Digital Commons Network^™

Plasma-Treated Solutions (Pts) In Cancer Therapy, Hiromasa Tanaka, Sander Bekeschus, Dayun Yan, Masaru Hori, Michael Keidar, Mounir Laroussi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Cold physical plasma is a partially ionized gas generating various reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) simultaneously. ROS/RNS have therapeutic effects when applied to cells and tissues either directly from the plasma or via exposure to solutions that have been treated beforehand using plasma processes. This review addresses the challenges and opportunities of plasma-treated solutions (PTSs) for cancer treatment. These PTSs include plasma-treated cell culture media in experimental research as well as clinically approved solutions such as saline and Ringer’s lactate, which, in principle, already qualify for testing in therapeutic settings. Several types of cancers were found to succumb to …

Rapid Quantification Of Biofouling With An Inexpensive, Underwater Camera And Image Analysis, Matthew R. First, Scott C. Riley, Kazi Aminul Islam, Victoria Hill, Jiang Li, Richard C. Zimmerman, Lisa A. Drake

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

To reduce the transport of potentially invasive species on ships' submerged surfaces, rapid-and accurate-estimates of biofouling are needed so shipowners and regulators can effectively assess and manage biofouling. This pilot study developed a model approach for that task. First, photographic images were collected in situ with a submersible, inexpensive pocket camera. These images were used to develop image processing algorithms and train machine learning models to classify images containing natural assemblages of fouling organisms. All of the algorithms and models were implemented in a widely available software package (MATLAB^©). Initially, an unsupervised clustering model was used, and three …

The Resistive Barrier Discharge: A Brief Review Of The Device And Its Biomedical Applications, Mounir Laroussi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper reviews the principles behind the design and operation of the resistive barrier discharge, a low temperature plasma source that operates at atmospheric pressure. One of the advantages of this plasma source is that it can be operated using either DC or AC high voltages. Plasma generated by the resistive barrier discharge has been used to efficiently inactivate pathogenic microorganisms and to destroy cancer cells. These biomedical applications of low temperature plasma are of great interest because in recent times bacteria developed increased resistance to antibiotics and because present cancer therapies often are accompanied by serious side effects. Low …

Covid-19 And Biocybersecurity's Increasing Role On Defending Forward, Xavier Palmer, Lucas N. Potter, Saltuk Karahan

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The evolving nature of warfare has been changing with cybersecurity and the use of advanced biotechnology in each aspect of the society is expanding and overlapping with the cyberworld. This intersection, which has been described as “biocybersecurity” (BCS), can become a major front of the 21st-century conflicts. There are three lines of BCS which make it a critical component of overall cybersecurity: (1) cyber operations within the area of BCS have life threatening consequences to a greater extent than other cyber operations, (2) the breach in health-related personal data is a significant tool for fatal attacks, and (3) health-related misinformation …

Matters Of Biocybersecurity With Consideration To Propaganda Outlets And Biological Agents, Xavier-Lewis Palmer, Ernestine Powell, Lucas Potter, Thaddeus Eze (Ed.), Lee Speakman (Ed.), Cyril Onwubiko (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The modern era holds vast modalities in human data utilization. Within Biocybersecurity (BCS), categories of biological information, especially medical information transmitted online, can be viewed as pathways to destabilize organizations. Therefore, analysis of how the public, along with medical providers, process such data, and the methods by which false information, particularly propaganda, can be used to upset the flow of verified information to populations of medical professionals, is important for maintenance of public health. Herein, we discuss some interplay of BCS within the scope of propaganda and considerations for navigating the field.

Autonomous Business Reality, Carla L. Reyes

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Society tends to expect technology to do more than it can actually achieve, at a faster pace than it can actually move. The resulting hype cycle infects all forms of discourse around technology. Unfortunately, the discourse on law and technology is no exception to this rule. The resulting discussion is often characterized by two or more positions at opposite ends of the spectrum, such that participants in the discussion speak past each other, rather than to each other. The rich context that sits in the middle ground goes disregarded altogether. This dynamic most recently surfaced in the legal literature regarding …

The Perfect Storm: Coronavirus And The Elder Catch, Jessica Dixon Weaver

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

The global COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already growing phenomenon: the Elder Catch. This term defines the caregiving dilemma faced by adults who are simultaneously working, caring for elder parents or relatives, and in some cases, raising children at the same time. Few scholars have explored how the state uses the traditional family framework to resist providing comprehensive government support for elder care. Women typically bear the brunt of caregiving costs within the family and become physically and mentally vulnerable in the process. COVID-19 has pushed women caught in the Elder Catch to the brink while sheltering at home, and …

Presidential Administration And Fda Guidance: A New Hope, Nathan Cortez, Jacob S. Sherkow

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Assessments of a President’s first 100 days in office typically focus on legislative priorities and executive orders. Less attention is paid to early victories achieved via guidance and other informal acts of “presidential administration.” The COVID-19 pandemic has opened a window for the Biden Administration to effectuate critical public health policies through guidance issued by the Food and Drug Administration. This brief essay highlights the power—and pitfalls—of effectuating public health policy this way, and discusses the lasting power of guidance for any new administration.

In Silico Investigation Of Cardiac Arrhythmia Susceptibility In Long Qt Phenotype, Anthony Owusu-Mensah, Victoria Lam, Bright Tsevi, Michel Audette, Makarand Deo

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is associated with cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. The Long QT Type 2 (LQT2) phenotype, which accounts for 35–40 % of all LQTS patients, is caused by mutations in HERG gene. The mechanisms of arrhythmia in presence of LQT2 conditions are not fully understood. We utilized anatomically and electrophysiologically realistic numerical simulations to elucidate the mechanisms of arrhythmia initiation in presence of blockade in rapid component of delayed rectifier potassium current, I_Kr. We utilized a 3D finite element model of rabbit ventricles integrated with His-purkinje network to simulate whole heart response to LQT2 …

Toward An Interactive, Patient-Specific, Vr-Based Obstetrics Simulator, Michel A. Audette, Marco Parente, Dulce Oliveira, Sreekanth Arikatla, Alfred Abuhamad, Rumit Singh Kakar, Mark Scerbo, Lucia Tabacu, John Conery, Christopher Macgowan, Renato Natal Jorge

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents a nascent collaborative effort to achieve a Virtual Reality (VR)-based, real-time, haptics-driven patient-specific obstetrics simulator. The high-level architecture and preliminary results are presented here; the latter are based on offline birthing simulation developed by team in conjunction with open-source visualization tools. The cornerstones of this simulator will be high-fidelity generic offline birthing simulation, an anatomy-to-image nonrigid registration pipeline exploiting fetal MRI, the open-source interactive medical simulation toolkit IMSTK augmented by high-throughput deep learning-based soft tissue deformation, open-source musculoskeletal dynamics simulation platform SimTk for representing fetal motion. The initial emphasis will be on shoulder dystocia. The two main …

Modeling And Simulation Of Electromagnetic Fields To Maintain Bone Density During Prolonged Low Gravity Exposure, Austin Tapp, Michael Francis, Michel A. Audette

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Astronauts in a long term, low-gravity environments experience bone density loss at 10 times the rate of those diagnosed with osteoporosis. One treatment effective at maintaining bone density in osteoporotic individuals is electromagnetic field (EMF) therapy. Tools that induce EMFs are becoming increasingly prevalent, but to amplify osteogenesis and encourage superior bone density retention for astronauts, ideal EMF therapy parameters must be determined on patient-specific bases. Therefore, this study explores simulation environments that elucidate highly favorable EMF factors. Pulsed electromagnetic field and combined magnetic field generating devices are variably introduced near partient-specific, finite element (FE) models of the femur, spine, …

Analyzing Perceptions Of Citizen Science As Part Of An International Learning Experience, Katelyn Marie Miner

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study focused on a perceptions-based citizen science project that emphasizes meaning over measurement. Specifically, student perceptions of citizen science in a unique location, rather than the specific data outcomes of the water quality citizen science activity were analyzed. Many researchers have used citizen science participants to collect samples from water sources around them, increasing the use of mass data collection for scientific purposes.This study was a mixed-methods design, using triangulation of the pre-survey, modified focus group, and post-survey. The goal was to gauge the perceptions of participants in perceived benefits and gains before and after participating in a water …

Seed Mix Design, Planting Time, And First-Year Mowing Management To Improve Multifunctionality And Cost-Effectiveness Of Tallgrass Prairie Reconstructions, Alec James Glidden

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The conversion of the Midwestern United States’ tallgrass prairies to agriculture has resulted in extensive habitat loss and degradation and a decline in the provisioning of ecosystem services. To restore these services the United States Department of Agriculture created the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) which provides incentives to agricultural landowners to implement conservation practices designed to meet goals pertaining to single ecosystem services. We studied the effects of seed mix design, planting time, and first-year management on the multifunctionality and cost-effectiveness of prairie reconstructions. We established research plots planted with one of three seed mixes either in the dormant (fall) …

Redefining What's Manly: Using Masculine Attributes To Describe Counseling Services For Men, Riley Nicholas Rodemaker

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Men are diagnosed with mental illness at a similar rate to women, and men deal with similar levels of impairment (Kessler et al., 1994). Despite this impairment, men do not seek help for their mental health as often as women do (Smith et al., 2013). One reason may be that counseling is seen as feminine. In this thesis, I describe an experimental study that examined the effect of using masculine attributes to describe counseling services on men’s attitudes. Adult male participants ages 18 to 35 (N = 818) read a short story that featured a conversation with a friend that …

The Zones Of Regulation In Schools, Kyle Andrew-Kelly Wiebers

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Emotion regulation is a concept that has existed within the literature for decades, but the presence of emotion regulation programs in schools is a relatively new concept in research (Durlak et al., 2011). Research suggests that emotional regulation skills are related to improved peer relationships and academic success (Denham & Brown, 2010; Durlak et al., 2011). Students who exhibited well-adjusted, or adaptive, emotion regulation had better peer relationships and were more productive and accurate when completing academic tasks (Denham & Brown, 2010; Dvir et al., 2014; Kim & Cicchetti, 2010; Kim‐Spoon et al., 2013; Lereya et al., 2015). For this …

The Systematics Of Physaria Sensu Stricto From Wyoming And Surrounding Areas, Jason Ratcliff

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Two genera of Brassicaceae – Lesquerella and Physaria – were recently united on the basis of monophyly. Classically, these genera have been distinguished based on morphology with 'traditional” Physaria species having doubly inflated (didymous) fruits. Molecular data consisting of ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) DNA sequences indicate Physaria has evolved from the larger Lesquerella genus, thus making Lesquerella a paraphyletic grouping as previously described. A revised treatment of the combined Physaria recognized 106 species within the genus, of which 26 taxa occur in Wyoming. Of the Wyoming taxa, those traditionally described as belonging to Physaria (i.e.Physaria sensu stricto) have …

Agrochemicals And Rural Women's Health In The Volta Region Of Ghana, Sedomda Kpikpitse

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Steered by the demand to improve and increase farm production, agrochemicals are regularly used by many farmers globally. However, agrochemical usage has contributed to many chronic illnesses experienced by users such as reproductive disorders, different kinds of cancers, and some chronic respiratory diseases. There are several regional and global coalitions to regulate the prevalence of agrochemicals to ensure their safe usage. Even though people can have access to some approved chemicals, the proper handling of these chemicals is not guaranteed. Many qualities of the person handling the chemical could increase or reduce the risk associated with agrochemicals. The behavior of …

24andmore: Using Genome-Wide Snps To Investigate The Genetic Diversity Of Iowa Walleye (Sander Vitreous) Broodstock, Rachel Ann Mcdonnell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The stocking of Sander vitreus in Iowa waterbodies is one of the primary tools used by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to ensure healthy populations for enjoyable fishing experiences. A substantial amount of time and money goes into this effort, so stocking efficiency is vital. Knowledge of genetic diversity contained in the broodstock increases this efficiency by having a better understanding of which strain will survive and contribute to the fishery in certain environments. The objective of this study is to investigate the genetic diversity of Iowa S. vitreus broodstock to identify genetic ancestry and quantify the genetic …

Physiological Impacts Of Lampricides On Invasive Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) And Non-Target Fishes, Razvan, Adrian Ionescu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Parasitic sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) ingest large quantities of blood from fishes using their oral disc and rasping tongue, most often killing the host. In the early 1900s, sea lamprey invaded the Laurentian Great Lakes, decimating sport, commercial and culturally significant fisheries. Since the early 1960s, chemical control using the lampricides 3- trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and niclosamide have helped to reduce sea lamprey populations by 90%. Lampricides are applied to larval lamprey nursery streams targeting many generations of lamprey at once. However, there is concern about the potential adverse effects of lampricides on other fishes, particularly vulnerable lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) …

Developing Population Control Strategies For Wild Boar Management In Canada, Amanda Wong

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

DEVELOPING POPULATION CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR WILD BOAR MANAGEMENT IN CANADA

Amanda Wong Advisor: Scott Slocombe

Wilfrid Laurier University 2020

Canada’s landscape faces major threats from the growing wild boar (Sus scrofa) population, whose current presence predominantly threatens the Prairie provinces. Globally it has become apparent that wild boars are robust animals with high reproductive rates and destructive behaviours in both their native and non-native ranges. This paper analyzes wild boar management strategies that have been conducted around the world to identify the most effective tools, and those that were unsuccessful. The wild boars in Canada are hybridized …

Prioritizing Countries By Concern Regarding Access To Weapons Of Mass Destruction Materials, Susan Caskey, Barry Ezell

VMASC Publications

This article presents a global prioritization methodology that evaluates the relative risks of non-state actor acquisition of materials that could be used in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high explosive Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) from the country's relevant infrastructure. Prioritization is based on three domains: 1. Assessing relative scale of materials in each country, 2. The country's corresponding security posture, and 3. The presence of threat actors. The output is a list of countries prioritized from greatest risk to least. Rather than providing an overall 1 to N ranking, however, the results are placed into tiers based upon their …

Binary Black Widow Optimization Algorithm For Feature Selection Problems, Ahmed Al-Saedi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis addresses feature selection (FS) problems, which is a primary stage in data mining. FS is a significant pre-processing stage to enhance the performance of the process with regards to computation cost and accuracy to offer a better comprehension of stored data by removing the unnecessary and irrelevant features from the basic dataset. However, because of the size of the problem, FS is known to be very challenging and has been classified as an NP-hard problem. Traditional methods can only be used to solve small problems. Therefore, metaheuristic algorithms (MAs) are becoming powerful methods for addressing the FS problems. …

The Synthesis And Characterization Of Advanced Functional Properties Of Well-Defined Nanoscale Building Blocks, Patrick Campbell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Nanotechnology is the science and engineering conducted at dimensions of 1–100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. In the last decade, engineered nanoparticles have become an important class of new materials with several properties that make them very attractive for commercial development.

This MSc research successfully accomplished the synthesis of uniform AgDeNPs, IrO_2-x core shells, 3-D hematite NPs, 1-D hematite NPs and subsequent creation of thin films of hematite NPs. These nanostructures were investigated for potential applications that included sensing, catalysis, water splitting and construction of pigments. This was accomplished by synthesizing uniform NPs of defined shape and …

Drag Magazine: A Study Of Community, Olivia Austin

Departmental Honors Projects

This research aims to understand the trans/drag community and its relationship to political activism and the lesbian and gay community in the 1970s and early 1980s. I aim to answer the following questions: How did Drag perceive the relationship between the gay/lesbian community and the trans/drag community? How did Drag function in the trans/drag community? How did Drag benefit its readers? Transgender individuals and drag queens were at the forefront of activism in the1960s during the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot and the Stonewall Inn Riots. Recently, there has been more attention to the critical transgender activism by Marsha P. Johnson and …

An Accuracy And Precision Analysis Of The Velys™ Robotic Assisted Solution For Total Knee Arthroplasty, Gary Doan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a procedure where the arthritic surfaces of the knee is removed and replaced with a combination of metal and polymer implants that recreates the joint line to restore function and quality of life. Implant alignment is important in the success of a TKA. Modern day conventional instrumentation can be cumbersome in the operating room and can be inaccurate when resecting bone and aligning implants. Patients with large errors in resections and implant orientation are more prone to experience mechanical failures with their TKA. Mechanical failures in primary TKA require revision surgeries which can lead to …

On The Structure And Function Of Mitochondrial Uncoupling Proteins: The Case Of Ucp2, Afshan Ardalan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are regulated proton transporters of the mitochondrial inner membrane. UCP-mediated proton leak negatively impacts the rate of ATP synthesis. Despite the importance of their physiological role(s) in certain tissues, molecular aspects of UCPs’ structure-function relationships are not fully understood. The current study explores the tertiary and quaternary structure of UCP2, as well as its proton transport mechanism in lipid membranes. The proteins were expressed in the E. coli inner membrane, purified and reconstituted into liposomes. Proteins were characterized by semi-native SDS-PAGE. Circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) and fluorescence quenching assays were utilized to study the conformation of proteins …

Can New Fingerprint Technology Help In Solving America’S Problem Of Mass Incarceration For Nonviolent Drug Crimes?, Caroline Rumbolo

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Genomics Of Heart Failure: Design And Rationale Of The Hermes Consortium, R. Thomas Lumbers, Douglas Mann, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Open Scholarship (Library Workshop), Shilpa Rele, Stephen Robishaw

Library Workshops

Learning objectives:

• What is open science?
• Background/context for emerging open landscape
• Funder mandates
• Review “Open” concepts
• Significance for Rowan University
• Challenges for open scholarship
• Available resources at Rowan
• Examples of open practices

Breaking The Chain – The Role Of Intersexual Genetic Correlations In Sexual Dimorphism And The Consequences And Limits Of Their Evolution, Matthew Ma Maoloni, Tara Newman, Tristan Af Long Dr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In many sexually reproducing species, males and females often differ in countless ways beyond their primary sexual organs. This phenomenon is known as sexual dimorphism, and it is generally considered to be an adaptive response to differences in the selection pressures experienced by males and females. Despite the advantages associated with sexual dimorphism, it does not evolve completely unhindered – there are plenty of biological effects that can limit the extent and rate of divergence between the sexes. This research project focusses on the potential role of the intersexual genetic correlation (r_mf­) – which describes the …