Stochastic electrotransport selectively enhances the transport of highly electromobile molecules

Nondestructive chemical processing of porous samples such as fixed biological tissues typically relies on molecular diffusion. Diffusion into a porous structure is a slow process that significantly delays completion of chemical processing. Here, we present a novel electrokinetic method termed stochastic electrotransport for rapid nondestructive processing of porous samples. This method uses a rotational electric field to selectively disperse highly electromobile molecules throughout a porous sample without displacing the low-electromobility molecules that constitute the sample. Using computational models, we show that stochastic electrotransport can rapidly disperse electromobile molecules in a porous medium. We apply this method to completely clear mouse organs within 1–3 days and to stain them with nuclear dyes, proteins, and antibodies within 1 day. Our results demonstrate the potential of stochastic electrotransport to process large and dense tissue samples that were previously infeasible in time when relying on diffusion.Simons Foundation. Postdoctoral FellowshipLife Sciences Research FoundationBurroughs Wellcome Fund (Career Awards at the Scientific Interface)Searle Scholars ProgramMichael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's ResearchUnited States. Defense Advanced Research Projects AgencyJPB FoundationNational Institutes of Health (U.S.)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1-U01-NS090473-01

Simple, Scalable Proteomic Imaging for High-Dimensional Profiling of Intact Systems

Combined measurement of diverse molecular and anatomical traits that span multiple levels remains a major challenge in biology. Here, we introduce a simple method that enables proteomic imaging for scalable, integrated, high-dimensional phenotyping of both animal tissues and human clinical samples. This method, termed SWITCH, uniformly secures tissue architecture, native biomolecules, and antigenicity across an entire system by synchronizing the tissue preservation reaction. The heat- and chemical-resistant nature of the resulting framework permits multiple rounds (>20) of relabeling. We have performed 22 rounds of labeling of a single tissue with precise co-registration of multiple datasets. Furthermore, SWITCH synchronizes labeling reactions to improve probe penetration depth and uniformity of staining. With SWITCH, we performed combinatorial protein expression profiling of the human cortex and also interrogated the geometric structure of the fiber pathways in mouse brains. Such integrated high-dimensional information may accelerate our understanding of biological systems at multiple levels.Simons Foundation. Postdoctoral FellowshipLife Sciences Research FoundationBurroughs Wellcome Fund (Career Award at the Scientific Interface)Searle Scholars ProgramMichael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's ResearchUnited States. Defense Advanced Research Projects AgencyNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (1-U01-NS090473-01

Unintended consequences of well-intended regulation : the procyclical effects of the Basel I capital regulations on the U.S. banking industry.

Numerous solutions have been posed to address the risks that fractional reserve banking systems cause for depositors. The newest regulatory trend to combat these issues has been capital regulation. Many critics have accused capital regulation of increasing the natural procyclicality of bank loan supply. However, to date the literature appears to say little on whether or not the Basel I capital regulations have any effect on the natural procyclicality of bank loan supply. To test this, I constructed a new loan supply function to determine the relationship between the business cycle and the real loan supply. A Chow Test was then conducted to determine whether this relationship changed at the date of Basel I implementation. I found that this relationship increased significantly after the implementation of Basel I, allowing me to conclude that the Basel I capital regulations increased the natural procyclicality of bank loan supply

Incentivizing behaviour change to improve diabetes care

Behavioral economics refers to the study of psychological and cognitive factors that relate to decision-making processes. This field is being applied increasingly to health care settings, in which patients receive tangible reinforcers or incentives for meeting objective behavioral criteria consistent with healthy lifestyles. This paper reviews the background and efficacy of reinforcement interventions in general, and then as applied to behaviors related to diabetes prevention and management. Specifically, reinforcement interventions have been applied with some notable success toward promoting greater attendance at medical appointments, enhancing weight loss efforts, augmenting exercising regimes, improving medication adherence, and increasing blood glucose monitoring. Suggestions for promising areas of future research are provided, keeping in mind the controversial nature of these interventions