Building a quantitative MR database of the healthy population

INTRODUCTION Normative data, reflecting normal values of the healthy population, provides valuable information for clinical research. Depending on the specific region of interest, normative data can be used as a comparison when studying specific diseases. The purpose of this project is to build a database of quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) measurements of the brain in the healthy population. By doing so, this dataset can serve as control groups for studies of various neurological disorders. Once the normative data is collected, it is also important to understand the reliability and variability of the results obtained. METHODS The objective is to recruit 120 healthy participants between the ages of 18-89 (20 participants per age decade; 10 males and 10 females) to participate in the study. Exclusion criteria for the study include: a) history of neurological disorder, b) MR incompatible, c) claustrophobia, d) composite score below 27 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The MoCA is a sensitive tool for detecting mild cognitive impairment, which is administered by a qualified trainee during the study. A series of quantitative MR measurements of the brain are acquir

Minimal Resource Candy Crush

With the development and popularity of mobile-phone apps and games, matching games, like Jewel and Candy Crush, have become increasingly popular over the years. This research design project challenged students to design and implement a Candy Crush-style game using minimal resources, with only a microcontroller and Windows as a visual aid, no smartphone or tablet allowed. This work was an individual design project for electronics engineering students in a Microcontrollers class, with an applied “divide and conquer” approach. Students first identified all hardware and software requirements before identifying which could be implemented. They then designed and implemented all essential hardware and software requirements on a weekly or biweekly basis. Finally, the system was continually tested, debugged, and fixed until a working final product was achieved. The final result of the project is a complete playable Candy Crush-style game

Analysis of Adhesive Anchorage Systems Under Extreme In-Service Temperature Conditions

Adhesive anchorage systems have found widespread use in structural applications, including bridge widening, concrete repair and rehabilitation, and barrier retrofitting. Because these applications typically require adhesive anchorage systems to be installed outdoors, the effects of climate conditions and day-to-day temperature fluctuations on adhesive behavior and performance should be considered. The purpose of this thesis is to simulate pullout tests of adhesive anchorage systems for threaded rod and reinforcing bars and to emulate effects under various temperature conditions through the use of finite element analysis. Results from the finite element simulation are then compared to the physical tests conducted at UMass Amherst to determine the validity of the finite element model and to assess any notable differences in adhesive anchor performance in hot, cold, and ambient temperatures. In addition, differences in adhesive stresses when anchoring threaded rod versus reinforcing steel are evaluated

PhoN: Phonology of Flapping in Non-Words

English speakers often pronounce a /t/ or /d/ between vowels as a flap—a sound characterized by a quick tap to the palate. One resulting issue is that the word "waiting" sounds exactly like "wading" because of the flap. When these flap homophones are spoken out of context, English speakers choose meaning based on each word's frequency. This bias influences participants to perceive "waiting" over "wading" because the former is more frequent. Farris-Trimble & Reid (2018) found that of two equally frequent words, participants perceived the word that contained /t/ more often than /d/. So, which of /t/ or /d/ is perceived when there is no frequency information? Since made-up words have no frequency, the current study has participants spell them. A word like [bɪɾəl] is heard, and one of "bittle" or "biddle" are expected responses. Preliminary data suggest a /d/ bias, contradicting Farris-Trimble & Reid's (2018) findings