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Biosecurity Council Visit To Augusta - August 2020, Biosecurity Council Of Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

The Biosecurity Council of Western Australia has committed to holding annual regional meetings. The intent of the regional meetings is to:

• Engage with local/regional stakeholders on biosecurity matters
• Build networks/relationships with key biosecurity stakeholders
• Provide a conduit to government/DPIRD for local/regional biosecurity stakeholders.

For its second regional meeting Council agreed to visit Augusta, located in the South West Region of Western Australia. The region is home to a large and diverse horticultural sector, aquaculture enterprises as well as livestock, for which biosecurity is important. In addition, it is a biodiversity hotspot with large tracts of natural bushland and aquatic environments …

The Influence Of Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation On Motor Function In Parkinson’S Disease, Lidio Lima De Albuquerque

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. PD is characterized by dopaminergic cell loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta, which leads to a reduction in dopamine in the striatum. These physiological mechanisms lead to a number of motor impairments such as bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, and postural instability that severely limit the ability of individuals with PD to perform many essential daily living activities. Although current pharmacological, surgical, and physical exercise treatment approaches are valuable they are either only mildly effective, expensive, or associated with a variety of side effects. Therefore, …

Mathematical Modeling, Analysis, And Simulation Of Cholera Dynamics, Chayu Yang

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

We propose multiple models to investigate the transmission dynamics of cholera. At first, we consider the intrinsic growth of cholera bacteria in cholera transmission and find that the regular threshold dynamics take place if the intrinsic growth is logistic; there are multiple endemic equilibria if the growth exhibits Allee effects, which may lead to backward bifurcation and forward hysteresis. In addition, we introduce a multi-scale modeling framework. At the population level, a Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model for the between-host transmission of cholera is employed. At the individual host level, the evolution of the pathogen within the human body is incorporated. The …

Modulation Of Inflammatory Pathway By Inflammatory Inhibitor Jsh-23 Mitigates Diabetic Retinopathy., Rubens Petit Homme

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Its pathology is consisted of the breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB), particularly the inner blood-retinal barrier (iBRB). The exact mechanism that leads to the iBRB impairment and the development of DR has not been elucidated yet. However, chronic inflammation that is hallmark of the type I DM has recently become a key focus in DR study. Hyperglycemia causes dysregulation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB); and its constant activation increases the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the …

Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibition: A Novel Therapeutic Strategy In Alcoholic Liver Disease., Jeffrey Barr Warner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emerging evidence suggests that soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibition is a valuable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of numerous diseases. sEH rapidly degrades cytochrome P450-produced epoxygenated lipids (epoxy-fatty acids, epFAs), which generally exert beneficial effects on several cellular processes. sEH hydrolysis of epoxy-fatty acids produces dihydroxy-fatty acids which are typically less biologically active than their parent epoxide. sEH inhibition has shown efficacy in treating numerous pathologies associated with non-alcoholic liver disease, yet no efforts to date have tested the efficacy of sEH inhibition in alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Herein, we measured the levels of sEH expression and epFAs in human …

N-Acetyltranserase 2 (Nat2) Genotype Polymorphism In Cryopreserved Human Hepatocytes And Chinese Hamster Ovary (Cho) Cells., Mariam Refaat Zaky Habil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Arylamine N-acetyltransferases, NAT1 and NAT2, catalyze the detoxification and/or activation of drugs and aromatic amine carcinogens. Single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs result in different human NAT2 genotypes thus dividing the population into rapid, intermediate, and slow acetylators. We hypothesize allelic variants of NAT2 genotype will decrease levels of N-acetylation, cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, DNA adduct formation, and mutagenesis compared to the reference allele NAT2*4. Cryopreserved human hepatocytes expressing different NAT2 genotypes and NER-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with human CYP1A2 and human NAT2*4, NAT2*5B or NAT2*7B have been used to investigate N-acetylation of different xenobiotics. In …

Tumor-Derived Exosomes Drive Immunosuppressive Macrophages In A Pre-Metastatic Niche Through Nf-Kβ Dependent Glycolytic Metabolic Reprogramming., Samantha M. Morrissey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The formation of a pre-metastatic niche is a fundamental requirement for primary tumor metastasis. One of the defining characteristics of a pre-metastatic niche is infiltration of immunosuppressive macrophages. However, how these macrophages acquire their immunosuppressive phenotype remains largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that tumor-derived exosomes (TDE) polarize macrophages towards an immunosuppressive phenotype characterized by increased PD-L1 expression through NF-kB-dependent metabolic reprogramming in mice and humans. While NF-κB has previously been shown to act as a direct transcription factor for PD-L1, we report a novel mechanism where TDE-induced NF-κB activation drives PD-L1 expression by augmenting the glycolytic capacity of macrophages through …

Genes Involved In Nitrogen Assimilation In Ustilago Maydis., Sunita Khanal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

U. maydis can utilize nitrate as a source of nitrogen from its environment, a process requiring a nitrate transporter to bring the nitrate inside the cell. This is followed by a two-step reduction of nitrate to ammonium. At first, nitrate reductase reduces nitrate into nitrite; in the second reaction, nitrite is reduced to ammonium by nitrite reductase. The goal of the study was to identify the nitrate transporter and nitrite reductase genes in U. maydis and characterize them based on their role in mating and virulence. The genes um03848 and um03849 were identified bioinformatically as encoding, respectively, the nitrite reductase …

Plasmodium Impairs Antibacterial Innate Immunity To Systemic Infections In Part Through Hemozoin-Bound Bioactive Molecules., Christopher Lynn Harding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite efforts to decrease the global health burden of malaria, infections with Plasmodium species continue to cause over 200 million episodes of malaria each year which resulted in 405,000 deaths in 2018 [1]. One complication of malaria is increased susceptibility to invasive bacterial infections. Plasmodium infections impair host immunity to non-Typhoid Salmonella (NTS) through activities of heme oxygenase I (HO-I) )-induced release of immature granulocytes and myeloid cell-derived IL-10. Yet, it is not known if these mechanisms are specific to NTS. We show here, that Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL (Py) infected mice had impaired clearance of systemic Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) during …

Identification And Structural Characterization Functional Motifs In The Porphyromonas Gingivalis Mfa1 Short Fimbria., Mohammad K. Roky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a causative agent of periodontal disease, initially colonizes the oral cavity by adhering to commensal streptococci. Adherence requires the interaction of the minor fimbrial protein (Mfa1) of P. gingivalis with streptococcal antigen I/II (Ag I/II). A peptide derived from Ag I/II peptide has been well characterized and shown to significantly reduce P. gingivalis colonization and bone loss in vivo, suggesting that this interaction represents a potential target for therapeutic intervention. However, the functional motifs of Mfa1 involved in the interaction with Ag I/II remain uncharacterized. A series of N- and C-terminal peptide fragments of Mfa1 were …

Where The Zigzags Go: A Microhabitat Analysis For The Plethodon Dorsalis Complex Within The Tennessee River Gorge, Tegan Childers

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Understudied high-biomass animals such as the Northern Zigzag salamander (Plethodon dorsalis) are known contributors to essential nutrient cycles within their respective habitats. Knowing that these sensitive creatures serve as bioindicators for the overall health and quality of many ecosystems, we should aim to comprehend their habitat requirements. Doing so could ultimately allow conservationists to set more accurate baselines for various mitigation and land management practices. Due to our location within the southeast amphibian biodiversity hot spot, sampling of P. dorsalis is conducted in the Tennessee River Gorge (TRG). Sampling of survey polygons began on October 28, 2018 and concluded on …

Investigating A Multimodal Approach To Clinical Diagnosis Of Mild Cognitive Impairment And Alzheimer’S Disease, Sean M. Flannery

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

An estimated 5.8 million Americans suffer from dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with that number projected to grow to 13.8 million by mid-century (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) describes the stage between normal cognitive decline that comes with aging and a dementia diagnosis (Peterson, 1999). Due to a lack of a cure or particularly effective treatment, a major goal of treatment is to focus on improving quality of life (Budson & Solomon, 2016). An early and accurate diagnosis can address this goal in a variety of ways. Despite the high prevalence and immense amount of research in …

Validation Of Nanosecond Pulse Cancellation Using A Quadrupole Exposure System, Hollie A. Ryan

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) offer a plethora of opportunities for developing integrative technologies as complements or alternatives to traditional medicine. Studies on the biological effects of nsPEFs in vitro and in vivo have revealed unique characteristics that suggest the potential for minimized risk of complications in patients, such as the ability of unipolar nsEPs to create permanent or transient pores in cell membranes that trigger localized lethal or non-lethal outcomes without consequential heating. A more recent finding was that such responses could be diminished by applying a bipolar pulse instead, a phenomenon dubbed bipolar cancellation, paving the way …

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Modifies Serum Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase In Cigarette Smokers, Emir Veledar

All Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Classification For Analysis Of Multi-Modal Video Summarization, Brendan Wells

Theses

Video Summarization refers to taking the important contents of a video and condensing it down to an easily consumable piece of data without having to watch the entire video. Currently, Millions of Videos are being recorded and shared every day. These videos range from the consumer level, such as a birthday party or wedding video, all the way up to industry such as film and television. We have constructed a model that seeks to address the problem of not being able to consume all the media that is being presented to you because of time constraints. To do this, we …

Exploring The Influence Of Energy Constraints On Liquid State Machines, Andrew Fountain

Theses

Biological organisms operate under severe energy constraints but are still the most powerful computational systems that we know of. In contrast, modern AI algorithms are generally implemented on power-hungry hardware resources such as GPUs, limiting their use at the edge. This work explores the application of biologically-inspired energy constraints to spiking neural networks to better understand their effects on network dynamics and learning and to gain insight into the creation of more energy-efficient AI. Energy constraints are modeled by abstracting the role of astrocytes in metabolizing glucose and regulating the activity-driven distribution of ATP molecules to “pools” of neurons and …

Smallsat Space Solar Power: A Pathway To A Sustainable Future, Thomas Sinn, Thomas Lund, Alexander Titz, Markus Geiss, Pauline Faure

Small Satellite Conference

On the 29th of July, 2019, humanity had already used more resources than the Earth regenerated in the entirety of the year. This is while 13% of people do not have access to electricity, and 40% do not have access to clean energy for cooking. Simply put, the Earth cannot sustain humanity’s energy needs.

Accelerating Deep Learning Applications In Space, Martina Lofqvist, José Cano

Small Satellite Conference

Computing at the edge offers intriguing possibilities for the development of autonomy and artificial intelligence. The advancements in autonomous technologies and the resurgence of computer vision have led to a rise in demand for fast and reliable deep learning applications. In recent years, the industry has introduced devices with impressive processing power to perform various object detection tasks. However, with real-time detection, devices are constrained in memory, computational capacity, and power, which may compromise the overall performance. This could be solved either by optimizing the object detector or modifying the images. In this paper, we investigate the performance of CNN-based …

Saudi Society Of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Guidance On Pregnancy And Coronavirus Disease 2019, Yaser A. Faden, Nadia A. Alghilan, Samiha H. Alawami, Eman S. Alsulmi, Hythem A. Alsum, Yasir A. Katib, Yasser S. Sabr, Fadwah H. Tahir, Nabeel S. Bondagji

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

A Cross-Reactive Antibody Protects Against Ross River Virus Musculoskeletal Disease Despite Rapid Neutralization Escape In Mice, Julie M. Fox, Ling Huang, Stephen Tahan, Laura A. Powell, James E. Crowe, David Wang, Michael S. Diamond

Open Access Publications

Arthritogenic alphaviruses cause debilitating musculoskeletal disease and historically have circulated in distinct regions. With the global spread of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), there now is more geographic overlap, which could result in heterologous immunity affecting natural infection or vaccination. Here, we evaluated the capacity of a cross-reactive anti-CHIKV monoclonal antibody (CHK-265) to protect against disease caused by the distantly related alphavirus, Ross River virus (RRV). Although CHK-265 only moderately neutralizes RRV infection in cell culture, it limited clinical disease in mice independently of Fc effector function activity. Despite this protective phenotype, RRV escaped from CHK-265 neutralization in vivo, with resistant variants …

Glycan Cross-Feeding Supports Mutualism Between Fusobacterium And The Vaginal Microbiota, Kavita Agarwal, Lloyd S. Robinson, Somya Aggarwal, Lynne R. Foster, Ariel Hernandez-Leyva, Hueylie Lin, Brett A. Tortelli, Valerie P. O'Brien, Liza Miller, Andrew L. Kau, Hilary Reno, Nicole M. Gilbert, Warren G. Lewis, Amanda L. Lewis

Open Access Publications

Women with bacterial vaginosis (BV), an imbalance of the vaginal microbiome, are more likely to be colonized by potential pathogens such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, a bacterium linked with intrauterine infection and preterm birth. However, the conditions and mechanisms supporting pathogen colonization during vaginal dysbiosis remain obscure. We demonstrate that sialidase activity, a diagnostic feature of BV, promoted F. nucleatum foraging and growth on mammalian sialoglycans, a nutrient resource that was otherwise inaccessible because of the lack of endogenous F. nucleatum sialidase. In mice with sialidase-producing vaginal microbiotas, mutant F. nucleatum unable to consume sialic acids was impaired in vaginal colonization. …

Do Mosquito Pesticides Harm Their Natural Enemies? Ecological Impacts And Non-Target Effects Of Larvicides On Mosquito Predators, Joseph Nelsen

Master's Theses

Larvicides are chemicals used to kill juvenile mosquitoes. When applied to an area, other aquatic organisms are exposed to these chemicals. The removal or impairment of top insect predators could be beneficial to mosquito populations once harmful pesticide levels dissipate. Two common larvicides were examined: growth regulators (IGRs) and surface films (SFs). The goal of this project was to determine if larvicides harm mosquito predators common to southern Mississippi. I surveyed aquatic sites before and after IGR and SF treatments, and then compared changes in insect community structure. Community evenness was lower in SF treated habitats. When analyzing prey taxa …

Assessment Of Hospital Rooming-In Practice In Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Center Study, Zainab Taha, Ahmed Ali Hassan, Ludmilla Wikkeling-Scott, Ruba Eltoum, Dimitrios Papandreou

All Works

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends rooming-in to reduce infant mortality rates. Little research has been done to assess practices such as rooming-in and its relation to breastfeeding in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of rooming-in during hospital stay among mothers with infants six months old and below, in addition to other associated factors in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This study utilized a sub-sample extracted from a dataset based on a convenience sample of mothers who were recruited from governmental maternal and …

Analysis Of Interdunal Wetlands And Ecosystem Dynamics Using Uas And Obia In Ludington State Park, Michigan, Claire Gilbert

Masters Theses

The Great Lakes sand dunes are the world's largest freshwater dune complex. There is a functional relationship between coastal wetlands and freshwater sand dune, referred to as interdunal wetlands. Interdunal wetland systems are highly dynamic and change dramatically seasonally and annually. Using geographic information systems (GIS) and unoccupied aerial systems (UAS), this thesis project is focused on understanding the spatial distribution of sparse and dense vegetation, and abiotic influence such as distance to coast, slope, and aspect influence interdunal wetland stability within a Great Lakes shoreline dune system. Object-based image analysis (OBIA) classification results extracted meaningful vegetation densities of growth …

In Silico Investigation For The Conversion Of Methyl Oleate To Gasoline, Arkanil Roy

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Petroleum products are found in all walks of life. From the plastic casing on a cell phone to the gasoline that runs most vehicles, a lot is derived from petroleum. Ubiquitous use of petroleum has adversely affected the environment. Toxic substances such as SOx and NOx are released into the atmosphere during the processing and usage of petroleum products, which contributes to global warming. Inevitable oil spills cause devastating effects to marine ecosystems. The rate of regeneration of petroleum is much slower than the rate of usage that would lead to it being exhausted in the recent future. Hence, a …

The Invisible Message, Andrew S. Gibbons Iii, Elizabeth Boling

Faculty Publications

The number and variety of messages conveyed by an instructional experience is astonishing, but most designers are unaware of their number, subtlety, and impact. Many of those messages they would not choose to send if they recognized their existence in practice. The design of invisible and abstract message structures receives less attention from designers today than those parts of the design given to more vivid, colorful, and showy surface structures. Invisible message structures work behind the scenes to produce the smooth surface performances in front of the curtain; they are seldom seen directly, but their power is indisputable. The purpose …

Dual Immersion Programs And Their Implications: Focused Analyses On The Educational History, Francisco Reynoso Barron

International Studies (MA) Theses

As a social construct, education fulfills the necessary elements, ideologies, and rituals required to construct social norms for society. What a society deems as a norm determines the sentiments and direction that a nation will take. These normative tendencies lead to national identity and national security through policies and legislation within the nations' utilization of sovereignty. National interest being influenced by global events and ethnocentric ideologies has seen cycles leading to different immigration, educational, and economic policies. This paper analyzes dual immersion programs, which have been treated as a controversial topic due to its implications on national security and identity. …

Teaching And Learning During A Global Pandemic: An Ecological Approach, Amir Kaviani, Rana M. Tamim, Hamed Ghaemi

All Works

No abstract provided.

Water Quality And Management Challenges In Urban New Jersey, Alessandra Rossi

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Exacerbation of extreme weather events and increasing urbanization are facilitating the pathway of pollutants towards the waterbodies with freshwater ecosystems being impacted more than terrestrial and marine ecosystems by anthropogenic stressors. We addressed here the three major threats to freshwater ecosystems, pathogens, litter, and eutrophication, integrating scientific findings with management inputs at the watershed level. We evaluated the relationship between environmental variables measurements and Escherichia coli counts with the intent to develop equations capable of predicting near-real-time E. coli concentrations in two riverine ecosystems to help decision makers in assessments of recreational safety. Results showed that the cumulative rainfall for …

A Phylogenetic Assembly And Positive Selection Analysis Of The Dmp1 Gene In Aves, Testudines And Crocodilia, Nicholas Michael Morelli

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The DMP1 gene codes for proteins that play a role in the calcification of hard tissues, including dentin, in vertebrates. Deleterious mutations in the gene can cause genetic disorders such as rickets in humans. The gene function, however, has only been investigated widely within mammalian lineages, and has not been thoroughly researched within sauropsids (reptiles and birds). Birds are edentulous (toothless) and have a unique bone structure that allows a majority of species to withstand the rigors of flight. In contrast, their closest living relatives, the crocodilians, are polydontous and possess dense skeletons as an adaptation to their semi-aquatic lifestyle. …