substrate, an engineered strain expressing β-glucosidase and Tween 80. The cellulases and Tween 80 were added to an aqueous suspension of diluted sulfuric acid/ammonia-treated corncobs in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process for ethanol production. Subsequently, the addition of fresh pretreated corncobs to the fermentation liquor and remaining solid residue provided substrates with absorbed cellulases for the next SSF cycle. This method provided excellent ethanol production in three successive SSF cycles without requiring the addition of new cellulases. For a 10% (w/v) solid loading, a cellulase dosage of 30 filter paper units (FPU)/g cellulose, 0.5% Tween 80, and 2 g/L of the engineered strain, approximately 90% of the initial ethanol concentration from the first SSF process was obtained in the next two SSF processes, with a total ethanol production of 306.27 g/kg corncobs and an enzyme productivity of 0.044 g/FPU. Tween 80 played an important role in enhancing cellulase recovery. This new enzyme recycling method is more efficient and practical than other reported methods. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 543-551. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Progress with variable cycle engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westmoreland, J. S.

1980-01-01

The evaluation of components of an advanced propulsion system for a future supersonic cruise vehicle is discussed. These components, a high performance duct burner for thrust augmentation and a low jet noise coannular exhaust nozzle, are part of the variable stream control engine. An experimental test program involving both isolated component and complete engine tests was conducted for the high performance, low emissions duct burner with excellent results. Nozzle model tests were completed which substantiate the inherent jet noise benefit associated with the unique velocity profile possible of a coannular exhaust nozzle system on a variable stream control engine. Additional nozzle model performance tests have established high thrust efficiency levels at takeoff and supersonic cruise for this nozzle system. Large scale testing of these two critical components is conducted using an F100 engine as the testbed for simulating the variable stream control engine.

OAO-C end-of-mission power subsystem engineering evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tasevoli, M.

1982-01-01

The battery performance on both Orbiting Astronomical Observatory missions was excellent. The end-of-mission power subsystem tests on the battery and the solar arrays provides a real-time degradation analysis for these two components.

A blow to curiosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriarty, Philip

2011-01-01

Andre Geim is correct to highlight the fact that the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has long been an excellent model of how a funding body should operate with a minimum of bureaucracy (November 2010 p7).

Realizing Highly Efficient Solution-Processed Homojunction-Like Sky-Blue OLEDs by Using Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Emitters Featuring an Aggregation-Induced Emission Property.

PubMed

Wu, Kailong; Wang, Zian; Zhan, Lisi; Zhong, Cheng; Gong, Shaolong; Xie, Guohua; Yang, Chuluo

2018-04-05

Two new blue emitters, i.e., bis-[2-(9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine)-phenyl]-sulfone ( o-ACSO2) and bis-[3-(9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine)-phenyl]-sulfone ( m-ACSO2), with reserved fine thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) nature and simply tuned thermal and optoelectronic properties, were synthesized by isomer engineering. The meta-linking compound, i.e., m-ACSO2, obtains the highest photoluminescence quantum yield with a small singlet-triplet energy gap, a moderate delayed fluorescent lifetime, excellent solubility, and neat film homogeneity. Due to its unique aggregation-induced emission (AIE) character, neat film-based heterojunction-like organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are achievable. By inserting an excitonic inert exciton-blocking layer, the PN heterojunction-like emission accompanied by intefacial exciplex was shifted to a homojunction-like channel mainly from the AIE emitter itself, providing a new tactic to generate efficient blue color from neat films. The solution-processed nondoped sky-blue OLED employing m-ACSO2 as emitter with homojunction-like emission achieved a maximum external quantum efficiency of 17.2%. The design strategies presented herein provide practical methods to construct efficient blue TADF dyes and realize high-performance blue TADF devices.

Uni-directional liquid spreading on asymmetric nanostructured surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Kuang-Han; Xiao, Rong; Wang, Evelyn N.

2010-05-01

Controlling surface wettability and liquid spreading on patterned surfaces is of significant interest for a broad range of applications, including DNA microarrays, digital lab-on-a-chip, anti-fogging and fog-harvesting, inkjet printing and thin-film lubrication. Advancements in surface engineering, with the fabrication of various micro/nanoscale topographic features, and selective chemical patterning on surfaces, have enhanced surface wettability and enabled control of the liquid film thickness and final wetted shape. In addition, groove geometries and patterned surface chemistries have produced anisotropic wetting, where contact-angle variations in different directions resulted in elongated droplet shapes. In all of these studies, however, the wetting behaviour preserves left-right symmetry. Here, we demonstrate that we can harness the design of asymmetric nanostructured surfaces to achieve uni-directional liquid spreading, where the liquid propagates in a single preferred direction and pins in all others. Through experiments and modelling, we determined that the spreading characteristic is dependent on the degree of nanostructure asymmetry, the height-to-spacing ratio of the nanostructures and the intrinsic contact angle. The theory, based on an energy argument, provides excellent agreement with experimental data. The insights gained from this work offer new opportunities to tailor advanced nanostructures to achieve active control of complex flow patterns and wetting on demand.

Design, Fabrication, and Testing of SMA Enabled Adaptive Chevrons for Jet Noise Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Travis L.; Buehrle, Ralph D.; Cano, Roberto J.; Fleming, Gary A.

2004-01-01

This study presents the status and results from an effort to design, fabricate, and test an adaptive jet engine chevron concept based upon embedding shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators in a composite laminate, termed a SMA hybrid composite (SMAHC). The approach for fabricating the adaptive SMAHC chevrons involves embedding prestrained Nitinol actuators on one side of the mid-plane of the composite laminate such that thermal excitation generates a thermal moment and deflects the structure. A glass-epoxy pre-preg/Nitinol ribbon material system and a vacuum hot press consolidation approach are employed. A versatile test system for control and measurement of the chevron deflection performance is described. Projection moire interferometry (PMI) is used for global deformation measurement and infrared (IR) thermography is used for 2-D temperature measurement and feedback control. A recently commercialized constitutive model for SMA and SMAHC materials is used in the finite element code ABAQUS to perform nonlinear static analysis of the chevron prototypes. Excellent agreement is achieved between the predicted and measured chevron deflection performance, thereby validating the design tool. Although the performance results presented in this paper fall short of the requirement, the concept is proven and an approach for achieving the performance objectives is evident.

Excel spreadsheet in teaching numerical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djamila, Harimi

2017-09-01

One of the important objectives in teaching numerical methods for undergraduates’ students is to bring into the comprehension of numerical methods algorithms. Although, manual calculation is important in understanding the procedure, it is time consuming and prone to error. This is specifically the case when considering the iteration procedure used in many numerical methods. Currently, many commercial programs are useful in teaching numerical methods such as Matlab, Maple, and Mathematica. These are usually not user-friendly by the uninitiated. Excel spreadsheet offers an initial level of programming, which it can be used either in or off campus. The students will not be distracted with writing codes. It must be emphasized that general commercial software is required to be introduced later to more elaborated questions. This article aims to report on a teaching numerical methods strategy for undergraduates engineering programs. It is directed to students, lecturers and researchers in engineering field.

Teaching Process Simulation in Eleven Easy Lessons Using Excel and Its Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, Arthur E.

The primary market driver for improving process technology is innovation, which requires a skilled and educated workforce. However, many Materials Science and Engineering departments have eliminated extractive metallurgy and chemical thermodynamics from their curricula, yet these topics contain the necessary fundamentals for process innovation. As a result, most MS&E students are ill-prepared for careers in processing. The dearth of process-oriented MS&E curricula has prompted some Universities to develop a "shared" effort to offer distance education between multiple institutions [1]. A target audience for a shared process simulation course would not only benefit students, but also be a basis for an on-line course for practicing engineers faced with new or changing career choices. To fill the gap, the basics of a process simulation course was developed in an abbreviated form as series of eleven articles and Excel workbooks published in Industrial Heating magazine between July 2012 and July 2013.

The Effects of Cooperative and Individualistic Learning Structures on Achievement in a College-Level Computer-Aided Drafting Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swab, A. Geoffrey

2012-01-01

This study of cooperative learning in post-secondary engineering education investigated achievement of engineering students enrolled in two intact sections of a computer-aided drafting (CAD) course. Quasi-experimental and qualitative methods were employed in comparing student achievement resulting from out-of-class cooperative and individualistic…

Wind Turbine Optimization with WISDEM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dykes, Katherine L; Damiani, Rick R; Graf, Peter A

This presentation for the Fourth Wind Energy Systems Engineering Workshop explains the NREL wind energy systems engineering initiative-developed analysis platform and research capability to capture important system interactions to achieve a better understanding of how to improve system-level performance and achieve system-level cost reductions. Topics include Wind-Plant Integrated System Design and Engineering Model (WISDEM) and multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization.

The Effects of Individually Prescribed Instruction on Achievement, Self-Concept and Study Orientation Among Engineering Students Enrolled in English Composition at Oklahoma State University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minars, Edward J.

This study was concerned with a description of the Pre-Professional Individually Prescribed Instructional (PIPI) model introduced into the curriculum of the College of Engineering at Oklahoma State University and its relationship with achievement, self-concept, and study orientation among freshmen engineering students enrolled in Freshman English…

Surface modification of strontium-doped porous bioactive ceramic scaffolds via poly(DOPA) coating and immobilizing silk fibroin for excellent angiogenic and osteogenic properties.

PubMed

Wang, Xu; Gu, Zhipeng; Jiang, Bo; Li, Li; Yu, Xixun

2016-04-01

For bioceramic scaffolds employed in clinical applications, excellent bioactivity and tenacity were of great importance. Modifying inorganic SCPP scaffolds with biological macromolecules could obviously improve its bioactivity and eliminate its palpable brittleness. However, it was hard to execute directly due to extremely bad interfacial compatibility between them. In this research, dopamine (DOPA) was introduced onto strontium-doped calcium polyphosphate (SCPP) scaffolds, subsequently the preliminary material was successfully further modified by silk fibroin (SF). SCPP/D/SF possessed suitable biomechanical properties, ability to stimulate angiogenic factor secretion and excellent biocompatibility. Biomechanical examination demonstrated that SCPP/D/SF scaffolds yielded better compressive strength because of improved interfacial compatibility. MTT assay and CLSM observation showed that SCPP/D/SF scaffolds had good cytocompatibility and presented better inducing-cell-migration potential than pure SCPP scaffolds. Meanwhile, its ability to stimulate angiogenic factor secretion was measured through the ELISA assay and immunohistological analysis in vitro and in vivo respectively. The results revealed, superior to SCPP, SCPP/D/SF could effectively promote VEGF and bFGF expression, possibly leading to enhancing angiogenesis and osteogenesis. In a word, SCPP/D/SF could serve as a potential bone tissue engineering scaffold for comparable biomechanical properties and excellent bioactivity. It provided a novel idea for modification of inorganic materials to prepare promising bone tissue engineering scaffolds with the ability to accelerate bone regeneration and vascularization.

Crackle template based metallic mesh with highly homogeneous light transmission for high-performance transparent EMI shielding

PubMed Central

Han, Yu; Lin, Jie; Liu, Yuxuan; Fu, Hao; Ma, Yuan; Jin, Peng; Tan, Jiubin

2016-01-01

Our daily electromagnetic environment is becoming increasingly complex with the rapid development of consumer electronics and wireless communication technologies, which in turn necessitates the development of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, especially for transparent components. We engineered a transparent EMI shielding film with crack-template based metallic mesh (CT-MM) that shows highly homogeneous light transmission and strong microwave shielding efficacy. The CT-MM film is fabricated using a cost-effective lift-off method based on a crackle template. It achieves a shielding effectiveness of ~26 dB, optical transmittance of ~91% and negligible impact on optical imaging performance. Moreover, high–quality CT-MM film is demonstrated on a large–calibre spherical surface. These excellent properties of CT-MM film, together with its advantages of facile large-area fabrication and scalability in processing on multi-shaped substrates, make CT-MM a powerful technology for transparent EMI shielding in practical applications. PMID:27151578

Design and Performance Analysis of an Intrinsically Safe Ultrasonic Ranging Sensor

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hongjuan; Wang, Yu; Zhang, Xu; Wang, Dong; Jin, Baoquan

2016-01-01

In flammable or explosive environments, an ultrasonic sensor for distance measurement poses an important engineering safety challenge, because the driving circuit uses an intermediate frequency transformer as an impedance transformation element, in which the produced heat or spark is available for ignition. In this paper, an intrinsically safe ultrasonic ranging sensor is designed and implemented. The waterproof piezoelectric transducer with integrated transceiver is chosen as an energy transducing element. Then a novel transducer driving circuit is designed based on an impedance matching method considering safety spark parameters to replace an intermediate frequency transformer. Then, an energy limiting circuit is developed to achieve dual levels of over-voltage and over-current protection. The detail calculation and evaluation are executed and the electrical characteristics are analyzed to verify the intrinsic safety of the driving circuit. Finally, an experimental platform of the ultrasonic ranging sensor system is constructed, which involves short-circuit protection. Experimental results show that the proposed ultrasonic ranging sensor is excellent in both ranging performance and intrinsic safety. PMID:27304958

Molecular engineering of fracture energy dissipating sacrificial bonds into cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposites.

PubMed

McKee, Jason R; Huokuna, Johannes; Martikainen, Lahja; Karesoja, Mikko; Nykänen, Antti; Kontturi, Eero; Tenhu, Heikki; Ruokolainen, Janne; Ikkala, Olli

2014-05-12

Even though nanocomposites have provided a plethora of routes to increase stiffness and strength, achieving increased toughness with suppressed catastrophic crack growth has remained more challenging. Inspired by the concepts of mechanically excellent natural nanomaterials, one-component nanocomposites were fabricated involving reinforcing colloidal nanorod cores with polymeric grafts containing supramolecular binding units. The concept is based on mechanically strong native cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) grafted with glassy polymethacrylate polymers, with side chains that contain 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidone (UPy) pendant groups. The interdigitation of the grafts and the ensuing UPy hydrogen bonds bind the nanocomposite network together. Under stress, UPy groups act as sacrificial bonds: simultaneously providing adhesion between the CNCs while allowing them to first orient and then gradually slide past each other, thus dissipating fracture energy. We propose that this architecture involving supramolecular binding units within side chains of polymer grafts attached to colloidal reinforcements opens generic approaches for tough nanocomposites. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design and Performance Analysis of an Intrinsically Safe Ultrasonic Ranging Sensor.

PubMed

Zhang, Hongjuan; Wang, Yu; Zhang, Xu; Wang, Dong; Jin, Baoquan

2016-06-13

In flammable or explosive environments, an ultrasonic sensor for distance measurement poses an important engineering safety challenge, because the driving circuit uses an intermediate frequency transformer as an impedance transformation element, in which the produced heat or spark is available for ignition. In this paper, an intrinsically safe ultrasonic ranging sensor is designed and implemented. The waterproof piezoelectric transducer with integrated transceiver is chosen as an energy transducing element. Then a novel transducer driving circuit is designed based on an impedance matching method considering safety spark parameters to replace an intermediate frequency transformer. Then, an energy limiting circuit is developed to achieve dual levels of over-voltage and over-current protection. The detail calculation and evaluation are executed and the electrical characteristics are analyzed to verify the intrinsic safety of the driving circuit. Finally, an experimental platform of the ultrasonic ranging sensor system is constructed, which involves short-circuit protection. Experimental results show that the proposed ultrasonic ranging sensor is excellent in both ranging performance and intrinsic safety.

The impact of relative intensity noise on the signal in multiple reference optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuhaus, Kai; Subhash, Hrebesh; Alexandrov, Sergey; Dsouza, Roshan; Hogan, Josh; Wilson, Carol; Leahy, Martin; Slepneva, Svetlana; Huyet, Guillaume

2016-03-01

Multiple reference optical coherence tomography (MR-OCT) applies a unique low-cost solution to enhance the scanning depth of standard time domain OCT by inserting an partial mirror into the reference arm of the interferometric system. This novel approach achieves multiple reflections for different layers and depths of an sample with minimal effort of engineering and provides an excellent platform for low-cost OCT systems based on well understood production methods for micro-mechanical systems such as CD/DVD pick-up systems. The direct integration of a superluminescent light-emitting diode (SLED) is a preferable solution to reduce the form- factor of an MR-OCT system. Such direct integration exposes the light source to environmental conditions that can increase fluctuations in heat dissipation and vibrations and affect the noise characteristics of the output spectrum. This work describes the impact of relative intensity noise (RIN) on the quality of the interference signal of MR-OCT related to a variety of environmental conditions, such as temperature.

Micromagnetics of rare-earth efficient permanent magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischbacher, Johann; Kovacs, Alexander; Gusenbauer, Markus; Oezelt, Harald; Exl, Lukas; Bance, Simon; Schrefl, Thomas

2018-05-01

The development of permanent magnets containing less or no rare-earth elements is linked to profound knowledge of the coercivity mechanism. Prerequisites for a promising permanent magnet material are a high spontaneous magnetization and a sufficiently high magnetic anisotropy. In addition to the intrinsic magnetic properties the microstructure of the magnet plays a significant role in establishing coercivity. The influence of the microstructure on coercivity, remanence, and energy density product can be understood by using micromagnetic simulations. With advances in computer hardware and numerical methods, hysteresis curves of magnets can be computed quickly so that the simulations can readily provide guidance for the development of permanent magnets. The potential of rare-earth reduced and rare-earth free permanent magnets is investigated using micromagnetic simulations. The results show excellent hard magnetic properties can be achieved in grain boundary engineered NdFeB, rare-earth magnets with a ThMn12 structure, Co-based nano-wires, and L10-FeNi provided that the magnet’s microstructure is optimized.

Fast Adaptive Thermal Camouflage Based on Flexible VO₂/Graphene/CNT Thin Films.

PubMed

Xiao, Lin; Ma, He; Liu, Junku; Zhao, Wei; Jia, Yi; Zhao, Qiang; Liu, Kai; Wu, Yang; Wei, Yang; Fan, Shoushan; Jiang, Kaili

2015-12-09

Adaptive camouflage in thermal imaging, a form of cloaking technology capable of blending naturally into the surrounding environment, has been a great challenge in the past decades. Emissivity engineering for thermal camouflage is regarded as a more promising way compared to merely temperature controlling that has to dissipate a large amount of excessive heat. However, practical devices with an active modulation of emissivity have yet to be well explored. In this letter we demonstrate an active cloaking device capable of efficient thermal radiance control, which consists of a vanadium dioxide (VO2) layer, with a negative differential thermal emissivity, coated on a graphene/carbon nanotube (CNT) thin film. A slight joule heating drastically changes the emissivity of the device, achieving rapid switchable thermal camouflage with a low power consumption and excellent reliability. It is believed that this device will find wide applications not only in artificial systems for infrared camouflage or cloaking but also in energy-saving smart windows and thermo-optical modulators.

Ultrahigh Piezoelectric Properties in Textured (K,Na)NbO3 -Based Lead-Free Ceramics.

PubMed

Li, Peng; Zhai, Jiwei; Shen, Bo; Zhang, Shujun; Li, Xiaolong; Zhu, Fangyuan; Zhang, Xingmin

2018-02-01

High-performance lead-free piezoelectric materials are in great demand for next-generation electronic devices to meet the requirement of environmentally sustainable society. Here, ultrahigh piezoelectric properties with piezoelectric coefficients (d 33 ≈700 pC N -1 , d 33 * ≈980 pm V -1 ) and planar electromechanical coupling factor (k p ≈76%) are achieved in highly textured (K,Na)NbO 3 (KNN)-based ceramics. The excellent piezoelectric properties can be explained by the strong anisotropic feature, optimized engineered domain configuration in the textured ceramics, and facilitated polarization rotation induced by the intermediate phase. In addition, the nanodomain structures with decreased domain wall energy and increased domain wall mobility also contribute to the ultrahigh piezoelectric properties. This work not only demonstrates the tremendous potential of KNN-based ceramics to replace lead-based piezoelectrics but also provides a good strategy to design high-performance piezoelectrics by controlling appropriate phase and crystallographic orientation. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Cell membrane-inspired polymeric micelles as carriers for drug delivery.

PubMed

Liu, Gongyan; Luo, Quanqing; Gao, Haiqi; Chen, Yuan; Wei, Xing; Dai, Hong; Zhang, Zongcai; Ji, Jian

2015-03-01

In cancer therapy, surface engineering of drug delivery systems plays an essential role in their colloidal stability, biocompatibility and prolonged blood circulation. Inspired by the cell membrane consisting of phospholipids and glycolipids, a zwitterionic phosphorylcholine functionalized chitosan oligosaccharide (PC-CSO) was first synthesized to mimic the hydrophilic head groups of those amphipathic lipids. Then hydrophobic stearic acid (SA) similar to lipid fatty acids was grafted onto PC-CSO to form amphiphilic PC-CSO-SA copolymers. Cell membrane-mimetic micelles with a zwitterionic surface and a hydrophobic SA core were prepared by the self-assembly of PC-CSO-SA copolymers, showing excellent stability under extreme conditions including protein containing media, high salt content or a wide pH range. Doxorubicin (DOX) was successfully entrapped into polymeric micelles through the hydrophobic interaction between DOX and SA segments. After fast internalization by cancer cells, sustained drug release from micelles to the cytoplasm and nucleus was achieved. This result suggests that these biomimetic polymeric micelles may be promising drug delivery systems in cancer therapy.

Energy band engineering and controlled p-type conductivity of CuAlO2 thin films by nonisovalent Cu-O alloying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Z. Q.; He, B.; Zhang, L.; Zhuang, C. Q.; Ng, T. W.; Liu, S. L.; Vogel, M.; Kumar, A.; Zhang, W. J.; Lee, C. S.; Lee, S. T.; Jiang, X.

2012-02-01

The electronic band structure and p-type conductivity of CuAlO2 films were modified via synergistic effects of energy band offset and partial substitution of less-dispersive Cu+ 3d10 with Cu2+ 3d9 orbitals in the valence band maximum by alloying nonisovalent Cu-O with CuAlO2 host. The Cu-O/CuAlO2 alloying films show excellent electronic properties with tunable wide direct bandgaps (˜3.46-3.87 eV); Hall measurements verify the highest hole mobilities (˜11.3-39.5 cm2/Vs) achieved thus far for CuAlO2 thin films and crystals. Top-gate thin film transistors constructed on p-CuAlO2 films were presented, and the devices showed pronounced performance with Ion/Ioff of ˜8.0 × 102 and field effect mobility of 0.97 cm2/Vs.

Enhanced doping effect on tuning structural phases of monolayer antimony

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jizhang; Yang, Teng; Zhang, Zhidong; Yang, Li

2018-05-01

Doping is capable to control the atomistic structure, electronic structure, and even to dynamically realize a semiconductor-metal transition in two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). However, the high critical doping density (˜1014 electron/cm2), compound nature, and relatively low carrier mobility of TMDs limits broader applications. Using first-principles calculations, we predict that, via a small transition potential, a substantially lower hole doping density (˜6 × 1012 hole/cm2) can switch the ground-state structure of monolayer antimony from the hexagonal β-phase, a 2D semiconductor with excellent transport performance and air stability but an indirect bandgap, to the orthorhombic α phase with a direct bandgap and potentially better carrier mobility. We further show that this structural engineering can be achieved by the established electrostatic doping, surface functional adsorption, or directly using graphene substrate. This gives hope to dynamically tuning and large-scale production of 2D single-element semiconductors that simultaneously exhibit remarkable transport and optical performance.

An Optical Frequency Comb Tied to GPS for Laser Frequency/Wavelength Calibration

PubMed Central

Stone, Jack A.; Egan, Patrick

2010-01-01

Optical frequency combs can be employed over a broad spectral range to calibrate laser frequency or vacuum wavelength. This article describes procedures and techniques utilized in the Precision Engineering Division of NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) for comb-based calibration of laser wavelength, including a discussion of ancillary measurements such as determining the mode order. The underlying purpose of these calibrations is to provide traceable standards in support of length measurement. The relative uncertainty needed to fulfill this goal is typically 10−8 and never below 10−12, very modest requirements compared to the capabilities of comb-based frequency metrology. In this accuracy range the Global Positioning System (GPS) serves as an excellent frequency reference that can provide the traceable underpinning of the measurement. This article describes techniques that can be used to completely characterize measurement errors in a GPS-based comb system and thus achieve full confidence in measurement results. PMID:27134794

Developing Information Storage and Retrieval Systems on the Internet: A Knowledge Management Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

search engines to find information. Most commercial search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) provide their indexing and search services...at no cost. The DoD can achieve large gains at a small cost by making public documents available to search engines . This can be achieved through the...were organized on the website dodreports.com. The results of this research revealed improvement gains of 8-20% for finding reports through commercial search engines during the first six months of

Developing talent for operational excellence.

PubMed

Theadore, Jason C; O'Brien, Thaddeus J

2012-01-01

Many organizations have the expectation that their employees will prepare for their own professional development without much support or guidance. To achieve operational excellence, development of the people in an organization is just as important as the development of technologies and processes. Ohio Health Ambulatory Division in Columbus, OH created a plan to develop its people systematically in three distinct pillars: management development, staff engagement, and clinical excellence. Much was learned about talent development since work began on "The People Plan", perhaps the most critical lesson learned has been the importance of not giving up on the effort.

Development of Diesel Exhaust Aftertreatment System for Tier II Emissions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, R. C.; Cole, A. S., Stroia, B. J.; Huang, S. C.

2002-06-01

Due to their excellent fuel efficiency, reliability, and durability, compression ignition direct injection (CIDI) engines have been used extensively to power almost all highway trucks, urban buses, off-road vehicles, marine carriers, and industrial equipment. CIDI engines burn 35 to 50% less fuel than gasoline engines of comparable size, and they emit far less greenhouse gases (Carbon Dioxides), which have been implicated in global warming. Although the emissions of CIDI engines have been reduced significantly over the last decade, there remains concern with the Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) and Particulate Matter (PM) emission levels. In 2000, the US EPA proposed very stringentmore » emissions standards to be introduced in 2007 along with low sulfur (< 15ppm) diesel fuel. The California Air Resource Board (CARB) has also established the principle that future diesel fueled vehicles should meet the same emissions standards as gasoline fueled vehicles and the EPA followed suit with its Tier II emissions regulations. Meeting the Tier II standards requires NOX and PM emissions to be reduced dramatically. Achieving such low emissions while minimizing fuel economy penalty cannot be done through engine development and fuel reformulation alone, and requires application of NOX and PM aftertreatment control devices. A joint effort was made between Cummins Inc. and the Department of Energy to develop the generic aftertreatment subsystem technologies applicable for Light-Duty Vehicle (LDV) and Light-Duty Truck (LDT) engines. This paper provides an update on the progress of this joint development program. Three NOX reduction technologies including plasmaassisted catalytic NOX reduction (PACR), active lean NOX catalyst (LNC), and adsorber catalyst (AC) technology using intermittent rich conditions for NOX reduction were investigated in parallel in an attempt to select the best NOX control approach for light-duty aftertreatment subsystem integration and development. Investigations included system design and analysis, critical lab/engine experiments, and ranking then selection of NOX control technologies against reliability, up-front cost, fuel economy, service interval/serviceability, and size/weight. The results of the investigations indicate that the best NOX control approach for LDV and LDT applications is a NOX adsorber system. A greater than 83% NOX reduction efficiency is required to achieve 0.07g/mile NOX Tier II vehicle-out emissions. Both active lean NOX and PACR technology are currently not capable of achieving the high conversion efficiency required for Tier II, Bin 5 emissions standards. In this paper, the NOX technology assessment and selection is first reviewed and discussed. Development of the selected NOX technology (NOX adsorber) and PM control are then discussed in more detail. Discussion includes exhaust sulfur management, further adsorber formulation development, reductant screening, diesel particulate filter development & active regeneration, and preliminary test results on the selected integrated SOX trap, NOX adsorber, and diesel particulate filter system over an FTP-75 emissions cycle, and its impact on fuel economy. Finally, the direction of future work for continued advanced aftertreatment technology development is discussed. (SAE Paper SAE-2002-01-1867 © 2002 SAE International. This paper is published on this website with permission from SAE International. As a user of this website, you are permitted to view this paper on-line, download this pdf file and print one copy of this paper at no cost for your use only. The downloaded pdf file and printout of this SAE paper may not be copied, distributed or forwarded to others or for the use of others.)« less

Engineering and Scientific Applications: Using MatLab(Registered Trademark) for Data Processing and Visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sen, Syamal K.; Shaykhian, Gholam Ali

2011-01-01

MatLab(R) (MATrix LABoratory) is a numerical computation and simulation tool that is used by thousands Scientists and Engineers in many cou ntries. MatLab does purely numerical calculations, which can be used as a glorified calculator or interpreter programming language; its re al strength is in matrix manipulations. Computer algebra functionalities are achieved within the MatLab environment using "symbolic" toolbo x. This feature is similar to computer algebra programs, provided by Maple or Mathematica to calculate with mathematical equations using s ymbolic operations. MatLab in its interpreter programming language fo rm (command interface) is similar with well known programming languag es such as C/C++, support data structures and cell arrays to define c lasses in object oriented programming. As such, MatLab is equipped with most ofthe essential constructs of a higher programming language. M atLab is packaged with an editor and debugging functionality useful t o perform analysis of large MatLab programs and find errors. We belie ve there are many ways to approach real-world problems; prescribed methods to ensure foregoing solutions are incorporated in design and ana lysis of data processing and visualization can benefit engineers and scientist in gaining wider insight in actual implementation of their perspective experiments. This presentation will focus on data processing and visualizations aspects of engineering and scientific applicati ons. Specifically, it will discuss methods and techniques to perform intermediate-level data processing covering engineering and scientifi c problems. MatLab programming techniques including reading various data files formats to produce customized publication-quality graphics, importing engineering and/or scientific data, organizing data in tabu lar format, exporting data to be used by other software programs such as Microsoft Excel, data presentation and visualization will be discussed. The presentation will emphasize creating practIcal scripts (pro grams) that extend the basic features of MatLab TOPICS mclude (1) Ma trix and vector analysis and manipulations (2) Mathematical functions (3) Symbolic calculations & functions (4) Import/export data files (5) Program lOgic and flow control (6) Writing function and passing parameters (7) Test application programs

75 FR 48662 - Equity and Excellence Commission

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-11

... achieve equity in the distribution of educational resources and further student performance, especially for the students at the lower end of the achievement gap. The Commission will examine the disparities... good judgment. The Secretary will appoint members for the life of the Commission, which will span...

A Correlation Study among Achievement Motivation, Goal-Setting and L2 Learning Strategy in EFL Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Jing; Lu, Qingsheng

2018-01-01

Achievement motivation as one of the most important parts in learning motivation indicates a concern with success in competition with some standard of excellence. Learners who are highly motivated to learn a language are likely to use a variety of strategies. Besides achievement motivation, goal setting, a very important cognitive mediator between…

The Role of Collective Efficacy in Closing Student Achievement Gaps: A Mixed Methods Study of School Leadership for Excellence and Equity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goddard, Roger D.; Skrla, Linda; Salloum, Serena J.

2017-01-01

Previous research demonstrates that collective efficacy positively predicts students' academic achievement (e.g., Bandura, 1993; Goddard et al., 2000). However, unaddressed by the current literature is whether collective efficacy also works to reduce inequity by closing achievement gaps. To learn about the operation of collective efficacy, we…

R and E: Communications and Intelligent Systems Division (LC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emerson, Dawn C.; Miranda, Felix A.

2015-01-01

This presentation is intended for the Ohio Federal Research Network's Centers of Excellence. The presentation provides an overview of the Communications and Intelligent Systems Division including current research and engineering work as well as future technology needs.

Work zone lane closure analysis model.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-10-01

At the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), the tool used by traffic engineers to predict whether a queue will form at a freeway work zone is the Excel-based "Lane Rental Model" developed at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (OkDOT) ...

Urban Underrepresented Minority Students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math: An Analysis of the Differences between Developmental Assets and Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Jovan Grant

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the developmental assets and academic achievement of urban underrepresented minority male and female students in a specialized science, technology, engineering, and math program, and the developmental assets and academic achievement of urban underrepresented minority male and…

Craig Reynolds: Recognized for Excellence in Medicine | Poster

Cancer.gov

The Distinguished Alumni Award is one of the most prestigious awards at the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. This award recognizes influential alumni who have achieved excellence in the art and science of medicine. One of this year’s recipients is Craig Reynolds, Ph.D., associate director, NCI. When asked how he felt about receiving this

Attributes of School Leaders Towards Achieving Sustainable Leadership: A Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goolamally, Norlia; Ahmad, Jamil

2014-01-01

A principal plays a very important role in deciding the direction and success of a school. Whether a school is dynamic is dependent upon the skills and abilities of the principal. In order to be excellent, the principal must be in possession of an excellent character. Therefore, the selection and promotion of school principals should be conducted…

Excellence through Equity: Five Principles of Courageous Leadership to Guide Achievement for Every Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blankstein, Alan M., Ed.; Noguera, Pedro, Ed.; Kelly, Lorena, Ed.

2016-01-01

"Excellence Through Equity" is an inspiring look at how real-world educators are creating schools where all students are able to thrive. In these schools, educators understand that equity is not about treating all children the same. They are deeply committed to ensuring that each student receives what he or she individually needs to…

Three-Capital Approach to the Study of Young People Who Excel in Vocational Occupations: A Case of WorldSkills Competitors and Entrepreneurship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chankseliani, Maia; Relly, Susan James

2016-01-01

This paper examines the entrepreneurial inclinations of young people who achieved excellence in vocational occupations. We propose a three-capital approach to the study of entrepreneurship. Relying on the existing theories and original qualitative and quantitative data analyses, findings from interviews with 30 entrepreneurial and 10…

Dean's List: Eleven Habits of Highly Successful College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bader, John B.

2011-01-01

With a solid GPA, numerous extracurricular achievements, and an acceptance letter from an excellent college, it seems that all of your hard work in school has paid off. Now what? What can you expect from college life, and how can you get the most out of it? This book answers these questions to help you excel in college. Deans at America's top…

Middle Start Schools Striving for Excellence: Steadily Improving High-Poverty Schools in the Mid South Delta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Lea Williams

2006-01-01

As part of a national Middle Start initiative led by the Academy for Educational Development (AED), Mid South Middle Start is committed to working with high-poverty schools in the Mid South Delta region to build their capacity to foster students' academic excellence, support the development of young adolescents, and achieve social equity in…

Partners in Pittsburgh Public Schools' Excellence for All Initiative: Findings from the First Year of Implementation. Documented Briefing. DB-544-FFE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tharp-Taylor, Shannah; Nelson, Catherine Awsumb; Dembosky, Jacob W.; Gill, Brian

2007-01-01

The Pittsburgh Public School District asked the RAND Corporation to monitor the first year's implementation (2006-2007) of Excellence for All (EFA) and provide feedback to district staff, the board, and other stakeholders. The Pittsburgh Public School District leadership developed EFA with the aim of increasing student achievement by improving…

Tapping Into Water: Key Considerations for Achieving Excellence in School Drinking Water Access

PubMed Central

Hecht, Kenneth; Hampton, Karla E.; Grumbach, Jacob M.; Braff-Guajardo, Ellen; Brindis, Claire D.

2014-01-01

Objectives. We examined free drinking water access in schools. Methods. We conducted cross-sectional interviews with administrators from 240 California public schools from May to November 2011 to examine the proportion of schools that met excellent water access criteria (i.e., location, density, type, maintenance, and appeal of water sources), school-level characteristics associated with excellent water access, and barriers to improvements. Results. No schools met all criteria for excellent water access. High schools and middle schools had lower fountain:student ratios than elementary schools (odds ratio [OR] = 0.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.02, 0.20; OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.12, 0.70). Rural schools were more likely to offer a nonfountain water source than city schools (OR = 5.0; 95% CI = 1.74, 14.70). Newer schools were more likely to maintain water sources than older schools (OR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.97, 1.00). Schools that offered free water in food service areas increased from pre- to postimplementation of California’s school water policy (72%–83%; P < .048). Barriers to improving school water included cost of programs and other pressing concerns. Conclusions. Awareness of the benefits related to school drinking water provision and funding may help communities achieve excellence in drinking water access. PMID:24832141

Environmental Engineering in the Slovak Republic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevulova, N.; Balintova, M.; Zelenakova, M.; Estokova, A.; Vilcekova, S.

2017-10-01

The fundamental role of environmental engineering is to protect human population and environment from impacts of human activities and to ensure environmental quality. It relates to achieving the environmental sustainability goals through advanced technologies for pollutants removing from air, water and soil in order to minimize risk in ecosystem and ensuring favourable conditions for life of humans and organisms. Nowadays, a critical analysis of the environment quality and innovative approaches to problem solving in order to achieve sustainability in environmental engineering, are necessary. This article presents an overview of the quality of the environment and progress in environmental engineering in Slovakia and gives information regarding the environmental engineering education at Faculty of Civil Engineering at Technical University in Kosice.

A white paper: Operational efficiency. New approaches to future propulsion systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhodes, Russel; Wong, George

1991-01-01

Advanced launch systems for the next generation of space transportation systems (1995 to 2010) must deliver large payloads (125,000 to 500,000 lbs) to low earth orbit (LEO) at one tenth of today's cost, or 300 to 400 $/lb of payload. This cost represents an order of magnitude reduction from the Titan unmanned vehicle cost of delivering payload to orbit. To achieve this sizable reduction, the operations cost as well as the engine cost must both be lower than current engine system. The Advanced Launch System (ALS) is studying advanced engine designs, such as the Space Transportation Main Engine (STME), which has achieved notable reduction in cost. The results are presented of a current study wherein another level of cost reduction can be achieved by designing the propulsion module utilizing these advanced engines for enhanced operations efficiency and reduced operations cost.

A natural fit: home healthcare and biomedical engineering.

PubMed

Damasco, Nestor; Abe, Chris

2010-01-01

The involvement of Biomed in management of home care equipment has become a natural fit for Rady Children's Hospital. Managing all aspects of home care equipment through an in-house biomedical engineering department is cost-effective, efficient, provides excellent customer service, and enhances the relationship with the clinical staff and patients. It develops a sense of security for patients and staff that home care equipment is tested and maintained in a stringent manner that promotes safety.

Aerospace Ceramic Materials: Thermal, Environmental Barrier Coatings and SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites for Turbine Engine Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhu, Dongming

2018-01-01

Ceramic materials play increasingly important roles in aerospace applications because ceramics have unique properties, including high temperature capability, high stiffness and strengths, excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance. Ceramic materials also generally have lower densities as compared to metallic materials, making them excellent candidates for light-weight hot-section components of aircraft turbine engines, rocket exhaust nozzles, and thermal protection systems for space vehicles when they are being used for high-temperature and ultra-high temperature ceramics applications. Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), including non-oxide and oxide CMCs, are also recently being incorporated in gas turbine engines for high pressure and high temperature section components and exhaust nozzles. However, the complexity and variability of aerospace ceramic processing methods, compositions and microstructures, the relatively low fracture toughness of the ceramic materials, still remain the challenging factors for ceramic component design, validation, life prediction, and thus broader applications. This ceramic material section paper presents an overview of aerospace ceramic materials and their characteristics. A particular emphasis has been placed on high technology level (TRL) enabling ceramic systems, that is, turbine engine thermal and environmental barrier coating systems and non-oxide type SiC/SiC CMCs. The current status and future trend of thermal and environmental barrier coatings and SiC/SiC CMC development and applications are described.

Neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the conductive PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold for neural tissue engineering.

PubMed

Wang, Shuping; Guan, Shui; Xu, Jianqiang; Li, Wenfang; Ge, Dan; Sun, Changkai; Liu, Tianqing; Ma, Xuehu

2017-09-26

Engineering scaffolds with excellent electro-activity is increasingly important in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Herein, conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with hyaluronic acid (PEDOT-HA) nanoparticles were firstly synthesized via chemical oxidant polymerization. A three-dimensional (3D) PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold was then developed by introducing PEDOT-HA nanoparticles into a chitosan/gelatin (Cs/Gel) matrix. HA, as a bridge, not only was used as a dopant, but also combined PEDOT into the Cs/Gel via chemical crosslinking. The PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold was used as a conductive substrate for neural stem cell (NSC) culture in vitro. The results demonstrated that the PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold had excellent biocompatibility for NSC proliferation and differentiation. 3D confocal fluorescence images showed cells attached on the channel surface of Cs/Gel and PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffolds with a normal neuronal morphology. Compared to the Cs/Gel scaffold, the PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold not only promoted NSC proliferation with up-regulated expression of Ki67, but also enhanced NSC differentiation into neurons and astrocytes with up-regulated expression of β tubulin-III and GFAP, respectively. It is expected that this electro-active and bio-active PEDOT-HA/Cs/Gel scaffold will be used as a conductive platform to regulate NSC behavior for neural tissue engineering.

Graphing techniques for materials laboratory using Excel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kundu, Nikhil K.

1994-01-01

Engineering technology curricula stress hands on training and laboratory practices in most of the technical courses. Laboratory reports should include analytical as well as graphical evaluation of experimental data. Experience shows that many students neither have the mathematical background nor the expertise for graphing. This paper briefly describes the procedure and data obtained from a number of experiments such as spring rate, stress concentration, endurance limit, and column buckling for a variety of materials. Then with a brief introduction to Microsoft Excel the author explains the techniques used for linear regression and logarithmic graphing.

The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence: magnetic hyperthermia

PubMed Central

Baker, Ian; Fiering, Steve N; Griswold, Karl E; Hoopes, P Jack; Kekalo, Katerina; Ndong, Christian; Paulsen, Keith; Petryk, Alicea A; Pogue, Brian; Shubitidze, Fridon; Weaver, John

2015-01-01

The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence – one of nine funded by the National Cancer Institute as part of the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer – focuses on the use of magnetic nanoparticles for cancer diagnostics and hyperthermia therapy. It brings together a diverse team of engineers and biomedical researchers with expertise in nanomaterials, molecular targeting, advanced biomedical imaging and translational in vivo studies. The goal of successfully treating cancer is being approached by developing nanoparticles, conjugating them with Fabs, hyperthermia treatment, immunotherapy and sensing treatment response. PMID:26080693

Competences in demand within the Spanish agricultural engineering sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perdigones, Alicia; Valera, Diego Luis; Moreda, Guillermo Pedro; García, Jose Luis

2014-09-01

The Rural Engineering Department (Technical University of Madrid) ran three competence surveys during the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 academic years and evaluated: (1) the competences gained by agricultural engineer's degree and agricultural technical engineer's degree students (360 respondents); (2) the competences demanded by agricultural employers (50 farming sector employers); (3) competences required by farming sector professionals and former students (70 professionals). The surveys show significant differences between what competences agricultural employers require of graduates and the competences they acquire during their agricultural engineering degree courses. Recruiters are looking for generic competences such as the ability to coordinate groups and place less importance on knowledge of engineering, biology, applied economics and legislation. Of the computer-related competences, those most in demand by sector professionals were related to the use of Microsoft Office/Excel (used by 79% of professionals). Surveys were used to redesign some subjects of the degrees.

Biocatalysts: application and engineering for industrial purposes.

PubMed

Jemli, Sonia; Ayadi-Zouari, Dorra; Hlima, Hajer Ben; Bejar, Samir

2016-01-01

Enzymes are widely applied in various industrial applications and processes, including the food and beverage, animal feed, textile, detergent and medical industries. Enzymes screened from natural origins are often engineered before entering the market place because their native forms do not meet the requirements for industrial application. Protein engineering is concerned with the design and construction of novel enzymes with tailored functional properties, including stability, catalytic activity, reaction product inhibition and substrate specificity. Two broad approaches have been used for enzyme engineering, namely, rational design and directed evolution. The powerful and revolutionary techniques so far developed for protein engineering provide excellent opportunities for the design of industrial enzymes with specific properties and production of high-value products at lower production costs. The present review seeks to highlight the major fields of enzyme application and to provide an updated overview on previous protein engineering studies wherein natural enzymes were modified to meet the operational conditions required for industrial application.

Hybrid Neural-Network: Genetic Algorithm Technique for Aircraft Engine Performance Diagnostics Developed and Demonstrated

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kobayashi, Takahisa; Simon, Donald L.

2002-01-01

As part of the NASA Aviation Safety Program, a unique model-based diagnostics method that employs neural networks and genetic algorithms for aircraft engine performance diagnostics has been developed and demonstrated at the NASA Glenn Research Center against a nonlinear gas turbine engine model. Neural networks are applied to estimate the internal health condition of the engine, and genetic algorithms are used for sensor fault detection, isolation, and quantification. This hybrid architecture combines the excellent nonlinear estimation capabilities of neural networks with the capability to rank the likelihood of various faults given a specific sensor suite signature. The method requires a significantly smaller data training set than a neural network approach alone does, and it performs the combined engine health monitoring objectives of performance diagnostics and sensor fault detection and isolation in the presence of nominal and degraded engine health conditions.

A Governor's View of Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Otis R.

A governor's perspective on higher education suggests that government needs to assure itself that the activities it funds are effective in achieving their goals, that college management practices are efficient, that postsecondary education is equally accessible to all citizens, and that excellence in higher education is achieved. Additional issues…

Design, fabrication, and testing of a SMA hybrid composite jet engine chevron

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Travis L.; Cabell, Randolph H.; Cano, Roberto J.; Fleming, Gary A.

2006-01-01

Control of jet noise continues to be an important research topic. Exhaust nozzle chevrons have been shown to reduce jet noise, but parametric effects are not well understood. Additionally, thrust loss due to chevrons at cruise suggests significant benefit from deployable chevrons. The focus of this study is development of an active chevron concept for the primary purpose of parametric studies for jet noise reduction in the laboratory and technology development to leverage for full scale systems. The active chevron concept employed in this work consists of a laminated composite structure with embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators, termed a SMA hybrid composite (SMAHC). The actuators are embedded on one side of the middle surface such that thermal excitation generates a moment and deflects the structure. A brief description of the chevron design is given followed by details of the fabrication approach. Results from bench top tests are presented and correlated with numerical predictions from a model for such structures that was recently implemented in MSC.Nastran and ABAQUS. Excellent performance and agreement with predictions is demonstrated. Results from tests in a representative flow environment are also presented. Excellent performance is again achieved for both open- and closed-loop tests, the latter demonstrating control to a specified immersion into the flow. The actuation authority and immersion performance is shown to be relatively insensitive to nozzle pressure ratio (NPR). Very repeatable immersion control with modest power requirements is demonstrated.

Gender and Achievement-Related Beliefs among Engineering Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heyman, Gail D.; Martyna, Bryn; Bhatia, Sangeeta

Achievement-related beliefs were examined among a group of 238 college students in engineering (38 female, 104 male) and nonengineering majors (57 female, 39 male) to understand why women enter engineering majors at a low rate and are more likely than men to leave such majors. The results indicated that (a) among the engineering majors, women were more likely than men to identify engineering aptitude as a fixed ability, a belief that was associated with a tendency to drop classes when faced with difficulty; (b) female engineering majors were more likely to perceive male and female engineering students as receiving different treatment than their male counterparts; and (c) female engineering majors tended to place more emphasis on extrinsic factors and less emphasis on intrinsic factors than female nonengineering majors, a pattern not seen among men. Implications for intervention programs are discussed.

Experimental Study of a Pulse Detonation Engine Driven Ejector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santoro, Robert J.; Pal, Sibtosh; Shehadeh, R.; Saretto, S.; Lee, S.-Y.

2005-01-01

Results of an experimental effort on pulse detonation driven ejectors are presented and discussed. The experiments were conducted using a pulse detonation engine (PDE)/ejector setup that was specifically designed for the study. The results of various experiments designed to probe different aspects of the PDE/ejector setup are reported. The baseline PDE was operated using ethylene (C2H4) as the fuel and an oxygen/nitrogen (O2 + N2) mixture at an equivalence ratio of one. The PDE only experiments included propellant mixture characterization using a laser absorption technique, high fidelity thrust measurements using an integrated spring-damper system, and shadowgraph imaging of the detonation/shock wave structure emanating from the tube. The baseline PDE thrust measurement results are in excellent agreement with experimental and modeling results reported in the literature. These PDE setup results were then used as a basis for quantifying thrust augmentation for various PDE/ejector setups with constant diameter ejector tubes and various detonation tube/ejector tube overlap distances. The results show that for the geometries studied here, a maximum thrust augmentation of 24% is achieved. Further increases are possible by tailoring the ejector geometry based on CFD predictions conducted elsewhere. The thrust augmentation results are complemented by shadowgraph imaging of the flowfield in the ejector tube inlet area and high frequency pressure transducer measurements along the length of the ejector tube.

The Grinnell Science Project: Results of Over Two Decades of Reform Aimed at Inclusion in Science and Mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahlab, Minna; Grinnell Science Project Team--Grinnell College

2015-01-01

The Grinnell Science Project (GSP) is a program that was developed starting in the early 1990's at Grinnell College -- a selective liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa. The GSP program is committed to developing the talents of all students interested in science and mathematics, especially those from groups underrepresented in the sciences -- students of color, first-generation college students, and women in physics, mathematics and computer science. The program developed over several years, drawing on national studies and efforts, and aimed at addressing barriers to success in the sciences. It has involved curricular and mentoring changes, activities and structures that foster acclimation to college life and a community of scientists, and improvement of student achievement. Prior to the full implementation of the Grinnell Science Project, from 1992-1994, an average of 42 science majors graduated annually who were women and eight who were students of color. By 2008, those numbers had jumped to 90 women (a 114% increase) and 21 students of color (a 162.5% increase). In 2009, the GSP was honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, administered by the National Science Foundation. Components of the GSP are now mainstream throughout the science curriculum at Grinnell, and almost all science and math faculty have played some role in the program.

Achieving environmental excellence through a multidisciplinary grassroots movement.

PubMed

Herechuk, Bryan; Gosse, Carolyn; Woods, John N

2010-01-01

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) supports a grassroots green team, called Environmental Vision and Action (EVA). Since the creation of EVA, a healthy balance between corporate projects led by corporate leaders and grassroots initiatives led by informal leaders has resulted in many successful environmental initiatives. Over a relatively short period of time, environmental successes at SJHH have included waste diversion programs, energy efficiency and reduction initiatives, alternative commuting programs, green purchasing practices, clinical and pharmacy greening and increased staff engagement and awareness. Knowledge of social movements theory helped EVA leaders to understand the internal processes of a grassroots movement and helped to guide it. Social movements theory may also have broader applicability in health care by understanding the passionate engagement that people bring to a common cause and how to evolve sources of opposition into engines for positive change. After early successes, as the limitations of a grassroots movement began to surface, the EVA team revived the concept of evolving the grassroots green program into a corporate program for environmental stewardship. It is hard to quantify the importance of allowing our staff, physicians, volunteers and patients to engage in changes that they feel passionately about. However, at SJHH, the transformation of a group of people unsatisfied with the organization's environmental performance into an 'engine for change' has led to a rapid improvement in environmental stewardship at SJHH that is now regarded as a success.

The design and fabrication of supramolecular semiconductor nanowires formed by benzothienobenzothiophene (BTBT)-conjugated peptides.

PubMed

Khalily, Mohammad Aref; Usta, Hakan; Ozdemir, Mehmet; Bakan, Gokhan; Dikecoglu, F Begum; Edwards-Gayle, Charlotte; Hutchinson, Jessica A; Hamley, Ian W; Dana, Aykutlu; Guler, Mustafa O

2018-05-31

π-Conjugated small molecules based on a [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene (BTBT) unit are of great research interest in the development of solution-processable semiconducting materials owing to their excellent charge-transport characteristics. However, the BTBT π-core has yet to be demonstrated in the form of electro-active one-dimensional (1D) nanowires that are self-assembled in aqueous media for potential use in bioelectronics and tissue engineering. Here we report the design, synthesis, and self-assembly of benzothienobenzothiophene (BTBT)-peptide conjugates, the BTBT-peptide (BTBT-C3-COHN-Ahx-VVAGKK-Am) and the C8-BTBT-peptide (C8-BTBT-C3-COHN-Ahx-VVAGKK-Am), as β-sheet forming amphiphilic molecules, which self-assemble into highly uniform nanofibers in water with diameters of 11-13(±1) nm and micron-size lengths. Spectroscopic characterization studies demonstrate the J-type π-π interactions among the BTBT molecules within the hydrophobic core of the self-assembled nanofibers yielding an electrical conductivity as high as 6.0 × 10-6 S cm-1. The BTBT π-core is demonstrated, for the first time, in the formation of self-assembled peptide 1D nanostructures in aqueous media for potential use in tissue engineering, bioelectronics and (opto)electronics. The conductivity achieved here is one of the highest reported to date in a non-doped state.

Strain and defect engineering on phase transition of monolayer black phosphorene

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Yan; Shi, Xiaoyang; Li, Mingjia

Under biaxial strain, SW-2 defect can move inward the phase boundary of α-P and β-P remarkably and promote the phase transition from α-P to β-P, serving as an excellent ‘phase transition catalyzer’.

Strain and defect engineering on phase transition of monolayer black phosphorene

DOE PAGES

Chen, Yan; Shi, Xiaoyang; Li, Mingjia; ...

2018-01-01

Under biaxial strain, SW-2 defect can move inward the phase boundary of α-P and β-P remarkably and promote the phase transition from α-P to β-P, serving as an excellent ‘phase transition catalyzer’.

Graphene-based materials for tissue engineering.

PubMed

Shin, Su Ryon; Li, Yi-Chen; Jang, Hae Lin; Khoshakhlagh, Parastoo; Akbari, Mohsen; Nasajpour, Amir; Zhang, Yu Shrike; Tamayol, Ali; Khademhosseini, Ali

2016-10-01

Graphene and its chemical derivatives have been a pivotal new class of nanomaterials and a model system for quantum behavior. The material's excellent electrical conductivity, biocompatibility, surface area and thermal properties are of much interest to the scientific community. Two-dimensional graphene materials have been widely used in various biomedical research areas such as bioelectronics, imaging, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. In this review, we will highlight the recent applications of graphene-based materials in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In particular, we will discuss the application of graphene-based materials in cardiac, neural, bone, cartilage, skeletal muscle, and skin/adipose tissue engineering. We will also discuss the potential risk factors of graphene-based materials in tissue engineering. In conclusion, we will outline the opportunities in the usage of graphene-based materials for clinical applications. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Structural Performance’s Optimally Analysing and Implementing Based on ANSYS Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Na; Wang, Xuquan; Yue, Haifang; Sun, Jiandong; Wu, Yongchun

2017-06-01

Computer-aided Engineering (CAE) is a hotspot both in academic field and in modern engineering practice. Analysis System(ANSYS) simulation software for its excellent performance become outstanding one in CAE family, it is committed to the innovation of engineering simulation to help users to shorten the design process, improve product innovation and performance. Aimed to explore a structural performance’s optimally analyzing model for engineering enterprises, this paper introduced CAE and its development, analyzed the necessity for structural optimal analysis as well as the framework of structural optimal analysis on ANSYS Technology, used ANSYS to implement a reinforced concrete slab structural performance’s optimal analysis, which was display the chart of displacement vector and the chart of stress intensity. Finally, this paper compared ANSYS software simulation results with the measured results,expounded that ANSYS is indispensable engineering calculation tools.

UCSD's Institute of Engineering in Medicine: fostering collaboration through research and education.

PubMed

Chien, Shu

2012-07-01

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) was established in 1961 as a new research university that emphasizes innovation, excellence, and interdisciplinary research and education. It has a School of Medicine (SOM) and the Jacobs School of Engineering (JSOE) in close proximity, and both schools have national rankings among the top 15. In 1991, with the support of the Whitaker Foundation, the Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering was formed to foster collaborations in research and education. In 2008, the university extended the collaboration further by establishing the Institute of Engineering in Medicine (IEM), with the mission of accelerating the discoveries of novel science and technology to enhance health care through teamwork between engineering and medicine, and facilitating the translation of innovative technologies for delivery to the public through clinical application and commercialization.

Defining the culture of your practice.

PubMed

Weinstock, Donna

2014-01-01

Your practice should want patients to understand and appreciate its uniqueness and beliefs. Simply stated, the culture of your practice is the excellent care you provide and how your practice is able to achieve that excellence. Defining and sharing your culture will encourage patients to choose your practice for their healthcare. Monitoring and continually updating your definition of "culture" will help your practice thrive and maintain high standards.

Living excellence: life after Magnet designation.

PubMed

Malloch, Kathy

2009-01-01

The achievement of Magnet recognition is the beginning of a new way of being as an organization. Strategies to support innovation leadership, value-based decision making, agility, sustainability of excellence, technology advancements, and lifelong learning are discussed within the framework of the Magnet organization. Behaviors and challenges of living the expectations of the Magnet organization are presented as opportunities to assist healthcare leaders in this important work.

Broadway High School: Moving Ahead in Math. Onward to Excellence II: Committing to CHANGE with OTE II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR. School Improvement Program.

This document describes the school reform movement at Broadway High School in rural Virginia which has led to great success in mathematics achievement as proven by the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. The Onward to Excellence II model provided a way for the faculty to focus on math, especially Algebra I, and to involve the entire school…

Higher Education Counts: Achieving Results. 2007 Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connecticut Department of Higher Education (NJ1), 2007

2007-01-01

"Higher Education Counts" is the annual accountability report on Connecticut's system of higher education. Since 2000, the report has been the primary vehicle for reporting higher education's progress toward achieving six, statutorily-defined state goals: (1) To enhance student learning and promote academic excellence; (2) To join with…

Higher Education Counts: Achieving Results, 2008. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connecticut Department of Higher Education (NJ1), 2008

2008-01-01

"Higher Education Counts" is the annual accountability report on Connecticut's system of higher education. Since 2000, the report has been the primary vehicle for reporting higher education's progress toward achieving six, statutorily-defined state goals: (1) To enhance student learning and promote academic excellence; (2) To join with…

Higher Education Counts: Achieving Results. 2009 Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connecticut Department of Higher Education (NJ1), 2009

2009-01-01

"Higher Education Counts" is the annual accountability report on Connecticut's system of higher education. Since 2000, the report has been the primary vehicle for reporting higher education's progress toward achieving six, statutorily-defined state goals: (1) To enhance student learning and promote academic excellence; (2) To join with…

Iranian Special Library Standards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, John F.

The purposes of these standards are: (1) to suggest the steps necessary for the establishment of special libraries; (2) for those recently established, to suggest the steps necessary to achieve satisfactory performance levels in all areas, and finally, (3) for well established libraries, to suggest the steps necessary to achieve excellence. These…

High Brightness OLED Lighting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spindler, Jeffrey; Kondakova, Marina; Boroson, Michael

2016-05-25

In this work we describe the technology developments behind our current and future generations of high brightness OLED lighting panels. We have developed white and amber OLEDs with excellent performance based on the stacking approach. Current products achieve 40-60 lm/W, while future developments focus on achieving 80 lm/W or higher.

Stereoscopic construction and practice of optoelectronic technology textbook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Zigang; Zhang, Jinlong; Wang, Huili; Yang, Yongjia; Han, Yanling

2017-08-01

It is a professional degree course textbook for the Nation-class Specialty—Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering, and it is also an engineering practice textbook for the cultivation of photoelectric excellent engineers. The book seeks to comprehensively introduce the theoretical and applied basis of optoelectronic technology, and it's closely linked to the current development of optoelectronic industry frontier and made up of following core contents, including the laser source, the light's transmission, modulation, detection, imaging and display. At the same time, it also embodies the features of the source of laser, the transmission of the waveguide, the electronic means and the optical processing methods.

Patients with History of Colonoscopy Are Less Likely to Achieve High Quality Preparation After Implementing Split-Dose Bowel Preparation.

PubMed

Madhoun, M F; Bitar, H; Parava, P; Bashir, M H; Zia, H

2017-01-01

Anecdotally, we observed that patients who had previous colonoscopies were less likely to follow newly implemented split-dose bowel preparation (SDBP) instructions. We investigated whether the indication for colonoscopy is an independent factor for achieving high quality bowel preparation among patients asked to follow SDBP. We performed a retrospective study of data from 1478 patients who received outpatient colonoscopies in 2014 (the year of SDBP implementation) at our Veterans Affairs Medical Center. We collected information related to demographics and factors known to affect bowel preparations. Reasons for colonoscopy were dichotomized into surveillance (previous colonoscopy) vs. non-surveillance (positive occult blood test or screening). Bowel preparation quality was scored using the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS), and was categorized as either excellent vs. not excellent (BBPS≥7 vs. BBPS<7), or adequate vs. inadequate (BBPS≥6 vs. BBPS<6). Bowel preparation quality was excellent in 60% of colonoscopies and adequate in 84% of colonoscopies. Thirty-six percent (535) were surveillance colonoscopies. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, more patients in the non-surveillance group achieved excellent (OR 0.8 ; 95% CI [0.7-0.8], P <0.0001) and adequate (OR 0.8 ; 95% CI [0.7-0.9], P <0.006) bowel preparation than did patients in the surveillance group. Patients with a prior colonoscopy might not follow the split-dose bowel preparation instructions. Educational interventions emphasizing the benefits of SDBP in this group of patients may help ensure compliance and prevent the habitual use of day-before preparations. © Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica.

Database Deposit Service through JOIS : JAFIC File on Food Industry and Osaka Urban Engineering File

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kataoka, Akihiro

JICST has launched the database deposit service for the excellent quality in small-and medium size, both of which have no dissemination network. JAFIC File on Food Industry produced by the Japan Food Industry Center and Osaka Urban Engineering File by Osaka City have been in service by JOIS since March 2, 1987. In this paper the outline of the above databases is introduced in focussing on the items covered and retrieved by JOIS.

Celebrating a history of excellence : the Federal Aviation Administration and Space Education Outreach Program.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

Building on 75 years of experience, the FAAs : aviation and space education outreach : program is earning an A+ for encouraging elementary, : secondary, and even college students to study math, : science, technology, engineering, and a host of : o...

Utilizing New Audiovisual Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Glen

1975-01-01

The University of Arizona's Agriculture Department has found that video cassette systems and 8 mm films are excellent audiovisual aids to classroom instruction at the high school level in small gasoline engines. Each system is capable of improving the instructional process for motor skill development. (MW)

Engineering Protein Hydrogels Using SpyCatcher-SpyTag Chemistry.

PubMed

Gao, Xiaoye; Fang, Jie; Xue, Bin; Fu, Linglan; Li, Hongbin

2016-09-12

Constructing hydrogels from engineered proteins has attracted significant attention within the material sciences, owing to their myriad potential applications in biomedical engineering. Developing efficient methods to cross-link tailored protein building blocks into hydrogels with desirable mechanical, physical, and functional properties is of paramount importance. By making use of the recently developed SpyCatcher-SpyTag chemistry, we successfully engineered protein hydrogels on the basis of engineered tandem modular elastomeric proteins. Our resultant protein hydrogels are soft but stable, and show excellent biocompatibility. As the first step, we tested the use of these hydrogels as a drug carrier, as well as in encapsulating human lung fibroblast cells. Our results demonstrate the robustness of the SpyCatcher-SpyTag chemistry, even when the SpyTag (or SpyCatcher) is flanked by folded globular domains. These results demonstrate that SpyCatcher-SpyTag chemistry can be used to engineer protein hydrogels from tandem modular elastomeric proteins that can find applications in tissue engineering, in fundamental mechano-biological studies, and as a controlled drug release vehicle.

Using Internet search engines to estimate word frequency.

PubMed

Blair, Irene V; Urland, Geoffrey R; Ma, Jennifer E

2002-05-01

The present research investigated Internet search engines as a rapid, cost-effective alternative for estimating word frequencies. Frequency estimates for 382 words were obtained and compared across four methods: (1) Internet search engines, (2) the Kucera and Francis (1967) analysis of a traditional linguistic corpus, (3) the CELEX English linguistic database (Baayen, Piepenbrock, & Gulikers, 1995), and (4) participant ratings of familiarity. The results showed that Internet search engines produced frequency estimates that were highly consistent with those reported by Kucera and Francis and those calculated from CELEX, highly consistent across search engines, and very reliable over a 6-month period of time. Additional results suggested that Internet search engines are an excellent option when traditional word frequency analyses do not contain the necessary data (e.g., estimates for forenames and slang). In contrast, participants' familiarity judgments did not correspond well with the more objective estimates of word frequency. Researchers are advised to use search engines with large databases (e.g., AltaVista) to ensure the greatest representativeness of the frequency estimates.

Complex systems in metabolic engineering.

PubMed

Winkler, James D; Erickson, Keesha; Choudhury, Alaksh; Halweg-Edwards, Andrea L; Gill, Ryan T

2015-12-01

Metabolic engineers manipulate intricate biological networks to build efficient biological machines. The inherent complexity of this task, derived from the extensive and often unknown interconnectivity between and within these networks, often prevents researchers from achieving desired performance. Other fields have developed methods to tackle the issue of complexity for their unique subset of engineering problems, but to date, there has not been extensive and comprehensive examination of how metabolic engineers use existing tools to ameliorate this effect on their own research projects. In this review, we examine how complexity affects engineering at the protein, pathway, and genome levels within an organism, and the tools for handling these issues to achieve high-performing strain designs. Quantitative complexity metrics and their applications to metabolic engineering versus traditional engineering fields are also discussed. We conclude by predicting how metabolic engineering practices may advance in light of an explicit consideration of design complexity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

14 CFR 25.149 - Minimum control speed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... (7) If applicable, the propeller of the inoperative engine— (i) Windmilling; (ii) In the most..., the propeller of the inoperative engine in the position it achieves without pilot action, assuming the... propeller of the more critical inoperative engine in the position it achieves without pilot action, assuming...

14 CFR 25.149 - Minimum control speed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... (7) If applicable, the propeller of the inoperative engine— (i) Windmilling; (ii) In the most..., the propeller of the inoperative engine in the position it achieves without pilot action, assuming the... propeller of the more critical inoperative engine in the position it achieves without pilot action, assuming...

14 CFR 25.149 - Minimum control speed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... (7) If applicable, the propeller of the inoperative engine— (i) Windmilling; (ii) In the most..., the propeller of the inoperative engine in the position it achieves without pilot action, assuming the... propeller of the more critical inoperative engine in the position it achieves without pilot action, assuming...

The Effectiveness of Contextual Learning on Physics Achievement in Career Technical Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arcand, Scott Andrew

The purpose of this casual-comparative study was to determine if students being taught the Minnesota Science Physics Standards via contextual learning methods in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Principles of Engineering or the PLTW Aerospace Engineering courses, taught by a Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher, achieve at the same rate as students in a physics course taught by a science teacher. The PLTW courses only cover the standards taught in the first trimester of physics. The PLTW courses are two periods long for one trimester. Students who successfully pass the PLTW Principles of Engineering course or the PLTW Engineering Aerospace course earn one-half credit in physics and one-half elective credit. The instrument used to measure student achievement was the district common summative assessment for physics. The Common Summative Assessment scores were pulled from the data warehouse from the first trimester of the 2013-2014 school year. Implications of the research address concepts of contextual learning especially in the Career Technical Education space. The mean score for Physics students (30.916) and PLTW Principles of Engineering students (32.333) was not statistically significantly different. Students in PLTW Principles of Engineering achieved at the same rate as students in physics. Due to the low rate of students participating in the Common Summative Assessment in PTLW Aerospace (four out of seven students), there is not enough data to determine if there is a significant difference in the Physics A scores and PLTW Aerospace Engineering scores.

Results of the pollution reduction technology program for turboprop engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mularz, E. J.

1976-01-01

A program was performed to evolve and demonstrate advanced combustor technology aimed at achieving the 1979 EPA standards for turboprop engines (Class P2). The engine selected for this program was the 501-D22A turboprop. Three combustor concepts were designed and tested in a combustor rig at the exact combustor operating conditions of the 50-D22A engine over the EPA landing-takeoff cycle. Each combustor concept exhibited pollutant emissions well below the EPA standards, achieving substantial reductions in unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and smoke emissions compared with emissions from the production combustor of this engine. Oxides of nitrogen emissions remained well below the EPA standards, also.

ZnO Quantum Dot Decorated Zn2SnO4 Nanowire Heterojunction Photodetectors with Drastic Performance Enhancement and Flexible Ultraviolet Image Sensors.

PubMed

Li, Ludong; Gu, Leilei; Lou, Zheng; Fan, Zhiyong; Shen, Guozhen

2017-04-25

Here we report the fabrication of high-performance ultraviolet photodetectors based on a heterojunction device structure in which ZnO quantum dots were used to decorate Zn 2 SnO 4 nanowires. Systematic investigations have shown their ultrahigh light-to-dark current ratio (up to 6.8 × 10 4 ), specific detectivity (up to 9.0 × 10 17 Jones), photoconductive gain (up to 1.1 × 10 7 ), fast response, and excellent stability. Compared with a pristine Zn 2 SnO 4 nanowire, a quantum dot decorated nanowire demonstrated about 10 times higher photocurrent and responsivity. Device physics modeling showed that their high performance originates from the rational energy band engineering, which allows efficient separation of electron-hole pairs at the interfaces between ZnO quantum dots and a Zn 2 SnO 4 nanowire. As a result of band engineering, holes migrate to ZnO quantum dots, which increases electron concentration and lifetime in the nanowire conduction channel, leading to significantly improved photoresponse. The enhancement mechanism found in this work can also be used to guide the design of high-performance photodetectors based on other nanomaterials. Furthermore, flexible ultraviolet photodetectors were fabricated and integrated into a 10 × 10 device array, which constitutes a high-performance flexible ultraviolet image sensor. These intriguing results suggest that the band alignment engineering on nanowires can be rationally achieved using compound semiconductor quantum dots. This can lead to largely improved device performance. Particularly for ZnO quantum dot decorated Zn 2 SnO 4 nanowires, these decorated nanowires may find broad applications in future flexible and wearable electronics.

Unprecedented Al supersaturation in single-phase rock salt structure VAlN films by Al+ subplantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greczynski, G.; Mráz, S.; Hans, M.; Primetzhofer, D.; Lu, J.; Hultman, L.; Schneider, J. M.

2017-05-01

Modern applications of refractory ceramic thin films, predominantly as wear-protective coatings on cutting tools and on components utilized in automotive engines, require a combination of excellent mechanical properties, thermal stability, and oxidation resistance. Conventional design approaches for transition metal nitride coatings with improved thermal and chemical stability are based on alloying with Al. It is well known that the solubility of Al in NaCl-structure transition metal nitrides is limited. Hence, the great challenge is to increase the Al concentration substantially while avoiding precipitation of the thermodynamically favored wurtzite-AlN phase, which is detrimental to mechanical properties. Here, we use VAlN as a model system to illustrate a new concept for the synthesis of metastable single-phase NaCl-structure thin films with the Al content far beyond solubility limits obtained with conventional plasma processes. This supersaturation is achieved by separating the film-forming species in time and energy domains through synchronization of the 70-μs-long pulsed substrate bias with intense periodic fluxes of energetic Al+ metal ions during reactive hybrid high power impulse magnetron sputtering of the Al target and direct current magnetron sputtering of the V target in the Ar/N2 gas mixture. Hereby, Al is subplanted into the cubic VN grains formed by the continuous flux of low-energy V neutrals. We show that Al subplantation enables an unprecedented 42% increase in metastable Al solubility limit in V1-xAlxN, from x = 0.52 obtained with the conventional method to 0.75. The elastic modulus is 325 ± 5 GPa, in excellent agreement with density functional theory calculations, and approximately 50% higher than for corresponding films grown by dc magnetron sputtering. The extension of the presented strategy to other Al-ion-assisted vapor deposition methods or materials systems is straightforward, which opens up the way for producing supersaturated single-phase functional ceramic alloy thin films combining excellent mechanical properties with high oxidation resistance.

Nonlinear Control of a Reusable Rocket Engine for Life Extension

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lorenzo, Carl F.; Holmes, Michael S.; Ray, Asok

1998-01-01

This paper presents the conceptual development of a life-extending control system where the objective is to achieve high performance and structural durability of the plant. A life-extending controller is designed for a reusable rocket engine via damage mitigation in both the fuel (H2) and oxidizer (O2) turbines while achieving high performance for transient responses of the combustion chamber pressure and the O2/H2 mixture ratio. The design procedure makes use of a combination of linear and nonlinear controller synthesis techniques and also allows adaptation of the life-extending controller module to augment a conventional performance controller of the rocket engine. The nonlinear aspect of the design is achieved using non-linear parameter optimization of a prescribed control structure. Fatigue damage in fuel and oxidizer turbine blades is primarily caused by stress cycling during start-up, shutdown, and transient operations of a rocket engine. Fatigue damage in the turbine blades is one of the most serious causes for engine failure.

Ultraviolet, Infrared, and High-Low Energy Photodissociation of Post-Translationally Modified Peptides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halim, Mohammad A.; MacAleese, Luke; Lemoine, Jérôme; Antoine, Rodolphe; Dugourd, Philippe; Girod, Marion

2018-02-01

Mass spectrometry-based methods have made significant progress in characterizing post-translational modifications in peptides and proteins; however, certain aspects regarding fragmentation methods must still be improved. A good technique is expected to provide excellent sequence information, locate PTM sites, and retain the labile PTM groups. To address these issues, we investigate 10.6 μm IRMPD, 213 nm UVPD, and combined UV and IR photodissociation, known as HiLoPD (high-low photodissociation), for phospho-, sulfo-, and glyco-peptide cations. IRMPD shows excellent backbone fragmentation and produces equal numbers of N- and C-terminal ions. The results reveal that 213 nm UVPD and HiLoPD methods can provide diverse backbone fragmentation producing a/x, b/y, and c/z ions with excellent sequence coverage, locate PTM sites, and offer reasonable retention efficiency for phospho- and glyco-peptides. Excellent sequence coverage is achieved for sulfo-peptides and the position of the SO3 group can be pinpointed; however, widespread SO3 losses are detected irrespective of the methods used herein. Based on the overall performance achieved, we believe that 213 nm UVPD and HiLoPD can serve as alternative options to collision activation and electron transfer dissociations for phospho- and glyco-proteomics.

Ignite Zeal for STEM Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morales, Hector

2010-01-01

Incorporating business skills such as problem-solving, public presentations, collaboration, and self-direction into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects is an excellent way to build students' enthusiasm for these disciplines. When educators add workplace internships to the learning experience, they are well on their way…

Starting a Robotics Program in Your County

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Habib, Maria A.

2012-01-01

The current mission mandates of the National 4-H Headquarters are Citizenship, Healthy Living, and Science. Robotics programs are excellent in fulfilling the Science mandate. Robotics engages students in STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology, and Mathematics) fields by providing interactive, hands-on, minds-on, cross-disciplinary learning…

Technology Education Teacher Supply and Demand--A Critical Situation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moye, Johnny J.

2009-01-01

Technology education is an excellent format to integrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) studies by employing problem-based learning activities. However, the benefits of technology education are still generally "misunderstood by the public." The effects of technology education on increased student mathematics…

Post Flight Analysis Of SHEFEX I: Shock Tunnel Testing And Related CFD Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, Jan Martinez; Barth, Tarik; Wagner, Alexander; Hannemann, Klaus

2011-05-01

The SHarp Edge Flight EXperiment (SHEFEX) program of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is primarily focused on the investigation of the potential to utilise improved shapes for space vehicles by considering sharp edges and facetted surfaces. One goal is to set up a sky based test facility to gain knowledge of the physics of hypersonic flow, complemented by numerical analysis and ground based testing. Further, the series of SHEFEX flight experiments is an excellent test bed for new technological concepts and flight instrumentation, and it is a source of motivation for young scientist and engineers providing an excellent school for future space-program engineers and managers. After the successful first SHEFEX flight in October 2005, a second flight is scheduled for September 2011 and additional flights are planned for 2015 ff. With the SHEFEX-I flight and the subsequent numerical and experimental post flight analysis, DLR could for the first time close the loop between the three major disciplines of aerothermodynamic research namely CFD, ground based testing and flight.

Tinkering and Technical Self-Efficacy of Engineering Students at the Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Dale R.; Wood, Lorelei; Corkins, James; Krause, Stephen

2015-01-01

Self-efficacy in engineering is important because individuals with low self-efficacy have lower levels of achievement and persistence in engineering majors. To examine self-efficacy among community college engineering students, an instrument to specifically measure two important aspects of engineering, tinkering and technical self-efficacy, was…

The Engineer and the Societal Dilemma: An Interdisciplinary Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, Robert J.

The University of North Carolina's Electrical Engineering Department developed and delivered a course for undergraduate engineering students. The course integrated technical, social, and ethical perspectives on problems and issues faced in the world of practicing engineers. It achieved this integration by making use of professors in engineering,…

Examining Elementary Teachers' Engineering Self-Efficacy and Engineering Teacher Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammack, Rebekah; Ivey, Toni

2017-01-01

Research indicates that teacher efficacy influences student achievement and is situation specific. With the Next Generation Science Standards calling for the incorporation of engineering practices into K-12 classrooms, it is important to identify teachers' engineering teaching efficacy. A study of K-5 teachers' engineering self-efficacy and…

78 FR 13743 - Requirements for the Recognizing Aviation and Aerospace Innovation in Science and Engineering...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-28

... Aerospace Innovation in Science and Engineering (RAISE) Award AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, U.S... demonstrate unique, innovative thinking in aerospace science and engineering. With this award, the Secretary... Science and Engineering) Award will recognize innovative scientific and engineering achievements that will...

Engineering Encounters: Engineer It, Learn It--Science and Engineering Practices in Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lachapelle, Cathy P.; Sargianis, Kristin; Cunningham, Christine M.

2013-01-01

Engineering is prominently included in the "Next Generation Science Standards" (Achieve Inc. 2013), as it was in "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012). The National Research Council, authors of the "Framework," write, "Engineering and technology are featured alongside the natural sciences (physical…

40 CFR 90.113 - In-use testing program for Phase 1 engines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... emission control technology which most likely will be used on Phase 2 engines; (2) Engine families using... technology specifically installed to achieve compliance with emission standards of this part; (6) The engine... with itself or its vehicle manufacturer. (2) A test engine should have a maintenance history...

Augmentor performance of an F100 engine model derivative engine in an F-15 airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walton, James T.; Burcham, Frank W., Jr.

1986-01-01

The transient performance of the F100 engine model derivative (EMD) augmentor was evaluated in an F-15 airplane. The augmentor was a newly designed 16-segment augmentor. It was tested with a segment-1 sprayring with 90 deg fuel injection, and later with a modified segment-1 sprayring with centerline fuel injection. With the 90 deg injection, no-lights occurred at high altitudes with airspeeds of 175 knots or less; however, the results were better than when using the standard F100-PW-100 engine. With the centerline fuel injection, all transients were successful to an altitude of 15,500 meters and an airspeed of 150 knots: no failures to light, blowouts, or stalls occurred. For a first flight evaluation, the augmentor transient performance was excellent.

The Effects of Math Tutoring Sessions for Parents on Eighth Grade Students' Mathematics Achievement and Anxiety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Susan McFather

2014-01-01

Educators across the United States have searched for avenues to improve students' mathematics achievement since the publication of "A Nation at Risk" (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) which reported that American students were behind students in other countries academically. Recent legislation, No Child Left Behind…

Achieving Literacy Excellence through Identifying and Utilizing High Yield Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardison, Ashley

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to delve into the literacy instructional strategies of selected high-performing K-2 teachers in a Clark County, Nevada school district. The study assessed the efficacy of teachers using five core literacy components: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension for student achievement. High…

The Stress of Black Male Achievement: Ten Nonnegotiables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henfield, Malik S.

2012-01-01

Oftentimes, when the subject of Black students' talent maximization in gifted and advanced courses and programs is broached, students are treated as a monolithic entity. In fact, there is considerable evidence to suggest that unsuccessful achievement of academic excellence may be more troublesome for males than females at many points along the…

Physics Education in a Multidisciplinary Materials Research Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doyle, W. D.

1997-03-01

The MINT Center, an NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, is a multidisciplinary research program focusing on materials information storage. It involves 17 faculty, 10 post-doctoral fellows and 25 graduate students from six academic programs including Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Electric al Engineering and Chemical Engineering, whose research is supported by university, federal and industrial funds. The research facilities (15,000 ft^2) which include faculty and student offices are located in one building and are maintained by the university and the Center at no cost to participating faculty. The academic requirements for the students are determined by the individual departments along relatively rigid, traditional grounds although several materials and device courses are offered for students from all departments. Within the Center, participants work in teams assigning responsibilities and sharing results at regularly scheduled meetings. Bi-weekly research seminars for all participants provide excellent opportunities for students to improve their communication skills and to receive critical input from a large, diverse audience. Strong collaboration with industrial partners in the storage industry supported by workshops, research reviews, internships, industrial visitors and participation in industry consortia give students a broader criteria for self-evaluation, higher motivation and excellent career opportunities. Physics students, because of their rigorous basic training, are an important element in a strong materials sciences program, but they often are deficient in the behavior and characterization of real materials. The curriculum for physics students should be broadened to prepare them fully for a rewarding career in this emerging discipline.

Three brief assessments of math achievement.

PubMed

Steiner, Eric T; Ashcraft, Mark H

2012-12-01

Because of wide disparities in college students' math knowledge-that is, their math achievement-studies of cognitive processing in math tasks also need to assess their individual level of math achievement. For many research settings, however, using existing math achievement tests is either too costly or too time consuming. To solve this dilemma, we present three brief tests of math achievement here, two drawn from the Wide Range Achievement Test and one composed of noncopyrighted items. All three correlated substantially with the full achievement test and with math anxiety, our original focus, and all show acceptable to excellent reliability. When lengthy testing is not feasible, one of these brief tests can be substituted.

GLobal Integrated Design Environment (GLIDE): A Concurrent Engineering Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGuire, Melissa L.; Kunkel, Matthew R.; Smith, David A.

2010-01-01

The GLobal Integrated Design Environment (GLIDE) is a client-server software application purpose-built to mitigate issues associated with real time data sharing in concurrent engineering environments and to facilitate discipline-to-discipline interaction between multiple engineers and researchers. GLIDE is implemented in multiple programming languages utilizing standardized web protocols to enable secure parameter data sharing between engineers and researchers across the Internet in closed and/or widely distributed working environments. A well defined, HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) based Application Programming Interface (API) to the GLIDE client/server environment enables users to interact with GLIDE, and each other, within common and familiar tools. One such common tool, Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation), paired with its add-in API for GLIDE, is discussed in this paper. The top-level examples given demonstrate how this interface improves the efficiency of the design process of a concurrent engineering study while reducing potential errors associated with manually sharing information between study participants.

Design of a new static micromixer having simple structure and excellent mixing performance.

PubMed

Kamio, Eiji; Ono, Tsutomu; Yoshizawa, Hidekazu

2009-06-21

A novel micromixer with simple construction and excellent mixing performance is developed. The micromixer is composed of two stainless steel tubes with different diameters: one is an outer tube and another is an inner tube which fits in the outer tube. In this micromixer, one reactant fluid flows in the mixing zone from the inner tube and the other flows from the outer tube. The excellent mixing performance is confirmed by comparing the results of a Villermaux/Dushman reaction with those for the other micromixers. The developed micromixer has a mixing cascade with multiple means and an asymmetric structure to achieve effective mixing. The excellent mixing performance of the developed micromixer suggests that serial addition of multiple phenomena for mixing will give us an efficient micromixing.

Energy Efficient Engine: Flight propulsion system final design and analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Donald Y.; Stearns, E. Marshall

1985-01-01

The Energy Efficient Engine (E3) is a NASA program to create fuel saving technology for future transport engines. The Flight Propulsion System (FPS) is the engine designed to achieve E3 goals. Achieving these goals required aerodynamic, mechanical and system technologies advanced beyond that of current production engines. These technologies were successfully demonstrated in component rigs, a core engine and a turbofan ground test engine. The design and benefits of the FPS are presented. All goals for efficiency, environmental considerations, and economic payoff were met. The FPS has, at maximum cruise, 10.67 km (35,000 ft), M0.8, standard day, a 16.9 percent lower installed specific fuel consumption than a CF6-50C. It provides an 8.6 percent reduction in direct operating cost for a short haul domestic transport and a 16.2 percent reduction for an international long distance transport.

Activities of the Institute for Mechanical Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IME) is part of Canada's National Research Council. Its mission is to undertake, support, promote, and disseminate research and development in the mechanical engineering aspects of three vital sectors of the Canadian economy: transportation, resource industries, and manufacturing. The IME achieves its mission by performing research and development in its own facilities; by developing, providing, and transferring expertise and knowledge; by making its research facilities available to collaborators and clients; and by participating in international liaison and collaborative research activities. Six research programs are conducted in the IME: Advanced Manufacturing Technology; Coastal Zone Engineering; Cold Regions Engineering; Combustion and Fluids Engineering; Ground Transportation Technology; and Machinery and Engine Technology. The rationale and major research thrusts of each program are described, and specific achievements in 1991-92 are reviewed. Lists of technical reports and papers presented by IME personnel are also included.

Surface etching technologies for monocrystalline silicon wafer solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Muzhi

With more than 200 GW of accumulated installations in 2015, photovoltaics (PV) has become an important green energy harvesting method. The PV market is dominated by solar cells made from crystalline silicon wafers. The engineering of the wafer surfaces is critical to the solar cell cost reduction and performance enhancement. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the development of surface etching technologies for monocrystalline silicon wafer solar cells. It aims to develop a more efficient alkaline texturing method and more effective surface cleaning processes. Firstly, a rapid, isopropanol alcohol free texturing method is successfully demonstrated to shorten the process time and reduce the consumption of chemicals. This method utilizes the special chemical properties of triethylamine, which can form Si-N bonds with wafer surface atoms. Secondly, a room-temperature anisotropic emitter etch-back process is developed to improve the n+ emitter passivation. Using this method, 19.0% efficient screen-printed aluminium back surface field solar cells are developed that show an efficiency gain of 0.15% (absolute) compared with conventionally made solar cells. Finally, state-of-the-art silicon surface passivation results are achieved using hydrogen plasma etching as a dry alternative to the classical hydrofluoric acid wet-chemical process. The effective native oxide removal and the hydrogenation of the silicon surface are shown to be the reasons for the excellent level of surface passivation achieved with this novel method.

Utilization of Cheese Whey Using Synergistic Immobilization of β-Galactosidase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cells in Dual Matrices.

PubMed

Kokkiligadda, Anusha; Beniwal, Arun; Saini, Priyanka; Vij, Shilpa

2016-08-01

Whey is a byproduct of the dairy industry, which has prospects of using as a source for production of various valuable compounds. The lactose present in whey is considered as an environmental pollutant and its utilization for enzyme and fuel production, may be effective for whey bioremediation. The dairy yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus have the ability to utilize lactose sharply as the major carbon source for the production of the enzyme. Five strains were tested for the production of the β-galactosidase using whey. The maximum β-galactosidase activity of 1.74 IU/mg dry weight was achieved in whey using K. marxianus MTCC 1389. The biocatalyst was further immobilized on chitosan macroparticles and exhibited excellent functional activity at 35 °C. Almost 89 % lactose hydrolysis was attained for concentrated whey (100 g/L) and retained 89 % catalytic activity after 15 cycles of reuse. Finally, β-galactosidase was immobilized on chitosan and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on calcium alginate, and both were used together for the production of ethanol from concentrated whey. Maximal ethanol titer of 28.9 g/L was achieved during fermentation at 35 °C. The conclusions generated by employing two different matrices will be beneficial for the future modeling using engineered S. cerevisiae in scale-up studies.

A Partnership between English Language Learners and a Team of Rocket Scientists: EPO for the NASA SDO Extreme-Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buhr, S. M.; Eparvier, F.; McCaffrey, M.; Murillo, M.

2007-12-01

Recent immigrant high school students were successfully engaged in learning about Sun-Earth connections through a partnership with the NASA SDO Extreme-Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) project. The students were enrolled in a pilot course as part of the Math, Engineering and Science Achievement MESA) program. For many of the students, this was the only science option available to them due to language limitations. The English Language Learner (ELL) students doubled their achievement on a pre- and post-assessment on the content of the course. Students learned scientific content and vocabulary in English with support in Spanish, attended field trips, hosted scientist speakers, built and deployed space weather monitors as part of the Stanford SOLAR project, and gave final presentations in English, showcasing their new computer skills. Teachers who taught the students in other courses noted gains in the students' willingness to use English in class and noted gains in math skills. The MESA-EVE course won recognition as a Colorado MESA Program of Excellence and is being offered again in 2007-08. The course has been broken into modules for use in shorter after-school environments, or for use by EVE scientists who are outside of the Boulder area. Other EVE EPO includes professional development for teachers and content workshops for journalists.

Design and development of an intelligent nursing bed - a pilot project of "joint assignment".

PubMed

Jiehui Jiang; Tingwei Liu; Yuting Zhang; Yu Song; Mi Zhou; Xiaosong Zheng; Zhuangzhi Yan

2017-07-01

The "joint assignment" is a creative bachelor education project for Biomedical Engineering (BME) in Shanghai University (SHU), China. The objective of this project is to improve students' capabilities in design thinking and teamwork through practices in the process of the design and development of complex medical product. As the first step, a pilot project "design and development of intelligent nursing bed" was set up in May 2015. This paper describes details of how project organization and management, various teaching methods and scientific evaluation approaches were achieved in this pilot project. For example, a method containing one main line and four branches is taken to manage the project and "prototyping model" was used as the main research approach. As a result a multi-win situation was achieved. The results showed, firstly, 62 bachelor students including 16 BME students were well trained. They improved themselves in use of practical tools, communication skills and scientific writing; Secondly, commercial companies received a nice product design on intelligent nursing bed, and have been working on industrializing it; Thirdly, the university and associated schools obtained an excellent practical education experience to supplement traditional class education; Fourthly and most importantly, requirements from end-users will be met. The results also showed that the "joint assignment" task could become a significant component in BME bachelor education.

Datasets on demographic trends in enrollment into undergraduate engineering programs at Covenant University, Nigeria.

PubMed

Popoola, Segun I; Atayero, Aderemi A; Badejo, Joke A; Odukoya, Jonathan A; Omole, David O; Ajayi, Priscilla

2018-06-01

In this data article, we present and analyze the demographic data of undergraduates admitted into engineering programs at Covenant University, Nigeria. The population distribution of 2649 candidates admitted into Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Information and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Petroleum Engineering programs between 2002 and 2009 are analyzed by gender, age, and state of origin. The data provided in this data article were retrieved from the student bio-data submitted to the Department of Admissions and Student Records (DASR) and Center for Systems and Information Services (CSIS) by the candidates during the application process into the various engineering undergraduate programs. These vital information is made publicly available, after proper data anonymization, to facilitate empirical research in the emerging field of demographics analytics in higher education. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file is attached to this data article and the data is thoroughly described for easy reuse. Descriptive statistics and frequency distributions of the demographic data are presented in tables, plots, graphs, and charts. Unrestricted access to these demographic data will facilitate reliable and evidence-based research findings for sustainable education in developing countries.

Explicit Finite Element Modeling of Multilayer Composite Fabric for Gas Turbine Engine Containment Systems. Part 2; Ballistic Impact Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pereira, J. M.; Revilock, D. M.

2004-01-01

Under the Federal Aviation Administration's Airworthiness Assurance Center of Excellence and the Aircraft Catastrophic Failure Prevention Program, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center collaborated with Arizona State University, Honeywell Engines, Systems and Services, and SRI International to develop improved computational models for designing fabric-based engine containment systems. In the study described in this report, ballistic impact tests were conducted on layered dry fabric rings to provide impact response data for calibrating and verifying the improved numerical models. This report provides data on projectile velocity, impact and residual energy, and fabric deformation for a number of different test conditions.

Summer graduate research program for interns in science and engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Clinton B.

1992-01-01

The goal of the 10 week graduate intern program was to increase the source of candidates for positions in science and engineering at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Students participating in this program submitted papers on the work they performed over the 10 week period and also filled out questionnaires on the program's effectiveness, their own performance, and suggestions on improvements. The topics covered by the student's papers include: microsoft excel applications; fast aurora zone analysis; injection seeding of a Q-switched alexandrite laser; use of high temperature superconductors; modifications on a communication interface board; modeling of space network activities; prediction of atmospheric ozone content; and applications of industrial engineering.

Free-piston Stirling Engine system considerations for various space power applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dochat, George R.; Dhar, Manmohan

1991-01-01

Free-Piston Stirling Engines (FPSE) have the potential to provide high reliability, long life, and efficient operation. Therefore, they are excellent candidates for the dynamic power conversion module of a space-based, power-generating system. FPSE can be coupled with many potential heat sources (radioisotope, solar, or nuclear reactor), various heat input systems (pumped loop, heat pipe), heat rejection (pumped loop or heat pipe), and various power management and distribution systems (ac, dc, high or low voltage, and fixed or variable load). This paper reviews potential space missions that can be met using free-piston Stirling engines and discusses options of various system integration approaches. This paper briefly outlines the program and recent progress.

Summer graduate research program for interns in science and engineering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, C.B.

1992-03-01

The goal of the 10 week graduate intern program was to increase the source of candidates for positions in science and engineering at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Students participating in this program submitted papers on the work they performed over the 10 week period and also filled out questionnaires on the program's effectiveness, their own performance, and suggestions on improvements. The topics covered by the student's papers include: microsoft excel applications; fast aurora zone analysis; injection seeding of a Q-switched alexandrite laser; use of high temperature superconductors; modifications on a communication interface board; modeling of space network activities; predictionmore » of atmospheric ozone content; and applications of industrial engineering.« less

Agarose-based biomaterials for tissue engineering.

PubMed

Zarrintaj, Payam; Manouchehri, Saeed; Ahmadi, Zahed; Saeb, Mohammad Reza; Urbanska, Aleksandra M; Kaplan, David L; Mozafari, Masoud

2018-05-01

Agarose is a natural polysaccharide polymer having unique characteristics that give reason to consider it for tissue engineering applications. Special characteristics of agarose such as its excellent biocompatibility, thermo-reversible gelation behavior and physiochemical features support its use as a biomaterial for cell growth and/or controlled/localized drug delivery. The resemblance of this natural carbohydrate polymer to the extracellular matrix results in attractive features that bring about a strong interest in its usage in the field. The scope of this review is to summarize the extensive researches addressing agarose-based biomaterials in order to provide an in-depth understanding of its tissue engineering-related applications. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 32953 - Transportation Infrastructure/Multimodal Products and Services Trade Mission to Doha, Qatar, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-07

... new systems, particularly those related to multimodal freight and intelligent supply chain management... technologies, supply chain systems and strategies; mass transportation systems; advanced vehicle technologies... country. There are excellent opportunities for U.S. engineers, program management firms, and manufacturers...

MORE THAN JUST BAIT: BURROWING SHRIMP AS ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS IN OREGON ESTUARIES - SEPTEMBER 2006

EPA Science Inventory

Burrowing shrimp may be most widely known as excellent fishing bait, but they also play important roles in estuaries of the Pacific Northwest. These shrimps strongly affect carbon and nutrient cycling, phytoplankton abundance, food web structure and dynamics, sediment stability,...

Exploring TeleRobotics: A Radio-Controlled Robot

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deal, Walter F., III; Hsiung, Steve C.

2007-01-01

Robotics is a rich and exciting multidisciplinary area to study and learn about electronics and control technology. The interest in robotic devices and systems provides the technology teacher with an excellent opportunity to make many concrete connections between electronics, control technology, and computers and science, engineering, and…