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Genetic Structure And Demographic Analysis Of Key Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus Clavium), Vicki Villanova Jan 2015

Genetic Structure And Demographic Analysis Of Key Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus Clavium), Vicki Villanova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent improvements in genetic analyses have paved the way in using molecular data to answer questions regarding evolutionary history, genetic structure, and demography. Key deer are a federally endangered subspecies assumed to be genetically unique (based on one allozyme study), homogeneous, and have a female-biased population of approximately 900 deer. I used 985bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and 12 microsatellite loci to test two hypotheses: 1) if the Moser Channel is a barrier to gene flow, I should expect that Key deer are differentiated and have reduced diversity compared to mainland deer and (2) if isolation on islands …


Instant Conductors, Mary Petralia Jan 2015

Instant Conductors, Mary Petralia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Instant Conductors is a collection of poems meant to engage the reader in conversation about the imperfect nature of the world in relation to the imperfect nature of readerly experience. Walt Whitman wrote, “I have instant conductors all over me whether I pass or stop / they seize every object and lead it harmlessly through me.” And so the things on these pages are intent on transmitting what one experiences in the minutiae of memory and routine: the sounds that surround a blackwater tidepool, what one imagines happens behind the closed doors of the friendly neighbors, or what's heard in …


Optimization Of Molecular Beacon-Based Multicomponent Probes For Analysis Of Nucleic Acids, Maria Stancescu Jan 2015

Optimization Of Molecular Beacon-Based Multicomponent Probes For Analysis Of Nucleic Acids, Maria Stancescu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Detection of single nucleotide substitutions (SNS) in DNA and RNA has a growing importance in biology and medicine. One traditional approach for recognition of SNS takes advantage of hybridization probes that bind target nucleic acids followed by measuring ?Tm, the difference in melting temperatures of matched and mismatched hybrids. The approach enables SNS differentiation at elevated temperatures (usually 40-65oC) often only in a narrow range of < 10oC and requires high-resolution melting devices. Here we demonstrate that a specially designed DNA probe (X sensor) can broaden ?Tm from ~10oC to ~16oC and distinguish SNS in the interval of ~5-40oC. Therefore, there is no need for heating or measuring Tm for accurate SNS differentiation. Our data indicate that this wide differentiation range is in part due to the non-equilibrium hybridization conditions. Further we explored the idea that it is possible to improve the performance of an X sensor operable in close to equilibrium conditions by shifting its operability to non-equilibrium conditions. One way to achieve this is to introduce as many as possible structured ligands in analyte's dissociated state. Here we show that by introducing the maximum possible conformational constraints in X probe it is possible to shift its operation to non-equilibrium conditions and to improve its selectivity at temperatures < 15oC. Thus, this work points towards a new strategy for the design of highly selective hybridization sensors which operate in non-equilibrium conditions at close to room temperature. The X sensors could be utilized in qPCR, microarrays, as well as RNA analysis in living cells and for ambient temperature point-of-care diagnostics. In the last part of this work, X sensors were used in real time detection of PCR products. The sensors were optimized to operate in PCR buffer with optimal Mg2+ concentration. They were able to detect the target amplicon together with nonspecific products. The results presented here suggest that X sensors might be adopted for real time PCR format.


Investigation Of Optical And Electronic Properties Of Au Decorated Mos2, Udai Bhanu Jan 2015

Investigation Of Optical And Electronic Properties Of Au Decorated Mos2, Udai Bhanu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Achieving tunability of two dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) functions calls for the introduction of hybrid 2D materials by means of localized interactions with zero dimensional (0D) materials. A metal-semiconductor interface, as in gold (Au) - molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), is of great interest from the standpoint of fundamental science as it constitutes an outstanding platform to investigate optical and electronic properties due to charge transfer. The applied aspects of such systems introduce new options for electronics, photovoltaics, detectors, catalysis, and biosensing. Here in this dissertation, we study the charge transfer interaction between Au nanoparticals and MoS2 flakes and its …


A Binary Approach For Selective Recognition Of Nucleic Acids And Proteins, Evan Cornett Jan 2015

A Binary Approach For Selective Recognition Of Nucleic Acids And Proteins, Evan Cornett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The design of probes for the selective recognition of biopolymers (nucleic acids and proteins) is a fundamental task for studying, diagnosing, and treating diseases. Traditional methods utilize a single component (small molecule or oligonucleotide) that binds directly to the target biopolymer. However, many biopolymers are unable to be targeted with this approach. The overarching goal of this dissertation is to explore a new, binary approach for designing probes. The binary approach requires two components that cooperatively bind to the target, triggering a recognition event. The requisite binding of two-components allows the probes to have excellent selectivity and modularity. The binary …


Strategies For Enhanced Genetic Analysis Of Trace Dna From Touch Dna Evidence And Household Dust, Katherine Farash Jan 2015

Strategies For Enhanced Genetic Analysis Of Trace Dna From Touch Dna Evidence And Household Dust, Katherine Farash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In forensic casework it is often necessary to obtain genetic profiles from crime scene samples that contain increasingly smaller amounts of genetic material, called Low Template DNA (LTDNA). Two examples of LTDNA sources are touch DNA evidence and dust bunnies. Touch DNA refers to DNA that is left behind through casual contact of a donor with an object or another person. Touch DNA can be used to prove a suspect was present at a crime scene. Dust bunnies, or dust conglomerates, typically contain trapped shed skin cells of anyone in the vicinity along with fibers, dirt, hair, and other trace …


Photophysics Of Organic Probes And Their Applications In Bioimaging & Photodynamic Therapy, Bosung Kim Jan 2015

Photophysics Of Organic Probes And Their Applications In Bioimaging & Photodynamic Therapy, Bosung Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past several decades the phenomenon of luminescence (divided into fluorescence and phosphorescence) has received great attention in the field of biological science. This quest has motivated scientists for a variety of applications, including fluorescence imaging. Fluorescence microscopy techniques that provide unique advantages, such as high spatial resolution and superior sensitivity, have been regarded as attractive tools in biophotonics. With the progress of ultrafast laser sources, two-photon absorption (2PA), in which a molecule absorbs two photons simultaneously, has opened possibilities of using it for various applications. Two-photon fluorescence microscopy (2PFM), which affords deeper tissue penetration and excellent three-dimensional (3D) …


Problematic Internet Use In Residence Halls, Graham Quirk Jan 2015

Problematic Internet Use In Residence Halls, Graham Quirk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College students are at higher risk to develop problematic internet use (PIU) than the average person and that risk may negatively impact their college success. Since students with PIU are not violating policies, they are not being identified as having a problem through the student conduct process like other students with problems such as alcohol abuse. While research on PIU is still in its infancy, the research that has been conducted indicates that PIU is a growing problem with no agreed upon definition, diagnosis or treatment. The main purpose of this study was to determine the extent that PIU and …


Boundaries: The Relationships Among Family Structure, Identity Style, And Psychopathology, Kaylin Ratner Jan 2015

Boundaries: The Relationships Among Family Structure, Identity Style, And Psychopathology, Kaylin Ratner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has long held that family of origin plays a significant, if not critical, role in mental health. The purpose of the present study was to provide theoretical evidence to support the feasibility of a new target for clinical intervention by demonstrating that identity style, the way individuals take in and process identity-relevant information, is a mediating factor between family cohesion and psychopathology. Secondly, this study aimed to provide empirical evidence for identity boundaries, or the cognitive barrier that dictates the assimilation and disposal of identity-relevant information, by linking identity style to one*s ability to differentiate the self from others. …


An Investigation Of The Impacts Of Face-To-Face And Virtual Laboratories In An Introductory Biology Course On Students' Motivation To Learn Biology., Amber Reece Jan 2015

An Investigation Of The Impacts Of Face-To-Face And Virtual Laboratories In An Introductory Biology Course On Students' Motivation To Learn Biology., Amber Reece

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of face-to-face and virtual laboratories in a large-enrollment introductory biology course on students* motivation to learn biology. The laboratory component of post-secondary science courses is where students have opportunities for frequent interactions with instructors and their peers (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Seymour, Melton, Wiese, & Pederson-Gallegos, 2005) and is often relied upon for promoting interest and motivation in science learning (Hofstein & Lunetta, 2003; Lunetta, Hofstein, & Clough, 2007). However, laboratory courses can be resource intensive (Jenkins, 2007), leading post-secondary science educators to seek alternative means of laboratory …


A High-Content Multiplexed Screening Platform For The Evaluation And Manipulation Of Force And Fatigue Of Adult Derived Skeletal Muscle Myotubes In Defined Serum-Free Medium, Christopher Mcaleer Jan 2015

A High-Content Multiplexed Screening Platform For The Evaluation And Manipulation Of Force And Fatigue Of Adult Derived Skeletal Muscle Myotubes In Defined Serum-Free Medium, Christopher Mcaleer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall focus of this project has two parts: First, was to develop a protocol utilizing serum-free media formulations and defined plating and culture techniques to create functional in vitro myotubes derived from adult skeletal muscle satellite cells. The second was to manipulate the inherent muscle parameters such as force output and fatigue of these myotubes by employing exercise regimes or by small molecule application. The importance of serum-free medium use for in vitro cultures is becoming increasingly important in creating functional systems that can be validated for drug testing by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also, the study …


Central Florida Educational Leaders' Professional Perceptions Of Race To The Top Components Concerning Teacher Evaluation And Compensation, Orin Smith Jan 2015

Central Florida Educational Leaders' Professional Perceptions Of Race To The Top Components Concerning Teacher Evaluation And Compensation, Orin Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods replication study was conducted to develop further understanding of the professional perceptions of educational leaders as to the fairness and impact of Race to the Top reforms concerning teacher evaluation and compensation on student achievement and growth. Graduate students in education and educational leadership from a target university were selected to complete an electronic survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data for analysis. Quantitative results from the electronic survey revealed limited diversity in professional perceptions of the five identified components of RTTT based upon professional classification or percentage free and reduced lunch population at the school sites where …


Acute Pro-Inflammatory Immune Response Following Different Resistance Exercise Protocols In Trained Men, Adam Wells Jan 2015

Acute Pro-Inflammatory Immune Response Following Different Resistance Exercise Protocols In Trained Men, Adam Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The successful regeneration of muscle tissue is dependent upon the infiltration of phagocytic CD14++CD16- monocytes that support the proliferation and differentiation of myogenic precursor cells. Physiologically, the magnitude of the cellular response following resistance exercise is dictated by the level of receptor expression on the plasma membrane of the monocyte, as well as the secretion of their cognate ligands from tissue resident cells. However, it remains unclear whether the innate pro-inflammatory immune response varies with different resistance training protocols, and how it may impact recovery and the muscle remodeling process. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to examine temporal …


The Impact Of Video Modeling Combined With Skillstreaming Teaching Procedures On The Social Interaction Skills Of Middle School Aged Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Onur Kocaoz Jan 2015

The Impact Of Video Modeling Combined With Skillstreaming Teaching Procedures On The Social Interaction Skills Of Middle School Aged Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Onur Kocaoz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention package that combined Skillstreaming procedures for the development of social skills with the use of video modeling for middle school students identified with ASD. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to determine if the video modeling intervention package has an impact on social skill performance of three middle school-aged students with ASD. A multiple probe design across participants was employed to assess the effects of the video modeling intervention package on two beginning social skills (i.e., initiate greetings and initiate a conversation). The participants were three …


Inverse-Consistent Determination Of Young's Modulus Of Human Lung, Behnaz Seyfi Noferest Jan 2015

Inverse-Consistent Determination Of Young's Modulus Of Human Lung, Behnaz Seyfi Noferest

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human lung undergoes respiration-induced deformation due to sequential inhalation and exhalation. Accurate determination of lung deformation is crucial for tumor localization and targeted radiotherapy in patients with lung cancer. Numerical modeling of human lung dynamics based on underlying physics and physiology enables simulation and virtual visualization of lung deformation. Dynamical modeling is numerically complicated by the lack of information on lung elastic behavior, structural heterogeneity as well as boundary constrains. This study integrates physics-based modeling and image-based data acquisition to develop the patient-specific biomechanical model and consequently establish the first consistent Young's modulus (YM) of human lung. This dissertation has …


The Effect Of Landscape Variables On Adult Mosquito (Diptera:Culicidae)Diversity And Behavior, Caitlyn Debevec Jan 2015

The Effect Of Landscape Variables On Adult Mosquito (Diptera:Culicidae)Diversity And Behavior, Caitlyn Debevec

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diseases vectored by mosquitoes cause millions of deaths each year. In modern times Florida*s disease risk has been reduced due to efforts to lessen the prevalence of mosquitoes through habitat modification of non-adults. With emerging diseases (i.e. Dengue and Chikunguya) encroaching into Florida from the Caribbean, this traditional approach may not be enough. Alternatively, we can better understand the ecology of how disease works in an ecosystem. One possible way is through the Dilution Effect, which states that the more species that are in a system the lower the chance for zoonosis. This project models mosquito diversity across regions, land …


Structure-Property Relationship Of The Two-Photon Circular Dichroism Of Compounds With Axial And Helical Chirality, Carlos Diaz Jan 2015

Structure-Property Relationship Of The Two-Photon Circular Dichroism Of Compounds With Axial And Helical Chirality, Carlos Diaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Back in 1894 Lord Kelvin coined the term "chiral" in order to refer to molecules whose mirror images were not superimposable with themselves. Over the years, research has demonstrated the important role that chiral molecules play in life, chemistry, and biology as well as their importance in the development of new drugs and technologies. The efforts to understand chiral systems have been mainly driven by spectroscopic methods that leverage on the opposite responses that enantiomers have to linear or circularly polarized light of both handedness. More specifically, Electronic Circular Dichroism (ECD) which measures the differences in linear absorption of left …


Synthesis And Characterization Of Antimicrobial Non-Color Forming Silica-Silver Nanocomposite, Joshua Bazata Jan 2015

Synthesis And Characterization Of Antimicrobial Non-Color Forming Silica-Silver Nanocomposite, Joshua Bazata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Silver has been utilized for its antimicrobial properties for thousands of years in a variety of fields, extending the shelf life of food and water, rendering eating utensils sanitary, and more recently in biomedical applications such as silver based antiseptic creams. While effective as an antimicrobial agent at very low concentrations (µg/mL), silver imparts a strong color to objects it is incorporated into, due to its high plasmonic efficiency. The goal of this study was to determine if incorporating silver nanoparticles into a silica matrix could reduce or eliminate the plasmonic signal, while retaining the antimicrobial effects of the silver …


Low Absorption Liquid Crystal Materials For Midwave Infrared, Amy Creekmore Jan 2015

Low Absorption Liquid Crystal Materials For Midwave Infrared, Amy Creekmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Liquid crystal is an amazing class of soft matters with applications spanning from visible, infrared, millimeter wave, to terahertz. In addition to direct-view displays and projection displays, liquid crystal is also widely used in adaptive optics, tunable-focus lens, and laser beam steering. Although the visible region has well developed materials and mixtures for the vast variety of applications, the midwave infrared (MWIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum invites much development as only a few materials have been developed with these applications in mind. Unlike visible region, the major challenge for mid-wave infrared liquid crystal is inherently large absorption loss. To …


Quantifying The Effects Of Boat Wakes On Intertidal Oyster Reefs In A Shallow Estuary, Donna Campbell Jan 2015

Quantifying The Effects Of Boat Wakes On Intertidal Oyster Reefs In A Shallow Estuary, Donna Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There have long been concerns about the negative impacts of recreational boating activity in the Indian River Lagoon system (IRL), especially in Mosquito Lagoon (ML), the northernmost part of the IRL. My research is focused on the impacts of boat wakes on intertidal reefs formed by the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. There has been a 24% loss of oyster habitat in ML since 1943, where natural oyster reefs have been replaced by dead oyster reefs which do not serve the same ecological function. While there is anecdotal and correlative evidence that this loss is a result of boat wakes, no …


Finding Consensus Energy Folding Landscapes Between Rna Sequences, Joshua Burbridge Jan 2015

Finding Consensus Energy Folding Landscapes Between Rna Sequences, Joshua Burbridge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In molecular biology, the secondary structure of a ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecule is closely related to its biological function. One problem in structural bioinformatics is to determine the two- and three-dimensional structure of RNA using only sequencing information, which can be obtained at low cost. This entails designing sophisticated algorithms to simulate the process of RNA folding using detailed sets of thermodynamic parameters. The set of all chemically feasible structures an RNA molecule can assume, as well as the energy associated with each structure, is called its energy folding landscape. This research focuses on defining and solving the problem of …


Adsorption Behaviour Of Polyacrylic Acid On Cerium Oxide Nanostructures: Experimental And Predictive Model, Ali Haghighat Mesbahi Jan 2015

Adsorption Behaviour Of Polyacrylic Acid On Cerium Oxide Nanostructures: Experimental And Predictive Model, Ali Haghighat Mesbahi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cerium oxide-based slurries are crucial for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) in electronic industry. For these slurry systems, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) is heavily utilized to provide colloidal stability. Some of the important parameters in the colloid stability are molecular weight (MW) and concentration of stabilizer, size of the nanoparticle in the slurry and the pH of system. By determining the colloidal stability of a discrete number of slurry formulations and relating these to certain slurry component parameters, a possible model can be produced to predict the influence of these parameters on the particle stability. Direct quantification of colloidal stability is difficult, …


Optimization Of Glycerol And Biodiesel Waste Prefermentation To Improve Ebpr, Marzieh Ghasemi Jan 2015

Optimization Of Glycerol And Biodiesel Waste Prefermentation To Improve Ebpr, Marzieh Ghasemi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process efficiency relies on different operational and process conditions especially the type of carbon source available in the wastewater. Acetic acid and propionic acid are the two major volatile fatty acids (VFAs) found in domestic wastewater which can drive biological phosphorus (P) removal to the desired level. However, often domestic wastewater does not have a sufficient amount of VFAs. Due to high acetate and propionate production-cost, it is not economic to add acetate and propionate directly in full-scale wastewater treatment plants. This brought up the idea of using external carbon sources (e. g. molasses …


Compressive Sensing And Recovery Of Structured Sparse Signals, Behzad Shahrasbi Jan 2015

Compressive Sensing And Recovery Of Structured Sparse Signals, Behzad Shahrasbi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the recent years, numerous disciplines including telecommunications, medical imaging, computational biology, and neuroscience benefited from increasing applications of high dimensional datasets. This calls for efficient ways of data capturing and data processing. Compressive sensing (CS), which is introduced as an efficient sampling (data capturing) method, is addressing this need. It is well-known that the signals, which belong to an ambient high-dimensional space, have much smaller dimensionality in an appropriate domain. CS taps into this principle and dramatically reduces the number of samples that is required to be captured to avoid any distortion in the information content of the data. …


Modeling Social Norms In Real-World Agent-Based Simulations, Rahmatollah Beheshti Jan 2015

Modeling Social Norms In Real-World Agent-Based Simulations, Rahmatollah Beheshti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studying and simulating social systems including human groups and societies can be a complex problem. In order to build a model that simulates humans' actions, it is necessary to consider the major factors that affect human behavior. Norms are one of these factors: social norms are the customary rules that govern behavior in groups and societies. Norms are everywhere around us, from the way people handshake or bow to the clothes they wear. They play a large role in determining our behaviors. Studies on norms are much older than the age of computer science, since normative studies have been a …


Optimal Distribution Network Reconfiguration Using Meta-Heuristic Algorithms, Arash Asrari Jan 2015

Optimal Distribution Network Reconfiguration Using Meta-Heuristic Algorithms, Arash Asrari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Finding optimal configuration of power distribution systems topology is an NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem. It becomes more complex when time varying nature of loads in large-scale distribution systems is taken into account. In the second chapter of this dissertation, a systematic approach is proposed to tackle the computational burden of the procedure. To solve the optimization problem, a novel adaptive fuzzy based parallel genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed that employs the concept of parallel computing in identifying the optimal configuration of the network. The integration of fuzzy logic into GA enhances the efficiency of the parallel GA by adaptively modifying …


A New Paradigm Integrating Business Process Modeling And Use Case Modeling, Barclay Brown Jan 2015

A New Paradigm Integrating Business Process Modeling And Use Case Modeling, Barclay Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research is to develop a new paradigm integrating the practices of business process modeling and use case modeling. These two modeling approaches describe the behavior of organizations and systems, and their interactions, but rest on different paradigms and serve different needs. The base of knowledge and information required for each approach is largely common, however, so an integrated approach has advantages in efficiency, consistency and completeness of the overall behavioral model. Both modeling methods are familiar and widely used. Business process modeling is often employed as a precursor to the development of a system to be …


Applied Error Related Negativity: Single Electrode Electroencephalography In Complex Visual Stimuli, Benjamin Sawyer Jan 2015

Applied Error Related Negativity: Single Electrode Electroencephalography In Complex Visual Stimuli, Benjamin Sawyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Error related negativity (ERN) is a pronounced negative evoked response potential (ERP) that follows a known error. This neural pattern has the potential to communicate user awareness of incorrect actions within milliseconds. While the implications for human-machine interface and augmented cognition are exciting, the ERN has historically been evoked only in the laboratory using complex equipment while presenting simple visual stimuli such as letters and symbols. To effectively harness the applied potential of the ERN, detection must be accomplished in complex environments using simple, preferably single-electrode, EEG systems feasible for integration into field and workplace-ready equipment. The present project attempted …


Resource Management In Large-Scale Systems, Ashkan Paya Jan 2015

Resource Management In Large-Scale Systems, Ashkan Paya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this thesis is resource management in large-scale systems. Our primary concerns are energy management and practical principles for self-organization and self-management. The main contributions of our work are: 1. Models. We proposed several models for different aspects of resource management, e.g., energy-aware load balancing and application scaling for the cloud ecosystem, hierarchical architecture model for self-organizing and self-manageable systems and a new cloud delivery model based on auction-driven self-organization approach. 2. Algorithms. We also proposed several different algorithms for the models described above. Algorithms such as coalition formation, combinatorial auctions and clustering algorithm for scale-free organizations of …


Stability And Control In Complex Networks Of Dynamical Systems, Saeed Manaffam Jan 2015

Stability And Control In Complex Networks Of Dynamical Systems, Saeed Manaffam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stability analysis of networked dynamical systems has been of interest in many disciplines such as biology and physics and chemistry with applications such as LASER cooling and plasma stability. These large networks are often modeled to have a completely random (Erdös-Rényi) or semi-random (Small-World) topologies. The former model is often used due to mathematical tractability while the latter has been shown to be a better model for most real life networks. The recent emergence of cyber physical systems, and in particular the smart grid, has given rise to a number of engineering questions regarding the control and optimization of such …