Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Anterior Gradient 2 (Agr2) Expression In Models Of Arsenite And Cadmium Induced Breast And Bladder Cancers, Jamie Lynn Van Gieson

Theses and Dissertations

Bladder cancer constitutes one of the most prevalent cancers and is among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States. This work sought to better characterize and understand the role of the proto-oncogene anterior gradient 2 (AGR2) in bladder cancers. Immunohistochemical analysis of AGR2 expression in a range of bladder cancer specimens indicated that the expression of AGR2 decreases with an increase in the stage and grade of bladder cancers. The environmental carcinogens arsenic and cadmium (Cd2+) have been implicated in various cancers. This laboratory has demonstrated that arsenite (As3+) and Cd2+ can malignantly transform the bladder epithelium …

X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Studies Of The Atomic Structure Of Zirconium-Doped Lithium Silicate Glasses And Glass-Ceramics, Zirconium-Doped Lithium Borate Glasses, And Vitreous Rare-Earth Phosphates, Changhyeon Yoo

Theses and Dissertations

In the first part of this work, the atomic-scale structure around rare-earth (RE = Pr, Nd, Eu, Dy, and Er) cations (RE3+) in rare-earth sodium ultraphosphate (REUP) glasses were investigated using RE LIII-edge (RE = Nd, Er, Dy, and Eu) and K-edge (RE = Pr and Dy) Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. (RE2O3)x(Na2O)y(P2O5)1-x-y glasses in the compositional range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.14 and 0.3 ≤ x + y ≤ 0.4 were studied. For the nearest oxygen shell, the RE-oxygen (RE-O) coordination number decreases from 10.8 to 6.5 with increasing RE content for Pr-, Nd-, Dy-, and Er-doped …

Integration Of Multispectral Camera Systems For Enhanced Visualization Biological Studies Using Uas, Subin Shahukhal

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to enhance visualization of warm-blooded animals and analyze the vegetation in which they are located using a camera system mounted on Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The results are coherently displayed in a single image at the same spatial location so that biologists will have accurate animal counts along with vegetation conditions. Application of aerial imagery has been used to analyze the vegetation health and determining the number of the animals by the wildlife service. However, a major obstacle of the research is to combine the two imaging systems to obtain the same spatial image …

An Assessment Of The Influence Of Economic Drivers Of Land Use Change On Nitrate Concentrations In The Red River Of The North Basin, Brent Silvis Silvis

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years there have been dramatic increases in crop prices, which would be expected to have resulted in greater production of crops and increased nitrates in surface water from increased use of fertilizer. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that changing crop prices influence crop production and, consequently, water quality. To do this, the study intended to identify changes in crop cultivation within the Red River of the North Basin, assess whether these crops have contributed to nitrate concentrations and identify how nitrate concentrations would be influenced by alternative economic scenarios. Requisite data were obtained …

Personality Disorder Trait Mediation Of Childhood Abuse Effects On Internalized And Externalized Symptoms Of Distress, Amy Catherine Veith

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explored the relationships between childhood maltreatment indicators and mental health symptomatology in adulthood. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that the indirect effects of child abuse on symptom expression as mediated by personality traits would be substantial and possibly larger than the direct effects alone. Additional abuse by trait interactions were examined. Results supported these hypotheses, specifically, the PID-5 trait factors were successful in accounting for a disproportionate amount of the variance in the criterion measures. These traits were substantially stronger than childhood physical abuse and domestic violence exposure. Childhood sexual abuse also outperformed childhood physical …

Novelty Detection And Cluster Analysis In Time Series Data Using Variational Autoencoder Feature Maps, Sophine Clachar

Theses and Dissertations

The identification of atypical events and anomalies in complex data systems is

an essential yet challenging task. The dynamic nature of these systems produces huge volumes of data that is often heterogeneous, and the failure to account for this will impede the detection of anomalies. Time series data encompass these issues and its high dimensional nature intensifies these challenges.

This research presents a framework for the identification of anomalies in temporal data. A comparative analysis of Centroid, Density and Neural Network-based clustering techniques was performed and their scalability was assessed. This facilitated the development of a new algorithm called the …

Plant And Arthropod Associations With Environmental Gradients In A Northern Tallgrass Prairie, Bryon Wayne Deal

Theses and Dissertations

Plants and arthropods are the base of grassland communities, and their interactions with environmental gradients and each other can determine their composition and spatial structure within a site. The composition and spatial structure of these communities can determine how they contribute to grassland function, yet grassland conservation and restoration efforts typically do not consider both plants and arthropods. As a result, our understanding of how plant and arthropod communities assemble in response to environmental gradients, and each other, in the same space is incomplete. Furthermore, most studies of grassland community assembly do not address assembly across multiple taxonomic levels, and …

Concealing Stigmatized Sexual Orientation, Accepting Versus Non-Accepting Attitudes, And Ego Depletion, Nicole Gigi Giordano

Theses and Dissertations

The current study was designed with the aim of increasing the understanding of

how concealing or disclosing a stigmatized sexual identity to a perceived accepting/non- accepting person affects ego depletion. Ego Depletion, (Baumeister, 1998) refers to the idea that certain tasks exhaust a limited pool of cognitive resources. Previous literature has explored how concealing a stigmatized identity is ego depleting; however, an examination of the relationship between ego depletion and the concealment of the specific identity as a sexual minority has not yet been explored. LGBQ individuals are often faced with the challenge of navigating social situations to determine if …

Anomie In The Oil Patch? An Examination Of Durkheim’S Anomie Theory Through A Case Study Of The Bakken Region, Fred Matthew Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Emile Durkheim serves as one of the seminal contributors to the field of sociology; his contributions to criminology are numerous as well. Many authors consider Durkheim’s concept of anomie to be his most important contribution to the field of criminology (Lunden, 1972). Durkheim’s anomie theory has been subject to extensive empirical examination, these efforts have resulted in disparate findings. Graeff and Mehlkop (2007) insist this lack of coherence is due to improper operationalization of Durkheim’s anomie by some researchers. In particular, it is the utilization of cross sectional data in these previous studies which contributes to these disparate results. The …

The Development Of Hostile Cognitive Schemas And Adult Aggressive Tendencies, Kristin Elisabeth Matson

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research served as an exploration into the relationships between childhood maltreatment, personality factors (i.e. negative affect and antagonism), cognitive biases (i.e. hostile attribution bias and hypermasculinity), adult aggression, and gun enthusiasm. Previous literature has shown relationships between these variables individually and this research attempted to provide more insight into the complicated interplay between numerous factors often present in the life of an aggressive adult. The participants included 885 men over the age of 18 and residing in the United States who were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk survey service to complete eight assessments online. Results indicated aggressive ideation …

Improving Far-Uv Cd Prediction With The Dipole Interaction Model, Akongnwi Cheo Jungong

Theses and Dissertations

Among the physical methods available for studying protein structures, CD stands out as a property that is easy to measure yet remarkably difficult to predict theoretically. The basic principle underlying the CD of polypeptides and proteins is reasonably understood: the mixing of electronic transitions of monomer groups in the context of a chiral environment of helices gives rise to transitions that are both electronically and magnetically allowed. Despite knowledge on the fundamentals of CD, accurate theoretical prediction is still a major challenge. A better theoretical understanding of protein CD would facilitate a fuller interpretation of protein CD experiments.

Extensive theoretical …

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (Stem) In Higher Education From The Perspective Of Female Students: An Institutional Ethnography, Laura Parson

Theses and Dissertations

A persistent disadvantage for females is systemically embedded in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education in postsecondary institutions. As a result, undergraduate women majoring in STEM fields face a uniquely difficult path; yet, for the most part, recommendations made and supported in the literature have focused on recruitment of women to STEM fields or on ways to make women more successful and comfortable in their STEM major. These recommendations have so far proved to be insufficient to remedy a gender gap and serve to replicate the existing male hierarchy. In order to truly make the STEM classroom one in …

Synthesis And Exploration Of Catalytic Activity Of Amidooxazolinate Zinc Complexes And A Manganese Salen Complex, Vamshi Krishna Chidara

Theses and Dissertations

A family of new chiral C2 symmetric amido-oxazolinate ligands with three different linkers has been synthesized and the respective bimetallic zinc complexes were generated with two equiv. of Zn[N(SiMe3)2]2, a while bischelating zinc complex was synthesized with one equiv. Zn[N(SiMe3)2]2. The bimetallic catalyst with m-phenylenediamine linker afforded poly(cyclohexene carbonate) (PCHC) formation with 78% carbonate linkages, while the catalyst with 1,8-diaminoanthracene linker generated isotactic PCHC with 86% m-centered tetrads.

A monometallic version of the amido-oxazolinate zinc complexes were also used to catalyze ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) of styrene oxide (SO) or cyclohexene oxide (CHO) with different anhydrides. Type of substituents on the …

Effects Of Plant Community Structure, Soil Components, And Aboveground Fungal Presence On Grassland Productivity, Thomas Mckenna

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how aspects of the resident plant community affect grassland productivity. Chapter One gives an overview of how grassland productivity can be affected by the structural components of a plant community, abiotic and biotic soil components, and the presence of aboveground fungi. In Chapter Two, I present results of an experiment where the frequency of interspecific interactions in plant communities was altered along richness and evenness gradients by either randomly placing species in plots (dispersed plots) or by aggregating species in groups of four individuals (aggregated plots). Results suggest aggregation decreased productivity by promoting species coexistence and not …

The Process Of Work Re-Entry For Nurses After Substance Use Disorders Treatment: A Grounded Theory Study, Deborah Matthias-Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explicate a substantive theory/model that describes the basic social processes (BSP) operating when a registered nurse (RN) re-enters the workplace following completion of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. There are a reported 2.6 million RNs employed in the U.S (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). Over the past 25 years, prevalence studies have found up to 10% of nurses will meet diagnostic criteria for SUD, similar to prevalence rates in the general population. SUDs among nurses present challenges to society and to the nursing profession. State boards of nursing operate primarily to …

The Effects Of Musical Intervals From Consonant To Dissonant On The Neural Activity Of Earthworms, Charley L. Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Music is generated through vibrations of a medium creating what is perceived as tone. Two frequencies played simultaneously create intervals, and those ratios of frequencies determine what is consonant and dissonant. Studies have shown a greater neural response in human participants to consonant intervals (Bidelman and Heinz 2011, Bidelman and Krishnan 2009). In this study, the ventral nerve cord of Lumbricus terrestris was exposed to six dichotic intervals in the form of vibrations through a bass actuator. Nerve activity was recorded for amplitude (mV), duration (ms), and maximum depolarization (mV) of the action potential. There was no significant difference in …

Phylogenetic Analyses Of Andean And Amazonian Tree Communities In Ecuador, Samantha J. Worthy

Theses and Dissertations

The forests of Ecuador are known for their high levels of diversity and endemism, classifying the country as a biodiversity hotspot. Both the western Amazon and Andean montane forests are richly populated with tropical tree species that have been little studied in a community phylogenetic context. The implementation of elevational transects and trait based analyses having proven useful in gaining a better understanding of how environmental factors are affecting the tree community structure in these habitats. The goal of this research was to evaluate the magnitude ofDNA barcode diversity among Amazonian and Andean tree species. Specifically, the objectives were to …

Impact Of A Diesel Spill On Macroinvertebrate Communities In Ponds In S.E. Alabama, Usa, Katie E. Winkles

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, macroinvertebrate communities were examined to determine an indication of the water quality in ponds on a wetlands property after a diesel spill. In 2012, a train derailed, and at least 3000 gallons of diesel fuel leached into a small pond of the wetlands. Even after clean-up attempts there remains major concerns that the contamination spread throughout the wetlands. This concern led to the present study. Macroinvertebrates were the chosen focus due to their sensitivity to changes in the environment. Two field trials were conducted in which Hester-Dendy multiplate samplers were placed in ponds to allow macroinvertebrates to …

The Involvement Of Estrogen Receptors In Astrocyte Survival, Lauren M. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Estrogens are a class of hormones that are demonstrated to be neuroprotective. The levels of estrogen in the body decline during menopause which can cause a variety of symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment option for menopause, however, it has been demonstrated to have adverse side effects. Of the treatment options for adverse side effects of HRT, Selective estrogen Down-regulators do not appear to have an agonist effects on estrogen receptors while Selective estrogen receptor Modulators do. The aim of this study was to determine the role that estrogen receptors play in the survival of astrocytes when placed …

Vitamin D Awareness, Prevalence Of Supplementation And Estimated Total Vitamin D Intake In College Athletes, Bennett Leitch

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate the awareness of vitamin D among collegiate athletes and evaluate the association between vitamin D awareness and total dietary intake of vitamin D. Eighty-one athletes completed the vitamin D awareness and dietary intake questionnaire. The results showed that males and females had very little concern over their vitamin D levels. Men reported 20.7% while females 25% for “likely” or “very likely”. Furthermore, overall male and female belief for being at risk for vitamin D deficiency was low. Males reported 24.1% for either “likely” or “very likely” to be at risk for deficiency and females 30.7% …

The Relationship Of Substance Use, Biological Sex, And Age To Defender Behaviors In Middle And High School Students In Rural Schools, Amanda D'Ottavio

Theses and Dissertations

While there are many studies looking at the characteristic of defenders in bullying situations, the literature regarding defender behaviors and substance use is lacking. In a sample of rural adolescents, the current study aims to examine the relationship between defender behaviors, substance use, biological sex and age. Rural middle and high school youth from six Northern Plains schools in the Midwest (N = 264) completed a self-report survey. Surveys were created to examine defender behaviors and substance use, and a demographic questionnaire collected biological sex and grade level. Grade level was used in place of age. A relationship between defender …

Factors That Influence The Adoption Of Geographic Information Systems In A Professional Work Environment: A Study Of The Property Assessment Profession, Daniel J. Fasteen

Theses and Dissertations

The adoption of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technology has been emerging in many professional work environments — including the property assessment discipline. Although many uses of GIS have been thoroughly documented throughout the literature in a variety of disciplines, there has been little research on the perceived factors that influence its adoption in professional work settings. The purpose of this research is to assess factors that influence the adoption of geographic information systems technology in a professional work environment. The work environment being studied is the property assessment profession. An online survey was sent out to property assessment professionals from …

Chronic Amphetamine Exposure Causes Long Term Effects On Dopamine Uptake In Cultured Cells, Nafisa Ferdous

Theses and Dissertations

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which belongs to the catecholamine and phenethylamine families of organic compounds, and plays an important role in the regulation of reward, movement, attention, behavior and cognition. Dopamine neurotransmission is marked by the initiation of its release from the pre-synaptic neurons and the signal is terminated by re-uptake of dopamine from the synapse. The synaptic concentration of dopamine and therefore, the level dopamine receptor stimulation is regulated to an extent by the activity of the dopamine transporter (DAT). DAT is responsible for the uptake of dopamine back into the presynaptic neuron from the synapse. DAT is known …

Using Simian Virus 40 As A Model To Determine The Effects Of Replication And Transcription On Histone Methylation, Les Kallestad

Theses and Dissertations

Simian Virus 40 (SV40) is a well-characterized virus whose small circular DNA genome is organized into chromatin and, as a consequence, undergoes many of the same biological processes observed in cellular chromatin. SV40 early transcription is repressed when the product of early transcription, T-antigen, binds to its cognate regulatory sequence, Site I, in the promoter of the SV40 minichromosome. We have subsequently shown that T-antigen binding to Site I results in the replication-dependent introduction of H3K9me1 into SV40 chromatin late in infection. Since H3K9me2 and H3K9me3 are also present late in infection, we determined whether their presence was also related …

Gata4 Interacts With Hedgehog Signaling Pathway In Regulating Outflow Tract Development, Jielin Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are among the most common type of developmental anomaly affecting 8 in 1000 live births. Approximately 30% of CHDs involve cardiac outflow tract (OFT) malformation which leads to significant morbidity and mortality in both children and adults. Development of OFT is regulated by a complex genetic network including Sonic-Hedgehog signaling pathway, TGF-β and BMP signaling pathway. Mutation of a transcription factor, Gata4, has been known to cause OFT defects including double outlet right ventricle (DORV) in both human and mice for decades. Several transcription targets of Gata4 have been identified such as Mef2c, Ccnd2 and Cdk4, …

Studying Within-Host Viral Evolution Using Pooled Next-Generation Sequencing Data, Chase W. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Pooled next-generation sequencing allows multiple genomes to be sequenced at once in a single sample, with the resultant single nucleotide polymorphism data giving reliable estimates of allele frequencies and population genetic parameters in a cost-effective manner. This approach has potentiated new opportunities for understanding the evolution of virus populations within individual hosts over the course of infection, where the sequencing of individual genomes is exceedingly difficult and impractical. However, evolutionary tools for analyzing the latest forms of pooled-sequencing data have been lacking. In this thesis, I first review next-generation sequencing and relevant molecular evolution topics, including the unique features of …

The Neuroscience Of Fear And Anxiety: A Primer For Clinicians, Lionel Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last few decades, research in affective neuroscience has led to considerable insights into the biology of fear and anxiety. For those in the practice of psychotherapy, these advances hold the potential for explaining the evolutionary utility of these emotions and targeting psychotherapeutic interventions to neurobiological correlates when these emotions go awry. The conversation of neuroscience, however, has yet to find a comfortable place in the therapy room. Translational and conceptual disparities owing to the historical split between psychology and neuroscience, continue to present challenges to their integration. The present study seeks to reframe clinicians’ understanding of the biological …

System Genetic Analysis Of Mechanisms Underlying Excessive Alcohol Consumption, Maren L. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Increased alcohol consumption over time is one of the characteristic symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The molecular mechanisms underlying this escalation in intake is still the subject of study. However, the mesocortical and mesolimbic dopamine pathways, and the extended amygdala, because of their involvement in reward and reinforcement are believed to play key roles in these behavioral changes. Multiple gene expression studies have shown that alcohol affects the expression of thousands of genes in the brain. The studies discussed in this document use the systems biology technique of co-expression network analysis to attempt to find

patterns within genome-wide expression …

A Pipeline For Creation Of Genome-Scale Metabolic Reconstructions, Shaun W. Norris

Theses and Dissertations

The decreasing costs of next generation sequencing technologies and the increasing speeds at which they work have lead to an abundance of 'omic datasets. The need for tools and methods to analyze, annotate, and model these datasets to better understand biological systems is growing. Here we present a novel software pipeline to reconstruct the metabolic model of an organism in silico starting from its genome sequence and a novel compilation of biological databases to better serve the generation of metabolic models. We validate these methods using five Gardnerella vaginalis strains and compare the gene annotation results to NCBI and the …

The Role Of E-Cadherin Force In The Maintenance Of Homeostasis In Epithelial Acini, Fnu Vani Narayanan

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous three-dimensional model systems have emerged for emulating the biochemical and physiological states of native tissue. Yet little is known about the effects of mechanical forces on cell behavior in the context of an organized tissue structure in three-dimensional cell-culture. Epithelial cells cultured in a three-dimensional environment comprised of extracellular matrix proteins form spheroids of polarized cells. Cellular responses to mechanical cues, generated from dynamic interactions with the extracellular matrix and neighboring cells, are known to influence cellular behavior to a great extent. Previous studies have shown that tumorigenic progression has been frequently linked to the down regulation of E-cadherin, …