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AN EXAMINATION OF POTENTIAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING MUSCLE MEMORY
No full textMuscle memory is generally understood as the mechanism that supports the execution of a motor task during retraining following an initial period of both training and detraining. It can be found in the central nervous system where commands are being sent to accomplish a motor task; however, evidence exists for another type of memory within the myofiber itself. Through the analysis of data from animal and human exercise studies, this thesis examines the notion of muscle memory at different locations proximal to and/or within muscle, including the evidence for and feasibility of myonuclear permanence as a mechanism underlying muscle memory. During training, muscle growth occurs, mainly via hypertrophy of existing fibers through increased synthesis of actin and myosin proteins, and by satellite cell (SC) activation, differentiation and fusion, thereby delivering additional myonuclei to support continued growth. While reported parameters of detraining have included time-dependent reductions in muscle size, strength and anaerobic power, accumulating evidence suggests that myonuclei are retained. In contrast, neural and vascular adaptations appear to change more diversely in response to reduced physical activity, with few effects persisting during detraining. The preservation of myonuclei may provide a basis for the accelerated regrowth observed during retraining, as retained myonuclei sustain the transcriptional capacity of the myofiber when the demand increases once more. Although there are methodological limitations in myofiber and myonuclear analysis, and constraints and lack of consensus in human studies, there is converging evidence to support myonuclear permanence as a contributing factor for rapid regrowth. Together, these findings support the hypothesis of muscle memory at the muscle cell level, consistent with the hypothesis that some impacts of prior mechanical demands are retained that enable a faster recovery of muscle size and strength during retraining
Storytelling, Perspective, and Interpretation in Sergei Parajanov’s Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
No full textNo abstract provided
PRODIGIOSIN PRODUCTION BY MARINE ISOLATE 3 AND MOLECULAR MODELING AND SIMULATION OF A CUTIBACTERIUM ACNES OXIDATIVE STRESS RESPONSE SIGMA FACTOR-ANTI SIGMA FACTOR PAIR
No full textProdigiosin, a natural product of several marine bacteria, has become a popular molecule for study, given its many pharmaceutical effects. However, most studies on optimizing its yield through biosynthesis have focused on Serratia marcescens, leaving a gap in knowledge for other prodigiosin-producing bacteria. Therefore, a preliminary study was done to determine the effects of oxygen availability and MgCl2 concentration on Zooshikella Marine Isolate 3 prodigiosin production. Additionally, computational work was done to construct three-dimensional structures of PPA2382 and PPA1266, a putative oxidative stress response σ factor-anti σ pair encoded by Cutibacterium acnes. The models were then characterized via classical molecular dynamics simulations with the GROMACS package, and prodigiosin docked via AutoDock4Zn. Magnesium chloride was found to worsen prodigiosin biosynthesis, and the simulated models did not behave according to experimental expectations. Regardless, predicted docking locations of prodigiosin suggested the metabolite to be capable of affecting interactions between PPA2382 and PPA1266
EAT MY LOVE: FINDING TRUTH IN FAIRYTALES THROUGH FILMMAKING
No full textThis thesis is both a creative project and a critical investigation into the dissolving boundary between art shaping life and life shaping art in filmmaking. The creative project at its center is EAT MY LOVE, a short film adaptation of the Russian folk tale The Maiden Tsar (Царь-Девица). It is a fairytale set in the modern world that uses elements of surrealism and magical realism, and unexpectedly became a camouflaged documentary. Paralleling EAT MY LOVE’s storytelling rhythm, this thesis is divided into three segments: pre-production, production, and post-production. Each segment documents the corresponding step in the filmmaking process and explores the related topics of finding truth in fiction, adaptation, actor-character fusion, artistic influences/predecessors, and blurry truth/art boundaries. Drawing on the films and writings of Werner Herzog, Vladimir Propp, Abbas Kirostami and Uldus Bakhitiozina, and the experience from this filmmaking journey, I argue that through fairytale storytelling and adaptation, art has the extraordinary capacity to answer questions and reveal truth
STRUCTURE-CONDUCT-PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF THE SPORTS INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES
No full textThis study examines the U.S. professional sports industry through the Structure-Conduct-Performance (SCP) framework, which is a model commonly used to analyze how a market organization (structure) affects a firm’s behavior and its economic performance. When applying this analytical framework to the sports sector in the United States, it is possible to see with more clarity how the competition develops, the firm’s strategic decisions, and how they perform in the market. The data and research from this study were retrieved from secondary data sources, where it was possible to analyze academic literature, industry performance reports, and financial publications to deepen the credibility of this study. Since the major professional sports in the U.S. are Football, Baseball, and Basketball, this study had a bigger focus on the NFL, MLB, and NBA, which respectively represent the leagues for each of the sports. In a last note, it was possible to see strong financial performance and dominance from the leagues in the sports market, which is a result of the oligopoly structure they are inserted. Even though market control is high, firms are still facing challenges in keeping a competitive balance, having gender pay inequality, and steeply rising costs to customers
THE LANGUAGE OF COLLABORATION: ANALOGS IN DIGITAL MEDIA
No full textTo collaborate is to share meaning together, which is already to collaborate; sharing of meaning defi nes language. This co-emergence of collaboration and language happens through interplay between the known and the unknown—what we expect and what surprises us—held open by trust, which is not a precondition but a leap into uncertainty that allows transformation to emerge. Through three collaborative projects—Palm Bike Court Girl, Unruly Subjects, and Eat My Love—I investigate how this dynamic unfolds in artistic practice, documentary witness, and romantic devotion. Understanding collaboration as the ground of meaning-making matters because learning to hold the tension between known and unknown—to trust the leap—is how we stay present, build just communities, and collaborate across differences in an increasingly complex world
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF IMPORTANT FACTORS AFFECTING PERFORMANCE IN FORMULA 1 RACING
No full textThe purpose of this thesis is to identify the primarily significant driving forces for the best lap performance around a circuit in the Formula One racing series. Included are the results across the 2021 to 2025 seasons when available for five of the more popular tracks, Monaco, Belgian, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabian, and British Grand Prix. This was achieved through aggregating the telemetry and weather data, into the intervals from the timing data available from the Python library FastF1[8, 1], and regressing the predictors including tire compound, throttle input, and braking input against sector performance in seconds to determine the impact of each predictor in a sector by sector level
LIMITED DATA TOMOGRAPHY: SEISMIC IMAGING
No full textThe goal of seismic imaging is to recover structures underground via waves emitted from source points and received by sensors. Through the use of the elliptic Radon transform and an approximation to its inverse, images called reconstructions of the underground surfaces can be generated. We delve into some of the theory that allows for images to be made as well as giving reason to why singularities and artifacts appear in the reconstructions. With a known object modeled via a density function, this thesis explores features of reconstructions constructed with a fixed source and discrete receivers. The reconstructions were computed in MATLAB
SPECULATIVE JOURNEYS THROUGH YOUNG ADULT GRAPHIC NOVELS: HOW TIME TRAVEL INTERPRETS TRAUMA
No full textThis thesis examines the significance of the speculative element of time travel in young adult graphic novels. The graphic novel format and its visual elements facilitate understanding of a fractured identity resulting from trauma. The speculative work of time travel allows consideration of “what-ifs.” This thesis focuses on three graphic novels, Displacement by Kiku Hughes, Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughn, and Orange by Ichigo Takano, in order to explore how time travel serves as a metaphor for the processing of trauma. These young adult graphic novels explore how someone’s relationship to time changes in the wake of traumatic events. The work of time travel facilitates the discussion of traumatic time, primarily by showing how the initial wound of trauma compels re-experience, as time travel constantly intercedes in the young adult’s life. Just as in the journeys of the young adults in these works, trauma is explored in many ways, including through the lens of Postmemory and trauma\u27s reverberations within ancestral and social communities
U.S. Insurance Industry: Strategic Analysis on Auto and Property Insurance
No full textThis paper develops a comprehensive industry analysis of the U.S. insurance market, integrating market definition, value-chain mapping, industry dynamics, competitive forces, benchmarking, and company applications. It concludes with a focused assessment of how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping underwriting, claims, fraud detection, customer interaction, and product innovation. Drawing on regulatory and industry sources (NAIC, Insurance Information Institute, U.S. Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office), and management/consulting research (McKinsey, Deloitte, EY, IBM), the analysis finds a large, mature sector under structural transformation via data and AI. Premiums exceed $1.7 trillion, with Property & Casualty (P/C) representing ~53% and Life/Annuity ~47%. Key risks include climate-related loss volatility, inflation in claims severity, and algorithmic governance. Strategic advantages increasingly hinge on data assets, model governance, and operating discipline