Digital Commons Network^™

Video-Based Gait Analysis For Health Monitoring, Xinyi Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Human gait is essential for long-term health monitoring as it reflects physical and neurological aspects of a person's health status. In this thesis, we proposed a non-invasive video-based gait analysis system to detect abnormal gait, and record gait and postural parameters on a day-to-day basis. The system does not require subjects to wear any sensors or attach markers on their body, therefore it is convenient to use in daily life. It takes videos captured from a single camera as input. OpenPose is used to localize skeleton and joints in each frame. Angles of body parts form multivariate time series. Then …

Bioinformatic Analysis Of Venom Proteins From Dasymutilla Occidentalis, Eva Gunawan

Theses and Dissertations

Venom proteins have been found in a wide range of species in the animal kingdom. These venoms serve various functions such as defense against predators, hunting for food, and parasitism for reproduction. Because of their diverse functions, venom proteins are utilized in agrochemical treatments for protection from pests as well as treatments to control human diseases. Venoms, including those coming from a range of insect species, have been manipulated for these purposes, but many remain uncharacterized. Currently, one of the orders that venom-based research is focusing on are parasitoids from the order Hymenoptera. The purpose of some venom proteins in …

Aditivët Ushqimorë (Benzoati I Natriumit E211 Dhe Metabisulfiti I Kaliumit E224) Dhe Përdorim I Tyre Në Produkte Ushqimore, Donika Rexhepi

Theses and Dissertations

Aditivët apo shtesat ushqimore janë shumë të rëndësishëm në degën e industrisë ushqimore si në Kosovë ashtu edhe në botë. Çdo gjë që i shtohet ushqimit, shtohet për një qëllim të caktuar e edhe aditivët ushqimorë i shtohen ushqimit për të ruajtur ose përmirësuar sigurinë e tij, freskinë, shijen, strukturën ose pamjen e atij ushqimi. Ekzistojnë kategori të ndryshme të aditivëve dhe secila prej tyre ka një funksion të caktuar kur shtohet në ushqim. Njëra prej kategorive shumë të rëndësishme të aditivëve ushqimorë është ajo e konservuesve, të cilët shtohen me qëllim që të zgjasin afatin e ruajtjes së një …

Towards A Better Resolution In Microbial Taxonomy: 16s Rrna Trees Vs. Ribosomal Protein Trees, Skylar Connor

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of people in the U.S. are infected every year, with foodborne pathogens. In 2019, the CDC’s Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network reported a total of 25,866 infections, 6,164 hospitalizations, and 122 deaths caused by eight enteric pathogens commonly transmitted through food in 15% of the U.S. population. Traditionally, Culture Independent methods and 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing were viewed as the most promising approach to identify bacterial organisms present during these outbreaks. Current amplicon sequencing techniques are limited by their ability to provide species level resolution based on the standard single-gene approach. In general, the simultaneous use of multiple …

Fostering Resilience In Correctional Officers, Jon Thomas Arthur Gist

Theses and Dissertations

A significant portion of the literature regarding corrections emphasizes the negative factors and outcomes related to the job. The career of a correctional officer includes a stressful, demanding, and unpredictable work environment. Correctional institutions are struggling to keep a correctional staff that can adapt to internal and external forces. Several studies have shown that correctional officers frequently encounter severe inmate misconduct, resulting in high levels of stress, low job satisfaction, and intentions of leaving the job. However, research begs the question of what makes a correctional officer resilient and functional at work?

No prior study has applied a mixed-methods study …

Identifying The Unique Characteristics Of First-Generation College Students Whose Parents Never Attended College, Reena Patel

Theses and Dissertations

In this descriptive study, I examined data from the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennial Scholars Cohort 3 Longitudinal Survey which comprised of high- achieving, low-income and historically marginalized college students, to compare students whose parents never attended college (“True” FCGS) to students whose parents attended but did not graduate along five variables: academic preparation, academic transition, academic and social integration, and academic outcome patterns. This study addressed a significant void in prior research with respect to the need for a clearly established FGCS definition. Bourdieu’s social and cultural capital framework is the theoretical foundation for this study because his theory …

Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer In Mice, Qi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is the second most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer mortality in people under 50 years old in the United States. Our hypothesis is that a high-fat diet (HFD), Allura Red AC, and/or psychological stress causes distal and rectal colon inflammation, which are associated with dysbiosis. Furthermore, chronic exposure to one or more of these elements increases the risk of EOCRC. A/J inbred mice were utilized in this study. The results are consistent with our hypothesis.

Overall findings are the following: (1) An HFD increased inflammatory scores and polyps’ burden in the distal …

Maternal Preventive Dental Services Utilization: The Role Of Preconception Oral Health Counseling In And The Association With Birth Outcomes: Evidence From South Carolina Prams, Monique Johnette Williams

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to examine maternal preventive dental services utilization by analyzing the role of preconception oral health counseling in utilization of dental cleaning services before or during pregnancy and the association of utilization with preterm birth (<37 weeks) and small for gestational age (SGA) (same sex newborns having birth weight for gestational age below the 10th percentile of the reference population as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)). Studies suggest that unfavorable maternal oral conditions have significance in birth outcomes, specifically periodontal disease (periodontitis), an oral inflammatory condition which is shown to be a risk factor for preterm birth and low birth weight (Dortbudak et al., 2005; Guimarães et al., 2012; Tejada et al., 2012). Dental cleaning before and during pregnancy is effective in the prevention of oral disease including gingivitis and periodontitis (Johnson et al., 2006; Kurien et al., 2013; Steinberg et al., 2013).

Cross-sectional 2012-2015 data from the South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (SC PRAMS) survey, a population-based surveillance system on prenatal, perinatal and postpartum experiences of resident mothers who recently delivered a live-born infant, were analyzed using weighted analyses in SAS. Analyses included demographic univariate analyses, Rao-Scott Chi-squared tests of significance to study differences between groups, and multivariate logistic …

Synthesis And Design Of Novel Polymer Grafted Nanoparticles Relevant To Drug Delivery Vehicles For Biomedical Applications, Maan Abduldiyem Hassan Al-Ali

Theses and Dissertations

The modification of inorganic nanoparticles with organic polymer chains has become a significant field of study for the engineering of advanced nanocomposite materials. This dissertation presents the design, synthesis, and characterization of novel polymer grafted silica nanoparticles as new strategies to combat bacterial resistance. Described herein is the synthesis of monomers that have been graft polymerized onto silica nanoparticles that can be used as a delivery drug vehicle for biomedical applications. The polymerization of these monomers was performed via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The molecular design of the RAFT agents that are attached to the surfaces of the …

Talkin’ Black And Sounding Gay: An Examination Of The Construction Of A Multiplex Identity Via Intraspeaker Variation, Brianna R. Cornelius

Theses and Dissertations

Gay African-American men hold membership in at least three groups – Gay, Black, and Male – that are grounded in ideologies and which provide linguistic resources that are complex and potentially conflicting. As such, these men exist at the cross-section of socio-cultural groups whose perspectives and presentations are often framed in opposition to one another. This dissertation seeks to explore the ways in which such complex identities are created through the use of language. Specifically, this project will investigate how a Gay Black man (GBM) constructs his complex identity over the course of several interviews/conversations in which topic and interlocutor …

Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions During Intraseasonal Oscillations In The Northern Indian Ocean, Heather Leigh Roman-Stork

Theses and Dissertations

The Indian Ocean and the monsoon system are dynamically complex. In the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS), surface circulation is strongly influenced by the monsoons and notable local eddying that modulates the East India Coastal Current (EICC). In this study, the role of freshwater transported from the BoB into the SEAS in determining both the timing of monsoon onset and the strength of the ensuing monsoon is examined. It is found that the long-term decrease in moisture flux from the sea surface and freshwater transport into the SEAS, along with a rise in upper ocean heat …

Synthetic Strategies For The Preparation Of Novel Complex Actinide Oxides And Fluorides, Kristen A. Pace

Theses and Dissertations

The steady accumulation of nuclear waste over many decades has yielded a staggering amount of waste that we must contend with, and with the amount of available space in interim storage facilities diminishing, it has become increasingly more urgent to find viable solutions to nuclear waste storage. The vitrification process has been widely adopted for immobilization of high-level waste; however, the process is inadequate for more complex waste streams and the produced glasses exhibit limited loading capacities. To address this, considerable research efforts have been devoted to the development of new materials as prospective waste forms. Crystalline materials are promising …

Addressing Unconscious Bias, Power, And Privilege To Increase Cultural Competence Skills In Healthcare Faculty: Intersecting Critical Race Theory And The Pyramid Model For Intercultural Competence, Christina B. Gunther

Theses and Dissertations

Inequity in healthcare has long been understood to be caused by individual and structural racism in the health system. Little progress has been made in diminishing the disparities that exist between Black and African American minoritized populations and the White majority. Cultural competence training in healthcare has focused on surface level differences in ethnicities, including language and religious practices, while ignoring difficult to address topics such as race and racism. This action research study, using a convergent mixed-methods design, attempted to address the gap in knowledge of race and racial structures in healthcare for the faculty in the college of …

Sleep Quality And The Prospective Pain-Fatigue Relationship Among Youth With Sickle Cell Disease, Julia D. Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

Youth with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at increased risk for poor psychosocial and functional outcomes due, in part, to disease effects like vaso-occlusive pain crises, fatigue, and poor sleep quality (Brown, 2006). A growing body of literature has examined temporal associations between pain, sleep quality, and mood using daily diary studies (Valrie, Gil, Redding-Lallinger, & Daeschner, 2007a; Valrie et al., 2019). These studies help to identify how symptoms are prospectively related to each other, but they are often limited to small sample sizes and may lack generalizability. Additionally, despite ubiquitous reports of fatigue among sickle cell patients, few studies …

Distinguishing Neuro-Markers Of Math Learning Disability Using Eeg Coherence, Jessica C. Luedke

Theses and Dissertations

Math learning disability (MLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that results from specific cognitive deficits involved with numeric computation and arithmetic that cannot be attributed to low general ability. Although MLD has a significant impact on life outcomes, only a few studies have evaluated unique neurological profile differences between those with and without specific math deficits. EEG coherence has been useful for evaluating neural disconnections in children with neurodevelopmental disorders but has never been used to explain cognitive deficits found in children with MLD. The current study contributed to the literature by evaluating at-rest electrocortical signatures in those with MLD (n …

Computational Modeling Of Radiation Damage In A Multi-Phase Ceramic Waste Form Using Moose, Zeyu Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Ceramic waste forms have been proposed to replace the traditional glassy waste forms for long term stabilization of radionuclides. These waste forms are constantly exposed to self-irradiation emitted from the constituent radionuclides causing their material properties to change accordingly. It has been known that the radiation damage in waste forms is dominated by alpha particles emitted from transuranic (TRU) radionuclides. Since alpha particles usually have a range of 10~20 μm in such waste forms, some fraction of any non-transuranic containing phases (for a multiphase waste form) will be undamaged (or less damaged) if containing large enough grain sizes. Modeling and …

Distinguishing Neuro-Markers Of Math Learning Disability Using Eeg Coherence, Jessica C. Luedke

Theses and Dissertations

Math learning disability (MLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that results from specific cognitive deficits involved with numeric computation and arithmetic that cannot be attributed to low general ability. Although MLD has a significant impact on life outcomes, only a few studies have evaluated unique neurological profile differences between those with and without specific math deficits. EEG coherence has been useful for evaluating neural disconnections in children with neurodevelopmental disorders but has never been used to explain cognitive deficits found in children with MLD. The current study contributed to the literature by evaluating at-rest electrocortical signatures in those with MLD ( …

Sex-Based Differences In Concussion Outcomes Among Adolescents And Young Adults, Jacob James Michael Kay

Theses and Dissertations

Concussive injuries among youth are a serious public health concern in the United States, with increasing incidence leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to classify these injuries a “silent epidemic.” Though most concussions in youth resolve within a few weeks, a significant proportion (~15-20%) of individuals will experience persisting symptoms that can negatively affect important aspects of social life, as well as academic and vocational performance. Furthermore, guidelines from the most recent Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport highlight the importance of considering individual characteristics that may modify the nature and outcomes of concussion. Biological sex is one …

Acoustic And Ultrasonic Beam Focusing Through Aberrative And Attenuative Layers, Hossain Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

Ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is a well-established technique to assess material properties and material state in noninvasive way. However, conventional NDE technologies are limited by the thick top coatings over the structure and, therefore, require time consuming removal and replacement of the coatings to perform the inspection. In biological application, although ultrasonic NDE is a safer method in compared to other radioactive non-invasive techniques, aberration of acoustic beams is more common as it encounters multiple tissue layers of complex geometry with nonhomogeneous properties. These limit the use of ultrasonic NDE in engineering and biological applications. To alleviate this problem, recently …

Identifying Seasonal And Daily Variations In Arg-Containing Bioaerosols Generated During The Wastewater Treatment Process, Mirza Isanovic

Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem with the current global death count topping 700,000. In the United States alone there are 2.8 million antibiotic resistant bacterial (ARB) infections each year and approximately 35,000 deaths. If current trends continue the global ARB death count will reach 10 million surpassing current chronic disease deaths. Wastewater treatment plants play a vital role in protecting both the environment as well as local communities. The WWTP process allows for the removal of chemicals and contaminants from water that eventually makes its way back into the environment as well as into drinking water plants. Despite the …

The Effects Of Super-Resolution Microscopy On Colocalization Conclusions Previously Made With Diffraction-Limited Systems In The Biomedical Sciences, Madison Emily Yemc

Theses and Dissertations

Super-resolution microscopy, also known as nanoscopy, is now established in the field of microscopy. The evolution of super-resolution microscopy techniques has allowed many scientists to peer past the most significant limitation in conventional fluorescence microscopy – the diffraction limit. Super-resolution microscopy systems are able to resolve two points that are less than 250 nm apart, which supersedes the resolution of diffraction limited systems. Colocalization studies are frequently used in the biomedical sciences to measure the close physical association and functional interaction of two biological structures. Previous colocalization conclusions made with conventional fluorescence microscopy are largely based on how the colors …

Digesting Gender: Gendered Foodways In Modern Chinese Literature, 1890s–1940s, Zhuo Feng

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I investigate Han Bangqing (1856–1894), Lao She (1899– 1966), and Su Qing’s (1914–1982) works to study the literary representations of how people purchased, prepared, shared, and ate food in different social contexts allowing them to adapt to new gender norms. I contend that the intersection of food, gender and literature stages the process through which people reconciled different and sometimes conflicting gender norms through their everyday eating practices. When encountering new cooking and eating practices in these literary works, people reflect upon their past lives and, wittingly or unwittingly, begin to accept different gender norms, and modify …

Hunter-Gatherer Behavior At Dorn Levee #1 (38fa608): An Analysis Of Lithic Assemblage Formation At A South Carolina Piedmont Site, Robert Altom Cesarini Lyerly

Theses and Dissertations

The site of Dorn Levee #1 (38FA608) in the South Carolina Piedmont has the potential to provide unique information regarding the behaviors and activities of the hunter-gatherer populations who inhabited it throughout prehistory. The Late and Terminal Archaic Period landscape in the Southeast saw with it many major changes in hunter-gatherer lifeways that had begun initial development in periods prior. The continued use of Dorn Levee #1 suggests that it was highly important for these hunter-gatherers, and an analysis of their mobility patterns and general behaviors through the associated lithic debitage material can assist in illuminating its role within a …

Integrated Techniques To Increase Systems Thinking For Sustainability Education Of High School Science Students Using Educational Design Research, Nora Kathryn Weatherhead

Theses and Dissertations

This study used a design research framework to teach secondary high school science students about environmental sustainability. A high school teacher and researcher collaborated to design a two week environmental science unit to help students make sense of complex environmental sustainability issues. This dissertation study sought to answer the following research questions: Using Design Research and various instructional tools, how do students develop an understanding of systems thinking and relate it to environmental sustainability; How does analyzing personal and classroom data on paper or plastic usage and recycling influence high school science students’ understanding of global environmental sustainability issues through …

Conservative Media’S Coverage Of Coronavirus On Youtube: A Qualitative Analysis Of Media Effects On Consumers, Michael J. Layer

Theses and Dissertations

As of late November 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic killed more than 250,000 people in America despite having early warning of the virus’ lethality and some of the world’s best public health institutions. In today’s media landscape, conservative commentators have an enormous influence on President Donald Trump as well as American political discourse broadly. This study focused how the top conservative commentators on YouTube influenced their audience by their coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic. By examining over 1,600 YouTube comments from videos from February to July 2020, this paper investigates who conservative media consumers principally blamed, the socio-political influences behind those …

Optimal Pregnancy Outcomes And Subsequent Postnatal Development, Maria Sevoyan

Theses and Dissertations

Optimal pregnancy outcomes and subsequent postnatal development in childhood are important contributors for health in adulthood. Some contributors to pregnancy outcomes include interpregnancy interval (IPI) and gestational age. Postnatal growth patterns also contribute to neurodevelopment and metabolic health outcomes later in life.

Several systematic reviews consistently show that short and long IPIs are associated with increased risk of subsequent adverse perinatal outcomes. Recent studies demonstrate that previously observed consistent positive associations between short and long IPIs and adverse perinatal outcomes might be due to unmeasured confounding rather than the length of the IPI. We used the National Institute of Child …

Effect Of Lifestyle, Medical School Culture And Income On Medical Students' Decision To Pursue A Primary Care Career In Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Abdullah Alhussain

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to examine the relationship of medical school students who select primary care as their career specialty. Based on extensive literature review, we focused on the three main factors that influence students to consider career specialty: lifestyle, income, and medical school culture. With a paper questionnaire of a cross-sectional study survey at ten medical schools, we were able to collect 1,006 participants from fourth and fifth year students. The clear majority of students considered lifestyle characteristics to be a significant influence in their career decision (PP<.05). Also, we found there was a significant relationship between students’ specialty choices and income variables. The result showed us that medical school culture played a notable role in terms of forming the students’ decisions in different ways. First, specialty characteristics were strongly correlated with career consideration. Second, having advising and mentoring within the medical school enhanced the probability of choosing primary care specialty. Finally, the effect of the primary care course was significant and closely related to the choice of the primary care specialty. In conclusion, the study demonstrated the impact of lifestyle, income, and medical school culture on student career selection. These results are in parallel with previous studies conducted in many countries around the world.

Application Of The “Idisco” Full-Brain Tissue Clearing Method: A View Of Dopamine And Inflammation In The Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat, Kristin Nickole Kirchner

Theses and Dissertations

The iDISCO (immunolabeling-enabled three-dimensional imaging of solvent-cleared organs) method is a quick, inexpensive, and easily adaptable tissue staining and clearing procedure that allows neuroscientists to study a protein of interest in a whole, unaltered tissue sample. While the iDISCO method was initially tested and validated for mice embryos and brains, the current experiment sought to adapt the method for use in the rat using HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rat brain tissue. Antibodies for tyrosine hydroxylase and Iba-1 were validated in the HIV-1 Tg rat and in F344/N control rats using iDISCO. Confocal images were taken of tyrosine hydroxylase positive neurons in …

Categorical And Fuzzy Ensemble-Based Algorithms For Cluster Analysis, Bridget Nicole Manning

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on improving multivariate methods of cluster analysis. In Chapter 3 we discuss methods relevant to the categorical clustering of tertiary data while Chapter 4 considers the clustering of quantitative data using ensemble algorithms. Lastly, in Chapter 5, future research plans are discussed to investigate the clustering of spatial binary data.

Cluster analysis is an unsupervised methodology whose results may be influenced by the types of variables recorded on observations. When dealing with the clustering of categorical data, solutions produced may not accurately reflect the structure of the process that generated them. Increased variability within the latent structure …

The Role Of Hiv-1 Tat-Mediated Inhibition Of The Dopamine And Norepinephrine Transporters In The Neuropathology Of Hiv-1 Associated Neurocognitive Disorders, Matthew Strauss

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the success of combinatorial antiretroviral therapy (cART) in controlling peripheral HIV infection and improving the lives of HIV-1 patients, roughly 50% of this population continues to develop a group of neurological complications including cognitive dysfunction, motor deficits, and dementia collectively referred to as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). The continuing presence of the transactivator of transcription (Tat) protein in cART-treated HIV-1 patients has been suggested to play a crucial role in the neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment evident in HAND. HIV-1 Tat protein has been detected in dopamine (DA) -rich brain areas, and long-term viral protein exposure has been found to …