Upper Extremity Prosthetics: Designing A Life Without Limits

When you’re a kid you don’t think very much about how your body grows, it just does. Sometimes you may get a little taller or stronger but you never think very far beyond that point - unless you have to wear a prosthetic. The question of how children that wear prosthetic limbs keep up with their ever-changing bodies as they grow into adulthood is what sparked our curiosity and led us to research the multifaceted prosthetics industry for this thesis project. We wanted to see if there was a socially, fiscally, and environmentally responsible solution to this problem and if not, what we could do to help

Do Patients Judge Success of Treatment and Patient Acceptable Symptom State Based on Current Self-Reported Health Status?

Background: Value-based care models call for better interpretation of patient-reported outcomes. Patients may reference health status differently when appraising if an intervention was successful versus if their current state is acceptable. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between success of treatment (SOT), patient acceptable symptom state (PASS), and PROMIS measure T-scores, following a single primary care physical therapy encounter. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Ninety-two patients with musculoskeletal complaints were administered standard SOT and PASS questions, and PROMIS Physical Function, Pain Interference, and Self-Efficacy for Managing Symptoms measures. Association of PASS and SOT was determined using rank biserial correlation and chi-squared analysis. Accuracy of PROMIS T-scores to discriminate PASS and SOT was determined through receiver-operator curve analysis and likelihood ratios. Results: There was significant association between PASS and SOT (r=.393, p\u3c0.001; X2=15.7, p=0.001). The three PROMIS measures discriminated PASS with AUCs of 0.73 to 0.88 (accuracy 67.3% to 82.6%), Self-Efficacy being the strongest discriminator. Only Pain Interference T-scores discriminated SOT with AUC \u3e0.70 (accuracy 76.1%). Conclusion: PASS was more strongly associated with health status than SOT. Patients make a meaningful distinction between these two questions. Accurate clinician interpretation of PASS, SOT, and PROMIS T-scores can allow more targeted goal setting and treatment decision making

Biomimicry in Solar Energy Applications

While solar power is one of the leading renewable energy sources today, current solar farms produce an amount of byproduct heat that is contributing to rising global temperatures and the deaths of many birds. Furthermore, solar panels that use water as a coolant through a sprinkler system use up a great amount of water that could be allocated somewhere else. Our project seeks to address both of these issues through a biomimetic design. Drawing inspiration from the ghost plant, our proposed solar panel cooling system is expected to reduce the amount of byproduct heat produced by panels, increase the overall efficiency of the panels, and reduce the amount of water used to achieve these goals

Characterization of Etching Process and Etch Rate of Aluminum Thin Film

This thesis reports on characterization of etching process of aluminum thin film. It offers sequential steps of optimized etching process as well as the etch rate of aluminum thin film--one of the ubiquitous metals in MEMS and IC industries| for on-going RF MEMS research. To gain high device performance, an effi cient and accurate fabrication process is critical. Despite a number of previous studies on etch rate characterization, unique tuning methods and fabrication recipes are required for different instruments and laboratories. In this report, the etching characterization is performed using PlasmaLab Master/Slave Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) System with flows of boron trichloride (BCl3) and chlorine gas (Cl2). Drawbacks of the tools and chemicals as well as corresponding adjustments are also discussed. Along with aluminum etch rate, etch rate of photoresist under the same parameters can also be evaluated in the same manner. The results of both etch rates are covered in this paper.Ope

The Sovereignty Dispute over the Liancourt Rocks between Korea and Japan: An Analysis under the Public International Legal Principles of Sovereignty Acquisition

The purpose of the article is to determine the territorial sovereignty status of the Liancourt Rocks, disputed between Korea and Japan. The islands are currently occupied and controlled by Korea, and Japan protests the Korean occupation as illegal. The paper employs the historical analysis of the state and civilian actions involving the Liancourt Rocks. The relevant actions are examined under the international legal principles of sovereignty acquisition founded by international mediators, arbitrators, the Permanent Court of International Justice, and the International Court of Justice throughout history. The paper finds that Korea has acquired an earlier title than Japan and has maintained the valid and legal sovereignty over the Liancourt Rocks through the operation of various principles under public international law. Thus the current occupation of the Liancourt Rocks by Korea is found to be legal and valid

EXERCISE-INDUCED HORMESIS MAY HELP HEALTHY AGING

Hormesis plays a critical role in producing some major benefits derived from physical exercise. However whether these known cellular mechanisms are applicable to ameliorate age-related deterioration of muscle function is not entirely clear. The present communication proposes that antioxidant adaptation, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator (PGC)-1α activated mitochondrial biogenesis, and eccentric contraction- induced, cytokine-propelled muscle inflammation could be important redox-sensitive pathways by which exercise-induced disturbance in oxidant-antioxidant hemeostasis may serve as a heretic stimulus to promote adaptations that help healthy aging and improve the quality of life