Session 2

This independent research project focuses on the development of a small-form Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) 3D printer capable of producing high-quality metal parts. The research involved consulting with professionals from DMG MORI and Scientists and conducting on in-depth study of loser Systems, motion systems, and powder-based additive manufacturing. Over the course of the project, various aspects of DMLS technology ... Read More

The Al Center supports students in Al development, research, learning, and collaboration. Many opportunities have been presented to the 'MSA community thus far, such as the continuation of the Al Bytes sessions and Al competitions. My role as the entrepreneurship intern included compiling a list of Al tools, current Al internships and SIRS done by other students, and organizing competitions. ... Read More

Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is widely used in modern wireless communication systems to transmit data efficiently. Conventional QAM transceivers rely on specialized hardware to swiftly and accurately modulate, transmit, and demodulate signals. However, hardware-based transceivers are costly and slow to adapt to evolving technologies. In this research, we examine the potential of replacing hardware with AI-based models in QAM transceivers ... Read More

In data analysis, selection cuts play an important role in filtering out background data while keeping the needed signal. Cuts improve the statistical significance of the measurements by retaining mostly the desired information. In this study, an analysis was conducted to understand which selection cuts were the most effective for the doubly charged Higgs boson search. The analysis was run ... Read More

In high-energy physics experiments, the accurate application of systematic scale factors is essential for refining analysis, specifically in the context of muon and electron identification. These scale factors are derived from empirical data to correct for various effects in the reconstruction and identification processes in the Monte Carlo simulation. We present a method for applying systematic scale factors, focusing on ... Read More

This 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's resilience means it will not corrode like metal, making it more resistant to dents, and less ... Read More

This 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's resilience means it will not corrode like metal, making it more resistant to dents, and less ... Read More

Neurodegeneration impairs memory, with treatments mainly addressing symptoms, not underlying dysfunction. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) shows promise by directly modulating memory. This study hypothesizes that DBS improves memory when targeted towards poor encoding states by influencing semantic organization. Data from 38 epilepsy patients with implanted electrodes were analyzed and it was discovered that LTC stimulation improved semantic organization during free ... Read More

Chitral, a district in northern Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, lies in the Hindu Kush mountains at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. This strategic location has facilitated human genetic exchange for centuries. Despite its rich history, limited genetic studies have explored how past migrations shaped its present-day diversity. This study investigates Chitral’s genetic diversity and historical gene flow, focusing ... Read More

The IMSA Al Center, currently located in A148, is a key initiative of the IMSA Vision 2033 themes, aiming to educate and inspire the IMSA community about Artificial Intelligence's potential in education. 'MSA's Al Center empowers students to explore Al through hands-on technology engagement and comprehensive resources. This year, the Al Center has worked with staff to develop several Al ... Read More

Modern medicine has been seen to cause a development of resistance after time of usage, this ineffectiveness causes stronger doses and the need for a change in antibiotics. Due to this problem, the development of more antibiotics has become crucial despite its difficult process to create and execute. Natural products have been noted to have much less resistance development over ... Read More

Modern medicine has been seen to cause a development of resistance after time of usage, this ineffectiveness causes stronger doses and the need for a change in antibiotics. Due to this problem, the development of more antibiotics has become crucial despite its difficult process to create and execute. Natural products have been noted to have much less resistance development over ... Read More

Chronic low-grade inflammation is often associated with impaired glucose metabolism and elevated blood sugar levels. Increases in blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) have been shown to trigger inflammatory pathways, leading to the increased production of cytokines. Prolonging hyperglycemia can lead to increased insulin resistance and the development of diabetes. This study aimed to develop an in vitro model to investigate the ... Read More

The VLA Orion-A Large Survey (VOLS) collaboration used the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) telescope to observe a methanol maser in the Orion Nebula 20 times from April 3rd, 2022 to July 1st, 2022, corresponding to 20 different epochs of data. This study aimed to characterize this methanol maser in terms of flux density consistency, fast variability, and ... Read More

Ivy League Potential is a college consultant company that helps provide world-class guidance, real skills and coaching to help students through the college admissions process and get into the college of their dreams. The focus of the business project for Ivy League Potential changed over time and included marketing media for business proposals, newspapers, and pages about different case studies ... Read More

Many theories beyond the Standard Model (SM) predict a doubly charged Higgs-like particle that can be pair-produced in hadronic interactions via a Drell-Yan-like mechanism. Specifically, the left-right symmetric model, which solves parity violation in the weak sector, predicts a Higgs triplet(non-SM neutral, singly-charged, and doubly-charged Higgs). The doubly-charged Higgs(H++ and H--) is chosen for its unique event signature: a pair ... Read More

New York's historical reliance on punitive drug policies has created tension between the goals of retribution and rehabilitation, leading to significant social and economic consequences.

I will form a research paper studying the hypothesis that rehabilitation-focused approaches to addressing drug offenses are more effective than punitive measures because they address the root causes of addiction, reduce recidivism rates, prevent the ... Read More

Currently, the most accurate model at describing observations in particle physics is the Standard Model. However, there are many phenomena that it fails to explain, such as dark matter: an unknown type of matter detectable only by its gravitational effect on regular matter. One explanation is that it is made of many different undiscovered dark matter particles in a "dark ... Read More

The performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is strongly influenced by several factors, including ion transport, internal resistance, and overall efficiency. This study aims to identify optimal electrolytes for high-performance LIBs by screening various candidates based on their conductivity, density, and viscosity. A range of liquid electrolytes containing salts at different concentrations was evaluated. Conductivity was measured using a SevenExcellence S700 ... Read More

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become widely used due to the rapid growth of electronic devices and vehicles. However, the resulting waste of these spent batteries pose many risks to the environment. LIBs consist of cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes, where electrolytes typically present many risks due to its potential release of toxic compounds. Current disposal methods of spent electrolytes aggravate environmental ... Read More

Endocrine therapy, the standard treatment for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, often fails due to drug resistance. It has been shown that this resistant phenotype is linked to lower ceramide levels and increased sensitivity to ceramide-induced cell death in the ER+ cell lines and that the protein TRAM-1 may play a crucial role in the formation of ET-resistant cells. Our research ... Read More

Antibacterial resistant infections such as MRSA are on the rise. Though there are antibiotics that still work on these infections, overprescription will eventually lead to those treatments also becoming ineffective. The intention of this study is to determine the feasibility of using Lavender Essential Oil in different forms to assist antibiotics in the treatment of these infections. Three different forms ... Read More

Interest in stirling engines has increased since existing thermal gradients can be carbon neutral. Our goal is to produce sufficient electricity to run a fan under the constraint of a 20 ºC temperature difference on either side of ceiling drywall in an attic. A small commercial low-temperature gamma type Stirling engine was placed in a model attic with the intent ... Read More

The doubly charged Higgs boson is a beyond Standard Model (BSM) scalar that arises from many left-right symmetric models. These theories aim to explain the left-right asymmetry from the weak force in the Standard Model by introducing an SU(2)_R gauge group. From this, the doubly charged Higgs boson is a result of spontaneous symmetry breaking which predicts the existence of ... Read More

The University of Chicago Dermatology conducts research focused on the dermatological manifestations of various systemic and genetic disorders. The focus of the internship project evolved over time and included literature review, clinical image cataloging, and collaborative analysis with researchers. Over the course of several months, the internship provided the opportunity to Study a wide range of skin conditions, analyze clinical ... Read More

Self-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 >200 ... Read More

The pressure of the bladder is critical to treat the neurogenic bladder dysfunction in the patients with myelomeningocele, where loss of bladder control can cause kidney damage, urinary tract infections, and even death. The development of semi-invasive implantable bioelectronic devices that can sense bladder pressure opens the door for a new generation of urodynamics (UDS) tools; however, long-term biocompatibility needs ... Read More

Prions are defined as infectious proteins that exist in regular non-prion or aggregated conformations. Prions play a crucial role in the epigenetic inheritance of traits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Among these, [PSI +] and [PIN +] are prion forms of Sup35p and Rnq1p, respectively. The presence of [PIN +] facilitates the induction of [PSI +], suggesting a key biochemical interaction between ... Read More

This 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. ... Read More

Neuromuscular 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 ... Read More

The effectiveness of cancer therapies usually depend on how well they can disrupt the cell cycles of dividing cancer cells. In this study, we used Fluorescent Ubiquitination-based Cell Cycle Indicator (FUCCI) to track the cell cycle progression in multiple cancer cell lines treated with various drugs. FUCCI essentially color codes the cells, showcasing which stage of the cell cycle they’re ... Read More

Self-assembling peptides have a variety of uses in biological materials science, from conductive nanowires to applications in biomedicine. This research hopes to facilitate future heme binding ⍺-helical peptide designs by employing machine learning methods to identify patterns in peptide sequences that promote heme binding while maintaining an ⍺-helical structure to mitigate the bias in previous research towards β-sheet forming peptides.

MRI is widely used in medical diagnostics due to its superior tissue contrast. However, patients with active implantable medical devices (AIMDs), such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) systems, face risks during MRI. DBS is an AIMD commonly used for neurological conditions, and many patients require MRI scans. During MRI, radiofrequency (RF) field energy can couple with the conductive DBS lead, ... Read More

Antibacterial 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 ... Read More

The Math Helper is a Large Language Model (LLM) app that uses a chat interface to help students identify errors in their math work. It takes a picture of an attempted math problem or equation and the person's question as input. The project aims to use the basics of system engineering within a safety context to explore its application in ... Read More

Bladder dysfunctions in pediatric patients, specifically those with spina bifida, often lead to neurogenic bladder, which necessitates continuous monitoring. Traditional diagnostic methods like urodynamic studies(UDS) are invasive and only provide intermittent data, which limits long-term management. This study evaluates a transient wireless strain system for continuous bladder pressure monitoring, aiming to reduce patient discomfort and improve clinical outcomes.

Using a ... Read More

Aerodynamic optimization is a critical aspect of airfoil design, traditionally relying on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to predict lift, drag, and pressure distributions. While effective, CFD methods are computationally expensive and time-intensive, limiting their practicality for rapid design iterations. This study explores the integration of machine learning, specifically convolutional neural networks (CNNs), to enhance aerodynamic predictions while significantly reducing ... Read More

As research in the health and medicine field continues to evolve, public healthsurveillance is a way to monitor the spread of diseases within communities. Providing data to the public can reduce disease transmission and support informed decision-making.This project focuses on analyzing and visualizing wastewater data to track trends of COVID-19, influenza A & B, and RSV across approximately 80 locations ... Read More

Adversarial learning is a critical area of research that examines the vulnerabilities of machine learning models to carefully crafted attacks. In safety-critical applications such autonomous driving, adversarial attacks on traffic sign recognition systems pose significant risks, potentially leading to severe consequences such as crashes.

This study explores various adversarial attack strategies, including white-box and black- box methods, to assess their ... Read More

The 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 ... Read More

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been the leading cause of disability and death in young people, and there has been a search for a fitting model to understand the effects of trauma on the brain. To develop a TBI in vitro model that utilizes brain organoids, I utilized resin-based 3D printing to print a model and test how this model ... Read More

Music is known to improve focus and memory, yet different brain regions are activated when listening to music versus singing. For example, singing uniquely engages the frontal and parietal systems, closely linked with thinking and problem-solving. However, singing also requires certain motor skills and is considerably more cognitively taxing than simply listening to music. Despite the differences in brain activation, ... Read More

Ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a public health priority in Illinois, with the statewide Getting- to-Zero (GTZ) initiative aiming to reach a “functional zero” by 2030. Functional zero means that Illinois will report fewer than 100 new cases of HIV annually, the point where the HIV epidemic no longer sustain itself. Racial and ethnic minorities as well as sexual and ... Read More

This study aims to develop a reliable and efficient methodology for accurately counting induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their differentiated counterparts using Fiji (ImageJ), a widely used image-processing tool in cell and molecular biology. The primary objective is to optimize parameters such as thresholding, contrasts, and region-of-interest (ROI) identification within Fiji to distinguish between iPSCs and differentiated iPSCs. The ... Read More

The Screw-propelled Multi-terrain Amphibious RoboT (SMART) is a screw-propelled vehicle designed to navigate the diverse Arctic landscape. It uses one or more pairs of helical drives (Archimedes’ screws) for movement, offering Screw (moving longitudinally) and Crab-crawl (moving laterally) locomotion for traveling on land. SMART will be able to explore extreme terrains such as icy landscapes, deep water, or remote Arctic ... Read More

Research into AI models and game theory involving extensive form games has been applied to economic models, computer science (Ikeda, K, 2023), and current reinforcement learning models such as AlphaZero. There is potential for advances in AI understanding quantum principles to have the same effect on quantum computing and technology. Quantum Chess is one of the first “quantum extensive form ... Read More

Pediatric pancreatitis, along with other radiologically identifiable diseases, requires an early, accurate diagnosis for effective treatment. Machine Learning algorithms have become very effective in the radiology field, since radiologists focus on identifying patterns in radiology scans. However, because of the scarcity and large variance in data on pediatric pancreatitis, models to predict patient outcomes are both few and low accuracy.

Ivy League Potential LLC is a college consulting company based out of Naperville, Illinois. Ivy League Potential specializes in helping students gain admittance to top-tier universities like Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania. Their track record of success has landed them features in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and U.S. News Education. One strategy Ivy League Potential uses to ... Read More

As we continue advancing to the transition from classical to quantum computing, we face a significant challenge: quantum error. Quantum errors come from quantum gate imperfections and decoherence. Many quantum machine learning algorithms require multiple executions to attain a proper estimation due to the variability introduced by error. The Variational Quantum Eigensolver optimizes ansatz parameters to approximate the ground state ... Read More

This 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 ... Read More

APS Data Technologies is a technology company that offers services geared toward innovation and impactful digital solutions. They offer expertise, internships, training, and partnerships in computer science. APS Data Technologies, among other things, is currently working on a smart app in collaboration with the city of Aurora: "Destination Aurora." This app has its main branch and two smaller parts (AR ... Read More

The Internet Protocol (IP) undergirds the modern Internet, providing addresses to network devices and routing data packets between them. The first widely adopted version, IP version 4 (IPv4) uses 32-bit addresses to identify unique hosts. While ~4 billion unique addresses seemed sufficient, the explosion of Internet-connected devices over the last twenty years has depleted the pool of available IPv4 addresses.

Machine learning(ML) models are computer systems that are able to learn and adapt independently, using algorithms to analyze and draw inferences from patterns in data. Usage of ML models in biology has skyrocketed, especially in the drug discovery and pharmaceutical industries. Cell counting is an important part of the drug discovery process, crucial for assessing culture viability and determining proliferation ... Read More

This project will be separated into part l, the fundamentals of aerodynamics, and part Il, the application of aerodynamics. This project will only be part l, and part Il will be tested next school year. Aerodynamics is focused on, but not limited to, the factors of drag, center of mass, and center of pressure. Through virtual simulations, this project will ... Read More

Bladder-related conditions, such as interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), are significant medical concerns affecting patient quality of life. IC/BPS patients experience pain, pressure, or discomfort localized in the bladder region. This discomfort often originates from bladder pressure, which can lead to an influx of inflammatory cells, resulting in inflammation, infections, and cystitis. Bladder inflammation may cause pain, increased urinary frequency, ... Read More

The ProtoDUNE-ND (aka “2x2”) experiment is a prototype of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) that is designed to study properties of neutrinos and their interactions. The goal of DUNE is to uncover the properties of neutrinos to understand the mystery of matter-dominance of the universe. The ProtoDUNE-ND experiment is a smaller scale prototype of the DUNE near detector. We ... Read More

The positive narrative of academic recovery told by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) emphasizes gains in student involvement and achievement. However, a more thorough examination of budgetary allocations, teacher migration, attendance patterns, and standardized test distributions (IAR and STAR360) indicates notable inequalities that affect student results. Attendance rates reveal information about accessibility and student involvement, whereas faculty migration draws attention to ... Read More

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a sex-biased disease characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling, increased resistance to blood flow through vasculature, and right heart failure. This project aimed to determine the relationship between PAH and obesity, a comorbidity of PAH, on the lung phenotype of a murine model. This model displays both stages of PAH: pulmonary arterial thickening, and obliteration of ... Read More

Robust and efficient face recognition and verification is becoming increasingly important in the modern age, due to the escalating presence of online interactions. For example, a manager may want to check remote employee authentication, but only has a video feed of them, or outside intrusions in secure environments. Thus, Face recognition and verification programs must be optimized. To achieve this, ... Read More

Craniofacial and maxillofacial defects are complex in patient comprehension and surgical repair. This project utilizes advanced visualization software to create precise 3D models of craniofacial abnormalities, enhancing patient education and preoperative planning. By translating the data Of medical images into digital, interactive reconstructions, the method gives patients and medical personnel enhanced insight into complicated anatomical structures. Models of this nature ... Read More

Drinking water is a critical component of peoples' everyday lives, so it is critical that the quality of municipal tap water is accurately measured and adheres to contaminant limits. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) in 1991 to reduce exposure to lead and copper in drinking water, which can cause numerous health impacts ... Read More

This study analyzes the connections between reported diet, in terms of fruit and vegetable (FAV) and fat-content intake, observed serum carotenoid values, socioeconomic level, and kidney function in people with sickle cell disease. An adequate FAV intake and low fat consumption have beneficial impacts on kidney health. People with sickle cell disease are at much higher risk of medical complications ... Read More

Variational Quantum Eigensolvers (VQEs) are an ernerging application of near-term quantum computers due to their low computational requirements and high resistance to errors. The success of VQEs depends on the chosen ansatz, or pararneterized circuit, to approximate the ground state of a problem Hamiltonian. Ansatz selection presents a challenge, as it involves a trade-off between representation accuracy (which typically requires ... Read More

Sleep health is an important determinant of general well-being, however many young adults have irregular sleep patterns due to environmental and behavioral influences. This study looks at the association between light exposure and sleep quality, specifically among undergraduate students at Northwestern University. In the first phase of survey distribution, 92 participants evaluated their sleep patterns, chronotype, and overall sleep health ... Read More

One of the hallmarks of neuroblastoma is amplification of the MYCN oncogene which is associated with poor prognosis. In MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) and H3K27me3 co-localize to repress differentiation genes, driving malignancy. Despite evidence of in vivo efficacy, inhibiting the deposition of H3K27me3 with tazemetostat is not effective in patients as a single agent, suggesting the development of resistance mechanisms. ... Read More

This study explores the kinematic modeling of robotic serial manipulators. It covers forward and inverse kinematics and introduces the Denavit–Hartenberg convention for 3D manipulators, along with loop closure equations. The work further examines velocity and inverse velocity kinematics and employs interpolation techniques for smooth trajectory planning. A modeling framework for typical serial robots is presented, with simulations validating the influence ... Read More

Urban flooding is an incessant challenge due to extreme rainfall and inadequate drainage infrastructure. This study explores the paradoxical relationship between rainfall intensity and flood occurrence in cities like Chicago. Leveraging Google Earth Engine (GEE), we integrate Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) datasets from Sentinel-1 at every 10-day cycle for flood mapping, and daily scale CHIRPS: Rainfall Estimates from Rain Gauge ... Read More

The 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 ... Read More

Pulse shaping, which is the modification of the physical waveforms, is often used to control the behavior of quantum technologies. By tailoring the amplitude and phase of pulses, pulse shaping can be utilized to enhance fidelity or adjust the sensitivity of the basic operations in quantum communication and computing. Most modern error mitigation tries its best to avoid pulse shaping, ... Read More

Semaglutide, sold under the name Ozempic, is a medication that aids in blood sugar management as well as weight loss in individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic is frequently advertised as an effective weight loss drug due to the uncontrolled popularity stemming around it from social media.

The purpose of this study is to understand the public opinion and ... Read More

Neurotoxic amyloid-beta-oligomers (AβOs) accumulate in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, driving cognitive decline and dementia. Determining their size via Western Blots (WB) could help create targeted therapies, yet exposure to detergent SDS could potentially lead to significant changes in the subunit association. Moreover, improper sample or antibody concentrations can cause primary antibody cross- linking, resulting in misleading signals (e.g., a stronger ... Read More

Electrical generation and building heating contributes ~25% of greenhouse gas emissions. Stirling engines are a quiet and efficient way to convert thermal energy into mechanical work, even utilizing the modest temperature differences found inside and outside buildings, in the range of 20 degrees C. We surveyed three major types, alpha, beta, and gamma, seeking preferences for specific applications. Building off ... Read More

Contemporary political and religious violence in the Middle East continues to blur the line between terrorism and insurgency. The definition of terrorism can be subjective, often depending on the person’s politics, religion, or social motivation. The history of terrorism in Europe, particularly that of Communist terrorist organizations dating back to the 1960s, provides a greater understanding of politically motivated violence. ... Read More

Water masers can be found in high-mass star-forming regions, where molecular, atomic, and ionized gas is present. In the ionized medium, free electrons interact with ions and emit photons that are then detected by radio telescopes such as the Very Large Array (VLA). For this project involving the search of these water masers, data from this telescope were accessed through ... Read More

In the United States, most students graduate high school without taking a financial literacy course, as it is not a requirement for graduation in many states, including Illinois. This gap in education leaves many adults unprepared to manage their finances, which can lead to poor financial decisions, significant debt, and even bankruptcy. Financial literacy is crucial for navigating the complexities ... Read More

Hematopoiesis is the process by which all blood and immune cell types are continually produced. Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) are a rare population of cells found in the bone marrow and are responsible for generating all blood cell types. HSCs are the basis of bone marrow transplantation – the cure for many diseases like blood cancers involving the replacement of ... Read More

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly increased the lifespan of people living with HIV (PLWH), but as this population ages, they face an elevated risk of osteoporosis, particularly among women. Bone loss is a well-documented consequence of ART, with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) being strongly associated with decreased bone mineral density (BMD). Tenofovir itself has poor oral bioavailability, necessitating the development ... Read More

Classical computers use diodes and transistors to act as electronic switches, allowing the processing and storage of information. These switches are building blocks for logic circuits, which provide the basis for computing. After significant years of research, advancements in computing architecture have led to more efficient systems. However, classical computing architectures struggle with parallel processing, where a system will do ... Read More