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An Evaluation Of The Use Of A Clinical Research Data Warehouse And I2b2 Infrastructure To Facilitate Replication Of Research, Bret Gardner

Theses & Dissertations

Replication of clinical research is requisite for forming effective clinical decisions and guidelines. While rerunning a clinical trial may be unethical and prohibitively expensive, the adoption of EHRs and the infrastructure for distributed research networks provide access to clinical data for observational and retrospective studies. Herein I demonstrate a means of using these tools to validate existing results and extend the findings to novel populations. I describe the process of evaluating published risk models as well as local data and infrastructure to assess the replicability of the study. I use an example of a risk model unable to be replicated …

Development Of Macromolecular Prodrug Conjugates For The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Musculoskeletal Diseases, Xin Wei

Theses & Dissertations

Macromolecular prodrug conjugate is a promising strategy for better diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. Our lab has pioneered this effort and has successfully developed multiple prodrug formulations. The general approach we have taken is to incorporate active ingredient (AI, including imaging probe or therapeutic agents) containing monomers into water-soluble and biocompatible polymers, such as N-(2-Hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymers. Structural parameters of these polymeric prodrugs, such as molecular weight (MW), drug loading, prodrug activation mechanism and the selection of drug payload may greatly affect therapeutic efficacy and the safety of the macromolecular prodrugs. To investigate the impact of these …

Early Selection Of Bzip73 Facilitated Adaptation Of Japonica Rice To Cold Climates, Citao Liu, Shujun Ou, Bigang Mao, Jiuyou Tang, Wei Wang, Hongru Wang, Shouyun Cao, Michael Schläppi, Bingran Zhao, Guoying Xiao, Xiping Wang, Chengeai Chu

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Cold stress is a major factor limiting production and geographic distribution of rice (Oryza sativa). Although the growth range of japonica subspecies has expanded northward compared to modern wild rice (O. rufipogon), the molecular basis of the adaptation remains unclear. Here we report bZIP73, a bZIP transcription factor-coding gene with only one functional polymorphism (+511 G>A) between the two subspecies japonica and indica, may have facilitated japonica adaptation to cold climates. We show the japonica version of bZIP73 (bZIP73^Jap) interacts with bZIP71 and modulates ABA levels and ROS homeostasis. Evolutionary and …

Examining The Relationships Between School Engagement, Physical Activity, And Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Children Using The Ecological Model, Minh Nguyen

Theses & Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence. During these developmental stages, social interactions and external environments can have significant impact on children’s growth and development. Few studies previously used a theoretical model to examine the effects of social and external environments on ADHD. The goal of this dissertation is to apply an ecological perspective to examine the roles of school and community in the development of childhood ADHD through school engagement and physical activity. Three studies were implemented to carry out this goal. Study 1 examined the associations of neighborhood, school, and …

Transcriptional Regulation Of Icaadbc By Icar And Tcar In Staphylococcus Epidermidis, Tramy Hoang

Theses & Dissertations

Biofilm formation is the primary virulence factor in Staphylococcus epidermidis. Polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) is an adhesive molecule and a significant component of the biofilm matrix. It is synthesized by the products of the icaADBC operon whose regulation has been shown to involve environmental factors as well as many transcriptional regulators. Of these regulators, we explored the function of the repressors IcaR and TcaR and their roles in directly influencing icaADBC transcription and PIA synthesis. Based on previous observations that icaADBC positive clinical isolates of S. epidermidis are highly variable in PIA synthesis and biofilm formation, our goal was to …

Epigenetic Profiling Of Active Enhancers In Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells, Jian Xing

Master's Theses

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are projection neurons of the eye, which process and pass visual information collected in the eyes to the brain. However, epigenetic regulation of RGC fate specification remains poorly understood, in large part due to the technical challenges associated with purifying RGCs, which comprise only 1% of all retinal cells, and performing ChIP-seq profiling on a small number of cells. To overcome these limitations, we have purified RGCs from multiple mice by immunoppanning for Thy1, a surface marker on RGCs, and analyzed pulled chromatin by ChIP-seq for histone 3 acetylated at K27 (H3K27ac), which is an epigenetic …

Acquisitions Unit Annual Report 2017-2018, Andrée J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

Annual Report of the Acquisitions Unit, University Libraries, University of Rhode Island for FY18. Covers personnel, work flow, special projects, and serial, monograph, and e-resource acquisitions. Supplemental files include data on library materials expenditures by a number of variables as well as important working documents from the year.

Bridging The Gap Between Pupping And Molting Phenology: Behavioral And Ecological Drivers In Weddell Seals, Roxanne Santina Beltran

Biological Sciences

In Antarctica, the narrow window of favorable conditions constrains the life history phenology of female Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) such that pupping, breeding, foraging, and molting occur in quick succession during summer; however, the carry-over effects from one life history event to another are unclear. In this dissertation, I characterize the phenological links between molting and pupping, and evaluate feeding behavior and ice dynamics as mechanistic drivers. First, I review the contributions of natural and sexual selection to the evolution of molting strategies in the contexts of energetics, habitat, function, and physiology. Many polar birds and mammals adhere to an …

The Evolutionary History Of Madagascar's Tenrecs (Mammalia: Tenrecidae): Systematics, Phylogeography, And Species Delimitation, Kathryn Michelle Everson

Biological Sciences

Madagascar is renowned for its exceptionally diverse, unique, and threatened biota, yet much of the island's flora and fauna remains undescribed, and the underlying drivers of diversification and endemism are poorly understood. The family Tenrecidae is one of four extant terrestrial mammal lineages to have colonized and diversified on Madagascar from continental Africa. The goal of this dissertation is to elucidate the evolutionary history of tenrecs at both deep and shallow time scales, and to use tenrecs as a proxy to understand the drivers of diversification on Madagascar. In Chapter 1 I generate the first rigorously inferred phylogeny of tenrecs …

Na/K-Atpase Y260 Phosphorylation-Mediated Src Regulation In Control Of Aerobic Glycolysis And Tumor Growth, Moumita Banerjee, Xiaoyu Cui, Zhichuan Li, Hui Yu, Liquan Cai, Xuelian Jia, Daheng He, Chi Wang, Tianyan Gao, Zijian Xie

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

We report here the identification of α1 Na/K-ATPase as a major regulator of the proto-oncogene Src kinase and the role of this regulation in control of Warburg effect and tumor growth. Specifically, we discovered Y260 in α1 Na/K-ATPase as a Src-specific phosphorylation and binding site and that Y260 phosphorylation is required for Src-mediated signal transduction in response to a number of stimuli including EGF. As such, it enables a dynamic control of aerobic glycolysis. However, such regulation appears to be lost or attenuated in human cancers as the expression of Na/K-ATPase α1 was significantly decreased in prostate, breast and kidney …

State V. Plummer Appellant's Brief Dckt. 45513

Not Reported

No abstract provided.

Predicting Age-Related Decline In Processing Speed And Executive Functioning: An Mri Study Of White Matter Integrity, Faith Steffen-Allen

Doctoral Dissertations

Normal aging is associated with changes in white matter (WM) integrity including visible lesions such as white matter hyperintensities (WMH) as well as microstructural changes in normal appearing WM (NAWM) measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Research suggests that WMH and microstructural changes in NAWM may provide independent but complementary information on WM integrity. Reductions in WM integrity and advanced age are also associated with reductions in executive functioning (EF) and processing speed (PS); however, the relationship between WM change and cognition in older adults over time is not fully understood. It is also important to consider other factors that …

In-Situ Micromechanical Characterization Of Materials With High Mechanical Potential Energy Absorption Capacity, Keith Dusoe

Doctoral Dissertations

The storage, and subsequent release, of mechanical potential energy during the deformation of a material is an important phenomenon that allows for the working principles of engineered spring devices to be realized. The recovery of the released mechanical potential energy, stored as atomic configurational changes, can be utilized and harnessed to perform work on an element in the surrounding environment. This interplay between storage and release of mechanical potential energy in materials plays important roles not only in the engineering of advanced “spring” devices such as sporting equipment and resonators in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices but also in the fast …

The Interplay Between Pain/Stress, Inflammation And Microbiota In Human Health, Wanli Xu

Doctoral Dissertations

Archival abstract submitted

The University Museum In Times Of Fiscal Uncertainty: Fisk University And The Alfred Stieglitz Collection Of Modern Art, Jessica Pochesci

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study of the travails of the Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Modern Art at Fisk University reveals the unique issues facing college and university museums and galleries, as they balance their responsibility to their donors, the public and their parent institution. In this thesis, I will argue that Fisk University made choices that directly violated generally accepted museum ethics, while simultaneously finding creative solutions to its parent institution’s financial stability and honor charitable intentions. I will examine the legal process of breaching donor restrictions, dissect the role and position of the university museum, and analyze the precedent the Fisk case …

Polymeric Nanocarriers Delivering Anticancer Agents For The Treatment Of Chemoresistant Prostate Cancer And Lung Metastatic Melanoma, Ruinan Yang

Theses & Dissertations

The aims of this thesis is to first develop novel combination chemotherapies of two anticancer agents and their appropriate drug delivery platforms to treat chemoresistant prostate cancer, and second develop a polymeric conjugate of a biodegradable polymer and novel tubulin destabilizer to treat lung metastatic melanoma.

In Chapter 1, a general introduction of polymeric nanocarriers including polymeric micelles and polymer drug conjugates for cancer therapy was given. In Chapter 2, we described a combination therapy of paclitaxel (PTX) polymer conjugate and cyclopamine (CYP) polymer conjugate, which had the potential to treat chemoresistant prostate cancer. We first synthesized mPEG-b-PCC-g-PTX-g-DC (P-PTX) …

Equitable Co-Management On The Kuskokwim River, Chris Mcdevitt

Arctic and Northern Studies

A legally empowered equitable co-management system of the Kuskokwim River salmon fishery between subsistence users and state and federal managers does not exist. Despite federal legislation Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) (Section 8) calling for a "meaningful role" for subsistence users in managing fish and game on federal lands, some rural subsistence users believe that they have yet to assume a "meaningful role" in the policy-making process. The absolute maximum capacity that subsistence users can fulfill in terms of participating in the management of the resources they depend on comes in the form of one of many advisory …

Arctic Paradox: Polar Bears, Climate Change And American Environmentalism, Carolyn Kozak Loeffler

Arctic and Northern Studies

By virtually any standard of measurement, the Arctic is hotter than ever before, physically, politically and emotionally. Rising ocean temperatures, opening sea lanes, disappearing pack ice and global fear of environmental devastation have combined to make the Arctic Ocean the great question mark about the future of the human species with ursus maritimus, the "sea bear," standing as perhaps the most evocative symbol of our global responsibility and fate. In human eyes the polar bear has long been a paradoxical creature, mirroring a dilemma at the center of America's relationship to the Arctic today. The region's stretches of uninterrupted ecosystems …

Foxm1 Expression And Contribution To Genomic Instability And Chemoresistance In High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer, Carter J. Barger

Theses & Dissertations

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) is the most common and deadly subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer. Understanding the molecular basis of HGSC will improve diagnosis and treatment approaches. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) discovered that Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1) transcription factor activation is the second most frequent molecular alteration in HGSC (84% of cases), second only to mutations of TP53 (100%). We subsequently defined several genetic mechanisms that underlie increased FOXM1 expression in HGSC, including genomic amplifications and RB-E2F deregulation, and showed that FOXM1 promotes cell cycle progression in cell models relevant to HGSC.

TCGA analyses revealed that genomic instability, …

Evaluation Of The Diagnostic Accuracy Of Computer-Aided Detection Of Tuberculosis On Chest Radiography Among Private Sector Patients In Pakistan, Syed Mohammad Asad Zaidi, Shifa Salman Habib, Bram Van Ginneke, Rashida Abbas Ferrand, Jacob Creswell, Saira Khowaja, Aamir Khan

Community Health Sciences

The introduction of digital CXR with automated computer-aided interpretation, has given impetus to the role of CXR in TB screening, particularly in low resource, high-burden settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CAD4TB as a screening tool, implemented in the private sector in Karachi, Pakistan. This study analyzed retrospective data from CAD4TB and Xpert MTB/RIF testing carried out at two private TB treatment and diagnostic centers in Karachi. Sensitivity, specificity, potential Xperts saved, were computed and the receiver operator characteristic curves were constructed for four different models of CAD4TB. A total of 6,845 individuals …

Patterns And Environmental Drivers Of Juvenile Sablefish Movement In Southeast Alaska, Rhea K. Ehresmann

Fisheries

Sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria are a long-lived, deep-dwelling groundfish that inhabit the North Pacific Ocean, ranging from northern Mexico to the Gulf of Alaska to Japan, supporting one of Alaska's most valuable commercial fisheries. After decades of heavy fishing, declines in the Sablefish population led to significant fishing restrictions but few strong year classes developed in recent years. Most Sablefish research has focused on the larval, near-surface juvenile, or adult life history stages, but few studies have examined post-settlement juvenile Sablefish in nearshore areas. This study used acoustic telemetry to understand the presence and movement of juvenile Sablefish in a nursery …

Determining The Effects Of Asian Pink And Chum Salmon On Western Alaska Chum Salmon Growth, Tessa J. Minicucci

Fisheries

Increased hatchery production and favorable ocean conditions have resulted in historically high abundances of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the North Pacific Ocean. Despite these conditions, chum salmon (O. keta) have experienced reductions in growth, body size, and increases in age at maturity throughout their range. In western Alaska, dramatic declines in the abundance of chum salmon between 1997-2001 resulted in numerous fishery and economic disasters among commercial and subsistence users. Chapter 1 reviews existing data on salmon diet and ocean distribution to address the potential for competition between western Alaska chum salmon and Asian pink (O. gorbuscha) and chum …

Department Of Managed Health Care, Jennifer Pardue, J. D. Fellmeth

California Regulatory Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Department Of Insurance, J. D. Fellmeth

California Regulatory Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Petrographic And Microfacies Analysis Of The Shublik Formation, Northern Alaska: Implications For An Unconventional Resource System, April Rae Knox

Geosciences

The North Slope of Alaska includes a world-class conventional petroleum system that has been producing for approximately 40 years. While the regional stratigraphy includes multiple proven source and reservoir rocks, the Middle to Upper Triassic Shublik Formation (Fm.) is the most prolific. The decline in conventional hydrocarbon production on the North Slope and the presence of high quality source rocks inspire the evaluation of the Shublik Fm. as an unconventional petroleum system where oil or gas are produced directly from source rocks. The Shublik Fm. is a heterogeneous calcareous shale and limestone interval that has been interpreted to indicate deposition …

Mechanisms And Implications Of Changes In The Timing Of Ocean Freeze-Up, Rebecca J. Rolph

Geosciences

The shift to an Arctic seasonal sea ice cover in recent years motivates a deeper understanding of freeze-up processes and implications of a lengthened open water season. As the sea ice boundary between the Arctic ocean and atmosphere covers a smaller area, the effects of enhanced wind mixing become more pronounced. Winds are important for ocean circulation and heat exchange. Ultimately, they can influence when freeze-up can occur, or can break up new ice as it forms. The chapters of this thesis are motivated by the substantial social and geophysical consequences of a lengthening open water season and linked through …

Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias Jubatus) Strandings And The Role Of Pathogens In Reproductive Failure, Janessa A. Esquible

Fisheries

Steller sea lions (SSL, Eumetopias jubatus) have faced severe population fluctuations over the last five decades with a myriad of possibilities affecting their SSL population including disease, malnutrition, predation, climate change, entanglement in marine debris, and other factors. This thesis examined the effects that anthropogenic factors and disease may play in SSL strandings and reproductive failure. The goal of this study was to characterize long-term seasonality and spatial trends in SSL strandings and to investigate the role Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetti. Chlamydophila spp. and morbilliviruses may play in reproductive failure including spontaneous abortion and premature parturition. In Chapter 1, we …

Bioenergetic And Economic Impacts Of Humpback Whale Depredation At Salmon Hatchery Release Sites, Ellen M. Chenoweth

Fisheries

Since 2008, humpback whales have been documented depredating hatchery-produced juvenile salmon, a novel prey, at points of their release in Southeast Alaska. The objectives of this dissertation are to determine the spatial distribution, seasonal distribution, and frequency of humpback whale foraging at release sites, determine whether whale presence is affecting the economic productivity of hatchery operations, and compare the bioenergetic benefits for whales feeding on juvenile salmon at hatchery release sites relative to typical prey. Five hatchery release sites were monitored over six years during the spring release season for whale presence/absence, numbers, and behaviors. Linear models were used to …

The Reproductive Biology And Management Of Walleye Pollock (Gadus Chalcogrammus) In The Gulf Of Alaska, Benjamin C. Williams

Fisheries

Ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM) entails treating resource allocation and management as elements of a comprehensive framework that accounts for ecological linkages. The goal of EBFM is to maintain ecosystem resiliency in a manner that provides for the services desired e.g., fishery catch, species abundance, economic viability. Historically fisheries have been managed on a per species basis with a general focus on increasing or decreasing harvest rates. This management strategy often excludes meaningful processes such as interactions with other species, environmental changes, and economic effects of management changes. One feasible path for implementation of EBFM is through enhancement of existing single-species …

Using Fishers' Knowledge To Explore Spatial Fishing Patterns, Perceptions Of Regulations, And Environmental Change In Alaska, Maggie Chan

Fisheries

In this dissertation, an interdisciplinary approach was used to examine fisher knowledge from recreational charter and subsistence fishers targeting Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) in Alaska. The first chapter identified biological, regulatory, social, and economic drivers of spatial fishing patterns by charter operators in two communities in Alaska. In Homer, the most frequently cited reasons for changes in the location and/or extent of fishing were changes in trip type and the price of fuel, while in Sitka, the most frequently cited reasons for spatial shifts were changes to Pacific halibut regulations and gaining experience or exploring new locations. The second chapter …