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Circulating Autoantibodies In Human Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Subjects And Their Relationship To The Development Of Neuropathic Pain, Georgene Hergenroeder

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background:

Approximately 17,500 spinal cord injuries (SCI) occur yearly in the U.S. causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Neuropathic pain (NP) ensues in 40-70% of SCI. An autoimmune response resulting from disruption of the blood-spinal cord-barrier may be a contributor to NP. However, the relationship between autoantibodies and NP after SCI in humans has not been thoroughly characterized nor have autoantigens been identified. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and collapsin response mediator protein2 (CRMP2) were identified as candidate autoantigens. The hypothesis is that proteins from the injured spinal cord released by SCI trigger autoantibody production which can lead to the development …

Modeling Post Stroke Respiratory Dysfunction, Apneas And Cognitive Decline, Anthony Patrizz

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Modeling Post Stroke Respiratory Dysfunction,

Apneas and Cognitive Decline

Anthony Patrizz, B.A.

Advisory Professor: Louise McCullough M.D., Ph.D.

Stroke is a major cause of mortality and the leading cause of long-term disability in the US. More than 60% of individuals suffering a first time stroke develop respiratory dysfunction, prolonging recovery and increasing mortality. Post-stroke cognitive decline is a major contributor to disability and nursing home placement, therefore the cognitive consequences of Stroke Induced Respiratory Dysfunction (SIRD) need to be explored if we hope to enhance functional recovery. The first step towards treatment of the negative consequences of SIRD is the …

Insights Into The Therapeutic Potential Of Salt Inducible Kinase 1: A Novel Mechanism Of Metabolic Control, Randi Fitzgibbon

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Salt inducible kinase 1 (SIK1) has been considered a stress-inducible kinase since it was first cloned in 1999. Continued efforts since this time have been dedicated to characterizing the structure and function of SIK1. Such research has laid the ground work for our understanding of SIK1 action and regulation in tissue and stimuli dependent manners. The fundamental findings of this dissertation continue in this tradition and include investigations of SIK1 regulatory mechanisms in skeletal muscle cells, the cellular and physiological effects of SIK1 loss of function in vitro and in vivo, and intracellular metabolic and mitochondrial regulation by this …

"To You I Give Myself, For I Am Yours": Editorial Giving And Taking In Shakespeare's As You Like It, Jennifer Jean Thorup

Theses and Dissertations

In As You Like It 5.4.107-08 we receive Rosalind returning as herself”a woman”no longer in the guise of Ganymede, the boy page. Her first lines upon returning are repetitive: To you I give myself, for I am yours [To Duke Senior] / To you I give myself, for I am yours [To Orlando]. However, comparing Folio versions of these lines produces a provocative variant. In the third and fourth folios, these lines are no longer a repetitious patriarchal pledging, but a tender dialogic exchange "much like vows" between Rosalind and Orlando. While none of our modern Shakespeare editions make a …

Advancements In Radio Astronomical Array Processing: Digital Back End Development And Interferometric Array Interference Mitigation, Mitchell Costus Burnett

Theses and Dissertations

The Brigham Young University (BYU) Radio Astronomy Systems group, in collaboration with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the Center for Astrophysics at West Virginia University (WVU), and the Green Bank Observatory (GBO) have developed, and commissioned, a broadband real-time digital back end processing system for a 38-element phased array feed (PAF) with 150 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth. This system is capable of producing coarse and fine channel correlations, and implements a real-time beamformer that forms 7 simultaneous dual-polarized beams. This thesis outlines the hardware and software development for the digital back end and presents on-telescope commissioning results. This system …

Investigating If Multidisciplinary Or Homogenous Teams Are More Innovative In A Higher Education Setting, Blake Howard Hoover

Theses and Dissertations

This study is derived from the claim that multidisciplinary groups are more innovative than homogeneous groups; a claim that has flooded the business industry and has become criteria for accreditation in higher education. However, the impact of disciplinary diversity in work groups is a growing area of research; therefore, it is yet to be thoroughly understood. The purpose of this study is to answer the question: are multidisciplinary teams more innovative than homogenous teams. To accomplish this university students from differing majors were sorted into multidisciplinary and homogeneous groups while participating in a two-day innovation course. The course taught the …

"To You I Give Myself, For I Am Yours": Editorial Giving And Taking In Shakespeare's As You Like It, Jennifer Jean Thorup

Theses and Dissertations

In As You Like It 5.4.107-08 we receive Rosalind returning as herself—a woman—no longer in the guise of Ganymede, the "boy" page. Her first lines upon returning are repetitive: "To you I give myself, for I am yours [To Duke Senior] / To you I give myself, for I am yours [To Orlando]." However, comparing Folio versions of these lines produces a provocative variant. In the third and fourth folios, these lines are no longer a repetitious patriarchal pledging, but a tender dialogic exchange—much like vows—between Rosalind and Orlando. While none of our modern Shakespeare editions make a note of …

An Investigation Of Elementary Teachers<'> Self-Efficacy For And Beliefs About The Importance Of Engineering Education, Khristen Lee Massic

Theses and Dissertations

In order for the United States to regain its global standing in science and engineering, educational and governmental organizations have started to re-emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math content in k-12 classrooms.While some preliminary research has been conducted on student and teacher perceptions related to engineering, there has been little research conducted related to teachers beliefs about the importance of engineering content in their classrooms and relatively few studies have investigated elementary teachers teaching engineering self-efficacy. Current studies have investigated the impact of professional development on teachers teaching engineering self-efficacy but these studies were conducted with limited sample sizes, for …

Who Wants To Be A Nurse? — Gaming Methods For Teaching Nursing Students, Vanessa Gant Clark

General Submissions: Presentations (Oral and Poster)

Gaming is an innovative tool for teaching nursing students that is both fun and competitive. Gaming promotes learning activities that encourages critical thinking, active participation, and retention of information for longer periods of time. Gaming is a teaching methodology with preset rules that are familiar to the nursing student. This teaching method helps to promote interactive learning that helps the nursing student with putting classroom theory into practice. Research has shown that gaming increases the student's enjoyment of learning. In addition to promoting active participation, gaming facilitates opportunities for students to work together, increase communication and think "outside the box. …

Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Facilitation In A Nurse Residency Program, Maureen Washock, Julie Sobolewski

General Submissions: Presentations (Oral and Poster)

Nurse residency programs may have inherent gaps in what their learners take away from their simulations that can be addressed with an alteration in simulation facilitation technique. A fundamental lack of knowledge and experience may sabotage the traditional simulation-debrief structure when working with novice nurses. The concept of rapid cycle deliberate practice (RCDP) as described by Elizabeth Hunt et al in 2014 will be discussed as well as how its incorporation in a nurse residency program could improve both confidence and skills of a novice learner as compared to traditional facilitation techniques alone. RCDP allows participants to leave a simulation …

If You Build It, They Will Use It. Creating Task Trainers For Simulation, Leslie Harder

General Submissions: Presentations (Oral and Poster)

Background: There was an identified gap in recognizing the risk of harm from PIV infiltrations and extravasations and, to uncircumcised males pre, during, and post catheterization. This indicated a need for training, education, and competency assessment. Extensive product searching to assist with these two simulations/return demonstrations revealed no pediatric task trainers available for purchase.

Purpose: To provide education, training, and simulation for two nursing skills. The first skill was identifying, assessing, and measuring peripheral IV infiltrations and extravasations. The second was catheterization care/insertion for uncircumcised males.

Methods: Development of two task trainers: 1. arms for nurses to assess and measure …

Teaching Preceptors Using The Cognitive And Affective Domains, Jennifer Bodine, Darlene Listopad

General Submissions: Presentations (Oral and Poster)

The organization experienced a lack of standardization of training for preceptors, and a lack of resources for the orientation of new hires. Numerous conversations with new hires throughout the organization indicated that they were dissatisfied with their preceptors and onboarding experience. In response, upper-level management mandated the creation of a preceptor development program to customize the orientation experience while utilizing standardized resources and skills.

The theory used for this class was transformational learning, which assumes that people use personal experiences as a frame of reference to shape their beliefs and actions (Mezirow, 2009). The dialogue that occurs during the class …

Online Learning In Biology: An Investigation Into Designing Online Learning Resources, William Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As technology continues to advance, many instructors are incorporating online activities into their courses. While online learning has several benefits, there is still debate on how instructors can best develop and utilize these resources in their classroom. This study is split into two smaller projects that both aim to provide further insights on how to develop online activities that target undergraduate biology students. The first project revealed that elaborative feedback in a phylogenetic activity was more useful for students who had some exposure to phylogenetics prior to completing the activity. The results of the second project revealed that the appearance …

Design And Validation Of A Scale For Preschoolers: Measuring Nutrition Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behaviors, Michelle E. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature indicates a lack of validated scales to measure nutrition knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in preschool-aged children. Reliable and valid assessment tools are critical in the development of nutritional interventions for young children; careful design, including psychometric evaluation of reliability and validity, is the best approach to scale development. Best practice points to an efficient, yet comprehensive look at the constructs of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. This multi-phase study included 298 preschool children ages 2-6 years (151 girls, 147 boys; mean age 3.936). A 45-item scale was created, with 4 subscales to measure the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors …

The Effects Of A Supermarket Tour On Improvement Of Nutrition Knowledge And Eating Behavior, Elizabeth Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in a supermarket tour improves nutrition knowledge and eating behavior in adult participants. Participants were recruited in communities surrounding Food City stores, a local supermarket. Prior to completing a standardized tour, participants completed a survey to assess nutrition knowledge and eating behavior. This survey was given to participants again three months later. A program evaluation was given one time at the end of the tour. Data analysis revealed no significant findings, other than the behavior-based question: “How many meals or snacks on most days included vegetables”. Vegetable consumption appeared to …

Examining The Understanding Of Inquiry-Based Learning And Teaching Among Undergraduate Teachers And Students, Maren Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the main aims of inquiry is to engage students as active, not passive, participants in science. The purpose of this study is to describe science educators’ and students’ views about inquiry-based instruction in order to better understand and improve implementation of evidence-based teaching strategies. Inquiry-based techniques have been shown to improve student understanding of scientific concepts, yet, there continue to be challenges in implementing these techniques. This research project utilizes Q Methodology, a research method that captures both common and disparate measures of subjectivity, to identify commonalities and defining viewpoints about inquiry-based teaching and learning. Three significantly different …

Conceptualization And Measurement Of Spirituality: Towards The Development Of A Nontheistic Spirituality Measure For Use In Health-Related Fields, Valerie M. Hoots

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Relationships between spirituality and health outcomes are well supported in research; however, measurement of spirituality often reflects a Judeo-Christian framework and is predominantly theocentric, neglecting the increasing religious pluralism and non-traditional expressions of spirituality in the United States. A new measure of spirituality was based on a conceptualization of nontheistic spirituality that is understood to be a relatively stable motivational process entailing a search for sacred connection, with “sacred” being defined by individual perceptions and not necessitating divine association. Item development for the current instrument included an initial pool of 65 items and two phases of revision and content validation. …

Development Of New Bioinformatic Approaches For Human Genetic Studies, Jose Andres Guevara Coto

All Dissertations

The development of bioinformatics methods for human genetic studies utilizes the vast amount of data to generate new valuable information. Machine learning and statistical coupling analysis can be used in the study of human diseases. These diseases include intellectual disabilities (ID), prevalent in 1-3% of the population and caused primarily by genetics. Although many cases of ID are caused by mutations in protein-coding genes, the possible involvement of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in ID due to their role in gene expression regulation, has been explored. In this study, we used machine learning to develop a new expression-based model trained using …

Consumer Valuation Of Improvements In Fuel Economy And Reductions In Emissions Of Vehicles In Turkey, Ali Kuru

All Dissertations

In this study, I estimate consumer valuation of reducing the adverse impact on the environment of car's operation and saving on fuel expenses from improved fuel economy. To estimate these valuations, I use a hedonic model of new passenger cars sold in Turkey from June to December 2015. The estimated implicit value of improved fuel economy is then compared to the present discounted value of the associated fuel-cost savings expected throughout the vehicle's economic life. The results indicate that the consumer valuation of improved fuel economy is less than the present discounted value of associated fuel-cost savings, implying that imposing …

Interrelationships Between Carbohydrate Fractions, Starch Degradability, And Unsaturated Fatty Acids In The Rumen And The Effects On Milk Fat Depressing Conditions, Louisa E. Koch

All Dissertations

Diet-induced milk fat depression is a multifactorial disorder characterized by sustained reduction in milk fat. Feeding high amounts of starch and unsaturated fatty acids have been shown to reduce milk fat yield and concentration, and alter ruminal biohydrogenation. In addition, starch with high rates of degradability may lead to a decrease in ruminal pH and an increase in the outflow of ruminal biohydrogenation intermediates. It is possible that starch sources of high degradability could still be utilized in diets for the recovery of milk fat depression, provided the unsaturated fat level is reduced. Replacing a portion of the starch, especially …

Using App Inventor To Explore Low-Achieving Students' Understanding Of Fractions, Lorraine Ann Jacques

All Dissertations

A student's understanding of fraction magnitude impacts his/her understanding of algebra (e.g., Booth & Newton, 2012; Siegler et al., 2012), which then influences his/her likelihood of graduating high school (Orihuela, 2006) or succeeding in higher education (Adelman & United States., 2006; Trusty & Niles, 2004). Literature suggests that students gain this understanding when they create and work with various representations of fractions (e.g., Ainsworth, Bibby, & Wood, 2002; Panaoura et al., 2009; Siegler, Fazio, Bailey, & Zhou, 2013), which can occur when students engage in constructivist activities such as developing games (Kafai, 1996, Apr). This study examines an intervention where …

Investigating Embodied Interaction In Near-Field Perception-Action Re-Calibration On Performance In Immersive Virtual Environments, Elham Ebrahimi

All Dissertations

Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) are becoming more accessible and more widely utilized for training. Previous research has shown that the matching of visual and proprioceptive information is important for calibration. Many state-of-the art Virtual Reality (VR) systems, commonly known as Immersive Virtual Environments (IVE), are created for training users in tasks that require accurate manual dexterity. Unfortunately, these systems can suffer from technical limitations that may force de-coupling of visual and proprioceptive information due to interference, latency, and tracking error. It has also been suggested that closed-loop feedback of travel and locomotion in an IVE can overcome compression of visually …

The Evolutionary Diversity Of Uracil Dna Glycosylase Superfamily, Jing Li

All Dissertations

Uracil DNA glycosylase (UDG) is a crucial member in the base excision (BER) pathway that is able to specially recognize and cleave the deaminated DNA bases, including uracil (U), hypoxanthine (inosine, I), xanthine (X) and oxanine (O). Currently, based on the sequence similarity of 3 functional motifs, the UDG superfamily is divided into 6 families. Each family has evolved distinct substrate specificity and properties. In this thesis, I broadened the UDG superfamily by characterization of three new groups of enzymes. In chapter 2, we identified a new subgroup of enzyme in family 3 SMUG1 from Listeria Innocua. This newly found …

Understanding Intracellular Redox Regulation In Methanogens: Characterization Of The Components And Targets Of The Nadph-Dependent Thioredoxin System From Methanosarcina Acetivorans, Addison Clark Mccarver

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

All cells have a reduced intracellular environment. In the presence of oxygen, the non-specific oxidation of intracellular components leads to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells leading to oxidative stress. During oxidative stress labile cofactors (e.g. Fe-S clusters) are lost and deleterious disulfide bonds are formed within proteins. Intracellular redox maintenance systems are used to direct reducing equivalents towards the repair of oxidatively-damaged proteins. The thioredoxin system is the ubiquitous intracellular redox system, found in virtually all species. The canonical thioredoxin system is comprised of a NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) that functions to reduced thioredoxin (Trx). Although …

Small Rna-Dependent Gene Silencing In The Green Alga Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii: Functions And Mechanisms, Eun Jeong Kim

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Small RNAs (sRNAs), ~20-30 nucleotides in length, are non-coding RNAs that play essential roles in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. They lead to inactivation of cognate sequences at the post-transcriptional level via a variety of mechanisms involved in translation inhibition and/or RNA degradation.

In the Chlorophyta Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, however, the molecular machinery responsible for sRNA-mediated translational repression remains unclear. To address the mechanisms of translation inhibition by sRNA, we have isolated an RNAi defective mutant (Mut26), which contains a deletion of the gene encoding the homolog of CCR4 in Chlamydomonas. We investigated the expression …

Forecasting The Volatilities Of The Nigeria Stock Market Prices, Sikiru O. Ibrahim

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

The objective of this work is to assess and forecast the volatilities of prices on the Nigeria Stock Exchange. The ARCH family (ARCH, GARCH, TGARCH, EGARCH and PGARCH) and ARIMA models are used to assess and forecast volatilities in prices on the Nigeria stock market. The EGARCH model is found to be the most efficient for forecasting volatilities and has the capability to show the asymmetric effect. The assessment of volatilities in prices for 1985 to 2014 shows clustering, over the years. The forecasting performance shows the volatility in the Nigeria stock market to be on the increase for the …

Determinants Of Fdi And Fpi Volatility: An E-Garch Approach, Philip I. Nwosa, Omolade Adeleke

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study examined the determinants of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) volatility in Nigeria. The study used annual data covering the periods 1986 to 2016 and the EGARCH approach was employed. The study observed that trade openness and world GDP were the significant determinants of FDI volatility, while domestic interest rate and stock market capitalization were significant determinants of FPI volatility in Nigeria. Other variables were insignificant in influencing volatility in FDI and FPI. Consequently, the study recommends the need for the prudent management of these determinants (with particular reference to indigenous variables) to ensure reduced …

On The Properties Of The Weibull-Burr Iii Distribution And Its Application To Uncensored And Censored Survival Data, Aliyu Yakubu, Sani I. Doguwa

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

Twelve different families of cumulative distributions that are used to model real life data were introduced by Burr (1942). Burr III distribution is among these families of cumulative distributions. In this work, a four-parameter distribution is introduced to model real life scenarios called Weibull-Burr III distribution. The limiting behavior of the proposed distribution, hazard function, moments, skewness, kurtosis and quantile function is investigated; order statistics and entropy are also derived. The method of Maximum Likelihood Estimation technique was used in estimating the parameters of the proposed distribution. To prove the flexibility and performance of the distribution and Weibull-G family of …

The Consumption-Oriented Capital Asset Pricing Model In The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Abidemi C. Adegboye

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

In this study, the Consumption-oriented Capital Asset Pricing Model (CCAPM) is tested for Nigeria by considering returns on investments in the Nigerian Stock Exchange market and other financial assets for the period 1993: Q1 to 2016:Q4. Three tests are conducted. The first test examines forecast performance of excess returns for the selected portfolios in predicting future consumption; the second test estimates the consumption betas for the set of assets using two alternative formulations of the CCAPM; and the third test included consumption growth variable in a multifactor risk analysis to compare with the basic CAPM formulations. The empirical results indicates …

An Assessment Of The Impact Of Banking Reforms On Economic Growth And Bank Performance In Nigeria, Matthew O. Gidigbi

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

This study assesses the impact of banking reforms on banks’ performance and economic growth for the period 1981 to 2015 by fitting an ANOVA model into Stepwise Regression. Using dummy variables to isolate reform periods, results show that banking reforms contribute positively to economic growth, especially in the period 1999 to 2004. Also, banking reforms are found to contribute negatively to banks’ performance, following the 1993 reforms. The study confirms that banking system reforms in Nigeria have dual impact on the economy and banks’ performance. The banking reforms are capable of promoting growth in the economy. Thus, the study recommends …