Digital Commons Network^™

Decompositions Of Total Causal Effect: A Natural Counterfactual Framework Assessing Mediation And Interaction, Xin Gao

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

In this work, we developed ten-way decompositions of the total causal effect on continuous outcomes in the presence of two mediators that have mediation and interaction components. We considered a natural counterfactual interaction effect framework that facilitates the decomposition of the total casual effects of the exposure on the outcome attributable to the effects of mediators and their interaction effects with the exposure. We discussed the identification assumptions and provide empirical formulas for estimating the components of the ten-way decompositions. We also developed multiplicative total causal effect decompositions based on risk ratios for binary outcomes, hazard ratios and logarithm survival …

Using Virus-Like Particles To Combat Cardiovascular Disease And Identify An Immunogenic Target Of Natural Zika Virus Infection In Humans, Alexandra Marie Fowler

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Virus-like particles (VLPs) derived from bacteriophages have been utilized as highly immunogenic vaccine platforms for displaying antigen targets of interest. Bacteriophage VLPs have a highly repetitive structure made of protein subunits that self-assemble into an icosahedral particle. These structures can strongly activate the immune system, especially B cells. Arraying antigens on the surface of VLPs in a multivalent manner can, in turn, confer the ability to induce strong antibody responses to virtually any target. This technique can even be used to elicit antibody responses against self-antigens. Here we have exploited these features for developing VLP-based vaccines that target self-molecules involved …

Goal Orientation, Regulation Of Motivation, And Academic Achievement In Pharmacy Students, Krystal L. Ward

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

This study examined goal orientation in Doctor of Pharmacy Students and its relationship with regulation of motivation and academic achievement. Research questions included: 1) Do student cohorts (first-year, second-year, and third-year students) differ in their initial goal orientation? Do students’ goal orientation vary across time (from fall to spring)? 2) How does change in goal orientation impact changes in regulation of motivation? 3) How does change in goal orientation impact changes in academic achievement? 4) Which factor, regulation of motivation or academic achievement, has the strongest relationship with goal orientation?

178 participants completed survey instruments in the fall and spring …

Weedy Relations: Narratives Of Invasion And Intimacy With Tamarisk In The Chihuahuan Desert, Shannon S. Pepper

Geography ETDs

Tamarix spp., also known as salt cedar or tamarisk, is a shrub that has garnered a notorious reputation in North America as an invasive plant, with widespread policy and research advocating for its eradication in the Southwest U.S. and Northern Mexico. This study examines both governmental conservation documents and news articles to investigate narrative trends on tamarisk in the Southwestern U.S. and Northern Mexico as a contiguous region (the Chihuahuan Desert), expanding on current research to include transborder effects on the perception and management of introduced species. This paper asks: In the last 25 years, how has the movement, …

A Tale Of Itam Tails: New Insights Into The Molecular Mechanisms That Tune Fcɛri Signaling, William K. Kanagy

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Immunoreceptor Tyrosine-based Activating Motif (ITAM) receptors are critical in sensing extracellular antigen and initiating an immune response. The ITAM receptor FcɛRI, termed the high affinity IgE receptor, is the primary promoter of inducing the Type 1 allergic response and is primarily expressed in mast cells and basophils. In this dissertation, I worked to determine how early signaling events initiated at the FcɛRI ITAM interface tune downstream signaling outcomes. I began by determining that differential phospho-tyrosine ITAM patterns produce unique recruitment profiles of the accessory kinases proteins Syk and Lyn. I next determined the differential signaling ITAM capabilities of Lyn and …

Regulation Of H2s Production And Signaling Within Vascular Endothelium, Perenkita J. Mendiola

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a vasodilator primarily produced by cysthathionine

gamma-lyase (CSE) within the vasculature. Previous studies suggest there are

differences in CSE expression and the contribution of H2S to vasodilation in

different sized arteries. This led us to postulate that there are also regional

differences of regulators of H2S-mediated vasodilatory pathways.

This study examined the role of endothelial cell plasma membrane (EC

PM) cholesterol in regulating H2S-induced vasodilation and the role of

intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i in regulating CSE activity in vascular EC. We

hypothesized that CSE activation in EC by receptor-dependent second

messenger signaling enhances H2S production and subsequent …

Rac1 In Ovarian Cancer Metastasis And Tumor Microenvironment Remodeling: An Experimental And Computational Analysis, Melanie Rivera

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynecologic malignancies, and the patient survival rate has not changed significantly in 20 years. Patients are often diagnosed at an advanced stage of disease with widespread tumor cell dissemination and metastasis. Therefore, drivers of ovarian cancer metastasis need to be identified. In Chapter 2, we reveal the role of Rac1 in ovarian cancer metastasis using a combination of experimental and computational approaches. In Chapter 3, we demonstrate that changes in gene expression and cytokine levels within the immunosuppressive ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment are dependent on Rac1 expression and activity. Collectively, the …

Developing An Epitope-Based Malaria Vaccine Targeting The Circumsporozoite Protein, Lucie Jelinkova

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Malaria is a life-threatening parasitic disease that is spread to humans by mosquitos. Developing a successful vaccine for malaria has been a remarkable challenge. Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria, is a complex organism that transforms into unique forms and infects multiple organs within the human host throughout its life cycle. In these studies we describe a virus-like particle (VLP)-based approach to developing a vaccine for malaria that targets discrete and specific sites on invading sporozoites during the pre-erythrocytic stage of infection. VLPs are noninfectious, self-assembling particles derived from viral structural proteins, and are safe and highly immunogenic. …

Measuring Language Development In Children With Down Syndrome Who Use Aac, Ji Sun Park

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

Purpose: This study examined the inter-observer agreement (IOA) and within-observer agreement as well as the clinical potential of newly proposed measures that are designed to monitor language progress of children with Down syndrome who use AAC. Measures were explored based on the Graphic Symbol Utterance and Sentence Development Framework.

Method: Participants included 8 preschoolers with Down syndrome. Four graduate student observers coded 13 measures across 57 intervention sessions. Each session was coded by two observers for IOA, and all sessions were recoded for within-observer agreement. Statistical analyses were completed on utterance level and session level.

Results: Across all observers and …

Rethinking The Plra: The Resiliency Of Injunctive Practice And Why It’S Not Enough, Allison Freedman

Faculty Scholarship

During the latter part of the twentieth century, prison populations in the United States increased exponentially and the nation became notorious for mass incarceration. Despite what many viewed as a broken prison system, in 1996 Congress passed the Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”), with the avowed purpose of hindering prisoners and their advocates from bringing civil rights actions to challenge prison conditions, laws, and policies. To accomplish this, Congress curbed courts’ most powerful remedial tool—injunctive relief. As a result, early scholarship predicted that injunctive practice would become a useless tool in prison reform litigation.

Instead, twenty-five years after Congress passed …

Ms4 Swmpp 2021, National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia, Llc (Ntess), Department Of Energy (Doe)

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit

Stormwater discharges from Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) are eligible for coverage under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit. This Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) was prepared by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia (NTESS) for the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Sandia Field Office (SFO), owner of SNL/NM, located in Albuquerque, NM.

The Efficacy Of Brief Attitudinal Familism And Body Image Interventions On Diet And Exercise Self-Monitoring Adherence In Hispanic/Latinx Women, Kelsey Nicole Serier

Psychology ETDs

Addressing health disparities in overweight/obesity is a key public health issue. Research supports the efficacy of behavioral weight loss (BWL) interventions, however, adherence to these interventions is often low, which negatively impacts outcomes. The efficacy of BWL interventions is consistently lower among communities of color. Thus, there is a strong need to design and test interventions that are culturally sensitive and address predictors of BWL adherence in diverse groups. Previous research suggests that for Hispanic/Latinx women with overweight/obesity, attitudinal familism (“family comes first”) and body dissatisfaction were informative in predicting BWL adherence. The current study builds on this previous research …

20210719_Hslic Renews Lww Health Library, Robyn Gleasner

HSLIC Blog Post

No abstract provided.

Lysmd3: A Mammalian Pattern Recognition Receptor For Chitin, Xin He, Brad A. Howard, Yang Liu, Aaron K. Neumann, Liwu Li, Nidhi Menon, Tiffany Roach, Shiv D. Kale, David C. Samuels, Hongyan Li, Trenton Kite, Hirohito Kita, Tony Y. Hu, Mengyao Luo, Caroline N. Jones, Uju Joy Okaa, Diane L. Squillace, Bruce S. Klein, Christopher B. Lawrence

Pathology Research and Scholarship

Chitin, a major component of fungal cell walls, has been associated with allergic disorders such as asthma. However, it is unclear how mammals recognize chitin and the principal receptor(s) on epithelial cells that sense chitin remain to be determined. In this study, we show that LYSMD3 is expressed on the surface of human airway epithelial cells and demonstrate that LYSMD3 is able to bind chitin, as well as β-glucan, on the cell walls of fungi. Knockdown or knockout of LYSMD3 also sharply blunts the production of inflammatory cytokines by epithelial cells in response to chitin and fungal spores. Competitive inhibition …

07/19/2021 Meeting, Kelleen Maluski

Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Of Mindfulness And Men: Mindfulness And Quality Of Life Of Distressed Prostate Cancer Survivors, Christopher G. Ford

Psychology ETDs

Many prostate cancer (PCa) survivors experience on-going distress that affects their quality of life (QOL). Psychosocial interventions designed to address such distress frequently include mindfulness components. To better characterize the relation between mindfulness and distress, an ethnically diverse sample (n = 120) of PCa survivors in New Mexico and New Jersey endorsing at least minimal distress completed a one-time survey. Greater mindfulness was related to less psychological distress (r = -.40) and better mental health-related QOL (r = .35). However, mindfulness explained little additional variance after controlling for relevant demographic, medical, and psychosocial variables. Other variables (e.g., social isolation and …

Facemask Use During High Intensity Interval Exercise In Temperate And Hot Environments., Andrew D. Wells, Zachary Fennel, Jeremy Ducharme, Abdulaziz Masoud, Jon Houck, Bryanne Bellovary, Michael Deyhle, Yu Yu Hsiao, Fabiano Amorim, Christine Mermier

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

BACKGROUNDː Facemask use has been recommended during physical activity to prevent spreading and contracting the virus that causes COVID-19. There have been concerns about negative physiological and perceptual effects of mask-wearing, especially during higher-intensity activities. Emerging research suggests there is a minimal impact of wearing a surgical mask on physiological responses across a wide array of exercise intensities and modalities. However, there are no published data regarding the impact of surgical mask use in hot or temperate environments during high intensity interval exercise (HIIE). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of surgical mask use during …

Eeg Features Of Explore-Exploit Decision-Making In Alcohol Use Disorder, Ethan Campbell

Psychology ETDs

Little research has assessed explore-exploit behavior in addiction using drug cues and even fewer studies have measured the neural activity underlying these behaviors. The present study aims to explore brain mechanisms of disordered decision-making in alcohol use disorder (AUD) through electroencephalography (EEG) during performance of a novelty bandit task with alcohol imagery and using a validated computational model of explore-exploit dynamics. Individuals with AUD (n = 28) and age and sex-matched controls (n = 27) showed differences in choice behavior and showed differences in EEG activity as a function of exploratory behavior, chosen stimulus type, and explore-exploit computational …

Stronger Transition: Coping With Natural Disasters, And Health-Economic Investment For Adolescents In Developing Countries, Mengqi Liu

Economics ETDs

This dissertation investigates the period of adolescence as another important window for human capital development. The first chapter provides the introduction of my three research papers, highlighting the research motivation, goals, and contributions. The final chapter summarizes the conclusions and discusses the future research trajectory. The first paper examines the long-term health and socioeconomic implications of exposure to natural disasters during adolescence and childhood. In the second paper, I survey the current awareness of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccine in Nepal and test the different indicators for HPV vaccination, precisely the mother’s intention to vaccinate their adolescent girls against …

Multiple Baseline Interrupted Time Series: Describing Changes In New Mexico Medicaid Behavioral Health Home Patients’ Care, Jessica Reno

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

In 2016, the CareLink New Mexico behavioral health homes program began enrolling Medicaid recipients with the goal of increasing care coordination, improving access to services, and decreasing long-term costs of care for adults with serious mental illness (SMI) and children with severe emotional disturbance (SED). To evaluate these aims, a retrospective interrupted time series study using Medicaid claims data was designed. First, a comparable subset of non-enrolled individuals was selected from the pool of Medicaid recipients with SMI or SED using propensity score matching. Then, segmented regression was applied to three outcomes: total Medicaid charges, number of outpatient behavioral health …

Immodest Immortality: Emperor Maximilian I'S Artistic Program And The Ambraser Heldenbuch, 1504-1519, Jessica Cochran

History ETDs

Maximilian I (r. 1493-1519) utilized various forms of artistic and literary media throughout his reign to control his public image after his death. This thesis focuses on a manuscript project that has historically received little scholarly attention. The Ambraser Heldenbuch, produced between 1504 and 1517, preserves German heroic epics, many of which would otherwise be lost today. The manuscript has been highly valued for its literary and linguistic significance, but this thesis argues that the entire project sheds light on Maximilian’s plan to immortalize not only his own reputation, but also that of his family. This thesis focuses on …

The Effect Of Repetition Tempo On Training Volume, Heart Rate, Blood Lactate, And Muscle Oxygenation When Time Under Tension Is Matched In Recreationally-Trained Lifters, Zachary A. Mang

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

It is commonly reported that resistance training (RT) with slower-repetition tempos leads to greater metabolic stress because they increase the time under tension (TUT) during sets of exercise. However, little information is available on the effect of different repetition tempos on blood lactate concentration, muscle oxygenation, and heart rate (HR) when TUT and proximity to concentric muscular failure are matched during lower-body RT. In a repeated-measures, cross- over design, 11 recreationally-trained females (n = 5) and males (n = 6) performed five sets of belt squat under the following conditions: Slow-repetition tempo (SLOW; 10 reps with 4:2 second tempo) and …

Perceptions Of Saudi Recently Graduated Unplaced Special Education Teachers Of Students With Intellectual Disability Toward Their Preparation, Marwan Alatawi

Special Education ETDs

The Saudi Ministry of Education and Saudi universities have taken significant steps toward meeting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 by reviewing the performance of teacher preparation programs in Saudi universities to improve the quality of teacher preparation, including for those who teach students with intellectual disability (ID). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of recently graduated unplaced teachers (RGUTs) specializing in ID toward their preparation, and to identify how these programs can be continuously improved. Five themes emerged based on the analysis of their responses in the interviews: (a) the RGUTs’ motivations to become …

Sisters Supporting Sisters: Photovoice & Diabetes Discourse Among Church-Based Women In New Mexico, Nina Mock Cooper

Communication ETDs

Within the expansive literature on diabetes in other disciplines, the communication lens focuses on the biomedical perspective and emphasizes doctor-patient and patient-provider relations. While there are limited studies that focus on the psychosocial aspect of diabetes morbidity, there is a gap in the existing literature across disciplines on communication about diabetes using both qualitative and participatory methods that are church-based. Because diabetes disproportionately and adversely impacts communities of color that report high levels of religious influence, there is an dire need for more effective interventions to ameliorate this chronic illness that causes high levels of morbidity and mortality.

The Sisters …

Monitoring Damage Occurrence, Post-Peak Crack Propagation And Air Permeability In Concrete Using The Brazilian Indirect Tension Test, Angel M. Padilla

Civil Engineering ETDs

This research aims to investigate the relationship between stress, damage, crack propagation, and permeability evolution in concrete. A novel experimental test method is presented that enables monitoring post-peak cracking behavior of concrete using the Brazilian tension test by slowing crack propagation while concurrently measuring permeability and monitoring damage propagation using acoustic emission techniques. The modified Brazilian test method utilizes spring supports in parallel to the test specimen to off-load the test specimen incrementally to slow down the post-peak crack propagation. A vacuum flow system is attached to the rear side of the concrete during loading to measure apparent air permeability …

Disability Injustice: A Latino’S Creative Autoethnographic Testimonio On The Organizational Culture Of Higher Education, Leonel A. Diaz Jr.

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Using creative autoethnographic testimonio (CAT), a story is told about the injustices within the learning environment and work environment of higher education toward a person with disabilities: sleep apnea, learning disabilities, negative mental health. The author explores the health difficulties of addressing sleep deprivation while attending graduate school and working full-time as a professional. With sleep apnea impacting his health, his mental health declines. As his health declines, there is an increase in discrimination, hostility, oppression, bullying, and toxic masculinity. Initially, the medical system dismisses his declining health and refuses to look further into it. Once he receives medical care …

Main Concept, Sequencing, And Story Grammar (Mssg) Analyses Of The Cinderella Story In Latent Aphasia, Janet B. Adams

Speech and Hearing Sciences ETDs

Commonly used standardized tests, like the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R), are not sensitive to higher level discourse deficits, leading to certain individuals not meeting diagnostic criteria for aphasia. Consequently, individuals with aphasia are excluded from receiving potentially beneficial services and/or from being included in research. In a large sample of persons with stroke-induced aphasia, this study analyzed discourse samples using Main Concept, Sequencing, and Story Grammar (MSSG) Analyses to examine macrostructural discourse characteristics of persons with latent aphasia (PWLAs) compared to persons with no underlying brain injury (PNBIs) and persons classified as having anomic aphasia (PWAAs) by the WAB-R. A …

The Role Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor In The Link Between Physical Activity And Psychosocial Recovery From Alcohol Use Disorder, Adam D. Wilson

Psychology ETDs

Objective: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a common, chronically relapsing condition with substantial health and economic costs. United States federal agencies have put out calls in the last decade to expand the scientific evidence base for broad biopsychosocial recovery from AUD and other substance use disorders (SUD). The present study examined the role of physical activity and exercise in early recovery from AUD, with specific attention to changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a marker of neuroplasticity and a potential mechanism for instantiation of recovery-aligned behaviors. Method: Individuals in the first year of recovery from AUD were …

The Trauma, Substance Use, And Crime Connection: Characteristics And Recidivism Outcomes Of Adult Offenders, Kathryn F. Fokas

Psychology ETDs

Despite exceptionally high rates of trauma and substance use among incarcerated offenders, treatments remain limited in scope and availability within the criminal justice system. Identifying shared underlying mechanisms and potential gender differences could facilitate the development of interventions to target the vicious cycle of trauma, substance use, and crime. This study aimed to test a novel conceptualization of trauma, substance use, and criminal history as a composite risk factor for recidivism, including posttraumatic world assumptions as a hypothesized mediator and gender as a potential moderator. Participants were adult offenders from a community corrections program. Due to many institutional barriers and …

The Role Of Toxoplasma Gondii Dense Granule Protein Gra24 In Signaling And Immunity During Infection, Heather L. Mercer

Biology ETDs

Toxoplasma gondii is a pathogen whose control partly depends upon Toll-like receptors (TLR) 11 and 12, that signal through MyD88. Yet, human TLR11 and TLR12 are nonfunctional, motivating us to investigate MyD88-independent immune pathways. Parasite dense granule protein GRA24 activates p38 MAPK independently of MyD88 in macrophages. Using wild-type and GRA24-deleted T. gondii strains, I demonstrate GRA24 activates p38 MAPK, resulting in IL-12 production, and protective immunity. Furthermore, GRA24 triggers p38 MAPK-dependent CX3CL1 production. GRA24 also induces CCL17 and Ppbp independently of p38 MAPK. Additionally, I demonstrate GRA24 downregulates CCL12. Furthermore, IL-15 is negatively regulated by GRA24 through activation …