Matching Items (195)
Description
The goal of the studies described in this thesis was to determine the changes in vascular density in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus following prenatal exposure to the synthetic glucocorticoid hormone, dexamethasone (DEX). DEX is a synthetic glucocorticoid used clinically in women at risk for preterm delivery or in preterm infants to promote proper pulmonary development in high-risk neonates. Prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids such as DEX may change the development of important brain regulatory centers such as the PVN, resulting in increased risk for diseases in adulthood.
Previous studies have demonstrated that the hypothalamus regulates neuroendocrine and autonomic function and behavior. Within the hypothalamus, the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is an integratory node that contains neurons associated with the control of neuroendocrine and autonomic responses. The PVN also has one of the highest density of blood vessels within the brain. Alterations of normal PVN angiogenesis by dexamethasone could potentially result in long-term modifications of brain and endocrine functions.
Timed-pregnant Sprague Dawley female rats received DEX on gestational days 18-21 and the resulting progeny were sacrificed at Postnatal Day (PND) 0, 4, 14, and 21. A tomato lectin, Lycopersicon Esculentum labeled with DyLight594 was used to stain blood vessels in the PVN and scanning confocal microscopy was used to analyze the experimental brains for PVN blood vessel density
Analysis of data using a 3-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with age, sex and treatment as main factors, showed a significant age effect in vascular density. Analysis of female data by 2-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect of age, but no treatment or interaction effects. Post-hoc analysis shows significant differences at PND 2, 4, 14, and 21 compared to PND0. A Student‘s t-test of a planned comparison on PND2 showed a significant reduction by DEX treatment (p < 0.05). Analysis of data from females, using 2-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect of age, but no treatment or interaction effects. Post-hoc analysis shows significant differences at PND 2, 4, 14, and 21 compared to PND0. A planned comparison at PND 2 using Student’s t-test indicated a significant reduction by dex treatment.
The results of these studies demonstrate that there is significant postnatal angiogenic programming and that the vascular density of the PVN is altered by prenatal dexamethasone administration at PND2. The time-course shows developmental fluctuations in vessel density that may prove to be physiologically significant for normal brain function and developmental programming of brain and behavior.
Previous studies have demonstrated that the hypothalamus regulates neuroendocrine and autonomic function and behavior. Within the hypothalamus, the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is an integratory node that contains neurons associated with the control of neuroendocrine and autonomic responses. The PVN also has one of the highest density of blood vessels within the brain. Alterations of normal PVN angiogenesis by dexamethasone could potentially result in long-term modifications of brain and endocrine functions.
Timed-pregnant Sprague Dawley female rats received DEX on gestational days 18-21 and the resulting progeny were sacrificed at Postnatal Day (PND) 0, 4, 14, and 21. A tomato lectin, Lycopersicon Esculentum labeled with DyLight594 was used to stain blood vessels in the PVN and scanning confocal microscopy was used to analyze the experimental brains for PVN blood vessel density
Analysis of data using a 3-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with age, sex and treatment as main factors, showed a significant age effect in vascular density. Analysis of female data by 2-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect of age, but no treatment or interaction effects. Post-hoc analysis shows significant differences at PND 2, 4, 14, and 21 compared to PND0. A Student‘s t-test of a planned comparison on PND2 showed a significant reduction by DEX treatment (p < 0.05). Analysis of data from females, using 2-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect of age, but no treatment or interaction effects. Post-hoc analysis shows significant differences at PND 2, 4, 14, and 21 compared to PND0. A planned comparison at PND 2 using Student’s t-test indicated a significant reduction by dex treatment.
The results of these studies demonstrate that there is significant postnatal angiogenic programming and that the vascular density of the PVN is altered by prenatal dexamethasone administration at PND2. The time-course shows developmental fluctuations in vessel density that may prove to be physiologically significant for normal brain function and developmental programming of brain and behavior.
ContributorsWidener, Andrew John-Claude (Author) / Handa, Robert (Thesis director) / Orchinik, Miles (Committee member) / Mustard, Julie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
A coincidence reporter construct, consisting of the p21-promoter and two luciferase genes (Firefly and Renilla), was constructed for the screening of drugs that might inhibit Olig2's tumorigenic role in glioblastoma. The reporter construct was tested using an Olig2 inhibitor, HSP990, as well as short hairpin RNA targeting Olig2. Further confirmatory analysis is needed before the reporter cell line is ready for high-throughput screening at the NIH and lead compound selection.
ContributorsCusimano, Joseph Michael (Author) / LaBaer, Joshua (Thesis director) / Mangone, Marco (Committee member) / Mehta, Shwetal (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) using X-ray free-electron laser sources is an emerging method with considerable potential for time-resolved pump-probe experiments. Here we present a lipidic cubic phase SFX structure of the light-driven proton pump bacteriorhodopsin (bR) to 2.3 Å resolution and a method to investigate protein dynamics with modest sample requirement. Time-resolved SFX (TR-SFX) with a pump-probe delay of 1 ms yields difference Fourier maps compatible with the dark to M state transition of bR. Importantly, the method is very sample efficient and reduces sample consumption to about 1 mg per collected time point. Accumulation of M intermediate within the crystal lattice is confirmed by time-resolved visible absorption spectroscopy. This study provides an important step towards characterizing the complete photocycle dynamics of retinal proteins and demonstrates the feasibility of a sample efficient viscous medium jet for TR-SFX.
ContributorsNogly, Przemyslaw (Author) / Panneels, Valerie (Author) / Nelson, Garrett (Author) / Gati, Cornelius (Author) / Kimura, Tetsunari (Author) / Milne, Christopher (Author) / Milathianaki, Despina (Author) / Kubo, Minoru (Author) / Wu, Wenting (Author) / Conrad, Chelsie (Author) / Coe, Jesse (Author) / Bean, Richard (Author) / Zhao, Yun (Author) / Bath, Petra (Author) / Dods, Robert (Author) / Harimoorthy, Rajiv (Author) / Beyerlein, Kenneth R. (Author) / Rheinberger, Jan (Author) / James, Daniel (Author) / Deponte, Daniel (Author) / Li, Chufeng (Author) / Sala, Leonardo (Author) / Williams, Garth J. (Author) / Hunter, Mark S. (Author) / Koglin, Jason E. (Author) / Berntsen, Peter (Author) / Nango, Eriko (Author) / Iwata, So (Author) / Chapman, Henry N. (Author) / Fromme, Petra (Author) / Frank, Matthias (Author) / Abela, Rafael (Author) / Boutet, Sebastien (Author) / Barty, Anton (Author) / White, Thomas A. (Author) / Weierstall, Uwe (Author) / Spence, John (Author) / Neutze, Richard (Author) / Schertler, Gebhard (Author) / Standfuss, Jorg (Author) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Physics (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / Biodesign Institute (Contributor) / Applied Structural Discovery (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor)
Created2016-08-22
Description
In the United States, clinical testing is monitored by the federal and state governments, held to standards to ensure the safety and efficacy of these tests, as well as maintaining privacy for patients receiving a test. In order for the ABCTL to lawfully operate in the state of Arizona, it had to meet various legal criteria. These major legal considerations, in no particular order, are: Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments compliance; FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA); Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance; state licensure; patient, state, and federal result reporting; and liability. <br/>In this paper, the EUA pathway will be examined and contextualized in relation to the ABCTL. This will include an examination of the FDA regulations and policies that affect the laboratory during its operations, as well as a look at the different authorization pathways for diagnostic tests present during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ContributorsJenkins, Landon James (Co-author) / Espinoza, Hale Anna (Co-author) / Filipek, Marina (Co-author) / Ross, Nathaniel (Co-author) / Salvatierra, Madeline (Co-author) / Compton, Carolyn (Thesis director) / Rigoni, Adam (Committee member) / Stanford, Michael (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The effects of meditation on attention control have been widely studied in recent years. However, the methodological flaws of many of these studies raise serious concerns on the validity of meditation training as a cognitive enhancer. This study investigated the near and far transfer effects of mindfulness meditation training on attention control when a stringent experimental design was implemented. Participants in the experimental group practiced meditation for three twenty-minute sessions, and participants in the active control group listened to an audio book about meditation for similar times. No significant effect of meditation on change in performance on cognitive tasks was found. This study suggests that short-term mindfulness meditation training does not result in increased attention control.
ContributorsPatel, Sachi Rajul (Author) / Brewer, Gene (Thesis director) / Presson, Clark (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
ASU4Food's objective is to increase the visibility of the statewide hunger crisis among Arizona State University's campuses, and to raise monetary and food donations to alleviate this issue. By collaborating with a multitude of organizations both on and off-campus, we aim to become a well-known, powerful, and stable student organization. This thesis will cover the endeavors of Elana Niren, Theresa Reckamp, and Sidath Wijetunga regarding the maintenance, growth, and expansion of ASU4Food. ASu4Food has been striving to gain connections and the reputation that would allow it to become an "umbrella organization" with the ability to coordinate all of the food-raising endeavors at ASU. The effects of our actions can be seen in the club's stability. We are now being sought out by organizations such as the Salvation Army, Sunflower Farmers Market, and Shutterfly. However, there is still more work to be done, and we hope that this thesis will act as a guide for future generation of club members and officers, and that ASU4Food will continue improving in activity and efficiency for many years to come.
ContributorsNiren, Elana (Co-author) / Reckamp, Theresa (Co-author) / Wijetunga, Sidath (Co-author) / Eaton, John (Thesis director) / Mokwa, Michael (Committee member) / Southergill, Keith (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
It's a book about two people from two very different cultures, but have a shared experience growing up. Atinuke is a Nigerian girl who grew up in well-to-do home, but lived with an abusive father. Noah, on the other hand, is a white American boy who also grew up in a model home with very rich parents and a long line of rich ancestors. However, his parents are not on talking terms, his mother is dependent on him for her happiness and he has no relationship with his father. Once the two protagonists break away from their respective prisons, they meet, they learn from each other and they develop a bond.
ContributorsOnyenso, Ahanna Ugonne (Author) / Stanford, Michael (Thesis director) / Fette, Donald (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
This thesis examines the criminal justice system in Japan from a human rights lens. With the high conviction rate across all crimes as a focal point, this thesis will attempt to solve apparent issues with the system, effectively affording more rights back to defendants. Various shortcomings of the system include loose adherence to the presumption of innocence, incredibly long pre-trial detention periods, and the absence of plea bargaining. This thesis aims to investigate the injustices in the Japanese criminal justice system and explore potential solutions to address these issues, if any. Additionally, this thesis will analyze these issues with an emphasis on Japanese collectivism, and how this ties back to criminal injustice. These issues raise concerns about the fairness and effectiveness of the system, and the need for reforms to address them.
ContributorsDenton, Tanner (Author) / Stanford, Michael (Thesis director) / Takada, Emy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
In the the fall semester of 2022 I took a class called HON 380: Aesthetics and Society. The question was posed: "What is beauty?" It was there I began to ponder the abstract nature of the concept of beauty. There were several different compelling theories, beauty is defined philosophically, by evolutionary principles, or by societal and cultural norms. However, I still believed that these theories didn't do enough to full satisfy the question of "What is beauty?" The different theories all neglected to talk about an integral part of beauty and what I found to be the key to defining it, it's antithesis: Ugliness.
ContributorsUsmani, Zaid (Author) / Fontinha de Alcantara, Christiane (Thesis director) / Stanford, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
This undergraduate thesis explores the complexities and richness of navigating a bicultural identity between Indian and American cultures. Through personal narratives and broader societal analysis, it delves into the intricate landscape of living as an American-born Indian, examining the joys, challenges, and profound learnings that arise from straddling two worlds. The work opens with an intimate account of the author's experiences growing up bicultural in America, highlighting the pressures to conform to expectations from both Indian and mainstream American society. It examines issues of racism, cultural traditions, generational divides, and the quest to forge an authentic, hybrid identity. Expanding from the personal, the thesis investigates the impacts of globalization on cultural integration, the importance of community support systems, and the evolving nature of the Indian-American experience across generations. It celebrates the invaluable contributions of the Indian diaspora in enriching the tapestry of American multiculturalism. Ultimately, this exploration is a celebration of the resilience and strength fostered by embracing one's full, multicultural self. It is a call for greater inclusivity, empathy, and respect for the complexities of identity in our increasingly interconnected world. Through sharing this journey, the work empowers others navigating bicultural realities to take pride in their hybrid identities as a source of power rather than compromise.
ContributorsLukka, Arya (Author) / Stanford, Michael (Thesis director) / Bhatti-Klug, Renee (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor)
Created2024-05