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Assessing Perfectionism As A Predictor Of Exercise Dependency Over Time., Sarah E. Ernst

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Exercise is generally thought to be beneficial for physical and mental health; however, when done in excess, exercise can lead to damaging physical, psychological, and social health consequences. This type of exercise is known as exercise dependency and is frequently associated with eating disorder pathology. Perfectionism (high standards and evaluative concerns) is a risk factor for eating disorders and is also associated with exercise dependency. However, no studies have examined longitudinal relationships between perfectionism and exercise dependency. The current study used a sample of adolescent females (N = 444) from a Southeastern United States high school, and participants completed …

Testing The Waters: Diversification And Selection In The Nerodia Fasciata/Clarkii Species Complex, Mark Alexander Dimeo

All Theses

Understanding evolution is a key component in trying to decipher the processes generating global species diversity. The strength, direction, and interaction of gene flow and selection often determine diversification patterns and the process of speciation. The Nerodia fasciata/clarkii species complex, a lineage of water snakes, is thought to have high levels of both gene flow and selective pressures due to ecological constraint. Nerodia clarkii resides in salt marsh and estuarine habitats while Nerodia fasciata is typically found in fresh water. Salinity is a strong selective pressure and is thought to play a role in the diversification process. Currently, there are …

Connecting Polymeric Nanomedicine And Systems Biology: An Innovative Approach To Glioblastoma Treatment, Jesse James Westfall

All Theses

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains a highly lethal brain tumor that continues have overall low survival rate, with only 5% of patients to five or more years. This thesis proposes a drug- and polymersome-loaded thermosensitive hydrogel as a therapeutic platform to target and eliminate post-surgical GBM tumor cells. The experiments presented lay some foundational work in establishing the feasibility of and optimizing such a platform. Polyethene glycol (PEG)-Polyester pH-responsive polymersomes were synthesized, optimized and conjugated with peptide ligands to increase cellular uptake in vitro. A Python workflow was designed, using RNAseq data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression …

The Influence Of Water Depth On The Locomotor Kinematics Of The Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus Chilensis), Amanda Marie Palecek

All Theses

Vertebrates exhibit a diverse range of locomotor modes and associated morphological structures. Although many vertebrates can be classified as using distinct aquatic or terrestrial locomotor behaviors, several species use a terrestrial mode of locomotion while only partly submerged in aquatic environments, a behavior called wading. Wading can be observed in a variety of taxa including amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. Although there are over 100 species of wading birds, quantitative measurements of avian wading kinematics have not been performed. To address the lack of comparative studies on avian wading kinematics, video footage of Phoenicopterus chilensis (Chilean flamingo) was collected and …

Vasopressor Titration In Medical Intensive Care Patients With Septic Shock: A Descriptive Study, Daniel Arellano

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Vasopressor therapy in patients with septic shock can lead to harmful effects.

Objective: To describe vasopressor titration in patients with septic shock.

Methods: Single-center descriptive study of 60 intensive care unit (ICU) patients to calculate rates for events of failure to titrate, incorrect titration, and correct titration in 15- minute intervals for the duration of vasopressor therapy. Total hospital and ICU days, mortality rate, vasopressor dose and time, and the impact of hydrocortisone on vasopressor use were examined.

Results: During the total vasopressor infusion time of 2598 hours, 5395 failure-to-titrate events were noted. There were 316 incorrect titrations and …

Characterizing Risk & Burden Of Lower Cranial Neuropathy (Lcnp) As Late Effect Among Oropharyngeal Cancer Survivors, Puja Aggarwal

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Lower cranial neuropathy (LCNP) is a rare but potentially disabling late effect of radiotherapy (RT) and other head and neck cancer therapies. Survivors who develop late LCNP may experience profound functional impairment with deficits in swallowing, speech, and voice. The aims of this research were: 1) to quantify the cumulative incidence of late LCNP and identify clinical predictors of late LCNP; 2) to investigate the impact of late LCNP on severity of cancer treatment-related symptoms, general functional impairment (GFI), and single item scores of the most severe symptoms; and 3) to quantify the association of late LCNP with swallowing-related …

Association Between Childhood Maltreatment And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study In The United States, Diep N. Poulos

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

This retrospective cohort study analyzed self-reported and biological data collected from MIDUS in 2004-2006 to understand the association between the types of childhood maltreatment (CM) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). The central hypothesis of this study is that childhood maltreatment is positively associated with adult onset diabetes (T2DM). CM has been associated with lifelong morbidity and an increased risk in chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease (Bernstein RE, 2013). In this study, CM was defined by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The CTQ has three types of abuse: physical, sexual, emotional, and two types of neglect: physical …

The Potential Impact Of Restricting The Sale Of Tobacco At Tobacco Retail Outlets Surrounding Schools Across Major Metropolitan Areas Of Texas On Tobacco Advertisements, Udoka C. Obinwa

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Retail outlets that sell tobacco (ROST) are the leading channel of advertisements and promotional efforts for tobacco companies. Tobacco companies strategically target youth, young adults, racial and ethnic minorities and individuals in lower SES areas with more advertisements, which in turn influences their tobacco use behavior. Researchers have proposed instituting place-based restriction strategies as a way to control tobacco use. This dissertation examined the potential impact of i) restricting the sale of tobacco at ROST within 1000ft of schools and 2000ft of colleges and ii) restricting the sale of tobacco at ROST within 500ft of other ROST, on the number …

Clinical And Demographic Factors Associated With Peg-Asparaginase-Related Toxicities In Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Priyadarshani Dharia

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction: Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-asparaginase is one of the first-line drugs in pediatric ALL treatment. Although a complete and prolonged treatment with PEGasparaginase has been instrumental in improving the survival of ALL patients, it is associated with four common toxicities: hypersensitivity, hyperbilirubinemia, pancreatitis, and venous thromboembolism (VTE). PEG-asparaginase-related toxicities may require modifications and delays in treatment, which often leads to poor treatment outcomes. Previous studies of PEG-asparaginase-related toxicities have mainly focused on individual toxicities. Further, these studies were conducted in study populations which were predominantly self-reported non-Hispanic whites. Therefore, there is a gap in the knowledge regarding the cumulative burden of …

Characterizing Risk & Burden Of Lower Cranial Neuropathy (Lcnp) As Late Effect Among Oropharyngeal Cancer Survivors, Puja Aggarwal

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Lower cranial neuropathy (LCNP) is a rare but potentially disabling late effect of radiotherapy (RT) and other head and neck cancer therapies. Survivors who develop late LCNP may experience profound functional impairment with deficits in swallowing, speech, and voice. The aims of this research were: 1) to quantify the cumulative incidence of late LCNP and identify clinical predictors of late LCNP; 2) to investigate the impact of late LCNP on severity of cancer treatment-related symptoms, general functional impairment (GFI), and single item scores of the most severe symptoms; and 3) to quantify the association of late LCNP with swallowing-related …

Moving Beyond The Single Gene: Integrative Gene Set Analysis For Rna-Seq, Andrew Richard Aschenbrenner

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

RNA-seq is the next-generation sequencing technology for gene expression and while many tools have been developed to assess differential expression, most focus on gene-level statistics. Gene-level statistics implicitly ignore any dependence among genes. In order to directly incorporate correlation into testing for differential expression, genes are sorted into networks using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and the gene expression of each network is modeled using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). Since the gene network data often exhibits correlation structures containing positive and negative values, a new intermediate correlation structure is developed. This structure provides a compromise between an exchangeable (one parameter for …

The Associations Between Fat And Clinical Outcomes Among Lung Cancer Patients: Dietary Intake And Genetic Determinants, Fang Yu Lin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Higher dietary fat intake and alterations in fatty acid metabolism may affect cancer development and progression. This dissertation conducted a series of studies examining whether dietary fat intake and genetic variants in fatty acid metabolism genes have an impact on clinical outcomes among non-Hispanic whites newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). First, a cohort of 2,262 NSCLC patients was prospectively examined for intakes of total, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat in relation to overall survival and recurrence. Dietary fat intake at diagnosis was assessed with a previously validated food frequency questionnaire and categorized by Dietary Reference Intakes. Multivariable …

Examining Differences In Physical Activity By Socio-Demographics, Employment, And Social Support Among U.S. Adolescents, Ashleigh Marie Johnson

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The overall decline in physical activity levels during adolescence supports the examination of intrapersonal-, interpersonal-, and behavior-level factors that may influence physical activity behavior among this population. The three papers within this dissertation aimed to examine associations of socio-demographics and socio-environmental factors with physical activity among U.S. adolescents. Papers 1 and 3 used data from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study. Paper 1 examined differences in adolescent physical activity by gender and race/ethnicity, and examined modification by grade and socioeconomic status (SES). Paper 3 examined the association of parent- and adolescent-reported parental social support with adolescent …

Understanding The Relatlonships Between Survivorship Care Plans And Survivor Level Outcomes Among Breast And Colorectal Cancer Survivors, Jessica Danielle Austin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

PURPOSE: Cancer survivors have complex journeys following the completion of active treatment. The Institute of Medicine and other high-profile organizations have recommended and mandated the use of a survivorship care plan (SCP) despite mixed evidence supporting the impact of SCPs on key survivor-level outcomes. The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the complex relationship linking the delivery of SCPs and to relevant survivorlevel outcomes. STUDY GROUP: This dissertation focuses on breast and colorectal cancer survivors because they comprise nearly 30% of the entire cancer survivor population in the US and are the two most prevalent cancers in men and …

Effects Of Environmentally Relevant Concentrations Of Microplastic Fibers On Pacific Mole Crab (Emerita Analoga) Mortality And Reproduction, Dorothy Horn, Elise F. Granek, Clare Steele

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microplastics are ubiquitous in marine systems; however, knowledge of the effects of these particles on marine fauna is limited. Ocean-borne plastic debris accumulates in littoral ecosystems worldwide, and invertebrate infauna inhabiting these systems can ingest small plastic particles and fibers, mistaking them for food. We examined the effect of microplastic fibers on physiological and reproductive outcomes in a nearshore organism by exposing Pacific mole crabs (Emerita analoga) to environmentally relevant concentrations of microsized polypropylene rope fibers. We compared adult gravid female crab mortality, reproductive success, and embryonic developmental rates between microfiber-exposed and control crabs. Pacific mole crabs exposed to polypropylene …

2019 Winter Undergraduate And Graduate Commencement, Belleville Campus, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

Lindenwood University, Belleville commencement program.

2019 Winter Undergraduate Commencement, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

Lindenwood University Commencement program.

Optical Spectrsocopy Of Murine Breast Tumor To Distinguish Indolent From Aggressive Disease, Joel Rodriguez Troncoso

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Breast cancer accounts for 30% of all cancer. Metastasis is the primary cause of death among breast cancer patients. Additionally, current molecular profiling methods such as Oncotype DX, which are expensive and not widely available at all clinical facilities, only determine the risk of recurrence after treatment. Therefore, there are no current method capable of identifying metastatic patients in advance.As a result, there is an unmet clinical need to develop a cost-effective prognostic to differentiate between indolent and aggressive breast tumors. In this study, we implemented diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) system to evaluate functional changes in tumor xenografts originated from …

Modeling Of Characteristics On Artificial Intelligence Iq Test: A Fuzzy Cognitive Map-Based Dynamic Scenario Analysis, Fangyao Liu, Yayu Peng, Zhengxin Chen, Yong Shi

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

This research article uses a Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) approach to improve an earlier proposed IQ test characteristics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. The defuzzification process makes use of fuzzy logic and the triangular membership function along with linguistic term analyses. Each edge of the proposed FCM is assigned to a positive or negative influence type associated with a quantitative weight. All the weights are based on the defuzzified value in the defuzzification results. This research also leverages a dynamic scenario analysis to investigate the interrelationships between driver concepts and other concepts. Worst and best-case scenarios have been conducted on …

Chromium Mediated Oxidative Transposition Of Secondary Benzylic Alcohols, Samara Weber

Master's Theses

Carbonyl transposition serves as an important reaction in organic synthesis. Carbonyl transposition results in transposition of the functional groups without loss of the carbonyl moiety. Chromium oxidations of tertiary unsaturated carbinols have been studied since the 1970’s for their ability to cause carbonyl transposition. It is only recently that carbonyl transposition of secondary unsaturated benzylic alcohols has been reported with the use of chromium. Different oxidation reactions were examined for the potential carbonyl transposition products. Oxidation of unsaturated benzylic alcohols were maintained at varying temperature with pyridinium chlorochromate to monitor for the formation of product. As the temperature increased an …

Mathematical Modeling Of A Network Of Neurons Regarding Glucose Transport Deficiency Induced Epileptic Seizures, Ariel N. Leslie

Mathematics Dissertations - Archive

Epilepsy is a complex phenomena of a system of neurons simultaneously firing that are highly intensive and synchronized. Seizures are a common and well known physical feature for all types of epileptic disorders [8]. Epilepsy is known to be traced back to spatial and temporal patterns working in sequence. The rhythms, patterns, and oscillatory dynamics explain the mechanistic nature of neurons especially in absence seizures [37]. An electroencephalogram device (EEG) monitors the electrical activity within the brain using small electrodes, which measures voltage fluctuations on the scalp. Previous models such as Wilson-Cowan (1972) [34], introduced a model showing the dynamics …

Case Study Analysis Of Shared Visual Arguments And Propaganda Techniques Of Russian Propaganda Posters And Russian Internet Memes, Cindy D. Vasquez

Communication Theses - Archive

Rhetoric, the study of argument using logic, has been studied for centuries. However, there is some disagreement among scholars on whether or not argumentation can be applied to visual imagery. Images are noted to have more emotional appeal than text does. Visual propaganda was mass produced in the form of propaganda posters, most popularly in the early 20th century. In more recent times, the sharing of images has moved to social media, popularly through memes. This paper analyzes two Soviet propaganda posters produced by one Soviet publishing house, Litizdat, and two memes created by the Russian organization the Internet Research …

Evaluating Canadian Tax Remission Orders: A Debt Relief Vehicle For Taxpayers, Samuel Singer

Dalhousie Law Journal

Tax remission orders, although rare, serve important functions in the Canadian tax system. This paper draws from a comprehensive study of federal tax remission orders issued between 1998 and 2017. It presents general findings about remission orders in that time period, including remission order applications, their reported costs, and the number of remission orders issued. The paper identifies the five most common categories of reasons cited for granting remission orders. It then applies tax policy analysis to assess the two most frequent reasons for grating remission orders: to provide debt relief for financial hardship and/or extenuating circumstances, and to provide …

Graphene Based Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistor For K+ Ion Sensing, Hongmei Li

All Dissertations

Graphene, discovered in 2004, has drawn great interest in the wide range of applications due to its distinctive 2-dimensional material property. Sensing is the one application has been developed extensively owing to graphene’s ultra-high mobility, low electric noise, very high surface-to-volume ratio, and easy modulation of electrical characteristics. With these excellent properties, the present research explored graphene’s ion sensing potential with the goal of developing graphene-based K+ ion detector which can be applicable in implantable bio-sensors. As the major intracellular cation, potassium has very critical functions in various biological processes. Additionally, recent research found out that elevations in biological levels …

Context-Enabled Visualization Strategies For Automation Enabled Human-In-The-Loop Inspection Systems To Enhance The Situation Awareness Of Windstorm Risk Engineers, Sruthy Orozhiyathumana Agnisarman

All Dissertations

Insurance loss prevention survey, specifically windstorm risk inspection survey is the process of investigating potential damages associated with a building or structure in the event of an extreme weather condition such as a hurricane or tornado. Traditionally, the risk inspection process is highly subjective and depends on the skills of the engineer performing it. This dissertation investigates the sensemaking process of risk engineers while performing risk inspection with special focus on various factors influencing it. This research then investigates how context-based visualizations strategies enhance the situation awareness and performance of windstorm risk engineers.

An initial study investigated the sensemaking process …

“Making A Way Out Of No Way”: The Oblate Sisters Of Providence Pursue Higher Education Under Jim Crow, Diane Batts Morrow

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium

Organized in the slave-holding city of Baltimore, Maryland in 1828, the Oblate Sisters of Providence dedicated themselves as “a Religious society of Coloured Women . . . [who] renounce the world to consecrate themselves to God, and to the Christian education of young girls of color.” Early in the sisterhood’s existence Oblate co-foundress Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange had explicitly articulated their consciousness of their exceptionalism as “persons of color and religious at the same time” who nevertheless sought “the respect which is due to the state we have embraced and the holy habit which we have the honor to wear” …

Priestly Formation And Sexual Abuse In The Roman Catholic Church: In Dialogue With The Nigerian Church, Simonmary Asese Aihiokhai

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium

Reading the signs of the times today cannot be done legitimately without a critical look at the current sex abuse crisis perpetuated by the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church. To deny the fact that the Church has a crisis on its hands is to trivialize the pain and sorrow experienced by all in the Church, and most especially by the victims of the crisis. This work provides an x-ray vision of some of the factors shaping this crisis and boldly offers some interventions that can help the Church to navigate its way out of the crisis. There is an …

The Effect Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Psychosocial Wellbeing, Gabrielle C. Yundt

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

As a result of adversity, trauma, or maltreatment, a child’s primary defense is to engage in self-blame in order to maintain a belief in a safe world. Without intervention, these adaptive strategies may continue to shape the way survivors relate to themselves and make meaning out of negative events. This study hypothesized that participants with adversity in childhood have an increased likelihood of low self-compassion (indicating tendencies towards self-judgment, overidentification, and isolation). This study further hypothesized a positive correlation between posttraumatic growth, resilience and hardiness. Participants in this study were adults recruited from three online sites (social networking, online forum, …

The Generation Of Operational Policy For Cyber-Physical Systems In Smart Homes, Jared Wayne Hall

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The term “Cyber-Physical Systems” (CPS) refers to those systems which seamlessly integrate sensing, computation, control, and networking into physical objects and infrastructure [1]. In these systems, computers and networks of physical entities interact with each other to bring new capabilities to traditional physical systems. Since its introduction, the field of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) has evolved with new and interesting advancements concerning its capability, adaptability, scalability, and usability [1]. One such advancement is the unification of the Internet of Things (IoT), a concept that enables real-world everyday objects to connect to the internet and interact with each other, with CPS [1]. …

Cyclophilin A Enhances Hiv-1 Reverse Transcription In Human Microglial Cells, Zachary Michael Ingram

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Parenchymal microglia represent a susceptible cell type to HIV infection and contribute to HIV Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND). Currently, HIV host-protein interactions in microglia are understudied, but relevant to the design of antiviral drugs. HIV replication events rely on host and viral proteins to evade an immune response while improve replication success. Post-fusion the HIV capsid is released into the cytoplasm and begins trafficking towards the nucleus. During transit viral RNA is transcribed to DNA through reverse transcription (RT). In addition, the HIV capsid that protects the reverse transcription complex disassembles in a step termed uncoating. Once the pre-integration complex …