Digital Commons Network^™

Establishing A Neural Crest Cell Culture To Investigate Rna Localization, Victoria Vang

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Neural crest cells (NCCs) are a transient, highly migratory embryonic stem cell population unique to vertebrates. During development, they give rise to diverse tissues, including craniofacial cartilage, peripheral neurons, glia, melanocytes, and components of the cardiac outflow tract. As NCCs migrate through complex environments, precise spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression is needed to coordinate migration and developmental fate. Defects in NCC development and migration can result in a broad class of disorders known as neurocristopathies (NCPs), including craniofacial abnormalities, Hirschsprung’s disease, and neuroblastoma. Despite the importance of NCC migration during development, many of the molecular mechanisms regulating this …

Characterization Of Regulation Of Ace2 And Morphogenesis (Ram) Pathway Components In Aspergillus Fumigatus, Devi Naga Jyothi Bale

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Aspergillus fumigatus CotA is a conserved protein kinase and predicted orthologue of Cbk1, a terminal kinase of the Regulation of Ace2 and Morphogenesis (RAM) network. In our previous study, disruption of CotA resulted in carbon source dependent invasive growth with the mutant exhibiting preferential growth on glucose but severely impaired growth on alternate carbon sources. This pathway in other fungi has been implicated in the regulation of morphogenesis, stress responses, and virulence, but this study is the first one to characterize it in the pathogenic filamentous fungus.  In yeast, the RAM network includes the CotA ortholog, Cbk1, and associated proteins, …

Comparative Performance Of Physiological Vital-Sign Forecasting Under Random And Patient-Wise Splitting Using Deep Learning, Lavanya Vasavi Chittem Reddy

Theses and Dissertations

Physiological vital-sign forecasting estimates future measurements based on recent temporal patterns and can support analysis of continuously recorded monitoring data. This study comparatively evaluated deep feedforward, recurrent, bidirectional recurrent, long short-term memory, and bidirectional long short-term memory architectures for one-step-ahead forecasting of peripheral oxygen saturation, heart rate, and pulse rate. Each model received consecutive observations of peripheral oxygen saturation, heart rate, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and age, while separate single-output models predicted the next value of the selected target.

Random and patient-wise data splitting were compared using identical input definitions, preprocessing procedures, model architectures, and training hyperparameters. The strongest architecture …

Arithmetic And Necessity: A Quasi-Concrete Modal Structuralist Account, Benjamin Faltesek

Mathematics, Philosophy and Physics (D.Sc.) Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the necessity of arithmetic by distinguishing two tasks that are often run together: the derivation task, which seeks to prove that mathematical truths are necessary, and the characterization task, which asks what kind of necessity arithmetic has and what grounds it. Setting the former aside for now, I focus on the latter, arguing that an adequate explanation of arithmetical necessity requires two sources: logical necessity and the necessary possibility that the right kind of structure exists. The second source makes mathematical modality distinctively mathematical, and the dissertation’s positive contribution emerges chiefly in that area. I survey and …

Utilizing The Invasive Fruitwood Pyrus Calleryana As Substrate For Mushroom Cultivation, An Experimental Study In Practical Sustainability, Matthew D. Helton

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study evaluated the feasibility of using woodchips from the invasive Pyrus calleryana (Callery pear) as substrate for mushroom cultivation. Pleurotus ostreatus, Hericium erinaceus, and Ganoderma lucidum were grown on a pear wood substrate and on a conventional oak substrate to compare, yield, sensory attributes, and metabolite production. P. ostreatus showed no significant differences in yield or biological efficiency (p > 0.05), only sweetness (p = 0.022) differed significantly. H. erinaceus yield and efficiency were similar (p > 0.05), with greater second-flush yields in oak controls (p = 0.034) but no sensory differences (p > 0.05). G. lucidum performance was comparable across treatments …

Stimuli-Responsive Proton Transfer: Photoacid Design, Co2 Sorbent Regeneration, And Polymer Applications, Melyse Ava Laud

Theses and Dissertations

Control over proton transfer enables the regulation of many pH-dependent chemical and material processes. Stimuli-responsive functional materials provide a means of achieving this control. Functional materials such as Metastable-state photoacids (mPAHs) reversibly release large amounts of protons when stimulated by light from a weakly acidic site within their structure. However, the dark acidities of previously reported mPAHs limit their use under basic conditions. To address this limitation, a benzimidazole-type mPAH was developed with an improved ground-state pKa of 11.9 and a metastable-state pKa of 9.8, enabling reversible proton transfer under mildly basic conditions. Additional mPAHs were examined to determine how …

"Please Put The Phone Down!": Self-Determination Theory Applied To Parental Social Media Mediation, Benjamin A. Dolowich

Dissertations

The majority of adolescents and young adults use social media (Chaddock, 2024; Coyne et al., 2013). Parents are faced with the challenge of considering the role social media may play in their children’s lives (Valkenburg et al., 2013). Using self-determination theory as a framework (Deci & Ryan, 2000), we investigated psychological needs as one mechanism connecting parental social media mediation strategies with well-being and emotional distress in a sample of young adults. Participants were 244 undergraduate students who completed online questionnaires. The results highlighted that controlling styles of parental social media mediation have an association with emotional distress. Psychological needs …

In-Hospital Mortality Patterns And Readmissions In Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Analysis Of The Role Of Pulmonary Hypertension, Saad Afzal Khan, Trishna Parikh, Adishwar Rao, Akriti Agrawal, Aarohi Parikh, Sarah Shin, Maulin Patel, Kha Dinh, Bela Patel, Bindu Akkanti

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be complicated by pulmonary hypertension (PH). We aimed to understand the impact of PH on in-hospital mortality and quantify the 30-day readmission rate among patients with COPD. For this cross-sectional study, we used the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2017-2020 to identify adults ≥18 years with COPD. Patients were stratified according to PH diagnosis. Baseline characteristics between groups were compared using the Pearson chi-square test and two-sample t-test. Predictors of in-hospital mortality were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for demographics and confounders. The 30-day readmission rate and prevalence of PH subgroups by baseline …

Exploring Competitive Dynamics Between Pseudomonas Baetica And Salmonella In A Polymicrobial System, Braxton E.M. Stout

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The global rise in antimicrobial resistance has catalyzed a greater focus on polymicrobial research aimed at characterizing microbial interactions and uncovering new therapeutic strategies. Though it has long been of interest, environmental soil-derived bacteria remain largely under-represented in research and thus uncharacterized in this field. This project aimed to identify soil microbes that display inhibitory mechanisms to potential nosocomial pathogens. Soil sample S1S3-2 displayed inhibitory phenotypes toward numerous bacteria and was identified as Pseudomonas baetica. In both planktonic and biofilm growth, P. baetica was able to inhibit Salmonella arizonae through a contact-dependent and temperature-dependent manner. Screening of a transposon insertion …

Diffusion-Enhanced Gflownet For Solving Vehicle Routing Problems, Ni Zhang, Zhiqin Zhang, Ling Pan, Hoong Chuin Lau, Zhiguang Cao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Traditional neural solvers for solving vehicle routing problems (VRPs) often suffer from limited solution diversity, motivating the development of Generative Flow Network (GFlowNet)–based models. However, the effectiveness of these models is frequently constrained by insufficient flow expansion in high-reward regions, limiting their ability to distribute probability across promising solution routes. The deeper exploration could yield superior results. Diffusion models, in contrast, provide stronger structural guidance for exploration. These two paradigms are naturally complementary: GFlowNet can supply edge-level signals for diffusion to embed, while diffusion can guide broader exploration. Leveraging this synergy, we propose Diffusion-Enhanced GFlowNet (DEG), a novel framework that …

Balancing Root-Zone Oxygenation And Rhizosphere Stability: The Impact Of Aeration And Hypoxia On Hydroponic Plant Growth, Christian D. Baker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

As the global population and food demand continue to increase, growers must look to innovative and sustainable methods for plant cultivation. Hydroponics is a popular method of sustainable plant cultivation where plant roots are suspended over a liquid nutrient solution. Hydroponics uses less water compared to traditional agriculture because there is no evaporation or solution runoff. It also maximizes land use, requires fewer pesticides and herbicides, and enables year-round cultivation in controlled environments. However, indoor hydroponic systems rely on artificial lighting, which has higher energy costs than traditional farming methods. Optimizing growing conditions is therefore critical to ensure long-term economic …

Closing The Interactivity Gap: Towards Efficient In Situ Analysis, Bidirectional Steering, And Gaussian-Based Visualization For Large-Scale Scientific Computing, Andres Sewell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Scientists use supercomputers to simulate weather, blood flow, plasma, and other systems. The largest machines produce more data than can be saved to disk, so scientists are only able to analyze a fraction of what gets generated. Visualizing the data during the run slows the simulation, because the rendering shares the simulation’s graphics processing units (GPUs). Most simulation codes offer no way to interact with a run in progress. The results are often too large to visualize on a local workstation, and exploring them on the supercomputer means waiting in the queue and spending allocation time. We call these three …

Supplementation Of Tannin Extracts And Islands Of Plant Diversity On Cattle Grazing Brome Grass Monocultures: Influence On Behavior, Welfare, Performance And Health, Bashiri Iddy Muzzo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Beef cattle grazing systems in the western United States often depend on grass monocultures that decline in nutritional quality during summer. As pasture quality decreases, cattle have fewer opportunities for selective foraging, grazing efficiency declines, and producers face increased supplementation costs to maintain animal performance, welfare, and effective pasture use. This dissertation examined whether interventions that provide phytochemicals either as a supplement or through the establishment of taxonomically diverse “hot spots” in otherwise monotonous landscapes could improve cow-calf pair performance and enhance the sustainability of agroecosystems. The study tested two strategies with free-grazing cow–calf pairs: supplementation with tannin extract and …

Genomic Markers Of Performance Within An Organic Pasture-Based Dairy Heifer Development Program, Connor Douglas Waldron

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Pasture-based dairying is important to organic milk production, but young heifers differ in how well they eat, grow, and adapt to grazing. This study tested whether commercial genetic information could help identify which heifers would perform best on pasture. Genetic samples from 139 Holstein, Jersey, Holstein-Jersey, and ProCross heifers raised on organic pastures in northern Utah were analyzed with the Neogen Igenity Select test and compared with measurements of feed intake, growth, and grazing performance. Genetic scores clearly separated the breed groups, but they were not strong predictors of how individual heifers grew on pasture. Pasture quality, especially forage nutrient …

Climate Change Impacts On Fish-Related Ecosystem Services: Synthesis, Network Analysis, And Strategic Pathways For Coordinated Adaptation, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah, Awuah-Mensah, Stephen Bradshaw, Ute Mueller

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Climate change is rapidly disrupting fish-related ecosystem services that underpin global food security, economic livelihoods, and cultural identity across both marine and freshwater systems. While impacts are increasingly recognised, disciplinary fragmentation has hindered integrated understanding of how climate-driven changes in fish populations affect ecosystem service delivery. This review makes two integrated contributions: a hierarchical synthesis tracing causal pathways from physical climate drivers through biological and ecological responses to socioeconomic outcomes, and a qualitative network analysis that maps the interconnections, implementation readiness, and strategic sequencing of seven major adaptation strategies. Ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and their increasingly frequent co-occurrence as compound …

Coastal Land Uplift And Intensified Land-Use Influence Seagrass Carbon And Nitrogen Sink Capacity Over Millennial Timescales, Martin Dahl, Sara Braun, Maria E. Asplund, Mats Björk, Joeri Kaal, Hans W. Linderholm, Elinor Andrén, Thomas Andrén, Žilvinas Ežerinskis, Madhavu Vidya Faizal, Sara C. Forsberg, Andrius Garbaras, Malin E. Kylander, Pere Masqué, Miguel A. Mateo, Justina Šapolaitė, Oscar Serrano, J. Robin Svensson, Olena Vinogradova, Martin Gullström

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Seagrass meadows store sedimentary carbon and nitrogen and thus play an important role in climate change mitigation and nutrient retention globally. Here we reconstruct the impact of land-use and coastal land uplift on millennial–scale seagrass (Zostera marina) blue carbon and nitrogen accumulation in the Baltic Sea based on a multiproxy paleoreconstruction approach. We show that increased landscape clearance resulted in higher terrestrial runoff and increased accumulation of carbon and nitrogen, whereas land uplift led to hydrodynamically sheltered environments facilitating seagrass colonization, occurring 1700 and > 4000 years ago. The establishment of the seagrass meadows resulted in enhancement of the quality of …

Quantifying Plant Competition Across Heterogeneous Landscapes, Anne E. Schiffer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Plant species require resources, such as water, light, and nutrients, and develop characteristics to compete for these limited resources. Multiple plant species can coexist in a given community if they vary their characteristics to acquire resources at different temporal or spatial scales. For example, neighboring plants coexist when they take up water in the soil at different times of the year or soil depths. Alternatively, neighboring plants with similar characteristics may compete strongly for a limited resource. However, when a plant population is growing or shrinking, it can be difficult to determine if population changes are due to resource limitation …

Methods For Tagging Whale Sharks: Insights Into Performance And Best Practices With A Focus On Clamp Attachments, Freya C. Womersley, Sofia Green, Alberto Garcia-Baciero, Ronan Conlon, Amy L. Jeffries, Matt J. Waller, Sara S. Ratão, Nuno Queiroz, Pedro Afonso, Gonzalo Araujo, Adam Barnett, Christine Barry, Michael L. Berumen, Farukhkha Bloch, Ginevra Boldrocchi, Camrin D. Braun, Ryan Caillouet, Constance Chapman, Jesse E.M. Cochran

Faculty Publications

Background: Biologging and telemetry have transformed our understanding of marine megafauna movement ecology. Yet, methodological constraints continue to limit data quality and deployment duration. Devices recording whale shark (Rhincodon typus) behaviours and movements have been used for decades, but they remain challenging to deploy and vary in success. Recently, spring-loaded clamp-based systems have emerged as one of the most widely used approaches to attach electronic tags to the fins of this globally endangered species. Currently, however, no consensus guidelines exist as to how to optimise this approach, potentially leading to continued underperforming deployments limiting analysis potential. Here, we synthesise experiences …

The Willing And The Compelled: How Power And Place Shape Human-Bison Coexistence In Poland And The United States, Patrick Orville Kelly

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wildlife recovery programs depend not just on animals, but on how people feel about living with them. The degree to which people accept the disruptions wildlife brings to their lives, known as social tolerance, can determine whether a recovery program succeeds or fails, yet it remains understudied and underapplied in management plans. This dissertation studies how people in Poland and the western United States feel about living with the two living species of bison, the largest land animals in Europe and North America. In Poland, we surveyed 242 residents living at different distances from European bison habitat. Surprisingly, the most …

Prioritizing Fuel Treatments To Reduce Post-Fire Debris Flow Risk In Utah, Kipling B. Klimas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wildfire is a natural part of many forest ecosystems, but in the western United States, wildfires have become larger, more frequent, and more severe in recent decades. There are serious problems after severe wildfire, including erosion, flooding, and debris flows that threaten water quality, roads, and communities. Because of this, land managers need better ways to decide where fuel treatments, such as prescribed burning or thinning, can most effectively reduce wildfire damage and post-fire risks.

In this dissertation, I studied how fuel treatments might reduce wildfire severity and lower the risk of post-fire debris flows in Utah. First, I built …

Sex-Dependent Modulation Of The Endocannabinoid System In Pain Processing, Alyssa Lauer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Medical cannabis, also known as medical marijuana, is becoming a more popular treatment for many diseases, including chronic pain. Chronic pain is difficult to treat, and current pain relievers are less effective in women. Medical cannabis may be a useful alternative to the medications that are currently available, but more research is needed to determine how safe and effective it is. Cannabis belongs to a class of drugs known as cannabinoids, which act on the body’s own endocannabinoid system to produce its effects. Cannabinoids affect the sexes differently, but it is not clear what causes these differences. Our research explored …

Machine Learning-Based Regression For Magnetic Field Prediction From Odmr Spectral Data, Jesse B. Hernandez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond enables sensitive, room-temperature magnetic field sensing, but real ODMR spectra are often noisy and difficult to analyze with traditional peak-fitting methods. This thesis investigates whether machine learning can reliably predict magnetic field strength directly from ODMR spectra, and compares four model families under a single regression task: a random forest, an artificial neural network (ANN), a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN), and a Transformer.

Training data were generated from an NV-ensemble simulation calibrated to real measurements provided by the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), spanning 0 …

Abcb5⁺ Mesenchymal Stem Cells Enable High-Ratio Cellular Augmentation Of Bone Grafts Without Loss Of Osteogenic Function, Jakob Hofmann, Tim Niklas Bewersdorf, Ulrike Sommer, Kai Borcherding, Karsten Thiel, Christoph Ganss, Matthias Gerstner, Markus H. Frank, Gerhard Schmidmaier, Mark Andreas Kluth, Tobias Grossner

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Autologous bone grafting remains the standard for reconstruction of bone defects but is constrained by limited graft volume and loss of osteogenic capacity when expanded with acellular materials. We hypothesized that allogeneic ABCB5⁺ mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can serve as a biologic cell source to augment bone marrow-derived MSC (BM-MSC) populations without impairing osteogenesis. Primary human BM-MSCs from five donors were combined with GMP-manufactured ABCB5⁺ MSCs at graded replacement ratios (0–95%) and cultured under osteogenic conditions for 21 days. Osteogenic potential was evaluated using complementary assays of mineralization, biochemical activity, and matrix composition. Robust osteogenesis was maintained across all groups, …

Increasing Patient Education For Induction Of Labor In A Labor And Delivery Unit In Sacramento, Kiran Gill, Kelsi Mcneil, Kayla Quan, Brianna Beltran

ELMSN E-Portfolio. A collection of Scholarly and Creative Works

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients receive inconsistent education regarding their scheduled induction of labor before arrival to Sutter Medical Center Sacramento. Some patients may receive enough education, whereas others receive little education and learn more after their admission.  

LOCAL PROBLEM: Within the microsystem, it was acknowledged by nurses and patients that patients lacked prior knowledge about their induction of labor (IOL) when arriving for their scheduled induction, which can cause decreased satisfaction and increased anxiety.

METHODS: This Quality Improvement (QI) project used the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. The Plan phase took place during spring and summer of 2026 and consisted of literature review, …

Reducing Clabsi Through Nurse Peer Review Audits In A Blood And Marrow Transplant Unit, Skylar Nouvongsa, Kyne Wong, Nicholas Henry, Jaskaran Singh

ELMSN E-Portfolio. A collection of Scholarly and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

The Paradox Of Sport: Adolescent Athletes Are Highly Sedentary Across Competition, Practice, And Rest Days, Jena Heck Street, Abigail M. Larson, Roman De Guia, Naveen K. Bansal, Sandra K. Hunter, Jacob J. Capin

Mathematical and Statistical Science Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Elite athletes are highly sedentary outside of sports and must stay active after retiring to remain healthy. While sports are often recommended to improve physical activity, the effect of sport training day on daily physical activity levels in adolescent athletes is not well described. The purpose was to assess (1) physical activity (i.e., step counts and activity score [METs]) and (2) sedentary behavior (e.g., total duration and prolonged [> 1 h] bouts) in male and female adolescent athletes across different training days (i.e., competition, practice, and rest days).

Methods

Adolescent basketball and volleyball athletes wore an accelerometer continuously for …

A Systematic Review Of Alkali-Treated Polylactic Acid Biocomposites Relevant To Pineapple Leaf And Water Hyacinth Hybrid Design, Muhammad Rizky Adrianto Subandi, Tri Hartutuk Ningsih, Hanna Zakiyya

Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science and Technology (JMEST)

The increasing demand for sustainable materials has accelerated the development of biodegradable polymer composites. Polylactic acid (PLA)-based natural fiber composites have attracted significant attention due to their renewable characteristics; however, their performance remains limited by weak fiber–matrix compatibility, moisture sensitivity, and inconsistent interfacial behavior. Alkali treatment has been widely applied to modify lignocellulosic fibers by removing non-cellulosic components and improving surface characteristics, although its effectiveness remains dependent on treatment conditions and fiber properties. This systematic review evaluates the influence of alkali treatment on PLA-based natural fiber composites and assesses the available evidence supporting future pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and water …

Design Of Automatic Security System Based Internet Of Things At The Museum, Rahmat Ageng Yuwana, Nuryake Fajaryati, Ferry Jie

Elinvo (Electronics, Informatics, and Vocational Education)

This research aims to determine the procedures for developing an Internet of Things (IoT)-based Automatic Security System as a security device for museum objects and to test its feasibility based on user feedback in museums. The Design Thinking model used consists of five stages: Empathize (understanding the user’s perspective), Define (gathering information on the encountered problems), Ideate (generating innovative ideas), Prototype (creating a prototype of the obtained ideas, ensuring the functionality of each device feature, and validating the product through expert judgment for feedback and product revision), and Testing (evaluating the system’s feasibility using Usability standards based on ISO/IEC 9241-11, …

Development Of A Protein Mass Spectrometric Assay For The Characterization Of Colorectal Cancer Exosomes, Frank J. Reed Iv

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Exosomes (sEV) carry proteins involved in intracellular communication and colorectal cancer (CRC) biology, but their morphologic overlap with non-vesicular extracellular particles (NVEPs), and other extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exomeres and supermeres, complicates proteomic characterization. This aim of this study is to develop mass spectrometric assays that evaluate sEV enrichment, purity, and distinguish sEV CRC-associated protein cargo from EV and NVEP CRC-associated protein cargo to better classify the role of sEVs in CRC biology.

Our lab previously analyzed conditioned media from DiFi, cystic clone (CC), and spikey clone (SC) CRC cell lines purified using dialysis, concentration, and electrophoresis enrichment (DCE) by …

Characterizing Fungal Diversity In The Cumberland River Across Four Urban Sites In Nashville, Tn Using Its Amplicon Sequencing, Leena M. Al-Bunni, Chris Barton, Matthew Heard

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Urban freshwater systems provide both recreational opportunities and drinking water resources, making water quality monitoring a critical public health concern. Since 1986, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has relied on Escherichia coli (E. coli) as an indicator of fecal and pathogenic contamination. However, the use of E. coli as an indicator does not capture fungi, which also inhabit freshwater systems and can act as pathogens or ecological disruptors. Advances in environmental DNA sequencing, such as Oxford Nanopore’s MinION, now make it possible to characterize these often overlooked fungal communities directly. This study characterizes fungal diversity in the Cumberland River, …