Storytelling: The creation of animation

It is common for amateur animators to feel overwhelmed by the process of animation, especially by the prices of applications used by many big studios. These applications are often thought to be necessary to produce work equivalent to that of bigger productions and can cause artists’ financial strain. While paid applications are useful, often making the animation process faster and easier, they are not the only option. Open-source programs have the same abilities as paid applications but are overlooked for more mainstream products. I am seeking to prove that animators can create festival quality work using low-cost and open-source applications. By making an animation in this way, I can definitively prove that animators are not constrained by the products they use, but by their willingness to create

Developing mission operations tools and procedures for the Microwave Radiometer Technology Acceleration (MiRaTA) CubeSat Mission

Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2018.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 85-87).Small satellites (CubeSats) provide platforms for science payloads in space. A previous Earth weather observing CubeSat mission, the Micro-sized Microwave Atmospheric Satellite-1 (MicroMAS-1), used a manual approach to both testing and commanding. This approach did not work well when it came to mission operations, as it was error-prone, stressful, and non-repeatable. In this thesis work, we designed and implemented an automated testing framework for the Microwave Radiometer Technology Acceleration (MiRaTA) CubeSat, which was used during testing and mission operations; we also prepared tools and procedures for mission operations. The Mi-RaTA system presented large improvements in usability and repeatability as compared to the MicroMAS-1 system; for instance, an automated functional test could be run 38x faster as compared to a manual functional test.by Erin Lynn Main.M. Eng

Automated Operation of Multiple Payloads on Agile MicroSat (AMS)

The Agile MicroSat (AMS) is a 6U CubeSat designed to operate in very low-Earth orbit (VLEO), an orbit which enables a higher ground resolution given a particular optical sensing aperture. AMS was developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory in collaboration with Blue Canyon Technologies LLC and Enpulsion GmbH. AMS is hosting three disparate payloads: an indium field effect electric propulsion (FEEP) thruster to change and maintain orbit; a laser demonstration payload called Beacon for adaptive optics experimentation; and a camera payload for visible-spectrum imaging. In order to fully exercise the capability of each payload, the AMS operations team has developed an automated end-to-end processing pipeline which handles experiment scheduling subject to constraints, upload of commands and satellite state estimates to our mission partner BCT, and download and ingest of telemetry for operations planning and the creation of data products. An example product includes a change detection algorithm and image publication workflow, using camera images to detect disaster damage. These payload operation tools have enabled daily interleaved payload operations with minimal manual overhead since the AMS launch on SpaceX\u27s Transporter 5 mission on May 25th, 2022. This paper will describe the architecture of our processing pipeline, mission outcomes, and lessons learned

The Occupation-Centered Intervention Assessment: Bridging Theory and Practice in Fieldwork Education

Occupational therapy’s identity is grounded in occupation-centered care. However, evidence suggests external factors in the healthcare system burden practitioners’ time and resources, reducing attention directed toward occupation-centered practice and student learning and transfer of theoretically grounded knowledge. The departure from theory-based practice can threaten the identity and viability of the profession. The Occupation-Centered Intervention Assessment (OCIA) was designed for practitioners or students to self-rate the degree to which interventions are occupation-based or occupation-focused, creating an occupation-centered framework. In this pilot explanatory sequential mixed methods study, Level II fieldwork educators and fieldwork students in Alaska completed OCIA training and utilized the tool. A pre- and post-survey identified attitudes toward theory application, feedback, confidence, developing and understanding occupation-centered perspectives, and the OCIA. Additionally, focus group participants discussed using the OCIA during Level II fieldwork and the impact on development, understanding, and communicating using an occupation-centered perspective. Results of the survey revealed preliminary receptivity to the tool as a communication aid and as a theoretical framework for an occupation-centered perspective. The focus group highlighted the “common language” provided by the tool and drew attention to contextual factors influencing the transfer of knowledge and use of the OCIA in practice. Further research is needed to understand the potential of the OCIA as a resource for facilitating student learning with a grounded, occupation-centered perspective

Integration and Test of the Microwave Radiometer Technology Acceleration (MiRaTA) CubeSat

The Microwave Radiometer Technology Acceleration (MiRaTA) Mission is a 3U CubeSat mission developed for NASA ESTO by MIT and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. MiRaTA aims to increase the quality and temporal coverage of Earth atmospheric microwave sounding measurements while leveraging the low costs associated with the CubeSat form factor. Microwave radiometry is a significant contributor to weather and climate monitoring programs, but the typical sun-synchronous orbits of radiometers\u27 host satellites limit revisit times. Another complication for microwave radiometers on meteorological satellites is the difficulty in achieving reliable ground calibration of brightness temperature measurements because internal calibration targets are subject to on-orbit variability that is difficult to model on the ground. MiRaTA will perform multi-channel radiometry over three frequency bands at 52-58 GHz, 175-191 GHz, and 206-208 GHz to measure temperature, water vapor, and cloud ice. MiRaTA also hosts the Compact Total Electron Count (TEC) / Atmospheric GPS sensor (CTAGS), a GPS Radio Occultation (GPSRO) system based on a modified off-the-shelf GPS receiver and a purpose-built patch antenna array. MiRaTA will use CTAGS to demonstrate radiometer calibration using an internal noise diode and co-located GPSRO measurements. By doing so, it will avoid using an expensive and bulky internal calibration targets commonly used for microwave radiometry. The MiRaTA CubeSat has completed integration and environmental testing, and is awaiting launch as part of the ELaNa XIV in 2017 with the Joint Polar Satellite System 1 (JPSS-1). All tests have been completed, including both self-imposed tests as well as tests required by the launch service provider. A payload thermal vacuum test was conducted involving a spinning payload with a cold blackbody target and a hot blackbody target to confirm proper functioning of the MiRaTA radiometer. Results indicate that the calibration accuracy for seven V-band channels and four G-band channels is within task readiness level advancement requirements; however, one channel for the G-band experiences higher noise than expected. Additionally, the CTAGS unit was verified to work with the integrated spacecraft. Results are also presented on the accuracy of thermal model predictions found by comparing the model to measured temperatures during the thermal vacuum. In addition to a detailed update on the integration and test process with lessons learned, we also discuss development of the ground station, over-the-air communications testing, data processing and distribution plans, and operational plans for the projected late-summer launch of MiRaTA. The Microwave Radiometer Technology Acceleration (MiRaTA) Mission is a 3U CubeSat mission developed for NASA ESTO by MIT and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. MiRaTA aims to increase the quality and temporal coverage of Earth atmospheric microwave sounding measurements while leveraging the low costs associated with the CubeSat form factor. Microwave radiometry is a significant contributor to weather and climate monitoring programs, but the typical sun-synchronous orbits of radiometers\u27 host satellites limit revisit times. Another complication for microwave radiometers on meteorological satellites is the difficulty in achieving reliable ground calibration of brightness temperature measurements because internal calibration targets are subject to on-orbit variability that is difficult to model on the ground. MiRaTA will perform multi-channel radiometry over three frequency bands at 52-58 GHz, 175-191 GHz, and 206-208 GHz to measure temperature, water vapor, and cloud ice. MiRaTA also hosts the Compact Total Electron Count (TEC) / Atmospheric GPS sensor (CTAGS), a GPS Radio Occultation (GPSRO) system based on a modified off-the-shelf GPS receiver and a purpose-built patch antenna array. MiRaTA will use CTAGS to demonstrate radiometer calibration using an internal noise diode and co-located GPSRO measurements. By doing so, it will avoid using an expensive and bulky internal calibration targets commonly used for microwave radiometry. The MiRaTA CubeSat has completed integration and environmental testing, and is awaiting launch as part of the ELaNa XIV in 2017 with the Joint Polar Satellite System 1 (JPSS-1). All tests have been completed, including both self-imposed tests as well as tests required by the launch service provider. A payload thermal vacuum test was conducted involving a spinning payload with a cold blackbody target and a hot blackbody target to confirm proper functioning of the MiRaTA radiometer. Results indicate that the calibration accuracy for seven V-band channels and four G-band channels is within task readiness level advancement requirements; however, one channel for the G-band experiences higher noise than expected. Additionally, the CTAGS unit was verified to work with the integrated spacecraft. Results are also presented on the accuracy of thermal model predictions found by comparing the model to measured temperatures during the thermal vacuum. In addition to a detailed update on the integration and test process with lessons learned, we also discuss development of the ground station, over-the-air communications testing, data processing and distribution plans, and operational plans for the projected late-summer launch of MiRaTA

Ring test evaluation of the detection of influenza A virus in swine oral fluids by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and virus isolation

The probability of detecting influenza A virus (IAV) in oral fluid (OF) specimens was calculated for each of 13 assays based on real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) and 7 assays based on virus isolation (VI). The OF specimens were inoculated with H1N1 or H3N2 IAV and serially diluted 10-fold (10(-1) to 10(-8)). Eight participating laboratories received 180 randomized OF samples (10 replicates × 8 dilutions × 2 IAV subtypes plus 20 IAV-negative samples) and performed the rRT-PCR and VI procedure(s) of their choice. Analysis of the results with a mixed-effect logistic-regression model identified dilution and assay as variables significant (P \u3c 0.0001) for IAV detection in OF by rRT-PCR or VI. Virus subtype was not significant for IAV detection by either rRT-PCR (P = 0.457) or VI (P = 0.101). For rRT-PCR the cycle threshold (Ct) values increased consistently with dilution but varied widely. Therefore, it was not possible to predict VI success on the basis of Ct values. The success of VI was inversely related to the dilution of the sample; the assay was generally unsuccessful at lower virus concentrations. Successful swine health monitoring and disease surveillance require assays with consistent performance, but significant differences in reproducibility were observed among the assays evaluated