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Exploring the Changes in Radiomic Feature Outputs caused by Differential CT Scans Segmentation of the muscle, bone, and fat of individuals with Diabetes
No full textDifferent 3D objects of varying size, symmetry, and fill were generated in a virtual environment and subsequently analyzed by radiomics (a method of analyzing medical imaging data). This MQP uses radiomics to recover the mathematical properties of these 3D simulations including ideas regarding surface area and volume. Comparing the second-order radiomic profile of these examples shows (i) the surface area of curved 3D objects can be seen through the GLCM, (ii) objects can be analyzed on their radiomic profile alone without the need for visualization or cutting them open
Differential Effects of Artemisia sp., Artemisinin, and Dihydroartemisinin in Human Dermal Fibroblasts
No full textFibrosis, characterized by excessive ECM, tissue stiffening, and cellular resistance to apoptosis, contributes to >35% of global deaths and underscores need for new antifibrotics. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), derived from artemisinin (ART) in Artemisia annua, has shown antifibrotic promise. This study compared infusions of A. annua and A. afra to ART and DHA in CT1005 human dermal fibroblasts treated with TGF-β and ascorbic acid under high- and low-dose conditions. Collagen levels were assessed using Sirius Red/Fast Green staining and normalized to total nucleic acid. RT-qPCR evaluated fibrosis-related gene expression, and a scratch assay measured cell migration. High-dose DHA reduced collagen by ~20%, while low-dose DHA and tea infusions achieved ~10% reduction. High-dose A. afra reduced cell viability, but low doses did not. A. annua upregulated MMP3 & downregulated ACTA2. ART upregulated TANGO1. Low-dose DHA and teas inhibited migration, supporting their potential as antifibrotic agents
The Comeback Kitchen: A Virtual Reality Simulation for Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation
No full textThe Comeback Kitchen is a virtual reality simulation designed to help acquired brain injury patients at ADACCA rehabilitation facility in Cádiz, Spain improve upper-body mobility and cognitive skills through cooking paella. The purpose is to promote independence and confidence in the kitchen, using a safe and controlled practice environment. The design was informed by extensive feedback from healthcare specialists and patients, following co-design principles. A fully-functional prototype was developed, accompanied by a document detailing the existing features and future content
The Rhetoric of Well-Being: Mental Health, Crisis Communication, and the Work of Care
No full textDuring the 2021-2022 academic year, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute community experienced an unprecedented Mental Health Crisis. In this project, I utilize rhetorical fieldwork (a combination of ethnographic data gathering and critical rhetoric) as a means of analyzing discursive formation during the Mental Health Crisis, and in the years afterwards. In doing so, I analyze both the short- and long-term postvention responses to the Mental Health Crisis, and how these have shaped WPI’s institutional culture in the post-COVID era. Furthermore, I emphasize the need to continue to iterate on the institutional lessons learned during the Mental Health Crisis, in addition to maintaining continued investment into WPI’s peer-to-peer support programs that were developed in the wake of the Crisis
Investigating the Role of Protein Structure in the Multimerization and Localization of Circoviridae Proteins: Insights for Cancer Therapeutics
No full textCancer is one of the leading causes of death, affecting 1 in 5 people globally (World Health Organization, 2024). There is a need for the development of new genetic treatments that are non-toxic and specifically interact with the pathways involved in tumorigenesis. Apoptin, the Viral Protein 3 (VP3) of Chicken Anemia Virus (CAV), has been proven to selectively localize in the nucleus of cancer cells and induce apoptosis in a p53-independent manner. Understanding the intrinsically disordered structure of Apoptin and its Circoviridae homologs, Tu789 and GyV9, could present a promising avenue for cancer drug design. Through the use of in silico structural and disorder prediction models, conserved beta sheet regions were identified in all three proteins. Using this data in combination with laboratory experimentation furthered the understanding of Apoptin’s structure and its capacity for multimerization and nuclear localization. This work serves as a foundation for future investigation into the mechanisms of Circoviridae function and Apoptin’s potential to model the next generation of small molecules therapeutics with cancer-selectivity
Beaver Conflict Mitigation: Building Roadway Flooding Resiliency in W. Boylston
No full textState highway Route 12, passing through the Waushacum Brook wetlands in West Boylston, MA, has historically faced flooding issues during major rainfall events. The wetlands are owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and require routine maintenance to mitigate nuisance beaver activity. Through site visits, culvert capacity analysis, hydrologic modeling, and online research, the source of flooding was determined to be undersized culverts beneath Route 12 and a chokepoint created by an old road. The team recommends replacement of an undersized culvert and excavation of the stream chokepoint as effective, long-term solutions to reduce flooding risk with reduced maintenance needs and a positive ecological impact
Nanobubbles for Lake Restoration: Preliminary Feasibility and Design Aspects
No full textEutrophication and declining water quality are persistent challenges facing freshwater ecosystems, often driven by excess nutrients, low dissolved oxygen levels, and the proliferation of harmful algal blooms. This project explores the applications of nanobubble technology, develops conceptual designs of nanobubble oxygenation systems, and assesses the feasibility of future applications in lakes and ponds in the Worcester area. Side-stream systems with pure oxygen nanobubbles generated through shearing and cavitation were proposed for three sites: Little Indian Lake, Green Hill Pond, and Indian Lake. The system proposed for Little Indian Lake was a 120-volt, 189 GPM nanobubble generator placed at the northern shore of the lake on interstate 122A. The system proposed for Green Hill Pond was a 240-volt, 748 GPM nanobubble generator placed on the shore adjacent to the Green Hill Gold Course. The system proposed for Indian Lake was a modular structure with 3, 240-volt, 4,200 GPM nanobubble generators placed near Ararat Brook, Shore Park Beach, and Indian Lake Beach respectively. Conservative cost estimations of the proposed systems for Little Indian Lake, Green Hill Pond, and Indian Lake were 9,138, and $16,191 respectively for a 30-day, continuous treatment period. Further monitoring of stratification, dissolved oxygen, nutrient loading, and sediment condition within the specified sites should be conducted to better inform future physical applications of the proposed systems
The Influence of Motivation and Group Identity on Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Women in STEM
No full textThis study examined how interpersonal motivations and group identities promote shared reality through social tuning of implicit and explicit attitudes. Participants (N = 278) believed they were participating in a study examining information processing and collaboration. To manipulate interpersonal motivation, participants were randomly assigned to unscramble sentences that primed an affiliative, epistemic, or a neutral motivation. Participants also learned that their partner was either similar to them (i.e., ingroup member) or different (i.e., outgroup member) through disclosure of Greek life membership. Participants learned that their ostensible partner held stereotype consistent views of women in STEM in a social learning environment. Social tuning was then measured through implicit associations using the Gender-Science Implicit Association Test (IAT; Xu et al., 2024) and explicit attitudes towards women in STEM. Results revealed there was a significant interaction between interpersonal motivation and group identity for female identifying participants. When women believed they were interacting with an ingroup member, those with affiliative and epistemic motivation were more likely to social tune their implicit associations with the stereotype consistent views of their ostensible partner than those with neutral motivation. No effects were found for explicit attitudes. Findings suggest that social tuning of implicit attitudes is influenced by both motivational state and group identity, particularly for identity-relevant topics. The malleability of implicit attitudes in an unconscious manner has important implications for social influence on stereotypes and bias to create shared realities, and mirrors the broader field of collective decision making
Development of inhibitors of Arginine Deiminases
No full textThere are over 650 posttranslational modifications (PTM) that help regulate cellular function. One such modification is called citrullination, or deimination. This PTM is catalyzed by a family of enzymes called protein arginine deiminases (PAD), which convert positively charged arginine to neutral citrulline. Dysregulated PAD activity has been characterized in several diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and multiple sclerosis. Given the implications of PAD hyperactivity, the development of PAD inhibitors has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy due to its direct involvement in disease progression and severity. I used AFM14a as a template for design and carried out a structure activity relationship (SAR) based approach to design and synthesize potential pan-PAD inhibitors and evaluated their efficacy using standard organic chemistry techniques and in-vitro assays. I modified the lactam and benzimidazole moieties of AFM14a to synthesize potential pan-PAD inhibitors. Through these efforts, I will highlight four potential pan-PAD inhibitors that support the advancement of PAD targeted therapies. In conclusion, these highly potent inhibitors show an increase in overall pan-PAD inhibition and could be used to further study diseases that are characterized by dysregulated PAD activity
Dynamics of active fluids in lid-driven cavity flow systems
No full textActive fluid systems being internally driven, exhibit novel flow behaviors. However, the complex interplay between the internal driving and an external shear flow remains poorly understood. In this project report, we use lattice Boltzmann method to numerically simulate the dynamics of active fluids confined in a lid-driven cavity. We report our findings including a kinematic flow transition with system Reynolds number, an activity-dependent transition threshold, the role of active and shear forces in the transition, together with a novel bouncing flow state which highlights the importance of coupling between the two forces