Study of a water-vapor electrolysis unit

Sulfuric acid type water vapor electrolysis module for oxygen generation in advanced life support system

Continuous catalytic decomposition of methane

Water is conserved by employing sequence of reactions whereby 75 percent of methane from Sabatier reaction is decomposed to solid carbon and hydrogen; hydrogen is then separated from residual methane and utilized in usual Sabatier reaction to reduce remaining metabolic carbon dioxide

High resolution multifocal pupillographic objective perimetry in glaucoma

PURPOSE. The recent development of an objective and noninvasive perimetric technique using pupillary responses to sparse multifocal visual stimuli shows promise for the assessment of visual function in glaucoma. This study assesses the sensitivity and specificity of four variants of dichoptic multifocal pupillographic objective perimetry (mfPOP) with a highresolution, 40-region/field stimulus. METHODS. Nineteen normal subjects and 17 with open-angle glaucoma were tested with four 4-minute stimulus protocols, presented in eight segments of 30 seconds each. Achromatic multifocal stimuli comprised 40 test regions per eye arranged in a four-ring dartboard layout subtending 60° of visual field. Background luminance was 10 cd/m2 with active stimulus regions displaying steady or flickered stimuli at 290 cd/m2. Stimulus durations were between 33 and 150 ms, mean intervals between presentations to each test region ranged from 1 to 16 seconds. Fixation was monitored in real time. RESULTS. Longer mean intervals and durations resulted in better diagnostic performance. Best results were obtained with 150-ms flickered stimuli and a discriminant function that incorporated both amplitude and width of responses: ROC area under the curve 0.86 ± 0.05 (mean ± SE) across all visual field severities, (n =34) and 1.00 ± 0.00 for moderate and severe fields (n= 10). CONCLUSIONS. mfPOP produces separate information on response delay and afferent and efferent defects at every point in the field. The diagnostic accuracy of the 40-region, 150-ms stimulus is comparable to that of commonly used subjective perimeters and encourages further investigation of this technique

Blue multifocal pupillographic objective perimetry in glaucoma

PURPOSE. This study investigated multifocal pupillographic objective perimetry (mfPOP) stimuli that target the intrinsic photosensitivity of melanopsin retinal ganglion cells. The diagnostic potential for glaucoma is compared between stimuli biased toward either cone input to these cells or their melanopsin response. METHODS. Nineteen glaucoma patients and 24 normal subjects were tested using mfPOP stimulus protocols with either 33-ms yellow or 750-ms blue stimuli. Subjects’ color discrimination was assessed using the Farnsworth 100-hue test. Pupillary responses were measured, and mixed-effects regression was used to quantify results. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS. The mean reduction in moderate to severe glaucoma pupil responses using blue mfPOP stimuli was larger but more variable than that of the shorter yellow stimuli (blue:1.32 dB [t(40) ¼ 2.29; P ¼ 0.027]; yellow: 0.93 dB [t(40) ¼ 3.13; P ¼ 0.003]). Color discrimination decreased significantly with age and glaucoma, with type III blue-yellow anomalies dominating. ROC analysis revealed similar diagnostic accuracies (AUC for eyes classified as moderate to severe; blue: 81.7%, yellow: 83.7). Slightly higher sensitivity and specificity were obtained using blue stimuli in mild disease (AUCs blue: 71.1, cf. yellow: 67.7), although this difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS. In moderate to severe glaucoma, diagnostic accuracy of yellow and blue was similar, but blue stimuli showed limited ability to resolve scotomas. Blue mfPOP stimuli, however, may have advantages over yellow in detecting early glaucoma

A water-vapor electrolysis cell with phosphoric acid electrolyte

Feasibility of phosphoric acid water vapor electrolysis cell for spacecraft cabin air conditioning syste

Bayesian modelling of an absolute chronology for Egypt's 18th Dynasty by astrophysical and radiocarbon methods

Only a few astrophysical points and synchronisms listed in texts provide anchor points for the absolute chronology of Ancient Egypt. At first we will show how we can re-calculate some of these anchor points by using Sothic dating based on the arcus visionis method, and modelling lunar dates using a Bayesian approach. Then, we will discuss two radiocarbon studies carried out on short-lived Egyptian materials held at the Louvre Museum that could be attributed to particular reigns or other precise periods. Using a Bayesian approach, these dates were combined with the known order of succession and the lengths of reigns. Sothic and lunar dates were integrated as priors in the model. This approach has led to a new proposal for the absolute chronology of Egypt's 18th Dynasty

Antibacterial Activity of Oregano Essential Oil and its Effect on Biofilm Formation

To generate oregano essential oil, the leaves and flowering tops of the Origanum vulgare plant go through the process known as steam distillation. This essential oil is known for its antibacterial activity. Bacterial biofilms are microbial communities attached to inert surfaces or tissues and encapsulated in complex matrices. Planktonic bacteria reversibly attach to surfaces, form microcolonies, and generate polymeric matrices around biofilms. Bacteria in biofilms provide bacteria with a safer way to reproduce and survive. This research tests the antibacterial activity and effect on the biofilm formation of Oregano essential oil. The antibacterial activity and effect on biofilm formation were tested against five bacterial strains, including Escherichia coli ATCC 14169, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 12393, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538. The concentrations of oil that were used in this research were 100%(v/v), 75%(v/v), 50%(v/v), and 25%(v/v). The best antibacterial effect was achieved against Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 12393 at 25%(v/v) of oil concentration. While performing the experiment, a variety of oregano oil concentrations had significant results for further tests to be performed

Assessing migraine patients with multifocal pupillographic objective perimetry

Background: To establish the effects of stimulating intrinsically-photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) on migraine severity, and to determine if migraine produces objectively-measured visual field defects. Methods: A randomized, open labelled, crossover study tested migraineurs and normal controls using multifocal pupillographic objective perimetry (mfPOP) with 44 test-regions/eye. A slow blue protocol (BP) stimulated ipRGCs, and a fast yellow protocol (YP) stimulated luminance channels. Migraine diaries assessed migraine severity. Per-region responses were analyzed according to response amplitude and time-to-peak. Results: Thirty-eight migraineurs (42.0 ± 16.5 years, 23 females) and 24 normal controls (39.2 ± 15.2 years, 14 females) were tested. The proportion of subjects developing a migraine did not differ after either protocol, either during the 1st day (odds ratio 1.0; 95% confidence interval 0.2–4.4, p = 0.48) or during the first 3 days after testing (odds ratio 0.8; 95% confidence interval 0.3–2.1, p = 0.68). Migraine days/week did not increase following testing with either protocol in comparison to the baseline week (1.4 ± 1.6 pre-testing (mean ± SD), 1.3 ± 1.4 post-BP, and 1.3 ± 1.2 post-YP; p = 0.96), neither did other measures of severity. Migraine occurring up to 2 weeks before testing significantly lowered amplitudes, − 0.64 ± 0.14 dB (mean ± SE), while triptan use increased amplitudes by 0.45 ± 0.10 dB, both at p < 0.001. Conclusions: Stimulating ipRGCs did not affect migraine occurrence or severity. Pupillary response characteristics were influenced by the occurrence of a recent migraine attack and a history of triptan use