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Placental Gene Expression and Maternal Allergic Asthma: Investigating Neurodevelopmental Pathways in a Mouse Model of Autism Spectrum Disorders
No full textRecent epidemiological studies have suggested that mothers with onset allergies or asthma during pregnancy are at an increased risk for having a child with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A novel mouse model of maternal allergic asthma (MAA) has shown ASD-like behavioral deficits in offspring of MAA dams in two genetically distinct mouse strains. However, the mechanisms underlying MAA remain unknown. One hypothesis is that induced allergic asthma may negatively impact the developing fetal brain by disrupting gene expression in the placenta. This study investigated alterations in gene expression in two distinct pathways critical for neurodevelopment in the placenta of MAA dams: the tryptophan (TRP) pathway and the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) pathway. Specifically, C57Bl/6J (C57) and FVB.129P2-Pde6b(+) Tyr(c-ch)/Ant (FVB) female mice, strains with distinct behavioral responses to MAA, were sensitized and exposed to ovalbumin during pregnancy on gestational day (G)9.5,12.5, and 17.5 and placentae were extracted on G17.5 four hours after the final OVA exposure. Placental RNA samples were analyzed for differences in expression of solute carrier family 7 member 5 (LAT1) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (Ido1) in the TRP pathway and fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4) and Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 3 (Acsl3) in the LC-PUFA pathway using quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Results reveal increased expression of Ido1 in C57 but not FVB MAA placentae, implicating strain-specific differences in TRP metabolism and its associated metabolic constituents, kynurenine and serotonin, as important mechanisms that may underlie the ASD-like behavioral deficits associated with MAA.Neuroscience and Behavio
The Voice of the American Female Poet: Tradition and Innovation
No full textThe subject of my thesis involves the art of imitation: a practice that has spanned over two millennia. Imitation was originally used as a pedagogical practice for early Roman writers and continued as a central part of education until the twentieth-century. While male writers have historically dominated the poetic tradition, I found that the art of imitation opened the door to a world of female poets and their individual styles. In this thesis, I create and develop through imitation a line of influence that is more relevant to my own background. Consequently, I imitate the styles of six American female poets who attended women’s colleges, universities, or seminaries spanning from 1800 to 2016. These poets are Emily Dickinson, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) Marianne Moore, Elizabeth Bishop, Sylvia Plath, and Rebecca Morgan Frank. Through the analysis of these writers’ poetry, I identify key components of their poetic styles and write in each of their styles in turn. This thesis also includes poems written in various forms, including sestinas, villanelles and a variety of meters and rhyme schemes. There are also recurring motifs throughout the collection, including those of mental illness, movement, femininity, nature, and memory. The final section of the collection consists of original poems that demonstrate where I am in my own poetic journey as I seek to join into this lineage of female poets.Englis
Identifying Genes Involved in Larval Fat Body Remodeling in Drosophila melanogaster
No full textTissue remodeling is an essential process that occurs in multicellular
organisms and is essential for the growth, development, and health of any
organism. Drosophila melanogaster is an important organism for the study of this
process as tissue remodeling is crucial for proper metamorphosis, during which
the larval fat body remodels from a sheet of connected, polygonal cells into
single, spherical cells which can then move throughout the body and head cavity
of the fly. In this study, complementation tests were performed on lines of flies
that each had a single mutation on the third chromosome that resulted in both
abnormal fat body morphology and pharate adult lethality. The F1 progeny were
scored for fat body morphology and adult lifespan post-eclosion in order to
elucidate the relationship between the two phenotypes and better understand the
role of potential novel genes. Abnormal fat body morphology was found to result
in a reduced lifespan post-eclosion, where the degree of remodeling shows a
slightly positive correlation with lifespan. In addition, I have begun to linkage
map some of the mutations using pairs of dominant markers to identify the region
of the third chromosome where each mutation is present.Biological Science
Garifuna Waguia
No full textThe Garifuna Nation is an afro-indigenous ethnic group that can be found throughout Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the island of St. Vincent. This project outlines the current status and community efforts towards the revitalization of Garifuna language in the Southern Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, specifically the town of Orinoco. While there are an estimated 100,000 speakers of Garifuna across the world, there are currently only two fluent speakers in Orinoco, both of whom are elderly. Although language classes are given at the Manuel Mongalo Elementary School in Orinoco, Nicaragua, language education is not provided to those who are not enrolled in school. My thesis reports on community demands towards the implementation of a language program for the adults of the community who may not have the opportunity to learn the language otherwise. In order to meet the community demands and needs, this work draws from two approaches: a comparison between other indigenous language revitalization efforts throughout Latin America and the United States and the development of a Pedagogical Grammar for Garifuna, the latter of which aids adult learners with second language acquisition. The overarching objective of this study is to contribute to the ongoing effort of the Garifuna community in order to achieve an accessible pathway to the revitalization and conservation of the language.Spanish, Latina/o, & Latin American Studie
Personal Alchemy and the Lifelong Pursuit of Art
No full textMy studio art thesis presents two visually distinct bodies of ceramic work: a series of abstract sculptures, and collection of thrown and distorted forms. These two bodies of work share a philosophy of creation and they function synergistically to inform and challenge my art. This conjoined work represents the dual nature of my position—at a pivot point, a connection between East and West, old and new, peace and war, youth and age, art and craft, human and machine.
These works and the process of making them recapitulate the experiences of my life and the methods I have developed to navigate its course. The iterative nature of the work itself—and the methodology used to create it—reflects the way in which I strive to continually improve the process of my life and to incorporate lessons learned from disparate parts into an integrated whole—to engage in a personal alchemy that transmutes the base material into a greater form.Art Studi
In 'The First-Year Experience Cookbook'
No full textPublished as:
Oelker, S., and Aidala, K. (2017) Infographic Pie Judging in a Science FYS. In R. Pun and M. Houlihan (Eds.) The First-Year Experience Cookbook. Chicago: ACRL
The Groundwater and Surface Water Hydrology of Project Stream, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts
No full textThe research in this study contains a combination of high-resolution time series data sets taken in intervals ranging from ten seconds to thirty minutes. These data sets were utilized for a quantitative assessment of the causes of discharge fluctuations of Project Stream, a small stream located in South Hadley, Massachusetts. In addition to stream monitoring, groundwater and lake level monitoring brought the study to fully encompass the larger picture of the hydrologic influences on the Project Stream wetland ecosystem. Stream gauging and stage, sub-drainage basin gauging and stage, groundwater level, lake level, and weather station data were collected at various intervals through the 2016- 2017 study period. The relationship among these factors were examined in conjunction with the stream hydrograph to interpret the groundwater and surface water hydrology of the Project Stream wetland.
Precipitation was the dominant factor controlling stream discharge. This was consistent in both the fall and winter months studied in this project. The severe drought that encompassed the summer and fall of 2016 greatly impacted the hydrology of Project Stream. The winter hydrograph is more complicated, and stream discharge was influenced by changes in air temperature, precipitation intensity and type, and preexisting soil moisture conditions. Stream discharge was also heavily influenced by discharge from the sub-drainage basin associated with the athletic field drainage system that outflows into the Project Stream wetlands during precipitation events. Analysis of the groundwater well and lake level revealed there is no direct relationship between the two systems and suggests the aquifer is part of a larger bedrock aquifer system. Lake level, on the other hand, was influenced by direct precipitation and stream runoff from Project Stream and Stony Brook.Geolog
Bisexual Women’s Experiences of Microaggressions and Microaffirmations and their Relation to Suicidality
No full textBisexual women have been found to report worse mental health outcomes, including elevated rates of suicidality, compared to both heterosexual and lesbian women. The purpose of this study is to examine bisexual women’s daily experiences with sexual identity microaggressions and microaffirmations as they relate to rates of suicidal ideation and behavior. The study utilized a 5-day online daily-diary study design. The first day participants completed a large survey with information on demographics, sexual identity, social support, and self-esteem. For days 2 through 5 participants completed daily diary entries consisting of the bisexual identity Microaggression and Microaffirmation Scales, and a measure of suicidal ideation and attempt. The data were analyzed quantitatively using a random coefficient multilevel model assessing the relationship between microaggressions and microaffirmations and suicidality within individuals at Level 1, and how those relationships may differ between individuals at Level 2 based on social support, internalized binegativity (having negative feelings about oneself due to bisexual identity), connectedness to LGBT community, and self-esteem. There was a significant relationship between daily microaggressions and suicidality at Level 1 and between self-esteem, internalized binegativity, trans identity and suicidality at Level 2.Psychology & Educatio