2270 research outputs found
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Investigating Advanced Irrigation Technologies
No full textIn this research project we are looking into ways to improve pivot irrigation systems in making them more efficient. We want to be as efficient in providing the most accurate amount of water to the crops at any given growth stage, and we want to do this in sync with the weather. We want to understand how these systems are being used in day to day operations in farmers across the nation
Acid Mine Drainage Remediation
No full textMy civil engineering capstone project focuses on addressing the ever-growing problem of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), specifically in southeastern Ohio. The client, Rural Action, a southeastern Ohio based nonprofit, aims to improve water quality in streams that were once considered dead. My specific honors capstone enhancement task involves conducting research on the history of acid mine drainage in the area, what leads to AMD, and assessing a potential solution to the problem. To complete this task, I completed various tests on water and soil samples that were collected during a site visit and evaluated a treatment process for a stream through analyzing the testing results. My goal was to first gather a deeper understanding of what AMD is and what leads to it, and then to address the problem based on my findings. In conclusion, this capstone project works to mitigate the impacts of AMD in southeastern Ohio and to revitalize the streams that were once considered dead. This project will help to improve water quality and to hopefully provide an innovative solution to this problem
Enhancing Expressivity of a Greeting Robot
No full textInteraction between robots and humans is an active area of development in both industry and academia. The rise of conversational artificial intelligence (AI) systems has vastly improved the experience of interacting with these types of robots. However, there is more to emulating human conversation than coherent speech. The robot\u27s appearance also significantly affects the conversational experience. Designing a face for a humanoid robot that appears friendly and inviting, while avoiding the uncanny valley effect of being just far enough from a human to induce uneasiness, is a delicate balance. Additionally, humans tend to gesture naturally during conversations, especially when talking to multiple other people. These factors must be considered when creating robots like the student capstone Project NORTH which seeks to create a greeting robot for the College of Engineering to interact with visitors and prospective students. This honors capstone enhancement is intended to enhance the expressivity of the robot by adding dynamic expressions for the robot\u27s eyes as well as arm gestures fluidly as the robot converses with guests. Through these additions, the final product of this capstone project will become more personable and better achieve its goal of engaging with university guests
Analysis of Volatiles Components of Scented Wax via Thermal Desorption- Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry
No full textThe volatile components of scented wax samples were characterized using a novel approach that utilized a vaporizer coupled to charcoal sorbent gas sampling tubes. The trapped components were then desorbed with carbon disulfide and the resulting solution was analyzed via GC-FID and GC-MS. The compounds responsible for the wax’s odor were identified and comparisons were made between different scents and manufacturers
Targeting Ovarian Precursor Lesions through Immune Cell Therapy
No full textOvarian Cancer has been the deadliest gynecologic cancer, the 5-year survival rat
Antiseptic Barrier Caps Effects on Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs)
No full textProblem: Many of the most critically ill patients have central venous catheters (CVCs) that are used daily for medication administration and blood sample collection. CVCs increase the risk of getting a central line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). CLABSIs increase complications of already critically ill patients and increase risk of morbidity and mortality. The use of antiseptic barrier caps may be used to decrease the risk of a CLABSI.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to identify if the use of antiseptic barrier caps are effective in lowering the rates of CLABSIs in hospitalized patients.
Method: The number of CLABSIs on this specific unit will be compared six months before implementation and six months after implementation on an intensive care unit (ICU). Participants will include any patient who has a CVC. Nurses will be educated on the use of antiseptic barrier caps and nurse managers will do random assessments to ensure compliance.
Conclusion: Antiseptic barrier caps have been shown to decrease the number of CLABSIs in the ICU. Prevention of CLABSIs improves patient outcomes and decreases costs to the organizations that are related to hospital acquired infections. Nurses have found antiseptic barrier caps to be an effective method of prevention that also is more time efficient. Health care systems should use antiseptic barrier caps as a method to prevent CLABSIs
Standardized Checklist to Decrease Catheter Duration and Catheter-Acquired Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs)
No full textProblem: Urinary tract infections are one of the most common hospital-acquired infections acquired by the use of urinary indwelling catheters. In many hospitals, the duration of urinary catheterization exceeds the overall needed frequency and days of catheter use. Catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) negatively affect patient outcomes and increase patient hospital stay.
Purpose: The purpose of this research project is to determine if using a standardized checklist to assess necessity of catheter use decreases CAUTIs in hospitalized patients.
Method: This research project will be a pre/posttest with a retrospective chart review. This project will use a standardized checklist on a 18-bed adult medical unit over a span of 90 days to determine if the checklist decreases the catheter use days and CAUTIs. Participants will be any patient who may need a urinary catheter. The rates of CAUTIs prior to and following implementation of the checklist will be compared.
Conclusion: Studies have shown that using a standardized checklist can help decrease the need for indwelling catheter use and overall decrease CAUTIs in hospitalized patients. This method can decrease the time catheters are inserted and decrease prolonged hospital stays. Finding other alternatives to catheterization can be implemented to help patients not have unnecessary catheterizations and infections
Psilocybin impairs the extinction of contextual fear in adult female, but not male, rats
Full text linkFear-related disorders are often treated with exposure therapy, a technique based on the concept of extinction. However, this type of therapy is ineffective for many individuals, so finding a pharmacological adjunct that augments the extinction of fear could lead to better treatment outcomes. In recent preclinical work, investigators have shown that psychedelics can accelerate the extinction of fear, potentially through their impact on neurotrophic signaling. We previously found that psilocybin exerted sex-dependent effects on the extinction of conditioned fear to an isolated cue (i.e., a tone). Specifically, psilocybin enhanced the extinction of cue fear in male rats but impaired it in female rats. In the present study, we extended this work by examining the dose-dependent effects of psilocybin on the extinction of contextual fear, as well as the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in several brain regions.
On Day 1, adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were placed in a fear conditioning chamber, and following a 3-min acclimation period, were exposed to 5 unsignaled footshocks (2-sec, 1.5 mA), each separated by 60 sec. On Day 2, the rats were injected intraperitoneally with psilocybin (0.1, 0.3, 0.6, or 1 mg/kg) or vehicle (0.9% saline), and thirty minutes later, they underwent fear extinction by being placed in the same context as Day 1 for 10 min. On Day 3, the rats underwent extinction recall by being placed in the same context as Days 1 and 2 for 10 min. Freezing behavior was quantified by the FreezeFrame software (Actimetrics, Inc.). One hour after extinction recall on Day 3, rat brains were collected; the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex (PFC) were dissected and subsequently processed for BDNF expression via Western blotting.
Analyses of freezing behavior during training and early extinction demonstrated that all rats developed strong fear for the context. Although psilocybin had no significant impact on the extinction of contextual fear in males, it significantly impaired the extinction of contextual fear in females. Specifically, female rats treated with psilocybin, particularly doses above 0.3 mg/kg, exhibited greater freezing than controls during extinction recall on Day 3. Psilocybin had no significant impact on BDNF expression in female rats. However, a low dose of psilocybin (0.3 mg/kg), one that we previously reported to enhance the extinction of cue fear in males, led to reduced BDNF expression in the PFC of male rats. The observed behavioral findings are consistent with our previous work in females and, once again, suggest that psilocybin may exert sex-dependent effects on the extinction of conditioned fear