Preparing for College and Graduate School

We know of no single programs that prepare students both for success in college and entry to graduate school. Here we will describe a 5- week summer program that attempts to do that.This 5- week summer program helps students with Math, Writing and gives them access to information on graduate schools and research as a career. We recruit primarily underrepresented or economically disadvantaged (Pell eligible) entering freshmen science students (likely science majors) using a rigorous application form that includes high school transcripts, letter of recommendation and an essay. For success in improving academic skills, motivation is key. That’s why we carefully and rigorously evaluate all candidates for this program. And that’s why we can claim some success.For science majors, Math is critical. So let’s begin with describing our Math program, which runs 3 days a week, for 5 weeks, all day, usually Mon, Tues and Fri

Fluorescent nanoparticles for sensing

Nanoparticle-based fluorescent sensors have emerged as a competitive alternative to small molecule sensors, due to their excellent fluorescence-based sensing capabilities. The tailorability of design, architecture, and photophysical properties has attracted the attention of many research groups, resulting in numerous reports related to novel nanosensors applied in sensing a vast variety of biological analytes. Although semiconducting quantum dots have been the best-known representative of fluorescent nanoparticles for a long time, the increasing popularity of new classes of organic nanoparticle-based sensors, such as carbon dots and polymeric nanoparticles, is due to their biocompatibility, ease of synthesis, and biofunctionalization capabilities. For instance, fluorescent gold and silver nanoclusters have emerged as a less cytotoxic replacement for semiconducting quantum dot sensors. This chapter provides an overview of recent developments in nanoparticle-based sensors for chemical and biological sensing and includes a discussion on unique properties of nanoparticles of different composition, along with their basic mechanism of fluorescence, route of synthesis, and their advantages and limitations

Influence of size of the electrodes in detecting high frequency oscillations in human intracranial recordings

High frequency oscillations (HFOs) are promising biomarkers of epileptic tissue. However, the impact of the measuring electrode size on HFO detection remains unknown. We, therefore, proposed a novel experimental technique for detecting high frequency oscillations in human intracranial data, in which we dynamically changed the electrode sizes by electrically shorting them. This enabled us to record oscillatory activity from a single brain location using electrode sizes that range from 1.08 mm2 to several square centimeters. This experiment was conducted in an in vitro modeling as well as an in vivo experiment using ECoG grids. Shorting of the channels on the ECoG grid mimicked different surface areas for the contact electrodes. Our experimental study confirmed that the rate of the HFOs detected is impacted by the electrode size, with smaller electrodes detecting more events. The results of this experiment can help to have a better understanding of the underlying neural generators, also can be used to have more optimal recording parameters. The result can also be directly used in clinical practices for seizure onset zone localization and surgical planning

QD-Based FRET Probes at a Glance

The unique optoelectronic properties of quantum dots (QDs) give them significant advantages over traditional organic dyes, not only as fluorescent labels for bioimaging, but also as emissive sensing probes. QD sensors that function via manipulation of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) are of special interest due to the multiple response mechanisms that may be utilized, which in turn imparts enhanced flexibility in their design. They may also function as ratiometric, or “color-changing” probes. In this review, we describe the fundamentals of FRET and provide examples of QD-FRET sensors as grouped by their response mechanisms such as link cleavage and structural rearrangement. An overview of early works, recent advances, and various models of QD-FRET sensors for the measurement of pH and oxygen, as well as the presence of metal ions and proteins such as enzymes, are also provided

Influence of size of the electrodes in detecting high frequency oscillations in human intracranial recordings

High frequency oscillations (HFOs) are promising biomarkers of epileptic tissue. However, the impact of the measuring electrode size on HFO detection remains unknown. We, therefore, proposed a novel experimental technique for detecting high frequency oscillations in human intracranial data, in which we dynamically changed the electrode sizes by electrically shorting them. This enabled us to record oscillatory activity from a single brain location using electrode sizes that range from 1.08 mm2 to several square centimeters. This experiment was conducted in an in vitro modeling as well as an in vivo experiment using ECoG grids. Shorting of the channels on the ECoG grid mimicked different surface areas for the contact electrodes. Our experimental study confirmed that the rate of the HFOs detected is impacted by the electrode size, with smaller electrodes detecting more events. The results of this experiment can help to have a better understanding of the underlying neural generators, also can be used to have more optimal recording parameters. The result can also be directly used in clinical practices for seizure onset zone localization and surgical planning

Quantum Dots: Applications as Bioimaging and Biosensing Agents

This thesis presents the synthesis and functionalization of quantum dots (QDs) for bioimaging and biosensing applications. QDs are very small (≤ 100 nm) inorganic crystalline semiconductors that possess size-tunable physical and optical properties. QDs provide a versatile platform for biosensing probes due to their strong absorption and efficient emission, as well as the many facile strategies for water solubilization and functionalization. Despite many remarkable demonstrations of their use in biosensing, there are concerns for the future application of these dots in clinical trials as most reported systems contain cadmium. Therefore, the development of cadmium free QDs has become topical; however, it should be noted that the toxicity of cadmium materials does not appear to be an issue even in animal studies. In this thesis I present the synthesis of novel non-cadmium near-IR emissive AgInS2/ZnS QDs. They were characterized using analytical techniques such as XPS, XRD, TEM, DLS, fluorescence and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The QDs were water-solubilized and functionalized to construct an oxygen sensing probe by conjugating water-soluble perylene-PEG-amine dye to the surface of the QDs. The response to the low oxygen levels (hypoxia) was investigated using an enzymatic oxygen scavenging system. In vitro studies were also conducted to demonstrate the sensor efficiency within a biological milieu. A biosensor comprising of green emitting CdSe/ZnS QDs and rhodamine B dye linked by a disulfide bond was constructed to detect biological levels of H2S, which is a gasotransmitter that is involved in many biological pathologies. The response mechanism is based on termination of FRET due to the reduction of the disulfide bond by the analyte. The ratiometric response that was observed in HeLa cells is one of the best reported demonstrations of QD-based ratiometric sensing. Two versions of a novel QD-based nano-optodes are reported for the detection of sodium and calcium ions based on a traditional bulk optode response mechanism. Use of QDs improved the sensitivity and the response time significantly, but the selectivity and the reproducibility of the methods were not suitable for further investigations

QD-Based FRET Probes at a Glance

The unique optoelectronic properties of quantum dots (QDs) give them significant advantages over traditional organic dyes, not only as fluorescent labels for bioimaging, but also as emissive sensing probes. QD sensors that function via manipulation of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) are of special interest due to the multiple response mechanisms that may be utilized, which in turn imparts enhanced flexibility in their design. They may also function as ratiometric, or “color-changing” probes. In this review, we describe the fundamentals of FRET and provide examples of QD-FRET sensors as grouped by their response mechanisms such as link cleavage and structural rearrangement. An overview of early works, recent advances, and various models of QD-FRET sensors for the measurement of pH and oxygen, as well as the presence of metal ions and proteins such as enzymes, are also provided

Inter-operator and inter-device agreement and reliability of the SEM Scanner

AbstractObjectiveThe SEM Scanner is a medical device designed for use by healthcare providers as part of pressure ulcer prevention programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the inter-rater and inter-device agreement and reliability of the SEM Scanner.MethodsThirty-one (31) volunteers free of pressure ulcers or broken skin at the sternum, sacrum, and heels were assessed with the SEM Scanner. Each of three operators utilized each of three devices to collect readings from four anatomical sites (sternum, sacrum, left and right heels) on each subject for a total of 108 readings per subject collected over approximately 30 min. For each combination of operator-device-anatomical site, three SEM readings were collected. Inter-operator and inter-device agreement and reliability were estimated.ResultsOver the course of this study, more than 3000 SEM Scanner readings were collected. Agreement between operators was good with mean differences ranging from −0.01 to 0.11. Inter-operator and inter-device reliability exceeded 0.80 at all anatomical sites assessed.ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrate the high reliability and good agreement of the SEM Scanner across different operators and different devices. Given the limitations of current methods to prevent and detect pressure ulcers, the SEM Scanner shows promise as an objective, reliable tool for assessing the presence or absence of pressure-induced tissue damage such as pressure ulcers