RSS 1.02018 UMKC Dissertations - Freely Available Online
Recent Submissions
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The Effect of Participatory Budgeting on the Provisioning Process
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)The hypothesis of this dissertation is that as more of us become actively engaged in deliberations concerning local economic/political issues, the happier, more tolerant, and more understanding we can become. This is a ... -
Development of Targeted siRNA Therapeutics for Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Liver Fibrosis
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)The objective of this dissertation is to develop various systems to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and liver fibrosis. siRNAs targeting vascular endothelial ... -
Evaluation of the Anti-Fibrotic Activity of PCBP2 siRNA in Primary Hepatic Stellate Cells and Discovery of Anti-PD-L1 Peptide and Nanobody for Immunotherapy
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)There are two major research objectives in this dissertation. Our laboratory recently discovered a small interfering RNA (siRNA) that silences the poly (rC) binding protein 2 (PCBP2) gene. It is hypothesized that silencing ... -
Establishing Metronidazole as a Novel Biomarker of CYP2A6 Activity
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)CYP2A6 is a polymorphically expressed enzyme with variation associated with smoking behavior, cessation success, lung cancer risk, and differential drug exposure to numerous medications including anti-infectious and ... -
Role of Redox-Active Trace Metal (RATM) Oxidants in the Regulation of Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) Signaling-Mediated Inflammatory Phenotype in Synovial Fibroblasts
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)While the involvement of oxidant stress in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been suspected, the role of redox-active trace metals (RATM) as exogenous pro-oxidants in the pathogenesis of RA has not yet been investigated. ... -
Development of Protein Based PCBP2 siRNA Nanocomplex for Liver Fibrosis Therapy
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)The objective of this dissertation is to develop a protein-based siRNA nanocomplex for the treatment of alcoholic liver fibrosis. Our laboratory recently discovered that silencing the poly (rC) binding protein 2 (PCBP2) ... -
Mechanism of Action of Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase Mediated Signaling in Oxidative Stress
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)Worldwide there are an estimated 1 billion people that are affected by a form of neurodegenerative disease. The most common forms of neurodegenerative disease are Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, along ... -
Structure/Function Analysis of Type IIa Receptor Tyrosine Phosphatases on Drosophila Muscle Integrity
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)The Lar-family of receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs); including Lar, RPTPσ and RPTPδ, are utilized in signal transduction pathways during neural development. Fundamentally, the processes of axon guidance ... -
Multi-Modal Ocular Recognition in presence of occlusion in Mobile Devices
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)The existence eyeglasses in human faces cause real challenges for ocular, facial, and soft-based (such as eyebrows) biometric recognition due to glasses reflection, shadow, and frame occlusion. In this regard, two operations ... -
Engineering of Human Acid Phosphatase Enzyme Sensitive Nanomedicine for HIV/AIDS Prevention by Topical Route
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)This study is divided into two aims. Aim #1 focuses on the development and characterization of tenofovir (TFV) loaded a stimuli sensitive nanomedicine against male to female HIV/AIDS infection. Aim #2 focus on the ... -
In-Flight Learning Based Flight Control of an Unmanned Aircraft System
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) popularity has increased substantially in the last few years. UAVs capabilities continue to improve as a result of advances in battery technology, communication, navigation systems and ... -
Development and Evaluation Of HIV gp120 Responsive Microbicide Formulation for the Prevention of HIV Sexual Transmission
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)Sexual transmission of HIV remains the primary route (75 to 85%) of HIV infection among all new infection cases. Furthermore, women represent the most vulnerable population and are more susceptible to HIV infections ... -
Opportunity Recognition: A Contingency Framework of Individual Attributes, Time Pressure, and Uncertainty
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)This dissertation clarifies individual differences in opportunity recognition as a precursor to starting a new business. Using a contingency perspective, time pressure and uncertainty are hypothesized to moderate the ... -
Identification of Novel Regulatory Genes in Acetaminophen Induced Hepatocyte Toxicity by a Genome-Wide CRISPR/Cas9 Screen
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)Acetaminophen (APAP) is a commonly used analgesic responsible for over 56,000 overdose-related emergency room visits annually. A long asymptomatic period and limited treatment options result in a high rate of liver ... -
Evaluating the Ergonomics of Healthcare Providers using Kinematic Motion Analysis, Electromyography, and Musculoskeletal Modeling
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in healthcare providers have been heavily reported, and are a major cause of occupational discomfort, disability, and occupational absence. Current evaluation methodology of ... -
An Approach for Fast Score Computation in Bayesian Network Structure Learning Over Large-Scale Distributed Data
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)On a fundamental level, Bayes’ theorem enables us to utilize prior knowledge to determine the probability of an event. In consequence, its suitability for probabilistic reasoning has lead to its employment in probabilistic ... -
The Relations Among Outness, Authenticity, and Well Being for Bisexual Adults
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)Outness, a proximal minority stressor for sexual minority people, demonstrated inconsistent relationships with well-being. A possible explanation for these varied findings is that characteristics of one’s sexual minority ... -
Black Caribbeans’ Post Migration Wellbeing-Are Religiosity and Social Support Enough to Protect Against Acculturative Stress?
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)The relationship between well-being, religion, and/or social support has previously been observed in the African American community, both as a main effect and as moderator of predictors of well-being. Religion and ... -
Performance-Based Fundraiser Compensation: An Analysis of Preference, Prevalence and Effect
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)This dissertation examines the preference for and prevalence of performance-based compensation and the relationship between it and productivity within the sample population of professional fundraisers. It reviews the ... -
Age and Gender Effects on Strain Response and Biomechanical Performance of C57BL/6 Mice
(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 2018)Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease resulting in low bone mass and micro architectural deterioration of bone tissue. It causes a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture. This age-related ...