Life Sciences Commons^™

P300 Event-Related Potential Responses To Self-Relevant Stimuli, Jordan Razzak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has suggested an apparent P300 sensitivity to self-relevant stimuli. To further explore this relationship, we asked participants to submit 10 photos, each of a particular category (e.g. footwear, plants), to be used as either targets or distractors in a given condition of an oddball task. Furthermore, we attempted to see whether the effect of self-relevance on the P300 could be induced in a participant by allowing them to study a set of unique photos which would then be used as targets. Our analysis suggested that P300 amplitude elicited in response to self-relevant stimuli used as targets was statistically …

Evaluating The Effect Of Automated Driving Systems On Drivers' Visual Attention, Reem Jalal Eddine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the automotive industry's recent shift towards automation, understanding the interaction between humans and automated system vehicles becomes crucial. The current technology in these systems is level 2 vehicles, where the driver still has to take-over the vehicle manually when needed. However, concerns were raised about the safety of these vehicles due to the monotonous monitoring role of the driver which leads to low cognitive workload. Using the inverted U-model, a low cognitive workload leads to boredom which might cause task disengagement and a severe loss of situation awareness. Thus, this study aimed to investigate attentional costs and recall performance …

A Descriptive Analysis Of The Upper Body Kinematics Of Conductors, Jessica Rosemary Flammia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A high prevalence of the physical symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders has been identified in conductors (Luger and Trouli, 2023; Geraldo and Fiorini, 2022). Both repetition and non-neutral postures have been identified as risk factors in the development of musculoskeletal disorders (Kumar, 2008; Frievalds, 2018) and are clearly present in a conductor’s job description. The current study aims to examine conductors’ exposures to these factors by answering the guiding research question: what does the upper body movement patterns of a conductor look like? Seven conductors were instrumented with the Xsens MVN AwindaTM motion capture system during one of their ensembles’ regular …

Nutrient Intake, Performance, And Body Composition In Preseason Wrestlers, Gregory Coapstick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: College athletes, especially in weight class sports, often experience energy deficits. Weight class sports such as wrestling are at greatest risk for deficiencies, and little is known about the relationships between body composition, nutrient intake, and performance in these athletes.
OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to quantify macronutrient and micronutrient intake of pre-season male collegiate wrestlers and compare to recommendations, and examine relationships among nutritional intakes, body composition, and performance measurements of strength, anaerobic, and aerobic capacity.
METHODS: Male Division I wrestlers (n=11, mean ± SD age: 21.3±1.7 years, wrestling experience: 14.9±2.5 years) were recruited during preseason. …

Exploring The Consistency Of Flow Regimes Within And Among Ecoregions Of The Southeastern United States, Frank Paul Braun Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human manipulation of river systems has long been a known contributor to the loss of freshwater biodiversity. By accounting for environmental causes of hydrologic variation among rivers, we can better understand how ecoregion mediates flow regimes and forecast species that may be at risk. Presumably, natural variation associated with ecoregion boundaries exerts strong influence on flow regimes, and may mediate relationships between other features (e.g., land use, dam operations) and hydrology. However, such between-ecoregion variation is poorly investigated, particularly at fine spatial and temporal scales. I characterized 10 hydrologic metrics, representing the five key dimensions of the flow regime (magnitude, …

Isolation And Characterization Of Bacteriophages From Fish Tank Samples, Oluwaseyi Oluwagbeminiyi Oladele-Ajose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bacteriophages (phages) are viral obligate intracellular parasites that infect bacteria. Research has been carried out on alternative treatment plans for bacterial infections due to the increase in antibiotic resistance. Phages have been proposed as an alternative to antibiotics. This research focused on the isolation and characterization of bacteria from small aquariums. A total of 42 bacterial isolates were isolated from seven different fish tank water samples and were tested to determine if they possessed phages. Spot plaque assay revealed presence of lytic phage for only one of the isolated bacterial strains, which was determined to belong to Enterobacteriaceae family based …

Interactive Effects Of Sublethal Concentrations Of Fracking Biocides And Abandoned Mine Drainage On Amphipod Behavior, Kelly Lenhart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the sublethal effects of three pollutants, namely glutaraldehyde, 4,4-dimethyloxazolidine (DMO), and abandoned mine drainage (AMD), on amphipods. The primary objective was to investigate their combined effects on amphipods. The three pollutants, despite having the potential to combine in the environment, have not been studied to determine their potential for detrimental interactive effects which could result in unexpected environmental damage.

The research employed a series of experimental setups involving controlled exposure of amphipods to varying, putatively sublethal, concentrations of the chemicals of interest. Subsequently, effects were assessed via both behavioral and feeding assessments. To facilitate this analysis, novel …

Developing Novel Food Packaging Products With High Barrier Properties, Enabled By Cnf, Nabanita Das

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent times, plastic has become a highly favored choice for packaging due to its exceptional microbial, damage, and water-resistant properties. However, the alarming rise in plastic usage has led to adverse environmental pollution. This study aims to develop innovative food packaging solutions using renewable and compostable cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). This thesis comprises two related studies on the barrier performance of novel food packaging materials, including oxygen barrier and oil/grease barrier properties. The goal of the first study was to enhance the mechanical and barrier properties of the cellulose nanofibril (CNF) films by inducing fibrils orientation for food packaging applications. …

Regeneration Response To Salvage Logging Following Tornado Disturbance, Colby K. Bosley-Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an era of increasing natural disturbances, successful tree regeneration has grown more difficult to achieve. Salvage logging, a common management response to disturbance, may further impede regeneration success, although published literature currently remains inconclusive. In 2013, a rare tornado in northcentral Maine, USA, and subsequent salvage operation created three clear ‘treatments’ for evaluation of post-disturbance regeneration: blowdown, blowdown followed by salvage logging and an undisturbed control. In the summers of 2022 and 2023, (nine and ten) years post-tornado, we revisited this site to examine regeneration outcomes.

During the summer of 2022, we evaluated stand structure and regeneration success of …

On The Anti-Adipogenic Function Of Collagen Triple Helix Repeat-Containing Protein 1, Matthew E. Siviski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adipogenesis is regulated by the coordinated activity of adipogenic transcription factors, including PPAR-gamma (PPARG) and C/EBP alpha (CEBPA). Thus, dysregulated adipogenesis predisposes adipose tissues to adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia. We have previously reported that mice possessing a homozygous null gene mutation in collagen triple helix repeat-containing protein 1 (CTHRC1) have increased adiposity compared to wildtype mice, supporting the concept that CTHRC1 regulates body composition. Herein, we investigated the anti-adipogenic activity of CTHRC1. Using 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, we showed significantly reduced adipogenic differentiation in the presence of CTHRC1 commensurate to marked suppression of Cebpa and Pparg gene expression. In addition, CTHRC1 increased …

Unbridled Insights: Exploring Equine Behavior Through Gps Tracking And Analysis, Madison L. Philbrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Horse behavior in pasture and grazing environments remains understudied, despite the substantial domestic horse population in the United States. This paper explores the utilization of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to detect equine behavior, specifically focusing on grazing behaviors. By analyzing GPS data from (n=9) Standardbred horses, this study aims to establish the capabilities and accuracy of the Columbus P-1 data logger as a low-cost GPs unit for equine research, without the use of accelerometers. Through the data provided by the GPS unit, a model to distinguish grazing, resting, drinking, walking, trotting, and running was developed with satisfactory detection rates. …

Integrating Remote Sensing And Machine Learning To Assess Forest Health And Susceptibility To Pest-Induced Damage, Rajeev Bhattarai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana; SBW) outbreaks are cyclically occurring phenomena in the northeastern USA and neighboring Canadian provinces. These outbreaks are often of landscape level causing impaired growth and mortality of the host species namely spruce (Picea sp.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.). Acknowledging the recent SBW outbreak in Canadian provinces like Quebec and New Brunswick neighboring the state of Maine, our study devised comprehensive techniques to assess the susceptibility of Maine forests to SBW attack. This study aims to harness the power of remote sensing data and machine learning algorithms to model and map the susceptibility of …

Mobilizing Indigenous Research Methodologies And Wabanaki Knowledge In Biophysical Research To Restore Wabanaki Sweetgrass Harvesting In Acadia National Park And Identify Basket Quality Black Ash Habitat For Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus Planipennis) Preparedness, Suzanne Greenlaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black ash (wikpiyik/Fraxinus nigra) and sweetgrass (suwitokolasol/Anthoxanthum nitens) are two culturally important species to Wabanaki (Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, and Abenaki) people, and to many other Native American tribes across the species’ ranges. Wabanaki relationships with black ash and sweetgrass include creation stories, generational stewardship practices, important economic markets, and cultural identity. Land use patterns, changes in access, invasive species, and climate change are negatively affecting both the health of black ash and sweetgrass and Wabanaki people’s relationship to these species. This dissertation consists of five chapters that mobilize Wabanaki knowledge and address Wabanaki access to sweetgrass and an invasive …

Assessing The Role Of The Microbiome, Parasite Infections, And Movement In Avian Health, Olivia N. Choi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Avian health encompasses the physical, physiological, and behavioral well-being of birds. Assessing avian health is not only important for the conservation and management of wild birds and the recreational economy, but also for the management of infectious diseases that threaten public health and agriculture. Birds, comprising approximately 10,000 species and an estimated 50 billion individuals worldwide, are known to be involved in the spread of pathogens, some of which are zoonotic (from animals to humans), such as avian influenza and West Nile viruses. Individual measures of avian health may include physical measurements (e.g., body mass, wing length), pathogen infection status, …

Forest Management In A Changing Climate: Integrating Social And Biopysical Sciences To Inform Adaptive Responses To Future Uncertainty, Peter Breigenzer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forests provide numerous ecological and socio-economic benefits, yet climate change is creating novel and extreme conditions that threaten forests and disrupt traditional management practices. To address future uncertainty about how to manage forests amid a rapidly changing climate, researchers have developed adaptive management strategies that move away from using historical ecological baselines as management goals. However, despite increases in adaptive forest management frameworks, there are still concerns that private woodland owners (PWOs; also known as family forest owners or non-industrial private landowners) are not adopting beneficial practices. Additionally, since tree canopies often buffer understory microclimates (i.e., fine scale variation in …

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Enhances Fluconazole Activity Against Candida During Polymicrobial Infection, Siham Hattab

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polymicrobial infections pose a significant challenge in the field of medicine due to our incomplete understanding of how pathogens interact during infection and how these interactions impact the effectiveness of drug treatments. Among the opportunistic pathogens, Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa stand out, as they are often found in similar infection sites, such as burn wounds, the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis and those on mechanical ventilation. Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungus responsible for invasive candidiasis, a condition associated with a high mortality rate of 40% in hospitals. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, on the other hand, is the primary pathogen …

Effects Of Sous-Vide Processing And Acidic Marination On Physicochemical Quality, Shelf-Life, And Consumer Acceptability Of Blue Mussel (Mytilus Edulis) Meats, Sara Gundermann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sous-vide cooking is a thermal processing method in which a raw food is vacuum sealed in a pouch and then placed into water below 100°C for a controlled amount of time. It is particularly good for cooking meats because of its precise control over temperature and time, which results in an ideal food texture for consumers. This method also prevents the food from coming in contact with oxygen, which can lead to spoilage that reduces product quality and shelf life. Acidification is a food preservation method that utilizes acids to lower the pH of foods, making the environment less conducive …

Interactions Between Streptococcus Agalactiae And Candida Albicans Affect Persistence And Virulence, Kathryn Patenaude

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus or GBS), a Gram-positive bacterium, and Candida albicans, a polymorphic fungus, are commensal microbes in most of the population they colonize but are also capable of causing severe and sometimes fatal infections in certain patient groups. Both organisms share similarities including the colonization the same tissue environments and causing infections in specific patient groups including those who are newborn, pregnant, suffering from chronic conditions like diabetes and HIV, as well as elderly patients. Previous research discovered that GBS and C. albicans can synergize to enhance the colonization of GBS in the bladders of mice, but …

Population Trends And Trophic Ecology Of The Invasive Peacock Eel (Macrognathus Siamensis) In The Florida Everglades, Grace Kahmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species threaten the ecological integrity of ecosystems worldwide, including the Florida Coastal Everglades. This study investigated the ecological role of the peacock eel (Macrognathus siamensis) within this ecosystem, emphasizing its population trends and the environmental factors that affect its population performance, and the potential for interactions with native fish assemblages and coastal food webs. I used 19 years of electrofishing data to investigate the population trends of peacock eels at the marsh-mangrove ecotone of the Shark River Estuary, Everglades National Park (Florida, USA). I found that peacock eel populations have increased since their first detection in 2002, and their …

Effect Of Macrophage Expressed Α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (Α7nachr) On Migration Of Macrophages During Inflammation, Kasey Keever

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition characterized by overwhelming inflammation, resulting in organ system damage, leading to a high mortality rate. Care in the clinical setting is supportive, and there are no approved sepsis-specific treatments. In septic mice, activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway decreases cytokine secretion by leukocytes and improves survival. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is a reflex of the parasympathetic nervous system, converging on the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine (α7nAChR) at the surface of macrophages. Signaling through the receptor blocks NF-kB activation, thus cytokine secretion. Receptor activation has other effects on macrophages, including modulating their migration to …

Synthesis Of Bacterial Glycerophospholipids For Biomembrane Model Studies: A Means To Advanced Biofuels, Felix Adulley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To reduce reliance on fossil fuels, sustainable biofuels are being pursued, especially advanced biofuels like 1-butanol that have higher energy content and greater compatibility with existing infrastructure than ethanol. A persistent challenge is the yield-limiting toxicity of biofuels and process solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran, to the microbes that ferment biomass into biofuel. The cell membrane is a focal point of toxicity, and understanding how it interacts with fuels and solvents is key to improving yield. Phospholipid bilayers are the core of biomembranes, and model biomembranes of defined composition provide the ideal platform for biophysical studies. To this end, glycerophospholipids characteristic …

E-Cigarettes: What Is The Relationship Between E-Cigarette Usage And Periodontal Disease?, Deborah Rose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dental community has a broad understanding of how traditional combustible cigarettes affect the oral cavity of the dental patient but there is little research available on the effects that e-cigarettes have on the patient’s dental health. Vaping products have been marketed as a healthier option over traditional combustible cigarettes. Since they were first introduced in 2003, very little research has been performed to understand their dental implications. This project was executed to investigate the chemicals associated with these vaping products and how they possibly contribute to the progression of periodontal disease. This research project was conducted with the contribution …

Flavonol Glucosylation: A Structural Investigation Of The Flavonol Specific 3-O Glucosyltransferase Cp3gt, Aaron S. Birchfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Flavonoid glycosyltransferases (GTs), enzymes integral to plant ecological responses and human pharmacology, necessitate rigorous structural elucidation to decipher their mechanistic function and substrate specificity, particularly given their role in the biotransformation of diverse pharmacological agents and natural products. This investigation delved into a comprehensive exploration of the flavonol 3-O GT from Citrus paradisi (Cp3GT), scrutinizing the impact of a c-terminal c-myc/6x histidine tag on its enzymatic activity and substrate specificity, and successfully achieving its purification to apparent homogeneity. This established a strong foundation for potential future crystallographic and other structure/function analyses. Through the strategic implementation of site-directed mutagenesis, a thrombin …

Study Of The Effects Of Chronic Cadmium Exposure On The Pathogenesis Of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension., Dakotah Dominique Cathey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We reported pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) patients had elevated levels of Cd in both blood and urine, therefore, this study tested whether Cd directly induces PAH or facilitates PAH pathogenesis in mouse models. C57/6J mice were initially exposed to drinking water with or without 5ppm Cd for 8 weeks. Then, half the mice in both control and Cd groups were given SU5416 and hypoxia (SuHx) for 4 weeks to induce PAH, resulting in 4 subgroups: Control, Cd, PAH, and Cd+PAH. Diastolic and systolic functions of the left and right ventricles (LV, RV) were examined with echocardiography before and after PAH. …

Biocargos: Capture And Release Gels For Optimized Storage Of Biologics., Chinmay Shashank Potnis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A Protection Zone In A Reaction-Diffusion Model With Strong Allee Effect., Isaac Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A protection zone model represents a patchy environment with positive growth over the protection zone and strong Allee effect growth outside the protection zone. Generally, these models are considered through the corresponding eigenvalue problem, but that has certain limitations. In this thesis, a general protection zone model is considered. This model makes no assumption on the direction of the traveling wave solution over the Strong Allee effect patch. We use phase portrait analysis of this protection zone model to draw conclusions about the existence of equilibrium solutions. We establish the existence of three types of equilibrium solutions and the necessary …

Breaking Virulent: The Coincidental Evolution Of Virulence Factors In Bacteria., Rhiannon Emmanuelle Cecil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how innocuous organisms can evolve to be pathogenic to humans is of increasing global concern. Further, understanding how existing pathogens may evolved to be more virulent is also vital to our ability to provide healthcare to people afflicted with diseases that promote chronic bacterial infections, such as cystic fibrosis. With the rise of antibiotic resistance in both bacteria and fungi it is paramount that new therapeutics are identified. Understanding what mutations occur that result in increased virulence in microbes can potentially provide new targets for antimicrobial drugs to combat antibiotic resistance. The Coincidental Evolution Hypothesis is a fundamental hypothesis …

Using A Toxic Aging Coin To Assess Hexavalent Chromium-Induced Neurotoxicity., Samuel Thomas Vielee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We are facing an aging crisis, with 20% of the U.S. population projected to be geriatric (65+) by 2030 and live another 40+ years. Age-related diseases accompany a growing geriatric population, emphasizing the need to understand their etiology. Environmental pollutants compound this crisis by: 1) geriatrics are more susceptible, exacerbating age-related diseases and comorbidities, and 2) they accelerate biological aging, inducing age-related diseases at younger ages. We address this crisis using a ‘toxic aging coin’ approach; heads examines how age impacts toxicity, tails examines how chemicals accelerate aging. This thesis applies the heads side for Cr(VI)-induced neurotoxicity across ages. We …

The Interplay Between Lung Adenocarcinoma, Nutrient Availability, And The Microbiome., Alexis A. Vega

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer diagnosed, and has the highest lethality rate across all other forms of cancer in the U.S. While current therapeutic options include chemo-, immuno-, and radio-therapy, the benefits of caloric or nutrient restriction on cancer cells has also been investigated. Due to the many biological functions associated with methionine, many have proposed a methionine restricted diet would lead to favorable outcomes when combating cancer. Although our cells are incapable of synthesizing methionine, the bacteria found in our microbiome can. Furthermore, recent discoveries suggest an independent microbiome found within tumors that …

The Impact Of Environmental Pollutants On Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease Pathogenesis., Tyler Charles Gripshover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Steatotic liver disease is brought upon by differing etiologies and its global prevalence is expected to keep increasing over the next several decades. Particularly, alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) manifests from excessive alcohol consumption where the liver retains lipids and progresses with metabolic dysfunction. Previous studies have demonstrated that environmental pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) promote metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), in diet-induced obesity models. However, it is unknown if environmental pollutants may also promote ALD pathogenesis. Thus, this dissertation focuses on characterizing the effects of PCB126 in a rodent ALD model followed by multiple ‘Omics approaches to identify mechanisms …