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Exploring The Empirical Relationship Between Civic Agriculture And Community Resilience, Beth Joanna Person-Michener

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Smaller-scale, qualitative and mixed method studies indicate that civic agriculture generates positive, local-level social change, specifically by increasing social, human and economic capital. These social benefits are also identified as some of the crucial components needed for community resilience to disasters. However, literature directly linking civic agriculture to community resilience is sparse and there is little if any research explicitly examining a relationship between civic agriculture and community resilience. This study lends national scope and an empirical examination of evidence for a positive relationship between civic agriculture and community resilience along the applicable domains of social, human and economic capital …

Structure-Based Design Of Hepatitis C Virus Vaccines That Elicit Neutralizing Antibody Responses To A Conserved Epitope, Brian G. Pierce, Elisabeth N. Boucher, Kurt H. Piepenbrink, Monir Ejemal, Chelsea A. Rapp, William D. Thomas Jr, Eric J. Sundberg, Zhiping Weng, Yang Wang

Food for Health: Publications

Despite recent advances in therapeutic options, hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a severe global disease burden, and a vaccine can substantially reduce its incidence. Due to its extremely high sequence variability, HCV can readily escape the immune response; thus, an effective vaccine must target conserved, functionally important epitopes. Using the structure of a broadly neutralizing antibody in complex with a conserved linear epitope from the HCV E2 envelope glycoprotein (residues 412 to 423; epitope I), we performed structure-based design of immunogens to induce antibody responses to this epitope. This resulted in epitope-based immunogens based on a cyclic defensin protein, as …

Variations In Biocorona Formation Related To Defects In The Structure Of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes And The Hyperlipidemic Disease State, Achyut J. Raghavendra, Kristofer Fritz, Sherleen Fu, Jared M. Brown, Ramakrishna Podila, Jonathan H. Shannahan

Publications

Ball-milling utilizes mechanical stress to modify properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) including size, capping, and functionalization. Ball-milling, however, may introduce structural defects resulting in altered CNT-biomolecule interactions. Nanomaterial-biomolecule interactions result in the formation of the biocorona (BC), which alters nanomaterial properties, function, and biological responses. The formation of the BC is governed by the nanomaterial physicochemical properties and the physiological environment. Underlying disease states such as cardiovascular disease can alter the biological milieu possibly leading to unique BC identities. In this ex vivo study, we evaluated variations in the formation of the BC on single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) due to physicochemical …

Forces And Disease: Electrostatic Force Differences Caused By Mutations In Kinesin Motor Domains Can Distinguish Between Disease-Causing And Non-Disease-Causing Mutations, Lin Li, Yunhui Peng, Subash Godar, Ivan Getov, Shaolei Teng, Joshua Alper, Emil Alexov

Publications

The ability to predict if a given mutation is disease-causing or not has enormous potential to impact human health. Typically, these predictions are made by assessing the effects of mutation on macromolecular stability and amino acid conservation. Here we report a novel feature: the electrostatic component of the force acting between a kinesin motor domain and tubulin. We demonstrate that changes in the electrostatic component of the binding force are able to discriminate between disease-causing and non-disease-causing mutations found in human kinesin motor domains using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Because diseases may originate from multiple effects not related to …

Functionally Pathogenic Ears2 Variants In Vitro May Not Manifest A Phenotype In Vivo, Nathan Mcneill, Alessia Nasca, Aurelio Reyes, Benjamin Lemoine, Brandi Cantarel, Adeline Vanderver, Raphael Schiffmann, Daniele Ghezzi

Neurology Faculty Publications

Objective: To investigate the genetic etiology of a patient diagnosed with leukoencephalopathy, brain calcifications, and cysts (LCC).

Methods: Whole-exome sequencing was performed on a patient with LCC and his unaffected family members. The variants were subject to in silico and in vitro functional testing to determine pathogenicity.

Results: Whole-exome sequencing uncovered compound heterozygous mutations in EARS2, c.328G>A (p.G110S), and c.1045G>A (p.E349K). This gene has previously been implicated in the autosomal recessive leukoencephalopathy with thalamus and brainstem involvement and high lactate (LTBL). The p.G110S mutation has been found in multiple patients with LTBL. In silico analysis supported pathogenicity …

Evaluating The Use Of Self-Relevant Stimuli In Attention Bias Modification Training As A Treatment For Anxiety: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study, Jacob Scott Aday

All NMU Master's Theses

Increased attentional bias to threat has been identified as a causal mechanism in the development of anxiety. As such, attention bias modification (ABM) was conceived as a treatment option where anxiety is alleviated through a computerized cognitive training regimen that reduces an individual’s attentional bias to threat. However, few studies to date have examined how to tailor ABM treatments to unique individuals and how that may facilitate greater generalization of treatment effects in the real world. Additionally, the neural mechanisms underlying ABM are poorly understood. The participants in this study gave a list of the 10 things that caused them …

Gifted Students’ Perceptions Of Empowerment Within High School Classrooms, Amy Karol Graefe

Dissertations

Past research has indicated that teachers’ use of power directly influences students’ sense of empowerment and that students who feel empowered are more likely to be motivated. Research has also indicated that gifted students who are motivated achieve at a level commensurate with their ability. Lack of teacher training regarding giftedness likely influences teachers’ use of power, thereby impacting gifted high school students’ perceptions of empowerment and motivation. The relationship between teacher power and student empowerment and motivation, however, has not been thoroughly investigated in gifted education literature. This phenomenological study explored classroom situations in which gifted high school students …

Cmss Colloquium | Nanoparticles For Drug Delivery And Their Interactions With Biological Membranes, Aug 31, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Colonizing Opportunistic Pathogens (Cops): The Beasts In All Of Us., Lance B Price, Bruce A Hungate, Benjamin J Koch, Gregg S Davis, Cindy M Liu

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Colonizing opportunistic pathogens (COPs) are microbes that asymptomatically colonize the human body and, when the conditions are right, can cause infections. Their ability to persist indefinitely and to be transmitted without detection [1] gives COPs a unique epidemiology that warrants special consideration. There are examples of COPs among bacteria, fungi (e.g., Candida albicans [2]), protozoa (e.g., Blastocystis [3, 4]), and viruses (e.g., Rhinovirus [5]), but bacterial COPs are of particular relevance because of their major contribution to today’s antibiotic resistance crisis. The COPs include a long list of notorious bacteria that …

Colonizing Opportunistic Pathogens (Cops): The Beasts In All Of Us., Lance B Price, Bruce A Hungate, Benjamin J Koch, Gregg S Davis, Cindy M Liu

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Colonizing opportunistic pathogens (COPs) are microbes that asymptomatically colonize the human body and, when the conditions are right, can cause infections. Their ability to persist indefinitely and to be transmitted without detection [1] gives COPs a unique epidemiology that warrants special consideration. There are examples of COPs among bacteria, fungi (e.g., Candida albicans [2]), protozoa (e.g., Blastocystis [3, 4]), and viruses (e.g., Rhinovirus [5]), but bacterial COPs are of particular relevance because of their major contribution to today’s antibiotic resistance crisis. The COPs include a long list of notorious bacteria that …

National Coral Reef Management Fellows Newsletter Vol. 1 | Issue 1, National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) Coral Reef Conservation Program, Nova Southeastern University

National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Newsletter

No abstract provided.

A Global Biogeographic Classification Of The Mesopelagic Zone, Tracey Sutton, Malcolm R. Clark, Daniel C. Dunn, Patrick N. Halpin, Alex D. Rogers, John Guinotte, Steven J. Bograd, Martin V. Angel, Jose Angel A. Perez, Karen Wishner, Richard L. Haedrich, Dhugal Lindsay, Jeffrey C. Drazen, Alexander Vereshchaka, Uwe Piatkowski, Telmo Morato, Katarzyna Blachowiak-Samolyk, Bruce H. Robison, Kristina Gjerde, Annelies Pierrot-Bults, Patricio Bernal, Gabriel Reygondeau, Mikko Heino

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

We have developed a global biogeographic classification of the mesopelagic zone to reflect the regional scales over which the ocean interior varies in terms of biodiversity and function. An integrated approach was necessary, as global gaps in information and variable sampling methods preclude strictly statistical approaches. A panel combining expertise in oceanography, geospatial mapping, and deep-sea biology convened to collate expert opinion on the distributional patterns of pelagic fauna relative to environmental proxies (temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen at mesopelagic depths). An iterative Delphi Method integrating additional biological and physical data was used to classify biogeographic ecoregions and to identify …

Dna Analysis Of Traded Shark Fins And Mobulid Gill Plates Reveals A High Proportion Of Species Of Conservation Concern, Dirk Steinke, Andrea Bernard, Rebekah L. Horn, Paul Hilton, Robert H. Hanner, Mahmood S. Shivji

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Continuously increasing demand for plant and animal products causes unsustainable depletion of biological resources. It is estimated that one-quarter of sharks and rays are threatened worldwide and although the global fin trade is widely recognized as a major driver, demand for meat, liver oil, and gill plates also represents a significant threat. This study used DNA barcoding and 16 S rRNA sequencing as a method to identify shark and ray species from dried fins and gill plates, obtained in Canada, China, and Sri Lanka. 129 fins and gill plates were analysed and searches on BOLD produced matches to 20 species …

Proximal Femur Locking Plate For Sub-Trochanteric Femur Fractures: Factors Associated With Failure, Akbar Zubairi, Rizwan Haroon Rashid, Marij Zahid, Pervaiz Mahmood Hashmi, Shahryar Noordin

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

Introduction: Proximal femur locking compression plates (PF-LCP) have gained popularity since their inception due to superior biomechanical stability and durability but clinical experience has shown conflicting results including implant failure.
Objective: To study the incidence of implant failure in patients with sub-trochanteric fractures managed with proximal femoral locking compression plate and identify potential risk factors associated with the failure.
Materials & Methods: Fifty patients with sub-trochanteric fractures, operated upon with titanium PF-LCP were included in the study from January 2012 to December 2014. These plates were of two designs including one five 5.0 mm proximal locking screws (implant A) and …

Talking The Walk: An Autoethnography Of Pedestrianism In Chicagoland, Andrew Kuka

Student Research – Stevenson Center

This autoethnographic account of pedestrianism in Chicagoland aims to remind us of the sensory, social, and emotional experiences walking can provide, and how an environment centered around automobiles affects those experiences. It utilizes participant observations and refers to literature from a wide range of disciplines to construct a story of walks in downtown Aurora and Chicago, Illinois that illuminates factors at play in the shaping of the pedestrian experience in urban areas.

Spatial Models To Account For Variation In Observer Effort In Bird Atlases, Andrew M. Wilson, Daniel W. Brauning, Caitlin Carey, Robert S. Mulvihill

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

To assess the importance of variation in observer effort between and within bird atlas projects and demonstrate the use of relatively simple conditional autoregressive (CAR) models for analyzing grid-based atlas data with varying effort. Pennsylvania and West Virginia, United States of America. We used varying proportions of randomly selected training data to assess whether variations in observer effort can be accounted for using CAR models and whether such models would still be useful for atlases with incomplete data. We then evaluated whether the application of these models influenced our assessment of distribution change between two atlas projects separated by twenty …

2017-18 Graduate Bulletin

Graduate Bulletins

After 2003 the University of Dayton Bulletin went exclusively online. This copy was downloaded from the University of Dayton's website in March 2018.

Early Detection Of Metastatic Cancer Using Computational Analysis, Nuzhat Mansur

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer related deaths. Early detection of cancer cells can enable early disease diagnosis and stage specific therapeutics. Metastatic cancer cells have abnormal expression of certain proteins. One such protein is Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR). Anti-EGFR aptamers have emerged as more effective probe molecules for selectively binding with EGFR compared to antibodies. Capturing cancer cells with aptamer is an emerging and developing technique for cancer cell isolation. Nanotextured substrates inspired by naturally occurring basement membranes are promising platform for triggering unique cell behavior. Along with the biochemical and physical techniques to probe cancer cell …

Nanosilica Based 3d Printed Scaffold Facilitate Osteoblast Mineral Formation, Tugba Cebe

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Bone has the ability to heal fractures so long as the size of the fracture is sufficiently small. If the defect is large or of critical size, a filling material or graft will be needed to help bone union. Among all the available methods to address this medical condition, the common drawback of grafts is that they are limited in supply since a biological site or organism is needed to harvest the biological graft. As a new approach, researchers have been working with bioceramics and biopolymers for their use in bone tissue engineering. In this work, chitosan was modified with …

Processing Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate And 45s5 Bioglass Mixtures For Osteogenic Bone Tissue Scaffolds, Phillip Zachary James

Material Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

A 30% 45S5 Bioglass and 70% -tricalcium phosphate ceramic mixture, which was previously shown to be osteogenic [1], was sintered and the process was investigated as a strengthening mechanism. Samples were sintered for dwell times of 1,2, and 4 hrs at 500°C to avoid crystallization of the 45S5 Bioglass. Two different binders were used, 2% gelatin in deionized water and 2% laponite with 2% oleic acidin deionized water. The mixture was also robocasted as a slurry to evaluate the manufacturing process. Mechanical compression testing shows that the laponite with oleic acid binder acted as a sintering aid leading to a …

Micro/Nanoencapsulated Phase Change Materials (Pcms) Toward High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage Applications, Hanfei Zhang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Thermal energy is one of the most important renewable energy sources because of its abundancy. However, despite the long history of people practically trying to harvest thermal energy, the efficiency of thermal energy storage and application to daily life utilization is still a major limitation, especially for high temperature (>300oC) applications. Concentrating solar power (CSP) is one of the very few technologies that have been used commercially to produce electricity from solar thermal energy. Benefiting from the extra latent heat stored during melting/freezing, phase change materials (PCMs) with a high melting point are commonly used in these systems functioning …

Field-Directed Fabrication Of Hierarchical Structures Toward Electrochemical Applications, Anirudh Balram

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The ubiquity of hierarchical structures in nature indicates an inherent advantage to having morphological features comprised of multiple length scales. Such structures help maximize interfacial surface area, allowing for efficient chemical reactions and mass transport despite volumetric constraints. In electrochemical applications such as batteries, supercapacitors, electrolysis, fuel cells, catalysis etc. there is a similar necessity to maximize electrochemically active surface area to facilitate facile charge and mass transport. Inspired by examples in nature, this work seeks to develop scalable fabrication techniques to obtain hierarchically structured high-performance electrodes for electrochemical applications, with a focus on energy applications. Particular emphasis was laid …

Flexible-Continuum Robot For Bladder Tissue Diagnostics, Samson Abimbola Adejokun

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

The aim of this thesis is to investigate and develop a robotic system capable of a transurethral palpation of any targeted area on the bladder interior wall tissue to determine the biomechanical properties of the tissue considering the urinary tract geometric constraints and to demonstrate the motion kinematics of such robot to achieve a desired robot pose normal to any localized region throughout the bladder workspace. Current technologies have, to varied degree of success, provide approximate, global diagnostics information to bladder tissue elasticity. However, no direct access qualitative methods to measure the bladder tissue properties are known. For this reason, …

Metabolic, Hemodynamic And Electrophysiological Effects Of Transcranial Photobiomodulation (Tpbm) On The Human Brain, Xinlong Wang

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Photobiomodulation (PBM) refers to the use of red-to-near-infrared light to stimulate cellular functions for physiological or clinical benefits. Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) is a noninvasive form of cerebral photobiomodulation that has been observed with various improvements in human cognitive functions. The mechanism of tPBM is assumed to rely on photon absorption by cytochrome c oxidase (CCO), the terminal enzyme in the mitochondrial respiratory chain that catalyzes the reduction of oxygen for energy metabolism. However, few studies have objectively investigated hemodynamic, metabolic and electrophysiological response of the human brain to tPBM. To address this gap, my dissertation research has focused on objective …

Understanding Key Genetic Mutations And Molecular Alterations On Increasing Migration, Viability, Drug Resistance Of Malignant Brain Tumor In Confinement, Loan Thuy Bui

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

There are more than 120 types of primary brain and central nervous system tumors that affect people of all ages. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), for example, is the most frequent type of brain cancers and also among the deadliest of all cancers due to its high invasiveness and resistance to radiation and chemotherapy. Recently, most genetic mutations of malignant brain tumors have been well characterized, but the focus on migrating cancers that directly cause invasion is still in its infancy. We have learned from the literature that most glioma cells infiltrate surrounding brain tissue via by the confined tracks, and fascinated …

Naturally-Derived Extracellular Matrix Materials For Meniscus Repair And Regeneration, Jinglei Wu

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Human meniscus plays critical roles in a knee joint by transmitting weight-bearing force, absorbing shock, and stabilizing the knee joint capsule. Meniscal injuries are mainly caused by sports-related activities and age-related degeneration, which significantly reduce the life quality of patients. The injured meniscus has a very limited self-healing capability due to its poorly vascularized nature, specifically in the inner area. Surgical interventions are required to treat the injured meniscus, but the current treatments are not satisfactory because the post-surgery complications are frequently observed. Therefore, tissue regeneration approaches are developed to repair and functionally restore injured menisci. In this thesis, we …

Techniques To Improve Ultrasound-Switchable Fluorescence Imaging, Jayanth Kandukuri

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Novel approaches to the improvement of ultrasound-switchable fluorescence (USF) imaging—a relatively new imaging modality that combines ultrasound and optical imaging techniques—have been proposed for early cancer detection. In USF, a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) beam is used to induce temperature rise within its acoustic focal region due to which a thermo-sensitive USF contrast agent undergoes a switch in its state by increasing the output of fluorescence photons. By using an increase in fluorescence, one can isolate and quantify the fluorescence properties within the ultrasonic focal area. Therefore, USF is able to provide fluorescence contrast while maintaining ultrasound resolution in tissue. …

Exploring Flexible Configurations Of A Custom Multipath Lc –Ms For Small Molecules And Protein Analysis, Dananjaya Kalu Appulage

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations - Archive

There are diseases where both small molecules and proteins are found as disease indicators. In the usual analysis of small molecules, proteins are precipitated out during the sample preparation. In the small molecule quantitation, triple quadrupole mass spectrometers (QqQ- MS) are commonly used even in the clinical lab settings. Even though QqQ is giving only unit resolution, it is highly sensitive and specific specially when it is used in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. In the liquid chromatography method development, automation of column and mobile phase screening could save significant amount of operators’ time. The use of Shimadzu Nexera …

Growth And Stress Response Mechanisms Underlying Post-Feeding Organ Regenerative Growth In Snakes, Audra Leann Andrew

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Snakes represent an emerging model in biological research and provide a valuable system for studying multiple extreme phenotypes unparallel to those seen in mammals. Recently, snakes have become increasingly used in studies of extreme organ regenerative growth due to the ability of some species to rapidly and reversibly upregulate organ form and function upon feeding. The predominant model used to study this feeding response has been the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) because of the particulalry extreme nature of this post-feeding response in this species. Specifically, the wet masses of major organs increase by 50-100% within just 48 hours post-feeding …

Clinical And Experimental Studies Of A Novel P525r Fus Mutation In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Lisha Kuang, Marisa Kamelgarn, Alexandra Arenas, Jozsef Gal, Deborah Taylor, Weiming Gong, Martin Brown, Daret St. Clair, Edward J. Kasarskis, Haining Zhu

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Objective: To describe the clinical features of a novel fused in sarcoma (FUS) mutation in a young adult female amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient with rapid progression of weakness and to experimentally validate the consequences of the P525R mutation in cellular neuronal models.

Methods: We conducted sequencing of genomic DNA from the index patient and her family members. Immunocytochemistry was performed in various cellular models to determine whether the newly identified P525R mutant FUS protein accumulated in cytoplasmic inclusions. Clinical features of the index patient were compared with 19 other patients with ALS carrying the P525L mutation in the same …