Theses and Dissertations from UMD
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Chromatin Control of Papillomavirus Infection(2020) Porter, Samuel Stephen; McBride, Alison A; Molecular and Cell Biology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The genomes of papillomaviruses are packaged into chromatin throughout the entire viral lifecycle. A peculiar feature of papillomaviruses genome organization is that the viral DNA is associated with host histones even inside the virion particle. However, little is known about the nature of the epigenome within papillomavirions, or its biological impact on early infection. Here, we use three approaches to study the epigenome of papillomavirions. Papillomaviruses can be assembled in packaging cells by expression of the capsid proteins in the presence of the viral genome. We have optimized and manipulated this process to generate viruses with replicated and genetically modified virion DNA and have used these “quasivirions” to evaluate early infection of primary human keratinocytes. We have also profiled the histone modifications on chromatin extracted from native virions isolated from human and bovine warts. We find that, compared to host cells, the viral chromatin is enriched in histone modifications associated with transcriptionally active chromatin (including histone acetylation), and depleted in those associated with transcriptional repression. To examine the biological role of histone acetylation in the early virus lifecycle, we produced HPV quasivirions with highly acetylated chromatin by assembling the virions in cells treated with histone deacetylase inhibitors. We show that acetylation of viral chromatin results in a reduction of early viral transcription in primary keratinocytes indicating that the histone modifications on virion chromatin do influence the early stages of infection. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that histone modifications on virion chromatin are important for the HPV infectious cycle.Item Religion, Sex, and Family: The Role of Family Religiosity and Sex Communication in Emerging Adults’ Sexual Behaviors(2017) Quinn, Deirdre Ann; Lewin, Amy; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Religion plays an important role in many people’s lives and can impact both physical and mental health. A growing body of research has examined potential links between religiosity and health behaviors and outcomes in adolescents and young adults, in particular adolescents’ sexual risk behaviors. Consequences of sexual risk represent a major health concern in the United States, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Risky sexual behavior is common among college students; campus “hook-up” culture promotes casual and unplanned sexual encounters (Burdette, Hill, Ellison, & Glenn, 2009; Grello, Welsh, & Harper, 2006), and students often perceive potentially risky sexual behaviors (including oral sex and anal sex) to be less intimate (and therefore more allowable) than sexual intercourse (Chambers, 2007; Kelly & Kalichman, 2002; H. Lyons, Manning, Giordano, & Longmore, 2013). Parents have consistently been identified as the most important source of religious influence, both in childhood and adolescence, and into adulthood. Research also shows that parents can play an important role in adolescents’ sexual health decision making through their parent-teen relationships, parenting practices, and communication about sex and sexual risk. The current study of undergraduate students (n=608) extends the literature in order to improve our understanding of the relationships between multi-dimensional aspects of family religiosity and family sex communication and college students’ religiosity, attitudes about sex, sexual activity, and sexual risk and protective behaviors. Based on social learning theory’s principles of observation, communication, and social interaction, this study examined the ways in which college students’ religiosity and attitudes about sex, and ultimately their sexual risk and protective behaviors, are associated with family modeling of religiosity and family communication about sex. Findings suggest that a higher degree of family religiosity is significantly associated with aspects of students’ sexual activity and sexual risk, while more comprehensive family communication about sex is significantly associated with some aspects of students’ sexual activity. Potential mediation of parental monitoring during high school and students’ current sex attitudes is also explored.Item FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPLETION OF THE HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS VACCINE SERIES AMONG HISPANIC AND NON-HISPANIC WHITE ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN THE UNITED STATES(2011) Demarco, Maria Teresa; Carter-Pokras, Olivia; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Despite recommendations of three Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine shots for all adolescent girls, only 29.1% of non-Hispanic Whites and 23.4% of Hispanics achieve completion. This study describes factors associated with completion of the HPV vaccine series among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White 13-17 year old girls who initiated the series. A secondary data analysis was performed of the cross-sectional 2009 National Immunization Survey-Teen survey. Despite similar initiation rates (one in five), Hispanic girls who had initiated the series (59.9%) were less likely to complete the series than non-Hispanic Whites (76.4%). After accounting for poverty status and home ownership, Hispanics were less likely to complete the HPV vaccine series. Factors associated with HPV vaccine series initiation were age at interview and age at HPV vaccine series initiation for Hispanics; and continuous health insurance since age of 11, mother's marital status, and number of children in the household for non-Hispanic Whites.