Maryland Shared Open Access Repository

MD-SOAR is a shared digital repository platform for twelve colleges and universities in Maryland. It is currently funded by the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium (usmai.org) and other participating partner institutions. MD-SOAR is jointly governed by all participating libraries, who have agreed to share policies and practices that are necessary and appropriate for the shared platform. Within this broad framework, each library provides customized repository services and collections that meet local institutional needs. Please follow the links below to learn more about each library's repository services and collections.

 

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Developing Tni-FNL ET: A Trichoplusia ni Insect Cell Line for Easy Titration of Baculovirus
(2024) Ashley Mitchell; Dominic Esposito; Hood College Department of Biology; Biomedical and Environmental Science
Baculovirus titration methods include immunological, qPCR, flow cytometry, plaque, and mean tissue culture infection dose (TCID50) assays, which vary in expense, labor, and length. TCID50 assays are a common tool for determining viral titers and have advanced with techniques that allow the use of microplate readers for easier detection. This thesis work aimed to develop a TCID50 assay for baculovirus titration using the novel Tni-FNL Easy Titer (Tni-FNL ET) cell line. The Tni-FNL ET titration assay was designed to attempt to improve upon the currently offered Sf-9 Easy Titer (Sf-9ET) assay with the use of a microplate reader and a shorter assay time. Tni-FNL cells were stably transfected with plasmid DNA containing the mRuby3 gene under the control of the polyhedrin baculovirus promoter. Infection of the stable Tni-FNL cell line with baculovirus results in mRuby3 production due to the activation of polyhedrin promoter by viral gene products. It was observed that only plasmid DNA constructs containing a homologous region (hr) successfully produced detectable mRuby3 fluorescent protein. Polyhedrin promoter constructs with hr5 sequences were chosen to further develop the TCID50 assay. Relative fluorescent measurements, detected by the BMG Labtech Omega FLUOstar microplate reader, two standard deviations above the mean of the control wells were considered positives when performing TCID50 calculations. Calculations for viral titer were done using the Reed-Muench method. This new baculovirus titration method was able to yield the desired level of signal, as detected by a microplate reader after a 4-day incubation, to determine viral titers in the range of 105 to 1010. Further assay optimization is needed to achieve consistent, usable titers.
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DEVELOPMENT OF A CELL CULTURE, SCREENING, AND SEQUENCING METHOD FOR HIGH-THROUGHPUT ISOLATION OF HIV-POSITIVE CD4+ T-CELLS FROM HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS
(2024) Whitney Bruchey; Sylvain Laverdure, PhD; Hood College Biology; Hood College Biomedical and Environmental Science
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is a retrovirus that targets immune cells critical to innate and adaptive immune responses in infected patients. Despite viremia suppression by antiretroviral drug treatments, chronic immune activation persists in HIV-1-infected patients, increasing their risk of HIV-associated chronic comorbidities. Defective HIV-1 proviruses harboring genetic mutations may contribute to persistent immune activation in suppressed HIV-1-infected patients through expression of canonical or novel viral proteins. In this study, we presented the steps taken to develop optimal culture conditions for CD4+ T cells from suppressed HIV-infected patients, and an unbiased nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach for screening of HIV-1 positive cells. Of the 507 potential HIV-1 positive clones detected, we chose three for further bioinformatic analysis that resulted in observation of two novel open reading frames within HIV-1 integrase and reverse transcriptase genes.
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Understanding the Concept of Race and Racial Discrimination in Latin America
(2024-04-25) Axel S. Barahona Perez; Dr. Paige Eager; Hood College Department of Political Science; Hood College Departamental Honors
Latin America ranks highest in the world in markers of socio-economic inequality, as well as in the negative effects that inequality has on other realms of life, such as access to basic services, access to education and professional opportunities, political influence, and, in many countries, unfair treatment by police and the justice system. These factors of inequality affect the lives of millions of people in Latin America, mainly indigenous and Afro-descendant people. Thus, it is evident that discrimination and racism are a constituent part of the Latin American region. However, many Latin American countries have declared themselves as post-racial because of the multi-racial and multi-cultural characteristics of their population, arguing that racism and racial discrimination are not present in their body politics and society. This narrative is the result of the concept of mestizaje, the mixing of races, that was imposed on the populations during colonial times, and in the post-colonial period. The concepts of mestizaje and racial democracy were utilized by Latin American Elites as tools for the nation-building process of the newly formed nations. Consequently, after political and social processes of integration into Latin American society and identity, the concepts of race and racial discrimination are not considered social issues, and there is a denial regarding the existence of racism and discrimination in the Latin American region by the general public and governments.
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"Only a Demon in Her Shape": A Queer Positive Reading of Bram Stoker's Dracula
(2024) Kayla Swain; Dr. Mitchell-Buck, Heather; Dr. Knapp, Elizabeth; Dr. Pincikowski, Scott; Hood College English and Communication Arts; Hood College Departmental Honors
Since Dracula embodies a lot of Queer stereotypes from the time and multiple members of Stoker’s band of heroes show signs of being closeted, many scholars have taken to reading Stoker’s heroes’ rejection of Dracula as a rejection of their Queer identities. The problem with such readings is that they tend to emphasis the groups’ acts of Queer shame without acknowledging the fact that they come to find love and acceptance among one another and so, resolve their fears, insecurities, and the self-hatred they feel as a result of being a Queer person living in late nineteenth century England. By acknowledging neither the acceptance the group receives from one another nor the resolution of their Queer shame, those who read Stoker’s horror novel through a Queer lens have repeatedly reached the conclusion that Dracula is symbolic of and or intended to represent Stoker’s heroes’ Queer desires and sentiment. All the while, another interpretation, one that acknowledges the groups’ acceptance of their Queer identities and paints Dracula as a symbol of the negative, monstrous image of the “homosexual” that tormented the Queer community in the aftermath of the 1885 Amendment and Oscar Wilde trials, has gone mostly unexplored and ignored. And that interpretation is what this paper explores.
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Domestic Domains: Understanding the Values and Virtues of the 17th Century Dutch Family through Domestic Genre Paintings
(2024-04-25) Emma Flanagan; Pulichene, Nicole; Bari, Martha; Marcus, Lisa Algazi; Hood College Department of Art and Archeology; Hood College Departmental Honors