Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding And Quantifying Bioaerosol Fate Within The Aerobiological Pathway: Physical Transport, Environmental Decay, And Mitigation, Sean Kinahan

Theses & Dissertations

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for better tools to understand and characterize phases of the aerobiological pathway, a model for understanding how infectious bioaerosols are sourced, generated, transported, deposit, and affect human health. This dissertation presents validation of methodologies for studying transport of airborne biological agents and variations on their consequences, especially focusing on their physical and chemical fate. Chapter 1 focuses on a parallel comparison of two methods of aging bioaerosols in real-world outdoor environments with complex sunlight, atmospheric chemistry, and pollutants. Both capture on microfibers and the use of Goldberg rotating drums to keep a …

Design, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Peptide Amphiphile Biomaterials, Huihua Xing

Theses & Dissertations

Self-assembled peptide amphiphiles (PAs) have gained significant attention in recent years due to their ability to form various supramolecular nanostructures with unique physical and chemical properties. These amphiphilic molecules consist of a hydrophobic tail and a peptide domain, allowing for the formation of nanoscale assemblies in aqueous environments. The PA supramolecular structures have a wide range of potential applications, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.

By manipulating the driving forces (e.g., hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds, and electrostatic interactions) involved in the self-assembly, researchers can tune the self- assembly properties (size, shape, stability, and surface character) and, consequently, the …

Genome-Scale Methylation Analysis In Blood And Tumor Identifies Immune Profile, Age Acceleration, And Dna Methylation Alterations Associated With Bladder Cancer Outcomes, Ji-Qing Chen

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Bladder cancer patients receive frequent screening due to the high tumor recurrence rate (more than 60%). Nowadays, the conventional monitoring method relies on cystoscopy which is highly invasive and increases patient morbidity and burden to the health care system with frequent follow-up. As a result, it is urgent to explore novel markers related to the outcomes of bladder cancer. Immune profiles have been associated with cancer outcomes and may have the potential to be biomarkers for outcomes management. However, little work has been conducted to investigate the associations of immune cell profiles with bladder cancer outcomes. Here, I utilized the …

Identification Of Immune Biomarkers In Thyroid Cancer, Anupam Kotwal

Theses & Dissertations

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy, estimated to be the second most common cancer in women by 2030. The frequency of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), the most common subtype of thyroid cancer, is higher in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease but the influence of the immune milieu on thyroid carcinogenesis remains unclear. To address this gap in knowledge, we performed clinical and translational experiments to identify immune biomarkers for the occurrence and prognosis of DTC. Multiparameter flow cytometry of peripheral blood from 32 adults found advanced thyroid cancer either at presentation or during the disease-course to be associated …

Association Of Inflammatory Markers And Growth Factors With Radiographically Assessed Wound Healing Of Extraction Sockets, Sasha Mohammadi

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this prospective cohort pilot study was to investigate the association of the periodontal status and inflammatory markers from the gingival crevicular and wound fluid with the healing outcomes following tooth extraction. The central research hypothesis is that extraction sites and the adjacent teeth that exhibit increased markers of inflammation, or decreased growth factors, at baseline or 2 weeks will be associated with reduced healing outcomes observed radiographically 3 months following surgery. Nine patients at the UNMC College of Dentistry who were seeking care to extract a posterior tooth due to advanced periodontal bone loss, non-restorable caries or …

Dynamics Of Site Search Process And Formation Of Synaptosome Assembly Characterized By Single Molecule Approaches, Sridhar Vemulapalli

Theses & Dissertations

Genome dynamics and integrity are the two crucial features defining the successful functioning of cells and their maintenance and evolution. The genetic processes in the cell require distant communications between the regulatory regions controlled by specific proteins. Mistakes in this interaction process will lead to termination of the genetic process may lead to the cell damage, disease development or the cell death. Similar distant regulatory process is required for numerous genome integration systems such as Variable Diversity Joining (V(D)J) recombination system resulting in the specificity of the immunoresponse, a defining property of the adaptive immune system. A common feature of …

Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication: Role Of Cx43 Phosphorylation By Tyrosine Kinases, Ishika Basu

Theses & Dissertations

Phosphorylation of Cx43 is a process that regulates various functionalities of the gap junction including assembly, stability, internalization, turnover, channel permeability and channel gating. Src has been shown to phosphorylate Cx43 at Y247, Y265, Y313 and regulate gap junctions. Intercellular communication in B and T cells is necessary to mediate adaptive immune response. However, there is little-to-no expression of Src in these lymphocytes. An in vitro kinase screen identified Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) and Interleukin 2-inducible T-cell kinase (ITK) to phosphorylate Cx43. Mass spectrometry identified Tyr residues to be phosphorylated by BTK and ITK, and these residues are similar to …

Overcoming Resistance Mechanisms To Cdk4/6 Inhibitor Treatment Using Cdk6-Selective Protac, Sarah Truong

Theses & Dissertations

Hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer (BC) constitutes approximately 75% of all breast cancer patients. These tumors rely on hormones, estrogen and progesterone, for their proliferation. The interaction between the hormones and their respective receptors enhances cyclin D expression, which results in the persistent activation of CDK4 and CDK6. The CDK4/6-cyclin D complex engages in a phosphorylation cascade that ultimately allows the cells to proceed past the G1/S checkpoint of the cell cycle. Inhibition of CDK4/6 has been shown to trigger cell cycle arrest, inhibit tumor growth, and induce apoptosis. Currently, there are three FDA-approved CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i). A limitation of …

Association Of Initial Periodontal Inflammation And Obesity On Oral Wound Healing Outcomes, Neil Bealka Iii

Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this prospective cohort pilot study was to determine if initial periodontal inflammation limits healing outcomes after tooth extraction, specifically in terms of reduced periodontal attachment on adjacent teeth and changes in radiographic bone quantity and quality. Additionally, the study sought to explore correlations between patients with high body mass index and post-extraction healing outcomes. The study enrolled nine patients at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College Of Dentistry who required the extraction of a posterior tooth due to advanced periodontal bone loss, non-restorable caries, or root fracture. Prior to extraction, a limited field cone beam CT …

Exploiting Vulnerabilities In The Ras-Rac Signaling Pathway For The Selective Targeting Of Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Neha Chaudhary

Theses & Dissertations

Deregulation of the KRas (Kirsten rat sarcoma virus) GTPase is one of the early hallmarks of Pancreatic Cancer (PC). The most common genetic alteration found in PC are mutations in the KRas protein that block its ability to hydrolyze GTP to GDP and resulting in higher levels of GTP-bound KRas, its active form. Pancreatic tumors driven by oncogenic mutants of KRas tend to be addicted to the oncogene, to the extent that its repression leads to the induction of cell death. This addiction to the KRAS oncogene makes the KRas protein an ideal target for cancer therapy. However, the globular …

Samd14 Mechanisms In Stress Erythropoiesis, Suhita Ray

Theses & Dissertations

Red blood cells (RBCs) essential for tissue oxygenation are generated by the process of erythropoiesis. Any decrease in the RBCs or the oxygen-carrying molecule hemoglobin leads to anemia, affecting nearly 1.62 billion people worldwide. Stress erythropoiesis describes the process of accelerating RBC production during anemia, to compensate for the loss. Among several important mediators of stress erythropoiesis, paracrine signals - involving cooperation between Stem Cell Factor (SCF)/Kit signaling and other signaling inputs – are required for the activation/function of a unique population of progenitor cells - stress erythroid progenitors (SEPs). Biological mechanisms controlling SEP activation and function can be distinct …

The Co-Oncogenic Function Of Ecdysoneless Protein With Erbb2 In Mammary Epithelial Cells, Benjamin B. Kennedy

Theses & Dissertations

The Ecdysoneless (ECD) protein is highly evolutionarily conserved and ubiquitously expressed across human tissues. ECD has established roles in cell cycle regulation, embryogenesis, cell survival, and RNA biogenesis. ECD mRNA and protein are overexpressed in breast cancer, and its overexpression correlates with poor patient survival, especially in ErbB2/HER2-positive breast cancer. This thesis work investigates the co-oncogenic role of ECD in ErbB2-driven oncogenesis using immortalized mammary epithelial cells. Here, we show that ECD and ErbB2 overexpression in immortalized human mammary epithelial cells increases cancer traits, such as invasion, migration, and anchorage independent growth. Significantly, ECD+ErbB2 co-overexpression further enhanced all oncogenic traits. …

Ud In The News Aug. 5-11, University Of Dayton

News Releases

Publications covering legal education featured a book written by UD law students. CIO magazine announced the appointment of Gurvinder Rekhi. Electro Optics magazine and Spectrum News 1 Ohio were among the news outlets highlighting UD research.

Characterization Of Phage-Host Interactions And Its Impact On Tail Fiber Evolution, Jessica Marie Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Beyond the scope of what our unaided eyes can see is a diverse and rich microbial community that greatly impacts each of our lives. Bacteria are microscopic organisms that can grow, develop, divide, and even rapidly evolve to adapt to new changes in their environment. Because of this, bacteria have gained the ability to thrive in extreme biological niches ranging from the high temperature and pressure surrounding hydrothermal vents to the harsh acidic conditions of our stomachs. One adaptation attracting attention, however, is their capability to survive in the presence of common and even last-resort antibiotics. The WHO recently reported …

Predicting The Best Birds And Bees: Parental-Efficacy As A Mediator Between Parental Factors And Parent-Child Sex Communication, Meg O. Jankovich

Theses and Dissertations

Recent literature on parent-child sex communication (PCSC) has identified optimal sex communication as being not only frequent, but also open in quality, and proactive in timing. However, no studies have sought to understand what motivates parents to participate in this type of optimal parent-child sex communication, nor assessed these relationships longitudinally. Using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to inform the analysis, this study investigated parent characteristics (parent's sexual self-concept and parenting dimensions) that may longitudinally predict optimal PCSC. This study further examined whether parental sex communication efficacy mediated these relationships. The sample included 607 mother-child dyads, and the father-figure when available (mother-father-child …

Loading Force In Recreational Runners And Its Effect On Achilles Tendon Biomechanical Properties, Joshua K. Sponbeck

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Achilles tendinopathy is a common debilitating running related injury. Achilles tendon loading force has been hypothesized as a contributor to Achilles tendinopathy. Loading force through the Achilles tendon during running is impacted by many factors such as footwear and foot strike pattern. Achilles tendon biomechanical (Achilles tendon cross-sectional area, thickness, echogenicity, stiffness, and T2*) responses to loading forces are variable and measurable in vivo. These responses impact the physiologic function of the tendon. Aims: 1) To evaluate baseline Achilles tendon biomechanical characteristics associated with a runner's habitual foot strike pattern. 2) To evaluate single running bout Achilles tendon biomechanical …

A Refuge And A Bridge: Native American Women's Tribal College Experiences, Morgan Duffy

Theses and Dissertations

This study, which focuses on the experiences of Native women attending a tribal college of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, responds to the call by Baird-Olson and Ward (2000) and Almeida (1997) for research that allows Native women, or the "hidden half," to tell their stories. Scant research has examined the value of tribal schools for Native American women and the experiences they have had in relation to their reservation and college lives. Providing narratives of women's experiences can illuminate how higher education in tribal college settings holds multiple values for Native women students as it acts as a refuge and …

Barriers And Facilitating Factors Of Sleep Assessment/Screening Among School Psychology Practitioners, Tyler Jjay Landon Storey

Theses and Dissertations

Sleep is an important and necessary part of life. While the biological need for sleep among school-aged individuals has not changed over the years, the quality and quantity of their sleep has. School-aged children reporting sleep deficits in the United States is on the rise and a significant body of research establishes associations between a lack of sleep and lower cognition as well as psychological and behavioral problems. These associations can heavily influence the academic progress and success of students. School psychologists are in a unique position to identify and provide support to individuals with sleep issues. Unfortunately, there is …

The Generalizability Of Proposed Theoretical Factor Models For Common Assessments For Specific Learning Disability In Reading Using A Community Sample, Sean B. Vanhille

Theses and Dissertations

Specific learning disabilities (SLD) are among the most diagnosed developmental disorders in children, with specific learning disability in reading (SLDR) as the most common. SLDR typically occurs due to deficits in phonological processing that can negatively impact decoding and/or reading comprehension skills. Reading deficits are often diagnosed using formal assessments such as the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP-2), the Gray Oral Reading Test (GORT-5), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V), and the Woodcock Johnson Achievement Battery (WJ-IV-A). I did not find any research in which the theoretical factor models proposed in the technical manuals of these assessments were …

270 Nm Ultra-Thin Self-Adhesive Conformable And Long-Term Air-Stable Complimentary Organic Transistors And Amplifiers, Mohammad Javad Mirshojaeian Hosseini, Yi Yang, Walter Kruger, Tomoyuki Yokota, Sunghoon Lee, Takao Someyra, Robert Nawrocki

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

Lightweight, flexible, and conformal bioelectronics are essential for wearable technologies. This paper introduces 270 nm thin organic electronics amplifying circuits that are self-adhesive, skin conformal, and long-term air-stable. This report studies the effect of total device thickness, namely 3 μm and 270 nm devices, on the characterization of organic devices before and after buckling, the longevity of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) over 5 years, and the lamination of OFETs on the human skin. A single-stage organic complementary inverter and a pseudo-complementary amplifier are fabricated to compare their electrical characteristics, with amplification gains of 10 and 64, respectively. Finally, the study …

Cdk8 And Cdk19: Positive Regulators Of Signal-Induced Transcription And Negative Regulators Of Mediator Complex Proteins, Mengqian Chen, Jing Li, Li Zhang, Lili Wang, Chen Cheng, Hao Ji, Serena Altilia, Xiaokai Ding, Guoshuai Cai, Diego Altomare, Michael Shtutman, Stephanie D. Byrum, Samuel G. Mackintosh, Alexey Feoktistov, Nataliya Soshnikova, Vladislav A. Mogila, Victor Tatarskiy, Maksim Erokhin, Darya Chetverina, Angga Prawira, Yi Ni, Stephan Urban, Campbell Mcinnes, Eugenia Broude, Igor Roninson

Faculty Publications

We have conducted a detailed transcriptomic, proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis of CDK8 and its paralog CDK19, alternative enzymatic components of the kinase module associated with transcriptional Mediator complex and implicated in development and diseases. This analysis was performed using genetic modifications of CDK8 and CDK19, selective CDK8/19 small molecule kinase inhibitors and a potent CDK8/19 PROTAC degrader. CDK8/19 inhibition in cells exposed to serum or to agonists of NFκB or protein kinase C (PKC) reduced the induction of signal-responsive genes, indicating a pleiotropic role of Mediator kinases in signal-induced transcriptional reprogramming. CDK8/19 inhibition under basal conditions initially downregulated a small …

Add-On Soft Electronic Interfaces For Continuous Cuffless Blood Pressure Monitoring, Myeong Namkoong, Balaji Baskar, Lakhvir Singh, Heng Guo, Justin Mcmurray, Kimberly Branan, Md Saifur Rahman, Chin-To Hsiao, Josh Kuriakose, Joanna Hernandez, Arda A Arikan, Luis E Garza-Rivera, Gerard L Coté, Limei Tian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Continuous monitoring of arterial blood pressure is clinically important for the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases. Soft electronic devices with skin-like properties show promise in a wide range of applications, including the human-machine interface, the Internet of things, and health monitoring. Here, we report the use of add-on soft electronic interfaces to address the connection challenges between soft electrodes and rigid data acquisition circuitry for bioimpedance monitoring of cardiac signals, including heart rate and cuffless blood pressure. Nanocomposite films in add-on electrodes provide robust electrical and mechanical contact with the skin and the rigid circuitry. We demonstrate bioimpedance sensors …

Investigating The Specific Links Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Vulnerability To Suicide: A Mixed Methods Study, Priyata Thapa

Dissertations, 2020-current

Suicide is among the leading causes of death in the U.S. and it is imperative to improve prevention efforts (CDC, 2021). Previous research has demonstrated a strong association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and suicide risk (e.g. Felitti et al., 1998; Hughes et al., 2017), and the need for deeper understanding of these associations utilizing developmental and relational perspectives (e.g. Angelakis et al., 2019; Hjelmeland and Knizek, 2020). This study investigated the associations between ACEs, interpersonal learning history in early attachment relationships, and suicidality using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. The Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB; Benjamin, 1979) …

Understanding The Compositional And Contextual Factors Influencing Maternal Health Experiences And Outcomes, Tambudzai P. Ndashe

Theses & Dissertations

Despite being preventable, adverse maternal health outcomes continue to be a problem in the United States, which fares worse at preventing these issues than other industrialized nations. Although our understanding of the factors that play a role in the etiology of adverse maternal health outcomes has improved over time, there is still a lot left to understand regarding the role of contextual factors, the upward trajectory of outcomes such as severe maternal morbidity (SMM), and the disproportionate impact of adverse maternal health outcomes on non-Hispanic Black women. This thesis attempted to evaluate the factors that influence procedure-related severe maternal morbidity …

Reducing Oral Health Disparities: Effectiveness Of Preventive Dental Care On Treatment Use, Expenditures And Determinants Of Service Utilization, Rashmi Lamsal

Theses & Dissertations

Given the importance of oral health in maintaining the general health and well-being of an individual, this dissertation includes three independent studies examining dental care utilization and expenditures among adults in the U.S. The first study examines the effectiveness of preventive dental visits on treatment utilization and expenditures among adults aged 18 and above. The second study focuses on the impact of paid sick leave on different types of dental services utilization among working adults aged 18-64. Finally, the last paper compares the differences in dental care utilization and related expenditure between foreign-born and US-born adults with diabetes. The paper …

The Study Of Plasmonic Chip Of Nata De Sago-Green Silver Nanoparticles For Detection Of Blood Glucose, Abdul Haris Haris Watoni, La Ode A. Nur Ramadhan, Evy Nuryah Adha, Robby Sudarman

Chimica et Natura Acta

The innovation of rapid blood glucose level detectors using chemical sensors still needs to be carried out continuously. Nata de sago has good potential as a safe sensor chip for blood glucose detection. To increase the detection speed, this sensor chip can be composited with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-bidara leaf extract which has plasmonic properties when interacting with visible radiation. The principle of blood glucose detection with the nata de sago-AgNPs-bidara leaf extract composite chip is based on van der Waals interactions between the functional groups in nata de sago and the hydroxyl groups in glucose compounds which are strengthened by …

Steroid Dari Kulit Batang Aglaia Glabrata Dan Aktivitas Sitotoksinya Terhadap Sel Kanker Leukemia P-388, Risyandi Anwar, Desi Harneti, Vidia Afina Nuraini, Faizah Maira, Nurlelasari Nurlelasari, Tri Mayanti, Rani Maharani, Unang Supratman, Khalijah Awang

Chimica et Natura Acta

Steroid saponin baru, b-sitosterol-3-O-beta-D-galaktopiranosil-(1-4)-beta-D-glukopiranosida (1), bersama dengan empat steroid yang diketahui (2-5) diisolasi dari kulit batang dari Aglaia glabrata. Struktur kimia senyawa baru dijelaskan berdasarkan data-data spektroskopi. Semua senyawa diuji aktivitas sitotoksiknya terhadap sel kanker leukemia murine P-388. Diantara senyawa yang diisolasi tersebut, stigmasterol (4) menunjukkan aktivitas sitotoksik terkuat dengan nilai IC50 sebesar 12.2 mg/mL.

Health Risks Of Herbal Medicine In The Us: Recommendations To Improve Awareness And Advance Safety, Darya Sinkevich

Master's Projects and Capstones

Adults in the U.S. use herbal medicine as an alternative and in conjunction with conventional healthcare, in many cases because of cultural and economic considerations. With insufficient governmental regulation of the content of herbal supplements, and limited education of healthcare providers on the potential risks and benefits consumers can experience unexpected and potentially harmful health impacts from using herbal medicine.

The health risks associated with these products include but are not limited to, herbal and prescription drug interactions and heavy metal toxicity. For this project, a scoping literature review was conducted using multiple databases to identify the prevalence, health risk, …

A Retrospective Comparison Of Dose Distribution Within Density Override And Avoidance Structures In Volumetric Arc Therapy Prostate Plans With Hip Prosthetics: A Dosimetric Evaluation, Jared Richard Brinkman

Masters Projects

Introduction

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men, and its incidence is a significant health concern. The optimal radiation treatment for prostate cancer patients needs to be tailored to reduce toxicities to organs at risk within the treated area. This study aims to retrospectively evaluate the dose distribution to organs at risk (OARs) in patients with hip prosthetics for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) prostate cancer plans.

Methods

The study included ten prostate cancer patients with at least one prosthetic hip who received VMAT plans at a Midwest Radiation Oncology Center. Various data points, including target …

Swarmdeepsurv: Swarm Intelligence Advances Deep Survival Network For Prognostic Radiomics Signatures In Four Solid Cancers, Qasem Al-Tashi, Maliazurina B Saad, Ajay Sheshadri, Carol C Wu, Joe Y Chang, Bissan Al-Lazikani, Christopher Gibbons, Natalie I Vokes, Jianjun Zhang, J Jack Lee, John V Heymach, David Jaffray, Seyedali Mirjalili, Jia Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Survival models exist to study relationships between biomarkers and treatment effects. Deep learning-powered survival models supersede the classical Cox proportional hazards (CoxPH) model, but substantial performance drops were observed on high-dimensional features because of irrelevant/redundant information. To fill this gap, we proposed SwarmDeepSurv by integrating swarm intelligence algorithms with the deep survival model. Furthermore, four objective functions were designed to optimize prognostic prediction while regularizing selected feature numbers. When testing on multicenter sets (n = 1,058) of four different cancer types, SwarmDeepSurv was less prone to overfitting and achieved optimal patient risk stratification compared with popular survival modeling algorithms. Strikingly, …