Assessing Land Use Impact on Urban Heat Island Formation in Fort Worth

This research project will focus on assessing the impacts of human activity on the environment in Fort Worth as urbanization has increasingly taken hold over the years. Specifically, the project focuses on analyzing the change in land use in the city over a span of roughly three decades and its contributions to urban heat island formation. Landsat band data products will be used to estimate variations in land surface temperature (LST). LST calculations will highlight the factors contributing to urban heat island formation in Fort Worth.

Plant biomass represents an important component within the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and contaminants. Transformation of this plant biomass in the environment to organic residuals is dictated primarily by interactions with micro-organisms specifically fungi. My research investigates the effects of fungal colonization of spent coffee grounds as a model for plant biomass to organic matter transformation and how this transformation impacts environmental stability and its ability to bind to contaminants. This presentation will cover; 1) physical and chemical changes in the spent coffee grounds after molding for 0,3,4,5 and 7 months, 2) how these physical changes impact the environmental degradability, and 3) how these physical and chemical changes impact the capacity to bind Gentian violet dye (as a model for organic cations).

The process of successful skin healing from a wound involves different combinations of interactions. Moreover, by clearly understanding this process, we can provide and determine the appropriate amount of medicine to give to patients with varying types of wounds. Thus, this can improve the healing process of patients. In this research, we use the ADI method to solve a partial differential equation that models wound healing and also determine the necessary parameters to achieve the stability of the ADI method. The data, which we are using, are pictures of the wounds, and the task is finding the initial conditions, that is exact boundary data from photos. We believe that Deep Learning is an excellent method to deal with this segmentation problem.

Background: A relationship exists between perception of one’s health based on weight, and how they manage their health. Normal-weight college students who physically appear healthy may unknowingly develop a chronic disease because they view good physical appearance as verification of good health.
Objective: The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) compare the perceived health status of TCU students to their actual health status; and 2) assess the health status of TCU students of normal BMI.
Design: This study was a cross-sectional, descriptive design.
Methods: Twenty-five normal-weight college students between ages 18-24 of any sex and race were recruited to complete a health perception assessment survey 24 hours prior to their lab visit. Participant’s anthropometric measurements (height, weight, body fat percentage, waist/hip circumference, and waist-hip ratio), blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (via finger prick) and a 10mL blood sample were collected. Blood was analyzed for hemoglobin A1c and a lipid panel. Self-reported survey results were compared with results obtained during the study visit to identify any discrepancies between actual and perceived health status and evaluate the overall health status of participants.
Results: Average BMI and waist-hip ratio of participants were 22.39±1.94 and 0.76±0.04, respectively. The most commonly elevated measured values were fasting blood glucose (29% prevalence), and body fat percentage, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol (21% prevalence each). Fifty-two percent of participants presented with at least one measured value outside normal limits and 29% presented with two or more values outside normal limits. However, 92% described themselves as “very healthy”, “healthy”, or “somewhat healthy”.
Conclusion: Despite the appearance and perception of health, a significant proportion of TCU students ages 18-24 may risk developing a chronic disease. Our results suggest that regardless of self-perceived health status, TCU students should receive regular check-ups to identify and manage physiological markers of health.

Background: Intermittent fasting has become a dietary trend, as it is reportedly attributed to weight loss, maintenance of body composition, appetite control, improved sleep patterns, and disease prevention. However, current evidence-based research may not fully support these claims. There are discrepancies regarding the definition of intermittent fasting. Additionally, it is commonly confused with traditional fasting.
Objective: The objective of the study was to determine perceptions of intermittent fasting on health in college-aged students and compare to evidence-based findings. It was hypothesized that college students would have an overall positive perception of intermittent fasting based on current popularity of the diet.
Design: Cross-sectional
Methods: An online survey was developed which assessed participants’ knowledge and practice of intermittent fasting.  Participants were recruited via email and social media. Data was analyzed using SPSS. 
Results: Among study participants (N=99), 24.2% (n=22) reported currently or previously following an intermittent fasting diet. There was a positive correlation between reported intermittent fasting and weight loss (p<0.01), as well as increased energy levels (p<0.01).  The majority of participants (63.6%, n=63) defined intermittent fasting as “controlling the times throughout the day in which food/drink can be consumed.” Participants reported obtaining knowledge of intermittent fasting from internet research (50.5%, n=50), social media (46.5%, n= 46), and friends and family (42.4%, n=42).
Conclusions: Overall, participants commonly defined intermittent fasting, with knowledge coming from friends and family, social media, and the internet.  If participants had practiced intermittent fasting, the most significantly reported benefits were weight loss and increased energy levels, which may be attributed to the current study populations’ motives for diet adherence. Further research should be conducted with a more diverse subject population and include data regarding participants’ reported desired outcomes prior to starting the diet in order to determine if additional benefits can be attributed to intermittent fasting.