Styrofoam Balls Research Articles

Eating styrofoam balls presented as intestinal obstruction- PICA associated with bezoar: a rare case report and review of literature

Gastrointestinal obstruction secondary to foreign body bezoars (industrial materials, plastic, tissue paper, sponge) have been reported but foreign body bezoar with styrofoam has never been reported in literature. PICA associated bezoars are an unusual complication and reports say that a wide variety of substances are consumed, ranging from socks, newspapers, and sofa pillows to dirt and hair and in this case, it was ingestion of styrofoam balls. Styrofoam being foam plastic does not breakdown or get absorbed in body when ingested, but its persistent ingestion creates bezoar which can fill the whole gastrointestinal tract.

Representation of insulin synthesis and construction of a three-dimensional insulin model as didactic tools in basic education

ABSTRACT Proteins are essential for cell function, and their biological performance depends on three-dimensional (3D) structures. Insulin is made up of 51 amino acids and is a critical hormone involved in glycaemia regulation. In basic education, concepts involving proteins (synthesis, structure, interactions, and function) are abstract and difficult for students to understand. The use of protein 3D models that assist in visualising biomolecular structures can be an important didactic tool to understand the complexity of protein structure. Here, we propose a practical activity for the construction of a 3D model of insulin, as a tool for teaching protein synthesis and structure to students in the 9th-grade of basic education. The activity involved three classes of one hour each. 62 students role-played the insulin mRNA translation and represented the primary structure through balloons tied to a string. They also built an 3D insulin model using Styrofoam balls and wire. The activities proved to be effective, as there was a better understanding by students regarding proteins and their characteristics. Therefore, practical classes for teaching proteins can be used in basic education to improve learning of abstract and sub-microscopic concepts.

Size, weight, and expectations.

The size-weight illusion is well-known: if two equally heavy objects differ in size, the large one feels lighter than the small one. Most explanations for this illusion assume that because the information about the relevant attribute (weight itself) is unreliable, information about an irrelevant but correlated attribute (size) is used as well. If such reasoning is correct, one would expect that the illusion can be inverted: if size information is unreliable, weight information will be used to judge size. We explored whether such a weight-size illusion exists by asking participants to lift Styrofoam balls that were coated with glow in the dark paint. The balls (2 sizes, 3 weights) were lifted using a pulley system in complete darkness at 2 distances. Participants reported the size using free magnitude estimation. The visual size information was indeed unreliable: balls that were presented at a 20% larger distance were judged 15% smaller. Nevertheless, the judgments of size were not systematically affected by the 20% weight change (differences < 0.5%). We conclude that because the weight-size illusion does not exist, the mechanism behind the size-weight illusion is specific for judging heaviness.

Nomenclature of Cyclic and Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Educational Games: OrgChemGame

Educational games can be used as an effective means of transferring knowledge in a fun way to complement education and training. The aim of the study was to develop a game and get students' opinions on the game that can be played in Organic Chemistry courses in order to teach the names of commonly used organic compounds with cyclic and aromatic structure. The game, which is called OrgChemGame can be played with at least 3 individuals, one of whom is the referee. The game set includes 48 pcs of 3 cm diameter styrofoam balls with structural formulas of organic compounds identified. OrgChemGame was played by 20 students taking the organic chemistry lecture and studying in the 2nd grade of the Science Education program at a state university in Turkey. The opinions of the students about the game were taken with the opinion form prepared by the researchers. As a result of the research, it was determined that the sizes and colors of the balls and cubes used in the game were appropriate, and the texts used were readable. As a result, OrgChemGame has been designed as an educational game having a purpose and rules. It aims to acquire target behaviors and appropriate to the level of the students, allowing the students to learn with fun, and having sufficient duration and comprehensibility.

Video analysis of the fall and vertical downward launch of Styrofoam balls with air drag

The drag effect on a falling ball caused by air is a conventional subject in the most well-known textbooks of classical mechanics and fluid dynamics. Further, there are some papers that employ video analysis to track objects movements in the air making it possible to obtain position data as a function of time and its graphs. However, none of them addresses the case of a ball thrown downwards, maybe because this situation is neglected by textbooks or probably due to the experimental difficulty to perform this kind of launch manually. In this paper, both the fall and the vertical launch down of five different Styrofoam balls are filmed with an ordinary smartphone camera and analysed by using the free software Tracker. The position and velocities graphs depicted clearly the air drag effect on the ball’s movements. The entire raw data are compared with a theoretical model and therefore terminal and initial velocities can be extracted as adjusted parameters from simple mathematical fits. The Reynolds number and the drag coefficient calculated for each ball agree with those found in the literature.

Monocular and binocular opto-locomotor reflex biases for random dot motion in mice.

We investigated the relationship between eyes receiving visual input of large field translating random dot motion and subsequent reflexive changes in running direction in mice. The animals were head-fixed running on a Styrofoam ball and the opto-locomotor reflex (OLR) was measured in response to 2 s of dots patterns moving horizontally to the left or right. We measured the OLR in conditions with both eyes open (binocular) and one eye closed (monocular). When we covered the right or left eye in the monocular condition, we found reflexive behavior to be delayed for a few hundred milliseconds to leftward or rightward motion, respectively. After this delay, the bias disappeared and reflexive behavior was similar to responses to motion under binocular conditions. These results might be explained by different contributions of subcortical and cortical visual motion processing pathways to the OLR. Furthermore, we found no evidence for nonlinear interactions between the two eyes, because the sum of the OLR of the two monocular conditions was equal in amplitude and temporal characteristics to the OLR under binocular conditions.

Opto-locomotor reflexes of mice to reverse-phi stimuli.

In a reverse-phi stimulus, the contrast luminance of moving dots is reversed each displacement step. Under those conditions, the direction of the moving dots is perceived in the direction opposite of the displacement direction of the dots. In this study, we investigate if mice respond oppositely to phi and reverse-phi stimuli. Mice ran head-fixed on a Styrofoam ball floating on pressurized air at the center of a large dome. We projected random dot patterns that were displaced rightward or leftward, using either a phi or a reverse-phi stimulus. For phi stimuli, changes in direction caused the mice to reflexively compensate and adjust their running direction in the direction of the displaced pattern. We show that for reverse-phi stimuli mice compensate in the direction opposite to the displacement direction of the dots, in accordance with the perceived direction of displacement in humans for reverse-phi stimuli.

The Eyes Have It: A Low-Cost Model for Corneal Foreign Body Removal Training.

This corneal foreign body simulator is designed to instruct junior emergency medicine (EM) residents and medical students with an interest in emergency medicine. Eye complaints are common in the emergency department (ED), accounting for approximately 2 million ED visits each year.1 Corneal foreign bodies (CFB) account for approximately 7.5% of these presentations, and many EM providers are uncomfortable with removal procedures.1-3 Simulation has been demonstrated to improve provider comfort with this skill.4,5 Previous models for CFB removal have been created using wax over glass spheres, molded materials with silicone and ballistics gel, bovine eyes, cardboard glove boxes with ink stains simulating foreign bodies and rust rings, and agar plates with pepper-corns. 4-9 Often, these models are expensive or time-consuming to create or lack spatial realism.We propose that a simple, inexpensive model will be effective in increasing emergency provider comfort with CFB removal under slit lamp magnification in addition to increasing provider comfort using a slit lamp. By the end of the session, the learner should be able to adequately focus a slit lamp in order to identify and magnify a corneal foreign body and demonstrate safe technique for removal of a corneal foreign body under slit lamp guidance. We created a low-fidelity CFB simulator for approximately $15 utilizing a Styrofoam ball, toothpicks, grapes, novelty glasses, and magnesium shavings. Toothpicks secured grapes into simulated orbits, scooped out of a Styrofoam ball. We fastened the Styrofoam ball to the slit lamp using medical tape. We added novelty glasses to simulate working around facial features. A senior resident instructor then used forceps to insert small magnesium shavings into the grapes to simulate foreign bodies. Participants received an introduction on techniques for successful CFB removal using the bevel of a needle under slit lamp guidance.10,11 They practiced using the models under supervision of an instructor. We conducted a prospective trial using a convenience sample of 19 learners at a university-based EM residency program, including EM interns, one emergency advanced-practice clinician, and fourth-year medical students participating in an EM sub-internship. We analyzed results using a Fisher's exact test. Before training, few participants (36.8%) had observed a corneal foreign body removal, and only 15.8% had performed the procedure. More than half (52.6%) of participants said they were somewhat or very comfortable using a slit lamp before the training and 89.5% were somewhat or very comfortable after training (p=0.029). None of the participants were somewhat or very comfortable removing CFBs before the training and 84.2% were somewhat or very comfortable post-training (p<0.001). Results suggest that simulation with this low-cost model effectively improves provider comfort in CFB removal in addition to improving comfort using a slit lamp. Eye exam, eye injury, ocular injury, corneal injury, corneal foreign body, slit lamp, corneal foreign body removal.

Implementação de sistema de condicionamento de sinais eletroencefalográficos portátil

Este trabalho mostra o desenvolvimento de um sistema de condicionamento de sinais EEG sem fio onde os mesmos são tratados por meio de processamento digital de sinais usando o software LabVIEW para a aplicação específica de acionamento de um cooler que controla a altura de uma bola de isopor que está dentro de um tubo plástico transparente de acordo com o tipo do sinal alfa e beta que corresponde, respectivamente, ao estado de relaxamento e concentração de um indivíduo. A comunicação sem fio das informações do hardware biomédico torna a aquisição de dados mais portátil à pessoa que fará uso de tal dispositivo. Obteve-se um ganho total da placa de condicionamento de sinais EEG de 11326,36 [V/V] para sinais aplicados a uma frequência de 20 Hz e a comunicação sem fio dos dados foi obtida com êxito através de dois módulos de rádio frequência NRF24L01. O protótipo para a aplicação deste sistema de condicionamento de sinais EEG sem fio controlou perfeitamente a aplicação, ou seja, a altura da bola de isopor. E validou-se o sistema utilizando um gerador de onda arbitrária da Agilent 30MHz 32521A que simularam sinais biológicos para a faixa de frequências de 0,1 e 40 Hz.

MRIgRT dynamic lung motion thorax anthropomorphic QA phantom: Design, development, reproducibility, and feasibility study.

To design, manufacture, and evaluate a dynamic magnetic resonance imaging/computed tomography (MRI/CT)-compatible anthropomorphic thorax phantom used to credential MR image-guided radiotherapy (MRIgRT) systems participating in NCI-sponsored clinical trials. The dynamic anthropomorphic thorax phantom was constructed from a water-fillable acrylic shell that contained several internal structures representing radiation-sensitive organs within the thoracic region. A custom MR/CT visible cylindrical insert was designed to simulate the left lung with a centrally located tumor target. The surrounding lung tissue was constructed from a heterogeneous in-house mixture using petroleum jelly and miniature (2-4mm diameter) styrofoam balls and the tumor structure was manufactured from liquid PVC plastic. An MR conditional pneumatic system was developed to allow the MRIgRT insert to move in similar inhale/exhale motions. TLDs and radiochromic EBT3 film were inserted into the phantom to measure absolute point doses and dose distributions, respectively. The dynamic MRIgRT thorax phantom was evaluated through a reproducibility study and a feasibility study. Comprehensive end-to-end examinations were done where the phantom was imaged on a CT, an IMRT treatment plan was created and an MR image was captured to verify treatment setup. Then, the phantom was treated on an MRIgRT system. The reproducibility study evaluated how well the phantom could be reproduced in an MRIgRT system by irradiating three times on an Elekta's 1.5T Unity system. The phantom was shipped to three independent institutions and was irradiated on either an MRIdian cobalt-60 (60 Co) or an MRIdian linear accelerator system. Treatment evaluations used TLDs and radiochromic film to compare the planned treatment reported on the treatment planning software against the measured dose on the dosimeters. The phantom on the Unity system had reproducible TLD doses measurements (SD<1.5%). The measured TLD to calculated dose ratios from the reproducibility and feasibility studies ranged from 0.93 to 1.01 and 0.96 to 1.03, respectively. Using a 7%/5mm gamma analysis criteria, the reproducibility and feasibility studies resulted in an average passing rate of 93.3% and 96.8%, respectively. No difference was noted in the results between the MRIdian 60 Co and MRIdian 6MV linac delivery to the phantom and all treatment evaluations were within IROC-Houston's acceptable criterion. A dosimetrically tissue equivalent, CT/MR visible, motion-enabled anthropomorphic MRIgRT thorax phantom was constructed to simulate a lung cancer patient and was evaluated as an appropriate NIH credentialing tool used for MRIgRT systems.

APPLICATION OF LUDIC ACTIVITY FOR LEARNING OF CHEMICAL CONCEPTS: CASE STUDY

In this work are presented the results obtained during the application of the ludic activity on some chemical concepts. The ludic helps students to be motivated by learning during the teaching process. Thus, students are able to assimilate abstract chemical concepts more effectively using some differentiated activity of low cost and in the classroom itself. Not needing another physical space of the school for this activity. During the application of the same, colored styrofoam balls of different sizes were required to represent the different chemical elements present in the chemical structures presented to the students. This case study happened in the second half of 2014, that is, after the teacher of the discipline presented the programmatic contents in a traditional way for the students of the first high school series of the José Bonifácio State College, a school located in the municipality of Paranaguá, Paraná, Brazil. In the first class, before starting the ludic activity, a multiple-choice evaluation was applied to evaluate how much the students remembered the contents previously developed by the teacher of the discipline in a traditional way (Annex I). In the second class, the ludic activity was applied. In the third class, another evaluation was applied, with more difficulty in the questions, to detect the level of learning of the content worked in a ludic way (Annex II). From the results obtained, in the traditional teaching method, only 7.2% of the students evaluated were able to score above the average value of the questions. Already after the application of the ludic activity, 97.3% of the students surveyed achieved a set number above the average value of the questions. This fact demonstrated the methodological efficiency used, as well as the reality that differentiated activities really motivate learning, as well as allowing students to assimilate and store this knowledge for a longer period of time.

Mechanical properties of concrete with substitution of coated styrofoam balls on coarse aggregate

Substitution of Styrofoam balls on coarse aggregates reduced concrete self-weight. Coating on Styrofoam ball surface makes ball has shell on its surface and could increase the adhesive strength between ball surfaces and cement paste. The coating materials made by mixing of Portland cement and RCC-15 (Residual Catalytic Cracker-15) as pozzolanic material. 20 mm diameter Styrofoam balls are used. Coarse aggregates substituted by 5%, 15%, and 20% Styrofoam balls. The test specimens used three 10x20cm cylinders for each variant. Beam specimens of 15x15x60cm used for bending strength test by third point loading method. The testing of mechanical properties were 7, 14, and 28 days compressive strengths, 28 days split-tensile strengths and 28 days flexural strengths. The experimental results of concrete with various Styrofoam ball substitutions of 5%, 15%, and 20% at 28 days show the average compressive strengths are 27.6 MPa, 24.3 MPa, and 20.3 MPa, the splittensile strengths are 2.5 MPa, 2.2 MPa, and 1.7 MPa, and the flexural strengths are 5 MPa, 4.5 MPa, and 3.8 MPa, respectively. The compression strength could be predicted by density ratio method and air content method. The experimental results show that all of the variants of Styrofoam ball coarse aggregates concrete are adequate to achieve structural strength, and have nearly compressive strengths compared with the prediction by density ratio method and air content method. Styrofoam balls substitution content could be increased to make the concrete density below 1,900 kg/m3 and compressive strength above 17.5 MPa to reach structural lightweight concrete performance.

Manufacturing and improving the characteristics of the isolation of concrete composites by additive Styrofoam particulate

This paper reports the results of experimental works that have been performed to investigate the mechanical and thermal properties of lightweight foamed concrete (LFC) with different additives. The inclusion of Styrofoam balls (s=8) in concrete cast and the consequence of changes in thermal conductivity and compression strength have been investigated. Different volume fractions of SFB were particulate in concrete cast and ways to achieve a degree of uniform distribution of (LFC) were also conducted. The thermal conductivity at a particular volume fraction of SFB that caused a loss in the compression strength of concentration 12% has caused a gain in thermal isolation behavior of concentration 30%. As a consequence of compositing (LFC) concrete a gain in less-mass cast is a achieved. Thus by composite (LFC) in concrete and a advantageous gain in both isolation behavior and less-mass cast is reached to the expense of some loss in the compression strength of the cast composite.

Computerized photogrammetric assessment of postural alignment in visually impaired athletes

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to provide a computerized photogrammetric description of the postural alignment of visually impaired athletes. MethodsTwenty-six athletes were evaluated. Athletes were asked to stand at easy with styrofoam balls placed on selected anatomical landmarks, and photographic images were acquired in four viewpoints. Postural Assessment Software (PAS/SAPO) was applied for image analysis. Body's angles and distances were calculated and transformed in absolute (nonnegative) values for analysis. Factor analysis was applied for data reduction. ResultsAbsolute values of PAS/SAPO variables resulted in lower coefficient of variation (CV) than raw values (average of 57% versus 500%, respectively), which potentially enhances the comparative use of these measures. Head's forward positioning and rightward inclination were among the most prevalent postural deviation, being observed in more than 70% of the athletes. With respect to the magnitude of the deviation, large variability was observed in data derived from anterior/posterior compared with lateral viewpoint. For instance, head's rightward inclination (head horizontal alignment in the anterior view) achieved 2.9 ± 2.5° (mean ± SD), with a CV of 86%, while head's forward positioning (C7 horizontal alignment in left viewpoint) reaches 42.7 ± 6.6°, with a CV of only 16%. Factor analysis did not result in significant data reduction, although anterior body's angles and distances were identified as important sources of data variability. ConclusionsThe PAS/SAPO values described here can be adopted as reference for future investigations of postural alignment in visually impaired athletes.

The opto-locomotor reflex as a tool to measure sensitivity to moving random dot patterns in mice

We designed a method to quantify mice visual function by measuring reflexive opto-locomotor responses. Mice were placed on a Styrofoam ball at the center of a large dome on the inside of which we projected moving random dot patterns. Because we fixed the heads of the mice in space and the ball was floating on pressurized air, locomotion of the mice was translated to rotation of the ball, which we registered. Sudden onsets of rightward or leftward moving patterns caused the mice to reflexively change their running direction. We quantified the opto-locomotor responses to different pattern speeds, luminance contrasts, and dot sizes. We show that the method is fast and reliable and the magnitude of the reflex is stable within sessions. We conclude that this opto-locomotor reflex method is suitable to quantify visual function in mice.

Acoustic vortex beam created with a continuous phase ramp lens and resulting radiation torque response of a sphere

An acoustic vortex beam was created in water using a lens with a phase ramp placed in front of a focused transducer. The lens was made from a polystyrene disk and CAD machine milled to have a continuous ramp in height about the center axis, with the ramp step height corresponding to a 2π phase difference between waves propagating in water and polystyrene at 500 kHz. This causes the transmitted beam through the lens to exit as a vortex beam with an angular phase ramp. It has been predicted [L. Zhang and P. L. Marston, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 136, 2917–2921 (2014)] that the torque exerted by a vortex beam on an impenetrable sphere in a viscous fluid is proportional to the incident intensity due to dissipation of angular momentum in the viscous boundary layer near the sphere. This should result in steady rotation of the sphere with viscous drag proportional to angular velocity. Our upward-directed vortex beam was used to trap and spin a Styrofoam (closed foam) ball floating at the water surface. The spin rate was approximately proportional to the square of the source voltage as expected. [Work supported by ONR.]

Visual assessment of scapular position following delayed breast reconstruction with the latissimus dorsi flap or the thoracodorsal artery perforator flap

Background: The latissimus dorsi (LD) flap and the thoracodorsal artery perforator (TAP) flap can both be used for delayed breast reconstruction. There is an ongoing debate, whether the LD flap causes shoulder and arm morbidity in the short as well as the long term. The TAP flap technique has been developed to avoid the possible morbidity caused by the harvest of the LD flap. The aim of this study was to develop a method for photographic assessment of the back and position of the scapula following delayed breast reconstruction using the LD flap or the TAP flap Methods: We examined 33 women aged 38 to 71 years, who had a delayed breast reconstruction with the LD flap in 16 cases and a TAP flap in 17 cases. We recorded standardized photos of all participants, which were marked by Styrofoam balls at four anatomical landmarks in the back. The position of the corners of the scapula was marked relative to the columna. These positions were used to calculate the position of the scapula relative to the columna and then divided into a score for the operated side (Sop) and a score for the non-operated side (Snop) as well as the difference between the two (Sdiff). The Sdiff was used as a measure of scapula asymmetry. We used a Student’s t-tests to compare the Sdiff between the LD group and the TAP group to examine if there was a significant difference between groups. Results: There was a significant difference between scapular position in the LD and the TAP group, Sdiff (LD: 57.2 Â ±11.6, TAP: 18.6 Â ±8.3, P=0.01) and for Sop (LD: 322.6 Â ±9.8, TAP: 287.4 Â ±7.4, P=0.007). The was no significant difference between the Snop. Conclusions: We developed a method for assessment of the scapula position in patients who had a delayed breast reconstruction with a skin flap from the back. There was a significant difference between the position of the scapula operated by the LD flap and the TAP flap in the Sop but not in the Snop.

The perceptual organization of space is preserved even if based on a different (quantity of) visual input

Purpose: We investigate the ability of adults with and without visual impairment estimate distances between stimuli in real environment. Methods: We evaluated 12 subjects aged between 20 and 40 years in which 6 subjects with normal vision (mean age=31.0, SD=6.5), and 6 subjects with visual impairment (mean age=27.7, SD=7.8). Two styrofoam balls of 10cm in diameter were used, painted in black and a line of white velcro of 3.5 meters was fixed in the floor of a hallway without lateral references. Psychophysical scaling was evaluated by magnitude estimation and the exponent of the Stevens' law was calculated. Results: The calculated exponent for the controls was 1.13 for near judgment and 1.11 for far distances. The low vision group showed exponent values of 1.01 for near and 0.96 for far distances judgment. There was a statistical difference for 120cm of distance between balls for near (F10=88.21, p&lt;0.001) and a tendency to difference for 200cm (F10=3.81, p=0.079) between groups. Conclusions: Our scaling procedure shows that despite the reduction in the distance judged by the low vision subjects, their internal representation of space is preserved. Similar exponent values indicates that their suprathreshold impression of the distance follow the same rules of the normal subject.

Locomotion Induces Stimulus-Specific Response Enhancement in Adult Visual Cortex.

The responses of neurons in the visual cortex (V1) of adult mammals have long been thought to be stable over long periods. Here, we investigated whether repeated exposure to specific stimuli would enhance V1 visual responses in mice using intrinsic signal imaging through the intact skull and two-photon imaging of calcium signals in single neurons. Mice ran on Styrofoam balls floating on air while viewing one of three different, high-contrast visual stimuli. V1 responses to the stimuli that were viewed by the animal were specifically enhanced, while responses to other stimuli were unaffected. Similar exposure in stationary mice or in mice in which NMDA receptors were partially blocked did not significantly enhance responses. These findings indicate that stimulus-specific plasticity in the adult visual cortex depends on concurrent locomotion, presumably as a result of the high-gain state of the visual cortex induced by locomotion.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We report a rapid and persistent increase in visual cortical responses to visual stimuli presented during locomotion in intact mice. We first used a method that is completely noninvasive to image intrinsic signals through the intact skull. We then measured the same effects on single neurons using two-photon calcium imaging and found that the increase in response to a particular stimulus produced by locomotion depends on how well the neuron is initially driven by the stimulus. To our knowledge, this is the first time such enhancement has been described in single neurons or using noninvasive measurements.

Naturalistic path integration of Cataglyphis desert ants on an air-cushioned lightweight spherical treadmill

Air-cushioned spheres are widely used as treadmills to study behavioural and neurophysiological questions in numerous species. We describe an improved spherical treadmill design that reliably registers the path and walking behaviour of an animal walking on top of the sphere. The simple and robust set-up consists of a very light hollowed styrofoam ball supported by an air stream in a hollow half sphere and can be used indoors and outdoors. Two optical mouse sensors provided with lenses of 4.6 mm focal length detect the motion of the sphere with a temporal resolution of more than 200 frames s-1 and a spatial resolution of less than 0.2 mm. The treadmill can be used in an open- or closed-loop configuration with respect to yaw of the animal. The tethering allows animals to freely adjust their body posture and in the closed-loop configuration to quickly rotate around their yaw axis with their own moment of inertia. In this account, we present the first evidence of naturalistic homing navigation on a spherical treadmill for two species of Cataglyphis desert ants. We were able to evaluate with good precision the walking speed and angular orientation at any time. During homing the ants showed a significant difference in walking speed between the approach and search phases; moreover, they slowed down significantly as soon as they reached zero vector state, the fictive nest position.