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Choose Your Own Reading Assignment: A Strategy to Diversify Perspectives in Class Discussion
Full text linkThis activity reimagines course reading assignments by offering students a choice between multiple texts that work together to explore a shared theory or theme. Students are invited to select readings that align with their interests or learning goals. This activity embraces the feminist pedagogical principle of collaborative learning and uses the active learning strategy of learning through teaching by asking students to work in groups to create mini lessons that teach their classmates about their selected reading. Through their discussion of multiple case studies, the class develops an understanding of feminist theory as “geographically, historically, and culturally grounded (Mohanty, 2003, p.17).” This approach to structuring class reading assignments exposes students to a greater number of diverse perspectives and highlights how theory is shaped by context
Making Space for our Own Rhythms
Full text linkThis original teaching activity invites students to investigate dominant influences on enacted daily rhythms to arrive at a clearer understanding of their own rhythms and those around them. Students are guided to somatically sense habitual rhythms and understand how habits of accent collectively form to hold us together. Through a two-part activity, involving large group interaction and paired observation, students explore degrees of releasing or withholding natural rhythmic impulses through concession to or freedom within group rhythms and when navigating online platforms. The aim is to explore desired emotional arcs of how experiences might unfold
Analyzing Copyrightability of AI-Generated and Assisted Works under a New Theory of Authorship
Full text linkWhile pending cases like the New York Times’ case against OpenAI will be the first test for artificial intelligence (AI) in the copyright space, current copyright legislation inadequately answers questions regarding grey-area uses of generative AI in the creation of journalistic, creative, or academic works. The Copyright Office has established that copyright requires human authorship, but current legal definitions of authorship may include simple prompt writing as a form of authorship. This paper addresses the inadequacies of the current definitions of authorship, and proposes a new one that encompasses traditional definitions, the Copyright Office’s new motions addressing AI, and Christopher Buccafusco’s authorship theory. This paper also analyzes hypothetical situations involving common generative AI usage, and introduces a distinction between “exclusive” and “common” factual content to evaluate market harm under fair use. The paper concludes with a proposed guideline on how courts should navigate copyright disputes involving generative AI for visual and textual content
Realistic Bionic Arm Development for Transradial Amputation
No full textThe VeraLimb realistic bionic arm is intended for use by individuals with a trans-radial amputation or congenital limb deficiency below the elbow to provide functional hand and arm movements. This advanced prosthetic device is designed to mimic a biological hand\u27s natural motion, dexterity, control, and aesthetic, giving the user a higher sense of restored limb functionality. It offers an experience that closely restores motor function in a way that resembles having a natural hand rather than interacting with a mechanical device. The VeraLimb is suitable for daily activities, allowing users to grasp, manipulate, and interact with objects. It is designed to integrate advanced haptic feedback from the user to the arm, providing tactile movement and fine motor control (the ability to independently move the index and thumb from the remaining fingers). Thus, the bionic arm will offer an immersive and realistic prosthetic experience. It will also have the aesthetic look of a real arm. This device will be customized for an active client seeking a realistic prosthetic solution for upper limb loss. The arm can be crafted for a client of any age or gender since it is a customizable device
Distributed Formation Control of Nonholonomic Mobile Robots: Safety-Critical Leader-Follower Approach with Obstacle Avoidance and Dynamic Reconfiguration
No full textNetworked control systems for multi-agent robotics have emerged as a critical paradigm for executing complex coordinated tasks in diverse environments. While formation control serves as the backbone of such systems, real-world deployment introduces significant challenges including communication constraints, environmental obstacles, and the need for adaptive reconfiguration. This research addresses these challenges by developing a novel unified framework that seamlessly integrates obstacle avoidance algorithms with dynamic formation reconfiguration capabilities, specifically designed for communication-limited networked control architectures. The proposed framework represents a significant advancement over existing approaches by simultaneously handling both static and dynamic obstacles while maintaining system cohesion under communication constraints. Our contribution is threefold: (1) development of a robust networked control architecture that preserves formation integrity despite communication limitations, (2) implementation of a computationally efficient dynamic reconfiguration mechanism with optimal agent reallocation during formation transitions, and (3) formal safety guarantees through control barrier functions for both inter-agent and obstacle collision avoidance. The theoretical foundations of our approach are rigorously established through Lyapunov stability analysis to provide guaranteed convergence properties of the networked multi-agent system under the proposed control laws. Extensive validation through simulations and hardware implementation on physical robotic platforms demonstrates the framework’s superior performance in maintaining safety constraints while achieving formation objectives across diverse obstacle scenarios
Evaluation of Antibiotic Testing Protocols for Biofilm-Forming Escherichia Coli in a Microfluidic Platform
Full text linkCatheter-associated urinary tract infections remain an ongoing clinical problem due to biofilm persistence and antibiotic resistance. Standard antibiotic susceptibility testing cannot accurately reproduce flow conditions and the spatial complexity of the in vivoenvironment and is thus questionable in relevance to device-related infections. This study examines a microfluidic device designed to simulate physiologically relevant wall shear stress and antibiotic gradients in Escherichia coli biofilms. The polydimethylsiloxane-based system integrates a 16-well culture chamber with a gradient generator. Biofilm growth was observed using fluorescence microscopy of green fluorescent protein-labeled bacteria. Simulations performed using COMSOL Multiphysics software estimated the appropriate range of wall shear stress values (10⁻⁴-10⁻³ Pa) maintained by the device to match indwelling catheter conditions. The consistency analysis of the device indicated that the fabrication temperature had an impact on the retention of tubing and rate of delamination, and the best performance was achieved at 100 °C bonding. Experimental data suggested flow-dependent modulation in growth, spatial growth biases along the direction of seeding inlet, and non-uniform responses to ciprofloxacin gradients, potentially influenced by diffusion at low shear conditions, with small impact on fluorescence at high antibiotic concentrations. While ciprofloxacin exposure produced inconclusive inhibition patterns, the observed biofilm formation under defined flow conditions indicates that the current device design has potential to function as intended. Future improvements, such as vacuum-assisted bonding, enhanced tubing retention, and the use of alternative ciprofloxacin concentrations, may enable more reliable antibiotic susceptibility testing
Project Cheetah: Narrative Website Design for the Cheetah, a Record-Breaking Human-Powered Vehicle
Full text linkThe Cheetah is a 1992 world speed record-breaking bike designed and built by three mechanical engineering graduates from UC Berkeley: Jon Garbarino, James Osborn, and Kevin Frantz. After years on display at the Tech Interactive in San Jose, the bike is returning home to Berkeley’s engineering school for public display. In accompaniment of the exhibit, the Cheetah engineering team requested printed signage with a QR access to a comprehensive website detailing the Cheetah narrative. There is an abundance of media from the engineering process — extensive photographic documentation, substantial archival documents, reputable external media coverage, and an in-progress docuseries — much of which is scattered across the internet and/or entirely inaccessible to the public. The purpose of Project Cheetah is to fully digitize and unify this content by constructing a digital exhibit of the Cheetah story. The objective during this ten-week senior project is to create an interactive, responsive home (landing) page prototype for the Cheetah website, including a wide-screen (desktop) and mobile interface design. This prototype, created using Figma design and prototyping software, establishes a brand identity for the Cheetah site and will inform the design of subsequent pages on the site
Functionalization of a Calcium-Based Squaric Acid Metal Organic Frameworks with Amine-Based Polymers for Enhancing Post Combustion Carbon Capture
Full text linkThe primary driver of climate change is the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel combustion. Global climate change has resulted in sea level rise, adverse weather patterns, and countless other negative global effects. Several carbon-reduction frameworks emphasize the transition to clean energy sources; however, other strategies must be concurrently pursued to immediately and effectively reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide point source emissions. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a promising new technology for post-combustion carbon dioxide capture. The materials are synthesized using organic linker molecules and metal ion joints. Notably, there are several challenges with various types of MOFs (e.g., low CO2 selectivity, low structural integrity, and the use of toxic solvents for synthesis of MOFs) that must be overcome to enable their large-scale applications under real-world conditions. The literature has documented post-synthesis modifications to MOFs aimed at addressing the mentioned issues. Nevertheless, this field of research is in its early stages, and further investigations are needed to enhance the optimization of MOFs for efficient CO2 capture. UTSA-280 is a promising new calcium-based, eco-friendly, and structurally resilient MOF. There are few preliminary studies on the carbon sorption capabilities of USTA-280; however, initial findings have yielded favorable results. A previous study, conducted through Cal Poly, showed that USTA-280 sorbed carbon dioxide when functionalized with an anime-based polymer, polyethyleneimine (PEI). Specifically, the study discovered the functionalization of USTA-280 with 600 MW polyethyleneimine produced the highest carbon sorption when compared to functionalization of USTA-280 with varying polyethyleneimine molecular weights and arrangements. Thus, the objective of this research study was to functionalize USTA-280 with 600 MW polyethyleneimine (PEI), with different percent weight DI:PEI solutions to find the optimal PEI loading percentage that enhances the sorption capacity and selectively for CO2. To explore the sorption capabilities of USTA-280 with other carbon-selective polymers, USTA-280 was also modified with Tetraethylenepentamine and linear PEI. It was hypothesized that the incorporation of carbon selective polymers into the pores of USTA-280 MOFs would: 1) introduce Lewis basic amine groups that selectively sorb CO2 molecules and 2) the carbon selective polymers molecules would narrow the pores of the USTA-280 to an optimal size that enables physical attraction between the CO2 molecules and the surfaces of the MOFs. USTA-280 MOFs were synthesized and functionalized with 600 MW PEI in the following PEI to DI percent weight solutions: 0.7%, 1.2%, and 1.5%. Furthermore, USTA-280 MOFs were functionalized with 1.5% polymer to DI percent weight with TEPA and linear PEI. The CO2 sorption capacity of the USTA-280 MOFs were quantified at CO2 pressures ranging from 0.03 – 1.0 atm using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) assembly. Modifications of the USTA-280 MOFs with PEI and TEPA enhanced their CO2 sorption capacity and the impact of percent weight of the functionalization solution on this sorption capacity was analyzed. The 1.5% bPEI modified USTA-280 exhibited the highest sorption (1.58 mmol/g average sorption and 2.7 mmol/g peak sorption) of the tested and previously recorded PEI-USTA-280 combinations. The functionalization methods explored in the given study for linear PEI impregnation did not yield carbon sorption onto the USTA-280. Furthermore, the produced USTA-280 was characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Moving forward, it is essential to undertake future research to explore the selectivity of the USTA-280 MOFs examined in this study and to devise a cost-effective approach for regenerating the used MOFs
Effect of Blade and Cowling Geometry on Performance of Novel Enclosed Savonius Turbine
No full textSavonius wind turbines are widely used for smaller scale wind energy generation in lower wind speeds. The most common design for these turbines has reduced performance because of interference of the flowing air and the returning blades. This study considers the potential impact of optimized external cowling and blade geometry on the efficiency, optimal speed, and torque output of the turbine via computational fluid dynamics and practical experimentation. Results show that careful placement of guide vanes and proper spacing between the blades and the cowling are paramount, as errors in the design of either has may greatly reduce the performance of a wind turbine. Blade geometry also plays a role in further optimizing performance, dictated mainly by variations in the coefficient of drag. Modifications intended to increase performance may cause more harm than good if placement is not carefully considered