I Grieve Different

I Grieve Different is a collection of memoirs with interspersed poetry, explaining the growth of the self as a continous grieving process. Sahil Verma recounts 12/13 instances through his life exploring the themes of substance use, death, joy, memory and nostalgia to queer the western experience while still correlating the east and the west. With emphasis on Hyderabad's culture, this collection is an example of queer temporality in practice.EnglishBachelors of Arts (BA

Delineating the Role of Osgin1 in Tissue Regeneration and Wound Healing in Xenopus laevis

Embryonic development occurs through the cooperation of complex pathways that govern processes of cell proliferation and differentiation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in development because while some processes of oxidative stress are necessary for proper development, an overabundance of oxidative stress can harm the embryo. Through transcription of antioxidant genes, oxidative stress is regulated within the embryo. One such gene, Oxidative Stress Induced Growth Inhibitor 1 (Osgin1) has been shown to be upregulated in response to ROS. In order to understand the roles of this gene in embryonic development and tissue repair, whole mount in situ hybridization was performed to study spatiotemporal expression patterns. My data suggests a possible role for Osgin1 in neurodifferentiation and embryonic development.NeuroscienceBachelors of Science (BS

A Comparison Between the Evolutionary Genomics of Pseudophosphatases MK-STYX and STYX

MK-STYX [MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) phosphoserine/threonine/tyrosine-binding protein] and STYX (serine/threonine/tyrosine-interacting protein) are both pseudophosphatase members of the dual-specificity (DUSP) subfamily of protein tyrosine phosphatases. They are catalytically inactive due to mutations at critical residues in their signature motifs. The histidine and cysteine residues of MK-STYX are replaced by phenylalanine and serine, and the cysteine residue of STYX is substituted by a glycine. Nonetheless, they both have significant roles in cell signaling. MK-STYX has been reported to regulate stress granule formation, neurite formation, and apoptosis. STYX is an important signaling molecule in spermatogenesis, the SCF-dependent ubiquitination activity, and the MAPK/ERK pathway. Recent studies show that MK-STYX and STYX are oncogenes marked in glioblastoma and breast cancer, respectively. Our study analyzes the significance of MK-STYX and STYX by measuring and comparing their evolutionary conservation. Their phylogenetic trees were constructed to show any deviation from the species evolutionary paths. Data was collected on a large set of proteins that have either one of MK-STYX’s two domains, the dual-specificity (DUSP) domain and the cdc-25 homology (CH2) /rhodanese-like domain. Then, we calculated the distance between species pair for MK-STYX and STYX’s protein sequence and Ka/Ks ratio and ranked them among the larger set of related proteins, including MK-STYX’s active homologs MKP1 and MKP3. MK-STYX has one of the highest species-species protein distances, and it is under weaker purifying selection pressure than most proteins with its domains. In comparison, the protein distances of STYX are lower than 82% of the DUSP-containing proteins, and it is under one of the strongest purifying selection pressures. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that there is similar selection pressure on their N- and C-terminal sequences. Our study reveals striking distinctions between the evolutionary patterns of MK-STYX and STYX and provides evidence to further explore MK-STYX’s properties.BiologyBachelors of Science (BS

Omnivorous Women’s Perceptions of Vegan and Vegetarian Men as a function of their Dietary Motivations

Previous research has established that women find vegetarian and vegan men to be less desirable than their omnivorous counterparts. Historically, it has been theorized that this disparity occurs because women are attracted to gender-role-conforming, traditionally masculine men. However, there is a lack of research investigating other potential mechanisms that may impact the attractiveness of vegans and vegetarians. The current study exposed omnivorous women (N = 509) to six vignettes depicting omnivores and either vegans (n = 260), or vegetarians (n = 249), to determine whether diet is associated with perceptions of masculinity and attractiveness. Additionally, we determined whether common motivations for vegetarianism and veganism, which include animal welfare, environmental concerns, and personal health, moderate women’s ratings. We found that women perceived omnivorous men to be more attractive and masculine and were more willing to date these men relative to vegan or vegetarian men. This effect was stronger for women who were high in vegetarian threat relative to those who were low in vegetarian threat. Moreover, men who were motivated by personal health reasons (regardless of dietary preference) were perceived as more masculine. This study provides additional insight into the social perceptions of vegetarians and vegans. Keywords: Attractiveness, Masculinity, Gender Roles, Vegans, Vegetarians, Vegetarian threat, Dietary MotivationsPsychologyBachelors of Science (BS

“No Iphis can I be” Exploring Lesbianism and Gender Fluidity Through Adaptation/Fanfiction of Twelfth Night in One and the Same, an Original Play

In this thesis I seek to explore the queering of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night through writing, directing, and performing in One and the Same, an original play that more earnestly features same-gender attraction and gender fluidity within the early modern tropes, characters, setting, and language of Shakespeare. I will lay out my sources of inspiration for One and the Same—fanfiction culture, Shakespeare’s other plays, and much more—I will narrate the process of writing, editing, and producing the play, the reception of it from audiences and actors, and I will share my final thoughts on the entire experience and how what I learned from the process could be applied elsewhere in staging Shakespeare in ways that facilitate the entertainment and enlightenment of as diverse an audience as possible.Theatre, Speech & DanceBachelors of Arts (BA

Immigration-related Stress, Social Support, Drinking to Cope, and Problematic Alcohol Use among Latine College Students: A Moderated-Mediation Model

Problematic alcohol use among U.S. college students remains a significant public health concern, with high rates of binge drinking and alcohol-related consequences documented across campuses. While research has examined general risk factors for problematic drinking, less is known about how students with marginalized identities, particularly Latine college students who face unique stressors such as immigration, are at heightened risk to engage in problematic alcohol use. The present study examined whether immigration-related stress indirectly influences problematic alcohol use outcomes through drinking to cope motives among Latine college students, and whether perceived social support moderates these relationships. Participants included Latine college students (n = 270) across eight universities in six U.S. states who consumed alcohol in the past month. The majority of participants identified as being of Mexican origin (67.0%), female (71.5%), and reported a mean age of 20.35 years (SD = 3.0). Within our mediation model, results indicated that immigration-related stress was significantly associated with more alcohol-related consequences via greater endorsement of drinking to cope motives (indirect β = .06). Within our moderated-mediation model, social support was negatively associated with alcohol coping motives (β = -.26, CI [-0.43, -0.09]), but the interaction between immigration-related stress and social support was not statistically significant. Overall, our findings suggest that drinking to cope is a key mechanism through which immigration-related stress relates to problematic alcohol use among Latine college students. For at-risk students, campus interventions should aim to strengthen social support networks while addressing maladaptive coping mechanisms that develop in response to immigration-related stressors. Keywords: latine/x, coping motives, alcohol consequences, immigration stress, social supportPsychologyBachelors of Science (BS

A Cross-National Examination of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Depression in Young Adults: The Mediating Roles of Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance, and Rumination

Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to poor mental health outcomes, including depression, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate how adverse childhood experiences are related to depressive symptoms among college students, focusing on emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and rumination as potential mediating pathways. Our analytic sample consisted of 4,337 participants (67.2% female) from six countries—United States, Canada, Spain, England, Argentina, and South Africa—who completed questionnaires assessing their adverse childhood experiences, depressive symptoms, use of emotion regulation strategies, distress tolerance, and ruminative thinking. We used a comprehensive mediation model in Mplus 8.3 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998–2017) to test for significant pathways. Within our model, greater adverse childhood experiences were significantly associated with greater depressive symptoms through several mediators: greater use of expressive suppression (an emotion regulation strategy), lower distress tolerance, and increased ruminative thinking across three facets (problem-focused, repetitive, and anticipatory thoughts). Model invariance analyses suggested that these findings were consistent across countries and sex at birth. The results highlight the importance of targeting emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and rumination in interventions aimed at reducing depression, particularly among individuals with a history of childhood adversity. Furthermore, the findings suggest that interventions targeting these mechanisms may be broadly applicable across global populations. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to further clarify the directionality of these associations and examine them across more diverse populations, including various age groups and cultural backgrounds. Keywords: adverse childhood experiences, depression, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, ruminationPsychologyBachelors of Science (BS

Investigating Protein Interactions Modulating Thyroid Hormone Receptor Localization

Thyroid hormone is an important component of the endocrine system that regulates growth and metabolism. The hormone circulates in the bloodstream and is transported into target cells, where it then enters the nucleus and binds to tissue-specific thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) to facilitate transcription of thyroid hormone-responsive genes. However, TR is known to rapidly shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Prior research in our lab has demonstrated more cytoplasmic localization of an acetylation mimic of TR compared to a non-acetylation mimic and wild-type TR. This implies that post-translational modification of TRs via lysine acetylation may be an additional mechanism of regulating thyroid hormone signaling. To investigate whether lysine deacetylase HDAC2 might play a role in TR deacetylation and localization, we transfected HeLa cells with expression plasmids for GFP-tagged TR subtypes, TRα1, β1, and β2. Cells were incubated with either Santacruzamate A—an HDAC2 inhibitor—or a DMSO control post-transfection. After fluorescence imaging and nucleocytoplasmic scoring, cellular localization of TR, measured by N/C ratio, was only significantly different for inhibitor-treated TRβ1 relative to the control. However, the observed shift was towards the nucleus, suggesting an indirect effect due to increased histone acetylation, which led us to conclude that HDAC2 is likely not the primary regulator of TR deacetylation. Resistance to Thyroid Hormone Syndrome (RTH) is a known genetic dysfunction of the thyroid hormone signaling pathway characterized by tissue-specific hypothyroidism. Patients with severe RTH, characterized by shortened stature, mental defects, and bradycardia, have mutations in TRα1, which is specific to skeletal, heart, and brain tissues. Two identified mutations, C392X and E403X, result in premature truncation of TRα1's ligand-binding domain. We hypothesized that these mutations might increase the affinity of mutant TRα1 for nuclear corepressor NCoR1 and enhance nuclear retention. Using cotransfection of expression plasmids for mCherry-tagged TRα1 variants with GFP-NCoR1 or an NCoR1 variant that does not bind TR as a control, we found that the nucleocytoplasmic localization of the mutants was not significantly different in the presence of overexpressed NCoR1 relative to the control, likely because both mutants already show a primarily nuclear localization and enhanced nuclear retention may not be measurable. Thus, we expressed the mutant receptors in HeLa cell lines with NCoR1 knocked out. C392X, but not E403X or wild-type TRα1, demonstrated a significant cytoplasmic shift in knockout cells compared to controls with normal expression of NCoR1, validating our model of impaired NCoR1 release in that mutant. Broadly, these results contribute to general understanding of TR's binding partners within the nucleus and highlight the need for further characterization of the structure and binding dynamics of the E403X mutant and more broadly of protein-protein interactions within endocrine pathways.BiologyBachelors of Science (BS

A mathematical model of revascularization following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a critical stabilizer of the knee that is frequently injured in sports. Due to its limited natural healing capacity, ACL tears generally require reconstruction using a graft (ACLR). This procedure initiates the process of ligamentization, where the graft transforms to possess properties closer to that of the native ligament. Despite the relatively high prevalence of this injury and the importance of the healing process, detailed knowledge of the dynamic changes during healing remains limited. This thesis presents the first mathematical model describing some of the changes that occur throughout ligamentization, focusing on the aspects of revascularization. The vascular density is of particular interest as it has been found to spike around two months postoperatively, coinciding with the timing of the weakest intra-articular graft strength. To bridge this knowledge gap, this model, constructed through an extensive literature review and validated based on real-world data, employs a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). It explores the interactions between inflammation, hypoxia, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and angiogenesis, each identified as key factors influencing vascular density. The model accurately captures the physiological processes and changes occurring throughout ligamentization and revascularization while highlighting critical healing stages where future research would be valuable. Looking forward, this model has the potential to be developed into a diagnostic tool that could be used to create personalized treatment and recovery plans by incorporating patient-specific data, potentially revolutionizing ACLR outcomes.Kinesiology & Health SciencesBachelors of Science (BS

Crushing a cockroach versus a butterfly: The effects of female defendant physical attractiveness and crime type on guilt attributions and punishment harshness

In recent decades, the subarea of psychological research that focuses on the intersection between social psychology and the law has seen tremendous growth. Given that women in patriarchal societies may be especially prized for their physical appearance rather than their other qualities, as well as salient gender-role stereotypes and the increasing rate of female arrests and incarceration in the United States, the present study seeks to investigate the influence of both female defendant physical attractiveness and crime type on guilt attributions and punishment harshness. Non-college adults (n = 274) and undergraduates (n = 149) participated in an online study in which they read a vignette describing an alleged crime and viewed a photo of a defendant of either low, average, or high attractiveness. Participants decided the likelihood of guilt, indicated punishment severity, and justified their judgments. They completed the Facial Trustworthiness Scale, the Modern and Old-Fashioned Sexism Scales, and answered questions about their experience with the criminal justice system. Two 2x3 ANOVAs, as well as moderation and mediation analyses via Hayes PROCESS were conducted following data collection. Within both samples, main effects of crime type on guilt attributions and punishment harshness were uncovered, but no significant main effect of attractiveness on these variables was revealed. Within the non-college adult sample, participants’ fear of the crime mediated the main effect of crime type on guilt attributions, but this finding was not replicated in the undergraduate sample. Within the non-college sample, significant physical attractiveness x crime type x participant sexism interactions occurred. There was a positive relationship between participant sexism and punishment harshness in both the property and violent crime scenarios for the average faces. In the attractive condition, however, there was a negative relationship between participant sexism and punishment harshness in the violent crime scenario, and a positive correlation between these variables in the property crime scenario. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.PsychologyBachelors of Arts (BA