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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (3 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2017)

This dissertation focuses on three subjects related to aerosol vertical profile, future climate change impacts on surface aerosol concentration and its effects on premature mortality and drought risk over California (CA). In Chapter 1, I investigate how convective mass flux and precipitation (wet removal) are associated with the aerosol vertical profile over the globe using Cloud-Aerosol Lidar Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) and Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP). The results indicate that convective mass flux is an important mechanism that influences global aerosol vertical distribution. In the tropics, more convective mass flux is associated with more aerosol above 500 hPa while less aerosol is related to less convective mass flux. More convective mass flux over the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude emission sources is associated with more aerosol aloft (downwind). More (less) downward CMF is associated with more (less) aerosol in the lower troposphere and less (more) aerosol in the upper troposphere and vertical dispersivity over NH Pacific.

In Chapter 2, the response of surface fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration to greenhouse gas (GHG) induced warming at the end of century, and its effects on premature mortality related to respiratory diseases, is estimated. To conduct this work I use simulated PM2.5 from seven Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP) models and five projected populations by Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). Future climate change has a significant impact on surface PM2.5 concentration and the corresponding premature mortality. Both surface PM2.5 and premature mortality will likely increase at end of the 21st century under business-as-usual warming.

In Chapter 3, I investigate future drought risk over California using the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble Community Project (CESM-LENS). This model is used because 1. it captures the observed teleconnection between El-Nino and California (CA) precipitation and 2. allows an assessment of the role of natural climate variability. The results suggest that under business-as-usual GHG emissions, drought risk during the 21st century does not significantly increase.

    Cover page: Investigations of Model Simulations and Satellite Observations for Better Understanding of Climate Change Impacts and Aerosol Processes
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UCLA Previously Published Works (2025)
    Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cell therapy holds promise for treating myeloid malignancies, but challenges remain in bone marrow (BM) infiltration and targeting BM-resident malignant cells. Current autologous CAR-T therapies also face manufacturing and patient selection issues, underscoring the need for off-the-shelf products. In this study, we characterize primary patient samples and identify a unique therapeutic opportunity for CAR-engineered invariant natural killer T (CAR-NKT) cells. Using stem cell gene engineering and a clinically guided culture method, we generate allogeneic CD33-directed CAR-NKT cells with high yield, purity, and robustness. In preclinical mouse models, CAR-NKT cells exhibit strong BM homing and effectively target BM-resident malignant blast cells, including CD33-low/negative leukemia stem and progenitor cells. Furthermore, CAR-NKT cells synergize with hypomethylating agents, enhancing tumor-killing efficacy. These cells also show minimal off-tumor toxicity, reduced graft-versus-host disease and cytokine release syndrome risks, and resistance to allorejection, highlighting their substantial therapeutic potential for treating myeloid malignancies.
      Cover page: Allogeneic CD33-directed CAR-NKT cells for the treatment of bone marrow-resident myeloid malignancies.
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC Davis Previously Published Works (2018)
      Germline-encoded receptors recognizing common pathogen-associated molecular patterns are a central element of the innate immune system and play an important role in shaping the host response to infection. Many of the innate immune molecules central to these signaling pathways are evolutionarily conserved. LysMD3 is a novel molecule containing a putative peptidoglycan-binding domain that has orthologs in humans, mice, zebrafish, flies, and worms. We found that the lysin motif (LysM) of LysMD3 is likely related to a previously described peptidoglycan-binding LysM found in bacteria. Mouse LysMD3 is a type II integral membrane protein that co-localizes with GM130+ structures, consistent with localization to the Golgi apparatus. We describe here two lines of mLysMD3-deficient mice for in vivo characterization of mLysMD3 function. We found that mLysMD3-deficient mice were born at Mendelian ratios and had no obvious pathological abnormalities. They also exhibited no obvious immune response deficiencies in a number of models of infection and inflammation. mLysMD3-deficient mice exhibited no signs of intestinal dysbiosis by 16S analysis or alterations in intestinal gene expression by RNA sequencing. We conclude that mLysMD3 contains a LysM with cytoplasmic orientation, but we were unable to define a physiological role for the molecule in vivo.
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