Project Overview:
2020 we partner with Once Upon a Room. We partnered with Cook Children's Hospital to decorate rooms for children who will have an extended stay. Due to COVID-19, we could not continue with Once Upon a Room. In the 2021-2022 we created Bags of Joy and continued to partner with Cook Childrens Hospital. We provided holiday-themed goodie bags as well as welcome hygiene bags.

Background of the Community:
The community in which we are working with those under the age of 18 with poor health.
Our community partner is Anne Stankus and Megan Hodges, Child life specialist at Cook Children

Need Statement:
Our community partners have communicated to us that there is a need for hygiene and essential items for the caregivers of a patient to receive when they are admitted to the hospital, so that they have to opportunity to stay with their child durning this time of need.
Another need that has been expressed to us has been for the hosting of events, like game nights.

Project description:
We had hoped to continue to give hygiene bags and make a switch from goodie bags to hosting a game night.
This year we were to supply 36 welcome bags for Cook, host a game night, and donate 400 easter eggs for their annual easter egg hunt.

Deliverables:
As this was our first year hosting a game night at Cook children, we struggled in the begging to find games and activities that would fit into the guidelines but in the end, we were able to make it a successful event and now we have ideas on ways to improve for next year.
We continue to have good feedback from our Cook Children's coordinator.
As two of our members are graduating we will still have one member who is an active student at TCU. Molly, our non-graduating member, will take over our EPIC grant.

We show that a discrete two-dimensional logistic predator-prey dynamical system with two parameters undergoes a Neimark-Sacker bifurcation under certain conditions. Our evidence includes numerical computations of orbits and bifurcation diagrams.

A Latin square is a nxn square that contains n different symbols, often numbers, and are arranged such that each symbol appears exactly once in each row and column. In this project, we look at the probability of a random arrangement of symbols being a Latin square. I start with n number of n symbols, for example a 3x3 square will contain the numbers 1,1,1,2,2,2,3,3,3 in a random assortment. Using counting methods and statistical estimation through Python, we discover the proportion of total squares that are Latin squares.

Geodesics are significant objects and a major topic in differential geometry. They are "straight" curves on surfaces that can locally represent the shortest path between two points. In this research, we employ the genetic algorithm, an optimization method in classical Artificial Intelligence, to construct a geodesic net on closed surfaces. A geodesic net is a network that connects multiple points with the shortest curves while ensuring that each point is ``balanced'' and stretched equally by its neighbors through those curves.

Despite the significant prevalence of food intolerances in children and adolescents (2 to 18-year olds), food intolerance mechanisms and testing is severely misunderstood and under researched. A food intolerance is a non-immunological response that occurs after consuming a specific food particle causing gastrointestinal (GI) issues such as bloating, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The lack of understanding of food intolerances is causing too many children to unnecessarily follow unsupervised elimination diets which increases the risk of developing nutrient deficiencies. The objectives of this study were to demonstrate the serious impact to the quality of life (QOL) that food intolerances have towards children and adolescents by analyzing available literature and utilizing a case study participant. Findings suggested that there must be more research done to understand food intolerance to improve the QOL in children and adolescents.

Although there is an effective vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19, the virus is still spreading and affecting millions of people worldwide. SARS-CoV-2, along with many other viruses, is able to form large, multi-nucleated cells, known as syncytia. Syncytia formation, along with syncytia death, may affect the SARS-CoV-2 course of infection. We have been able to compute the death rate of syncytia using data from a study by Vanhulle et al. (2023) that used measurements of electrical impedence to study syncytia formation in cell-cell fusion assays. The death rate of syncytia was found using mathematical modeling. This knowledge can help further our understanding of syncytia and viral disease propagation.

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are attractive candidates for application as antibacterial agents due to high biocompatibility with effectiveness against antibiotic-resistant strains of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Despite this potential, applications are limited by fundamental gaps in understanding of the underlying antibacterial pathways. ZnO nanoparticles are currently more widely used in antibacterial research compared to ZnO microparticles due to the potential for internalization into bacterial cells. Microparticles are nevertheless of interest as a research platform as the increased scale allows both the nonpolar and polar facets of the ZnO crystals to be distinguished. This in turn provides a useful platform to experiment on and study surface interactions with bacteria. In addition, because of their larger size, ZnO microparticles would not internalize inside typical bacteria, allowing for more targeted investigation of other, potentially more potent, antibacterial mechanisms.

Preliminary studies indicate that hydrothermally grown ZnO microparticles exhibit comparable antibacterial activity to commercial ZnO nanoparticles further adding to their utility. The goal of this research is to validate the nature of these behaviors by investigating differences in surface cleanliness between “home-grown” microparticles which were synthesized in the lab through a bottom-up hydrothermal growth method and commercial nanoparticles. Such differences may influence cytotoxicity, skewing the results of antibacterial studies. To do so, both Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to probe the quality and cleanliness of the ZnO crystalline free surface of the microparticles and nanoparticles.

In this work we detected similarities in the vibrational modes at the surface stemming from ZnO growth precursors. These are seen to be similar across all samples investigated, however, a weak O-H bending is found in the home-grown microparticles. We demonstrate that these results justifies our low-cost hydrothermally lab-grown specimen as a suitable platform for future surface-specific antibacterial studies.

Syncytia formation is the fusion of cells by a virus to create a multinucleated cell (syncytium) that shields the virus from outer factors in the extracellular space, such as antibodies. However, this process is much more energy intensive for a virus than tunneling between cells, which also shelters the virus. Why would a virus fuse cells together rather than save energy and tunnel? In order to determine what the benefits of syncytia formation are for viruses, a mathematical model including syncytia formation and antibodies was developed to simulate viral dynamics. Characteristics like viral duration, viral titer peak, and time of peak were measured while changing parameters such as fusion rate, which allowed comparison of infections with and without syncytia formation. Mathematically modeling and analyzing these comparisons and changes helps us understand whether syncytia formation helps protect viruses from the effect of antibodies.

To track drug delivery within the body, the vehicle must be biocompatible, soluble, and transparent in the human body. Being transparent in the human body means the vehicle exhibits fluorescence in the near-infrared (NIR) III biological transparency window (1500 – 1800 nm). These traits will respectively not oppose health defects in the subjects, will be stable within the blood and cells of the body, and be able to be found within the body through the means of infrared detectors. This is where graphene quantum dots (GQDs) come into the picture. GQDs prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method from glucosamine and ascorbic acid precursors are biocompatible and soluble in water. On their own, they do not demonstrate fluorescence in the NIR-III. To add this capability, we dope GQDs with erbium ions (Er-GQDs) as they demonstrate a fluorescence peak at 1550nm followed by excitation at 980nm laser. Fluorescence light coming from erbium ions at 1550 nm covers the NIR-III biological window, which is the last specification needed to have an eligible vehicle. In our work, we synthesized Er-GQDs at 200℃ for 8 h and 17 h in deuterium oxide. The fluorescence of erbium ions is known to be quenched by OH functional groups. The average size of Er-GQDs is growing from 3 to 5 nm after 8 h and 17 h treatment times, respectively, and exhibit fluorescence with 1550 nm emission peak in deuterium oxide. All aforementioned results make Er-GQDs a potential imaging agent for bioimaging.

COVID-19 now has antiviral treatments to help prevent hospitalization. Paxlovid is the most prevalent and effective of these medications. Paxlovid consists of two medications taken twice daily for five days, however, there have been anecdotal reports of rebound infection after a course of Paxlovid. This project aims to use mathematical models to investigate the infection conditions that result in rebound cases. Stochastic modeling is used to simulate the time course of infections with different doses and durations of Paxlovid to determine when rebound will occur. These findings could help physicians develop more consistent treatment regimens for Paxlovid.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are a frontier of research in the interdisciplinary world of biology and medicine. They have been hallmarked for their remarkable applications, from cellular imaging to drug delivery. Due to their unique physicochemical and optical properties, there is a strong desire to bring them to clinical application. However, prior to any therapeutic and bioimaging studies comprehensive analysis of GQDs cytotoxicity has to be done in vitro. In our research, we assess the biocompatibility of a variety GQDs synthesized from different carbon-based precursors in non-cancerous cells through cell viability assay. Our results show that GQDs prepared from chitosan and glucosamine demonstrate 80% cell availability at 1.2 and 2.2 mg/mL concentrations, respectively, making them the most promising candidates for further therapeutic applications among over 15 GQD candidates tested.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which induced a global pandemic in 2020, is a serious pathogen that can cause acute respiratory distress in infected individuals. In order to garner a greater understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and attenuate its effects, researchers have aimed to estimate key viral kinetic parameters. In this study, data from a previously published challenge study on the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on young adults, including viral load, upsit score, and symptom score, was used to calibrate a system of ordinary differential equations, generating pathogenic parameters. In addition, Pearson covariance values and the Lyapunov exponents were calculated for each participant from the challenge study. For a majority of participants, the Lyapunov exponents were positive and finite, indicating chaotic behavior in vector space. Similarly, for most participants, there was a weak positive correlation between upsit/symptom scores and viral load. Future research will consist of implementing a newer system of ordinary differential equations that may be a better fit for the data

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic initially made landfall in the United States in early 2020, and at that point in the pandemic, few developed treatments left the initial prevention of the disease largely up to preventative measures like mask mandates, quarantines for infected individuals, and social distancing policies. As a result, we must understand how preventative measures affect the transmission of infectious diseases to prepare us to fight the future spread of similar diseases. To accomplish this, we used a SEIR model with a variable transmission rate and fit SARS-CoV-2 case data to it. Principally, we used four models for the change in transmission rate: instant, linear, exponential, and logistic. Then using these models for the decay of transmission rate, we obtained SSR and parameter values that allowed us to compare models for each state. After comparing models between the four states we fit, there was no evident best-fit model for the decay in transmission. These results may suggest that regional differences like behavior, socioeconomic status, and exact preventative measures enforced could be responsible for the disparity in how the transmission rate decayed.

The most common immunological models for analyzing viral infections assume even spatial distribution between virus particles and healthy target cells. However, throughout an infection, the spatial distribution of virus and cells changes. Initially, virus and infected cells are localized so that a target cell in an area with lower virus presence will be less likely to be infected than a cell close to a location of viral production. A density-dependent rate has the potential to improve models that treat cellular infection probability as constant. A Beddington-DeAngelis model was used to understand how density dependent parameters could impact the severity of an influenza infection. Parameter values were varied to understand implications of density constraints. For low density dependence, a steeper increase in number of virus and greater viral peak was predicted. Higher density dependence predicted a longer time to viral load maximum and a greater infection duration. Initial localization of infected cells likely slows the progression of infection. The model demonstrates that accounting for density dependence when analyzing influenza infection severity can result in an altered expectation for viral progression. A density-dependent infection rate may provide a more complete view of the interaction between infected and healthy cells.

Mathematical models of cancer cells can be used by researchers to study the use of oncolytic viruses to treat tumors. With these models, we are able to help predict the viral characteristics needed in order for a virus to effectively kill a tumor. Our approach uses non-cancerous cells in addition to the tumor to determine when the virus will spread to non-cancerous cells. However, there are several models used to describe cancer growth, including the exponential, Mendelsohn, logistic, linear, surface, Gompertz, and Bertalanffy. We study how the choice of a particular model affects the predicted outcome of treatment.

Abstract: Researchers hypothesize that the initial amount of virus will affect the severity of the disease. They also believe that this will affect the amount of antivirals needed. We used mathematical modeling to study the effect of the initial viral dose on the effectiveness of antivirals. We simulated Sars-Cov-2 infections starting with different amounts of virus and treated with different amounts of antivirals, then measured the duration of the infection. This mathematical model predicts little to no effect on the amount of antivirals needed when the starting dose of virus is changed.

Title: Saving Important Material: An Examination of Offloading, Memory, and Metacognition.

Authors: Ashley J. Berdelis, Morgan D. Shumaker, Sarah K. Tauber

Cognitive offloading—externally storing information to reduce internal cognitive load (e.g., on a smartphone)—has become widespread with technological advances (Risko & Dunn, 2015). Often, offloading is used when we need to remember information in the future (e.g., setting calendar reminders). However, sometimes how much to-be-remembered material we can offload is constrained by time or by available storage space. The agenda-based regulation (ABR) framework posits that learners assess task constraints prior to study and construct agendas to achieve the task goal within these constraints (Ariel & Dunlosky, 2009; 2013). For instance, learners allocate more study time to and selectively study more important (high-value) over less important (low-value) material, allowing them to maximize test performance under such constraints (Soderstrom & McCabe, 2011; Middlebrooks & Castel, 2018). Thus, learners might adopt similar offloading strategies by offloading important material and using internal memory for unimportant material. Critically, people often engage in offloading with the expectation that their external store will be available to them at the time of need; however, this is not always the case (e.g., technology failing). When offloaded material is available at the time of need, memory for that material is enhanced (Park et al., 2022). When offloaded material is unavailable at the time of need, memory for offloaded material suffers compared to memory for internally stored (recalled) material (Park et al., 2022). To use external tools most effectively, it may be useful for learners to be aware of their ability to remember externally and internally stored material. Thus, the current study examined whether learners are aware of their ability to later remember offloaded and internally stored material. Participants completed a series of memory tasks with the option to offload only a portion of the to-be-remembered items. Before the study phase in each task, participants made judgments about how much of the offloaded and recalled items they could later identify as having been seen before. After the study phase, participants made similar post-task judgements and were given a surprise recognition test on the studied material, during which the external store was unavailable.
We also examined whether learners could transfer their metacognitive awareness from one task to another, as offloading is relevant to various life scenarios. Finally, we examined how the value of the to-be-remembered material influences offloading, and how offloading and recall influence later memory. Participants’ pre-task judgements on the first task indicated that they would recognize more offloaded items than recalled items. However, this difference was not present on tasks two and three, suggesting that participants used experience with the first task to update their judgments for offloaded items. Participants offloaded more high-value than low-value items and had better recognition memory for recalled items than offloaded items, in all three tasks. Overall, people strategically offload important over unimportant material, but memory for offloaded material suffers compared to memory for recalled material. Learning about the relationships between value, offloading, memory, and metacognition can allow us to use external storage devices more effectively.

The introduction of the birth control pill allowed women to express greater control over their fertility. Since then, men have had less responsibility when it comes to family planning, as the majority of birth control technologies have been directed toward women, thereby creating an implicit association between femininity and the use of birth control. Currently, male birth control is in various stages of research, and when one becomes available, this association may decrease men’s willingness to use this contraceptive. Indeed, previous research has shown that men’s lower willingness to use a male birth control is associated with a desire to avoid appearing feminine. Therefore, increasing the association between masculinity and birth control could increase men’s willingness and interest in using a male birth control. The present study aimed to examine whether the degree to which a male birth control is associated with masculinity in an advertisement (ad) will influence men’s willingness to, and interest in, using the birth control. I predicted that the stronger the ad associated male birth control with masculinity, the more that men would be willing to/have an interest in using the depicted birth control. Participants viewed one of two ads for a male birth control, either a masculine ad or a non-masculine ad, and then indicated their willingness and interest in using the depicted birth control. We also measured men’s self-reported openness to short-term, uncommitted sexual relationships. Results suggested that similar willingness and interest in using the birth control was reported between the masculine ad and the non-masculine ad, suggesting that men’s willingness/interest was not influenced by the masculinity of the ad. However, the results did reveal a moderating effect of men’s sexually unrestricted desires. More specifically, when men viewed the non-masculine ad, there was no association between men’s willingness to use the depicted male birth control and their desires for short term, uncommitted sex. However, among the men who viewed the masculine ad, the more they desired short-term, uncommitted sexual relationships, the more willing they were to use the advertised birth control. Overall, these findings suggest when men are motivated to pursue short-term, uncommitted sex, they are then more willing to use a male birth control if that birth control is associated with masculinity. The implications of these findings for research on family planning will be discussed.

Retrieval practice typically improves learning and memory performance of basic information (Rowland, 2014). Much less research has evaluated the degree to which retrieval practice results in better test performance of more complex information such as category learning. In one case, retrieval practice led to superior classification performance relative to restudy conditions (Jacoby et al., 2013); however, in another, it did not (Babineau et al., in press). One important component that may contribute to retrieval practice effects in category learning is whether the learning process is self-regulated. We systematically explored this issue with the goal to establish when retrieval practice benefits learning of complex categorical information. During the experiment, we manipulated the study strategy (Retrieval practice versus Study) and the learning context (Experimenter-controlled versus Self-regulated) between-participants during a complex category learning task. Specifically, participants learned to classify six categories of organic chemistry compounds. For participants in the retrieval practice groups, participants practiced classifying each exemplar into the correct category and received corrective feedback after each trial. Participants in the study groups did not complete practice test trials. Instead, they studied all exemplars without practicing category classification nor did they get feedback on their learning. For participants in the experimenter-controlled groups, the order of the trials was fixed in an interleaved order. However, participants in the self-regulated groups made decisions about what to study after each trial. They were able to study a compound of the same type, a compound of a different type, or proceed to the test (after viewing 72 exemplars. After the study phase concluded, participants completed two classification tests. During the novel classification test, participants classified new exemplars they had never seen from the six chemical categories they just studied. During the studied exemplar test, participants classified the exemplars they had previously studied. The results revealed that participants who completed retrieval practice trials during the study phase performed better on the novel and studied classification tests than did participants who completed study trials. The benefit of practice testing on complex category learning was maintained for participants who self-regulated their learning and for participants whose learning was experimenter-controlled. The results of the present research support the use of retrieval practice as an effective study strategy for complex categorical information. Further, retrieval practice improved classification performance for those who self-regulated their category learning. Students often self-regulate their learning of complex information, and these novel findings indicate that completing a practice test improves student learning in controlled environments like the classroom, as well as in student-controlled environments such as studying outside of the classroom.

Frustration is a complex emotional state that occurs when reward expectations are violated. In animals, this can involve a variety of different types of rewards such as food, shelter, or access to mates. When an animal learns to expect a certain reward and that reward is of lesser quality or quantity than expected, the animal will reject the reward and experience a bout of negative emotion known as frustration. This behavior is often modeled in the lab in a paradigm known as consummatory successive negative contrast (cSNC) and involves training rats to expect a high value sucrose solution (32%) and then downshifting them to a lower value sucrose solution (2%). As a result of this downshift, consummatory behavior is shown to be suppressed beyond that of unshifted controls. To better understand the brain circuitry behind this response, neural activity of several key brain areas was assessed after a 32-2% sucrose downshift with additional 32-32% and 2-2% controls using immunohistochemistry. More specifically, the protein c-Fos, which is expressed in recently depolarized neurons and can therefore act as a proxy for neural activity, was quantified in brain areas relating to reward processing, emotion regulation, and action coordination. The results show several areas that are activated and correlate with one another during downshift. These data provide the groundwork for establishing a connectome of brain areas that are activated during cSNC and are essential to frustration.

As our world is becoming more globally connected, the ability to speak another language is increasingly becoming a valuable skill. While there are training programs to help acquire a new novel language, this task becomes increasingly difficult with age– thus presenting the need for a novel method of intervention to assist in this process. Considering this increasing difficulty, a new biologically based intervention could be valuable for improving learning and memory. Previous research conducted in our lab has shown that noninvasive transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is an effective intervention in memory-based reading comprehension (Thakkar et al., 2023). TaVNS has also been shown to boost associative memory (Jacobs et al., 2015), spatial working memory (Sun et al., 2021), and emotional memory (Ventura-Bort et al., 2021). Despite this knowledge, little is known about taVNS and its effects on long-lasting language retention. Thus, this current study explores whether transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation can improve learning and retention of a new and novel language when paired with a training routine. Typically developing college-aged individuals were recruited through an online participant pool. All individuals were screened for age, IQ, reading, memory, and attention for inclusion in this study. The participants completed a one-hour training session in which they were presented with 30 Palauan nouns, the respective English translations, and images of the nouns. During this time, the participants received sham, 5 Hz, or 25 Hz stimulation to the posterior of the left tragus. Prior to training, participants completed a translation test to measure their knowledge of the Palauan language, and this test was repeated immediately after training and again seven days later to measure learning and retention. After analysis of the results, no effect was found for any stimulation group immediately after training. At retention, however, the 25 Hz taVNS group showed significantly greater performance than both the sham and 5 Hz taVNS groups. There was also no statistical difference between the performance of the sham and 5 Hz taVNS groups..These data suggest that taVNS may be used to help in the retention of novel words of a new language. The results further suggest that stimulation frequency may impact efficacy of the intervention. These data will be important for ongoing research examining the uses of taVNS, and its use as an intervention for learning and retention of a new language, and in other areas of cognition.

Anticipatory nostalgia is when one misses the present before it has even passed and through previous research, is said to reduce psychological well-being (Batcho, 2020). This mentality of “missing out” is related to difficulty in enjoying the present (Batcho and Shikh, 2016). High anticipatory nostalgia, then, will be associated with decreased levels of present-moment awareness, thus increasing levels of anxiety and depression. 210 TCU students completed seven different self-assessment measures related to psychological well-being in a randomized order. The results indicated that high anticipatory nostalgia was associated with greater chances of developing depression, anxiety, a search for meaning, and negative effect. High anticipatory nostalgia was additionally associated with lower rates of life satisfaction, meaning presence, and optimism. In all, the results supported the hypothesis that anticipatory nostalgia is related to lower psychological and emotional well-being. This research can overall help individuals understand the emotional complexity of nostalgia and how it manifests in health and well-being.

Data suggests that the number of unplanned pregnancies is still high among college students. (Sutton & Walsh-Buhi, 2017). Socioeconomic status (SES) and racial/ethnic factors influence contraceptive usage, and lack of knowledge about contraception can lead to inconsistent use of birth control. Research suggests that contraceptive knowledge amongst college students is low or moderate (Carter et al., 2012). Using the Integrated Model of Behavioral Predictions (Sutton & Walsh-Buhi, 2017), the current study seeks to explore the impact of a person’s perceived SES on their attitudes toward contraceptive usage. Texas Christian University (TCU) students were recruited on campus (N = 50) and asked to complete a brief online survey via Qualtrics. We hypothesized that individuals who perceive themselves as having lower SES will have more negative attitudes towards utilizing contraceptives. Little evidence was found to support this hypothesized relationship. However, greater contraceptive knowledge was found to be associated with more positive contraceptive attitudes. These results should encourage efforts that increase contraceptive knowledge among college students, such as by creating opportunities for sexual health education.

One known barrier to treatment initiation and retention is access to transportation. If an individual does not have public transportation, and they do not live nearby accessible clinics, this problem can become exacerbated. The current study aims to overlay maps of the Tarrant County public transportation system with maps of clinics across Tarrant County. The clinics examined include mental health clinics, HIV treatment clinics, and substance use treatment clinics. Results will be interpreted to determine the overlap between service deserts and transportation deserts. Findings will be discussed as they pertain to the impact of public transportation on medical service access, as well as directions for future research.

This presentation will explore the differences in trauma symptoms and self-efficacy ratings before and after participating in Hope Connection Camp 2.0. Current literature suggests that children who experience early life trauma are at a higher risk of developing emotional and behavioral challenges and can manifest in a child's physical, mental, and social wellbeing throughout their lifespan. While many therapeutic approaches focus on the individual aspects of a child to help children overcome early life trauma, TBRI is an attachment-based and trauma-informed approach that focuses on the whole child and their needs. Hope Connection Camp 2.0 is a therapeutic camp for adopted children and their families that utilizes TBRI to support each family's journey. The goal of the camp is for children and their families to build better relationships with each other, understand and meet each other's needs, and teach them how to regulate their behavior. This presentation will analyze the relationship between TBRI and adopted children's trauma symptoms and self-efficacy ratings prior to and after participating in the Hope Connection Camp 2.0.