Digital Commons Network^™

The Promise Of Sonodynamic Therapy: Using Ultrasonic Irradiation And Chemotherapeutic Agents As A Treatment Modality, Matthew Trendowski

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a potential cancer treatment modality that has been gaining support due to its effectiveness in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The therapeutic method combines ultrasonic irradiation with drugs known as sonosensitizers that amplify its ability to inflict preferential damage on malignant cells. This is based on the idea that ultrasonic waves have the ability to exhibit profound physical and chemical changes on cellular structure. The mechanisms by which ultrasound disrupts cellular functioning can be further amplified when sonosensitizers are applied. Combining multiple sonosensitizers with ultrasound to create a substantial synergistic effect could be an …

What’S Gender Got To Do With It? How Client Gender Influences Public Relations Practices And Crisis Management Strategies, Tiana Rojas

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Media leads gender stereotyping. Consumers of media internalize messages of gender put forth by the media, thus shaping their attitudes and expectations of gender. This paper focuses on gender and how it influences public relations (PR) practices and crisis management strategies, specifically in entertainment PR. This is a subject that has yet to be explored. Utilizing primary, secondary and quantitative research methods, I hope to answer my research question: how does client gender influence PR strategy? To test my research question, I designed an online survey composed of four common PR crises seen in the entertainment industry among celebrities. The …

From Sydney To Syracuse A Transcontinental Exploration Of Women’S Health In Karen Refugee Communities, Darcy Cherlin

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

From Sydney to Syracuse a Transcontinental Exploration of Women’s Health in Karen Refugee Communities. There are many impediments to refugee women’s access to health care and sexual and reproductive services in their countries of resettlement, including language difference, transportation, and absence of culturally appropriate support. Through focus groups and participatory observation this paper identifies some major challenges that Karen (an ethnic group from Burma) women face accessing health care in their respective cities of resettlement (Syracuse, New York or Sydney, Australia). It is through such documentation and analysis that policies and services can be improved and any harm they …

Differences In The Communicative Behavior And Neurobiology Of Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes) And Bonobos (Pan Paniscus), Brittany Moore

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Chimpanzees and bonobos have distinctly different vocalizations, but it is unclear why these differences have evolved. We hypothesized that differences in habitat and feeding ecology have selected for bonobos to have an increased reliance on vocal communication compared to chimpanzees. To evaluate this hypothesis 1571 chimpanzee vocal events and 612 bonobo vocal events were analyzed. After analyzing and coding video of communicative interactions it was determined that chimpanzees are more likely than bonobos to utilize multimodal communication and to direct vocalizations to an individual conspecific. Bonobos were more likely than chimpanzees to produce a vocalization that was not bound to …

Monte Carlo Modeling Based Patient Dose Optimization In Diagnostic Radiology, Wenjun He

All Dissertations

Radiation doses are caused by the energy deposited in unit mass of matter from ionizing radiation. In the US, radiation doses from medical imaging increased six-fold in the past generation. Among medical exposures to patients, computed tomography (CT) composes about half of the collective doses, and interventional fluoroscopy composes 14%. Radiation exposure to patients undergoing diagnostic radiological procedures causes increased lifetime carcinogenic risks, especially for pediatric patients who are more radiosensitive than adults. The correlation between procedural x-ray techniques and the radiation doses to patients, as well as the resultant image quality, is not well understood, and therefore the focus …

The Effects Of Stocking Density And Feeding Frequency On Aggressive And Cannibalistic Behaviors In Larval Hatchery-Reared Spotted Seatrout, Cynosion Nebulosus, Christopher Burton Manley

Master's Theses

The Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is a euryhaline fish that inhabits coastal regions from Massachusetts to Texas. Due to its predaceous nature and proximity to coastal shorelines it is the most important marine finfish in the Gulf of Mexico. Because of this importance, Spotted Seatrout has been identified as a possible candidate for stock enhancement. Stock enhancement is the practice of releasing hatchery-reared juveniles to increase local recruitment beyond existing levels. However, raising enough Spotted Seatrout in an intensive aquaculture system has proven difficult due to aggression and cannibalism during the larval stages.

The manipulation of stocking density …

Resident Benthic Fishes Of Artificial Reefs In The Mississippi Sound: Effects Of Habitat Relief And Subregion, Claire Louise Matten

Master's Theses

One of the fundamental questions of artificial reef research concerns the capability of these manmade structures to promote secondary production. Many researchers have questioned whether artificial reefs increase the production of fish biomass, or simply aggregate existing fish biomass. Most previous research has focused on production of transient fish biomass, because of the high recreational and commercial value of these species. Establishing a link between transient fish production and artificial reef primary and secondary production has proved difficult. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the productivity of benthic fishes resident to artificial reefs in the Mississippi Sound, …

Taxonomy, Diversity, And Distribution Patterns Of Portunid Crab Megalopae In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico During Fall Of 2003, Carley Rain Knight

Master's Theses

The field of zooplankton biology contributes to more accurate stock assessments as well as to a greater understanding of the marine food web. However, adequate information for the invertebrate component of zooplankton is lacking compared to the ichthyoplankton component. In this thesis, identification of Portunidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) megalopae collected during the fall of 2003 from a NOAA SEAMAP cruise revealed 7 species and 11 morphs with 90% of the total density comprised of Callinectes sapidus, Achelous gibbesii, Callinectes similis, Achelous spinicarpus, and Achelous sp.I. Keys and detailed descriptions are provided along with photographs and morphological drawings for each morph to …

Cultured Meat: A Beneficial, Crucial, And Inevitable Nutrition Technology, Mallory E. Mclaren

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Faith And Homosexuality: Grace, Religious Problem-Solving Styles And The Internalized Homophobia Of Homosexuals, Maria R. Matty

Honors Theses

The current research examines the grace-orientation and problem-solving styles of gay and lesbian people of faith relative to their relationship with God and the extent, if any, of their internalized homonegativity. This issue was investigated using psychological measures involving a) the style of religious problem-solving, b) internalized homonegativity, c) feelings of shame and guilt and d) personal experiences of grace. Statistical analyses found that having less homonegativity toward oneself and the disclosure of homosexuality is associated with higher levels of experienced grace and lower feelings of shame and guilt. Collaborative and deferring religious problem-solving styles correlated positively with both experienced …

Purple Urine Bag Syndrome: Regulation Of Pyrimidine Enzymes, Ashley N. Broadway

Honors Theses

Purple Urine Bag Syndrome, PUBS, is a unique condition that shows an interesting discoloration of the urine from women who have a chronic catheter. This study focused on the regulation of enzyme activities to determine the effects that may create an environment where PUBS is seen in patients with catheters. In this study, the reductive pyrimidine pathway was used to read out the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15692. This microorganism expresses a pathway that synthesizes indoxyl from tryptophan. The bacteria strains were grown using various carbon and nitrogen sources. Concentrations of acetonitrile at 2 mM and 10 mM, concentrations of …

The Need For Government Oversight Over Do-It-Yourself Biohacking, The Wild West Of Synthetic Biology, George Blazeski

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Functional Implications Of Demyelination And The Molecular Control Of Remyelination In The Adult Mouse., Nicholas John Kuypers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oligodendrocyte (OL) loss contributes to the functional deficits underlying diseases with a demyelinating component (Gajjar et al., 1997; Miller et al., 2002). Remyelination can restore these deficits (Duncan et al., 2009). Chapter 1 is an introduction to de- and re-myelination thus providing the necessary background information for consideration in subsequent chapters. Ethidium bromide (EB) has been extensively used in the rat and cat as a model of spinal cord demyelination. However, this lesion has not been addressed in the adult mouse. Therefore, Chapters 2 and 3 characterize a model of chronic EB-induced spinal cord demyelination in the mouse which can …

Effect Of Metallic Restoration Artifacts On Maxillofacial Cone Beam Computed Tomography Images., Mitali Binani 1987-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artifacts due to high-density objects (HDO) such as metallic dental restorations on maxillofacial cone beam computed tomographic (CBCT) images can render certain areas unsuitable for diagnosis. It was hypothesized that image quality due to HDO artifacts was affected by CBCT acquisition parameters and the number and configuration of HDO. Simulated complete maxillary and mandibular dental arches were constructed using dental stone and extracted teeth. Conservative coronal dental amalgam (MOD) restorations on premolar and molar teeth were used as HDOs. Gray values (GV) measured on uniform dental stone test cylinders at specific levels from the occlusal plane at three tooth locations …

Prevalence Of Knowledge In Forensic Anthropological Field Methods Within Traditional Forensic Investigation., Cassandra Christina Rausch 1988-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As forensic evidence has come to be of increasing importance in the courtroom, standards and practices regarding documentation, collection, and preservation of evidence have also become increasingly necessary. This study examines forensic anthropological field methods and their incorporation into crime scene investigation. Prior research suggests that incorporation could increase evidence recovery, result in better preservation of evidence, and enhance chain of custody. Examination of baseline survey data and a specific cross-regional analysis seeks to discover how/if these methods are being utilized within crime scene investigation. Baseline results are compared with follow-up interviews from a small sample of agencies to examine …

Protracted Effects Of Juvenile Stressor Exposure Are Mitigated By Access To Palatable Food, Jennifer Christine Mackay, Jonathan Stewart James, Christian Cayer, Pamela Kent, Hymie Anisman, Zul Merali

Brain and Mind Institute

Stressor experiences during the juvenile period may increase vulnerability to anxiety and depressive-like symptoms in adulthood. Stressors may also promote palatable feeding, possibly reflecting a form of self-medication. The current study investigated the short- and long-term consequences of a stressor applied during the juvenile period on anxiety- and depressive-like behavior measured by the elevated plus maze (EPM), social interaction and forced swim test (FST). Furthermore, the effects of stress on caloric intake, preference for a palatable food and indices of metabolic syndrome and obesity were assessed. Male Wistar rats exposed to 3 consecutive days of variable stressors on postnatal days …

An Assessment Of The Health Needs Of Maine Veterans And Their Access To Veterans Administration Health Care Services, Kristin Brawn

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

On a state level, only a few assessments have been conducted, which indicate that Maine veterans are also experiencing similar mental and physical health issues; however, it does not appear that the adequacy of Maine’s VHA services to meet the needs of Maine’s veterans has been comprehensively evaluated. It is unknown whether the physical and mental health needs of Maine’s veterans are currently being met. Therefore, this project proposes to determine if there is a similar problem among Maine’s veterans in regard to health issues and lack of access to VHA health services, as has been reported at the national …

Novel Α-Msh Peptide Analogs For Melanoma Targeting, Adam Michael Flook

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Skin cancer is the one of the most diagnosed cancers in the United States with increasing incidence over the past two decades. There are three major forms of skin cancer but melanoma is the deadliest. It is estimated that 76,690 new diagnoses of melanoma and 9,480 deaths will occur in 2013. Melanoma accounts for approximately 1.6% of all cancer related deaths and is the 5th leading diagnosed cancer in the United States. The mean survival rate of patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma is six months, with five year survival rates of less than 5%. In this project, we describe the …

Development Of Hpv Next-Generation Virus-Like Particle Vaccines That Are Cross-Protective, Mitchell Ryan Tyler

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Virus-like particles (VLPs) comprised of viral structural proteins that self-assemble into particles resembling the native virion represent a relatively novel vaccine development strategy. Both safe and immunogenic, VLPs can be used as vaccines against the virus from which they are derived, but can also be used to present heterologous epitopes from other pathogens to the immune system. Both techniques result in high-titer antibody responses against the target epitope. Indeed, vaccines of VLPs are already available, including the two vaccines targeting Human Papillomavirus (HPV). These vaccines are very effective at preventing infection by the HPV types included in their formulation; high-risk …

Targeted Cancer Nanotherapeutics By Adoptive Transfer Of Mononuclear Splenocytes, Jaclyn Murton

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

The most common cause of cancer deaths among women is breast cancer. Current breast cancer chemotherapies rely on passive diffusion of the drug into the tumor interior, which leads to a sub-optimal drug concentration in some tumor regions. One important goal for cancer pharmaceutics is optimizing drug targeting to tumors. We propose to develop active drug delivery, mediated by the patient's immune cells. We hypothesize that circulating monocytes, known to infiltrate tumors, are effective biologically-active carriers of multifunctional nanoparticles. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MS) were isolated from the spleens of transgenic mice that are immunocompetent and spontaneously develop mammary tumors. …

Modulated Functions Of The Fanconi Anemia Core Complex, Yaling Huang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Cells derived from Fanconi anemia (FA) patients are characterized by hypersensitivity to DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), suggesting that FA genes play a role in ICL repair. Fanconi anemia core complex (including A, B, C, E, F, G, L, FAAP20, and FAAP100) activates the Fanconi pathway by providing the essential E3 ligase activity for FANCD2 mono-ubiquitination. Previous studies suggested the existence of three protein-protein interaction groups. However, the functions of most FA core complex protein are still limited to their presence in the complex. How the spatially-defined FANCD2 ubiquitination is accomplished by the core complex remains unknown.

To elucidate the roles …

Investigating The Role Of Exosomal Communication In The Glioma Microenvironment, Javier Figueroa

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Evidence indicates that human cancers are maintained by a population of cells with stem-like properties called cancer stem cells (CSCs). However, the influence of the surrounding stromal cells on the behavior of the CSCs remains poorly understood. We have recently shown that the micro-environment of human gliomas, the most aggressive human brain tumors, contains both glioma stem cells (GSCs) and cells that resemble human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), called Glioma Associated-MSCs (GA-MSCs). We have also shown that GA-MSCs generate a cytokine-mediated increase in the growth and self-renewal (clonogenicity) of GSCs. However, other paracrine interactions between GA-MSCs and GSCs …

Targeting Breast Cancer With Bacteriophage Associated Silicon Particles, Srimeenakshi Srinivasan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Nanoparticle based therapeutics have been successfully used in the treatment of breast cancer. Development of nanovectors targeted to cancer cells or elements in the tumor microenvironment has been pursued to improve their site specific accumulation while reducing the non-specific delivery to normal tissues. However, addition of targeting ligands to the surface of nanovectors while maintaining their payload carrying potential is generally challenging. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop surface decoration strategies that allow for effective combination of targeting and payload delivery to the tumor.

In this study, we propose a novel strategy for covering the surface of mesoporous …

Availability Of Dental Anomaly Phenotype In Individuals With Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Andrea M. Lewis

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Mutations in the APC gene cause familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an autosomal dominant colorectal cancer predisposition associated with the development of hundreds to thousands of adenomatous colorectal polyps beginning in childhood or adolescence. Both malignant and non-malignant extracolonic manifestations are associated with APC gene mutations, including approximately 17% of individuals with various dental anomalies. The availability of dental anomaly information in the medical record remains to be evaluated.

Methods: Medical records were reviewed for documentation of dental anomalies. Dental questionnaires were mailed to 271 individuals with FAP at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) to …

Natural And Exogenous Genome Editing In Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Patient Cells, Tamara J. Laskowski

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked primary immunodeficiency disease characterized by thrombocytopenia, recurrent infections and increased autoimmunity. This disease is caused by mutations in the WAS gene (WAS) which encodes for the WAS protein (WASp), exclusively expressed in hematopoietic cells and required for proper platelet production and lymphoid cell function. Approximately 11% of patients with WAS exhibit a phenomenon called Somatic Revertant Mosaicism which is characterized by the presence of lymphocytes which naturally revert back to normal phenotype by restoring WASp expression. To date, the mechanisms of this naturally-occurring gene therapy remains poorly understood, and the full extent …

The Observer, Central Washington University

Student Newspaper

Student newspaper for Central Washington University for May 1-7, 2014. Vol. 97, No. 4.

Chronic, Lethal Versus Acute, Non-Lethal Threats: A Look Inside The Memories Of Cancer Patients At The Time Of Their Diagnosis, Angeline M. Modesti

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Consequentiality, affect, and rehearsal are also important components that help contribute to the recall of autobiographical memories. Traditionally, these features have been assessed in public dramatic events in the past such as the Challenger explosion and the 9/11 terrorist attack. In opposition to these traditionally studied events, the present study examined the effects of these features on five different private events. An analysis of these different experiences was assessed to determine the role of consequentiality, affect, and rehearsal play on memory recall. These three components were assessed in five different events during different points of the lifetime. Adults diagnosed with …

The Agronomy Jigsaw: Finding The Pieces That Maximise Water Use Efficiency, David Hall, Paul Galloway, Jeremy Lemon, Ben Curtis, Andrew Van Burgel, Kelly Kong, Nigel Metz,

Bulletins 4000 -

The Agronomy Jigsaw project is an initiative of the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) in collaboration with the South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) and Precision Agronomics Australia (PAA). The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded the project under the water use efficiency initiative (DAW193).

Improving water use efficiency (WUE) is the key to increasing crop production in dryland agriculture. In southern Western Australia (WA), water use efficiencies of wheat can vary from 8 to 22kg/mm/ha. The purpose of the Agronomy Jigsaw project is to understand this variation at paddock level: What are the main …

Effects Of Light Brushing On Clinical Pain Intensity And Experimental Pain Sensitivity In Fibromyalgia Patients, Melissa Wassink

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Factors Affecting The Probability Of Acoustic Detection And Site Occupancy Of Bats In Central Indiana, Zachary David Epping Kaiser

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Documenting the presence of rare bat species can be difficult. The current summer survey protocol for the federally endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) requires passive acoustic sampling with directional microphones (e.g., Anabats), but there are still questions about best practices for choosing survey sites and appropriate detector models. Indiana bats are capable of foraging in an array of cover types, including structurally-complex, interior forests. Further, data acquisition among different commercially available bat detectors is likely highly variable, due to the use of proprietary microphones with different frequency responses, sensitivities, and directionality. We paired omnidirectional Wildlife Acoustic SM2BAT+ (SM2) and directional …