Digital Commons Network^™

The Archer's Guide To Viola Playing, Lauren Emily Miller

Open Access Dissertations

Performance related musculoskeletal disorders are common in musicians. Studies show relatively high numbers of these disorders among violinists and violists. These disorders can occur because violin and viola players often do not make movement, coordination, injury prevention, and tension redistribution their foundational priority. String players often allow the visual and auditory aspects of practice and performance to become their top priority. Musicians are constantly in motion, but they rarely describe what they do using movement vocabulary or as a movement sport. Unfortunately, movement vocabulary is typically reserved solely for enhancing stage presence, reducing pain or repairing an injury. Archery is …

Fluorophores In Confined Spaces: From Targeting Molecular Transporters To Encapsulation By Organic Nanocontainers, Anthony Nolan Cauley

Open Access Dissertations

Fluorescence is achieved by emission of electromagnetic radiation in the form of ultraviolet, visible, or infrared photons as a result of an electronic transition from singlet excited state to singlet ground state. Fluorescence spectroscopy is a widely utilized technique for studying the structure and dynamics of matter and living systems. It may come in many forms such as small organic fluorophores taking on a “drug-like” role in biological organisms as well as supramolecular host-guest complexes for applications in drug delivery and cellular imaging. Herein, two research projects at the interface of chemistry and biology will be fully discussed. Although the …

Activatable Fluorophores Combined With Amphiphilic Polymer Carriers For Bioimaging, Sicheng Tang

Open Access Dissertations

Self-assembling amphiphilic macromolecular nanoparticle, with a hydrophobic inner core and hydrophilic shell, can capsulate organic dyes inside. Thus, as a result, could be a valuable delivery vehicle for biology applications. We have developed a family of polymers, as supramolecular hosts, with decyl and polyethylene glycol side chains, exhibiting different hydrophobic/hydrophilic ratio, polyethylene glycol length or molecular weight. The polymers assemble into particles in neutral buffer and capture hydrophobic BODIPY in their interior. The relationship between critical concentration, dye loading property, hydrodynamic diameter and polymer structures were investigated. These provided a guideline to design self-assembling supramolecular hosts for the encapsulation of …

Photonic Strategies For Bioimaging And Modulation Of Biological Systems, Lorenzo Sansalone

Open Access Dissertations

The last two decades have seen how the development of photoactivatable fluorophores significantly implemented imaging and spectroscopic techniques applied to the “biological world”. In fact, molecules that switch from a nonemissive to an emissive state upon illumination at an activating wavelength (λac) and then emit after irradiation at an exciting wavelength (λexc) opened a new field of research and, beside the generation of super resolved subdiffracted images, they permit the monitoring of dynamic processes in real time. In the context of our work, an oxazine-based molecular switch has been designed to generate photoactivatable fluorophores suitable for bioimaging. The second and …

Identifying And Targeting Androgen Receptor-Variant Oncogenic Networks As Exploitable Prostate Cancer Vulnerabilities, Fiorella Magani

Open Access Dissertations

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) progresses rapidly and is incurable. Constitutively active androgen receptor splice variants, such as AR-V7, represent a well-established mechanism of therapeutic resistance and disease progression. These AR variants lack the carboxy-terminal ligand binding domain, the target of all approved drugs against AR. Consequently, a significant challenge is to identify novel therapeutic strategies that are effective against AR variant-expressing prostate tumors. In this work, we evaluated the possibility of targeting AR-V7 in PC and CRPC through two independent approaches. The first approach consisted of disrupting the interaction between AR-V7 and its coactivators as an exploitable PC vulnerability. Using …

The Assembly Of The Mitoribosomal Large Subunit In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Rui Zeng

Open Access Dissertations

Mitoribosomes are specialized for the synthesis of hydrophobic membrane proteins encoded by mitochondrial DNA, all essential for oxidative phosphorylation. Despite their linkage to human mitochondrial diseases and the recent cryo-EM reconstruction of yeast and mammalian mitoribosomes, how ribosomes are assembled remains obscure. Here, we dissected the yeast mitoribosome large subunit (mt-LSU) assembly process by systematic genomic deletion of 44 mt-LSU proteins (MRPs). Analysis of the strain collection unveiled 37 proteins essential for functional mt-LSU assembly, three of which are critical for mt-LSU 21S rRNA stability. Hierarchical cluster analysis of mt-LSU subassemblies accumulated in mutant strains revealed cooperative assembly of protein …

Exploring The Role Of A Novel Device In Weight Loss Outcomes And Behaviors, Jacqueline Ann Beatty

Open Access Dissertations

Obesity is a serious public health problem. There is a need for scalable weight loss interventions that can help people lose weight and decrease their risk of obesity related chronic disease development. Self-monitoring is a key component of successful weight loss. The Eat Less, Move More (ELMM) device is wrist-worn, and is capable of counting bites by detection of a wrist-roll motion that is specific to eating. The device can also measure seconds between bites, as a proxy to eating rate (ER) measurement, as well as the number of steps taken by the user. The aim of this body of …

Climate Change And Coastal Cultural Heritage: Insights From Three National Parks, Alanna Casey

Open Access Dissertations

Global climate change is expected to contribute to between 30 and 122 centimeters of sea-level rise by 2100, as well as increase the frequency and intensity storm surge, flooding, and erosion in coastal systems (IPCC 2014; Melillo, Richmond and Yohe 2014; Moser, Williams and Boesch 2012). Consequently, coastal cultural resources including archaeological sites, historic structures, and cultural landscapes will face increasing damages from salt water inundation, storm erosion, that comprise the frequency and intensity of the negative impacts of these coastal climate changes on cultural heritage resources, sites, and landscapes will also increase (Daly 2011b; WHC 2006; Cassar 2005). Current …

Global Dynamics Of Some Competitive And Cooperative Discrete Dynamical Systems, Elliott J. Bertrand

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the dynamics of some second-order difference equations and systems of difference equations whose defining functions satisfy certain monotonicity properties. In each study we utilize the theory for specific classes of monotone difference equations to establish local and global dynamics.

Manuscript 1 is an introduction that provides fundamental definitions and important results for difference equations that are used throughout the rest of the thesis.

Manuscript 2 presents some potential global dynamic scenarios for competitive systems of difference equations in the plane. These results are extended to apply to the class of second-order difference equations whose transition functions are …

Phytochemical Investigation Of A Native North American Species, “Acer Saccarinum” And An Endemic Saudi Arabian Species, “Euphorbia Saudiarabica”, Abdullatif Bin Muhsinah

Open Access Dissertations

The objectives of this work are the isolation, purification, structure elucidation, and biological evaluation of bioactive secondary metabolites, primarily tannins and diterpenoids, of two plant species: silver maple (Acer saccharinum) and Euphorbia saudiarabica, respectively.

Based on the ethnopharmacological literature, Acer saccharinum is a traditional medicinal plant that has been used by the people of North America. According to previous phytopharmacological studies by our group, over 70 phytochemicals, primarily tannins and flavonoids, have been discovered from three different maple species, including sugar (Acer saccharum), red (Acer rubrum), and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) maples. …

Probing Two-Dimensional Semiconductor And Biological Tissue By Nonlinear Optical Microspectroscopy, Mohammad A. Mokim

Open Access Dissertations

Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene and semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), exhibit remarkable optical properties which are of great potential for applications in modern electronics. The first part of this dissertation focuses on the dispersion of the second order resonant nonlinearity (χ⁽²⁾) in the single layer TMDC. We begin with the study of the nonlinear optical properties of monolayer TMDC, WSe2. We experimentally obtain the χ⁽²⁾ dispersion data from the single layer sample of WSe2 by using broadband ultrashort pulse laser sources. The broadband pulse is generated by specially designed photonic crystal fiber (PCF). This PCF fiber …

Cardiovascular And Retinal Vascular Changes In Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease, Cláudia Yang Santos

Open Access Dissertations

One in three adults over 85 years old suffer from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or other forms of dementia. This already widespread condition is expected to increase further in both incidence and prevalence in coming years. As a result, the need to understand the etiology and pathogenesis of dementia becomes ever more urgent. AD, in addition to its steep cost of care, is the most common form of dementia and the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It is a complex disease and its mechanisms are poorly understood. The more we learn about AD, the more questions are …

The Biological Function Of Human Epididymis Protein 4 In Epithelial Ovarian Cancer, Nicole Elizabeth James

Open Access Dissertations

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy worldwide. EOC has a notably poor prognosis, owing to the fact that patients are frequently diagnosed at a late stage after the disease has significantly progressed. While many patients typically respond well to frontline platinum-based chemotherapy, the tumor becomes chemoresistant when a recurrence follows within five years. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the discovery of non-invasive early detection biomarkers and novel targeted therapies.

Human Epididymis Protein 4 (HE4) is a secretory protein that is encoded by the gene whey acidic protein (WAP)-four disulfide core domain protein 2. The …

A Multispecies Statistical Catch-At-Age (Msscaa) Model For A Mid-Atlantic Species Complex, Jason Earl Mcnamee

Open Access Dissertations

Two of the most ecologically and economically important species in the Mid- Atlantic Bight are Atlantic menhaden and the Atlantic striped bass. These species are important for human prosecuted fisheries, but these two species are also closely linked through ecosystem dynamics that are influenced by interactions between these species such as through predation. Beyond striped bass and menhaden, there are also other important species that are linked in this ecosystem. The focus of this dissertation is to estimate the trophic interactions among several important fish species in the Mid- Atlantic Bight, with an emphasis on the interactions between menhaden and …

Facilitated Excretion Of Gold Nanoparticles By Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles Through The Atp7b Transporter, Xiaodong Wang

Open Access Dissertations

Scientific areas have utilized the exclusive qualities of nanomaterials for medicine, diagnostics, drug delivery, tissue engineering and environmental protection. Inorganic metal nanoparticles such as gold and copper have been widely studied in the past decades. Due to the strong and tunable surface plasmon resonance (SPR), nanostructures including nanoshells, nanorods, nanocages, and hollow nanospheres exhibit strong optical absorption at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths (650–900 nm), resulting in resonance and transfer of thermal energies to the surrounding tissue to raise the temperature. The absorbance of NIR light is desirable because it minimizes thermal injury to normal tissues while providing optimal light penetration. The …

Profiling And Modification Of Silicon Nitride Based Planar Substrates And Nanopores, Nuwan Dhananjaya Bandara

Open Access Dissertations

A nanopore—typically defined as a through-hole with dimensions <100 nm in all directions that functions as the sole path between two electrolyte reservoirs—is a robust single molecule sensor element which has enjoyed a wealth of applications spanning genomics and proteomics, with fledgling contributions to glycomics over the past two decades. Two classes of nanopores exist—biological and solid state. Biological nanopores, for example, α-hemolysin, are highly reproducible and precise—with nanopore lengths and critical constriction sizes that are well known and reproducible. This is not the case with solid state nanopores. Assuming total nanopore length is equal to the nominal thickness of the membrane provided by the manufacturer is a standard practice in the nanopore field. However, given fabrication tolerances, there is some room for error, in certain instances close to 60% of the provided nominal thickness. Any error in nanopore length will couple to errors in the radius calculation. Another two key assumptions are: i) the nanopore has a cylindrical shape unless (and often even if) the shape is otherwise known and ii) a single nanopore through the membrane is formed when one is intended. These issues were addressed by developing a framework that shows errors in harboring such geometric assumptions and eventual consequences for nanopore-based sensing experiments.

The focus of nanopore-based sensing has been predominantly on DNA and protein profiling with only fledging contributions to glycomic profiling. Silicon nitride-based solid state nanopores were used to understand translocation conditions related to alginate and then to study source variability associated with alginates. The two alginates used (from two different sources) gave two distinct signal patterns. Heparin, a common anticoagulant was contaminated in 2008 with over sulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS)—a structurally similar adulterant—which lead to ~120 deaths in the United States. Nanopores, with sizes ranging from ~8.6 nm- ~13.6 nm were used …

Nanostructured Interfaces For Single Molecule Sensing And Molecular Fingerprinting, Buddini I. Karawdeniya

Open Access Dissertations

Nanoscale interfaces can have a profound influence on sensor performance, arising from the increased surface-area-to-volume ratio on length scales <100 nm, and often on the emergence of new phenomena on this length scale and even enhancement of existing phenomena. These interfaces can be used to form sensing devices capable of molecular sensing and fingerprinting. Attaining rapid and reliable molecular information with low analyte concentrations and minimal instrument overhead is crucial for many fields including the pharmaceutical industry, food quality analysis, biomedicine, water quality analysis, etc., to meet the current demands of sample analysis. Nanoscale elements in these nanosensors, in amalgam with other physical and chemical driving forces are useful for attaining low limits of detection with the ultimate goal of observing one molecule-at-a-time. This proposal contains two approaches to develop nanostructured sensors—one optical and one non-optical—to reach this goal. The first study is designed to develop a non-optical sensor—a solid state nanopore—for carbohydrate biopolymers—a class of abundant biomolecules that nevertheless have not been extensively characterized like other biomolecules (DNA or proteins), due to inadequate sensing capabilities to easily tackle the molecular complexity by classical methods alone. Additionally, methods to enhance and control the pore surface chemistry are investigated. Second, a series of accessible and low-cost surface enhanced Raman substrates are fabricated on a range of supports using electroless gold plating, to create optical sensors with vibrational selectivity and multifunctional capabilities.

Physical Characterization Of Warburg Effect In Cancer Cells, Da Wei

Open Access Dissertations

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease. Because the frequency of cancer diagnoses is correlated with life expectancy, we can expect the rate of cancer diagnosis to increase with the increase of life expectancy. Additionally, cancer treatments are notoriously costly and challenging due to the heterogeneity of the cancer cell population. For these reasons, devising methods to study the characteristics, efficiently diagnose and treat cancer is extremely important.

Warburg effect has been considered as the most unique mechanism that differ cancer cells from normal cells. Normally, most of the healthy cells predominantly …

Cyclodextrin-Promoted Detection Systems For Biological Matrices And Environmental Applications, Dana J. Discenza

Open Access Dissertations

The detection of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in complex biological and environmental samples is an important research priority due to the known persistence, toxicity, and carcinogenicity of these compounds. Some examples of POPs include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, alcohols and phthalates. Human exposure to these compounds has been well-documented in the scientific literature, and can occur through a variety of mechanisms, such as through an individual’s exposure to contaminated air and soil or through the ingestion of contaminated food or water. Additionally, individuals who have been exposed to POPs contain small amounts of these compounds in …

Stimuli-Responsive Biomaterials For Drug Delivery To Improve Cancer Immunotherapy And Chronic Wound Healing, Anita E. Tolouei

Open Access Dissertations

Sequential delivery of biomolecules is very important as many biologics underlying injury and disease follow an orderly and sequenced series of events. Here we developed and introduced for the first time a dual compartment biomaterial system with an outer compartment made of gelatin and inner compartment that is a ferrogel which can be magnetically stimulated in order to provide on-demand, sequential delivery of multiple bio-instructive payload. We studied the potential application of this dual-compartment biomaterial system in different therapeutic contexts that may benefit from on-demand sequential deliveries, such as in cancer immunotherapy and in chronic wound healing.

Chronic wounds can …

Virtual Environments For The Induction Of Action, Brian Adrian Flowers

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is a study on the ways in which Virtual Reality can actively and reactively affect human physiology. The first manuscript describes the design of a highly generalized Virtual Reality biofeedback system. This system was developed such that, given proper design, it would be able to provide users with a highly responsive Virtual Environment to meet the criteria of embodiment, which will increase the user's responsiveness to stimuli. The system also functions as a biofeedback system that can be used for biomechanical as well as physiological feedback by using a generalized design paradigm.

The second manuscript describes a biofeedback …

Effect Of A Technology-Integrated, Nutrition Education Program On Low-Income Youths’ Dietary Intake, Kate Balestracci

Open Access Dissertations

Childhood obesity is an important public health problem as it relates to several chronic diseases and continues to be high, particularly among low-socioeconomic (SES) and racial and ethnic minority populations. In 2011-2014, 25.0% of Hispanic 6-11-year-old school-aged children were considered to be obese or extremely obese, followed by 21.4% of non-Hispanic black children and 13.6% of non-Hispanic white children. When compared to higher-SES children of the same ethnicity and race, low-SES Hispanic, white, and black children were 2.7, 1.9 and 3.2 times more likely to be obese, respectively. Contributing to the obesity epidemic among children is the excess consumption of …

Value Chain Improvements In Small-Scale Fisheries: Case Studies From West Africa, Kristine Beran

Open Access Dissertations

Seafood is one of the most traded food commodities in the world by value. Small-scale fisheries contribute significantly to the global production and supply of seafood. Yet, many small-scale fisheries in developing countries fail to maximize value of seafood products due to post-harvest loss, production, distribution, and marketing challenges. The purpose of this study is to examine how post-harvest innovations might address some of these challenges, whom they benefit along the fisheries value chain, and factors that influence adoption of innovations through two case studies in West Africa.

A multi-methods approach was used to collect extensive quantitative and qualitative data …

Increasing Critical Thinking In Personal Decision Making- A Contextual Framework For College Students, Jade A. White

Open Access Dissertations

Statement of the Problem: The need for agricultural science students to graduate from institutions of higher education with strong critical thinking skills is expressed by both educators and employers to respond to the need for strong problem-solving, decision making, and analytic skills in the 21st century. To prepare students for the changing workforce evidence-based instructional practices, such as problem-based learning, need to be implemented into college courses to increase critical thinking skills. However, there are many barriers associated with implementing these teaching practices such as time barriers, large classes, and the challenge of measuring outputs related to critical thinking. …

The Effects Of Urbanization On Performance, Habitat Selection, And Persistence Of Anolis Lizards, Andrew Clark Battles

Open Access Dissertations

Urbanization is a global change phenomenon that is increasing in frequency and magnitude worldwide. As a greater proportion of the human population resides in urban areas, cities must grow, therefore exposing an increasing number of species to human-modified habitat. While some species become extirpated when their habitat is urbanized, others persist and even spread throughout cities. Furthermore, human activity increases the rates of species invasions around the world, and many introductions occur in urban areas. The objective of this dissertation is to evaluate the consequences of some major environmental changes caused by urbanization for non-human urban dwellers. Specifically, I measure …

Thalassiosiroid Diatom Responses To Silicon Stress And Ocean Acidification, Joselynn Wallace

Open Access Dissertations

Atmospheric CO₂ has risen dramatically since the industrial revolution. This rise in atmospheric and oceanic pCO₂ has perturbed ocean carbonate chemistry and led to ocean acidification. Diatoms are phytoplankton that account for 40% of oceanic primary production through photosynthetic carbon fixation, which is aided by their carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM). The CCM uses the bicarbonate transporters (BCTs) and carbonic anhydrases (CAs). Our current understanding of how diatoms might respond to ocean acidification is based on experiments using model diatoms or assessing the response of the bulk diatom community, rather than assessing a diversity of diatoms in a complex …

A Genomic Approach To The Complex Relationship Between An Apicomplexan Endosymbiont And Its Host, Christopher Paight

Open Access Dissertations

Nephromyces, a genus in the phylum Apicomplexa, has recently been described as having a mutualistic relationship with its host: tunicates in the Molgulidae family (Saffo et al. 2010). If true, Nephromyces would be the only known example of a mutualistic apicomplexan genus. In addition to the possible switch to mutualism, Nephromyces is one of a few apicomplexan groups containing bacterial endosymbionts. To test the hypothesis that endosymbiotic bacteria facilitated the transition of Nephromyces from parasitism, the metabolic capabilities of Nephromyces and its bacterial endosymbionts need to be determined. The transition from obligate parasite to endosymbiont is predicted to involve …

Sedimentary Catalysis Of Radiolytic Hydrogen Production, Justine Flore Sauvage

Open Access Dissertations

Hydrogen (H₂) and oxidants (O₂ and H₂O₂) are naturally produced by radiolysis of water in any environment where water is bombarded by α, β, and γ radiation generated during radioactive decay. The production of radiolytic H₂ in aqueous solutions and in some monomineral-water mixtures has been extensively studied. However, yields of radiolytic products in natural materials remain largely unexplored.

Quantification of radiolytic production in common geological materials is critical to assess the importance of water radiolysis as source of microbial reductants and oxidants in water-containing subsurface environments. Knowledge of radiolytic production is …

Metabolism And Gas Phase Reactions Of Peroxide Explosives Using Atmospheric Pressure Ionization Mass Spectrometry, Kevin Colizza

Open Access Dissertations

The toxicity or pharmacodynamics of many of the nitrated explosives have been well documented. Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is known to cause liver toxicity while nitrate esters (nitroglycerine) are known vasodilators. One class of explosive that has been on the rise due to the ease of manufacturing from household products are the peroxides. Of particular interest are the cyclic peroxides used for many home-made explosives (HME): triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and hexamethylene diamine triperoxide (HMTD). Very little is known about the toxicity or potentially beneficial effects of these compounds. This may be primarily due to the difficulty in detecting or working with these …

Effect Of Ethanol On Gastrointestinal Tight Junctions And P-Glycoprotein Expression And Functionality, Armin Sadighi

Open Access Dissertations

Alcoholism, alcohol abuse or alcohol use disorder (AUD) is considered as a major untreated epidemic health concerns in modern societies. According to the 2014 report of World Health Organization (WHO), alcoholism causes approximately 6% of all cases of death every year. It has been evident that chronic alcohol consumption leads to organ damage, and in some cases, it progresses to cirrhosis and carcinoma. Some pharmacotherapy strategies have been proposed during decades to treat AUD; however, the efficacy of these medications to reduce drinking or alcohol abstinence remained controversial. Naltrexon, acamprosate, desulfiram, and nalmefen have been approved by the US Food …