Design of a Medical Walker with an Integrated Crutch Mechanism

Many elderly people and injured people suffer from physical complications that make it difficult or dangerous for them to perform everyday activities, thereby inhibiting their mobility. Some of these activities include walking, standing, and sitting. As a result, it is no surprise that many companies in the medical industry have already attempted to construct an array of options to aid these people, including basic medical walkers, and standing-assist furniture, poles, and machines. Although these options are fair choices, they fail to integrate portability, simplicity, and multi-functionality together. Therefore, this thesis focuses on designing and building a dual purpose machine that can function as a portable medical walker as well as a standing and sitting aid. The purpose of this is to increase the mobility of independent and resilient people who struggle to move around on their own. A thorough investigation was conducted to determine the natural motion of a person going from the seated to standing position and vice versa. From that analysis, it was determined that both the standing and sitting motions were identical, and that the upper body of a person naturally arced in a manner consistent with a circle. Using the data acquired from this analysis, the natural upper body motion was replicated by designing a crutch mechanism/linkage. Then, a walker frame was modeled around the crutch mechanism. Once the final detailed design was in place, a prototype was constructed and its range of capabilities was examined

Polymerisation of vinyl monomers in continuous-flow reactors. An experimental study, which includes digital computer modelling, of the homopolymerisation of styrene and methylmethacrylate by anionic and free radical mechanisms respectively in continuous flow-stirred-tank reactors.

An introduction is given to the background theory and scientific literature of the major subject areas of interest in this thesis, namely the chemistry of free radical and anionic polymerisation, molecular weight control in each type of polymerisation, polymerisation reactors, computer simulation of polymerisation processes and polymer characterisation by gel permeation chromatography. A novel computer model has been devised, based on the analysis of the polymerisation process in terms of the reaction extent of each reactant and the use of generation functions to describe the concentration of living and dead polymeric species, for the free radical, solution polymerisation of methylmethacrylate in a CSTR. Both heat and mass balance expressions have been described. Conversion, Mn and Mw were monitored. To test the model a reactor was designed and constructed. A detailed description of the reactor and the experimental conditions used for the validation of the model are given. The results of these studies are presented and excellent agreement is shown between model predictions and experiments up to 30% conversion for Mn w and % conversion. A similar study is described for the anionic polymerisation of styrene in tetrahydrofuran as solvent, in a CSTR. In this work the computer model becomes 'stiff' when realistic rate constants are introduced in the kinetic expressions. Experimental difficulties were encountered in obtaining reproducible results in the anionic work. A new approach of using 'scavengers' as protecting agents for the living chains is described. A scavenger was successfully employed in the preparation of block copolymers using a tubular reactor. Block copolymerisation, in addition to providing a means of checking the number of the 'living' chains inside the reactor, is of interest in its own right. All the experimental findings are discussed in relation to the currently accepted views found in the scientific literature

Facilitating responsive interaction between occupants and building systems through dynamic post-occupancy evaluation

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is a process that can reveal the interrelations between key building performance factors and successfully integrate indoor environmental quality, thermal comfort, functionality, environmental strategy and occupants’ satisfaction. POE has become a prerequisite for several building certification systems and it is often presented as a method to improve the commissioning of buildings and as a user experience feedback mechanism. This paper is based on a POE undertaken through stages at the University of Southampton Mayflower Halls of Residence complex. The first stage included the evaluation of occupant satisfaction, indoor environment quality and energy use. Results from temperature and relative humidity monitoring and an online POE questionnaire were analysed in the context of energy use, thermal comfort and building controls’ functionality. The second part of this study monitored the air temperature in a sub-sample of 30 rooms where the residents participated in a thermal comfort survey with a “right-here-right-now” questionnaire and a portable instrument that monitored air temperature, relative humidity, globe temperature and air velocity in the rooms. This paper presents the results of the POE and discusses approaches for the improvement in the buildings’ energy performance and the environmental conditions in the living spaces of the students. Results suggest that current use of controls is not always effective, with implications for the buildings’ energy use. Large variability was found in occupants’ thermal perception and preferences, which points to a need for occupant-centric solutions. In this study, POE is approached as a dynamic process that could be used to facilitate the responsive interaction of occupants with building systems and deliver through their engagement high energy performance and comfort

Impact of a single nucleotide polymorphism on the 3D protein structure and ubiquitination activity of E3 ubiquitin ligase arkadia

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are genetic variations which can play a vital role in the study of human health. SNP studies are often used to identify point mutations that are associated with diseases. Arkadia (RNF111) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that enhances transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling by targeting negative regulators for degradation. Dysregulation of the TGF-β pathway is implicated in cancer because it exhibits tumor suppressive activity in normal cells while in tumor cells it promotes invasiveness and metastasis. Τhe SNP CGT > TGT generated an amino-acid (aa) substitution of Arginine 957 to Cysteine on the enzymatic RING domain of Arkadia. This was more prevalent in a tumor than in a normal tissue sample of a patient with colorectal cancer. This prompted us to investigate the effect of this mutation in the structure and activity of Arkadia RING. We used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to analyze at an atomic-level the structural and dynamic properties of the R957C Arkadia RING domain, while ubiquitination and luciferase assays provided information about its enzymatic functionality. Our study showed that the R957C mutation changed the electrostatic properties of the RING domain however, without significant effects on the structure of its core region. However, the functional studies revealed that the R957C Arkadia exhibits significantly increased enzymatic activity supporting literature data that Arkadia within tumor cells promotes aggressive and metastatic behavior

Personal exposure to indoor pollution during everyday activities of hybrid workers in the UK

Western lifestyles and urbanisation have led many people to spend most of their time indoors. Existing studies have described the impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) on health and well-being. However, IAQ assessments typically focus on home or office settings. Hybrid working and a change in transport behaviour raise the question of what are the new trends of personal exposure to air pollution among all daily activities including home, office and transport. This study discusses the results from IAQ monitoring in everyday life of UK hybrid workers. It uses a personal air quality monitor to track daily activities to measure trends of personal exposure to air pollutants and identify spot-events of high exposure. The results present the diurnal and spatial variation of five indoor air pollutants: PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and VOC. Data was collected at 1-minutes intervals in an open plan office, a house with a small home office but also during the commuting between Glasgow (Scotland) and Lancaster (North West England) by train and between Lancaster and Southampton (South England) by car at different times of the day and traffic conditions. The findings discuss hybrid workers' spatiotemporal personal exposure trends to air pollutants and contextualise them to short- and long-term health risks. The paper concludes with recommendations to minimise personal exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants and mitigate health risks by identifying “high risk” activities in spatiotemporal relation to air pollutants

Personal exposure to indoor pollution during everyday activities of hybrid workers in the UK

Western lifestyles and urbanisation have led many people to spend most of their time indoors. Existing studies have described the impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) on health and well-being. However, IAQ assessments typically focus on home or office settings. Hybrid working and a change in transport behaviour raise the question of what are the new trends of personal exposure to air pollution among all daily activities including home, office and transport. This study discusses the results from IAQ monitoring in everyday life of UK hybrid workers. It uses a personal air quality monitor to track daily activities to measure trends of personal exposure to air pollutants and identify spot-events of high exposure. The results present the diurnal and spatial variation of five indoor air pollutants: PM1, PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and VOC. Data was collected at 1-minutes intervals in an open plan office, a house with a small home office but also during the commuting between Glasgow (Scotland) and Lancaster (North West England) by train and between Lancaster and Southampton (South England) by car at different times of the day and traffic conditions. The findings discuss hybrid workers' spatiotemporal personal exposure trends to air pollutants and contextualise them to short- and long-term health risks. The paper concludes with recommendations to minimise personal exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants and mitigate health risks by identifying “high risk” activities in spatiotemporal relation to air pollutants

Design of socio-spatial networks and practices for hybrid cities

Urban space and city living are being redefined in the context of hybrid cities – the realm where the physical and online worlds exist intertwined and interact. The emerging socio-spatial networks and practices create new possibilities for resilient, adaptive cities (and citizens) but at the same time raise questions on rights to the city, digital civics, openness and privacy. Human activities create, often unconsciously, an unprecedented amount of data turning humans into gullible data producers. Nonetheless, the ownership, interpretation, and management of data are under the control of few commercial entities. This research adopts a critical realist approach to the design of the future hybrid cities’ networks and practices to create a paradigm shift towards transforming people from “homo-datum” to “human-nodes” – conscious creators, developers and users of data. This study addresses the following themes: 1) What approaches in the design of hybrid cities would enable cities to reflect the complexity and plurality of people and societies? 2) How could technology assist human citizens with managing and interpreting in the correct context the increasing amount of data? 3) How can we move from current socio-economic models towards building new socio-spatial networks that will better represent future societies? 4) What is the role of non-human citizens and how would they interface with “human-nodes”? 5) Finally, what are the necessary conditions for transforming current cities and living into participatory hybrid cities and sustainable lifestyles

Clotting state after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation: a haemostasis index could detect the relationship with the arrhythmia duration

BACKGROUND: Fibrin D-dimer levels have been advocated as an useful clinical marker of thrombogenesis. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that i) there is a hyperclotting state after the return of atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm, ii) the measurement of plasma D-Dimer levels might be a good screening tool of this clotting status, and iii) the duration of arrhythmia influences the haemostasis measured by plasma D-Dimer levels. METHODS: Forty-two patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing cardioversion were divided into two groups: in Group A (n = 24,14 male, 56 ± 11 years) the duration of atrial fibrillation was 72 hours or more (142.7 ± 103.8 hours), in Group B (n = 18, 10 male, 61 ± 13 years) the duration of atrial fibrillation was less than 72 hours (25 ± 16 hours). Plasma fibrin D-dimer levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay before, and 36 hours after, cardioversion. The change of plasma D-dimer levels 36 hours after cardioversion was calculated as delta-D-dimer. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic data, and the success of cardioversion between the two groups. Compared to the control, the baseline D-dimer levels were significantly higher in both groups. The delta D-dimer levels were significantly higher in Group A than in Group B (p < 0.005). Furthermore, plasma D-dimer levels 36 hours after cardioversion (r = 0.52, p = 0.0016) and delta-D-dimer levels (r = 0.73, p < 0.0001) showed significant correlations with the duration of atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION: The longer duration of the atrial fibrillation episode could lead to a more prominent cardiovascular hyperclotting state after cardioversion, and the mean changes of plasma D-Dimer levels could be used as an useful clinical marker of the clotting state after atrial systole return

The short coiled-coil domain-containing protein UNC-69 cooperates with UNC-76 to regulate axonal outgrowth and normal presynaptic organization in Caenorhabditis elegans

BACKGROUND: The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been used extensively to identify the genetic requirements for proper nervous system development and function. Key to this process is the direction of vesicles to the growing axons and dendrites, which is required for growth-cone extension and synapse formation in the developing neurons. The contribution and mechanism of membrane traffic in neuronal development are not fully understood, however. RESULTS: We show that the C. elegans gene unc-69 is required for axon outgrowth, guidance, fasciculation and normal presynaptic organization. We identify UNC-69 as an evolutionarily conserved 108-amino-acid protein with a short coiled-coil domain. UNC-69 interacts physically with UNC-76, mutations in which produce similar defects to loss of unc-69 function. In addition, a weak reduction-of-function allele, unc-69(ju69), preferentially causes mislocalization of the synaptic vesicle marker synaptobrevin. UNC-69 and UNC-76 colocalize as puncta in neuronal processes and cooperate to regulate axon extension and synapse formation. The chicken UNC-69 homolog is highly expressed in the developing central nervous system, and its inactivation by RNA interference leads to axon guidance defects. CONCLUSION: We have identified a novel protein complex, composed of UNC-69 and UNC-76, which promotes axonal growth and normal presynaptic organization in C. elegans. As both proteins are conserved through evolution, we suggest that the mammalian homologs of UNC-69 and UNC-76 (SCOCO and FEZ, respectively) may function similarly