Ventilation and Recirculation Airway Design for an Autonomous, Climate Controlled, Hydroponic Demonstration Unit

For this Honors Thesis project, I designed and fabricated a ventilation and recirculation airway sub-system prototype for a hydroponic demonstration unit to be used as an educational demonstration for prospective students, illustrating the capabilities of biological engineers. This thesis focuses on the design of an autonomous air system that toggles between ventilation and recirculation modes based upon sensor output. In the literature review I discuss how ventilation can be used to achieve a targeted climate, the benefits of hands-on projects for education, and the optimum parameters for growing herbs in a hydroponic system. In the design and fabrication process, every effort was made to make the air system efficient and observable to improve the educational value of the system. Tests were designed to evaluate the air speed and the operating mode of the system. The results of these tests showed that the system successfully toggled between ventilation and recirculation modes but did not provide the air flow rate to keep the plants at optimum conditions. The prototype showed that ventilation was an effective source of cooling, dehumidification, and carbon dioxide provision; however, more analysis is needed before designing the final product. Further work is required to determine the peak required flow rate for ventilation, pressure provided by pipe, fittings, and air jet outlets, and selection of an optimal blower to meet the required ventilation flow rate given the pressure it will be operating under

Concurrent papillary thyroid cancer and parathyroid adenoma as a rare condition: A case report

Although the pathological relationship between parathyroid and thyroid diseases is common, an association between parathyroid adenoma and thyroid cancer is rare. Concomitant thyroid cancer in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) has been reported at varying frequencies. WE present here a 23-year-old man who had papillary thyroid carcinoma in the right thyroid lobe and a parathyroid adenoma in the left thyroid lobe, which were confirmed surgically. Copyright © 2012 Via Medica

OTFS-NOMA: An Efficient Approach for Exploiting Heterogenous User Mobility Profiles

This paper considers a challenging communication scenario, in which users have heterogenous mobility profiles, e.g., some users are moving at high speeds and some users are static. A new non-orthogonal multiple-access (NOMA) transmission protocol that incorporates orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) modulation is proposed. Thereby, users with different mobility profiles are grouped together for the implementation of NOMA. The proposed OTFS-NOMA protocol is shown to be applicable to both uplink and downlink transmission, where sophisticated transmit and receive strategies are developed to remove inter-symbol interference and harvest both multi-path and multi-user diversity. Analytical results demonstrate that both the high-mobility and low-mobility users benefit from the application of OTFS-NOMA. In particular, the use of NOMA allows the spreading of the high-mobility users' signals over a large amount of time-frequency resources, which enhances the OTFS resolution and improves the detection reliability. In addition, OTFS-NOMA ensures that low-mobility users have access to bandwidth resources which in conventional OTFS-orthogonal multiple access (OTFS-NOMA) would be solely occupied by the high-mobility users. Thus, OTFS-NOMA improves the spectral efficiency and reduces latency

Differentiation Between Ripening Stages of Iberian Dry-Cured Ham According to the Free Amino Acids Content

In this paper, the differentiation of three ripening stages, postsalting, drying, and cellar, of Iberian dry-cured ham has been carried out according to their free amino acids contents. Eighteen L-amino acids, alanine, 2-aminobutanoic acid, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, histidine, hydroxyproline, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tyrosine, and valine have been determined by gas chromatography with derivatization with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetamide. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to confirm the presence of the eighteen amino acids in the ham samples, and gas chromatography using a DB-17HT column and flame ionization detector was used for quantitative determination. Extraction with a mixture methanol-acetonitrile has been carried out, achieving recoveries in the range 52-164%. Methimazole was used as internal standard. Limits of detection ranged between 7.0 and 611.7 mg·kg-1. Free amino acids have been used as chemical descriptors to differentiate between the ripening stages. Principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis have been used as chemometric techniques, achieving complete differentiation between the ripening stages. Alanine, tyrosine, glutamine, proline, 2-aminobutanoic acid, cysteine, and valine were the most differentiating amino acids.Junta de Andalucía the project P09-AGR-0478

Role of C-Reactive Protein, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, Progesterone and Estradiol Hormone Levels in First Trimester Threatened Abortion: Peran C-Reactive Protein, Laju Endap Darah, Progesteron dan Estradiol pada Abortus Imminens Trimester Pertama

Objective: To assess correlation of High sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (Hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), progesterone and estradiol levels in the first trimester threatened abortion incidence in Dr. Zainoel Abidin Hospital, Banda Aceh.Methods: Case control design used in this study divided threatened abortion into a case group and normal pregnancy into a control group with a total of 20 subjects for each group. This research was conducted in the Emergency Room and Obstetric Ward of Dr. Zainoel Abidin hospital Banda Aceh in 2019. Eta correlation test was conducted to find out the link between variables towards threatened abortion with 95% confidence level followed by the Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) analysis to find out the cut off points.Results: Progesterone levels (14.76 ng/mL), estradiol (427.61 pg/mL), Hs-CRP (2.57 mg/L) and ESR (28.75 mm/hour) case group were lower compared to the control group. Incidence of threatened abortion correlates to progesterone and estradiol with the correlation strength respectively -0.838 and -0.416.Conclusion: Progesterone and estradiol correlate negatively with first-trimester abortion incidence. Evaluation of these two hormones levels is useful for diagnostic purposes and screening of threatened abortion with a cut point of progesterone 23.03 ng/mL and estradiol 468.8 pg/mL.Keywords: C-Reactive Protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, estradiol, progesterone, threatened abortion   Abstrak Tujuan: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menilai korelasi antara kadar High sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (Hs-CRP), Laju Endap Darah (LED), progesteron dan estradiol terhadap kejadian abortus imminens pada trimester pertama di RSUD Dr. Zainoel Abidin Banda Aceh. Metode: Desain kasus kontrol digunakan dalam penelitian ini dimana kejadian abortus imminens menjadi kelompok kasus dan kehamilan normal menjadi kelompok kontrol dengan jumlah masing-masing kelompok sebanyak 20 sampel. Penelitian ini dilakukan di Instalasi Gawat Darurat dan ruang rawat Obstetri Rumah Sakit Umum Dr. Zainoel Abidin (RSUDZA) Banda Aceh pada tahun 2019. Uji korelasi Eta digunakan untuk mengetahui korelasi antar variabel terhadap abortus imminens dengan tingkat kepercayaan 95% dilanjutkan dengan analisis Receive Operating Curve (ROC) untuk menentukan titik potong. Hasil: Kadar progesteron (14,76 ng/mL), estradiol (427,61 pg/mL), Hs-CRP (2,57 mg/L) dan LED (28,75 mm/jam) kelompok kasus lebih rendah dibandingkan kelompok kontrol. Kejadian abortus imminens berkorelasi terhadap progesteron dan estradiol dengan kekuatan korelasi (R) secara berurutan -0,838 dan -0,416. Kesimpulan: Progesteron dan estradiol berkorelasi negatif terhadap kejadian abortus imminens pada trimester pertama kehamilan. Evaluasi kadar kedua hormon tersebut bermanfaat untuk kepentingan diagnostik dan penapisan abortus imminens dengan titik potong progesteron 23,03 ng/mL dan estradiol 468,8 pg/mL. Kata kunci: abortus imminent, C-Reactive Protein, estradiol, laju endap darah, progestero

Perencanaan Park and Ride Stasiun Lintas Rel Terpadu (LRT) Cikunir 1

Transportasi adalah hal yang sangat penting dalam kehidupan penduduk suatu kota. Tranportasi adalah bagian yang tak terpisahkan dari kehidupan manusia karena menjadi sarana dalam memperlancar kehidupan sehari hari dan juga sebagai roda perekonomian suatu wilayah. Permasalahan transportasi di Jabodetabek salah satunya adalah kemacetan yang selalu terjadi di pagi hari. Hal ini dikarenakan pada pagi hari kendaraan bergerak bersamaan untuk memulai aktivitas sehari hari. Salah satu penyebab kemacetan tersebut adalah kecenderungan warga untuk lebih memilih kendaraan pribadi dibanding dengan transportasi umum. Melihat permasalahan dan penyebabnya, dengan adanya moda transportasi baru yaitu Lintas Rel Terpadu (LRT) yang dapat meningkatkan minat masyarakat dalam menggunakan transportasi umum, maka salah satu gagasan yang dapat dilakukan adalah memaksimalkan fasilitas penunjang didalam stasiun yang saat ini masih belum tersedia seperti ketersediaan area parkir (Park and ride). Dalam perencanaan ini dibutuhkan beberapa data yaitu data traffic counting dan survey wawancara dengan calon pengguna Park and ride yaitu pengguna kendaraan pribadi. Data data tersebut digunakan untuk menganalisis berapa banyak demand yang didapat menggunakan metode regresi linear, dan analisis logit model split sederhana berbasis selisih cost. Hasil dari perencanaan Park and ride ini didapatkan demand untuk sepeda motor sebanyak 5752 kendaraan, dan untuk mobil sebanyak 903 kendaraan. Dari demand tersebut dibangun gedung Park and ride diatas lahan seluas ±6313 m2 yang dapat menampung parkir sepeda motor sebanyak 6770 Kendaraan dan mobil sebanyak 936 kendaraan

Antitubercular therapy decreases nitric oxide production in HIV/TB coinfected patients

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) production is increased among patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and also among those with tuberculosis (TB). In this study we sought to determine if there was increased NO production among patients with HIV/TB coinfection and the effect of four weeks chemotherapy on this level. METHODS: 19 patients with HIV/TB coinfection were studied. They were treated with standard four drug antitubercular therapy and sampled at baseline and four weeks. 20 patients with HIV infection, but no opportunistic infections, were disease controls and 20 individuals were healthy controls. Nitrite and citrulline, surrogate markers for NO, were measured spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: The mean age of HIV/TB patients was 28.4 ± 6.8 years and CD4 count was 116 ± 36.6/mm. Mean nitrite level among HIV/TB coinfected was 207.6 ± 48.8 nmol/ml. This was significantly higher than 99.7 ± 26.5 nmol/ml, the value for HIV infected without opportunistic infections and 46.4 ± 16.2 nmol/ml, the value for healthy controls (p value < 0.01). The level of HIV/TB coinfected NO in patients declined to 144.5 ± 34.4 nmol/ml at four weeks of therapy (p value < 0.05). Mean citrulline among HIV/TB coinfected was 1446.8 ± 468.8 nmol/ml. This was significantly higher than 880.8 ± 434.8 nmol/ml, the value for HIV infected without opportunistic infections and 486.6 ± 212.5 nmol/ml, the value for healthy controls (p value < 0.01). Levels of citrolline in HIV/TB infected declined to 1116.2 ± 388.6 nmol/ml at four weeks of therapy (p value < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: NO production is elevated among patients with HIV infection, especially so among HIV/TB coinfected patients, but declines significantly following 4 weeks of antitubercular therapy

Conducting-Polymer Nanotubes Improve Electrical Properties, Mechanical Adhesion, Neural Attachment, and Neurite Outgrowth of Neural Electrodes

An in vitro comparison of conducting-polymer nanotubes of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and poly(pyrrole) (PPy) and to their film counterparts is reported. Impedance, charge-capacity density (CCD), tendency towards delamination, and neurite outgrowth are compared. For the same deposition charge density, PPy films and nanotubes grow relatively faster vertically, while PEDOT films and nanotubes grow more laterally. For the same deposition charge density (1.44 C cm −2 ), PPy nanotubes and PEDOT nanotubes have lower impedance (19.5 ± 2.1 kΩ for PPy nanotubes and 2.5 ± 1.4 kΩ for PEDOT nanotubes at 1 kHz) and higher CCD (184 ± 5.3 mC cm −2 for PPy nanotubes and 392 ± 6.2 mC cm −2 for PEDOT nanotubes) compared to their film counterparts. However, PEDOT nanotubes decrease the impedance of neural-electrode sites by about two orders of magnitude (bare iridium 468.8 ± 13.3 kΩ at 1 kHz) and increase capacity of charge density by about three orders of magnitude (bare iridium 0.1 ± 0.5 mC cm −2 ). During cyclic voltammetry measurements, both PPy and PEDOT nanotubes remain adherent on the surface of the silicon dioxide while PPy and PEDOT films delaminate. In experiments of primary neurons with conducting-polymer nanotubes, cultured dorsal root ganglion explants remain more intact and exhibit longer neurites (1400 ± 95 µm for PPy nanotubes and 2100 ± 150 µm for PEDOT nanotubes) than their film counterparts. These findings suggest that conducting-polymer nanotubes may improve the long-term function of neural microelectrodes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65046/1/421_ftp.pd

Tensile strain measurements of ceramic fibers using scanning laser acoustic microscopy

A noncontacting technique using scanning laser acoustic microscopy for making in situ tensile strain measurements of small diameter fibers was implemented for the tensile strain analysis of individual Nicalon SiC fibers (nominal diameter 15 microns). Stress versus strain curves for the fibers were plotted from the experimental data. The mean elastic modulus of the fibers was determined to be 185.3 GPa. Similar measurements were made for Carborundum SiC fibers (nominal diameter 28 microns) and Saphikon sapphire fibers (nominal diameter 140 microns), yielding and elastic modulus of 401 and 466.8 GPa, respectively