Digital Commons Network^™

Evidence That A Partner-Switching Regulatory System Modulates Hormogonium Motility In The Filamentous Cyanobacterium Nostoc Punctiforme, Kelsey Wynne Riley

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Partner-switching regulatory systems (PSRSs) are utilized by many different bacteria to regulate a wide array of cellular responses, from stress response to expression of virulence factors. The filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme can transiently differentiate motile filaments, called hormogonia, in response to various changes in the environment. Hormogonia utilize a Type IV pilus (T4P) complex in conjunction with a secreted polysaccharide for gliding motility along solid surfaces. This study identified three genes, designated hmpU, hmpW, and hmpV, encoding the protein components of a PSRS involved in regulation of hormogonium motility in N. punctiforme. Although mutant strains with in-frame deletions in hmpU, …

Orlando’S Pulse: Diversity And Inclusion In Higher Education After A Tragedy, Jennifer C. Sands

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The Pulse Nightclub Tragedy in Orlando shocked the nation, after a gunman who identified as being Muslim walked in to a gay nightclub and gunned down 49 people and injured 53 more. In addition to the LGBTQ+ community being targeted, the Latinx community had been targeted as well, considering it was Latin night. With many of those affected being of traditional college age, local colleges and universities took action to offer support. Focusing on the Pulse shooting, I explored the ways in which higher education institutions offered support after this tragedy occurred, while reviewing other tragedies and the responses by …

From Quiver To Quill, Veteran Transition To Higher Education, Mark Walch

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Veterans do not receive a uniform out-processing in regards to education benefits information. Despite the VA providing ample education benefits to veterans, military branches do not prepare discharging service members for the benefits earned. To discover personal experiences of veterans at University of the Pacific, critical ethnography in expository documentary film methodology was used. The results of the film showed veterans do not receive ample preparation for benefit usage. The veterans in this film also provided advice for future transitioning veterans to avoid common benefit mistakes.

Computational Methods In Biomolecules:Study Of Hydrophilic Interactions In Protein Folding & Constant-Ph Molecular Simulation Of Ph Sensitive Lipid Morc16, Wei Zhang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Water molecules play a significant role in biological process and are directly involved with bio-molecules and organic compounds and ions. Recent research has focused on the thermal dynamics and kinetics of water molecules in solution, including experimental (infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy) and computational (Quantum Mechanics and Molecular Dynamics) approaches. The reason that water molecules are so unique, why they have such a profound influence on bio-activity, why water molecules show some anomalies compared to other small molecules, and where and how water molecules exert their influence on solutes are some of the areas under study. We studied some properties …

The Implementation And Adoptability Of Behavioral Skills Training In A Career Center, Vinthia Wiryananda Wirantana

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

It is unclear if staff at career centers use, or are willing to use, empirically-supported procedures like behavioral skills training (BST) when teaching interview skills to college students. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which the typical career center training consisted of BST, to evaluate staff-implemented BST, and to measure student performance as a result of both training. Using non-concurrent multiple baseline design, three staff were taught to use BST to teach three students to answer interview questions. First, staff used their typical training procedure, and then, they used BST to teach student interview skills; …

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? Complex Environments Drive The Developmental Plasticity Of Flight Capacity And Flight-Related Tradeoffs, Jordan R. Glass

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Animals must balance multiple, fitness-related traits in environments that are complex and characterized by co-varying factors, such as co-variation in temperature and food availability. Thus, experiments manipulating multiple environmental factors provide valuable insight into the role of the environment in shaping not only important traits (e.g., dispersal capacity or reproduction), but also trait-trait interactions (e.g., trade-offs between traits). We employed a multi-factorial design to manipulate variation in temperature (constant 28°C vs. 28±5°C daily cycle) and food availability (unlimited vs. intermittent access) throughout development in the sand field cricket, Gryllus firmus. We found that fitness-related, life-history traits and trait trade-offs can …

Aphasia Couples Therapy: A Case Study Of Conversational Coaching For A Man With Conduction Aphasia, Adriana Joma

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the effects of aphasia couples therapy (ACT) in a person with conduction aphasia. ACT is a social therapeutic approach that involves facilitating conversations between the person with aphasia (PWA) and their spouse, or caregiver. The participants in this study involved one pair. The dependent variables included conveyance of main concepts, use of intentional gestures, reflections and summary statements per conversation. Miscellaneous measures were also counted and analyzed including the PWA’s frequency of paraphasias, fillers (e.g. um, uh), and disfluencies. Baseline sessions involved the PWA watching a video clip, …

Issues Of Equity Among Team Members In Special Education: Voices Of Parents New To Special Education, Amanda R. Johnson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires local education agencies to include parents as equal team members in the cultivation of their child’s individual education plan (IEP). Despite law, studies have shown that parents experience barriers to being included in the process. Barriers such as a lack of information, lack of understanding of the law, and feelings of unequal status or power as compared to school district team members have been noted. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions, feelings, and understanding of the initial IEP process as experienced by parents new to the world of special …

Investigations On Cancer Cell Biological Effects Of Cdk8 Inhibitor Q-12, Zhixin Lu

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Over the past two decades, protein kinases have been intensively investigated as targets to treat neoplastic diseases. Many protein kinase inhibitors not only have therapeutic potential but are becoming invaluable reagents for the study of cell signaling.

We aspired to use our Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 8 inhibitor, Q-12, as a probe for biomarker discovery for CDK8 inhibitor sensitive tumor types. Q-12 shows potent inhibition of cell viability and induction of apoptosis process in some triple-negative breast cancer and colorectal cancer cell lines in vitro. Western blot results indicate that the reduction of STAT1 phosphorylation could be a robust indicator of CDK8 …

Comparing Equivalence-Based Instruction With Lecture-Based Instruction To Teach College Students To Identify Logical Fallacies, Kelly Roughgarden

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Educators and practicing professionals in many fields emphasize the importance of critical thinking for effective decision-making. However, critical thinking skills are not usually directly taught in traditional educational settings. A subset of these skills, identifying logical fallacies, could be amenable to direct instruction using procedures that establish conditional discriminations, such as equivalence-based instruction (EBI). EBI procedures have been shown to be effective and efficient when teaching a variety of skills, including the identification of logical fallacies, when compared with no-instruction and self-instruction control groups. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of web-based EBI procedures to a …

The Effect Of Peer Presence On Moderate-To-Vigorous Physical Activity, Nancy Thao

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The CDC estimated that rates of children’s physical activity are extremely low which could lead to various health problems (e.g., hypertension, lipid disorders). Fortunately, previous research has demonstrated that peers, specifically peers identified as preferred, might influence children’s levels of physical activity. However, this variable has not been experimentally manipulated. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of peer presence on the MVPA exhibited by kindergarten children, by exposing participants to peers identified as preferred. Results indicated that the presence of a peer identified as preferred increased the levels of MVPA for one participant but failed …

Shape From Focus Image Processing Approach Based 3d Model Construction Of Manufactured Part, Mitchel Wendland

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop a process and an algorithm to create a 3D model of the surface a part. This is accomplished using a single camera and a CNC machine as a movable stage. A gradient based focus measure operator written in MATLAB is used to process the images and to generate the surface model. The scopes of this research are image processing and surface model generation as well as verifying part accuracy. The algorithm is able to create a rough surface model of a photographed part, and with careful calibration in a limited number of …

Influence Of Dietary Nitrate Supplementation On Local Sweating And Cutaneous Vascular Responses During Exercise In A Hot Environment., T Amano, D Okushima, Bc Breese, S Bailey, S Koga, N Kondo

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Clinical Outcomes To Exercise Training In Type 1 Diabetes: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis., D. Jewiss, C. Ostman, N. King, N. A. Smart

School of Biomedical Sciences

AIMS: To establish the relationship between exercise training and clinical outcomes in people with type I diabetes. METHODS: Studies were identified through a MEDLINE search strategy, Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus and Science Citation Index. The search strategy included a mix of key concepts related to exercise training; type 1 diabetes; glycaemic control for trials of exercise training in people with type 1 diabetes. Searches were limited to prospective randomized or controlled trials of exercise training in humans with type 1 diabetes lasting 12 weeks or more. RESULTS: In exercised adults there were significant improvements in body mass Mean …

A New Use Of Β-Ala-Lys (Amca) As A Transport Reporter For Pept1 And Pept2 In Renal Brush Border Membrane Vesicles From The Outer Cortex And Outer Medulla., Othman A. Alghamdi, Nicola King, Graham L. Jones, Pierre D.J. Moens

School of Biomedical Sciences

Integral membrane proteins PEPT1 and PEPT2 are essential for reabsorbing almost all hydrolysed or filtered di- and tripeptides alongside a wide range of peptidomimetic drugs in the kidney. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of the fluorophore-conjugated dipeptide β-Ala-Lys (AMCA) as a biosensor for measuring peptide transport activity in brush border membrane vesicles isolated from the outer cortex (BBMV-OC) and outer medulla (BBMV-OM) (representing PEPT1 and PEPT2 respectively). The vesicles were isolated using a dual magnesium precipitation and centrifugation technique. Intravesicular fluorescence accumulation was measured after incubating extra-vesicular media at pH6.6 and different concentrations of …

Prevention Of Tuberculosis In Rhesus Macaques By A Cytomegalovirus-Based Vaccine, Scott G. Hansen, Daniel E. Zak, Guangwu Xu, Julia C. Ford, Emily E. Marshall, Daniel Malouli, Roxanne M. Gilbride, Colette M. Hughes, Abigail B. Ventura, Emily Ainslie, Kurt T. Randall, Andrea N. Selseth, Parker Rundstrom, Lauren Herlache, Matthew S. Lewis, Haesun Park, Shannon L. Planer, John M. Turner, Miranda Fischer, Christina Armstrong, Robert C. Zweig, Joseph Valvo, Jackie M. Braun, Smitha Shankar, Lenette Lu, Andrew W. Sylwester, Alfred W. Legasse, Martin Messerle, Michael A. Jarvis, Michael A. Jarvis, Alan Aderem, Galit Alter, Dominick J. Laddy, Michele Stone, Aurelio Bonavia, Thomas G. Evans, Michael K. Axthelm, K Fruh, Paul T. Edlefsen, Louis J. Picker

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Exercise Therapy On Established And Emerging Circulating Biomarkers In Patients With Heart Failure: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Melissa J. Pearson, Nicola King, Neil A. Smart

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Hybrid Coronary Revascularization Versus Conventional Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Alexander C. Reynolds, Nicola King

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.