Digital Commons Network^™

Administering Health Innovation, Rachel E. Sachs

Cardozo Law Review

Scholars and policymakers have recently begun to focus on the role federal agencies charged with health-related missions can play in the development of innovative health technologies and promotion of access to those technologies. Appreciating the expertise of agencies like the National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has expanded the range of tools contemplated by scholars who had previously focused largely on the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Yet much of this attention has so far focused on the capacities of single agencies, acting alone. This Article expands the existing scholarly …

Babies Having Babies: Advocating For A Different Standard For Minor Parents In Abuse And Neglect Cases, Emily Barry

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Management For Fruits And Vegetables In Utah, Lori R. Spears, Diane G. Alston, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), an invasive agricultural and nuisance pest from eastern Asia. It includes information on how to identify, feeding injury, monitoring, management, and chemical control.

Market Goat First Aid, Basic Care, And Common Diseases In Show Goats, Flip Book, Karah Nay, Deric Despain

All Current Publications

This flip book gives information on first aid for market goats as well as basic care and common diseases and treatments in show goats.

Explicit, Implicit, And Behavioral Stigmatization Of Mental Illness, Jessica S. James

Dissertations

Mental health concern is a public health concern that continues to be stigmatized. While the dual process model has been applied to other areas of social cognition (e.g., racism), this framework has not previously been frequently used to examine the stigmatization of mental illness. The current study sought to examine the stigmatization of mental illness within a dual process model to determine the relationship between explicit and implicit stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors. A total of 104 undergraduate students from the University of Southern Mississippi participated in this study. Participants completed multiple implicit and explicit measures of stigmatizing attitudes and behavioral …

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 …

Synthetic And Theoretical Studies For Cyclization Reactions To Form C-C And C-N Bonds, Nicholas Jentsch

Dissertations

Natural product total synthesis provides an alternative method for obtaining medicinally relevant compounds in a more efficient process with higher yields than what nature can provide. Natural products pose significant synthetic challenges due to the unique heterocyclic skeletons with fused and spirocyclic ring systems. Therefore, it is paramount to develop efficient reaction methodologies targeting substructures such as cyclic ureas and spiro[4.5]decanes which are prominent among marine natural products and Lycopodium alkaloids, respectively. Presented here is a compilation of research seeking to develop synthetic methods for the construction of cyclic moieties such as those previously mentioned. The objectives that are addressed …

Dietary Recommendations For Adults With Psoriasis Or Psoriatic Arthritis From The Medical Board Of The National Psoriasis Foundation: A Systematic Review, Adam Ford, Michael Siegel, Jerry Bagel, Kelly M. Cordoro, Amit Garg, Alice Gottlieb, April W. Armstrong

NYMC Faculty Publications

Importance: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease and has significant associated morbidity and effect on quality of life. It is important to determine whether dietary interventions help reduce disease severity in patients with psoriatic diseases. Objective: To make evidence-based dietary recommendations for adults with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis from the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation. Evidence Review: We used literature from prior systematic reviews as well as additional primary literature from the MEDLINE database from January 1, 2014, to August 31, 2017, that evaluated the impact of diet on psoriasis. We included observational and interventional studies of …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Convolution Neural Networks In Age At Deat Estimation Using 3d Scans Of The Pubic Symphyseal Face, Melissa A. Brown

Masters Theses

The research presented assesses the utility of machine learning approaches, specifically convolutional neural networks (CNNs), to the estimation of age at death in adult decedents by analysis of the pubic symphyseal face of the os coxa rendered as a 3D image. Age at death estimation is an important duty of forensic anthropologists working in medico-legal contexts, as well as bioarcheological researchers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of a CNN relative to the performance of human observers using traditional methods of age estimation. To accomplish this, a CNN created for this project and expert anthropologists were …

Computational Study Of The Nature Of Tetrel Bond, Yama Aman

Masters Theses

For more than a hundred years, the type of a chemical bond has been distinguished according to the relative electronegativities of chemical units at the ends of a bond. Whereas, the bond of unequally electronegative on both ends is called a polar covalent or even ionic bond or a non-polar covalent bond in case of both equal. Regardless the type of bonded elements, the whole idea for the bond was believed to be electron driven only. In the 20th century the development of the idea, that not just the electronic relation but specific elements are also able to characterize the …

Implemenatation Of Additive Print Manufacturing Processes For The Development Of Flexible Thermal Sensors, Vikram Shreeshail Turkani

Masters Theses

This work focuses on the design, fabrication and characterization of novel flexible thermal sensors using additive print manufacturing processes. Initially, a carbon nanotube (CNT) based negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor was fabricated on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using screen and gravure printing processes. The thermistor consists of two silver (Ag) electrodes deposited using screen printing process. A CNT based sensing layer was deposited using gravure printing process on the Ag electrodes. Finally, a primary polymer and a secondary Ag encapsulation layer were deposited using screen printing process. The capability of the fabricated thermistor was investigated by measuring its …

An Investigation Of Sub-Meter Skill In Stem And Non-Stem Undergraduate Students, Laura A. Tingin

Masters Theses

This study designed a nationally-relevant, valid, and reliable survey that measures STEM and Non-STEM undergraduate student familiarity with sub-meter metric scale and common sub-meter sized science objects. The instrument assesses scalar relationship and scalar magnitude, as explained by Cheek, LaDue, and Shipley (2017). The instrument development was based on an existing Scale of Objects Questionnaire (SOQ) instrument created by Tretter, Jones, Andre, Negishi, & Minogue (2006a) which was modified to be nationally relevant and in an electronic format in two phases: online survey development and undergraduate pilot testing. Online survey development was framed in the tailored design method described by …

Contribution Of Monoaminergic Mechanisms To The Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (Mdpv) In Sprague-Dawley Rats, Harmony I. Risca

Masters Theses

3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a popular synthetic cathinone reported to have a high abuse potential and comparable pharmacological actions to those of cocaine. The aim of this study was to evaluate a variety of monoaminergic agents for substitution, potentiation, or antagonism in rats trained to discriminate MDPV. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate 0.5 mg/kg MDPV and a variety of monoaminergic drugs were tested for substitution and/or potentiation of the MDPV cue. In separate experiments, stimulus antagonism tests were conducted with selected dopamine antagonists or serotonin antagonists in rats trained to discriminate 1 mg/kg MDPV. Full substitution for MDPV was …

An Examination Of Age Labels In Music Related Dissertations And Theses: 2009-2016, Phillicia Jackson

Masters Theses

The life expectancy rate of advanced age individuals has increased dramatically in recent years, creating a greater need for research topics related to this segment of the population. Smith (2009) completed a content analysis of the use of age labels describing this advanced age group using dissertations and theses produced between 1983 and 2008. This current investigation replicated the process used in the earlier study using dissertations and theses completed between 2009 and 2016. The same search procedure, inclusion criteria, and analysis protocol was used, in order to be able to evaluate changes which may have occurred over time. A …

Rangeland Weed Control And Pasture Rejuvenation, Linden Greenhalgh, Jerry Caldwell, Burt Staples

All Current Publications

The purpose of this fact sheet is to show how rangeland pastures can be rejuvenated through weed control, fertilization, reseeding, and improved management practices.

Landscape Values And Aesthetic Preferences Across The Front Range, Emily J. Wilkins, Hongchao Zhang, Derek Van Berkel, Monica A. Dorning, Scott M. Beck, Jordan W. Smith

All Current Publications

Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) lands are managed to provide a diverse set of benefits valued by Boulder’s residents as well as tourists. Not all OSMP lands provide the same set of benefits however. Understanding how the values associated with OSMP lands vary across the region can provide managers with insights into how best to allocate resources so that they yield the maximum public benefit. In addition to an understanding of the values visitors associate with OSMP lands, management can benefit from knowledge of how different features of the landscape impact user experiences, both positively and negatively.

Proper Care And Management Of Common Health Concerns With 4-H Goat Projects, Karah Nay, Deric Despain

All Current Publications

The purpose of this fact sheet is to give youth and their parents a basic guide of what signs and symptoms to watch for to prevent illness or death. It includes instructions on how to take vitals, how to assist the veterinarian when called, the compiling of materials for a first aid kit, proper antibiotic administration, vaccinations, and preventive practices that the youth can implement while caring for their animal.

Assessment Of A Nutritional Rehabilitation Model In Two Modern Broilers And Their Jungle Fowl Ancestor: A Model For Better Understanding Childhood Undernutrition, Mikayla Baxter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The World Health Organization, estimated that 22.9% of children under the age of 5 are stunted. The etiology of stunting is multifactorial and is associated with poor linear growth, villous atrophy, dysbiosis, and increased intestinal permeability. Inclusion of rye in poultry diets induces nutrient deficiencies and increases intestinal permeability, dysbiosis and decreases growth rates. The objective of this dissertation was to determine if chickens consuming a rye based diet exhibited a similar pathophysiology of stunted children to develop a relevant animal model. Therefore, early or late phase malnutrition was induced determine the effects of malnutrition on performance, bone mineralization, intestinal …

Chemical Strategies For Drug Development Of Fucose-Truncated Ipomoeassin F Analogues, Melissa Hirsch

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural product synthesis has many applications in the field of chemical biology, due to the protein binding affinity to the complex three-dimensional structure. However, synthetic and structure-activity relationship studies concerning certain drug targets are scarce. For example, members of the ipomoeassin family have exhibited anti-cancer properties, but cost-effective optimization of these compounds has not yet been extensively studied. Ipomoeassin F, a natural glycoresin isolated from the leaves of the Ipomoea squamosa plant in the Suriname rainforest, has shown high cytotoxicity, with IC50 values measured at the low nanomolar range. Two studies by Postema and Fuerstner have outlined synthesis pathways for …

Social Interactions Occurring During An Introductory College Of Agriculture Course, Brittany Renea Leek

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the development of the internet, today’s students no longer are confined to the resources only found in their classrooms or public libraries and have been given the ability to gain access to virtually unlimited quantities of information on the topics or events they are discussing in their class rooms and with their peers. The use of technology for communication and education is rapidly changing, but the challenges of technology-driven learning opportunities rest on questions of access and use. There is a need to determine whether students use these methods (i.e., technology based) to more prevalently communicate today. The primary …

Long-Term Focus Of Attentional Biases, Garrett Pollert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research regarding attentional biases, or patterns of visual attention, have focused on attention over the initial second when exposed to pictoral food stimuli. This manuscript reviews the literature regarding attentional biases in overweight/obese individuals over this timeframe for the two previously defined components of attentional bias (attentional orientation and attentional maintenance). A new component is proposed, called “attentional re-engagement,” defined as the pattern of attentional shifts towards target stimulus types over longer periods of time. Overweight/Obese and Normal-weighted participants were recruited and engaged in an Extended Dot Probe task, wherein attentional orientation, maintenance, and re-engagement were assessed using the …

Determining The Effect Of Locally Delivered Bioactive Modulators On Macrophage Activation At The Implantation Site Of Different Biomaterials In Rats, Kamel Alkhatib

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Altering the foreign body reaction by targeting macrophages has been of interest in the biomaterials field to improve the integration of longevity of implanted biomedical devices. The objective of this dissertation was to study the effect of locally delivered bioactive modulators on macrophage activation at the implantation site of different biomaterials in rats. Iloprost, a prostacyclin analog, was tested for its ability to direct macrophages to their pro-wound healing phenotype after the implantation of microdialysis probe in the subcutaneous space of male Sprague Dawley rats. This study showed that iloprost can shift macrophage activation states in vivo to the pro-wound …

Opto-Thermal Characterization Of Plasmon And Coupled Lattice Resonances In 2-D Metamaterial Arrays, Vinith Bejugam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growing population and climate change inevitably requires longstanding dependency on sustainable sources of energy that are conducive to ecological balance, economies of scale and reduction of waste heat. Plasmonic-photonic systems are at the forefront of offering a promising path towards efficient light harvesting for enhanced optoelectronics, sensing, and chemical separations. Two-dimensional (2-D) metamaterial arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles arranged in polymer lattices developed herein support thermoplasmonic heating at off-resonances (near infrared, NIR) in addition to regular plasmonic resonances (visible), which extends their applicability compared to random dispersions. Especially, thermal responses of 2-D arrays at coupled lattice resonance (CLR) wavelengths were comparable …

Growing Up In Tell El-Amarna: An Examination Of Growth And Non-Specific Stress Indicators In New Kingdom Children., Ashley Elizabeth Shidner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The health status of the subadult skeletal remains from the South Tombs Cemetery at Tell el-Amarna were assessed by examining fluctuations in childhood growth and rates of skeletal indicators of physiological stress within a biocultural framework. The long bone standardization method outlined by Goode et al. (1993) was used to compare the South Tombs cemetery’s cross-sectional growth data to subadult samples from other cemeteries during which major social, political, and economic changes were taking place. The comparative subadult samples included the HK43 cemetery from Hierakonpolis (Egypt), the African American Cemetery from Cedar Grove (Arkansas), and the St. Martin’s Churchyard from …

The Impact Of A Learning Community On The Perceived Wellness Of First Year Doctor Of Physical Therapy Students, Angela Mae Holland

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare education guides students in obtaining skills to promote health in others. In working towards this goal, graduate students in healthcare programs potentially suffer from increased stress while undergoing the rigor of a medically based academic program. The purpose of this study was to determine if the addition of a learning community program had an effect on the perceived wellness of first year doctor of physical therapy students. A repeated measures quasi-experimental design was used to answer the three research questions, which guided the investigation. Three groups of participants completed the study, one serving as the experimental group with the …

Design Of Peptoid-Based Coating To Reduce Biofouling In Gas Exchange Devices, Neda Mahmoudi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent decades, membrane technology has been used commonly in biomedical area. However, membrane fouling is a widespread problem in different applications. One method to minimize fouling is through surface modification of membranes. My research explores a novel polymer to minimize nonspecific protein adsorption in biomedical applications.

It firstly focuses on grafting the electrically neutral NMEG peptoid, containing 2-methoxyethyl side chains, to polysulfone (PSU) membrane via polydopamine. Contact angle measurements indicated that the hydrophilicity of the peptoid-grafted membranes was significantly improved while the pore size and strength of the membranes remained unchanged. The modified membranes showed an improved fouling resistance …