Engineering Commons^™

Using Activated Charcoal To Reuse Anesthetic Gas, Patrick Kolbay, Joseph Orr, Kai Kück

Utah Space Grant Consortium

General anesthesia enables surgery, with anesthesia machines being the predominant tool to do so. However, these machines are hard to maintain, costly, and require significant supporting infrastructure. The current design of anesthesia machines demands the disposal of anesthetic gases at a rate equal to fresh oxygen entering the system. This causes several orders of magnitude more anesthetic vaporized than needed, yielding negative economic and environmental impact. To address this, we propose utilizing the porous surface of activated charcoal to absorb and desorb the anesthetic gases to be reused.

Using Hotspot Analysis And Detection Of Early Season Invasives (Desi) To Analyze The Temporal And Spatial Dynamics Of Invasive Cheatgrass (Bromus Tectorum)., Tara B.B. Bishop, J. Belnap, S. Munson, R. A. Gill, Sam B. St. Clair

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The invasion of exotic annual grasses during the last century has transformed plant habitats and communities worldwide. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is a winter annual grass that has invaded over 100 million acres of the western United States (Pellant and Hall, 1994. Pellant, 1996). Cheatgrass quickly utilizes available resources especially after a disturbance to the landscape. A major impact of invasion is the increased frequency in fires (D’Antonio and Vitousek, 1992). As cheatgrass is highly successful at invading open and disturbed landscapes at a rapid pace it increases the frequency and severity of fires in arid landscapes (Brooks, 2005). …

A Hydrodynamic Model For Plasmasphere Refilling Following Geomagnetic Storms, Kausik Chatterjee, Robert W. Schunk

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The refilling of the plasmasphere following a geomagnetic storm remains one of the longstanding problems involving ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling. Both diffusion and hydrodynamic approximations have been adopted for the modeling and solution of this problem. The diffusion approximation neglects the nonlinear inertial term in the momentum equation and so this approximation is not rigorously valid immediately after a storm. The principle focus of this work is the formulation and development of a hydrodynamic refilling model (that includes the nonlinear inertial term) using the fluxcorrected transport method, a numerical method that is extremely well suited to handling nonlinear problems with shocks and …

Acoustic Measurements Of Lithium-Ion Battery Electrode Films, Kathryn L. Dallon, Jing Yao, Dean R. Wheeler, Brian A. Mazzeo

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This research investigates the use of acoustic measurements as an alternative means of non-destructive quality control for Li-ion battery films. The goal of this research is to enable accurate, non-destructive inspection of the battery electrode as it is being manufactured, so that problems can be identified and addressed early on. Here we report on our efforts to distinguish between films with different mechanical properties using acoustic resonances and surface acoustic wave (SAW) velocity. We were able to differentiate between films of various coating thicknesses using resonance measurements. We also used resonance measurements to monitor a material as it dried. SAW …

Linking Quantitative Motor Assessments To The Underlying Brian Injury: A Preliminary Report, Paula Johnson, Clay Kincaid, Nathan Muncy, Steven K. Charles

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Using custom software and an inexpensive novel motion capture controller, we adapted and automated traditional subjective motor assessments in an integrated system to develop a quantitative motor assessment (QMA) that is low-cost, and highly sensitive. Twelve participants who have suffered a traumatic brain injury performed the QMA and had MRI scans of their brain. We compared the individual QMA results from the TBI group to normative standards (developed in an earlier work). We also compared the QMA results to measures of damage found in MRI results. Preliminary analysis of a subset of data are reported here.

Desorption Electrospray Ionization (Desi) Mass Spectrometric Imaging Of Spatially Regulated In Vivo Metabolic Rates, Charlotte R. Lewis, Richard H. Carson, Mercede N. Erikson, Anna P. Zagieboylo, Bradley C. Naylor, Kelvin W. Li, John C. Price, Paul B. Farnsworth

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) is an ambient ionization technique used for mass spectrometric imaging of biological samples. When coupled with isotopic ratio measurements of deuterium-labeled tissues, DESI provides a means of measuring metabolic rates on a spatially resolved basis. In vivo metabolic rates are desired to better understand diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s and to study the impact of space travel on muscle tissue growth and wasting. Although DESI has been used to image lipids and metabolites of a variety of tissues and other imaging techniques, such as NIMS, have been used to study kinetic turnover rates, DESI …

Towards Unsupervised Deep Learning Based Anomaly Detection, Trevor Landeen, Jacob Gunther

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Novelty or anomaly detection is a challenging problem in many research disciplines without a general solution. In machine learning, inputs unlike the training data need to be identified. In areas where research involves taking measurements, identifying errant measurements is often necessary and occasionally vital. When monitoring the status of a system, some observations may indicate a potential system failure is occurring or may occur in the near future. The challenge is to identify the anomalous measurements that are usually sparse in comparison to the valid measurements. This paper presents a land-water classification problem as an anomaly detection problem to demonstrate …

Considering Manufacturability In The Design Of Deployable Origami-Adapted Mechanisms, Erica B. Crampton, Spencer P. Magleby

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Primary barriers to greater implementation of deployable origami-adapted mechanisms are their manufacturability and robustness. This paper discusses manufacturability in the design of such mechanisms through presenting and examining three examples. Manufacturability lessons gathered from these examples include the importance of joint-panel interfaces and how techniques and approaches for origami-adapted design can be customized to meet the needs of a specific product. As the manufacturability of deployable origami-adapted products is addressed and improved, their robustness will also improve, thereby enabling greater use of origami-adapted design.

Electrochemical Sensing With High Aspect Ratio Carbon Nanotube Platforms, Benjamin J. Brownlee, Brian D. Iverson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Increased sensitivity of electrochemical sensors is important for detection of low analyte concentrations. A unique flow-through sensor is demonstrated by depositing nanostructured platinum catalyst onto high aspect ratio, porous membranes of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Convective mass transfer enhancement was shown to improve the platinum-nanowire-coated CNT (PN-CNT) sensor performance in amperometric sensing of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Over 90% of the H₂O₂ was oxidized as it passed through the PN-CNT sensor, even for low concentrations in the range of 50 nM to 500 μM. This effective utilization of the analyte in detection demonstrates the …

An Optical-Based Aggregate Approach To Measuring Condensation Heat Transfer, Kimberly A. Stevens, Julie Crockett, Daniel R. Maynes, Brian D. Iverson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Condensation heat transfer is significant in many applications such as such as desalination, energy conversion [1], atmospheric water harvesting [2, 3], electronics cooling, and other high heat flux applications [4]. However, condensate on the surface adds a thermal resistance that limits condensation rates. The rate of condensation heat transfer is inversely proportional to the diameter of the condensate drops [5]. In industrial condensing systems, the resistance is minimized by removing the condensate via gravity or a vapor shear, but the minimum size of droplet removal is typically on the order of the capillary length of the condensate, about 2.7 mm …

An Efficient Linear Octree-Based Grid Toward Magnetic Fluid Stimulation, Sean Flynn, Parris Egbert

Utah Space Grant Consortium

An Eulerian approach to fluid flow provides an efficient stable paradigm for realistic fluid simulation. However its reliance on a fixed-resolution grid is not ideal for simulations that exhibit both large and small-scale fluid phenomena. A coarse grid can efficiently capture large-scale effects like ocean waves, but lacks the resolution needed for small-scale phenomena like droplets. On the other hand, a fine grid can capture these small-scale effects, but is inefficient for large-scale phenomena. Magnetic fluid, or ferrofluid, illustrates this problem with its very fine detail centered about a magnet and lack of detail elsewhere. Our new fluid simulation technique …

Targeting Sram Fpga Components Using A Two-Photon Absorption Laser, Matthew Cannon Andrés Pérez-Celis, Michael Wirthlin

Utah Space Grant Consortium

State-of-the-art SRAM FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) are being increasingly considered for use in space applications, due to their reprogrammability and many dedicated resources that implement many common tasks at high speeds. However, the programmable fabric and resources are susceptible to ionizing radiation common in space, causing the device to fail. The radiation effects of all the components need to be known in order to develop effective mitigation techniques. This information, however, is difficult to obtain through typical broadbeam ion testing, due to low observability rates of the components. This paper present the results of a study to use a …

Implementation Of Openfoam For Inviscid Incompressible Aerodynamic Flows, Jackson T. Reid, Douglas F. Hunsaker

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This paper is the description of the Utah State University AeroLab’s Aerodynamic Center Analysis Tool (AeroCAT), which is an implementation of the OpenFOAM CFD toolbox. AeroCAT takes in a user input file, generates a mesh, and solves a steady, inviscid, incompressible flow, automatically repeating the process for a range of angles of attack. It then processes the results to predict the wing’s span-wise locus of aerodynamic centers. The mesh generator used in this tool is GridX, developed by a former PhD student at USU, and the CFD solver is OpenFOAM.

Simultaneous Two-Site Photometry In Attitude Determination Of Resident Space Objects, Arun Bernard, David Geller

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Attitude determination of space objects is difficult due to the non-linearity of the data and sparseness of available measurements. The combination of simultaneous photometry from two observation sites allows for more information to be obtained in a shorter amount of time. The characterization of the parameters necessary to complete this simultaneous two-site photometry are presented along with simulated results.

Lab-On-A-Chip Biosensor For Interplanetary Life Detection Missions, Thomas Wall

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Space research still consists of the major goal of the successful detection of life on another planet. The 2012 biological and life detection (BOLD) mission to Mars included the ARROW biosensor as one of its main life detection tools for the mission. Although the mission never went forward, the ARROW biosensor remains an obvious choice for interplanetary life detection missions. The sensor is cheap, small, lightweight, and very sensitive. All of these factors helped make it the candidate of choice for the BOLD mission to Mars and still make it a good candidate today. Since 2012, the ARROW biosensor has …

Learning The Language Of Genes: Representing Global Codon Bias With Deep Language Models, M. Stanley Fujimoto, Paul M. Bodily, Cole A. Lyman, J. Andrew Jacobsen, Mark J. Clement

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Codon bias, the usage patterns of synonymous codons for encoding a protein sequence as nucleotides, is a biological phenomenon that is not well understood. Current methods that measure and model the codon bias of an organism exist for usage in codon optimization. In synthetic biology, codon optimization is a task the involves selecting the appropriate codons to reverse translate a protein sequence into a nucleotide sequence to maximize expression in a vector. These features include codon adaptation index (CAI) [1], individual codon usage (ICU), hidden stop codons (HSC) [2] and codon context (CC) [3]. While explicitly modeling these features has …

Detecting Low Respiratory Rates Using Myriad, Low-Cost Sensors, Sean Ermer, Lara Brewer, Kai Kuck, Joseph Orr

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The underlying problem for two of the three most common patterns of unexpected hospital deaths (PUHD) is hypoventilation¹. Current methods of post-operative respiratory monitoring give delayed signals and have a high false positive rate leading nurses to ignore alarms. We hypothesize there exists a combination of low cost sensors which are capable of providing real time feedback and alarms regarding obstructive sleep apnea and ventilatory depression. Such a monitor would be useful during space travel when monitoring personnel are limited following an injury or if astronauts were to be sedated during extended travel. Methods: Twenty-six subjects were recruited …

Testing An Oxygen Demand Delivery Device, Kyle M. Burk, Joseph A. Orr

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Anesthesia care providers routinely deliver supplemental O2 during monitored anesthesia care to prevent hemoglobin desaturation. The existing method of delivery, however, contributes to complications including respiratory depression and fire hazard. Patient variability also makes delivering O2 difficult. We have developed a demand oxygen delivery system that only gives oxygen during early inspiration. We designed a volunteer study to evaluate patient monitoring and to compare continuous flow to demand delivery. We hypothesized that ceasing oxygen delivery during expiration will facilitate reliable capnography in non-intubated patients. We also hypothesized that delivering oxygen on demand leads to higher alveolar oxygen concentrations and higher …

A Numerical Study Of The Development Of Inducer Backflow, D. Tate Fanning

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Inducers are used as a first stage in pumps to hinder cavitation and promote stable flow. Inducers pressurize the working fluid sufficiently such that cavitation does not develop in the rest of the pump, which allows the pump to operate at lower inlet head conditions. Despite the distinct advantages of inducer use, an undesirable region of backflow and resulting cavitation can form near the tips of the inducer blades. This backflow is often attributed to tip leakage flow, or the flow induced by the pressure differential across an inducer blade at the tip. We examine backflow of a single inducer …

Internal Wave Generation In The Presence Of A Turning Depth, Allison Lee Julie Crockett

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Internal waves are formed in stably stratified fluids where the natural frequency (N) of the fluid is greater than the excitation frequency (ω). If N < &omega, only evanescent waves form. Evanescent waves, which decay at an exponential rate, can become propagating internal waves if N increases above ω. Experiments were performed to investigate the effects of topography shape, distance between the topography and the turning depth (where N = ω), and the strength of the stratification as measured by the Froude number in both the evanescent and propagating regions. It was found that internal waves with the highest kinetic energy were generated by the medium Gaussian and that decreasing the distance between topography and the turning depth increased the kinetic energy over the entire range of tested values and topographical shapes. However, Fr_evan was a strong influence on kinetic energy for only a portion of the tested values.

The Aerodynamic Center Of Inviscid Airfoils, Orrin Pope

Utah Space Grant Consortium

A method for developing relations for C_L and C_m using general airfoil theory and conformal mapping without applying linearizing approximations such as the need for thin airfoils, small airfoil camber, or small angles of attack is shown. More accurate, and mathematically correct relations for the location of the aerodynamic center are obtained by accounting for the trigonometric and aerodynamic non-linearities lost in the development of traditional relations for the location of the aerodynamic center of airfoils. These more accurate descriptions for the location of the aerodynamic center are shown to be significant when predicting aircraft static stability.

Hemispherical Grid Retarding Field Analyzer Redesign For Secondary Electron Emission Studies, Gregory Wilson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

A redesign of the Hemispherical Grid Retarding Field Analyzer is discussed in relationship to multilayer charging models. In order to accurately extend single layer charging models to dynamic multilayer scenarios, precise measurements of electron emission as well as the net surface potential must be made. By learning from the previous design and thinking of future applications, the new instrument will greatly enhance our ability to precisely measure materials undergoing energetic electron bombardment.

Stem Summer Camp For K-6 Students At Uvu, Bonnie Andersen, Cyrill Slezak

Utah Space Grant Consortium

UVU offers an excellent academic summer program in the fields of Science, Engineering, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM) specifically designed to engage and further students having completed grades 1-6. Program courses have been developed in close collaboration with experienced STEM endorsed Elementary school teachers and established university research faculty aligned with state curriculum standards. Engaging students within a community of motivated students and enthusiastic faculty in hands-on projects will develop critical thinking, content knowledge, and problem-solving skills.

Design Of In-Flight Instrumentation To Characterize A Hybrid Thruster, Stephen Whitmore, Hybrid Thrustuer Usip Team

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) is a program with the goal to provide hands-on flight project experience to undergraduate programs, and to fly new technology in space to improve Technology Readiness Level (TRL).

Halophiles And Biogeography, Bex Kemp, Adam Wolford, Bonnie Baxter

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Halophilic Archaea

•Halophilic archaea dominate the Earth’s many hypersaline environments such as Great Salt Lake (GSL)

• They are multi-extremophiles, tolerating not only salinity, but also desiccation and high levels of UV irradiation

• Halorubrum is a genus of Halophilic archaea with wide distribution around the Earth

• The distribution of Halorubum across space and time begs the question of the mechanism behind the biogeography.

Combining Undergraduate Student Curriculum, Research, And Outreach: High Altitude Balloons And Rockets, Eric Davis, Russell Garner, Ryley Shingleton, Brittany Williams, Jason Sheetz, Kim Nielsen

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Student research is known to be a high-impact learning to participating students. At Utah Valley University, we are introducing a student-driven research paradigm where the research is integrated with the undergraduate curriculum and students form their own scientific hypotheses and design experiments to address the science objectives.

The Space Survivability Test Chamber, Alexander Souvall, Benjamin Russon, Brian Wood, Gregory Wilson, Jr Dennison

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The Space Survivability Test Chamber (SST) provides an extensive, versatile, and cost-effective system for pre-launch verification and assessment of small satellites, system components, and spacecraft materials. A UNSGC Faculty Research Infrastructure Grant was awarded a for the purpose of making improvements to enhance and extend the capabilities of the SST. Since the SST was brought online in August 2016, several externally funded projects have been completed and collaborative projects with The University of Tsukuba (Japan) and Logan High School (Utah). Many more projects are forthcoming and the capabilities of the SST continue to be improved and developed for the future.

Undergraduate Examination Of Pollutant Aerosols In Earth's Atmosphere, Matthew Toon, Tyler Weenig, Zach Collins, Fred Davis, Christopher Maughan, Kyle Strong, Kim Nielsen

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Air pollution can result from both natural and human-caused actions. Natural pollutants may result from events like: forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, natural radioactivity, etc. Human pollutants can result from: toxic emissions from vehicles or manufacturing plants, burning fossil fuels, household or farming chemicals released into the air, second hand smoke from tobacco users, etc.

Pollution can obviously have an extremely negative effect on the air quality that we as humans, as well as all living creatures, breathe and depend on for life. Pollution can also negatively impact water and soil by introducing toxins into these resources needed for …

Survey Of Mars South Polar Craters For Subsurface Water Ice, John Armstrong, Michael Hernandez, Mars South Pole Survey Team

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Mars' polar ice caps experience seasonal sublimation, the process in which ice skips a liquid state, and moves directly from solid ice to gaseous vapor. Through geospatial analysis, we identify craters, observe geomorphology, then search for correlations with temperature and albedo to study the climate interaction between the surface and atmosphere in a search for liquid water.

The Utah Robotic Mining Project, Jonathan Davies, Utah Mining Robotics Team

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Autonomous robotics technology is improving at an exponential rate, and has the potential to be the largest leap in technology since the invention of the personal computer. Robot Operating System (ROS) [1] is a catalyst in the development of fully autonomous robots. With a large community of developers and many resources available, it allows researchers to focus their time on implementing fully autonomous systems on their robotic platform, instead of spending time developing algorithms.

This research focuses on the development of an autonomous robotic system using ROS, with the purpose of competing in the NASA Robotic Mining Competition [2]. While …