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Microrna-16, Programmed Cell Death Protein-4 (Pdcd-4) And Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Naseem Zehra, Arfa Azhar, Rehana Rehman

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Support Clubs For Children And Youth In Haiti Living With Hiv: A Case Study, Susan Settergren, Robert Philippe, Joanne St. Louis, Nathaniel Segaren, Sylvie Boisson, Tessa Lewis, Olbeg Désinor, Kesner François

HIV and AIDS

In Haiti, where an estimated 3,000 children and youth are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), Caris Foundation, with funding from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provides hospital-linked psychosocial support groups, known as Kids Clubs, for young people ages nine and older. The clubs are intended to help ensure that HIV-positive children and adolescents stay in contact with health services, and serve as a conduit for delivery of other services, including health messages and health products. In 2019, Project SOAR conducted a study to describe the Kids Club …

Rela/P65 Blocks Histone Deacetylase-3 Neurotoxicity And Protects Neurons Against Neuronal Death Induced By Polyq-Expanded Huntingtin And Ataxin-1 In A P65 Phospho S276 Dependent Manner, Yiyu Zhang

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases have a large negative impact to human society. Symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases includes memory loss, impaired recognition, motor dysfunction due to dysregulated neuronal loss in different brain regions. However, the neurobiological basis of these brain diseases is not fully understood and there are no cures or effective treatments. Polyglutamine (Poly-Q) disorders is a class of neurodegenerative diseases that are caused by polyglutamine expansion within the protein coding regions of specific genes. Huntington’s disease (HD), Spinal Cerebellar Ataxia Type 1 (SCA1) and Spinal Cerebellar Ataxia Type 3 (SCA3) are three common diseases among Poly-Q disorders. To better understand the …

Design And Evaluation Of Peptide Lipid-Associated Nucleic Acids (Planas) For Sirna And Crispr/Cas9 Delivery And Protein Silencing, Ryley Hall

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women in the United States. The American Cancer Society has estimated that in 2020 about 276,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. Cancer research has taken a turn in the last several decades to focus on new approaches to combat the disease. This project focuses on two approaches, siRNA and CRISPR/Cas9 that can have potential applications in cancer research.

The first approach is a specific type of RNA interference (RNAi) that has been pursued due to its therapeutic potential in cancer research. In short, siRNA delivery is a method …

Learning Dynamics From Large Biological Data Sets: Machine Learning Meets Systems Biology, William Gilpin, Yitong Huang, Daniel B. Forger

Mathematics Sciences: Faculty Publications

In the past few decades, mathematical models based on dynamical systems theory have provided new insight into diverse biological systems. In this review, we ask whether the recent success of machine learning techniques for large-scale biological data analysis provides a complementary or competing approach to more traditional modeling approaches. Recent applications of machine learning to the problem of learning biological dynamics in diverse systems range from neuroscience to animal behavior. We compare the underlying mechanisms and limitations of traditional dynamical models with those of machine learning models. We highlight the unique role that traditional modeling has played in providing predictive …

Epigenetic Targeting Of Mcl-1 Is Synthetically Lethal With Bcl-Xl/Bcl-2 Inhibition In Model Systems Of Glioblastoma, Enyuan Shang, Trang T. T. Nguyen, Chang Shu, Mike-Andrew Westhoff, Georg Karpel-Massler, Markus D. Siegelin

Publications and Research

Apoptotic resistance remains a hallmark of glioblastoma (GBM), the most common primary brain tumor in adults, and a better understanding of this process may result in more efficient treatments. By utilizing chromatin immunoprecipitation with next-generation sequencing (CHIP-seq), we discovered that GBMs harbor a super enhancer around the Mcl-1 locus, a gene that has been known to confer cell death resistance in GBM.We utilized THZ1, a known super-enhancer blocker, and BH3-mimetics, including ABT263, WEHI-539, and ABT199. Combined treatment with BH3-mimetics and THZ1 led to synergistic growth reduction in GBM models. Reduction in cellular viability was accompanied by significant cell death induction …

Tremblings, August 2020, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Photographing Populus tremuloides: A Visual Xylotheuque

Lance Oditt

I am standing on the edge of the Carbon River on the Northwest edge of Mount Rainier in May of 2017. Three months removed from my last treatment for lymphoma. I am preparing for a road trip to photograph notable trees of the western U.S.: Sequoia, Joshua, Bristlecone, Whitebark Pine, and the Pando Aspen Clone. Adjusting to my new body, new camera, and new lens, I focus on a grove of alder that have set up along the edge of the river to practice techniques I imagine will help me photograph …

Corporate Cash Holdings, Firm Performance, And Ceo Compensation, Dhruba Banjade

Finance and Real Estate Dissertations - Archive

The dissertation consists of three essays. The first essay investigates the relationship between corporate cash holdings and firm performance in new and old economy firms. Results show that firm performance increases when they maintain cash balances at or slightly above a certain level (optimum level). However, their performance degrades if they hold cash at levels beyond the optimum. Furthermore, I find that new economy firms hold more cash relative to their old economy counterparts. Corporate governance and balanced board structure also impact cash holdings and firm performance. I find that as institutional ownership increases, firm performance increases due to better …

Investigation Of The Impact Of Material Models On Reliability Assessment Of Electronic Packages, Abel Misrak

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Drop testing, thermal cycling, power cycling, etc. are some of the tests used to assess the reliability of new electronic products. However, performing experimental study of every new design is costly and time consuming. Computational tools are often employed to perform the required reliability analysis in a shorter time period and save valuable resources. Extensive set of material characterization work needs to be done before an accurate material model can be developed and used in computational analysis. Structural components such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) are critical in the thermomechanical reliability assessment of electronic packages. The bulk material properties of …

New Strategies For Hydrosilylation Of Propargyl Alcohols, Olefin Polymerization And On-Chip Organic Synthesis, Udaya Sree Dakarapu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations - Archive

The research described in this dissertation is on three different projects namely i) design and synthesis of traceless hydrosilyl acetal-directed, exo-syn hydrosilylation of propargyl alcohols to produce α-hydroxy (E)-vinylsilanes, ii) alkali metal lewis base-catalyzed, complexation-induced hydrogen atom transfer (LBCI-HAT) olefin polymerization and iii) on-chip organic synthesis enabled by engine-and-cargo on an electrowetting-on-dielectric digital microfluidic (EWOD) device. The first chapter is focused on the design and synthesis of traceless hydrosilyl acetal-directed, exo-syn hydrosilylation of propargyl alcohols to produce α-hydroxy (E)-vinylsilanes. Transition metal-catalyzed regioselective intramolecular hydrosilylation of propargylic alcohols utilizing easily accessible, inexpensive, and readily installable hydrosilyl acetals as a directing group …

Analysis Of Complex Data Sets Using Multilayer Networks: A Decoupling-Based Framework, Abhishek Santra

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

We are on the cusp of analyzing a variety of data being collected in every walk of life - social, biological, health-care, corporate, climate, to name a few. The data sets are becoming diverse and complex in addition to increased size. Some of the complexity comes from interacting entities that arise in diverse disciplines, such as epidemiology, marketing strategy, social sciences, cybersecurity and drug design. Data sets becoming diverse and complex entails search for appropriate models and concomitant analytical techniques that are also efficient. Our ability to analyze large, complex, and disparate data for a broad set of analysis objectives …

The Impact Of Discrete Action Potentials In Resting Sympathetic Vascular Transduction In Humans, Jane Cloud

2020 Fall Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The sympathetic nervous system dynamically regulates blood pressure (BP), primarily through the modification of peripheral vascular tone. Our lab has developed a methodology for quantifying resting sympathetic vascular transduction wherein bursts of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) act as a trigger and ensuing changes in BP and leg vascular conductance (LVC) are signal-averaged over the subsequent 15 cardiac cycles to produce characteristic (mean) responses. These previous investigations have focused on the effect of net sympathetic outflow (e.g, burst sequences and burst amplitudes) on the BP and LVC responses to spontaneous bursts of MSNA. The recent development of methods to identify …

Correlation And Effect Of Process Parameters On The Properties Of Inconel 718 Parts Fabricated By Selective Laser Melting Using Response Surface Method, Bharath Bhushan Ravichander

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Inconel 718 (i.e., IN718) is a nickel-based superalloy that exhibits outstanding tensile and impact-resistant properties, along with good high-temperature corrosion resistance. However, the machinability is poor due to the high stiffness of IN718. Therefore, additive manufacturing provides an effective solution to overcome the work hardening. Selective laser melting (SLM) is the most common powder-bed additive manufacturing technique designed to use a high power-density laser to melt and fuse the metallic powder to fabricate functional parts with high accuracy. However, the accuracy and the functional properties of the fabricated parts are greatly dependent on the process parameters. Thus, depending on the …

Asymptotic Normality Of The Deconvolution Kernel Density Estimators Based On Independent As Well As Strong Mixing Right Censored Data, Wenqing Zhu

Mathematics Dissertations - Archive

We consider estimation of a density when observed lifetime from the convolution model contaminated by additive measurement errors. A kernel type deconvolution density estimator of the unknown distribution based on right censored data is proposed by using the Inverse-Probability-of-Censoring Weighted Average. Further, we discuss the asymptotic normality of the deconvolution kernel density estimators for independent and strong mixing vectors when the error distribution function is either ordinary smooth or supersmooth. Our method is applied to the study conducted by UTSW medical center. The research team at UTSW collected the data of women who underwent cystoscopy fulguration for recurrent urinary tract …

Recidivism Rates And Its Correlation To Mathematics And Reading Comprehension Among Detention Center Juveniles Who Participate In Trauma Informed Teaching, Isaac Collin

Dissertations

In this study rates of recidivism and their relationship with mathematics and reading comprehension will be analyzed. In the literature, a full comprehensive study of high school mathematics and reading was taught without the implementation of a watered-down academic curriculum. In order for detention center students to benefit from a detention center education they need instructors to expose them to state academic standards. The research questions guiding this study included 1) Is there a significant difference in the achievement scores in mathematics and reading skills and abilities based on the rates of recidivism at XYZ Detention Center, 2) Do XYZ …

Geology, Soils And Climate Of The Margaret River Wine Region, Peter J. Tille, Angela Stuart-Street, Peter S. Gardiner

All other publications

This report is an extract from the broader description and analysis of the Geology, soils and climate of Western Australia's wine regions. It expands on the brief descriptions in the second edition of 'Viticulture' (Coombe & Dry 2004) concerning the soils and landscapes of Western Australia’s main wine growing regions. We have tailored this report extract to the specific needs of the Margaret River wine region. It contains local soil names and soil-landscape zones and systems maps.

The wine industry recognises the importance of giving customers an understanding of the vines’ environment and how that may influence wine character …

The Potential Impacts Of Soy Protein On Fish Gut Health, Vikas Kumar, Sakhawat Hossain, Janice A. Ragaza, Marina Rubio Benito

Biology Faculty Publications

Soy protein is the major source of protein as fishmeal replacement in fish feed because of its worldwide availability and low price. However, the presence of high carbohydrate content along with saponins, lectins, and phytates can have a negative impact on fish gut health. Based on the literature and our lab studies, dietary soybean meal can cause a dose-dependent type of distal intestine inflammation called enteritis in commercial fish species including salmonids. This leads to reduced absorptive capacity, increased mucus secretion, hyperpermeability, and leucocyte infiltration in the lamina propria and submucosa, also inducing the pro-inflammatory cytokine genes expression, including Il-1β, …

Psychometric Analysis Of A 9-Item M-Hooked-On Nicotine Checklist For Vaping Among College Students, Joshua B. Devine

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Background: Adolescent participation in electronic vapor products (EVP) is on the rise and with it many new health concerns present themselves. EVP use tripled among high school and middle school students from 2013-2014 and has continued to grow. Previous nicotine related studies have shown that the earlier the age of initiation to nicotine, the higher likelihood to develop a nicotine dependence. Methods: Using the “Hooked on Nicotine Checklist” (HONC) current rates of nicotine dependence among college students at a southwest Missouri university was assessed. One hundred and fifty-six students were recruited from a KIN 210 class as a convenience sample. …

Trait Conscientiousness And Agreeableness In Relation To Positive And Negative Mood Self-Perceived Altruism, Justin Thomas Robertello

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

While much research has been done on altruism and people's perceptions of the altruistic tendencies of others, perception of altruism as it relates to self, especially in relation to the influence of internal states, lacks similarly extensive investigation. This study aims to explore how the stable internal states of personality and the fluid states of mood play a role in our own perceptions of our altruistic tendencies. Participants were provided with a personality questionnaire and exposed to image sets designed to induce positive or negative mood. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was administered post mood induction to verify …

Ractive Md Simulation On The Formation Of Amorphous Alumina Layer Using Atomic Layer Deposition (Ald), Yuxuan Lu

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In this study, a systematic study has been performed by using the large-scale classical reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to model the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) processes that generated tan ultra-thin and sub-nano meter amorphous alumina. The ALD process employed both water pulse and (Trimethyl-Aluminum) TMA precursors deposited onto the surface of an aluminum wetting layer. The study varied the sizes of the substrate and the concentrations of water/hydroxide precursors with a range of operating temperature to design the most favorable configurations for the subsequent TMA precursors to add onto. The role of crystallographic orientation of the Al wetting layer …

Using Behavior Skills Training To Increase Quality Parent Talk During A Read-Aloud, Britnea Monaco

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Reading to children is one way to engage a child in high-level conversations that go beyond the explicit message of the book. There is a positive correlation between the amount of high-quality caregiver/child joint attention activities and language development. The purpose of this study was to use Behavior Skills Training to teach parents seven component reading skills in order to increase parents word count and quality of words read during read-alouds with their children. Results showed as parents mastered the seven reading components they increased their overall word count. Implications of these findings are discussed within the context of caregiver/child …

Toward Development Of A Paper-Based Microanalytical Device For Heavy Metal Ion Detection By Enzyme Inhibition, Adjoa Otubea Adams

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In recent years, paper-based microanalytical devices have attracted great attention in broad application areas including the colorimetric detection of heavy metal ions. The simplicity, portability, and low cost of the devices offer unique advantages over conventional instrumental analysis. This project utilizes the inhibition of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction by metal ions to develop a paper-based analytical device for the detection of heavy metal contaminants such as mercury. I selected alkaline phosphatase for this study. This enzyme possesses Mg and Zn ions in its active site. Therefore, the competitive displacement of these metal ions and/or denaturation of the enzyme by heavy metal …

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 …

Investigating Chitosan Modified With Triethylammonium Butanamide And Triethylphosphonium Butanamide As Non-Viral Gene Delivery Vectors By Examining Cytotoxicity And Transfection Efficiency, Deborah C. Ehie

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Gene therapy is a very challenging field, especially with new emerging genetic disorders. Chitosan (CS), due to chitosan’s flexibility, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, has been of interest in the world of gene therapy especially as researchers are gravitating towards non-viral vectors due to the problems caused by viral vectors. Nevertheless, there are still issues regarding solubility, cellular uptake of cargos being transported in vitro or in vivo, increased cytotoxicity levels, as well as many other things that prevent chitosan from being an efficient gene delivery agent. Here I present five derivatives of chitosan, which were all modified with either triethylphosphonium …

Promoting Independence: Empowering Successful Transitions Out Of The North American Foster Care System, Samantha Chong, Ots, Kevin Dang, Ots, Leondra Graves, Ots, Taylor Holt, Ots, Rebecca Sinko, Otd, Otr/L

Collaborative Research and Evidence shared Among Therapists and Educators (CREATE Day)

Objectives

• Identify the supports and barriers of youth transitioning out of the North American foster care/foster home care systems.
• Describe occupational therapy’s current and emerging roles in life skills/IADL training with youth transitioning out of the foster care system.
• Describe the positive outcomes related to successful transitions into adulthood for foster youth.

PICO Question:

What life skills training interventions conducted by occupational therapy practitioners improve independence for youth transitioning out of the foster care system?

Heart Failure In Humans Reduces Contractile Force In Myocardium From Both Ventricles, Cheavar A. Blair, Elizabeth A Brundage, Katherine L. Thompson, Arnold J. Stromberg, Maya Guglin, Brandon J Biesiadecki, Kenneth S. Campbell

Statistics Faculty Publications

This study measured how heart failure affects the contractile properties of the human myocardium from the left and right ventricles. The data showed that maximum force and maximum power were reduced by approximately 30% in multicellular preparations from both ventricles, possibly because of ventricular remodeling (e.g., cellular disarray and/or excess fibrosis). Heart failure increased the calcium (Ca²⁺) sensitivity of contraction in both ventricles, but the effect was bigger in right ventricular samples. The changes in Ca²⁺ sensitivity were associated with ventricle-specific changes in the phosphorylation of troponin I, which indicated that adrenergic stimulation might induce different effects …

Clinicopathologic Features Predictive Of Distant Metastasis In Patients Diagnosed With Invasive Breast Cancer, Basim Ali, Fatima Mubarik, Nida Zahid, Abida K. Sattar

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Purpose: National Comprehensive Cancer Network and European Society for Medical Oncology guidelines suggest screening for distant metastasis (M1) in symptomatic patients or those with locally advanced breast cancer. These guidelines are based on studies that often used pathologic staging for analysis. Physician variability in screening for M1 has also resulted in overuse of diagnostic tests. We sought to identify clinicopathologic features at diagnosis that could guide testing for metastatic disease.
Methods: Patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between January 2014 and December 2015 were identified from our institutional database. Demographic and clinical variables were collected, including receptor profiles and clinical …

Evolution Of Secondary Sexual Characters In Pselaphinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Laura Maria Vasquez-Velez

All Dissertations

Secondary sexual characters (SSC) are traits present only in one sex, commonly on males, and different from the reproductive organs. These characters have evolved mainly through the action of Sexual Selection, the differential mating success of organisms of the same species. Males use SSC to challenge other males for access to females, while females use these traits as signals to choose mates with overall good. SSC can manifest as horns, tusks, enlarged appendages, spines, coloration, and body size. Sexually dimorphic traits are present in all major groups of animals, including Insects. Sexual selection and secondary sexual traits have been proposed …

The Property Species: Mine, Yours, And The Human Mind, Bart J. Wilson

Economics Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"Arguing that neither the sciences nor the humanities synthesizes a full account of property, the book offers a cross-disciplinary compromise that is sure to be controversial: Property is a universal and uniquely human custom. Integrating cognitive linguistics with philosophy of property and a fresh look at property disputes in the common law, the book makes the case that symbolic-thinking humans locate the meaning of property within a thing. That is, all human beings and only human beings have property in things, and at its core, property rests on custom, not rights. Such an alternative to conventional thinking contends that the …

Elucidating The Relation Between Human Milk Fatty Acids, Extracellular Vesicles, And Infant Developmental Outcomes In The First Year Of Life, Diana Bickmore

Food Science (MS) Theses

For most infants, human milk is the recommended source of nutrition. Improved developmental outcomes have been reported in infants that consume human milk compared to infant formula. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) confer health benefits. However, EFAs cannot be synthesized by the body, and therefore must be consumed in diet. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoparticles containing a lipid bilayer membrane and are present in human milk. Methods of EV isolation such as ultracentrifugation (UC) may not be feasible for the study of EVs in human milk due to the need for large sample volume, which may not be available. The objectives …