Digital Commons Network^™

Vimentin Inside And Outside The Cell: From Cell Spreading To Nuclear Mechanics To Covid-19, Maxx Swoger

Dissertations - ALL

Cells are constantly subjected to both external forces encountered from the extracellular environment and internal stresses generated by the cell necessary to migrate and undergo healthy cellular function. Central to the ability of cells to both generate and mediate forces is the cell cytoskeleton, which forms the muscles and bones for cells. There are three main components of the cell cytoskeleton: microtubules, actin, and intermediate filaments. The role of actin and microtubules in cell function, particularly force generation and mediation have been well studied; however, the role of intermediate filaments is less understood. Intermediate filaments represent a broad and diverse …

Design, Construction And Installation Of The Upgrade Tracker(Ut) In The Lhcb Experiment, Joseph D. Shupperd

Dissertations - ALL

The LHCb detector has undergone a substantial upgrade to cope with increased luminosity and increased data-taking utilizing a purely software trigger. The Upstream Tracker (UT) is a component of the new tracking system, together with the VELO vertex detector and the SciFi outer tracker. The UT allows for momentum determination that is important in the forward tracking algorithm, integral to the purely software trigger. This detector system is situated just upstream of the LHCb dipole magnet and comprises four planes of silicon strip detectors. The assembly of the modules hosting the Si detectors with the front-end electronics, and the construction …

Thermodynamics And Shear Flow Dynamics Of Block Copolymer Morphologies In Solution, Senyuan Liu

Dissertations - ALL

Block copolymers (BCPs) have been a focal point of research for several decades. They have been engineered to produce various morphologies by altering the combinations of chemically distinct polymer segments that interact selectively with their environment, such as in aqueous or organic solvents, or within a polymer matrix. The ability to tailor morphological features by manipulating polymer chain length, composition, and monomer chemistry has led to applications in advanced material manufacturing, catalysis, emulsification, environmental remediation, targeted drug delivery, gene therapy, and medical diagnostics. Consequently, understanding the relationship between copolymer architecture and the self-assembled morphologies at equilibrium, the pathways of structure …

Challenges To Reproductive Justice: An Ethical Analysis Of Reproductive Technologies And Disparities, Courtney Brenner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the Reproductive Justice Framework to describe possible solutions to the ethical challenges related to reproductive healthcare disparities. Various frameworks to support reproductive equity fail to address the challenges marginalized individuals face in accessing reproductive health services. The four ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice serve as foundational tools to support reducing these disparities. This dissertation uses the Reproductive Justice Framework to analyze the unequal distribution of harms among marginalized women. It highlights how access to care, such as Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART), is disproportionately inaccessible to marginalized women. Then, it discusses the relationship between marginalized …

How Scientists Can Investigate Perception: Phenomenological Foundations For Qualitative Research, Kimberly Tucker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While medicine makes visible symptoms of disease, phenomenology provides a different tool for making illness experience visible. Phenomenology offers a tool for a new kind of description and a different kind of knowledge of disease. It holds a unique epistemic power through the descriptions it generates through the application of the transcendental phenomenological method. Husserl’s method, outlined in Ideas I, provides the steps for its implementation in clinical research. This dissertation explores the application of the transcendental phenomenological method as a foundation for research on perception, with the goal of characterizing phenomenological validity as a proper goal of medical epistemology. …

Wounded And Healing: Licensed Counselors’ Experience With Personal Suicide Loss And The Impact On Clinical Practice, Supervision, And Self-Disclosure, Shannon Strohl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to explore the lived experiences of licensed counselors who experienced personal suicide loss and the impact of their loss on their professional lives. Of particular interest was the impact of the loss on countertransference, professional direction and choices, and self-disclosure with clients and other professionals in the field (e.g., supervisors, professors, and colleagues). The concept of the wounded healer, as described by Zerubavel and Wright (2012), served as the theoretical framework used to understand the participants’ stories. Previous studies have examined the wounded healer among psychologists; however, few studies explored the experience of licensed counselors as wounded …

Toward Effective Interfaith Relations Between Christianity And Indigenous African Religious Tradition In The Obolo Context In Nigeria – A Decolonial Theological Approach, Jerome Etenduk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the need for effective interfaith relations between Christianity and the Indigenous African Religious Tradition (IART) in a post-colonial Obolo context in Nigeria. It explores a history of complex religious crises in Obolo and identifies that Eurocentric/colonial theological imagination constitutes a significant reason for the problematic interfaith relations in Obolo. The dominant Eurocentric/colonial theology is founded on the theoretical framework that assumes that Europe (and America) is the hubris of knowledge. It negates and discounts the knowledge systems of other people. To know, they must learn from Europe and America. In this way, European missionaries to Obolo …

Development Of Methods For Predicting Second Harmonic Generation (Shg) Responses Of New Infrared Nonlinear Optical (Ir-Nlo) Materials, Katherine Colbaugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dissertation supervised by Dr. Jennifer A. Aitken.

In this work, calculations-based methods were evaluated for use in prediction of second harmonic generation (SHG), specifically χ⁽²⁾ values, of infrared nonlinear optical (IR-NLO) materials. Net dipole moment and dipole moment per volume were calculated by the bond valence sum method. Average F-index, proposed in this research, and group F-index, both representing induced dipole moment were also calculated. Each calculation was evaluated by comparing the results to single crystal and powder χ⁽²⁾ measurements of IR-NLO materials. The selected dataset consisted of ninety-six compounds including polar and nonpolar structures, newly discovered and …

Rna Structural-Dynamical Hierarchy: Sars-Cov, Sars-Cov-2, And Delta/Omicron Variant S2m Monomers, Kissing Complexes, And Extended Duplexes, Adam Kensinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The power and promise of ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules are only beginning to be realized in living organisms and pharmaceutical intervention. Specifically, defining the chemical physics of RNA’s heterogenous structural ensemble and dynamics, which has experienced expansive growth over the last few years, is central to a complete understanding, yet continues to be a significant challenge. A 41-nucleotide hairpin called the stem-loop II motif (s2m), present in the viral genomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), SARS-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the Delta and Omicron variants responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is a potential antiviral target due to its high sequence conservation …

From Sampling To Simulating: Single-Cell Multiomics In Systems Pathophysiological Modeling, Alexandra Manchel, Michelle M. Gee, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

As single-cell omics data sampling and acquisition methods have accumulated at an unprecedented rate, various data analysis pipelines have been developed for the inference of cell types, cell states and their distribution, state transitions, state trajectories, and state interactions. This presents a new opportunity in which single-cell omics data can be utilized to generate high-resolution, high-fidelity computational models. In this review, we discuss how single-cell omics data can be used to build computational models to simulate biological systems at various scales. We propose that single-cell data can be integrated with physiological information to generate organ-specific models, which can then be …

Formulation And Characterization Of Biologics – From Sirna To Monoclonal Antibodies, Chinmay M. Jogdeo

Theses & Dissertations

Biologics are a rapidly growing class of therapeutics, encompassing a wide range of modalities, with gene therapy products and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) constituting the majority. Proper formulation and characterization of these complex therapeutics is crucial to ensure their safety and therapeutic efficacy.

This dissertation focuses on two main areas: the development of a novel renal-targeted siRNA delivery system and the assessment of structural and conformational stability of mAbs in a simulated subcutaneous (SC) environment.

The first part of this dissertation presents the synthesis and characterization of a novel renal-targeted polymer for selective siRNA delivery to injured kidneys. Inulin was modified …

Harmonic Impedance Modeling And Oscillation Analysis Of Modular Multilevel Converter, Yuhong Wang, Wensheng Chen, Shilin Gao, Jianquan Liao, Yangfan Cheng

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To facilitate rapid analysis of the oscillation stability mechanism in modular multilevel converter-based high voltage direct current (MMC-HVDC) systems and streamline the simulation process for determining MMC impedance characteristics, a simplified mathematical simulation model for MMC closed-loop impedance is developed using the harmonic state space method. This model considers various control strategies and includes both AC-side and DC-side impedance models. By applying a Nyquist criterion-based impedance analysis method, the stability mechanisms on the AC and DC sides of the MMC are examined. In addition, a data-driven oscillation stability analysis method is also proposed, leveraging a global sensitivity algorithm based …

Path Planning Of Desert Robot Based On Deep Reinforcement Learning, Ming Li, Wangzhong Ye, Jiehua Yan

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Due to the complexity and variability of the desert environment, the key to the high-efficient of mobile robot is how to avoid obstacles and plan its path. To solve the problems of poor search efficiency and slow convergence of deep reinforcement learning algorithm in complex environment, an improved deep reinforcement learning path planning algorithm is proposed. The exploration factor is improved and dynamically adjusted according to the convergence degree of the algorithm, so that the exploration factor dynamically decreases with the increase of the understanding degree of the agent to the environment, thus speeding up the convergence speed of …

Protecting The Integrity Of Sports, Matthew J. Parlow

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

A New Form Of Greenwashing: Why The Implementation Of Carbon Capture Cannot Be Justified For The Public Good Under The Takings Clause Of The Fifth Amendment, Emma Valiante

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Family Care And Health Behavior: A Sociocultural Perspective On Ebola Virus Disease Transmission In Sierra Leone, Abubakarr Jalloh

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The 2013–2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa was the largest and deadliest in the four-decade history of the disease. This study examined the sociocultural context of EVD transmission during the outbreak, with a particular focus on a high-risk behavior—caring for sick relatives. Guided by a sociocultural perspective on health, it specifically explored the role of family-based caregiving practices in the transmission of EVD during an outbreak. Utilizing a qualitative collective case study, I interviewed three Ebola survivors in Makeni, Sierra Leone. Content analysis resulted in two themes: (1) family care and perceived EVD transmission and (2) how …

Revisiting Territorial Sovereignty: Origins, Legitimacy, And Modern Implications, Henan Hu

San Diego International Law Journal

The conventional linkage between territory and sovereignty in international law requires reevaluation, with territorial rights shifting from states to nations. Drawing on Anthony Smith’s theory of historical continuity between pre-modern ethnic communities and modern nations, this article argues that legitimate claims to territory are grounded in the historical consolidation of social, economic, and political ties by ethnic groups to specific lands. It traces the evolution of territorial rights from loosely defined ethnic living areas and fluid state boundaries to the modern conception of national territories under effective control. By distinguishing sovereignty as a construct of the state and territory as …

The Creation Of Our Universe: How Science And Our Religious Beliefs Align, Dan Broadbent

Faculty Publications

This presentation describes the author's opinions about how the creation of our universe may align with theories of the multiverse and the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Beyond Bindis, Bhajis, Bangles And Bhangra: Promoting Multiculturalism In Primary Schools In Predominantly White British Places, Suparna Bagchi

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Twenty-first-century education as a powerful means of knowledge will possibly be shaped by the emphasis it places on having classrooms that are race-conscious and multicultural. The present article is based on a doctoral study that explores an under-researched area: experiences and understanding of multiculturalism in mainstream primary schools situated in the predominantly White places of Southwest England. The study was underpinned by a sociocultural theoretical framework; data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the adult participants, students’ classroom activities, and documentary analysis of school displays. The article focuses on the data generated from the students’ classroom activities. Findings show differences …

The Occurrence And Biogeochemical Cycling Of Quaternary, Ternary And Volatile Amines In Marine Systems, Mark Fitzsimons, Ruth Airs, Yin Chen

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This review provides a critical assessment of knowledge regarding the occurrence and behaviour of volatile, low molecular weight amines, particularly methylamines and quaternary amines, in marine aquatic systems. It provides an up-to-date evaluation of their presence within marine ecosystems, the processes likely to control their flux across the sea-air interface, and analytical techniques associated with their measurement. Interest in the occurrence and cycling of these groups of compounds in seawater has increased within the last 10–15 years, due to their potential role in climate regulation. As such, the need for wider measurements and mechanistic studies to elucidate their role within …

Bone-Ivd Crosstalk And The Role Of Rage Signaling In An Ivd Injury Model, Remy Walk

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Low back pain (LBP) is the number one musculoskeletal cause of disability with a lifetime prevalence of up to 85%. The causes of LBP are multifactorial with potential contributions from factors such as tissue injury and degeneration as well as social economic and psychological factors. Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is associated with 26-40% of LBP cases and in a 2015 meta-analysis, it was estimated that a total 403 million people suffer from symptomatic IVD degeneration. IVD degeneration is characterized by loss of hydration in the nucleus pulposus (NP), damage accumulation in the annulus fibrosus (AF) and calcification of the cartilaginous …

Multimodal Representation Learning Frameworks For Modeling Progression And Heterogeneity In Alzheimer’S Disease, Sayantan Kumar

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, characterised by cognitive and functional impairments that disrupt daily activities. Different clinical modalities such as neuroimaging biomarkers, cognitive assessments, fluid biomarkers and genetic data provide unique and complementary information, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of disease progression and heterogeneity in disease characteristics. With recent advancements in computational capabilities, particularly in deep learning, multimodal representation learning frameworks aim to integrate diverse clinical modalities into a cohesive framework, capturing the most significant patterns within each modality. Existing data-driven multimodal representation learning frameworks in AD research have two major limitations. First, AD progresses …

Pan-Cancer Analysis Of Rna Dysregulation, Somatic Mutations, And Matrix Stiffness Using Bioinformatics Approaches, Gongyu Tang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cancer is a complex disease driven by genetic mutations, epigenetic modifications, and alterations in the tumor microenvironment. Understanding these intricate molecular mechanisms is crucial for advancing cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has emerged as a powerful tool to study cancer by providing comprehensive insights into gene expression, alternative splicing, and mutations at the transcriptome level. This dissertation leverages RNA-seq data to explore different dimensions of cancer biology through multi-omics integration and computational approaches. The research is divided into three main projects. First, I developed OncoDB, an interactive database to analyze gene expression, methylation patterns, and viral interactions …

The Encoding Of Decision Variables In Orbitofrontal Cortex (Ofc) Is Longitudinally Stable And Varies By Cortical Layer, Manning Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Economic choices entail computing the values of different options and then making choice by comparing values. Work in primates and rodents has shown that these mental processes rely on the OFC. Neurophysiology studies identified in OFC distinct groups of neurons encoding the value of individual options, the binary choice outcome, and the chosen value. These variables capture both the input and the output of the decision process, suggesting a decision circuit existing in OFC. A primary challenge for the field is to assess the structure and mechanisms governing this circuit. A first fundamental question is whether the circuit is stable …

Quantitative Approaches To Dissect Bivalent Antibody Binding And Detect Viruses From Aerosolized Samples, Ananya Benegal

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Influenza A virus (IAV) poses substantial epidemiological burdens around the world, with an estimated annual global mortality rate in the hundreds of thousands. Its rapid rate of mutation gives it a propensity for causing seasonal epidemics and occasional pandemics. As an airborne virus, IAV is most commonly transmitted through droplets and aerosols. Antibodies play a crucial role in the immune defense against IAV infection. By understanding the mechanisms of antibody-mediated defense and the transmission dynamics of IAV, we can better inform strategies for prevention, vaccination, and treatment, ultimately mitigating its impact on public health. The work encompassed in this dissertation …

Integrating Physics And Deep Learning For Transmission-Less Attenuation Compensation In Clinical Spect, Zitong Yu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Attenuation compensation (AC) is beneficial for visual interpretation and serves as a prerequisite for quantification tasks in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. However, conventional AC methods typically rely on a separate X-ray CT component, leading to multiple challenges. In this context, studies have shown that scatter-window projection data contains information to estimate the attenuation distribution. Furthermore, large amounts of SPECT emission data in both photopeak and scatter-energy windows and corresponding CT scans are available. The ability of deep learning (DL) to model complex relationships by leveraging large datasets motivates its use for transmission-less AC in SPECT. Building upon the …

Development Of Computational Imaging Pipelines To Advance Quantitative Co-Clinical Imaging And Pathology, Kaushik Dutta

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Deep learning driven computational methods have profoundly impacted medical imaging by advancing feature extraction, and by establishing a critical foundation for downstream image analysis and interpretation. Co-clinical trials are an emerging area of investigation in which a clinical trial is coupled with a corresponding preclinical study to inform the corresponding clinical trial to enhance translational accuracy and therapeutic development. Within this framework, quantitative imaging and pathology plays a fundamental role in both clinical and preclinical arms of co-clinical trials. Quantitative imaging enables enabling identification and validation of imaging biomarkers which are leveraged to predict therapeutic response, characterize disease phenotypes, and …

Bone-Ivd Crosstalk And The Role Of Rage Signaling In An Ivd Injury Model, Remy Walk

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Low back pain (LBP) is the number one musculoskeletal cause of disability with a lifetime prevalence of up to 85%. The causes of LBP are multifactorial with potential contributions from factors such as tissue injury and degeneration as well as social economic and psychological factors. Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is associated with 26-40% of LBP cases and in a 2015 meta-analysis, it was estimated that a total 403 million people suffer from symptomatic IVD degeneration. IVD degeneration is characterized by loss of hydration in the nucleus pulposus (NP), damage accumulation in the annulus fibrosus (AF) and calcification of the cartilaginous …

Reimagining The Machine Vision Pipeline In Cyber Physical Systems For Trustworthiness And Efficiency, Adith Boloor

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cyber-physical systems (CPS), including autonomous vehicles, drones, and mobile robots, rely on intricate sensors, actuators, and machine learning algorithms to perceive the physical world and execute actions within their surroundings. In the context of vision-driven CPS, achieving this demands processing a substantial volume of visual data captured by on-board cameras. The data is subsequently channeled through digital processors and harnessed by deep neural networks for tasks such as image classification, object detection, and depth perception. This data-centric, machine-vision-infused CPS fosters intelligent decision-making, thereby enhancing overall system performance. Trustworthiness, encompassing the robustness of the entire machine-vision pipeline, and system-level efficiency are …

Multimodal Representation Learning Frameworks For Modeling Progression And Heterogeneity In Alzheimer’S Disease, Sayantan Kumar

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, characterised by cognitive and functional impairments that disrupt daily activities. Different clinical modalities such as neuroimaging biomarkers, cognitive assessments, fluid biomarkers and genetic data provide unique and complementary information, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of disease progression and heterogeneity in disease characteristics. With recent advancements in computational capabilities, particularly in deep learning, multimodal representation learning frameworks aim to integrate diverse clinical modalities into a cohesive framework, capturing the most significant patterns within each modality. Existing data-driven multimodal representation learning frameworks in AD research have two major limitations. First, AD progresses …