Digital Commons Network^™

Piano Recital Consisting Of Works By J. S. Bach, L. Van Beethoven And F. Chopin With Extended Program Notes, Danica Borisavljevic

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Partita No 4 in D Major, BWV 828 - Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Sonata No 23 in F minor, Op 57 - Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Scherzo No 1 in B minor, Op 20 - Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

On Functional Central Limit Theorems For Dependent, Heterogeneous Tail Arrays With Applications To Tail Index And Tail Dependence Estimators, Jonathan B. Hill

Economics Research Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Resolutions 2006-2007, Student Government Association Bbc, Florida International University

SGA BBC Document Archive

No abstract provided.

Myrothecium Verrucaria : A Potential Biological Control Agent For The Invasive 'Old World Climbing Fern' Lygodium Microphyllum, Tainya Cathia Clarke

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Non native plants are a threat to ecosystems across the globe, some delicate ecosystems like those in South Florida are in greater danger because of the large number of endemics at risk. Old World Climbing Fern (Lygodium microphyllum) has become one of the most invasive and destructive weeds in southern Florida. To date different efforts have been made to control its growth and spread but have not been successful. In light of the highly delicate ecosystem affected by L. microphyllum, a biological paradigm may be a more ecologically sound approach to the containment of this obnoxious weed. …

Optimization Of Transit Transfer Times : A System-Wide Approach, Fabian Cevallos

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a system-wide approach, based on genetic algorithms, for the optimization of transfer times for an entire bus transit system. Optimization of transfer times in a transit system is a complicated problem because of the large set of binary and discrete values involved. The combinatorial nature of the problem imposes a computational burden and makes it difficult to solve by classical mathematical programming methods.

The genetic algorithm proposed in this research attempts to find an optimal solution for the transfer time optimization problem by searching for a combination of adjustments to the timetable for all the routes in …

Hiv-1 Infection In Dendritic Cells In Haart Suppressed Patients, Lrvin M. Maldonado, Sharilyn Almodovar, Giselle Marrero, Maria Del C Colon, Juan C. Lopez, Jesus Rosado, Carlos Dominguez, Rene Herrera, Martin Hill, Alberto S Cornier, Eric Lorenzo

All Faculty

No abstract provided.

Artificially Induced Aggregation Of Fauna And Their Effects On Nutrient Regimes And Primary Producers In An Oligotrophic Subtropical Estuary, Bryan M. Dewsbury

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to investigate the role of faunal aggregations in concentrating nutrients in the oligotrophic landscape of Florida Bay, I manipulated faunal densities in Florida Bay sea grass beds by constructing artificial reefs. The effects of reefs and faunal aggregations on nutrient availability and benthic community structure were assessed.

Over a year-long sampling period, artificial reefs had an average population of 50 fishes and crustaceans of various species. Faunal aggregation resulted in significant sediment organic matter decreases and sediment phosphorus increases. Plots with high fauna populations also had shorter seagrass blades presumably due to the effects of grazing. Chlorophyll-a concentrations …

Synthesis Of Multisubstituted Halo-Olefins Via Pd-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions : Applications In Nucleoside Chemistry, Daniela Andrei

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The enzyme S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (AdoHey) hydrolase effects hydrolytic cleavage of AdoHcy to adenosine (Ado) and L-homocysteine (Hcy). The cellular levels of AdoHcy and Hcy are critical because AdoHcy is a potent feedback inhibitor of crucial transmethylation enzymes. Also, elevated plasma levels of Hcy in humans have been shown to be a risk factor in coronary artery disease.

On the basis of the previous finding that AdoHcy hydrolase is able to add the enzyme-sequestered water molecule across the 5',6'-double bond of (halo or dihalohomovinyl)-adenosines causing covalent binding inhibition, we designed and synthesized AdoHcy analogues with the 5',6'-olefin motif incorporated in place of …

Patterns In Belowground Primary Productivity And Belowground Biomass In Marshes Of The Everglades' Oligohaline Ecotone, Gregory M. Juszli

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study quantified and assessed patterns in belowground primary productivity (BPP) and belowground biomass in Cladium jamaicense marshes of the oligohaline ecotone, a transition zone between the two dominant ecosystems (freshwater marsh and mangrove forest) in the Everglades. A 2x2x2 factorial design was used with transect (Shark River Slough/Taylor Slough), site (estuarine/freshwater), and season (dry/wet) as factors. BPP and belowground biomass were measured using root ingrowth and soil cores, respectively. Across all sites, BPP was significantly greater in the dry season. BPP peaked in Taylor Slough from April-July, the decrease likely due to oxygen saturation in the soil during marsh …

Carmen De Burgos : La Educación De La Mujer Y La Literatura De Viajes Como Género Narrativo, Esther A. Daganzo-Cantens

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes Carmen de Burgos’ European travel literature, and focuses on two themes: education and travel literature as a literary genre. An examination of her travel literature reveals two essential elements related to her view of education. The first is the influence that the European educational system had on her way of thinking, particularly with respect to the idea of tolerance, the practice of hygiene, and the important role of nature in education. The second is the development of her view of education as the foundation for the emancipation of women in Spain. Carmen de Burgos espoused the view …

South Florida Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network - 7-9/06 Quarterly Report (C-14397), Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Signal Processing And Information Fusing Algorithms For The Synthesis Of An Alternative Electromyogram/Eye Gaze Tracking Computer Cursor Control System, Craig Anthony Chin

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research pursued the conceptualization and real-time verification of a system that allows a computer user to control the cursor of a computer interface without using his/her hands. The target user groups for this system are individuals who are unable to use their hands due to spinal dysfunction or other afflictions, and individuals who must use their hands for higher priority tasks while still requiring interaction with a computer.

The system receives two forms of input from the user: Electromyogram (EMG) signals from muscles in the face and point-of-gaze coordinates produced by an Eye Gaze Tracking (EGT) system. In order …

The Use Of Treatment Process Variables To Differentiate Between Completers And Dropouts For A Guided Self-Change Adolescent Substance Abuse Intervention, Mildred Cordaro

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study documented differences between substance using adolescent participants who either completed or dropped out of a brief motivational intervention. Therapeutic alliance, working alliance and patient involvement were used to describe differences in treatment process ratings in a sample of majority Latino males who either (a) completed a adolescent substance abuse intervention called Alcohol Treatment Targeting Adolescents In Need (ATTAIN) or (b) dropped out after the first or second Guided Self-Change therapy session. Fifteen-minute segments were copied from the midpoint of previously recorded audio-tapes of Guided Self-Change therapy sessions. Raters were trained to a criterion level of interrater reliability for …

Determining The Physiological Response Of A Subtropical Seagrass, Thalassia Testudinum, To Salinity Stress Using Pulse Amplitude Modulated (Pam) Fluorometry, Dorothy A. Byron

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I investigated how photosynthetic performance of Thalassia testudinum changed along a naturally occurring salinity gradient in Florida Bay, and to laboratory controlled hyper and hypo-osmotic stress. I found significant differences between sites in Florida Bay for yield ratios (Y and F_v/F_m); however, this difference does not seem to be based on the salinity regime, since sites with the greatest salinity range were not significantly different from the site with the lowest salinity range. Laboratory results showed declines in the minimum and maximum fluorescence values after a gradual ramping-up of salinity and after long-term exposure to a …

Y-Chromosome Polymorphisms In Southern Arabia, Alicia M. Cadenas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to explore south Arabia's role in the migratory episodes leaving Africa to Eurasia and back, high-resolution Y-chromosome analyses of males from the United Arab Emirates (164), Qatar (72) and Yemen (62) were performed. The distribution of specific haplogroups (E3bl-M35 and J1-M267) and their microsatellite-based age estimates in southern Arabia offer additional insight on their dissemination. With the exception of Yemen, southern Arabia displays high diversity in its Y-haplogroup substructure and share similarities with populations along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Oman, possibly serving as a coastal corridor for migrations. Elevated rates of consanguinity may have had …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of Within-Host Serially-Sampled Viral Data, Patricia Buendia

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of this dissertation is the study of patterns of viral evolution inferred from serially-sampled sequence data, i.e., sequence data obtained from strains isolated at consecutive time points from a single patient or host. RNA viral populations have an extremely high genetic variability, largely due to their astronomical population sizes within host systems, high replication rate, and short generation time. It is this aspect of their evolution that demands special attention and a different approach when studying the evolutionary relationships of serially-sampled sequence data. New methods that analyze serially-sampled data were developed shortly after a groundbreaking HIV-1 study …

Gaussian Tests Of "Extremal White Noise" For Dependent, Heterogeneous, Heavy Tailed Stochastic Process With An Application, Jonathan B. Hill

Economics Research Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Context-Aware Data Caching For Mobile Computing Environments, Stylianos Drakatos

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The deployment of wireless communications coupled with the popularity of portable devices has led to significant research in the area of mobile data caching. Prior research has focused on the development of solutions that allow applications to run in wireless environments using proxy based techniques. Most of these approaches are semantic based and do not provide adequate support for representing the context of a user (i.e., the interpreted human intention.). Although the context may be treated implicitly it is still crucial to data management. In order to address this challenge this dissertation focuses on two characteristics: how to predict (i) …

Wading Bird Foraging Ecology In A Disturbed Mangrove Estuary In Northwest Ecuador : Commercial Shrimp Ponds Vs. Natural Mangrove Mudflats, Michael David Cheek

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I compared wading bird foraging ecology in commercial shrimp ponds and natural mangrove mudflats in the Muisne River Estuary in northwest Ecuador. I estimated foraging habitat suitability by observing the foraging efficiency, diet, and behavior of great (Ardea alba) and snowy (Egretta thula) egrets, censusing birds, and measuring prey availability (i.e. prey density, standing crop, water depth, and diversity). Great egrets had greater foraging efficiency in shrimp ponds, while snowy egret foraging efficiency was greater on mudflats. Over 85% of prey items in snowy egret boluses were from shrimp ponds. Mean density, standing crop, length, and …

Patient-Reported Outcomes In A Trial Of Exenatide And Insulin Glargine For The Treatment Of Type 2 Diabetes, Kristine Secnik Boye, Louis S. Matza, Alan Oglesby, Karen Malley, Sunny Kim, Risa P. Hayes, Robert Brodows

Department of Epidemiology

Background: Patient-reported measures can be used to examine whether drug differences other than clinical efficacy have an impact on outcomes that may be important to patients. Although exenatide and insulin glargine appear to have similar efficacy for treatment of type 2 diabetes, there are several differences between the two treatments that could influence outcomes from the patient's perspective. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether the two drugs were comparable as assessed by patient-reported outcomes using data from a clinical trial in which these injectable medications were added to pre-existing oral treatment regimens. Methods: Patients were randomized …

Has Bolivia Won The War? Lessons From Dignidad (Working Paper No. 3), Eduardo A. Gamarra

LACC Working Paper Series (2001 - )

No abstract provided.

Little Venice Water Quality Monitoring Project, Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Blood Lead Levels In Children And Environmental Lead Contamination In Miami Inner City, Florida, Janvier Gasana, Wayway M. Hlaing, Kristy A. Siegel, Armando Chamorro, Theophile Niyonsenga

All Faculty

Studies have shown that the environmental conditions of the home are important predictors of health, especially in low-income communities. Understanding the relationship between the environment and health is crucial in the management of certain diseases. One health outcome related to the home environment among urban, minority, and low-income children is childhood lead poisoning. The most common sources of lead exposure for children are lead paint in older, dilapidated housing and contaminated dust and soil produced by accumulated residue of leaded gasoline. Blood lead levels (BLL) as low as 10 ?g/dL in children are associated with impaired cognitive function, behavior difficulties, …

South Florida Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network 4 6/06 Quarterly Report (C-15397), Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Super-Consistent Tests Of Lp-Functional Form, Jonathan B. Hill

Economics Research Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Identifying The True Willingness-To-Pay Of Bayesian Respondents In A Dichotomous Choice Contingent Valuation Methodology, Jeffrey R. Czajkowski

Economics Research Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Costly Evidence And Systems Of Fact-Finding, Jesse Bull

Economics Research Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Costly Evidence Production And The Limits Of Verifiability, Department Of Economics, Florida International University Bull

Economics Research Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Detection And Neutralization Of Bacterial Biohazards Via Nanoencapsulation, Rosaura De Zayas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria biohazards, such as Anthrax, are responsible for causing mild to serious illnesses in humans and animals. The primary aim of this research study was to develop a rapid one step assay to detect and neutralize bacteria-based biohazards, using an Immunoliposome-nanoparticle complex. An Anthrax model, Bacillus cereus, was grown for 3 hours and diluted 1:25 in media (2.0 x 107 cfu/ml). The Bacillus cereus was interacted with an Immunoliposome-nanoparticle complex containing an MgO-C 2 neutralization agent. The samples were analyzed via flow cytometry with a 1:8:1 ratio Bacillus cereus, Immunoliposome-nanoparticle complex, and Ethidium homodimer-1 for two hours. The results obtained …

Vascular Reactivity Of Isolated Rat Mesenteric Arterioles In The Presence And Absence Of Ouabain, Rohit Chawla

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The microvasculature plays a significant role in the regulation of blood pressure and regional blood supply. Cardiotonic steroids like the adrenal cortical hormone (ouabain) have been proposed to play a role in some forms of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of different agonists on arteriolar diameter in the presence and absence of ouabain.

In Vitro studies on isolated intact rat mesenteric arterioles were performed by administering different concentrations of the vasoconstrictor norepinephrine (NE) and the vasorelaxant acetylcholine (Ach) in the presence and absence of ouabain. NE induced constriction was not significantly enhanced in the …