Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Polymeric Carriers For The Treatment Of Acute Kidney Injury, Yi Chen

Theses & Dissertations

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major kidney disease associated with high mortality and morbidity. Long-term AKI may lead to chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. Several clinical trials failed due to lack of efficacy and undesired side effects. Studies showed that macromolecular delivery systems would be a promising method to target kidney, however, little is known about how physicochemical properties affects the polymers deposition in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) AKI.

Gene therapy has been well studied as a promising therapeutic agent for several diseases, including cancer and AKI. Although small interfering RNA (siRNA) has been commonly used to treat AKI …

An Evaluation Of Deferred Time-Out, Abigail Kennedy

Theses & Dissertations

Although substantial research has shown time-out to be an effective treatment for children’s problem behavior, time-out resistance (i.e., failure to go to time-out, escape from time-out, as well as negative vocalizations and aggression occurring between the time-out instruction and the completion of time-out) has the potential to decrease time-out’s suppressive effect, increase use of more intrusive and effortful administrative methods and escape contingencies, and negatively affect parental adherence. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of deferred time-out (DTO) on time-out resistance in a clinic and home setting. In addition, this research provided a preliminary evaluation …

Acquiring Knowledge About The Use Of A Newly Developed Electronic Fetal Heart Rate Monitor: A Qualitative Study Among Birth Attendants In Tanzania, Sara Rivenes Lafontan, Johanne Sundby, Hussein Kidanto, Columba Mbekenga, Hege L. Ersdal

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

In an effort to reduce newborn mortality, a newly developed strap-on electronic fetal heart rate monitor was introduced at several health facilities in Tanzania in 2015. Training sessions were organized to teach staff how to use the device in clinical settings. This study explores skilled birth attendants’ perceptions and experiences acquiring and transferring knowledge about the use of the monitor, also called Moyo. Knowledge about this learning process is crucial to further improve training programs and ensure correct, long-term use. Five Focus group discussions (FGDs) were carried out with doctors and nurse-midwives, who were using the monitor in the labor …

Modulating Hallmarks Of Cholangiocarcinoma, Cody Wehrkamp

Theses & Dissertations

How are cholangiocarcinoma cells different from non-malignant cholangiocytes?

All of the hallmarks of cancer apply- those reported in this dissertation include cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and evasion of growth suppression. My studies began with testing how apoptosis might be regulated through embelin, a small molecule reported to sensitize cells to apoptosis by blocking XIAP. My data however revealed that embelin reduced the proliferative capacity in cholangiocarcinoma cells, but did not increase cell death. Malignant cells exhibit dysregulation of microRNA processing and expression. Hence, my studies seeking ways that cholangiocarcinoma eludes apoptosis transitioned to the oncomiR miR-106b, which is overexpressed in …

Health-Related Perception And Responsibility Behavior Among Individuals With And Without Chronic Illness, Danielle Dohrmann

Theses & Dissertations

Few studies have examined perceptions of responsibility attribution and well-being, and health responsibility behaviors in individuals with none, one, and multiple chronic illnesses. Adults (N = 421) in medical clinics completed questionnaires for this cross-sectional descriptive study. The Revised Causal Dimensional Scale measured responsibility attribution whereas sub-sections of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program evaluation measured well-being perception and the health responsibility behavior of communication associated with a clinic visit. Chi-square, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallace tests were used to examine demographic characteristics and group differences. Individuals with multiple morbidities and of advanced age perceived their illnesses as more stable and rated …

Regulation Of Canonical And Non-Canonical Hippo Pathway Components In Mitosis And Cancer, Seth Stauffer

Theses & Dissertations

The Hippo pathway is conserved regulator of organ size through control of proliferation, apoptosis, and stem-cell self-renewal. In addition to this important function, many of the canonical signaling members have also been shown to be regulated during mitosis. Importantly, Hippo pathway components are frequently dysregulated in cancers and have attracted attention as possible targets for improved cancer therapeutics. Further exploration of Hippo-YAP (yes-associated protein) signaling has revealed new regulators and effectors outside the canonical signaling network and has revealed a larger non-canonical network of signaling proteins in which canonical Hippo pathway components crosstalk with important cellular homeostasis and apoptosis signaling …

Examining Barriers To Sexual And Reproductive Health Services For Adolescents And Young Adults In Nebraska, Marisa Rosen

Theses & Dissertations

Despite recent declines in unintended pregnancy rates among adolescent and young adult women, barriers to family planning services and contraception continue to exist for young women living in the United States. Various initiatives have been implemented over the years from programmatic interventions to enactment of policies around family planning, yet more work needs to be done to help adolescent and young adult women successfully prevent unintended pregnancy. The Contraceptive Access Project (CAP) is a multi-component initiative in Nebraska to reduce unintended pregnancy among women aged 15-24. This dissertation comprises three separate studies each of which contributes to the overall objective …

Attitudes Of Sinjari Yezidis In Iraq Regarding The Rape Of Yezidi Women And The Babies Born From Rape During The Isis Genocide, Jordan Greaser

Theses & Dissertations

This thesis evaluated the attitude of acceptance among Sinjari Yezidis toward Yezidi women who were captured and raped by ISIS captors. In addition, attitudes of acceptance were also studied on behalf of the children born due to rape. These attitudes were recorded by a 25-question attitudinal survey and then analyzed on a question by question bases. The outcome of the following study showed an overwhelming acceptance of the women but a mixed acceptance of their children. Based on the study findings, religious beliefs may be the best way to understand the level of acceptance the Yezidi community has toward the …

Red Panda: A Novel Method For Detecting Variation In Single-Cell Rna Sequencing, Adam Cornish

Theses & Dissertations

Single-cell sequencing enables the rapid acquisition of genomic and transcriptomic data from individual cells to better understand genetic diseases, such as cancer or autoimmune disorders, which are often affected by changes in rare cells. Currently, no existing software is aimed at identifying single nucleotide variations or micro (1-50bp) insertions and deletions in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. However, generating high quality data is vital to the study of the aforementioned diseases, among others. Our goal is to create such a tool and use in-house sequencing to validate its effectiveness. Our software employs the unique information found in scRNA-seq data to …

Essays On The Patient-Centered Medical Home In The United States Military Health System, Glen N. Gilson

Theses & Dissertations

The Patient-Centered Medical Home has been endorsed by the primary care community as the model of the future, with hopes that it will increase quality of care and the patient and provider experience while decreasing costs. Many aspects of the implementation of the Patient-Centered Medical Home model remain unexplored. This dissertation comprises three independent studies examining Patient-Centered Medical Home implementation in the Military Health System, including (1) the effects of environmental correlates on the time to implement the model, (2) the impact of differences in implementation on preventive care quality outcomes, and (3) the effect of differences in implementation on …

Increasing Physical Activity To Improve Health Through Primary Care Clinics In Rural Nebraska, Jill Reed

Theses & Dissertations

Addressing the lack of physical activity (PA) in rural adults is vital because of the role it plays in the risk for many chronic diseases. The purpose of the study was to explore the feasibility of conducting a 12-week intervention to increase PA behavior in inactive rural adults recruited from a primary care clinic. Subjects were randomized to the intervention (n=30) or control (n=29) group and wore a Fitbit to track PA. The intervention group completed action plans and received weekly motivational text messages to improve PA behaviors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with study participants (n=10) and a focus group …

Surveillance, Prevention And Surgical Treatments For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Kerui Xu

Theses & Dissertations

Liver cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death, representing roughly 9.1% of all cancer mortality. Of all primary cancers of the liver, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for roughly 85%. HCC has been increasing in the U.S. and other countries. In particular, HCC places a huge burden on the Chinese population, as China alone consists of approximately 50% of the total HCC cases and deaths. In China, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the leading cause for developing HCC. The two challenges in prevention and control of HCC experienced in China are low rates of HCC screening among the …

Towards An In Vitro Model Of Testing Osteoblast Cellular Function In Contact With Various Surfaces, Raheleh Miralami

Theses & Dissertations

Past studies have shown that the success of total joint replacements depends on the biocompatibility of orthopaedic materials, which can be improved by modifying the implant surface. However, the exact roles of these modifications and their effective mechanisms are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a model system to investigate the impact of nano-structured surfaces, produced by the ion beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) technique, on biomarkers of osteointegration using an in vitro model. The IBAD technique was employed to deposit zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), Titanium oxide (TiO₂), and Titanium (Ti) nano-films on …

Sequence-Specific Extracellular Micrornas Activate Tlr7, Niming Wu

Theses & Dissertations

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the innate immune system. Emerging evidence shows that TLRs, especially endosomal TLRs, can participate in CNS diseases by increasing the production of proinflammatory cytokines via recognition of microRNAs (miRNAs), however which of the miRNAs are able to activate signaling and whether specific sequence motifs are involved remains incompletely defined. Here we found that numerous miRNAs induced TNF-a production across multiple myeloid cell types, including microglia, and that this effect was abolished in cells deficient of TLR7. In particular, miR-20a-5p and miR-148b-3p preferentially stimulate cytokine secretion compared to miR-20b-5p and miR-148a-3p, respectively, despite …

Functional And Mechanical Role Of Splice Variant Of Mucin4 (Muc4/X) And Trefoil Factors In Pancreatic Cancer Pathogenesis, Rahat Jahan

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic Cancer (PC) is one of the vicious cancers as it ranks third in the race of leading cause of cancer-related death. Lack of early diagnostic marker, poor understanding of molecular mechanism of the disease and failure to conventional chemotherapy makes this disease dreadful.

Mucin 4 (MUC4), a high molecular weight glycoprotein is one of the top differentially expressed molecules in PC while not expressed in normal pancreas. Accumulating evidence from our lab suggested its tumorigenic role in PC by increasing cell proliferation, invasion, chemotherapy resistance, tumor growth, and metastasis. Previously, our lab and other has identified 24 different splice …

Changes In The Transverse Dimension Of The Nasomaxillary Complex Following Rapid Palatal Expansion – A Post-Retention, Cbct Evaluation, Allison Schubert

Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of palatal expansion on the transverse dimension of the nasomaxillary complex.

Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight patients’ CBCTs were obtained at four time points: pre-expansion (T₁), post-expansion (T₂), pre-treatment (T₃), and middle or end of orthodontic treatment (T₄). The patients’ age, sex, cervical vertebral maturation stage, and the number of instructed expander turns were recorded. Measurements of the nasal floor, nasal passage, maxillary sinus, maxillary first molar mesiolingual cusp, maxillary first molar palatal cusp, maxillary first molar buccal cortical …

Development Of Preclinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging Relational Database And Interactive Analytical Tool For Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Ahmad Tanwir

Theses & Dissertations

Databases have become an essential component for any organization to collect and manage the information. Similar to other domains, by implementing a database management system (DBMS), data storage, access, analysis and updates can be automated and optimized in the biological, medical and preclinical research areas. This work demonstrated the development of a preclinical database, which contains the processed results from different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques with relevant biological information. In addition, we designed and implemented an interactive analytical tool to format and analyze diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data and automatically generate results in the forms of box plot, bar …

Hearing Loss And Hearing Protection Use Among Midwestern Farmers, Josie J. Ehlers

Theses & Dissertations

Many farmers have noise-induced hearing loss, yet few use hearing protection when working around loud noise. A point source intervention (storing hearing protection devices near sources of noise) was implemented to help farmers overcome accessibility barriers related to using hearing protection. Intervention farmers (n=53) received education and the point source intervention; control farmers (n=36) received education only. During each year of the study, all farmers completed a questionnaire about their perceptions of hearing protection and participated in an audiometric test at their farm. Ambient sound pressure levels were taken during tests. The main objectives of this dissertation were to evaluate …

One Great And Noble Source: The Development Of Democratic Thought In Early America, 1776-1787, Kelly Coats

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

It had been a long summer, filled with hot and muggy forecasts with temperatures ranging from the low 60s to the high 90s. One can imagine what it must have felt like, anywhere between forty and fifty men crowded into the small chamber at Independence Hall in Philadelphia over the course of the summer which was described by many to be “hot and oppressive.” For the past four months and change, delegates to the Federal Convention had come together to accomplish what, at the beginning of the summer, seemed to be an impossible task: to form a new government. Perhaps …

Consolidation: Race, Politics, And Suburbanization In The Newport News-Warwick Merger, David Le Moal

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The Hampton Roads area of Virginia changed dramatically during the 20^th century as it transformed from rural farmland to suburban sprawl. Two cities in the region, Newport News and Warwick, employed a policy known as consolidation. While many cities throughout the United States utilized consolidation in the post-war era, the merging of Newport News and Warwick illustrates how consolidations manipulated and altered the landscape of the city. The modern city of Newport News is split between a large, prosperous, suburban area mainly populated by whites, and a small urban, declining, urban area mainly populated by blacks. The Newport News/Warwick …

Pupillometry As A Test Of Infant Word Recognition, Amy Vinyard

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Pupillometry holds great promise as a tool for infant language research but has not yet been used to probe word recognition. The goal of the described study was to design a functioning method that can later be used to test the possibility of using pupil dilation as a gauge of word recognition in 11-month-olds. To do this, we used the methods of an existing study (The Role of Accentual Pattern in Early Lexical Representation, Vihman, Nakai, DePaolis, & Hallé 2004) with modifications. Our method ran a one-sided head turn preference paradigm with the addition of an eye tracker for pupil …

The Effects Of An Interprofessional Emergent Writing Intervention For Preschoolers, Danika L. Pfeiffer

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This pre-post design study explored the effects of an emergent writing interprofessional education (IPE) experience for preprofessional speech-language pathology (SLPs) and occupational therapy (OT) students. Six preprofessional SLP students and three preprofessional OT students participated in the study, which had two conditions: (a) unpaired SLPs, and (b) SLP and OT pairs. The preprofessional students delivered 8-10 emergent writing interventions to preschoolers in small groups. The preprofessional students’ learning about emergent writing concepts and interprofessional collaborative practice (IPP) was supported through structured debriefs with their clinical supervisors after each session, as well as facilitated discussions to discuss supplemental readings and their …

An Exploration Of A Mentoring Program On The Experiences Of African-American Students At A Predominately White Institution, Cierra Davis

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Many African-American college students face struggles that make a successful college career and retention difficult or impossible. Financial struggles, lack of preparation, racial climate on campus and nationally and absence of faculty of color plague the lives of students. Being an African-American student at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) can pose additional challenges. Many minority students report experiencing various acts of prejudice including lack of nurturing and resources to help them adjust successfully. Students also report the absence or scarcity of minorities in the faculty, curriculum and population as a barrier to connection, knowledge and support. Considering the important role …

The Art Of Couple Satisfaction, Kristy Koser

Dissertations, 2014-2019

ABSTRACT

It is estimated 10-15% of women aged 20-45 or 1 in 4 to 6 couples are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying to conceive. This failure to conceive within 12 months without contraception meets the requirements for a diagnosis of infertility (Association for Reproductive Medicine [ASRM], 2014). With such a large percent of the United States population navigating the world of fertility treatment, the field of mental health must also evolve, offering new areas of specialty to address this specific client population. Couples face significant concerns while undergoing fertility treatment as they cope with complex decision-making, …

Evaluating Rater Effects In The Context Of Ethical Reasoning Essay Assessment: An Application Of The Many-Facets Rasch Measurement Model, Madison A. Holzman

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Performance assessments are an often desired type of assessment due to their potential for alignment between the assessment and reality. However, due to the rater-mediated nature of scoring (Eckes, 2015), performance assessments have psychometric challenges that cannot be ignored in testing and assessment work. Specifically, performance assessment scores are prone to rater effects, or systematic differences in how raters evaluate performance assessment products (Myford & Wolfe, 2003). The purpose of this project was to evaluate ethical reasoning essay scores for rater effects. The Many-Facets Rasch Measurement (MFRM) model was used to evaluate ethical reasoning essay scores for rater leniency/severity effects, …

Rhetoric In Film: Three Explorations Of Influence In Documentaries And Digital Stories, Emily Knapp

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This thesis is made up of three distinct articles, two written with the intention of publication while the third consists of a digital story and subsequent reflection on the process of creation. The first article serves to answer the question “Do documentary films inspire activism?” by analyzing data gained after surveying 266 members of the James Madison University community. The results suggest that viewers are moved to emotion when witnessing struggle but that they are moved to action when said action directly impacts their own life. The second article is a rhetorical analysis of the 2013 documentary film Blackfish. …

Overall Sound Pressure Level Contours Of Jet Noise By Cartesian Acquisition Grid, Stephen Perry

Theses and Dissertations

Noise pollution from aircraft is an ever-increasing issue in urban areas. Venting exhaust over body panels could reduce perceived sound pressure levels (SPL) by absorption or redirection. This paper investigates the farield spectra and sound propagation of a flat panel held near an axis-symmetric supersonic jet. In contrast to typical radial acquisition, Overall sound pressure level (OASPL) contours are constructed from a 9 by 23 cartesian acquisition gird, spaced equidistantly at 3.67 Jet Diameters (Dj). Three panel configurations each at three nozzle pressure ratios (NPR) are discussed. Additionally, a source finding algorithm is developed and shows source locations by frequency. …

Ud In The News Dec. 1-14, University Of Dayton

News Releases

University of Dayton faculty expertise spread worldwide the first half of December via The Conversation, an international news outlet that features articles by academics, CTV in Canada, Medium.com, Eyewire and the Detroit Free Press.

A Literature Review Of Pharmacotherapy Treatment Outcomes For Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Stimulant Use Disorder: Methamphetamine Type, Abigail L. Christensen

Nursing Capstones

No abstract provided.

Use Of Antipsychotic And Mood Stabilizing Medication In Pregnancy, Elizabeth Ann Murphy

Nursing Capstones

No abstract provided.