Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Internet Hunting Styles Of Violent Sexual Predators Who Rape And Murder Their Victims, Rebecca Meyers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The proposed study sought to explore the impact of the internet on the hunting styles of sexual predators who sexually assault and kill their victims. A sample of 32 cases, divided equally among offenders who used the internet to target adult females and those who did not use the internet, was used for the study. The findings showed that various internet-based platforms were used for targeting, including dating apps such as Grindr, Match.com, Meetme.com, Tinder, Craigslist, Sex chat rooms, Kik Messenger, and BDSM sites. Three themes emerged about the impact of the internet on the hunting styles of sexual predators …

Exploring Kindergarten Teachers' Perspectives On The Interpretation Of Standards In A Developmentally Appropriate Way In Kindergarten Classrooms, Shawanza Demetrist Lockett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many kindergarten teachers are feeling the effects of standard-based education. The problem is that it is unknown whether teachers implement mandated state standards in a developmentally appropriate way. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate kindergarten teachers’ perspectives on implementing standards in a developmentally appropriate manner. Shulman’s theory of teacher knowledge was the conceptual framework for the study. The research question focused on kindergarten teachers’ perspectives of implementing standards in a developmentally appropriate way. Twelve kindergarten teachers were recruited from three Title 1 elementary schools in a rural southeastern state in the United States. Thematic data analysis …

The Psychological And Physical Impact Of The Opioid Crisis On Families, Adrienne Antoinette Hunter Wells Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many rural areas in the United States have experienced an opioid crisis. Social support programs could be created to address social support for the families affected by opioid addiction. The purpose of this non-experimental, cross-sectional research study was to examine the possible relationship between (a) prescription or non-prescription addiction; (b) opioid addiction or another addiction; (c) the amount of family social support of a family member who has ongoing interactions with the individual struggling with addiction; and (d) stress of the family member in a rural area. Bowen’s family systems theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. A non-probability …

Multi-Omic Analysis Of Phototrophic Extracellular Electron Uptake In Novel Rhodovulum Spp. Isolated From A Marine Estuary, Emily J. Davenport

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Microbial metabolisms are incredibly versatile and dynamic, allowing adaptive strategies for growth in even the most limiting environments. For an ever-increasing number of microbes, this includes utilizing soluble or insoluble inorganic mineral species as electron donors, driving geochemical cycles and microbial metabolisms. This metabolic function of transporting electrons derived from the extracellular environment across cell membranes is called extracellular electron uptake (EEU). Within (photo)autotrophs, (p)EEU also sustains CO2 fixation to cell biomass, implicating a potentially fundamental role of microbial carbon cycling in aquatic and soil ecosystems. A model metabolic scheme of pEEU occurring in natural environments is photoferrotrophy, which pairs …

Influenza Knowledge And Barriers To Vaccination In Immunosuppressed Patients In The Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic., Julia G. Harris, Leslie Favier, Jordan T. Jones, Maria Ibarra, Michael J. Holland, Emily Fox, Kelly Jensen, Ashley K. Sherman, Ashley M. Cooper

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Most patients with a pediatric rheumatic disease are at increased risk of influenza due to immunosuppressive medication use. Despite initial quality improvement efforts, our influenza vaccination rate plateaued at 72%, which prompted a survey of patients and families to assess provider vaccine recommendations, influenza knowledge, and barriers to influenza vaccination.

METHODS: Patients on immunosuppressive medication or their parent were eligible to complete a survey between July 2019 and January 2020. Survey questions assessed demographics, rheumatology diagnosis, immunosuppressive medication(s), influenza vaccination recommendation, patient/parent influenza knowledge, and barriers to influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccination rates for immunosuppressed patients were acquired each influenza …

Structural Variant Allelic Heterogeneity In Mecp2 Duplication Syndrome Provides Insight Into Clinical Severity And Variability Of Disease Expression., Davut Pehlivan, Jesse D. Bengtsson, Sameer S. Bajikar, Christopher M. Grochowski, Ming Yin Lun, Mira Gandhi, Angad Jolly, Alexander J. Trostle, Holly K. Harris, Bernhard Suter, Sukru Aras, Melissa B. Ramocki, Haowei Du, Michele G. Mehaffey, Kyunghee Park, Ellen Wilkey, Cemal Karakas, Jesper J. Eisfeldt, Maria Pettersson, Lynn Liu, Marwan S. Shinawi, Virginia E. Kimonis, Wojciech Wiszniewski, Kyle Mckenzie, Timo Roser, Angela M. Vianna-Morgante, Alberto S. Cornier, Ahmed Abdelmoity, James P. Hwang, Shalini N. Jhangiani, Donna M. Muzny, Tadahiro Mitani, Kazuhiro Muramatsu, Shin Nabatame, Daniel G. Glaze, Jawid M. Fatih, Richard A. Gibbs, Zhandong Liu, Anna Lindstrand, Fritz J. Sedlazeck, James R. Lupski, Huda Y. Zoghbi, Claudia M B Carvalho

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: MECP2 Duplication Syndrome, also known as X-linked intellectual developmental disorder Lubs type (MRXSL; MIM: 300260), is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by copy number gains spanning MECP2. Despite varying genomic rearrangement structures, including duplications and triplications, and a wide range of duplication sizes, no clear correlation exists between DNA rearrangement and clinical features. We had previously demonstrated that up to 38% of MRXSL families are characterized by complex genomic rearrangements (CGRs) of intermediate complexity (2 ≤ copy number variant breakpoints < 5), yet the impact of these genomic structures on regulation of gene expression and phenotypic manifestations have not been investigated.

METHODS: To study the role of the genomic rearrangement structures on an individual's clinical phenotypic variability, we employed a comprehensive …

Structural Variant Allelic Heterogeneity In Mecp2 Duplication Syndrome Provides Insight Into Clinical Severity And Variability Of Disease Expression, Davut Pehlivan, Jesse D Bengtsson, Sameer S Bajikar, Christopher M Grochowski, Ming Yin Lun, Mira Gandhi, Angad Jolly, Alexander J Trostle, Holly K Harris, Bernhard Suter, Sukru Aras, Melissa B Ramocki, Haowei Du, Michele G Mehaffey, Kyunghee Park, Ellen Wilkey, Cemal Karakas, Jesper J Eisfeldt, Maria Pettersson, Lynn Liu, Marwan S Shinawi, Virginia E Kimonis, Wojciech Wiszniewski, Kyle Mckenzie, Timo Roser, Angela M Vianna-Morgante, Alberto S Cornier, Ahmed Abdelmoity, James P Hwang, Shalini N Jhangiani, Donna M Muzny, Tadahiro Mitani, Kazuhiro Muramatsu, Shin Nabatame, Daniel G Glaze, Jawid M Fatih, Richard A Gibbs, Zhandong Liu, Anna Lindstrand, Fritz J Sedlazeck, James R Lupski, Huda Y Zoghbi, Claudia M B Carvalho

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: MECP2 Duplication Syndrome, also known as X-linked intellectual developmental disorder Lubs type (MRXSL; MIM: 300260), is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by copy number gains spanning MECP2. Despite varying genomic rearrangement structures, including duplications and triplications, and a wide range of duplication sizes, no clear correlation exists between DNA rearrangement and clinical features. We had previously demonstrated that up to 38% of MRXSL families are characterized by complex genomic rearrangements (CGRs) of intermediate complexity (2 ≤ copy number variant breakpoints < 5), yet the impact of these genomic structures on regulation of gene expression and phenotypic manifestations have not been investigated.

METHODS: To study the role of the genomic rearrangement structures on an individual's clinical phenotypic variability, we employed a comprehensive …

Recent Trends And Biases In Mesophotic Ecosystem Research, Veronica Z. Radice, Alejandra Hernández-Agreda, Gonzalo Pérez-Rosales, Ryan Booker, Jessica Bellworthy, Manon Broadribb, Gaby E. Carpenter, Clara Diaz, Ryan J. Eckert, Nicola L. Foster, Johanna C. Gijsbers, Erika Gress, Jack H. Laverick, Valerio Micaroni, Miriam Pierotti, Héloïse Rouzé, Angela Stevenson, Alexis B. Sturm, Pim Bongaerts

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Mesophotic ecosystems (approx. 30-150 m) represent a significant proportion of the world's oceans yet have long remained understudied due to challenges in accessing these deeper depths. Owing to advances in underwater technologies and a growing scientific and management interest, there has been a major expansion in research of both (sub)tropical mesophotic coral ecosystems and temperate mesophotic ecosystems. Here, we characterize the recent global trends in mesophotic research through an updated release of the 'mesophotic.org' database (www.mesophotic.org) where we reviewed and catalogued 1500 scientific publications. In doing so, we shed light on four major research biases: a gross imbalance in (a) …

Transcriptomic Clustering Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Molecular Subtypes Based On Bruton’S Tyrosine Kinase Expression Levels, Gorkem Kismali, Ganiraju Manyam, Nitin Jain, Cristina Ivan, Betty Lamothe, Mary L Ayres, Lakesla R Iles, William G Wierda, Varsha Gandhi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Historically, CLL prognostication relied on disease burden, reflected in clinical stage. Later, chromosome abnormalities and genomics suggested several CLL subtypes which were aligned with response to therapy. Gene expression profiling data identified pathways associated with CLL progression. We hypothesized that transcriptome and proteome may identify functional omics associated with CLL nosology. As a test cohort, we utilized publicly available treatment-naïve CLL transcriptomics data (n = 130) and did consensus clustering that identified BTK-expression-based clusters. The BTK-High and BTK-Low clusters were validated in public and our in-house databases (n = >550 CLL patients). To associate with functional relevance, we took samples …

Characterization Of An Inorganic Powder-Based Scintillation Detector Under A Uhdr Electron Beam, Daline Tho, Sam Beddar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiation therapy needs a reliable dosimetry solution and scintillation detectors are promising candidates. In this study, we characterized an inorganic powder-based scintillation detector under a 9 MeV UHDR electron beam.

Methods: A mixture of ZnS:Ag powder and optic glue was coupled to an 8 m Eska GH-4001-P polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) optical fiber. We evaluated the dependence of the detector on dose per pulse (DPP), pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and pulse width (PW). Additionally, we determined the stability and the reproducibility of the detector.

Results: The signal ratio between the PMMA clear optical fiber and the …

Number Of Prescription Medications And Overall Survival In Metastatic Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Carley R Pickett, Daniel B Eaton, Krishny Karunanandaa, Emily Cybulla, Brendan T Heiden, Su-Hsin Chang, Yan Yan, Melanie P Subramanian, Varun Puri, Martin W Schoen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

The Biomechanics Of Fibrillin Microfibrils: Lessons From The Ciliary Zonule, Pooja Rathaur, Juan Rodriguez, John Kuchtey, Samuel Insignares, Wendell B Jones, Rachel W Kuchtey, Steven Bassnett

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Marfan syndrome is an inherited connective tissue disorder that affects the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and ocular systems. It is caused by pathogenic variants in the fibrillin-1 gene (

Gene Expression Regulation By Au-Rich Elements And Au-Rich Element Binding Proteins, Courtney Fay Jungers

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The regulation of messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing, stability, and translation efficiency are major modes for controlling gene expression – which is essential for life. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are trans-acting factors that bind to cis-elements influencing the stability and translation of the mRNA transcript. AU-rich elements (AREs) are cis-elements that are targeted by AU-rich element binding proteins (ARE-BPs). Here, I show a novel role for AREs and AU-rich element binding protein 1 (AUF1) during alternative splicing and report on interactions of RBPs and miRNAs to design a new treatment for breast cancer by interrupting these interactions in the …

A Filter-Based Model Of Visual Recognition, Olivia Rose Bockler

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Visual recognition, a key perceptual process, enables primates to identify faces, food, tools, and potential threats in their environment. Cortical neurons along the ventral visual stream—spanning from early visual cortex (V1) through inferotemporal cortex (IT), with long-range projections to ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC)—are essential for visual recognition. Traditional models propose that neuronal representations increase in complexity in each stage of this pathway, culminating in object-specific representations in higher-order cortex. However, this hypothesis remains debated, particularly as artificial visual models have countered that individual neurons along this pathway may function more as filters contributing to distributed representations of objects. Thus, this …

Sensitivity And Application Of Frequency Domain High-Density Diffuse Optical Tomography (Fd Hd-Dot), Weihao Fan

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive imaging technique that measures hemodynamic responses in the brain, similar to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) but with distinct advantages. By utilizing near-infrared light, fNIRS can penetrate biological tissues and detect changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin. Additionally, fNIRS is portable, noninvasive and inexpensive. Within the realm of fNIRS, several measurement techniques exist, including Continuous Wave (CW), Frequency Domain (FD), and Time Domain (TD) methods. In this dissertation, we focused on the effects, fundamental principles and applications of FD designs. We provided the introduction in Chapter 1, and discussed the background theory and …

Sensitivity Of Difficult-To-Control Palmer Amaranth Accessions To Fluridone And Diflufenican, Maria Carolina Souza, Matthew Coleman Woolard, Jason K. Norsworthy, Tristen H. Avent, Tristen H. Avent, Tom Barber, Rodrigo Botelho

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) has evolved resistance to herbicides targeting nine sites of action. Phytoene desaturase-inhibiting herbicides remain among the few sites of action that are still effective in controlling Palmer amaranth. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of fluridone and diflufenican in controlling difficult-to-control Palmer amaranth accessions collected in Arkansas from 2016 to 2022, to quantify the response of three accessions that exhibited low sensitivity to both herbicides, and to evaluate the effectiveness of photosystem II inhibitors alone and with fluridone or diflufenican on three accessions. At 14 days after a preemergence application, Palmer …

Aging, Fast And Slow: Gene Expression Signatures Of Physiological Age Vs. Future Lifespan In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Matthew Mosley

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

An outstanding question in the field of aging biology is the origin of variability in lifespans among members of the same species. Traditional wisdom dictates that differences in one individual’s genes or environment, “nature” and “nurture,” could predispose that individual to a long or short life. However, these explanations are radically incomplete. Even in a model system as homogenous as C. elegans, using an isogenic population in a lab-controlled environment, we observe a distribution in lifespans comparable to that seen in outbred human populations. The first part of this dissertation focuses on characterizing this non-genetic, non-environmental variability in the aging …

Terrestrial Evidence For Volcanogenic Sulfate-Driven Cooling Event ~30 Ka Before The Cretaceous–Paleogene Mass Extinction: Volcanism-Induced Cooling ~30 Ka Pre-K–Pg Boundary, Lauren O'Connor, Rhodri Jerrett, Gregory Price, Tyler Lyson, Sabine Lengger, Francien Peterse, Bart Van Dongen

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Alongside the Chicxulub meteorite impact, Deccan volcanism is considered a primary trigger for the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) mass extinction. Models suggest that volcanic outgassing of carbon and sulfur—potent environmental stressors—drove global temperature change, but the relative timing, duration, and magnitude of such change remains uncertain. Here, we use the organic paleothermometer MBT′5me and the carbon-isotope composition of two K–Pg-spanning lignites from the western Unites States, to test models of volcanogenic air temperature change in the ~100 kyr before the mass extinction. Our records show long-term warming of ~3°C, probably driven by Deccan CO2 emissions, and reveal a transient (<10 kyr) ~5°C cooling event, coinciding with the peak of the Poladpur “pulse” of Deccan eruption ~30 kyr before the K–Pg boundary. This cooling was likely caused by the aerosolization of volcanogenic sulfur. Temperatures returned to pre-event values before the mass extinction, suggesting that, from the terrestrial perspective, volcanogenic climate change was not the primary cause of K–Pg extinction.

Legacy Effects Of Crop Diversity On Weed-Crop Competition In Maize Production, Uriel D. Menalled, K Ann Bybee-Finley, Richard G. Smith, Antonio Ditommaso, Heather M. Darby, Sarah J. Pethybridge, Matthew R. Ryan

Faculty Publications

The legacy effects of crop diversity on maize (Zea mays L.) tissue nutrient composition, weed community structure, and intensity of weed-crop competition were assessed through a field experiment at two sites in the northeastern United States. Fields were conditioned with crop diversity gradients from summer 2016 to spring 2019. The crop diversity gradients ranged from a single cultivar to sixteen intercropped cultivars (four species, four cultivars per species) and were established in organic annual and perennial cropping systems. Following the three-year conditioning phase, maize was planted across the entire experiment, and each conditioning-phase diversity treatment was split into weed-free, ambient-weed, …

Legacy Effects Of Crop Diversity On Weed-Crop Competition In Maize Production, Uriel D. Menalled, K Ann Bybee-Finley, Richard G. Smith, Antonio Ditommaso, Heather M. Darby, Sarah J. Pethybridge, Matthew R. Ryan

Faculty Publications

The legacy effects of crop diversity on maize (Zea mays L.) tissue nutrient composition, weed community structure, and intensity of weed-crop competition were assessed through a field experiment at two sites in the northeastern United States. Fields were conditioned with crop diversity gradients from summer 2016 to spring 2019. The crop diversity gradients ranged from a single cultivar to sixteen intercropped cultivars (four species, four cultivars per species) and were established in organic annual and perennial cropping systems. Following the three-year conditioning phase, maize was planted across the entire experiment, and each conditioning-phase diversity treatment was split into weed-free, ambient-weed, …

Long-Term Measurements Of Seasonal Snowpacks Indicate Increases In Mid-Winter Snowmelt And Earlier Snowpack Disappearance In The Northeastern U.S., Geoff Wilson, Mark Green, John Campbell, Alexandra R. Contosta, Nina Lany, Amey Bailey

Faculty Publications

Snowpacks are changing in northeastern North America as the regional climate warms, yet the relative influence of changes in precipitation compared to changes in ablation on snowpacks is poorly understood. We use 56 years of weekly snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements from three locations within a study site which vary in elevation and aspect, paired with adjacent daily climate measurements, to investigate relationships between climate and snowpack onset, maximum, and disappearance. Maximum snowpack size and snowpack duration are shrinking at all sites, at rates ranging from 4.3 days/decade at the coldest site to 9.6 days/decade at the warmest site. The …

Long-Term Measurements Of Seasonal Snowpacks Indicate Increases In Mid-Winter Snowmelt And Earlier Snowpack Disappearance In The Northeastern U.S., Geoff Wilson, Mark Green, John Campbell, Alexandra R. Contosta, Nina Lany, Amey Bailey

Faculty Publications

Snowpacks are changing in northeastern North America as the regional climate warms, yet the relative influence of changes in precipitation compared to changes in ablation on snowpacks is poorly understood. We use 56 years of weekly snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements from three locations within a study site which vary in elevation and aspect, paired with adjacent daily climate measurements, to investigate relationships between climate and snowpack onset, maximum, and disappearance. Maximum snowpack size and snowpack duration are shrinking at all sites, at rates ranging from 4.3 days/decade at the coldest site to 9.6 days/decade at the warmest site. The …

Distinct Effects Of Extra- And Intracellular Trehalose Supplementation In Freezing Medium On The Post-Thaw Developmental Capacity Of Feline Oocytes, Saengtawan Arayatham, Wirakan Kallayanathum, Panuwat Padungros, Theerawat Tharasanit

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Oocyte cryopreservation is a crucial technique for preserving the genetic material of female cats, yet maintaining post-thaw oocyte developmental competence remains a significant challenge. This study investigated the impact of intra- and extracellular trehalose on the developmental competence of feline oocytes following cryopreservation. In Experiment 1, immature feline oocytes were matured in vitro (IVM) with varying concentrations (0, 1.5, and 3 mM) of intracellular trehalose hexaacetate (Tre-(OAc)6). The matured oocytes were then cryopreserved and thawed prior to in vitro fertilization and embryo culture. Experiment 2 examined the effects of extracellular trehalose supplementation at concentrations of 0, 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 …

Deinstitutionalizing The Mentally Retarded In Maine: The Inevitable Face-Off With Zoning, Pamela D. Albee

Maine Law Review

In July 1978, agencies and officials of the State of Maine entered into a federal consent judgment which terminated a class action lawsuit that had dragged on for three years. The consent judgment in Wuori v. Zitnay detailed a comprehensive plan designed to bring about speedy and meaningful relief to the plaintiff class: mentally retarded citizens of Maine involuntarily confined to Pineland Center, Maine's principal institution for the mentally retarded, and certain others who were conditionally released from Pineland and in community placements. The relief granted was a right to be provided the least restrictive and most normal living conditions …

The Relationship Between Periodontal Disease Of Feline And Oral Core Microbiome, Ziyao Zhou

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The microbiome of the oral cavity is complex with the average adult harboring about 50 to 100 billion bacteria which represent about 200 predominant bacterial species. There are a large number of microbes in the oral cavity of the feline, normally beneficial to oral health and safety maintenance. However, when the balance of bacteria lost, it may occur feline stomatitis and periodontitis, which seriously endanger local oral health. Environmental implication, feeding model, age and genetic factors may be main factors affecting oral composition of microbiome. Filifactor alocis, Porphyromonas gingivals, Tannerella forsythia and their interactions are main pathogen that …

Approved Courses 12-17-24, Angela Brock

Individual Course Committee (ICC)

No abstract provided.

Pmp2+ Scs Maintain The Survival And Functioning Of Large-Caliber Motor Axons, Mikolaj Kozlowski

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by selective neuronal vulnerability, a phenomenon in which a specific pathology induces the death of a particular subpopulation of neurons. For example, selective neuronal vulnerability in the peripheral nervous system results in sensory, motor, or mixed peripheral neuropathies. While the intrinsic differences between neuronal subtypes cannot fully explain the basis of selective neuronal vulnerability, it is plausible that it partially stems from neuron extrinsic mechanisms such as the malfunction of distinct Schwann cell (SC) subtypes. Recently, we identified an exciting subpopulation of myelinating SCs characterized by the expression of Adamtsl1, Cldn14, and Pmp2 (hereafter referred to …

Avian Adaptation To Thermal Gradients, Justin Wheeler Baldwin

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Life on Earth has adapted to extremely different temperatures worldwide. However, across distant branches of the tree of life, animals in similar temperature environments often share similar phenotypic traits. Specifically, traits that bear on the ratio between an individual’s surface area (e.g. appendage length) and its volume (e.g. body size) are particularly important for temperature regulation and are codified in canonical biogeographical rules. Although these global patterns of finding larger-bodied (Bergmann’s Rule) and shorter-limbed (Allen’s Rule) animals in colder regions are widely upheld, they also show substantial variation. It remains poorly understood why some animals conform to these biogeographical rules …

N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (Nmda) Receptors Control Calcium Signaling In Striatal Neurons To Guide Value-Based Learning, Alex Legaria Macal

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play an essential role in neuronal function. Activation of NMDARs leads to calcium influx into postsynaptic neurons, which regu?late many fundamental aspects of neuronal physiology including synaptic plasticity, gene expression, and excitability. In the striatum, the input region of the basal ganglia, NM?DAR activity has been shown to regulate physiological function of striatal neurons, such as synaptic plasticity and excitability, and they also modulate behavior, particularly op?erant learning. However, there are many fundamental questions about the signaling and effects of NMDARs in vivo that have yet to be resolved. Moreover, the link between the physiological and behavioral …

Understanding Sequence Determinants Of Functional Protein Dynamics Using Biophysical Simulations And Experiments, Upasana Lakshmi Mallimadugula

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mutations in the sequence of proteins associated with a disease often increase its risk or severity. They can also be a barrier to developing effective therapeutics for such diseases. One way in which mutations affect function is by altering dynamics that elude structural studies. Observing these changes requires methods that can report on movements of the protein on various timescales and is an ongoing challenge in biophysics and biochemistry. In this study I will use both experimental and computational techniques that can report on such dynamics to explore how small sequence changes shift the conformational landscape and consequently the function …