In this experiment we take the differential equation model from Heldt 2012 for the viral life cycle and apply a stochastic algorithm in order to simulate random events on a molecular level. We then introduce a known mechanism by which to mutate the produced virus particles and attempt to understand the relationship between surface proteins and these random mutations. This work will shed light on the efficacy of particular antiviral drugs that act on the binding of surface proteins to the cell membrane.

Nearby, the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy (LMC), has ejected massive amounts of gaseous material, some of which is headed toward the Milky Way. The material consists of ionized hydrogen gas which is a consequence of significantly energetic events that have occurred in the LMC. Such events are not only the cause of the ionized material, but also the immense amount of material being thrown out. This ejected wind holds a substantial amount of information regarding both galaxies in general and the LMC’s physical processes. Studying this ionized outflow will reveal new details concerning the internal processes that produce such massive ejections, the potential for galactic outflows to replenish gas reservoirs for future star formation, and the environments surrounding galaxies. The latter will influence our view of a galaxy’s environment and how it may interact with nearby neighbors such as our Milky Way galaxy.

Fluorescence anisotropy is a common measurement that helps provides important information on molecular mobility, solvent (environment) viscosity, or/and molecular size. Fluorescence anisotropy involves measurement of two orthogonally polarized light emission intensities. One of the common issues of fluorescence anisotropy measurements is that most optical detection systems respond differently to the parallel and perpendicular polarization of light. The challenging task is to estimate the calibration curve, often called as the instrumental G-factor (grating factor), a parameter indicates the contributions and/or distortion of the optical detection system to the parallel and/or perpendicular light polarization, so that one can correct their polarized emission intensity and obtain a proper fluorescence anisotropy result. Here we present novel techniques that we have been developed in our laboratory that help achieve the G-Factor curves for different instruments.

Despite living inside the Milky Way, we do not know well basic quantities such as its detailed chemical makeup at the level needed to fundamentally tie the Milky Way to studies of evolution in other galaxies. One key observable is the radial chemical abundance gradient. Open star clusters provide an age datable sample by which to measure this gradient. This measurement has previously been made using a diverse and regularly conflicting compilation of clusters from various literature studies. We present the first measurement using a large (462 stars in 28 open clusters), uniform sample of open clusters abundances. Our measurements show a general agreement with recent studies of the overall metallicity gradient, with a measured ∆ [Fe/H]/∆ RGC of -0.050 ± 0.004 dex/kpc. We also explore trends with distance from the galactic plane and cluster age, and finally investigate the existence of a "knee" in the overall abundance gradient, between 12-14 kpc, within the range suggested by previous work. We show strong evidence for this phenomenon.

Since a number of medical conditions require simultaneous treatment and diagnostics, the field of molecular therapeutics has recently turned to multifunctional approaches allowing for both therapy and biomedical imaging. A number of such molecular and nanoformulations are combined with fluorophores that allow for imaging of the delivery pathways of the drug in the visible. This is optimal for in-vitro or ex-vivo work, however, cannot be utilized well in-vivo. Thus, there is a need in nanoformulations optimized for both in-vitro and in-vivo studies. Graphene quantum dots, possessing intrinsic stable fluorescence in the visible and near-IR stand out as candidates for such complex application.

In this work, we for the first time produce biocompatible graphene quantum dots (GQDs) that exhibit multi-color emission both in visible and NIR possess a capability for biological pH sensing. These GQDs show the crystalline graphitic structure in TEM and average sizes of c.a. 5 nm beneficial for cellular internalization. They show no cytotoxicity even at high doses of 1 mg/mL that are used for imaging. As opposed to related structures such as graphene oxide and other graphene derivatives GQDs show high quantum yield in green (~500 nm) of ~50%. Near-IR emission at ~860 nm is located in the water window with reduced absorption and lower autofluorescence backgrounds providing a promising potential route for in-vivo studies. Emission of GQDs also depends on pH of the surrounding medium. The change in pH of as-prepared GQDs from 2.70 to 8.0 yields an increase of fluorescence intensity up to ~60%. Additionally, pH-dependent shifts of the spectral features allow differentiating between acidic cancerous and neutral healthy exocellular environments allowing to use GQDs for cancer detection. Therefore, our results indicate that GQDs have a significant potential in bio-applications because of their capacity for multi-color green/near-IR imaging for in-vitro/in-vivo studies, pH sensitivity, water solubility, low cytotoxicity and high capacity for cellular internalization.