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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Architectural Control Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Phenotype Through Nuclear Actin, Janet Rubin, Andre J. Van Wijnen, Gunes Uzer Dec 2022

Architectural Control Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Phenotype Through Nuclear Actin, Janet Rubin, Andre J. Van Wijnen, Gunes Uzer

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is growing appreciation that architectural components of the nucleus regulate gene accessibility by altering chromatin organization. While nuclear membrane connector proteins link the mechanosensitive actin cytoskeleton to the nucleoskeleton, actin’s contribution to the inner architecture of the nucleus remains enigmatic. Control of actin transport into the nucleus, plus the presence of proteins that control actin structure (the actin tool-box) within the nucleus, suggests that nuclear actin may support biomechanical regulation of gene expression. Cellular actin structure is mechanoresponsive: actin cables generated through forces experienced at the plasma membrane transmit force into the nucleus. We posit that dynamic actin remodeling …


Musculoskeletal Adaptation Of Young And Older Adults In Response To Challenging Surface Conditions, Amy E. Holcomb, Nicholas L. Hunt, Amanda K. Ivy, Aidan G. Cormier, Tyler N. Brown, Clare K. Fitzpatrick Nov 2022

Musculoskeletal Adaptation Of Young And Older Adults In Response To Challenging Surface Conditions, Amy E. Holcomb, Nicholas L. Hunt, Amanda K. Ivy, Aidan G. Cormier, Tyler N. Brown, Clare K. Fitzpatrick

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over 36 million adults over 65 years of age experience accidental falls each year. The underlying neuromechanics (whole-body function) and driving forces behind accidental falls, as well as the effects of aging on the ability of the musculoskeletal system to adapt, are poorly understood. We evaluated differences in kinematics (lower extremity joint angles and range of motion), kinetics (ground reaction force), and electromyography (muscle co-contraction), due to changes in surface conditions during gait in 14 older adults with a history of falling and 14 young adults. We investigated the impact of challenging surfaces on musculoskeletal adaptation and compared the mechanisms …


Energy Consumption Analysis Using Measured Data From A Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building In A Cold And Dry Climate, Sukjoon Oh, John F. Gardner Aug 2022

Energy Consumption Analysis Using Measured Data From A Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building In A Cold And Dry Climate, Sukjoon Oh, John F. Gardner

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Zero-energy buildings have a critical role in reducing global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. However, few studies have analyzed net-zero energy commercial buildings using measured energy use such as whole-building level and end-use level data. This paper presents an energy consumption analysis for the first net-zero energy commercial building in Idaho, U.S., in a cold and dry climate using measured end-use data from this building as well as measured whole-building energy use. Monthly bill data analysis, end-use data analysis, and Energy Use Intensity (EUI) analysis were conducted. The combined analysis of this study shows that the HVAC system was …


Processing Time, Temperature, And Initial Chemical Composition Prediction From Materials Microstructure By Deep Network For Multiple Inputs And Fused Data, Amir Abbas Kazemzadeh Farizhandi, Mahmood Mamivand Jul 2022

Processing Time, Temperature, And Initial Chemical Composition Prediction From Materials Microstructure By Deep Network For Multiple Inputs And Fused Data, Amir Abbas Kazemzadeh Farizhandi, Mahmood Mamivand

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Prediction of the chemical composition and processing history from microstructure morphology can help in material inverse design. In this work, we propose a fused-data deep learning framework that can predict the processing history of a microstructure. We used the Fe-Cr-Co alloys as a model material. The developed framework is able to predict the heat treatment time, temperature, and initial chemical compositions by reading the morphology of Fe distribution and its concentration. The results show that the trained deep neural network has the highest accuracy for chemistry and then time and temperature. We identified two scenarios for inaccurate predictions; 1) There …


Large Scale Energy Signature Analysis: Tools For Utility Managers And Planners, Sukjoon Oh, John F. Gardner Jul 2022

Large Scale Energy Signature Analysis: Tools For Utility Managers And Planners, Sukjoon Oh, John F. Gardner

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Building energy signature analysis is a well-established tool for understanding the temperature sensitivity of building energy consumption and measuring energy savings. This tool has been used to measure energy savings of residential, commercial, and even industrial buildings. The public availability of electricity loads (i.e., hourly electricity demand (MW)) from entire Balancing Authorities (BAs) provide an interesting opportunity to apply this approach to a large aggregate load. In this paper, we explore that opportunity for BAs and show that the correlations for large geographical areas are surprisingly coherent when the change-point linear regression analysis is used with the daily interval data …


Effects Of Weight-Bearing On Tibiofemoral, Patellofemoral, And Patellar Tendon Kinematics In Older Adults, Vasiliki Kefala, Azhar A. Ali, Landon D. Hamilton, Erin M. Mannen, Kevin B. Shelburne Apr 2022

Effects Of Weight-Bearing On Tibiofemoral, Patellofemoral, And Patellar Tendon Kinematics In Older Adults, Vasiliki Kefala, Azhar A. Ali, Landon D. Hamilton, Erin M. Mannen, Kevin B. Shelburne

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Quantification of natural knee kinematics is essential for the assessment of joint function in the diagnosis of pathologies. Combined measurements of tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joint kinematics are necessary because knee pathologies, such as progression of osteoarthritis and patellar instability, are a frequent concern in both articulations. Combined measurement of tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics also enables calculation of important quantities, specifically patellar tendon angle, which partly determines the loading vector at the tibiofemoral joint and patellar tendon moment arm. The goals of this research were to measure the differences in tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics, patellar tendon angle (PTA), and patellar tendon …


Deep Learning Approach For Chemistry And Processing History Prediction From Materials Microstructure, Amir Abbas Kazemzadeh Farizhandi, Omar Betancourt, Mahmood Mamivand Mar 2022

Deep Learning Approach For Chemistry And Processing History Prediction From Materials Microstructure, Amir Abbas Kazemzadeh Farizhandi, Omar Betancourt, Mahmood Mamivand

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Finding the chemical composition and processing history from a microstructure morphology for heterogeneous materials is desired in many applications. While the simulation methods based on physical concepts such as the phase-field method can predict the spatio-temporal evolution of the materials’ microstructure, they are not efficient techniques for predicting processing and chemistry if a specific morphology is desired. In this study, we propose a framework based on a deep learning approach that enables us to predict the chemistry and processing history just by reading the morphological distribution of one element. As a case study, we used a dataset from spinodal decomposition …


Opportunities From Disruption: How Lifelong Learning Helped Create More Connected Classrooms, Krishna Pakala, Sreyoshi Bhaduri Feb 2022

Opportunities From Disruption: How Lifelong Learning Helped Create More Connected Classrooms, Krishna Pakala, Sreyoshi Bhaduri

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The coronavirus pandemic has led to instructors worldwide seeking ways to engage students better through virtual platforms. As the world interacts online, more than ever before, this paper reflects on an educator’s experience with the virtual teaching and learning spaces pre and during the ongoing pandemic. Autoethnography is a research methodology that analyzes a phenomenon through the use of self-narratives, which would otherwise remain private or buried. This paper uses an autoethnographic approach to describe first-hand. the experiences and learnings of an educator at a Western US Public University. This paper describes how first as an international student, a first …


Auto-Ethnographic Reflections: Lessons From Leading A Stem Initiative For Girls In School While We Ourselves Were In School, Kayli Heather Battel, Kritin Mandala, Sreyoshi Bhaduri, Natalie Anna Foster, Lilianny Virguez, Lissa Erickson, Krishna Pakala Feb 2022

Auto-Ethnographic Reflections: Lessons From Leading A Stem Initiative For Girls In School While We Ourselves Were In School, Kayli Heather Battel, Kritin Mandala, Sreyoshi Bhaduri, Natalie Anna Foster, Lilianny Virguez, Lissa Erickson, Krishna Pakala

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we use an auto-ethnographic approach to describe first-hand the reflections and learnings from leading an organization to help school children, especially girls, familiarize themselves with STEM and Cyber Security. The primary authors and ethnographers are founders of STEM initiatives for young learners. The primary author is a recent high school graduate who has taken up an engineering field, and two other contributing authors are high-schoolers currently leading these initiatives. With help from the three engineering educators on our authorship team, we use our individual self-narratives to develop a set of recommendations for other young engineering educators across …


Postural Control Differences Between Patients With Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction And Healthy People During Gait, Junsig Wang, L. Daniel Latt, Robert D. Martin, Erin M. Mannen Feb 2022

Postural Control Differences Between Patients With Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction And Healthy People During Gait, Junsig Wang, L. Daniel Latt, Robert D. Martin, Erin M. Mannen

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Patients with posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD) may exhibit postural instability during walking likely due to a loss of medial longitudinal arch, abnormal foot alignment, and pain. While many studies have investigated gait alterations in PTTD, there is no understanding of dynamic postural control mechanisms in this population during gait, which will help guide rehabilitation and gait training programs for patients with PTTD. The purpose of the study was to assess dynamic postural control mechanisms in patients with stage II PTTD as compared to age and gender matched healthy controls. Methods: Eleven patients with stage II PTTD (4 males …


Engineering Instruction, Inclusion, And Comics: Reflections From A Student Illustrator And An Instructor, Addison Totman, Sreyoshi Bhaduri, Krishna Pakala, Cherie D. Edwards, Michelle Soledad Jan 2022

Engineering Instruction, Inclusion, And Comics: Reflections From A Student Illustrator And An Instructor, Addison Totman, Sreyoshi Bhaduri, Krishna Pakala, Cherie D. Edwards, Michelle Soledad

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper presents the opportunity gap for comics in engineering education, through reflections from a team redesigning a mechanical engineering syllabi using illustrations. To increase a sense of belonging among diverse students, the authors of this paper propose a graphic narrative focused on the curriculum of the mechanical engineering department at a large public university in Western United States. We hope that this paper addresses the underutilized and largely missed opportunity to add engagement, better conceptual understanding, and improve inclusion in engineering classrooms through incorporating visual illustrations.


Measuring Engineering Students’ Engagement In Sustainability Design Concepts, Karen Perez, Donald Plumlee Jan 2022

Measuring Engineering Students’ Engagement In Sustainability Design Concepts, Karen Perez, Donald Plumlee

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Within industries, governments, and accreditation organizations, there has been a push to incorporate sustainability concepts into engineering education. Universities like Boise State University (BSU) are starting to place greater emphasis on the inclusion of sustainability concepts in different engineering program curricula. As part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the BSU mechanical engineering program is integrating sustainability concepts specifically by using active learning modules (ALMs) suitable for each level of student education, progressing from freshman to senior. ALMs have shown to be more effective in improving motivation in the classroom compared to traditional learning. To measure …


Work-In-Progress: Mobile Assisted Gains Through Innovative Curriculum For Students In The Thermal-Fluids Science Course, Maeve Bakic, Krishna Pakala, Diana Bairaktarova, Devshikha Bose Jan 2022

Work-In-Progress: Mobile Assisted Gains Through Innovative Curriculum For Students In The Thermal-Fluids Science Course, Maeve Bakic, Krishna Pakala, Diana Bairaktarova, Devshikha Bose

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A learner-centered higher education ecosystem is essential to effective educational outcomes and societal advancement. Mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and tablet computers enable learning anytime and from any location, blurring the boundaries between formal and informal learning. When paired with effective pedagogy, mobile technologies can positively impact the teaching and learning experience for students in high-demand science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, increasing the flexibility and ease with which they are able to pursue their education while developing their professional identities as engineers. Student retention remains a problem in STEM programs. In engineering, many students do not even …