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Development And Evaluation Of Chitosan Particle Based Antigen Delivery Systems For Enhanced Antigen Specific Immune Response, Bhanuprasanth Koppolu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Particle-based vaccine delivery systems are under exploration to enhance antigen-specific immunity against safe but poorly immunogenic polypeptide antigens. Chitosan is a promising biomaterial for antigen encapsulation and delivery due to its ability to form nano- and microparticles in mild aqueous conditions thus preserving the antigenicity of loaded polypeptides. The objective of this work is to develop a chitosan particle based antigen delivery system for enhanced vaccine response. Chitosan particle sizes, which ranged from 300 nm to 3 ìm, were influenced by chitosan concentration, chitosan molecular weight and addition rate of precipitant salt. The composition of precipitant salt played a significant …

Bacterially-Mediated Formation Of Rock Coatings In Kärkevagge, Swedish Lapland: A Mineralogical And Micro-Environmental Analog For Mars, Cassandra L. Marnocha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The search for past or present life on Mars is, for now, limited to surface environments. An often neglected surface environment that could have served as an abode for life and could presently preserve evidence of that life is that of rock coatings. Rock coatings are mineral accretions on rock surfaces. On Earth, they are widespread and occur with considerable chemical diversity. There is growing evidence for a biotic role in their formation on Earth, particularly with respect to rock varnish. As a result, rock varnish has become a target of astrobiological interest on Mars, where varnish-like coatings have been …

In Vitro Analysis Of Short Chain Fatty Acids And Human Fecal Microbiota Stimulated By Pectin Sources, Byungjick Min

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As interest increases for colonic health, various studies have been conducted to investigate functional ingredients for host health and prevention of chronic disease in humans such as colon cancer and Type 2 diabetes. In particular dietary fiber has been reported to have beneficial effects on colonic health. More recently, dietary fiber has been categorized based on its characteristics and numerous studies have been conducted to determine correlations with chronic diseases. Pectin is a naturally occurring biopolymer that has been used in various applications for purposes of pharmaceutical and biotechnology. Pectin is a soluble dietary fiber and can be entirely fermented …

The Effect Of Age-Related Declines In Inhibitory Control On Audiovisual Speech Intelligibility, Avanti Dey

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Audiovisual: AV) speech perception is perception in which both auditory and visual information is available in order to understand a talker, compared to an auditory signal alone, during face-to-face communication. This form of communication yields significantly higher word recognition performance as compared to either sensory modality alone, constituting a general AV advantage for speech perception. Despite an overall AV advantage, older adults seem to receive less benefit from this bimodal presentation than do younger adults. However, there is evidence to suggest that not all age-related deficits in AV speech perception are of a sensory nature, but are also influenced by …

Clinical Feasibility Of Noninvasive Visualization Of Lymphatic Flow With Principles Of Spin Labeling Mr Imaging: Implications For Lymphedema Assessment, Swati Rane, Paula M C Donahue, Ted Towse, Sheila Ridner, Michael Chappell, John Jordi, John Gore, Manus J. Donahue

Peer Reviewed Articles

Purpose

To extend a commonly used noninvasive arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance (MR) imaging method for measuring blood flow to evaluate lymphatic flow.

Materials and Methods

All volunteers (n = 12) provided informed consent in accordance with institutional review board and HIPAA regulations. Quantitative relaxation time (T1 and T2) measurements were made in extracted human lymphatic fluid at 3.0 T. Guided by these parameters, an arterial spin labeling MR imaging approach was adapted to measure lymphatic flow (flow-alternating inversion-recovery lymphatic water labeling, 3 × 3 × 5 mm) in healthy subjects (n = 6; mean age, 30 years …

Effects Of Nonylphenol On Orientation By The Crayfish Orconectes Propinquus, Kathryn J. Page

Masters Theses

Nonylphenol is a widely used surfactant subject to ethoxylation and subsists in the environment for significant amounts of time. It has industrial, agricultural, and domestic uses, and makes its way into the aquatic ecosystem despite treatment of wastewater. Detrimental effects of nonylphenol are varied, but most notably endocrine disruption has been examined. Crayfish are a crucial invertebrate in freshwater ecosystems. They are omnivorous, and occupy a key position in the trophic web as both predator and prey. To determine if nonylphenol exposure has any effect on the orientation abilities of crayfish, I acutely (1 day) and chronically (4 days) exposed …

Changes In Vascular Reactivity Of Mesenteric Arteries Following Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, Benjamin Matthew Hake

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in vascular reactivity of mesenteric arteries resulting from hyperbaric oxygen treatment. It was hypothesized that hyperbaric oxygen treatment alters vascular reactivity in mesenteric arteries due to enhanced production of ATP resulting in significantly larger responses to vasoactive stimuli. All arteries were dissected from porcine mesenteries and placed in Krebs- Henseleit solution. Arteries were initially mounted in isolated organ baths and passively loaded with tensions ranging from 1 to 25 grams at odd intervals to ascertain the optimal passive tension for studying mesenteric arteries. Following a 1-hour equilibration in Krebs-Henseleit solution, …

Climate Change And Metapopulation Implications For Species Re/Introductions: A Spatial Analysis Of Suitable Habitat For The American Marten (Martes Americana) In Northern Michigan, Joshua Michael Green

Masters Theses

The American marten (Martes americana), which was extirpated from Michigan by 1939 due to logging and trapping, has cultural significance as a clan animal to Great Lakes Native American Tribes and ecological significance as a forest health indicator. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SBD) is considering reintroduction, but several factors must first be considered in assessing the habitat suitability. The goals of this study were to 1) enhance an existing habitat suitability model by including additional relevant variables, 2) conduct a spatial analysis of the habitat within the study area using a metapopulation perspective and 3) incorporate climate …

Neurovascular Unit Dysfunction With Blood-Brain Barrier Hyperpermeability Contributes To Major Depressive Disorder: A Review Of Clinical And Experimental Evidence, Souhel Najjar, Daniel M. Pearlman, Orrin Devinsky, Amanda Najjar, David Zagzag

Dartmouth Scholarship

About one-third of people with major depressive disorder (MDD) fail at least two antidepressant drug trials at 1 year. Together with clinical and experimental evidence indicating that the pathophysiology of MDD is multifactorial, this observation underscores the importance of elucidating mechanisms beyond monoaminergic dysregulation that can contribute to the genesis and persistence of MDD. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are mechanistically linked to the presence of neurovascular dysfunction with blood-brain barrier (BBB) hyperpermeability in selected neurological disorders, such as stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and Alzheimer’s disease. In contrast to other major psychiatric disorders, MDD is frequently comorbid with …

Market Collaboration: Finance, Culture, And Ethnography After Neoliberalism, Annelise Riles

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

In the wake of the disasters of March 2011, financial regulators and financial-risk management experts in Japan expressed little hope that much could be done nor did they take great interest in defining possible policy interventions. This curious response to regulatory crisis coincided with a new fascination with culturalist explanations of financial markets, on the one hand, and a resort to what I term “data politics”—a politics of intensified data collection—on the other. In this article, I analyze these developments as being exemplary of a new regulatory moment characterized by a loss of faith in both free market regulation and …

Cxcr2 Expression In Tumor Cells Is A Poor Prognostic Factor And Promotes Invasion And Metastasis In Lung Adenocarcinoma, Erminia Massarelli

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

CXC chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) is a G-protein coupled receptor which mediates signaling by binding to CXC chemokines CXCL1-3 and 5-8. In non-small cell lung cancer CXCR2 has been studied mainly in stromal cells and is known to increase tumor inflammation and angiogenesis. However, there is controversial data in the literature about CXCR2 expression in tumor cells and its role in the tumor microenvironment. We hypothesized that tumoral expression of CXCR2 and its ligands promote tumor invasion and metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer. The effect of CXCR2 expression on tumor cells was studied using stable knockdown clones derived from …

Informal And Alternative Economies On The Periphery Of New Orleans During The Early-Nineteenth Century: An Archaeological Inquiry Of 16or180, Austen E. Dooley

Senior Honors Theses

In summer of 2012 archaeological excavations were conducted at the Iberville Housing Projects in New Orleans, Louisiana. The excavations were conducted in order to gather archaeological data pertaining to the site’s history as part of New Orleans’ notorious vice district, Storyville. During excavation a cache of 765 turquoise glass seed beads was uncovered along the east wall of Test Unit #1. The cache, found at a depth of around 83 cm below the ground surface, suggests, in conjunction with other artifacts found at this level, that the beads were deposited at the site between 1810 and 1830. This cache of …

Digital Disruptions: An Interview With D. E. Wittkower, D. E. Wittkower, The Editors Of Interstitial Journal

Philosophy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Population Occurrence And Pathogen Prevalence Of Lone Star Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Collected From Southeast Nebraska, Amanda C. Maegli

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.), has recently become established in Nebraska; therefore, local biology, ecology, and tick-borne disease risk are not known. Research was conducted to determine monthly questing activity, establishment, and pathogenic microorganisms associated with the lone star tick in Nebraska.

Lone star tick populations were collected from May through August, 2012 in six sites in southeast Nebraska using carbon dioxide (CO₂) traps. A total of 747 adults, 3,076 nymphs, and 1,289 larvae were collected. Total ticks collected and monthly activity were significantly different for each site.

A semi-randomized sample of 251 adult ticks were selected …

Hardy, Darwin, And The Art Of Moral Husbandry, Owen Roberts-Day

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study of the influence of Charles Darwin on Thomas Hardy's tragic novels centers on two key concepts in the work of Darwin. The first is Darwin's narrative of the evolution of morality, which describes moral decisions as a struggle for survival between various instincts, habits, and customs, both within the individual and within society as a whole. Of particular importance is the role of reason and sympathy in overcoming base and selfish instincts. The second is the idea, introduced in Origin, that the work of scientific breeders represents an act of Conscious Selection, a separate form of evolution …

Investigation Of Commercial Milk Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Elisa) Kits: Specificity And Utility For Residues Of Foods Subjected To Proteolysis During Processing, Katherine O. Ivens

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Analytical methods, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), are used to detect and quantify residues from allergenic sources in food products. However, ELISAs have not been validated for use in foods that have been exposed to proteolysis. This thesis explores the specificities, sensitivities, and capabilities of commercially-available milk ELISA kits for detecting milk residues in cheeses that have undergone varying degrees of proteolysis.

The specificity, accuracy, and consistency of twelve commercially-available milk ELISA kits for individual milk proteins and commonly used milk-derived ingredients, including α-,β-, and κ-casein, β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin, non-fat dry milk, sodium caseinate, and whey protein concentrate were evaluated. …

Anoxia Tolerance Of Forensically Important Calliphorids, Melissa M. Lein

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Forensically important blow flies, Diptera: Calliphoridae, are among the first organisms to colonize carrion. After eggs hatch, the larvae of most blow fly species feed in an aggregation or “mass.” While in this mass larvae may experience periods of no oxygen (anoxia), little oxygen (hypoxia), or normal oxygen (normoxia), but the tolerance of blow fly larvae to severe hypoxic conditions is not known. I tested the anoxia tolerance of four species of calliphorids (Calliphora vicina, Cochliomyia macellaria, Lucilia sericata, and Phormia regina), using third stage larvae across five temperatures. Experiments were conducted by exposing larvae to pure nitrogen …

A Population Model For Walleye In Nebraska Irrigation Reservoirs, Robert A. Kill

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Understanding how and why fish population size changes between years is a central theme in fisheries ecology. Fishery agencies have limited time and financial resources, thus there is a need for a quantitative way to direct the limited time and financial resources so agencies can manage fisheries more efficiently. I developed a tool for fishery managers that synthesizes common population indices and evaluated the relative importance of those indices given varying uncertainty in age-0 walleye Sander vitreus survival. Under most circumstances, I determined that resources are best utilized in reducing age-0 survival uncertainty when understanding walleye population growth. I applied …

Predicting Invasion Risk Of Non-Native Plants Using A Modified I-Rank Assessment, Justin B. Williams

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Biological invasions are a global problem responsible for native species declines worldwide. Understanding the invasion risk from non-native species is important in establishing management goals and making decisions for managing native ecosystems. Useful modeling methods for quantifying or predicting invasion risk should consider research needs, data availability, and operate at an appropriate scale. I evaluated risk assessment methods towards answering a specific research question; which plant species pose the greatest risk of becoming invasive or having the greatest negative impact in Nebraska? I selected the I-Rank assessment method, which consists of 20 questions grouped into four risk categories or Subranks: …

Determining Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon Population Demographics And Dynamics: Implications For Range-Wide Management, Recovery, And Conservation, Martin J. Hamel

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sturgeons (Acipenseridae) have experienced world-wide declines as a result of anthropogenic effects such as over-harvest, habitat degradation, altered flow regimes, and pollution. Nearly all European and Asian sturgeon species have experienced population declines and have subsequently been classified as either threatened or endangered. North American sturgeons have experienced a similar plight in that all eight native sturgeon species are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern. Direct linkages between North American sturgeon declines and anthropogenic effects are difficult to assess due to scale considerations, fluctuating environmental conditions, difficulty in capture, and the interaction of all these effects. To recover, …

The Development And Applications Of Nmr Metabolomics Analysis Of Bacterial Metabolomes, Steven M. Halouska

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Metabolomics is a relatively new field that involves the study of metabolic responses that are occurring within a biological system. Metabolite profiles of an organism, tissue extract, and biofluids are important indicators to determine the physiological state of a biological profile. Comparison of such profiles from different phenotypes can be used to identify specific metabolic changes leading to the understanding of metabolic pathways, disease progression, drug toxicity and efficacy, and cellular responses to different intracellular and extracellular conditions. Metabolomics investigations often use sophisticated analytical techniques such as NMR spectroscopy to provide an unbiased and comprehensive approach to evaluate metabolic perturbation …

Contents, Journal Editors

Journal of Food Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

Inflationary Trends In Law And Development, Benjamin Van Rooji, Pip Nicholson

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

This Article analyzes two seemingly contradictory trends in the study and practice of law and development. First, it looks at the ever-rising level of expectations and ambitions about what law can do for development. Second, it looks at the increasingly vocal criticism and frustration, both from inside and outside the field, that law often fails to achieve the desired developmental effects. This Article argues that there is a relationship between increasing ambition and lack of impact. More particularly, it suggests that increasing ambition produces limited impacts but that lack of impact, ironically, leads to recommendations to increase ambition. This Article …

Epilogue: Reflections And Observations On Peru's Past And Present, Ernesto Silva

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The aim of this essay is to provide a panoramic socio-historical overview of Peru by focusing on two periods: before and after independence from Spain. The approach emphasizes two cultural phenomena: how the indigenous people related to the Conquistadors in forging a new society, as well as how immigration, particularly to Lima, has shaped contemporary Peru. This contribution also aims at providing a bibliographical resource to those who would like to conduct research on Peru.

The Unextinguished Militia Power Of Indian Tribes, Seth Fortin

American Indian Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Upper Genital Tract Complications In A Chlamydial Urogenital Mouse Model, Enitra N. Jones

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection is a major public health concern. Chlamydia is the most commonly reported infection in the United States and the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide. Unrecognized infection endangers female reproductive health by serious complications such as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, ectopic pregnancy, and involuntary infertility. Widespread Chlamydia control programs were implemented more than two decades ago to improve women's reproductive health but, despite initial success, the number of chlamydial infections reported have increased.

One of the hypotheses put forth to explain increased chlamydial reporting suggests that a longterm caveat of control initiatives is interference with the …

Survey Of Comparative Human And Non-Human Osteology: Common Florida Species, Jennifer Dewey

HIM 1990-2015

Forensic anthropologists are tasked with the responsibility of identifying human remains in a forensic context. This includes differentiating between human and non-human osteological remains, and further determining a species-specific identification when presented with nonhuman material. Previous research has provided manuals that are typically limited to one class of animal and includes either photographs or descriptions of cranial or post-cranial skeletal elements. Further, the available resources generally cover a limited number of species from Florida#s diverse habitat. Therefore, the intent of this thesis was to compile a comprehensive comparative osteological guide of local Florida species that addressed both cranial and postcranial …

Five Justices, Section 4, And Three Ways Forward In Voting Rights, Kareem Crayton, Jane Junn

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Pasture Ecology, Edward Barrow Rayburn

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

WVU-Extension fact sheet

Addressing Trans-Boundary Challenges Through Collaboration: How Organizations "Harmonize" Actions And Decisions Across Problem Landscapes, Rachel Fleishman

Dissertations - ALL

Collaborative governance- or collaboration- has become increasingly important for the design and implementation of public policy in the United States. This dissertation explores concrete and unique policy-related benefits emerging from collaboration, and the processes by which they emerge.

Collaboration is defined broadly as "any interaction between two or more organizations undertaken with the intention to cooperate." This definition is applied in the context of water quality management, where the physical nature of watersheds and the lack of regulatory authority available to policy-makers leads to a variety of collaborative arrangements.

A survey of literatures addressing collaboration from different theoretical angles revealed …