Digital Commons Network^™

The Ecological Genomic Basis Of Salinity Adaptation In Tunisian Medicago Truncatula, Maren L. Friesen, Eric J.B. Von Wettberg, Mounawer Badri, Ken S. Moriuchi, Fathi Barhoumi, Peter L. Chang, Sonia Cuellar-Ortiz, Matilde A. Cordeiro, Wendy T. Vu, Soumaya Arraouadi, Naceur Djebali, Kais Zribi, Yazid Badri, Stephanie S. Porter, Mohammed Elarbi Aouani, Douglas R. Cook, Sharon Y. Strauss, Sergey V. Nuzhdin

Department of Biological Sciences

Background: As our world becomes warmer, agriculture is increasingly impacted by rising soil salinity and understanding plant adaptation to salt stress can help enable effective crop breeding. Salt tolerance is a complex plant phenotype and we know little about the pathways utilized by naturally tolerant plants. Legumes are important species in agricultural and natural ecosystems, since they engage in symbiotic nitrogen-fixation, but are especially vulnerable to salinity stress. Results: Our studies of the model legume Medicago truncatula in field and greenhouse settings demonstrate that Tunisian populations are locally adapted to saline soils at the metapopulation level and that saline origin …

Indole Alkaloids From Fischerella Inhibit Vertebrate Development In The Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Embryo Model, Katherine Walton, Miroslav Gantar, Patrick D.L. Gibbs, Michael C. Schmale, John P. Berry

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Cyanobacteria are recognized producers of toxic or otherwise bioactive metabolite associated, in particular, with so-called “harmful algal blooms” (HABs) and eutrophication of freshwater systems. In the present study, two apparently teratogenic indole alkaloids from a freshwater strain of the widespread cyanobacterial genus, Fischerella (Stigonemataceae), were isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation, specifically using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo, as a model of vertebrate development. The two alkaloids include the previously known 12-epi-hapalindole H isonitrile (1), and a new nitrile-containing variant, 12-epi-ambiguine B nitrile (2). Although both compounds were toxic to developing embryos, the former compound was shown to be relatively more potent, …

Us Coast And Geodetic Survey Aerial Photos From 1927, 1928, 1932, 1935, 1952 And 1954 Covering South Florida, Peter Harlem

Sea Level Rise Collection

Summary of the Dr. Harold R. Wanless collection of film copies and scanning project.

Functional Activation And Effective Connectivity Differences In Adolescent Marijuana Users Performing A Simulated Gambling Task, Ashley Acheson, Kimberly L. Ray, Christina S. Hines, Karl Li, Michael A. Dawes, Charles W. Mathias, Donald M. Dougherty, Angela R. Laird

All Faculty

Background. Adolescent marijuana use is associated with structural and functional differences in forebrain regions while performing memory and attention tasks. In the present study, we investigated neural processing in adolescent marijuana users experiencing rewards and losses. Fourteen adolescents with frequent marijuana use (>5 uses per week) and 14 nonuser controls performed a computer task where they were required to guess the outcome of a simulated coin flip while undergoing magnetic resonance imaging. Results. Across all participants, ?Wins? and ?Losses? were associated with activations including cingulate, middle frontal, superior frontal, and inferior frontal gyri and declive activations. Relative to controls, …

Language Development Across The Life Span: A Neuropsychological/Neuroimaging Perspective, Monica Rosselli, Alfredo Ardilla, Esmeralda Matute, Idaly Velez-Uribe

Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Language development has been correlated with specific changes in brain development. The aim of this paper is to analyze the linguistic-brain associations that occur from birth through senescence. Findings from the neuropsychological and neuroimaging literature are reviewed, and the relationship of language changes observable in human development and the corresponding brain maturation processes across age groups are examined. Two major dimensions of language development are highlighted: naming (considered amajormeasure of lexical knowledge) and verbal fluency (regarded as amajormeasure of language production ability). Developmental changes in the brain lateralization of language are discussed, emphasizing that in early life there is an …

El Nino Southern Oscillation (Enso) Enhances Co2 Exchange Rates In Freshwater Marsh Ecosystems In The Florida Everglades, Sparkle L. Malone, Christina L. Staudhammer, Steven F. Oberbauer, Paulo Olivas, Michael G. Ryan, Jessica L. Schedlbauer, Henry W. Loescher, Gregory Starr

Department of Biological Sciences

This research examines the relationships between El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), water level, precipitation patterns and carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange rates in the freshwater wetland ecosystems of the Florida Everglades. Data was obtained over a 5-year study period (2009-2013) from two freshwater marsh sites located in Everglades National Park that differ in hydrology. At the short-hydroperiod site (Taylor Slough; TS) and the long-hydroperiod site (Shark River Slough; SRS) fluctuations in precipitation patterns occurred with changes in ENSO phase, suggesting that extreme ENSO phases alter Everglades hydrology which is known to have a substantial influence on ecosystem carbon dynamics. Variations in …

El Niño Southern Oscillation (Enso) Enhances Co2 Exchange Rates In Freshwater Marsh Ecosystems In The Florida Everglades, Sparkle L. Malone, Christina L. Staudhammer, Steve F. Oberbauer, Paulo Olivas, Michael G. Ryan, Jessice L. Schedlbauer, Henry W. Loescher, Gregory Starr

FCE LTER Journal Articles

This research examines the relationships between El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), water level, precipitation patterns and carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange rates in the freshwater wetland ecosystems of the Florida Everglades. Data was obtained over a 5-year study period (2009–2013) from two freshwater marsh sites located in Everglades National Park that differ in hydrology. At the short-hydroperiod site (Taylor Slough; TS) and the long-hydroperiod site (Shark River Slough; SRS) fluctuations in precipitation patterns occurred with changes in ENSO phase, suggesting that extreme ENSO phases alter Everglades hydrology which is known to have a substantial influence on ecosystem carbon dynamics. Variations in …

Language And Visual Perception Associations: Meta-Analytic Connectivity Modeling Of Brodmann Area 37, Alfredo Ardilla, Byron Bernal, Monica Rosselli

Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Background. Understanding the functions of different brain areas has represented a major endeavor of neurosciences. Historically, brain functions have been associated with specific cortical brain areas; however, modern neuroimaging developments suggest cognitive functions are associated to networks rather than to areas. Objectives. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the connectivity of Brodmann area (BA) 37 (posterior, inferior, and temporal/fusiform gyrus) in relation to (1) language and (2) visual processing. Methods. Two meta-analyses were initially conducted (first level analysis).The first one was intended to assess the language network in which BA37 is involved. The second one was intended to …

Random Sample Community-Based Health Surveys: Does The Effort To Reach Participants Matter?, Antoine Messiah, Grettel Castro, Pura Rodríguez De La Vega, Juan M. Acuna

HWCOM Faculty Publications

Objectives Conducting health surveys with community-based random samples are essential to capture an otherwise unreachable population, but these surveys can be biased if the effort to reach participants is insufficient. This study determines the desirable amount of effort to minimise such bias.

Design A household-based health survey with random sampling and face-to-face interviews. Up to 11 visits, organised by canvassing rounds, were made to obtain an interview.

Setting Single-family homes in an underserved and understudied population in North Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA.

Participants Of a probabilistic sample of 2200 household addresses, 30 corresponded to empty lots, 74 were abandoned houses, …

Ecology And Physiology Of The Pathogenic Cyanobacterium Roseofilum Reptotaenium, Laurie L. Richardson, Dina Stanic, Amanda May, Abigael Brownell, Miroslav Gantar, Shawn R. Campagna

Department of Biological Sciences

Roseofilum reptotaenium is a gliding, filamentous, phycoerythrin-rich cyanobacterium that has been found only in the horizontally migrating, pathogenic microbial mat, black band disease (BBD) on Caribbean corals. R. reptotaenium dominates the BBD mat in terms of biomass and motility, and the filaments form the mat fabric. This cyanobacterium produces the cyanotoxin microcystin, predominately MC-LR, and can tolerate high levels of sulfide produced by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) that are also associated with BBD. Laboratory cultures of R. reptotaenium infect coral fragments, suggesting that the cyanobacterium is the primary pathogen of BBD, but since this species cannot grow axenically and Koch’s …

Mismeasurement Of Distance Effects: The Role Of Internal Location Of Production, Hakan Yilmazkuday

Economics Research Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Importer-Specific Elasticities Of Demand: Evidence From U.S. Exports, Hakan Yilmazkuday

Economics Research Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

A Phylogenetic Backbone For Bivalvia: An Rna-Seq Approach, Vanessa L. Gonzàlez, Sonia C. S. Andrade, Rudiger Bieler, Timothy M. Collins, Casey W. Dunn, Paula M. Mikkelsen, John D. Taylor, Gonzalo Giribet

All Faculty

Bivalves are an ancient and ubiquitous group of aquatic invertebrates with an estimated 10 000?20 000 living species. They are economically significant as a human food source, and ecologically important given their biomass and effects on communities. Their phylogenetic relationships have been studied for decades, and their unparalleled fossil record extends from the Cambrian to the Recent. Nevertheless, a robustly supported phylogeny of the deepest nodes, needed to fully exploit the bivalves as a model for testing macroevolutionary theories, is lacking. Here, we present the first phylogenomic approach for this important group of molluscs, including novel transcriptomic data for 31 …

Development Of A Lab-On-A-Chip Device For Rapid Nanotoxicity Assessment In Vitro, Pratikkumar Shah

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing useof nanomaterials in consumer products and biomedical applications creates the possibilities of intentional/unintentional exposure to humans and the environment. Beyond the physiological limit, the nanomaterialexposure to humans can induce toxicity. It is difficult to define toxicity of nanoparticles on humans as it varies by nanomaterialcomposition, size, surface properties and the target organ/cell line. Traditional tests for nanomaterialtoxicity assessment are mostly based on bulk-colorimetric assays. In many studies, nanomaterials have found to interfere with assay-dye to produce false results and usually require several hours or days to collect results. Therefore, there is a clear need for alternative tools that can …

Risk Of Second Cancers In Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis Of Population Based Cohort Studies, Anshul Saxena, Muni Rubens, Venkataraghavan Ramamoorthy, Hafiz M.R. Khan

Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

The risk of second cancers in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) remains uncertain since risk estimates vary worldwide. The global MCC population is growing and there is a demand for better knowledge of prognosis of this disease. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, and EMBASE search engines were searched for the relevant literature between January 1999 and September 2014 by use of explicit search criteria. The main outcome was second malignancies associated with MCC patients measured by standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) or other estimates of risks. Five papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria and reported SIRs of second cancer inMCC which …

Gender Differences In The Association Of Hazardous Alcohol Use With Hypertension In An Urban Cohort Of People Living With Hiv In South Florida, María José Míguez-Burbano, Clery Quiros, John E. Lewis, Luis Espinoza, Robert Cook, Allison B. Trainor, Erika Richardson, Deshratn Asthana

School of Integrated Science and Humanity

Objective

Industrialized countries are currently experiencing an epidemic of high blood pressure (HBP) extending to people living with HIV (PLWH). Given the prevalence of hazardous alcohol use (HAU), this study examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and hypertension in PLWH. Including a gender analysis is critical, given the high rates of HAU and HIV among females.

Method

We followed PLWH including both HAU and non-HAU (200 each). Participants were assessed twice for body weight, blood pressure, alcohol consumption, and other BP-associated lifestyle factors. High blood pressure (defined as systolic/diastolic blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg and/or treatment of HBP) was the …

Experimental And Analytical Methodologies For Predicting Peak Loads On Building Envelopes And Roofing Systems, Maryam Asghari Mooneghi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The performance of building envelopes and roofing systems significantly depends on accurate knowledge of wind loads and the response of envelope components under realistic wind conditions. Wind tunnel testing is a well-established practice to determine wind loads on structures. For small structures much larger model scales are needed than for large structures, to maintain modeling accuracy and minimize Reynolds number effects. In these circumstances the ability to obtain a large enough turbulence integral scale is usually compromised by the limited dimensions of the wind tunnel meaning that it is not possible to simulate the low frequency end of the turbulence …

Screening Of Cyanobacteria And Microalgae For Their Ability To Synthesize Silver Nanoparticles With Antibacterial Activity, Vijay Patel, David Berthold, Pravin Puranik, Miroslav Gantar

Department of Biological Sciences

The aim of this study was to assess the ability of selected strains of cyanobacteria and microalgae to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) by using two procedures; (i) suspending the live andwashed biomass of microalgae and cyanobacteria into the AgNO3 solution and (ii) by adding AgNO3 into a cellfree culture liquid. Ag-NPs were biosynthesized by 14 out of 16 tested strains. In most of the cases Ag-NPs were formed both in the presence of biomass as well as in the cell-free culture liquid. This indicates that the process of Ag-NPs formation involves an extracellular compound such as polysaccharide. TEM analysis showed …

Differential Cross Section Measurements For The Production Of Awboson In Association With Jets In Proton–Proton Collisions At √S=7tev, Cms Collaboration, Cern, Switzerland, V. Gaultney, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0fb−1. The measured cross sections …

Paris Talks: The Art Of Climate Communication, Phaedra Pezzullo

Sea Level Rise Collection

No abstract provided.

Measurement Of The Pp→Zzproduction Cross Section And Constraints On Anomalous Triple Gauge Couplings In Four-Lepton Final States At √S=8tev, Cms Collaboration, Cern, Switzerland, V. Gaultney, Samantha Hewamanage, Stephan Linn, Pete E. Markowitz, German Martinez, Jorge Luis Rodriguez

Department of Physics

A measurement of the inclusive ZZproduction cross section and constraints on anomalous triple gauge couplings in proton–proton collisions at √s=8TeVare presented. The analysis is based on a data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6fb−1, collected with the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are performed in the leptonic decay modes ZZ →, where=e, μand =e, μ, τ. The measured total cross section σ(pp →ZZ) =7.7 ±0.5(stat)+0.5−0.4(syst)±0.4 (theo) ±0.2(lumi)pb, for both Zbosons produced in the mass range 60

The Role Of Productivity, Transportation Costs, And Barriers To Intersectoral Mobility In Structural Transformation, Cem Karayalcin, Mihaela Pintea

Economics Research Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

General Meeting Minutes 12.03.14, Student Government Association Bbc, Florida International University

SGA BBC Document Archive

No abstract provided.

Understanding Ten-Eleven Translocation-2 In Hematological And Nervous Systems, Feng Pan

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I proposed the study of two distinct aspects of Ten-Eleven Translocation 2 (TET2) protein for understanding specific functions in different body systems.

In Part I, I characterized the molecular mechanisms of Tet2 in the hematological system. As the second member of Ten-Eleven Translocation protein family, TET2 is frequently mutated in leukemic patients. Previous studies have shown that the TET2 mutations frequently occur in 20% myelodysplastic syndrome/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MDS/MPN), 10% T-cell lymphoma leukemia and 2% B-cell lymphoma leukemia. Genetic mouse models also display distinct phenotypes of various types of hematological malignancies. I performed 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) and RNA …

Appropriation 2014.0030 Enacted, Student Government Association Bbc, Florida International University

SGA BBC Document Archive

No abstract provided.

Senate Minutes 12.01.14, Student Government Association Bbc, Florida International University

SGA BBC Document Archive

No abstract provided.

A Practical Guideline For Intracranial Volume Estimation In Patients With Alzheimer’S Disease, Saman Sargolzaei, Arman Sargolzaei, Mercedes Cabrerizo, Gang Chen, Mohammed Goryawala, Shirin Noei, Qi Zhou, Ranjan Duara, Warren Barker, Malek Adjouadi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Intracranial volume (ICV) is an important normalization measure used in morphometric analyses to correct for head size in studies of Alzheimer Disease (AD). Inaccurate ICV estimation could introduce bias in the outcome. The current study provides a decision aid in defining protocols for ICV estimation in patients with Alzheimer disease in terms of sampling frequencies that can be optimally used on the volumetric MRI data, and the type of software most suitable for use in estimating the ICV measure.

Methods

Two groups of 22 subjects are considered, including adult controls (AC) and patients with Alzheimer Disease (AD). Reference measurements …

A Probabilistic Approach For Pediatric Epilepsy Diagnosis Using Brain Functional Connectivity Networks, Saman Sargolzaei, Mercedes Cabrerizo, Arman Sargolzaei, Shirin Noei, Anas Salah Eddin, Hoda Rajaei, Alberto Pinzon-Ardila, Sergio M. Gonzalez-Arias, Prasanna Jayakar, Malek Adjouadi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

The lives of half a million children in the United States are severely affected due to the alterations in their functional and mental abilities which epilepsy causes. This study aims to introduce a novel decision support system for the diagnosis of pediatric epilepsy based on scalp EEG data in a clinical environment.

Methods

A new time varying approach for constructing functional connectivity networks (FCNs) of 18 subjects (7 subjects from pediatric control (PC) group and 11 subjects from pediatric epilepsy (PE) group) is implemented by moving a window with overlap to split the EEG signals into a total of …

Morphological And Physiological Responses Of Seagrasses (Alismatales) To Grazers (Testudines: Cheloniidae) And The Role Of These Responses As Grazing Patch Abandonment Cues, Elizabeth A. Lacey, Ligia Collado-Vides, James W. Fourqurean

Department of Biological Sciences

Green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, are grazers influencing the distribution of seagrass within shallow coastal ecosystems, yet the drivers behind C. mydas patch use within seagrass beds are largely unknown. Current theories center on food quality (nutrient content) as the plant responds to grazing disturbances; however, no study has monitored these parameters in a natural setting without grazer manipulation. To determine the morphological and physiological responses potentially influencing seagrass recovery from grazing disturbances, seagrasses were monitored for one year under three different gazing scenarios (turtle grazed, fish grazed and ungrazed) in a tropical ecosystem in Alcumal Bay, Quintana Roo, Mexico. …

Engineering Analysis In Imprecise Geometric Models, Riccardo Gasparini

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Engineering analysis in geometric models has been the main if not the only credible/reasonable tool used by engineers and scientists to resolve physical boundaries problems. New high speed computers have facilitated the accuracy and validation of the expected results. In practice, an engineering analysis is composed of two parts; the design of the model and the analysis of the geometry with the boundary conditions and constraints imposed on it.

Numerical methods are used to resolve a large number of physical boundary problems independent of the model geometry. The time expended due to the computational process are related to the imposed …