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Towards A Privacy-Preserving Healthcare Analytics For Neurological Diseases Management, Gabriel Owusu, Qinyu Liao, Bright Frimpong

Information Systems Faculty Publications

This study explores the integration of Differential Privacy (DP) in healthcare analytics, particularly focusing on enhancing data privacy in Machine Learning (ML) applications. We examine the effectiveness of differential private ML in managing sensitive medical data and the trade-offs between privacy and model performance. We use data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to develop a predictive ML model that classify patients into different stages in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease whilst maintaining privacy in patient data. We contribute to growing literature of healthcare analytics and privacy by demonstrating the feasibility of implementing privacy preserving models on healthcare data …

Aging Antiviral Immunity In The Central Nervous System: Mechanisms And Implications, Artem D. Arutyunov

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The complex interplay between aging, neuroinflammation, and neuroimmune responses has become increasingly evident in recent years. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), play a pivotal role in maintaining neural homeostasis and responding to neuroinflammatory triggers. This dissertation focuses on the role that aging plays in microglial activation and neuroinflammation, specifically in the context of West Nile Virus (WNV) encephalitis. While the incidence of WNV is consistent across age groups, the risk of West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease (WNND), a serious complication of WNV infection, increases with advanced age. Using mouse models of WNV infection, our group …

Employing Single-Nucleus Rna-Seq To Uncover Genetic Factors Of Alzheimer Disease, Logan Brase

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) stands as a daunting global health challenge, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. This burden will only intensify with an aging global population. Despite significant advances in understanding AD, further exploration is needed to enhance the development of treatments and therapeutics. Particularly, I am interested in identifying the molecular pathways involved and the cell types mediating the etiology of AD. This work underscores the ability of single nucleus RNA-seq to investigate these pathways at the cell-type level and mitigate many of the hurdles limiting the successful development of treatments for AD, including genetic heterogeneity and translation of discoveries …

Manipulation Of Cellular Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (Pcna) During Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection, Jessica Packard, Jill A. Dembowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a double stranded DNA virus that replicates within the nucleus of host cells. Using accelerated native isolation of proteins on nascent DNA (aniPOND), cellular proteins were found to associate with HSV-1 replication forks. One host factor of interest is proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), the DNA sliding clamp that tethers DNA polymerases and DNA damage response proteins to replicating cellular DNA. Although HSV-1 encodes its own DNA polymerase processivity factor (UL42), PCNA plays a key role in HSV-1 infection. We used commercially available PCNA inhibitors and short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) to investigate how …

Structure-Function Relationships In Neurodegenerative And Infectious Diseases: Biophysical Characterization Of Rna Secondary Structures By Computational Techniques, Kendy Guarinoni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research described in this dissertation focuses on the investigation of the structure and dynamics of regions of RNA implicated in two diseases: COVID-19 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). Both studies sought to create experimentally corroborated models that were used to characterize the structure and dynamics of the C9orf72 repeat expansion and the s2m region in coronaviruses, respectively and provided the foundation for future work. In our work involving the s2m region of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, we determined that the homology modeling approach commonly used to derive atomistic structures when no coordinates are available yields a …

Environmental Factors (Rurality, Distribution Of Prescribers, And Altitude) Of People Who Died By Suicide In Montana, 2013- 2022, Anne N. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Suicide is increasingly prevalent in rural areas across the United States, especially in the western Rocky Mountain states. The connection between suicide and rural residency is not well understood, nor is the relationship between the distribution of prescribers, altitude, and suicide. Purpose: This retrospective quantitative study aimed to describe the characteristics of individuals who died by suicide in Montana and investigate the associations among rurality, distribution of prescribers, altitude, and suicide rate. Methods: Montana suicide mortality data for 2013-22 was used to describe individual characteristics. A second dataset was created for each Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level in …

Assessing Even Flat-Fan Nozzles For Spot Spray Herbicide Applications, Thiago H. Vitti

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Herbicide efficiency in row-crop agriculture can be improved using precision technologies for controlling weeds and minimize agronomic, economic, and environmental impacts. Site-specific weed management technologies, such as spot-sprayers, allow herbicides to be sprayed only where weeds are present in the field. Understanding application parameters and their influence on weed control for site-specific spot-spray applications is essential. This research involved laboratory and greenhouse studies to investigate the coverage and coefficient of variation (CV) of even flat-fan spray nozzles under different spot-spray application scenarios, as well as the effect of weed size and application method on the control of various weed species …

Identifying Genes Linked To Variation In Metabolic And Whole Plant Phenotypes Using Data From Genome Resequencing, Transcriptomics, And Metabolic Profiling Of A Field-Grown Maize Diversity Panel, Ramesh Kanna Mathivanan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Maize metabolism is highly complex and influenced by genetic variation, yet the specific genes contributing to this variation and their links to non-metabolic traits remain less understood. To address this knowledge gap, we identified genes involved in maize metabolic variation and linked them to non-metabolic traits. We utilized a quadruplicate dataset of whole genome resequencing, transcriptomic, metabolic, and whole plant phenotype data from a single common field experiment of 660 diverse maize inbred lines. Leaf samples were collected shortly before flowering and analyzed using GC-MS for 26 metabolites. A Resampling Model Inclusion Probability Genome-Wide Association Study (RMIPGWAS) of approximately 2.6 …

U.S. District Court Issues Judgment To Hiv+ Plaintiffs Challenging U.S. Military Regulations Against Enlistment Of Asymptomatic Hiv+ Individuals, Arthur S. Leonard

Other Publications

No abstract provided.

The Multi-Trophic Effects Of Buckthorn Removal, Amanda Jacobs

Great Lakes Center Masters Theses

European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) is a non-native woody plant in North America that often grows in dense, monotypic stands, frequently displacing native plants and reducing species richness of invaded native communities. Given that plants are basal in most food webs, the homogenization of plant communities might be expected to cascade into homogenization at higher trophic levels (Hunter and Price, 1992). I investigated the multi-trophic effects of buckthorn removal at three levels: (1) ‘native,’ in which there were no buckthorn trees or shrubs, (2) ‘buckthorn trees,’ in which buckthorn was not removed and grew into spaced mature trees, and …

The Confessional Side Of Lennon: Comparing The Lyrics Of John Lennon To The School Of Confessional Poetry, Brandon H. Job

English Theses

Abstract of Thesis

The Confessional Side of Lennon: Comparing the Lyrics of John Lennon to the School of Confessional Poetry

It has been noted by avid listeners, critics, and scholars of Beatles material that John Lennon’s lyrical voice differed from his bandmates. Words such as “somber,” “autobiographical,” “introspective,” “angry,” “dark,” and so on, have all been used to describe his lyrical voice. However, their evaluation ends there without further investigation into his song lyrics’ uniqueness. My study aims to extend the research done on Lennon in order to define the unique voice he used throughout his songwriting career by arguing …

Experimental And Computational Investigation Of Green Laser Propagation Through Turbulent Medium In A Water Tank, Richard Owusu Adansi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Turbulence medium poses significant challenges to the propagation of laser beams, impacting applications such as free-space optical communication, remote sensing, and laser weapons systems. Therefore, comprehending and mitigating turbulence effects are vital for enhancing the performance of these systems. Analysis of a strong turbulence impact on electromagnetic wave propagation requires extensive knowledge of the Earth's atmospheric and Oceanic phenomena and Maxwell's electromagnetic theory of light as a propagating wave of electric and magnetic fields. Optical systems' propagation often encounters Strong Turbulence, causing interference and diffraction. Nonetheless, light propagation through randomly fluctuating media has been an exciting and active area of …

Unraveling The Behavioral Ecology Of The Western Diamond-Backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus Atrox) Through The Lenses Of Personality, Predator-Prey Interactions, And Crypsis, Oceane Da Cunha

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

To thrive in an environment, individuals need to be able to forage efficiently and acquire mates. These resources are limited, and their acquisition depends upon the energy and time an individual chooses to allocate to each activity and the environmental conditions, leading to behavioral trade-offs. Different species, or even different individuals within the same population, respond to these trade-offs by employing contrasting strategies, leading to differential life-history outcomes. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to gain a better understanding of the trade-offs cryptic ambush mesopredators are facing using the western diamond-backed rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) as a model species. Each …

Robust Multivariate Estimation And Inference With The Minimum Density Power Divergence Estimator, Ebenezer Nkum

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The estimation of the location vector and scatter matrix plays a crucial role in many multivariate statistical methods. However, the classical likelihood-based estimation is greatly influenced by outliers, potentially leading to unreliable decisions. Hence, a fundamental challenge in multivariate statistics is to develop robust alternatives that can maintain performancein the presence of outliers and deviations from the assumed data distribution. Unfortunately, methods with good global robustness often substantially sacrifice efficiency. To address this, we propose the adoption of Minimum Density Power Divergence (MDPD) estimation, a well-established robust technique known for its efficiency and statistical robustness to outliers and model violations. …

Home Care Work Of Caregivers For Mexican American Adults With Dementia: A Culturally Informed Model Integrating Work System Analyses And Health Disparities Research Framework, Laura Cristina Tovar Felix

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Dementia is an umbrella term for different diseases such as Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, Lewy body, frontotemporal, and mixed dementias. Dementia is caused by a variety of diseases that cause damage to brain cells interfering with the ability of brain cells to communicate between each other. Dementia is associated with different types of brain cell damage in a specific region of the brain (What Is Dementia?, 2024).Dementia affects 55 million people worldwide, where the most affected population is the low-income and the middle-income countries. (Greenblat, 2023). Every 20 years the number almost double, and by 2039 is estimated to reach 78 …

Effect Of Ethanol Intake On Bone Remodeling Process During Orthodontic Treatment In Male Wistar Rats, Ardiansyah S. Pawinru, Harun Achmad, Sitti Wahyuni, Eka Erwansyah, Ida B. Narmada, Rasmidar Samad, Agussalim Bukhari, Eddy H. Habar

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: Toxic substances such as alcohol are consumed by many patients during orthodontic force application. These pharmacologically active substances may inadvertently inhibit tooth movement, cause unwanted root resorption or lead to loss of periodontal and bone attachment by modulating molecular and cellular processes that enable orthodontic tooth movement. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the expression of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) and TGF-β in the bone remodeling process during orthodontic treatment due to the influence of alcohol intake. Material and Methods: Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to two groups: control group (CG) = non-exposed to ethanol intake …

Shillinglaw, Susan, San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, English, 1985 Ph.D.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, English, 1976 M.A.

Cornell College, English and Art, 1973 B.A.

Unveiling The Intercompartmental Signaling Axis: Mitochondrial To Er Stress Response (Mersr) And Its Impact On Proteostasis, Jeson Li

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Maintaining protein homeostasis is essential for cellular health. During times of protein stress, cells deploy unique defense mechanisms to achieve resolution. Our previous research uncovered a cross-compartmental Mitochondrial to Cytosolic Stress Response (MCSR), a unique stress response activated by the perturbation of mitochondrial proteostasis, which ultimately results in the improvement of proteostasis in the cytosol. Here, we found that this signaling axis also influences the unfolded protein response of the endoplasmic reticulum (UPRER), suggesting the presence of a Mitochondria to ER Stress Response (MERSR). During MERSR, the IRE1 branch of UPRER is inhibited, introducing a previously unknown regulatory component of …

Synthesis Of Selenium Nanostructures: Rods, Wires, And Fibers By Pulsed Laser Ablation In Liquids, Atikur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Selenium is a semiconductor that has a bulk energy bandgap of 1.74 eV, is mainly used in sensors, rectifiers, and advanced photovoltaic solar cells. Selenium is very important for the energy applications and was declared as Energy Critical Element (ECE) by the American Physical Society (APS) and the Materials Research Society (MRS). The goal of this dissertation was to control the growth of selenium when being irradiated by a pulsed laser within a liquid environment. The method called “Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquids” is a green synthesis technique that allows for ligand-free nanoparticles to be created. Laser repetition rates were …

Real-Time Cerebral Oximetry During Cognition, Sensorimotor Control, And Pneumotactile Perception In Neurotypical Adults, David J. Sanchez

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Continuous-wave functional near-infrared spectroscopy (cw-fNIRS) is a non-invasive brain imaging methodology designed to measure neural activity by detecting hemodynamic responses i.e., adjustments in blood flow and oxygenation to meet the brain’s metabolic needs. Findings on the use of cw-fNIRS by speech-language pathologists (SLP) and neuroscientists to assess cerebral hemodynamic responses during communication assessment and treatment are limited. This study aims to explore the brain’s metabolic response to various sensory processing tasks in neurotypical adults.

This research examines the relationship between cognitive load, sensorimotor control, and somatosensory processing, and hemodynamic modulation in the prefrontal cortex of 18 right-handed neurotypical adults. The …

Virion Composition Of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus (Wsmv) And Its Use As An Expression Vector, Sourav Pal

Department of Plant Pathology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the principal cereal grown in the United States, whose production ranks third in the world. Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) disease caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa (xtu) is an emerging threat to wheat production in the Great Plains region of the United States of America. In this study, we engineered sequences encoding several plant-based antimicrobial peptides (AMP) were engineered into the WSMV genome and examined their effect on BLS disease in wheat infected by WSMV harboring AMP sequences. Out of nine AMPs, wheat expressing Ace-AMP1, PDF13, TK-AMP-D1, and TK-AMP-D3 produced resistance against the …

Microbial Transfer And Cross-Contamination In Milling Facilities And Pathogen Survival In Milled Products And Baking Mixes, Aryany Leticia Peña-Gomez

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Wheat-based products, traditionally considered low-risk due to their low moisture content, have been involved in numerous foodborne outbreaks in recent decades. Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) present in these products have caused significant numbers of hospitalizations and massive product recalls. The microbiological quality of flour is highly dependent on the incoming wheat, which is vulnerable to contamination from field to milling. Once pathogens are present in flour, they can survive for extended periods. Implementing strategies to mitigate the risk of pathogen contamination throughout the wheat processing chain is critical.

This study evaluated the distribution of E. coli …

Development And Validation Of Aronia Melanocarpa Berry Recipes For Home Canning: Integrating Thermal Lethality Studies, Microbiological Safety, And Antioxidant Analysis, Juan Diego Villegas Posada

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Aronia melanocarpa, also known as chokeberry, is gaining popularity for its high antioxidant content and health benefits, including reducing oxidative stress and inhibiting cancer gene expression. However, its characteristic bitterness and astringency limit its broader appeal. Chokeberry's low pH places it in the acid foods category, making it ideal for safe home canning. An acidic environment combined with heat treatment inhibits harmful bacteria like Clostridium botulinum. Home canning preserves food by sealing it in airtight containers and heating it to destroy spoilage microorganisms.

Developing safe and palatable recipes is essential for making chokeberries suitable for home canning. A …

Transforming Grassland Conservation: Challenges And Opportunities Across Law, Policy, And Human Dimensions, Conor D. Barnes

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Great Plains social-ecological systems are facing growing pressure from complex, ‘wicked’ problems. Addressing these problems will require integrating ecological resilience and complex systems thinking concepts into our legal framework in order to better reflect the changing ecological reality of the Great Plains and promote flexibility and adaptability in the face of that change. In this dissertation, I examine how past and present policy priorities have affected social-ecological systems on the Great Plains, and how ecological resilience and complex systems thinking might be applied to grassland management policy. In Chapter 2, I examine the rapid progress made in the adoption of …

Development Of An Egg-Specific Mass Spectrometry Targeted Method For Processed Food Matrices, Liyun Zhang

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Egg is a major food allergen in the United States, causing symptoms from mild reactions to severe anaphylaxis. An egg-free diet remains the only management approach for egg allergy. Therefore, individuals and families living with egg allergies rely heavily on allergen statements on packaged food products for informed food choices. Currently, no labeling regulations exist for unintentionally introduced allergens, posing risks to consumers with egg allergies. Therefore, it is critical to have an accurate and reliable detection method in allergen control and management to determine the concentration of total protein from allergenic food sources. Traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays are routinely …

Development Of Feature Extraction Models To Improve Image Analysis Applications In Cancer, Yu Shi

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Cancer poses a significant global health challenge. With an estimated 20 million new cases diagnosed worldwide in 2022 and 9.7 million fatalities attributable to the disease, the economic burden of cancer is immense. It impacts healthcare systems and imposes substantial costs for its care on patients and their families. Despite advancements in early detection, prevention, and treatment that have reduced overall cancer mortality rates, the growing prevalence of cancer, particularly among younger individuals, remains a pressing issue.

Recent advancements in medical imaging technology have progressed significantly with the help of emerging computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Despite these …

Semigroup Well-Posedness And Finite Element Analysis Of A Biot-Stokes Interactive System, Sara Mcknight

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The coupling of a porous medium modeled by the Biot equations and a fluid has many biological applications. There are numerous ways by which to model the fluid and to couple the porous medium with the fluid. This particular model couples the Biot equations to Stokes flow along the boundary, through the Beavers-Joseph-Saffman conditions. We address semigroup well-posedness of the system via an inf-sup approach, which along the way requires consideration of a related but uncoupled static Biot system. We also present the results of finite element analysis on both the uncoupled Biot system and the coupled system.

Advisor: Sara …

Integrating Water And Nitrogen Management For Sustainable Agriculture: Optimizing Resource Use Efficiency And Maximizing Crop Productivity, Jiaming Duan

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Advisors: Derek Heeren and Daran Rudnick Maize, accounting for over 95% of national grain production in the United States, is highly sensitive to water and nitrogen (N) inputs. Conventional agricultural practices often lead to excessive application, causing groundwater contamination through nitrate leaching. Therefore, there is a demand for integrating water and nitrogen management with innovative scheduling methods for sustainable agricultural development.

This dissertation first reviewed two decades of U.S.-based research, highlighting the optimal management of water and N to enhance yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Findings indicate that maintaining optimal levels of N and water …

"I Will Write Mad Stories": The Hysterical "I" In The Diaries Of George Eliot, Charlotte Forten Grimke, Virginia Woolf, And Sylvia Plath, Jaclyn Marie Swiderski

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation focuses on the long history of hysteria and the ways in which it has been used to denigrate and silence disabled women. Women diagnosed as hysterical, by either the medical establishment or the court of public opinion, are denied the right to generate knowledge about and for themselves – they are epistemologically disabled. The author argues that hysterical women have unique ways of looking at and understanding the world which push back against their epistemological disablement. In order to uncover some of this history of hysterical women, this dissertation uses the diaries of four “hysterical” women over the …

A Data-Driven Discovery System For Studying Extracellular Microrna Sorting And Rna-Protein Interactions, Sasan Azizian

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Interactions between microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are pivotal in miRNA-mediated sorting, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions remain largely understudied. Few miRNA-binding proteins have been verified, typically requiring extensive laboratory work. This study introduces DeepMiRBP, a novel hybrid deep learning model designed to predict microRNA-binding proteins. The model integrates Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) networks with attention mechanisms, transfer learning, and cosine similarity to offer a robust computational approach for inferring miRNA-protein interactions.

DeepMiRBP is implemented through two distinct architectures. The first architecture employs a Y-shaped model that uses Bi-LSTM networks and transfer learning to extract contextual …