Facility Redesign at the Systech Corporation

This senior project is a redesign of Systech’s manufacturing floor as they move to their new facility to be able to support the expected increase in customer demand. As of January 2013, Systech was working near full capacity, and because of their new product release, they expect the demand to outstrip the production capabilities of the current facility. Because of this, Systech is moving their final testing operations in San Diego to a larger building. During this transition, they have expressed interest in redesigning the current floor layout in order to maximize the productivity of their employees. To accomplish this, floor plan analysis, ergonomic design principles, and facility planning expertise are used to determine the best fit layout for the new facility. The proposed facility design takes into account a visibly clear layout, using visual management techniques, as well as clustering similar tasks to optimize resources. Measurements of the new facility were made on site with a tape measure and printed file of the general layout. Once main measurements were calculated, Google Sketchup was used to create the frame of the building. This design took into account visual management, future production expansion, and a decreased footprint. In the financial analysis of the proposed facility, the expected monthly distance savings were 25.4 miles, which can be extrapolated to an annual savings due to reduced transportation costs of approximately $2,500. As production is scaled, this savings would increase to$5,000+. This proposed layout design can be utilized by Systech management as a roadmap as they move forward with the production in the new facility. Ideally, the proposed facility design should be implemented to gain the most savings as operations increase in the coming months

Targeted Derepression of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Long Terminal Repeat by Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamides

The host factor LSF represses the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat (LTR) by mediating recruitment of histone deacetylase. We show that pyrrole-imidazole polyamides targeted to the LTR can specifically block LSF binding both in vitro and within cells via direct access to chromatin, resulting in increased LTR expression

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy-like Syndrome After Aortic Aneurysm Repair: A Case Series

The syndrome of progressive supranuclear palsy‐like syndrome is a rare complication of ascending aortic aneurysm repair. We report two patients with videos and present a table of prior reported cases. To our knowledge there is no previously published video of this syndrome. The suspected mechanism is brainstem injury though neuroimaging is often negative for an associated infarct. We hope our report will increase recognition of this syndrome after aortic surgery, especially in patients with visual complaints

Psychedelics, Mystical Experience, and Therapeutic Efficacy: A Systematic Review

The mystical experience is a potential psychological mechanism to influence outcome in psychedelic therapy. It includes features such as oceanic boundlessness, ego dissolution, and universal interconnectedness, which have been closely linked to both symptom reduction and improved quality of life. In this review, 12 studies of psychedelic therapy utilizing psilocybin, ayahuasca, or ketamine were analyzed for association between mystical experience and symptom reduction, in areas as diverse as cancer-related distress, substance use disorder, and depressive disorders to include treatment-resistant. Ten of the twelve established a significant association of correlation, mediation, and/or prediction. A majority of the studies are limited, however, by their small sample size and lack of diversity (gender, ethnic, racial, educational, and socioeconomic), common in this newly re-emerging field. Further, 6 out of 12 studies were open-label in design and therefore susceptible to bias. Future studies of this nature should consider a larger sample size with greater diversity and thus representation by use of randomized design. More in-depth exploration into the nature of mystical experience is needed, including predictors of intensity, in order to maximize its positive effects on treatment outcome benefits and minimize concomitant anxiety.Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO, identifier CRD42021261752