Digital Commons Network^™

Electron Transfer Of Shewanella Oneidensis Mr-1 At Clay-Modified Ito Electrode, Reem Faez Alshehri

Dissertations

Various strategies have been established to enhance the extracellular electron transfer and energy output capability of microbial fuel cells, with the majority being aimed at anode modification. The anode has a significant impact on the electricity generation performance of MFCs because it is in direct contact with the microorganisms. The materials of the anode should be favorable for the bacterial cell and capable to facilitate the electron transfer. Developing of an electrode using low-cost and effective materials assists to enhance the bacterial cell attachment and extracellular electron transfer. This provides a significant improvement in MFC performance. In this study, clay …

Parenting Capacity And Meaning Making Among Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Johanna Engler Barry

Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation used a feminist methodology to explore parenting capacity and meaning making among a purposive sample of 16 female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). The two research questions that guided this work centered on how women's exposure to IPV during both childhood and adulthood impacted parenting capacity. All participants for this dissertation experienced IPV during childhood as well as adulthood, and had at least one school-aged child. Participants completed semi-structured in-person interviews during which they were asked a series of questions about their experiences with IPV during childhood and adulthood as well as questions about their parenting …

Cellular And Molecular Mechanism Underlying Alcohol Inhibition Of Bone Fracture Healing, Jonathan Michael Eby

Dissertations

Alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk taking and injuries leading to bone fracture. During bone fracture repair mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) located at the site of injury differentiate into chondrocytes and osteoblasts to form a fracture callus. While most fractures heal without complication, studies show that alcohol abuse can lead to delayed fracture healing and fracture callus formation in both people and animals. Despite what is known about alcohol consumption in pre-injury pathologies like osteopenia and osteoporosis, the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which alcohol consumption inhibits fracture callus formation following orthopaedic injury remain to be elucidated. Here, we …

Determining The Genetic And Phenotypic Profile Of Cord Blood Derived T Regulatory Cells And The Effect Of Calcitriol On Immune Suppression, Anya Nikolai-Yogerst

Dissertations

Recent outbreaks in vertically transmitted viruses, such as Zika virus and HIV, have rejuvenated interest in fetal and neonatal immune tolerance. Babies are susceptible to vertically transmitted viruses because fetal and neonatal immune systems are considered to be immune-privileged and will tolerate antigens presented to them by their mother. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of this tolerance is important to design effective treatments for infected mothers to protect their offspring. Here, I define a novel Treg, a type of T cell that mediates tolerance, named bidirectional T cells (BiT), found in human umbilical cord blood (UCB). These cells are induced by …

Factors Associated With Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy And Quality Of Life Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients In Saudi Arabia, Awatef Ibraheem

Dissertations

Evidence has suggested that diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is associated with decreased quality of life (QoL) and impaired physical and emotional health. About 82% of the diabetic population in Saudi Arabia show signs of DPN. However, it is under-recognized and undertreated. Further, DPN is linked to several clinical and metabolic risk factors. However, there is minimal evidence from Saudi Arabia on the impact of DPN on the individual's QoL. The aims of this current study were to (1) examine the impact of DPN symptoms on functioning, health perception, and QoL and (2) explore the biologic and individual factors associated with …

Climate Change, Environmental Terrorism, Eco-Terrorism And Emerging Threats, Paola Andrea Spadaro

Journal of Strategic Security

The footprint of human advancement has accelerated a climate variability with no precedents, further driving devastating natural and social events. The decrease in basic resources like water, has already been identified as a driver of violent conflicts, which have given way to the strengthening of terrorist organizations that used the environment as a tool of coercion. The damage caused to the earth’s ecosystem has additionally raised a wave of defensive activism that was initially considered as eco-terrorism. While the original eco-movements had not induced fatalities, recent extremist organizations are showing a more violent anti-progress and pro-environment agenda. Added to these, …

Your Goals And You - Don’T Let Your Goals Get (To) You …. Before You Can Get To Them!, Shweta Singh

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

What is the one thing you can count on as far as goals are concerned? Not one thing but many things and secondly- your goals are similar to goals of many people around the world, who (interestingly enough) have really nothing in common with you. And finally- that is because how we decide our goals, has very little to do with what is inside us and more about the surrounding influences.

Just lean back and think about how much you are taught and selectively exposed to - by way of opinions, ideas, thoughts about what an ideal life is? Who …

Machine Learning Techniques For Quantification Of Knee Segmentation From Mri, Sujeet More, Jimmy Singla, Ahed Abugabah, Ahmad Ali Alzubi

All Works

© 2020 Sujeet More et al. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is precise and efficient for interpreting the soft and hard tissues. Moreover, for the detailed diagnosis of varied diseases such as knee rheumatoid arthritis (RA), segmentation of the knee magnetic resonance image is a challenging and complex task that has been explored broadly. However, the accuracy and reproducibility of segmentation approaches may require prior extraction of tissues from MR images. The advances in computational methods for segmentation are reliant on several parameters such as the complexity of the tissue, quality, and acquisition process involved. This review paper focuses and briefly …

Cold Atmospheric Plasma Induces Silver Nanoparticle Uptake, Oxidative Dissolution And Enhanced Cytotoxicity In Glioblastoma Multiforme Cells, Eline Manaloto, Aoife Gowen, Anna Lesniak, Zhonglei He, Alan Casey, Patrick J. Cullen, James Curtin

Articles

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) emerged as a promising reagent for cancer therapy with oxidative stress implicated in the toxicity. Meanwhile, studies reported cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species has selectivity towards cancer cells. Gold nanoparticles display synergistic cytotoxicity when combined with CAP against cancer cells but there is a paucity of information using AgNP, prompting to investigate the combined effects of CAP using dielectric barrier discharge system (voltage of 75 kV, current is 62.5 mA, duty cycle of 7.5kVA and input frequency of 50–60Hz) and 10 nm PVA-coated AgNP using U373MG Glioblastoma Multiforme cells. Cytotoxicity in …

Effects Of Cold Plasma On Wheat Grain Microbiome And Antimicrobial Efficacy Against Challenge Pathogens And Their Resistance, Agata Los, Dana Ziuzina, Daniela Boehm, Paula Bourke

Articles

The safety and quality of cereal grain supplies are adversely impacted by microbiological contamination, with novel interventions required to maximise whole grains safety and stability. The microbiological contaminants of wheat grains and the efficacy of Atmospheric Cold Plasma (ACP) for potential to control these risks were investigated. The evaluations were performed using a contained reactor dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system; samples were treated for 0–20 min using direct and indirect plasma exposure. Amplicon-based metagenomic analysis using bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal 18S rRNA gene with internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was performed to characterize the change in microbial community …

Calcium Homeostasis In Ventricular Myocytes Of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy, Lina T. Al Kury

All Works

© 2020 Lina T. Al Kury. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder commonly characterized by high blood glucose levels, resulting from defects in insulin production or insulin resistance, or both. DM is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, with diabetic cardiomyopathy as one of its main complications. It is well established that cardiovascular complications are common in both types of diabetes. Electrical and mechanical problems, resulting in cardiac contractile dysfunction, are considered as the major complications present in diabetic hearts. Inevitably, disturbances in the mechanism(s) of Ca2+ signaling in diabetes have implications for cardiac myocyte contraction. …

Computer Aided Autism Diagnosis Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Yaser A. Elnakieb, Mohamed T. Ali, Ahmed Soliman, Ali H. Mahmoud, Ahmed M. Shalaby, Norah Saleh Alghamdi, Mohammed Ghazal, Ashraf Khalil, Andrew Switala, Robert S. Keynton, Gregory Neal Barnes, Ayman El-Baz

All Works

© 2013 IEEE. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), commonly known as autism, is a lifelong developmental disorder associated with a broad range of symptoms including difficulties in social interaction, communication skills, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. In autism spectrum disorder, numerous studies suggest abnormal development of neural networks that manifest itself as abnormalities of brain shape, functionality, and/ or connectivity. The aim of this work is to present our automated computer aided diagnostic (CAD) system for accurate identification of autism spectrum disorder based on the connectivity of the white matter (WM) tracts. To achieve this goal, two levels of analysis are …

Decentralized Telemedicine Framework For A Smart Healthcare Ecosystem, Ahed Abugabah, Nishara Nizamuddin, Ahmad Ali Alzubi

All Works

The healthcare sector is one of the most rapidly growing sectors globally. With the ever-growing technology, patient care, regulatory compliance, and digital transformation, there is an increased need for healthcare sectors to collaborate with all stakeholders – both within the healthcare ecosystem and in concurring industries. In recent times, telemedicine has proven to provide high quality, affordable, and predominantly adapted healthcare services. However, telemedicine suffers from several risks in implementation, such as data breach, restricted access across medical fraternity, incorrect diagnosis and prescription, fraud, and abuse. In this work, introduce blockchain-based framework that would unlock the future of the healthcare …

Defining Digital Addiction: Key Features From The Literature, Mohamed Basel Almourad, John Mcalaney, Tiffany Skinner, Megan Pleva, Raian Ali

All Works

© 2020 by authors. Within recent years there has been increasing societal concern around the compulsive and excessive use of digital and Internet-enabled devices, such as the use of social media or online video gaming, and associated psychological and physical harms. However, problematic use or addictive behaviours are not yet included as diagnosable mental health issues in any major diagnostic system in Western countries and the conceptualisations of the phenomena are still inconsistent. To address this issue, the present study reviewed the current conceptualisations of digital addiction used within the research literature and identified common features of the definition of …

Exploration Of Lifestyle Choices, Reproductive Health Knowledge, And Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Pcos) Awareness Among Female Emirati University Students, Sreepoorna Pramodh

All Works

© 2020 Pramodh. Objective: Healthy lifestyle and adequate reproductive health knowledge are prerequisites for maintenance of physical and mental well-being of women across the world. With increasing prevalence of metabolic disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), it is important that sufficient awareness of these issues is generated, especially in conservative communities in Arab regions. The main objective of this study is to assess reproductive health (RH) knowledge and awareness of PCOS among female Emirati students and also to explore their lifestyle choices. Materials and Methods: A total of 493 Emirati students were recruited based on convenience sampling and completed …

Sleep Duration Is Associated With Vitamin D Deficiency In Older Women Living In Macao, China: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study, Xiaoying Liu, Liang Ke, Jacky Ho, Myriam Abboud, Elias Mpofu, Tara C. Brennan-Speranza, Rebecca S. Mason, Kaye E. Brock

All Works

© 2020 Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Chinese women are known to have both a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) /l). Associations between sleep duration and circulating 25OHD have recently been reported but, to our knowledge, these associations have not been studied in older Chinese populations. We thus investigated whether sleep duration was associated with vitamin D status in …

Personalized Computer-Aided Diagnosis For Mild Cognitive Impairment In Alzheimer's Disease Based On Smri And C Pib-Pet Analysis, Fatma El Zahraa A. El-Gamal, Mohammed M. Elmogy, Ashraf Khalil, Mohammed Ghazal, Jawad Yousaf, Xiaolu Qiu, Hassan H. Soliman, Ahmed Atwan, Hermann B. Frieboes, Gregory Neal Barnes, Ayman S. El-Baz

All Works

© 2013 IEEE. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that affects the central nervous system and represents 60% to 70% of all dementia cases. Due to an increased aging population, the number of patients diagnosed with AD is expected to exceed 131 million worldwide by 2050. The disease is characterized by various clinical symptoms and pathological features that define three main sequential decline stages, namely, early/mild, intermediate/moderate and late/severe stages. Although it is considered irreversible, early diagnosis of AD is highly desirable to help preserve cognitive function. However, early diagnosis is difficult due to different factors, including the patient-specific …

Benzimidazole Containing Acetamide Derivatives Attenuate Neuroinflammation And Oxidative Stress In Ethanol-Induced Neurodegeneration, Muhammad Imran, Lina Tariq Al Kury, Humaira Nadeem, Fawad Ali Shah, Muzaffar Abbas, Shagufta Naz, Arif Ullah Khan, Shupeng Li

All Works

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Oxidative stress-induced neuroinflammation is the prominent feature of neurodegenerative disorders, and is characterized by a gradual decline of structure and function of neurons. Many biochemical events emerge thanks to the result of this neurodegeneration, and ultimately provoke neuroinflammation, activation of microglia, and oxidative stress, leading to neuronal death. This cascade not only explains the complexity of events taking place across different stages, but also depicts the need for more effective therapeutic agents. The present study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of newly synthesized benzimidazole containing acetamide derivatives, 3a (2-(4-methoxyanilino)-N-[1-(4-methylbenzene-1-sulfonyl)-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl] …

Affordances And Constraints: Pre-Service Science Educators Co-Teaching In Support Of Ells, Steven Drouin, Katya Aguilar, Virginia Lehmkuhl-Dakhwe

Faculty Publications

Co-teaching has increasingly been utilized as an alternative model for the student teaching experience in pre-service education. Recent literature highlights potential for co-teachers to develop by engaging in cycles of inquiry in learning communities. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of a science student teacher who engaged in cycles of inquiry around supporting English language learners (ELLs) in a co-teaching student teaching placement. This qualitative case study involved a science mentor teacher and a science student teacher engaged in a yearlong co-teaching placement. Data sources included surveys, interviews, and written and oral lesson plans and reflections. …

The European Union And The United Arab Emirates As Civilian And Soft Powers Engaged In Sustainable Development Goals, Adam Krzymowski

All Works

© Foundation of International Studies, 2020 and CSR, 2020. The article analyses the European Union (EU) – as European international organisation and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – the only federal state in the Arab World as civilian and soft powers, strongly active to reach the UN 2030 Agenda. The ambitious projects, as well as actions, strategies, and visions of this international entity for reaching Sustainable Development Goals, should be analysed due to its impact on the international environment and emerging new international relations architecture. The author carried out research using primarily descriptive and analytical methods. To this end, rich …

Iot-Enabled Flood Severity Prediction Via Ensemble Machine Learning Models, Mohammed Khalaf, Haya Alaskar, Abir Jaafar Hussain, Thar Baker, Zakaria Maamar, Rajkumar Buyya, Panos Liatsis, Wasiq Khan, Hissam Tawfik, Dhiya Al-Jumeily

All Works

© 2013 IEEE. River flooding is a natural phenomenon that can have a devastating effect on human life and economic losses. There have been various approaches in studying river flooding; however, insufficient understanding and limited knowledge about flooding conditions hinder the development of prevention and control measures for this natural phenomenon. This paper entails a new approach for the prediction of water level in association with flood severity using the ensemble model. Our approach leverages the latest developments in the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning for the automated analysis of flood data that might be useful to prevent …

Eco-Engineering Of Coastal Infrastructure: A Design For Life, Kathryn O'Shaughnessy

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Coastal urbanisation has driven humans to build artificial defences to protect infrastructure from rising sea level, erosion and stormier seas. Artificial structures are proliferating in the coastal and marine environments (“ocean sprawl”), resulting in a loss of natural habitat, species diversity and ecosystem services. To mitigate the impacts of ocean sprawl, the practice of eco-engineering of coastal infrastructure has been developed. A strong evidence base in support of eco-engineering is growing, yet there remain critical knowledge gaps. This work investigated the ecology of artificial structures and their ability to be enhanced in order to increase species diversity, addressing five knowledge …

Understanding The Fate Of Active Pharmaceutical Compounds In Waters Receiving Poorly Or Untreated Wastewater For The Development Of A Dedicated Environmental Risk Assessment Approach, Simone Bagnis

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The global increasing consumption and production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is of a growing environmental concern. The inherently biological activity of APIs creates a concern of potential ecotoxicological effects even at very low concentrations. Such risk is particularly exacerbated in low and low-middle income countries (LLMICs) where it is common the practice of direct discharge of untreated wastewater (DDUW) into surface waters, which creates a heavily polluted area downstream, described as the “impact zone”. Little is known about the environmental fate of APIs in this area. Nevertheless, measured environmental concentrations (MECs) of LLMICs show higher concentrations than for high-income …

Heathland Restoration After Mineral Extraction, Mary Louise Lane

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Restoration Ecology has been developed over the last 40 years in efforts to better understand how to restore, recreate or reclaim land damaged by human activities. Lowland heath is one of the more difficult habitats to recreate due to the complicated interactions of soil chemistry and plant physiology and structure. This study investigated the ecological restoration of heathlands at a china clay mineral extraction site in the UK. Assessment of historical restoration practices revealed that previous work carried out on the study site is not achieving Atlantic Lowland Heath (ALH) and that specific amendments might be necessary. Consequently, work carried …

Genome Sequence Of Vibrio Natriegens Phage Vb_Vnas-Aqkl99, Noah Yonas, Paige Boleman, Y Nguyen, Makenzie Kerr, Kema Malki, Anthony M. Greco, Mya Breitbart

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Vibrio natriegens is a naturally occurring marine bacterium that is emerging as a microbiological model system. Here, we describe Aquatic Killer 99 (AQKL99), a novel phage that infects Vibrio natriegens 14048. The genome of the phage is 58,464 bp long, has a GC content of 45.9%, and contains 51 protein-coding genes.

Environmental Dna Reveals Seasonal Shifts And Potential Interactions In A Marine Community, Anni Djurhuus, Collin J. Closek, Ryan P. Kelly, Kathleen J. Pitz, Reiko P. Michisaki, Hilary A. Starks, Kristine R. Walz, Elizabeth A. Andruszkiewicz, Emily Olesin, Katherine Hubbard, Enrique Montes, Daniel Otis, Frank E. Muller-Karger, Francisco P. Chavez, Alexandria B. Boehm, Mya Breitbart

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis allows the simultaneous examination of organisms across multiple trophic levels and domains of life, providing critical information about the complex biotic interactions related to ecosystem change. Here we used multilocus amplicon sequencing of eDNA to survey biodiversity from an eighteen-month (2015–2016) time-series of seawater samples from Monterey Bay, California. The resulting dataset encompasses 663 taxonomic groups (at Family or higher taxonomic rank) ranging from microorganisms to mammals. We inferred changes in the composition of communities, revealing putative interactions among taxa and identifying correlations between these communities and environmental properties over time. Community network analysis provided evidence …

Standardisation Of Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (Sact) Prescription Forms: A Pre–Post Audit Evaluation, Felicity Sim, Gail Ross-Adjie, Leanne Monterosso

Nursing Papers and Journal Articles

Introduction Clinical practice guidelines based on best available evidence and national safety and quality standards promote high quality and safe care.

Aim To review and standardise systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) forms in a 20-chair cancer centre to reflect Australian and international clinical practice guidelines.

Method A pre–post audit design based on Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA) guidelines for the safe prescribing, dispensing and administration of systemic cancer therapy underpinned the project. The pre-audit (47 forms) provided a benchmark for SACT form improvements: 177 new forms were then developed over 18 months and implemented.

Results Pre-audit: 9/19 criteria were >70% …

Association Between Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Infertility, Ectopic Pregnancy And The Development Of Ovarian Serous Borderline Tumor, Mucinous Borderline Tumor And Low-Grade Serous Carcinoma, Louise Stewart, C J.R Stewart, Katrina Spilsbury, P A. Cohen, S Jordan

IHR Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: Risk factors for ovarian borderline tumors and low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy, hysterectomy, tubal ligation and parity and the risk of serous borderline tumor (SBT), mucinous borderline tumor (MBT) and LGSC.

Methods: This was a population-based cohort study using linked administrative and hospital data. Participants were 441,382 women born between 1945 and 1975 who had been admitted to hospital in Western Australia between 1 January 1980 and 30 June 2014. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios …

Sprint Acceleration Characteristics Across The Australian Football Participation Pathway, Toby Edwards, Benjamin Piggott, Harry G. Banyard, G Gregory Haff, Christopher Joyce

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

The aim of this study was to compare the force, velocity and power profiles of a maximal sprint acceleration through different competition levels of the Australian Football (AF) participation pathway. One hundred and sixty-two junior AF athletes across five competition levels including State under 18’s (ST 18), State under 16’s (ST 16), local under 18’s (LOC 18), local under 15’s (LOC 15), and local under 14’s (LOC 14) participated in this cross-sectional study. Velocity-time data from maximal sprint accelerations were analysed to derive athlete’s sprint acceleration characteristics and split times. ST 18 showed a more force-orientated profile than the LOC …

The Ground On Which We All Stand: A Conversation About Menstrual Equity Law And Activism, Bridget J. Crawford, Margaret E. Johnson, Marcy L. Karin, Laura Strausfeld, Emily Gold Waldman

All Faculty Scholarship

This essay grows out of a panel discussion among five lawyers on the subject of menstrual equity activism. Each of the authors is a scholar, activist, or organizer involved in some form of menstrual equity work. The overall project is both enriched and complicated by an intersectional analysis. This essay increases awareness of existing menstrual equity and menstrual justice work; it also identifies avenues for further inquiry, next steps for legal action, and opportunities that lie ahead. After describing prior and current work at the junction of law and menstruation, the contributors evaluate the successes and limitations of recent legal …