Category: Physics and Technology

2016-17, Biology, Engineering

Capsule Robots Can Be Used for Biosensor Implantation

By Caleb Sooknanan ’20 Biosensors have become increasingly practical within the medical field, as they can detect different biometrics such as heart rate and body temperature levels. However, current biosensors can wear out quickly and elicit health problems such as trauma. Many efforts — especially in the area of capsule robotics — have been made to develop biosensors that are noninvasive and effective at monitoring … Continue reading Capsule Robots Can Be Used for Biosensor Implantation

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Figure 1: Researchers at the Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan used computational fluid dynamics (shown) to analyze the flow distribution of anticancer agent into the branches of the external carotid artery during intra-arterial chemotherapy.
2016-17, Biology, Engineering

Computational Fluid Dynamics Can Be Used to Treat Oral Cancer

by Caleb Sooknanan ’20 Surgical procedures have often been used to treat oral cancer. However, these procedures can cause oral dysfunction — often in the form of speech and breathing difficulties — and thereby harm respiratory organs. To preserve organ function, intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) has become a valuable form of treatment. IAC releases more anticancer agents into tumor-feeding arteries than intravenous systemic chemotherapy. However, anticancer … Continue reading Computational Fluid Dynamics Can Be Used to Treat Oral Cancer

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Figure 1. Whooping cough can be fatal in infants, but it is easily preventable through vaccination.
2016-17, Math

Maternal Vaccination’s Role in Infant Survival

By Patrick Yang ’20 Pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, is a life-threatening infection in infants that can easily be prevented through vaccination. However, infection rate has been increasing over the past several years. And since the DTaP vaccine for pertussis is administered after two, four, and six months of age, an infant is especially vulnerable during his or her first two months of … Continue reading Maternal Vaccination’s Role in Infant Survival

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Figure 1: DeepStack rises above the rest for Artificial Intelligence algorithms when it comes to going against professional poker players in Texas Holdem.
2016-17, Computer Science

Algorithm Defeats Pro Poker Players

Meghan Bialt-DeCelie – ’19 Artificial Intelligence (AI) has improved significantly in recent years in games involving perfect information. This means all players are aware of all the elements in the current state of a game. The next milestone for AI is creating an algorithm that can defeat humans at games with imperfect information, a game where players can be uncertain of certain game elements. An … Continue reading Algorithm Defeats Pro Poker Players

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2016-17, Biology, Engineering, Genetics

The Importance of Synthetic Core Promoters in Yeast Fine-Tuning Expression

    By Caleb Sooknanan ‘20 In genetic engineering, metabolic pathways and genetic circuits can be manipulated in microbes to produce chemicals or activate certain functions. To do this, gene expression must be fine-tuned to balance and optimize protein levels of metabolic enzymes or regulators.  Manipulating these in unicellular eukaryotes often involves core promoter sequences, the minimal portion of the promoter required to initiate DNA … Continue reading The Importance of Synthetic Core Promoters in Yeast Fine-Tuning Expression

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2016-17, Engineering, Health, Medicine and Physiology

Photocurable Bioinks and 3D-Printed Hydrophilic Drugs

  By Caleb Sooknanan ’20 Pharmaceutical dosages are often defined as the amount of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) that has a therapeutic effect in the most patients. Using such a generalized method does not account for variations in patient genomic and pathophysiological status, leading to potential negative side-effects. Personalized medicine intends to provide patients with more individualized API concentrations in their prescriptions. However, changes in … Continue reading Photocurable Bioinks and 3D-Printed Hydrophilic Drugs

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Medicine and Physiology, Technology

Solar Cells Could Power Medical Implants

  By Rideeta Raquib ‘19 Electronic implants are usually powered by batteries. Rechargeable batteries, which are rare, require continuous charging and primary batteries require implant replacements if they are completely used up. Thus, lead researcher Dr. Lukas Bereuter, and his research team at the University of Bern in Switzerland investigated whether sunlight could serve as an alternative source of energy to power medical implants.   Models … Continue reading Solar Cells Could Power Medical Implants

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2016-17, Engineering, Medicine and Physiology

Harvesting Energy with Magnetic Springs

      Michael D’Agati ‘18 Developing better ways to power portable electronic or wireless sensor systems has become more desirable in our increasingly mobile world. Multiple projects have proposed harvesting mechanical stresses from the human body to power these devices, but many of them use piezoelectric materials, which create current in a circuit due to changes in pressures on the material. Many small piezoelectric … Continue reading Harvesting Energy with Magnetic Springs

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2016-17, Engineering, Health, Medicine and Physiology

Creating Electricity Using the Motion of the Body

    Michael D’Agati ‘18 Wearable electronics, such as the Fitbit and Apple Watch, have started to flood the consumer marketplace. Flexible energy sources, rather than traditional batteries, are garnering more popularity to power this wearable technology because energy created by a moving human body – an unlimited power source – can be harvested and used to power them. A team of researchers led by … Continue reading Creating Electricity Using the Motion of the Body

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2016-17, Engineering, Medicine and Physiology

Sensing Human Touch with Low Frequencies

Michael D’Agati ‘18 Passive touch sensing flexible keyboards could supplement low power displays. Sensing Human Touch with Low Frequencies. From touch screens to keypads, the technology that senses a human touch is vital to communication in the 21st century. This technology found in the displays of smartphones and tablets requires active touch sensing technologies. In other words, the display requires power delivered via battery or … Continue reading Sensing Human Touch with Low Frequencies

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2016-17, Engineering

Paper-based Electrochemical Biosensor

by Michael D’Agati ’18   An electrochemical biosensor is a type of sensor that can provide quantifiable information based on the relationship between electricity and an identifiable chemical change inside a human, such as a glucose sensor that uses electrical means to detect change. Recently, paper-based devices have grown in the development of electrochemical applications because of their simplicity, low cost, and smaller usage of laboratory … Continue reading Paper-based Electrochemical Biosensor

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2016-17, Engineering

Powering Biosensors with Magnets

by Michael D’Agati ’18   Some devices that aid human function, such as cochlear or real-time biosensors, only function inside the body. However, it is not practical to power them with batteries because of their potential toxicity and relatively short lifetimes. Because of these reasons, inductive coupling has been studied for wireless power transfer to these embedded biosensors. In other words, an external power source can … Continue reading Powering Biosensors with Magnets

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