A two-week clinical evaluation of the safety of Systane® Ultra in contact lens-wearing patients

David KadingSpecialty Eyecare Group, Kirkland, WA, USAObjective: To evaluate the safety of Systane® Ultra Lubricant Eye Drops (test solution) in contact lens wearers. A currently marketed contact lens rewetting drop was the control solution.Participants: This investigator- and patient-masked, single-site, randomized, and prospective study involved 45 successful contact lens wearers.Methods: Eligible subjects’ baseline biomicroscopy findings, visual acuity, and corneal staining score were recorded. Subjects received either the test or control solution with masked labeling. Subjects were instructed to instill their assigned solution in both eyes: 15 minutes prior to lens insertion, at least one drop during lens wear and another drop immediately following lens removal. After 14 days, biomicroscopy results, visual acuity, and corneal staining score were recorded.Results: No adverse events were documented for either the test or the control solution. For subjects using Systane® Ultra, no statistically significant change was detected in visual acuity (= 0.7667) or corneal staining score (P = 1.000). For subjects using the control solution, the change in visual acuity (P = 0.0011, mean difference = 1.70 ± 3.22 standard deviation) was not clinically relevant and there was no significant change in corneal staining score (P = 0.5413).Conclusions: This clinical study provided evidence of safety and compatibility of Systane® Ultra Lubricant Eye Drops in contact lens wearers.Keywords: lubricant eye drop, contact lens, safety, dry ey

School Connectedness: An Analysis of Students\u27 Relationship with Their School

This paper will review the research on school connectedness. More specifically how can school counselors increase their students’ connection to school? What have school counselors done to improve this connection, and have they been successful? As positive change agents who work for the entire student population, school counselors are in an ideal position to improve the students’ lives. It is the goal of this paper to educate readers about school counselors and school connectedness

Micro-Electromechanical Switches for Micro-Satellite Power Transfer

In the past few years, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have emerged as a promising new technology with tremendous application potential. One of the possible implementations of MEMS technology is in the development of micro-satellites. It should be possible to mass-produce micro-satellites at a fraction of the cost of one conventional satellite. In order for satellites to be robust, a method of transferring power to systems must be addressed. As micro-satellites are made with conventional integrated circuit technologies at a very small scale, a means of transferring power on a similar scale will be investigated. This research addresses the issue of the design, fabrication, and testing of a MEMS switch for space based micro-satellites. Devices are designed and submitted to the Microelectronics Corporation of North Carolina for fabrication. Several different design approaches are attempted, including those using electrostatic and thermal properties for actuation. Fabricated devices are tested using a microprobe station for power usage, power transfer, and frequency characteristics. Devices produce a wide range of results, the best of which transfer large amounts of power in a wide range of frequencies including DC. Recommendations are made to the sponsor agency including the most appropriate designs for use in micro-satellite applications

Piezo-Electrochemical Transducer Effect (PECT) Intercalated Graphite Micro-Electromechanical Actuators

The purpose of this research is to investigate the Piezo-Electrochemical Transducer (PECT) effect in intercalated graphite as a possible mechanism of actuation for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). This dissertation presents the results of research into the PECT effect in H2SO4-intercalated graphitized carbon fibers, including both electrical and mechanical characteristics of this effect. PECT fibers achieve up to 1.7% strain at 1.4 V of applied potential. In contrast, the piezoelectric material polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) generates only 0.01% strain and polysilicon thermal expansion between 0.02 and 0.06% strain depending on the thermal conductivity of the particular polysilicon that the actuators are fabricated in. This work concludes that PECT carbon fiber actuators achieve two orders of magnitude better strain than PVDF piezoelectric actuators and polysilicon thermal expansion in the same voltage range of operation. In addition to this highly improved strain, the devices, after an initial peak power consumption of 227 micronW, a PECT device uses only 260 nW to hold actuation. Although slow operation and unpractical intercalants are serious drawbacks to PECT actuators, the characteristics of strain and power consumption presented in this dissertation prove that PECT actuators, given some minor modifications, prove to be a competitive alternative to current MEMS actuators

Calibration of CR-39 Nuclear Track Detectors with Alpha-Particles and Protons for a Measurement of Neutron Interactions with 7Be and the Primordial 7Li Problem

The Primordial Lithium problem of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), a prediction of 7Li abundance which is considerably larger than observed, has important implications for the standard model of cosmology. Since 7Li is produced by the later decay of 7Be it is important to study the destruction of 7Be during the epoch of BBN, in order to examine possible reduction of the predicted abundance of 7Li, in particular the destruction of 7Be with neutrons. The high flux of 50 keV epithermal neutrons (1010 n/sec/cm2) produced by a Liquid Lithium (LiLiT) target at the Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility (SARAF) in Yavne, Israel offers opportunities for research at BBN energy. Due to the high intensity of the neutron flux at SARAF, background can be overwhelming for spectroscopic detectors. The plastic polymer CR-39 (poly allyl diglycol carbonate - PADC, C12H18O7) was chosen as a detector that can withstand the high neutron and associated gamma-ray flux. CR-39 Nuclear Track Detectors (NTD) have been calibrated for detection of alpha-particles and protons in a high neutron flux environment. These detectors can be used to detect damage caused by ionizing radiation on the plastic through a process of chemical etching. Charged particles leave behind a trademark path of chemical bonds broken by incoming ionized radiation. After chemical etching, the broken bonds are visible under a microscope in the form of circular pits. A segmentation algorithm was developed using ImageJ/FIJI to analyze the pits and calibrate the detectors for use in the 7Be and neutron experiment at SARAF

Documenting Macrophytes and Thier Habitat Preferences in Southeastern South Dakota

One of the most pressing environmental problems that waterbodies currently face is eutrophication. When eutrophication occurs in lakes, phytoplankton dominance increases and macrophyte (aquatic plant) populations decrease. Macrophyte population fluctuation can be used to detect eutrophication and indicate lake health. Despite this novel use of macrophytes, the state of South Dakota has few, if any, baseline public records of its macrophyte species. In an effort to establish a record and work towards the use of macrophytes as potential eutrophication indicators in South Dakota, this study seeks to provide a better understanding of the macrophytes that occur in the southeastern portion of the state and their relationships with lake habitats. The objectives of this study were to 1) survey the macrophytes of a small sample of lakes in southeastern South Dakota, 2) evaluate the relationships between existing macrophytes and the physical characteristics of their lakes, and 3) determine if there are any predictable habitat preferences. The survey was conducted at a total of 78 sample sites among two lakes during mid-summer 2020. Macrophyte samples were taken using a weighted sampling rake and substrates were visually estimated. Overall, ten different macrophytes types, including emergent, submerged, and free-floating species and genera, were recorded among sample sites. West 81 Lake had the highest species richness, with nine species present and a significantly higher (P \u3c 0.05) average species richness than Island Lake. Additionally, West 81 Lake showed a significantly higher (P \u3c 0.05) presence frequency of silt/muck substrates than Island Lake and a significant positive (P \u3c 0.05) relationship between percent silt/muck and species richness. Both lakes demonstrated a significant negative (P \u3c 0.05) relationship between percent clay and species richness. As the results suggest, both percent silt/muck and percent clay play important roles in determining the types of macrophytes in southeastern South Dakota lakes, and silt/muck dominated habitat systems appear to be preferred by a diverse array of macrophytes

Vocabulary Instruction and Student Participation and Retention

This action research investigated vocabulary retention and participation gain from integrating close reading passages into a Kindergarten and Second Grade public school classroom. The methods incorporated included turn and talk opportunities, student journals, and close reading passages. Thirty-six primary school aged students were included in the study. Sources of data collection include a teacher self-evaluation survey, vocabulary recognition task, observational checklist, and observational rubric. Students displayed an increase in vocabulary retention and participation. Because of the students’ increase in retention and participation during whole group instruction, we will continue to use close reading passages in our classrooms

Qualifications of duct rumble noise test system

Duct rumble noise is commonly attributed to the poor aerodynamic discharge conditions of fan outlets. Thus far, qualitative descriptors have been used as guidelines for engineers to limit the amount of duct rumble noise. The objective of this study was to create and verify a test facility that would accurately quantify the amount of duct rumble noise that was caused by the change in discharge conditions of a fan and duct system. Valid data will then be used to replace the qualitative descriptor with quantitative predictions. A key design constraint of the testing system is that it can change the sound due to the fan discharge configuration. The test facility was capable of changing between fourteen different discharge conditions. There were four different fan orientations: a fan in front blast condition blowing directly into the duct work, a fan in upblast, with rotation towards the elbow, a fan upblast rotating with the elbow, and a fan upblast rotating against the elbow. Each of these was measured with the fan outlet at different distances away from the duct inlet. The optimum or frontblast had two distances between the fan and inlet, the rest of the orientations had four distances between the fan and the inlet. The fan was operated at eight operating points on the fan curve to accurately measure the effect of changing configurations on rumble noise. The duct and measurement system was designed to easily measure and verify the sound pressure level effect of the fan discharge conditions. The sound measurements were taken at one-third octave bands between 16 and 300 Hz. The narrow band analysis was taken up to 800 Hz. The measurements were taken in an acoustically isolated room at nine locations in the room and seven locations in the ductwork. The accuracy of the measurement was within ± 1dB, which was far less than the 3 to 11 dB variations that are caused by the fan configuration

A longitudinal refractive error study of the Republic of Moldova

The Republic of Moldova is located in southeastern Europe, on the northern border of Romania and the southwest border of the Ukraine. Moldova is composed of 4.5 million people of which, two-thirds are ethnic Moldovans. The remaining one-third of the population is made-up of people of Russian, Ukrainian, Gagauz, or Turkish decent. Over one-half of the population lives in rural communities and nearly the entire remaining portion resides in the capital of Chisinau (Kishinev). Our study was designed to take a cross-section of Moldovan individuals and assess their refractive error findings. Our test population numbered over 2400 individuals, allowing the study a fair amount of accuracy when extrapolating the data to represent the entire Moldovan population. Although refractive error trends followed expected patterns within respective age groups, the overall refractive error pattern showed a larger than normal hyperopic tendency. This tendency can be shown to be attributed to the large number of individuals over the age of 41. It is because of the hyperopic shift in the over 40 population that the mean of the data appears hyperopi