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Abortion Attitudes in Cook County post Dobbs V. Jackson
Get PDFA project of the Cook County Community Survey Project, Skylar\u27s report details the social demographics associated with abortion access in Cook County in the wake of the Dobbs V. Jackson decision
Protein Purification and Expression of β-Glucosidase Mutant Y118F
Get PDFΒ-glucosidase is an enzyme that is essential for the hydrolysis of cellulase and is responsible for glucose production. Many mutations can occur within this enzyme, each has different enzymatic effects and likelihood of expression. For this experiment, enzymatic data was collected regarding the mutation BglB (Y118F) and compared to the wild-type data--which does not contain a mutation. This was done by designing the protein through the Foldit program, sequencing it, transforming it, purifying, expressing, and analyzing it. The analysis of this mutation consisted of a kinetic enzymatic assay and SDS PAGE. The BglB Y118F mutation was expressed, but not purified because of the absence of a band in the BglB Y118F lane on the SDS-PAGE gel. After performing the enzymatic assays, the resulting data was submitted to the D2D database, and various data (including Km, Vmax, and kcat/Km) were generated. The resulting data further proved that the BglB Y118F mutation showed better catalytic efficiency and substrate binding than the wild type
An Analysis of The Community Air Research Experience Learning Ecosystem Model
Get PDFI analyzed the geosciences learning ecosystem established through the NSF GEOPaths funded Community Air Research Experience (CARE) to identify programmatic elements that contribute to STEM identity among underrepresented minority (URM) undergraduate students. A key premise of the CARE educational model is that faculty can increase students\u27 interests and competencies in geosciences by engaging them in research activities on issues that directly affect their community. I conducted interviews with CARE project personnel and community partners and thematically analyzed those interviews plus student research products. My research advances understanding of how faculty can motivate URM students’ interest and facilitate their success in scientific fields
Social Work Internship Experience at New Trier High School Learning Center
No full textThis video will describe the experience working as a social work intern at New Trier High School in their Learning Center. The Learning Center is a therapeutic day school within New Trier High School that supports special education students who require a small and structured learning environment. Over the course of the year, I conducted classroom observations, push-in and pull-out counseling services, participated in consultation and collaboration with teachers and teams, and created and planned group therapy interventions. This experience supported me in improving my social work skills and understanding the roles of a school social worker
AB InBev Investment Pitch
No full textIn this project, I examined Anheuser-Busch InBev to see whether they were a company worth investing in by looking at company financials and conducting valuation analyses
CT-to-MRI Synthesis for High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Treatment Planning
No full textHigh-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy is a radiation treatment modality that places radioactive sources directly in cancerous regions. Radiation treatment planning for HDR prostate brachytherapy utilizes both CT and MRI to visualize the path of the radioactive source and the prostate gland, respectively. In this work, we propose GAN-CM, a method for conditional CT-to-MRI translation that is based on Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). The proposed method uses the typical generator-discriminator design of GANs with a modified generator that incorporates semantic masks obtained from the domain image. The use of semantic masks allows GAN-CM to better capture the anatomical details and tissue characteristics present in CT scans, resulting in a more accurate and realistic MRI synthesis. Using “clinically-paired”\u27 CT and MRI datasets obtained from 95 patients with prostate cancer who were treated with HDR brachytherapy, we show the advantages of GAN-CM by demonstrating its ability to work effectively with heavy data augmentation and larger batch sizes, as well as improving the robustness of the generator and increasing its performance in MRI synthesis. Exploring various experimental settings, we show that training GANs for this task requires careful considerations for preparing the data, such as normalizing and distributing the pixel values of input images. Using histogram equalization, GAN-CM achieves the best results when using the average of equalized and unequalized CTs
Synthetic Assembly of Antibacterial Agents and Metal Chelating Ligands
No full textThe exploitation of chemical synthesis exemplifies the notion of bridging both innovation and curiosity for the strategic assembly of sophisticated molecular infrastructures. By exerting this continuously evolving and versatile tool, synthesis has been applied in the development and influence of a myriad of ligands, biological probes, and persists to direct pharmaceutical innovation and modern medicine alike. Since pathogenic multidrug-resistant (MDR) microbial strains remain to be a persistent threat to both clinical healthcare and society, the need to develop selective and efficacious antibacterial agents that can impede microbe pathogenicity and regulate cellular mortality is paramount. In contrast to pharmaceutical development, organic synthesis has been at the forefront for the continued advancement of cutting-edge ligands for host-guest chemistry in addition to fluorescent probes that aid in the study and elucidation of multifaceted enzymatic systems. The molecular assembly, derivatization, and biological investigation of naphthoquinone and quinolone scaffolds are reported herein. These pharmaceutically active frameworks behave as biologically active antimicrobial agents that target the sodium-dependent NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Na+-NQR) in pathogenic bacteria which serve as optimal starting points for antibiotic development. Additionally, the target-oriented preparation of an intricate tridentate ligand referred to as the monophenyl triazacyclononane (MP-TACN) is also highlighted. Lastly, the preparation of a fluorescein-integrated aspartic acid derivative used for solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) and for the study of enzyme specificity is also described herein
Disambiguation of Aerococcus Urinae Species Diversity
Get PDFAerococcus urinae is an uncommon inhabitant of the human urogenital tract. The Gram-positive bacterium has been implicated in a wide range of urinary tract diseases that, if left untreated or undiagnosed, can progress to severe disease such as infective endocarditis. Comparative analysis of 115 A. urinae isolates from infection episodes of urinary tract infection, bacteremia, infective endocarditis, urgency urinary incontinence, stress urinary incontinence, interstitial cystitis / painful bladder syndrome, and asymptomatic individuals reveal substantial diversity with respect to predicted virulence factors, metabolism, and observed biofilm behavior. Through whole genome sequencing analysis, these strains can be reorganized into six new taxonomic groups, representing a complex of species. The newly named species, A. tenax, A. mictus, and A. loyolae, and the newly defined A. urinae each display their own unique phenotypes including metabolism and flocking biofilm ability that allow each to be differentiated from one another. It is hypothesized that these species-specific behaviors confer pathogenic potential through tissue adherence, host-tissue tropisms, and growth dynamics. This study analyzes these differences through comparative genomics, identifying distinguishing features that can explain speciation. Among these features, horizontal gene transfer was found to play a significant role in genomic variation. Vectors such as integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) were identified as key in introducing large genomic content such as antibiotic resistance genes. To facilitate rapid and unambiguous identification of these new species, a multiplex PCR test was created. This test was evaluated on 189 clinical isolates previously identified as A. urinae and successfully identified 88% of isolates. From this dataset, the species distribution in a tertiary hospital system was determined, finding that certain species are far more commonly isolated than others. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will lead to the development of better identification, detection, and diagnostic practices that will ultimately contribute towards treatment strategies preventing any Aerococcus infection from exacerbating to fatality. The strategies developed in this study can also be used as a template to investigate other poorly understood bacteria, particularly uncharacterized emerging uropathogens, broadening our understanding of the human urinary microbiome
Looking for Love: Motivations of Dating App Usage in Millennials
Get PDFDating applications (apps) have become a popular method for young adults to make romantic connections. The apps themselves are easy to use and sometimes are created to be “game-like” to entice people to want to utilize them. People can “match” with other users and strike up conversations. Extensive research has been conducted on motivations for dating and using the dating app Tinder. This study looks at users’ reasons for using Bumble, where little research has been done. This study focuses on millennials aged 26-42, whereas most other studies have focused on college students under 23. This study uses a mixed approach, looking at Bumble profiles to analyze what people marked as “Looking For” to determine their motivations for being on the app. I also conducted a thematic analysis on the profiles’ About Me sections to see if it matched or added additional context to their “Looking For” section. This study looks at men, women, and nonbinary millennials. This is the first study found to emphasize nonbinary individuals as a significant sample. The results of this study indicate that men are more likely to indicate they are looking for a relationship (64%) versus something casual or even marriage, compared to women (57%) or nonbinary people (47%). Men are also more likely to have their ”Looking For” motivation match their About Me motivation (89%), indicating they may be more direct or upfront in saying what they are using the app for. Nonbinary people are more likely to be open to more than one outcome from their interactions on dating apps (33%), indicating they want to form a community in multiple ways with other users
Gender Diversity in U.S. Adolescents: An Exploration of Multidimensional Survey Measures of Gender and Their Associations with Health and Social Outcomes Using a National Sample of Adolescent-Parent Dyads
Get PDFThe measurement of gender is an evolving area of survey research. Extant research has assessed different approaches for measuring gender identity and expression among adults; however, comparatively less research has evaluated their use among adolescents who are developing their gender identity and expression. This dissertation uses data from a nationally representative survey of U.S. teens and their parents to evaluate multidimensional measures of gender in adolescents. Three research questions represent separate empirical chapters of the dissertation. The first research question examines the measurement of femininity and masculinity in adolescents based on a comparison of different survey scales. The second research question considers the quality of parent reports of their teen’s gender identity and expression. The third research question assesses different ways of using survey data to define gender minority status. Broadly, the dissertation helps bridge gaps between gender theory and survey practice and further understandings of pathways between gender identity and expression and adolescent development outcomes. Improvements in multidimensional measurement of gender can help advance data quality and, ultimately, the evidence-based interventions in support of gender minority communities that survey data help to inform