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Controlled By Disorder: Modifications To An Unstructured C-Terminal Region Alter Srsf1'S Intramolecular Interactions And Tendency To Phase Separate, Talia Fargason Jan 2025

Controlled By Disorder: Modifications To An Unstructured C-Terminal Region Alter Srsf1'S Intramolecular Interactions And Tendency To Phase Separate, Talia Fargason

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The protein Serine-Arginine-rich Splicing Factor 1 (SRSF1) is essential in multiple stages of the mRNA lifecycle, including alternative splicing, nonsense-mediated decay, and nuclear export. SRSF1’s dysfunction is linked to cancers, viral evasion, and developmental disorders. Its function depends on interactions between structured and unstructured regions, modulated by phosphorylation. However, the unstructured regions, while critical for regulation, contribute to protein insolubility, hindering full-length studies. Prior to the work presented here, structural studies of SRSF1 were limited to analysis of its isolated domains. This dissertation develops new techniques to characterize SRSF1, focusing on its intermolecular interactions driving phase separation and intramolecular interactions …

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Diurnal Function And Expression Of Aquaporins In The Mouse Kidney, Phi Hung Nguyen Jan 2025

Diurnal Function And Expression Of Aquaporins In The Mouse Kidney, Phi Hung Nguyen

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Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of proteins that play a major role in maintaining water homeostasis. Aquaporin 2 (AQP2) and aquaporin 3 (AQP3) are expressed in the collecting duct and regulated by the antidiuretic hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP) through the AVPR2 receptor. It is well known that biological circadian rhythms are critical for maintaining homeostasis. In both humans and rodents, the kidneys exhibit time-of-day-dependent changes in function. We hypothesized that there is a diurnal pattern in urine and/or plasma osmolality, and that this may reflect changes in kidney aquaporins in mice. Male and female C57BL/6J mice (10-11 weeks old) were …

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Mammonc-Db: A Proteo-Genomic Platform For Comprehensive Breast Cancer Data Analysis, Integration And Visualization, Santhosh Kumar Karthikeyan Jan 2025

Mammonc-Db: A Proteo-Genomic Platform For Comprehensive Breast Cancer Data Analysis, Integration And Visualization, Santhosh Kumar Karthikeyan

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ABSTRACT In 2024, breast cancer (BCa) emerged as the most prevalent cancer among women, accounting for 15% of fatalities in the United States. BCa is a multifaceted disease characterized by various molecular alterations associated with tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. Clinically, different treatments such as endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, and anti-HER2 therapy are employed based on the molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Despite initial treatment responses, some cases experience recurrence due to therapy resistance. The application of next-generation sequencing techniques and data analysis has significantly enhanced our understanding of BCa biology, including its initiation and progression. By exploring BCa multi-omics data, …

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Elucidating The Role Of The Secondary Coordination Sphere In Tuning Reactivity Of Synthetic Heme Superoxide Complexes And Other Biologically Relevant Intermediates, Garrett B. Tolbert Jan 2025

Elucidating The Role Of The Secondary Coordination Sphere In Tuning Reactivity Of Synthetic Heme Superoxide Complexes And Other Biologically Relevant Intermediates, Garrett B. Tolbert

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Tryptophan catabolizing human heme-dioxyganase enzymes have been linked to a multitude of disease conditions; therefore, understanding the mechanistic details of their function is of great interest to facilitate the design of effective inhibitors for therapeutic applications. Synthetic model systems have demonstrated dioxygenation of indole moieties, elucidating key mechanistic details of the overall reaction. However, the contrastingly low reactivity of the synthetic heme-superoxide intermediates compared to those of dioxygenase enzymes necessitates the revaluation of these models with direct relevance to their biological mode of action. Herein, we report detailed mechanistic studies on the reactivity of model porphyrin systems with installed non-covalent …

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Predictors Of Everyday Function Among Older Adults Using Data From The Active Clinical Trial., Deborah Awusuah Dadson Jan 2025

Predictors Of Everyday Function Among Older Adults Using Data From The Active Clinical Trial., Deborah Awusuah Dadson

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The nature of the lifespan causes a decrease in the bodily functioning of people as they age which affects the ability to engage in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), mostly amongst older adults. A reduction in the individual’s abilities combined with environmental changes can lead to functional decline impacting everyday function. The aim of this study was to examine the association between visual, cognitive and physical factors with everyday function (IADL/ADL) among older adults and assess whether social determinants of health (SDoH) measures moderate the associations of vision, cognitive and physical function with …

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Elucidating The Impact Of Ribosome Biogenesis On Breast Cancer, Amr Rafat Elhamamsy Jan 2025

Elucidating The Impact Of Ribosome Biogenesis On Breast Cancer, Amr Rafat Elhamamsy

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Ribosome biogenesis, a complex and multi-step process that occurs predominantly in the nucleolus, plays a critical role in cellular function by mediating protein synthesis through the assembly of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and ribosomal proteins into functional ribosomes. In cancer, dysregulation of this process is linked to the development of specialized ribosomes (onco-ribosomes) that support oncogenic translation programs, enhancing tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. This dissertation explores the interplay between ribosome biogenesis and cancer, focusing particularly on the role of RNA Polymerase I (RNA Pol I) activity under hypoxic conditions and rRNA modifications in breast cancer. My first study elucidates the …

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Metabolic And Physiological Characteristics Of Diet Manipulation And Genetic Modification In Two Rat Models Of Aging, Soe Maung Maung Phone Myint Jan 2025

Metabolic And Physiological Characteristics Of Diet Manipulation And Genetic Modification In Two Rat Models Of Aging, Soe Maung Maung Phone Myint

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As society and human civilization advances, humans have begun to live longer and most people live to be longer than 60, which was not the case several decades ago. According to the World Health Organization(WHO), by the turn of the next decade at 2030, 1 in 6 people will be 60 years or older, accounting for almost 1.4 billion people. Aging affects people differently but in general, it has a propensity to induce widespread and progressive molecular and cellular damage which leads to a myriad of diseases and eventually death. The greatest risk factor for most of the chronic diseases …

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Unraveling The Kinetic Mechanisms Of Protein Unfolding And Translocation Catalyzed By Hsp100 Unfoldases, Jaskamaljot Kaur Banwait Jan 2025

Unraveling The Kinetic Mechanisms Of Protein Unfolding And Translocation Catalyzed By Hsp100 Unfoldases, Jaskamaljot Kaur Banwait

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Escherichia coli ClpB and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hsp104 are part of the Hsp100 family of proteins responsible for maintaining protein homeostasis in a cell during heat-stress conditions. Structurally, ClpB and Hsp104, in their active state, assemble into hexameric ring complexes with a hollow axial channel. Functionally, these enzymes are hypothesized to couple energy from ATP binding and hydrolysis to unfold protein substrates and translocate them through their axial channel. However, the molecular mechanisms of protein unfolding and translocation catalyzed by both ClpB and Hsp104 are not well understood. In this dissertation, we report the development of a single-turnover transient state kinetics …

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The Relationship Between Molten Iron Chemistry Of A Cupola Furnace And Airborne Contaminants, Darkeya D. Rowe Jan 2025

The Relationship Between Molten Iron Chemistry Of A Cupola Furnace And Airborne Contaminants, Darkeya D. Rowe

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The purpose of this research was to understand the potential relationship between the molten iron chemistry of a cupola furnace and airborne contaminants. Three-day air sampling was performed for the emissions of a cupola furnace using 37 mm mixed cellulose ester (MCE) filter cassettes at an iron foundry. The samples were analyzed for 21 elements and compounds by a commercial laboratory using the modified National Institude for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Method 7303, most of which were metals. The concentrations of 13 out of 21 elements and compounds were compared to the corresponding elements in molten metal/iron stream analyzed …

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Processing, Testing, Failure Analysis, And Modeling Of Elementary Natural Fiber-Reinforced Composites, Shuo Sun Jan 2025

Processing, Testing, Failure Analysis, And Modeling Of Elementary Natural Fiber-Reinforced Composites, Shuo Sun

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Natural fiber reinforced composites have garnered significant interest as potential substitutes for conventional materials because of their eco-friendly attributes and favorable physical and mechanical properties. Typically, natural fibers undergo chemical treatments to enhance their compatibility with the polymer matrix prior to composite production. However, these treatments primarily affect the surface of the fiber bundles and have a limited impact on the inner elementary fibers within the bundle. This research work introduced a mechanical treatment method for hemp fiber by using an elevated temperature aqueous condition and mechanical force, which broke down the technical fiber bundles into elementary fibers and created …

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From Portraits To Bathwater: Desire, Imitation, And Violence In The Picture Of Dorian Gray And Saltburn, Kylie Marie Golden Jan 2025

From Portraits To Bathwater: Desire, Imitation, And Violence In The Picture Of Dorian Gray And Saltburn, Kylie Marie Golden

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This thesis examines the cycle of imitation within queer male desire in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Saltburn, arguing that both texts depict an unsustainable pattern in which protagonists mold themselves after an idealized other, leading to obsession, violence, and self-destruction. While Oscar Wilde’s novel encodes queerness within aestheticism and moral decay, Emerald Fennell’s film reconfigures these themes through class ambition and performative sexuality. I explore how both texts present imitation as a dangerous mechanism through which male characters construct their identities, only to find that their self-fashioning is ultimately untenable. This study positions Saltburn as a contemporary rewriting …

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Detection Of Tetrahydrozoline In Alcoholic Beverage Residue Related To Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Using Gc-Ms, Alyssa Simone Hampton Jan 2025

Detection Of Tetrahydrozoline In Alcoholic Beverage Residue Related To Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Using Gc-Ms, Alyssa Simone Hampton

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Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is an ongoing issue that remains significant in the United States and the World. DFSA can be either proactive or opportunistic, where a victim becomes impaired and is unable to provide consent. Common drugs found in DFSA cases are ethanol and cannabis. However, alternative drugs are increasingly being used to incapacitate a victim and enable a sexual assault. These include tetrahydrozoline (THZ), commonly found in over-the-counter eye drops, such as Visine®. Minimal research surrounds THZ, in which agencies may process case samples with a general drug screen, which may only detect common drugs, while THZ goes …

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The Antiviral Treatment Of Bk Polyomavirus, Peter Alexander Kaul Jan 2025

The Antiviral Treatment Of Bk Polyomavirus, Peter Alexander Kaul

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A kidney transplant is the most common form of organ transplant in the United States. The waitlist of patients waiting for a kidney transplant totals over 80,000. In recent years, kidney transplants have been performed more than ever before, but the waitlist continues to grow. This is due to the constant addition of new patients being added, as well as, patients who obtained a kidney transplant, but their transplant failed and were added back to the waitlist. While the development of more specific and effective immunosuppressive drugs given to transplant recipients have reduced the cases of acute rejection, it has …

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An Examination Of Psycho-Behavioral Risk And Resilence Profiles In People With Chronically Painful Knee Osteoarthritis, Daniel Kusko Jan 2025

An Examination Of Psycho-Behavioral Risk And Resilence Profiles In People With Chronically Painful Knee Osteoarthritis, Daniel Kusko

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The prevalence and impact of chronic pain are far-reaching and costly to our society. Chronic pain conditions are affecting many people in the US and abroad. Osteoarthritis (OA) is commonly referred to as a slow progressing degenerative disease that tends to develop over 10 to 15 years and can result in functional limitations and pain. Chronic knee OA is a common form of OA pain that affects many adults across the globe. Biopsychosocial factors are theorized to play an important role in how people with chronic pain may develop, exacerbate, or cope with pain. The goal of this project was …

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Reelin Regulation Of Striatal Physiology And Cocaine Reward, Kasey Lynn Brida Jan 2025

Reelin Regulation Of Striatal Physiology And Cocaine Reward, Kasey Lynn Brida

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Drugs of abuse activate defined neuronal populations in brain reward structures such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which are thought to promote the enduring synaptic, circuit, and behavioral consequences of drug exposure. While the molecular and cellular effects arising from experience with drugs like cocaine are increasingly well understood, the mechanisms that sculpt NAc neuron participation are largely unknown. Here, we leveraged unbiased single-nucleus transcriptional profiling to identify expression of the secreted glycoprotein Reelin (encoded by the Reln gene) as a marker of cocaine-activated neurons within the rat NAc. Multiplexed in situ detection confirmed selective expression of the immediate early …

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Guts, Glory, And Gain: Exploring The Multifaceted Influences Of Physical Activity Behavior Among Adults With Crohn's Disease, Whitney Neal Jan 2025

Guts, Glory, And Gain: Exploring The Multifaceted Influences Of Physical Activity Behavior Among Adults With Crohn's Disease, Whitney Neal

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Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, affecting approximately 1 million individuals in the United States. In addition to gastrointestinal symptoms, complications such as arthralgia, sacroiliitis, and osteopenia may diminish physical fitness and exacerbate disease burden. Physical activity is a promising complementary, non-invasive strategy for managing Crohn’s disease, yet few studies have examined outcomes across the entire activity continuum from sedentary behavior to vigorous exercise. This study sought to provide a nuanced understanding of activity patterns in adults with Crohn’s disease (n=47) by comparing them with age-, socioeconomic status-, and sex-matched healthy controls (n=45), exploring Social …

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Effects Of Single-Cell Dietary Protein Sources On Feeding, Growth, And Resource Allocation In The Juvenile Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus, Darrien Jamila De Jesus Jan 2025

Effects Of Single-Cell Dietary Protein Sources On Feeding, Growth, And Resource Allocation In The Juvenile Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus, Darrien Jamila De Jesus

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An understanding of nutrition can improve culture of sea urchins, whether as a research model or in the production of seafood products. Macronutrients, including dietary protein sources, can affect growth and reproductive profiles and alter resource allocation to somatic and gametic tissues. Although sea urchins in culture can be fed natural products, diet formulations using various ingredients can be developed to reliably produce desired outcomes. Single-cell protein sources represent a potential alternative to current industry standards of animal-derived protein sources such as fish and squid meal, which are becoming increasingly overfished and expensive. In the present study, we evaluated the …

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Context-Dependent Functional Connectivity During Attention Orienting And Reorienting: Comparing Individuals With Schizophrenia And Controls, Hyun Freeman Jan 2025

Context-Dependent Functional Connectivity During Attention Orienting And Reorienting: Comparing Individuals With Schizophrenia And Controls, Hyun Freeman

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Attentional deficits are a well-established feature of schizophrenia, impacting various functional domains. Previous research suggested altered connectivity within attention networks may underlie these deficits, but few studies have examined how these net-works dynamically interact during different types of attention processes. In this study, we investigated functional connectivity patterns during attentional orienting and reori-enting to social and nonsocial cues in 25 individuals with schizophrenia and 25 controls. Participants completed a modified Posner spatial cueing task with both social (eyes) and nonsocial (arrows) cues during fMRI scanning. Using generalized psychophysiological interaction analysis with the left lateral occipital cortex (LOC) as a seed …

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Stimulation And Quantification Of Dopamine-Associated Behaviors, Hunter Goffinett Jan 2025

Stimulation And Quantification Of Dopamine-Associated Behaviors, Hunter Goffinett

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Dopamine (DA) is a neurotransmitter involved in the regulation of essential behaviors, including motor control and reward processing. Alterations in DA levels can significantly modulate these behaviors: increased DA release is associated with heightened locomotion and enhanced preference for rewarding stimuli. Therefore, measuring behavioral changes in vivo provides critical insight into DA release and function. In this study, we quantified DA-associated behaviors by radiolytic stimulation of the Drosophila A-isoform of the transient receptor potential ankyrin type-1 A (dTRPA1(A)) channel and investigated how the human-immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its secreted protein, the trans-activator of transcription regulatory protein (Tat), alter drug-induced behaviors. …

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Targeting The Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (Tshr) In Thyroid Cancer, Grayson Robert Gimblet Jan 2025

Targeting The Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (Tshr) In Thyroid Cancer, Grayson Robert Gimblet

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Radioactive iodine (RAI) has been effective in the treatment of thyroid cancer, the most common endocrine neoplasia, since its introduction into clinical use over eighty years ago. However, not all patients benefit from RAI. Up to 20% of patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) become radioactive iodine refractory (RAI-R). These RAI-R patients have 5-year survival rates of 50% and 10-year survival rates of 10%. In addition, more aggressive subtypes including oncocytic thyroid carcinoma (OC), poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC), and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) are less responsive to RAI therapy. Despite accounting for less than 5% of annual thyroid cancer …

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Occupational Exposure To Cooking Emissions And Evaluation Of Ventilation System In Restaurant Kitchens, Matthew Kaleb Hanvey Jan 2025

Occupational Exposure To Cooking Emissions And Evaluation Of Ventilation System In Restaurant Kitchens, Matthew Kaleb Hanvey

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Background: In the restaurant environment, there are many harmful contaminants generated during the cooking process that kitchen workers are potentially exposed to. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the potential exposure to aldehydes and respirable particles among restaurant kitchen workers and to examine the ventilation performance of the kitchen exhaust hoods. Methods: There were three restaurants recruited for this study and they cooked seafood/poultry (Restaurant 1), farm style foods (Restaurant 2), and finger foods (Restaurant 3). The three restaurants had wall-mounted canopy hoods. Restaurant 1 had two hoods, Restaurant 2 had two hoods, and Restaurant 3 had one …

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Electrophysiological Integration Of Engineered Tissue Graft With The Host Swine Myocardium, Bijay Guragain Jan 2025

Electrophysiological Integration Of Engineered Tissue Graft With The Host Swine Myocardium, Bijay Guragain

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The adult mammalian heart lacks regenerative capacity to replenish cardiomyocytes (CMs) lost due to myocardial infarction (MI). Instead, the damaged heart undergoes extensive remodeling that significantly impairs normal cardiac function and may eventually lead to heart failure. Recent therapies that implant engineered tissues fabricated from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have shown promising results with improved cardiac function and structural integration. However, the extent of electrophysiological coupling between engineered and host tissue remains unclear. This is a critical factor for functional integration of the implant as well as for arrhythmia risk arising from the implant. Our study aims …

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The Role Of Aquaporin-3 Lysine 282 Acetylation In Renal Water Balance, Nha Van Huynh Jan 2025

The Role Of Aquaporin-3 Lysine 282 Acetylation In Renal Water Balance, Nha Van Huynh

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Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) mediates basolateral water transport in the kidney collecting duct principal cells, contributing to vasopressin-mediated urine concentration. We previously identified a novel post-translational modification of AQP3, the acetylation of lysine 282 (K282), which we hypothesized as a positive regulator of AQP3 water permeability. First, we found that collecting duct K282 acetylated AQP3 increased upon water deprivation, suggesting an involvement in renal water balance. To decipher the functional role of this modification, we utilized AQP3 acetylation (K282Q or Q) and deacetylation (K282R or R) mimetic mutant mice models generated using CRISPR/Cas9 knock-in technology. Both male and female wild-type (WT) and …

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Mechanoactivation Of Vegfr-2 Promotes Angiogenesis In The Tumor Microenvironment, Bronte Johnson Jan 2025

Mechanoactivation Of Vegfr-2 Promotes Angiogenesis In The Tumor Microenvironment, Bronte Johnson

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Cancer progression relies on blood vessel growth; without vasculature, tumors would be limited to less than 200µm in diameter. With this reasoning, several cancer therapies have been developed that target the process of angiogenesis, or the growth of vessels off pre-existing vasculature. These treatments target the major promoters of angiogenesis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2); however, anti-angiogenic therapies are not effective by themselves. This is likely due to mechanoactivation of VEGFR-2 through physical alterations in the tumor microenvironment (TME). One prevalent mechanical change is increased strain on surrounding cells and matrix due to highly contractile …

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In Pursuit Of Sovereignty: Transformations Of Colonial Medicine From Wilhelmine To Nazi Germany, Veda Joshi Jan 2025

In Pursuit Of Sovereignty: Transformations Of Colonial Medicine From Wilhelmine To Nazi Germany, Veda Joshi

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After the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, the Great Powers of Europe, including the newly-born German Empire, greatly expanded their influence and colonial possessions in Africa, with colonies in East Asia and the South Pacific quickly following suit. The German Empire, like its contemporaries, engaged with medicine as a necessary part of its colonial endeavors in order to keep both its native laborers and European settlers healthy. Using documents from the German Bundesarchiv (Federal Archive), including official reports made to the German Colonial Office and documenting of formally conducted expeditions, as well as the writings of colonial doctors, this research examines …

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Investigating The Role Of Notch1 On Cell Viability In Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Cells In Hypoxia, Alexis Kennedy Jan 2025

Investigating The Role Of Notch1 On Cell Viability In Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Cells In Hypoxia, Alexis Kennedy

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INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF NOTCH1 ON CELL VIABILITY IN PANCREATIC NEUROENDOCRINE TUMOR CELLS IN HYPOXIA ALEXIS KENNEDY MULTIDISCIPLINARY BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE ABSTRACT Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are rare neoplasms originating from neuroendocrine cells in the pancreas. Patients with advanced disease pose a complex challenge due to poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Notch signaling is a juxtracrine cell-cell communication mechanism whereby transmembrane Notch receptors (Notch 1-4) interact with neighboring cells through ligands binding, resulting in a cascade that regulates various developmental processes and cell fate decisions. Dysregulated Notch1 signaling is implicated in PNETs, affecting neuroendocrine tumor biology and potentially interacting with …

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Endothelial Cell Cd36 In Alzheimer’S Disease And Breast Cancer Progression, Atul Kumar Jan 2025

Endothelial Cell Cd36 In Alzheimer’S Disease And Breast Cancer Progression, Atul Kumar

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Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are increasingly recognized as a distinct class of innate immune cells, with CD36, an innate immunity receptor, playing a pivotal role in regulating immune function and its regulation, angiogenesis, cancer progression, brain related disorder as well as the exchange of nutrients and waste. To investigate this further, we developed EC-specific CD36 knockout mice using the translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) technique. By isolating ribosome-bound mRNA directly from vascular endothelial cells in vivo in these knockout and control mice, we conducted deep RNA sequencing and transcriptional profiling. Our findings revealed that CD36 deficiency in brain endothelia led …

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Young Adult Chronic Disease And Midlife Subjective Well-Being And Mental Health: Does Social Milestone Achievement Mediate The Link?, Hannah M. Lindl Jan 2025

Young Adult Chronic Disease And Midlife Subjective Well-Being And Mental Health: Does Social Milestone Achievement Mediate The Link?, Hannah M. Lindl

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Nearly one-in-four young adults ages 18-34 have a chronic disease, which has been linked to worse midlife mental health. Prior studies have little-examined the mechanism behind this association. The life course perspective suggests that because chronic disease in young adulthood is an unexpected and “off-time” event it may disrupt the achievement and timing of key social milestones. Inability to achieve or perceived delays in achieving the social markers of adulthood (e.g., completing school, homeownership, marriage) may therefore lead to worse midlife mental health. To address this proposition, I used panel data from the Youth Development Study (YDS and multivariate regression …

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Molecular Imaging Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Characterization And Modulation Of The Tumor Microenvironment, Shannon E. Lynch Jan 2025

Molecular Imaging Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Characterization And Modulation Of The Tumor Microenvironment, Shannon E. Lynch

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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive, heterogeneous subset of breast cancer which currently has no targeted therapies available due to lack of molecular therapeutic targets. Importantly, various radiopharmaceuticals can be imaged via positron emission tomography (PET) to quantify cellular and molecular features of the tumor microenvironment including glucose metabolism, receptor status, and immune activation. Somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (SSTR2) is G-protein coupled receptor overexpressed in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) which can be imaged and targeted for theranostics via FDA-approved radiotherapy. SSTR2 expression is increased in hormone positive breast cancer but is expressed at low or variable levels in TNBC. However, …

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A Lament For The Perishing Barbarians Of Edith Wharton’S Summer, Anna Marsh Jan 2025

A Lament For The Perishing Barbarians Of Edith Wharton’S Summer, Anna Marsh

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This thesis considers Edith Wharton’s Summer through a Darwinian perspective. Wharton studied Darwin’s works extensively, so applying The Descent of Man to Summer’s communities has merit. Specifically, I consider Darwin’s writings on evolution as evolution may be altered by feelings of sympathy. In Summer, it is sympathy, loyalty, and ultimate benevolence for one’s people that furthers community evolution as a whole. This relationship between sympathy and community evolution seems to be one Wharton focuses on in Summer. The urban communities of Wharton’s novel pretended to be the most civil and therefore the most evolved, but it is their Mountain neighbors …

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