Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of The Protective Factors That Foster Resilience In Teachers, Zundra Gates

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the protective factors of teachers in various fields: discipline, tested and non-tested subject areas, and teacher certification route. The study involved 161 kindergarten to twelfth grade Mississippi teachers who were full-time during the 2016-2017 school year. The 36-item Resiliency Questionnaire was used to measure the presence of six protective factors. The six protective factors that were examined on the questionnaire are: purpose and expectation (PE), nurture and support (NS), positive connections (PC), meaningful participation (MP), life guiding skills (LGS), and clear and consistent boundaries (CCB). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test …

Mechanisms Driving Suicidal Ideation To Action: The Impact Of Rumination And Cardiovascular Reactivity On Momentary Fluctuations In Pain Tolerance And Persistence, Keyne Law

Dissertations

To prevent suicide, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms and processes associated with deaths by suicide. The capability for suicide is a critical factor that enables an individual to endure the physical pain necessary to make a lethal suicide attempt (Joiner, 2005; Klonsky & May, 2015). Few studies have examined whether the ability to tolerate and persist through pain are subject to momentary fluctuations during different emotional contexts. This study sought to directly compare the effects of sadness rumination and anger rumination on pain tolerance and pain persistence. Furthermore, this study aimed to examine the effect of heart rate …

Delineating Metrics Of Diversity For A Snake Community In A Rare Ecosystem, Zachary John Marcou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Snakes are among the least understood vertebrate groups despite their considerable diversity. A diverse community of snakes in an ecosystem can indicate a complex habitat structure that is capable of supporting a robust assemblage of other biota. I used remote photography arrays (RPA) to quantify metrics of diversity for the snake community occurring in a ~7,000–ha tract of contiguous Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Savanna within the Angelina National Forest (ANF; Angelina and Jasper Cos., TX), over the course of two consecutive snake activity seasons. I quantified the snake species richness, Shannon diversity, and Shannon equitability for the snake community in …

Envh 7233– Environmental Exposure And Impact Assessment, Atin Adhikari

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

Introduces students to appropriate design, implementation, and analysis of primary environmental exposures and how they are influenced by public health ethics, equity and disparities. Specific topics covered include designing risk profiles; evaluating dose-response relationships; assessing the contribution of public health ethics, equity and disparities to environmental exposures; and analyzing field exposures of toxins.

Envh 7234 – Environmental Toxicology, Evans Afriyie-Gyawu

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course introduces students to concepts associated with the lethal and sub-lethal effects of environmental and occupational stressors on humans and other living organisms.

Envh 7235– Field Methods In Environmental Health, Marina E. Eremeeva

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course introduces students to an overview of current and accepted field methods for environmental sampling and occupational exposure monitoring.

Epid 7135-A – Epidemiology Of Infectious Disease, Isaac Chun-Hai Fung

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the principles and practices of infectious diseases epidemiology with focus on how the presence and control of communicable diseases affects public health locally, nationally and internationally. Topics to be covered include: 1) general principles of infectious diseases epidemiology, including outbreak investigation, surveillance, analysis of infectious diseases data, and laboratory testing of specimens; 2) major modes of infectious disease transmission, including airborne, food and water, zoonotic, insect vector, blood, and sexual transmission; 3) different control strategies for infectious diseases, including infection control, antimicrobial management, immunization, risk factor modification, and screening; …

Phld 9231 – Health Informatics & Decision Making, Gulzar H. Shah

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course focuses on the fundamental concepts of managing information as an asset in public health and healthcare delivery contexts. Emphasis will be placed on converting data into information and converting information into decision support models.

Retrospective Analysis For Severity Classification Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease And Asthma With Heart Rate And Spo2, Tasnuba Siddiqui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease are chronic and long-term lung diseases. Disease monitoring with minimal sensors with enough efficacy can make the disease management easier and efficacious for patients. Towards this goal, we propose a new model for the severity assessment of these diseases through wearables and compatible with mobile health applications, using only peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (from pulse oximeter sensor). Patient data are obtained from the MIMIC-III Waveform Database Matched Subset. The dataset consists of 168 subjects. Both heart rate signal and SpO2 data of subjects are analyzed in retrospective via the proposed …

Bringing Packed Red Blood Cells To The Point Of Combat Injury: Are We There Yet?, Aytekin Unlu, Soner Yilmaz, Ozlem Yalcin, Metin Uyanik, Patrizio Petrone, Riza Aytac Cetinkaya, Ali Cenk Aksu

NYMC Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Hemorrhage is the leading cause of injury related pre-hospital mortality. We investigated worst case scenarios and possible requirements of Turkish Military. As we plan to use blood resources during casualty transport, the impact of transport related mechanical stress on PRBC (packed red blood cell) were analyzed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The in vitro experiment was performed in the environmental test laboratories of ASELSAN(R). Operational vibrations of potential casualty transport mediums such as Sikorsky Helicopters, Kirpi(R) Armoured Vehicle and NATO vibration standardsoftware MIL-STD-810G were recorded. The most powerful mechanical stress, which was created by the NATO standard, was applied to 15 …

Percutaneous Pleural Drainage In Patients Taking Clopidogrel: Real Danger Or Phantom Fear?, Katherine Linder, Oleg Epelbaum

NYMC Faculty Publications

Despite being categorized as a procedure associated with a low risk of iatrogenic hemorrhage, percutaneous pleural drainage in patients taking the ubiquitous antiplatelet agent clopidogrel is still commonly perceived as a risky proposition. There is mounting evidence, however, in support of the safety of percutaneous needle procedures in persons receiving this medication. Establishing that these pleural interventions can be performed safely without clopidogrel interruption would be of great clinical significance, especially in those taking it for recent cardiac stenting and therefore in danger of stent thrombosis should antiplatelet therapy (APT) be withheld. The purpose of the present review is to …

Nanometer Ultrastructural Brain Damage Following Low Intensity Primary Blast Wave Exposure, Hailong Song, Landry M. Konan, Jiankun Cui, Catherine E. Johnson, Graham K. Hubler, Ralph G. Depalma, Zezong Gu

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is of particular concern among military personnel due to exposure to blast energy during military training and combat. The impact of primary low-intensity blast mediated pathophysiology upon later neurobehavioral disorders has been controversial. Developing a military preclinical blast model to simulate the pathophysiology of human blast injury is an important first step. This article provides an overview of primary blast effects and perspectives of our recent studies demonstrating ultrastructural changes in the brain and behavioral disorders resulting from open-field blast exposures up to 46.6 kPa using a murine model. The model is scalable and …

Glutathione: A Small Molecule With Big Sense, Cristina E. Raya, Debasish Bandyopadhyay

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

Glutathione, a peptide found in microbes, plants and animals including human plays a key role in maintaining healthy cells. The peptide exists in both reduced and oxidized forms. Synthesis of GSH occurs in the cytosol of cells, and the extent of glutathione synthesis relies on various factors, such as amino acid availability, protein activity etc. Once synthesized, glutathione exists in both forms: oxidized (GSSG) and reduced (GSH). Oxidized glutathione characterized by its disulfide linkage. On the other hand, presence of a thiol group characterizes the reduced glutathione. This thiol makes the tripeptide an essential component of health; it makes glutathione …

Saudi Nurse Knowledge, Cultural Perspective, And Intent Regarding Cervical Cancer Prevention, Alaa Mujallad

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Cervical cancer can be controlled by providing screening and vaccination. Although rates for this female cancer are decreasing in developed countries, these low rates are not observed in the other countries. In Saudi Arabia, cervical cancer cases are increasing dramatically (from only 152 cases in 2014, to 241 cases in 2017). Lack of knowledge about cervical cancer prevention presumably contributes to the morbidity and mortality rate among Saudi women, as do religio-cultural beliefs about modesty, sexuality, and premarital virginity. Therefore, this study sought to describe how Saudi nurses’ knowledge and religio-cultural beliefs effected their intentions to promote cervical cancer prevention. …

Characterization Of Fgf-Mediated Sonic Hedgehog Expression During Limb Development, Billy A. Watson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Crosstalk between Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs) and Sonic hedgehog (SHH) is essential for proper limb development; however, the molecular mechanisms involved in this process remain unclear. Via comparative transcriptome analysis and gene knockdown and overexpression studies, we identified the transcription factor Lim homeobox 2 (LHX2) as an intermediate in FGF-directed SHH expression. We determined that FGF signaling was necessary for LHX2 expression and demonstrated that LHX2 is a primary transcription target of FGF signaling through the RAS and AKT pathways. Additionally, loss of LHX2 in the distal limb results in decreased SHH expression and a truncated limb within 24 hours …

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Mediated Restoration Of Cytoglobin As A Treatment For Breast Cancer, Leah Kathleen Rowland

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Nearly 40,000 women die annually from breast cancer in the US. Clinically available targeted breast cancer therapy is ineffective in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes, which lack expression of the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. TNBC carries a poor prognosis. Previous reports show that aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist 2-(4-amino-3-methylphenyl)- 5-fluorobenzothiazole (5F 203) selectively inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells including those of the TNBC subtype. In the current study, we determined that 5F 203 induces the expression of epigenetically silenced putative tumor suppressor gene cytoglobin (CYGB) and suppresses TNBC cell growth …

Illinois State, August 2018, Illinois State University, University Marketing And Communications

State: The Magazine of Illinois State University (1999-present)

Illinois State University alumni magazine

From The Inner Chamber To To The Marketplace: The Reception And Re-Creation Of The Woman Writer Ye Xiaoluan, Tian Ding

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the reception and re-created history of the woman writer Ye Xiaoluan. Emphasis is on the changing literary images and related cultural products created and circulated by members of the literati class from the late Ming Dynasty to the early modern period. I argue the process can mainly be divided into three stages: 1) the formation and iconization of her image among the cultural elite in the late Ming period; 2) the deconstruction and consumption of her images in Qing dynasty; and 3) the substitution and fade-out of her images in early modern period. In the course …

Efficacy Of Combined 5-Fluorouracil And Photodynamic Therapy In Glioma Spheroids, Karanjit Singh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Standard treatment regimens consisting of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have proven ineffective for the treatment of high-grade gliomas such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). An effective cure requires elimination of nests of tumor cells that have migrated from the resection margin and infiltrated normal brain. A number of localized therapies, including light-based approaches such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photochemical internalization (PCI) are currently under investigation for the management of GBM patients.

Several studies have demonstrated a high degree of synergy between PDT and bleomycin, via the PCI mechanism, in a variety of in vitro and in vivo models, including glioma …

The Detrimental Effects Of Cigarette Smoke On Fracture Healing In A Bilateral Femur Fracture Rodent Model, Russell Abbott Reeves

All Theses

Fractures that fail to heal (nonunions) substantially contribute to patient morbidity and overall healthcare costs. When nonunions occur in the absence of a critical size defect it is the result of impaired healing via one of the two distinct bone healing pathways: primary (intramembranous) and secondary (endochondral) ossification. Furthermore, the recent characterization of circulating osteoprogenitor cells (COPs) presents yet another important mechanism by which fractures may heal. Clinically, patients who smoke cigarettes are at increased risk of suffering from a nonunion; however, the mechanism by which this occurs has still not yet been defined. We sought to determine whether cigarette …

Functional Comparison Of Two Virus Innexins, Peng Zhang

All Theses

Some Parasitoid wasps rely on Polydnavirus to determine suitable hosts and complete their parasitization. Ichnoviruses (IV), one subfamily of Polydnavirus, are associated with Ichneumonids, have one highly conserved gene family named vinnexins. It has been demonstrated vinnexins are homologues of insect gap junction genes (innexins). However, their functions to the virus, parasitoid wasp and secondary host are not fully understood.

In my thesis, I have focused on two vinnexins, vnxG and vnxQ2, to investigate their effects on insect cell line and caterpillar using recombinant baculoviruses. I expressed vnxG or vnxQ2 in Sf9 cells and compared their influence on cell physiology. …

The Role Of Social Environment And Genomic Plasticity In The Maintenance Of Alternative Mating Strategies In Sailfin Mollies, Mary Katharine Ramos-Negrete

All Theses

Sailfin molly fish, Poecilia latipinna, members of the family Poeciliidae, show extensive polymorphism in male body size, degree of ornamentation and mating behavior repertoires. They are a striking example of a species with alternative male mating strategies that result from an association between life history trait variation and developmental plasticity of mating behaviors. Sailfin molly male body size correlates to their lifelong mating strategy and male size at maturity is fixed and shows a continuous range of male sizes in natural populations. In this species, some phenotypes have ‘fixed’ mating strategies (either sneaking copulations by small males or courting females …

Micromotion And Strength Of The Glenoid Component In Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: The Effect Of Malpositioning Versus Optimal Clinical Positioning In The Simulated B2 Glenoid, Shannon Hall

All Theses

Glenoid deformity remains one of the most difficult challenges facing reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) surgeons today as approximately 42,000 cases are performed in the United States each year (Schairer et al., 2015; Day et al., 2010). While RTSA aids in reducing pain and improving function in patients suffering from shoulder pathologic processes, high complication rates, ranging from 14-75%, and revision rates, ranging from 4-40%, have been reported (Sershon et al., 2014; Zumstein et al., 2011). More importantly, glenoid baseplate loosening remains a huge concern for surgeons as it is remains the number one cause for revision surgery (Tashjian et …

Research News. Publications, 2018. Volume 1, University Of Mississippi. School Of Pharmacy, Soumyajit Majumdar

Publications (2015-)

Publications that appeared during the period January 1 through June 30, 2018

Consensus Treatment Plans For Chronic Nonbacterial Osteomyelitis Refractory To Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs And/Or With Active Spinal Lesions., Yongdong Zhao, Eveline Y. Wu, Melissa S. Oliver, Ashley M. Cooper, Matthew L. Basiaga, Sheetal S. Vora, Tzielan C. Lee, Emily Fox, Gil Amarilyo, Sara M. Stern, Jeffrey A. Dvergsten, Kathleen A. Haines, Kelly A. Rouster-Stevens, Karen B. Onel, Julie Cherian, Jonathan S. Hausmann, Paivi Miettunen, Tania Cellucci, Farzana Nuruzzaman, Angela Taneja, Karyl S. Barron, Matthew C. Hollander, Sivia K. Lapidus, Suzanne C. Li, Seza Ozen, Hermann Girschick, Ronald M. Laxer, Fatma Dedeoglu, Christian M. Hedrich, Polly J. Ferguson, Chronic Nonbacterial Osteomyelitis/Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis Study Group And The Childhood Arthritis And Rheumatology Research Alliance Scleroderma, Vasculitis, Autoinflammatory And Rare Diseases Subcommittee

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: To develop standardized treatment regimens for chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO), also known as chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO), to enable comparative effectiveness treatment studies.

METHODS: Virtual and face-to-face discussions and meetings were held within the CNO/CRMO subgroup of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA). A literature search was conducted, and CARRA membership was surveyed to evaluate available treatment data and identify current treatment practices. Nominal group technique was used to achieve consensus on treatment plans for CNO refractory to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) monotherapy and/or with active spinal lesions.

RESULTS: Three consensus treatment plans (CTPs) were developed …

A Comparison Of R, Sas, And Python Implementations Of Random Forests, Breckell Soifua

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Random Forest method is a useful machine learning tool developed by Leo Breiman. There are many existing implementations across different programming languages; the most popular of which exist in R, SAS, and Python. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive comparison of these implementations with regards to the accuracy, variable importance measurements, and timing. This comparison was done on a variety of real and simulated data with different classification difficulty levels, number of predictors, and sample sizes. The comparison shows unexpectedly different results between the three implementations.

Fungal Endophyte Alternaria Tenuissima Can Affect Growth And Selenium Accumulation In Its Hyperaccumulator Host Astragalus Bisulcatus, Stormy D. Lindblom, Ami L. Wangeline, Jose R. Valdez Barillas, Berthal Devilbiss, Sirine C. Fakra, Elizabeth A. H. Pilon-Smits

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Endophytes can enhance plant stress tolerance by promoting growth and affecting elemental accumulation, which may be useful in phytoremediation. In earlier studies, up to 35% elemental selenium (Se⁰ ) was found in Se hyperaccumulator Astragalus bisulcatus. Since Se⁰ can be produced by microbes, the plant Se⁰ was hypothesized to be microbe-derived. Here we characterize a fungal endophyte of A. bisulcatus named A2. It is common in seeds from natural seleniferous habitat containing 1,000– 10,000 mg kg^-1 Se. We identified A2 as Alternaria tenuissima via 18S rRNA sequence analysis and morphological characterization. X-ray microprobe analysis of A. …

Theory, Practice, And Conservation In The Age Of Genomics: The Galápagos Giant Tortoise As A Case Study., Stephen Gaughran, Maud C. Quinzin, Joshua M. Miller, Ryan C. Garrick, Danielle L. Edwards, Michael A. Russello, Nikos Poulakakis, Claudio Ciofi, Luciano B. Beheregaray, Adalgisa Caccone

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

High-throughput DNA sequencing allows efficient discovery of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in nonmodel species. Population genetic theory predicts that this large number of independent markers should provide detailed insights into population structure, even when only a few individuals are sampled. Still, sampling design can have a strong impact on such inferences. Here, we use simulations and empirical SNP data to investigate the impacts of sampling design on estimating genetic differentiation among populations that represent three species of Galápagos giant tortoises (

Detection Of In-Utero Ethanol Exposure Via Etg And Ets Analysis In Umbilical Cord And Placenta, Jennifer Hanna

Student Theses

Alcohol exposure during pregnancy constitutes one of the leading preventable causes of birth defects, mental retardation and neurodevelopmental disorders in exposed children. According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, alcohol was the second most prevalent substance (8.3%) after tobacco (10%), being this alcohol prevalence higher among 26-44 years old pregnant women than in the 18-25 years old group (9.1 vs 6.5%) (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2017). The ethanol marker ethyl glucuronide (EtG) has proven to be a specific long-term marker of ethanol in-utero exposure in meconium; however, currently there are scarce or no …

Parent Priorities And Knowledge Regarding Transition To Adulthood For Middle School Students With Significant Disabilities, Laura A. Hackwell

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 requires transition planning to begin at age 16 years, but many states require transition planning to begin even earlier. In Utah, the amended age for starting transition planning is 14 years. Early implementation of transition planning requires collaboration between middle school teachers, parents, and adult service agencies. Parents of middle school students with significant disabilities completed an online survey to identify postsecondary transition related priorities and knowledge. Participants identified top priorities within seven transition outcomes, as well as the information needed to understand and support their student within each specific transition area. …