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Role of Protein Kinase C During Listeria monocytogenes Infection
No full textListeria monocytogenes (Lm) is the facultative intracellular bacterium responsible for the deadly foodborne illness listeriosis. Using an intracellular lifecycle, Lm effectively evades extracellular immune responses. Lm virulence factors including the secreted pore-forming toxin listeriolysin O (LLO) and phospholipases C mediate escape from the phagosome. Protein Kinase C (PKC) enzymes, which regulate cell signaling through phosphorylation, are activated during Lm infection. Conventional PKCs (cPKCs), a subfamily of PKCs, are activated by calcium (Ca2+), diacylglycerol, and phosphatidylserine. Our lab has previously shown that cPKCs are activated by extracellular Ca2+ influx following LLO-mediated plasma membrane perforation in HepG2 epithelial cells, promoting Lm internalization into epithelial cells. The goal of this work was to develop experimental tools to study the role of cPKC in Lm phagosomal escape in epithelial cells and macrophages.
To monitor the spatiotemporal dynamics of cPKC translocation and activation by live cell imaging, we engineered cell lines stably expressing a fluorescent chimera of the conventional PKCα and cell lines expressing a C kinase activity reporter which uses fluorescence resonance energy transfer. We constructed lentiviral vectors using plasmid cloning techniques, generated and isolated lentiviruses, and transduced human HeLa epithelial cells and THP-1 monocytes. Antibiotic selection was used to select cells stably expressing each construct. We also validated the use of lentiviral vectors in differentiated murine Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages (BMDMs) prior to Lm infection. For fluorescence imaging of Lm phagosomal escape, we developed wild type and isogenic Lm mutant strains with constitutive expression of a red fluorescent protein and phagocytic assays in BMDMs and THP-1 cells differentiated into macrophages. These cell lines and fluorescent Lm strains will be useful in studying cPKC during the intracellular Lm lifecycle in epithelial cells and macrophages. All tools required for establishing the role of cPKC were successfully generated and I am currently performing invasion assays using cPKC inhibitors. Future directions include conducting infection assays in the presence or absence of cPKC inhibitors, and wild type and isogenic Lm mutants defective in LLO and/or phospholipases C to determine the role of cPKCs. Understanding the role of cPKC in host cell infection by Lm is expected to facilitate the development of therapeutic interventions to alleviate the burden of listeriosis.A five-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Microbiolog
A Quantitative Comparison of the Early Iron Age Imports in Athens and Knossos
Get PDFBest Undergraduate Paper in ClassicsThis thesis presents a comparative quantitative analysis of the Early Iron Age (EIA) Near Eastern imports found in Athens and Knossos. By analyzing the significant differences in material proportions in EIA imports in Athens and Knossos, it can be concluded that because of the preference for pottery in Knossos and the preference in Athens for bronze, the original import record may be closer than only looking at the total import counts of these cities would suggest. This also ties to the conclusion that the distribution of materials in the remaining import record can be extrapolated to consider the original material composition of the import record, if provided the necessary survival and discovery rates. Additionally, the distribution of imports across time and different sites corroborates with previous research on how the preferences for Near Eastern imports in general changes across the period. By analyzing both the material and temporal composition of the import record of EIA Athens and Knossos, the comparative preferences of Near Eastern imports in these cities can be examined.Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Scholarship AwardNo embargoAcademic Major: MathematicsAcademic Major: Classic
Exploring the Role of Depression in Emotional Prosody Recognition Deficits
No full textResearch suggests that those with depression may have difficulty in recognizing the emotions of others. These studies have examined this relationship using only facial expressions as stimuli to convey emotion. The current study examines how individuals with depression symptoms are able to recognize emotions by the prosody of speech. It was expected that the relationship would align with past research. Participants first completed a task in which they had to identify the emotions they heard in prerecorded, semantically neutral sentences. The emotions used included joy, sadness, anger, surprise, and neutral. Next, participants completed the PHQ-9, a tool used to assess depression symptoms. To assess the strength and direction of the linear relationship between PHQ-9 score and accuracy on the emotion identification task, a Pearson correlation analysis was conducted. Consistent with past studies, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between depression symptoms and accuracy on the prosody task. Participants who scored higher on the PHQ-9 had lower accuracy on the emotion identification task. This result suggests that depressed individuals exhibit a similar emotion recognition deficit for speech prosody as for facial expressions. However, these findings only reflect the existence of a general deficit in prosodic emotion recognition. Further research should explore potential impacts of this deficit, as well as the interaction between prosody and facial expressions.No embargoAcademic Major: Psycholog
NextPath: Evolving Digital Financial Planning with Personalized Self-Service
No full textHuntington Bank, known for its exceptional in-person service, wants to move beyond traditional banking to better serve today's customers. However, as more customers start digitally, building and maintaining relationships with them has become a challenge especially since Huntington lacks a digital financial planning solution for their Personal Bank clients. To address this gap, I explored customer service through a new lens by studying Nordstrom, a retailer renowned for blending personalization with efficiency.
Through surveys and interviews with Nordstrom employees, I examined how their 5-Point Selling Standard enables adaptive yet efficient service. These insights informed NextPath, a digital financial planning tool designed in Figma to provide structured guidance while preserving user independence and personalization.
Integrated into Huntington’s mobile app, NextPath bridges self-service and expert guidance. Each financial topic starts with a structured learning course that dynamically adapts over time. Sliding the bar on the right of the screen reveals the A.S.K. feature, mimicking an advisor by allowing users to ask questions and personalize their plan. As users engage, the tool refines their course for a more tailored experience. Upon completion, they receive a customized financial success plan. Users can choose between charts, graphs, or a to-do list and adjust notifications to stay accountable and informed.
Self-service tools often sacrifice guidance for automation, but NextPath proves digital financial planning can be both intuitive and supportive. NextPath can help Huntington strengthen relationships with their digitally-originated customers, making financial planning more accessible while ensuring users feel confident and in control.No embargoAcademic Major: Industrial Desig
Images of Martyrs in Early Christian Literature: The Figure of the Roman Magistrate in the Discourse of Martyrdom
Get PDFEarly Christian martyrdom accounts participate in a discourse of self-definition. Rather than serving communities as records of the events, the genre of martyrdom accounts contributed to “memory history,” in which the actual martyrdoms are reshaped into the collective experience of Christian identity. The study of trial scenes thus provides insight more on the development of sectarian division and innovation within the early Church than on the practices of Roman provincial administration. A better reading of these texts, my study argues, focuses on the figure of the Roman magistrate with a methodology of intertextual analysis to reconstruct the ideologies of the groups that created them. Acknowledging that the primary sources have been fictionalized, my project maintains that these stories advance the tenets and beliefs of the communities that authored them. My project argues that the figure of the Roman magistrate functioned as a weapon in the rhetoric of contrast and exclusion through imitatio traditions in order to define and portray “true Christians” as superior over against both Jews and rival Christians. This trajectory originates in biblical trial scenes, which include such tenets and beliefs as Christian apologetics and assertions of Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus. Increasingly, we find that martyrdom accounts adopt a doctrinal function to patrol the unacceptable in Christian ritual and community life. The implications of this study thus question the modern use of these sources to reconstruct the history of Roman criminal law.ASC Undergraduate Research ScholarshipUniversity Libraries' Arts & Humanities Undergraduate FellowshipNo embargoAcademic Major: HistoryAcademic Major: Political Scienc
Microfluidic Manufacturing of PEG Surface-Conjugated Liposome-Encapsulated Hemoglobin
No full textOver the past few decades, PEG surface-conjugated liposome-encapsulated hemoglobin (PEG-HbV) has been investigated as a red blood cell (RBC) substitute. However, the formulation and homogenization processes to refine the size of particles take extensive time and effort. Hence, microfluidic devices were explored to synthesize PEG-HbV by manipulating small volumes in a microchannel environment using a lab-on-a-chip approach. Microfluidic devices allow ease of scale-up, precise control of flow rates to adjust liposome size, and faster synthesis times. In this study, a herringbone microfluidic chip design was selected for the synthesis of PEG-HbV, wherein a lipid stream and aqueous stream converged and underwent chaotic mixing from pattern indentations to form liposomes. The lipid stream contained a solution of distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC), distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine poly(ethylene glycol)5000 (DSPE-PEG5000) and cholesterol dissolved in pure ethanol. The aqueous stream contained human hemoglobin (hHb) dispersed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). This study tested the parameters of lipid composition, organic phase-to-aqueous phase flow rate ratios, and hHb concentration. Based on results from microscopy, the morphology of synthesized PEG-HbVs was spherical, which confirmed the synthesis of PEG-HbV particles and entrapment of hemoglobin. The preliminary goal guiding syntheses was to produce monodisperse PEG-HbV particles with an average diameter of 200 nm. The particles manufactured ranged in diameter from 180 nm to 600 nm with some variability in size reaching over 1 µm, leaving room for further parameter optimization. Overall, this initial goal of this study was to determine the potential for using microfluidics to synthesize PEG-HbV as an RBC substitute, then to see how different parameters affect PEG-HbVs to try and match previous PEG-HbV dimensions.A three-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Chemical Engineerin
Examining Hydrothermal Alteration Products in the Basal Layer of the Sevier Gravity Slide as Evidence for Thermal Pressurization During Slide Motion
No full textIn this thesis, I characterize mineral assemblages at the base of the Sevier Gravity Slide (SGS) in southwestern Utah. These mineral assemblages are hypothesized to be hydrothermal in origin. This alteration serves as potential evidence for thermal pressurization, the hypothesized primary mechanism of transportation and emplacement of the SGS within the greater Marysvale gravity slide complex (MGSC) located in southwestern Utah. The physical processes that allow for the long run-out deposition of these slides are difficult to constrain. Previous research, based on field observations of the basal detachment plane, suggests thermal pressurization may have created the conditions necessary for such behavior; however, this interpretation is based on direct evidence of high fluid pressures within the basal layer of the gravity slide. A direct link between those fluid pressures and high temperatures within the basal zone – a key component to the thermal pressurization model – have yet to be established. Within the North Sanford Valley locality, two samples were collected from the section of the cataclastic basal layer of the SGS where both color and induration changed systemically as a function of distance from the sliding surface, leading to the hypothesis that both color and induration are reflective of hydrothermal alteration localized around the sliding surface. Bulk and clay X-ray diffraction was performed on both samples to determine overall mineral compositions, and thin sections were created for petrological analysis via point counting and scanning electron microscopy. I argue that the results may show evidence for two distinct metasomatic events; an initial permeation of calc-alkaline epithermal fluid that may have contributed to structural weakening and emplacement, and a later sodic potassic influx along faults and fractures created during slide emplacement. Initial precipitation of actinolite and a more general greenschist-facies was interpreted to have been present during emplacement, but the later pseudomorphic replacement of actinolite as aegirine- augite as well as the presence of late-stage mica veins suggests a more recent metasomatic influence from sodium and potassium rich epithermal fluid. I interpret these observations to be the products of a changing chemical environment associated with the greater Marysvale volcanic field and Basin and Range extension.No embargoAcademic Major: Earth Science
Interview of Eileen Bradner by Katie Saucer
No full textThis oral history interview with Eileen Bradner explores her career in public service and law, with a focus on her work with Senator John Glenn. Bradner recounts her upbringing in Toledo, Ohio, early political activism, and formative internships in Washington, D.C. She joined the Senate Special Committee on Aging, contributing to the development of the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS), and later served as Glenn’s legislative assistant while attending Georgetown Law. Her portfolio expanded to include manufacturing and trade, where she advocated for Ohio industries and helped shape trade legislation.
The interview highlights Bradner’s insights into legislative processes, inter-committee collaboration, and constituent advocacy, particularly for Ohio’s industrial base. She reflects on Glenn’s leadership style, his deep concern for workers, and his enduring support for staff, including during her international adoption process. Bradner also discusses her transition to private legal practice and her role in establishing a Washington office for Nucor Corporation, where she continued to advocate for American manufacturing. Bradner also describes her retirement activities and her engagement in public history, civic education, and health advocacy.This oral history was conducted in partnership with History Associates, Inc. and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University
Faculty Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, April 10, 2025
Get PDFThe University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history