Study of electrophysiology recordings in organotypic cultures

Epilepsy and its onset, epileptogenesis, have complicated underlying mechanisms that can often be studied in greater detail when in vitro. In vitro hippocampal cultures develop epileptic symptoms in a period of approximately ten to fourteen days in vitro. Working in vitro allows for an easier manipulation of elements such as growth factors that can affect epileptogenesis as well as multiple methods of analyzing data to ensure significant results. The capability of electrophysiology recordings to directly quantify changes in epileptogenesis in vitro is the main focus of this work. Using this method, recordings of different regions of the brain capable of developing epilepsy were performed. The main concern of working in vitro is the artificial environment created for culture in which they are kept is not parallel to the natural environment they encounter in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Therefore there is reason to be concerned that the media itself could contribute to epileptogenesis. Two distinct culture media, Neurobasal-A (NeurA) and CSF-based medium (CBM) were used to determine if this was the case. We were able to conclude epileptogenesis occurred regardless of the media type, although specific adjustments help to reduce seizures and the associated cell death

Analysis of Human Remains from Guana Island, BVI

On July 7, 2004, archaeologists from the Bermuda Maritime Museum and the College of William and Mary arrived on Guana Island in the BVI as part of the ongoing investigation of the island’s archaeological and architectural heritage sponsored by the island’s owners, Dr. Henry and Gloria Jarecki. Upon their arrival, the archaeologists were informed of the discovery of human remains on the island and subsequent recovery efforts by the Road Town Police. In the days that followed, archaeologists Mark Kostro and Dr. Marley Brown contacted the Institute for Historical Biology (IHB) at the College of William and Mary in order to notify the staff of the human remains’ discovery. Police Commissioner Barry Webb granted their request for custody of the remains for assessment and analysis pending a preliminary inventory to be carried out at the Road Town Police Station. Mark Kostro and Melissa Eaton, Anthropology graduate students from the College of William and Mary, carried out the requested preliminary inventory on July 30, 2004 with materials provided by the Institute for Historical Biology. Dr. Marley R. Brown III, research professor at William and Mary, provided additional assistance with the inventory. The inventory was carried out in the presence of a representative of the Royal British Virgin Islands Police Service, Constable Forbes Washington

Exploring the Experiences and Perceptions of 21st Century Leadership Academy Participants

The 21st Century Leadership Academy grew out of an effort by the Council of Technology Teacher Education’s (CTTE) Leadership Development Committee to prepare future leaders for the field of Technology & Engineering Education (TEE). Efforts by Drs. Roger Hill (University of Georgia) and Bill Havice (Clemson University) led to the creation, and subsequent implementation, of this leadership academy with support from CTTE (later renamed the Council on Technology & Engineering Teacher Education [CTETE]) and the International Technology & Engineering Education Association (ITEEA). Initially, participation in the leadership academy was focused on early-career university faculty but recruitment was later expanded to include individuals with related professional experience (e.g., graduate students, tenured faculty members, etc.) and, as of January 2021, more than 80 individuals have participated in the academy. This study reports an investigation into the experiences and perceptions of the academy alums with an additional focus on their professional involvement, how participation may have influenced these activities, and suggestions they had for future cohorts. In addition, our investigation provides suggestions for future similar leadership training efforts that could be applied in a variety of fields. Our efforts, as researchers, aim to present the shared experience as navigated by the cohort participants. Although individual takeaways vary, overall themes such as networking and collaboration underscore the experience of participants in each cohort year. While participants consider themselves active in the field of Technology & Engineering Education, few of them are serving in leadership roles within CTETE or ITEEA

Topics in Matrix Sampling Algorithms

We study three fundamental problems of Linear Algebra, lying in the heart of various Machine Learning applications, namely: 1)"Low-rank Column-based Matrix Approximation". We are given a matrix A and a target rank k. The goal is to select a subset of columns of A and, by using only these columns, compute a rank k approximation to A that is as good as the rank k approximation that would have been obtained by using all the columns; 2) "Coreset Construction in Least-Squares Regression". We are given a matrix A and a vector b. Consider the (over-constrained) least-squares problem of minimizing ||Ax-b||, over all vectors x in D. The domain D represents the constraints on the solution and can be arbitrary. The goal is to select a subset of the rows of A and b and, by using only these rows, find a solution vector that is as good as the solution vector that would have been obtained by using all the rows; 3) "Feature Selection in K-means Clustering". We are given a set of points described with respect to a large number of features. The goal is to select a subset of the features and, by using only this subset, obtain a k-partition of the points that is as good as the partition that would have been obtained by using all the features. We present novel algorithms for all three problems mentioned above. Our results can be viewed as follow-up research to a line of work known as "Matrix Sampling Algorithms". [Frieze, Kanna, Vempala, 1998] presented the first such algorithm for the Low-rank Matrix Approximation problem. Since then, such algorithms have been developed for several other problems, e.g. Graph Sparsification and Linear Equation Solving. Our contributions to this line of research are: (i) improved algorithms for Low-rank Matrix Approximation and Regression (ii) algorithms for a new problem domain (K-means Clustering).Comment: PhD Thesis, 150 page

An Ionophore‐Based Anion‐Selective Optode Printed on Cellulose Paper

A general anion‐sensing platform is reported based on a portable and cost‐effective ion‐selective optode and a smartphone detector equipped with a color analysis app. In contrast to traditional anion‐selective optodes using a hydrophobic polymer and/or plasticizer to dissolve hydrophobic sensing elements, the new optode relies on hydrophilic cellulose paper. The anion ionophore and a lipophilic pH indicator are inkjet‐printed and adsorbed on paper and form a “dry” hydrophobic sensing layer. Porous cellulose sheets also allow the sensing site to be modified with dried buffer that prevents any sample pH dependence of the observed color change. A highly selective fluoride optode using an AlIII‐porphyrin ionophore is examined as an initial example of this new anion sensing platform for measurements of fluoride levels in drinking water samples. Apart from Lewis acid–base recognition, hydrogen bonding recognition is also compatible with this sensing platform.Cellulose paper as a sole substrate allows adsorption of a lipophilic anion ionophore and pH‐sensitive indicator dye to enable heterogeneous anion sensing via an anion‐proton co‐extraction mechanism. This platform also enables adsorption of a buffer salt as the sample pH adjuster to prevent pH dependence of the optical anion response.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138373/1/anie201706147-sup-0001-misc_information.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138373/2/anie201706147_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138373/3/anie201706147.pd

The TIGRE gamma-ray telescope

TIGRE is an advanced telescope for gamma-ray astronomy with a few arcmin resolution. From 0.3 to 10 MeV it is a Compton telescope. Above 1 MeV, its multi-layers of double sided silicon strip detectors allow for Compton recoil electron tracking and the unique determination for incident photon direction. From 10 to 100 MeV the tracking feature is utilized for gamma-ray pair event reconstruction. Here we present TIGRE energy resolutions, background simulations and the development of the electronics readout system

Diagnosing Human Papillomavirus of the Female Lower Genital Tract: Failure of the Pap Smear as a Sole Screening Test

Of 197 patients referred for colposcopy who underwent repeat Pap smears and colposcopic biopsies (when indicated), histologic evidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection involving the endocervix, cervix, or vagina or all three sites was documented in 109 biopsies. Sixty-six (61%) had normal Pap smears at the time of colposcopy. Despite a specificity of 92% for detecting HPV, the Pap smear demonstrated a low sensitivity (39%), with a positive and negative predictive test value of 88% and 50%, respectively. In patients with biopsies revealing HPV infection without associated dysplasia, false negative Pap smears were found most often in women with strictly vaginal HPV (74%) (P < 0.05), followed by those with coexistent cervical and vaginal HPV (65%), and then by those with solely cervical HPV (51%). We question the use of the Pap smear for the detection of lower genital tract HPV, particularly in patients with only vaginal involvement, especially when the smear is repeated at the time of colposcopy. Benefits and disadvantages of other screening tests for HPV are discussed

Comparative Analysis of H&E and Prussian Blue Staining in a Mouse Model of Cerebral Microbleeds

Cerebral microbleeds are microscopic hemorrhages with deposits of blood products in the brain, which can be visualized with MRI and are implicated in cerebrovascular diseases. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Perl’s Prussian blue are popular staining methods used to localize cerebral microbleeds in pathology. This paper compared these two staining techniques in a mouse model of cerebral microbleeds. We used lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce cerebral microhemorrhages. C57B6 mice were treated with LPS (5 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle at baseline and at 24 hr. The brains were extracted 48 hr after the first injection and adjacent coronal sections were stained with H&E and Prussian blue to compare the effectiveness of the two staining techniques. H&E-positive stains were increased with LPS treatment and were correlated with grossly visible microhemorrhages on the brain surface; Prussian blue-positive stains, by comparison, showed no significant increase with LPS treatment and did not correlate with either H&E-positive stains or surface microhemorrhages. H&E staining is thus a more reliable indicator of acute bleeding events induced by LPS in this model within a short time span