Prediction of Glass Transition Temperature of Polymers using Structure-Based Models

The focus for this study is prediction of glass transition temperatures of polymers using machine learning models. The preprocessing of the data included the generation of descriptors, the scaling of the data, the principal component analysis for dimensionality reduction, and the clustering of the data. Three methods of property predictions were utilized including Linear Regression, Random Forest, and a Feedforward Neural Network. The dataset consisted of over 7000 polymers each with their respective glass transition temperatures. This study found that the Random Forest model returned the best results followed by the Feedforward Neural Network then the Linear Regression model. Each model performed reasonably well in the prediction of glass transition temperatures. The models described in this system can be utilized for other properties for both polymers and other systems due to the generalized structure of the model

WIPO Negotiations on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge

This article examines the ongoing negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) regarding the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge (TK), and traditional cultural expressions (TCEs). It provides a comprehensive overview of the historical background, key provisions, challenges, and reflections on the diplomatic efforts leading to the establishment of the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge (GRATK Treaty). It explores issues surrounding disclosure obligations, including the lack of a clear definition for confidential information and the debate over sanctions and remedies. The article examines the challenges and implications of key provisions in the Basic Proposal, including disclosure requirements, exceptions and limitations, and information systems, revealing longstanding disagreements among stakeholders. It also reflects on the emerging international norms and their impact on the global intellectual property regime, emphasizing the complexities of protecting genetic resources, TK, and TCEs

Expression and Purification of Cytochrome P450 46A1 for Resonance Raman Spectroscopy

Researchers are targeting cytochrome P450 46A1 (CYP46A1), an enzyme critical for brain cholesterol homeostasis, as a potential therapeutic approach for neurological diseases. CYP46A1 plays a key role in cholesterol turnover in the brain by catalyzing the conversion of cholesterol to 24S-hydroxycholesterol (24HC) and is linked to Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology. Given its critical role in brain health, CYP46A1 represents a promising target for therapeutic intervention in neurological disorders. The goal of this project was to express the CYP46A1 protein in GC5 E. coli cells and purify the protein using chromatographic techniques including affinity and ion exchange chromatography. Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy was used to characterize the purity of the obtained protein, which resulted in a final Rz (A420/A280) value of 0.720. This A420/A280 ratio and SDS-PAGE results confirm that further purification of the CYP46A1 protein is required. The protein obtained in this study will be used in future studies that will address pressing mechanistic questions regarding the structure and function of CYP46A1 using resonance Raman (rR) spectroscopy

Amish \u3cem\u3eShwitzer\u3c/em\u3e: An Old Order Contact Language

There is relatively little linguistic research on the language spoken by the Swiss Amish community of Adams County, IN. The language is remarkable for various reasons. First, it is a kind of a mixed language with closely related parental languages which has so far not been found elsewhere in the languages of the world. Second, it is an example of a complex linguistic inner-Amish separation. While the convergence of Amish Shwitzer towards Pennsylvania Dutch grammar is caused by intense contact between Swiss and Pennsylvania Dutch-speaking Amish, the retention of Bernese German features inherited by the ancestors of the modern-day Swiss Amish prevents the two languages, Amish Shwitzer and Pennsylvania Dutch, from merging. The following article illustrates both claims with empirical data. [Abstract by authors.

Stare Decisis After The Rejection of Lockstepping in State Constitutional Law: An Ohio Perspective

State constitutions contain numerous rights-protecting provisions that are analogous to provisions of the United States Constitution. But lawyers and courts often ignored state constitutions. Even when courts interpreted state constitutions, they often followed an approach known as lockstepping: state constitutional rights were viewed as having the same meaning as analogous federal provisions, even when the state provisions had different wording and were adopted for different purposes at different times than their federal analogues. In recent decades, however, commentators and judges have claimed that state constitutions might afford greater protection to individual rights than the U.S. Constitution. The growth of the new judicial federalism, the notion that state constitutional provisions do not necessarily have the same meaning as their federal counterparts, raises questions about the status of state precedents that applied lockstepping construction of state constitutions. This essay suggests that we should approach that question carefully. It might be entirely appropriate to reject lockstepping as generally unsound, but we should not assume that a state constitutional provision necessarily means something different than its federal analogue. The essay discusses several key Ohio Supreme Court cases to illustrate its point

Extracellular matrix repair and organization of chronic infected diabetic wounds treated with methacrylated chitosan-based hydrogels

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a multifactorial medical problem that require multifaceted approaches for effective healing. Most research on DFU healing has concentrated on promoting wound closure, with less emphasis on the quality of repaired tissue. This is problematic, however, since quality of the repaired tissues can have potential to improve wound healing outcomes and limit re-ulceration. If more functionally active dermis replaces the lost tissue, this can effectively maximize strength, organization, and overall structure of the plantar surface. Additionally, DFUs commonly show multi-strain infection, which further exacerbates the non-healing status of these wounds. Treatment of chronic wounds can be benefitted by application of oxygen and localized infection treatment, both can be achieved via our methacrylated chitosan-based (MACF) hydrogel. A non-healing diabetic infected wound model was used to explore extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, tensile strength, and metabolomic profiles at a 21-day endpoint as a marker for maturation and improved functionality of repaired tissues over normal scar formation. Effective remediation of infection was achieved with 14 days of polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) application with improved wound repair compared to continuous treatment. Prolonged (21 day) application of PHMB showed resulting necrosis, although standard application times for patients with infected wounds can reach up to 28 continuous days. Biaxial mechanical analysis showed improved isotropic strength of infected tissues treated with MACF with PHMB stopped on D14, supported by collagen fiber orientation in second harmonics generation (SHG) imaging. Oxygenating MACF treatments also improved collagen deposition through the enhancement of the hydroxyproline fibrillary collagen synthesis pathway. These structural and mechanical results demonstrate a promising potential treatment for infected diabetic foot ulcers which shows improved dermal functionality

Offloading-Verified Framework for Adversary Detection and Mitigation in IoT

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) designed for the Internet of Things (IoT) enhanced security and resource infrastructures to support various applications and services, undetected adversaries in the temporarily connected IoT network impose different user and data privacy threats, this research introduces an Offloading-verified Adversary Detection and Mitigation Scheme (OADMS), this proposed scheme coexists with the IoT communication and CPS security infrastructure for adversary detection, conventional behavior-based adversary detection with partial order adversarial network training validates the infrastructure security support against cyber-attacks. The behavior is analyzed for independent and offloaded service exchanges, reducing communication failures and is recurrently analyzed in the detection process until the service termination, communication metrics of the infrastructure units are used to verify adversary and user channel behavior. The learning process recommendations are exploited to validate the channel\u27s reliability through IoT-sharing platforms, and the performance of the proposed system is assessed using communication latency, failure rate, response ratio, and detection factor. The model achieved an excellent detection accuracy rate of 96.8 %

Body Imagery: How Exercise Motivation Type Affects Self and Social Perceptions

The current research revolves around individuals’ motivations for engaging in regular exercise and how this motivation may be associated with self-esteem, social confidence, social anxiety, and social media behavior. Recent literature on exercise and its relation to anxiety and social media usage has almost exclusively addressed a one-way direction: how social media, especially problematic social media use, and the anxiety derived thereof influence individuals to increase exercise frequency. The present research seeks to understand the potential relationship within the opposite direction, looking to discover confluence between one’s drive to exercise (i.e., for functional reasons or social desirability and aesthetics), derived depressive or anxiety-related symptoms experienced while interacting with social media, self-esteem, and confidence in social settings. Results of this research may gauge how the foundational component of motivation type can permeate throughout our perceptions of self and assumptions of how others perceive us in the domains of peer social settings and social media

GameGPT

GameGPT is a proof-of-concept project aimed to show how large language models (LLMs) can be used to enhance video games by allowing the user to have intelligent and adaptive interactions with non-playable characters (NPCs), each presenting their own personality, which adds aesthetics to the game. This was completed by using Groq Artificial Intelligence (AI) cloud-computing service to host the AI models to power the NPCs and engage with the user. Using AI to power NPC’s presents a way to lean away from traditional hard-coded and scripted dialogues, and strive towards intelligent and versatile conversations. GameGPT currently has 3 playable characters: a cowboy named John, a city girl named Sasha, and a beach guy named Ken. Each of them presents their personality in their respective responses. The goal is to enhance in-game NPC interactions using LLM, similar to games like Skyrim, but with limitless conversational potential. In the end, GameGPT brings the idea of AI in video games to life with the interactive ChatGPT-inspired general user interface (GUI). This project points out some key benefits of historical and current incorporations of AI within games for storytelling, player engagement, and adaptive gameplay

Dividing Paradise: A History of Land in Hawai\u27i

This paper acts as a biography of Hawaiian land, using multidisciplinary sources to construct a timeline of how land has been conceptualized and used by the people who live there. It analyzes Hawai\u27i as a settler colony. I begin with the first Polynesian settlers in Hawai\u27i, focusing on the feudal-like division and redistribution of land by the king in the pre-colonial era. Then, I discuss the attitude of the American settlers in Hawai\u27i and how those ideas were manifested in the privatization of land and the age of sugarcane plantations. Next, I focus on how the United States military has used the land it occupies. Their approach to Hawaiian land as a place available for training is exemplified in the island of Kaho\u27olawe, the most bombed island in the Pacific. I then describe the beginnings of the tourism industry in Hawai\u27i before discussing the island of Ni\u27ihau as an alternative history. I conclude with a review of the 2023 Maui fires, whose consequences were directly tied to the conflicts over land identified and described in this paper