Chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and depression exist in 45% of the U.S. population and are responsible for 70% of the deaths and 75% of the $2 trillion in annual medical expenditures. Healthy eating, being physically active, managing stress, and avoiding tobacco have well-documented relationships to improved health and well-being, and chronic disease prevention.Integrative healthcare, a holistic approach to care that is patient-centered, personalized, and focused on health and well-being, incorporates conventional and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Integrative healthcare has the potential to provide high quality care that prevents illness and promotes optimal wellness, resulting in decreased health care costs and a healthier nation. Although integrative healthcare is increasing in popularity, few integrative healthcare programs have been studied and relatively little is known about the processes, outcomes, feasibility, efficacy, effectiveness, or sustainability of these programs.The purpose of this project was to evaluate selected organizational processes and patient outcomes of an integrative health care program. The three specific aims of the project were to analyze the program theory through the development and evaluation of the program logic model, to evaluate selected organizational processes, and to examine selected client outcomes, including satisfaction.This inquiry used the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation as a guide. The study employed a descriptive design with both qualitative and quantitative methods, including key informant interviews with program staff and a client focus group. De-identified data on pre and post measurements of client Wellness Inventory scores, weight, BMI, and advanced cardiac panels, and post program surveys obtained from the program director were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the paired t test or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.The evaluation of an existing integrative healthcare program provides potentially useful information to the stakeholders of the program and a valuable referral resource for other providers in the community. Dissemination of the information may also be used as a model and an inspiration for other advanced practice nurses to develop innovative practice models that support holistic, wellness-focused care.

En thérapie génique ex vivo, les vecteurs lentiviraux peuvent être utilisés pour transduire les progéniteurs hématopoïétiques. Mais l’utilisation de vecteurs intégratifs non site-spécifique peut conduire à une mutagénèse insertionnelle. J’ai évalué le niveau de transduction des progéniteurs hématopoïétiques en mesurant le nombre de copies de vecteur intégrées dans des colonies cellulaires isolées. Il a été montré que la fréquence des cellules transduites et la distribution du nombre de copies de vecteur intégrées peut dépendre des conditions expérimentales. L’utilisation de vecteurs ciblant l’insertion du transgène à un site précis du génome permettrait de surmonter les problèmes de génotoxicité. Les introns de groupe II sont des éléments génétiques auto-épissable mobiles pouvant d’intégrer à un site précis du génome. Ils sont utilisés en ciblage génomique chez les procaryotes, mais pas chez les eucaryotes, probablement dû à une activité catalytique limitée dans ces cellules. J’ai étudié l’intron de groupe II Pl.LSU/2 de Pylaiella littoralis, qui est le seul capable de s’auto-épisser à des concentrations très faibles de magnésium. La protéine codée par l’intron Pl.LSU/2 (IEP) exprimée chez Escherichia coli a été purifiée et a montré une activité de transcriptase inverse soit seule, soit associée à l’intron ARN. Il a été montré que l’intron Pl.LSU/2 peut s’épisser chez Saccharomyces cerevisiae et que l’efficacité de l’épissage est augmentée par l’activité maturase de l’IEP. Cependant, les transcrits épissés ne sont pas traduits, et l’épissage de l’intron n’a pas été démontré dans les cellules humaines, tout comme le homing de l’intron chez E. coli et S. cerevisiae. / In ex vivo hematopoietic gene therapy, lentiviral vectors can be used to transduce hematopoietic progenitors. However, the use of non site-specific integrating vectors may lead to insertional mutagenesis. I evaluated the level of transduction of hematopoietic progenitor cells at the single-cell level by measuring vector copy number in individual colony-forming cell units. It was shown that the frequency of transduced progenitor cells and the distribution of VCN in hematopoietic colonies may depend upon experimental conditions. Nevertheless, the use of vectors that can target the integration of the transgene into a specific-site of the host genome would overcome genotoxicity issues. I evaluated the use of a group II intron for genomic targeting. Group II introns are self-splicing mobile elements that can integrate into precise genomic locations by homing. Engineered group II introns are commonly used for targeted genomic modifications in prokaryotes but not in eukaryotes, probably due limited catalytic activation in these cells. I studied the brown algae Pylaiella littoralis Pl.LSU/2 group II intron which is uniquely capable of in vitro ribozyme activity at unusually low level of magnesium. Recombinant Pl.LSU/2 IEP expressed in Escherichia coli was purified and showed a reverse transcriptase activity either alone or associated with intronic RNA. The Pl.LSU/2 intron was showed to splice accurately in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and splicing efficiency was improved by the maturase activity of the intron-encoded protein. However, spliced transcripts were not expressed, and intron splicing was not detected in human cells, as well as homing of Pl.LSU/2 in E. coli and S. cerevisiae.

(Im)politeness research has often focused on either the importance of social norms or on the intentions of the speaker, overlooking the active role played by the recipient(s) in assigning social meaning. This limitation pertains particularly to so-called “discernment languages” such as Korean and Japanese. This work addresses this gap by focusing on recipient agency in interpretations/evaluations of impoliteness. Two sets of data are drawn from the naturally occurring computer-mediated communications that appeared in two popular internet portal sites in South Korea. Both sets of data contain metapragmatic discussions of impoliteness that involve recipient evaluation of a speaker’s actions and language use as offensive or not. I focus on how the recipients in the data agentively evaluate the language used by speakers, including inconsistent evaluations of non-honorific language, or panmal. The results show that variability in the interpretation of (im)politeness cannot be explained solely by social norms or intentions, and must also include the socially-mediated agency of the recipient(s). / 2021-04-30

1 / DONGDONG LIN

Billfishes (marlins, spearfishes, sailfishes and swordfish) are one of the fastest and largest marine apex predators, and perhaps their most recognizable attribute is their bill or rostrum. The proposed function for this novel structure has ranged from hydrodynamic enhancement to defensive weaponry. However, the most supported hypothesis for its function has been linked to feeding. Billfishes have been observed to subdue their prey with their rostrum, either stunning or cutting them into pieces before ingestion. Due to their large body sizes and pelagic lifestyles a thorough investigation of the function of this structure has been logistically challenging. The goal of my dissertation is to investigate the role of the rostrum during feeding from a functional, mechanical and morphological standpoint. By the use of interdisciplinary approaches that blend engineering with biology, the function of the rostrum and billfish putative feeding behavior was investigated. By the use of different approaches that involve morphological characterizations, histology, estimation of performance measurements such as bite force and the investigation architectural tradeoffs from geometric morphometrics analysis, my dissertation aims to characterized the role of the rostrum in billfishes as a possible adaptation for feeding. Results showed that the rostrum in billfishes is mechanically capable of acting as a feeding weapon; continuous stress distribution along its length suggest no particular point that could lead to breakage during feeding. Finite element analysis, as well as bending experiments suggest feeding behavior may be species specific and strictly associated with rostrum morphology. While istiophorids may be morphologically suited to strike their prey with a wide range of motions, swordfish appear to be specialized from a mechanical and hydrodynamic standpoint to hit their prey with lateral strikes. Biting performance is relatively low in these top predators compared to other non-billfish species suggesting the rostrum may facilitate prey processing reducing the need for powerful biting. However contrary to my expectations rostrum length was not a predictor of bite force. Skull variation was evident among billfish species. Swordfish, the species with the longest rostrum, had the smallest head and the lowest relative bite force whereas blue marlin, the species with the stiffer, most compact rostrum, had the largest head and one of the greatest relative bite forces. The shortbill spearfish showed a relatively low bite force indicating predatory success in this species may be linked to an extended lower jaw that may facilitate a speed efficient jaw during prey capture. Whether the rostrum in billfishes has evolved as an adaptation for feeding, remains uncertain. However results from this study demonstrate that rostrum material properties, morphology and head architecture, in addition to relatively low biting performance in billfishes, favor a role of prey capture for the rostrum.

Specific objectives of this study were to develop, prototype, and test a corn population sensor. Both intrusive mechanical and non-intrusive capacitive techniques have been used to develop the stalk population sensors in previous research. However, neither could generate consistent performance. The mechanical method required high maintenance and resulted in significant underestimations of stalk counts. The performance of capacitive systems was limited by inadequate sensing distance, especially at low stalk moisture levels. In this research, the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor was optimized for corn stalks. This system utilized a single-sided capacitive sensor, Wien bridge oscillator, phase-locked loop, and an operational amplifier to transform stalk presence to a change in electrical potential signal. The capacitive sensor patterns were simulated using the finite element method, which provided useful conceptual information. A number of different detection element patterns were modeled and tested. The patterns examined included single-sided two-plate, interdigital, polarized interdigital, semi-interdigital, and solid ground electrode. The key parameters affecting pattern sensitivity were investigated. The most promising pattern, the solid ground electrode, was selected for further evaluation and development. The solid ground electrode detection element was incorporated into circuitry including Wien-Bridge oscillator, a phase-locked loop used as a high-speed frequency-tovoltage converter, and an operational amplifier to provide impedance matching and maximize data acquisition resolution. The operational configuration, optimum operating parameters, and associated component sizes were determined using both modeling and laboratory testing. With an acceptable signal-sided pattern and signal-to-noise ratio, this sensing system was investigated in a realistic production environment. A preliminary field test was used to evaluate the sensor system (including a protective housing and mounting system) and data acquisition system to identify problems before conducting the final field test. Stalk moisture content and harvest speed were used as treatment blocks in the final test. The influences of environmental and mechanical noise and the noise-like influence of corn leaves and weeds were also investigated. The final field test accurately simulated realistic harvesting conditions and real-time data was collected for stalk identification analysis. Post-acquisition processing, feature extraction, and principal component analysis of the extracted features were performed on the raw field data. Three sensor signal features were selected to identify stalks. A backpropagation artificial neural network technique was used to develop the pattern classification model. Numerous neural network structures were evaluated and two-layer structure with four neurons in the first layer and one neuron in the second layer was selected based on maximum prediction precision and accuracy and minimum structure complexity. This structure was then evaluated to determine the prediction accuracy at various resolution levels. Results showed that the model can predict stalk population at 99.5% accuracy when the spatial resolution is 0.025 ha. The sensor can predict stalk population with a 95% accuracy when the resolution is a 9-meter row segment (approximately 10 seconds).

Nitrogen fertilization is important in attaining high yielding, quality tobacco. However, practices that use excessive N can be uneconomical, threaten the environment and produce leaves that are high in nitrates. Leaves high in nitrates have been positively correlated with leaves that are high in tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA), which are considered potent carcinogens. Competition from cheaper, foreign leaf, increasing costs of fertilizers and new market structures which show purchasers seeking low TSNA leaf demand that producers become more efficient in their N use. The objective of this study is an examination of burley (TN 90) and dark (KY 171) tobacco cultural practices with the hypothesis that optimizing growing conditions will enhance N efficiency. This experiment took place during 2005 and 2006 in the traditional tobacco growing regions of Springfield (Dickson silt loam) and Greeneville, TN (Lindside silt loam). Experimental isolated growing condition variables. Irrigation treatments isolate the importance of soil moisture. Fertigation, while using irrigation practices, isolates the effects of synchronizing crop N demand with N supply. Plasticulture, using fertigation protocol, isolates the importance of soil temperature. Season long measurements of soilwater tension, soil temperature and leaf nitrates were used to evaluate the ability of each practice to keep plants in optimal N uptake and utilization growing conditions. Results showed that the most dramatic and consistent treatment effects were found in the TSNA analysis. Even during a season characterized by precipitation being sufficient in volume and timing to meet plant water demands, irrigation was successfully able to decrease TSNA concentration by about 30%. During drier growing seasons, TSNA was reduced by 50% or more. Measurements of leaf nitrates taken with a Horiba monitor were able to consistently detect treatment and N rate differences. The last sample taken around eight weeks after transplanting correlated strongly with TSNA content (0.81). This tool could prove effective in characterizing optimal N management. Cultural practices that offer control over soil water tension, nitrate content in leaves and soil temperatures can be effective in increasing the ability of the plant to uptake and utilize N towards achieving high yielding, high GRI quality and low TSNA leaf.

A new method for rapid chemical analysis of lignocellulosic biomass was developed using Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopic techniques. The new method is less time-consuming and expensive than traditional wet chemistry. A mathematical model correlated FT-NIR spectra with concentrations determined by wet chemistry. Chemical compositions of corn stover and switchgrass were evaluated in terms of glucose, xylose, galactose, arabinose, mannose, lignin, and ash. Model development evaluated multivariate regressions, spectral transform algorithms, and spectral pretreatments and selected partial least squares regression, log(1/R), and extended multiplicative signal correction, respectively. Chemical composition results indicated greater variability in corn stover than switchgrass, especially among botanic parts. Also, glucose percentage was higher in internodes (>40%) than nodes or leaves (~30- 40%). Leaves had the highest percentage of lignin (~23-25%) and ash (~4-9%). Husk had the highest total sugar percentage (~77%). Individual FT-NIR predictive models were developed with good accuracy for corn stover and switchgrass. Root mean square errors for prediction (RMSEPs) from crossvalidation for glucose, xylose, galactose, arabinose, mannose, lignin and ash were 0.633, 0.620, 0.235, 0.374, 0.203, 0.458 and 0.266 (%w/w), respectively for switchgrass, and 1.407, 1.346, 0.201, 0.341, 0.321, 1.087 and 0.700 (%w/w), respectively for corn stover. A unique general model for corn stover and switchgrass was developed and validated for general biomass using a combination of independent samples of corn stover, switchgrass and wheat straw. RMSEPs of this general model using cross-validation were 1.153, 1.208, 0.425, 0.578, 0.282, 1.347 and 0.530 %w/w for glucose, xylose, galactose, arabinose, mannose, lignin and ash, respectively. RMSEPs for independent validation were less than those obtained by cross-validation. Prediction of major constituents satisfied standardized quality control criteria established by the American Association of Cereal Chemists. Also, FT-NIR analysis predicted higher heating value (HHV) with a RMSEP of 53.231 J/g and correlation of 0.971. An application of the developed method is the rapid analysis of the chemical composition of biomass feedstocks to enable improved targeting of plant botanic components to conversion processes including, but not limited to, fermentation and gasification.

Decentralized wastewater treatment systems are often designed at flows of either 284 L/person/d (75 gal/person/d) or 568 L/bedroom/d (150 gal/bedroom/d). Water use data suggest that designing systems at these flow rates can lead to overly conservative designs. A study quantifying the risk of failure (exceeding a system design flow) was needed to create a design basis for future systems. The objectives of the study were to quantify the risk of failure of decentralized system design flows depending on the number of residences served by a system and to develop new guidelines for design flows of cluster systems based on quantifiable research. Data sets were from Consolidated Utility District of Rutherford County, Tennessee and contain water use information from July 2005 through July 2006 for seven subdivisions (636 residences) served by cluster systems. Water use was adjusted to wastewater production in each data set using a factor of 80 percent, and from each data set, probability distributions of average monthly flows and monthly peaking factors were made to model the variance due to residences and months, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to simulate monthly flow distributions for differing numbers of residences, which were evaluated for risk of exceeding differing design flows. For subdivisions with thirty or more three-bedroom residences, the results show that a design flow of 25552 L/month/residence (225 gal/d/residence) limits the yearly risk of exceeding a month’s design flow to less than one percent. The results of this study can be used to design future cluster systems in similar regions.

The main purpose of this study was to explore the situation of experiential theories merging into the teaching of Integrative Activities Learning Area in elementary schools. Samples were taken from two classes of fourth graders at a primary school in Kaohsiung. One class of the subjects was used as the experimental group and the other class was used as the control group. Experiential theories were emerged into the Integrative Activities Learning Area teaching of the experimental group, while the control group received the traditional lecture. The courses lasted six weeks. After completion of the course, students from both groups filled up the Integrative Activities Learning Area attitude questionnaires. The research also adopted qualitative research method, which includes observation, interview, questionnaire, and document analysis. As a result, the following conclusions were obtained: 1. Students were used to thinking in one way about discussion chart¡FThey confused suspense with surprise about assessment chart¡FThey could reflect over reflection chart . 2. Students loved visiting and performance, because of fun, inter- action and challenge. 3. Discussion chart and assessment chart could be applied to formative assessment¡FReflection chart could be applied to summative assessment. 4. Understanding the member enhanced learning performance. 5. Teachers must be flexible when they merge experiential theories into Integrative Activities Learning Area teaching. 6. When students had good attitude towards group cooperation, their learning performances were fine. 7. Merging experiential theories into Integrative Activities Learning Area teaching could enhance students¡¦ attitude toward Integrative Activities Learning Area.