DNA as the addressable element in mesoporous silica particles

Oligonucleotides will be structurally integrated within complementary architectures in order to synthesize hybrid nanomaterials featuring biomolecular-driven behavior. We plan to synthesize nanoparticles featuring nucleic acid conjugates embedded in the structural network, so that their dynamics could be programmed for cancer therapy. We intend to make use of the biodegradable organosilica technology developed in De Cola’s […]

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Uncertainties in space debris dynamics due to space weather

The increase in Earth-orbiting space debris has been the cause of significant debate over the last decade. More than 29,000 objects larger than 10 cm have been detected in orbit and it is estimated that more than 170 million particles above 1mm populate the near-Earth environment. Potential collisions between active satellites and space debris are […]

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Regulatory networks controlling pathogenesis of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen which is the leading cause of invasive candidiasis, an increasingly drug resistant disease that attacks vulnerable populations. Candida albicans is interesting because it is a commensal organism present in human tissues that can become deadly in response to specific environmental cues. Understanding what governs the shift from harmless […]

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Smoothed Analysis of Combinatorial Optimization Problems

Many important computational problems are prohibitively difficult to solve in the worst case, but are easy when instances are drawn from real world situations. This suggests that worst case instances rarely occur in real data and that worst case analysis is not a good measure of computational complexity in practice. One hypothesis to explain this […]

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Optimization of injectable dense collagen gels in vitro and in vivo for bone tissue engineering

Bone defects may arise from trauma, congenital disease, tissue/vascular necrosis or tumor radiotherapy/excision. Rising rates of the ageing population are expected to dramatically increase the demand for orthopaedic procedures and associated waiting periods for patient treatment. Current techniques to repair and regenerate of mineralized tissues possess inherent limitation and may be overcome by tissue engineering. […]

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Development and implementation of novel processor cooling technologies

Processors are the computational core of a computer system, and the most important component governing a computer’s overall performance. As processors increase in computational power, their required electrical power and the resulting heat generated correspondingly rise. A processor cooling system is therefore necessary to prevent the processor from overheating. Although processor cooling research has been […]

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Exploring the structure of nominal expressions in Chuj (Mayan)

This research project as three main objectives: (1) to research and document Chuj, an underdocumented Indigenous Mayan language spoken in Guatemala and Mexico by approximately 45,000 speakers; (2) to conduct fieldwork in a Chuj speaking community in Mexico where I will learn more about Chuj language and culture; and (3) to meet with and learn […]

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Ultra-low power wireless sensor node design for health monitoring use cases

In this project we address the problem of power consumption for wireless sensor nodes. This is where among different components of a sensor, RF transceivers consume a significant amount of power e.g. approximately 80%. Hence the main objective is this project is to tackle the power consumption problem at the RF transmitter, where we aim […]

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The effect of social media on job search assistance

While the fact that social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Snapchat, are changing our lives is undeniable, management scholars are only beginning to understand their effects on social interaction and societal inequality. One area of great importance is the effect of social media on how people look for jobs. While some see social media […]

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Evaluation of probiotic bacterial strains for enhanced microbial biotransformation of polyphenol-rich potato extract

The proposed project searches to understand the effect of probiotic bacterial strains belonging to the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera on the degradation and bioavailability of phenolic compounds present in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) after in vitro digestion. The more easily absorbed metabolites are associated with protective effects against cancer and diabetes mellitus type II. Additionally, […]

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Chromatic and List-Chromatic Numbers of Infinite Hypergrahs

Suppose there are a number of committees of people, which we represent by vertices of a graph and draw an edge between two vertices if those committees share a common member. Then the list-colouring number is (informally) the minimum number k so that as long as each committee comes up with a list of k-many […]

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