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Insights Into Cardiac O-Glcnacylation As A Link Between The Diabetic State And Increased Cardiovascular Disease Susceptibility And Pathology, Samuel Formosa Chang Oct 2025

Insights Into Cardiac O-Glcnacylation As A Link Between The Diabetic State And Increased Cardiovascular Disease Susceptibility And Pathology, Samuel Formosa Chang

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With diabetes prevalence around the world nearing 10%, and half of the US population having either diabetes or pre-diabetes, many epidemiological studies show diabetic patients have both increased risk for developing major cardiovascular disease (CVD), and increased mortality rates due to CVD. Additionally, within this field, studies have shown that indi-viduals with previously higher HbA1C levels have higher long-lasting risk for major ad-verse cardiac events compared to those with previously lower HbA1C levels—establishing the concept of “metabolic memory”. Within the diabetic milieu, cardiac protein O-GlcNAcylation (O-linked B-N-acetyl-glucosamine) is important for cardiac pathology de-velopment. Specifically, our lab generated a cardiomyocyte specific, …

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“Who All Gon Be There”: The Relationship Between Racial Identity, Perceived Social Distance, And Anxiety Among People Of African Descent, Veronica R. Mixon Sep 2025

“Who All Gon Be There”: The Relationship Between Racial Identity, Perceived Social Distance, And Anxiety Among People Of African Descent, Veronica R. Mixon

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Mental health disparities among people of African descent are an important public health issue within the US. During COVID, between 2020 and 2021, anxiety symptoms among African American adults increased, which led to an overall increase in anxiety and depression rates (Vahratian et al., 2021; CDC, 2023). Despite this increase, only 39% of African Americans who experience mental health difficulties, receive treatment. The pandemic made it difficult for people to come together and there were heightened experiences of racial distress due to the events surrounding George Floyd. Prior research has shown that experiences of racism, isolation, and cultural disconnection have …

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Structural Analysis Of Pseudomonas Phage Dev Virion-Associated Rna Polymerase (Gp71), James Scherer Sep 2025

Structural Analysis Of Pseudomonas Phage Dev Virion-Associated Rna Polymerase (Gp71), James Scherer

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DEV is a Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophage part of a newly reclassified genus called Schitoviridae. This group of bacteriophages is also referred to as “N4-like” phages, after the prototypical Escherichia coli phage N4, originally isolated from sewage water in 19661. N4, and other phages in the group, contain a large, virion-associated RNA polymerase (vRNAP). This vRNAP is vital to the proliferation of the phage, as it performs the transcription of the early gene products and potentially acts as a motor that helps eject the viral genome into the host bacteria. In DEV, the vRNAP is also known as gene product 71 …

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Moving Beyond M1/M2: Xenoline-Polarized Macrophages As A Physiologically Relevant Model Of Tumor-Associated Macrophages In Glioblastoma, Hasan Alrefai Sep 2025

Moving Beyond M1/M2: Xenoline-Polarized Macrophages As A Physiologically Relevant Model Of Tumor-Associated Macrophages In Glioblastoma, Hasan Alrefai

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Glioblastoma (GBM) remains one of the most treatment-refractory cancers, with few therapeutic advances translating into survival benefit. With a median survival of just 15-18 months, the need for effective therapies is urgent. A key obstacle is the underutilization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in preclinical models. TAMs account for a sizable proportion of GBM by mass and drive malignant behaviors such as angiogenesis, invasion, and resistance to chemoradiotherapy, making them attractive therapeutic targets. Unfortunately, most in vitro GBM-TAM models are inadequate, as they fail to capture the cellular heterogeneity and microenvironmental interactions that drive tumor progression, therapeutic resistance, and immune evasion. …

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Probiotic Biogeography In The Neonatal Intestine, Sierra Hansen Sep 2025

Probiotic Biogeography In The Neonatal Intestine, Sierra Hansen

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Neonatal infection remains a leading cause of both neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in preterm infants. Probiotic bacteria have been demonstrated to protect against the development of neonatal intestinal dysbiosis, however, formulations and efficacy vary substantially, highlighting a critical gap in the current understanding of the mechanisms governing probiotic efficacy in this population. This gap is exacerbated by regulatory standards which favor economic expansion over scientific rigor. Furthermore, current studies on probiotic efficacy largely rely on indirect or relative readouts of intestinal bacterial burden. Herein, we directly quantify the probiotic effects of Ligilactobacillus murinus V10 and Escherichia coli Nissle …

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Lineage-Associated Zinc Metalloprotease B And Its Impact On Cardiac Damage Elicited During Invasive Pneumococcal Disease, Jennifer Nichelle Luck Sep 2025

Lineage-Associated Zinc Metalloprotease B And Its Impact On Cardiac Damage Elicited During Invasive Pneumococcal Disease, Jennifer Nichelle Luck

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During invasive disease, certain strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) can invade the myocardium, damaging cardiomyocytes and predisposing patients to life-threatening cardiac complications. To identify genetic loci involved in pneumococcal cardio-virulence, we performed a bacterial genome-wide association study using 825 genomes corresponding to 17 distinct Spn lineages associated with varying rates of cardiac complications during hospitalization for pneumonia. This led to the identification of an allele of zmpB, the gene encoding Zinc metalloprotease B (ZmpB). Infection of mice with a ZmpB deficient mutant, i.e., TIGR4ΔzmpB, found that ZmpB was required to form foci of infection in the heart, i.e., cardiac microlesions. …

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Understanding Psychotic Disorders Using Normative Modeling-Derived Individual-Level Brain Structural Abnormalities, Natalie Remiszewski Sep 2025

Understanding Psychotic Disorders Using Normative Modeling-Derived Individual-Level Brain Structural Abnormalities, Natalie Remiszewski

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Psychosis is an heterogenous condition that occurs in many psychiatric disorders. It has a variable symptom presentation and recent initiatives have suggested that investigating the underlying neurobiology of psychiatric disorders rather than their symptomatology would provide a more accurate picture for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Grey matter has been implicated in the pathophysiology of psychosis and psychotic disorders, though significant natural variation due to age and sex have impeded the distinction of pathologically relevant grey matter abnormalities in psychosis. Additionally, case-control approaches to exploring grey matter abnormalities in psychotic disorders often obscure subtle variation in individuals. Here, we utilize a …

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Effects Of Probiotic Lactobacilli On Streptococcus Mutans: Implications For Early Childhood Caries, Walaa Al-Turki Sep 2025

Effects Of Probiotic Lactobacilli On Streptococcus Mutans: Implications For Early Childhood Caries, Walaa Al-Turki

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Effects of Probiotic Lactobacilli on Streptococcus mutans: Implications for Early Childhood Caries WALAA MOHIEDEN AL TURKI DENTISTRY ABSTRACT Purpose: Probiotic Lactobacillus species have been shown to have beneficial effects against early childhood caries (ECC) by inhibiting the growth of cariogenic bacteria. However, the acidogenicity of Lactobacillus spp. could have potential carcinogenic effect. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of probiotic lactobacilli and cariogenic lactobacilli on the growth, biofilm formation, and acid production of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans). Methods: Growth competition between probiotic L. rhamnosus GG (L-GG) or caries-associated L. rhamnosus M72-26 (L-M72) and S. mutans UA159 …

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Bayesian Survival Analysis For High-Dimensional Compositional Data, Zhenying Ding Sep 2025

Bayesian Survival Analysis For High-Dimensional Compositional Data, Zhenying Ding

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Survival analysis integrating microbiome and clinical data offers powerful insights into human health. The microbiome influences immunity, inflammation, and cancer outcomes. Combining microbial profiles with clinical factors like tumor stage, treatment, and demographics enhances understanding of how host-microbe interactions affect survival. To analyze these complex datasets, advanced statistical methods, including Bayesian models, penalized Cox proportional hazards models, and machine learning techniques are employed. These approaches can uncover novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, leading to personalized treatment strategies that optimize patient survival. However, challenges arise due to the compositionality, high-dimensionality, and phylogenetic relation between taxa in microbiome data. In this dissertation, …

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Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination: Implications For The Ecology, Evolution, And Conservation Of Sea Turtles, Forrest William Collins Sep 2025

Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination: Implications For The Ecology, Evolution, And Conservation Of Sea Turtles, Forrest William Collins

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For reptiles, their method of sex determination is temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). This is where the environmental temperature directly influences the sex ratio being produced within a clutch. For sea turtles, sex is determined within a thermosensitive period (TSP) in which incubation temperatures will result in either males (cooler), females (warmer), or 50:50 even sex ratio. For this dissertation, 2 species of sea turtles were evaluated for their TSD and its implications on their ecology, evolution, and conservation: the Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). For the Hawksbill, a major rookery in the …

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In-Vitro Antimicrobial Activity, Demineralization Inhibition Potential, And Staining Effects Of Three Silver Fluoride Materials, Quiesly Torres Sep 2025

In-Vitro Antimicrobial Activity, Demineralization Inhibition Potential, And Staining Effects Of Three Silver Fluoride Materials, Quiesly Torres

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Background: Dental caries is a worldwide preventable public health problem. It affects any individuals regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) has been extensively used for preventing cavities, but it has side effects; therefore, some other biocompatible antimicrobial and remineralization-inducing alternative materials have been developed. Purpose: This study aims to assess the in vitro antimicrobial activity, demineralization inhibition potential, and staining effect of SDF, Nano Silver Fluoride (NSF), and silver fluoride + potassium iodide (SF/KI). Methods: Three silver diamine fluoride-based materials were tested: SDF 38% (Advantage Arrest®, Elevate Oral Care, USA), 1500 ppm NSF …

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Racial/Ethnic Heterogeneity In Women’S Aging Experiences Over Time: A Latent Transition Analysis, Joshua Christian Julian Lewis Sep 2025

Racial/Ethnic Heterogeneity In Women’S Aging Experiences Over Time: A Latent Transition Analysis, Joshua Christian Julian Lewis

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U.S. population aging and unprecedented racial/ethnic diversity will affect the types of social and healthcare services older adults need. These projections have renewed attention to healthy aging, which refers to the physiological/functional, psychological, and social capacity to maintain well-being. Extant research finds that most are aging unwell and through binary and biomedical operationalizations—which do not account for patterns of chronic conditions, disability, intersecting race / ethnic and gender inequality, socioculturally developed resources, and social relations—reifies the exceptions, typically men and non-Hispanic Whites, as the “aging well” benchmark. Integrating theoretical considerations of the life course, cumulative inequality, stress process, and limitations …

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Voices From Two Secondary Newcomer Programs In Alabama: A Multiple Case Study, Carl Anthony Floyd Jr Sep 2025

Voices From Two Secondary Newcomer Programs In Alabama: A Multiple Case Study, Carl Anthony Floyd Jr

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This multiple case study investigates the design, implementation, and impact of two secondary newcomer programs in Alabama, with a focus on Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) and non-SLIFE English Learner (EL) newcomers. Grounded in Esteban-Guitart et al.’s (2023) framework of community funds of knowledge and identity, the study explores how these programs function as community educational ecosystems. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and document reviews across two school districts and analyzed using ethnographic and thematic methods. Findings reveal that when newcomer programs are intentionally designed to leverage community assets and cultural identities, they provide meaningful academic, …

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Calibrating A Holling-Tanner Model With Applications To S&P500 Forecasting, Jonathon Knowles Sep 2025

Calibrating A Holling-Tanner Model With Applications To S&P500 Forecasting, Jonathon Knowles

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The primary goal of this thesis is to improve upon existing dynamical system models in economics. Existing models utilizing Lotka-Volterra dynamics display a tendency to suffer from unrealistic forecasts dominated by exponential growth and decay. Additionally, current inverse methods are only applicable in differential equation systems with linear coefficients. In this body of work, we propose novel methods for handling these challenges.

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Exploring The Influence Of Leadership On The Organizational Performance Of Federally Qualified Health Centers In The United States Through The Lens Of The Upper Echelons Theory, Devdutt Shriram Upadhye Sep 2025

Exploring The Influence Of Leadership On The Organizational Performance Of Federally Qualified Health Centers In The United States Through The Lens Of The Upper Echelons Theory, Devdutt Shriram Upadhye

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This study examines the influence that leaders have on the performance of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the US. The framework through which the study examines this relationship is the Upper Echelons Theory (UET), which posits that managers and leaders take actions that shape the organization they lead, and these actions are based on a confluence of experiential and characteristic factors. The current study focuses on a leader’s influence through three proxies, viz. educational background, role tenure, and sex, on the organizational performance of FQHCs. Performance is captured using both financial and quality metrics. Data for the study was …

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Racial Discrimination And Inflammation In Adolescence: Ethnic/Racial Processes As Moderators, Queenisha Crichlow Sep 2025

Racial Discrimination And Inflammation In Adolescence: Ethnic/Racial Processes As Moderators, Queenisha Crichlow

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Discrimination and other psychosocial stressors contribute to chronic disease by dysregulating neuroendocrine and immune systems, which often leads to increased levels of inflammation. Given that inflammation is a key biological pathway associated with the development of chronic diseases, it has been proposed as a potential mechanism linking racial discrimination to poorer health. Most studies linking racial discrimination with inflammation have focused on adults, despite the fact that children and adolescents also experience discrimination. This dissertation explores the association between racial discrimination and inflammation, measured via salivary C-reactive protein (CRP) and proinflammatory cytokines, among Black and Hispanic adolescents. It also examines …

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Immune And Endothelial Cell Mechanisms Of Cardiovascular And Kidney Disease Risk In Obesity, Claudia Edell Sep 2025

Immune And Endothelial Cell Mechanisms Of Cardiovascular And Kidney Disease Risk In Obesity, Claudia Edell

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Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease. Both inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are hallmark signs of adverse health outcomes in obesity. Previous data from our lab has shown that a 2-week time restricted feeding (TRF) intervention reduces kidney CD3+ (T) cells and fibrosis and improves endothelial function in a mouse model of diet induced obesity (DIO). There is little known about kidney damage and T cells in obesity. We hypothesized that TRF reduces kidney damage in obese mice through mitigating T cell inflammation. We use a 20-week DIO model, with 18 weeks of ad libitum …

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Mechanism Of Targeted Cancer Therapeutics-Induced Cardiotoxicity, Angelica Toro-Cora Sep 2025

Mechanism Of Targeted Cancer Therapeutics-Induced Cardiotoxicity, Angelica Toro-Cora

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Targeted cancer therapies are known to cause cardiovascular (CV) complications in human patients. Agents such as osimertinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been demonstrated to induce severe cardiotoxicities, including heart failure and myocarditis. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of TKIs and ICIs-induced cardiotoxicity remain poorly understood. Herein, we developed the first in vivo preclinical model of osimertinib-induced cardiotoxicity using a transverse aortic constriction (TAC) mouse model. Osimertinib-treated mice displayed severe cardiac dysfunction, elevated markers of heart failure and fibrosis, and failed to undergo compensatory hypertrophic remodeling, resulting in cardiomyocyte death. Mechanistically, we identified suppression …

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Identifying The Neurobiological Substrates Of Gulf War Illness, Chloe Lisette Jones Sep 2025

Identifying The Neurobiological Substrates Of Gulf War Illness, Chloe Lisette Jones

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Gulf War Illness (GWI) affects approximately 30% of veterans who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and is characterized by chronic pain and fatigue, as well as cognitive, mood, gastrointestinal, and respiratory symptoms. Animal research has suggested that GWI is caused by a combination of neurotoxicants such as nerve gas, anti-nerve agent pills, and pesticides, though a definitive pathophysiological model has not been established. In this human observational study, 20 veterans with GWI and 20 healthy Gulf War veterans (HV) underwent whole-brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to non-invasively measure several metabolites associated with neuroinflammation. Whole blood was also collected …

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A High-Salt Diet Modulates Renal Afferent Nerve Activity; Potential Role Of The Endothelin System, Jiaxi Shen Sep 2025

A High-Salt Diet Modulates Renal Afferent Nerve Activity; Potential Role Of The Endothelin System, Jiaxi Shen

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Hypertension is a prevalent disease around the world. Increased blood pressure leads to a higher risk of stroke and coronary heart disease. Diet, lifestyle, and gene regulation are potential causative factors, and salt-sensitive hypertension is one common types of hypertension. In response to a high-salt diet, blood pressure may elevate with increasing risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Endothelin-1, which binds to endothelin A (ETA) and B (ETB) receptors, is strongly involved in controlling the blood vessels and sensory nerve signaling pathway between the kidney and the central nervous system during high salt dietary challenge. The function of the ETB receptor …

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Myelin Mapping In Psychosis, Victoria Lynn King Sep 2025

Myelin Mapping In Psychosis, Victoria Lynn King

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It is well established that myelin in the central nervous system is an axonal insulator which speeds the conduction velocity of action potentials. However, its role in the cortex has also been shown to support metabolic demands and aid in cortical plasticity. Myelin develops throughout childhood and adolescence from sensorimotor areas to association areas and peaks during adolescence. Importantly, this is the same time that psychosis-spectrum disorders (PSDs) begin to present clinically; thus, given the critical role of myelination in shaping the mature cortex, disruptions in this process – particularly during adolescence – are thought to partially explain the onset …

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The Role Of Histone Deacetylase Complexes In Cardiomyocyes And Heart Diseases, Meimei Wang Sep 2025

The Role Of Histone Deacetylase Complexes In Cardiomyocyes And Heart Diseases, Meimei Wang

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Histone deacetylase complexes play pivotal roles in cardiac biology, however their specific functions in cell fate transitions and adult heart maintenance re-main unclear. We identified the role of HDAC complex in vitro during direct cardiac repro-gramming and in vivo through specific cardiomyocyte deletion of ELMSAN1, a core component of the MiDAC complex. We perform direct cardiac reprogram-ming using a polycistronic construct (hMGT133) expressing MEF2C, GATA4, TBX5, and miR-133. MEF2C expression peaked early, while cardiac markers such as cardiac troponin and α-actinin emerged by Day 9. HDAC1 levels and global histone acetylation (H3K9ac, H3K14ac, H3K27ac) declined over time. An RNAi screen …

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A Noncanonical Role Of T Follicular Helper Cells In Promoting Peripheral Tolerance By Supporting T Regulatory Cells, Shivangi Dave Sep 2025

A Noncanonical Role Of T Follicular Helper Cells In Promoting Peripheral Tolerance By Supporting T Regulatory Cells, Shivangi Dave

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T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are a specialized subset of CD4+ T cells that sup-port germinal center (GC) B cells and promote antibody (Ab)-mediated immunity. There is growing recognition of the heterogeneity and functional diversity of Tfh cells, supported by accumulating evidence that highlights their context-specific roles across a range of disease settings. While their contribution to B cell responses is well-established, our data demonstrate that Tfh cells have a broader and more dynamic function. In this study, we uncover a novel function of Tfh cells in maintaining immune homeostasis by supporting T regulatory cell (Treg) responses under normal physiological …

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Structural Basis For Promoter Recognition By Pseudomonas Phage Dev Virion Associated Rna Polymerase, Brittney Bird Sep 2025

Structural Basis For Promoter Recognition By Pseudomonas Phage Dev Virion Associated Rna Polymerase, Brittney Bird

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Bacteriophage DEV, a member of the Schitoviridae family, encodes a large virion-associated RNA polymerase (vRNAP) and shows significant potential for use in phage therapy. However, many aspects of DEV’s biology remain poorly understood, especially how it regulates transcription once inside the host. Recent work in our lab suggests that gene product 71 (gp71) functions as a DNA-dependent vRNAP. Analogous to the vRNAP of coliphage N4, gp71 likely initiates transcription by recognizing single-stranded DNA templates that contain early gene hairpin promoters. Based on this, my working hypothesis is that specific interactions between gp71 and the DEV early promoters PE1 and PE5 …

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Impact Of Alpha-Synuclein Aggregation On Corticostriatal Synaptic Function And Morphology, Charlotte Franziska Brzozowski Sep 2025

Impact Of Alpha-Synuclein Aggregation On Corticostriatal Synaptic Function And Morphology, Charlotte Franziska Brzozowski

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Lewy Body Dementias (LBDs), including Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), are defined by α-synuclein (α-syn) accumulation in Lewy Pathology (LP). LP is abundant in cortical layer V intratelencephalic (IT) neurons, a subset of neurons that also degenerate in the pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA) in humans, which is homologous to the secondary motor cortex (M2) in mice, as observed in PD postmortem tissue. IT neuron projections to the striatum are an intrinsic part of the motor basal ganglia circuitry, believed to modulate cognitive aspects of executive motor control, such as updating motor plans. M2 projections to …

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Characterizing The Role Of Pneumococcal Surface Protein A And Humoral Immunity To Biofilm Antigens During Streptococcus Pneumoniae Colonization, Jessica Lane Sep 2025

Characterizing The Role Of Pneumococcal Surface Protein A And Humoral Immunity To Biofilm Antigens During Streptococcus Pneumoniae Colonization, Jessica Lane

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Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn), or “the pneumococcus”, is a Gram-positive bacterium that colonizes the upper respiratory tract as a pathobiont. Spn is a deadly human pathogen, and one of the leading etiological agents of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). One virulence factor of Spn is pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), a choline-binding protein (CBP) at the surface of the bacteria that interacts with the host environment. Here, we demonstrated a novel role for PspA involving adhesion to dying host nasal epithelial cells via a multimeric complex with host lactoferrin (LF) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). We found that the PspA-GAPDH complex aggregated the bacteria …

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Understanding Clinical Tool Adoption In Primary Care: A Case Study Of The Cmds Care Pathway, Khushbu Khatri Park Sep 2025

Understanding Clinical Tool Adoption In Primary Care: A Case Study Of The Cmds Care Pathway, Khushbu Khatri Park

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The rising prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) places increasing strain on healthcare systems and primary care providers (PCPs). In response, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) adapted the Cardiometabolic Disease Staging System (CMDS), a validated clinical decision support tool, designed to stratify patient risk and guide evidence-based treatment. Embedded within the electronic health record (EHR) as a Care Pathway, the CMDS was designed for real-time use during primary care visits. This dissertation examines utilization of the CMDS in a two-phase case study, guided by the Adult Learning Theory, Group Dynamics Theory, Force Field Theory and Change …

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The Hepatic Glucagon Receptor As A Novel Regulator Of Lifespan, Alexander Tate Lasher Sep 2025

The Hepatic Glucagon Receptor As A Novel Regulator Of Lifespan, Alexander Tate Lasher

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In developed nations the average lifespan has nearly doubled over the last 200 years, and the proportion of humans living into old age is ever increasing. While this is certainly a testament to the effectiveness of modern medicine and infrastructure, it presents a unique challenge to public health. Gains to health have not necessarily kept pace with the gains in lifespan, and the expanding aged population positions age-associated diseases to reach unprecedented prevalence. In light of this challenge, a mechanistic understanding of the aging process is necessary to identify factors that control longevity and to ultimately develop strategies for healthy …

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Controlling Properties Of Pmaa Multilayer Hydrogel Microparticles Through Network Structure, Daniel Inman Sep 2025

Controlling Properties Of Pmaa Multilayer Hydrogel Microparticles Through Network Structure, Daniel Inman

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Advancements in the fabrication of “smart” stimuli responsive hydrogel microparti-cles have been pivotal in their optimization for applications. The responsiveness of hydro-gel networks to external stimuli enhances the intrinsic properties of hydrogels to increase functionality. Through layer-by-layer assembly, the internal composition, network struc-ture, and surface chemistry of multilayer hydrogels can be directly controlled to introduce new and unique properties. Applicable to a wide variety of shapes and sizes; hydrogel mi-croparticles are versatile for biological interactions, such as, cellular internalization, tissue regeneration, biosensors, and more. Thus, this dissertation will discuss the synthesis of shaped pH-responsive hydrogel microparticles and the investigation of …

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Effect Of Fiber Structure Heterogeneity On The Estimation Of Material Parameters For Cardiac Scar Tissue Mechanics, Desmond Maximilian Flanagan Sep 2025

Effect Of Fiber Structure Heterogeneity On The Estimation Of Material Parameters For Cardiac Scar Tissue Mechanics, Desmond Maximilian Flanagan

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Over one million Americans suffer from myocardial infarction (MI) per year. After MI, the heart muscle is replaced by scar, whose mechanical properties play a critical role in outcomes for surviving patients. Previously, Caggiano et al. induced MI in rats, and ex-tracted the scar tissue samples for microscopy and mechanical testing. Building on this, we investigate the effect of incorporating microscopy-derived fiber heterogeneity on the estimation of stress and material parameters. We studied the effect of fiber orientation heterogeneity on the mechanical characteriza-tion of scar tissues using finite element models (FEM) that replicated biaxial tests. We used three constitutive models—Mooney-Rivlin, …

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