Designing a Low Cost Biogas Pressurizing System in Nicaragua

Plug flow biodigesters are popular in developing countries due to their low cost and ability to adapt to microclimates to produce biogas for cooking. These biodigesters are primarily composed of a polyethylene bag and PVC, and, typically, cattle or hog manure is used as both the organic and microbe source for gas production. The biogas is piped to a gas stove to be used for cooking. The digesters are intended to replace traditional wood burning stoves prevalent in developing countries, which are attributed to over two million deaths per year. However, due to pressure limitations due to the plastic bag, only 30 to 45 minutes of gas is available at a time, so diet staples, such as rice and beans, cannot be cooked. A low cost, effective solution to utilize more of the biogas was developed and tested on an existing plug flow biodigester in Nicaragua using PVC and plastic water bottles, which are widely available in the country. With the new system, beans were successfully cooked in less time using less water than the traditional wood stove. It also allowed for approximately four hours of gas to be used at one time. The system is cost effective because it would only add 8% to the overall price of the biodigester if the system were installed at the same time as the biodigester was installed and 16% if it was sold as an aftermarket add-on. In the long term, this system would save money for the user because they would be able to spend more time working instead of collecting firewood

Young People’s Perceptions of Smoking Behaviour and the Implications for Social and Health Workers

OBJECTIVES: Addiction to smoking has serious health implications, particularly as addiction may lead to a lifetime smoking. Social workers work with socially deprived clients and therefore can have a role in assisting in health behaviour choices. THEORETICAL BASE: Social constructionism - what constitutes young people’s need to smoke. METHODS: To understand why young people smoke qualitative phase one interviews (n=40) took place in six deprived areas of Essex, in England. A quantitative questionnaire was sent to 14 districts of Essex. Comparison was made between Higher deprivation (HD) and Lower Deprivation (LD) areas (Total n=1711). Ethical approval was via Anglia Ruskin University Faculty Research Ethics Panel, and Essex, Thurrock and Southend local authorities. OUTCOMES: Phase One: The phase one results demonstrate that young people who smoke are mainly stimulated by stress (14 of the 40 participants). Phase Two: Found that 70.1% of high deprived area (HD) and 62.6% of less deprived area (LD) Smokers identified ‘stress’ as the most significant reason for smoking. IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK: Social workers can help people understand their feelings of needing to smoke cigarettes / smoking behaviour, and to help them manage stress without the need to smoke

Program Director Opinion on the Ideal Length of Residency Training in Emergency Medicine

ObjectiveThis study sought to define expert opinion on the ideal length of training (LoT) for Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)‐accredited emergency medicine (EM) residency programs.MethodsA cross‐sectional Web‐based survey was sent to program directors (PDs) at all ACGME‐accredited EM residency programs during a study period of August to October 2014. The primary outcome of ideal LoT was determined in two ways: 1) subjects provided the ideal total LoT in months and 2) then separately selected the type and number of rotations for an ideal EM residency curriculum by month, the sum of which provided an alternative measurement of their ideal LoT. We did not include vacation time. Descriptive statistics and an analysis of variance are reported.ResultsResponse rate was 68.0% (108/159) with 72% of respondents (78/108) directing programs in the PGY 1–3 (36‐month) format and 28% directing PGY 1–4 (48‐month) programs. More than half of subjects (51.9%) have direct personal experience with both formats. When asked about ideal total LoT, PDs averaged 41.5 months (n = 107; SD = 5.5 months, range = 36–60 months). When asked to provide durations of individual clinical experiences for their ideal EM program, the sum total (n = 104) averaged 45.0 months. Results from a factorial analysis of variance revealed statistically significant effects of PDs’ past training experiences: participants who trained in a 36‐month program had statistically significantly lower LoT (mean = 39.2 months) than participants who trained in a 48‐month program (mean = 44.5 months). There was also a statistically significant effect of current program format on ideal LoT: participants who directed a 36‐month program had statistically significantly lower LoT (mean = 39.8 months) than participants who directed a 48‐month program (mean = 45.8 months).ConclusionsPD opinion on ideal LoT averages between 36 and 48 months, but is longer when the sum of desired clinical rotations is considered. While half of the respondents reported direct experience with both PGY 1–3 and PGY 1–4 training programs, opinions on ideal LoT through both methods corresponded strongly with the length of the program the PDs trained in and the format of the program they currently direct. PD opinions may be too biased by their own experiences to provide objective input on the ideal LoT for EM residency programs.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133574/1/acem12968-sup-0001-DataSupplementS1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133574/2/acem12968.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/133574/3/acem12968_am.pd

Scholarly Tracks in Emergency Medicine

Over the past decade, some residency programs in emergency medicine (EM) have implemented scholarly tracks into their curricula. The goal of the scholarly track is to identify a niche in which each trainee focuses his or her scholarly work during residency. The object of this paper is to discuss the current use, structure, and success of resident scholarly tracks. A working group of residency program leaders who had implemented scholarly tracks into their residency programs collated their approaches, implementation, and early outcomes through a survey disseminated through the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) list-serve. At the 2009 CORD Academic Assembly, a session was held and attended by approximately 80 CORD members where the results were disseminated and discussed. The group examined the literature, discussed the successes and challenges faced during implementation and maintenance of the tracks, and developed a list of recommendations for successful incorporation of the scholarly track structure into a residency program. Our information comes from the experience at eight training programs (five 3-year and three 4-year programs), ranging from 8 to 14 residents per year. Two programs have been working with academic tracks for 8 years. Recommendations included creating clear goals and objectives for each track, matching track topics with faculty expertise, protecting time for both faculty and residents, and providing adequate mentorship for the residents. In summary, scholarly tracks encourage the trainee to develop an academic or clinical niche within EM during residency training. The benefits include increased overall resident satisfaction, increased success at obtaining faculty and fellowship positions after residency, and increased production of scholarly work. We believe that this model will also encourage increased numbers of trainees to choose careers in academic medicine.ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:S87–S94 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency MedicinePeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79229/1/j.1553-2712.2010.00890.x.pd

UHF Ground Station for Satellite Communications: The Design, Build, Test, and Lessons Learned

The Olin Satellite + Spectrum Technology and Policy (OSSTP) Group was founded at Olin College of Engineering to explore real-world, project-based learning with apprenticeship-styled educational experiences in satellite communications. In 2019, OSSTP was awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Cubesat Ideas Lab Grant for the Space Weather Atmospheric Reconfigurable Multiscale Experiment (SWARM-EX) mission in collaboration with five other institutions (CU Boulder, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Western Michigan, and University of Southern Alabama) to develop and launch three CubeSats. This mission aims to serve as a pathfinder demonstration of swarm operations at separation distances of 1-1000 km using differential drag and onboard propulsion. SWARM-Ex will also showcase key technologies and address scientific questions related to the evolution of equatorial ionization (EIA) and equatorial thermospheric anomaly (ETA by including a FIPEX neutral Oxygen sensor and a Langmuir Probe1. As part of the SWARM-Ex project, a team of Olin undergraduates, along with Prof. Lohmeyer, have designed, built, and tested an Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Ground Station to support small satellite telemetry and command operations between 435 - 470 MHz. This station will first serve as an integral component of the SWARM-Ex communications network, enabling students to assist with downlinking science data for the mission and uplinking control sequences. The station will support small satellite missions of different universities and interference research in the future. This paper documents the overall design, including a breakdown of the transmit and receive chains and the tracking mechanisms, interfaces, testing, and lessons learned. The goal of this paper is to document the build of the Olin ground station to aid in the buildout of other university ground stations

Barred Galaxies at z > 0.7: NICMOS HDFN Observations

Previous optical studies found an unexpected deficit of bars at z > 0.7. To investigate the effects of bandshifting, we have studied the fraction of barred spirals in the NICMOS Deep Field North. At z > 0.7 we find at least four barred spirals, doubling the number previously detected. The number of barred galaxies is small because these (and previous) data lack adequate spatial resolution. A typical 5 kpc bar at z > 0.7 is only marginally detectable for WFPC2 at 0.8microns; the NICMOS data have even lower resolution and can only find the largest bars. The average size of the four bars seen at z > 0.7 is 12 kpc. The fraction of such large bars (4/95) is higher than that seen in nearby spirals (1/44); all known selection effects suggest that the observed fraction is a lower limit. However, important caveats such as small numbers and difficulties in defining comparable samples at high and low redshifts should be noted. We conclude that there is no significant evidence for a decrease in the fraction of barred spirals beyond z ~ 0.7.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters, 4 pages in emulate-apj style, includes 3 figure

The Vice Chair of Education in Emergency Medicine: A Workforce Study to Establish the Role, Clarify Responsibilities, and Plan for Success

ObjectivesDespite increasing prevalence in emergency medicine (EM), the vice chair of education (VCE) role remains ambiguous with regard to associated responsibilities and expectations. This study aimed to identify training experiences of current VCEs, clarify responsibilities, review career paths, and gather data to inform a unified job description.MethodsA 40‐item, anonymous survey was electronically sent to EM VCEs. VCEs were identified through EM chairs, residency program directors, and residency coordinators through solicitation e‐mails distributed through respective listservs. Quantitative data are reported as percentages with 95% confidence intervals and continuous variables as medians with interquartiles (IQRs). Open‐ and axial‐coding methods were used to organize qualitative data into thematic categories.ResultsForty‐seven of 59 VCEs completed the survey (79.6% response rate); 74.4% were male and 89.3% were white. Average time in the role was 3.56 years (median = 3.0 years, IQR = 4.0 years), with 74.5% serving as inaugural VCE. Many respondents held at least one additional administrative title. Most had no defined job description (68.9%) and reported no defined metrics of success (88.6%). Almost 78% received a reduction in clinical duties, with an average reduction of 27.7% protected time effort (median = 27.2%, IQR = 22.5%). Responsibilities thematically link to faculty affairs and promotion of the departmental educational mission and scholarship.ConclusionGiven the variability in expectations observed, the authors suggest the adoption of a unified VCE job description with detailed responsibilities and performance metrics to ensure success in the role. Efforts to improve the diversity of VCEs are encouraged to better match the diversity of learners.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154254/1/aet210407_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154254/2/aet210407.pd