Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an enveloped, single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus. The BVDV genome is about 12.5 kb long and consists of a single open reading frame (ORF) flanked by untranslated regions at the 5' and 3' ends (5'-UTR and 3'- UTR, respectively). To investigate the role of cis-sequences...
The integration of low-pressure membrane filtration and aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactor leads to a novel environmental biotechnological process with strong potential to overcome membrane fouling and demonstrate excellent wastewater treatment performance. However, membrane fouling mechanisms in the AGS based membrane bioreactor (MBR) are lack of systematic elaboration. In the...
RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) has rapidly become the de facto technique in transcriptome studies. However, established statistical methods for analyzing experimental and observational microarray studies need to be revised or completely re-invented to accommodate RNA-Seq data's unique characteristics. In this dissertation, we focus on statistical analyses performed at two particular stages in...
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a leading cause of bronchopneumonia in infants and elderly. Knowledge of viral and host protein interactions is important for better understanding of the viral pathogenesis and may lead to development of novel therapeutic drugs. Here, we show that RSV Matrix (M) protein interacts with cellular...
Epoxy resin is a thermosetting resin that is commonly used as composite matrix. Epoxy composite materials are well utilized in industries, such as aerospace, due to their good mechanical properties. Nano-scale filler reinforced polymer composite materials have been intensively researched in recent decades. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNXLs) are a type of...
Recent advances in nanocrystalline materials production are expected to impact the development of next generation low-cost and/or high efficiency solar cells. For example, semiconductor nanocrystal inks are used to lower the fabrication cost of the absorber layers of the solar cells. In addition, some quantum confined nanocrystals display electron-hole pair...
Spreadsheet languages are widely used by end users for many different purposes. Previous research shows that spreadsheets often contain faults. To help end users test their spreadsheets, in previous research, a testing methodology for spreadsheets has been developed. Th.is methodology is supported by an automatic test case generation (ATCG) methodology....
Academic achievement of adolescent children is directly associated with their success in adulthood. Little is known, however, regarding how adolescents in immigrant families academically grow over time and what factors influence the trajectories. Drawing on the National Educational Longitudinal Survey 1988 (NELS: 88), this study aimed to: 1) identify the...
Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of Johne’s disease, a chronic granulomatous enteritis that plagues domestic and wild ruminants globally. During the silent stages of Johne’s disease, infected animals intermittently shed bacteria for years prior to clinical diagnosis during advanced disease stages. This strategy allows MAP to...