Digital Commons Network^™

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis Of Developmental Stages In Isolated Mammary Epithelial Cells, Nicole K. Einfalt

Master's Theses

The mammary gland is an organ common to all mammals; it is of value for neonatal nourishment, human nutrition through dairy consumption, and is a source of pathology in humans through the development of breast cancer. While transcriptomic analyses have been applied to cultured mammary epithelial cells (MEC) and to whole gland samples, few have studied purified MEC isolated directly from the gland in vivo. To identify the differentially expressed genes influencing MEC development during pregnancy and the differences between the nulliparous and primiparous quiescent states, primary MEC were isolated from virgin, pregnant, and primiparous quiescent sibling mice. Computational …

Evaluation Of A Sequential Pond System For Detention And Treatment Of Runoff At Skypark, Santa's Village, Elizabeth Caporuscio

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Understanding the extent to which human activities impact surface water resources has become increasingly important as both human population growth and related landscape changes impact water quality and quantity across varying geographical scales. Skypark, Santa’s Village is a 233.76-acre tourism-based outdoor recreation area located in Skyforest, California residing within the San Bernardino National Forest. The park is situated at Hooks Creek, the headwaters of the Mojave River Watershed, and is characterized by a diverse landscape that includes forest cover and human development, including impervious surfaces, a restored meadow, and recreational trails. In 2016, Hencks Meadow was considered degraded by human …

Building A Strong Chicana Identity: Young Adult Chicana Literature, Rocio Janet Garcia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis considers the use of Young Adult Chicana Literature in the classroom to help young Chicanas work through their process of finding their identities. It begins by making the case that Chicana identities are complex because of their intersectional borderland positioning between Mexican and U.S. American cultures, which makes the identity formation process more difficult for them than others. By relating these complex issues facing young Chicanas to literature that is more relevant to them and their struggles, it is argued that teachers can help ease some of the tensions that exist within their students and help them work …

Study On The Pattern Recognition Enhancement For Matrix Factorizations With Automatic Relevance Determination, Hau Tao

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Learning the parts of objects have drawn more attentions in computer science recently, and they have been playing the important role in computer applications such as object recognition, self-driving cars, and image processing, etc… However, the existing research such as traditional non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), principal component analysis (PCA), and vector quantitation (VQ) has not been discovering the ground-truth bases which are basic components representing objects. On this thesis, I am proposed to study on pattern recognition enhancement combined non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) with automatic relevance determination (ARD). The main point of this research is to propose a new technique …

Enhancing Veterans' Access To Stem Education And Careers: A Labor Market Analysis Of Veterans In The Stem Workforce, Rosalinda V. Maury, Nicholas Armstrong, Brice M. Stone

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This research technical report presents key highlights on recent veteran participation in the STEM workforce drawing upon an analysis of the American Community Survey (2012-2016), led by the U.S. Census Bureau. From this data, the research team examined veteran participation across 49 distinct STEM occupations, which are grouped into the following five occupational clusters: Engineering, Information Technology and Computer Science, Life and Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Supervisor/ Management of STEM occupations. Among other analyses, the research team identified year-over-year trends in veteran participation, geographic distribution, and comparisons to non-veterans across all STEM occupations.

Pest: A Method For Quickly Detecting Invasive Insects Introduced Into An Area, Don Mcmoran, Ben Diehl

Journal of Extension

Agricultural regions are under constant threat of attack from invasive species. Washington State University Skagit County Extension encourages agents to use the pest methodology as a guide for ensuring that nonnative insects are quickly detected once introduced into their counties. The key components of this approach include working together with the public, ensuring education of Extension agents and other interested parties, obtaining support through funding and collaborations, and implementing a rigorous trapping protocol. The pest approach was used in capturing the first specimens of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), in Skagit County.

Development Of A Food Safety Training For A Prison Farm: Challenges And Solutions, Angela Shaw, Kara Helterbran

Journal of Extension

Workers on prison farms in the United States commonly grow produce and row crops and raise livestock. Teaching good agricultural practices to prisoners and prison staff increases the safety of the food produced and reduces the likelihood of an illness outbreak. We developed a food safety curriculum for use on prison farms in Iowa. In developing the curriculum, we encountered many challenges that resulted in modifications in the content and delivery method. We present the content of the curriculum and provide educators with a better understanding of challenges and potential solutions related to working with prison farms.

Determining What Growers Need To Comply With The Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule, Catherine H. Strohbehn, Arlene Enderton, Angela M. Shaw, Bridget Perry, Jacques Overdiep, Linda Naeve

Journal of Extension

Extension educators have been enlisted to assist farmers in meeting requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule (PSR). Although food safety is a familiar topic for Extension educators, helping farmers learn how to prepare for PSR regulations is new. In this article, we describe a needs assessment conducted in the north central United States according to a modified Delphi approach. Results revealed unique characteristics of farmers in the region, least understood components of the PSR, preferences regarding educational tools, and the need for materials for varied audiences. Our process can be adapted for the purpose of determining …

Performance Assessment Of The Extended Gower Coefficient On Mixed Data With Varying Types Of Functional Data., Obed Koomson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Clustering is a widely used technique in data mining applications to source, manage, analyze and extract vital information from large amounts of data. Most clustering procedures are limited in their performance when it comes to data with mixed attributes. In recent times, mixed data have evolved to include directional and functional data. In this study, we will give an introduction to clustering with an eye towards the application of the extended Gower coefficient by Hendrickson (2014). We will conduct a simulation study to assess the performance of this coefficient on mixed data whose functional component has strictly-decreasing signal curves and …

Public Perceptions On Domestic Sex Trafficking And Domestic Sex Trafficking Victims: A Quantitative Analysis, Faith Browder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex trafficking is a grossly misconstrued and increasing issue within the United States. The purpose of this study was to extend current knowledge regarding the public’s education on domestic sex trafficking and perceptions of domestic sex trafficking victims. The public’s awareness of domestic sex trafficking and perceptions of domestic sex trafficking victims were examined through the utilization of a 31 closed-ended question survey. The survey included questions about domestic sex trafficking and prostitution myths, domestic sex trafficking victim characteristics, domestic sex trafficking legislation, law enforcement’s involvement in domestic sex trafficking cases, and demographics. The sample consisted of 195 Criminal Justice …

Cime Newsletter : December 2018, Cime

Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME) Archives

-Training the Future Healthcare Leaders for the best!
-A collaborative approach to train the residents of the Department of Surgery, Section of Urology
-Training of Trainers
-Provost Talk on “Policymaking in Health”
-Certificate Course in Simulation-Based Cataract Surgery
-Identifying and managing patients at high risk in orthopaedics
-Management of Oncology Patients with Neutropenia
-Death and Dying Simulation Scenario

The History And Political Economy Of The Hatch-Waxman Amendments, Erika Lietzan

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Framework For Lifecycle Enrichment Of Hpc Applications Towards Exascale Heterogeneous Architectures, Karan Sapra

All Dissertations

With the advent of accelerators and architectures, researchers are faced with a daunting task to port their existing applications and algorithms to the optimal architecture and programming language. Porting existing applications or a new algorithm is both demanding and time-consuming due to the sheer number of accelerators and architectures plus the number of programming models available per architecture. This problem is further compounded for heterogeneous systems with wide availability of resources and complexity of scientific applications. In this dissertation, we focus on enriching the lifecycle of applications by providing an application to optimal architecture mapping and framework to assist in …

N-Alkyl Methacrylate Polymeric Memristors For Synaptic Response Modeling: Organic And Biologically Relevant Thin Films, Tucker Mcfarlane

All Dissertations

There is a strong interest in organic materials for electrical devices due to several advantages that organic systems have over their inorganic counterparts including ease of processability and lower toxicity. Many of these organic materials can be utilized in the creation of thin-film devices that can be formed in high-throughput processes and with a very small profile. One such device that has emerged in recent years is the memristor which can be used in new computational concept or as a synaptic model. This work studies the alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) electrical response of a number n-alkyl methacrylate …

Forestry And Arboriculture Applications Using High-Resolution Imagery From Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uav), Brian A. Ritter

All Dissertations

Forests cover over one-third of the planet and provide unmeasurable benefits to the ecosystem. Forest managers have collected and processed countless amounts of data for use in studying, planning, and management of these forests. Data collection has evolved from completely manual operations to the incorporation of technology that has increased the efficiency of data collection and decreased overall costs. Many technological advances have been made that can be incorporated into natural resources disciplines. Laser measuring devices, handheld data collectors and more recently, unmanned aerial vehicles, are just a few items that are playing a major role in the way data …

The Effects Of Embryonic Arsenic Exposure On Muscle And Olfactory Development In Killifish (Fundulus Heteroclitus), Dana Bethany Szymkowicz

All Dissertations

Arsenic is an environmental contaminant that is commonly found in drinking water, rice, and other food sources around the world. Many epidemiological studies have reported that in utero exposures to arsenic can significantly reduce muscle growth and cause neurodevelopmental abnormalities such as reduced IQ, impaired memory and spatial learning, and sensory functions. However, the mechanisms behind such effects are not well known. Because of this, we wanted to explore the potential mechanisms by which embryonic exposure to environmentally-relevant levels of arsenic are not only impairing growth but also inducing behavioral changes due to altered sensory neuron function. We were also …

Edge-Computing Deep Learning-Based Computer Vision Systems, Edwin Lee Weill

All Dissertations

Computer vision has become ubiquitous in today's society, with applications ranging from medical imaging to visual diagnostics to aerial monitoring to self-driving vehicles and many more. Common to many of these applications are visual perception systems which consist of classification, localization, detection, and segmentation components, just to name a few. Recently, the development of deep neural networks (DNN) have led to great advancements in pushing state-of-the-art performance in each of these areas. Unlike traditional computer vision algorithms, DNNs have the ability to generalize features previously hand-crafted by engineers specific to the application; this assumption models the human visual system's ability …

Characterization And Cultivation Of Marine Protist, Thraustochytrium Striatum For High-Value Bioproducts, Rui Xiao

All Dissertations

DHA/EPA producing marine protists have recently become more attractive due to their additional high-value products, including extracellular enzymes, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and astaxanthin. In this study, Thraustochytrium striatum ATCC 24473 was studied and the cultivation conditions were been optimized to achieve high biomass and fatty acid yield. Results showed that seawater salinity, neutral pH and mild rotation speed favored biomass growth, while better lipid accumulation was observed under high C/N ratio, higher salinity or high pH. Comparison in different carbon sources showed starch and glycerol improved fatty acid accumulation the most, and ammonia chloride was the best nitrogen source …

The Endurance Of Tell Qarqur: Settlement Resilience In Northwestern Syria During The Late Bronze And Iron Ages (Ca. 1200 – 700 Bc), Eric Robert Jensen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the material culture, paleobotanical, and faunal remains excavated at the site of Tell Qarqur, Syria, recovered from occupational levels dating from the end of the Late Bronze Age to the Iron II period (from approximately 1200 to 700 BC). Based on archaeological evidence and ancient textual sources, many ancient Near Eastern kingdoms and polities endured social and political turmoil during the late 13th and early 12th centuries BC. Most likely caused by an unknown hostile group or groups, the destruction of monumental scale architecture and the disruption to the people of Qarqur’s agricultural and animal husbandry practices …

Genetic And Genomic Analyses Of Bacterial Responses To Different Stress Environments, Sakshi Rampal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria encounter a plethora of environmental stresses and have evolved different mechanisms to recognize and respond to various harmful conditions. Understanding and elucidating common themes as well as unique aspects of the molecular mechanisms underlying stress adaptation is important and can provide valuable strategies for applications. This study focuses on stress responses in three different bacteria, namely, Acidothermus cellulolyticus, Mycobacterium smegmatis and Escherichia coli. The thermophilic and acidophilic organism A. cellulolyticus was used as a model system to understand the effects of lignin phenolic acids on cellulolytic bacteria. Lignin phenolic acids pose a significant challenge to microbial deconstruction of lignocellulosic …

Classifying Interdependencies In The Food And Agriculture Critical Infrastructure Sector, John Doerpinghaus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work classifies examples of infrastructure interdependencies found in the food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector. Interdependencies are identified through an examination of rice and poultry agriculture throughout the state of Arkansas. The subtleties of interdependence examples in the food and agriculture sector are inadequately captured by the well-studied interdependence classification taxonomies. Through 39 interviews, we develop an understanding of the subtle temporal, geographic, and productivity scales of interdependence in over 100 examples and present five new, distinct classifications of interdependence: (1) dynamic physical, (2) dynamic geographic, (3) deadline, (4) delay, and (5) human, economic, and natural resource interdependencies. An …

Effect Of Differences In Metabolic Activity Of Melanoma Models On Response To Lonidamine Plus Doxorubicin., Kavindra Nath, Jeffrey Roman, David S. Nelson, Lili Guo, Seung-Cheol Lee, Stepan Orlovskiy, Kevin Muriuki, Daniel F. Heitjan, Stephen Pickup, Dennis B. Leeper, Ian A. Blair, Mary E. Putt, Jerry D. Glickson

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Lonidamine (LND), a metabolic modulator, sensitizes DB-1 human melanoma to doxorubicin (DOX) chemotherapy by acidifying and de-energizing the tumor. This report compares the effects of LND on two human melanoma lines, DB-1 and WM983B, which exhibit different metabolic properties. Using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and Seahorse analysis, we show that DB-1 was more glycolytic than WM983B in vitro. ³¹P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) indicates that LND (100 mg/kg, i.p.) induces similar selective acidification and de-energization of WM983B xenografts in immunosuppressed mice. Over three hours, intracellular pH (pHi) of WM983B decreased from 6.91 ± 0.03 to 6.59 ± 0.10 (p …

Sumo-Mediated Regulation Of Nlrp3 Modulates Inflammasome Activity., Rachael Barry, Sidonie Wicky John, Gianmaria Liccardi, Tencho Tenev, Isabel Jaco, Chih-Hong Chen, Justin Choi, Paulina Kasperkiewicz, Teresa Fernandes-Alnemri, Emad S Alnemri, Marcin Drag, Yuan Chen, Pascal Meier

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

The NLRP3 inflammasome responds to infection and tissue damage, and rapidly escalates the intensity of inflammation by activating interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18 and cell death by pyroptosis. How the NLRP3 inflammasome is negatively regulated is poorly understood. Here we show that NLRP3 inflammasome activation is suppressed by sumoylation. NLRP3 is sumoylated by the SUMO E3-ligase MAPL, and stimulation-dependent NLRP3 desumoylation by the SUMO-specific proteases SENP6 and SENP7 promotes NLRP3 activation. Defective NLRP3 sumoylation, either by NLRP3 mutation of SUMO acceptor lysines or depletion of MAPL, results in enhanced caspase-1 activation and IL-1β release. Conversely, depletion of SENP7 suppresses NLRP3-dependent ASC oligomerisation, …

Trna 3'-Amino-Tailing For Stable Amino Acid Attachment., Howard Gamper, Ya-Ming Hou

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Amino acids are attached to the tRNA 3'-end as a prerequisite for entering the ribosome for protein synthesis. Amino acid attachment also gives tRNA access to nonribosomal cellular activities. However, the normal attachment is via an ester linkage between the carboxylic group of the amino acid and the 3'-hydroxyl of the terminal A76 ribose in tRNA. The instability of this ester linkage has severely hampered studies of aminoacyl-tRNAs. Although the use of 3'-amino-3'-deoxy A76 in a 3'-amino-tailed tRNA provides stable aminoacyl attachment via an amide linkage, there are multiple tailing protocols and the efficiency of each relative to the others …

Dna Methylation-Based Age Prediction And Telomere Length In White Blood Cells And Cumulus Cells Of Infertile Women With Normal Or Poor Response To Ovarian Stimulation., Scott J. Morin, Xin Tao, Diego Marin, Yiping Zhan, Jessica Landis, Jenna Bedard, Richard T. Scott, Emre Seli

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

An algorithm assessing the methylation levels of 353 informative CpG sites in the human genome permits accurate prediction of the chronologic age of a subject. Interestingly, when there is discrepancy between the predicted age and chronologic age (age acceleration or "AgeAccel"), patients are at risk for morbidity and mortality. Identification of infertile patients at risk for accelerated reproductive senescence may permit preventative action. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of the "epigenetic clock" concept in reproductive age women undergoing fertility treatment by applying the age prediction algorithm in peripheral (white blood cells [WBCs]) and follicular somatic cells (cumulus cells …

Examining The Impact Of Hiv Medical And Social Case Management Program On Viral Load For Clients Living With Hiv/Aids In Nebraska, Abdulla Munir

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Abstract

Case management (CM) is one of the standard practices that has been implemented since 1990 to help people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the United States. The program is designed for low-income populations and it aims to address the barriers related to access to health care and improve the HIV outcomes. Previous studies identified a positive association with the provision of CM and improvement in viral outcomes. Increasing the viral suppression rates among HIV diagnosed individuals proved to reduce the risk of transmitting the infection, and disease incidence. Although CM program is provided to Nebraskans diagnosed with HIV, but …

An Evaluation Of Implementing Trauma-Informed Care Training In Healthcare Settings, Amanda Kis

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Trauma-informed care (TIC) has recently become a popular topic in medical science. Many patients’ health conditions have been diagnosed and treated purely as medical issues, yet emerging research indicates that trauma is sometimes the source of many physical and mental conditions. Implementing TIC education in healthcare systems may lead to preventing the onset of symptomology related to undiagnosed, chronic trauma experience.

Objectives: The primary goal of this Capstone project was to implement TIC training developed by Trauma Matters Omaha Coalition and assess preliminary evidence for changes in participants’ confidence, clinical knowledge, professional knowledge, self-awareness, and assumptions and biases regarding …

Factors Associated With Participant Attrition In A Longitudinal, Survey-Based Rheumatic Disease Databank, Kathryn A. Grafel

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Introduction: Participant attrition is a problem common to many longitudinal studies, and when it occurs nonrandomly, it can impact the study’s validity and generalizability. Identifying factors associated with attrition can help to detect bias and aid in developing targeted interventions to reduce attrition. Methods: Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression models were constructed separately for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and other rheumatic diseases who participated in the FORWARD study between 1998 and 2018. Results: Patient characteristics associated with attrition included male sex, younger age, non-White race, and less education, each of which was identified in multiple …

Genetic Predisposition To Necrotizing Enterocolitis In Premature Infants: Current Knowledge, Challenges, And Future Directions., Alain Cuna, Lovya George, Venkatesh Sampath

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The role of genetics in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) was initially informed by epidemiological data indicating differences in prevalence among different ethnic groups as well as concordance in twins. These early observations, together with major advances in genomic research, paved the way for studies that begin to reveal the contribution of genetics to NEC. Using the candidate gene or pathway approach, several potential pathogenic variants for NEC in premature infants have already been identified. More recently, genome-wide association studies and exome-sequencing based studies for NEC have been reported. These advances, however, are tempered by the lack of adequately …

Surveillance And Evaluation Of Manure Treatment Practices For Mitigation Of The Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (Pedv) In A Commercial Swine Farm Setting, Erin Boyles

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The emergence of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) in the United States in 2013 resulted in billions of dollars in annual losses for the U.S. swine industry. Infection with PEDv causes severe diarrhea and vomiting in pigs, spreads rapidly through ingestion of infected manure, and produces nearly 100% mortality in pre-weaned piglets. Because swine manure slurry is a valuable crop nutrient source, concerns about virus persistence in stored manure remain a major barrier to proper manure management. Proper manure handling and application practices are necessary to control the risk of pathogen re-infection at affected production sites or infecting new …