Digital Commons Network^™

Identifying The Links Between Mental Frameworks, Context Features, And Driver Attention In Complete Streets Environments, Patricia Tice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Complete street systems integrate a wide range of users in the same space, with unequal risks and responsibilities. This makes driver attention a critical factor in assuring the safety of vulnerable users. The Conditioned Anticipation of People psychological model of driver attention proposes that drivers reflexively reengage their metacognitive processes when they anticipate visually interacting with the human face or form due to the neurological priority that the brain places on human recognition. To test this model, an eye-tracking tabulation was generated from the SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study that measured midsegment percent of time on-task and multitasking behavior for 200 …

Competence Transcriptome Changes In Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Smitha Shambhu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human commensal and the causative agent of pneumococcal disease. Pneumococci are naturally competent – able to uptake exogenous DNA from the environment and incorporate it into their genome through homologous and non-homologous recombination. Recombination has significantly shaped the evolutionary history of S. pneumoniae, as it allows pneumococci to rapidly adapt to interventions such as antibiotic therapy or vaccine introduction. Recombination frequencies vary considerably across pneumococcal populations; yet the underlying mechanisms for these variations are not well understood. Entry and exit into competence, a state in which the cell can uptake DNA, is tightly regulated through transcriptional …

Legal And Medical Issues Of Covid-19, Case Western Reserve University School Of Law, Law-Medicine Center

Case Law-Med

• Making headlines
• Center co-director publishes on artificial intelligence and discrimination
• Center co-director releases new edition of law and genetics textbook
• Adjunct professor earns top health law award
• Faculty members’ paper published in New England Journal of Medicine, research featured at conference an in forthcoming book
• Impactful externship
• Growing demand leads to new master’s, certificate program in compliance
• Paradoxes of the pandemic: CWRU law faculty help shape conversations and drive change in an uncertain world
• Alumni profile: Inside Weinberger’s passion for trying to right a wrong
• A look back at our 2020-21 events
• Faculty briefs: Publications by our health law faculty …

Towards Enabling Explanation In Safety-Critical Artificial Intelligence Systems, Andy Michel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

With the advancement of accelerated hardware in recent years, there has been a surge in the development and application of intelligent systems. Deep learning systems, in particular, have shown exciting results in a wide range of tasks: classification, detection, and recognition. Despite these remarkable achievements, there remains an active research area that aims to increase the robustness of those systems in critical domains. Deep learning algorithms have proven to be brittle against adversarial attacks. That is, carefully crafted adversarial inputs can consistently trigger an erroneous prediction from a network model. Hence the motivation of this dissertation, we study prominent adversarial …

Effects Of Altering Variable, Basic Residues Of Ribosomal Proteins Ul4 And Ul22 Facing The Ribosomal Exit Tunnel On Growth, Resistance,And Gene Expression In Escherichia Coli: Focus On Ul22 K90d, Elizabeth A. Franklin

Dissertations

Mutational changes in bacterial ribosomes that confer antibiotic resistance decrease cell fitness. Determining the genetic factors that interconnect antibiotic resistance and cell fitness is critical in the fight against bacterial infections. This study describes gene expression and phenotypic changes presented in Escherichia coli cells carrying a uL22 K90D mutant ribosomal protein, which showed growth defects and resistance to macrolide antibiotics. Other uL4 and uL22 mutation, in basic, non-conserved residues, were examined for phenotypic changes, however the uL22 K90D mutation displayed the most consistent phenotypes when compared to the wild type strain, and thus was the focus of this study. Ribosome …

Application Of Graphene/Nickel Oxide Composite As A Humidity Sensor, Islam Gomaa, Medhat A. Ibrahim, Hanan Elhaes

Nanotechnology Research Centre

Molecular modeling analyses at Density functional theory DFT level was used to study the possible application of modified graphene (G) as gas sensor. A model molecules of graphene sheet was constructed then modified with nickel oxide NiO attached to graphene through covalent bonds forming G/NiO composite. DFT at B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) was utilized to investigate the physical properties of G; G/NiO; G/NiO/2H2O. Results show that interacting G/NiO composite with water molecules lowers the calculated energy of the formed structure reflecting the possibility of exposing G/NiO structure to humidity, since it forms more energetically stable composition that can be detected by a proper …

Hyers-Ulam Stability And Control Problem For Systems Governed By Impulsive Integro-Differential Equations In Banach Spaces, Adisorn Doodee

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis is organized in two main parts. First, we study the Hyers-Ulam stability of impulsive integro-differential equations in Banach spaces. By using iterative methods, we establish sufficient conditions for existence of solutions and Hyers-Ulam stabilities. These conditions are based on the analysis of iterative methods. The second part deals with the control problems of impulsive integro-differential equations in Banach spaces. The iterative methods are used to investigate results and some examples are constructed to illustrate results. Moreover, we extend the scope of our study to the class of second order impulsive integro-differential equations in Banach spaces.

Focus, 2020, Fall, Andrews University

Focus

FOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Second Look Commission 2021 Annual Repot Highlights, Tennessee. Commission On Children And Youth.

Second Look Commission Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Annual Report 2020-2021, Thomas G. Carpenter Library

Library Annual Reports

An administrative report of statistics and information pertaining to the University of North Florida Thomas G. Carpenter Library for the years 2020-2021. The report includes summaries and charts on library budgets, library collection, serials and cataloging workloads, circulation, interlibrary loan, and public services, digital commons and other services.

Tennessee Forestry Commission 2021 Annual Report, Tennessee. Department Of Agriculture.

Forestry Commission Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Annual Report State Fiscal Year July 2019-June 2020, Tennessee. Department Of Children's Services.

Department of Children's Services

No abstract provided.

Property Law For The Ages, Michael C. Pollack, Lior Jacob Strahilevitz

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

Within the next forty years, the number of Americans over age sixty-five is projected to nearly double. This seismic demographic shift will necessitate a reckoning in several areas of law and policy, but property law is especially unprepared. Built primarily for young and middle-aged white men, the common law of property has been critiqued for decades for the ways in which it oppresses or simply leaves behind people based on their race, sex, Native heritage, and more. This Article contributes a new focus on property law’s treatment of people based on their advanced age. Burdened by higher relocation costs, more …

Congress’S Commissioners: Former Hill Staffers At The S.E.C. And Other Independent Regulatory Commissions, Brian D. Feinstein, M. Todd Henderson

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

The expression “personnel is policy” has become a truism in Washington. Yet our understanding of how the political branches use appointments to project influence into the administrative state is incomplete. This Article leverages data on almost one-thousand commissioners serving on eleven major independent regulatory commissions to chart, for the first time, Congress’s growing practice of placing former legislative-branch personnel onto these entities. We then theorize that this phenomenon is rooted in fundamental changes in American politics in recent decades— and, in turn, that it has deeply affected administrative law and separation-of-powers dynamics.

Over the past several decades, the number of …

Factors Influencing Aquatic Invertebrate Diversity In Mine Pit Lakes Along The Mesabi Iron Range, Jeremy Laurich

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Restoration of mine pit lakes for recreation is going to be very important for the future of Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range area. As many as 250 lakes will need to be restored in the future along this 100-kilometer-long swath of mining country. Information regarding the organisms that currently inhabit these lakes is important for future restorations to be a success. The focus of this study was to identify the types of aquatic invertebrates present in pit lakes and to identify some of the factors that influence their abundance and diversity. During this study, invertebrate samples were taken along the shore …

Is There A Relationship Between Aquatic Vegetation And Amphipod Stocking Mortality?, Alaina Taylor

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Amphipod occurrence and abundance has declined in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). Wildlife managers have stocked prairie pothole wetlands with Gammarus lacustris since 2018 to establish self-sustaining populations. G. lacustris have been detected in only 2 of 22 stocked basins, suggesting that they have died or failed to reproduce in most stocking attempts. Aquatic plant surveys were conducted in stocked wetlands and compared to data from surveys of wetlands with naturally occurring populations to understand if G. lacustris would be expected to survive in stocked wetlands based on characteristics of the aquatic vegetation communities. SAV coverage was significantly higher in …

Predicting Total Length Of Fish In Minnesota Lakes Using Bony Structure Dimensions, Jay Holland

Journal of Earth and Life Science

This study seeks to establish a relationship between a fish’s total length to the size of various bony structures of prey fishes. Three important prey fish species in Minnesota were selected for examination in this study, including Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus, Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, and Yellow Perch Perca flavescens. Length and weight dimensions of each fish’s otoliths, cleithra, and vertebrae were associated to total lengths of the fish they came from. In many dietary studies, the need for these relationships is strongly related to the disfigurement or degradation of prey fish in stomach samples. With accurate enough regression equations, researchers …

Abiotic Factors Effect On Summertime Fish Sampling, Kyle Oxley

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Fish surveys are vital in understanding various information about a fishery. Surveys lay the groundwork to how an agency views the status of the fishery, are used to set appropriate regulations, and manage stocking. Understanding which areas of a fishery holds the greatest density of fish is key to achieving the most accurate sample that reflects the fishery. The objective of this study was to track fish densities throughout the summer of 2021 and establish if there is a relationship between high fish density locations and specific water column characteristics. Fish density, temperature, and dissolved oxygen were measured bimonthly at …

Burbot Post-Spawn Diet, Madison Gibson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Burbots have become an increasingly popular game fish among anglers and have become a strong predator within the systems, consuming a wide variety of organisms. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare male and female burbots diets post-spawn in a system. Burbots angled from Bad Medicine Lake were sacrificed and the stomach contents were observed, categorized by the lowest taxonomic key, and then weighed in grams. Percent by weight was calculated for each category of organisms and presented in a pie charts. In all three analyses, crustaceans were the main source of the diet structure at more than …

Exploring The Genetic Variability Of Zebra Mussels Dreisenna Polymoprha, Maxwell Carr

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Zebra Mussels Dreisenna polymorpha are one of the most well-known invasive species here in the United States. This species can take over watersheds very quickly, causing damage to both the ecosystem and man-made structures. The basic physical behavior of this species has been well documented, but the invasive North American Zebra Mussel is much more aggressive and therefore causes more damage in the Great Lakes region compared to its native waters. Genetic variation may be playing a very large role in how and why D. polymorpha is causing such large problems for stakeholders in the United States. This review cites …

Effectiveness Of Endothall Treatment In Reducing Potamogeton Crispus In Lake Julia, Jake Sorensen

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Curly leaf pondweed Potamogeton crispus, is a submerged aquatic plant non-native to North America. It was most likely introduced when common carp Cyprinus carpio were intentionally brought to the Midwest. Endothall is an aquatic herbicide commonly used to control curlyleaf pondweed in lakes. This study focused on collecting data from Lake Julia in Sherburne County, MN. Lake Julia is treated annually in the spring to control curlyleaf pondweed. The results show treatment areas saw a significant increase in vegetation density compared to control areas (P < 0.01). Changes in percent vegetation coverage by date were insignificant (P = 0.24). No significant signs of fish kills were observed. Because this study looked at overall vegetation coverage instead of specifically curlyleaf pondweed, we cannot conclude the increase in vegetation coverage was from curlyleaf pondweed alone. Based on the results from Poovey et al. (2002) we would expect lower vegetation coverage in treatment areas instead of the increased vegetation coverage observed in our study. This suggests the possibility that the endothall treatment successfully killed curlyleaf pondweed in treated areas, which allowed for new growth of submerged aquatic plants to take place as water temperatures increased.

Mechanisms Of Interaction Between Haemophilus Parainfluenzae And Streptococcus Mitis, Dasith Perera

Open Access Dissertations

The human oral cavity is a complex polymicrobial environment, home to an array of microbes that play roles in health and disease. Oral bacteria have been shown to cause an array of systemic diseases and are particularly concerning to type II diabetics (T2D) with numerous predispositions that exacerbate bacterial infection. In this dissertation, we investigated the serum of healthy subjects and T2D subjects to determine whether we see greater translocation of oral bacteria into the bloodstream of T2D individuals. We didn’t observe any significant enrichment of oral taxa, however we detected the presence of an emerging pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii that …

Biodiversity And Biogeography Of Protist Communities In Coastal Marine Ecosystems Across Indonesia, Erin Borbee

Open Access Dissertations

Despite a long history of biodiversity and biogeography research in Indonesia we know very little about protist communities across this region. What we do know about protist communities across Indonesia is largely based on visual surveys, which have been proven to vastly underestimate protist diversity. The combination of immense biodiversity, oceanographic significance, and human activity across this region make it an interesting setting for understanding the relative effects of abiotic and biotic drivers of protist community structure. The work presented in this dissertation uses metabarcoding to characterize protist community composition and underwater visual census (UVC) data to characterize fish and …

Molecular Ecology Of Marine Diatoms, Bacteria, And Their Biologically-Active Compounds, Alexa R. Sterling

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the molecular ecology of diatoms in the marine environment as it relates to co-occurring associated bacteria, spatial and temporal gradients of physical and chemical oceanographic parameters, and even biotoxin production. The study sites range from the polar habitat of the Southern Ocean (SO) surrounding the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) to the productive estuary Narragansett Bay (NBay) in Rhode Island, USA. The WAP exhibits a naturally occurring gradient of a dissolved iron (Fe), which is an essential micronutrient that diatoms need for growth. Dissolved Fe is growth-limiting in the offshore area and replete in the nearshore areas. …

Resource Availability Drives Patterns Of Productivity Rather Than Biodiversity For Local-Scale Temperate Forests, Kaitlyn Ann Baillargeon

Master's Theses and Capstones

In short-lived, grassland ecosystems, biodiversity and productivity have been found to be positively correlated. However, studies in long-lived, forested ecosystems have found mixed results. Biodiversity in forests has primarily been measured using indices of species diversity, but recent studies have shown that biodiversity is more complex than simply quantifying the number of species occupying an area. Biodiversity can also be represented by other measures of diversity such as functional, phylogenetic, and structural diversity; all three of which have been shown to be more strongly correlated to productivity than species diversity alone. Here, we examined the relationship between four biodiversity measures …

Protecting Public Trust Shoreline Resources In The Face Of Sea Level Rise, Charles Lester

State & Federal Reports and Publications

This report concerns the protection of California’s public trust tideland resources in the face of sea level rise. It discusses issues related to the California Coastal Commission’s planning and regulation of development on the immediate shoreline and adjacent uplands, including coordination with the California State Lands Commission.

Hepatoprotective Effects Of Treprostinil During Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury, Joyce Hou

Open Access Master's Theses

Background: Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) occurs during kidney transplantation and causes acute kidney injury as well as liver injury. Renal IRI depletes hepatic antioxidants and leads to hepatic inflammation, tissue damage and hepatic dysfunction through Tlr9 upregulation. There is no treatment available for liver injury during renal IRI. This study examines the hepatoprotective role of treprostinil, a prostacyclin analog, during renal IRI.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: control, sham, IRI-placebo, or IRI-treprostinil and subjected to bilateral ischemia (45 minutes) followed by 1-72 hours of reperfusion. Placebo or treprostinil (100 ng/kg/min) was administered subcutaneously via an …

An In Vitro Investigation Of The Stability And Permeability Of Phytocannabinoids For Skincare Formulations, Toyosi Akanji

Open Access Master's Theses

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is comprised of ligands, enzymes, and receptors, which are involved in the regulation of various biological functions including cell growth, sensory phenomena, and immune and inflammatory responses. Recent studies have shown that human skin cells contain components of the ECS including cannabinoid receptor 1 and 2 (CB1, CB2) and transient receptor potential channel subfamily V (TRPV1) receptors. The ECS is critical for in maintaining homeostatic conditions and overall skin health, and disruption of ECS may cause pathological disorders including allergic dermatitis, cutaneous itch and pain, and neoplastic cell growth. Published studies also support that cannabinoids from …

Transforming Campus Food Systems Through Agroecology: Pathways To Sustainability And Resilience, Ryleigh Mullens

Open Access Master's Theses

Conventional production practices undermine the social, environmental, and economic longevity and sustainability of the U.S. food system. Some postsecondary education institutions (PSEs) have sought to develop alternative, hyper-local food systems through the integration of campus farms into institutional supply chains. These institutions could serve as models for food systems at large; no research has been published on the dynamics and impacts of their efforts at self-provisioning on food system sustainability, resilience, and equity. This research modified existing agroecological resilience frameworks, expanding resilience indicators to include metrics of equity, an often overlooked component of resilience in social-ecological models. The modified framework …

Measurement Of American Indian And Alaska Native Racial Identity Among Medical School Applicants, Matriculants, And Graduates, 1996-2017, Erik Brodt, Steele Valenzuela, Amanda Bruegl, Dove Spector, Miguel Marino, Patricia A. Carney

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

IMPORTANCE:

Accurate racial/ethnic identity measurement is needed to understand the effectiveness of outreach, recruitment, and programs to support American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) people becoming physicians.

OBJECTIVE:

To examine how changes in race/ethnicity data collection by the American Medical College Application System are associated with trends in applicants, matriculants, and graduates self reporting as AIAN.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:

In this cohort study, interrupted time series regression was conducted using data from the American Medical College Application system identifying medical school applicants and graduates between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2017, who identified as AIAN. The number of …