Proceedings of Performed Culture Approach Conference: In Honor of Professors Galal Walker and Mari Noda

Full conference proceedings

Molecular mechanism of activation of human cardiac fibroblasts during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection

Though primarily known and studied for its respiratory consequences, the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P.a.) also causes cardiac pathology during infection. A common cause of nosocomial infections, otherwise known as healthcare-associated infections, P.a. infections are especially threatening to susceptible patient populations. Furthermore, they impose significant financial burdens on both healthcare facilities and their patients every year. These factors, in conjunction with the prevalence of cardiac dysfunction and its vast implications for human health highlight the need to investigate the mechanistic processes behind the pathological manifestations of P.a. in the heart. Studies from our lab revealed P.a. infection causes severe cardiac inflammation and dysfunction in mice, despite limited bacterial load in the heart. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. We hypothesize that inflammatory mediators and bacterial products released into the bloodstream by infected immune cells during pulmonary P.a. infection activate cardiac fibroblasts, enhancing cytokine and chemokine release and driving cardiac inflammation. To test our hypothesis in vitro, we used human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDMs) and cardiac fibroblasts (HCFs). We harvested conditioned media (CM) from P.a. infected hMDMs and exposed it to HCFs (P.a. CM). Our data revealed that exposing HCFs to P.a. CM upregulates gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines involved in immune cell recruitment. To further investigate mechanisms controlling key cytokine/chemokine expression in HCFs, we identified a MAPK-JNK as a driver for the induction of CCL2 in HCF. In conclusion, our data are consistent with the hypothesis that during pulmonary P.a. infection, immune cells recruited to the lungs interact with the bacterium and release inflammatory mediators into the bloodstream. These, along with released pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by P.a. bacterium, activate cardiac fibroblasts. This activation enhances the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (such as CCL2), causing recruitment of leukocytes into heart tissue and contributing to severe cardiac inflammation. Ongoing and future studies are needed to dive deeper into the mechanisms of this pathway and show its potential impact in driving cardiac inflammation in vivo.No embargoAcademic Major: Molecular Genetic

MULTI-STAGE ALTERATION IN COSO GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM AS REVEALED BY MACHINE LEARNING

The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) initiated a program to explore the potential for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) wherein hydraulic fracturing creates new fractures and re-opens existing ones to increase porosity and permeability. The DOE designated several active geothermal areas in the U.S. to test this concept such as the Coso Geothermal Area in California. This research product focused on the modal mineralogy, the alteration sequences, and late-stage calcite fill and veins in well 42A-16. Nine thin sections from depths ranging from 1000 ft to 8930 ft were imaged using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for mineral chemical composition. Qualitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning Electron Microscopy (QEMSCAN) was used for the initial creation of modal mineralogy and colored scanning. Image processing through ImageJ and machine learning tool, ilastik, were used to better reconstruct modal mineralogy, and understand the relationship between calcite alongside other minerals as a product of temperature, pressure, and depth, within the system. The calcite shows strong correlations with major rock forming minerals quartz, plagioclase, and potassium feldspar throughout the well, and alteration phases such as chlorite and amphiboles at depth. The order of the alteration sequence in Coso lay the framework for an environment conducive to late-stage calcite vein precipitation. Results also suggest calcite vein fill decreased modern permeability and porosity by a magnitude of 10. This study could serve as a reason to further investigate the effects of EGS on carbonates and other minerals within a system that is out of equilibrium.A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Earth Science

Motivational Interviewing Integrated with Medication Management to Improve Outcomes in Depressed Adults

Major Depressive disorder is a leading cause of global disability. In 2019, there were an estimated 280 million individuals suffering from depressive symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic led to further mental health disparities, with individuals facing death, isolation, illness, and job loss compounding the disease process. Major Depressive Disorder is believed to be a chronic disease with periods of remission and relapse. Despite effective treatment modalities, patient outcomes are suboptimal. Over half of patients respond to antidepressant therapy with medication nonadherence varying from 10% to 60%. Factors influencing medication nonadherence include treatment stigma, negative provider relationships, patient beliefs, lack of social support, and forgetfulness. Motivational interviewing (MI) was identified in the literature review as a supportive therapeutic approach to improve the patient-provider relationship, reduce treatment stigma, improve medication adherence, and improve treatment outcomes for patients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. The DNP project integrated MI with Medication Management in patients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, moderate severity, who struggle with treatment adherence. Moderate severity was identified with a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score of 10-14 and a Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS-5) less than 25. The outcome was measured by completing the PHQ-9 and MAR-5 before the initial intervention and between 1-3 months at follow-up visits. Even though the sample size was small (n=6), The PHQ-9 and MARS-5 scores improved, suggesting MI as effective therapeutic intervention when integrated with medication management in depressed patients.No embarg

A Lightweight, Energy-Efficient Solution for Enhancing the Electric Vehicle Camping Experience

Camping is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., and electric vehicles (EVs) bring exciting possibilities for enhancing the camping experience with their storage space and built-in power. However, most car tents on the market are designed for trunks and only serve as sleeping areas. Meanwhile, camping trailers, though offering full setups for cooking, sleeping, and relaxing, are heavy and cause range anxiety for EV users by significantly increasing energy consumption due to added weight and drag. This project is being developed in professional partnership with Honda, focusing on innovative uses for the EV front trunk (frunk). By collaborating with Honda's design and engineering teams, FoldNest aims to deliver a solution that maximizes frunk functionality while aligning with the needs of modern EV users. FoldNest is a lightweight, energy-efficient solution that transforms the EV frunk into a cozy "living room" space, complementing existing trunk "bedroom" setups. The design is simple and user-friendly. With app-controlled, auto-extending frames and terrain-responsive sensors, setting up FoldNest is simple. Illuminated frames double as adjustable lighting, an optional sliding TV screen adds an extra layer of comfort. By creating a sense of "home away from home," FoldNest makes camping with EVs more enjoyable, practical, and fun.American Honda Motor CompanyNo embargoAcademic Major: Industrial Desig

Interview of Carol Ann Baker by Karen Lane

Remote interview.Carol Ann Baker's interest in nursing was sparked in high school when she worked as a dishwasher at a small osteopathic hospital. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing from Ohio State University. Her first position as a nurse was at Nationwide Children's Hospital working with burn victims and other long-term patients, and later, she secured a position at Ohio State as a staff nurse in a general surgery unit. While working at Ohio State, Baker became interested in nursing education and research; she went back to school to earn a doctorate at the University of Illinois, so she could become at member of the faculty at the College of Nursing. In 2014 during the College of Nursing's centennial celebration, she was recognized as one the college's 100 Alumni Transformers in Nursing and Healthcare

An Empirical Exploration of Unsupervised Mobile Object Detection in a V2I Scenario

As object detection models for self-driving vehicles continue to advance, the scarcity of labeled training data intensifies as a bottleneck to the development process. While some methods for unsupervised learning exist, none have demonstrated sufficient performance on a vast and diverse testing set to warrant a widespread shift in approach. In this paper, we introduce UDAT (Unsupervised Detectors for Annotation and Training), a method by which roadside units (RSUs) can learn to detect mobile objects, creating labels that could be used to train vehicle detectors. The immobility of the units provides a consistency that allows for much more accurate predictions than unsupervised vehicle-mounted systems. Our approach closely mirrors the state-of-the-art MODEST[37] process, using the clustering of ephemeral points across LiDAR frames to create bounding boxes, which are then used as pseudo-labels to train an off-the-shelf detector. Multiple rounds of self-training increase the accuracy of the output annotations. We aim to demonstrate that this training regimen performs successfully enough to justify real-world viability as a roadside data annotator for the training of deep-learning vehicle detectors.No embargoAcademic Major: Computer Science and Engineerin