Motivating mechanical engineers to minor in electrical engineering

The objective of this paper is to describe an innovative teaching technique consisting of pedagogy and motivation as instruments to gradually enhance the interest of mechanical engineering students for minoring in electrical engineering. A study was conducted comparing the performance of 87 students in four classes majoring in mechanical engineering at Temple University, USA. Confidentially conducted student surveys were statistically analyzed. In conclusion, the number of students opting to take up a minor in electrical engineering gradually increased from 0 to 36% reflecting the gradual increase in electrical engineering content, through an emphasis on pedagogical strategy and the motivation provided     

Developing an Antibody–Drug Conjugate Approach to Selective Inhibition of an Extracellular Protein

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are a growing class of therapeutics that harness the specificity of antibodies and the cell-killing potency of small-molecule drugs. Beyond cytotoxics, there are few examples of the application of an ADC approach to difficult drug discovery targets. Here, we present the initial development of a non-internalising ADC, with a view to selectively inhibiting an extracellular protein. Employing the wellinvestigated matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) as our model, we adapted a broad-spectrum, nonselective MMP inhibitor for conjugation and linked this to a MMP-9-targeting antibody. The resulting ADC fully inhibits MMP-9, and ELISA results suggest antibody targeting can direct a nonselective inhibitor.     

近地表疏松介质吸收补偿的数学模拟研究

为有效提高地震资料的分辨率,定量研究地震波在疏松介质中的吸收效应及补偿条件尤为重要.根据塔里木盆地针对性施工的微测井原始资料,采用频谱比法计算表层品质因子的分布规律;应用地震波在粘弹性介质中的传播机制,符合线性吸收机制原理,采用相移法在频率-空间域对地震波在疏松介质中的传播,进行正演及吸收衰减补偿的数学模拟.结果表明:疏松介质对地震波的高频吸收衰减,只有在特定的表层地震地质条件下,才能通过后续补偿处理得以恢复,给出了完全补偿这种吸收衰减效应的条件,为沙漠地区地震资料分辨率的合理上限提供了理论模拟数据.     

Divided attention during adaptation to visual-motor rotation in an endoscopic surgery simulator

We investigated how cognitive demand affects the acquisition of adaptive hand–eye coordination in a low-fidelity endoscopic simulator. Participants performed a peg transfer task. In the pre-exposure and post-exposure phases participants moved objects between pegs with forceps while directly viewing the pegboard. In the exposure phase participants completed that task while indirectly viewing the pegboard through a camera and monitor with a 90° clockwise visual rotation. A control group completed the experiment as described whereas an experimental group concurrently performed a short-term memory task (digit rehearsal) during the exposure phase. Performance was significantly disrupted during early exposure-phase performance for both groups. The cognitive task caused an additional initial performance decrement for the experimental group, but their performance quickly converged on control-group performance. Both groups performance improved over trials. Competition for attentional resources imposed by memory demands can impair simulator performance, but performers can quickly learn to compensate for the increased attentional demand.     

Evaluating non-speech sound visualizations for the deaf

Sounds such as co-workers chatting nearby or a dripping faucet help us maintain awareness of and respond to our surroundings. Without a tool that communicates ambient sounds in a non-auditory manner, maintaining this awareness is difficult for people who are deaf. We present an iterative investigation of peripheral, visual displays of ambient sounds. Our major contributions are: (1) a rich understanding of what ambient sounds are useful to people who are deaf, (2) a set of visual and functional requirements for a peripheral sound display, based on feedback from people who are deaf, (3) lab-based evaluations investigating the characteristics of four prototypes, and (4) a set of design guidelines for successful ambient audio displays, based on a comparison of four implemented prototypes and user feedback. Our work provides valuable information about the sound awareness needs of the deaf and can help to inform further design of such applications.     

Screening for ENU-induced mutations in mice that result in aberrant ethanol-related phenotypes.

One way to investigate the genetic underpinnings of ethanol-related phenotypes is to create random mutations and screen the mutagenized mice for their behavioral phenotypes. The purposes of this article are to assess the efficacy of a novel high throughput screen to detect known strain differences and to provide evidence of the ability of this screen to detect phenodeviants, as illustrated by two new lines of mutant mice. All mice were tested for the following phenotypes after a dose of 2.25 g/kg of ethanol: ataxia, anxiolytic response, locomotor activity, core body temperature, and blood ethanol concentration, as well as ethanol consumption based on a two-bottle choice test. The authors obtained several baseline measures that allowed for the detection of phenodeviants on these measures as well. To validate this screen, A/J, DBA/2J, and C57BL/6J mouse strains were tested, and previously reported strain differences were found in all phenotypes except ethanol-induced hypothermia. Additionally, two mutant pedigrees were identified: 7TNJ, which exhibited abnormal ethanol-induced locomotor activity, and 112TNR, which exhibited an enhanced ability on the rotarod. These data demonstrate the efficacy of this screen to detect known as well as novel phenotypic differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

SnO2 films prepared by activated reactive evaporation

Transparent conducting films of SnO₂ doped with antimony were prepared on glass substrates by activated reactive evaporation for the first time. The sheet resistance and optical transmittance in the wavelength range 0.4–1.6 μm were studied as functions of various deposition parameters such as the ambient pressure of an 85%Ar15%O₂ mixture, the substrate temperature and the antimony doping concentration in the SnSb alloys. The sheet resistance and optical transmittance showed a strong dependence on the above-mentioned deposition parameters. The best results were obtained for a 90at.%Sn10at.%Sb alloy evaporated in 85%Ar15%O₂ at a partial pressure of about 5 × 10^?4 Torr with a substrate temperature about 350°C. These films, with a sheet resistance of 10 μ/□ had an average transmittance of 95% over the wavelength range 0.4–1.8 μm. The film thickness was about 0.25 μm. Thicker films (about 0.5 μm) had a sheet resistance as low as 1.5 ω/□ with an average transmittance 85% in the wavelength range 0.4–1.6 μm.     

Stability of linear discrete switched systems with delays based on average dwell time method

This paper deals with the problem of exponential stability for a class of linear discrete switched systems with constant delays.The switched systems consist of stable and unstable subsystems.Based on the average dwell time method, some switching signals will be found to guarantee exponential stability of these systems.The explicit state decay estimation is also given in the form of the solutions of linear matrix inequalities(LMIs).An example relating to networked control systems(NCSs) illustrates the effect...