Bypassing The Blood-Brain Barrier: A Physical And Pharmacological Approach For The Treatment Of Metastatic Brain Tumors,
2021
West Virginia University Health Sciences Center
Bypassing The Blood-Brain Barrier: A Physical And Pharmacological Approach For The Treatment Of Metastatic Brain Tumors, Samuel A. Sprowls
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This dissertation (a) provided an in depth literature review of methods to disrupt the BBB/BTB and improve therapeutic distribution to brain tumors, (b) evaluated the use of azacitidine as a single agent therapy for the treatment of brain metastasis of breast cancer and a potential molecular mechanism by which brain tropic cells are sensitized to hypomethylating agents, (c) determined the impact cannabidiol has on P-glycoprotein mediated efflux at the blood-brain barrier and its potential for use as a single agent treatment for metastatic brain tumors, (d) developed a preclinical radiation therapy protocol for use in small animals and in vitro …
Computational Study Of Radical Cation Rearrangements,
2021
Virginia Commonwealth University
Computational Study Of Radical Cation Rearrangements, Mi'kayla D. Word
Theses and Dissertations
A radical cation is a molecule that has one unpaired electron that holds a positive charge. The unpaired electron within a radical cation causes the molecule to be reactive. The high reactivity of these species allows for radical cations to be commonly studied experimentally using mass spectrometry and other multi-mass imaging techniques. However, these methods often cannot resolve the reaction mechanisms for these fast reactions. Specifically, radical cation rearrangement mechanisms are particularly unresolved within experiments. For this reason, radical cation rearrangements are computationally investigated to explain complex reaction pathways for processes to understand reactions leading to the initiation of detonation …
Unique Scales Preserve Self-Similar Integrate-And-Fire Functionality Of Neuronal Clusters,
2021
SUNY Stony Brook
Unique Scales Preserve Self-Similar Integrate-And-Fire Functionality Of Neuronal Clusters, Anar Amgalan, Patrick Taylor, Lilianne R. Mujica-Parodi, Hava T. Siegelmann
Computer Science Department Faculty Publication Series
Brains demonstrate varying spatial scales of nested hierarchical clustering. Identifying the brain's neuronal cluster size to be presented as nodes in a network computation is critical to both neuroscience and artificial intelligence, as these define the cognitive blocks capable of building intelligent computation. Experiments support various forms and sizes of neural clustering, from handfuls of dendrites to thousands of neurons, and hint at their behavior. Here, we use computational simulations with a brain-derived fMRI network to show that not only do brain networks remain structurally self-similar across scales but also neuron-like signal integration functionality (integrate and fire) is preserved at …
Analysis Of A Generalized Discrete Periodic Model For The Spread Of Wolbachia In A Mosquito Population,
2021
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Analysis Of A Generalized Discrete Periodic Model For The Spread Of Wolbachia In A Mosquito Population, Alexandra Fedrigo
Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)
No abstract provided.
Identification Of Compounds Causing Cellular Autofluorescence In Touch Samples,
2021
Virginia Commonwealth University
Identification Of Compounds Causing Cellular Autofluorescence In Touch Samples, Elora C. Wall
Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects
As DNA analysis has advanced and produced tests with higher sensitivities, attention has turned toward obtaining DNA profiles from cells left with fingermarks. Recent studies have reported that cells deposited within fingermarks can exhibit differences in autofluorescence emission in the ‘red’ region of the visible spectrum (e.g., between 650-670 nm), which can be used to differentiate contributor cell population and separate them before DNA profiles. Interestingly, this emission was not consistent to the individual day-to-day and likely not a genetically-controlled attribute of the contributor. Instead, this emission signature results from extended exposure of the skin to certain materials such as …
Evaluation Of Five Methods To Develop Latent Prints On Thermal Paper,
2021
Virginia Commonwealth University
Evaluation Of Five Methods To Develop Latent Prints On Thermal Paper, Jenna Pregent
Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects
Forensic latent fingerprint laboratories determine the proper techniques for fingerprint visualization based on the substrates upon which they are deposited. Typical forensic analysis of thermal paper evidence involves the application of ninhydrin and/or 1,2-indanedione dissolved in a polar solvent. However, polar solvents create an undesirable reaction with the thermal paper’s internal properties and often lead to discoloration of the evidence. When this occurs, not only are the fingerprints less likely to be visible due to the loss of contrast, but the evidentiary print on the receipt may be lost entirely. This research sought to compare five development methods to determine …
Modeling Vegetation Effects On Barrier Island Evolution,
2021
Virginia Commonwealth University
Modeling Vegetation Effects On Barrier Island Evolution, Eric W. Schoen
Theses and Dissertations
Barrier islands play a significant role in protecting coastlines and harboring coastal habitats. In an effort to study and better understand the evolution of barrier island systems, a cellular model capturing various meteorological and environmental processes is proposed. Erosion due to wind, gravity, and marine processes are coupled with plant population effects. We demonstrate the inhibition of plant cover on sediment mobility, island migration, and erosion in the presence of sea level rise.
Fermi Blockade Of The Strong Electron-Phonon Interaction In Modelled Optimally Doped High Temperature Superconductors,
2021
RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science
Fermi Blockade Of The Strong Electron-Phonon Interaction In Modelled Optimally Doped High Temperature Superconductors, Andrey S. Mishchenko, Igor S. Tupitsyn, Naoto Nagaosa, Nikolay Prokof'ev
Physics Department Faculty Publication Series
We study how manifestations of strong electron-phonon interaction depend on the carrier concentration by solving the two-dimensional Holstein model for the spin-polarized fermions using an approximation free bold-line diagrammatic Monte Carlo method. We show that the strong electron-phonon interaction, obviously present at very small Fermion concentration, is masked by the Fermi blockade effects and Migdal's theorem to the extent that it manifests itself as moderate one at large carriers densities. Suppression of strong electron-phonon interaction fingerprints is in agreement with experimental observations in doped high temperature superconductors.
Airflows Inside Passenger Cars And Implications For Airborne Disease Transmission,
2021
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Airflows Inside Passenger Cars And Implications For Airborne Disease Transmission, Varghese Mathai, Asimanshu Das, Jeffery A. Bailey, Kenneth Breuer
Physics Department Faculty Publication Series
Transmission of highly infectious respiratory diseases, including SARS-CoV-2, is facilitated by the transport of exhaled droplets and aerosols that can remain suspended in air for extended periods of time. A passenger car cabin represents one such situation with an elevated risk of pathogen transmission. Here, we present results from numerical simulations to assess how the in-cabin microclimate of a car can potentially spread pathogenic species between occupants for a variety of open and closed window configurations. We estimate relative concentrations and residence times of a noninteracting, passive scalar-a proxy for infectious particles-being advected and diffused by turbulent airflows inside the …
Switchable Positioning Of Plate-Like Inclusions In Lipid Membranes: Elastically Mediated Interactions Of Planar Colloids In 2d Fluids,
2021
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Switchable Positioning Of Plate-Like Inclusions In Lipid Membranes: Elastically Mediated Interactions Of Planar Colloids In 2d Fluids, Hao Wu, Weiyue Xin, Gregory M. Grason, Maria M. Santore
Polymer Science and Engineering Department Faculty Publication Series
We demonstrate how manipulating curvature in an elastic fluid lamella enables the reversible relative positioning of flat, rigid, plate-like micrometer-scale inclusions, with spacings from about a micrometer to tens of micrometers. In an experimental model comprising giant unilamellar vesicles containing solid domain pairs coexisting in a fluid membrane, we adjusted vesicle inflation to manipulate membrane curvature and mapped the inter-domain separation. A two-dimensional model of the pair potential predicts the salient experimental observations and reveals both attractions and repulsions, producing a potential minimum entirely a result of the solid domain rigidity and bending energy in the fluid membrane. The impact …
Effective And Selective Dna Modification On Bacterial Membranes,
2021
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Effective And Selective Dna Modification On Bacterial Membranes, Qian Tian, Yousef Bagheri, Puspam Keshri, Rigumula Wu, Kewei Ren, Qikun Yu, Mingxu You
Chemistry Department Faculty Publication Series
With highly precise self-assembly and programmability, DNA has been widely used as a versatile material in nanotechnology and synthetic biology. Recently, DNA-based nanostructures and devices have been engineered onto eukaryotic cell membranes for various exciting applications in the detection and regulation of cell functions. While in contrast, the potential of applying DNA nanotechnology for bacterial membrane studies is still largely underexplored, which is mainly due to the lack of tools to modify DNA on bacterial membranes. Herein, using lipid-DNA conjugates, we have developed a simple, fast, and highly efficient system to engineer bacterial membranes with designer DNA molecules. We have …
Egcg Binds Intrinsically Disordered N-Terminal Domain Of P53 And Disrupts P53-Mdm2 Interaction,
2021
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Egcg Binds Intrinsically Disordered N-Terminal Domain Of P53 And Disrupts P53-Mdm2 Interaction, Jianhen Chen, Jing Zhao, Alan Blayney, Xiaorong Liu, Lauren Gandy, Weihua Jin, Lufeng Yan, Jeung-Hoi Ha, Ashley J. Canning, Michael Connelly
Chemistry Department Faculty Publication Series
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea can induce apoptosis in cancerous cells, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using SPR and NMR, here we report a direct, mu M interaction between EGCG and the tumor suppressor p53 (K-D=1.61.4 mu M), with the disordered N-terminal domain (NTD) identified as the major binding site (K-D=4 +/- 2 mu M). Large scale atomistic simulations (>100 mu s), SAXS and AUC demonstrate that EGCG-NTD interaction is dynamic and EGCG causes the emergence of a subpopulation of compact bound conformations. The EGCG-p53 interaction disrupts p53 interaction with its regulatory E3 ligase MDM2 …
Demonstration Of The Effect Of Stirring On Nucleation From Experiments On The International Space Station Using The Iss-Eml Facility,
2021
Washington University in St. Louis
Demonstration Of The Effect Of Stirring On Nucleation From Experiments On The International Space Station Using The Iss-Eml Facility, A. K. Gangopadhyay, M. E. Sellers, G. P. Bracker, D. Holland-Moritz, D. C. Van Hoesen, S. Koch, P. K. Galenko, A. K. Pauls, R. W. Hyers
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty Publication Series
The effect of fluid flow on crystal nucleation in supercooled liquids is not well understood. The variable density and temperature gradients in the liquid make it difficult to study this under terrestrial gravity conditions. Nucleation experiments were therefore made in a microgravity environment using the Electromagnetic Levitation Facility on the International Space Station on a bulk glass-forming Zr57Cu15.4Ni12.6Al10Nb5 (Vit106), as well as Cu50Zr50 and the quasicrystal-forming Ti39.5Zr39.5Ni21 liquids. The maximum supercooling temperatures for each alloy were measured as a function of controlled stirring by applying various combinations of radio-frequency positioner and heater voltages to the water-cooled copper coils. The flow …
Immune Classification Of Osteosarcoma,
2021
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Immune Classification Of Osteosarcoma, Trang Le, Sumeyye Su, Leili Shahriyari
Mathematics and Statistics Department Faculty Publication Series
Tumor immune microenvironment has been shown to be important in predicting the tumor progression and the outcome of treatments. This work aims to identify different immune patterns in osteosarcoma and their clinical characteristics. We use the latest and best performing deconvolution method, CIBERSORTx, to obtain the relative abundance of 22 immune cells. Then we cluster patients based on their estimated immune abundance and study the characteristics of these clusters, along with the relationship between immune infiltration and outcome of patients. We find that abundance of CD8 T cells, NK cells and M1 Macrophages have a positive association with prognosis, while …
Statistics Of Branched Populations Split Into Different Types,
2020
CY Cergy Paris Université
Statistics Of Branched Populations Split Into Different Types, Thierry E. Huillet
Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)
Some population is made of n individuals that can be of P possible species (or types) at equilibrium. How are individuals scattered among types? We study two random scenarios of such species abundance distributions. In the first one, each species grows from independent founders according to a Galton-Watson branching process. When the number of founders P is either fixed or random (either Poisson or geometrically-distributed), a question raised is: given a population of n individuals as a whole, how does it split into the species types? This model is one pertaining to forests of Galton-Watson trees. A second scenario that …
Stability Of Modified Host-Parasitoid Model With Allee Effect,
2020
Adiyaman University
Stability Of Modified Host-Parasitoid Model With Allee Effect, Özlem A. Gümüs, A. G. Maria Selvam, R. Janagaraj
Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)
This paper deals with a host-parasitoid model subject to Allee effect and its dynamical behavior. Steady state points of the proposed host-parasitoid model are computed. Stability properties are analyzed with eigen values of Jacobian matrix which are determined at the steady states. Theoretical findings are supported by numerical illustrations and enhanced by pictorial representations such as bifurcation diagrams, phase portraits and local amplifications for different parameter values. Existence of chaotic behavior in the system is established via bifurcation and sensitivity analysis of the system at the initial conditions. Various phase portraits are simulated for a better understanding of the qualitative …
Estimation Of Transmission Dynamics Of Covid-19 In India: The Influential Saturated Incidence Rate,
2020
University of Delhi
Estimation Of Transmission Dynamics Of Covid-19 In India: The Influential Saturated Incidence Rate, - Tanvi, Rajiv Aggarwal, Ashutosh Rajput
Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)
A non-linear SEIR mathematical model for coronavirus disease in India has been proposed, by incorporating the saturated incidence rate on the occurrence of new infections. In the model, the threshold quantity known as the reproduction number is evaluated which determines the stability of disease-free equilibrium and the endemic equilibrium points. The disease-free equilibrium point becomes globally asymptotically stable when the corresponding reproduction number is less than unity, whereas, if it is greater than unity then the endemic equilibrium point comes into existence, which is locally asymptotically stable under certain restrictions on the parameters value in the model. The impact of …
Dynamical Behavior Of An Eco-Epidemiological Model Incorporating Prey Refuge And Prey Harvesting,
2020
Woldia University
Dynamical Behavior Of An Eco-Epidemiological Model Incorporating Prey Refuge And Prey Harvesting, Dawit Melese, Ousman Muhye, Subrata K. Sahu
Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)
In this paper an eco-epidemiological model incorporating a prey refuge and prey harvesting with disease in the prey-population is considered. Predators are assumed to consume both the susceptible and infected prey at different rates. The positivity and boundedness of the solution of the system are discussed. The existence and stability of the biologically feasible equilibrium points are investigated. Numerical simulations are performed to support our analytical findings.
Phantom Ocean, Real Impact: Natural Surf Sound Experiments Alter Foraging Activity And Habitat Use Across Taxa,
2020
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Phantom Ocean, Real Impact: Natural Surf Sound Experiments Alter Foraging Activity And Habitat Use Across Taxa, Ryan N. Wardle
Master's Theses
A growing body of research focuses on how background sounds shape and alter critical elements of animals’ lives, such as foraging behavior, habitat use, and ecological interactions (Bradbury & Vehrencamp, 2011; Barber et al., 2010; Kight & Swaddle, 2011; Shannon et al., 2016). Much of this research has centered on the effects of anthropogenic noise (Dominoni et al., 2020; Francis & Barber, 2013; Ortega, 2012; Swaddle et al., 2015), but recent studies have also revealed that natural sound sources can influence animal behavior (Davidson et al., 2017; Le et al., 2019). Natural sounds, such as crashing surf, can create conditions …
Stem Education In College: An Analysis Of Stakeholders’ Recent Challenges And Potential Solutions,
2020
Nova Southeastern University
Stem Education In College: An Analysis Of Stakeholders’ Recent Challenges And Potential Solutions, Santanu De, Georgina Arguello
FDLA Journal
A vast majority of academic disciplines and curricula in the college center around Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), which are critical to developing the skills necessary for a global workforce. Rapid changes in pedagogical setups, educational modes, and advances in instructional technology entail diverse challenges for key stakeholders (i.e. students, faculty, and the organizations). This paper highlights the most relevant challenges and potential solutions in STEM higher education at the college level, reported in the last decade. The holistic analysis combining the three stakeholders’ perspectives would help elucidate significant contemporary aspects impacting the fields. The goal is to further …
