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Development of a Wireless Sensor Node for Structural Health Monitoring
No full textThe current methods and resources available for monitoring the structural health of bridges are insufficient to meet growing infrastructure demands and ensure overall structural integrity. In recent years, efforts have been made to employ networks of wireless sensors to monitor factors that indicate structural deficiencies. The purpose of this research was to design a low-power and low-cost wireless sensor node capable of monitoring the state of civil infrastructure. Hardware was chosen for the node based on its power consumption and overall ease of use. For the node, ATMEL’s ATtiny 861a microcontroller was designed to interface with Texas Instrument’s CC2520, as well as an external memory chip and a tri-axis accelerometer. The entire node operates at 1.8V and consumes approximately two to four times less power than previous state-of-the-art sensors. The wireless sensor node was designed to interface with solar power, thus enabling continuous use of the node for extensive periods. Software from the Narada wireless sensor (University of Michigan), the Bio-Inspired wireless sensor (University of Michigan), and Texas Instrument’s CC2520 example code was adapted for use on the microcontroller. New code was added to the preexisting software to allow for transmission and reception of wireless packets, consistent with the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol. Additionally, software for collecting and storing data was written. The software was validated in hardware on a newly-developed sensor node and was verified to collect, store, and transmit data. The node was mounted on various static and dynamic systems, and the resulting data was then analyzed and shown to be consistent with the acceleration of the systems
Elucidating the Mechanism and Expanding the Scope of Organometallic Nucleophiles Utilized in the Nickel-Mediated Decarbonylative Cross-Coupling of Substituted Phthalimides
No full textA new method for synthesizing ortho-substituted benzamides has been developed through the nickel-mediated decarbonylative cross-coupling of substituted phthalimides with diorganozinc reagents. This reaction demonstrates broad substrate scope, including various phthalimides and diorganozinc reagents, with yields up to 96%. However, it requires a stoichiometric equivalent of nickel, which limits its application in synthesis. Efforts to promote catalysis include altering the phthalimide substituent and understanding the mechanism of the reaction using in situ IR and NMR. Recent work has also focused on expanding the scope of nucleophiles to include boronic acids, which are safer and more commercially available than diorganozinc reagents
Exploring Visual Appeal of Women\u27s Health Apps
No full textWomen use mobile phones to manage their health (mHealth), highlighting the need for an analysis of the range of apps available to women to manage their health. Recently, researchers have begun questioning behaviors and knowledges prioritized through mHealth design. In addition, the intersections of gender and mHealth in terms of design require further examination. However, what makes iTunes health applications desirable based on visual appeal remains under-explored. This study will analyze the popularity of women’s health applications based on the color and images included in the icon. Research question: Which colors and images of a women’s health app icon correlate with popularity? For this content analysis of the visual appeal of women’s health apps, popularity was measured by number of reviews and ratings based on iTunes’ five-star scale. Popularity was correlated with color and images on the icon. The results of this study provide a methodological framework for designers of women’s health apps and improve understanding about which visual appeals are persuasive in digital design
How Do Public Beliefs About Gender on Various Dimensions Influence Female Candidate Policy Preferences in the Form of Their Stated Foreign Policy Agendas?
No full textPrevious research has examined the differences in voter preferences and media attention towards male and female presidential candidates. This research finds that gender stereotypes exist in the minds of voters and in how media presents political candidates and information. These public beliefs and media coverage are found to affect female presidential candidates’ campaigns in many ways. However, there is little research on how these beliefs affect the agendas of the candidates. Research has shown that many voters believe men are better able to handle military and defense matters. I use a variety of presidential campaigns, including Hillary Clinton, Carly Fiorina, Michelle Bachmann, Mary Ruwart, and Jill Stein, as case studies to analyze how these public beliefs influence female candidate policy preferences in the form of their foreign policy agenda. This research will continue through to include data from the 2016 presidential election
Investigating the Coordination Chemistry of Tetrathiooxalate
No full textTransition metal complexes with bridging ligands containing sulfur and carbon are commonplace in molecular electronics. Tetrathiooxalate (C2S42-; tto) has redox properties which allow it to store electrons, which could provide useful functionality in molecular circuitry. To date, there are only a handful of molecular complexes with tto due to difficulties in synthesizing and utilizing this ligand. Our research investigates tto as a bridging ligand and alkylated derivatives of tto as terminal ligands. The reaction of tto with dichloro(p-cymene) ruthenium(II) dimer at low temperature gives insoluble green microcrystals which have been characterized by IR spectroscopy, SEM/EDS, and XRD. We believe that the insolubility may arise from the lability of the p-cymene ligands giving rise to polymers of ruthenium metal centers bridged by tto ligands. To find a solution to this issue, we have been investigating the trispyrazolylborate (Tp) ligand since it is negatively charged and might prove to be less labile. We have made attempts to coordinate the Tp ligand to Co(II), and future work will involve trying to bridge two Co(II) centers with tto. Alkylation of tto with hexyl bromide and benzyl bromide results in a mixture of products. The NMR spectra of the purified products revealed unexpected anisotropies, which were hypothesized to be due to the formation of cis/trans conformers. Coordinate scans for dimethyltetrathiooxalate using the Gaussian computational engine do not support this hypothesis. A competing alternative hypothesis is that a hetero Diels-Alder dimerization reaction produces multiple constitutional isomers
Peroneal Tendon Subluxation: a Case Study
No full textSubluxation of the peroneal tendons is an uncommon musculoskeletal pathology characterized by the peroneal tendon partially dislocating from the retromalleolar groove of the fibula. The peroneal tendons subluxate as a result of a complete tear of the superior peroneal retinaculum. This pathology leads to instability of the ankle and overall dysfunction of the joint. The gold standard of treatment is surgical intervention to repair the retinaculum or deepen the retromalleolar groove. Subluxation of the peroneal tendons is commonly misdiagnosed as lateral ankle instability due to recurrent lateral ankle sprains. Therefore, it is imperative for health care professionals to recognize the differences between these two pathologies. This case study examines a patient who was diagnosed with peroneal tendon subluxation and was treated through surgical intervention
Predicting Transition in Bean Beetle Embryo Development Using Wavelet Transforms and Neural Networks
No full textAs bean beetle embryos develop, time-lapse photographs of their eggs exhibit varying levels of brightness that correspond to different stages of maturation. These time signals can be analyzed to pinpoint when different stages occur. We have developed a method to accurately identify these changes in brightness using a combination of Haar Wavelet analysis and neural networks. We utilized the wavelet analysis to extract key features from the signal and then, using these features, we trained the neural network to pinpoint the transition points in the eggs’ development. We have studied these methods at various levels of noise using randomized situations. We are hoping our results support the usefulness of this method to analyze similar signals
Spin-Dependent Cyclotron Total Widths in Strong Magnetic Fields
No full textWe are developing compact, analytical expressions of the cyclotron total spin-dependent widths, or lifetimes, of the excited lepton, Landau states. These widths are required in our recent Compton scattering developments for strong-field magnetar magnetospheres. We begin with the analytics for the spin-dependent widths presented in Sina (1996), which has been our source for the development of Compton scattering, and establish equivalency with the differential widths developed by Latal (1986). Both approaches implement correct Sokolov & Ternov wave functions. From here, we make further improvements to develop an integral for the total differential widths with the integration variable only present in the square of the associated Laguerre functions. With the use of several series representations, we obtain an integral in the form previously used in our efforts. The result is an expression that includes Legendre functions of the second kind with an argument \u3e1, for which we seek an algorithm for efficient evaluation. Exploring two possibilities, recursion relations and hypergeometric functions, we find that the former breaks down for large values of the magnetic field (B) and the initial Landau state (n) due to the argument being \u3e1. Taking the hypergeometric approach, we achieved numerical values that agree with Latal (1986) and Sina (1996) results for small n and B, but the analytics break down for large n and B. This problem encourages the development of asymptotic approaches similar to those developed in the past but for spin-averaged widths. These processes will be applied to future work
The Ballets Russes in Grand Rapids, February 1917
No full textIn 1909, Serge Diaghilev created a sensation in Paris with the company that became known as the Ballets Russes. Over the next 20 years he collaborated with the greatest dancers, choreographers, composers, and artists of the day (including Nijinsky, Stravinsky, Bakst, Picasso, Coco Chanel, Prokofiev, Debussy, Ravel, Balanchine, and others) to create modernist ballets that stretched the limits of the genre and sought to combine the arts into one spectacular whole. To escape the dangers of World War I, the company toured the United States, visiting more than forty American cities, including Grand Rapids, Michigan. The focus of this project is their performance in Grand Rapids on February 13, 1917, and what it might have meant for the people who saw it. How did it connect with current events (the war, women’s suffrage, Prohibition)? What was the artistic scene like in the city at that time? What was the role of local women’s organizations in promoting the arts in the community? We attempt to answer these and other questions through our archival research in the Grand Rapids Public Library
The Incorrigibility of the Conquered: A Historiography Regarding the Failure of the Protestant Reformation in Early Modern Ireland
No full textThroughout the centuries following the Protestant Reformation in Ireland, historians have sought to develop a general consensus regarding the impact of the Protestant Reformation upon Irish history. Though much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a gradually emerging notion among early modern Irish historians addressed the Irish Reformation as a failure. My research focuses on the historiography of the Protestant Reformation in Ireland during the last quarter of the twentieth century, when analysis of the Protestant failure in Ireland was reformulated by Dr. Brendan Bradshaw and debate reinvigorated by his critic Dr. Nicolas Canny, both challenging the degree to which the Protestant Reformation in Ireland failed. These two scholars represented polar opposite spheres of thought on the matter: Bradshaw asserting that the Reformation was a complete failure due to inconsistent application of ecclesiastical punishment and internal educational reform during Elizabeth’s reign in the mid- to late-sixteenth century, and Canny maintaining that the Reformation’s failure could not have been conclusive until the emergence of the “Second Reformation” in the early nineteenth century. Subsequent debate amongst scholars such as Karl S. Bottigheimer and Alan Ford reconsidered Bradshaw’s points, mostly agreeing with his conclusions while attempting to synthesize the two schools of thought. By the twenty-first century, modern interpretations from scholars like Samantha Meigs shifted back towards narrow contextual explanations and broad socio-cultural interactions, making historical synthesis of past views wholly apparent. By examining the breadth of these views, this research on the historiography of the Protestant Reformation in Ireland attempts to explain how the Protestant Reformation in Ireland came to be regarded as a failure, and how the conquered Irish remained “incorrigible” to its effects