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Simultaneous, Noninvasive Observation Of Elastic Scattering, Fluorescence And Inelastic Scattering As A Monitor Of Blood Flow And Hematocrit In Human Fingertip Capillary Beds, Joseph Chaiken, Jerry Goodisman, Bin Deng, Rebecca J. Bussjager, George Shaheen

Chemistry - All Scholarship

We report simultaneous observation of elastic scattering, fluorescence, and inelastic scattering from in vivo near-infrared probing of human skin. Careful control of the mechanical force needed to obtain reliable registration of in vivo tissue with an appropriate optical system allows reproducible observation of blood flow in capillary beds of human volar side fingertips. The time dependence of the elastically scattered light is highly correlated with that of the combined fluorescence and Raman scattered light. We interpret this in terms of turbidity (the impeding effect of red blood cells on optical propagation to and from the scattering centers) and the changes …

Evolution Of A Subtilisin-Like Protease Gene Family In The Grass Endophytic Fungus Epichloë Festucae, Michelle K. Bryant, Christopher L. Schardl, Uljana Hesse, Barry Scott

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Subtilisin-like proteases (SLPs) form a superfamily of enzymes that act to degrade protein substrates. In fungi, SLPs can play either a general nutritive role, or may play specific roles in cell metabolism, or as pathogenicity or virulence factors.

RESULTS: Fifteen different genes encoding SLPs were identified in the genome of the grass endophytic fungus Epichloë festucae. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these SLPs belong to four different subtilisin families: proteinase K, kexin, pyrolysin and subtilisin. The pattern of intron loss and gain is consistent with this phylogeny. E. festucae is exceptional in that it contains two kexin-like genes. Phylogenetic analysis …

Individual Differences In Anterior Eeg Asymmetry In Children With High Functioning Autism, Anne Pradella Inge

Open Access Dissertations

This study examined the moderating role of motivational tendencies for social approach and avoidance behavior, as measured by anterior EEG asymmetry, on symptom expression. In particular, this study aimed to replicate and extend previous findings that measures of anterior EEG asymmetry provide an important marker of subgroups of HFA children that significantly differ from each other, and controls, on measures of social communication impairment. EEG data were collected across two occasions on 51 HFA and 44 non-HFA children. EEG asymmetry was computed for homologous electrode pairs (e.g., lnF4-lnF3). More positive scores were indicative of relative left frontal asymmetry. Data on …

Acculturation, Enculturation, And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia In Ethnic Minority Patients: An Examination Of Sociocultural Mediators Underlying These Relationships, Vamsi K. Koneru

Open Access Dissertations

The preponderance of evidence from large-scale studies shows a detrimental association between greater acculturation (to mainstream U.S. values and beliefs) and mental health. Prior research also suggests that greater acculturation may be associated with a breakdown of adaptive behaviors and values (e.g., religiosity/spirituality) thereby negatively impacting mental health. In addition, literature generally suggests that enculturation (retention of culture of origin customs and values) is associated with better mental health. However, few studies have examined potential mediators between acculturation/enculturation and mental health; and research on this topic with patients with schizophrenia is particularly scarce. Using a sample of 44 Hispanic and …

On The Green Vol. 38 No. 11 July 17, 2009, Gallaudet University

2001-2010

On the Green is an internal publication of Gallaudet College, which later became Gallaudet University. It notified employees of updates around the campus and in the broader community, including new construction and the establishment of new academic programs. Running until 2010, it was supplanted by various forms of online mass communications across multiple audiences.

Puf1p-Mediated Mrna Decay And Combinatorial Control Of Mrna Stability By The Yeast Puf Proteins, Randi J. Ulbricht

Dissertations

The stability of a messenger RNA (mRNA) is a highly regulated and important aspect of gene expression. Proteins that regulate mRNA stability often bind to 3' untranslated region (UTR) sequence elements. The eukaryotic Puf proteins are one class of 3'UTR binding proteins that regulate the stability and expression of their target transcripts. Several global genome analyses have identified hundreds of potential mRNA targets of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Puf proteins, however only three mRNA targets for these proteins have been characterized thus far. After direct testing of nearly forty candidate mRNAs, I have established three of these as true mRNA targets …

Analysis Of Secreted Phosphoprotein-24 And Its Effects During Osteoblast Differentiation In A Mesenchymal Stem Cell Model, Vasquez Jochen Granja

Theses and Dissertations

Musculoskeletal diseases, in particular osteoporosis, are increasingly becoming more prevalent in the U.S. due to the ageing population (Figure1). It is estimated that one-sixth of 300 million people in U.S. suffer from bone disorders or loss. About 10 million of those people above age 50 suffer from osteoporosis. Patients that suffer from osteoporosis have high morbidity and mortality rates. For instance, patients have decreased bone mineral density (BMD), a measurement of bone density that reflects the strength of bone as represented by calcium content. A decrease in BMD typically leads to an increased risk of bone fractures. In particular, hip …

Modulation Of Lung Inflammation By Vessel Dilator In A Mouse Model Of Allergic Asthma, Xiaoqin Wang, Weidong Xu, Xiaoyuan Kong, Dongqing Chen, Gary Hellermann, Terry A. Ahlert, Joseph D. Giaimo, Stephania A. Cormier, Xu Li, Richard F. Lockey, Subhra Mohapatra, Shyam S. Mohapatra

Faculty Publications

Background: Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and its receptor, NPRA, have been extensively studied in terms of cardiovascular effects. We have found that the ANP-NPRA signaling pathway is also involved in airway allergic inflammation and asthma. ANP, a C-terminal peptide (amino acid 99-126) of pro-atrial natriuretic factor (proANF) and a recombinant peptide, NP73-102 (amino acid 73-102 of proANF) have been reported to induce bronchoprotective effects in a mouse model of allergic asthma. In this report, we evaluated the effects of vessel dilator (VD), another N-terminal natriuretic peptide covering amino acids 31-67 of proANF, on acute lung inflammation in a mouse model …

Orientation Of Grasshopper Sparrow And Eastern Meadowlark Nests In Relation To Wind Direction, Ashley M. Long, William E. Jensen, Kimberly A. With

Faculty Publications

Orientation of the entrances of bird nests may be especially important in grasslands, where protective cover from solar radiation and wind is minimal. We examined orientation patterns of nest-dome entrances in two grassland bird species, the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) and the Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna). We noted how these patterns changed over the nesting season and how they related to prevailing wind direction. We found that Grasshopper Sparrow (n = 333) and Eastern Meadowlark (n = 272) nests were oriented nonrandomly, toward the northeast (ā = 33.4° and 52.9°, respectively). Prevailing wind in the study region was approximately from …

A New Way To Teach Genetics

News Releases

No abstract provided.

Analysis And Design Of Earthquake Relief Virtual Logistic Information System, Chi Chen

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Correlation Analysis Between Financial And Shipping Industry, Bailin Sui

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Trouble With Transfer, Kathryn Jane Groneman

Theses and Dissertations

It is hoped that the scientific reasoning skills taught in our biology courses will carry over to be applied in novel settings: to new concepts, future courses, other disciplines, and non-academic pursuits. This is the educational concept of transfer. Efforts over many years in the Cell Biology course at BYU to design effective assessment questions that measure competence in both deep understanding of conceptual principles and the ability to draw valid conclusions from experimental data have had at least one disquieting result. The transfer performance of many otherwise capable students is not very satisfactory. In order to explain this unsatisfactory …

Physiological Assessment Of Chenopodium Quinoa To Salt Stress, Arturo Jason Morales

Theses and Dissertations

The physiological responses to salt stress were measured in Chenopodium quinoa. In a greenhouse experiment, salt water was applied to the quinoa varieties, Chipaya and KU-2, and to the model halophyte Thellungiella halophila to assess their relative responses to salt stress. Height and weight data from a seven-week time course demonstrated that both cultivars exhibited greater tolerance to salt than T. halophila. In a growth chamber experiment, three quinoa cultivars, Chipaya, Ollague, and CICA 17 were hydroponically grown and physiological responses were measured with four salt treatments. Tissues collected from the growth chamber treatments were used to obtain …

Crystal Engineering Of Nutraceutical Cocrystals, Dalia A. Aboarayes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The work presented herein focus upon crystal engineering of nutraceutical cocrystals. Cocrystals are considered unique solid dosage form which has many advantages over other traditionally known solid forms. Furthermore, cocrystals have proven to improve stability, solubility and bioavailability of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) as shown in the case of carbamazepine and other APIs in previous studies.

Crystal engineering is commonly used to design new solid forms based on the bases of supramolecular chemistry. In this study, crystal engineering based on intensive Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) analysis used to predict and design new cocrystals of targeted nutraceuticals. Two nutraceuticals were selected …

Evaluating Dissolved Oxygen Regimes Along A Gradient Of Human Disturbance For Lotic Systems In West-Central Florida, Daniel G. Hammond

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Land uses dominated by human activity can have a significant effect on ecological processes. In Florida, oxygen depletion is the most common impairment in lake, stream, and coastal water bodies. The continual growth and development in Florida, along with a conversion to more human intense land uses warrants study and discussion on impacts to dissolved oxygen regimes along a gradient of human disturbance. This research study is designed to identify observable trends in dissolved oxygen regimes along a gradient of increasing human intensity.

Twenty-six stations in the Tampa Bay area were selected to represent lotic systems in west-central Florida. Data …

Population Genetics Of Antarctic Seals, Caitlin Curtis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I developed and tested a protocol for determining the sex of individual pinnipeds using the sex-chromosome specific genes ZFX and ZFY. I screened a total of 368 seals (168 crabeater, Lobodon carcinophagus; 159 Weddell, Leptonychotes weddellii; and 41 Ross, Ommatophoca rossii) of known or unknown sex and compared the molecular sex to the sex assigned at the time of collection in the Ross and Amundsen seas, Antarctica. Discrepancies ranged from 0.0% - 6.7% among species. It is unclear, however, if mis-assignment of sex occurred in situ or in the laboratory. It also is possible, however, that …

Effects Of A Commercially Available Energy Drink On Anaerobic Performance, Jason J. Downing

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to improve aerobic and anaerobic performance, athletes and fitness enthusiasts consume a variety of supplements. Because of this, energy drinks are quickly becoming more and more popular every day. Despite its highly addictive nature, caffeine, which is the main active ingredient in energy drinks, is gaining recognition as an ergogenic aid. However, due to the many factors that affects the action of caffeine, and because the research on caffeine and anaerobic performance is limited, the potential for studying energy drinks and anaerobic performance is quite large. PURPOSE: To determine if a commercially available energy drink has any …

“The Bitch,” “The Ditz,” And The Male Heroes: Representations Of Feminism And Postfeminism In Campaign 2008, Dana Schowalter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is a textual analysis of the mainstream media coverage of the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, surveying more than 1,000 news stories featuring Clinton, Palin, Obama, Biden and McCain published between January 1, 2007 and November 11, 2008. The central findings of this study are twofold: first, mainstream news sources continue to use stereotypical and sexist news frames that describe women in ways that are at odds with the criteria we set for being a good president; and second, feminism is characterized in ways that divorce the ideas of the movement from the activism necessary to overcome existing injustices. …

Researchs On Coal Logistics Center Site Selection In Guizhou Province, Yiye Xiang

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Persistent Lithium-Induced Neurotoxicity: Direct Effect Of Lithium And/Or Hypernatremia?, Ioana-Mihaela Popescu, James A. Bourgeois

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Abstract Lithium has been used in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder (BAD) for more than 50 years. Features of lithium toxicity include drowsiness, slurred speech, ataxia, psychomotor slowing, polyneuropathy, impaired memory, seizures, coma and death. Lithium neurotoxicity is usually reversible on cessation of its administration, and irreversible toxicity is uncommon. However, persistent neurological sequelae may follow lithium intoxication. There may be a contribution to neurotoxicity from the SIADH associated with lithium toxicity in addition to the direct effects of lithium itself. We describe a case of lithium toxicity with persistent delirium in a patient with a brief period of …

Tactile Hallucinations: Presenting Symptom Of Schizophrenia, Virgen M. Quinones

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Although previous reports about tactile hallucinations of sexual content suggesting Schizophrenia are known2, this disorder has been characterized mostly by hallucinations of visual/auditory content. At Schizophrenia presentation these two types of hallucinations are the prominent features. This report describes a patient who had no previous psychiatric symptoms and for whom tactile hallucinations were the presenting symptom of Schizophrenia.

The Changes Of The Carbonate Parameters In The Ocean: Anthropogenic And Natural Processes, Mareva Chanson

Open Access Dissertations

Since the industrial revolution, CO sub 2 has increased in the atmosphere and about 40% of the increase has been taken up by the ocean. An artifact of increasing CO sub 2 in the ocean is ocean acidification; it changes the calcium carbonate saturation state, which in turn alters the calcification rate of shelled organisms. The purpose of this dissertation is to estimate the changes in the carbonate system in the oceans, and whether these changes are due to natural (biological activity, chemical transformation or mixing of water masses) or anthropogenic (human activities) perturbations. The first hypothesis states that the …

Enrichment Seminars At Gsu, Office Of Public Affairs

Press Releases

Computer Science is the first subject of a series of Enrichment Seminars beginning on July 20, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., in the Hall of Honors. GSU professor Jeffrey Alfano and Oscar Herrera, GSU graduate and computer science entrepreneur, will lead the discussion.

The Enrichment Seminar series focuses on different GSU degree programs and the related careers and opportunities open to graduates. Students learn from professionals who work in the field, gain knowledge of the GSU program, and discover grant and scholarship opportunities available to current and new students.

Washington University Record, July 16, 2009

Washington University Record

No abstract provided.

Retinoic Acid Induced 1 Gene Analysis In Humans And Zebrafish, Bijal Vyas

Theses and Dissertations

Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a complex mental retardation syndrome caused by deletion of 17p11.2 region or mutation of the RAI1 gene (retinoic acid induced 1). Individuals with SMS typically exhibit speech and motor delays, mental retardation, characteristic craniofacial and skeletal anomalies, and a distinct neurobehavioral phenotype that includes sleep disturbances, stereotypes, and maladaptive and self-injurious behaviors. RAI1 is thought to be a transcription factor modulating the expression of genes involved in a variety of cellular functions. Previous studies have shown the RAI1 gene being induced by retinoic acid (RA), a derivative of vitamin A. RA plays a significant role in …

Uab/Southern Research Scientists Discover How Flu Damages Lung Tissue, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

An Indole-Containing Dauer Pheromone Component With Unusual Dauer Inhibitory Activity At Higher Concentrations, Rebecca A. Butcher, Justin R. Ragains, Jon Clardy

Faculty Publications

In Caenorhabdltls elegans, the dauer pheromone, which consists of a number of derivatives of the 3,6-dideoxysugar ascarylose, is the primary cue for entry into the stress-resistant, "nonaging" dauer larval stage. Here, using activity-guided fractionation and NMR-based structure elucidation, a structurally novel, indole-3-carboxyl-modified ascaroside is identified that promotes dauer formation at low nanomolar concentrations but inhibits dauer formation at higher concentrations. © 2009 American Chemical Society.

Lipid Nanoparticles With Accessible Nickel As A Vaccine Delivery System For Single And Multiple His-Tagged Hiv Antigens, Weili Yan, Anekant Jain, Ronan O'Carra, Jerold Woodward, Wenxue Li, Guanhan Li, Avindra Nath, Russell J. Mumper

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Lipid-based nanoparticles (NPs) with a small amount of surface-chelated nickel (Ni-NPs) were developed to easily formulate the HIV his-tagged Tat protein, as well as to formulate and co-deliver two HIV antigens (his-p24 and his-Nef) on one particle. Female BALB/c mice were immunized by s.c. injection with his-Tat/Ni-NP formulation (1.5 μg Tat-his/mouse) and control formulations on day 0 and 14. The day 28 anti-Tat specific IgG titer with his-Tat/Ni-NP was significantly greater than that with Alum/his-Tat. Furthermore, splenocytes from his-Tat/Ni-NP immunized mice secreted significantly higher IFN-γ than those from mice immunized with Alum/his-Tat. Although Ni-NPs did not show better adjuvant activity …

Ethnographic Literary Journalism, Christel Lane Swasey

Theses and Dissertations

Leon Dash and Ted Conover have modeled an ethnographic approach to literary journalism. This approach combines literary journalism's compelling narrative techniques with ethnographic “naturalist-like” (Brewer, 2000) thoroughness and trustworthiness. Rosa Lee: A Mother in Urban America, by Leon Dash, and Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, by Ted Conover, exemplify this painstaking method that skillfully uses the narrative craft, generates trustworthy data, and contributes to an academic body of knowledge as well as exposing findings to the general public. Dash, Conover, and others have demonstrated the synergy and problem-solving potential of merging anthropology with literary journalism, yet there is no …