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Pkpd-Model Based Preclinical Characterization Of The Activity Of Spectinamide 1599 Against Mycobacterial Subpopulations. And The Identification Of Potential Partners For Combination Therapy, Zaid Hanif Temrikar

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Tuberculosis is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide and the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent prior to COVID19. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of TB. The interaction between Mtb and the immune system leads to development of diverse environmental niches and physiology within the lung of the TB patients. Mtb is thought to adapt and thrive in such an environment by transforming to different phenotypic variants. Such variants are difficult to kill and are thought to prolong TB pharmacotherapy. Spectinamide 1599 is a synthetic modification of spectinomycin that has demonstrated excellent …

Cytochrome P450 1b1 And 12/15 Lipoxygenase Interaction In Paraventricular Nucleus In Angiotensin Ii-Induced Hypertension In Females, Shubha Ranjan Dutta

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Background: Angiotensin (Ang) II releases arachidonic acid (AA) from tissue phospholipids that is metabolized by 12/15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15) generating 12(S)- and 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) which have been implicated in cardiovascular and renal diseases. This study was conducted to investigate a) the contribution of ALOX15 to Ang II-induced hypertension and associated pathogenesis in female mice, and b) the interaction between the cytochrome P450 (CYP)1B1-generated metabolite of 17β-estradiol (E2) (2-methoxyestradiol, 2-ME) and ALOX15 in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) as a mechanism that protects against Ang II-induced hypertension and its associated pathogenesis in female mice. Methods: Experiments were conducted in intact and ovariectomized (OVX) …

Soil Water Use Efficiency Under Integrated Soil Management Practices In The Drylands Of Kenya, Nathan O. Oduor, Monicah Mucheru-Muna, Jayne Njeri Mugwe, Isaya Sijali, George Nyabuga, Daniel Njiru Mugendi

Graduate School of Media and Communications

Soil moisture scarcity and soil fertility decline in the drylands contribute to declining crop productivity. The possible synergistic effects of integrating soil & water conservation, and soil fertility management practices on soil moisture, and hence water use efficiency (WUE) in the drylands of Tharaka-Nithi County in Kenya was assessed. The experiment was laid in a three by three split plot arrangement, with four replications, for four cropping seasons. Minimum tillagewith mulch, tied ridges, and conventional tillage formed the main plot factors. The sub-plot factors included animal manure plus fertilizer at 120, 60, and 30 N kg ha−1. There was significant …

Vanishing Flies And The Lady Entomologist, Catherine Mcneur

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

The flies began emerging from the wheat around dusk, giving Margaretta Hare Morris little more than half an hour to observe the tiny, delicate creatures as they flitted from stalk to stalk. Requiring a magnifying glass to see them in any detail, Morris had first observed the flies as flaxseed-like pupa sleepily clinging to the young wheat plants in her neighbour’s field a few days prior, but now that they had fully transformed, there were too many and they were too quick to count. The swarms hovered over the wheat field, laying their eggs in the grain to secure a …

The Relationship Between Temperature, Rainfall, And Tree Swallow Fledging Times, Caleb Gruber

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Weather effects such as temperature and precipitation are known to affect reproductive success of many avian species. Weather variables can directly or indirectly influence the fledging success of nestlings. I investigated the effect of minimum temperature, maximum temperature, average temperature, maximum rainfall experienced in one day during a fledging period, and average daily rainfall on how long it takes tree swallow nestlings in Tennessee to fledge using multi-linear regression and linear mixed-effects modeling. I found that minimum temperatures, maximum temperatures, maximum rain experienced in a one-day period, and total rain all had a significant relationship on the time it takes …

Adjuncts And Additives To Regional Anesthesia, Kaisi Dye, Kelcie Brunnert

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

With regional anesthesia becoming increasingly popular, an emphasis has been placed on choosing appropriate adjunct medications to local anesthetics for prolonging peripheral nerve blocks- lengthening postoperative pain control and decreasing perioperative narcotic usage. This project aimed to increase provider knowledge of the proven efficacy of block and adjunct selection for breast, shoulder, and knee surgeries with intended results being prolonged block duration and increased patient satisfaction post-operatively. A focused lecture along with a Likert-scale questionnaire and quiz were administered to a small sample of anesthesia providers at a rural Illinois hospital. Half (55.6%) of the providers showed evidence of knowledge …

Potential Therapeutic Benefit Of Ursodeoxycholic Acid In The Management Of Non Hepato-Biliary Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders, Yasir M. Khayyat

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To examine the potential therapeutic effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on diseases of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Methods: A search was conducted using EBSCO, Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar and Web of Science as well as international guidelines using MESH terms for treatment of UDCA for diseases of the upper gastrointestinal disorders in adult humans without regard to publication language or date restrictions. Results: A total of 256 articles and 22 guidelines were initially identified, and 221 were excluded. Final revision of 13 articles and 22 guidelines confirmed that UDCA is found to have a cytoprotective role in Barret’s …

Increasing Awareness Of Ocean And Beach Pollution For Elementary School Students, Hana Terfai

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Applied science education is often missing in elementary school curriculum. When children get exposed to applied science early on then they would get more access to education about how to care for and conserve ocean and environmental life. The consequences if the problem is not resolved is that the group of children at Frank Ledesma would not be aware or educated on this important issue that exists right now. Therefore, I created a two-day lesson for the elementary school students in grade 4 at Frank Ledesma Elementary School in Soledad, California.

Derailed Fortunes: California's Forgotten Railroad, Alexis Depaolis

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

At a mahogany bar in Collins Saloon of San Francisco’s Montgomery Street, a successful businessman James G. Fair traced a trail of water droplets for his partner Alfred E. Davis to create the map of a visionary rail line soon to be known as the South Pacific Coast. Using historical records and photographs compiled by a selection of local authors and historians, this non-fiction retelling of Davis’ experience highlights the tribulations and triumphs of the most successful narrow gauge line in California history in order to share a largely forgotten but crucial aspect of local industrial archeology, as well as …

Effects Of Covid-19 On Classroom Behavior Of Elementary School Students, Emma Ballesteros

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this capstone project is to inform parents, current and future educators about the harms that COVID-19 has brought into the classroom after the period of isolation. During this period, families were forced to stay indoors for their safety. Parents had to juggle between their jobs, their children, and themselves. All of these were going on while a child should be focusing on learning in the classroom. Through extensive literature review and interviews with elementary school teachers, the result finding indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic is the cause of student behaviors in the classroom that have affected many …

Curriculum Of Control: Stories From The Student Perspective, Ryan Anderson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In a time where the public school setting draws comparisons to warzones—bullets flying, students barricading themselves behind desks—it is crucial we examine the landscape in which this unprecedented destruction is taking place. The current public conversations held in our democratic nation tend to surround gun rights, administrative procedures, and inadequate police responses. Finger pointing has been the fallback time and time again. As leaders of the NRA, local police forces, and legislating bodies stand at the end of our fingers, our children remain standing opposed to the barrels of loaded guns—often wielded by their peers. The conversation hasn’t ventured into …

Taxonomic Analysis Of Video Game Instrument Usages, Jack Madison

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper seeks to break down into categories the various ways in which video games utilize instruments and to determine the musicality of these interactions.

Vol. 35, Iss. 2 [Full Issue], _ _

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

Boss Lady From Hell, Sydney Greene

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

The Call Of The Origin: On Christology, Conversion, And Peregrine Identity In Reiner Schürmann’S Early Work On Meister Eckhart, Francesco Guercio, Ian Alexander Moore

Philosophy Faculty Works

In 1969, Reiner Schürmann submitted a thesis to the Dominican school of theology Le Saulchoir. It was titled Peregrine Identity: The Concept of Detachment in Meister Eckhart’s German Sermons. Three years later, Schürmann published Wandering Joy, his celebrated book on Eckhart. In this article, we examine four aspects of the earlier study that cannot, as such, be found in the later one: (1) the specifically Christological dimension of Eckhart’s teaching of detachment; (2) a logic of conversion at work in Eckhart and St. Francis; (3) Schürmann’s hermeneutics of the symbol; and (4) the practical outcomes of Heidegger’s ontological …

Affordances And Information Systems Research: Taking Stock And Moving Forward, Mostafa Mesgari, Kaveh Mohajeri, Bijan Azad

Information Systems and Business Analytics Faculty Works

The term affordance appears with increasing frequency in the Information Systems (IS) literature. Nevertheless, those who study information technologies/information systems (IT/IS) via the affordance lens often have different views about its origin, meaning, and appropriate application in IS research. In turn, not spelling out the related assumptions and boundaries inherent in these diverse views may have hindered a wider and more cumulative adoption of the affordance lens in IS research. This paper offers a potential solution by (1) synthesizing the ecological psychology literature to suggest five key modules of the affordance concept relevant to IS research and (2) taking stock …

Spac Mergers, Ipos, And The Pslra's Safe Harbor: Unpacking Claims Of Regulatory Arbitrage, Amanda M. Rose

William & Mary Law Review

Communications in connection with an initial public offering (IPO) are excluded from the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA). Unsurprisingly, IPO issuers do not share projections publicly—the liability risk is too great. By contrast, communications in connection with a merger are not excluded from the safe harbor, and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) routinely share their merger targets’ projections publicly. Does the divergent application of the PSLRA’s safe harbor in traditional IPOs and SPAC mergers create an opportunity for “regulatory arbitrage” and, if so, what should be done about it? …

Cues Guiding Postnatal Neuron Migration In Mouse And Human, Sarah Bellizzi

Honors Scholar Theses

This project is the first step in identifying the molecular mechanisms that support movement and distribution of neural stem cells that migrate from the lateral ventricles to the olfactory bulb (OB) and ventral medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC, humans). In rodents, the forebrain rostral migratory stream (RMS) is the only postnatal long-range pathway involved in neuroblast cell migration. It consists of fasciculated chains of neuroblasts that migrate through a dense meshwork of astrocytes to finally integrate within the olfactory bulb. What exactly guides new neuron distribution and coordinates this extensive migration still remains unclear.

Ephs/ephrins are well known for coordinating and …

Paleoenvironments In Late Pleistocene Sicily, Danielle C. Falci

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis explores eleven archaeological sites on the island of Sicily to further understand the paleoenvironment of the island at the time of early human occupation. Utilizing faunal records, we have analyzed the indicator taxa at each site, conducted a habitat weighting analysis, and performed several multivariate tests to determine what the paleoenvironment of Late Pleistocene Sicily may have looked like. Based on the taxa that existed on the island during the Late Pleistocene, we have determined that Sicily likely had a temperate environment and contained habitats that are no longer abundant in the present day.

Acute Kidney Injury In The Elderly, Zachary Palanza

Honors Scholar Theses

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a significant clinical concern in the elderly, marked by heightened incidence rates, increased morbidity and mortality, and impaired kidney repair mechanisms. AKI often has severe consequences, including extended hospital stays, heightened rates of chronic kidney disease, and elevated healthcare costs. The vulnerability of elderly individuals to AKI is amplified by age-related structural and functional changes in the kidneys, reduced physiological reserve, and increased exposure to nephrotoxic agents. The impaired kidney repair mechanisms observed in the elderly pose further complexities in AKI management. With age, the regenerative capacity of the kidneys diminishes, resulting in incomplete recovery …

Understanding The Relationship Between B Chromosomes And Nondisjunction In Drosophila Melanogaster, Ayushi Patel

Honors Scholar Theses

B chromosomes are supernumerary, heterochromatic genetic elements that are found in hundreds of different plant and animal species. Recently, B chromosomes were discovered in a stock of Drosophila melanogaster and are carried at a high copy number of 10-12 B chromosomes per cell. B chromosomes are not known to carry any active genes, but when placed in a wild-type genetic background, they cause a significant increase in the frequency of chromosome 4 missegregation during meiosis. This project aimed to understand the relationship between a female’s B chromosome copy number and how often she passes on too many (or too few) …

In Vitro Model For Traumatic Brain Injuries And Clinical Applications, Brendan Braatz

Honors Scholar Theses

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are caused by acute impacts, repeated impacts, or traumatic jostling of the head. TBIs can result in a variety of physical and mental symptoms including acute and long-term effects. TBIs have been a large area of research, however, animal models for studying traumatic brain injury are limited by high variability and confined to tissue studies on a macro scale. An in vitro model for traumatic brain injury application and high-speed visualization is optimized in this paper to resemble in vivo conditions for short- and long-term cellular studies. This in vitro system consists of a force applicator …

A Review Of Staphylococcus Aureus Pathogenesis, Global Impact, And The Rise Of Antibiotic-Resistant Clones, Anders Kleinbeck

Honors Scholar Theses

Staphylococcus aureus is a pathogen of grave concern to global public health. The pathogen has shown an unrivaled propensity to obtain resistance to nearly every antibiotic drug approved and prescribed for its treatment. This review will provide an overview of the history and evolution of S. aureus, including an analysis of its transition from the nosocomial setting to the community and the factors contributing to the species’ innate pathogenicity. This paper will also discuss the molecular mechanisms by which resistance to a wide range of popular antibiotic substances was obtained and will provide insight into the evolutionary patterns exhibited by …

Determining Habitat Preferences Of Dasypus Novemcinctus And Assessing Prevalence Of Hansen's Disease In Tennessee With Assistance From Community Science Data, Carissa Turner

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus L.) is currently considered an invasive species in parts of its range in the United States. As it continues to expand its range, more states may begin to consider armadillos an invasive or nuisance species and will need to make management decisions regarding this species as (1) a pest for landowners or land managers, (2) a possible threat to other species of conservation concern, and (3) a vector for Hansen’s disease (leprosy). Although research funds are scarce for a species that is currently not seen as a threat or an endangered animal, there are ways …

The Dark South, Paul Zachos

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis contains a portion of my novel, The Dark South, as well as a craft essay titled “The Use of Plain Style in Modern Fiction Writing.” The craft essay examines how a plain style of writing can be used to great effect in fiction. I explore how simple writing can improve action, description, and exposition, and provide examples of writers who take advantage of these techniques. The Dark South, a Southern horror novel, tells the story of one man’s journey through a twisted version of the American South. Luke, a young man fresh out of college, finds himself stuck …

The Role Of The Tennessee 4-H Specialist As Perceived By 4-H Agents, Justin Crowe

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the perception of 4-H agents in terms of the role of the state level Extension 4-H specialist. The population included 225 county level 4-H agents employed by either University of Tennessee or Tennessee State University Extension. Data analyses for this study included an examination of demographic factors and 13 questions related to perception (quantitative) as well as three open ended questions (qualitative). Five research questions were examined to determine the perceived role of the 4-H specialists from the perspective of the current 4-H agents and identify what differences exist between role …

Mapping Urban Forest Extent And Modeling Sequestered Carbon Across Chattanooga, Tn Using Gis And Remote Sensing, William Stuart

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Chattanooga, Tennessee is among many cities experiencing rapid urbanization and subsequent losses to urban forest area. Using remote sensing and digital image processing, this research 1) applied supervised hybrid classification across Landsat imagery that quantified the extent of urban forest loss across Chattanooga between 1984 and 2021, 2) modeled the carbon sequestered in the biomass of Chattanooga’s urban trees using field data and vegetation indices, and finally 3) developed the first city-wide high-resolution land cover map across Chattanooga using SkySat imagery and object-based classification. Results found that Chattanooga has lost up to 43% of its urban tree canopy and gained …

The Effects Of Urbanization On Disease Prevalence In Managed Honey Bee Hives In Hamilton County, Tn, Caitlin Jarvis

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Rapid urban development may increase stress and disease exposure on economically essential organisms, including honey bees. We surveyed 18 apiaries containing 53 hives for diseases and productivity from 2021-2022 in Hamilton County, Tennessee at varying levels of urbanization. Disease levels were analyzed at 1.0km intervals from 0.5-9.5 km radii from each hive. Varroa levels significantly decreased with increased urbanization. There was a weak negative correlation between Varroa load and the likelihood of surviving the study. There was a positive relationship between urbanization and small hive beetle count. A positive relationship existed between small hive beetle counts and increased urbanization. This …

Generational Gap: Tales From A Vaquero Fracasado, Shawn Michael Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Mexican American culture holds a strong grasp in the roots of South Texas. The proud Latino heritage is at the forefront of The Valley’s metaphorical cover page. Naturally, with such strong cultural influence comes adaptions of antiqued ways of living and the morality of a dying generation which is slowly losing their stronghold on the throats of the youth. The elders are used to a specific, and sometimes socially problematic, lifestyle that includes machismo, patriarchal sovereignty, and gender based roles that are fitting to a specific generational expectation.

This collection of writing aims to highlight the differences between the old …

South Texas Elegy: Life During A Global Pandemic, Brianna Bullion

Theses and Dissertations

South Texas Elegy: Life During a Global Pandemic highlights the narrator’s experience with loss and grief during the coronavirus pandemic, which started in early 2020. This piece is written from the perspective of a narrator living in the Rio Grande Valley, which is in the southmost region of Texas.

This memoir contains thirteen chapters, which discuss deaths of close friends and family members, periods of waiting which occurred in between deaths and updates on the coronavirus, and the narrator’s reflection at the end of the piece. This memoir is a tribute to lost loved ones and an account of an …