Junior Recital: Monica Silva

Kemp Recital HallMarch 19, 2016Saturday Evening6:00 p.m

Impact of San-mediated Signaling on Glioblastoma and Neuroblastoma Metabolism

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer, with an average life expectancy of 15 months. The standard of care for GBM, surgery accompanied by radiation and chemotherapy (temozolomide-TMZ), has not changed in over 10 years illustrating the need for new and efficacious treatments. Therefore, it is imperative to improve our knowledge of GBM physiology to understand the mechanisms driving recurrence and chemoresistance so that more effective therapeutic options can be developed. Mitochondria-cell communication is key to monitor and maintain both mitochondrial and cellular health, and signaling events on the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) have emerged as a crucial signal integration site for cellular responses. Consequently, proteins on the OMM are crucial to determining cellular survival and dictating organelle physiology. Thus, the goal of our current study is to evaluate OMM proteins to determine how alterations in organelle regulation may impact CNS tumor biology. We first measured the concentrations of Bcl-2 family proteins on mitochondria from ten continuous GBM cell lines and correlated the protein levels to IC50values of genotoxic agents TMZ and irinotecan. We found that Bcl-2 levels corresponded to chemoresistance, while increased Bim concentrations promoted chemosensitivity. In contrast to our studies in gynecological cancers, the concentrations of the pro-dysfunction OMM scaffold protein Sab had no impact on chemosensitivity of the GBM cell lines, despite diminished Sab expression in GBM patients. However, we identified a novel truncated variant of Sab in the GBM cell lines. We found that GBM cells expressing only full-length Sab had a slower proliferation rate than those with the variant, which could be attributed to increased glycolysis in GBM cells expressing the Sab variant. To determine if the lack of Sab-mediated apoptosis was consistent across CNS tumors, we analyzed publicly-available patient data and found that Sab expression is down-regulated in neuroblastoma patients, a pediatric malignancy responsible for 12% of childhood cancer deaths. We found that that inhibiting Sab-mediated signaling in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y cells) enhanced oxidative phosphorylation in a pyruvate dehydrogenase-dependent manner, increased BCl-2 levels (pro-survival), decreased Bim concentrations (pro-apoptotic), and promoted chemoresistance. Furthermore, examination of additional neuroblastoma cells derived from CNS tumors revealed that Sab levels correspond to proliferation rate, metabolic phenotype, and chemosensitivity. Our studies demonstrate the importance of OMM signaling in CNS tumor physiology and emphasizes the importance of cellular context to the outcomes of OMM signaling events

Bauhaus Bodies, Modern Automatas and Other Performing Images

The Triadic Ballet Oskar Schlemmer 1922 and its Bauhaus theatrical gestures fine examples of the new modern society is a starting point to think of body image presentations along time in increasingly complex embodied affections A very diverse feminine body also emerges in representations of other modern artists as playing a character and of oneself as the creator in more subjective forms of visual composition Two approaches to body potential of imaging creation and gesture possibilities are presented in this chapter as an extension of how embodied realities may reconfigure performed bodies along time Since the 19th century our body is manipulated and recreated through various media languages experiencing an existence influenced by society science technology and culture A Schlemmer s contemporary German artist surrealist sculptor and photographer Hans Bellmer 1902-1975 presents Olympia from a body image related to other modern characters embodied in a manipulated doll with a spherical body in photography series resembling dead bodies from World War or denouncing a scientific desire to control and recreate living bodies as pleased since widely documented in medical protocols since the end of XIX centur

Study of microstructure effect on the thermal properties of Yttria-stabilized-Zirconia thermal barrier coatings made by atmospheric plasma spray and pressing machine

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are used in gas turbine engines to achieve a higher working temperature and thus lead to better efficiency. Yttria-Stabilized-Zirconia (YSZ), a material with low thermal conductivity, is commonly used as the top coat layer to provide the thermal barrier effect. In this dissertation the thermo-physical properties of a variety of TBCs samples made out of different fabrication techniques were investigated and compared. The first set of samples was fabricated using a pressing machine device to fabricate 0.5 inch diameter disk shaped YSZ-Al2O3 samples. The YSZ-Al2O3 powder mixture was made of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt% Al2O3 /YSZ powder ratio. The second set of samples was fabricated by Atmospheric Plasma Spray process for two different microstructure configurations, standard (STD) and vertically cracked (VC), and two different thicknesses, 400 and 700 micron respectively. A laser flash system was used to measure the thermal properties of the coatings. Experiments were performed over the temperature range from 100 to 800 C. The porosity of the YSZ samples was measured using a mercury porosimetry analyzer, POREMASTER 33 system. A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to study the microstructure of the samples. An analytical model is proposed to estimate the effective thermal conductivity of the TBCs. Results showed that the change of thermo-physical properties is directly linked to the microstructure of the samples, demonstrated by the porosity measurements and SEM images. The addition of alumina was effective to suppress sintering behavior of YSZ ceramic. The YSZ-Al2O3 composite samples reported lower thermal conductivity values compared to pure YSZ, this due to the increase of porosity of the samples. For the TBCs, the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity increased for the VC-TBC samples in comparison to the STD-TBC samples over the temperature range tested. The analytical predictions were compared to the experimental data

Temporal patterns in acoustic presence and foraging activity of oceanic dolphins at seamounts in the Azores

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Cascao, I., Lammers, M. O., Prieto, R., Santos, R. S., & Silva, M. A. Temporal patterns in acoustic presence and foraging activity of oceanic dolphins at seamounts in the Azores. Scientific Reports, 10(1), (2020): 3610, doi:10.1038/s41598-020-60441-4.Several seamounts have been identified as hotspots of marine life in the Azores, acting as feeding stations for top predators, including cetaceans. Passive acoustic monitoring is an efficient tool to study temporal variations in the occurrence and behaviour of vocalizing cetacean species. We deployed bottom-moored Ecological Acoustic Recorders (EARs) to investigate the temporal patterns in acoustic presence and foraging activity of oceanic dolphins at two seamounts (Condor and Gigante) in the Azores. Data were collected in March–May 2008 and April 2010–February 2011. Dolphins were present year round and nearly every day at both seamounts. Foraging signals (buzzes and bray calls) were recorded in >87% of the days dolphin were present. There was a strong diel pattern in dolphin acoustic occurrence and behaviour, with higher detections of foraging and echolocation vocalizations during the night and of social signals during daylight hours. Acoustic data demonstrate that small dolphins consistently use Condor and Gigante seamounts to forage at night. These results suggest that these seamounts likely are important feeding areas for dolphins. This study contributes to a better understanding of the feeding ecology of oceanic dolphins and provides new insights into the role of seamount habitats for top predators.This research was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Azores 2020 Operational Programme and the Fundo Regional da Ciência e Tecnologia (FRCT), through research projects TRACE (PTDC/MAR/74071/2006), MAPCET (M2.1.2/F/012/2011), FCT-Exploratory (IF/00943/2013/CP1199/CT0001), WATCH IT (Acores-01-0145-FEDER-000057) and MISTIC SEAS II (GA11.0661/2017/750679/SUB/ENV.C2), co-funded by FEDER, COMPETE, QREN, POPH, European Social Fund (ESF), the Portuguese Ministry for Science and Education, and EU-DG/ENV. The Azores 2020 Operational Programme is funded by the community structural funds ERDF and ESF. Funds were also provided by FCT to MARE, through the strategic project UID/MAR/04292/2013. MAS was supported through a FCT Investigator contract funded by POPH, QREN, ESF and the Portuguese Ministry for Science and Education (IF/00943/2013). IC was supported by a FCT doctoral grant (SFRH/BD/41192/2007) and RP by a FCT postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/108007/2015). We thank the field and crew teams for assisting with the many deployments and recoveries of the EARs. Special thanks to Norberto Serpa for helping with mooring design, Ken Sexton and Michael Richlen for their roles in manufacturing the EARs, Sergio Gomes for building the battery packs, and Lisa Munger for adapting Triton for EAR data analysis

Pengaruh Ketebalan Mulsa Jerami Terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Hasil Tanaman Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench)

Tanaman okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) merupakan tanaman yang kaya akan manfaat dan multifungsi, Tanaman okra merupakan tanaman yang kaya akan manfaat karena memiliki kandungan lemak, protein, karbohidrat, mineral, dan vitamin. Dilihat dari potensi tersebut maka Indonesia memiliki peluang besar menjadi pengekspor okra, untuk itu diperlukan upaya peningkatan hasil tanaman okra di Indonesia. Okra merupakan tanaman yang membutuhkan cukup banyak air. Salah satu upaya yang dapat dilakukan untuk meminimalisir tingkat kehilangan air dapat dilakukan dengan upaya modifikasi kondisi lingkungan tumbuh dengan cara rekayasa lingkungan dengan cara aplikasi mulsa organik untuk meningkatkan pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman okra secara maksimal. Penelitian dilaksanakan pada bulan Maret hingga Juli 2019 di Desa Kepuharjo, Kecamatan Karangploso, kabupaten Malang, Provinsi Jawa Timur. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan pemberian mulsa jerami dengan berbagai ketebalan menunjukkan pengaruh terhadap komponen pertumbuhan seperti jumlah daun, dan luas daun. Pada komponen hasil memberikan pengaruh pada jumlah polong, bobot segar polong per tanaman, bobot segar polong per petak, dan bobot polong per ha. Tanaman okra yang diberi mulsa jerami dengan ketebalan 7,5 cm menghasilkan polong per hektar yang tertinggi, yaitu sebesar 10,24 ton ha-1

Environmental drivers of large-scale movements of baleen whales in the mid-North Atlantic Ocean

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Perez-Jorge, S., Tobena, M., Prieto, R., Vandeperre, F., Calmettes, B., Lehodey, P., & Silva, M. A. Environmental drivers of large-scale movements of baleen whales in the mid-North Atlantic Ocean. Diversity and Distributions, 00, (2020): 1-16, doi:10.1111/ddi.13038.Aim Understanding the environmental drivers of movement and habitat use of highly migratory marine species is crucial to implement appropriate management and conservation measures. However, this requires quantitative information on their spatial and temporal presence, which is limited in the high seas. Here, we aimed to gain insights of the essential habitats of three baleen whale species around the mid‐North Atlantic (NA) region, linking their large‐scale movements with information on oceanographic and biological processes. Location Mid‐NA Ocean. Methods We present the first study combining data from 31 satellite tracks of baleen whales (15, 10 and 6 from fin, blue and sei whales, respectively) from March to July (2008–2016) with data on remotely sensed oceanography and mid‐ and lower trophic level biomass derived from the spatial ecosystem and population dynamics model (SEAPODYM). A Bayesian switching state‐space model was applied to obtain regular tracks and correct for location errors, and pseudo‐absences were created through simulated positions using a correlated random walk model. Based on the tracks and pseudo‐absences, we applied generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) to determine the probability of occurrence and predict monthly distributions. Results This study provides the most detailed research on the spatio‐temporal distribution of baleen whales in the mid‐NA, showing how dynamic biophysical processes determine their habitat preference. Movement patterns were mainly influenced by the interaction of temperature and the lower trophic level biomass; however, this relationship differed substantially among species. Best‐fit models suggest that movements of whales migrating towards more productive areas in northern latitudes were constrained by depth and eddy kinetic energy. Main conclusions These novel insights highlight the importance of integrating telemetry data with spatially explicit prey models to understand which factors shape the movement patterns of highly migratory species across large geographical scales. In addition, our outcomes could contribute to inform management of anthropogenic threats to baleen whales in sparsely surveyed region.We are very grateful to Cláudia Oliveira, Irma Cascão, Maria João Cruz, Miriam Romagosa and many volunteers, skilled skippers, crew and spotters that participated in the tagging fieldwork. This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Azores 2020 Operational Programme and Fundo Regional da Ciência e Tecnologia (FRCT) through research projects FCT‐Exploratory project (IF/00943/2013/CP1199/CT0001), TRACE (PTDC/MAR/74071/2006) and MAPCET (M2.1.2/F/012/2011) co‐funded by FEDER, COMPETE, QREN, POPH, ESF, ERDF, Portuguese Ministry for Science and Education, and Proconvergencia Açores/EU Program. We also acknowledge funds provided by FCT to MARE, through the strategic project UID/MAR/04292/2013. SPJ was supported by a postdoctoral grant (REF.GREENUP/001‐2016), MT by a DRCT doctoral grant (M3.1.a/F/028/2015), MAS by an FCT‐Investigator contract (IF/00943/2013), FV by an FCT Investigator contract (CEECIND/03469/2017) and RP by an FCT postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/108007/2015). LMTL modelling work has been supported by the CMEMS Service Evolution GREENUP project, funded by Mercator Ocean. We are grateful to Elliott Hazen for offering guidance and advice, and to two anonymous referees whose comments greatly improved this work

Achievements, Challenges and Gender: the Case of Female Managers in a Company of Great Size in Brazil

The increasing presence of the female manager figure in large companies has encouraged a lot of research on leadership and gender. In addition to stimuli in large organizations, women face different situations inside and outside companies. Those challenges require greater effort beyond technical skills. Keeping the role as a leader in the corporate environment, adjusting time and dedication to other roles (mother, wife, worker), raises for women the degree of complexity in the relationship between personal and professional life. This study brings up the discussion of women’s challenges through a survey with female managers in a large company, from the historical critical perspective