Jack Hester | Emory University (original) (raw)
Papers by Jack Hester
Computerized knitting machines allow for rapid and repeatable prototyping of soft objects. Recent... more Computerized knitting machines allow for rapid and repeatable prototyping of soft objects. Recent developments in programming languages and design tools enable researchers to create customized swatches and garments with multiple layers, 3D shapes, and specialized yarns. These advancements facilitate the fabrication of knit sensors that can be embedded directly into clothes, such as shirts or gloves, and detect vital signs, bodily movements, or interactions with the garment like a tap or swipe on a sleeve. We present a review of 114 machine-knit sensor projects covering a range of sensor designs and applications. We summarize key attributes of each manuscript, including the type of sensor developed, materials and machines, the specific uses of sensors on the body, and the operating principles behind existing sensor designs. We then present suggestions for future work in this area. We show how this area of research is rapidly growing, and this review provides insights into existing research and techniques that are valuable to anyone interested in machine knitting research.
Journal of Student Research, Nov 30, 2021
Obesity is a highly prevalent illness in schizophrenia patients. This review evaluates recent lit... more Obesity is a highly prevalent illness in schizophrenia patients. This review evaluates recent literature on the relationship between obesity risk and schizophrenia psychopathology. Ten studies were gathered using online resources like Google Scholar, PubMed, and the Brown University Library. Nine of the ten studies analyzed the relationship between obesity and schizophrenia severity with the factor of antipsychotics, while the last study excluded antipsychotic influence. While the nine studies with antipsychotic treatment indicate an association between improvement in overall symptom severity and weight gain, five studies specify negative symptoms to be more indicative of weight gain than positive symptoms, and two studies state the opposite. The last (tenth) study implies the existence of a relationship between weight and clinical severity independent from antipsychotic use. More research needs to be done on the connection between obesity and schizophrenia severity prior to antipsychotic treatment.
Cancer Research, Jun 15, 2022
Pancreatic cancer remains a major health concern, being among the most deadly forms of cancer. It... more Pancreatic cancer remains a major health concern, being among the most deadly forms of cancer. It is the seventh most common cancer, yet it is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. It is estimated that in 2021, 48,220 patients will die from pancreatic cancer. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, diabetes, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, and family history. Over 80% of the patients present with metastatic disease. Despite advances in chemotherapy, the average survival remains less than 5 years even after surgery. Genetic research on pancreatic cancer has generally only focused on familial pancreatic cancer, which is only 10% of all pancreatic cancer patients. This study focuses on finding genes that impact the survival of pancreatic cancer patients based on race, with the goal of finding genes that are race specific and can be used as biomarkers and potential targets to develop personalized treatment options. All datasets for pancreatic cancer in cBioPortal were used for this study. The data were then stratified based on race information for the patients. Three (3) racial categories, 1) White 2) African American and Black, and 3) Asian were chosen. Our analysis finds that White, African Americans and Asians have distinct copy number alterations, more specifically amplifications in specific genes, with GATA6, RECQL4, and MIB1 being only altered in White patients, PKD1L1, GARS1, and NEUROD6 only altered in Black & African American patients, and the entire 4p16.3 cytoband of genes (39 in total), only altered in Asian patients. Patients with alterations in these unique genes also had poor survival. Using the Protein Atlas, MD Anderson Cell Lines Project (MCLP) dataset and genecards.org data, we identified potential drug candidates that target the proteins encoded by these genes. Our study clearly demonstrates that race specific genetic alterations exist in pancreatic cancer and provides a foundation for the development of race specific diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and targeted therapeutic options with better survival outcomes. Citation Format: Digonto Chatterjee, Jack Hester, Meera Srivastava, Alakesh Bera. Racial disparities in pancreatic cancer: A quantitative proteo-genomic analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5862.
Journal of Student Research
Obesity is a highly prevalent illness in schizophrenia patients. This review evaluates recent lit... more Obesity is a highly prevalent illness in schizophrenia patients. This review evaluates recent literature on the relationship between obesity risk and schizophrenia psychopathology. Ten studies were gathered using online resources like Google Scholar, PubMed, and the Brown University Library. Nine of the ten studies analyzed the relationship between obesity and schizophrenia severity with the factor of antipsychotics, while the last study excluded antipsychotic influence. While the nine studies with antipsychotic treatment indicate an association between improvement in overall symptom severity and weight gain, five studies specify negative symptoms to be more indicative of weight gain than positive symptoms, and two studies state the opposite. The last (tenth) study implies the existence of a relationship between weight and clinical severity independent from antipsychotic use. More research needs to be done on the connection between obesity and schizophrenia severity prior to antipsy...
In the case of pandemics-such as the current COVID-19 pandemic-disease spreads rapidly and testin... more In the case of pandemics-such as the current COVID-19 pandemic-disease spreads rapidly and testing resources are limited. Contact tracing provides an opportunity to fill some of the gaps left by testing limitations. Individuals with confirmed and presumed or suspected positive cases can be identified via user input of testing status or symptoms, as well as by other data sources. The location and movement of these individuals can then be traced. This location information can be used to create a 4D model of locations over time, and the data can be input into a network model to identify other individuals who were likely exposed as well as identify where or among which groups the next outbreaks are likely to occur. This paper describes a few central models based in epidemiology, graph theory, and population biology that can be used, along with location, case, and symptomatology data to create an effective contact tracing algorithm. It then proposes a SEIR model for tracing infections through a network and discusses limitations and options for further fine-tuning. Such an algorithm has immense potential to drastically improve epidemiological studies, reduce cases, and prioritize interventions during COVID-19 and future epidemics. The algorithm will be implemented via the Safetrace API, part of the MutualAid.world project.
Cancer Research
Pancreatic cancer remains a major health concern, being among the most deadly forms of cancer. It... more Pancreatic cancer remains a major health concern, being among the most deadly forms of cancer. It is the seventh most common cancer, yet it is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. It is estimated that in 2021, 48,220 patients will die from pancreatic cancer. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, diabetes, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, and family history. Over 80% of the patients present with metastatic disease. Despite advances in chemotherapy, the average survival remains less than 5 years even after surgery. Genetic research on pancreatic cancer has generally only focused on familial pancreatic cancer, which is only 10% of all pancreatic cancer patients. This study focuses on finding genes that impact the survival of pancreatic cancer patients based on race, with the goal of finding genes that are race specific and can be used as biomarkers and potential targets to develop personalized treatment options. All datasets for pancreatic cancer i...
As part of the City of Reno Public Health Emergency Advisory Board's response to COVID-19, we... more As part of the City of Reno Public Health Emergency Advisory Board's response to COVID-19, we created a region-specific risk meter tool. Our tool is hosted both independently (see https://covidriskmeter.org) and as part of the county's health department website (see https://covid19washoe.com/). After using and testing this tool for over a year, we believe it is an effective tool that responds well to the current community impact of COVID-19 and presents a reasonably accurate representation of risk in the community. We are open-sourcing the code with the hope that it might help other communities and researchers both now and during future outbreaks or pandemics. For more information on using the tool and adjusting parameters, see the readme.txt file and/or run python main.py -h
In the case of pandemics—such as the current COVID-19 pandemic—disease spreads rapidly and testin... more In the case of pandemics—such as the current COVID-19 pandemic—disease spreads rapidly and testing resources are limited. Contact tracing provides an opportunity to fill some of the gaps left by testing limitations. Individuals with confirmed and presumed or suspected positive cases can be identified via user input of testing status or symptoms, as well as by other data sources. The location and movement of these individuals can then be traced. This location information can be used to create a 4D model of locations over time, and the data can be input into a network model to identify other individuals who were likely exposed as well as identify where or among which groups the next outbreaks are likely to occur. This paper describes a few central models based in epidemiology, graph theory, and population biology that can be used, along with location, case, and symptomatology data to create an effective contact tracing algorithm. It then proposes a SEIR model for tracing infections th...
Computerized knitting machines allow for rapid and repeatable prototyping of soft objects. Recent... more Computerized knitting machines allow for rapid and repeatable prototyping of soft objects. Recent developments in programming languages and design tools enable researchers to create customized swatches and garments with multiple layers, 3D shapes, and specialized yarns. These advancements facilitate the fabrication of knit sensors that can be embedded directly into clothes, such as shirts or gloves, and detect vital signs, bodily movements, or interactions with the garment like a tap or swipe on a sleeve. We present a review of 114 machine-knit sensor projects covering a range of sensor designs and applications. We summarize key attributes of each manuscript, including the type of sensor developed, materials and machines, the specific uses of sensors on the body, and the operating principles behind existing sensor designs. We then present suggestions for future work in this area. We show how this area of research is rapidly growing, and this review provides insights into existing research and techniques that are valuable to anyone interested in machine knitting research.
Journal of Student Research, Nov 30, 2021
Obesity is a highly prevalent illness in schizophrenia patients. This review evaluates recent lit... more Obesity is a highly prevalent illness in schizophrenia patients. This review evaluates recent literature on the relationship between obesity risk and schizophrenia psychopathology. Ten studies were gathered using online resources like Google Scholar, PubMed, and the Brown University Library. Nine of the ten studies analyzed the relationship between obesity and schizophrenia severity with the factor of antipsychotics, while the last study excluded antipsychotic influence. While the nine studies with antipsychotic treatment indicate an association between improvement in overall symptom severity and weight gain, five studies specify negative symptoms to be more indicative of weight gain than positive symptoms, and two studies state the opposite. The last (tenth) study implies the existence of a relationship between weight and clinical severity independent from antipsychotic use. More research needs to be done on the connection between obesity and schizophrenia severity prior to antipsychotic treatment.
Cancer Research, Jun 15, 2022
Pancreatic cancer remains a major health concern, being among the most deadly forms of cancer. It... more Pancreatic cancer remains a major health concern, being among the most deadly forms of cancer. It is the seventh most common cancer, yet it is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. It is estimated that in 2021, 48,220 patients will die from pancreatic cancer. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, diabetes, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, and family history. Over 80% of the patients present with metastatic disease. Despite advances in chemotherapy, the average survival remains less than 5 years even after surgery. Genetic research on pancreatic cancer has generally only focused on familial pancreatic cancer, which is only 10% of all pancreatic cancer patients. This study focuses on finding genes that impact the survival of pancreatic cancer patients based on race, with the goal of finding genes that are race specific and can be used as biomarkers and potential targets to develop personalized treatment options. All datasets for pancreatic cancer in cBioPortal were used for this study. The data were then stratified based on race information for the patients. Three (3) racial categories, 1) White 2) African American and Black, and 3) Asian were chosen. Our analysis finds that White, African Americans and Asians have distinct copy number alterations, more specifically amplifications in specific genes, with GATA6, RECQL4, and MIB1 being only altered in White patients, PKD1L1, GARS1, and NEUROD6 only altered in Black & African American patients, and the entire 4p16.3 cytoband of genes (39 in total), only altered in Asian patients. Patients with alterations in these unique genes also had poor survival. Using the Protein Atlas, MD Anderson Cell Lines Project (MCLP) dataset and genecards.org data, we identified potential drug candidates that target the proteins encoded by these genes. Our study clearly demonstrates that race specific genetic alterations exist in pancreatic cancer and provides a foundation for the development of race specific diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and targeted therapeutic options with better survival outcomes. Citation Format: Digonto Chatterjee, Jack Hester, Meera Srivastava, Alakesh Bera. Racial disparities in pancreatic cancer: A quantitative proteo-genomic analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5862.
Journal of Student Research
Obesity is a highly prevalent illness in schizophrenia patients. This review evaluates recent lit... more Obesity is a highly prevalent illness in schizophrenia patients. This review evaluates recent literature on the relationship between obesity risk and schizophrenia psychopathology. Ten studies were gathered using online resources like Google Scholar, PubMed, and the Brown University Library. Nine of the ten studies analyzed the relationship between obesity and schizophrenia severity with the factor of antipsychotics, while the last study excluded antipsychotic influence. While the nine studies with antipsychotic treatment indicate an association between improvement in overall symptom severity and weight gain, five studies specify negative symptoms to be more indicative of weight gain than positive symptoms, and two studies state the opposite. The last (tenth) study implies the existence of a relationship between weight and clinical severity independent from antipsychotic use. More research needs to be done on the connection between obesity and schizophrenia severity prior to antipsy...
In the case of pandemics-such as the current COVID-19 pandemic-disease spreads rapidly and testin... more In the case of pandemics-such as the current COVID-19 pandemic-disease spreads rapidly and testing resources are limited. Contact tracing provides an opportunity to fill some of the gaps left by testing limitations. Individuals with confirmed and presumed or suspected positive cases can be identified via user input of testing status or symptoms, as well as by other data sources. The location and movement of these individuals can then be traced. This location information can be used to create a 4D model of locations over time, and the data can be input into a network model to identify other individuals who were likely exposed as well as identify where or among which groups the next outbreaks are likely to occur. This paper describes a few central models based in epidemiology, graph theory, and population biology that can be used, along with location, case, and symptomatology data to create an effective contact tracing algorithm. It then proposes a SEIR model for tracing infections through a network and discusses limitations and options for further fine-tuning. Such an algorithm has immense potential to drastically improve epidemiological studies, reduce cases, and prioritize interventions during COVID-19 and future epidemics. The algorithm will be implemented via the Safetrace API, part of the MutualAid.world project.
Cancer Research
Pancreatic cancer remains a major health concern, being among the most deadly forms of cancer. It... more Pancreatic cancer remains a major health concern, being among the most deadly forms of cancer. It is the seventh most common cancer, yet it is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. It is estimated that in 2021, 48,220 patients will die from pancreatic cancer. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, diabetes, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, and family history. Over 80% of the patients present with metastatic disease. Despite advances in chemotherapy, the average survival remains less than 5 years even after surgery. Genetic research on pancreatic cancer has generally only focused on familial pancreatic cancer, which is only 10% of all pancreatic cancer patients. This study focuses on finding genes that impact the survival of pancreatic cancer patients based on race, with the goal of finding genes that are race specific and can be used as biomarkers and potential targets to develop personalized treatment options. All datasets for pancreatic cancer i...
As part of the City of Reno Public Health Emergency Advisory Board's response to COVID-19, we... more As part of the City of Reno Public Health Emergency Advisory Board's response to COVID-19, we created a region-specific risk meter tool. Our tool is hosted both independently (see https://covidriskmeter.org) and as part of the county's health department website (see https://covid19washoe.com/). After using and testing this tool for over a year, we believe it is an effective tool that responds well to the current community impact of COVID-19 and presents a reasonably accurate representation of risk in the community. We are open-sourcing the code with the hope that it might help other communities and researchers both now and during future outbreaks or pandemics. For more information on using the tool and adjusting parameters, see the readme.txt file and/or run python main.py -h
In the case of pandemics—such as the current COVID-19 pandemic—disease spreads rapidly and testin... more In the case of pandemics—such as the current COVID-19 pandemic—disease spreads rapidly and testing resources are limited. Contact tracing provides an opportunity to fill some of the gaps left by testing limitations. Individuals with confirmed and presumed or suspected positive cases can be identified via user input of testing status or symptoms, as well as by other data sources. The location and movement of these individuals can then be traced. This location information can be used to create a 4D model of locations over time, and the data can be input into a network model to identify other individuals who were likely exposed as well as identify where or among which groups the next outbreaks are likely to occur. This paper describes a few central models based in epidemiology, graph theory, and population biology that can be used, along with location, case, and symptomatology data to create an effective contact tracing algorithm. It then proposes a SEIR model for tracing infections th...