244 research outputs found
Engineered tools for studying the malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum
No full textThesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biological Engineering, 2015.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from PDF student-submitted version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 120-136).New techniques to both prevent and treat the disease malaria are necessary. To develop these novel strategies, innovative tools must be designed to study the basic biology within Plasmodium falciparum and characteristics of the pathological relationship between host and parasite. These tools will be diverse in nature, yet all seek to address the same fundamental question: what are the characteristics of the parasite that can be exploited to decrease the burden this parasite places on the human species? First, the relationship between nitric oxide and the parasite-infected red blood cell will be measured using a microfluidic device. Second, a toolkit to determine the essentiality of genes of unknown function will be engineered and tested with three separate genes to improve and demonstrate usability. Third, a mutator strain will be engineered and defined for eventual use in the study of drug resistance and the characterization of the resistance potential of anti-malarial drugs.by Bridget Wall.Ph. D
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The electric shepherd and the marvellous boy: literary evocations of Thomas Chatterton's 'suicide' in Philip K. Dick's 'A scanner darkly' and elsewhere
No full textIndependent and interacting effects of diet and genetic risk on obesity-related comorbidities
No full textIntroduction: Dyslipidemia results from behavioral and biological factors. Elevated triglyceride (TG) and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations are common in obesity. Dietary guidelines for dyslipidemia management encourage replacing saturated (SFA) with unsaturated fat (UFA) and increasing fiber intake. Diet alone does not produce metabolic disease, and genetic variation can increase dyslipidemia risk. Nutrigenetics is a body of research investigating dietary and genetic interactions, but less research exists in non-European populations and individuals with obesity. Our objective was to explore dietary and genetic factors associated with dyslipidemia in populations at risk for metabolic disease.
Methods: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) was conducted investigating SFA-UFA replacement on total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, and TG concentrations. Genetic contributions to dyslipidemia in Mexicans were explored through creation of a genetic risk score (GRS) from SNPs associated with dyslipidemia. Nutrigenetic interactions were explored in adults with obesity enrolled in a clinical trial, who were randomized to receive a meal with or without an avocado for 12 weeks. Interactions among dietary fat intake, genotype, and blood lipid concentrations were determined pre- and post-intervention.
Results: In a meta-analysis of 8 RCT, SFA-UFA replacement on TC concentrations approached significance (P=0.06) in favor of UFA intake. GRS was significantly associated with TG and HDL-C. Among adults enrolled in the clinical trial, dietary fat intake and genotype interactively impacted TC and HDL-C concentrations at baseline. Following dietary intervention, several gene-diet interactions were associated with changes in TC and HDL-C. The glucokinase regulator rs1260326 SNP was associated with TC changes, by which individuals in the avocado group experienced differential changes by presence or absence of the risk allele.
Conclusions: SFA-UFA replacement may not be effective in adults with obesity, yet remains a key recommendation in dietary guidelines. Cumulative genetic risk affects HDL-C and TG in the Mexican population, who experience increased dyslipidemia prevalence but remain underrepresented in genetic research. Nutrigenetic interactions between lipid-metabolism related SNPs and dietary fat intake were associated with blood lipid concentrations at baseline and following dietary fat modification. Exploring gene-diet interactions may provide insight into treatment response variability and the development of dyslipidemia despite behavioral risk.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2022-05-01The student, Bridget Hannon, accepted the attached license on 2020-04-19 at 13:09.The student, Bridget Hannon, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2020-04-19 at 13:14.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2020-04-22 at 16:07.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #15003 on 2020-08-25 at 17:27:40Made available in DSpace on 2020-08-26T23:54:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
HANNON-DISSERTATION-2020.pdf: 4451134 bytes, checksum: 10648bfb38d1a19e3f08dc776af69cc6 (MD5)
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Previous issue date: 2020-04-22Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 115723
Lift date: 2022-08-26T23:54:40Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 115723
Lift date: 2022-08-26T23:55:59Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 115723
Lift date: 2022-08-26T23:57:28Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 115723
Lift date: 2022-08-26T23:58:55Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemAuthor requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Onl
Potential market for liquefied natural gas fueled marine vessels in the United States
No full textThesis (S.M. in Ocean Systems Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2008.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-97).The growing global concern over ship emissions in recent years has driven policy change at the international level toward more stringent vessel emissions standards. The policy change has also been an impetus for innovation and increased attention being paid to existing technologies in marine engineering that lessen ship emissions. It is estimated that the share of emissions from shipping to total global emissions is increasing, as world trade grows, and land-based emissions sources become cleaner. Shipping currently accounts for 2-4% of CO₂, 10-20% of NOx and 4-8% of SO₂ global emissions. Gas turbines and gas engines, hybrid diesel-gas systems, and dual fuel diesel electric engines are examples of the existing engine system technology that can burn natural gas as a fuel and lessen ship emissions. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) fueled vessels in the gas burning mode result in the elimination of all SO₂ emissions, and reduced NOx, CO₂, and particulate matter emissions compared to the emissions from a typical vessel powered by marine diesel. While the capital costs for the LNG-fueled systems are higher than for a typical diesel system, cost savings are generated due to the fact that LNG is historically less expensive than the other relatively lower-emissions fossil fuels, and the engine life is longer than a typical diesel engine. This study determines the feasibility of an LNG-fueled passenger and/or commerce market in the United States by analyzing the success of the current LNG-fueled activity around the world, incorporating the complexities of promoting LNG facilities in the United States, and the current LNG successes, both land-based and shore-side, in the United States.by Bridget C. Brett.S.M.in Ocean Systems Managemen
Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium
No full textThis report was prepared with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Cooperative Agreement No. DEFC04 -95AL85832. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of DOE. This work was conducted through the Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium. This page intentionally left blank. ANRCP-1999-14 AMARILLO NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER FOR PLUTONIUM/ A HIGHER EDUCATION CONSORTIUM A Report on Recharge Monitoring in an Interplaya Setting Bridget R. Scanlon, Robert C. Reedy, and Jinhuo Liang Bureau of Economic Geology The University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas 78712 Submitted for publication to ANRC Environmental Program March 1999 This page intentionally left blank. i
Sarah Fielding: Satire and Subversion in the Eighteenth-Century Novel
No full textThis study of Sarah Fielding (1710―68) is an original contribution to Fielding scholarship that has a dual purpose: to support those who are striving to re-introduce her to the modern literary landscape in an effort to restore her eighteenth-century literary standing, and to firmly establish Fielding as an early feminist writer. It is argued here that throughout her oeuvre Fielding challenged prevailing traditions that denied women a choice, particularly in education, employment and marriage. These themes are also considered in the political treatises of Mary Astell (1666―1731) and Mary Wollstonecraft (1759―97), who are now widely recognised as feminist writers.
It is further argued that Fielding’s subversion in fiction of the English patriarchal system is underscored by her unorthodox performance in the literary arena. This is fully explored alongside her use of sentimentalism as a literary tool with which she challenges her seemingly inhumane society. Fielding’s interest in ‘the Labyrinths of the Mind’ (in modern terms, human psychology) will also be addressed as will her placement in the history of feminism and her placement in the sentimental novel tradition. Fielding’s performance as a literary critic will be compared with the few female authors who, like her, dared to publish literary criticism during her writing career. Accordingly, extracts from Fielding’s novels and her two critical pamphlets will be thoroughly examined.
An updated biography of Fielding that is also included here will provide evidence for a further claim, that her fiction is autobiographical in part. A comprehensive account of Fielding’s performance as a literary critic forms the final chapter of this work. It is the first full-length examination of her contribution to the genre and includes an appraisal of her recently unearthed critical pamphlet entitled A Comparison Between the Horace of Corneille and The Roman Father of Mr. Whitehead (1750) that is yet to be formerly attributed to her. Ultimately this study of Fielding will go far beyond what has previously been written about this remarkable eighteenth-century author, particularly regarding her feminist activity
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