MEMS 411: Automatic Sewing Pin Dispenser

The aim of our project is to design and embody an automatic pin dispenser for our customer, Melanie, a recreational sewer. Namely, our pin dispenser design aims to address the need for sewers to safely receive and handle dressmaker pins with one hand whilst working with garments. We have identified three main performance goals for an automatic pins dispenser: Store at least 50 pins at a time, produce at least 1 pin every 2-3 seconds, and present at least 90% of all sorted pins in an upward orientation to the user. These performance goals were identified by interviewing our customer and researching current market products. In order to meet these performance goals, we have iterated through a mock-up, an initial prototype, and a final prototype. We have also supplemented and reinforced this physical product development with theoretical engineering models that have provided our team quantitative benchmarks for design performance and safety. Our final automatic pin dispenser design operates with a servo motor wheel that rotates a central pipe container, which is stabilized with a wooden board and four fastened roller wheels. This pipe container intakes, stores, and then sorts pins with magnetic strips. The dispenser then collects these sorted pins with a catcher at the front mouth of the pipe container, and presents the pins conveniently for the sewer to grab with two fingers. Our dispenser meets all of the performance goals, and therefore serves as a powerful tool for sewers who hope to simultaneously handle garments and dressmaker pins effectively

“I've never been in a job where you've had to work so hard to work out where you fit” A multi-perspectival IPA exploration of Educational Psychologists’ professional identities when working in or alongside CAMHS.

Multi-agency collaborations between Educational Psychologists (EPs) and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are sought within national legislations around supporting mental health for children and young people. Unclarity around professional roles and identities was recognised as a barrier to this way of practising. Professional identity is identified as a highly individual construct, continuously developing based on personal and professional factors. Whilst the role of the EP is broadly recognised as unclear and difficult to identify, research around how EPs and CAMHS can collaborate is also scarce. This study seeks to address this gap in research by exploring EPs’ experiences of professional identities when working in or alongside CAMHS. A multiperspectival interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is employed to explore how six EPs experience and make sense of their professional identities. Two directly related groups are purposively sampled for this study. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with N= 3 EPs working in an Outer London Local Authority, and N= 3 EPs working in a CAMHS team to explore how they experience their professional identities. A phenomenological, interpretative, and idiographic stance is employed to analyse the interviews. Data emerging from the analysis suggest three broad themes (Boundaries, Making Sense of Role, and Individual Journey), which are described as either: a) a shared experience b) a reciprocal experience, or c) a path of meaning (experiences that are similar but lived in different ways). The findings are discussed in relation to current national educational psychology practices, effective collaborations with CAMHS, and future directions for the profession. Limitations of the research and the researcher’s position within this study are also appraised

Canonical and noncanonical roles of Fanconi anemia proteins: Implications in cancer predisposition

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by the variable presence of congenital somatic abnormalities, bone marrow failure (BMF), and a predisposition to develop cancer. Monoallelic germline mutations in at least five genes involved in the FA pathway are associated with the development of sporadic hematological and solid malignancies. The key function of the FA pathway is to orchestrate proteins involved in the repair of interstrand cross-links (ICLs), to prevent genomic instability and replication stress. Recently, many studies have highlighted the importance of FA genes in noncanonical pathways, such as mitochondria homeostasis, inflammation, and virophagy, which act, in some cases, independently of DNA repair processes. Thus, primary defects in DNA repair mechanisms of FA patients are typically exacerbated by an impairment of other cytoprotective pathways that contribute to the multifaceted clinical phenotype of this disease. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of FA, with a focus on the cytosolic noncanonical roles of FA genes, discussing how they may contribute to cancer development, thus suggesting opportunities to envisage novel therapeutic approaches

A study about the Theory of Mind in primary and secondary aging

Abstract The present study investigate

The effects of cerebrospinal fluid tap-test on idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: an inertial sensors based assessment

BACKGROUND: Gait disturbances are typical of persons with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) without signs distinctive from other neurodegenerative and vascular conditions. Cerebrospinal fluid tap-test (CSF-TT) is expected to improve the motor performance of iNPH patients and is a prognostic indicator in their surgical management. This observational prospective study aims to determine which spatio-temporal gait parameter(s), measured during instrumented motor tests, and clinical scale(s) may provide a relevant contribution in the evaluation of motor performance pre vs. post CSF-TT on iNPH patients with and without important vascular encephalopathy. METHODS: Seventy-six patients (20 with an associated vascular encephalopathy) were assessed before, and 24 and 72\u2009h after the CSF-TT by a timed up and go test (TUG) and an 18\u2009m walking test (18\u2009mW) instrumented using inertial sensors. Tinetti Gait, Tinetti Balance, Gait Status Scale, and Grading Scale were fulfilled before and 72\u2009h after the CSF-TT. Stride length, cadence and total time were selected as the outcome measures. Statistical models with mixed effects were implemented to determine the relevant contribution to response variables of each quantitative gait parameter and clinical scales. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: From baseline to 72\u2009h post CSF-TT patients improved significantly by increasing cadence in 18\u2009mW and TUG (on average of 1.7 and 2.4 strides/min respectively) and stride length in 18\u2009mW (on average of 3.1\u2009cm). A significant reduction of gait apraxia was reflected by modifications in double support duration and in coordination index. Tinetti Gait, Tinetti Balance and Gait Status Scale were able to explain part of the variability of response variables not covered by instrumental data, especially in TUG. Grading Scale revealed the highest affinity with TUG total time and cadence when considering clinical scales alone. Patients with iNPH and an associated vascular encephalopathy showed worst performances compared to pure iNPH but without statistical significance. Gait improvement following CSF-TT was comparable in the two groups. Overall these results suggest that, in order to augment CSF-TT accuracy, is key to assess the gait pattern by analyzing the main spatio-temporal parameters and set post evaluation at 72\u2009h. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Approved by ethics committee: CE 14131 23/02/2015

Gait apraxia evaluation in normal pressure hydrocephalus using inertial sensors. Clinical correlates, ventriculoperitoneal shunt outcomes, and tap-test predictive capacity

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a neurological condition with gait apraxia signs from its early manifestation. Ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) is a surgical procedure available for treatment. The Cerebrospinal fluid Tap Test (CSF-TT) is a quick test used as selection criterion for VPS treatment. Its predictive capacity for VPS outcomes is still sub judice. This study is aimed to test the hypothesis that wearable motion sensors provide valid measures to manage iNPH patients with gait apraxia

Progress in the Prediction of pKa Values in Proteins

The pKa-cooperative aims to provide a forum for experimental and theoretical researchers interested in protein pKa values and protein electrostatics in general. The first round of the pKa-cooperative, which challenged computational labs to carry out blind predictions against pKas experimentally determined in the laboratory of Bertrand Garcia-Moreno, was completed and results discussed at the Telluride meeting (July 6–10, 2009). This article serves as an introduction to the reports submitted by the blind prediction participants that will be published in a special issue of PROTEINS: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics. Here, we briefly outline existing approaches for pKa calculations, emphasizing methods that were used by the participants in calculating the blind pKa values in the first round of the cooperative. We then point out some of the difficulties encountered by the participating groups in making their blind predictions, and finally try to provide some insights for future developments aimed at improving the accuracy of pKa calculations