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A Novel Computational System For Identification Of Biological Processes From Multi-Dimensional High-Throughput Genomic Data, Julian Marshall Dymacek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Identifying potential toxicity signaling pathways could guide future animal studies and support human risk assessment and intervention efforts. This thesis describes a novel computational approach for identifying biological processes and pathways that are significantly associated with a disease pathology from time series, dose response, gene expression data.;Our system employs a novel constrained non-negative matrix factorization algorithm and Monte Carlo Markov chain simulation to identify underlying patterns in mRNA gene expression data. Quantitative pathology can be used as a pattern constraint. The found patterns can be thought of as functions that influence a gene's expression. Using a database of curated gene …

The Keyboard Works Of Alex Shapiro, Elizabeth Mary Etnoyer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This project serves as a broad introduction to the keyboard works of American composer Alex Shapiro (1962-present), with primary focus on her works for solo piano. Ms. Shapiro has developed a well-established reputation as a serious and innovative composer, writing both acoustic and electroacoustic music for a variety of musical genres including instrumental solo and chamber music, as well as music for large ensembles. Shapiro's writing is often influenced by extramusical ideas, such as her solo piano piece Luvina (2007), a work based on the short story with that name by Mexican author Juan Rulfo. With scores that often include …

Investigations Of Pasteuria And The Root-Lesion Nematode Pratylenchus Penetrans In Soils Collected From Certified Organic Farms In The Mid-Atlantic United States, Tiara Nicole King

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Occurrence of lesion nematodes and Pasteuria, an obligate bacterial parasite, was surveyed in 34 soils collected from certified organic farms in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Pasteuria endospores were observed on Pratylenchus crenatus in six of 22 soils. Population density of Pratylenchus in soils lacking signs of Pasteuria correlated positively with soil pH, cation exchange capacity, and concentration of phosphorus pentoxide and calcium. Pasteuria was detected on Pratylenchus in nematode suppressive soils at the West Virginia University Organic Research Farm. Interactions between Pasteuria and Pratylenchus penetrans were studied in two laboratory bench-top experiments. Soil treatment effects on reproduction of Pratylenchus penetrans …

Improving Wellbore Cement Performance Through The Application Of Nano-Materials For Oil And Gas Integrity, Benjamin J. Kleiner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

It is the ultimate goal that the application of nano-materials in wellbore cement enhance not only the integrity of the cement, but also the public view of the petroleum industry. Wellbore integrity should be a paramount concern of all petroleum companies due to the potential severity of the consequences if integrity is not maintained. Ecosystems, animal and plant life, and even human life are at great risk if wellbore integrity fails. It is this fact that the motivation for this thesis is based upon. Nano silica is the nano-particle under investigation for this thesis. Furthermore, wellbore integrity will be improved …

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) Ovisac And Its Associations With The Environment, Sunghoon Baek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (Pinales: Pinaceae) is an important tree species in eastern North America ecosystems. During the past 65 years, eastern hemlock stands have been threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae). The goal of this research was to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of A. tsugae populations. First, the appropriate sample unit for A. tsugae was determined based on within-branch and -tree distribution of A. tsugae. The results of this study showed that A. tsugae ovisacs were more frequently found at the tip of a branch and no significant (P > 0.05) differences in …

Identification Of A Critical Gene In The Dihydroergot Alkaloid Pathway, Yulia Bilovol

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ergot alkaloids, bioactive compounds produced by some species of fungi, have had significant impacts on agriculture and medicine. Claviceps purpurea and Epichloe spp. are ergot alkaloid producers associated with agricultural commodities and negatively affect humans and grazing animals, respectively. Another ergot alkaloid-producing fungus called Aspergillus fumigatus is ubiquitous in the environment; infections arising after inhaling the spores may kill immunocompromised persons. Ergot alkaloids and their derivatives are utilized by the pharmaceutical industry for the development of drugs. Some of these drugs are derived from lysergic acid, whereas others are derived from dihydrolysergic acid. Lysergic acid derivatives have vasoconstrictive properties and …

Phylogenetic Relationships Among Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Species In The Deeply Rooted Archaeosporales (Glomeromycota), Robert J. Bills

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the phylum Glomeromycota are globally distributed biotrophic fungi that form symbiotic associations with a majority of terrestrial plants. Their global beneficial role in plant and soil ecology warrants a better understanding of their evolutionary history and taxonomic relationships. This project focused on species relationships in two deeply rooted families Ambisporaceae and Archaeosporaceae. In one study, analysis of morphology and 28S ribosomal DNA (LSU) sequences resulted in two major changes that redefined Ambispora to include only species that were dimorphic for both acaulosporoid and glomoid spore types. First, species described as producing only glomoid spores (Am. …

Evolution Of A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase Gene Family In Vertebrates, Shashwati Bhattacharya

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A disintegrin and metalloproteinases (ADAMs) are a family of transmembrane proteins which have diverse functions in various tissues. They play important roles in cellular and developmental processes and are present in various species. ADAMs are classified according to their expression in tissues into the somatic ADAMs (sADAMs) and the testicular ADAMs (tADAMs). The sADAMs are expressed in somatic tissues, and the testicular ADAMs (tADAMs) are expressed predominantly in the testis. The tADAMs are further classified into Group I and Group II, based on the absence or presence of introns. The mechanism of evolution of the tADAMs was unknown. Using bioinformatics …

Kruppel-Like Factor 4 (Klf4) Regulates Protumorigenic Signaling In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (Tnbc) Cells, Sriganesh B. Sharma

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The zinc-finger pluripotency factor Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) exerts context dependent roles in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and the pathobiology of many malignancies, including breast cancer. Despite the multitude of studies focused on the role of KLF4 across these contexts, the signaling programs that are regulated by this factor in breast cancer cells remain unclear. In this dissertation we deliniate three KLF4-dependent protumorigenic signaling axes that endow triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells with enhanced capacity to resist cell stress.;In the first study (Chapter 2), we found that KLF4 promotes the expression of two microRNAs (miRs), miR-206 and miR-21 (miR-206/21), …

Evaluating Changes In Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behaviors Associated With Hpv Following An Educational Intervention Among Women, Crystal Sheaves

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Prevalence of HPV is estimated to be 10-15% Americans. HPV is recognized as the causative agent in 99.7% of all cervical cancers. In 2006, a vaccine was released to prevent specific types of HPV that cause cervical cancer. Despite demonstrated vaccine safety and efficacy, vaccine rates are still low at less than 20% among women 18-26 years old. Vaccine uptake may be impacted by women's HPV knowledge and beliefs.;Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in women's knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors associated with HPV following an educational intervention study. Specifically, the study was designed to evaluate …

Transformation Of A Pre-Algebra Developmental Mathematics Course That Led To The Redesign Of The Developmental Mathematics Program At A Rural Community College, Mary Beth Angeline

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation documents the redesign of a developmental mathematics program at a rural community college and compares the course pass rates between the redesigned courses and the traditional lecture-based courses. A design and developmental methodology was used to chronicle changes to outcomes, learning environment, instructor role, and curricular practices over four course offerings that occurred over three semesters. Effectiveness of these changes was used to continually make corrections to the course structure, and make a case to expand the redesign of the course to the entire developmental mathematics program.

Robot Saints, Christopher B. Swift

Publications and Research

In the Middle Ages, articulating religious figures like wooden Deposition crucifixes and ambulatory saints were tools for devotion, techno-mythological objects that distilled the wonders of engineering and holiness. Robots are gestures toward immortality, created in the face of the undeniable fact and experience of the ongoing decay of our fleshy bodies. Both like and unlike human beings, robots and androids occupy a nebulous perceptual realm between life and death, animation and inanimation. Masahiro Mori called this in-between space the “uncanny valley.” In this essay I argue that unlike a modern person apprehending an android (the uncanny human-like object that resides …

Language And Cooperation In Hominin Scavenging, Bart J. Wilson, Samuel R. Harris

ESI Working Papers

Bickerton (2009, 2014) hypothesizes that language emerged as the solution to a scavenging problem faced by proto‐humans. We design a virtual world to explore how people use words to persuade others to work together for a common end. By gradually reducing the vocabularies that the participants can use, we trace the process of solving the hominin scavenging problem. Our experiment changes the way we think about social dilemmas. Instead of asking how does a group overcome the selfinterest of its constituents, the question becomes, how do constituents persuade one another to work together for a common end that yields a …

Critical Changes In Cortical Neuronal Interactions In Anesthetized And Awake Rats, Anthony G. Hudetz, Jeannette A. Vizuete, Siveshigan Pillay, Kristina M. Ropella

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Neuronal interactions are fundamental for information processing, cognition, and consciousness. Anesthetics reduce spontaneous cortical activity; however, neuronal reactivity to sensory stimuli is often preserved or augmented. How sensory stimulus–related neuronal interactions change under anesthesia has not been elucidated. In this study, the authors investigated the visual stimulus–related cortical neuronal interactions during stepwise emergence from desflurane anesthesia.

Methods: Parallel spike trains were recorded with 64-contact extracellular microelectrode arrays from the primary visual cortex of chronically instrumented, unrestrained rats (N = 6) at 8, 6, 4, and 2% desflurane anesthesia and wakefulness. Light flashes were delivered to the retina …

The Neuromuscular Response To Spinal Manipulation: Quantifying The Effect Of Pain With Electromyography, Stuart James Currie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective

To establish a methodology to quantify the neuromuscular response to spinal manipulation, develop a comprehensive date set including factors that affect the response, and compare the responses in both healthy participants and participants with acute and chronic low back pain.

Methods

Surface and indwelling electromyography at eight muscle locations were recorded during lumbar side-lying manipulations in 20 asymptomatic participants, 20 acute pain participants, and 20 chronic pain participants. Onset delay detection was optimized for signal detection failures and methodological comparisons were performed using a generalized linear model. The number of muscle responses and muscle activity onset delays in relation …

A Master's Recital In Flute, Natalie Mahree Neshyba

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Natalie Neshyba presented a graduate flute recital on Friday, March 6th, 2015 at 6:00 pm in Davis Hall of the Gallagher‐Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at the University of Northern Iowa. This recital was given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Music degree in flute performance. Dr. Polina Khatsko, pianist, performed alongside Ms. Neshyba on two selections. The program began with an unaccompanied work, Les Folies d’Espagne, by Marin Marais. Next on the program was Claude Debussy’s Sonata in G minor L140 for flute and piano, which was recently transcribed from the original violin version by Dr. …

How National Park Law Really Works, John Copeland Nagle

University of Colorado Law Review

This Article provides the first explanation of the relationship between three overlapping sources of national park law. It first explains how the Organic Act affords the National Park Service substantial discretion to manage the national parks, including deciding the proper balance between enjoyment and conservation in particular instances. It next shows how federal environmental statutes push national park management toward preservation rather than enjoyment. Finally, the Article explains that Congress often intervenes to mandate particular management outcomes at individual parks, typically but not always toward enjoyment rather than preservation. The result is that the National Park Service has substantial discretion …

Intrastate Preemption In The Shifting Energy Sector, Uma Outka

University of Colorado Law Review

The United States energy sector is in a state of transition, at once moving toward cleaner energy resources, but also expanding the use of fossil fuels with new access to oil and gas plays. Although federalism concerns have dominated the literature, I argue here that the state-local relationship and intrastate preemption are shaping energy policy in important and under-examined ways. The energy transition to date has been marked by growth centered on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and commercial wind development, both of which are mostly regulated at the state level. Local governments have exerted authority over both forms of energy production, …

A Lawyer Looks At Civil Disobedience: Why Lewis F. Powell Jr. Divorced Diversity From Affirmative Action, Anders Walker

University of Colorado Law Review

This Article reconstructs Lewis F. Powell Jr.'s thoughts on the civil rights movement by focusing on a series of littleknown speeches that he delivered in the 1960s lamenting the practice of civil disobedience endorsed by Martin Luther King Jr. Convinced that the law had done all it could for blacks, Powell took issue with King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail," impugning its invocation of civil disobedience and rejecting its calls for compensatory justice to make up for slavery and Jim Crow. Dismissive of reparations, Powell developed a separate basis for supporting diversity that hinged on distinguishing American pluralism from Soviet totalitarianism. …

Identity Contests: Litigation And The Meaning Of Social- Movement Causes, Mary Ziegler

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Risk Factors For Slip Accidents Among Police Officers And School Crossing Guards: An Exploratory Study, Chantal Gauvin, David Pearsall, Mohsen Damavandi, Yannick Michaud-Paquette, Bruno Farbos, Daniel Imbeau

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Entre 2005 et 2007, les accidents de type glissades, trébuchements et chutes de même niveau ont représenté 12,6 % de l’ensemble des lésions indemnisées par la Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec (CSST) et ont entraîné des débours de 90 millions de dollars. Deux secteurs professionnels, soit les policiers et les brigadiers scolaires, ont sollicité l’appui de l’Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) pour les aider à réduire et/ou prévenir les glissades qui, globalement, représentent près de la moitié de ces accidents. Afin de mieux cibler les interventions …

A Protocol For Animal Assisted Therapy In A Midwestern Hospital, Alexie J. Traiser, Katie J. Huot

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has been shown to improve physiological, psychological, social, and physical aspects of clients (Miller & Ingram, 2000; Diefenbeck, Bouffard, Matukaitis, Hastings & Coble, 2010). AAT increases an individual’s strength, cognition, range of motion, and balance (Miller & Ingram, 2000). The use of animals within therapy also decreases anxiety, heart rate, blood pressure, and pain while also improving attention and social participation (Diefenbeck et al., 2010). The role of animals within AAT provides the therapist with a unique tool to utilize in various aspects of therapy. Depending on the treatment plan, the therapist can utilize the animal …

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Prevent Pulmonary Endothelial Hyperpermeability And Acute Lung Injury By Regulating Heat Shock Protein 90 Function, Atul D. Joshi, Nektarios Barabutis, Charalampos Birmpas, Christiana Dimitropoulou, Gagan Thangjam, Mary Cherian-Shaw, John Dennison, John D. Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

Transendothelial hyperpermeability caused by numerous agonists is dependent on heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and leads to endothelial barrier dysfunction (EBD). Inhibition of Hsp90 protects and restores transendothelial permeability. Hyperacetylation of Hsp90, as by inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDAC), suppresses its chaperone function and mimics the effects of Hsp90 inhibitors. In this study we assessed the role of HDAC in mediating lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced transendothelial hyperpermeability and acute lung injury (ALI). We demonstrate that HDAC inhibition protects against LPS-mediated EBD. Inhibition of multiple HDAC by the general inhibitors panobinostat or trichostatin provided protection against LPS-induced transendothelial hyperpermeability, acetylated and suppressed Hsp90 …

Polychlorinated Biphenyl Source Identification In Fish Tissue Using A Multivariate Statistical Evaluation Of Congeners And Stable Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry, William Edward Corl Iii

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were commercially produced mixtures primarily utilized as dielectric fluids in the electrical industry. However, due to their stability, they were widely used in many other applications. Although production of PCBs ceased in the 1970's, they continue to be a contaminant in the environment due to their widespread use, their recalcitrant behavior, and their proposed toxicological effects.

In 2008, a routine environmental investigation of an abandoned, concrete-lined pool at a Department of Defense (DoD) training facility in Williamsburg, Virginia led to the discovery of a PCB release from the facility into an adjacent reservoir. A forensic study was …

Coordinating Gesture, Word, And Diagram: Explanations For Experts And Novices, Seokmin Kang, Barbara Tversky, John B. Black

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Successful explanations are a symphony of gesture, language, and props. Here, we show how they are orchestrated in an experiment in which students explained complex systems to imagined novices and experts. Visual-spatial communication—diagram and gesture—was key; it represents thought more directly than language. The real or virtual diagrams created from gestures served as the stage for explanations, enriched by language and enlivened by deictic gestures to convey structure and iconic gestures to enact the behavior and functionality of the systems. Explanations to novices packed in more information than explanations to experts, emphasizing the information about action that is difficult for …

Neural Network Analysis On The Effect Of Heat Fluxes On Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Anaerobic Swine Waste Treatment Lagoon, N. Lovanh, J. Loughrin, M. Rysz, A. I. Quintanar, B. T. Oh, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Experimental Approaches To Derive Cd34+ Progenitors From Human And Nonhuman Primate Embryonic Stem Cells, Qiang Shi, John L. Vandeberg

School of Medicine Publications

Traditionally, CD34 positive cells are predominantly found in the umbilical cord and bone marrow, thus are considered as hematopoietic progenitors. Increasing evidence has suggested that the CD34+ cells represent a distinct subset of cells with enhanced progenitor activity; CD34 is a general marker of progenitor cells in a variety of cell types. Because the CD34 protein shows expression early on in hematopoietic and vascular-associated tissues, CD34+ cells have enormous potential as cellular agents for research and for clinical cell transplantation. Directed differentiation of embryonic stem cells will give rise to an inexhaustible supply of CD34+ cells, creating an exciting approach …

Environmental Federalism’S Tug Of War Within, Erin Ryan

Scholarly Publications

The intensity of federalism disputes reflects inexorable pressure on all levels of government to meet the increasingly complicated challenges of governance in an ever more interconnected world. Yet even as federalism dilemmas continue to erupt all from all corners, environmental law remains at the forefront of controversy. This chapter argues that environmental law is uniquely prone to federalism discord because it inevitably confronts the core question with which federalism grapples — who gets to decide? — in contexts where state and federal claims to power are simultaneously at their strongest. Environmental problems tend to match the need to regulate the …

Caged Manhood : Office Culture And How Walter Camp's Daily Dozen Revitalized The Workforce, 1903-1940, Nick Sly

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis is examines how culture became a means to deal with the problems of over-civilization in the early twentieth century. The realities of a salaried position and corporate work spaces had dramatically changed how the middle class felt about work. Looking at the writings of Walter Camp, the human relations movement, and the exercise culture of the period one can see how the office space was not simply a place of work but a new context for constructing masculinity and a sense of worth.

Implementation Of The Environmental Issues Instruction Model By Elementary Teachers, Barbara Ann Ehlers

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Teachers attend many professional development experiences throughout their professional careers. Many teachers attend because they have a personal desire for professional growth. In addition, in the state of Iowa, they are required to engage in professional development to renew teacher licensure. Professional development is offered on a myriad of topics including the latest educational research on learning, innovations in curriculum, and instructional strategies to use in the classroom. However, just attending does not guarantee improved professional practice. After these experiences teachers may or may not implement the strategies, teaching methods, or information they have learned.

This qualitative study analyzed data …