bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The structure and function of biological networks
Authors:   , Wu Daniel Duanqing , Hu Xiaohua
Published: July 2021

Biology has been revolutionized in recent years by an explosion in the availability of data. Transforming this new wealth of data into meaningful biological insights and clinical breakthroughs requires a complete overhaul both in the questions being asked and the methodologies used to answer them. A major challenge in organizing and understanding the data is the ability to define the structure in biological systems, especially high level structures. Networks are a powerful and versatile tool useful in bridging the data and the complex biological systems. To address the importance of the higher-level modular and hierarchical structure in biological networks, we have investigated in this thesis the topological structure of protein-protein interaction networks through a comprehensive network analysis using statistical and computational techniques and publicly available protein-protein interaction data sets. Furthermore, we have designed and implemented a novel and efficient computational approach to identify modules from a seed protein. The experiment results demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of this approach in finding a module whose members exhibit high functional coherency. In addition, toward quantitative studies of protein translation regulatory networks (PTRN), we have developed a novel approach to reconstruct the PTRN through integration of protein-protein interaction data and Gene Ontology annotations. We have applied computational techniques based on hierarchical random graph model on these reconstructed PTRN to explore their modular and hierarchical and to detect missing and false positive links from these networks. The identification of the high order structures in these networks unveils insights into their functional organization.
Magnetically programmable transport and assembly of colloidal particles
Authors:   , Yellen Benjamin Biron , Friedman Gary G.
Published: July 2021

This thesis describes the development of tools and methods for enhancing micro-assembly technologies by adding a new means for micro-controlling objects suspended in fluid. Arrays of micro-controllers are formed in thin magnetic film through magnetization patterning, which is often employed in data storage applications. The patterned magnetic film is used in combination with externally applied magnetic fields to manipulate colloidal species in fluids. The micro-controllers have the ability to array particles into chosen patterns on a surface, temporarily or permanently, and the ability to create micro-circulation in the surrounding fluid for transporting, concentrating and sorting colloidal objects. Moreover, the magnetic micro-controllers are capable of being programmed, using traditional magnetic recording methods, to attract or repel objects from particular sites on a surface. Explanations and experimental demonstrations of magnetically programmable assembly processes will be provided in the following chapters, along with a discussion of potential applications.
Development and testing of measures to assess weight-related motivations for dieting in eating disordered individuals
Authors:   , Chernyak Yelena , Lowe Michael R.
Published: July 2021

Motivations for dieting are an important dimension to evaluate in the development and maintenance of eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN). Existing measures for these disorders have a number of limitations. Drive for thinness has been implicated as an important factor in BN. However, measures of this construct, such as the Drive for Thinness scale (DFT), appear to measure a desire to be thinner, but not the radical dieting mentality thought to contribute to the development of disordered eating. The Drive for Objective Thinness (DFOT) scale was developed by the author to assess desire to be objectively thin. The DFOT was previously found to be uniquely endorsed by a clinical population of individuals with BN compared to other motivations for dieting and helped to differentiate pathological from non-pathological dieting. In the current study, the DFOT displayed sufficient internal consistency and validity in a clinical population and was similarly related to associated forms eating disordered psychopathology compared to established measures such as the GFFS, EDE, and EDI. The DFOT significantly predicted treatment outcomes in BN spectrum individuals including various forms of psychopathology and length of stay. A secondary goal of this study was to develop a measure which assesses how motivated AN individuals are to avoid treatment goal weight, defined as 90% of ideal body weight. The Fear of Treatment Goal Weight Scale (FTGW) removed the subjectivity that terms such as 'fatness' possess by providing an objective body weight and had greater variability than 'fear of fatness' among ANs. An initial use of the FTGW established sufficient internal consistency and validity in a clinical population. These novel measures were similarly related to associated forms eating and mood disordered psychopathology compared to established measures. Over the course of treatment, FTGW increased in AN individuals and significantly predicted treatment outcomes in this population. Both the DFOT and FTGW appeared to have incremental validity in predicting multiple outcomes above established measures of motivations for dieting. Utilization of these novel measures may be important in combination with existing measures of psychopathology for identifying individuals who are most appropriate for treatment. Moreover, the high endorsement of these measures in eating disordered psychopathology highlights the need for treatment approaches to address these treatment resistant constructs.
Inducing phase transformations using depth-sensing indentation
Authors:   , Juliano Thomas Frank , Gogotsi Yury
Published: July 2021

Phase transformations in solids occur during a number of common contact loading situations including polishing, cutting, and grinding. To understand and optimize material response to such processes or to engineer a surface with specific properties (i.e. electrical, optical, mechanical) at a micro-scale, depth-sensing indentation is used to study point loading situations and simulate dynamic processes. Sometimes, evidence of phase transformation can be found from load-displacement curves. Raman spectroscopy or other techniques (i.e. transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, or x-ray diffraction) on residual impressions often provides useful information to characterize transformations which take place during indentation. In this work, depth-sensing indentation and Raman spectroscopy are used as the primary techniques to identify phase transformations under different maximum applied loads, loading rates and unloading rates. Single-crystal silicon and lead zirconate titanatemodified by niobium (PNZT) are used as exemplary materials for study because of their widespread industrial importance. A general technique for studying phase transformations induced by indentation is developed. Silicon undergoes a transformation from the cubic-diamond (Si-I) to [beta]-tin phase (Si-II) on loading around 12 GPa, and from Si-II to the r8 (Si-XII), bc8 (Si-III) or amorphous silicon on unloading. Using a number of different loading conditions, the stability of Si-II was found to range between 4 and 12 GPa, depending on maximum applied load, unloading rate and indenter tool geometry. 95/5 PNZT undergoes a ferroelectric to antiferroelectric phase change around 300 MPa of contact pressure. Both sharp (Berkovich) and spherical indentation are used to study different stress states for each material, and its influence on phase changes. On silicon, over 4500 indentations are made to determine the statistical nature of phase changes. Differentiation of loaddisplacement curves is developed to help detect the precise point in the curve where transformation begins to occur. Raman spectroscopy is used to correlate distinctive curve shapes with the type of phase change occurring. Cyclic indentation and indentation stress-strain curves provide additional insight. The collective data is used to establish understanding of the two materials' pressure-induced phase transformations on a microscale, and may be extended to other materials and dynamic loading situations.
Embodying Identity
Authors:   , Hanan M. Eve , Schelly Hill Ellen
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study was to describe the subjective experience and expression of body image for 6 transgender adults while they participated in a series of dance/movement therapy (DMT) sessions. Participants included 4 transgender women and 2 transgender men, ranging in age from 39 to 63 years old, all of whom identified as in the process of transitioning to living as their desired gender. Data were collected through the observations of the researcher during 4 DMT sessions that she led for participants, movement phrases created by participants during the sessions, and exit interviews with each participant. Data were reported in a written narrative, which integrates major themes and variant themes of body image as they emerged from the data. The study found 6 group themes: (a) the importance of expressing one's true and unique self, (b) supporting one another's efforts to express the true self, (c) the body's experience of violence and discrimination, (d) studying and practicing gendered movements, (e) actively working to shape the body as a vehicle of self expression, and (f) joy, relief and celebration in the gender transition. The study found 4 variant themes: (a) active engagement in the transgender community, (b) physical limitations caused by medical conditions, (c) struggling with the decision whether to transition, and (d) controlling the body's expression of sexuality. These findings may be applicable tohealth care providers serving transgender clients by increasing their awareness of the subjective experience of transitioning to living full-time as a man or a woman.
Collaborative Care
Authors:   , Bruner Patricia , Davey Maureen P.
Published: July 2021

Racial and ethnic minorities represent a growing portion of the population (United States Census Bureau, 2004) and tend to experience worse health and mental health outcomes as compared to White populations (United States Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Since ethnic and racial minority populations tend to first seek mental health services through their primary care providers, more research is needed to explore how collaborative care between medical and mental health providers in primary health care settings can improve patient outcomes. The goal of this longitudinal mixed-method study was to investigate collaboration among this transdisciplinary health care team at The Eleventh Street Family Health Services exploring the following 3 aims: (1) facilitators and barriers to collaboration; (2) how provider and patient characteristics affect the collaborative process; and (3) interdisciplinary collaboration from the perspectives of all members of the healthcare team, exploring the emphasis on family and community involvement in the process. Regarding the first aim, the qualitative data revealed that many factors facilitated the collaborative process including collocation of services, multiple communication systems, and having a shared vision of patient care. Factors that impeded collaboration included poor communication between providers, lack of easy access through schedules and building layout issues, and overall work volume. In terms of the second aim, qualitative results revealed that staff viewed their intense focus on patient care and mutual respect for each other as key aspects of their characteristics as providers. They also recognized that various provider characteristics such as professional role, gender, and age affected collaboration, but there were mixed responses regarding the level of awareness of the impact of their own race and culture. In terms of patient characteristics, staff consistently noted that their patients tended to be underprivileged facing multiple issues such as ethnic and racial minority status, low socioeconomic income, poor health care history, and exposure to trauma and violence. Finally, in terms of the third aim, while the majority of the support staff tended to participate less often in discussions than the professional staff and department leaders and also tended to drop out at time 2 data collection, the support staff still made valuable contributions, highlighting the essential and unique role they played as the first point of contact for patients. The level of family and community involvement was also explored in this study, with participants noting a more patient-centered approach, with only serendipitous family and community involvement which is an area of future growth at the center.
Representation theory of dynamical systems
Authors:   , Cross Daniel J. , Gilmore Robert
Published: July 2021

In physics, experiments form the bridge connecting theory to reality. This bridge is often quite narrow: one typically only records one of the myriad variables responsible for generating a complicated dynamical behavior. Nevertheless, every variable can usually be "reconstructed" from that single observation. Such a reconstruction provides an embedding of the original phase space into some Euclidean space. However, this reconstruction or embedding is not unique. Most analyses of experimental data from complex dynamical systems depend on these reconstructions, and they could, in principle, depend on the choice of reconstruction. It is the purpose of this thesis to establish a framework suitable to address this dependence on reconstruction: a representation theory for dynamical systems. This dynamical representation theory is constructed in analogy with the well known representation theory for groups. We regard reconstructions or embeddings as representations of dynamical phase spaces. Different embeddings may or may not be equivalent under smooth deformations. The program of representation theory is to work out all inequivalent representations in Euclidean spaces of various dimension and to identify the topological obstructions preventing equivalence between distinct representations. Our main result is the complete representation theory for three dimensional dynamical systems. This is possible because the theory of three dimensional systems is rather well understood. In contrast, higher dimensional systems are much less thoroughly understood, so we offer only preliminary results for the representation theory of a certain class of dynamical systems that exist in every dimension. We also present some results for equivariant dynamical systems. While not a part of representation theory proper, these investigationswere motivated by a problem that manifests only when viewing reconstructions of the Lorenz system from the perspective of representation theory.
An investigation of the effects of relevant samples and a comparison of verification versus discovery based lab design
Authors:   , Rieben James C. , King Daniel B.
Published: July 2021

This study focuses on the effects of relevance and lab design on student learning within the chemistry laboratory environment. A general chemistry conductivity of solutions experiment and an upper level organic chemistry cellulose regeneration experiment were employed. In the conductivity experiment, the two main variables studied were the effect of relevant (or "real world") samples on student learning and a verification-based lab design versus a discovery-based lab design. With the cellulose regeneration experiment, the effect of a discovery-based lab design vs. a verification-based lab design was the sole focus. Evaluation surveys consisting of six questions were used at three different times to assess student knowledge of experimental concepts. In the general chemistry laboratory portion of this study, four experimental variants were employed to investigate the effect of relevance and lab design on student learning. These variants consisted of a traditional (or verification) lab design, a traditional lab design using "real world" samples, a new lab design employing real world samples/situations using unknown samples, and the new lab design using real world samples/situations that were known to the student. Data used in this analysis were collected during the Fall 08, Winter 09, and Fall 09 terms. For the second part of this study a cellulose regeneration experiment was employed to investigate the effects of lab design. A demonstration creating regenerated cellulose "rayon" was modified and converted to an efficient and low-waste experiment. In the first variant students tested their products and verified a list of physical properties. In the second variant, students filled in a blank physical property chart with their own experimental results for the physical properties. Results from the conductivity experiment show significant student learning of the effects of concentration on conductivity and how to use conductivity to differentiate solution types with the use of real world samples. In the organic chemistry experiment, results suggest that the discovery-based design improved student retention of the chain length differentiation by physical properties relative to the verification-based design.
Ethics-based leadership and employee ethical behavior
Authors:   , Shao Ping , Resick Christian , Schaubroeck John
Published: July 2021

This dissertation examines the process of how ethics-based leadership affects followers engagement in virtuous-ethical and unethical behavior. Drawing upon the theory of regulatory focus, I propose that distinctive styles of ethics-based leadership will induce in employees differentiated ethical regulatory foci which are related to employees' engagement in distinguish ethics-related behaviors. Specifically, I hypothesize that charismatic ethical leadership induces in employees an ethical promotion focus, while ethical leadership induces in employees an ethical prevention focus. Further a mindset of ethical promotion focus is related to increased engagement in virtuous-ethical behavior, while a mindset of ethical prevention focus is related to decreased engagement in unethical behavior. In addition, I propose that employee chronic regulatory focus moderates the leadership-to-ethical regulatory focus and the ethical regulatory focus-to-behavior relationships. Data were collected from a US-based 162 supervisor and employee paired cross-organizational sample, and employee data were collected at two time points to reduce common method variance. Results indicated that ethics-based leadership induces in employees ethics-specific regulatory foci, which in turn affect their engagement in disparate ethics-related behavior.
Automatic construction, maintenance, and optimization of dynamic agent organizations
Authors:   , Sultanik Evan Andrew , Regli William C. , Shokoufandeh Ali
Published: July 2021

The goal of this dissertation is to generate organizational structures that increase the overall performance of a multiagent coalition, subject to the system's complex coordination requirements and maintenance of a certain operating point. To this end, a generalized framework capable of producing distributed approximation algorithms based on the new concept of multidirectional graph search is proposed and applied to a family of connectivity problems. It is shown that a wide variety of seemingly unrelated multiagent organization problems live within this family. Sufficient conditions are identified in which the approach is guaranteed to discover a solution that is within a constant factor of the cost of the optimal solution. The procedure is guaranteed to require no more than linear and in some well defined cases logarithmic communication rounds. A number of examples are given as to how the framework can be applied to create, maintain, and optimize multiagent organizations in the context of real world problems. Finally, algorithmic extensions are introduced that allow for the framework to handle problems in which the agent topology and/or coordination constraints are dynamic, without significant consequences to the general runtime, memory, and quality guarantees.
A theoretical investigation of the role of implicit internalization of the thin ideal in freshman weight gain, body image dissatisfaction, and disordered eating
Authors:   , Juarascio Adrienne Sarah , Forman Evan M.
Published: July 2021

The freshman year of college has been identified as a period of time where some students experience drastic changes to their eating behaviors, body image, and weight. One factor that is predictive of changes in these variables is internalization of the thin ideal. Self-reported internalization has been shown to prospectively predict increases in disordered eating, body image dissatisfaction, and reduced food consumption. Low internalization has predicted weight gain. However, given the limitation of self report and previous research demonstrating the additional predictive validity implicit measurement provides, it may be important to measure internalization of the thin ideal using an implicit paradigm. The Implicit Association Test is the most common implicit measurement technique. However this test is associational in nature, which is only one aspect of human cognition. The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure focuses on the relational nature of human cognition, and therefore might be a better tool to measure internalization of the thin ideal. The relationship between implicit internalization of the thin ideal and increases in disordered eating, body image dissatisfaction, and weight may be best measured by using a college freshman population, given the large amount of change that occurs in these variables during the course of the year. Results of the current, longitudinal study indicate that weight, disorder eating and body image dissatisfaction increased during the freshman year, and that these were predicted by implicit internalization of the thin ideal at the beginning of the year. Moreover, the new implicit measure was predictive above and beyond any predictive ability of the explicit measure (which was relatively limited). Results indicate that the thin ideal IRAP can successfully predict changes in many variables of interest at the freshman year of college, and suggest it may be a beneficial screening tool to assess at risk freshman. This study also highlights the need for additional implicit measures in the realm of body image and disordered eating. Future research is needed to replicate and extend these findings.
Organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silica materials and their application as host matrix for protein molecules
Authors:   , Dong Hua , Wei Yen
Published: July 2021

Transparent, organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silica materials have been prepared successfully via the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis and cocondensation of tetramethyl orthosilicate and various organosiloxanes via the nonsurfactant templated sol-gel process. The organic groups were attached to the silica matrix via the non-hydrolyzable Si-C covalent bond and functioned as network modifier. The synthetic conditions have been systematically studied and optimized. Nitrogen adsorption and transmission electronic microscopy characterizations show that the sol-gel matrices obtained after removing the templates possess a three-dimensional network of interconnected mesopores. The pore parameters are tunable to some extent by varying the template content. Several enzyme systems, such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP), glucose oxidase (GOx), lipase, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) etc. have been immobilized in situ in these hybrid mesostructured, or more generally, nanostructured silica matrix. The catalytic activity of immobilized enzymes has been assayed and correlated with the microstructures of the host silica materials under varied conditions. The enzymes encapsulated in the nonsurfactant-templated mesoporous sol-gel materials exhibit remarkably higher apparent catalytic activity, from a few-fold to three-orders of magnitude greater, than those in the non-templated conventional microporous hosts synthesized in the absence of the templates under otherwise identical conditions. Co-immobilization of more than one enzyme in the mesoporous host materials has been achieved, in which one enzyme's product is another's substrate. Protein unfolding and refolding in the nonporous host have been investigated. Thermal stability of enzymes were found to improve remarkably in the host materials. Nonionic poly(ethylene oxide) copolymer surfactants were also utilized as templates for in situ immobilization of multiple enzymes. To minimize the denaturation of the enzyme in methanol which is liberated during the hydrolysis, a low-shrinking sol-gel process is also adapted to the direct immobilization of organophosphorus acid anhydrolase (OPAA). The thus immobilized OPAA showed high resistance to organic solvent and is promising as the enzyme-based decontaminant. This study demonstrates that the novel sol-gel mesoporous materials have potential applications in biocatalyst, biosensor devices, etc.
Chiral microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography
Authors:   , Mertzman Melissa Danielle , Foley Joe Preston
Published: July 2021

Electrokinetic chromatography (EKC) has proven to be an invaluable tool for providing chiral separations. Its merits include fast, high efficiency, high resolution separations, which produce very little waste, consume minimal chemicals and are significantly more cost effective than its key competitors. EKC using chiral microemulsions (MEEKC) offers the additional advantages of increased solubility for analytes and additives as well as the ability to custom tune chiral resolution via elution window and retention factor optimization. Herein, the chiral resolution of various pharmaceutical compounds was explored using a microemulsion comprised of the chiral surfactant dodecoxycarbonylvaline (DDCV), 1-butanol as a co-surfactant, and ethyl acetate as a lipophilic phase (oil). Chapter 2 considers the effect of the lipophilic phase at a constant volume percentage or at a constant molarity. Chapter 3 reports the use of cyclodextrins, in combination with both a chiral (DDCV) and an achiral (sodium dodecyl sulfate) microemulsion, as a secondary pseudostationary phase. Importantly, the impact of background electrolyte (BGE) is critically assessed. Chapter 4 explores the effects of changing the surfactant concentration and/or phase ratio, BGE and applied voltage and Chapter 5 examines the thermodynamic quantities of transfer between the enantiomers and the DDCV microemulsion. Finally, in Chapter 6 DDCV microemulsion, butanol-modified micellar and micellar aggregates are compared using the same preparation technique and instrumental conditions. While the identity of the oil played only a minor role in analytical performance, surfactant concentration, BGE, applied voltage and the presence of a secondary pseudostationary phase all played major roles. Optimized method conditions provided resolution for all enantiomeric pairs (in some cases doubling in value upon optimization), superior retention and efficiencies that increased anywhere from 5 to 25 times their original values. In addition, van't Hoff analyses showed favorable enthalpic contributions to retention and selectivity, variable entropic contributions and an overall favorable Gibb's free energy of transfer between the analytes and the DDCV microemulsion. Finally, DDCV microemulsion and butanol-modified micelles behaved similarly using 2% DDCV, whereas greater differences were noted in comparison to the micellar phase. Further, when the comparison was performed using 4% DDCV, only the microemulsion resulted in a stable aggregate system.
Microstructural effects on the hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steels
Authors:   , DeVillier Andrew W. , Doherty Roger D. , Hovanec Christopher James
Published: July 2021

High-strength, high-toughness steels are used in critical components of Naval aviation systems. These critical applications include landing gear components in tactical aircraft and rotary components in helicopters where large stresses must be sustained and the probability of failure due to flaws in the part are kept minimal. To prevent corrosion and wear, high strength steels are plated. When parts undergo repair/rework, the plating is stripped in an acidic bath, and the part is re-plated. During stripping and plating, as well as in-service duty, the steel is exposed to hydrogen-rich environments, which have been identified as a potential cause of premature failures in aviation system components. A high strength, precipitation hardened steel, PH 13-8Mo, one of six candidate steels, was examined in three different conditions - solution annealed (SA), H1000 (538oC aged), and H1150 (621oC aged) in order to compare the susceptibility of the different microstructures to hydrogen embrittlement and determine the stress-life curve for PH13-8 Mo in the H1000 condition. The PH 13-8Mo was selected as a result of a recent in-service failure of a reworked component. Fatigue pre-cracked compaction-tension (CT) specimen were loaded in displacement control and seated in a 10% strength hydrochloric acid bath. The load and crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) were monitored as a function of time. From the load and CMOD versus time behavior, failure criterion were developed to determine points of crack initiation. Fractured samples were examined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Polished samples of the H1000, SA and H1150 condition were also analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). EBSD analysis showed that the packets of reverted austenite that grew in the H1150 condition material possessed an orientation that tended towards [111], which may indicate a Kurdjumov-Sachs or Nishiyama-Wasserman orientation relationship. In addition, packets of austenite within a local region also shared a common orientation with one another. An explanation for this behavior is proposed. The hydrogen embrittlement results show that the H1000 condition is highly susceptible to crack initiation over a wide range of applied stress values. A comparison of the different conditions showed that the H1150 and SA conditions possessed similar equal or better resistance to crack initiation in the hydrogen-rich environment at equivalent values of applied stress intensity (K) than the H1000 condition. Comparing equal percentages of applied (apparent) fracture toughness (KQ or KIC), only the SA condition had better resistance to initiation than the H100 condition. Resistance to crack propagation for the H1150 and SA conditions was superior to that of the H1000 condition. Finally, the threshold stress intensity, Kth, below which no cracking occurs for the H1000 condition, is on the order of 10% KIC or less, which is in good agreement with what has been established in literature.
Lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment using inorganic salts and simple organic acids, cellobiase encapsulation in mesoporous silica, and organosilica hybrid polymers
Authors:   , Berke-Schlessel David , Wei Yen
Published: July 2021

Alternative forms of green energy are becoming increasingly necessary as our supplies of fossil fuels begin to dwindle. As a result, research in green fuel technologies is becoming a necessity. One such green fuel is bio-ethanol that is used by degrading plant cellulose to generate fermentable sugars. A major drawback of this method is the fact that it is currently expensive and inefficient. The goal of this research was to find a viable path for making bio-ethanol a feasible alternative to petroleum based fuels. This research describes several processes for both increasing glucose yield of plant based cellulose hydrolysis, as well as reusing one of the more costly items in biomass hydrolysis, the enzyme. The first process for increasing glucose yield was through the pretreatment of raw plant matter. The plant matter was treated in refluxing solutions of 2.5% (w Iv) FeCb, or 2.5% oxalic acid with 0.5 M NaOH (the two methods that yielded the best results). Each of these methods effectively broke down the plant matter's protective lignin, exposing cellulose for enzymatic hydrolysis. Both methods significantly improved glucose yield, with the FeCb approach increasing yield by as much as 300%, and the oxalic acid method improving yields by as much as 450%. In order to reuse the cellulytic enzyme, cellobiase was encapsulated in mesoporous silica, using a fructose template to generate the pores. When using 50 or 70% fructose template, the cellobiase enzyme could be reused at least ten times (perhaps more) with out loosing enzymatic activity. This method of enzyme reuse could be an effective way to help cut costs, by minimizing the amount of expensive enzyme used. Additionally, this dissertation delves into a method for generating organosilane hybrid materials. These materials are important because they have the potential to retain the heat resistance of silane materials, while including the functionality of organic polymers. The materials made in this research include curcumin and syringaldazine as organic blocks, synthesized with silane reagents. The curcumin-silane hybrids demonstrated a moderate amount of biological activity when human myoblasts were grown on polymeric films. The syringaldazine-silane hybrids expressed the ability to be used as means of detecting chlorine gas.
Movements and behavior of the East Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) from Costa Rica
Authors:   , Blanco Gabriela S. , Spotila James Robert
Published: July 2021

I attached satellite transmitters to study the movements and behavior during internesting and migration of East Pacific green turtles nesting on Nombre de Jesús and Zapotillal. Prior to transmitter attachment we preformed an ultrasound scan to determine the turtle's reproductive status. I obtained information on geostrophic surface currents to simulate the dispersion of hatchlings emerging from Nombre de Jesús. I determined the Estimated clutch frequency (ECFU: mean ± SD) 5.13 ± 1.32 using ultrasound, which was an effective technique to determine the reproductive effort of turtles. Turtles spent the 12 day internesting period in the nearby waters off the nesting beach using mainly an area of 4.5 km2. Depths of dives and depth of water in the area indicated that the turtles dove to the bottom to rest during the day and rested at the surface during the night. After the nesting season, some turtles moved to their foraging areas in Gulf of Papagayo and the Santa Elena Bay, close to the Gulf of Fonseca, and in inshore waters of Panama. During migration the turtles dove mainly to a depth of 5 m or less. During foraging most of the dives were between 5 and 10 m depth. I found three different scenarios for possible hatchling dispersion: 1-hatchlings could be transported offshore and after three months pushed back closer to the coast, 2- hatchlings could be transported north or south remaining along the coast and, 3-hatchlings could be transported to waters offshore still within the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). East Pacific green turtles remained their entire life within the waters of the ETP including females, which carry out limited to-long-distance migrations (5 to 1091 km). The unique characteristics of the area disperse hatchlings to productive areas providing them with enough resources to grow at the early life stages and move to adult foraging areas also in the ETP. The coastal nature of their movements and the high concentration of turtles off the nesting beach make them vulnerable to artisanal fisheries. That, together with intense poaching that occurs on the nesting beach indicates that this population may soon face extinction.
Assessment of chronic wounds using in vivo diffuse near infrared spectroscopy
Authors:   , Neidrauer Michael T. , Papazoglou Elisabeth S.
Published: July 2021

Chronic wounds are an increasing challenge as the population ages and the prevalence of obesity and diabetes increase in the U.S. and throughout the world. As the number and cost of treatments for chronic wounds increases, the importance of assessing the effectiveness of new therapies becomes critical. Current clinical methods for wound assessment rely on qualitative assessment of wound surface appearance and measurements of wound surface dimensions, but do not take the health of underlying tissue into account. The goal of this research is to develop a non-invasive method of assessing and predicting chronic wound healing using in vivo frequency-domain diffuse near infrared spectroscopy (DNIRS). The main hypothesis behind this research is that changes in blood vessel density and oxygen delivery beneath the surface of a wound can be measured using DNIRS. Furthermore, these changes could be used to quantitatively assess the healing status of a chronic wound and predict faster and more accurately than current clinical methods whether a wound treatment is working. The results of a study of twenty-eight human diabetic foot ulcers shows that changes in oxy- and total hemoglobin concentration measured with DNIRS can be used to differentiate healing from non-healing wounds, and the capability of DNIRS wound monitoring to predict healing in diabetic foot ulcers is examined. Additionally, data obtained from a study of impaired wound healing in obese rats demonstrate that DNIRS can be used to assess wound healing in an animal model, and a model for expected changes in DNIRS measurements of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin concentration during wound healing is proposed. Wound size data obtained from this animal study show that obese rats may provide a better model of impaired healing than the chemically-induced diabetic rats which are often used by researchers when assessing novel wound therapies.
Sensitive measurement of waterborne parasites and cell culture mycoplasma with cantilever sensor
Authors:   , Xu Sen , Mutharasan Rajakkannu
Published: July 2021

The objective of the research presented in this dissertation is to develop rapid and sensitive assays for waterborne parasites and mycoplasma contamination detection, as well as assess viability of these targets using piezoelectric excited millimeter-sized cantilever (PEMC) sensor. Molecular and traditional culture methods in current use are time-consuming and laborious. PEMC sensor is a novel type of mass-sensitive sensor that enables rapid detection in liquid at high sensitivity. Typically it was functionalized with specific antibodies and exposed to the target analytes in a flow apparatus. When analytes bind to the antibody, mass of the sensor increases and causes decrease of sensor's resonant frequency. Real-time monitoring of resonant frequency changes was used for low concentration analytes detection. Limit of detection (LOD) for C. parvum was found to be 5 oocysts/mL, for G. lamblia was found to be 10 cysts/mL in buffers and in complex matrixes (milk, tap water and river water). LOD for mycoplasma (Acholeplasma laidlawii) was found to be 1,000 CFU/mL in cell culture samples. Detection was confirmed with second antibody binding or low pH release or scanning electron microscope. Operating in complex matrixes showed lower sensor response and slower binding kinetics, which are attributed to the hindering of antigen transport and masking of antibody sites by alien material. A novel method was developed for cell viability assessment using a dye that accumulates in viable cells and not in dead cells. PEMC sensor was successfully used for sensing mass change caused by 2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5,6-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF) accumulation in viable E. coli cells. At a fundamental level, a novel measurement method based on monitoring sensor impedance magnitude was shown to be feasible. Impedance magnitude of the sensor was monitored not at resonant frequency, but at a fixed frequency near the initial resonant frequency. Results showed that impedance monitoring at a fixed frequency provides measurement equivalent to resonant frequency, with superior signal-to-noise ratio. Minute liquid density changes and antigen-antibody interactions were measured using this approach. This alternate approach lends itself to a simplified implementation for either a single sensor or a bank of multiple sensors. Because of its simplicity, the method would be suitable for high-throughput systems where multiple sensors are used simultaneously.
Electrospun soy protein-based scaffolds for skin tissue engineering and wound healing
Authors:   , Lin Leko , Lelkes Peter I.
Published: July 2021

In order to bypass some of the limitations of currently available skin substitutes and wound dressings, we explored the use of bioactive scaffolds made of plant-derived proteins. We hypothesized that these "green" materials may confer bioactive properties to enhance wound healing and skin regeneration. We optimized the parameters for electrospinning fibrous scaffolds from soy protein isolate (SPI) with addition of 0.05% poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) dissolved in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol, and characterized these scaffolds based on their physical and mechanical properties, degradation behavior, and in vitro biocompatibility. SPI/PEO scaffolds remained stable without further cross-linking, possessing mechanical properties similar to those reported for human skin, and supported the adhesion and proliferation of cultured primary human dermal fibroblasts alone and in organotypic co-culture with primary human epidermal keratinocytes. Using targeted PCR arrays and qPCR validation, we found similar gene expression profiles of fibroblasts cultured for 2h and 24h on SPI substrates and on collagen type I at both time points. On both substrates there was a pronounced time-dependent up-regulation of several genes related to extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, including MMP-10, MMP-1, collagen VII, integrin-[alpha]2 and laminin-[beta]3, indicating that both plant- and animal-derived materials induce similar responses from the cells after initial adhesion, degrading substrate proteins and depositing ECM in a "normal" remodeling process. Electrospun SPI/PEO scaffolds were evaluated in vivo against Tegaderm™ wound dressing, a standard in wound care, in a full-thickness excision wound model in the hairless rat. SPI/PEO scaffolds promoted a slightly but not significantly faster initial wound closure than Tegaderm™. The similar quantitative response in both groups was corroborated by non-invasive optical measurements using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIR). Electrospun SPI/PEO scaffolds provided qualitative benefits over Tegaderm™, including greater compliance to the wound shape, and the tendency to absorb wound exudates. SPI/PEO scaffolds integrated well with the wound and detached naturally with the formed encrustation at day 7 that occurred in both treatment groups. SPI/PEO scaffolds are therefore promising as a new type of treatment for non-healing wounds, and further studies will help to elucidate potential mechanisms by which it promotes wound healing at a cellular and/or molecular level.
Marketing Urban Art
Authors:   , Asbury Philip , Varela Ximena
Published: July 2021

The Exchange is an interactive project that promotes a sharing of stylistic influences amongst a select group of urban artists. The project is web-based but it also mounted a four city tour in 2007. As scholarly research is very limited in the genre, this study was an attempt to gather the few existing sources, general information, and first hand knowledge of the author, a participant in the Exchange. The result is a look at the best practices in marketing urban art. The financial details of the Exchange were unable to be included. The author recommends that urban artists partner with organizations that share a similar mission and to focus on viral marketing.
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling of erythropoiesis stimulating agents in rats
Authors:   , Chen Wendi , Hrebien Leonid , Kam Moshe
Published: July 2021

Erythropoiesis is a process by which red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow. Disruption of this process can lead to anemia. Erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs), such as epoetin-[alpha] and darbepoetin-[alpha], have been developed to treat anemia. CNTO 530 is a novel ESA that has a longer terminal half-life than either epoetin-[alpha] or darbepoetin-[alpha]. As these ESAs all activate erythropoietin receptor (EPO-R), we hypothesize that any differences in the pharmacologic activity are solely dependent on their pharmacokinetic properties. To test this hypothesis, we proposed a new Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model to account for the pharmacological response. Rats received a single subcutaneous (s.c.) dose of the ESA and reticulocyte (RET) counts, red blood cell (RBC) counts and hemoglobin (HGB) levels were measured for up to 72 days (1728 hours) post-dosing. Various dosage levels were studied for each drug. A new indirect response model with multiple regulatory effects was used to characterize the PD responses and a linear two-compartmental model was used to characterize the PK responses. All three agents caused a dose responsive increase in RET, RBC and HGB. Compared to epoetin-[alpha] and darbepoetin-[alpha], CNTO 530 caused a longer-lived increase in these parameters. A single PK/PD model could represent all three agents. However, when comparing among the erythropoietic responses to doses that increased RBC, the coefficients of the model indicate that despite having a lower potency, CNTO 530 caused a more rapid mobilization of RET. The results of the PK/PD modeling suggest that CNTO 530 stimulates erythropoiesis in a similar fashion to epoetin-[alpha] and darbepoetin-[alpha] and that the PK properties of an ESA are the most important factor in determining efficacy. In addition, dose threshold is an important factor we need to consider in designing the PK/PD model. Understanding dose threshold of a drug aids in determining appropriate dose levels and, therefore, helps diminish side effects of the compound and reduces treatment costs. Many studies have focused on non-quantitative analysis of drug dose threshold, which can be biased by various factors. Aiming for quantitative analysis of this parameter, we proposed two statistical methods to determine dose threshold of a drug and applied them to CNTO 530.