Peak Flow Meter Equipped with Inspection Results Indicator

Peak Flow Meter (PFM) is a tool to measure the Peak Flow of Air Expiration in the road (PFR) or commonly referred to as Peak Expiration Flow (PEF) and to connect asthma. The value of PEF can help a number of factors in age, respiratory muscle strength, height and gender. Airway measurements are used to measure patients suffering from asthma. This peak flow meter tool works based on the air pressure produced from the patient\u27s puff using the MPX5100GP pressure sensor in the range of 0 to 100 kPa and the voltage output is 0.2 to 4.7 VDC to increase wind pressure in the patient. From the pressure converted to voltage and enter the 0 from the Arduino nano minimum system circuit to be processed into analog data and then put into units of liters / second, the value of the flow meter is sent and replaced to a PC with the Delphi7 application. The measurement results of PEF values at peak flow meters have an error value of less than 5% This peak flow meter tool also has a consideration value of 0.095475 so that this tool can be said to be very certain to be used as asthma. Then it can be concluded that the peak flow meter is feasible and meets the specified requirement

Personalized ambient parameters monitoring: design and implementing of a wrist-worn prototype for hazardous gases and sound level detection

The concentration is on “3D space utilization” as the concept and infrastructure of designing of a wearable in ambient parameters monitoring. This strategy is implemented according to “multi-layer” approach. In this approach, each group of parameters from the same category is monitored by a modular physical layer enriched with the respected sensors. Depending on the number of parameters and layers, each physical layer is located on top of another. The intention is to implement a device for “everyone in everywhere for everything”

Mimotopes for therapy of grass pollen induced asthma

Die Immuntherapie mit Allergenen ist heute noch immer mit unerwünschten Nebenwirkungen assoziiert. Zum Teil ist dies bedingt durch die Induktion von anaphylaktogenen Antikörpern, die gegen irrelevante Moleküle oder gar irrelevante Epitope der eingesetzten Allergene gerichtet sind. Dies könnte durch epitopspezifische Immuntherapie verhindert werden, bei der Mimotope oder anti-idiotypische Antikörper mit Mimikry-Potential (Review in Chapter I) anstelle von Allergenen eingesetzt werden. Das Ziel dieser Doktorarbeit war es, die Mimotoptherapie gegen Gräserpollenallergie weiter zu optimieren und die hierfür notwendigen proof of concept Experimente zu etablieren und durchzuführen. Im ersten experimentellen Ansatz (Chapter II), wurde ein Mausmodell für allergisches Asthma für die Sensibilisierung mit dem Graspollen-Hauptallergen Phl p 5 adaptiert. Akutes Asthma wurde durch systemische Sensibilisierung, gefolgt von inhalativer Exposition mit dem Allergen induziert, wodurch Mukussekretion, Lymphfollikelbildung und eosinophile Entzündung der Atemwege ausgelöst wurden. Um zwischen allergischem Asthma und un-spezifisch getriggerter Hyperreagibilität zu unterscheiden, fügten wir noch Ovalbumin (OVA) als ein irrelevantes Kontrollallergen für die Aerosolisierung von Phl p 5-allergischen Mäusen hinzu. In einem neuartigen Ansatz führten wir Analysen des Austausches der Atemgase mithilfe indirekter Kalorimetrie vor und nach Provokationen mit aerosolisierten Antigenen durch. Verstärkte Atmung konnte nach 48 Stunden nur in der mit Phl p 5 nebulisierten Mausgruppe festgestellt werden, charakterisiert durch erhöhte O2 Konsumation und CO2 Freisetzung in die Ausatemluft. Obwohl die Atemwegsentzündung der mit OVA provozierten Gruppe generell schwächer als in Mäusen mit allergischem Asthma war, zeigten beide Gruppen eine signifikante Abnahme der motorischen Aktivität und wiesen Azidose kombiniert mit einem prägnanten Abfall von roten und weißen Blutkörperchen in der Peripherie auf, gepaart mit deren Umverteilung in die Lunge. Daher ist die pathophysiologische Relevanz dieses Mausmodells erwiesen. Es dient aus diesem Grund nicht nur der Erforschung der Mechanismen von allergeninduziertem Asthma versus nicht-spezifischer Atemwegsprovokation, sondern eignet sich auch für proof of concept Studien von Mimotopvakzinen. Folglich zeigt Chapter III einen Ansatz, bei dem solchermaßen sensibilisierte Phl p 5-asthmatische Mäuse zur therapeutischen Vakzinierung mit einem synthetisch hergestellten Mimotop gekoppelt an KLH, eingesetzt wurden. Als Mimotop-behandelte Mäuse mit dem aerosolisierten Phl p 5 re-exponiert wurden um die Allergenexposition in der Pollensaison beim Menschen nachzuahmen, wiesen diese eine signifikant geringere Zahl an Eosinophilen in der Bronchoalveolarlavage und im peribronchiolaren Gewebe, sowie eine beeindruckende Herunterregulation der Mukusproduktion im Vergleich zu den „sham“-behandelten Tieren oder zu Mäusen, die nur mit KLH behandelt wurden, auf. Um die Mimotoptechnologie weiter zu verbessern, konstruierten wir in Chapter IV eine Minigen Vakzine, indem wir das im Asthmamodell verwendete Peptidmimotop in eine DNA Vakzine übersetzten. Wir verglichen parallel zwei verschiedene Verabreichungswege für die Immunisierung mit der Genvakzine. Die Applikation mit der Gene gun war mehr mit einer Th2 –ausgerichteten Immunantwort assoziiert. Im Gegensatz dazu wurde durch intradermale Injektion des Minigenkonstruktes keine IgE Antwort induziert, sondern die Produktion blockierender IgG Antikörper ausgelöst, welche das allergenvermittelte Crosslinking von Effektorzell-gebundenem IgE inhibieren konnten. Darüber hinaus konnte keine Proliferation und Zytokinproduktion von allergen-spezifischen T-Zellen beobachtet werden. Die präklinischen Befunde welche in dieser Doktorarbeit erhoben wurden deuten darauf hin, dass Mimotope in Peptid oder DNA Form therapeutisches Potential für die Behandlung von allergischen Erkrankungen, im besonderen Asthma, besitzen. Dies ist wahrscheinlich auf die Tatsache zurückzuführen, dass Mimotope ausschließlich Allergen- B-Zellepitope repräsentieren, jegliche Aktivierung pro-inflammatorischer T-Lymphozyten jedoch ausgeschlossen werden kann.Allergen immunotherapy is today still associated with undesired side effects. This is in part due to the induction of anaphylactogenic antibodies directed against irrelevant molecules or even irrelevant epitopes within the applied allergens. This could be avoided by epitope-specific immunotherapy using mimotope peptides or anti-idiotypic Fab fragments with mimicry potential (reviewed in Chapter I) instead of allergens. This thesis aimed to further optimize mimotope immunotherapy against grass pollen allergy, and to set up and perform the necessary proof of concept studies. Therefore, in the first experimental approach (Chapter II), a mouse model of allergic asthma was adapted to sensitization with grass pollen major allergen Phl p 5. Acute asthma was induced via systemic sensitization followed by inhalative allergen challenge rendering mucus secretion, lymphoid follicle formation and eosinophilic inflammation of the airways. To discriminate allergic asthma from non-specifically triggered airway hyperreactivity, we added ovalbumin (OVA) being an irrelevant control antigen for aerosolization of Phl p 5-allergic mice. In an innovative approach we performed respiratory gas exchange measurements by indirect calorimetry before and after challenges with aerosolized antigens. Enhanced respiration was found up to 48 hrs after provocation in the Phl p 5-nebulized mouse group only, characterized by significantly increased consumption of O2 and release of CO2 into exhaled air. Although airway inflammation of the OVA challenged group was overall milder than in mice with allergic asthma, both groups showed significantly less motor activity and exhibited acidosis combined with a sharp decline of white and red blood cells shown to be redistributed to the lung. This mouse asthma model therefore proved to be of pathophysiological relevance, being suitable not only for exploring the mechanisms of allergen- induced asthma versus non-specific airway provocation, but importantly also for proof of concept studies for mimotope vaccines. Consequently, Chapter III shows an approach using in such a way sensitized Phl p 5-asthmatic mice for therapeutical vaccination with a synthetic peptide mimotope linked to carrier KLH. When mimotope-treated mice were then re-exposed with the aerosolized Phl p 5 to mimic allergen re-exposure of humans in the pollen season, they exhibited significantly lower eosinophil numbers in the bronchoalveolar lavage and peribronchiolar tissue as well as an impressive downregulation of mucus production as compared to sham-treated animals or animals treated with KLH only. To further improve mimotope technology, we constructed in Chapter IV a minigene vaccine by translating the same peptide mimotope as used in the asthma model into a DNA vaccine. We compared head to head two different administration routes for immunization with the gene vaccine. Whereas gene gun bombardment was found to be associated with a Th2 biased immune response, intradermal injection did not induce IgE production but rendered blocking IgG antibodies able to inhibit allergen-mediated crosslinking of effector cell-bound IgE. In addition, no proliferation and cytokine production of allergen-specific T cells were observed. The pre-clinical evidence collected in this thesis work suggests that mimotopes in peptide or DNA form have therapeutic potency for the treatment of allergic diseases. This is possibly due to the fact that they represent pure B cell-epitope mimics and completely avoid the activation of any pro-inflammatory T-lymphocytes

Gas phase biomarkers for disease diagnostics by ion-mobility

The detection of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) has shown great potential as a noninvasive and rapid diagnostic tool for early cancer and disease detection. The use of VOCs for early disease detection has several advantages and can provide valuable insights into disease pathophysiology. This PhD research aimed to investigate the presence of VOCs in urine samples and the development of chemical fingerprints for various cancers, namely, bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and hepatocellular cancer, and diseases such as fibrosis and urinary tract infection. This study investigated the possibility of using analytical techniques such as Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry (GC-IMS), Gas Chromatography-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS), and Electronic Noses (eNoses) for the identification of these biomarkers. The study findings demonstrate the presence of particular VOCs in urine samples. We found that GC-IMS and GC-TOF-MS was able to distinguish between some of the cancers with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. During this research, a total of 46 VOCs were identified as relevant for the identification of these cancer groups, with some VOCs being specific to each type of cancer. 13 VOCs with the highest concentration in urine samples of bladder cancer patients were identified in the course of this study. The electronic noses utilized in this research were the AlphaMOS FOX 4000 and PEN3 eNose. The AlphaMOS FOX 4000 was able to distinguish between some of the cancer groups with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Although, PEN3 eNose did not exhibit 100% sensitivity in distinguishing between the different cancer groups, it still demonstrated high levels of sensitivity and specificity. Overall, the study contributes to the advancement of research on the detection of VOCs and provides insights into the potential for using analytical techniques for the detection of VOCs in urine samples. However, there are some limitations to these technologies such as some of them require specialized training and expertise to operate and interpret results accurately and the cost of some of these technologies can be high, making them less accessible. Another limitation is that the detection of VOCs can be affected by factors such as sample collection, handling, and storage, which can impact on the accuracy of results. The second aim of this research presents the development of an in-house device based on Photo Ionisation Detector (PID) for the detection of VOCs. The thesis focuses on the xxii evaluation of the performance of the developed PID+ based device for detecting ISB. Throughout this thesis, we have examined the electronics of PID+. Experiments were conducted to assess the performance of the PID+ at various flow rates, ISB (Isobutylene) gas concentrations, bias voltages of detector plates, and amplifier circuit gains. The results of the study demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of the developed device in detecting ISB with high response. It was observed that increasing the flow rate of the sample gas has the potential to improve the response time of the detector. Additionally, it was observed that the concentration of the target VOCs, in this case ISB gas, was a crucial factor that affected the response of the detector, with higher concentrations resulting in higher sensitivities. However, it was noted that elevating either the flow rate or the concentration of the target VOCs beyond a certain threshold could lead to the saturation of the output. During the testing of the two versions of PID+, the performance of the PID+ was significantly improved. Nevertheless, more extensive research is required to verify the validity of the results of this study with respect to various VOCs

Heavy-duty diesel engine oil aging effects on emissions

Diesel engines are highly reliable, durable and are used for wide range of applications with low fuel usage owing to its higher thermal efficiency compared to other mobile power sources. Heavy-duty diesel engines are used for both on-road and off-road applications and dominate the heavy-duty engine segment of the United States transportation market. However, diesel engine exhaust emissions affect the ambient air quality by producing higher levels of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) compared to other mobile sources. New diesel engines produce significantly lower levels of PM and NOx emissions to comply with 2010 EPA emission limits compared to just a decade ago. But, the reliability of an on-road diesel engine (over 1 million miles) results in a significant portion of the heavy-duty engine truck fleet containing many legacy diesel engines in operation and these engines are relatively high NOx and PM emitters. Various programs to introduce fuels, additives, and retrofit devices to reduce NOx and PM emissions from these legacy engines have been carried out in states such as California and Texas. In these programs, emissions are compared between a baseline condition and the candidate technology configuration using a representative legacy engine. However, a small variation in the emissions levels can lead to either pass or failure of the candidate technology. The motivation for this research study was to investigate how engine oil aging history in a legacy engine affects the emission levels which may cause these decisive small variations.;A research study was undertaken to determine engine oil aging effects on gaseous and particulate matter emissions from a 12.7L 1992 Detroit Diesel Series 60 legacy heavy-duty diesel engine. Commercially available Shell Rotella RTM SAE 15W-40 engine oil was used to evaluate exhaust emission constituents up to 40 hours of oil aging, in two different test campaigns. The engine was exercised over transient and steady state test cycles. Apart from measurement of regulated gaseous and gravimetric PM emissions from the engine, PM number concentration levels were also measured. Oil samples were analyzed to study changes in its physical properties along with ash content, soot contamination, and metal content. Additionally, the oil samples were analyzed for determination of particle size distribution of suspended particles in the samples.;From the research, no significant changes in regulated gaseous and PM emission were observed during either test campaigns that could be attributed to the lubricant oil. Analysis of the oil samples showed no significant change in viscosity and density within the aging time period, but showed increase in total acid number (TAN) by 21%, soot content and metal content, whereas decrease in total base number (TBN) by 14.5%. Investigation into particle sizing of suspended particles in the oil samples suggests contamination of the oil by larger diameter particles during the initial 15 hours of its use compared to particles found from the oil samples from later part of the aging time period