Assessing the validity of an online assessment of motor learning

To understand motor learning we must observe improvements in the performance of a motor behavior over time. Current laboratory approaches to measuring motor learning are not accessible to all populations, and this lack of accessibility limits the ability of researchers to gain information about developmental processes and medical conditions that impact motor control. To date, there are a handful of portable motor learning tools that use devices such as smartphones and tablets but very few fully remote options. We have created a web-based application to assess visuomotor adaptation, a gold standard approach to studying motor learning, in a remote setting. The overarching goal of this study was to provide evidence that a web-based application is a valid way to assess motor learning in healthy younger and older adults. Younger adults (n=24) and older adults (n=19) participated in this study. Each participant met with a researcher via Zoom and shared their screen while performing the visuomotor rotation (VMR) task and a cognitive battery. Data from the application was then compared to data previously collected using traditional laboratory equipment. Results show that the online application produced similar learning curves compared to the laboratory task. Expected age differences were not seen using the application, however. Surprisingly, older adults performed better using the application than in the laboratory while younger adults performed the same across platforms. Also, our cognitive measures were not found to be associated with learning in the application version of the VMR task. Our data show that this application can be used in research with results that are similar to those acquired in a laboratory setting with the benefit of the application improving accessibility to broader populations

Wage Gap in Women\u27s Sports

From the financial standpoint, to what extent do sports leagues contribute to the gendered wage gap in professional athletics, especially as they maintain and promote male performance as top viewership? Many top-tier woman athletes are far more athletic and financially deserving than a good number of male athletes we see today. For example, Serena Williams and Hope Solo. Both women are leaders not only to their team and on the field but to the entire sport for girls to look up to and the next generation of women in sports. However, their payment reflects otherwise compared to the male sports leagues, even though they play the same sport. It can be seen through performance, revenue streams, and the wage gap how unfair the comparison between males and females in the sports world is. Furthermore, viewing this wage gap and the norm for men to be above women in sports trickles down to the next generation and how girls are viewed compared to boys in school. This stunts the girls\u27 growth where they feel that at a young age, they are equal with the boys when they play sports, whether at recess or in their games and if the people that they look up to set bad examples of how much more men make than women, it will not extend the next generation to grow into their dreams

Design of a low-cost meso-scale, detachable fixturing system for probe-based nanomanufacturing equipment and instruments

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2009.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 41).This paper introduces a low-cost, meso-scale, detachable kinematic fixturing system for use in alignment in probe-based nanomanufacturing. The fixturing system will be applied specifically to a nanopositioning system developed for the functionalization of DNA via dip pen nanolithography. A ball and groove kinematic coupling design was modified by the addition of flexural hinges to reduce the offset of friction on the coupling interface, thereby improving repeatability. A prototype fixturing assembly was fabricated and tested for repeatability in six degrees of freedom. The test results concluded that the kinematic fixturing system has a 1-[sigma] repeatability of approximately 50 nanometers and 3.5 microradians. This optimized kinematic coupling system will enable suitably repeatable, quick, and elegant assembly, thus advancing the manufacturing capabilities of dip pen nanolithography.by Adrienne Watral.S.B

Subliminal Correction Strategies of Student Composition in the Bilingual First Grade Classroom: A Personal Guideline

This is a personal paper in which I address the delicate topic of correction strategies within the realm of student composition as they were applied specifically to a bilingual, Spanish/3nglish, first grade class- room located at the El Eirage Elementary School of El Eirage, Arizona. I begin the paper with a statement of what are my personal assumptions in regard to what I call subliminal correction strategies as they relate to a language experience approach to teaching. I have supported these personal assumptions by developing ten subliminal correction strategies which have already been successfully implemented in my first grade classroom. The paper concludes with another personal statement on what I have learned from my research and its practical application. Although this is an original paper, I have attached a list of references which I consider to be relevant to my study and which might prove to be useful to an interested reader who might wish to expand beyond my research

Design and engineering of low-cost centimeter-scale repeatable and accurate kinematic fixtures for nanomanufacturing equipment using magnetic preload and potting

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, February 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-130).This paper introduces a low-cost, centimeter-scale kinematic coupling fixture for use in nanomanufacturing equipment. The fixture uses magnetic circuit design techniques to optimize the magnetic preload required to achieve repeatability on the order of 100 nanometers. The fixture achieves accuracy to within one micrometer via an adjustable interface composed of UV curing adhesive between the mating kinematic coupling components. The fixture is monitored by a micro-vision system and moved by a six-axis nanopositioner until proper alignment is achieved, at which point the fixture position is permanently set by UV light. This thesis presents design rules and insights for design of a general accurate and repeatable kinematic fixture and presents a case study of fixtures used for tool exchange on dip pen nanolithography machines. A prototype fixturing assembly was fabricated and tested for repeatability and stability in six degrees of freedom. The test results concluded that the fixture has a 1-o- 3-D translational repeatability of 87 nanometers and a 3-D stability of 344 nanometers over 48 hours. This is an order of magnitude improvement on past low-cost accurate and repeatable fixture designs. This optimized accurate and repeatable kinematic fixture will enable repeatable, accurate, quick, and elegant tool change, thus advancing the manufacturing capabilities of nanofabrication techniques.by Adrienne Watral.S.M

Tolerance and Efficacy of Emamectin Benzoate and Ivermectin for the Treatment of Pseudocapillaria tomentosa in Laboratory Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Tolerance of adult zebrafish and efficacy of emamectin benzoate and ivermectin in eliminating Pseudocapillaria tomentosa infection were evaluated. In the tolerance study, behavioral changes, fecundity, histopathology, and mortality were evaluated for in-feed administration of emamectin (0.05, 0.10, and 0.25 mg/kg) and ivermectin (0.05 and 0.10 mg/kg). All doses of emamectin were well tolerated. Ivermectin 0.05 mg/kg administration resulted in mild behavioral changes and a transient decrease in fecundity. Ivermectin 0.10 mg/kg administration resulted in severe behavioral changes and some mortality. In the efficacy study, emamectin (0.05 and 0.25 mg/kg) and ivermectin (0.05 mg/kg) were evaluated for their efficacy in eliminating P. tomentosa infection. Emamectin reduced parasite burden in infected zebrafish, and ivermectin eliminated intestinal nematode infections. Despite a small margin of safety, ivermectin 0.05 mg/kg was effective at eliminating P. tomentosa infection in adult zebrafish. Higher doses or a longer course of treatment may be needed for complete elimination of P. tomentosa infection using emamectin. In this study, we propose two possible treatments for intestinal nematode infections in zebrafish

A Digenean Metacercaria (Apophallus sp.) and a Myxozoan (Myxobolus sp.) Associated with Vertebral Deformities in Cyprinid Fishes from the Willamette River, Oregon

A high prevalence of vertebral deformities has been observed in various fishes, especially cyprinids, from certain regions of the Willamette River for many years. One proposed source of these deformities is exposure to toxicants. Histological evaluation of affected chiselmouth Acrocheilus alutaceus revealed that all lesions associated with vertebrae were associated with metacercariae of digenean trematodes. Approximately half of the northern pikeminnow Ptychocheilus oregonensis had infections in which metacercariae were associated with these lesions. Metacercariae were also associated with vertebral lesions in three of four affected peamouth Mylocheilus caurinus. Many metacercariae that were present within the vertebral bodies were associated with bony dysplasia and bony proliferation in all three species. We also evaluated the association of the metacercariae with the vertebral deformities, using intact fish that had been cleared with trypsin. Fish from the affected regions had a much higher prevalence of metacercariae and deformities and a greater abundance of metacercariae than those in the reference site. Chiselmouths had more deformities and metacercariae than northern pikeminnow. In all fish species, 77% of deformities were directly associated with metacercariae; in chiselmouths, about 95% of the deformities exhibited this relationship. Two types of metacercariae were identified in affected fish: Apophallus sp. (Heterophyidae) and a neascus type (Strigeidida). The Apophallus sp. appeared to be more closely associated with the skeleton deformities. A Myxobolus sp. morphologically similar to M. cyprini was also associated with the vertebral lesions in about 50% of the northern pikeminnow and 5% of the chiselmouths. Intact plasmodia were found in somatic muscle, and lesions containing free spores were often located at bone surfaces. This survey demonstrates that metacercariae (probably Apophallus sp.) and a Myxobolus sp. are major causes of the vertebral deformities seen in cyprinid fishes from certain regions of the Willamette River.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the American Fisheries Society and can be found at: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uahh20/current#.UgvTRHfAF8F

A batteryless temperature sensor based on high temperature sensitive material

The original publication is available at www.epjap.orgThe major challenge in wireless sensor networks is the reduction of energy consumption. Passive wireless sensor network is an attractive solution for measuring physical parameters in harsh environment for large range of applications requiring sensing devices with low cost of fabrication, small size and long term measurement stability. Batteryless temperature sensing techniques are an active research field. The approach developed in our work holds a promising future for temperature sensor applications in order to successfully reduce the energy consumption. The temperature sensor presented in this paper is based on the electromagnetic transduction principle using the integration of the high temperature sensitive material into a passive structure. Variation in temperature makes the dielectric constant of this material changing, and such modification induces variation in the resonant frequencies of high-Q whispering-gallery modes (WGM) in the millimeter-wave frequency range. Following the results achieved, the proposed device shows a linear response to the increasing temperature and these variations can be remotely detected from a radar interrogation.This research was supported in part by EMMAG Program, 2014, funded by the European Commission.Bakkali, A.; Pelegrí Sebastiá, J.; Laghmich, Y.; Lyhyaoui, A. (2016). A batteryless temperature sensor based on high temperature sensitive material. European Physical Journal: Applied Physics. 74(2). doi:10.1051/epjap/2015150376S2460674

Final report : environmental stresses and skeletal deformities in fish from the Willamette River, Oregon, USA

The Willamette River, one of only 14 American Heritage Rivers, flows through the most densely populated and agriculturally productive region of Oregon. Previous biological monitoring of Willamette River fish detected elevated frequencies of skeletal deformities in fish from certain areas of the lower (NP [NP], rivermile [RM] 26-55) and middle (near Wheatland Ferry [WF], RM 72-74) Willamette River, relative to those in the upper Willamette (i.e. near Corvallis [CV], RM 125-138). The objective of this study was to determine the likely cause of skeletal deformities in populations of Willamette River fish. Characterization of deformity loads in Willamette River fish collected in 2002 and 2003 demonstrated that deformity loads remained 2-3 times greater at the NPPool (NP) and WF locations than those observed at the CV location. There were some differences in water quality parameters between the NP and CV sites, but they did not readily explain the difference in deformity loads. Concentrations of bioavailable metals were below detection limits (≈1-5 µg/L). Concentrations of bioavailable polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorinated pesticides were generally below 0.25 ng/L. Concentrations of bioavailable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were generally less than 5 ng/L. Chlorpyrifos (averaged less than 1.5 ng/L) was the only organophosphate pesticide detected as bioavailable in water. Concentrations of most persistent organic pollutants were below detection limits in ovary/oocyte tissue samples and sediments and those that were detected were not significantly different among sites. Bioassay of Willamette River water extracts provided no evidence that unidentified compounds or the complex mixture of compounds present in the extracts induced skeletal deformities in cyprinid fish. However, metacercariae of a digenean trematode were directly associated with a large portion of the lesions detected in fish collected from the Willamette River and the lesions were reproduced in fathead minnows exposed to cercariae extracted from field collected snails. As a whole, there was very little evidence to suggest that chemical contaminants were responsible for the greater deformity loads observed at NP and WF. Instead, the weight of evidence suggests that parasitic infection was the primary cause of skeletal deformities observed in Willamette River fish.Keywords: Willamette River, Infection, Chlorpyrifos, Polychorinated biphenyls, Chlorinated pesticides, Water, Parasite, Fish, Quality, Environment and Conservation, Skeleton, Deformity, Orego

Mycobacterium abscessus-Induced Granuloma Formation Is Strictly Dependent on TNF Signaling and Neutrophil Trafficking

Mycobacterium abscessus is considered the most common respiratory pathogen among the rapidly growing non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Infections with M. abscessus are increasingly found in patients with chronic lung diseases, especially cystic fibrosis, and are often refractory to antibiotic therapy. M. abscessus has two morphotypes with distinct effects on host cells and biological responses. The smooth (S) variant is recognized as the initial airway colonizer while the rough (R) is known to be a potent inflammatory inducer associated with invasive disease, but the underlying immunopathological mechanisms of the infection remain unsolved. We conducted a comparative stepwise dissection of the inflammatory response in S and R pathogenesis by monitoring infected transparent zebrafish embryos. Loss of TNFR1 function resulted in increased mortality with both variants, and was associated with unrestricted intramacrophage bacterial growth and decreased bactericidal activity. The use of transgenic zebrafish lines harboring fluorescent macrophages and neutrophils revealed that neutrophils, like macrophages, interact with M. abscessus at the initial infection sites. Impaired TNF signaling disrupted the IL8-dependent neutrophil mobilization, and the defect in neutrophil trafficking led to the formation of aberrant granulomas, extensive mycobacterial cording, unrestricted bacterial growth and subsequent larval death. Our findings emphasize the central role of neutrophils for the establishment and maintenance of the protective M. abscessus granulomas. These results also suggest that the TNF/IL8 inflammatory axis is necessary for protective immunity against M. abscessus and may be of clinical relevance to explain why immunosuppressive TNF therapy leads to the exacerbation of M. abscessus infections