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Vaccine Politics: Comparison Of Acceptance Of Covid-19 Vaccines Produced By Democratic And Non-Democratic Countries, Akbar Fasya Habibilla, Adhi Cahya Fahadayna

Jurnal Politik

The unequal distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine worldwide is one of humanity's global challenges due to political factors entering and influencing the distribution of vaccines to countries worldwide. Vaccine-producing countries are fragmented into two sides: democratic and non-democratic countries. This article aims to answer how political factors can influence the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine globally and which vaccine is the global favorite. This article uses vaccine politics theory as its basis and uses descriptive-comparative methods in the data analysis process. The results of this research found that there were indications that illiberal democratic practices were widespread during the COVID-19 …

The Superstition That Enslaves Virgin Girls In Ghana: An Exploration Of The Origins, Evolution, And Practice Of Trokosi, Emmanuel Sarpong Owusu

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Trokosi is a religious practice in some parts of West Africa where young virgin girls are sent to fetish shrines to become sex slaves as part of rituals meant to prevent a communal calamity supposedly provoked by the transgressions of members of the girls’ family. This study offers additional insight into the concept, origins, evolution, and practice of trokosi, highlighting the cultural, socio-economic, and legal contexts of this practice in Ghana. This goal is achieved by reviewing pertinent literature and interviewing 10 participants: academics; activists; traditional leaders; and ordinary community members. The study establishes that trokosi, which is …

University Band And Philharmonic Orchestra

Bailey School of Music Concert Programs

Program for the University Band and Philharmonic Orchestra performance.

Blood Neutrophil Count And Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio For Prediction Of Disease Progression And Mortality In Two Independent Systemic Sclerosis Cohorts, Nancy Wareing, Vishnu Mohan, Rana Taherian, Elizabeth R Volkmann, Marka A Lyons, Holly Wilhalme, Michael D Roth, Rosa M Estrada-Y-Martin, Brian Skaug, Maureen D Mayes, Donald P Tashkin, Shervin Assassi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To assess the predictive significance of blood neutrophil count and the ratio between neutrophil and lymphocyte count (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) for disease severity and mortality in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

METHODS: Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were prospectively measured in the Genetics versus Environment in Scleroderma Outcome Study (GENISOS) and the Scleroderma Lung Study II (SLS II). Forced vital capacity percent predicted (FVC%) and modified Rodnan skin thickness score (MRSS) were used as surrogate measures for disease severity. Longitudinal analyses were performed using generalized linear mixed models. Cox proportional hazards models evaluated the predictive significance of these cell counts for mortality. …

An Echogenic Clot Method For Thrombolysis Monitoring In Thrombotic Stroke Models, Dalton E Carter, Tao Peng, Melanie R Moody, Shao-Ling Huang, David D Mcpherson, Melvin E Klegerman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

To demonstrate thrombolytic efficacy of a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-loaded echogenic liposome (TELIP) formulation in a rabbit thrombotic stroke model (the most relevant animal model for evaluation of directed thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke), we sought to develop a means of monitoring thrombus dissolution quantitatively by ultrasound imaging methods. We hypothesized that a gas-free ultrasound contrast agent can be incorporated into blood clots at a concentration that does not affect the tPA-mediated clot dissolution rate, while enabling quantitative assessment of the clot dissolution rate. Clots were formed from a mixture of whole rabbit blood, 1 M calcium chloride, human thrombin …

A Review: E-Voting Security In Mobile Fog Computing, Asmaa Ibrahim Hussieen, Abeer Tariq, Ekhlas Khalaf Gbash

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

Conventional voting activities are often replaced by electronic voting (EV) in light of the quick expansion of the Internet. For a variety of reasons, various nations have lately switched to EV rather than conventional voting. Different EV systems were presented up to this point. In both practical and theoretical fields, on the other hand, there is no perfect solution. To meet such objectives, the researchers strive for preserving cryptographic primitives when developing high-efficiency e-voting schemes. The concept of fog computing was developed to improve network infrastructure to satisfy the demands of large amounts of data the same time as also …

Comparative Between Backstepping And Adaptive Backstepping Control For Controlling Prosthetic Knee, Mayyasah Ali Salman, Saleem Khalefa

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

The lower limb amputees are increasing day by day. This has led to an increase in research in the field of prosthetic knee. In this work, a prosthetic knee was designed and developed to assist human movements and more quality of life for millions of individuals who have lost lower limbs. The dynamic model and parameter identification of a two degree of freedom (2-DOF) joint prosthetic knee is derived according to the Lagrangian dynamic approach. The two controllers Backstepping and Adaptive Backstepping are adopted to control the system. Stability analysis and controller design dependent on Lyapunov theory are assessed to …

Discontinuous Control Analysis And Design For Temperature Control Of Thermal System, Bashar F. Midhat

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

Temperature control system is a widely applied process since temperature plays a major role in our life starting from room temperature conditioning to various industrial and medical applications. In this paper, a control algorithm is proposed for controlling the temperature of a certain process. Analysis is performed to verify the feasibility of the proposed control algorithm. A simulation is performed using MATLAB software to show the performance of the proposed control algorithm and a practical implementation is performed using Arduino to investigate the validity of the analysis. The results show the ability of the proposed controller to achieve the desired …

Release Of Tephra-Hosted Iron During Early Diagenesis Fingerprinted By Iron Isotopes, Jack Longman, Ann G. Dunlea, Philipp Böning, Martin R. Palmer, Thomas M. Gernon, James Mcmanus, Hayley R. Manners, William B. Homoky, Katharina Pahnke

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The micronutrient iron (Fe) plays a fundamental role controlling primary productivity in the upper ocean, with volcanic eruptions and deposition of airborne volcanic material (termed tephra) a potential source of Fe. Here, we investigate the geochemical and Fe isotopic ( Fe) composition of tephra layers, sediments, and mixed tephra-sediment samples from the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Hole 1396C, located offshore the volcanically active island of Montserrat in the Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea. We find that buried tephras, which have experienced diagenesis, exhibit lighter Fe (relative to standard IRMM-524a) compositions (down to −0.26 ± 0.04‰, 2SD) than fresh tephra deposited …

A Thermoanalytical Insight Into The Composition Of Biodegradable Polymers And Commercial Products By Ega-Ms And Py-Gc-Ms, Falco F De, Tommaso Nacci, Lee Durndell, Richard C. Thompson, Ilaria Degano, Francesca Modugno

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Biodegradable polymers are proposed as a potential solution to environmental problems related to plastic pollution. Potential benefits have been suggested in applications such as agricultural mulching and fishing gear, where there can be considerable difficulty recovering products from the environment at the end of their service life. Biodegradation is a complex process influenced by both the properties of the material and the receiving environment in which it needs to biodegrade. Assessing the degradation process necessitates the chemical composition (i.e. polymer and additives) of biodegradable products to be characterised by reliable analytical methods. Pyrolysis coupled to Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry …

Intrinsic Programmed Death Ligand 1 (Pd-L1) Role In Promoting Triple Negative Breast Cancer (Tnbc) Progression, Duaa Salem Alkaabi

Theses

This thesis is concerned with Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), which is characterized by lack of estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors expression, making targeted drugs ineffective. TNBC has a high proliferative rate, which results in a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy, the primary treatment for metastatic breast cancer, is not an ideal choice due to its toxicity towards normal cells. Therefore, Cancer-targeted therapy has been developed to improve the specificity and strength of the immune system against cancer cells. PD-L1 is an immunosuppressive protein that inactivates T cells by binding to the inhibitory receptor PD-1. The clinical use of PD-L1 blockade agents …

Molecular Characterization Of Germination Of Date Palm Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Pace (International Space Station), Wesam Izzeldeen Khader

Theses

Over the past decade, the UAE has experienced unprecedented innovations in the space sector. Collaborating closely with universities and space agencies around the world, the country's efforts have advanced steadily but quietly under the public radar. The proposed research focuses on basic research to complement the UAE initiative to send date palms to Mars for future space missions. Plant growth analysis of date palm seeds was performed after maintaining at zero gravity in outer space in the International Space Station (ISS) and simultaneously under normal gravity at ground level. In this context, this work was carried out to analyze the …

Using Switchable Solvents For Enhanced Biodiesel Production, Eyad Abdel Rahman Sowan

Theses

This thesis presents a sustainable approach to biodiesel production using in-situ technology for direct conversion of microalgae-to-biodiesel. The proposed method operates on wet, untreated microalgae, thereby eliminating the cost/energy intensive drying and cell disruption steps. Owing to their favorable properties, the use of enzymes, specifically lipase, as a catalyst for the process was suggested over acid/base catalysts. However, the high cost of the enzyme necessitates its reuse at sustained activity for the process to be economically feasible. The use of non-toxic green solvents, such as switchable solvents, as an alternative to conventional organic solvents was a significant challenge for the …

Myositis As A Complication Of Dengue Viral Infection, Amina Sadiqa, Usama Hayyan, Zaid Waqar, Taha Pasha

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Dengue fever is a febrile illness caused by an arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It occurs as a seasonal epidemic every year in Pakistan. Apart from febrile illness and its associated hemorrhagic complication, dengue fever is associated with multi-system involvement and their respective complications, including myriad neurological complications. In this case report we describe two patients who developed acute viral myositis.

Navigating Midwifery Solidarity: A Feminist Participatory Action Research Framework, Katherine Buchanan, Elizabeth Newnham, Sadie Geraghty, Lisa Whitehead

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background:

A core aspect of midwifery philosophy is the optimisation of normal physiology; however, this has been challenged as a radical idea in the medicalisation of birth. Research has demonstrated the benefits of midwifery in improving outcomes for both mothers and babies. The understanding of midwifery benefits fails to reach wider sociocultural contexts as births becomes more medicalised. Midwifery research requires an action arm, to help translate theory to practice and mobilise midwives in solidarity with women towards action and change.

Aim:

The aim of this article is to describe a Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) by establishing the philosophical …

Recent Global Warming Induces The Coupling Of Dissimilar Long-Term Sedimentary Signatures In Two Adjacent Volcanic Lakes (Azores Archipelago, Portugal), David Vázquez-Loureiro, Alberto Sáez, Vítor Gonçalves, Teresa Buchaca, Armand Hernández, Pedro M. Raposeiro, Erik J. De Boer, Pere Masqué, Santiago Giralt, Roberto Bao

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Paleoclimatological information derived from the study of lacustrine sedimentary records is not only biased by taphonomical processes but also by potential differences in the expression of climate variability in the sediments due to site-specific factors. Using a multiproxy approach (the elemental and isotopic compositions of organic matter, diatom assemblages, and marker pigments of algae and cyanobacteria), we study the different environmental signatures recorded since the Little Ice Age (LIA) in the sediments of two volcanic lakes located within the same caldera on São Miguel Island (Azores Archipelago). Lake Santiago is a crater lake whose eutrophic status in the last stage …

Remote Sensing For Cost-Effective Blue Carbon Accounting, Martino E. Malerba, Micheli Duarte De Paula Costa, Daniel A. Friess, Lukas Schuster, Mary A. Young, David Lagomasino, Oscar Serrano, Sharyn M. Hickey, Paul H. York, Michael Rasheed, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Ben Radford, Trisha B. Atwood, Daniel Lerodiaconou, Peter Macreadie

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCE) include mangrove forests, tidal marshes, and seagrass meadows, all of which are currently under threat, putting their contribution to mitigating climate change at risk. Although certain challenges and trade-offs exist, remote sensing offers a promising avenue for transparent, replicable, and cost-effective accounting of many BCE at unprecedented temporal and spatial scales. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has issued guidelines for developing blue carbon inventories to incorporate into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Yet, there is little guidance on remote sensing techniques for monitoring, reporting, and verifying blue carbon assets. This review constructs a …

Associations Between The Human Immune System And Gut Microbiome With Neurodevelopment In The First 5 Years Of Life: A Systematic Scoping Review, Vincent O. Mancini, Juliet Brook, Christian Hernandez, Deborah Strickland, Claus T. Christophersen, Nina D'Vaz, Desiree Silva, Susan Prescott, Bridget Callaghan, Jenny Downs, Amy Finlay-Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The aim of this review was to map the literature assessing associations between maternal or infant immune or gut microbiome biomarkers and child neurodevelopmental outcomes within the first 5 years of life. We conducted a PRISMA-ScR compliant review of peer-reviewed, English-language journal articles. Studies reporting gut microbiome or immune system biomarkers and child neurodevelopmental outcomes prior to 5 years were eligible. Sixty-nine of 23,495 retrieved studies were included. Of these, 18 reported on the maternal immune system, 40 on the infant immune system, and 13 on the infant gut microbiome. No studies examined the maternal microbiome, and only one study …

Capturing Of Organic Carbon And Nitrogen In Eelgrass Sediments Of Southern Scandinavia, Carmen Leiva-Dueñas, Anna Elizabeth Løvgren Graversen, Gary T. Banta, Marianne Holmer, Pere Masque, Peter Anton Upadhyay Stæhr, Dorte Krause-Jensen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The ability of seagrass meadows to filter nutrients and capture and store CO₂ and nutrients in the form of organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) in their sediments may help to mitigate local eutrophication as well as climate change via meadow restoration and protection. This study assesses OC and N sediment stocks (top 50 cm) and sequestration rates within Danish eelgrass meadows. At four locations, eelgrass-vegetated and nearby unvegetated plots were studied in protected and exposed areas. The average OC and N sediment 50 cm stocks were 2.6 ± 0.3 kg OC m ^{− 2} and 0.23 ± 0.01 …

Development Of The Menu Assessment Scoring Tool (Mast) To Assess The Nutritional Quality Of Food Service Menus, Claire Elizabeth Pulker, Leisha Michelle Aberle, Lucy Meredith Butcher, Clare Whitton, Kristy Karying Law, Amy Louise Large, Christina Mary Pollard, Georgina S. A. Trapp

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Preventing the rise in obesity is a global public health priority. Neighbourhood environments can help or undermine people’s efforts to manage their weight, depending on availability of nutritious and nutrient-poor ‘discretionary’ foods. The proportion of household food budgets spent on eating outside the home is increasing. To inform nutrition policy at a local level, an objective assessment of the nutritional quality of foods and beverages on food service menus that is context-specific is needed. This study describes the development and piloting of the Menu Assessment Scoring Tool (MAST), used to assess the nutritional quality of food service menus in Australia. …

Safeguarding Sandalwood: A Review Of Current And Emerging Tools To Support Sustainable And Legal Forestry, Ellyse Bunney, Francesca A. Mcinerney, Eleanor Dormontt, Arif Malik, Nina Welti, David Wilkins, Malcolm Plant, Dhanushka S. Hettiarachchi, Darren Thomas, Ashley Dowell, Tresa Hamalton, Andrew J. Lowe

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Societal Impact Statement: Sandalwood and other high value tree species are under significant threat from illegal harvest. Illegal logging is an increasing problem contributing to deforestation, biodiversity loss, human rights abuses and funding transnational crime. Successful prosecution of illegal logging is hindered by a lack of methods to provide evidence of the origin of timber. New analytical techniques have been developed to trace timber back to its source. These methods, together with the establishment of sustainable sources of forest resources, can help protect vulnerable species by providing evidence to prosecute illegal harvest and ensure that commercially available forest products come …

Association Of Healthful Plant-Based Diet Adherence With Risk Of Mortality And Major Chronic Diseases Among Adults In The Uk, Alysha S. Thompson, Anna Tresserra-Rimbau, Nena Karavasiloglou, Amy Jennings, Marie Cantwell, Claire Hill, Aurora Perez-Cornago, Nicola P. Bondonno, Neil Murphy, Sabine Rohrmann, Aedín Cassidy, Tilman Kühn

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Importance: Plant-based diets have gained popularity for both environmental and health reasons, but a comprehensive assessment of their quality in relation to risk of mortality and major chronic diseases is lacking. Objective: To examine whether healthful vs unhealthful plant-based dietary patterns are associated with mortality and major chronic diseases among UK adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prospective cohort study used data from adults in the UK Biobank, a large-scale population-based study. Participants were recruited between 2006 and 2010 and followed up using record linkage data until 2021; follow-up for different outcomes ranged between 10.6 and 12.2 years. Data analysis …

Going, Going, Gone The Diminishing Capacity Of Museum Specimen Collections To Address Global Change Research: A Case Study On Urban Reptiles, Yanlin Li, Anna J. M. Hopkins, Robert A. Davis

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It has been increasingly popular to use natural history specimens to examine environmental changes. As the current functionality of museum specimens has extended beyond their traditional taxonomic role, there has been a renewed focus on the completeness of biological collections to provide data for current and future research. We used the collections of the Western Australian Museum to answer questions about the change in occurrence of five common reptile species due to the rapid urbanization of Perth. We recorded a significant decline in collection effort from the year 2000 onwards (F = 7.65, p < 0.01) compared to the period 1990–1999. Spatial analysis revealed that only 0.5% of our study region was well sampled, 8.5% were moderately sampled and the majority of the regions (91%) were poorly sampled. By analysing the trend of specimen acquisition from 1950 to 2010, we discovered a significant inconsistency in specimen sampling effort for 13 common reptile species across time and space. A large proportion of past specimens lacked information including the place and time of collection. An increase in investment to museums and an increase in geographically and temporally systematic collecting is advocated to ensure that collections can answer questions about environmental change.

Rapid Prediction Of Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae Through Deep Learning Analysis Of Sers Spectra, Jing-Wen Lyu, Xue Di Zhang, Jia-Wei Tang, Yun-Hu Zhao, Su-Ling Liu, Yue Zhao, Ni Zhang, Dan Wang, Long Ye, Xiao-Li Chen, Liang Wang, Bing Gu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Klebsiella pneumoniae is listed by the WHO as a priority pathogen of extreme importance that can cause serious consequences in clinical settings. Due to its increasing multidrug resistance all over the world, K. pneumoniae has the potential to cause extremely difficult-To-Treat infections. Therefore, rapid and accurate identification of multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae in clinical diagnosis is important for its prevention and infection control. However, the limitations of conventional and molecular methods significantly hindered the timely diagnosis of the pathogen. As a label-free, noninvasive, and low-cost method, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy has been extensively studied for its application potentials in the …

Postharvest Biology And Technology Of Loquat (Eriobotrya Japonica Lindl.), Hafiz Muhammad Shoaib Shah, Ahmad Sattar Khan, Zora Singh, Saqib Ayyub

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) fruit is a rich source of carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolics, sugars, and organic acids. Although it is classified as a non-climacteric fruit, susceptibility to mechanical and physical bruising causes its rapid deterioration by moisture loss and postharvest decay caused by pathogens. Anthracnose, canker, and purple spot are the most prevalent postharvest diseases of loquat fruit. Cold storage has been used for quality management of loquat fruit, but the susceptibility of some cultivars to chilling injury (CI) consequently leads to browning and other disorders. Various techniques, including cold storage, controlled atmosphere storage, hypobaric storage, modified atmosphere packaging, low-temperature …

Response Of The Metastable Pitting Corrosion Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Produced Ti–6al–4v To H+ Concentration Changes, Yuwei Cui, Liangyu Chen, Liqiang Wang, Jun Cheng, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is limited research on metastable pitting corrosion in an acidic environment, and acid is a major challenge for material corrosion. Therefore, this work investigated the metastable pitting corrosion of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)-produced Ti–6Al–4V, in Hank’s solution, at different pH values (pH = 3, 5, and 7). This work investigated the effect of acid on the characteristics of passive films, as well as the change in metastable pitting behavior. Based on the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the passive film will be inhibited and dissolved under the influence of H+. The higher …

Tweak/Fn14 Signalling Regulates The Tissue Microenvironment In Chronic Pancreatitis, N. Dianah B. Abu Bakar, Rodrigo Carlessi, Jully Gogoi-Tiwari, Julia Köhn-Gaone, Vincent Williams, Marco Falasca, John K. Olynyk, Grant A. Ramm, Janina E. E. Tirnitz-Parker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Chronic pancreatitis increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer through the upregulation of pathways favouring proliferation, fibrosis, and sustained inflammation. We established in previous studies that the ligand tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) signals through its cognate receptor fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) to regulate these underlying cellular processes in the chronic liver injury niche. However, the role of the TWEAK/Fn14 signalling pathway in pancreatic disease is entirely unknown. An analysis of publicly available datasets demonstrated that the TWEAK receptor Fn14 is upregulated in pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, with single cell RNA sequencing revealing pancreatic ductal …

Human Papillomavirus Status And Prognosis Of Oropharyngeal High-Grade Neuroendocrine Carcinoma, Luana G De Sousa, Felippe Lazar Neto, Eduardo A Dal Lago, Andrew Sikora, Ehab Hanna, Amy Moreno, Jack Phan, Bonnie S Glisson, Diana Bell, Renata Ferrarotto

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The prognostic impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection or smoking on oropharyngeal high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma (HG-NEC) is not established.

Methods: Retrospective study with patients with oropharyngeal HG-NEC seen at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 1997 to 2020, and previously reported patients with oropharyngeal HG-NEC and known p16 and HPV status from the literature review. Survival was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method, and survival differences assessed with the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models.

Results: Thirty patients were included; most had a heavy (≥10 pack-years) smoking history (52%), locoregional disease (stage III-IVB; 77%), and p16-positive tumor (92%). HPV was …

The New Model For Medicine Distribution By Combining Of Supply Chain And Expert System Using Rule Based Reasoning Method, Mufadhol Mufadhol, Mustafid Mustafid, Ferry Jie, Yuni Noor Hidayah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The medicine distribution supply chain is important, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, because delays in medicine distribution can increase the risk for patients. So far, the distribution of medicines has been carried out exclusively and even some medicines are distributed on a limited basis because they require strict supervision from the Medicine Supervisory Agency in each department. However, the distribution of this medicine has a weakness if at one public health center there is a shortage of certain types of medicines, it cannot ask directly to other public health center, thus allowing the availability of medicines not …

Cholesterol In Class C Gpcrs: Role, Relevance, And Localization, Ugochi H. Isu, Shadi A. Badiee, Ehsaneh Khodadadi, Mahmoud Moradi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), one of the largest superfamilies of cell-surface receptors, are heptahelical integral membrane proteins that play critical roles in virtually every organ system. G-protein-coupled receptors operate in membranes rich in cholesterol, with an imbalance in cholesterol level within the vicinity of GPCR transmembrane domains affecting the structure and/or function of many GPCRs, a phenomenon that has been linked to several diseases. These effects of cholesterol could result in indirect changes by altering the mechanical properties of the lipid environment or direct changes by binding to specific sites on the protein. There are a number of studies and …