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Understanding Vaccine-Induced Memory Responses To Develop The Next Generation Of Pertussis Vaccines, Kelly L. Weaver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bordetella pertussis is a Gram-negative respiratory pathogen that can infect individuals of all ages and is notably responsible for infant fatalities. Pertussis (whooping cough) is a vaccine-preventable respiratory disease for which vaccines have been available in the United States since the 1940s. Whole cell pertussis vaccines kept incidence of pertussis under 5,000 cases per year, but were associated with reactogenicity issues. Following the introduction of less reactogenic acellular pertussis vaccines in the late 1990s, there have been noteworthy outbreaks of pertussis. For example, in 2012 there were over 50,000 reported cases of pertussis and 20 deaths in the U.S. The …

Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonists For Treatment Of Insomnia: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis On Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trials Of Suvorexant And Lemborexant, Habibolah Khazaie, Masoud Sadeghi, Sepideh Khazaie, Max Hirshkowitz, Amir Sharafkhaneh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Study objectives: Recent treatment guidelines for chronic insomnia recommend pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies. One of the contemporary drug options for insomnia includes dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA), such as suvorexant and lemborexant. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis for the treatment of insomnia with suvorexant and lemborexant based on randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Trials.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search on three databases (PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) till August 14, 2021, without any restrictions to retrieve the relevant articles. The effect sizes were computed presenting the pooled mean difference or risk ratio along with 95% confidence interval …

Longitudinal Examination Of Sleep And Chrononutrition, Allison Christine Veronda

Psychology

Chrononutrition (i.e., circadian timing of food intake) offers promising opportunities to improve weight management strategies, but many fundamental aspects of chrononutrition are still unknown. While research to date has suggested that unhealthy chrononutrition behaviors are linked to weight gain, chrononutrition preferences are markedly understudied, and research has not yet determined whether chrononutrition preferences and behaviors are variable or stable over time in the natural environment. Potential mechanisms underlying chrononutrition’s impact on weight are still being explored. Recent evidence suggests that weight gain is the result of an imbalance of energy consumption and expenditure that is influenced by sleep duration. Though …

Facial Expression Recognition In People With Differing Levels Of Eating Disorder Symptoms, Ilya Nudnou

Psychology

Previous studies of emotion categorization abilities of people with eating disorders used accuracy and reaction time to identify performance deficits for these individuals. The conclusions from this literature have been mixed, due in part to low sample sizes and inconsistent assessment of comorbid diagnoses. The current study re-examined eating disorder symptom severity as a function of emotion categorization abilities, using visual cognition paradigms that offer insights into how emotional faces may be categorized, as opposed to how well these faces are categorized. This relationship was examined while controlling for anxiety, depression, alexithymia, and emotion regulation. Visual information use, emotion representation …

Characterization Of North Dakota Hard Red Spring Wheat For Stem And Stripe Rust Resistance, Yongjae Kim

Plant Pathology

Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) and Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) are causal agents of devastating wheat stem and stripe rust diseases, respectively. Both diseases sporadically occur in North Dakota (ND), and stripe rust incidence has been increasing in the Midwest of United States over the last decade. Complete information of rust resistance in ND hard red spring wheat (HRSW) germplasm is not well-established. This study focused on the phenotypic characterization of ND HRSW germplasm for stripe and stem rust resistance and the identification of existing and novel rust resistance genomic loci in this population through genome-wide association …

Characterization And Detection Of Bacterial Pathogens Of Common Bean, Katie Nelson

Plant Pathology

Common bacterial blight (CBB) (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli (Xap) and X. fuscans pv. fuscans (Xff), halo blight (Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. phaseolicola (Psp)), and bacterial brown spot (P. syringae pv. syringae (Pss)), are yield-limiting diseases of common bean in North Dakota and Minnesota. The objectives of this research were to optimize a multiplex quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for rapid detection and quantification of four bacterial pathovars in common bean seed, leaf, and pod tissue; determine the aggressiveness of Xap and Xff isolates; and determine the race types of Psp isolates in North Dakota and Minnesota. A fourplex qPCR assay was optimized, …

Molecular Mapping Of Qtl For Genetic Transformation-Related Trait And Crispr/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing In Wheat, Anil Karmacharya

Plant Pathology

Plant transformation is a valuable tool for gene characterization and crop improvement. However, wheat transformation is greatly impacted by genotype dependency for successful regeneration of the transgenic plants. For improving disease resistance in wheat, targeting host genes for disease susceptibility has become one of the most attractive strategies. This study aimed to 1) identify the QTL associated with a genetic transformation-related trait (plant regeneration capability from calli derived from immature embryos); 2) targeting the wheat Tsn1 gene for susceptibility to tan spot disease, using CRISPR/Cas9 vector cassette delivered by Agrobacterium and particle bombardment mediated transformation; 3) targeting wheat TaHRC gene …

Development Of Quantification And Diagnosis Methods For Cereal Bacterial Leaf Streak Pathogens, Eunhye Hong

Plant Pathology

Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) has been a major disease on wheat and barley in the Northern Great Plains. It is caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa (Xtu) on wheat and X. translucens pv. translucens (Xtt) on barley. Many questions remain unclear on pathogen biology and BLS epidemiology. Based on previous study, I identified an Xtu/Xtt specific region and established a qPCR quantification method for the bacterial pathogens. The method was shown to be effective to detect and quantify the bacterial pathogen in seeds and leaves. In addition, molecular markers were developed to differentiate Xtu and Xtt. Those markers were successfully …

Improving Management And Understanding Of Major Diseases Of Sugar Beet, Md Ziaur Rahman Bhuiyan

Plant Pathology

Sugar beet is a sugar-yielding crop, that contributes 25% of the global sucrose production. Economic production of sugar beet is hampered by Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) (Cercospora beticola), Rhizoctonia crown and root rot (RCRR) (Rhizoctonia solani), Sclerotinia root rot (SRR) (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum), and Rhizopus root rot (Rhizopus arrhizus) diseases. These diseases can reduce yield by 15 to 40%. On CLS, buildup of fungicide-resistance strains is a major issue due to poor implementation of fungicides and understanding of disease development at early stages. The identification of germplasm resistant to RCRR disease is hindered by the lack of effective inoculation methods. Identification …

Genetic Characterization And Engineering Of Disease Resistance To Spot Form Net Blotch And Fusarium Head Blight In Barley, Abdullah Alhashel

Plant Pathology

Barley spot form net blotch (SFNB) caused by Pyrenophora teres f. maculata (Ptm) and Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium graminearum are devastating diseases of barley requiring advanced molecular breeding tools for disease management. I used genetic mapping and host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) to identify novel host genes and target existing pathogen genes to improve disease resistance in barley. Barley resistance to SFNB is often isolate specific and the Idaho isolate 13MI8.3 has a unique virulence profile. Two recombinant inbred mapping populations were utilized to characterize and map 13IM8.3 resistance. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis revealed 10 significant resistance/susceptibility …

Hypermethylation Of Pi3k-Akt Signalling Pathway Genes Is Associated With Human Neural Tube Defects, Tian Tian, Xinyuan Lai, Kuanhui Xiang, Xiao Han, Shengju Yin, Robert M Cabrera, John W Steele, Yunping Lei, Xuanye Cao, Richard H Finnell, Linlin Wang, Aiguo Ren

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of common and severe congenital malformations. The PI3K-AKT signalling pathway plays a crucial role in the neural tube development. There is limited evidence concerning any possible association between aberrant methylation in PI3K-AKT signalling pathway genes and NTDs. Therefore, we aimed to investigate potential associations between aberrant methylation of PI3K-AKT pathway genes and NTDs. Methylation studies of PI3K-AKT pathway genes utilizing microarray genome-methylation data derived from neural tissues of ten NTD cases and eight non-malformed controls were performed. Targeted DNA methylation analysis was subsequently performed in an independent cohort of 73 NTD cases and …

Adaptive Management As A Tool In The Restoration Of Grassland, Wetland, And Riparian Ecosystems Within The Northern Great Plains, Monica Polgar

Natural Resources Management

Four individual restoration projects were conducted across grassland, wetland, and riparian ecosystems in the Northern Great Plains, with common themes of adaptive management and enhancing native plant species presence. The first project, a grassland restoration, assessed interseeding treatment combinations to evaluated influences on plant community composition. The second grassland restoration focused on revegetation efforts utilizing multiple seed mixes on a highly modified site and looked to understand influences on species establishment and invasive species control. A wetland restoration project was conducted employing varying levels of treatment intensities with goals of establishing native vegetation in an invasive dominated site. The last …

Improving North Dakota's Arboreta: Utilizing Living Museums To Their Greatest Capacity, Stephen Lee Ahrenholz

Natural Resources Management

North Dakota has roughly 20 arboreta, though many of them are in decline. NDSU Extension developed an arboretum improvement project that included field visits, site inventories, and educational programming. North Dakota’s arboreta are a diverse group with over 70 genera and more than 500 tree and shrub species represented. Soil Conservation District (SCD) arboreta have an average of 31 species per arboretum while non-SCD arboreta average about 70. Labeling methods and accuracy, condition, and maintenance varied greatly. We conducted four educational workshops for arboretum managers, but attendance was relatively low: only 21 individuals attended. Attendees include SCD employees, Extension agents, …

The Link Between Gut Microbiota Metabolism And Host Gluconeogenesis By Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide, Razia Dawlaty

Microbiological Sciences

The gut microbiota (GM) plays a beneficial role in host metabolism. In mammals, the GM ferments dietary fiber into short chain fatty acids (SCFA), like propionate, that improves glucose metabolism. Rats fed a propionate diet increased intestinal gluconeogenic (IGN) gene expression, which was blocked by treatment with the neurotoxin, capsaicin, suggesting a neuronal-dependent mechanism. We hypothesized that the gut neuropeptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), links GM derived propionate to IGN expression. We fed VIP deficient mice a 5% propionate chow diet (n=60) for 2 weeks and measured mRNA levels for GN genes by dPCR. Basel intestinal and liver GN mRNA …

In The Pursuit Of Poultry: Β-Phenylethylamine And Ethyl Acetoacetate As Antimicrobials On Chicken, Erika Shay Hedrick Bauer

Microbiological Sciences

This research examines the effect of β-phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural trace amine commonly found in food, and ethyl acetoacetate (EAA), an FDA approved flavoring agent and food additive, as novel antimicrobials on store-bought chicken thighs in a 5-minute immersion. In the first part of this experiment, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% treatments of β-phenylethylamine and ethyl acetoacetate were compared to control H2O treatments utilized on chicken thighs. 10% treatments of PEA and EAA had significant reductions in counts of total aerobic bacteria and Pseudomonas spp. grown at 20°C by >1 log10 CFU/g of chicken meat. In the next experiments regarded 10% …

Management Influences On Plant Community Composition In The Prairie Pothole Region, Carlee Coleman

Natural Resources Management

Remnant prairies in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) should serve as repositories of native plant species, yet disrupted ecological process, invasive species, potential nitrogen deposition, climate change, and numerous other factors threaten native species diversity in remnant prairies. This study sought to assess how historical and adaptive management practices influence plant community composition in remnant prairies. We grouped sites based on recent or long-term management histories, and explored differences in floristic diversity, quality, and the abundance of individual species and groups of species between site groupings. Our assessments determined that long-term management history determines present day species composition, and that …

Plant Blindness Represents The Loss Of Generational Knowledge And Cultural Identity, Stacie Blue

Natural Resources Management

Elders from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (TMBCI) who have gathered plants within the region have seen the plant numbers reduced and species of plants disappear. Their statements of concern for the plants and their hope for increased plant diversity led to the development of the current research study. Increasing plant knowledge is vital to rebuilding and maintaining the diversity of vegetation within the forest, grassland, and wetland habitats. The present study used an online survey to assess citizens’ ability to identify plants that belong in wetland, grassland, and forest habitats in the area; names of plants; learn …

Enumeration Of Reduced Words Of Length N For Coxeter Groups Via Brinkhowlett Automaton, Brandon James Allen

Mathematics

The overall goal of this paper is to give a method of computing out how many words of length n there are for any Coxeter group via its Brink-Howlett automaton. [6] [7] To build our automaton, we focus on Coxeter systems and root systems honing in on a special set of roots called the small roots. We follow closely [1] [5] for the first two chapters. Finally, we build the Brink-Howlett automaton through literature compiled through the years and present explicit examples of A˜1 and the Coxeter group on three generators which each pair of generators is in a free …

Advertising Medicine: Selling The Cure, Robin Feldman

Faculty Scholarship

Although most countries forbid advertising medicine to patients, “direct-to- consumer advertising” has flourished in the United States over the past century. Research shows that the practice prompts inappropriate prescriptions and disadvantages generic competitors, leading to adverse drug reactions and increased prescription drug spending. Nevertheless, a comprehensive regulatory system for direct-to-consumer advertising continues to escape the grasp of policymakers. Regulatory authority has bounced between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where primary jurisdiction now resides. Since the FDA assumed responsibility, the agency’s only major regulatory initiative has been to minimize disclosure requirements for advertisements. Enforcement …

Standing For Rivers, Mountains - And Trees - In The Anthropocene, David Takacs

Faculty Scholarship

In his well-known article, Should Trees Have Standing?—Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects, Professor Christopher Stone proposed that courts grant nonhuman entities standing as plaintiffs so their interests may directly represented in court. In this Article, I review Stone’s ideas about standing and our relationship with the natural environment and describe the current, burgeoning, widespread trend toward granting not just standing, but legal rights and legal personhood to rivers, mountains, and other natural entities. I analyze the ways in which courts and legislatures in New Zealand, Australia, Colombia, and elsewhere are addressing concerns similar to Stone’s with expansive, even radical …

A Review Of Biomechanics Of Arterial Stent Implants, Joshua Collin Yurek

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

This work looks to provide a review of modern stents by evaluating the need for them as well as providing a detailed engineering analysis of the conditions they are subjected to. It is estimated that over two million of these devices are implanted in patients annually. Of those implanted, a majority are used in the treatment of arteriosclerosis. This disease causes arterial walls to thicken and toughen leading to restricted blood flow and in extreme cases, complete loss of circulation. Arteriosclerosis and complications arising from it form a leading cause of death in the developed world. Although there are a …

Effects Of Intensive Agricultural Management Practices On Soil Microbial Assembly And Recruitment, Microbiological Sciences, Debdutta Nath

Microbiological Sciences

Soil microbial communities play an important role in ecosystems in various ways to promote healthy and fertile soil. However, intensive agricultural practices with excessive tillage and fertilizer applications can affect the abundance and community structure of microbial communities in soil as well as their assembly and recruitment by plant roots. Using amplicon sequencing and microscopy, we have examined bacterial and fungal communities under different tillage and fertilizer treatments in a 34-year-old field-trial at the Carrington Research Extension Center of NDSU. We observed that fertilizer application has a significantly stronger effect than tillage on soil properties, as well as the overall …

Understanding Water Quality, Vegetation Establishment, And Stakeholder Success For The Fargo Project: A Multi-Stakeholder Led Community-Based Green Infrastructure Project., Jesse Riley

Natural Resources Management

The Fargo Project is a dry detention basin that holds stormwater drained from urbanized and impervious areas that serves as a component of a greater stormwater infrastructure network. The project goals were to design a multi-use green infrastructure area that would invite neighboring residents into the basin. From its conception, the project has relied on partnerships between stakeholders. A survey was developed and deployed to all stakeholder groups that participated in the community-based project to access stakeholder success. The Fargo Project was viewed as a success by most stakeholders. Project partners felt that the basin’s main goal was to serve …

Sexual Dimorphisms In The Adipose Biology Of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Deficient Mice, Emma Hawley

Microbiological Sciences

Both VIP and PACAP deficient mice display impaired fat storage, but only the molecular adipose characteristics of PACAP KO mice are known. While mice deficient in these peptides are lean, supplementation could promote weight gain in livestock after establishing tissue distribution. We investigated both sides of this 'metabolic coin' by measuring serum metabolites, adipocyte area, and pscWAT gene expression in VIP deficient mice and screening 15 ruminant tissues for VIP, PACAP, and their receptors using RT-qPCR. We found male VIP deficient mice displayed hypertrophic adipocytes, low serum FFAs, and suppressed relative mRNA expression of TMEM26. In ruminants, VIP and PACAP …

Recovery Of Physical And Biological Soil Properties And Vegetation On Reclaimed Oil Well Pads In Western North Dakota, Chase Christopherson

Natural Resources Management

Since 2000, the oil industry in North Dakota has grown to become the fifth largest oil producing and the second largest oil production and reserve state in the country. This increase in growth and activity has contributed to large amounts of ecological disturbance and degradation in western North Dakota. Oil companies are required to complete reclamations on disturbed and degraded lands once well pad activity ceases at a site. It is unclear how successful these reclamations are though as studies have found that significant ecological recovery can take multiple decades. This study assessed the recovery of soil properties and vegetation …

Revision Total Hip Femoral Stem Micromotion And Statistical Shape Modeling Of The Knee, William Fugit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The first purpose of this thesis was to compare the amount of micromotion seen in the femoral stem in a revision total hip arthroplasty between simple loading conditions and loading conditions derived from activities of daily living, through the use of experimental and computational methods. The amount of micromotion at the bone-implant interface was larger for activities of daily living, with ranges of 200μm more than the largest simple loading conditions. The second purpose of this thesis was to compare measurements of accuracy in a statistical shape model between individual bone and joint-level models, specifically for the knee. Using computational …

Design Of Human Inspired Feet For Mithra, A High-Performance Humanoid Robot, Spencer Lyle Brewster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the foot design for the new humanoid robot Mithra, with the goal to improve impact mitigation, natural gait throughout the gait cycle and balance. Using human gait parameters, a stiff aluminum foot was designed to emulate human center of pressure rollover trajectories. In addition, a 2D dynamic Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the gait cycle was created in Abaqus to rapidly prototype foot designs. Data from the FE model provided impact forces, parameters for distal foot power evaluation and maximum lean angles. From this model a flexible nylon foot was optimized for the given design objectives. The …

Understanding The Role Of Soils In Decision Making: Urban Agriculture And Septic Systems, Hannah Marissa Ohm

Soil Science

Rural and urban dwellers frequently face decisions relating to human health. Among these are issues pertaining to water quality, and the availability of safe and nutritious food. Rural septic systems treat household wastewater which could contaminate surface and near surface waters if left untreated. In urban areas and food deserts the quality of the locally sourced food may be of concern. Many of these issues can be resolved with access to current soils information and interpretations, and an understanding of how the soil functions in the user’s area of interest. From planting a community garden to replacing a failing septic …

Soil Biological Functioning And Recovery In Soils Disturbed From Bakken Oil And Gas Activities, Zachary John Bartsch

Soil Science

Oil and gas activity-related soil disturbances can alter soil properties and reduce microbial function, which is crucial for nutrient cycling and proper soil function. The goal of this research was to investigate effects of remediation techniques on soil biological property recovery following various types of oil and gas disturbances. A series of studies evaluating microbial abundance, crop growth, and biological properties were conducted on crude oil-contaminated subsoils remediated either with thermal desorption or land farming. Thermally desorbed subsoil achieved similar yields to non-contaminated topsoil after four years. Additionally, biological properties in blended soil (1:1 topsoil to subsoil) were studied using …

Calcium Acetate: An Alternative To Gypsum For Brine Impacted Soils, Annalie Peterson

Soil Science

With North Dakota being ranked as a leading producer of oil and natural gas in the United States, the possibility of accidental produced water (aka “brine” or “salt water”) spills is a continuous concern. Brine water poses numerous threats to soil properties as it has the potential of causing soil dispersion by increased concentrations of sodium. The goal of this research was to compare the effectiveness of several calcium amendments: calcium acetate, flue gas desulphurization gypsum and pelletized gypsum, on improving the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and removing sodium of three brine impacted soils. Ultimately, increasing rates of calcium acetate …