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Synbiotic Intervention to the Gut Microbiome of Latino/Hispanic Migrant Communities in the U.S. to Mitigate the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
No full textCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are among the leading causes of death for the Latino/Hispanic population in the United States. Despite this, the Latino/Hispanic communities remain underserved when it comes to intervention and underrepresented in cardiovascular health research. Recent studies have suggested a connection between gut microbiome and CVD risk, with dysbiosis and reduced levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as potential contributors to CVD development. Migrant communities, particularly those who relocate to the United States, may face notable changes to their diet, lifestyle, and gut microbiome due to acculturation, which may place them at a higher risk for CVDs. Synbiotic intervention—combining probiotics and prebiotics—have demonstrated promise in restoring gut microbiome health and increasing production of SCFAs, potentially mitigating cardiovascular risk. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of synbiotic supplements in reducing CVD risk factors by improving the gut microbial health within Latino/Hispanic migrant communities. This study will analyze the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio, a marker of dysbiosis, and SCFA levels in a synbiotic treatment group compared to a placebo group. The findings of this research will advance our understanding of the connection between the gut microbiome and cardiovascular health and explore new and culturally relevant strategies for preventing CVD in migrant Latino/Hispanic communities, who may face unique health challenges due to acculturation
Phylogenetic and Geographic Analyses of Puumala Hantavirus Reveal Evidence for Isolation by Distance and Time-Structured Genetic Divergence
No full textZoonotic diseases such as hantaviruses represent a critical intersection of public, animal, and environmental health. Among them, Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) is the most prevalent in Europe and is transmitted primarily by the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). This study investigates the evolutionary dynamics of PUUV through phylogenetic analyses, with a focus on identifying patterns of genetic divergence driven by geographic distribution. Specifically, the research aims to test the Isolation by Distance (IBD) hypothesis, which posits that genetic differences among PUUV strains increase with geographic separation due to the limited dispersal of host species. Using viral RNA extracted from bank vole lung samples collected in Finland and across broader European regions, I constructed phylogenetic trees and conducted a regression analysis comparing pairwise genetic differences to geographic distances between sampling locations. Results indicate strong geographic clustering of PUUV lineages and a significant positive correlation between genetic and geographic distance, consistent with the IBD model. Notably, temporal factors also influenced genetic divergence, suggesting dynamic evolutionary pressures over time. These findings underscore the value of integrating spatial and genomic data to improve our understanding of hantavirus transmission and evolution, offering important implications for surveillance and zoonotic spillover risk mitigation across Europe
The use of natural versus suburban habitats for overwintering by White-Crowned Sparrows
No full textBird populations have declined significantly in the past fifty years, with the loss of over 2.9 billion individuals. Most of these losses are migratory birds, species who can face special challenges during their migration, as they rely on multiple different habitats. As urban and suburban centers expand further into native habitats, it is crucial to understand if migratory species facing population loss can use suburban habitat as overwintering grounds. This study focuses on one species of migratory bird, Gambel’s White-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) some of which spend their overwintering months in Claremont, California. The goal of this study was to determine if suburban habitats can provide comparable environments to a bird’s natural habitat. We wanted to examine how specific factors within contrasting environments may affect the migratory and overwintering behaviors of White- crowned sparrows. The study took place in two locations, an area of native shrub habitat in the Bernard Field Station (BFS) and a local neighborhood in a suburban area. We hypothesized that the BFS would provide more suitable habitat for overwintering sparrows than the surrounding suburban area due to higher habitat suitability and complex native vegetation. In line with this hypothesis, we predicted to see higher between-winter return rate of birds to the BFS, a higher body condition score for birds in the BFS, higher overwintering site fidelity in the BFS, and shorter distances traveled between traps by birds in the BFS due to more suitable habitat around each site. The methods utilized included trapping White-crowned sparrows for two 4-week intervals, once at the beginning of the overwintering period in the fall of each year and again in the spring. Individual birds were banded with unique number and color combinations to identify them in following trapping seasons, and camera traps were also used to identify birds. Vegetation was sampled in each site across both locations. The study used data from 3 overwintering periods, from 2022-2025. Contrasting to our predictions, we saw similar return rates of birds to both locations, and no significant difference in the body condition of birds in either location. The BFS had higher overwintering site fidelity in one winter, and the suburbs showed higher overwintering the next. Individual birds traveled on average the same maximum distance between traps in both locations despite our predictions. These results imply that suburban areas can prove to be suitable habitat for overwintering migratory species. We also saw that factors such as native vegetation and supplemental feeders can greatly increase individual returns to suburban sites. Results from this study can be utilized to understand the patterns of return rate and migration for these birds in non-native habitat, as natural habitats face increasing declines
A Selfish B Chromosome in the Jewel Wasp Nasonia vitripennis Expresses a Single Protein that Localizes to Spermatid Nuclei
No full textVarious eukaryotes carry non-essential, selfish B chromosomes that transmit themselves at super-Mendelian frequencies, causing long-term fitness costs to the organism. A compelling question is what molecular characteristics allow B chromosomes to achieve high transmission. A key to answering this question is ascertaining the repertoire of genes expressed by B chromosomes and identifying which of them are important for transmission. Our group is addressing these goals by examining a B chromosome known as PSR (Paternal Sex Ratio) in the jewel wasp, Nasonia vitripennis. PSR, transmitted to progeny paternally, causes complete elimination of the sperm’s essential chromosomes, but not itself, during the first embryonic mitotic division following fertilization. Due to the haplo-diploid reproduction of N. vitripennis, this genome elimination event leads to the conversion of diploid, female-destined embryos into haploid males that can transmit PSR. This action facilitates PSR drive. Previously we used different genomic platforms to identify 75 PSR genes that are expressed in the testis. One PSR-expressed gene, haploidizer, is necessary for PSR’s genome elimination activity. It is unknown if this or other PSR-expressed genes encode functional proteins. We recently performed proteomics on three different tissue types – the young pupal reproductive tract, the adult reproductive tract, and the adult seminal vesicle – from the wild type and PSR+ males. From this work, we found that haploidizer does not produce any detectable peptides, arguing that this gene functions via non-coding RNA. Only a single gene (NV18026) produces a protein of 242 amino acids that was detectable in the adult male reproductive tract and the seminal vesicle, the site of sperm storage. Using systemic RNA interference, we targeted the NV18026 transcript in PSR males and observed no effect on PSR’s genome elimination activity. However, our preliminary findings suggest that the NV18026 protein may play a role in PSR transmission and segregation in mitotic divisions following paternal genome elimination. We also raised rabbit antibodies against the NV18026 protein. Immunofluorescence microscopy results indicate that this protein associates with elongating sperm chromatin. Ultimately, studying NV18026 is critical for investigating the functional, protein-coding potential of B chromosomes—both in driving B chromosome inheritance and in influencing the reproductive fitness of organisms
Evolving the Brightness of Pecan, a Luciferase
No full textFirefly luciferase (Fluc) is a powerful bio-imaging tool that is well-suited for use in living organisms. The process of evolving Fluc mutants for selective processing of modified luciferins has compromised important properties of Fluc that aid imaging performance, including brightness. To restore and enhance these properties, we sought to screen mutants for improved brightness, and to identify specific residues that are important for this improvement. I constructed a library of mutations in residues 524-530 onto a prior successful mutant, P-TS-LGR. These positions were selected due to their proximity to the activity site during the light-emitting step of luciferase oxidation. Following screening, the brightest mutants were identified and quantitatively assessed for increase in luminescence. The best mutants have shown possible convergence at positions K524 and L526, indicating novel mutations that can increase brightness
Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition: Unpacking Gender Roles in Social Media Performances of the Good Life
Get PDFWhat do JD Vance, tradwife influencers, and the “sprinkle sprinkle” movement have in common? They all have something to do with the increasing popularity of an apparent return to traditional gender roles. This thesis is an intersectional investigation of women’s gender roles in relation to class and race as they appear in different performances of “the good life” on social media. Through a series of personal essays, this thesis explores how these media examples represent a deeper political unhappiness with present conditions. This thesis takes the time to unpack the different sides of discourse surrounding each subject, and counters the rapid turnover of social media content which often leads to misinformation and inflammatory reactions. I unveil what specific causes for unhappiness are perhaps at work in these media examples: capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy. By interweaving both personal experience with rigorous analysis, this thesis traverses the boundaries of public and private, and allows readers to both feel emotional resonance and critically engage with what these expressions of gender roles reveal about our political moment
CONSTRUCTING BODIES OF SUBVERSION AND RESISTANCE: THE CARCERAL QUARANTINE OF HIV-POSITIVE HAITIAN REFUGEES AT GUANTANAMO BAY UNDER U.S. IMPERIALISM
Get PDFThis thesis investigates the detention of HIV-positive Haitian refugees at Guantánamo Bay in the early 1990s as a case study of medicalized racism and U.S. imperialism. It explores how U.S. public health policy, immigration law, and Cold War-era foreign interventions converged to criminalize and confine Black Haitian bodies, constructing them as threats to national security and public health. By analyzing primary testimonies and media coverage alongside the works of scholars such as Paul Farmer and Naomi Paik, the project reveals how racialized conceptions of disease and subversion informed discriminatory practices that disproportionately targeted Haitian refugees. Furthermore, it examines how the refugees, despite being imprisoned and pathologized, engaged in powerful forms of bodily resistance – most notably through hunger strikes – that challenged their dehumanization and asserted their agency. This work situates their struggle within broader narratives of racial colonialism, biopolitics, and transnational resistance
The Plants Don\u27t Give a Fuck! : The Three Pillars of Queer Eating Disorder Recovery
No full textThis project seeks to make visible the often overlooked and invisibilized stories of trans and non-binary folks who struggle with their relationships with body and food, to begin the process of cultivating a pedagogy of programming geared towards queer youth who struggle with food into both conversations and community with farmers, and to use farming as a way of rethinking and reconceptualizing relationships with food land and labor
Modeling MRSA Co-colonization in a Hospital Environment: A Stochastic Approach
No full textMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, (MRSA) remains a significant public health threat due to its continued prevalence in communities and hospitals across the country and its growing resistance to lactam antibiotics. This paper is concerned with modeling a hospital in which both strains of MRSA, Community Acquired MRSA and Hospital Acquired MRSA, are present as well as individuals who are co-colonized with both strains. In addition to a system of Ordinary Differential Equations, our model will utilize both a Continuous Time Markov Chain and a system of Stochastic Differential Equations to better model the emerging epidemic in the hospital. Before building these two models, we outline the theory behind Discrete Markov Chains, Continuous Time Markov Chains, and Branching Processes. We will use our model to understand how hospital hygiene and the prevalence of MRSA in the community affect how endemic MRSA becomes in the hospital. We find that both increased hospital-hygiene and lower levels of CA-MRSA in the surrounding community decreases the peak levels of the MRSA epidemic. As hospital-hygiene decreases and MRSA becomes more prevalent in the community, the MRSA epidemic becomes much more variable and harder to predict, making it more difficult to track and mitigate the epidemic
BODIES REFRAMED: THE POWER OF CAMOUFLAGE AND CONCEALMENT IN FEMINIST PHOTOGRAPHY
No full textBodies Reframed captures the female body in abstract forms, to illustrate how the human body is not separate from nature, but an inherent part of it. By blending the body into its landscape, it cannot exist for objectification. Instead of being idealized, it is depicted in a more neutral state. Historically, the female body in photographs has existed to be on display, often “coded” through framing, clothing, or makeup to appeal to the male gaze. Inspired by feminist artists including Francesca Woodman, Ana Mendieta, Laura Aguilar, and Laura Hospes, Bodies Reframed challenges this narrative of objectification by capturing the female body interacting and often merging with its environment, highlighting how the body is connected to the world around it. Many of the photographs in the series explore the tension between being visible and being concealed. This leaves us to wonder: what power exists in being partially hidden from view