Digital Commons Network^™

Direct Suffix Sorting And Its Applications, Fei Nan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The suffix sorting problem is to construct the suffix array for an input sequence. Given a sequence T[0... n -- 1] of size n = |T|, with symbols from a fixed alphabet Sigma, (|Sigma| ≤ n), the suffix array provides a compact representation of all the suffixes of T in a lexicographic order. Traditionally, the suffix array is often constructed by first building the suffix tree for T, and then performing an inorder traversal of the suffix tree. The direct suffix sorting problem is to construct the suffix array of T directly without using the suffix tree data structure. We …

Sexual Diversity, Social Inclusion And Hiv/Aids., Carlos F. Cáceres, Peter Aggleton, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Despite a number of programmes to prevent HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) and, more generally, sexually diverse populations, gay and other homosexually active men continue to be at heightened risk of HIV and its consequences. This paper analyses some of the reasons for this situation and offers policy and programmatic recommendations to contribute to a solution. The social exclusion of MSM and transgender individuals is an overwhelming reality in the majority of countries worldwide. Although progress has been achieved in some countries, in most of the world the situation remains problematic. Present challenges to equality and …

Digest Of The Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine (Fall 2008), Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine

Digest

The Fall 2008 issue of the Digest of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine includes the following articles:

• Opening Remarks
• PCOM Updates and Kudos
• Development News
• Global Warming’s Health Crisis
• Weather Disasters
• Emerging Infectious Diseases
• What Can Be Done?
• Water-Borne Diseases
• Heat Related Illnesses
• Heat Intensifies Air Pollution
• What Can Health Professionals Do?
• Extreme Climate Events and Mental Health Disorders
• Common Goals
• Medical Marriages
• Starting Out
• Practicing Together
• Military Match
• A Family Tradition
• Research: Fruit of the Vine May Combat Prostrate Cancer
• Class Notes
• In Memoriam
• My Turn Essay
• PCOM Events

Biological Signatures Of Vaccine Responses, Lorena Nunez

Honors Scholar Theses

The set of host- and pathogen-specific molecular features of a disease comprise its “signature”. We hypothesize that biological signatures enables distinctions between vaccinated vs. infected individuals. In our research, using porcine samples, protocols were developed that could also be used to identify biological signatures of human disease. Different classes of molecular features will be tested during this project, including indicators of basic immune capacity, which are being studied at this instance.

These indicators of basic immune response such as porcine cytokines and antibodies were validated using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This is an established method that detects antigens by their …

No Evidence For Trade-Offs: Centaurea Plants From America Are Better Competitors And Defenders, Wendy M. Ridenour, Jorge M. Vivanco, Yulong Feng, Jun-Ichiro Horiuchi, Ragan M. Callaway

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The natural enemies hypothesis has led to a number of ideas by which invaders might evolve superior competitive ability. In this context, we compared growth, reproduction, competitive effect, competitive response, and defense capabilities between invasive North American populations of Centaurea maculosa and populations in Europe, where the species is native. We found that Centaurea from North America were larger than plants from European populations. North American Centaurea also demonstrated stronger competitive effects and responses than European Centaurea. However, competitive superiority did not come at a cost to herbivore defense. North American plants were much better defended against generalist insect …

Nectar Secondary Compounds Affect Self-Pollen Transfer: Implications For Female And Male Reproduction, Rebecca E. Irwin, Lynn S. Adler

Dartmouth Scholarship

Pollen movement within and among plants affects inbreeding, plant fitness, and the spatial scale of genetic differentiation. Although a number of studies have assessed how plant and floral traits influence pollen movement via changes in pollinator behavior, few have explored how nectar chemical composition affects pollen transfer. As many as 55% of plants produce secondary compounds in their nectar, which is surprising given that nectar is typically thought to attract pollinators. We tested the hypothesis that nectar with secondary compounds may benefit plants by encouraging pollinators to leave plants after visiting only a few flowers, thus reducing self-pollen transfer. We …

Occupational Relevance And Body Mass Bias In Military Physical Fitness Tests, Paul M. Vanderburgh

Health and Sport Science Faculty Publications

Recent evidence makes a compelling case that U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force health-related physical fitness tests penalize larger, not just fatter, service members. As a result, they tend to receive lower scores than their lighter counterparts, the magnitude of which can be explained by biological scaling laws. Larger personnel, on the other hand, tend to be better performers of work-related fitness tasks such as load carriage, heavy lifting and materiel handling. This has been explained by empirical evidence that lean body mass and lean body mass to dead mass ratio (dead mass = fat mass and external load to …

Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman Equations And Approximate Dynamic Programming On Time Scales, John E. Seiffertt Iv, Suman Sanyal, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The time scales calculus is a key emerging area of mathematics due to its potential use in a wide variety of multidisciplinary applications. We extend this calculus to approximate dynamic programming (ADP). The core backward induction algorithm of dynamic programming is extended from its traditional discrete case to all isolated time scales. Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations, the solution of which is the fundamental problem in the field of dynamic programming, are motivated and proven on time scales. By drawing together the calculus of time scales and the applied area of stochastic control via ADP, we have connected two major fields of research.

Characterization Of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Orf11 As A Possible Dutpase, Christina N. Ramirez

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

A dUTPase is a crucial enzyme that hydrolyzes dUTP to dUMP. This reaction prevents the mutagenic or lethal misincorporation of uracil into DNA. For that reason, the enzyme is required for efficient DNA replication. Previous studies have shown that has ORFl l dUTPase-like motifs and thus may be a dUTPase. Generally, gammaherpesviruses contain six characteristic dUTPase motifs. In particular ORFl 1 and contains motifs 1, 2, 4, 6. While the characteristic motifs of gamroaberpesviruses include motifs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, the number of dUTPase-like motifs in ORFl 1 's protein sequence is substantial. Thus, ORFl 1 may …

Speaker Biographies

Seton Hall Journal of Legislation and Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Cerebral Oximetry In Cardiac Surgery, Katie C. Busker

Theses and Dissertations

The cerebral oximeter is a new device that measures venous oxygen saturations of the brain utilizing near-infrared spectroscopy. Approximately 40% of adult cardiac patients show neurological dysfunction after cardiac surgery; often leading to prolonged hospital stays (Edmonds, Ganzel, & Austin, 2004). Utilization of cerebral oximetry has been associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of neurological impai1ment and a decrease in hospital stay by up to 3 days (Yao, Tseng, & Trifiletti, 2000). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the benefits, applications, and limitations of cerebral oximetry monitoring in adult cardiac surgery. It is important that Certified …

Teaching Regional Anesthesia To Nurse Anesthesia Students, Garre! C. Kinzler

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching regional anesthesia to students who have no experience is a difficult task because there is no common frame of reference, and there are many variables to the provision of this specialized care. The purpose of this independent study was to review three of the most commonly performed blocks then prepare and deliver lessons to nurse anesthesia students which will promote their confidence and competency as anesthesia providers

The method used was a review of literature utilizing PubMed, Cl NAHL, and SCOPUS databases. Current thought on preparing students for learning and performing regional methods was organized according to Malcolm Knowles' …

Dynamical Behavior And Influence Of Stochastic Noise On Certain Generalized Boolean Networks, Gary L. Beck, Mihaela Teodora Matache

Mathematics Faculty Publications

This study considers a simple Boolean network with N nodes, each node’s state at time t being determined by a certain number of parent nodes. The network is analyzed when the connectivity k is fixed or variable. Making use of a Boolean rule that is a generalization of Rule 22 of elementary cellular automata, a generalized formula for providing the probability of finding a node in state 1 at a time t is determined. We show typical behaviors of the iterations, and we study the dynamics of the network through Lyapunov exponents, bifurcation diagrams, and fixed point analysis. We conclude …

Bilateral Claudication Results In Alterations In The Gait Biomechanics At The Hip And Ankle Joints, Shing-Jye Chen, Iraklis Pipinos, Jason Johanning, Matija Radovic, Jessie M. Huisinga, Sara A. Myers, Nikolaos Stergiou

Health and Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Claudication is the most common symptomatic manifestation of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), producing significant ambulatory compromise. The purpose of this study was to use advanced biomechanical gait analysis to determine the gait alterations occurring in claudicating patients both before and after onset of claudication pain in their legs. Hip, knee, and ankle joint moments were measured in claudicating patients (age: 64.46±8.47 years; body mass: 80.70±12.64 kg; body height: 1.72±0.08 m) and were compared to gender–age–body mass–height-matched healthy controls (age 66.27±9.22 years; body mass: 77.89±10.65 kg; body height: 1.74±0.08 m). The claudicating patients were evaluated both before (pain-free (PF) condition) and …

Predictive Model Of Blood Transfusion During Cabg Surgery In Pakistan, Sana Shoukat, Saqib A Gowani, Farhad Khimani, Faraz A Khan, Mohammad Zaman, Hasanat Sharif

Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery

OBJECTIVE: To determine predictors of need for transfusion of blood and blood products and create a clinical predictive model to reduce indiscriminate use of blood products during surgery.

METHOD: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 485 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery from January 2004 to December 2004 at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Independent predictors associated with transfusion were identified and a clinical prediction model developed.

RESULTS: The transfusion rate was 37.1%. A predictive model was created based on the presence of pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, low ejection fraction and recent/ongoing myocardial infarction.

CONCLUSION: The …

High-Definition Self-Assemblies Driven By The Hydrophobic Effect: Synthesis And Properties Of A Supramolecular Nanocapsule, Bruce C. Gibb

Chemistry Faculty Publications

High definition self-assemblies, those that possess order at the molecular level, are most commonly made from subunits possessing metals and metal coordination sites, or groups capable of partaking in hydrogen bonding. In other words, enthalpy is the driving force behind the free energy of assembly. The hydrophobic effect engenders the possibility of (nominally) relying not on enthalpy but entropy to drive assembly. Towards this idea, we describe how template molecules can trigger the dimerization of a cavitand in aqueous solution, and in doing so are encapsulated within the resulting capsule. Although not held together by (enthalpically) strong and directional non-covalent …

Wet Season Macrofungi Of The Caribbean Slope In Monteverde, Costa Rica, August 2008, Oliver Herbst, Aldis Kurmis

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Despite its small size, Costa Rica harbors high fungal diversity. Although very little is known about fungi, they are beneficial to humans in the medicinal field and are also known to be important recyclers of nutrients in ecosystems. Their importance in our lives justifies further research concerning fungal communities. The purpose of our study is to investigate the community composition and species richness in a lower montane rain forest on the Caribbean slope at Monteverde, Costa Rica. Between the range of 1550 m and 1850 m, we recorded abundance of different morphological forms, substrate types and also compared species richness …

Wing Damage In Three Nectar-Feeding Bat Species (Glossophaginae) Of Lower Montane Wet Forest In Costa Rica, August 2008, Amanda Nosal

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Little is known about tropical bats and the damage that collects on their wing membranes over time. Likewise, it is not known whether species or gender differ in the number of scars and tears on wings. This study analyzed the wing damage of three nectar-feeding bats and found that while overall wing damage was not significantly different between gender and species, specific areas of the wing membrane were statistically different. Females generally had higher rates of wing damage to the dactylopatagium major than males (two-way ANOVA, F = 4.21, p = 0.04). Another significant difference involved pregnancy; pregnant females had …

Observation Of Nanosecond Laser Induced Fluorescence Of In Vitro Seawater Phytoplankton, Thomas J. Bensky, Lisa Clemo, Chris Gilbert, Bryan Neff, Mark A. Moline, Dov Rohan

Physics

Seawater has been irradiated using a train of 70 ns flashes from a 440 nm laser source. This wavelength is on resonance with the blue absorption peak of Chlorophyll pigment associated with the photosystem of in vitro phytoplankton. The resulting fluorescence at 685 nm is instantaneously recorded during each laser pulse using a streak camera. Delayed fluorescence is observed, yielding clues about initiation of the photosynthetic process on a nanosecond time scale. Further data processing allows for determination of the functional absorption cross section, found to be 0:0095 Ų, which is the first reporting of this number for …

2008 Winter Wheat Variety Yield Results And Planting Tips, John Rickertsen, Thandiwe Nleya, Steve Kalsbeck, R. G. Hall

SDSU Extension Extra Archives

2008 turned out to be an excellent year for winter wheat production in most of South Dakota. Though conditions were very dry for planting last fall, most of the central and eastern part of the state had good rains in Oct. to get the wheat off to a good start. There were areas in the west central and northwest part of the state that did not get rain in the fall, and in those areas the wheat did not make it through the winter. From May on through the summer most of the state had plentiful rainfall and cool conditions, …

Organic Production: Practices And Prevalence, Joan Hegerfeld-Baker

SDSU Extension Extra Archives

In 1995, the United States Department of Agriculture is¬sued the following definition of organic production: Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biologi¬cal activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain, and enhance ecological harmony.

Male Out-Migration And The Women Left Behind: A Case Study Of A Small Farming Community In Southeastern Mexico, Jamie P. Mcevoy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Until recently, rural households in southeastern Mexico have survived on subsistence and chili farming. But over the last decade, male out-migration to the United States has also become a popular livelihood strategy. This case study used data from semi-structured qualitative interviews to assess the effects of male out-migration on women's lives in three areas: households' financial and material situation, issues of infidelity and women's vulnerability to abandonment, and the gendered division of labor.

Overall, this study found that male out-migration had both positive and negative effects on the women left behind. First, the financial outcomes of migration were mixed. A …

Zeolite-Based Nanosized Ti02 Photocatalytic Paper For Antimicrobial Barrier And Toxin Passivation In Packaging: Design, Synthesis And Characterization, Seonghyuk Ko

Dissertations

This dissertation describes comprehensive studies, including design, preparation, characterization and evaluation, to develop an innovative zeolite-based nanosized TiO2photocatalytic paper for disinfection and disintegration of organic toxins.

A novel paper with high photocatalytic performance was successfully prepared using natural zeolite (clinoptilolite)-based nanosized TiO2 photocatalyst in a microparticle retention papermaking system. Photocatalytic material, from its sol-gel derived TiO2 colloids to its anchoring onto zeolite, has been designed, prepared and characterized. Prior to photocatalytic papermaking, the characteristics of sol-gel synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles from colloidal to nanopowder were investigated with various initial sizes of colloidal nanoparticles synthesized in the range of 2.5±0.1 nm and …

Design Of A Temperature Profiling System For Use In Thermal Processing Of Food Products, Linda Tarantino

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to develop a thermal inspection system on a full scale meat and poultry product line. The system must withstand the production and sanitation environments and adapt to the many different products and conditions present on a common product line. By using this device, food processors will be able to measure the internal temperature of the product during its entire cooking process. This will provide certainty to food processors if the product reached the required internal temperature by USDA standards as well as proof of their processes.

Internationalizing A Psychology Department: A Case Study, Leeann Bartolini, Afshin Gharib, W. Phillips

Collected Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Trends In Turkish Science Education, Muammer Calik, Suat Unal, Bayram Costu, Faik Ozgur Karatas

Essays in Education

The aim of the study is to determine the trends in Turkish Science Education on the basis of both master and doctoral theses involved. The researchers reviewed the online databases of the Higher Education Council and Proquest as well as the web page of graduate school of each university in Turkey which presents thesis archieve and investigated 444 graduate theses abstracts/fulltexts in regard to their created matrix (Year, Research Interest, Research Methodology and Sample). The document analysis has pointed out that in terms of research interest two general trends are apparent in Turkish science education research: (1) introducing science education …

Lipoid Proteinosis. A Report Of 2 Siblings And A Brief Review Of The Literature, Sahar H. Al-Natour

Saudi Medical Journal

Lipoid proteinosis is a rare autosomal recessive inherited metabolic disorder characterized by deposition of a hyaline-like material in the skin, oral laryngeal mucosa, and in other sites. In this report, the author describes 2 Saudi siblings who had characteristic skin findings, oral and mucosal lesions, histological findings along with few rarely encountered manifestations including pathognomonic calcifications in the hippocampus, electroencephalogram findings and briefly reviews the literature. These cases are presented to emphasize the occurrence of this condition in Saudi Arabia, and to update information on the latest developments of this disorder.

Books Noted: Recent Pacific Island Publications: Selected Acquisitions, January 2006-June 2006, Riley Moffat

Pacific Studies

This list of significant publications relating to the Pacific Islands was selected from new acquisitions lists received from Brigham Young University Hawai'i, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, University of Auckland, East-West Center, University of South Pacific, National Library of Australia, Melanesian Studies Resource Center, Center for Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Nijmegen, University of California San Diego, Secretariat of the Pacific Community Library, Center for South Pacific Studies, University of New South Wales, Macmillan Brown Library at University of Canterbury, and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau's Center for the Pacific Development Training. Other libraries …

Books Noted: Recent Pacific Island Publications: Selected Acquisitions, July 2006-May 2007, Riley Moffat

Pacific Studies

THIS Iist of significant publications relating to the Pacific Islands was selected from new acquisitions lists received from Brigham Young University Hawai'i, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, University of Auckland, East-West Center, University of South Pacific, National Library of Australia, Melanesian Studies Resource Center, Center for Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Nijmegen, University of California San Diego, Secretariat of the Pacific Community Library, Center for South Pacific Studies, University of New South Wales, Macmillan Brown Library at University of Canterbury, and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau's Center for the Pacific Development Training. Other libraries …

Faiva Fakaouli: The Tongan Performance Art Of Humor, 'Okusitino Māhina

Pacific Studies

This essay will critically examine faiva fakaoli, literally translated as "the art of funny things, in a number of separate but connected unique and universal contexts. I wish to make clear right from the outset that this essay is not an exercise in theoretically and practically reviewing the existing literature on humor, nor an attempt to make a comprehensive examination of what humor is, i.e., its form and content, nor, for that matter, what humor does, i.e., its social function.' While the theoretical and practical, ontological; and epistemological, or qualitative and utilitarian questions are extremely important, my …