Electrical Scanning Probe Microscope Measurements Reveal Surprisingly High Dark Conductivity in Y6 and PM6:Y6 and Non-Langevin Recombination in PM6:Y6

We used broadband local dielectric spectroscopy (BLDS), an electric force microscopy technique, to make non-contact measurements of conductivity in the dark and under illumination of PM6:Y6 and Y6 prepared on ITO and PEDOT:PSS/ITO. Over a range of illumination intensities, BLDS spectra were acquired and fit to an impedance model of the tip-sample interaction to obtain a sample resistance and capacitance. By comparing two descriptions of cantilever friction, an impedance model and a microscopic model, we connected the sample resistance inferred from impedance modeling to a microscopic sample conductivity. A charge recombination rate was estimated from plots of the conductivity versus light intensity and found to be sub-Langevin. The dark conductivity was orders of magnitude higher than expected from Fermi-level equilibration of the PM6:Y6 with the substrate, suggesting that dark carriers may be a source of open-circuit voltage loss in PM6:Y6

VCU College of Humanities and Sciences Racial Equity Assessment

Racial equity is the process of ensuring that equal possible outcomes are available for every individual. At the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) an important goal is to ensure faculty and staff have access to the same opportunities, while accounting for those facing continued barriers. Following the establishment of the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee, the current state of racial equity and the effectiveness of initiatives meant to correct for imbalance will be assessed

Driver Behavior in Traffic

DTFH61-09-H-00007Existing traffic analysis and management tools do not model the ability of drivers to recognize their environment and respond to it with behaviors that vary according to the encountered driving situation. The small body of literature on characterizing drivers behavior is typically limited to specific locations (i.e., by collecting data on specific intersections or freeway sections) and is very narrow in scope. This report documented the research performed to model driver behavior in traffic under naturalistic driving data. The research resulted in the development of hybrid car-following model. In addition, a neuro-fuzzy reinforcement learning, an agent-based artificial intelligence machine-learning technique, was used to model driving behavior. The naturalistic driving database was used to train and validate driver agents. The proposed methodology simulated events from different drivers and proved behavior heterogeneities. Robust agent activation techniques were also developed using discriminant analysis. The developed agents were implemented in VISSIM simulation platform and were evaluated by comparing the behavior of vehicles with and without agent activation. The results showed very close resemblance of the behavior of agents and driver data. Prototype agents prototype (spreadsheets and codes) were developed. Future research recommendations include training agents using more data to cover a wider region in the Wiedemann regime space, and sensitivity analysis of agent training parameters

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

The major genetic determinants of HIV-1 control affect HLA class I peptide presentation.

Infectious and inflammatory diseases have repeatedly shown strong genetic associations within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC); however, the basis for these associations remains elusive. To define host genetic effects on the outcome of a chronic viral infection, we performed genome-wide association analysis in a multiethnic cohort of HIV-1 controllers and progressors, and we analyzed the effects of individual amino acids within the classical human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins. We identified >300 genome-wide significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the MHC and none elsewhere. Specific amino acids in the HLA-B peptide binding groove, as well as an independent HLA-C effect, explain the SNP associations and reconcile both protective and risk HLA alleles. These results implicate the nature of the HLA-viral peptide interaction as the major factor modulating durable control of HIV infection