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2016 Commencement Program, Seattle University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Biogeographical Patterns In The Hard-Tick Genus Amblyomma Koch 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), Matthew H. Seabolt

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Amblyomma Koch is a genus of hard-ticks with approximately 130 species. Its geographical range is typical for organisms with a Gondwanan origin. A majority of these species are endemic to the Neo- and Afrotropical regions, with the remaining taxa dispersed throughout Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands. Based on this distribution, we hypothesize that the genus dispersal patterns will mirror the fragmentation and continental drift of the Gondwanan supercontinent. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference and node-dating analyses of nuclear 18S rDNA gene sequences reveal a more recent origin and radiation patterns within the genus and suggest that Amblyomma …

Abiotic And Biotic Factors Influence Refuge Use At The Community And Organismal Level, George Todd

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Animal behavior is influence by a wide range of factors. One factor that can heavily influence behavior is the presence or absence of refuge (i.e., refuge provides a direct benefit to animals’ fitness). Many animals seek refuge to avoid predation despite clear costs to other life processes. The decision to use refuge is complex and anthropogenic activities may alter the abundance of refuge. Artificial refuge structures can be successful in conservation efforts and are an effective means to measure biodiversity. Thus, I used cover boards to examine how habitat structure and season influence vertebrate abundance and diversity in the southeastern …

Effects Of Salinity And Ph Change On The Physiology Of An Estuarine Fish Species, Fundulus Heteroclitus Heteroclitus, Shauna M. Tietze

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Sapelo Island, Georgia is a pristine environment characterized by many variable salt marsh habitats. Throughout the island, salinity ranges from freshwater to full strength seawater and acidity levels range from low pH (pH < 4.4) to above neutral (pH > 8). Fundulus heteroclitus (Mummichog) is a resident organism of the salt marsh environment that has evolved coping strategies to withstand fluctuations in temperature, salinity and pH. Field and laboratory studies have shown F. heteroclitus to exhibit broad tolerance of individual environmental stressors; however, there is limited information on their ability to handle multiple stressors simultaneously. The goal of this study was to determine if exposure to low …

Demonic Actions On Christian Leaders And Followers: The Reality Of Demons' Existence And Their Wicked Spirit World Of Abode And Kingdoms, Matthew Folorunso Olaniyi

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem this project addressed is in the reality of the existence of demons’ in their wicked spirit world of abode and kingdoms coupled with the challenges that wicked activities of demons pose to the lives and ministries of Christian leaders and followers. In response to this problem, researcher surveyed the wicked activities of demons in the lives and ministries of some biblical leaders and followers in the Old and New Testaments. The researcher further reviewed the relevant literature and showed that many voices, especially in the Western academia, argue for the non-existence of demons. But, in spite of this …

Rivals’ Reactions To Mergers And Acquisitions, Klaus Uhlenbruck, Margaret Hughes-Morgan, Michael A. Hitt, Walter J. Ferrier, Rhett Brymer

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Mergers and acquisitions research has principally focused on attributes of the acquiring firm and post-acquisition outcomes. To extend our knowledge, we focus on external factors, in particular rival responses, and explore when and how rivals respond to their competitor’s acquisitions. Leveraging the awareness–motivation–capability framework, we predict and find evidence that a rival’s dependence on markets in common with the acquirer, resource similarity between rival and acquirer, and a rival’s organizational slack increase the volume and, in some cases, also the complexity of a rival’s competitive actions following an acquisition. Furthermore, the type of acquisition positively moderates some of these relationships. …

Exploring Pharmacological And Behavioral Mechanisms Involved In Alcohol Dependence During Adolescence, Rabha Mousa Younis

Theses and Dissertations

Alcoholism is a serious illness that is marked by uncontrollable drinking and physical dependence to alcohol. Long-term alcoholism has been linked to many health concerns such as cirrhosis of the liver and cardiovascular disease. Alcohol is one of the most commonly used drugs among adolescent populations. Given that adolescence is a unique developmental stage during which alcohol has long-term effects on future drug-taking behavior; it is essential to understand how early exposure to alcohol during adolescence may affect the abuse liability of the drug later in life. Indeed, most alcohol users start during adolescence suggesting that exposure to alcohol during …

Deployment Resilience Among U.S. Airmen: A Secondary Analysis Of Risk And Protective Factors Using The 2013 Community Assessment Survey, Mark A. Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Since September 11, 2001 military personnel have experienced a pattern of frequent deployment and reintegration, known as the deployment cycle. Deployments present unique challenges and opportunities to military personnel with lasting effects. This study examines group differences based on risk and protective factors, which were grouped into four domains (physical, mental, social, and spiritual) according to the Comprehensive Airman Fitness model in use by the U.S. Air Force to teach and increase resilience. The groups represent various levels of exposure to deployment dangers, up to and including combat, and time, recent deployment within two years and past deployment more …

A Mechanistic Study Of An Ipsc Model For Leigh’S Disease Caused By Mtdna Mutataion (8993 T>G), John P. Galdun

Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial diseases encompass a broad range of devastating disorders that typically affect tissues with high-energy requirements. These disorders have been difficult to diagnose and research because of the complexity of mitochondrial genetics, and the large variability seen among patient populations. We have devised and carried out a mechanistic study to generate a cell based model for Leigh’s disease caused by mitochondrial DNA mutation 8993 T>G. Leigh’s disease is a multi-organ system disorder that depends heavily on the mutation burden seen within various tissues. Using new reprogramming and sequencing technologies, we were able to show that Leigh’s disease patient fibroblasts …

Potential Treatments For Malformation Associated Epilepsy, Olivia M. Bowles

Theses and Dissertations

Epilepsy has been previously attributed to either increased excitation or decreased inhibition. With this closed frame of mind, modern medicine has been unable to develop a permanent treatment against the mechanisms of epilepsy. In order to treat patients with intractable seizures, especially those caused by developmental malformations, it is essential to understand the entirety of mechanisms that could possibly play a role in the abnormal cortical function. One such developmental malformation is known as polymicrogyria. Epileptogenesis occurs in an area laterally adjacent to this malformation known as the paramicrogyral region (PMR). Past studies have narrowed down the potential cause of …

Sense Of Belonging Of Black Students In Stem Majors: A Mixed Methods Study, Lisa Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine Black STEM students’ sense of belonging. The researcher also sought to understand what factors most contributed to students’ sense of belonging and whether the involvement in a living learning community or summer bridge program had an effect. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used. Participants (N = 89) were administered a revised Psychological Sense of School Membership survey, then were purposively selected to participate in follow-up interviews (N = 8). A principal component analysis, an independent t-test, and a multiple regression analysis were conducted.

Results of the principal …

Understanding And Targeting The C-Terminal Binding Protein (Ctbp) Substrate-Binding Domain For Cancer Therapeutic Development, Benjamin L. Morris

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer involves the dysregulated proliferation and growth of cells throughout the body. C-terminal binding proteins (CtBP) 1 and 2 are transcriptional co-regulators upregulated in several cancers, including breast, colorectal, and ovarian tumors. CtBPs drive oncogenic properties, including migration, invasion, proliferation, and survival, in part through repression of tumor suppressor genes. CtBPs encode an intrinsic dehydrogenase activity, utilizing intracellular NADH concentrations and the substrate 4-methylthio-2-oxobutyric acid (MTOB), to regulate the recruitment of transcriptional regulatory complexes. High levels of MTOB inhibit CtBP dehydrogenase function and induce cytotoxicity among cancer cells in a CtBP-dependent manner. While encouraging, a good therapeutic would utilize >100-fold …

Effects Of Olfactory Cues On The Movement Behavior Of The Predatory Beetle Calosoma Wilcoxi, Kennesha Myrick-Bragg

Theses and Dissertations

Arthropod predators often use prey and conspecific cues to make foraging decisions. Calosoma wilcoxi (Leconte) is a voracious predatory beetle that specializes on lepidopteran larvae often found in the forest canopy, including the fall cankerworm. This study tested the hypothesis that C. wilcoxi uses olfactory cues to detect prey and conspecifics. A Y-tube olfactometer was used to test attractiveness to larvae, larval frass, conspecific cues, and volatiles from herbivore-damaged white oak leaves. C. wilcoxi did not preferentially choose the treatment in any of the experiments. There was no difference in mean time spent in the treatment or control arm for …

Testing A Low-Intensity And Accessible Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Insomnia (Cbt-I) Intervention In Individuals Newly Diagnosed With Cancer, Amma Agyemang

Theses and Dissertations

Insomnia is defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or nonrestorative sleep that lasts for at least one month and is accompanied by significant impairment in daytime functioning including fatigue, irritability, and/or difficulty concentrating. It is one of the most common complaints reported by individuals with cancer, especially around the time of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Yet it is often unrecognized and untreated, leading to adverse health consequences and increased healthcare costs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) has been recommended as the gold standard for treating insomnia among individuals with cancer. Multiple studies have tested and proven the efficacy …

Development And Characterization Of Lung Derived Extracellular Matrix Hydrogels, Robert A. Pouliot

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including emphysema is a devastating condition, increasing in prevalence in the US and worldwide. There remains no cure for COPD, rather only symptomatic treatments. Due to unique challenges of the lung, translation of therapies for acute lung injury to target chronic lung diseases like COPD has not been successful. We have been investigating lung derived extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogels as a novel approach for delivery of cellular therapies to the pulmonary system.

During the course of this work we have developed and characterized a lug derived ECM hydrogel that exhibits “injectability,” allowing cells or dugs …

An Injectable Stem Cell Delivery System For Treatment Of Musculoskeletal Defects, Shirae Leslie

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to develop a system of injectable hydrogels to deliver stem cells to musculoskeletal defects, thereby allowing cells to remain at the treatment site and secrete soluble factors that will facilitate tissue regeneration. First, production parameters for encapsulating cells in microbeads were determined. This involved investigating the effects of osmolytes on alginate microbead properties, and the effects of alginate microbead cell density, alginate microbead density, and effects of osteogenic media on microencapsulated cells. Although cells remained viable in the microbeads, alginate does not readily degrade in vivo for six months. Therefore, a method to incorporate …

Stains Induce Apoptosis And Autophagy In Primary And Transformed Mast Cells, Patrick A. Paez

Theses and Dissertations

Statin drugs are widely employed in the clinic to reduce serum low density lipoproteins (LDLs) in patients with hypocholesteremia. In addition to their cholesterol-lowering effects through HMG CoA reductase antagonism, isoprenyl lipids necessary for membrane anchorage and signaling of small G-proteins are abrogated. We previously found that statins suppress mast cell activation in murine and human cells, suggesting these drugs might be useful in treating allergic disease. While mast cell function is critical to allergic inflammation, mast cell hyperplasia and survival also impact these diseases, and were not studied in our previous work. In this study, we describe Fluvastatin-mediated apoptosis …

Power Analysis In Applied Linear Regression For Cell Type-Specific Differential Expression Detection, Edmund Glass

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of many human disease-oriented studies is to detect molecular mechanisms different between healthy controls and patients. Yet, commonly used gene expression measurements from any tissues suffer from variability of cell composition. This variability hinders the detection of differentially expressed genes and is often ignored. However, this variability may actually be advantageous, as heterogeneous gene expression measurements coupled with cell counts may provide deeper insights into the gene expression differences on the cell type-specific level. Published computational methods use linear regression to estimate cell type-specific differential expression. Yet, they do not consider many artifacts hidden in high-dimensional gene expression …

Refinement Of The Critical Angle Calculation For The Contrast Reversal Of Oil Slicks Under Sunglint, Yingcheng Lu, Shaojie Sun, Minwei Zhang, Brock Murch, Chuanmin Hu

C-IMAGE Publications

It has long been observed that oil slicks under sunglint can reverse their optical contrast against nearby oil‐free seawater. Such a phenomenon has been described through both empirical statistical analysis of the sunglint strength and modeled theoretically using a critical angle concept. The critical angle, in this model, is the angle at which the image pixels show no or negligible contrast between oiled and nonoiled seawater. Pixels away from this critical angle show either positive or negative contrast from the oil‐free pixels. Although this concept has been fully demonstrated in the published literature, its calculation needs to be further refined …

Gulf Of Mexico Low-Frequency Ocean Soundscape Impacted By Airguns, Sean M. Wiggins, Jesse M. Hall, Bruce J. Thayre, John A. Hildebrand

C-IMAGE Publications

The ocean soundscape of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has not been well-studied, although it is an important habitat for marine mammals, including sperm and beaked whales, many dolphin species, and a potentially endangered baleen whale species. The GOM is also home to high levels of hydrocarbon exploration and extraction, heavily used commercial shipping ports, and significant fishery industry activity, all of which are known contributors to oceanic noise. From 2010–2013, the soundscape of three deep and two shallow water sites in the GOM were monitored over 10 – 1000 Hz. Average sound pressure spectrum levels were high, > 90 dB …

How Did The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Impact Deep-Sea Ecosystems?, Charles R. Fisher, Paul A. Montagna, Tracey Sutton

C-IMAGE Publications

Approximately 90% of the volume of the Gulf of Mexico is contained in water deeper than 200 m, a region where the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout had more impact on ecosystems than any previous oil spill. The remoteness and relative inaccessibility of the deep sea makes documenting even acute impacts to the animals that live in this realm difficult. This article reviews Natural Resource Damage Assessment studies and follow-up work funded as part of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative that targeted deepwater pelagic and benthic fauna. Oil was incorporated into the pelagic food web, and a reduction in planktonic …

Recent Increases In Arctic Freshwater Flux Affects Labrador Sea Convection And Atlantic Overturning Circulation, Qian Yang, Tim Dixon, Paul G. Myers, Jennifer Bonin, Don Chambers, M.R. Van Den Broeke, Mads H. Ribergaard, John Mortensen

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is an important component of ocean thermohaline circulation. Melting of Greenland’s ice sheet is freshening the North Atlantic; however, whether the augmented freshwater flux is disrupting the AMOC is unclear. Dense Labrador Sea Water (LSW), formed by winter cooling of saline North Atlantic water and subsequent convection, is a key component of the deep southward return flow of the AMOC. Although LSW formation recently decreased, it also reached historically high values in the mid-1990s, making the connection to the freshwater flux unclear. Here we derive a new estimate of the recent freshwater flux from …

Genomic Comparisons And Genome Architecture Of Divergent Trypanosoma Species, Katie Bradwell

Theses and Dissertations

Virulent Trypanosoma cruzi, and the non-pathogenic Trypanosoma conorhini and Trypanosoma rangeli are protozoan parasites with divergent lifestyles. T. cruzi and T. rangeli are endemic to Latin America, whereas T. conorhini is tropicopolitan. Reduviid bug vectors spread these parasites to mammalian hosts, within which T. rangeli and T. conorhini replicate extracellularly, while T. cruzi has intracellular stages. Firstly, this work compares the genomes of these parasites to understand their differing phenotypes. Secondly, genome architecture of T. cruzi is examined to address the effect of a complex hybridization history, polycistronic transcription, and genome plasticity on this organism, and study its highly …

Reciprocal Relations Between Traumatic Stress And Physical Aggression During Middle School, Erin L. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

There is convincing evidence that demonstrates traumatic stress and aggressive behavior are highly related among adolescents. The evidence is less clear regarding the direction of this relation. The purpose of this study was to examine the reciprocal longitudinal relations between physical aggression and traumatic stress among a predominantly African American sample of middle school students. Support was found for traumatic stress predicting increased levels of physical aggression across the winter to the spring of the sixth grade for boys and across all waves from the fall of the seventh grade to the fall of the eighth grade for both boys …

Depth And Development Of The Sonic System In Deep-Sea Macrourid Fishes On The Continental Slope, Jonothan Wrenn

Theses and Dissertations

Work on sound production of deep-sea fishes has been limited to anatomy, and no sounds from identified species have been recorded on the continental slope. Here I examined the sonic muscles of six species in the family Macrouridae by depth (Coelorhincus carminatus, Nezumia bairdii, Coryphaenoides rupestris, Nezumia equalis, Coryphaenoides armatus, Coryphaenoides carapinus,). Due to increasingly limited food with depth, I hypothesized that sonic muscle development would decrease with depth. Sonic muscles were intrinsic and occurred in males and females. Swimbladder and sonic muscle dimensions increased linearly with fish size, but there were no clear differences with depth suggesting …

Pathways Linking Sleep Timing To Obesity In Midlife Women, Dana R. Schreiber

Theses and Dissertations

Midlife women are vulnerable to developing obesity. Both sleep timing and negative emotion are risk factors, yet limited research has explored their role on weight outcomes in this population. The current investigation explored the association of sleep timing (i.e., mean sleep time, sleep time variability) and obesity (i.e., BMI, waist circumference) in midlife women, considering emotional pathways (i.e., depressive symptoms, anger) that might mediate this association. PROCESS parallel mediation models assessed direct and indirect pathways. In follow-up analyses, sleep duration was explored as an indirect pathway linking sleep timing to obesity. Results demonstrated that sleep timing does not directly predict …

Integrating Biblical Teaching And Organizational Wisdom In The Work Of Pastor-Church Relations, Christian Reformed Church North America, Cecil Vanniejenhuis

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed the lack of integration of biblical teaching in the consultation work of Pastor-Church Relations in the Christian Reformed Church of North America. The goal of this project was to demonstrate and encourage a thorough integration so that organizational wisdom might be informed, anchored and enriched by scriptural teaching. This goal was achieved by program development. A first step involved identifying hospitality as a core biblical theme. The theme of hospitality was traced from creation, through the fall into sin, through redemption in Jesus Christ and ultimately the consummation of all things. Special attention was given to the …

Vascular Endothelial Cell Markers And Serum Ferritin In Platelet And Blood Donors, Frances Duggan

Theses

Background and Objectives. The effects of anti-coagulated extracorporeal circulation on plasma levels of haemostatic proteins in plateletpheresis donors, using whole blood donors as a control group was investigated. Also, a prospective analysis of iron status in plateletpheresis donors, using whole blood donors as a control group, was investigated to assess the haematinic effects of regular anti-coagulated extracorporeal circulation and platelet collection. Materials and Methods. Blood samples from 31 regular male plateletpheresis donors and from 14 first time male whole blood donors were taken immediately before and immediately after donation, and also immediately prior to the next donation. These samples were …

Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation Of Syrian Maize With Anti-Stress Genes, Ayman Almerei

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Agrobacterium is widely considered, when suitably modified, to be the most effective vector for gene transfer into plant cells. For a long time, many cereals crops (monocotyledonous plants) were recalcitrant species to genetic modification, mainly as a result of their recalcitrance to in-vitro regeneration and their resistance to Agrobacterium infection. However, recently Agrobacterium-mediated transformation has been used to transform monocot crops such as maize (Zea mays) but with severe restrictions on genotype suitability. This study was carried out to evaluate the transformation amenability of 2 Syrian maize varieties and 2 hybrids in comparison with the hybrid line Hi II by …

Assessment Of Novel Algal Biomass Sources As Potential Ingredients In Diets For Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus), Ben Eynon

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The aquaculture sector is currently seeking alternative feed ingredients to ensure future socioeconomic and environmental sustainability; microalgae sources are seen to be a promising option. Two nutrition trials were conducted in order to assess substituting plant based protein sources in diets for juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), with a range of inclusion levels of two proprietary defatted microalgae samples (Nannochloropsis sp. and Chlorella sp.). The experimental algal ingredients utilised were by-products sourced from a pilot-scale biofuel operation. In both trials all experimental algal diets, along with their respective algal free controls, were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic. Fish growth performance, feed utilisation, …