Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients, Lynn Murphy

Dissertations

This phenomenological study involved assessing the experiences of Black therapists who engaged Black clients in outdoor therapeutic contexts. The study was founded on the existing literature that shows the quality of the therapeutic relationship is pivotal for client retention and the Western standards that have historically favored treatment within indoor environments. To contextualize this research, a comprehensive literature review was commenced, covering topics such as the decolonization of therapy, the historical and present-day relationship between Blacks and the outdoors in the United States, sedentary lifestyles, the psychological benefits of time spent in nature, various types of outdoor therapy, and the …

Positron Emission Tomography In Oncology And Environmental Science, Samantha Delaney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The last half century has played witness to the onset of molecular imaging for the clinical assessment of physiological targets. While several medical imaging modalities allow for the visualization of the functional and anatomical properties of humans and living systems, few offer accurate quantitation and the ability to detect biochemical processes with low-administered drug mass doses. This limits how physicians and scientists may diagnose and treat medical issues, such as cancer, disease, and foreign agents.

A promising alternative to extant invasive procedures and suboptimal imaging modalities to assess the nature of a biological environment is the use of positron emission …

Towards A New Role Of Mitochondrial Hydrogen Peroxide In Synaptic Function, Cliyahnelle Z. Alexander

Student Theses and Dissertations

Aerobic metabolism is known to generate damaging ROS, particularly hydrogen peroxide. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules containing oxygen that have the potential to cause damage to cells and tissues in the body. ROS are highly reactive atoms or molecules that rapidly interact with other molecules within a cell. Intracellular accumulation can result in oxidative damage, dysfunction, and cell death. Due to the limitations of H₂O₂ (hydrogen peroxide) detectors, other impacts of ROS exposure may have been missed. HyPer7, a genetically encoded sensor, measures hydrogen peroxide emissions precisely and sensitively, even at sublethal levels, during …

Code For Care: Hypertension Prediction In Women Aged 18-39 Years, Kruti Sheth

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The longstanding prevalence of hypertension, often undiagnosed, poses significant risks of severe chronic and cardiovascular complications if left untreated. This study investigated the causes and underlying risks of hypertension in females aged between 18-39 years. The research questions were: (Q1.) What factors affect the occurrence of hypertension in females aged 18-39 years? (Q2.) What machine learning algorithms are suited for effectively predicting hypertension? (Q3.) How can SHAP values be leveraged to analyze the factors from model outputs? The findings are: (Q1.) Performing Feature selection using binary classification Logistic regression algorithm reveals an array of 30 most influential factors at an …

Factors Predictive Of The Development Of Surgical Site Infection In Thyroidectomy, A Replication Study Of Myssiorek (2018), Kaitlyn M. Kenig

Capstone Experience

The original study aimed to show that thyroidectomy does not result in surgical site infection (SSI) in most cases, and thus routine prescription of antibiotics is not necessary. The study looked to see what risk factors could predict the incidence of SSI. This would highlight those individuals who were at most risk of developing SSI, and then antibiotics would only be prescribed to these individuals instead of all or most individuals who undergo thyroidectomy.

This study used NSQIP data to look at incidence of SSI and look for risk factors that may be predictive of SSI. Only surgeries that were …

Evaluation Of An End-To-End Radiotherapy Treatment Planning Pipeline For Prostate Cancer, Mohammad Daniel El Basha, Court Laurence, Carlos Eduardo Cardenas, Julianne Pollard-Larkin, Steven Frank, David T. Fuentes, Falk Poenisch, Zhiqian H. Yu

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Radiation treatment planning is a crucial and time-intensive process in radiation therapy. This planning involves carefully designing a treatment regimen tailored to a patient’s specific condition, including the type, location, and size of the tumor with reference to surrounding healthy tissues. For prostate cancer, this tumor may be either local, locally advanced with extracapsular involvement, or extend into the pelvic lymph node chain. Automating essential parts of this process would allow for the rapid development of effective treatment plans and better plan optimization to enhance tumor control for better outcomes.

The first objective of this work, to automate the treatment …

Modeling Sex-Specific Changes In Myocardial Fibrosis, Grace Martin

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Heart disease the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Cardiac fibrosis, or accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins in the heart, can occur after a heart attack and increase the risk for further complications. Current treatments for heart disease do not include extracellular matrix regulators, partly due to the complicated signaling network responsible for the production of these proteins. By using a computational model of the signaling network in cardia fibroblasts, the relationship between particular molecules and downstream extracellular matrix production can be examined.

Biological sex is an important factor for cardiac health and …

Mathematical Modeling And Examination Into Existing And Emerging Parkinson’S Disease Treatments: Levodopa And Ketamine, Gabrielle Riddlemoser

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease across the world, affecting over 6 million people worldwide. This disorder is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons within the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) due to the aggregation of α-synuclein within the brain. Patients with PD develop motor symptoms such as tremors, bradykinesia, and postural instability, as well as a host of non-motor symptoms such as behavioral changes, sleep difficulties, and fatigue. The reduction of dopamine within the brain is the primary cause of these symptoms. The main form of treatment for PD is levodopa, a precursor …

Process Modeling The Neuroprotective Effects Of A Plant-Based Diet On Parkinson's Disease, Julia Mitchell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor symptoms such as tremors, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability. Recent research suggests an avenue for potential neuroprotection through dietary intervention, specifically the adoption of a plant-based diet. A plant-based diet predominantly comprises foods derived from plants, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and nuts while minimizing or excluding animal products. This thesis aims to explore the biochemical pathways implicated in PD progression and the potential impact of dietary choices on these pathways. The investigation focuses on several key pathways: alpha-synuclein aggregation, the blood-brain barrier crossing of levodopa, oxidative stress, ferroptosis, …

Proof-Of-Concept For Converging Beam Small Animal Irradiator, Benjamin Insley

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The Monte Carlo particle simulator TOPAS, the multiphysics solver COMSOL., and

several analytical radiation transport methods were employed to perform an in-depth proof-ofconcept

for a high dose rate, high precision converging beam small animal irradiation platform.

In the first aim of this work, a novel carbon nanotube-based compact X-ray tube optimized for

high output and high directionality was designed and characterized. In the second aim, an

optimization algorithm was developed to customize a collimator geometry for this unique Xray

source to simultaneously maximize the irradiator’s intensity and precision. Then, a full

converging beam irradiator apparatus was fit with a multitude …

Photobiomodulation Of Bovine Oocytes During Maturation Increases Atp Content And Enhances Subsequent Embryonic Development, Kendall Richey

All Theses

Bovine in-vitro production(IVP) of embryos is a growing field for producing offspring with desirable genetics in the cattle industries. While IVP is effective, oocyte cytoplasmic maturation is compromised, and bovine oocytes matured in-vitro have reduced metabolic activity than those matured in-vivo. Mitochondria are the central unit of oocyte metabolism, producing ATP through OXPHOS. Photobiomodulation is a light treatment reported to improve metabolic activity. In five experiments, we measured the effects of photobiomodulation treatment with red LED at 16-(L-16) and 20 h(L-20) of bovine oocyte in-vitro maturation on subsequent embryonic development, mitochondrial activity and nuclear progression. Bovine COCs were aspirated …

Synthesis Of Neoglycoproteins As Potential Biomarkers For Chagas Disease And Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused By Leishmania (Viannia) Braziliensis, Eileni Rodriguez Gil

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Protozoan parasites are responsible for causing numerous diseases in humans and mammals worldwide. Among them are Chagas disease (CD), caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), and tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL), caused by the parasite Leishmania (Viannia). Both diseases coexist in many regions of Latin America, and current hurdles to differentially diagnose them and determine chemotherapy success need to be overcome. CD can be diagnosed by traditional serological tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but disadvantages of these methods are that they may produce false negatives because the antigens used in commercial CD kits are not conserved across all T.cruzi …

Selective Transfection Of A Transferrin Receptor-Expressing Cell Line With Dna-Lipid Nanoparticles And Synthesis Of Parasite-Derived Glycans As Biomarkers For Leishmaniasis, Irodiel Vinales Lozano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite notable progress in lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-mediated gene delivery, achieving selective transfection of specific cell types, such as cancer cells, remains a significant hurdle, hindering the advancement of innovative gene therapies. In this study, we engineered an LNP formulation encapsulating plasmid DNA (pDNA) encoding the monomeric Green Lantern (mGL) fluorescent reporter protein. The DT7 peptide ligand targeting human transferrin receptor 1 (hTfR1) was also conjugated to the LNP surface for targeted delivery to hTfR1-expressing cells. Optimization of LNP composition yielded favorable particle diameter, ζ-potential, yield, and pDNA encapsulation efficiency. Evaluation of transfection selectivity using a panel of two engineered cell …

A Revised Synthesis Of The Cationic Lipids Dmri And Mlri, Benjamin A. Kostic

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are an increasingly utilized method of intracellular delivery for nucleic acids. The COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech have used LNP technology to combat the recent global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, saving millions of lives.^1,2 These vaccines consist of a lipid formulation that binds to the anionic phosphate groups of mRNAs and serves as an effective way to transport the nucleic acid across membranes into cells.⁹The mRNA encodes a viral protein. When introduced to cells, the viral protein is produced so that the immune system then can generate an appropriate antibody response.³ However, this approach …

Mathematics Majors In Medical School Admissions: A Comparative Evaluation Of Mcat And Gpa Performance, Morgan Baker

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Choosing a major as an incoming undergraduate student can be very stressful. This study investigates the differences in success that come with choice of undergraduate major, particularly focusing on the performance of mathematics majors. A large majority of medical school applicants come from a biological sciences background. Despite this preference, there is evidence that students from nontraditional majors produce higher Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and superior grade point averages (GPAs). Utilizing data visualization and analysis through R programming, this research examines public data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to understand the benefits of pursuing a …

Mathematical Modeling For Dental Decay Prevention In Children And Adolescents, Mahdiyeh Soltaninejad

Dissertations

The high prevalence of dental caries among children and adolescents, especially those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, is a significant nationwide health concern. Early prevention, such as dental sealants and fluoride varnish (FV), is essential, but access to this care remains limited and disparate. In this research, a national dataset is utilized to assess sealants' reach and effectiveness in preventing tooth decay, particularly focusing on 2nd molars that emerge during early adolescence, a current gap in the knowledge base. FV is recommended to be delivered during medical well-child visits to children who are not seeing a dentist. Challenges and facilitators in …

Post-Modeling Adjustments And Delivered Dose Verification Of The 6fff Beam Model Commissioned For The Monaco Treatment Planning System, Grant C. Debevec

LSU Master's Theses

External beam radiation therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment method for tumors and abnormalities of the spine and vertebral region. Treating the spine using a stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) technique can reduce toxicity to the spinal cord. The 6 MV flattening filter free (6FFF) beam model is currently used to plan and calculate dose for SBRT treatment plans, and the treatment plans are delivered using a linear accelerator (LINAC).

The commissioned beam model represents an invariant component of a LINAC. For volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment plans, the multileaf collimator (MLC) positions are changing throughout …

Predicting Biomolecular Properties And Interactions Using Numerical, Statistical And Machine Learning Methods, Elyssa Sliheet

Mathematics Theses and Dissertations

We investigate machine learning and electrostatic methods to predict biophysical properties of proteins, such as solvation energy and protein ligand binding affinity, for the purpose of drug discovery/development. We focus on the Poisson-Boltzmann model and various high performance computing considerations such as parallelization schemes.

Mri Image Regression Cnn For Bone Marrow Lesion Volume Prediction, Kevin Yanagisawa

Theses and Dissertations

Bone marrow lesions (BMLs), occurs from fluid build up in the soft tissues inside your bone. This can be seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and is characterized by excess water signals in the bone marrow space. This disease is commonly caused by osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative join disease where tissues within the joint breakdown over time [1]. These BMLs are an emerging target for OA, as they are commonly related to pain and worsening of the diseased area until surgical intervention is required [2]–[4]. In order to assess the BMLs, MRIs were utilized as input into a regression …

Modeling Of Covid-19 Clinical Outcomes In Mexico: An Analysis Of Demographic, Clinical, And Chronic Disease Factors, Livia Clarete

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study explores COVID-19 clinical outcomes in Mexico, focusing on demographic, clinical, and chronic disease variables to develop predictive models. In the binary classification task, the Ada Boost Classifier distinguishes survivors from non-survivors, with age, sex, ethnicity, and chronic medical conditions influencing outcomes. In multiclass classification, the Gradient Boosting Classifier categorizes patients into outcome groups.

Demographic variables, especially age, are crucial for predicting COVID-19 outcomes for both the binary and multiclass classification tasks. Clinical information about previous conditions, including chronic diseases, also holds relevance, especially diabetes, immunocompromise, and cardiovascular diseases. These insights inform public health measures and healthcare strategies, emphasizing …

Clustering Of Patients With Heart Disease, Mukadder Cinar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Heart disease, a leading cause of mortality worldwide, presents complex challenges in public health due to its varied manifestations. Accurate diagnosis and patient stratification are essential for effective management and improved outcomes. In response, this study employed machine learning techniques to analyze heart disease data obtained from UCI Machine Learning Repository, aiming to enhance patient care through advanced data analysis.

The study began with the application of K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) classification, which categorized patients into 'Disease' and 'No Disease' groups. This preliminary step provided initial insights into the structure of the dataset. Subsequently, K-means clustering was applied in two rounds, …

The Shifting Landscape Of Adolescent Wellness In Boarding Schools: Can Time Spent Off Screens And Outdoors Improve Adolescent Wellbeing?, Kristen H. Peterson

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

For nearly twenty years I have worked directly with adolescents as an independent school educator. Whether in the classroom, on the field, or in the dorm, I have observed and supported students through their middle and high school experiences. During this time, I have witnessed an alarming shift in adolescent physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. Concurrently, I have observed a dramatic increase in the amount of time students spend using screen-based devices, and a decrease in their time spent outdoors.

Using research to ground my anecdotal accounts in empirical understanding, my thesis examines whether or not screen use might help …

Flexible Attenuation Fields: Tomographic Reconstruction From Heterogeneous Datasets, Clifford S. Parker

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Traditional reconstruction methods for X-ray computed tomography (CT) are highly constrained in the variety of input datasets they admit. Many of the imaging settings -- the incident energy, field-of-view, effective resolution -- remain fixed across projection images, and the only real variance is in the detector's position and orientation with respect to the scene. In contrast, methods for 3D reconstruction of natural scenes are extremely flexible to the geometric and photometric properties of the input datasets, readily accepting and benefiting from images captured under varying lighting conditions, with different cameras, and at disparate points in time and space. Extending CT …

How Increased Ransomware Attacks Have Impacted Hospitals In The United States, Mackenzie Dotson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: The healthcare industry, particularly hospitals, have fallen prey to the alarming rise of ransomware attacks. In recent years, highly sophisticated cybergroups, armed with substantial funds and advanced technology, have intensified their focus on hospitals. Despite the advice against it, most hospitals have paid the ransom in order to regain access to their electronic systems and patient data, underlining the severity of these attacks.

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of ransomware attacks on hospitals in the US to determine if the patients were at risk due to hackers withholding patient information …

The Performance Of Marginal Modeling Methods For Rare Events With Application To Opioid Overdose Mortality And Morbidity, Shawn Nigam

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Opioid misuse is a nationwide epidemic, with Kentucky having one of the highest opioid overdose-related fatality rates across all US states. These rates have increased significantly over the past decade, with particularly large increases during the COVID-19 pandemic. This dissertation aims to study the behavior of these increases and the methods for the marginal modeling of count outcomes related to opioid overdose.

Opioid overdose-related fatality rates in Kentucky increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this chapter, we characterize the changes in opioid overdose fatality rates in Kentucky and identify associations between potential factors and fatality rates. County-level opioid overdose …

The Measure Of Efficiency And Effectiveness When Using Artificial Intelligence (Ai) In Radiology, Jordan Watts

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: The use of artificial intelligence in radiology has helped radiologists identify patterns and abnormalities in medical images to diagnose and treat patients. Deep learning and machine learning algorithms have been used to assist physicians in detecting features that are not noticeable to the human eye. The FDA has approved almost 400 AI algorithms for radiology and estimated that the market for AI in medical imaging would grow from $21.48 billion in 2018 to $264.85 billion in 2028.

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the use of artificial intelligence in radiology to determine its …

When Brain Meets Artificial Intelligence, Lu Zhang

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations

When we review the history of development of artificial intelligence (AI), we will find that brain science plays a pivotal role in fostering breakthroughs in AI, such as artificial neural networks (ANNs). Today, AI has made remarkable strides, particularly with the emergence of large language models (LLMs), surpassing expectations and achieving human-level performance in certain tasks. Nonetheless, an insurmountable gap remains between AI and human intelligence. It is urgent to establish a bridge between brain science and AI, promoting their mutual enhancement and collaborations. This involve establishing connections from brain science to AI (brain-inspired AI), and reversely, from AI to …

Chemical Synthesis Of Sensitive Dna, Komal Chillar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Over the past decades, researchers have tried various chemical methods to synthesize modified oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs, i.e. short segments of DNAs). Traditional ODN synthesis methods require strong basic, and nucleophilic conditions for the deprotection and cleavage of the ODN from the solid support. However, the sensitive ODNs containing labile functionalities are vulnerable to such harsh conditions. Sensitive ODNs have a wide range of applications in research and pharmaceuticals. To synthesize sensitive ODNs, researchers devised different strategies but no practical methods have been developed. To overcome these challenges, we developed alkyl Dim alkyl Dmoc technology. This innovative technology uses weakly basic and …

Cm-Ii Meditation As An Intervention To Reduce Stress And Improve Attention: A Study Of Ml Detection, Spectral Analysis, And Hrv Metrics, Sreekanth Gopi

Master of Science in Computer Science Theses

Students frequently face heightened stress due to academic and social pressures, particularly in de- manding fields like computer science and engineering. These challenges are often associated with serious mental health issues, including ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), depression, and an increased risk of suicide. The average student attention span has notably decreased from 21⁄2 minutes to just 47 seconds, and now it typically takes about 25 minutes to switch attention to a new task (Mark, 2023). Research findings suggest that over 95% of individuals who die by suicide have been diagnosed with depression (Shahtahmasebi, 2013), and almost 20% of students …

Prevalence, Faunal Composition, And Vertical Distribution Of Bioluminescence In The Pelagic Gulf Of Mexico: Fishes, Crustaceans, Cephalopods And Gelatinous Megaplankton, Devynne M. Brown

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Bioluminescence is the phenomenon of light emission by living organisms. It occurs through a chemical reaction within an organism and serves various purposes. The diversity of bioluminescent capabilities and occurrence in unrelated taxa suggest that bioluminescence has evolved independently numerous times amongst taxa thriving in certain environments. One such environment is the deep ocean, where little to no sunlight penetrates the water column, specifically in the mesopelagic (200-1000 m depth) and bathypelagic (> 1000 m) zones. The mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones have been extensively sampled and well documented in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), one of the few places globally …