Within the Pacific Northwest, USA, root diseases of conifers are a major forest health concern. These diseases are primarily caused by basidiomycete fungi. These fungal associates play a vital role in carbon sequestration but also have a significant negative economic impact within the timber industry. As a result, research on...
The focus of this thesis is to design, characterize, and apply novel computational methods and molecular systems to interrogate heterogeneous human gut microbiome-related phenomena. In Chapter 2, I design, implement, and characterize a method for embedding co-occurrence patterns derived from massive 16s amplicon datasets. I use this method to 1....
RNAs play important roles in multiple cellular processes, and many of their functions rely on folding to specific structures. To maintain their functions, secondary structures of RNA homologs are conserved across evolution. These conserved structures provide critical targets for diagnostics and therapeutics. Thus, there is a need for developing fast...
Conservation banking is a market-based instrument and conservation tool designed to provide compensatory mitigation for impacts to endangered species. These banks provide both ecological and economic benefits, however their ability to continue providing these benefits is threatened by climate change. The motivational factors behind the decisions to establish a conservation...
The emergence of the 2019 coronavirus disease drove the rapid implementation of telehealth in maternal healthcare services in the United States (US) and globally. To protect providers and patients, states across the US incorporated telecommunications technology to substitute traditional in-person care for many aspects of perinatal care, for low- and...