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The Role of the Host Factor SPTBN1 in HIV-1 Infection of Microglial Cells
No full textHIV-1 is the etiological agent that cause AIDS. Since the 1980’s when HIV-1 was discovered, much has been discovered, however a cure for HIV-1 has eluded researchers. Effective therapeutics do exist but can have adverse side effects including HAND/HAD which leads to neurodegeneration in patients regardless of viral suppression. One area of research that holds the possibility of discovering new viral targets and therapeutics is host factor interaction within the replication process. One host factor that can cause a decrease in HIV-1 infectivity is SPTBN1. SPTBN1 is a cytoskeletal protein that was shown to bind to the capsid and nucleocapsid proteins of HIV. However, the exact mechanism of SPTBN1 involvement in HIV-1 infection is still unknown. Here we utilized siRNA to downregulate SPTBN1expression and ascertain the role it plays in HIV-1 infection. When SPTBN1 was downregulated, there was a 19.75% decrease in the infectivity of HIV-1. A mini-CsA washout assay was then performed to assay capsid uncoating at the early time points. At the 30 min time point there was a 9% decrease in uncoating and a decrease of 24% at 1hr when SPTBN1 expression was downregulated. From these results, the decrease in infectivity could be caused by the decrease in uncoating. However, it is still unknown if SPTBN1 plays a part in the other replication steps of HIV-1 and more research is needed to divulge the full role SPTBN1 plays in HIV-1 infection
Bent, But Not Broken: The Constitutional, Legal, and Procedural Issues in the 2020 Electoral College Vote Certification
No full textIn 2016, Democrats protested in Trump-won states asking Electoral College members to vote their conscience and against their state’s popular vote. In 2020, President Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6th demanding that the certification of the Electoral College vote in favor of Joe Biden not move forward. Are the laws, court decisions, and the Constitution itself set up to cause such an uproar around a routine item? Was the 2020 iteration of counting the Electoral College votes an aberration, or is this the new normal? This essay will chronicle the Constitutional, legal, and procedural issues around the Electoral College certification vote
Overcoming the Odds: The Effects of the Relationship between Childhood Adversity, Lifetime Trauma, and Resiliency on Empathy and Conscientiousness
No full textThis research sought to understand the connection between trauma and the development of resiliency while examining the effects of that relationship on empathy and conscientiousness. Specifically, this study was created to answer four main questions: (1) Does early childhood adversity predict later life trauma? (2) Does childhood adversity and cumulative lifetime traumatic experiences impact the development of resiliency and its subconstructs (i.e., interpersonal resiliency and intrapersonal resiliency)? (3) Is empathy impacted by the presence of resiliency, specifically examining its effect on cognitive and affective empathy (using questionnaires and galvanic skin response)? (4) And is conscientiousness related to resiliency subconstructs? There is a debate in the literature regarding if resilience is developed and strengthened after trauma exposure (Folke et al., 2010; Masten et al., 1990). Using the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (LSC-R) and the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), participants’ cumulative lifetime trauma and adverse childhood experiences were compared to their subsequent total resiliency scores and resiliency subconstructs (measured via Resiliency Scale for Adults-RSA) to determine if traumatic backgrounds are related to the presence of resiliency and/or its subconstructs. Additionally, empathetic response (measured via galvanic skin response and the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy-QCAE) and conscientiousness scores (measured via the International Personality Item Pool 50-IPIP 50) were used to determine how different traits are impacted by resiliency
Review of Current Reactive Force Field Potentials for Use in Simulating the Atomic Layer Deposition of Alumina on Aluminum
No full textAlumina has recently garnered quite a bit of attention for use as a tunnel barrier in Josephson tunnel junctions. The quality of the metal oxide layer in the Josephson tunnel junction is a key factor in its effectiveness. To optimize the deposition method of alumina, we need a deep understanding of the large-scale surface interactions that cannot be reached using ab initio molecular dynamics. In this study, I have compared two existing reactive force field (ReaxFF) parameters to determine their abilities to model the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of alumina on an aluminum surface. ReaxFF molecular dynamics was chosen because it is capable of modeling larger systems for longer time periods than the ab initio molecular dynamics. I have reviewed the capabilities of the parameters to model stable precursors and reactions paths for the surface reactions of the ALD process utilizing LAMMPS and Amsterdam Modeling Suites (AMS) software. A comparison of the relaxed positions of the precursors and optimized energies of the reaction steps are used to determine the deficiencies of current parameters, allowing for a more focused reparameterization in future studies
Geology of the Jacksonville 7.5 Minute Quadrangle and U–pb and (U–th)/HE Reveal Sediment Routing and Uplift in the Southern Appalachian Valley and Ridge Province
No full textThe southern Appalachian Mountains have experienced multiple deformation events having undergone two full Wilson cycles. The foreland Valley and Ridge province is composed of sedimentary Paleozoic rock that range in age from earliest Cambrian to Middle Pennsylvanian. This sedimentary basin was intensely folded and faulted during the collision of Gondwana during the Middle to Late Carboniferous Period. From previous geologic structural mapping that has taken place, some large-scale structures in the Valley and Ridge Province seem to be out of sequence. To better understand the relationships in these structures, geologic mapping in high detail at the 1:24,000 scale coupled with detrital zircon U—Pb and (U—Th)/He data can provide a better insight into the sequence of these structures as well as sediment routing during the transition from a passive margin to an active convergent plate boundary and on to full continent on continent collision. For this study the Jacksonville East 7.5minute quadrangle was studied due because of its exposure of Cambrian siliciclastic strata as well as its proximity to the Talladega-Cartersville fault which separates the sedimentary rocks of the Valley and Ridge Province and the metamorphic rocks of the Inner Piedmont Province
Utilizing Virtual Reality Goggles During Pediatric Laceration Repairs to Reduce Perceived Pain in Pediatric Patients
No full textIn pediatric emergency departments, several providers assess pediatric patients in need a laceration repair, require procedural sedation in order to ensure compliance and complete the laceration repair. This study explored one safe alternative to procedural sedation during pediatric laceration repairs by assessing what pain scores pediatric patients report when undergoing a laceration repair utilizing virtual reality goggles. Pediatric patients ages 6-17 years old perceived pain scores utilizing FACES pain scale was documented. This study found a majority of patients reported lower pain scores during the laceration repair in comparison to their baseline pain score
On the Chromatic Numbers of Subgroup Lattices
No full textIn this thesis we investigate the chromatic number of the Hasse diagram of a subgroup lattice. We combine results of Bollobás and Tůma to show that there exist infnite groups whose subgroup lattices have arbitarily high chromatic numbers. We show that fnite supersolvable groups have bipartite subgroup lattices but that CLT and non-solvable groups may not have bipartite subgroup lattices. Lastly, we give a preliminary argument suggesting that there are an infnite number of non-solvable groups whose subgroup lattices are bipartite
Ouroboros
No full textMy work uses both painterly and sculptural elements to convey my personal transgender experience. My work is for the little girl who I was, who was incapable of speaking out or expressing themselves. I create work for others that face similar situations, as well as for those who face feelings of gender dysphoria, as I did and still do by not conforming to the gender I was assigned. Working the way that I do is a way for me to rediscover myself after years of shoving my identity to the side for the sake of others. Growing up in rural Missouri, I never had the language to express my trans identity. Most things deemed queer were rejected or persecuted. I was unaccepting of myself and built walls around myself for protection. Now I am finally chipping away at that hardened exterior and letting myself out. I’m finally allowing myself to actualize my feelings and rediscover who I am. Texture and imperfection are important to my work; nicks, scratches, and bumps are a physical representation of trauma and history. I am inspired by the rocky cliff faces of my home state, by the shattered hills on the roadside as the rain pulls out sediments and oxides creating marks down the surface. By using materials that have a history—paint chips, sawdust, jute, wire, and much more—I create my pieces from imperfection. Crafting my work is not unlike how I have changed my own body, something I used to look upon with disdain. I have now taken matters into my own hands to change myself in the way I deem appropriate and what I feel is right. I am constantly in tune with and in opposition to my work. Each new piece requires a new method of evaluation. With this work, I am honoring my moments in transition rather than pushing them away
Intrasexual Territoriality, Degree of Aggression, and Duet Function in the Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
No full textTerritorial behavior is fundamental for the reproductive success of many species. In many monogamous birds, mated pairs defend year-round territories from conspecifics. Males and females often participate in such interactions in a seemingly cooperative fashion. Furthermore, many of them have developed complex vocal interactions known as duets, in which one member of a pair overlaps its partner’s song in a more or less coordinated fashion, apparently to cooperate in territory defense. However, males and females often respond differently depending on the sex of the intruder; they differ in the degree and mode of aggression displayed during these interactions, and the function of duetting is often unknown due to lack of study or by the overlapping predictions of many of the functions proposed for it. For these species, a thorough understanding of their conspecific territorial behavior entails determining (1) What is the main sex targeted during intrusions by each pair member? (2) How different are sexes in their degree and mode of aggression during territorial interactions? and (3) what are the most likely functions of duetting behavior during intrusions? In this study, an attempt is made to answer these questions using a stereo playback design to study the territorial responses in pairs of Carolina wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus). My analyses shows that Carolina wrens exhibit a stronger response to same-sex than opposite-sex speakers in duet trials, which females maintain between female and male solo trials in their physical responses, but males maintain in their vocal responses for solo trials. Overall males exhibit more aggressive responses than females, except for female solo trials. Finally, duetting behavior is mostly dominated by females, and their responses are consistent with a mate-guarding function
Identification of a Novel Protein Interaction That Elucidates the Mechanism of Idiopathic Recurrent Miscarriages in Women With NLRP2 Mutations
No full textThe protein NOD-Like receptor pyrin domain containing 2 (NLRP2) is one member of a larger family of protein receptors that plays an important role in our innate immune system. In humans, the NLR family consists of 22 proteins. However, only about a half of NLRs’ functions are known, but many are pro-inflammatory, causing inflammation. NLRP2 has been identified to be a maternal effect gene regulating early embryo development in idiopathic recurrent miscarriages. In previous studies, mutations in the NLRP2 gene resulted in genetic maternal imprinting disorders due to NLRP2 regulating DNA methylation. However, the exact mechanisms involved in recurrent miscarriages are unknown. In this study, I report a novel protein interaction of Human proliferation-associated 2G4 (PA2G4, aka; EBP1) with NLRP2 through an unbiased yeast 2-hybrid screen of a human HeLa cell cDNA library. Protein interactions were confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation, confocal microscopy, and FRET analysis. Furthermore, global DNA methylation decreased in cells that overexpressed NLRP2 and EBP1. These results further support the role of NLRP2 in regulating DNA methylation as a mechanism for recurrent miscarriages. Since EBP1 is implicated in apoptosis, cell proliferation, and differentiation, my discovery significantly advances our understanding of NLR biology and helps to explain the cellular pathways involved in idiopathic recurrent miscarriages