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Testing The Impact Of Actinomyces Naeslundii On The Proliferation Dynamics Of Corynebacterium And Revealing The Prescence Or Absence Of Inhibitory Properties, Quintin Hodge May 2024

Testing The Impact Of Actinomyces Naeslundii On The Proliferation Dynamics Of Corynebacterium And Revealing The Prescence Or Absence Of Inhibitory Properties, Quintin Hodge

ALL - Honors Theses

The gram-positive bacterium Actinomyces naeslundii is a core member of the oral microbiome and has been associated with states of health. In early human life, researchers unraveled the involvement of several different taxa of microbes present within the oral cavity in contributing to diseases including tooth destruction. Periodontitis is a prevalent oral disease that is proposed to be caused by dysbiosis, which is characterized by microbial shifts within the bacterial community resulting from changes in relative microbial abundance and spatial organization in the dental plaque microbiome, causing immense gum pain and inflammation. Corynebacterium matruchotii is also a gram-positive bacterium like …


Genus-Specific Probes And Advanced Imaging Technologies For Bacterial Detection In Canine Dental Plaque, Meghan Stern May 2024

Genus-Specific Probes And Advanced Imaging Technologies For Bacterial Detection In Canine Dental Plaque, Meghan Stern

ALL - Honors Theses

Periodontal disease is an inflammation of the gums that can progress to bone resorption in the jaw and eventual tooth loss. A contributor to this disease is the buildup of subgingival and supragingival plaque, which consists of hundreds of bacterial species. To study the bacteria involved in periodontal disease, we use extracted canine teeth as our model. Canines were chosen based on their similarities with humans at the bacterial phylum level, as well as having a similar progression of periodontal disease. However, there are significant differences at lower levels of taxonomy of bacterial abundance and prevalence. The abundance and prevalence …


Quantification Of Fibrosis And Infiltrates In The Salivary Gland, Nikhita Kumar May 2023

Quantification Of Fibrosis And Infiltrates In The Salivary Gland, Nikhita Kumar

Biological Sciences

Fibrosis is characterized by the excessive buildup of extracellular matrix components (ECM) in tissues and organs in response to injury, chronic inflammation, auto immune disorders, and genetic alterations. Non-obese diabetic mice (NOD) are a model for Sjögren’s Syndrome. We hypothesize that NOD mice, which start to develop Sjögren’s-like disease at approximately 12 weeks of age are suffering from hyposalivation at least in part due to fibrosis of the submandibular salivary glands (SMGs). Fibrosis refers to the over-production of extracellular matrix proteins in the connective tissue compartment. To test this hypothesis 16-week-old mice were treated with either the fibrosis inhibitor Nintedanib …


Understanding SjöGren's Syndrome As A Systemic Autoimmune Disorder, Gaietchyne Chery Dec 2022

Understanding SjöGren's Syndrome As A Systemic Autoimmune Disorder, Gaietchyne Chery

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune condition characterized by a dysfunction in the lachrymal and salivary glands which results in dry eyes and dry mouth. Since its first description in 1892, the disease is one of the most common autoimmune diseases after lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis in the United States. Despite its high prevalence in the general population, Sjögren’s syndrome remains hard to diagnose due to the wide range of symptoms associated with the disease that is also shared by other conditions. Furthermore, the mechanisms behind the pathogenesis are not properly understood even though multiple factors have been proposed to …


Three Essays In Health Economics, Sai Sindhura Gundavarapu Aug 2022

Three Essays In Health Economics, Sai Sindhura Gundavarapu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This thesis explores factors that influence various healthcare professions, and their practice behaviors. The first chapter focuses on the impacts of occupational regulation of optometrists. The second and third chapters examine the role of education and practice environment on the prescribing behavior of specialist physicians.


The Role Of Angiocrine Factors In The Progression Of Salivary Disease, Owen Zon May 2022

The Role Of Angiocrine Factors In The Progression Of Salivary Disease, Owen Zon

Biological Sciences

In our blood vessels, cells called endothelial cells line the inside of veins and arteries. Due to the discovery that endothelial cells actually organogenesis during embryogenesis, our interest in these cells has increased to a new understanding of their functions in tissue repair and regeneration. These cells are no longer only considered passive modes of transport for bodily fluids and nutrients, but, with new research in the fibrosis of liver cells, are also considered to be key players in the repair of damaged organs and tissue. These cells release signals known as angiocrine factors that act in damaged areas of …


Pandemic Pivot: An Analysis Of How Retail Pharmacies Diversified Their Offerings During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Juliana Hybner May 2022

Pandemic Pivot: An Analysis Of How Retail Pharmacies Diversified Their Offerings During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Juliana Hybner

Business/Business Administration

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the operating strategy of nearly all businesses open in 2020. Businesses were split into two groups, essential and nonessential. Nonessential business, like gyms, shopping malls, and movie theaters, had little choice in their strategy in the beginning of the pandemic. They had to close. As they reopened, they found creative ways to attract customers without amassing large crowds in their storefronts. Essential businesses, on the other hand were faced with a unique challenge. Serving the U.S. population during their most vulnerable time. Retail pharmacies took on key responsibilities, administering COVID-19 tests and vaccines, while also …


Radical Trachelectomy For Invasive Cervical Cancer : A Pathway To Fertility For Some, But Not Without Repercussions, Erica Jamro-Comer Jan 2022

Radical Trachelectomy For Invasive Cervical Cancer : A Pathway To Fertility For Some, But Not Without Repercussions, Erica Jamro-Comer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

BackgroundRadical trachelectomy (RT) is a surgical procedure that offers a substantial benefit to women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer: fertility preservation. However, as a newer surgical option, there are still many unknowns about the characteristics and outcomes of women who undergo this procedure after a cervical cancer diagnosis. Initial research in this area indicates that some disparities exist in who has the surgery versus the standard radical hysterectomy procedure; however, these are not fully understood and characterized. Furthermore, little is known about how women plan their families and how their high-risk pregnancies are managed in the absence of a standard …


Photopolymers : Environmentally Benign Technology For A Variety Of Industries, Tatyana Tarasevich Jan 2022

Photopolymers : Environmentally Benign Technology For A Variety Of Industries, Tatyana Tarasevich

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Photopolymerization is a well-known process with applications in a variety of industries. Photopolymers are formed by a reaction of monomers or oligomers, photoinitiators and in some cases crosslinkers. Upon irradiation with UV or visible light, monomers undergo conformational change to form polymers via a photochemical process. Several photopolymerization types will be discussed in this thesis. End products of photopolymerizations included epoxies, inks, coatings, photoresists, etc.


How Salivary Glands Recover From Fibrotic Injury, Gabriella Majka Dec 2021

How Salivary Glands Recover From Fibrotic Injury, Gabriella Majka

Biological Sciences

Extracellular matrix deposition is required for repair after injury, but if left unresolved can result in fibrosis. Fibrosis is an excess deposition of extracellular matrix proteins following injury or aging that leads to eventual organ dysfunction. One surgical model that we have used to study mechanisms of fibrosis is the salivary gland ductal ligation model. During the process of ligation, a clip is placed on the main ducts of the submandibular (SMG) and sublingual gland (SLG) which leads from the salivary glands to the mouth. This causes the gland to atrophy, or waste away, resulting in decreased acinar cell differentiation …


Costs Of Higher Education And Inequality, Michael Sattinger Nov 2021

Costs Of Higher Education And Inequality, Michael Sattinger

Campus Conversations in Standish

Dr. Sattinger joins the University Libraries for a conversation about the connections between increasing costs of higher education, the rise in the college wage premium, and inequality.


Factors Influencing Psychotherapy Completion In Children Exposed To Adverse Childhood Experiences, Cheryl Kayleen Best Aug 2021

Factors Influencing Psychotherapy Completion In Children Exposed To Adverse Childhood Experiences, Cheryl Kayleen Best

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Child maltreatment and childhood adversity are associated with a broad range of poor mental and physical health outcomes throughout the lifespan. The consequences of childhood adversity have led psychologists in efforts to identify the most effective therapeutic approaches and interventions with which to address the negative effects of childhood trauma. Even as a number of efficacious treatments have been established as best practices for treating childhood trauma, barriers exist in community mental health settings that oftentimes prevent full implementation of these interventions and practices. A growing body of research has focused on better understanding the high rates of attrition from …


Association Between Health Literacy Levels And Behavioral Health Hospitalizations And Emergency Department Utilization In The United States, Rebecca Lynn Hoen Aug 2021

Association Between Health Literacy Levels And Behavioral Health Hospitalizations And Emergency Department Utilization In The United States, Rebecca Lynn Hoen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Behavioral health disorders are common in the United States (US) and are associated with potentially preventable high-cost health care utilization, such as inpatient hospitalization and emergency department utilization. Health literacy (HL) may be an important modifiable contributing factor to this preventable utilization, as limited health literacy is common in the US and has been linked to increased risk of hospitalization and emergency department utilization. However, few published studies have examined the association between health literacy and behavioral health disorders, and no studies have examined either the association between health literacy and utilization or the potential effects HL interventions might have …


Isolating Oral Bacterial Species From A Single Donor Through A Multi-Step Detection Method, Khalid Al-Lakhen May 2021

Isolating Oral Bacterial Species From A Single Donor Through A Multi-Step Detection Method, Khalid Al-Lakhen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The human oral microbiome is one of the most complex microbiome communities in the human body and its role in maintaining health is not fully understood. Previous research shows that the transition from health to disease is accompanied by changes in community abundance and structure. To fully understand the symbiotic relationship formed between bacterial species that leads to the formation of a functional healthy biofilm structure, we must study the various structural relationships and subsequent molecular interactions among individual species within the biofilm. In this thesis, I have isolated a pure bacteria species from a single donor's dental plaque and …


Expert Level Microscopy For Everyone : Optimizing Microscopy Parameters With Modeling And Simulation, Ethan Woo May 2021

Expert Level Microscopy For Everyone : Optimizing Microscopy Parameters With Modeling And Simulation, Ethan Woo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Multiplexed fluorescent imaging (MFI) has transformed biological investigation by providing spatial context to labeled analytes, such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. Multiplexed imaging techniques can track multiple analytes at once and thus has the potential to provide an unprecedented view into the complex relationships between various molecules, cells, and tissues. However, most researchers rarely use more than 3 fluorophores at a time due to the complex technological and procedural requirements for highly multiplexed imaging. Currently, a major obstacle in the field is the inability to quantify uncertainty in fluorescent images, making it difficult to draw quantitative conclusions from the images. …


Organ Donation And Religion: An Annotated Bibliography, Rukhsana Ahmed, Zeba Tasci Jan 2021

Organ Donation And Religion: An Annotated Bibliography, Rukhsana Ahmed, Zeba Tasci

Communication Faculty Scholarship

This brief annotated bibliography presents a synopsis of select literature on the topic ‘Organ Donation and Religion’ published between 1993 and 2017. The purpose is to review existing research from authoritative sources and to determine the beliefs of the general public versus those of religious experts on the topic. Searched databases include Scholars Portal, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the University of Ottawa Library databases on the ProQuest platform. Although there are several studies which discuss in broad terms the influence of religion on the beliefs and attitudes toward organ donation, few studies explore the beliefs and practices of Muslims in …


Substance Abuse Policies, Prescribing Behaviors, And Health Outcomes, Huy Do Dang Jan 2021

Substance Abuse Policies, Prescribing Behaviors, And Health Outcomes, Huy Do Dang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Opium and less potent substances such as tobacco and marijuana were found thousands of years ago and used not only to relieve pain and stress but also to entertain human minds. However, there are also side effects of using these, especially to the extent of abusing them. The side effects in this issue are unavoidable so that eliminate them through public health policies is needed. There are several public policies governing the impact of opioids and marijuana in recent years, mainly the Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) and the Legalization of Marijuana. These policies have been in place for about …


The Determination Of Lead In Blood By Electrothermal Atomization Atomic Absorption Spectrometry : Method Improvements And Clinical Fitness For Purpose For Detecting Elevated Blood Lead Levels, Emily Jean Pacer Jan 2021

The Determination Of Lead In Blood By Electrothermal Atomization Atomic Absorption Spectrometry : Method Improvements And Clinical Fitness For Purpose For Detecting Elevated Blood Lead Levels, Emily Jean Pacer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Lead (Pb) is ubiquitous in the environment and exposure can have adverse health effects even at low concentrations, particularly in young children. Blood lead levels (BLLs) are the best indicator of recent Pb exposure. Based upon data from the NHANES, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) blood Pb (BPb) reference value, defined as the 97.5th percentile of children 1-5 years old, was lowered from 10 μg/dL to 5 μg/dL in 2012. According to more recent NHANES data, the 97.5th percentile has decreased to 3.5 μg/dL. If the CDC recommends a further lowering of the BPb reference value, many …


Three Essays On Health Economics, Jihye Kim Dec 2020

Three Essays On Health Economics, Jihye Kim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This thesis focuses on various factors affecting health of American adults and the elderly based on the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). In chapter 1, I examine the role of educational and racial differences in life expectancy (LE) and health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) for Americans at ages 45-64 using Health and Retirement Study (HRS) during 2000-2016. I compute severity-weighted prevalence of diseases with comorbidity adjustments based on the Global Burden of Disease (2015), and map onto the information on 17 doctor-diagnosed diseases and four self-rated disabling health conditions from HRS. This approach allows us to evaluate the importance of major …


Trends In State Medicaid Programs' Eligibility, Enrollment Rules And Benefits, Ashley Fox, Wenhui Feng, Jennifer Zeitlin, Elizabeth Howell Jan 2020

Trends In State Medicaid Programs' Eligibility, Enrollment Rules And Benefits, Ashley Fox, Wenhui Feng, Jennifer Zeitlin, Elizabeth Howell

Public Administration and Policy Faculty Scholarship

Recent literature has focused on the impact of the differential state adoption of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. This DataWatch article highlights additional Medicaid policy dimensions where state-level trends in generosity have varied, including eligibility, benefits, and administrative burden, both before and after implementation of the Affordable Care Act.


Does Common-Sense Communication And The Interpersonal Relationship Predict Oral Health Self-Management?, Kieran J. Maestro Jan 2020

Does Common-Sense Communication And The Interpersonal Relationship Predict Oral Health Self-Management?, Kieran J. Maestro

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study sought to understand how patients’ perceptions of the nature and manner of communication with dental health professionals may impact their health self-management quality and habits in the context of preventable illness. Specifically, this study investigated the distinct and overlapping impacts of (a) communication based in the Common Sense Self-Regulation Model (CSM; Leventhal et al., 1980), and (b) the interpersonal relationship between the patient and the dental health professional provider on patients’ oral hygiene quality and habits. It was hypothesized that the interpersonal relationship would positively moderate a positive relation between CSM-based communication and patients' oral health self-management and …


Essays On The Effects Of Public Health Insurance Policies On Health Care Utilization, Expenditure, And Well-Being, Tu Thi Cam Nguyen Jan 2020

Essays On The Effects Of Public Health Insurance Policies On Health Care Utilization, Expenditure, And Well-Being, Tu Thi Cam Nguyen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation consists of essays on the causal impact of public health insurance policies in the United States. Three chapters investigate how Medicare program, Medicare Prescription coverage program, and the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion impact on health-related outcomes, health care expenditure, and food wellbeing.


The Stromal Response In Salivary Gland Injury, Kevin O'Keefe Jan 2020

The Stromal Response In Salivary Gland Injury, Kevin O'Keefe

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract


Does Testing Enhance Mediation In Paired-Associate Learning?, Deana Vitrano Jan 2020

Does Testing Enhance Mediation In Paired-Associate Learning?, Deana Vitrano

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The testing effect (TE) is the robust finding that testing on previously studied material leads to better long-term retention as compared to restudying that material (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006b). Pyc and Rawson (2010) proposed the Mediator Effectiveness Hypothesis (MEH) as an explanation for the TE in paired-associate learning, The MEH states that review testing on cue-target word pairs strengthens semantic/associative mediators, which helps participants recall targets to their cues on a later test. Pyc and Rawson found support for the MEH with Swahili-English word pairs and explicit mediation instructions, using the most rigorous test of the MEH. Other researchers have …


The Influence Of Ethnic Identity Commitment, Discrimination, And Sexism On Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Latina College Students, Melissa M. Ertl Jan 2020

The Influence Of Ethnic Identity Commitment, Discrimination, And Sexism On Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Latina College Students, Melissa M. Ertl

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

According to intersectionality theory, exposure to experiences of oppression predispose individuals from disadvantaged groups to experience disparities in health. Such disparities are evident in the sexual health outcomes among college student-age Latina women living in the US, who tend to report significantly worse sexual health outcomes than their peers. Guided by intersectionality frameworks, the present study examined Latina college students’ sexual risk behaviors in relation to ethnic identity and experiences of discrimination and sexism. Commitment to ethnic identity was expected to negatively relate with sexual risk, and experiences of discrimination and sexism were hypothesized to moderate the association between commitment …


Eyes Shut : Stories, Danielle Epting Jan 2020

Eyes Shut : Stories, Danielle Epting

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This story collection focuses on a range of characters and explores themes/ideas such as loss, self-awareness, and abuse. These ideas are explored through the use of specific literary elements to help heighten the themes. These elements include point of view, characterization, and plot. Other elements, such as speculative or more fantastical aspects, are also used in several stories. These stories and themes hope to highlight the complex dynamics of both human relationships and our own inner struggles that we all must navigate throughout our journey.


Making Good : World War I, Disability, And The Senses In American Rehabilitation, Evan Patrick Sullivan Jan 2020

Making Good : World War I, Disability, And The Senses In American Rehabilitation, Evan Patrick Sullivan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study looks at how disabled American soldier-patients and the US Army used the senses as tools of rehabilitation after the Great War. Contemporaries argued that, when the hundreds of thousands of American soldiers came home wounded or sick after the Great War, the men needed to make good. The phrase “making good” meant that sacrifice in the war was not enough, and veterans had to become socially and economically independent, and return to heterosexual relationships. In an effort to return to normalcy, the US Army relied on rehabilitation, which aimed to medically and socially re-integrate the men into society.


Catching Killers With Consumer Genetic Information, Angela Hackstadt Nov 2019

Catching Killers With Consumer Genetic Information, Angela Hackstadt

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

In April 2018, Joseph James D'Angelo was arrested as a suspect in the Golden State Killer case. DNA evidence collected at a 1980 crime scene finally shed light on the murderer's identity in early 2018 when investigators turned to GEDMatch, a service that allows users to upload and share DNA data obtained from consumer genetic tests. Consumer genetic testing, DNA collection, and familial DNA searching all raise ethical and privacy concerns. If investigators are using genetic genealogy to solve cold cases, where does that leave consumers?


Resiliency In Cranial Bones In Relation To Age And Trauma, Jada Dubose May 2019

Resiliency In Cranial Bones In Relation To Age And Trauma, Jada Dubose

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

The development of bone, nonetheless the skull, may be a major line of defense in relation to traumas they may face. As individuals get older, their bone density decreases for a number of mechanical and hormonal reasons, weakening the bone and increasing fragility. This decreased bone mass density, along with its increased risk of fragility, often lead to a higher likelihood of fractures and severe traumatic injuries; this combination of factors is a lot greater than in younger individuals. This study will evaluate skulls thickness, cross referenced by age and sex, will determine resiliency in terms of the biological structure …


Investigating The Effects Of Intrahippocampal Glucose Administration On Spatial Working Memory In Rats, Jeremy Carter May 2019

Investigating The Effects Of Intrahippocampal Glucose Administration On Spatial Working Memory In Rats, Jeremy Carter

Biological Sciences

Insulin is a peptide hormone released by beta pancreatic cells . Insulin’s best-known function is to regulate absorption of glucose into peripheral tissue: this occurs via activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling cascade and subsequent translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the cell surface. This canonical peripheral insulin signaling pathway appears to exist in essentially identical form within the central nervous system (CNS), so that insulin promotes entry of glucose into neural cells and subsequent increased metabolism. In order to maintain proper function, insulin-responsive hippocampal neurons and glia require glucose metabolism; a catabolic energy-yielding process that requires insulin …