Re-Signifying the Old Nueces County Courthouse

The project seeks to explore ideas that address the engagement that individuals have with historically charged buildings or monuments of their recent past. It focuses on the re-signification of an abandoned courthouse as a byproduct for the treatment of the site and its position as a potential bystander to the opening of newly acquired space replacing a large public infrastructural monument. The dynamic factors surrounding the courthouse present a unique opportunity for architecture to explore. Situated in between a growing urban and industrial center, the neglected condition of the building is also a physical embodiment of the decaying state of some of Corpus Christi's oldest neighborhoods, which currently stand as some of the last remaining monuments that thrived in conjunction with the courthouse. The dissociation of the building on site to the landscape is evident to both residents, local officials, and even tourists. The imminent removal of the hovering expressways will ultimately highlight this effect in the future. Therefore, the site intends to further support the community as a bridge for the residents of Corpus Christi's northside to the downtown area, which in itself is a connection to the rest of the city and even foreign travelers. The strict nature of the courthouse's presence will be juxtaposed within the site to demonstrate the evolution and progression of the landscape over time. When passing through this cultural hub, visitors will hope to experience and absorb aspects of what brings the residents of Corpus Christi together. The initial motivations influencing this approach to preservation stem from the intent to not treat the site as memorial; that it should be untouched, left as is. The project intends to celebrate community. The approach of intervention intends to guide us towards Re-Signification

Overexpression of TC-PTP in murine epidermis attenuates skin tumor formation

T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP), encoded by Ptpn2, has been shown to function as a tumor suppressor during skin carcinogenesis. In the current study, we generated a novel epidermal-specific TC-PTP-overexpressing (K5HA.Ptpn2) mouse model to show that TC-PTP contributes to the attenuation of chemically induced skin carcinogenesis through the synergistic regulation of STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, and PI3K/AKT signaling. We found overexpression of TC-PTP increased epidermal sensitivity to DMBA-induced apoptosis and it decreased TPA-mediated hyperproliferation, coinciding with reduced epidermal thickness. Inhibition of STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, or AKT reversed the effects of TC-PTP overexpression on epidermal survival and proliferation. Mice overexpressing TC-PTP in the epidermis developed significantly reduced numbers of tumors during skin carcinogenesis and presented a prolonged latency of tumor initiation. Examination of human papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) revealed that TC-PTP expression was significantly reduced and TC-PTP expression was inversely correlated with the increased grade of SCCs. Our findings demonstrate that TC-PTP is a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of human skin cancer given that it is a major negative regulator of oncogenic signaling

The Downtown Area of Jonestown, Texas.

The objective was to assess Jonestown's value and potential using the Quadruple Net Value metrics.Three projects are focused on the city of Jonestown. The first being a Quadruple Net Value Analysis report generated by undergraduate Land and Property Development students. The second is a public sewer feasibility study to generate creative solutions to septic and environmental conditions by undergraduate capstone Civil Engineering students. Finally, a graduate student will complete a transportation plan for the city to address connectivity and walkability.Texas Target Communitie

Jonestown Quadruple Net Value Report- The WOW Factor

The project’s location was in Jonestown, Texas. Our class visited Jonestown Thursday Sept., 25th and met with Marilee Pfannstiel and the Mayor of Jonestown. Our objective was to go to Jonestown and evaluate them on their quadruple net value. We based the quadruple net value in four different categories, social/cultural value, economic value, and sensory value.Texas Target Communitie

Increasing Public Health Mosquito Surveillance in Hidalgo County, Texas to Monitor Vector and Arboviral Presence

From 2016 to 2018, Hidalgo County observed the emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) infections along with sporadic cases of Dengue virus (DENV) and West Nile virus (WNV). Due to the emergence of ZIKV and the historical presence of other mosquito-borne illnesses, Hidalgo County obtained funding to enhance mosquito surveillance and educate residents on arboviruses and travel risks. During this time period, Hidalgo County mosquito surveillance efforts increased by 1.275%. This increase resulted in >8000 mosquitoes collected, and 28 mosquito species identified. Aedes aegypti, Ae albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus made up approximately two-thirds of the mosquitoes collected in 2018 (4122/6171). Spatiotemporal shifts in vector species composition were observed as the collection period progressed. Significantly, temperature variations (p < 0.05) accounted for associated variations in vector abundance, whereas all other climate variables were not significant

Hydrothermal sediments as a potential record of seawater Nd isotope compositions: The Rainbow vent site (36°14?N, Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

Geochemical compositions and Sr and Nd isotopes were measured in two cores collected ~2 and 5 km from the Rainbow hydrothermal vent site on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Overall, the cores record enrichments in Fe and other metals from hydrothermal fallout, but sequential dissolution of the sediments allows discrimination between a leach phase (easily leachable) and a residue phase (refractory). The oxy-anion and transition metal distribution combined with rare earth element (REE) patterns suggest that (1) the leach fraction is a mixture of biogenic carbonate and hydrothermal Fe-Mn oxy-hydroxide with no significant contribution from detrital material and (2) >99.5% of the REE content of the leach fraction is of seawater origin. In addition, the leach fraction has an average 87Sr/86Sr ratio indistinguishable from modern seawater at 0.70916. Although we lack the Nd value of present-day deep water at the Rainbow vent site, we believe that the REE budget of the leach fraction is predominantly of seawater origin. We suggest therefore that the leach fraction provides a record of local seawater Nd values. Nd isotope data from these cores span the period of 4–14 ka (14C ages) and yield Nd values for North East Atlantic Deep Water (NEADW) that are higher (?9.3 to ?11.1) than those observed in the nearby Madeira Abyssal Plain from the same depth (?12.4 ± 0.9). This observation suggests that either the Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) and Lower Deep Water contributions to the formation of NEADW are higher along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge than in the surrounding basins or that the relative proportion of ISOW was higher during this period than is observed today. This study indicates that hydrothermal sediments have the potential to provide a higher-resolution record of deep water Nd values, and hence deepwater circulation patterns in the oceans, than is possible from other types of sediments