Digital Commons Network^™

Educated Birth: Beliefs Vs. Outcomes, Lauren Presley

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

“Our infant mortality rate is a national embarrassment.”¹ The words seem shocking and harsh across the headline of a 2014 Washington Post article. The thought of America not only not being the best at something, but falling upsettingly behind, is a foreign concept to many who view America as a nation inferior to none. However, the statistics on infant mortality rate tell the stark truth that of 26 “wealthy” countries, the U.S. ranks last, with a sobering 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live infant births.²

Part of the Healthy People 2020 Objectives is to reduce the rate of infant …

Association Between Recipient’S Preexisting Antibodies And Allograft Vasculopathy And Mortality In Heart Transplant Patients, Hoang Tran

Theses & Dissertations

Objectives: To evaluate the role of preexisting Angiotensin II receptor type I antibodies (AT1RAb) and anti-HLA antibodies in predicting mortality and cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) among heart transplant patients.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included 114 adults who received heart transplant from January 1^st, 2007 to December 31, 2014 and were followed up at Nebraska Medicine. 48 hours pre-transplant sera sample were used to detect antibodies. A cutoff of 10UL/ml was used for AT1RAb positive and mean fluorescence intensity of 3,000 and 1,500 were used for anti HLA class I and class II, respectively. Patients were …

Gut Microbiota Of Migratory Passerines At Stopover, William Bagley Lewis

Master's Theses

Although the gut microbiota provides many beneficial functions to animal hosts, relatively little is known about the gut microbiota of passerines. It is likely that gut microbes are especially important during the migratory phase; however gut atrophy experienced during prolonged migratory flight may cause disruptions of the stable microbiota. Fecal samples were collected from several species of passerine after crossing the Gulf of Mexico during spring migration and before crossing during fall, and microbiota communities were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. Despite showing large inter-individual variation, a core microbiota composed largely of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria was identified in all birds. Microbiota …

A Platform For Fast Detection Of Let-7 Micro Rna Using Polyaniline Fluorescence And Image Analysis Techniques, Partha P. Sengupta

Master's Theses

The project describes a new strategy for transducing hybridization events through modulating intrinsic properties of the electroconductive polymer polyaniline (PANI). When DNA based probes electrostatically interact with PANI, its fluorescence properties are increased, a phenomenon that can be enhanced by UV irradiation. Hybridization of target nucleic acids results in dissociation of probes causing PANI fluorescence to return to basal levels. By monitoring restoration of base PANI fluorescence as little as 10^-11 M (10 pM) of target oligonucleotides could be detected within 15 minutes of hybridization. Detection of complementary oligos was specific, with introduction of a single mismatch failing to …

Same-Sex Socio-Sexual Interactions Among A Group Of Captive Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Natalia Botero Acosta

Master's Theses

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) frequently engage in non-reproductive sexual behavior, including homosexual encounters. In order to better understand the nature and function of these interactions, a longitudinal study of the patterns of association and the dynamics of initiator/recipient role exchange was conducted. Underwater video footage of a colony of bottlenose dolphins housed at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS), collected between March of 2010 and May of 2013, was analyzed. Associations occurring during homosexual interactions were transitory for most individuals. Nonetheless, subsequent analyses allowed the rejection of the null hypothesis of random association, suggesting the existence of …

Reprogramming To Pluripotency Using Small Molecule Compounds, Brittany E. Greenberg

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) through the use of small molecule compounds has evolved as a potential cellular reprogramming strategy. Individually, specific small molecule compounds have previously been shown to replace reprogramming transcription factors or enhance the efficiency of cellular reprogramming. More recently, a combination of small molecule compounds can replace all of the reprogramming factors. In this review, we describe in detail the generation of chemically induced pluripotent stem cells using small molecule inhibitors and activators that target either downstream protein kinases or modify chromatin structure to promote somatic cell reprogramming. In addition, epigenetic modulating small …

Development Of Oral Vaccines Against Lyme Disease, Rita Raquel Dos Anjos De Carvalho E Melo

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Lyme Disease, caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States and Europe. If left untreated, it can lead to permanent damage to the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. In some cases, patients that receive the recommended antibiotic therapy develop a debilitating health condition associated with substantial health care costs. Despite current preventive measures, the incidence and the geographic distribution of Lyme Disease continues to increase. Recent estimates from CDC suggest that the true number of cases of Lyme Disease in the US is approximately 300,000 per year. Yet, there is currently no vaccine …

Optimization Of Lead Spectinamide Compounds As Novel Anti-Tuberculosis Agents With A Pharmacometric Approach, Ashit Rasendu Trivedi

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

In an effort to combat the global Tuberculosis pandemic, Dr.Richard E. Lee and his group at St.Jude Children’s Research Hospital designed a novel series of anti-tuberculosis agents, spectinamides – semi-synthetic analogs of spectinomycin. Spectinamides are a potent inhibitor of mycobacterial ribosomes and overcome efflux mediated drug resistance in M. tb. Spectinamides have shown an excellent in vitro activity, which makes them well suited for further lead optimization and preclinical development. We hypothesized that through pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) model-based dosing optimization studies, we could strategically guide the selection and refinement of more potent and effective anti-TB spectinamides. Biopharmaceutical in …

Title Ix Giveth And The Religious Exemption Taketh Away: How The Religious Exemption Eviscerates The Protection Afforded Transgender Students Under Title Ix, Amanda Bryk

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Development And Evaluation Of Amphotericin B Loaded Iron Oxide Nanoparticles For Targeted Drug Delivery To Systemic Fungal Infections, Pavan Balabathula

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

A targeted nanotheronostic drug delivery system to diagnose and treat life threatening invasive fungal infections (IFIs) such as cryptococcal meningitis was designed, developed, characterized, and evaluated. To address the development processes, first, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP) (34-40 nm) coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA), loaded and targeted with amphotericin B (AMB) (AMB-IONP) was formulated by applying a layer by layer approach. Several designs (A, B, C, D, & E) of AMB-IONP were developed and their physicochemical properties such as drug loading with HPLC method, particle size, poly dispersity index (PDI), and ζ-potential using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique, morphology with …

Anthropogenic Influences On The Tolipir Landscape, Lesser Himalayas, Pakistan, Abu Ul Hassan Faiz, Fakhar-I- Abbas, Lariab Zahra

Journal of Bioresource Management

The present study describes anthropogenic pressure in Tolipir landscape of lesser Himalayas. The GIS tools, questionnaire and field sampling surveys were used to estimate threats in landscape. The study was conducted from January 2013 to January 2014. The five model villages (Ali Sojal, Kanchi Kot, Khori Chana, Kahoo Kot and Noor Kot) of Tolipir landscape were selected to determine anthropogenic pressure. The study documents that Tolipir landscape has average number of house (350 ± 82.4), with number of individual per house (10.8 ± 1.1) and fuel consumption per day (43.72±3.30) kg. The preferred fuel wood plant species among inhabitants of …

Genetic Control Of Survival And Weight Loss During Pneumonic Burkholderia Pseudomallei (Bp) Infection, Felicia D. Emery

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) is a saprophytic, gram-negative aerobe and the causative agent of the disease melioidosis. Melioidosis is an infectious disease that occurs in humans and animals and is prevalent in Southeast Asia, northern Australia and other tropical areas. Transmission occurs through direct contact with the organism via ingestion, inhalation, or through open wounds and skin abrasions. Clinical presentation is extremely variable and can range from acute septicemia with bacterial dissemination to distant sites, to an isolated pulmonary infection. Treatment of melioidosis can be problematic because it is often difficult to diagnose and Bp is resistant to a diverse group …

Bioarchaeological Analysis Of Oak View Landing (40dr1): An Archaic Population In The Kentucky Lake Reservior, Katy D. Grant-Mclemore

Master's Theses

The biocultural examination of the Archaic population recovered at Oak View Landing (40DR1) investigates the lifeways and adaptations of prehistoric people as they reflect sociopolitical and subsistence strategies.

A comprehensive bioarchaeological analysis was conducted on the adult individuals (18 males, 16 females, 16 of indeterminate sex) excavated from a multiple occupation site located along the Tennessee River in Decatur County, Tennessee. Skeletal indicators used to understand biocultural phenomena were assessed macroscopically on cranial and postcranial elements. Furthermore, mortuary data, for adults and subadults, were used to determine any patterns of preferential treatment at death.

Results from this study indicate that …

Paleopathology At The Shady Grove Site (22qu525): A Study Of Health In The Upper Yazoo Basin During The Middle Mississippian Period, Christopher Brady Davis

Master's Theses

The Mississippian Period (AD 1000-1539) is characterized by increasingly sedentary populations, mound building, ranked societies, and intensified agriculture. As agriculture spread throughout the Eastern Woodlands, it led to widespread health consequences, including poor nutrition and increased levels of infection. Also, environmental shifts during the Mississippian Period (AD 1000-1539) caused drier conditions, potentially leading to crop failures further exacerbating nutritional problems.

This thesis focuses on the health of the Shady Grove site in the Upper Yazoo Basin, a Middle to Late Mississippian medium sized mound center where an ossuary containing up to 100 individuals was excavated in 2010. Focusing only on …

The Vascular Flora Of Wayne County, Mississippi, Daniel M. Mcnair

Master's Theses

The vascular flora of Wayne County, Mississippi, was surveyed from 2013–2015, and the species of native and naturalized plants are listed. In total, 1,135 species were identified from field collections, previously collected herbarium specimens, and field observations. These belong to 556 genera and 165 families. Four of these species represent first recorded occurrences in the state of Mississippi: Blyxa aubertii Rich., Gomphrena serrata Pav. ex Moq., Isoetes valida (Engelm.) Clute, and Polypogon interruptus Kunth. GPS coordinates are given for important collection sites representing the diversity of plant communities in the county. All voucher specimens from the survey are deposited in …

Staging Sex Or Fighting Foreignness? Marlowe's Edward Ii As Xenophobic Drama, James D. Baker

Master's Theses

Christopher Marlowe’s drama Edward II has long been known for its representation of a close male, arguably homosexual, friendship between King Edward II and his favorite, the French Piers Gaveston, as well as their union’s negative effects on the court. Indeed much criticism exists on the common belief that the characters’ relationship is problematic in early modern England both because the two characters are male and because there is an obvious class divide. However, critics have seemed to overlook Gaveston’s being French, even in light of the massive immigration to England during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. This …

High Resolution Melt Analysis Of Samples With Differential Dna Methylation To Identify Tissue Source Of Origin, Stephanie M. Ledgerwood

Master's Theses

In Forensic Science casework, identifying the source of a tissue can assist in crime scene reconstruction. Currently, presumptive testing methods to identify tissue type are utilized in crime scene laboratories, but there is a need for a more reliable confirmatory test for tissue type identification. High Resolution Melt (HRM) analysis is an innovative technology that has the potential to determine tissue types through variations in DNA methylation patterns. Recently, DNA methylation patterns have been found to correspond with specific tissue types in particular regions of DNA. Two markers, B_SPTB_03 and DDX4 have been effective in differentiating sperm from other tissue …

Child Routines And Self-Regulation As Mediators Of Parenting Practices And Externalizing Problems In Preschoolers, Lovina R. Bater

Master's Theses

Studies clearly indicate that parenting practices relate to child externalizing behaviors, although the mechanisms underlying this relation are less well understood. Researchers suggest that daily routines are one way through which parenting practices relate to externalizing behaviors, allowing children to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors accordingly, potentially promoting development of appropriate self-regulatory behaviors. Self-regulation is also a possible route through which child routines inversely relate to externalizing behaviors. These relationships have been tested in school-age and older children, yet self-regulatory abilities are known to develop during the preschool period. This study examined child routines and self-regulation as serial mediators …

Management Strategy Evaluation For The Atlantic Surfclam, Spisula Solidissima, Using A Fisheries Economics Model, Kelsey M. Kuykendall

Master's Theses

The Atlantic surfclam, Spisula solidissima, is an economically valuable bivalve harvested along the northeastern United States. The surfclam’s range has contracted and the center of the stock’s distribution has shifted north driven by warmer bottom water temperatures. Declining landings per unit effort (LPUE) in the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) is one result. Declining stock abundance and LPUE suggest that overfishing may be occurring off New Jersey. The objective of this project is to perform a management strategy evaluation (MSE) for Spisula solidissima. The terminal goal is to identify a preferred management option that promotes enhanced surfclam productivity in the …

Applying Molecular And Phenotypic Tools To Characterize Flesh Texture And Acidity Traits In The Arkansas Peach Breeding Program And Understanding The Crispy Texture In The Arkansas Blackberry Breeding Program, Alejandra Andrea Salgado Rojas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) utilizing a pedigree-based analysis (PBA) approach was performed in the peach breeding program for the first time. The pedigree consisted of seven-F1 populations, their parents, ancestors, and cultivars. Flesh firmness and titratable acidity (TA) were examined in 2011, 2012, and 2013. For TA, a consistent and strong QTL was identified on the proximal end of linkage group (LG) 5 of the peach genome. For flesh firmness, two QTLs were located on LG 4. The first QTL was located on the chromosomal region where the slow-melting flesh (SMF) DNA test was identified, and the second QTL was …

The Lonely Robin: A Children’S Book To Target Liquid Speech Sounds, Kelsey Meints

Honors Projects

The purpose of the project was to write and illustrate a children’s book for readers aged 8-10 years old. The plot was meant to engage children so that they can relate to the characters, and learn about significant real-life themes. Words were selected very carefully for the story. The book primarily focuses on words with the /l/ (e.g. lake) and /r/ (e.g. red) English phonemes. An appendix at the end of the book classifies target words according sound and syllable position. The author’s goal is that this book can be used as a tool for joint reading and independent practice …

Permanent Draft Genome Of ‘Rhodopirellula Islandica’ Strain K833, J Kizina, M Žure, E Rhiel, Et Al

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The planctomycete strain K833 was isolated from cold waters at the coast of Island and is tentatively named 'Rhodopirellula islandica'. It has a lower temperature range for growth than other genome-sequenced Rhodopirellula strains affiliating to Rhodopirellula baltica and 'Rhodopirellula europaea'. The permanent draft genome of strain K833 was obtained as part of a larger study on the biogeography of Rhodopirellula species in European marine waters. The genome consists of 55 contigs with a genome size of 7,433,200 bp. With an average nucleotide identity of 81% to related genomes of R. baltica and 'R. europaea' and more than 4000 common genes, …

Identification Of Paleo Arctic Winter Sea Ice Limits And The Marginal Ice Zone: Optimised Biomarker-Based Reconstructions Of Late Quaternary Arctic Sea Ice, Simon T. Belt, Patricia Cabedo-Sanz, Lukas Smik, Alba Navarro-Rodriguez, Sarah M.P. Berben, Jochen Knies, Katrine Husum

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Integrated Genomic Approaches Identify Major Pathways And Upstream Regulators In Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease, X Li, J Long, T He, R Belshaw, J Scott

School of Biomedical Sciences

Previous studies have evaluated gene expression in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains to identify mechanistic processes, but have been limited by the size of the datasets studied. Here we have implemented a novel meta-analysis approach to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in published datasets comprising 450 late onset AD (LOAD) brains and 212 controls. We found 3124 DEGs, many of which were highly correlated with Braak stage and cerebral atrophy. Pathway Analysis revealed the most perturbed pathways to be (a) nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in macrophages (NOROS), (b) NFkB and (c) mitochondrial dysfunction. NOROS was also up-regulated and mitochondrial …

Speculative Somatics, Ds Maranan

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Based on a presentation at The Undivided Mind conference at Plymouth University, this article sketches out speculative applications of somatics, the first person, phenomenological study of sensation, perception and movement. I first introduce the subject of somatics through an experiential exercise for the reader before summarizing theoretical aspects of somatic study. Drawing from the literature in embodied cognition and from personal recollections of embodied experiences, I propose how somatic approaches could potentially be used in working with immigrant communities, living in outer space, and empathizing with non-human animals.

Marine Microphytobenthic Assemblage Shift Along A Natural Shallow-Water Co2 Gradient Subjected To Multiple Environmental Stressors, Vivienne R. Johnson, Colin Brownlee, Marco Milazzo, Jason M. Hall-Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Post-Stroke Depression Among Stroke Survivors Attending Two Hospitals In Kampala Uganda, Martha Sajatovic, Kathyleen Smyth

Faculty Scholarship

Background: The burden of stroke worldwide is increasing rapidly. There is paucity of data on post-stroke depression (PSD) among stroke survivors in Uganda, despite the high prevalence of PSD reported elsewhere. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we assessed adult participants with confirmed first stroke with a standardized questionnaire. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess for depression among non-aphasic patients while the Aphasic Depression Rating Scale was administered to aphasic patients. Univariable and multivariable analyses performed to describe associations with PSD. Results: Forty three females (58.9%) and 30 males (41.1%) who had a stroke participated. Fifty eight (79.5%) had …

The Prospector, December 1, 2015, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Headline: Graduation Issue 2015

High-Speed Rail And Equine Issues, Peter J. Haas, Allie Scrivener

Mineta Transportation Institute

Community concerns have been raised about the possible negative impacts of high-speed rail (HSR) service on equestrian areas. Although much is known about the impact of aircraft noise on wild and domestic animals, relatively little information is available on the potential impact of HSR service on equine populations. This study will explore possible conflicts between HSR construction and operations in areas used for equestrian ranching, recreation, and related activities, and identify geographic areas where such conflicts could occur.

Viticulture Performance And Cold Hardiness Attributes Of Select Winegrape Cultivars In The Western Snake River Plain Of Idaho, Jacob Joseph Cragin

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This two part study was carried out in the Snake River Valley American viticulture area (SRV AVA) in Idaho. This area is a northern latitude, high elevation plateau where growing season is delimited by cold temperature. For the first part of the study, the performance of red and white-skinned winegrape cultivars (Vitis vinifera, L.) were compared to that of the widely grown cultivars Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Phenology, juice composition, yield, cold injury, and cold hardiness were observed during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons. Phenological events occurred later in the cooler 2011 season than the warmer 2012 …