156A Finals Week

Overview of Status of Analysis, Design, Fabrication, Tests, etc.

• • Finished risk reduction on smearing method of wedging, tape and roller

  • Setup website and final presentation for 156A

Accomplishments from Previous Week

• • Finished Risk reduction using different mechanisms

  • Observing the blood smear through the microscope

Goals for Next Week (list names after each item). Use specific and measurable objectives.

• • Decide the type of mechanism on smearing before next quarter starts

Sponsor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments (12/07/2018)

• • Microscopes are available in Envision Studio, and Chris has a 500X USB microscope. [We have followed up with Chris, and he recommend us to ask Tom since we need 1000X to observe the blood cell accurately]

  • Brainstorm and come up with more approaches

    • Vibration method: Shake slides with high frequency to break the surface tension of blood drop and separate layers of cells.

    • Magnet method: Use a strong magnet to attract Fe elements in red blood cells

      • 5×10-3 T – the strength of a typical refrigerator magnet

      • 1.5−3 T – the strength of medical magnetic resonance imaging systems

      • 16 T – magnetic field strength required to levitate a frog as part of an Ig Nobel Prize-winning project.

  • Presentation suggestions

    • Mention surface tension

    • Show a clip of traditional method

    • Include pictures of smearing with tapes

    • Use microlenses to take photos or video clips

    • Show pictures of good and bad smears

  • Look up online for protocols regarding using animal blood

    • Reference from protocols for interfering with blood from rats

Instructor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments  (12/07/2018)

• • We have the sponsors consent to spend more time on brainstorming

  • 500x microscope is enough to determine monolayer

  • The sponsor liked the idea of using vibration and recommended us to vibrate slide in both vertical and horizontal directions

  • Brought us tuberculin syringe for more precisely blood drop, replacing the large pipe he provided us previously

  • Suggestions on our current ideas

    • Tapes with tin mastic are probably better: the mastic is a counter force when removing the tape and too much mastic may exacerbate stiction

    • The Analyzer search through the smear slide for a location with the acceptable monolayer, therefore, the monolayer only needs to appear in the searching area

    • The spinning method requires the blood to be dropped at the spinning center and with limited drop volume to avoid spillage. Maybe constant drop volume is required to prevent too thin of a smear

  • Proposed two more approaches

    • Use a wire to smear the blood. Sponsor demonstrated his method using the fishing line and got a decent result on the slide.

    • Coat the smear slide with the hydrophilic material, e.g anti-fogging agent which is also produced by Rain X, to dissolve the surface tension of the blood drop.

Risks and Areas of Concern

• • Blood handling safety protocols

Upcoming milestones

        Blood Smear device

• • Final design choice of smearing mechanism 1/8/19

  • Finalized CAD and electronic components selection for the smearing device 1/19/19

  • Prototype for testing blood smear 1/25/19

  • Perform the material/angle/speed/fatigue test on the test 1/31/19

  • Final smearing device due 2/7/19

  • Connection device

  • Finalized CAD and electronic components selection for the connection device 2/20/19

  • Prototype of connection device 2/27/19

  • Final connection device due 3/07/19