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The Duty To Rescue Space Tourists And Return Private Spacecraft, Mark J. Sundahl

Journal of Space Law

No abstract provided.

A Mounted Strengthening And Stretching Program To Prevent Musculoskeletal Injury In Equestrians, Abigail Guy

Senior Honors Projects

Equestrian sports use muscles uncommon to most normal daily activities. In beginning or returning riders this can lead to muscle strain and pain, and if not addressed, even to serious injury. This program is designed to stretch and strengthen the main muscle groups used in horseback riding: quadriceps, hamstrings, abdominals and obliques, and the lower back. The program is designed to be carried out during fifteen minutes of an hour-long riding lesson to prevent undue discomfort or injury. The counsel of a professional horseback riding instructor and a physical therapist was integrated with exercises from physical therapy resources. Proven stretching …

The Effects Of Tail Flukes On The Swimming Pattern Of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins, Lauri Leach

Senior Honors Projects

Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are top predators in the wild, due in part because they are excellent swimmers. When dolphins swim through the water, the tail flukes are moved in an up and down motion to propel the animal through the water. They use the pectoral fins for steering and braking, and the dorsal fin for stabilization as they swim. Using this style of swimming, Atlantic bottlenose dolphins can swim up to 25 miles per hour and leap 15 to 20 feet into the air.

During the spring of 2008, I was an intern at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida. …

Does Admission Hyperglycemia Predict Intracranial And Extracranial Vasculopathy?, Ather Mohammed Taqui, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal, Saqib Ali Gowani, Bhojo A Khealani, Shafquat Rozi

Community Health Sciences

Objective: To study the association between admission hyperglycaemia and the presence and pattern of intracranial and extracranial vascular disease.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a major tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Patients who had presented with acute stroke and had undergone a carotid ultrasound doppler of the carotids and/or Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) of the brain were included in the study. A multiple logistic regression analysis of variables was done for an abnormal finding on each investigation.
Results: Out of the total of 216 patients, the age of majority of the patients (83.3%) was >50 years …

Semi-Automated Techniques For The Retrieval Of Dermatological Condition In Color Skin Images, Ranxi Huang

Theses

Dermatologists base the diagnosis of skin disease on the visual assessment of the skin. This fact shows that correct diagnosis is highly dependent on the observer's experience and on his or her visual perception. Moreover, the human vision system lacks accuracy, reproducibility, and quantification in the way it gathers information from an image. So, there is a great need for computer-aided diagnosis. We propose a content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system to aid in the diagnosis of skin disease. First, after examining the skin images, pre-processing will be performed. Second, we examine the visual features for skin disease classified in the …

A Study On The Mechanisms Of Mercury Tolerance In The Cyanobacterium, Synechococcus Sp. Iu 625, Winder Bienvenido Perez

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Synechococcus sp. IU 625 (Anacystis nidulans) is a freshwater unicellular cyanobacterium and an obligate photoautotroph that readily harbors plasmids. This organism has been used in many studies to assess the effect of heavy metal toxicity as an environmental pollutant. In one of the few studies for strain IU 625, Simon isolated 4.7- MDa and 37-MDa plasmids in 1978. The relationship between these plasmids and the 7.6-kb and 46.6-kb plasmids of strain PCC 7942 is unknown. Primers designed based on the sequence of 46.6-kb plasmid pANL of PCC 7942 exhibited positive priming with isolated plasmid DNA from Syn. …

Analyzing The Binding Of Co(Ii)-Specific Inhibitors To The Methionyl Aminopeptidases From Escherichia Coli And Pyrococcus Furiosus, Sanghamitra Mitra, George Sheppard, Jieyi Wang, Brian Bennett, Richard C. Holz

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Methionine aminopeptidases (MetAPs) represent a unique class of protease that is capable of the hydrolytic removal of an N-terminal methionine residue from nascent polypeptide chains. MetAPs are physiologically important enzymes; hence, there is considerable interest in developing inhibitors that can be used as antiangiogenic and antimicrobial agents. A detailed kinetic and spectroscopic study has been performed to probe the binding of a triazole-based inhibitor and a bestatin-based inhibitor to both Mn(II)- and Co(II)-loaded type-I (Escherichia coli) and type-II (Pyrococcus furiosus) MetAPs. Both inhibitors were found to be moderate competitive inhibitors. The triazole-type inhibitor was found to …

Relationship Between Parental Role-Modeling Of Physical Activity And Child's Physical Activity, Katherine Culver

Theses and Dissertations

Trends in childhood obesity have lead to a generation that has a shortened lifespan, where excessive weight may decrease life expectancy by as much as five years. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for childhood obesity as well as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and cancer. Addressing inactivity in children could help keep the obesity epidemic from continuing to grow as well as help address other health concerns. The specific aims of this study are 1) To examine the effect of parental role-modeling of exercise on children’s activity level by specifically looking at the role of the mother and the father, …

Novel Analogs Of M-Chlorophenylguanidine As 5-Ht3 Receptor Ligands, Katie Alix

Theses and Dissertations

Serotonin receptors play a variety of functional roles in the body. Some indications and treatment claims for one of the classes of serotonin receptors, the 5-HT3 receptor family, include: anxiety, depression, chemotherapy- and radiation-induced emesis, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, pain, drug addiction, and satiety control. A 5-HT3 receptor partial agonist, MD-354, served as a lead compound in the development of new 5-HT3 receptor ligands. Using halogenated analogs the study investigated their effect on binding to the 5-HT3 receptor. Conformationally-constrained analogs (quinazolines) were shown to be a novel class of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists. The log P values were determined for several …

History Of Pregnancy Termination As A Risk Factor For Preterm Birth, Virginia 2000-20007, Jennifer Macdonald

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine if an association exists between prior induced and prior spontaneous pregnancy termination (PIPT and PSPT) and preterm birth (PTB) of first live births in Virginia. Methods: Data was collected by linking maternal data from Virginia’s live birth and fetal death registries. All first live, singleton births occurring in Virginia from 2000-2007 were analyzed. Logistic regression models that controlled for various demographic, medical and obstetric history factors were used to determine associations among prior pregnancy termination types. Results: Compared with women who had no history of previous pregnancy terminations, women who …

Delayed And Forgone Care For Children With Special Health Care Needs In Virginia: A Cross-Sectional Study Using 2005-2006 Ns-Cshcn, Nevena Skoro

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives The objectives of our study were to: 1) summarize illness characteristics and functional ability difficulties among Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) in Virginia, 2) examine the distribution of socio-demographic, health insurance, and health-related factors among Virginia’s CSHCN, 3) quantify the influence of these socio-demographic, health insurance, and health-related factors on delayed and forgone care of CSHNC in Virginia, and 4) analyze reasons for delayed and forgone care among Virginia’s CSHCN. Methods Data from the 2005-2006 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) were used for this study. Three categories of predictor variables were studied: …

The Small Molecule Bcl-2 Inhibitor Ha14-1 Potentiates The Lethality Of A Regimen Combining Mek1/2 And Chk1 Inhibitors In Multiple Myeloma Cells, Leena Youssefian

Theses and Dissertations

Previously, we have found that the co-administration of MEK1/2 inhibitors and Chk1 inhibitors synergistically induce multiple myeloma cell apoptosis through upregulation of the BH3-only pro-apoptotic protein Bim. However, these apoptotic events were largely blocked by the characteristic over-expression of Bcl-2 of Bcl-xL in multiple myeloma cells. HA14-1, a small molecule Bcl-2 inhibitor, may therefore circumvent this resistance to apoptosis by blocking Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL anti-apoptotic protein actions. In our project, we hypothesize that the co-administration of HA14-1 with MEK/Chk1 inhibitors will enhance apoptosis in multiple myeloma (MM) cells. To test this hypothesis, we exposed MM cells U266 and RPMI8226, or …

The Ants Of South Carolina, Timothy Davis

All Dissertations

The ants of South Carolina were surveyed in the literature, museum, and field collections using pitfall traps. M. R. Smith was the last to survey ants in South Carolina on a statewide basis and published his list in 1934. VanPelt and Gentry conducted a survey of ants at the Savanna River Plant in the 1970's. This is the first update on the ants of South Carolina since that time.
A preliminary list of ants known to occur in South Carolina has been compiled. Ants were recently sampled on a statewide basis using pitfall traps. Two hundred and forty-three (243) transects …

Roosting And Foraging Ecology Of Forest Bats In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Joy O'Keefe

All Dissertations

Although most bats in the southeastern United States depend on forests for roosting and foraging, we know little about the ecological requirements of bats that live in this region. The objective of this study was to use radio telemetry, acoustic sampling, Akaike's information theoretic procedures, occupancy modeling, and discriminant function analyses to: 1) examine multi-scale roost-site selection for three forest bat species [eastern pipistrelles (Perimyotis subflavus), eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), and northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis)], 2) test the effects of timber harvest on bat foraging ecology in riparian areas, and 3) compare and relate methods of assessing vegetative …

Surface And Bulk Modification Of Poly(Lactic Acid), Rahul Rasal

All Dissertations

The major drawbacks of PLA are its poor toughness and lack of readily reactable groups. Unfortunately, typical methods of PLA toughening are associated with significant modulus and/or ultimate tensile strength (UTS) loss. The main objective of this research was to toughen PLA, with minimal modulus and/or UTS loss, and introduce reactive groups into the PLA matrix in one step. Initially, this objective was divided into two separate parts: PLA surface modification followed by toughening.
PLA film was solvent cast from chloroform solution and was surface modified using a sequential two-step photografting approach. Benzophenone was photografted onto the film surface in …

Comparative Genomics And Molecular Evolution: New Genomic Resources For The Hymenoptera And Evolutionary Studies On The Genes Of The Nasonia Vitripennis Hox Complex., Monica Munoz-Torres

All Dissertations

Research on insects, the most successful group from all metazoans on earth, has important societal, as well as scientific benefits. Insects occupy a wide range of roles, which have an effect on human life either because the former pose serious threats to public health and commercial crops as well as in some cases represent the only way to propagate food resources. Despite their tremendous importance, insect genomics remained an uneven territory dominated by studies in the Drosophila group and the mosquitoes. This dissertation attempts to: 1) report on advances in the development and characterization of genomic tools for species of …

Comparative Morphological And Functional Analysis Of Wing Coupling And Related Structures In Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera), Ian Stocks

All Dissertations

Several orders of morphologically four-winged insects have evolved mechanisms that enforce a union between the mesothoracic and metathoracic wings (forewings and hindwings) during the wing beat cycle. Such mechanisms result in a morphologically tetrapterous insect flying as if it were functionally dipterous, and these mechanisms have been described for several insect orders. The caddisfly suborders Annulipalpia and Integripalpia (Trichoptera) have each evolved wing coupling apparati. At least three systems have evolved within the suborder Annulipalpia (Polycentropodidae; Hydropsychidae: Hydropsychinae, Macronematinae), and within Integripalpia the evolution of wing coupling mechanisms is diverse to the point that it defies simple enumeration into discrete …

Application Of Microsatellite/Ssr Markers For The Identification Of Peach Rootstocks And Chromosomal Regions Associated With The Response To Peach Tree Short Life Syndrome, Xiaoyu Liu

All Dissertations

Peach Tree Short Life (PTSL) is a complicated disease syndrome involving nematodes, temperature, soil conditions, pruning and secondary pathogens. The disease occurs commonly in the southeastern U.S., and possibly in other areas of the U.S., Europe, South America and South Africa as the related Bacterial Canker Complex. PTSL causes premature tree death during the 3rd or 4th year after planting, resulting in large economic losses for growers. Recently, Guardian® &lsquo BY520-9&rsquo rootstock was selected for its tolerance to PTSL; however, the genetic basis for this tolerance remains unknown.
Nemaguard, a PTSL susceptible rootstock, and Guardian® selection 3-17-7 were crossed. Each …

Metabolic Tracer Studies Of Linoleic And Linolenic Acids To Identify Biohydrogenation Intermediates Produced By Ruminal Microorganisms, Yong-Jae Lee

All Dissertations

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) have been shown to regulate many physiological functions affecting human health. These CLA can endogenously originate from trans fatty acids through the enzymatic activity of desaturase, or they are produced from dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids via the biohydrogenation process in the rumen. A minimum of seventeen CLA isomers have been identified in the intestinal contents of ruminants; however, the entire synthetic pathway for all isomers is not known. The objective of this study was to establish the number and identity of intermediates including CLA that originate from linoleic and linolenic acid biohydrogenation. To accomplish this objective, …

Functional Interaction Of Racf2 And The Wasp Family Protein, Scar, In The Rab8 Signaling Pathway Of The Social Amoeba, Dictyostelium Discoideum, Terri Bruce

All Dissertations

The small GTPase, Rab8, has been shown to play a role in cell-cell adhesion and restructuring of the actin cytoskeleton in both mammalian cells and the lower eukaryote, Dictyostelium discoideum. In D. discoideum, cells expressing constitutively activated Rab8 (Rab8CA) display reduced cell-cell adhesion and increased actin-rich protrusions as well as delayed aggregation. Rab8 has been implicated in the restructuring of the actin cytoskeleton, but no specific pathway for this action has been identified. In other systems, actin-rich membrane extension formation is regulated by WASp family proteins, including SCAR. Here we provide evidence of a functional relationship between the WASp family …

Rhetorical Inventions/Inventional Rhetorics: Opening Possibilities, Justin Hodgson

All Dissertations

This work seeks to open possibilities for rhetorical invention, or perhaps more accurately, to indicate how changes in technology (and the essences of technology) are opening radical possibilities not just for rhetorical invention but also for how we speak, how we think, or even how we live in our worlds. It traces shifts in rhetorical invention: beginning from primary oral cultures, which made linkages via a process of 'AND' or divine inspiration, represented by the +, to literate cultures (or print-cultures), which predominantly invent via analogy and discovery, represented by the =, and to electronic cultures, which revel in the …

Constructed Wetland Treatment System: An Approach For Mitigating Risks Of Flue Gas Desulfurization Waters, Derek Eggert

All Dissertations

Federal laws regarding ambient air quality are currently requiring industries to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxides (SO2). Coal-fired power plants have therefore begun implementing flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers that utilize a highly oxygenated water stream (calcium carbonate saturated water) to transform sulfur gases into soluble anion species (e.g. sulfite and sulfate). This FGD process also transfers potentially toxic constituents including arsenic, cadmium, chemical oxygen demand, copper, mercury, selenium, chloride, sulfates, and zinc into the scrubbing water. These scrubber waters, referred to as FGD waters, present an industrial problem due to the large volumes produced (378,000 to 1,900,000 L/day) and …

Alterations Of High-Energy Brain Metabolites Across Multiple Neurodegenerative Disorders, Jeremy W. Gawryluk

Theses and Dissertations

Brain energy metabolism is vital for many cellular processes including homeostasis and thus disturbances to metabolism can be the cause or consequence of neurodegeneration. Metabolic discrepancies have been hypothesized to be involved but less frequently demonstrated to be manipulated by acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and epilepsy. I hypothesized that cerebral energy levels are decreased in my model systems for Alzheimer's disease, Autism, Down syndrome, and HIV-1 dementia and that dietary treatments could enhance energy reserves and protect against neurodegenerative disease. For rodent studies, I utlilized a high-energy head focused microwave irradiation system to …

Does Admission Hyperglycemia Predict Intracranial And Extracranial Vasculopathy?, Ather Mohammed Taqui, Ayeesha Kamran Kamal, Saqib Ali Gowani, Bhojo A. Khealani, Shafquat Rozi

Department of Medicine

Objective: To study the association between admission hyperglycaemia and the presence and pattern of intracranial and extracranial vascular disease.
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a major tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Patients who had presented with acute stroke and had undergone a carotid ultrasound doppler of the carotids and/or Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) of the brain were included in the study. A multiple logistic regression analysis of variables was done for an abnormal finding on each investigation.
Results: Out of the total of 216 patients, the age of majority of the patients (83.3%) was >50 years …

The Reestablishment Of American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius), Mary Snow, Richard Snow

Publications

Conservation biology and restoration ecology are concerned not only with protecting fragile ecosystems but also with intervening in an attempt to repair what has been damaged largely through anthropogenic activities. As a result of high demand as a medicinal herb and the failure of harvesters to conserve, the federal government has placed American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) on the list of plants that may be in danger of extinction. Ginseng favors a habitat ranging from 30 to 50 degrees north latitude and minimum cold cycles of 45 days with temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius. Other specific criteria include 20 inches of …

Close Encounters Of A Meaningful Intercultural Kind: Enhancing Deep-Level Diversity In Voluntary Organizations On College Campuses, Ruth Sessler Bernstein

Student Scholarship

We propose qualitative research to understand how majority and minority undergraduate college students construe meaningful intercultural experiences (MIEs)\, under what circumstances these experiences are likely to occur\, and to what extent they lead to deep-level diversity in voluntary organizations. This research will facilitate greater understanding of the enabling and constraining factors that affect MIEs. The conceptual framework for this research focuses on individuals engaging in sustained interactions of favorable contact with diverse group members who are willing to move outside of their “comfort zones” and develop cross-cultural skills. The interview sample will focus on undergraduate student members and alumni of …

The Role Of Local Cluster Agents As Key Determinants In Knowledge Creation, Absorption And Retention In Regional Biotechnology Industrial Clusters, Francisco Montalvo

Student Scholarship

Industrial clusters and innovation systems have been the focus of considerable academic research. Similarly, general research on knowledge creation is abundant, but the literature on knowledge absorption, transfer and retention on a regional level is limited. A better appreciation of knowledge creation, absorption and retention as determinants of industrial cluster success may be of value to industry decision makers, policy makers, and researchers seeking mechanisms for promoting innovation and preventing the flight of locally generated knowledge. Knowledge retention is assumed to be a source of innovation and a key determinant of knowledge diffusion and exploitation, local and multinational firm performance, …

Completing Chemistry Taks Objective 4(9d): The Effect Of Flash Animation, Judith B. Dano

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the effect of flash animation on learning effectiveness. The main goal of the study was to verify if using flash animation on learning chemistry concepts particularly Chemistry TAKS Objective 4 (9D) will have an impact on students learning achievement. The subjects in this study were 10th grade students from PSJA Memorial High School. Two class sections were randomly assigned as the treatment group each with 20 subjects (n=40) and another two class sections were assigned as the control group (n=40). The treatment group was exposed to flash animation while the control group had the traditional lecture type …

Evaluation Of Streptomycetes For Biological Control Of Gummy Stem Blight Disease Of Cantaloupe, Shima Chaudhary

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Streptomyces isolates for the biological control of gummy stem blight (GSB) in cantaloupes (Cucumis melo var. ‘Primo’) in south Texas. Plants were monitored for seedling emergence, lesions, mortality and plant growth under laboratory, greenhouse and field conditions. Comparison of treatment groups indicated a significant reduction in plant mortality and enhanced growth of infected plants exposed to three Streptomyces isolates (MA1F4#2, WI1B#5, and MA2A4 #2), which appear to be most effective when used in combination. In all three experiments, GSB infection was associated with a significant reduction in reflectance of near-infrared wavelengths (700-1,100 …

Synculturation: The Residual Variable Of Bilingualism, Claudia Coronado

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The language acquisition system is intricate; bilingualism is the meta-synthetic process of culture elements, linguistic components and cognitive abilities. Proficiency in a second language is not only the recognition of environmental elements in that language, but an ability that requires the mutation of different components. We cannot perceive the phenomenon of bilingualism in a linguistic isolated perspective. The purpose of the study was to find the interconnectedness of linguistic proficiency, cultural elements, and cognitive development. The cognitive advantages associated with balanced bilingualism should not be uniquely explained by the isolation of language proficiency. The referential packages of the cultural synthesis …