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Description
Humans use emotions to communicate social cues to our peers on a daily basis. Are we able to identify context from facial expressions and match them to specific scenarios? This experiment found that people can effectively distinguish negative and positive emotions from each other from a short description. However, further research is needed to find out whether humans can learn to perceive emotions only from contextual explanations.
ContributorsCulbert, Bailie (Author) / Hartwell, Leland (Thesis director) / McAvoy, Mary (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Veterans are approximately 30% more likely than non-veterans to suffer from severe hearing impairment. Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, which is increasingly common among military service men and women, has been linked to significant cognitive and psychological impairment and can be worsened by the same sounds that trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, tinnitus and PTSD often present as comorbidities, and recent studies suggest these two disorders may share a common neurological pathway. Additional studies are required to better understand the connection between hearing loss and impaired cognitive function such as that observed in with PTSD. Here, we use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to explore the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive function. Negative geotaxis climbing assays and courtship behavior analysis were used to examine neurobehavioral changes induced by prolonged, intense auditory stimulation. Preliminary results suggest that exposure to loud noise for an extended period of time significantly affected Drosophila behavior, with males being more sensitive than females. Based on our results, there appears to be a potential connection between noise exposure and behavior, further suggesting that Drosophila could be an effective model to study the link between hearing loss and PTSD.
ContributorsMichael, Allison Faye (Author) / Hackney-Price, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Sellner, Erin (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is seen in up to 90% of cases of cervical cancer, the third leading cancer cause of death in women. Current HPV screening focuses on only two HPV types and covers roughly 75% of HPV-associated cervical cancers. A protein based assay to test for antibody biomarkers against 98 HPV antigens from both high and low risk types could provide an inexpensive and reliable method to screen for patients at risk of developing invasive cervical cancer. Methods: 98 codon optimized, commercially produced HPV genes were cloned into the pANT7_cGST vector, amplified in a bacterial host, and purified for mammalian expression using in vitro transcription/translation (IVTT) in a luminescence-based RAPID ELISA (RELISA) assay. Monoclonal antibodies were used to determine immune cross-reactivity between phylogenetically similar antigens. Lastly, several protein characteristics were examined to determine if they correlated with protein expression. Results: All genes were successfully moved into the destination vector and 86 of the 98 genes (88%) expressed protein at an adequate level. A difference was noted in expression by gene across HPV types but no correlation was found between protein size, pI, or aliphatic index and expression. Discussion: Further testing is needed to express the remaining 12 HPV genes. Once all genes have been successfully expressed and purified at high concentrations, DNA will be printed on microscope slides to create a protein microarray. This microarray will be used to screen HPV-positive patient sera for antibody biomarkers that may be indicative of cervical cancer and precancerous cervical neoplasias.
ContributorsMeshay, Ian Matthew (Author) / Anderson, Karen (Thesis director) / Magee, Mitch (Committee member) / Katchman, Benjamin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Background: Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) is a respiratory disease that is caused by the soil-dwelling fungi Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. Because fungal glycosylation patterns are distinct from mammalian glycosylation patterns, we hypothesized that certain lectins (carbohydrate-binding proteins) might have differential binding properties to coccidioidal glycoproteins, and therefore serve as a tool for the purification and characterization of these glycoproteins from patient specimens. Materials and Methods: To identify potential Coccidioides-binding lectins, lectin-based immunohistochemistry was performed using a panel of 21 lectins on lung tissue from human patients infected with Coccidioides. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) were used to confirm and test candidate Coccidioides-binding lectins for their ability to bind to proteins from antigen preparations of laboratory-grown Coccidioides. Inhibition IHC and ELISAs were used to confirm binding properties of these lectins. SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry were performed on eluates from coccidioidal antigen preparations run through lectin-affinity chromatography columns to characterize and identify lectin-binding coccidioidal glycoproteins. Results: Two GlcNAc-binding lectins, GSLII and sWGA, bound specifically to spherules and endospores in infected human lung tissue, and not to adjacent lung tissue. The binding of these lectins to both Coccidioides proteins in lung tissue and to coccidioidal antigen preparations was confirmed to have lectin-like characteristics. SDS-PAGE analysis of eluates from lectin-affinity chromatography demonstrated that GSLII and sWGA bind to coccidioidal glycoproteins. Mass spectrometric identification of the top ten lectin affinity-purified glycoproteins demonstrated that GSLII and sWGA share affinity to a common set of coccidioidal glycoproteins. Conclusion: This is the first report of lectins that bind specifically to Coccidioides spherules and endospores in infected humans. These lectins may have the potential to serve as tools for a better method of detection and diagnosis of Valley Fever.
ContributorsChowdhury, Yasmynn (Author) / Lake, Douglas (Thesis director) / Grys, Thomas (Committee member) / Magee, Mitchell (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The Dorrance Center for Rare Childhood Disorders is a unique research division at TGen (The Translational Genomics Research Institute) that provides personalized care to children and young adults facing rare, undiagnosed diseases. TGen scientists believe that the answers to these enigmatic disorders can often be found in a person's genetic code. They aim to solve these genetic mysteries using whole exome sequencing, a method that prioritizes the protein-coding portion of the genome in the search for disease-causing variants. Unfortunately, a communication gap sometimes exists between the TGen scientists and the patients they serve. I have seen, first hand, the kind of confusion that this study elicits in the families of its participants. Therefore, for my thesis, I decided to create a booklet that is meant to provide some clarity as to what exactly The Dorrance Center for Rare Childhood Disorders does to help diagnose children with rare disorders. The purpose of the booklet is to dispel any confusion regarding the study by providing a general review of genetics and an application of these lessons to the relevant sequencing technology as well as a discussion of the causes and effects of genetic mutations that often times are linked to rare childhood disorders.
ContributorsCambron, Julia Claire (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Huentelman, Matt (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Efforts to quantify the diversity of the T cell repertoire have generally been unsuccessful because not all factors accounting for diversity have been considered. In order to get an accurate representation of the T cell repertoire, one must incorporate analysis of germline gene diversity, diversity from somatic recombination, joining diversity from N- and P- nucleotides, and TCR chain pairing diversity. Because of advances in high-throughput sequencing techniques, estimates have been able to account for diversity from TCR genes. However the ability to account for chain pairing diversity has been more difficult. In order to do so, single cell sorting techniques must be employed. These techniques, though effective, are time consuming and expensive. For this reason, no large-scale analyses have been done on the immune repertoires using these techniques. In this study, we propose a novel method for linking the two TCR chain sequences from an individual cell. DNA origami nanostructure technology is employed to capture and bind the TCRγ and TCRδ chain mRNA inside individual cells using probe strands complementary to the C-region of those sequences. We then use a dual-primer RT and ligation molecular strategy to link the two sequences together. The result is a single amplicon containing the CDR3 region of the TCRγ and TCRδ. This amplicon can then be easily PCR amplified using sequence specific primers, and sequenced. DNA origami nanostructures offer a rapid, cost-effective method alternative to conventional single cell sorting techniques, as both TCR mRNA can be captured on one origami molecule inside a single cell. At present, this study outlines a proof-of-principle analysis of the method to determine its functionality. Using known TCRγ and TCRδ sequences, the DNA origami and RT/PCR method was tested and resulting sequence data proved the effectiveness of the method. The original TCRγ and TCRδ sequences were linked together as a single amplicon containing both CDR3 regions of the genes. Thus, this method can be employed in further research to elucidate the γδ T cell repertoire. This technology is also easily adapted to any gene target or cell type and therefore presents a large opportunity to be used in other immune repertoire analysis and other immunological studies (such as the rapid identification and subsequent production of antibodies).
ContributorsPoindexter, Morgan Elizabeth (Author) / Blattman, Joseph (Thesis director) / Yan, Hao (Committee member) / Schoettle, Louis (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Cancer remains one of the leading killers throughout the world. Death and disability due to lung cancer in particular accounts for one of the largest global economic burdens a disease presents. The burden on third-world countries is especially large due to the unusually large financial stress that comes from late tumor detection and expensive treatment options. Early detection using inexpensive techniques may relieve much of the burden throughout the world, not just in more developed countries. I examined the immune responses of lung cancer patients using immunosignatures – patterns of reactivity between host serum antibodies and random peptides. Immunosignatures reveal disease-specific patterns that are very reproducible. Immunosignaturing is a chip-based method that has the ability to display the antibody diversity from individual sera sample with low cost. Immunosignaturing is a medical diagnostic test that has many applications in current medical research and in diagnosis. From a previous clinical study, patients diagnosed for lung cancer were tested for their immunosignature vs. healthy non-cancer volunteers. The pattern of reactivity against the random peptides (the ‘immunosignature’) revealed common signals in cancer patients, absent from healthy controls. My study involved the search for common amino acid motifs in the cancer-specific peptides. My search through the hundreds of ‘hits’ revealed certain motifs that were repeated more times than expected by random chance. The amino acids that were the most conserved in each set include tryptophan, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, alanine, serine, and lysine. The most overall conserved amino acid observed between each set was D - aspartic acid. The motifs were short (no more than 5-6 amino acids in a row), but the total number of motifs I identified was large enough to assure significance. I utilized Excel to organize the large peptide sequence libraries, then CLUSTALW to cluster similar-sequence peptides, then GLAM2 to find common themes in groups of peptides. In so doing, I found sequences that were also present in translated cancer expression libraries (RNA) that matched my motifs, suggesting that immunosignatures can find cancer-specific antigens that can be both diagnostic and potentially therapeutic.
ContributorsShiehzadegan, Shima (Author) / Johnston, Stephen (Thesis director) / Stafford, Phillip (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
Perhaps by some ingrained sense of human preparedness, phobias are an outlier in the world of conditioning. Again and again, they are highlighted as the only thing which avoidance makes worse, rather than alleviates. My own fear of insects had reached its most severe level just as I began learning about phobias, and avoidance, in my undergraduate psychology courses. There, I learned that avoidance of the phobic stimulus \u2014 in my case, insects \u2014 seemed to be a fundamental element of maintaining a phobia, and I was more than guilty of it. Following this realization, I endeavored into what I would later come to call Stimulus Confrontation: A self-designed therapeutic course of action to overcome my fear. This thesis, then, is the record of this project. It weaves together my scholarly research on phobias with my own personal narrative concerning the employment of Stimulus Confrontation, beginning with the etymology and proposed etiologies of phobias, followed by an overview of contemporary treatment options available and a recounting of Stimulus Confrontation as applied to my own phobia. Told from her own perspective, English writer and journalist Jenny Diski's book, What I Don't Know About Animals, tells of her own arachnophobia, and includes an honest account of the fear and anxiety it caused for her, as well as her own journey to overcome it. Like my own, Diski's phobia \u2014 arachnophobia \u2014 had come to affect her everyday life. Prior to seeking treatment for her fear at the age of 58, Diski too had learned to avoid the thing which she so feared. Inspired by What I Don't Know About Animals, the personal anecdotes I have included throughout this thesis serve to elaborate upon my personal experience with my own insectophobia, and the cessation of avoidance that led to substantial progress in overcoming my fears. Throughout this thesis, I refer to this cessation of avoidance as Stimulus Confrontation, with the intention that following the same process I did may benefit others in overcoming their own specific phobias.
ContributorsKavanaugh, Ashley Marie (Author) / Gruber, Diane (Thesis director) / Lewis, Stephen (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
Description
The relationship of attachment style to both the selection and efficacy of emotion management strategies in adult dyadic contexts is not well elucidated. In non-romantic contexts, the interplay between emotion management and individual attachment style may provide a better understanding of how affect can be mitigated in daily life. The present study investigated these interactions by studying 56 pairs of college age women who were close friends. Participants were asked to have a conversation about a current source of concern/distress to one partner, while seated in the laboratory. After the conversation, participants were asked to report their subjective experience of several emotions during the conversation, such as ‘sadness,’ ‘joy,’ and ‘fear.’ Participants were also asked to complete a questionnaire assessing adult attachment style, specifically attachment anxiety and avoidance. Behavior during the conversation was coded for co-rumination and co-cognitive reappraisal by the “listener.” Listener attachment insecurity showed a trending association with increased use of co-detached reappraisal, for both avoidance (p=0.14) and anxiety (p=0.14). Listener attachment insecurity also predicted lower use of co-rumination, for both anxiety (p=0.10) and avoidance (p=0.02). Speaker attachment insecurity moderated the relationship between co-detached reappraisal and speaker emotion. Greater co-detached reappraisal predicted higher reports of non-fear negative and positive emotions, but only for high-avoidance speakers. Greater co-detached reappraisal also predicted greater non-fear negative emotions among speakers high, but not low, on attachment anxiety. Greater listener use of co-positive reappraisal was associated with higher reports of speaker fear; this effect was not moderated by speaker attachment style. These findings are discussed in relation to theoretical conceptions of attachment style, and in terms of the impact of context on emotion.
ContributorsJakob, Nicholas (Co-author) / Tolmachoff, Georgeanne (Co-author) / Shiota, Michelle (Thesis director) / Luecken, Linda (Committee member) / Yee, Claire (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disease characterized by progressive muscle loss and weakness. This disease arises from a mutation that occurs on a gene that encodes for dystrophin, which results in observable muscle death and inflammation; however, the genetic changes that result from dystrophin's dysfunctionality remain unknown. Current DMD research uses mdx mice as a model, and while very useful, does not allow the study of cell-autonomous transcriptome changes during the progression of DMD due to the strong inflammatory response, perhaps hiding important therapeutic targets. C. elegans, which has a very weak inflammatory response compared to mdx mice and humans, has been used in the past to study DMD with some success. The worm ortholog of the dystrophin gene has been identified as dys-1 since its mutation phenocopies the progression of the disease and a portion of the human dystrophin gene alleviates symptoms. Importantly, the extracted RNA transcriptome from dys-1 worms showed significant change in gene expression, which needs to be further investigated with the development of a more robust model. Our lab previously published a method to isolate high-quality muscle-specific RNA from worms, which could be used to study such changes at higher resolution. We crossed the dys-1 worms with our muscle-specific strain and demonstrated that the chimeric strain exhibits similar behavioral symptoms as DMD patients as characterized by a shortened lifespan, difficulty in movement, and a decrease in speed. The presence of dys-1 and other members of the dystrophin complex in the body muscle were supported by the development of a resulting phenotype due to RNAi knockdown of each component in the body muscle; however, further experimentation is needed to reinforce this conclusion. Thus, the constructed chimeric C. elegans strain possesses unique characteristics that will allow the study of genetic changes, such as transcriptome rearrangements and dysregulation of miRNA, and how they affect the progression of DMD.
ContributorsNguyen, Thuy-Duyen Cao (Author) / Mangone, Marco (Thesis director) / Newbern, Jason (Committee member) / Duchaine, Thomas (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05