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Isolated in my resentment: Outcomes of existential isolation and incel traits
No full textRecent work has begun to examine the traits that define an “incel” (i.e., involuntary celibate) and the risk to well-being posed by these traits. However, the social determinants of incel traits, and ways address these determinants, remain an open question. The current work examined the association between existential isolation (EI), or the perception that one is alone in their experiences and worldview, and incel traits, as well as the implications of this association for unpartnered men’s well-being. First, the association of each chronic (Study 1 and Study 2) and acute (Study 3) experiences of EI with incel traits, and self-perceptions (Study 1), meta-dehumanizing perceptions, and misogynistic perceptions (Study 2) were examined. Next, corrective information targeting erroneous meta-dehumanizing perceptions (Study 4), and feedback eliciting shared reality (Study 5), were each examined as potential interventions. Results provide consistent evidence to suggest that unpartnered men who feel more EI express more incel traits, and consequently report more negative views of themselves and beliefs about how they are viewed by women; though, shared reality feedback may be effective for attenuating these outcomes. These results suggest that EI may be a key social determinant of incel traits, and highlight addressing these feelings as an important step towards improving the well-being of men who possess incel traits
Beyond The Balance Sheet: Assessing Both Clinical And Community Impacts Of Private Equity Involvement With Healthcare Facilities Throughout The State Of Texas
No full textThis paper works to analyze the effects of private equity ownership on hospitals throughout the state of Texas. The data that is analyzed is total yearly revenue, uncompensated care as a percentage of total revenue, potentially preventable complications rates, and average charges per case of the two most available conditions based on data. The data used is comprised of all available reports from the Texas Department of Health Services during the period from 2012 - 2023. The method that was performed was a staggered difference-in-difference design. This test was able to show the effects pre- and post-acquisitions of the hospitals against the control of the hospitals in Texas that were never acquired or involved with private equity in any way. The findings found an adverse effect from private equity in higher average rates of potentially preventable complications, charges per case, and overall drop in revenue. These effects took form with the greatest intensity three - four years post-acquisition. The findings support the idea that private equity is overall detrimental to patients of hospitals in the state of Texas as it brings lower quality of care and higher costs associated with care
Examining School Discipline Patterns in Dallas ISD
No full textDuring the Get-Tough Era, zero tolerance policies and school resource officers were implemented in schools all over the country (Beger, 2002). This led to lots of students being expelled, suspended, and/or arrested on campus (Fisher & Hennessey, 2016; Devlin & Gottfredson, 2016). More specifically, the students affected tend to be youth of color and those from low-income communities (Mendez et al., 2002; Mendez & Knoff, 2003). While there is a great deal of research confirming the disproportionate discipline and how it affects youth of color, there are few efforts to understand the concentration of hotspots in certain areas. This study attempts to fill that gap. Based on the findings presented, two conclusions are warranted: there are hotspots in school discipline within the Dallas Independent School district and there were no differences in demographic information collected from the U.S. Census Bureau when comparing hotspot and non-hotspot areas
INVESTIGATING THE UBIQUITIN LIGASE ACTIVITY OF BRCA1 FROM C. ELEGANS
No full textBRCA1 is a tumor suppressor protein that normally acts with its partner, BARD1, to facilitate DNA repair, regulation of the cell cycle, and regulation of gene expression. The Caenorhabditis elegans homologs of BRCA1 and BARD1, BRC-1 and BRD-1, respectively, retain these key functions and thus make C. elegans a suitable model organism for studying the functions of BRCA1. While the functions of BRCA1 and BRC-1 are well characterized, the molecular mechanisms by which these functions are carried out are still unclear. For example, BRCA1 and BRC-1 possess E3 ubiquitin ligase activity towards histone H2A in nucleosomes, but it is unknown how this contributes to tumor suppression. While inherited mutations in BRCA1 that disrupt tumor suppression lack E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, they also interfere with other critical molecular functions, such as BARD1 binding. To pinpoint the role of ligase activity, we aim to characterize a mutant construct of BRC-1 in C. elegans that lacks E3 ubiquitin ligase activity towards histone H2A but retains the ability to bind BRD-1. In vitro ubiquitination assays demonstrate that our candidate for this mutant of BRC-1, Trip A, is ligase-dead towards histone H2A in nucleosomes. Co-purification of BRC-1 and BRD-1 in which only BRC-1 contained the histidine tag revealed that BRC-1:BRD-1 binding is retained in the Trip A mutant. While these results demonstrate that Trip A meets in vitro requirements for a ligase-dead mutant, further in vivo experiments are needed to confirm its suitability. If confirmed as a suitable ligase-dead mutant through in vivo experiments, Trip A can be expressed in C. elegans to identify which functions of BRC-1 depend on E3 ubiquitin ligase activity towards histone H2A in nucleosomes
Investigation of the Presence and Impact of Heavy Metals in the Trinity River
No full textThe Trinity River is an important body of water that serves as a source of drinking water, a location for recreational activities, and an ecologically significant habitat for a variety of organisms. The Trinity River is located in the densely populated and urbanized Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, creating an increased risk of pollution from contaminated runoff, wastewater treatment plant discharge, and industrial plant effluent. Heavy metals were of particular concern as a class of contaminants that are relevant in urban environments and can induce long-term negative effects on aquatic organisms. This project aimed to evaluate the presence and biological impact of heavy metals in sediment and surface water samples collected from the Trinity River. Larval fathead minnows were exposed to sediment and surface water samples collected from the Trinity River, and gene expression levels of four biomarkers were measured. Metallothionein was used as a biomarker of exposure to heavy metals, whereas catalase, superoxide dismutase, and heat shock protein 70 were used as biomarkers of adverse effects. All biomarkers showed significant upregulation in specific groups, providing evidence of heavy metal contamination and impact in the Trinity River
WHEN CANCER CELLS GO TO THE WARBURG EFFECT, WHERE DOES LACTATE GO? EXPLORING LACTATE METABOLISM IN CANCER CELLS
No full textMetabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer, allowing tumor cells to sustain proliferation under varying nutrient and oxygen conditions. One of the most well-known adaptations is the Warburg effect, wherein cancer cells preferentially utilize glycolysis to generate ATP and produce lactate, even in the presence of oxygen. While lactate has long been considered a metabolic waste product, emerging studies suggest that it may have regulatory functions beyond energy production. In this study, we investigate how lactate influences the metabolic enzyme malate dehydrogenase 1 (MDH1), a key component of the malate-aspartate shuttle and a contributor to cytosolic NAD+ regeneration. Using CRISPR-mediated MDH1 knockout models, cell proliferation assays, a cell-free mitochondrial system, and direct enzymatic activity measurements, we demonstrate that lactate--both L- and D-enantiomers--activates MDH1. This activation is independent of lactate's conventional metabolic conversion via lactate dehydrogenase. Notably, D-lactate, which mammalian cells cannot metabolize, produced similar effects to L-lactate, indicating a non-metabolic, potentially signaling-based mechanism. Structural modeling using AlphaFold2 further supports the presence of a putative lactate-binding site on MDH1. These findings suggest a novel paradigm in which lactate directly regulates mitochondrial metabolism, redefining its role in the Warburg effect and its contribution to cancer cell proliferation
Ranchwomen, rodeo girls, and rough riders: The makings of a nineteenth and twentieth century cowgirl
No full textDespite their iconic place within the history of the American West, a concrete definition of a cowgirl is and what exactly a cowgirl does is yet murky and undefined. Cowgirls and the rich cultural significance that they carry are best understood through a careful examination of their jobs. The three-pronged definition of the cowgirl as proposed within this these are ranch women, rodeo athletes, and outlaws. It is through these proposed occupations that the cowgirl can be defined as such a historically significant and enduringly iconic American figure. This thesis explores the modes by which these occupations allow the cowgirl to gain financial independence, and the ways that these jobs equip the cowgirl with the ability to transform social and gendered norms during the nineteenth and twentieth century
Knowledge sourcing by multi-locational firms in Chinese cities: Mining and integrating local knowledge stocks in private and state-owned firms
No full textA linked firm-patent dataset is generated for a sample of approximately 400 domestic, multi-locational firms operating in China over the period 2001-15. Analysis focuses on the character of technologies produced within the different R and D plants of these firms. We show that most multi-unit firms produce different kinds of knowledge within their R and D units and that the likelihood of technology differences increases with the number of R and D plants within each firm. Evidence of a geography of knowledge sourcing is presented that rests on the technological similarity between the patents produced within a firm's R and D plants and those produced in the cities where those plants are located. We also find that the average complexity of patents generated by firms is positively related to the number of R and D units that they operate. That these benefits emerge for multi-locational firms operating within a single country suggests that the constraints on knowledge diffusion operate at a relatively disaggregate spatial scale. Finally, our results indicate that collaboration between headquarters and non-headquarters R and D units within firms has a differential impact on the complexity of knowledge produced and that state versus private ownership of firms influences the nature and impact of intra-firm collaboration
Finding My Way: Black Doulas' Communication with Other Birthing Care Providers in an Interprofessional Work Environment.
No full textBlack women suffer more complications and birthing harms compared to other race-ethnic groups. Even when birthing equity initiatives are implemented, many Black families choose to work with a Black doula to reduce harms linked to obstetric racism. Most Black doulas described their role as helping women have the kind of birth they want; however, problems doulas experience in communicating with other birthing team members are not well understood. Situated in the interprofessional team communication model, this study asked fifty Black doulas to respond to two open-ended questions about their communication experiences with other birthing care providers. Thematic analysis identified six themes including efforts to establish legitimacy as a doula, responding to provider use of power strategies, negotiating roles and responsibilities on the birthing team, conflict from difference in birthing philosophies, impact of hospital regulation of doulas on their practice, and how doula advocacy was conducted. While Black doulas reported successful communication with other providers, they also described microaggressions experienced from members of predominantly White birthing teams. Preemptive communication strategies that doulas used to encourage other birthing team members to accept them onto the team were identified. Suggestions for how Black doulas can be more fully integrated into birthing teams were also presented
The Effects of Novel Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on LPS-Induced Cytokine Gene Expression in BV2 Cells
No full textAlzheimer's Disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, currently impacts almost seven million people in the United States over the age of 65. It is predicted that by 2060 over 13 million people in the United States will be affected by AD, which is why there is a growing demand for treatments. Amyloid B plaques and phosphorylated tau proteins are both associated with the progression of the AD pathology since they play a role in the disruption of neuronal integrity. These aggregated proteins along with other molecules, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lead to increased inflammation by activating the NFkB pathway. The NFkB pathway regulates the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as Interleukin-1 Beta (IL-1B) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa); however, if it is overactive, it can lead to harmful inflammation. The company P2D Biosciences provides novel compounds designed to reduce inflammation, but the exact mode of action of these compounds is unknown. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) can be utilized to measure cytokine mRNA from BV2 cells that have been pretreated with the drugs and then with LPS. In this project we screened multiple compounds (PD340 and PD2244) provided by P2D Biosciences to evaluate their use as anti-inflammatory agents to treat AD. It was concluded that PD340 reduced IL-1B and TNFa gene expression while PD2244 reduced IL-1B gene expression. Further testing needs to be conducted to find the exact mechanism of the compounds