Finding Optimal OPA-IBLC Derivatized Amino Acid Analysis Parameters with Three-Dimensional Fluorometric Scans for HPLC Method Validation

Three-dimensional fluorometric scans of OPA-IBLC derivatized glutamic acid and histidine solutions revealed that decreasing concentration maintained maximum λem but produced different maximum λex. In pH 0.4 M sodium borate buffer (pH 10.4), 50 μM derivatized amino acid solutions had maxima around 350- to 450-nm λex-λem where 12.5 μM solutions had maxima around 230- to 450-nm λex- λem. In the lower concentration, the λex peak at 230 nm was about 80% higher than 350 nm. Thus, collecting spectra with 230 nm λex would provide better LOD and LOQ. Results inform HPLC standard concentrations since differential quenching effects may produce non-linear calibration curves

The Ground Is Lava!

The Ground Is Lava! is a three dimensional video game written in C++ that uses OpenGL as its graphics API. The game is competitive, with two to four players controlling characters from a first-person perspective. The project implements multiple graphics technologies in order to achieve a consistent, pleasing visual style, including shadow mapping, sky rendering, and procedural animation. The engine built to power the game was developed in a flexible manner, allowing the code to be reused for future projects

A Sensitivity and Array-Configuration Study for Measuring the Power Spectrum of 21cm Emission from Reionization

Telescopes aiming to measure 21cm emission from the Epoch of Reionization must toe a careful line, balancing the need for raw sensitivity against the stringent calibration requirements for removing bright foregrounds. It is unclear what the optimal design is for achieving both of these goals. Via a pedagogical derivation of an interferometer's response to the power spectrum of 21cm reionization fluctuations, we show that even under optimistic scenarios, first-generation arrays will yield low-SNR detections, and that different compact array configurations can substantially alter sensitivity. We explore the sensitivity gains of array configurations that yield high redundancy in the uv-plane -- configurations that have been largely ignored since the advent of self-calibration for high-dynamic-range imaging. We first introduce a mathematical framework to generate optimal minimum-redundancy configurations for imaging. We contrast the sensitivity of such configurations with high-redundancy configurations, finding that high-redundancy configurations can improve power-spectrum sensitivity by more than an order of magnitude. We explore how high-redundancy array configurations can be tuned to various angular scales, enabling array sensitivity to be directed away from regions of the uv-plane (such as the origin) where foregrounds are brighter and where instrumental systematics are more problematic. We demonstrate that a 132-antenna deployment of the Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization (PAPER) observing for 120 days in a high-redundancy configuration will, under ideal conditions, have the requisite sensitivity to detect the power spectrum of the 21cm signal from reionization at a 3\sigma level at k<0.25h Mpc^{-1} in a bin of \Delta ln k=1. We discuss the tradeoffs of low- versus high-redundancy configurations.Comment: 34 pages, 5 figures, 2 appendices. Version accepted to Ap

Optimizing Fluorescence PMT Gain and Excitation Wavelength for HPLC DL-Amino Acid Detection

Amino acids exist as enantiomers that can be separated and detected using HPLC-FLD. An optimal PMT gain and wavelength of excitation must be determined to lower the limit of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) as increasing the PMT gain amplifies the signal on the HPLC-Spectra. The HPLC-FLD spectra of OPA-IBLC derivatized histidine was measured at PMT gain 5 and 7 for the excitation wavelengths of 340-, 260-, and 240- nm. Hence, the optimal excitation wavelength and PMT gain can be determined by comparing the fluorescence spectra

Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra, October 17, 2021

Center for the Performing Arts October 17, 2021 Sunday Afternoon 3:00 p.m