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Spike Protein Structural Dynamics Of Sars-Cov-2 Coronaviruses Studied Using Molecular Dynamics, William Strickland

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has overwhelmingly impacted the global population, accounting for millions of confirmed infections and deaths over the last year. The virus’s influence on the health and safety of individuals, the economy, and daily life has been disruptive and devastating. While SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1, two closely related members of the SARS coronaviruses, have shown the ability to cross the species barrier and infect humans, SARS-CoV-2 has predominantly been the virus responsible for the number of infections presently known. SARS-CoV-2 has also proven to be volatile, as many variants have …

Utilizing A Themed Workbook To Capture Insights To Young Women In Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, And Mathematics (Steam/Stem) Using The Internet Of Things (Iot), Systems Engineering, And Data Science, Robert John Konczynski Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Young women may not realize that many of their cell phones, computers, TVs, cars, airplanes, and the technology around them, for the most part, have been designed by men. Men have been fundamental in designing these devices because women only account for a quarter of the workers in STEAM jobs. Because many women choose jobs and careers unrelated to STEAM, they are not part of the inclusive design and Engineering efforts that go into today’s products and technology. Given the underrepresentation of women as part of the design phase of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, society is missing out …

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Rsv) Laboratory Surveillance And Mortality In Nebraska, 2016 – 2021, Derek Bumgardner

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus affecting children and adults. The United States RSV peak season occurs regularly between October to May, but in April 2021, an unexpected United States interseason RSV epidemic ensued. RSV laboratory testing has changed in the United States due to increased use of nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) rather than antigen-based testing, affecting how RSV seasonal epidemics are determined. Nebraska linked RSV laboratory and death certificate data (2016-2021) were used to calculate crude, specific and adjusted RSV case and mortality rates by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. A Cochran – Armitage test …

Assessing Meat Processing Workers’ Attitudes And Concerns Regarding Covid-19 Vaccination, Karen Schmeits

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted industries across the globe. Specifically, for meat processing (meatpacking) facilities, the pandemic has changed the way facilities operate, how the workers perform tasks, and how workers perceive their health. The development of an FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine brought hope to meat processing employers and workers. However, little research has been conducted to know how meat processing workers feel about vaccines generally and how they perceive the COVID-19 vaccine. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate preventive vaccine determinants and attitudes and concerns specifically regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Surveys were conducted with 128 meat …

Effect Of Climate Variability On Lyme Disease Cases In The United States – A Retrospective Study, Larissa Mark

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Vector-borne illnesses are a growing serious global public health threat. According to the CDC, Lyme disease (LD) is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected black-legged tick. Since the discovery, LD has increased in both incidence and geographical distribution. Vector life cycles and disease transmission are highly sensitive to abiotic conditions; as such, it is expected that climate change will alter the geographic distribution and magnitude of vector-borne illnesses. Certain facets of climate change like precipitation patterns, greater climate …

Point Of Use Technologies To Increase Access To Clean Water In Rural Communities, Elena Arroway

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Access to clean water is an issue that many communities around the world struggle with. While large-scale efforts such as piping infrastructure have been successful, these are less effective at reaching small, rural communities. To supplement these efforts, point of use (POU) methods for water treatment can be implemented. These include boiling, chemical treatment, filters, and several additional technologies. These have all shown effectiveness in a lab setting, but their implementation in the real world, specifically in rural communities, has not been nearly as effective. In this paper, several different POU methods are evaluated for their effectiveness on a small-scale, …

Asian American Discrimination Through United States History, Disease Outbreaks, And The Covid-19 Pandemic, Elizabeth He

Honors Scholar Theses

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, anti-Asian hate crimes have increased sharply. Although this is one of the first instances where a larger portion of the population is actively participating in discussion on this topic, Asian discrimination has woven itself throughout American history. Concepts like the model minority myth, racial triangulation, and panethnic fate have been common tales within the Asian American diaspora. Ostracism in tandem with valorization applies from the mid-1800’s California Gold Rush to Reagan era affirmative action cases. In some aspects, Asian people are tokenized, while in other instances, they are labeled as foreign and alien. …

Identification Of Ciprofloxacin Resistance Factors Via In Vivo Evolution Of Aeromonas Veronii In The Medicinal Leech, Lauren Daddi

Honors Scholar Theses

Infections from ciprofloxacin (Cp) resistant (Cp^R) Aeromonas veronii have been reported in increasing numbers among patients receiving leech therapy in recent years. Mutations in DNA gyrase, gyrA S83I, and DNA topoisomerase IV, parC E91K, along with acquisition of the qnrS2 gene located on the pAv42 plasmid, have been identified as genetic factors contributing to Cp^R in A. veronii. A strain of A. veronii harboring all known resistance factors was previously constructed and has a Cp minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 3 µg/ml, which remains below the resistance threshold of 4 µg/ml and well below the high …

Whole‐Room Ultraviolet Sanitization As A Method For The Site‐Level Treatment Of Pseudogymnoascus Destructans, Robert Kwait, Kathleen Kerwin, Carl Herzog, Joan Bennett, Sally Padhi, Isabelle Zoccolo, Brooke Maslo

KIP Articles

White‐nose syndrome (WNS), a catastrophic fungal disease of hibernating bats, is perpetuated by environmental reservoirs of the fungal pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans . Surviving bats clear infection each summer but are re‐infected upon return to the hibernaculum. Therefore, addressing environmental reservoirs is critical for managing WNS. Ultraviolet (UV) light is known to kill P. destructans in the lab, and whole‐room UV sanitization is a common practice in many commercial settings. However, effective UV treatment at the hibernaculum scale has yet to be confirmed. Importantly, existing standard practices likely require modification for implementation in hibernation sites. Prior to field testing, confirming the …

Emergency Preparedness: Perceptions Of People With Disabilities, Lidia Adamina Fonseca

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of emergencies and disasters has increased over the past decade which has caused cities, states and countries to routinely develop emergency preparedness and management plans (Turk, 2016). Although these demands have increased, individuals with disabilities have been less represented in the development of the plans (Timmons, 2017; Turk, 2016). According to The World Bank Disaster Risk Management Report (2020), disasters (e.g., infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, hurricanes, earthquakes, industrial accidents.) and post-disaster consequences have increased over recent years.

Although individuals with disabilities have become more aware of emergency preparedness and its importance, researchers have noted that there …

Examination Of 21st Century Organization Development: An Ethnography Of A Distance Learning Support Department At A Hispanic Serving Institution Of Higher Education, Bobbie Myatt

Theses and Dissertations

This study used an ethnographic lens to examine the historic organizational development of a distance education support department within a Hispanic-serving institution of higher education. The Borderlands University (BU; pseudonym) Online Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center (OTLT) is representative of the structure and culture of a successful distance education support department for the 21st century. Through qualitative ethnography, this research study examined the development of cultural and structural components necessary for the success of this organization. This includes the internal community of support departments housed within institutions of higher education. Technologically raised generations emerging from traditional schools, “digital natives,” are …

Targeting Protein Synthesis In Clostridioides Difficile To Develop Antimicrobial Candidate, Elvira L. Alanis

Theses and Dissertations

Clostridioides difficile is a gram positive, spore forming, obligate anaerobic bacterium that causes Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) which can result in pseudomembranous colitis and toxic megacolon. In the case of this research a focus on Protein synthesis is made since it is an essential metabolic process and is a validated target for antibiotics. Protein synthesis begins with Initiation which includes the three translation initiation factors. Through the NMR chemical shift assignments, the IF1 structure was determined, and it was found to be composed of a short α helix and five β helixes. A peptide was designed after the short α …

Non-Negative Discriminative Data Analytics, Md Imrul Kaish

Theses and Dissertations

Due to advancements in data acquisition techniques, collecting datasets representing samples from multi-views has become more common recently (Jia et al. 2019). For instance, in genomics, a lymphoma patient’s dataset may include data on gene expression, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and array Comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) measurements. Learning from multiple views about the same objective, in general, obtains a better understanding of the hidden patterns of the data compared to learning from a single view data. Most of the existing multi-view learning techniques such as canonical correlation analysis (Hotelling et al. 1936) and multi-view support vector machine (Farquhar et …

Structures And Regulations Of Translation Initiation Factors In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Protein Biosynthesis To Develop New Potential Antimicrobial Agents, Nicolette Valdez

Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, multidrug resistant bacterium that has been recognized as the prominent cause of nosocomial infections. Untreated acute and chronic infections associated with P. aeruginosa can develop into other diseases such as pneumonia, otitis externa, and osteomyelitis. P. aeruginosa infections commonly affect immunocompromised individuals such as cystic fibrosis, cancer, and burn patients. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics has contributed to the increased antibiotic resistance in P. aeruginosa and thus has led to an unmet need for discovery of novel antibiotic candidates. Protein biosynthesis is an essential metabolic process occurring in all bacteria and a validated target …

Retrospective Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Hypertension Management In Primary Care, Carly Barnes, Jayme Johnston, Judy Wong

Providence Pharmacy PGY2 Program at Providence Medical Group 2022

No abstract provided.

The Trends Of Cancer Patients’ Perceptions On The Causes And Risk Factors Of Cancer Over Time, Abdul Rahman Jazieh, Mohammad Alkaiyat, Khadega A. Abuelgasim, Husam Ardah

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To evaluate patients’ perceptions on the causes and outcomes of cancer and the changes observed over a decade (2006-2016) at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Patients diagnosed with cancer and treated at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. The patients were enrolled in 2 cohorts: cohort 1 from 2006-2008 and cohort 2 from 2016-2018. The trends of the perceptions related to the causes and outcomes of cancer were compared between the 2 cohorts. Results: In total, 1416 patients were enrolled in the 2 cohorts: cohort 1 included 464 patients …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On School-Aged Children’S Mental Health: Mixed-Method Study Of Families In Southern California, Christina Williams

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

On March 13, 2020, the director of Services to Students with Disabilities came out of the office and stated the employees and students were not returning to school effective immediately due to the world’s shutdown over COVID-19. COVID-19 swiftly created panic causing toilet paper and water to be rationed, but who really took the time to think about how this would affect school-aged children and their families. How does shutting down in-person learning and household dynamics change when a disease taking the lives of almost a million people sweeps across the United States of America. Were parents ready to teach …

Pandemic And Substance Use: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Vanessa E. Ermilio

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: The COVID-19 Pandemic called individuals to stay at home which may have impacted individuals to become not only physically, but socially isolated as well. With social isolation, comes an increase in mental health complications which may lead to an increase in substance use. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential association between COVID-19 social isolation and substance use among college students.

Method: The present study’s data was collected from a public, four-year university located in Southern California. The survey was disseminated through instructors at the university and students were incentivized with extra course credit to participate. …

Sexual Health Services During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Thomas C. Roland

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created a unique situation for healthcare providers worldwide. The highly infectious nature of the COVID-19 virus required many countries to impose strict lockdowns and limit access to select health services such as sexual health services. The present study was designed to explore the role of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare services, specifically sexual health services.

Methods: A cross- sectional study design was selected to evaluate the burden of the pandemic on sexual health services. Participants responses were obtained anonymously using an online survey. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses using IBM SPSS version …

The Covid-19 Pandemic And Material Hardships: A Qualitative Study Of Undocumented Immigrants In The United States, Erika Chavez-Marroquin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study aimed to recognize the financial impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the undocumented immigrants living in southern California. Utilizing an exploratory method with a qualitative approach. The research interviewed English and Spanish-speaking participants who are a part of the undocumented population and have employee history. The study utilized a purposive and snowball sampling method and explored the financial impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on participants’ personal finances, resources they were able to access, and gaps in programs or additional resources through federal and state aid. Through the data analysis, the research identified the following themes: limitations on accessible …

Injection Drug Users (Idus), Blood-Borne Diseases, And The Role Of Needle Exchange Programs, Lilibeth Guzman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Objective: Needle exchange programs are designed to educate injection drug users of healthy drug behaviors and establish a controlled environment to prevent blood-borne diseases through clean needles and provide treatment to reduce blood-borne diseases and become drug-free. This study observed the prevalence of blood-borne diseases among injection drug users as well as the general population. The study used publicly available data of drug use to assess differences by race/ethnicity, and participation in needle exchange programs.

Methods: Quantitative methods were used with the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Analysis began with descriptive statistics, followed by regression analyses to …

Studies Toward Synthesis Of A Protected Derivative Of L-Enduracididine Via C-H Activation, Iram Muzaffar

Master's Theses and Capstones

Over the years bacteria have developed resistance against antibiotics. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics is one of the main reasons of this increased bacterial resistance. A recently discovered peptide antibiotic known as teixobactin has shown potent activity against Gram-positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus. aureus (MRSA), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and vancomycin-resistant enterococci, (VRE). The structure of teixobactin consists of several uncommon amino acids including D-amino-acids and L-allo-enduracididine. L-allo-Enduracididine is a unique amino acid residue consisting of a 5-membered guanidine ring, which offers a great challenge for its synthesis. Most of the reported syntheses of L-allo-enduracididine are lengthy and consist of a lack …

Pandemic-Related Caregiver Burden Among Public Health Workforce: A Mixed-Method Analysis, Tony Lee

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a highly contagious novel virus called SARS-CoV-2, has led to significant global morbidity and mortality. The healthcare workforce (HCW) is disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and is more likely to report depression, burnout, moral injury, compassion fatigue, and post-traumatic stress. However, research among the public health workforce (PHW) remains limited. Given the burden of COVID-19 itself, coupled with the work-related pressure of rapid pandemic management strategies, risk of exposure, potential fatigue, etc., understanding the mental health needs of PHW and related professionals is critical. As such, the purpose of this study is to …

What The Dead Know By Act Three, Marianne Jay Erhardt

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

A Socio-Ecological Model To Assess Tuberculosis In Migrant Farmworkers In The Us-Mexico Border Region, Amit U. Raysoni

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The migrant and seasonal farmworker toiling in the fields and orchards of the United States of America surmounts innumerable problems daily. Some of these problems pertain to the overall health of the farmworker in addition to the various occupational hazards that he or she faces. This research paper focuses on Tuberculosis infection—both latent and active—in the migrant farmworkers in the United States with a special focus on the US-Mexico border. Using the Socio-Ecological Model as a theoretical framework, the TB health issues faced by this group are studied. The various determinants of health at every level of the Socio-Ecological Model …

Innate Lymphoid Cell Characterization And Ilc2s In Neuroinflammation In Aging And Sex Differences, Alexis Mobley, Alexis S. Mobley

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Aging affects immunologic responses by a global immune system suppression, including dysregulation of cytokine mediators, leading to increased inflammation throughout all systems, termed inflammaging. However, understanding healthy aging mechanisms can bypass this effect. Inflammaging also leads to poor outcomes during brain injury, making immune-targeting therapeutics tantamount to overall brain health and longevity. Moreover, sex affects disease etiology and severity through hormonal and chromosomal sex, as the X chromosome contains most immunology-based genes. Androgens have a generally suppressive effect on the immune system. Additionally, when immune responses are mounted, males are better at CD4+ T cell type (Th1) responses, while females …

Nanoparticles For Biomedical Applications, Joseph Kim

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

This thesis presents development and evaluation of the potential of three new nanoparticles for biomedical applications. With the rapid growth of the field of nanoscience, researchers have explored developing nanoparticles for various biomedical applications, including imaging, therapy, and drug delivery. This thesis demonstrates the development of two C­₆₀ fullerene based nanoparticles and one boron based nanoparticle to answer key questions related to their biological potential.

In the first part of the thesis, we describe synthesis and characterization of a pure boron nanoparticle containing asolectin phospholipid-based liposome construct prepared using a water-in-oil emulsion method, as a novel alternative agent for …

Optimization Of Modular, Long-Range, Ultra-Fast Optical Tweezers With Fluorescence Capabilities For Single-Molecule And Single-Cell Based Biophysical Measurements, Subash C. Godar

All Dissertations

An Optical tweezer is a tightly focused laser beam that applies and senses precise and localized optical force to a dielectric microsphere and offers a unique and effective tool for manipulating the single cell or cell components, including nucleotides and dynein motor proteins. Here, I used highly stabilized optomechanical components and ultra-sensitive detection modules to significantly improve the measurement capabilities over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. I combined the optical tweezer-based force spectroscopy technique with fluorescence microscopy to develop an integrated high-resolution force-fluorescence system capable of measuring displacements at sub-nanometer, forces at sub-piconewton over a temporal range …

Navigating The Cold And Flu Aisle: An Evidence-Based Approach For Nurse Practitioners, Elizabeth Edwards

Student Works

Background: The most common illness know is the common cold. Antibiotics are inappropriate for treating the common cold, but there are many over-the-counter medications available. These over-the-counter medications have not been shown to decrease the length of a cold, though they can ease symptoms. In this paper, we aimed to review the active ingredients in recommended OTC cold remedies for the general population and assess the evidence for their effectiveness. We hope this information will provide NPs with evidence-based strategies to help their patients be better prepared to navigate the cold and flu aisle.

Methods: The US News 2020 …

Innovation Policy And Chronic Emergencies, Robert Burrell, Catherine Kelly

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust the potential role of the state as a driver of scientific innovation onto center stage. Vaccines have been developed and brought to market in a timescale that seemed almost impossible when the crisis first struck. The pivotal nature of government intervention in this crisis has added to calls from academics and policy makers to adopt a more proactive, mission-oriented approach to innovation policy to tackle other key global challenges.

This Article considers the merits of these calls and argues that an important distinction must be drawn between what this Article terms acute and chronic emergencies. …