A 64mW DNN-based Visual Navigation Engine for Autonomous Nano-Drones

Fully-autonomous miniaturized robots (e.g., drones), with artificial intelligence (AI) based visual navigation capabilities are extremely challenging drivers of Internet-of-Things edge intelligence capabilities. Visual navigation based on AI approaches, such as deep neural networks (DNNs) are becoming pervasive for standard-size drones, but are considered out of reach for nanodrones with size of a few cm${}^\mathrm{2}$. In this work, we present the first (to the best of our knowledge) demonstration of a navigation engine for autonomous nano-drones capable of closed-loop end-to-end DNN-based visual navigation. To achieve this goal we developed a complete methodology for parallel execution of complex DNNs directly on-bard of resource-constrained milliwatt-scale nodes. Our system is based on GAP8, a novel parallel ultra-low-power computing platform, and a 27 g commercial, open-source CrazyFlie 2.0 nano-quadrotor. As part of our general methodology we discuss the software mapping techniques that enable the state-of-the-art deep convolutional neural network presented in [1] to be fully executed on-board within a strict 6 fps real-time constraint with no compromise in terms of flight results, while all processing is done with only 64 mW on average. Our navigation engine is flexible and can be used to span a wide performance range: at its peak performance corner it achieves 18 fps while still consuming on average just 3.5% of the power envelope of the deployed nano-aircraft.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables, 2 listings, accepted for publication in the IEEE Internet of Things Journal (IEEE IOTJ

Photochemical Tuning of Surface Plasmon Resonances in Metal Nanoparticles

Illuminated metal nanoparticles (MNPs) feature collective electron oscillations (so-called localized surface plasmons or LSPs) which facilitate concentrating light-matter interactions to length scales below the diffraction limit. Part I of this book describes two applications of this confinement effect. Firstly, the use of single particles as optically active probes for scanning near-field optical microscopy is demonstrated. Secondly, fluorescence enhancement in the vicinity of a single MNP is described theoretically. This description focuses on how the particle diameter and the surrounding medium influence the enhancement. It turned out that in these two examples the optical signal levels can be improved by manipulating the spectral LSP resonance position of the particles. This finding triggered the search for a method allowing optical particle tuning. Part II of this thesis describes an approach which allows such a spectral LSP manipulation on the single-particle level. The method makes use of the optically induced reduction of metal salt complexes in solution, which leads to the deposition of thin layers of elemental metal onto single, intentionally addressed particles. The deposition process is monitored by optical LSP analysis, and thus the tuning of the optical particle properties is controlled in situ. With this technique, a manipulation of both the size and the shape of single nanoparticles was achieved. Initial experiences were gained by manipulating spherical and ellipsoidal gold particles, for which a red- and a blueshift of the LSP resonance was observed, respectively. The insights obtained from these experiments were then applied to tune the interparticle separation in nanoparticle pairs, i.e., to tune the resonance wavelength of these plasmonic nanoresonators. Subsequently, single resonators were used to reshape the fluorescence emission spectrum of organic molecules. Besides size and shape, also material parameters such as the surface roughness and the surface material composition influence the optical properties of MNPs. Both aspects are addressed using the example of rough platinum spheres and demonstrating the fabrication of bimetallic core-shell particles. As the material compositon of particles not only influences their optical, but for example also their catalytic or magnetic properties, photochemical metal deposition with in-situ optical LSP read-out builds a bridge to other fields of nanoscience. The presented method is a versatile tool for the fabrication and manipulation of nanostructures, and it is not limited to the field of plasmonics.Metallische Nanopartikel (MNP) weisen unter Beleuchtung kollektive Schwingungen des Elektronengases auf (sogenannte lokalisierte Oberflächenplasmonen oder LOP). Die dadurch entstehende elektromagnetische Feldverteilung um die Partikel erlaubt die Konzentration von Licht-Materie-Wechselwirkungen auf einen Größenbereich unterhalb des Beugungslimits. In Teil I des vorliegenden Buches werden zwei Anwendungen dieses Konzentrationseffekts beschrieben. Zum einen wird die Verwendung eines einzelnen Partikels als Rastersonde für die optische Nahfeldmikroskopie gezeigt. Zum anderen wird die Fluoreszenzverstärkung in der unmittelbaren Umgebung eines Partikels untersucht. In letzterem Fall liegt der Fokus auf dem Einfluss der Partikelgröße und des Umgebungsmediums auf den Verstärkungsfaktor. Beide Untersuchungen zeigten, dass die Stärke der auftretenden optischen Signale von einer gezielten Steuerung der LOPResonanz profitieren kann. Diese Erkenntnis führte zur Entwicklung einer Methode, welche eine solche spektrale LOP-Steuerung erlaubt. Mit der in Teil II beschriebenen photochemischen Abscheidung von Metall auf einzelne Partikel wurde ein geeigneter Ansatz gefunden. Dabei wird die optisch induzierte Reduktion von Metallsalzkomplexen in einer Lösung ausgenutzt, um dünne Metallschichten auf gezielt ausgewählte Partikel aufzubringen. Der Abscheidungsprozess wird optisch über die Änderung der LOP-Resonanz des belichteten Partikels überwacht. Somit können dessen optische Eigenschaften gezielt in situ eingestellt werden. Mit der beschriebenen Technik können die Größe und die Form einzelner metallischer Partikel beeinflusst werden, was sich in einer Rot- bzw. Blauverschiebung der LOPResonanz äußert. Dieses Prinzip konnte zuerst an sphärischen und ellipsoidalen Goldpartikeln gezeigt werden. Die gewonnen Erkenntnisse wurden dann auf die gezielte Einstellung des Teilchenabstandes in Partikelpaaren übertragen, d. h., die Resonanzwellenlänge solcher plasmonischer Nanoresonatoren wurde gezielt manipuliert. Die Resonatoren konnten in einem zweiten Schritt zur Steuerung des Fluoreszenzspektrums organischer Moleküle eingesetzt werden. Neben Größe und Form spielen auch Materialparameter wie die Oberflächenrauigkeit und das Oberflächenmaterial eine wichtige Rolle für die optischen Eigenschaften der Partikel. Diese Parameter wurden am Beispiel von rauen Platinpartikeln sowie an bimetallischen Kern-Schale-Partikeln untersucht. Da das Oberflächenmaterial nicht nur die optischen, sondern z. B. auch katalytischen und magnetischen Eigenschaften der Partikel beeinflusst, verbindet die vorgestellte Methode die Plasmonik mit vielen anderen Bereichen der Nanotechnologie. Sie stellt eine vielseitige Technik zur Herstellung und Manipulation von Nanostrukturen dar, ohne dabei auf die Nanooptik limitiert zu sein

Program: Graduate Research Achievement Day 2019

Full program for 2019 Graduate School Achievement Day.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/graduate_school/1001/thumbnail.jp

A study of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System\u27s Leadership Development Institute and the impact of participation

Begun in 2001, the Leadership Development Institute (LDI) was created by the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) as a means of improving the leadership abilities of faculty, staff, and administrative personnel throughout the system, a “grow your own” leadership program (Leadership Development, 2006). LDI has evolved into a nine-month program of presentations, lectures, mentoring, self-exploration activities, and internships. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the impact of participation in LDI on the career and educational goals of former cohort members. Phase One of this research project, the qualitative portion of the study, was composed of individual interviews with 5% of located former LDI cohort members. The interviews were completed over the phone so as to allow for participation by former LDI participants located throughout the state of Louisiana. The qualitative portion of the research and a thorough review of the literature provided the basis for the Leadership Development Long-term Impact Survey (LDLIS) that was developed by the researcher. The second phase of the research, the quantitative phase, was the administration of the LDLIS to all identified LDI former cohort members. The survey results were tabulated and indicate that LDI participation does significantly impact the career goals of former cohort members. Although the results for educational goals were not significant, a positive impact was noted. The following information could be used to develop new or improve existing leadership programs for community college or university leaders

Identification of the "legal high"phenylalkylamine analogues: 5-iodo-2 aminoindane (5-IAI) and 5, 6-methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (MDAI) by colorimetric tests and GC-MS

Over the past decade, the illicit drug market has experienced an explosion of designer drugs being produced by clandestine laboratories that include modifications of illicit drugs that dominated drug markets for long periods of time (e.g. cathinones and MDMA). These designer drugs, which are commonly known as “legal highs”, are popular due to that fact that they are legally obtainable and not currently controlled. Examples of these include the phenylalkylamine analogues 5-iodo-2-aminoindane (5-IAI) and 5, 6-methylenedixoy-2-amonindane (MDAI), which have similar biological effects to MDMA. In spite of the unknown risk factors associated with these substances, it is believed that “legal highs” continue to have high levels of interest among recreational users. As such, the potential for abuse is high, and 5-IAI and MDAI are under consideration in numerous jurisdictions for regulation. Many of these novel compounds have never been analyzed previously within a forensic setting. The chemical and physical properties of 5-IAI and MDAI are not fully understood. As a result, the analytical analysis of “legal highs” can be challenging. Color test kits provide a quick screening method for law enforcement officials looking to presumptively identify a substance in the field. The difficulty with this form of analysis is that most of the active ingredients present in “legal highs” are not detected by standard presumptive tests, or the results when the tests are used are ambiguous. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is one of the most utilized analytical instruments in forensic laboratories for the identification of drugs of abuse. However, due to the rapid development and commercialization of “legal highs,” the limited availability of certified reference standards and mass spectral data make the confirmatory analysis of “legal highs” challenging. The primary aims of this research were two-fold. The first was to evaluate selected commercially available Narcotics Analysis Reagent Kits (NARK® II) and color reagent formulations recommended by the National Institute of Justice (Color Tests Reagents/ Kits for Preliminary Identification of Drugs of Abuse) to determine if the phenylalkylamine analogues 5-IAI and MDAI generate a color development. If a color was generated using a particular reagent, further testing was conducted to establish if the observed color would be detectable in the presence of various adulterants. The second aim of this research was to develop a rapid GC-MS method for the detection of 5-IAI and MDAI in contrived multi-component mixtures of selected adulterants. Standard color tests provided consistent results for 5-IAI and MDAI pure samples as well as mixtures with adulterants. 5-IAI produced a light brown color with both the Marquis and the methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) color reagent tests. The Mandelin reagent from the NARK® II test kit produced a greenish brown color and a light green color with the In-House preparations of the same reagent when tested with MDAI. Confirmatory analysis was performed using GC-MS with a temperature gradient. The analysis was performed on a non- polar (5% phenyl) methylpolysiloxane column with a total run time of 10 minutes. 5-IAI and MDAI were chromatographically separated and distinguishable from various adulterants based on retention time and mass to charge ratio

Telepresence learning environments for opera singing, a case study

The present study analyzes the data obtained in the execution of the Opera eLearning project, a multidisciplinary effort to develop a solution for Opera singing distance lessons at the graduate level, using high bandwidth to deliver quality audio and video experience that has been evaluated by singing teachers, chorus and orchestra directors, singers and other professional musicians. The research work includes the phases of design, execution and evaluation of pilot tests, followed by further development and execution of several experimental exercises with the system, all of them carried out between July 2008 and April 2009. This is an empirical research, an exploratory case study that has provided enough data to arrive to a sustainable model for a telepresence learning environment. Different usability methods have been implemented in order to assure users of the quality of the product. The main objective is to prove whether the system or artifact proposed can be used to deliver a complete remote singing class at a higher education level; for that purpose, we have defined several research categories that describe the usability of the system in multiple dimensions. We have used “design as research” approaches to promote innovation in the technological area. The theoretical framework is based on a wide variety of fields; from acoustics, physics, music, professional singing to telecommunications and multimedia technology. However, the common thread and central issue under analysis is distance education, through the construction of a remote learning system. We have also included the corresponding justification of the scientific methodology employedEl presente estudio analiza los datos obtenidos en la ejecución del proyecto Opera eLearning, un esfuerzo multidisciplinario para desarrollar una solución que permita dar clases a distancia de canto lírico a nivel de educación superior, utilizando conexiones de banda ancha con el fin de proveer una experiencia de vídeo y audio de calidad, la que ha sido evaluada por profesores de canto, directores de coros y orquesta, cantantes y otros músicos profesionales. El trabajo de investigación incluye las fases de diseño, ejecución y evaluación de las pruebas piloto, seguido del posterior desarrollo y ejecución de varios ejercicios experimentales con el sistema, todos ellos efectuados entre Julio de 2008 y Abril de 2009. Esta es una investigación empírica, un caso de estudio exploratorio que ha obtenido datos suficientes como para definir un modelo sostenible de entorno de enseñanza por telepresencia. Diversos métodos de usabilidad fueron implementados con el fin de asegurar a los usuarios la calidad del producto. El objetivo principal es probar si el sistema o artefacto propuesto puede ser usado para realizar de modo remoto una clase completa de canto lírico a nivel de educación superior; con tal propósito, hemos definido varias categorías de investigación que describen la usabilidad del sistema en múltiples dimensiones. Hemos utilizado el enfoque de “diseño como investigación” para promover la innovación en el área tecnológica. El marco teórico se basa en una amplia variedad de campos; desde la acústica, la física, la música, el canto profesional hasta las telecomunicaciones y tecnología multimedia. Sin embargo, el hilo común y tema central bajo análisis es la educación a distancia, ya que se trata de la construcción de un sistema de aprendizaje remoto. También se he incluido la justificación correspondiente a la metodología científica empleada