Sensor Systems For Combustion Control

This project is the first iteration of a larger multi-year project working towards utilizing ammonia (NH3) as an alternative fuel. The purpose of this iteration is a proof of concept for the creation of a control loop that can measure oxygen levels in a system and control the flow rates of nitrogen and oxygen in order to maintain an ideal ratio metric flow to reduce the overall emissions of the system. It is the hope of this project that the concept can eventually be used to maximally reduce to the point of near complete elimination of NOx emissions from burning ammonia as an alternative fuel. The scope of this project is to act as a starting point for research and testing towards the end goal of a cleaner more sustainable alternative fuel. This project confirms the ability to control flow rates of gases to maintain an ideal ratio of nitrogen to oxygen inside of a heating chamber test system through the measuring of voltage of an O2 sensor and adjusting of the flow rates of each gas based on the voltage value returned by the sensor

Levels and drivers of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas

Effective conservation depends largely on people's compliance with regulations. We investigate compliance through the lens of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs are widely used tools for marine conservation and fisheries management. Studies show that compliance alone is a strong predictor of fish biomass within MPAs. Hence, fishers' compliance is critical for MPA effectiveness. However, there are few empirical studies showing what factors influence fishers' compliance with MPAs. Without such information, conservation planners and managers have limited opportunities to provide effective interventions. By studying 12 MPAs in a developing country (Costa Rica), we demonstrate the role that different variables have on fishers' compliance with MPAs. Particularly, we found that compliance levels perceived by resource users were higher in MPAs (1) with multiple livelihoods, (2) where government efforts against illegal fishing were effective, (3) where fishing was allowed but regulated, (4) where people were more involved in decisions, and (5) that were smaller. We also provide a novel and practical measure of compliance: a compound variable formed by the number illegal fishers and their illegal fishing effort. Our study underlines the centrality of people’s behavior in nature conservation and the importance of grounding decision making on the social and institutional realities of each location

Comercio exterior agrario entre el Perú y Estados Unidos durante el periodo 2013-2017

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo general analizar el Comercio Exterior agrario durante el periodo 2013 - 2017. El tipo de investigación fue descriptivo. La población y muestra de esta investigación no requiere distinguirlo ya que los datos obtenidos son ex post-facto. Y que fueron tomadas de las diferentes Publicaciones oficiales del Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas, Ministerio de Producción, INEE, entre otras páginas. En la investigación no se requiere de técnica ni de un instrumento especial de recopilación de datos porque los datos son ex post-facto, ya que se toma información existente. Para el análisis y procesamiento de la información obtenida, se hará uso del Trade Map y Excel a fin de establecer los datos y expresarlos mediante tablas y gráficos de forma descriptiva. A través de la información obtenida se puede determinar el comportamiento del Comercio Exterior Agrario durante el periodo 2013 – 2017. Concluyendo que de acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos la exportación e importación de productos agrarios durante el periodo 2013 – 2017 ha sido favorable para el Perú y Estados Unidos

Psychometric properties of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale in a large cross-cultural Spanish and Portuguese speaking sample

[EN]Two groups of participants were included: a non-clinical sample involving 31,243 community subjects and a clinical sample comprising 529 patients with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were used in order to determine the psychometric properties of the LSAS-SR. EFA identified five factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.00 explaining 50.78% of the cumulative variance. CFA and ESEM supported this 5-factor structure of the LSAS-SR. The factors included: 1) speaking in public; 2) eating/drinking in front of other people; 3) assertive behaviors; 4) working/writing while being observed; and 5) interactions with strangers. Other psychometric properties such as inter-factor correlations, invariance, reliability, and validity of the scale were also foun

Neurodynamics under Different Walking Speeds in Individuals with Chronic Post-Stroke Hemiparesis

Background and Purpose: Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in adults worldwide. The ability to return to walking is often a main goal of rehabilitation in individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. To increase walking speed, non-neurologically impaired individuals produce greater ankle propulsion force at push-off with greater ankle dorsiflexion angles in swing phase with no change in ankle muscle co-contraction index in the swing phase. It remains unclear if individuals post-stroke would adopt similar neuromuscular strategies. Therefore, our aim was to examine the effect of altered walking speeds on propulsion force at push-off, ankle dorsiflexion angle during swing, and co-contraction of the lower leg musculature in individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. Subjects: We recruited 7 participants with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis and 7 age-similar, non-neurologically impaired controls. Inclusion criteria were 1) \u3e 6 months post stroke with hemiparesis, 2) able to walk without an assistive device for 2 minutes, and 3) able to follow cues and adhere to instructions. Exclusion criteria were 1) had a history of cerebellar stroke(s) and/or 2) unable to walk without an assistive device for more than 2 minutes. Methods: All subjects were tested under three different walking speed conditions: self-selected walking speed (SSWS), fast walking speed (FWS), and slow walking speed (SWS). We examined the propulsion force at push-off, ankle dorsiflexion angle during swing phase, and co-contraction index of the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles during stance and swing phases. A 2-factor mixed factorial ANOVA was used to assess each variable between leg and the speed condition (FWS, SSWS, SWS). The legs examined were the paretic limb of participants post-stroke, the non-paretic limb of participants post-stroke, and the non-impaired limb of non-neurologically impaired controls. Results: The ANOVA and post-hoc analyses revealed that there were significant increases in ankle dorsiflexion angle during swing phase and propulsion force at push-off in the FWS (4.6±4.3° and -1.1±0.6 N/kg respectively) condition when compared to the SSWS (5.6±4.8° and -0.9±0.5 N/kg respectively) and SWS (5.3±4.6° and -0.7±0.4 N/kg respectively) conditions across the 3 limbs examined. Additionally, the speed and limb had no main effect (p=0.233 and p=0.554 respectively) on co-contraction index between the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius at peak dorsiflexion during swing and had a trending main effect (p=0.082) on co-contraction index between the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius at push off. Discussion: Faster walking speeds may help people post-stroke to improve their propulsion force and ankle kinematics during gait. Future studies should investigate individuals with different types of strokes as well as the percentage of speed increase that evokes consistent improvements in gait mechanics in people post-stroke for physical therapy interventions

Closing the compliance gap in marine protected areas with human behavioural sciences

Advocates, practitioners and policy-makers continue to use and advocate for marine protected areas (MPAs) to meet global ocean protection targets. Yet many of the worlds MPAs, and especially no-take MPAs, are plagued by poaching and ineffective governance. Using a global dataset on coral reefs as an example, we quantify the potential ecological gains of governing MPAs to increase compliance, which we call the ‘compliance gap’. Using ecological simulations based on model posteriors of joint Bayesian hierarchical models, we demonstrate how increased compliance in no-take MPAs could nearly double target fish biomass (91% increases in median fish biomass), and result in a 292% higher likelihood of encountering top predators. Achieving these gains and closing the compliance gap necessitates a substantial shift in approach and practice to go beyond optimizing enforcement, and towards governing for compliance. This will require engaging and integrating a broad suite of actors, principles, and practices across three key domains: (i)) harnessing social influence, (ii) integrating equity principles, and (iii) aligning incentives through market-based instruments. Empowering and shaping communication between actor groups (e.g., between fishers, practitioners, and policy-makers) using theoretically underpinned approaches from the behavioural sciences is one of the most essential, but often underserved aspects of governing MPAs. We therefore close by highlighting how this cross-cutting tool could be further integrated in governance to bolster high levels of compliance in MPAs

Slow Walking in Individuals with Chronic Post-Stroke Hemiparesis: Speed Mediated Effects of Gait Kinetics and Ankle Kinematics

Post-stroke rehabilitation often aims to increase walking speeds, as faster walking is associated with improved functional status and quality of life. However, for successful community ambulation, ability to modulate (increase and decrease) walking speeds is more important than walking continuously at constant speeds. Increasing paretic propulsive forces to increase walking speed has been extensively examined; however, little is known about the mechanics of slow walking post-stroke. The primary purpose of this study was to identify the effects of increased and decreased walking speeds on post-stroke kinetics and ankle kinematics. Fifteen individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis and 15 non-neurologically impaired controls walked over an instrumented treadmill under: slow, self-selected, and fast walking speeds. We examined the peak propulsive forces, propulsive impulse, peak braking forces, braking impulse, and ankle kinematics under each condition. When walking at slow walking speeds, paretic limbs were unable to reduce braking impulse and peak propulsive force or modulate ankle kinematics. Impaired modulation of paretic gait kinetics during slow walking places people post-stroke at high risks for slip-related falls. These findings suggest the need for developing gait retraining paradigms for slow walking in individuals chronically post-stroke that target the ability of the paretic limb to modulate braking forces

Enfermedad de Hirschsprung, a propósito de un caso

Introduction: Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is within theclinical context one of Pediatric diseases that lowerIncidencehas, representing barely 2.7% of all of them, according todata from the American College of Pediatrics (ACP). However, its pathophysiologyand clinical behavior governed by the age of the patient are the main variablesthat complicate the diagnosis and give errors of up to 35%(ACP). The mortality of patients can amount up to 65% whenthe EH is complicated with a picture of Necrotizingenterocolitis, in a patient who has notbeen theeliminationof meconium within the first 12 hours of life must suspecteh, always takinginto account the patient's age and recallingthat preterm the same delay can be considered normal, while in the case oflarger aged patients the incidence of thedisease is lower, however the diagnostic probability should not be disregarded. Sepsis in abdominal origin andnecrotising enterocolitis are two of the major complicationsof which the physician should be prevented, even when, asreported in the present case, even patients who are opposedto the main factors of risk described in literature, such asage, can develop a HD box and a latent risk of complicationlikethe rest of patients that if shared these risk factors. Objective: To describe a case of Hirschsprung's disease. Material and methods: a descriptive, retrospective studyabout Hirschsprung's disease clinical case presenta-tion. Results: Describes a case of Hirschsprung's disease inpediatric patient with complications and resolution satisfactory quirurgica. Conclusions: The proper implementation of the clinicalmethod allows an accurate diagnosis and timely treatmentof Hirschsprung's disease.Introducción: La Enfermedad deHirschsprung (EH) es dentro del contexto clínico-quirúrgico una de las patologías pediátricas que menor incidencia posee, representando a penas el 2,7% de todas ellas según datos del Colegio Americano de Pediatría (ACP). Sin embargo, su fisiopatología y su comportamiento clínico regido por la edad del paciente son las principales variables que complican el diagnóstico y dan errores de hasta un 35% (ACP). La mortalidad de los pacientes puede ascender hasta un 65% cuando la EHse complica con un cuadro de enterocolitis necrotizante, en un paciente que no se ha conseguido la eliminación de meconio dentro de las 12 primeras horas de vida deberá sospecharse de EH, siempre tomando en cuenta la edad del pacientey recordando que en pretérminos el retraso del mismopuede considerarse normal, mientras que en el caso de pacientes más grandes de edadla incidencia de la patología es menor, sin embargo la probabilidad diagnóstica no debe de ser menospreciada. La sepsis de origen abdominal y enterocolitis necrotizante son dos de las grandes complicaciones de las cuales el médico debe estar prevenido, más aún, cuando, como se relata en el presente caso clínico, incluso pacientes que se contraponen a los principales factores de riesgo descritos por la literatura, como la edad, pueden desarrollar un cuadro de EH y tener un riesgo latente de complicación al igual que el resto de pacientes que si comparten dichos factores de riesgos. Objetivo: Describir un caso clínico de Enfermedad de Hirschsprung. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo, presentación de caso clínico sobre Enfermedad de Hirschsprung. Resultados: Se describe un caso de Enfermedad de Hirschsprung en paciente pediátrico con complicaciones y resolución quirpurgica satisfactoria. Conclusiones: La adecuada aplicación del método clínico permite un diagnóstico preciso y tratamiento oportuno de la Enfermedad de Hirschsprung