Research has identified several transcription factors that regulate activity-dependent plasticity and memory, with cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) being the most well-studied. In neurons, CREB activation is influenced by the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), considered central to immunity but more recently implicated in memory. The transcription factor early growth response-2 (Egr-2), an NF-κB gene target, is also associated with learning and memory. Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), an antioxidant transcription factor linked to NF-κB in pathological conditions, has not been studied in normal memory. Given that numerous transcription factors implicated in activity-dependent plasticity demonstrate connections to NF-κB, this study simultaneously evaluated protein levels of NF-κB, CREB, Egr-2, Nrf2, and actin in hippocampi from young (1 month-old) weanling CD1 mice after training in the Morris water maze, a hippocampal-dependent spatial memory task. After a 6-day acquisition period, time to locate the hidden platform decreased in the Morris water maze. Mice spent more time in the target vs. non-target quadrants of the maze, suggestive of recall of the platform location. Western blot data revealed a decrease in NF-κB p50 protein after training relative to controls, whereas NF-κB p65, Nrf2 and actin increased. Nrf2 levels were correlated with platform crosses in nearly all tested animals. These data demonstrate that training in a spatial memory task results in alterations in and associations with particular transcription factors in the hippocampus, including upregulation of NF-κB p65 and Nrf2. Training-induced increases in actin protein levels caution against its use as a loading control in immunoblot studies examining activity-dependent plasticity, learning, and memory.

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) regulates and is regulated by kinases involved in several functions associated with the hallmarks of cancer. The following literature review strongly suggests that distinct kinomes exist for ERa-positive and -negative human breast cancers. Importantly, consistent with the known heterogeneity of ERa-positive cancers, different subgroups exist, which can be defined by different kinome signatures, which in turn are correlated with clinical outcome. Strong evidence supports the interplay of kinase networks, suggesting that targeting a single node may not be sufficient to inhibit the network. Therefore, identifying the important hubs/nodes associated with each clinically relevant kinome in ERC tumors could offer the ability to implement the best therapy options at diagnosis, either endocrine therapy alone or together with other targeted therapies, for improved overall outcome.

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Among the various collections housed in the Archival & Special Collections CASC) at the University of Guelph is a group of photographic material that exhibits the integral role photography played in Scotland's tourism industry from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Photographic publishing firms such as G.W. Wilson & Co. and Valentine & Sons, Ltd. incorporated photography into their commercial repertoires and both helped to create and capitalize on Scotland's vibrant tourism industry during this period. This thesis focuses on this specific group of material that includes four bound albums, five opalines, seven travel view books, and over four hundred stereographs, and additionally looks at how institutions such as the ASC use descriptive tools like finding aids to provide access to and information about their collections. This thesis project reevaluates the structure and role of the finding aid as applied to photographic material in archival collections. Additional components such as a biographical sketches, a glossary of photographic terms, a geographic index, and a historical overview, have been incorporated to further demonstrate how a finding aid can build a greater web of connections and narratives for such collections.