Assessment of the phenotypic effects of Platelet Rich Fibrin on Mesenchymal Stem Cells derived from Minced Pulp

Our aim is to investigate the effects of autologous platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) on Mesenchymal Stem cell derived from Minced Pulp (MP-MSCs). We first developed a mouse model of PRF to study the phenotypic effects of PRF in cultured cells. We obtained PRF from the blood and prepared PRF-enriched culture media. The phenotypic effects of PRF on MP-MSCs were determined by assessing the changes in cell proliferation, differentiation and immunophenotypic profiling. The mRNA levels of ALP, OCN, DMP1 and DSPP were determined by qRT-PCR. It was found that PRF increased the proliferation capacity of MP-MSCs and reduced the cell doubling time. With PRF exposure, the MP-MSCs were able to retain their immunophenotypic characteristics defining them as MSCs, as the cells expressing surface markers CD105, CD146 and CD73 were higher. MP-MSCs were able to undergo osteogenic differentiation in the presence of PRF and the mRNA levels of OCN was significantly increased in the presence of PRF. To assess the odontogenic differentiation of cells in response to PRF, we prepared dentin-slice model in which we cultured MP-MSCs embedded in PRF. Histological sections of the dentin slice model revealed that there was increase in the cellularity of the pulp tissue along the edges of the pulp tissue. Based on our findings, PRF can act as a source of growth factors cell proliferation, migration and differentiation

A Symbolic Music Transformer for Real-Time Expressive Performance and Improvisation

With the widespread proliferation of AI technology, deep architectures — many of which are based on neural networks — have been incredibly successful in a variety of different research areas and applications. Within the relatively new domain of Music Information Retrieval (MIR), deep neural networks have also been successful for a variety of tasks, including tempo estimation, beat detection, genre classification, and more. Drawing inspiration from projects like George E. Lewis\u27s Voyager and Al Biles\u27s GenJam, two pioneering endeavors in human-computer interaction, this project attempts to tackle the problem of expressive music generation and seeks to create a Symbolic Music Transformer as a real-time musical improvisation companion, exploring the potential of AI to enhance the human experience of music. We successfully manage to implement the first iteration of a Transformer that can generate musical output. While the model struggles to generalize to a variety of inputs — likely due to limited training resources and data used while training — it can learn the structure of encoded midi-sequences and can generate expressive MIDI performances. We also present a working prototype of a performance environment built with Max/MSP which can parse auditory information in real-time and serve as the interface between the model and the musician.Senior Project submitted to The Division of Science, Mathematics and Computing of Bard College

Manipulating polarized light with a planar slab of Black Phosphorus

Wave polarization contains valuable information for electromagnetic signal processing and the ability to manipulate it can be extremely useful in photonic devices. In this work, we propose designs comprised of one of the emerging and interesting two-dimensional media: Black Phosphorus. Due to substantial in-plane anisotropy, a single slab of Black Phosphorus can be very efficient for manipulating the polarization state of electromagnetic waves. We investigate Black Phosphorus slabs that filter the fields along one direction, or polarization axis rotation, or convert linear polarization to circular. These slabs can be employed as components in numerous mid-IR integrated devices

The role of electrical noise in screening transformers prone to failure

Insulation used as a barrier between the high voltage and low voltage windings of a transformer has sites of in- homogeneities like pinholes, cracks or voids, developed during the manufacturing process. Thus, these minute air pockets are stressed much more than the solid dielectric, on the application of a voltage stress, because the dielectric constant of the solid insulation is many times that of the air dielectric. As a result, excitation or ionization takes place in the air (gases). The amount of excited or ionized molecules is proportional to the volume of the inhomogenei- ties within the insulation. Therefore, experiments were conducted to monitor the electrical noise generated due to partial ionization of the tiny air gaps in the insulation. This was done by placing the transformer in a plexiglas tubing, around which an antenna was wound. The antenna was connected to a highly sensitive Hammerlund receiver, whose carrier level meter was calibrated in S-units. For 5S units of noise to be generated, the voltage stress required to be applied to the insulation was measured for a sample of three hundred transformers. The voltage readings were analyzed statistically and were found to have a normal distribution. Seven units which gave high voltage readings and seven units which gave low voltage. readings were subjected to accelerated life tests. This data has been analyzed statistically and has been found to be significant. The coefficient of correlation has been found and a linear regression equation has been formulated. The F-test of significance has been applied to the regression equation and has been found to be statistically significant

Effect of epidural analgesia on the duration of labour and pains: a comparative study

Background: Epidural analgesia is regional anaesthesia that blocks pain in a particular region of the body. The use of Epidural Analgesia (EA) in labor is widespread in modern labor ward practice, and its benefits in terms of pain relief are well-recognized. Objective of this study was to study the effect of epidural analgesia on the duration of labour and pains.Methods: The present study was conducted on 60 women in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Topiwala National Medical College, Mumbai during a period from October 2014 to January 2017. The women requesting EA were assigned as the study group (Group A - 30 cases) and women not receiving EA were included in the control group (Group B - 30 cases).Results: The duration of active phase of first and second stage of labour was found to be prolonged in patients who received EA as compared to control group. An increase in number of caesarean sections and requirement of oxytocin augmentation was found to be more in Group A as compared to Group B. There was no statistically significant difference in Apgar score of newborns at 1 min and 5 min in both the groups. The patients demanding epidural drug had better pain relief during labour. In Group A, 17% of patients and in Group B, 7% of patients had nausea and vomiting. Other side effects were minimal.Conclusions: Epidural analgesia is not a totally free of disadvantages, it is the most effective mode of pain relief available compared with other techniques. The addition of patient-controlled epidural analgesia and innovations using new technologies enhance patient satisfaction

Peak effect in laser ablated DyBa2Cu3O7-d films at microwave frequencies at subcritical currents

In this paper we report the observation of a peak in the microwave surface resistance (at frequencies ~10GHz) of laser ablated DyBa2Cu3O7-d films in magnetic field ranging from 2 to 9kOe (||c) close to the superconducting transition temperature (Tc(H)). The exact nature of peak is sample dependent but it follows a general behaviour. The peak shifts to lower temperature when the magnetic field is increased. It has strong frequency dependence and the peak is pronounced at frequencies close to the depinning frequency of the flux line lattice. From the observed temperature and field dependence we argue that this peak is associated with the order disorder transition of the flux line lattice close to Tc(H).Comment: 8 pages, 2 pages (accepted for publication in JAP, Intermag symposium proceeding

Explaining foreign firms' approaches to corporate political activity in emerging economies: the effects of resource criticality, product diversification, inter-subsidiary integration, and business ties

Despite the increasing scope for transactional approaches to corporate political activity (CPA) in emerging markets and rising concerns about the use of relational approaches, foreign firms in emerging economies appear to be reluctant to adopt transactional approaches to CPA. Using Resource Dependence theory we argue that criticality of resources, product diversification, integration with other foreign subsidiaries, and business ties may explain why foreign firms adopt a transactional or a relational approach to CPA. We test our hypotheses using a sample of 105 subsidiaries of foreign firms in India. We find that unrelated diversification and close integration with other subsidiaries of their parent firm makes subsidiaries more likely to adopt a transactional approach, whereas local resource criticality and ties to local businesses makes subsidiaries less likely to use a transactional approach to CPA. Our findings enhance our understanding of the factors that determine foreign firms’ choice of approaches to CPA in emerging economies