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Learning Transferable Deep Convolutional Neural Networks For The Classification Of Bacterial Virulence Factors, Dandan Zheng, Guansong Pang, Bo Liu, Lihong Chen, Jian Yang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Motivation: Identification of virulence factors (VFs) is critical to the elucidation of bacterial pathogenesis and prevention of related infectious diseases. Current computational methods for VF prediction focus on binary classification or involve only several class(es) of VFs with sufficient samples. However, thousands of VF classes are present in real-world scenarios, and many of them only have a very limited number of samples available.Results: We first construct a large VF dataset, covering 3446 VF classes with 160 495 sequences, and then propose deep convolutional neural network models for VF classification. We show that (i) for common VF classes with sufficient samples, …

Modeling The Spread Of Measles, Alexandria Le Beau

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The measles virus has been around since the 9th century. Throughout the years measles have become less problematic in certain areas of the world due to research and the creation of vaccinations. Sadly, not all countries are fortunate enough to have adequate access to the vaccination, which leads to yearly outbreaks.

The goal of this project is to experiment with different mathematical growth models and examine their suitability for modeling outbreaks of measles. We will compare and contrast the exponential model, the logistic model, the SIR model, and the SEIR model. In addition, we will show how the epidemiological models …

Correlation Of Knowledge And Beliefs To Adherence With Antibiotic Use In Adult Patients At A Private Hospital In Sidoarjo, Muhammad Hasan Wattiheluw, Fauna Herawati, Setiasih Setiasih, Rika Yulia

Kesmas

Infectious diseases are one of the top ten causes of death in the world. Antibiotic therapy is administered for infectious diseases, but if bacteria are exposed to antibiotics continuously, then the bacteria are able to adapt to the medication, thereby resulting in antibiotic resistance. This condition results in an increase in mortality, long hospitalization period, and increased cost of antibiotic therapy and health services. Adherence to using antibiotics may be influenced by knowledge and beliefs about them. This study aimed to understand correlation between knowledge and belief with adherence to antibiotic use at a private hospital in Sidoarjo. This cross-sectional …

A Web-Based, Positive Emotion Skills Intervention For Enhancing Posttreatment Psychological Well-Being In Young Adult Cancer Survivors (Empower): Protocol For A Single-Arm Feasibility Trial, John M. Salsman, Laurie E. Mclouth, Michael Cohn, Janet A. Tooze, Mia Sorkin, Judith T. Moskowitz

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYAs) experience clinically significant distress and have limited access to supportive care services. Interventions to enhance psychological well-being have improved positive affect and reduced depression in clinical and healthy populations but have not been routinely tested in AYAs.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this protocol is to (1) test the feasibility and acceptability of a Web-based positive emotion skills intervention for posttreatment AYAs called Enhancing Management of Psychological Outcomes With Emotion Regulation (EMPOWER) and (2) examine proof of concept for reducing psychological distress and enhancing psychological well-being.

METHODS: The intervention development and testing are …

Synthesis Of Functionalized Streptococcus Pneumoniae Serotype 6a Di- And Tri- Saccharides, Brady Davis James

Theses and Dissertations

There is a rise in prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae, and its FDA-approved vaccines often do not mount effective immune responses in children, the elderly, or the immunocompromised. One reason these vaccines are generally less effective is because they do not utilize T-cell help. T-cell help can be accessed when di-, tri-, or tetra-saccharides positioned inside major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II are presented to T-cell receptors as a target antigen. Pairing MHC II-antigen complexes with T-cell receptors enables development of B and T lymphocytes that are highly specific to these antigens, granting an increase in antibody affinity and …

Leishmanicidal Potential Of Hardwickiic Acid Isolated From Croton Sylvaticus, Justice Afrifa Crentsil, Lauve Rachel Tchokouaha Yamthe, Barbara Zenabu Anibea, Emmanuel Broni, Samuel Kojo Kwofie, John Kweku Amissah Tetteh, Dorcas Osei-Safo

Physics and Engineering Science

Leishmania is a parasitic protozoon responsible for the neglected tropical disease Leishmaniasis. Approximately, 350 million people are susceptible and close to 70,000 death cases globally are reported annually. The lack of effective leishmanicides, the emergence of drug resistance and toxicity concerns necessitate the pursuit for effective antileishmanial drugs. Natural compounds serve as reservoirs for discovering new drugs due to their chemical diversity. Hardwickiic acid (HA) isolated from the stembark of Croton sylvaticus was evaluated for its leishmanicidal potential against Leishmania donovani and L. major promastigotes. The susceptibility of the promastigotes to HA was determined using the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide/phenazine methosulfate colorimetric …

Genetic Biocontrol For Invasive Species, John L. Teem, Luke Alphey, Sarah Descamps, Matt P. Edgington, Owain Edwards, Neil Gemmell, Tim Harvey-Samuel, Rachel L. Melnick, Kevin P. Oh, Antoinette J. Piaggio, J. Royden Saah, Dan Schill, Paul Thomas, Trevor Smith, Andrew Roberts

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive species are increasingly affecting agriculture, food, fisheries, and forestry resources throughout the world. As a result of global trade, invasive species are often introduced into new environments where they become established and cause harm to human health, agriculture, and the environment. Prevention of new introductions is a high priority for addressing the harm caused by invasive species, but unfortunately efforts to prevent new introductions do not address the economic harm that is presently manifested where invasive species have already become established. Genetic biocontrol can be defined as the release of organisms with genetic methods designed to disrupt the reproduction …

Waiting-Time Paradox In 1922, Naoki Masuda, Takayuki Hiraoka

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

We present an English translation and discussion of an essay that a Japanese physicist, Torahiko Terada, wrote in 1922. In the essay, he described the waiting-time paradox, also called the bus paradox, which is a known mathematical phenomenon in queuing theory, stochastic processes, and modern temporal network analysis. He also observed and analyzed data on Tokyo City trams to verify the relevance of the waiting-time paradox to busy passengers in Tokyo at the time. This essay seems to be one of the earliest documentations of the waiting-time paradox in a sufficiently scientific manner.

A Call For Consistency In The Official Naming Of The Disease Caused By Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 In Non-English Languages, Lu Dong, Zhe Li, Isaac Fung

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

We investigated the adoption of World Health Organization (WHO) naming of COVID-19 into the respective languages among the Group of Twenty (G20) countries, and the variation of COVID-19 naming in the Chinese language across different health authorities. On May 7, 2020, we identified the websites of the national health authorities of the G20 countries to identify naming of COVID-19 in their respective languages, and the websites of the health authorities in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Singapore and identify their Chinese name for COVID-19. Among the G20 nations, Argentina, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Turkey do …

Phase-Adjusted Estimation Of The Covid-19 Outbreak In South Korea Under Multi-Source Data And Adjustment Measures: A Modelling Study, Xiaomei Feng, Jing Chen, Kai Wang, Lei Wang, Fengqin Zhang, Zhen Jin, Lan Zou, Xia Wang

Mathematics Faculty Articles

Based on the reported data from February 16, 2020 to March 9, 2020 in South Korea including confirmed cases, death cases and recovery cases, the control reproduction number was estimated respectively at different control measure phases using Markov chain Monte Carlo method and presented using the resulting posterior mean and 95% credible interval (C_rI). At the early phase from February 16 to February 24, we estimate the basic reproduction number R₀ of COVID-19 to be 4.79(95% C_rI 4.38 - 5.2). The estimated control reproduction number dropped rapidly to R_c ≈ 0.32(95% C_rI …

Prediction Of Drug-Drug Interaction Potential Using Machine Learning Approaches, Joseph Scavetta

Theses and Dissertations

Drug discovery is a long, expensive, and complex, yet crucial process for the benefit of society. Selecting potential drug candidates requires an understanding of how well a compound will perform at its task, and more importantly, how safe the compound will act in patients. A key safety insight is understanding a molecule's potential for drug-drug interactions. The metabolism of many drugs is mediated by members of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, notably, the CYP3A4 enzyme. Inhibition of these enzymes can alter the bioavailability of other drugs, potentially increasing their levels to toxic amounts. Four models were developed to predict CYP3A4 inhibition: …

A Model-Based Investigation Of The Role Of Density Dependence In Juvenile Mosquito Development And Survival, Melody Walker Ms, Lauren M. Childs, Michael A. Robert

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Modeling Vaccination Strategies To Control White-Nose Syndrome In Little Brown Bat Colonies, Eva Cornwell, David Elzinga, Shelby R. Stowe, Alex Capaldi

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Repeat Infection In The Dynamics Of A Simple Model Of Waning And Boosting Immunity, Laura F. Strube, Maya Walton, Lauren M. Childs

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Modeling Of The Car T-Cell Therapy, Emek Kose, Elizabeth Zollinger, Samantha Elliott

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

In Silico Mouse Model Of Infection And Immunity, Daniel Jonas, Michael Kirby, Alan R. Schenkel

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Performance Of Phenomenological Models For Real-Time Forecasting The Covid-19 Epidemic, Kimberlyn Roosa, Gerardo Chowell

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Modeling Analysis And Prediction On Ncp Epidemic Transmission, Huaxiong Sheng, Wu Lin, Changliang Xiao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: The modeling analysis on the NCP (Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia) epidemic transmission before and after the closure of Wuhan is presented. On the basis of preprocessing the epidemic data, the classical SIR model and differential recurrence method are used to analyze and forecast the epidemic situation in the stage of control. The theoretical value and measured value fits well. In the stage of free transmission, the logistic model is used to compare and analyze the epidemic data five days in advance or later with the actual data to show the importance of taking the epidemic prevention measures in time. The …

Optimization Algorithm Based On Human Infection With Avian Influenza, Guangqiu Huang, Qiuqin Lu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To get the global optimal solution of some complex nonlinear optimization problems, an optimization algorithm based on the human avian influenza infectious diseases is proposed by using its dynamic model of cross species transmission. Applies the H7N9 infectious disease model to create the operators S^u-S^u, I^u-I^u, S^u-I^u, I^u-S^u, S^u-D^u, I^u-D^u, and to enable the individuals to exchange information among the same species and cross-species. The S^u-S^u and I^u-I^u operators …

Photographic Validation Of Target Versus Nontarget Take Of Brown Treesnake Baits, Shane R. Siers, Aaron B. Shiels, Cynthia G. Payne, Francinem M. Chlarson, Craig S. Clark, Stephen M. Mosher

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Use of toxic baits or other tools for managing nuisance species must ensure that the species of interest is adequately targeted while exposure to nontarget species is minimized. Nontarget takes of acetaminophen‐laced baits for control of invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam may put those animals at risk of lethal intoxication and render the bait unavailable to the intended target species. We used wildlife cameras to identify species removing toxic and nontoxic baits from brown treesnake bait stations designed to exclude nontarget taxa in 2015 and 2016. Throughout various sites and habitat types, and balanced by season (wet vs. …

Time Allocation To Resources By Three Species Of Rats (Rattus Spp.) In A Radial Arm Maze, Gary Witmer, Nathan P. Snow, Rachael S. Moulton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Introduced rats (Rattus spp.) can pose a serious threat to native flora and fauna, especially on islands where most species have evolved in the absence of terrestrial predators. Effective detection and eradication methods for introduced rats are essential to the maintenance of insular ecosystem integrity. Thus, it is important to better understand the behaviour of rats when they first arrive in a new setting.

Aims. To determine whether rats would find some novel stimuli to be significantly more attractive than other novel stimuli.

Methods. An eight-arm radial maze was used to study the behaviour of three species of Rattus …

Interactions With Humans Shape Coyote Responses To Hazing, Julie K. Young, Edd Hammill, Stewart W. Breck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Medium and large carnivores coexist with people in urban areas globally, occasionally resulting in

negative interactions that prompt questions about how to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Hazing,

i.e., scaring wildlife, is frequently promoted as an important non-lethal means for urbanites to reduce

conflict but there is limited scientific evidence for its efficacy. We used a population of captive coyotes (Canis latrans) to simulate urban human-coyote interactions and subsequent effects of hazing on coyote behavior. Past experiences with humans significantly affected the number of times a coyoteapproached a human to necessitate hazing. coyotes that had been hand fed by adults had to …

Hawaii As A Microcosm: Advancing The Science And Practice Of Managing Introduced And Invasive Species, Liba Pejchar, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk, Steven C. Hess, M. Tracy Johnson, Christina R. Leopold, Michael Marchetti, Katherine M. Mcclure, Aaron B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive species are a leading driver of global change, with consequences for biodiversity and society. Because of extraordinary rates of endemism, introduction, and extinction, Hawaii offers a rich platform for exploring the cross-disciplinary challenges of managing invasive species in a dynamic world. We highlight key successes and shortcomings to share lessons learned and inspire innovation and action in and beyond the archipelago. We then discuss thematic challenges and opportunities of broad relevance to invaded ecosystems and human communities. Important research needs and possible actions include eradicating mammals from mainland island sanctuaries, assessing hidden threats from poorly known introduced species, harnessing …

Deciphering Interactions Between White-Tailed Deer And Approaching Vehicle, Morgan Pfeiffer, Raymond B. Iglay, Thomas W. Seamans, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Deer-vehicle collisions are a major transportation hazard, but factors affecting deer escape decision-making in response to vehicle approach remain poorly characterized. We made opportunistic observations of deer response to vehicle approach during daylight hours on a restricted- access facility in Ohio, USA (vehicle speeds were ≤64 km/h). We hypothesized that animal proximity to the road, group size, vehicle approach, and ambient conditions would affect perceived risk by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to vehicle approach, as measured by flight-initiation distance (FID). We constructed a priori models for FID, as well as road-crossing behavior. Deer responses were variable and did not demonstrate …

Evaluating Moose Alces Alces Population Response To Infestation Level Of Winter Ticks Dermacentor Albipictus, Daniel D. Ellingwood, Peter J. Pekins, Henry Jones, Anthony R. Musante

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many wildlife populations are experiencing a variety of environmental pressures due to the direct and indirect consequences of a changing climate. In the northeast, USA, moose Alces alces are declining in large part because of the increasing parasitism by winter tick Dermacentor albipictus, facilitated by high host density and optimal environmental conditions. To test this hypothesis, and better understand the influence of this interaction on the stability of the regional population, we constructed a population viability model using data collected through comprehensive survival and productivity studies in 2002–2005 and 2014–2018 in northern New Hampshire. Years of heavy tick infestation (epizootics) …

Volume 6 Full Text, Bjur Staff

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Patient Outcomes In A Pharmacist-Led Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy Program, Zachary W. Howe, Lindsay Saum, Jennifer Mccann

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Spillover Of Sars-Cov-2 Into Novel Wild Hosts In North America: A Conceptual Model For Perpetuation Of The Pathogen, Alan B. Franklin, Sarah N. Bevins

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There is evidence that the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is of animal origin. As with a number of zoonotic pathogens, there is a risk of spillover into novel hosts. Here, we propose a hypothesized conceptual model that illustrates the mechanism whereby the SARS-CoV-2 could spillover from infected humans to naive wildlife hosts in North America. This proposed model is premised on transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from human feces through municipal wastewater treatment plants into the natural aquatic environment where potential wildlife hosts become infected. We use the existing literature on human coronaviruses, including SARS CoV, …

Flavonoid And Cannabidiol Neural Glyoxalase Pathway Enhancement Against Aging And Alzheimer’S Disease, Joel R. Frandsen

Theses & Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease is a neurodegenerative condition featuring neural cell death and a decline in cognitive capacity caused by elevated inflammation and production of reactive oxygen species. The glyoxalase pathway is an endogenous antioxidant system that neutralizes reactive methylglyoxal through sequential reactions. Dysfunction of the glyoxalase pathway contributes to oxidative stress and the accumulation of inflammatory metabolic byproducts. Plant-produced compounds with antioxidant activity can enhance endogenous antioxidant pathways and protect cells from elevated ROS production. We hypothesize that flavonoids and limited Cannabis Sativa-produced cannabidiol can enhance glyoxalase pathway function through regulation of antioxidant and pro-apoptotic signaling pathways to prevent methylglyoxal-mediated …

Public Perspectives And Media Reporting Of Wolf Reintroduction In Colorado, Rebecca Niemiec, Richard E.W. Berl, Mireille Gonzalez, Tara Teel, Cassiopeia Camara, Matthew Collins, Jonathan Salerno, Kevin Crooks, Courtney Schultz, Stewart Breck, Dana Hoag

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the state of Colorado, a citizen ballot initiative to reintroduce gray wolves (Canis lupus) is eliciting polarization and conflict among multiple stakeholder and interest groups. Given this complex social landscape, we examined the social context surrounding wolf reintroduction in Colorado as of 2019. We used an online survey of 734 Coloradans representative in terms of age and gender, and we sampled from different regions across the state, to examine public beliefs and attitudes related to wolf reintroduction and various wolf management options. We also conducted a content analysis of media coverage on potential wolf reintroduction in 10 major daily …