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Molecular Mechanisms of Pathological Crystallization and the Effects of Crystal Growth Modifiers in Biomimetic Systems
No full textPathological crystallization is prevalent in various human diseases that include kidney stones (calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate crystals), gout (monosodium urate crystals in joints), gallstones (cholesterol or bilirubin crystals), and atherosclerosis (cholesterol crystals in plaques), among others. These processes typically involve mechanisms leading to local supersaturation of solutes, nucleation of one or more different crystal structures (e.g., polymorphs or solvates), crystal growth, and aggregation. Treatment of these diseases involves serval approaches that include (but are not limited to) methods of reducing solute concentration, lifestyle changes to prevent recurrence, and the use of crystallization inhibitors (e.g., allopurinol for gout). This dissertation focuses on two types of pathological crystals: cholesterol and calcium minerals. Cholesterol is prominently involved in the development of atherosclerotic plaques in arteries, and the formation of gallstones from bile. Despite these global healthcare challenges, there is a paucity of research exploring the underlying mechanisms of cholesterol crystallization. Nevertheless, it is widely recognized that unraveling approaches to control the precipitation of cholesterol hold immense potential in the development of novel pharmaceutical interventions for the treatment of these conditions. Prior studies have used lipids as biomimetic media to study bulk cholesterol crystallization; however, these systems are not amenable to facile in situ characterization techniques. To this end, we selected a binary mixture of water and alcohol as a lipid surrogate to examine cholesterol crystallization. We used a combination of oblique illumination microscopy (OIM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) to provide evidence for a potential nonclassical mechanism of cholesterol nucleation involving the assembly of clusters. In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed that the surface dynamics involves classical layered growth from defects (dislocations), a typical surface diffusion phenomenon. We posit surface diffusion leads to cessation of growth as a unique self-inhibition mode of crystal growth. We also found dissolution occurs by a combination of classical and nonclassical mechanisms: layer-by-layer retraction and etch pit formation, and cluster formation and reattachment on the surface. The latter process leads to continued growth of these features in purely undersaturated media, creating sites that function as step pinners when the solution becomes supersaturated and crystal growth resumes. Overall, our study reveals a very complex and unique mechanism of cholesterol crystallization that contributes to a deeper understanding of cholesterol-related pathological conditions and offers potential avenues for the development of targeted therapeutic interventions.Nephrolithiasis is heavily associated with calcium mineralization. Notably, the incidence rates of calcium phosphate (CaP) stones have markedly risen over the last four decades. Although frequently encountered, there is currently no proven treatment to prevent recurrent CaP stone disease. CaP stone formers (SF) experience high rates of recurrence and need for repeat surgery, reflecting the suboptimal prophylaxis by current medical regimens. The major metabolic abnormalities identified in CaP SF include high urine pH (UpH), low urine citrate (UCit), and hypercalciuria. Efficacy of treatments that reduce recurrence of calcium stones (thiazides, citrate) was primarily shown in calcium oxalate SF, and carry drawbacks in CaP SF: lower UCit with thiazides, and alkalinuria with citrate counteracting their beneficial effects. There is dire need for new therapies to treat CaP SFs. To this end, this dissertation discusses our progress in researching novel growth modifiers to both prevent CaP formation and function as dissolving agents. Recent efforts have focused on comparing the effects of citrate and hydroxycitrate. The latter is more potent and is being tested as a potential therapy in collaboration with medical doctors at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School who are performing both human trials and animal studies to complement the microscopic and macroscopic in vitro tests presented in this dissertation
Folklore and Mythology of Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night's Dream”
No full textShakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is caught between two settings: the classically inspired city of Athens and the surrounding fairy forest of English folklore. Despite their theatrical coexistence, many early modern thinkers presented these traditions as being hierarchically opposed. While a classical education was highly respected, fairy legends were dismissed as the popular culture of women and the uneducated lower sort. My goal for this project was to explore how these traditions relate to each other within the play and whether they reflect a clash, collaboration, or hierarchy between early modern elite and popular culture. To achieve this, I conducted close readings of the play and its many productions as well as reviewing works of literary criticism and social history. The research reveals the many favorable perceptions of fairy lore that existed beyond the scope of early modern elites. For the growing middle classes, fairies could at once reaffirm domestic virtues and criticize consumerism. Similarly, rebellions self-identified with fairy iconography, and the disenfranchised often used these legends to cover for subversive behavior (crime, sexuality, etc.) and protect one another. Overall, however, the boundaries between these traditions are incredibly blurry. Elites were also raised on fairy tales, and elite culture was increasingly accessible to the lower classes. Additionally, much of 'standard' fairy lore was imported through literature and syncretized with classical mythos. The two cannot be disentangled, revealing Shakespeare's hybrid setting to be a more accurate representation of his world than any attempts to explore them in isolation could be.English, Department ofHonors Colleg
The Impact of Screen Brightness and Media Content on Children's Sleep Duration
No full textScreen use before bedtime is common among children in the U.S. Despite recommendations to avoid screens within an hour of sleep, empirical evidence supporting this claim is limited. This study examines how screen brightness and media content affect children's sleep and investigates the effects of pre-sleep screen brightness and media content using objective and subjective sleep measures. We hypothesize that children in the bright light/exciting content (BL/EC) group will have the shortest Total Sleep Time (TST). The bright light/calming content (BL/CC) and dim light/exciting content (DL/EC) groups will have shorter TST than the dim light/calming content (DL/CC) and the control group. Participants (N=250, ages 8-11) from the greater Houston area will partake in a two-week study. Children will wear actigraphy watches 24/7 and sleep diaries will be completed by the children and caregivers. This data will be used in TST scoring. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of four screen conditions or a non-screen control group. We will use a mixed-effects model to assess differences in TST across groups. We expect the BL/EC group to have the shortest TST, followed by BL/CC and DL/EC, while DL/CC will resemble the control group. We can conclude that screen brightness and media content impact TST. A limitation is the lack of assessment of daytime light exposure from screen use and content type during daytime screen use. A more strictly controlled study could help differentiate these impacts. [This project was completed with the contributions from Jennette Moreno from Baylor College of Medicine.]Psychology, Department ofHonors Colleg
The Effect of Hurricane Harvey on Mental Health: A Multigroup Analysis of Subgroup Features
No full textPeople surviving hurricanes frequently suffer from these mental health (MH) sequelae - psychological complications proceeding from a condition, or trauma. Experiencing hurricane flooding increases the risk of MH sequelae 4 to 8 times compared to unflooded populations in the same event. Texas, which ranks last in MH access, has more annual hurricanes than all states except Florida, with Hurricane Harvey being one of the most severe on record. Prior studies have evaluated the contribution of characteristics in predicting post-hurricane MH. Less is known about multiple characteristic combinations that may exacerbate post-hurricane MH. This exploratory quantitative analysis evaluated post-Harvey MH changes in Texan adults from impacted areas at 3 months, utilizing a multi-group analysis to evaluate commonly studied characteristics. Through the lens of intersectionality found in Pellow’s Critical Environmental Justice Theory - that belonging to multiple vulnerable categories further exacerbates environmental inequalities - it evaluated how 2- and 3-way combinations of gender, race, ethnicity, and evacuation status may change experiences of MH post-Harvey in adults from impacted areas. Disability status worsened MH despite intersectional membership. Education level bettered MH scores. Home damage severity and disruption significantly worsened MH outcomes. Two- and three-way interactions provided a deeper, more nuanced understanding of intersectionality’s impact on MH. This novel study to empirically demonstrate a 3-way intersectionality per Pellow in disaster research. Disaster social workers may find that operationalizing intersectionality better supports clients after hurricanes. Future hurricane and disaster research may benefit from utilizing intersectionality to explain the utility of intersectionality in predicting MH outcomes
A Holistic Approach in Third Ward Material Analysis
No full textThis research paper examines the history of Houston, Texas, focusing on how the city's founders, the Allen Brothers, divided it into political geographic districts known as ''wards''. The study will explore how the physical characteristics of Third Ward have influenced its urban form, the types of houses built there, and the economic disparities among households. Within the context of Third Ward, an investigation into the life cycle of the most prevalent building materials, including their origins, transportation, assembly, and, if applicable, their potential for reuse will be investigated. The aim is to unravel the intricate relationship between materiality, urban morphology, and socio-economic factors within the context of Third Ward.Architecture and Design, Gerald D. Hines College ofHonors Colleg
Evidence of Entanglement in Proton-Proton Collisions at the Large Hadron Collider
No full textIn an effort to better understand thermal behavior and particle yields in p-p collisions we recast the problem using the language of quantum information. In the last 50 years physicists have successfully used the parton model, to describe particle collisions. In the parton model the proton is put into a high momentum frame in which constituents are viewed as quasi-free. The proton wavefunction, described by quantum chromodynamics, exhibits a coherent superposition of quantum states and maintains unitary evolution, suggesting it is a pure quantum state. This pure state of quasi-free particles can be achieved through entanglement of the proton's constituents. We seek to show that this entanglement in the initial-state has a measurable effect on the evolution of the system and is the driving mechanism behind the thermal-like behavior and particle yields observed in the final-state. Recent theoretical predictions and experimental observations have demonstrated that entanglement in the initial state could survive in a strongly coupled system. Under this assumption we make a comparison between the distribution of information (parton number) in the initial state to the distribution of information (hadron number) in the final state. A comparison is also made between the entanglement entropy derived from the initial-state distribution and the thermodynamic-like Shannon entropy in the final-state distribution. Final-state distributions are extracted from experimental data collected using A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). In making this comparison between the initial and final state we observe a strong correspondence between the information in both states. On one hand, the comparison of moments calculated from an entangled Color Glass Condensate model with measured moments shows agreement in the spread of information between the two systems. On the other hand, calculations of entropy, which quantify the disorder of information, also show a consistent agreement. This correspondence in information spread and entropy gives a strong indication that entanglement survives the systems evolution and has a direct influence on the final state particle yields
Ti3C2Tx MXene-Based Hybrid Photocatalysts in Organic Dye Degradation: A Review
No full textThis review provides an overview of the fabrication methods for Ti3C2Tx MXene-based hybrid photocatalysts and evaluates their role in degrading organic dye pollutants. Ti3C2Tx MXene has emerged as a promising material for hybrid photocatalysts due to its high metallic conductivity, excellent hydrophilicity, strong molecular adsorption, and efficient charge transfer. These properties facilitate faster charge separation and minimize electron–hole recombination, leading to exceptional photodegradation performance, long-term stability, and significant attention in dye degradation applications. Ti3C2Tx MXene-based hybrid photocatalysts significantly improve dye degradation efficiency, as evidenced by higher percentage degradation and reduced degradation time compared to conventional semiconducting materials. This review also highlights computational techniques employed to assess and enhance the performance of Ti3C2Tx MXene-based hybrid photocatalysts for dye degradation. It identifies the challenges associated with Ti3C2Tx MXene-based hybrid photocatalyst research and proposes potential solutions, outlining future research directions to address these obstacles effectively
Does Language Matter? Examining Immigrant Youths’ Language as a Means of Assessing Attachment Security
No full textIn the United States (U.S.), migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border reached a record high in December 2023. Many of these encounters involve Latinx immigrant youth and families. Concurrently, research documents alarmingly high rates of trauma exposure and other risk factors that can increase mental health risk in this population. Attachment theory proposes that early in life, all individuals have a behavioral need to seek contact and proximity to an attachment figure and that lacking access to an available caregiver may amplify a child's normal fear response to a threatening situation, increase the risk for psychopathology, pathological levels of anxiety and fear, and, in cases of prolonged separation, contribute to anxious attachment. There is mounting evidence that Latinx immigrant youth may face attachment disruptions or attachment trauma. Therefore, attachment theory may be beneficial for understanding these youths' experiences, difficulties, and possible outcomes. Currently, immigrant youth are likely to seek healthcare in low-resource settings with no available resources for measuring internal working models of attachment using traditional interview-based measures. This study sought to assess attachment security within this vulnerable population using a computerized text analysis program called Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC). This study aimed to score maternal attachment style, paternal attachment style, and overall coherence (i.e., security) for Child Attachment Interview (CAI) transcripts in Spanish analyzed in LIWC. The central hypothesis was that automated scoring on LIWC variables would demonstrate moderate accuracy compared to trained human coders and achieve the CAI's benchmark qualification of 80% reliability on the standard reliability training cases. The sample included 109 recently immigrated high school students from Central America. LIWC metrics were not successful in distinguishing a Secure from an Insecure classification for both maternal and paternal attachment and overall coherence (high versus low overall coherence). However, this study’s exploratory analyses provide insights into the importance of language (as operationalized by LIWC) in relation to internal working models of attachment. Given the exploratory nature of this study, replication is crucial
Bridging the Gap: How Healthy Recipes Can Improve Nutrition in Houston's Third Ward
No full textFood insecurity is a persistent issue among low-income residents in Houston's Third Ward, limiting access to fresh produce and leading to lower vegetable consumption. While financial constraints and the prevalence of convenience stores contribute to this issue, limited cooking knowledge also affects dietary choices. Research suggests that participation in cooking classes and access to vegetable-based recipes can improve vegetable intake. This study aims to assess the impact of cooking demonstrations on vegetable consumption among Third Ward residents by utilizing the Veggie Meter, a non-invasive device that measures skin carotenoid levels as an indicator of vegetable intake over the past two to four weeks. Participants will attend cooking demonstrations focused on preparing affordable, vegetable-rich meals and will be provided with take-home recipes to encourage continued engagement. Pre- and post-intervention Veggie Meter readings will be analyzed to determine changes in vegetable intake. While prior studies have examined vegetable consumption among low-income adults, limited research exists on the direct effects of cooking demonstrations on Veggie Meter scores in underserved populations. This study seeks to fill that gap by exploring whether hands-on culinary education can serve as an effective intervention to promote vegetable consumption. Findings may inform future community-based strategies aimed at addressing food insecurity and improving nutritional outcomes in vulnerable populations.Health and Human Performance, Department ofHonors Colleg
From Confined to Inclusive Masculinity: Video Games, Masculinity, and Homosocial Connection
No full textMy research included an interdisciplinary literature review of masculine identity concepts and their applications to male gamers and male-dominated gaming spaces. This revealed that while there is a wealth of existing research on negative and hegemonic aspects, there is not enough that looks at more positive, or inclusive, aspects of men and masculinity in gaming. My poster outlines the concepts and disciplines I utilized in masculinity studies, the existing research on masculinity in gaming, my next steps in research, and my sources.Sociology, Department ofHonors Colleg