Digital Commons Network^™

Diffuse Optical Measurements Of Head And Neck Tumor Hemodynamics For Early Prediction Of Chemo-Radiation Therapy Outcomes, Lixin Dong

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Chemo-radiation therapy is a principal modality for the treatment of head and neck cancers, and its efficacy depends on the interaction of tumor oxygen with free radicals. In this study, we adopted a novel hybrid diffuse optical instrument combining a commercial frequency-domain tissue oximeter (Imagent) and a custom-made diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) flowmeter, which allowed for simultaneous measurements of tumor blood flow and blood oxygenation. Using this hybrid instrument we continually measured tumor hemodynamic responses to chemo-radiation therapy over the treatment period of 7 weeks. We also explored monitoring dynamic tumor hemodynamic changes during radiation delivery. Blood flow data analysis …

The Effect Of Fluid Periodization On Athletic Performance Outcomes In American Football Players, Christopher W. Morris

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

For decades strength and conditioning professionals have been seeking optimal training volumes and intensities to yield maximum performance outcomes without the onset of injury. Unfortunately, current studies apply experimental training techniques without considering the individuals’ response to the imposed training load. Due to the vast genetic variability and extraneous environmental factors that affect one’s ability to recover, results from such studies are controversial and inconclusive. Athlete monitoring systems offer an objective assessment that is purported to evaluate an individual’s physiological readiness to adapt to an overload stimulus and thus allow for daily manipulations in training loads (i.e., fluid periodization). However, …

Student Perceived Motivational Climate, Enjoyment, And Physical Activity In Middle School Physical Education, Christine Elizabeth Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Youth physical activity (PA) levels, specifically that of girls, decline as they enter the middle grades (Parish & Treasure, 2003). Physical education (PE) is one area in the school environment where student PA can be increased. One goal recognized by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) is for students to be physically active for at least 50% of class time and be offered PE for at least 225 minutes per week (SHAPE, 2013). Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) suggests student perceived motivational climate can influence PA levels, student enjoyment, and intrinsic motivation. The purpose of this study was to …

Inhalable Nanocomposites And Anticancer Agents For Cancer Therapy, Nathanael A. Stocke

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Cancer is designated as the leading cause of mortality worldwide and lung cancer is responsible for nearly 30% of all cancer related deaths. Over the last few decades mortality rates have only marginally increased and rates of recurrence remain high. These factors, among others, suggest the need for more innovative treatment modalities in lung cancer therapy. Targeted pulmonary delivery is well established for treating pulmonary diseases such as asthma and provides a promising platform for lung cancer therapy. Increasing local deposition of anticancer agents (ACAs) and reducing systemic exposure of these toxic moieties could lead to better therapeutic outcomes and …

Perceptual Dialectology Of New England: Views From Maine And The Web, Benjamin Graham Jones

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

Research into the dialects of the New England states (Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont) has traditionally split the region into distinct geographic regions based upon variations in production, primarily along an East-West border. Generally, such regions have been considered relatively stable in terms of their variation (Labov, Ash and Boberg 2006); however, recent work in the area has found that the traditional dialect boundaries have begun to shift (c.f. Stanford, Leddy-Cecere and Baclawski 2012). Such research has focused on very specific regional changes in production, ignoring the perceptual salience of the features observed to be in …

For The Love Of Robots: Posthumanism In Latin American Science Fiction Between 1960-1999, Grace A. Martin

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

Posthumanism—understood as a symbiotic relationship between humans and technology—is quickly and surely becoming an inextricable part of daily life. In an era where technology can be worn as an extension of—and an enhancement to—our bodies, traditional science fiction tropes such as robots and cyborgs resurface and reformulate questions on critical aspects of human experience: who are we and what do our (imagined) technologies say about our world? Such questions are far more complex than they appear. Their answers should not come from one source alone, as humanness is experienced differently across time and cultural systems. In this sense, it is …

More Than Death: Fear Of Illness In American Literature 1775-1876, Sarah Schuetze

Theses and Dissertations--English

This dissertation argues that eighteenth- and nineteenth-century narratives about personal and collective experiences with disease train American readers to fear illness while warning them against the dangers of being afraid. Such narratives depict the way illness ravages the physical body, disrupts interpersonal relationships, and threatens to dismantle social or municipal organization. In other words, the story of sickness is a story of terror-inducing dis-order. I study disease with a lens informed by cultural and disability studies to show that what makes disease historically and culturally significant is its power—through the body—to dis-order relationships, society, and knowledge. Anxieties about this dis-order …

Recontextualizing Pudd'nhead: Minstrelsy, Race, And The Performance Of Progress, Collin A. Skeen

Theses and Dissertations--English

This thesis examines how Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson does much more than simply bridge the recurring racial and cultural behaviors of the antebellum South with the reality of late-19^th century America; instead, I argue that Twain’s novella acts as a performative text, participating in a dialogue with a number of cultural forces—literature, theatre, politics, and commercialism—as a way of commenting on popular conceptualizations of late-nineteenth century social progress. Using the critical perspective of Performance Studies, it is clear that Twain’s novel is demonstrating how nineteenth century America used certain sets of symbols and signs to perform race, ultimately critiquing the …

The American Dime Museum: Bodily Spectacle And Social Midways In Turn-Of-The-Century American Literature And Culture, James C. Fairfield

Theses and Dissertations--English

The freak played a significant role in late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century entertainment, but its significance extended beyond such venues as sideshows and minstrel shows. This dissertation examines the freak as an avatar emblematic of several issues, such as class and race, traditionally focused on in studies of Turn-of-the Century American literature and culture.

Disability and freakishness are explored as central to late-nineteenth- and early twentieth- century Americans’ identity. Freakishness is applied to a series of ways in which Americans in this period constructed their identity, including race, gender, and socioeconomic class, showing the dual role that the freak played for many …

Conceptualizing University Education Abroad Programs Using A Mutualistic Process: A Community Perspective, Tara A. Mcclintic

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

In the growing trend of education abroad, students in higher education are expected to become global citizens. While the literature supports the notion that students can positively benefit from the process of international education, yet little research exists in determining the community’s roles and perspectives and to evaluate mutually beneficial outcomes. This study identifies the three phases of international education, pre-immersion, immersion and post-immersion and overlays the biological concepts of symbiosis to capture the community voice to create mutualistic programs in education abroad. The results indicate that not only is there a role for communities, but that communities need to …

Evaluation Of Different Sources Of Hydroxyl On Biomass Pretreatment And Hydrolysis, Carla Ines Soares Rodrigues

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment is a fundamental step in the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. It is responsible for the disruption and removal of lignin and hemicellulose from the lignocellulosic matrix, improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. Alkaline pretreatment has been shown to be successful on agricultural residues and dedicated energy crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pretreatment of switchgrass, wheat straw, corn stover, and miscanthus using calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide at the same hydroxyl concentration, 60% moisture content, and two temperatures for seven days. Enzymatic hydrolysis was also performed and the glucose …

The Effects Of Inoculum Size, Airflow Rate, Bulk Density And Particle Size On The Scale-Up Of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium Pretreatment, Amanda N. Hickman

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The following full-factorial study compared fungal activity on lignocellulosic biomass that was inoculated with three different amounts of fungus, and grown using three different airflow rates. These treatments were compared to a control which consisted of biomass that was not inoculated but was exposed to the same growth conditions in the environmental chamber. The objectives of the following experiment were to determine the inoculum density and airflow rate required to optimize Phanerochaete chrysosporium lignin degradation. Additionally, this study quantifies the saccharification yield from the pretreated switchgrass.

The impact of substrate bulk density and substrate particle size on fungal growth were …

Investigation Of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium And Clostridium Thermocellum For Improved Saccharification Of Lignocellulose Under Nonsterile Conditions, William E. Simon

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Current research efforts are directed at developing competitive processes that can utilize lignocellulose as a feedstock for biorefineries. The purpose of this study was to investigate methods of processing lignocellulosic material so that its monosacharides can be more easily accessed for fermentation, the lack of which is hindering the economics and widescale adoption of lignocellulosic biorefining. The monosaccharides are of interest because they can be used by Clostridium beijerinckii downstream of P. chrysosporium and C. thermocellum in a sequential bioprocess to produce butanol. Butanol is an attractive biofuel because it can be utilized without modifying current transportation infrastructure. Butanol is …

The Influence Of Media Ingredients And Ph On The Growth Of Chloromonas Rosae Var. Psychrophila, Caoli Zheng

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

In order to utilize algae to fix CO2 and reduce Greenhouse gas emissions, large-scale, year-round algae cultivation will be required. This will require alga species that thrive in colder weather with media recipes based on commercially available fertilizers. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of using commercial based media and the effect of pH when growing the cold-temperature algae Chloromonas rosae var. psychrophila. Commercial grade media ingredients urea, potash, triple superphosphate, and Sprint 330® were used to provide nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and EDTA with iron, respectively. The commercial grade media supported growth similar to the growth …

Up Regulation Of Heat Shock Protein 70b (Hsp70b) And Ssa1 In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Via Hsp70a-Rbcs2 And Psad Promoter, B. Kirtley Amos

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Fabrication of effective algae cultivation systems adjacent to coal-fired power plants to fixate waste CO₂ would represent a sizable step towards achieving a carbon neutral energy cycle. However, emission gas would elevate the algal cultivation system temperature and decreases its pH without expensive preprocessing. Increased temperature and acidity constitutes a profound stress on the algae. Although stressed algae produce heat shock proteins (HSPs) that promote protein folding and protect against stress, the ordinary biological response is insufficient to protect against coal flue gas. Experimental upregulation of HSPs could make algae respond to the stress caused by high temperatures and …

Testing The Efficiency Of A Series Hybrid Drivetrain For Agricultural Applications, Joseph W. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Because of high fuel costs and rising concern over controlling motor vehicle emissions, there has been a surge in the number of hybrid passenger vehicles on roads in recent years. This transition has not yet been seen with agricultural vehicles. With this in mind, this study created a test scheme to characterize and replicate agricultural loads, and design of a hybrid drivetrain that is suitable for agricultural purposes.

Torque and power data were recorded from the controller area network of a tractor performing a baling operation. The recorded data was characterized using statistical and time series analyses, and converted into …

Mitochondrial And Neuroprotective Effects Of Phenelzine Related To Scavenging Of Neurotoxic Lipid Peroxidation Products, John Cebak

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Lipid peroxidation is a key contributor to the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Traditional antioxidant therapies are intended to scavenge the free radicals responsible for either the initiation or propagation of lipid peroxidation (LP). However, targeting free radicals after TBI is difficult as they rapidly react with other cellular macromolecules, and thus has a limited post-injury time window in which they may be intercepted by a radical scavenging agent. In contrast, our laboratory has begun testing an antioxidant approach that scavenges the final stages of LP i.e. formation of carbonyl-containing breakdown products. By scavenging breakdown products such as the …

Target-Directed Biosynthetic Evolution: Redirecting Plant Evolution To Genomically Optimize A Plant’S Pharmacological Profile, Dustin Paul Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

The dissertation describes a novel method for plant drug discovery based on mutation and selection of plant cells. Despite the industry focus on chemical synthesis, plants remain a source of potent and complex bioactive metabolites. Many of these have evolved as defensive compounds targeted on key proteins in the CNS of herbivorous insects, for example the insect dopamine transporter (DAT). Because of homology with the human DAT protein some of these metabolites have high abuse potential, but others may be valuable in treating drug dependence. This dissertation redirects the evolution of a native Lobelia species toward metabolites with greater activity …

Regulation Of Pancreatic Β-Cell Function By The Renin-Angiotensin System In Type 2 Diabetes, Robin C. Shoemaker

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Diet-induced obesity promotes type 2 diabetes (T2D). Drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) have been demonstrated in clinical trials to decrease the onset of T2D. Previously, we demonstrated that mice made obese from chronic consumption of a high-fat (HF) diet have marked elevations in systemic concentrations of angiotensin II (AngII). Pancreatic islets have been reported to possess components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), including angiotensin type 1a receptors (AT1aR), the primary receptor for AngII, and angiotensin converting-enzyme 2 (ACE2), which negatively regulates the RAS by catabolizing AngII to angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)). These two opposing proteins have been implicated in the …

Zhx2 Regulation Of Lipid Metabolism And The Balance Between Cardiovascular And Hepatic Health, Kate Townsend Creasy

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

The growing obesity epidemic in America carries with it numerous health risks, including diabetes, increased serum lipid levels, and excess fat accumulation in the liver. If these conditions persist or become exacerbated, they may lead to the development of cardiovascular disease, the current leading cause of death among Americans, or to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which can progress to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Better understanding of the genes involved in these diseases can lead to improved identification of at-risk individuals and treatment strategies.

Our lab previously identified zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) …

Eating Spain: National Cuisine Since 1900, Matthew J. Wild

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

Analyzing cookbooks, gastronomic guides, literature and film, this dissertationoutlines the creation of a Spanish national cuisine. Studying the works of Carmen de Burgos, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Dionisio Pérez, Ana María Herrera, Juan Mari Arzak and Ferrán Adrià among others, the project examines the evolution of this nationalist discourse by identifying common and recurring themes in an effort to extrapolate and describe the historical and cultural evolution of food from 1900 to the present day.

Within the framework of Food and Cultural Studies, this project treats cookbooks, culinary manifestos and guidebooks as texts. Influenced by a variety of culinary and gastronomic …

Living Without God: Female Atheists And Stigma Management In The South Of The United States, Jamie L. Pond

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This study focuses upon the experiences and perceptions of women Atheists in the Southern U.S., a region which is highly religious and, therefore, has comparatively low numbers of Atheists. Taking a Symbolic Interactionist approach, I examine how these Southern Atheists understood what it means to be an “Atheist,” how they became Atheist, their strategies to manage their stigmatized identity as Atheists, and finally the role gender has in managing this stigma. I utilize a Feminist methodology to investigate and foreground women’s experiences. I conducted participant observation at 23 Atheist and Humanist meetings in two southern cities in two different states; …

Roles Of Abcg5 Abcg8 Cholesterol Transporter In Lipid Homeostasis, Yuhuan Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

The ABCG5 ABCG8 (G5G8) sterol transporter promotes cholesterol secretion into bile and opposes dietary sterol absorption in the small intestine. An emerging body of literature suggests that G5G8 links sterol flux to various risk factors for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therapeutic approaches that accelerate G5G8 activity may augment reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) and provide beneficial effects in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and liver disease.

Mice lacking leptin (ob/ob) or its receptor (db/db) are obese, insulin resistant in part due to the reduced levels of hepatic G5G8 and biliary cholesterol. …

Design, Synthesis, And Pharmacological Evaluation Of Three Series Of Lobelane Analogs As Inhibitors Of The Vesicular Monoamine Transporter (Vmat2), John P. Culver

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is a serious problem in the United States and worldwide. The reward experienced by METH users is due to the increase in extracellular dopamine (DA) concentrations caused by an interaction between METH and the DA transporter (DAT) as well as the Vesicular Monoamine Transporter-2 (VMAT2). The reward felt by users of METH leads to further use of the drug and subsequent abuse. The current project examined the ability of three novel series of lobelane analogs to interact with a binding site on the Vesicular Monoamine Transporter-2 (VMAT2) in an attempt to inhibit the effects of METH. Lobelane …

Chemoenzymatic Studies To Enhance The Chemical Space Of Natural Products, Jhong-Min Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Natural products provide some of the most potent anticancer agents and offer a template for new drug design or improvement with the advantage of an enormous chemical space. The overall goal of this thesis research is to enhance the chemical space of two natural products in order to generate novel drugs with better in vivo bioactivities than the original natural products.

Polycarcin V (PV) is a gilvocarcin-type antitumor agent with similar structure and comparable bioactivity with the principle compound of this group, gilvocarcin V (GV). Modest modifications of the polyketide-derived tetracyclic core of GV had been accomplished, but the most …

Molecular And Functional Investigation Of Cancer-Type And Liver-Type Variants Of Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide 1b3, Nilay Thakkar

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

OATP1B3 belongs to the OATP (organic anion transporting polypeptides) superfamily, responsible for mediating the transport of various endogenous and xenobiotic substrates. OATP1B3 was initially reported to be expressed exclusively in the hepatocytes where it mediates the uptake of numerous endogenous substrates (e.g. bile acids, steroid hormone conjugates) and several clinically relevant drugs including anticancer drugs. Later, a number of studies reported that OATP1B3 is also frequently expressed in multiple types of cancers and may be associated with differing clinical outcomes. However, a detailed investigation on the expression, localization and functions of OATP1B3 expressed in cancer has been lacking. In this …

Antibiotics Targeting Tuberculosis: Biosynthesis Of A-102395 And Discovery Of Novel Actinomycins, Wenlong Cai

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

The increase in antibiotic resistance of many bacterial strains including multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) due to over- and misuse of antibiotics is a serious medical and economical problem. Therefore discovery and development of new antibiotics are urgently needed. Two projects were undertaken to address the need for new anti-tuberculosis antibiotics.

1. Discovery of new chemical entities. A-102395, a new nucleoside inhibitor of bacterial MraY (translocase I, EC 2.7.8.13) that is essential for bacterial survival, was isolated from the culture broth of Amycolatopsis sp. SANK 60206 in 2007. Although A-102395 is a potent inhibitor of translocase I with IC50 of 11 nM, …

Elucidating The Mechanism Of Lipl: A Non-Heme Fe(Ii), Α -Ketoglutarate: Uridine-5’-Monophosphate Dioxygenase, Anwesha Goswami

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Several nucleoside natural product antibiotics from Streptomyces sp. and actinomycetes have recently been shown to target bacterial peptidoglycan cell wall biosynthesis by inhibiting the bacterial translocase I (MraY). The biosynthetic gene clusters for A-90289, liposidomycins and caprazamycins revealed a protein with sequence similarity to proteins annotated as α-KG:taurine dioxygenases (TauD). This enzyme (LipL) is a mononuclear, non-heme, Fe(II) dependent α-keto glutarate (α-KG) :uridine monophosphate (UMP) dioxygenase responsible for the net dephosphorylation and two electron oxidation of UMP to uridine-5’-aldehyde. The postulated reaction coordinates involving the activation of the C-5’ center in UMP and the corresponding formation of uridine-5’-aldehyde are modeled …

Developments In Nonparametric Regression Methods With Application To Raman Spectroscopy Analysis, Jing Guo

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Raman spectroscopy has been successfully employed in the classification of breast pathologies involving basis spectra for chemical constituents of breast tissue and resulted in high sensitivity (94%) and specificity (96%) (Haka et al, 2005). Motivated by recent developments in nonparametric regression, in this work, we adapt stacking, boosting, and dynamic ensemble learning into a nonparametric regression framework with application to Raman spectroscopy analysis for breast cancer diagnosis. In Chapter 2, we apply compound estimation (Charnigo and Srinivasan, 2011) in Raman spectra analysis to classify normal, benign, and malignant breast tissue. We explore both the spectra profiles and their derivatives to …

Nonlinear Hierarchical Models For Longitudinal Experimental Infection Studies, Michael David Singleton

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Experimental infection (EI) studies, involving the intentional inoculation of animal or human subjects with an infectious agent under controlled conditions, have a long history in infectious disease research. Longitudinal infection response data often arise in EI studies designed to demonstrate vaccine efficacy, explore disease etiology, pathogenesis and transmission, or understand the host immune response to infection. Viral loads, antibody titers, symptom scores and body temperature are a few of the outcome variables commonly studied. Longitudinal EI data are inherently nonlinear, often with single-peaked response trajectories with a common pre- and post-infection baseline. Such data are frequently analyzed with statistical methods …