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Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Regulation Of Efflux Pump Tap By Transcriptional Activator Whib7, Aaron Pollock Jan 2014

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Regulation Of Efflux Pump Tap By Transcriptional Activator Whib7, Aaron Pollock

HIM 1990-2015

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains a debilitating disease that affects the health of millions annually. Understanding its ability to persist within host and resist eradication by antibiotics is of utmost importance in the effort to develop new interventions. This study will focus on the transcriptional activator WhiB7 and its regulation of the multidrug Tap efflux pump encoded by Rv1258c. WhiB7 is thought to respond to redox stress induced by antibiotics and a variety of in vivo stresses by activating multiple genes including Rv1258c. Much remains to be determined regarding the role of WhiB7 and downstream genes in Mtb …

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Understanding The Role Of A Hemerythrin-Like Protein In Mycobacterium Tumerculosis, Caitlyn Herndon Jan 2014

Understanding The Role Of A Hemerythrin-Like Protein In Mycobacterium Tumerculosis, Caitlyn Herndon

HIM 1990-2015

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 8 million people each year are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) leading to 1.5 million deaths annually. This staggering number calls for advancements in understanding this bacterium so progress can be made in treating and preventing the disease. It is particularly important to understand mechanisms by which TB survives inside hostile host immune cells known as macrophages and within hypoxic granuloma lesions of the lung. Preliminary microarray data has shown that a TB gene known as Rv2633c is induced upon macrophage invasion. Bioinformatic analysis of Rv2633c coding sequence shows the …

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3-Amino-2-Piperidinequinoline A Novel Natural Product-Inspiried Synthetic Compound With Antimalarial Activity, Cristhian Valor Jan 2014

3-Amino-2-Piperidinequinoline A Novel Natural Product-Inspiried Synthetic Compound With Antimalarial Activity, Cristhian Valor

HIM 1990-2015

Malaria afflicts about 500 million people worldwide thus causing significant global economic toll. The drugs available to treat the disease are rapidly losing their efficacy because of widespread prevalence of drug resistant parasites. Thus there is an urgent need to discover novel malaria therapeutics. This research is focused on to study the properties of a novel naturallike synthetic scaffold and analyze its selectivity, and cellular mechanism of action in Plasmodium falciparum. We have identified a novel compound, 3-amino-2-piperidinequinoline (APQ), which we termed UCF401. APQ demonstrated IC[sub50] at submicromolar concentrations against Plasmodium falciparum using the SYBR Green-I fluorescence assay measuring cellular …

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The Role Of Intestinal Sweet Taste Receptors (Strs) In The Regulation Of Glucose Absorption: Effects Of Short Term High Sucrose Diet (Hsd), Tania Hussain Jan 2014

The Role Of Intestinal Sweet Taste Receptors (Strs) In The Regulation Of Glucose Absorption: Effects Of Short Term High Sucrose Diet (Hsd), Tania Hussain

HIM 1990-2015

Sweet taste receptors are primarily found in the oral cavity of the mammalian species. However, recent studies have shown that sweet taste receptors can be found in extraoral tissues such as the pancreas, intestines, and adipose tissue. Our lab has previously found that sweet taste receptors are down-regulated on the pancreas in the presence of high plasma glucose levels. In order to assess the possibility that sweet taste receptors respond to high levels of glucose by suppressing its expression, we wanted to see if they reacted similarly on the intestines. We found that intestinal sweet taste receptors are down regulated …

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Women And Economic Empowerment In The Eastern Mediterranean, Hanady Nabut Jan 2014

Women And Economic Empowerment In The Eastern Mediterranean, Hanady Nabut

HIM 1990-2015

The idea of women's economic empowerment in the developing world has been growing in momentum throughout the past decades. Today, it is a force that is dramatically redefining the concept of economic development and transforming the economic and political landscape of the Middle East. Women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are finding innovative ways to participate in the labor market. As a result, they are becoming agents of change in their political, economic, and social environments. However, despite the tremendous amount of growth that has realized throughout the years, women in MENA face significant hurdles to …

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Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions Of Promoting Teacher Autonomy Through The Use Of Lesson Study, Rachel Leon Jan 2014

Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions Of Promoting Teacher Autonomy Through The Use Of Lesson Study, Rachel Leon

HIM 1990-2015

The intent of thesis is to explore pre-service teachers' perceptions of using a form of professional development to promote teacher autonomy. Current evidence shows that autonomy is a recurring element desired by American teachers in their profession. However, research advocates for teachers who are initiating and carrying out research in their schools (as a form of professional development) to have the potential to promote autonomy. For American teachers to gain a sense of autonomy in their profession there needs to be a change in the way professional development is directed. One form of professional development that promotes teachers as researchers …

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Effects Of 28-Days Ingestion Of A Slow-Release Energy Supplement Versus Placebo On Hematological And Cardiovascular Measures Of Health, Adam J. Wells, Jay R. Hoffman, Adam M. Gonzalez, Kyle S. Beyer, Adam R. Jajtner, Jeremy R. Townsend, Leonardo P. Oliveira, David H. Fukuda, Maren S. Fragala, Jeffrey R. Stout Jan 2014

Effects Of 28-Days Ingestion Of A Slow-Release Energy Supplement Versus Placebo On Hematological And Cardiovascular Measures Of Health, Adam J. Wells, Jay R. Hoffman, Adam M. Gonzalez, Kyle S. Beyer, Adam R. Jajtner, Jeremy R. Townsend, Leonardo P. Oliveira, David H. Fukuda, Maren S. Fragala, Jeffrey R. Stout

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Background: Recently, slow release tablets have been developed to prolong energy release throughout the day. The efficacy of the delivery of slow-release caffeine alone is fairly well documented; however, an assessment of safety and tolerability of prolonged use of slow-release energy supplements is lacking. Therefore the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of daily ingestion of a slow-release energy supplement for 28 days on blood chemistry and resting cardiovascular measures in healthy men and women. Methods: Forty healthy individuals (20 males, 20 females; age: 22.73 +/- 3.06 years; height: 171.68 +/- 10.45 cm; mass: 74.49 +/- 15.51 …

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The Postoperative Morbidity Index: A Quantitative Weighing Of Postoperative Complications Applied To Urological Procedures, Jonathan Beilan, Ruth Strakosha, Diego Aguilar Palacios, Charles J. Rosser Jan 2014

The Postoperative Morbidity Index: A Quantitative Weighing Of Postoperative Complications Applied To Urological Procedures, Jonathan Beilan, Ruth Strakosha, Diego Aguilar Palacios, Charles J. Rosser

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Background: The reporting of post-operative complications in the urological field is lacking of a uniform quantitative measure to assess severity, which is essential in the analysis of surgical outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of estimating quantitative severity weighing of post-operative complications after common urologic procedures. Methods: Using a large healthcare system's quality database, complications were identified in eleven common urologic procedures (e.g., insertion or replacement of inflatable penile prosthesis, nephroureterectomy, partial nephrectomy, percutaneous nephrostomy tube placement, radical cystectomy, radical prostatectomy, renal/ureteral/bladder extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL), transurethral destruction of bladder lesion, transurethral prostatectomy, transurethral removal …

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Elimination Of Laparoscopic Lens Fogging Using Directional Flow Of Co2, John Teague Calhoun, Jay A, Redan Jan 2014

Elimination Of Laparoscopic Lens Fogging Using Directional Flow Of Co2, John Teague Calhoun, Jay A, Redan

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Background and Objectives: Surgeons constantly struggle with the formation of condensation on the lens of a. laparoscope, which prolongs procedures and reduces visibility of the abdominal cavity. The goal of this project was to build a device, that would direct a flow of carbon dioxide (CO2) into an open chamber surrounding the lens of a laparoscope, acting to keep moisture away from the lens and eliminate condensation. Methods: The device isolates the lens of the laparoscope from the humid environment of the intraperitoneal cavity by creating a microenvironment of dry CO2. This was accomplished by building a communicating sleeve that …

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Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 Causes Dopaminergic Neuronal Death Through Nox1-Regenerated Oxidative Stress, Dong-Hee Choi, Ji-Hye Kim, Joo-Ha Seo, Jongmin Lee, Wahn Soo Choi, Yoon-Seong Kim Jan 2014

Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 Causes Dopaminergic Neuronal Death Through Nox1-Regenerated Oxidative Stress, Dong-Hee Choi, Ji-Hye Kim, Joo-Ha Seo, Jongmin Lee, Wahn Soo Choi, Yoon-Seong Kim

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

In the present study we investigated the interplay between matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3) and NADPH oxidase 1 (Nox1) in the process of dopamine (DA) neuronal death. We found that MMP3 activation causes the induction of Nox1 via mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and subsequently Rac1 activation, eventually leading to Nox1-derived superoxide generation in a rat DA neuronal N27 cells exposed to 6-OHDA. While a MMP3 inhibitor, NNGH, largely attenuated mitochondrial ROS and subsequent Nox1 induction, both apocynin, a putative Nox inhibitor and GKT137831, a Nox1 selective inhibitor failed to reduce 6-OHDA-induced mitochondrial ROS. However, both inhibitors for MMP3 and …

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Comparing The Da Vinci Si Single Console And Dual Console In Teaching Novice Surgeons Suturing Techniques, Salvatore Crusco, Tiffany Jackson, Arnold Advincula Jan 2014

Comparing The Da Vinci Si Single Console And Dual Console In Teaching Novice Surgeons Suturing Techniques, Salvatore Crusco, Tiffany Jackson, Arnold Advincula

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Background and Objectives: Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery is often taught with the surgical mentor at the surgeon console and the trainee at the patient's bedside. The da Vinci dual console (Intuitive Surgical, Sunny-vale, California) allows a surgical mentor to teach with both the mentor and the trainee working at a surgeon console simultaneously. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the dual console versus the single console for teaching medical students robotic tasks. Methods: Forty novice medical students were randomized to either the da Vinci single-console or dual-console group and were taught 4 knot-tying techniques by a …

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Probealign: Incorporating High-Throughput Sequencing-Based Structure Probing Information Into Ncrna Homology Search, Ping Ge, Cuncong Zhong, Shaojie Zhang Jan 2014

Probealign: Incorporating High-Throughput Sequencing-Based Structure Probing Information Into Ncrna Homology Search, Ping Ge, Cuncong Zhong, Shaojie Zhang

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Background: Recent advances in RNA structure probing technologies, including the ones based on high-throughput sequencing, have improved the accuracy of thermodynamic folding with quantitative nucleotide-resolution structural information. Results: In this paper, we present a novel approach, ProbeAlign, to incorporate the reactivities from high-throughput RNA structure probing into ncRNA homology search for functional annotation. To reduce the overhead of structure alignment on large-scale data, the specific pairing patterns in the query sequences are ignored. On the other hand, the partial structural information of the target sequences embedded in probing data is retrieved to guide the alignment. Thus the structure alignment problem …

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Intravesical Alt-803 And Bcg Treatment Reduces Tumor Burden In A Carcinogen Induced Bladder Cancer Rat Model; A Role For Cytokine Production And Nk Cell Expansion, Evan Gomes-Giacoia, Makito Miyake, Steve Goodison, Aravindhan Sriharan, Ge Zhang, Lijing You, Jack O. Egan, Peter R. Rhode, Alexander S. Parker, Karl X. Chai, Hing C. Wong, Charles J. Rosser Jan 2014

Intravesical Alt-803 And Bcg Treatment Reduces Tumor Burden In A Carcinogen Induced Bladder Cancer Rat Model; A Role For Cytokine Production And Nk Cell Expansion, Evan Gomes-Giacoia, Makito Miyake, Steve Goodison, Aravindhan Sriharan, Ge Zhang, Lijing You, Jack O. Egan, Peter R. Rhode, Alexander S. Parker, Karl X. Chai, Hing C. Wong, Charles J. Rosser

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has been shown to induce a specific immunologic response (i.e., activation of IL-2 and effector T-cells), while preclinical studies using ALT-803 (mutated IL-15 analogue combined with IL-15R alpha-Fc fusion) have shown promising results by prolonging the agent's half-life and stimulating CD8+ T-cells. Based on these results, we hypothesized that the intravesical administration of ALT-803 along with BCG will generate an immunologic response leading to significant bladder tumor burden reduction. Using a well-established carcinogen induced rat non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) model, we studied the effects of intravesical ALT-803 with and without BCG. Rat tissues were evaluated …

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Simple Objective Detection Of Human Lyme Disease Infection Using Immuno-Pcr And A Single Recombinant Hybrid Antigen, Micah D. Halpern, Claudia R. Molins, Martin Schriefer, Mollie W. Jewett Jan 2014

Simple Objective Detection Of Human Lyme Disease Infection Using Immuno-Pcr And A Single Recombinant Hybrid Antigen, Micah D. Halpern, Claudia R. Molins, Martin Schriefer, Mollie W. Jewett

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

A serology-based tiered approach has, to date, provided the most effective means of laboratory confirmation of clinically suspected cases of Lyme disease, but it lacks sensitivity in the early stages of disease and is often dependent on subjectively scored immunoblots. We recently demonstrated the use of immuno-PCR (iPCR) for detecting Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in patient serum samples that were positive for Lyme disease. To better understand the performance of the Lyme disease iPCR assay, the repeatability and variability of the background of the assay across samples from a healthy population (n = 36) were analyzed. Both of these parameters were …

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Quantifying Ancient Maya Land Use Legacy Effects On Contemporary Rainforest Canopy Structure, Jessica N. Hightower, A. Christine Butterfield, John F. Weishampel Jan 2014

Quantifying Ancient Maya Land Use Legacy Effects On Contemporary Rainforest Canopy Structure, Jessica N. Hightower, A. Christine Butterfield, John F. Weishampel

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Human land use legacies have significant and long-lasting ecological impacts across landscapes. Investigating ancient ( > 400 years) legacy effects can be problematic due to the difficulty in detecting specific, historic land uses, especially those hidden beneath dense canopies. Caracol, the largest (similar to 200 km(2)) Maya archaeological site in Belize, was abandoned ca. A.D. 900, leaving behind myriad structures, causeways, and an extensive network of agricultural terraces that persist beneath the architecturally complex tropical forest canopy. Airborne LiDAR enables the detection of these below-canopy archaeological features while simultaneously providing a detailed record of the aboveground 3-dimensional canopy organization, which is …

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Beta-Alanine Supplementation Improves Tactical Performance But Not Cognitive Function In Combat Soldiers, Jay R. Hoffman, Geva Landau, Jeffrey R. Stout, Matan Dabora, Daniel S. Moran, Nurit Sharvit, Mattan W. Hoffman, Yuval Ben Moshe, William P. Mccormack, Gil Hirschhorn, Ishay Ostfeld Jan 2014

Beta-Alanine Supplementation Improves Tactical Performance But Not Cognitive Function In Combat Soldiers, Jay R. Hoffman, Geva Landau, Jeffrey R. Stout, Matan Dabora, Daniel S. Moran, Nurit Sharvit, Mattan W. Hoffman, Yuval Ben Moshe, William P. Mccormack, Gil Hirschhorn, Ishay Ostfeld

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Background: There are no known studies that have examined beta-alanine supplementation in military personnel. Considering the physiological and potential neurological effects that have been reported during sustained military operations, it appears that beta-alanine supplementation may have a potential benefit in maintaining physical and cognitive performance during high-intensity military activity under stressful conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of 28 days of beta-alanine ingestion in military personnel while fatigued on physical and cognitive performance. Methods: Twenty soldiers (20.1 +/- 0.9 years) from an elite combat unit were randomly assigned to either a beta-alanine ( BA) or …

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Mediators Of Monocyte Migration In Response To Recovery Modalities Following Resistance Exercise, Adam R. Jajtner, Maren S. Fragala, Jeremy R. Townsend, Adam M. Gonzalez, Adam J. Wells, David H. Fukuda, Jeffrey R. Stout, Jay R. Hoffman Jan 2014

Mediators Of Monocyte Migration In Response To Recovery Modalities Following Resistance Exercise, Adam R. Jajtner, Maren S. Fragala, Jeremy R. Townsend, Adam M. Gonzalez, Adam J. Wells, David H. Fukuda, Jeffrey R. Stout, Jay R. Hoffman

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Mediators of monocyte migration, complement receptor-3 (CR3), and chemokine ligand-4 (CCL4) were measured in response to recovery modalities following resistance exercise. Thirty resistance-trained men (23.1 +/- 2.9 y; 175.2 +/- 7.1 cm; 82.1 +/- 8.4 kg) were given neuromuscular electric stimulation (NMES), cold water immersion (CWI), or control (CON) treatments immediately following resistance exercise. Blood samples were obtained preexercise (PRE), immediately (IP), 30 minutes (30 P), 24 hours (24 H), and 48 hours (48 H) after exercise for measurement of circulating CCL4 and CR3 expression on CD14+ monocytes, by assay and flow cytometry. Circulating CCL4 showed no consistent changes. Inferential …

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De Novo Cd3 Negative Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma Diagnostic Challenges And Pitfalls, Lucy Harn Kapur, Yasser Khaled, Melhem Solh, David Ward, Chung-Che Chang Jan 2014

De Novo Cd3 Negative Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma Diagnostic Challenges And Pitfalls, Lucy Harn Kapur, Yasser Khaled, Melhem Solh, David Ward, Chung-Che Chang

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma is a rare and aggressive peripheral T-cell malignancy that is distinctively characterized by sinusoidal infiltration of mature medium-sized T lymphocytes in the spleen and liver. The neoplastic cells are classically surface CD3(+), CD2(+), CD5(-), CD4(-), and CD8(+/-) and manifest variable expression of markers associated with natural killer (NK) cells such as CD16 and CD56. In this article, we report the first case to date of a newly diagnosed de novo surface CD3(-) hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma with circulating blastlike neoplastic cells expressing NK-cell-associated markers. The lack of surface CD3 expression, together with the expression of NK-cell-associated markers and …

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Bioarchaeological Assessment Of Diet And Changes In Femoral And Humeral Stable Isotopic Values Among Subadults At Medieval Alytus, Lithuania., Katherine Page Jan 2014

Bioarchaeological Assessment Of Diet And Changes In Femoral And Humeral Stable Isotopic Values Among Subadults At Medieval Alytus, Lithuania., Katherine Page

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Establishing a chronology of variation in isotopic values can reveal frailty associated with biological and social age, as well as highlight individuals who vary from typical patterns. Although general dietary characteristics and infant feeding practices were previously unknown for subadults excavated from the cemetery at Alytus, Lithuania (14th-18th centuries), previous research concludes that Alytus' subadults experienced high rates of physiological, metabolic, non-specific stress, in addition to specific diseases like tuberculosis. To investigate nuanced relationships between diet and mortality, nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes from the femoral and humeral midshaft diaphyses of 70 subadults (32 weeks gestation to16 years) were analyzed. …

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Host And Bacterial Determinants Of Staphylococcus Aureus Nasal Colonization In Humans, Gowrishankar Muthukrishnan Jan 2014

Host And Bacterial Determinants Of Staphylococcus Aureus Nasal Colonization In Humans, Gowrishankar Muthukrishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus (SA), an opportunistic pathogen colonizing the anterior nares in approximately 30% of the human population, causes severe hospital-associated and community-acquired infections. SA nasal carriage plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections and SA eradication from the nares has proven to be effective in reducing endogenous infections. To understand SA nasal colonization and its relation with consequent disease, assessment of nasal carriage dynamics among a diverse population and determining factors responsible for SA nasal carriage have become major imperatives. Here, we report on an extensive longitudinal monitoring of SA nasal carriage in 109 healthy individuals over …

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Bio-Inspired Attitude Control Of Micro Air Vehicles Using Rich Information From Airflow Sensors, He Shen Jan 2014

Bio-Inspired Attitude Control Of Micro Air Vehicles Using Rich Information From Airflow Sensors, He Shen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biological phenomena found in nature can be learned and customized to obtain innovative engineering solutions. In recent years, biologists found that birds and bats use their mechanoreceptors to sense the airflow information and use this information directly to achieve their agile flight performance. Inspired by this phenomenon, an attitude control system for micro air vehicles using rich amount of airflow sensor information is proposed, designed and tested. The dissertation discusses our research findings on this topic. First, we quantified the errors between the calculated and measured lift and moment profiles using a limited number of micro pressure sensors over a …

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Effects Of Weaning Age On Body Composition And Growth Of Ex Situ California Sea Lion (Zalophus Californianus) Pups, Brandon Davis Jan 2014

Effects Of Weaning Age On Body Composition And Growth Of Ex Situ California Sea Lion (Zalophus Californianus) Pups, Brandon Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pinnipeds exhibit a wide range of lactation strategies that vary from just a few days to nearly three years in duration. Phocids have a relatively short, intense nursing period culminating with weaning after just a few days or weeks, while dependent otariids generally take several months of consuming a combined milk and solid food diet before being completely independent. The transition to nutritional independence can be particularly challenging for newly weaned pups, which must adjust to behavioral, physiological and nutritional changes as a milk diet is replaced with solid food. An interruption in energy resources during this formative stage could …

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The Social Function Of For-Profit Higher Education In The United States, Andrew Baird Jan 2014

The Social Function Of For-Profit Higher Education In The United States, Andrew Baird

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study uses the competing Burton Clark's "Cooling Out Theory" and Daniel Bell's "Theory of the Postindustrial Economy" to examine the function that for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs) play in American higher education and how it is different from non-profit traditional colleges and universities (TCUs). This was done through three sections of analysis. The first examined if students who enroll at these FPCUs are less academically prepared than those attending non-profit traditional colleges or universities. The second tested if academic preparedness is associated with postsecondary performance at FPCUs to the same degree it is at TCUs. The final section of …

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Fluorescence Off-On Sensors For F-, K+, Fe3+, And Ca2+ Ions, Binglin Sui Jan 2014

Fluorescence Off-On Sensors For F-, K+, Fe3+, And Ca2+ Ions, Binglin Sui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fluorescence spectroscopy has been considered to be one of the most important research techniques in modern analytical chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics. At present, fluorescence is a dominant methodology widely used in a great number of research domains, including biotechnology, medical diagnostics, genetic analysis, DNA sequencing, flow cytometry, and forensic analysis, to name just a few. In the past decade, with the rapid development of fluorescence microscopy, there has been a considerable growth in applying fluorescence technique to cellular imaging. The distinguished merits of fluorescence techniques, such as high sensitivity, non-invasiveness, low cytotoxicity, low cost, and convenience, make it a promising …

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Investigating Personal Fitness Trainers' Qualifications, Michael Akerson Jan 2014

Investigating Personal Fitness Trainers' Qualifications, Michael Akerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A threefold approach was utilized to analyze the problem of defining personal fitness trainers’ qualifications. First, the problem was explored nationally, internationally and locally. Within the local context, the history of the exercise science program, stakeholders and culture at the University of Central Florida and in the central Florida marketplace was examined. Next, a systematic literature review examined possible causes within the knowledge context, learning/motivational context and organizational/cultural context. Then, an original research study investigated the qualifications for Central Florida, Personal Fitness Trainers (PFTs) by examining the relationship(s) and/or differences between variables such as education, certification, years of experience and …

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Assessment Of Instructional Presentation For Emergency Evacuation Assistive Technology, Michael Boyce Jan 2014

Assessment Of Instructional Presentation For Emergency Evacuation Assistive Technology, Michael Boyce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is often the case that emergency first responders are well equipped and trained to deal with a situation that involves evacuation of someone with a physical disability. However, emergency responders are not always the first line of defense, or they may be otherwise occupied with assisting others. This research examined the effects of instructions for emergency stair travel devices on untrained or novice users. It was hypothesized that through redesign of the evacuation instructions, untrained individuals would be able to successfully prepare an evacuation chair and secure someone with a disability more effectively and efficiently. A prepost study design …

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The Design And Evaluation Of A Video Game To Help Train Perspective-Taking And Empathy In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Darin Hughes Jan 2014

The Design And Evaluation Of A Video Game To Help Train Perspective-Taking And Empathy In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Darin Hughes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper discusses the design, implementation, and evaluation of a serious game intended to reinforce applied behavior analysis (ABA) techniques used with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by providing a low cost and easily accessible supplement to traditional methods. Past and recent research strongly supports the use of computer assisted instruction in the education of individuals with ASD (Moore & Calvert, 2000; Noor, Shahbodin, & Pee, 2012). Computer games have been shown to boost confidence and provide calming mechanisms (Griffiths, 2003) while being a safe environment for social exploration and learning (Moore, Cheng, McGrath, & Powell, 2005). Games increase …

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Human-Robot Interaction For Multi-Robot Systems, Bennie Lewis Jan 2014

Human-Robot Interaction For Multi-Robot Systems, Bennie Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Designing an effective human-robot interaction paradigm is particularly important for complex tasks such as multi-robot manipulation that require the human and robot to work together in a tightly coupled fashion. Although increasing the number of robots can expand the area that the robots can cover within a bounded period of time, a poor human-robot interface will ultimately compromise the performance of the team of robots. However, introducing a human operator to the team of robots, does not automatically improve performance due to the difficulty of teleoperating mobile robots with manipulators. The human operator’s concentration is divided not only among multiple …

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An Examination Of School Principals' Moral Reasoning And Decision-Making Along The Principalship Track And Across Years Of Experience, Trent Ling Jan 2014

An Examination Of School Principals' Moral Reasoning And Decision-Making Along The Principalship Track And Across Years Of Experience, Trent Ling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research by Vitton & Wasonga (2009) and Strenth (2013) found public school K-12 principals struggling in the moral reasoning and decision-making measures of the second Defining Issues Test ("DIT-2"). In response to these studies, this research sought to collect, to examine, and to compare DIT-2 data for educational leaders at various stages of the principalship track in an effort to determine and/or to isolate the locus of principals' reported underperformance. The moral reasoning and decision-making of regular-education K-12 public school principals and assistant principals in Florida, and current master's degree students in educational leadership programs at a large public …

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Supranational Organizations And Legitimacy: How The 2008 Global Economic Crisis Has Affected Public Opinion On Membership In The Eu, Briana Vargas-Gonzalez Jan 2014

Supranational Organizations And Legitimacy: How The 2008 Global Economic Crisis Has Affected Public Opinion On Membership In The Eu, Briana Vargas-Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines public opinion towards membership in the EU, before and after the 2008 global economic crisis, in the newest member states to join the institution in 2004 (the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia) and 2007 (Bulgaria and Romania). Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1989, socialist economies and communism maintained a citizenry that never experienced unemployment and that did not have a political voice. Because free-market economic policies and democratic values are new to these countries, public opinion regarding membership in a supranational organization that promotes and fosters …

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