Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding The Role Of Epstein-Barr Virus Encoded Rna-1 (Eber-1) In The Cell Proliferation, Yasmeen Atta Ali Abdelmowla

Theses

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpes virus that infects and persists in > 90% of human adults, generally without causing disease. However, EBV has oncogenic properties and is associated with several malignancies of epithelial and lymphoid origin. The details of the molecular steps leading to these different malignancies are poorly understood. It is believed that some of the EBV latent gene products are involved. Two small EBV-encoded RNAs referred to as EBER1 and EBER2 have been shown to be expressed in all forms of EBV latent infection. These non-polyadenylated and non-protein-coding RNAs are by far the most abundant transcripts expressed …

Structured Iterative Hard Thresholding For Categorical And Mixed Data Types, Thy Nguyen, Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In many applications, data exists in a mixed data type format, i.e. a combination of nominal (categorical) and numerical features. A common practice for working with categorical features is to use an encoding method to transform the discrete values into numeric representation. However, numeric representation often neglects the innate structures in categorical features, potentially degrading the performance of learning algorithms. Utilizing the numeric representation could also limit interpretation of the learned model, such as finding the most discriminative categorical features or filtering irrelevant attributes. In this work, we extend the iterative hard thresholding (IHT) algorithm to quantify the structure of …

Nonlinear Loss Model In Absorptive-Type Ferrite Frequency-Selective Limiters, Anatoliy O. Boryssenko, Scott M. Gillette, Marina Y. Koledintseva

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Absorptive-type ferrite-based frequency-selective limiters (FSLs) utilize nonlinear (NL) phenomena in magnetized ferrites to provide real-time analog signal processing of RF/microwave electromagnetic (EM) signals. There are no commercially available modeling tools that simulate these interactions, and the development and optimization of FSLs are largely done experimentally. FSL modeling and design is complicated by NL, multiscale, and Multiphysics nature of operation. In this article, an NL loss model in a ferrite is proposed and implemented in an efficient numerical algorithm. The equivalent linear magnetic loss tangent is represented in a closed form. A full-wave numerical EM model with high-fidelity meshing is set …

Droplets As Carriers For Flexible Electronic Devices, Mingxing Zhou, Ziyue Wu, Yicong Zhao, Qing Yang, Wei Ling, Ya Li, Hang Xu, Cheng Wang, Xian Huang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Coupling soft bodies and dynamic motions with multifunctional flexible electronics is challenging, but is essential in satisfying the urgent and soaring demands of fully soft and comprehensive robotic systems that can perform tasks in spite of rigorous spatial constraints. Here, the mobility and adaptability of liquid droplets with the functionality of flexible electronics, and techniques to use droplets as carriers for flexible devices are combined. The resulting active droplets (ADs) with volumes ranging from 150 to 600 µL can conduct programmable functions, such as sensing, actuation, and energy harvesting defined by the carried flexible devices and move under the excitation …

Diverse Learners In Inclusion Classrooms And Their Standarized Achievement Test, Janice Quartman

Dissertations

Special Education services has opened many opportunities for students with

disabilities and special needs. Disabled students were previously educated

in a separate facility barring them from educational and social interactions

with their non-disabled peers. Disable students are now entering their community

school and receiving services through an I.E.P. (Individual Education Plan). The

primary purpose of this study is to understand the impact of Standard Achievement

Tests of disabled students that learn in a co-taught general education classroom

with a regular teacher and a special education teacher. This study will be valuable

in revealing the academic achievement of students that have …

170th Commencement, Fall

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Who Gets The Frozen Embryos During A Divorce? A Case For The Contemporaneous Consent Approach, Sarah B. Kirschbaum

North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology

The increase in the use and success of Assisted Reproductive Technology has come with an increase in legal and ethical dilemmas facing courts and prospective parents. In particular, courts in the past 25 years have grappled with the issue of frozen embryo disposition during a divorce proceeding. Most couples sign some form of contract before freezing their embryos. Many state courts, however, interpret and enforce these contracts differently than they do other contracts. While approaches to in vitro fertilization contract interpretation and enforcement already exist in some states, many states have yet to decide what will happen if a frozen …

Using The Audience Response System To Improve A Lecture-Based Pathology Course: Students' And Teachers' Perspectives, Jing-Jou Yan, Cheau-Jane Peng, Chyi-Her Lin

Journal of Medical Education

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of the audience response system (ARS) on medical students' learning outcomes and teachers' performance in a traditional lecture-based pathology course. Methods: We introduced the ARS to teachers in the Department of Pathology in a medical school and invited them to use it during pathology lectures voluntarily. Those not using the ARS were non-ARS controls. Each student had a clicker to vote for questions or count attendance in classes conducted using the ARS. Student attendance for classes not using the ARS was counted by a research assistant. Student's opinions regarding ARS use in classes, attendance, …

Electropermeabilization Does Not Correlate With Plasma Membrane Lipid Oxidation, Olga Michel, Andrei G. Pakhomov, Maura Casciola, Jolanta Saczko, Julita Kulbacka, Olga N. Pakhomova

Bioelectrics Publications

The permeabilized condition of the cell membrane after electroporation can last minutes but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Previous studies suggest that lipid peroxidation could be responsible for the lasting leaky state of the membrane. The present study aims to link oxidation within the plasma membrane of live cells to permeabilization by electric pulses. We have introduced a method for the detection of oxidation by ratiometric fluorescence measurements of BODIPY-C11 dye using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, limiting the signal to the cell membrane. CHO-K1 cells were cultured on glass coverslips coated with an electroconductive indium tin oxide (ITO) …

Triggering And Maintaining Interest In Early Phases Of Interest Development, K. Ann Renninger, Jessica Erin Bachrach , '06, S. E. Hidi

Educational Studies Faculty Works

This article reports on the complexities of triggering and maintaining interest, a process that is initiated when something catches the attention of a learner. Triggering interest (the initiation of the psychological state of interest) can occur in both earlier and later phases of interest development. However, in this study we focus on this process in earlier phases of interest development. Findings from a study of the activity of eight, Black, inner-city, middle school-age participants in an out-of-school biology workshop are described. We address the identification and generalizability of potential triggers for interest across activities and explore the relationship between triggers …

Hepatobiliary Analyses Suggest Chronic Pah Exposure In Hakes (Urophycis Spp.) Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Rachel E. Struch, Erin Pulster, Andrea D. Schreier, Steven A. Murawski

C-IMAGE Publications

Prior to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we lacked a comprehensive baseline of oil contamination in the Gulf of Mexico's sediments, water column, and biota. Gaps in prespill knowledge limit our ability to determine the aftereffects of the Deepwater Horizon blowout or prepare to mitigate similar impacts during future oil spill disasters. We examined spatiotemporal differences in exposure to and metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 2 hake species (Urophycis spp.) to establish a current baseline for these ecologically important, abundant, and at-risk demersal fishes. Gulf hake (Urophycis cirrata) and southern hake (Urophycis floridana) were collected throughout the Gulf …

Multilevel Analysis In Rural Cancer Control: A Conceptual Framework And Methodological Implications, Whitney Zahnd, Sara L. Mclafferty, Jan M. Eberth

Faculty Publications

Rural populations experience a myriad of cancer disparities ranging from lower screening rates to higher cancer mortality rates. These disparities are due in part to individual-level characteristics like age and insurance status, but the physical and social context of rural residence also plays a role. Our objective was two-fold: 1) to develop a multilevel conceptual framework describing how rural residence and relevant micro, macro, and supra-macro factors can be considered in evaluating disparities across the cancer control continuum and 2) to outline the unique considerations of multilevel statistical modeling in rural cancer research. We drew upon several formative frameworks that …

Do Global Regulators Hold The Key To Production Of Bacterial Secondary Metabolites?, Sudarshan Singh Thapa, Anne Grove

Faculty Publications

© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The emergence of multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria has pushed the available pool of antibiotics to the brink. Bacterial secondary metabolites have long been a valuable resource in the development of antibiotics, and the genus Burkholderia has recently emerged as a source of novel compounds with antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-cancer activities. Genome mining has contributed to the identification of biosynthetic gene clusters, which encode enzymes that are responsible for synthesis of such secondary metabolites. Unfortunately, these large gene clusters generally remain silent or cryptic under normal laboratory settings, which creates a hurdle …

Combinatorial Delivery Of Mirna-Nanoparticle Conjugates In Human Adipose Stem Cells For Amplified Osteogenesis, Mohammad Abu-Laban, Prakash Hamal, Julien H. Arrizabalaga, Anoosha Forghani, Asela S. Dikkumbura, Raju R. Kumal, Louis H. Haber, Daniel J. Hayes

Faculty Publications

© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim It is becoming more apparent in tissue engineering applications that fine temporal control of multiple therapeutics is desirable to modulate progenitor cell fate and function. Herein, the independent temporal control of the co-delivery of miR-148b and miR-21 mimic plasmonic nanoparticle conjugates to induce osteogenic differentiation of human adipose stem cells (hASCs), in a de novo fashion, is described. By applying a thermally labile retro-Diels–Alder caging and linkage chemistry, these miRNAs can be triggered to de-cage serially with discrete control of activation times. The method relies on illumination of the nanoparticles at …

Plant-Mediated Interactions Among Above-Ground And Below-Ground Life Stages Of A Root-Feeding Weevil, Emily C. Kraus, Michael J. Stout

Faculty Publications

© 2019 The Royal Entomological Society 1. Interactions among herbivores mediated by plant responses to herbivore injury may have large impacts on herbivore population densities. Responses may persist for weeks after injury and may affect not only the initial (inducing) herbivore, but also herbivores that are spatially or temporally separated from the initial attacker. 2. In many plant–insect interactions, multiple life stages of the insect may be associated with the same plant, and these various stages may interact indirectly with one another via induced responses. The rice water weevil (RWW), Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus, a serious global pest of rice, is one …

Anti-Viral Immunity In The Tumor Microenvironment: Implications For The Rational Design Of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Oncolytic Virotherapy, Paul J.F. Rider, Ifeanyi K. Uche, Larissa Sweeny, Konstantin G. Kousoulas

Faculty Publications

© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Purpose of Review: The design of novel herpes simplex type I (HSV-1)–derived oncolytic virotherapies is a balancing act between safety, immunogenicity, and replicative potential. We have undertaken this review to better understand how these considerations can be incorporated into rational approaches to the design of novel herpesvirus oncolytic virotherapies. Recent Findings: Several recent papers have demonstrated that enhancing the potential of HSV-1 oncolytic viruses to combat anti-viral mechanisms present in the tumor microenvironment leads to greater efficacy than their parental viruses. Summary: It is not entirely clear how the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment affects oncolytic …

One Week Of Continuous Corticosterone Exposure Impairs Hepatic Metabolic Flexibility, Promotes Islet Β-Cell Proliferation, And Reduces Physical Activity In Male C57bl/6 J Mice, Susan J. Burke, Heidi M. Batdorf, Tai Yu Huang, Joseph W. Jackson, Katarina A. Jones, Thomas M. Martin, Kristen E. Rohli, Michael D. Karlstad, Tim E. Sparer, David H. Burk, Shawn R. Campagna, Robert C. Noland, Paul L. Soto, J. Jason Collier

Faculty Publications

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Clinical glucocorticoid use, and diseases that produce elevated circulating glucocorticoids, promote drastic changes in body composition and reduction in whole body insulin sensitivity. Because steroid-induced diabetes is the most common form of drug-induced hyperglycemia, we investigated mechanisms underlying the recognized phenotypes associated with glucocorticoid excess. Male C57BL/6 J mice were exposed to either 100ug/mL corticosterone (cort) or vehicle in their drinking water. Body composition measurements revealed an increase in fat mass with drastically reduced lean mass during the first week (i.e., seven days) of cort exposure. Relative to the vehicle control group, mice receiving cort had …

Diversification And Biogeography Of An Indo-Pacific Bird Radiation (Pachycephalidae), Serina S. Brady

Biology ETDs

The utility of islands as natural laboratories of evolution is exemplified in the patterns of differentiation in widespread, phenotypically variable lineages. Pachycephalidae is one of the most complex avian radiations spanning the vast archipelagos of the Indo-Pacific, making it an ideal group to study the patterns and processes of diversification on islands. Here, we present a robust phylogenetic hypothesis for all five genera within Pachycephalidae, based on thousands of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) generated with a target-capture approach and high-throughput sequencing. We clarify certain taxonomic relationships within Pachycephala and discover that Wallacea plays a much larger role in pachycephalid evolutionary history …

The Influence Of Neural Reward Processing On Memory In Depression, Nathan M. Hager

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Theories and research suggest that depression involves impaired reward sensitivity and a deficit in memory for rewarding stimuli. Some researchers propose that this memory deficit may result from reduced neural reward sensitivity, which impairs the encoding of reward-related memories, but few studies have directly probed this connection. Such research may benefit from examining the reward positivity (RewP), an event-related potential (ERP) previously linked to reduced reward sensitivity in depression. Undergraduates with high or low self-reported depression completed a task in which they chose one of three doors, revealing a neutral word written in a color which indicated an outcome of …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Drug Delivery Applications Of Carbohydrate Based Low Molecular Weight Gelators, Kristen Elizabeth Bashaw

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The main aim of the research focuses on the study of self-assembly and gelation by several classes of simple sugar derivatives and the potential applications of them as drug delivery vehicles. Since carbohydrates are naturally abundant renewable resources and are therefore readily available and many of them are inexpensive compared to other raw materials. They are also biocompatible which makes them suitable for a wide variety of applications. Combining the use of carbohydrates with low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) we can introduce a new class of soft materials that are able to self-assemble into spheres, fibers, sheets, and micelles in …

Growth Phase Proteomics Of The Heterotrophic Marine Bacterium Ruegeria Pomeroyi, Dasha Krayushkina, Emma Timmins-Schiffman, Jessica Faux, Damon H. May, Michael Riffle, H. Rodger Harvey, Brook L. Nunn

OES Faculty Publications

The heterotrophic marine bacterium, Ruegeria pomeroyi, was experimentally cultured under environmentally realistic carbon conditions and with a tracer-level addition of ¹³C-labeled leucine to track bacterial protein biosynthesis through growth phases. A combination of methods allowed observation of real-time bacterial protein production to understand metabolic priorities through the different growth phases. Over 2000 proteins were identified in each experimental culture from exponential and stationary growth phases. Within two hours of the ¹³C-labeled leucine addition, R. pomeroyi significantly assimilated the newly encountered substrate into new proteins. This dataset provides a fundamental baseline for understanding growth phase differences in molecular …

Temporal And Spatial Scales Of Correlation In Marine Phytoplankton Communities, A. M. Kuhn, S. Dutkiewicz, O. Jahn, Sophie Clayton, T. A. Rynearson, M. R. Mazloff, A. D. Barton

OES Faculty Publications

Ocean circulation shapes marine phytoplankton communities by setting environmental conditions and dispersing organisms. In addition, processes acting on the water column (e.g., heat fluxes and mixing) affect the community structure by modulating environmental variables that determine in situ growth and loss rates. Understanding the scales over which phytoplankton communities vary in time and space is key to elucidate the relative contributions of local processes and ocean circulation on phytoplankton distributions. Using a global ocean ecosystem model, we quantify temporal and spatial correlation scales for phytoplankton phenotypes with diverse functional traits and cell sizes. Through this analysis, we address these questions: …

Portable Electrochemical System For Flexible Hybrid Electronics, Anthony Joseph Hanson

Masters Theses

This work focuses on the fabrication and design of a portable electrochemical sensing system for flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) sensors. A three-electrode chemical sensor was fabricated using copper tape on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, using laser etching process. An electronic circuit was designed to measure the sensor response through electrochemical techniques to detect different concentrations of glucose. The device was calibrated to give the user a concentration value in 5 seconds. The system was also designed to preform tests such as cyclic voltammogram and chronoamperogram for various chemicals. A Bluetooth Low Energy module was used to wirelessly transmit the results …

Cognitive Processes In Undergraduate Anatomy And Physiology Courses, Staci Neas Johnson

All Dissertations

Multiple problems facing society in the 21st century, including climate change and global concern over pandemics, require a greater number of STEM graduates with content knowledge and critical thinking skills. This has led to additional funding and research in teaching and learning, but much of the published literature in the context of biology education has investigated the impact of specific instructional practices across a spectrum of classrooms (undergraduate and professional) or the learning strategies specifically of medical students.

As the science of learning has developed, it has become clear that the process of learning is context-dependent. Despite continued attention to …

Physicochemical And Colligative Investigation Of Α (Shrimp Shell)-And Β (Squid Pen)-Chitosan Membranes: Concentration-Gradient-Driven Water Flux And Ion Transport For Salinity Gradient Power Andseparation Process Operations, Clifford R. Merz

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Chitin, and its derivative chitosan, is a naturally occurring biopolymer and an abundant polysaccharide containing acetylated units of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine. Chitosan membranes produced from shrimp shell (α) and squid pen (β) biowaste were prepared by solvent-casting, after which water flux and ionic transport diffusion experiments were conducted using a side-by-side concentration test cell under differing salinity concentration gradients. Physicochemical and experimental investigations were conducted, which confirmed that β-chitin possesses differing and enhanced performance characteristics than α-chitin with respect to diffusive water flux and ionic transport capabilities. In addition, novel colligative investigations through osmotic equilibrium were conducted to determine electrochemical characteristics …

How Conflict Shapes Evolution In Poeciliid Fishes, Andrew I. Furness, Bart J.A. Pollux, Robert Meredith, Mark S. Springer, David N. Reznick

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In live-bearing animal lineages, the evolution of the placenta is predicted to create an arena for genomic conflict during pregnancy, drive patterns of male sexual selection, and increase the rate of speciation. Here we test these predictions of the viviparity driven conflict hypothesis (VDCH) in live-bearing poecilid fishes, a group showing multiple independent origins of placentation and extreme variation in male sexually selected traits. As predicted, male sexually selected traits are only gained in lineages that lack placentas; while there is little or no influence of male traits on the evolution of placentas. Both results are consistent with the mode …

Influence Of Metabolic Capacity On The Consequences Of Spreading Depolarization, Katelyn M. Reinhart

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

In the United States, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and stroke survivors often face long-term disability. After ischemic stroke, the ischemic territory can expand and recruit previously viable tissues into the lesioned area. During this critical period, there is an unsettling lack of interventions that prevent or treat secondary neuronal loss and cognitive decline. Clinical subdural recordings have revealed a close link between infarct progression and waves of spreading depolarizations (SD) in the acutely injured brain. SD is a slowly progressing wave of near-complete neuroglia depolarization that is extremely energetically demanding and this additional metabolic ‘hit’ …

《毛詩草木鳥獸蟲魚疏》中的物觀, Jianguo Cao, Zijun Yi

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

三國吴陸璣所作《毛詩草木鳥獸蟲魚疏》以博物學這一新視角、新方式對《毛詩》進行注解。作為博物學著作，它詳細記述了一百餘种動植物的生物屬性及實際功用，充分展現了漢魏時人將其運用到飲食、醫療、生產、娱樂、宗教與方術等諸多方面的豐富形式，是今人了解漢魏時期風物與風貌的重要參考内容;作為經學訓詁著作，它開創了《毛詩》風物研究這一專門之學，對後世《詩經》的多樣性專門研究影響深遠。它的出現反映了魏晉時期人們精神自由開放，突破兩漢以來重政治倫理意義與比附習氣的傳统思維，另闢蹊徑的《詩經》研究新風向。

Lu Ji, an intellectual from the three Kingdoms era, provided a new perspective for natural history in his maoshi caomu niaoshou chongyu shu (Meanings of Plants Birds, Beasts, Insects and Fish in Mao Shi) for maoshi (or shijing, the Book of Poetry). As a work of natural history, this book describes in detail the biological properties and practical functions of more than 100 species of plants and animals while fully showing the rich forms of food, medicine, production, entertainment, religion and fangshu used by people in the Han-Wei era, making it an important reference for understanding the scenery and …

Integrated Solid-State Nmr And Molecular Dynamics Modeling Determines Membrane Insertion Of Human Β-Defensin Analog, Xue Kang, Christopher Elson, Jackson Penfield, Alex Kirui, Adrian Chen, Liqun Zhang, Tuo Wang

Faculty Publications

© 2019, The Author(s). Human β-defensins (hBD) play central roles in antimicrobial activities against various microorganisms and in immune-regulation. These peptides perturb phospholipid membranes for function, but it is not well understood how defensins approach, insert and finally disrupt membranes on the molecular level. Here we show that hBD-3 analogs interact with lipid bilayers through a conserved surface that is formed by two adjacent loops in the solution structure. By integrating a collection of 13C, 1H and 31P solid-state NMR methods with long-term molecular dynamic simulations, we reveal that membrane-binding rigidifies the peptide, enhances structural polymorphism, and promotes β-strand conformation. …

Recurrent Fires Do Not Affect The Abundance Of Soil Fungi In A Frequently Burned Pine Savanna, Paige M. Hansen, Tatiana A. Semenova-Nelsen, William J. Platt, Benjamin A. Sikes

Faculty Publications

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological Society While the negative effects of infrequent, high-intensity fire on soil fungal abundance are well-understood, it remains unclear how the short-term history of frequent, low-intensity fire in fire-dependent ecosystems impacts abundance, and whether this history governs any abundance declines. We used prescribed fire to experimentally alter the short-term fire history of patches within a fire-frequented old-growth pine savanna over a 3 y period. We then quantified fungal abundance before and after the final fire using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) assays and Droplet Digital™ PCR (ddPCR). Short-term fire history largely did not affect total …