62021 research outputs found
Sort by
Medieval Devotional Icons as an Assertion of Political and Cultural Authority
No full textThroughout the Medieval period, visual art played a large role in religious culture. The production of sacred portraits to be used in devotional and liturgical practices, known as religious icons, became tradition. As the Byzantine Empire grew between the 4th and 15th centuries, so did the dedication to rich aesthetics for these objects. Primarily originating in the Byzantine Empire’s capital in Constantinople, these devotional icons grew increasingly opulent and began to develop cult-like followings. However, the creation of lavish devotional icons was not limited to Constantinople or the Byzantine Empire.
Created in central Bulgaria during the Second Bulgarian Empire in the 14th century, the Icon of Saint Virgin Eleusa, Nessebar, served as a physical representation of Jesus Christ’s presence. The choice to represent him as an infant with the Virgin Mary emphasizes the miraculous and transcendental qualities of his life. Through research regarding materiality, iconography, inscription, and site-specificity, it is possible to begin to uncover the significance and impact of this icon. Commissioned by Tsar Ivan Alexander’s uncle, Michael (Shishman) Assen III, the creation of the icon served as both a political and religious statement.
The painstaking production process and use of expensive materials for this icon contributed to its sublime effects on the devotional practices of its audience. This study finds that in the creation of this icon, the Bulgarian Empire asserted its political authority in material culture and luxurious veneration objects to rival Constantinople. Specifically, this study shows the political implications of the icon’s creations revealed through examining its inscription, in which Shishman states his grand desires for the icon’s impact. By asserting the authority of the Second Bulgarian Empire, Shishman makes clear his intention to elevate the status of the Second Bulgarian Empire through its production of material culture.Arts Undergraduate Research GrantArts & Humanities Undergraduate Library Fellowship ProgramA three-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: History of Ar
Neural Correlates of the Development of Word Laterality in the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) During Early Childhood
No full textIntroduction: Humans have long been fascinated with how the brain is organized to support complex cognitive functions. One key finding is cortical specialization; the brain harbors many regions specialized to carry out specific cognitive functions. Many of these functional regions display lateralization, meaning they are more specialized to one hemisphere than the other. The Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) is one such region. The VWFA is an area of ventral temporal cortex (VTC) specialized for written scripts, and it develops category selectivity only after literacy. In adults, this word selectivity is dominant on the left. The experience dependent nature of the VWFA makes it a prime opportunity to investigate the development of functional laterality in the human brain, potentially revealing domain general mechanisms also related to the development of other lateralized functions. Therefore, we ask, what neural correlates relate to the development of word laterality in young children?
Methods: We tested two potential sources of this word laterality: 1) structural connectivity of the VWFA with the high-level language network in frontal and temporal cortices and 2) activation in these language regions. To do so, we scanned reading children (4-13 years) on a visual fMRI task to define word and face regions as well as a separate auditory fMRI localizer to estimate language responses and collected diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to examine white matter connectivity. We defined face, word, and (spoken) language regions for each individual child and independent runs were used to extract activation to each condition to calculate selectivity and laterality; probabilistic tractography was used to quantify white matter connections between these regions.
Results: Word selectivity was significantly left lateralized in our sample of young children. The magnitude of word laterality did not correlate with age, indicating variability in word laterality may be driven by other factors. Word laterality was positively and significantly related to laterality of the VWFA’s connectivity with frontal language regions. Additionally, word laterality correlated with auditory language selectivity in both frontal and temporal language regions. Laterality of language selectivity in these same regions was also positively and significantly related to word laterality.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that both connectivity to related regions and activation patterns in those connected regions may play a role in the development of functional laterality. Additionally, our investigations shed further light on the development of the neural circuitry that underlies reading behavior.OSU Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Brain Imaging (CCBBI), 2024 Gibson Research AwardThe College of Arts & Sciences at OSU (Dr. Saygin)The Chronic Brain Injury program at OSU (Dr. Saygin)R01 HD110401-01 (Dr. Saygin)A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Neuroscienc
The Ohio State University Commencement Address by Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Spring 2025
No full textCommencement address given by Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Former NASA Administrator, Astronaut, and U.S. Marine Major General, to the Spring 2025 graduating class of The Ohio State University, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, May 4, 2025
Structure-Function Studies on Nonmuscle Myosin-2
Get PDFBackground: C.elegans is a powerful model organism for studying actomyosin-dependent processes such as development, cell division, and migration and has been used in numerous studies to decipher the role of nonmuscle myosin-2 in this simplified system.
Nonmuscle myosin-2 is an ATP-dependent actin-based molecular motor that moves and shapes cells by pulling on actin filaments. However, unlike mammalian nonmuscle myosin-2 motors, the functional capacities and limitations of the C.elegans proteins are unknown, creating a roadblock for computational and functional studies.
Methods: The FLAG-tagged minimal functional unit of C.elegans nonmuscle myosin-2 was recombinantly produced using the baculovirus/Sf9 insect cell expression system and a purification strategy was devised. Rabbit skeletal muscle actin was purified from native sources. The complex between nonmuscle myosin-2 and actin was assembled and subjected to negative stain and cryo-electron microscopy analyses. Cryo-electron microscopy data were processed using cryoSPARC to reveal the three-dimension structure of the actomyosin complex.
Results: Negative stain electron microscopy experiments showed that the motor itself undergoes conformational changes in the presence of different nucleotides, indicating that C.elegans nonmuscle myosin-2 is a proper, enzymatically active motor. The high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure showed that myosin binds actin in a typical arrowhead conformation and that myosin undergoes conformation changes when bound to actin. Further, the data revealed the structural details of nonmuscle myosin-2 that explain how it interacts with actin to power fundamental biological processes.
Conclusions: In summary, the three-dimensional structure of the protein will contribute to defining the physiological capacities and limitations of the proteins, which will be used to inform cell biological and computational studies of nonmuscle myosin-2 in C.elegans.No embargoAcademic Major: Biochemistr
Scalable Bioprocess Development and Characterization of PCSK9-Targeted Adnectin Fusion Proteins: A Potential LDL-Cholesterol Lowering Therapy
Get PDFDenman Undergraduate Research Forum Presentation 2025Familial Hypercholesterolemia is a prevalent genetic disorder characterized by elevated circulating low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which increases the risk of early-
onset atherosclerosis and arterial blockages. Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) plays a critical role in LDL cholesterol uptake regulation by degrading LDL receptors, thereby reducing cholesterol clearance. PCSK9 inhibitors, such as monoclonal antibodies like evolocumab (Repatha), have been developed as therapeutics. As an alter- native to mAbs, adnectins—small proteins derived from the human fibronectin 10th-type III domain—have been engineered to target PCSK9. However, due to their small size (11.3 kDa), Adnectins undergo rapid renal clearance, necessitating half-life extension strategies. Previous approaches, including PEGylation (BMS-962476) and human serum albumin fusion (LIB003), have shown promise, with LIB003 demonstrating success in Phase 3 clinical trials.
This study investigates the development and characterization of adnectin fusions with small human serum albumin binding chaperone proteins, including albumin affibody and anti-albumin nanobody protein forms, as an alternative to direct human serum albumin fusion. The focus of this study was optimizing scalable bioprocessing techniques for the expression and purification of PCSK9-binding adnectin fusion proteins. Recombinant protein expression was optimized using E. coli cell lines as a cost-effective alternative to mammalian cell culture. Upstream processing was evaluated by screening soluble protein expression for extrinsic conditions using various growth media, induction temperatures, and isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) concentrations. Lower induction temperatures were found to significantly enhance the soluble expression of adnectin fusion proteins on a per cell basis.
Additionally, a single-step chromatographic purification strategy utilizing self-cleavingaffinity tags (split intein technology) was implemented to eliminate the need for costly polishing chromatography steps. This study characterized intein cleavage kinetics for adnectin fusion protein purification. Later, 10x scale-up purification using Npu split intein purification was demonstrated, yielding 3.9 mg of pure adnectin fusion protein.No embargoAcademic Major: Chemical EngineeringAcademic Major: Biochemistr
De-stigmatization: A Case Study on Art Brut Therapy Narratives and Their Impact on Mental Disability Group
No full textBusiness, Society, and International Relations (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)This study examines how Art Brut therapy narratives reconstruct the identities of individuals with mental disabilities and reshape societal perceptions of mental illness in contemporary China. By analyzing 375 WeChat articles from the Nanjing Art Brut Center through sentiment analysis and semantic network analysis, alongside semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, this research explores how the "artification" of psychiatric patients’ work fosters new social identities. The findings reveal that Art Brut narratives frame individuals with mental illness as creative, authentic, and naturally artistic, shifting away from traditional stigmatized representations. However, this transformation also raises concerns about the romanticization of mental illness, replacing previous pathological portrayals with an idealized image of the “positive Other.” This study contributes to discussions on mental illness discourse, symbolic interactionism, and alternative therapeutic practices, offering insights into the complex interplay between stigma, identity, and artistic representation.A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Sociolog
SideQuest: A Fantasy-Focused Adventure Game
No full textReceived an award from Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA)Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impairments in attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. If left untreated or undiagnosed, individuals with ADHD face a heightened risk of engaging in hazardous behaviors such as car accidents, dropping out of educational institutions, and developing substance addictions. Currently, treatment options for ADHD exhibit varying degrees of efficacy. However, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) stands out as one of the most promising approaches. The primary objective was to conceptualize an experience that could be utilized by individuals with ADHD and those without, ensuring its universal appeal, akin to highly rated video games. My research methodology involved a comprehensive literature review, encompassing articles published by esteemed organizations such as the National Institute of Health, ADHD Centre UK, EndeavourOTC, and others. Through this research, I found a pattern. Video games possess the inherent ability to provide interactive entertainment and be memorable. The majority of video game experiences specifically target cognitive functions that are disproportionately affected by ADHD. This suggests that video games possess the potential to serve as a viable treatment option, provided that it is implemented carefully and with appropriate limitations. It is important to acknowledge that individuals with ADHD often exhibit hyper fixation and, in some cases, develop addictive tendencies towards activities such as video games. Another research methodology employed was the creation of user personas, which played a pivotal role in transforming the gathered information into distinct user profiles that guided the development of specific game functions and mechanics for SideQuest. Additionally, media scans and competitive analyses were conducted using various programs over defined timeframes to assess their potential integration into the user’s daily routine.
The culmination of this research resulted in a prototype of a user-friendly video game called SideQuest. This game incorporates real-life task management techniques very similar to those found in standard “reminders” applications. However, it distinguishes itself by recording and rewarding users for completing tasks throughout the day. These rewards manifest in the form of tangible items, weapons, unique gear, and occasionally unlocking hidden abilities that facilitate progression through the game’s video game component. Users have the option to engage in solo gameplay or collaborate with friends. Future goals and research include conducting further usability testing and, ideally, prototyping a functional version of the game.No embargoAcademic Major: Visual Communication Desig
Understanding the influence of early life growth on subsequent growth and body size in juvenile Lake Erie Yellow Perch
Get PDFMultiple hypotheses from marine ecosystems suggest that fast early life growth can enhance future growth and recruitment, yet their applicability to freshwater ecosystems is unclear. While some studies in freshwater systems have shown support for these hypotheses, others report mixed or non-significant effects, highlighting the need for more research in freshwater populations. Such knowledge could help us understand growth and recruitment variation in populations. Toward this end, we investigated the influence of early life (first four weeks of life) growth on growth performance during subsequent weeks of life and individual length-at-capture in age-0 (juvenile) Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) collected in central Lake Erie, where strong recruitment events have been absent since 2012. We measured otolith growth rates in 30 individuals per year collected during fall 2010 and 2018 from management units 2 and 3 (MU2 and MU3) in central Lake Erie. We expected to find positive relationships between early life growth rate and subsequent weekly growth rates, as well as juvenile Yellow Perch length-at capture in the fall. As expected, we found that average daily growth rates during the first two weeks of life were strongly correlated; however, the influence of any given week’s growth on subsequent weeks declined through time, with significant effects disappearing after about 6 weeks. Unexpectedly, we also found no relationship between growth rate during the first four weeks of life and juvenile length-at-capture. Collectively, these findings indicate that the effects of early life (e.g., larval) growth rate can carry over (linger) but only for a limited period. Further, they highlight the need for comparative studies between growth rates in the central basin – where recruitment has been declining – and other Lake Erie basins where it has remained stable. Such studies could help place our central basin growth rates in perspective (e.g., perhaps they are low compared to the west basin) and allow for relationships between the annual early life growth rate and annual recruitment success to be more fully explored.No embargoAcademic Major: Evolution and Ecolog
Transposon mutagenesis used to observe factors essential to growth using 5-deoxy-D-ribose
Get PDFS-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is a compound used by all organisms for various cellular processes. When SAM undergoes radical SAM reactions, a deoxynucleoside known as 5’-deoxyadenosine (5dAdo) is produced. SAM may also be converted into another nucleoside known as 5’ methylthioadenosine (MTA), which is sulfur-containing. In Extraintestinal Pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), MTA and 5dAdo are further used by the cell as a carbon source through a metabolic pathway called the dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) shunt. By studying which genes are required for the use of 5dAdo and MTA for growth by ExPEC strains we can gain a new perspective on how bacteria can grow and proliferate in a variety of different environments. Initially, it was observed that the byproducts of SAM metabolism, MTA and 5dAdo, were metabolized to the precursor metabolite DHAP by the DHAP shunt. What was unknown was if any other factors affected the cell’s ability to use the DHAP shunt for growth. Building a library of isolates using random transposon mutagenesis allowed us to scan the E. coli genome and identify these factors. The pRL27 plasmid vector containing the Tn5 transposable element made this study possible. Using certain selectivity elements of the transposon such as Kanamycin resistance and pir-dependent replication site allowed us to keep track of the Tn5 element. We were able to isolate a total of 36 isolates that showed significant differences in growth patterns on glucose versus 5-deoxyribose, a metabolite of 5dAdo metabolism in E. coli. Of these isolates, the majority of them had Tn5 insertions in genes relating to transporters and lipopolysaccharide synthesis. This transposon mutagenesis library will show us what other genes are required for use of the DHAP shunt for growth. In the future, these results may help researchers and medical professionals understand how ExPEC can utilize the DHAP shunt as a carbon salvage pathway to survive in various areas of the nutrient-scarce environments in the body.No embargoAcademic Major: Microbiolog
The EBLM project XV. 4 Eclipsing M-dwarfs Characterized With TESS and HARPS
No full textM-dwarfs are the least constrained type of stars in our galaxy despite them being the most abundant. The literature on M-dwarfs is fairly limited in terms of constraints and properties of these stars. To better study them, we are using eclipsing binaries to constrain their properties in a similar manner we do for exoplanets. We have selected four binary targets to fully analyze using TESS light curves, HARPS radial velocity (RV) measurements, and EXOFASTv2 to synthesize more precise data to best constrain M-dwarfs. This paper provides precise fundamental properties of four M-dwarf stars, including the mass ratio, radii, and temperatures of the orbiting stars. The primary goal of this paper is to expand the literature on constrained principles of M-dwarfs to better study them and their companions.Ohio State University Department of AstronomyNo embargoAcademic Major: Astronomy and Astrophysic