Digital Commons Network^™

Senior Recognition Ceremony 2021

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Maap Transition From Iso 9001:2015 To Iso 21001:2018 The New Quality Standard In Education Organization, Eduardo Ma R. Santos, Michael A. Amon

International Maritime Lecturers' Association (IMLA) 2021 Joint Conference With IMEC32, ICERS15 and INSLC21

Sustainable success has become an ever-more-important future goal in all industries but challenges arise from the advent of fourth industrial revolution and revisions of national and international regulations directly affect the shipping industry trickling down to the Maritime Education and Training Institutions (METI). Thus, a metamorphosis of standards for a maritime school like the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) transitioning to a more tailor-fit Quality Standards is inevitable to manage the changes in educational organizations. ISO 21001:2018 has been published in oder to replace IWA 2:2007. This prompted the Academy to evolve from the traditional ISO 9001:2015 …

Nontimber Forest Products In The United States, Eric T. Jones, Rebecca J. Mclain, James Weigand

Kansas Open Books

A quiet revolution is taking place in America's forests. Once seen primarily as stands of timber, our woodlands are now prized as a rich source of a wide range of commodities, from wild mushrooms and maple sugar to hundreds of medicinal plants whose uses have only begun to be fully realized. Now as timber harvesting becomes more mechanized and requires less labor, the image of the lumberjack is being replaced by that of the forager. This book provides the first comprehensive examination of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) in the United States, illustrating their diverse importance, describing the people who harvest …

The Development Of A Novel Blood-Brain Barrier, Organ-On-A-Chip System And The Identification Of Erythrocytes As A Key Contributor To Age-Associated Neurological Decline, Payam Amiri

KGI Theses and Dissertations

Advancements in modern medicine have greatly extended human life expectancy. However, with the onset of age-associated conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune disorders, and certain cancers, healthy aging is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. Blood exchanges between young and old partners demonstrate old blood can cause detrimental effect to the young animal, notably on the brain tissue. However, the complexity of blood makes it difficult to identify what role the individual factors play in the aggregate observed effect. This dissertation seeks to explore the potential effects of erythrocytes on the brain as we age. Erythrocyte morphology and rigidity changes as …

Fasting Status Of Steller Sea Lion Pups, Stephanie G. Crawford

Biological Sciences

Following population declines in species of concern, wildlife managers often seek to identify underlying causes to understand and predict population dynamics for better future management. Often, physiological and/or behavioral metrics are measurable markers of decline, and these are often detectable well before declines are measurable through population surveys. During the 1970's, 80's, and 90's Steller sea lion (SSL; Eumetopias jubatus) populations in the western portion of their breeding range declined by ~85%. Though declines in most regions have since stabilized or exhibited modest recovery, some subpopulations breeding in the Aleutian Islands continue to decline. In contrast, SSL subpopulations in eastern …

Understanding Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) Population Structure, Diet, And Human-Wildlife Dimensions Using Noninvasive Genetic Approaches, Charlotte Hacker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are a large cat endemic to the mountains of Central Asia. Despite their status as a flagship species, there are numerous knowledge gaps surrounding their population status, dietary ecology, and relationship with humans. Such knowledge gaps are prohibitive for effective conservation action for the species. Snow leopards are threatened by habitat loss, decreased prey availability, retaliatory killings, and large-scale negative impacts associated with climate change. In order to help bridge these gaps, noninvasive genetic methodologies were deployed in this work across several disciplines. Population genetic metrics were garnered at local, regional, and range-wide scales, …

Culturally Therapeutic Approaches To Prejudice And Discrimination: Formulations, Interventions, And Structural Change, Jayme J. Jenkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aims. Though psychologists are generally well-positioned to implement micro- and macro-level interventions from their roles as clinicians, educators, researchers, and consultants, there is a paucity of formal guidance on how to approach client-generated or structural prejudice and discrimination. The current study addresses this literature gap by integrating previous literature and implementation models from a related field toward a novel treatment approach.

Background. A critical literature review supported intervention-focused conceptualizations of “supremacism” and demonstrated that mutually reinforcing micro- and macro-level discrimination generates demographic disparities in safety, liberty, and well-being. This typically emerges in the United States as White supremacist heteropatriarchy while …

Ms 069 Guide To The Harold S. Skjonsby, Dds Papers (1967-1987), Harold S. Skjonsby, Dds

Manuscript Finding Aids

The Harold S. Skjonsby, DDS, papers (MS069) contains reports, committee notes, curriculum and modules for teaching, grant information, faculty workshop programs, and student handbooks that document Harold S. Skjonsby’s time as faculty the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. See more at MS 069.

Approximate Likelihood Based Estimations For Joint Models With Intractable Likelihoods, Karl Stessy M. Bisselou

Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the development of approximation approaches for the joint modeling (JM) of repeated measures data and time-to-event data in the presence of analytically or numerically intractable likelihoods. Current likelihood-based inferences for JMs show several limitations including (i) intractability of integrals during marginal likelihood derivations due to the complexity in computations, and (ii) the large number of nuisance parameters (unobserved) posing a problem with convergence. The h-likelihood (HL) and synthetic likelihood (SL) are two computationally efficient estimation approaches that overcome these challenges.

In the presence of extremely high censoring rates, the HL can produce bias parameter estimates. We …

3t3-L1 Adipocytes As A Model Of Glut4 Translocation, Aline Collin

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Type 2 diabetes (T2D), a lethal disease, reveals an alarming increase of epidemic proportions and, by 2050, an estimated 1 in 3 adults in the US will suffer from it. Persistent and systemic inflammatory and oxidative stress in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle are recognized as key players in the progression of T2D. T2D is characterized by insulin resistance, the inability of cells to respond to standard circulating levels of insulin, resulting in hyperglycemia. In adipocytes and skeletal muscle, glucose uptake, a vital step in blood glucose regulation, predominantly occurs via the glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) in an insulindependent recruitment …

Rooted In Environmental Justice: Phytogeography And Ethnoecology Of Serianthes, Else Demeulenaere

Biological Sciences

Serianthes Benth. (Fabaceae) is one of the most endangered plant genera in the world, with 12 of the 18 species listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Serianthes trees are culturally important to island communities of the Indo-Pacific region for canoes, boats, traditional houses, and medicine. Habitat loss and ecosystem degradation increased pressure on these trees, also threatening its Indigenous cosmology and traditional practices. This interdisciplinary study integrated genomic, biogeographic and ethnoecological approaches to develop appropriate policies that protect the Indigenous biocultural diversity of Serianthes. Phylogenomics of 401 nuclear exons and non-coding flanking regions using both a multi-species …

Age Related Dementias, Shahab Soltani

Chemistry and Biochemistry

During the last few decades, the average life expectancy has dramatically increased in the U.S.A. and globally. As a result, the diseases associated with age, such as dementia, significantly impact families, society, and government. Dementia is a broad term describing memory loss, cognitive dysfunctions, and limited social skills caused by many factors such as aging, stroke, and genetic background. Although the primary etiology remains unclear but inflammatory reactions, neurodegeneration, vascular abnormalities play an important role in the progression of these disorders. Therefore, treatment is mainly supportive to relieve the symptoms of dementia and not to cure dementia or slow down …

Naturally Occurring Etiologic Factors Affecting The Health Of Breeding Seabirds In The Bering Sea, Maile Branson

Biological Sciences

Seabird populations across the globe have experienced both significant instability and consistent overall declines in recent history. Seabirds in the Bering Sea of Alaska, USA appear to be severely affected by environmental changes, exhibiting large-scale shifts in behavior and distribution and increases in unusual mortality events (UMEs) in recent years. I analyze a selection of the naturally occurring pathogenic and toxicological factors affecting breeding seabirds in the Bering Sea region using an approach focusing on zoonoses and bioaccumulating toxins. Specimens were collected at three breeding colonies in the Bering Sea in 2018 and 2019, and were evaluated for the presence …

Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery And Sequestration In The Orion Oil Field In The North Slope Region Of Alaska, Banabas D. Dogah

Engineering

Carbon dioxide flooding in viscous oil systems has been proven to improve oil recovery and store CO₂ in several geologic basins worldwide. With global energy steadily transitioning towards decarbonization, CO₂-EOR and Sequestration can reduce the carbon footprint from crude oil production. Although well accepted globally, the potential of improved oil recovery and CO₂ storage capacity has not been extensively studied in Alaska. Since the CO₂ injection process involves phase transition, reservoir simulation becomes more complex. It requires reliable techniques to estimate the ultimate recovery factor, oil production rate, and CO₂ storage volumes precisely. This study focuses on carbon dioxide enhanced …

An Online Hub For Queens Parents, Abe R. Levine

Capstones

I sought to build a common hub for parents across District 28 in Queens to connect with one another. I did this by creating a bilingual newsletter called the Queens Boletín. The goal of the Boletín was for parents to share and find resources, to advance the conversation on equity, and to build community.

Optimizing Postpartum Care By Ongoing Care Coordination Initiatives (Cci) In Screening And Management Of Postpartum Depression (Ppd) Among Clients In An Obgyn Practice: A Quality Improvement Project., Jennifer Broussard

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is defined as physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that occur after the birth of a child. Postpartum depression is complex and a mix of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes (Cleveland Medical Clinic, 2018). Postpartum depression screening is of high importance at a comprehensive postpartum visit. The consequences of a patient suffering postpartum depression can be serious and early recognition and interventions improve outcomes for the patient as well as the infant. Problem: There is a lack of screening for PPD among postpartum clients and this period is critical for the mother and the infant (American College …

Telehealth Appointments To Increase Therapy Compliance In Patients With Mosa, Tracy J. Partington

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: At the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, care as usual for patients with a new diagnosis of mild obstructive sleep apnea (MOSA) is a letter directing the patient to call the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) clinic to establish ongoing care.

Local Problem: This model has resulted in low therapy compliance and does not afford patients the ability to discuss their diagnosis and treatment options with a licensed healthcare provider. A literature review showed telemedicine interventions increase therapy compliance in patients with MOSA.

Context: The Doctor of Nursing Practice project implemented an evidence-based practice change to improve therapy compliance …

December 17, 2021 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

The Mrna-Lnp Platform's Lipid Nanoparticle Component Used In Preclinical Vaccine Studies Is Highly Inflammatory, Sonia Ndeupen, Zhen Qin, Sonya Jacobsen, Aurélie Bouteau, Henri Estanbouli, Botond Z. Igyártó

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Vaccines based on mRNA-containing lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are a promising new platform used by two leading vaccines against COVID-19. Clinical trials and ongoing vaccinations present with varying degrees of protection levels and side effects. However, the drivers of the reported side effects remain poorly defined. Here we present evidence that Acuitas' LNPs used in preclinical nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccine studies are highly inflammatory in mice. Intradermal and intramuscular injection of these LNPs led to rapid and robust inflammatory responses, characterized by massive neutrophil infiltration, activation of diverse inflammatory pathways, and production of various inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The same dose of …

Relational And Social Aggression: A Scoping Literature Review, Angela Fidazzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School violence is an omnipresent problem within the United States, at worst, resulting in the death of children and teachers across the nation. Over time, numerous strategies and tools have been introduced in order to reduce aggression within schools. However, as both overt and covert forms of aggression contribute to school violence, it is necessary for researchers to investigate covert, indirect forms of aggression as a way to better identify and prevent a salient contribution to this problem. Although much research has investigated bullying in general, further research is needed in better understanding the forms of covert bullying, relational and …

Detecting Viral Particles In Vitro Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Anie-Pier Samson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Covid-19 pandemic is a powerful example of just how damaging the rapid spread of an unknown virus can be. Viruses have the ability to spread rapidly amongst individuals if not treated and controlled. The first key step towards treatment is the timely and specific diagnosis of the virus causing the infection. An innovative method for the rapid detection of viral particles in solution consists of tagging the viral particles paired with using photoacoustic flow cytometry to irradiate the particles and get a signal. The high affinity of Streptavidin for Biotin can be used to bind Streptavidin-coated microspheres to biotinylated …

Analysis Of Spore Shape Determination In Streptomyces, Ning Sun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Streptomycetes are Gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacteria that possess a complex life cycle with the alternation of vegetative mycelium, aerial mycelium, and spores. Streptomyces. coelicolor spore maturation is a complex process that involves spore shape metamorphosis from cylindrical pre-spores into ellipsoid spores, but the details of this process have remained enigmatic. Previously, our lab identified a novel gene ssdA that might play a role in spore shape determination using a transposon-based insertion mutagenesis in S. coelicolor. In this study, I isolated a S. coelicolor ssdA-null mutant that showed increased colony hydrophobicity and misshapen spores in sizes and shapes, confirming the …

Cgrp-Driven Lateralization Of Pain Modulation By The Central Amygdala, Heather Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The central amygdala (CeA) is a bilateral, mid limbic brain region involved in the processing of pain and emotion. Interestingly, the left and right CeA are functionally lateralized in the context of bladder pain, with the left and right CeA having opposing effects on bladder pain-like behavior. However, the specific mechanisms driving these divergent functions are unknown. Nociceptive signals from the bladder are relayed to the CeA via projection neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) that express high levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). In these studies, we investigated the influence of PBN CGRP signaling in the left and right …

A Public Health Ethics Approach To Substance Use Disorder, Adele Flaherty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the dissertation is to undertake an analysis of substance use disorders that focuses on a public health ethics perspective. The ethical argument focuses upon justifying the use of harm reduction and is primarily concerned with the current opioid crisis. While substance abuse/misuse over the course of history has been identified as a public health concern, this dissertation presents substance use disorders over the course of the lifespan, examining various contexts in which it can affect daily living and health outcomes. It achieves this by analyzing substance use disorders through the lens of the socioecological model of public …

Design And Synthesis Of Fused Pyrimidines As Single Agents With Combination Chemotherapy Potential, As Tubulin Polymerization And One-Carbon Metabolism Inhibitors For Cancer, Tasdique Quadery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of bicyclic fused pyrimidines as single agents with combination chemotherapy potential with both antiangiogenic and cytotoxic effects. The dissertation also discusses one-carbon metabolism inhibitors and tumor targeting proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs).

In cancer chemotherapy, the two major limitations are the dose-limiting toxicities of clinically used agents and the development of resistance to the treatment. Combination chemotherapy with antiangiogenic agents and microtubule targeting agents has shown an advantage against both these drawbacks. Single agents with both antiangiogenic activity and cytotoxicity would afford a therapy that circumvents pharmacokinetic problems of multiple agents, avoid …

Real-Time Monitoring Of Cell Death Progress Using Capacitance Spectroscopy, Suyang Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biologics, including the monoclonal antibody (mAb), has experienced rapid development in the last decade. However, the price of biologics is often prohibitively high because of the low process efficiency. Delaying the inevitable cell death improves the productivity of upstream bioprocessing, whose success relies on monitoring the cell death onset that indicates the timing for preventive actions.

This study proposes to develop a real-time monitoring model that quantifies the dying cell percentage in lab-scale bioreactors using capacitance spectroscopy. The capacitance spectroscopy contains cell death-related information due to various physical properties changes during the cell death process, e.g., cytoplasmic conductivity change. The …

Population Estimates Of Brown Bears Near Yakutat, Alaska Using A Bayesian Integrated Population Model, Mackenzie Parrott

Mathematics and Statistics

This paper discusses the specification of an Integrated Population Model (IPM) for the brown bear (Ursus arctos) population within and near Yakutat, Alaska. A Bayesian analysis is used in this paper in conjunction with Markov Chain Monte Carlo in order to produce the results. The goal of this project is to estimate the number of brown bears over multiple years. This project was made possible in collaboration with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Department of Wildlife Conservation through Anthony Crupi and Jason Waite.

Otolith Derived Hatch Dates, Growth Rates, And Microchemistry Of Arctic Cod (Boreogadus Saida) Support The Existence Of Several Spawning Populations In Alaskan Waters, Zane M. Chapman

Fisheries

The changing climate in the Arctic is resulting in increased air and water temperatures as well as a reduction in sea ice, affecting native species that evolved to live in the unique habitats of the Arctic Ocean. One species of significant importance to Arctic marine ecosystems is the Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida), a keystone species that serves as vital prey for many marine mammals, seabirds, and fishes. Arctic Cod have a strong association with sea ice for spawning and for much of their early life history. In the Pacific Arctic, little is known about their early life history, especially with …

Spawning Site Selection Of Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus Kisutch In Susitna River Tributaries, Alaska, Betsy W. Mccracken

Fisheries

Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch are the most widely distributed Pacific salmon species across Alaska. The lack of knowledge surrounding the habitat requirements of this species results in challenges for conservation and management due to natural and anthropogenic pressures. Tributaries of the Susitna River drainage in Alaska support many small and distinct Coho Salmon populations. Heterogeneity of in-stream spawning habitat is an ecological concept known to promote resiliency of salmonid populations. The goal of this study was to investigate the best habitat predictors of spawning site selection and the scale by which spawning habitat should be evaluated for management insights. Scale …

The Effects Of Ocean Acidification And Warming On The Metabolic Physiology Of Juvenile Northern Spot Shrimp (Pandalus Platyceros), Jamie Lee Musbach

Fisheries

Northern spot shrimp (Pandalus platyceros) support important commercial, subsistence, sport, and personal use fisheries in Alaska. This species is currently experiencing population declines in Southeast Alaska, mandating fishery closures in previously productive regions. Northern spot shrimp are harvested as adults and declining populations may be a result of limited recruitment into the fishery. Very little is known about the physiology of P. platyceros early life history stages and no known data exists on how early life history stages may be affected by environmental stressors such as ocean acidification (OA) and ocean warming (OW). OA is a result of increased anthropogenic …