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Tourniquet Pressure Gradient Measurement Apparatus
Get PDFThe goal of this project was to design a device that would measure pressure gradient data across the width of an elastic and inelastic tourniquet cuff using a human limb model. The main customer requirements that were focused on were to accurately measure the pressure from a tourniquet, keep the cost down, and be easy to use. The targeted design specifications were to read pressure values ranging from 0-400 mmHg, keep the test length under 5 minutes, and to keep the cost of materials under $400. The design of the device ended up consisting of 5 IV pouches that were custom sealed with an impulse heat sealer and connected to 5 Deltran DPT-100 pressure transducers. When wrapped around with either a CAT, SAM XT, M2 Ratchet, SOF T, Slishman Wrap, and SWAT T tourniquet to apply pressure, the transducers would send the information from the BIO-PAK MP160 and DA100C amplifiers to the software used to collect the data on the computer. The data would then be translated manually and plotted on graphs to interpret the pressure gradient curves. The data from the tests showed an increase of pressure near the center of the elastic tourniquets, while inelastic tourniquets experienced higher pressures near the edges of the cuff. A high amount of variability with the pressures produced by the elastic tourniquets were found when wrapping them widely across the limb. The collected data indicated that the device successfully determined the pressure gradient curves for various different elastic and inelastic tourniquets
Neonatal Respiratory Therapy Interface
Get PDFThis Final Report reviews and outlines the scope, objectives, and deliverables for the BCPAP Interface Redesign project, aimed at enhancing the functionality, usability, and patient experience of the existing BCPAP interface. It also includes detailed testing results and manufacturing plans for the device prototype. The current system has challenges in universal usability, time constraints, and patient comfort, which this project intends to address effectively. The goal of this project is to reevaluate and redesign the interface of the bubble continuous positive air pressure (BCPAP) machine’s attachment site with the infant. Due to the millions of premature neonates and thousands of those suffering from respiratory distress syndrome born every year, and the urgency required when attaching infants to these devices, there exists a need to improve the efficiency and speed of attachment by nurses and respiratory therapists to increase the likelihood of infant survival. This document first provides an introduction and background detailing the necessity of the BCPAP machine and some of the current issues experienced by clinicians when attaching this device. Then, current commercially available devices manufactured by various companies are outlined in addition to the rules, regulations, and codes that the redesigned device will follow. Following this, a preliminary patent search detailing patented BCPAP interface technologies is outlined. An analysis of the current market potential discusses the financial potential of creating a successful, novel device redesign. The objective section clearly states the scope of this project and includes a problem statement, project definition, indications for use, customer requirements, Quality Function Deployment, and engineering specifications. Following this section are photos and descriptions of a more detailed design prototype, as well as manufacturing plans for the prototype, followed by test plans detailing what criteria of the design will be tested and how. The test plans also include the expected outcomes of each test. Photos and descriptions of following iterations are also included, as well as the results for testing of the final prototype and feedback from Dr. Van Scoy and Sierra Vista respiratory therapists. The data presented in this document supports the successful redesign of the BCPAP interface and demonstrates the project developed to meet the goals outlined for the scope of this work. This document has been constructed and agreed upon by the four student biomedical engineers involved in this project
Case Study: Diesel Powered Loaders Compared to Electric Loaders in Heavy Civil Construction
Get PDFAs the construction sector evolves, the environmental consequences of greenhouse gasses have become a significant issue. Numerous contractors are transitioning to electric-powered systems, which offer more energy-efficient methods for heavy machinery, enhanced productivity, and construction equipment that meets new and improved emission standards. This paper aims to examine the viability of heavy civil construction firms transitioning from traditional diesel-powered wheel loaders to electric wheel loaders. Given the competitive and saturated market in road construction, many contractors have already started investing in electric systems. This results in cost savings in terms of fuel efficiency and operating expenses compared to conventionally fueled loaders. Semi-structured personal interviews with heavy equipment experts, as well as primary and secondary sources, were used to conduct qualitative research for this report. Despite the potentially higher initial cost of switching to an electric system, it will result in lower operating costs and environmental impacts in the future
Student Solutions for Leaf Drying: A Collaborative Approach to Enhance Moringa Production in Ghana
Get PDFThis paper expands on a project that seeks to address the need for an updated mechanical leaf drying system for local farmers in Ghana, Africa. Working with the local organization, Moringa Connect, we were able to connect and identify potential areas of improvement within the current existing system. This project involved aspects of design, fundraising, and the construction of a rotating metal hopper. This hopper was identified as a solution for a crucial pinch point currently seen in the processing of the leaves from a wet stage to the final dry product. The design and construction process had a multidisciplinary approach requiring expertise from different fields, such as BioResource and Agricultural Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, and others. The implementation of this prototype represents a tangible asset that will help in producing a viable option for the local farmers of Ghana to enhance their current production. As the project team continues its work, it is our intent to continually improve and refine our design to maximize the impact of this project, eventually providing a scalable and replicable solution to meet the client’s needs
Spatial Drivers of Soil Health in a Post-Fire Watershed
Get PDFWildland fires are increasing in both severity and intensity leading to severe and lasting biogeochemical effects on soil. The CZU lightning complex started on August 16th, 2020, and burned 86,509 acres causing severe social and ecological damage. To better understand the impact of fire on soil properties at the landscape scale, we created a digital soil mapping model with the inclusion of remotely sensed burn severity covariates. We combined a raster-stack of environmental covariates with rasters for fire severity and soil samples, to disentangle the relative contribution of fire to the spatial distribution of soil properties in the recently burned Little Creek watershed in Santa Cruz, Ca. Soils were sampled via a conditional Latin hypercube sampling design and analyzed for soil health and soil Fe/Al-oxide mineralogy. To ascertain the relative contribution of remotely sensed fire severity covariates and standard digital soil mapping covariates (e.g. SCORPAN factors) to explain the variance in post-fire soil properties, we deployed multi-linear regression and random forest modeling. We report that remotely sensed indicators of fire severity explained the variance of Ntotal, Caex, pH, oxalate extractable P, NO3-, and NH4+ in both the MLR and RF models at the watershed scale. The inclusion of rasters of fire effects improved the description of target soil property variance, in concert with more traditional raster-based proxies for the soil forming factors, indicating that fire helps explain the spatial variability of these soil properties in recently burned post-fire landscapes. Furthermore, we report that an increase in remotely sensed fire severity led to an increase in sorbed P (as measured via oxalate extractable P), suggesting a potentially unreported change to post-fire soil P dynamics. Results inform remotely sensed assessment of fire induced changes to soil properties at the landscape scale