Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
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Development of Force-Limiters for Experimental Purposes Presenter(s)
No full textForce-displacement tests are commonly used when studying the mechanics of brain tissue. These tests can help scientists learn more about properties like elasticity and viscoelasticity, which can give greater insight into the reasons for traumatic brain injury as well as the conditions that cause it. However, it is hard to run these tests because of the difficulty of regulating the amount of force exerted on the samples being tested. Certain tests require constant or increasing force to be exerted on samples of brain tissue, and it is possible that too much force can be applied, damaging the equipment used to exert the force and sample used in the experiment. In order to prevent this from happening as often, a force limiter is to be designed using Euler’s critical load equation. This force limiter is intended to break under a certain amount of force, which stops the equipment from damaging itself and the sample. The force limiter was designed in Solidworks and printed from IP-S resin in a nanoscribe printer
Generation of microglia from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)
No full textMicroglia are resident brain macrophages that modulate the release of cytokines to mediate neuroinflammation. Conversely, they may release inflammatory mediators that promote protein aggregation and neuronal damage in neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, challenges with obtaining mature microglia reprogrammed from inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hinder the ability to accurately understand their role in neurodegenerative diseases in vitro. Our objective, therefore, is to derive phenotypically mature and biologically relevant microglia derived from PBMCs. For the methodology, PBMCs were reprogrammed to microglia using IL-34 and GM-CSF for 2 weeks. We were able to successfully obtain morphologically representative microglia. To further verify the phenotype of the obtained microglia, we performed a flow cytometry where cells expressed Iba1, CD11b, and had no CD45, which is reminiscent of microglia in vivo. Ongoing and future studies will assess the effect of HIV and antiretroviral therapy on resident brain myeloid cells such as microglia an macrophages
Using Machine Learning to Determine Peptide Sequences with High Heme Binding Propensity
No full textSelf-assembling peptides, or chains of amino acids that form various structures in response to environmental conditions, have a variety of uses in materials science as well as biomedicine, such as drug delivery. Our work hopes to utilize machine learning to find patterns in peptide sequences to streamline material discovery. In doing so, we have experimentally gathered spectroscopy data on \u3e200 16 amino acid long peptides. These rationally designed peptides contained sequence redundancy yielding an ineffective dataset for machine learning. Therefore, we require more data to create a model capable of determining the heme binding propensity of peptides given their amino acid sequence. Here, we aim to create a new pipeline for discovering novel sequences without relying on rational design. We gathered data on \u3e4000 proteins from the Protein Data Bank to create a Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) model capable of generating amino acid sequences derived from those of naturally occurring heme binding proteins. We used this LSTM to generate a list of \u3e1,000,000 peptide sequences of length 16. We processed these sequences using a variety of techniques and plan to gather experimental data on these diverse peptide sequences to expand and improve the quality of our database
Carbon Fiber Instrument Crafting
No full textThis experiment seeks to determine whether carbon fiber is a viable alternative to brass or wood in woodwind construction. The benefits of using carbon fiber include weight reduction, rigidity, and price reduction when mass-produced, resulting in affordable instruments for the underprivileged. Furthermore, the material\u27s resilience means it will not corrode like metal, making it more resistant to dents, and less likely to need costly repairs. The primary downside and reason that this is the first saxophone of its kind is that carbon fiber does not shape or tune like its brass or wood counterparts. However, we successfully constructed a carbon-fiber saxophone bell. And, while that may not look impressive, it indicates the endless possibility for carbon-fiber work on the rest of the instrument. Following the lead of the University of Illinois’ FSAE team, we prepped a mold for the carbon fiber using insulation foam. Then, carbon fiber gets applied to the mold and autoclaved to harden. Post autoclave, excess resin and fiber are filed off of the horn, also forming the tone hole that is strategically placed during the molding process. The result is a full-sized tenor saxophone bell
A Transformer-Based Approach for Gene Discovery in Radiation Response Under Data-Sparse Conditions
No full textThis paper investigates the application of Geneformer, a transformer-based model, for identifying genes that cause transitions between radiation levels in data-sparse situations. Traditional differential gene expression (DGE) methods often face limitations when data availability is minimal. Preprocessing was done to leverage high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing data to ensure accurate analysis of the genes responsible for transitions in irradiated cell states. Statistical techniques, including t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and logistic regression, were employed to rank gene expression across four radiation exposures (0, 10, 100, and 1000 mGy). The Geneformer transformer-based model was fine-tuned on the tokenized data with hyperparameter optimization. This yielded significant improvements in classification accuracy as validated by two-dimensional embedding representations and in-silico perturbation experiments. When both processes were tested on data subsets consisting of 1024, 256, and 128 cells, the finetuned Geneformer model consistently outperformed the traditional DGE method. Overall, the findings demonstrate how Geneformer detects subtle shifts in gene expression with high precision and reliably identifies key genetic drivers of radiation response, thereby offering a viable alternative to conventional DGE approaches in low-data environments
Antibacterial Activity of Soil Bacteria Isolated from Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
No full textAntibacterial resistance is rapidly becoming one of the greatest health challenges worldwide as of the 21st century due to a lack of knowledge around proper usage of antibiotics. The Tiny Earth project addresses this increased resistance to antibiotics with a global effort aiming to find new antibiotic producing bacteria within soil, while also educating students on antibiotics. Using Tiny Earth’s protocols, I collected soil samples around IMSA’s campus to culture bacteria from soil and tested them against safe versions of bacteria to observe any antibiotic activity. My work is contributing to the ongoing search for new antibiotics while also spreading awareness on antibiotic resistance. The results of this project will be presented
Evaluating the Effects of Nano and Microplastics on Epidermal Barrier Function
No full textThe skin acts as a vital barrier against external factors, including nanoplastics (NPs)—ubiquitous environmental materials with unknown effects on the skin. NPs originate from the breakdown of plastic bottles, tires, paints, and cosmetics and spread through ingestion, inhalation, and contact. However, their effects on the skin barrier remain unknown. We investigated the impacts of polystyrene (PS) NPs on barrier function using biomimetic skin cultures. Daily PS-NP (100 nm) exposure (4h) for seven days reduced barrier function by 40% at all tested doses (1, 10, 100 ppm) via transepithelial electrical resistance. This was not due to cytotoxicity, as exposure up to 120 h did not alter keratinocyte growth or morphology (N=3) in a 2D DNA assay. Further analysis showed decreased expression of filaggrin, loricrin, and claudin 4 in 3D epidermis organoids at 1 ppm PS-NPs. Our data indicate NPs compromise the skin barrier, likely by reducing proteins critical to its function. As NPs in the environment will only continue to increase, understanding the consequences of skin exposure is imperative to comprehend how these environmental exposure agents affect humans
Analysis of Age on Muscle Strength Based on Activities of Daily Living Using Surface EMG and Inertial Motion Sensors.
No full textNeuromuscular control plays a critical role in rehabilitation, neuromuscular disease, biofeedback, and neuroprosthetics. However, limited research exists on how demographic factors such as age, gender, and activity levels influence muscle activity patterns.
This study examines neuromuscular aging by analyzing four variations of everyday activities. The experimental design integrates Electromyography (EMG) with multiple sensors—force, angle, and accelerometers—to assess the effects of demographic factors on muscle atrophy. Data was collected from 25 healthy adults (ages 19-61) using surface EMG (sEMG) and a Vernier system.
Initial findings indicate that muscle atrophy becomes more pronounced with age, particularly in individuals aged 40-50, as evidenced by a 15% decline in RMS values of sEMG frequencies. Additionally, participants over 50 exhibited a 25% decrease in force exerted on a dynamometer compared to those 30 and under. These results suggest aging significantly impacts muscle function and strength.
This study provides novel insights into demographic influences on muscle activity patterns, addressing gaps in existing research. Expanding the study to assess long-term neuromuscular adaptation could enhance medical interventions, rehabilitation therapies, fitness applications, and neurofeedback for prosthetics, ultimately improving outcomes for individuals affected by muscle deterioration
Towards Infrastructure-Free Autonomous Robot Navigation: Machine Learning-Based Stereo Vision vs. Motion Capture
No full textThis research examines the effectiveness of machine learning-based stereo vision as an alternative to traditional motion capture (MoCap) systems for autonomous mobile robot (AMR) navigation. Using the Unitree Go1 quadruped robot, navigation accuracy and efficiency are assessed in environments with varying obstacle densities. MoCap provides highly precise localization data, serving as a baseline for comparison, while the stereo vision system employs depth cameras to classify obstacles and generate real-time path adjustments. The stereo vision pipeline integrates disparity map computation, depth estimation, and obstacle detection to construct a dynamic 3D representation of the environment. By analyzing factors such as navigation precision, computational efficiency, and adaptability to dynamic environments, this study evaluates the feasibility of stereo vision for autonomous navigation without reliance on external tracking infrastructure, as required in MoCap. Preliminary findings indicate that stereo vision-based navigation can successfully handle complex, unstructured environments, demonstrating its potential for broader applications in robotics. The project contributes to advancements in vision- based navigation and pathfinding technologies, offering a scalable and infrastructure-free alternative for autonomous systems operating in real-world conditions
Obstacle Detection in Autonomous Robots
No full textThe Duckietown Project was created by the MIT graduate class in 2016, and has transformed into a worldwide program. The Duckietown platform uses a robot consisting of cameras, actuators, and April Tags to navigate a modular cityscape. This research focuses on developing autonomous robots that integrate internal and external sensors with image processing to interpret their surroundings. The research aims to develop an algorithm enabling the Duckiebot to detect obstacles within the Duckietown environment. Through this research, we utilize Docker, Linux, Python, and machine learning to detect colors and objects