Glucose Regulation Using an Intelligent PID Controller

Type 1 diabetes is a condition characterized by a lack of insulin production. This lack of insulin causes glucose concentration in the blood to increase after meals. In order to maintain blood glucose levels, diabetics must inject insulin using needles or an insulin pump. Additionally, the lack of insulin can cause glucose levels to decrease overnight. This project uses a proportional integral derivative (PID) controller to modify the rate of insulin and glucagon infusion when glucose levels are increasing or decreasing, respectively. A system of 13 differential equations were used to anticipate changes in glucose concentration as insulin and glucagon were injected. The system was simulated for virtual patients over a 24-hour time span in order to test its feasibility in human patients. The PID controller uses the current, past, and anticipated future glucose levels, respectively, in order to better determine the best course of treatment for the virtual patient. One of the many difficulties in medical technology, however, is that everyone is different. These differences are a result of metabolism and other factors. To account for this fact the controller is designed to change the gain of the different controller components in order to better tailor the treatment to each patient

Juanita Willmon Goggins Papers - Accession 155

The Juanita Willmon Goggins Papers include correspondence, speeches, biographical data, reports, studies, newspaper clippings, photographs and other papers documenting the political career of Goggins who was the first African-American woman elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. Subjects include home rule for York County, African-Americans in politics, sickle cell anemia, appropriations, taxes, and public education in York County.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1161/thumbnail.jp

Total Dose Effects of Ionizing and Non-Ionizing Radiation on Piezoresistive Pressure Transducer Chips

The effects of ionizing and non ionizing radiation on the resistivity of silicon based, piezoresistive bulk micro-machined chips from pressure transducers were examined. Standard current-voltage (I-V) measurements were taken in-situ and post-irradiation during isothermal annealing at room temperature. One group of chips was irradiated to a maximum total gamma dose of lMrad(Si) in the 11,000 Ci (60) Co gamma cell at Ohio State University. The second group of chips was irradiated at the Ohio State University Research Reactor facility to a maximum total neutron dose of 4 Mrad(Si) using beam port Hi. The resistivity was shown to decrease during gamma irradiation as a result of Compton current generation and increase during neutron irradiation as a result of displacement damage. During irradiation in the gamma cell, the chips exhibited a 0.45 plus or minus 0.19% decrease in resistivity at saturation. During the neutron and gamma irradiation in the reactor, the chips exhibited a peak change in resistivity of 2.503 plus or minus 0.003% at 2 Mrad(Si), 3.055 plus or minus 0.002% at 3 Mrad(Si), and 3.6921% (with unknown uncertainty) at 4 Mrad(Si). Regardless of the total dose received, all chips demonstrated a permanent change in resistivity of 0.7697 plus or minus 0.0006% at room temperature

A Bayesian Approach to Broad-Area Nuclear and Radiological Search Operations

This dissertation describes the development, implementation, and initial performance testing of the Broad-Area Search Bayesian Processor (BASBP). The BASBP is a novel FORTAN code designed to combine the data from aerial radiation detection platforms with available geo-spatial data using Bayesian techniques to provide updated parameter estimates of the problem space. By employing empirical fits to the Monte Carlo photon flux estimates generated using MCNP6, the core BASBP model accounts for the increasing significance of photon scattering and absorption events with source-detector range. The BASBP employs Bayesian signal processing methods to estimate both the spatially varying background and the most likely signal contribution from radioactive sources of interest. In demonstrating the capabilities of the BASBP, it is shown that the coupling of Bayesian signal processing methods with radiation transport physics affords the opportunity to effectively treat the spatially varying background signal, improve the range at which detection, localization, and identification decisions are made; provide real-time recommendations on sensor employment; provide the framework for fusing data from multiple sensors and data from disparate sensor types (true multi-source data fusion); and, enhance the nuclear detection capabilities of first responder or national security organizations

Design, Manufacture, and Test of a Hybrid Aerial-Ground Robotic Platform

A hybrid aerial-ground robotic platform allows for enhanced functionality combining most of the operational profiles of an aerial and ground vehicle with applications to intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), infrastructure inspection, emergency response, photography, etc. Motivated by this challenge, we designed, developed, and tested a prototype hybrid aerial-ground robotic vehicle capable of guidance, navigation, and control in the air and on the ground. The thesis focus is on the system design. As such, at first, we designed and analyzed the mechanical component to ensure durability. We then designed the electrical component to reduce overall weight and maximize battery life. We developed and integrated software modules and widely used controllers to allow for teleoperation and autonomous control. A series of tests were run to ensure proper functionality and demonstrate operability. Tests included a controlled functionality test, aerial test, ground test, transition component test from air to ground and ground to air, dual-mode functionality tests, and battery runtime test. Performed tests dictated design revisions that resulted in a fully functional prototype ready to be used by scientists, engineers, practitioners, and end-users

The Role of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 Thymidine Kinase Alanine 168 in Substrate Specificity

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV) thymidine kinase (TK) has been widely used in suicide gene therapy for the treatment of cancer due to its broad substrate specificity and the inability of the endogenous human TK to phosphorylate guanosine analogs such as ganciclovir (GCV). The basis of suicide gene therapy is the introduction of a gene that encodes a prodrug-activating enzyme into tumor cells. After administration, the prodrug is selectively converted to a toxic drug by the suicide gene product thereby bringing about the eradication of the cancer cells. A major drawback to this therapy is the low activity the enzyme displays towards the prodrugs, requiring high prodrug doses that result in adverse side effects. Earlier studies revealed two HSV TK variants (SR39 and mutant 30) derived by random mutagenesis with enhanced activities towards GCV in vitro and in vivo. While these mutants contain multiple amino acid substitutions, molecular modeling suggests that substitutions at alanine 168 (A168) may be responsible for the observed increase in prodrug sensitivity. To evaluate this, site-directed mutagenesis was used to individually substitute A168 with phenylalanine or tyrosine to reflect the mutations found in SR39 and mutant 30, respectively. Additionally, kinetic parameters and the ability of these mutants to sensitize tumor cells to GCV in comparison to wild-type thymidine kinase were determined

Airborne rhinovirus detection and effect of ultraviolet irradiation on detection by a semi-nested RT-PCR assay

BACKGROUND: Rhinovirus, the most common cause of upper respiratory tract infections, has been implicated in asthma exacerbations and possibly asthma deaths. Although the method of transmission of rhinoviruses is disputed, several studies have demonstrated that aerosol transmission is a likely method of transmission among adults. As a first step in studies of possible airborne rhinovirus transmission, we developed methods to detect aerosolized rhinovirus by extending existing technology for detecting infectious agents in nasal specimens. METHODS: We aerosolized rhinovirus in a small aerosol chamber. Experiments were conducted with decreasing concentrations of rhinovirus. To determine the effect of UV irradiation on detection of rhinoviral aerosols, we also conducted experiments in which we exposed aerosols to a UV dose of 684 mJ/m(2). Aerosols were collected on Teflon filters and rhinovirus recovered in Qiagen AVL buffer using the Qiagen QIAamp Viral RNA Kit (Qiagen Corp., Valencia, California) followed by semi-nested RT-PCR and detection by gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: We obtained positive results from filter samples that had collected at least 1.3 TCID(50 )of aerosolized rhinovirus. Ultraviolet irradiation of airborne virus at doses much greater than those used in upper-room UV germicidal irradiation applications did not inhibit subsequent detection with the RT-PCR assay. CONCLUSION: The air sampling and extraction methodology developed in this study should be applicable to the detection of rhinovirus and other airborne viruses in the indoor air of offices and schools. This method, however, cannot distinguish UV inactivated virus from infectious viral particles

Engineering enhanced enzymes for suicide gene therapy of cancer

Thesis (Ph.D.), Program in Pharmacology and Toxicology, Washington State Universit

Age of Alcohol Use Initiation and Lifetime Alcohol and Illiict Drug Use among American Indian Adolescents and their Peers

From a neocolonial perspective, this study (N = 2248) examined the age of alcohol use initiation and alcohol and illicit drug use among urban students (e.g., ages 14-18) in Oklahoma County, focusing on American Indian students. The relationship between the age of alcohol use initiation and lifetime alcohol and illicit drug use was examined through simple linear regressions. Racial/ethnic differences in the age of alcohol use initiation and lifetime alcohol and illicit drug use were examined using two-way ANOVAs. For secondary analyses, gender differences in the age of alcohol use initiation and lifetime alcohol and illicit drug use were examined among American Indians using independent samples t-tests. Results indicated that while a significant relationship between the age of alcohol use initiation and lifetime alcohol and illicit drug use was found, the age of alcohol use initiation is only one of several factors that contribute to lifetime alcohol and illicit drug use. American Indian students did not significantly differ from their peers in the age of alcohol use initiation and lifetime alcohol and illicit drug use. Across racial/ethnic groups, the highest lifetime alcohol and total illicit drug use was reported when alcohol use was initiated in childhood (e.g., age 11 or younger). Results from this study showed that the age of alcohol use initiation for American Indian males was significantly earlier than American Indian females and no significant differences in lifetime alcohol use and illicit drug use were found. The findings of the current research suggest that prevention programs for very young children are needed