Digital Commons Network^™

Chronic Circadian Misalignment Leads To Reduced Longevity And Largescale Changes In Gene Expression In Drosophila Melanogaster, Alex Christ Boomgarden

Master's Theses

As a result of earth's orientation toward the sun producing day and night, organisms have evolved an endogenous circadian timing system that is responsible for the 24-hour oscillation of most physiological and behavioral processes. This timing system is constantly synchronized to the external environment to adapt to and anticipate changes in light, temperature, food, and mate availability. In modern society, social and work constraints cause people to live schedules that are out of sync with their internal circadian clocks, producing a chronic circadian misalignment (CCM). While epidemiological studies in humans point to potentially damaging metabolic and cognitive consequences of CCM, …

Analysis Of Fiber Network Architecture In Blood Vessels And Blood Clots, Dustin Michael Nguyen

Master's Theses

Fibrous networks, including collagen and fibrin, provide strength and support, and are critical for maintaining homeostasis. In this study, we have developed algorithms to define the structural properties of collagen and fibrin networks from microscopic images of these networks in abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and blood clots, respectively. AAA is a biomechanical disease characterized by significant changes in the structure and strength of the arterial wall due to differential changes in the composition of fibrillar collagen in adventitial and medial layers. Using bright-field and polarized microscopic images of histological sections of mouse aorta stained with Picrosirius red (PSR) stain, we …

The Conservation, Excavation, And Analysis Of Ancient Human Remains: A Bioarchaeological Case Study Of Prehistoric Reburials From Nevis, West Indies, Marissa Nicole Massaro

Master's Theses

In the summer of 2015, the cranium of what seemed to be an indigenous Caribbean individual was discovered partially exposed on White’s Bay Beach, Nevis. The following year, upon excavation of two known burial sites, a test pit brought forth an additional burial of two individuals dating about 1025-1275 AD. Currently, there is very little known about this period causing confusion about the migration and settlement patterns of the Caribbean people during this time. Additionally, the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society is experiencing rising concerns of the demolition and utilization of their historical land and beaches for infrastructural development. As …

A Comparative Study Of Hermeneutical Approaches To The Seven Seals, Harold Novac

Master's Theses

Problem

From the beginnings God had a purpose with His prophetical messages to the world and we can see in the Bible clearly, that God always presented His prophetical messages in a certain order. A chronological method was favored by God. That is why from the beginnings, as Seventh-Day Adventists we believed that the best way to interpret the secrets of Revelation is through the historicist approach. Unfortunately this view is fading among scholars, even among SDA researchers.

Purpose

We are going to investigate why this is happening and we will show that historicism has a lot to say, even …

The Motif Of The Messiah In Zechariah 9-14, Caroline Stanke

Master's Theses

Topic

Zechariah 9-14 is full of prophecies regarding the coming of the messiah. The Jews at the time of Jesus awaited a messiah different from the one that came but how so? Did they misunderstand the prophecies or, by any chance, were the prophecies not clear enough?

Purpose

Firstly, it will be given an overview of the Book of Zechariah. Then, the messianic prophecies in Zechariah 9-14 will be examined closer and how they fit into the context of the prophets, the book of Zechariah, and the different chapters. An analysis of the similarities and differences will be written afterwards. …

Characterizing The Requirement Of The Cmi/Trr Compass-Like Complex During Drosophila Development, Timothy Nickels

Master's Theses

The MLR family of COMPASS-like complexes are histone methyltransferase complexes that are associated with the activation of gene enhancers. In D. melanogaster, Cara mitad (Cmi, also known as Lpt) and Trithorax related (Trr) are central subunits of a complex orthologous to mammalian Lysine methyltransferase 2 C and D (KMT2C and KMT2D, also known as MLL3 and MLL2/4) that catalyze H3K4 monomethylation. Previous studies have demonstrated that mutations in these genes are associated with cancer and developmental disorders, but the mechanisms by which these alterations contribute to disease states are unknown. The Cmi-containing COMPASS-like complex and orthologous vertebrate complexes have been …

What's Wrong With Being Single: Lowered Relational Value Bias Toward Single People, Darian Farrell

Master's Theses

This study examined the perceived relational value of single individuals (compared to that of coupled individuals). I hypothesized that, participants would be more likely to make the conjunction fallacy in the single condition vs. the coupled condition, when asked whether or not it was more likely that the target person from the condition was a single teacher vs. teacher. The data supported my hypothesis: participants in the single condition were significantly more likely to make the conjunction fallacy than participants in the coupled condition. My study also tested whether or not the need to belong acted as a moderator for …

The Potential Effects Of Exercise-Induced Cortisol Release On Executive Functioning In Preadolescents, Kory Matthew Bettencourt

Master's Theses

Purpose: Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (MAE) has been shown to elicit improvements in cognition and subsequent academic performance among preadolescents. Aerobic exercise has also shown to increase cortisol release in response to increasing exercise intensity. However, it is unknown if increased cortisol levels following exercise are related to acute improvements in executive function following a bout of MAE in preadolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential effects of increased cortisol release after acute MAE on attention and working memory among preadolescents. Methods: Eleven preadolescents [6 males, 5 females] volunteered to participate in this study (age=9.45±1.03). …

Immunobiology Of Adenovirus-Vector Vaccines For Mrsa, Emily Orvis

Master's Theses

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive, extracellular bacterium that has emerged as an

important human pathogen. This bacterium is a leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections

(SSTIs) in humans, often leading to invasive and life-threatening infections. Treatment of S.

aureus infections is becoming more complicated due to the rise of methicillin-resistant S. aureus

(MRSA) strains, which are becoming increasingly resistant to a number of antibiotics. In the

United States, invasive MRSA infections result in more deaths annually than any other infectious

agent.

Despite a dire need, there is currently no vaccine against S. aureus infections. The failure

of past …

Surveying Host Innate Immune Responses To Interferon Antagonist-Deficient Murine Coronaviruses, Aaron Brian Volk

Master's Theses

Two coronaviruses (CoVs)—severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus—have emerged in the 21st century from animal reservoirs into the human population, each causing an epidemic associated with significant disease and mortality. CoV epidemics are currently only controllable by rigorous public health measures; no targeted therapeutics or vaccines exist to treat or prevent any human CoV infection. One method of generating attenuated CoV strains to be studied as vaccine candidates involves specifically disrupting CoV-encoded interferon (IFN) antagonists, thereby rendering the virus vulnerable to host innate antiviral immunity. Deubiquitinating (DUB) activity encoded within CoV nonstructural protein …

Induction Of Zika Virus-Specific Cd8+ T Cells By Means Of Dna Vaccine, Frank Gambino Jr.

Master's Theses

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a member of the virus family flaviviridae and is transmitted via Aedes aegypti mosquitos. Monoclonal antibodies against dengue virus have been found to cross-react with ZIKV but show no ability to neutralize it. Further studies have shown that Stat2-/- mice given plasma from dengue positive donors exhibit a heightened disease phenotype when challenged with ZIKV. Antibody dependent enhancement is theorized to cause such effect. The goal of this study was to design a plasmid which, when encoded, creates an antigen that will be used to stimulate exclusively CD8+ T cells. The gene sequence of NS3 was …

Understanding The Dynamics Of Protein Lipoylation In Staphylococcus Aureus, Sarah C. Flury

Master's Theses

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal bacterium that also acts as an opportunistic pathogen. The pathogenicity of S. aureus has often been attributed to the wide range of virulence factors that the bacterium produces. While virulence factors do contribute a great deal, there is a growing field of research that aims to investigate the role of metabolism in bacterial virulence.

My project focuses on the necessity of a metabolic cofactor, lipoic acid. To ensure sufficient amounts of lipoic acid are available for enzyme activity, S. aureus has evolved two pathways to obtain the important nutrient. The lipoic acid salvage pathway is …

Cell Intrinsic Characteristics Of Cord Blood Naive Cd4 T Cells, Taylor Keller

Master's Theses

The neonatal immune system is functionally distinct from the adult immune system. Neonatal immune responses are less reactive than their adult counterparts, and as such, have an increased susceptibility to infection, resulting in increased duration and severity of disease. There is evidence that T-cells are partially responsible for the observed immunological differences between neonates and adults. Murine studies on neonatal immunity suggest that Th2 like responses predominate the neonatal immune system, an observation not found in the adult immune system. However, studies on human cord blood revealed that human neonates do not exhibit elevated Th2 like cytokines (with the exception …

Inhibition Of Mutant Egfr In Nsclc Promotes Endothelin-1-Mediated Nsclc Disease Progression, Stephen Ollosi

Master's Theses

Angiogenesis in NSCLC has been identified as important therapeutic target in combination with EGFR TKIs. However, only small incremental advancements have been made for the use of angiogenesis inhibitors in NSCLC and it remains elusive why the inhibition of VEGF-mediated neovascularization is not therapeutically efficacious. I present experimental evidence that a subpopulation of NSCLC cells with EGFR TKI-induced EMT contributes toward the attenuation of the response to EGFR TKI therapy. One of the hallmarks of cancer is heterogeneity and I have previously demonstrated that tumor heterogeneity within NSCLC cells lines harboring EGFR kinase domain mutations gives rise to divergent resistance …

Cryptic Diversification Of Two Widespread Species In Madagascar, Lynika Sharlice Strozier

Master's Theses

Using phylogenetic and phylogeographic tools to uncover hidden diversity within the genus Newtonia in Madagascar

Madagascar is known for its rich biodiversity and high level of endemic species that are found nowhere else. Cryptic diversification, defined as genetically and evolutionarily distinct species that are hard to detect because they are morphologically indistinguishable from their closest relatives, has been hypothesized to occur in many groups on Madagascar. Currently it is unclear to what extent this phenomenon occurs in birds because only a few studies have been conducted. My study examined the phylogenetic and phylogeographic patterns within a songbird genus, Newtonia, that …

Lidocaine Attenuates An Induced Inflammatory Response, Stephanie Zack

Master's Theses

Inflammation is common to the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases. Therapeutics which can regulate and reduce damaging inflammation are therefore valuable in the treatment of inflammation and inflammatory diseases.

One commonly used analgesic, recently identified as limiting inflammation, is lidocaine. Additionally, alternative, less toxic therapeutics like the snake venom peptides, Zep 3 and Zep 4, are thought to have anti-inflammatory effects. Yet a well-defined mechanism or cellular target for lidocaine or Zep peptides' anti-inflammatory effects has not been proposed.

We aimed to determine whether lidocaine and Zep peptides reduce the release of the proinflammatory cytokine, IL-1β, from activated human …

Effect Of Quality Health Care And Support Network On Maternal And Children Outcome In Uganda, Chukwuemeka Ugwu

Master's Theses

About 300,000 women mostly of developing countries die due to pregnancy-related birth complications every year (Smith & Rodriguez. 2015). In Uganda, the maternal death is 1 in every 44 women (State of the World's Mothers' Index 2015, by Save the Children). This places the country as 141 out of 179 by the same ranking. Existing data attributes this anomaly mainly to lack of prompt obstetrics services (Wilunda et al, 2015). Thus, this paper presents empirical evidence of the effect of quality health care and support network on the outcome of a mother and her children during maternity. We employed survey …

Ultrasonic Neuromodulation In Vitro At Single Neuron Resolution, Sheikh Ilham

Master's Theses

Ultrasound as a widely used imaging means for medical diagnosis has drawn growing interests as a potential noninvasive neuromodulation strategy. Focused pulsed ultrasound effectively modulates neural encoding and transmission functions especially in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) with unclear mechanism of action, which is further confounded by contradictory experimental outcomes. Lack of convincing experimental methods has hindered our mechanistic understanding of ultrasonic PNS neuromodulation. To address that, we developed a novel in vitro set up to achieve simultaneous single-unit recordings from individual mouse sciatic nerve axon and systematically studied the effect of focused pulsed ultrasound (FPUS) on action potential transmission …

Preparation And In Vitro Characterization Of An Integrated Graft System For Regenerative Engineering, Mohammed Barajaa

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Human Dimensions Of Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus Horridus) Management In Connecticut, Lindsay Keener-Eck

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Novel Model Of “Remedy And Elimination Of Tuberculosis”, Akanksha Mishra

Master's Theses

Tuberculosis (TB), is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide. TB is commonly linked to poverty and creates poverty as it is the single largest cause of death in the 15-49-year-old age group in South-East Asia (WHO, 2017). It is also linked to the HIV population, and its leading cause of death. TB is effected by socio-economic factors, cultural factors, and health policy. My goal of this dissertation is to identify systematic approaches that shall support the mission set by World Health Organization (WHO): to eliminate TB globally by the year 2050. Measures might include addressing social barriers …

Traditional Ecological Knowledge In Collaborative Forest Restoration In The Sierra Nevada, Michael Boero

Master's Theses

Forest restoration in the Sierra Nevada is receiving increased attention due to climate change, increasing populations in the wildland-urban interface, and the historical mismanagement of some forests, evidenced in part by the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires in recent years. In response to an urgency to implement restoration in the absence of consensus on the best ways to proceed, public land managers practice collaborative management approaches to ameliorate antagonism between stakeholders and allow restoration projects to proceed when agreement is difficult to achieve. Stakeholders often include representatives from local community groups, environmental organizations, private industry, and—notably—tribal groups, who hold …

Community Structure And Zonation Of Antarctic Benthic Invertebrates: Using A Remotely Operated Vehicle Under Ice To Define Biological Patterns, Dorota Szuta

Master's Theses

The Ross Sea, Antarctica is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean that exhibits seasonal sea ice and is adjacent to a permanent ice shelf overlying seawater. In 2008 and 2009, imagery of the seafloor under the McMurdo Ice Shelf and under the seasonal ice in the Ross Sea was collected via remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at depths to 300 m. Distinct differences in Antarctic benthic communities were observed over multiple environmental gradients. Species abundance typically exhibited a unimodal distribution with depth with mid-depth peaks, reflecting a food limitation at the deep end and potentially ice disturbance on the shallow …

Developmental Effects Of Nicotine Exposure In Drosophila Melanogaster, Lisa Janet Wong

Master's Theses

Approximately 12%-20% of pregnant women smoke at some point during pregnancy, and 10% of pregnant women are reported to have smoked during the last 3 months of pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy leads to developmental health risks for the fetus and child, including increased mortality, low birth weight, and developmental delays. The direct molecular targets of nicotine are nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) due to the similarities in structure between nicotine and acetylcholine. However, in many cases, it remains unclear what molecular events downstream of nAChRs lead to the deleterious effects of nicotine on development. We have established Drosophila melanogaster as a …

The Sediment Analysis Of A Prehistoric Shell Midden From Nevis, West Indies, Erika Harvey

Master's Theses

Archaeology in the Caribbean is a growing area of research. The last few decades have revealed a series of Ceramic Age sites +600BCE - 1620CE along the Windward coast of Nevis, West Indies. These sites must be excavated and examined soon, due to the effects of erosion and sea level rise. It is pertinent to explore and expand the knowledge of the prehistoric Carib peoples, if we are truly going to understand the history of the Caribbean. By bridging aspects of science and humanities through geoarchaeological methods, this project is aiming for an interdisciplinary approach to better understand the pre-Colonial …

Effect Of Land Use Types On The Distribution Of Carnivore Species In Santa Clara County, Ca., Logan Thompson

Master's Theses

Anthropogenic pressures such as habitat loss and hunting pressures have caused terrestrial mammalian carnivores to decline by 95–99% in many regions of the world. These species are especially susceptible to fragmented habitats and a diminishing food supply because of their slow reproductive rates and high metabolic demands. In biodiversity hotspots such as California, understanding the range of human impacts to species is critical. This project assessed carnivore species distribution and occupancy by placing remote camera traps in a protected Reserve, agricultural, and developed land use types. Mountain lions were only detected in the protected Reserve, and because of this coyotes …

The Timecourse Of Phonological Competition In Spoken Word Recognition: A Comparison Of Adults And Very Young Children, Elizabeth Schoen Simmons

Master's Theses

Spoken word recognition (SWR) is the mapping of speech sounds to words from many potential candidates in one’s lexicon. In adults, words that are phonetically similar, of high frequency, or semantically related compete for recognition. An ongoing debate in the literature is whether or not very young children encode spoken words with fine-grained temporal and phonetic detail. Specifically, whether they represent words wholistically or as smaller phonetic units similar to that of adults. The adult literature demonstrates that words that are phonetically similar at onset (cohorts) and offset (rhymes) compete for recognition. As it happens, rhymes have the potential to …

Il-17a And The Receptor Are Regulated By Runx3 During Fracture Healing, Satoko Matsumura

Master's Theses

Enhancing bone repair is the key process which facilitates the improvement of fracture healing outcomes. Despite of many studies regarding osteogenesis induction, Bone morphogenetic proteins-2 (BMP-2) and Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) are still the only two the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment^{1, 2}. To develop potential treatment modalities, it is essential to understand the role of transcription factors in fracture healing and how they may be specifically targeted in preclinical models to enhance bone regeneration. While the Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) is known to play a crucial role in osteoblastogenesis, the role of Runx3, a homologue …

Dance For Special Needs Students: Building Confidence And Motor Skills, Jennifer Monique Dabalsa

Master's Theses

Participating in a dance class is influential in the development of young people’s creative, imaginative, individual, and communicative skills. The use of dance within a classroom increases physical fitness, enriches motor skills, coordination, and enhances social skills. Dance also increases muscular endurance, builds balance, as well as encourages teamwork and group skills. Most, if not all individuals crave to be socially accepted on some level. Many individuals with special needs are limited in verbal communication, or they are completely non-verbal. Connecting to individuals with these types of limitations proves to be challenging in comparison with a typical abled bodied individual. …

A Microdebitage Analysis Of The Winterville Mounds Site (22ws500), Stephanie Leigh-Ann Guest

Master's Theses

The Winterville Mounds site (22WS500) was a civic ceremonial center of 23 mounds and is located near Greenville in northwest Mississippi. Winterville excavations as field schools are ongoing since 2005 under the direction of Dr. H. Edwin Jackson of The University of Southern Mississippi. Examination of the >1/4" (6.35 mm) mesh screened lithic material provided mixed results of reduction stages and lacked variety of non-local materials (Guest 2006, Winter 2009, McClendon 2012). Authors of these analyses called for the examination of the 1/16” (1.58 mm) water-screened lithic material to identify reduction stages and traces of non-local materials to provide evidence …