An Innovative Take on Filtering Carbon Dioxide Through CryoCapture

Overview (Air Mover): Carbon dioxide plays an important role in the earth's ecosystem; the lives of many organisms are based on the balancing of this gas. Plants and animals need it for survival however, an excess of carbon dioxide can also end the organism’s life. The production of the gas mostly comes from the combustion of fossil fuel, power plants, big industries, vehicles, and processes involving natural gasses. One of the most known issues of carbon dioxide pollution is global warming. The greenhouse gas essentially traps heat in the atmosphere, increasing the global temperature. The methodology provided is an innovative solution towards the creation of an environmentally friendly carbon dioxide filter. Current air filtration systems are restricted to industrial environments limiting the ability to filter the air. Due to the large noise and low range of operation of axial fans the filtration systems need controlled environments for longevity. The paper presents a versatile air mover that can be mounted onto multiple surfaces due to its low profile and bracket mounts. Furthermore, the usage of a diagonal fan inside of a PVC pipe allows for a durable system that can operate at high efficiency and low noise. The main challenge in designing the air mover was figuring out how to quantify the scalability of the device and what parameters could be changed in order to make the device more viable. The designs most prominent feature are the inclusion of a modular enclosure that can be adapted to multiple areas and environments while withstanding harsh conditions due to the PVC piping that can be coated with a diagonal fan for high volumetric flow rates and pressure differential for versatility in environments the device is placed in as well as efficiency. Overview (Carbon Storer): The Civil and Environmental Engineering team is responsible for finding a cost effective and sustainable way to transport, store and recycle the carbon caught in the air from the Carbon Catcher designed by the other engineering teams. In the team’s design, the Carbon Catcher will reduce the harmful emissions in the air by capturing CO2, store it and then utilize it in another industry which will reduce the need to mine for more raw materials which would thus further reduce the pollution emitted into the environment. Our plan is to recycle the carbon emitted from a factory and utilize it in CO2 dry ice. It's the Civil and Environmental Engineers’ job to find a way to connect a sustainable solution with a solution that improves the public’s quality of life. There are many industries that pollute immense amounts from the mining of raw material or the emission of pollutants. The team wants to show industries that the economic solution can also be the sustainable solution. Overview (Membrane) The team’s solution focuses on the use of cryogenic carbon capture, a method in which the selective freezing points of the gaseous components of air are used to separate out carbon dioxide. For this process, the team will be utilizing a 4 step filtration process. First, the flue gas will be run through a particulate filter to catch all macroscopic particles that may be present within the air. Afterwards, the gas is then passed through a dehumidifier where a majority of water content will be extracted. Following this, The gas was then run through a long pipe and progressively cool it down to the freezing point of carbon dioxide. Finally, the filtered gas is extracted, and a bubbler is used to separate the solid carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is then compressed and recycled around the feed pipe to help in the cooling process. Along the process of this design, the team encountered problems finding the optimum materials for temperatures this low. As well, coming up with a way to eliminate heat transfer from the outside posed a huge problem. Through the experience, the team was able to gain a greater view of what benefits and drawbacks must be balanced, along with the economic interest that comes with designing an efficient process. Unlike how most designs are focused, It was understood that using a membrane only provided so much creativity when it came to filtration. As a result, the team researched other successful methods and arrived at utilizing cryogenics to filter. Goal Research to provide a single solution to remove levels of carbon dioxide in the immediate atmosphere, transport it to a storage mechanism, and find a way to recycle it. Powerful research is required to ensure effective methodologies, material usage, and flexible scalability of the overall device. This particular team seeks to find an alternative separation process to membrane filtration, the efficacy of which has not been demonstrated beyond the scale of a laboratory

Confounding effect of EEG implantation surgery: Inadequacy of surgical control in a two hit model of temporal lobe epilepsy

AbstractIn rodent models of epilepsy, EEG implantation surgery is an essential modality to evaluate electrographic seizures. The inflammatory consequences of EEG electrode-implantation and their resultant effects on seizure susceptibility are unclear. We evaluated electrode-implantation in a two-hit model of epileptogenesis in C57BL/6 mice that included brief, recurrent febrile seizures (FS) at P14 and kainic acid induced seizures (KA-SZ) at P28. During KA-SZ, latencies to first electrographic and behavioral seizures, seizure severity, and KA dose sensitivity were measured. Mice that received subdural screw electrode implants at P25 for EEG monitoring at P28 had significantly shorter latencies to seizures than sham mice, regardless of early life seizure experience. Electrode-implanted mice were sensitive to low dose KA as shown by high mortality rate at KA doses above 10mg/kg. We then directly compared electrode-implantation and KA-SZ in seizure naive CX3CR1GFP/+ transgenic C57BL/6 mice, wherein microglia express green fluorescent protein (GFP), to determine if microglia activation related to surgery was associated with the increased seizure susceptibility in electrode-implanted mice from the two-hit model. Hippocampal microglia activation, as demonstrated by percent area GFP signal and GFP positive cell counts, prior to seizures was indistinguishable between electrode-implanted mice and controls, but was significantly greater in electrode-implanted mice following seizures. Electrode-implantation had a confounding priming effect on the inflammatory response to subsequent seizures

Age-Related Differences in Vastus Lateralis Muscle Thickness versus Echo Intensity

Ultrasonography is frequently used in neuromuscular research to examine muscle architecture and function. In particular, measures of muscle thickness and echo intensity are often utilized to assess muscle quantity and quality, respectively. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in vastus lateralis muscle thickness versus echo intensity across the lifespan. Ultrasound images were taken of eight boys (mean ± SD age = 12 ± 2 years), eight young men (age = 26 ± 3 years), and seven old men (age = 71 ± 4 years). Muscle thickness (cm) was defined as the distance between the deep and superficial aponeuroses. Echo intensity (au) was defined as the mean of the histogram using ImageJ’s grayscale and rectangle functions. Separate one-way analyses of variance were used to examine mean differences among the age groups. There were no significant differences in muscle thickness (boys = 1.92 cm, young men = 2.13 cm, old men = 1.64 cm [F = 2.795, p = 0.085]). However, the analysis of echo intensity showed significant mean differences (boys = 68.1 au, young men = 47.5 au, old men = 65.5 au [F = 12.654, p \u3c 0.001]). Tukey post hoc analyses demonstrated significantly lower echo intensity for the young men compared to both the boys and old men. Although additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these findings, echo intensity may be a more sensitive variable than muscle thickness for examining age-related differences in vastus lateralis muscle architecture

De-regulation of JNK and JAK/STAT signaling in ESCRT-II mutant tissues cooperatively contributes to neoplastic tumorigenesis

Multiple genes involved in endocytosis and endosomal protein trafficking in Drosophila have been shown to function as neoplastic tumor suppressor genes (nTSGs), including Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport-II (ESCRT-II) components vacuolar protein sorting 22 (vps22), vps25, and vps36. However, most studies of endocytic nTSGs have been done in mosaic tissues containing both mutant and non-mutant populations of cells, and interactions among mutant and non-mutant cells greatly influence the final phenotype. Thus, the true autonomous phenotype of tissues mutant for endocytic nTSGs remains unclear. Here, we show that tissues predominantly mutant for ESCRT-II components display characteristics of neoplastic transformation and then undergo apoptosis. These neoplastic tissues show upregulation of c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK), Notch, and Janus Kinase (JAK)/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) signaling. Significantly, while inhibition of JNK signaling in mutant tissues partially inhibits proliferation, inhibition of JAK/STAT signaling rescues other aspects of the neoplastic phenotype. This is the first rigorous study of tissues predominantly mutant for endocytic nTSGs and provides clear evidence for cooperation among de-regulated signaling pathways leading to tumorigenesis

Relationships Between Body Size, Strength, and Power with Throwing Velocity Following a Strength Training Block in High School Water Polo Players

A high school strength and conditioning program should ideally improve fitness and develop motor skills in athletes. This could be a targeted goal if research details relationships between sport-specific motor skills and measures of fitness in high school athletes. PURPOSE: To investigate the correlations and predictive relationships (controlling for age) between height, body mass, strength, and power on throwing velocity in male high school water polo athletes after a 4-week strength training block. METHODS: Eighteen water polo athletes (age: 15.50±0.20 years; height: 177.05±1.60 cm; body mass: 74.28±3.70 kg) from one high school program were recruited. Testing occurred in one day; age, height and body mass were recorded first. Strength was measured using combined grip strength (right and left hands) and isometric lower-body strength via a leg/back dynamometer. Power was measured by a vertical jump and 2-kg seated medicine ball throw (MBT). Athletes also threw a water polo ball with maximum effort to measure throwing velocity. Partial correlations and stepwise regression controlling for sex were used to calculate relationships between throwing velocity with body size, strength, and power (pRESULTS: Combined grip strength (r=0.712), leg/back strength (r=0.656), and MBT (r=0.684) all showed significant positive relationships with throwing velocity. Age and combined grip strength predicted throwing velocity with 61.3% explained variance (R2=0.658, adjusted R2=0.613, pCONCLUSION: Strength and conditioning programs targeting upper- and lower-body strength and upper-body power could improve motor skills such as throwing in water polo high school athletes irrespective of age, which provided an indirect metric for maturation. The 4-week training block included exercises targeting these qualities (e.g., squats, presses, pull-ups, hang cleans), and this likely impacted the relationships between strength, power, and throwing velocity seen in this study. Strength and conditioning coaches working with overhead throwing sports at the high school level could incorporate upper- and lower-body strength and power exercises, including exercises that target grip strength, into to their training blocks to enhance their athletes’ throwing velocity

Hydrogeologic characterization of the Antlers Formation and aquifer in southern and southeastern Oklahoma

The Cretaceous-aged Antlers Formation crops out in several counties just north of the Texas border in southern and southeastern Oklahoma. The Antlers is composed of sands, conglomerates, clays, and limestones that lie unconformably over Paleozoic rocks, which forms the Antlers Aquifer, the fourth largest aquifer in Oklahoma in terms of storage volume. There have been no hydrogeologic investigations of the aquifer since a 1992 USGS report that estimated the hydraulic conductivity to range from 0.87-3.75 ft/day. In the absence of comprehensive studies of the Antlers, the goals of this study were to examine existing depositional models of the Antlers and understand the geologic controls on the aquifer's hydraulic properties in Marshall, Johnston, and Carter Counties. Field investigations included observations of lithologies and outcrop characteristics. Samples were collected from numerous locations that were spatially distributed throughout the study area. Laboratory studies included grain-size analyses, which were used to estimate hydraulic conductivity of the Antlers.Based on field observations, the previously postulated depositional environment of deltaic and alluvial fan deposits that transitioned into fluvial environments appears to be reasonable. Sample collection and laboratory analyses resulted in grain size distributions for 35 samples from 10 outcrops. Hydraulic conductivity of the samples ranged from 1.19-198.86 ft/d using the Hazen method. Specific capacity data analysis and slug testing were completed to compare the subsurface hydraulic conductivity (0.11-31.38 ft/ day) to the properties computed for outcrop material. The large range of hydraulic conductivities using the Hazen Equation is consistent with the highly variable lithology observed in the field. The results of the specific capacity tests and slug tests have a larger range and higher values than previous conceptual models and reports on the Antlers. Based on observed outcrop characteristics, laboratory analyses, and field (well) test results, this study shows that a more heterogeneous Antlers is present in the surface and subsurface with a broader range and higher average hydraulic conductivity than was previously reported

Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury in the Primary Care Setting

poster abstractBackground: TBI is being re-conceptualized as a chronic disease causative agent rather than as a single, acute event. This study examined how familiar family medicine physicians (PCPs) are with TBI and their level of confidence in treating TBI sequelae likely to be seen in primary care. We also examined PCP attitudes regarding care for post-acute mild TBI and moderate/severe TBI in primary care and how recently the respondent had cared for a mild TBI and/or moderate/severe TBI patient. Methods: The study featured a mixed methods study design. A survey was administered on paper and electronically. A semi-structured qualitative interview guide was developed based upon survey responses. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: Most respondents associated neurological symptoms/conditions as TBI sequelae: irritability, 100.0%, fatigue, 98.0%; insomnia, 88.2%, depression, 98.0%, headaches, 98.0%, anxiety, 80.4%. Two-thirds (66.7%) identified epilepsy as a condition associated with TBI. Just over one-half associated tinnitus (51.0%) or loss of libido (52.9%) with TBI while only one-third (33.3%) associated incontinence with TBI. Most physicians felt confident treating depression (84.0%), anxiety (82.4%), headache (80.4%) and insomnia (76.0%). Physicians felt less confident in treating fatigue (68.0%), irritability (68.0%), incontinence (51.2%) and loss of libido (50.0%). The least amount of confidence was claimed in treating epilepsy (37.5%) and tinnitus (36.4%). All respondents (100.0%) believed that a PCP can manage post-acute mild TBI (concussion) care while 52.0% agreed that a PCP can manage post-acute care for moderate/severe TBI. Only one respondent (2.0%) had never cared for a mild TBI patient. Most (70.6%) had cared for a moderate/severe TBI patient within the past two years while 5.9% had cared for one of these patients more than a year ago. Nearly twenty percent (19.7%) had never cared for a moderate/severe TBI patient and 3.9% were unsure if they had