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Understanding The Assumptions Of An Seir Compartmental Model Using Agentization And A Complexity Hierarchy, Elizabeth Hunter, John D. Kelleher

Articles

Equation-based and agent-based models are popular methods in understanding disease dynamics. Although there are many types of equation-based models, the most common is the SIR compartmental model that assumes homogeneous mixing and populations. One way to understand the effects of these assumptions is by agentization. Equation-based models can be agentized by creating a simple agent-based model that replicates the results of the equationbased model, then by adding complexity to these agentized models it is possible to break the assumptions of homogeneous mixing and populations and test how breaking these assumptions results in different outputs. We report a set of experiments …

Evaluation Iron (Fe) And Lad (Pb) Effect On Diabetes Mellitus2 Patients In Erbil Governorate, Ahmed Sa’Adi Hassan

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex, chronic illness requiring continuous medical care with multifactorial risk-reduction strategies beyond glycemic control to preventing acute complications and reducing the risk of long-term complications. Therefore, Iraq is one of the 19 countries and territories of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)The target of present work is to study some cases of people evaluation Iron (Fe) and led (Pb) effect on DM2 patients in Erbil governorate lead was estimated by using Flam atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS) and the estimation of iron by used randox manual kit, while the grafite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (GFAAS) was used …

Synthesis And Analysis Of Short Antimicrobial Peptides: Rr, Rika Igr, And Hq, Kathleen Pierce

Master's Theses

A significant impending threat to the public health system is the rise of multidrug resistant bacteria. An attractive potential option to combat this is antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). AMPs are peptide chains with lengths that range from 10 to 70 amino acid residues that show antimicrobial activity. AMPs tend to have less toxicity than other antibiotic therapies, have a broader range of activity, and have a decreased resistance development by the target cells. Short AMPs are especially attractive due to their stability as well as their ability to penetrate cell membranes. With a wide range of possible AMPs available, further characterization …

Using Poultry To Enhance Food Security In Stann Creek, Belize, Emily Spatz

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Food insecurity is a growing issue in developing and developed countries alike, and in countries like Belize, the prevalence of hunger has soared in recent years. Not having access to diets with sufficient calories and nutrients leads to a host of developmental issues, including stunting and cognitive delays. The purpose of this work was to create an all-encompassing manual for small-scale broiler production, with the intention of another honors student overseeing the implementation of the ideas set forth in the manual, in order to provide nourishment for the students and staff of a school in Belize. After determining that the …

The Effects Of Stress On The Mammalian Nucleolus And Ribosome Synthesis, Russell T. Sapio

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Ribosomes are responsible for translating every protein in the cell and are essential in all domains of life. Ribosome biosynthesis (RB) takes place in the nucleolus and is an intricate hierarchical process involving over 200 factors, including ribosomal proteins, ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and trans-acting ribosome biogenesis factors (RBFs). Inhibiting RB can disrupt nucleolar integrity, causing ribosomal- and nucleolar-factors to delocalize. This can stabilize the transcription factor p53, which is normally degraded rapidly, ultimately causing cell cycle arrest or apoptosis, through a mechanism termed the nucleolar stress response (NSR). This thesis explores the effects of inhibiting RB post rRNA transcription and …

The Relationship Between Sickle Cell Anemia And Falciparum Malaria: Is It Human Evolution In Action?, Alan L. Gillen, Jared G. Mast, Nathan Mast

Faculty Publications and Presentations

The sickle cell trait has been widely considered a classic example of human evolution in action because of the mutation’s ability to protect against malarial infections. Under normal physiological conditions, Plasmodium falciparum is capable of reproducing and spreading systemically, however individuals carrying the sickle cell trait possess sickled erythrocytes that excessively leak potassium, resulting in the inhibition of P. falciparum development. Recent studies have shown that the mutation responsible for the sickle cell trait – hemoglobin S (HbS) mutation – is higher in areas of the world where malaria is endemic. This indicates that the mutation is nonrandom in nature, …

The Moderating Role Of Experiential Avoidance Between Child-Caregiver Dynamics And Stem Motivation, Dylan L. Harrell

Doctoral Dissertations

The National Academy of Sciences released a report that discussed the increased need to improve interest and retention of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers in the United States. Early childhood factors within one’s family plays an essential role in the process of career decision making, self-concept, and vocational identity. The current study examined the relationship experiential avoidance has on early family dynamics (i.e., family environment, differentiation of self, attachment, and perceived parenting) and perceived motivation in STEM. A total of 231 participants currently enrolled in a Southern University taking a STEM course (Psychology, Biology, Social Science, Computer Science, …

Storing Water For The Environment: Operating Reservoirs To Improve California’S Freshwater Ecosystems, Sarah Null, Jeffrey Mount, Brian Gray, Kristen Dybala, Gokce Sencan, Anna Sturrock, Barton Thompson, Harrison Zeff

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

California’s freshwater ecosystems—its lakes, rivers, floodplains, meadows, natural and managed wetlands, and estuaries—are a vital part of the state’s natural infrastructure. These ecosystems provide numerous benefits, including water supply, hydropower, flood control, fisheries, recreation, and cultural and aesthetic value. They are also home to the nation’s most diverse array of plant and animal communities, with numerous freshwater species found only in California (Jensen et al. 1993; Grantham et al. 2017).

Perception Of Illness And Its Association With Willingness To Adhere To Treatment In Chronic Hepatitis C Patients With New Diagnosis Of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Carmel Kruse

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing DNP Capstone Projects

Chronic liver disease is becoming the most common cause of mortality, morbidity, and utilization of healthcare services globally. Both nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) are frequent causes of chronic liver disease. Recently, there have been significant findings on the relationship between NAFLD and CHC; patients with CHC have a higher incidence of NAFLD. The introduction of direct-acting antivirals has cured more CHC patients than ever before. Unfortunately, the current interventions for NAFLD requiring behavioral change remain ineffective. Patient’s ability to follow advice depends largely on their health beliefs; therefore, understanding their illness perception is an …

Description, Diversity, And Phylogeography Of The North American Spider Beetle (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) Genus Coleotestudo, Robert Chambliss

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A new genus, Coleotestudo, is proposed for the American species currently placed in the genus Niptus LeConte and are transferred herein. Two new species from Mexico are also described as C. potosi n. sp. and C. nahua n. sp. Distinguishing morphological characteristics for the North American Coleotestudo species are given. The combined set of morphological evidence, DNA sequence data, and a Western New World distribution strongly support the hypothesis that Coleotestudo does not share a recent common ancestor with N. hololeucus and both represent unrelated clades of spider beetles.

During the summer of 2021, Coleotestudo was collected mainly from …

Functional Characterization Of Mycobacterium Smegmatis Phage Moomoo Gene Products: Identification Of Toxic Genes, Whitney Heard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Mycobacteriophages are a group of phages that infect members of the genus Mycobacteria. Previous studies have conducted extensive comparisons of the mycobacteriophage genomes and amino acid sequences to establish different phage families. MooMoo is a singleton mycobacteriophage that has been characterized due to its lack of appreciable homology to other phages. Some of its unique properties include its structure and the isolation of a mutant that causes clear plaque phenotypes. The experiments described in this thesis identified three MooMoo phage (gp87, gp90, and gp91) encoded proteins that are toxic to the bacterial host, Mycobacterium smegmatis.Through the use of a …

Jackie: Fast Enumeration Of Genome-Wide Single- And Multicopy Crispr Target Sites And Their Off-Target Numbers., Jacqueline Jufen Zhu, Albert Cheng

Faculty Research 2022

Zinc finger protein-, transcription activator like effector-, and CRISPR-based methods for genome and epigenome editing and imaging have provided powerful tools to investigate functions of genomes. Targeting sequence design is vital to the success of these experiments. Although existing design software mainly focus on designing target sequence for specific elements, we report here the implementation of Jackie and Albert's Comprehensive K-mer Instances Enumerator (JACKIE), a suite of software for enumerating all single- and multicopy sites in the genome that can be incorporated for genome-scale designs as well as loaded onto genome browsers alongside other tracks for convenient web-based graphic-user-interface-enabled design. …

Approvals And Prices Of Systemic Antibiotics In Saudi Arabia And The United States, Saad Alharthi

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

Introduction

Antibiotics is one of the therapeutic classes with the highest level of consumption in the world. Despite the global diffusion of antibiotics, their availability and prices vary by country. This study assessed differences in the availability and prices of systemic antibiotics marketed in the United States (US) and Saudi Arabia and evaluated the factors associated with the differences in prices of systemic antibiotics marketed in both countries.

Material and Methods

We collected regulatory data from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) and the …

Application Of Sulfur Sad To Small Crystals With A Large Asymmetric Unit And Anomalous Substructure, Tung Chung Mou, Baisen Zeng, Tzanko I. Doukov, Stephen R. Sprang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The application of sulfur single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (S-SAD) to determine the crystal structures of macromolecules can be challenging if the asymmetric unit is large, the crystals are small, the size of the anomalously scattering sulfur structure is large and the resolution at which the anomalous signals can be accurately measured is modest. Here, as a study of such a case, approaches to the SAD phasing of orthorhombic Ric-8A crystals are described. The structure of Ric-8A was published with only a brief description of the phasing process [Zeng et al. (2019), Structure, 27, 1137-1141]. Here, alternative approaches to determining the 40-atom …

2022-2023 Lindenwood University Undergraduate Course Catalog, Lindenwood University

Course Catalogs

Lindenwood University Undergraduate Course Catalog

Effects Of Nnos Inhibitors On Melanoma-Induced Immunosuppression, Kate Alison Lozada

Pharmaceutical Sciences (MS) Theses

The incidence of cutaneous melanoma (CM) rises despite advances in immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Studies have shown that interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), a pro-tumorigenic cytokine in CM, induces the expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), leading to the escape of melanoma cells from immunosurveillance. Our previous study suggests that neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-mediated nitric oxide (NO) signaling is crucial for melanoma progression and forms a mechanistic rationale behind nNOS inhibition as a novel treatment strategy for CM. An additional study demonstrated that IFN-γ interacts with nNOS signaling in melanoma and novel nNOS inhibitors (nNOSi) effectively diminished the induction of PD-L1 post …

Sex And Gender Differences In Symptoms Of Early Psychosis: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Brooke Carter, Jared Wootten, Suzanne Archie, Amanda L Terry, Kelly K. Anderson

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

First-episode psychosis (FEP) can be quite variable in clinical presentation, and both sex and gender may account for some of this variability. Prior literature on sex or gender differences in symptoms of psychosis have been inconclusive, and a comprehensive summary of evidence on the early course of illness is lacking. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to summarize prior evidence on the sex and gender differences in the symptoms of early psychosis. We conducted an electronic database search (MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycINFO, and CINAHL) from 1990 to present to identify quantitative …

Interleukin 15 Modulates The Effects Of Poly I:C Maternal Immune Activation On Offspring Behaviour, Faraj L. Haddad, Salonee V. Patel, Ella E. Doornaert, Cleusa De Oliveira, Brian L. Allman, Kelly J. Baines, Stephen J. Renaud, Susanne Schmid

Neuroscience Institute Publications

Maternal infections during pregnancy are linked with an increased risk for disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder and schizophrenia in the offspring. Although precise mechanisms are still unclear, clinical and preclinical evidence suggest a strong role for maternal immune activation (MIA) in the neurodevelopmental disruptions caused by maternal infection. Previously, studies using the Polyinosinic:Polycytidylic (Poly I:C) MIA preclinical model showed that cytokines like Interleukin 6 (Il6) are important mediators of MIA's effects. In this study, we hypothesized that Il15 may similarly act as a mediator of Poly I:C MIA, given its role in the antiviral immune response. To test this hypothesis, …

Mechanisms And Biomarker Potential Of Extracellular Vesicles In Stroke, Nikita Ollen-Bittle, Austyn D. Roseborough, Wenxuan Wang, Jeng Liang D. Wu, Shawn N. Whitehead

Neuroscience Institute Publications

Stoke is a prevalent and devastating neurologic condition with limited options for therapeutic management. Since brain tissue is rarely accessible clinically, peripheral biomarkers for the central nervous system’s (CNS’s) cellular response to stroke may prove critical for increasing our understanding of stroke pathology and elucidating novel therapeutic targets. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived, membrane-enclosed vesicles secreted by all cell types within the CNS that can freely pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and contain unique markers and content linked to their cell of origin. These unique qualities make brain-derived EVs novel candidates for non-invasive blood-based biomarkers of both cell specificity and …

International Union Of Angiology (Iua) Consensus Paper On Imaging Strategies In Atherosclerotic Carotid Artery Imaging: From Basic Strategies To Advanced Approaches, Luca Saba, Pier Luigi Antignani, Ajay Gupta, Riccardo Cau, Kosmas I. Paraskevas, Pavel Poredos, Bruce Wasserman, Hooman Kamel, Efthymios D. Avgerinos, Rodrigo Salgado, Federico Caobelli, Leonardo Aluigi, Luis Savastano, Martin Brown, Tom Hatsukami, Emad Hussein, Jasjit S. Suri, Armado Mansilha, Max Wintermark, Daniel Staub, Jose Fernandes Montequin, Ruben Tomas Toro Rodriguez, Niranjan Balu, Jan Pitha, M. Eline Kooi, Brajesh K. Lal, J. David Spence, Giuseppe Lanzino, Hugh Stephen Marcus, Marcello Mancini

Neuroscience Institute Publications

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality and disability in developed countries. According to WHO, an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to major adverse cardiac and cerebral events. Early detection and care for individuals at high risk could save lives, alleviate suffering, and diminish economic burden associated with these diseases. Carotid artery disease is not only a well-established risk factor for ischemic stroke, contributing to 10%–20% of strokes or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), but it is also a surrogate marker of generalized …

What Happened During Covid-19? Instructional Setting As A Predictor Of Student's Academic Achievement, Wil Perkins Ed.D., Usen Akpanudo Ed.D.

Administrative Faculty & Staff Research and Publications

Our goal in the current study was to identify the degree to which instructional setting (remote versus traditional) predicted students’ academic achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic. A matched sample of data from 194 undergraduate students who were continuously enrolled at a private university in the southeastern United States from the spring semester of 2020 through the spring semester of 2021 was selected for this study. Data from students enrolled remotely across 37 majors were matched by sex, enrollment status, and Spring 2020 GPA. Our findings showed that neither instructional setting, students’ sex, nor the number of hours they attempted were …

Fire And Human Management Of Late Holocene Ecosystems In Southern Africa, Benjamin Davies, Mitchell J. Power, David R. Braun, Matthew J. Douglass, Stella G. Mosher, Lynne J. Quick, Irene Esteban, Judith Sealy, John Parkington, J. Tyler Faith

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Globally, fire is a primary agent for modifying environments through the long-term coupling of human and natural systems. In southern Africa, control of fire by humans has been documented since the late Middle Pleistocene, though it is unclear when or if anthropogenic burning led to fundamental shifts in the region's fire regimes. To identify potential periods of broad-scale anthropogenic burning, we analyze aggregated Holocene charcoal sequences across southern Africa, which we compare to paleoclimate records and archaeological data. We show climate-concordant variability in mid-Holocene fire across much of the subcontinent. However, increased regional fire activity during the late Holocene (~2000 …

Secondary Science Teachers Use Of Models In Teaching And Learning About Earth’S Climate, Kimberly Carroll Steward

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Global climate change (GCC) presents unprecedented global concerns, notably food supply limitations, unsustainable use of natural resources, and widespread environmental degradation. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports a 0.85 °C increase in global average temperatures between 1880 and 2018 and a 50% increase in global carbon dioxide emissions since 1990 (Stocker et al., 2018). As a result of the urgency of the situation, there is a strong emphasis on empowering citizens through outreach and education. There is a need to adequately prepare the next generation of scientists, politicians, business leaders, and other people; it is crucial to foster …

The Effect Of Plant Elicitor Peptide On Nematode Infected Soybean, Siyang Liu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean (Glycine max), an important economic crop native to East Asia, is grown worldwide for its edible beans. Soybean plants are vulnerable to a wide range of diseases, and nematodes are among the worst pests of soybean. The southern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) and soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) are both notable nematode pests of soybean, with the soybean cyst nematode causing more than 30% of total yield loss in the US. Numerous attempts have been made to control soybean nematodes over the past several decades, and genetic engineering technology has received a lot of attention in recent years. Plant …

Analysis Of Seismicity And Related Seismic Risk In Muslim Countries: Case Studies From Afghanistan And Pakistan, Ikramuddin Bahram

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

How communities respond to a natural hazard is influenced by how they perceive it. This dissertation evaluated the gap between intent and action regarding earthquake hazards in Muslim countries with a focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Cultural biases provided predictions of risk perceptions and risk-taking preferences that were often more powerful than measures of knowledge and experience. In Muslim communities, perception of risk was influenced by the teachings of Islam and related rituals, traditions, and culture.

This study evaluated the seismicity and earthquake hazard in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Assessments of seismic risk and perception of danger were conducted to examine …

Assessing Consumer Demand, Producer Profitability, And The Environmental Impacts Of Conservation Agriculture Adoption In Sub-Saharan Africa, Willy Byamungu Mulimbi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores three aspects of conservation agriculture (CA) in the Sub-Saharan African region (SSA). The first article examines the demand side of CA and explores whether urban maize (Zea mays L.) consumers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) would be willing to pay a premium for CA-produced maize flour. The second article estimates the effects CA provides to adopters and their farms in smallholder farming systems in the DRC, focusing on changes in soil properties and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) yields. The final article uses a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach to monetize the environmental impacts of adopting …

Mitochondrial Dna Diversity, Parasite And Pathogen Occurrence, And A Potential Disease Vector In Managed And Unmanaged Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera L. Populations, Dylan Cleary

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The western honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is a globally important pollinator plagued by several harmful stressors impacting colony health and survival. At least eight A. mellifera subspecies were imported and continue to be the genetic ancestors of U.S. honey bee populations today. Successive genetic bottle-neck events have led to reduced genetic diversity in U.S. honey bees. First, the subset of subspecies imported into the U.S. represents only a third of A. mellifera subspecies. Next, the parasitic varroa mite reduced managed and feral populations. Third, ongoing breeding practices have selected for traits from a single genetic lineage and bred from …

Geometric Analysis Of Insect Wing Vein Network, Jacob White, Ying Hu, Sangjin Ryu, Seunghee Kim, Haipeng Zhang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

An insect wing consists of a thin membrane supported by a system of veins, and flow of blood through the system of veins is critical for maintaining healthy insect wings. Better understanding of the insect wing vein circulation requires to know how the efficiency of blood flow in an insect wing relates to the geometric shape of the vein. Our investigation of the wing vein network of a dragonfly Anax junius follows the idea of Murray’s law, which is established in the study of efficiency of the vein network and the geometric shape of the vein. Instead of using the …

Client’S Satisfaction Regarding Immunization Program Services Of Children Under 5 Years In Al- Diwaniyah Governorate, Iraq, Fadel Mohammed Jasem, Ali Hussein Al-Hafidh

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Immunization against infectious diseases is one of the most successful public health interventions; it is safe and economically feasible. The aim of the vaccination process is to prevent disability and death resulting from diseases that can be prevented by vaccines. Smallpox was completely eradicated in the previous period using vaccination programs, and now the world is close to eradicating polio. To evaluate the client’s satisfaction with the services of the expanded program of immunization in Diwaniyah governorate / Iraq. Cross-sectional descriptive study and included a random sample of clients consisting of 420 caregivers (mothers, fathers, and relatives of children) were …

Moran And Bell Research British Tearooms, Where A Hunger For Rural Past Meant Opportunities For Women, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

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