Digital Commons Network^™

Elevated Levels Of Type 2 Respiratory Innate Lymphoid Cells In Human Infants With Severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus Bronchiolitis, Luan D. Vu, David Siefker, Tamekia L. Jones, Dahui You, Ryleigh Taylor, John Devincenzo, Stephania A. Cormier

Faculty Publications

© 2019 by the American Thoracic Society. Rationale: Studies of the immune responses at the site of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection are sparse despite nearly five decades of research into understanding RSV disease. Objectives: To investigate the role of mucosal innate immune responses to RSV and respiratory viral load in infants hospitalized with the natural disease. Methods: Cytokines, viral load, and type 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) levels in nasal aspirates, collected within 24 hours of enrollment, from infants hospitalized with RSV infection were quantified. Measurements and Main Results: RSV severity in infants was categorized based on admission to …

A Review Of Interactions Between Insect Biological Control Agents And Semiochemicals, Anamika Sharma, Ramandeep Kaur Sandhi, Gadi V.P. Reddy

Faculty Publications

Biological control agents and semiochemicals have become essential parts of the integrated pest management of insect pests over recent years, as the incorporation of semiochemicals with natural enemies and entomopathogenic microbials has gained significance. The potential of insect pheromones to attract natural enemies has mainly been established under laboratory conditions, while semiochemicals from plants have been used to attract and retain natural enemies in field conditions using strategies such as trap crops and the push–pull mechanism. The best-known semiochemicals are those used for parasitoids–insect pest–plant host systems. Semiochemicals can also aid in the successful dispersal of entomopathogenic microbials. The use …

Dynamic Accretion Beneath A Slow-Spreading Ridge Segment: Iodp Hole 1473a And The Atlantis Bank Oceanic Core Complex, Henry J.B. Dick, Christopher J. Macleod, Peter Blum, Natsue Abe, Donna K. Blackman, Julie A. Bowles, M.J. Cheadle, K. Cho, Jakub Ciazela, Jeremy Deans, Virginia P. Edgcomb, C. Ferrando, Lyderic France, B. Ghosh, Benoit Ildefonse, Barbara John, Mark A. Kendrick, J. Koepke, James A.M. Leong, C. Liu, Q. Ma, T. Morishita, A. Morris, J.H. Natland, T. Nozaka, O. Pluemper, A. Sanflippo, J.B. Sylvan, Maurice A. Tivey, R. Tribuzio, G. Viegas

Faculty Publications

809 deep IODP Hole U1473A at Atlantis Bank, SWIR, is 2.2 km from 1,508‐m Hole 735B and 1.4 from 158‐m Hole 1105A. With mapping, it provides the first 3‐D view of the upper levels of a 660‐km² lower crustal batholith. It is laterally and vertically zoned, representing a complex interplay of cyclic intrusion, and ongoing deformation, with kilometer‐scale upward and lateral migration of interstial melt. Transform wall dives over the gabbro‐peridotite contact found only evolved gabbro intruded directly into the mantle near the transform. There was no high‐level melt lens, rather the gabbros crystallized at depth, and then emplaced …

Kyle's "Capture Me" (Book Review), Amy C. Rice

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

From The Arctic To The Tropics: Multibiome Prediction Of Leaf Mass Per Area Using Leaf Reflectance, Shawn P. Serbin, Jin Wu, Kim S. Ely, Eric L. Kruger, Philip A. Townsend, Ran Meng, Brett T. Wolfe, Adam Chlus, Zhihui Wang, Alistair Rogers

Faculty Publications

Leaf mass per area (LMA) is a key plant trait, reflecting tradeoffs between leaf photosynthetic function, longevity, and structural investment. Capturing spatial and temporal variability in LMA has been a long-standing goal of ecological research and is an essential component for advancing Earth system models. Despite the substantial variation in LMA within and across Earth's biomes, an efficient, globally generalizable approach to predict LMA is still lacking. We explored the capacity to predict LMA from leaf spectra across much of the global LMA trait space, with values ranging from 17 to 393 g m−2. Our dataset contained leaves from a …

Spatiotemporal Variability Of Fire Characteristics Affect Animal Responses In Pyric Landscapes, Bradley S. Cohen, Thomas J. Prebyl, Bret A. Collier, Michael J. Chamberlain

Faculty Publications

Background: Behavioral responses are the most immediate ways animals interact with their environment, and are primary mechanisms by which individuals mitigate mortality risk while ensuring reproductive success. In disturbance-driven landscapes, animals must adjust behaviors both spatially and temporally to maximize individual fitness. Prescribed fire is an important ecosystem driver in many coniferous forests, as fire cycles nutrients, creates spatially heterogeneous distributions in quantity and quality of forage and cover, and provides opportunities for fire-adapted taxa. Because fire immediately shifts resource distribution, and fire characteristics may drive behavioral responses to recent burns, we examined behavioral responses of 105 Global Positioning System …

Effect Of Two Digestive Enzymes And Ph On The Dsrna Of Endornaviruses Of Bell Pepper And Melon Under In Vitro Conditions, Adair Mccanless, Allison Hultgren, Cesar Escalante, Alyssa Ardt, Rodrigo A. Valverde

Faculty Publications

Purpose: The objective of this investigation was to determine the in vitro effect of two common digestive enzymes, amylase and pepsin, and pH on the integrity of the RI dsRNA of bell pepper endornavirus (BPEV) and Cucumis melo endornavirus (CmEV) evaluated by gel electrophoresis and reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR). Methods: We conducted experiments on the in vitro effect of two common digestive enzymes, amylase and pepsin, and pH on the structural integrity of the replicative intermediate (RI) dsRNA of bell pepper endornavirus (BPEV) and Cucumis melo endornavirus (CmEV), evaluated by gel electrophoresis and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Result: The effect of …

Development Of Milk Powder Containing Lactobacillus Plantarum Ncimb 8826 Immobilized With Prebiotic Hi-Maize Starch And Survival Under Simulated Gastric And Intestinal Conditions, Ronamae Bradford, Vondel Reyes, Franklin Bonilla, Federico Bueno, Bennett Dzandu, Chen Liu, Alexander Chouljenko, Subramaniam Sathivel

Faculty Publications

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to develop a probiotic milk powder containing Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 8826 immobilized with prebiotic Hi-maize starch and to analyze cell viability after spray drying and exposure to simulated gastric and intestinal conditions. Milk powders containing free L. plantarum and cells immobilized with Hi-maize starch were assessed. Powders were evaluated during storage at 4 °C for 15 days. After spray drying, at 0 and 15 days of storage both treatments had over 8 log CFU/g of viable cells and there were higher viable counts found for immobilized cells compared to free cells after 120 …

Ohio Conservation Plan, Revised 2019, For The Plains Gartersnake, Thamnophis Radix, Norman Reichenbach

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This plan outlines strategies and methods used in an ongoing study initiated in 1999 to restore a self- sustaining population of the Plains Gartersnake (Thamnophis radix) in Ohio. Restoring a self-sustaining population would require increases in the current population to where the ratios of T. radix to T. sirtalis are from 1:1 to 1:12.2 in multiple locations in Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area (KPWA). This range of ratios would be similar to what was seen between 1978-80 by Reichenbach and Dalrymple (1986) at one site in KPWA and then more recently (2002 to 2009) by Wynn and Reichenbach (2018) at two …

Automatic Mesh Representation Of Urban Environments, Babatunde Atolagbe

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A robust watertight mesh generation framework for urban cityscape and waterscape is proposed. The framework, consisting of a set of algorithms implemented in MATLAB, uses geospatial data available from OpenStreetMap and United States Geological Survey repositories, and incorporates Triangle - a popular two-dimensional Delaunay triangulation software - to develop the mesh. For the cityscape component, the facades of the buildings are meshed as structured triangular grids while the roofs and terrains are meshed as unstructured triangular grids using Triangle. For the waterscape component, quadrilateral cells are created based on the requirements of Environmental Fluids Dynamics Code (EFDC) model – a …

A Reevalution Of Tennessee’S Invasive Plant Species Using Sernec And Maximum Entropy Species Distribution Models, Courtney Alley

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The detection and monitoring of invasive plant species present tremendous challenges to land managers. To reduce the economic and environmental costs associated with developing management plans for invasive plants, organizations such as the National Invasive Plant Council work to rank invasive plant species with regard to their invasiveness. Here, the Tennessee Invasive Plant Council’s ranking system is evaluated by considering county documentation from four resources that are commonly used to understand species distribution, including SERNEC which has recently uploaded more than 800,000 herbarium specimen records. We use data from SERNEC and iNaturalist to model the current and potential distribution of …

Electrodermal Activity During Dissonant Music In Musicians And Non-Musicians, Joshua Chapin

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the subjective emotional and physiological responses to consonant and dissonant music excerpts in musicians and non-musicians. Participants were assigned to one of two groups, high experience (HE) or low experience (LE) based on their level of music experience and education. Participants from both groups listened to the same set of randomized musical excerpts half of which were consonant and half of which were dissonant. Participants self-reported ratings of perceived pleasantness, as well as Electromyography (EMG) and Electrodermal Activity (EDA) data were collected. Average Skin Conductance Responses (SCR) were averaged over all trials …

Supporting Black Mothers At The Transition: A Collaborative Design Prenatal Coparenting Program, Jordan Ebanaya

Masters Theses

Despite having the highest infant mortality rate of similarly developed nations, infant mortality rates have trended downward in the United States, however, the infant mortality disparity between Black and White infants persists. The causes of the disparity have been traced to social considerations of the mother especially while pregnant. These social situations include racism and discrimination, marital status of the mother, social support and pregnancy intentions, pointing to one commonality: stress. Using Boss and colleagues 2017 Conceptual Model of Family Stress, this study proposes a solution to address some of the social support, or resources, available to the expectant mother; …

Promoting Stem Teacher Reflection Through Self-Evaluation, Steven W. Mumford, Kathryn Newcomer

Political Science Faculty Publications

Evaluators face serious challenges assessing the impact of teaching practice on student outcomes, such as for assessing the impact of grant-funded teacher training programs. To overcome these barriers, the evaluators of an NSF-funded teacher scholarship program elected to coach teachers on conducting their own evaluations of student outcomes. To facilitate this process, we collaboratively developed templates and guidance for teachers’ measurement and reporting of student growth, provided training and technical assistance as teachers prepared student outcome data, and guided teachers in reflecting on results to improve their practice. The evaluators then aggregated fellows’ student outcome reports to assess the program’s …

Longitudinal Relationships Between Sleep Problems And Externalizing Behavior In Children: Investigating Genetic And Temperamental Moderators, Gabriel Casher

Dissertations

The current study aimed to evaluate multiple longitudinal determinants of externalizing behavior problems in twins/triplets aged 7 to 12 years. Specifically, a prospective longitudinal design was utilized to assess relationships between age 5 sleep problems, age 5 temperament traits, and later externalizing problems. Additionally, heritability of sleep problems was assessed by utilizing the twin method, and genetic contributions of two specific genes – DRD4 and 5-HTTLPR – were evaluated. A total of 93 twins/triplets (40 boys and 53 girls) and their parents participated in the current study, and data were collected through self-report, parent-report, and molecular and behavioral genetic methods. …

Intracellular Electrometer, Lucas M. Essenburg

Masters Theses

The Western Michigan University Neurobiology Engineering Laboratory conducts re- search in energy-efficient electrical stimulation of biological neurons. Experimental work re- quires an intracellular electrometer to inject nanoamp-level currents into a biological neuron and to measure its membrane voltage response. In order to fully understand the generation of such minute currents, an `in-house' electrometer was designed, constructed, and validated. This required exploration of various design trade-offs including precision of generated nanoamp-level currents vs. susceptibility to noise, portability vs. functionality, and cost vs. functionality. The electrometer was successfully used to stimulate and measure responses of neurons from the medicinal leech Hirudo verbana …

Pcr Analysis On The Effects Of Alpha Synuclein Treatment On C6 Rat Glioma Cells, Michael John Helmus

Masters Theses

Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurological disease that mainly implicates the neuronal protein, alpha synuclein, as being centrally involved in MSA pathology. Despite synucleinopathy dogma, little is known about alpha synucleins role in MSA pathogenesis. The Ide laboratory previously conducted an Affymetrix gene expression study utilizing the post-mortem pons tissue from eight individuals with MSA and five individuals without any known neurological disorders. One conclusion from that study was that downregulation of numerous mitochondrial homeostasis related genes had occurred. It is hypothesized that alpha synuclein can perturb mitochondrial homeostasis through direct interaction with mitochondria. This study utilized Reverse …

Leadership In Building Communities: Madden Hills Neighborhood, Fitz Center For Leadership In Community, University Of Dayton

Dayton Neighborhood Studies

No abstract provided.

Correlation Between Theoretical Classroom Instruction And Related Learning Experiences: Evidence From A Philippine Nursing University, Ryan Michael F. Oducado, Mary Kristine Amboy, Ayesha Penuela, Rosana Grace Belo-Delariarte

Individual Articles

In nursing education, it is expected that theory underlies practice. However, studies have indicated nursing students still experience theory and practice gap. This study attempted to determine the relationship between theoretical classroom instruction and Related Learning Experienc es (RLE) of nursing students. Using existing data set of nursing graduates in a Philippine Nursing University for a five-year cohort (N=653), this study employed a descriptive correlational research design. Pearson's correlation and simple linear regression were used to analyze the data. Results indicated that a significant relationship existed between theoretical classroom instruction and RLE performance of nursing students. Theoretical classroom instruction explained …

Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Enzyme Activities In A Mouse Model Of Methylmalonic Aciduria, Parith Wongkittichote, Gary Cunningham, Marshall L Summar, Elena Pumbo, Patrick Forny, Matthias R Baumgartner, Kimberly A Chapman

Open Access Publications

Methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is a propionate pathway disorder caused by dysfunction of the mitochondrial enzyme methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MMUT). MMUT catalyzes the conversion of methylmalonyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA, an anaplerotic reaction which feeds into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. As part of the pathological mechanisms of MMA, previous studies have suggested there is decreased TCA activity due to a "toxic inhibition" of TCA cycle enzymes by MMA related metabolites, in addition to reduced anaplerosis. Here, we have utilized mitochondria isolated from livers of a mouse model of MMA (Mut-ko/ki) and their littermate controls (Ki/wt) to examine the amounts and enzyme functions of …

Surveying Eastern Hemlocks In The Northwestern Portion Of Port Sheldon Natural Area For Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Murielle A. Garbarino

Honors Projects

Hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae, HWA) is an insect native to Asia that feeds on the starches of hemlock trees (Tsuga spp.). HWA is invasive to the Eastern United States and can kill Eastern hemlock trees (Tsuga canadensis). Eastern hemlock is the only hemlock species native to Michigan. As of 2019, the invasion of HWA in Michigan is concentrated in the western portion of the lower peninsula. Monitoring is important to determine the extent of HWA within the state and to establish infested areas in need of treatment. This purpose of this project was to do a 100 percent survey …

Production And Purification Of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Fused To Two Collagen Binding Domains Expressed In E. Coli Bl21 Using Flask And Fed-Batch, Hazim Aljewari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Delivering effective and non-toxic doses of bioactive materials that can aid in activating tissue regeneration to wounded tissue has proven to be an enormous challenge. This study was designed to produce a potential therapeutic recombinant protein by fusing two collagen binding domains to basic fibroblast growth factors (bFGF) through a collagenase cleavage site linker, so it can release the bFGF in a wound site by the action of this enzyme. The novel fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL-21 (E. coli) using traditional flask shaker and fed-batch cultivation. Cell lysate was purified by FPLC using Immobilized metal affinity chromatography …

Determining The Role Of Human Plasma In Amyloid Fiber Synthesis, Carlee Renee Confer

Theses and Dissertations

The presence of plaques and tangles in the human brain is a major feature observed in several neuropathological diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Due to the high morbidity and mortality rates of such diseases, research on the characteristics and functions of these highly ordered structures aims to expand the understanding of how the presence of these plaques lead to cognitive decline. Many studies have led to the development of models that suggest that the presence of amyloid plaques and tangles within the brain induce a cytotoxic cycle that results in the suffocation and death of neurons within the brain. A …

Phase Iib, Randomized, Double-Blind Trial Of Gc4419 Versus Placebo To Reduce Severe Oral Mucositis Due To Concurrent Radiotherapy And Cisplatin For Head And Neck Cancer., Carryn M. Anderson, Christopher M Lee, Deborah P. Saunders, Amarinthia Curtis, Neal Dunlap, Chaitali Nangia, Arielle S. Lee, Sharon M. Gordon, Philip Kovoor, Roberto Arevalo-Araujo, Voichita Bar-Ad, Abhinand Peddada, Kyle Colvett, Douglas Miller, Anshu K. Jain, James Wheeler, Dukagjin Blakaj, Marcelo Bonomi, Sanjiv S. Agarwala, Madhur Garg, Francis Worden, Jon Holmlund, Jeffrey M. Brill, Matt Downs, Stephen T. Sonis, Sanford Katz, John M. Buatti

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: Oral mucositis (OM) remains a common, debilitating toxicity of radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer. The goal of this phase IIb, multi-institutional, randomized, double-blind trial was to compare the efficacy and safety of GC4419, a superoxide dismutase mimetic, with placebo to reduce the duration, incidence, and severity of severe OM (SOM).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 223 patients (from 44 institutions) with locally advanced oral cavity or oropharynx cancer planned to be treated with definitive or postoperative intensity-modulated RT (IMRT; 60 to 72 Gy [≥ 50 Gy to two or more oral sites]) plus cisplatin (weekly …

Addiction-Informed Immigration Reform, Rebecca Sharpless

Articles

Immigration law fails to align with the contemporary understanding of substance addiction as a medical condition. The Immigration and Nationality Act regards noncitizens who suffer from drug or alcohol substance use disorder as immoral and undesirable. Addiction is a ground of exclusion and deportation and can prevent the finding of "good moral character" needed for certain immigration applications. Substance use disorder can lead to criminal behavior that lands noncitizens, including lawful permanent residents, in removal proceedings with no defense. The time has come for immigration law to catch up to today's understanding of addiction. The damage done by failing to …

Environmental Sustainability Assessment Of Small Nebraska Mechanical Water Resource Recovery Facilities: Impacts Of Construction And Operations, Sussan Moussavi

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many small, rural communities struggle with aging or inadequate water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), and face challenges in constructing and operating such systems. Although existing literature has provided insight into the environmental sustainability of large systems including both the construction and operational phases, these studies have not examined small systems in adequate depth or breadth. The environmental impacts associated with construction may be notable for small WRRFs since the initial construction can be a larger share of the total life cycle environmental impact.

The goal of this work is to provide the environmental sustainability profiles of 12 mechanical WRRFs in …

Domain Adaptation In Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Landing Using Reinforcement Learning, Pedro Lucas Franca Albuquerque

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Landing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a moving platform is a challenging task that often requires exact models of the UAV dynamics, platform characteristics, and environmental conditions. In this thesis, we present and investigate three different machine learning approaches with varying levels of domain knowledge: dynamics randomization, universal policy with system identification, and reinforcement learning with no parameter variation. We first train the policies in simulation, then perform experiments both in simulation, making variations of the system dynamics with wind and friction coefficient, then perform experiments in a real robot system with wind variation. We initially expected that providing …

The History And Evolution Of The Market For ‘Delebs’ (Dead Celebrities), Denver D'Rozario, Guang Yang

Atlantic Marketing Journal

In this paper, we survey the history behind the growing market for dead celebrities (‘Delebs’) in their role of creating secondary brand associations. According to some estimates, this market is now worth $2.25 billion in annual licensing and royalty revenues (CBC 2013). We begin, by defining key terms that are used in this market. Next, we do a survey and analysis of the major events that have given rise (intentionally or unintentionally) to this market. For ease of discussion, we discuss these historical events grouped by era. We follow this with a summary of the major events and trends that …

Ribbon Α-Conotoxin Ktm Exhibits Potent Inhibition Of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Leanna A. Marquart, Matthew W. Turner, Lisa R. Warner, Matthew D. King, James R. Groome, Owen M. Mcdougal

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

KTM is a 16 amino acid peptide with the sequence WCCSYPGCYWSSSKWC. Here, we present the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure and bioactivity of this rationally designed α-conotoxin (α-CTx) that demonstrates potent inhibition of rat α3β2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (rα3β2-nAChRs). Two bioassays were used to test the efficacy of KTM. First, a qualitative PC12 cell-based assay confirmed that KTM acts as a nAChR antagonist. Second, bioactivity evaluation by two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology was used to measure the inhibition of rα3β2-nAChRs by KTM (IC₅₀ = 0.19 ± 0.02 nM), and inhibition of the same nAChR isoform by α-CTx MII (IC₅₀ = …

Comparison Of Morphological Traits In Cowpea Pod Length, Seed Number Per Pod, Seed Weight, Seed Color And Seed Density In Usda Germplasm Accessions And Arkansas Breeding Lines, Sora Imamura

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of the study was to compare and correlate the Arkansas cowpea breeding lines to the USDA cowpea germplasm accessions on the following morphological traits: seed color, pod length, number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight, and seed density. The seed density is defined as the weight of seed in gram per centimeter of pod length. Three hundred seventeen cowpea genotypes were used in this experiment. Out of the 317, 285 germplasm accessions were from the USDA GRIN and 32 lines were from the Arkansas breeding program.

T-test between Arkansas breeding lines and USDA germplasm accessions were done …