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Deciphering The Role Of Adrenergic Hormones In Embryonic Cardiac Calcium Signaling And Metabolism, Jessica Peoples

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The adrenergic hormones norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) are critical regulators of mammalian cardiovascular physiology. NE and EPI mediate stress responses to enhance cardiovascular function, however dysregulation of adrenergic signaling leads to heart failure, congenital heart malformations, and sudden cardiac death. Adrenergic hormone-expressing cells were found in the early embryonic heart, and NE has been determined essential for embryonic cardiac development. Despite extensive work in adults, the regulatory roles and adrenergic targets of these hormones during embryonic cardiac development have not yet been fully determined. Prior transcriptomic studies from our lab showed that expression of signal transduction and metabolic genes …

Exacerbation Of Δefp Sickness In Escherichia Coli By An Uncharacterized Rna Helicase, Robert Wingo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Escherichia coli, growth is rate-limited by translation capacity [1]. Stalled ribosomes have profound effects on a cell such as altered mRNA abundance, decreased ribosome availability, and an imbalanced proteome. The absence of elongation factor P (EF-P), a universally conserved transpeptidation enhancer, presents an extreme example of this scenario, wherein ribosomes accumulate disproportionately onto messages that are more slowly translated and cell growth becomes notably impaired. We discovered that faster-growing cells arise spontaneously in Δefp cultures, suggesting that translation defects could be circumvented by mutating other genes. This thesis presents a genetic and biochemical analysis of a mechanism Δefp cells …

International Saudi Female Students' Experiences Of Acculturation During Their Study At An American Public University In The South (Apus), Hnan Alzahrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to my literature review and my reflection of its meaning, few studies have been conducted that explore the adjustment and acculturation experiences of female international students in US colleges and universities specifically on Saudi female students. Therefore, this study explored the academic and socio-cultural experiences of Saudi female students before and after arriving in the US. Furthermore, this study identified the sources of acculturative stress and Saudi female students' successful strategies for coping with these stressors. Eight Saudi female students participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews and Moustakas' (1994) transcendental phenomenology was utilized in analyzing students' voices. During the data …

Qualitative And Quantitative Elemental Composition Analysis Of The Surrounding Pollen Coating Via Icp-Ms, Brandy Voyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pollen evidence has proven to be a powerful forensic tool to trace a suspect or item to a victim or a crime scene. This is possible because it is microscopic, abundant in nature, resistant to degradation and decay; it presents dispersal patterns that can be used to generate a 'fingerprint' within specific areas, and has illustrated a unique morphology that can be used to classify species. While the pollen grain morphology has been extensively used to characterize the specific species, not much has been investigated as pertains to the coating that surrounds the pollen grain aside from it being categorized …

The Tragic City: Black Rebellion And The Struggle For Freedom In Miami, 1945-1990, Porsha Dossie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the creation of South Florida's tri-ethnic racial hierarchy during the postwar period, from 1945-1990. This racial hierarchy, coupled with discriminatory housing practices and police violence, created the necessary conditions for Dade County's first deadly uprising in 1968. Following the acquittal of several officers charged in the killing of an unarmed black businessman, a second uprising in 1980 culminated in three days and three nights of violent street warfare between law enforcement and black residents in Miami's northwest Liberty City neighborhood. The presence of state sanctioned violence at the hands of police in Liberty City set the stage …

Regulation Of Extra-Pituitary Prolactin In Monocytes And Macrophages, Richard Barrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently it has been shown that leukocytes are capable of producing prolactin (PRL). Evidence of extra-pituitary PRL (ePRL) production is so far been limited to primates and is not shared across other mammal species such as mice and rats. While ePRL is characterized as an identical protein to traditional pituitary PRL, it is controlled under an alternative promoter and is thus regulated differently from pituitary PRL. Little is known about what regulates ePRL or its direct role in human physiology, but given that PRL has well over 300 described functions, it is likely that the autocrine and paracrine effects of …

An Examination Of Beta Diversity Indices And Their Predictors In Two Large-Scale Systems, Philip Schroeder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity is what conservation biology was developed to conserve. It is the physical manifestation of life as a concept and, be it for practical or idealistic reasons, all conservationists seek to protect or, in some cases, enhance it. Because of its monolithic importance to the field, much effort has been expended trying to better measure and understand it. Recently, greater attention has been paid to the partition of diversity; the observation that the total diversity of a system (γ) can be broken down into within-site diversity (α) and between-site diversity (β). In particular, it has been noticed that the β …

Characterization Of Neural Cells Derived From Reelin-Deficient Schizophrenic Patient Ips Cells, Nicole Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reelin is a large, extracellular glycoprotein that binds to several membrane receptors on neural stem cells (HNSCs), neural progenitor cells (NPCs), and neuroblasts of mammals to direct their migration. Previously, our lab established the presence of Reelin increased migration of wild-type fetal-derived HNSC's, both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we demonstrated that Reelin protein treatment also increases the formation of radial glia via Notch-1 signaling, in vitro. Radial glia are precursors to NPCs, as well as a scaffold for neuroblast migration during cortical lamination. Reelin has long been associated with Schizophrenia (SZ). Because post-mortem brains are limited to …

Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Inhibit Doxorubicin-Induced Pyroptosis In Cell Culture Models, Zahra Tavakoli Dargani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a potent chemotherapeutic drug used for the treatment of various cancers. Unfortunately, its use is limited as Dox induces adverse cardiotoxicity (DIC) and muscle toxicity (DIMT), which are mediated through oxidative stress, ER stress, and inflammation. However, it remains unknown whether Dox induces an inflammation mediated cell death, called “pyroptosis”. The current study is designed to determine whether Dox induces pyroptosis in cardiac and muscle cell culture models. Moreover, the protective effects of embryonic stem cell-derived exosomes (ES-Exos) in inhibiting pyroptosis will also be determined. For this purpose, we designed two different cell culture models using H9c2 …

Interaction Between Income, Health Insurance, And Self-Rated Health: A Path Analysis., Atalie Ashley West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The political focus of equitable health outcomes in the United States have long centered on access to medical care. However, there is compelling evidence that access to medical care is only the bare minimum necessary to achieve health, and the true influence of health insurance on health is still unclear. Widely accepted models of health estimate that less than 20% of health outcomes can be attributed to clinical care, while greater than 50% is related to social and economic determinants of health, with income being the most consistent predictor. As a result, this study investigated whether earned income is related …

Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding The Recent Zika Outbreak Among A Sample Of South Florida Residents, Mohamed Elakkari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

South Florida has had the largest number of U.S. Zika infection cases during the recent outbreak. This study aimed at assessing South Floridians' basic knowledge, perceptions of the seriousness and susceptibility to Zika infection, their information sources and needs, as well as their attitudes towards the protective measures proposed by the CDC. We also wanted to assess whether any of those factors have affected the frequency of participants' undertaking of the protective behaviors. To this end, we designed an online questionnaire and surveyed the responses of five hundred South Floridians (Age=18-78 years). We found significant gaps in participants' knowledge about …

Dissecting The Components Of Neuropathic Pain, Dale George

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pain is a public health issue affecting the lives of nearly 116 million adults in the US, annually. Understanding the physiological and phenotypic changes that occur in response to painful stimuli is of tremendous clinical interest, but, the complexity of pain and the lack of a representative in vitro model hinders the development of new therapeutics. Pain stimuli are first perceived and transmitted by the neurons within the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) which become hyperexcitable under these conditions. It has now been established that satellite glial cells (SGCs) that ensheathe the DRG cell body actively contribute to this neuronal dysregulation. …

Integration Of Fundamental Research And Cer: The Role Of Authenticity In Developing Views On The Nature Of Teaching, Learning, And Doing Science, Julie Donnelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an integration of fundamental research and chemical education. It begins with two nonlinear spectroscopic studies of compounds important to the study of brain chemistry. In Chapter 2, we present a novel method using quantum mechanics for modelling ligand docking and the potential of nonlinear circular dichroism for elucidating the mechanism of cannabinoids docking to their receptor, a contribution to studies of varying psychological effects of cannabinoids. Considering existent challenges with measuring this phenomenon, in Chapter 3, we evaluate two-photon absorption properties of Thioflavin T (ThT) in varying glycerol/water content solutions and discuss the enhancement of nonlinear absorption …

Nanoscale Characterization And Mechanism Of Electroless Deposition Of Silver Metal, Christopher Grabill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an investigation of the nanoscale characteristics and mechanism of electrolessly deposited silver metal seeded by gold nanoparticles. The process of growing seed-nanoparticles on a polymer surface was studied. Several bifunctional amines and organic reducing agents were used to explore how these chemical factors affect the size and distribution of gold nanoparticles formed at the interface. The nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). An electroless deposition (ED) bath developed by Danscher was selected to study electroless deposition of silver in detail. The chemical species in the bath …

Split Aptameric Turn-On Fluorescence Sensor For Detection Of Sequence Specific Nucleic Acid At Ambient Temperature, Nanami Kikuchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) enable sensitive detection of low density infections that microscopy and rapid diagnostic test are not capable of detecting. They enable quantitative and qualitative nucleic acid detection, genotype analysis, and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection. Current state of the art molecular probes used with NAATs includes molecular beacon (MB), Taqman and its variations. This work presents novel molecular probe designed from Spinach and Dapoxyl aptamers. The aptamers are split into two parts (split aptamer), allowing greater sensitivity and selectivity towards fully complementary nucleic acid analyte. The major advantage of split aptamer probe over state-of-the-art fluorescent probes …

Celebrities, Fans, And Queering Gender Norms: A Critical Examination Of Lady Gaga's, Nicki Minaj's, And Fans' Use Of Instagram, Brandy Dieterle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation used queer rhetoric as a lens for studying queering gender norms on Instagram by using Lady Gaga's, Nicki Minaj's, and fan posts as case studies. The research considers how celebrities may use social media, like Instagram, for queering gender norms, and what this might look like. This research also aimed to better understand if and how fans may take up celebrities' efforts at queering gender norms and, in turn, queer gender norms in their own Instagram posts where they tag Gaga or Minaj. To conduct this research, I took a multimodal methodological approach and collected and coded 1,000 …

The Impact Of A Neurofeedback Training Intervention On College Students' Levels Of Anxiety, Stress, Depression, And Cortisol, Caitlyn Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety, depression, and stress are three of the most common experiences that impact college student functioning and academic achievement. At least one in six college students struggle with anxiety, increasing risk for developing depressive symptoms or disorders that further impact wellness. However, as mental health concerns increase across campuses, universities are not equipped to meet the demand of mental health support for college students. Neurofeedback (NF) training presents as an innovative intervention to treat anxiety, depression, and stress as it is designed to regulate brain processes in an effort to increase more effective brain functioning. A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group …

An Exploratory Analysis Of A Five Minute Speech Sample Of Mothers Of Children With Selective Mutism, Lisa Kovac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Selective mutism (SM), an anxiety disorder wherein children have difficulty speaking or communicating when they are uncomfortable, is relevant for the early childhood population as symptoms often manifest upon school entry (Steinhausen & Juzi, 1996) and early treatment leads to better treatment prognosis (Oerbeck, Stein, Wentzel-Larsen, Langsrud & Kristensen, 2014). Bergman, Gonzalez, Piacentini and Keller, (2013) utilized an integrative behavioral treatment for children (ages 4-8) with SM and reported a 75% treatment responder status after 24 weeks of therapy. Their mothers are the focus of this study. This exploratory study examined the content of Five Minute Speech Samples at baseline …

When Coquis Sing: Introducing Young Audiences To Death And Bereavement Through An Original Play, Michelle Loricco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the play development process of When Coquis Sing, an original play for young people that introduces the death of a parent on stage. Through the analysis of research from leading child psychologists and practical instruction from the Dougy Center, the National Center for grieving children and their families, this research defines important terms and demystifies language surrounding death to aid caregivers in having clear and concise conversations with children about death. The purpose of this document is to counter the American cultural perception of death as a taboo topic for children. Hosting open conversations about death leads …

The Power Of Play: Creating A Theatre For The Very Young Experience, Maria Katsadouros

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The opportunity to enhance the sense of fulfillment necessary in revolutionizing and liberating a person's daily life, regardless of their age, can be found in the manifestation of play. It is through the acknowledgment of instinct, nature, and discovery that play reveals its power. As a Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) practitioner, I utilize creative play to inspire exploration and innovation among students under the age of six. However, what are the ways in which theatre, specifically TVY, invites all generations of people to experience the power of play? This thesis documents the three-year development of When Pigs Fly, …

Lexico-Grammatical Complexity In Eap Student Writing: A Learner Corpus Analysis, Ekaterina Goussakova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this descriptive linguistic study, the lexico-grammatical complexity of placement and exit English for Academic Purposes (EAP) student writing samples was analyzed using corpus linguistic methods to explore language development as a result of student enrollment in the EAP program. Writing samples were typed, matched, and tagged. A concordance software was used to produce lexical realizations of grammatical features. A comparison was made of normed frequency counts for nine phrasal and clausal features as well as raw frequencies for type to token ratio (TTR), average word length, and word count. In addition, the contribution of variables such as advanced grammar …

From Excited Charge Dynamics To Cluster Diffusion: Development And Application Of Techniques Beyond Dft And Kmc, Shree Ram Acharya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing reliable and accurate computational techniques which enable the examination of static and dynamic properties of various activated phenomena using deterministic and stochastic approaches. To explore ultrafast electron dynamics in materials with strong electron-electron correlation, under the influence of a laser pulse, an ab initio electronic structure method based on time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) in combination with dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) is developed and applied to: 1) single-band Hubbard model; 2) multi-band metal Ni; and 3) multi-band insulator MnO. The ultrafast demagnetization in Ni reveal the importance of memory and correlation effects, leading to …

Computational Modeling Of Transcatheter Aortic Valves, Mostafa Abbasi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an established therapy alternative to surgical valve replacement in high-risk and intermediate-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. Currently, although TAVR is an alternative and less-invasive treatment for high-risk and intermediate-risk patients, surgical aortic valves replacement (SAVR) was still considered as the gold standard for low-risk patients. TAVR could potentially be applied to lower-risk younger patients if the indications can be safely expanded to the patients and transcatheter aortic valve (TAV) long-term durability can match with that of surgical bioprostheses. In contrast to surgical aortic valves (SAVs), there have been limited clinical data on the …

Understanding Why Women Stay: Examining Persistence Factors Of Women Majoring In Science And Technology Programs In Public Ethiopian Universities Using A Mixed Methods Design, Meseret Hailu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amongst African nations, Ethiopia is a unique case in many respects. The country has the second largest population on the continent, is currently experiencing an economic boom, and is a relatively stable nation in the geopolitically volatile "Horn of Africa" region. In the past two decades, the higher education sector in Ethiopia has experienced rapid growth, as evidenced by an increase in both student enrollment and the number of universities. Amongst the various types of higher education institutions, public universities are especially important because they receive the greatest financial support from the Ministry of Education. Moreover, science and technology programs …

Soil Morphological, Physical, And Chemical Parameters Affecting Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Site Quality And Ecosystem Restoration Potential In East Texas, Ryan Svehla, Kenneth W. Farrish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been a large decline in coverage of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) within its range in the southeastern United States since the time of European settlement. Due to this decline, interest has developed in the re-establishment of this species on suitable sites. However, many attempts have been unsuccessful in re-establishment, likely in part due to the lack of emphasis on selection of suitable soils. Historically, longleaf pine was found on soils with a wide range of soil properties, including higher quality soils, due to frequent fires which kept many competing species suppressed. Decline in longleaf pine coverage …

Monitoring Soft-Mast Production In Pine Woodland Restoration Areas On The Ouachita National Forest, Tamara B. Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of prescribed fire is integral to the restoration of open woodland habitats in the southeast, including shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) woodlands in the Ouachita Mountains. Mature pine habitats maintained with recurrent disturbances have an open understory with a rich floristic diversity that provides quality habitat for many wildlife species, including the endemic and endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis). Fire has many potential benefits for wildlife; however, the effects of fire on several important woody soft-mast producing species are not fully understood. Soft-mast quantity and quality is a key component in determining year-round habitat quality …

"Comrades In Their Own Right": Women's Struggle Against Apartheid In The South African Novel, Ntfonjeni Dlamini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This thesis focuses on women’s struggle against apartheid in the South African novel. By means of textual analysis, the study explores the different ways in which apartheid oppressed women in South Africa and how women responded to the forces of oppression. In fact, at the core of this study is the contention that the anti-apartheid movement was shaped as much by women as it was by men like Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Steve Biko and Albert Luthuli, who often served as the faces of the anti-apartheid movement. Thus, this thesis situates itself within the scholarship that appreciates and recognizes …

Estimating Density And Residency Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Three Estuarine Sites In South Carolina, Jessica Nicole Conway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Of the three estuarine bottlenose dolphin stocks in South Carolina, two are considered data insufficient, with no minimum population estimate or assigned potential biological removal value. Additionally, the Northern Georgia Southern South Carolina Estuarine System (NGSSCES) stock’s boundaries are based on sighting data that do not extend to the full area encompassed by the boundary lines. In areas where stock boundaries are not clearly defined and data is insufficient for traditional methods of estimating abundance, density may provide insight into local distributions and serve as a proxy for actual abundance. Photo-identification surveys were conducted in three sites, representative of the …

Geological Framework Of The Continental Shelf Of South Carolina Winyah Bay: Paleodrainage, Transgressions And Essential Fish Habitat, Amanda Roach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A regional geophysical survey of the inner continental shelf off central South Carolina was completed on a cooperative cruise between NOAA and Coastal Carolina University in July 2015. An integrated mapping suite comprised of subbottom echosounder, side scan, multibeam and split beam sonars was used to define the regional geologic framework, including paleodrainage patterns across the shelf and to identify potential fish habitat locations that will provide additional inputs to a thematic habitat mapping routine developed by NOAA. Results from the thematic mapper characterization suggest that large-scale framework elements such as paleochannel networks may play a role in determining benthic …

Consciousness In Clay, Sharon Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Consciousness in Clay is an exhibition consisting of seven tall ceramic sculptures and nine smaller works. Clay is the ideal medium for these designs; the plasticity during the making phase yields to the stoniness of the finished work and traps the hand movement. As life is my metaphor, the ambiguous forms leave much to the imagination— to thoughts of the natural world, and to ideas about color, rhythm, and harmony. Strong lines, undulations, fecundity, dark openings, negative-spaces, the phallic-symbol, and budding new life may all come to mind; but nothing finitely specific emerges. Using my knowledge of biology and …