A Study of the Design and Manufacturing of an Elevated Dog Feeder

ABSTRACT The senior capstone which students in the Center for Manufacturing Excellence program partake in was the basis for project. The Dog Box is an elevated dog feeder with an internal food storage compartment. It was designed for medium to large dogs, and can hold over 40 lbs of dog food. The internal storage compartment has drawer access and contains a plastic tote that will hold the food. The purpose of the design was to create an aesthetically pleasing elevated dog feeder that would double as a storage device, and elevated feeding can help prevent health issues in large dog breeds. There were four different design iterations before the fourth and final design was confirmed. The final design featured a wooden exterior with a polyurethane finish, two bowls, a laser engraving, two satin nickel knobs, and a soft close drawer which contained the plastic tote. The manufacturing process utilized a panel saw, radial arm saw, table saw, table saw with a dado blade, finish nailer, brad nailer, impact driver, laser engraver, waterjet cutter, hand sander, and a vacuum. Multiple fixtures and poka yokes were used throughout the process to improve manufacturability, efficiency, and quality. A quality product was created within the scope, cost, and time of the project

Teaching in the garden: school gardens as a space for environmental and English learning

School gardens as settings for learning outside the classroom are becoming increasingly popular. They allow students to learn in an authentic way as they engage in a variety of activities and materials. More importantly, they also represent a powerful place and tool for environmental education as students are not only exposed to nature but also gain positive environmental experiences. This paper examines school gardens as a place for both enhancing students’ English language competences and fostering critical environmental literacy. The first section of the paper focuses on garden-based education as a type of learning outside the classroom. The ensuing section then provides a brief discussion of school gardens as learning spaces across the curriculum, arguing that school gardens are far more than places for learning about nutrition and healthy living. Following this, the next section then argues for using school gardens also for learning English as a foreign language. Here Gardner’s multiple intelligences model serves to illustrate the potential of school gardens for differentiated instruction regarding content, processes, and products in today’s increasingly diverse learning groups. The main part of the paper then concentrates on garden-based education in the context of EFL teacher training. At the University of Education Karlsruhe (Germany) students have the opportunity to attend a school garden-based seminar which allows them to experience first hand the benefits of learning English as a foreign language in the school garden. The paper concludes by taking a glimpse into the future of school garden learning by reporting on the authors’ experiences with using technology in the context of garden-based education.Los huertos escolares como escenario para el aprendizaje fuera del aula son cada vez más populares. Permiten que los estudiantes aprendan de una manera auténtica mientras participan en actividades que implican una variedad de actividades y materiales. De forma más relevante, estos también representan un lugar y una herramienta poderosa para la educación ambiental, ya que los estudiantes no sólo están expuestos a la naturaleza, sino que también recogen experiencias en la naturaleza, lo que les permite obtener experiencias ambientales positivas. En este documento se examinan los huertos escolares como un lugar para mejorar las competencias de los estudiantes en el idioma inglés y fomentar una alfabetización ambiental crítica. La primera sección del documento se centra en la educación basada en los jardines como un tipo de aprendizaje fuera del aula. A continuación, se ofrece un breve análisis de los huertos escolares como espacios de aprendizaje en todo el programa de estudios, argumentando que los huertos escolares son mucho más que lugares para aprender sobre nutrición y vida saludable. A continuación, en la siguiente sección se argumenta que los huertos escolares también sirven para aprender inglés como lengua extranjera. Aquí el modelo de inteligencias múltiples de Gardner sirve para ilustrar el potencial de los huertos escolares para la instrucción diferenciada en cuanto a contenido, procesos y productos en los grupos de aprendizaje cada vez más diversos de hoy en día. La parte principal del trabajo se centra entonces en la educación basada en los huertos en el contexto de la formación de profesores de EFL. En la Universidad de Educación de Karlsruhe (Alemania), los estudiantes tienen la oportunidad de asistir a un seminario sobre huertos escolares que les permite experimentar de primera mano las ventajas de aprender inglés como lengua extranjera en este espacio. La contribución concluye echando un vistazo al futuro del aprendizaje en los huertos escolares, informando sobre las experiencias de los autores en el uso de la tecnología en el contexto de la educación basada en los huertos

Validierung einer neuen Skala zur operationalisierten Erfassung von formalen Denkstörungen

Vor allem für die englische Sprache liegen bereits einige klinische Rating-Skalen zur Erfassung formaler Denkstörungen vor. Diese gehen jedoch weder auf die Unterschiede zwischen subjektiven und objektiven Items ein, noch sind sie komplett auf die deutsche Sprache übertragbar. Die neue, 30 Items beinhaltende „Thought and Language Dysfunction Scale“ wurde auf Grundlage einer umfangreichen Literaturrecherche erstellt. In dieser Literaturrecherche wurden sämtliche Standardwerke und Zeitschriftenveröffentlichungen in deutscher und englischer Sprache von Emil Kraepelin (1899) bis zur heutigen Zeit berücksichtigt. Die „Thought and Language Dysfunction Scale“ enthält 21 objektive und 9 subjektive Items und ist das erste Messinstrument, das in deutscher Sprache zur Verfügung steht. Untersucht wurden Patienten mit Schizophrenie (n=63), Depression (n=63) und Manie (n=20) sowie gesunde Probanden (n=64). Mehrere, dafür geschulte Ärzte mit Erfahrungen bei der Erhebung psychopathologischer Befunde führten ein ca. 50-minütiges exploratives Interview mit den Probanden durch und bewerteten im Anschluss die „Thought and Language Dysfunction Scale“ sowie weitere psychiatrische Untersuchungsskalen. Anschließend wurde, um das Vorliegen verschiedener Subsyndrome innerhalb der formalen Denkstörungen zu detektieren, eine Hauptkomponentenanalyse durchgeführt. Es zeigten sich vier Faktoren, die das dichotome Konstrukt von positiven und negativen formalen Denkstörungen widerspiegelten und darüber hinaus die Unterteilung in subjektive und objektive Faktoren deutlich machte. Die „Thought and Language Dysfunction Scale“ zeigte sich als reliables und praktikables Instrument zur detailreichen Erfassung sämtlicher formaler Denkstörungen. Des Weiteren weisen die entstandenen Faktoren deutlich darauf hin, dass die Erfassung der subjektiven Symptome einen nicht zu vernachlässigenden Aspekt bei der Messung formaler Denkstörungen darstellt

IL-33 facilitates rapid expulsion of the parasitic nematode <i>Strongyloides ratti</i> from the intestine via ILC2- and IL-9-driven mast cell activation

Parasitic helminths are sensed by the immune system via tissue-derived alarmins that promote the initiation of the appropriate type 2 immune responses. Here we establish the nuclear alarmin cytokine IL-33 as a non-redundant trigger of specifically IL-9-driven and mast cell-mediated immunity to the intestinal parasite Strongyloides ratti. Blockade of endogenous IL-33 using a helminth-derived IL-33 inhibitor elevated intestinal parasite burdens in the context of reduced mast cell activation while stabilization of endogenous IL-33 or application of recombinant IL-33 reciprocally reduced intestinal parasite burdens and increased mast cell activation. Using gene-deficient mice, we show that application of IL-33 triggered rapid mast cell-mediated expulsion of parasites directly in the intestine, independent of the adaptive immune system, basophils, eosinophils or Gr-1+ cells but dependent on functional IL-9 receptor and innate lymphoid cells (ILC). Thereby we connect the described axis of IL-33-mediated ILC2 expansion to the rapid initiation of IL-9-mediated and mast cell-driven intestinal anti-helminth immunity

Mobilization of giant piggyBac transposons in the mouse genome.

The development of technologies that allow the stable delivery of large genomic DNA fragments in mammalian systems is important for genetic studies as well as for applications in gene therapy. DNA transposons have emerged as flexible and efficient molecular vehicles to mediate stable cargo transfer. However, the ability to carry DNA fragments >10 kb is limited in most DNA transposons. Here, we show that the DNA transposon piggyBac can mobilize 100-kb DNA fragments in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, making it the only known transposon with such a large cargo capacity. The integrity of the cargo is maintained during transposition, the copy number can be controlled and the inserted giant transposons express the genomic cargo. Furthermore, these 100-kb transposons can also be excised from the genome without leaving a footprint. The development of piggyBac as a large cargo vector will facilitate a wider range of genetic and genomic applications

A rating scale for the assessment of objective and subjective formal thought and language disorder (TALD)

Formal thought disorder (FTD) is a core syndrome of schizophrenia. However, patients with other diagnoses, such as mania and depression amongst others, also present with FTD. We introduce a novel, comprehensive clinical rating scale, capturing the full variety of FTD phenomenology including subjective experiences. The 30-item Thought and Language Disorder (TALD) scale is based on a detailed review of the literature, encompassing all formal thought disorder symptoms reported from the early 20th century onwards. Objectively observable symptoms as well as subjective phenomena were included. Two hundred and ten participants (146 patients ICD-10 diagnoses: depression n. = 63, schizophrenia n. = 63, mania n. = 20; 64 healthy control subjects) were interviewed and symptoms rated with the TALD, TLC, HAMD, YMRS and SAPS/SANS. A principal component analyses was performed for the TALD to differentiate sub-syndromes. The principal component analysis revealed four FTD factors; objective and subjective as well as positive and negative factor dimensions. The correlation analyses with the TLC and the SAPS/SANS FTD sub-scores demonstrated the factor validity for the objective factors. The different diagnoses showed a distinct pattern of symptom severity in each of the factors, with mania patients exhibiting the highest value in the positive, objective dimension. The scale showed good psychometric results, which makes it a practicable, nosologically-open instrument for the detailed assessment of all FTD dimensions. The results strengthen the importance of subjective symptom assessment reported by the patient.DFG (project no. Ki 588/6-1)Scopu

Assessing a Method of Mechanical Cervical Dislocation as a Humane Option for On-Farm Killing Using Anesthetized Poults and Young Turkeys

Our objective was to determine the efficacy of manual cervical dislocation vs. a mechanical cervical dislocation device for on-farm killing of poults and young turkeys. Forty-two 1- and 3-week old turkeys were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups: awake manual cervical dislocation (CD), anesthetized manual cervical dislocation (aCD), or anesthetized mechanical cervical dislocation (MCD). Anesthetized birds received an intramuscular dose of 0.3 mg/kg medetomidine and 30 mg/kg of ketamine to achieve a light plane of anesthesia. A comparison of CD vs. aCD responses indicated that the anesthetic plane did not affect jaw tone or pupillary light reflex, indicators of loss of sensibility and brain death, respectively. MCD was unsuccessful for killing 1-week old poults as indicated by the ongoing presence of the pupillary eye reflex as well as failure to achieve cardiac arrest within 5 min in 5 of 5 birds. Radiographs also indicated no vertebral dislocation or fracture. Pupillary light reflex was present in 98% and jaw tone was present in 73% of turkeys, respectively, for all groups combined, but retention of the pupillary light reflex (P &lt; 0.001) and jaw tone (P = 0.001) was longer for birds killed by MCD. Time to last movement (P = 0.797) and cardiac arrest (P = 0.057) did not differ between method. Survey radiographs demonstrated an effect of method for the average displacement distance at the site of vertebral dislocation, with a greater distance observed in birds killed by CD compared to MCD (P = 0.003). A method by age interaction was observed between CD and MCD for the number of birds with fractures; more vertebral fractures were observed in 3-week old turkeys killed with MCD compared to CD (P = 0.047). Upon gross examination, the majority of birds killed by either method had minimal to no hemorrhage within the brain and spinal cord. However, turkeys killed using CD had more microscopic subdural brain hemorrhage (P = 0.020). Ante-mortem and post-mortem measures suggest that neither manual CD nor the MCD tool used in this study caused immediate insensibility, but CD resulted in a shorter latency to brain death and fewer fractures compared to MCD

Comparative Field Evaluation of Combinations of Long-Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets and Indoor Residual Spraying, Relative to Either Method Alone, for Malaria Prevention in an Area where the main Vector is Anopheles Arabiensis.

Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) are commonly used together in the same households to improve malaria control despite inconsistent evidence on whether such combinations actually offer better protection than nets alone or IRS alone. Comparative tests were conducted using experimental huts fitted with LLINs, untreated nets, IRS plus untreated nets, or combinations of LLINs and IRS, in an area where Anopheles arabiensis is the predominant malaria vector species. Three LLIN types, Olyset®, PermaNet 2.0® and Icon Life® nets and three IRS treatments, pirimiphos-methyl, DDT, and lambda cyhalothrin, were used singly or in combinations. We compared, number of mosquitoes entering huts, proportion and number killed, proportions prevented from blood-feeding, time when mosquitoes exited the huts, and proportions caught exiting. The tests were done for four months in dry season and another six months in wet season, each time using new intact nets. All the net types, used with or without IRS, prevented >99% of indoor mosquito bites. Adding PermaNet 2.0® and Icon Life®, but not Olyset® nets into huts with any IRS increased mortality of malaria vectors relative to IRS alone. However, of all IRS treatments, only pirimiphos-methyl significantly increased vector mortality relative to LLINs alone, though this increase was modest. Overall, median mortality of An. arabiensis caught in huts with any of the treatments did not exceed 29%. No treatment reduced entry of the vectors into huts, except for marginal reductions due to PermaNet 2.0® nets and DDT. More than 95% of all mosquitoes were caught in exit traps rather than inside huts. Where the main malaria vector is An. arabiensis, adding IRS into houses with intact pyrethroid LLINs does not enhance house-hold level protection except where the IRS employs non-pyrethroid insecticides such as pirimiphos-methyl, which can confer modest enhancements. In contrast, adding intact bednets onto IRS enhances protection by preventing mosquito blood-feeding (even if the nets are non-insecticidal) and by slightly increasing mosquito mortality (in case of LLINs). The primary mode of action of intact LLINs against An. arabiensis is clearly bite prevention rather than insecticidal activity. Therefore, where resources are limited, priority should be to ensure that everyone at risk consistently uses LLINs and that the nets are regularly replaced before being excessively torn. Measures that maximize bite prevention (e.g. proper net sizes to effectively cover sleeping spaces, stronger net fibres that resist tears and burns and net use practices that preserve net longevity), should be emphasized

Ancient DNA Analysis and Stable Isotope Ecology of Sea Turtles (Cheloniidae) from the Gold Rush-era (1850s) Eastern Pacific Ocean

Historical and archaeological evidence documents the importation of sea turtles from the eastern Pacific Ocean (Baja California) to California during the Gold Rush (1848–1855) and through the end of 19th century, but it is unknown whether these 19th century sea turtles foraged in similar ways to their modern counterparts. To identify the species of two Gold Rush-era sea turtle specimens recovered from archaeological deposits in San Francisco, California, we first analyze ancient DNA (aDNA). We then analyze carbon (δ13Ccol), nitrogen (δ15N), and hydrogen (δD) stable isotopes of bone collagen and carbon (δ13Cap) and oxygen (δ18Oap) stable isotopes of bone apatite to test if eastern Pacific sea turtle diets have changed over the past 160 years. Ancient DNA confirms that both archaeological specimens are green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). The stable isotope values from the 19th-century specimens are statistically indistinguishable from the modern comparatives in both δ13Ccoland δ15N, suggesting that green sea turtle dietary intake has remained relatively unchanged since the 1850s. However, the values are unclear for δD and δ18Oapand require additional research.Support for this work came the University of Oklahoma Libraries Open Access Fund.YesOpen Quaternary is an international peer-reviewed venue for contributions that consider the changing environment of the Quaternary, as well as the development of humanity