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Alternative Epigraphic Interpretations Of The Maya Snake Emblem Glyph, Christopher Tyra Savage Jan 2007

Alternative Epigraphic Interpretations Of The Maya Snake Emblem Glyph, Christopher Tyra Savage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to demonstrate that the Maya snake emblem glyph is associated with religious specialists, instead of geographic locations, as emblem glyphs are typically understood to be. The inscriptions and the media on which the snake emblem glyph occurs will be analyzed to determine the role or function of the "Lord of the Snake." Temporal and spatial data has also been collected to aid in understanding the enigmatic glyph. The snake emblem glyph has recently been identified as originating from a broad area containing the sites of El Peru and La Corona in Guatemala, and Dzibanche, Mexico, a departure …

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Medium Access Control Protocols And Routing Algorithms For Wireless Sensor Networks, Anirban Bag Jan 2007

Medium Access Control Protocols And Routing Algorithms For Wireless Sensor Networks, Anirban Bag

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the development of a large variety of mobile computing devices has led to wide scale deployment and use of wireless ad hoc and sensor networks. Wireless Sensor Networks consist of battery powered, tiny and cheap "motes", having sensing and wireless communication capabilities. Although wireless motes have limited battery power, communication and computation capabilities, the range of their application is vast. In the first part of the dissertation, we have addressed the specific application of Biomedical Sensor Networks. To solve the problem of data routing in these networks, we have proposed the Adaptive Least Temperature Routing (ALTR) algorithm …

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Florida First Year Teachers' Perceptions Of Preparedness To Meet National Educational Technology Standards For Teachers (Net, Larry Bedenbaugh Jan 2007

Florida First Year Teachers' Perceptions Of Preparedness To Meet National Educational Technology Standards For Teachers (Net, Larry Bedenbaugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if first year teachers in Florida perceived they were adequately prepared by their preservice education programs to meet the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). The study was designed to gather data about first year teacher perceptions of personal technology proficiency and self-reported technology integration practices. The data were measured using the First Year Teacher Perceptions Related to Preparedness to Meet National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) survey instrument. The sample (N=257) for this study was drawn from the population of Florida first year PreK-12 public classroom teachers from the …

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All-Optical Regeneration For Phase-Shift Keyed Optical Communication Systems, Kevin Croussore Jan 2007

All-Optical Regeneration For Phase-Shift Keyed Optical Communication Systems, Kevin Croussore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

All-optical signal processing techniques for phase-shift keyed (PSK) systems were developed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. Nonlinear optical effects in fibers, in particular four-wave mixing (FWM) that occurs via the ultra-fast Kerr nonlinearity, offer a flexible framework within which numerous signal processing functions can be accomplished. This research has focused on the regenerative capabilities of various FWM configurations in the context of processing PSK signals. Phase-preserving amplitude regeneration, phase regeneration, and phase-regenerative wavelength conversion are analyzed and demonstrated experimentally. The single-pump phase-conjugation process was used to regenerate RZ-DPSK pulse amplitudes with different input noise distributions, and the impact on output phase …

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Sex-Biased Parasitism And The Reproductive Costs Of Parasites In A Social African Ground Squirrel, Melissa Ann Hillegass Jan 2007

Sex-Biased Parasitism And The Reproductive Costs Of Parasites In A Social African Ground Squirrel, Melissa Ann Hillegass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vertebrate males frequently carry higher numbers of parasites than females. This bias in parasite loads could be a consequence of sexual selection. Grouping species are also assumed to be afflicted with larger numbers of parasites than solitary animals and associated costs of this parasitism could vary with group size or structure. I examined sex-biased parasitism and the influence of group size on parasite loads in Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris), a highly social species that occurs in the arid regions of southern Africa. Males carried three times as many ectoparasites as females, but females harbored nearly three times more endoparasites …

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Does Habitat Affect Clonal Demography? An Experiment With Polygonella Myriophylla In Roadside And Florida Scrub, Kristina Dianne Horn Jan 2007

Does Habitat Affect Clonal Demography? An Experiment With Polygonella Myriophylla In Roadside And Florida Scrub, Kristina Dianne Horn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polygonella myriophylla (Polygonaceae) is a clonal shrub listed as endangered and narrowly endemic to pyrogenic scrub ecosystems in central Florida. It is almost restricted to gaps within the matrix of shrubs in the scrub but also occurs along adjacent road-side habitats. I hypothesize that persistent disturbed microhabitats and more dynamic sand accretion in roadsides will increase rooting probabilities compared to more stable scrub habitats, affecting survival, growth and reproduction. In April 2004- March 2006, I compared plant (genet) and basal branch (ramet) performance between experimentally manipulated plants in native scrub and roadside habitats at two locations within the Lake Wales …

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Peter Safar: Father Of Modern Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Louis J. Acierno, L. Timothy Worrell Jan 2007

Peter Safar: Father Of Modern Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Louis J. Acierno, L. Timothy Worrell

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

No abstract provided.

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Field Production And Functional Evaluation Of Chloroplast-Derived Interferon-Alpha 2b, Philip A. Arlen, Regina Falconer, Sri Cherukumili, Amy Cole, Alexander M. Cole, Karen K. Oishi, Henry Daniell Jan 2007

Field Production And Functional Evaluation Of Chloroplast-Derived Interferon-Alpha 2b, Philip A. Arlen, Regina Falconer, Sri Cherukumili, Amy Cole, Alexander M. Cole, Karen K. Oishi, Henry Daniell

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Type I interferons (IFNs) inhibit viral replication and cell growth and enhance the immune response, and therefore have many clinical applications. IFN-alpha 2b ranks third in world market use for a biopharmaceutical, behind only insulin and erythropoietin. The average annual cost of IFN-alpha 2b for the treatment of hepatitis C infection is $26 000, and is therefore unavailable to the majority of patients in developing countries. Therefore, we expressed IFN-alpha 2b in tobacco chloroplasts, and transgenic lines were grown in the field after obtaining United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) approval. Stable, site-specific integration …

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Intravenous Immunoglobulin (Ivig) Protects The Brain Against Experimental Stroke By Preventing Complement-Mediated Neuronal Cell Death, Thiruma V. Arumugam, Sung-Chun Tang, Justin D. Lathia, Aiwu Cheng, Mohamed R. Mughal, Srinivasulu Chigurupati, Tim Magnus, Sic L. Chan, Dong-Gyu Jo, Xin Ouyang, David P. Fairlie, Daniel N. Granger, Alexander Vortmeyer, Milan Basta, Mark P. Mattson Jan 2007

Intravenous Immunoglobulin (Ivig) Protects The Brain Against Experimental Stroke By Preventing Complement-Mediated Neuronal Cell Death, Thiruma V. Arumugam, Sung-Chun Tang, Justin D. Lathia, Aiwu Cheng, Mohamed R. Mughal, Srinivasulu Chigurupati, Tim Magnus, Sic L. Chan, Dong-Gyu Jo, Xin Ouyang, David P. Fairlie, Daniel N. Granger, Alexander Vortmeyer, Milan Basta, Mark P. Mattson

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Stroke is among the three leading causes of death worldwide and the most frequent cause of permanent disability. Brain ischemia induces an inflammatory response involving activated complement fragments. Here we show that i.v. Ig (IVIG) treatment, which scavenges complement fragments, protects brain cells against the deleterious effects of experimental ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) and prevents I/R-induced mortality in mice. Animals administered IVIG either 30 min before ischemia or after 3 h of reperfusion exhibited a 50-60% reduction of brain infarct size and a 2- to 3-fold improvement of the functional outcome. Even a single low dose of IVIG given after …

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Stable Expression Of Gal/Galnac Lectin Of Entamoeba Histolytica In Transgenic Chloroplasts And Immunogenicity In Mice Towards Vaccine Development For Amoebiasis, Seethamahalakshmi Chebolu, Henry Daniell Jan 2007

Stable Expression Of Gal/Galnac Lectin Of Entamoeba Histolytica In Transgenic Chloroplasts And Immunogenicity In Mice Towards Vaccine Development For Amoebiasis, Seethamahalakshmi Chebolu, Henry Daniell

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Chloroplast genetic engineering offers several advantages, including high levels of transgene expression, transgene containment via maternal inheritance and multigene engineering in a single transformation event. Entamoeba histolytica infects 50 million people, causing about 100 000 deaths annually, but there is no approved vaccine against this pathogen. LecA, a potential target for blocking amoebiasis, was expressed for the first time in transgenic plants. Stable transgene integration into chloroplast genomes and homoplasmy were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analyses. LecA expression was evaluated by Western blots and quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (up to 6.3% of total soluble protein …

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Analysis Of 81 Genes From 64 Plastid Genomes Resolves Relationships In Angiosperms And Identifies Genome-Scale Evolutionary Patterns, Robert K. Jansen, Zhengqiu Cai, Linda A. Raubeson, Henry Daniell, Claude W. Depamphilis, James Leebens-Mack, Kai F. Müller, Mary Guisinger-Bellian, Rosemarie C. Haberle, Anne K. Hansen, Timothy W. Chumley, Seung-Bum Lee, Rhiannon Peery, Joel R. Mcneal, Jennifer V. Kuehl, Jeffrey L. Boore Jan 2007

Analysis Of 81 Genes From 64 Plastid Genomes Resolves Relationships In Angiosperms And Identifies Genome-Scale Evolutionary Patterns, Robert K. Jansen, Zhengqiu Cai, Linda A. Raubeson, Henry Daniell, Claude W. Depamphilis, James Leebens-Mack, Kai F. Müller, Mary Guisinger-Bellian, Rosemarie C. Haberle, Anne K. Hansen, Timothy W. Chumley, Seung-Bum Lee, Rhiannon Peery, Joel R. Mcneal, Jennifer V. Kuehl, Jeffrey L. Boore

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Angiosperms are the largest and most successful clade of land plants with > 250,000 species distributed in nearly every terrestrial habitat. Many phylogenetic studies have been based on DNA sequences of one to several genes, but, despite decades of intensive efforts, relationships among early diverging lineages and several of the major clades remain either incompletely resolved or weakly supported. We performed phylogenetic analyses of 81 plastid genes in 64 sequenced genomes, including 13 new genomes, to estimate relationships among the major angiosperm clades, and the resulting trees are used to examine the evolution of gene and intron content. Phylogenetic trees from …

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Comparative Mitochondrial Genomics Of Snakes: Extraordinary Substitution Rate Dynamics And Functionality Of The Duplicate Control Region, Zhi J. Jiang, Todd A. Castoe, Christopher C. Austin, Matthew D. Herron, Frank T. Burbrink, Jimmy A. Mcguire, Christopher L. Parkinson, David D. Pollock Jan 2007

Comparative Mitochondrial Genomics Of Snakes: Extraordinary Substitution Rate Dynamics And Functionality Of The Duplicate Control Region, Zhi J. Jiang, Todd A. Castoe, Christopher C. Austin, Matthew D. Herron, Frank T. Burbrink, Jimmy A. Mcguire, Christopher L. Parkinson, David D. Pollock

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Background: The mitochondrial genomes of snakes are characterized by an overall evolutionary rate that appears to be one of the most accelerated among vertebrates. They also possess other unusual features, including short tRNAs and other genes, and a duplicated control region that has been stably maintained since it originated more than 70 million years ago. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of evolutionary dynamics in snake mitochondrial genomes to better understand the basis of these extreme characteristics, and to explore the relationship between mitochondrial genome molecular evolution, genome architecture, and molecular function. We sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes from Slowinski's corn …

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Advances In Homeland Security Series, Naim Kapucu Jan 2007

Advances In Homeland Security Series, Naim Kapucu

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

This is a book review article for the Advances in Homeland Security Series by Purdue University. The series consist of two volumes. Volume one is entitled The Science of Homeland Security. Volume two is entitled Guiding Future Homeland Security Policy. Amass F. S., Bhunia, A. K, Chaturvedi, A. L., Dolk, D. R., Peeta, S., and Atallah, M. J. Advances in Homeland Security Series: The Science of Homeland Security (Volume 1), West Lafayette, IN: Perdue University Press, 2006 227 pp, introduction, notes, bibliography, index (hardcover). Amass F. S., Chaturvedi, A. L., and Peeta, S. Advances in Homeland Security Series: Guiding Future …

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An Initial Evaluation Of Mathpad(2): A Tool For Creating Dynamic Mathematical Illustrations, Joseph J. Laviola Jr. Jan 2007

An Initial Evaluation Of Mathpad(2): A Tool For Creating Dynamic Mathematical Illustrations, Joseph J. Laviola Jr.

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

MathPad(2) is a pen-based application prototype for creating mathematical sketches. Using a modeless gestural interface, it lets users make dynamic illustrations by associating handwritten mathematics with free-form drawings and provides a set of tools for graphing and evaluating mathematical expressions and solving equations. In this paper, we present the results of an initial evaluation of the MathPad(2) prototype, examining the user interface's intuitiveness and the application's perceived usefulness. Our evaluations are based on both performance and questionnaire results including first attempt gesture performance, interface recall tests, and surveys of user interface satisfaction and perceived usefulness. The results of our evaluation …

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Role Of Enpp1 On Adipocyte Maturation, Jian Liang, Mingui Fu, Ester Ciociola, Manisha Chandalia, Nicola Abate Jan 2007

Role Of Enpp1 On Adipocyte Maturation, Jian Liang, Mingui Fu, Ester Ciociola, Manisha Chandalia, Nicola Abate

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Background. It is recognized that the ability of adipose tissue to expand in response to energy excess, i.e. adipocyte maturation, is important in determining systemic abnormalities in glucose and lipid metabolism. Ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1, also known as PC-1) has been recently reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and related diseases. However, its role on adipose tissue physiology as a mechanism of systemic insulin resistance is not understood. This study was performed to evaluate whether ENPP1 is regulated during adipogenesis and whether over-expression in adipocytes can affect adipocyte maturation, a potential novel mechanism of ENPP1-related …

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Modulation Of Human Neural Stem Cell Differentiation In Alzheimer (App23) Transgenic Mice By Phenserine, Amelia Marutle, Masao Ohmitsu, Mats Nilbratt, Nigel H. Greig, Agneta Nordberg, Kiminobu Sugaya Jan 2007

Modulation Of Human Neural Stem Cell Differentiation In Alzheimer (App23) Transgenic Mice By Phenserine, Amelia Marutle, Masao Ohmitsu, Mats Nilbratt, Nigel H. Greig, Agneta Nordberg, Kiminobu Sugaya

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

In a previous study, we found that human neural stem cells (HNSCs) exposed to high concentrations of secreted amyloid-precursor protein (sAPP) in vitro differentiated into mainly astrocytes, suggesting that pathological alterations in APP processing during neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) may prevent neuronal differentiation of HNSCs. Thus, successful neuroplacement therapy for AD may require regulating APP expression to favorable levels to enhance neuronal differentiation of HNSCs. Phenserine, a recently developed cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI), has been reported to reduce APP levels in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we found reductions of APP and glial fibrillary acidic protein …

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Geographical Gradients In Diet Affect Population Dynamics Of Canada Lynx, James D. Roth, John D. Marshall, Dennis L. Murray, David M. Nickerson, Todd D. Steury Jan 2007

Geographical Gradients In Diet Affect Population Dynamics Of Canada Lynx, James D. Roth, John D. Marshall, Dennis L. Murray, David M. Nickerson, Todd D. Steury

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Geographical gradients in the stability of cyclic populations of herbivores and their predators may relate to the degree of specialization of predators. However, such changes are usually associated with transition from specialist to generalist predator species, rather than from geographical variation in dietary breadth of specialist predators. Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations undergo cyclic. fluctuations in northern parts of their range, but cycles are either greatly attenuated or lost altogether in the southern boreal forest where prey diversity is higher. We tested the influence of prey specialization on population cycles by measuring the stable carbon …

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Expression Of Cholera Toxin B-Proinsulin Fusion Protein In Lettuce And Tobacco Chloroplasts - Oral Administration Protects Against Development Of Insulitis In Non-Obese Diabetic Mice, Tracey Ruhlman, Raheleh Ahangari, Andrew Devine, Mohtahsem Samsam, Henry Daniell Jan 2007

Expression Of Cholera Toxin B-Proinsulin Fusion Protein In Lettuce And Tobacco Chloroplasts - Oral Administration Protects Against Development Of Insulitis In Non-Obese Diabetic Mice, Tracey Ruhlman, Raheleh Ahangari, Andrew Devine, Mohtahsem Samsam, Henry Daniell

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Lettuce and tobacco chloroplast transgenic lines expressing the cholera toxin B subunit-human proinsulin (CTB-Pins) fusion protein were generated. CTB-Pins accumulated up to similar to 16% of total soluble protein (TSP) in tobacco and up to similar to 2.5% of TSP in lettuce. Eight milligrams of powdered tobacco leaf material expressing CTB-Pins or, as negative controls, CTB-green fluorescent protein (CTB-GFP) or interferon-GFP (IFN-GFP), or untransformed leaf, were administered orally, each week for 7 weeks, to 5-week-old female non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. The pancreas of CTB-Pins-treated mice showed decreased infiltration of cells characteristic of lymphocytes (insulitis); insulin-producing beta-cells in the pancreatic islets …

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Selective Chemical Probe Inhibitor Of Stat3, Identified Through Structure-Based Virtual Screening, Induces Antitumor Activity, Khandaker Siddiquee, Shumin Zhang, Wayne C. Guida, Michelle A. Blaskovich, Benjamin Greedy, Harshani R. Lawrence, M. L. Richard Yip, Richard Jove, Mark M. Mclaughlin, Nicholas J. Lawrence, Said M. Sebti, James Turkson Jan 2007

Selective Chemical Probe Inhibitor Of Stat3, Identified Through Structure-Based Virtual Screening, Induces Antitumor Activity, Khandaker Siddiquee, Shumin Zhang, Wayne C. Guida, Michelle A. Blaskovich, Benjamin Greedy, Harshani R. Lawrence, M. L. Richard Yip, Richard Jove, Mark M. Mclaughlin, Nicholas J. Lawrence, Said M. Sebti, James Turkson

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

S31-201 (NSC 74859) is a chemical probe inhibitor of Stat3 activity, which was identified from the National Cancer Institute chemical libraries by using structure-based virtual screening with a computer model of the Stat3 SH2 domain bound to its Stat3 phosphotyrosine peptide derived from the x-ray crystal structure of the Stat3 beta homodimer. S31-201 inhibits Stat3-Stat3 complex formation and Stat3 DNA-binding and transcriptional activities. Furthermore, S31-201 inhibits growth and induces apoptosis preferentially in tumor cells that contain persistently activated Stat3. Constitutively climerized and active Stat3C and Stat3 SH2 domain rescue tumor cells from S31-201-induced apoptosis. Finally, S31-201 inhibits the expression of …

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Ppar Alpha L162v Underlies Variation In Serum Triglycerides And Subcutaneous Fat Volume In Young Males, Julieta Uthurralt, Heather Gordish-Dressman, Meg Bradbury, Carolina Tesi-Rocha, Joseph Devaney, Brennan Harmon, Erica K. Reeves, Cinzia Brandoli, Barbara C. Hansen, Richard L. Seip, Paul D. Thompson, Thomas B. Price, Theodore J. Angelopoulos, Priscilla M. Clarkson, Niall M. Moyna, Linda S. Pescatello, Paul S. Visich, Robert F. Zoeller, Paul M. Gordon, Eric P. Hoffman Jan 2007

Ppar Alpha L162v Underlies Variation In Serum Triglycerides And Subcutaneous Fat Volume In Young Males, Julieta Uthurralt, Heather Gordish-Dressman, Meg Bradbury, Carolina Tesi-Rocha, Joseph Devaney, Brennan Harmon, Erica K. Reeves, Cinzia Brandoli, Barbara C. Hansen, Richard L. Seip, Paul D. Thompson, Thomas B. Price, Theodore J. Angelopoulos, Priscilla M. Clarkson, Niall M. Moyna, Linda S. Pescatello, Paul S. Visich, Robert F. Zoeller, Paul M. Gordon, Eric P. Hoffman

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Background: Of the five sub-phenotypes defining metabolic syndrome, all are known to have strong genetic components ( typically 50 - 80% of population variation). Studies defining genetic predispositions have typically focused on older populations with metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes. We hypothesized that the study of younger populations would mitigate many confounding variables, and allow us to better define genetic predisposition loci for metabolic syndrome. Methods: We studied 610 young adult volunteers ( average age 24 yrs) for metabolic syndrome markers, and volumetric MRI of upper arm muscle, bone, and fat pre- and post-unilateral resistance training. Results: We found …

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Efficacy, Pharmacokinetics, And Metabolism Of Tetrahydroquinoline Inhibitors Of Plasmodium Falciparum Protein Farnesyltransferase, Wesley C. Voorhis, Kasey L. Rivas, Pravin Bendale, Laxman Nallan, Carolyn Hornéy, Lynn K. Barrett, Kevin D. Bauer, Brian P. Smart, Sudha Ankala, Oliver Hucke, Christophe L. M. J. Verlinde, Debopam Chakrabarti, Corey Strickland, Kohei Yokoyama, Frederick S. Buckner, Andrew D. Hamilton, David K. Williams, Louis J. Lombardo, David Floyd, Michael H. Gelb Jan 2007

Efficacy, Pharmacokinetics, And Metabolism Of Tetrahydroquinoline Inhibitors Of Plasmodium Falciparum Protein Farnesyltransferase, Wesley C. Voorhis, Kasey L. Rivas, Pravin Bendale, Laxman Nallan, Carolyn Hornéy, Lynn K. Barrett, Kevin D. Bauer, Brian P. Smart, Sudha Ankala, Oliver Hucke, Christophe L. M. J. Verlinde, Debopam Chakrabarti, Corey Strickland, Kohei Yokoyama, Frederick S. Buckner, Andrew D. Hamilton, David K. Williams, Louis J. Lombardo, David Floyd, Michael H. Gelb

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

New antimalarials are urgently needed. We have shown that tetrahydroquinoline (THQ) protein farnesyltransferase (PFr) inhibitors (PFTIs) are effective against the Plasmodium falciparum PFr and are effective at killing P. falciparum in vitro. Previously described THQ PFTIs had limitations of poor oral bioavailability and rapid clearance from the circulation of rodents. In this paper, we validate both the Caco-2 cell permeability model for predicting THQ intestinal absorption and the in vitro liver microsome model for predicting THQ clearance in vivo. Incremental improvements in efficacy, oral absorption, and clearance rate were monitored by in vitro tests; and these tests were followed up …

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Recognizing Teamwork Activity In Observations Of Embodied Agents, Linus Jan Luotsinen Jan 2007

Recognizing Teamwork Activity In Observations Of Embodied Agents, Linus Jan Luotsinen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents contributions to the theory and practice of team activity recognition. A particular focus of our work was to improve our ability to collect and label representative samples, thus making the team activity recognition more efficient. A second focus of our work is improving the robustness of the recognition process in the presence of noisy and distorted data. The main contributions of this thesis are as follows: We developed a software tool, the Teamwork Scenario Editor (TSE), for the acquisition, segmentation and labeling of teamwork data. Using the TSE we acquired a corpus of labeled team actions both …

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An Analysis Of Improving Student Performance Through The Use Of Registered Therapy Dogs Serving As Motivators For Reluctant Read, Julie Paradise Jan 2007

An Analysis Of Improving Student Performance Through The Use Of Registered Therapy Dogs Serving As Motivators For Reluctant Read, Julie Paradise

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This investigation studied the impact of registered therapy dogs assigned to students in order to improve reading skills. The purpose of this study was to determine if children assigned to registered therapy dogs improve significantly in reading achievement and related school performance such as attendance and discipline when compared to students of similar characteristics not assigned to registered therapy dogs. Specifically, the study used data to ascertain whether students assigned to registered therapy dogs improved their reading skills and if these students demonstrated more or less growth than students of similar characteristics not assigned to registered therapy dogs. This study …

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Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna Coding Region Snps By Pyrosequencing, Kyle Robert Carl Parker Jan 2007

Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna Coding Region Snps By Pyrosequencing, Kyle Robert Carl Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To date, the use of mitochondrial DNA in forensic analysis has relied on the presence of variations in the control region to differentiate between samples. One problem that this analysis has shown is the occurrence of common Haplogroup H haplotypes or identical sequences. Thus, there is a need to enhance the distinguishing power of this type of analysis. One option has been to investigate the mitochondrial coding region for polymorphisms that could differentiate between samples with identical control region haplotypes. The goal of this study has been to identify polymorphic coding region sites for development in a Pyrosequencing assay that …

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The Impact Of Co-Teaching On Student Learning Outcomes In Secondary Social Studies Classrooms Implementing Content Enhancement R, Kimberly Zgonc Jan 2007

The Impact Of Co-Teaching On Student Learning Outcomes In Secondary Social Studies Classrooms Implementing Content Enhancement R, Kimberly Zgonc

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if differences exist in student learning outcomes between students who are instructed in a co-taught or non co-taught environment in secondary social studies classrooms implementing Content Enhancement Routines (CER). This study examined student and teacher data from seventeen matched pairs of co-taught and non co-taught middle and high school general education social studies teachers who participated in professional development in CER and professional development in co-teaching if applicable. Of the 34 participating teachers, 23 were visited by school district personnel to verify implementation of CER. Five co-teaching teams, each consisting of a …

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On The Incorporation Of The Personality Factors Into Crowd Simulation, Sivakumar Jaganathan Jan 2007

On The Incorporation Of The Personality Factors Into Crowd Simulation, Sivakumar Jaganathan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, a considerable amount of research has been performed on simulating the collective behavior of pedestrians in the street or people finding their way inside a building or a room. Comprehensive reviews of the state of the art can be found in Schreckenberg and Deo (2002) and Batty, M., DeSyllas, J. and Duxbury, E. (2003). In all these simulation studies, one area that is lacking is accounting for the effects of human personalities on the outcome. As a result, there is a growing emphasis on researching the effects of human personalities and adding the results to the simulations to make …

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Pilot Study Of Nutrient Loading In A Wet Detention Lake, Eric C. Gurr Jan 2007

Pilot Study Of Nutrient Loading In A Wet Detention Lake, Eric C. Gurr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Florida is surrounded by water, and its many internal lakes and rivers have long been recognized for their excellent fishing and boating. This notoriety draws land developers to the lake shores to establish residential and commercial infrastructure. This land development brings with it flood plain alteration, water level stabilization, and increased nutrients which cause adverse impacts to our lakes. In response, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) passed the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972 which set the framework for the water quality standards for the entire United States. As a result of the CWA many point sources …

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Examining Dynamic Variable Speed Limit Strategies For The Reduction Of Real-Time Crash Risk On Freeways, Ryan Cunningham Jan 2007

Examining Dynamic Variable Speed Limit Strategies For The Reduction Of Real-Time Crash Risk On Freeways, Ryan Cunningham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent research at the University of Central Florida involving crashes on Interstate-4 in Orlando, Florida has led to the creation of new statistical models capable of determining the crash risk on the freeway (Abdel-Aty et al., 2004; 2005, Pande and Abdel-Aty, 2006). These models are able to calculate the rear-end and lane-change crash risks along the freeway in real-time through the use of static information at various locations along the freeway as well as the real-time traffic data obtained by loop detectors. Since these models use real-time traffic data, they are capable of calculating rear-end and lane-change crash risk values …

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Discussion On Effective Restoration Of Oral Speech Using Voice Conversion Techniques Based On Gaussian Mixture Modeling, Gustavo Alverio Jan 2007

Discussion On Effective Restoration Of Oral Speech Using Voice Conversion Techniques Based On Gaussian Mixture Modeling, Gustavo Alverio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today's world consists of many ways to communicate information. One of the most effective ways to communicate is through the use of speech. Unfortunately many lose the ability to converse. This in turn leads to a large negative psychological impact. In addition, skills such as lecturing and singing must now be restored via other methods. The usage of text-to-speech synthesis has been a popular resolution of restoring the capability to use oral speech. Text to speech synthesizers convert text into speech. Although text to speech systems are useful, they only allow for few default voice selections that do not represent …

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Assessment Of The Contribution Of Game-Based Simulation In The Advancement Of Individual Soldier Intelligence Gathering Skills, Carlos Wiley Jan 2007

Assessment Of The Contribution Of Game-Based Simulation In The Advancement Of Individual Soldier Intelligence Gathering Skills, Carlos Wiley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-directed Learning Internet Modules based on gaming technology are making tremendous strides as tools to current training system for our military services. Currently, the US Army is testing the Every Soldier is a Sensor Simulation software (ES3) as part of the Every Soldiers a Sensor program that focuses on intelligence gathering and maintaining situational awareness. The primary training goal of this simulation is the training of individual soldiers on conducting "Active Surveillance" and "Threat Indicator Identification" where the soldier is an active participant in the process. Traditional training in intelligence gathering is based largely on cold war models. As a …

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