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Synthesis, Optimization, And Degradation Of A Fish Glue/Plga Polymer., Adam T. Schworer 1989-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biomaterials used for tissue engineering, specifically polymers, come from either naturally occurring, like gelatin or collagen, or synthetic sources, such as polyesters. Often times, it is advantageous to combine biomaterials in order to maximize certain material properties, such as cellular adhesion and degradation. The purpose of this study is to provide direction for the synthesis, characterization, and a combination of a combination biomaterial between fish glue (FG), a natural source polymer, and poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), a synthetically made polyester. First, FG is characterized for molecular weight via Gel Permeation Chromatography, GPC. Two combination methods to mix FG/PLGA solutions are then …

Identification Of Genes Required To Synthesize An Antibiotic-Like Compound From The Soil Bacterium Rhodococcus Sp. Mtm3w5.2, Amber L. Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhodococcus is a soil bacterium, member of the Actinobacteria, and a close relative of the prolific small molecule producer Streptomyces. Recent interest in Rhodococcus as an under investigated source of possible bioactive secondary metabolites is sparked by the discovery of many polyketide synthase and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase genes of unknown function from sequenced Rhodococcus genomes. Rhodococcus species strain MTM3W5.2 was recently shown to produce a strong inhibitory compound with activity against most strains of Rhodococcus and closely related genera. A goal of this investigation is to discover the gene(s) required to synthesize this inhibitory molecule. The engineered Rhodococcus …

Synthesis Of Phenothiazinium Derivatives, Selorm J. Fanah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) employs photosensitizing drugs for treating cancer. Once introduced into the body and localized in tumor cells, these photosensitizers are irradiated with light to produce active singlet oxygen radicals which kill cancer cells. The current drugs used in PDT have low quantum yield and always require a high energy radiation (normally laser). There is always a need for more effective drugs that have a high quantum yield and can be activated by visible light, in order to eliminate side effects caused by laser radiations.

In this work we synthesized derivatives of phenothiazine and phenothiazinium chromophores from the commercially …

Metabolic Profiles Of Household Pseudomonas Species Groups., Ogochukwu S. Onyiri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resources influence the distribution, behavior, growth and reproduction of bacterial species. Understanding how closely related species utilize resources will shed light on the ecological traits or principles that shape biogeographic patterns and promote coexistence of species. Twelve Pseudomonas strains isolated from a single human home and PA01, the standard laboratory strain were evaluated in Luria Bertani media to understand whether their growth traits are influenced by their species group and/or their environment of isolation. Total growth, growth rate, early cumulative area under the growth curve (CUC) over 48 hours and viability (viable bacteria count per ml) at 24 and 48 …

Candida Albicans Hyphal Mannan Is Structurally Distinct From Yeast Mannan, Francis Kwofie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

C. albicans is a polymorphic fungal pathogen which has the ability to shift from yeast to hyphae. C. albicans cell wall is composed of glucan, chitin, mannoprotein and mannan. It is not possible, using standard extraction methods, to isolate mannan from C. albicans hyphae. To isolate hyphal mannan, we developed a simplified alkali extraction method. Using this method it was determined that hyphal mannan has a much lower molecular weight, a smaller polymer distribution and altered conformation structure when compared to yeast mannan. The hyphal mannan was found to contain little to no acid-labile portion with only α-Man-PO₄ groups …

Use Of The Physical Classroom Environment As A Teaching And Learning Tool Including The Impact Of The Ccssi In Kindergarten Through Third Grade Classrooms In Northeast Tennessee, Charity Hensley-Pipkin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The specific goal of this study was to determine the use of the physical classroom environment as a teaching and learning tool in an era of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI). This qualitative multi-case study focused on the learning principles and epistemological beliefs of primary teachers with reference to the physical classroom environment and the teaching process in regard to meeting the expectations set forth by the CCSSI. The researcher sought participation from a city school district in Northeast Tennessee which included a total of 8 participating teachers consisting of 2 each of grades kindergarten, …

Algr Directly Controls Rsma In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Tyler Speaks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterial pathogen that can infect any human tissue. The lungs of cystic fibrosis patients become chronically infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Virulence factor gene expression is under elaborate regulatory control that remains poorly characterized. Understanding the regulatory hierarchy involved during infection is essential for identifying novel drug targets. RsmA is a post-transcriptional regulatory protein that controls expression of several virulence factors. Previous studies demonstrated alginate regulatory components AlgU and AlgR as regulators of rsmA expression. The aim of this study was to determine how AlgR controls rsmA expression. Western blot analysis of HA-tagged RsmA confirmed lower …

An Analysis Of The Interaction Of Methylphenidate And Nicotine In Adolescent Rats: Effects On Bdnf, Elizabeth D. Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This investigation was an analysis of the interaction of adolescent exposure to methylphenidate (MPH; trade name: Ritalin) on nicotine sensitization and conditioned place preference (CPP) in a rodent model and underlying mechanisms of this effect. Animals were treated IP with 1 mg/kg MPH or saline using a ―school day‖ regimen of five days on, two days off, from postnatal day (P) 28-50. During the final two weeks of MPH treatment, animals were either behaviorally sensitized to nicotine (0.5 mg/kg free base) or saline for 10 days, or conditioned to nicotine or saline using the CPP behavioral paradigm. In addition, three …

Risk And Protective Factors Of Internalized Mental Illness Stigma, Kathleen Klik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The internalization of mental illness stigma is associated with an array of negative consequences; however, not all individuals experience the deleterious effects of internalized mental illness stigma. The present dissertation focuses on factors associated with internalized stigma, and will be the first to examine simultaneously both risk (i.e., shame, shame proneness and shame aversion, insight, and centrality and valence) and protective factors (social support and self-compassion) of internalized mental illness stigma. Using two of the most widely used assessments of internalized mental illness stigma (i.e., Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale [SSMIS] and the Internalized Mental Illness Scale [ISMI]), risk and …

Linkage Analysis And Compositional Studies Of Β-Glucan From Saccharomyces Cerevisiae And Compositional Studies Of Mannan From Candida Albicans, Clara Arthur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The efficacy of a novel carbohydrate extraction procedure was investigated with methylation analysis and alditol acetate method by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. A published extraction procedure for β-glucans was compared to one developed in house. Both procedures gave a dominant glucose peak in the Gas chromatogram indicative of successful β-glucan isolation. Further linkage studies showed four linkage positions for β-glucans isolated with the published method; terminal, 1,3-linkage, 1,6-linkage and 1,3,6-linkage, while β-glucans isolated using the new method showed six linkage positions; terminal, 1,3-linkage, 1,6-linkage, 1,4-linkage, 1,2,3-linkage and 1,3,6-linkage. Diminishing β-glucan linkage peaks in the chromatogram for the published method indicated structure …

Comparison Of Two Parameter Estimation Techniques For Stochastic Models, Thomas C. Robacker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parameter estimation techniques have been successfully and extensively applied to deterministic models based on ordinary differential equations but are in early development for stochastic models. In this thesis, we first investigate using parameter estimation techniques for a deterministic model to approximate parameters in a corresponding stochastic model. The basis behind this approach lies in the Kurtz limit theorem which implies that for large populations, the realizations of the stochastic model converge to the deterministic model. We show for two example models that this approach often fails to estimate parameters well when the population size is small. We then develop a …

The Abc's Of Art Teacher Professional Identity: An A/R/Tographic Investigation Into The Interstitial Spaces, Sarabeth G. Berk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are more than teachers, however, they do not often discuss, define or identify their multiple professional identities they possess. Likewise, society narrowly perceives and categorizes the conception of teacher, and disregards practices teachers perform that do not fit neatly into established constructs within the profession. This research study explores the multiple professional identities of teachers, specifically art teachers, to understand how they perceive themselves as professionals, and furthermore, to investigate what happens when professional identities intersect, overlap, and create hybrid spaces. Teacher professional identity, multiple identity, intersectionality, and developmental evolution of self are key constructs within this research.

To …

Moses And Liminality, David J. Krouwer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marked by two significant water crossings, the Hebrew Bible establishes the wilderness period in the Pentateuch as a liminal period marking rites of passage for the Israelites. Using a narrative critical approach and an anthropological understanding of liminality, this paper shows that Moses was depicted with an abundance of liminal characteristics and these made him the ultimate transitional tool for God to use in the maturation rites of his people. Further, known Essene beliefs and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the texts of the religious community that inhabited the site of Qumran in the latter half of the second temple period, …

A Case Study Exploring Organizational Development And Performance Management In The Operational Infrastructure Of A Professional Working Organization, Using Academic Constructs, Wm. Casey Crear

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Curriculum, as a concept, has been historically associated with traditional schooling, but the reality is that its application extends to many arenas beyond academia. Through the case study lens, this dissertation utilized the ideologies of curricular theorists John Dewey, John Franklin Bobbitt, and Ralph Tyler to explore how intended, enacted, and assessed curricula phases can integrate into a professional working organization’s comprehensive functionality and materialize into the planning and implementation of its operational infrastructure. Following content analysis of a selected institution’s operational system, using closed codes, a descriptive comprehensive curriculum was designed to address the research purpose of understanding …

Lipid-Coated Gold Nanoparticle As A Biosensor For Lipid-Protein Interactions, Yuheng Cai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gold nanoparticles have been intensively studied for their unique optical features. Due to surface plasmon resonance phenomenon, gold nanoparticles can respond to the refractive index change of the environment near the particles. This phenomenon gives gold nanoparticles the potential to become biosensors that detect the biological interactions at or near the particles. In this work, gold nanospheres were coated with phosphatidylcholine as the substrate for lipoxygenase. It is demonstrated, in our work, that lipid coated gold nanospheres can be used to detect the activity of lipoxygenase and provide more information of this reaction than common assays, like conjugated diene assay …

Fibroblast-Derived Extracellular Matrix: An Alternative Cell Culture Substrate That Alters Lung Cancer Cell Line Phenotype., Michael Thomas Scherzer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Poor lung cancer survival can largely be contributed to the metastatic cells that invade and spread throughout the body. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is composed of multiple cell types, as well as non-cellular components. The TME plays a critical role in the development of metastatic cancers by providing migratory cues that change the growing tumor’s properties. The Extracellular Matrix (ECM), a main component of the TME, has been shown to change composition during tumor progression, allowing cancer cells to invade tissue and survive away from the primary cancer site. Although the ECM is well-known to influence the fate of tumor …

Social Network Analysis Of Partner Preference In Lemon Sharks, Negaprion Brevirostris, During The Introduction Of Unfamiliars To Familiar Groups, Bryan Keller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to understand what drives group formations and to predict spatial occurrences, investigations on individual preferences within the groups have proved to be very useful. Groups of sharks have been observed for centuries; however, there is a dearth of quantitative analyses on the mechanisms that drive their formation. In this study, we use controlled, semi-captive behavioural experiments to assess the potential role of familiarity in group formation and on social behaviour in a large marine vertebrate. Juvenile lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris, (n =23) in Bimini, Bahamas were captured, measured and tagged with external colour codes for individual identification and …

The Effects Of Real-Time Visual Performance Feedback On Teacher Feedback., Chris A. Sweigart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have identified a number of instructional strategies as evidence-based for improving the academic and behavioral outcomes of students. However, teachers often do not employ these practices or rarely implement them at recommended rates, perpetuating a research-to-practice gap. Further, research has demonstrated that traditional professional development is often insufficient to change teacher practice; therefore, researchers have explored a number of interventions to supplement teacher training. Performance feedback is one such method that has a growing base of empirical evidence. This study explored the effects of visual performance feedback (VPF) delivered in real-time using screen sharing technology on a discrete teacher …

Examining The Relationship Between Childhood Victimization, Health Risk Behaviors, And Adult Physical Health Outcomes Among Women On Probation And Parole., Tanya R. Renn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to begin to identify and describe the pathways through which childhood victimization negatively affects adult physical health. In particular, the proposed research will examine the relationship among childhood victimization, health risk behaviors and adult physical health in a population of criminal justice involved women. Previous research has depicted a relationship between childhood victimization, and physical health outcomes, but there is scant research that examines why this relationship exist. Among the most frequent health risk behaviors are alcoholism, smoking, illicit drug use and sexual risk behaviors. Health risk behaviors are highly intertwined with the bio-psycho-social factors that result …

Impact Of Numeracy On Parental Self-Efficacy And Treatment Outcome Of Children On Complex Diets., Diana Cardina Pantalos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Health numeracy, a counterpart to health literacy, can be a mediator of health disparities. This study analyzed the impact of both cognitive and affective numeracy on the pathway linking health behavior to health outcomes, and the role of self-efficacy in this relationship, based on the Health Belief Model. The context was parental management of children's complex diets that require numerical calculations. Parents of children ages 12 months to 12 years with type 1 diabetes (T1D) or phenylketonuria (PKU) were recruited at clinics or community events in east-central states. Ninety-eight participants completed a standardized test of math skills, an instrument to …

Community Engagement, Environmental Education, And Public Outreach In Sustainable Engineering : A Collaborative Demonstration Project For Water Treatment Using Natural Processes And Sustainable Materials., Venkata Durga Prasad Gullapalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Community engagement through environmental education for the public is an important component in the link between individual citizens, their community, and local government agencies responsible for maintaining urban recreation and park areas. Streams and waterways passing through urban areas are often misunderstood by the public in terms of whether the waterway is natural, constructed, or a combination of both. Additionally, aspects of water quality or water pollution are often obscure to the community and there are limited means to provide direct information to the public. In any case, the public are often drawn to interact with urban streams through recreation …

The Effects Of Highly Engaged Field Experiences And Multi-Faceted Mentoring Stategies On Ameliorating Pre-Service Teacher Concerns., Twyla Diane Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics and science teachers leave education more than teachers in other fields (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2008). Job-related stress and burn-out can attribute to early attrition in veteran teachers and pre-service teachers (PSTs) (e.g. Fives, Hamman, & Olivarez, 2007; Gold, 1985). A strategy for addressing attrition is to reduce self-preservation concerns in pre-service education programs. This study used a mixed-methods quasi-experimental research design to examine two STEM teacher education programs, with the long-term goal of improving STEM teacher retention. The first, “SkyTeach”, incorporated instructional experiences and an assortment of mentoring models prior to student teaching. The second program utilized primarily …

The Relationship Between Financial Empowerment And Health Related Quality Of Life In Family Scholar House Participants., Chelsey Erbaugh Franz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Family Scholar House program was a unique intervention designed to stop the cycle of poverty by providing college education and support to single parents. The different aspects of the Family Scholar House program addressed each of the five social determinants of health (economic stability, education, social and community context, health care, and neighborhood and built environment). Results of the studies showed that participant’s mental health and general health rating, as measured by a health-related quality of life survey, improved during the time in the Family Scholar House program. Upon graduation from the program, the mental health and the health …

Implementation Of Break Time For Employee Nursing Mothers At The University Of Louisville : A Case Study., Robin Elise Weiss, 1971-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a mixed methods look at the barriers to successful implementation of the Break Time for Nursing Mothers provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at an upper southern-midwestern university. As public health and medical officials push the desire for an increase in breastfeeding initiation and duration, many mothers must overcome barriers within the employment arena. Previous work has failed to look at how the university setting presents unique challenges with a diverse workforce, varied jobs, and differing space availability. In other settings, barriers have been identified; the goal of this dissertation was to identify what the specific …

The Influence Of Child Physical Activity Programs On Parent Physical Activity In A Rural Community., Katie F. Leslie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: In 2008, a coalition of community leaders and parents sought to increase access to physical activity opportunities for residents of Meade County, a rural Kentucky community. To date, the Meade Activity Center has implemented a variety of year-round programs conducted at borrowed spaces from local schools that have targeted children, utilizing the strategy to first engage children as a way to extend behavior change to other members of the community. This study assessed the influence of child participation in physical activity programs on parent physical activity, and determined potential methods of intervention to increase adult physical activity in a …

Shape Analysis Of The Human Brain., Matthew Joseph Nitzken 1987-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism is a complex developmental disability that has dramatically increased in prevalence, having a decisive impact on the health and behavior of children. Methods used to detect and recommend therapies have been much debated in the medical community because of the subjective nature of diagnosing autism. In order to provide an alternative method for understanding autism, the current work has developed a 3-dimensional state-of-the-art shape based analysis of the human brain to aid in creating more accurate diagnostic assessments and guided risk analyses for individuals with neurological conditions, such as autism. Methods: The aim of this work was to assess …

Bi-Stable Buckled Energy Harvesters Actuated Via Torque Arms., Daniel Allen Porter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vibrational energy harvesters (VEH) are one way to generate electricity. Though the energy quantities are not enough to run desktop computers, they can power remote devices such as temperature, pressure, and accelerometer sensors or power biological implants. New versions of the Bluetooth protocol can even be used with VEH technology to send wireless data. An important aspect of VEH devices is the power output, operating frequency, and bandwidth. This dissertation investigates a novel method of actuating the primary buckled energy harvesting structure using torque arms as a force amplification mechanism. Buckled structures can exhibit snap-through and has the potential to …

Computational Methods To Predict And Enhance Decision-Making With Biomedical Data., Behnaz Abdollahi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The proposed research applies machine learning techniques to healthcare applications. The core ideas were using intelligent techniques to find automatic methods to analyze healthcare applications. Different classification and feature extraction techniques on various clinical datasets are applied. The datasets include: brain MR images, breathing curves from vessels around tumor cells during in time, breathing curves extracted from patients with successful or rejected lung transplants, and lung cancer patients diagnosed in US from in 2004-2009 extracted from SEER database. The novel idea on brain MR images segmentation is to develop a multi-scale technique to segment blood vessel tissues from similar tissues …

An Island-Based Approach For Rna-Seq Differential Expression Analysis., Abdallah Eteleeb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High-throughput mRNA sequencing (also known as RNA-Seq) promises to be the technique of choice for studying transcriptome profiles, offering several advantages over old techniques such as microarrays. This technique provides the ability to develop precise methodologies for a variety of RNA-Seq applications including gene expression quantification, novel transcript and exon discovery, differential expression (DE) and splice variant detection. The detection of significantly changing features (e.g. genes, transcript isoforms, exons) in expression across biological samples is a primary application of RNA-Seq. Uncovering which features are significantly differentially expressed between samples can provide insight into their functions. One major limitation with the …

A Forensics Software Toolkit For Dna Steganalysis., Marc Bjoern Beck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in genetic engineering have allowed the insertion of artificial DNA strands into the living cells of organisms. Several methods have been developed to insert information into a DNA sequence for the purpose of data storage, watermarking, or communication of secret messages. The ability to detect, extract, and decode messages from DNA is important for forensic data collection and for data security. We have developed a software toolkit that is able to detect the presence of a hidden message within a DNA sequence, extract that message, and then decode it. The toolkit is able to detect, extract, and decode …