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20170355 – A dual-incentive peer mentoring model, Positive Peer-Pressured Productivity (PQUAD), shows promising results in increasing academic productivity of early-career faculty. PQUAD combines an increased awareness of peers’ academic work with a weighted lottery for which tickets are earned on the basis of academic output. The incentive program assigns points for different scholarly activities... Read More
20170140 – A new, versatile optimization technique enables microstructure imaging of crossing white matter fibers. Microstructure Imaging of Crossing (MIX) White Matter Fibers is a novel regression method that can characterize tissue microstructure in the brain white matter from diffusion MRI (dMRI) data. The technique is robust, versatile and utilizes the Variable Separation Method (VSM) to fit... Read More
20160116 – The University of Minnesota’s Bee Squad has developed a safe and effective varroa mite testing kit for beekeepers. The kit, based on the University of Nebraska's non-destructive testing method called the “powdered sugar roll,” monitors varroa mite levels in honey bee colonies and supports beekeepers in regular mite monitoring to better manage their colonies based on mite levels. The... Read More
20170064 – A software program based on Fourier transform methods (FTM) provides accurate image-based fiber orientation and alignment data in tissue samples. FTM surpassed other methods in delivering accurate results, findings confirmed by applying FTM to SEM micrographs of fibrin tissue analogs. The code may also be used to characterize fiber orientation or other microstructural features in a... Read More
20170008 – A new reporting algorithm improves accuracy in assigning responsible provider data for inpatient hospital accounts. Following guidelines established by the Center for Medicaid Services (CMS), this algorithm helps coders adhere to federal and state rules and regulations while helping hospitals measure physician quality and performance. The algorithm is based on several components: ... Read More
20150063 – Modeling the mesoscale mechanics of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes is of critical interest. A new framework, based on the Distinct Element Method (DEM), simulates mesoscale mechanics of nanostructures and nanostructured materials. The method uses distinct elements (rigid particles) to model elementary discrete cells (grains or representative elements) of nanostructures, including... Read More
20170002 – CG-TARGET (Chemical-Genetic Translation via A Reference Genetic interaction nETwork) software is a pipeline that uses a genetic interaction network for predicting the molecular target of a compound/mode-of-action from chemical-genetic interaction profiles. Three input datasets (chemical-genetic interaction profiles, reference genetic interaction profiles, and a mapping from the query... Read More
20170001 – BEAN-counter (Barcoded Experiment Analysis from Next-generation sequencing) software is a pipeline for quantitative scoring of chemical-genetic interactions from sequencing-based chemical-genetic interaction screens. It provides a complete toolset for processing multiplexed sequencing data from barcoded mutant pools into chemical-genetic interaction profiles, based on these basic inputs:... Read More
20160035 – Joint system models designed to function within a skeletal system and modular mannequin provide valuable training. Both orthopedic surgeons as well as military surgeons training for in-field surgeries will benefit from the accuracy and precision of these models. The joints (hips, shoulders, knees) feature anatomically correct material sciences, an accurate range of motion and a... Read More
20150045 – An innovative new C-arm trainer (CAT) benefits surgeons, technicians and others undergoing percutaneous renal access training. The training device includes a mini C-arm used in conjunction with a silicon flank simulation model, an anatomically accurate cast of the upper urinary tract with an overlay simulating adjacent ribs. The CAT features two mounted video cameras connected to... Read More
20150048 – An inexpensive laparoscopic camera handling trainer (CHT) provides effective training for 30° laparoscopic camera navigation. The device consists of a transparent Plexiglas viewfinder, trocar support and a graphical path for users to navigate. The viewfinder is connected to a monitor that displays images from the camera and features a geometric shape indicates correct targeting of the... Read More
20150044 – An anatomically accurate, silicon flank model allows medical students and physicians to effectively train for percutaneous needle insertion skills, contrast administration, concentration skill teaching and other urologic procedures. The phantom model is a transparent cast of the upper urinary tract and is designed to be used with the SimPORTAL C-Arm trainer. The model features simulated... Read More
20160037 – Two surgical simulation skeletal systems provide fully 3D-printable, snap-together systems for military training, medical education or surgical simulation. One system contains internal pathways for wires and sensors, while the other, based on material analysis of the human skeleton, boasts relatively anatomically correct material specs. Each CREST surgical simulation skeletal system can... Read More
20120158 – The automatic jigsaw puzzle solving algorithm has potential uses in the reconstruction of shredded documents, assembly of broken artifacts in archeology and other assembly applications. The algorithm uses only the shapes of the pieces (not the picture itself formed by the puzzle) to solve the puzzle. No assumptions are made regarding the shapes or the overall layout and shape of the... Read More
20110246 – A principal components analysis (PCA) algorithm has been created which is more robust to outliers and data corruption than those in current usage. PCA is one of the most useful and widely used algorithms for data analysis and is useful in areas of data mining and machine learning, but is very sensitive to outliers and corruption. The developed alternative PCA algorithm is not only much... Read More
20160047 – FRAME is an interactive, online training software package that provides comprehensive, standardized training with measurable results for any type of organization, discipline or career path. Its online framework ensures consistency, as the same training is accessible to any worker, anytime, anywhere in the world. The software features a matrix whereby workers are trained in user-defined... Read More
20160234-4 – A 4-mm punch biopsy was acquired from a 44-yr old Caucasian male, fixed and vertically sectioned into 200-micron sections. Sections were multi-stained with antibodies to visualize nerves (PGP9.5, blue) and melanocytes (MEL1, yellow) of the hair bulb and the epidermis. This image was captured using laser scanning confocal microscopy at 200X magnification and is a projection... Read More
20160234-3 – A 4-mm punch biopsy was acquired from a 34-yr old Caucasian male, fixed and vertically sectioned into 200-micron thick sections. The sample was stained with antibodies to visualize nerves (PGP9.5, green) and with the plant lectin, Ulex europeaous-FITC (red) which binds to follicular keratinocytes. This image was captured using laser scanning confocal microscopy at 200X... Read More
20160234-2 – A 4-mm punch biopsy was acquired from a healthy Caucasian subject, fixed and vertically sectioned into 200-micron-thick sections. Sections were stained with the plant lectin, Ulex europeaous conjugated to FITC (yellow). This lectin binds to l-fucose moieties, a carbohydrate abundant in human blood vessels. This image was captured using laser scanning confocal microscopy at... Read More
20160234 – The Ericson Lab at the University of Minnesota has been examining, imaging and quantifying biomarkers in skin and other organs using laser scanning microscopy and three-dimensional analysis since 1996. The lab has successfully administered and secured funding for several collaborative projects (including staffing, research protections, budgets and experimental plans) and produced several... Read More
20160234-1 – A 4-mm punch biopsy was acquired from a healthy 44-yr old Caucasian male, fixed and vertically sectioned into 200-micron-thick sections. Sections were multi-stained with antibodies to the neuropeptide calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP, green), nerves (PGP9.5, red), and vasculature (Ulex europeaous-FITC, blue). This image was captured using laser scanning confocal... Read More
20150024 – Daynamica is an innovative smartphone application that tracks and collects highly-detailed user activity and travel data. Using real-time data mining of raw sensor data with smartphone GPS and accelerometer data, the app automatically detects and classifies daily activity and travel. By allowing users to view and edit/customize the information, the software can collect more detailed data... Read More
20150079 – Nebula is a dispersed cloud infrastructure that uses volunteer edge resources for both computation and data storage. Nebula provides lightweight architecture that enables distributed data-intensive computing through a number of optimizations, including location-aware data and computation placement, replication, and recovery. Since each voluntary edge resource can join, leave and fail at... Read More
20120080 – CoreSHIELD is an online collaboration and information sharing tool that allows professionals to identify and securely communicate with their counterparts in similar positions in other organizations, anywhere in the nation. Users maintain detailed profiles identifying their roles, making it easy to search for and connect with functional counterparts despite geographic, organizational or... Read More
20150084 – Potential food threats and adverse food events can quickly be identified and shared with food and agriculture stakeholders using the Focused Integration of Data for Early Signals (FIDES) tool. Initiated by the Food Protection and Defense Institute, FIDES integrates big data compiled from non-traditional sources (e.g., trade, economics, meteorology, global policies, social media,... Read More
20160061 – A comprehensive study presents a unique analysis of marginal emission factors for three pollutants from electricity generation in the eleven-state Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region. Researchers estimate both average emission factors and marginal emission factors for carbon dioxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO), and nitrogen oxides (NO) from fossil-fired generators in... Read More
20160049 – A new graphical user interface (GUI) guides users easily through the process of implementing Storn and Price’s differential evolution algorithm for optimization applications, such as in optimizing solution compositions for freezing media for a cell type. Not only does this software program customize the algorithm for optimizing solution compositions, but a user-friendly GUI prompts users... Read More
20160062 – A new software tool makes objective partitioning of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) data much easier. Users can export physical data, compile simulations and perform objective partitioning via an easy-to-use Microsoft Excel-based interface. The process currently works with FEA data from FEBio and PostView, but it could analyze any mesh used for FEA. The tool was developed for deforming... Read More
20160076 – A newly-developed assessment tool designed by pediatric neuroscientists and physicians allows practitioners of pediatric non-invasive brain stimulation to anticipate and address potential issues from adverse events. The assessment helps investigators assess and manage any adverse effects from non-invasive brain stimulation – and possibly helps prevent them from occurring in the first... Read More
20130214 – Synthetic tissue created from a cost effective organosilicate gel can be used to construct human organ simulators. The synthetic tissue is cross-checked with the Center for Research in Education and Simulation (CREST) human tissue database for physiological accuracy. The organ model is based on a patient specific life casting mold and uses two layers of the synthetic tissue which allows a... Read More
20150081 – Through use of an open-source commodity computing platform Apache Hadoop, and an extension labeled Spatial Hadoop, it is possible to perform spatial analysis on large quantities of location and GPS data. Please Note: SpatialHadoop has been adopted by the Eclipse Foundation under the name GeoJinni. Today’s availability of big data sets brings high demand for computational power.... Read More
20150246 – The 4-H at the Minnesota State Fair mobile app was developed to keep the mobile fair-goer up to date with all 4-H events, locations, and judging results during the course of the fair via any mobile device. Available for both Android and Apple devices, the 4-H at the Minnesota State Fair app boasts a slick, user-friendly interface. Features include a full schedule of all 4-H events with... Read More
20150057 – The most common malignant symptom of incontinence is skin damage or dermatitis. The buttocks, hips, and thighs are especially prone to skin breakdown when exposed to the moisture and chemicals in incontinence fluids. Skin damage prevention involves careful hygiene in the affected regions, but treatment is an involved process that depends on the severity of the skin damage. There exists a... Read More
20150056 – The Online Global Health Course prepares today’s medical professional to practice medicine and public health in an increasingly mobile world. With more than one billion people crossing international boundaries annually, every clinician, regardless of location of practice must be familiar with working across cultures and with infections and diseases in an increasing diverse world. In... Read More
20150055 – In the field of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, reseeding represents the last step prior to the implantation of the tissue engineered (TE) scaffold. Populating the scaffold with the cells of the patient reduces the risk of immune response and implant rejection. However, the process is limited by the time it takes to reach a cellular density comparable to that of... Read More
20130206 – The Criticality Spatial Analysis (CRISTAL) corporate risk software instantly traces products across multiple companies, identifying specific points in the system that are at risk of failure. The technology was developed by the National Center for Food Protection and Defense for performing corporate food traceability. By documenting parallel systems (i.e. food, water, chemicals,... Read More
20110125 – Statistical software that detects structural variations such as large insertions and deletions in short segments (reads) of DNA, can be used to diagnose cancer. Structural variations in short segments (reads) of DNA occur in complex diseases, such as cancer. To use these variations in diagnoses, the process of reading the DNA segments needs to be fast and inexpensive. The fast mapping... Read More
20130141 – The Sanfilippo Behavior Rating Scale questionnaire can define Sanfilippo syndrome behavior along a specific pattern and progression of behavioral symptoms. Currently, there is no scale specifically for the disease. Sanfilippo syndrome (also known as Mucopolysaccharidosis type III) is a genetic neurological disease which manifests early in life, generally ending in death in adolescence... Read More
20150034 – A mannequin face and torso modelled precisely after its own researcher has been developed that feels, appears, and responds exactly like human flesh. An anatomically complete airway trainer assists in practicing tracheal intubations, common practice-intensive procedures in military and civilian emergencies. There exist many mannequins (manikins) designed to assist in tracheal (or... Read More
20140194-20150025 – Given the emphasis put on empirical evidence in modern science, scientific datasets are a huge component of publications and research documents. Much of this data is useful to future studies, and needs proper data annotation so that the datasets can be found in an online search. Unfortunately, most datasets lack annotations and context that facilitate searching. The need for proper... Read More
20140124 – A system that monitors parking availability in parking lots has been developed. It uses a 3-dimensional camera method and is robust under all weather conditions. It is highly effective in accounting for vehicular occlusion which happens often in parking facilities with large vehicles. Detection of vehicles in real-world lighting (accounting for reflections and shadows) is a dramatic... Read More
20140226 – A user behavior modelling algorithm has been developed that acknowledges a user’s changing preferences on sites where users experience many pieces of successive media and adjusts the recommendations accordingly. How much time does it take to bore a customer with the same “reliable” recommendations? How long will it take for a certain recommendation to finally pique the interest of a user?... Read More
20140120 – An open-source PostgreSQL-embedded system has been produced that creates and processes user-item preference matrices from within the database itself. This database application, RecDB, provides a solution by eliminating the wasteful online-offline transition step common to most recommendation systems located outside the database. The SQL language involved is simple and designed to easily... Read More
20140083 – An algorithm has been designed to maximize clicks in a search engine result page. It measures the incongruity of a given text segment (i.e. how unrelated and rare the terms are within the segment). In the utility of a search algorithm, the method utilizes a user’s cookies and browser history to further refine its prediction of what the user will find interesting based on search terms. It... Read More
20140246 – An iPad application, Global Outbreak, has been developed that simulates how a health department might implement the federal government’s Incident Command System (ICS) during an outbreak response. The simulation aims to illustrate a Department Operations Center coming to life and increase the likelihood the user will be able to perform well in a real response. It presents the user with the... Read More
20140312 – Discernment counseling is a powerful process for couples with divorce ambivalence who aren't sure whether to pursue couples counseling or consider divorce. This short term protocol helps “mixed agenda couples” where one is leaning out of the marriage and the other wants to save it. The introductory video on discernment is now available only as part of comprehensive training in discernment... Read More
20140245 – Emergency event responders have some of the world’s most important jobs, but also some of the most personally taxing. Occupations, such as EMT, deal with injury, death, risk, trauma of fellow human beings which increases the risk of psychological and physical detriment to the occupation holder. To ensure that responders maintain personal care in areas of nutrition, hygiene, and psyche is... Read More
20140050 – Dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) systems have been recently developed that allow for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. Various safety techniques are being developed for DSRC-equipped vehicles, but despite an anticipated standardization of DSRC in U.S. automobiles, use is not widespread. DSRC as it stands today has... Read More
20140049 – A new system has been developed that replaces roadside V2I DSRC units with a Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) network to relay dangerous changes in the speed of traffic along with additional statistics. A vehicle approaching an area where traffic speed is volatile will issue a dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) Basic Safety Message to other DSRC-equipped vehicles. Of these trailing... Read More
20100226 – The software to manage grant proposals is more flexible and less expensive than comparable software. It is designed for both grant managers and proposal submitters and manages the grant process with the aim of selecting the most qualified proposal for funding in a straight forward and user friendly manner. The web-based workflow system allows users to register and submit their... Read More
