Breakthroughs in our understanding of biological systems are driven by technological advancements that enable the study of cellular and molecular processes at unprecedented levels. Recent efforts have provided a thrust in the development of microfluidic devices that facilitate the process of genomic or transcriptomic library construction from single cells. The integration of molecular detection modalities within microfluidic devices will enable the direct analysis of cellular content through surface capture and probing of biomolecules. Similar techniques can be applied to monitoring the enzymatic reaction processes in a rapid and high-throughput manner. We have demonstrated the application of fluorescence microscopy and microfluidics to perform the automatic hydrodynamic capture of single mammalian cells followed by the immobilization and digital counting of polyadenylated mRNA molecules released from the individual cells. Fluorescence imaging was also utilized to monitor the incorporation kinetics of nucleotides by DNA polymerase within a microfluidic device using multiple dye-labeling strategies. The combination of advanced microfluidic devices and sensitive fluorescence detection techniques provides a powerful tool set for enabling sophisticated cell and molecular biology experimentation

The goal of this work is to develop an experimental platform to carry out controlled DNA denaturation reactions while monitoring the fractional hybridization using fluorescently labeled oligonucleotides. Because shorter oligonucleotides denature at a lower temperature, it is possible to decode the sequence based on their melting temperatures. This technique, known as Sequencing by Denaturation, is based on the sequential denaturation of DNA fragments generated by a Sanger dideoxy sequencing reaction on surface-bound DNA templates. To perform these experiments, a device was constructed consisting of nine microfluidic channels formed by an adhesive silicone gasket sandwiched between a coverslip and a stainless steel plate that is encased in an aluminum block. Cooling and heating capabilities are provided by thermoelectric modules, which are in contact with another aluminum block that serves as the heatsink and microscope stage insert. The device satisfies the major criteria for performing this sequencing method. The microfluidic channels are uniformly heated to ensure that all the molecules experience the same temperature. Additionally, the device undergoes a consistent thermal expansion throughout the temperature ramp, allowing the imaging plane to be tracked by the microscope. We demonstrated the ability to determine the components of a denaturation profile created by the combination of four different oligonucleotide lengths. Based on simulation data, we also determined that it might be possible to resolve a denaturation curve using as few as fifty probes. Due to the speed, simplicity, and low cost of sequencing with SBD, it has potential to enable large-scale genome re-sequencing and genotyping

The predictive performance equation (PPE) is a mathematicalmodel of learning and retention that uses regularities seen inhuman learning to predict future performance. Previous research(Collins, Gluck, Walsh Krusmark & Gunzelmann, , 2016) foundthat prior data could be used to inform PPE’s free parameterswhen generating predictions of a group’s aggregate performance,allowing for more accurate initial performance predictions. Herewe investigate an extension of this methodology to predictperformance of individuals, rather than aggregate samples. Thispaper documents the results of that investigation, which is on thecritical path to the use of this cognitive technology in educationand training.

Objectives

We used objective oral health screening and survey data to explore individual-, psychosocial-, and community-level predictors of oral health status in a statewide population of adults.

Methods

We examined oral health status in a sample of 1453 adult Wisconsin residents who participated in the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin Oral Health Screening project, conducted with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services during 2010.

Results

We found significant disparities in oral health status across all individual-, psychosocial-, and community-level predictors. More than 15% of participants had untreated cavities, and 20% did not receive needed oral health care. Individuals who self-reported unmet need for dental care were 4 times as likely to have untreated cavities as were those who did not report such a need, after controlling for sociodemographic and behavioral factors.

Conclusions

Our results suggested that costs were a primary predictor of access to care and poor oral health status. The results underscored the role that primary care, in conjunction with dental health care providers, could play in promoting oral health care, particularly in reducing barriers (e.g., the costs associated with unmet dental care) and promoting preventive health behaviors (e.g., teeth brushing).

Transgenerational plasticity (TGP) occurs when phenotypes are shaped by the environment in both the current and preceding generations. Transgenerational responses to rainfall, CO2 and temperature suggest that TGP may play an important role in how species cope with climate change. However, little is known about how TGP will evolve as climate change continues. Here, we provide a quantitative test of the hypothesis that the predictability of the environment influences the magnitude of the transgenerational response. To do so, we take advantage of the latitudinal decrease in the predictability of temperatures in near shore waters along the US East Coast. Using sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) from South Carolina, Maryland, and Connecticut, we found the first evidence for a latitudinal gradient in thermal TGP. Moreover, the degree of TGP in these populations depends linearly on the decorrelation time for temperature, providing support for the hypothesis that thermal predictability drives the evolution of these traits.

Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational (ACT-R) and the Linear Ballistic Accumulator (LBA) were compared in a model mimicry simulation of the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), a simple, reaction time (RT) task requiring sustained attention. The models use different formalisms to capture the full response profile of the PVT. The parameters were varied systematically to illustrate the ranges of the models’ predictions, to assess the models’ estimation properties, and to determine which parameters in the models correspond with each other. Both models produced skewed RT distributions typical of empirical data, including false starts and lapses. The simulation study demonstrated that both models and their parameters are recoverable. Lastly, isolated parameters in the LBA model captured the effects of varying parameters in the ACT-R model, but the reverse was not always true. These interesting correspondences across different modeling formalisms suggest the possibility of integrating ACT-R and the LBA in future work

Anthropogenic climate change has increased the frequency of drought, wildfire, and invasions of non-native species. Although high-severity fires linked to drought can inhibit recovery of native vegetation in forested ecosystems, it remains unclear how drought impacts the recovery of other plant communities following wildfire. We leveraged an existing rainfall manipulation experiment to test the hypothesis that reduced precipitation, fuel load, and fire severity convert plant community composition from native shrubs to invasive grasses in a Southern California coastal sage scrub system. We measured community composition before and after the 2020 Silverado wildfire in plots with three rainfall treatments. Drought reduced fuel load and vegetation cover, which reduced fire severity. Native shrubs had greater prefire cover in added water plots compared to reduced water plots. Native cover was lower and invasive cover was higher in postfire reduced water plots compared to postfire added and ambient water plots. Our results demonstrate the importance of fuel load on fire severity and plant community composition on an ecosystem scale. Management should focus on reducing fire frequency and removing invasive species to maintain the resilience of coastal sage scrub communities facing drought. In these communities, controlled burns are not recommended as they promote invasive plants.