Digital Commons Network^™

On The Utility Of Population Models For Invasive Plant Management: Response To Evans And Davis, Eleanor A. Pardini, John M. Drake, Tiffany M. Knight

Biology Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Adaptive Rule-Based Malware Detection Employing Learning Classifier Systems, Jonathan Joseph Blount

Masters Theses

"Efficient and accurate malware detection is increasingly becoming a necessity for society to operate. Existing malware detection systems have excellent performance in identifying known malware for which signatures are available, but poor performance in anomaly detection for zero day exploits for which signatures have not yet been made available or targeted attacks against a specific entity. The primary goal of this thesis is to provide evidence for the potential of learning classier systems to improve the accuracy of malware detection.

A customized system based on a state-of-the-art learning classier system is presented for adaptive rule-based malware detection, which combines a …

Quantifying The Carbon Footprint Of Lean Waste, Kristen Donovan Balinski

Masters Theses

"The objective of this paper is to provide a method of quantifying lean wastes in terms of carbon dioxide emissions by using value stream mapping. Lean manufacturing, a process based on waste identification and reduction, is a growing trend in industry and a proven method of lowering costs. The environmental impact of these wastes can be quantified by identifying the metrics associated with them, and using existing reports to convert those metrics into measurements of carbon dioxide. Growing environmental concerns are prompting federal government regulation of greenhouse gas or carbon dioxide emissions, as seen in the American Clean Energy and …

Well-Defined Molecular Brushes: Synthesis By A "Grafting Through" Strategy And Self Assembly Into Complicated Hierarchical Nanostructures, Zhou Li

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation focuses on the development of a "grafting through" methodology to synthesize molecular brushes with well-defined structures, as an attempt to construct nanostructures by covalent bonds totally. Detailed synthetic procedures for and characterization of molecular brushes, as well as complicated hierarchical nanostructures resulted from their self-assembly are reported. The synthesis of molecular brushes is achieved by combining orthogonal living polymerization techniques rationally, such as living/controlled radical polymerization, ring opening polymerization and ring opening metathesis polymerization. Generally, the strategy can be divided into two steps: the first step involves the preparation of linear macromonomers whose chain ends are functionalized with …

The Role Of The Complement System In Mousepox Infection, Elizabeth Moulton

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Poxviruses subvert the host immune response by producing immunomodulatory virulence factors, including a complement regulatory protein. Ectromelia virus provides a mouse model for human smallpox infection where the virus and the host's immune response have also co-evolved. Using this model, we investigated the role of the complement system in a poxvirus infection. Ectromelia virus inoculated via multiple routes caused increased mortality by 7 to 10 days post-infection in C57BL/6 mice that lack C3, the central component of the complement cascade. In C3-/- mice, ectromelia virus disseminated earlier to target organs and generated higher peak titers compared to the congenic controls. …

The Role Of Inflammation In Pathogenesis And Treatment Of Globoid-Cell Leukodystrophy, Adarsh Reddy

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Globoid-cell leukodystrophy: GLD, Krabbe's disease) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme galactosylceramidase: GALC). It results in altered catabolism of the myelin lipid Galactosylceramide. The disease predominantly affects the white matter of the CNS and the myelin sheath of the peripheral nerves. The infantile form of the disease is characterized by early onset between 3-6 months of age with symptoms of irritability, dysphagia, spasticity, cognitive and sensory deterioration and seizures. Death usually occurs by two years of age. Currently, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the only available option for patients with the disease. Inflammation …

Genetic And Chemical Genetic Approaches To Shiga Toxin Inhibition, Jose Saenz

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Infection with Shiga toxin-producing bacteria can place patients at risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, a toxemic condition characterized by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal failure. Though hemolytic uremic syndrome remains the leading cause of acute renal failure in children under the age of 5, treatment of this disease remains purely supportive. In order to limit the systemic effects of Shiga toxin, efforts must be undertaken to target intoxicated cells. To this end, we have focused on two aspects of Shiga toxin pathogenesis. One approach relied on a high-throughput screen of a small compound library to identify potential inhibitors …

Digital Protein Analysis: Technologies For Protein Diagnostics And Proteomics Through Single-Molecule Detection, Lee Tessler

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Protein quantification tools are valuable in biological and biomedical research and in clinical applications because they enable measurements that elucidate physiological states, including disease states. Protein biomarker detection is likely to play a major role in patient health and aid in the personalization of medicine. However, protein detection has lagged behind other bio-analytical methods due to intrinsic properties of proteins as well as the complexity of biological fluids, such as blood. This thesis describes the design, development, and testing of several technologies for the advancement of protein detection in clinical and research settings. A common thread through these technologies is …

Game Design As An Educational Pedagogy, Michael K. Barbour, Kathy Clesson, Meghan Adams

Education Faculty Publications

In this paper, the researchers explored the use of homemade PowerPoint games as a pedagogy strategy. This quasi-experimental study examined whether there were performance differences between students in a class that utilized the teachers’ traditional methods of reviewing for a unit exam and students in a second class that utilized homemade PowerPoint games. The analysis of variance indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in the performance or the level of improvement between the two classes, which may have been due to the small sample size. These results are consistent with other studies of homemade PowerPoint games.

Expanding The Diversity Of Mycobacteriophages: Insights Into Genome Architecture And Evolution., Welkin Pope, Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Daniel Russell, Craig Peebles, Zein Al-Atrache, Turi Alcoser, Lisa Alexander, Matthew Alfano, Samantha Alford, Nichols Amy, Marie Anderson, Alexander Anderson, Andrew Ang, Manuel Ares Jr, Amanda Barber, Lucia Barker, Jonathan Barrett, William Barshop, Cynthia Bauerle, Ian Bayles, Katherine Belfield, Aaron Best, Agustin Borjon Jr, Charles Bowman, Christine Boyer, Kevin Bradley, Victoria Bradley, Lauren Broadway, Keshav Budwal, Kayla Busby, Ian Campbell, Anne Campbell, Alyssa Carey, Steven Caruso, Rebekah Chew, Chelsea Cockburn, Lianne Cohen, Jeffrey Corajod, Steven Cresawn, Kimberly Davis, Lisa Deng, Dee Denver, Breyon Dixon, Sahrish Ekram, Sarah C.R. Elgin, Angela Engelsen, Belle English, Marcella Erb, Crystal Estrada, Laura Filliger, Ann Findley, Lauren Forbes, Mark Forsyth, Tyler Fox, Melissa Fritz, Roberto Garcia, Zindzi George, Anne Georges, Christopher Gissendanner, Shannon Goff, Rebecca Goldstein, Kobie Gordon, Russell Green, Stephanie Guerra, Krysta Guiney-Olsen, Bridget Guiza, Leila Haghighat, Garrett Hagopian, Catherine Harmon, Jeremy Harmson, Grant Hartzog, Samuel Harvey, Siping He, Kevin He, Kaitlin Healy, Ellen Higinbotham, Erin Hildebrandt, Jason Ho, Gina Hogan, Victoria Hohenstein, Nathan Holz, Vincent Huang, Ericka Hufford, Peter Hynes, Arrykka Jackson, Erica Jansen, Jonathan Jarvik, Paul Jasinto, Tuajuanda Jordan, Tomas Kasza, Murray Katelyn, Jessica Kelsey, Larisa Kerrigan, Daryl Khaw, Junghee Kim, Justin Knutter, Ching-Chung Ko, Gail Larkin, Jennifer Laroche, Asma Latif, Kohana Leuba, Sequoia Leuba, Lynn Lewis, Kathryn Loesser-Case, Courtney Long, A Javier Lopez, Nicholas Lowery, Tina Lu, Victor Mac, Isaac Masters, Jazmyn Mccloud, Molly Mcdonough, Andrew Medenbach, Anjali Menon, Rachel Miller, Brandon Morgan, Patrick Ng, Elvis Nguyen, Katrina Nguyen, Emilie Nguyen, Kaylee Nicholson, Lindsay Parnell, Caitlin Peirce, Allison Perz, Luke Peterson, Rachel Pferdehirt, Seegren Philip, Kit Pogliano, Joe Pogliano, Tamsen Polley, Erica Puopolo, Lauren Rodriguez, Hannah Rabinowitz, Michael Resiss, Corwin Rhyan, Yetta Robinson, Andrew Rose, Jeffrey Rubin, Jessica Ruby, Margaret Saha, James Sandoz, Judith Savitskaya, Dale Schipper, Christine Schnitzler, Amanda Schott, J Bradley Segal, Christopher Shaffer, Kathryn Sheldon, Erica Shepard, Jonathan Shepardson, Madav Shroff, Jessica Simmons, Erika Simms, Brandy Simpson, Kathryn Sinclair, Robert Sjoholm, Ingrid Slette, Blaire Spaulding, Clark Straub, Joseph Stukey, Trevor Sughrue, Tin-Yun Tang, Lyons Tatyana, Stephen Taylor, Barbara Taylor, Louise Temple, Jasper Thompson, Michael Tokarz, Stephanie Trapani, Alexander Troum, Jonathan Tsay, Anthony Thomas Tubbs, Jillian Walton, Danielle Wang, Hannah Wang, John Warner, Emilie Weisser, Samantha Wendler, Kathleen Weston-Hafer, Hilary Whelan, Kurt Williamson, Angelica Willis, Hannah Wirtshafter, Theresa Wong, Phillip Wu, Yun Jeong Yang, Brandon Yee, David Zaidins, Bo Zhang, Melina Zúniga, Roger Hendrix, Graham Hatfull

Biology Faculty Research

Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts such as Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. All mycobacteriophages characterized to date are dsDNA tailed phages, and have either siphoviral or myoviral morphotypes. However, their genetic diversity is considerable, and although sixty-two genomes have been sequenced and comparatively analyzed, these likely represent only a small portion of the diversity of the mycobacteriophage population at large. Here we report the isolation, sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of 18 new mycobacteriophages isolated from geographically distinct locations within the United States. Although no clear correlation between location and genome type can be discerned, these genomes expand …

Thermomechanics Of Curves In Space, Pavan Krishna Kanchi

Masters Theses

"Several biological molecules are known to form helices and coiled structures, such as DNA, collagen, bacterial flagella, and proteins. The backbones of such molecules may be modeled as a curve in three dimensions. A variational problem for the functional of the total free energy required to perturb moving curves in space is considered. The total energy of a curve in three dimensions is minimized y with a general intensive energy, which is a function of position, and the invariants, curvature and torsion. Three types of moduli are identified: stretching, bending and torsional moduli. As a result, three independent force balances …

The Roles Of Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide In Circadian Entrainment Of Suprachiasmatic Nucleus, Sungwon An

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

In mammalian hypothalamus, the suprachiasmatic nucleus: SCN) generates daily behavioral and physiological rhythms as a circadian pacemaker. The 20,000 SCN neurons synchronize to each other and to the ambient cues to generate coherent daily rhythms. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide: VIP), a neuropeptide produced by SCN neurons, plays a major role in synchronizing SCN neurons to each other. Whether VIP mediates synchrony to environmental cues and how synchrony within the SCN is achieved has not been examined extensively. We recorded PERIOD::LUCIFERASE: PER2::LUC) expression from SCN explant cultures over multiple days following VIP application at different circadian time points to generate a phase …

The Manipulated Mechanism: Towards An Account Of The Experimental Discovery Of Mechanistic Explanations, Donald Goodman-Wilson

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Recent work in the philosophy of biology has sought after an account of mechanistic explanation. Biologists frequently encounter causal relationships that beg for explanation. For example, genes appear to encode for particular phenotypes. How does gene expression work? Biologists posit mechanisms to explain the link between cause and effect. Thus, gene expression would be explained by an appeal to a complex mechanism linking the gene to the phenotype, as such an appeal will provide answers to broad ranges of "how" and "why" questions about the causal relationship, and predict novel effects. Here, I focus on a recent problem raised for …

The Feasibility Of Using Bifidobacteria Bifidum (Atcc 700541) For The Production Of Prebiotic Oligosaccharides, Candice Marie Luehrs

Masters Theses

"Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are prebiotics that are being used to influence intestinal microbiota towards health promoting, beneficial bacteria like bifidobacteria. Natural sources of GOS are not found in suitable levels to achieve the desired health effects so economically viable commercial production methods are important. Enzymatic conversion of lactose to GOS through transgalactosylation is a preferred method since the starting material is inexpensive and readily available. Enzymes used in batch production are purified from fungal or bacterial sources or remain in whole cells cultured for GOS production. Purified or unbound enzymes are single use whereas enzymes retained within whole cells can potentially …

Waterjet Injection Of Powdered Activated Carbon For Sediment Remediation, Chris J. Redell

Masters Theses

"In situ sediment remediation through waterjet-activated carbon amendment delivery is an innovative means to mitigate the dangers posed by hydrophobic organic compounds. Ease of use and applicability to inundated environments makes this technique valuable. This work made feasible low-pressure injections of a 15% (by dry weight) carbon/water slurry through a pulsating piston pump waterjet. The project fabricated nozzle tips and a unique injection apparatus comprising a quantitative system for the evaluation of bench scale models. Based on a series of iterative processes, injections of carbon were analyzed for depth and concentration. Injections varied in duration and they were made into …

Lemur Catta In The Region Of Cap Sainte-Marie, Madagascar: Introduced Cacti, Xerophytic Didiereaceae-Euphorbia Bush, And Tombs, Elizabeth Kelley

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This is the first study to document the natural history of Lemur catta, ring-tailed lemurs, outside of gallery forest environments: in xerophytic Didiereaceae-Euphorbia, bush habitat that represents over 90% of this species' potential range. Moreover, this study is the first to document ring-tailed lemurs, or any primate species for that matter, as cactus dwellers. Data were collected for 15 consecutive months on two different troops in the Cap Sainte-Marie: CSM) area, which is Madagascar's southernmost region. All-day follows, nutritional analyses, and health assessments were the methods used to test hypotheses on the following themes: a) behavioral flexibility, b) ecology, health, …

Analysis Of The Performance Of Peanut Fame In A Single Cylinder Idi Engine And Investigations Of Neat Methyl Ester Influence On Fuel Quality, Jeffery Lewis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: To meet evolving standards set forth by the U.S. EPA and U.S. Energy Policy it is necessary to consider a variety of feedstock for biofuels synthesis and to understand the role individual fatty acids contribute to the overall performance. It is the belief of the authors that excess peanut production would provide an excellent source for high quality biodiesel feedstock, and the complete property and combustion analysis of the fatty acid components will provide insight for future biofuel developments. The preliminary investigations of the project focused on the combustion performance and thermal efficiency of peanut FAME and its …

Optimization Of Gene Prediction Via More Accurate Phylogenetic Substitution Models, Ezekiel Maier, Randall H. Brown, Michael R. Brent

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Determining the beginning and end positions of each exon in each protein coding gene within a genome can be difficult because the DNA patterns that signal a gene’s presence have multiple weakly related alternate forms and the DNA fragments that comprise a gene are generally small in comparison to the size of the genome. In response to this challenge, automated gene predictors were created to generate putative gene structures. N SCAN identifies gene structures in a target DNA sequence and can use conservation patterns learned from alignments between a target and one or more informant DNA sequences. N SCAN uses …

Can Oxygen Set Thermal Limits In An Insect And Drive Gigantism?, Wilco C.E.P. Verberk, David T. Bilton

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

BACKGROUND: Thermal limits may arise through a mismatch between oxygen supply and demand in a range of animal taxa. Whilst this oxygen limitation hypothesis is supported by data from a range of marine fish and invertebrates, its generality remains contentious. In particular, it is unclear whether oxygen limitation determines thermal extremes in tracheated arthropods, where oxygen limitation may be unlikely due to the efficiency and plasticity of tracheal systems in supplying oxygen directly to metabolically active tissues. Although terrestrial taxa with open tracheal systems may not be prone to oxygen limitation, species may be affected during other life-history stages, particularly …

Pakistan National Nutrition Survey, 2011, Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Sajid Bashir Soofi, S. Shujaat H Zaidi, Atif Habib, Imtiaz Hussain

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Expertise And Demographic Characteristics On Public Administrators' Attitudes To E-Government, Raji Msail Alsharari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to recent advancements in electronic technology (e-technology), research on the developing field has become important for understanding how this technology affects the population and how the population affects this technology. Research on e-technology reveals that demographic characteristics (age, gender, location, and education) and expertise are factors affecting e-technology attitudes and performance. One of the emerging e-technology fields is electronic government (e-government). After reviewing historical research in e-technology, this study reviewed existing e-government literature to determine key obstacles for public administrators to implement e-government. This study used a survey questionnaire, based on e-government attitude surveys conducted by Moon (2002) and …

Immune System Based Control And Intelligent Agent Design For Power System Applications, Rabie Belkacemi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The National Academy of Engineering has selected the US Electric Power Grid as the supreme engineering achievement of the 20th century. Yet, this same grid is struggling to keep up with the increasing demand for electricity, its quality and cost. A growing recognition of the need to modernize the grid to meet future challenges has found articulation in the vision of a Smart Grid in using new control strategies that are intelligent, distributed, and adaptive. The objective of this work is to develop smart control systems inspired from the biological Human Immune System to better manage the power grid at …

Expression Of The Cytosolic Phospholipase A2 Isozymes In The Human Breast Cancer Cell Line Models Mda-Mb 231 And Mcf-7 And The Normal Breast Cell Line Model Mcf-10a, Debolina Ganguly

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer related death among women worldwide. Numerous reports have provided evidence of a role of inflammation in the onset and progression of many cancers, including breast cancer. A mechanism that leads to inflammation involves the arachidonic acid (AA) pathway, which leads to the production of a group of pro-inflammatory bioactive lipids, collectively known as the eicosanoids. Despite evidence of AA and the eicosanoids in cancer, limited work has been done on the enzyme cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) that provides the unesterified AA that can be used for eicosanoid generation. The present …

Intelligent Reservoir Modeling Of Lower Huron Shale, Ognjen Grujic

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The work presented in this thesis is an intelligent reservoir modeling and analysis of Lower Huron Shale in eastern Kentucky. Methodology used for this analysis is a recently developed Top Down Intelligent Reservoir Modeling, that couples artificial intelligence and data mining techniques with conventional reservoir engineering methods. A total of 77 wells completed in Lower Huron Shale in eastern Kentucky were used in this study. Well production data was obtained from the company operating the wells, while completion reports and well logs were downloaded from publicly available database at Kentucky Geological Surveys website. The downloaded well logs were digitized, and …

Life Cycle Analysis Of Forest Carbon In The Central Appalachian Region, Pradip Saud

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Forest management and wood product processing activities such as harvesting, transportation, and lumber processing consume fossil fuels and emit carbon dioxide. This emitted carbon dioxide creates credit carbon balance which is usually overlooked while estimating the carbon benefits from woody biomass and wood products. Accountability of carbon stored in woody biomass and wood products varies when such carbon emissions are considered. Factors such as, harvesting intensity, growth rate, dead trees and forest fires all affected the estimation of forest carbon balance while harvesting system determines the carbon emission from fossil fuel consumptions. Energy sources used in sawmills for electricity are …

Tyrosine Phosphorylation Linked To Cardiac Arrhythmias Via Hcn Pacemaker Channel, Yen-Chang Lin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cardiac sudden death (CSD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Although the causes of CSD are not understood completely, cardiac arrhythmias have been indicated as the major contribution to CSD. The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate the mechanisms underlying cardiac arrhythmias, therefore providing scientific basis for clinical applications in the future to lower the rate of CSD.;My thesis contains four chapters. Chapter 1 aims to examine a novel role of tyrosine phosphorylation in the arrhythmogenesis. To achieve this goal, a rat arrhythmia model was established without structural remodeling, and the Src tyrosine kinase …

Surfactants And Digital Alloys For Strain Relief In Iii-Nitride Distributed Bragg Reflectors And Related Heterostructures Via Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy, Lee Ellen Rodak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

III-Nitride based semiconductors have emerged as one of the promising materials for electronic and opto-electronic devices, including but not limited to, solid state emitters, photodetectors, and transistors. Despite commercial success, several issues ranging from material growth to device fabrication remain unresolved and continue to hinder the efficiency of these devices. One such issue includes strain management in III-Nitride heterostructures. The binary alloys in the (Al,In,Ga)N family are characterized by a large lattice and thermal mismatch which leads to defect formation and cracking within heterostructures. These defects are detrimental to device fabrication and operation. This work investigates growth based techniques to …

Demographic Response Of American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius L.) To Climate Change, Sara Souther

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ecological response to recent climate change has been documented for a multitude of species worldwide. Climate models predict further increases in temperature, as much as 8 times the degree of warming that has already occurred. Given observations of species response to contemporary climate change and the unprecedented degree of warming expected over the next century, climate change will no doubt determine future ecosystem composition and affect global species diversity. In order to prevent loss of biodiversity, it is necessary to understand and accurately project species' response to climate, and to identify species that are vulnerable to climate change driven extinctions. …

Computational Hybrid Systems For Identifying Prognostic Gene Markers Of Lung Cancer, Ying-Wooi Wan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lung cancer is the most fatal cancer around the world. Current lung cancer prognosis and treatment is based on tumor stage population statistics and could not reliably assess the risk for developing recurrence in individual patients. Biomarkers enable treatment options to be tailored to individual patients based on their tumor molecular characteristics. To date, there is no clinically applied molecular prognostic model for lung cancer. Statistics and feature selection methods identify gene candidates by ranking the association between gene expression and disease outcome, but do not account for the interactions among genes. Computational network methods could model interactions, but have …

Canada Goose Crop Damage Abatement In South Dakota, Troy M. Radtke, Charles D. Dieter

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) can cause considerable damage to crops during summer when geese are flightless. We evaluated the effectiveness of a program designed to alleviate crop damage on soybeans by Canada geese in South Dakota, USA. The applications of electric fences, feeding stations, and propane cannons reduced the area of crop damage by 90% in 2006 and 80% in 2007, but the timing was important. Fields where abatement practices were applied early in the growing season had less damage than fields where they were applied later. Abatement practices that were properly applied as soon as damage started …