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Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

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Advanced analysis of battery material and effect of doping on potential of molecules.

2017-12 , Choi, Jeonghoon

Compared to common batteries, lithium-ion batteries have higher energy and power density, longer life, and more environmentally friendly; thus, it is applied to wide electronical area. However, lithium-ion batteries for cars have high capacity and huge serial-parallel numbers, which, involved with such problems as protection, robustness, consistency and cost, levies boundaries on the varied request of lithium-ion batteries in the vehicle. (Ogihara, T., 2010) The fine area in which lithium-ion batteries activate with safety and reliability requires the efficient control and administration of battery supervision system. The paper will use softwares to compute potentials of molecules and change of potential as a result of doping. The paper will show how different location of doping will affect the potential of battery. This present paper gives a summarized introduction to the structure and potential of molecule that can be used in lithium ion battery in the hope of providing some stimuli to the design and research of the battery system through the inspection of literature with practical experience.

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Improving Electroencephalograph Probe Placement with Digital Signal ProcessingImproving Electroencephalograph Probe Placement with Digital Signal Processing

2017-12 , Hayes, Nicholas

Theta waves (theta), sharp wave ripples (SWRs), and spikes are common waveforms that appear in local field potentials (LFPs) within the rodent brain. LFPs are collected using an electroencephalogram (EEG) probe in vivo, while a rodent navigates a virtual reality (VR) environment. Prior to experimentation and data collection, the probe must be positioned into the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Current probe placement techniques rely on manual interpretation of waveform data to predict probe proximity to the hippocampus, which can be imprecise. Improper placement of an EEG probe can cause damage to rodent neurons and create experiment delays. To mitigate these risks, we developed a MATLAB script that assesses behavioral changes in theta, spikes, and SWRs from raw LFPs as a functions of probe depth to automatically predict correct termination location within the rodent hippocampus. We show the success of the depth prediction algorithm in n = 6 different trials against manual placement by showing no significant difference (p = 0.747, unpaired two-tailed t-test) between actual and predicted depth values.

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Thoracic Aorta Displacement and Strain Analysis Using Spiral Cine DENSE MRI

2017-12 , Valdman, Melissa Elizabeth

Aneurysms are the 18th most common cause of death in the United States, and patients with connective tissue disorders are at particularly high risk of developing these lesions. Understanding more about the structural and biological properties that play a role in the formation of aneurysms could be vital to their early detection and prevention. In this study, we compare displacement and strain data from six patients who have connective tissue disorders (e.g., Marfan Syndrome, Loeys-Dietz Syndrome, or Ehlers-Danlos) and eight patients with healthy aortas using spiral cine DENSE MRI in order to differentiate the mechanical properties of healthy vs. diseased aortas and to understand the properties associated with different stages of aneurysm formation. We predict that patients with connective tissue disorders will demonstrate larger total displacement and strain along the aortic wall. These results will help differentiate the mechanical properties of healthy aortas and aortas associated with connective tissue disorders, as well as understand the properties associated with different stages of aneurysm formation.

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Implementation of Pulsatile Flow on Microfilters for Efficient Cell Sorting

2017-12 , Lee, Jun Yeob

Cell sorting has been an important process in both clinical testing and medical diagnostics, and is used in many applications ranging from emergency trauma evaluation to cystic fibrosis checkups. Currently, efficient blood cell sorting needs to be done in a laboratory setting with dedicated machinery, and the process is expensive, labor intensive and time consuming. Multiple microfluidic solutions have been proposed to address these issues, including separation through hydrodynamics, magnetism, and dielectrophoresis. Although these devices alleviate some of the problems surrounding laboratory blood sorting, the chips remain complex, costly, and lacks the specificity needed to be used directly in a clinical setting. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a new cell sorting method: pulse width modulated periodic backflush in a dead-end filtration system. Dead-end filtration is a cheaper, simpler approach to cell sorting; particles are passed directly through a membrane filter which blocks larger particles while passing smaller ones. Dead-end filtration is easy to implement, and often has higher sorting efficiencies. The problem of particle throughput reduction due to clogging is alleviated by a periodic backflush mechanism that maintains high sorting efficiency while retaining particle throughput. We examine the impact of superimposing periodic backflush in a large fluidic system and create a prototype to validate this effect in a microfluidic environment. We use a mixture of staph epidermidis and lung epithelial cells to validate the application of backflush filtration in a clinical environment.

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An Analysis of Quality of Life (QOL) and Survival Impact in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Patients

2017-12 , Bowen, Gloria M.

In neurodegenerative diseases, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), quality of life (QOL) – a patient’s ability and desire to lead a fulfilling life – is an important measure to determine disease evolution and treatment plan options. A comprehensive QOL assessment, however is challenging to gather in a clinical setting and relies on survey results convoluted with bias. Current research of QOL metrics in ALS are inadequate and limited to small, cross-sectional studies relying often on depression as the sole measure of QOL. This study proposes a new metric for QOL analysis gathered from qualitative physician remarks on patient mood in the clinical setting, referred to as clinic impression of mood (CIM). A meta-analysis of fifty-one factors gathered from over a thousand ALS patients who have visited the Emory ALS Center was performed to analyze the validity of CIM as a QOL measure. These factors are compared against CIM and depression scorings based on the revised clinical Assessment of Depression Index (ADI-12). A chi-square test was used to compare binary factors and a linear regression model was used for continuous metric analysis. The results of this study demonstrate a strong relationship between CIM and survival duration. Further research into the relationship between CIM, depression, physical health, and survival will allow for more accurate disease progression predictions and thus more suitable treatment plans that center around a patient’s QOL.

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Inter-joint coordination during walking in individuals with post-stroke hemiparesis

2017-12 , Daliet, Oliver

Stroke leads to impairments in intra-limb and inter-joint coordination. Measures of inter-joint coordination have been shown to relate with walking function and fall risk post-stroke. Here, our objective was to compare inter-joint coordination in the paretic versus non-paretic lower limb of individuals with post-stroke hemiparesis. Twelve individuals with post-stroke hemiparesis (8 males and 4 females, 42 – 70 years old) and eight able-bodied controls were recruited for the study. Gait analysis was performed during walking on an instrumented treadmill at a self-selected speed. The average coefficient of correspondence (ACC) was used to quantify the consistency of inter-joint coordination during multiple gait cycles. ACCs can range from 0 to 1, with numbers closer to 1 describing perfect stride-to-stride consistency. ACC values for ankle-knee and knee-hip angle-angle data-plots were compared between the paretic versus non-paretic limb post-stroke, between non-paretic limb versus able-bodied controls, and before versus after a gait training intervention. Our results to date show lower ACCs for the paretic versus non-paretic legs in individuals post-stroke for both ankle-knee coordination (0.86 for paretic and 0.93 for non-paretic) and knee-hip coordination (0.87 for paretic and 0.95 for non-paretic). Additionally, ACCs for both the non-paretic and paretic limbs were lower than ACCs demonstrated by able-bodied individuals (>0.98). This study demonstrates deficits in inter-joint coordination in both paretic and non-paretic lower limbs of stroke survivors during walking and takes a step toward understanding the effects of stroke and gait rehabilitation on inter-joint coordination during gait.

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Quantification of Microvessel Fragments from Primary Isolation Using 3-D Confocal Microscopy

2017-12 , Rather, Matthew Holt

Angiogenesis, or the migration, growth, and differentiation of endothelial cells to form new blood vessels, is an essential component in any tissue engineering project.  A variety of studies with transgenic and gene-targeted mice have demonstrated the importance of angiogenesis in fracture healing, and have provided insights into regulatory processes governing fracture angiogenesis; however, patterns of microvessel development before implementation and their effect on bone growth have yet to be quantified. Here we search to find the best quantification parameters of microvessels through 3-D confocal microscopy as they grow in-vitro before being seeded in a scaffold and delivered to a bone defect. Quantification will be done through both Amira and ImageJ software as each program has its strengths and weaknesses in image quantification.

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Rotifer Growth Under Astaxanthin Enrichment

2017-12 , Siegfried, Emma

Rotifers and astaxanthin both play an important part in the aquaculture industry. Rotifers are used as a substitute for copepods, the main source of food for larval fish in natural systems, due to the ease with which they can be cultured. Astaxanthin is a carotenoid and antioxidant which brightens the coloring of fish and improves fish health. Rotifers are believed to be a method through which astaxanthin can be bioencapsulated and vectored to larval fish. As a result, it is important to understand the effect of astaxanthin on rotifers themselves. This experiment uses a multitude of different protocols to determine how different astaxanthin compounds effects rotifers on both the individual and population levels. Reproductive tables and fluorescent imaging were used to assess the health of individual rotifers; population density measurements in mass cultures were used to assess rotifer population health. The reproductive ability of rotifers was significantly different from control under multiple astaxanthin treatments. Astaxanthin enrichment also created a higher stable population density in the mass cultures. The fluorescent imaging showed that the rotifers reached peak astaxanthin concentration within the rotifer gut after 3 hours, and but concentration returned to control levels within 24 hours of removal from astaxanthin. These results all point to the fact that astaxanthin helps to increase rotifer health and fitness, and that these rotifers could be used as a vector for astaxanthin to larval fish.

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Multi-factorial treatment paradigm detection could be the answer to complex diseases: a case study of ALS

2017-12 , Kittel, Tyler Elizabeth

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease with no known cause or cure. Through a combination of an open market-space, scientific curiosity, and the humanitarian motivation to advance medicine, every treatment option imaginable has been attempted for this condition in the hopes of finding a cure. This analysis incorporates 5026 paired treatment-to-control data points of the G93A SOD1 mouse model, the most commonly tested ALS model, in an effort to organize the vast amount of published data in the field and evaluate which approaches are most promising for further experimentation. An ANOVA analysis was completed comparing nine different pathophysiological treatment approaches to ALS as a function of seven stages of disease progression throughout the entire lifespan of the mice. Treatment efficacy was evaluated based on how well the treatment improved three disease metrics compared to their own experimental control. Patterns emerged for overall disease benefit, as well as for the three modality assessments including onset delay, survival prolongment, and general health scores. Combination treatments that fit into more than one category also performed better than individual therapies later in life. Interestingly, most treatments were administered before disease onset, yet benefit was almost solely found post-onset. These results suggest that patients may benefit from a targeted pro-active combinatorial treatment approach to combat the multiple failed regulations and general homeostatic instability characteristic of ALS. Such a conclusion correlates with the trend towards complex personal medicine treatment plans in other multifactorial diseases.

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Characterization of Rat Optic Nerve Head (ONH) Biomechanics through Finite Element (FE) and Sensitivity Analysis of Tissues

2017-12 , Kight, Alison

ONH pathophysiology in glaucoma is poorly understood. However, the rat model of glaucoma is especially useful for learning how complex optic ONH biomechanics affect glaucomatous cell death. Because of human and rat ONH anatomical differences, biomechanical characterization of the rat ONH is crucial to the understanding of rat experimental studies. We built a FE model utilizing individual-specific rat ONH geometry to characterize IOP-induced stress and strain patterns in the rat ONH and conducted a sensitivity analysis to determine which tissue material properties have the largest effect on ONH strains. Principal strains in the baseline model averaged 4.6% with maximums of 7.4%, which is higher than strains previously found in human ONH models. The sensitivity study suggested scleral stiffness has the largest influence on ONH biomechanics, similar to findings in human ONH models. Comparing our results with experimental rat studies may illuminate how biomechanics affects glaucoma pathophysiology.

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