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Α-Synuclein Fibrils As Penrose Machines: A Chameleon In The Gear, Francesca De Giorgi, Vladimir N. Uversky, François Ichas Jan 2022

Α-Synuclein Fibrils As Penrose Machines: A Chameleon In The Gear, Francesca De Giorgi, Vladimir N. Uversky, François Ichas

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

In 1957, Lionel Penrose built the first man-made self-replicating mechanical device and illustrated its function in a series of machine prototypes, prefiguring our current view of the genesis and the proliferation of amyloid fibrils. He invented and demonstrated, with the help of his son Roger, the concepts that decades later, would become the fundamentals of prion and prion-like neurobiology: nucleation, seeding and conformational templating of monomers, linear polymer elongation, fragmentation, and spread. He published his premonitory discovery in a movie he publicly presented at only two conferences in 1958, a movie we thus reproduce here. By making a 30-year-jump in …


Arrow Of Time, Entropy, And Protein Folding: Holistic View On Biochirality, Victor V. Dyakin, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2022

Arrow Of Time, Entropy, And Protein Folding: Holistic View On Biochirality, Victor V. Dyakin, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Chirality is a universal phenomenon, embracing the space–time domains of non-organic and organic nature. The biological time arrow, evident in the aging of proteins and organisms, should be linked to the prevalent biomolecular chirality. This hypothesis drives our exploration of protein aging, in relation to the biological aging of an organism. Recent advances in the chirality discrimination methods and theoretical considerations of the non-equilibrium thermodynamics clarify the fundamental issues, concerning the biphasic, alternative, and stepwise changes in the conformational entropy associated with protein folding. Living cells represent open, non-equilibrium, self-organizing, and dissipative systems. The non-equilibrium thermodynamics of cell biology are …


Fundamental Clock Of Biological Aging: Convergence Of Molecular, Neurodegenerative, Cognitive And Psychiatric Pathways: Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics Meet Psychology, Victor V. Dyakin, Nuka V. Dyakina-Fagnano, Laura B. Mcintire, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2022

Fundamental Clock Of Biological Aging: Convergence Of Molecular, Neurodegenerative, Cognitive And Psychiatric Pathways: Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics Meet Psychology, Victor V. Dyakin, Nuka V. Dyakina-Fagnano, Laura B. Mcintire, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

In humans, age-associated degrading changes, widely observed in molecular and cellular processes underly the time-dependent decline in spatial navigation, time perception, cognitive and psychological abilities, and memory. Cross-talk of biological, cognitive, and psychological clocks provides an integrative contribution to healthy and advanced aging. At the molecular level, genome, proteome, and lipidome instability are widely recognized as the primary causal factors in aging. We narrow attention to the roles of protein aging linked to prevalent amino acids chirality, enzymatic and spontaneous (non-enzymatic) post-translational modifications (PTMs SP), and non-equilibrium phase transitions. The homochirality of protein synthesis, resulting in the steady-state non-equilibrium condition …


Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Play Diverse Roles In Cell Signaling, Sarah E. Bondos, A. Keith Dunker, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2022

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Play Diverse Roles In Cell Signaling, Sarah E. Bondos, A. Keith Dunker, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Signaling pathways allow cells to detect and respond to a wide variety of chemical (e.g. Ca2+ or chemokine proteins) and physical stimuli (e.g., sheer stress, light). Together, these pathways form an extensive communication network that regulates basic cell activities and coordinates the function of multiple cells or tissues. The process of cell signaling imposes many demands on the proteins that comprise these pathways, including the abilities to form active and inactive states, and to engage in multiple protein interactions. Furthermore, successful signaling often requires amplifying the signal, regulating or tuning the response to the signal, combining information sourced from multiple …


Limosilactobacillus Fermentum Strain 3872: Antibacterial And Immunoregulatory Properties And Synergy With Prebiotics Against Socially Significant Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Of Animals And Humans, Vyacheslav M. Abramov, Igor V. Kosarev, Andrey V. Machulin, Tatiana V. Priputnevich, Irina O. Chikileva, Eugenia I. Deryusheva, Tatiana N. Abashina, Almira D. Donetskova, Alexander N. Panin, Vyacheslav G. Melnikov, Natalia E. Suzina, Ilya N. Nikonov, Marina V. Selina, Valentin S. Khlebnikov, Vadim K. Sakulin, Raisa N. Vasilenko, Vladimir A. Samoilenko, Vladimir N. Uversky, Andrey V. Karlyshev Jan 2022

Limosilactobacillus Fermentum Strain 3872: Antibacterial And Immunoregulatory Properties And Synergy With Prebiotics Against Socially Significant Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Of Animals And Humans, Vyacheslav M. Abramov, Igor V. Kosarev, Andrey V. Machulin, Tatiana V. Priputnevich, Irina O. Chikileva, Eugenia I. Deryusheva, Tatiana N. Abashina, Almira D. Donetskova, Alexander N. Panin, Vyacheslav G. Melnikov, Natalia E. Suzina, Ilya N. Nikonov, Marina V. Selina, Valentin S. Khlebnikov, Vadim K. Sakulin, Raisa N. Vasilenko, Vladimir A. Samoilenko, Vladimir N. Uversky, Andrey V. Karlyshev

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Limosilactobacillus fermentum strain 3872 (LF3872) was originally isolated from the breast milk of a healthy woman during lactation and the breastfeeding of a child. The high-quality genome sequencing of LF3872 was performed, and a gene encoding a unique bacteriocin was discovered. It was established that the bacteriocin produced by LF3872 (BLF3872) belongs to the family of cell-wall-degrading proteins that cause cell lysis. The antibacterial properties of LF3872 were studied using test cultures of antibiotic-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Gram-positive pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus strain 8325-4 and S. aureus strain IIE CI-SA 1246) were highly sensitive to the bacteriolytic action of LF3872. …


A Study On The Nature Of Sars-Cov-2 Using The Shell Disorder Models: Reproducibility, Evolution, Spread, And Attenuation, Gerard Kian-Meng Goh, A. Keith Dunker, James A. Foster, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2022

A Study On The Nature Of Sars-Cov-2 Using The Shell Disorder Models: Reproducibility, Evolution, Spread, And Attenuation, Gerard Kian-Meng Goh, A. Keith Dunker, James A. Foster, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

The basic tenets of the shell disorder model (SDM) as applied to COVID-19 are that the harder outer shell of the virus shell (lower PID—percentage of intrinsic disorder—of the membrane protein M, PIDM) and higher flexibility of the inner shell (higher PID of the nucleocapsid protein N, PIDN) are correlated with the contagiousness and virulence, respectively. M protects the virion from the anti-microbial enzymes in the saliva and mucus. N disorder is associated with the rapid replication of the virus. SDM predictions are supported by two experimental observations. The first observation demonstrated lesser and greater presence of the Omicron particles …


Bayesian Molecular Dating Analyses Combined With Mutational Profiling Suggest An Independent Origin And Evolution Of Sars-Cov-2 Omicron Ba.1 And Ba.2 Sub-Lineages, Naveen Kumar, Rahul Kaushik, Ashutosh Singh, Vladimir N. Uversky, Kam Y. J. Zhang, Upasana Sahu, Sandeep Bhatia, Aniket Sanyal Jan 2022

Bayesian Molecular Dating Analyses Combined With Mutational Profiling Suggest An Independent Origin And Evolution Of Sars-Cov-2 Omicron Ba.1 And Ba.2 Sub-Lineages, Naveen Kumar, Rahul Kaushik, Ashutosh Singh, Vladimir N. Uversky, Kam Y. J. Zhang, Upasana Sahu, Sandeep Bhatia, Aniket Sanyal

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

The ongoing evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in the recent emergence of a highly divergent variant of concern (VOC) defined as Omicron or B.1.1.529. This VOC is of particular concern because it has the potential to evade most therapeutic antibodies and has undergone a sustained genetic evolution, resulting in the emergence of five distinct sub-lineages. However, the evolutionary dynamics of the initially identified Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 sub-lineages remain poorly understood. Herein, we combined Bayesian phylogenetic analysis, mutational profiling, and selection pressure analysis to track the virus’s genetic changes that drive the early evolutionary dynamics of …


Insights Into The Structural Properties Of Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease, Ibrahim Y. Akbaryak, Sule I. Caglayan, Lukasz Kurgan, Vladimir N. Uversky, Orkid Coskuner-Weber Jan 2022

Insights Into The Structural Properties Of Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease, Ibrahim Y. Akbaryak, Sule I. Caglayan, Lukasz Kurgan, Vladimir N. Uversky, Orkid Coskuner-Weber

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

SARS-CoV-2 is the infectious agent responsible for the coronavirus disease since 2019, which is the viral pneumonia pandemic worldwide. The structural knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 is rather limited. These limitations are also applicable to one of the most attractive drug targets of SARS-CoV-2 proteins – namely, main protease Mpro, also known as 3C-like protease (3CLpro). This protein is crucial for the processing of the viral polyproteins and plays crucial roles in interfering viral replication and transcription. In fact, although the crystal structure of this protein with an inhibitor was solved, Mpro conformational dynamics in aqueous solution is usually studied by molecular …


Fight Fire With Fire: The Need For A Vaccine Based On Intrinsic Disorder And Structural Flexibility, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2022

Fight Fire With Fire: The Need For A Vaccine Based On Intrinsic Disorder And Structural Flexibility, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

The absence of advancement in finding efficient vaccines for several human viruses, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), and herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) despite 30, 40, and even 60 years of research, respectively, is unnerving. Among objective reasons for such failure are the highly glycosylated nature of proteins used as primary vaccine targets against these viruses and the presence of neotopes and cryptotopes, as well as high mutation rates of the RNA viruses HCV and HIV-1 and the capability to establish latency by HSVs. However, the lack of success in utilization of the structure-based …


An Optimal Lysis Time Maximizes Bacteriophage Fitness In Quasi-Continuous Culture, Sherin Kannoly, Abhyudai Singh, John J. Dennehy Jan 2022

An Optimal Lysis Time Maximizes Bacteriophage Fitness In Quasi-Continuous Culture, Sherin Kannoly, Abhyudai Singh, John J. Dennehy

Publications and Research

Optimality models have a checkered history in evolutionary biology. While optimality models have been successful in providing valuable insight into the evolution of a wide variety of biological traits, a common objection is that optimality models are overly simplistic and ignore organismal genetics. We revisit evolutionary optimization in the context of a major bacteriophage life history trait, lysis time. Lysis time refers to the period spanning phage infection of a host cell and its lysis, whereupon phage progenies are released. Lysis time, therefore, directly determines phage fecundity assuming progeny assembly does not exhaust host resources prior to lysis. Noting that …


Bio-Inspired Sutures: Using Finite Element Analysis To Parameterize The Mechanical Response Of Dovetail Sutures In Simulated Bending Of A Curved Structure, Melissa M. Gibbons, Diana A. Chen Jan 2022

Bio-Inspired Sutures: Using Finite Element Analysis To Parameterize The Mechanical Response Of Dovetail Sutures In Simulated Bending Of A Curved Structure, Melissa M. Gibbons, Diana A. Chen

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Many animals have protective anatomical structures that allow for growth and flexibility; these structures contain thin seams called sutures that help the structure to absorb impacts. In this study, we parameterized the stiffness and toughness of a curved archway structure based on three geometric properties of a suture through finite element, quasi-static, three-point bending simulations. Each archway consisted of two symmetric pieces linked by a dovetail suture tab design. The three parameters included suture tab radii (1–5 mm), tangent lengths (0–20 mm), and contact angles (0–40◦). In the simulations, a steel indenter was displaced 6.5 mm to induce progressive tab …


Concerning A Requirement That The Ballot Title And Fiscal Summary For Any Ballot Initiative That Increases Or Decreases State Income Tax Rates Include A Table Showing The Average Tax Change For Tax Filers In Different Income Categories, Colorado General Assembly Jan 2022

Concerning A Requirement That The Ballot Title And Fiscal Summary For Any Ballot Initiative That Increases Or Decreases State Income Tax Rates Include A Table Showing The Average Tax Change For Tax Filers In Different Income Categories, Colorado General Assembly

Session Laws 2001-Present

No abstract provided.


Concerning Authority For Local Governments To Designate Highways Under Their Jurisdiction For Over-Snow Use Only, Colorado General Assembly Jan 2022

Concerning Authority For Local Governments To Designate Highways Under Their Jurisdiction For Over-Snow Use Only, Colorado General Assembly

Session Laws 2001-Present

No abstract provided.


The Grave Barrier Reef, Savannah J. Szamborski Jan 2022

The Grave Barrier Reef, Savannah J. Szamborski

GLO 100 Introduction to Global Studies: Policy Analysis Papers

The Great Barrier Reef, located off the Northern East coast of Australia, has been experiencing significant levels of coral bleaching since 1998 when it experienced its first major bleaching. When water temperatures rise due to climate change, corals lose their bright colors and turn white. Once a coral is bleached, it becomes more vulnerable to other factors, increasing its chance of mortality. Greenhouse gas emissions have been seen to be one of the major factors that lead to climate change. The Australian and Queensland governments have put many different acts and policies into place to protect the Great Barrier Reef …


Houdini Poetry Workshop, Elisabeth Daumer Jan 2022

Houdini Poetry Workshop, Elisabeth Daumer

Pedagogy

No abstract provided.


Concerning The Procedure For Sealing Of Criminal Records For Nonviolent Offenses And In Connection Therewith Addressing Workforce Shortages, Colorado General Assembly Jan 2022

Concerning The Procedure For Sealing Of Criminal Records For Nonviolent Offenses And In Connection Therewith Addressing Workforce Shortages, Colorado General Assembly

Session Laws 2001-Present

No abstract provided.


Concerning The Creation Of The Producer Responsibility Program For Statewide Recycling And In Connection Therewith, Colorado General Assembly Jan 2022

Concerning The Creation Of The Producer Responsibility Program For Statewide Recycling And In Connection Therewith, Colorado General Assembly

Session Laws 2001-Present

No abstract provided.


Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis Jan 2022

Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Our commentary explores three critical issues related to ecosystem services. First is how ecoservices are currently designed and implemented primarily for human benefit without concern for how these impact other species. We conclude that awareness of this imbalance is the first step toward meaningful change. Second we observe that human exceptionalism guides most decisions, and ask whether we can overcome this mind-set to embrace ecoregeneration and design of resilient and mutually beneficial agroecosystems. Our attitude toward the challenge and moving toward greater humility about human roles that guide management decisions in the ecosystem is a requisite for change. Third we …


Adenoviral-Vectored Centralized Consensus Hemagglutinin Vaccine Provides Broad Protection Against H2 Influenza A Virus, Erika M. Petro-Turnquist, Brianna L. Bullard, Matthew J. Pekarek, Eric A. Weaver Jan 2022

Adenoviral-Vectored Centralized Consensus Hemagglutinin Vaccine Provides Broad Protection Against H2 Influenza A Virus, Erika M. Petro-Turnquist, Brianna L. Bullard, Matthew J. Pekarek, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Several influenza pandemics have occurred in the past century, one of which emerged in 1957 from a zoonotic transmission of H2N2 from an avian reservoir into humans. This pandemic caused 2–4 million deaths and circulated until 1968. Since the disappearance of H2N2 from human populations, there has been waning immunity against H2, and this subtype is not currently incorporated into seasonal vaccines. However, H2 influenza remains a pandemic threat due to consistent circulation in avian reservoirs. Here, we describe a method of pandemic preparedness by creating an adenoviral-vectored centralized consensus vaccine design against human H2 influenza. We also assessed the …


The Application Of The Skin Virome For Human Identification, Ema H. Graham, Jennifer Clarke, Samodha Fernando, Joshua Herr, Michael Adamowicz Jan 2022

The Application Of The Skin Virome For Human Identification, Ema H. Graham, Jennifer Clarke, Samodha Fernando, Joshua Herr, Michael Adamowicz

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The use of skin virome offers a unique approach for human identification purposes in instances where a viable and statistically relevant human DNA profile is unavailable. The skin virome may act as an alternative DNA profile and/or an additional form of probative genetic material. To date, no study has attempted to investigate the human virome over a time series across various physical locations of the body to identify its diagnostic potential as a tool for human identification. For this study, we set out to evaluate the stability, diversity, and individualization of the human skin virome. An additional goal was to …


Tensions And Opportunity In Arctic Development And Stewardship, Cuslj Jan 2022

Tensions And Opportunity In Arctic Development And Stewardship, Cuslj

Canada-United States Law Journal

Adler, Jonathan; Doran, Charles; McCarney, Rosemary; Findlay, Martha Hall; Short, Hugh


The Protection Of Environmental Law Under Nafta And Cusma: A Canadian Perspective Student Articles And Notes, George Moshenski-Dubov Jan 2022

The Protection Of Environmental Law Under Nafta And Cusma: A Canadian Perspective Student Articles And Notes, George Moshenski-Dubov

Canada-United States Law Journal

No abstract provided.


Google V Oracle: A Comment And Call To Action Student Articles And Notes, Justine Pileggi Jan 2022

Google V Oracle: A Comment And Call To Action Student Articles And Notes, Justine Pileggi

Canada-United States Law Journal

No abstract provided.


How Biden Wants Us To Think About Ukraine’S Conflict, Rainer Shea Jan 2022

How Biden Wants Us To Think About Ukraine’S Conflict, Rainer Shea

Communication 300 Papers

President Joe Biden’s rhetorical style when talking to the American people about the conflict in Ukraine is one which can be compared to that of President George W. Bush in regards to the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 attacks. During Biden’s speech about Ukraine in March of 2022, he conveyed an idea parallel to that which Bush conveyed: an enemy of the United States has committed a transgression which can’t go unpunished, and the “free world” needs to fight back at any cost. In order to make this case, Biden used the speech to counter Putin’s arguments for a …


Children’S Film Media’S Influence On Gender, Race, And Identity, Sara M. Kovis Jan 2022

Children’S Film Media’S Influence On Gender, Race, And Identity, Sara M. Kovis

Communication Senior Capstones

Whether conscious of it or not, media images have been working our entire lives to construct our attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of the world around us. What is the significance of the relationship between media consumption and how we interact in society? Applying communication theories and research into traditional and digital media is vital in understanding the realities around us. It explains where societal norms and values stimulate and how they trigger new behavioral changes. Ideologies are the mixed concepts and elements that create meaning in society. Today, people's ideological feelings produce pre-dated ideologies rather than their ideas. These are …


Towards A Psychological Science Of Abolition Democracy: Insights For Improving Theory And Research On Race And Public Safety, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Phillip Atiba Goff Jan 2022

Towards A Psychological Science Of Abolition Democracy: Insights For Improving Theory And Research On Race And Public Safety, Cynthia J. Najdowski, Phillip Atiba Goff

Psychology Faculty Scholarship

We call for psychologists to expand their thinking on fair and just public safety by engaging with the “Abolition Democracy” framework that Du Bois (1935) articulated as the need to dissolve slavery while simultaneously taking affirmative steps to rid its toxic consequences from the body politic. Because the legacies of slavery continue to produce disparities in public safety in the U.S, both harming Black people and the institutions that could keep them safe, psychologists must take seriously questions of history and structure in addition to immediate situations. In the present article, we consider the state of knowledge regarding psychological processes …


Psychoactive Revolution And Transnational Networks, Menglu Gao Jan 2022

Psychoactive Revolution And Transnational Networks, Menglu Gao

English and Literary Arts: Faculty Scholarship

The connection and clash between Asia and the Anglophone world were, in part, facilitated by what David T. Courtwright calls the “psychoactive revolution,” a process in which hunger, the need for food, was replaced by desire and addiction in the modern world. Networks between these regions deepened and proliferated as stimulants and sedatives such as tea, opium, and coffee became increasingly accessible and popular around the globe.


A Study Of Creation Stories: The Way Things Began, Claire Besancon Jan 2022

A Study Of Creation Stories: The Way Things Began, Claire Besancon

Theses & ETDs

This thesis will be examining, commenting on, and analyzing ten creation myths from various cultures. The first chapter holds a summary of each culture's creation myth as well as a commentary on the myth itself. Each commentary tries to include some historical background regarding when, where, and who the myth came from. The second chapter is about analyzing the myths through the lens of their similarities and differences, focusing on themes shared and not shared, as well as comparing and contrasting what I observed in the commentaries. The final chapter of my thesis is in two parts. The first part …


Assessing The Influence Of Invasive Removal Techniques On Mangrove Growth And Burrowing Crab Populations, Liah Continentino Jan 2022

Assessing The Influence Of Invasive Removal Techniques On Mangrove Growth And Burrowing Crab Populations, Liah Continentino

Theses & ETDs

Mangroves are unique ecosystems, bridging land and sea, and hosting a plethora of ecologically and economically valuable species. Mangroves provide a nursery habitat for marine life, protect and build shorelines, and sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon. Mangrove trees have an interdependent relationship with the burrowing crabs which live alongside them. Burrowing crabs act as ecosystem engineers; assisting in nutrient cycling and decomposition, altering the sediment chemistry and promoting plant growth. This study takes place on a spoil mound caused by channelization in a mangrove island. Impacts of invasive tree removal techniques on mangrove growth, crab populations, and substrate characteristics …


The Heat Is On: An Analysis Of The Thermal Tolerance Of The Invasive Gecko Hemidactylus Mabouia As A Model For Ctmax Studies In Squamates, Sawyer Markham Jan 2022

The Heat Is On: An Analysis Of The Thermal Tolerance Of The Invasive Gecko Hemidactylus Mabouia As A Model For Ctmax Studies In Squamates, Sawyer Markham

Theses & ETDs

As climate change continues to threaten biodiversity around the world, time is running out to protect many species from extinction. Lizards are among the most threatened species, and over twenty percent of all lizards are expected to face extinction as temperatures increase globally. Hemidactylus mabouia is an invasive and highly abundant species of gecko in Florida and limited information is available on their thermal tolerance.These lizards were collected in Sarasota, Florida, where their CTmax was measured by the demonstration of loss of normal function in the form of pants and muscular spasms. I hypothesized that the two methods of measuring …