Digital Commons Network^™

Cell Aggregation Activates Small Gtpase Rac1 And Induces Cd44 Cleavage By Maintaining Lipid Raft Integrity, Dong Li, Younhee Park, Hami Hemati, Xia Liu

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Lipid rafts are highly ordered membrane domains that are enriched in cholesterol and glycosphingolipids and serve as major platforms for signal transduction. Cell detachment from the extracellular matrix (ECM) triggers lipid raft disruption and anoikis, which is a barrier for cancer cells to metastasize. Compared to single circulating tumor cells (CTCs), our recent studies have demonstrated that CD44-mediatd cell aggregation enhances the stemness, survival and metastatic ability of aggregated cells. Here, we investigated whether and how lipid rafts are involved in CD44-mediated cell aggregation. We found that cell detachment, which mimics the condition when tumor cells detach from the ECM …

High Throughput Phenotyping: Field Based Triticale Breeding And Educational Resource Impact, Catherine Kay Mick

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Triticale (Triticosecale) is a multifunctional hybrid cereal crop that adopted the hardiness of rye and wheat's high-yielding and nutritional qualities. Plant breeding programs work to improve the quality and number of varieties available to producers through multiple rounds of evaluation and selection. However, traditional phenotyping methods are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and destructive, creating a phenotyping bottleneck. Remote sensing using unmanned aerial systems has the potential to alleviate this issue and change the evaluation of phenotypes in a breeding. Demand for educational resources to advance public awareness and prepare the workforce has increased with the utilization of more technology in …

Vulnerabilities Of Greater Prairie Chicken And Tier 1 At-Risk Species In Nebraska Caused By Grassland Transition To Woody Dominance, Robert Peterson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Woody plant encroachment is a global threat and has been transitioning grasslands to woody dominance at a biome scale. This threat is present in the Great Plains grassland biome which is currently experiencing grassland biome collapse as the alternative woody biome advances northwest. Nebraska, which contains the most intact temperate grassland in the world, is currently at the front lines of this large-scale transition making this state’s management decisions vital for the remaining grasslands and the species which rely on these ecosystems. In this study, we assess the vulnerability of Greater Prairie Chicken and Tier 1 at-risk species in Nebraska …

Evaluation Of Vegetative Indices To Determine Canopy Ground Cover For Winter Survival And Hybrid Necrosis In Winter Wheat, Micheal Young

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The benefit of unmanned aircraft systems and image processing methods in agronomic research across numerous crops has been well documented as has the importance of wheat, Triticum aestivum L., on the global food supply. Hence there is great interest in digital solutions applied to aspects of wheat breeding. A major trait of importance to winter wheat breeders in higher latitudes is winter survival, which can result in poor yield and performance if lines do not survive extreme cold. Scoring winter survival is most commonly based on visual score of 0% to 100% with the higher percentage conveying higher winter survival …

The Uteach Program: Minimizing The Disconnect Between Teacher Preparation Programs And Teaching Actualized, Chanel Howard Veazy

Education Theses and Dissertations

New teachers entering classrooms from teacher preparation programs are inadequately prepared to handle the demands of educating today's youth, as the country confronts teacher shortages in historic numbers, particularly in the fields of science and mathematics. The research underscores the pressing need for adequately prepared teachers in today's classrooms, particularly in addressing teacher shortages, which have been historically significant, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields such as science and mathematics. To address these issues, the University of Texas at Austin introduced the UTeach program in 1997 with the aim of improving the quantity and quality of secondary …

Whither Bivens And Lgbt Incarcerated Plaintiffs? 7th Circuit Trashes Farmer V. Brennan As A Precedent, Arthur S. Leonard

Other Publications

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of North Carolina's Public Accommodation Ordinances And A Proposal For A Statewide Public Accommodation Law, Becca Pearson

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Role And Relevance Of Investment Treaties In Promoting Renewable Energy Investments, Ladan Mehranvar, Lisa E. Sachs

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

Co-authors Ladan Mehranvar and Lisa Sachs discuss the effect of investment treaties as catalysts for critical investments in the energy transition, with a particular focus on the Spanish renewable energy cases. The book chapter, "The Role and Relevance of Investment Treaties in Promoting Renewable Energy Investments," is featured in Investment Arbitration and Climate Change, published by Kluwer Law International B.V.

Under Pressure: A Daily Diary Study Of Online Social Influence And Youth Substance Use, Anna Dmitriyevna Ziencina

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Alcohol and marijuana are widely used by youths across the U.S. [Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 2023], and youthsâ?? use of such substances comes with a myriad of consequences (e.g., increased risk for long-term substance abuse; Griffin et al., 2019). Social influence is one process through which youths may develop positive attitudes towards substance use (Steinberg & Monahan, 2007), but there is a dearth of research on how such influence operates within the online environment. The present study sought to examine associations between daily social media use and youthsâ?? daily attitudes towards alcohol and marijuana useâ??as well …

Survivors Of Domestic Violence: Reclaiming Their Freedom, Flor Icel Ortega

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Monarch Services is an agency that is dedicated to helping victims or survivors of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Human Trafficking. Their mission is, “Lives Free from Violence and Abuse.” Case managers want to empower their clients to take back control and gain their freedom and independence safely. As the agency grew there was a need to create programs that would cater to the needs of the client, with the Housing First Program as one of the newer programs. The Housing First Program is a homeless assistance model that focuses on prioritizing long-term permanent housing for individuals and families, thus …

Residual Pulmonary Vascular Obstruction Following Mechanical Thrombectomy For Submassive Pulmonary Embolism: A Single-Center Analysis, Brian Stegman, Thom G. Dahle, Wade Schmidt, Jacob R. Dutcher, Tanya Glenz

Articles

Background:

Residual pulmonary vascular obstruction (RPVO) following pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with residual dyspnea, recurrent venous thromboembolism, and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Historically, acute PE treated with anticoagulation alone results in high rates of significant RPVO. Contemporary treatment of submassive PE often involves catheter-based interventions, including mechanical thrombectomy (MT), although their relation to RPVO is not characterized. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the rate of greater than or equal to 10% RPVO in patients treated with MT.

Methods:

Twenty consecutive patients with submassive PE in a single center underwent MT and subsequent planar ventilation/perfusion scintigraphy scan at …

The Hydrodynamic Performance Of Duck Feet For Submerged Swimming Resembles Oars Rather Than Delta-Wings, Gal Ribak, Roi Gurka

Physics and Engineering Science

Waterfowl use webbed feet to swim underwater. It has been suggested that the triangular shape of the webbed foot functions as a lift-generating delta wing rather than a drag-generating oar. To test this idea, we studied the hydrodynamic characteristics of a diving duck’s (Aythya nyroca) foot. The foot’s time varying angles-of-attack (AoAs) during paddling were extracted from movies of ducks diving vertically in a water tank. Lift and drag coefficients of 3D-printed duck-foot models were measured as a function of AoA in a wind-tunnel; and the near-wake flow dynamics behind the foot model was characterized using particle image velocimetry (PIV) …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Nuclear Security Training And Education In Ghana, Michael Nii Sanka Ansah, Boris Stepanov Pavlovich, Paul Atta Amoah, David Okoh Kpeglo, Simon Adu, Bright Kwame Afornu

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Growing attention is being given to nuclear power across several African countries, including in Ghana. The world is depending on nuclear energy as a reliable and efficient means of energy generation. Ghana as a country is developing nuclear energy; thus, equal attention must be directed toward nuclear safety and security. Ghana is gradually developing interest in and is devoting substantial required resources to educating and training on nuclear security to meet the standards required by international bodies. Institutions such as the Nuclear Safety and Security Centre and the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission …

December 2023, Volume 19, Number 3, Winthrop University Archives And Special Collections

Retrospect: News from the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University

No abstract provided.

The Hand That Nurtures, Alyssa Ferraro

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

To My Biological Father: A Pantoum, Wilda Morris

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

The Endoparasite Fauna Of Mesopredatory Mesopelagic Teleosts, Alexander U. Rayburn

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The ecology of the mesopelagic zone is an understudied area of the open ocean, with few diet studies even for dominant fish species. Since endoparasites are generally transmitted trophically, descriptions of the parasite communities within fishes can often provide additional insights on food web interactions. This project assesses the endoparasite faunal community of mesopredatory mesopelagic teleosts to better understand mesopelagic food webs in the South Atlantic Bight. Fishes in the Families Alepisauridae (lancetfishes), Gempylidae (snake mackerels), Bramidae (pomfrets), and Scombrolabracidae (longfin escolar) are frequent bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery targeting swordfish Xiphias gladius and thunnid tunas, yet the ecology …

Do Mesopelagic Fish Biomass Patterns Change In Response To Major Oceanographic Features In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico?, Ian M. Areford

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

In recent years interest in mesopelagic fishes has grown due to their ecological significance and economic potential. A major outstanding question is how the assemblage is potentially structured by mesoscale (10 - 100s km) oceanographic features such as eddies, fronts, and riverine plumes. Mesoscale features are known to influence micronekton and zooplankton’s spatial distributions but data on individual mesopelagic fish species’ responses are limited. The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is an area of particular interest due to its diverse mesopelagic fish assemblage, its well-defined mesoscale oceanographic features, its history of anthropogenic impacts such as oil spills, and its diverse mesopelagic …

From Becoming To Being: How Stem Teachers Develop Leadership Identities, Kelsey Quaisley, Wendy M. Smith, Brett A. Criswell, Rachel Funk, Anna Hutchinson

Secondary Education Faculty Publications

The development of STEM teacher leadership identity empowers K-12 teachers to make changes to improve teaching and learning. Identity development might not be productively supported in all school settings, however. Hence, external professional development programs should offer opportunities to supplement this identity development. We construct and propose a Can't-to-Becoming-to-Being model to describe STEM teacher leadership identity development as a progression of stages from weak to strong identity. Using interview data over two points in time with 127 STEM teacher leaders, we illustrate four stages of development: Can't, Can, Should, and Being. We also elucidate the conditions that teachers identify as …

Exploring The Mechanistic Effects Of Surface Characteristics On Uv254 And Bl405 Disinfection Efficacy, Castine Annastasia Bernardy

Doctoral Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for more robust surface disinfection technologies. Photoinactivation efficacy for microbial pathogens and many surrogates has been well studied for water disinfection. However, there is a limited body of knowledge from research on surface disinfection applications of these technologies. The onset of the global pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase in surface disinfection devices being marketed to consumers, yet regulations for such devices have not been developed. This doctoral research studies the inactivation efficacy of two wavelengths, UV254 and BL405. The objective of this doctoral dissertation was to expand the body of knowledge required to …

Exploring Protein Function And Stability: Case Studies On Cryoprotection And Thermal Stability Of Antifreeze Proteins, Enzyme Inhibition Of Sars-Cov-2 Main Protease, And B. Subtilis Protein Stability, Katarina Jovic

Doctoral Dissertations

In this work, I have explored basic questions related to protein structure, function, and stability, which are critical for understanding the fundamental mechanisms of biology. The dissertation is divided into four chapters, which are different topics I have worked on. In Chapters 1 and 2, I will discuss my work on two different antifreeze proteins, in Chapter 3 my work on the main protease from SARS-CoV-2 is presented, while Chapter 4 details the characterization of protein stability of four B. subtilis proteins. While the projects are distinct from one another, they all contribute to deciphering the molecular basis of life …

Towards Improved Genomic Surveillance Of Organisms, Joseph L. Sevigny

Doctoral Dissertations

DNA and RNA sequencing is an indispensable tool for the surveillance and monitoring of organisms. Technological advances and research opportunities over the past several years have transformed and driven my research questions; from understanding the impacts of environmental perturbations on complex benthic communities, to tracking and understanding emerging pathogens like SARS-CoV-2. All of them revolve around the use of DNA sequencing to ask fundamental questions about our understanding genomes and their relationship to phenotype and the environment. The advent of sequencing-based characterization has revolutionized our approach to studying organismal communities on a large scale, offering the ability to analyze vast …

Understanding The Role Of Impounded Water Bodies In River Network Nutrient Exports In A Dynamic Landscape, Christopher Thomas Whitney

Doctoral Dissertations

Impounded water bodies are a significant component of aquatic networks and various forms have been studied extensively. However, knowledge gaps exist in the research on human-made dams and their reservoirs as well as beaver ponds as both uniquely affect water quality and nutrient exports in different ways. This study fills those knowledge gaps by investigating fluxes of all forms of dissolved nitrogen from small, human-made reservoirs at seasonal timescales. This study found that small reservoirs have a significant effect on nitrogen concentrations but this effect is seasonal and fluxes transported downstream are highly dependent on discharge. Removal of small dams …

Investigating Posttranslational Modifications Of Hsp90 And The Epichaperome In Embryonic Stem Cells, Seth William Mcnutt

Doctoral Dissertations

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a highly conserved and essential molecular chaperone in eukaryotes. Through interactions with various co-chaperones, Hsp90 is able to adapt to meet the specific needs of a structurally and functionally diverse, but specific set of clienteles. The diversity of its clients makes it a key regulator of nearly all cellular processes, and it serves as a central hub for many different signaling networks. One of the major functions of the Hsp90 chaperone machinery is in the modulation of protein homeostasis, a protective function often exploited in cancer cells in order to buffer oncogenic mutations and …

A Global Gene Expression Approach To Exploring Rock Colonization By Blastococcus Saxobsidens, Ryan Patrick Wilmot

Doctoral Dissertations

Introduction: Blastococcus saxobsidens is an endolithic bacterium associated with biodegradation of stone monuments across the Mediterranean basin. Recently, strains of the bacterium have been isolated from high altitude deserts in Chile, volcanic glass in Iceland, and from masonry of several cultural heritage sites across Europe and the Americas. Blastococcus saxobsidens global dispersion has been linked to patterns of wind distributed dust particles. The physiology that this bacterium uses to colonize a wide range of rock types in such distinct locations has not been previously explored however. This project has established that B. saxobsidens colonizes and respires a variety of chemically …

Displaying Phenylalanine Ammonia Lyases On Bacillus Subtilis Spore Surface For The Treatment Of Phenylketonuria Through Oral Administration, Guo Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

Bacillus subtilis spores are formed in response to adverse conditions as a survival mechanism. These spores are in a dormant state and do not require any nutrients. Their DNA is wrapped with self-assembled multilayers of protective proteins. These spores are highly resistant to various harsh conditions. B. subtilis spores serve as a well-characterized model for studying endospore formation and have been developed as a platform system for displaying heterologous proteins of various functions. It has been demonstrated that proteins displayed on the spore surface can enhance their robustness and extend their shelf-life, including enzymes as robust biocatalysts and antigens as …

Lessons From Hiv, Boriana Marintcheva

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Understanding Riverine Plastic Accumulation Along An Urbanization And Spatial Gradient: A Plastics Study In The Ipswich River Watershed, Emily Kathryn Lever

Master's Theses and Capstones

Plastic pollution in marine and freshwater ecosystems is a pervasive issue on regional, national, and global scales. A portion of land-based plastics ends up in the world’s oceans through river transport; some land-based plastics are retained within the surface freshwater network. Little is known about how much plastic pollution entering the surface water network is stored vs. exported to oceans. We studied macro- and microplastic in a suburban coastal watershed, the Ipswich River Watershed of Massachusetts, USA in 2022 to gain a better understanding of plastic accumulation in sediments versus downstream flux during baseflow versus storms in streams of different …

Chemical And Biological Catalysis Using A Functionalized Fluorinated Phthalocyanine, Mary Chiọma Okorie

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Phthalocyanines, a class of photosensitizers that generate ¹O₂ using visible light, have been widely used in a variety of applications such as catalysis, solid-state materials, and photodynamic therapy. A 3^rd generation, namely functionalized fluorinated phthalocyanines, F₄₈H₇(COOH)PcMetal, containing a carboxylic acid “tail” allows the Pc to be anchored onto supports such as metal oxides, producing a new family of supported photocatalysts, F₄₈H₇(COOH)PcZn-Oxides.

These new materials photooxidize toxic thioethers mainly to less toxic sulfoxides using visible light and air, a genuine green chemistry pathway. The catalysts are robust and survive reactive …

Designing, Cloning, And Testing Genetically Engineered Metabolic Pathways To Produce Therapeutics In Gut Bacteria, Teresa Le

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.