Transcending Illness: Post-Traumatic Growth in Leukemia and Lymphoma Survivors.

Ph.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2018

Dependence of Adhesion Property of Epoxidized Natural Rubber (ENR 25)/Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Rubber Blend Adhesives Crosslinked by Benzoyl Peroxide

The loop tack, peel strength, and shear strength of crosslinked epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 25)/ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) blend adhesives were investigated. Coumarone-indene resin, toluene, and benzoyl peroxide were used as the tackifier, solvent, and crosslinking agent, respectively, throughout the experiment. The adhesive was coated on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using a SHEEN hand coater at 6

Crystallization of importin alpha, the nuclear-import receptor

Crystals of recombinant importin alpha, the nuclear-import receptor, have been obtained at two different pH conditions by vapour diffusion using sodium citrate as precipitant and dithiothreitol as an additive. At pH 4-5, the crystals have the symmetry of the trigonal space group P3(1)21 or P3(2)21 (a = b = 78.0, c = 255.8 Angstrom, gamma = 120 degrees); at pH 6-7, the crystals have the symmetry of the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) (a = 78.5, b = 89.7, c = 100.5 Angstrom). In both cases, there is probably one molecule of importin ct in the asymmetric unit. At least one of the crystal forms diffracts to a resolution higher than 3 Angstrom using the laboratory X-ray source; the crystals are suitable for crystal structure determination

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of FHA domains of Dun1 and Rad53 protein kinases

Forkhead-associated (FHA) domains are modular protein–protein interaction domains of ~130 amino acids present in numerous signalling proteins. FHA-domain-dependent protein interactions are regulated by phosphorylation of target proteins and FHA domains may be multifunctional phosphopeptide-recognition modules. FHA domains of the budding yeast cell-cycle checkpoint protein kinases Dun1p and Rad53p have been crystallized. Crystals of the Dun1-FHA domain exhibit the symmetry of the space group P6122 or P6522, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 127.3, c = 386.3 Å; diffraction data have been collected to 3.1 Å resolution on a synchrotron source. Crystals of the N-terminal FHA domain (FHA1) of Rad53p diffract to 4.0 Å resolution on a laboratory X-ray source and have Laue-group symmetry 4/mmm, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 61.7, c = 104.3 Å

Solitons and excitations in the duality-based matrix model

We analyse a specific, duality-based generalization of the hermitean matrix model. The existence of two collective fields enables us to describe specific excitations of the hermitean matrix model. By using these two fields, we construct topologically non-trivial solutions (BPS solitons) of the model. We find the low-energy spectrum of quantum fluctuations around the uniform solution. Furthermore, we construct the wave functional of the ground state and obtain the corresponding Green function.Comment: 13 pages,v2: new solutions constructed, title changed accordingl

Overcoming data scarcity of Twitter: using tweets as bootstrap with application to autism-related topic content analysis

Notwithstanding recent work which has demonstrated the potential of using Twitter messages for content-specific data mining and analysis, the depth of such analysis is inherently limited by the scarcity of data imposed by the 140 character tweet limit. In this paper we describe a novel approach for targeted knowledge exploration which uses tweet content analysis as a preliminary step. This step is used to bootstrap more sophisticated data collection from directly related but much richer content sources. In particular we demonstrate that valuable information can be collected by following URLs included in tweets. We automatically extract content from the corresponding web pages and treating each web page as a document linked to the original tweet show how a temporal topic model based on a hierarchical Dirichlet process can be used to track the evolution of a complex topic structure of a Twitter community. Using autism-related tweets we demonstrate that our method is capable of capturing a much more meaningful picture of information exchange than user-chosen hashtags.Comment: IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining, 201

Synergies and trade-offs between sanitation and the sustainable development goals

To better leverage opportunities arising out of sustainable and inclusive management of sanitation services there is a need for robust and comprehensive evidence of the wide-ranging benefits that sanitation can deliver. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a comprehensive framework for sustainable development broken down into 169 interconnected Targets which are articulated under 17 Goals. Based on a methodology developed at University College London (UCL), this study identifies linkages between sanitation and the 169 Targets corroborated by published evidence. We show that there are synergies between sanitation and all 17 Goals and 130 (77%) of the Targets, and trade-offs for 28 (17%) of the Targets. We identified 83 Targets (49%) that call for action in the sanitation sector. The results demonstrate the far-reaching benefits that can be unlocked from investment in sanitation, which extend beyond health and spread across sectors. The evidence base for the 17 Goals establishes links that can inform cross-sectoral action, collaborations and investment across governance levels for integrated sanitation solutions. The research provides different stakeholders with a framework that can be applied to context-specific cases and projects. We propose a range of recommendations to policy makers, practitioners and researchers who seek to take this study further to help achieve the SDGs

Sustainability strategy and blockchain-enabled life cycle assessment: a focus on materials industry

Sustainable development, especially with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has been a priority of corporations. Nevertheless, processes which are required to deliver both changes and impact to create a sustainable organization have been slow and challenging. The purpose of this research is first to explore the extent and nature of eco-sustainability policy and strategy implementation of Materials Industry Group (MIG) companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The analysis shows that strategy is the core element for organizational sustainable development and strategy needs to be implemented at the enterprise-wide level and aligned with other dimensions within the McKinsey Seven S’s (7S’s) framework. The capabilities of life cycle assessment (LCA) that provides a holistic assessment of environmental impacts of products, from upstream and downstream perspectives, is under-explored. The case companies used in this research find it challenging to implement LCA. This research adds an additional dimension to the existing framework, suggesting the possibilities of adopting blockchain technology in strategizing sustainability strategy. Blockchain in the systems of the framework can be used in LCA to support sustainability and help organizations to achieve their targeted SDGs