Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors (S1PRs) and their signaling pathways play an important role in mediating vascular health and function. Upon ligand mediated activation, S1PRs 1-5 couple with diverse heterotrimeric G-protein subunits (Gαi, Gαq/11, Gα12/13), initiating multimodal downstream signaling pathways which result in various physiological outcomes in the vasculature, including cell proliferation and migration, barrier integrity preservation or loss, contraction, and inflammation. Specifically, S1PR2 activation has been linked to endothelial activation, barrier integrity loss, and inflammation, whereas S1PR1 activation contributes to barrier integrity preservation, vasodilation, and anti-inflammatory properties. Although the role of S1PRs during pathophysiological conditions such as acute ischemic stroke is under current investigation, the complete S1PR expression profile in the cerebrovasculature following acute ischemic injury has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the present study was aimed to characterize the expression profiles of S1PRs 1-5 in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) and human brain vascular smooth muscle cells (HBVSMCs) following 3h hypoxia plus glucose deprivation (HGD; in vitro ischemic injury) exposure. At the mRNA level, we observed expression of S1PRs 1-5 in HBVSMCs and S1PRs 1-4 in HBMECs. Under basal conditions, we employed real-time RT-PCR and observed that mRNA levels of S1PR1 were highest in expression followed by S1PR3 then S1PR2 in HBMECs. On the other hand, S1PR3 mRNA was the highest followed by S1PR2 then S1PR1 in HBVSMCs. In HBMECs, HGD exposure increased S1PR1 mRNA and protein levels, but decreased S1PR1 mRNA in HBVSMCs. Similarly, HGD induced increased S1PR3 mRNA in HBMECs and decreased S1PR3 mRNA in HBVSMCs. For S1PR2, HGD did not alter mRNA or protein expression in HBMECs but increased mRNA levels in HBVSMCs. These data suggest that acute exposure to HGD appears to differentially regulate expression of S1PRs in HBMECs and HBVSMCs. The differential expression in S1PRs both basally and following HGD exposure may suggest distinct signaling mechanisms at play within the two cerebrovascular cell types, implicating these receptors as potential therapeutic targets following ischemic injury.

This paper focuses on the fabrication and characterization of shape memory polymer (SMP) with interspersed carbon-based nanofillers which showed significant improvements in quasi-static and dynamic mechanical properties. These composite shape memory polymers have been fabricated using a specialized acetone solvent mixing technique to achieve high dispersion. The effect of individual and hybrid additions of graphene oxide (GO) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) with a total nanofiller content of 2 wt.% was investigated. These high dispersion SMPs showed significant improvements in tensile moduli (up to 25% over baseline), tensile strength (up to 15% over baseline), and strain to failure (up to 75% over baseline), owing to crack propagation hindrance induced by the carbon nanofillers. Further, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed a minimal reduction in polymer chain mobility and improvements in storage modulus. Dispersion is characterized by micrograph acquisition and subsequent binary image processing.

As a fashion design student with career interest in design and costuming, I decided to design and build a Ready-to-Wear collection for my senior thesis. The steps to build a collection include: concept research, initial concept sketching, create a moodboard and colorboard, select textiles/sourcing textiles, finalize sketches, create technical flats, patternmaking and draping, testing and swatching design details (such as embroidery, seam and construction details, finishes/trims), sewing mock-ups/toiles, and finally construct the garments in the fashion fabrics. Due to my collection being featured in the ASU Spring 2022 fashion show there were some additional steps I took to finalize this collection including: model sourcing, fittings, alterations, and hair and makeup conceptualization for the show. I began conceptualizing this collection in the fall of 2021 and began sewing in January 2022. The ASU fashion show was March 26, 2022. I found inspiration for this collection from my love of tattoo art, specifically by the history and imagery of American Traditionalism tattoo art around the turn of the 20th century. As an avid fan of tattoo art, I have become more appreciative of tattooing as a pure form of art and the elements required to have a well done American Traditional style tattoo. Such elements include: contrast, shadows, clean line work, as well as perception/silhouettes. This type of classic tattoo art also involves heavy symbolism, mostly derived from animals and the ocean. An additional concept I am applying to my collection is corsetry, specifically in the style of the early 1900’s. This time period is cohesive with the tattoo era I am focusing on, as well as it is the era that corsetry began to include decorative elements in addition to being for structural and shaping purposes. I began to have an interest in corsetry from my love of complicated construction, as well as costumery. I feel like corsets as an outer layer is a great way to incorporate costumery into a traditional Ready-To-Wear-Collection. I have decided to apply tattoo art in multiple ways to my collection- the first within my colorways. American Traditional tattoo art at the turn of the 20th century only used black, green, yellow, and red ink. I plan to utilize these colors in the corsets only. The modern and classic silhouettes utilized in the base clothing will be in various shades of browns and tans in order to represent skin tones, therefore the corsets are the “tattoos” on the “skin”. The tattoo art will be applied further within the corsets, as I will be using the classic imagery/ symbols as decorative features on the corsets- done possibly with beadwork, embroidery, and paint/ screen printing. I hope to mostly utilize natural fiber-based textile for their sustainability purposes, such as wool and silks. However, any synthetic materials will be sourced from deadstock in order to still hold myself accountable to sustainability.

From Anglo-American Martial and Social Culture to a Distinct American Martial and Social Culture is a historical thesis which documents the origins and perspectives of English settlers in North America from 1607 until American independence recognized in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Over the course of these 176 years, the mindset of those living on the American frontier was analyzed through the martial and social culture that developed. Some examples of Anglo-American adaptations to living on the American frontier were legislative assemblies and a continent-spanning local militia. Questions ranging from why the English settlers chose to live in the Americas to how they overcame sectional differences to form the United States of America were questions that this thesis attempted to answer. The conclusion from analyzing primary and secondary sources shows the initial development of an Anglo-American culture which over the course of more than a century diverges into a unique American identity, distinct from British subjects and agents of empire. Whereas British citizens in the Americas started out as staunch defenders and agents of the global British Empire, this thesis documents the transformation of British citizens in North America from a British cultural identity to a distinct American cultural identity.