Effect of Concave Wall Geometry on Heat Transfer in Hypersonic Boundary Layers
Heat transfer measurements are made to investigate the effects of concave surface curvature on a high-stagnation enthalpy boundary layer in a Mach 5.1 flow. Experiments are 
carried out using two curved models with 16 and 25 degree turning angles, and baseline 
planar models (at plate and linear ramp) for comparative study. Streamwise and spanwise 
cross-sections are obtained. Significant destabilization of the boundary layer is observed 
over the adverse pressure gradient geometries. For the curved surfaces, the heat flux distribution appears to exhibit a quadratic dependence with streamwise distance, in contrast 
with the linear dependence observed on the linear ramp.
Recent investigations of shock wave effects and interactions
Despite over fifty years of research on shock wave boundary layer effects and interactions, many related technical issues continue to be controversial and debated. The present survey provides an overview of the present state of knowledge on such effects and interactions, including discussions of: (i) general features of shock wave interactions, (ii) test section configurations for investigation of shock wave boundary layer interactions, (iii) origins and sources of unsteadiness associated with the interaction region, (iv) interactions which included thermal transport and convective heat transfer, and (v) shock wave interaction control investigations. Of particular interest are origins and sources of low-frequency, large-scale shock wave unsteadiness, flow physics of shock wave boundary layer interactions, and overall structure of different types of interactions. Information is also provided in regard to shock wave investigations, where heat transfer and thermal transport were important. Also considered are investigations of shock wave interaction control strategies, which overall, indicate that no single shock wave control strategy is available, which may be successfully applied to different shock wave arrangements, over a wide range of Mach numbers. Overall, the survey highlights the need for additional understanding of fundamental transport mechanisms, as related to shock waves, which are applicable to turbomachinery, aerospace, and aeronautical academic disciplines.
Design and Development of an In Vitro Tear Replenishment System
Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the corneal tissue and translating them into effective therapies requires organotypic culture systems that can better model the physiological conditions of the front of the eye. Human corneal in vitro models currently exist, however, the lack of tear replenishment limits corneal in vitro models’ ability to accurately simulate the physiological environment of the human cornea. The tear replenishment system (TRS), a micro-fluidic device, was developed to mimic the in vivo tear replenishment in the human eye in an in vitro corneal model. The TRS is capable of generating adjustable intermittent flow from 0.1 µL in every cycle. The TRS is a sterilizable device that is designed to fit standard 6-well cell culture plates. Experiments with the corneal models demonstrated that exposure to the TRS did not damage the integrity of the stratified cell culture. Contact lenses “worn” by the in vitro corneal model also remained moist at all times and the cytotoxicity of BAK could also be verified using this model. These in vitro results confirmed that the TRS presents novel avenues to assess lens-solution biocompatibility and drug delivery systems in a physiologically relevant milieu.