Study on an integrated system of rapid prototyping and manufacturing for 3D Digitizer to CNC Mill : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Technology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The main purpose of this project is to develop a low cost, effective, user friendly interface software for staff and students to integrate the designing and manufacturing facilities in the Institute of Technology and Engineering (ITE) at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand. The project involves establishment of an integrated CAD/CAM/CAE system, the identification of software requirements, selection of software development tool kit, definition of hardware configuration, software development and final experiments and tests. ITE has a laboratory, where are equipped with one CNC milling machine, one CNC lathe, one Injection Moulding machine, one desktop 3D scanner and one 3D plotter. In addition, all the CAD/CAM/CAE software have been installed on the PCs. Based on the analysis and utilisation of these existing facilities, it is found that they are not smoothly integrated; no linkage between the CAD/CAM/CAE system and desktop Rapid Prototyping facilities; file formats used by each of the system are not compatible. Through this project, the investigation of the possibility to integrate the system and the feasibility to develop a software to bridge the 3D scanner and the CNC mill, was carried out. A first try was successfully made using Borland C++5.0 to convert the 3D scanned data into NC program. Then, using Borland C++ Builder 5.0 created a user-friendly interface for conversion of 3D Digitizer to CNC Mill. Next, the different scales of wax models were satisfactorily processed on the CNC milling machine by inputting the converted NC program

Zinc oxide nanoparticles and SH-SY5Y cell line

The Arctic and sub-arctic regions are impacted by the growth of the global nanotechnology industry. Nanomaterials have unique chemical and physical properties that may lead to toxicological effects that interfere with normal cellular metabolism. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are now very common and widely used in daily life. In industry, ZnO NPs are used to protect different materials from damage caused by UV exposure. The scientific literature suggests that ZnO NPs can have negative impacts on both living organisms and plants. However, there is a paucity of research on the mechanisms by which ZnO NPs may affect the neuronal cells. This study investigates how ZnO NPs interact with the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Using transmission electron microscopy, we observed that the ZnO NPs form 36 nm particles on average, and increase the level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in extracellular fluid, as measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, ZnO NPs, in presence of tumor neucrosis factor- α (TNF-α), can also decrease the level of extracellular VEGF compared with TNF-a treatment alone. These findings suggest the basis for more studies on understanding the mechanism by which ZnO NPs impact cytokine signaling. Another direction is using ELISA technology to observe the interactions of NPs with different cell types such as neuronal stem cells

Raising students' awareness of cross-cultural contrastive rhetoric in English writing via an e-learning course

This study investigated the potential impact of e-learning on raising overseas students' cultural awareness and explored the possibility of creating an interactive learning environment for them to improve their English academic writing. The study was based on a comparison of Chinese and English rhetoric in academic writing, including a comparison of Chinese students' writings in Chinese with native English speakers' writings in English and Chinese students' writings in English with the help of an e-course and Chinese students' writings in English without the help of an e-course. Five features of contrastive rhetoric were used as criteria for the comparison. The experimental results show that the group using the e-course was successful in learning about defined aspects of English rhetoric in academic writing, reaching a level of performance that equalled that of native English speakers. Data analysis also revealed that e-learning resources helped students to compare rhetorical styles across cultures and that the interactive learning environment was effective in improving overseas students' English academic writing

Curriculum Development of International Business with Language Concentration: Results of a Seven-Year Study of an American Business Executive in China

Existing international business with language concentration curriculum research indicates that little is known about perceptions of current international executives who are working in multinational corporations. This article investigates an American international executive’s perceptions of language and cultural barriers in multiple multinational corporations in China. The researcher’s seven-year period of contact with the business executive from 2003 to 2010 led to the collection of multiple data sources through businessactivity protocol questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The international executive’s perceptions suggest that the international business curriculum development was in the following three areas: (1) language competency, (2) multicultural awareness, and (3) global awareness