2022年

Inhibitory effects of the secondary metabolite of actinomycete were examined on cell cycle of the yeasts of S. pombe and S. cerevisiae. The secondary metabolite was obtained from cultivation of the actinomycete isolated from the soil of Owakudani in Hakone, Japan. The fifth fraction of the secondary metabolite by ODS column separation (HK-T5), which was soluble to pure methanol, was used in the present experiments. The HK-T5 brought about the delay of forming colonies of S. pombe for about 11 days compared to that cultivated without the HK-T5. The delay of the colony formation was longer for the S. pombe cultivated with more amount of the HK-T5. The cultivation with HK-T5 also brought about the extension of the lifespan of the S. pombe for more than 10 weeks in a liquidus medium. The cell life recovered the ordinary manner by removal of the HK-T5, meaning that the activities of the HK-T5 is reversible. These facts confirm the suppression of cell cycle, and the delay of cell growth by the HK-T5. These phenomena were similarly observed for S. cerevisiae. Comparison of the action of HK-T5 with hydroxyurea, which is an anticancer drug inhibiting the cell cycle at S phase, clarified that the inhibitory action of HK-T5 worked at the phase earlier than S phase. The combined effects of HK-T5 on the cell cycle were evaluated with triamcinolone acetonide (TA), or aspirin, the former of which is a drug synchronizing cancer cells in S phase, and the latter keeping human cells in G1/G0 phases. The combined use of HK-T5 with TA synchronized the cells at the phase slightly proceeding from G1 to S phase without toxicity. On the other hand, the combined use with aspirin made the inhibitory effect of HK-T5 inactive. Hence, the HK-T5 is attractive as a drug for the extension of cell lifespan, and anticancer therapy.

Triage is the process by which nurses manage hospital emergency departments by assigning patients varying degrees of urgency. While triage algorithms such as the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) have been standardized worldwide, many of them are highly inconsistent, which could endanger the lives of thousands of patients. One way to improve on nurses’ accuracy is to use machine learning models (ML), which can learn from past data to make predictions. We tested six ML models: random forest, XGBoost, logistic regression, support vector machines, k-nearest neighbors, and multilayer perceptron. These models were tasked with predicting whether a patient would be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), another unit in the hospital, or be discharged. After training on data from more than 30,000 patients and testing using 10-fold cross-validation, we found that all six models outperformed ESI. Of the six, the random forest model achieved the highest average accuracy in predicting both ICU admission (81% vs. 69% using ESI; p<0.001) and hospitalization (75% vs. 57%; p<0.001). These models were then added to an Android application, which would accept patient data, predict their triage, and then add them to a priority-ordered waiting list. This approach may offer significant advantages over conventional triage: mainly, it has a higher accuracy than nurses and returns predictions instantaneously. It could also stand-in for triage nurses entirely in disasters, where medical personnel must deal with a large influx of patients in a short amount of time.

Commercially available bandages such as hydrocolloid are neither biodegradable nor anti-bacterial. Chitin is known to be the second most naturally available polysaccharide which could be transformed to chitosan which is known to be anti-bacterial (Hasan, 2018) (Chao, 2019) and haemostatic (Okamoto, 2003) (Hu, 2018). Chitosan can be further converted to hydrogel which is bio-degradable and has good water absorbance. Anti-bacterial crab bio-bandages and crab bio-dressings should be bio-degradable as it took 42 days and a month for complete bio-degradation respectively, so they should be better than commercial bandages such as Nexcare Hydrocolloid as the disposal of anti-bacterial crab bio-bandages with bio-dressings would no longer pose burden to landfilling or threat to our environment. Anti-bacterial crab bio-bandages with bio-dressings are anti-bacterial with degree of deacetylation of DD% (measured using FTIR Spectrum II) 82.6% (due to the presence of chitosan) even without the application of other anti-bacterial agents and hence can provide complete protection of wounds from skin and soft tissues infections and haemostatic (due to the presence of chitosan). After testing and certification based on IS997:2004 and BS EN 13726-1, they should meet many requirements specified. Anti-bacterial crab bio-bandages should be eligible for marketing. Some results were as follows: 1.4 Anti-bacterial effect of crab hydrogels and roasted crab hydrogels Pure chitosan, crab chitosan, crab hydrogels and roasted crab hydrogels showed significant anti-bacterial effect. NO oral bacterial colonies were present in drinking water with crab hydrogels. Thus crab hydrogels could serve as effective anti-bacterial wound dressings. 1.6 Basing on IS997:2004 standard, the load per unit of area of anti-bacterial bio-bandages was 342g/m2 which met the minimum requirement of 36g/m2, the anti-bacterial bio-bandages had stronger tension strength (>20N both in dry and wet conditions) than commercial hydrocolloid. (2.7N dry 2.8N wet) which was comparable with that required (50-67N) and pH of about 7 which met the pH range of 4.5-8. 1.7 The FSA Free-Swell Absorbency of synthetic blood of crab hydrogel bio-dressings was 1.86g per 5cm x 5cm dressing which was much higher than that of commercial hydrocolloid (0.299g per 5cm x 5cm dressing) based on BS EN 13726-1.

Technology is erratic. We never know what could be the next big thing. Nowadays, IoT (the internet of things) has taken over the market. Every technology created nowadays is somehow related to IoT. You should manage to connect the IoT technology with a robust area of hospitality. Catering customers' needs during peak hours at any restaurant or cafe could get overwhelmed with hectic tasks such as taking orders, fetching water, and ordering meals. We created a raw model to accommodate the limitations of the human mind. The technology-based IoT (Internet of things) can come in handy during hectic sessions. A Robot waiter is built from scratch using materials like Arduino (2), Gear DC motor (2), L298N motor driver (1), Ultrasonic sensor (2), IR sensor (2), Servo motor (4) HC-05 Bluetooth module. Desired orders are sent on a wireless network through the menu bar to the kitchen. Then, the robots transfer the food from the kitchen to the customers. The floor will be all white, while there will be a strip of black line to connect every sitting and the kitchen. For instance, if table number three is to be served, we click the number three in the app, which renders an obstacle in table 3. The motor barricades the robot, and the ultrasonic sensors sense it, and it stops. If anyone picks the plate, the ultrasonic sensor senses it, the blockage is removed, and the robot paces in the designated path. People visited the place more often to experience such stimuli. Using the robots attracted more customers and made the work very quick.

Max Gold's project, titled “Solving Mathematical and Chemical Equations using Python”, is a website comprising of 4 main programmes: one to find the smallest possible combination of two chemical compounds or elements; a self-made parsing function to convert a chemical equation into a matrix, then using Gaussian-Jordan elimination to find coefficients for an equation; a programme to parse a mathematical expression and use that parsed expression in algebraic division of an algebraic dividend of nth degree polynomial by a divisor of 1st degree polynomial; finally, a programme to solve binomial equations for the power s∈Q. This website was originally made so that Max Gold could improve his programming skills for GCSE computer science but expanded to incorporate his passion for chemistry and maths and thus allow others to use these programmes to help them with their problems as well. A problem with many conventional calculator websites is their lack of specificity – they tend to be able to compute some functions but not all. These programmes are tailored to GCSE and A level maths and chemistry, meaning this website provides an outlet to compute specific topics of problems.

Microplastics are tiny invisible plastic pieces that are piling up in the marine environment emerging as one of the many environmental issues which our planet is facing today. Researches for the removal of these particles are important because studies that have been made so far haven't come up with an effective solution. This project aimed to detect microplastics and remove them from aqueous environments with an effective and practical method then it was aimed to determine the removal amount of microplastics by optical measurements with the developed system. Firstly, the magnetic carbonanotubes (m-CNT) which is intended to hold onto the surfaces of microplastics was synthesized and added to the mixture of microplastics. Then the magnet within a glass tube was passed through the mixture and the sample was cleared of microplastics. A spectrometer was made to monitor this process and after its calibration, it was used to measure coffees with different concentrations. It has been shown that their concentrations can be determined by calculating the transmission values and Rayleigh scattering. In the end, it has shown that there are no micro or nano-sized plastic particles when removed with M-CNT, within the accountable range of the spectrometer that had been made. Hence the removal of the microplastics: an invisible threat for the environment has been studied by combining nanomaterials with unique surface properties in the removal process and an optical principle such as Rayleigh scattering, a new technique has been developed that can measure quickly, economically,

This work is devoted to solving the problem of orientation in the space of visually impaired people. Working on the project, a new way of transmitting visual information through an acoustic channel was invented. In addition, was developed the device, which uses distance sensors to analyze the situation around a user. Thanks to the invented algorithm of transformation of the information about the position of the obstacle into the sound of a certain tone and intensity, this device allows the user to transmit subject-spatial information in real time. Currently, the device should use a facette locator made of 36 ultrasonic locators grouped in 12 sectors by the azimuth and 3 spatial cones by the angle. Data obtained in such a way is converted into its own note according to the following pattern : the angle of the place corresponds to octave, the azimuth corresponds to the note and the distance corresponds to the volume. The choice of the notes is not unambiguous. However, we used them for the reason that over the centuries, notes have had a felicitous way of layout on the frequency range and on the logarithmic scale. Therefore, the appearance of a new note in the total signal will not be muffled by a combination of other notes. Consequently, a blind person, moving around the room with the help of the tone and volume of the sound signals, will be able to assess the presence and location of all dangerous obstacles. After theoretical substantiation of the hypothesis and analysis of the available information, we started the production of prototypes of the devices that would implement the idea of transmitting information via the acoustic channel.

The use of brine shrimp nauplii to test for the overall toxicity of sediment samples is proposed. Brine shrimp nauplii were cultured with different concentrations of heavy metals, including chromium (III), copper (II), nickel, lead and zinc, and organic pollutants, including triclosan, oxybenzone, octinoxate and bisphenol A. The brine shrimp nauplii were observed under a dissection microscope to determine the death rate. Results showed that brine shrimp nauplii are more sensitive to copper, cadmium, bisphenol A and oxybenzone. The LC50 (24h) are 55.5, 24.9, 5.6 and 2.7 ppm respectively. Zinc is likely to have synergistic toxic effect with nickel or lead. The synergistic toxic effects of other heavy metals and organic pollutants should be confirmed with further investigations. Brine shrimp nauplii were treated with extracts from sediment samples collected from the oyster culture zone of the Deep Bay, namely Pak Nei, Sha Kiu Tsuen and Hang Hau Tsuen. The sediment samples were extracted with neutral sodium acetate to dissolve the exchangeable heavy metal ions and some organic pollutants. The death rate of brine shrimp nauplii treated with the sediment extract of Hang Hau Tsuen was similar to 1 ppm PBA. It was also about 10 to 20% higher than that of the other two sites (Pak Nei and Sha Kiu Tsuen). Since Hang Hau Tsuen is closer to the residential area and Lau Fau Shan Seafood Market than the other two sites, its sediment sample is likely to have a higher level of environmental pollutants. The results suggest that brine shrimp nauplii may be used as a biomarker to monitor the environmental changes in the overall level of pollutants in sediment samples.

Harmful microorganisms in food can cause deterioration of human health, poisoning and in some cases even death. Especially fresh meat and chicken products create a suitable environment for the growth of microorganisms in terms of the nutrients it contains, water activity and pH level. For this reason, detection of microorganisms in meat products is an important issue in terms of food safety and human health. In this project, it is aimed to detect live microorganisms in meat products, especially chicken meat, in a simple, non-destructive, non-contact and fast way using laser speckle method. Laser speckle images of healthy and stale chicken meat were taken, contrast parameter and correlation analysis of the obtained patterns were made. It was observed that the contrast parameter for staled chicken meat increased by approximately 3 times compared to fresh chicken. This increase provides an understanding of the difference between contaminated chicken and fresh chicken. Speckle density changes over time in relation to the movements of living microorganisms. Thus, the correlation in laser speckle density patterns taken from contaminated tissues is disrupted. In the measurements taken with photodiode, by analyzing the change of light intensity of the speckle patterns on fresh and contaminated tissues over time, the detection of microorganisms was made easier and more precisely without the need for image processing. The proposed measurement system is a new method that detects meat contamination with laser speckle imaging. It can be developed and made portable and can be used easily in homes. Since it is a simple, non-destructive and fast method, it can be used to determine the shelf life of meat in food distribution places and markets. In addition, it has the potential to be calibrated and used for other food products other than meat products. The system developed with this study is cheap and easy to use, and the laser speckle imaging method is used in a different field other than biomedical, contributing to the literature.

乳酸菌（Lactic acid bacteria）是生活中常接觸到的菌種，除了製作食品，也有研究指出部分乳酸菌菌株可抑止造成齲齒的「變異鏈球菌」生長，目前已有牙膏等產品號稱添加乳酸菌。但乳酸菌發酵產生的乳酸，會分解牙齒的琺瑯質，所以我們從發酵乳食品中分離出9株乳酸菌，並進行氫氧基磷灰石的分解實驗與對變異鏈球菌的抑菌實驗。經過實驗，1號、5號、6號與8號乳酸菌株對氫氧基磷灰石的分解能力較弱，而6號、8號與15號對變異鏈球菌的抑制效果較明顯，實驗結果交互比較後，得出6號和8號菌作為牙齒保健的應用價值較高。未來若能進一步研究，可嘗試以離心將乳酸菌各部位分離，研究其真正有抑菌作用的物質，並加以純化，應用於保健食品中。