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Editorial: Multimodal approaches to investigating neural dynamics in cognition and related clinical conditions: integrating EEG, MEG, and fMRI data
Full text linkVoRSUNY DownstatePsychiatry and Behavioral SciencesN/
“It's how it's perceived by others;” a Qualitative Examination of LGBTQ+ Employees Navigation of Communication through Performative Face Theory
Full text linkThe following study answers three research questions through the use of performative face theory (Moore, 2017) as a theoretical framework. These questions are: what face threatening acts have LGTBQ+ workers experienced, how did workers respond to these acts, and what organizational level rhetoric and discourse in relation to LGBTQ+ identity has impacted these participants in the workplace. Data were collected through semi structured one-on-one interviews with nine participants. These qualitative data were then transcribed and analyzed using iterative analysis, including emic coding to discover general themes that emerged, and etic coding for findings that answer the research questions, or relate to elements of the theoretical framework of performative face theory and Emotional Labor as an intrapsychic process. The study found various findings, including face threats experienced by LGTBQ+ workers, how they responded, and organizational factors that impact their experiences. This thesis contributes to knowledge on the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ employees at the micro and meso level of communication analysis.NASUNY OswegoStrategic CommunicationMAVickery, Andre
Post-radiotherapy bone fragility: investigating osteoclast activity and novel preventative treatments
Full text linkIntroduction: Post-radiotherapy bone fragility is a complex disorder that often results in fragility fractures. These fractures are difficult to predict and often result in complications such as nonunion. Currently no preventative treatments are available to prevent fragility and subsequent fractures following irradiation. One of the main drivers that has stalled development of treatments is a lack of understanding of the cellular mechanisms that drive this condition. Murine model data has identified a short-term increase in osteoclast activity followed by a long-term loss of osteoclasts after radiotherapy. However, the mechanisms that underly this osteoclast dysregulation are unknown. We hypothesized that irradiation directly contributes to the short-term increase in osteoclast activation following irradiation. The overall aim of this dissertation is to identify the cellular mechanisms of post-radiotherapy bone fragility to identify druggable targets for the design of preventative treatments.
Methods: Both in vitro and in vivo methods were used in this dissertation. Osteoclast in vitro studies used a combination of primary murine cells isolated from the bone marrow and the well-established pre-osteoclast like murine RAW 264.7 cell line. Techniques such as qRT-PCR, microscopy, and resorption pit assays were used to understand the transcriptional and functional activity of bone cells following radiotherapy. In vivo studies used female Balb/c mice which received 4 consecutive daily doses of 5 Gy irradiation to the right hindlimb only. Histology, μCT and mechanical testing, among other techniques, were utilized to analyze in vivo samples.
Results: Data from in vitro analysis of osteoclasts showed that osteoclast activation following irradiation is dependent on RANK-L. Irradiated osteocytes significantly increased osteoclast differentiation however osteocytes did not increase RANK-L transcription. In vitro, quercetin decreased osteoclastogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. However, quercetin food supplements did little to attenuate markers of bone fragility in our in vivo mouse model. Caloric restriction attenuated some markers of bone fragility following irradiation in our mouse model, however our preliminary caloric restriction protocol induced signs of stress in mice. Our updated caloric restriction protocol using a cage divider system eliminated signs of stress seen in the preliminary protocol. The updated caloric restriction model was most effective in attenuating short-term markers of bone fragility.
Conclusion: The data presented in this study suggest that short-term osteoclast activation is reliant on RANK-L signaling. Based on in vitro data, osteocytes may play a role in osteoclast activation through secretion of factors that activate RANK/RANK-L signaling cascade. Quercetin showed promise in attenuating the short-term increase in osteoclast activation based on in vitro data, however quercetin supplementation in our murine model did not have a large effect on bone fragility. Improved delivery methods of quercetin may improve efficacy in future studies. Caloric restriction is a promising therapeutic option for post-radiotherapy bone fragility. In vivo data demonstrated improvement in short-term fragility markers. More study is needed to better understand the long-term effects of caloric restriction on bone.NAUpstate Medical UniversityCell & Developmental BiologyPhDOest, Mega
Investigating the mechanoresponse of optic nerve head astrocytes using 3D hydrogels and its implications in glaucoma
No full textAstrocytes residing within the optic nerve head (ONH) are master regulators of tissue homeostasis. They integrate multiple cues from the vasculature, matrix mechanical stimuli, and can functionally support neighboring neurons. In glaucoma, elevated intraocular pressure causes excessive biomechanical strain on the ONH. In response, astrocytes undergo early morphological remodeling, accompanied by reactive gliosis, and ECM dysregulation, prior to irreversible retinal ganglion cell damage. To better understand the ONH astrocyte mechanoresponse to glaucomatous injury, this thesis introduces a novel 3D ECM cell-encapsulated hydrogel system that more closely resembles the biochemical and mechanical milieu of in vivo neural tissue than existing 2D culture models.
In Chapter 2, we established a photocrosslinkable ECM hydrogel by mixing natural polymers, like collagen I/hyaluronic acid, with mouse ONH astrocytes (MONHAs). This model system allowed for astrocytes to develop stellate coupled network. Exposure to pro-fibrotic cytokine TGFβ2 induced reactive astrogliosis, GFAP upregulation, F-actin remodeling, and increased fibronectin/collagen IV deposition. In Chapter 3, we subjected MONHA-encapsulated hydrogels to glaucomatous biomechanical strains and showed that astrocytes exhibited strain- and time-dependent transcriptomic and morphological changes, mirroring responses seen in in vivo models of glaucoma. Specifically, strained MONHAs decreased actin coverage, increased GFAP and HIF-1α expression, and induced remodeling of
ECM collagen fibrils.
In Chapter 4, we further investigated ONH astrocyte mechanoresponse to biomechanical strain by focusing on the role of mechanosensitive channel Piezo1. Here, pharmacological activation of Piezo1 in encapsulated MONHAs revealed morphological changes similar to strain-induced alterations, such as reduced actin coverage, process retraction and nuclear volume changes. Moreover, these events were rescued upon inhibition of mechanosensitive channels or the RhoA/ROCK pathway. As such, our findings implicate Piezo1 as a key regulator of ONH astrocyte mechanoresponse to biomechanical strain, potentially through RhoA/ROCK signaling.
Finally, in Chapter 5 we integrate our findings within the broader aspects of astrocyte mechanobiology across CNS mechanopathologies and discuss future translational studies that aim at preserving astrocyte morphological integrity and slowing glaucomatous neurodegeneration. Collectively, this thesis establishes a novel 3D ECM hydrogel system as a more physiologically relevant in vitro platform, well-suited to dissect astrocyte mechanosensation, transduction, and response to glaucoma-related biomechanical strains.NAUpstate Medical UniversityNeuroscience and PhysiologyPhDGanapathy, Preeth
Dōgen's Uji in Context
Full text linkIn Zen Time, Raji C. Steineck provides a robust contextualization of Dōgen's Uji, the most renowned text on time in Zen Buddhism. Situating the text within the historical context of the medieval Zen master's writing, Steineck illustrates how Dōgen shaped the rhythm of life in the Zen monastery to actualize his idea that time in itself is salvific. Dōgen was meticulous in his observation of the particulars of each temporal moment, regarding them as an opportunity to bring together interrelated tenets of Buddhist doctrine and practice. In contrast to readings that equate the Zen approach to time with "living the moment" and that pit qualitative understandings of time against quantitative understandings, Steineck shows how Dōgen was able to connect time's qualitative and quantitative aspects in a way that, despite its mystical elements, remains instructive in relation to contemporary secular and philosophical discussions. The book includes a translation of Uji in an appendix.Research for this publication was funded by the ERC Advanced Grant ERC-ADG 741166.
Funding for the open access version of this book was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.VoRSUNY PressN/
Agricultural Colonization, Exploitation, and Exchange Since 1500
Full text linkFew institutions feature as prominently in contemporary notions of colonialism, racism, and environmental degradation as the modern plantation. The racialized plantations of the Atlantic World loom large in the public imagination, namely those of the British Caribbean and the US South. Yet, the plantation has proliferated into the Information Age and has continued to expand across the tropical zone of our planet, surviving the abolition of slavery, the collapse of European empires, and the challenge of generations of anti-colonial thinkers. To grasp how the plantation has spread and evolved in our modern world, this volume studies what it terms plantation knowledge, or the types of expertise, experience, and information processing that have made and continue to make plantations possible. Drawing on case studies including Ireland, Mexico, Mississippi, Hawaiʻi, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cuba, Brazil, and Central Africa, it examines the global spread of the plantation; the diverse people, beings, and forms of knowledge intertwined with this process; and the elasticity and durability of the plantation as a mode of commercial agriculture.This book is made freely available in an open access edition with the support of the European Union, through a project funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme grant agreement No. 889078.VoRSUNY PressN/
Parks of New York City
No full textThis map displays public parks larger than 5 acres within New York City, overlaid on neighborhood boundaries. Created using ArcGIS Pro, it highlights green spaces and urban planning distribution across Manhattan and surrounding areas.SociologyBrown, Chenesi
Evaluating the Effect of Sucrose and Fructose on the Growth Rate of Brassica Rapa in Two Soil Conditions
Full text linkSoluble sugar aids in the physiological growth of plants and metabolism. To understand this, the effects of the exogenous addition of sucrose and fructose to Rosette-dwarf flowers were studied according to parameters of plant size, germination, and photosynthetic efficiency. Results showed an adverse reaction to the addition of the sugars.Biological SciencesHellquist, C. Eri
Testing Genetic Markers to Genotypically Sex Chinook Salmon For a Parentage Based Tagging Application in Lake Ontario
Full text linkGenetic assays have shown high concordance with phenotypic sex in Pacific Northwestern U.S. salmon populations but have not been reliable thus far in Lake Ontario populations. Exploring the sex determination system of Lake Ontario chinook salmon may lead to a reliable genetic assay to infer sex in the Great Lakes.Biological SciencesSard, Nichola
Does the addition of tobacco have allelopathic effects on the growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants (Brassica rapa)?
Full text linkAllelopathy is when one plant releases chemicals that inhibit the growth of another species. Following application of tobacco solutions, we measured several plant growth parameters including germination, height, biomass, and flowering of Brassica. Preliminary observations indicate that there may be an allelopathic effect on Brassica at 50% tobacco concentration.Biological SciencesHellquist, C. Eri