Slide Preparation for DNA Attachment for use in Optical Tweezers

Our research team, ISLAND CURE, is a multidisciplinary team of professors and undergraduate students with the goal to design and build instruments to make biological measurements on a limited budget. One of the apparatuses we are designing, is optical tweezers, which are a Nobel Prize-winning technology capable of trapping microscopic and sub-microscopic particles using a laser beam. Using a 1064 nm beam, we will trap a single strand of DNA using beads and this will enable us to exert minute forces upon the DNA. This experiment will give us a better understanding of the forces on damaged DNA; specifically, the damages that lead to mutations and cancer. With this knowledge our goal is to be able to provide insight into mutagenesis and cancer development, and ideally how to treat and prevent them. Our job was to find a way to prepare a slide in which a single piece of DNA can attach to be used in the inverted microscope setup

Mechanisms of photohydrodebromination of bromoarenes

The photohydrodebromination of brominated paracyclophanes was studied to help elucidate the possible mechanistic pathways leading to product for bromoarenes in general. Several brominated [2.2]paracyclophanes were studied to determine the effect of substitution patterns on this reaction. [2.2]Paracyclophanes were chosen for this study in order to investigate possible intramolecular excimer formation as a route to product formation. The [2.2]paracyclophanes studied were 4-bromo-, pseudo-para-dibromo-, and pseudo-ortho-dibromo[2.2]paracyclophane. 5-Bromo[3.3]paracyclophane has also been studied to determine the effect of increased ring separation on the reaction. These brominated cyclophanes showed varying efficiencies of both intermolecular and intramolecular excimer formation

漱石と魯迅の比較研究の試み-『坊つちやん』と『阿Q正伝』の接点を中心に

<p>The estimated global distribution of Zika (red) and dengue (blue) based on current (a, b) and 2050 climate projections (c, d), compared against the current (light grey) and future distribution (dark grey) of all three mosquito vectors <i>Aedes aegypti</i>, <i>Ae</i>. <i>africanus</i> and <i>Ae</i>. <i>albopictus</i> (a-d).</p

A Sparse Object Coding Scheme in Area V4

SummarySparse coding has long been recognized as a primary goal of image transformation in the visual system [1–4]. Sparse coding in early visual cortex is achieved by abstracting local oriented spatial frequencies [5] and by excitatory/inhibitory surround modulation [6]. Object responses are thought to be sparse at subsequent processing stages [7, 8], but neural mechanisms for higher-level sparsification are not known. Here, convergent results from macaque area V4 neural recording and simulated V4 populations trained on natural object contours suggest that sparse coding is achieved in midlevel visual cortex by emphasizing representation of acute convex and concave curvature. We studied 165 V4 neurons with a random, adaptive stimulus strategy to minimize bias and explore an unlimited range of contour shapes. V4 responses were strongly weighted toward contours containing acute convex or concave curvature. In contrast, the tuning distribution in nonsparse simulated V4 populations was strongly weighted toward low curvature. But as sparseness constraints increased, the simulated tuning distribution shifted progressively toward more acute convex and concave curvature, matching the neural recording results. These findings indicate a sparse object coding scheme in midlevel visual cortex based on uncommon but diagnostic regions of acute contour curvature

Concept Design for Optical Tweezers to be used in DNA Research

Optical tweezers are a Nobel Prize-winning technology capable of trapping microscopic and sub-microscopic particles using a laser beam. There are several new and useful applications available with the use of optical tweezers. A single optical tweezers set up can cost upwards of two hundred thousand dollars; however, we have designed a cost effective set up to study damaged DNA for under thirty thousand dollars. Using this design, we applied for a grant that would give us the necessary funds to build this set up. The building process itself will be very useful hands-on time learning about the laser set up. In addition, our optical tweezers would be integrated into undergraduate classes

Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of a Dual-Stream Supersonic Plug Nozzle

Aerodynamic shape optimization was performed on an isolated axisymmetric plug nozzle sized for a supersonic business jet. The dual-stream concept was tailored to attenuate nearfield pressure disturbances without compromising nozzle performance. Adjoint-based anisotropic mesh refinement was applied to resolve nearfield compression and expansion features in the baseline viscous grid. Deformed versions of the adapted grid were used for subsequent adjoint-driven shape optimization. For design, a nonlinear gradient-based optimizer was coupled to the discrete adjoint formulation of the Reynolds-averaged Navier- Stokes equations. All nozzle surfaces were parameterized using 3rd order B-spline interpolants and perturbed axisymmetrically via free-form deformation. Geometry deformations were performed using 20 design variables shared between the outer cowl, shroud and centerbody nozzle surfaces. Interior volume grid deformation during design was accomplished using linear elastic mesh morphing. The nozzle optimization was performed at a design cruise speed of Mach 1.6, assuming core and bypass pressure ratios of 6.19 and 3.24, respectively. Ambient flight conditions at design were commensurate with 45,000-ft standard day atmosphere

From Autocracy to Democracy: The Effort to Establish Market Democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan Conference

The conference focused the legal, political, economic, and security issues facing post-war Iraq and Afghanistan

T-infinity: The Dependency Inversion Principle for Rapid and Sustainable Multidisciplinary Software Development

The CFD Vision 2030 Study recommends that, NASA should develop and maintain an integrated simulation and software development infrastructure to enable rapid CFD technology maturation.... [S]oftware standards and interfaces must be emphasized and supported whenever possible, and open source models for noncritical technology components should be adopted. The current paper presents an approach to an open source development architecture, named T-infinity, for accelerated research in CFD leveraging the Dependency Inversion Principle to realize plugins that communicate through collections of functions without exposing internal data structures. Steady state flow visualization, mesh adaptation, fluid-structure interaction, and overset domain capabilities are demonstrated through compositions of plugins via standardized abstract interfaces without the need for source code dependencies between disciplines. Plugins interact through abstract interfaces thereby avoiding N 2 direct code-to-code data structure coupling where N is the number of codes. This plugin architecture enhances sustainable development by controlling the interaction between components to limit software complexity growth. The use of T-infinity abstract interfaces enables multidisciplinary application developers to leverage legacy applications alongside newly-developed capabilities. While rein, a description of interface details is deferred until the are more thoroughly tested and can be closed to modification