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Bandwidth Dependence Of The Heterodyne Efficiency In Low Coherence Interferometry, C. Mujat, A. Dogariu Jan 2004

Bandwidth Dependence Of The Heterodyne Efficiency In Low Coherence Interferometry, C. Mujat, A. Dogariu

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

The effect of radiation bandwidth on the heterodyne detection process is discussed. We show that, although neglected in current formalisms, the spectral changes induced by the scattering process are decreasing the heterodyne detection efficiency. This effect depends on the bandwidth of the radiation used.


Some Suggestions For Keeping National Wildlife Refuges Healthy And Whole, Reed F. Noss Jan 2004

Some Suggestions For Keeping National Wildlife Refuges Healthy And Whole, Reed F. Noss

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

National wildlife refuges have a biological conservation mandate surpassing that of any other category of public land in the United States. The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 forged a statutory requirement to maintain the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of refuges, Yet, considerably more guidance from science is needed if this mandate is to be interpreted in a scientifically defensible and biologically conservative manner. After evaluation of the extent to which well-accepted goals and principles of conservation biology are reflected in the wildlife refuge system mandate and in the actual design and management of refuges, it …


Expression And Regulation Of A Silent Operon, Hyf, Coding For Hydrogenase 4 Isoenzyme In Escherichia Coli, William T. Self, Adnan Hasona, K. T. Shanmugan Jan 2004

Expression And Regulation Of A Silent Operon, Hyf, Coding For Hydrogenase 4 Isoenzyme In Escherichia Coli, William T. Self, Adnan Hasona, K. T. Shanmugan

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

On the basis of hyf-lacZ fusion studies, the hyf operon of Escherichia coli, noted for encoding the fourth hydrogenase isoenzyme (HYD4), is not expressed at a significant level in a wild-type strain. However, mutant FhlA proteins (constitutive activators of the hyc-encoded hydrogenase 3 isoenzyme) activated hyf-lacZ. HYfR, an FhlA homolog encoded by the hyfR gene present at the end of the hyf operon, also activated transcription of hyf-lacZ but did so only when hyfR was expressed from a heterologous promoter. The HYD4 isoenzyme did not substitute for HYD3 in H-2 production. Optimum expression of hyf-lacZ required the presence of cyclic …


Omi/Htra2 Promotes Cell Death By Binding And Degrading The Anti-Apoptotic Protein Ped/Pea-15, Alessandra Trencia, Francesca Fiory, Maria Alessandra Maitan, Pasquale Vito, Alessia Paola Maria Barbagallo, Anna Prefetti, Claudia Miele, Paola Ungaro, Francesco Oriente, Lucia Cilenti, Antonis S. Zervos, Pietro Formisano, Francesco Beguinot Jan 2004

Omi/Htra2 Promotes Cell Death By Binding And Degrading The Anti-Apoptotic Protein Ped/Pea-15, Alessandra Trencia, Francesca Fiory, Maria Alessandra Maitan, Pasquale Vito, Alessia Paola Maria Barbagallo, Anna Prefetti, Claudia Miele, Paola Ungaro, Francesco Oriente, Lucia Cilenti, Antonis S. Zervos, Pietro Formisano, Francesco Beguinot

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

ped/pea-15 is a ubiquitously expressed 15-kDa protein featuring a broad anti-apoptotic function. In a yeast two-hybrid screen, the pro-apoptotic Omi/HtrA2 mitochondrial serine protease was identified as a specific interactor of the ped/pea-15 death effector domain. Omi/HtrA2 also bound recombinant ped/pea-15 in vitro and co-precipitated with ped/pea-15 in 293 and HeLa cell extracts. In these cells, the binding of Omi/HtrA2 to ped/pea-15 was induced by UVC exposure and followed the mitochondrial release of Omi/HtrA2 into the cytoplasm. Upon UVC exposure, cellular ped/pea-15 protein expression levels decreased. This effect was prevented by the ucf-101 specific inhibitor of the Omi/HtrA2 proteolytic activity, in …


Polymer Translocation Through A Nanopore Induced By Adsorption: Monte Carlo Simulation Of A Coarse-Grained Model, Andrey Milchev, Kurt Binder, Aniket Bhattacharya Jan 2004

Polymer Translocation Through A Nanopore Induced By Adsorption: Monte Carlo Simulation Of A Coarse-Grained Model, Andrey Milchev, Kurt Binder, Aniket Bhattacharya

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Dynamic Monte Carlo simulation of a bead-spring model of flexible macromolecules threading through a very narrow pore in a very thin rigid membrane are presented, assuming at the cis side of the membrane a purely repulsive monomer-wall interaction, while the trans side is attractive. Two choices of monomer-wall attraction epsilon are considered, one choice is slightly below and the other slightly above the "mushroom to pancake" adsorption threshold epsilon(c) for an infinitely long chain. Studying chain lengths N=32, 64, 128, and 256 and varying the number of monomers N-trans (time t=0) that have already passed the pore when the simulation …


High-Yield Expression Of A Viral Peptide Animal Vaccine In Transgenic Tobacco Chloroplasts, Andrea Molina, Sandra Hervás-Stubbs, Henry Daniell, Angel M. Mingo-Castel, Jon Veramendi Jan 2004

High-Yield Expression Of A Viral Peptide Animal Vaccine In Transgenic Tobacco Chloroplasts, Andrea Molina, Sandra Hervás-Stubbs, Henry Daniell, Angel M. Mingo-Castel, Jon Veramendi

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

The 2L21 peptide, which confers protection to dogs against challenge with virulent canine parvovirus (CPV), was expressed in tobacco chloroplasts as a C-terminal translational fusion with the cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) or the green fluorescent protein (GFP). Expression of recombinant proteins was dependent on plant age. A very high-yield production was achieved in mature plants at the time of full flowering (310 mg CTB-2L21 protein per plant). Both young and senescent plants accumulated lower amounts of recombinant proteins than mature plants. This shows the importance of the time of harvest when scaling up the process. The maximum level of …


Generalized Optical Theorem For Reflection, Transmission, And Extinction Of Power For Scalar Fields, P. Scott Carney, John C. Schotland, Emil Wolf Jan 2004

Generalized Optical Theorem For Reflection, Transmission, And Extinction Of Power For Scalar Fields, P. Scott Carney, John C. Schotland, Emil Wolf

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

We present a derivation of the optical theorem that makes it possible to obtain expressions for the extinguished power in a very general class of problems not previously treated. The results are applied to the analysis of the extinction of power by a scatterer in the presence of a lossless half space. Applications to microscopy and tomography are discussed.


Regulation Of Hax-1 Anti-Apoptotic Protein By Omi/Htra2 Protease During Cell Death, Lucia Cilenti, Mangala M. Soundarapandian, George A. Kyriazis, Valerie Stratico, Supriya Singh, Sanjeev Gupta, Joseph V. Bonventre, Emad S. Alnemri, Antonis S. Zervos Jan 2004

Regulation Of Hax-1 Anti-Apoptotic Protein By Omi/Htra2 Protease During Cell Death, Lucia Cilenti, Mangala M. Soundarapandian, George A. Kyriazis, Valerie Stratico, Supriya Singh, Sanjeev Gupta, Joseph V. Bonventre, Emad S. Alnemri, Antonis S. Zervos

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Omi/HtrA2 is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial serine protease that has a pro-apoptotic function in mammalian cells. Upon induction of apoptosis, Omi translocates to the cytoplasm and participates in caspase-dependent apoptosis by binding and degrading inhibitor of apoptosis proteins. Omi can also initiate caspase-independent apoptosis in a process that relies entirely on its ability to function as an active protease. To investigate the mechanism of Omi-induced apoptosis, we set out to isolate novel substrates that are cleaved by this protease. We identified HS1-associated protein X-1 (HAX-1), a mitochondrial anti-apoptotic protein, as a specific Omi interactor that is cleaved by Omi both in …


Induction Of A Novel Class Of Diacylglycerol Acyltransferases And Triacylglycerol Accumulation In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis As It Goes Into A Dormancy-Like State In Culture, Jaiyanth Daniel, Chirajyoti Deb, Vinod S. Dubey, Tatiana D. Sirakova, Bassam Abomoelak, Hector R. Morbidoni, Pappachan E. Kolattukudy Jan 2004

Induction Of A Novel Class Of Diacylglycerol Acyltransferases And Triacylglycerol Accumulation In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis As It Goes Into A Dormancy-Like State In Culture, Jaiyanth Daniel, Chirajyoti Deb, Vinod S. Dubey, Tatiana D. Sirakova, Bassam Abomoelak, Hector R. Morbidoni, Pappachan E. Kolattukudy

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Mycobacterium tuberculosis enters the host by inhalation of an infectious aerosol and replicates in the alveolar macrophages until the host's immune defense causes bacteriostasis, which leads the pathogen to go into nonreplicative drug-resistant dormancy. The dormant pathogen can survive for decades till the host's immune system is weakened and active tuberculosis develops. Even though fatty acids are thought to be the major energy source required for the persistence phase, the source of fatty acids used is not known. We postulate that the pathogen uses triacylglycerol (TG) as a storage form of fatty acids. Little is known about the biosynthesis of …


Enhanced Translation Of A Chloroplast-Expressed Rbcs Gene Restores Small Subunit Levels And Photosynthesis In Nuclear Rbcs Antisense Plants, Amit Dhingra, Archie R. Portis Jr., Henry Daniell Jan 2004

Enhanced Translation Of A Chloroplast-Expressed Rbcs Gene Restores Small Subunit Levels And Photosynthesis In Nuclear Rbcs Antisense Plants, Amit Dhingra, Archie R. Portis Jr., Henry Daniell

Faculty Bibliography 2000s

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is a key enzyme that converts atmospheric carbon to food and supports life on this planet. Its low catalytic activity and specificity for oxygen leads to photorespiration, severely limiting photosynthesis and crop productivity. Consequently, Rubisco is a primary target for genetic engineering. Separate localization of the genes in the nuclear and chloroplast genomes and a complex assembly process resulting in a very low catalytic activity of hybrid Rubisco enzymes have rendered several earlier attempts of Rubisco engineering unsuccessful. Here we demonstrate that the RbcS gene, when integrated at a transcriptionally active spacer region of the chloroplast genome, …


The Use Of Pyrosequencing For The Analysis Of Y Chromosome Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, Jeremy Charles Fletcher Jan 2004

The Use Of Pyrosequencing For The Analysis Of Y Chromosome Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, Jeremy Charles Fletcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The potential value of the Y chromosome for forensic applications has been recognized for some time with the current work dedicated to Short Tandem Repeat analysis and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) discovery. This study examined the ability of two different SNP analysis methods to determine if they could be utilized in forensic applications and ultimately be developed into an established system for Y chromosome SNP analysis. This study examined two principle SNP analysis systems: single base extension and Pyrosequencing. Pyrosequencing was determined to be superior to single base extension, due to the wealth of information provided with sequencing and the …


Nonlinear Adaptive Estimation Andits Application To Synchronization Of Lorenz System, Yufang Jin Jan 2004

Nonlinear Adaptive Estimation Andits Application To Synchronization Of Lorenz System, Yufang Jin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Synchronization and estimation of unknown constant parameters for Lorenz-type transmitter are studied under the assumption that one of the three state variables is not transmitted and that transmitter parameters are not known apriori. An adaptive algorithm is proposed to estimate both the state and system parameters. Since Lorenz system shows the property of sensitivity to initial conditions and evolves in different mode with parameter variation, an equivalent system is introduced. The adaptive observer is designed based on this equivalent system without any requirement on initial conditions of the observer. It is shown by Lyapunov arguments and persistent excitation analysis that …


Female Sexual Offenders-An Underexamined Population, Creaig Anthony Dunton Jan 2004

Female Sexual Offenders-An Underexamined Population, Creaig Anthony Dunton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex crimes are considered to be among the most damaging and heinous forms of social deviance in existence. Besides the acts perpetrated by the offenders, the social stigma attached to being victimized is often just as injurious to the victim. Society sees males as the sole perpetrators of acts of sexual abuse, but this is not the case. The extant literature shows that women, while fewer in number, also perpetrate acts of sexual abuse and assault against other adults and children. This thesis is a preliminary typology that classifies female sexual offenders based upon the acts perpetrated, using cases presented …


Method For Determination Of Singlet Oxygen Quantum Yields For New Fluorene-Based Photosensitizers In Aqueous Media For The Advancement Of Photodynamic Therapy, Wade William Grabow Jan 2004

Method For Determination Of Singlet Oxygen Quantum Yields For New Fluorene-Based Photosensitizers In Aqueous Media For The Advancement Of Photodynamic Therapy, Wade William Grabow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been investigated over the past three decades and is currently an approved therapeutic modality for skin cancer, the treatment of superficial bladder, early lung and advanced esophageal cancers, and age-related macular degeneration in a number of countries. In PDT, the absorption of light by a chromophore generates cytotoxic species such as reactive singlet oxygen, leading to irreversible destruction of the treated tissue. The measurement of the singlet oxygen quantum yield is an important determinant used to evaluate the efficiency of new photodynamic therapy agents developed in the laboratory, to screen potential photosensitizers in aqueous media.The singlet …


Chemical Structure - Nonlinear Optical Property Relationships For A Series Of Two-Photon Absorbing Fluorene Molecules, Joel Mccajah Hales Jan 2004

Chemical Structure - Nonlinear Optical Property Relationships For A Series Of Two-Photon Absorbing Fluorene Molecules, Joel Mccajah Hales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports on the investigation of two-photon absorption (2PA) in a series of fluorenyl molecules. Several current and emerging technologies exploit this optical nonlinearity including two-photon fluorescence imaging, three-dimensional microfabrication, site-specific photodynamic cancer therapy and biological caging studies. The two key features of this nonlinearity which make it an ideal candidate for the above applications are its quadratic dependence on the incident irradiance and the improved penetration into absorbing media that it affords. As a consequence of the burgeoning field which exploits 2PA, it is a goal to find materials that exhibit strong two-photon absorbing capabilities. Organic materials are …


Communication Modality And After Action Review Performance In A Distributed Immersive Virtual Environment, Jason P. Kring Jan 2004

Communication Modality And After Action Review Performance In A Distributed Immersive Virtual Environment, Jason P. Kring

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technological innovations in data transfer and communication have given rise to the virtual team where geographically separate individuals interact via one or more technologies to combine efforts on a collective activity. In military, business, and spaceflight settings, virtual teams are increasingly used in training and operational activities; however there are important differences between these virtual collaborations and more traditional face-to-face (FTF) interactions. One concern is the absence of FTF contact may alter team communication and cooperation and subsequently affect overall team performance. The present research examined this issue with a specific focus on how communication modality influences team learning and …


Evolutionary Optimization Of Support Vector Machines, Fred Gruber Jan 2004

Evolutionary Optimization Of Support Vector Machines, Fred Gruber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Support vector machines are a relatively new approach for creating classifiers that have become increasingly popular in the machine learning community. They present several advantages over other methods like neural networks in areas like training speed, convergence, complexity control of the classifier, as well as a stronger mathematical background based on optimization and statistical learning theory. This thesis deals with the problem of model selection with support vector machines, that is, the problem of finding the optimal parameters that will improve the performance of the algorithm. It is shown that genetic algorithms provide an effective way to find the optimal …


A Comparative Static Analysis For Invasive Species Management Under Risk Neutral Preferences, Pamela Safford Jan 2004

A Comparative Static Analysis For Invasive Species Management Under Risk Neutral Preferences, Pamela Safford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the optimal ex-ante mix of self-protection and self-insurance technologies employed to reduce the risk of biological invaders in the presence of exogenous variables within the probability and damage functions. This is accomplished by using a theoretical endogenous risk model that extends previously developed frameworks. This thesis contributes to the previous work in two ways. (1) Employing a general framework with simultaneous decision making over self-protection and self-insurance, this thesis analyzes how each parameter including income, the costs of each activity, an exogenous factor that affects only the probability of an invasion, and a separate exogenous factor that …


The Proteomics Approach To Evolutionary Computation: An Analysis Of Pr, Ivan Garibay Jan 2004

The Proteomics Approach To Evolutionary Computation: An Analysis Of Pr, Ivan Garibay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the complexity of our society and computational resources increases, so does the complexity of the problems that we approach using evolutionary search techniques. There are recent approaches to deal with the problem of scaling evolutionary methods to cope with highly complex difficult problems. Many of these approaches are biologically inspired and share an underlying principle: a problem representation based on basic representational building blocks that interact and self-organize into complex functions or designs. The observation from the central dogma of molecular biology that proteins are the basic building blocks of life and the recent advances in proteomics on analysis …


Design, Fabrication And Testing Of A Shape Memory Alloy Based Cryogenic Thermal Conduction Switch, Vinu Bala Krishnan Jan 2004

Design, Fabrication And Testing Of A Shape Memory Alloy Based Cryogenic Thermal Conduction Switch, Vinu Bala Krishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) can recover large strains (e.g., up to 8%) by undergoing a temperature-induced phase transformation. This strain recovery can occur against large forces, resulting in their use as actuators. The SMA elements in such actuators integrate both sensory and actuation functions. This is possible because SMAs can inherently sense a change in temperature and actuate by undergoing a shape change, associated with the temperature-induced phase transformation. The objective of this work is to develop an SMA based cryogenic thermal conduction switch for operation between dewars of liquid methane and liquid oxygen in a common bulk head arrangement …


Synthesis And Polymerization Of Bifunctional Five-Membered Cyclic Dithiocarbonates And Their Use As Stabilizers For Magnetic Nan, Mohammed Daoudi Jan 2004

Synthesis And Polymerization Of Bifunctional Five-Membered Cyclic Dithiocarbonates And Their Use As Stabilizers For Magnetic Nan, Mohammed Daoudi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Novel bifunctional five-membered cyclic dithiocarbonates (1,3-oxathiolane-2-thione)s were synthesized by the reactions of the corresponding bifunctional oxiranes (epoxides) with carbon disulfide at room temperature with lithium bromide as catalyst. Full characterization of these monomers was performed including elemental analysis, proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, and Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The polyaddition polymerization of 1,3-oxathiolane-2-thione with 1,4-diaminobutane at room temperature resulted in a poly(thiourethane) material. The latter undergoes crosslinking due probably to the autooxidation of the product and formation of disulfide linkages. The five-membered cyclic dithiocarbonate, 5-decyl-1,3-oxathiolane-2-thione, was used a model to demonstrate the usefulness …


Synthesis Of A Novel Family Of Amide Derivatives Of Podocarpic Acid, Dao Nguyen Jan 2004

Synthesis Of A Novel Family Of Amide Derivatives Of Podocarpic Acid, Dao Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a class, amides are of great interest in biological studies and pharmaceutical application. In this work, podocarpic acid, a natural tricyclic diterpene, derived from Podocarpus species, has been employed to form a novel family of amide derivatives which will later be studied for their potential as new drug leads. Novel amide derivatives of podocarpic acid were synthesized from podocarpic acid in three steps. The first step involved methylation with dimethylsulfate to form methyl-O-methylpodocarpate. This step was followed by iodination with iodine to give iodomethyl-O-methylpodocarpate. Finally amidation with various aliphatic amides using a copper catalyst yielded four amide derivatives of …


Affordances In The Design Of Virtual Environments, David Charles Gross Jan 2004

Affordances In The Design Of Virtual Environments, David Charles Gross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human-computer interaction design principles largely focus on static representations and have yet to fully incorporate theories of perception appropriate for the dynamic multimodal interactions inherent to virtual environment (VE) interaction. Theories of direct perception, in particular affordance theory, may prove particularly relevant to enhancing VE interaction design. The present research constructs a conceptual model of how affordances are realized in the natural world and how lack of sensory stimuli may lead to realization failures in virtual environments. Implications of the model were empirically investigated by examining three affordances: passability, catchability, and flyability. The experimental design involved four factors for each …


Effect Of Source Water Blending On Copper Release In Pipe Distribution System: Thermodynamic And Empirical Models, Weizhong Xiao Jan 2004

Effect Of Source Water Blending On Copper Release In Pipe Distribution System: Thermodynamic And Empirical Models, Weizhong Xiao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on copper release in drinking water. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of Cu and Fe corrosion by process water quality was assessed over one year in a field study using finished waters produced from seven different treatment process and eighteen pilot distribution systems (PDSs) that were made from unlined cast iron and galvanized steel pipes, and lined cement and PVC pipes taken from actual distribution systems. Totally seven different waters were studied, which consisted of three source waters: groundwater, surface, and simulated brackish water designated as G1, S1, and RO. With certain pre-established blending ratios, these three waters …


A Holistic Model Of The Interplay Of Parent-Adolescent Interaction Varialbes: Outcomes As A Result Of Conflictual Processes, Cliff Blake Mckinney Jan 2004

A Holistic Model Of The Interplay Of Parent-Adolescent Interaction Varialbes: Outcomes As A Result Of Conflictual Processes, Cliff Blake Mckinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many variables have been analyzed in order to understand parent-adolescent interactions and outcomes for adolescents. These variables must be integrated into a model that demonstrates the holistic interplay of parent-adolescent interaction variables so that a more comprehensive understanding of parent-adolescent interactions is achieved. Variables included in the model proposed here were parenting, family environment, expectations, conflict, and outcomes. Parenting, family environment, and conflict were associated with outcomes for adolescents. When the variables were analyzed simultaneously with structural equation modeling, however, the relationship of parenting and adolescent outcomes was mediated wholly for male-father, male-mother, and female-father relationships but remained significant for …


Possible Use Of P20 Antigen In Serodiagnosis Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Shinchieh Yang Jan 2004

Possible Use Of P20 Antigen In Serodiagnosis Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Shinchieh Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crohn's disease (CD) is an idiopathic, chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorder, which is most commonly involved terminal ileum and colon. The incidence and prevalence of CD has dramatically increased during the last 50 years; however, the etiology and mechanism of this disorder remain unveiled. Besides genetic susceptibility, recent integrated researches investigated the role of environmental triggers such as microflora, measles viruses and mycobacteria in the pathogenesis of CD. The association between M. avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) and CD has been heightened because of clinical resemblance to Johne's disease (JD), a granulomatous enteritis in ruminants caused by MAP. Isolation of MAP from …


Land Use Effects On Lake Water Quality In Central Florida, Jonathan Seiler Jan 2004

Land Use Effects On Lake Water Quality In Central Florida, Jonathan Seiler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Land use affects the water quality of lakes. Different land use types yield different effects due to varying amounts and constituents of runoff. In this study, the effects of surrounding land use on the water quality of 50 lakes in Seminole County, Florida was assessed. Using GIS, I placed buffers of 100 and 500 m around each lake. The percentages of land use type were calculated within these buffers for 1990 and 1995. An ordination of lakes was done using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) to determine if the surrounding land use patterns were adequate to describe the trophic status of …


Assumption, William Hinton Jan 2004

Assumption, William Hinton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assumption is the story of a slave named Nathan living in a racially hostile environment in antebellum and post-Civil War Louisiana. Assumption Parish was the kind of place where slaves were whipped frequently, where disease and rustic living were the normal course of life, where the swamp, with all its savage foreboding, loomed nearby. It was a place, Nathan discovered, that traded in men's spirits, breaking them little by little for purposes that were difficult for him to comprehend. Like many slaves of his time, Nathan is raised without biological parents. His surrogate mother, Abbie, longs for the day when …


A Software-Based Knowledge Management System Using Narrative Texts, Thomas Rudy Mcdaniel Jan 2004

A Software-Based Knowledge Management System Using Narrative Texts, Thomas Rudy Mcdaniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technical and professional communicators have in recent research been challenged to make significant contributions to the field of knowledge management, and to learn or create the new technologies allowing them to do so. The purpose of this dissertation is to make such a combined theoretical and applied contribution from the context of the emerging discipline of Texts and Technology. This dissertation explores the field of knowledge management (KM), particularly its relationship to the related study of artificial intelligence (AI), and then recommends a KM software application based on the principles of narratology and narrative information exchange. The focus of knowledge …


Plasma Levels Of Vitamins A And E In Marine Turtles (Chelonia Mydas And Caretta Caretta), Karen Patricia Frutchey Jan 2004

Plasma Levels Of Vitamins A And E In Marine Turtles (Chelonia Mydas And Caretta Caretta), Karen Patricia Frutchey

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Insight into blood values for free-ranging populations of chelonians is very incomplete. A better understanding of marine turtle ecological physiology is necessary for population health assessments and conservation management plans. Vitamins A and E are fat-soluble compounds required by vertebrates. Vitamin A is required for growth, differentiation and integrity of epithelial tissue, bone remodeling, reproduction and vision. Vitamin E is a constituent of cell membranes where it is an antioxidant and free radical scavenger. Both nutrients are required for reproduction and immune system function. I determined concentrations of vitamins A and E in plasma of blood samples from Caretta caretta …