Digital Commons Network^™

White-Nose Syndrome Fungus: A Generalist Pathogen Of Hibernating Bats, Jan Zukal, Hana Bandouchova, Tomas Bartonicka, Hana Berkova, Virgil Brack, Jiri Brichta, Matej Dolinay, Kamil S. Jaron, Veronika Kovacova, Miroslav Kovarik, Natália Martínková, Karel Ondracek, Zdenek Rehak, Gregory G. Turner, Jiri Pikula

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

2014-2015 A&S Signed Budget Bill, Abdool Aziz

Legislative Branch Publications

No abstract provided.

Bat Flight And Zoonotic Viruses, Thomas J. O’Shea, Paul M. Cryan, Andrew A. Cunningham, Anthony R. Fooks, David T.S. Hayman, Angela D. Luis, Alison J. Peel, Raina K. Plowright, James L.N. Wood

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

Long-Term Mindfulness Meditation: Anxiety, Depression, Stress And Pain, Is There A Connection For Public Health?, Sara Spowart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Long-term mindfulness meditation for anxiety, depression, pain and stress has not been adequately investigated in academic literature. The majority of literature in relation to mindfulness meditation and these ailments concerns Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This is a short-term 6-8 week program that requires a licensed professional, is limited in availability, high cost, and combines other elements aside from mindfulness meditation, such as yoga, martial arts, group discussion, poetry and other teaching techniques meant to increase mindfulness concentration. Furthermore, efficacy studies, which have assessed the long-term impact of MBSR are inconclusive. Although these studies on long-term practice demonstrate a …

Assessing The Impacts Of Unrestricted Pesticide Use In Small-Scale Agriculture On Water Quality And Associated Human Health And Ecological Implications In An Indigenous Village In Rural Panam[Aacute], Sarah Louise Watson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2014, the global pesticide industry's projected worth is $52 billion and by 2020, the developing world will make up one-third of the world's chemical production and consumption. Pesticides can have unintended negative consequences for human health and the environment, especially in the developing world where regulations are loose or nonexistent. One country with unrestricted use of pesticides is Panam[aacute], especially in Santa Rosa de Cucunatí. In this indigenous village, small-scale farmers and ranchers spray paraquat, glyphosate, picloram, and 2,4-D at higher elevations than the spring water source of a gravity-fed water system, the river, and the village. The objective …

Host-Parasite Interactions In An Invasive Songbird, Courtney A.C. Coon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduced species are the greatest threat to biodiversity after habitat loss. Understanding the processes that permit organisms to become successful invaders may provide opportunities to prevent or limit their dispersal and establishment and thereby alleviate some of their harmful effects. The goal of my dissertation research has been to investigate whether invasive species have distinctive interactions with parasites, and some of the mechanisms that may underlie that variation. I used one of the world's most successful vertebrate invaders as a case study: the house sparrow (Passer domesticus; Introduction).

Previous research in the house sparrow suggested that loss of …

Compositions Including Triciribine And Taxanes And Methods Of Use Thereof, Jin Q. Cheng, Said M. Sebti

USF Patents

This application relates to combination therapies including triciribine and related compounds and taxanes and compositions with reduced toxicity for the treatment and prevention of tumors, cancer, and other disorders associated with abnormal cell proliferation.

Prevalence And Phenology Of White-Nose Syndrome Fungus Pseudogymnoascus Destructans In Bats From Poland, Konrad Sachanowicz, Arkadiusz Stępień, Mateusz Ciechanowski

KIP Articles

Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), a parasitic fungus (being responsible for a disease known as white-nose syndrome, WNS) that caused mass mortality of cave-dwelling, hibernating bats in North America, appears to be native of Europe, where it also occurs on wintering bats, but no similar outbreaks of WNS have been recorded. Herein, we provide the first account on prevalence and phenology of P. destructans in Poland. Bats were counted once per month, from October or January to May (2010-2013), in an abandoned ore mine in southern Poland. Presence of P. destructans in two samples was confirmed by sequencing of isolated fungal DNA. …

Overwintering And Early Season Amplification Of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus In The Southeastern United States, Andrea Bingham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a highly pathogenic arbovirus that causes severe disease, with a mortality rate of approximately 30-35% in humans and 80-90% in horses. Studies dating back to the 1930's have identified many of the epidemiological and ecological aspects of the virus. However, there are several aspects of EEEV's transmission cycle that remain unclear. In the northeastern states, transmission is seasonal, peaking in the late summer months, while in Florida there is year-round transmission of EEEV. Recent phylogenetic studies have also suggested that Florida may serve as a reservoir for EEEV; the virus may periodically be introduced …

Pathogenic Mechanisms And Signaling Pathways In Plasmodium Falciparum, Jennifer L. Sedillo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plasmodium falciparum is a human intracellular parasite that is the causative agent of a deadly form of malaria. This species alone is responsible for 200 million cases of malaria annually resulting in over 1 million deaths worldwide. The excessive mortality due to P. falciparum infection is due to its ability to cause severe pathogenesis through hyperparasitemia and cytoadherence defined as the ability of infected red blood cells to adhere to host vasculature. Cytoadherence is mediated through the export of parasite proteins to the surface of the infected red blood cell (RBC). Exported proteins have been identified but the pathway for …

Obesity And Dining Out: An Exploration Of Dietary Trends In Urban Malaysia, Sylvia S. Lim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Economic growth has spurred rapid urbanization in Malaysia and triggered changes in diet, lifestyle, and disease trends. National studies show that a third of Malaysia's population is overweight/obese while household expenditures on dining out grow. In metropolitan Kuala Lumpur (KL), residents navigate concepts of nutrition, body weight, and health as they dine out. Using the biocultural framework, this study examined links between body weight, diet, income, street food consumption, and nutritional knowledge through the perspectives of consumers and vendors. Altogether, 77 participants were recruited for this three-phase research. In the first phase, a survey was administered to 60 participants recruited …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of 3-Aryl-4(1h)-Quinolones As Orally Active Antimalarials: Overcoming Challenges In Solubility, Metabolism, And Bioavailability, Andrii Monastyrskyi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infectious diseases are the second leading cause of deaths in the world with malaria being responsible for approximately the same amount of deaths as cancer in 2012. Despite the success in malaria prevention and control measures decreasing the disease mortality rate by 45% since 2000, the development of single-dose therapeutics with radical cure potential is required to completely eradicate this deadly disease. Targeting multiple stages of the malaria parasite is becoming a primary requirement for new candidates in antimalarial drug discovery and development. Recently, 4(1H)-pyridone, 4(1H)-quinolone, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridone, and phenoxyethoxy-4(1H)-quinolone chemotypes have been shown to be antimalarials with blood stage activity, …

Molecular Evidence For Vector Implication Of Onchocerca Lupi In Los Angeles County, Ca, Shanna June Bolcen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Onchocerca is a genus of roundworm most commonly associated with the human infection onchocerciasis, or river blindness. While typically a zoonotic infection of ungulate populations, canine cases (Onchocerca lupi) have been identified in the United States and Greece. In 2012, Los Angeles County, Veterinary Public Health Program identified 3 cases of Onchocerca spp. infections in domestic canines. Samples from the ensuing blackfly collections were sent to the Global Health Infectious Disease Research Unnasch Laboratory for parasite isolation and vector species identification. Species-specific primers were designed and optimized for O. lupi using a non- specific cytochrome oxidase (COI) gene target (689bp) …

Statistical And Prognostic Modeling Of Clinical Outcomes With Complex Physiologic Data, Monica A. Puertas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Laboratory tests are a primary resource for diagnosing patient diseases. However, physicians often make decisions based on a single laboratory result and have a limited perspective of the role of commonly-measured parameters in enhancing the diagnostic process. By providing a dynamic patient profile, the diagnosis could be more accurate and timely, allowing physicians to anticipate changes in the recovery trajectory and intervene more effectively.

The assessment and monitoring of the circulatory system is essential for patients in intensive care units (ICU). One component of this system is the platelet count, which is used in assessing blood clotting. However, platelet counts …

Lead (Pb) Contamination Of Water Drawn From Pitcher Pumps In Eastern Madagascar, David Bradlee Akers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Access to safe water supply--a major determinant of public health--is less than 50% in Madagascar, and access to piped, treated water remains out of reach financially for many in the urban and peri-urban areas where available. The Self-supply option of the Pitcher Pump has been meeting the need for household water in coastal areas of Madagascar since the early 1960s and has proven a sustainable option for many. These pumps make use of leaded components in the construction, however, which may pose a health risk for heavy metal intoxication and therefore cause the water to be unsafe for drinking and …

Antiviral Resistance And Dynamic Treatment And Chemoprophylaxis Of Pandemic Influenza, Sandro Paz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Public health data show the tremendous economic and societal impact of pandemic influenza in the past. Currently, the welfare of society is threatened by the lack of planning to ensure an adequate response to a pandemic. This preparation is difficult because the characteristics of the virus that would cause the pandemic are unknown, but primarily because the response requires tools to support decision-making based on scientific methods. The response to the next pandemic influenza will likely include extensive use of antiviral drugs, which will create an unprecedented selective pressure for the emergence of antiviral resistant strains. Nevertheless, the literature has …

Compositions Including Triciribine And Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitor Compounds Or Salts Thereof And Methods Of Use Thereof, Jin Q. Cheng, Said M. Sebti

USF Patents

This application relates to combination therapies including triciribine compounds and epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor compounds, particularly erlotinib-like compounds and compositions with reduced toxicity for the treatment and prevention of tumors, cancer, and other disorders associated with abnormal cell proliferation.

Compositions Including Triciribine And One Or More Platinum Compounds And Methods Of Use Thereof, Jin Q. Cheng, Said M. Sebti

USF Patents

This application encompasses combination therapies including triciribine and related compounds and one or more platinum compounds and compositions with reduced toxicity for the treatment and prevention of tumors, cancer, and other disorders associated with abnormal cell proliferation.

Achievement Of Transplantation Tolerance: Novel Approaches And Mechanistic Insights, Joseph Pidala

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current immune suppressive strategies fail to induce donor-recipient immune tolerance after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Accordingly, patients suffer morbidity and mortality from graft vs. host disease (GVHD) and prolonged immune suppressive therapy. Biologic insight into transplantation tolerance is needed, and translation of such insight to novel clinical strategies may improve clinical outcomes. We report original investigation at seminal phases of this process including initial prophylactic immune suppression, onset of acute graft vs. host disease, and ultimate immune suppression discontinuation: In a controlled randomized clinical trial, we demonstrate that sirolimus-based immune suppression reduces risk for acute GVHD, ameliorates the severity of …

Combined Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence-Surface Acoustic Wave (Mef-Saw) Biosensor, Samuel Morrill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Immunofluorescence assays are capable of both detecting the amount of a protein and the location of the protein within a cell or tissue section. Unfortunately, the traditional technique is not capable of detecting concentrations on the nanoscale. Also, the technique suffers from non-specific attachment, which can cause false-positives, as well as photobleaching when detecting lower concentrations is attempted. There is also a time constraint problem since the technique can take from many hours to a few days in some cases.

In this work, metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) is used to lower the detection limit and reduce photobleaching. Unfortunately, MEF also increases …

Immature Myeloid Cells Promote Tumor Formation Via Non-Suppressive Mechanism, Myrna Lillian Ortiz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Although there is ample evidence linking chronic inflammation with cancer, the cellular mechanisms involved in early events leading to tumor development remain unclear. Myeloid cells are an intricate part of inflammation. They consist of mature cells represented by macrophages, dendritic cells and granulocytes and a population of Immature Myeloid Cells (IMC), which in healthy individuals are cells in transition to mature cells. There is a substantial expansion of IMC in cancer and many other pathological conditions which is associated with pathologic activation of these cells. As a result, these cells acquire the ability to suppress immune responses and are …

Public Knowledge And Sentiments About Elite Deviance, Cedric Michel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A growing body of research has revealed that the financial cost and physical harmfulness of elite deviance overshadow the impact of street crime on society (Knowlton et al., 2011; Landrigan et al., 2002; Leigh, 2011; Lynch & Michalowski, 2006; Herbert & Landrigan, 2000; Rebovich & Jiandani, 2000; Reiman & Leighton, 2010). However, despite such discrepancies, crimes of the poor continue to outshine white-collar offenses in the news media (Barak, 1994; Barlow & Barlow, 2010; Ericson et al., 1991; Lynch & Michalowski, 2006; Lynch, Nalla & Miller, 1989; Lynch, Stretesky & Hammond, 2000), the criminal justice system (Calavita, Tillman, & Pontell, …

Rna Viral Metagenome Of Whiteflies Leads To The Discovery And Characterization Of A Whitefly-Transmitted Carlavirus In North America, Karyna Rosario, Heather Capobianco, Terry Fei Fan Ng, Mya Breitbart, Jane E. Polston

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Whiteflies from the Bemisia tabaci species complex have the ability to transmit a large number of plant viruses and are some of the most detrimental pests in agriculture. Although whiteflies are known to transmit both DNA and RNA viruses, most of the diversity has been recorded for the former, specifically for the Begomovirus genus. This study investigated the total diversity of DNA and RNA viruses found in whiteflies collected from a single site in Florida to evaluate if there are additional, previously undetected viral types within the B. tabaci vector. Metagenomic analysis of viral DNA extracted from the whiteflies only …

Compositions Including Triciribine And Trastuzumab And Methods Of Use Thereof, Jin Q. Cheng, Said M. Sebti

USF Patents

This application relates to combination therapies including triciribine and related compounds and trastuzumab or a salt thereof and compositions with reduced toxicity for the treatment and prevention of tumors, cancer, and other disorders associated with abnormal cell proliferation.

Densovirus Associated With Sea-Star Wasting Disease And Mass Mortality, Ian Hewson, Jason Button, Brent Gudenkauf, Benjamin Miner, Alisa Newton, Mya Breitbart, Elizabeth Fahsbender, Kevin Lafferty

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Sea stars inhabiting the Northeast Pacific Coast have recently experienced an extensive outbreak of wasting disease, leading to their degradation and disappearance from many coastal areas. In this paper, we present evidence that the cause of the disease is transmissible from disease-affected animals to apparently healthy individuals, that the disease-causing agent is a virus-sized microorganism, and that the best candidate viral taxon, the sea star-associated densovirus (SSaDV), is in greater abundance in diseased than in healthy sea stars.

Time To Competitive Exclusion, Andrew M. Kramer, John M. Drake

Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications

A predictive theory of population extinction for natural populations requires integrating the effects of stochasticity with the interactions engaged in with populations of other species. The theory of competitive exclusion predicts that inferior competitors for a limiting resource will be driven to extinction, but the effects of resource competition on time to extinction have not been examined. We studied a stochastic version of Tilman's resource competition model to examine two species competition-driven extinction. Simulations showed that competitive imbalance, population size and demographic rates of the “inferior” competitor were the most important determinants of mean extinction time, while factors including resource …

Streptococcus Pneumoniae Translocates Into The Myocardium And Forms Unique Microlesions That Disrupt Cardiac Function, Armand O. Brown, Beth Mann, Geli Gao, Jane S. Hankins, Jessica Humann, Jonathan Giardina, Paola Faverio, Marcos I. Restrepo, Ganesh V. Halade, Eric M. Mortensen, Merry L. Lindsey, Martha Hanes, Kyle I. Happel, Steve Nelson, Gregory J. Bagby, Jose A. Lorent, Pablo Cardinal, Rosario Granados, Andres Esteban, Claude J. Lesaux, Elaine I. Tuomanen, Carlos J. Orihuela

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Hospitalization of the elderly for invasive pneumococcal disease is frequently accompanied by the occurrence of an adverse cardiac event; these are primarily new or worsened heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia. Herein, we describe previously unrecognized microscopic lesions (microlesions) formed within the myocardium of mice, rhesus macaques, and humans during bacteremic Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. In mice, invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) severity correlated with levels of serum troponin, a marker for cardiac damage, the development of aberrant cardiac electrophysiology, and the number and size of cardiac microlesions. Microlesions were prominent in the ventricles, vacuolar in appearance with extracellular pneumococci, and remarkable due …

Histoplasmosis Presenting As Granulomatous Hepatitis: Case Report And Review Of The Literature, Nancy A. Rihana, Manasa Kandula, Ana Velez, Kumud Dahal, Edward B. O’Neill

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Background. Histoplasma capsulatum is the most common endemic mycosis in the United States and is a frequent cause of opportunistic infection in immunodeficient hosts. Histoplasmosis is most often self-limiting and goes unrecognized in the immunocompetent population but can progress to disseminated histoplasmosis in patients with an impaired immune system. Liver involvement as a part of disseminated histoplasmosis which usually originates in the lung is well known. However, extrapulmonary hepatic histoplasmosis as a primary manifestation is extremely rare. Case Presentation. We report a rare case of histoplasmosis that presented as persistent fever and abnormal liver function tests in a …

Historical Perspective Of Traditional Indigenous Medical Practices: The Current Renaissance And Conservation Of Herbal Resources, Si-Yuan Pan, Gerhard Litscher, Si-Hua Gao, Shu-Feng Zhou, Zhi-Ling Yu, Hou-Qi Chen, Shuo-Feng Zhang, Min-Ke Tang, Jian-Ning Sun, Kam-Ming Ko

Pharmacy Faculty Publications

In recent years, increasing numbers of people have been choosing herbal medicines or products to improve their health conditions, either alone or in combination with others. Herbs are staging a comeback and herbal “renaissance” occurs all over the world. According to the World Health Organization, 75% of the world’s populations are using herbs for basic healthcare needs. Since the dawn of mankind, in fact, the use of herbs/plants has offered an effective medicine for the treatment of illnesses. Moreover, many conventional/pharmaceutical drugs are derived directly from both nature and traditional remedies distributed around the world. Up to now, the practice …

Proceedings Of The 2014 U.S. Geological Survey Karst Interest Group, Carlsbad, New Mexico April 29 - May 2, 2014 Usgs Karst Interest Group Usgs Scientific Investigations Report: 2014-5035, Eve L. Kuniansky

KIP Talks and Conferences

Edited by Kuniansky, Eve L.; Spangler, Lawrence E. INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AGENDA U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY KARST INTEREST GROUP WORKSHOPSpeleotrek: The Cutting Edges of Karst into the 21st Century. PROGRAMS AND KARST AQUIFERSA Preview of "Karst in the United States of America: A Digital Map Compilation and Database" -- Groundwater Availability of the Floridan Aquifer System -- Assessing Potential Impacts from a Proposed Phosphate Mine on Ashley Spring, a Unique Karst Public Water Supply in the Uinta Mountains, Uintah County, Utah. TRACERSGroundwater Tracing in Arid Karst Aquifers: Concepts and Considerations -- Challenges to a Karst Dye-Tracing Investigation in an Urban Brownfields …