The use of enzyme-catalyst interfaces is underexplored in the field of biocatalysis, particularly in studies on enabling novel reactivity of enzymes. For this thesis, the HaloTag® protein tagging platform was proposed as a bioconjugation method for a pinacol coupling reaction using lipases, as a model for novel reactivities proceeding via ketyl radical intermediates and hydrogen-bonding-facilitated redox attenuation. After an initial lipase screening of 9 lipases, one lipase (Candida rugosa) was found to perform the pinacol coupling of p-anisaldehyde under standard conditions (fluorescein and 530nm light, 3% yield). Based on a retrosynthetic analysis for the photocatalyst-incorporated HaloTag® linker, the intermediates haloamine 1 and aldehyde 6 were synthesized. Further experiments are underway or planned to complete linker synthesis and conduct pinacol coupling experiments with a bioconjugated system. This project underscores the promising biocatalytic promiscuity of lipases for performing reactions proceeding through ketyl radical intermediates, as well as the underdeveloped potential of incorporating bioengineering principles like bioconjugation into biocatalysis to overcome kinetic barriers to electron transfer and optimize biocatalytic reactions.

The COVID-19 pandemic places significant strain on the U.S. healthcare system due to the high number of coronavirus cases. During the pandemic, there was much unknown about the virus, its course of the disease, COVID-19 diagnosis, treatments, or other imperative information needed to contain the virus. Resources within the healthcare system, such as PPE and healthcare workers, were in short supply and exacerbated the difficulty of managing the viral outbreak. Peer-reviewed articles suggest that telehealth, the application of electronic information and telecommunication technologies in healthcare, proved useful in public health and clinical care during the 2020 public health emergency due to a novel virus. The scoping review broadly assessed themes of telehealth’s strengths and weaknesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings could suggest how virtual medicine may be a helpful tool to improve access in addition to the quality of care in the future of medicine. Assessments of case studies suggest that telehealth helped provide care to large patient volumes by aiding with communication, data collection, triage, remote patient monitoring, and critical care. Limitations of expanding telehealth subsequent to the pandemic include, but not limited to, a lack of national standards for practice and restrictions of utility for certain populations. Populations may include those with low socioeconomic status, specific cultural practices, and beliefs, or physical and cognitive ability barriers. Outlining the benefits and limitations of telehealth may suggest how virtual medicine can provide valuable in day-to-day medical practices and other pathogenic outbreaks.

The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) are highly valid depressive testing tools used to measure the symptom profile of depression globally and in South Asia, respectively (Steer et al., 1998; Kroenke et al, 2001). Even though the South Asian population comprises only 23% of the world’s population, it represents one-fifth of the world’s mental health disorders (Ogbo et al., 2018). Although this population is highly affected by mental disorders, there is a lack of culturally relevant research on specific subsections of the South Asian population.<br/><br/>As such, the goal of this study is to investigate the differences in the symptom profile of depression in native and immigrant South Asian populations. We investigated the role of collective self-esteem and perceived discrimination on mental health. <br/><br/>For the purpose of this study, participants were asked a series of questions about their depressive symptoms, self-esteem and perceived discrimination using various depressive screening measures, a self-esteem scale, and a perceived discrimination scale.<br/><br/>We found that immigrants demonstrated higher depressive symptoms than Native South Asians as immigration was viewed as a stressor. First-generation and second-generation South Asian immigrants identified equally with somatic and psychological symptoms. These symptoms were positively correlated with perceived discrimination, and collective self-esteem was shown to increase the likelihood of these symptoms.<br/><br/>This being said, the results from this study may be generalized only to South Asian immigrants who come from highly educated and high-income households. Since seeking professional help and being aware of one’s mental health is vital for wellbeing, the results from this study may spark the interest in an open communication about mental health within the South Asian immigrant community as well as aid in the restructuring of a highly reliable and valid measurement to be specific to a culture.

In 2014 alone, 40% of all drug abuse-related emergency department visits involved cocaine, and despite the detrimental effects there is still no FDA approved treatment for cocaine use disorders (CUDs; Dawn, 2014). Studies show that serotonin 1B receptor (5HT1BR) agonists modulate cocaine abuse-related behaviors in opposite directions depending on the phase of the addiction cycle in male rats. In particular, the selective 5HT1BR agonist, CP94,253, facilitates cocaine intake during maintenance of daily cocaine self-administration. Paradoxically, after 21 days of abstinence, CP94,253 attenuates cocaine intake in male rats on a low effort fixed ratio 5 (FR5) and a high effort progressive ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement. PR measures motivation as it requires an exponentially increasing number of lever responses to obtain the next reinforcer after a successful reinforcer. In contrast to male rats, we recently found CP94,253 attenuates cocaine intake before and after abstinence on an FR5 schedule of reinforcement in female rats, suggesting the attenuating effects of CP94,253 on cocaine intake is not dependent on a period of abstinence in females. However, the effect of CP94,253 on motivation for cocaine has not yet been examined in female rats. Therefore, we addressed this gap in the present study. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer 0.375 mg/kg, IV cocaine or to obtain sucrose pellets (45 mg) on a PR schedule of reinforcement and were then pretreated with vehicle or CP94,253 (3.2, 5.6 and 10 mg/kg, SC) prior to their self-administration session. A separate cohort was pretreated with CP94,253 to examine the effects of CP94,253 on cocaine-seeking behavior (i.e., operant responses when cocaine is no longer available) and spontaneous locomotion after 21 or 60 days of abstinence. The preliminary findings show that CP94,253 has minimal impacts on decreasing cocaine intake on a PR schedule in female rats but decreases cue reactivity up to 60 days after abstinence in female rats. These findings suggest that 5-HT1BR agonists may be useful treatments for cocaine craving.

The right to cast a meaningful vote, equal in value to other votes, is a fundamental tenet US elections. Despite the 1964 Supreme Court decision formally establishing the one person, one vote principle as a legal requirement of elections, our democracy consistently falls short of it. With mechanisms including the winner-take-all format in the Electoral College, disproportioned geographic allocation of senators, extreme partisan gerrymandering in the House of Representatives, and first-past-the-post elections, many voters experience severe vote dilution. <br/><br/>In order to legitimize our democratic structures, American elections should be reformed so every person’s vote has equal weight, ensuring that the election outcomes reflect the will of the people. Altering the current election structure to include more proportional structures including rank choice voting and population-based representation, will result in a democracy more compatible with the one person, one vote principle.

This thesis focuses on the life of the Roman Emperor Galerius, with special attention paid to his military campaigns in the east against the Sassanid Empire. Because of a lack of primary sources, Galerius's potential route into Armenia and his two engagements against the Sassanids have been recreated in this thesis. Potential answers to the lack of information were revealed through the analysis of primary sources from different time periods in which similar scenarios occurred between the Romans and Parthians/Sassanids. In addition to the Eastern Campaign, the Christian primary sources are scrutinized due to their bias in portraying Galerius as a bloodthirsty monster. Overall, this thesis puts forth potential answers to the missing information about Galerius's campaign in the East and recreates his legacy as an important figure in Roman history, not just an individual who persecuted Christians.

This paper will cover a variety of stable isotope systems, both light and heavy, that are used to interpret isotopic analysis in two different disciplines: bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. To begin, I will give short histories of both bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, including what is considered to be the beginning of the disciplines as well as the founders of said disciplines. Following the histories of the disciplines, there will be a short background in isotopes and isotopic analysis, including an introduction to isoscapes and how isotopic data can be collected for further interpretation. There will then be an introduction to light isotopes, focusing on the ones used for this thesis, which will lead into the background of each light isotope. Following the light isotopes is an introduction to the heavy isotopes and the backgrounds of each of the heavy isotopes. Finally, this thesis will end in the conclusions section.

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the health system in the United States is now being further challenged. There is bipartisan debate on how it can be reconstructed: one party states that the government plays too big of a role, while the other believes it plays too little. Regardless, Americans want change. Reconstruction is not a new topic by any means, and other countries have been forced to do so due to political violence. This paper explores the history and current healthcare organizations of Japan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These countries have all encountered major political turmoil, which has led to the rebuilding of their respective healthcare systems. Though the United States is not facing political violence that will necessitate reorganization, the examination of nations that have been forced to do so offers lessons applicable to the healthcare system in the US.