Digital Commons Network^™

Application Of A Three-Phase Needs Assessment Framework To Identify Priority Issue Areas For Extension Programming, Lendel K. Narine, Amanda D. Ali, Paul A. Hill

Journal of Extension

Cooperative Extension strives to deliver relevant programming to residents. However, problems facing communities are increasingly complex. We used a three-phase needs assessment to describe Utah residents' perceptions of issue areas for Extension programming. We gathered data from 1,043 Utah residents. Results highlighted four priority issue areas for Extension programming. These were environmental quality, conservation capacity, community development, and agriculture and food safety. On the basis of our work, we recommend that Extension allocate resources to addressing priority issue areas and implement a formal needs assessment framework for monitoring issue areas to inform relevant and quality programming in response to emerging …

Activation Of Trpa1 Nociceptor Promotes Systemic Adult Mammalian Skin Regeneration, Jenny J. Wei, Hali S. Kim, Casey A. Spencer, Donna Brennan-Crispi, Ying Zheng, Nicolette M. Johnson, Misha Rosenbach, Christopher Miller, Denis H. Y. Leung, George Cotsarelis, Thomas H. Leung

Research Collection School Of Economics

Adult mammalian wounds, with rare exception, heal with fibrotic scars that severely disrupt tissue architecture and function. Regenerative medicine seeks methods to avoid scar formation and restore the original tissue structures. We show in three adult mouse models that pharmacologic activation of the nociceptor TRPA1 on cutaneous sensory neurons reduces scar formation and can also promote tissue regeneration. Local activation of TRPA1 induces tissue regeneration on distant untreated areas of injury, demonstrating a systemic effect. Activated TRPA1 stimulates local production of interleukin-23 (IL-23) by dermal dendritic cells, leading to activation of circulating dermal IL-17–producing γδ T cells. Genetic ablation of …

De Novo Variants Of Nr4a2 Are Associated With Neurodevelopmental Disorder And Epilepsy, Sakshi Singh, Rachel Slaugh, Jorge Granadillo, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: This study characterizes the clinical and genetic features of nine unrelated patients with de novo variants in the NR4A2 gene.

METHODS: Variants were identified and de novo origins were confirmed through trio exome sequencing in all but one patient. Targeted RNA sequencing was performed for one variant to confirm its splicing effect. Independent discoveries were shared through GeneMatcher.

RESULTS: Missense and loss-of-function variants in NR4A2 were identified in patients from eight unrelated families. One patient carried a larger deletion including adjacent genes. The cases presented with developmental delay, hypotonia (six cases), and epilepsy (six cases). De novo status was …

Surface Functionalization Of Biomedical Ti-6al-7nb Alloy By Liquid Metal Dealloying, Ilya Vladimirovich Okulov, Soo Hyun Joo, Artem Vladimirovich Okulov, Alexey Sergeevich Volegov, Bérengère Luthringer, Regine Willumeit-Römer, Lai-Chang Zhang, Lutz Mädler, Jürgen Eckert, Hidemi Kato

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Surface functionalization is an effective approach to change the surface properties of a material to achieve a specific goal such as improving the biocompatibility of the material. Here, the surface of the commercial biomedical Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy was functionalized through synthesizing of a porous surface layer by liquid metal dealloying (LMD). During LMD, the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy is immersed in liquid magnesium (Mg) and both materials react with each other. Particularly, aluminum (Al) is selectively dissolved from the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy into liquid Mg while titanium (Ti) and niobium (Nb) diffuse along the metal/liquid …

Testing A Model Of Sexual Minority Orientation In Individuals With And Without The Broad Autism Phenotype, Lydia Ruth Qualls

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) are more likely than individuals with typical development (TD) to report a sexual minority orientation (e.g., Bejerot & Eriksson, 2014; DeWinter et al., 2017; Qualls, Hartmann, & Paulson, 2018). There has been no research on how existing theories of sexual orientation might explain the development or increased likelihood of sexual minority orientation in these individuals. The aim of this study was to operationalize and test the fit of an existing model of sexual orientation (Worthington, Savoy, Dillon, & Vernaglia, 2002) in individuals with TD, BAP, and ASD.

Participants …

Morally Injurious Experiences, Trauma-Related Guilt, And Substance Use Among Iraq And Afghanistan Combat Veterans, Allison T. Battles

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Exposure to morally injurious experiences (MIEs), or stressors that transgress deeply held moral beliefs, are risk factors for hazardous alcohol use and drug abuse among combat veterans. Guilt following a traumatic event also has a negative impact on veteran’s mental health and is conceptualized as a core symptom of moral injury that may elicit secondary outcomes, including substance use. Significant gaps remain in our understanding of the way MIEs and trauma-related guilt relate to hazardous alcohol use and drug abuse symptoms. Most prior research on MIEs and substance use have been limited to veterans sampled from the general population and …

Model-Based Approach For Diffuse Glioma Classification, Grading, And Patient Survival Prediction, Zeina A. Shboul

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The work in this dissertation proposes model-based approaches for molecular mutations classification of gliomas, grading based on radiomics features and genomics, and prediction of diffuse gliomas clinical outcome in overall patient survival. Diffuse gliomas are types of Central Nervous System (CNS) brain tumors that account for 25.5% of primary brain and CNS tumors and originate from the supportive glial cells. In the 2016 World Health Organization’s (WHO) criteria for CNS brain tumor, a major reclassification of the diffuse gliomas is presented based on gliomas molecular mutations and the growth behavior. Currently, the status of molecular mutations is determined by obtaining …

D-Vine Pair-Copula Models For Longitudinal Binary Data, Huihui Lin

Mathematics & Statistics Theses & Dissertations

Dependent longitudinal binary data are prevalent in a wide range of scientific disciplines, including healthcare and medicine. A popular method for analyzing such data is the multivariate probit (MP) model. The motivation for this dissertation stems from the fact that the MP model fails even the binary correlations are within the feasible range. The reason being the underlying correlation matrix of the latent variables in the MP model may not be positive definite. In this dissertation, we study alternatives that are based on D-vine pair-copula models. We consider both the serial dependence modeled by the first order autoregressive (AR(1)) and …

Quasi-School Leaders: The Lived Experiences Of High School Counseling Directors And Their Role In Schools, Andrea Cherice Simon

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this study is to explore the lived experiences of high school counseling director’s and how their principal and district school counseling supervisor shape their experiences as leaders. The role of high school counseling director’s is increasingly complex, unique, and oftentimes misunderstood. They are often viewed as leaders and change agents in student’s overall success due to their unique skill levels in advocacy and collaboration (Kaffenberger, Murphy, & Bemak, 2006; McMahon, Mason, Daluga-Guenther, & Ruiz, 2014; Young, Millard, & Kneale, 2013). However, principal’s and district school counseling supervisors are key players in defining the role and responsibilities of …

Structural Characterization Of Organic Matter In Oil Shales Using Multiple Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Techniques, Wenying Chu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Oil shale is a promising source of hydrocarbon fuel that is distributed throughout the world. The petroleum generating potential of oil shale is related to the molecular structure of the organic matter in source rock. The major fraction of organic matter of oil shale is termed kerogen, and due to its insolubility in organic solvents, ¹³C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the best ways to directly measure the insoluble organic matter without changing its chemical structures. This dissertation investigated oil shale samples using advanced solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy techniques and high resolution magic angle …

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 …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Counselors’ Experiences With Clients Affected By Problematic Internet Pornography Use, Kendall R. Sparks

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The primary researcher conducted a phenomenological study examining the experiences of licensed professional counselors (n = 8) who have worked with clients affected by problematic Internet pornography use. There were five female participants with an average age of 49 and three males with an average age of 63. All eight participants identified as Christian. Four participants reported their highest level of education was a Master’s degree, three participants reported holding a Ph.D. and one participant reported holding an Ed.S. Through semi-structured interviews, the primary researcher of this study sought to gain an understanding of how counselors were experiencing and navigating …

A Novel Non-Enzymatic Glucose Biofuel Cell With Mobile Glucose Sensing, Ankit Baingane

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Herein, we report a novel non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cell with mobile glucose sensing. We characterized the power generation and biosensing capabilities in presence of glucose analyte. This system was developed using a non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cell consisting of colloidal platinum coated gold microwire (Au-co-Pt) employed as an anode and the cathode which was constructed using a Gas diffusion electrode (GDE) with a platinum catalyst. The non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cell produced a maximum open circuit voltage of 0.54 V and delivered and a maximum short circuit current density of 1.6 mA/cm2 with a peak power density of 0.226 mW/cm2 at a …

Innovative Approaches In The Discovery Of Aquatic Mycobacteriophages, Janis H. Doss

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that infect bacteria, have many applications in medicine, agriculture, molecular biology, and other fields. As antibiotic resistance becomes an increasing problem, interest in phages has grown. The traditional techniques of phage discovery are successful for some phages, but others require modified procedures to achieve detectable host infection.

Mycobacterium is a diverse bacterial genus characterized by a unique cell wall containing mycolic acids, which aids in survival and pathogenesis. The aims of the present research were to isolate mycobacteriophages, use bioinformatics techniques to analyze mycobacterial prophages, and combine genetic analysis with multi-well plate host range studies to identify …

Automatic Linear And Curvilinear Mesh Generation Driven By Validity Fidelity And Topological Guarantees, Jing Xu

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Image-based geometric modeling and mesh generation play a critical role in computational biology and medicine. In this dissertation, a comprehensive computational framework for both guaranteed quality linear and high-order automatic mesh generation is presented. Starting from segmented images, a quality 2D/3D linear mesh is constructed. The boundary of the constructed mesh is proved to be homeomorphic to the object surface. In addition, a guaranteed dihedral angle bound of up to 19:47^o for the output tetrahedra is provided. Moreover, user-specified guaranteed bounds on the distance between the boundaries of the mesh and the boundaries of the materials are allowed. The …

A Framework For Adaptive Capacity In Complex Systems, Abdulrahman Alfaqiri

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Complex systems are characterized by their high level of inter-connectivity, ambiguity, and emergence. Therefore, a failure in one element of a system (e.g. cyber layer) due to external or internal disturbances can lead to a cascade effect that may influence all elements of the system. Consequently, the complex system will not be able to perform its functional performance. Threats related to complex systems are very dynamic, fast, complex and damage can be severe. Thus, to respond to the dynamic and unpredictable nature of these threats, complex systems need to be highly adaptive to survive and thrive in the face of …

Assessment Of Coordination And Proprioception In Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Taylor Kristina Jones

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social and communicative delays. It is known that those with ASD exhibit lower activity levels and decreased proprioception to some extent. The biomechanics of movement in ASD has not been assessed thoroughly enough to provide information on ASD specific movement patterns, and no studies have been performed examining work and recovery. The purpose of this study is to examine whether 1) inter-limb and intra-limb coordination patterns during walking and running differ between youth with ASD and neurotypical sex, age, and BMI-matched controls. Youth with ASD (N=8) and their BMI, age, and sex matched …

The Determinants Of Physical Activity, Self-Monitoring Of Blood Glucose, And Poor Glycemic Control Among Individuals Diagnosed With Type 2 Diabetes In Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study Based On The Saudi Health Interview Survey (Shis), Mohammed Abdulrahman S. Alsuliman

Health Services Research Dissertations

The prevalence of diabetes and poor glycemic control in Saudi Arabia has increased that contributed to the growing number of deaths in Saudi Arabia. It is known that type 2 diabetes (T2DM) can be prevented but there is a lack information about the magnitude of the of diabetes at national level as well as the risk factors for physical activity (PA), self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), and poor glycemic. Thus, through utilizing Health promotion model (HPM), the aims are to examine the personal factors, cognitive-perceptual, and behavioral determinants of three outcomes; physical activity, SMBG, and poor glycemic control. A secondary …

Food Security As A Basic Right For College Students: A Descriptive Study Of The Factors Associated With Food Insecurity And Higher Education Attainment, Shannon Beatrice Que

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity amongst college students is a rising crisis. Students’ inability to access nutritional food on a consistent basis can negatively impact student retention, academic success, mental and physical health, and social mobility, all of which are at an even greater risk due to the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, children and adolescents in primary and secondary school who experience food insecurity can experience developmental delays, which can impede their ability to obtain a postsecondary degree. Limited research has been conducted on the topic of food insecurity at private universities as well as identifying chronic food insecurity. The present …

Possible Self Dynamics Of Community College Students Engaged In 3d Printing In Informal Environments, Lawrence Ralph Nightingale Jr.

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The overall number of students from diverse backgrounds and women that graduate from community college with degrees in high paying Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines is unacceptably low. The number of opportunities to gain exposure to STEM-based expressions of technology to overcome the dearth of exposure in high school is limited in community college. 3D Printing uses computer-controlled machines to build physical objects one layer at a time starting from the bottom up. The computer-controlled nature of 3D Printing provides a low risk, low cost platform to exercise elements of computer programming and engineering.

This study was a …

Disability Policy Representation In African Higher Education Research: Implications For Disability Policy Framing In African Higher Education, Fadzayi M. Maruza, Patricio Langa, Geri Augusto, Nelson Nkhoma

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Internationalizing A Broader View Of Scholarship: An Exploratory Study Of Faculty Publication Productivity In Boyer’S Four Domains Of Scholarship In English-Speaking Universities, Brian L. Heuser, Dawn E. Lyken-Segosbe, John M. Braxton

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

A Decade Of Gender-Based Violence (Gbv) Research Productivity In South Africa 2009-2018, Taiwo Aderonke Idowu Mrs.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

South Africa has not only been identified with high records of gender-based violence (GBV), but that, it takes a complex toll on young people than does transport accidents. Therefore, two methods: Pao’s Least Squared (LS) and Sen’s methods were used to determine the validity of GBV research output vis-a-vis Lotka’s law of scientific productivity over a ten-year window 2009-2018. Data on GBV scientific publications in South Africa was harvested from the EBSCO Discovery Service Database. The study revealed an acute dearth of research on GBV, given the fact that 300 publications were produced by 617 researchers which translated …

Diversity And Structure Of Prokaryotic Communities Within Organic And Conventional Farming Systems In Central Highlands Of Kenya, Edward Nderitu Karanja, Andreas Fliessbach, Noah Adamtey, Anne Kelly Kambura, Martha Musyoka, Komi Fiaboe, Romano Mwirichia

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Management practices such as tillage, crop rotation, irrigation, organic and inorganic inputs application are known to influence diversity and function of soil microbial populations. In this study, we investigated the effect of conventional versus organic farming systems at low and high input levels on structure and diversity of prokaryotic microbial communities. Soil samples were collected from the ongoing long-term farming system comparison trials established in 2007 at Chuka and Thika in Kenya. Physicochemical parameters for each sample were analyzed. Total DNA and RNA amplicons of variable region (V4-V7) of the 16S rRNA gene were generated on an Illumina platform using …

Fate And Transport Of Phosphorus-Containing Land-Applied Swine Slurry In A Karst Watershed, A. N. Sharpley, M. B. Daniels, K. R. Brye, K. Vandevender, J. Burke, L G. Berry, P. Webb

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Phosphorus distribution in pasture soils underlain with karst geology was determined on a 0.10-ha grid in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Two fields (Fields 1 and 12) received swine slurry from a concentrated animal feeding operation, whereas another (Field 5) received mineral fertilizer. All fields were grazed by cattle and periodically hayed. Mean Mehlich-3 extractable P in the top 10 cm increased (p ≤ .05 level) for Fields 1 (59–91 mg kg⁻¹) and 12 (63–122 mg kg⁻¹) between 2014 and 2018, with little change for Field 5 (45–47 mg kg⁻¹). Over the 5-yr monitoring …

Water Management Effects On Trace Gas Emissions Under Greenhouse Conditions From Direct-Seeded Hybrid Rice In A Silt-Loam Soil, Diego Della Lunga, Kristofor R. Brye, Trenton L. Roberts, Shelby G. Lebeau

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Water management regimes influence greenhouse gas emissions in rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. The objective of this study was to quantify methane (CH4 ), nitrous oxide (N2 O), and carbon dioxide (CO2 ) under direct-seeded conditions in the greenhouse to evaluate the effects of water regime on fluxes and growing-season-long emissions. Research was conducted during 2019 using a hybrid rice cultivar (RT 7311 CL) grown in a DeWitt silt loam (Albaqualf). Six plastic tubs, filled with 21 kg of soil and manually seeded, were arranged in a completely random design with two replications of three water regime treatments: i) flooded, …

Soil Moisture, Temperature, And Oxidation-Reduction Potential Fluctuations Across A Furrow-Irrigated Rice Field On A Silt-Loam Soil, Diego Della Lunga, Kristofor R. Brye, Jordan M. Slayden, Christopher G. Henry, Lisa S. Wood

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Alternative water management practices for rice (Oryza sativa) production have been developed for water conservation purposes, such as the furrow-irrigated rice production system, which results in variable volumetric water content (VWC), temperature, and oxidation-reduction (redox) potential conditions. The spatial and temporal variations in environmental factors can affect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The objective of this field study was to document and evaluate the continuous variations in soil water content, temperature, and redox potential over two growing seasons (2018 and 2019) among site positions (up-, mid-, and down-slope) and tillage treatments [conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT)] under furrow-irrigated …

Structural And Functional Insights Into Alphavirus-Host Interactions, Arthur S. Kim

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Alphaviruses are arthropod-transmitted positive sense, single-stranded RNA viruses of the Togaviridae family that cause explosive, global outbreaks with significant morbidity. These viruses are classified into two groups based on genetic relatedness and clinical manifestations. Arthritogenic alphaviruses include chikungunya (CHIKV), Mayaro (MAYV), Ross River (RRV), O’nyong’nyong (ONNV) and generally cause acute and chronic musculoskeletal disease. To date, CHIKV has caused >1.8 million cases in over 40 countries. Encephalitic alphaviruses, including Eastern (EEEV), Venezuelan (VEEV), and Western (WEEV) equine encephalitis viruses, infect the central nervous system and result in encephalitic sequelae. In 2019, outbreaks of EEEV in the United States have resulted …

The Science Of Solitary: Expanding The Harmfulness Narrative, Craig Haney

Northwestern University Law Review

The harmful effects of solitary confinement have been established in a variety of direct observations and empirical studies that date back to the nineteenth century, conducted in many different countries by researchers with diverse disciplinary backgrounds. This Essay argues that these effects should be situated and understood in the context of a much larger scientific literature that documents the adverse and sometimes life- threatening psychological and physical consequences of social isolation, social exclusion, loneliness, and the deprivation of caring human touch as they occur in free society. These dangerous conditions are the hallmarks of solitary confinement. Yet they are imposed …

Demographic Disparities In The Efficacy Of A Family-Based Treatment Program For Pediatric Obesity, Genevieve Davison

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Background: Family-based behavioral weight loss treatment (FBT) is an evidence-based intervention for pediatric overweight/obesity (OV/OB), but little research has examined the relative efficacy of FBT across socioeconomic status (SES), and racial groups. Method: 172 youth (7-11 y; 61.6% female; 70.1% White, 15.7% Black; child percent OV=64.2±25.2; SES=44.0±10.2; 14.5% low-income) completed 4 months of FBT and 8 months of additional intervention (either weight-control or education control). Parents reported family income, social status (Barratt Simplified Measure of Social Status), and child race at baseline. Income was dichotomized with low-income defined as family income less than 50% of the area median family …