Adaptation of the Team Problem Solving Assessment Tool for Teambuilding Applications

Team building is popular with business, organizations and universities because of its ability to improve performance through group\u27s processes. Even though teambuilding is commonly used by businesses, there are few tools that measure the effectiveness of teambuilding quantity. One author suggests that there is a large amount of anecdotal evidence that teambuilding is effective, but quantity measures of teambuilding related to the outcomes it produces exists. The purpose of this project was to adapt the Team Problem Solving Assessment Tool (TPSAT) by Armando J. Rotondi for teambuilding events. A Delphi approach was used with content experts to modify the instrument

The Case for Adaptive Neuromodulation to Treat Severe Intractable Mental Disorders

Mental disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide, and available treatments have limited efficacy for severe cases unresponsive to conventional therapies. Neurosurgical interventions, such as lesioning procedures, have shown success in treating refractory cases of mental illness, but may have irreversible side effects. Neuromodulation therapies, specifically Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), may offer similar therapeutic benefits using a reversible (explantable) and adjustable platform. Early DBS trials have been promising, however, pivotal clinical trials have failed to date. These failures may be attributed to targeting, patient selection, or the “open-loop” nature of DBS, where stimulation parameters are chosen ad hoc during infrequent visits to the clinician’s office that take place weeks to months apart. Further, the tonic continuous stimulation fails to address the dynamic nature of mental illness; symptoms often fluctuate over minutes to days. Additionally, stimulation-based interventions can cause undesirable effects if applied when not needed. A responsive, adaptive DBS (aDBS) system may improve efficacy by titrating stimulation parameters in response to neural signatures (i.e., biomarkers) related to symptoms and side effects. Here, we present rationale for the development of a responsive DBS system for treatment of refractory mental illness, detail a strategic approach for identification of electrophysiological and behavioral biomarkers of mental illness, and discuss opportunities for future technological developments that may harness aDBS to deliver improved therapy

Detection of Optogenetic Stimulation in Somatosensory Cortex by Non-Human Primates - Towards Artificial Tactile Sensation

Neuroprosthesis research aims to enable communication between the brain and external assistive devices while restoring lost functionality such as occurs from stroke, spinal cord injury or neurodegenerative diseases. In future closed-loop sensorimotor prostheses, one approach is to use neuromodulation as direct stimulus to the brain to compensate for a lost sensory function and help the brain to integrate relevant information for commanding external devices via, e.g. movement intention. Current neuromodulation techniques rely mainly of electrical stimulation. Here we focus specifically on the question of eliciting a biomimetically relevant sense of touch by direct stimulus of the somatosensory cortex by introducing optogenetic techniques as an alternative to electrical stimulation. We demonstrate that light activated opsins can be introduced to target neurons in the somatosensory cortex of non-human primates and be optically activated to create a reliably detected sensation which the animal learns to interpret as a tactile sensation localized within the hand. The accomplishment highlighted here shows how optical stimulation of a relatively small group of mostly excitatory somatosensory neurons in the nonhuman primate brain is sufficient for eliciting a useful sensation from data acquired by simultaneous electrophysiology and from behavioral metrics. In this first report to date on optically neuromodulated behavior in the somatosensory cortex of nonhuman primates we do not yet dissect the details of the sensation the animals exerience or contrast it to those evoked by electrical stimulation, issues of considerable future interest

Wireless Neurosensor for Full-Spectrum Electrophysiology Recordings during Free Behavior

SummaryBrain recordings in large animal models and humans typically rely on a tethered connection, which has restricted the spectrum of accessible experimental and clinical applications. To overcome this limitation, we have engineered a compact, lightweight, high data rate wireless neurosensor capable of recording the full spectrum of electrophysiological signals from the cortex of mobile subjects. The wireless communication system exploits a spatially distributed network of synchronized receivers that is scalable to hundreds of channels and vast environments. To demonstrate the versatility of our wireless neurosensor, we monitored cortical neuron populations in freely behaving nonhuman primates during natural locomotion and sleep-wake transitions in ecologically equivalent settings. The interface is electrically safe and compatible with the majority of existing neural probes, which may support previously inaccessible experimental and clinical research

Sulfide Generation by Dominant Halanaerobium Microorganisms in Hydraulically Fractured Shales

Hydraulic fracturing of black shale formations has greatly increased United States oil and natural gas recovery. However, the accumulation of biomass in subsurface reservoirs and pipelines is detrimental because of possible well souring, microbially induced corrosion, and pore clogging. Temporal sampling of produced fluids from a well in the Utica Shale revealed the dominance of Halanaerobium strains within the in situ microbial community and the potential for these microorganisms to catalyze thiosulfate-dependent sulfidogenesis. From these field data, we investigated biogenic sulfide production catalyzed by a Halanaerobium strain isolated from the produced fluids using proteogenomics and laboratory growth experiments. Analysis of Halanaerobium isolate genomes and reconstructed genomes from metagenomic data sets revealed the conserved presence of rhodanese-like proteins and anaerobic sulfite reductase complexes capable of converting thiosulfate to sulfide. Shotgun proteomics measurements using a Halanaerobium isolate verified that these proteins were more abundant when thiosulfate was present in the growth medium, and culture-based assays identified thiosulfate-dependent sulfide production by the same isolate. Increased production of sulfide and organic acids during the stationary growth phase suggests that fermentative Halanaerobium uses thiosulfate to remove excess reductant. These findings emphasize the potential detrimental effects that could arise from thiosulfate-reducing microorganisms in hydraulically fractured shales, which are undetected by current industry-wide corrosion diagnostics. IMPORTANCE Although thousands of wells in deep shale formations across the United States have been hydraulically fractured for oil and gas recovery, the impact of microbial metabolism within these environments is poorly understood. Our research demonstrates that dominant microbial populations in these subsurface ecosystems contain the conserved capacity for the reduction of thiosulfate to sulfide and that this process is likely occurring in the environment. Sulfide generation (also known as “souring”) is considered deleterious in the oil and gas industry because of both toxicity issues and impacts on corrosion of the subsurface infrastructure. Critically, the capacity for sulfide generation via reduction of sulfate was not detected in our data sets. Given that current industry wellhead tests for sulfidogenesis target canonical sulfate-reducing microorganisms, these data suggest that new approaches to the detection of sulfide-producing microorganisms may be necessary

Clades of huge phages from across Earth's ecosystems.

Bacteriophages typically have small genomes1 and depend on their bacterial hosts for replication2. Here we sequenced DNA from diverse ecosystems and found hundreds of phage genomes with lengths of more than 200 kilobases (kb), including a genome of 735 kb, which is-to our knowledge-the largest phage genome to be described to date. Thirty-five genomes were manually curated to completion (circular and no gaps). Expanded genetic repertoires include diverse and previously undescribed CRISPR-Cas systems, transfer RNAs (tRNAs), tRNA synthetases, tRNA-modification enzymes, translation-initiation and elongation factors, and ribosomal proteins. The CRISPR-Cas systems of phages have the capacity to silence host transcription factors and translational genes, potentially as part of a larger interaction network that intercepts translation to redirect biosynthesis to phage-encoded functions. In addition, some phages may repurpose bacterial CRISPR-Cas systems to eliminate competing phages. We phylogenetically define the major clades of huge phages from human and other animal microbiomes, as well as from oceans, lakes, sediments, soils and the built environment. We conclude that the large gene inventories of huge phages reflect a conserved biological strategy, and that the phages are distributed across a broad bacterial host range and across Earth's ecosystems

Mass spectrometric studies of asphaltenes\u27 molecular structures and the development of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization laser-induced acoustic desorption

Mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical tool that has proven useful for the analysis of complex mixtures and elucidating the molecular structures of the compounds present in the mixtures through tandem mass spectrometry experiments. In spite of the utility of mass spectrometry in complex mixture analysis, it does have its limitations. For example, analysis of mixtures of hydrocarbons, such as crude oil and its nonvolatile fractions, is still a problematic area for mass spectrometry. Hence, very little is known about the heaviest fractions of crude oil, arguably one of the most complex mixtures in nature. These heavy fractions of crude oil, such as asphaltenes, create many problems for the oil industry. Hence, elucidating the structures of the compounds within these mixtures is important in remediating these problems. Experiments described in this thesis employ tandem mass spectrometry to achieve a better understanding of asphaltenes and their molecular structures. Chapter 3 discusses the development of methodology for the analysis of asphaltenes and the comparison of the CAD mass spectra of several ionized model compounds to those of ionized asphaltenes to gain insight into the structures of asphaltenes. The results indicate that asphaltenes are predominately comprised of compounds with a single aromatic core (containing several fused benzene rings) and multiple alkyl chains of varying lengths attached to the core, as opposed to multiple aromatic cores connected by alkyl bridges. Chapter 4 examines changes to asphaltenes\u27 molecular structures when they are subjected to hydrocracking, one of the main processes in crude oil refinement. Hydrocracking was found to shorten the length of the alkyl chains attached to the aromatic core of asphaltene molecules. Chapter 8 compares field deposit asphaltenes, which have been removed from a clogged pipeline, to heptane precipitated asphaltenes that have been precipitated from crude oil in a laboratory setting. The latter asphaltenes are predominately studied to understand asphaltenes\u27 behavior. This study was carried out to explore whether the precipitated asphaltenes are structurally relevant to those that actually create issues in the field during oil production. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 focus on further development of laser-induced acoustic desorption (LIAD), a technique which has greatly aided the mass spectrometric analysis of petroleum fractions and other thermally labile nonvolatile compounds. LIAD had been traditionally performed under high vacuum in obsolete dual cell Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometers. Chapter 5 discusses the development of LIAD/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LIAD/APCI) technique, which couples LIAD to modern mass spectrometers which utilize atmospheric pressure ionization sources. Chapter 6 discusses advances to LIAD/APCI, namely, the development of a high laser power probe for the reproducible evaporation of high-mass compounds into the gas phase, and the development of a rastering assembly which greatly increases the surface area of the LIAD foil that can be sampled, thus increasing sensitivity. Chapter 7 discusses a novel chamber for preparing sample foils for LIAD, which uses a drying gas to prepare foils with a more uniform sample layer than possible previously, and can be used with nonpolar analytes. The ability to prepare more uniform foils improves the reproducibility of LIAD