Digital Commons Network^™

The Economic Impacts Of Blackbird (Icteridae) Damage To Sunflower In The Usa, Karina Ernst, Julie Elser, George Linz, Hans Kandel, Jason Holderieath, Samantha Degroot, Steven Shwiff, Stephanie Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: Blackbird (Icteridae) damage to ripening sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has been a persistent economic issue in the USA for the last five decades. To quantify losses, we surveyed blackbird damage from 2001 to 2013 (excluding 2004) to physiologically mature sunflower in eight states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas, and Vermont.

RESULTS:We pooled data gathered during the most recent 5 years (2009 to 2013) of the survey and found losses averaged $US2.5 million and $US11.3 million for confectionery and oilseed hybrids, respectively. Three states, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, had sufficient acreage and bird damage …

Habitat Selection By American Beaverat Multiple Spatial Scales, Guiming Wang, Lance F. Mcclintic, Jimmy D. Taylor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Semiaquatic mammals require both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, particularly interfaces between the two habitats. As ecosystem engineers, American beaver (Castor canadensis) consume and fell a great amount of deciduous trees. We tested the prediction that open water and amounts of food resources, including hardwood forests (i.e., deciduous trees as the dominant form of vegetation), herbaceous and woody wetlands, and shrubs, would influence the second-order habitat selection (i.e., placing home ranges on the landscape) by American beaver, whereas the third-order habitat selection of American beaver would be associated with woody wetland and shrub edges. We investigated hierarchical habitat selection by …

Understanding The Role Of Macrophages In Lung Inflammation Through Mathematical Modeling, Sarah B. Minucci

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

The Environmental Impact And Formation Of Meals From The Pilot Year Of A Las Vegas Convention Food Rescue Program, Samantha To, Courtney Coughenour, Jennifer Pharr

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Annually, millions of tonnes of leftover edible foods are sent to landfill. Not only does this harm the environment by increasing the release of greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change, but it poses a question of ethics given that nearly 16 million households are food insecure in the US, and hundreds of millions of people around the globe. The purpose of this study was to document the amount of food diverted from landfill in the pilot year of a convention food rescue program and to determine the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoided by the diversion of such …

Ebola: Impact Of Hospital's Admission Policy In An Overwhelmed Scenario, Mondal H. Zahid

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Pair Formation Disease Models With A Two Phase Infection, Berlinda Rosa Batista

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Siderophore Pathways And Non-Traditional Antibiotic Strategies In Multi-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii, Tabbetha Bohac

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The rise of antibiotic resistance is driving exploration of non-canonical antibiotic approaches, including neutralization of virulence factors. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative pathogens, including Acinetobacter baumannii, are of particular concern because of the small number of clinically useful antibiotics available for use. Here we both expand upon the existing knowledge of two of the siderophores of A. baumannii, acinetobactin and fimsbactin, and utilize this knowledge to synthesize novel compounds for the inhibition of pathogenic A. baumannii in whole cell assays.Furthering the current knowledge of the natural siderophore systems of A. baumannii, we were able to investigate the interaction of acinetobactin with …

Simplicity Diffexpress: A Bespoke Cloud-Based Interface For Rna-Seq Differential Expression Modeling And Analysis, Cintia C. Palu, Marcelo Ribeiro-Alves, Yanxin Wu, Brendan Lawlor, Pavel V. Baranov, Brian Kelly, Paul Walsh

Department of Computer Science Publications

One of the key challenges for transcriptomics-based research is not only the processing of large data but also modeling the complexity of features that are sources of variation across samples, which is required for an accurate statistical analysis. Therefore, our goal is to foster access for wet lab researchers to bioinformatics tools, in order to enhance their ability to explore biological aspects and validate hypotheses with robust analysis. In this context, user-friendly interfaces can enable researchers to apply computational biology methods without requiring bioinformatics expertise. Such bespoke platforms can improve the quality of the findings by allowing the researcher to …

Epidemic Growth Rates And Host Movement Patterns Shape Management Performance For Pathogen Spillover At The Wildlife–Livestock Interface, Kezia R. Manlove, Laura M. Sampson, Benny Borremans, E. Frances Cassirer, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin, Thomas E. Besser, Paul C. Cross

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Managing pathogen spillover at the wildlife–livestock interface is a key step towards improving global animal health, food security and wildlife conservation. However, predicting the effectiveness of management actions across host–pathogen systems with different life histories is an on-going challenge since data on intervention effectiveness are expensive to collect and results are system-specific.We developed a simulation model to explore how the efficacies of different management strategies vary according to host movement patterns and epidemic growth rates. The model suggested that fast-growing, fast-moving epidemics like avian influenza were best-managed with actions like biosecurity or containment, which limited and localized overall spillover risk. …

Synthesis Of Piperidine-Based Inhibitors Of Kasa, A Vital Enzyme Of M. Tuberculosis, Lindsey Jones

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from infectious disease in the world. Although tuberculosis drugs exist, the rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis has created a need for new research. Identifying novel, effective drugs for treatment of tuberculosis could reduce the cost of care and treatment time, saving millions of lives. The enzyme KasA, which synthesizes part of the tuberculosis bacterial cell wall, has been identified as an attractive drug target. A virtual screen using KasA discovered a compound, 4-(4-bromophenyl)-1-pyrenemethyl-4-piperidinol (1), which inhibited bacterial growth in vitro. In this research, nine derivatives of compound 1 were synthesized for future testing …

Framework For Algorithmically Optimizing Longitudinal Health Outcomes: Examples In Cancer Radiotherapy And Occupational Radiation Protection, Lydia Joyce Wilson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Advancements in the treatment of non-infectious disease have enabled survival rates to steadily increase in recent decades (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, and cancer). Epidemiological studies have revealed that the treatments for these diseases can have life-threatening and/or life–altering effects. Thus, realizing the full beneficial potential of advanced treatments necessitates new tools to algorithmically consider all major components of the health outcome, including benefit and detriment. The goal of this dissertation was to develop a framework for improving projected health outcomes following planned radiation exposures in consideration of all beneficial and detrimental, early and late, and fatal and non-fatal …

A Mathematical Investigation On Tumor-Immune Dynamics: The Impact Of Vaccines On The Immune Response, Jonathan Quinonez, Neethi Dasu, Mahboobi Qureshi

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Mathematical models analyzing tumor-immune interactions provide a framework by which to address specific scenarios in regard to tumor-immune dynamics. Important aspects of tumor-immune surveillance to consider is the elimination of tumor cells from a host’s cell-mediated immunity as well as the implications of vaccines derived from synthetic antigen. In present studies, our mathematical model examined the role of synthetic antigen to the strength of the immune system. The constructed model takes into account accepted knowledge of immune function as well as prior work done by de Pillis et al. All equations describing tumor-immune growth, antigen presentation, immune response, and interaction …

Mathematical Modeling Of Zika Virus Transmission And Multiple Pathogen Interactions, Omomayowa Olawoyin

Mathematics Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this dissertation is twofold: to deepen our understanding of the complex transmission routes of the Zika virus (ZIKV), and to study multiple pathogen interactions (specifically cocirculation of Zika and dengue and discrete-time coinfection models) through the lens of invasion reproductive numbers (IRNs) which measure the ability of a disease to invade a population endemic with another disease(s). In addition to being transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, studies show that the ZIKV can also be sexually and vertically transmitted within both populations. We develop a new mathematical model of the ZIKV …

Long-Term Patterns In Remotely-Sensed Vegetation Productivity For A Transboundary Conservation Area In Southern Africa., Liam Resener

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

In the past century, researchers have observed changes in vegetation productivity and structure in savannas across the world. These changes, caused by shifts in precipitation patterns, fire patterns, soil nutrients, herbivory, and land management decisions, are important to understand because they affect availability of natural resources, which in turn affects the livelihoods of local populations. This study centers on the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), a transboundary conservation area that spans five countries in Southern Africa comprised of large areas of protected land. Using the Normalized-Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), I tested a 35-year remotely-sensed time series for intra- and inter-annual …

Reduced Disposal Area Performance Utilizing Secondary-Treated Effluent In Profile-Limiting Soils, David A. Meints

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Onsite wastewater systems dispose of primary treated effluent by utilizing the soil for final recycling and renovation of wastewater into the environment. Soil and site limitations have become a challenge to design a wastewater system and dispose of onsite wastewater using a conventional pipe and gravel design. Using secondary-treated effluent from an advanced treatment unit applied to a reduced disposal area offers an additional alternative when developing an onsite wastewater system. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of hydraulically loading limiting soils with secondary-treated effluent in a reduced disposal area. A reduced disposal area was constructed …

Methods To Remotely Eliminate Biofilm From Medical Implants Using 2.4 Ghz Microwaves, Brett Glenn

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Infections associated with biofilm growth are usually challenging to eradicate due to their high tolerance toward antibiotics [11, 12]. Biofilms often form on the inert surfaces of medically implanted devices [13]. No matter the sophistication, microbial infections can develop on all medical devices and tissue engineering constructs [12]. Related infections lead to 2 million cases annually in the U.S., costing the healthcare system over $5 billion in additional healthcare expenses [12].

Novel solutions to biofilm’s microbial colonization span the spectrum of engineering and science disciplines. Yet a practical solution still does not exist. The research presented here will explore a …

Influence Of Environmental Conditions On Fatty Acid-Induced Changes In Vibrio Cholerae Persistence And Pathogenicity, Abigail Doyle

Honors Theses

Vibrio cholerae, a Gram-negative bacterium, is responsible for the acute intestinal infection known as cholera. This illness is due in part to V. cholerae’s ability to sense and adapt to changing environments as it is ingested into the human body from brackish environments. It was shown in recent studies that this bacteria has the ability to uptake exogenous fatty acids, resulting in changes to V. cholerae persistence and pathogenicity. The aim of this research is to determine the extent to which these additional exogenous UFAs influence the persistence and pathogenicity of V. cholerae throughout its transitional period from brackish environments …

The Development Of Screening Platforms To Identify Novel Anti-Infectives That Inhibit Protein Synthesis In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Casey Anne Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen, is a leading cause of nosocomial infections and is becoming increasingly antibiotic resistant. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) catalyze the covalent attachment of amino acids to their cognate tRNAs and serve as validated targets for the development of new anti-infectives. In P. aeruginosa, the genome contains two genes (tyrS and tyrZ) which encode two distinct TyrRS enzymes. The genes encoding both P. aeruginosa TyrRS-Z and TyrRS-S were cloned, overexpressed in E. coli cells, and purified to homogeneity. Both forms of TyrRS were active in aminoacylation and were developed into screening platforms using scintillation proximity …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of 1,2,4-Oxadiazolidinones: The Search For A Potential Non-Β-Lactam Β-Lactamase Inhibitors., Chimdi Eke Kalu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

β-lactam antibiotics have been the most widely used drug of choice to combat infectious disease caused by bacteria. Unfortunately, their effectiveness is drastically threatened by bacterial β-lactamases. β-lactamases is responsible for the resistance to most antibiotic drugs. For decades, β-lactam β-lactamases inhibitors have been used to reduce bacterial resistance; however, in this study 1,2,4-oxadiazolidinone derivatives as a non-β-lactam β-lactamases inhibitor against TEM-1 and P99 β-lactamases. The significance of oxadiazolidinone is the prominent five-membered ring scaffold in its structure, which is configurationally stable and present in other biologically active compounds such as linezolid and avibactam. Oxadiazolidinones were synthesized by treating nitrones …

Generalizations Of The Arcsine Distribution, Rebecca Rasnick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The arcsine distribution looks at the fraction of time one player is winning in a fair coin toss game and has been studied for over a hundred years. There has been little further work on how the distribution changes when the coin tosses are not fair or when a player has already won the initial coin tosses or, equivalently, starts with a lead. This thesis will first cover a proof of the arcsine distribution. Then, we explore how the distribution changes when the coin the is unfair. Finally, we will explore the distribution when one person has won the first …

Assessing Minimal-Input Restoration Strategies For Desert Soil And Vegetation Restoration, Audrey Jean Rader

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Mojave and Sonoran Deserts have been negatively impacted by anthropogenic disturbances. Considering that these ecosystems may recover on millennial timescales, research has shown that restoration techniques can be fairly successful in initiating long-term recovery processes in these sensitive environments. However, uncertainty remains as to which techniques are effective in different circumstances, such as in different climates or across different soil properties, and which techniques may best avoid unintended consequences, such as facilitating non-native plants. To reduce fugitive dust as a human health hazard, increase soil stability, and enhance wildlife habitat, further work is necessary to develop restoration techniques for …

Health Disparities Among Sexual And Gender Minorities, Jennifer Keeley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Decades of research has shown that sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) experience adverse health and mental health outcomes to a greater extent than their heterosexual peers. The need to better understand and eliminate health disparities in the SGM population was recognized by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) at NIH. The Secretary of Health at the Department of Health and Human Services approved the designation of the SGM population as a health disparities population in 2016 and called for SGM studies to examine the health needs of the SGM population across SGM subgroups via large representative …

Mathematical Models: The Lanchester Equations And The Zombie Apocalypse, Hailey Bauer

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This research study used mathematical models to analyze and depicted specific battle situations and the outcomes of the zombie apocalypse. The original models that predicted warfare were the Lanchester models, while the zombie apocalypse models were fictional expansions upon mathematical models used to examine infectious diseases. In this paper, I analyzed and compared different mathematical models by examining each model’s set of assumptions and the impact of the change in variables on the population classes. The purpose of this study was to understand the basics of the discrete dynamical systems and to determine the similarities between imaginary and realistic models. …

Mathematical Modeling: Lanchester Equations And The Zombie Apocalypse, Hailey Bauer

Student Scholar Showcase

Mathematical models are systems using mathematical concepts to explain various problems. Mathematical models examine realistic issues such as the different outcomes of wars and fictional problems such as the upcoming zombie apocalypse. The original predictor models of warfare were the Lanchester models, while the zombie apocalypse is a fictional expansion upon mathematical models for infectious diseases. In this paper, we examined and compared the basic versions of these dynamic models by analyzing each model’s set of variables, assumptions, and objectives. The basic versions of the Lanchester equations are the area aimed model and the aimed fire model. While the zombie …

Board Invited Review: Prospects For Improving Management Of Animal Disease Introductions Using Disease-Dynamic Models, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Management and policy decisions are continually made to mitigate disease introductions in animal populations despite often limited surveillance data or knowledge of disease transmission processes. Science-based management is broadly recognized as leading to more effective decisions yet application of models to actively guide disease surveillance and mitigate risks remains limited. Disease-dynamic models are an efficient method of providing information for management decisions because of their ability to integrate and evaluate multiple, complex processes simultaneously while accounting for uncertainty common in animal diseases. Here we review disease introduction pathways and transmission processes crucial for informing disease management and models at the …

The Potential Of Marine Microbes, Flora And Fauna In Drug Discovery, Santana Alexa Lavonia Thomas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural products are chemical compounds synthesized by a living organism. These compounds have been utilized by humans from ancient times to the present for their pharmacological and biological activities. Terrestrial organisms are considered a lucrative source of bioactive compounds and chemical diversity. Within the past 60 years, the marine environment has presented its potential as a validated source for structural diversity and biologically active compounds. Technology has given access from shallow waters down to the abyssal plane for exploration and investigation of the inhabitants. Marine organisms have displayed their benefits in the pharmaceutical industry with the approval of several marine-derived …

Geospatial Applications For Identifying Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (Cafos) And Impaired Streams In California, Jennifer B. Alford, Jocelyn Perez

Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

The objective of this study is to identify and spatially illustrate the location of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in California, their proximity to impaired surface waters listed on the US Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs) 303(d) list and communities defined as “Pollution Burden” (i.e. affected by and vulnerable to multiple pollution sources) by the CA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) CalEnviroScreen tool.

The Ethics Of Single-Use Plastics, Kiara Goodwine '19

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

Design And Synthesis Of Ceragenins–Cationic Steroid Antimicrobial Compounds, Structural Improvement And Synthesis Of Cyclopentenone Prostaglandins And Modification And Synthesis Of Derivatives Of Ribityllumazines: Potential Antigens For Activation Of Mait Cells, Yubo Li

Theses and Dissertations

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are ubiquitous and display broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity that can control bacterial colonization of surfaces. Ceragenins are small-molecule mimics of AMPs and have several advantages over AMPs, including cost of manufacture and stability. A ceragenin, CSA-120, modified with an acrylamide group was directly incorporated into fluoropolymer coatings as a means of inhibiting bacterial biofilm formation. The ceragenin-containing coatings displayed improved performance. By conjugating a copper chelating group to the ceragenin, chelation of 64Cu by the conjugate was effective and provided a stable complex that allowed in vivo imaging. This conjugate may provide a means of identifying infection sites …

Google Trends Data As A Proxy For Interest In Leadership, Finley W. Walker

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the observable patterns of online search behavior in the topic of leadership using Google Trends data. Institutions have had a historically difficult time predicting good leadership candidates. Better predictions can be made by using the big data offered by groups such as Google to learn who, where, and when people are interested in leadership. The study utilized descriptive, comparative, and correlative methodologies to study Google users’ interest in leadership from 2004 to 2017. Society has placed great value into leadership throughout history, and though overall interest remains strong, it appears that …