Opto-Mechanical Analysis of a Harsh Environment MEMS Fabry-Perot Pressure Sensor

The objective of this thesis is to develop an optically interrogated pressure sensor that is capable of measuring the applied fluid pressure in harsh environments. In its completed state, this sensor is intended be used in plastic injection moulding manufacturing in order to identify the current state of the plastic melt and optimize the process. An extrinsic fiber-optic Fabry-Perot pressure sensor, based on micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) is developed. A series of experiments are designed and carried out to validate the sensor’s applicability for high temperature and pressure environments. Preliminary results are gathered using an existing silicon membrane in order to verify the concept, which was fabricated using anisotropic etching. Silicon on insulator (SOI) multiuser fabrication process is used to produce three designs of silicon membranes through Deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE). These devices are packaged with a stainless steel housing using epoxy to support the die and verify alignment between the fiber and reflective membrane. Once assembled, the Fabry-Perot cavity is formed between the membrane and fiber surface. Experimental results are collected using the proof of concept device for temperature ranges of 20 – 100 °C and gauge pressures from 0 - 1000 PSI, and for the SOI devices at room temperature and gauge pressures from 0 to 3000 PSI. Analysis of this data shows operating pressure ranges of 150 to 2300 PSI, maximum nonlinearity of less than 2.6% and sensitivities between 0.36 and 1.4 nm/PSI. The experimental deflection results are compared against finite element and analytical models to verify the expected response. This is adjusted for temperature effects using predictions of material property temperature-dependence and thermal expansion. In order to examine the impact of fabrication methodology, a fixed-fixed support analytical model is compared to experimental data of the four membrane designs. It is found that the anisotropic etched membrane shows poor agreement with this analytical model, showing 570% greater sensitivity than predicted using the model. Finite element modeling of the system shows significant deformation in the membrane support structure, resulting in this greater sensitivity. A simply supported analytical model is also compared to the data, showing 100% greater sensitivity. This model is adjusted using a least squares procedure to fit the experimental data through modification of the support-defined leading coefficient. A high temperature trial shows reduced sensitivity to pressure, corroborating the predicted finite element behavior. Silicon on insulator DRIE membranes show similar error, on the order of 100%, when compared to the fixed-fixed analytical model. This model is adjusted in a similar manner to fit the experimental data. The findings of this thesis suggest that unaccounted-for deflection is present in the membrane supports of DRIE and anisotropic etched MEMS devices, which significantly impacts sensor response to pressure. This results in higher sensitivity than analytically predicted occurring in the experimental trials of the as-fabricated devices. Future work should be focused on expanding the predictive power of MEMS membranes, stabilization of the optical signal and integration of temperature sensing to expand the capabilities of the device while correcting for real-time thermal aberration

Evidence-informed early language and literacy practice: Implementation of a new formative assessment for early language and literacy development

With one in five Australian children starting school developmentally vulnerable, there is a need in this critical period for visibility over children’s oral language and early literacy development. The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation (ALNF) partnered with a Northern Territory primary school to implement the Early Language and Literacy Development Index (ELLDI), a newly-created valid and reliable assessment which places children on a progression scale for oral language and early literacy development and provides meaningful, accessible recommendations for educational practice. Twenty-three children in the school’s transition cohort were measured using the ELLDI at the beginning and end of the school year. Educators’ capacity to interpret children’s ELLDI Feedback (assessment results) was built during regular online co-planning sessions, driving adaptations to pedagogical approaches to best suit each child’s need. Significant growth from pre-test to post-test was observed for children in the case study group. Additional changes were also observed at the educator, school, and community level as a result of the school’s use of the ELLDI to inform planning and practice. The ELLDI, when linked to pedagogical approaches, provides a catalyst for systemic change which can then change children’s educational trajectories

Creative design: analysis, ontology and stimulation

This paper establishes an ontology of creativity and innovation processes. Acomprehensive review was undertaken describing the four key perspectives of creativityresearch, namely the creative-output, -process, -person and -environment. The focus of thisreview is based around the metrics for measuring creativity from each of the aboveperspectives. These metrics are drawn together in a common model which highlights keyconsiderations when attempting to measure creativity. It was observed that many of themeasurements were trying to identify patterns associated with creativity which correlated to ahigher potential for creative output. It is argued that metrics linked directly to the creativeoutput provide direct measure for creativity when other metrics related to the environment,person and process are correlated positively or negatively with the potential for creativity. Inaddition, the FBS framework established from design literature is linked to the principle ofcontinuity argued as a necessary element of creativity in design. It is also argued thatinnovation requires creativity as an enabler.Peer reviewe

The Grizzly, April 17, 2003

Silence Broken: Filmmaker Tells Story of Korean Comfort Women • Is Registration a Class Act or a Big Headache? • Ursinus Students Making a Mark • No Place Like Home • Opinion: If Environmentalists Succeed, They Will Make Human Life Impossible • Senior Class Gift Drive • Meeting Wynton • Airband Review • Easter History • Women\u27s LAX Can\u27t Stop the Rain • UC Softball Beats F&Mhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1535/thumbnail.jp

The 24-month course of manic symptoms in children

The Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAMS) study was designed to investigate phenomenology and establish predictors of functional outcomes in children with elevated manic symptoms. The purpose of this series of analyses was to determine whether the participants demonstrated different trajectories of parent-reported manic and biphasic symptoms over the first 24 months of follow-up and to describe the clinical characteristics of the trajectories

Genomic sequencing of colorectal adenocarcinomas identifies a recurrent VTI1A-TCF7L2 fusion

Prior studies have identified recurrent oncogenic mutations in colorectal adenocarcinoma1 and have surveyed exons of protein-coding genes for mutations in 11 affected individuals2,3. Here we report whole-genome sequencing from nine individuals with colorectal cancer, including primary colorectal tumors and matched adjacent non-tumor tissues, at an average of 30.7× and 31.9× coverage, respectively. We identify an average of 75 somatic rearrangements per tumor, including complex networks of translocations between pairs of chromosomes. Eleven rearrangements encode predicted in-frame fusion proteins, including a fusion of VTI1A and TCF7L2 found in 3 out of 97 colorectal cancers. Although TCF7L2 encodes TCF4, which cooperates with β-catenin4 in colorectal carcinogenesis5,6, the fusion lacks the TCF4 β-catenin–binding domain. We found a colorectal carcinoma cell line harboring the fusion gene to be dependent on VTI1A-TCF7L2 for anchorage-independent growth using RNA interference-mediated knockdown. This study shows previously unidentified levels of genomic rearrangements in colorectal carcinoma that can lead to essential gene fusions and other oncogenic events