Investigation of the Link between Media Acidity and pI in Obtaining Optimum Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering for Proteins

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an important tool in the characterization of proteins, which can lead to vital information pertaining to biological functions. Spectra of lysozyme, bovine serum albumin (BSA), catalase, and hemoglobin were obtained using SERS on silver colloids with sodium sulfate as the aggregating agent. Optimization of the SERS was attempted through adjustment of the acidity of sulfate aggregating agent. A link was investigated between the pI (pH at which there is no net charge on the molecule) of the proteins and the pH of the solutions needed for optimum SERS. It was found that any pH higher than the pI of the protein would not result in readable Raman bands. SERS of each protein were obtainable at any pH below the protein’s pI and was enhanced until reaching a pH of approximately two. At any pH lower than two, SERS were not possible because of inability of the aggregating agent to work in extreme pH conditions

A Search for New Physics producing Jets, Large MT2, and Disappearing Tracks in 13 TeV Proton-Proton Collisions at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider

This work presents two searches for new physics characterized by pair-production of strongly interacting particles, each decaying to hadronic jets and a particle that is not detectable. The searches use the full 13 TeV proton-proton collision dataset produced by CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and recorded by the CMS detector from 2016 to 2018, with total integrated luminosity 137 fb−1. The presence of particles interacting too weakly to be detected is inferred using imbalance in the transverse momentum of the collision products, and sensitivity to pair- production is enhanced by requiring large values of the kinematic variable MT2 in events with at least two jets. The first search is inclusive, binning events using the total hadronic transverse energy, the total number of jets, the number of jets reconstructed as originating from a bottom quark, and either the value of MT2 in multijet events, or the transverse momentum of the jet in monojet events. The second search extends the first, by requiring the presence of a disappearing track in the event, and adds binning in the length and transverse momentum of the disappearing track. Both searches are sensitive to a variety of extensions to the Standard Model that include dark matter candidates. Of greatest interest, the results set constraints on pair production of squarks and gluinos as predicted by R-parity conserving supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model, in which the lightest supersymmetric particle is a neutralino. The first search is sensitive to any decay chain terminating in Standard Model hadrons plus the neutralino, while the second specifically targets, with greatly enhanced sensitivity, decay chains containing an intermediate long-lived chargino. These constraints are the most stringent yet produced by any experiment

Supporting a Student with Asperger’s Syndrome: Perspectives From The Student, Sibling, and Non-Familial Tutor

When working with a student with Asperger’s syndrome, tutoring strategies can vary depending on the person implementing them. The purpose of the presentation is to discuss current research in regards to successful tutoring strategies for students with Asperger’s syndrome, and which of these strategies have been successful in the high school student with Asperger’s syndrome’s academic endeavors. Dr. Shu-Fei Tsai, a faculty member of CWU, provided training on the use of self-management skills. Both the sibling and the tutor have been assisting the student with Asperger’s syndrome to implement self-management skills to track his academic work. The outcomes demonstrated that the student improved his assignment completion and academic performance through using self-management skills. The sibling and the tutor will discuss their experience of helping the student with Asperger’s syndrome. Furthermore, the student will share his voice of using these self-management abilities

Prospectus, January 25, 2006

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2006/1001/thumbnail.jp

Building a Simplistic Automatic Extruder: Instrument Development Opportunities for the Laboratory

A well-rounded introduction to work in a STEM laboratory is vital to scientific education. Besides the ability to use available instrumentation for sample characterization, students should also be imparted knowledge in the steps of instrument development and construction. These concepts can be taught using the example of lipid vesicle preparation via extrusion. Vesicle extrusion is a common technique that involves syringes pushing solutions through membrane filters and is used in fundamental studies on vesicles. Such research is important to better understand of biological phenomena and drug development. Well prepared samples are key to successful research. While the manual approach is very useful to acquire experience, automatic extrusion is more convenient, and automation often results in better reproducibility. These advantages can be combined in a simplistic automatic extruder, that does not require advanced technical skills to be assembled. It can therefore be used by various groups, ranging undergraduate to graduate students using equipment typically available. Using this approach, students can acquire different skillsets including coding, testing, and advanced use of building materials based on their properties. Finally, the quality of the automatic extruder is verified.Comment: 21 pages supplementary information included, 11 Figures and a cover picture, LabVIEW workflow file can be found on the group's gitHub profil

How might Hospital at Home enable a greener and healthier future? Check for updates

Traditional healthcare delivery models face mounting pressure from rising costs, increasing demand, and a growing environmental footprint. Hospital at Home (HaH) has been proposed as a potential solution, offering care at home through in-person, virtual, or hybrid approaches. Despite focus on expanding HaH provision and capacity, research has primarily explored patient care outcomes, patient satisfaction economic costs with a key gap in its environmental impact. By reducing this evidence gap, HaH may be better placed as a positive enabler in delivering healthier planet and population. This article explores the environmental opportunities and challenges associated with HaH compared to traditional hospital care and reinforces the case for further research to comprehensively quantify the environmental impact including any co-benefits. Our aim for this article is to spark conversation, and begin to help prioritise future research and analysis

How might Hospital at Home enable a greener and healthier future? Check for updates

Traditional healthcare delivery models face mounting pressure from rising costs, increasing demand, and a growing environmental footprint. Hospital at Home (HaH) has been proposed as a potential solution, offering care at home through in-person, virtual, or hybrid approaches. Despite focus on expanding HaH provision and capacity, research has primarily explored patient care outcomes, patient satisfaction economic costs with a key gap in its environmental impact. By reducing this evidence gap, HaH may be better placed as a positive enabler in delivering healthier planet and population. This article explores the environmental opportunities and challenges associated with HaH compared to traditional hospital care and reinforces the case for further research to comprehensively quantify the environmental impact including any co-benefits. Our aim for this article is to spark conversation, and begin to help prioritise future research and analysis

Prospectus, February 8, 2006

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2006/1003/thumbnail.jp