New Modes of Instructions for Electrical Engineering Course Offered to Non- Electrical Engineering Majors

An issue of “too abstract and not too visible” ECE content materials was often cited by non electrical engineering majors when pursuing an electrical engineering course. Close scrutiny to the issues suggests that new modes of instructions are to be pursued in order to meet students’ satisfaction and successful delivery of the course. The ECE20400 “Electrical and Electronics Circuits”, a required course for the mechanical engineering program, has been offered for near 10 years in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at our school with the traditional text book format, covering linear circuits and digital electronics with a lab that is integrated with the course materials. Feedback from ME students throughout the years, has led to the new approach covered in this paper. New modes of instructions using mechanical/electrical system analogy, attached learning with real engineering applications to each section of the course, and project based portfolio with students’ engagement in multidisciplinary teams. In the latter, designated assignments to group individuals has led to positive impact on the course. In this paper, we are providing the new approach on the modified course in recent offering at our campus. Feedback from summer 2105 in addition to fall 2015 will be incorporated to the outcomes of the new development. With the advancement of integrated electrical systems from sub-micron integrated circuit technology to high frequency Wi-Fi wireless applications and as global market competition demands systems with enhanced functionalities and yet - lower cost, lighter weight and smaller size - the role of mechanical engineers in a multidisciplinary team in the workplace is highly critical in the success of the system design and performance. The non-electrical disciplines such as manufacturing, packaging, board layout, wire bonding, heat transfer, etc. have a profound impact on an electrical design. It is critical that non-EE team members know the basic electronics. To boost students’ interest, this message is conveyed to a mostly mechanical engineering student population in this required introductory analog / digital course. In addition, peer led teams from class present effective analogies to observe the connection of electrical engineering concepts to mechanical engineering equivalence. These, in addition to circuit simulation and hands-on laboratory experiments, encourage creative thinking, teamwork and active class participation, in an effort to prepare students in the global work force. Students’ feedback from summer 2015 supported much of the new modes detailed in this paper

Electromagnetic Simulation of Non-Invasive Approach for the Diagnosis of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Diabetic foot ulcers are systemic diseases that affect all blood vessels within the human body. From major blood vessels to microvasculature, hardening, thickening, and narrowing of blood vessels ultimately results to diminished blood flow to end organs. The detrimental effects of peripheral vascular disease are well recognized across medicine, particularly with regards to diabetic foot ulcers. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are common across all fields of medicine, including but not limited to: orthopedics, vascular surgery, podiatry, general internal medicine, and infectious disease. As the population of the United States continues to grow in age and obesity, diabetes and DFU are becoming more and more prevalent in our medical society. Current approaches to diagnosing peripheral vascular disease ultimately result in some degree of invasiveness for the patient. Preliminary lab studies, such as the ankle-brachial index and Doppler ultrasound of peripheral arteries, provide efficient safe screening methods. However, these studies lack quantification of the degree of vascular stenosis and are unable to accurately assess the location of narrowing. In current practice, radiologists are called upon to for angiography of the blood vessels using contrast dye. This provides an additional risk for diabetic patients: a population inherently at risk for renal disease. In this study, we proposed utilizing electromagnetic simulation with boundary conditions set at various layers of human tissues. More specifically, the human foot was analyzed using COMSOL multi-physics software in attempt to visualize, analyze, and quantify the degree of peripheral vascular disease, which plays a pivotal role in the development of diabetic foot ulcers. The simulation was conducted for a patient’s foot, with bone, blood vessels, and surrounding fat layers to emulate the anatomy of a diabetic foot. A 2-D scan was obtained to assess and visualize the blood vessel’s narrowing, widening, vascular turbulence, or occlusion. The analysis was conducted at two frequencies, 2 GHz and 5 GHz, and compared to one another to assess the accuracy of clinical diagnosis. An electric field was generated throughout the 2D model at 20, 50, and 100 Joules, respectively. The simulation was able to adequately predict and stratify varying degrees of occlusion within peripheral vasculature. This study, though a simulation in nature, shows promise for being able to accurately diagnose the peripheral vasculature using electromagnetic parameters. This feasibility study proved successful for possible future implementation using MEMS/NEMS device systems to be designed to detect EM parameters to serve as a diagnostic tool for the early detection of peripheral vascular disease, and ultimately, diabetic foot ulcers

Building a surface atlas of hippocampal subfields from high resolution T2-weighted MRI scans using landmark-free surface registration

The hippocampus is widely studied in neuroimaging field as it plays important roles in memory and learning. However, the critical subfield information is often not explored in most hippocampal studies. We previously proposed a method for hippocampal subfield morphometry by integrating FreeSurfer, FSL, and SPHARM tools. But this method had some limitations, including the analysis of T1-weighted MRI scans without detailed subfield information and hippocampal registration without using important subfield information. To bridge these gaps, in this work, we propose a new framework for building a surface atlas of hippocampal subfields from high resolution T2-weighted MRI scans by integrating state-of-the-art methods for automated segmentation of hippocampal subfields and landmark-free, subfield-aware registration of hippocampal surfaces. Our experimental results have shown the promise of the new framework

Electromagnetic and Thermal Simulations of Human Neurons for SAR Applications

The impact of the electromagnetic waves (EM) on human neurons (HN) has been under investigation for decades, in efforts to understand the impact of cell phones (radiation) on human health, or radiation absorption by HN for medical diagnosis and treatment. Research issues including the wave frequency, power intensity, reflections and scattering, and penetration depths are of important considerations to be incorporated into the research study. In this study, computer simulation for the EM exposure to HN was studied for the purpose of determining the upper limits of the electric and magnetic field intensities, power consumption, reflections and transmissions, and the change in temperature resulting from the power absorption by human neurons. Both high frequency structural simulators (HFSS) from ANSYS software, and COMSOL multi-physics were used for the simulation of the EM transmissions and reflections, and the temperature profile within the cells, respectively. For the temperature profile estimation, the study considers an electrical source of 0.5 watt input power, 64 MHz. The EM simulation was looking into the uniformity of the fields within the sample cells. The size of the waveguide was set to be appropriate for a small animal model to be conducted in the future. The incident power was fully transmitted throughout the waveguide, and less than 1% reflections were observed from the simulation. The minimum reflected power near the sample under investigation was found to be with negligible reflected field strengths. The temperature profile resulting from the COMSOL simulation was found to be near 0.25 m°K, indicating no change in temperature on the neuro cells under the EM exposure. The paper details the simulation results for the EM response determined by HFSS, and temperature profile simulated by COMSOL

NANOTECHNOLOGY BASED GAS SENSING DEVICES

poster abstractGas sensors have a wide range of applications, and many of these applications require very high sensitivity. Types of gas sensors include electrochemical, chemiresistor, infrared point, infrared imaging, semiconductors, ultrasonic and holographic sensors. Nanotechnology is a branch of engineering and science that deals with materials, processes, and devices at nanoscale, one billionth of a meter. Using nanotechnology highly sensitive sensors can be produced. This poster will present chemiresistor sensors developed using nanotechnology at Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute (INDI). Poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) (PVDF-HFP), Carbon black, and carbon nanotube materials were used. Sensors were fabricated using photolithography and spin-coating or spraying methods. The sensors were then tested with acetone, ethanol, water vapor, and other gasses using a sensor testing setup and a data logger system. The poster will present fabrication methods and experimental results. Mentor: Maher Rizkalla, and Sudir Shrestha, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI

Integrating Electrical Machines and Antennas via Scalar and Vector Magnetic Potentials; an Approach for Enhancing Undergraduate EM Education

This Innovative Practice Work In Progress paper presents an approach for enhancing undergraduate Electromagnetic education

The Effect of Repeated Electromagnetic Fields Stimulation in Biological Systems

The effects of electromagnetic fields on living organs have been explored with the use of both biological experimentation and computer simulations. In this paper we will examine the effects of the repeated electromagnetic field stimulation (REMFS) on cell cultures, mouse models, and computer simulations for diagnostic purposes. In our biological experiments we used 50 MHz and 64 MHz since this is approved in MRI systems. REMFS upregulated pathways that control the aging process such as proteostasis. REMFS delayed and reversed cellular senescence in mouse and human cell cultures. More recently we determined that REMFS decreases toxic protein beta amyloid levels, which is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in human neuronal cultures. The mechanism of these effects is the reactivation of the heat shock factor 1 (HSF1). HSF1 activation is a quantum effect of the EMF-oscillations on the water that surrounds a long non-coding RNA, allowing it to then bind and activate the HSF1. We also performed electromagnetic (EM) computer simulations of virtual prototypes of bone cancer, femur fracture, and diabetic foot ulcers utilizing different frequencies and power applications to build an accurate differential diagnosis. These applications indicate the feasibility of subsequent practical models for diagnosing and treating human diseases

Preparing ECE Students for Research Career in Nanotechnology via Track Program

Abstract: This paper details the research participation of undergraduate students from the freshman to the senior year. Four courses were designated to prepare students for a nanotechnology research career. New modes of instructions leading to research participation followed in this curriculum have been reported. This covers integration of knowledge, just in time approach, and project portfolio based curriculum. Courses developed in this track emphasize research and applications in health sciences and renewable energy areas. The structure of the track program was presented before with emphasis on the senior level courses of the track. The work in this paper, however, emphasizes research participation in nanotechnology of the junior students within the electrical engineering, computer engineering, and mechanical engineering disciplines. The multidisciplinary components in nanotechnology research topics were attractive to students to work in team. The topics covered in this course included nanotechnology applications in diabetes, cancer research, and neurosciences. Lecture materials were all from up-to-date research papers, and can be altered with the course updates. Students registered for this course were required to emphasize two research topics seven week each, and prepare research posters in a research day where industrial representatives are invited to participate in the discussions with students. Students who completed this course were interested to continue with nanotechnology individual research and get enrolled in upper level courses. The course starts with introducing students to the nanotechnology applications in various fields, including environment, society, consumer electronics, computers, health sciences, optics, electromagnetics, energy, and medical imaging. The course then introduces students to research issues emphasizing health sciences and renewable energy. Students will be required to expand their research to cover in depth one or two research issues that fall within their interests. In the research projects, students work in team, two students/team, and assignment is given to bath to share the contribution of the project. The course was assessed with student satisfaction, and the objectives and the outcomes of the course were met

Smart Unit Care for Pre Fall Detection and Prevention

Generally falls may occur from moving or resting postures. This may include slipping from bed and fall from a sitting, or from running or walking. The pre-fall is a non-equilibrium state of human position that may lead to serious injuries, and may negatively impact the quality life condition, particularly for elders. Physical disabilities resulting from the fall incidences may lead to high costs involved with the healing process. In this work, an embedded sensor system using Arduino micro-controller was utilized to coordinate the data received from accelerometer and gyroscope. For a given threshold voltage and fall pattern, the fall decision is made by the microcontroller, citing an incoming fall. The study addresses the number of sensors to be coordinated for enhancing probability of receiving a real fall. Sensors are suggested to be placed on the human body within a belt, and safety devices at human body as well as incorporated in a smart room will be coordinated with the processor commands. Near 150 ms time frame was detected from the simulation results, suggesting a safety device to be triggered and activated for protection within this time frame. This paper discusses the research parameters such as response time for the device activation and interfacing the microcontroller to airbag switch, and means of activating the safety devices within the sharp edges in the smart unit care to minimize the impact of the fall injuries