Postdural Puncture Headaches and the Development of a Treatment Protocol

Roughly 1% of patients receiving an epidural for analgesia will experience an accidental dural puncture (ADP). Of that 1%, half will go on to develop a postdural puncture headache (PDPH) (Apfel, 2010). PDPH presents 24-48 hours after neuraxial anesthesia as a dull, bilateral, throbbing, postural headache that is often accompanied by nausea (Patel et al., 2020). Although PDPH is a fairly common complication associated with neuraxial anesthesia, many facilities offering obstetric services lack a written protocol addressing ADP and PDPH treatment. The purpose of this project was to design and introduce a PDPH evidence-based treatment protocol for a hospital in the St. Louis metro-east region to combat the impact PDPH has on maternal-newborn bonding, patient satisfaction, and length of hospitalization. Through a comprehensive review of the literature, the most recent evidence of PDPH risk factors, prevention strategies, and treatment options were discovered and compiled into an educational presentation for the host facility anesthesia staff. This project utilized a non-experimental design and aimed at quality improvement. A pre and post educational presentation questionnaire were anonymously and voluntarily completed by staff in attendance to gauge the effectiveness of the educational presentation. Overall, questionnaire scores improved following the educational presentation. Anesthesia staff reported that they planned to adopt the proposed treatment protocol into their daily practice

Design of a Large-Scale Detonation Tube

Multiple vital industries, especially those in the energy sector, are vulnerable to unexpected detonation events. Extremely destructive and difficult to predict, the processes by which they are formed and the limits over which they can propagate have been a significant focus of research for years, but it is often difficult to carry out relevant experiments on any significant scale. This work presents the motivations for such study, the basic theory required to understand what is happening within a detonation, and the designs for a proposed facility which could be used to broaden the scope of current detonation research. It would allow the detonation phenomenon to be studied at a scale which is rarely achievable and with a precision which is rarely accomplished. This would help to either validate or disprove trends which have been established with small-scale rigs but not tested at the proposed size. Most detonation tubes have diameters no larger than a 30 cm; the proposed facility boasts an internal diameter of 70 cm and a length of 100 m, allowing mixtures which are usually outside of the range of detonation to be studied in novel ways. Detonations can be induced through deflagration-to-detonation transition using a small point energy source, or directly initiated via a shock wave or the explosion of a separate, more energetic mixture. Measurement is accomplished with pressure transducers and photodiodes spaced down the length of the tube. End-tube diagnostics include fast-framing Schlieren imaging and Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence, and use elongated windows to view the tube interior, allowing the reaction zone structure to be studied at large scale. Smaller windows spaced down the length of the tube enable additional data-gathering capabilities where necessary. The implementation of this facility would serve to increase the scope of understanding of detonation events and contribute to the improvement of safety standards for vulnerable workplaces

ON THE DETECTION OF GW190814

The eld of gravitational wave astronomy is currently at an all time high. The rst half of the most recent observing run (April 1, 2019 - September 30, 2019) yielded a total of 39 gravitational wave detections, including 13 from sources which had not been identied by other astronomical observation methods before. This is three times as many detections than were measured in the rst two observing runs combined. In this paper, the design sensitivity decisions leading to this unprecedented rate of detection are explored. In particular, we detail the nature of the LIGO and VIRGO gravitational wave interferometers. One recently detected event of particular interest, GW190814, was shown to possess a number of extraordinary properties relative to previous gravitational wave detections. It exhibits the greatest mass asymmetry of any system observed to date, leading to evidence of waveform contributions from higher order multipoles. The mass of the smaller object has generated curiosity in the eld over whether the system is a binary black hole or neutron star-black hole merger. The nature of this component and the resulting properties of the system will be explored

Design of a Large-Scale Detonation Tube

Multiple vital industries, especially those in the energy sector, are vulnerable to unexpected detonation events. Extremely destructive and difficult to predict, the processes by which they are formed and the limits over which they can propagate have been a significant focus of research for years, but it is often difficult to carry out relevant experiments on any significant scale. This work presents the motivations for such study, the basic theory required to understand what is happening within a detonation, and the designs for a proposed facility which could be used to broaden the scope of current detonation research. It would allow the detonation phenomenon to be studied at a scale which is rarely achievable and with a precision which is rarely accomplished. This would help to either validate or disprove trends which have been established with small-scale rigs but not tested at the proposed size. Most detonation tubes have diameters no larger than a 30 cm; the proposed facility boasts an internal diameter of 70 cm and a length of 100 m, allowing mixtures which are usually outside of the range of detonation to be studied in novel ways. Detonations can be induced through deflagration-to-detonation transition using a small point energy source, or directly initiated via a shock wave or the explosion of a separate, more energetic mixture. Measurement is accomplished with pressure transducers and photodiodes spaced down the length of the tube. End-tube diagnostics include fast-framing Schlieren imaging and Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence, and use elongated windows to view the tube interior, allowing the reaction zone structure to be studied at large scale. Smaller windows spaced down the length of the tube enable additional data-gathering capabilities where necessary. The implementation of this facility would serve to increase the scope of understanding of detonation events and contribute to the improvement of safety standards for vulnerable workplaces

The Waltzes Op. 69 of Frederic Chopin: An Analytical Survey of Their Historical Background and Modern Performing Practice.

Performers of all ages are drawn to the poetic essence of the Chopin waltzes and are challenged by their technical and stylistic demands. Of the nineteen waltzes, this treatise will address the two waltzes from the Op. 69. Along with the historical background, editions, analysis, and performing practice will be discussed. Two different recordings, those of Vladimir Ashkenazy and Artur Rubinstein, will be compared in this study