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The Effect of Gallate Esters on T Cell Immunity
Get PDFParabens are used to prevent bacterial growth and are commonly found in cosmetics and personal care products. The structure of parabens is similar to estrogen and can cause increased estrogen activity which unfortunately has been linked to breast cancer. Parabens are endocrine disrupting compounds, which means they disrupt many hormone-regulated systems and could contribute to immune dysfunctions, reproductive disorders, birth defects, or developmental and behavioral disorders. One example of an effect on the immune system is that estrogen regulates CD4 T cell differentiation during pregnancy to induce anti-inflammatory Th2 and Treg phenotypes and reduce the differentiation of inflammatory Th1 and Th17 phenotypes. However, parabens also skew Th2 and Treg phenotypes in the absence of pregnancy and this inhibits the induction of strong anti-tumor immune responses. Therefore, safer antimicrobial products are needed. Gallate esters have similar antimicrobial activity as parabens, but their structure differs so that they do not mimic estrogen and may not have endocrine disrupting effects. In this project, we determined if gallate esters affected CD4 T cell differentiation. Gallate esters with different carbon chain lengths were directly compared to also determine if the size of the carbon chain altered their activity. Murine CD4 T cells were cultured with gallate esters with 1-8, 10, and 12 carbon chain lengths, methyl- and butylparaben, estrogen, or DMSO. While estrogen and parabens skewed T cell differentiation towards anti-inflammatory Th2 and Treg phenotypes as measured by cytokine secretion and gene expression of transcription factors, the gallate esters did not alter CD4 T cell differentiation. Therefore, use of gallate esters as antimicrobial agents instead of parabens may be a safer option due to their reduced effects on the immune response
Determination of Nitrate in Aqueous Media
No full textDetermining the amount of inorganic ions in aqueous media is important in the food industry and environmentally. In the environment high levels of ions like nitrate (NO3-), nitrite (NO2-), and phosphate (PO43-) can lead to unhealthy conditions for aquatic species. Similarly, high levels of nitrate and nitrite can cause health issues in humans. One method for determining nitrate levels in aqueous samples involves reducing the nitrate species to nitrite via a redox reaction with finely divided zinc powder followed by conversion to a diazonium salt and complexation with 1-napthylamine to form a colored complex. In the work described herein, this modified version of the Griess reaction was used to spectrophotometrically determine the amount of nitrate in several environmental and food samples
Key performance indicators for destination management in developed economies: A four pillar approach
No full textThis conceptual paper puts forth sources of secondary and primary data that can assist destinations in developed countries track and ultimately improve their communities\u27 tourism performance and resilience across four pillars of tourism sustainability: visitor economy, resident support, workforce satisfaction, and environmental health. Such data sources can be used by community leaders to formulate key performance indicators (KPIs) critical in building resilience. The impetus behind these proposed solutions is based on the assumption that the high cost and complexity of collecting and analyzing data on an ongoing basis have plagued the broad adoption of communities engaging in sustainable initiatives. We contend that given access to suitable data, destinations can be better managed as ecosystems in line with sustainable community objectives
The Effectiveness of the Decriminalization of Prostitution on Rates of Sex Trafficking.
Get PDFThe objective of this research is to examine the effectiveness of the effectiveness of the decriminalization of prostitution on rates of sex trafficking. A systematic review of studies conducted to assess the impact of this policy on stated outcomes indicates that the policy is an ineffective means of reducing rates of sex trafficking. In addition, decriminalization has created unintended consequences in the criminal justice field that have led to a black market for sex trafficking
Influence of Media Sources and Political Affiliation on COVID-19 Information Believability
Get PDFThe goal of this research project was to see if one\u27s political affiliation affected the news sources they read regarding their beliefs about COVID-19. Participants read the same article from one out of three news sources: Fox News, CNN, or no news source. Afterwords, they rated the accuracy of the article. We hypothesized that participants who read news from a source that aligned with their political affiliation were more likely to believe the information stated in that article than those who read from sources that did not align with their political affiliation
Action movies and How They Romanticize and Display Hegemonic and Complicity Masculinity
No full textThis essay examines the representation of masculinity in the 300. This film and the genre of action has profound importance in contemporary society, By drawing on Cornell\u27s article \u27Multiplying Masculinities\u27, I argue that we can better understand not only Hegemonic and complicity masculinity but also the romanization and idealization of these types of masculinities in Action films. In light of an integrative approach to the study of cinematic art and the expression of masculinity in American society and cultural
Explaining How AAVE Affects the Black Community
No full textThis presentation will call attention to how linguistic prejudice can affect how someone is viewed and how they view themselves. I will do this by highlighting AAVE\u27s affect on the Black community. My goal is to bring awareness and linguistic acceptance, noting that languages are different and never deficient
Risk Assessment of Millsboro, DE Trichloroethylene Contamination
Get PDFThe risk assessment process involves identifying and characterizing hazards, determining dose-response relationships, and assessing possible exposures to toxins in order to inform risk management. The goal of this project was to complete the steps of a risk assessment and develop a perspective on risk management. Data collected from publicly available databases, scholarly articles, and targeted sources were used to perform a risk assessment for Millsboro, DE Trichloroethylene Contamination. Social, economic, political, and/or legal perspectives were considered when determining the best risk management approaches