The Danube River is one of the largest transnational rivers, crossing through ten countries and supporting the lives of 80 million people. This study attempted to assess the water quality (as specified by the EU Water Framework Directive) at five sampling sites within the Brăila Islands, Danube Basin by examining three types of aquatic organisms: phytoplankton, macrophytes, and macroinvertebrates. Qualitative analyses of these organisms were conducted to determine the ecological effects of human influence.

The standard Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model is a compartmental model for the spread of an infectious disease through a host population. This project analyzes the standard SIR model, the SIR model without lifetime immunity, and the SIR model on a network of nodes to investigate conditions that create an epidemic. Techniques from the first two analyses, numerical simulation, and a small dive into parameter estimation are involved in analyzing the SIR model on a network.

The purpose of this research is to better understand how priming a secure or insecure attachment style influences feelings of state nostalgia, subjective feelings, and nostalgia cognitive appraisals. Our expected results are that priming a secure attachment style will lead to an increase in state nostalgia (H1) and priming an insecure attachment would cause a decrease in state nostalgia (H2). 

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a persistent organic pollutant and a potent activator of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-dependent transcription factor. This study sought to understand the effects of TCDD toxicity via AHR activation in the enteric nervous system (ENS) in mice and immorto fetal enteric neuronal (IM-FEN) cells. Results indicate that AHR signaling within the ENS negatively impacts on the gastrointestinal pathophysiology caused by TCDD.

My research question is: why are certain successful U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals nominations confirmed more favorably by the U.S. Senate than other successful nominations? I am interested in explaining the outcome of the U.S. Senate judicial confirmation process, which varies across nominees to the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals. I expect that the variation in confirmation outcomes results from perceived nominee qualifications, senators’ ideology, party control of the U.S. Senate and presidency, and the presence – or lack thereof – of a filibuster requirement, especially qualifications, which also vary across nominees. I expect to observe this relationship because a nominee’s qualifications are utilized by senators to evaluate that individual’s fitness for the bench. Therefore, those qualifications have the ability to influence a senator as to whether or not he or she will vote in support of a nominee. This creates the potential for a pattern of senators’ strong or weak support for a range of nominees based on those nominees’ qualifications.

Adolescence is characterized by an increase in risky behaviors. Research has historically focused on behaviors that harm the health of adolescents, however some risk taking can serve to promote the health of adolescents, such as playing sports. The present study aims to investigate how adolescents perceive different types of health risk behaviors, how they update those perceptions when given new information, and how risk perceptions are correlated with risky behavior.

Cigarette smoke-induced protein aggregation damages the lung cells in emphysema and COPD, however, lung cancer cels continue to thrive, evolving to persist in the toxic environment. Here we showed that upon the cigarette smoke condensate exposure, A540 lung cancer cells exhibit a reduced level of protein aggregation when compared to non-cancerous Beas-2B cells. Our data suggests that upregulation of efflux pumps in cancer cells assists in reducing smoke toxicity. Specifically, we demonstrated that inhibition of the ABCG2 transporter in A549 cells by febuxostat or its downregulation by shRNA-mediated RNA interference resulted in a significant increase in protein aggregation due to smoke exposure. These results imply that ABCG2 transporter may play a role in selection of lung cancer cells resistant to cigarette smoke toxicity.

Using different acid catalysts in Fischer esterification reactions, different yields from alcohols and carboxylic acids are obtained. With an emphasis on Dowex ion exchange resins, simple Fischer esterification reactions are compared to Dowex resin reactions in terms of yield and sustainability.  Different products are analyzed through gas chromatography and IR spectroscopy.