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Craving Friendship: Investigating Friendship Behaviors of Young Adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome
No full textFriendships are important to all of us, including those with such disabilities, as Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). This study investigated the friendship behaviors of 24 young adults with PWS through reports given by the young adult and their caregiver. Young adults with PWS completed an individual interview, while parents asynchronously completed a separate questionnaire. Young adults answered questions about their friendship behaviors, while parents answered demographic information about themselves and their child, questions on PWS behavioral phenotype characteristics, general friendship questions (e.g., what their friends are like, where they meet friends, etc.), and their friendship behaviors. Findings reveal that young adults with PWS mainly meet their friends through family connections and most friends are individuals with other disabilities. Further, lower friendship behavior scores relate to more severe maladaptive behavior and rigidity. Furthermore, young adults consistently rated themselves as a better friend than their parent did. Directions for future research and policy implications are suggested
Becoming a Mask
No full textA collection of short stories exploring Chinese immigration of the United States and its generational effects on family and identity. Set primarily in New York and Fujian, China, many of these stories examine the pains and joys of a particular historic wave of Fujianese migration to the U.S. in th late-20th century, which gave rise to th Fujianese community in New York City, through various perspectives- some from the point of view of those who immigrate, some from the viewpoint of individuals, mostly adolescents, of the generation that followed this initial
wave. Family secrets, gender roles, the fraughtness of communication and connection, and art- making feature heavily ninthis collection. These stories aim to illuminate this notable period of Chinese immigration otothe U.S. and humanize migrants and their communities
Inclusion By Design: Reimagining Access To Virtual Math Tools Through User Experience
No full textLeadership and Learning in Organizations capstone projectThis capstone project, conducted in partnership with Brainingcamp, explores how virtual math tools can better serve diverse student and educator populations through inclusive design. Brainingcamp, a provider of digital K–8 math manipulatives, identified a need to understand who their users are and how engagement varies across demographic groups. Guided by a conceptual framework that integrates the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) model with the ICUCARE equity framework to create Universal Design for Learning in Math (UDL), the research used mixed methods including surveys, focus groups, interviews, task analysis, and user data.
Key findings revealed that most users are experienced, white, female general education teachers, and that technological and training-related barriers, rather than demographic identity, inhibit broader usage. Opportunities emerged to improve inclusivity through enhanced cultural relevance, better feedback pathways, and reduction of technological barriers. The recommendations focus on user recruitment and retention strategies through professional learning, redesign of resources to reflect diverse contexts, and continued refinement of the digital platform to support all learners equitably. This work contributes to the field by proposing actionable strategies for creating universally designed math learning environments in digital spaces
The Role of Dorsal and Ventral White Matter Tracts in Phonological and Semantic Processing of Language in Pre-Readers and Beginning Readers
No full textThis preregistered Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) study aims to investigate the functional dissociation between left dorsal and ventral white matter tracts during reading development. We examine the unique relations of dorsal tracts (Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus, Arcuate Fasciculus) to phonological processing and ventral tracts (Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus, Inferior Fronto-Occipital Fasciculus) to semantic processing, and whether phonological specialization in dorsal tracts is evident in pre-readers and semantic specialization in ventral tracts is evident in beginning readers. Automatic Fiber Quantification was performed on DTI scans of 81 pre-readers (5-year-olds) and 164 beginning readers (7-year-olds) to map and segment white matter tracts. Partial correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between language scores and the white matter integrity (measured via fractional anisotropy) of tracts at node-level. In pre-readers, the results revealed that the tract integrity of the dorsal AF tract (nodes 68-87) showed a unique positive relation with phonological processing, measure with Elision. In beginning readers, the tract integrity of the ventral IFOF (nodes 41-57) showed a unique positive relation with semantic processing, measure with Word Classes. These findings suggest the importance of phonological processing during early language development (age 5); while during later stages of development (age 7), semantic mechanisms become more prominent in language processing. This study provides conclusive DTI evidence for a shift from phonological to semantic processing in pre-readers to beginning readers, which support the connectionist model in developmental context
Advancing Integration of Multidimensional Separations and High-Resolution Ion Mobility to Benefit Untargeted Small Molecule Analyses for Clinical and Biological Applications
No full textMultidimensional separations combined with ion mobility can enhance untargeted small molecule analyses by increasing peak capacity, providing unique molecular identifiers, and, in some cases, separating isomers and isobars. However, the integration of ion mobility (IM) into liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) untargeted metabolomic, lipidomic, and exposomic studies remains an active area of research due to the high analytical demand of complex sample types. The analysis time of these three separation techniques allows them to be nested together with liquid chromatography, ion mobility, and mass spectrometry operating typically on the order of seconds to minutes, milliseconds, and microseconds, respectively. A combination of these bioanalytical techniques (LC-IM-MS) can be used to separate isomers that otherwise could not be resolved by liquid chromatography or ion mobility alone. They can also be used in data filtering workflows to identify unknown candidate metabolites of compounds. Furthermore, high-resolution demultiplexing ion mobility combined with LC-MS provides increased feature detection in untargeted studies to better understand the isomer heterogeneity of complex biological systems, such as discovery lipidomics. Moreover, integrating multiple separation techniques with large dataset outputs can be challenging due to the lack of strategies to make the data meaningful. The large amount of data that untargeted LC-IM-MS analyses produce requires novel data acquisition and analysis solutions that have been described herein. Collectively, the untargeted separation strategies and software pipelines developed in this work can be applied to several biological and clinical settings to better understand the molecular complexity of primary samples, and ultimately, with further development, provide a global overview of systems biology to benefit clinical applications
Rooted In
No full textA collection of poems using a bildungsroman narrative structure that follows a primary speaker from her early experiences of parentification into her education and miseducation as a registered nurse. The collection unfolds in four sections: loss, education, personal growth through conflict, and maturity. Through confessional and documentary poetics, this collection aims to map medical history alongside the lives of women, using an intersectional feminist lens to illuminate the complex and oppressive structures that underpin these systems. Rooted In utilizes court transcripts, persona, competing news headlines, instructions for post-mortem care, and congressional testimonies to interrogate corporate negligence during the global health crisis, the rise of eugenics following the last pandemic, and other instances throughout medical history that threaten bodily autonomy. By engaging with "the dark birds of history," these poems enter into conversation with the works of Muriel Rukeyser, Solmaz Sharif, Natasha Trethewey, C.D. Wright, and many other notable poets. At the core of this collection, these poems ask us to consider our origins, trouble these structures, and arrive at a more capacious understanding of caring for ourselves and our communities
The Roles of IL13RA1 and IL13RA2 in Brain Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
No full textDespite recent advances in clinical care, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is still associated with poor patient prognosis and elevated risk of metastasis, especially to the brain, which is a major therapeutic challenge. The cytokines IL4 and IL13 are overexpressed by many solid tumors and are associated with invasive and metastatic phenotypes. On epithelial cancer cells, these cytokines signal through the type II IL4 receptor (IL4R; composed of IL4Rα and IL13RA1) via STAT6. IL13 additionally signals through IL13RA2, an understudied receptor predominantly characterized as a negative regulator of IL13 signaling. IL13RA2 is highly expressed on primary brain tumors and associated with aggressive tumor characteristics in some cancers. However, the biological function of IL13RA2 in cancer and its relationship with patient prognosis remain controversial. We sought to define the roles of IL13RA1 and IL13RA2 in TNBC cell behavior and metastasis, with particular attention to brain metastasis. We generated several IL13RA1- and IL13RA2-deficient TNBC cell line models using CRISPR/Cas9 and shRNA technology. Unexpectedly, we found that IL13RA1/2-deficient TNBC cells displayed survival and, to a lesser extent, growth advantages in vitro. Notably, this phenotype was most striking in IL13RA2-deficient cells. Following intracardiac injection, IL13RA2-deficient TNBC cells displayed significantly enhanced metastasis, while IL13RA1-deficient derivatives trended in the same direction. Further, low IL13RA2 expression correlates with shorter survival and presence of brain metastases in patients with breast cancer. RNA-Seq and mechanistic studies revealed that IL13RA2-deficient TNBC cells display enhanced AKT and NF-κB signaling and are sensitized to inhibition of either pathway, but especially AKT. Finally, we present preliminary studies characterizing IL4/IL13-stimulated glycosylation in TNBC cells, with particular attention to the sialyltransferase ST8SIA1, a known STAT6 target. Our data suggest that loss of IL13RA2, and possibly also IL13RA1, has pro-tumorigenic and pro-metastatic consequences in TNBC. IL13RA2 inhibition, which is being explored as a therapeutic option in other tumor contexts, should be avoided in TNBC, but AKT inhibitors could be a therapeutic option for patients with IL13RA2-low tumors
Molecular and Microenvironmental Drivers of Gastrointestinal Diseases
No full textThe gastrointestinal tract consists of interconnected organs responsible for digestion and nutrient absorption, with the small intestine and colon being the largest components of this system. Although these organs share many similarities, their specialized functions in maintaining homeostasis contribute to varying disease susceptibilities. This dissertation examines the molecular and microenvironmental factors, such as upregulated genes, emergent cell types, and microbial influences, in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer and Crohn’s disease.
In colorectal cancer, the tumor microenvironment, composed primarily of epithelial, immune, and mesenchymal cells, plays a crucial role in disease progression. This work investigated the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts in colorectal tumorigenesis. Through single-cell RNA-sequencing and multiplex immunofluorescence imaging, we characterized cancer-associated fibroblast subpopulations across two mouse models. In advanced lesions, cancer-associated fibroblasts exhibited pro-inflammatory gene expression and were spatially associated with tumor cells. Computational analysis of ligand-receptor interactions revealed significant communication between cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumor cells, suggesting cancer-associated fibroblasts are key drivers of tumor progression.
This dissertation also explores how regionalization of the gut influences susceptibility to chronic intestinal inflammation, such as Crohn’s disease. Although the gastrointestinal tract varies in structure and function across regions, the factors driving inflammation in specific areas remain unclear. Using a TNF-overexpressing Crohn's disease mouse model (TnfΔARE/+), we investigated the role of genetic and environmental factors in region-specific disease, focusing on the terminal ileum and ascending colon, the two most affected regions in human Crohn’s disease. We identified Chlamydia muridarum as necessary and sufficient for disease manifestation in the ascending colon, with inflammation driven by goblet cell expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) in genetically susceptible hosts. Finally, we investigated the role of Paneth cells in terminal ileal inflammation. While Paneth cells upregulate IDO1 in the inflamed ileum, three independent ablation models demonstrate that Paneth cells are dispensable for the development of ileal inflammation in the TnfΔARE/+ model.
Overall, these findings provide new insights into the molecular and environmental factors driving colorectal cancer and Crohn’s disease, highlighting the roles of cancer-associated fibroblasts, microbes, upregulation of IDO1, and regional gut differences in disease susceptibility and progression
e-real
No full textEnglish Department Honors Thesis.This thesis is a science fiction trilogy about relationship building and shattering between a human, robot, and supercomputer. The chief setting of the desert was an intentional choice to juxtapose the living with the lifeless, as well as provide a motif with the cosmos on a greater beauty. Similarly, the all-metal city (the destination) marks a precipice for machine ingenuity at the cost of everything else. I incorporated current anxieties around AI into the conception of the two non-human characters. Their existence and stories in this thesis are a response to hushed fears about AI's hold on things, it's lightning-quick expansion in knowledge and understanding and (well, not quite as fast) mimicry. I stamped a portal into a possible future where a supercomputer has a misleading, broken capacity to know “everything.” It’s in the city, waiting for greater and greater achievements in consciousness. My thesis hinges upon the very conversation it has with the story’s only human being, a woman who met its inferior counterpart, a robot, first.College of Arts and ScienceEnglish Departmen
Impact of Amino Acids on Host Susceptibility to the Colonization and Expansion of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium
No full textSalmonella Typhimurium represents one of the four leading causes of foodborne illnesses worldwide. While studied for many decades as a model intracellular pathogen, there exists a gap in knowledge on the role of the gut microenvironment in influencing Salmonella colonization and expansion in the inflamed gut. One major factor influencing pathogen success is the resident collection of commensal organisms, known as the gut microbiota. The microbiota hinders Salmonella through several protective mechanisms, like sequestration of nutrients, i.e., amino acids (colonization resistance). However, which amino acids are important for Salmonella in the mammalian gut remained unknown. Using bacterial mutagenesis in combination with in vitro and in vivo studies leveraging conventional and germ-free animals, we identify and characterize the critical role of two S. Tm aspartate interconverting enzymes, AspA and AspC. We find that aspartate enables Salmonella to overcome microbiota-mediated colonization resistance by fueling anaerobic respiration during gut inflammation. Additionally, we develop a novel model for the study of colonization resistance against Salmonella in the terminal ileum, through the manipulation of dietary amino acids, overcoming host genetics-based resistance to severe disease and mortality. Lastly, we identify and characterize key alterations in pathogen metabolism that support colonization and expansion within the ileal lumen. Altogether, this work highlights the importance of amino acids in dictating Salmonella colonization, expansion, and the resultant disease severity