Tuesday's Meeting

Hey!
So we are finally coming down to the final stretch; the only thing that we have to do for our design project is practice the presentation, which we are going to do tonight at Van Pelt. Yesterday, after first being kicked out of multiple rooms in Van Pelt before finally moving to Hill, we edited and finalized our powerpoint, did some fancy thing to get all nine slides onto one slide, and discussed what additional material we were going to submit with our electronic copy of the presentation. We decided that we are going to submit some of our earlier designs which we did not include in our presentation because there was not enough room for it; we had numerous other designs that we considered and we want whoever is grading to know that we really had to narrow down what was realistic versus what was idealistic or impractical. Also, I had made a 3D diagram of one of our last designs; we took pictures of it and our going to submit them as well. Tonight, we are going to finish making the final 3D model for our presentation; we are going to photograph this as well and include it in our electronic submission. We are also going to submit a link to this blog because we feel it really describes our thought process as well as our different design ideas and component options. Hopefully tomorrow's presentation goes well! We feel that our design is very practical, realistic, and feasible; hopefully we can impress on our TA exactly how we feel about our design!

Wish us luck!

GOZINTO Diagram

Hey!
Ok, so I finally finished making the GOZINTO diagram again (the first one was unable to be located on my computer after saving it). The diagram shows every component of our pill dispensing device; it also shows any sub-components. The diagram is a good tool to visualize everything that goes into a device. It definitely helped our group see exactly how each component contributed to the device as a whole. The hardest part about making the diagram, besides figuring out how it was going to all fit onto one powerpoint slide, was remembering everything that made up our device; for example, I almost forgot to put the battery and charger on the diagram! I feel like I overlooked these very vital components because I was only focusing on the pill storage and pill dispensing part of the device, which are the main reasons for the device but are completely useless without other components. Here is our diagram (this is not exactly the one being used in our presentation since we edited it further after I emailed it to my group, but it is roughly 98% the same):

Refill Latch Security!!

Hey!
So as I was putting the finishing touches on the GOZINTO diagram, I realized that my group and I overlooked a very small but important component: the latch security on the refill latch! This latch prevents the patient from gaining access to all of the pills, so it needs to be secured and only opened when a pharmacist need to refill the prescription. Again, this shows how minor details can be overlooked when designing something; these minor details can break a design no matter how strong the other design components are. So, to solve this minor but yet important problem, we discussed a security latch that will be operated via a sliding latch and motor; when access is granted via an override password inputted by a pharmacists, the motor will move the latch to the unlock position and the latch will open for the pharmacist.

Pill Release and Power Cord Storage

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Also during our meeting on Saturday, we finally decided on an internal pill release mechanism which dispenses the pill into the area where the patient can retrieve it. The pill release mechanism has really evolved over the past couple of weeks; it started out being the same type of release mechanism in a simple gum ball machine to one in which we make sure that our pills are not going to be crushed during the release. I will try to explain this mechanism in a very easy way. The release systems as 3 main parts: the pill holder, the height adjust, and the hold-release lever system (yes, we sort of coined this term for this particular component of the the pill release).

Pill holder: the pill holder is a U-shaped compartment where 1 pill constantly sits waiting to be release to the user.

Height adjust: the height adjust component of the pill release mechanism adjusts the height of the pill holder based on the pill size; if the pill is smaller, the height adjust raises the pill holder closer to the storage area of the pills. If the pill is larger, then the height adjust lowers the pill holder relative to the pill storage area. This ensures that only one pill is in the pill holder at one time; this ensure that only the programmed number of pills is dispensed by the device in order to prevent an overdose.

Hold-release lever system: when a pill is requested, the hold-release lever first cuts off the rest of the pills from being able to enter the pill holder and then allows the pill already in the pill holder to fall to the pill retrieve area to be retrieved by the patient. The hold level moves horizontally from right to left to cover the top part of the U-shaped pill holder; it also slightly vibrates up and down to create room between the remaining pills and the one sitting in the pill holder. The release level moves horizontally from left to right to, in a sense, cut off the bottom of the U-shaped pill holder; gravity will cause the pill in the holder to fall to pill retrieval area.

The entire pill release mechanism is going to be programmed using a small motor; it will receive its power from the build-in battery.

Power Cord Storage
On Thursday, Taylor brought up the idea that we should store the power / battery charging cord in the device; by storing the cord, the patient would not have to worry about leaving it somewhere while leaving the house or misplacing it. Since we had to increase the size of our device so that way up to 400 larger sized pills could be stored in the device at a time, we decided that we did have enough room for the cord storage. As I mentioned earlier, as we come down to these last modifications on our device, we are starting to make final adjustments to make it as realistic and practical possible and as simple to use for the patient as possible. We feel that making sure the power / charging cord does not leave the device will take unnecessary stress away from an already suffering patient; we want to design a device that will be of help to the patient, not add pressure and be a burden to him or her.

That is all for now! More to come soon!

Override Password

Hey!
So at our meeting on Saturday (the day that it also snowed for the first time this season!), we discussed how our fingerprint security system would be impractical for refilling the device; the same pharmacist would not always be refilling the prescription for the patient. For this reason, we decided to include an override password for our device; this password would only be known by the pharmacy who refills the patient's prescription and would be created by the pharmacy during the first time that the prescription is filled. We decided to include this change in our design to make more practical and realistic for use; we want to design a device that actually can be something real patients can use, not simply an idealistic design that only exists on paper.

As we continue to make final adjustments to our design and tweak the specifications, we are starting to see how little details can make or break a design. We are happy that we are being very realistic about the device (instead of idealistic) because that is the goal of this project; we want to design a device that actually can be manufactured and made to improve the lives of people.

Posted Designs

Below are our main designs that show the progression of our device. We have other designs that show just specific parts, or are without specifications, so we chose not to include them here.

Preliminary/Brainstorming Design - Front

Early Design - Front

Intermediate Design - Back

Intermediate Design - Front

FInal Design - Back

Final Design - Front

Another Meeting

During our last meeting we discussed how to go on with the project and our game plan. Rebecca had talked to her dad and we decided that we would need to make our dispenser bigger. Jessica has been working on the gozinto diagram and so we figure we are going to work on the poster this weekend. We will discuss more in recitation tomorrow.

A Few Design Changes

As of last weekend, we thought we had finished our final drawing of our device. We labeled the components, decided on final dimensions, and even color-coded the drawing. But alas, after reflecting on the drawing, we decided there were two things we definitely needed to change: the size and the doctor-controlled portion. The goal of these changes is to make our device more realistic and usable.

In our initial design, we began the process of deciding dimensions by examining the size of a pill. We researched the average size of pain medication, found the volume of a pill, and multiplied this number by 200. (In this initial design, we figured that one dose would equal 200 pills). We used this number to formulate dimensions for the area of the device that holds pill. There are several problems with this method, we have discovered. First off, we cannot just assume that one dose equals one pill. Such an assumption would make our device highly unrealistic in the real world: what if the doctor prescribes the patient to take two pills per dose? Our device could not accommodate any dosage beyond one pill (if it needs to accommodate 200 total doses, as the directions of the project indicate). Therefore, we decided that our device should be expanded to hold 400 pills. We decided on the number 400 because most pain medications rarely require the patient to take more than two pills at a time. A second change we made to the dimensions revolves around the size of the individual pill. Our original dimensions used the average size of pain medication to determine dimensions. But what if the pill the patient needs to take is larger than average? Our device would no longer be applicable. Therefore, we decided that we should research the largest size of pain medication, and use that number to form the dimensions. Now our device can accommodate any type of pain medication, which makes it much more realistic. One negative to our new dimensions (the original dimensions were 13 cm by 8 cm by 5 cm, and our new dimensions are 17 cm by 11 cm by 9 cm) is that our device is much larger and bulkier. We tried to compensate for this by adding a small handle to the top of the device, in order to make the device easier to handle for patients.

The second change we made to our device deals with refilling. Initially, we had thought there would be a separate place for the doctor to be fingerprinted, and then he or she could add in as many pills as needed. There are several problems with this idea. First of all, a pharmacist would most likely be dealing with refills—not a doctor. Secondly, how does the pharmacist or doctor communicate to the device how many pills the patient may take? Without such programming, there is basically no purpose to our security and lock-out system. To fix these problems, we first decided to add a small keyboard to the back of our device. The keyboard would allow the pharmacist to input how many doses a patient can take. That way, the device knows when it needs to lock the patient out. However, now we have decided that a separate keyboard does not need to be added. Instead, when someone needs to use the device (either the patient or the pharmacist), a screen will appear (on our touch screen area) asking with the user wants to request a pill or a refill. Depending on which action is chosen, the device will recognize one of two fingerprints. If the “request a pill” function is picked, the device will recognize only the patient’s fingerprint. Similarly, if the “request a refill” button is picked, the device will only recognize the pharmacist’s fingerprint. This could potentially be problematic, because the patient would need to see the same pharmacist every time he or she needs a refill in order for this idea to work. We may need to formulate a better plan. But either way, we now know that we will be dealing with a pharmacist now instead of a doctor, and we know we need a way to program the amount of doses the patients needs.

One other small change we made was to lower the age limit on our device. Initially, we decided that our device should be limited to those ages 14 and over, but there is really no reason to exclude those younger. The beauty of our device is that it is impossible to overdose. Therefore, we decided to lower the age limit to 8.

I just made the final design with all the new specifications. As of now, we believe this will be our final design, but more ideas keep seeming to sneak up on us, so perhaps we will make a few more changes in the next few days.

Final Specifications

We have laid out most of our final specifications. They are scattered about in notebooks and on sheets of paper, so I thought it would be best to organize all our ideas in one place. Why not a blog?

The first issue we discussed was the age of people using our device. Our device, which uses fingerprinting to access a dose, is definitely meant for adults. Thus, our debate mainly revolved the issue of children. Can they be trusted with such a device? At first, we played around with the issue of adult supervision. Perhaps a parent’s fingerprint could be used to unlock the device, rather than a child’s. But then we ran into the problem of school, or basically anytime the child is away from a parent. Maybe a school nurse could unlock the device, we brainstormed. But we quickly shot down that idea as well; what if, for example, the nurse was absent for the day? Eventually, we decided that the idea of supervision was impractical, especially when the child may desperately need the medication. We simply cannot take the risk that a parent, or a school nurse, is not around to unlock the device. We decided the best solution to this problem was to limit our device to people ages 14 and older. We picked the age 14 because that is the year most students enter high school. They should be mature enough to use the device responsibly.

The next issue that we discussed was the power button. At first, we debated whether or not the patient should even have control over the power button. We worried that if the device was shut off, the patient may forget to take medication at the allotted times. In addition, we had initially planned to have the device flash and buzz every time a dose should be taken (for example, every six hours). In this case, the device definitely cannot be turned off. We did not like this idea, however. Can a device even be programmed to not shut off? We eventually brainstormed a better solution. We decided that the patient needs to wear a small wristband that is programmed to buzz or light up when the patient needs to take medication. This idea was much more practical: the patient will definitely notice if a wrist band (always with them) alerts them, while our original idea relied upon the patient always carrying the device with him. As we looked further into the wrist band idea, we realized that such “medical alert” devices not only already exist, but are very popular. The device does not even need to be a wrist band; it could be a small beeper attached the belt, for example. This was a strange moment for us. We spent a very long time brainstorming this idea, and with one quick search on Google, realized that such an idea has existed for years. We were proud to come up with the idea on our own, but realized that in the future, there is nothing wrong with building off other’s ideas.

The next issue we tackled was probably the most difficult: size and capacity. We began by considering the most important issue: fitting at least 200 doses into a small device. (For our device, we are assuming that one pill equals one dose. We are aware that for some pain medications, this may not be the case.) We researched the size of an average pain med. The dimensions we found were 1.5 centimeters by 1 centimeter by .7 centimeters. Thus, one pill takes up around 1.05 cubic centimeters. We multiplied this number by 200, and found that the minimum space for pills is 210 cubic centimeters. However, we realized we must account for dead space (we just had a chemistry class about close-packing atoms and space-efficiency, which was where we got the idea). We poured a giant bottle of pills into a little container to better visualize how they fit together. There was considerable overlap and little dead space, so we decided we should expand the space designated for pills to around 250 cubic centimeters. The dimensions we settled upon for the pills are 8 (length) by 8 (width) by 4 (depth) centimeters. This brings the total volume to 256 cubic centimeters, right around our goal. After figuring out the size for pill storage, everything became much easier. We easily tackled the overall dimensions. For length, we said the device would be 8 centimeters long, plus however much space we needed for the motor, latch, and batteries. The additional space ended up being 5 centimeters, so our device is a total of 13 centimeters long. The width remains the same as the width of our oil storage space: 8 centimeters. The depth is slightly larger than the pill storage area—five centimeters, instead of four. This extra centimeter is to account for the touch screen, which may extend back into the device. We need to further research this area. Regarding the touch screen, we settled upon dimensions of seven by seven centimeters. We wanted to make the device as wide as possible, in order to accommodate older people who may have trouble pressing the correct key. A wider screen translates to larger keys and letters on the screen, which we hoped would facilitate this problem. As for the rest of our device’s components, we have decided upon tentative sizes. We plan to have the latch where a patient reaches for a pill to be 2.5 (length) by 2 (width) centimeters. We still need to decide upon an exact depth. We do know that this area will be closed off from the rest of the device: when a patient sticks a finger in there, the only thing they can access is the one available pill that has been requested, not the rest of the supply. The remaining two screens will be relatively small. The first, which tells the patient how many doses are left for a set period of time (probably for a day), we assumed would be a single digit number. Thus we set the size to be one centimeter by one centimeter. The second screen tells the patient how many total doses are left in the device. This number could be a two or three digit number, so we expanded the size to 2 (length) by one (width) centimeter. The last component of our device we discussed was the fingerprinting screen. We researched the average size of such a screen, and looked at the one on Taylor’s computer, and decided upon dimensions of two by two centimeters. Lastly, we designated the empty area around the latch at the bottom for the motor and lithium ion batteries. We do not have any specific dimensions for these areas yet.

This morning, I made a sketch containing all of these final specifications. I think we have most of the overall sizes and components worked out as of now. We need to work on the inward mechanisms, which Taylor discussed in her last blog entry.

Meetings

So during our group meeting for the week we discussed more specifications for our design. Jess made a rough model of the design to show us how exactly the dispenser would work. We used this design to refine our previous model. We had originally thought of using a spinning motor to dispense the pill. Then we realized that if the pill isn't a round pill it would stand the chance of being crushed when it spins. This led to another idea of a two way system. It is difficult to explain in words, but here is my attempt. There will be a small cup holding one pill at the bottom of the dispenser. When the dose is to be dispensed a flap will slide over to close the hole. The cup will then open and dispense the pill. The flap assures that only one pill is dispensed. This plan is still indefinite but it is improving as we go.

That's really all we discussed since everyone was a little short on time. If I missed something i suppose it will get mentioned eventually somewhere and I will come back and add to this....

3D Model

Hey!
So tonight I designed a simple 3D paper-and-tape model of our PCOA device. The purpose of this simple model is mainly so we can actually see the dimensions and make sure there is enough room in the device for the vital components of our system. As I started making the model, I realized that a cone-shaped pill container in the device was not space-efficient; instead, I created "slides" along the walls; the purpose of these is to ensure that the pills are always near the opening of the device so that way every pill can be accessed without tilting or shaking the device.

Second Design Meeting

Hey!
So we had our second design meeting during recitation on Thursday; during this time, we were to finalize our design specifications which included who our intended users are going to be, what are the dimensions of our device, and what features our device was going to have. I think the hardest part for our team was figuring the dimensions of our design; we were not sure how big or small it was going to be because we kept thinking of different variables, such as the pill size or shape, which were impacting our theoretical dimensions. After some debate and calculating the volume of 200 pills of a sample pain medication, we finally narrowed down our dimensions for our design. We hope these are the final dimensions for our design, but, in order to make sure, I am going to make a simple 3D model of the device; we are doing this so we can visually see the dimensions and decide from there if there is enough room for the pills, the hardware, the battery, and the other components of our device.

We also decided that are intended users are people over the age of 14; children under the age of 14 should use the device on a case-by-case basis under the supervision and advice of the child's doctor. We got this idea from all of the products that say something along the lines of "under 6 years old, ask a doctor" for items such as medicine or toothpaste. We are making sure to design our device so that any person can operate it without any difficulties; we are going to make the device have a touchscreen with simple programming so that even people unfamiliar with the newest technology can still get their pain medication when needed without frustration.

In our specifications, we also made sure to ensure a security system to that only those intended to refill the device or get a pill from the device are able to get it. We are going to use fingerprint identification as the security "password;" this technology is already being used in wide variety of devices including laptops, which is from where we got our idea. With this, we are going to have different levels of security. For example, the user can only get a pill, but cannot open the device to refill it, change the amount of doses, or alter any doctor-programmed instructions. Another level of security will be the clinician level; this level allows the clinician to refill the device but cannot change dose information. The doctor or administrator level can change dose information, refill the device, and change any other settings on the device that deal with the dose of medication.

My group is meeting again on Tuesday after lecture (and also before Thanksgiving break). For the meeting, I am going to bring the 3D model of the device. We are also going to double check our specifications and make sure we are all on the same page before we leave for break; we want to make sure everyone knows what the final device so that way when we come back from break we can jump start into the other aspects of the project.

More to come soon!

Our First Design Meeting

We just had out first official team meeting. In recitation last week, we agreed to bring a minimum of three designs per person to the meeting. Our goal was to explain our designs to each other, consolidate the ideas, and create a design that encompasses the best parts of everyone’s drawings.

Our designs shared many qualities. We all used a fingerprinting sensor, instead of a keypad (for typing in a password), because this was something we discussed beforehand. The majority of the sketches also used a touch screen. We agreed that touch screens seem to be where technology is heading—cell phones, iPods, and virtually all new technology seem to have one—and also, when using a touch screen, we do not need to waste space on a keypad for typing in dose requests or passwords. We plan to have our touch screen resemble the iPhone: it will have a touch screen keypad appear when the patient needs to type something.

We spent a significant amount of time this meeting discussing how the pills will be released from the device. The patient cannot just reach their fingers into the device and take as many pills as he or she wants. Such actions can cause overdose. So how can we find a way to release only one pill (or however many pills constitute a dose) to the patient? Again, we returned to the metaphor of the gumball machine. When someone places a quarter into the gumball machine, only one ball rolls out: the person does not have access to any of the other gumballs. We actually looked up videos of gumball machines dispensing balls as we brainstormed ways to apply this process to our medical device. We finally came up with a solution. The bottom of our device will contain a little circular wheel with an indent. One pill can fit into this indent. When the patient requests a pill, the wheel will turn and deposit the pill into a small opening at the bottom of the device. (A small motor will run this wheel). The patient cannot access any other pills other than the one that was dispensed, just as in a gumball or candy machine. We were very excited about this idea!

We also brainstormed a lot about batteries. We decided that our device will use lithium ion batteries, and the batteries will be placed in a small nook in the corner. One issue we did not resolve, however, is the possibility that the batteries will die. Is it enough to trust the patient to recharge the batteries? Or should our device contain some sort of secondary power, just in case the patient is careless and allows the batteries to die? We need to continue to discuss this issue.

In our next meeting (which will be during recitation), we will continue to work on our final sketch.

PCOA Designs - My Designs

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So I started designing some PCOAs today in order to not fall behind, and I can honestly say it is a bit harder than I imagined it to be. The hard part is not making sure that it does everything that I want it or need it to, but that I keep coming up with different physical designs for the device; I cannot decide which one is better or which one is most cost efficient. I know that talking with my group will be very helpful, especially once all of our designs are looked at, but I wish I had one design that is my favorite and that I want to stick with and work on. I feel like the problem is that I haven't done enough research yet on the technology that I want to use in the device; if I conducted more research I would have a much better idea about the size of different components, the cost of them, and how reliable they are to use in a medical device. I feel that this is a lesson learned; I should have conducted at least some preliminary research before attempting to design. I think I was so excited to actually draw a mock device that I forgot that the device that I am designing serves a bigger purpose than simply being a nicely designed piece of equipment. Before I attempt to draw another design, I am going to do a little bit of research, always remembering to cite my sources!

That is it for now! Hopefully next time I will actually have completed at least one design!

Design Project - Week 1

Hey!
So today during recitation we were put into our groups for our design project; we were also informed that this project is also a competition to see who can create the best design for a PCOA. My group and I decided to name our "company" STS Incorporated because our last names begin with two S and one T. In our initial discussion, we set up a weekly meeting time (Tuesdays after lecture), discussed how we want to stay on top of the work, brainstormed some components and features that we want in our PCOA, and decided what we were all going to do for Tuesday's meeting.

At first we were a little confused about what type of device we were to design, but after clearing things up with our TA, our ideas starting flowing. Our TA told us to be careful what we post because, since this a competition, anyone can read our blogs and possibly "borrow" our ideas. Even though I will not list them specifically for this reason, I can say that we talked a lot about how we were to meet to basic specifications assigned for the project; we talked about storage for the drug, security features, our intended users, physical design, and how we need to remember to include programmable settings such as lock out and maximum doses so that doctors can use this device for a range of medications.

What started off our brainstorming, which I felt was very successful and productive, was that I told my group that when I first heard about the device we were to design, I immediately thought of a gum ball dispenser. In a way, our device can be compared to one; both devices store product, release it to the person upon request, and can only hold a certain amount of product. Also, the quarter that one puts into the dispenser is like the password on the PCOA; before either device dispenses anything, a proper "exchange" must occur. As we continued to jump off this idea, we thought that our storage container could be a globe shape as well; almost immediately we thought against it, however. We felt the globe shape would take up too much room, could be broken more easily, could lure people to the device and its contents, and could ultimately make our device larger because the other components would have to be placed elsewhere. However, this idea led us to believe that having a sort of "window" into the storage are of our device might be a feature that we want to consider in our designs.

For security purposes, at least until I can figure out how to only access to this blog to my subscribers, I will not post some of our other ideas; it is very tempting though because I really think that they will help our design rise above the others, and I am just really excited about them.

As we starting to end our initial meeting, we discussed what should be done for our next meeting since we already have rough designs and basic specifications due for next recitation; we decided that each one of us was going to create at least three designs using ideas we talked about today and any other ideas from additional research. Also, we planned on keeping all of our work organized so that when it comes time to make the poster and finalize our design, we will have a linear track of our design process from the initial stages to the final one. We are very determined to stay on top of this project; we do not want to be rushing around the night before this project is due especially when we should be studying for finals.

I also should mention that we are taking turns writing this blog about our progress; group members are going to email me their blog, and I will post it. We feel this is fairer than only one person blogging, and it is easier than creating a new blog with multiple users.

Personally, I actually am very excited for this project because this device has actually never been completely designed and created before; we are actually the pioneers for this device. It is exciting because this project has a link to the real world; their is a demand for this type of device, so one should be created. This weekend I am going to start designing; I can already feel that I definitely will have more than three designs prepared for Tuesday.

I think that is all for now. More to come!

Design Project

Hey!
So since we are done our research papers, we are moving on to our design projects! For our projects, we are going to be divided into teams of three or four people to design a device that monitors and delivers pain medication for oral ingestion for someone. This device is similar to PCAs, which are patient-controlled analgesics; these devices deliver medication into the body via wires and tubing. A potential problem with these devices is that irritation and infections can occur at the place were the tubes are connected to the inside of the body.

Just as with many other medical devices, the device has to be safe for use or else the FDA would not approve it and no one would want to use it. Some basic security features in PCA and PCOA devices are requiring a password for different levels of security which can be the user, a clinician, and a doctor, a lock time after a dose is administered, and a maximum number of doses that are allowed to be dispensed in a certain period of time. These precautions help to ensure that an overdose does not happen and that any settings on the device are not changed by someone unauthorized to change them. The password also helps to ensure that only the intended user or authorized personnel such as a doctor can demand a dose of the medication. We have to take these safety precautions into considerations while we are designing our device.

The device that we are designing is a PCOA, a patient-controlled oral analgesic. In our groups, we have to make sure we do not "reinvent the wheel" or "reinvent the broken wheel;" this means that we have to make sure that our design has not been tried before. Also, we have to make sure that we meet certain criteria; the basic specifications that our device has to meet are:
1) 200 dose capacity
2) it has to be secure
3) it has to limit doses with both a lock out time and a permissible amount of doses
4) it has to record both the time of a dose demand and the result of the dose demand

Also, while designing, we have to keep in mind that we cannot make our device do everything that we want it to; restrictions such as battery life or size are just two specifications that can limit our design. We have to remember that a device cannot possibly do everything that we want it to; we will have to sacrifice something in order to make our device do something else. I foresee this being a challenge for me because I always want to do everything.

On the outside, this design project seems to be dealing with a fairly simple idea, but, on deeper inspection, there is a lot more than meets the eye! After tomorrow's recitation I will post about my groups initial thoughts and quick brainstorms for our design.

(Also, I tried reading the documents that my professor posted on the blackboard site, but for some reason they are not loading on my computer; not even the slide show with the directions is loading. This is sort of frustrating...hopefully it works soon.)

Research Paper Part 2

Hey!
Tomorrow is the day that our research papers are due - tomorrow at 1:30 to be exact. I had a lot of my paper done earlier in the week, but as I am looking over it again tonight, I cannot help but feel I am doing something wrong or missing something. I followed all the directions, I described the replacement heart system using the machine diagram, and made sure to cite sources and write my paper in a coherent way, but I have a nagging feeling that maybe I should not be as confident as I am. I am pretty confident that I wrote a very good paper, but it is just an annoying feeling. Sorry if this posts sounds a little rant-y or disjointed, I am simply blogging what is going through my head right now; I know I will very disappointed if I am not happy with the grade of my paper especially since I feel that I put a lot of work, effort, and time into writing it. I think I need to breathe and just take a step back from my paper; I do not want to stare at it too long or I might end up changing half of it at the last minute, which will most likely not be a very good thing to do. I wonder if anyone else is feeling like this; I know I cannot be the only freaking out.

Ok, I think I am done venting about research paper anxiety, at least for the moment. My next post should be on a more happier note!

Research Paper

Hey!
So I started my paper, and I realized that is not as bad as I thought it would be. Again, I think that the reason that it is not as difficult is because I had to make a machine diagram of the artificial heart system; the diagram is an easy graphic to follow while writing to make sure that I do not skip any steps or describe a step in the wrong order.

This week is going to be very hectic for me, so I am trying to start slash finish a lot of work today and tomorrow; I have a chemistry midterm, this research paper due, a lab report due, a three hour chemistry lab, math homework, and I have to meet with a tutor and my academic adviser to get my schedule approved for next semester! For this reason, I am really trying to get around 75% of my paper done today.

So right now I am going to go work on my paper some more! I'll let you know how far I get a little bit later today (and if the Phillies win!). Again, I am really happy it is not as bad as I had previously imagined.

Machine Anaylsis Diagram Part 2 / Paper

Hey!
So after meeting with my TA today, I realized that my diagram for the AbioCor replacement heart was actually not as bad as I thought it was! I was told to put more properties about what is being transferred to each component and what controls the transfers; this was only about two or three items though. On my own, however, I realized that I made a mistake in my diagram. For some reason, I did not connect a power source to a component, which is very important if I say so myself, and I did not realize that there were actually two external sources of power instead of one (a portable source as well as a stationary source). Luckily, I had some free time today to fix my diagram. The only main thing left to do with it is color code it; I want to color code it to show that
1) the internal battery works only when no external power source is used
2) only the patient-carried electronics (PCE), the portable power source, OR the console, the stationary power source, powers the replacement heart system at a time.

Although I did initially fear making this diagram, I feel that it has greatly improved my understanding of the replacement heart system; I now feel better prepared to write a paper about how the replacement heart works than I did even only a week ago. I know that was the point of the assignment, but only now do I see how truly valuable it is; by making the diagram, I was able to wrap my head around a daunting and interconnected system in order to simplify it.

Writing the research paper, now, does not look as foreboding as it once did; if I follow the diagram in a logical sequence, I should not encounter any major problems. Writing should flow naturally since I already have a pretty solid idea of the workings of the heart among the individual components. The one challenge that I do foresee is actually trying to convey my understanding of the heart to my audience; for some reason, I have a hard time trying to explain things to people, whether it be calculus or even a joke. My mom always tells me I could not be a teacher because I have no clue how to even begin presenting a topic. Hopefully this flaw does not pervade into my paper; I simply need to pay careful attention to make sure to explain everything and not leave questions or holes in my paper.

Research paper status is soon to come!

Machine Diagram

Hey!
So I started to make my machine diagram for the AbioCor Replacement Heart, I realized that there were more than just four components of the machine; I think the number four stuck in my head because I saw a diagram of the device implanted in the body, and only four components were visible. The diagram I remember seeing is the one below from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School website.Before I made my diagram, I had to use some of my resources to find out exactly how each component interacted; that is also when I found out that more components existed. So the components of this replacement heart include:
- thoracic unit
- implanted TET (transcutaneious energy transfer)
- implanted battery
- implanted controller
as well as
- external TET (transcutaneious energy transfer)
- external console with monitor
- patient-carried electronics (PCE),
which are not pictured in the diagram.

The trouble that I am encountering while making this diagram is that most of my components transfer energy in the form of electricity. Also, this device is unique in that no wires pierce the skin; this means that power is transferred across skin. Another potential problem is that the internal battery only runs when the external battery does not; I do not know exactly how to indicate that on my diagram.

It is time for me to go and work out the minor details of this diagram, which is already looking very complex and congested simply because of all the electricity transfer between components. I just need to keep tweaking with it to make it sure it is easy to follow!

Research!!

Hey!
So last week I found many journal articles about the AbioCor Replacement Heart; these journal articles talked about a variety of aspects of the heart including how it functions, what its main components are, and how successful this heart is in the human body. I found these sources using Penn library resources; it was actually very helpful to be able to read journal articles without paying for them since Penn already purchased them for students to use. I especially found it helpful that I could still google (I used google scholar) and still know that my sources are reliable; I knew what sources were reliable because the link "Penn Text" would appear next to any search result that was reliable. Even with this feature, I still had to be careful when choosing sources; for example, I did not want to solely have information provided by the manufacturer of the heart. Also, when finding sources, I made it a point to check if that article cited any sources and where they came from; not only does this help show that the article is reliable, it is also helpful to follow those sources. By following those sources, I can see exactly how the author of the journal article was interpreting the information.

Some sources of information for my research paper came from the following places:
- The AbioMed website (manufacturer website)
- ASAIO Journal
- Scientific American
- Texas Heart Institute Journal
- The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing

Since I am researching a biomedical device, the minimum number of sources that I need for the research paper are five journal articles and one article from the manufacturer. This is simply the minimum; it is always better to have a lot of information. I can also use magazines as sources, but they do not count as one of my journal articles obviously.

The hardest part of writing a research paper, in my opinion, is making sense of all the information gathered; I find it difficult to make sense of all the statistics and different opinions about a topic that are available. In order for me to write a good research paper, I need to organize my sources and glean what is the most important idea or message from each one.

The hardest part of this assignment, in my opinion, is making the machine diagram for my device. My device has multiple parts, multiple systems, and multiple functions, which makes making my diagram a bit of a challenge for me!

Diagram information is soon to come!

Artificial Heart

Hey!
So after some thinking, I have decided to write my research paper and create my diagram for the entire system for the artificial heart, not just the heart portion of the system. The AbioCor Replacement Heart is made up of many components, such as the battery pack. I decided to focus on the entire system of the replacement heart, not simply the heart component, because every component of the system is needed in order for the system to function the way in which it is intended. For example, without the battery pack, the heart component would not be able to pump blood.

My main question to be answered in my research paper is going to be "How does the AbioCor Replacement Heart function in the human body?"

Since I finally picked a research topic and decided on the research question, it is now time to narrow down the research materials and sources that I currently have and possibly find more; the more research I have, the better my research paper will be!

New Research Topic

Hey!
So after thinking about my research topic some more, I realized trying to make a machine diagram of a artificial sweetener molecule would be a little challenging and involve a lot of biochemistry. After talking to a friend from Atlanta whose girlfriend is a bioengineer at Northwestern, I am changing my research topic to artificial hearts. More specifically, I am focusing on the newest artificial heart, AbioCor Replacement Heart manufactured by Abiomed. I started becoming interested in this topic after my friend started talking about it for an hour; I honestly don't remember what he said, but I do remember that it was interesting.

Tomorrow, I have to meet with my TA to talk about my focus for the research paper as well as present to him reliable sources that I am going to use in my paper. We need at least 6 sources from scientific journal and one of those sources could be a manufacture website if our topic is a medical device. After I find some reliable sources, I will post them here; I also should start to think about in what direction I am going to create my engineering diagram.

Research Topic

Hey!
Soon, we are going to have to write a research paper answering a scientific question that we have; we are not to write about a medical device or how one works. For example, we cannot write a paper answering the question "how does a artificial heart work?" Within the first ten seconds of being told this assignment, I immediately thought of artificial sweeteners and their danger. The reason that this was the first topic that popped into my mind was because I am constantly told (almost every day, if not twice a day) that artificial sweeteners, such as Splenda, are bad for you. I really want to know what exactly is the danger involved with them and why this danger exists; I hate simply being told that is something is "bad" or "good" without an explanation. I will honestly admit to not bothering to take a few minutes and actually google this topic; I felt like it wasn't the most effective use of my time especially when I had hours upon hours of physics, math, and chemistry homework piling up. This is now the perfect opportunity to learn something new about artificial sweeteners, which I am very interested in learning about. So, as of today, my question for my research topic is (or something along the lines of):

"If artificial sweeteners are dangerous, what chemical components of them make them dangerous? Are certain artificial sweeteners more dangerous than others?"

Well that question/questions obviously needs a little bit of tweaking, but this is the direction that I am currently heading in terms of research paper topics :)

"Thing" Presentation

Hey!
So on Thursday in recitation, each student presented a short 2-minute presentation describing his or her "thing," three length scales, and comparisons to other objects. It's hard giving a two-minute presentation; I was so caught up in making sure that I remembered to say everything that I wanted to that I didn't even notice my 30-second warning! As I was writing my presentation, I came up with new comparisons for comparing my bookstore to the brain; I'll post what I said during my 2-minute presentation (give or take a few phrases).

"I chose to analyze the Penn bookstore. I chose it mainly because of the way in which its primary functions compare to the functions of the brain, rather than because its substructures look like something else (it's physical structures are not that interesting). To break the bookstore down, I chose three lengths: the meter, the centimeter, and the millimeters. Compared to the structure of the brain, the wall (measured in meters), is like the skull - it protects all the information and valuables on the inside of it. The book (measured in centimeters), is like a section of the brain. For example, if wanted to learn about American history, you would find an American history book just like when you want to remember something, the place were memories are stored in the brain is needed. The word (measured in millimeters), can be compared to a neuron in the brain; it is a very specific piece of information which carries that piece of information from one thing to another. For example, a word can carry the author's name from the front of the book to the reader. Another similarity between the bookstore and the brain is that both structures are sometimes taken for granted. For example, it would be really annoying if the bookstore wasn't there to get Penn apparel, course books, or Starbucks coffee. Also, think about how different life would be if you had a different brain; we all should learn to never take things for granted no matter how simple they may seem. So even though the bookstore may be just a building enclosing books you don't want to read, it is the "brain" of campus unique to Penn. Next time you enter it, think "I'm in a brain" - but don't say that out loud!"

The Penn Bookstore

Hey!
So, as promised, I am going to describe my structure, the Penn bookstore.

The Penn Bookstore
The Pen bookstore is located off Walnut and 36th Streets in the University City section of Philadelphia. It serves as the main place for students to purchase course books, recreational reads, and Penn apparel. Students can also purchase school supplies, things for their dorms, and music and computer accessories; with the exception of the computers themselves, everything else is a little expensive (I guess we are paying for convenience). Almost every person at Penn has been in the book store or at least passed by it at some point; it is almost something we take for granted in having. For example, if we did not have this bookstore on campus, it would be very time consuming and unpleasant to go to buy our required books at some other store in Philadelphia. I chose to analyze the bookstore for exactly this reason; the bookstore is an everyday object, in a sense, but it make everyone's live easier whether he or she realizes it or not.

Just like I said in an older post, I chose to analyze the bookstore over three length scales: the meter, the centimeter, and the the millimeter. However, I have changed my mind over what substructures I am analyzing; I analyzed the length of the bookstore, the length of one book in the book in the window, and the length of one word on the book. I chose to change my substructures because it better reflects the three different length scales and it was easier to compare the bookstore to other structures. (I also should mention that I really chose the bookstore because of the way it's functions can compare to the functions of other structures; I really didn't think it would physically look like anything else in particular before I started doing this assignment).

Meter: I did not actually measure the length of the bookstore, but I estimated the length of one of the outside walls (the one facing Walnut street). I estimated the length of the wall to be about 30 meters.
Centimeter: I measured the length of the book in the window to be about 28 centimeters.
Millimeter: I measure the length of a randomly chosen word on the cover to be about 25 millimeters.
(these measurements are not very accurate, they are more like estimates to show the different scales of length!)

After measuring each substructure of my overall structure, I started to think about how each substructure related to another structure in the world around us.
1) For the wall, I thought it was similar to the structure of other walls on other buildings around campus and in the city; if one only saw a picture of the wall (without any banners or signs), he or she would find it find it very difficult to pinpoint exactly what building that wall is a part of. All the walls of buildings (for the most part - there is some interesting architecture out there) are perpendicular to the ground, are as tall as the height of the building, and are strong enough to prevent people from breaking into the them. Also, all walls have to be strong enough to support the massive weight of the building. Looking at it from a different perspective, the wall, with windows, sort of looks like those little square pretzels with holes; the windows are the holes in the pretzels. Also, the wall sort of looks like a railroad line turned on its side; the spaces in the railroad line are like the windows.
2) For the book, I thought it was similar to the structure of a cereal box; if one did not know that a book opened, it would look very similar to a cereal box in shape. I feel this is a little exaggerated, but I feel it can apply to engineers figuring out structures of complicated, unknown objects. For example, if an engineer saw a picture something that looked like ball, for example, he or she would assume that it functioned just like any ordinary ball - it would bounce and keep its shape. Without further examination, this engineer would know learn that this structure does not, in fact, function as a normal ball, but, for example, more of a dense block that is hard to move let alone bounce.
3) For the word, I thought it was similar to a parasite; it needs the book to "survive" or else it would be a blotch of ink lost in the world. The word is also similar to a parasite because it does not harm the book; both objects are in a sort of symbiotic relationship with each other. The book needs the word in order for people to know what type of book it, and the word needs the book or else it could not a word anymore. I also thought that the word was similar to the letters in an alphabet soup; if one did not know that the structure was unchanging, he or she would think that the word was fluid in the book and that the position of the letters could change over time.

After analyzing the bookstore for similar structures (which was very hard I might add), I though about how its functions are similar to other functions (which was the foremost reason for why I chose to analyze the bookstore in the first place).
The bookstore's functions are similar to the functions of the brain! Both the bookstore and the brain hold A LOT of information, for example. The bookstore holds thousands of books with a variety of information, fascinating novels, and entertainment materials. The brain holds so much information that researchers and scientists still do not know exactly how it is mapped out and interconnected among all its parts. Both the bookstore and the brain are there to help people; neither the brain nor the bookstore is there simply to look pretty or take up space. The bookstore, I feel, is somewhat taken for granted by students and factories just as the brain is; I feel that people do not realize how important something is until they do not have. For example, many students would not stop on a day to day basis and thank someone for giving them the brain that they have unless they saw someone who is struggling with brain damage or another neurological problem. I feel that this is also true of the bookstore on a much smaller scale; people would be very upset, and perhaps angry, if the bookstore closed and moved somewhere because now the distance to get books at the new store would be greatly increased, it would take longer to get something simple (such as chemistry lab manual), and it may not include a Starbucks, which is vital to some people's lives. The bookstore also functions like the candy section in a supermarket - the Penn sweatshirts and T-shirts being the candy. People flock to the bookstore to buy Penn apparel even though the bookstore's main purpose is to sell course books for courses. In a supermarket, some people will flock to the candy and junk food sections even though that is not the reason why the supermarket is opened. The brand new sweatshirts and the crisp notebooks are the chocolate and sugar that draw people into the store - not the idea of spending $300 on a chemistry textbook.

So that is the Penn bookstore compared to (really) random objects that have, in my opinion, similar structures or functions of the store. I feel that this exercise was a good way to begin to think like a engineer; I realized that one cannot look at one snapshot of an object (especially an unknown one) and begin to accurately describe its exact function. That one snapshot is only one second in time and the object could have changed shaped or position because one even begins to even analyze the first picture. This exercise also showed my that thinking like an engineer required out-of-the-box thinking in some respects; this is fine with me, I like being the first one to think of something new or find a brand new and creative way of looking at something that is not new.

Analyzing my "thing"

Hey!
So I think I am going to analyze the bookstore on Penn's campus. I still do not think that I am 100% percent confident in doing this assignment correctly (more like 98%). For this assignment, we are to analyze our "thing" on Penn's campus over three length scales in order for us to take a complicated structure and break it down into smaller structures in order for us to better understand it. This relates to bioengineering because many of the structures that bioengineers work with - cells, muscles, tissues, organs - have complicated structures upon first glance but can be broken down into substructures in order to be understood on a substructure by substructure basis. The second part of this assignment is to find other structures, whether natural or man-made, that are similar to the substructures of our "thing." For example, in lecture, we saw that the structures of tree branches and riverbeds were similar to the structure of blood vessels in the human body; all threes structures were branching and intertwined. The similarities between structures can be in both the physical sense and the functional sense. For example, the picture of the tree branches looked similar to the picture of the blood vessels <-- physical; the tree branches carry nutrients and needed material throughout the tree just like blood vessels carry nutrients and needed materials to the body <--functional.

Structure: Penn Bookstore
Length scales:
meter - dimensions of the store
meter/centimeter - dimensions of a window
centimeter/millimeter - dimensions of a book in the window

That is all I have so far! I'll post more about my process for choosing and analyzing the bookstore (including pictures!) and how my structure can be related to other ones. Hint: brain.

Abstract v. the Concrete

Hey!
So on Thursday, we examined abstract ideas and thinking with concrete ideas and thinking. The way we modeled this was by drawing. To model the concrete, we drew objects with looking at the sheet of paper; my drawing of a water bottle, for example, was very disjointed to say the least. (I will post the pictures of both my water bottle and my notebook shortly, so you can see what I mean).To model the abstract, we were told to make a diagram of all the components that make up a bike; this was more difficult because we had to picture a bike in our head as well as what parts made it up. I thought this activity was very beneficial to me because it gave me a better understanding of how engineers work in the concrete world but yet think in the abstract one; engineers need to imagine how components of an object will work before they can design something to do a specific task. Also, this activity showed me that someone cannot rely only on either the abstract or the concrete; both "worlds" are interconnected by some idea, process, or part. This activity was also a good transition exercise for our next activity in which we are to find something on Penn's campus and analyze its structure over three lengths and compare to some other structure, whether natural or man-made. I will let you know of what my "thing" to be analyzed is going to be after I make up my mind (I am still slightly confused about what sort of "thing" we are to analyze and exactly how we are to analyze it).

Hey!
After our recitation session where we discussed how we can make engineering more visible in the world (or why engineers should even care about being visible) and they difference between individual health and public health, we talked about how we can lower the cost of the health care, which is driving some people insane this very moment. We did not come up with ten new technologies (we were told to do that on our own), but we did talk about the relationship between new medical technologies and the rising costs of health care. We said that new technologies can drive the cost of health care down but only after first making it spike; the newer technology will cost money to develop, test, and manufacture for hospitals and other health care providers. Also, as technology keeps progressing, there will always be a new "state-of-the-art" something that costs a lot of money will be wanted by the best hospitals and doctors. Also, people will want the state-of-the-art technologies as well because no one wants to risk his or her health.

So, after thinking about how it seems contradictory that new technologies can lower the cost of health care, I started thinking about new technologies anyway. Here is my list of potential new technologies. (I put technology in quotes because not every thing listed is a technology but more of an idea for how the cost of health care can be reduced).

10 Ways "Technology" Can Reduce Health Care Costs
1. better diagnostic technology: If we can diagnose people faster, and more accurately, we can treat the person for the correct disease sooner without a trial and error of different types of medications for a disease that the doctor isn't even sure the person has yet.

2. minimally invasive procedures: These procedures would require less time for patient recovery, which would mean less time in the hospital, which can be expensive. Also, less surgeons would be needed for the operation as well as less anesthesia; the risk of getting a disease or another complication from a much larger operation would also be reduced, which could also lower the cost for the patient and the hospital.

3. longer shelf life of medicines: This could reduce health care costs because it would stop the throwing away of medicine that costs money to produce.

4. stop research for "unnecessary" drugs: This isn't really a technology, but it more of a pet peeve of mine. I feel that too many drug companies are putting too much money into research for unnecessary drugs simply to make money. For example, the drug Latisse, which is produced by Allergan Inc., was created to help people grow their own eyelashes. The company says this medication is to treat hypotrichosis, but the commercials, at least to me, look like they are advertising to women for cosmetic purposes. I am sure having this disorder is not pleasant, but it is not like having cancer. I feel drug companies' main goals should be work for cures for the deadliest diseases first before worrying about people's eyelashes.

5. making health records digital: It would save a lot of time and money (and trees) if there was a central system where people's health histories could be stored for easy remote look-up in any hospital, doctor's office, or dentist's office. This system would also make looking up family histories of diseases much more simpler and reliable.

6. disinfecting everything: I know it is not possible, but killing disease-carrying germs will decrease doctor's visits, the need for medication, and health care costs. Soap and water-free disinfecting solutions are a great way for people to disinfect themselves and frequently used surfaces in only a few minutes or even seconds; every little bit counts when it comes to disease prevention.

7. personalizing medicine: This means that doctor's will create different doses or means of treating patients even if they have the same illness; new studies are starting to show that not every person reacts the same way to medicine. If doctor's start taking genetic factors into consideration, among other factors, then the success rate of diagnosing and treating illnesses will go up, and the time in a hospital or on medication will decrease. A group, the Personalized Medicine Coalition, or PMC, lists "promises" for personalized medicine; these promises are "better diagnoses and earlier interventions," "more efficient drug development," and "more effective therapies."

8. fixing insurance groups: Some insurance groups do not cover all procedures or all hospitals or doctors; this could be for financial reasons such as a group does not want to spend money on thousands of dollars of plastic surgery even if there is a medical reason. Insurance groups should work more like non-profit organizations; being benevolent and actually caring about the well-being of a person instead of worrying about whether someone's chemotherapy treatment is going to bankrupt them.

9. educating the public: This may seem trivial, but educating people about health and health-related issues can really make an impact. For example, the truth campaign, which seeks to educate people about the dangers of cigarettes and what cigarette companies don't want you to know, is only one such organization that is striving to help people make smart and healthy decisions for their lives. The more people make smart decisions, such as eating right, exercising, and avoiding drugs and alcohol, the more people can save their own money and reduce health care costs.

10. removing fees: There are so many associated with a doctor's visit that even people with insurance do not want to get a check-up. For example, to get health papers signed for my high school in order for me to play volleyball, my doctor charged us $20 just to sign what should have been signed for free! Removing these fees would make people happier, which could also make people more likely to go to the doctor if they are feeling sick before their sickness escalates into a more dangerous illness.

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Many people have their own ideas of how to reduce the health care costs in the United States; some of these claims may actually be reasonable while others are scams. Health care providers, as well as the general public, who are looking to reduce their yearly spending should be wary of such scams. Here is a list of some people/groups/organizations that are making such claims.

1. Mindshift Technologies
Mindshift Technologies claims to provide IT support for thousands of doctors and hospitals all around the world in order to make data retrieval and storage easier for health care professionals. According to the website, "you [meaning health care providers] have a lot on your plate, without the added difficulty of managing a complex and mission-critical IT infrastructure." This group seems to have a good point; if health records are digitized, problems with computers and technology could create very expensive problems for health care professionals so having IT experts could save both time and money. At the same time, this group seems very interested in putting a few extra dollars in its pockets; they throw around fancy computer phrases such as "SAS 70 type II data centers" to people who may not know what they mean (such as myself) in order to look more appealing to potential customers who may be impressed by such terminology.

2. iRobot

iRobot, the same company who created the Roomba vacuum cleaner, is proposing that robot nurses can help reduce the growing health care costs in this country. The CEO stated that these "nurses" could help monitor patients, especially the elderly who are confined to their homes; the "nurses" would help doctors examine, diagnose, and make sure that the person is taking medications on time. I feel that this is wishful thinking as of today; these robots would be very expensive and not covered by any standard insurance policies, so few people would want to spend a lot of money on one. This technology does look promising for the future, however. As this technology becomes less and less expensive, people will start to want it in their homes even if it is only to show-off. This company, being a for-profit company, will obviously benefit financially from these robots; this company's main objective is to make a profit, not solve the health care crisis.

Hey!
This week in bioengineering we are going to be discussing engineering and how it almost seems invisible in the world, yet it is omnipresent and very important in people's everyday lives. To kick off this discussion, and to get a better understanding of what engineering is and what engineers created over the years, we were told to look up the "Greatest Engineering Achievements of the Twentieth Century" according to the National Academy of Engineering. Before I went to this website, I decided to come up with my own list of 20 greatest engineering achievements. (My list is the result of collaboration with two friends at 3 o'clock in the morning. They thought I was insane, and they made fun of some of my listed "achievements,"particularly credit cards...)

Jess's List of the Greatest Engineering Achievement's in the 20th Century
1. microwaves
2. television
3. refrigeration
4. air conditioning
5 computers
6. internet
7. calculators
8. GPS
9. cell phones
10. artificial hearts
11. commercial air planes and high speed trains
12. credit cards (the magnetic strip?)
13. LEDs
14. CFLs
15. laptops
16. nuclear bombs
17. hybrid cars
18. biofuels
19. water purification systems
20. space and things to do with space (transportation, exploration, imaging)

After I looked on the website, I realized that my list was more specific; for example, I put "artificial hearts" while the website had "health technologies." The following is the list from the National Academy of Engineering.

1. Electrification
2. Automobile
3. Airplane
4. Water Supply and Distribution
5. Electronics
6. Radio and Television
7. Agriculture Mechanization
8. Computers
9. Telephone
10. Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
11. Highways
12. Spacecraft
13. Internet
14. Imaging
15. Household Appliances
16. Health Technologies
17. Petroleum and Petrochemical Technologies
18. Laser and Fiber Optics
19. Nuclear Technologies
20. High-performance materials

Hey!
So on Thursday we had our discussion about the Swine Flu; we had to discuss whether or not we would personally get a vaccine for it and who should be the first group of people to get it if only 500,000 vaccines are available at first.

The first question we discussed was "Should I get a swine flu shot?"
Initially, we took a poll to see who would get one; only two people stated that they would get a shot if it was made available to them and was considered safe and effective. We each stated our personal reasons for whether or not we would get the vaccine. Some of the reasons for each opinion are:

FOR "I would get the shot"
- "it is better to be safe than sorry"
- "even if I won't die from the swine flu, I can prevent it from spending to people who are more at risk"
- "if I had the chance to prevent a disease I would take it"
- "there doesn't appear to be too much risk involved"
- "I just would"
- "my parents would want me to get it"
- "I live in close quarters with other students, which makes disease transfer a lot easier"
- "I am prone to illness"

FOR "I would not get the shot"
- "the vaccine was made in a hurried fashion" <-- someone cited a source that stated that the process for approving this vaccine was cut short because the swine flu came under the category of "the flu;" if the swine flu was deemed an entirely new disease, then the process for approving a vaccine would have been much longer. As a result of this, this person was skeptical of a vaccine that did not experience the scrutiny and rigorous testing as did other vaccines which were approved by the FDA.
- "I feel I am a healthy individual"
- "I feel other people who are more at risk for having complications from this disease should get it"
- "I feel there is not enough research on the vaccine and the potential side effects from it"
- "I don't want to get nerve damage" <-- someone found information about the swine flu outbreak in the 70s and the corresponding vaccine; a potential harmful effect of that vaccine was a crippling nerve disease.
- "people are blowing this disease out of proportion" <-- according to Center for Disease Control's website, the seasonal flu contributes to the death of about 36,000 people a year in the United States; another 200,000 people are hospitalized (CDC). The Swine Flu, on the other hand, has contributed to the death of 2,625 people in the Americas according to the New England Journal of Medicine who cited the WHO for their statistics (New England Journal of Medicine).
- "if I am not required to get something then I am not going to get it"
- "I don't like shots"
- "I think I had the swine flu a few months ago"
- "I don't even understand why this disease is getting so much attention"

According to our discussion, it seemed like many people would not get the vaccine because they felt that it was not researched and tested thoroughly; people do not want to get a potential complication as a result of the vaccine. For example, someone cited a source that said that the vaccine in the 70s caused more complications than did the swine flu; people do not want a repeat of that situation. Others, myself included, believe that this is disease is being thrown out of proportion and do not understand exactly why. Part of our discussion was talking about why this disease is getting so much press time and attention, and I do not believe we came up with a solid answer to this question.

In concluding this question, I must stick to my original decision: I would not get a swine flu shot. I agree with what we discussed: the vaccine was hurried, the swine flu appears less dangerous than the seasonal flu, and that people with higher risks should get the vaccine. Also, as another student pointed out, I should not be the one responsible for preventing a disease from spreading; if someone is worried that he or she may get the disease, then he or she should do everything to protect his or herself and not worry about the choices of another people. (That may have sounded mean, but I did not mean for it to).
(Also, being stubborn, I must also add that the more people rely on antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccines, the more dangerous and deadly bacteria and viruses will become as they mutate to become resistant to these antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccines that some people believe will cure any disease in the world.)

The second question we discussed was "If there was only 500,000 swine flu shots available this fall, who should get them?
As a group, we came up with a list of different groups of people who should get the first shots and reasons for why we said that each group should get the shots first. Our list differs slightly from a list posted online by the state of Pennsylvania on the H1N1 virus.
According to the state of Pennsylvania, these groups are listed as "priority groups:"
+ persons 6 months to 24 years old
+ health care providers and EMS personnel
+ parents or caregivers of children under 6 months
+ pregnant women

1. CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 5
-- they are constantly in close contact with people
-- they are more likely to touch a lot of things with many germs and then touch other things, people, and there own mouths
-- if children get the swine flue, then they can spread it to their parents, other children, and pediatricians

2. HEALTH CARE WORKERS
-- the job of a health care professional or worker is to not only treat diseases, but to also prevent them, so they should take every measure available to prevent the spread of any illness
-- they are in close contact with people who are more likely to have complications as a result of the swine flu or are at higher risk of catching it (the elderly, people with poor immune systems, or people who currently have infections)

3. COLLEGE STUDENTS LIVING IN DORMS
-- they are in close contact with one another, which makes it easier to transfer germs, bacteria, and viruses
-- according to the CDC, the swine flu seems to be affecting people under the age of 25 more harshly than it affects older people (CDC)
-- students can be carriers of the disease to other people who may not have very strong immune systems
-- students sometimes ignore warming signs of a disease and do not seek medical attention (My mom said I am one of those people and therefore is convinced that I will die from meningitis because I will insist that nothing is wrong with me. For this reason, she calls everyday and asks how I am feeling).

After discussing the pros and cons of each specific group, I came to the conclusion that it would most beneficial if health care workers received the first vaccinations. They are supposed to help treat and prevent diseases, not spread it. I know I would be very angry if I went to the doctors for a routine check up and ended up catching the swine flu, or any other illness, from the nurse who took my blood pressure.

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After discussing the two questions, we talked about how future technologies in medicine and bioengineering can help people prevent the swine flu pandemic and other highly contagious diseases in the world and, specifically, at Penn. Before we even started coming up with any ideas, we talked about how our ideas have be practical; we have to consider economic resources as well as the availability of resources needed for our new technology. We only had a few minutes to discuss how future technologies could help in the prevention of diseases. For managing the spread of disease of Penn, we only came up with standard means of prevention:
- washing hands
- cleaning surfaces
- disinfecting everything
- allowing to students to view a lecture online if he or she is sick and cannot attend a lecture

In terms of technologies, we come up with:
- an automated machine that disinfects a stall in a bathroom or shower automatically (kind of like the automatic shower cleaner that is currently on the market)
- a device that can detect certain diseases by touching it (sort of like a fingerprint scanner for security purposes)

An automated machine that disinfects public places can help prevent diseases from spreading from person to person; this machine would be practical because it would not cost an exorbitant amount of money to manufacturer (or one would hope anyway) and the current technology is available to create this type of device. A device that can detect a disease (such as a doctor's office or before a space with a lot off people in close contact with each other) can make diagnosing diseases much simpler and faster. Also, this could alert someone who may be sick before he or she starts to even experience symptoms of his or her illness.

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Before coming to Penn, my high school stressed the importance of citing sources. (They made it seem like you would die if you forgot even one citation). After getting to Penn, I realized that citing sources is very important but so is the reliability and quality of the sources I choose to use. For example, I can cite one hundred sources, but if none of them are reliable then my paper or research is not very substantial, scholarly, or even all correct. I also learned that it is very important to question sources for possible motives, which can include economic or personal gain. Let me take researching the effectiveness of a new drug for the treatment of cancer for example. If I look on the website for the company who manufactures the drug, it only makes sense that they would post very good things about the drug, state that the side effects are rare, and basically "advertise" their drug to the public, including medical professionals. I learned that I can still use this source if I have sources, which can be critical, in order to back up my research or even show discrepancies between the two "reliable" sources. Also, it is important for me to find out where "reliable" sources got their statistics or data; data can be interpreted in different ways depending on what a person wishes to support. Basically, not only do I have to cite all of my sources (or else I will die, supposedly), I have to check the reliability of my sources, the date of publication (material could become outdated), and the possible motives of the people who create my sources.

BE Discussion - Swine Flu

Hey!
So my first assignment for my bioengineering class is to find credible information and sources about the swine flu vaccine in order for me to draw my own conclusions about whether or not I should get one or who should be the first group of people to receive the vaccine. This assignment is starting to sound like the time when I had an argument with my doctor because I refused to get two shots that she wanted me to take; I refused them because I do not want to take medicine/vaccine if I have a choice not to. I try to stay away from any type or medication because I do not believe that constantly pushing medicine on people whenever they have a cramp is the right path for the medical field (though I know many people would disagree with me). I wanted to post this before I went and researched the vaccine, the illness, and other related material so that I can see if perhaps my opinion changes after reading the information; also, I have no doubt that some very good points will be brought up in our class discussion tomorrow that also may influence my somewhat stubborn opinion that I currently have.

More information is soon to come!
(I am very stubborn so it will take some good debating skills and information to force me to change my mind!)

Hey! My name is Jess, and I am an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania studying bioengineering. In this major, I would like to learn how engineering skills and problem solving techniques are used in the field of biology, especially medicine. I am very interested in medicine because I am considering applying to medical school; I would like to have an engineering background, however, so I stand out in the application process and develop better problem solving skills. Specifically, I would love the opportunity to work in a research lab with a professor; I enjoy hands-on learning so learning the inner workings of a lab, including equipment and procedure, would be a dream come true. Besides the hands-on desire, I would also like to learn about the range of topics in which bioengineering covers; it is a vast discipline that currently overwhelms me with so many choices!

Initially, my major was mechanical engineering; I changed my major even before beginning my freshman year because I realized I liked biological "machines" better than the typical machine in, for example, cars. I came to this realization after talking to my cousin and her friends who were all starting medical school this fall; I enjoyed talking about the human body, new vaccines, and other related topics. Since I did not want to fully divorce engineering, I found a good fit - bioengineering. With bioengineering, I can apply engineering principles and ways of thinking and problem solving to biological and medical problems and mysteries. Though I was immediately fascinated by being able to merge engineering with biology, I never truly understood, and still do not understand, exactly what it is that bioengineers do on a day to day basis. Talking to a few professors in a panel during my Advancing Women in Engineering Pre-Orientation Program, I learned that bioengineers can work as scientists in some respects; they can work in labs, perform experiments, and draw their own conclusions about the workings of cells or other biological "machines."

As I explore the rapidly-expanding field of bioengineering, I begin to find many sub-fields that catch my interest; I would like to learn about each sub-field so that I can become more familiar with each one and decide exactly what I would like to do with my degree. Some options/fields/topics that intrigue me (as of today) are:
tissue engineering
pharmaceutical engineering
genetic engineering
This list will probably change in about a couple of weeks; I am constantly changing my mind about something or another.

As I was looking up some sub-fields in bioengineering, I came across an article that really shows how bioengineering is picking up speed in the technological world; cells are starting to be studied and even modeled using a computer according to Brandon Keim, who wrote an article entitled "Cellular Counter Brings Computer Programming to Life" for Wired Science. In this article, Keim states that counters combining different proteins are being used to better model different types of cells on a computer. An aspect of the article that I found was interesting was that, in order to be able to model cells, different computerized components were being used one by one to "build" a cell, just as different machine parts or circuits are built piece by piece. I found this interesting because it shows the connection between the different types of engineering; bioengineers can work like electrical engineers, as suggested by James Collins of Boston University, while using mechanical ideas in order to study something that is living. This aspect of engineering interests me specifically; I am the type of person who cannot do the same thing on a day to day basis, so having the opportunity to study and work on projects using different approaches and processes appeals to me greatly.

Reading this article, I could not help but think about how far the bioengineering field has progressed even in the last couple of years. New advances in medicine and technology have greatly propelled this somewhat new field. One of the most exciting aspects of entering such an expanding field is that I have the chance to become a part of a project or research team that can stumble on a breakthrough that drastically changes people's understanding of biology or another aspect in medicine. For example, the creation of the artificial heart for transplants was a milestone for both the medical and engineering worlds. I would love to have been a part of the team of scientists, doctors, and researchers who developed the the first usable heart; I would like to have the feeling that all my hard work, countless hours spent in the lab, and tedious experiments were all worth something to someone who benefited from my work. I feel that working as a bioengineering should not be for fame or glory but for the advancement of technologies that can save lives, make lives easier, and prevent illnesses.