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Population Dynamics Of Flaviviruses In The United States, Kendra Pesko

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

The genus Flavivirus comprises viral species with positive sense, single stranded RNA genomes, most of which are transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks. During replication, RNA viruses have higher mutation rates than DNA viruses, because their virally encoded RNA dependent RNA polymerase has no proofreading activity. These viruses have been shown to exist within and between hosts as swarms of closely related mutant genomes that can be examined through sequence analysis. In the work presented here we focus on the population dynamics of two zoonotic flaviviruses that cause human morbidity and mortality in the United States: tick-borne Powassan virus (POW) and …

Multifunctional Iron Platinum Stealth Immunomicelles: Targeted Imaging And Therapy Of Prostate Cancer, Robert M. Taylor

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

In the United States, prostate cancer is the second most common reason for cancer death in men. No imaging methods currently exist which are specific for detecting, imaging, and treating extracapsular or metastatic prostate cancer. The goal of this research was to develop novel nanoparticles that would specifically target human prostate cancer cells and simultaneously deliver a chemotherapeutic agent and superior magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent to the prostate cancer cells for both therapy and MRI detection. This dissertation describes the synthesis and comprehensive characterization of superparamagnetic iron-platinum nanoparticles (SIPPs) and their subsequent encapsulation with the drug Paclitaxel, using …

The Future Workforce In Cancer Prevention: Advancing Discovery, Research, And Technology, Wayne D. Newhauser, Michael E. Scheurer, Jessica M. Faupel-Badger, Jessica Clague, Jeffrey Weitzel, Kendra V. Woods

Faculty Publications

As part of a 2-day conference on October 15 and 16, 2009, a nine-member task force composed of scientists, clinicians, educators, administrators, and students from across the USA was formed to discuss research, discovery, and technology obstacles to progress in cancer prevention and control, specifically those related to the cancer prevention workforce. This article summarizes the task force's findings on the current state of the cancer prevention workforce in this area and its needs for the future. The task force identified two types of barriers impeding the current cancer prevention workforce in research, discovery, and technology from reaching its fullest …

Reno: Regularized Non-Parametric Analysis Of Protein Lysate Array Data, Bin Li, Feng Liang, Jianhua Hu, Xuming He

Faculty Publications

Motivation: The reverse-phase protein lysate arrays have been used to quantify the relative expression levels of a protein in a number of cellular samples simultaneously. To avoid quantification bias due to mis-specification of commonly used parametric models, a nonparametric approach based on monotone response curves may be used. The existing methods, however, aggregate the protein concentration levels of replicates of each sample, and therefore fail to account for within-sample variability. Results: We propose a method of regularization on protein concentration estimation at the level of individual dilution series to account for within-sample or within-group variability. We use an efficient algorithm …

Exploring The Regulation Of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase In Retinal Amacrine Cells, Glynis B. Mattheisen

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Enhanced Salt Stress Tolerance Of Rice Plants Expressing A Vacuolar H +-Atpase Subunit C1 (Savhac1) Gene From The Halophyte Grass Spartina Alterniflora Löisel, Niranjan Baisakh, Mangu V. Ramanarao, Kanniah Rajasekaran, Prasanta Subudhi, Jaroslav Janda, David Galbraith, Cheryl Vanier, Andy Pereira

Faculty Publications

The physiological role of a vacuolar ATPase subunit c1 (SaVHAc1) from a halophyte grass Spartina alterniflora was studied through its expression in rice. The SaVHAc1-expressing plants showed enhanced tolerance to salt stress than the wild-type plants, mainly through adjustments in early stage and preparatory physiological responses. In addition to the increased accumulation of its own transcript, SaVHAc1 expression led to increased accumulation of messages of other native genes in rice, especially those involved in cation transport and ABA signalling. The SaVHAc1-expressing plants maintained higher relative water content under salt stress through early stage closure of the leaf stoma and reduced …

Control Of Aperture Closure Initiation During Trunk-Assisted Reach-To-Grasp Movements, Miya K. Rand, Arend W.A. Van Gemmert, Abul B.M.I. Hossain, Yury P. Shimansky, George E. Stelmach

Faculty Publications

The present study investigated how the involvement and direction of trunk movement during reach-to-grasp movements affect the coordination between the transport and grasping components. Seated young adults made prehensile movements in which the involvement of the trunk was varied; the trunk was not involved, moved forward (flexion), or moved backward (extension) in the sagittal plane during the reach to the object. Each of the trunk movements was combined with an extension or flexion motion of the arm during the reach. Regarding the relationship between the trunk and arm motion for arm transport, the onset of wrist motion relative to that …

Hazard Assessment Of A Mixture Of Pharmaceuticals Detected In The Upper Tennessee River Of Daphnia Magna And The Determination Of Riverine Zooplankton Assemblage As It Relates To Chitobiase Activity, Daniel Neil Wolfe

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In order to respond to the need for hazard assessment of environmentally relevant pharmaceutical mixtures, 21-d life cycle tests were performed on a mixture of pharmaceuticals found in the Tennessee River using Daphnia- magna as a surrogate. Endpoints measured were time to first brood, reproduction, mortality, and number of neonates produced per adult reproduction day. Reproduction was the only endpoint that showed a significant effect. The LOEC of the pharmaceutical mixture was found at 100 times (100x) greater concentration (p=0.005) than what was detected in the Tennessee River. Similarly, the NOEC was 75x (p=0.150). Single concentrations of pharmaceuticals within the …

An Investigation Into The Practicality And Applicability Of The Pendandragogic Framework: A Case Study Of Faculty Attitude Toward A Learner-Centered Model Of Teaching And Learning At A University In The Southern United States, Selwyn Samaroo

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study defines and explores pedandragogy as a teaching and learning model using a southern university in the United States of America as a case study. It examines its applicability to a multiplicity of academic disciplines, testing the attitudes of faculty towards the implementation of the learner-centered approach in higher education. Pedandragogy focuses on the concept of self-engagement and the independence of learners through the creation of a learning environment conducive to a learner-centered approach. This study seeks to answer the question: Can the pedandragogic framework be practically applied to a multiplicity of academic disciples in higher education? And, among …

Family Attitudes, Beliefs, And Practices Facilitating A Sense Of Purpose In Black American Children And Youth: A Grounded Theory, Mallory Lynn Gary

Dissertations

i ABSTRACT Sense of purpose is strongly associated with positive health behaviors and academic achievement (Turner-Musa & Lipscomb, 2007, Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics FIFCFS, 2010). The purpose of this qualitative research study was to develop grounded theory by the exploration of sense of purpose by describing and interpreting attitudes, beliefs, and practices among Black American families participating in an outreach program in Southern, IL. Grounded theory was used to explain the phenomenon of sense of purpose, and the relationship among optimism, faith, hope, spirituality and sense of meaning. A non probability purposive sample was used for …

The Evolution Of Rural Farming In The Scottish Highlands And The Arkansas Delta: Investments And Inequalities, Madalyn Watkins

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The development and evolution of an agricultural system is influenced by many factors including binding constraints (limiting factors), choice of investments, and historic presence of land and income inequality. This study analyzed the development of two farming systems: mechanized, “economies of scale” farming in the Arkansas Delta and crofting in the Scottish Highlands. The study hypothesized that the current farm size in each region can be partially attributed to the binding constraints of either land or labor. In Scotland, it was found that the continuous binding constraint was the availability of arable land. In Arkansas, the binding constraint began as …

Distribution, Elimination, And Biopersistence To 90 Days Of A Systemically Introduced 30 Nm Ceria-Engineered Nanomaterial In Rats, Robert A. Yokel, Tu C. Au, Robert Macphail, Sarita S. Hardas, D. Allan Butterfield, Rukhsana Sultana, Michael Goodman, Michael T. Tseng, Mo Dan, Hamed Haghnazar, Jason M. Unrine, Uschi M. Graham, Peng Wu, Eric A. Grulke

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Nanoceria is used as a catalyst in diesel fuel, as an abrasive in printed circuit manufacture, and is being pursued as an antioxidant therapeutic. Our objective is to extend previous findings showing that there were no reductions of cerium in organs of the mononuclear phagocyte (reticuloendothelial) system up to 30 days after a single nanoscale ceria administration. An ~5% aqueous dispersion of citrate-stabilized 30 nm ceria, synthesized and characterized in-house, or vehicle, was iv infused into rats terminated 1, 7, 30, or 90 days later. Cageside observations were obtained daily, body weight weekly. Daily urinary and fecal cerium outputs were …

Aa Teaches Compassion In Action, Steven Atkins

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Generativity In Young Adults: Comparing And Explaining The Impact Of Mentoring, Lindsay J. Hastings

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this embedded explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the impact of mentoring relationships on generativity in college students. Generativity refers to concern for establishing and guiding the next generation The first, quantitative phase compared generatvity levels among general college students, college student leaders who do not mentor, and college student leaders who mentor through a program called Nebraska Human Resources Institute (NHRI) at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Data were collected via surveys (N = 273) using the Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS), the Generativity Behavior Checklist (GBC), and the Personal Strivings measure. A multivariate …

Color Them Pink: An Exploratory Study Of Women And Other Underrepresented Minorities In Master's Stem Programs, Maggie J. Jobes

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This quantitative, exploratory study was designed to examine and compare socialization and mentoring in two groups of students, and the influence these factors had on their ranking of academic and overall experience in Master’s degree level science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) programs at a large, Midwestern university. The subjects were University of Nebraska-Lincoln Master’s degree recipients who had completed the Master’s degree Graduate Studies Exit Survey and had identified themselves as being part of a STEM graduate program. Literature displayed the underrepresentation of women and individuals of certain racial or ethnic backgrounds in STEM fields and particularly in graduate …

Ethanol Exposure Impairs Glutamatergic Synaptic Transmission And Plasticity In The Ca1 Hippocampal Region During The Third Trimester-Equivalent Of Human Pregnancy: Implications For Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Michael P. Puglia

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder results from developmental exposure to ethanol. Although many organ systems are targeted by this teratogen, the central nervous system is exquisitely sensitive. Children with this disease often present with behavioral disorders as well as impairments in learning and memory. Ethanol exposure affects developmental processes throughout pregnancy; however, the third trimester-equivalent has demonstrated heightened sensitivity. Although the mechanism of action(s) of ethanol remains unknown, studies suggest that impairments in glutamatergic signaling and synaptic plasticity during the third trimester-equivalent period of development lead to alterations in synaptic formation and refinement. However, little is known about the developmental effects …

Accessible High-Throughput Virtual Screening Molecular Docking Software For Students And Educators, Reed B. Jacob, Tim Andersen, Owen M. Mcdougal

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

We survey low cost high-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) computer programs for instructors who wish to demonstrate molecular docking in their courses. Since HTVS programs are a useful adjunct to the time consuming and expensive wet bench experiments necessary to discover new drug therapies, the topic of molecular docking is core to the instruction of biochemistry and molecular biology. The availability of HTVS programs coupled with decreasing costs and advances in computer hardware have made computational approaches to drug discovery possible at institutional and non-profit budgets. This paper focuses on HTVS programs with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that use either DOCK …

Synthesis Of A 2,2'-Bipyridyl Functionalized Oligovinylene- Phenylene Using Heck And Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons Reactions And X-Ray Crystal Structure Of E-(4-(4-Bromostyryl)Phenyl)(Methyl)Sulfane, Orsolya Karácsony, Jeffrey R. Deschamps, Scott A. Trammell, Rafaela Nita, D. Andrew Knight

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

The synthesis of a new 2,2'-bipyridyl functionalized oligovinylenephenylene (OVP-5) containing a methyl protected thiol using Heck coupling and the Horner-Wadsworth- Emmons reaction and is described. A key step involving a diisopropylcarbodiimide promoted dehydration of a stable ?-hydroxyphosphonate intermediate was identified. The structure of precursor E-(4-(4-bromostyryl) phenyl)(methyl)sulfane (1) was determined using X-ray crystallography. © 2012 by the authors.

Moss Mural, Chelsea Fredrikson

Senior Honors Projects

Moss Mural: Bridging the Arts and Sciences

Chelsea Fredrikson

Major: Fine Arts

Advisor: Robert Dilworth

Advisor Department: Fine Arts

Date 5-2012

Abstract

When we are young, in elementary school, we are encouraged to learn subjects together. Fine arts, science, math, and literature all work as one, and overlap to teach us valuable lessons and tools we can use as we grow. But as we become older school systems segregate subjects, forcing students to chose a direction. Do I have a creative mind, or a logical mind?

As an art student I’ve tried over the course of my college …

Exploring The Function Of Gt2 In Physcomitrella Patens, Tess Scavuzzo-Duggan

Senior Honors Projects

Plant cell walls are composed of a variety of carbohydrates, among them cellulose, pectin and hemicellulose. Cellulose is deposited in the cell wall as microfibrils via cellulose synthesis complexes (CSCs). These complexes contain the cellulose synthase proteins (CESAs) and come in two different morphological forms: rosettes and linear complexes. Rosette shaped cellulose synthesis complexes occur in land plants, whilst linear complexes are commonly found in red algae. However, some land plants, notably bryophytes (mosses) and seedless vascular plants, contain genes that encode both CESAs of the type that form rosette CSCs and also genes similar to those found in red …

Conformational Motions Associated With Ligand Binding In Dihydrofolate Reductase From Bacillus Stearothermophilus, Mayam Tobilola Alapa

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

A fluorescently-labeled, conformationally-sensitive Bacillus stearothermophilus (Bs) dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) (C73A/S131C_MDCC DHFR) was developed and used to investigate kinetics and protein conformational motions associated with methotrexate (MTX) binding. This construct bears a covalently attached fluorophore, N-[2-(lmaleimidyl) ethyl]-7-(diethylamino)coumarin-3-carboxamide (MDCC) attached at a distal cysteine, introduced by mutagenesis. The probe is sensitive to the local molecular environment, reporting on changes in the protein structure associated with ligand binding. Intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of the unlabeled Bs DHFR construct (C73A/S131C DHFR) also showed changes upon MTX association. Stopped-flow analysis of all data can be understood by invoking the presence of two native state DHFR …

Ecology Of The Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon Platirhinos) At Cape Cod National Seashore, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Scott W. Buchanan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) is an understudied species of increasing conservation concern, especially in the northeastern portion of its range. Conservation and management efforts often rely on ecological information to guide best practices when dealing with vulnerable and/or cryptic species. A radiotelemetry study was initiated at Cape Cod National Seashore, Barnstable County, Massachusetts on H. platirhinos in an effort to increase the understanding of spatial ecology, habitat selection, and associated natural history attributes. Sixteen adult H. platirhinos were tracked over two years yielding a total of 413 relocations. We observed a large variation in home range size among …

Characterization Of A C-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Pathway In The Parasitic Nematode, Brugia Malayi, Agnieszka N. Chojnowski

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) is a major neglected disease caused by filarial nematodes including; Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi {B. malayi) and Brugia timori. Over 120 million individuals are infected and more than 1.3 billion people are at risk of infection in 81 endemic countries. Current treatments are limited, toxic and fail to kill adult parasites. There is a need for new target and treatments. One potential novel drug target for this disease is stress-activated protein kinases. It has been previously demonstrated in our laboratory that a B. malayi stress-activated protein kinase, Bm- MPK1, an ortholog of the human p38/Caenorhabditis elegans (C. …

The Role Of Protons In Synaptic Transmission In Rat Cortical Neurons, Paul Castellano

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Acid Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) have recently been identified as inhibitors of voltage and calcium gated ion channels (BK) (Petroff et al. 2008), and their overexpression has been shown to reduce seizure elongation and severity in mice (Ziemenn et al.2008). ASICs regulate BK channel activity in accordance with pH variation (Petroff et al. 2008), and seizures are concurrent with increased acidity in the brain (Ziemenn et al. 2008). Influx of Na⁺ through the ASIC pore domain has been speculated to cause membrane potential repolarization that reduces seizure proliferation (Vukicevic and Kellenburger, 2004), but this is counterintuitive to what is …

Evidence That Inducible Cyclic Amp Early Repressor Is A Potent Tumor Suppressor Protein That May Hold Therapeutic Promise For Targeted Therapy Of Various Malignancies, Marni Crow

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

There is compelling evidence supporting Inducible cAMP Early Repressor (ICER) as a potent anti-proliferative and potential tumor suppressor protein. ICER is a dominant negative transcription factor that is inducible upon cAMP level increase and represses genes important for cell-cycle regulation, proliferation and differentiation. This thesis discusses the evidence in support of ICER as a tumor suppressor gene product and elucidates mechanisms by which cancer cells that express ICER can nullify its antiproliferative properties. Interestingly, when ICER is put back in the nucleus of particular cancer cells where it works to repress cAMP genes, these cells have impaired tumorigenicity.

This thesis …

Investigation Of Autoregulation Of Icer And Electrochemical Properties Of Tryptophan, Mark Demilio

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

A relatively new development in the field of research-based chemistry is to study biomolecules, their interactions, and a biochemical mechanisms by examination of their physical properties and application of laboratory techniques rooted in concepts of physical chemistry. Both projects that are encompassed within this master's thesis indeed fall under the umbrella of biophysical chemistry, as they apply physical chemical techniques study particular biomolecular interactions.

The first of these two projects is the study of a leucine zipper protein, Inducible cAMP Early Repressor [ICER], which is a product of the cAMP Responsive Element Modulator [CREM] gene. ICER functions as a transcriptional …

The "Stamp" Of Black Science Fiction In The Works Of Octavia Butler, And The White Sf Of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Liamog Seamus Drislane

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Among other things, science fiction is a tool for imagining futures. SF authors take what they currently understand about science, couple it with their understanding of human nature, and spin stories that inform, encourage, or warn us about what might be possible. In this sense SF functions in a role adjacent to scientific inquiry, acting as a mouthpiece for the potential revealed or made accessible by developing technology. What can sometimes go unsaid in conversations about SF is that science fiction, like science itself, does not exist in a vacuum removed from cultural scripts and problems. When written by white …

The Illusion Of Influence : Gender And Class Conflict In Three Gothic Works By Louisa May Alcott, Katie Elizabeth Dowson

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In “The Illusion of Influence: Gender and Class Conflict in Three Gothic Works by Louisa May Alcott,” the works A Modern Mephistopheles, A Long, Fatal Love Chase, and Behind a Mask are analyzed as representative works of Alcott’s gothic fiction in terms of how they reflect the changes that were taking place in mid-nineteenth century America, as society developed from a sentimental culture to one that was theatrical. In Chapter One, I focus on the ways in which Alcott’s gothic heroines embody a blend of sentimentality and theatricality and how each looses or gains influence over others as a result …

Fate Of Cerium Oxide (Ceo₂), Nanoparticles In Landfill Leachate, Casey Marie Ezyske

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Nanomaterial (NM) based manufacturing is predicted to grow to 15% of the global manufacturing economy by 2014. Subsequent to their use, most of the engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), man-made particles with at least dimension between 1 and 100 nm, will be disposed of in landfills. Landfill leachate is highly contaminated wastewater containing a variety of constituents that may affect the fate and transport of the nanomaterials. In this study, the size and zeta potential of cerium oxide (CeO₂), an industrially important nanomaterial, was investigated in different solution matrices (Milli-Q water, a real landfill leachate, KC1 solution, and humic acid …

Preference Magnitude Affected By Context, Range, And Categorization, Matthew Forsythe

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Previous studies have shown that when subjects view hedonically positive stimuli followed by stimuli of lesser hedonic value their preference for the stimuli of lesser hedonic value decreases. This is hedonic condensation. In addition, its opposite, an increase in preference judgment, occurs when subjects view a less hedonically positive stimuli followed by hedonically positive stimuli. Experiment 1 showed that condensation and its opposite, an increase in preference judgments, were produced using unattractive and moderately attractive faces. Experiment 2 showed that when instructed to view the stimuli as coming from two different groups the participants rating the attractive faces did not …