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Role Of Interferon Induced Transmembrane Protein 3 (Ifitm3) And Neural Precursor Cell Expressed Developmentally Down Regulated Protein 4 (Nedd4) In Seneca Virus A (Sva) Replication, Shamiq Aftab Jan 2024

Role Of Interferon Induced Transmembrane Protein 3 (Ifitm3) And Neural Precursor Cell Expressed Developmentally Down Regulated Protein 4 (Nedd4) In Seneca Virus A (Sva) Replication, Shamiq Aftab

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, we studied the role of IFITM3 in SVA replication in vitro by silencing the endogenous IFITM3 in NCI-H1299 cells. An average of 1.94-fold increase in SVA VP2 expression and an average of 4.4-fold increase in supernatant virus titer was observed after 24h SVA isolate SD15-26 infection. We have indeed observed an increase in viral mRNA copies by an average of 5-fold in IFITM3 silenced NCI-H1299 cells at 8 hpi indicating that IFITM3 restricts SVA replication post virus attachment and entry. A positive correlation between interferon-alpha induced IFITM3 upregulation and reduced SVA replication was observed. To further confirm …


Refining The Inverse Lipschitz Constant For Injective Relu Networks, Cole Rausch Jan 2024

Refining The Inverse Lipschitz Constant For Injective Relu Networks, Cole Rausch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we study the Inverse Lipschitz Constant (ILC) of injective ReLU layers. We study the tightness of the ILC lower bound established in Puthawala et al. Our approach has three components. First, we find that the conditions for injectivity on lines yield a weaker condition than the general condition given in Puthawala et al. Second, we perform numerical experiments to judge the tightness of the existing ILC lower bound and find that bound is overly conservative. Third, we identify the source of the potential slack in the proof of the existing ILC bound, and perform further numerical experiments …


Removal Of Phosphorous, Copper And Zinc From Stormwater Using Powdered Activated Carbon (Pac) Based Water Treatment Residuals, Foysol Mahmud Jan 2024

Removal Of Phosphorous, Copper And Zinc From Stormwater Using Powdered Activated Carbon (Pac) Based Water Treatment Residuals, Foysol Mahmud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main aim of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) based water treatment residual (WTR) in eliminating phosphorus (P), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn) from stormwater. The characteristics of the PAC WTR were analyzed, and a series of batch and column tests were conducted to determine its capacity to remove P, Cu, and Zn from stormwater and synthetic solutions. The PAC WTR conformed to the Langmuir isotherm model, demonstrating P adsorption capacities of 3.51 mg/g at pH 5. Regarding Cu and Zn removal, the PAC WTR also adhered to the Langmuir isotherm model, showing …


Estimating South Dakota’S Capacity To Meet K-12 School Meal Fruit And Vegetable Requirements With State-Grown Produce, Bridgette Bienias Jan 2024

Estimating South Dakota’S Capacity To Meet K-12 School Meal Fruit And Vegetable Requirements With State-Grown Produce, Bridgette Bienias

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Quantify South Dakota (SD)’s capacity to procure locally-sourced fruit and vegetables (FVs) for K-12 school meals.
Methods: Secondary analysis of 2017 SD agricultural census and school meal data. Yields were converted to edible cups of FVs using school meal guidelines provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Student enrollment and meal redemptions were used to estimate the number of FV cups needed.
Results: Estimated SD FV production met minimum total K-12 cup requirements, except for total fruit (66%) and dark green vegetables (80%). Legumes supplied 77% of the total cups of vegetables produced in 2017, whereas dark green vegetables …


Abelson (Abl) Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Reduce Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Replication In Vitro, Jenna Parliament Jan 2024

Abelson (Abl) Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Reduce Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Replication In Vitro, Jenna Parliament

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus from the Arteriviridae family. PRRSV causes respiratory illness and reproductive failure in infected pigs. Outbreaks occurring in the United States and worldwide cause significant economic losses annually. Abelson (Abl) tyrosine kinase is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, which plays a central role in regulating many cellular processes such as actin reorganization, cell proliferation and differentiation by transducing extracellular and intracellular signals. Abl inhibitors have been shown to restrict the entry of membrane fusion of enveloped viruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome …


Reimagining Hunting Through Women's Decision Space, H. Nash Jackson Jan 2024

Reimagining Hunting Through Women's Decision Space, H. Nash Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 14.4 million people hunt in the United States, yet only 3.1 million (22%) of these hunters are women. To enhance women’s participation, many state natural resource agencies aim to reduce barriers and create pathways for women to hunt. Previously, researchers surveyed women to understand and describe barriers to their full participation in hunting. However, this methodology often just quantifies the different barriers without describing the interconnectedness and how the complexity of barriers can impact women’s participation in hunting. This thesis instead took an inductive research approach with the goal of better understanding women’s perspectives when faced with complex barriers. …


Translocations Of North American Bison Across Large Climatic Gradients: Impacts On Thermoregulation, Body Size, And Helmintic Infection, Hayden Wolfe Jan 2024

Translocations Of North American Bison Across Large Climatic Gradients: Impacts On Thermoregulation, Body Size, And Helmintic Infection, Hayden Wolfe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every year, one-eighth of all North American bison (Bison bison) are translocated, often across large climatic gradients. Over the last 16 years bison have been translocated from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota to establish six herds across the United States central grasslands in Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Kansas. Influence of climatic gradients on herd-level thermoregulation, body size, and helmintic infection were evaluated. Overall, 1174 thermal images and 1050 fecal samples were collected between 2021 and 2023. Physiological heat flux was used to measure thermoregulation, asymptotic body mass (ABM) was used for body size, and helminth genera abundance …


Do Agricultural Commodity Price Spikes Always Stem From News?, Zhouxin Li Jan 2024

Do Agricultural Commodity Price Spikes Always Stem From News?, Zhouxin Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study delves into the occurrence and differentiation of significant price jumps in agricultural commodity markets, challenging the conventional belief that such movements are solely driven by exogenous factors. Existing literature has primarily focused on the impact of news on agricultural commodity prices, neglecting the distinction between endogenous and exogenous price spikes. I aim to identify and categorize both types of price spikes in corn, soybean, and wheat futures markets. I propose a comprehensive methodology involving the collection of agricultural news, non-parametric price jump detection, and differentiation between exogenous (newsdriven) and endogenous (non-news related) price spikes. By utilizing intraday price …


Computational Characterization Of Extracellular Electro-Osmotic Flow During Tissue Repair, Ashley Jorgensen-Blocker Jan 2024

Computational Characterization Of Extracellular Electro-Osmotic Flow During Tissue Repair, Ashley Jorgensen-Blocker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electrical stimulation (ES) therapy promotes the healing of chronic epidermal wounds and suppresses the degeneration of articular cartilage. Despite the success of ES therapy, the underlying mechanisms by which ES promotes tissue repair are largely unknown, preventing the standardization and optimization of treatments. One proposed mechanism involves electro-osmotic flow (EOF), electrically driven water flow generated within close proximity to the cell surface. EOF induces the transport of macromolecules and removes metabolic wastes and inflammatory molecules from these dense tissues through interstitial flow. This dissertation investigates the application of weak electric fields (EFs) to non-excitable cells and the generation of EOF …


2,3,4 Trihydroxybenzoic Acid, A Plant Secondary Metabolite Inhibits Cancer Cell Growth, Mina Akter Jan 2024

2,3,4 Trihydroxybenzoic Acid, A Plant Secondary Metabolite Inhibits Cancer Cell Growth, Mina Akter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nature offers many sources such as fruits, beverage crops, vegetables, herbs, spices, tea, dark chocolate, and wine, that are rich in hydroxybenzoic acids (HBAs). They are a prominent phenolic acids with excellent biochemical and antioxidant properties. Due to the vast dietary health benefits of HBAs such as anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, immunoregulatory, antimicrobial, antithrombotic, antidiabetic, anticancer properties and cardioprotective capabilities, they are attracting the attention of physicians and researchers alike to understand their mechanisms of action. It is anticipated that the understanding of the role of HBAs for their greater use in diet/supplements is beneficial to reverse common illnesses such as inflammation, …


Elucidating The Role Of Sialic Acid In Tumorigenic Pathways, Kakali Das Jan 2024

Elucidating The Role Of Sialic Acid In Tumorigenic Pathways, Kakali Das

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hypersialylation is a prognostic biomarker in cancer cells. The upregulated sialic acid expression on cancer cells facilitates tumorigenesis by playing a critical role in cancer cell proliferation and growth, immune evasion, cell signaling, and metastasis by interacting with various carbohydrate-binding molecules. Sialic acids on cancer cell surface undergo various modifications like O-acetylation at positions 4,7,9 de-acetylation and addition of glycolyl group at position 5. In our first chapter we analyzed the effect of de-acetylated sialic acid on migration via selectin binding in colon cancer cell line HCT116 and in lung cancer cell line A549. Selectins are calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecules …


Investigating The Role And Mechanism Of Host Cell Death In Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Virus Infection, Michelle Steyn Jan 2024

Investigating The Role And Mechanism Of Host Cell Death In Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Virus Infection, Michelle Steyn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


I Can't Look Away: Parasocial Relationships With Dance Mom Characters Across Tv And Social Media, Kennedy Kay Pirlet Jan 2024

I Can't Look Away: Parasocial Relationships With Dance Mom Characters Across Tv And Social Media, Kennedy Kay Pirlet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2019, Dance Moms ended its airing on Lifetime at the completion of the eighth season. However, the show and its cast members remained popular on social media platforms like TikTok, but we still didn’t know the relationship between watching the show and following cast members on multiple social media platforms or who audiences were closest to. To answer this question, the celebrity-persona parasocial interaction scale and experience of parasocial interaction scale were utilized. These scales were used in this study and found reliable. Snowball recruitment focusing on social media platforms and emails yielded 180 eligible sample participants. Through a …


Organizational Culture's Impact On Job Satisfaction: A Reconceptualization Of The Competing Values Framework, Isaac Thor Erickson Jan 2024

Organizational Culture's Impact On Job Satisfaction: A Reconceptualization Of The Competing Values Framework, Isaac Thor Erickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic job satisfaction has been decreasing in the U.S. which has profound negative impacts such as burnout and decreased well-being of employees. One way that job satisfaction can be increased is through understanding and changing organizational cultures through better communication. The Competing Values Framework (CVF; Quinn & Rohrbaugh, 1983; Belasen & Frank, 2010; Lund, 2003) has been used to understand how organizational cultures and their communicative norms relate to job satisfaction. However, the CVF relies on categorical measures sitting on two axes that are not orthogonal. As such, the study posits breaking these two axes into four dimensions of organizational …


Advancing Karl Jaspers: The Connection Between The Theory Of Existential Communication And Mentoring Satisfaction, Nolan Patrick Bowers Jan 2024

Advancing Karl Jaspers: The Connection Between The Theory Of Existential Communication And Mentoring Satisfaction, Nolan Patrick Bowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Existential philosopher Karl Jaspers’s theory (1932/1970; 1935/1971b) of existential communication is understood to be his most important contribution to existentialism. Additionally, this theory has unique ties to the phenomena of communication, begging its use as a dialogic theory. However, Jaspers’s theory has been relatively untouched by academia. This thesis understands the theory of existential communication through an operationalization of its aspects and explicitly connecting them to communicative behaviors. These aspects of existential communication are (1) vulnerability, (2) open-mindedness, and (3) equality. This study set out to determine whether these aspects could be found within mentoring relationships and support the aspects …


The Spatial Ecology Of Plains Spotted Skunks In South Dakota: Insights From Species Distribution, Resource Selection, And Co-Occurrence Models, Kara M. White Jan 2024

The Spatial Ecology Of Plains Spotted Skunks In South Dakota: Insights From Species Distribution, Resource Selection, And Co-Occurrence Models, Kara M. White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The plains spotted skunk (Spilogale interrupta) is a data-deficient small carnivore native to the central plains of North America that has experienced significant population declines. My dissertation investigates the species’ distribution, habitat associations, and interspecific interactions in South Dakota, providing crucial information for conservation actions. In Chapter 1, I developed ensemble distribution models on a broad scale, incorporating species location data from 1985–2020, environmental factors, and six predictive modeling algorithms. I identified key predictors including mean temperature diurnal range and proportion of area as pasture, and estimated ~31,300 km2 of potential habitat, predominately in eastern South Dakota. In Chapter 2, …


Delivery Of Gemcitabine, Stearoyl Gemcitabine And Paclitaxel Through Plga Nanoparticles And Its Effect On The Desmoplasia Of Pancreatic Cancer Spheroids, Rishabh Bahl Jan 2024

Delivery Of Gemcitabine, Stearoyl Gemcitabine And Paclitaxel Through Plga Nanoparticles And Its Effect On The Desmoplasia Of Pancreatic Cancer Spheroids, Rishabh Bahl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers to treat. The primary cause for the drug resistance is the dense extracellular matrix (ECM) that surrounds the tumor and restricts blood supply. Gemcitabine (GEM) and paclitaxel (PTX) are drugs that are clinically used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. GEM, however, is rapidly metabolized by cytidine deaminase (CDA) and eliminated from the body, and paclitaxel is a substrate for P- glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux receptors. Drug delivery using nanoparticles has been reported to help improve drug half-lives and bypass efflux receptors. This thesis aims to encapsulate PTX in PLGA nanoparticles (PTX-NP) and …


Increasing Retention Of Women In Hunting And Fishing, Shelby Isensee Jan 2024

Increasing Retention Of Women In Hunting And Fishing, Shelby Isensee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite national declines in hunting and fishing, women are making inroads in historically male-dominated sports. To further encourage women’s participation, states established programs to recruit, retain, and reactivate [R3] hunters and anglers. Women are participating in these programs and other recreational groups to access opportunities to learn skills and grow their networks. Yet, very little is known about what programs are offered for women, what aspects of programs are most effective to support women’s retention in these activities, and what women’s hunting and fishing groups are available across the landscape. To address these questions, I collected qualitative data from participant …


Respiratory Disease In Bighorn Sheep: A Varied Investigation Of Immunization, Transmission, And Detection, Katelin Frerichs Jan 2024

Respiratory Disease In Bighorn Sheep: A Varied Investigation Of Immunization, Transmission, And Detection, Katelin Frerichs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory disease has historically been recognized as a limiting factor to wild bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) herds throughout North America with epizootics resulting in large-scale die offs and reductions in recruitment. The primary etiologic agent associated with pneumonia outbreaks in bighorn sheep is Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae. This bacterial pathogen is frequently carried asymptomatically by domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus); however, when these domestic hosts come in contact with and spread this pathogen to bighorns, the disease can cause epizootics and large-scale mortality. Domestic sheep strains are more commonly detected in bighorn sheep than domestic goat strains, and previous …


Isolation, Molecular Characterization, And Epidemiological Analysis Of An Emerging Avian Metapneumovirus Subgroup B In Us Poultry, Sumit Jangra Jan 2024

Isolation, Molecular Characterization, And Epidemiological Analysis Of An Emerging Avian Metapneumovirus Subgroup B In Us Poultry, Sumit Jangra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) is one the most economically important poultry respiratory pathogens belonging to the family Pneumoviridae and genus Metapneumovirus, which can affect both domestic and wild birds. aMPVs are classified into four subgroups (A, B, C, and D) based on the level of genetic variations and antigenic differences. aMPV causes turkey rhinotracheitis (TRT) and swollen head syndrome (SHS) in turkeys and chickens respectively. Recently, outbreaks of respiratory disease in meat-type birds and a significant decline in egg production with respiratory signs in breeders were reported from different states in the USA. Isolating aMPV is challenging as it is a …


Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation Of Battery Thermal Management System At The Pack Level In Electric Vehicles, Yifan Chen Jan 2024

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation Of Battery Thermal Management System At The Pack Level In Electric Vehicles, Yifan Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electric vehicles (EVs) rely heavily on lithium batteries due to their high energy density, despite their tendency to generate excess heat during operation. Managing this heat is crucial for safety and performance. Battery Thermal Management Systems (BTMS) are essential for maintaining optimal battery temperature and mitigating risks like short circuits. This article examines various cooling methods for BTMS, including air and liquid cooling, and discusses the selection of cooling media and layout configurations within battery packs (BPs). It also highlights the importance of combining multiple cooling methods for efficient heat dissipation. Emerging technologies like Phase Change Materials (PCMs) show promise …


Isolation And Characterization Of Bacteriophages From Fish Tank Samples, Oluwaseyi Oluwagbeminiyi Oladele-Ajose Dec 2023

Isolation And Characterization Of Bacteriophages From Fish Tank Samples, Oluwaseyi Oluwagbeminiyi Oladele-Ajose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bacteriophages (phages) are viral obligate intracellular parasites that infect bacteria. Research has been carried out on alternative treatment plans for bacterial infections due to the increase in antibiotic resistance. Phages have been proposed as an alternative to antibiotics. This research focused on the isolation and characterization of bacteria from small aquariums. A total of 42 bacterial isolates were isolated from seven different fish tank water samples and were tested to determine if they possessed phages. Spot plaque assay revealed presence of lytic phage for only one of the isolated bacterial strains, which was determined to belong to Enterobacteriaceae family based …


Negative Psychology Of Anti-Semitism: Fear Of The Uncategorizable, Benjamin Strosberg Dec 2023

Negative Psychology Of Anti-Semitism: Fear Of The Uncategorizable, Benjamin Strosberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anti-Semitism is a pervasive global issue, particularly prominent in the United States. Studying and defining anti-Semitism prove remarkably challenging for scholars, leading to inadequate understanding and exclusion from contemporary academic discourse and social justice initiatives. In this dissertation, I made the case that anti-Semitism is hard to categorize, stemming, in part, from the difficulty in categorizing what it is to be Jewish, which seems to be multi-form (a figure of thought, a race, an ethnicity, a religion, a nation, none of the above). In thinking about the difficulty in categorization, I constellated various instances of anti-Jewish practices across historical epochs …


Functional Cynicism, Michelle Fried Dec 2023

Functional Cynicism, Michelle Fried

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trait cynicism, or “cynical hostility” as measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory’s Cook-Medley Scale, is defined and studied as characteristics associated with psychopathology, interpersonal conflict, and negative health outcomes including heart disease and cognitive decline. Likewise, “organizational cynicism” is operationalized in industrial/organizational psychology for the purpose of describing and identifying an undesirable employee type in the workplace. This research proposes an alternative assessment. It reconnects cynicism with its roots in ancient philosophy by asking if cynical attitudes, despite their negative valence ascribed in the modern literature and conventional opinion, may serve a practical purpose. This study of Functional Cynicism …


Air-Jet Bioprinting Of Stem Cell-Encapsulated Alginate Micro-Droplets For Organoid Biomanufacturing, Mirabella B. Stump Dec 2023

Air-Jet Bioprinting Of Stem Cell-Encapsulated Alginate Micro-Droplets For Organoid Biomanufacturing, Mirabella B. Stump

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biomanufactured 3D-organoids show promise for modeling and treating various conditions, particularly insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type-1 diabetes). Pancreatic islet organoids serve as sustainable sources of insulin-producing β-cells, potentially restoring insulin regulation in patients and providing a long-term solution for diabetes. Hydrogel droplet printing is an emerging technique in regenerative medicine due to its advantageous tunability and biocompatibility; however, challenges of consistency, quality control, and scalability persist. To address these issues, we developed a novel air-jetting based droplet bioprinting system for the generation of monodispersed alginate micro-droplets. The objective of this project was to incorporate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into …


Large - Scale Manufacturing Of Fluorescent Perfluorocarbon Nanoemulsions For Oxygen Delivery, Anneliese Troidle Dec 2023

Large - Scale Manufacturing Of Fluorescent Perfluorocarbon Nanoemulsions For Oxygen Delivery, Anneliese Troidle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for a life – saving organ transplant, yet 17 patients die daily waiting for a transplant they will never receive [1]. Preservation of organs is an area that has seen innovation throughout the years and can improve rates of transplantation, yet vascularized composite allotransplantation preservation has not followed suit [2]. Current standard of care is use of electrolyte solutions such as Histidine – Tryptophan – Ketoglutarate (HTK) or University of Wisconsin (UW) Solution, yet these perfusates lack an oxygen carrying component [3]. Hemoglobin – based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) …


The Implications Of The Halogen Atom On The Physical Stability Of Amorphous Solid Dispersions, Mustafa Bookwala Dec 2023

The Implications Of The Halogen Atom On The Physical Stability Of Amorphous Solid Dispersions, Mustafa Bookwala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amorphous solid dispersions (ASD), although a promising formulation strategy for poorly water-soluble drugs, are susceptible to rapid, spontaneous recrystallization owing to their metastable nature. Non-covalent interactions (NCI) between the drug and polymer are known to help prevent ASD physical destabilization. Conventionally, hydrogen-bonding (H-bonding) is considered important for ASD formation and persistence. However, carbon-bound halogen atoms, which are frequently present on drug molecules and can form specific halogen-bonds (X-bond) with the polymer, remain relatively unexplored with respect to their ability to stabilize ASDs. It was, therefore, hypothesized that the presence of a peripheral Br on bromopropamide, and Cl on chlorpropamide will …


Comparative Functional And Genomic Analysis Of Protein Targets Of Sexual Selection In Primates, Brianna Ports Dec 2023

Comparative Functional And Genomic Analysis Of Protein Targets Of Sexual Selection In Primates, Brianna Ports

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual selection is driven by the differential reproductive success of individuals, which is influenced by competition for mates and mate choice. In primates, this selective pressure has been attributed to the development of distinct anatomical, physiological, and behavioral characteristics. By employing comparative functional and genomic methodologies, this study aimed to assess the repercussions of primate sexual selection. To better understand the mechanisms driving sexually selected traits, an unbiased genome-wide analysis was used to associate rates of protein evolution with relative testes size and sexual size dimorphism. While previous research focused on the rapid evolution of male reproductive proteins in response …


Understanding The Psychological Significance Of Astrology In Millennial Women's Lives, Rachel June Floyd Dec 2023

Understanding The Psychological Significance Of Astrology In Millennial Women's Lives, Rachel June Floyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In North America, astrology has been experiencing a resurgence in popularity. This is immediately remarkable given that the United States and Canada are industrialized, modern societies where astrology is widely lamented as a pseudoscience. This dissertation presents a phenomenological exploration of the underlying reasons for this cultural trend, particularly among the demographic that uses it most: millennial women. Existing psychological literature on astrology is primarily dominated by correlational studies or historical analyses and lacks the depth and richness of direct experiences of individuals engaging with this phenomenon. This study sought to address this gap within psychological literature specifically, by conducting …


Ethanol Dysregulates Sirt1-Mediated Lipogenic Signaling Pathways Through Α4*-Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors In Hepatocytes., Caitlin Christina Wilkerson Dec 2023

Ethanol Dysregulates Sirt1-Mediated Lipogenic Signaling Pathways Through Α4*-Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors In Hepatocytes., Caitlin Christina Wilkerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a broad spectrum of diseases ranging from steatosis to severe hepatic cirrhosis, none of which have any FDA approved therapies. Downregulation of hepatic Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) activity by ethanol has been shown to lead to an upregulation of the pro-lipogenic gene targets under its jurisdiction, resulting in increased lipogenesis and triglyceride accumulation. It was hypothesized that ethanol acts on α4*-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α4*-nAChRs) in hepatocytes to decrease Sirt1 expression, which ultimately dysregulates lipid metabolic homeostasis. Ethanol’s effects were investigated in cultured AML12 hepatocytes and in WT primary mouse hepatocytes acutely exposed to ethanol. Consistent with …