Digital Commons Network^™

Commencement Program 2018 December: College Of Business, The University Of Texas At Arlington

Commencement Programs, Photos, and Video

No abstract provided.

Commencement Program 2018 December: College Of Education; College Of Science, The University Of Texas At Arlington

Commencement Programs, Photos, and Video

No abstract provided.

Tissue Engineering Platforms For Cardiac Pathology In Diabetes: In Vitro And In Vivo Studies, Laura Elizabeth Mccallum

All Dissertations

425 million people have diabetes worldwide, and by 2045 this number is estimated to increase to 629 million. The risk for cardiovascular diseases such as cardiomyopathy, hypertension, and atherosclerosis increase 5 and 2-fold for diabetic women and men respectively. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCMP) is a ventricular dysfunction that occurs in patients with diabetes independent of coronary artery disease, hypertension or valvular abnormalities. Hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia cause metabolic disturbances that adversely affect myocardial cells and extracellular matrix. These modifications alter overall myocardial structure and cardiac function, which can lead to heart failure.

As of now there is no specific marker for this …

Role Of The Physical Environment On Team-Based Primary Care In The Military Health System, William B. Lewis

All Dissertations

Primary care in the United States has shifted from a physician-centered care approach to a multidisciplinary, team-based care approach. This shift has resulted in many day-to-day changes in the care delivery process including how clinical staff collaborate; interact with patients; and use space, equipment, and various technologies. Team-based approaches, such as the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model, are demonstrating improvements in patient health outcomes. The U.S. Military Health System, one of the largest healthcare organizations in the world, has adopted the PCMH model for primary care clinics. To support this new care model, a team-based clinical module is emerging as …

Virulence Regulation In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Via The Alginate Regulators, Algu And Algr, The Posttranscriptional Regulator, Rsma, And The Two-Component System, Algz/R, Sean Stacey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacillus able to colonize a wide variety of environments. In the human host, P. aeruginosa can establish an acute infection or persist and create a chronic infection. P. aeruginosa is able to establish a niche and persist in human hosts by using a wide array of virulence factors used for: movement, killing host cells, and evading immune cells and antibiotics. Understanding virulence factors and their regulation has proved to be an important means of combating the morbidity and mortality of P. aeruginosa as well as the ever-increasing threat of drug resistance. By targeting virulence factors …

On-Demand Band-Rejected Wideband Antenna Based On Peelable Resonator Membrane, Rong Wang, Min Li, Salahuddin Raju, Robert C. Roberts, Mansun Chan, Lijun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this letter, we present a wideband planar antenna with on-demand band-rejected characteristics based on the peelable double electric-LC (DELC) resonator membranes. By applying microfabrication techniques, the subwavelength DELC structure is completely encapsulated in a transparent and flexible thin film with a total thickness of 10 mum. Resonators with four different widths (4.0, 3.6, 3.2, 2.8 mm) are packaged as a solution kit, providing the rejection bands of 4.24-5.11, 4.61-5.38, 4.85-5.48, and 5.20-5.70 GHz, respectively. Owing to the passive and detachable features of this functional sticker, no biasing network is needed for the rejection band's on/off transition and the membrane …

Blood-Based Biomarkers For Predicting The Risk For Five-Year Incident Coronary Heart Disease In The Framingham Heart Study Via Machine Learning, Meeshanthini V. Dogan, Steven R.H. Beach, Ronald L. Simons, Amaury Lendasse, Brandan Penaluna, Robert A. Philibert

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An Improved Approach for Predicting the Risk for Incident Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Could Lead to Substantial Improvements in Cardiovascular Health. Previously, We Have Shown that Genetic and Epigenetic Loci Could Predict CHD Status More Sensitively Than Conventional Risk Factors. Herein, We Examine Whether Similar Machine Learning Approaches Could Be Used to Develop a Similar Panel for Predicting Incident CHD. Training and Test Sets Consisted of 1180 and 524 Individuals, respectively. Data Mining Techniques Were Employed to Mine for Predictive Biosignatures in the Training Set. an Ensemble of Random Forest Models Consisting of Four Genetic and Four Epigenetic Loci Was …

Academics: The Newsletter Of The Swosu College Of Arts And Sciences, Peter Grant

aCAdemicS: The Newsletter of the SWOSU College of Arts & Sciences

No abstract provided.

Bioethics Beyond The Biosphere: Using Human Subject Medical Research To Chart Out Regulation And Liability For Health Risks In Outer Space, Ashle M. Page

North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

Humans may be living in outer space sooner than we think. Because of the elevated potential for detrimental effects to human health in space, ethical standards must be established prior to the widespread formation of human space settlements. This article offers a framework for analyzing the bioethics of humans in space by analogizing the uncertainty in establishing a precautionary and liability framework for health risks in space by using models for medical experimentation on Earth.

An exploration of conventional bioethics principles, international guidelines for medical research, and regulations in the United States will parallel a precautionary framework for ensuring protections …

Parents' Experiences Working With Their Adolescent Children On Secondary Mathematics Homework In Relation To Epstein’S Framework Of Involvement: A Phenomenological Study, Rebecca Ann White

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative study was conducted at a rural school located in southwest Louisiana with an enrollment of 767 students during the Spring of the 2017-18 academic school year (XXXXX School Board, 2018). A descriptive phenomenological research methodology was used to investigate the experiences of parents working with their adolescent children on their secondary mathematics homework. A sample of seven parents participated in this study. The criteria used for a parent to qualify was having an adolescent child taking secondary mathematics courses during the 2017-18 school year. Data were collected using one-on-one interviews with individual participants during the summer of …

Teen Driver System Modeling: A Tool For Policy Analysis, Celestin Missikpode, Corrine Peek-Asa, Daniel V. Mcgehee, James Torner, Wayne Wakeland, Robert Wallace

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of teen deaths in spite of preventive efforts. Prevention strategies could be advanced through new analytic approaches that allow us to better conceptualize the complex processes underlying teen crash risk. This may help policymakers design appropriate interventions and evaluate their impacts.

Methods: System Dynamics methodology was used as a new way of representing factors involved in the underlying process of teen crash risk. Systems dynamics modeling is relatively new to public health analytics and is a promising tool to examine relative influence of multiple interacting factors in predicting a health …

Natural Selection In Bats With Historical Exposure To White-Nose Syndrome, Markéta Harazim, Ivan Horáček, Lucie Jakešová

KIP Articles

Hibernation allows animals to survive periods of resource scarcity by reducing their energy expenditure through decreased metabolism. However, hibernators become susceptible to psychrophilic pathogens if they cannot mount an efficient immune response to infection. While Nearctic bats infected with white-nose syndrome (WNS) suffer high mortality, related Palearctic taxa are better able to survive the disease than their Nearctic counterparts. We hypothesised that WNS exerted historical selective pressure in Palearctic bats, resulting in genomic changes that promote infection tolerance.We investigated partial sequences of 23 genes related to water metabolism and skin structure function in nine Palearctic and Nearctic hibernating bat species …

Supporting Student Connectedness And Social Satisfaction During Recess, Elizabeth Teasdale Wells

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This project examines the effects of how recess preparation and reflection can be focused on providing students an opportunity to connect socially and strengthen overall happiness. By investigating the role social satisfaction plays in a child’s life during recess, educators may gain knowledge about how to foster social connectedness for every child. While most studies about recess focus on a child’s level of physical activity or negative behaviors, researchers have yet to investigate recess as a place to improve a child’s well-being and social satisfaction. This study was conducted at a public elementary school through qualitative interviews and observations. Teachers, …

Factors Influencing Referrals For Ultrasound-Diagnosed Complications During Prenatal Care In Five Low And Middle Income Countries, Holly L. Franklin, W. Akhtar, David L. Swanson, Jamie E. Newman, Robert L. Goldenberg, David Muyodi, Lester Figueroa, Robert O. Nathan, Jonathan O. Swanson, Nicole Goldsmith

Department of Radiology

BACKGROUND:

Ultrasound during antenatal care (ANC) is proposed as a strategy for increasing hospital deliveries for complicated pregnancies and improving maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. The First Look study was a cluster-randomized trial conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia to evaluate the impact of ANC-ultrasound on these outcomes. An additional survey was conducted to identify factors influencing women with complicated pregnancies to attend referrals for additional care.

METHODS:

Women who received referral due to ANC ultrasound findings participated in structured interviews to characterize their experiences. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistics were used to examine differences between women …

Utility And Accuracy Of Primary And Secondary Ultrasonographic Signs For Diagnosing Acute Appendicitis In Pediatric Patients, W. Akhtar, Mujtaba Z. Naveed, Kumail Khandwala

Department of Radiology

Introduction Making an accurate diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA) is vital to prevent the morbid complications associated with untreated AA. This is challenging in up to 30% of pediatric patients which is a significantly high number. Ultrasound (US) has been generally used as the initial mode of imaging in pediatric patients due to the lack of ionizing radiation. Given its variable accuracy, adjuvants such as secondary signs can be used to aid the radiologist in making an accurate diagnosis. Materials and methods Patients between the ages of two and sixteen years with acute abdominal pain suspicious for AA, who underwent …

Engineering Yeast To Evaluate Human Proteins Involved In Selective Rna Packaging During Hiv Particle Production, Ryan M. Bitter

Master's Theses

Despite recent advances in antiretroviral therapy, nearly 37 million people continue to live with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Basic and applied research on the assembly of HIV could be enhanced by using a genetically tractable organism, such as yeast, rather than mammalian cells. While previous studies showed that expression of the HIV Gag polyprotein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae spheroplasts resulted in the production of virus-like particles (VLPs), many questions regarding the utility of yeast in HIV assembly remain uninvestigated. Here, we report use of S. cerevisiae for both the production of VLPs with selectively packaged RNA and to evaluate the human …

Application Of Data Analytics For Prediction Of Suicide Rates At The State And National Levels, Derek Benson

Master's Theses

The increasing suicide rate in the United States has amplified the need to assure that regions with high suicide risk receive adequate funding for programs and related resources for prevention methods. The way in which organizations dedicated to preventing suicides distribute funding could be improved with the development of predictive models for suicide rates. In this study, a multiple linear regression model at a national level was developed to identify relevant factors associated with suicide. The national level model was developed in two phases; the first using response variable data and explanatory variable data from the same time period, and …

Presence Of Antibiotic Resistant Salmonella Spp. In Backyard Poultry And Their Environment, Nicole Land

Master's Theses

As keeping backyard poultry rises, human contact with zoonotic pathogens will increase. One such pathogen that backyard enthusiasts have exposure risks to is Salmonella spp. which may cause a potential public health threat due to its increasing multidrug resistancy. Salmonella spp. were present in 33 of 50 samples collected from 29 sites with backyard poultry coops in San Luis Obispo County during March to May in 2014. Two different Hardy-CHROME™ Salmonella Selective Media plates were used to culture and isolate positive samples of Salmonella spp.. Each positive isolate was tested for antimicrobial sensitivity to 6 standard antibiotics: Ampicillin, Bacitracin, …

Midpoint And Endpoint Sustainability Assessment Of U.S. And China Manufacturing: A Comparative Mrio+Recipe Analysis, Mustafa Saber

Master's Theses

Manufacturing is among the most important industries for an economy, which creates value-added, fosters innovation, stimulates employment and economic growth. Therefore, manufacturing industries are crucial for a country’s sustainable development not only for economic reasons but also for social (.e.g. employment, tax, etc.) and environmental ones. Thus, manufacturing activities’ contribution to the economy is critically related with environmental and social impacts. Sustainable economic growth is essential and necessary for a country to provide all necessary goods and services to its growing population.

And, this is highly linke with the creation of new jobs and in this context, manufacturing jobs have …

Il-12 Gene Electrotransfer Triggers A Change In Immune Response Within Mouse Tumors, Guilan Shi, Chelsea Edelblute, Sezgi Arpag, Cathryn Lundberg, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Metastatic melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer with a relatively low survival rate. Immune-based therapies have shown promise in the treatment of melanoma, but overall complete response rates are still low. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of plasmid IL-12 (pIL-12) delivered by gene electrotransfer (GET) to be an effective immunotherapy for melanoma. However, events occurring in the tumor microenvironment following delivery have not been delineated. Therefore, utilizing a B16F10 mouse melanoma model, we evaluated changes in the tumor microenvironment following delivery of pIL-12 using different GET parameters or injection of plasmid alone. The results revealed a unique immune cell …

Mission Enactment And Strategic Enrollment Management At Jesuit Universities, Drew Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations

The larger neoliberal environment that is driving all of higher education has left Jesuit universities and their leadership to face two problems. First, the ability for Jesuit universities to uphold their social justice inspired mission and offer an affordable and accessible liberal education is being threatened because they are pricing out those they seek to serve. Second, there is a growing disconnect between the espoused mission of Jesuit universities and the decisions that their leaders and administrators make to run the enterprise.

This explanatory case study seeks to understand the ways senior-level strategic enrollment officers at Jesuit universities experience and …

Capabilities Of Upper Extremity Test (Cue-T) V1.1 (Jul 2016) – Training Video, Ralph J. Marino

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Training Videos and Materials

No abstract provided.

Inhibition Of Human Dendritic Cell Er Stress Response Reduces T Cell Alloreactivity Yet Spares Donor Anti-Tumor Immunity, Brian C. Betts, Frederick L. Locke, Elizabeth M. Sagatys, Joseph Pidala, Kelly Walton, Meghan Menges, Jordan Reff, Asim Saha, Julie Y. Djeu, Chang Won Kang

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Acute graft- vs. -host disease (GVHD) is an important cause of morbidity and death after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We identify a new approach to prevent GVHD that impairs monocyte-derived dendritic cell (moDC) alloactivation of T cells, yet preserves graft- vs.-leukemia (GVL). Exceeding endoplasmic reticulum (ER) capacity results in a spliced form of X-box binding protein-1 (XBP-1s). XBP-1s mediates ER stress and inflammatory responses. We demonstrate that siRNA targeting XBP-1 in moDCs abrogates their stimulation of allogeneic T cells. B-I09, an inositol-requiring enzyme-1α (IRE1α) inhibitor that prevents XBP-1 splicing, reduces human moDC migration, allo-stimulatory potency, and curtails moDC IL-1β, …

The Predictive Ability Of Self-Control And Differential Association On Sports Fans’ Decision To Engage In Cyber Bullying Perpetration Against Rivals, Seyyed Masoomeh S. Shadmanfaat, Christian Jordan-Michael Howell, Caitlyn N. Muniz, John K. Cochran, Saeed Kabiri, Dustin A. Richardson

Criminology Faculty Publications

A sample of 318 students from two Iranian universities was employed to conduct a test of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s self-control theory and elements of Akers’ social learning theory. Specifically, we sought to determine whether these theories are capable of explaining the decision to cyber bully members and fans of rival sports teams. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze these data. Findings suggest that individuals with low levels of self-control are more likely to engage in cyber bullying perpetration. Similarly, those who associate with delinquent peers are more likely to engage in cyber bullying perpetration. Additionally, we found that ineffective …

Tools For The Investigation Of Reduced Exercise Capacity In Fontan Patients, Akash Gupta

All Theses

Univentricular heart defects represent one of the most complex forms of congenital heart defects, which left untreated, is fatal. Univentricular patients typically undergo three highly invasive surgeries that culminate in the Fontan procedure. The Fontan physiology is associated with several long-term complications, one of which is reduced exercise capacity. Previous studies have found an empirical correlation between the fluid power losses in the Fontan junction (indexed to body size and flow rate), and reduced exercise capacity. There is evidence suggesting that the narrowing of vessels in the Fontan junction results in increased indexed power loss and lowered exercise capacity. Several …

Gauging Support For Macroecological Patterns In Helminth Parasites, Tad A. Dallas, A. Alonso Aguirre, Sarah Budischak, Colin Carlson, Vanessa Ezenwa, Barbara Han, Shan Huang, Patrick R. Stephens

Faculty Publications

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: To explore spatial patterns of helminth parasite diversity, and to investigate three main macroecological patterns – (a) latitude–diversity relationships, (b) positive scaling between parasite and host diversity, and (c) species–area relationships – using a largely underutilized global database of helminth parasite occurrence records. Location: Global. Methods: We examined the London Natural History Museum’s collection of helminth parasite occurrence records, consisting of over 18,000 unique host species and 27,000 unique helminth parasite species distributed across over 350 distinct terrestrial and aquatic localities. Results: We find support for latitudinal gradients in parasite diversity and …

Integrated Health Monitoring And Reinforcement Of Transportation Structures With Optimized Low-Cost Multifunctional Braided Cables, Ibrahim Karaman, Darren Hartl

Publications

The objective of this research study is to design, fabricate, and characterize multifunctional high strength and self-sensing braided cables and structures using novel Fe-based shape memory alloys (SMAs). The system exploits unique properties of recently developed low-cost super-elastic FeMnAlNi SMAs, which enables excellent super-elastic properties, high strength, and self-sensing in structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. This novel material technology can be coupled with modeling efforts that allow for accurate prediction of both the materials and structural response during sensing. At the conclusion of the project, we have demonstrated that with careful design of processing parameters, it is possible to control …

Louisiana Children’S Trust Fund: 2017-2018 Annual Report, Elizabeth Winchester, Jonathan Lomotey, Marmar Orooji, Jada Thomas-Smith, Aimee H. Moles, Kandra Colomb, Judith Rhodes

Reports

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Self-Powered Structural Health Monitoring System For Transportation Infrastructure, Aydin Karsilaya, Samer Dessouky, Athanassios Papagiannakis

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17PTAM03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Roadways and bridges play an important role in the economic and social health of society by connecting commerce and people. Economic growth and population expansion pose considerable burden on the aging infrastructure (i.e., pavements and bridges). There is a pressing need to develop structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies capable of collecting infrastructure utilization data. Doing so inexpensively with self-powered systems will revolutionize infrastructure monitoring technology, and will improve decision making enabling roadway and bridge preservation. In this study, a self-powered battery-less structural …

Recovery Of Horse Fly Populations In Louisiana Marshes Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Claudia Husseneder, Jong Seok Park, Lane D. Foil

Faculty Publications

© 2018, The Author(s). The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 had unprecedented impact on the Gulf of Mexico. We established the greenhead horse fly (Tabanus nigrovittatus Macquart) as a bioindicator of marsh health. This species is bound to coastal marshes, since its larvae develop as top invertebrate predators in the marsh soil. Immediately after the oil spill (2010–2011), populations of this horse fly declined in oiled areas of Louisiana marshes with significant impacts on genetic structure. In this follow-up study five years after the catastrophic event (2015–2016), we now report signs of recovery of populations in formerly oiled …