Exploitation of a pH-sensitive hydrogel for CO2 detection

In this paper is described how hydrogel is exploited as sensor material for the \ud detection of carbon dioxide (CO2). A pH-sensitive hydrogel disc, which swells and deswells in response to pH changes, was clamped between a pressure sensor membrane and a porous metal screen together with a bicarbonate solution. Bicarbonate reacts with CO2 resulting in a pH change. The enclosed hydrogel will generate pressure as a response to the pH change. This pressure is a measure for the partial pressure of CO2. The main advantage of this sensor principle is the lack of a reference electrode as required for potentiometric sensors

A micro CO2 gas sensor based on sensing of pH-sensitive hydrogel swelling by means of a pressure sensor

In this paper a sensor is presented for the detection of carbon dioxide gas inside the stomach in order to diagnose gastrointestinal ischemia. The operational principle of the sensor is measuring the CO/sub 2/ induced pressure generation of a confined pH-sensitive hydrogel by means of a micro pressure sensor. The sensor is capable of measuring CO/sub 2/ with a response time between 2 and 4 minutes and a maximum pressure of 0.29/spl times/10/sup 5/ Pa at 20 kPa CO/sub 2/. The sensor is able to resist up to 1 M HCl acid as can be present inside the stomach. The results are very promising for real application and clinical trials are planned

Digital requirements engineering with an INCOSE-derived SysML meta-model

Traditional requirements engineering tools do not readily access the SysML-defined system architecture model, often resulting in ad-hoc duplication of model elements that lacks the connectivity and expressive detail possible in a SysML-defined model. Without that model connectivity, requirement quality can suffer due to imprecision and inconsistent terminology, frustrating communication during system development. Further integration of requirements engineering activities with MBSE contributes to the Authoritative Source of Truth while facilitating deep access to system architecture model elements for V&V activities. The Model-Based Structured Requirement SysML Profile was extended to comply with the INCOSE Guide to Writing Requirements updated in 2023 while conforming to the ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148 standard requirement statement templates. Rules, Characteristics, and Attributes were defined in SysML according to the Guide to facilitate requirements definition and requirements V&V. The resulting SysML Profile was applied in two system architecture models at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, allowing us to explore its applicability and value in real-world project environments. Initial results indicate that INCOSE-derived Model-Based Structured Requirements may rapidly improve requirement expression quality while complementing the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook checklist and guidance, but typical requirement management activities still have challenges related to automation and support with the system architecture modeling software.Comment: 10 pages; 4 figures; 2 tables; to appear in Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER) 202

Depression and the incidence of urinary incontinence symptoms among young women: results from a prospective cohort study

Objective To examine the association of depressive symptoms with subsequent urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms among young women. Subjects and methods Data were from a cohort of 5391 young women (born 1973-1978) from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Generalised Estimating Equations (GEEs) were used to link depressive symptoms, and history of doctor diagnosed depression at Survey 2 (S2) in 2000 with the incidence of UI symptoms in subsequent surveys (from S3 in 2003 to S6 in 2012). Results 24% of women reported the incidence of UI over the nine-year study period, while the prevalence rose over time from 6.8% (at S2, aged 22-27 years) to 16.5% (at S6, aged 34-39). From univariable GEE analysis, women with depressive symptoms or a history of depression were more likely to report subsequent UI symptoms. This remained after adjusting for socio-demographic, body mass index, health behaviours and reproductive factors, with depressive symptoms associated with 37% higher odds (odds ratio 1.37, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.61) and history of depression with 42% higher odds (1.42, 1.17 to 1.74) of incidence of UI. Conclusions When woman seek treatment for UI symptoms, health professionals should consider her current or history of depression

Enhancing self-care adherence in patients with heart failure: a study protocol for developing a theory-based behaviour change intervention using the COM-B behaviour model (ACHIEVE study)

INTRODUCTION: Although international guidelines recommend self-care as an integral part of routine heart failure management, and despite evidence supporting the positive outcomes related to self-care, patients are frequently unable to adhere. Self-care can be modified through behaviour change interventions (BCIs). However, previous self-care interventions have shown limited success in improving adherence to self-care, because they were neither theory-based nor well defined, which precludes the identification of underlying causal mechanisms as well as reproducibility of the intervention. Thus, our aim is to develop an intervention manual that contains theory-based BCIs that are well-defined using eight descriptors proposed to describe BCIs in a standardised way. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: BCIs will be based on statements of findings derived through qualitative meta-summary techniques and a quantitative meta-analysis. These reviews will be used to extract factors (target behaviours) associated with self-care adherence/non-adherence. Extracted target behaviours will be mapped onto the ‘Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour’ (COM-B) model to capture the underlying mechanisms involved. To develop approaches for change, the ‘Taxonomy of Behaviour Change Techniques’ will be used to allow effective mapping of the target behaviours onto established behaviour change techniques. Suggested BCIs will then be translated into locally relevant interventions using the Normalisation Process Theory to overcome the difficulties of implementing theoretically derived interventions into practice. Finally, a consensus development method will be employed to fine-tune the content and acceptability of the intervention manual to increase the likelihood of successfully piloting and implementing future BCIs into the German healthcare system. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany (Ref #: 2018-30). The results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journal publications, conference presentations and stakeholder engagement activities. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00014855; Pre-results

Adapting SAM for CDF

The CDF and D0 experiments probe the high-energy frontier and as they do so have accumulated hundreds of Terabytes of data on the way to petabytes of data over the next two years. The experiments have made a commitment to use the developing Grid based on the SAM system to handle these data. The D0 SAM has been extended for use in CDF as common patterns of design emerged to meet the similar requirements of these experiments. The process by which the merger was achieved is explained with particular emphasis on lessons learned concerning the database design patterns plus realization of the use cases.Comment: Talk from the 2003 Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP03), La Jolla, Ca, USA, March 2003, 4 pages, pdf format, TUAT00

The Ursinus Weekly, April 28, 1941

Causes of cancer told to pre-meds by Pfahler • Manchester to sub for Wallace May 6 • Besse Howard will speak at forum Wednesday on topic, Spring, 1941 • Sub-frosh to view Ursinus this Saturday • May hop to feature music of Woody Leh • \u27Unity in diversity\u27 will be conference theme on May 7 • The Ursinus weekend travelogue around the circuit • Play \u27Lightnin\u27 centers around Calivada Hotel • Sixteen visit medical centers on excursion to New York • Five attend chemistry conference at Villanova • Powers of God are subject of vespers • Herber is pre-legal prexy • Meistersingers plan spring concert, May 1 • French Club to hear talk on prestige of French tongue • Debaters elect Lownes prexy; mixed team meets Drexel • Kriebel, Hartman to present reviews of Hilton and Brittain • Class of 1940 makes the grade in business and graduate work • IRC elects Byron president; discusses plans for next year • Local draft boards to weigh claims of students for deferment • Baseballers lose to Mules 3-2; trounce Dickinson 12-2 • Irvin paces track squad to victory over Delaware clan by 65-61 score • Netmen blank Lions in season opener • Co-ed net squad defeats Penn and Albright lassies • Zulick and Baberick win as Moravian beats golfers 3-2 • Freshman girls lead race in class softball league • Doc Baker heads old English game at Ursinus • Carter\u27s articles appear in historical dictionary • Hobos and bums to have poverty ball Saturday • Y officers to be inducted in service on Sundayhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1816/thumbnail.jp