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Anna Rice Honors Portfolio, Anna Grace Rice

Honors Capstone Portfolios

Anna Rice's honors portfolio captured in December 2015.

Methylseleninic Acid Promotes Antitumour Effects Via Nuclear Foxo3a Translocation Through Akt Inhibition, Míriam Tarrado-Castellarnau, Roldán Cortés, Miriam Zanuy, Josep Tarragó-Celada, Ibrahim H. Polat, Richard Hill, Teresa W-M Fan, Wolfgang Link, Marta Cascante

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Selenium supplement has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the risk of different cancers including lung carcinoma. Previous studies reported that the antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activities of methylseleninic acid (MSA) in cancer cells could be mediated by inhibition of the PI3K pathway. A better understanding of the downstream cellular targets of MSA will provide information on its mechanism of action and will help to optimize its use in combination therapies with PI3K inhibitors. For this study, the effects of MSA on viability, cell cycle, metabolism, apoptosis, protein and mRNA expression, and reactive oxygen species production were analysed in A549 …

Heat Transfer Mechanisms In Water-Based Nanofluids., Masoudeh Ahmadi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanofluids are a class of heat transport fluids created by suspending nano-scaled metallic or nonmetallic particles into a base fluid. Some experimental investigations have revealed that the nanofluids have remarkably higher thermal conductivities than those of conventional pure fluids and are more suited for practical application than the existing techniques of heat transfer enhancement using millimeter and/or micrometer-sized particles in fluids. Use of nanoparticles reduces pressure drop, system wear, and overall mass of the system leading to a reduction in costs over existing enhancement techniques. In this work, the heat transfer coefficient is determined experimentally using copper oxide (CuO) based …

Impact Of Urban Factors And Invasive Species On White-Footed Mouse (Peromyscus Leucopus) Habitat Use And Foraging Behavior In An Urban Forest Park., William Persons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

White-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) select for areas of greater canopy cover at the macro scale, and for areas with more CWD at the micro-scale. White-footed mice potentially avoid habitats with higher invasive species richness. White-footed mice preferentially foraged under the honeysuckle canopy in response to changes in temperature and humidity. This study suggests that the interaction between P. leucopus and ground layer invasive species is complex, and that the effect of moonlight may be diminished in this urban park. Urban ecosystems demonstrate high levels of anthropogenic land-use change, modification of abiotic inputs, and altered disturbance regimes. These changes result …

Assessing The Water Quality Benefits Of Green Infrastructure Stormwater Control Measures., Sam Abdollahian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permeable pavements systems and tree boxes are a common type of Green Infrastructure (GI) Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) that are often used for mitigating the stormwater runoff. In this study two permeable pavement systems and a tree box installed along parking lanes of an urban street in Louisville, KY, were investigated to evaluate their performance on improving stormwater runoff quality. The water quality monitoring was accomplished by analysis of samples collected from stormwater runoff and the captured stormwater volume at the bottom of the permeable pavements’ sub-base reservoir and by a drain gauge (lysimeter) installed in the tree box. Pollutants …

Development Of A Vascularized, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Liver-Tissue Mimic For Therapeutic Applications., Venkat Madhav Ramakrishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the incorporation of several technologies (stem cells, gene therapy, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine) into a single project that aims to produce a liver-tissue mimic for therapeutic applications. The liver is arguably one of the most complex organs in the body. In addition to its remarkable capacity to regenerate, it performs a host of vital functions. As a result, its impairment has widespread systemic consequences. The work described herein focused on the liver in the context of cardiovascular disease and used the heritable disorder Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) as a clinical disease model. As (a) the only definitive …

Circulating Angiogenic Stem Cells In Diabetes., Nagma Zafar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Circulating angiogenic stem cells (CACs) are rare cells found in peripheral blood that have been shown to contribute to endothelial repair and new blood vessel formation. These cells could be biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets for the assessment and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the leading cause of mortality globally and in the United States. Diabetes is an independent risk factor for CVD, and there are inconsistent reports on the role of CACs in diabetic vasculopathy. To study this further we tested the hypothesis that diabetes depletes circulating levels of CACs, due to hyperglycemia or insulin resistance and that …

Regulation Of The Retinoblastoma Tumor Suppressor By The Novel Ras Effector Nore1a., Thibaut François Barnoud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ras is the most frequently mutated oncogene in human cancers. It acts as a critical branch point in signal transduction, regulating numerous downstream effectors involved in cell growth and differentiation. While Ras can activate many growth promoting pathways, it can paradoxically regulate growth inhibitory pathways leading to apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. One of the ways Ras can inhibit the growth of cells is via a family of effectors called the RASSF proteins. RASSF5 (NORE1A) is a tumor suppressor that is frequently inactivated in human tumors by epigenetic mechanisms. NORE1A binds directly to Ras and promotes Ras-induced senescence. We have …

A Plant-Made Cholera Toxin B Subunit Enhances Mucosal Wound Healing And Protects Against Ulcerative Colitis And Colon Cancer., Keegan J Baldauf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the previously unidentified effects of a plant-produced recombinant cholera toxin B subunit (CTBp) on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and its ability to protect against inflammation in a mouse model of colonic injury and ulcerative colitis (UC). To comprehensively analyze CTBp’s impacts on the GI tract, we employed global analysis methodologies based on multi-color flow cytometry to analyze immune cell populations in GI and systemic lymphatic compartments, gene expression microarray to decipher transcript-level changes in the colon and small intestine, and 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize fecal microbiota. Based on a drastic shift observed in the immune cell …

Immunomodulation Of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells By Particulate B-Glucan In Cancer., Sabrin Husein Albeituni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are a heterogeneous population of immature myeloid cells that promote tumor progression. In this study, we investigated the effect of dectin-1 stimulation by yeast-derived particulate β-glucan in MDSC function and differentiation in cancer. In vivo treatment of mice bearing lewis lung carcinoma and mammary cell carcinoma with particulate β-glucan decreased tumor weight and splenomegaly, and reduced the accumulation of polymorphonuclear-MDSC (PMN-MDSC) but not monocytic-MDSC (M-MDSC) in the spleen and tumor. In addition, particulate β-glucan differentially modulated the function of different MDSC subsets; it enhanced PMN-MDSC respiratory burst and apoptosis, and induced the differentiation of M-MDSC into …

A Comparative Analysis Of Data Collection Systems Used In Radiography Educational Programs And The Role Mobile Electronic Devices Play, Robin S. Garner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Each radiography program has a system to collect important data from didactic and clinical settings in order to accurately assess the progress and success of students, provide the needed student intervention, and provide accreditation agencies with appropriate documentation that demonstrates student success in reaching program learning outcomes. The purpose of this research study was to determine the method of data collection and documentation used by radiography programs to evaluate student progress and to examine if MEDs play a role in evaluating and documenting student skills at the point of care.

The majority of radiography programs in this study were using …

Breeding Bird Census To Compare Long-Term Changes In The Avifauna Of The Spruce-Fir Forest On Mount Guyot, Great Smoky Mountains National Park 1967-2015, Kevin C. Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The high-elevation forests of the Southern Appalachian Mountains have been impacted and rearranged by a tiny introduced pest from Europe, known as the Balsam Woolly Adelgid (Adelges piceaea), creating a concern for conservation. Breeding bird censuses, along with botanical surveys, have been conducted periodically on an established 60-acre plot since 1967 on the virgin forested slopes of Mount Guyot, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with the last census being completed in 2015. Breeding bird populations are shown to rise and fall in response to the forest’s changes over the last 48 years. Comparisons are made between all studies in order …

Current Status And Long-Term Trends In Water Quality And Living Resources In The Virginia Tributaries And Chesapeake Bay Mainstem From 1985 Through 2014, Daniel M. Dauer, Todd A. Egerton, John R. Donat, Michael F. Lane, Suzanne C. Doughten, Cindy Johnson, Monika Arora

Status and Trends for Virginia Chesapeake Bay

The period prior to the implementation of the Chesapeake Bay Monitoring Program was characterized by a marked decline in the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. The disappearance of submerged aquatic vegetation in certain regions of the Bay, declines in the abundance of some commercially and recreationally important species, increases in the incidence of low dissolved oxygen events, changes in the Bay's food web, and other ecological problems have been related to the deteriorating water quality (e.g. USEPA, 1982,1983;Officer et al.,1984; Orth and Moore, 1984). The results of concerted research efforts in the late 1970s and early 1980s stimulated the …

Evolving Efficient Foraging Behavior In Biologically-Inspired Robot Swarms, Joshua Peter Hecker

Computer Science ETDs

Human beings are driven to explore distant new worlds as we seek to better understand our place in the Universe. Because of the inherent dangers of human spaceflight, we often send robots as surrogate explorers, controlled from millions of miles away by teams of capable rover drivers here on Earth. As technology continues to advance, scientists and engineers aspire to build low-cost, durable, fully autonomous rovers to succeed today's tele-operated extraplanetary explorers. Here we aim to advance this goal by designing and programming robots that can successfully navigate unknown and variable environments. We present a swarm robotics system that mimics …

Mechanisms By Which Dietary Ellagic Acid Attenuates Obesity And Obesity-Mediated Metabolic Complications, Inhae Kang

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ellagic acid (EA) is a polyphenol found in various fruits and plants, such as berries, pomegranates, muscadine grapes, nuts and bark of oak tree. EA has been known to exhibit anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects in various types of cancer. However, little is known about the effects of EA on obesity. Herein, 1) the lipid-lowering role of EA was identified in primary human adipose stem cells (hASCs) and human hepatoma Huh7 cells; 2) the molecular mechanisms by which EA attenuates adipogenesis by epigenetic modification were identified; 3) the effects of EA on high fat and high sucrose-mediated obesity was …

Efficacy Of Galactooliosaccharide (Gos) And/Or Rhamnose-Based Synbiotics In Enhancing Ecological Performance Of Lactobacillus Reuteri In The Human Gut And Characterization Of Its Gos Metabolic System, Monchaya Rattanaprasert

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

Probiotic L. reuteri has potential to produce antimicrobial compounds and secrete immunosuppressive factors. These metabolic attributes could benefit the human host by providing colonization resistance (competitive and metabolic exclusion) against enteropathogens and mitigating inflammation. As metabolically active cells are fundamental to such probiotic properties, synbiotic approaches that supply L. reuteri with a source(s) of carbon, energy, and/or external electron acceptor for cell growth in the gut environment could therefore prompt the probiotic to engage in beneficial activities. In this study, the efficacy of GOS and/or rhamnose-based synbiotic approaches in promoting colonization persistence and metabolic activity of L. reuteri was evaluated. …

Identification Of Color Properties Of Mangos Using Image Analysis, Md Towfqur Rahman

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this project work carried out the application of a simple machine vision system was used to measure the different color properties of mango fruit surface for grading operation. In the context of agricultural post-harvest activity, labor shortage and timeliness of operation, manual grading of fruits and other agricultural products are laborious and costly. Now-a-days non-destructive machine vision technology is used to process various post harvest operation of biological products according size, shape, defects, etc. A CCD camera with fluorescent lighting system is used to capture the mango images into the visible light region. Then the images were analyzed by …

Effects Of Wind Turbine Noise On Male Greater Prairie-Chicken Vocalizations And Chorus, Cara E. Whalen

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

Wind energy facilities are constructed without full knowledge of their effects on birds, and the noise generated by wind turbines is a particular concern. I investigated the effects of wind turbine noise on male Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) vocalizations and chorus near Ainsworth, NE, USA in 2013 and 2014. I studied 14 leks located in the area surrounding a 36-turbine wind energy facility. I used two main approaches in this study. First, I recorded Greater Prairie-Chicken boom, cackle, whine, and whoop vocalizations at each of the study leks and measured the duration, sound pressure level, peak frequency, …

Occupancy Analysis And Density Estimation Of Kori Bustards (Ardeotis Kori) And Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida Meleagris) For Use In Landscape Conservation Planning In The Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana, Kathryn R. Mccollum

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

For understudied species, more informed conservation planning and decision-making on both the local and landscape levels may be attained through the use of occupancy and abundance estimations. Here, we focus on two iconic bird species in eastern Botswana, kori bustards (Ardeotis kori) and helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris). The overall goal of this project was to better understand the hierarchy of factors that influence occupancy (ψ) and density of kori bustard and helmeted guineafowl populations within the Northern Tuli Game Reserve and how these factors may interact to affect landscape conservation and usage. We performed distance sampling …

Toward The Probing Of Dhqs Activity By Protein Engineering Through The Introduction Of Unnatural Amino Acids And The Selection Of Trna/Trna Synthetase Pairs, Shaina E. Ives

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Protein engineering is a valuable tool that allows scientist to explore how an enzyme works by mutation of key residues. This method has been used to improve function or stability of enzymes, thus allowing their use in both the lab and in industry to be expanded. Genetic incorporation of unnatural amino acids (unAA) can be used with protein engineering to exceed the current limitations, due to the limited number of functional groups of the 20 common amino acids.

The majority of this thesis will discuss the progress on incorporating the various unAA into the active site of the enzyme, Dehydroquinate …

Independent Monopoly Size In Graphs, Ahmed M. Naji, N. D. Soner

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In a graph G = (V;E), a set D ⊆V (G) is said to be a monopoly set of G if every vertex v ∈V-D has at least d(v)/ 2 neighbors in D. The monopoly size of G, denoted mo(G), is the minimum cardinality of a monopoly set among all monopoly sets in G. The set D ⊆ V (G) is an independent monopoly set in G if it is both a monopoly set and an independent set in G. The number of vertices in a minimum independent monopoly set in a graph G is the independent monopoly size of …

Accurate Spectral Solutions Of First And Second-Order Initial Value Problems By The Ultraspherical Wavelets-Gauss Collocation Method, Y. H. Youssri, W. M. Abd-Elhameed, E. H. Doha

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, we present an ultraspherical wavelets-Gauss collocation method for obtaining direct solutions of first- and second-order nonlinear differential equations subject to homogenous and nonhomogeneous initial conditions. The properties of ultraspherical wavelets are used to reduce the differential equations with their initial conditions to systems of algebraic equations, which then must be solved by using suitable numerical solvers. The function approximations are spectral and have been chosen in such a way that make them easy to calculate the expansion coefficients of the thought-for solutions. Uniqueness and convergence of the proposed function approximation is discussed. Four illustrative numerical examples are …

Economic Feasibility Of Aquaponics In Arkansas, Leah Ashley English

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concerns regarding population growth and resource scarcity have led to a recent renaissance of food production research. Over the past few decades, scientists have discovered new and innovative methods for growing food that, cumulatively, may hold the key to efficiently and sustainably feeding an ever-increasing world population. One method, known as aquaponics, has shown promise as being a sustainable solution for producing food locally in all parts of the world. Although many studies have shown aquaponic food production to be technically feasible, there are relatively few studies concerning the economic feasibility of aquaponics in various regions. To determine whether aquaponics …

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Montclair Magazine (Fall/Winter 2015), Montclair State University

Montclair: The magazine of Montclair State University

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The Regulation Of Hpv Late Gene Expression And The Potential Role Of Inkt Cells In Cervical Cancer, Patrice Nolan

Masters

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are ubiquitous, sexually transmitted viruses present in 99.7% of all cervical cancers, the second most common cancer in females worldwide. Expression of HPV L1 and L2 late genes is found only in terminally differentiated epithelial cells. As L1 and L2 proteins are highly immunogenic, it is suggested that their suppression may prevent detection of the virus by the immune system, thus acting as a prerequisite for persistence of infection. Therefore, if expression of these proteins in the lower cervical layers was induced, it could lead to clearance of the virus. One aim of this thesis was to …

Identities And Motives Of Naturalist Development Program Attendees And Their Relation To Professional Careers, Jennifer A. Mraz

Dissertations

In recent years, there has been much concern over the decline of biologists who actually identify themselves to be naturalists, which negatively impacts the field of conservation and the study of biology as a whole. This could result in a decrease in individuals who participate in naturalist-like activities, such as informal environmental education and environmental volunteerism. The purpose of my study was to determine what discourse identities were held by naturalist development program participants, how these discourse identities related to their volunteer motives in environmental settings, and how discourse identity related to professional careers. I defined identity through the lens …

Effects Of Expected Service Life Exposures On The Functional Properties And Impact Performance Of An American Football Helmet Outer Shell Material, David E. Krzeminski

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to gain a greater scientific understanding of the changes in functional material properties and impact performance of an American football helmet outer shell material under expected service life exposures. The research goals are to (i) quantify chemical, physical, thermal, and mechanical degradation of an American football outer shell material under expected environmental conditions and (ii) develop a linear drop test impact protocol to employ expected on-field impact conditions to American football helmet components and a plaque-foam (i.e., shell-liner) surrogate. Overall, a step-wise progression of analysis was demonstrated to concurrently quantify and understand changes in …

Teacher Professional Learning And High School Students' Mississippi Subject Area Test Performance, Christine A. Moseley

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was any significant relationship between specific elements of professional learning and students’ performance on the state mandated Mississippi Subject Area Testing Program (SATP2). The study includes the design qualities of professional learning, the level of teacher involvement in the professional learning process, teacher beliefs regarding professional learning, and perceived administrative support of professional learning programs. The researcher utilized an original survey instrument entitled Professional Learning Design and Perception to gather quantitative data for the study. High school teachers of Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and U. S. History in …

Olfactory Enrichment In California Sea Lions (Zalophus Californianus), Mystera M. Samuelson

Dissertations

In the wild, California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are exposed to a wide array of sensory information at all times. However, it is impossible for captive environments to provide this level of complexity. Therefore unique procedures and practices are necessary for the maintenance of physiological and psychological health in captive animals (Wells, 2009). This project aims to explore the behavioral effect of scent added to the environment, with the goal of improving the welfare of captive sea lions by introducing two scent types: 1.) Natural scents, found in their native environment, and 2.) Non-natural scents, not found in …