Strategies for High-Throughput, Templated Zeolite Synthesis

How best to design and redesign high-throughput experiments for zeolite synthesis is addressed. A model that relates materials function to chemical composition of the zeolite and the structure directing agent is introduced. Using this model, several Monte Carlo-like design protocols are evaluated. Multi-round protocols are found to be effective, and strategies that use a priori information about the structure-directing libraries are found to be the best.Comment: 21 pages. 3 figure

Development of modularity in the neural activity of children's brains

We study how modularity of the human brain changes as children develop into adults. Theory suggests that modularity can enhance the response function of a networked system subject to changing external stimuli. Thus, greater cognitive performance might be achieved for more modular neural activity, and modularity might likely increase as children develop. The value of modularity calculated from fMRI data is observed to increase during childhood development and peak in young adulthood. Head motion is deconvolved from the fMRI data, and it is shown that the dependence of modularity on age is independent of the magnitude of head motion. A model is presented to illustrate how modularity can provide greater cognitive performance at short times, i.e.\ task switching. A fitness function is extracted from the model. Quasispecies theory is used to predict how the average modularity evolves with age, illustrating the increase of modularity during development from children to adults that arises from selection for rapid cognitive function in young adults. Experiments exploring the effect of modularity on cognitive performance are suggested. Modularity may be a potential biomarker for injury, rehabilitation, or disease.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figure

Influenza Evolution and H3N2 Vaccine Effectiveness, with Application to the 2014/2015 Season

Influenza A is a serious disease that causes significant morbidity and mortality, and vaccines against the seasonal influenza disease are of variable effectiveness. In this paper, we discuss use of the $p_{\rm epitope}$ method to predict the dominant influenza strain and the expected vaccine effectiveness in the coming flu season. We illustrate how the effectiveness of the 2014/2015 A/Texas/50/2012 [clade 3C.1] vaccine against the A/California/02/2014 [clade 3C.3a] strain that emerged in the population can be estimated via pepitope. In addition, we show by a multidimensional scaling analysis of data collected through 2014, the emergence of a new A/New Mexico/11/2014-like cluster [clade 3C.2a] that is immunologically distinct from the A/California/02/2014-like strains.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure