Analysis of the Vertical Temperature Profile Radiometer (VTPR) radiometric problem

Variations in bias radiation, on the detector as a function of scan mirror position, are reported for the VTPR instruments presently in orbit. Tests in the laboratory show that this bias radiation disappears when optical baffles are added. A detailed analysis explains quantitatively the observed bias variation which is due to the extraneous field-of-view of the detector, and the variation in magnitude of the far field-of-view solid angle as a function of mirror position

Enhancing the Engineering Curriculum: Defining Discovery Learning at Marquette University

This paper summarizes the results of our investigation into the feasibility of increasing the level of discovery learning in the College of Engineering (COE) at Marquette University. We review the education literature, document examples of discovery learning currently practiced in the COE and other schools, and propose a Marquette COE-specific definition of discovery learn-ing. Based on our assessment of the benefits, costs, and tradeoffs associated with increasing the level of discovery learning, we pre-sent several recommendations and identify resources required for implementation. These recommendations may be helpful in enhancing engineering education at other schools

Exact Nonperturbative Unitary Amplitudes for 1->N Transitions

I present an extension to arbitrary N of a previously proposed field theoretic model, in which unitary amplitudes for $1->8$ processes were obtained. The Born amplitude in this extension has the behavior $A(1->N)^{tree}\ =\ g^{N-1}\ N!$ expected in a bosonic field theory. Unitarity is violated when $|A(1->N)|>1$, or when $N>\N_crit\simeq e/g.$ Numerical solutions of the coupled Schr\"odinger equations shows that for weak coupling and a large range of N>\ncrit, the exact unitary amplitude is reasonably fit by a factorized expression |A(1->N)| \sim (0.73 /N) \cdot \exp{(-0.025/\g2)}. The very small size of the coefficient 1/\g2 , indicative of a very weak exponential suppression, is not in accord with standard discussions based on saddle point analysis, which give a coefficient $\sim 1.\$ The weak dependence on $N$ could have experimental implications in theories where the exponential suppression is weak (as in this model). Non-perturbative contributions to few-point correlation functions in this theory would arise at order $K\ \simeq\ \left((0.05/\g2)+ 2\ ln{N}\right)/ \ ln{(1/\g2)}$in an expansion in powers of$\g2.$Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures (not included

A body-bound navigation system. Analysis and design of a capsule landing system and surface vehicle control system for Mars exploration

Large angle gyro sensing system for body mount on unmanned Mars surface vehicl

The Case for Community Colleges: Aligning Higher Education and Workforce Needs in Massachusetts

Reviews research on the need for middle-skilled workers with at least an associate's degree, Massachusetts' community college system, promising models for aligning community college curricula with workforce needs, and challenges. Makes recommendations

Dielectric cure monitoring: Preliminary studies

Preliminary studies have been conducted on two types of dielectric cure monitoring systems employing both epoxy resins and phenolic composites. An Audrey System was used for 23 cure monitoring runs with very limited success. Nine complete cure monitoring runs have been investigated using a Micromet System. Two additional measurements were performed to investigate the Micromet's sensitivity to water absorption in a post-cure carbon-phenolic material. While further work is needed to determine data significance, the Micromet system appears to show promise as a feedback control device during processing

Collaborative Filtering via Group-Structured Dictionary Learning

Structured sparse coding and the related structured dictionary learning problems are novel research areas in machine learning. In this paper we present a new application of structured dictionary learning for collaborative filtering based recommender systems. Our extensive numerical experiments demonstrate that the presented technique outperforms its state-of-the-art competitors and has several advantages over approaches that do not put structured constraints on the dictionary elements.Comment: A compressed version of the paper has been accepted for publication at the 10th International Conference on Latent Variable Analysis and Source Separation (LVA/ICA 2012

Freehand Sketching for Engineers: A Pilot Study

This paper describes a pilot study to evaluate Freehand Sketching for Engineers, a one credit, five week course taught to undergraduate engineering students. The short-term goal of this course was to improve engineering students’ freehand sketching ability and to assess their progress with metrics. The long-term objective (desired learning outcome) of this course is to improve the creativity and innovation of student design projects by enhancing students’ ability to visualize their ideas with freehand sketches. The class met two days a week for 75 min per day. Students were taught to draw simple objects such as electrical boxes, with orthographic, isometric, and oblique views on 8 ½ x 11 in. sheets of blank paper (no grid lines) and wooden #2 pencils. No instruments, such as rulers and compasses, were allowed. The course required students to apply what they learned in the classroom and included many examples of hands-on, active and student-centered learning activities. Two assessments were performed to measure whether students improved their ability to freehand sketch. The first involved two outside reviewers (industrial designers) who evaluated each student’s sketch of a pipe fitting that was drawn in the first class (pre-test) and a sketch of the same pipe fitting in the eighth class (after 7 hours of instruction - post-test). Sketches were evaluated using a 1 (poor) to 7 (excellent) Likert scale. The second assessment consisted of an evaluation of the final projects, which were a collection of five sketches with different views of an engineered product. Evaluations of the pre- and post-test drawings and the final projects by outside reviewers and positive observations by engineering faculty suggest that this course has the potential to improve students’ ability to sketch objects. This paper discusses details of the course, provides examples of student sketches, and presents results of outside reviewer assessments. It includes suggestions for a more rigorous assessment of the course to determine its potential to improve students’ ability to sketch objects

Particle Physics on Ice: Constraints on Neutrino Interactions Far Above the Weak Scale

Ultra-high energy cosmic rays and neutrinos probe energies far above the weak scale. Their usefulness might appear to be limited by astrophysical uncertainties; however, by simultaneously considering up- and down-going events, one may disentangle particle physics from astrophysics. We show that present data from the AMANDA experiment in the South Pole ice already imply an upper bound on neutrino cross sections at energy scales that will likely never be probed at man-made accelerators. The existing data also place an upper limit on the neutrino flux valid for any neutrino cross section. In the future, similar analyses of IceCube data will constrain neutrino properties and fluxes at the O(10%) level.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, published versio