Using Social Media for Professional Development

Sean Griffin is a social media marketer with a degree in marketing from Louisiana Tech University and a background in consumer behavior, sales & entrepreneurship and communications (business and interdepartmental). Topics to be covered at this seminar include: - Social media etiquette - LinkedIn for beginners and intermediate users - Personal branding and marketing - How to use social media to find prospective employers, connections, and research Come at 3:30pm for refreshments, speaker at 4:00p

Fluorescent enzymatic smart tattoos comprising hybrid silicate microparticles, metalloporphyrin complexes, and mass transport-limiting nanofilms

Diabetics are often required to self-monitor blood glucose levels to effectively deliver prescribed therapies. However, the pain and bother associated with traditional finger-prick measurements often result in decreased patient compliance and therefore poor disease management, which could result in the early-onset of complications. Enzymatic smart tattoos —implantable luminescent particles that may be transdermally interrogated with light—are being pursued as minimally-invasive diabetic monitoring devices, with hopes of increasing diabetic compliance by reducing excessive pain and bother associated with finger-prick measurements. These devices typically comprise an oxygen-quenched luminescent dye and glucose oxidase (GOx), an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of β-D-glucose. Under glucose-limited reaction conditions, local glucose concentrations can be extracted from oxygen-dependent emission spectra or luminescence lifetimes. Previously, enzymatic smart tattoos comprising enzyme-doped alginate hydrogel microsphere sensors and ruthenium complexes as oxygen indicators were reported. In this dissertation, however, the integration of a more sensitive metalloporphyrin oxygen indicator, Pt(II) Octaethylporphine (PtOEP), and the reference probe, Rhodamine B Isothiocyanate (RITC), into enzyme-doped alginate-modified silica ( algilica ) particles is presented. A particularly important feature of these sensors is the shift from traditional ruthenium-based oxygen indicators to metalloporphyrin complexes, due in part to higher excitation wavelengths which reduce the effects of tissue scatter and absorption, increased photostability, and higher oxygen sensitivity. Using the novel algilica matrix and diffusion-limiting nanofilms, glucose sensitivities of two orders of magnitude greater than ruthenium-based enzymatic smart tattoos were achieved with porphyrin oxygen indicators. Of central importance was the demonstration that surface adsorbed polyelectrolyte nanofilms allowed glucose sensitivity and range to be controlled by modulating substrate flux into the sensor, resulting in sensitivities (change in intensity ratio) of 1–5 Wing dL-1 and upper range limits of 90–250 mg/dL. Remarkably, it was shown that nanofilms only 12 nanometers thick could significantly affect response behavior, confirming theoretical predictions based on models of reaction-diffusion kinetics. To approach clinical utility, implantable smart tattoos must maintain appropriate function for at least 6 months. Therefore, to examine the effects of long-term operation on sensor function, a mathematical model was developed and the output validated with experimental results. Both theoretical and experimental results demonstrated limited device lifetime (∼ 90% loss of sensitivity over 24 hours) due to enzyme inactivation resulting from hydrogen peroxide, a byproduct of glucose oxidation. To improve longterm stability, a first-generation bi-enzymatic smart tattoo prototype was constructed via the co-incorporation of catalase, an enzyme that consumes hydrogen peroxide, which enhanced response stability two fold over time. Furthermore, to design clinically viable implantation schemes, it is important to understand how individual sensors within a population contribute to overall response properties. Thus, an imaging technique was developed to perform real-time ratiometric imaging of individual sensor function. The results indicated significant differences in sensor behavior depending on location within the sensor population and/or physical parameters, as expected. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of engineering highly sensitive enzymatic-based glucose sensors and lay the groundwork for developments of additional enzymatic analyte sensors

Behavior of nano-engineered platelets in a coronary artery stenosis model

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in North America. Cardiac infarction caused by thrombus plaque rupture can often lead to sudden death. Arterial stenosis caused by atherosclerosis is an important precursor leading to thrombus formation. Shear stress, abnormal lipid metabolism, and subendothelial layer exposure are the major contributors to arterial thrombus formation. Platelet activation by the above factors, followed by adhesion is the basic sequence in thrombus formation. Platelets were encapsulated with nanofilm in order to reduce platelet activation and adhesion under high shear stress. Polyions, nanoparticles and immunoglobulins were assembled in nano-organized shells on fixed bovine platelets through the electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique. The coverage of 78-nm silica and 45-nm fluorescent nanospheres on platelets was studied under TEM or fluorescence microscopes. An IgG-layer was adsorbed on platelets in alternation with poly(styrenesulfonate), and its specific immune-recognition and targeting with fluorescent anti-IgG-FITC were demonstrated. Not only limited to fixed platelets, live platelets were also coated with polyions with a outermost layer of heparin. Most platelets were alive and not activated after the coating procedure and no obvious cytotoxicity was observed. A coronary artery stenosis silicone model was built to test encapsulated platelet function under high shear stress generated by the stenosis. In the platelet activation study, encapsulated platelets released less TXB2 compared with unmodified platelets. Platelets with heparin coating were not that easily adhered onto collage substrate in silicone model after the flow experiment. The heparin shell might block the possible binding reactions between collagen and platelet surface glycoproteins. In conclusion, the nano-engineered platelets expressed less activation and adhesion under high shear stress

A study of the implementation of the national geography standards and their alignment with classroom instruction in United States PK–12 schools

In the 1980s, media reports of the state of geography in United States schools and national assessments documenting the failing grades of American students resulted in a campaign to eradicate geographic illiteracy. As a result, there have been many reforms made in geography education, including the development of national geography standards. The National Geographic Society developed a Geography Education Foundation to introduce a grassroots movement for curricula change through teacher inservice institutes. Furthermore, geography was recognized as a core subject in the curriculum designated by President George Bush and the governors of the United States of America as part of the competency requirements of Goals 2000. The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey to determine the relationship between various independent variables and the implementation of national geography standards in the curriculum of PK–12 classrooms. The population consisted of Teacher Consultants (TCs) who were trained through Alliance Summer Geography Institutes (ASGIs) and PK–12 teachers in two northeast Louisiana school districts. Findings indicated a relationship between the implementation of geography standards and (a) teachers who have had pre-service training for geography, (b) attendance at ASGIs, (c) attendance at geography workshops, and (d) the number of minutes per week geography was taught

External labor markets: Job inclusion structures and processes

The objective of this dissertation was to consider the determinants of external labor markets from a multilevel frame of reference. Specifically, the likelihood of a job\u27s inclusion in an external labor market was examined in relation to environmental constraints, power and technological characteristics of the job and demographic features of the jobholder. The sample frame consisted of a national survey conducted by the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS collected data from over 92,000 respondents relating to their having a job in an external labor market. Logistic regression and nonparametric tests were used in the statistical analyses. Statistical analysis revealed relationships between jobs being included in external labor markets and suggested macro, meso and micro variables. The managerial and theoretical implications of the findings of this dissertation were discussed along with contributions made to the extant knowledge in management. Finally, suggestions for further research were considered

10. SSARC 932, College of Engineering and Science, 2018

The University is required by Louisiana State Statute (L.A. R.S. 44-410) to have a Records Management Program to ensure that vital records are identified and maintained. The Office of the Secretary of State, Division of Archives has established policies and practices to assist State agencies in establishing and maintaining their Records Management Programs (LAC 4:XVII, Chapters 1-15). Having an active Records Management Program is important in preserving the history and culture of Louisiana Tech University. The purpose of this policy is to establish a systematic process that will effectively maintain a University records management program, applicable to both electronic and hardcopy formats. All records created by University officers or employees in the course of their duties on behalf of Louisiana Tech University are retained for as long as they are required to meet the legal, administrative and operational requirements of the University, after which time they are either destroyed or transferred to the University Archives. The final disposition (either destruction or transfer to the Archives) of records is carried out according to approved records schedules and University policies. See below for further requirements relating to litigation holds and electronic mail. The State Retention Schedule, Form SS ARC 932, a standardized form created by State Archives, provides a format for each State agency to identify and classify its records by type. State Archives defines record types as “records series.” As a University is a very diverse agency, records series will differ greatly from one department to another. Definitions AY – Academic Year (September through May) FY – Fiscal Year (July through June) CY – Calendar Year ACT – Active Archives – University Archives Series – A group of related or similar records, regardless of medium, that may be filed together as a unit, used in a similar manner, and typically are evaluated as a unit for determining retention periods (i.e., requisitions, appointment forms, invoices, correspondence, payroll records, minutes, etc.). Additional information may be found on the State Archives’ Records Management web page at: http://www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/ManagingRecords/GetForms/Pages/default.asp

Charles Feinberg Walt Whitman Portraits

Two framed engraved portraits of the American poet Walt Whitman (1812-1892)https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/manuscript-finding-aids/1078/thumbnail.jp

Herbert G. Warren Collection

Items that belonged to Dr. Herbert G. Warren as a student.https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/manuscript-finding-aids/1191/thumbnail.jp

Assessing Water Quality of Redwine Creek in the Grambling, LA Area

The abstract for this presentation can be downloaded by clicking on the blue download button