Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Statistical methodology for biological signals in the presence of measurement uncertainty(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2018) Barbour, Christopher Robert; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Mark Greenwood; Bibiana Bielekova (co-chair); Mark Greenwood, Dominique Zosso and Bibiana Bielekova were co-authors of the article, 'Constructed composite response: a framework for constructing targeted latent variables' submitted to the journal 'Biometrika' which is contained within this dissertation.; Christopher Barbour, Mark Greenwood, Dominique Zosso and Bibiana Bielekova were co-authors of the article, 'Extending CCR methodology to high-dimensional data to develop a sensitive clinical endpoint for multiple sclerosis' submitted to the journal 'Computational and graphical statistics' which is contained within this dissertation.; Peter Kosa, Mika Komori, Makoto Tanigaw, Ruturaj Masvekar, Tianxia Wu, Kory Johnson, Panagiotis Douvaras, Valentina Fossati, Ronald Herbst, Yue Wang, Keith Tan, Mark Greenwood and Bibiana Bielekova were co-authors of the article, 'Molecular-based diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and its progressive stage' in the journal 'Annals of neurology' which is contained within this dissertation.In recent years, increasing amounts of complex biological data are being collected on patients in many branches of medical research. Many of these signals are being collected with a certain amount of imprecision in the attained measurements. Two such areas in multiple sclerosis (MS) research are clinical scale development and proteomics analysis. Scales are often constructed from multiple outcome measures to create a combined metric that is a better measure of the true trait of interest than any of the original components. When the interest is in creating a scale that is sensitive to changes over time, developing it using cross-sectional data may not tune the projection to detect changes over time optimally. The proposed methodology, coined the Constructed Composite Response (CCR), was developed to maximize detected longitudinal change. A simulation study, and analysis of a motivating dataset, demonstrated that the CCR methodology performs better at capturing longitudinal change than traditional techniques. Including sparsifying constraints, motivated by penalized regression models, improved the performance of the CCR in high- dimensional data. In proteomics data, undesirable sources of variation are often present. Examples include temporal fluctuation in control samples and technical variability from multiple assay runs. When developing a molecular classifier of MS, a novel variable screening procedure was implemented to eliminate proteins with high levels of these unwanted sources. A simulation study compared this with traditional screening approaches and findings are discussed. Future extensions and directions of research are also discussed.Item Social support and health of partners of people with multiple sclerosis(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 1995) Burns, Laura JeanItem Leisure participation and satisfaction of persons with multiple sclerosis(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 1992) Steffes, Marian RoseItem The relationship between exercise and resilience in people with multiple sclerosis(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2014) Chandler, Nyla Sue; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kathleen SchachmanMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease, in which a person's own white blood cells to attack the fatty protective layer called myelin around nerves in the brain and spinal cord resulting in demyelinization and nerve damage. MS is typically diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. The impact and damage is highly variable from one person to the next. Women are affected more often than men. Exercise is a pattern of physical activity and movement. Resilience is the ability to cope with change or misfortune, a fluid quality that acts to modify individual responses to risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between exercise and resilience in people with MS. A correlational study was used to determine if a relationship exists between exercise and resilience in a convenience sample, consisting of 74 MS patients at a neuroscience center. The hypothesis that there was a positive relationship between exercise and resilience in persons with MS was not borne out in this population. r= 0.094 indicating that there was no relationship between exercise and resilience in persons with MS. Characteristics that may have contributed to the lower GLTEQ scores and the higher RS scores include that the sample was older, substantially unemployed, had suffered the impact of the disease for many years, and may have been living at a lower income level from those who more recently were diagnosed with MS. The convenience sample was somewhat homogeneous, and was missing younger persons who were in earlier stage of the disease. Recommended areas for future study and emphasis include; Targeting prevention from initial diagnosis instead of waiting until an MS patient has already suffered many negative outcomes. Studying a more active, fit subpopulation of MS patients may indicate a positive correlation between resilience and fitness, and therefore underscore the need for more structured, rigorous, aerobic exercise programs that would maintain and lead to fitness for those with MS.Item Vaccine platform for infection or autoimmune diseases using an ETEC fimbrial scaffold(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2009) Jun, SangMu; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David Pascual.The expression of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) fimbriae (colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I) or K99) on the surface of a Salmonella vaccine vector confers protection against ETEC challenge. Application of such fimbriae as a treatment for the proinflammatory disease, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), or as a molecular scaffold for heterologous antigen expression by cloning enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) LPS peptide mimetics into the K99 fimbriae to produce a dual vaccine for ETEC/EHEC was investigated. The expression of CFA/I fimbriae by a Salmonella vaccine vector stimulates a biphasic T helper (Th) cell response and suppresses proinflammatory responses suggesting that CFA/I fimbriae may be protective against proinflammatory diseases. To test this hypothesis, SJL/J mice were vaccinated with Salmonella-CFA/I vaccine 1 or 4 wks prior to induction of EAE induced with encephalitogenic proteolipid protein (PLP) peptide, PLP₁₃₉-₁₅₁. Mice receiving Salmonella-CFA/I vaccine recovered completely from the mild acute clinical disease and showed only mild inflammatory infiltrates in the spinal cord. This protective effect was accompanied by a loss of encephalitogenic IFN-gamma secreting Th1 cells and replaced with increases in IL-4-, IL-10-, and IL-13- producing Th2 cells. These data suggest that Salmonella-CFA/I is an anti-inflammatory vaccine capable of suppressing proinflammatory cells to protect against EAE via immune deviation. To obtain an effective nasal vaccine for ETEC, the fanC gene of ETEC K99 major structural gene was cloned onto the reovirus adhesin, protein sigma1, which has been shown as an M cell targeting molecule. Although FanC/protein sigma1 fusion protein was successfully expressed, this vaccine failed to elicit immune responses against native FanC protein, presumably because of improper protein folding. Using K99 fimbriae as a molecular scaffold, a LPS peptide mimetic for EHEC was cloned into the fanH gene of K99 fimbriae minor structural gene to enable multiple antigenic peptide expression, resulting in an ETEC/EHEC dual vaccine. Insertion of peptide mimetic into fanH gene had no adverse effect on the formation of polymerized K99 fimbriae. However, various oral immunization regimens failed to induce the protective secretory IgA responses against the LPS mimetic peptide, although serum IgG antibodies were induced.Item Healing Environments : elements of retreat(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2009) Zetterquist, Adam Gregory; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christopher Livingston; Maire O'Neill (co-chair)Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease. MS is a highly misunderstood disease and due to that it is very difficult to cope with this disease. In the field of architecture we may find opportunities to fight and alleviate those who are affected by MS. There are many elements of architecture that can offer haven and sanctuary for those affected. By implementing ideas and strategies of healing environments such as sun exposure, color, or materiality we can help those affected by MS. It is believed by some that MS is the result or is aided by the body becoming out of balance for one reason or another. These "stressors" can be physical, environmental and/or emotionally based. Healing can occur only when the body is returned to a state of homeostasis or perfect balance. The human body is designed to "heal itself" once we provide the 'necessary' tools and a healing environment. Our surroundings affect our physical and spiritual self. They can contribute to stress and general malaise or balance and strengthen us. Although personal preferences differ widely, there is a level of aesthetic response that we all share. If we look objectively at this, we can understand how different qualities of environment can nurture both body and soul. The intent of this thesis is to develop a system of architectural design using technologies, methods and products that may help to alleviate symptoms and provide an immediate and long lasting sanctuary of peace for those affected by MS and their families. Ultimately, this thesis will seek to enhance the lives of MS patients spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.