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Summer Movement Of Burbot (Lota Lota) In An Isolated Michigan River And Pre-Restoration Assessment Of The Grand River Fish Assemblage In Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, Usa, Alexis Neff

Masters Theses

This thesis research consisted of two complimentary projects. The first focused on understanding the ecology and life-history of an isolated population of a freshwater fish, the Burbot; the second on a pre-restoration assessment of the fish community in the Grand River.

Understanding life-history strategies of species is important to recognize changes in behavior caused by anthropogenic effects. Burbot (Lota lota), are important apex predators in their native range, is understudied, and exhibits complex life-history strategies. Specifically, little research has been done on isolated river populations. My research objective was to assess Burbot movement and habitat use over a …

Sense-Able Hauntings: Ethics And Narratives In Ornithological Specimen Preservation At Yale's Peabody Museum, Elaina Foley

Kaplan Senior Essay Prize for Use of Library Special Collections

Until I was standing in between the rows of towering metal specimen cabinets, I didn’t understand how many birds the Yale Peabody Museum holds. Like most people, I had only experienced the display side of museums: its dioramas and glass cases. These displays, while made to embody a certain set of interests, priorities, and values, still serve an obscuring function—they vastly underrepresent the museum’s total collections. In their ornithology collection alone, the Peabody currently holds more than 152,000 bird skins, bones, eggs, nests, and other avian fragments. The Peabody staff members who maintain the ornithology specimen collections are distinct from …

Social Networks And Self-Efficacy Among Hawaiian Homeless, Blake Shavers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHomelessness affects over half a million people in the United States and millions worldwide. While permanent supportive housing initiatives like Housing First have successfully improved homeless wellbeing, recent research has shown that housing alone is not a solution; it requires add-on programming to assist in mitigating the causal factors. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the social networking and self-efficacy of currently homeless and those who have successfully transitioned to supportive housing in the unique social and geographical environment of O’ahu, Hawai’i. A phenomenological study design using criterion sampling for semi structured interviews of four houseless …

Inter-Organellar Nucleic Acid Communication By A Mitochondrial Trna Regulates Nuclear Transcription, Christopher Rouya

Student Theses and Dissertations

Balancing metabolic demands with transcriptional output requires efficient communication between mitochondria and the nucleus. However, the mitochondrial factors that mediate signals to the nucleus remain poorly defined. In eukaryotes, the mitochondrial genome encodes transfer RNAs (mito-tRNAs) that function in mitochondrial-specific translation. Here, we report the detection of multiple mito-tRNAs within the nucleus of human cells. Focused studies of one such nuclear-transported mito-tRNA-asparagine (mito-tRNA-Asn) revealed that its cognate charging enzyme (NARS2) is also present in the nucleus. Nuclear localization of mito-tRNA-Asn and NARS2 was dependent on the VDAC1 mitochondrial channel and importin-α nuclear transport factor, respectively. Mito-tRNA-Asn promoted the interaction of …

Social Networks And Self-Efficacy Among Hawaiian Homeless, Blake Shavers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHomelessness affects over half a million people in the United States and millions worldwide. While permanent supportive housing initiatives like Housing First have successfully improved homeless wellbeing, recent research has shown that housing alone is not a solution; it requires add-on programming to assist in mitigating the causal factors. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the social networking and self-efficacy of currently homeless and those who have successfully transitioned to supportive housing in the unique social and geographical environment of O’ahu, Hawai’i. A phenomenological study design using criterion sampling for semi structured interviews of four houseless …

Outcomes In Patients With Poor-Risk Cytogenetics With Or Without Tp53 Mutations Treated With Venetoclax And Azacitidine, Daniel A Pollyea, Keith W Pratz, Andrew H Wei, Vinod Pullarkat, Brian A Jonas, Christian Recher, Sunil Babu, Andre C Schuh, Monique Dail, Yan Sun, Jalaja Potluri, Brenda Chyla, Courtney D Dinardo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To evaluate efficacy and safety of venetoclax + azacitidine in treatment-naïve patients with acute myeloid leukemia harboring poor-risk cytogenetics and TP53mut or TP53wt.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed data from a phase III study (NCT02993523) comparing venetoclax (400 mg orally days 1-28) + azacitidine (75 mg/m2 days 1-7) or placebo + azacitidine, and from a phase Ib study (NCT02203773) of venetoclax + azacitidine. Patients were ineligible for intensive therapy. TP53 status was analyzed centrally; cytogenetic studies were performed locally.

RESULTS: Patients (n = 127) with poor-risk cytogenetics receiving venetoclax + azacitidine (TP53wt = 50; TP53mut = 54) were compared …

Investigating The Involvement Of The Tick Vector In The Induction Of Alpha-Galactose Hypersensitivity (Alpha-Gal Syndrome, Red Meat Allergy) In The United States., Gary Crispell

Dissertations

Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS or sometimes called red meat allergy) is a result of the development of specific IgE antibodies to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) after a person has had exposure to tick bites. This dissertation investigates four common tick species found in North America: the lone-star tick (Amblyomma americanum), the Gulf-Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum), the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) for the presence of α-gal by utilizing a combination of immunoproteomic approaches and carbohydrate analysis techniques.

Anti-α-gal IgM antibodies (M86) were used in immunoblotting to detect …

Targeting A Highly Repetitive Genomic Sequence For Sensitive And Specific Molecular Detection Of The Filarial Parasite Mansonella Perstans From Human Blood And Mosquitoes, Nils Pilotte, Tamara Thomas, Michael F. Zulch, Allison R. Sirois, Corrado Minetti, Lisa J. Reimer, Steven A. Williams, Lori J. Saunders

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background Mansonella perstans is among the most neglected of the neglected tropical diseases and is believed to cause more human infections than any other filarial pathogen in Africa. Based largely upon assumptions of limited infection-associated morbidity, this pathogen remains understudied, and many basic questions pertaining to its pathogenicity, distribution, prevalence, and vector-host relationships remain unanswered. However, in recent years, mounting evidence of the potential for increased Mansonella infection-associated disease has sparked a renewal in research interest. This, in turn, has produced a need for improved diagnostics, capable of providing more accurate pictures of infection prevalence, pathogen distribution, and vector-host interactions. …

Late Quaternary Biotic Homogenization Of North American Mammalian Faunas, Danielle Fraser, Amelia Villaseñor, Anikó B. Tóth, Meghan A. Balk, Jussi T. Eronen, W. Andrew Barr, A. K. Behrensmeyer, Matt Davis, Andrew Du, J. Tyler Faith, Gary R. Graves, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Advait M. Jukar, Cindy V. Looy, Brian J. Mcgill, Joshua H. Miller, Silvia Pineda-Munoz, Richard Potts, Alex B. Shupinski, Laura C. Soul, S. Kathleen Lyons

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Biotic homogenization—increasing similarity of species composition among ecological communities—has been linked to anthropogenic processes operating over the last century. Fossil evidence, however, suggests that humans have had impacts on ecosystems for millennia. We quantify biotic homogenization of North American mammalian assemblages during the late Pleistocene through Holocene (~30,000 ybp to recent), a timespan encompassing increased evidence of humans on the landscape (~20,000–14,000 ybp). From ~10,000 ybp to recent, assemblages became significantly more homogenous (>100% increase in Jaccard similarity), a pattern that cannot be explained by changes in fossil record sampling. Homogenization was most pronounced among mammals larger than 1 …

Bayesian Hierarchical Random-Effects Meta-Analysis And Design Of Phase I Clinical Trials, Ruitao Lin, Haolun Shi, Guosheng Yin, Peter F Thall, Ying Yuan, Christopher R Flowers

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We propose a curve-free random-effects meta-analysis approach to combining data from multiple phase I clinical trials to identify an optimal dose. Our method accounts for between-study heterogeneity that may stem from different study designs, patient populations, or tumor types. We also develop a meta-analytic-predictive (MAP) method based on a power prior that incorporates data from multiple historical studies into the design and conduct of a new phase I trial. Performances of the proposed methods for data analysis and trial design are evaluated by extensive simulation studies. The proposed random-effects meta-analysis method provides more reliable dose selection than comparators that rely …

Bob: Bayesian Optimal Design For Biosimilar Trials With Co-Primary Endpoints, Xiaohan Chi, Zhangsheng Yu, Ruitao Lin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

For regulatory approval of a biosimilar product, extensive evaluations should be performed by rigorous clinical trials to establish the similarity between the reference product and the proposed biosimilar in terms of both efficacy and safety. Existing designs for biosimilar trials often use a single primary efficacy endpoint in trial monitoring, and then separately evaluate the safety of the biosimilar product in a secondary analysis at the trial completion. However, ignoring the safety endpoint and the correlation between safety and efficacy in trial monitoring may lead to a high false positive rate, or it may delay the termination of the trial …

Polymorphism & Parasites: Structure, Diversity And Selection Of The Mhcii Genes In A Weakly Electric Fish, Brachyhypopomus Occidentalis, Bruna L. Silva

Graduate Masters Theses

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules play a key role in inducing an immune response, by presenting foreign peptides to T-lymphocytes. They are considered one of the most polymorphic genes in the vertebrate genome and diversity has been associated with species diversification mediated by parasite, viral and bacterial infections. While MHC genes are well documented in teleost fish, none thus far have been described in the Gymnotiform order – a highly diverse group of neotropical electric fishes. Using a combination of a recently annotated genome and whole genome resequencing data, I identified and characterized both the classical MHCII …

Genetics And Genomics Education Among Physician Assistants, Wesley Patterson

All Dissertations

This dissertation comprises five chapters to describe genetics and genomics education among physician assistant/associate (PA) students and practicing PAs. Chapter I introduces the gap in supply and demand of genetic services, the need for non-genetics healthcare providers to fill the gap, and the PA profession as a solution.

Chapter II is a rapid literature review that summarizes the available literature regarding genetics and genomics education for PAs. A paucity of literature exists to describe the current state of PA genetics-genomics education. The few studies retrieved describe content being taught in PA programs, the number of genetics-genomics contact hours PA students …

Breeding Ecology Of Mottled Ducks In Southwestern Louisiana, Elizabeth Sophia Bonczek

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mottled ducks are a resident species found in the southern United States that rely on coastal marsh and associated habitat to fulfill the needs of the entirety of their annual cycle. Population monitoring has revealed declines in western Gulf Coast (WGC) mottled ducks since 2008. Mottled duck populations are influenced by survival and recruitment, and changes in these factors may contribute to population declines. The overarching goal of this project was to identify the mechanisms potentially limiting WGC mottled ducks.

I captured adult female mottled ducks during molt on Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge and adjacent lands in southwestern Louisiana from 2017–2019. …

Pilfering Passerines? Inter-Class Competition: A New Direction In Foraging Ecology, Shannon Gillen

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Life in the epigeal layer below leaf litterfall often goes unexplored. Shrews (Soricidae, 1910) have foraged in this microhabitat for millions of years, carving out an existence in harsh habitats around the world, ranging from the tropics to subarctic boreal tundra. Two shrew species that inhabit the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the least shrew (Cryptotis parva) and northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda), were the focus of this study. Shrews make epigeal foraging trails while they continually forage for food, and caching is a way to save this food for times of low and sporadic food availability. …

A Bayesian Group Sequential Design For Randomized Biosimilar Clinical Trials With Adaptive Information Borrowing From Historical Data, Wen Zhang, Zhiying Pan, Ying Yuan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

At the time of developing a biosimilar, the reference product has been on market for years and thus ample data are available on its efficacy and characteristics. We develop a Bayesian adaptive design for randomized biosimilar clinical trials to leverage the rich historical data on the reference product. This design takes a group sequential approach. At each interim, we employ the elastic meta-analytic-predictive (EMAP) prior methodology to adaptively borrow information from the historical data of the reference product to make go/no-go decision based on Bayesian posterior probabilities. In addition, the randomization ratio between the test and reference arms is adaptively …

Genomic Analysis Of Metabolic Differences Found In Clostridium Perfringens That Cause Necrotic Enteritis In Poultry, Connor M. Aylor

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Clostridium perfringens is a common member of gut microbiota in healthy animals, but can also be an important pathogen in human and veterinary medicine. It produces several protein toxins that contribute to both histotoxic and enteric diseases in animals. Necrotic enteritis in poultry has been associated with the NetB toxin of C. perfringens; however, this toxin alone is insufficient to cause disease in infected chickens. While considerable research has focused on the presence of toxins and virulence factors, little has been done to assess the function of metabolic factors on the ability of the bacteria to cause disease. …

Enhancing Grassland Biodiversity And Its Consequences For Grassland Management And Utilisation, Johannes Isselstein

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Grasslands make an important contribution to the biodiversity of rural landscapes.

2. Biodiversity has the potential to support the production function of grassland. The conditions for this are largely unexplored.

3. The enhancement of biodiversity on agriculturally improved, species-poor grasslands is difficult to achieve due to seed limitation and high residual soil fertility.

4. Measures to overcome constraints are addition of propagules, depletion of soil nutrients, and the use of specific sward treatments.

5. Agri-environmental schemes will play an increasing role in achieving the biodiversity targets in the future, however, the efficiency of such schemes needs improvement.

Evaluation Of A Hands-On Cooking Class And Its Effects On Self-Efficacy In Relation To Healthy Eating In Type 2 Diabetics, Codi A. Jenshak-Gorzinski

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is alarming and poses a great threat to U.S. national health. Chronic diabetes can lead to serious conditions such as heart attack and stroke, and can result in premature mortality (World Health Organization, 2018). Diabetes can be prevented or treated by eating a healthy diet. Cooking classes are a potential way to improve American’s knowledge of nutritional principles and help them become confident that they have the capacity to eat a healthy diet. The purpose of this DNP project was to determine if participation in cooking classes enhanced self-efficacy as it pertains to healthy …

Maps Of Ticks (Acari: Argasidae, Ixodidae) For Austria And South Tyrol, Italy, Franz Rubel, Katharina Brugger

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

A first compilation of georeferenced tick locations in Austria and South Tyrol, Italy, is presented here. This allows the tick fauna to be examined in the various climatic regions of the European Alps. The dataset comprises 424 tick locations of Austria and 48 tick locations of South Tyrol, which were digitized from literature and visualized in the form of geographical maps. The tick fauna of Austria includes two species of Argasidae in the genera Argas and Carios and 15 species of Ixodidae in the genera Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, and Ixodes, altogether 17 tick species. In addition, two species …

Reproductive Resilience Of Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, Krithika Venkataraman

Student Theses and Dissertations

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes impose a severe global public health burden as vectors of viruses that cause dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, and parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis. Under optimal environmental conditions, Aedes aegypti females have access to human hosts that provide blood proteins required for egg development, conspecific males that provide sperm required for fertilization, and freshwater in natural or manmade containers that serves as an egg-laying substrate suitable for offspring survival during larval and pupal stages. As global temperatures rise, Aedes aegypti females are faced with climate challenges like intense droughts and intermittent bouts of precipitation, which …

"Rusticall Chymistry": Alchemy, Saltpeter Projects, And Experimental Fertilizers In Seventeenth-Century English Agriculture", Justin Niermeier-Dohoney

Arts and Communication Faculty Publications

As the primary ingredient in gunpowder, saltpeter was an extraordinarily important commodity in the early modern world. Historians of science and technology have long studied its military applications but have rarely focused on its uses outside of warfare. Due to its potential effectiveness as a fertilizer, saltpeter was also an integral component of experimental agricultural reform movements in the early modern period and particularly in seventeenth-century England. This became possible for several reasons: the creation of a thriving domestic saltpeter production industry in the second half of the sixteenth century; the development of vitalist alchemical theories that sought a unified …

An Integrative Investigation Of The Synechococcus A/B Clade During Adaptive Radiation At The Upper Thermal Limit Of Phototrophy, Christopher L. Pierpont

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Thermophilic microorganisms have been scientifically observed since the early nineteenth century and have spurred many questions about the limits of life and the capacity of organisms to survive extreme conditions. Decades of research on thermophile proteins and genomes have yielded several proposed correlates of temperature that may contribute to adaptation of bacteria and archaea to high temperature. However, many of the generalizations reported are drawn from analyses of deeply divergent taxa or from individual case studies in isolation from mesophilic relatives. Members of the Synechococcus A/B (SynAB) group are the only cyanobacteria with members able to grow above 65 °C …

Metabolic Heterogeneity And The Roles Of Cody And Ccpa In Central Metabolism And S. Aureus Biofilm Formation., Logan L. Bulock

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a metabolically versatile human pathogen, causing disease in many areas of the body. Its versatility can be attributed to the fact that it utilizes a variety of tools to adapt to many different environments, including toxins to scavenge from the host and multiple transporters to compete for its preferred carbon sources. S. aureus can also survive in harsh conditions through biofilm development, which are notoriously recalcitrant to antibiotics and immune defenses. Biofilms exhibit marked heterogeneity, with division of labor for production of matrix components and differential gene expression among various niches within the biofilm.

In this study, …

Structural Analysis And Vaccine Efficacy Of Hla Mutants, Kelly Tomaszewski

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal of the human skin and also a major human pathogen. Currently, there has been no successful vaccine despite many approaches over the last two decades. S. aureus α-hemolysin (Hla), a potent cytotoxin, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of S. aureus diseases, through the activation of its receptor, ADAM10. We utilized three distinct Hla mutants with differing structural and ADAM10 binding properties to examine for vaccine efficacy. Our studies have demonstrated immunization with each vaccine candidate antigens provided significant protection against S. aureus skin infection yet elicited distinguishable immune responses. We have also generated …

Understanding The Barriers And Facilitators Of Lidar Adoption For Flood Risk Management In The Pacific Northwest, U.S., Tara Pozzi

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The understanding of factors that influence technology adoption in emergency planners is foundational for ensuring resilient communities to hazards in the future. We explore these factors through an interdisciplinary, social-ecological science lens. In this thesis, we use cultural evolutionary theory to understand the facilitators and barriers of Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) adoption in flood risk management, as a case study of technology adoption for long-term risk mitigation. We then disseminate our findings through three educational outlets: a webinar, a white paper (Appendix A), and a Story Map. This thesis contributes to our intellectual understanding of technology adoption, as …

Conclusion: Female Leaders Using Coercive Power Motivate Subordinates, Mary Kovach

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This manuscript advances prior research (Blau, 1964; Elangovan & Xie, 1999; French & Raven, 1959; Goodstadt & Hjelle, 1973; Hegtvedt, 1988; Randolph & Kemery, 2011; Zigarmi, Peyton Roberts, & Randolph, 2015) and capitalizes on supervisory skills using power dynamics within the workplace, by investigating employee effort resulting from gender dissimilar supervisor-employee dyads and employee locus of control. To offer a more focused approach, this is an evaluation specifically on reward and coercive power derived from French and Raven’s (1959) five power bases. This manuscript proposes that the motivation levels of employees change, based on their locus of control and gender. …

Not So Dystopian: A Historical Reading Of Eugenics In Science Fiction, Riley Sanders

The Forum: Journal of History

Broadly, this paper is an effort in complicating traditional readings of eugenic themes in science fiction. Two landmark novels, Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896) and Huxley’s Brave New World (1932), are highlighted as representative of the early and late stages of eugenics. By focusing on the troubling historical context surrounding these authors, I denounce the simple reading of these works as merely “dystopian”. Scholars like Francis Fukuyama advance these simplistic readings by instinctively assuming that Wells and Huxley were against eugenics. This paper continues the tradition that David Bradshaw popularized in his book The Hidden Huxley, which argues …

Brown Treesnake Mortality After Aerial Application Of Toxic Baits, Scott M. Goetz, Eric T. Hileman, Melia G. Nafus, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Amanda R. Bryant, Robert N. Reed, Shane R. Siers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Quantitative evaluation of control tools for managing invasive species is necessary to assess overall effectiveness and individual variation in treatment susceptibility. Invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam have caused severe ecological and economic effects, pose a risk of accidental introduction to other islands, and are the greatest impediment to the reestablishment of extirpated native fauna. An aerial delivery system for rodent‐based toxic baits can reduce brown treesnake abundance and heterogeneity among individuals may influence bait attraction or toxicant susceptibility. Previous baiting trials have either been simulated aerial treatments or relied on slightly different bait capsule compositions and the results …

Biodiversity Monitoring And Volunteer Motivations: A Case Study On The Imagined Communities Of Citizen Scientists In Meinung, Taiwan, Serena May Calcagno

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Asia Pacific’s biodiversity is under threat. One significant step that can improve conservation is gathering data on what species exist in different areas over time, which can provide insight into ecosystem health. This is especially important in biodiversity hotspots, where high levels of endemism and anthropogenic risk overlap. Though it is one of the few places in the Pacific not classified as a biodiversity hotspot, Taiwan has an unusually high saturation in terms of biodiversity data points. Investigating the motives of biodiversity monitoring volunteerism is already a topic of growing scholarly interest, but relatively few studies have focused on …