Digital Commons Network^™

Engineering Central Substitutions In Heptamethine Dyes For Improved Fluorophore Performance, Lei Guo, Meek Yang, Bin Dong, Seth Lewman, Alex Van Horn, Shang Jia

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a major family of red-shifted fluorophores that operate beyond visible light, polymethine dyes are pivotal in light-based biological techniques. However, methods for tuning this kind of fluorophores by structural modification remain restricted to bottom-up synthesis and modification using coupling or nucleophilic substitutions. In this study, we introduce a two-step, late-stage functionalization process for heptamethine dyes. This process enables the substitution of the central chlorine atom in the commonly used 4′-chloro heptamethine scaffold with various aryl groups using aryllithium reagents. This method borrows the building block and designs from the xanthene dye community and offers a mild and convenient way …

Smyd5 Methylation Of Rpl40 Links Ribosomal Output To Gastric Cancer, Juhyung Park, Jibo Wu, Krzysztof J Szkop, Jinho Jeong, Predrag Jovanovic, Dylan Husmann, Natasha M Flores, Joel W Francis, Ying-Jiun C Chen, Ana Morales Benitez, Emily Zahn, Shumei Song, Jaffer A Ajani, Linghua Wang, Kamini Singh, Ola Larsson, Benjamin A Garcia, Ivan Topisirovic, Or Gozani, Pawel K Mazur

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Dysregulated transcription due to disruption in histone lysine methylation dynamics is an established contributor to tumorigenesis1,2. However, whether analogous pathologic epigenetic mechanisms act directly on the ribosome to advance oncogenesis is unclear. Here we find that trimethylation of the core ribosomal protein L40 (rpL40) at lysine 22 (rpL40K22me3) by the lysine methyltransferase SMYD5 regulates mRNA translation output to promote malignant progression of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) with lethal peritoneal ascites. A biochemical-proteomics strategy identifies the monoubiquitin fusion protein partner rpL40 (ref. 3) as the principal physiological substrate of SMYD5 across diverse samples. Inhibiting the SMYD5-rpL40K22me3 axis in GAC cell lines reprogrammes …

Accelerated Tumor Progression After Covid-19 Infection In Patients With Glioblastoma: A Retrospective Case-Control Study, Timothy A Gregory, Stephanie R Knight, Ashley E Aaroe, Kaitlin N Highsmith, Zachary C Janatpour, Barbara J O'Brien, Nazanin K Majd, Monica E Loghin, Chirag B Patel, Shiao-Pei Weathers, Vinay K Puduvalli, Carlos Kamiya-Matsuoka

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: We observed rapid tumor progression following COVID-19 infection among patients with glioblastoma and sought to systematically characterize their disease course in a retrospective case-control study.

Methods: Using an institutional database, we retrospectively identified a series of COVID-19-positive glioblastoma cases and matched them by age and sex 1:2 to glioblastoma controls who had a negative COVID-19 test during their disease course. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed. Hyperprogression was defined using modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors criteria. Time to progression and overall survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: Thirty-two glioblastoma cases with positive COVID-19 testing were …

Variability In Performance Of Genetic-Enhanced Dxa-Bmd Prediction Models Across Diverse Ethnic And Geographic Populations: A Risk Prediction Study, Yong Liu, Xiang-He Meng, Chong Wu, Kuan-Jui Su, Anqi Liu, Qing Tian, Lan-Juan Zhao, Chuan Qiu, Zhe Luo, Martha I Gonzalez-Ramirez, Hui Shen, Hong-Mei Xiao, Hong-Wen Deng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a major global health issue, weakening bones and increasing fracture risk. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the standard for measuring bone mineral density (BMD) and diagnosing osteoporosis, but its costliness and complexity impede widespread screening adoption. Predictive modeling using genetic and clinical data offers a cost-effective alternative for assessing osteoporosis and fracture risk. This study aims to develop BMD prediction models using data from the UK Biobank (UKBB) and test their performance across different ethnic and geographical populations.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We developed BMD prediction models for the femoral neck (FNK) and lumbar spine (SPN) using both …

Antitumor Activity Of A Novel Lair1 Antagonist In Combination With Anti-Pd1 To Treat Collagen-Rich Solid Tumors, Bertha L Rodriguez, Jiawei Huang, Laura Gibson, Jared J Fradette, Hung-I H Chen, Kikuye Koyano, Czrina Cortez, Betty Li, Carmence Ho, Amir M Ashique, Vicky Y Lin, Suzanne Crawley, Julie M Roda, Peirong Chen, Bin Fan, Jeong Kim, James Sissons, Jonathan Sitrin, Daniel D Kaplan, Don L Gibbons, Lee B Rivera

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We recently reported that resistance to PD-1 blockade in a refractory lung cancer-derived model involved increased collagen deposition and the collagen-binding inhibitory receptor leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor 1 (LAIR1). Thus, we hypothesized that LAIR1 and collagen cooperated to suppress therapeutic response. In this study, we report that LAIR1 is associated with tumor stroma and is highly expressed by intratumoral myeloid cells in both human tumors and mouse models of cancer. Stroma-associated myeloid cells exhibit a suppressive phenotype and correlate with LAIR1 expression in human cancer. NGM438, a novel humanized LAIR1 antagonist mAb, elicits myeloid inflammation and allogeneic T-cell responses by binding …

Interaction Of Cellulose Model (D-Cellobiose) With Some Selected Sodium Salts, Uchechukwu G. Ariwodo

All Theses

This work focused on employing sodium salts to modify cellulose, a crucial biopolymer found in plant cell walls, to improve its characteristics. Three methods were used to study cellulose-salt interaction. Task 1 employed Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to examine infrared absorption frequencies and discovered that the highest peak shift was caused by sodium borate (Na3BO3). In Task 2, thermal stability was evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that while sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) decreased stability and combustion temperature, sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) increased both. Task 3 investigated interactions between cellobiose and sodium salts using density functional theory and computational techniques, with …

Dynamic Expansions And Retinal Expression Of Spectrally Distinct Short-Wavelength Opsin Genes In Sea Snakes, Isaac H. Rossetto, Alastair J. Ludington, Bruno F. Simões, Nguyen Van Cao, Kate L. Sanders

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The photopigment-encoding visual opsin genes that mediate color perception show great variation in copy number and adaptive function across vertebrates. An open question is how this variation has been shaped by the interaction of lineage-specific structural genomic architecture and ecological selection pressures. We contribute to this issue by investigating the expansion dynamics and expression of the duplicated Short-Wavelength-Sensitive-1 opsin (SWS1) in sea snakes (Elapidae). We generated one new genome, 45 resequencing datasets, 10 retinal transcriptomes, and 81 SWS1 exon sequences for sea snakes, and analyzed these alongside 16 existing genomes for sea snakes and their terrestrial relatives. Our analyses revealed …

Enhanced Optical And Infrared Activity Of Nanosphere Dimers Attributed To Dimer Geometry, D. Keith Roper, Jin-Woo Kim, Ricardo R. Romo, Joseph Batta-Mpouma

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Enhanced optical and infrared activity of subwavelength metal nanoparticles is key to their use in optoelectronics, spectroscopy, and sensing. The present work compared spectra of nanosphere dimers merged by centrifuging gold nanospheres with corresponding simulated nanoscale dimers. Geometric features of the nanosphere dimers were related to corresponding optical and near-infrared activity through simulation. Differences in optical and infrared activity of the nanosphere dimers were largely attributable to changes in the radius of the nanosphere and the radius of the conductive junction between merged nanospheres. The features observed in the experimental spectra were attributed to a select number of dimers exhibiting …

Effects Of Extreme Starvation On The Fasting-Adapted Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus Oreganus), Brandon R. Kong

Master's Theses

Ambush-hunting snakes have long been of great interest in the biology of fasting and starvation, as they are adapted to withstand well over a year without taking a meal. Well-justified ethical constraints have limited our understanding of their biology at the limits of these abilities. Unfortunate circumstances, in which the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confiscated over 50 Western Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) from an animal hoarder that had long neglected them, culminated in the euthanized animals ending up in the hands of our lab. Some of these snakes were extremely starved, being only one-half to one-third of …

Effect Of Enzymatic Pretreatment On Biomethane Production From Olive Pomace, Ningjing Zhong

Master's Theses

In 2023, approximately 2.36 million metric tons of olive oil were produced globally. Olive pomace, a byproduct of the flesh and pits left after olive oil extraction, presents environmental challenges when used as landfill due to its high polyphenol and organic contents, or when combusted due to greenhouse gas emissions. Its potential as animal feed is limited, yet it holds promise for methane production via anaerobic digestion (AD), providing a source of renewable energy. However, the highly crystallized polysaccharides in olive pomace, such as cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin, impede its conversion to methane, and the high polyphenol content inhibits methanogen …

Medical Image Analysis Based On Graph Machine Learning And Variational Methods, Sina Mohammadi

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

This study explores advanced methodologies for enhancing brain tumor segmentation, addressing the complexity and diversity of tumor sub-regions in medical imaging. We introduce a novel approach utilizing Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) that incorporate both spectral and spatial insights for segmentation. By leveraging various supervoxel creation methods such as VCCS, SLIC, Watershed, Meanshift, and Felzenszwalb-Huttenlocher, we structured 3D MRI images into a graph format. This format enabled the implementation of Spectral and Spatial GNNs to capture comprehensive local and global tumor characteristics effectively. Our Spectral-Spatial GNN model, integrating the Laplacian matrix, demonstrated significant improvements in segmenting distinct tumor sub-regions of Necrosis, …

Towards The Outbreak Tail, What Is The Public Opinion About Wastewater Surveillance In The United States?, Rochelle H. Holm, Lauren B. Anderson, Heather D. Ness, A. Scott Lajoie, Ted Smith

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

National opinions on a wide variety of public health topics can change over time and have highly contextual nuances. This study is a follow-up to prior inquiries into the knowledge of wastewater-based epidemiology, privacy concerns surrounding sample collection, and the use of data acquired, along with privacy awareness from an online survey conducted in the metropolitan United States during the winter of 2023. Mentions of wastewater-surveillance-related terms in the media remained common. Towards the outbreak tail in 2023, public support for surveillance of toxins (91%), diseases (91%), terrorist threats (87%), illicit drugs (70%), prescription medications (69%), and gun residue (60%) …

Assessing The Reactivity Of Amino Acids To Chlorination Using Capillary Electrophoresis, Pedro De Allende

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Amino acids (AA) are ubiquitous in wastewater systems. One of the most popular wastewater treatments is chlorination which is effective at eradicating bacteria and overall treating the wastewater, but it can also produce disinfection by-products (DBPs). Certain DBPs have been classified as Class B Carcinogens to humans and are therefore highly regulated and monitored. Past studies have shown that natural organic matter (NOM), specifically amino acids, can be precursors to DBPs if chlorinated to the correct dose. This thesis project explored AA chlorination's mechanism(s) to understand further which products arise. In particular, the investigation detailed which steps of the mechanism …

The Cultural Mismatch Between Latinas' Interdependent Self-Concept And The Independent Culture Of Stem, Maria Guadalupe Velasco

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

I assessed the role of self-concept fit, as outlined in the SAFE model (Schmader & Sedikides, 2018), in Latina college students’ feelings toward pursuing a STEM course. Research on the underrepresentation of certain social groups in STEM has mainly focused on the role of goal fit. More specifically, researchers have found that portraying STEM environments as affording communal goals promotes goal fit, which is related to positive outcomes like interest, belonging, and favorable ratings for STEM courses, careers, and lab positions (Belanger et al., 2017; Belanger et al., 2020; Diekman et al., 2011). Because Latinas are socialized within an interdependent …

Disparities Surrounding The Availability Of Feminine Hygiene Products In The Workplace, Marlene Ventura

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Menstrual inequality in the workplace continues to exist, affecting financial welfare, mental health, physical health, and access to care. Women have been enduring disparities related to menstruation, including stigma, shame, and period poverty, which are often exacerbated in the workplace. This study aims to explore the experiences of women who do not have access to free feminine hygiene products in the workplace.

The researcher conducted one-to-one interviews in person with employed women (n=9). The questions were semi-structured and based on a survey with nineteen questions addressing areas of menstrual inequality in the workplace. Seven themes were identified: 1) work performance, …

Serotonin 1a Receptor Modulation On Behavioral Flexibility In Btbr And C57bl/6j Mice, Cassandra Cavazos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by a subset of symptoms known as restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs). RRBs are categorized into both lower order and higher order RRBs, where the latter can be described as behavioral inflexibility. The BTBR T+ tf/J (BTBR) mouse strain has been an extensively used animal model that demonstrate the behavioral symptoms of these individuals, including inflexible behavior. Currently, there are few effective treatments for individuals with ASD that express RRBs. Past research has investigated treatments that target serotonin due its historic involvement in ASD. 8-OH-DPAT (8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamine) tetralin) is a research …

Examining Construal Level Priming As A Potentional Intervention For Misinformation Sharing, Xiangyu Cui

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Misinformation has become increasingly difficult to combat in the digital age. The current study tested a model exploring the relationships between self-regulation, habitual social media use, construal level, and propagation of misinformation. Drawing from previous research, I hypothesized that individuals with higher self-regulation would exhibit lower susceptibility to misinformation sharing. I also hypothesized that habitual social media use mediates the relationship between self-regulation and misinformation sharing. In addition, I introduced construal level priming as an experimental intervention, where individuals primed with abstract construal levels may demonstrate more discerning information processing, thereby reducing the likelihood of misinformation sharing. Results from data …

Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology And Art, Lina Pilar Tejeda

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

After assisting in the curation of Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology and Art, I can assert that I have gained ample experience in exhibition curation. I have gained the necessary skills to work with a subject or concept, perform essential research to become thoroughly informed on it, and network to access relevant people for exhibition advising. I learned steps to creating the exhibition from beginning to end; identifying objects and curating an object list that best told the story we sought out to share with the public. Through Fire Kinship, I have demonstrated my abilities to not only …

The Effect Of Intermediate Doses Of Roundup® On The Larval Development, Survival, Oviposition And Fitness Of Culex Quinquefasciatus, Abdoulaye Aziz Zerbo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, is a vector to many pathogens in Southern California, including West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis Virus. Immature stages of mosquitoes may be exposed to Roundup^®, a frequently used herbicide worldwide, due to surface runoffs or overspraying and subsequent drifting. Previous studies have shown some negative impacts of sublethal doses of Roundup^® during the developmental stage of Culex quinquefasciatus, such as physiologic changes and prolonged larval stage or the high mortality of larvae due to exposure to the high doses of glyphosate. This study investigated the effect of …

Understanding The Dynamics Of Chatbot Design, Transparency, And Ethical Implications In Customer–Brand Relationship In Hospitality And Tourism Industry, Shakera Parveen

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This culminating experience project investigated the impact of chatbot interactions on customer perceptions, ethical considerations, and transparency within the hospitality and tourism industry. The research questions are: Q1: how do the specific visual and verbal aspects contribute to shaping customer perceptions within the context of chatbot marketing efforts? Q2: what steps can companies take to address and mitigate ethical concerns surrounding interactions with chatbots? Q3: To what extent does the level of transparency and explainability in chatbot interactions influence customer trust and satisfaction? The findings are: Q1: the study revealed that visual and verbal aspects of chatbot design significantly shape …

Emotional Eating In Adolescents With Obesity: Case Series, Paula Dayan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Childhood obesity remains a significant public health concern, with substantial implications for physical and mental well-being. This thesis aims to explore the intricate relationship between emotional eating and obesity among adolescents, with a focus on identifying emotional triggers and assessing their psychological impact. Utilizing a cross-sectional study design at a university in southern California, data were collected from two adolescents aged 13-18 years. Through surveys and body composition measurements, participants' emotional barriers to weight loss and readiness for change were assessed. The findings underscore the presence of varying degrees of emotional hurdles among adolescents with obesity, including depression, frustration, and …

Influence Of Postruminal Casein Infusion And Exogenous Glucagon-Like Peptide 2 Administration On The Jejunal Mucosal Transcriptome In Cattle, Ronald J. Trotta, Kendall C. Swanson, James L. Klotz, David L. Harmon

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

We previously demonstrated that postruminal casein infusion and exogenous glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) administration independently stimulated growth and carbohydrase activity of the pancreas and jejunal mucosa in cattle. The objective of the current study was to profile the jejunal mucosal transcriptome of cattle using next-generation RNA sequencing in response to postruminal casein infusion and exogenous GLP-2. Twenty-four Holstein steers [250 ± 23.1 kg body weight (BW)] received a continuous abomasal infusion of 3.94 g raw corn starch/kg of BW combined with either 0 or 1.30 g casein/kg of BW for 7 d. Steers received subcutaneous injections at 0800 and 2000 …

Changes In Blood Lactate And High Intensity Exercise Endurance During A Strength - Endurance Accumulation Training Using Accentuated Eccentric Loading, Nicholas Goode

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of accentuated eccentric load (AEL) resistance training and changes in work capacity, high-intensity exercise endurance (HIEE) and lactate metabolism. Seventeen recreationally trained subjects (11 males and 6 females) (mean ± SD: age = 23.2 ± 4.2 yrs, BM = 81.3 ± 22.2 kg, height = 172.1 ± 10 cm, male relative back squat (BS) [MD1] strength (1RM*BM^-1) = 1.64 ± 0.32 kg*kg^-1, female relative BS strength = 1.39 ± 0.32 kg*kg^-1) participated in the study. Subjects completed a week of familiarization to participate in …

Assessment Of American Tannin-Free Grain Sorghum As Feedstuff For Poultry: Nutrient Composition, Amino Acid Digestibility And Bird Performance, Santiago Sasia

All Dissertations

Given the rising cost of poultry diets, alternative ingredients like sorghum are crucial for maximizing returns without compromising product quality. Sorghum's drought tolerance and adaptability, along with its nutritional profile, make it a viable corn substitute. This dissertation examines the nutrient composition, amino acid digestibility, and performance of poultry fed with American tannin-free grain sorghum. Chapter II evaluates the impact of sorghum-based diets, with or without phytase superdosing, on broiler performance, including body weight, weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. Results indicate that sorghum can replace corn without adverse effects on broiler performance. Chapter III explores the partial …

Method Development For The Extraction And Analysis Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Wastewater And Biosolids, Victoria Krull

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Per and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are manufactured chemicals that have water and grease repellant properties and do not readily biodegrade. PFAS are present in many consumer products and end up in waste systems and the environment. Studies have shown that PFAS can have adverse health effects on humans and animals.

There are many challenges to processing and analyzing samples containing PFAS including: adsorption of PFAS to equipment, contamination from equipment containing PFAS, and the high sensitivity needed to analyze for PFAS in the parts per trillion detection range. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been developing methods …

An Online Scientific Twitter World: Social Network Analysis Of #Sciencetwitter, #Scicomm, And #Academictwitter, Man Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding who makes up online social worlds as well as how information flows within those communities is important as more people access news, research topics, collaborate with others, and entertain themselves. This study identified and classified the people discussing scientific topics on Twitter, determined the type of social network, and described the member composition of this online world. Scientists, the public, and educators formed this online world. They built connections by initiating activities and interacting with others, which created the Community Clusters social network structure. All three categories of people are in positions of influence in this network leading and …

Ensuring Safe Mri Examinations And Earlier Detection Of Recurrent Cancer: A Scoping Review To Identify Breast Tissue Expanders That Are Safe For High-Risk Breast Cancer Survivors, Kristin E. Westmore

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Purpose

This capstone project aims to conduct a scoping review to identify breast tissue expanders that are safe for high-risk breast cancer survivors, ensuring safe magnetic resonance (MR) examinations. The goal is safe MR examinations for early detection of recurrent cancer, post-operative evaluation, monitoring, and reducing preventable morbidity and mortality.

Background

The MR safety of manufacturers' tissue expanders is defined according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and regulations as MR Conditional or MR Unsafe. Before 2023, there was a safety concern about using tissue expanders containing a magnetic port during the first stage of breast …

Sidestepping Substance: How Administrative Law Plays An Outsized Role In Shaping Environmental Policy And Why Recalibration Is Necessary, Sanne H. Knudsen

Articles

Administrative law and environmental law are companion fields. Still, they are not interchangeable. They promote different values. And yet, sometimes when courts resolve environmental disputes by relying on administrative doctrines, courts elevate the values of administrative law over those codified in environmental statutes. This is particularly concerning when courts rely on judicially-created administrative law doctrines to sidestep congressional intent as expressed by the substantive aims of environmental statutes.

To reduce the risk of sidestepping—whether inadvertent or intentional—this Article critically examines how administrative law doctrines can undermine environmental law. Drawing on prominent case examples, including the Supreme Court decision in Sackett …

Application Of Electrical Impedance Tomography To Cementitious Composites, Hugo Zazueta

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the feasibility of using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) for detecting damage in cementitious composites. Cementitious composites, such as concrete and cement mortar, are insulating; any conductive properties arise from the moisture within their pores and capillary structures. The proposed concept herein is that formed internal damages in cementitious composites consequently alter their pore and capillary structure, which can then be detected through EIT imaging. To construct tomographic images, the Gaussian Newton (GN) reconstruction algorithm, enhanced with priors, was employed. The results were then compared across different reconstruction processes. Cylindrical cement pastes and cement mortar samples were prepared, …

Book Review: Why Any Woman: Feminism And Popular Culture In The Late Twentieth-Century South, Alexandra Beswick

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.