Annuloplasty MTI: Improved Tooling for Annuloplasty Ring Manufacturing

The complete senior project report was submitted to the project advisor and sponsor. The results of this project are of a confidential nature and will not be published at this time

Leveraging eco-evolutionary models for gene drive risk assessment

Engineered gene drives create potential for both widespread benefits and irreversible harms to ecosystems. CRISPR-based systems of allelic conversion have rapidly accelerated gene drive research across diverse taxa, putting field trials and their necessary risk assessments on the horizon. Dynamic processbased models provide flexible quantitative platforms to predict gene drive outcomes in the context of system-specific ecological and evolutionary features. Here, we synthesize gene drive dynamic modeling studies to highlight research trends, knowledge gaps, and emergent principles, organized around their genetic, demographic, spatial, environmental, and implementation features. We identify the phenomena that most significantly influence model predictions, discuss limitations of biological complexity and uncertainty, and provide insights to promote responsible development and model-assisted risk assessment of gene drives. Supplemental files attached belo

Dispersal Ability Predicts Spatial Genetic Structure in Native Mammals Persisting across an Urbanization Gradient

As the rate of urbanization continues to increase globally, a growing body of research is emerging that investigates how urbanization shapes the movement—and consequent gene flow—of species in cities. Of particular interest are native species that persist in cities, either as small relict populations or as larger populations of synanthropic species that thrive alongside humans in new urban environments. In this study, we used genomic sequence data (SNPs) and spatially explicit individual‐based analyses to directly compare the genetic structure and patterns of gene flow in two small mammals with different dispersal abilities that occupy the same urbanized landscape to evaluate how mobility impacts genetic connectivity. We collected 215 white‐footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and 380 big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) across an urban‐to‐rural gradient within the Providence, Rhode Island (U.S.A.) metropolitan area (population =1,600,000 people). We found that mice and bats exhibit clear differences in their spatial genetic structure that are consistent with their dispersal abilities, with urbanization having a stronger effect on Peromyscus mice. There were sharp breaks in the genetic structure of mice within the Providence urban core, as well as reduced rates of migration and an increase in inbreeding with more urbanization. In contrast, bats showed very weak genetic structuring across the entire study area, suggesting a near‐panmictic gene pool likely due to the ability to disperse by flight. Genetic diversity remained stable for both species across the study region. Mice also exhibited a stronger reduction in gene flow between island and mainland populations than bats. This study represents one of the first to directly compare multiple species within the same urban‐to‐rural landscape gradient, an important gap to fill for urban ecology and evolution. Moreover, here we document the impacts of dispersal capacity on connectivity for native species that have persisted as the urban landscape matrix expands

Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Stroke: Early versus Late Time Window Outcomes

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSERecent trials have shown benefit of thrombectomy in patients selected by penumbral imaging in the late (>6 hours) window. However, the role penumbral imaging is not clear in the early (0‐6 hours) window. We sought to evaluate if time to treatment modifies the effect of endovascular reperfusion in stroke patients with evidence of salvageable tissue on CT perfusion (CTP).METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients who underwent thrombectomy in a single center. Demographics, comorbidities, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), rtPA administration, ASPECTS, core infarct volume, onset to skin puncture time, recanalization (mTICI IIb/III), final infarct volume were compared between patients with good and poor 90‐day outcomes (mRS 0‐2 vs. 3‐6). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent predictors of a good (mRS 0‐2) 90‐day outcome.RESULTSA total of 235 patients were studied, out of which 52.3% were female. Univariate analysis showed that the groups (early vs. late) were balanced for age (P = .23), NIHSS (P = .63), vessel occlusion location (P = .78), initial core infarct volume (P = .15), and recanalization (mTICI IIb/III) rates (P = .22). Favorable outcome (mRS 0‐2) at 90 days (P = .30) were similar. There was a significant difference in final infarct volume (P = .04). Shift analysis did not reveal any significant difference in 90‐day outcome (P = .14). After adjustment; age (P < .001), NIHSS (P = .01), recanalization (P = .008), and final infarct volume (P < .001) were predictive of favorable outcome.CONCLUSIONSPenumbral imaging‐based selection of patients for thrombectomy is effective regardless of onset time and yields similar functional outcomes in early and late window patients.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155458/1/jon12698_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155458/2/jon12698.pd

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

A Possible Alignment Between the Orbits of Planetary Systems and their Visual Binary Companions

Astronomers do not have a complete picture of the effects of wide-binary companions (semimajor axes greater than 100 au) on the formation and evolution of exoplanets. We investigate these effects using new data from Gaia Early Data Release 3 and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission to characterize wide-binary systems with transiting exoplanets. We identify a sample of 67 systems of transiting exoplanet candidates (with well-determined, edge-on orbital inclinations) that reside in wide visual binary systems. We derive limits on orbital parameters for the wide-binary systems and measure the minimum difference in orbital inclination between the binary and planet orbits. We determine that there is statistically significant difference in the inclination distribution of wide-binary systems with transiting planets compared to a control sample, with the probability that the two distributions are the same being 0.0037. This implies that there is an overabundance of planets in binary systems whose orbits are aligned with those of the binary. The overabundance of aligned systems appears to primarily have semimajor axes less than 700 au. We investigate some effects that could cause the alignment and conclude that a torque caused by a misaligned binary companion on the protoplanetary disk is the most promising explanation

Proceedings of the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) 2015: advancing efficient methodologies through community partnerships and team science

It is well documented that the majority of adults, children and families in need of evidence-based behavioral health interventionsi do not receive them [1, 2] and that few robust empirically supported methods for implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) exist. The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration (SIRC) represents a burgeoning effort to advance the innovation and rigor of implementation research and is uniquely focused on bringing together researchers and stakeholders committed to evaluating the implementation of complex evidence-based behavioral health interventions. Through its diverse activities and membership, SIRC aims to foster the promise of implementation research to better serve the behavioral health needs of the population by identifying rigorous, relevant, and efficient strategies that successfully transfer scientific evidence to clinical knowledge for use in real world settings [3]. SIRC began as a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded conference series in 2010 (previously titled the “Seattle Implementation Research Conference”; $150,000 USD for 3 conferences in 2011, 2013, and 2015) with the recognition that there were multiple researchers and stakeholdersi working in parallel on innovative implementation science projects in behavioral health, but that formal channels for communicating and collaborating with one another were relatively unavailable. There was a significant need for a forum within which implementation researchers and stakeholders could learn from one another, refine approaches to science and practice, and develop an implementation research agenda using common measures, methods, and research principles to improve both the frequency and quality with which behavioral health treatment implementation is evaluated. SIRC’s membership growth is a testament to this identified need with more than 1000 members from 2011 to the present.ii SIRC’s primary objectives are to: (1) foster communication and collaboration across diverse groups, including implementation researchers, intermediariesi, as well as community stakeholders (SIRC uses the term “EBP champions” for these groups) – and to do so across multiple career levels (e.g., students, early career faculty, established investigators); and (2) enhance and disseminate rigorous measures and methodologies for implementing EBPs and evaluating EBP implementation efforts. These objectives are well aligned with Glasgow and colleagues’ [4] five core tenets deemed critical for advancing implementation science: collaboration, efficiency and speed, rigor and relevance, improved capacity, and cumulative knowledge. SIRC advances these objectives and tenets through in-person conferences, which bring together multidisciplinary implementation researchers and those implementing evidence-based behavioral health interventions in the community to share their work and create professional connections and collaborations

Intelligent Zero Net Energy Construction for Disaster Relief

The goal of our Creative Inquiry project is to create a home that can be placed on-site following a disaster without the need for accessing a potentially damaged or stressed utility grid. This prototype will embody the concept of Intelligent Zero Net Energy (IZNE) construction. By relying solely on Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, batteries, and high efficiency \u27smart\u27 devices, our home will stand independent of any outside energy sources. To achieve maximum energy savings, direct current (DC) electricity will be generated and used without any costly energy transformations. The true merit of our research lies in a simple fact; solar energy is poised to transform the world but no new invention is needed for that to happen. Our group\u27s innovative approach is to take mature technologies and implement them in an exciting new way