Village Water Ozonation System

Safe drinking water is something that all humans need. People around the globe face issues like limited access to water, water scarcity, and contamination of their water supply. Alleviating global water-related illnesses and deaths remains a prevailing challenge to overcome. With this in mind, the Village Water Ozonation System (VWOS) team works with communities to increase their access to safe drinking water. In the past few years, VWOS has had the privilege of walking alongside our partner communities in Mexico, Pakistan, and Nicaragua to develop sustainable drinking water solutions. Through collaborations with several Christian organizations such as Forward Edge International in Mexico, Full Gospel Assemblies Bible College of Pakistan and, Friends in Action International in Nicaragua, the team has acquired an increased awareness of drinking water needs and issues across the world. Over this past academic year, the team has focused on completing a design for a church in Oaxaca, Mexico where water will be drawn from a polluted well. The VWOS design includes accessing the well, purifying the water to a drinkable standard, and providing the option of utility water from the same well. The team has also been designing and testing for a client in Pakistan who has arsenic in their water source. The team has tested and designed in order to remove the arsenic from the source. Implementation for these two projects will be in the near future. Lastly, the team has begun investigation on removal of salt in a water source for a client in Nicaragua.https://mosaic.messiah.edu/engr2020/1013/thumbnail.jp

Evaluation of strategies for preservation of microalgae Chlorella

[EN] The biomass obtained from microalgae, such as Chlorella, is used to make dietary products, supplements and pharmaceuticals. However, microalgae are produced very far from consumption places. One of the most usual distribution forms is as a dry product, a process that entails high production costs and leads to the loss of certain nutritional properties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate alternative preservation strategies for microalgae Chlorella other than dehydration and freezing. To that end, sterilization, acidification, and packaging material were analyzed during 2 months of storage under different temperature and light exposure conditions. The results showed that color was modified considerably by sterilization, regardless of light exposure and type of package, whereas citric acid preserved color, especially at low storage temperatures. Furthermore, the study shows that acidification with 3.5% of citric acid and vacuum packaging are the recommended treatment for microalgae, without the need for cold storage. Practical applicationsStabilization of microalgae Chlorella from production to consumption places could increase the possibilities of commercialization of this product, recently labeled superfood by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. In order to preserve all their nutritional properties for at least 2 months, acidification with 3.5% of citric acid and vacuum packaging are the recommended treatments, without the need for cold storage.The review of this paper was funded by the Universitat Politècnica de València, SpainCastelló Gómez, ML.; Pariente, G.; Andrés Grau, AM.; Ortolá Ortolá, MD. (2017). Evaluation of strategies for preservation of microalgae Chlorella. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. 42(2):1-8. doi:10.1111/jfpp.13518S1842

Village Water Ozonation System

The Village Water Ozonation System (VWOS) team’s core mission statement is to provide economically sustainable and culturally sensitive drinking water solutions for communities, to empower communities with the ability to properly maintain their drinking water supply, and to transform people’s lives by decreasing the occurrences of waterborne diseases. Currently, the VWOS team is partnering with Friends in Action to design and implement two drinking water treatment systems for the community living on Rama Cay, an island in the Bluefields Lagoon on the eastern coastline of Nicaragua. The wells on the island are contaminated with E. coli and other bacteria and contain high levels of salt that cause the water to be unhealthy, distasteful, and corrosive to metal equipment in the system. The team hopes to design a system that will disinfect the water, remove salinity from the well water with a safe and efficient disposal of all byproducts, and decrease corrosion agents. VWOS is partnering with Forward Edge International for the third time (Nicaragua 2009 and Mexico 2016) to design water treatment systems for communities in Oaxaca, Mexico and Kijabe, Kenya. The system for Oaxaca is ready for implementation and awaits availability to travel. The system for Kijabe is in the initial stage of communicating with the client on specifics for the design.https://mosaic.messiah.edu/engr2021/1018/thumbnail.jp

Assessment of Cardiovascular Fibrosis Using Novel Fluorescent Probes

Cardiovascular fibrosis resulted from pressure overload or ischemia could alter myocardial stiffness and lead to ventricular dysfunction. Fluorescently labeled collagen-binding protein CNA 35, derived from the surface component of Staphylococcus aureus, and a novel synthetic biphenylalanine containing peptide are applied to stain fibrosis associated collagen and myocytes, respectively. Detailed pathological characteristics of cardiovascular fibrosis could be identified clearly in 2 hours. This staining pair requires only simple staining and brief washing, generating less than 10 ml of waste. The image information collected by this novel fluorescent staining pair is compatible with it collected by the traditional Masson's Trichrome and Picrosirius Red staining which are widely used to stain cardiovascular fibrosis and isolated cells

Structural Ceramics by Fused Deposition of Ceramics

Fused Deposition of Ceramics (FDC) is a SFF technique, based on FDMTM technology, for fabrication of advanced structural ceramics from powderlbinder filaments. In this study, in-situ reinforced (ISR) Si3N4 powder and polymer/wax based binder systems were used as filament material for FDC processing using a commercially available FDMTM system, 3D Modeler. Powderlbinder feedstocks were mixed using a torque rheometer and filaments were fabricated using a capillary rheometer and twin screw extruder. Green FDC components were built from these filaments and then characterized for inter-road and inter-layer bonding. Binder removal procedures were established for FDC green components to yield brown parts without distortion or shape change. Brown FDC parts were characterized for carbon residue, pore distribution and dimensional changes. Brown FDC parts were then sintered and the sintered density, microstructure, and shrinkage anisotropy were studied.Mechanical Engineerin

Prospective Study Examining Clinical Outcomes Associated with a Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System and Barker’s Vacuum Packing Technique

Background The open abdomen has become a common procedure in the management of complex abdominal problems and has improved patient survival. The method of temporary abdominal closure (TAC) may play a role in patient outcome. Methods A prospective, observational, open-label study was performed to evaluate two TAC techniques in surgical and trauma patients requiring open abdomen management: Barker’s vacuum-packing technique (BVPT) and the ABTheraTM open abdomen negative pressure therapy system (NPWT). Study endpoints were days to and rate of 30-day primary fascial closure (PFC) and 30-day all-cause mortality. Results Altogether, 280 patients were enrolled from 20 study sites. Among them, 168 patients underwent at least 48 hours of consistent TAC therapy (111 NPWT, 57 BVPT). The two study groups were well matched demographically. Median days to PFC were 9 days for NPWT versus 12 days for BVPT (p = 0.12). The 30-day PFC rate was 69 % for NPWT and 51 % for BVPT (p = 0.03). The 30-day all-cause mortality was 14 % for NPWT and 30 % for BVPT (p = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that patients treated with NPWT were significantly more likely to survive than the BVPT patients [odds ratio 3.17 (95 % confidence interval 1.22–8.26); p = 0.02] after controlling for age, severity of illness, and cumulative fluid administration. Conclusions Active NPWT is associated with significantly higher 30-day PFC rates and lower 30-day all-cause mortality among patients who require an open abdomen for at least 48 h during treatment for critical illness

Pelvic trauma : WSES classification and guidelines

Complex pelvic injuries are among the most dangerous and deadly trauma related lesions. Different classification systems exist, some are based on the mechanism of injury, some on anatomic patterns and some are focusing on the resulting instability requiring operative fixation. The optimal treatment strategy, however, should keep into consideration the hemodynamic status, the anatomic impairment of pelvic ring function and the associated injuries. The management of pelvic trauma patients aims definitively to restore the homeostasis and the normal physiopathology associated to the mechanical stability of the pelvic ring. Thus the management of pelvic trauma must be multidisciplinary and should be ultimately based on the physiology of the patient and the anatomy of the injury. This paper presents the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) classification of pelvic trauma and the management Guidelines.Peer reviewe