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The Role Of A Sickled Microenvironment In Cardiac Dysfunction, Allison Nicole Healey

Theses and Dissertations

This study helps to fill a remaining knowledge gap surrounding the mechanisms and pathways that contribute to cardiomyopathies in SCD. A better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms could lead to more accurate therapeutic targets to improve quality of life as well as life expectancy. In this study I recapitulate cardiac dysfunction in vitro by exposing engineered mouse cardiac tissues to ANG II or the sickled microenvironment. Experimental results include gene expression profiles and oxidative stress generation. Gene expression profiles in the ANG II treated tissues indicated a pathological state with upregulation in biomarkers for inflammation, cell adhesion, wall stress and …

Effects Of The In Ovo Injection And Dietary Supplementation Of L-Ascorbic Acid On The Performance, Tissue L-Ascorbic Acid Concentrations, Inflammatory Response, And Trachea Histomorphology Of Ross 708 Broilers Raised Under Normal And Elevated Atmospheric Ammonia Levels, Ayoub Mousstaaid

Theses and Dissertations

Effects of various levels of L-ascorbic acid (L-AA) (12 and 25 mg) in ovo injected at 17 and 18 days of incubation, on embryonic and posthatch physiological variables in Ross 708 broilers were investigated. There were no significant treatment effects on the hatchability or serum concentrations of L-AA in the broilers. Eye L-AA concentrations were higher, and plasma nitric oxide levels were lower in male chicks treated in ovo with 12 mg of L-AA. While exposed to elevated atmospheric NH3 levels, the in ovo injection of 12 mg of L-AA increased the body weight gain and decreased the feed conversion …

Effects Of Year-Round Supplemental Feeding Of White-Tailed Deer On Plant Community Dynamics, Beau Navarre

Theses and Dissertations

Supplemental feeding is commonly practiced to enhance available nutrition for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The effects of supplemental feeding on the surrounding vegetative community may be related to herbivory, trampling, and seed dispersal. I evaluated how these potential mechanisms affect vegetative communities using a matched-pair design (fed and ecologically equivalent unfed sites) during 2018-2020. In a short-term manipulative portion of the study, I sampled the vegetation prior to feeding and during two years of feeding. In a long-term retrospective study, I sampled feeders established 5-7 years previously. Feeders increased daily detection rate of deer and seed dispersing non-target wildlife, percentage …

Phenotypic And Genotypic Characterization And Comparison Of Edwardsiella Ictaluri Isolates Derived From Catfish And Ornamental Fish Species, Divya Divya

Theses and Dissertations

The gram-negative bacteria Edwardsiella ictaluri causes significant economic losses in aquacultured fish. Generally considered host-specific to catfish, there are reports of E. ictaluri outbreaks from other aquacultured species, including ornamental fish raised in the southeastern U.S. Thus, a comprehensive phenotypic and genotypic characterization of E. ictaluri isolates from catfish and ornamental aquaculture was warranted. Morphological, biochemical, and protein profiles of catfish and ornamental derived isolates were mostly similar. Plasmid profiles of wild-type isolates were consistent within groups. Analysis of putative anti-microbial resistant isolates from catfish revealed the presence of multi-drug resistant plasmids. Genomic comparisons indicated marked differences among host groups, …

Prevalence Of Salmonella, Campylobacter, And Spoilage Bacteria On Broiler Meat At Different Stages Of Commercial Poultry Processing, Hudson Thames

Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella and Campylobacter are two foodborne pathogens that continue to persist in broiler processing. Various studies have demonstrated that peracetic acid can effectively reduce the prevalence pathogens on broiler meat. However, there are a limited number of studies comparing the effects of peracetic acid on broiler meat from different processing plants. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and spoilage microbes on broiler meat at different stages of poultry processing in commercial plants that use peracetic acid as the primary antimicrobial. Results indicated that there was a high initial microbial presence on broiler meat …

Pact Of Impaired Polyamine Synthesis And Transport On Pneumococcal Transcriptome, Proteome, Metabolome, And Stress Responses, Mary Frances Nakamya

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a compilation of published work and a manuscript that seeks to understand the role of polyamine metabolism in the regulation of pneumococcal physiology. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is the major cause of community-acquired pneumonia, and otitis media worldwide. Genetic diversity and serotype replacement, and antibiotics resistance to confound existing therapeutic strategies and limit the effectiveness of the available capsule polysaccharide (CPS) based vaccines. Polyamines such as putrescine, spermidine and cadaverine are ubiquitous polycationic hydrocarbons that interact with negatively charged molecules and modulate important cellular processes. Intracellular polyamine concentrations are regulated by biosynthesis, degradation, and transport. This work investigated …

Utilization Of Bioinformatic And Next Generation Sequencing Approaches For The Discovery Of Predictive Biomarkers And Molecular Pathways Involved In Bovine Respiratory Disease, Matthew Adam Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a highly dynamic disease complex that results from host, microbial agent, and environmental interactions. Despite nearly a century of targeted research, BRD remains the most economically damaging disease in beef cattle production and appears to be increasing in global incidence. While modern modalities for BRD detection exist, clinical diagnosis and management decisions largely depend upon clinical observations and their associated risk of disease. Though these approaches lack precision, they remain in use for many reasons, including fiscal and time constraints within beef production systems. Advancements in high-throughput sequencing have demonstrated the ability to provide insight …

The Effects Of Year-Round Supplemental Feeding Of White-Tailed Deer On Sources Of Disease, Miranda Hsiang-Ning Jacobson Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Supplemental feeding of deer is a common management action. However, concentrating animals, as feeding does, is known to promote the transmission of disease. We examined how feeding alters three sources of disease: aflatoxins, gastrointestinal parasites, and ticks. To do this, we paired 79 feeder sites throughout Mississippi with ecologically-equivalent sites without feeders. Wildlife visitation increased at feeders compared to sites without feeders. For aflatoxins, we sampled during the summer and hunting season and found low prevalence and levels in feeders and bagged/bulk feed. The greater concern was environmental exposure to aflatoxins. All corn piles exposed to environmental contamination in July …

Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Pyrazolo[1,5-A]Pyrimidines And (4-Hydroxy-6-Trifluoromethylpyrimidin-2-Yl) Guanidines, Justin Dave Singleton

Theses and Dissertations

A microwave reactor was used to synthesize a series of novel 3,6-disubstituted or 3-substituted pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines in a total of 1 hour reaction time over 3 steps. The products were obtained in good to excellent yields (34-92%, ave = 52%) using a straightforward synthesis starting with the reaction of dimethylformamide-dimethylacetal with commercially available aryl acetonitriles (120C, 20 min). This was followed by treatment with H2NNH2 • HBr (120C, 20 min), and then reacted with either 1,1,3,3-tetramethoxypropane or a 2-aryl-substituted malondialdehydes (120C, 20 min). The resulting product was either collected on a sintered glass funnel or purified via column chromatography. The compounds …

Empirical Bayes Estimates For The Reproduction Number Of Epidemics, Elijah Lee Hight

Theses and Dissertations

Epidemic outbreaks can be modelled as a branching process in which the total progeny or outbreak size, follows a Borel-Tanner (BT) distribution. Following a procedure described by Liang (2009), we construct empirical Bayes estimates for when the initial number of infected is a specified value r. Following the construction, we then simulate data and perform a numerical study, assuming BT distribution for the parameter θ, the reproduction number, with an initial outbreak size of three. Simulation results indicate that the empirical estimator suffers from “jumpiness.” We then proceed to monotonize the empirical estimate via a method outlined by Houwelingen (1979). …

Covid-19 Mortality Prediction Using Machine Learning-Integrated Random Forest Algorithm Under Varying Patient Frailty, Erwin Cornelius

Theses and Dissertations

The abundance of type and quantity of available data in the healthcare field has led many to utilize machine learning approaches to keep up with this influx of data. Data pertaining to COVID-19 is an area of recent interest. The widespread influence of the virus across the United States creates an obvious need to identify groups of individuals that are at an increased risk of mortality from the virus. We propose a so-called clustered random forest approach to predict COVID-19 patient mortality. We use this approach to examine the hidden heterogeneity of patient frailty by examining demographic information for COVID-19 …

Evaluation Of Antimicrobial Activity & Phytochemical Analysis Of Two South Texas Species Of The Fabaceae Family, Peter Cavazos

Theses and Dissertations

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, as well as the evolution of new strains are of great concern to the global health community. The search for novel agents to combat the rapid evolution of bacterial pathogens becomes ever more important as current methods are proving ineffective. In the present study, the different solvent extracts (acetone, methanol, and acetic acid) of Acacia berlandieri and Acacia rigidula (leaves) were evaluated for phytochemical analysis, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Plant leaves of Acacia rigidula and Acacia berlandieri were sequentially extracted using acetone, methanol and acetic acid that were then subjected to susceptibility testing …

Community Needs Assessment For Mclean County, Hannah Lynn Curry

Theses and Dissertations

A community needs assessment was conducted for McLean County, Illinois assessing the community level resources that are in place for ex-offenders reintegrating into the community and further resources that are needed. The purposive sample included 7 local agencies that provided a range of reentry services. Intensive interviewing was conducted with respondents of local agencies. Audio-recordings of interviews were transcribed, coded through software and analyzed. Results indicated that boundary spanners and mental health services are the common types of resources in place for ex-offenders in McLean County. Further resources that are needed include housing, employment and mental health services.

Effects Of Information Exposure, Emotions, And Self-Efficacy On Risk Perception And Travel Intention During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Chunsheng Jin

Theses and Dissertations

Living in the information age, people acquire knowledge from various sources. These resources can play key roles in individuals’ perceptions during disease outbreaks. Especially amid COVID-19, risk perceptions are critical in determining individuals’ behavioral intentions. Researchers have investigated risk perceptions related to numerous diseases (e.g., swine flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, the Zika virus, and Ebola). However, few tourism studies have focused on health risks. Different from the above-mentioned illnesses, the relatively new virus of COVID-19 could have unique effects on individuals’ risk perceptions and behavioral intentions; the disease has been spreading worldwide for more than …

Regulation Of Inflammatory Processes By Tryptamine, Cannabidiol And 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-Dioxin, Nicholas Dopkins

Theses and Dissertations

Host immunity is a complicated system of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes that respond to exogenous and endogenous threats to regulate host physiology, inhibit carcinogenesis, and protect from infections. Sustained deviance from normal immunological function occurs due to a variety of factors both endogenous and exogenous, with some factors that can dysregulate host immunity including: genetics, microbiota composition, toxin exposure, age, gender, and smoking. The etiology of inflammatory disorders is both convoluted and complex due to the sheer number of facets regulating host immunity. To better contribute to understanding how immunological dysregulation occurs we focused on how three anti-inflammatory compounds (tryptamine, …

Regression Methods For Group Testing Data, Michael Stutz

Theses and Dissertations

Group testing is an efficient method of disease screening, whereby individual specimens (e.g., blood, urine, etc.) are pooled together and tested as a whole for the presence of disease. A common goal is to use data arising from these testing protocols to better understand the relationship between disease status and potential risk factors (e.g., age, symptom status, etc.). Numerous statistical methodologies have been developed for this purpose, most of which are built within the framework of a generalized linear model. Recent authors have suggested the inadequacy of such regression methods to capture the true functional relationships when nonlinear effects are …

A Feverish Spring: A Comparative Analysis Of Covid-19 News Framing In Sweden, The Uk, And Egypt, Hend Abdelgaber Ahmed El-Behary

Theses and Dissertations

Based on framing and the social responsibility theoretical frameworks, this comparative study analyzes the dominance of frames in the media coverage of the COVID-19 global pandemic across three countries that have adopted different preventative measures: Sweden (herd immunity) the United Kingdom (full lockdown) and Egypt (partial lockdown ‘curfew’). While several studies have investigated the media’s role during COVID-19, few have analyzed the frames used by the media. The analyses that were made here, for the most part, is on individual countries. The current study bridges a gap by using a comparative approach to interpret the frames discovered in news articles …

Effectiveness Of A Vaccination Education Module For College Freshman, Gavin Robert Behunin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate a vaccination education module and evaluate its effectiveness to improve vaccine beliefs and behaviors among college freshmen. The participants included 177 college freshmen at one Utah university. Participants were eligible for this study if admitted as a new freshman during the 2019-2020 school year. The study was a cross-sectional pre- and post-education evaluation assessing vaccine beliefs and behaviors using a Likert-type scale. After completing the vaccination education module, participants' vaccine beliefs and behavioral intentions improved. Participants reported they were more likely to be up-to-date on personal vaccines and more likely to expect …

Generation Of Antibiotic Resistant Mutants In The Minimal Pathogen Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, Bryant De Jesus

Theses and Dissertations

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MPN) causes community acquired pneumonia (CAP). The inability to identify M. pneumoniae infections through common clinical screenings has added to the global antibiotic resistance problem. MPN characteristically lacks a cell wall, which prevents proper diagnosis in an infected patient. This has led to the inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics at insufficient dosages, allowing these microorganisms to thrive at sub-lethal concentrations. The small genome size of MPN, makes it a viable candidate for studying and developing tools to understand the genetic mechanisms behind the acquisition of antibiotic resistance by microbes. This study aimed to generate MPN mutants through prolonged exposure …

Contagion And Crisis: Narrating Egypt’S 1947 Epidemic In Literature And Film, Nada Maurice Ibrahim

Theses and Dissertations

In 1947, cholera struck Egypt causing around 10,277 deaths from a total of 20,804 cases within a few months. What does the cholera outbreak reveal about Egyptian society at the time? How did different writers and filmmakers respond to it? Although several studies have tackled epidemics and the emergence of medical and public health practice in Egypt from an historical perspective, virtually none to date have seriously examined Egypt’s 1947 cholera epidemic from a literary standpoint. This thesis, by analysing the epidemic through works produced about or during the time of the epidemic, offers a deeper insight into the event …

Formulation Of Coffee Extract As Polymeric Nanoparticles And Studying Their Potential Biological Activities, Nouran Sharaf

Theses and Dissertations

Coffee extract was prepared and optimized (by solvent extraction) and subsequently entrapped into PLGA nanoparticles using single emulsion-solvent evaporation method (using Design Expert software). Dynamic Light Scattering, Scanning Electron Microscope, Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy and Folin Ciocalteau assay were used to characterize the NPs and to aid in selecting the optimum formulation conditions. The optimized NPs were in-vitro evaluated for their antimicrobial (by agar-well diffusion method), antioxidant (by DPPH assay) and anticancer (by MTT assay) activities. Finally, the release rate study was conducted for the NP sample showing the highly promising results.

The succeeded NP sample, in terms of the most …

Evolutionary Generation Of Diversity In Embedded Binary Executables For Cyber Resiliency, Mitchell D. I. Hirschfeld

Theses and Dissertations

Hardening avionics systems against cyber attack is difficult and expensive. Attackers benefit from a "break one, break all" advantage due to the dominant mono-culture of automated systems. Also, undecidability of behavioral equivalence for arbitrary algorithms prevents the provable absence of undesired behaviors within the original specification. This research presents results of computational experiments using bio-inspired genetic programming to generate diverse implementations of executable software and thereby disrupt the mono-culture. Diversity is measured using the SSDeep context triggered piecewise hashing algorithm. Experiments are divided into two phases. Phase I explores the use of semantically-equivalent alterations that retain the specified behavior of …

Stock Markets Performance During A Pandemic: How Contagious Is Covid-19?, Yara Abushahba

Theses and Dissertations

Background and Motivation: The coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, the subsequent policies and lockdowns have unarguably led to an unprecedented fluid circumstance worldwide. The panic and fluctuations in the stock markets were unparalleled. It is inarguable that real-time availability of news and social media platforms like Twitter played a vital role in driving the investors’ sentiment during such global shock.

Purpose:The purpose of this thesis is to study how the investor sentiment in relation to COVID-19 pandemic influenced stock markets globally and how stock markets globally are integrated and contagious. We analyze COVID-19 sentiment through the Twitter posts and investigate its …

Impact Of Covid Responses On Brand Performance, Emy Rezkalla

Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this study is to understand and evaluate whether COVID responses have a significant positive impact on brand performance. Accordingly, the proposed conceptual model focused on the top four COVID-19 responses: donations in cash, donations in kind, customer service, and employers/suppliers and evaluated the impact of each proposed response on brand value, brand growth, and brand ranking in 2020 versus 2019.

The research question of this paper is, Do COVID responses (customer service, employers/suppliers, donations in kind, and donations in cash) have a significant positive impact on brand performance (brand value, brand growth, and brand ranking vs. …

Design And Sensitivity Analysis Of Blood Supply Chain Network, The Merits Of Lateral Resupply, Mohammad Arani

Theses and Dissertations

The vibrant subject of blood banking and blood distribution is addressed where lateral resupply of blood products is allowed. In this research, a blood supply chain network design (BSCND) consisting of four conventional levels each of which corresponding to one entity in the real world is comprehensively studied: donors, blood collection facilities, blood centers, and hospitals. Two important properties are considered within the blood supply chain network (BSCN): ABO-Rh factors and shelf lives of blood products. Moreover, an integrated inventory system for sharing hospitals’ inventory levels is designed to investigate the two performance indicators of the network in terms of …

Yellow, Sisi Chen

Theses and Dissertations

The following paper is a constellational unpacking of yellow through notes on critical race and feminist theories, myth, science, science fiction, disparate histories, cyborgs, biography, virtuality, materiality, fungi, porcelain, language, internalization, melancholia, smells, sounds, tastes, feels, and more feels.

Shfrytëzimi I Antimikrobikëve Dhe Problemi I Rezistencës Antimikrobike, Elvira Behluli

Theses and Dissertations

Hyrje: Antibiotikët janë substanca të prodhuara nga një mikroorganizëm apo e derivuar prej sajë cila në mënyrë selektive shkatërron ose pengon rritjen e mikrobeve të tjera.

Qëllimi i punimit: Qëllimi i punimit të kësaj teme ishte zgjerimi i njohurive lidhur me përdorimin e antibiotikëve, efektet pozitive që kanë nëse përdoren siç duhet si dhe efektet negative qe sjell përdorimi i pakontrolluar i tyre.

Metodologjia: Për realizimin e këtij punimi është përgatitur një pyetësorë me të dhëna bazike demografike (gjinia, grup-mosha, edukimi etj.) si dhe janë përfshirë pyetje specifike lidhur me njohuritë, mendimet dhe qëndrimet e tyre rreth antibiotikëve. Ky hulumtim …

Përdorimi I Vitaminës D Në Regjionin E Ferizajit, Ermelinda Neziri

Theses and Dissertations

Njohurite për vitaminat janë një çështje që secili njeri duhet t’i ketë, dhe që çdo infermier duhet që të informojë pacientët dhe të tregojë një kujdes të veçantë. Objektivi i temës do të jetë zgjerimi i njohurive rreth rolit dhe rëndësisë së përdorimit të vitaminës D. Një vend të posaqëm do te kete shqyrtimi i mungesës dhe përdorimi jo adekuat të vitaminës D duke pasur për fokus pasojat të cilat rezultojnë në këto raste. Duke zgjeruar këto njohuri, synoj që të njejtat të përdoren nga infermieret në mënyrë që një numër i madh i keqformimeve si rezultat i deficeinces së …

Assessing The Level Of Perception Of Knowledge About Ticks And Tick-Borne Diseases Among The Residents Of Several Cities In The Transboundary Region Of U.S.-Mexico, Consuelo Aguilar

Theses and Dissertations

The transboundary region of U.S.-Mexico possesses similar weather conditions and habitats favoring insects (vectors) like ticks. Several tick species found in the transboundary region of U.S.-Mexico can transmit pathogens. In the last three years, a total of 40 cases of Rickettsial infections, 28 in Tamaulipas and 12 in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, have been reported. A low level of knowledge about diseases that ticks can transmit along with a lack of appropriate protection practices can severely affect human health. Limited surveys on ticks and tick-borne disease are available. Our goal was to (1) assess the perception of knowledge of …

Status, Distribution, And Conservation Of The Black-Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus Meridionalis) In South Texas, Padraic S. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

The Black-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus meridionalis) is a chronically understudied species, with much information on the natural history, ecology, and distribution of this species poorly known. Previous studies using traditional methodologies have had limited success detecting N. meridionalis. A novel eDNA assay was designed and implemented with the goal of better understanding N. meridionalis distribution in south Texas. Primers were designed to amplify N. meridionalis DNA and tested against DNA from sympatric amphibians. This assay combined with traditional methods was implemented at 62 sites throughout south Texas, and N. meridionalis was detected at eight localities. At each site …