Digital Commons Network^™

Novel Machine Learning Methods For Modeling Time-To-Event Data, Bhanukiran Vinzamuri

Wayne State University Dissertations

Predicting time-to-event from longitudinal data where different events occur at different time points is an extremely important problem in several domains such as healthcare, economics, social networks and seismology, to name a few. A unique challenge in this problem involves building predictive models from right censored data (also called as survival data). This is a phenomenon where instances whose event of interest are not yet observed within a given observation time window and are considered to be right censored. Effective models for predicting time-to-event labels from such right censored data with good accuracy can have a significant impact in these …

An Analysis Of Plasticity In The Rat Respiratory System Following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury And The Application Of Nanotechnology To Induce Or Enhance Recovery Of Diaphragm Function, Janelle Lorien Walker

Wayne State University Dissertations

Second cervical segment spinal cord hemisection (C2Hx) results in ipsilateral hemidiaphragm paralysis. However, the intact latent crossed phrenic pathway can restore function spontaneously over time or immediately following drug administration.

WGA bound fluorochromes were administered to identify nuclei associated with diaphragm function in both the acute and chronic C2Hx models. WGA is unique in that it undergoes receptor mediated endocytosis and is transsynaptically transported across select physiologically active synapses. Comparison of labeling in the acutely injured to the chronically injured rat provided an anatomical map of spinal and supraspinal injury induced synaptic plasticity. The plasticity occurs over time in the …

Exploration Of Cancer Proliferative Signaling In Chemotherapy Drug Resistance And Mdig-Induced Tumorigenesis, Kai Wu

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

EXPLORATION OF CANCER PROLIFERATIVE SIGNALING IN CHEMOTHERAPY DRUG RESISTANCE AND MDIG-INDUCED TUMORIGENESIS

by

KAI WU

August 2016

Advisor: Dr. Fei Chen

Major: Pharmaceutical Sciences

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Aberrant intracellular signaling pathway is one of the major driving forces of malignancy through multiple stages of human cancers. Our study demonstrates that in cancer cells, the signaling pathways are profoundly and actively intertwined with each other so they can synergistically affect cell biology, including promoting development of malignancy and compensating the loss of proliferation or survival signals in responses to anti-tumor drug. Moreover, cancer cells can also adopt “non-canonical” mechanisms …

The Relationship Between Healthcare Spending And Gross Domestic Product: A Study From A Sample Of African Countries, Steven Harrington Addo

Wayne State University Dissertations

In this essay I estimate the elasticity of total healthcare expenditures with respect to gross domestic product. I also address the stationary properties of total healthcare expenditures and gross domestic product, and whether these measures are cointegrated. The empirical exercise uses a sample of African countries so that the estimates can be compared to those that have been made using data on OECD countries. To address the issue of possible endogeneity of GDP in the healthcare expenditure equation, I assume that total healthcare expenditures and gross domestic product are simultaneously determined, and using structural equations, I identify instrumental variables for …

Social Media Adoption Among University Instructors In Saudi Arabia, Khalid Abdulaziz Alasfor

Wayne State University Dissertations

There is an orientation from the government of Saudi Arabia toward social media in general. The government of Saudi Arabia considers the significance of social media in educating the Saudi community. The Saudi Ministry of Education founded the National Center for E- Learning and Distance Learning (NCeL) because it considered the importance of e-learning and distance learning for higher education (he.moe.gov.sa). NCeL supports and rewards university instructors to integrate social media in the learning process (award.elc.edu.sa). Several studies proved the significance of social media with Saudi higher education students (Alkhalifa, 2008; Salem and Alghamdi, 2011; Almadhouni, 2011). Moreover, Saudi students …

Essays On Healthy Aging From The Perspective Of A Health Production Function, Nasim Baghban Ferdows

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation examines the determinants of healthy aging among older adults using Grossman’s framework of a health production function. Healthy aging is produced using a variety of inputs, including some determined in early life, such as health and socioeconomic status as a child, others determined in young adulthood, such as education, others determined in mid-life, such as household wealth, and still others determined in later-life, such as current health habits. A production function for healthy aging is estimated using nationally representative data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study on non-institutionalized seniors, and positing a simultaneous equations mediation model, recognizing …

The Role Of Oxidative Stress In The Establishment Of Resistance To Cisplatin In Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Cells, Jimmy Belotte

Wayne State University Dissertations

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers with an estimated 22,280 new cases and 14,240 deaths expected in 2016 in the US alone. This high mortality rate can be partially attributed to a lack of universal screening and the development of resistance to the recommended chemotherapeutics. Typically, the treatment of ovarian cancer requires both cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and platinum/taxane combination chemotherapy. Initially, 50–80% of patients with advanced disease will achieve complete clinical response. Unfortunately, most will relapse within 18 months with chemoresistant disease. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of platinum resistance is critical in order to improve the …

Whsc1l1 Regulates Estrogen Receptor Activity In Sum44 Breast Cancer Cells, Jonathan Curtis Irish

Wayne State University Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading

cause of cancer death in women. While ER-positive breast cancer subtypes are initially

well-managed by targeted therapies targeting estrogen signaling, many women are

suffering from recurrence of a more aggressive, hormone insensitive cancer 5 or more years after initial remission. Late recurrence of hormone resistant breast cancer in patients

who were previously successfully treated with anti-estrogen therapies worsens

overall long-term outcomes, and specific oncogenic mutations may be driving late recurring aggressive disease in these patients. More complete characterization of the oncogenome of

a tumor may allow for the possibility …

Molecular Regulation Of Trophoblast Survival During Placentation And Pathologies Of Placental Insufficiency, Chandni V. Jain

Wayne State University Dissertations

HBEGF, is present in the uterus at the time of embryo implantation and protects first

trimester TB cells from apoptosis and promotes their invasion. The hypertensive disease, PE, in

which TB invasion of the uterine arteries is reduced and TB apoptosis is elevated, is

characterized by a reduction in HBEGF expression. In this study using a first trimester cell line

and villous explant culture key components involved in HBEGF survival signaling pathway were

identified. Specific MMP inhibitors established the requirement for MMP2 in HBEGF shedding

and upregulation. NGS identified a HIF regulated gene, HSPA6 (HSP70B’) and using specific

inhibitors it …

Selection Effect In Medigap Insurance Market With Multi-Dimensional Private Information, Yang Liu

Wayne State University Dissertations

Theoretical models of insurance suggest that when individuals have private information about their risk type alone, insurance coverage will be adversely selected by those riskier individuals due to asymmetric information. In this study we investigate whether individuals have private information of their risk type and riskier individuals are indeed more likely to choose health insurance in the context of Medigap insurance market in the United States where government intervention reinforces information asymmetry. Medigap is supplemental private insurance that optional to those who have Medicare Part A and Part B and it is used to cover some of the cost sharing …

Calponin And Cytoskeleton Dynamics In Macrophage Functions And The Pathogenesis Of Atherosclerosis, Rong Liu

Wayne State University Dissertations

Arterial atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. Macrophages play a major role in the pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerotic lesions. Modulation of macrophage function is a therapeutic target for the treatment of atherosclerosis. Calponin is an actin-filament-associated regulatory protein that inhibits the activity of myosin-ATPase and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton. Encoded by the Cnn2 gene, calponin isoform 2 is expressed at significant levels in macrophages. Deletion of calponin 2 increases macrophage migration and phagocytosis. In the present study, we investigated the effect of deletion of calponin 2 in macrophages on the pathogenesis and development of atherosclerosis. The results showed that …

Relationship Between Principal And Teachers In Urban Schools: An Examination Of Principal Leadership Practices And Teacher Morale, Tonya Renee Norwood

Wayne State University Dissertations

A pervasive issue facing today’s educational environment is teacher morale in schools. Recognizing that teacher morale in urban schools is an area of concern, and the behavior of the principals may be a contributing factor, the primary purpose of this quantitative research study was to analyze and measure the relationship between principal leadership practices and teacher morale in urban schools. The research questions focused on the relationship between principal leadership practices and teacher morale, significant differences among schools in reference to principal leadership practices, significant differences among schools in reference to teacher morale, and the principal leadership practices that had …

The Relationship Between Organizational Culture, Intrinsic Motivation, And Employee Performance: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Patricia S. Radakovich

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between specific organizational cultural factors (autonomy and meaningful work), intrinsic motivation, and employee performance through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Three separate studies were performed, one for each predictor variable: autonomy, meaningful work, and organizational culture/climate. The meta-analyses included only studies that contained correlations for all three variables and were set in a business environment. The first study concluded that autonomy is a predictor of performance; this relationship is partially mediated through intrinsic motivation. The second study concluded that meaningful work is a predictor of performance. The third study was …

Cardiolipin Is Required For Optimal Acetyl-Coa Metabolism, Vaishnavi Raja

Wayne State University Dissertations

The phospholipid cardiolipin (CL) is crucial for many cellular functions and signaling pathways, both inside and outside of mitochondria. My thesis focuses on the role of CL in energy metabolism. Many reactions of electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation, the transport of metabolites needed for these processes, and the stabilization of electron transport chain supercomplexes, require CL. Recent studies indicate that CL is required for the synthesis of iron-sulfur (Fe-S) co-factors, which are essential for numerous metabolic pathways. Activation of carnitine-acetylcarnitine translocase, which transports acetyl-CoA into the mitochondria, is CL dependent. The presence of substantial amounts of CL in the peroxisomal …

Navigating The Transition Into Motherhood: Women's Experiences Of Control, Emotions, And Social Ideals, Jody Sue Sauer-Sargent

Wayne State University Dissertations

In this dissertation, I sought to give postpartum women their own voices so that they could help define the postpartum experience on their own terms. It fills important gaps within the literature on new mothers’ experiences. A phenomenological approach was used, emphasizing the lived experiences of the women, with an overlay of autoethnography, where the personal experience of the researcher becomes important primarily in how it illuminates the phenomenon being studied. Thus, my personal experience of pregnancy into early motherhood is interwoven throughout this dissertation. Forty-two women participated in the in-depth, face-to-face interview, followed by a questionnaire. The qualitative data …

Loss Of Rap1gap: A Driver In The Progression From Dcis Of The Breast To Idc, Seema Shah

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the role of Rap1Gap in the progression of DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) to IDC (invasive ductal cancer). We employed an in-vitro three-dimensional (3D) overlay model that provides a physiologically relevant microenvironment to study mechanisms of malignant progression. Previous studies from this laboratory aimed to determine specific gene expression changes common to three models of DCIS- MCF10.DCIS, SUM 102 and SUM 225 in comparison to MCF10A cells, a model of non-transformed human mammary epithelium. The expression of 295 genes was found to be significantly altered, with 63 being increased in expression in …

Structural Characterization And Therapeutic Utility Of The Proton-Coupled Folate Transporter, Michael Roy Wilson

Wayne State University Dissertations

Folate is a B9 vitamin essential to DNA synthesis. The proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT) is a newly discovered proton/folate symporter with an acidic pH optimum and broad expression across a variety of solid tumor types, with limited expression in normal tissues. Several antifolate molecules have been developed as cancer therapeutics, although these classical antifolates display numerous off-target effects due to transport by the ubiquitous reduced folate carrier (RFC). In this dissertation, we determine the roles of multiple PCFT structure/function domains, and develop PCFT-specific antifolates to target solid tumors. We utilize substituted cysteine accessibility methods (SCAM) to identify a novel reentrant …

An Evaluation Of The Predictors Of Placement In Permanent Supportive Housing In The Detroit Metropolitan Communities, Andrea King-Jimenez

Wayne State University Dissertations

This was a quantitative evaluation of the predictors in placement of permanent supportive housing using the Coordinated Assessment Model (CAM) located in the Southwest Solution Agency. The statistical methods used were chi-square, discriminant function analysis and the logistical regression. The dependent variables were housed and not housed and the independent variables were chronic, family, Service Prioritization Decision Assessment Tool, and veteran status. There were 277 cases used for this study, the statistical methods showed there was a difference between the numbers of cases housed verse not housed. The discriminant function analysis and the logistic regression indicated the independent variables family …

Development Of An Elderly Female Torso Finite Element Model For Restraint System Research And Development Applications, Anil Kalra Kalra

Wayne State University Dissertations

Elderly females are found to be one of the most vulnerable segments of population during motor vehicle crashes and their population is increasing in the coming decades. Current design of restraint systems as well as other passive safety measures are designed based on anthropomorphic details of younger population. Developing another dummy representing elderly female population is a costly effort, while a finite element (FE) model of elderly female with similar anthropomorphic details and age- and gender-specific material properties can be a better alternative solution. The current research focuses on the development of a FE model of an elderly female torso, …

Road Scholars For The Western States: Protecting Natural Areas By Improving Road Management Research, Brian Cooke, Charlie Luce, Tom Black, David G. Tarboton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A poorly placed or unsuitably designed road can result in landslides, flooding, gullies, stream damage, and wildlife habitat destruction. Particularly in natural areas, benefits of roads, such as accessibility and convenience, must be weighed against potential water quality degradation, scenic and wildlife habitat destruction, and hazardous driving conditions.

Scientists at the Rocky Mountain Research Station helped create two free tools—GRAIP (Geomorphic Road Analysis and Inventory Package) and GRAIP-Lite—to help land managers make better decisions about road management in environmentally sensitive areas. GRAIP helps land managers analyze and predict surface erosion, gully risk, landslide risk, stream crossing failure risks, and other …

Google V. Hood, Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

Petition for Panel Rehearing

Federico V. Town Of Rowley, District Of Massachusetts

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.

Cornarchy, Hannah Kim, Fleet Library, Special Collections

3rd Student Artists' Book Contest 2017

No abstract provided.

A “Rule-Of-Five” Framework For Models And Modeling To Unify Mathematicians And Biologists And Improve Student Learning, Kam D. Dahlquist

Biology Faculty Works

Despite widespread calls for the incorporation of mathematical modeling into the undergraduate biology curriculum, there is lack of a common understanding around the definition of modeling, which inhibits progress. In this paper, we extend the “Rule-of-Four,” initially used in calculus reform efforts, to a “Rule-of-Five” framework for models and modeling that is inclusive of varying disciplinary definitions of each. This unifying framework allows us to both build on strengths that each discipline and its students bring, but also identify gaps in modeling activities practiced by each discipline. We also discuss benefits to student learning and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Bolstered Physical Defences Under Nutrient-Enriched Conditions May Facilitate A Secondary Foundational Algal Species In The South Pacific, Sarah Joy Bittick

Biology Faculty Works

Humans have a long history of changing species' ranges and habitat distributions, making studies of the ecological processes that may facilitate these changes of key importance, particularly in cases where a primary foundation species is replaced by another, less desirable species. We investigated the impact of nutrients and herbivory on Turbinaria ornata, a secondary foundational macroalga that depends on and likely competes with coral, the primary foundational community. T. ornata is also rapidly expanding in range and habitat across the South Pacific. We conducted (i) a mesocosm experiment assessing relative nutrient limitation, (ii) a field experiment comparing importance of nutrients …

Mse Annual Report 2016, Department Of Materials Science And Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Annual Reports

Table of Contents

• Faculty and Staff News
• Faculty Research
• Student News
• Senior Design Teams
• Graduate Student News
• Outreach
• Alumni News
• MSE by the Numbers
• Scholarships

From Hospitals To Prisons: A New Explanation Essay, Fredrick E. Vars, Shelby B. Calambokidis

Essays, Reviews, and Shorter Works

No abstract provided.

Tort Reform Through The Back Door: A Critique Of Law And Apologies, Yonathan A. Arbel, Yotam Kaplan

Articles

No abstract provided.

Bind Me More Tightly Still: Voluntary Restraint Against Gun Suicide, Angela Selvaggio, Fredrick E. Vars

Articles

No abstract provided.

2016 Georgia Southern University Women's Soccer Media Guide, Georgia Southern University

Women's Soccer Records

• Women's Soccer 2016 Media Guide & Record Book