SunSat Design Competition 2015-2016 Second Place Winner – Team Pathway to Power : Wireless Power Transfer

Solar Power Satellites (SPS) using Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) to beam renewable energy to consumers on earth face three grand challenges: moving parts, heat dissipation, and radio interference. Solutions to each of these “show stoppers” are presented here. Further, a progressively more-complex pathway is described which starts where we are now and leads step-wise to implementation of large-scale Space Solar Power (SSP). The first two grand challenges are addressed by a novel SPS design based on a thin-walled cylinder configuration of solar panels. The remaining challenge is tackled through a newly-discovered antenna configuration which allows dramatic reduction in radio/telecom interference from so-called “sidelobes.” The cost of this SPS (called the “tin can” for its resemblance to a soup tin with the “lid” antenna canted up at an angle) is made affordable through the use of raw materials already present in space. The techniques known as In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU, or “living off the land”) provide for the refinement of minerals (powdered rock or “regolith”) from the moon or from asteroids into the pure metals and semiconductors needed to build the tin can SPS. All these factors are brought together as the ultimate goal of a progression of value-added solutions leading to commercial feasibility of SSP. Click here to see this team video: Pathway to Power Faculty Advisor: Peter Schubert, Director, Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy; Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, Indian

Early fluid resuscitation with hyperoncotic hydroxyethyl starch 200/0.5 (10%) in severe burn injury

INTRODUCTION: Despite large experience in the management of severe burn injury, there are still controversies regarding the best type of fluid resuscitation, especially during the first 24 hours after the trauma. Therefore, our study addressed the question whether hyperoncotic hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 200/0.5 (10%) administered in combination with crystalloids within the first 24 hours after injury is as effective as 'crystalloids only' in severe burn injury patients. METHODS: 30 consecutive patients were enrolled to this prospective interventional open label study and assigned either to a traditional 'crystalloids only' or to a 'HES 200/0.5 (10%)' volume resuscitation protocol. Total amount of fluid administration, complications such as pulmonary failure, abdominal compartment syndrome, sepsis, renal failure and overall mortality were assessed. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed for binary outcomes and adjustment for potential confounders was done in the multivariate regression models. For continuous outcome parameters multiple linear regression analysis was used. RESULTS: Group differences between patients receiving crystalloids only or HES 200/0.5 (10%) were not statistically significant. However, a large effect towards increased overall mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 7.12; P = 0.16) in the HES 200/0.5 (10%) group as compared to the crystalloids only group (43.8% versus 14.3%) was present. Similarly, the incidence of renal failure was 25.0% in the HES 200/0.5 (10%) group versus 7.1% in the crystalloid only group (adjusted hazard ratio 6.16; P = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS: This small study indicates that the application of hyperoncotic HES 200/0.5 (10%) within the first 24 hours after severe burn injury may be associated with fatal outcome and should therefore be used with caution

Family aggregation of high myopia: estimation of the sibling recurrence risk ratio

PURPOSE. To estimate the sibling recurrence risk (KS) and the sibling recurrence risk ratio ({lambda}S) for high myopia in a cohort in the United Kingdom. METHOD. The recurrence risks for myopia and high myopia were estimated in the siblings of 296 randomly selected high myopes ascertained from an optometric practice population. A model using an age of onset of spectacle wear for myopia of 9.1 ± 0.7 years or younger was developed as a surrogate for high myopia. The influence of parental myopia on the sibling recurrence risk for high myopia was also evaluated. RESULTS. KS was estimated (95% confidence limits) to be 10.0% (5.9, 14.8) and {lambda}S to be 4.9 (2.8, 7.6). High myopes without myopic parents were surprisingly common (~40%) and were less likely to have highly myopic siblings (KS ~6%) than those with at least one myopic parent (KS ~14%). CONCLUSIONS. The sibling recurrence risk ratio reported herein ({lambda}S ~ 4.9) implies that the high penetrance autosomal dominant loci for high myopia identified to date account for only a minority of cases of high myopia in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, high-penetrance autosomal dominant inheritance or even high-penetrance recessive inheritance, per se, cannot account for most cases of high myopia. Instead, it may be necessary to consider high myopia as a "complex disease" resulting from the influence of either alleles of reduced penetrance ("susceptibility genes"), environmental factors, or both

Linkage analysis of the genetic loci for high myopia on chromosomes 18p, 12q and 17q in 51 UK families

PURPOSE. To determine the extent to which high myopia in a cohort of 51 U.K. families can be attributed to currently identified genetic loci. METHODS. The families comprised 245 subjects with phenotypic information and DNA available, of whom 170 were classified as affected. Subjects were genotyped for microsatellite markers spanning _40cM regions on 18p (MYP2), 12q (MYP3) and 17q, together with markers flanking COL2A1, COL11A1, and FBN1. Two-point linkage analyses were performed using the same disease gene segregation model as was used in the original publications, followed by nonparametric and multipoint analyses using Genehunter (http://linkage.rockefeller. edu/soft/gh/ provided in the public domain by Rockefeller University, New York, NY), with additional maximization over the parameter _, the proportion of linked families. RESULTS. Evidence of linkage was found for the MYP3 locus on 12q (two-point Zmax _ 2.54, P _ 0.0003 and multipoint hLOD _ 1.08 at _ _ 0.24, P _ 0.023 for marker D12S332; nonparametric linkage [NPL] _ 1.49, P _ 0.07 for marker D12S1607). For the 17q locus there was weak evidence of excess allele sharing and linkage under a recessive model (NPL _ 1.34, P _ 0.09 for marker D17S956; two-point hLOD _ 1.24 at _ _ 0.30 for marker D17S1795; multipoint hLOD _ 1.24 at _ _ 0.17, P _ 0.014 for marker at 77.68 cM, between markers D17S956 and D17S1853). No significant linkage was found to the MYP2 locus on 18p, or to the COL2A1, COL11A1, and FBN1 genes. CONCLUSIONS. These results suggest that the MYP3 locus on 12q could be responsible for high myopia in approximately 25% of the U.K. families showing apparent autosomal dominant transmission, but that the loci on 18p and 17q are less common causes. Thus, additional loci for high myopia are likely to be the cause of the majority of cases of high myopia in the United Kingdom

Turbidimeter Design and Analysis: A Review on Optical Fiber Sensors for the Measurement of Water Turbidity

Turbidimeters operate based on the optical phenomena that occur when incident light through water body is scattered by the existence of foreign particles which are suspended within it. This review paper elaborates on the standards and factors that may influence the measurement of turbidity. The discussion also focuses on the optical fiber sensor technologies that have been applied within the lab and field environment and have been implemented in the measurement of water turbidity and concentration of particles. This paper also discusses and compares results from three different turbidimeter designs that use various optical components. Mohd Zubir and Bashah and Daraigan have introduced a design which has simple configurations. Omar and MatJafri, on the other hand, have established a new turbidimeter design that makes use of optical fiber cable as the light transferring medium. The application of fiber optic cable to the turbidimeter will present a flexible measurement technique, allowing measurements to be made online. Scattered light measurement through optical fiber cable requires a highly sensitive detector to interpret the scattered light signal. This has made the optical fiber system have higher sensitivity in measuring turbidity compared to the other two simple turbidimeters presented in this paper. Fiber optic sensors provide the potential for increased sensitivity over large concentration ranges. However, many challenges must be examined to develop sensors that can collect reliable turbidity measurements in situ

Associations with photoreceptor thickness measures in the UK Biobank.

Spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) provides high resolution images enabling identification of individual retinal layers. We included 32,923 participants aged 40-69 years old from UK Biobank. Questionnaires, physical examination, and eye examination including SD-OCT imaging were performed. SD OCT measured photoreceptor layer thickness includes photoreceptor layer thickness: inner nuclear layer-retinal pigment epithelium (INL-RPE) and the specific sublayers of the photoreceptor: inner nuclear layer-external limiting membrane (INL-ELM); external limiting membrane-inner segment outer segment (ELM-ISOS); and inner segment outer segment-retinal pigment epithelium (ISOS-RPE). In multivariate regression models, the total average INL-RPE was observed to be thinner in older aged, females, Black ethnicity, smokers, participants with higher systolic blood pressure, more negative refractive error, lower IOPcc and lower corneal hysteresis. The overall INL-ELM, ELM-ISOS and ISOS-RPE thickness was significantly associated with sex and race. Total average of INL-ELM thickness was additionally associated with age and refractive error, while ELM-ISOS was additionally associated with age, smoking status, SBP and refractive error; and ISOS-RPE was additionally associated with smoking status, IOPcc and corneal hysteresis. Hence, we found novel associations of ethnicity, smoking, systolic blood pressure, refraction, IOPcc and corneal hysteresis with photoreceptor thickness

'Education, education, education' : legal, moral and clinical

This article brings together Professor Donald Nicolson's intellectual interest in professional legal ethics and his long-standing involvement with law clinics both as an advisor at the University of Cape Town and Director of the University of Bristol Law Clinic and the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic. In this article he looks at how legal education may help start this process of character development, arguing that the best means is through student involvement in voluntary law clinics. And here he builds upon his recent article which argues for voluntary, community service oriented law clinics over those which emphasise the education of students

Application of the Wagner-Nelson absorption method to the two-compartment open model

This report considers the application of the Wagner- Nelson method to both one- and two- compartment open model data when there is no competing reaction at the absorption site. Equations are derived which show that application of the Wagner- Nelson method to data which obey the twocompartment open model with first-order absorption allows accurate estimation of not only the rate constant k a but also the parameters of the two- compartment open model, namely k 12 , k 21 , and k el . In the example given, this new method was more accurate than the classical “feathering” or ”back- projection” method. The appropriate criterion for “collapsing” the two- to the onecompartment open model is given. In cases where the one-compartment open model applies, and absorption is first order but abruptly ceases after some time, it is shown that k a may be accurately estimated by application of the Guggenheim method to the A T /V values calculated for the absorption phase.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45046/1/10928_2005_Article_BF01070942.pd

A method to predict infinity values for biexponential processes

An equation is presented which allows infinity values for biexponential processes to be predicted in the early nonlinear phase when samples are taken at equal time intervals. This equation is independent of the value or ratio of the rate constants involved in the process. However, this method is very sensitive to noise normally associated with urine data.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45077/1/10928_2005_Article_BF01062539.pd

Life, time, and the organism:Temporal registers in the construction of life forms

In this paper, we articulate how time and temporalities are involved in the making of living things. For these purposes, we draw on an instructive episode concerning Norfolk Horn sheep. We attend to historical debates over the nature of the breed, whether it is extinct or not, and whether presently living exemplars are faithful copies of those that came before. We argue that there are features to these debates that are important to understanding contemporary configurations of life, time and the organism, especially as these are articulated within the field of synthetic biology. In particular, we highlight how organisms are configured within different material and semiotic assemblages that are always structured temporally. While we identify three distinct structures, namely the historical, phyletic and molecular registers, we do not regard the list as exhaustive. We also highlight how these structures are related to the care and value invested in the organisms at issue. Finally, because we are interested ultimately in ways of producing time, our subject matter requires us to think about historiographical practice reflexively. This draws us into dialogue with other scholars interested in time, not just historians, but also philosophers and sociologists, and into conversations with them about time as always multiple and never an inert background