EUCYS | 22 nd edition 28 Lisbon 2010 29 Project Abstracts Amylase is a tiny enzyme that turns starch into sugar, promotes grain crop germination and makes fruit sweet. Amylase is also used in large quanti- ties for the treatment of starch in ethanol production. High temperatures are needed during industrial processing, which in turn mean considerable energy consumption. Each degree of temperature that can be saved lowers the manufacturing costs and CO2 emissions. This energy-saving applica- tion only works with proteins, however, which have been tailor-made for this purpose with designer amylase. And this is exactly where the project of this young students comes in. Supported by scientists at the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, the team performed experiments to alter the complex structure of an amylase. The series of test proved positive and the experiment itself was conducted with bacteria capable of integrating a spe- cial amino acid. Measurements demonstrated that Amylase 2.0 breaks down rapidly, just like its natural counterpart. This project involves looking for an active antibacterial substance that can be produced in an environmentally-friendly way. That is how these students came across chitosan, a polyaminosaccharide that is used in medicine, waste water treatment, cosmetics and several purposes. The great advantage of this colourless, tough material is the wide range of applications it can be used for: anti-bacterial and into-inflammatory, it binds aromas, fats, pro- teins and heavy metals and is organically decomposable. The potential of chitosan to be applied as an alternative to conventional dressing solutions in agriculture has encouraged the young nutrition experts to investigate this substance, which until now has been obtained from the shells of crabs. For the experiment, two types of mould were embedded in a nutrient medium. Cultures were also grown in Roux bottles and chemical absorbers in which moulds thrived, and in the fermenter. Chitosan certainly has potential ac- cording to the participants. Simone Valerie Reiter [email protected]Lisa Pusch [email protected]Maximilian August Habl [email protected]Felix Strasser [email protected]austria BELARUS Pimp my Enzyme! – Protein Upgrade via Synthetic Biology Biology Booth nº 42 Biology Booth nº 43 Production and Isolation of Chitosan ICS - which stands for “Inclination Control System” - is a controller for technical systems that so far has only been tested on a model radio-con- trolled car. The heart of the controller is an acceleration sensor that records and analyses movements. Axis X is responsible for the throttle while axis Y is for steering. A radio link is used to send data at a rapid 2.4 GHz between the controller and receiver, where the data is transformed into signals for steering and controlling the electric motor. All that is needed is a flick of the wrist and the car responds accordingly. Each change in angle is transmitted immediately to the model car: steering, braking and accelerating are all con- trolled with a single hand. Using this single-handed control system would make it much easier for people with limited movement or disabilities to perform everyday tasks. The idea is certainly to extend applications beyond radio-controlled cars in future like for household appliances, music and lighting. Some problems posted by P. Erdös [1] are the basis of this research. They present two problems investigated and generalized in our project. Various sequences of s different numbers are chosen from the integers be- longing to a segment [1, T]. Let denote such sequences by As. The main pur- poses of investigation are to calculate or estimate the following values. 1) Maximum of minimum values of the least common multiple (l.c.m.) of m integers, where the minimum is taken among all sets of m numbers chosen from above sequences and maximum is chosen among all such minima cal- culated for any sequences As. 2) Minimum of maximum values of the greatest common divisor (g.c.d.) of m numbers, where the maximum is taken among all sets of m numbers cho- sen from above sequences and minimum is chosen among all such maxima calculated for any sequences As. For the research we use methods of number theory and analysis. The main results of the project are the following: the first problem has been fully. Lukas Pfarr [email protected]Volha Shumskaya [email protected]Jonas Kasal ICS – Inclination Control System Extremal properties of l.c.m. and g.c.d. for sequences Engineering Booth nº 64 Mathematics Booth nº 78
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EUCYS | 22nd edition28 Lisbon 2010 29
Project Abstracts
Amylase is a tiny enzyme that turns starch into sugar, promotes grain crop germination and makes fruit sweet. Amylase is also used in large quanti-ties for the treatment of starch in ethanol production. High temperatures are needed during industrial processing, which in turn mean considerable energy consumption. Each degree of temperature that can be saved lowers the manufacturing costs and CO2 emissions. This energy-saving applica-tion only works with proteins, however, which have been tailor-made for this purpose with designer amylase. And this is exactly where the project of this young students comes in. Supported by scientists at the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, the team performed experiments to alter the complex structure of an amylase. The series of test proved positive and the experiment itself was conducted with bacteria capable of integrating a spe-cial amino acid. Measurements demonstrated that Amylase 2.0 breaks down rapidly, just like its natural counterpart.
This project involves looking for an active antibacterial substance that can be produced in an environmentally-friendly way. That is how these students came across chitosan, a polyaminosaccharide that is used in medicine, waste water treatment, cosmetics and several purposes. The great advantage of this colourless, tough material is the wide range of applications it can be used for: anti-bacterial and into-inflammatory, it binds aromas, fats, pro-teins and heavy metals and is organically decomposable. The potential of chitosan to be applied as an alternative to conventional dressing solutions in agriculture has encouraged the young nutrition experts to investigate this substance, which until now has been obtained from the shells of crabs. For the experiment, two types of mould were embedded in a nutrient medium. Cultures were also grown in Roux bottles and chemical absorbers in which moulds thrived, and in the fermenter. Chitosan certainly has potential ac-cording to the participants.
Pimp my Enzyme! – Protein Upgrade via Synthetic Biology
BiologyBooth nº 42
BiologyBooth nº 43
Production and Isolation of Chitosan
ICS - which stands for “Inclination Control System” - is a controller for technical systems that so far has only been tested on a model radio-con-trolled car. The heart of the controller is an acceleration sensor that records and analyses movements. Axis X is responsible for the throttle while axis Y is for steering. A radio link is used to send data at a rapid 2.4 GHz between the controller and receiver, where the data is transformed into signals for steering and controlling the electric motor. All that is needed is a flick of the wrist and the car responds accordingly. Each change in angle is transmitted immediately to the model car: steering, braking and accelerating are all con-trolled with a single hand. Using this single-handed control system would make it much easier for people with limited movement or disabilities to perform everyday tasks. The idea is certainly to extend applications beyond radio-controlled cars in future like for household appliances, music and lighting.
Some problems posted by P. Erdös [1] are the basis of this research. They present two problems investigated and generalized in our project. Various sequences of s different numbers are chosen from the integers be-longing to a segment [1, T]. Let denote such sequences by As. The main pur-poses of investigation are to calculate or estimate the following values. 1) Maximum of minimum values of the least common multiple (l.c.m.) of m integers, where the minimum is taken among all sets of m numbers chosen from above sequences and maximum is chosen among all such minima cal-culated for any sequences As. 2) Minimum of maximum values of the greatest common divisor (g.c.d.) of m numbers, where the maximum is taken among all sets of m numbers cho-sen from above sequences and minimum is chosen among all such maxima calculated for any sequences As.For the research we use methods of number theory and analysis.The main results of the project are the following: the first problem has been fully.
In the research the properties of one-dimensional cellular automata are investigated. Rather, on the basis of n cells line we define the vector . So, the action of the automaton can be represented with the linear map , over field Let us to consider the state graph , for which: . The main objective is investigating of structure of graph . Specifically, the following propositions were proved:
Theorem 1“Null” tree is a p-nary tree accurate within a loop in the root en (0,0..0) for Theorem 2For operator , that describes functionality of ACS-automaton*, tree’s height•equals(p=2),ifwhere.•equals(p≠2), if where .•equals.Theorem 3Tree’s height equals (for the operator of a capture of a difference**) if where , .Theorem 4If , then the tree attracted by each vertex of each cycle of states graph is isomorphic to tree attracted by vertex en (0,0..0).
All problems we have researched are absolutely new and formulated here for the first time. We researched problems connected with optimization in combinatorial geometry and cryptography.Let there were n source points in space. A set of k lines in space such that each of lines contains exactly one source point is called a k-pencil Let neighbor lines of be parallel and equally-spaced; then this k-pencil is called balanced. Any union is called a kl-grid then we say that The common question of the following problems is to find minimal m according to n such that it is definitely available to restore source points. Problem1. Suppose one has cleared n source points of the plane; let m n-pencils be given.Problem2.Suppose one has cleared n source points of the plane. Distinct unsigned source points’ projections to m unparallel lines are given. Problem3. In let be n source points; suppose m n-pencils are given.
Roeland is passionate by the black holes, these celestial objects that have such high gravities that nothing, not even light, can escape from it. Although they look simple, the singularities in their cores exist under circumstances of space and time that are not yet well understood. Roeland has explored the theoretical problems linked to the full understanding of those astonishing objects for which the laws of quantum physics and the Albert Einsteins laws of gravitation seem to contradict.
The tannery industry generates a large amount of wastewater containing high concentrations of pollutants. These compounds when released into the environment affect biological systems. An alternative for the treatment of wastewater is called bioremediation, a technological process that uses organisms to remove pollutants. The research project, here stated, tested the removal of dye, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, iron and lithium, through a filtration system using the biomass of the fungus Aspergillus niger as the agent remover of pollutants. The results indicated that the filtration system developed is able to remove all the compounds studied. The analysis showed the following results (removal of pollutants): dye Brown Antique: 78.6%, iron: 81.7%, calcium: 70.3%, magnesium 78.4%, nitrogen: 64.1% and lithium: 82%. It was concluded that the filtration process was efficient and the results suggest the possibility of using it as an alternative method in wastewater treatment.
Peter and Alexis tried to find an alternative to the Cavendish experiment measuring the gravitational constant. Inspired by the work done by the French scientist George Paturel, they designed an experiment to directly measure the acceleration of the pendulum instead of its displacement. Using a mirror, lasers, lead balls, a Faraday cage and regression analysis, they were able to evaluate the average parabolic movement of the phenomena.
Utilization of the fungus Aspergillus niger on wastewater treatment II
The Darras-Featherstone balance
PhysicsBooth nº 21
PhysicsBooth nº 22
Biology Booth nº 44
Structure of a state graph of cellular automata the defined type
A points’ reconstruction problem
MathematicsBooth nº 79
MathematicsBooth nº 80
EUCYS | 22nd edition32
Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 33
The aim of the paper is to develop and investigate some highly efficient algorithms used for hiding information in a file. The main idea is the developed algorithms to be compared to another popular steganographic algorithm with the help of practical experiments and research. The main goal is to create a free and easy to use software for hiding information in a file. The project is developed in result of problems related to the global Internet network, like computer piracy and terrorism. Protection of files by hiding invisible information is a convenient solution.
The problem of Apollonius is to construct a circle tangent to three givencircles. In the project the famous solution given by Gergonne, the newsolution in the plane and the new solution in the space are presented.The Apollonius problem requires straightedge and compass constructionwhich has made it so interesting and many mathematicians have tried tosolve it.The last known solution of this kind is the Gergonne’s solution given inthe nineteenth century. There are several methods using different coordinatesystems but these are not straightedge and compass constructions. The solutionin the project does not break the rules for the construction and thismakes it unique because only few are known until now.
This project is based on the “Isogonal Conjugation and Fermat’s Problem with Three Positive Weights”. The topic “Geometrical Inequalities Based on Fermat’s Problem” includes, as the title says, inequalities based on Fermat’s problem. There are 57 solved problems, and each one produces an unique geometrical inequality. Some of them are known, the others are produced by the authors. The aim of the project is to find and to organize “good” geometrical inequalities based on Fermat’s problem with three positive weights. These discovered inequalities are purely geometrical – they measure the distance between two triangle centers.The inequalities can be used for IMO shortlists and other mathematical competitions. On the other hand, the inequalities show a geometric construction, so they might be very useful for understanding some geometric graphs with perimeter 3 which are used by mobile phones companies.
bulgaria canadaSteganographic algorithms – Research, analysis and realization
A new solution of the Apollonius problem
Geometrical Inequalities Based on the Fermat’s problem
Computing Booth nº 14
Mathematics Booth nº 81
Mathematics Booth nº 82
A novel computer interface experience is created. Red-cyan 3D imaging gives the impression that objects are located in front of the computer screen. The user wears a headset tagged with an infrared LED, which is tracked by two infrared cameras in wii remotes. A computer can then triangulate the location of the infrared LED. This enables the display to adjust in real time in response to head movements, making the 3D experience extremely realistic. Moving from side to side allows the user to see the 3D environment from different angles. The user’s hand is tagged with an infrared LED, which is tracked in a similar fashion, allowing the user to interact with the 3D environment. The user can “grab” virtual objects and move them around in 3D space. This type of user interface could be integrated into any computing environment, especially in fields concerned with manipulating 3D models, such as engineering and architecture.
Avatouch: A 3D Computing User InterfaceComputing Booth nº 15
Nowadays a wide range of appliances are used with remote control. To realize remote control by using different control panels may cause inconvenience for operation and maintenance. Thus a proposal for universal remote control of all the appliances was raised. Considering the main function and methods of appliances, the feasibility analysis for function integration and functional extension has been carried out. With the support of radio-electronic technology, the universal appliances remote control by “reproduction-resending of infrared signal” has been achieved. Meanwhile an infrared remote control/radio-frequency lighting control circuit and the remote ring circuit are configured on the remote control to realize two ways multi-mode lighting remote control and quick positioning for life convenience.This design is achieved with economized cost and is easy for maintenance. Furthermore, it demonstrates the significance of appliance remote control signal for standard controller currency.
chinaThe Design of Integrated Universal Remote Control Appliance
Engineering Booth nº 65
The problem of Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is currently becoming a serious mental health problem among Chinese adolescents. The pathogenesis of IAD, however, remains unclear. The study objectives included 14 IAD adolescents and 14 counterpart healthy controls by the methods of the FMRI （functional magnetic resonance imaging（and brain spectroscopy. The result showed that the function of frontal lobe to adolescent addiction is abnormal and there existed suspicious lesions in frontal lobe in some way. This prompted us that we should do notification education of disease to IAD and closely watch the occurrence and development of brain lesions and take effective action for medical intervention.
The Diagnosis and Preliminary Study of Suspicious Brain Lesion for Adolescents with Internet Addiction Disorder
Medicine Booth nº 7
EUCYS | 22nd edition34
Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 35
Dry-cleaning industry is a controversial industry in China and other countries. The main reason for laundry complaints lies in the substitute of water wash for so-called dry cleaning. Currently in China and abroad there is no technical means to monitor and identify dry-cleaning, and laws are established without the support of technologies, resulting in an increasing rate of complaints every year. The Identification Device offers visual determination for fake dry cleaning and thus extends the service life of your clothes. It is a preventive measure for reducing environmental pollution and achieving harmonious society.
Nanoclusters, nanosystems with exotic properties, have become an important subject of human interest. Nanoclusters are particles standing on the boundary line of single molecule and bulk matter. They are the main building blocks of nanomaterials and the knowledge of their properties leads to developing new nanomaterials.We have introduced a complete phase diagram of selected CO2 nanoclusters. These unique graphs show stability of a given phase (solid, liquid, gas) for cluster in dependence on the temperature and pressure. With the use of theoretical models, sophisticated Monte Carlo methods, and supercomputer, we predict properties of these nanoscaled systems. Our contribution is the inclusion of pressure that has not been applied to this systems before. Our results can be used for example in a following research of greenhouse gases storage into the deep ocean and other technical applications.
Brassinosteroids (BRs) occur in every known plant species in minimum amounts and have diverse functions in plant development, growth and physiology. I assumed that the exogenous application of of BRs could significantly affect e.g. morphological and photosynthetic characteristics of maize (Zea mays L.).I observed the positive response of plant morphology to BRs particularly when low BRs concentrations were applied. It seems that maize plants respond better to lower concentrations of exogenously applied BRs and that primary photosynthetic processes are not much influenced by these phytohormones. Brassinosteroids are used in several countries around the world for improvement of plant growth and yield and I think it would be nice to use them more widely in Europe as well.
Research on Dry-cleaning Identification and Identification Device
Complete Phase Diagram of CO2 Nanoclusters
The brassinosteroid effect on photosynthetic and mor-phological characteristics of various maize genotypes
Engineering Booth nº 66
Physics Booth nº 23
Biology Booth nº 45
The presented study address the difference in ecology, habitat selection and nesting biology of the two sympatric species of redstarts (Aves: Passeriformes): the black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) and the common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus). According to their age and species, the sighted males were grouped into three categories: juvenile black redstarts, adult black redstarts and common redstarts.The research resulted in a total number of 187 assigned redstart territories based on 483 sightings of singing males. We were able to detect the differences of habitat preferences and nesting season dynamic among the two redstart species.We also compared the statistical accuracy of the two territory assigning methods. Our results indicate that both redstart species differ in the territory size and biotope composition.The results corroborates the ecological trends and preferences of sympatric black and common redstart’s populations in other sites of Czech Republic and in Europe.
Nesting ecology and the habitat preferneces of the black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) and common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) in Eastern Bohemia.
The humpback whales have in the last millions of years through evolution, developed ever more efficient flippers that acts as wings in the water. Only in the last hundred years humans have tried to make efficient wings. The humpback whale has developed bumps along the front of their flippers – maybe we could learn something from this?To test the theory I’ve build two airfoils, one traditional and one inspired by the humpback whale, and done two experiments. In the first I pulled the two airfoils through water and tried to observe and clarify the stream lines around the wings. In the second experiment I tested if the whale-inspired airfoil was more easily forced to accelerate in water. I invented a new way to test the efficiency of wings by measuring their acceleration in water. The results were very clear. The whale-inspired wing met far less resistance. Whale-inspired wings do absolutely hold a great potential and I will keep studying them and doing more experiments.
denmarkNew design of wing profiles inspired by the humpback whale
Physics Booth nº 24
EUCYS | 22nd edition36
Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 37
This project is about the mediator-less Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC). The MFC use bacteria to turn organic matter into electricity. I build a MFC by putting graphite electrodes in an iron-rich lake-sediment. The effect of the MFC vs. the number of bacteria was investigated, and my results indicate that the number of bacteria is correlated with the effect of the MFC. Furthermore I have preformed experiments to optimize several variables; external resistance, oxygen, pH and substrates. I have found that the MFC differs from normal fuel cells, because the optimal external resistance is higher than expected, because of a “charging effect” in the MFC. Low pH and a high level of oxygen in the MFC seem optimal for the ion-transport and thereby for the effect of the MFC. Finally I have shown that wastewater sludge well can be used as a substrate for the MFC. The perspectives of this technology is thereby water treatment AND sustainable energy production with bacteria.
This project describes how it might be possible to produce energy from sunlight and water. By using biotechnology to combine some of the amazing features that nature has developed through billions of years, it might be possible to make an organism that produces hydrogen from sunlight and water. Hydrogen is a clean and sustainable alternative to the conventional fuels that are used today. This makes capturing solar energy and storing it directly in hydrogen an excellent option. The project describes how to carry out a genetic fusion between one of the complexes that plants uses to catch solar energy and an enzyme, which is able to use the energy captured by those complexes to produce hydrogen. Besides from being able to produce non-polluting energy, the organism will have the ability to reproduce itself. This project may be a step towards a production of biohydrogen with genetically modified microorganisms.
In this study, a capillary zone electrophoresis method was developed to simultaneously determine preservatives, artificial sweeteners and colours used as food additives in various beverages. Satisfactory separation between all studied additives occurring together was achieved within 15 minutes run-time by using a 10M borate buffer at pH 9.5 as the aqueous phase and a regular uncoated capillary. To ease the analysing process, an optimal wavelength of 200 nm was chosen (with the exception of ascorbic acid- 265 nm). Analysis of food additives is extremely important for both food safety and human health. Developed method has a potential to become (after validation) a routine separation method to use in laboratories were food analyses are carried on a daily basis. Capillary zone electrophoresis is more environmentally friendly, time and material saving and thus cheaper when compared to alternative analysis methods (e.g. liquid chromatography).
estoniaDevelopment of a capillary zone electrophoresis method for the analysis of food additives in beverages
This study describes the design, synthesis and evaluation of ARC-3000, a representative of adenosine analog-oligoarginine conjugates (ARCs) developed as bisubstrate inhibitors of protein kinases. ARC-3000 consists of an Fasudil moiety linked to a short peptide fragment (d-Arg)2 via flexible hydrophobic linker containing a chiral element (d-Lys). ARC-3000 showed high affinity towards Rho kinase II (ROCK; Kd 22.2 nM), thus demonstrating better potency than several commercially available ROCK inhibitors. Moreover, ARC-3000 had four-fold greater affinity towards ROCK than towards the closely related protein kinase PKAc (Kd 83.3 nM). The significant selectivity of ARC-3000 was further confirmed by screening the inhibitor against PKGIα, PKBγ, PKCη, p70S6K, and MSK1. The results proved that ARC-3000 served as an effective ROCK inhibitor and a putative molecule for the further development of ROCK assays in vitro and in vivo.
The synthesis and biological characterization of ARC-3000, the conjugate of Fasudil and oligo-D-arginine
Trying to keep up with today’s fast pace of life is affecting more and more people, making them suffer from various diseases which are usually caused by stress. Stress activates the nervous system, which causes higher pain tolerance levels. This process is called stress induced analgesia (SIA). Certain neurochemical and physiological changes can be seen during this activation that are similar in both animals and humans. The authors are trying to prove that different stress mechanisms will activate in different types of mice. One of the types (B6) is less anxious and very active, while the other type (129) is anxious and passive. The results showed that inactive mice with little motoric activity in a stressful situation, interpreted the same stress as higher. But mice from the inactive line, who moved around more, showed lesser amounts of SIA. Hence the inactive person can interpret stress as lighter if he or she comes out of hisor her passiveness and exercises more.
Does Pregnancy weaken the bone ?A number of 59 pregnant women has been admitted into the study to investigate the effect of pregnancy on bone-density and bone-mass by quantitative ultrasound-sonometry (QUS). During the course of pregnancy three measurements have been taken, I.QUS between 9.-12. week of gestational age , II.QUS between 19.-22. and III.QUS between 29.-32. week of gestational age. Three groups of women have been established (A-C), depending on the level of bone-density ( t-score) in first trimenon. The group (C) of women to start pregnancy on the highest t-score-level was also the group of youngest average of age and showed an increase of bone-density initially.The group showing an intermediate (B) or low-level (A) of t-score initially was found to develop a drop in t-score-results and with it a loss of bone density.
european schools
Analgesia in Mice
Does Pregnancy weaken the bone? Pregnancy Associ-ated Decrease of bone-mass
Medicine Booth nº 8
Medicine Booth nº 9
EUCYS | 22nd edition38
Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 39
The system which Joona has developed can control an industrial robot in a coordinate-free environment using machine vision. There are many problems in controlling an ordinary industrial robot. For example, the working environment must be static or predictable. Joona´s control system is based on a coordinate-free method of one active point. In this method, you can define the positions of points in relation to the current position. It means that the control data is relative and the system does not need a fixed system of coordinates. It is a prominent advantage when working in a changing or nonpredictable environment. In practice Joona’s machine vision system consists of a camera, machine vision software and control electronics which he has developed. Industrial robots equipped with machine vision control can do all the dangerous and hard jobs which only people have been able to do so far. Using this system will enable people to work in more demanding and meaningful jobs.
Our work focused on studying the fall of the maple samara. Sorting was carried out among hundreds of seeds to select a profile type. Video footage of the fall of the samara and profile views from above were performed with a digital camera. They were then processed and analyzed to characterize the movement, in particular to determine its nature, the speed limit and the angular velocity, and the expression of the aerodynamic force. In order to study morphological factors (mass of seed, the wing area), models were produced and we studied their limitations. The successful spread and, ultimately, the survival of samaras in nature depends on the performance of the fall slowed by the rotation of the seed.
Municipal solid wastes cause many problems if they are not recycled, and the renewable energy is very active. We decided to find the way of the development of environmentally sound and economically effective biorefinery for reprocessing of unsorted municipal solid wastes. For the fermentation of the municipal solid wastes cellulolitic, saccharolytic and methane-forming bacteria were used, which were taken from the swampy soil, forest soil, municipal landfill and cattle dung. In the conditions of laboratory, they were cultivated and used for organic wastes fermentation. Isolation and cultivation of the hydrogen producing anaerobic bacteria was needed for hydrogen formation. Cellulolitic and methane forming bacteria was used to produce bio methane, splitting of anaerobic process in hydrogen and methane fermentation was used, to separate bio hydrogen. As a result, we got combined production of hydrogen, methane and dry organic-mineral fertilizers.
The starting point of our project was the illustration of the “singing arc” invented by William Duddell in 1900’s. In order to understand the physics behind this phenomena, we have developed several prototypes. When we look backward, we started reading about an unknown subject and today we are using the latest technologies to improve the quality of the sound produced by the plasma. We are quite familiar with commuting power at high frequencies, we spent a lot of time adapting the delta sigma modulation of an audio signal to the generation of a plasma, and we can appreciate now the quality of the sound produced by this technique. The last development we had to work on was the horn of the loud speaker, we manufactured it with Plexiglas, and we can see the plasma dancing and singing. Our latest idea is the electrodes arrangement, we wanted to increase the plasma interaction with the air to improve the response of the plasma at low frequency. The first results look very promising.
Our goal was to synthesize functional Polyesteramides. We derived polyesteramides with active functional groups, which can be used directly without additional activation. So we skipped the gruelling steps of functionalization and got a new class of biodegradable functional polymers – Epoxy-polyesteramides on the basis of natural （-Amino acids, aliphatic diols and cis- and –trans- epoxy succinic acids. We studied the ways of chemical modifications of derived epoxy-polymers, which proved that new epoxy-polymers stand out with their high reaction ability and can interact in mild conditions with nucleophyls (Amines) and electrophyls. They have the ability to fasten rate of growth of skin cells. The medications made on the base of these epoxy-polyesteramides can be used widely as to treat thermal, chemical, radiation and sunburns, cuts, ulcers, fungal diseases and other outer body damages even such minor ones as mosquito’s bites.
Biodegradable Epoxy-Polyesteramides - A New Class of Polymers for Medical Applications
Medicine Booth nº 10
Since the discovery of graphene in 2004 by a British team of researchers, it has been attracting great interest. By now it is one of the most current topics of solid state physics and nanotechnology. Graphene is a mono-atomic honeycomb-lattice of carbon; it is exactly one layer of graphite. Because of its huge surface area and its extremely high carrier mobility graphene qualifies for very precise sensor applications in several sectors. During our project we were able to produce multiple graphene monolayers. Additionally we developed a technique to apply electrical contacts on our graphene flakes at school without relying on optical lithography and Lift-off, which can’t be conducted at school. Moreover we invented a method to optically determine the number of layers in mono- and few-layer-graphene. After we successfully deposited electrical contacts on our graphene we built multiple devices, such as different gas sensors and field-effect-transistors.
Production and Charaterization of Graphene DevicesPhysics Booth nº27
When a swarm of birds or fish rapidly changes direction without the animals colliding into one another in the process, so-called swarm intelligence is at play. Not only biologists are fascinated by this phenomenon. Computer scientists and robotics experts are also increasingly attracted to the topic and are attempting to use computer programmes to realistically simulate this behaviour. Andreas Lang put swarm intelligence to use for a special application. He developed a software programme that can track faces on a video even when they rotate or are partial covered. The trick: A virtual swarm of particles is distributed over the image and searches potential facial candidate regions.
Face Detection using Swarm IntelligenceComputing Booth nº 16
Simon Schuldt designed a flight-capable model of a delta flying wing. Aircraft constructed in this manner have the shape of a single large wing. In comparison to conventional passenger aircraft, a flying wing generates significantly less downforce, which is why it has much lower fuel consumption. The goal of this young researcher was to further develop this type of aircraft for possible use in civilian aviation. The main challenges he faced involved the improvement of aircraft performance and flight stability. On the basis of numerous test flights, Simon Schmidt managed to optimise his model aircraft to the point where, for example, it could perform a precision vertical landing.
Nowadays in the RC world there are two kinds of aircraft engines. The gas powered engine and the electric engine. Each one of these two engines has both advantages and disadvantages. What would happen if we could make an engine that would combine all the advantages? So I created an engine that combines the big thrust of an RC gas turbine with the low cost of an RC electric engine. I named it the C.B.H.I-E.E.W.A.
Aircraft of the Future - A Practise-based School Project
Jet Engine System
Engineering Booth nº 68
Engineering Booth nº 69
hungary
This engine utilizes muscle wires and uses electric current in thermodynamic way. The muscle wires are smart memory alloys that can shrink when exposed to heat. During the shrinking the wires are able to do some useful work and I used this to obtain rotation. The heating of the wires is done by the current, which is switched by the controlling electronics. To get rotation the muscle wires produce angle alteration. Each of the 3 wires closes 120 degree of a circle in a way that a small shaft is pulled towards itself. When the flywheel magnet gets close to one of the reed relays, the electrical circuit switches on the current through the pre-stretched wire, which gets warmer and therefore starts to shrink and pull the small shaft towards itself and the rotation is started. The engine is for demonstrational purposes, it shows the operation of the muscle wires in a thermodynamic engine. It could be utilized when magnetic fields have to be avoided.
Colorectal cancer is a leading cancer type in Europe. Early discovery and screening is needed for effective therapy but such a method doesn’t exist today. My work yields a new method and markers. Whole genome gene expression profile (WGGEP) analysis of peripheral blood (PBL) could contribute to determination of mRNA markers of local pathophysiological alterations in colorectal cancer and adenoma (CRC, CRA). Total RNA was extracted and WGGEP was performed from PBL samples of 20 CRC and 11 healthy (HE) patients. Chip results were confirmed by array RT-PCR on independent sample set (34 CRC and 18 HE). CRC could be classified by 97% sensitivity and 77% specificity on the expression levels of 6 genes by RT-PCR. CRAs were detected by 87% sens. and 88% spec. in relation to HE on the expression of 7 genes. Array RT-PCR confirmation worked by sens. 84% and spec. 88%. As a conclusion, new multivariate mRNA PBL expression RT-PCR based markers were identified using mRNA WGGEP for CRC and CRA.
The crisis in science education gets much public attention these days as natural sciences are amongst the least popular subjects. Our starting point was to examine which programs we and our peers like using the most and which of these are the ones that can be implemented in classroom, so we decided to write a computer model to support ecology education.In our model by choosing external parameters to affect the ecosystem, it is also possible to model natural or anthropogenic effects such as migration, supporting certain trophic levels or spreading pesticides or pollutants.Using the program individually or in network provides an interactive tool for showing the main characteristics of ecosystems while developing mathematical competence, environmental consciousness, problem-based approach and creativity. We have also compiled a teaching aid including some stable configurations, lesson plans and ideas to assist further classroom implementation.
Detection of colorectal cancer in peripheral blood by mRNA expression
Nature on Your Screen - Computer based modeling and Local Area Network in the Education of Ecology
Medicine Booth nº 11
Social Sciences Booth nº 1
ireland
Richard received the prestigious honour for his pioneering work on the design of a biomass-fueled cooking stove for use in developing countries. Over 2 billion people in the world depend on stoves to cook their meals every day, and his project built a new one which uses as little fuel as possible and which ideally produces no smoke. Richard made a strong impression on the judges with his detailed research into the chemical processes involved in burning timber, and with the various designs he came up with using very simple materials such as tin cans and nails which are very easy to find in Third World countries. An added bonus is that his stoves can be built using simple tools such as a Swiss army knife. Richard impressed us with both his science knowledge and the engineering skill he showed in his construction work.
A biomass fired cooking stove for developing countriesEngineering Booth nº 71
israel
Under normal conditions, the skeletal system remodels constantly. The process of bone formation is caused by osteoblast cells. These cells also stimulate the differentiation of osteoclast cells, which promote bone resorption – breakdown of the bones. This interdependence between osteoblasts and osteoclasts ensures proper maintenance of the bone.In this research project, the influence of the protein Galectin-8 on this balance was examined based on previous research that relates bone metastases to the relative concentration of Galectin-8 in bone tissues. In this study the influence of Galectin-8 on bone resorption was detected and the findings show that this influence could support the development of metastases that reach the bone.This research is still at its early stages, though further research could foster development of new medications, in order to deal with bone diseases, and perhaps even with bone metastases.
The Influence of Galectin-8 on the Skeletal SystemBiology Booth nº 49
In this project I present a new catalogue of 270 extragalactic star-forming regions (called “HII regions”) compiled from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This is the first catalogue of its kind, and can be used as a tool for the study of star formation. To demonstrate the usefulness of this catalogue, I calculate the electron temperatures and densities in these HII regions and compare them to the HII regions within our own galaxy the Milky Way. I find that while the distributions of electron densities are comparable, the electron temperatures within the Milky Way are lower than in the SDSS galaxies. This result is consistent with the fact that the Milky Way is more metal-rich than the average SDSS galaxy. The presence of metals causes free electrons to lose energy and cool, but does not affect their density.
Since chimpanzees are endangered species, it is of great importance to maintain their natural behavior in captivity. This study investigates how external stimulations and enrichments affect the behavior of captive chimps. The research was conducted on a chimpanzee group of 11 individuals in the Safari zoo in Ramat Gan. External stimulation and 3 types of enrichments were investigated: stimulation in the form of audience (none, few and many) and enrichment in the form of (1) screening a cartoon (2) throwing pine cones smeared with ketchup and (3) throwing pruned branches. Every stimulus except the audience was presented by the team at regular intervals throughout the day. The findings indicate that audience has a mixed impact (positive and negative) on the chimpanzees and also has an effect on the way chimps react with enrichments. The correct analysis of the findings will help zoos to encourage the chimpanzees’ positive behavior, thus improving their quality of life in captivity.
The Effects of Spectators and Enrichment on Chimpanzee Behavior
Social Sciences Booth nº 2
EUCYS | 22nd edition44
Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 45
italy
This paper analyses the efficiency of the network of chemists studying minimum paths and Voronoi tessellation of the city map. It explains the purpose and application of Voronoi diagrams, discuss Fortune’s algorithm and relates the structure of the mathematical model that we used to simulate the network. The key of the work is the colour scale applied to the Voronoi diagram to describe the load on catchment areas: sanitary districting is not subject to direct competition, thus weighting points of sale is not a convenient descriptive parameter, as users will always choose the nearest chemist.Our diagrams were produced with GNU/Octave, a high level programming language primarily intended for numerical computations, but we are implementing a more complete simulation tool, as we could not find any outstanding computer program to suit our needs.
An Analysis of the Network of Chemists within the City of Monza
Mathematics Booth nº 83
Is it possible to create a system able to map and detect geo-referred data without the use of a GPS, and under any condition? And what’s the most effective strategy for detecting and analyzing extensive and complex areas and publishing various kinds of data? After several attempts Sebastian designed robots that move on wheels, indicating their position through the interpretation of data concerning movement. His “social rovers” complete their tasks, communicating all data to a central unit, which provides the rovers with goals to reach. Therefore he studied strategies applied by social animals in nature to find out which way is best to solve a problem of communication between machines. Value is added through cooperation of mathematical, physical, biological and mechanical models and skills. The product has its practical use in mapping and monitoring any environment, even in case of danger, and works without the aid of GPS.
After careful microbiological investigations on some commercially available disinfectants, we synthesized BactKill, a disinfectant/detergent, virucidal, bactericidal, sporicidal, with no toxic products, good tolerability and stability, easily biodegradable and economical.To test its effectiveness we conducted laboratory testing at different concentrations. So we made a statistical analysis: evaluation of bactericidal action on Gram+ and Gram-; comparison between the bactericidal action of BactKill and Amuchine (leading product); evaluation, at various concentrations, of BactKill action; statistical comparison between average data of Amuchine and BactKill, to value the significance of the first in reference to the latter.Due to the results of these tests, we can say loud and proud that BactKill is the better than the other disinfectant on the market!
Bactkill-Bacterium KillerChemistry Booth nº 37
Obtaining the low dispersion carbon star spectra consumes relatively short amount of telescope time. The low dispersion spectra allow estimation of one of the stellar atmospheric parameters–temperature. The estimate contains a relatively large error, but for applying precise methods such as the model-atmosphere method, it is necessary to choose correctly the main atmospheric parameters as the above-mentioned temperature.This relation can be used for H-R diagram, identifying the location of stars on the abscissa axis allowing to clarify the evolutionary stage of stars and to classify the stars in groups.For solving applied science problems it is necessary to study the fusion reactions (HtoHe) and it is important to know all the stellar characteristics. Obtaining the knowledge about all of these processes, would bring inexhaustible energy resources to the humanity on the Earth.
Why are batteries so heavy?” I often asked myself while wishing my bicycle had an electric motor but in fact the real question is “Why do batteries have to weigh anything at all?” Physical vapor deposition technologies can cover virtually any surface with any compound. By making cheap and efficient LiFePO4 batteries an integral part of a vehicle we would make huge leap towards eco-friendly transportation. So the question I sought the answer to during my scientific research is whether it is possible to make LiFePO4 thin layer batteries that would propel my bicycle in the future. The answer is – yes, it is! I’m investigating the possibility of making a LiFePO4 thin layer battery prototype via a combination of different PVD techniques in such a way that they would be as efficient (storing as much energy as possible) and as cheap as possible and the results showed that there is no reason preventing wide-spread manufacturing of this kind of batteries.
The radiance peculiarities of carbon stars in the spectrum part from 5500Å to 9000Å
Optimization of synthesis conditions of lithium iron phosphate and development of a thin layer battery
Physics Booth nº 29
Physics Booth nº 30
latvia
EUCYS | 22nd edition46
Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 47
Aleksejs Sazonovs’ work is a fine example of how different sciences like IT, bioinformatics and astronomy could interact. The most significant question of this work is: whether it is possible to classify images of galaxies automatically as accurate as it is done by a human. While trying to solve the problem, the author addresses to the latest researches in bioinformatics, where the considerable experience of computer recognition of images is stored. To investigate, what combinations of image processing methods allow to classify galaxies with the most accuracy, a practical experiment was conducted in the work. The results of the research have proved that automatic image classification algorithms can solve the problem of galaxy classification as successfully as a human can do, or even better.
An increasing number of infectious diseases determines the higher need for new and effective antibacterial and antifungal agents. The aim of our study was to evaluate how the antimicrobial activity of pyridine N-oxide derivatives depends on their chemical structure. Also we set a task to identify the compounds which could be developed in further investigations as the most promising antibacterial and antifungal agents. We have evaluated that two compounds are as good antibacterial and antifungal agent as nowadays clinically used drugs ciclopirox and nitrofural. Moreover, one compound could be developed as a selective antimicrobial agent against infections caused by E. coli.
Pyridine N-oxide Derivatives - Antibacterial and Antifun-gal Agents (Piridino N-oksido dariniai - antibakteriniai ir priešgrybeliniai vaistai)
Electrically conductive polymers are new class of materials with properties similar to metals and semiconductors. One of them is polythiophene which was synthesized in this research work. This compound can be used in cheaper solar cells design, which now is very relevant. What is more, polythiophene properties can be changed by adding function groups so its properties only depend on the researcher’s imagination.
Electrically Conductive Polythiophene for Solar Cells (Elektrai laidus politiofenas saulės baterijoms)
Chemistry Booth nº 38
To predict solar activity accurately is very important for satellite based communication and navigation, as well as for many other factors affecting life on Earth. My study suggests that the solar activity can be predicted better based on analysis of integral activity power, than on widely used maximum activity amplitude, during previous cycles. I predict activity of forthcoming solar cycle to be significantly higher than that provided by NASA. This suggests that caution should be taken in planning low-orbit satellite launches and in preparing for frequent harmful solar flares when cycle reaches its maximum in 2013.
Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions have increased steadily since the Industrial Revolution, causing not only high levels of atmospheric green house gas but also a significant change in the chemistry of ocean and surface waters. Scientific research is focused on its effects on the biodiversity of seawater as well as freshwater organisms. Compared to the pre-industrial era, the pH of water has already decreased by 0.1 units, which seems to have an impact on the aquatic ecosystems. A further reduction of 0.3 to 0.4 units is expected until the end of this century. It is believed that numerous organisms won’t be able to adapt in time to the fast change of pH and hence will simply disappear, causing an unprecedented shift in microorganism populations. In the present report, the authors would like to present their study of the effect of freshwater pH on Chlorella vulgaris, a single-celled algae acting as a key organism in the foodchain of aquatic systems.
Claire Schelinsky
Katja Michalski
Study of the Effect of PH on the growth of Chlorella Vulgaris
Biology Booth nº 50
malta
Europe is surrounded by oceans and seas yet few of us stop and ponder on the huge energy potential that these waters contain. In light of this, we have undertaken a cost effective approach to exploit this potential by developing a wave generator which, not only limits visual pollution but more importantly is highly efficient. One end of the wave generator goes up on a wave crest while the other rests down on a wave trough. The up and down movement of waves is converted into a circular path of water which subsequently turns two turbines in opposite direction. The two turbines are on two separate shafts which are connected to a generator in turn producing electricity by electromagnetic induction. In fact, a 30m by 3m model can produce 100 kWh (10kW x 10 hr) energy per day. It follows the same movement of the seesaw which we see in the playground, hence the origin of the name “Sea Saw”.
Harnessing Wave Energy to Produce Electrical EnergyEngineering Booth nº 73
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Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 49
new zealand
norway
Mastitis is an ongoing issue in dairy herds with significant impact on milk quality, cow health and lost production. Using cell counts in milk, Nicole identified 92 cows with sub-clinical mastitis, and a trial conducted to determine the efficacy of the drug Mamyzin for mastitis control. The cure rate was 16% without treatment and 56% after six treatments. Bacterial strains isolated from infected cows were evaluated for drug resistance. DNA was extracted and amplified using polymerase chain reaction techniques (PCR) to test for a gene that breaks down penicillin. Only two of 60 strains tested possessed the gene, but 24 strains exhibited growth in the presence of penicillin, indicating a different resistance mechanism. This result was unexpected.
The project is an investigation on how different temperatures and nitrate concentrations can optimize algae cultures of the saltwater algae Phaeodactylum tricornutum (P.tricornutum). As about 50% of the overall contribution to increased global warming comes from CO2 emissions, some scientists believe a way of decreasing CO2 emissions can be by using algae as a source of fuel. The production of biofuel may help contributing towards sustainable development as photosynthetic algae is considered a renewable resource and feed on CO2 instead of emitting it. The optimization of algae cultures was determined by finding the cultures’ biomass and total cell number. Algae cultures were grown under controlled conditions for 7 days. Samples of algae were taken, diluted, and projected in a microscope, and the average number of algae cells per culture was counted. The average biomass of each culture was obtained by filtrating algae samples from each culture and hence weighing the algae mass.
Optimization of algae culture for biofuel production
Biology Booth nº 51
Biology Booth nº 52
Determination of the optimum attack angle and rotation rate of the rotor blade in a miniature helicopter.Helicopter flight of is controlled by adjusting the the pitch angle of the rotating wings along with the rotation rate to achieve a required lift force to make the aircraft take of and fly.This work undertakes to determine the optimum combination of these parameters while retaining optimum efficiency of the power consumption.The work also considers the physical effects concerned and explains the phenomena involved when the wings stall or rotates too fast. The results of this work is applicable to real helicopters as well as model ones, and the results are also applicable for the optimum design of pow
Flight of a Radio Controlled HelicopterPhysics Booth nº 32
poland
240 million years ago rising ocean levels led to gradual flooding of previous lands and creating the shallow and warm sea – the Germanic basin. It spread through the entire territory of the present day Poland, Germany, Netherlands, eastern part of France and England. Nowadays, fossils from that period most commonly found in Poland are nothosaurian bones. They were big reptiles, measuring up to 4 m in length with extended muzzles full of sharp teeth attesting to predatory lifestyle. Less common are fish bones or unusual placodonts which lived similarly to extant sirens. Last year, in the first exploration area an ichthyopterygian (“fish lizard”) bone was identified, which, in contrast to the reptiles mentioned earlier, entirely adapted to the water lifestyle. Unfortunately, sites with such rich fauna are neglected nowadays. It is worthwhile to become interested in them, before quarry worker turn all rocks with valuable specimens into low walls.
The goal of the research was to discover how the ants Formica cinerea search for food. Another aim was to check if F. cinerea are able to share information about the quality of food. Observation of wild F. cinerea colonies showed, that they use a strategy called “mass recruitment”. Ants using this strategy create a column leading from the nest to food. They use pheromones to mark the way. Observation of ant colonies kept in a special terrarium (formicarium) showed that the ants can share information about the quality of food. They can also switch from food of lower quality to the better one, but they do it slowly. The strategy used by F. cinera is not the most effective, but thanks to using it, F. cinerea avoids fights with T. caespitum, another ant living in the same environment. T. caespitum uses a more flexible foraging strategy called “group-mass recruitment“. That’s why ants of these two species do not compete for the same sources of food and do not fight with each other.
Biodiversity, Palaeoecology and Taxonomical Position of Vertebrates in the Middle Triassic Sea Ecosystem in Silesia (SW Poland)
Foraging Strategy of the Ant Formica cinerea
Biology Booth nº 53
Biology Booth nº 54
My work deals with some geometric inequalities, which concern the total length of diagonals. M. Kordos proposed such estimation for convex quadrangle: the half of the perimeter < the sum of the lengths’ diagonals < the perimeter. In my paper I generalize this problem. Firstly, I prove that the estimation made by M. Kordos is optimal. Secondly, I make a similar estimation for convex pentagon and n-tagon. Finally, I prove that it is optimal. In the second part of my paper I solve two problems, connected with solid geometry.
This project is based on the development of a Biomonitoring Program for the Vibroacoustic Disease. VAD is caused by the excessive exposure to low frequency noise, to which many individuals are exposed due to their professional lives. VAD affects mainly aeronautic technicians, pilots, and others. One of the commonest effects is the thickening of cardiac structures. In order to analyze low frequency noise impacts, the specie Helix aspersa (garden snail) was used as bioindicator and biomarker. It was made a set of samples with specimen collected in several places in the island exposed to different levels of noise and the analysis of the digestive gland to verify the presence/absence of the effect. We conclude that Helix aspersa is a good bioindicator for future researches VAD and that its digestive gland, especially the connective tissue, can be a good biomarker of effect, enabling early intervention in the development of the pathology and, consequently, preventing more serious effects.
Program for Biomonitoring of the Vibroacustic DiseaseMedicine Booth nº 13
portugal
Our objective is to investigate the origin of the spherical-sandstones that occur in a sea cliff between Zambujeira do Mar and Carvalhal (Alentejo, Portugal). For our research we used different methods. We went to the study field to understand the geology of the place. We consulted bibliographic sources. We used biologic laboratorial methods, namely microorganism cultures, to investigate if there was any bacterial activity on the origin of the spheres. We also observed the structures on the microscope and the magnifying glass. We measured the amount of carbonate (cement), inside the geologic laboratory. Until the moment, we concluded that the sand that gave origin to the sandstones were essentially marine facies, from the Plistocenic/Holocenic. The cement is carbonate and exists in larger concentrations in the center of the spheres than in their surrounding. Inside the spheres, there is a large quantity of carbonates than in the sand that involves them.
Rocks of the Southwest - The mysteries written on the stone
Environment Booth nº 5
russia
A mobile optical spectrometer under microprocessor control, as well as a software both for the microprocessor and a personal computer operating the spectrometer have been developed. The spectrometer can be used for various applications: monitoring of solar radiation and ozone layer conditions both at meteorological stations and in the field; determination of chemical composition of different substances (in combination with special equipment for evaporation and excitation of a sample); express analysis of water and other environmental objects in the field; in medicine for UV-radiation monitoring; in educational purposes: demonstrations of basic physical effects based on light decomposition into spectrum. Parameters of the spectrometer don’t yield to those of laboratory instruments. At the same time the spectrometer is compact, light and it can work completely in off-line mode, which makes it irreplaceable instrument in expeditions, at meteorological stations, etc.
The work describes the structure, action principles and functional capabilities of an exploration robot, created by the author using widely available components in home workshop conditions. The main result of the work is the practical implementation of a robotics system, comprising an exploration robot on a wheeled platform and a stationary control unit. The robot potentials and mobility enable to analyze the objects difficult for people to access and transmit the information about the objects state to the operator graphically. Practical tests have displayed the robot efficient controllability, manoeuvrability and a wide range of opportunities to collect and transmit the data about the researched objects.
Mobile optical spectrometer under microprocessor control
Creating a biotechnical robot in home workshop conditions
Engineering Booth nº 74
Engineering Booth nº 75
Today, the methods used to detect eye dimness (cataracts) are not convenient for patients because they are only carried out in hospitals using special equipment and the services of trained specialists. In my work I have discovered a new method of early detection of eye dimness using the “red eye” effect produced by a digital camera. The same way the red eye effect is produced by a digital camera, can be used to tell us whether or not a person has eye dimness. This method was tested by comparing it’s results to the standard method already in use. In the majority of the cases (more than 95%) there were matching results. The main advantages of my method are its simplicity, the speed of the results, and the possibility of carrying out the test at home at any convenient time.
Diagnosing of eye dimness using digital photoBiology Booth nº 55
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Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 53
slovakia
In this project was studied if the response of plants to herbicide is changing during the day. Results prove this hypothesis and also showed the time of its biggest activity. This can be used in agriculture in decreasing the amount of used herbicides without changing its efficiency.
The examination of circadian regulation of response on a herbicide glyphosate in Common Chickweed (Stel-laria media
Biology Booth nº 56
The first step, which was the motivation for realize this project, was the visit of Astronomical Observatory at Kolonica Saadle within the validity of Vihorlat Observatory project “The Universe Live”. The course used in capturing and processing data about eclipsing variable star Kol003 is written there in details. Discovered elements are: minimum 2454751,4465(2) Julian date and period 0,297066(4). On the strength of interesting results (spots at one component of this binary star) observing of Kol003 continues in the Astronomical Observatory at Kolonica Saddle. It indicates that Kol003 is not ordinary eclipsing binary star. The folded light curve has significantly changed in year, what proves intensive spot activity.
A method employing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in combination with the computer toxicity simulation QSAR (Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship) was developed for assessment of the environmental risks associated with the pollution by organic substances. GC-MS was used for identification of unknown pollutants and determination of their concentrations in surface and waste water samples. The QSAR allowed for prediction of toxicity of the newly identified compounds, producing so-called provisional Predicted No-Effect Concentration (P-PNEC). The results showed that the pollution by the plasticisers DEHP and phthalates, detergents and volatile organic substances exceed significantly the limit values and can have a negative impact on the fauna and flora in the Nitra River. The proposed methodology has been used for the first time and the results clearly indicate its usefulness and practicality for prioritization of pollution of any river basin and source of water pollution.
New rapid and cost-effective method for assessment of environmental risks of surface and waste water pollution using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and com-puter toxicity simulation QSAR (Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship
Chemistry Booth nº 39
We tested the security of wireless networks, estimating reliability and simplicity in order to prove, that wireless networks are already more suitable for the average user. We started by explaining networks in general so we could better understand our experimentation.The research consists of two experiments. In one we set up a protected wireless network and then we tried to crack it by using open-source software. We partially succeeded, but due to our inability to crack stronger algorithms we concluded that wireless networks are safe if using proper encryption. The second experiment, in which we tested protection of wireless networks in Ljubljana, proved the security of wireless networks.With the help of a survey we concluded that users are quite informed about wireless security, but still have trust issues about wireless networking.Our final conclusion was that wireless networks are more suitable for the average user than wired.
Open eKiosk takes on building an advanced touch-screen web-based information kiosk for a wide audience using only Free software. A range of public kiosk terminals were examined to determinate their qualities and flaws; the resulting data was then used to build a modular, scalable, sustainable and easy-to-use system. Existing hardware was fitted with an adapted GNU/Linux operating system and a Firefox web browser with custom built add-ons such as an on-screen keyboard and navigation. Using an off-site server allowed many kiosk terminals to connect, thus maintaining concurrency and allowing a centralized maintenance. In the research process, one kiosk was set up in a High-school and another in a tourist information spot - showing the wide scope of possible applications the system has. The analysis and collected user experiences helped advance the system to a stable form and allowed more kiosk stands to be set up. Finally, the built modules were themselves released as Free software.
The kinetics of the oxidation of the antioxidant E-337 has been investigated in a reaction in which there are almost no related studies. The new findings may thus make a valuable contribution to the state of the art (as we all know, antioxidants are of vital importance in the food industry). Besides the kinetic study, progress has been made in the analysis of different behaviours as a function of the proportions of reactants. A new high-precision pressure-based system and a customised software have been developed for data acquisition and automated data treatment which jointly constitute a marketable product.
Kinetics of the catalyzed oxidation of the antioxidant E-337. Dual behaviour reaction of potassium sodium tar-trate and hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by cobalt chloride (II): a kinetic study
With this research I set out to collect as many stories as possible. These were told by citizens of both Ulldecona (Spain) and Tetuan (Morocco). My intention was to present them as a means of knowledge to all children of my people, with Moroccan or Berber origins, who were born here in Spain and therefore have not had access to such literature. Finally, I made a compilation of ten short stories, children and youth classified. They were told both in Catalan and Spanish and recorded on a CD for distribution. Through my work I have set up a small part of the oral tradition of northern Morocco, accessible to anyone interested. However, I still have a lot to do.
Popular literature from the North of Morocco. A compila-tion of tales in the oral tradition.
Social Sciences Booth nº 3
In this research we have assessed and classified the wetlands of Burgos (Castilla y León, Spain) based on the compilation of data about 120 species bioindicators referred to the 181 UTM grids 10x10 that makes up the province of Burgos, grouping them in three taxonomic groups, obtaining the corresponding presence/absence matrixes. Then, with the statistical application GINKGO we identified the ecological “similarities” that had in common the grids we studied. And, in turn, we calculated the Combining and Standardised Index of Benayas and Montaña for each of them. We selected the 27 grids with the highest ICE value (15% of total) for its prioritization in relation to the management and conservation of the environment of Burgos. We concluded that in the province of Burgos exist aquatic habitats of a great ecological value that currently are not included within the network of protected areas in Castilla y León.
Statistics and biodiversity at the wetlands of Burgos (Spain). Statistical rates to value the biodiversity of the aquatic ecosystems of the province of Burgos (Spain).
Biology Booth nº 57
sweeden
To be able to understand the aquatic life, it is of great significance to comprehend the internal abiotic processes of the sea. Thus, the levels of oxygen, nitrate and phosphate were measured via spectrophotometry in this study.In order to investigate whether ecological communities differ when exposed to different aquatic environments, an experiment consisting of two VIRTUE-racks was carried out. The VIRTUE-racks were placed at two different aquatic environments. One rack was exposed to waves, placed at the inflow of the harbor. The second rack was placed inside the harbor, protected from waves. The racks were left for organisms to inhabit, and species composition checks were performed weekly.Fixed organisms tended to settle down in the harbor where there is plenty of nutrition without having to move to find food. In general, fewer species, but higher numbers of each species were found to live inside the harbor compared to the inflow. This might be due to natural selection.
MARITIME BIODIVERSITY - How Water Condition Af-fects Organisms in Saline Water
Biology Booth nº 58
Carausius morosus is a species of phasmid that has shown to adapt its color and length with respect of the humidity during the molting cycle. Two hormones regulate insect growth: juvenile and prothoracicotropic hormone. A theory regarding humidity and its effect on the color of C. morosus is presented in The principles of insect physiology (1965), by V. B. Wigglesworth. Due to the theory of Wigglesworth; high humidity contributes to a dark color while drought leads to paleness. Our study confirmed the existing theory, although there were outliers. The color study developed to an expanded empirical study, where three different humidities were simulated in terrariums measuring 24 x 21 x 30 cm. Length increase of C. morosus was prominent: insects that lived in a high humidity (80-100%) had a body length around 2 cm longer than insects in a low humidity (40%). This point towards that there might be an unknown link between length variations and prevailing humidity.
The aim of our work was to transform a completely natural tissue into an interesting technological object. We found the tissue we were looking for in a horse’s bone: the upper part of the bone presents a spongy structure with a huge surface in a very small volume and this characteristic can be very important to optimize chemical reactions (catalysis). To use this particularity we had to evacuate the fat that filled the structure and to dissolve the proteins, that would not allow us to bring the bone to high temperatures. We tried several methods to coat the whole spongy structure with a thin metal layer by letting the metal diffuse in gas-form and making it then deposit on the inner surface. We did this because of the high reactivity of metals in catalysis processes. We finally tested our product in hydrogen fuel cells and in chemical reactions, proving its possible industrial implementation and showing that its yield can be compared with the one of technologically applied methods.
Nanotechnology from natural tissues. Realization of catalytic systems with high active surface from spongy bone
Chemistry Booth nº 40
switzerland
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Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 57
This project considers a fundamental optimization problem of operations research (branch of theoretical computer science), titled “Job Shop Scheduling with Unit Length Tasks”. It deals with the distribution of jobs consisting of different tasks to machines. Each task is associated with exactly one machine and we are asked to optimize the overall completion time of all jobs. We analyze three different classes of input instances for this scheduling problem and contribute algorithms that calculate effcient solutions for these instances.
Job Shop Scheduling with Unit Length Tasks - Analysis and Optimization
Mathematics Booth nº 85
We managed to successfully design a system which can transport a steel plate without any contact.The basic idea is easy: we use four electromagnets to hold the steel plate and work against gravitation. The distance between the magnet and the plate is measured with analog optical reflex sensors, to control the distance of the plate. A digital feedback controller controls the magnet drive.The core of the system consists of four modules - one per magnet – which are networked between each other and the computer. Every module has a feedback control unit and the drive for one magnet. These modules are connected to a bus system, so they can communicate and work together.We designed all important components and the software ourselves. The contact-free transportation makes the system ideal for painting applications or for the transport of contaminated materials.
Christian Meier
Thomas Vögeli
MTS – magnetic transport systemEngineering Booth nº 76
Hydrophobic surfaces can’t get wet. Water drops can’t stay on these surfaces so that hydrophobic surfaces always stay dry. This effect can be observed on the leaves of the plants in the nature. The quality of not getting wet is related to contact angle. If the contact angle is more than 90o, the surface is called as hydrophobic. If it is more than 150o, the surface is called as superhydrophobic. Hydrophobic surfaces have great varieties of different usage. The water composes 73% of our planet and if we want to get our lives easier, we must use these surfaces. For example windows without wipers or self cleaning structure paintings can be made with these surfaces. In our study, contact angles of surfaces obtained from polypropylene (PP) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) were observed. Glasses are coated by immersion method and the results were examined.
EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT CONDITIONS ON CHARACTERISTIC OF THE SURFACES COATED WITH POLY-PROPYLENE AND LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
Chemistry Booth nº 41
turkey
We don’t know whether may we let a magnet or the flux of magnetic force be mass or charge, or whether may we suppose that a magnet can be a concentrated magnet into a point. Therefore, we are mean to do research about base particle which generates magnets and magnetic forces to find the way to present the magnetic field. So, we plan our studying. First, measure the power of magnetic field of each magnet sample. Second, using magnetic field sensor, drawing up the 2D magnetic field graph. Third, infer function of magnetic field and draw 3D map Last, we can find out the new way of how to show the magnetic field for this studying. we used PASCO equipment ,sensors, magnets, and program called “Mathmatica”. From this study, We can expect some effect. By represent of magnetic field in direct and different way, makes it easier to be step up to learning physics to students. and By drawing magnet’s 3D map, it will be helpful to pure study of the magnet and the magnetic field.
The Effects of The Interaction Between a Direct Current (DC) Based Pulsed Electromagnetic Field and Ferrofluid on Living & Simulated Tissues
Physics Booth nº 34
In this Project, we studied on a cancer treatment method called as photodynamic therapy. In photodynamic therapy nanotechnologic molecules are used. The molecule given to cancer cells becomes activated under light and releases oxygen so cancer cells killed by this molecule.Firstly, photosensitizer molecules are examined during this Project. We studied on a kind of BODIPY molecule which hasn’t been studied before. We analyzed the molecule chemically. After chemical analysis, the molecule was found suitable for photodynamic therapy. In the laboratory activation wavelenght of the molecule, release of free oxygen, proper solvent for the molecule was determined.After chemical tests and evaluation of test results, we started studying on cell cultures. Matter was given to cancer cells. This mixture was kept under green led light for an hour. It was tried to determine how many cancer cells could be killed by this molecule. The results reported in our study.
Photodynamic Therapy Effect of The Bodipy on Endometrium Cancer Cells
Biology Booth nº 60
EUCYS | 22nd edition58
Project AbstractsLisbon 2010 59
The Teteriv river is a right-bank tributary of the Dnieper river, and a typical European river. A number of Teteriv river water basins and ponds slow down the stream and affect the species composition of the water ecosystems. Mollusks are known to meet a set of bioindicator species requirements. This item seeks to provide a research into the way the regulated stream flow of the Teteriv river effects the species composition and mollusk populations of the riverside. Mollusks have been sampled from 5 river zones. Determined have been the mollusk groupings domination and diversity as well as dissimilarities between certain biocenoses in terms of the Teteriv river stream flow regulation extent, which enables to prognosticate mollusk grouping structural modifications in other European rivers with controlled river flows.
Valentyna Kyrychuk
Effect of regulated stream flow on riverside mollusk groupings structure
I researched Carbon monoxide (CO) attachment and dissociation from metallo-porphyrins. Successful methods will be used to make medical tracers for PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans as CO must be attached and removed from metallo-porphyrins before bonding to a drug. I focused on the dissociation. To remove the CO I irradiated the porphyrins with UV light, refluxed them and added amines. Rather than simply using Iron porphyrins, which are haemoglobin, I also tried Ruthenium porphyrins. Therefore my research question is: Is there a relationship between the extent of Carbon monoxide dissociation from Ruthenium and Iron porphyrins?(Three hypotheses are explored, irradiaton with UV light, reflux and amine complexation.) Dissociation from Ruthenium was more successful, especially upon irradiation. This method was promising so research on it has continued. Amine addition was fairly successful, particularly with aniline.Each method was reversible so viable on a larger, industrial scale.
Carbon monoxide: friend or foe?Chemistry Booth nº 63
united kingdom
The goal of bone tissue regeneration is to restore or substitute lost bone. This requires the right cells, a suitable scaffold, and appropriate growth factors. What is needed is an experimental model in which the factors that influence which cell type is made can be investigated. In embryonic chick bones, stem cells are present which also can become either bone or cartilage cells. This project was designed to investigate the potential of this experimental model, and to investigate some of the factors that may affect differentiation. The results were very encouraging, particularly as there was a large amount of osteoid (bone) formation in basic medium. Culturing the bones in a chondrogenic medium appears to encourage cartilage development, and adding 5-aza to the osteogenic medium seems to increase bone mineralisation. Overall, this project showed that the chick model has potential to test factors that determine chondrogenic vs. osteogenic differentiation.
Embryonic chick bones as a model for osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation in stem cells
Biology Booth nº 61
The tree, which comes flat packed and opens up to form a corner piece, was conceived to answer some flaws in the current choice of tree used during the festival period. The tree was designed to save space, reduce the amount of electricity used for the lights, remove the tangled lights syndrome and so wastage of materials in replacing damaged units and to reduce the number of real trees being cut down every year. The environmental aspect of this project is large as the efficiency savings that come from the use of this design, and the positive impact on the environment that could be achieved if this was to be used on the large scale can clearly be seen. The design uses some unique features such as the arms that contain the lights which are all built in and lock the tree together. The clever use of mirrors then creates an illusion that the tree appears in the round whilst maximising the use of space by only taking up a corner position. The design fulfils the design brief set and I appl
James Lambert
Flat Packed Christmas TreeEngineering Booth nº 77
Using Matlab and a German acted emotional speech database with 534 files and 7 emotions, we developed, trained, and tested a novel classification engine to classify emotions in speech. Emotion recognition has applications in security, user-computer interactions, and lie-detection. After preprocessing, 57 features were extracted, consisting of fundamental and formant frequencies, log energy, average magnitude difference, and Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC). The MFCC data, sorted from min to max, a novel approach, resembled a tangent function, so we developed a program to model the data. When an input feature matrix was compared with each emotion’s feature matrix, combined with a novel weighting system that gives importance to dissimilarity among emotions, our program had 77% accuracy, superior to current technology. Future work will involve new databases, real time processing, autism recognition, and use of phonemes to remove irrelevant regions of unemotional speech.
