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Dynamic Bioreactor For Engineered Cartilage TissueCartilage within the knee joint that is damaged in younger patients due to sports injuries and other traumatic events does not heal spontaneously. Cartilage damage leads to pain, decreased mobility and can eventually progress to diffuse cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis of a joint. There are no current medical or surgical treatments that restore osteoarthritic joints to their native condition and patients will commonly require joint replacement. In order to develop new treatments to regenerate damaged cartilage, stem cells have been used to produce cartilage like tissues. The Dynamic Bioreactor for Engineered Cartilage Tissue shall mimic loads that are observed from humans’ natural gait onto stem cell seeded scaffolds, specifically for creating tissue that will have similar histological and mechanical properties as that of native cartilage. The aim is to provide shear of 5%-10% and axial compression of up 20%, a sterile environment for cell growth, as well as regulate and record the axial strain and shear strain. For the various phases and milestones of the project, refer to Appendix A. This report is a comprehensive summary of our final project and its associated documentation.
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Selective Relationships Between Sensory System White Matter Connectivity And Sensory And Cognitive Function In Aged MacaquesNormative aging results in deficits in both auditory and visual function, along with degradation of select cognitive functions. Studies have shown that sensory function is a predictor of late-life cognitive abilities, though the neurobiological base of this relationship is unclear. Previously our group found that the connectivity of medial temporal lobe-associated white matter was related to better auditory processing abilities and temporal lobe-dependent cognitive functions. This study concluded that shared impacts of aging on temporal lobe structures could account for the selectivity in these relationships. However, little is known about the association between sensory system white matter connectivity and sensory and cognitive function with age. In this study, adult and aged bonnet macaque monkeys were behaviorally characterized and evaluated for auditory and visual function. Measures of auditory and visual system white matter connectivity were extracted using diffusion MRI and probabilistic tractography. We found that higher connectivity of callosal auditory fibers was associated with better auditory function, and higher connectivity of the posterior forceps and optic radiation were associated with better visual function. Higher connectivity of auditory system white matter was associated with better performance on certain temporal-lobe dependent cognitive tasks. Our results support the idea that a shared impact of aging on temporal lobe structures could partially drive relationships between auditory processing and temporal lobe-dependent cognition.
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The Role Of Endohyphal Symbionts In Influencing Fungal Degradation Of Plant Cell Walls Under Field ConditionsMany plant-associated fungi form symbiotic relationships with endohyphal bacteria (EHB), which live within fungal tissue. Our goal was to evaluate how EHB (here, Pantoea spp.) influence the ability of fungi to degrade plant material under field conditions, thus extending previous research based only on in vitro assays. We examined the degradation ability of two fungi (9133 and 9140) with (+) or without (-) EHB on foliage of three plant species (Platycladus orientalis, Cupressus arizonica, Juniperus deppeana). Plant material with one treatment (9133+, 9133-, 9140+, 9140-, or control) was placed into mesh litter bags and deployed into field plots. After three months we found that treatment with fungi, regardless of EHB status, increased mass loss relative to controls for two species (C. arizonica, J. deppeana). In contrast to expectations based on in vitro results and a small pilot study, EHB did not increase degradation of plant material by fungi. We anticipate that biotic interactions with other decomposers in soil, especially in a relatively rainy winter with robust microbial activity, could explain the observed results. Future experiments might focus on how EHB influence interactions among the diverse fungi that play a role in plant tissue degradation in complex natural systems.
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Putting An End To Homelessness Of Pregnant Women: Holistic Interventions For Addressing Birth Outcomes And Maternal RisksHomelessness is an epidemic in the United States, where over half a million people find themselves without housing nightly. This is especially concerning when considering those who are forced to bring in the next generation into an unstable home environment – those who find themselves in the unique situation of experiencing homelessness and pregnancy simultaneously. Children born to mothers who were homeless during pregnancy are at a higher risk for intergenerational poverty, homelessness, victimization, substance abuse, and chronic illness – many of which stem from the lasting health effects from disproportionately high rates of fetal birth defects, underdevelopment, and low birth weight in these babies. When the health of the mother and their child in gestation are understood as interconnected, we can focus on factors which contribute to the holistic picture of the mother’s health – and consequently their infant’s health. This involves a close look at the socioeconomic and environmental factors which contribute to the prevalence of poor birth outcomes in the unique population of homeless, pregnant women. With understanding the intersecting factors which shape their overall picture of health, the model of shelters as a novel intervention can then serve as a treatment which may address many of these concerns in a long term, effective, and comprehensive way. This intervention seeks to understand and eradicate the underlying socioeconomic burdens which underscore the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes among this population in the first place.
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Neurolinguistic Processing And Social Stress Of Emojis In Emotionally Ambiguous TextsEmojis are symbols that are utilized in computer-mediated communication to provide emotional and social cues to interlocutors. There is little prior research regarding the processing of emojis with or without context. We investigated neural responses to positive and negative emojis both before and after emotionally ambiguous sentences. Our research sought to identify the differences in processing between negative and positive emojis, and between emojis with and without context. We found that negative emojis produced a stronger N170 effect than positive emojis when placed before texts, and that they produced a stronger P200 effect than positive emojis when placed after texts. Emojis placed before texts produced stronger N170 effects than punctuation, indicating they are processed fully as faces. Emojis placed after texts produced stronger LPC effects than punctuation, but no significant N170 effect, indicating that they are instead processed for only emotional content.
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On The Classification Conception Of ModalityModality is the study of two different modes 1 of truth; possibility and necessity. These notions are completely pervasive to our everyday life, but there is a specific species that philosophers are most interested in -- metaphysical modality. Metaphysical modality hopes to capture everything that could’ve possible been and everything that must be. In the current literature on metaphysical modality, there are two competing views -- the Governance and Classification conceptions. The Governance conception argues that necessity in some way governs truth. The Classification conception argues that modality is simply a classification of what kind of a truth some particular truth is. Viewing modality in either light has rippling effects on what kinds of modal theories one can endorse. In this paper, I will present two such Classification style theories. In doing so, I aim to show that similar objections apply to both. Furthermore, I argue that any theory viewing modality through the Classification conception will be open to such objections. Lastly, I argue that the debate between the Classification and Governance conceptions should be carried out further before debate over specific theories continues.
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Robotic Gait SimulatorContinuing the evolution of orthopaedic solutions to common musculoskeletal disorders and injuries results in the need for increasingly complex and physiologically accurate models of human movement. As such, lower limb cadaveric simulators are suitable for investigating the biomechanics of the foot/ankle in a controlled, clinical setting and provide insightful information to the researchers concerning gait cycles. The interdisciplinary team was tasked with modifying an existing Robotic Gait Simulator (RGS) in order to enhance the capabilities of the previous model. The solutions are implemented easily and designed to interface with the current system. These include: additional tendon simulators – linear actuators – and replacement with more robust versions – capable of delivering larger forces at higher speeds – , updated load cells and electronics, a Guided User Interface (GUI) to operate the system, modifications to the aluminum frame to accommodate the supplemented tendons, a “flange” designed to maintained correct tendon-pull direction, and a friction-power treadmill to provide ground reaction forces of the foot/ankle model during varying gait. The finalized RGS was successfully built and tested with approximated tendon-force curves developed via a MATLAB program. The analysis showed promising results and its modular design opened the possibility of future enhancements.
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A Virtual Reality System For Realistic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation TrainingIntroduction: In the United States, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually. CPR, while lifesaving, needs to be performed accurately to be effective. This study aims to implement virtual reality (VR) with wearable sensors to measure compression acceleration, frequency, and depth while providing real-time feedback to the user for immersive and effective CPR training. Materials and Methods: VR scenarios were customized in Unity video game engine to serve as the user interface and feedback environment. An HTC Vive VR system immersed the user into a real-world CPR scenario while an HTC Vive tracker tracked the position of a CPR mannequin in VR. An MPU6050 accelerometer was programmed with an Arduino Micro to process compression acceleration data. Leap motion hand tracking technology was utilized to track the user’s hand position. Speech recognition was implemented to recognize key phrases, such as “call 911,” spoken by the user to a non-playable character in the VR scenario. Quantitative and qualitative performance feedback was provided to the user in the form of visual and auditory cues to correct CPR compressions. Conclusions: This system is an innovative proof of concept for a VR-based CPR training system that can provide compression feedback for high quality CPR.
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Virtual Mapping Of Data Centers With RobotsThe purpose of this project was to virtually map the inside of Microsoft’s data centers using robots. This final report serves to provide information on setup of the system. Additionally, it gives details on testing procedures and the results of those testing procedures. The report also presents the various models that were used in initially creating the data center mapping system. Ultimately, the senior design team was able to put together a fully functional data center mapping system with live stream capabilities, functioning telemetry support, and 360 degree panoramic of the mapping locations
