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Midwest Memoir: Cole Carolan, Cole James Carolan

Honors Program Theses

A memoir

Autoethnography On Teaching During A Pandemic, Kelsey Ufford

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted and changed teaching strategies in a young adolescent science classroom and how the pandemic changed personal ideas around online learning. Prior research shows how online learning can be implemented successfully in collegiate classrooms, but it is rare to find research that shows how to successfully implement online learning in a young adolescent classroom. This point of view is from a rural, Iowa middle school standpoint and data was collected through the use of personal journals, emails, and a timeline from March 2020 and May 2020. After the …

The Atmospheric Carbon And Transport (Act)-America Mission, Kenneth J. Davis, Edward V. Browell, Sha Feng, Thomas Lauvaux, Michael D. Obland, Sandip Pal, Bianca C. Baier, David F. Baker, Ian T. Baker, Zachary R. Barkley, Kevin W. Bowman, Yu Yan Cui, A. Scott Denning, Joshua P. Digangi, Jeremy T. Dobler, Alan Fried, Tobias Gerken, Klaus Keller, Bing Lin, Amin R. Nehrir, Caroline P. Normile, Christopher W. O'Dell, Lesley E. Ott, Anke Roiger, Andrew E. Schuh, Colm Sweeney, Yaxing Wei, Brad Weir, Ming Xue, Christopher A. Williams

Geography

The Atmospheric Carbon and Transport (ACT)-America NASA Earth Venture Suborbital Mission set out to improve regional atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) inversions by exploring the intersection of the strong GHG fluxes and vigorous atmospheric transport that occurs within the midlatitudes. Two research aircraft instrumented with remote and in situ sensors to measure GHG mole fractions, associated trace gases, and atmospheric state variables collected 1,140.7 flight hours of research data, distributed across 305 individual aircraft sorties, coordinated within 121 research flight days, and spanning five 6-week seasonal flight campaigns in the central and eastern United States. Flights sampled 31 synoptic sequences, including …

Identifying Serum Metabolite Biomarkers Of Thyroid Cancer, Yihui Chen

Public Health Theses

Background: In recent years, the incidence rate of thyroid cancer is increasing rapidly, including a significant increase in young aged group people. Environmental chemical exposure is a significant driver. With untargeted metabolomics approach, this study will perform an untargeted metabolomics approach to identify serum metabolites biomarkers associated with thyroid cancer and tumor size.

Methods: Serum samples of 100 thyroid cancer patients (50 cases and 50 controls) diagnosed between 2010 and 2011, were extracted for metabolites and analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based untargeted metabolomics. All the analysis were conducted in both positive and negative Electrospray ionization (ESI) modes. …

Determining Polymorphisms In Tnf Production As They Relate To Infection With Ebov, Nirvana K. Dominguez Singh

Public Health Theses

This is a theoretical proposal done as an intellectual exercise. The purpose of this project is to practice and familiarize oneself with the process of applying for a grant from the National Institute of Health to conduct research on human subjects. This proposed study plans to sequence blood samples from infected individuals, exposed and uninfected individuals, and unexposed individuals from the 2018 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to determine the presence of polymorphisms in TNF production as they relate to Ebolavirus infection. It is hypothesized that certain polymorphisms in the regulation and production of TNF that cause a …

Global Routine Immunization Policies For Refugees, Jad A. Elharake

Public Health Theses

BackgroundIn 2020, approximately 26 million refugees resettled in a new country—fleeing their homes due to conflict, persecution, violence, and human rights violations. Refugees often migrate from developing countries with limited access to adequate health care, routine immunizations, and public health resources. Because of low immunization coverage and potentially underlying health conditions, including stress, trauma, overcrowding during transit, poor hygiene and sanitation services, and malnutrition, refugees face a greater risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). This presents a key public health challenge and ethical imperative to serve the health needs of refugees resettling each year.

ObjectiveThe purpose of our study was …

Dreamkit: An Innovative Mobile Health Intervention For Addressing Youth Homelessness, Eva G. Graf

Public Health Theses

Background: Homeless youth experience a variety of barriers to becoming employed and ending their episode of homelessness. DreamKit is a mobile intervention designed to help youth exit their episode of homelessness by paying them to upskill themselves and become more qualified for employment. This thesis explores the feasibility and usability of a mobile application intervention among homeless and housing insecure youth in the greater New Haven area.

Methods: We used a multiple-methods study design that included a formative research phase where we explored whether or not an app would be used by housing-insecure youth; a second pilot phase was included …

A Source-Specific Algorithm To Estimate Occupational (1→3)-Β-D-Glucan Exposure For Farmers In The Biomarkers Of Exposure And Effect In Agriculture Cohort, Felicia Hung

Public Health Theses

Background: (1→3)-β-D-glucans, or simply known as glucans, are components of fungal cell walls and are associated with mold. The adverse health effects due to glucan inhalation exposure has not been well studied, but it is known that upper respiratory inflammation has been seen with glucan exposure. Farmers, especially those who work with animals, are exposed to glucans on a daily basis; however, there is no occupational exposure limit to glucans and the full extent of glucan exposure in this population is unclear due to the lack of exposure assessment. This study will utilize decision-rules and a source-specific method to create …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Backyard Poultry-Associated Salmonella In Connecticut, Laura Kasper

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Salmonellosis is the second leading bacterial foodborne illness in the United States, and is mainly characterized by symptoms of gastroenteritis and their consequences in afflicted individuals. Salmonella accounts for 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations and 420 deaths in the United States every year. Live poultry act as a reservoir of Salmonella and causes an annual national outbreak. There has yet to be a published study on the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on the incidence of Salmonella and on the percentage of cases tied to the national poultry outbreak. Methods: Active public health surveillance of Salmonella in Connecticut is conducted …

The Associations Between Circadian Genetic Factors And Cancer Survival, Bingqing Li

Public Health Theses

The circadian rhythm controls a range of important biological behaviors with a 24-hour cycle. The mammalian biological clock is a layered network of vibrators with a master clock locating in the neurons of suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus and a set of core and related circadian genes. Several lines of evidence from previous studies suggested the relationships between tumorigenesis and circadian rhythm disruption. However, the effects of circadian genetic factors in cancer survival remains uncertain. Therefore, it is important to review and explore the circadian genetic factors which might be linked to cancer survival. This paper aimed to evaluate …

Co-Distribution Of Ambient Light At Night And Incidence Of Human Cancers And Covid-19, Yidan Meng

Public Health Theses

Introduction and BackgroundThere are increasing concerns about the effects of artificial lights on human health, including hormone-related disease and immune functions. In January 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 disrupted everyone’s life, and people who infected have various severity. Thus, we want to analyze whether people exposed to different ambient light at night (LAN) levels make them more susceptible to COVID-19 for our summer research. Besides the effects of LAN on immune functions, we also discussed the association of LAN and multiple cancers in seven states of Northeastern U.S. We used similar statistical and geographic analysis methods and separate them into …

(De)Constructing The Grocery Store: An Ethnographic Examination Of Spatial Characteristics And Their Implications For Social Inclusion, Madeline Hoai Chau Nguyen

Public Health Theses

I acknowledge that this research was conducted on land stolen from the Mattabesic, Paugusett, and Schaghticoke tribes which is currently occupied by a Western colonial power.

This study examines the physical characteristics of the interior of New Haven grocery stores and how these are designed to socially include or exclude racial minorities. Drawing upon critical race theory and using ethnographic research methods, I analyze similarities and differences amongst selected independent American and Asian grocery stores and how they communicate their cultural values to various social groups. Even if it is not explicit, white supremacist values are embedded in these spaces. …

The Role Of Histone Demethylase Kdm6a In Mouse Coronavirus Infection, Sonam Patel

Public Health Theses

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of acute respiratory coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a disease that erupted into a global pandemic in March of 2020.2 Recently, a genome wide CRISPR screen was performed on SARS-lineage coronaviruses and two additional recombinant viruses; the screen revealed host genes essential to coronavirus pathogenesis and entry.7 The screen identified KDM6A, a histone demethylase, as an important pro-viral gene.7 Building upon this observation, in this thesis, I explore the role of Kdm6a in murine hepatitis virus (MHV), a type of mouse coronavirus. MHV is the prototypical model for studying SARS-CoV-2 …

An Agenda-Setting Report: Biome Monitoring For Human Health, Peter Roumeliotis

Public Health Theses

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing frequency with which zoonotic diseases of pandemic potential have emerged in recent decades, it is vital to seek new methods of preventing disease outbreaks before they occur. Novel information age technologies have the potential to change the game for infectious disease outbreak monitoring. This paper addresses the overall opportunity that exists for biome surveillance as a means for health monitoring, particularly the way that the domains of technological and biological sciences can unite to prevent the next pandemic before it gets a chance to take hold. This report outlines the numerous …

Sex Difference In Identification Of Predictive Tumor Tissue Metabolites Associated With Colorectal Cancer Prognosis, Xinyi Shen

Public Health Theses

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third major cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States in 2020. Sex-related differences in CRC stage, prognosis, and metabolism have become increasingly popular in cancer research. Males have poorer survival for CRC, but females with right-sided colon cancer (RCC) have aberrant metabolism correlated with poor survival. Delay in knowing the condition of CRC in female patients would result in poor prognosis, which could be avoided by predicting prognostic outcomes. Random Survival Forest (RSF) is ideal for exploration and making predictions using metabolomics data with high dimension, strong collinearity, and heterogeneity, which CPH models could …

Htra1 Expression In Humanized Arms2 Knock-In Mouse Models, Yunfan Zhang

Public Health Theses

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of central vision loss in developed world. Two genes on chromosome 10q26, maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) and HtrA serine peptidase 1 (HTRA1) were identified as candidate genetic factors of AMD. However, due to the high linkage disequilibrium across the locus as well as the inconsistent functional findings regarding the two genes, it is difficult to distinguish the causative gene that confer the risk of AMD. To provide insight of the functional roles of ARMS2 and HTRA1 in the pathogenesis of AMD, we investigated the regulation relationship between the two genes in …

Female Pacific Walruses (Odobenus Rosmarus Divergens) Show Greater Partitioning Of Sea Ice Organic Carbon Than Males: Evidence From Ice Algae Trophic Markers, Chelsea W. Koch, Lee W. Cooper, Ryan J. Woodland, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Karen E. Frey, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Cédric Magen, Thomas A. Brown

Geography

The expected reduction of ice algae with declining sea ice may prove to be detrimental to the Pacific Arctic ecosystem. Benthic organisms that rely on sea ice organic carbon (iPOC) sustain benthic predators such as the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). The ability to track the trophic transfer of iPOC is critical to understanding its value in the food web, but prior methods have lacked the required source specificity. We analyzed the H-Print index, based on biomarkers of ice algae versus phytoplankton contributions to organic carbon in marine predators, in Pacific walrus livers collected in 2012, 2014 and 2016 from …

Biocybersecurity: A Converging Threat As An Auxiliary To War, Lucas Potter, Orlando Ayala, Xavier-Lewis Palmer

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Biodefense is the discipline of ensuring biosecurity with respect to select groups of organisms and limiting their spread. This field has increasingly been challenged by novel threats from nature that have been weaponized such as SARS, Anthrax, and similar pathogens, but has emerged victorious through collaboration of national and world health groups. However, it may come under additional stress in the 21st century as the field intersects with the cyberworld-- a world where governments have already been struggling to keep up with cyber attacks from small to state-level actors as cyberthreats have been relied on to level the playing field …

Cloning And Characterization Of The Vasopressin-Oxytocin Neuropeptide Signaling System In The Vocal Control System Of The Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata), Emily R. Tortora

Dissertations and Theses

Vasopressin (VP) and Oxytocin (OT) are neuropeptides produced in the hypothalamus and expressed in the cerebrum and pituitary gland of the brain. Studies of VP and OT have long demonstrated their influence on social behaviors in mammals. Comparative analyses of these neuropeptides and in-depth analyses in non-mammalian species may reveal the specific mechanistic roles these hormones play in social behavioral functioning. The acquisition of complex behavioral patterns involves sensory-motor functions. How social interactions modulate sensory-motor mechanisms that promote complex behavior acquisition and maintenance can be well study in vocal learning birds. Here, in addition to reviewing the pertinent literature, I …

There’S More Than One Way To Beat The Heat: What Anal Probes Reveal About Thermal Responses In Neotropical Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)., Emilie I. Dion

Dissertations and Theses

Increasing global temperatures have been linked to shifts in the distributions and preferred microhabitats of terrestrial species. This trend is predicted to impact tropical forest insects, which may already be exposed to conditions that bring them close to their thermal maxima. Tropical microhabitats are linked to vertical stratification, because the canopy is hotter, winder, and less humid than the ground. In ectothermic organisms, such as beetles, thermoregulation is dependent on morphological and behavioral traits. This study investigates woodboring cerambycid beetles, to determine how behavioral thermoregulation through microhabitat selection (vertical stratification) is correlated to morphological attributes (color lightness, size, and pubescence) …

Osteocyte Activity And Skeletal Muscle Relative Gene Expression Profiling After Short-Term Muscle Paralysis, Michelle Gelbs

Dissertations and Theses

Mechanical loading is essential for maintaining bone tissue. Reduced mechanical loading has been shown to have a negative effect on bone, and can result in the development of disuse osteoporosis. Disuse models of muscle inactivity and immobilization, like the Botox model used in this study, result in changes in the bone microarchitecture, the mechanisms behind which are not fully understood. In a previous four-week Botox disuse study, skeletally mature 20- week-old rats experienced degradation of intracortical bone, increased vascular porosity, and decreased osteocyte lacunar density in the tibiae. The focus of this study was to explicate a potential source of …

Development Of An Injectable Methylcellulose Hydrogel System For Nucleus Pulposus Repair And Regeneration, Nada A. Haq-Siddiqi

Dissertations and Theses

Low back pain is the most common cause of disability in the world and is often caused by degeneration or injury of the intervertebral disc (IVD). The IVD is a complex, fibrocartilaginous tissue that allows for the wide range of spinal mobility. Disc degeneration is a progressive condition believed to begin in the central, gelatinous nucleus pulposus (NP) region of the tissue, for which there are few preventative therapies. Current therapeutic strategies include pain management and exercise, or surgical intervention such as spinal fusion, none of which address the underlying cause of degeneration. With an increasingly aging population, the socioeconomic …

Development Of Light Actuated Chemical Delivery Platform On A 2-D Array Of Micropore Structure, Hojjat Rostami Azmand, Hojjat Rostami Azmand

Dissertations and Theses

Localized chemical delivery plays an essential role in the fundamental information transfers within biological systems. Thus, the ability to mimic the natural chemical signal modulation would provide significant contributions to understand the functional signaling pathway of biological cells and develop new prosthetic devices for neurological disorders. In this paper, we demonstrate a light-controlled hydrogel platform that can be used for localized chemical delivery in a high spatial resolution. By utilizing the photothermal behavior of graphene-hydrogel composites confined within micron-sized fluidic channels, patterned light illumination creates the parallel and independent actuation of chemical release in a group of fluidic ports. The …

Spatial And Non-Spatial Patterns Of Genetic Diversity In Neotropical Bats, Andrea J. Calderon Brito

Dissertations and Theses

Macroecological studies that predict genetic diversity and its correlation with other biodiversity dimensions are essential to conservation in a rapidly changing environment. However, in bats (order Chiroptera), studies associating abiotic or ecological traits that could help to predict genetic diversity are scarce, even for singular species. In the Neotropics, the highest concentration of mammal and amphibian genetic diversity has been found in the Andes mountains and the Amazon Rainforest, yet it is an open question whether bat genetic diversity is also higher in these regions, or even if any abiotic factors are correlated with bat genetic diversity. Additionally, it is …

‘A Contradiction In Essence’: Eroticism And The Creation Of The Self In Henry Miller, Cian Doyle

Dissertations and Theses

The intention of this paper is, in the first, to demonstrate that Miller’s work has been labeled ‘erotic’, and that this obscures the true contribution of his work – but that as much as it obscures his work, this label also provides us an avenue to access it. In the second, it is to explore what actually constitutes the ‘erotic’, how this is featured in Miller’s work, and how it functions as an analytic tool to reveal what is significant in that work. Lastly, with specific regard to the works Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, the intention …

Restoration Of Bone Material And Microstructural Properties After Long-Term Remodeling Suppression, Abigail A. Coffman

Dissertations and Theses

Anti-resorptive drugs, principally bisphosphonates (BPs), are the mainstay of osteoporosis treatment. They work by inhibiting bone resorption/remodeling, thus preventing bone loss. However, long-term suppression of bone resorption adversely affects bone tissue mechanical properties, even while conserving bone mass. Lack of remodeling leads to accumulation of fatigue-induced microdamage, altered matrix mineralization and reduction in normal bone tissue heterogeneity, causing impaired strength and fracture toughness. The most severe consequence to patients, while rare, is Atypical Femur Fractures (i.e., complete fatigue fractures of the femoral shaft). To counteract the effects of long-term remodeling suppression, a temporary break in BP treatment (a "drug holiday) …

A New Mathematical Theory For The Dynamics Of Large Tumor Populations, A Potential Mechanism For Cancer Dormancy & Recurrence And Experimental Observation Of Melanoma Progression In Zebrafish, Adeyinka A. Lesi

Dissertations and Theses

Cancer, a family of over a hundred disease varieties, results in 600,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. Yet, improvements in imaging technology to detect disease earlier, pharmaceutical developments to shrink or eliminate tumors, and modeling of biological interactions to guide treatment have prevented millions of deaths. Cancer patients with initially similar disease can experience vastly different outcomes, including sustained recovery, refractory disease or, remarkably, recurrence years after apparently successful treatment. The current understanding of such recurrences is that they depend on the random occurrence of critical mutations. Clearly, these biological changes appear to be sufficient for recurrence, but are they …

Disaster And Hope In The Comic Universe Of 'Gardening In The Tropics', Molly Mosher

Dissertations and Theses

In this paper, I explore ideas of dominion and how Western canon has helped propagate ideas of human domination of the natural world. Using Joseph W. Meeker’s The Comedy of Survival, I trace a line from the advent of the literary tragedy to the climate crisis. To contrast, I use his idea of comedy as the antidote to domination — a way of thinking that might inspire collaboration with the natural world. I will explore the comic with, predominately, Olive Senior’s Gardening in the Tropics, alongside Jamaica Kincaid’s gardening studies and Mona Lisa Saloy’s essay on environmental destruction. To …

Roberto Bolaño’S 2666, The Funneling Effect Of Capitalism, And The Production, Consumption, And Proliferation Of Violence For Profit, John Timlin

Dissertations and Theses

Roberto Bolaño's novel 2666 is a realist text, one that reflects the simple fact that in contemporary capitalism, the physical destruction of female bodies is a profitable enterprise; one that forces its readers to confront their complicity or outright participation in violence against women; and one that relates directly to violence against women as consumable entertainment in American mass culture.

Molecular And Genetic Studies On A Sipd/Ipad-Related Virulence Spike Protein From Immune-Suppressive Particles Of A Drosophila Parasitoid, Carlo Miguel A. Sevilla

Dissertations and Theses

Parasitoid wasps are effective biological control agents that have evolved intricate host immune suppression strategies to overcome host immune defenses. The most important anti-parasite defense mechanism is encapsulation, where the host’s blood cells surround the wasp egg. In the Drosophila/Leptopilina host-parasitoid system, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are oviposited along with the wasp egg. The EVs possess spikes and contain hundreds of proteins, some of which enable wasp eggs to escape encapsulation by changing the morphology and function of hemocytes, or killing them. Previous studies have identified an abundant surface/spike protein (SSp40) from Leptopilina heterotoma EVs. While p40, a predicted …