Digital Commons Network^™

An Arabidopsis Protoplast Isolation Method Reduces Cytosolic Acidification And Activation Of The Chloroplast Stress Sensor Sensitive To Freezing 2, Allison C. Barnes, Christian G. Elowsky, Rebecca Roston

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Chloroplasts adapt to freezing and other abiotic stresses in part by modifying their membranes. One key-remodeling enzyme is SENSITIVE TO FREEZING2 (SFR2). SFR2 is unusual because it does not respond to initial cold stress or cold acclimation, instead it responds during freezing conditions in Arabidopsis. This response has been shown to be sensitive to cytosolic acidification. The unique lipid products of SFR2 have also been detected in response to non-freezing stresses, but what causes SFR2 to respond in these stresses is unknown. Here, we investigate protoplast isolation as a representative of wounding stress. We show that SFR2 oligogalactolipid products accumulate …

Predictors Of Veteran Ptsd Symptom Reduction By Use Of Accelerated Resolution Therapy, Ann Witt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite 30 years of research advancements, PTSD treatment remains a trial-and-error process as 22 veterans per day commit suicide to relieve their symptoms. Foa and Kozak's emotional processing theory informed this correlational study which included secondary data consisting of participants' self-rated scale scores to examine whether the independent variables number of deployments, guilt, depression, and anxiety predicted the dependent variable PTSD symptom reduction in a veteran sample with combat deployments and associated PTSD symptoms who completed accelerated resolution therapy (ART). An analysis of whether mean PTSD symptom reduction amounts differed by symptom severity levels was also completed. The study aimed …

The Experience Of Older Homeless Females With Type 2 Diabetes, Joan Jacqueline Downes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experience of older homeless females who have type 2 diabetes mellitus. Women who have stable housing often find it difficult to manage their diabetes; for those who are homeless, managing the disease is even more difficult. This chronic disease has impacted people all over the world and decreased their quality of life. However, people who are homeless may be at a higher risk of this stressful illness. Managing glycemic levels is a crucial factor in decreasing the adverse results in type 2 diabetes. In this study, face-to-face interviews were conducted …

Qualitative Examination Of Historical Trauma And Grief Responses In The Oceti Sakowin, Anna E. Quinn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Past research regarding historical trauma in the Lakota, one of the three major groups of the Oceti Sakowin or Sioux, has contributed to the historical trauma theory, but gaps continue to exist. The purpose of the study was to examine the historical trauma experiences and grief responses of individuals who identify as Oceti Sakowin, specifically the Nakota and Dakota, including present experiences. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was the study's methodology and the conceptual framework of this research was historical trauma theory, which refers to the persistence of trauma and transmission of trauma from generation to generation. Participant interviews were conducted using …

Factors Associated With Pesticide Resistance In Culex Mosquitoes, Jude Akpan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years mosquito-borne diseases have reemerged, largely because of pesticide resistance. The mosquitoes develop resistance to pesticides because of broad and repeated uses of pesticides. Preventing the development of pesticide resistance requires proper understanding of the environmental factors potentially associated with the development of the resistance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the environmental factors associated with the resistance to pesticides by the Culex mosquitoes. This correlational study included the analysis of archived data samples (N = 29,794) from the Field Cage Tests results conducted between 2013 and 2017 by a large county public health department. The …

Merging Pay-For-Performance And Technology To Impact Patient Outcomes, Daaiyah Nimat Akram

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pay-for-performance (P4P) programs improve the effectiveness, quality, and overall value of healthcare. In today's world of advanced technology and changing trends, physician organizations hesitate to adopt P4P program methodology. A gap in the literature was identified, as there were no guides found that explained how to implement P4P initiatives that improved quality of care. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understand-ing of P4P, and the phenomenology of practice theory was applied to obtain different perspectives about P4P programs and how incorporating technology improved quality of health provisions. Basic qualitative methodology was used, and semistructured telephone interviews …

African American Fathers Raising An Autistic Child, Shannon Latoya Burns-Darden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Parents of a child diagnosed with autism have a high risk for physical and emotional stress with mental health difficulties. Little research exists regarding fathers with an autistic child, and less information exists on African American fathers who struggle with coping and finding appropriate interventions and resources for raising an autistic child. The purpose of this interpretative, phenomenological study was to analyze the lived experiences of 12 African American fathers raising their child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This study's theoretical lens was Bowen's family systems theory. The data from this study consisted of 12 interviews with African American fathers …

Microlevel Fragility Of The African American Lgbt Community In North Carolina After House Bill 2, William Flozell Clements

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social marginalization and isolation of target populations are growing areas of concern for policy administrators. African American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (AA LGBT) individuals are not permitted full political, economic, or moral citizenship and thus are in society but not completely of it. Legislation such as North Carolina's House Bill 2 (HB2) has the potential to dissolve the social contract connecting life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness at the microlevel. The emerging U.S. trend of moving societally from universal access in microlevel institutions toward more market-based strategies poses a formidable challenge for this target population. The purpose of …

Substance Use Treatment Needs For Survivors Of Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children, Emma Elisa Riley-Horvath

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is the sexual exploitation of minors

for commercial profit. The intersection between sex trafficking victimization and substance use has not yet been explored in clinical research and is not reflected in current clinical treatment of survivors when they exit their exploitation. The research question explored in this study focused on the substance use treatment considerations and challenges clinical social workers face when treating survivors of CSEC living in Massachusetts. Subquestions included understanding how cumulative trauma from CSEC impacts substance use treatment and how the coercive use of substances aimed at maintaining victim submission impacts …

The Impact Of Childhood Trauma And Personality On Kinkiness In Adulthood, Kaitlyn Hillier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, kinky sexualities and sexual behaviors have been understood as pathological or perverse. Such misunderstandings and misrepresentations have contributed to the development and perpetuation of kink stigma. The aim of this retrospective, cross-sectional, correlational research study was to explore the potential relationship(s) between pathology, personality, and kinky sexual behaviors/roles in adulthood. Guided by queer-feminist theory, the research questions addressed whether personality traits, experiences of childhood trauma, or a combination thereof, were predictors for kinky behaviors/roles in adulthood. A multi measure, anonymous, and confidential survey was distributed online including the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale as a childhood trauma questionnaire, the Mini-IPIP, …

Mentors And Their Impact On The Transition Of Foster Care Youth To Independent Living, Josephine Marie Kunkle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract

The Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2011 directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to U.S. states to create programs within public and private community entities to support mentoring foster children. Some states have allocated funding to support agencies that mentor foster care youth who have been emancipated (aged out) from the child foster care system who are without family support and are attempting to become self-sufficient. To date, there is a lack of research on mentors who help foster care graduates preparing to exit the foster care system. The purpose of this qualitative study …

Ehdv-2 Infection Prevalence Varies In Culicoides Sonorensis After Feeding On Infected White-Tailed Deer Over The Course Of Viremia, Sandra Y. Mendiola, Mary K. Mills, Elin Maki, Barbara S. Drolet, William C. Wilson, Roy D. Berghaus, David E. Stallknecht, Jonathan Breitenbach, D. Scott Mcvey, Mark G. Ruder

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease viruses (EHDVs) are arboviral pathogens of white-tailed deer and other wild and domestic ruminants in North America. Transmitted by various species of Culicoides, EHDVs circulate wherever competent vectors and susceptible ruminant host populations co-exist. The impact of variation in the level and duration of EHDV viremia in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Culicoides infection prevalence is not well characterized. Here we examined how infection prevalence in a confirmed North American vector of EHDV-2 (Culicoides sonorensis) varies in response to fluctuations in deer viremia. To accomplish this, five white-tailed deer were experimentally infected with EHDV-2 and colonized C. …

School Counselors' Lived Experiences Supporting Students With Mental Health Concerns, Linda F. Peterson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental health in schools is a growing concern for many school counselors, educators and communities. School counselors are in key roles in the school setting to support students with mental health concerns. This research was done to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of school counselors supporting students with mental health diagnoses. This hermeneutic phenomenology research used n=4 participants school counselors and each has worked in their field for over 6 years. Additionally, each participant worked in the same school building for a minimum of 3 years or more. Semi structured interviews were used to collect …

An African American Male Perspective On Medication, Schizophrenia, And Crime, Artishia R. Dasher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental health disparities in African American males contribute disproportionate rates of incarceration treatment access. There is a significant need to revise current mental health practices to address treatment barriers. The purpose of this study was to understand whether medication management could reduce criminality in violent African American males diagnosed with schizophrenia. A phenomenological examination of psychiatric perceptions and psychological treatment coupled with race was performed, utilizing the critical race and rational choice theory. Two research questions were developed to understand effective medication management and what barriers are present that cause noncompliance resulting in criminal activity. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was …

Resilience Experiences Of Navy Wives During Midyear School Transitions Of A Child, Alicia Brengman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social problem of school dropout is a well-researched issue that impacts students, schools, and the nation. The research problem of this study was how U.S. Navy wives experience resiliency during school transitions of their child(ren) midyear to a new school. The theoretical framework utilized for this study was resilience theory, as described by Rutter. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to gain insight into how U.S. Navy wives experience resilience when transitioning their students to a new school once the school year has begun. Semi structured interviews were conducted over the phone with 9 current wives of …

Relationships Between Sle Disease Activity And Damage, Depression And Work Productivity Impairment In The Georgians Organized Against Lupus Study, Karen Mancera-Cuevas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that can affect all organs of the body. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to examine SLE-related issues associated with depression and work-productivity impairment, and to assess if depression mediated the relationship between SLE disease activity and damage and work-productivity impairment. Participants were 257 residents of the state of Georgia in the United States with SLE and were recruited from the Georgians Organized Against Lupus study. Bandura'€™s social cognitive theory was the guiding theoretical framework of the study. Findings showed that the majority of participants worked full time …

Foster Care System Effectiveness In Assisting Young Adults' Transition To College, Vivienne Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research suggests that the relatively low rates of former foster youth enrolling in and graduating from a postsecondary institution may be related to lack of foster care system support. This study examined whether perceived support from the foster care system was related to the postsecondary enrollment and academic performance of former foster youth, and whether males and females differed in perceived support from the foster care system. Forty-five former foster youth aged 18-24 years who had transitioned from a southeastern state completed a measure of social support and reported whether they had attended a postsecondary institution and, if so, their …

Discipline Policy And Preschool Special Education Students' Social Skills, Amanda Lee Tamagni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preschool special education students lack of personal-social skills is affecting their kindergarten readiness and placing them at risk for exposure to school discipline in a large school district in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the quality of school discipline policies and personal-social skills of preschool special education students within the focus district. Ecological systems theory provided the framework for the study. Data collection included archived personal-social skills scores, as measured by the Battelle Developmental Inventory 2 (BDI 2), of 354 preschool special education students. Four trained educators rated the …

Social Workers'/Case Manager's Knowledge Deficits Of Adults With Precomorbid Attention Disorders, Denise Ford Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of knowledge about how to provide services for adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) among healthcare professionals, particularly for adults with precomorbid ADHD. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore the knowledge deficits of social workers and case managers regarding adults with precomorbid ADHD and their perception of obstacles in providing medication and counseling referrals. Participants' perceptions of obstacles was assessed through the framework of social problem-€solving theory. The sample included 10 participants: 6 case managers and 4 social workers. There were three codes that represented participants' perceptions of knowledge deficits …

Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Exposomes And Dysregulated Metabolic Pathways Associated With Nosema Ceranae Infection., Robert L. Broadrup, Christopher Mayack, Sassicaia J. Schick, Helen K. White

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Optimizing De Novo Genome Assembly From Pcr-Amplified Metagenomes, Simon Roux, Gareth Trubl, Danielle Goudeau, Nandita Nath, Estelle Couradeau, Nathan A. Ahlgren, Yuanchao Zhan, David Marsan, Feng Chen, Jed A. Fuhrman, Trent R. Northen, Matthew B. Sullivan, Virginia I. Rich, Rex R. Malmstrom, Emiley A. Eloe-Fadrosh

Biology

Background. Metagenomics has transformed our understanding of microbial diversity across ecosystems, with recent advances enabling de novo assembly of genomes from metagenomes. These metagenome-assembled genomes are critical to provide ecological, evolutionary, and metabolic context for all the microbes and viruses yet to be cultivated. Metagenomes can now be generated from nanogram to subnanogram amounts of DNA. However, these libraries require several rounds of PCR amplification before sequencing, and recent data suggest these typically yield smaller and more fragmented assemblies than regular metagenomes. Methods. Here we evaluate de novo assembly methods of 169 PCR-amplified metagenomes, including 25 for which an unamplified …

Nuclear Envelope Organization In Dictyostelium Discoideum, Petros Batsios, Ralph Gräf, Michael P. Koonce, Denis A. Larochelle, Irene Meyer

Biology

The nuclear envelope consists of the outer and the inner nuclear membrane, the nuclear lamina and the nuclear pore complexes, which regulate nuclear import and export. The major constituent of the nuclear lamina of Dictyostelium is the lamin NE81. It can form filaments like B-type lamins and it interacts with Sun1, as well as with the LEM/HeH-family protein Src1. Sun1 and Src1 are nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins involved in the centrosome-nucleus connection and nuclear envelope stability at the nucleolar regions, respectively. In conjunction with a KASH-domain protein, Sun1 usually forms a so-called LINC complex. Two proteins with functions reminiscent of …

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Improves Ventilatory Drive Through A Leptin-Dependent Mechanism, Deanna M. Arble, Alan R. Schwartz, Vsevolod Y. Polotsky, Darleen A. Sandoval, Randy J. Seeley

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is a serious disorder characterized by daytime hypercapnia, disordered breathing, and a reduction in chemosensitivity. Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), a bariatric surgical procedure resulting in weight loss and weight-independent improvements in glucose metabolism, has been observed to substantially improve sleep-disordered breathing. However, it is unclear if the ventilatory effects of VSG are secondary to weight loss or the marked change in metabolic physiology. Using preclinical mouse models, we found that VSG leads to an improvement in the hypercapnic ventilatory response (HCVR) and reductions in circulating leptin levels independent of reductions in body mass, fat mass, and …

Commencement Program (December 2019), Csusb

CSUSB Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Winter 2019

University of Richmond Magazine

No abstract provided.

Environmental Forensic Characterization Of Former Rail Yard Soils Located Adjacent To The Statue Of Liberty In The New York/New Jersey Harbor, Diane Hagmann, Michael A. Kruge, Matthew Chi-Hymn Cheung, Maria Mastalerz, José Luis Gallego, Jay Prakash Singh, Jennifer Krumins, Xiaona N. Li, Nina M. Goodey

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Identifying inorganic and organic soil contaminants in urban brownfields can give insights into the adverse effects of industrial activities on soil function, ecological health, and environmental quality. Liberty State Park in Jersey City (N.J., USA) once supported a major rail yard that had dock facilities for both cargo and passenger service; a portion remains closed to the public, and a forest developed and spread in this area. The objectives of this study were to: 1) characterize the organic and inorganic compounds in Liberty State Park soils and compare the findings to an uncontaminated reference site (Hutcheson Memorial Forest); and 2) …

When Stakeholder Pressure Drives The Circular Economy: Measuring The Mediating Role Of Innovation Capabilities, J Suresh, S Kumar Mangla, L Sunil, S Kusi-Sarpong

Plymouth Business School

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of stakeholder pressures on firm’s circular economy (CE) initiatives. The organizational responses are quite heterogeneous even when the firms face similar pressure. The authors have tried to explain this heterogeneity by using innovative capability as mediating variables. Design/methodology/approach Empirical survey data from Indian manufacturing firms are obtained to test the proposed hypotheses. The hypotheses are grounded in resource-based view of the firm. The authors used structural equation modeling approach with maximum likelihood methods of approximation. Findings The results indicate that exploratory innovation positively influences the firms to adopt CE …

Dietary Intake Of Inorganic Nitrate In Vegetarians And Omnivores And Its Impact On Blood Pressure, Resting Metabolic Rate And The Oral Microbiome, Ann Ashworth, Craig Clarke, Garry Farnham, Luke Liddle, Mia Burleigh, Ana Rodiles, Carla Sillitti, Michele Kiernan, Melanie Moore, Mary Hickson, Chris Easton, Raul Bescos

School of Health Professions

No abstract provided.

Curators Of Place: Farmers' Narratives Of Sense Of Place And Learning, Matthew Alan Berosik

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation brings forth the idea that our attachment to place and the meanings behind those attachments could be well suited for implementation within formal agricultural education. The focus of this dissertation brings to light multi-generational family farmer’s attachment to the places they grew up and work on, as well as prepare their children and grandchildren to take on the role of ‘curator of place’. Throughout this dissertation, I lay the groundwork for inclusion of sense of place within formalized agricultural education by highlight just what sense of place is and the missing areas within current agricultural education. For this …

Interplay Between Environmental Signals And Chromatin Remodeling During The Process Of Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition (Emt), Atrayee Bhattacharya

Theses and Dissertations

The process of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), in which epithelial cells assume a mesenchymal cell phenotype with enhanced migratory capacity plays an integral role in development and wound healing but also contributes pathologically to fibrosis and cancer progression. This switch in cell differentiation and behavior is mediated by key transcription factors like SNAI1 (SNAIL) and SNAI2 (SLUG) in response to several signaling pathways like TGF-β and EGF. There are three key events that occur during TGF-β induced EMT, namely extracellular cues that must be transmitted to the nucleus to elicit activation of SNAI1 transcription, recruitment of transcription factors (TFs) …