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Effects of Diet on LCN2 Expression and Onset of Neuroinflammation in an Alzheimer’s Disease Mice Model
Get PDFThis project covers the findings regarding the impact of diet on lipocalin 2 (LCN2) and the effects it has on neuroinflammation Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). LCN2 is a protein that is critical to the functionality of mitochondria and inflammatory responses. Evidence has shown that mitochondrial dysfunction is a potential central event in driving AD pathogenesis and contributing to formation of pathological hallmarks such as chronic inflammation. Furthermore, studies have shown that LCN2 can be deficient under metabolic conditions such as high-fat-diet (HFD). This study investigates if HFD induces LCN2 deficiency and increased neuroinflammation in an AD mice model
Extension of the LUX-ZEPLIN NR Background to 600 phd
Get PDFIn June 2022, the LUX-ZEPLIN collaboration released its first results, with themost precise measurements of any direct dark matter detector. The findings werecalculated using the expected spin-independent WIMP-nucleon interaction model,which would result in small energies deposited in the detector. Therefore, thebackground of non-dark interactions was calculated for events with S1 areas up to80 phd (Aalbers et al. 2022). In order to increase the sensitivity to high energyWIMP-nucleon interaction events, as predicted by other models, we extended thenon-dark NR background to events with S1 areas of up to 600 phd. We found alarge contribution to the NR background from ER leakage. Though the leakagepeaked below 80 phd, the leakage rate at 80 phd is roughly 1% for all interactionmodels, and falls to zero between 150 phd and 200 phd. The expected numberof xenon-based MSSI is roughly 0.015 for all spin-dependent interaction models,peaking at high S1 areas. We found the rate of cathode-based MSSI to be zero.The wall based MSSI rate we calculated is significantly higher than is shown bythe data, which likely means that the model of the electric field in the detector isincorrect
Hydrosphere: Modeling the planetary structure of ocean planets and icy moons
Get PDFIn recent years, “water worlds” have become increasingly of interest to astrobiologists due to their high potential for habitability, as the large amount water on their surfaces is not only necessary for life, but also promises long-term climatic stability. However, also necessary for life is the exchange of chemical compounds between the geosphere and the hydrosphere - something which may be ob- structed by the presence of high pressure ices on these ocean planets and icy moons. In order to explore the habitability of bodies with various surface temperatures, water masses, and core radii, this project develops a model of the structure of the hydrosphere on such planets, examining the effects of planetary cooling on the structure of the hydrosphere, and identifying the conditions which are most favorable to producing a liquid ocean in contact with the rocky mantle. It was found that the thickness and complexity of high pressure ice layers increases as a planet cools, and the liquid ocean shrinks. Additionally, high pressures at the mantle-hydrosphere boundary make it unlikely for a liquid ocean to be in contact with the rocky core on most planets, save those with smaller core radii, lower water masses, and warm surface temperatures. It was also determined that, although this model provides proof of concept for a structural model of planetary hydrospheres, the results may only be interpreted as a cold estimate of planetary structure due to the fact that an internal heat source was not included in the model
The Desert and the Sa\u27alik: The Creation of Identity in Pre-Islamic Arabia
Get PDFThe sa’alik were poets who were expelled from their tribes and occupied the fringes of society in Pre-Islamic Arabia. The brooding poetry they composed as they roamed the desert sands in solitude presents a fascinating opportunity to explore the role of the environment in constructing vagabond identity. This paper analyzes Lamiyatt al-Arab by al-Shanfara and How I Met the Ghul by Ta’abatta Sharran in order to elucidate the nature of the sa’alik’s engagement with their arid environment. In the absence of the social and physical comforts of a tribe, the sa’alik sought to integrate themselves into an alternative web of existence. By examining themes such as kinship with desert creatures, mastery of extreme hunger, and vanquishment of the supernatural, it becomes apparent that desert imagery crucially isolates the sa’alik from society and brings them closer to the wilderness. Sa’alik identity is thus inextricably linked to a rejection of humanity and a discovery of belonging within the desert
Using Models of Cloud Formation to Address the RH Effect in Low Cost PM Sensors
No full textThe growing concern over particulate air pollution and risks it poses to human health have dramatically increased scientific interest in low cost particulate matter sensors (LCPMS). LCPMS have the potential to provide a solution to the spatial, temporal, and financial issues facing air quality monitoring today. However, the operating principle behind these sensors is prone to inaccuracies under different environmental conditions, especially relative humidity (RH). Using existing models that describe cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity, I derive a correction factor for the LCPMS readings to account for the influence of RH. This model was tested against an existing correction method, using data collected at the University of Minnesota Particle Technology Lab in an environmental testing chamber, using a Sensirion SPS30 as the LCPMS. While the models did not improve the overall accuracy of the data against a reference DustTrak DRX, the model did succeed in improving the linearity of the data with respect to increasing RH
Fabricating Perovskite Solar Cells: Fabrication Guide for Limited Lab Capabilities
Get PDFWithin the realm of emerging photovoltaics, Perovskite cells are one of the most intriguing technologies. Within a little over a decade, Perovskite solar cells have rivaled the efficiencies of traditional silicon solar cells and strongly outpaced other emerging photovoltaic technologies. This paper aims to show a fabrication guide for creating Perovskite solar cells in a limited lab setting. The fabrication guide created structures with strong physical reliability, but limited electrical reliability. More research is needed to ensure greater reliability and proper electrical function
The Effect of the Minimum Wage on Crime
Get PDFEvidence shows that education, labor market conditions for ex-offenders, and wages influence crime rates. The relationship between wages and crime specifically, has interesting potential policy implications, especially in arguments for increasing the minimum wage. Economists speculate that increasing the minimum wage may help reduce crime by increasing wages and thus increasing the opportunity cost of committing crime, making it riskier and less necessary for people to supplement their incomes through illegal avenues. Using crime data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports and minimum wage data from Vaghul & Zipperer (2016), I employ a two-way fixed effects framework to analyze the effects of changes in the minimum-to-median wage ratio on various crime outcomes, including total crime rates and 16-24 year old crime rates. I find no effect on Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) crime rates with changes in the minimum-to-median wage ratio
The Giannis Effect: How Celebrities Impact Prejudice in Their Communities
Get PDFThis paper examines the effect Giannis Antetokounmpo, a Greek-Nigerian NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks, has had on bias towards immigrants and Black people in Milwaukee and in Wisconsin as a whole. This work is based on the breakthrough 2021 study from Alrababa’h et al., which found that Liverpool FC’s signing of star Muslim footballer Mohamed Salah dramatically reduced public instances of islamophobia in Liverpool. Using Synthetic Control (SC) and Synthetic Difference in Difference (SDID) frameworks, I implement two methods of analysis to examine Giannis’s influence: an examination of Anti-Black and Anti-Immigrant hate crimes in the US, and analysis of Anti-Immigrant google searches in Wisconsin and surrounding states. The results indicate substantial reductions in hate crimes and Anti-Immigrant Google searches in Wisconsin since Giannis was drafted in 2013, though data quality issues make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. This study demonstrates the power of positive Parasocial Contact in changing attitudes and reducing biases
Staircase Packings of Integer Partitions
Get PDFAn integer partition is a weakly decreasing sequence of positive integers. We study the family of packings of integer partitions in the triangular array of size n, where successive partitions in the packings are separated by at least one zero. We prove that these are enumerated by the Bell-Like number sequence (OEIS A091768), and investigate its many recursive properties. We also explore their poset (partially ordered set) structure. Finally, we characterize various subfamilies of these staircase packings, including one restriction that connects back to the original patterns of the whole family
Challenging Medical Authority: Autonomous Health Movement and Contemporary Harm Reduction Practices in Minneapolis
Get PDFStatement of Purpose: Sometimes, I find it difficult to comprehend the vast problems and systems of inequity that exist within the United States’ (US) healthcare system. The US’s profit-driven model of health is so deeply integrated into our society that it feels impossible to change. It is hard to imagine an alternative. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an environment where the health of our communities is brought to the forefront. It is a moment when as a society we are beginning to understand that health crises are not a sum of individual failures, but instead are systematically produced and reproduced by systems of control. This is a reality that marginalized communities have been facing throughout history, a reality that marginalized communities have been confronting and organizing around. One way these issues are addressed is through the creation of autonomous health movements. In this paper, I contextualize the history and interventions of autonomous health movements and harm reductions practices and provide a case study of Southside Harm Reduction Services. I approach this study through thick observation and interviews with harm reduction practitioners. I argue that exploring autonomous health movements is a way to see alternative and liberating ways to address health in our community. Historical and contemporary examples of autonomous health work demonstrate that models of health independent of medical social control already exist. These models are already saving lives and creating new possibilities