The highstand deltas of the Holocene tend to each initiate with the peaking of eustatic sea level rise at about 7000 y.b.p. While generally tied to this time, the initiation of highstand shorelines is not necessarily synchronous. Local impacts on relative sea level can impact this timing. In particular, the Parana Delta, Argentina, appears to have initiated as early as 8100 y.b.p., well before the global sea level peak and potentially before any comparable highstand shorelines. The Parana Delta encompasses an area of ~17,400 km2 enclosed in the Rio de la Plata estuary, growing steadily at a rate of approximately 2 km2 yr-1 for roughly the past 6000 yrs. This deltaic system has shifted from fluvial, to wave-dominated, and then back to its present day fluvial dominated system. Aerial and satellite imagery, shallow boreholes, radiometric dating of shells and sand, and Ground Penetrating Radar are used to define the distinctive sedimentary features of the delta. New data from the upper part of the delta indicates the Parana Delta initiated well before the 6000 y.b.p. previously reported. Sediment cores collected from across the upper delta are used to identify sedimentary facies and construct a stratigraphic framework. Three OSL samples collected from the oldest set of beach ridge s indicate the first ridges formed approximately 8100 years ago. These beach ridges are <3 m above sea level and argue for an early peak in relative sea level. Highstand strata are about 6 m thick above a thin (1-2 m) condensed section above transgressive shoreface deposits. The Parana delta initiated at least 1500 years before the sea level peak. Assumptions of synchronicity of highstands with eustatic sea level accordingly must be tempered with comparable allowance for local error.

The Palo Duro Basin is a northwest-southeast trending cratonic basin in the Texas Panhandle that formed from uplift of the Amarillo/Wichita Mountains during the Pennsylvanian, and subsequent subsidence during the Permian. Sediments were deposited in a number of environments, the most prominent being fan-delta, carbonate shelf, and deep basin settings. Major lithologies in the Pennsylvanian are granite wash, shelf-margin carbonates, and basinal shales, while the Permian hosts the same lithologies, as well as numerous evaporites and red-bed sequences.
This study analyzes log data from 100+ wells in the Palo Duro Basin to correlate and determine the lateral extent of different facies throughout the basin during the Pennsylvanian and Permian. Cross-sections made will help to generate isopach, structure, and other geological maps to identify areas where further geochemical and/or petrophysical analyses can be performed to evaluate Pennsylvanian and lower Permian shale gas potential of the Palo Duro Basin. This project will establish a more detailed stratigraphic framework of Pennsylvanian and lower Permian aged sediments of the basin, as well as determine source rock quality and thermal maturity for potential shale gas plays within the Palo Duro Basin, with a more thorough look along the southern fringes of the basin near the Matador Arch.

The primary objective of this study is to test my hypothesis that the stratigraphy within Little Hoss Ranch is very complex and diverse but correlative to the surrounding strata of similar depth and characteristics. The second objective is to identify characteristics of the stratigraphic facies to better aid in the production via recompletion or other determined methods within the Little Hoss area. Seismic data that will be analyzed within Little Hoss Ranch are made available by TEP Barnett. Seismic analysis will be done using Kingdom and will be assisted by the TEP geophysicist when possible. The goal is to use these data to better identify faults and other significant structural features within the area as well as the Barnett Shale stratigraphy for LHR. A map will be made using the seismic data and logs will be included in the map for reference and quality check purposes. The seismic, well log, and cutting data for the LHR that will be analyzed was originally acquired by Chesapeake as early as 2008 and is now owned by TEP, Barnett. 127 well logs will be analyzed using PETRA, within and immediately adjacent to the Little Hoss Ranch area, to better correlate and map the stratigraphy within the Little Hoss Ranch and will be tied to the LHR wells with surrounding wells in Johnson County and Tarrant County to create regional cross-sections. An additional cross-section will be created with the wells to the north in Tarrant County to display structural trends and stratigraphic facies correlation. The 127 LHR wells will be used to create a detailed structure map that can be compared to the seismic time structure map. The BHT will be used from the well logs as well as production data (oil to gas ratio) to determine if differential thermal maturity occurred within the area The overall goal of this project is to analyze the stratigraphy and structure of the Barnett Shale play within the Little Hoss Ranch confines and to identify any geologic effects or geologic solutions to marginal production for the area of study. Seismic data, well-logs, core and cuttings, mud-log descriptions, and background literature research will be used to conduct a thorough investigation into the stratigraphy affecting the LHR. The wells in the LHR will be used with wells in northern parts of the Fort Worth Basin to create a cross section spanning a larger area. This will help to better correlate the stratigraphy for the basin and help identify depositional and erosional changes in the Fort Worth Basin. Additionally, the OGIP data and calculations will be used to help define what the remaining hydrocarbon value is for the Barnett Shale within LHR.

The World Stress Map (WSM) is a global compilation of information on the stress field of the present-day earth crust and is maintained since 2009 at the Helmholtz Center Potsdam GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences. This database uses data from earthquake focal mechanisms, well bore breakouts, drilling induced fractures, and geologic data to generate a map of the stresses in the Earth. Using GIS, the data was mapped and examined for the Permian Basin area of West Texas which is currently one of the largest and most active oil fields in the United States. This database in conjunction with data collected on the direction of horizontal well bores was examined to determine if or how stress directions in the Earth influenced the drilling bore direction. This data was also used to see if there is a correlation between stress direction and a company’s decision to place a well in a certain location or orientation.

Professors and Texas Christian University Chemistry students collaborated with O.D. Wyatt High School faculty and students for the rewrite of laboratory experiments. This was done through the lens of green chemistry to best meet the needs of the school’s curriculum scope and sequence with a minimal budget. The primary focus was safety. Safer disposal of hazardous waste, the use of less hazardous chemicals, and a cleanup to provide a safe workspace. Following the redesign of the experiments with the implementation of green chemistry concepts, a thorough cleaning and reorganization of the high school’s storeroom took place. Excess chemicals were safely disposed of, an inventory system was adopted to track presence and location of the remaining chemicals, and all waste and recycling was properly discarded. At the end of this outreach program, O.D. Wyatt gained a revamped curriculum utilizing less hazardous materials, a green chemistry outlook, and a redesigned and safe storeroom. We TCU students gained practical experience redesigning laboratory protocols and adapting them to a green chemistry standard. Additionally, physically applying the techniques learned in the curriculum being taught is invaluable knowledge gained by many students involved. Furthermore, we have also gained the interpersonal communication skills required to simplify complicated concepts to an audience of high school students without scientific backgrounds. This outreach will have long-term positive effects on the high school. The students will be exposed to green chemistry principles and the faculty will see the ease with which green chemistry principles can be added and relished within their curriculum. This program will continue to impact O.D. Wyatt with long-term safety and cost efficiency tactics being employed.

An algebraic curve is a one-dimensional set defined by polynomial equations, such as a parabola in the plane (given by y-x^2=0) or the z-axis in the space (given by x=y=0). Let Y be an algebraic curve. Then a multiplicity structure on Y is another curve Z, which as a set has the same points as Y but with a higher and fixed multiplicity at each point. For example, the y-axis in the plane is given by the equation x=0 and if we intersect it with horizontal lines, say with y-b=0, we get the points (0,b) on the y-axis. Now if we take the line given by x^2=0 and intersect it with the horizontal lines as above we get the points (0,b) with multiplicity 2. Hence we call the later curve a double structure on the previous one. Similarly the equation x^3=0 gives a triple structure on the y-axis in the plane and so on. Structures like these might sound naive but they are crucial to understand the behaviors of families of curves. For example, the family of parabolas ty-x^2=0 deforms into the double line x^2=0 as t approaches 0. Although the notion of multiplicity is pretty geometric, we can use tools from abstract algebra to make it rigorous. This makes the subject challenging and yet very interesting at the same time. Classifying the multiplicity structures on a curve is still a wide open field in algebraic geometry. It is now well understood how the double and triple structures on a line look. A natural question then arises how do the double and triple structures look on conics? It turns out that the answers are much more complicated than for lines. In this poster I am going to show some of my research in that direction.

A group is a mathematical construct that represents the symmetries of an object. These symmetries transform the object through what is called a group action. Graphs—Cayley graphs, in particular—provide a rich source of symmetries for forming groups. A graph and its group action can be modeled by a collection of infinite matrices known as a C*-algebra. In a paper in the Journal of Functional Analysis, Gábor Elek used dynamical systems called Uniformly Recurrent Subgroups (URS) to construct a new type of C*-algebra. We relate this C*-algebra to a well-known construction called the crossed-product. This reinterpretation more prominently displays the group action, which proves useful as we further study the C*-algebra’s structure.

Background: Nutrition plays a vital role in disease prevention and health promotion; however, few health professions curriculums provide adequate nutrition education. The Culinary Medicine program (CM) was developed at Tulane University Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine in 2012 to train health professions students about nutrition and healthy eating practices. Students also participate in a 10-year longitudinal study (Cooking for Health Optimization with Patients, CHOP) to assess learning outcomes.
Objective: Assess outcomes of a CM course for improving nutrition and dietary competencies of health professions students.
Design: Cohort of 77 medical and 13 physician assistant students (57/female; 33/male) from University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) and Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM).
Methods: The CM curriculum was first offered in Fort Worth, TX in 2014 and taught by faculty from UNTHSC, TCOM, Texas Christian University (TCU) and Moncrief Cancer Institute. During 2016-2018, students participating in the CM course were assessed using the 4-part CHOP survey including demographics, attitudes, dietary habits, and degree of proficiency in competencies related to nutrition/dietary knowledge and application. Study procedures were approved by TCU IRB, and informed consent was obtained. Data were analyzed to meet study objectives (SPSS, p<0.05).
Results: Results showed that students who participated in the CM course reported greater proficiency in their ability to inform patients about nutrition/dietary competencies: (1) health effects of the Mediterranean, Dash, and low fat diets; (2) weight loss strategies, portion control, food label facts and serving sizes; (3) dietary practices for type 2 diabetes, celiac disease, and food allergies; (4) role of dietary cholesterol/saturated fats in blood lipids; (5) recognizing warning signs/symptoms for eating disorders; and (6) role of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids in disease prevention and heart health (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Study results underline the value of dietetics educators providing innovative learning opportunities that integrate nutrition into training for health professions students.

DETERMINING LEVEL OF ADHERANCE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET BY INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES

S. Cowart,1 R. Seguin,1 A. VanBeber PhD, RD, LD, FAND1; L. Dart, PhD, RD, LD1;
1Texas Christian University

Learning Outcome: To determine how closely components of the Mediterranean Diet are followed by individuals living in the United States.

Learning Needs Codes:
Primary: 3020 Assessment of Target Groups
Secondary: 4040 Disease Prevention

Background: Research indicates those who follow a diet and lifestyle resembling the Mediterranean Diet have lower chronic disease risk.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine how closely the Mediterranean Diet was followed by individuals living in the United States and to analyze correlations between dietary patterns and chronic disease risk.

Design: This un-blinded, randomized trial was approved by Texas Christian University IRB. Participants were recruited via social media, email/text messaging, and in-person communication. Following informed consent, participants completed an online questionnaire through Survey Monkey™. Analyses assessed consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, legumes, animal protein, nuts, water, and red wine compared to Mediterranean Diet Score recommendations.

Methods: Data were analyzed using SPSS (p<0.05) and (p<0.01), and frequency distributions and correlations were analyzed for trends in adherence to Mediterranean Diet and USDA dietary recommendations.

Results: Participants included 258 females and males (86% and 14%, respectively). Sixty-nine percent identified as Caucasian, 21% Hispanic, 10% other ethnicity, and 13% reported chronic disease diagnosis. High school diploma was the highest education earned by 13% of participants; 28% obtained some college, and 59% received a bachelor’s degree or higher. Forty-six percent were married; 41% were single. A strong inverse relationship existed between age and physical activity, with participants ages 18-34 years reporting greater physical activity compared to participants >35 years old (r=-.131; p=0.05). With participants who performed >30-60 minutes physical activity/day, a positive relationship existed with greater consumption of vegetables and fruits (r=.200; p=0.05). Results also indicated only 36% of participants consumed the Mediterranean Diet Score recommendations for >2-3 cups vegetables/day, and only 22% consumed the recommended >2 cups fruit/day.

Conclusions: To lower chronic disease risk in the United States, nutrition education efforts should focus on importance of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and greater adherence to Mediterranean Diet principles.

Funding Source: N/A
Word Count: 296
Key Contact: Anne VanBeber RD, LD, PhD, FAND, a.vanbeber@tcu.edu

Learning Outcome: Provide education about the knowledge, behaviors and attitudes individuals have towards dietary fatty acids.

Background: Research has shown a strong relationship between dietary fatty acids (FAs) and their impact on blood cholesterol. Few studies have examined knowledge, behaviors and attitudes (KBA) towards dietary FAs impact on blood lipid levels.
Objective: To determine: 1) KBA of FAs using the modified General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ); and 2) correlations between anthropometric data, GNKQ responses and blood lipid levels.
Design: This study utilized a cross-sectional research design.
Methods: Upon IRB approval, 104 women ages 18-40yr consented and completed the modified GNKQ via Qualtrics®. The GNKQ consisted of 42 questions and took approximately 15min to complete. Additionally, a subset of nine women also were instructed to fast for 12-15hrs prior to testing at the Obesity Prevention Laboratory at TCU. Height (cm), weight (kg), BMI (kg/m2), waist-to-hip ratio were recorded. Next, a fasting blood sample (5mL) was obtained. The blood samples were sent to AnyLabTestNow® (Fort Worth, Texas) for a lipid panel. Results were analyzed via IBM SPSS® (Statistics Version 25.0. Armonk, NY). Significance was set at p<0.05.
Results: More than 80% of participants were aware of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated FAs, but only 33.3% were able to identify their proper food sources. Of the survey responses, approximately 1.9% demonstrated poor knowledge (answered 0-11 questions correctly), 54.3% moderate knowledge (12-23 questions correctly), and 43.8% strong knowledge (24-34 questions correctly). 100% of lipid panel participants had normal total cholesterol and HDL levels. Risk ratio (LDL/HDL) and weight showed a strong positive correlation (p=0.004, r=0.846**).
Conclusion: Despite self-reported awareness, participants lack knowledge of dietary FAs. The subset results showed strong correlation between risk ratio and weight representing the relationship between weight and lipid levels. Overall, more research should ensue with a larger sample.

Background: Over 42 million Americans face food insecurity (FI). Simultaneously, approximately 40% of food produced in the U.S. is wasted. Where FI and food waste (FW) coexist, it is necessary to develop and implement programs to decrease the negative consequences caused by these issues.
Objective: The objective of this study was to create a standardized model for implementing a student-led food recovery program (FRP) for other universities to access and utilize. The secondary objective was to measure the effectiveness of the FRP at TCU.
Researchers hypothesized that by incorporating the FRP into the dietetics program, the FRP would achieve program sustainability and enhance dietetic students’ knowledge of FI and FW.
Design: This study utilized a mixed methods study design.
Methods: Over three academic semesters, researchers observed the overall operations of the FRP at TCU. Researchers collected quantitative data on food types (i.e. vegetables, grains, proteins, mixed), quantities (pounds), and raw food costs ($). Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with nutrition and dietetics students, foodservice personnel, and faculty and analyzed interview transcriptions for prevalent theme codes. A codebook was created based on frequently identified phrases, and themes were extracted. Participants provided written consent. This project received IRB approval.
Results: Over 12,700 pounds of food were recovered during the study period. By weight, protein-containing foods were the most recovered type of food (~5700 lbs.), followed by grains (~2900 lbs.), vegetables (~2100 lbs.), and mixed foods (~2000 lbs.). Five major themes were extracted from interviews; all respondents identified the FRP as a meaningful and practical program.
Conclusions: FRP offers a sustainable solution for benefitting the environment, combating FI, and providing dietetics students with experience working with FI and FW. Efforts should be made to incorporate a FRP at the university level, and a dietetics program may offer an effective means to achieve this integration.

Background: Athletes increasingly skip meals because they lack time or knowledge to prepare their own meals; mobile applications have been proposed as a potential solution to this problem. Adherence to mobile app tracking may vary, but self-motivation and nutrition knowledge has been shown to increase chances of behavior change while using an app.
Objective: Determine if female college athletes’ nutrition/fueling behaviors changed over four weeks by utilizing a mobile application for tracking fueling practices.
Design: Pilot study with cohort of 17 female TCU NCAA Beach Volleyball athletes.
Methods: Pre and post-study questionnaires examined attitudes toward mobile applications, dietary behaviors, and frequency of fueling habits. Athletes also attended a pre-study training session about utilizing the Eat2Win app. Data analyses included recorded frequency of application usage and logged meals per/day plus impact on dietary behaviors/fueling habits. Study procedures were approved by TCU IRB. Participant informed consent was obtained. Data were analyzed to meet study objectives (SPSS, p<0.05).
Results: Most athletes (82%) disliked using the Eat2Win app, where app usage decreased from 88% in week one to 18% app usage at the completion of the study. Reasons for the pronounced decrease in usage included frequent app crashes, too time consuming, and limited phone storage space. Additionally, results did not show improvement in athletes’ eating habits with app usage. Although pre-study results showed 42% of athletes did not consistently eat breakfast and/or eat/drink something every 3-4 hours, those athletes who reported greater frequency of eating breakfast and/or every 3-4 hours or refueling one hour after practice, maintained consistent positive eating behaviors throughout the study. These same athletes also reported greater energy levels overall (r=.671; p=0.01).
Conclusions: Study results emphasize the importance of implementing user-friendly mobile apps for athletes that are time-use efficient and offers calorie-counting and picture logging functions to promote change in dietary and refueling practices.

Background: More than 66% of American adults are overweight or obese. Sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) are a primary source of added calories and may promote weight gain.
Methods: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. A random sample of college students provided informed consent before completing an electronic survey that included questions to determine participants’ demographics, self-reported height, weight, physical activity level, total beverage intake, health perceptions, and factors affecting beverage choices. Beverage kcals and intake were determined using the validated BEVQ15 Beverage Questionnaire.
Results: Participants (N=103) were 19.6+/-1.9 years of age with a healthy mean BMI of 23.3+/-3.7. Almost 70% (n=48) had a healthy BMI, ~25% (n=17) were overweight, 6% (n=4) were obese, ~81% (n=83) reported that they were lightly to very active, and 5% (n=5) reported that they were sedentary. Average beverage kcals/day (BKD) was 180.8+/-156.2 and ranged from 0-795 BKD. Among participants (n=75) that completed the BevQ15, 33% (n=26) consumed <100 BKD, 47% (n=35) consumed 100-<300 BKD, and 19% (n=14) consumed > 300 BKD. Normal BMI participants consumed 191 BKD, overweight participants consumed 204 BKD and obese participants consumed 69 beverage BKD. There was no significant correlation between BMI and BKD. Three primary factors which contributed to beverage choices were taste, quenching thirst, and health reported by 54% (n=55), 46% (n=47) and 44% (n=45), respectively. The factors health and calorie content were correlated (r=.23, p<0.05).
Conclusion: Participants had an average healthy BMI and were active. No significant correlations were detected between BMI and BKD. Obese participants consumed fewer BKD than healthy and overweight participants. This lower BKD contribution may be a method used to lose weight. Although calorie content was less frequently cited as a primary factor of beverage choices, participants that identified health as a determining factor were more likely to consider calorie content.

Background: Americans’ choice in caffeinated beverages, consumption amounts, and frequency of consumption varies depending on factors like age, demographics, education level, and social status. Caffeine has shown to increase energy, alertness, attentiveness, and sociability. Research shows that the amount of caffeine consumed by adolescents has increased 70% in the past 30 years.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the onset of coffee consumption, amount of current coffee consumption, and personal well-being. It was hypothesized that an earlier onset of coffee consumption would have a positive correlation to increased coffee consumption and a negative effect on personal well-being later in life.
Methods/Design: An online survey was administered to college students, age 18-24. Participants were recruited via social media. The survey assessed participants’ history of coffee consumption, current coffee consumption, and perception of impact on appetite, mental status, mood, sleep patterns, and overall health. Data was entered into SPSS after survey responses were collected.
Results: Upon surveying participants (N=95), there were strong positive correlations (p<0.01) between the onset of coffee consumption, amount consumed at onset, and current consumption level. Notably, onset of coffee consumption was likely to occur during significant academic years, such as the first year of college (15.8%, n=15) and first year of high school (13.7%, n=13). Approximately 67% (n=64) reported consuming 1-2 cups/day at onset of consumption. Additionally, 52.6% (n=50) report that coffee consumption benefits their overall mood, while 41.1% (n=39) claim it has no effect on overall health and well-being.
Conclusions: The onset of coffee consumption is commonly seen in times of change, such as significant academic years. Consequently, participants also agreed that caffeine consumption benefits their mood above other qualities surveyed. Further research relating to other types of caffeinated beverages and foods would provide more conclusive results about onset and wellbeing.

Background: Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic condition that affects the body’s ability to use energy in food. Diabetes impacts more than 170 million people worldwide. Previous research suggests that people with diabetes report feeling stigmatized and that there is a lack of understanding by the public.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the level of diabetes knowledge among college students and their perception of people with diabetes. It was hypothesized that there is a lack of diabetes education among this group and that they would have an overall negative perception of people with diabetes.
Methods: An online survey was developed which assessed participants’ knowledge of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes and stigmas associated with the condition. Participants were recruited via email and social media. Data was analyzed using SPSS.
Results: Upon surveying participants (N=126), the majority reported knowing someone with Type 1 (63%; n=78) and/or Type 2 Diabetes (53%; n=67). Knowledge of someone with diabetes was strongly correlated with overall diabetes knowledge (p≤0.01). Approximately 63% (n=78) of respondents believe there is a stigma associated with diabetes. Reasons for the stigma include lack of diabetes education (63%; n=78) and negative portrayal of diabetes in the media (52%; n=65). There was a strong correlation (p≤0.01) between diabetes knowledge and whether or not respondents had a negative perception of people with diabetes.
Conclusions: Though the respondents reported that a stigma exists, a low percentage of respondents reported having negative perceptions of people with diabetes. This finding may be attributed to the large number of participants who knew people with diabetes, number of participants in health related majors, or those who had taken a college-level nutrition course. Future research could mitigate these variables by excluding participants in health-related majors or those who have had extensive education on the subject.

Background: Much of the research associated with eating patterns of adolescents or young adults has been related to genetics, weight gain associated with parental influence of food selection, and children’s food choices relative to their parent’s desires. There is little research conducted on children’s perceptions of their parent’s food choices and how those beliefs correlate to their own dietary choices later in life.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether parents’ perceptions of food had an effect on their children’s eating behaviors later in life. The hypothesis was that the food-related behaviors and beliefs of the parents strongly influence the child’s future dietary choices and lifelong relationship with food.
Methods: An online survey was developed that consisted of questions regarding student’s perceptions of their parents’ dietary choices and their own current dietary choices and beliefs. Researchers recruited participants via email and social media. Data was analyzed using SPSS.
Results: Among survey participants (N=158) there was a significant correlation (p<0.01) between the parent’s past eating behaviors and child’s current eating behaviors for several dietary patterns, including vegan, low carbohydrate, calorie counting and gluten free. Approximately 42% (n=66) of respondents reported that they were made aware of their weight at a young age. There was a strong correlation (p<0.01) between parents discussing weight and discouraging attempts to try new foods.
Conclusions: There was a significant correlation between the way that children view diet and nutrition and how their parents view diet and nutrition, as perceived by the children. Parents’ specific eating behaviors and discussions about weight also correlate with their children’s current eating behaviors and awareness of weight, although they may not currently live together. For more conclusive results, future research on the subject should also include data regarding parents’ perspective of their own food choices and beliefs.

Rat Parvovirus is found in rat liver and can infect and cause changes in tumor cells. When tumor cells are infected, the cells can revert back to benign or uncancerous cells. We describe and analyze a mathematical model of infected and noninfected tumor cells when introduced to the parvovirus. Using nonlinear analysis, we find the conditions for cure of the tumor.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are novel materials with a number of unique properties that can be applied in electronics, sensing and biotechnology. GQDs possess physical properties that are critical for biomedical applications, including small size (3-5 nm), high quantum yield, and pH-dependent fluorescence emission in the visible/near-infrared, providing a possibility of molecular imaging, and pH-sensing. They also show very low cytotoxicity suggesting high potential for multiple biomedical applications. GQDs can also be doped to form nitrogen doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs), sulfur doped graphene quantum dots (NS-GQDs) and boron nitrogen doped graphene quantum dots (BN-GQDs), which allow these optical properties to be adjusted. We utilize and modify these properties to yield a multifunctional delivery/imaging/sensing platform geared toward the analysis of cancer therapeutics delivery in vitro. In our work, we outline how GQDs can serve as potential drug transport agents and as molecular markers for imaging the delivery pathways. Optimal emission and excitation are selected for each quantum dot to minimize the autofluorescence of cells, allowing them to be imaged in vitro. Emission in healthy (HEK-293) and cancer (HeLa and MCF-7) cells is quantified for a variety of pH environments to identify the ideal conditions for cellular internalization and pH-sensing of acidic cancerous environments. In addition, in vitro fluorescence microscopy analysis provides quantitative assessment for accumulation in cells. The results of this work suggest GQDs as innovative and effective highly biocompatible multifunctional platforms for cancer therapeutics.

Fluorescence is a very useful and popular technique which has been used in a wide variety of fields and, of late most importantly, at the intersection of biophysics, biochemistry and medicine. Despite being relatively simple from a theoretical point of view, it turns out that practical applications can have trivial problems that can cause significant spectroscopic problems. Specifically, an often overlooked yet fundamental obstacle in fluorescence spectroscopy is the nonlinearity of fluorescence intensity versus fluorophore absorption. This is referred to as the inner-filter effect. In literature, it is divided into a “primary inner-filter effect” and a “secondary inner-filter effect”. The former is caused by the absorption of the excitation light, which results in the lowering of the intensity of light reaching deeper regions of the solution. The latter is represented by the reabsorption of the emitted fluorescence by the fluorophores in the solution. Due to the fact that the primary inner filter effect is a direct consequence of the high concentration of the solution, to observe the secondary inner filter effect it is necessary to have a chromophore which absorbs part of the light that is emitted by the main fluorophore. Although working with low concentrations is generally recognized as a good practice to avoid artifacts related to inner filter effects, the primary inner filter effect can occur even at low absorbances (< 0.05). Furthermore, it is possible that using solutions with high absorbance is strictly necessary in studying the photophysical properties of fluorescent dyes and the interactions of biological macromolecules. Therefore, a reliable correction method for inner filter effects is fundamental for spectroscopic studies. Since it has been reported that the existing methods for correcting the fluorescence intensity are hard to implement in practice, we propose a strategy based on the previous calculation of the so called “sensitivity factor” of a spectrofluorometer. By mounting a cuvette on a movable holder in a square geometry setup, we can modify the position of the cuvette during a regular emission/excitation experiment. This allows us to determine the sensitivity factor. This result can be effectively used to correct the emission/excitation spectra to restore the linearity between absorbance and fluorescence intensity in samples characterized by high concentrations.

Fluorescence has grown to be the most sensitive detection technique used in a variety of biophysical, biochemical and medical applications for several decades. However, there is an interesting luminescence similar to fluorescence which causes an “afterglow effect” (“glow in the dark”). This is called “phosphorescence”. Phosphorescence has an exceptionally longer lifetime (milli or microseconds) compared to fluorescence (nanoseconds). This can be up to a million times longer. Modern fluorescence lifetime measurements require sensitive detectors that cost several ten to hundreds of thousands of dollars, while a phosphorescence lifetime detector can be in the thousands range. This detector uses ocean optics spectrometry with a phosphoroscope to measure phosphorescence. With this application we want to use it for studying protein dynamics such as shape, spacing, binding, etc. The novelty for this approach is using tryptophan as a probe for direct excitation to the phosphorescence triplet state. This means the usual encounter of fluorescence there is a continuous light source. When exposed the sample will emit its fluorescence. Once removed from the light source, since fluorescence is so fast when decaying, will expire off. However, with phosphorescence, after the removal of the light source, the sample still emits. This procedure if successful will circumvent fluorescence and just achieve phosphorescence. To study this we will be using PVA (poly vinyl alcohol [plastic]) with 5,6 – Benzoquinoline, Indole, and Tryptophan where the first compound is confirmed to have phosphorescence able to be seen even with the naked eye at room temperature. These will be studied in a device that will measure phosphorescence called a fluorospectrometer (Varian Eclipse) and the phosphoroscope. With this information we can find out what color (wavelength) to excite the tryptophan and circumvent fluorescence to phosphorescence.

Massive amounts of gaseous material are being ejected from the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) due to supernovae explosions occurring inside the galaxy. These explosions influence how gas cycles in and out of a galaxy and is crucial for our understanding of how galaxies evolve. Being the nearest gas-rich galaxy, the LMC provides us with an excellent opportunity to explore this gas cycle in detail. We have combined spectroscopically resolved observations to investigate the influence supernovae have on the LMC gas and the connection between supernovae explosions and the currently flowing galactic wind.

The problem of fitting isochrones, theoretical models of stellar populations, to the observed stellar populations (e.g. star clusters) has plagued observational astronomy for decades. A plethora of algorithms have been developed, but many fall short of their goals, and almost all are very computationally expensive. We present a new, computationally efficient technique made possible by first creating a fiducial representation of the data. This concise representation allows for a robust comparison to many theoretical models using a Markov-Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach, quickly producing not only accurate fits but reasonable constraints on the final fitting parameters. The technique is applied to a number of star clusters, and the results are discussed in the context of Galactic chemical evolution.

A virus spreads through a body in two known ways: free cell transmission and cell to cell transmission. During free cell transmission, cells make viruses that diffuse throughout the body which may cause any cell that the virus touches to become infected. During cell to cell transmission, a virus spreads to a neighboring cell through an intercellular transfer. While previous research has investigated viruses based on free cell transmission, few models have incorporated cell to cell transmission leading to unclear results and bias to certain variables. This research accounts for both free cell and cell to cell transmission, using an agent-based framework. The model represents virus infection and spread in a two-dimensional layer of cells in order to generate total virus over time graphs for corresponding initial dose of virus.

In this work, a simple/scalable microwave-facilitated hydrothermal route is used to produce nitrogen self-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) from a sole glucosamine precursor. These NGQDs with average sizes of ~6nm show bright/stable fluorescence both in the visible and near-IR. The structural and optical properties of as-prepared NGQDs are further altered to provide control for optoelectronic applications by using ozone and thermal treatment. Thermal processing serves as controllable avenues to decrease GQD emission via anticipated reduction processes. Oxidative ozone treatment results in the decrease of GQD average size down to 5.23 nm and a more disordered structure due to the introduction of the new functional groups. Structural and optical characterization was performed utilizing TEM, AFM, SEM microscopy and FTIR, EDX, Raman, fluorescence, absorbance spectroscopy. FTIR, EDX and Raman data suggest that this processing introduces oxygen-containing functional groups, enhancing the atomic percentage of oxygen and increasing ID/IG ratio. Ozone treatment shows enhancement of visible emission which is observed from 0 to 16 min ozone processing with following over oxidation-induced defect-related quenching. On the other hand, a progressive increase in defect-related NIR emission is observed up to 45 min. Such alteration of optoelectronic properties enhances NGQD performance in photovoltaic devices.

Untreated NGQDs (Un-NGQDs) and ozone-treated NGQDs (Oz-NGQDs) are utilized as a photoactive layer to fabricate a variety of solar cells. Although devices with untreated NGQDs show performances similar to existing reports, Oz-NGQDs exhibit significant improvement (~six fold) with maximum PCE of 2.64%, an open circuit voltage of ~0.83V, a short circuit current density of 4.8 mA/cm^2, and an excellent fill factor of ~86.4%. This enhancement can be potentially attributed to the increased/broadened visible absorption feature in device state due to the efficient charge transfer between the hole-blocking layer of TiO2 and Oz-NGQD having enhanced concentration of functional groups. This work suggests ozone treatment as an easy and powerful technique to alter the optoelectronic properties of versatile and scalably produced NGQDs which can be successfully utilized as an eco-friendly photoactive layer to boost the photovoltaic performance of solar cells.

Quantum mechanical oscillations of a many-body system about a local potential minimum can in a first approximation be modeled by a set of harmonic oscillators about a local potential minimum. In more sophisticated models one also has to consider anharmonic effects.
Here we present the first steps towards a systematic solution of ground and excited state energies for a set of coupled quartic oscillators using coupled cluster techniques. We present the general approach of the equation of motion coupled cluster (EOM-CC) method. We give illustrative details of the diagrammatic approach to obtaining our operating equations as well as the resulting EOM-CC equations for a simple system of coupled harmonic oscillators perturbed by a quadratic perturbation. We point to the connection with Bogoliubov transformations and finally we illustrate the numerical behavior of the EOM-CC non-linear iterations and matrix diagonalization of our effective Hamiltonian obtained with our Python code.