Oxygen Concentrators for Neonates in Low Resource Environments

ME450 Capstone Design and Manufacturing Experience: Fall 2020There is a need for low-resource portable, reliable, and robust oxygen provision device. The device must be appropriate to treat neonates experiencing RDS and hypoxia in clinical settings, and this project specifically targets Nepal. Requirements for this project were developed using the Target Product Profile from the World Health Organization.Caroline Soyars, Aim Tech Healthhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/164437/1/Portable_Oxygen_Concentrator_Final_Report.pd

Recent disruptions in the timing and intensity of precipitation in Calakmul, Mexico

This study addresses changes in the timing and intensity of precipitation from 1982 to 2016 from three meteorological stations around Calakmul, Mexico, a landscape balancing biodiversity conservation and smallholder agricultural production. Five methods were used to assess changes in precipitation: the Mann-Kendall test of annual and wet season trends; a fuzzy-logic approach to determine the onset of the rainy season; the Gini Index and Precipitation Concentration Index (PCI) to evaluate the temporal distribution of precipitation; Simple Precipitation Intensity Index (SDII) to evaluate precipitation intensity; and the Rainfall Anomaly Index (RAI) to identify the deficit or surplus of rainfall compared to the long-term mean. Overall, rainfall trends in Calakmul over this period indicate a slight increase, though results of the indices (Gini, SDII, PCI) all indicate that rainfall has become more intense and more unevenly distributed throughout the year. There was no significant trend in the onset date of rainfall or the RAI overall, though there were more pronounced crests and troughs from 2004 to 2016. Higher interannual variability and more pronounced rainfall anomalies, both positive and negative, suggest that rainfall in the Calakmul region has become more extreme. This research informs for management and livelihood strategies in the local region and offers insights for analyses of regional patterns of seasonal precipitation events in tropical landscapes worldwide

Contribución de las prácticas y herramientas de “producciones más limpias” a la gestión ambiental de Planta Mecánica de Camagüey

A partir de una experiencia práctica en la fábrica Planta Mecánica, de Camagüey, Cuba, se expone el papel de técnicas de producciones más limpias, en la concreción del sistema de gestión ambiental en industrias. Se utilizó el análisis documental, síntesis y   deducción.   Los   procedimientos   se   sustentaron   en   un   método   genérico   de producciones más limpias combinado con la evaluación del desempeño, a través de indicadores. Con las medidas propuestas se pueden reducir el 25 % de las emisiones de sales tóxicas, equivalente a la disminución de $7 054,00 anuales debido al consumo de productos químicos en el área de tratamiento térmico, consumidora del 10 % de los reactivos químicos y que genera el 18 % de los residuos químicos peligrosos. Tan solo las medidas organizativas pueden disminuir los costos de producción de la entidad en más del 18 %. Ademças, se puede reducir en un 15 % el consumo energético en la planta de tratamiento de residuales. En un año, con la aplicación de tan solo el 28 % de lo propuesto, la reducción del costo del servicio de tratamiento de agua fue de 4,5 %, y del energético, de 9%

Phoenix: A CubeSat Mission to Study the Impact of Urban Heat Islands Within the U.S.

Phoenix is a student-led CubeSat mission, developed at Arizona State University (ASU), to study the effects of Urban Heat Islands in several U.S. cities through infrared remote sensing and educate students on space mission design. The spacecraft is designed using commercial off-the-shelf components (COTS) and several custom support boards developed by the student team. As such, the student team was responsible for the design, test, and validation of the spacecraft to demonstrate the capability of using COTS hardware to conduct high-fidelity science. This paper details the mission’s concept of operations, as well as the spacecraft and ground system design that was developed to complete the mission objective. In addition, it details the mission’s current status now that Phoenix has entered the operations phase, along with resources which have proved beneficial to the team while working with the spacecraft in orbit

Maternal fish consumption, fatty acid levels and angiogenic factors: The Generation R Study

AbstractIntroductionAngiogenic factors, such as placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble Flt-1 (sFlt-1), are key regulators of placental vascular development. Evidence from in vitro studies indicates that fatty acids can affect angiogenesis. We investigated the associations of maternal fish consumption and fatty acids levels with angiogenic factors during pregnancy, and in cord blood in a large population-based prospective cohort.MethodsFirst trimester fish consumption was assessed among 3134 pregnant women using a food-frequency questionnaire. Plasma fatty acid levels were measured in second trimester. Plasma PlGF and sFlt-1 were measured in first and second trimester and in cord blood. Associations of fish consumption or fatty acid levels with angiogenic factors were assessed by multivariable linear regression analyses.ResultsThere were no consistent associations of total fish or lean fish consumption with levels of PlGF, sFlt-1, or sFlt-1/PlGF ratio. Neither fatty fish nor shellfish were associated with angiogenic factors. Plasma omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are the main type of fatty acids in fish, were inconsistently associated with angiogenic factors in second trimester and cord blood. Yet, higher levels of arachidonic acid, an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, were associated with lower levels of PlGF and sFlt-1.DiscussionWe found no consistent associations of fish consumption or fatty acids levels with angiogenic factors in a population with low fish consumption. Studies including populations with higher fish consumption are required to fully grasp the potential effects of maternal fish consumption on placental angiogenesis

The Epithelial Cell-Derived Atopic Dermatitis Cytokine TSLP Activates Neurons to Induce Itch

SummaryAtopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic itch and inflammatory disorder of the skin that affects one in ten people. Patients suffering from severe AD eventually progress to develop asthma and allergic rhinitis, in a process known as the “atopic march.” Signaling between epithelial cells and innate immune cells via the cytokine thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is thought to drive AD and the atopic march. Here, we report that epithelial cells directly communicate to cutaneous sensory neurons via TSLP to promote itch. We identify the ORAI1/NFAT calcium signaling pathway as an essential regulator of TSLP release from keratinocytes, the primary epithelial cells of the skin. TSLP then acts directly on a subset of TRPA1-positive sensory neurons to trigger robust itch behaviors. Our results support a model whereby calcium-dependent TSLP release by keratinocytes activates both primary afferent neurons and immune cells to promote inflammatory responses in the skin and airways

Contribución de las prácticas y herramientas de “producciones más limpias” a la gestión ambiental de Planta Mecánica de Camagüey

A partir de una experiencia práctica en la fábrica Planta Mecánica, de Camagüey, Cuba, se expone el papel de técnicas de producciones más limpias, en la concreción del sistema de gestión ambiental en industrias. Se utilizó el análisis documental, síntesis y deducción. Los procedimientos se sustentaron en un método genérico de producciones más limpias combinado con la evaluación del desempeño, a través de indicadores. Con las medidas propuestas se pueden reducir el 25 % de las emisiones de sales tóxicas, equivalente a la disminución de $7 054,00 anuales debido al consumo de productos químicos en el área de tratamiento térmico, consumidora del 10 % de los reactivos químicos y que genera el 18 % de los residuos químicos peligrosos. Tan solo las medidas organizativas pueden disminuir los costos de producción de la entidad en más del 18 %. Ademças, se puede reducir en un 15 % el consumo energético en la planta de tratamiento de residuales. En un año, con la aplicación de tan solo el 28 % de lo propuesto, la reducción del costo del servicio de tratamiento de agua fue de 4,5 %, y del energético, de 9%