Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding The Pathogenesis Of Renal Medullary Carcinoma, Melinda Soeung

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is a lethal cancer that predominantly affects young individuals with sickle cell trait (SCT). It is not currently understood why RMC only affects certain individuals with SCT. We found that patients with RMC more frequently participated in high-intensity exercise than matched controls. Using mouse models of SCT, we demonstrated the significant increase of renal hypoxia in the right kidney following high- but not moderate-intensity exercise. We also demonstrated in cell culture studies that SMARCB1 is ubiquitinated for proteasome-mediated degradation in hypoxia, and the re-expression of SMARCB1 leads to compromised proliferation in renal cells specifically in the …

Dissecting The Mechanisms Of Venetoclax Resistance In Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Shuaitong Chen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a class of heterogeneous clonal hematopoietic disorders. The current standard of care for MDS is the hypomethylating agent (HMA)-based therapy. However, only 50 percent of the patients respond, with transient effects and no approved second-line treatment options after their diseases progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The mechanisms that govern HMA failure are unknown. Recently, we unveiled that MDS are maintained and propagated by two different immunophenotypically distinct hierarchical cellular organizations of MDS hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) through the upregulation of specific survival pathways. This finding allowed us to potentially stratify MDS patients into …

Dissecting Tumor Heterogeneity In Lung Cancer, Aparna Padhye

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Lung cancer is a heterogeneous disease composed of genetically and phenotypically distinct tumor cells as well as a heterogeneous microenvironment consisting of non-cancer cells and extracellular matrix. Constant interactions among these components ultimately leads to a complex tumor tissue that is ever evolving and poses a therapeutic challenge for sustained benefit. Strategies for targeting lung cancers are largely guided by the genetic alterations identified in the tumor specimens. However, in order to gain a better understanding of lung cancer progression and develop effective treatment modalities, studying tumor in context of its microenvironment is crucial. The first aim of this project …

Intranasal Hpv Peptide Vaccine Formulation Induces Potent Cytotoxic Cd8 T Cell Immunity For The Treatment Of Genital Hpv Tumors, Gloria Sierra

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) induced cancers continue to affect millions of women worldwide, with the five year survival rate hovering just under 60% in some demographics. Therefore there is an unmet need to develop effective, yet, easily administered therapies to treat established HPV genital lesions. Even though immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) is a promising treatment option in some HPV+ cancers, the high cost and associated toxicities are still major concerns for their widespread application. HPV cancers are textbook candidates for therapeutic vaccination intervention because they’re driven by the expression of viral oncoproteins E6 and E7, which serve as ideal tumor specific …

Advancement Of A 3d Computational Phantom And Its Age Scaling Methodologies For Retrospective Dose Reconstruction Studies, Aashish Gupta

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

We have used a 3D age-scalable computational phantom for over two decades for retrospective dose reconstruction studies of childhood cancer survivors (CCS) treated with 2D historic radiotherapy (RT). However, our phantom and its age scaling functions (ASF) must be updated so that it can be used in studies that include survivors treated with contemporary RT. We aimed to implement our phantom and its age scaling functions in DICOM format and determine the feasibility of applying our ASFs to accurately scale the whole-body CT-based anatomies.

In the implementation study, we developed Python scripts that model the phantom and ASFs in a …

Characterizing The Role Of Uchl5 In Metastatic Melanoma, Seenya Vincent

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Metastatic melanoma is one of the most aggressive cancers. In recent years, the survival rate has improved with the introduction of immunotherapy. Our lab conducted an in vivo ORF screen to identify potential drivers of metastasis. UCHL5/UCH37 was identified as one of the top candidates. UCHL5 is a deubiquitinating enzyme and interacts with the 26S proteasome complex and the INO80 chromatin remodeling complex. While UCHL5 has been shown to be overexpressed in many cancers, it has not been well characterized in melanoma. We investigated the role of UCHL5 in metastatic melanoma in vitro through overexpressing and knocking down UCHL5 in …

Modulating Immunometabolism To Improve The Activity Of Car-Nk Cells Targeting Cd70 In Renal Cell Carcinoma, Hind Rafei

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Despite the approval of several therapies for metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), disease resistance and relapse are common, and therapies with novel mechanisms of action are urgently needed. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has shown remarkable responses in hematologic malignancies, but many obstacles hinder success in solid tumors including the paucity of highly specific targets and the hostility of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Moreover, the limitations of generating an autologous cell product, such as cost of manufacture, and the challenges of toxicity with CAR-T cells highlight the need to develop new cell therapy products that are at …

Secrets, Lies, And Lessons From The Theranos Scandal, Lauren Rogal

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Theranos, Inc., the unicorn startup blood-testing corporation, was ultimately laid low by a former employee whistleblower. The experience of that whistleblower during and after her employment illuminates detrimental secrecy practices within the startup sector, as well as legal and practical barriers to corporate accountability. Theranos sought to avoid exposure by cultivating an environment of secrecy and intimidation, and by aggressively extracting and enforcing nondisclosure agreements. The legal landscape for whistleblowers facilitated this strategy: while whistleblowing employees enjoyed certain protections under anti-retaliation statutes, trade secrets statutes, and common law contract principles, these protections were neither readily accessible nor certain. This Article …

Human-Automated Vehicle Interactions, Longxiang Guo

All Dissertations

This dissertation is proposed to answer the question: how can the interactions between human and automated vehicles be used to improve the overall performance of automated driving technology? Multiple different modules in automated vehicles such as the perception, motion plan and motion control modules can potentially be benefitted from human-automated vehicle interactions. For perception module, the self-correction of faulty sensors can be achieved using human demonstration data. For motion plan and motion control modules, the performance of the low-level motion controller can be improved with the help of human demonstration, and the behavior of the motion planner can be improved …

Characterizing Unmixed Trees With Respect To Total Domination And Pmu Covers, James Gossell

All Dissertations

One of the fundamental connections between commutative algebra and graph theory is the relationship between edge ideals and minimal vertex covers of a graph. Let $G=(V,E)$ be a simple graph with $V=\{x_1,\ldots,x_d\}$. The edge ideal of a graph is the ideal $I_G=(x_ix_j) \subsetneq k[x_1,\ldots,x_d]$ generated by the edges $x_ix_j \in E$. A vertex cover graph $G$ is a set of vertices $V' \subset V$ such that every edge in $G$ is incident to a member of $V'$. In 1990, Villarreal showed the edge ideal of a tree Cohen-Macaulay if and only if the tree is unmixed with respect to vertex …

Engineering Of Robust Enzymes And Their Production In The Non-Conventional Oleaginous Yeast Yarrowia Lipolytica, Weigao Wang

All Dissertations

Our earth is covered with lots of extreme environments where only extremophiles can survive. These environments include the glaciers, volcanoes, deep sea, radiation polluted area and deserts and are usually found with extreme temperatures, salinity, pressure and radiation. Extremophile enzymes are found in these extremophile organisms and are with excellent properties like high thermostability. These extreme properties enable extremophile enzymes to save the energy and time cost in industrial production. Therefore, extremophile enzymes have been used in food processing, paper bleaching, detergent and biosensors. Extremophile enzymes could be classified roughly into psychrophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes based on their different …

Large-Scale Optimization Models With Applications In Biological And Emergency Response Networks, Mustafa Can Camur

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, we present new classes of network optimization models and algorithms, including heuristics and decomposition-based methods, to solve them. Overall, our applications highlight the breadth which optimization models can be applied and include problems in protein-protein interaction networks and emergency response networks. To our best knowledge, this is the first study to propose an exact solution approach for the star degree centrality (SDC) problem. In addition, we are the first who introduce the stochastic-pseudo star degree centrality problem and we are able to design a decomposition approach for this problem. For both problems, we introduce new complexity discussions …

The In Vivo And In Vitro Characterization Of Collagen/Tannic Acid Beads As An Injectable Tissue Regenerative Scaffold For Breast Reconstruction Post-Lumpectomy, Andrew Baldwin

All Dissertations

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer diagnoses worldwide. In the United States, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with some form of breast cancer within their lifetime. Breast reconstructive surgeries are an important part of patient health and well being following tumor removal. Unfortunately, modern reconstructive techniques frequently result in surgical complications, such as infection and tissue necrosis. Breast cancer recurrence is also a serious concern for patients, occurring in 10-41% of patients after 5 years depending on the severity of the original diagnosis. Tannic acid (TA), a naturally occurring polyphenol and antioxidant, has been researched …

Development Of Improved Models For Simulating Adsorption Kinetics And Solvation Free Energies Of Catalytic Species At Pt(111)/Liquid Water Interfaces, Xiaohong Zhang

All Dissertations

Aqueous-phase heterogeneous catalysis has many applications, including biomass reforming, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, and electrocatalysis. Formulation of accurate kinetic models for these systems is necessary not only to gain mechanistic understanding but also to have quantitative prediction of the activity and selectivity under reaction conditions. However, the molecular modeling of the solid-liquid interfaces, especially the adsorption and the surface intermediate reaction, which are important steps in aqueous phase heterogeneous catalysis, are still under development. In order to better understand these systems, in this work, we developed novel mathematical and molecular methods to study the catalytic adsorption and the surface adsorbate solvation free …

Fabrication Of Cerium- And Uranium-Based Ceramic Microspheres Using The Sol-Gel Process With Polymer Additives, Jianxing Ma

All Dissertations

Ceramic microspheres, especially the cerium-based and uranium-based ceramic microspheres, are highly demanded in different applications due to their chemistry and the unique microstructures. The dense microspheres are critically important for nuclear rocket fuels and high-temperature gas cool reactor fuels. The porous microspheres are widely used in thermochemical reactions for carbon dioxide splitting. The existing ceramic microspheres fabrication processes have many challenges, such as unfavorable chemistry, complex steps, and inhomogeneous composition distribution. Those problems have motivated a new method to validate an alternative technique. The sol-gel process with polymer additives designed and constructed in this study is capable and successful of …

Multistage Stochastic Programming: Algorithms, Modelling And Applications, Murwan Siddig

All Dissertations

This dissertation comprises four different topics related to multistage stochastic programming (MSP) algorithms, modeling, and applications.

First, we extend the adaptive partition-based approach for solving two-stage stochastic programs with a fixed recourse matrix and a fixed cost vector to the MSP setting, where the stochastic process is assumed to be stage-wise independent. The proposed algorithms integrate the adaptive partition-based strategy with a popular approach for solving multistage stochastic programs, the stochastic dual dynamic programming (SDDP) algorithm, according to two main strategies. These two strategies are distinct from each other in the manner by which they refine the partitions during the …

Heavily Obscured Active Galactic Nuclei In The Nustar Era, Xiurui Zhao

All Dissertations

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are among the brightest objects in the sky. The enormous intrinsic emission of the AGN is produced by the gas accreted onto the central supermassive black hole (SMBH). Most of the AGN intrinsic emission are obscured by the material in a toroidal structure (or the torus) in AGN. This obscuring torus has been resolved in recent observations. However, many of its properties are still unknown, e.g., the torus covering factor and the torus density. My dissertation is focused on studying the AGN torus properties in X-rays. Heavily obscured AGN (NH ≥10^{23} cm^{−2}) are the best sample …

Determinants Of Consumer Decisions In An Online Marketplace: The Decision-Making Process In The Home Improvement Service Domain, Amal Pradeep Ponathil

All Dissertations

Home improvement services industry are a multi-billion dollar industry with an ever increasing online presence as a result of advancements in technology. Such websites as Angie’s List, Thumbtack, and Home Advisor allow for information exchange between online consumers. Also known as Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), this information offers several advantages, for example quick dissemination and convenience; however, trust in such information is a key factor in consumer’s decision-making. With the increased use of eWOM in making decisions, it is important to investigate how consumers use the cues found on these websites, the research gap this dissertation addresses.Given the lack …

Plasmon Enhanced Gan Mems Photoacoustic Sensors, Digangana Khan

All Dissertations

This dissertation aims to repot the demonstration of strong enhancement in photoacoustic signal due to plasmonic absorption and highly sensitive detection of trace level analytes utilizing the plasmonic enhancement of photoacoustic signal using piezotransistive GaN microcantilevers. A pulsed 790 nm laser focused on the Au metallization of the piezotransistor resulted in a high amplification of photoacoustic signal compared to the non-metallized areas. Upon deposition of 5 nm Au layer, the photoacoustic signal increased significantly for both previously metallized and non-metallized areas, while 2 nm Ni deposition decreased the photoacoustic signal, confirming the role of Au nanostructures in facilitating plasmonic absorption. …

Biofilm Deterrence On Surfaces Exposed To Continuous Ultraviolet-C Radiation As A Tool For Mitigating Bacterial Pathogens: Developing A Biofilm-Uvc Intensity Response Model, Hamed Torkzadeh

All Dissertations

Biofilm growth on engineered surfaces poses a risk to public health and presents a challenge in several industries, such as the food industry, as biofilms harbor a wide range of microorganisms, including opportunistic respiratory pathogens. In the context of drinking water, conventional secondary disinfectants such as free chlorine and chloramines are not known to fully prevent biofilm formation at relevant concentrations necessitating the development of scalable, effective interventions. The issue of biofilms and their role as a host to a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms can be more effectively addressed at the point-of-dispensing. Unlike building-point-of-entry or point-of-use devices interventions, there …

New Strategies To Combat Fouling In Membrane-Based Water Treatment Applications, Anna Malakian

All Dissertations

The main challenge of pressure-driven membrane operations is fouling, which refers to materials build-up on a membrane surface that increases the mass-transfer resistance of the membrane and, ultimately, the operating cost associated with higher-pressure operation and chemical cleaning. One way to combat fouling is the physical modification of a membrane surface by adding patterns of structural features that disrupt foulant deposition. My dissertation research goal was to develop the basic science needed to design new fouling-resistant membranes by understanding what factors most influence how foulants interact with patterned membrane surfaces.After introducing the basic methods used for membrane modification, Chapter 1 …

Evaluating Pea (Pisum Sativum L.) For Nutritional Traits And Implications For Organic Agriculture And Biofortification, Sarah Powers

All Dissertations

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important cool season food legume for sustainable food production and human nutrition due to its nitrogen fixation capabilities and nutrient-dense seed. However, phosphorus (P) can be a major limiting nutrient for pea production, as their nodules require additional amounts of P to perform and maintain nitrogen fixation activity, and for adequate biomass and yield. To determine if genetic variation exists in pea’s ability to take up and remobilize P from the soil, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to collect tissues at two developmental stages from plants grown under a normal and reduce P …

Gemcitabine-Loaded Microbubble System For Ultrasound Imaging And Therapy., Lauren J. Delaney, John R. Eisenbrey, David Brown, Jonathan R Brody, Masaya Jimbo, Brian E Oeffinger, Maria Stanczak, Flemming Forsberg, Ji-Bin Liu, Margaret A Wheatley

Department of Radiology Faculty Papers

Ultrasound imaging presents many positive attributes, including safety, real-time imaging, universal accessibility, and cost. However, inherent difficulties in discrimination between soft tissues and tumors prompted development of stabilized microbubble contrast agents. This presents the opportunity to develop agents in which drug is entrapped in the microbubble shell. We describe preparation and characterization of theranostic poly(lactide) (PLA) and pegylated PLA (PEG-PLA) shelled microbubbles that entrap gemcitabine, a commonly used drug for pancreatic cancer (PDAC). Entrapping 6 wt% gemcitabine did not significantly affect drug activity, microbubble morphology, or ultrasound contrast activity compared with unmodified microbubbles. In vitro microbubble concentrations yielding ≥ 500nM …

Aug2021, Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly Manuscripts

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Obesity On Walking To Running And Running To Walking Transitions, Salvador Baruch Alcorta Bautista

Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates human Walking to Running transition (WRT) and Running to Walking transition (RWT). The focus is to be able to identify the correct WRT and RWT phase jumps. This investigation uses experimental data from the VICON Motion Analysis System (MAS) and of the treadmill WRT and RWT trials. The musculoskeletal model consists of pelvis, femur, tibia, and foot. This investigation uses as reference the work reported in the literature by Diedricj and Warren.. For the calculations in this investigation Excel and Matlab are used to filter the data and calculate the relative phase jumps. This work reports the …

Biochar Applications To The Remediation Of Lead And Polychlorinated Biphenyl Contaminated Water, Victory Itua Igberase

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the performance of biochar materials as adsorbents to remove Pb and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) in aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption and column experiment packed with biochar and geomaterials (pumice) in 1:1 volume ratio was evaluated to address the efficacy of biochar in removing Pb while only batch adsorption was employed for PCB removal with biochar materials. Overall, PT biochars performed the best (42–53 mg g−1) followed by BE biochars (10–32 mg g−1) and AB biochars (17–27 mg g−1) while high temperature biochars were favored in terms of maximum Pb adsorption capacity. Column Pb breakthrough showed similar results, with …

Soil Chemistry Modification By Guinea Grass In Semi-Arid Soils: A Litter Mediated Positive Feedback, Vanessa Elizabeth Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Nutrients are a key component of healthy soils. Their composition plays an important role in plant growth through nutrient cycling and directly influences the functioning of plant communities in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. Shifts in macronutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen may be initiated by invasive growth as a driver for competition with native plants. The goal of this study is to explore the plant soil feedback in an exotic invasive plant, Guinea grass (Pancium maximum), an invasive bunch grass originally from Africa, across different habitat types in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). To determine a positive plant …

Below-Deck: The Specialist Sailor In World War Ii, Gregory Falcon

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

U.S. Navy ships were made up of many unexpected jobs during World War II. Traditional war histories say little about sailors who rarely saw direct combat below active war decks but instead worked skilled jobs. Specialized sailors were often unseen as they worked below the waterline as, for example, electrician’s mates and boiler room firemen. These jobs were pivotal to keeping the ship running and allowed men to make use of their valuable time in the navy. This thesis argues that, although evolving naval culture led men to enter for various reasons, many entered to enhance their future career during …

Machinability Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Cfrp) Composites: Modeling And Optimization Using Taguchi Analysis And Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm, S M Abdur Rob

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites have been widely used in aerospace, automotive, nuclear, and biomedical industries due to their high strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistant durability and excellent thermo-mechanical properties in non-oxidative atmospheres. Machining of CFRP composites has always been a challenge for the manufacturers. In this study, turning operation has been performed on CFRP composites to investigate the effects of cutting parameters namely cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut on the output characteristics including cutting force, surface roughness and tool wear using Taguchi Analysis. Regression Analysis has been used to develop mathematical model for cutting …

North Korean Cyber Attacks And Policy Responses: An Interdisciplinary Theoretical Framework, Jeeseon Hwang, Kyung-Shick Choi

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

No abstract provided.