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Alternating Current Electrospinning And Characterization Of Nanofibrous Fish Skin Gelatin As An Innovative Biomaterial Platform, Amanda Kennell Jan 2023

Alternating Current Electrospinning And Characterization Of Nanofibrous Fish Skin Gelatin As An Innovative Biomaterial Platform, Amanda Kennell

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A biomaterial for tissue repair is globally sought after, as transplant surgeries and general wound healing have a strong need for a manufactured scaffold that mimics the natural body’s tissue in morphology, composition, and properties. This research presents a nanofibrous (NF) fish skin gelatin-based (FSG) substrate fabricated through an uncommon high-yield method of Alternating Current electrospinning that mimics that can mimic the natural body’s extracellular matrix (ECM). An ECM is the first step in tissue repair. Fabrication through electrospinning gave the NF FSG substrate an identical mimic of the natural body’s extracellular matrix morphology with nanofiber diameter on the order …

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An Examination Of Clinical Pain Severity, Sleep Quality, And Neighborhood Disadvantage In A Racially/Ethically Diverse Sample Of Adults With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis, Cesar Emmanuel Gonzalez Jan 2023

An Examination Of Clinical Pain Severity, Sleep Quality, And Neighborhood Disadvantage In A Racially/Ethically Diverse Sample Of Adults With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis, Cesar Emmanuel Gonzalez

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Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is often accompanied by insomnia symptoms, character-ized by difficulty falling asleep, maintaining sleep, or both. Among individuals with knee OA, up to 31% report significant difficulty falling asleep, 81% have difficulties staying asleep, and up to 77% report any sleep problem. However, the sleep and pain relationship has also rarely been evaluated using objective and subjective sleep measures. Thus, this study attempted to characterize objective and subjective sleep variables in a diverse sam-ple of individuals with symptomatic knee OA. Further, the impact of objective and sub-jective sleep quality on clinical pain severity, movement-evoked pain, and physical func-tion …

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Application Of Machine Learning And Network Approaches To Prioritize Safe And Efficacious Drug Repurposing Candidates, Jennifer L. Fisher Jan 2023

Application Of Machine Learning And Network Approaches To Prioritize Safe And Efficacious Drug Repurposing Candidates, Jennifer L. Fisher

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Only ten percent of drugs in clinical trials are ultimately approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With many diseases and disorders needing therapeutic options, computational drug repurposing methodologies are great alternatives to some drug discovery methods due to quicker FDA approval and lower cost. We sought to gain insights to improve the identification of drug repurposing candidates that will be safe and effective to increase the success of computational drug repurposing approaches. In regards to identifying safe drug candidates, pharmacovigilance studies of adverse event case reports identified that women are more likely to experience an adverse event, and …

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The Effects Of Alzheimer's Disease-Associated Variants And Ligands On The Structure And Function Of Trem2, Hunter Byron Dean Jan 2023

The Effects Of Alzheimer's Disease-Associated Variants And Ligands On The Structure And Function Of Trem2, Hunter Byron Dean

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating, complex form of dementia. Contributions from genetics make up almost 70% of a person’s risk of developing AD, but the mechanisms by which this occurs are not well understood. Attempts to tease apart the risk contributions from individual genes have identified lipid processing and activation of innate immunity as convergent pathways for many of the known genetic risk factors. One of the strongest known risk factors, TREM2, codes for a transmembrane receptor that activates a protective immune response when it detects bound lipids. Variants in TREM2 that control AD risk have been identified, but …

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Reduction Of Sphingomyelinases Associated With Progranulin Deficiency And Frontotemporal Dementia, Nicholas R. Boyle Jan 2023

Reduction Of Sphingomyelinases Associated With Progranulin Deficiency And Frontotemporal Dementia, Nicholas R. Boyle

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Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a leading cause of early-onset dementia and has a significant socioeconomic burden due to difficulties in diagnosis and delay to diagnosis. FTD is a clinically, pathologically, and genetically heterogeneous disorder. The pathological changes associated with FTD are termed frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Protein aggregates are always present in FTLD, with >90% of cases presenting with either TDP-43 or tau pathology. Most cases of FTD are sporadic, but familial cases account for up to 25% of FTD. All familial FTD is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion with most cases being caused by mutations in tau (MAPT), …

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Investigation Into The Structure And Function Of Tyrosyl-Dna Phosphodiesterase I'S N-Terminal Domain, Evan J. Brettrager Jan 2023

Investigation Into The Structure And Function Of Tyrosyl-Dna Phosphodiesterase I'S N-Terminal Domain, Evan J. Brettrager

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Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase I (Tdp1) is a eukaryotic DNA repair enzyme that removes adducts from DNA ends via hydrolysis of a phosphodiester bond. These adducts consist of damaged nucleotides or trapped protein-DNA complexes. Tdp1 hydrolyzes the phosphodiester bond utilizing two catalytic histidines and forming a Tdp1-DNA covalent intermediate. Mutations of these catalytic histidines have been shown to increase the stability of the Tdp1-DNA covalent intermediate and cause Topoisomerase I dependent toxicity in cells. We use these toxic Tdp1 mutant enzymes to study the function of Tdp1’s N-terminal domain (NTD). Full-length Tdp1 has proven difficult to purify due to degradation of the …

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Sialylation Of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor By The Sialyltransferase St6gal1 Modulates Receptor Activity And Downstream Signaling, Katherine Ankenbauer Jan 2023

Sialylation Of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor By The Sialyltransferase St6gal1 Modulates Receptor Activity And Downstream Signaling, Katherine Ankenbauer

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During the process of malignant transformation, cells have striking changes in their cell surface glycosylation. One of these changes is an enrichment for α2,6 sialic acid which is added by the sialyltransferase, ST6GAL1. ST6GAL1 is upregulated in numerous malignancies and acts by adding an α2,6 sialic acid onto receptors bound for the plasma membrane. This sialic acid, in turn, modulates the activity of the receptor by regulating conformation, clustering, and cell surface retention. The work presented in this dissertation focuses on how ST6GAL1-mediated sialylation of a specific cell surface receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), regulates many of its properties. …

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Macrophage Ipla2ss-Derived Lipid Signaling Contributes To Type 1 Diabetes Development, Abdulaziz Saad Almutairi Jan 2023

Macrophage Ipla2ss-Derived Lipid Signaling Contributes To Type 1 Diabetes Development, Abdulaziz Saad Almutairi

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Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of insulin-secreting pancreatic β-cells that leads to hyperglycemia; however, the mechanism of β-cells destruction remains elusive. Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2β (iPLA2β), which hydrolyzes membrane phospholipids at the sn-2 position and releases bioactive lipids, modulates polarization of macrophages (M ). Data from our lab suggests that selective iPLA2β-derived lipid signals (iDLs) (i.e., PGs, HETEs, DHETs, LTB4) produced by M from spontaneous-T1D prone nonobese diabetic mice (NOD) are high during the pre-diabetic phase. However, the impact of macrophage-derived iDLs in T1D remains unclear. Therefore, we generated a NOD mouse model with …

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Epigenetic Aberrations In Systemic Sclerosis And Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Peter C. Allen Jan 2023

Epigenetic Aberrations In Systemic Sclerosis And Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Peter C. Allen

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Autoimmune diseases are a classification of more than eighty diseases where the immune system recognizes a self-antigen and mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissue, inducing inflammation a nd p otentially l eading t o d amage. Autoimmune diseases disproportionately affect women and develop at any age depending on the disease. The prevalence of some autoimmune diseases is increased in minority populations. Despite this, research into higher-risk populations is lacking. This highlights the need to contribute research into understanding autoimmune disease pathogenesis in diverse studies to understand why disease is more severe in these populations. We analyzed transcriptomes and methylomes of …

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Failure Modes Of Different Zirconia Crown Heights And Materials On Titanium Base Abutments, Aikaterini Anastasaki Jan 2023

Failure Modes Of Different Zirconia Crown Heights And Materials On Titanium Base Abutments, Aikaterini Anastasaki

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Statement of the Problem: The existing scientific literature lacks comprehensive information regarding the influence of zirconia crown height on debonding and fracture occurrences between zirconia crowns and titanium base abutments. Additionally, there is a lack of comparative studies evaluating different zirconia materials as restorative options for screw-retained restorations. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the failure modes of the zirconia crown/titanium implant abutment complex by investigating the impact of increasing zirconia crown heights and different zirconia materials. Materials and Methods: The experimental design encompassed six groups, each consisting of 10 specimens. Group 1 included 10 non-anatomical crowns …

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Role Of Dpy30 In The Epigenetic Regulation Of Odontoblast Differentiation In Vitro, Namrata Landge Rana Jan 2023

Role Of Dpy30 In The Epigenetic Regulation Of Odontoblast Differentiation In Vitro, Namrata Landge Rana

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Purpose: Dentin is produced from odontoblasts, derived from human Dental Pulp Cells (hDPCs), which are essential for dentin formation, remodeling, and mineral hemostasis. Epigenetic mechanisms are believed to be involved in odontoblast differentiation and function, and H3K4 methylation is associated with gene activation which is fundamental to histone-based epigenetics. The SET1/MLL complexes are mammals' major histone H3K4 methylation enzymes. DPY30 is a core subunit of SET1/MII complexes, mammalian's major histone H3K4 methyltransferases. It plays an important role in regulating fundamental processes including the determination of cell lineage, growth, and differentiation. Thus, histone-based epigenetic mechanisms are involved in odontoblast differentiation and …

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Molecular Determinants Of Retroviral Gag Targeting To The Plasma Membrane For Assembly, Dominik Herrmann Jan 2023

Molecular Determinants Of Retroviral Gag Targeting To The Plasma Membrane For Assembly, Dominik Herrmann

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Human T-cell leukemia virus 1 (HTLV-1) was the first oncogenic human retrovirus to be discovered. Several serious diseases have been linked to HTLV-1 infection, such as Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Between 10-20 million people are infected with HTLV-1 making it a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A comprehensive understanding of the factors that govern retroviral replication precludes the development of efficient antiretroviral therapies (ARTs). In the example of HIV-1, atomic level structural data was paramount to developing and improving upon many of the ARTs used today, underscoring the need for structure …

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Early Life Stress And Endothelin Receptor Type A: Separate Roles In Mediating Colitis, Rachel Q. Muir Jan 2023

Early Life Stress And Endothelin Receptor Type A: Separate Roles In Mediating Colitis, Rachel Q. Muir

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) results from the interplay of genetic susceptibility, environmental influences, the microbiota, and aberrant immune responses. Despite the fact that over 200 genetic susceptibility loci have been identified, the genetic contribution to disease onset is believed to be less than 50%. Environmental factors have arisen as key drivers of disease. Early life stress (ELS) is an understudied environmental trigger linked to IBD susceptibility. Utilizing 2 separate models of ELS, we show that ELS results in diminished colonic corticosterone and prolonged intestinal inflammation upon colitogenic insult. ELS-exposed animals consistently demonstrated high levels of colonic Tnf, concurrently with decreased …

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Investigating The Role Of A Novel Subpopulation Of Pd-L1+ Quiescent Melanocyte Stem Cells In Pigmentation, Joseph W. Palmer Jan 2023

Investigating The Role Of A Novel Subpopulation Of Pd-L1+ Quiescent Melanocyte Stem Cells In Pigmentation, Joseph W. Palmer

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors have drastically improved cancer treatments and increased the overall survival rate of many cancer patients. Currently, one of the most active areas of research involves inhibitors to the interaction of programmed death 1 (PD- 1) found on T cells and its ligand programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1) found on tumor cells. However, PD-L1 expression is not limited to cancer cells and physiological expression of PD-L1 can be found in tissues throughout the body. One notable side-effect of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies is the return of pigmentation to previously gray hairs suggesting that quiescent melanocyte stem cells (qMcSCs) are retained gray hairs …

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Improved Myocardial Infarct Repair Via Cardiac Tissue Engineering And Modified Rna, Lu Wang Jan 2023

Improved Myocardial Infarct Repair Via Cardiac Tissue Engineering And Modified Rna, Lu Wang

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Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death in the United States and the world. Myocardial infarction (MI) happens when there is an occlusion in the blood vessel. Cardiomyocytes (CM) die quickly after MI and are replaced by a fibrotic scar. Since adult mammalian cardiomyocytes have a limited capacity to regenerate, the damages induced by MI usually deteriorate into more severe symptoms such as heart failure. In order to achieve regeneration of the cardiomyocytes, numerous therapies have been proposed, including cellular therapy and CM cell cycle re-entry. During this dissertation study, we focused on improving myocardial infarct repair via cardiac …

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Mechanisms Of Simulated-Spinal Manipulative Therapy In Animal Models Of Low Back Pain, Carla Rigo Lima Jan 2023

Mechanisms Of Simulated-Spinal Manipulative Therapy In Animal Models Of Low Back Pain, Carla Rigo Lima

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Low back pain (LBP), a condition characterized by pain experienced between the 12th rib margin and gluteal folds, is a prevalent health problem that affects an ever-increasing population worldwide. First-line treatment for LBP often involves non-pharmacological approaches, including spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), which has demonstrated mild-to-moderate clinical efficacy. However, despite its therapeutic benefits, the physiological mechanisms underlying the analgesic effects of SMT in LBP are still not well understood. Recent evidence suggests that sensitization of peripheral and central nervous system structures contribute to the progression and maintenance of LBP with inflammatory cytokines, reactive glial cells, and/or aberrant muscle spindle activity …

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Enhancing Plant Functional Annotation By Integrating Graph Convolutional Networks And Natural Language Processing, Nilesh Kumar Jan 2023

Enhancing Plant Functional Annotation By Integrating Graph Convolutional Networks And Natural Language Processing, Nilesh Kumar

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Studying plant gene function is essential for understanding the underlying mechanisms that govern plant growth, development, and environmental adaptation. This knowledge can improve crop yields and food security by developing plants resistant to diseases, pests, and environmental stress. Moreover, understanding plant gene function can also aid in environmental conservation efforts by providing insight into the mechanisms that plants use to adapt to changing environments and can help preserve endan-gered plant species. For several reasons, studying gene function in plants can be more challenging than in animals. Plant genomes are larger and more complex than animal genomes, making it harder to …

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Strategies For Her2 Targeted Pet Imaging, Maxwell Adams Ducharme Jan 2023

Strategies For Her2 Targeted Pet Imaging, Maxwell Adams Ducharme

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Breast cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers diagnosed in women each year. The HER2-positive subtype of breast cancer is associated with poor prognosis and lower progression-free survival. Early identification of HER2 expression is extremely important for the effective treatment of the disease. Current methods to diagnose HER2-positive breast cancer involve invasive biopsies to semi-quantitatively determine the amount of HER2 expression. However, many lesions are often unavailable for biopsy due to their location and there may be variable HER2 expression between the primary tumor and metastasis. Positron emission tomography (PET) can give a full-body, non-invasive evaluation of …

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Investigating Regulatory Mechanisms Of Transcription By Rna Polymerase I, Abigail Kate Huffines Jan 2023

Investigating Regulatory Mechanisms Of Transcription By Rna Polymerase I, Abigail Kate Huffines

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There are at least three eukaryotic RNA polymerases (Pols), Pols I, II, and III. These Pols are essential for transcription, where RNA is synthesized from various DNA templates. While transcription has been well-studied for decades, there are still many questions that remain unanswered about how this process is regulated for each of the three Pols. Transcription is highly regulated and complex, therefore, many different mechanisms exist to tightly control it in the cell. Some of these mechanisms include regulation by transcription factors and co-transcriptional RNA processing. While these regulatory mechanisms are of great interest, they have not yet been fully …

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Biochemical Characterization Of Rna Polymerases I, Ii, And Iii And Its Therapeutic Implications, Ruth Qian Jacobs Jan 2023

Biochemical Characterization Of Rna Polymerases I, Ii, And Iii And Its Therapeutic Implications, Ruth Qian Jacobs

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In contrast to Bacteria and Archaea that express a single DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP), eukaryotes express at least three structurally distinct, nuclear, DNA-dependent RNA polymerases (Pols I, II, and III) that are responsible for synthesizing all the genome-encoded RNA required by the cell. Despite the discovery of the Pols over 50 years ago, there remains a knowledge gap concerning their enzymatic properties. Over the course of evolution, we know that Pols I, II, and III have diverged in structure and function. They share a 10-subunit core and are each responsible for transcribing unique genetic loci. What remains to be understood …

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Molecular Phenotyping Of Serum Iga1 0-Glycoforms In The Context Of Iga Nephropthy, Ellenore P. Craine Jan 2023

Molecular Phenotyping Of Serum Iga1 0-Glycoforms In The Context Of Iga Nephropthy, Ellenore P. Craine

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IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an autoimmune disease that is the most common form of glomerulonephritis in the world, and results in end-stage renal disease in 40% of patients. In IgAN, human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) has reduced levels of galactose (Gal) in the IgA1 O-glycosylated hinge region (HR) known as Gal deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1). These Gd-IgA1 glycoforms, which are elevated in circulation of IgAN patients, are recognized by Gd-IgA1-specific IgG autoantibodies, resulting in the formation of pathogenic immune complexes (CICs). Some of these CICs accumulate in the mesangium of glomeruli and induce kidney injury. Although the link between these deposits and …

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Neural-Glial-Vascular Interactions In Human Outer Retina, Deepayan Kar Jan 2023

Neural-Glial-Vascular Interactions In Human Outer Retina, Deepayan Kar

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The outer retinal metabolic ecosystem is a complex interplay among photoreceptors, RPE and blood supply from the retinal and choroidal microcirculation. Breakdown of any component of this ecosystem has detrimental effects and can lead to cellular dysfunction. For example, in age-related macular degeneration a major cause of vision loss in older adults, breakdown of this metabolic unit has severe structural and functional implications. Thus, every feature and component of this ecosystem seems to be optimized to protect non-replicating, terminally differentiated cells from being damaged. Remarkably, much of the cellular and subcellular organization of this system is available for observation in …

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Neutrophil Heterogeneity And Alternative Granulopoiesis In Chronic Inflammatory Conditions, Ashley N. Connelly Jan 2023

Neutrophil Heterogeneity And Alternative Granulopoiesis In Chronic Inflammatory Conditions, Ashley N. Connelly

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Neutrophils, the most abundant type of circulating leukocyte, represent a heterogeneous population with distinct roles in immune regulation and disease pathogenesis. A major obstacle to our understanding of neutrophil biology is that neutrophils are readily activated during preparation. The lack of standardized methodology for neutrophil characterization makes the comparison of results across studies challenging. Here we provide a careful comparison of eight characterization methods and present a novel, optimized protocol for the characterization of whole blood neutrophils minimizing activationinduced phenotypic alterations during processing. Despite successful virological control, HIV-1-infected individuals maintain an increased risk of life-threatening comorbidities including liver, cardiovascular, and …

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Induction Of Antibiotic Activity Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus In Small Molecules Through Zinc Activation, Rachel Michaela Andrews Jan 2023

Induction Of Antibiotic Activity Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus In Small Molecules Through Zinc Activation, Rachel Michaela Andrews

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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious human pathogen with a staggering potential for multi-drug resistance. Because of this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization monitor the spread of MRSA and encourage antibiotic development efforts targeting this pathogen. Despite this, few antibiotics have been developed and brought to market in recent decades. To continue treating infections caused by this organism, we must identify novel antibiotic molecules with different mechanisms of action from known antibiotics. Bacterial copper-dependent inhibitors (CDIs), molecules that become antibacterial in the presence of copper (Cu), have been studied as a novel …

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Eating Disorder Symptoms In Transgender Adults: The Impact Of Gender Dysphoria And Minority Stress On Eating Disorder Symptomatology, Elliott Botelho Jan 2023

Eating Disorder Symptoms In Transgender Adults: The Impact Of Gender Dysphoria And Minority Stress On Eating Disorder Symptomatology, Elliott Botelho

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Background: Transgender individuals experience more mental health challenges than their cisgender counterparts, and a growing area of research suggests that transgender in-dividuals are at increased risk of eating disorder symptoms. The Gender Minority Stress and Resilience model may help explain this health disparity in eating disorder symptoms. The model theorizes that this disproportionate mental health burden, such as eating disor-der symptoms, may arise from the stresses of belonging to a minoritized group. Another factor that may account for eating disorder disparities is gender dysphoria, a distressing and clinically significant state many transgender individuals experience when their physi-cal appearance is incongruent …

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The Effect Of Temperature On The Rate Of Antibiotic Resistance Development In Vibrio Vulnificus, Amber Marie Richardson Jan 2023

The Effect Of Temperature On The Rate Of Antibiotic Resistance Development In Vibrio Vulnificus, Amber Marie Richardson

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Vibrio vulnificus is an environmentally encountered pathogen that humans may be exposed to through open wound contact with brackish waters or by ingestion of contaminated shellfish. In susceptible individuals, a V. vulnificus infection can spread rapidly, resulting in hospitalization, amputation, or even death. This bacterial species can cause aggressive infection, so treatment must often be aggressive as well. A typical treatment regimen includes combination therapy with a third-generation cephalosporin along with either a tetracycline or a fluoroquinolone. Although this method can work for now, antibiotic resistance is a looming threat that has emerged in many bacterial pathogens, including V. vulnificus. …

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Use Of Atr-Ftir Spectroscopy For Estimating Postmortem Interval, Age Of Bloodstains, Sex Og Blood Donor, And Species Differentiation, Olivia Glaze Jan 2023

Use Of Atr-Ftir Spectroscopy For Estimating Postmortem Interval, Age Of Bloodstains, Sex Og Blood Donor, And Species Differentiation, Olivia Glaze

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Blood is a powerful form of evidence that can provide valuable information about a crime. Most commonly blood is a source of DNA, however, generating a DNA profile can be costly, time consuming, and sometimes is not possible. Consequently, it is important to have methods for gathering additional information from blood evidence. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is a method commonly used in confirmatory testing of drugs, fibers, paints, and other substances of forensic interest. This method only requires a small amount of sample, is non-destructive, sample preparation is minimal, and analysis is relatively fast. Recent research …

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Reframing The Study Of Peace Through The Lens Of Complex Adaptive Systems, Nick Mauro Jan 2023

Reframing The Study Of Peace Through The Lens Of Complex Adaptive Systems, Nick Mauro

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Many researchers studying peace have posited that peace is a system. Although this approach has recently included steps to address complexity, current models have not sufficiently integrated their approach with complex adaptive systems to produce functionally dynamic models. Rather, current models describe peace systems as teleological and linear, which creates closed systems that do not incorporate feedback from the environment and, therefore, do not identify adaptive processes. Furthermore, these models reflect the state of a system, an arrangement of constituent parts in specific contexts, rather than capturing the complexity that is necessary for describing a dynamic system. To address these …

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Automated Structural Health Monitoring Of Pavements Using Google Street View Images, Ebisidor Jeremiah Agberebi Jan 2023

Automated Structural Health Monitoring Of Pavements Using Google Street View Images, Ebisidor Jeremiah Agberebi

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The Department of Transportation traditionally employed a structural health monitoring approach that involved training personnel to report the existing conditions of roadways. However, this approach is accompanied by huge costs that range from onboarding, vehicular equipment & maintenance cost, environmental costs from CO2 emission, safety costs, and the cost of errors made by personnel as each inspector would exercise his/ her discretion in analyzing the condition of the roadway. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a more efficient and effective approach to SHM. The incorporation of google street view images [‘GSV’ a Google roadway street data repository, with high-resolution images], …

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Family Members' Education And Cognitive Functioning Among Older Adults: Investigating The Mediating Role Of Health Behaviors, Lu Tian Jan 2023

Family Members' Education And Cognitive Functioning Among Older Adults: Investigating The Mediating Role Of Health Behaviors, Lu Tian

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Despite a well-established relationship between education and cognitive performance in later life, few studies have considered the effects of educational attainment of the family. The education of one's parents can help prevent cognitive decline, as parents (G1) with more education can transfer more health knowledge, teach health literacy, and cultivate healthy lifestyles. This downward spillover between parental education (G1) and older adults’ (G2) cognitive health is well documented. For the downstream effect, attention is often given to maternal education rather than paternal education. Another line of research examined intergenerational transmissions from children (G3) to parents (G2), finding that having well-educated …

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