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Improved Modeling Of Image-Guided Thermal Ablation Procedures Towards Patient-Specific Treatment Planning Applications, Garron Deshazer

Open Access Dissertations

Microwave ablation (MWA) is a minimally-invasive modality that is playing an increasingly vital role in the treatment of cancer and benign disease. These procedures involve the use of a microwave antenna (or an array of antennas) to deliver energy to raise tissue temperature above a thermal threshold to induce irreversible cell damage. Commonly used clinical MWA systems operate at frequencies of 2450 MHz and 915 MHz. Image-guided percutaneous MWA treatments can be guided by intraoperative ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) fluoroscopy, which allows the physician to deliver treatments precisely. As such, image-guided MWA has received substantial attention for the treatment …

Ecological Effects Of Nutrient Enrichment On A Coastal Fringe Mangrove Forest, Brita Juliet Jessen

Open Access Dissertations

Mangrove ecosystems are highly productive coastal wetlands that connect tropical terrestrial and marine systems. Increasing human populations and land use changes are enhancing nutrient loading to tropical coastlines, potentially leading to eutrophic conditions for marine systems. The carbon (C) cycle is critical for mangrove forest structure, function, and resilience under environmental change. Increasing trends of nutrient enrichment in tropical coastal waters may have an effect on organic C mineralization by alleviating nutrient limitation of the heterotrophic microbial community, which may lead to a loss of within-stand carbon sequestration. To better understand and predict the consequences of increased nutrient input, a …

Do Psychologists Help? Assessment And Evaluation Of An Integrative Care Approach To Cancer Treatment, Miryam Yusufov

Open Access Dissertations

Psychosocial care has been shown to improve psychological and physiological functioning in cancer patients. However, as few as five percent of cancer patients engage in psychosocial care. Therefore, Study 1 of this dissertation developed measures of core TTM constructs (Stage of Change, Decisional Balance, Self- Efficacy) relevant for increasing engagement in psychosocial care among individuals diagnosed with cancer.

Measure development entailed qualitative methods for item development and refinement followed by a series of quantitative analyses. The Stage of Change measure was validated against external constructs such as subjective present and future well-being. As expected, a chi-square test indicated that individuals …

Healthcare Costs And Impact Of Medication Adherence On Outcomes In Patients On Novel Anticoagulant Therapy, Chinmay Deshpande

Open Access Dissertations

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a very common condition that causes cardiac rhythm disturbance and affects 2.7 to 6.1 million individuals in the United States (US). Warfarin, which is considered as a gold standard anticoagulant for the last 50 years to treat AF has limitations pertaining to the risk of bleeding, interaction with drugs and requires frequent monitoring. Novel Oral Anti-Coagulants (NOAC including dabigatran and rivaroxaban) are new promising drugs which have shown better or similar efficacy to lower stroke risk and fewer side effects compared to warfarin in the clinical trials. To compete with warfarin, NOACs may need …

Nanoparticles Toxicity On Escherichia Coli: Batch And Kinetic Approach, Nelson M. Anaya-Archila

Open Access Dissertations

Silver and dysprosium oxide are two examples of materials used for the manufacturing of nanoparticles with current and future commercial relevance, respectively. Silver nanoparticles (nAg or AgNPs) are one of the most commonly used nanomaterials in consumer products and medical applications due to their antimicrobial properties. Dysprosium oxide nanoparticles (nDy₂O₃) are gaining interest for biomedical applications because of their fluorescence and paramagnetic properties, which can be used as contrast agents in magnetic resonance analysis. However, the fate of nAg and nDy₂O₃ and their possible negative impacts on the environment and public health are …

Detection Of Fluid Density Anomalies Using Remote Imaging Techniques, Clara Smart

Open Access Dissertations

Systematic and remote imaging techniques capable of detecting fluid density anomalies will allow for effective scientific sampling, improved geologic and biologic spatial understanding and analysis of temporal changes. This work presents algorithms for detection of anomalous fluids using an ROV-mounted high resolution imaging suite, specifically the structured light laser sensor and 1350kHz multibeam sonar system.

As the ROV-mounted structured light laser sensor passes over areas of active the turbulent nature of the density anomaly causes the project laser line, imaged at the seafloor, to blur and distort. Detection of this phenomena was initially presented in 2013 with significant limitations including …

Using Subaqueous Soils Data To Manage Coastal Ecosystems: Implications For Bivalve Recruitment, Aquaculture, And Restoration, Brett Matthew Still

Open Access Dissertations

Coastal ecosystems continue to be negatively impacted by increased development and anthropogenic inputs resulting in nutrient enrichment, reduced water quality, loss of seagrasses, sedimentation, and coastal acidification. These stressors, along with historic over harvest and disease, have resulted in the collapse of commercial oyster fisheries in many estuaries worldwide. Expansion of oyster aquaculture has reversed this trend, creating a growing market for oysters as a food resource. This growth however, is being constrained by a number of issues, particularly access to the coastal zone, and identification of productive locations for aquaculture lease development in areas free of conflicting uses.

Coastal …

Correlating Behavior With Non-Invasive Physiological Measures To Evaluate Mating Strategies In Belugas, Justin Thomas Richard

Open Access Dissertations

With conservation and ethical concerns facing cetaceans, minimally invasive research on reproduction is important for population management. Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) are endangered in parts of their range, yet little is known about their breeding behavior and much of the existing research depends on post-mortem sampling. To date, there have been no directed studies of social interactions between belugas during the breeding season, and few studies have attempted to correlate reproductive physiology with behavior in any species of cetacean. Improved understanding of reproductive strategies in this species would facilitate management. This work describes the development of minimally invasive methods …

Lipid Nanoparticle Interactions And Assembles, Matthew Ryan Preiss

Open Access Dissertations

Novel liposome-nanoparticle assemblies (LNAs) provide a biologically inspired route for designing multifunctional bionanotheranostics. LNAs combine the benefits of lipids and liposomes to encapsulate, transport, and protect hydrophilic and hydrophobic therapeutics with functional nanoparticles. Functional nanoparticles endow LNAs with additional capabilities, including the ability to target diseases, triggered drug release, controlled therapeutic output, and diagnostic capabilities to produce a drug delivery system that can effectively and efficiently deliver therapeutics while reducing side effects. Not only could LNAs make existing drugs better, they could also provide an avenue to allow once promising non-approved drugs (rejected due to harmful side effects, inadequate pharmacokinetics, …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Tumor Targeting Of Novel Ph Sensitive Nanoparticles, Jennifer L. Daniels

Open Access Dissertations

When particles approach a nanoscale size, they exhibit novel properties not seen in their bulk counterparts. Therefore, nanoparticles are widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer as imaging, delivery, and therapeutic agents. However, the main challenge is to obtain stable, biocompatible, and tumor-targeting nanomaterials so that they preferentially accumulate in cancerous tissue.

Many contemporary therapeutic and imaging approaches to cancer treatment are based on specific tumor-targeting biomarkers such as antibody or vitamin binding. Although there are significant successes, the inter- and intra-heterogeneity of tumors, their complexity, and their ability to adapt to new conditions often create parts of …

The Effects Of Climate Change On Macroalgal Growth, Trophic Interactions And Community Structure, Gordon Ober

Open Access Dissertations

Global climate change is threatening the structure, function, and health of ecosystems. While factors of climate change have been studied extensively over the past few decades, most research has focused on the response of single organisms or populations; as our ecosystems are comprised of complex interactions and relationships, it is of critical importance to understand how entire communities are going to be impacted by climate change. Ocean acidification (a by-product of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, CO₂), and nutrient loading are two major forces of global change that are projected to have detrimental impacts on coastal marine species and …

Framework For The Automated Disassembly Of Electronic Waste Using The Soar Cognitive Architecture, Nicholas M. Difilippo

Open Access Dissertations

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of integrating the cognitive architecture Soar with a robotic system to aid in the disassembly of electronic waste (e-waste). This study was broken up into different parts, first, to examine how well the different sensors and tools that composed the system worked before finally integrating the cognitive architecture Soar to assess how it improved the systems performance. Due to the increasing amounts of e-waste and the adverse effects it has on human health, a robotic system that can aid in the disassembly of e-waste is essential.

The first part in this …

Investigations On Biologically Active Carbohydrates From Natural Sources, Jiadong Sun

Open Access Dissertations

Complex carbohydrates exist in almost all species of plants, animals and microorganisms. Because of their physiochemical properties, they have been traditionally applied as emulsifiers and stabilizers in food, cosmetics, textiles and as pharmaceutical ingredients. Complex carbohydrates generally exist as a layer of thick, sequential, hydrous polymers consisting of monosaccharides and non-carbohydrate substituents such as acetate, pyruvate, and phosphate. While complex carbohydrates are generally believed to serve as structural support or energy sources for the producing organisms, their potential biomedical properties have been less investigated. Our understanding of the biological activities of complex carbohydrates is further complicated since most have been …

The Effects Of Spatial Resolution On Impervious Cover Classification In Watersheds And Riparian Zones In Vermont, Jessica N. Morgan

Open Access Dissertations

Impervious cover (roads, rooftops, etc.) is a known stressor on stream biota and habitat and is often used as an indicator for assessing the effects of urbanization on stream health. Understanding how spatial data resolution impacts estimates of impervious cover is important for effective modeling and management of water resources at multiple scales. However, broad scale classifications of high spatial resolution data can be time consuming and expensive. High spatial resolution data classifications in Vermont, USA were compared to nationally available impervious cover classifications in order to understand the impact of scale on impervious cover estimates. I used National Agriculture …

The Fishery And Ecology Of Cittarium Pica In The West Indies, Reuban James-Allen Macfarlan

Open Access Dissertations

Cittarium pica, the West Indian Top Shell or “whelk,” is an understudied but culturally and ecologically important intertidal gastropod in the Caribbean. The species faces overexploitation and possible extirpation in much of its range due to a confluence of factors including life-history traits, a diffuse artisanal fishery, and lack of basic scientific knowledge. The undocumented, unregulated, and unreported nature of artisanal and small-scale commercial harvesting of this species renders its study quite different from that of other more recognizable species such as conch or spiny lobster. Here I have compiled four manuscripts that address specific questions related to the …

Development And Application Of Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy For The Monitoring Of Δ13co2 At Carbon Capture Utilization And Storage Sites, Benjamin Tyler Galfond

Open Access Dissertations

Economic growth since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution has been unprecedented and improved the lives of billions, though not without a cost. Anthropogenic CO2 emissions have perturbed the global carbon cycle, driving rapid climate change that is forecasted to be economically devastating to many regions while exterminating delicate ecosystems and countless species. Despite the unappealing political and economic impacts of halting fossil fuel consumption, an immediate answer is truly needed. To stave off these disastrous outcomes requires a rapid response to greenhouse gas emissions that future technologies, no matter how promising, are not yet ready to engage. Carbon capture, …

Antisense Rna-Mediated Epigenetic Regulation Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor., Roya Pedram Fatemi

Open Access Dissertations

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate chromatin remodeling through their interactions with epigenetic enzymes during development and disease. The inhibition of the natural antisense transcript of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF-AS), results in BDNF promoter de-repression and transcriptional upregulation, both in vitro and in vivo. Recently, we showed that BDNF-AS interacts with the histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) to suppress BDNF mRNA and protein expression. BDNF is an important neurotrophin that is required for neural development and maintenance of the nervous system. Dysregulation of BDNF occurs in a number of neurological disorders, including: Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Rett syndrome, …

Gender And General Strain Theory: An Examination Of The Role Of Gendered Strains And Negative Emotions On Crime, Aaron Michael Puhrmann

Open Access Dissertations

One of the predominant issues in the criminological study of gender and crime is the gender gap in crime. Women are much less involved in crime than men and are involved with different types of crimes. By integrating gender-specific theory with General Strain Theory (GST), this dissertation provides an explanation of female crime and the gender gap in crime. Gendered General Strain Theory (gendered-GST) argues that gender differences in negative life events (strains) and differences in negative emotions lead to distinct pathways to criminal offending. This dissertation empirically examines the different propositions of gendered-GST and whether they adequately explain female …

Study Of The Role Of Circulating Tumor Cells (Ctc) And Circulating Cellular Microenvironment Components In Metastasis Formation And Their Clinical Value, Zheng Ao

Open Access Dissertations

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) are tumor cells found in cancer patients’ peripheral blood. They hold significant clinical value for cancer prognosis and management. While enumeration of CTC has been proven to provide reliable prognosis value for cancer management, further molecular and functional characterization of CTC may provide insights into both the biology of metastasis and critical clinical information such as the dynamic changes in molecular expression of tumor cells during treatment. Here, we will discuss how molecular and functional characterization of CTC can be utilized for such clinical applications, and the methodology development for such applications including a thermo-responsive release …

Demystifying Variance In Performance: Toward A Multilevel Longitudinal Perspective Of Strategic Management, Guangrui Guo

Open Access Dissertations

Drawing upon complexity theory, this dissertation contributes both to inquiry on relative importance of business–unit, corporation, industry, and year effects on firm performance and to development of a multilevel longitudinal perspective of strategy. Empirically, this dissertation generates important new insights about variation in performance. This dissertation is the first to (1) capture substantial stable corporation–industry interaction effects that were confounded with stable effects of business unit, corporation, and industry in results of previous studies, (2) demonstrate that stable effects of corporation, industry, corporation–industry interaction, taken together, are of similar relative magnitude to that of stable BU effects, (3) reveal that …

Exploring Black/White Biracial Female Therapists’ Perceptions And Meaning-Making In The Context Of Providing Therapy, Anna Wheatley Scarbriel

Open Access Dissertations

Individuals born to parents from two or more different racial groups are one of the fastest growing population groups in the United States, with Black/White biracials making up the largest proportion therein. This diversification has permeated the field of psychology and counseling, and people of mixed race will increasingly be clients, colleagues, supervisors, and supervisees. It is imperative that the field of counseling and psychology turn attention not only to serving/treating mixed race clients, but also to providing training and supervision to mixed race professionals. In particular, much work remains to better understand the significance and impact of a mixed …

Gelatinous Zooplankton In Marine Communities And Ecosystems: Fine-Scale Horizontal And Vertical Distribution, Trophic Drivers, And Contribution To Global Carbon Cycling, Jessica Yuchao Luo

Open Access Dissertations

The gelatinous zooplankton (GZ), comprised of cnidarians, ctenophores, and pelagic tunicates, are an abundant, diverse group of organisms that often exhibit boom-and-bust population dynamics. Most of the work on GZ has been focused on the large scyphozoans, while the smaller members of this group (hydrozoans, ctenophores, and pelagic tunicates) are relatively understudied due to their size, fragility, and transparency. Furthermore, spatially and temporally variable GZ populations can have important ecosystem impacts, e.g. to the biological pump via sinking carcasses and fecal pellet production. This dissertation investigates gelatinous zooplankton and their role in marine communities and ecosystems, with respect to 1) …

Topics In Complexity: Dynamical Patterns In The Cyberworld, Hong Qi

Open Access Dissertations

Quantitative understanding of mechanism in complex systems is a common “difficult” problem across many fields such as physical, biological, social and economic sciences. Investigation on underlying dynamics of complex systems and building individual-based models have recently been fueled by big data resulted from advancing information technology. This thesis investigates complex systems in social science, focusing on civil unrests on streets and relevant activities online. Investigation consists of collecting data of unrests from open digital source, featuring dynamical patterns underlying, making predictions and constructing models. A simple law governing the progress of two-sided confrontations is proposed with data of activities at …

Estimating The Water Quality Condition Of River And Lake Water In The Midwestern United States From Its Spectral Characteristics, Jing Tan

Open Access Dissertations

This study focuses on developing/calibrating remote sensing algorithms for water quality retrieval in Midwestern rivers and lakes. In the first part of this study, the spectral measurements collected using a hand-held spectrometer as well as water quality observations for the Wabash River and its tributary the Tippecanoe River in Indiana were used to develop empirical models for the retrieval of chlorophyll (chl) and total suspended solids (TSS). A method for removing sky and sun glint from field spectra for turbid inland waters was developed and tested. Empirical models were then developed using a subset of the field measurements with the …

Structural And Functional Studies Of The Papain-Like Protease 2 From Mouse Hepatitis Virus, Yafang Chen

Open Access Dissertations

Our goal is to establish a system to investigate how the deubiquitinating (DUB) and deISGylating activities of coronavirus (CoV) papain-like protease domains (PLPs) are involved in virus immune evasion. To this end, we chose PLP2 from mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) as our target of study because MHV has historically served as a model system for the study of CoVs, and it has undeniable advantage of ease in culturing in comparison to human coronaviruses.

It is reported here the expression and purification of a region of MHV nsp3 that contains the catalytic core of the PLP2 domain and its neighboring domains. …

Functional Characterization Of Altered Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms In Autism Using Patient-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Brooke Alisen Derosa

Open Access Dissertations

To date, numerous candidate genes have been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with many of these genes known to have important roles in synaptic function and the development of neural circuits. This suggests that certain neurobiological processes could be commonly altered in ASD. Therefore, although there is a great deal of clinical and genetic heterogeneity in ASDs, there may be convergent deficits in key molecular mechanisms which underlie the disease. Although this is encouraging, a lack of appropriate human-based models of complex neurodevelopmental disorders has greatly hindered investigations of convergent neurobiology in ASD. Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) …

Signaling Mechanisms That Control Ciliated Cell Differentiation, Benjamin John Gerovac

Open Access Dissertations

An innate front-line defense mechanism termed mucociliary clearance (MCC) occurs in the airway epithelium and is critical for respiratory health. MCC is made possible by the coordinated efforts of goblet and multiciliated cells, two cell types that line the airway epithelium. Maintaining the relative populations of goblet and multiciliated cells is necessary for optimum MCC, however, decreases in the multiciliated cell population and dysfunctional MCC are seen in a variety of respiratory diseases. Despite the clinical relevance, there is still much to understand about the signaling pathways that control multiciliated cell fate. Previous data has shown multiciliated cell differentiation of …

Comparative Demography Of A Coral Reef Fish: Vertical And Horizontal Spatial Variability In Bicolor Damselfish (Stegastes Partitus) Traits, Survival, And Reproduction, Esther Diane Goldstein

Open Access Dissertations

Coral reef fish populations are composed of subpopulations across a range of depths and geographic locations that are connected through larval dispersal. As reefs decline, coral reef organisms may become dependent up habitats at the periphery of their distributions. The objectives of this dissertation were to determine the influence of habitat variability on population demographics, reproduction, survival, and the consequences to population connectivity of a common coral reef fish (bicolor damselfish: Stegastes partitus) across the Florida Shelf and the depth distribution of the species. Assessing demographic plasticity and habitat suitability for a model species across depth strata (SS: shallow shelf …

Topics In Complexity: From Physical To Life Science Systems, Pedro David Manrique Charry

Open Access Dissertations

Complexity seeks to unwrap the mechanisms responsible for collective phenomena across the physical, biological, chemical, economic and social sciences. This thesis investigates real-world complex dynamical systems ranging from the quantum/natural domain to the social domain. The following novel understandings are developed concerning these systems' out-of-equilibrium and nonlinear behavior. Standard quantum techniques show divergent outcomes when a quantum system comprising more than one subunit is far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Abnormal photon inter-arrival times help fulfill the metabolic needs of a terrestrial photosynthetic bacterium. Spatial correlations within incident light can act as a driving mechanism for an organism’s adaptation toward more ordered …

Optic Nerve Regeneration In Adult Wild-Type Mice: Characterizing Axonal Growth Patterns And Target Reinnervation, Benjamin Joseph Yungher

Open Access Dissertations

Neuroregeneration research seeks to address why mature neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) fail to re-extend a severed axon. However, equally important is understanding what happens after axons are induced to regenerate through the environment of the injured nervous system. In optic neuropathies like glaucoma, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axon degeneration and cell death result in loss of visual function and blindness. Treatment strategies have been developed that promote long distance regeneration of RGC axons but are largely dependent on genetically modified knockout (KO) mice. Given the expanded use of RNA interference (RNAi)-based treatments in human patients, therapeutically relevant …