Independent Study: Review of \u3cem\u3eSecurity, Risk, and the Biometric State: Governing Borders and Bodies\u3c/em\u3e

In the post-9/11 world defined by a newfound focus on biometric technologies and heightened efforts of security, Benjamin J. Muller explores the development of a “biometric state” and “virtual borders.” He analyzes their effect on citizenship and immigration with a focus on the effect on citizenship and the resultant criminalization of peaceful citizens, as well as argues that the use of biometrics causes the negligence of false positives and the proliferation of virtual borders into everyday life. Through examinations of airport biometric use, the NEXUS trusted traveler program, and TSA, as well as case studies of countries that have attempted to integrate biometric technologies into their the book investigates the rationale of “governing through risk.

Session 1I: Electrochemical Detection of Alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone Using Flow Injection Analysis with Amperometric Detection

The detection of pharmaceutical compounds, biomolecules, and chemicals plays a critical role in medical care, drug development, and environmental testing. In this study, the analytical performances of two novel materials, boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (BDD) and nitrogen-incorporated tetrahedral amorphous (ta-C:N) carbon, were compared using flow injection analysis with amperometric detection. These electrodes offer potential improvements in the detection figures of merit as compared to commonly used carbon electrodes. In this work, the background current, noise, and stabilization time were evaluated as a function of the detection from 0.1 to 1.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The detection figures of merit for the peptide, alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone, were also evaluated in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) for the two electrodes. These figures of merit included the response reproducibility, sensitivity, linear dynamic range, and limit of detection. Data reveal that the ta-C:N electrode exhibits lower background current and noise at all potentials from 0.5 to 1.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl and a significantly lower response variability in repeat injection assays than the BDD electrode. Replicate response curves (n = 3) show equivalent limits of detection, linear dynamic ranges, and sensitivity, and reveals similar r2 values. These results indicate that both ta-C:N and BDD electrodes effectively detect α-MSH, and the ta- C:N electrode may be preferred due to its comparative inexpensiveness, versatility, and lower variability

Designing a Water Purifier Using Shortwave Ultraviolet Light

Despite the existing methods of water purification, over 1.1 billion people do not have access to potable water. The purpose of this investigation was to design an ultraviolet light filter that produces 40 liters of water per day at a 99.9% kill rate, uses minimal power, costs less than $20, and is simple to operate. The initial design involved a siphon that transferred water into a light exposure chamber and killed more than 99.99% of Escherichia coli. However, this filter was difficult to operate, so a second prototype was built. Instead of a traditional siphon, a partial vacuum inside the exposure chamber draws contaminated water from a reservoir. This design was tested with various flow rates and tubing sizes to maximize the kill rate while maintaining a large output of clean water. The prototype, when run at 40 L/day, kills at least 99.7% of bacteria and has a power draw of 0.9 Watts. Future steps include confirming results, further increasing kill rate, and minimizing cost and power draw. The effect of nucleotide excision repair, the process in which damaged DNA is removed, will also be explored to determine the purifier’s long-term efficiency

Obesity, inflammatory and thrombotic markers, and major clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID‐19 in the US

Objective This study aimed to determine whether obesity is independently associated with major adverse clinical outcomes and inflammatory and thrombotic markers in critically ill patients with COVID‐19. Methods The primary outcome was in‐hospital mortality in adults with COVID‐19 admitted to intensive care units across the US. Secondary outcomes were acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute kidney injury requiring renal replacement therapy (AKI‐RRT), thrombotic events, and seven blood markers of inflammation and thrombosis. Unadjusted and multivariable‐adjusted models were used. Results Among the 4,908 study patients, mean (SD) age was 60.9 (14.7) years, 3,095 (62.8%) were male, and 2,552 (52.0%) had obesity. In multivariable models, BMI was not associated with mortality. Higher BMI beginning at 25 kg/m2 was associated with a greater risk of ARDS and AKI‐RRT but not thrombosis. There was no clinically significant association between BMI and inflammatory or thrombotic markers. Conclusions In critically ill patients with COVID‐19, higher BMI was not associated with death or thrombotic events but was associated with a greater risk of ARDS and AKI‐RRT. The lack of an association between BMI and circulating biomarkers calls into question the paradigm that obesity contributes to poor outcomes in critically ill patients with COVID‐19 by upregulating systemic inflammatory and prothrombotic pathways