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With healthy lung performance being critical to daily function and maintenance of physical health, the authors of this study explored the impact of airflow training from playing a wind instrument on respiratory system function. With careful quantification of peak expiratory flow of individuals who played the trumpet, the authors found no expiratory capacity difference between students who played the trumpet and students who did not play a wind instrument.

Each year, over 100,000 patients die from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). A reliable seizure warning system can help patients stay safe. This work presents a comprehensive, comparative analysis of three different signal processing algorithms for automated seizure/ictal detection. The experimental results show that the proposed methods can be effective for accurate automated seizure detection and monitoring in clinical care.

Here the authors strive to remedy the financial and mechanical deficiencies in current prosthetics by building a simple, noninvasive vibratory sensory feedback system into an inexpensive constructed 3D-printed prosthetic arm. They find that this simple feedback system has the potential to enhance feedback performance at a less cost.

In this study, Imani et al. investigate whether a new proprietary herbal formulation, HF1, can inhibit expression of immune suppressor protein PD-L1. PD-L1 is a transmembrane protein that can be expressed by cancer cells to assist in their ability to avoid attacks from the immune system. Work from this study demonstrates that HF1 treatment can reduce expression of PD-L1 in cultured cancer cells, implicating HF1 as a potential new cancer therapy.

Studying exoplanets, or planets that orbit a star other than the Sun, is critical to a greater understanding the formation of planets and how Earth's solar system differs from others. In this study the authors analyze the transit light curves of three hot Jupiter exoplanets to ultimately determine if and how these planets have changed since their discovery.

One of the greatest challenges we face today is the sustainable production, storage, and distribution of electrical power. One emerging technology with great promise in this area is that of metal-air fuel cells—a long-term and reusable electricity storage system made from a reactive metal anode and a saline solution. In this study the authors tested several different types of metal to determine which was the most suitable for this application. They found that a fuel cell with a magnesium anode was superior to fuel cells made from aluminum or zinc, producing a voltage and current sufficient for real-world applications such as charging a mobile phone.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a global disease that causes fatal buildup of plaque in the arteries. Currently stents are placed in the artery for many patients with CHD to support proper blood flow. Here, the authors build a system to explore how the shape of the stent affects blood flow rate, a finding that can help optimize stents for patients.

Rechargeable batteries are playing an increasingly prominent role in our lives due to the ongoing transition from fossil energy sources to green energy. The purpose of this study was to investigate variables that impact the effectiveness of rechargeable batteries. Alkaline (non-rechargeable) and rechargeable batteries share common features that are critical for the operation of a battery. The positive and negative electrodes, also known as the cathode and anode, are where the energy of the battery is stored. The electrolyte is what facilitates the transfer of cations and anions in a battery to generate electricity. Due to the importance of these components, we felt that a systematic investigation examining the surface area of the cathode and anode as well the impact of electrolytes with different properties on battery performance was justified. Utilizing a copper cathode and aluminum anode coupled with a water in salt electrolyte, a model rechargeable battery system was developed to test two hypotheses: a) increasing the contact area between the electrodes and electrolyte would improve battery capacity, and b) more soluble salt-based electrolytes would improve battery capacity. After soaking in an electrolyte solution, the battery was charged and the capacity, starting voltage, and ending voltage of each battery were measured. The results of this study supported our hypothesis that larger anode/cathodes surface areas and more ionic electrolytes such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride and potassium sulfate resulted in superior battery capacity. Incorporating these findings can help maximize the efficiency of commercial rechargeable batteries.

Droughts kill over 45,000 people yearly and affect the livelihoods of 55 million others worldwide, with climate change likely to worsen these effects. However, unlike other natural disasters (hurricanes, etc.), there is no early detection system that can predict droughts far enough in advance to be useful. Bora, Caulkins, and Joycutty tackle this issue by creating a drought prediction model.

The global mental health crisis has led to increased substance abuse among youth. Prescription drug abuse causes approximately 115 American deaths daily. Understanding intergenerational transmission of substance abuse is complex due to lengthy human studies and socioeconomic variables. Recent FDA guidelines mandate abuse liability testing for neuro-active drugs but overlook intergenerational transfer. Brown planaria, due to their nervous system development similarities with mammals, offer a novel model.