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No full textRahma and Naomi begin their freshman year in college.EnglishBachelors of Arts (BA
The Expression and Function of CG11180/Chigno in Adult and Developing Drosophila Ovaries
No full textStem cells have important functions in tissue development and maintenance, including the reproductive system. Germline and somatic gonadal stem cells are crucial for organogenesis, gamete production, and fertility, with a complex system of intrinsic and extrinsic factors regulating their self-renewal or differentiation. Here, we investigate expression and function of the novel gene, CG11180, also known as Childless Gambino(Chigno), in adult and developing Drosophila ovaries. Using transgenic Chigno::EGFP flies, we examine the specific cell types which express Chigno. To further elucidate its function, Chigno RNAi knockdown in the adult ovarian soma and germline is conducted. Specifically, we investigate the impact of somatic Chigno knockdown on cell morphogenesis, stem cell self-renewal/differentiation, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. In addition, we also investigate the impact of germline Chigno knockdown in larval and pupal ovaries. Together, these data comprehensively establish Chigno’s role in Drosophila ovarian stem cell regulation and cell fate determination. This provides intriguing insights for future research on Chigno’s human homolog, PINX1, in the human reproductive system; enabling this work to have important implications for human reproductive health and stem cell regulation beyond Drosophila.BiologyBachelors of Science (BS
Fisherfolk & Family: An Examination of Fishing Regulation and Kinship in Tidewater, Virginia
No full textDespite the abundance of fish in Virginia rivers for thousands of years, the prominent loss of spawning habitat, overfishing, dam construction, and climate change have caused a steep decline in River Herring and American Shad (Zydlewski et al. 2002; Limburg and Waldman 2009). Based on the contribution of data monitoring programs from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and other institutions, the Virginia government implemented bans on fishing for shad and herring in 1994 and 2012 respectively. Many fishermen of the Tidewater area, whose livelihoods have rested upon fishing for these species for many generations, have different perspectives of fisheries management and who should be responsible stewards of environmental resources. My research questions ask how recent conservation efforts to protect shad and herring impact local shad and herring fisherpeople, as well as looking at what fisherpeoples' attitudes towards responsible environmental stewardship and management have become with increasing regulation. The present study draws on the narratives of two generational fishermen who have deep family histories intertwined with fishing, giving them unique insight into the effects of fishing regulation on individuals. Compiling my own ethnographic research, a thorough analysis of fisheries anthropology, and online archival research of virtual fishing communities, I argue that the unique intertwining of fishing and livelihood with family and identity have led to the development of personal ethics and belief systems regarding management and conservation. The consultation of fisherpeople and their knowledges is important in holistic fisheries management. The significance of this research is vast, and strives to contribute to conversations surrounding climate change and human degradation of the environment while centering individual experience and livelihood. Scientific inquiry can be bolstered by the consideration of other ways of knowing, and a variety of fishing knowledges– this thesis attempts to help bridge that gap.AnthropologyBachelors of Arts (BA
Remystifying the Modern World: Magical Realism and the Reappropriation of the Christian Imaginary in Beloved and The Master and Margarita
No full textThis paper argues that by limiting magical realism's constitutive tension, or antinomy, between magic and realism to post-colonial "other-speech," contemporary discourses unnecessarily limit the genre's historical scope and literary impact (Ochoa 108). Moreover, they also fail to elucidate the disparate semiotic functions that the genre’s realism and magic serve. Borrowing from Richard Dyer's theory of entertainment and utopia, this paper argues that the genre's realist elements are heavily representational signifiers, "drawing on the audience's concrete experience of the world" to depict social inadequacies (Dyer 27). Conversely, the genre's magical elements are heavily non-representational, not in their authenticity or plausibility, but in their construction of alternative realities within the representational world where things can be better (25,27). Rather than analyzing the genre’s magical elements as singular, this paper argues that magic is a double signifier. Through the proliferation of magic in the phenomenal world, works of magical realism substantiate syncretic theologies, fusing folkloric practices and beliefs with those of organized faith to create new bodies of religious symbolism. This allows magical realism's syncretic theologies to function as cultural problem-solving at two levels, the communal and universal. To examine this latent function of magical realism, this paper analyzes Christian syncretism in Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987) and Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita (1967).EnglishBachelors of Arts (BA
Assessing the Catalytic Activity and Conservation of the C. elegans protein SPE-54
No full textC. elegans sperm employ an MSP (major sperm protein) polymerization-based sperm motility system, similar to other members of the Nematoda phylum, including well-known parasitic roundworms. Deletion of a newly characterized member of the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP-3B superfamily, presumed pseudophosphatase SPE-54, has been shown to disrupt MSP-based treadmilling and spematozoon morphology. These defects inhibit the ability of male sperm to properly fertilize oocytes. This study demonstrates that the overall SPE-54 sequence and the altered residues of the catalytic domain are strongly conserved within Caenorhabditis and Nematoda, implying biological activity through conservation. Phosphatase activity assays conducted with recombinant SPE-54 protein expressed in HEK293 cells demonstrate no phosphatase activity even when the catalytic domain is restored to the canonical sequence, supporting alignments which suggest SPE-54 is a catalytically inactive phosphatase.BiologyBachelors of Science (BS
Neurogenesis: Impact of Mitochondrial Activity on Neural Progenitor Cell Differentiation via TFAM Expression
No full textNeurogenesis is the process of neuron formation from division of brain stem cells, also known as neural progenitor cells (NPC). This project tests whether expression of mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) in NPCs induces the cells to change their levels of cell proliferation and generate neurons at a higher rate than control cells. TFAM is a nuclear encoded gene that acts in the mitochondria on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) compaction and transcription initiation. TFAM promotes the expression of several mtDNA genes, including those that encode essential proteins for mitochondrial ATP production. I hypothesize that increased mitochondrial activity via TFAM expression leads to earlier NPC division into neurons rather than dividing into more NPCs. To do this work, NPCs in the optic tectum of Xenopus laevis tadpoles were labeled with fluorescent protein expression vectors and in vivo time lapse images were acquired each day over a three-day period. These data were analyzed to compare the number of NPCs and neurons generated in TFAM-expressing tecta compared to control tadpole tecta. How the cell proliferation activity of NPCs in the developing brain is regulated is not fully known. Understanding mechanisms of neurogenesis is important to combating neurodevelopmental disorders like microcephaly. Thus, this project aims to get a clearer understanding of TFAM’s role and the mitochondrial role in neurogenesis. More research needs to be done to answer these questions, but it is possible that TFAM plays a role in regulating mitochondrial activity and NPC differentiation. Overall this study examines the role of mitochondria in neurogenesis through TFAM.NeuroscienceBachelors of Science (BS
Thyroid Hormone Receptor Acetylation and Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling
No full textHuman thyroid hormone receptor α1 (TRα1) modulates target gene expression in response to thyroid hormone (T3), but also undergoes post-translational modification by acetylation and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. The current model for TR shuttling predicts that acetylation occurs in the nucleus, but it remains unclear whether TRα1's nuclear transport is influenced by its acetylation status. Here, we aimed to determine whether acetylation of TRα1 at the K130, K134, and K136 residues which reside in one of its nuclear localization signals, NLS-1, affects its ability to shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Using fluorescence microscopy, we investigated the intracellular localization of GFP-tagged TRα1 mutants mimicking acetylation (K→Q) and non-acetylation (K→R), alongside wild-type TRα1 in a human-mouse heterokaryon model, using the Hoechst 33342 DNA stain to differentiate between human and mouse nuclei and TRITC-Phalloidin to visualize the actin cytoskeleton and confirm heterokaryon formation. Our findings revealed evidence of TRα1 export from the transfected human nucleus and import to the mouse nucleus, suggesting that TRα1 can be imported to and exported from the nucleus in both its acetylated and non-acetylated states. We also conducted a pilot study using importazole, a small-molecule reversible inhibitor of importin β, to test the viability of using nuclear import inhibition and washout with live cell imaging to compare the import kinetics of the acetylation and non-acetylation mimics. Using fluorescence imaging, we concluded that at non-toxic concentrations, importazole is not suitable for live-cell imaging due to a lack of sufficiently visualizable changes in TRα1 localization.BiologyBachelors of Science (BS
Design of Environment-Controlled Analog Audio Effects
No full textMusic is frequently used to convey emotions and conditions that are otherwise difficult to explain. For many music creators, audio effects play a large role in giving instruments different expressive qualities. This paper presents a slate of audio effects (tone control, tremolo, vibrato, octave-up, and distortion) with sensor-driven parameter controls that allow a user to play music sculpted by environmental characteristics (light, wind, humidity, and temperature). These effects are: light-dependent tone control, wind-dependent tremolo, humidity-dependent vibrato, and temperature-dependent octave-up/distortion. By plugging an electric instrument (e.g., electric guitar or keyboard) into the effects units, a musician is given the ability to sonically convey the state of their surrounding environment.PhysicsBachelors of Science (BS
Molecular Insights into Chiral-Induced Spin Selectivity: Exploring NO:2-Butanol Collision Complexes as Model Systems
No full textChiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) describes a fundamental mechanism to control electron spin orientations in chiral environments. Characterizing theoretically-tractable benchmarks may lead to a molecular-scale interpretation of the underlying principles of CISS. Collision complexes between nitric oxide (NO) and 2-butanol were used as model systems to examine the possible effects of CISS in radical-molecule bimolecular collisions. Herein, IR action spectroscopy with 1+1 resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) was used to record the IR spectrum of the NO:2-butanol complex. Furthermore, IR activation was combined with velocity map imaging (VMI) of NO products to reveal the dynamical outcomes following NO:2-butanol complex dissociation. In order to probe the population of NO spin-orbit states following IR activation of the collision complex, product state distributions were recorded to explore the plausible angular momentum pairing between the NO radical electron spin with the chiral 2-butanol partner. Experiments were performed on a racemic and enantiomerically pure (S enantiomer) sample of the NO:2-butanol complex. Differences between the two samples suggest that CISS effects may lead to the dynamical signatures observed between chiral enantiomers and NO quantum state configurations. We propose these preferences may be a result of two competing processes, wherein certain enantiomers of 2- butanol pair favorably or unfavorably with the radical electron spin of NO and the symmetry of its pi* molecular orbital.ChemistryBachelors of Science (BS
Continuous Blood Pressure with Photoplethysmography: Machine Learning for Photoplethysmography Signal Processing
No full textI have performed a comparative analysis of different methods of machine learning and statistical methods of modeling blood pressure from PPG data. I determined that a random forest regression using scikit-learn performed the best for the data we collected. This model was able to predict mean arterial pressure (MAP) with a mean absolute error of 4.654, well within the range of being potentially medically useful.PhysicsBachelors of Science (BS