Liquid flow measurement using silicone polymer wedge clamp-on ultrasonic transducers

Accurate liquid flow measurement is vital to many industries, and the benefits and limitations of ultrasonic transit-time clamp-on measurements are well understood. The ultrasonic transducers used in high quality clamp-on systems tend to be high cost items, containing an ultrasonic wedge of machined polyether ether ketone plastic (PEEK). PEEK is used because of its consistency and favourable ultrasonic properties of relatively low attenuation and consistent ultrasonic wave velocity over a wide range of frequencies. The viability of a new, high performance and low cost design of clamp-on ultrasonic transducers is described, made from a silicone based polymer moulded inside a shell and directly bonded to the active piezoelectric element. In addition to the reduced material and production cost, the new transducers have good thermal stability, consistency, conform well to the surface of the pipe. Tests were performed on a flow rig and on calibration blocks for thermal stability tests, showing that the sensors are of comparable performance to quality devices constructed using PEEK wedges

Pursuing the Ephemeral, Painting the Enduring: Alzheimer\u27s and the Artwork of William Utermohlen

This book is published in conjunction with the exhibition Pursuing the Ephemeral, Painting the Enduring: Alzheimer’s and the Artwork of William Utermohlen, Exhibition and Scholarly Reflections presented at Illinois Wesleyan University Wakeley Gallery November 6 to December 11, 2015. The exhibition and catalogue are partially funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. William Utermohlen’s work is represented by Chris Boïcos Fine Arts, Paris and Jennifer Norback Fine Arts, Chicago.https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/utermohlen/1000/thumbnail.jp

The Effect of an Intersectionality Elective on the Perceived Self-Efficacy of Medical Students in Addressing Health Inequity

Background: Intersectionality is a theoretical framework that contextualizes an individual’s experience as more than the sum of their cultural identifiers. Aims: The current study investigates the effect of a 10-week intersectionality curriculum supplemented with student-led discussions on medical students’ self-efficacy in addressing bias and health inequity. Methods: First- and second-year medical students volunteered to participate in a ten-week pilot elective entitled “Intersectionality in Medicine.” Participants enrolled in the course were required to complete a ten-minute online pre-elective and post-elective survey. Results: Results showed that after completing the elective, medical students were significantly more confident in identifying their personal biases, assessing the needs of low socioeconomic status populations, increased ability to find relevant resources for different ethnic/cultural groups, and identifying microaggressions that occur in the healthcare setting. Conclusions: This research highlights how using intersectionality as a framework for understanding and addressing health inequity can create greater awareness and self-perceived efficacy in medical students. Collectively, this research has implications for medical school curricula and training students for a diverse patient population

Five years of the #RSCPoster Twitter conference

The #RSCPoster Twitter conference is an annual, 24 hour poster conference held each March on Twitter. This original conference format has enabled hundreds of participants to share their research, with 32 million measurable impressions of #RSCPoster in 2020, participation growing each year and inspiring new conferences. Here, we will give a brief outline of the history, technicalities and content of the event

The effect of the decoy molecule PA401 on CXCL8 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: The chemokine interleukin-8 (CXCL8) is a key mediator of inflammation in airways of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) possess the ability to influence the chemokine profile of the CF lung by binding CXCL8 and protecting it from proteolytic degradation. CXCL8 is maintained in an active state by this glycan interaction thus increasing infiltration of immune cells such as neutrophils into the lungs. As the CXCL8-based decoy PA401 displays no chemotactic activity, yet demonstrates glycan binding affinity, the aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of PA401 on CXCL8 levels, and activity, in CF airway samples in vitro. METHODS: Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected from patients with CF homozygous for the ΔF508 mutation (n=13). CXCL8 in CF BALF pre and post exposure to PA401 was quantified by ELISA. Western blot analysis was used to determine PA401 degradation in CF BALF. The ex vivo chemotactic activity of purified neutrophils in response to CF airway secretions was evaluated post exposure to PA401 by use of a Boyden chamber-based motility assay. RESULTS: Exposure of CF BALF to increasing concentrations of PA401 (50-1000pg/ml) over a time course of 2-12h in vitro, significantly reduced the level of detectable CXCL8 (P CONCLUSION: PA401 can disrupt CXCL8:GAG complexes, rendering the chemokine susceptible to proteolytic degradation. Clinical application of a CXCL8 decoy, such as PA401, may serve to decrease the inflammatory burden in the CF lung in vivo

Smart DCU digital twin: towards smarter universities

Although both smart city and digital twin are ambiguous and contested terms, there exists a co-creative link between the two. Theoretically, digital twin seems to be a sustainable digital solution for smart cities to achieve ideal city vision by digitization of physical urban spaces. This study investigates and informs the role, benefits and challenges in developing and deploying digital twin solution for efficient decision-making in infrastructure planning and management. This technology is experimented in a 3D cyberspace of Dublin City University, which is also one of the testbeds under the broader Smart Dublin umbrella. It is an ongoing project and expects to develop effective use-cases for monitoring present situations, multi-stakeholder collaboration and action research towards a responsive and adaptive campus environment

Big data and data repurposing – using existing data to answer new questions in vascular dementia research

Introduction: Traditional approaches to clinical research have, as yet, failed to provide effective treatments for vascular dementia (VaD). Novel approaches to collation and synthesis of data may allow for time and cost efficient hypothesis generating and testing. These approaches may have particular utility in helping us understand and treat a complex condition such as VaD. Methods: We present an overview of new uses for existing data to progress VaD research. The overview is the result of consultation with various stakeholders, focused literature review and learning from the group’s experience of successful approaches to data repurposing. In particular, we benefitted from the expert discussion and input of delegates at the 9th International Congress on Vascular Dementia (Ljubljana, 16-18th October 2015). Results: We agreed on key areas that could be of relevance to VaD research: systematic review of existing studies; individual patient level analyses of existing trials and cohorts and linking electronic health record data to other datasets. We illustrated each theme with a case-study of an existing project that has utilised this approach. Conclusions: There are many opportunities for the VaD research community to make better use of existing data. The volume of potentially available data is increasing and the opportunities for using these resources to progress the VaD research agenda are exciting. Of course, these approaches come with inherent limitations and biases, as bigger datasets are not necessarily better datasets and maintaining rigour and critical analysis will be key to optimising data use

The Impact of North Atlantic-Arctic Multidecadal Variability on Northern Hemisphere Surface Air Temperature

The 20th century Northern Hemisphere surface climate exhibits a long-term warming trend, largely caused by anthropogenic forcing, and natural decadal climate variability superimposed on it. This study addresses the possible origin and strength of internal decadal climate variability in the Northern Hemisphere during the recent decades. We present results from a set of climate model simulations that suggest natural internal multidecadal climate variability in the North Atlantic-Arctic Sector could have considerably contributed to the Northern Hemisphere surface warming since 1980. Although covering only a few percent of the earth’s surface, the Arctic may have provided the largest share in this. It is hypothesized that a stronger Meridional Overturning Circulation in the Atlantic and the associated increase in northward heat transport enhanced the heat loss from the ocean to the atmosphere in the North Atlantic region, and especially in the North Atlantic portion of the Arctic due to anomalously strong sea ice melt. The model results stress the potential importance of natural internal multidecadal variability originating in the North Atlantic-Arctic Sector in generating inter-decadal climate changes not only on a regional, but possibly also on a hemispheric and even global scale