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ActionPoint: An App to Combat Cyberbullying by Strengthening Parent-Teen Relationships
Get PDFDue the increased prevalence of cyberbullying and the detrimental impact it can have on adolescents, there is a critical need for tools to help combat cyberbullying. This poster introduces the ActionPoint app, a mobile application based on empirical findings highlighting the importance of strong parent-teen relationships for reducing cyberbullying risk. The app is designed to help families build stronger communication skills, set healthy boundaries for social media use, identify instances of cyber- bullying and a teen’s cyberbullying risk, and, ultimately, decrease the negative outcomes of cyberbullying. The app guides parents and teens through a series of interactive modules that engage them in evidence-based activities that promote better understanding of cyberbullying risks and healthy online behaviors. In this poster, we describe the app design, the psychology research supporting the design of each module, the architecture and implementation details, and crucial paths to extend the app
Landstar System Stock Pitch - Zach Ochab
No full textLandstar System is a large firm within the freight and logistics industry, founded in Jacksonville, Florida. What I plan to accomplish through this pitch is to persuade potential shareholders to invest in this firm while doing a total breakdown of their financials, the industry, and investment risks to create a well-rounded analysis
Cotton Strips as a Model Substrate for Analysis of Leaf-Colonizing Fungi in Streams
No full textScientists have proposed that measuring the breakdown of plant leaves that fall into streams (leaf litter) can be a useful indicator of stream ecological health. Fungi are an important part of this process because they colonize leaf litter that enters streams and catalyze its decomposition. Cotton strips have been used as surrogates for leaves in studies of leaf litter breakdown in streams. My study assessed the validity of this approach by incubating cotton and leaves from four tree species in the Chicago River and analyzing their fungal communities. My results indicated that cotton and leaves supported similar fungal communities
Drosophila Phosducin-like Protein 3 Regulates Spermatogenesis
Get PDFCG4511 encodes the protein Phosphoducin-like Protein 3 (DmPhLP3), which is believed to function as a co-chaperone in the folding of cytoskeleton proteins. DmPHLP3 was recently recognized as a regulator of Spermatogenesis. Males homozygous for a P-element insertion in the 5’- UTR of CG5411 display reduced expression of DmPHLP3, failure for sperm to progress past the canoe stage during maturation, and sterility. Spermatid nuclei are found to be scattered rather than clustered and properly aligned, indicating that the nuclei are unable to undergo proper elongation. Additionally, DmPhLP3-/- testes reveal that microtubule rich dense complexes (DCs), a scaffold for nuclear shaping, are reduced in size, indicating that the DC is essential to proper nuclear elongation. The excision of the P-element was found to rescue the proper progression of spermiogenesis and hence fertility. Given the hypothesized role the DmPHLP3 plays in the regulation of the organization of microtubules in the DC and nuclear shaping process. We are currently using Transmission Electron Microscopy to further explore the dynamics of the microtubules in the DC during Spermiogenesis. Additionally, using a UAS-Gal4 CRISPR construct to mutate the N-terminus of Cg4511 to further explore the function and implications the gene has with regard to spermiogenesis
Storytelling and Social Change: GirlForward Communications Internship
Get PDFThis poster will recap what I learned through my experience as the 23-24 Communications Intern at GirlForward through the Social Justice Internship Program. GirlForward, a non-profit organization located in Chicago, IL, and Austin, TX, is dedicated to creating and enhancing opportunities for girls displaced by conflict and persecution. My poster will focus on the intersections between storytelling, social justice, and non-profit communications
Fluorescence Spectroscopy Analysis of Phospholipids Bound to Bovine Serum Albumin
Get PDFOur research focuses on studying the interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA), a protein, and phospholipids, LPS, and DOTAP at varying concentrations. We utilize fluorescence spectroscopy to observe the quenching of the tryptophan residues in BSA, allowing us to explore the lipid binding sites in BSA. Through experimental studies, we determine the binding dissociation constant (Kd) and the number of fluorescent binding sites for lipids (n). Our findings provide insights into how different phospholipids, based on their structure, bind to BSA. Understanding these interactions can be used to further study various phospholipids using CIR to understand their molecular interactions with carrier proteins
Essential Aspects of Tier 1 Reading Curriculum Implementation in a Dual Language School
No full textEssential Aspects of Tier 1 Reading Curriculum Implementation in a Dual Language Schoo
Restraining Power Through Institutions: A Unifying Theme for Domestic and International Politics
No full textThis book challenges the traditional view that meaningful analogies cannot be drawn between domestic and international politics. Alexandru V. Grigorescu shows that there are important parallels to be drawn across these two realms, if political interactions among states over the past two centuries are compared to those within states going back about a thousand years. He focuses specifically on the evolution of institutions that restrain concentrated power, such as courts, assemblies, and bureaucracies.Restraining Power through Institutions begins by developing a set of theoretical arguments about the emergence, change, and consolidation of institutional restraints on power. These are primarily derived from literature focusing on domestic politics going back to events such as those surrounding the signing of the Magna Carta and the emergence and evolution of the Curia Regis in England, or of the Estates General and Parlements in France. It then assesses the relevance of such arguments for the evolution of numerous international institutions: international courts, such as the Permanent Court of Arbitration, International Court of Justice, and International Criminal Court; international assemblies and parliaments, such as the Assembly of the League of Nations, UN General Assembly; and European Parliament; and international secretariats, such as those of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine, League of Nations, UN, and World Bank.The similarities between developments in the domestic and international realms lead to a number of important conclusions about future expectations for international institutions and for world politics more broadly. In particular, the book argues that complementing the traditional focus on efforts to acquire power with the Lockean focus on restraining power offers a more complete depiction of international politics. This novel perspective consequently shifts the focus from the interests and actions of a handful of powerful states to those of virtually all states and groups of states, regardless of how powerful they are. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/restraining-power-through-institutions-9780192863683?lang=en&cc=echttps://ecommons.luc.edu/facultybooks/1270/thumbnail.jp
Absolute Quantification of Human Myosin and Titin Isoforms in Disease by a Mass Spectrometry Approach
No full textHeart failure (HF) is the leading cause of death worldwide and produces an immense economic burden. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), characterized by contractile weakness and chamber dilation, is a significant cause of HF. The sarcomeric proteins play a crucial role in regulating the contractile properties of the heart. As the primary motor protein, the expression of cardiac myosin isoforms (α-MHC and β-MHC) dictates the performance and cardiac energy utilization of the sarcomere. Titin is the giant spring protein in the sarcomere, and titin isoform expression impacts the passive stiffness of the myocardium. Small changes in the α-MHC/β-MHC and titin isoform ratios have been observed in the atria and ventricles in human HF and can profoundly impact the function of the heart. Unfortunately, the current techniques to quantify these isoform shifts, such as immunohistochemistry and electrophoresis have low quantitative precision and poor reproducibility. Thus, to fill this important technical and knowledge gap, we have developed a robust absolutely quantitative analytical assay for MHC and titin isoform expression patterns, using a mass spectrometry-based approach known as Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM). We have then performed these assays in both left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) tissue from Non-Failing (NF) and DCM patients, as well as NF patients in Sinus Rhythm and with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). Together, these data provide an accurate and absolutely quantitative reference for the expression of MHC and titin isoforms during HF and atrial fibrillation, as well as unveiling the complex proteoform landscape, which has not been previously addressed. A highly selective and sensitive assay of sarcomeric proteins is an important step for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac dysfunction and the development of treatment for HF and atrial fibrillation
The Effects of Conditional Loss of Myosin Binding Protein H-Like on Cardiac Function
No full textDilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common cause of heart failure with a strong hereditary component. Mutations in the myosin-binding protein H-like (MYBPHL) gene are linked to hereditary DCM, atrial fibrillation, and atrioventricular arrhythmias. MyBP-HL is a sarcomeric protein that is highly expressed in the atria with only scarce, distinct clusters of MyBP-HL positive cells in the ventricles, mostly in or surrounding the ventricular conduction system (VCS). Constitutive knock-out of MyBP-HL in mice causes atrial dilation, ventricular dysfunction, arrhythmia, and DCM. Whether MyBP-HL plays a developmental role, or if knock-down in adulthood will recapitulate a similar phenotype has yet to be examined. Moreover, the significance of the MyBP-HL expressing cells in the VCS is currently unknown. To further elucidate the role of MyBP-HL, we developed genetic mouse lines. The first is a ROSA26-Cre(ERT2) LoxP mouse that undergoes conditional Mybphl knock-down after tamoxifen (TAM) treatment. Echocardiography was used to measure cardiac contractile function, and conscious telemetry allowed for monitoring of heart rhythm. We demonstrate that mice with conditional decrease of MyBP-HL in adulthood develop a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotype, along with atrial contractile changes, increased total heart weight compared to body weight, and increased heart rate variability. To better study the role of MyBP-HL in the cardiac conduction system, we used a Contactin-2-Cre mouse that deletes Mybphl solely in the cardiac conduction system from birth. The expression pattern of MyBP-HL in specific puncta associated with the ventricular conduction system, including some Purkinje cells, is distinctive. The functional need for differential thick filament regulation in cells related to the ventricular conduction system is unclear. Conscious telemetry was used to evaluate arrhythmias and electrical signal conduction changes in response to physiological stressors. Echocardiography shows that deletion of Mybphl solely within the cardiac conduction system trends toward mild hypercontractility. Mybphl deletion is associated with overall lower heart rates and increased interventricular septal thickness. In conclusion, we determined that the MyBP-HL protein is essential for proper cardiac function, and even minor alteration in protein levels within the heart cause a diseased phenotype