2021 Research & Innovation Week- I-SURE & Graduate Research Day Booklet- Prairie View A&M University

Strawberry Survival Under Extreme Winter Weather Conditions in Southeast Texas Alexander Robinson, Eric Obeng, Peter Ampim (Faculty Mentor) College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, Prairie View A&M University

Abstract Identifying the best planting time for strawberry can guard against poor establishment and low yield. This study was conducted to determine the best planting date for strawberry varieties suitable for Southeast Texas. Four strawberry varieties (Albion, Camino Real, Fronteras, and Merced) were planted at two planting dates (PD) as follows: PD1 October 29, 2020, and PD2 - November 12, 2020. The strawberries were established with bare roots in beds covered with plastic mulch and lined with drip irrigation. The strawberry plants were fertilized with Hasta Grow fertilizer at the label rate. The experimental design for this study was a randomized complete block design with three replications.

Preliminary data collected include percent plant survival and leaf relative chlorophyll measurements at 11 WAP and 20 WAP. The data was analyzed using the Proc GLM procedure with SAS 9.3 software, and conclusions drawn at 5% significance level. While plant survival was not different for the two planting dates for both Camino Real and Merced, significant differences were observed for Albion and Fronteras. For both varieties, the survival rate was significantly higher for the first planting. Though no varietal differences were noted for leaf relative chlorophyll for PD1, Merced had a significantly higher leaf relative chlorophyll than Albion and Camino Real for PD2. Since plant survival data was collected after the recent cold snap, the results suggest that Camino Real and Merced are more cold hardy.

Practically, the results imply that these varieties have a better survival potential in the colder parts of Texas.

Keywords: strawberry, variety, planting date, plant survival, relative chlorophyll

INFLUENCE OF BOARDING SECONDARY SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT ON HIV POSITIVE STUDENTS IN SOUTH WESTERN UGANDA Raymond Bernard Kihumuro, David Jolly Muganzi, Elton George Wandira, Racheal Alinaiswe, Jovitah Joselyne Nanyunja, Ruth Kugumisiriza Vincent Mubangizi* and Paul E. Alele (Faculty Mentors)

Human Immunodeficiency Virus positive (HIV+) adolescents have increased in number since the 1980s. The ability of these students to cope with their academic and healthcare needs while living in a boarding school has been qualitatively unknown. This research investigation is to explore the experiences of HIV+ students surrounding their adherence to antiretroviral therapy.

A qualitative study that employed in-depth interviews amongst purposively selected 19 HIV+ adolescent students in boarding secondary school and 7 key informants was conducted. Key informants were members of the boarding secondary school staff directly taking care of the HIV+ students and had spent at least two academic terms in that school. The study participants were recruited from four health facilities in Bushenyi, southwestern Uganda, and key informants from five boarding secondary schools in Bushenyi. Interviews lasted 30 to 40 minutes and were guided by an interview guide. Data was transcribed, coded and the content analyzed thematically HIV+ adolescents in boarding secondary school have similar challenges to those outside boarding school settings; however, some are unique to them. They have numerous barriers to their adherence to medication and experience stigmatization in its different forms. Limited disclosure of the student s sera-status was beneficial to the students since it guaranteed support while at school; thus, facilitating adherence and better living. However, students were uneasy to disclose their status and some adopted negative coping mechanisms such as telling lies, escaping from school, and class to access medication and rationalization among others.Adolescents in boarding secondary schools face similar challenges as compared to their counterparts with some being unique to them. These challenges need to be addressed and a safe environment to encourage limited disclosure should be made.

Keywords: HIV; boarding; school; adolescents; adherence; stigma; Uganda;

The CDK4 Gene and Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma 3 Caroline Grannum, Daniela Ruiz, and Gloria C. Regisford, PhD (Faculty Mentor) Department of Biology, Prairie View A&M University

The development of cutaneous malignant melanoma 3 is linked to complex factors involving genetic changes and ultraviolet radiation exposure. Recent reports have indicated that a mutation of the newly sequenced gene, cyclindependent kinase 4 (CDK4), is associated with cutaneous hereditary melanoma 3 formations and progression.

However, CDK4 has not been fully characterized. Hence, this study aimed to examine and describe the CDK4 gene using Bioinformatics. It was hypothesized that CDK4 is a protein-coding gene that plays an important role in regulating cell division of the integumentary system. The structure, function, and location of the CDK4 gene were determined using the Bioinformatics databases, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), GeneCards, and the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST). Expression of the CDK4 gene is detected in the human ovary, endometrium, thyroid, GI tract, skin, and other tissues. Located on chromosome 12q14.1, the CDK4 gene encodes a kinase responsible for regulating cells going from G1 to S phase of the cell cycle. Orthologs of this gene are found in mice, chickens, and dogs; paralogs include CDK6, CDK5, and CDK3, required for the G1 to S phase transition.

Mutations of CDK4 are associated with the development of typical moles, cutaneous malignant melanoma 3, and familial melanoma.: The CDK4 gene is a protein-coding gene that regulates part of the cell cycle process. Its mutation may promote the formation and development of specific skin cancers like Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma 3.

Keywords: CDK4 Gene, Bioinformatics, Melanoma, Cutaneous

La enforcement misconduct: Describing bad apples and their barrels in three southern states Chandler Bienek, Leslie Lively and Camille Gibson, Ph.D., C.R.C. (Faculty Mentor) College Of Juvenile Justice and Pyscholgy, Justice Studies

This mixed method study describes a sample of law enforcement officers whose misconduct led to their decertification to work in the field in Texas, Florida, and Arizona. It also describes the organizations from which most of the decertifications came. Utilizing publicly available data from media sources from 2014 to 2017, 582 cases have been identified with sufficient case details for analysis. Thus, a limitation is that the cases represent many, but not all decertifications during the time period. Profiles of the officers and the law enforcement organizations were generated and analyzed by examining news accounts for patterns in conduct and by running descriptive and correlative statistics.

The goal was to understand which key characteristics were associated with police misconduct. The data reveal that for Arizona, Florida, and Texas, the leading acts of police misconduct involve dangerous drugs, driving under the influence, and assault. Additionally, the age of officers involved in police misconduct tend to be over 30, with very few instances of the officer being under 30 years old. This suggests that officers are likely on the job for at least five years before being decertified. What differs among the three states are the organizations that generate the most decertifications. For instance, the data for Arizona show that the majority of the misconduct comes from police departments. In Florida, the majority is from correctional facilities, and in Texas, most cases are from sheriff s offices.

Understanding law enforcement misconduct trends and where they exist should contribute to improving community trust in law enforcement and, in turn, public safety.

Unveiling Hidden Mysteries of the Novel Gene OVAAL Diana Varela Ajche, Gloria C. Regisford, Ph.D. (Faculty Mentor) Department of Biology, Prairie View A&M University

Although complete sequences are now available for the human genome, identifying and decoding novel genes' emerging plethora remains a challenge. In the last decade, bioinformatics has become a crucial tool that aids with deciphering rapidly accumulating genomic data. This has facilitated identifying novel genes involved in the initiation of cancers, such as ovarian cancer (OC). While OC is the 5th leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide, it is the deadliest cancer among women in the United States. Recent studies have implicated that mutations of a novel gene, Ovarian Adenocarcinoma Amplified Long Non-Coding RNA (OVAAL), may be associated with ovarian carcinogenesis.: Hence, this project aimed to apply in-silico bioinformatic principles and tools to characterize the OVAAL gene. We hypothesized that OVAAL is a functional protein-coding gene that plays a vital role in regulating ovarian function. To evaluate this hypothesis, we used the Basic Local Alignment Sequencing Tool (BLAST), Ensembl, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), and GeneCards. The UCSC database indicates that the OVAAL gene is located on chromosome 1q25.3, has 4 exons and comprises 57,144 bases. The GeneCards database showed that this gene's subcellular location is within the plasma membrane, cytoskeleton, mitochondrion, nucleus, and lysosome. Additionally, the OVAAL gene is expressed in several normal human tissues, with the highest expression in heart tissues. No orthologs, paralogs, or interacting proteins have been identified for this gene. However, when using BLAST to run alignments using the RNA RefSeq, we found many cDNA clones and predicted conservations across different species. The OVAAL gene is not conserved across species. However, it plays an important role in regulating ovarian processes, as mutations lead to the development of ovarian adenocarcinoma.

Keywords: Bioinformatics, Ovarian Adenocarcinoma, OVAAL Gene.

Germicidal Synergy of Sequential Treatments with type B and C UV-LEDs Eduardo Flores-Gallegos, Daniel Alaniz-LumbrerasRumen Ivanov-Tsonchev, Alfredo Lara-Herrera, Nivia Escalante-Garcia, and Ernesto Olvera-Gonzalez (Faculty Mentors).

Doctorado en Ciencias de la Ingeniería. Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas.

Laboratorio de Iluminación Artificial, Instituto Tecnológico de Pabellón de Arteaga

UV food disinfection is a non-thermal alternative that does not generate secondary waste. Develop of UV-LEDs has emerged in recent years with advantages over conventional mercury and xenon lamps: no risk of mercury release, longer lifetime, better temperature control, higher energy efficiency, lower drive voltage, design flexibility, the possibility of pulsing and generating wavelengths between 210 and 395 nm (Muramoto et al., 2014; Chen et al., 2017).

These advantages allow the research of different UV food disinfection techniques. Germicidal effect of UV treatments type B, C, and B + C on mesophiles aerobic applied sequentially is presented in this work. Tomatoes were used as a sample to apply the treatments and observe the germicidal effect. For each treatment, six samples were irradiated three times of 10, 30, and 60 min. The doses were calculated with a spectroradiometer. Amounts needed to reach 100% disinfection with UV-B, UV-C, and UV-B + UV-C were investigated. Surface counts of mesophiles aerobic were performed with Petrifilm 3M plates to analyze the germicidal effect. Electricity consumption was also measured with a wattmeter. The time required to achieve a 100% germicidal effect was 60 min (0.637 J/cm2) with UV-C. With UVB, the maximum disinfection was 98.6% at 60 min (1.2 J/cm2). With the sequential combination of UV-B + UV-C, 100% germicide was achieved with 10 min UV-C followed by 10 min UV-B (20 minutes total). These results allow us to save 66% of electrical energy in 100% disinfection comparing UV-C with sequential treatment. Disinfection techniques such as sequential treatments with different wavelengths can increase germicidal efficiency and optimize electrical consumption. As future research, different combinations of wavelengths or different techniques such as sequential or simultaneous irradiation can be studied. Another issue to investigate will be to know the cause of the different germicidal effects of the techniques.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices of self-breast examination among female health students in the Hohoe Municipality of Volta Region Ghana Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana

Emmanuel Afenyeku

Livingstone Asem

One of the major morbidities among ladies everywhere throughout the world is Breast cancer, which seems to be increasing, particularly in developing countries where most of these cases are diagnosed in late stages. Breast selfexamination is a simple, not expensive, non-invasive, and non-hazardous intervention to reduce breast cancer prevalence. Most health students do not examine their breasts as often as possible hence the need to study the factors associated with breast self-examination. The study aimed to assess the knowledge of breast cancer and selfbreast examination practices among female health students. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to conduct this study. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to obtain 403 female health students in the Hohoe municipality. Data collected were analyzed using STATA version 14. To establish associations between variables, Chisquare and logistic regression were performed, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was statistically significant at a 95% confidence interval. Overall, 72.5%, 63.5%, 65% of the students had good knowledge, attitude, and breast selfexamination practice. The students' knowledge level (X²=55.9516, p<0.001) was significantly associated with breast self-examination, and respondents with good knowledge were six times more likely to self-examine their breasts.

[COR=6.6; (95%CI: 3.88-11.21); p<0.001]. Practice level is significantly associated with breast self-examination [AOR=15.8; (95% CI: 8.46-29.63); P<0.001] while student attitude level is not significantly associated with breast selfexamination [AOR=1.4; (95% CI: 0.82-2.42); P=0.220]. Programs aimed at increasing the knowledge and improving female students' attitudes on breast cancer and breast self-examination should be implemented in the schools. More attention is given to female students below the ages of 20.

Tissue Engineering Scaffolds for Organ Regeneration Joshua Singleton, Dr. Naznin Sultana, Ph.D. (Faculty Mentor), and Dennis E Daniels, Ph.D. Welch Foundation, Undergraduate Medical Academy, Prairie View A&M University

Background: Tissue Engineering is a branch of regenerative medicine that deals with the replacement and repairing of damaged cells, tissues and organs. The application of tissue engineering is meant to use biomaterials that are degradable such as highly porous scaffolds, to aid in the growth of new tissue from damaged tissue. Objective: The objective of this study was to further investigate the different structural properties of different substitutes of scaffolds Materials and Methods: In this study, the use of 0.25g of Chitosan was dissolved in 15 ml of 2% acetic acid. Then it was transferred to the freezer to be freeze-dried using the Labconco Freeze-dryer. Results: 3-D scaffolds were successfully fabricated using the Freeze-drying technique. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image confirmed the porous structure of the scaffold. The scaffold had good handling properties and showed the formation of many pores. The scaffold had an average pore size of 162 micrometers. The water uptake of the scaffold after two weeks was 491%. Conclusion: Preliminary results show that the scaffolds could have the potential for tissue engineering applications. Further study on cell culture is needed to confirm the cytotoxicity of the materials.

Keywords: Scaffolds, Organ Regeneration, Damaged tissue, Pore Size, SEM

ANTI OXIDATIVE POTENTIALS AND STORAGE STABILITY OF MIXED PINEAPPLE AND BITTER ORANGE FRUIT JUICE OLUBUNMI FLORENCE ADEBAYO and DR AKEEM OLAYEMI RAJI (Faculty Mentor) FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KWARA STATE UNIVERSITY, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Humans are daily exposed to free radicals from various sources causing degenerative diseases but can be prevented by daily intake of natural antioxidants. Bitter orange is an underutilized antioxidants source that can help curb degenerative diseases if its consumption is encouraged by masking its bitterness or sourness with a natural sweetening pineapple. Pasteurized mixed fruit juices from the various percentage of bitter orange and pineapple (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0%) were produced using standard procedures, stored at ambient condition and analyzed monthly for six months. Their physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities, sensory properties, and microbial load were determined using standard methods. Data obtained were analyzed using ANOVA. The pH, obrix, titratable acidity, vitamin C, total carotenoid, total antioxidant, DPPH, total phenolic, reducing power ranged from 2.43-4.34, 10.66-15.40 obrix, 0.08- 0.86 mg/g, 0.10-0.45mg/g, 0.03-0.98mg/g, 0.25-1.01mg/g, 14.95 - 91.28%, 0.10-0.28 mg/g, 0.11-1.64 mg/g respectively. The color, taste, aroma, mouthfeel, and overall acceptability varied from 6.53-7.63, 4.428.16, 6.21- 7.47, 4.63-7.89, and 5.21-7.89, respectively. The percentage of mixing and length of storage significantly influenced all the parameters mentioned above at a 95% confidence level. Juice sample having 25% bitter orange and 75% pineapple was the most preferred by panelists, possessing high antioxidants capacities and better keeping quality.

The Evaluation of the PVAMU Soil Microbiome: Evaluation of the Diversity of Microorganisms Princess Pinamang and Dr. Quincy C. Moore, Ph.D. (Faculty Mentor) Department of Biology, Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences Prairie View A&M University

Soil-borne microorganisms are an essential part of the biosphere, yet just a small percentage have been identified and even fewer have been cultivated under laboratory conditions. The microbes in the ground beneath us are beneficial beyond the agricultural sector, they influence human and environmental health. In an effort to bridge the data gap, this study assesses the diversity and characteristics of the soil bacteria throughout the Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical University campus and Gov. Bill and Vara Daniel Farm. This work is an extension of a previous soil survey of the campus that evaluated the availability of micronutrients as well as chemical properties of the soil.

Nutrient agar plates were inoculated with various soil samples overnight. Growth was observed and plated in IF-A media for use in the Biolog. Catalase and oxidase enzymatic tests and gram stains were conducted on the bacterial cultures. Major findings include a dominance of Gram-positive bacteria (64.3 %), a presence of endospores, and strong -hemolytic activity on differential media. As the different bacterial species were isolated from the soil, we identified varying degrees of enzymatic activity and 4 separate colony shapes. Additionally, compositional comparisons were made beyond the previous study through the aid of publicly available regional and global spatial studies and datasets.

These results will encourage further local scale soil analysis and build the necessary dataset to investigate the impact of climate change and urbanization on the soil microbial community.

Creación de Ortomosaicos en Cámaras Cerradas Ricardo Romero-Lomeli, Julio Acevedo-Martinez, M.C., Jose Ernesto Olvera-Gonzalez (Faculty Mentor), Nivia Iracemi Escalante-Garcia, Deland Myers, Peter Ampim and Eric Obeng

The process of monitoring big crop extensions is made through an aerial photograph taken by Drones. That way, we may be informed of the plants' status over this zone just by observation, and if we use the Vegetative Index Algorithms on the photographs taken, we can determine the plants' health per area. This kind of method can be applied, transported, and used on vertical farms in Closed Grow Chambers and monitoring the Microgreens growth and their health on each light recipe involved. An experimental method has been developed to create Orthomosaics through pictures taken between 28 and 32 cm height with two different kinds of cameras over a growth rack that measures 51 x 155 cm.

These cameras were positioned in 30 other places to get 30 different pictures without GPS data. It was necessary to have some references as white paper with lines and squares of 6.5 x 6.5 cm, some pens, a pencil, and a watch to construct the Orthomosaic system. We got the creation of RGB and NGB Orthomosaics with pictures without GPS data on 51 x 155 cm taken at the height of 30 cm and applying the algorithm of the vegetative index according to the type of Orthomosaic obtained, showing us the possibility of seeing the health of the plants thru photographs. We concluded that the aerial monitoring methods by Drones are possible to use on vertical farms inside Closed Grow Chambers. When constructing Orthomosaics of different Microgreens, we can apply the Vegetative Index Algorithm according to the type of Orthomosaic created and obtain the optimal health and the growth of these due to the different kinds of light recipes.

Role of Topology Optimization in Enhancing Structural Efficiency of Fixture Adaptor for Drilling Top Drive Test Stand Achille Louodom Chedjou and Jaejong Park (Faculty Mentor) Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Prairie View A&M University

A top drive is an essential apparatus in oil field drilling since it provides the torque necessary for the drilling operations.

The API (American Petroleum Institute) (8c) defines the classification of top drives based on their torque capacity.

Top drive manufacturers should conduct in-house testing to make sure the product meets the technical requirements per the FAT (Factory Acceptance Test), as well as in conformity with API specs. A testing area is equipped with a hydraulic motor with a dynamometer to apply and measure the necessary torque during testing, which stays around 30,000 ft-lb, and a top drive which weighs 25,000 lb is mounted on a test stand. Depending on the manufacturer, there exists a design discrepancy in the mounting mechanism; The manufacturer will thus have to build a big test stand for each type of configuration, which may pose space issues. In the case of Canrig Drilling technology Ltd, who recently got the acquisition of Tesco Drilling, it was imperative to find a way to test top drives from Tesco for better utilization of limited space. The objective of this study is to design an Adapter Fixture to accommodate Tesco's top drives onto the Canrig Test stand, and to use the topology optimization technique to optimize the design of the fixture. Following our preliminary study, the three loadings were selected to form a multi-loading structural optimization problem; Top Drive in the vertical position and testing running, Top Drive in vertical and no test running, Top drive on the test stand, in horizontal in the staging area. Setting up the right boundary and loading conditions are critical in topology optimization as topology optimization iteratively updates the design based on the structural characteristic of current solution. The topology optimization technique showed efficacy in removing materials from structurally less critical locations promoting better material usage therby improved structural efficiency. Currently, the parametric study on optimization parameters are being completed to explore the feasible design options such that reasonable safety factor can be obtained.

Keywords: Drilling top drive, Fixture Adaptor, Topology Optimization, Structural Efficiency, Finite Element Analysis

APPLICATION OF NANO-SIZE CHITOSAN-ZNS-FOLIC ACID AS A POTENTIAL PHOTOTHERMAL AGENT IN CANCER THERAPY JOHNSON, ANDRE1, S. Bandara1, L. Carson1, A. Oki2. 1Cooperative Agricultural Research Center, College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, 2 Department of Chemistry Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX 77446

In this study, a nano-size therapeutic drug delivery system was synthesized using the polymer chitosan, ZnS, and folic acid (CS-ZnS-FA) for cancer photothermal therapy. In this system, chitosan, which is usually extracted from agricultural waste, acts as the carrier molecule, while folic acid can specifically target cancer cells that are overexpressing folic acid receptors. The therapeutic property comes from ZnS, which can act as a photothermal agent due to its ability to absorb near-infrared light. The heat generated from absorbing light can specifically destroy the cancer cells containing the drug delivery system. The main objectives of this study were to: 1) determine the cytotoxicity of the compound to the cells, 2) determine the ability of the compound to act as a photo-thermal agent.

To test the therapeutic effect of CS-ZnS-FA, a cervical cancer cell line (HeLa), and an ovarian cancer cell line (SKOV3) overexpressing folic acid receptors was utilized. The cells were cultured in T-75 flasks with RPMI 1640 medium with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 100 U /ml Penicillin-Streptomycin. The culture flasks were incubated at 37 °C with 5% Cand maintained by regular passaging and feeding. Then, the cells were treated with CS-ZnS-FA at concentrations ranging from 0 to 600 ppm. The viability of the cells after treatments was assessed using MTT colorimetric assay according to the manufacture's protocol. The results indicated that CS-ZnS-FA is not toxic to the studied cancer cells under normal physiological conditions, showing the potential of the compound as a drug delivery agent.

Keywords: chitosan, cancer, photothermal therapy, ZnS, folic acid

Effect of magnetic fields on nanoscale heat transfer mechanisms Arash Karimbakhsh Asli and Shahin Shafiee (Faculty Mentor) Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Prairie View A&M University The perception of phonon and phonon scatterings can be defined when long-wavelength phonons give rise to sound.

Phonons and their collective excitations play a significant role in conducting both heat and electricity. Frequent demands of renewable energy sources are required individuals to know the thermal transferability under various technologies and boundary conditions. With measuring the effects on scattering rates before and after applying the magnetic field, the thermal control and improvement in thermal performance in solid materials are anticipated to disclosure exciting data. In this work, it will be considered to utilize either traditional or new materials or magnetite (Fe3O4) and iron filings (random composition of iron oxides). Four phases and procedures can be considered for measurement and evaluation, which are included to be in natural conditions of scattering of our solid and without exposing in heat elements as phase one. As a second phase, heat will be released, and the scattering rate of phonons in nanoscale measurement will be recorded. By exposing the sample to a magnetic field, nanoscale magnetic sensing will be applied with electron spin of magnetic material under ambient conditions, which would be the third phase of measurements. The electromagnetic field is a manifestation of changes, and the electron has a charge or its own magnetic field changes in one directly influence the other to scatter the phones. This rate of scattering will be measured. In the final step, heat will be directed to the solid, and data will be collected. The conclusion can be reached by determination of constant boundary conditions, sample, insulation, room temperature, and recording the heat flux in each step. In a broad view, the nanoscale measurements of heat transfer are considered to be the next generation of heat transfer study, and the result of this paper aims to develop the nanoscale research to monitor the thermal management strategies with comparison conditions.

Keywords: Heat transfer, Nanoscale, Magnetic fields, Phonon scattering, Boundary condition

Mental Health Concerns and Coping among Black College Students Impacted by Triple Crises: A Multi-Site Survey Ashley Nelson, Stephen Aisabokhae, Dorie Gilbert (Faculty Mentor), and Peter A. Metofe Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences Prairie View A&M University

The year 2020 brought with it triple crises related to health, economic, and systemic racism for the nation s African American (Black) population. First, the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis laid bare the long-standing health disparities for African Americans, who, as a group, experience significant health and mental health disparities.

Secondly, even before COVID-19 and the resultant economic plunge, Black Americans had an unemployment rate that was almost twice the national rate; and have fared poorly in the new economic environment, reporting disproportionately high job loss, financial strain, and lack of reserves to weather the financial crisis. Thirdly, the aftermath of the George Floyd murder ushered in a never-before-seen racial reckoning in America. The continued racialized assaults and slow-to-come changes contribute to anxiety and depression among African Americans, and young, college-age African Americans are significantly impacted. To explore these triple crises, as there is a dearth of studies addressing the overlapping consequences of the health, financial, and systemic racism crises on African American/Black college student populations, the proposed study s goals are as follows: (1) examine the nature and prevalence of mental health concerns among African American/Black college students associated with the triple crises; (2) to determine variances in experiences between African American/Black college students attending HBCUs versus PWIs; and (3) to determine strategies for designing university-based mental health responses to support African American/Black college students. Currently, the research is in the IRB review stage.

Following IRB approval, this multi-institutional research study will utilize online survey (Qualtrics) techniques based on a researcher-designed instrument to collect quantitative and qualitative data from self-identified African American/Black college students on HBCU and PWI campuses with an estimated sample size of five hundred (500).

The survey will cover student demographics, economic status, the impact of COVID-19, general mental health, and system racism.

Applications of Data Analytics in Computational Biology Bernard Nyarko2, Kelly P. Williams1, and Noushin Ghaffari2 (Faculty Mentor) 1

Sandia National Laboratories

2

Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Computer Science Department Prairie View A&M University

Big Data is a relatively new field of study that provides the means to analyze, systematically extract information from, or otherwise deal with datasets too large or complex to be dealt with by traditional data processing applications. On the other hand, data analytics entails the cleansing, transformation and modeling of data with the aim of uncovering relevant information and informing conclusions. Application of Data Analytics concepts to the field of computational biology is our goal. Numerous biological assays generate huge volumes of data and making sense out of the data require application of interdisciplinary methods. Biological datasets and publicly or privately maintained databases contain valuable information that can be analyzed by robust algorithms developed by other fields of science such as computer science. We aim at applying systematic search methods to enhance the performance of the Target/Integrative Genetic Elements Retriever (TIGER) program centered on the quantification and analysis of large volumes of biological data. TIGER deals with Mobile Genetic Elements (MGEs), which are segments of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) that encode enzymes and other proteins which mediate the movement of DNA within genomes or between bacterial cells, resulting in transposon discoveries. TIGER suffers from slow running time. We are considering tools and techniques to speed up the search process, by examining multiple software and hardware-based approaches to improve its performance, including employing GPU nodes.

Expertise in data science coupled with our thorough literature review provided promising paths in analyzing large TIGER inputs, improving speed and making significant transposon discoveries. Findings from published research and our past work indicate a clear path and provide us with a framework that can be used in improving the performance of search algorithms in analyzing biological data. Overall, our research focuses on creating efficient workflows that are geared toward enhancing the performance of the TIGER software module.

Keywords: Data Analytics, Computational Biology, Biological Assays, Databases, Mobile Genetic Elements .

Comparison of Growth Studies of Two Types of Microgreens in Greenhouse Setting Versus Light Emitting Diodes Charles Carpenter, Jaylin Lewis, Andre Johnson, Eric Obeng, Peter Ampim, Addisie Gerenew, Selamawit Woldesenbet, Richard W. Griffin, and Laura Carson

The production of microgreens is gaining a lot of attention as an edible product due to its short (7-14 days) growth period. Since 1996, microgreens have been used to enhance the flavor of restaurant cuisines, like sandwiches, salads, and soups, due to the assortment of colors, visual textures, aromas, and flavors. In this preliminary study, two seeds of Mesclun Mix (MM) and Gourmet Salad Blend Mix (GSBM), purchased from Twilley Seed Company, were placed in 2 in. x 2 in. slots using Promix growth media. The plants were grown in a greenhouse on the Bill and Vara Daniel Farm. The objectives of the research project were to 1) assess the germination rates for each seed type; 2) assess the growth rates in a tray system; and 3) assess growth characteristics in the presence of 40 Watts White Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). The preliminary results indicated that: 1) on Day 5, the Mesclun Mix had the highest number of sprouted plants; 2) on Day 7, all MM and Gourmet Salad Blend Mix plants had a complete set of leaves, but MM had the tallest plants; 3) on Day 15, the average height of MM was 2 in. (5.1 cm) followed by GSBM at 1.5 in. (3.8 cm), and 4) on Day 25, most of the MM and GSBM sprouts had withered. Other studies using LEDS are in progress.

Flood Management Using Hydrologic and Remote Sensing Data Daniel Jackson1 and Ram Ray2 (Faculty Mentor) 1

Department of Computer Information System 2

College of Agriculture and Human Sciences Prairie View A&M University

Floods are one of the most destructive natural disasters causing severe damages to public and private infrastructure, socio-economic activities, and agricultural and ecological services. Flood frequency and extent are likely to exacerbate in the future with increased occurrences of extreme rainfall events under changing climate and land use under the growing population. Therefore, assessing flood risk under a changing environment is essential to develop future climate-resilient management strategies to mitigate socio-economic and environmental damages. This project's primary goal is to create a methodological framework for flood management and mapping using publicly available remote sensing and hydrological data for Texas's select watershed. We collected and developed satellite and hydrologic databases for the proposed watershed from 2015 to 2017. Since our goal was to focus on the flood/extreme events, we mainly analyzed the data on the days, months, and years with extreme circumstances, such as floods and hurricanes (e.g., Harvey). The preliminary results show Landsat and Sentinel satellite data can be used to identify the inundation/flood zones during extreme rainfall events. The estimated runoff and flood map can be used to develop a methodological framework for flood management.

Keywords: flood, flood management, rainfall,hydrologic and remote sensing data, watershed.

Effect of Pretreatment on Biogas Production of Sorghum David Burrows1, Harjinder Kaur1, Raghava R. Kommalapati1, 2 (Faculty Mentor) 1

Center of Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Prairie view A&M University

2

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Prairie View A&M University

The climate of our world is ever-changing, and as humans, we continue to adapt by finding renewable sources of energy to create a more sustainable atmosphere. Biogas is a renewable energy source that continues to be produced using different feedstocks such as chicken and swine manure, landfill waste, and plant residues. In this experiment, we determined the effect of hot water and alkali treatments (6% NaOH on a wet weight basis) on the major bioenergy crop sorghum. Sorghum residues were collected from the field research trials at Texas A&M University. It was dried at 80 C, passed through Willy mill, sieved (2 mm), characterized for C, H, N, S. The fresh inoculum obtained from the Prairie View wastewater treatment plant was de-gassed for a week. Biomethane potential assays were conducted under mesophilic conditions, and biogas readings were taken daily for 14 days. The maximum cumulative biomethane yield was observed in hot water treatment followed by alkali. The results show that hot water and alkali treatments enhance biomethane recovery. Future research trials will focus on co-digesting sorghum with animal manures such as goat to enhance the bioenergy recovery from manures.

Identification and Comparison of the fatty acids in animal milk using Gas Chromatography Denzel Alexander and Harshica Fernando (Faculty Mentor) Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry Prairie View A&M University

Milk and dairy products are part of human nutrition and milk fat consist of triglycerides and other lipids, which compose of diacylglycerols, cholesterol, phospholipids and free fatty acids (FAs). FAs are important for human nutrition. Currently, awareness towards the role of essential FAs in human health and disease prevention has increased among people. FAs are hydrolyzed from the fats before absorption in the small intestine. Some FAs are available through the diet and some synthesized in the human body. Some essential FAs are available only through the diet. Of the FAs (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), polyunsaturated FAs exert anti-inflammatory effects and their increase presence through the diet is recommended. Analysis of FAs are complicated as they are of high molecular weight and are less volatility. FAs are converted to fatty acid methyl esters to increase the volatility. Devise a method for the esterification, identify, and compare the FAs present in pasteurized cow and goat milk using gas chromatographic methods. Milk lipids extracted using a modified Folch method. Extracted lipids hydrolyzed and methylated. Samples run using gas chromatography mass spectrometry and a flame ionization detector. Identification of the fatty acids were carried out by, matching the masses using the Mass Hunter software and running a calibration standard. Both type of milk lipids contain high amount of saturated fatty acids. Of the monounsaturated FAs, 16:1, 18:1, 20:1 FAs were present in both milk lipids. As for the polyunsaturated FAs, cow milk contained 18:2, 20:3, 20:4, 22:4, 22:5 FAs while goat milk contained 18:2, 20:4, 22:5, and 24:5 FAs. Future studies will lead to an understanding of the lipid group, which these FAs are attached in the different types of milk.

Key words: Fatty acids, Gas chromatography, milk lipids, saturated, unsaturated

Purification and Pyrolysis of Bacterial Cellulose from Kombucha Pellicle Deping Wang and Raghava R. Kommalapati, Hongbo Du, Ananda S. Amarasekara Center for Energy & Environmental Sustainability

ABSTRACT

Kombucha SCOBY pellicle formed as a waste product in the kombucha tea fermentation industry can be used as a potential source for bacterial cellulose. This research compared four simple, scalable purification methods for the purification of jelly-like cellulosic matrix containing bacteria, yeast cells, proteins, and polyphenols as impurities.

Kombucha SCOBY pellicle was treated with 1.0 M NaOH at room temperature and 90°C separately. After washing several times, it was bleached separately with 1.5%(w/w) aq. NaOCl and 1.5 % (w/w) aqueous hydrogen peroxide for 2 hours. Then it was washed with deionized water (6x500 mL), patted dry with Kleenex tissues. Finally, the pellicle was transferred to watch glass and dried in an oven at 50 °C for 20 h. and weighed. The method using two successive 1.0 M NaOH washing at 90°C, followed by the treatment of 1.5 % (w/w) aq. NaOCl for 2h is the most effective and gave the purified cellulose sample with the highest Leucometer whiteness value of 81.4±4.8. Dry cellulose product can be obtained as up to 3.5% of the original dry mass. The purified samples were analyzed with FT-IR, TGA, SEM, EDS, and water absorption at room temperature. After pyrolyzing at 600 - 800 °C for 10 minutes, 5.6-10.6% dry mass remains under the air condition, and 10.6-22.5% remains under the nitrogen protection condition. Our further analyses with FI-IR, SEM, Raman, and Zeta potential show that graphene oxide is produced from the purified cellulose through pyrolysis under the air/pure nitrogen condition.

A Dynamic Predictive Control Technique to Optimize The QOS Performance Of ZIGBEE-Based Home-Based Area Network In The Internet of Things Ekele Arthur Asonye, Sarhan M. Musa College of Engineering, Electrical, Prairie View A&M University

Abstract As technology evolves in the 21st century, with devices becoming increasingly connected, the most profound challenge of the Internet of Things (IoT) for Device-to-Device (D2D) communications in the home, office, or industry like for power and transportation has been on organizing this large number of devices into a network of things. The majority of these devices constituting the IoT setup are lightweight and low-power wireless sensor nodes. The IoT smart home s objective is to monitor connected devices continuously, collect data, process data, and give feedback where and when needed in a secured manner. Within this chain of communication are numerous nontrivial and computational issues. In a typical ZigBee-based Home Area Network (HAN) in IoT, end devices send an enormous amount of data to the coordinator and other end devices through intermediary devices like routers. This creates overhead application traffic in the coordinator s queue. The built-up queue causes congestion and subsequent dropping of packets, increasing delay and reducing throughput. Also, there has been limited progress made to improve the Quality of Service (QoS) for IoT networks that connect sensor devices in ZigBee-enabled HAN. Furthermore, in the ZigBee network protocol, the Random Early Detection s (RED) inability to proactively manage delay and throughput conditions, resolve response time issues in real-time, and the abrupt dropping of very important packets, limit the capabilities of RED to be deployed. To resolve service issues, improve communication across the network, and avoid congestion challenges, a good representation of the data flow is needed. In this study, the ZigBee-based IoT HAN and queue dynamics are modeled based on a fluid-flow model and stochastic differential equation analysis since they are known to reduce simulation overhead of network dynamics; this also produces useful averaged approximations of network metrics.

Different Techniques for Converting Plastic Wastes into Useful Chemicals Elizabeth Osadare, Emmanuel Dada, Ph.D. (Faculty Advisor) Department of Chemical Engineering, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering Prairie View A & M University, Prairie View, TX 77446

Plastic is essentially an indispensable commodity and relatively cheap the annual global production of plastic increases due to its numerous industrial and domestic applications. Over 350 million tons of plastics are produced annually, and over 8 million tons of the wastes end up in the ocean. Plastic is naturally non-degradable. Consequently, the unmanaged plastic waste accumulation results in environmental pollution, which poses a threat to human health some aquatic animals, including fish, feed on plastics in the ocean. Micro-plastics have been found in bottled drinking water and sampled human stools. Therefore, converting the waste plastics into valued and valuable chemical products will significantly help to mitigate the global environmental issues associated with plastic wastes. To investigate a different technological method for the conversion of plastic wastes into useful chemicals. Also, to identify the most economical route for utilizing accumulated plastic wastes and develop a greener and sustainable process for converting the accumulated waste into useful chemical products. Sampled waste plastics of different compositions are used as feedstock. Technological methods considered include Thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of waste plastic samples; Photocatalytic and hydro-catalytic conversion process, and Bio-catalytic degradation of waste plastic samples into useful chemicals. The economic viability of each technological method was investigated, and the developed sustainable greener process was described. Useful chemical products obtained from plastic waste include Formic acids, BTX Aromatic chemicals (Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene), liquid fuels, and lubricating oil. The developed greener and sustainable process are efficient in converting different types of plastic waste into valuable chemicals with zero pollution to the environment. This will ultimately help to mitigate environmental pollution associated with plastic debris.

Keywords: Plastic waste, Pyrolysis, Useful Chemicals, Conversion, Catalytic, Sustainable

Intrusion Detection Modelling And Evaluation of Feature Selection on the Model Nwokoma Faith and Cajetan Akujuobi (Faculty Mentor) Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Department, Secure Research Center Prairie View A&M University

Research has shown that by selecting relevant features for an intrusion detection system, it is possible to significantly improve the detection accuracy and performance of the intrusion detection system. These days, with the evolution of technologies such as Cloud Computing, or Big Data, a large amount of network traffic is generated zettabytes, and the intrusion detection system must collect and analyze the incoming data dynamically. However, in a huge dataset, not all features are true representations of the traffic, therefore feature reduction and selection may improve the speed and accuracy of the intrusion detection system. In this study, I propose a feature selection mechanism that aims to remove irrelevant features and at the same time identify the features that will contribute to the improvement of the detection rate, based on the score each feature has established during the process of the selection process. To accomplish this objective, a recursive feature elimination process was employed and associated with a decision tree-based classifier, and later, the suitable relevant features were identified. This was used on the NSL-KDD dataset which is an improvement on the previous KDD 1999 Dataset. With this methodology, relevant features were identified in the dataset and the accuracy was higher. The results support the idea that features selection significantly improve the predictor performance. Hence, understanding the factors that help in identifying relevant features will help the designer to build a better intrusion detection system.

Treatment of Poultry Slaughterhouse Wastewater with Membrane Technologies Faryal Fatima, Hongbon Du, and Raghava Kommalapati (Faculty Mentor) Center for Energy & Environmental Sustainability (CREST) and Civil and Environmental Engineering Prairie View A&M University

The poultry slaughterhouse is one of the largest industries that produce a large amount of wastewater, which is usually treated by conventional methods. The conventional methods for treating poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSWW) face severe challenges, especially the incapability of recovering valuable nutrients and water. Therefore, membrane technology has been in great attention by researchers for its enormous advantages over conventional methods.

Membrane technology provides high efficiency for the pollutant removal and recovery of valuable products. It may remove approximately all the pollutants from PSWW and purify the water to the required level for discharging to the environment and reusing for industrial poultry purposes while being economically efficient. In this study, PSWW was pretreated by ultrafiltration (UF) and then undergo a hybrid process of forwarding osmosis (FO) and reverse osmosis (RO). The FO membrane surfaces were modified by zwitterionic polymers, including L-DOPA, to improve the membrane's anti-fouling properties on the porous support side. The water quality was evaluated according to standard methods for examining water and wastewater by measuring pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The membrane technologies showed excellent results by decreasing the pH level to 6.5, conductivity to 525 µS/cm, TDS to 336 mg/L, and COD to 120 mg/L using low energy consumption and zero chemical technology. All the measured parameters comply with the discharging and reusing standards, excluding the COD. The incredible performance of membrane technology indicates it as an alternative approach for treating PSWW.

Quantum Mechanics Characterization Interaction between Covid-19 and Antibody of Human Origin Hana F Sulaiman and Yuemin Liu (Faculty Mentor) Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry Prairie View A&M University Worldwide pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 It is also known SARS-Cov-2) stems from the RNA COVI-19 virus. COVID-19 virus belongs to capsuled positive-stranded RNA virus and categorized beta coronavirus genus which can infect human. Studies show that COVID-19 achieves cell invasion through interactions between their RBD and cell surface receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Varieties of neutralizing antibodies (Abs) have been identified to target at RBD domains of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Knowledge of the interaction energy between key residues of epitope of RBD and screening antibody helps the rational design of drugs and vaccines for COVID-19. High level MP2 calculations based on high-resolution crystal structures will be conducted to evaluate the interactions between B38 of COVID-19 and B38 Fab at amnio acid level. Considering nature of quick evolution of COVID-19, structural models of the newly discovered COVID-19 spike protein-antibody/inhibitor systems will be build based on the available high-resolution structures using phylogenetic analysis, and homology. These model geometries will be further refined through Molecular Dynamics, Quantum Mechanics/Monte Carlo, and Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics simulations. Pair-wise interactions among amino acid residues or small inhibitor molecules will be calculated, and then overall interactions will be computed and discussed. Furthermore, a web-based platform for Quantum Mechanics calculations will be developed for public, which will be dedicated to Quantum Mechanical calculations of pair-wise interactions among amino acid residues or small inhibitor molecules for COVID19 spike protein-antibody/inhibitor systems. Results of this proposal may facilitate the COVID-19 vaccine and drug screening.

Visualizing Real-Time Sensor Data from Azure IoT Hub using Power BI

Happy Rani Debi and Ahmed Abdelmoamen Ahmed (Faculty Mentor) Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Computer Science Prairie View A&M University

This project developed a real-time visualization system for IoT sensory data using Power BI and Azure IoT hub. The hardware and software components needed for this experiment are an Azure IoT hub, a Power BI account, a client application that sends messages to the Azure IoT hub, a computer running Windows 10, macOS 10.10+ or Ubuntu 18.04+. First, we created, configured, and ran a stream analytics job in Azure IoT Hub. After creating the job, we defined the inputs, outputs, and the query used to retrieve the data; and then added input to the Stream Analytics job. Second, we created and published a Power BI report to visualize the data. Third, we created a line chart to show real-time humidity over time. Experimental results using PowerBiVisualization datasets showed that it could visualize real-time sensor data effectively from the Azure IoT hub using Power BI. In summary, we learned how to visualize real-time sensor data that the Azure IoT hub receives by using Power BI. A Power BI report to visualize the data and stream sensor data into the cloud. Using an IoT device simulator (Raspberry Pi), temperature and humidity readings will be sent to Azure IoT Hub, consumed by Stream Analytics, and visualized in real-time by Power BI.

Redox Properties of Silver Nano-complexes Synthesized Using Pasteurized Cow and Goat milk Isha Gautam, Brianna Williams, Tony Grady, and Harshica Fernando (Faculty Mentor) Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry Prairie View A&M University

The reactivity of metal complexes can be monitored using electron transfer processes, and cyclic voltammetry (CV) can be used for this purpose. In recent years, silver has received great interest in nanoparticles' preparation because silver exhibits many different properties. Most of the work carried out in the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles focuses on obtaining nanoparticles for agricultural use. Not much attention is given to investigating the redox properties where they can be used in other fields. Investigate the redox properties of nanoparticles synthesized using green methods. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using Cow and Goat milk at 25° and 37°C. Characterization was done using UV/Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, SEM, and dynamic light scattering measurements. CV measurements were made at room temperature using phosphate and Tris- HCl of pH = 7.4. Our data show that silver nanoparticles are formed, and the CV data shows that the silver particles of both cow (AgCW) and goat milk (AgGT) show redox properties. The electrode potentials of the AgGT do not offer a significant variation with the choice of buffer and the preparation temperature. In contrast, the AgCW show a substantial change in the selection of buffer at one temperature while the other preparation had a more negligible effect on the choice of the buffer. Dynamic light scattering measurements indicate that all particles formed are in the nanometer range, and the average size of the particles of AgGT has less effect of temperature as compared to that of AgCW. The synthesized particles have potential applications in other fields.

Keywords: Cyclic Voltammetry, redox properties, nanoparticles, milk, temperature

Mental Health and Well Being of Black Single Mothers During a Pandemic Jacquelyn B. Bosley and Michael D. Royster (Faculty Mentor) Marvin D. and June Samuel Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences, Sociology Prairie View A&M University

Drawing from the works of Alegria, Vallas, and Pumariega, high rates of isolation and socioeconomic disadvantage of minority children can have significant adverse effects on children's mental health, including depression and behavior problems, anxiety disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, and a range of other adjustment difficulties.

Food insecurity, or uncertain food availability because of inadequate resources, is one of the many challenges associated with poverty (Alegria, Vallas, and Pumariega, 2010). These factors contribute to race and ethnicity, which comes with the term "compounded community trauma," defined as children's experience when they witness violence in both their homes and their neighborhoods. Having to deal with poverty, low resources, poorly funded schools, and then seeing violence at such an early age is why the minority community suffers from mental health issues. They are constantly not being reassured of much going on around them, so their confidence level goes down, which could also be why they do not check on their mental health status. Another less recognized, high-risk population is children of women who have experienced maternal depression. Stress and coping strategies are significant factors explaining health disparities in African American women. (Woods-Giscombé, Cheryl L, 2010). It starts with the mother, and if she does not get the proper help, it creates this cycle for the next generation not to have their mental health checked on. With Black women having to carry on with a "superwoman role" is an addition to why they do not go to check on themselves. They carry too much weight trying to make a way and prove to others their capabilities, and it can be heavy, but with such a high stigma against them, they feel like they have no choice. As a result, African American women suffer from the start of pregnancy which is expected, but it affects their children and continues to cycle within their community.

Key Words: Trauma, Stress, Mental Health, Single Mothers

They Don t Reall Care About Us: A Critical Analysis of Recovery Efforts Targeting Black Senior Citizens Post - Texas Winter Storm Uri Jerome Davis, Praise Benson, Hali Shofner, Stephanie Cancel, Tiona Broussard, Tiera Colvin, Ocie Miles, and Tiffany D. Thomas (Faculty Mentor) School of Architecture Prairie View A&M University

In the wake of Texas Winter Storm Uri, rapid response recovery has been coordinated and executed by local and community-based organizations. In the Houston/Harris County region, weather disasters have handicapped Black communities by creating housing displacement and deeper economic fragility. Limited financial resources and immobility, coupled with COVID-19 has disrupted society, especially senior citizens. The selected population is affected because they are immobile, experience major health issues, and are less likely to receive recovery information.

In response to rapid recovery needs for Black senior citizens post disaster, the research focuses on establishing avenues to support and provide for this selected population with adequate recovery communication and recovery packages with the classroom being leveraged as an incubator for participatory research. Using Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) methods, students will serve as a liaison between the community and the senior citizens to emphasize the importance of setting them as a priority during disaster recovery efforts. The Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) methods presents two principles that will assist the research of community recovery efforts.

The first principle selected is to have Leaders add others as active members of the community (ABCD), 2016). The second principle selected is Asking questions rather than giving answers invites stronger participation (ABCD, 2016). This research anticipates providing critical policy and action-oriented recommendations for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and community-based organizations to prioritize the recovery efforts involving Black communities, particularly senior citizens. Furthermore, Prairie View A&M University, the only HBCU and institution in Texas with a Community Development program should contribute more to disaster recovery planning through engaged research practices- community needs assessments.

Keywords: Rapid Recovery, Senior Citizens, ABCD, COVID-19, Winter Storm Uri

Preserving Piney Point: The Importance of Collaborating with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Preserve Black Cultural Spaces Kennedy Wallace and Tiffany Thomas (Faculty Mentor) School of Architecture, Community Development Prairie View A & M University

The Emancipation Proclamation offered new opportunities and possibilities for the once enslaved African Descendants in the United States of America. After the Emancipation, these newly freed Black Americans were given more latitude to create their own identities and define what it means to be Black in America. Piney Point, a Freedmen's Town, offers tangible and intangible histories that help identify and give visibility to a Black Cultural Space over 155 years old in Houston, Texas. Preserving this community is preserving many Black Houstonians' heritage and their stories of triumphs, wealth, religious identity, and love. In attempting to preserve these Black Cultural Spaces, Historically Black Colleges and Universities need to be utilized to foster community-based participatory research efforts. HBCU's presence not only helps limit predatory practices, but HBCU's also have the mission, faculty, and innate ability to help facilitate long-lasting relationships. Ultimately, their presence helps break down barriers and quickly identify issues that can lead to sustaining and revitalizing historic black communities threatened by Marginalization and Gentrification, as identified in Piney Point. The process of identifying threats to Piney Point was done by using Community-Based Participatory Research, Ethnographic Study Methods, a Geospatial Analysis, and a 20 Question Survey. Though research was limited due to COVID-19, it was identified that the Piney Point Community's original residents were experiencing various forms of Gentrification that directly impact the residents through cultural and capitalistic aspects. If local governments, institutions, and other various organizations collaborate with HBCUs and members of significant black cultural spaces, more tangible and intangible aspects of Black American History and culture can be adequately preserved while creating healthy longterm relationships that allow Black Cultural Spaces the ability to thrive.

Keywords: Community, Emancipation Proclamation, Ethnographic Study, Gentrification, Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Electrochemical Anodization of Titanium to Fabricate Multi-leg Nanotubes Lashavio Little, Hongbo Du, and Raghava Kommalapati (Faculty Mentor) Center for Energy & Environmental Sustainability (CREST) and Civil and Environmental Engineering Prairie View A&M University

Anodization is an electrochemical process that is used to modify metal surfaces to produce productive layers. This research focuses on producing titanium dioxide (TiO2) multi-leg nanotubes (MLNTs) by way of electrochemical anodization. The MLNTs have been shown to promote higher photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance compared to other methods such as hydrothermal or sol-gel methods and even synthesizing conventional nanotubes.

To fabricate the MLNTs, titanium foil must be cleaned with a soap solution, ultrasonicated before anodizing with an electrolyte mixture, and a constant voltage applied between a cathode (platinum foil) and an anode (titanium foil). The synthesis of MLNTs at a constant voltage of 50-60V using an electrolyte mixture has been shown to develop a photocatalyst that exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity. The MLNTs are then annealed at a temperature between 500-900°C. Literature shows that using the electrochemical method and annealing the TiO2 MLNTs at 500°C resulted in a 4-fold increase in the photocurrent measurements compared to compact nanotubes. When the TiO 2 MLNTs are coupled with CdS and wrapped with graphene oxide, a bandgap of 2.2 eV was reported. The enhanced performance can be attributed to decreasing the electron-hole recombination rate, which allows for a more efficient hole transfer rate to the electrolyte. Future research and experiments will focus on improving the photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance of TiO2 MLNTs.

Fabrication of Forward Osmosis Membrane for Shale Oil & Gas Produced Water Treatment Layla Ogletree, Hongbo Du, and Raghava Kommalapati (Faculty Mentor) Center for Energy & Environmental Sustainability (CREST) and Civil and Environmental Engineering Prairie View A&M University

Produced water (PW) is generated during the shale oil and gas production from fracking operations. PW, depending on the hydrocarbon product being produced and its geological formation and location, can have a myriad of contaminants, varying in size, composition, and concentration. Several PW treatments have been studied and implemented with varying outcomes and goals. One of the methods that have shown great potential is forward osmosis (FO), a membrane filtration method that is frequently used for desalination. Because of its ability to efficiently remove minerals, salts, and other compounds from water, it is being considered for the treatment of PW. Thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) FO membranes have shown increased porosity, reduced concentration polarization, and increased water flux and permeability, thus reducing reverse solute diffusion. In previous studies, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were incorporated into a TFN FO membrane. They were able to increase the pore size, water flux, substrate porosity by 18%, tensile modulus by 53%, water flux by 20 30%, and reduce the S value by 30%, all connotating a reduced internal concentration polarization (ICP). Using this information, we designed a three-layer FO membrane consisting of an active layer, a support layer, and a reverse solute repelling layer. The support layer was fabricated polyetherimide with (PEI) using the previously established methodology. This support layer was characterized using SEM. Once the process of the PEI support layer was finalized, graphene oxide (GO), a hydrophilic insulating nanomaterial, was incorporated into the support layer solution using the same methodology. The support layer was then fabricated via electrospinning. Several trials were done using various percentages of GO in the electrospinning solution for the support layer. These layers will then be characterized and compared to the PEI support layer.

COVID-19 Image Classification via ResNet Lucy Nwosu and Xishuang Dong (Faculty Mentor) Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering Prairie View A&M University

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic in over 200 countries and territories, which has resulted in a tremendous public health concern across the international community. Analysis of X-ray imaging data can play a critical role in timely and accurate screening and fighting against COVID-19. Supervised deep learning has been successfully applied to recognize COVID-19 pathology from X-ray imaging datasets. We proposed a supervised model for COVID-19 image classification via ResNet and complete comprehensive comparisons between the proposed model and the-state-of-the-art. Experimental results showed that the proposed model could achieve promising performance.

Keywords: Imaging data, deep learning, supervised model, image classification, ResNet, coronavirus

Biogas Production by co-digestion of Goat Manure with Rice Husk

Mahmoud Soliman, Harjinder Kaur, and Raghava R. Kommalapati (Faculty Mentor) Center of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering Prairie View A&M University

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the primary technique used to aid and limit odors in waste management systems, reduce the organic strength in waste streams, and produce a high energy source biogas. The AD is a process of degradation of organic materials by the microorganisms that operate in an oxygen-free environment. This work focuses on the anaerobic co-digestion of goat manure (GM) with rice husk (RH) to determine the maximum biogas yield. The GM was collected from International Goat Research Center, PVAMU. The rice residue was collected from Gulf Pacific Co. (Houston, TX) and passed through Willy mill, subsequently sieved (2 mm) to obtain uniform-sized particles. The fresh inoculum was obtained from the Prairie View wastewater treatment plant (operating at mesophilic temperature) and was de-gassed for a week. The well-mixed samples in triplicates were characterized for moisture, total and volatile solids (TS and VS), and the elemental composition (C, H, N, and S). The lab-scale biomethane potential (BMP) assays were conducted at various mixing ratios, and the effluents were characterized for volatile acids, nitrate, and ammonia.

The daily and cumulative data revealed that 4:6 ratio is the best mixing ratio for GM with RH. The future experiments will focus on the fabrication of two-liter lab-scale bioreactors and calculate biodegradability and kinetic parameters.

Biogas Production by co-digestion of Goat Manure with Rice Husk

Mahmoud Soliman, Harjinder Kaur, and Raghava R. Kommalapati (Faculty Mentor) Center of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering Prairie View A&M University

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the primary technique used to aid and limit odors in waste management systems, reduce the organic strength in waste streams, and produce a high energy source biogas. The AD is a process of degradation of organic materials by the microorganisms that operate in an oxygen-free environment. This work focuses on the anaerobic co-digestion of goat manure (GM) with rice husk (RH) to determine the maximum biogas yield. The GM was collected from International Goat Research Center, PVAMU. The rice residue was collected from Gulf Pacific Co. (Houston, TX) and passed through Willy mill, subsequently sieved (2 mm) to obtain uniform-sized particles. The fresh inoculum was obtained from the Prairie View wastewater treatment plant (operating at mesophilic temperature) and was de-gassed for a week. The well-mixed samples in triplicates were characterized for moisture, total and volatile solids (TS and VS), and the elemental composition (C, H, N, and S). The lab-scale biomethane potential (BMP) assays were conducted at various mixing ratios, and the effluents were characterized for volatile acids, nitrate, and ammonia.

The daily and cumulative data revealed that 4:6 ratio is the best mixing ratio for GM with RH. The future experiments will focus on the fabrication of two-liter lab-scale bioreactors and calculate biodegradability and kinetic parameters.

Bridging the Gap with Agricultural Technology Praise Benson, Zachary Chaney, Grace Clark, Hannah Sharp, Bryan Hains, Kristina Hains, and Tiffany Thomas (Faculty Mentor) School of Architecture Prairie View A&M

The need for fresh produce within our communities is expanding. Agrarians across the nation are implementing agritechnology to combat food insecurity. One form of technology, controlled environment agriculture, (CEA) allows agriculturalists to control the plants environment, temperature, and light to provide cost-effective year-round production of fresh produce (KentuckyAgriTech, 2020). One company within the U.S. (App Harvest) is using this technology to provide produce through vertical growing techniques. However, little is known about the technological advancements within Kentucky. Students from a Southern U.S. University collaborated with a regional agri-tech company(App Harvest) to examine college student s knowledge of CES, dietary habits and access to fresh produce.

Our objective was to establish a foundation for an ambassador program that will create awareness regarding CEA and educate citizens about agri-tech and food access. Students were sampled at eleven colleges within the Central and Eastern Kentucky region. An online, seventeen-question questionnaire was sent to 110 undergraduate students. We received 28 responses, giving us a 25% response rate. Results indicated that the majority of students consumed at least one fresh produce 3-4 times a week but mostly purchased their produce on a meal-by-meal basis. Students also articulated that while they did consume fresh produce, cost was the major barrier. Finally, students were unaware of agri-technologies such as CEA being used within their geographic region. Based on our results, we are broadening our scope with Prairie View A&M University to look at how agri-tech initiatives could improve food access in their community. As two land grand universities, we believe it is our responsibility to help these underserved communities bridge the educational gap between them and the agri-tech sector.

KeyWords: Controlled Environment Agriculture, Food access, Food Insecurity, Agri-tech

CEBPA Gene: A Direct Link to Leukemia?

Quanteria Randle, Diana Ajche-Varela, and Gloria C. Regisford (Faculty Mentor) Department of Biology, Prairie View A&M University

Through the study of bioinformatics, scientists have made great advances in gathering information on diseasecausing genes, making great contributions to modern medicine. However, there is a need to annotate and characterize newly discovered genes to determine their role in disease development. One of these genes is CCAAT Enhancer Binding Protein Alpha (CEBPA) gene, which is linked to the onset of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). AML is not only an aggressive disease, but it's difficult to diagnose. Hence, the main objective for this project was to characterize the CEBPA gene in-silico, using various bioinformatic tools and databases. We hypothesized that the CEBPA gene plays an important role in the cell and mutations of this gene may lead to onset of AML. To test this hypothesis, Bioinformatics databases such as GeneCards, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Genome Browser were used. According to GeneCards, the CEBPA gene can be found on chromosome 19q.13.11 and is 2,631 bases in length. Information from UCSC confirms that this gene has one exon but no introns. Orthologs of gene is found in the mouse, chicken, lizard, and zebrafish.

Paralogs of this gene include CEBPE and CEBPB. Information found on NCBI states that the CEBPA gene is highly expressed in different tissues of the body, especially in blood tissues. In conclusion, this is a functional gene that is well conserved across many species. Further studies are needed to determine the direct role of CEPBA in AML. Key Words: CEBPA, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Intronless.

Statewide Adolescent Needs Assessment (SANA) Roberto de Freitas, Regan Reid, Celeste Collins, Cheik Jackson, and Angela Broadus (Faculty Mentor) College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology Prairie View A&M University

The Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention (TJCPC) at Prairie View (PVAMU) is committed to reducing and preventing juvenile delinquency and crime in the state of Texas. This study's goal was to address the limitations of the 2017 Statewide Needs Assessment (SANA) within each of eight previously under-represented councils of government (COG) regions. In this qualitative study, the participant recruitment efforts centered on parents of adolescents and key community members from middle and high schools, churches, law enforcement, courts, juvenile justice, businesses, the parks, and recreation centers and council members, and other interested community members. The recruitment was exclusively through telephone recruitment to design two or more focus groups within each of eight COG regions previously underrepresented in the online surveys, encompassing 39.4% of Texas counties. Additionally, since COVID19, we could only conduct one focus group between Fall 2020 and Winter 2021. The one focus group highlighted preliminary themes of adolescents (age 12-17), anxiety, the need for constructive interaction with their environments, including social interaction with peers, the need for mentors, for positive role models, and for after school resources. Additionally, the temptations of street gang affiliation, substance misuse, and intoxication with social media provided the necessary distraction for future aspiration focus. This qualitative study and preliminary findings suggest that we must move to support the adolescent. We need to understand better how the adolescent sees the environment, attends to the environment, apprehends and interprets the environment of positioning themselves about others and the environment.

Key terms: Adolescent, Juvenile Delinquency, crime, focus group, qualitative research

Substance Use Disorder in Le ington, KY: Civic Leader s Perspectives Tara Rojas, Audrey Hawk, Bryan Hains, Kristina Hains, and Tiffany Thomas College of Architecture

Abstract Background: Drug abuse and drug addiction are no longer considered poor coping mechanisms; in recent years, it has been recognized as a disease. Today, the appropriate terminology, substance use disorder, is defined as a disease impacting an individual s brain and behavior and can lead to an inability to control the use of legal, illegal drugs or medication (Mayo Clinic, 2020). The study aimed at examining civic leaders perspectives of individuals with substance use disorder and knowledge of community resources for treatment and rehabilitation. This qualitative study used a purposive sample size of seven civic leaders personally impacted by the misuse of substances. Interviews consisted of ten guiding questions and were conducted via Zoom. Researchers annotated verbal and nonverbal cues during six sessions. All participants recognized substance use disorder could impact anyone. However, each had individual perspectives when generalizing. Participants expressed a lack of knowledge of current resources, policies, and actions taken by government entities in Lexington, KY. Finally, leaders agreed further communication was needed among civic agencies and services to enhance community rehabilitation. It can be concluded; there is not enough communication between civic leaders, individuals with substance use disorder, public resources, and agencies.

Additionally, community leaders are passionate about helping those who suffer from substance use disorder; however, they need civic support and enhanced communication channels to provide better service. Finally, multi-disciplinary research is required to obtain the voice of the individuals with substance use disorder and treatment providers on the front-line.

Keywords: Substance use disorder, communication, community, perceptions, resources, recovery, civic leaders

Experimental Investigation of the Desiccation Cracking Behavior of Huston Soil Turk A. Nejress and Md Jobair Bin Alam, Ph.D., (Faculty Advisor) Department of Civil and Environment Engineering College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University

Background: Evaporation of water from an uncovered fine-grained surface usually results in volumetric soil shrinkage, and the subsequent rainfall intrusion into the soil causes soil swelling. Desiccation cracking of fine-grained soils is the development of cracks on the soil surface due to a reduction in the soil moisture content. In engineering applications, fine-grained soils are widely used in constructing earth infrastructures even though this type of soil is susceptible to desiccation cracking. Engineers significantly encourage in-depth investigation of soil desiccation behavior, especially for fine-grained soil under different climatic conditions. This study's objective was to investigate the effect of acceptable content of the soil in generating the desiccation cracking. In this study, experimental desiccation tests were conducted on several identically prepared saturated fine-grained soil, collected from different sources. Soil samples were prepared in a 6" by 6" tray of thickness approximately 1". The samples were subjected to drying in an oven, and time-dependent crack development in the samples was recorded. Both quantitative and qualitative assessments of the soil desiccation cracking were made in this study. Based on the preliminary investigation, the results showed that soil cracking occurred during an almost constant evaporation rate stage for most of the soil samples. It was observed that the crack initiation occurred mostly within the first 20 minutes during the drying period. It was also observed that the samples with more fine content (particle less than 0.075 mm) had faster initiation of cracks than samples with comparatively less fine content. However, there were surface defects during the evaporation or drying stages that triggered some of the crack initiations that did not have high fine content. The preliminary results from this study suggest that the construction of earth infrastructures with soils containing high fine content should have careful design incorporating the desiccation effect.

Deep Fake Detection Using Local Binary Pattern and Ensemble Modeling Vahid Zarghami and Yonghui Wang (Faculty Mentor) Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Computer Sciences Prairie View A&M University

Fake faces generated with Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are becoming more and more realistic and getting harder to be identified directly by human beings. However, CNN (Convolutional Neural network) based deep learning architecture can achieve almost perfect detection accuracy on such fake faces. In this work, we present a study of fake face detection with the exploration of the binary texture features based on the empirical knowledge that the textures of fake faces are quite different from those of real faces. A new architecture, LBP (Local Binary Pattern)-Net, is designed to utilize binary representation image texture for the effective identification of fake images. Ensemble models are also experimented to combine advantages of individual models. The most significant effect of ensemble models is the robustness for detecting edited fake images compared to single models. Experimental results show that the proposed method is more robust than existing algorithms for detecting fake images edited by different image augmentation methods, such as blurring, cutout, brightness and color changing, equalization, etc. Our ensemble models also outperform single models for detecting fake images. This LBP-Net structure further can be used for the detection of deep fake videos. For detecting fake faces, a new architecture, LBP-Net, with Ensemble Modeling is designed and implemented to utilize binary image representation texture.

Keywords: Deep Fake, Local Binary Pattern, Ensemble model, CNN, GAN