Learning in Informal Environments Through Engineering Activities Through the Partnership with the Girl Scouts

More affordable and portable robots have enabled easier access for outreach activities to happen in different environments. However, exposure to robotics often relies on seeing robots in action, such as industrial robotics and robots that are used for research purposes. Old Dominion University’s College of Engineering and Technology in Norfolk, Virginia recently signed a partnership agreement with the Girl Scouts of Colonial Coast as one of the focused outreach strategies that target the female population. Various events are held on campus in the Hampton Roads residential area located in the southeastern United States, which has a population of around 2 million people. Through this method, elementary age girls can be exposed to engineering content by attending events that are held on the university campus and lead by faculty along with graduate and undergraduate students. This paper showcases one such learning activity through an informal setting activity designed for the K-5 elementary grade levels. In this case, Girl Scouts in the following groups: Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors. Similar activities can be delivered on any other college campus that offers majors related to the area of mechanical engineering / mechanical engineering technology; civil engineering / civil engineering technology; and electrical engineering / electrical engineering technology

Gene association study of the Urokinase Plasminogen Activator and its Receptor gene in Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: The role of the innate immune system has long been associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). There is now accumulating evidence that the soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor pathway, and its genes, PLAU and PLAUR may be important in AD, and yet there have been few genetic association studies to explore this. Objectives: This study utilises the DNA bank of the Brains for Dementia Research cohort to investigate the genetic association of common polymorphisms across the PLAU and PLAUR genes with AD. Methods: TaqMan genotyping assays were used with standard procedures followed by association analysis in PLINK. Results: No association was observed between the PLAU gene and AD, however two SNPs located in the PLAUR gene were indicative of a trend towards association but did not surpass multiple testing significance thresholds. Conclusions: Further genotyping studies and exploration of the consequences of these SNPs on gene expression and alternative splicing are warranted to fully uncover the role this system may have in AD

Methanogens, sulphate and heavy metals: a complex system

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a well-established technology used for the treatment of wastes and wastewaters with high organic content. During AD organic matter is converted stepwise to methane-containing biogasa renewable energy carrier. Methane production occurs in the last AD step and relies on methanogens, which are rather sensitive to some contaminants commonly found in wastewaters (e.g. heavy metals), or easily outcompeted by other groups of microorganisms (e.g. sulphate reducing bacteria, SRB). This review gives an overview of previous research and pilot-scale studies that shed some light on the effects of sulphate and heavy metals on methanogenesis. Despite the numerous studies on this subject, comparison is not always possible due to differences in the experimental conditions used and parameters explained. An overview of the possible benefits of methanogens and SRB co-habitation is also covered. Small amounts of sulphide produced by SRB can precipitate with metals, neutralising the negative effects of sulphide accumulation and free heavy metals on methanogenesis. Knowledge on how to untangle and balance sulphate reduction and methanogenesis is crucial to take advantage of the potential for the utilisation of biogenic sulphide as a metal detoxification agent with minimal loss in methane production in anaerobic digesters.The research was financially supported by the People Program (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under REA agreement 289193

GIS integrated automation of a near real-Time power-flow service for electrical grids

The future of high renewable energy penetration and the consequent power variability produces the need for fast power-flow computations for the useful management of power. Such management must have least requirement for human intervention, achievable through fast and reliable automations. This paper presents Geographic Information System (GIS) integrated automation of a non-iterative power-flow method known as Holomorphic Embedded Power Flow (HEPF) so as to produce a power-flow service over a communication network. Since HEPF reliably guarantees the solution and reaches it very fast through constructing the solution, it is a suitable candidate for near real-Time updates of the electrical states of a power system. A four-bus system is first used to explain the holomorphic formulations. Then the results of a 12-bus test system are compared with that of commercial PowerWorld Simulator for corroboration. The results of different loading conditions demonstrate the usefulness of the power-flow service which is continuously provided to a grid which has rapid changes in power

Breast filariasis--a case report.

An unusual presentation of filariasis as a breast lump simulating breast carcinoma, in a 50 year old woman residing in Pokhara, Nepal. The case was reported on Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology and also evaluated by histopathology. Morphology of the nematode is that of Brugia species which is unusual in Nepal

Retroperitoneal Duplication Cyst

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Phenoxybenzamine treatment can lead to loss of endothelial cell viability.

Phenoxybenzamine, an irreversible alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, is used as a topical treatment against catecholamine-induced contraction in radial artery bypass grafts. Published data suggest that a wide range of phenoxybenzamine doses may be equally effective. This study aimed to investigate whether lower doses of phenoxybenzamine would benefit grafts by better preserving endothelium. To this end human vascular endothelial cells were isolated from sections of radial artery or saphenous vein, and treated with phenoxybenzamine for 30 min. Cells were then washed free of drug and viability assayed using a resazurin-based toxicology assay or returned to culture for assay at 24 h. Phenoxybenzamine treatment showed a dose-dependent effect on cell viability over several clinically employed concentrations. Concentrations above 0.1 mM led to a loss of viability, which became more pronounced with time. The loss of viability was shown to be independent of the carrier used, as results were identical when phenoxybenzamine was dissolved in dimethylsulphoxide, which alone did not affect viability. Changes in pH alone were also not sufficient to affect viability. In conclusion, phenoxybenzamine treatment is likely to cause damage to graft endothelium if employed at concentrations above 0.1 mM (0.03 mg/ml). Phenoxybenzamine may be safely used at lower doses with no potential loss of endothelial cell viability