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Effects Of Tcpb Mutations On Biogenesis And Function Of The Toxin-Coregulated Pilus, The Type Ivb Pilus Of Vibrio Cholerae, Yang Gao, Caitlyn A. Hauke, Jarrad M. Marles, Ronald K. Taylor

Dartmouth Scholarship

Vibrio cholerae is the etiological agent of the acute intestinal disorder cholera. The toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP), a type IVb pilus, is an essential virulence factor of V. cholerae. Recent work has shown TcpB is a large minor pilin encoded within the tcp operon. TcpB contributes to efficient pilus formation and is essential for all TCP functions. Here we have initiated a detailed, targeted mutagenesis approach to further characterize this salient TCP component. We have identified (thus far) 20 residues of TcpB, which affect either the steady state level of TcpB or alter one or more TCP functions. This study …

Simultaneous Quantitation Of Oxidized And Reduced Glutathione Via Lc-Ms/Ms: An Insight Into The Redox State Of Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Dustin W. Carroll, Diana Howard, Haining Zhu, Christian M. Paumi, Mary Vore, Subbarao Bondada, Ying Liang, Chi Wang, Daret K. St. Clair

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Cellular redox balance plays a significant role in the regulation of hematopoietic stem-progenitor cell (HSC/MPP) self-renewal and differentiation. Unregulated changes in cellular redox homeostasis are associated with the onset of most hematological disorders. However, accurate measurement of the redox state in stem cells is difficult because of the scarcity of HSC/MPPs. Glutathione (GSH) constitutes the most abundant pool of cellular antioxidants. Thus, GSH metabolism may play a critical role in hematological disease onset and progression. A major limitation to studying GSH metabolism in HSC/MPPs has been the inability to measure quantitatively GSH concentrations in small numbers of HSC/MPPs. Current methods …

Cellular And Subcellular Oxidative Stress Parameters Following Severe Spinal Cord Injury, Nishant P. Visavadiya, Samir P. Patel, Jenna L. Vanrooyen, Patrick G. Sullivan, Alexander G. Rabchevsky

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

The present study undertook a comprehensive assessment of the acute biochemical oxidative stress parameters in both cellular and, notably, mitochondrial isolates following severe upper lumbar contusion spinal cord injury (SCI) in adult female Sprague Dawley rats. At 24 h post-injury, spinal cord tissue homogenate and mitochondrial fractions were isolated concurrently and assessed for glutathione (GSH) content and production of nitric oxide (NO^•), in addition to the presence of oxidative stress markers 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), protein carbonyl (PC), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). Moreover, we assessed production of superoxide (O₂^•-) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O …

Circumventing Cisplatin Resistance In Ovarian Cancers Through Reactivation Of P53 By Non-Cross-Resistant Platinum Analogs, Michelle Martinez-Rivera

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Abstract

CIRCUMVENTING CISPLATIN RESISTANCE IN OVARIAN CANCERS THROUGH REACTIVATION OF P53 BY NON-CROSS-RESISTANT PLATINUM ANALOGS

Michelle Martinez-Rivera, B.S.

Advisory Professor: Zahid H. Siddik, Ph.D.

Cisplatin (cis-Pt), an anticancer platinum (Pt) drug, is used widely in the treatment of several malignancies, such as ovarian cancer. This Pt compound induces DNA damage, which results in p53 activation through post-translational modifications, mainly phosphorylation, culminating in execution of programmed cell-death. However, despite initial therapeutic response to cis-Pt, clinical resistance to this drug emerges leading to disease progression. Pt-resistance phenotypes have been associated with dysfunction in the p53 signaling pathway. Therefore, an effort to understand …

Technological Literacy Programs In Elementary School, Natalie Soroka Emery

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Technology and engineering design education is offered as an elective in most secondary school curriculums, however a primary school curriculum is not common. The Standards for Technological Literacy (ITEEA, 2007), which focus on technological literacy and engineering design, are not typically included in primary education.

The objectives of this study are to determine if teachers and administrators think technology and engineering education provide new opportunities for elementary students, how they feel about technology and engineering education, and what obstacles exist for successful implementation. A literature review provided the background on federal, state, and local technology initiatives that exist for Virginia …

Student Attitudes Toward The Transgender Community Following Restroom Reassignment, Kelly L. Duggins

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to investigate the effect recent changes to gender specific restrooms had on students’ attitudes toward the transgender community at a public research university in the southeastern United States. To determine if further education and/or inclusion actions should be implemented by university communities, an invitation to complete an electronic survey was sent by email to students at Old Dominion University’s main campus in Norfolk, VA. Participants responded to seventeen statements, each designed to collect data relating to one of the four research objectives of this study. The findings of this study may be used to …

Characterization Of The Arthropod Communities And Aphid Feeding Behavior Associated With Perennial Warm-Season Grasses (Poaceae) Composition In Nebraska And Wisconsin, Kathryn M. Keller

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum L., along with two other perennial warm-season grasses, big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) and indiangrass, (Sorghastrum nutans L), compose a majority of the grasses found in North American tall grass prairies and have recently received attention as potential bioenergy feedstock. Limited research has been carried out on the relationship of arthropods on these three warm-season grasses in North America. Due to this limited research, the first objective of this research was to document the arthropods associated with switchgrass, big bluestem and indiangrass in Nebraska and Wisconsin over three sampling seasons. More than 10 arthropod orders …

Over-Summering Ecology Of The Wheat Curl Mite (Aceria Tosichella Keifer), Anthony J. Mcmechan

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The wheat-mite-virus complex is a consistent and significant threat to winter wheat production in the western Great Plains. This complex consists of three viruses (Wheat streak mosaic virus, Triticum mosaic virus, and Wheat mosaic virus that are transmitted by the wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer). Yield impacts from this complex are typically associated with the presence of volunteer wheat that emerges prior to harvest as a result of hail occurring during the heading stages of wheat in early summer. Historical literature on pre-harvest germination has been primarily focused on accelerating breeding programs; however, critical gaps in knowledge exist on …

Matrix Effects On The Detection Of Milk And Peanut Residues By Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (Elisa), Abigail S. Burrows

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

Food matrices are complex systems of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins in which interactions between matrix components and allergenic proteins are known to have negative effects on the recovery of allergens when analyzed by ELISA. The purpose of this study was to first evaluate the recovery of milk and peanut residues from multiple food matrices and mixes and to secondly evaluate the use of a modified extraction protocol, sequential extractions, on the recovery of milk and peanut allergens.

Pastry dough matrices and pastry dough mixes incurred with milk were prepared at varying concentrations of flour and evaluated for recovery of NFDM. …

An Investigation Into Factors Influencing Attitude Toward A Wildlife Corridor, Erin Kubicek

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

Habitat fragmentation poses a serious threat to biodiversity in eastern Nebraska. Today, over 98% of Nebraska’s tall-grass prairie has been lost and what remains exists mostly as remnants less than 80 acres in size. The Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch will be one of the first human-made wildlife corridors in eastern Nebraska with expansion of prairie habitat as one of its main goals. Although still in the planning stages, the Prairie Corridor is a rare opportunity to explore public attitude toward a conservation-related program prior to its official launch. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential relationship …

Applications Of Time-Lapse Imagery For Monitoring And Illustrating Ecological Dynamics In A Water-Stressed System, Emma Brinley Buckley

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

Understanding and perceiving the natural world is a key part of management, policy, conservation, and inevitably for our future. Increased demand on natural resources has heightened the importance of documenting ecosystem changes, and knowledge-sharing to foster awareness. The advancement of digital technologies has improved the efficiency of passive monitoring, connectivity among systems, and expanded the potential for innovative and communicative approaches. From technological progression, time-lapse imagery has emerged a valuable tool to capture and depict natural systems. I sought to enhance our understanding of a water-stressed system by analyzing imagery, in addition to integrating images with data visualization to illustrate …

Resilience And Heterogeneity Following Fire In The Nebraska Sandhills, Jack R. Arterburn

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

The Nebraska Sandhills grassland is an expansive, semi-arid ecosystem characterized by vegetation-stabilized rolling sand dunes. The Sandhills grassland is managed for livestock production by seeking to minimizing disturbances, such as fire, that increase bare ground. The increase in bare ground following fire has contributed to the fear of fire leading to the emergence of a mobile sand dune state. We tracked vegetation response following a growing season wildfire that occurred during extreme drought conditions. In wildfire and drought conditions are when one would expect resilience to be overcome leading to a lack of vegetation recovery and a transition to a …

Family Communication About Sex: A Qualitative Analysis Of Gay And Lesbian Parents' Parent–Child Sex Communication, Allison Bonander

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As the number of same-sex parents creating families and raising children rises, the stigma surrounding parent-child sex communication (PCSC) remains constant. Parents serve as one of the primary sources of information regarding sex and sexuality to their children; however, gay and lesbian parent-child sex communication remains largely unstudied. Framed within grounded theory, the primary goal of this study is to investigate how gay and lesbian parents navigate and enact parent-child sex communication with their children. Through 22 in-depth interviews with gay and lesbian parents who have directly communicated about sex and sexuality with their children, the following four research questions …

Applications Of Discrete Mathematics For Understanding Dynamics Of Synapses And Networks In Neuroscience, Caitlyn Parmelee

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mathematical modeling has broad applications in neuroscience whether we are modeling the dynamics of a single synapse or the dynamics of an entire network of neurons. In Part I, we model vesicle replenishment and release at the photoreceptor synapse to better understand how visual information is processed. In Part II, we explore a simple model of neural networks with the goal of discovering how network structure shapes the behavior of the network.

Vision plays an important role in how we interact with our environments. To fully understand how visual information is processed requires an understanding of the way signals are …

Biosimilar Naming Conventions: Pharmacist Perceptions And Impact On Confidence In Dispensing Biologics, Daniel M. Tomaszewski

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND: The approval of the first biosimilar in the United States has placed increased pressure on the FDA to provide guidance on the naming convention that will be assigned to current and future biosimilars. The release of the FDA draft guidance on nonproprietary naming of biosimilars in August 2015 established a naming convention for all biologic products, including biosimilars. However, the draft guidance is nonbinding while the FDA continues to receive input from stakeholders, and it does not address the naming convention that will be used for products designated as interchangeable biologics.

OBJECTIVES: To (a) determine pharmacist perceptions …

The Influence Of Peer-Led Team Learning On Underrepresented Minority Student Achievement In Introductory Biology And Recruitment And Retention In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Majors, Jeremy David Sloane

Dissertations - ALL

Increasing underrepresented minority (URM) participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is of increasing national importance as the United States continues to fall behind other nations in global economic competitiveness. These students constitute a large pool of potential STEM majors at the college level, but they have been recruited to and retained in STEM programs at significantly lower rates than students from other populations. As such, President Barack Obama’s President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has called on undergraduate science instructors to diversify their teaching methods and employ active learning strategies to improve students’ success in …

Intuition: A Silver Lining For Clinicians With Complex Trauma, Sarah Dyanne Stanton

Dissertations - ALL

The following research study intends to explore one potential aspect of the

etiology of intuition in clinician populations, which is complex trauma. The relationship between early developmental trauma is ascertained through the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale (Pennebaker & Susman, 1988), which consists of events that respondents could report having experienced prior to the age of 17. Additional outcome measures that were given include the Post-Traumatic Growth inventory (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996), the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (Spreng et al., 2009) and the Types of Intuition Scale (Pretz et al., 2014). There were 28 participants, 23 of which reported one trauma or …

Parenting Styles, Effortful Control, And Academic Outcomes Among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Effect Of Activation Control, Yemo Duan

Dissertations - ALL

The present study examined the associations between parenting styles and adolescents’ academic performance, with a specific focus on examining the mediating role of activation control among Chinese adolescents. A framework of Chinese parenting style, which consists of three dimensions, rejection, emotional warmth, and over-protection, was utilized to predict activation control and academic outcomes. Structural models were fitted with the data collected from a Chinese sample of adolescents aged 15 to 17 years. Parenting styles were found to be associated with children’s activation control skills and academic outcomes. Activation control skills were found to be beneficial for promoting educational attainment expectation …

Ego Identity Development As A Mediator Between Negative Affectivity And Wellness Of College Students, Sarah F. Spiegelhoff

Dissertations - ALL

For emerging adults, the college experience is a time for new experience that create excitement, lifelong memories, spiritual enrichment, cultural development, and success. Yet for many, the college experience presents with a series of physical, emotional, and psychological challenges, and for some even failure. It is expected that many of these students will experience such stressors, given the complexity of the stage of development, as they move away from adolescence and into adulthood. As college students move away from parental figures and develop more independence, a prominent time for identity development to thrive is created. There is a great deal …

Cognitive, Academic, And Neuropsychological Effects Of Treatment, David Scott Gordon

Dissertations - ALL

This study explored the effects of number of intrathecal chemotherapies and time off therapy on cognitive, achievement, and neuropsychological functioning of post treatment children with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Participants consisted of sixteen sibling pairs between the ages of eight and fourteen who were grouped into the high or low group for number of intrathecal chemotherapies (IT), and then regrouped for high or low time off therapy (TOT). Participants were administered a battery of cognitive, achievement, and neuropsychological tests. Matched sibling difference scores from these tests were analyzed. Results found that children with ALL performed in the average range, although …

Problems In Hard And Soft Matter: From Brain Folds And Levy Localization To Active Elasticity, David Mayett

Dissertations - ALL

This thesis presents a study of condensed matter systems at different length scales. The first part presents a study of elastic instabilities in biological systems ranging from the cerebral cortex in the brain to the lining of the intestines. Such instabilities lead to a zoo of morphologies ranging from primary folds to villi and crypts to secondary folds and are brought about by growth, mechanical stresses, or a combination of the two. We propose a novel model for the description of primary folds in the cerebral cortex. Motivated by the spatial structure of the cortex, we model its elasticity as …

“Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?” The Use Of Popular Music After Hurricane Katrina, Jennifer Billinson

Dissertations - ALL

This single-case study explores the use of popular music in response to the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005. Using research in sociology of disaster and uses and gratifications theory in mass communication, data collected included original music written in response to the hurricane, major benefit concerts that aired in the wake, and re-appropriated music that developed new meaning when used in conjunction to the case. Analysis yielded that popular music was used to raise awareness, raise funds, and express emotion following the disaster. Common themes throughout include the impact of genre on how this was …

Convenient Etherification Using Trichloroacetimidates And Synthesis Of Aminosteroid Ship Inhibitors, Kyle Timothy Howard

Dissertations - ALL

Alcohols are a common form of functionality in organic chemistry, and are often present in biologically active molecules. The protection of hydroxy groups is crucial in long multi-step synthetic routes, as the unprotected alcohol is typically not compatible with many reagents. Alcohols are often protected as corresponding benzyl ether, which can then be removed when desired to reveal the alcohol functional group. Classic methodology for protection of alcohols as benzyl ethers requires harsh conditions utilizing strong acids and bases, which functions well for simple substrates. In more complex multifunctional molecules this can lead to degradation and side products. Therefore, there …

The Evolution Of Extreme Longevity In Modern And Fossil Bivalves, David Kelton Moss

Dissertations - ALL

The factors involved in promoting long life are extremely intriguing from a human perspective. In part by confronting our own mortality, we have a desire to understand why some organisms live for centuries and others only a matter of days or weeks. What are the factors involved in promoting long life? Not only are questions of lifespan significant from a human perspective, but they are also important from a paleontological one. Most studies of evolution in the fossil record examine changes in the size and the shape of organisms through time. Size and shape are in part a function of …

Plasma Volume Hematocrit (Pvh): “Big Data” Applied To Physiology Enabled By A New Algorithm, Paul Washington Dent

Dissertations - ALL

This work describes the ongoing analysis of blood noninvasively in vivo along with the in vitro validation of the algorithm. The blood is taken as two components, red blood cells and plasma, both of which cause elastic emission (from Mie and Rayleigh scattering) and inelastic emission (from fluorescence and Raman emission). The algorithm describes the linear dependence of the volume fractions of both red blood cells and plasma with both the elastic and inelastic emissions where the two equations are independent. These equations are used to calculate the Hematocrit which is defined as the volume fraction of red blood cells …

Numerical And Experimental Design Of Coaxial Shallow Geothermal Energy Systems, Niranjan Raghavan

All Theses

Geothermal Energy has emerged as one of the front runners in the energy race because of its performance efficiency, abundance and production competitiveness. Today, geothermal energy is used in many regions of the world as a sustainable solution for decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and reducing health hazards. However, projects related to geothermal energy have not received their deserved recognition due to lack of computational tools associated with them and economic misconceptions related to their installation and functioning. This research focuses on numerical and experimental system design analysis of vertical shallow geothermal energy systems. The driving force is the temperature …

Particle Separation Using Electrokinetically-Driven Deterministic Lateral Displacement: A Computational Study, Xuchen Liu

All Theses

Electrokinetically-driven deterministic lateral displacement (e-DLD) is a recently proposed technique for continuous, two-dimensional fractionation of particle suspensions in microfluidic platforms. It utilizes the negative dielectrophoretic force that is induced by the DC electric field gradients formed around an array of regularly spaced posts. While e-DLD devices have been demonstrated to be able to separate particles by size, a fundamental understanding of the separation process and the factors that affect the separation is still lacking. This thesis is aimed to answer these questions using a computational study of electrokinetic particle transport and separation in e-DLD devices. We first numerically prove a …

Responses Of Aquatic Organisms To Exposures Of Sodium Carbonate Peroxyhydrate, Tyler David Geer

All Theses

Sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate (SCP), a granular algaecide containing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), is used to mitigate risks associated with noxious algae. Episodic exposures of SCP algaecides in aquatic systems prompt the need for a fundamental understanding of exposure-response relationships for aquatic organisms, both target and non-target, exposed to H2O2 as SCP. In the first experiment, influences of organic carbon on exposures of H2O2 as SCP and consequent responses of a frequent problematic alga (cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa) were measured. Results indicate that the exposure of H2O2 as SCP necessary to control growth of a noxious alga is proportional to the density of …

Part 1: One Minute Peptoid Synthesis, From Peptoid Oligomers To Peptoid Polymers - Part 2: Synthesis Of Creatine Derivatives, Dan Y. Dong

All Theses

Part 1:

Peptoids are isomers of peptides where the side chains are on the nitrogens instead of the carbons, which have been developed for a variety of biomedical, nano, and materials applications. Conventional peptoid synthesis uses molar concentrations of reagents and hours of reaction time per residue, thus practically limiting the lengths of peptoids. Recently, we have managed to improve yields and make peptoids of unprecedented lengths while reducing the reaction times and concentrations of reagents. Indeed, we have demonstrated that the conventional longer reaction times degrade the peptoids and lead to lower purities. In addition, by using microwave conditions, …