Research the efficiency of the fog-catching nets
Islands far from lands use the underground or surface water as the water for living. The population of the islands is growing fast and the amount of water usage is increasing year after year. However, the amount of water usage is limited, so that people who live in islands have trouble using water. To compensate this problem, underground water is drawn from deeper underground sites. If this matter occurs continuously, sea-level may rise and then we cannot use underground water. Seawater desalination is a way to solve the water shortage, but it requires a lot of energy. It is difficult for island far away from lands to supply a lot of energy. It is considered the eco-friendly way to minimize the use of energy on the island. In order to solve the problem of water shortage on the island, it is considered fog that on the island occur frequently. It is an attempt to create water from fog, but it is a lack of research of efficiency of fog-catching nets to create water from fog. In this research, I have studied the efficiency of the fog-catching nets, a way to increase the efficiency, the amount of water that is created on the island, usage of discarded fishing net for fog-catching nets. Through this research, I found a kind of fog which can be changed into water and the difference in efficiency due to the difference in the size of the mesh size of the fog-catching nets, wind direction, wind speed, water absorption capacity of thread of fog-catching nets, installation direction of fog-catching nets, a way of installation of fog-catching nets. Also I found fog-catching nets of discarded fishing nets on the island and the possibility of usage for everyday life that the amount of water are created for a day or a month during dry season on the island.
Smart Washer
Data and records show accidents caused by loose bolts or nuts often occur in building or mechanical structures all over the world. They may be train derailments, parts falling off amusement rides, escalator breakdowns or wheels coming off automobiles. These incidents can often cause serious casualties and should not be ignored. At present, the only devices used to prevent screws loose are spring washer and nylon locking nuts, but they are not readily detectable with the naked eye when they failed to tighten. Based on simple mechanics and spring principled, our “Smart Washer” has been designed to detect loosen screws. Whenever the bolt or nut gets even slightly loose, the lower part of the washer will spring up, this is a sign to alert and remind the user to carry out maintenance and re-tighten the loosen screw before serious accidents occur.
Finding a Better Brain Booster
The purpose of my project was to determine which activity improved academic performance the most: 10 minutes of exercise, 10 minutes of Brain Gym (cross-lateral movements), or a combination of 5 minutes exercise and 5 minutes Brain Gym. This project was conducted to find which activity would be a better learning aid in grade 4 students. There were many steps to conducting this study. First, I located teachers and classes, willing to allow the testing and determined days and times to test. Next, I created consent forms to explain the project and had permission forms from the students and their parents signed. Then I prepared 15 math and reading tests at students’ grade level. There were two tests for 15 days- labeled Before Test and After Test. When I administered the tests for the classes doing the activities, I made sure the tests were given by the classroom teacher, which kept the students motivated. Tests were given every day for 5 days. The Before Test was given at 1:00 pm. Then at 1:30 pm students did 10 minutes of the planned activity for that week. Immediately after the activity, students were given the After Test. This was done every day and was repeated for Exercise, Brain Gym, and Combination week. The control class was designed to determine if doing the test for a second time in a day improved the student’s performance. The Before Test was given at 1:00 pm and then at 1:30 pm. When the Before Tests were completed, the students continued with their daily work for 10 minutes. Then at 1:40 pm students were given the After Test. This was repeated for Exercise, Brain Gym, and Combination week. Students were given 10 minutes to complete the scheduled activity that week; either Exercises, Brain Gym or a combination of the two. During the week of Exercise, Jumping jacks, Skipping, Stride jumps, Burpies, Twisties and Jogging on the spot were completed in the 10 minutes provided. During the Brain Gym week, there were 26 Brain Gym movements. The lists of movements were rotated each day; so all movements were performed. The test results of this study were intriguing. (Bar=Standard Deviation) I concluded that 10 minutes of exercise was the better brain booster. Exercise improved academic performance by 9.8%. Brain Gym improved academic performance by 0.2% and the combination activities increased test scores by an average of 3.2%. The control class test scores decreased on average by 1.0% indicating that writing the tests twice in a day, did not improve students’ test scores. Exercising for 10 minutes improved student’s math scores by 11.0% and reading scores by 6.9%. Brain Gym math test scores decreased by 1.4%, and increased in reading by 1.8%. In the combination of the two, the math test scores decreased by 1.0%, reading test scores increased by 7.4%. Overall, the most effective and reliable brain booster was 10 minutes of mild aerobic exercise alone.
Expression of TRPV5 in Astrocytes: Implications for Ischemic Stroke
Elevation of intracellular calcium secondary to increased calcium influx along with increased gliosis are implicated in the pathogenesis of focal ischemic stroke. In astrocytes, which play a major role in maintaining homeostasis in brain ischemia, the identities of the ion channels responsible for increased calcium influx during ischemia is relatively unknown although several Ca2+-permeable transient receptor potential (TRP) channels have been identified to have contributing roles. The transient receptor potential vanilloid 5 (TRPV5) channel is a Ca2+-permeable cationic channel expressed primarily in kidney epithelial cells and at low levels in the brain, but the exact localization and role this channel plays in the brain has not been explored. To investigate the possible role TRPV5 plays in astrocytic calcium influx in ischemia, we examined the functional expression of TRPV5 in astrocytes subjected to hypoxia-ischemia in vitro and in rat models of ischemic stroke in vivo. We hypothesize that TRPV5 contributes to increased calcium influx in ischemia. By treating astrocytes with culture conditions without glucose and with low oxygen levels, we found that TRPV5 is upregulated with increasing durations of simulated hypoxia-ischemia in vitro. Similarly, rat models of ischemic stroke with middle cerebral artery occlusion also show TRPV5 upregulation in reactive astrocytes, suggesting a possible role of TRPV5 in reactive gliosis in vivo. Microfluorimetric intracellular calcium imaging using Fura-2 on primary cultured astrocytes show a voltage-independent increase in astrocytic calcium influx after hypoxia-ischemia in vitro that is selective for extracellular Ca2+ concentration and is reduced by inhibition of TRPV5 with ruthenium red. Electrophysiology measurements using the whole-cell patch clamp technique on primary cultured astrocytes reveal a non-selective cation current similar to that of TRPV5 that is inhibited by Mg2+, another inhibitor of TRPV5. Preliminary results on astrocyte cell viability during hypoxia-ischemia with TRPV5 inhibition by ruthenium red also suggest that inhibition of TRPV5 could enhance astrocyte survival and reactive gliosis in vitro, indicating a beneficial role in blocking non-selective Ca2+ entry via TRPV5 into astrocytes. Since TRPV5 is highly selective for Ca2+ and an important channel for Ca2+ absorption in various epithelial cells, TRPV5 upregulation may contribute significantly to elevated Ca2+ influx in astrocytes in hypoxia-ischemia. Also, Ca2+ influx has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in reactive gliosis, further suggesting that TRPV5 upregulation is involved in reactive gliosis. We propose that TRPV5 is involved in ischemia-induced calcium influx in astrocytes, and might participate in the pathogenesis of focal ischemic stroke.
Self driving car
Autonomous car is a very new concept, being a car without any driver. Several concurrent software process data using Artificial Intelligence to recognize and propose a path which the car should follow. The goal of the project is that a driverless car can reduce the distance between the cars, lowering the degree of road loadings, reducing the number of traffic jams, avoid human errors, and allowing people with disabilities(even blind people) to travel using an autonomous car. Theoretically a car without driver in the future should be much safer, because human reaction speed is higher than 200 ms, and the computing power of the newest computers allows traffic calculations even to 10 ms. The necessary power is provided by three multi-core laptops that process with Artificial Intelligence in order to recognize traffic signs, traffic lanes , traffic car fingerprints, processing the data from a 3D radar, using particle filters to localize car in a GPS map, the management of database with traffic signs, magnetic sensors, acceleration sensors, a distributed software, a supervisory system and the software which drives the stepper motor to turn the steering wheel (acceleration and braking). Currently the software is able to recognize the traffic signs, register them in a database using Google Maps. The fields record the sign and direction of travel from that area. Each car participating in the traffic and using this software will register new signs detected and the will modify the degree of confidence of recognition for other users. Another software component is able to recognize the demarcation lines between lanes, with three cameras to calculate exactly or using probabilities where it is on the road, where the roadsides are and to propose a new direction even in the absence of traffic signs for the next seconds. Another part of the software is trying to use Artificial Intelligence to detect other car fingerprints from webcam images. The calculation was performed on 3 computers, requiring distributed processing. I developed a management information system based on semaphores that allows data processing and supervision from 3 different computers. This project presents a hardware version of a LIDAR – a 3D radar and a software for creating a 3D environment in which the car navigates and using it the car will take decision to avoid obstacles. The LIRDAR contains a total of 16 avalanche photo-detector mounted on a stepper motor that spins at a frequency of 10 Hz. The information provided by my radar is about 576.000 pixels at resolution of 10 bits. The 3D radar helps the entire software system to increase the confidence of decision.
Recycled PET bottles for vacuum packaging
Vacuum packaging is a packaging technique intended to extend the shelf life of food via the removal of air from an enclosed package prior to sealing. This process limits the growth of aerobic bacteria or fungi due to oxygen deprivation. In this work, we present a novel do-it-yourself vacuum packaging device using the exchange of water and air between two bottles to continuously generate a vacuum-suction effect. The sizes of bottle and vacuum bag were investigated for its impact on the vacuum generation in a plastic bag containing smoked fish sausages. Large commercial 3.1-litre PET bottle generated more vacuum than the smaller ones. An equilibrated vacuum pressure of a smaller plastic bag was lower than that of a larger size. With 3.1-litre PET bottles, the vacuum pressure for 3”x5”, 5”x8” and 6”x9” bags was equilibrated at 8, 10, 18 mmHg, respectively. Sausages packaged by our device last for 14 days when they were kept in -20oC refrigerator, which was comparable to those packed by the commercial vacuum packaging system for household use. This project demonstrates an application of simple science in a real life situation as well as a promotion of environmental protection idea as the electricity is not used in the vacuum generation process and the disposed plastic bottles can be reused.