Life Sciences Commons^™

Assessing The Impacts Of Wastewater In Occupational Health Risks And Monitoring Infectious Diseases Within Communities, Sarah Catherine Sellers

Theses and Dissertations

Wastewater and wastewater treatment plants can both positively and negatively influence public health, due to their central role in socio-ecological systems in many communities. This dissertation aimed to fill key gaps in understanding their roles: as possible sources of occupational exposure and as tools for community disease monitoring and control. The three projects in this work examined these roles, focusing on how WWTPs can impact and inform public health at both occupational and community levels. Specifically, the study investigated the effects of chronic low-dose exposure to ARGs on WWTP workers' resistomes, evaluated the potential of WBE for building-level surveillance as …

Exploring Genetic Causes And Perspectives Of Uninformative Snp- Based Cell-Free Dna Prenatal Screening Results, Teeya Mercer

Theses and Dissertations

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based cell-free DNA (cfDNA) prenatal screening can yield uninformative results, including “atypical finding” and low fetal fraction results which can present challenges for clinical management. Limited data exists regarding the underlying causes, pregnancy outcomes, and patient experiences associated with these results. The purpose of this study was to explore the different potential underlying causes of these uninformative results while also exploring the pregnancy outcomes and the perspectives of patients who have received one. A mixed methods study was conducted consisting of a retrospective chart review on patients who had a documented appointment with a genetic counselor for …

The Effects Of Whole-Body Vibration On Countermovement Jump Kinetics And Performance, Garrett Reese Evans

Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: Whole-body vibration (WBV) is reported to be an effective training modality for increasing vertical jump height. However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear because limited studies have examined the effects of WBV on kinetic variables underling jump height. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of WBV on jump height (JH), modified reactive strength index (RSImod), and eccentric rate of force development (eRFD) during the countermovement jumps (CMJ) in recreationally-active young adults.

METHODS: Fifteen participants (13 male, 2 female, 21.5±1.89yr, 1.78±0.10m, 80.2±15.0kg) completed three randomly-ordered WBV exposures (0s, 30s, or 60s: 35Hz, 2mm amplitude). Three CMJ were …

Sex Differences In Cardiac Autonomic Response To Physical Exertion Following Concussion In Adolescents, Kiersten Isabella Mangold

Theses and Dissertations

Concussions, or mild traumatic brain injuries, are common amongst adolescent populations. Despite the qualifier of “mild”, these injuries can have a lasting impact on quality of life and school function. It has long been suggested that females experience poorer outcomes following concussion compared to their male counterparts, yet much research focuses primarily on male populations. Various theories have been proposed to explain these reported sex differences in concussion outcomes, ranging from socio-cultural differences in symptom reporting to neuroanatomical differences and the influence of sex hormones. Cardiac autonomic function (C-ANS) has emerged as a potential contributing mechanism to post-concussive symptoms. Although …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Genetic Cancer Prevention Clinic As A Tool For Managing Patients At Elevated Risk For Cancer, Sydney Marlene Price

Theses and Dissertations

People with an inherited cancer predisposition but have not been affected with cancer or tumors themselves are known as previvors. A previous study suggested the need for the establishment of a specialized management clinic for previvors in the Midlands of South Carolina. In 2022, the Genetic Cancer Prevention Clinic (GCPC) was established to serve this patient population. This study examined effectiveness of the GCPC in helping previvors manage their psychological and medical needs. A mixed methods design consisting of a chart review of patients enrolled in the GCPC (N=34) and a semi-structured phone interview (n=3) was …

Bias Effects Of Priming Towards Huntington’S Disease Among Second- Year Medical, Physician Assistant, And Genetic Counseling Students, Cameron Lynn Galley

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with Huntington’s Disease (HD) have experienced bias in their interactions with the public and with health professionals. This study explored perceptions of HD and potential bias among students in interdisciplinary health professions. We hypothesized that the presence of symptoms in vignettes would reflect increased implicit bias, participants with exposure to HD would show less bias than those without, and genetic counseling students would exhibit lower bias towards HD than medical and physician assistant students.

Attitudes towards those with HD were assessed through one of four vignettes about a fictional character in which a presymptomatic diagnosis was present or absent, …

Parent & Provider Perspectives On Rehabilitative Therapies For Children With Mucopolysaccharidosis Type Iii, Laura Denise Ciccarelli

Theses and Dissertations

Mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III) is a neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder characterized by autistic behaviors and skill regression. Although there is currently no cure for MPS III, various therapeutic approaches are recommended to manage the associated clinical manifestations. The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the perspectives of parents and providers on rehabilitative therapy for their children or patients with MPS III. Furthermore, it evaluated the potential benefit of an MPS III therapy resource developed by genetic counselors. Interview and survey responses were collected between September 2025 and January 2026. Eligible providers included certified speech, physical, occupational, and …

Evaluating Genetic Counseling Perspectives Around The Use Of Chat-Ai As A Standardized Patient, Mary Claire Sherman

Theses and Dissertations

Roleplays and standardized patients (SPs) are widely utilized and valued training tools in medical education. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a novel component of medical education, though its applications in genetic counseling remain underexplored. This study examined perceptions of genetic counseling students, recent graduates, and educators on chatbot artificial intelligence (chat-AI) as a SP in roleplay exercises. Eligible participants completed a survey requiring a roleplay interaction with ChatGPT. Standardized prompts included roleplay instructions and a framework based on the American Board of Genetic Counseling Practice-Based Competencies (PBCs) and the Reciprocal Engagement Model (REM) for chat-AI to provide feedback on …

Patient-Centered Insights Into The Triage And Diagnostic Experience Of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome In Clinical Genetics Services., Rylan Makenzie Sweitzer

Theses and Dissertations

Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is the only form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) without a known genetic etiology. One of the criteria for diagnosing hEDS is the exclusion of other possible causes. This often leads to referrals for a clinical diagnosis with a medical geneticist or genetic testing for other forms of EDS. This study aimed to investigate the education that individuals diagnosed with or suspected to have hEDS are receiving and what genetic providers include in their appointments with these patients. This study included two original online surveys. The first was sent to patients through providers at Indiana University and …

Small Jellyfish, Large Consequences: The Overlooked Predatory Role Of Hydromedusae In Subtropical Estuarine Ecosystems, Guilherme M. Von Montfort, Kelly R. Sutherland, Sean Colin, John H. Costello, Renato M. Nagata

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Hydromedusae are often overlooked in pelagic trophic ecology compared to large scyphozoans. We investigated the diet, prey selectivity, ingestion rates, digestion times, and predation impacts of the native Liriope tetraphylla and non-indigenous species Cnidostoma fallax and Moerisia inkermanica in a subtropical estuary of the southwestern Atlantic. While all three species predominantly consumed copepods, L. tetraphylla exhibited the broadest diet and highest number of preys in gut content (up to 13). Digestion time for L. tetraphylla decreased significantly with increasing temperature, from 94 min at 18°C to 64 min at 28°C, with Q10 values showing that digestion rates roughly double with …

Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis Of The Sk-3 I398 Interval In Neurospora Crassa, Tapasvi Bhatt

Senior Theses – Biological Sciences

Spore killer-3 (Sk-3) is a selfish genetic element on Chromosome III of Neurospora that biases its own transmission by killing meiotic products that fail to inherit the element. Although the resistance component of Sk-3 is known, the killer has not been identified. Previous deletion mapping confined the candidate killer region to a small block of DNA near interval i350 and suggested that the nearby 178 bp interval i398 might show different behavior in qualitative versus quantitative assays. The goal of this thesis was to construct and analyze an Sk-3 i398Δ strain and determine whether deletion of i398 …

Electromyography, Prosthetic Properties, And Running Biomechanics In Recreationally Active Persons With Lower Extremity Amputation, Paige M. Agnew

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Lower extremity loss affects nearly 150,000 individuals in the United States yearly yielding extreme health care costs annually. Typically, prosthetic devices are prescribed for 5-8 years despite known changes to an individual’s gait as time progresses. Patients can expect to undergo approximately 8-12 weeks of gait retraining to improve their comfort and efficiency. Biomechanical changes occur when running with a specific running prosthetic including considerable biomechanical and neuromuscular interlimb asymmetries and alterations in loading patterns. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the biomechanical demands for lower extremity prosthesis users during running. The first study synthesized peer reviewed evidence …

Spider Mite Response, Agronomic Performance, And Stability Of A Urochloa Spp. Diversity Panel Under Field Conditions, Adrian Mating’I Kimani, David Kariuki Muruu, Paula Espitia-Buitrago, Sylvia Henga, Catherine Muui, Frank Chidawanyika, Rosa Noemi Jauregui

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Spider mites (Oligonychus trichardti) are emerging as a major constraint to Urochloa forage productivity in East Africa; however, knowledge of genotypic variation and tolerance remains limited. Herein, 55 Urochloa genotypes were evaluated under field-infested and non-infested conditions across two seasons using an alpha-lattice design. Agronomic and physiological traits, including plant height (PH), tiller number (TN), the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), total dry weight (TDW), and mite damage indices (visual severity index (VSI) and stress tolerance index (STI)) were assessed. Infestation reduced biomass by 22.4% on average, with reductions of up to 45% in susceptible genotypes. Significant genotypic variation was …

Identifying Sorafenib Benefit Among Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Transcriptomic And Genomic Approach, Sun Young Yim, Hayeon Kim, Tae Hyung Kim, Sang-Hee Kang, Youngwoo Lee, Eunho Choi, Yang Jae Yoo, Seong Hee Kang, Young-Sun Lee, Young Kul Jung, Yeon Seok Seo, Hyung Joon Yim, Jong Eun Yeon, Kyung Suk Yang, Yitao Tang, Bowha Sohn, Yun Seong Jeong, Hyewon Park, Han Liang, Ju-Seog Lee, Ji Hoon Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background & aims: Sorafenib has been a cornerstone of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy; however, its efficacy is limited, and identifying patients who will benefit from sorafenib is challenging. We aimed to identify predictive biomarkers of sorafenib benefit in patients with HCC.

Methods: Gene expression data from 33 HCC tumors treated with sorafenib were analyzed to construct a prediction model aimed at identifying patients with greater benefit from sorafenib treatment. The robustness of the predictor was validated using gene expression data from two phase III clinical trials, IMbrave150 and STORM.

Results: The analysis of transcriptome data revealed a 50-gene signature, the …

Multiparametric Mri To Predict Response To Irreversible Electroporation Plus Anti-Pd-1 Immunotherapy In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Qizhen Cao, Mark D Pagel, Charles V Kingsley, Jingfei Ma, James P Long, Xiaoxia Wen, Seth T Gammon, Jorge Delacerda, Sanaz Javadi, Chun Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To investigate contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRI and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) for early prediction of tumor response to combined irreversible electroporation (IRE) and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Methods: Murine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells KRAS* were inoculated into the pancreas of C57BL/6 mice. IRE was performed when tumors became palpable. After IRE, mice received six intraperitoneal injections of anti-PD-1 over 2 weeks. T2-weighted MRI, T1-weighted MRI with macromolecular contrast agent poly(L-glutamic acid)-conjugated gadolinium (PG-Gd), and DWI were performed before and after IRE. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Mice surviving at least 100 days without recurrence after IRE were considered complete …

Land-Use Changes Shape Mosquito Assemblages, Host-Feeding And Arbovirus Infection In Baringo County, Kenya, Caroline Getugi, Elizabeth Kokwaro, Anthony Nyamache, Inga Slothouwer, Gilbert Rotich, Rosemary Sang, Sandra Junglen, David P. Tchouassi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Environmental transformation driven by human activity has profound implications for the ecology of mosquito vectors and the pathogens they transmit. This study investigated the influence of land-use change on mosquito assemblages, host-feeding patterns, and arbovirus infection across sylvatic-rural-peri-urban land-use types in Marigat subcounty, Rift Valley, Kenya. Adult mosquitoes were collected using CO₂-baited CDC light traps and BG-Sentinel traps across three sites: Kiborgoch conservancy (sylvatic), Ntepes village (rural) and Marigat town (peri-urban). Sampling was conducted during three sessions including September 2022, August 2023, and December 2023. The mosquitoes were morphologically identified to species, and indices of abundance, richness and diversity compared …

Polyhydroxybutyrate (Phb) From Biofloc Systems Enhances The Growth And Immune Performance Of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia, Menaga Meenakshisundaram, Jimmy B. Mboya, Felix Sugantham

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This study characterised polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-producing bacteria from the culture water of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) in biofloc ponds and investigated the influence of PHB on the growth and immune performance of GIFT. Out of 40 bacterial isolates, Bacillus infantis, Exiguobacterium profundum, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus hirae showed positive results for PHB against fluorescent stains. The PHB yield in the range of 5%–95.45% (w/w) was recorded, with the highest from K. pneumoniae (95.45% w/w). The experimental treatments included a basal diet as a control (C), a basal diet with PHB (5 g kg⁻¹) from …

The Mental Advantage: The 10 Disciplines That Separate The Elite From The Average, Scott Williams

Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Capstone Abstracts

Title of Project

The Mental Advantage: The 10 Disciplines That Separate the Elite from the Average

Defense Date

April 1, 2026

Candidate Name

Scott Williams

Personal Email Address

[email protected]

First Advisor

Dr. Joshua Henson, PhD

Second Advisor

Dr. Michael Steiner, PhD

DSL Final Project Abstract

Project Type

This project was a book manuscript designed to develop and present a practical leadership framework for high-performance individuals and organizations.

Project Overview

This project explored the concept of Elite Mental Execution™ as a structured framework for understanding and developing high-performance leadership. Drawing from nearly three decades of professional experience in leadership, executive coaching, …

Swimming Behavior Of Longfin Squid Doryteuthis Pealeii Paralarvae: Escape Jets To Pirouettes, Mel Lhuillier

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Upon hatching, squid paralarvae must become proficient at locomotion and prey capture before their yolk reserves are depleted, while also contending with the physical constraints associated with low/intermediate Reynolds number (Re) environments. Although some aspects of behavior and jet dynamics have been examined in squids during early ontogeny, little is known about routine behaviors in paralarvae, whether repeatable patterns are employed, or how these behaviors are achieved dynamically. To better understand swimming behaviors and the propulsive flows that drive them in paralarvae, high-speed video data and digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) data were collected simultaneously from longfin squid Doryteuthis pealeii …

Quantifying Nutrient Fluxes Across The Sediment-Water Interface In The Lafayette River Estuary, Adriana E. Amrhein

OES Theses and Dissertations

The Lafayette River, a shallow, eutrophic tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, experiences seasonal harmful algal blooms (HABs). While management efforts focus on reducing external nutrient inputs, internal loading from benthic sediments remains poorly constrained. This study quantifies spatial and seasonal variability in nutrient and radium isotope fluxes across the sediment–water interface at three sites where HABs are known to initiate and represent contrasting sediment textures and hydrodynamic conditions. Sediment cores and porewater samples were collected in summer 2023 and winter 2024 to measure grain size, porosity, dissolved nutrients (NH₄⁺, NOₓ⁻, PO₄³⁻), and radionuclide activities (²²⁴Ra and ²²⁸Th). Radium isotope disequilibrium …

Role Of Listeria Adhesion Protein In Monocyte-Associated And Extracellular Translocation Of Listeria Monocytogenes Across The In Vitro Placental Barrier Co-Culture Model, Ayesha Atique

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular foodborne pathogen capable of crossing the placental barrier, leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal sepsis, and has a fetal/neonatal fatality rate of ~20–30%. Although the importance of canonical virulence factors such as Internalin A (InlA) and Internalin B (InlB) in L. monocytogenes crossing of the placental barrier has been demonstrated, clinical strains lacking functional canonical internalins have been reported to cause severe neonatal disease, suggesting additional mechanisms of placental translocation.

To investigate these virulence mechanisms, we adapted a physiologically relevant co-culture human placental barrier Transwell model composed of BeWo trophoblasts and primary human placental …

Detection And Quantification Of Allergen Cross-Contact In Shared Frying Oil Using Targeted Mass Spectrometry, Francisca Asigri

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

Cow’s milk and egg allergies are prevalent IgE-mediated food allergies that pose significant public health concerns worldwide. Although strict avoidance remains the primary management strategy, unintended exposure can still occur through allergen cross-contact, particularly in commercial and industrial food operations that utilize shared frying oils. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify allergen transfer in shared frying oil and assess the robustness of existing targeted mass spectrometry methods (LC-MS/MS) for detecting milk and egg proteins in heated oil matrices.

Heated oil spikes were developed by incorporating non-fat dry milk (NFDM) and whole egg powder (WEP) into oil …

Assessment Of Precision Rangeland Management Tools In The Nebraska Sandhills, Hannah K. Allen

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

The objective of this thesis is to evaluate tools and management strategies that contribute to rangeland monitoring and livestock distribution in heterogeneous grassland systems of the Nebraska Sandhills. Chapter one reviews relevant literature related to precision livestock management, the Nebraska Sandhills, biomass estimation, and pyric herbivory. The second chapter evaluates the use of fractional green canopy cover (FGCC) derived from the Canopeo mobile application as a rapid method for estimating aboveground biomass in Sandhills rangelands. Biomass samples were collected across topographic positions in both early and late growing season, and relationships between FGCC and clipped biomass were assessed using generalized …

Evolution Of Antibiotic Responses During Chronic P. Aeruginosa Infections In The Human Lung, David Frank Ritz

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Typical antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) of microbial samples is performed in homogeneous cultures in batch environments, which does not account for the highly heterogeneous and dynamic nature of antibiotic responses. The most common mutation found in P. aeruginosa lineages evolved during chronic cystic fibrosis infections in the human lung, a loss of function of repressor MexZ, increases basal levels of multidrug efflux MexXY, but does not increase resistance by traditional minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays. Here, we use single cell microfluidics to show that P. aeruginosa’s response to aminoglycosides is highly heterogeneous, with only a subpopulation of cells surviving exposure. …

Mitochondria Dynamics In Microglia During Health, Inflammation, And Aging, Alicia Nicole Pietramale

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Microglia continually surveil the brain, allowing for rapid detection of tissue damage or infection. Microglial metabolism is linked to tissue homeostasis, yet how mitochondria are subcellularly partitioned in microglia and dynamically reorganize during surveillance, injury responses, and phagocytic engulfment in the intact brain has remained unclear. In this dissertation, I combine intravital imaging, ultrastructural analyses, and metabolic and cytoskeletal markers to investigate how mitochondrial organization relates to microglial function across health, inflammation, and aging.

I first show that microglial processes diverge in their mitochondrial content, with some containing multiple mitochondria while others are completely void. This heterogeneous partitioning is conserved …

A Methotrexate Dashboard: Integrating Mtxpk.Org Into The Electronic Health Record To Facilitate Model-Informed Care For Pediatric Patients Receiving High-Dose Methotrexate., Zachary L. Taylor, Nieko Punt, Chris Jenkinson, Bill Vidonish, Jennifer Young, Maureen M. O'Brien, Laura Ramsey

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

PURPOSE: The MTXPK.org webtool facilitates model-informed supportive care and glucarpidase use in patients receiving high-dose methotrexate, but its reliance on manual data entry limits workflow integration. We aimed to highlight how translational informatics can advance, automate, and enhance the usability of clinical decision support tools by embedding MTXPK.org within the electronic health record (EHR).

METHODS: A human factors study with 6 clinical providers guided iterative prototype development. MTXPK.org was rebuilt within the EHR using a 3-tier architecture with Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources-based data retrieval, automated pharmacokinetic modeling, and interactive visualization.

RESULTS: Two rounds of prototyping with task-based evaluations and contextual …

Global Epidemiology Of Cephalopina Titillator Infestation In Camels: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis (1980–2025), Temesgen Mohammed, Aboma Zewude, Tsegaye Shamebo, Layaly Hamdan, Atef Oreiby, Hazim O. Khalifa, Gobena Ameni, Bojan Gajic

All Works

Background – Cephalopina titillator (C. titillator) is the causative agent of camel nasopharyngeal myiasis and is widespread in camel-rearing regions worldwide, causing impaired health, reduced productivity, and economic losses. However, despite the veterinary importance of C. titillator, global epidemiological evidence remains limited and fragmented, and no comprehensive synthesis of prevalence data across camel-rearing regions has previously been conducted. The objective of this review was to estimate the global pooled prevalence of C. titillator infestation in camels. In addition, subgroup analyses were made to assess the effect of camel species, geographic region, and study period on the pooled prevalence of C. …

Understanding P53 Regulation On Transposable Elements In Cancer, Xuan Qu

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Transposable elements (TEs), traditionally known as “jumping genes”, are known to have the ability to move in the genome and alter the activation of transcriptions from nearby genes. Taking up nearly half of the human genome, TEs have evolved, and some have been selected to play important roles in biological processes. We found that in human diseases such as cancer, global hypomethylation resurrects many ordinarily silenced TEs. These TEs can often serve as alternative promoters for oncogenes and play functionally meaningful roles in driving disease processes. One of the top genetic mutation status that correlates with differential numbers of TE …

Developing 'A Guide To Agricultural Education Advisory Committees: Development, Uses, And Transitions', Christine Schuler

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This project developed a practical guide to support agricultural education advisory committees in their development, use, and long-term sustainability. Strong school-community partnerships are essential to effective agricultural education programs, particularly in small, rural communities where programs serve as connections between the school and local industry. Advisory committees play a critical role in maintaining these relationships, yet many agricultural educators lack clear, accessible resources to guide this work. This project addressed that need by creating a comprehensive, practice-based guide established from research and professional experience.

This guide started from a review of literature on school-community partnerships, advisory committees, and agricultural education …

Energy Management And Water Balance In Migrating Hummingbirds, Shayne R. Halter

Biology ETDs

Small body size and rapid metabolism make annual migrations challenging for North American hummingbirds. Many of these birds make annual journeys of over 10,000 km. During migrations, hummingbirds use stopover sites, where they remain for several days to accumulate body fat. At these stopovers, they often encounter uncertainties in food resources, competition, and weather. To save energy, hummingbirds sometimes enter nocturnal torpor. My dissertation uses respirometry data, lipid measurements from Quantitative Magnetic Resonance, and feather hydrogen stable isotopes to understand how energy levels, migration patterns, torpor use, and water balance interact in four species of migrating hummingbirds. I discovered lipid …