Digital Commons Network^™

Exosomes As Systemic Mediators Of Nanotube Induced Neurotoxicity, Christopher G. Canal

Theses and Dissertations

Extra-pulmonary effects of nanoparticle inhalation have been well documented; however, mechanisms for conveying peripheral bioactivity remain elusive. Recent studies point to indirect molecular mediators shed into the circulation. Protein and lipid alternatives to cytokines or chemokines have been proposed, yet the diversity among responses suggests a broader assemblage of factors. Recently we have proposed proteolytic fragment peptides as an additional source of bioactivity, which interestingly were significantly associated with exosomal proteins after enrichment analysis. Here we tested whether modeled exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) could alter the composition and bioactivity of circulating exosomes. Male C57BL/6 mice were exposed by …

Investigation Of Molecular Mechanisms Of Liver Preservation Injury: A Complication Preceding Organ Transplantation, Ria C. Fyffe-Freil

Theses and Dissertations

Of the over 108,000 American awaiting a life-saving organ transplant today, over 12,000 (11%) of those need a new liver (OPTN, 2020). Last year, only 35% of patients on the waiting list for an organ were transplanted. Improving the quality of marginal organs by preventing or reversing preservation injury could vastly increase the number of transplants performed. Washout of circulating blood during liver procurement with cold University of Wisconsin solution flushes out any endogenous pro-survival signaling molecules. We investigated lysophospholipid (LPL) surface receptors (G-protein coupled receptors for lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine- 1-phosphate (S1P)) and their role in protecting hepatocytes …

Development And Validation Of Predictive Risk And Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis Models To Evaluate Cardiovascular Outcomes Among Cancer Patients, Purva N. Parab

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The objectives of our study were to characterize the study population with cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) both as compared to those without and to build a predictive model using machine learning (ML) algorithms that can predict the risk of CVD in cancer patients. In addition, our objective was also to evaluate characteristics associated with cardiotoxic adverse events of breast cancer therapies and develop a multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) model to conduct benefit-risk assessment of breast cancer therapy regimens. Methods: We used Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) 2005-2015 files along with …

Differential Identification Of Hyperacusis And Misophonia: Implications Of Discrete Decreased Sound Tolerance (Dst) Condition Subtypes, Rachel E. Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

Hyperacusis and misophonia are two conditions of decreased sound tolerance (DST) studied in the psychological literature due to their association with psychological symptoms and mechanisms. DSTs are differentiated from normal sound sensitivity due to the reported impairment and distress individuals experience. Researchers suggest that DSTs are differentiated by types of sounds and emotional reactions elicited, such that hyperacusis is a fear and pain response to ordinary environmental sounds perceived as uncomfortably loud, and misophonia is an anger and disgust response to human-made sounds, but these distinctions, and associated characteristics, have not been empirically demonstrated. Undergraduate students (N = 1572) …

Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type Ii (Camkii) Regulates Histone Methylation To Promote Zebrafish Hematopoietic Stem Cell Specification, Sanyam Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Ca²⁺/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is an important signaling molecule involved in many developmental processes. This project aims to understand the role of CaMKII in specification of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in zebrafish. HSCs undergo hematopoiesis to specify all cells that constitute blood. The process of hematopoiesis along with the specification of hematopoietic stem cells is conserved in vertebrates. CaMKII is expressed in tissues important for HSC specification, including the somites, notochord, and dorsal aorta. The dorsal aorta is the site of HSC specification in zebrafish. Injection of camk2g1 translational blocking antisense oligonucleotides (MO) or Cas9 guide …

Development Of A Screening Assay For Type Iii Secretion System Inhibitors And High Throughput Screening Campaign Of Inhibitors Of Prp Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Heather A. Pendergrass

Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotics inhibit the growth or survival of bacteria by targeting their essential functions.¹ Due to weaknesses in traditional antibiotics and the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors are being targeted for therapeutic treatment of bacterial infection.² We have developed an assay to quantify and observe type III secretion system (T3SS) activity. The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a virulence factor present in some Gram-negative pathogens including enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EPEC and EHEC, respectively),³ and others.^4–9 The T3SS between EPEC and EHEC are highly conserved and share over 90% sequence identity with …

Phenotypic Expression Of Two Candidate Genes Of Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis In Danio Rerio, Annemarie Carver

UROP Posters

Phenotypic Expression of Two Candidate Genes of Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis in Danio rerio

Annemarie Carver, Dept. of Biology with Dr. Rita Shiang, Dept. of Human and Molecular Genetics

Craniosynostosis, the premature fusion of cranial sutures, can be either syndromic or nonsyndromic. The majority of cases are nonsyndromic, the causes of which are rarely known. Craniosynostosis is relatively common and occurs in about 1 in every 2,000 babies. Bambia is suspected to cause craniosynostosis as a predicted deleterious stabilizing variant has been identified in affected individuals within one family, though when normally or under expressed no phenotypic differences are observed. Slc30a9, a …

Mapping New Olfactory Bulb Neurons At The Single-Cell Level Using Iron Oxide- Assisted Mri, Sarah Izabel

UROP Posters

Mapping New Olfactory Bulb Neurons at the Single-Cell Level Using Iron Oxide- Assisted MRI

Sarah Izabel, Dept. of Biology, with Dr. Jeffrey Dupree, Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology

Neurogenesis in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of adult mammalian brains persists throughout life. Precursor cells that are continuously born in the SVZ migrate long-distance to the olfactory bulb (OB), where they differentiate into specific neurons. The distribution of new neurons in the OB has been studied via histological and intravital techniques, which are limited longitudinally and in depth of imaging. In the past decade, in vivo studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) …

Fenofibrate-Loaded Biodegradable Nanoparticles For The Treatment Of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Russell Simmers, Tuo Meng, Fangfang Qiu, Vineet Kulkarni, Jianxing Ma

UROP Posters

Fenofibrate-Loaded Biodegradable Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Russell Simmers, Depts. of Physics and Chemistry, with Dr. Qingguo Xu, VCU School of Pharmacy

Background: Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of visual impairment in the elderly population in the industrialized world. The current treatment for neovascular AMD is anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy; however, nearly 40-50% of patients do not fully respond to anti-VEGF therapy. Therefore, non-VEGF therapeutics are required for neovascular AMD treatment. Fenofibrate is a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) agonist and has demonstrated robust therapeutic effects on neovascular AMD in …

The Eco-Martyrs Of 2018 And Maslow: Is Self-Actualization Only For Colonizers?, Johanna Guz-Montgomery, Ian Mcfadden, Victoria Bee, Ashley Sanico, William Purrington, Christopher Latourrette, Rachel Creed, Kelly Rios-Santos, Alan Lankford

UROP Posters

The Eco-Martyrs of 2018 and Maslow: Is Self-Actualization Only for Colonizers?

Johanna Guz-Montgomery, Dept. of Psychology, Ian McFadden, Victoria Bee, Ashley Sanico, William Purrington, Christopher Latourrette, Rachel Creed, Kelly Rios-Santos, and Alan Lankford, with Dr. Richard Bargdill, Dept. of Psychology

Every year the Global Witness organization complies and releases a list of forest, earth, water and animal protectors who have been murdered while defending the earth and people. There have been about 2000 “eco-martyrs” since 2002. Most of these persons are farmers, indigenous people, nature lovers or in other words--ordinary people. In their efforts to stop projects that would lead …

Storytelling Through Play, Allison Heerwagen

UROP Posters

Storytelling Through Play

Allison Heerwagen, Depts. of Graphic Design and Anthropology, with Dr. Bernard K. Means, Dept. of Anthropology

As children interpret and build on narratives with their own imagination, storytelling as a cultural practice involves even the youngest of a community. Children raised with folktales, myths, legends, and more can bring the stories to life through play inspired by the characters, setting, and stories shared with them. The most accessible tools for children to share and build stories are toys that can be used to interpret the beliefs, practices, and imagination of their culture. In addition, many children’s toys …

An Interview With Adrian Rhodes, Kerr Houston

Art Inquiries

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2019-12-04

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2019-10-30

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Discarded: Exploring Material Stories And Movements Through Participatory, Public Art Interventions, Kira Hegeman

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

Drawing on DeCerteau’s (1984) philosophy of tactics, which subvert dominant ways of being through creative appropriations of space and behavior, and New Materialist philosophies that offer vitality and agency to non-human objects (Barad, 2007; Bennett, 2004; 2010), this paper explores a three-part series of participatory, public art interventions related to waste, consumption and material relationships. The three installations were distinct but connected, situated in public spaces and corridors as a means of disrupting daily moments while encouraging moments of pause to be with discarded, material objects in playful and creative ways (de Certeau, 1984; Debord, 1956). With these installations we …

Commonwealth Times 2019-09-25

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2019-08-28

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

I Gotta Testify: Kanye West, Hip Hop, And The Church, Joshua K. Wright, Adria Y. Goldman, Vanatta S. Ford

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

The goal of this project, “I Gotta Testify: Kanye West, Hip Hop, and the Church,” is to add a new perspective to the scholarly discourse on Hip Hop and Christianity within classrooms, religious institutions, and popular culture by focusing on Kanye. We chose to focus on Kanye because he has been one of Hip Hop’s most influential artists in the past decade. Furthermore, Kanye is one of the most polarizing celebrities in America and across the globe. His music, fashion, political views, and family (which includes the Kardashians) dominate discourse on social media, blogs, television, and other forms of mass …

Introduction - Enigma Embodied: The Curious Complexity Of Kanye West, Daniel White Hodge

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

“There’s no way Hip Hop and religion work. No way!” “I just can’t see anything coming out of religion and Hip Hop. It’s like the two don’t even go together.” “Rap music is of the devil. To say there is any God in it is blasphemous!” These were direct quotes I received when I began my journey into the field of Religion and Hip Hop. I was met with firm opposition and the very notion of combining Hip Hop and religion left many angered, bewildered, confused, but definitely not speechless. It was a trifling time and the very thought of …

Volume 5 #2 Full Issue, Preeti Kamat

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

Volume 5 #2 Full Issue

Socially Regulated Neural Circuits Activation Via Endocannabinoid And Dopaminergic Signaling In Zebrafish, Choongseok Park

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Network Analyses Of Glomerular Capillaries, Jason Cory Brunson, Justin Sardi, Mark Terasaki

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Modeling Of Energy Consumption In The Acute Inflammatory Response, Ivan Ramirez Zuniga

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

A Generalized Model Of The Transmission Dynamics Of Leishmaniasis With Multiple Time Delays, Ephraim Agyingi

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Bifurcation Analysis Of A Photoreceptor Interaction Model For Retinitis Pigmentosa, Anca R. Radulescu

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Understanding Toxin Production During Clostridioides Difficile Infection Using High Dimensional Data, Samantha Erwin, Joshua R. Fletcher, Casey M. Theriot, Cristina Lanzas

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Modeling Malaria Dynamics With The Inclusion Of Long And Short Incubation Periods, Ana L. Vivas-Barber, Anne M. Fernando, Sunmi Lee

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2019-04-10

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2019-03-20

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2019-02-27

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.