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Disabilities Studies In Nursing Education – “Walking The Walk” Of Disability In Healthcare And Nursing, Clara Vesterman-Starr

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation critically examines the integration of disability studies into nursing education and its potential to address healthcare disparities faced by people with disabilities (PWDs). Despite the increasing visibility of disability rights and advocacy, nursing education continues to implicitly define disability as a deficit, focusing on PWD’s limitations rather than capabilities. This research highlights the pressing need for a paradigm shift toward incorporating disability studies frameworks, which emphasize disability as a cultural identity and social construct, into nursing curricula to better prepare nurses for equitable, patient-centered care. This study employs two research methods: autoethnography and survey. The autoethnography, rooted in …

Changes In Reef Fish Assemblage And Coral Reef Community In A Newly Established Marine Protected Area, Skye Neal

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Coral reef ecosystems are vital to sustaining marine biodiversity and provide invaluable resources to coastal communities. However, coral reefs across the globe are exposed to harmful local and global anthropogenic pressures that can lead to the mortality of key reef-building corals, consequently disrupting ecosystem functioning. Preserving biodiversity of coral reef systems continues to be a challenging topic in conservation. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a globally recognised spatial management tool, designed to protect marine species and habitats from anthropogenic induced stressors. Here, using a long-term dataset collected over the last ten years from the unique coral reef system of Banco …

Investigating Climate Change And Nutrient Pollution Effects On Drupella Rugosa Coral Reef Destruction In Koh-Tao, Thailand, Beatrice Canteri

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The introduction and proliferation of invasive species in coral reef ecosystems play a pivotal role as significant contributors to ecological disturbance. These invasive species pose specific threats to the delicate equilibrium of coral reef health by disrupting nutrient cycling, modifying community structure, applying selective pressure on essential coral species, leading to ecosystem degradation. Embarking on an exploration of ecological intricacies, this study focuses on the invasive coral-feeding snail Drupella rugosa in Koh Tao and aims to explore how environmental variables affect its abundance. Although prior research elucidated the impacts of environmental stressors on coral reef degradation, methodological limitations and gaps …

Quantifying Interpretation Reproducibility In Vision Transformer Models With Tavac., Yue Zhao, Dylan Agyemang, Yang Liu, J Matthew Mahoney, Sheng Li

Faculty Research 2024

Deep learning algorithms can extract meaningful diagnostic features from biomedical images, promising improved patient care in digital pathology. Vision Transformer (ViT) models capture long-range spatial relationships and offer robust prediction power and better interpretability for image classification tasks than convolutional neural network models. However, limited annotated biomedical imaging datasets can cause ViT models to overfit, leading to false predictions due to random noise. To address this, we introduce Training Attention and Validation Attention Consistency (TAVAC), a metric for evaluating ViT model overfitting and quantifying interpretation reproducibility. By comparing high-attention regions between training and testing, we tested TAVAC on four public …

Relationship Of Emotional Intelligence To Workplace Stress And Burnout In Behavior Analysts, Elia Santos

Student Dissertations

The experience of stress leading to burnout is at an all-time high in the field of behavior analysis. Increasing job demands for board-certified behavior analysts (BCBA) put newly minted BCBAs at a higher risk of burnout. The problem is that BCBAs only receive technical and clinical training to become certified. Yet, their emotional intelligence (EI), which is associated with stress and burnout, had never been examined. The purpose of this quantitative, associational study was to investigate the relationships between EI, workplace stress, and burnout in BCBAs. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Goleman’s (1995) theory of EI. …

Enhancing Concrete Sustainability With Self-Healing Technologies, Al Shimaa Abdullatif

Theses and Dissertations

Thanks to its strength, durability and affordability, Portland cement concrete is the most commonly used building material worldwide. However, concrete cracking is inevitable due to numerous factors including shrinkage, exposure to external chemicals, internals reactions, excessive loads, to name but a few. Self-healing is a promising technique that can enable concrete to autogenously heal cracks and alleviate much of the damage. Such healing can without a doubt extend the service life with less need for external repair works therefore it contributes to sustainability. Over the years, several means of self-healing agents have been explored including bio-based procedures and the incorporation …

Advancing Healthcare Through The Integration Of Digital Twins Technology: Personalized Medicine’S Next Frontier, Sharmin Attaran, Mohsen Attaran

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

The use of Digital Twin technology has been expanding rapidly, and projections indicate that it will continue to proliferate across various applications, use cases, and industries, including healthcare. In recent years, the healthcare sector has seen an acceleration in digital transformation. This fast-paced change offers both opportunities and risks, especially with emerging technologies like digital twins, which are relatively untested and still in the early stages of adoption in medical care. This paper aims to conduct a literature review to explore how digital twins facilitate intelligent automation in healthcare. It defines the concept, traces the technology’s evolution and development, reviews …

Optimizing Wind Wing Wall Ventilation In High-Rise Buildings Within Dense Urban Hot And Humid Climate., Arushi Bhatia

Theses

This study investigates how wing walls can increase natural ventilation in high-rise structures, particularly in hot, humid locations such as Mumbai, India. Using wind flow simulations and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, the study investigates how wind direction and the installation of wing walls affect airflow throughout the building. The study examines four scenarios, each analyzing how airflow varies when a building is located near surrounding structures of differing heights. It uses comprehensive CFD simulations to assess how alternative wing wall depth design can affect ventilation, as well as how wall-to-window ratio variation can contribute to airflows. Following these simulations, …

Comparative Analysis Of Earth-Bermed And Conventional; Single-Family, Residential Homes In The Hudson Valley Region, Beacon, New York, Michael G. Patchen

Theses

This thesis is a comparative analysis of the environmental sustainability between two similar square-foot, single-family residential homes constructed as a bermed shelter and the conventional wood frame in the Hudson Valley Region, Beacon, New York. The research will focus on the two designs' embodied carbon, cost, and energy use. To quantify the environmental impact of these two construction methods, an in-depth understanding of the diverse host climate is necessary. Climate data and the results from the experiments are collected by performing life cycle, cost, and energy analysis, providing insights into the environmental implications of residential construction methods. The methodology will …

School System And Student Performance: Examining Science And Mathematics Achievement In Pakistan, Sadia Muzaffar Bhutta, Sohail Ahmad, Aisha Naz Ansari

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Public and private school systems are the two largest providers of formal school education in Pakistan, differing significantly in their governance, resources, and practices. While previous studies showed differences in Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), often favouring private schools, these comparisons remained largely descriptive. This paper compares elementary grade students’ performance in mathematics and science between public and private schools in Pakistan, accounting for factors such as grade level and geographical region. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 15,391 students from grades 5, 6, and 8, selected through a multistage sampling technique from a total of­­ 153 public and private schools …

Molten Flux Synthesis Of Plutonium (Iv) Silicates K2Pusi2O7 And Rb2Pusi6O15, Travis K. Deason, Gregory Morrison, Amir Mofrad, Jake Amoroso, David Diprete, Theodore M. Besmann, Shanna L. Estes, Hans Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

Few plutonium containing silicates have been reported in the literature and only one other tetravalent plutonium silicate structure has been reported using the flux growth method. With the goal of understanding actinide incorporation into silicates, we describe herein two new plutonium (IV) silicates, Rb2PuSi6O15 and K2PuSi2O7, synthesized using a mixed alkali chloride/alkali fluoride flux growth. Both structures crystallize in the C2/c space group with lattice parameters a=24.2980(10) Å, b=7.1466(3) Å, c=17.2025(8) Å and 96.6560(10)° for Rb2PuSi6O15, and a=9.9478(2) Å, b=5.59820 (10) Å, c=13.1848(2) Å, and 105.7400(10)° for K2PuSi2O7. Comparisons to the synthesis of other reported alkali actinide silicates (Ce, U, …

Effects On Maternal And Pregnancy Outcomes Of First-Trimester Malaria Infection Among Nulliparous Women From Kenya, Zambia, And The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Sequoia I. Leuba, Daniel Westreich, Carl L. Bose, Andrew F. Olshan, Steve M. Taylor, Antoinette Tshefu, Adrien Lokangaka, Waldemar A. Carlo, Elwyn Chomba, Musaku Mwenechanya, Edward A. Liechty, Sherri L. Bucher, Osayame A. Ekhaguere, Fabian Esamai, Paul Nyongesa, Saleem Jessani, Sarah Saleem, Robert L. Goldenberg, Janet L. Moore, Tracy L. Nolen, Jennifer Hemingway-Foday, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Marion Koso-Thomas, Richard Derman, Matthew Hoffman, Steven R. Meshnick, Melissa Bauserman

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Few studies have assessed the impact of first-trimester malaria infection during pregnancy. We estimated this impact on adverse maternal and pregnancy outcomes.

METHODS: In a convenience sample of women from the ASPIRIN (Aspirin Supplementation for Pregnancy Indicated risk Reduction In Nulliparas) trial in Kenya, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we tested for first-trimester Plasmodium falciparum infection using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We estimated site-specific effects on pregnancy outcomes using parametric g-computation.

RESULTS: Compared to uninfected women, we observed the adjusted site-specific prevalence differences (PDs) among women with first-trimester malaria of the following pregnancy outcomes: preterm birth …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Novel Diffusible Signal Factor Analogs For Antibiofilm Properties, Elisabeth Rachel Wiley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Biofilms are composed of biomolecules, bacteria, and sometimes fungi and are considered the leading cause of antibiotic resistance. Biofilm formation and dispersion is regulated in part by signaling molecules called diffusible signal factors (DSF) through a process termed quorum sensing. However, the mechanism of action behind quorum sensing remains poorly understood. Chapter 1 focuses on the structure activity relationship (SAR) of DSF. DSF are medium chain fatty acids with an alkene at the C2-C3 carbon position. Tail length, branching, and cis/trans configuration all significantly affect antibiofilm action; these affects are also microbe specific. The chapter concludes with a discussion on …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Biology

No abstract provided.

The Cumulative Effect Of Ellagic Acid And Carnosic Acid Attenuates Oxidative Events During Diabetic Wound Healing: In Different Applications And On Different Days, Eli̇f Naz Gürsoy, Kanuni̇ Barbaros Balabanli, Fatma Nur Tuğcu Demi̇röz, Şule Coşkun Cevher

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: The hyperglycemic environment in diabetes disrupts normal wound-healing processes, leading to chronic wounds. This study investigated whether the combination of the phenolic compounds Ellagic acid and Carnosic acid shows synergistic effects on diabetic wound healing and oxidative parameters in diabetic rats.Materials and methods: In this study, diabetic rats were divided into control, untreated, Carbopol 974P treated, topical treatment, and oral gavage treatment. Ellagic acid and Carnosic acid combination were applied topically and oral gavage to the full-thickness excisional wounds of all animals except the control group. We investigated oxidative events by malondialdehyde, glutathione, nitric oxide, protein carbonyl, collagen spectrophotometrically, …

Cannabinoid Receptor Ligands Modulate Fibrosis And Inflammation In Idiopathicpulmonary Fibrosis: A Preliminary Study, Sevi̇l Köse, Seli̇n Önen, Merve Gi̇zer, Esi̇n Boduroğlu, Uğur Gönüllü, Petek Korkusuz

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: There is no specific pharmacological treatment regimen for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Therefore, new anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategies are needed. Cannabinoids (CBs) that are known for their inflammation-modulating and anti-fibrotic effects may be potential medication candidates for the treatment of IPF. Our aim is to evaluate the inflammation-modulating and anti-fibrotic effects of CB receptor (CBR) agonists and antagonists in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated human lung healthy fibroblast, epithelial cells, IPF fibroblast cells and monocytes.Materials and methods: We detected CBRs in the human lung healthy (LL24) and IPF fibroblast cells (LL29), epithelial cells (A549) and monocytes (THP-1) by flow cytometry (FC). We …

Development Of An Immunodiagnostic Assay For The Detection Of Sugarcane Mosaic Virus, Hafiz Muhammad Khalid, Najam Us Sahar Sadaf Zaidi, Naeem Rashid, Muhammad Tahir

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/Aim: Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV; genus Potyvirus and family Potyviridae), poses a significant threat to global sugarcane cultivars, including those in Pakistan. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid and effective diagnostic tool for detection of SCMV, enabling timely implementation of control measures to mitigate potential yield losses.Materials and Methods: The study focused on the in silico analysis; physicochemical properties, immunogenicity and subcellular localization of the SCMV coat protein (CP). The SCMV coat protein (CP) gene was synthesized, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant fusion coat protein (rFCP-SCMV) was purified and used to generate polyclonal …

Combinational Therapy Of All-Trans Retinoic Acid (Atra) And Sphingomyelin Induces Apoptosis And Cell Cycle Arrest In B16f10 Melanoma Cancer Cell, Zeynep İşlek Köklü, Eli̇f Li̇dya Şanverdi̇, Başak Karadağ, Mehmet Hi̇kmet Üçişik, Ezgi̇ Taşkan, Fi̇kretti̇n Şahi̇n

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background: Melanoma arises from the uncontrolled multiplication of melanocytes, posing an escalating global health concern. Despite early detection and surgical removal being crucial, metastatic melanoma poses treatment challenges, with limited options like chemotherapy and immunotherapy. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), a natural metabolite of vitamin A, has shown promise in melanoma treatment by inducing differentiation, apoptosis, growth arrest, and immune modulation. However, ATRA treatment alone can lead to resistance and relapse. Sphingomyelin (SM) also plays a role in inhibiting melanoma progression by apoptotic cell death.Objective: This study investigated combinational anticancer effects of ATRA and SM on in vitro B16F10 melanoma cells.Method: …

Is Hipaa Dead? How Recent Developments In Ftc Section 5 Enforcement May Impact Traditional Notions Of Health Privacy, Brian Patrick

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

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 …

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 …

Terpene Bioproduction From Non-Model Yeast: Omics Analysis And Metabolic Modeling For Guiding Scaleup Optimization, Alyssa Worland

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Sustainability efforts have driven significant advancements in synthetic biology, particularly through the development of microbial cell factories designed for waste reduction and resource conservation. This dissertation seeks to characterize a microbial biorefinery platform for the biosynthesis of terpene compounds from yeast, with an emphasis on the industrial bioconversion of waste lipids. Terpene compounds play crucial roles in various industrial applications; however, traditional methods of terpene production have sustainability and productivity challenges that could be overcome by using microbial biosynthesis. The yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is a microbial host well suited for converting waste oils into value-added terpenes due to its native …

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 …

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 …

Philosophical Hermeneutic Approaches To Communication Studies, David Errera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes the viability of philosophical hermeneutics as a theoretical framework for communication studies. It has five chapters that each develop this argument. The first chapter provides an overview and justification for the dissertation along with a review of the historical development of philosophical hermeneutics. This provides a sense of general themes and the theoretical basis for philosophical hermeneutics. The second chapter sets out to expound on the viability of philosophical hermeneutics to inform communication research as a form of research praxis. This chapter develops the three main themes from philosophical hermeneutics that this dissertation proposes to integrate into …

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 Do Expert Forensic Evaluators Do It? A Qualitative Study Exploring Forensic Evaluators’ Lived Experiences Conducting Psychosexual Evaluations Of Sex Offenders With Suspected Autism, Jessica K. Gazzola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative inquiry utilized semi-structured interviews with eight expert forensic evaluators to explore their lived experiences engaging in psychosexual evaluations of sex offenders with a suspected diagnosis of autism. The purpose of this study was to identify current best practices, principles, and challenges faced by forensic evaluators when assessing sex offenders with a suspected diagnosis of autism. The results provide a variety of autism-specific screening tools and assessments used by forensic evaluators in their psychosexual evaluation process. Four emergent themes were developed using a descriptive phenomenological approach and social constructivist framework. These themes encompass forensic evaluators’ role in conducting psychosexual …

Intrinsic Gas-Phase Behavior Of Uranium Species: A Comprehensive Reactivity Study Of [O=U≡Ch]+ And [Uh]+, Justin Terhorst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intrinsic chemistry of actinide elements, particularly uranium, remains a key challenge in understanding f-block reactivity due to the complexity introduced by solvent interactions, counter-ions, and complex equilibria in the condensed phase. In this dissertation, a systematic gas-phase study utilizing preparative tandem ion-trap mass spectrometry (PTMSⁿ) is presented, focusing on the reactivity of uranium-centered species, specifically [OUCH]⁺, an oxy uranium methylidyne species, and [UH]⁺ ions. By stripping away solvent effects and isolating the ions, PTMSⁿ provides a powerful platform to probe the fundamental chemical behavior of uranium species in their intrinsic state.

The …

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. …