BlueBeats

Our group’s senior project is called BlueBeats. The BlueBeats product was created in order to provide a wireless audio gateway between Bluetooth enabled devices. Users of BlueBeats can use an Android or computer application to interface with the BlueBeats device. The Android and computer applications allow the user to easily scan for devices, add/remove devices from their personal list, and pair/connect with a selected Bluetooth enabled device. Once the user is connected to the BlueBeats device, he/she has two options. The first option occurs when the user connects the BlueBeats device to a device with speakers (using 3.5mm audio jack or RCA cable) which will allow the user to wirelessly transmit audio to the BlueBeats device so it can be played through the device’s speakers. The second option occurs when the user connects a TV to the BlueBeats device (using 3.5mm audio jack or RCA cable) and chooses to wirelessly (using Bluetooth) connect the BlueBeats device to a headphones Bluetooth device. This allows the user to wirelessly transmit the audio from the TV to the user’s Bluetooth enabled headphones. As a result, BlueBeats gives users more flexibility with audio applications by allowing users to wirelessly transmit audio from their phone to a device with speakers or from a device with speakers to a pair of Bluetooth enabled headphones. The software for both the Android and computer applications were written in Java. The Android application uses the public Bluetooth APIs in order to make the connection between the phones and BlueBeats. The computer application uses the Bluecove Bluetooth APIs in order to make the connection between the computer and BlueBeats. Both applications contain the same options for the user and follow the same layout in order to increase the usability of both applications for the user. Additionally, both applications hide a lot of the complex Bluetooth functionality from users so that they just have to select devices they want to add to their personal list and then select a device from their list that they want to connect to. The hardware consists of a WT-32 BlueGiga chip that is used to communicate with the microcontroller board in order to play and receive audio. The design for the microcontroller board was created using the Eagle software. The microcontroller board and the WT-32 chip is placed inside an enclosure that keeps all of the hardware out of sight and keeps all of the delicate parts of the circuit board properly contained. The enclosure for the hardware is 2.6 inches by 2.5 inches and it has holes for the buttons, LED lights, and the audio jack. There are 3 LED lights that include one for power, one for bluetooth connection, and one if the battery needs charging. The four buttons consists of play/pause, next song, volume up, and volume down. Our team decided to further develop our project into a company after graduating. Since the team consists of only technical students, we had to learn the business side of our project on our own. We were able to see a glimpse of the business aspect through the resources that Cal Poly provides. The resources that were the most useful were the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) and the Student Startup Assistance Team (SSAT). We were given useful information about the basic process of starting a company, and how to setup a vision that the company could follow. We were also able to draft a provisional patent application from the resources that we received through the CIE. The original estimated cost for the BlueBeats was based on two main items for development, the Arduino Uno ($30) and Bluetooth chip WT-32 ($60), which is turns out to be around $90. The final cost for our senior project was$732.74 with the hardware development cost being $252.44. The most expensive part of our senior project was creating five BlueBeats devices using the 3D prototype printer and our own circuit board. At the end of our project, each BlueBeats device cost was cut down to a cost of$96.06

Assessment of Clinicopathological Status and Outcome of Children with Tuberculous Meningitis at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective: The aim of this study is to report the clinic-pathological profile of children with TBM and their treatment outcome. Methodology: A retrospective observational study was conducted in the Pediatrics Department over 6 months period. Medical records of children admitted with TBM from November 2017 to May 2018 were reviewed for data collection. Data regarding clinical presentation, laboratory investigations were recorded. Patients were treated with a standard ATT regimen, and their outcome was noted. The study was approved by hospital ethics committee. Data was entered in SPSS for statistical analysis. Results: Females were predominant 39 (55.7%) and age ranged from 4 months to 13 years in this study. Only 28 (42.0%) children were fully vaccinated and had BCG scar presence. Most TBM cases were of stage II 24 (42.8%) or stage III 29 (42.8%). The frequent symptoms were fever 61 (87.1%), rigidity/irritability 35 (50.0%), and seizures 26 (37.1%). WBCs count in CSF was found below 500 in 64 (91.4%) children. There were 55 (78.5%) children with lymphocytosis and 14 (20.0%) with polymorph nuclear cells. A CT scan was suggestive of TBM in 51 (72.8%) children. Only 21 (30.0%) cases had a complete recovery whereas 17 (24.2%) recovered with sequelae and 10 (14.2%) deaths were noted. Conclusion: TBM presents with a poor clinical and pathological state in the advanced stage of the disease, and the therapy outcome is also non-satisfactory with high mortality and sequelae posing constant challenges

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Improvement of tuberculosis case detection and reduction of discrepancies between men and women by simple sputum-submission instructions: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In several settings, women with suspected tuberculosis are less likely to test smear positive than are men. Submission of poor-quality sputum specimens by women might be one reason for the difference between the sexes. We did a pragmatic randomised controlled trial to assess the effect of sputum-submission instructions on female patients. METHODS: 1494 women and 1561 men with suspected tuberculosis attending the Federal Tuberculosis Centre in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, were randomly assigned between May and July, 2005 either to receive sputum-submission guidance before specimen submission or to submit specimens without specific guidance, according to prevailing practice. Of enrolled patients, 133 (4%) declined to participate. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of instructed and non-instructed women testing smear positive. Intention-to-treat analysis was undertaken on the basis of treatment allocation. This study is registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial number 34123170. FINDINGS: Instructed women were more likely to test smear positive than were controls (Risk ratio 1.63 [95% CI 1.19-2.22]). Instructions were associated with a higher rate of smear-positive case detection (58 [8%] in controls vs 95 [13%] in the intervention group; p=0.002), a decrease in spot-saliva submission (p=0.003), and an increase in the number of women returning with an early-morning specimen (p=0.02). In men, instructions did not have a significant effect on the proportion testing smear positive or specimen quality. INTERPRETATION: In the Federal Tuberculosis Centre in Rawalpindi, lower smear positivity in women than in men was mainly a function of poor-quality specimen submission. Smear positivity in women was increased substantially by provision of brief instructions. Sputum-submission guidance might be a highly cost-effective intervention to improve smear-positive case detection and reduce the disparity between the sexes in tuberculosis control in low-income countries

Long-term effect of Lactobacillus brevis CD2 (Inersan®) and/or doxycycline in aggressive periodontitis

Context: The over usage and broad use of antibiotics resulted in the emergence of resistant microorganisms to the drugs which also disturb the indigenous microflora, which include the Lactobacillus in the oral cavity. Hence, it is preferred to avoid the use of antibiotics. Aims: The hypothesis tested in this study was that 14 days of treatment with Lactobacillus brevis CD2 lozenges, L. brevis CD2 with oral doxycycline, or doxycycline alone would have a beneficial effect on periodontal health after 5 months. Settings and Design: It was a randomized clinical trial. Materials and Methods: Eighteen nonsmoking patients aged 14–35 years, with aggressive periodontitis, were randomized to receive 14 days of treatment with L. brevis CD2 lozenges (two lozenges daily), L. brevis CD2 lozenges with oral doxycycline (100 mg tablet once daily), or doxycycline alone. Saliva samples were taken on day 0, 2 weeks, 2 months, and 5 months. Clinical parameters (plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment level) and microbiological parameters (lactobacilli and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans) were evaluated. Statistical Analysis Used: Changes between groups were evaluated using repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: All clinical parameters shown to be numerically improved at 5 months when compared with baseline in all the three groups. The improvement (P < 0.01) in gingival index was statistically significant, and the intergroup results were also statistically significant (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Fourteen days of treatment with lozenges having L. brevis CD2 have a lasting effect on clinical measures of aggressive periodontitis, particularly gingival index. This effect appears to be equivalent to that produced by doxycycline

Evaluation of Obstetricians' Knowledge and Practice Behaviour Concerning Periodontal Disease as a Potential Risk Factor for Preterm Delivery and Low Birth Weight in North Gujarat

Introduction: Maternal periodontal infection has been recognized as a risk factor for preterm and low birth weight infants. So, the aim of study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of practicing obstetricians about the relationship between oral health and pregnancy outcomes, as well as their practice behaviour regarding oral healthcare in pregnant women in North Gujarat. Methodology: A random, cross-sectional study in a population of practicing obstetricians from North Gujarat was carried out. Ninety practicing obstetricians gave consent to join the study. Data was collected in questionnaire format from the subject population. Collected data was statistically analyzed. Chi-square test with Yates correction was used to analyze the data. “p” value of <0.01 was taken as significant. Results: 73.3% of the obstetricians said that their patients complained of bleeding gums, swelling and mobility. 58.3% of the obstetricians were aware that gum diseases occur at a higher rate in pregnant females. 38.3% of the obstetricians were aware that periodontal diseases can affect the outcome of delivery. Conclusion: This study found that although obstetricians were knowledgeable about dental care practices during pregnancy and the relationship between oral health and pregnancy outcomes, this knowledge often did not translate into appropriate practice behavior

Pyrolysis of Potassium-Doped Wood at the Centimeter and Submillimeter Scales

The effect of potassium additives on pyrolysis of poplar was investigated at 427 °C, both at the submillimeter scale, through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and at the centimeter scale, through pyrolysis of wood cylinders in a turbulent reactor. Internal temperatures and time-resolved rates of production of gases and light volatiles were measured in the centimeter-scale study. The potassium level in the samples was varied through vacuum treatment with distilled water or solutions of KCl or K₂CO₃, resulting in potassium levels of approximately 100, 4500, and 7000 ppm (dry, mass basis). At the centimeter scale, potassium addition had a dramatic effect on conversion time and on the magnitude of exothermic temperature excursions, as well as a significant effect on the yields of gases and light volatiles. Consistent with the literature, submillimeter-scale TGA experiments with external temperature control also indicated a catalytic effect of the potassium additives, with K₂CO₃ more effective than KCl in promoting pyrolysis and char formation

Awareness and knowledge regarding Rota virus disease and vaccine among healthcare providers in tertiary care settings

Published in May - 202