Digital Commons Network^™

Postnatal Dental Mineralization: A Comparative Analysis Of Dental Development Among Contemporary Populations Of The Southeastern United States, Meryle Akeara Dotson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Due to the strong genetic component of dental development, research has shown that mineralization patterns of the human dentition are relatively buffered against environmental influences that normally affect bone growth and development. It is because of this resistance to environmental factors and the continuous growth of the permanent dentition throughout childhood and adolescence that the evaluation of dental development patterns has become the preferred method of age estimation in living and deceased children.

Researchers (Harris and Mckee 1990; Tompkins 1996; Blankenship et al. 2007; Kasper et al. 2009) have suggested that the timing of dental development varies by …

The Effects Of Pre-Exercise Carbohydrate Supplementation On Resistance Training Performance During An Acute Resistance Training Session, Kelly Raposo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It appears that "carbohydrate loading" may enhance the performance of resistance training, but studies on CHO supplementation prior to a resistance-training bout are limited and have resulted in conflicting findings. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of pre-exercise CHO supplementation on high-intensity (>75% 1RM) resistance training performance for resistance-trained women during an acute bout of resistance exercise. METHODS: Thirteen resistance trained female participants (21.9 ± 4.8 yrs; 64.5 ± 3.0 in; 137.0 ± 14.8 lbs) came to the Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory on three separate occasions; the day of the Familiarization Trial (FT) and the two Exercise Testing sessions …

Egyptian Body Size: A Regional And Worldwide Comparison, Michelle H. Raxter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human body size and limb proportions can provide important information about adaptation, population movements, and health disparities. This study investigated changes in body size and limb proportions of adult Egyptians temporally and geographically in relation to climatological, sociopolitical and economic developments. It was predicted that Egyptian groups that experienced more environmental stress would be shorter and exhibit less sexual dimorphism. It was also predicted that Egyptians would be intermediate between higher and lower latitude populations in body form and limb length ratios. The main skeletal sample consisted of 492 males and 528 females, all adults from the Predynastic and Dynastic …

Characterization Of Aminopeptidase Pepz In Staphylococcus Aureus Virulence, Tiffany Marie Robison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a remarkably successful pathogen, accounting for an estimated 95,000 invasive infections annually in the U.S. alone. The burden of MRSA infections on public healthcare continues to rise, particularly with the continued spread of antibiotic resistant strains and the hyper-virulent CA-MRSA strains. The pathogenic nature of S. aureus can be attributed to the cache of virulence factors encoded within the genome of this organism. Typically, these are secreted toxins which directly interact with the host during infection, and facilitate pathogenesis. A previous screen in our laboratory investigating proteases in S. aureus identified a mutant in aminopeptidase Z as …

Evaluating The Get Into Fitness Today (Gift) Program: Weight Loss And The Roles Of Education And Empowerment, Emily Koby Novicki

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of Get Into Fitness Today (GIFT), a health program for adults that promotes balanced nutrition, physical activity, and weight loss through weekly meetings that provide education and social support. In addition to investigating the effects of GIFT, this evaluation sought to better understand explanatory models used by participants and program staff, and the roles of education and empowerment in weight loss and health education. This mixed methods, case study evaluation consisted of quantitative analysis of existing program records for 664 participants, 40 hours of participant observation of class sessions with ten GIFT groups, and follow-up …

The Effect Of Various Carbohydrate Supplements On Postprandial Blood Glucose Response In Female Soccer Players, Nina Pannoni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of different types of carbohydrates on blood glucose response in collegiate soccer athletes at rest. This will help to determine the effectiveness of a carbohydrate supplement in providing sustained energy and maintained performance if ingested prior to a soccer match. METHODS: In a cross-over design, 10 female collegiate soccer players (n= 10, age 20.10 ± .99 years, height 65.55 ± 2.77 inches, weight 64.12 ± 8.36 kilograms) from the University of South Florida reported to the laboratory on five separate occasions after an overnight fast. Once a baseline blood …

Perceptions Of Five Low-Income Parents On School Readiness, Roanne Eugenia Malm

Theses and Dissertations

This small-scale qualitative study explored the perceptions of five low-income mothers regarding their child's readiness for kindergarten. The study has the potential to help early childhood advocates and other stakeholders (a) understand how low-income environments influence school readiness, (b) understand the aspirations low-income parents have for their children, (c) discover ways to improve the transition to school for economically disadvantaged children, and (d) engage parents in a more equitable manner--ultimately helping all children start kindergarten with success.

Parents selected for this study had a child age 4-5 who was the oldest child in the family, on a Head Start waiting …

Gvsu Undergraduate And Graduate Catalog, 2011-2012, Grand Valley State University

Course Catalogs, 1963 - Current

Grand Valley State University 2011-2012 undergraduate and/or graduate course catalog published annually to provide students with information and guidance for enrollment.

Educational Evaluation Of Cybersmart Detectives: Final Report: Presented To The Australian Communications And Media Authority (Acma), Julian Dooley, Laura Thomas, Sarah Falconer, Donna Cross, Stacey Waters

Research outputs 2011

The aim of the Australian Communications and Media Authority‟s (ACMA) Cybersmart Detectives (CSD) activity is to teach children key Internet safety messages in a safe school environment. The activity brings together a number of agencies with an interest in promoting online safety for young people, including education, State and Federal Police, government and child welfare advocates. The activity has been played by over 28, 000 students in Australia since initial trials in 2004.

Cybersmart Detectives is offered free to schools by the ACMA as part of the Australian Government‟s commitment to cyber-safety. Based on a real-world Internet safety scenario, the …

Impact Of A Wellness Clinic Visit On Cardiovascular Risk Biomarkers In Employees Of A Va Medical Center, Margaret Asomaning

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Worksite screening programs are increasingly being provided by employers as a means to reduce cardiovascular risk in employees. A screening program that consists of fasting serum analysis of glucose plus a lipid panel is offered yearly to employees at the VA medical center in Tampa. A retrospective study was conducted to determine if a wellness clinic exposure resulted in significant changes in employees' markers of cardiovascular risk.

Methods: Computerized records were used to follow serial outcomes for glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol in employees whose screening results showed abnormal levels of one or more of …

Flexibility In The Foraging Strategies Of Spiders, Ximena J. Nelson, Robert R. Jackson

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Although many spiders build prey-capture webs, spider foraging strategies include species that, instead of building webs, deploy silk in other ways for prey capture. Additionally, there are species that capture prey, either by ambush or by active pursuit, without making notable use of silk in the process. There are striking examples of predatory specialisation from spiders, particularly among the Salticidae, suggesting that assumptions about adaptive trade-offs, in which the small nervous systems of spiders might constrain their cognitive or sensory abilities, need to be carefully evaluated. Predatory versatility, whereby an individual spider adopts a conditional strategy with which it classifies …

Functional Metagenomic Investigations Of The Human Intestinal Microbiota, Aimee M. Moore, Christian Munck, Morten O.A Sommer, Gautam Dantas

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Molecular Phylogenetic Characterization Of Symbiotic Microbiota In The Intestinal Tracts Of Wild Lepidopteran Stem Borer Eldana Saccharina Walker (Pyralidae), James Gitari Kabii J

All Master’s Theses

Intestinal tracts of plant feeding insects are potentially important sources of novel biocatalysts. However, the microbial populations in these guts, especially in the Lepidoptera, are not well characterized. In this study, thirty two (32) bacterial isolates from homogenized guts of late irtstar larvae of Eldana saccharina from papyrus rhizomes and infested sugarcane stalks were assayed for their ability to utilize alpha cellulose and sugarcane bagasse as sole carbon sources. All isolates were viable for 14 days in liquid fermentation cultures. The microbial isolates were also characterized by a combination of microbiological and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. In addition, microbial …

Aku-Nama : Winter 2011, Volume 4, Issue 2, Aga Khan University Alumni Association

The Aga Khan University Newsletter and Magazine for Alumni (AKU-NAMA)

No abstract provided.

Anxiety, Knowledge And Help: A Model For How Black And White College Students Search For Hiv/Aids Information On The Internet, Kim Smith

The Qualitative Report

Using the "think aloud" protocol, which allows for the collection of data in real time, the researcher audio taped comments from 13 white college students from a predominately white university in the Southeastern United States and 15 black students from a predominately black university, as they explained how they searched for HIV/AIDS information on the Internet. A grounded theory analysis of the tapes revealed a three-stage model that students progressed through as they searched for HIV/AIDS information on the Internet. That model also revealed that all of the white students searched for general information about HIV/AIDS on the Internet, while …

Postural And Spinal Disorders: Do They Affect The Normal Swallow?, Jenny M. Howard

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Combining Stimulus Fading, Escape Extinction, And Differential Reinforcement To Treat Food Selectivity In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Katrina E. Olle

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

The Response Of Tall Fescue And Its Fungal Endophyte To Climate Change, Glade Blythe Brosi

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Tall fescue is the most common cool-season grass in the eastern USA, with broad economic and ecological importance to the region. Tall fescue is known to associate with a fungal endophyte, Neotyphodium coenophialum, whose presence can decrease biotic and abiotic stress experienced by the plant. This thesis evaluates the response of tall fescue and the fungal endophyte symbiosis to predicted climate change. I participated in two multi-factor climate change projects where I investigated the response of tall fescue tissue chemistry and growth to various climate change factors. Endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue had decreased alkaloid production under elevated CO_{2 …}

Part-I Characterization Of Phorbol Ester; The Predominant Toxic Component Of Jathropha Curcas And Development Of An Efficient Process For The Detoxification Of Jathropha Curcas Meal Part-Ii Quantification Of 2-Hydroxy-4-(Methylthio) Butanoic Acid And Pantothenic Acid In Bovine Serum And Sea Water Matrices, Balaji Viswanathan

Doctoral Dissertations

"Jatropha curcas is has often been touted as the most sustainable biofuel source. Jatropha curcas is a drought resistant perennial plant belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family. Interest in this plant as a biofuel source is related to high lipid (triglyceride) content of its seeds. However, economics of jatropha as a biofuel source has been marred by the toxicity of the oil and its protein rich meal. As a result of high toxicity the protein rich meal is used only as a very low or no economic value organic fertilizer. Economic return from jatropha can be dramatically enhanced through development of …

Unf Journal Winter 2011, University Of North Florida

UNF Journal

A university periodical for alumni and friends of the University of North Florida.

The Colorado Profile: Prioritizing Funding And Integration, Center For Public Health Systems Science, Jennifer Cameron, Lana Wald, Laura Bach

Center for Public Health Systems Science

This Colorado case study/profile presents findings from an evaluation that aimed to understand how evidence-based guidelines were disseminated, adopted, and used within state tobacco control programs.

Higher Education: Baseline Policy Assessment, Center For Public Health Systems Science, Sarah Moreland-Russell, Bobbi Carothers, Doneisha Snider

Center for Public Health Systems Science

This report from the CPPW project presents the findings from a baseline assessment of tobacco policies in a sample of institutions of higher education in St. Louis County and City. A comprehensive evaluation plan has been developed to examine both process and outcome measures for the Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant, including changes in college/university tobacco policies.

Healthy & Active Programs And Policies Evaluation: System Manual, Center For Public Health Systems Science, Laura Brossart, Chris Robichaux, Bobbi Carothers, Doug Luke, Dan Gentry

Center for Public Health Systems Science

The Healthy and Active Programs and Policies Evaluation (HAPPE) System is the data collection system for the MFH Healthy and Active Communities Initiative (H&AC) evaluation. The primary goals of the system are to serve as a centralized location to submit data, monitor progress over time, generate reports to meet program needs, and to allow the H&AC Evaluation Team to collect data across all H&AC programs.

Faust: Ein Bildungsdrama, Florian Breitkopf

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

Urban League Of Central Carolinas – Civil Rights Organizations In A New Era: An Action Research Study Of One Organization’S Pursuit Of New Strategies, Harry L. Alston

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

What leadership approaches and operational strategies should traditional civil rights organizations, like the Urban League, undertake to in this post-civil rights era? Specifically at the local level, what expectations must the Urban League of Central Carolinas satisfy to reassert its leadership in Charlotte? In recent years, an increasing array of social enterprises across different sectors has emerged to address failures in civil society. Civil rights organizations have long served a niche in the battle for an equitable society. However, the role of civil rights organizations in community revitalization has been diffuse and subject to fundraising constraints. I undertook this action …

Application Of Response Surface Methodology For Studying The Influence Of Hydrothermal Processing On The Phytochemical Constituents Of Irish Edible Brown Seaweed, Sabrina Cox, Shilpi Gupta, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

We used response surface methodology to investigate the effect of time and temperature of hydrothermal processing (blanching) on the phytochemical content, texture and colour
of a semi-dried brown seaweed ( Himanthalia elongata ). A central composite design was employed with a hydrothermal processing time of 10 – 30 min and temperature of 60 – 90 ° C. Predicted models were found to be signifi cant for total phenolic
content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, total fl avonoids, total condensed tannins, texture and colour. The predicted values for each of the responses were in good agreement with experimental values. Processing time had …

Effect Of Processing Conditions On Phytochemical Constituents Of Edible Irish Seaweed Himanthalia Elongata., Sabrina Cox, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam, Shilpi Gupta

Articles

Seaweed iswell recognized as an excellent source of phytochemicals. This study was a preliminary screening to investigate the effects of various food processing methods on the phytochemicals of Himanthalia elongata. Hydrothermal processing was carried out until an edible texture was achieved. The total phenolic content (TPC) of fresh H. elongata was 175.27 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g fresh weight (FW) while boiling significantly reduced the TPC to 25.4 mg GAE/100 g FW
(P < 0.05).A drying pretreatment before boiling reduced the cooking time therefore leading to less leaching of antioxidants upon boiling. In terms of extract, drying of H. elongata followed by boiling had the most significant effect on the phytochemicals as TPC increased by 174%. Boiled extracts had the most effective 2, 2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity (EC50 of 12.5 mg/mL). As a comparison, seaweed subjected to the same treatments was studied in terms of antimicrobial activity.Overall, extracts fromfresh H. elongata achieved the highest inhibition.

Application Of Principal Component And Hierarchical Cluster Analysis To Classify Different Spices Based On In-Vitro Antioxidant Activity And Individual Polyphenolic Antioxidant Compounds, Mohammad Hossain, Ankit Patras, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Nigel Brunton

Articles

This study investigated the variations in antioxidant profiles between spices using pattern recognition tools; classification was achieved based on the results of global antioxidant activity assays (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH], oxygen radical absorbance capacity [ORAC], ferric reducing antioxidant power [FRAP], microsomal lipid peroxidation [MLP] and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) [ABTS]), levels of different polyphenolic compounds (gallic acid [GA], carnosol [CAR], carnosic acid [CRA], caffeic acid [CA], rosmarinic acid [RA], luteolin-7-O-glucoside [LOG], apigenin-7-O-glucoside [APOG] and total phenols [TP]) of spices namely rosemary, oregano, marjoram, sage, basil, thyme, fennel, celery, cumin and parsley, commonly consumed in Ireland were analyzed. Rosemary showed the highest antioxidant activity measured …

Single-Molecule Imaging Studies Of Protein Dynamics, Shannon Kian Zareh

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Single-molecule fluorescence imaging is a powerful method for studying biological events. The work of this thesis primarily focuses on single molecule studies of the dynamics of Green Fluorescent Protein: GFP) and other fluorescent-labeled proteins by utilizing Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence: TIRF) microscopy and imaging. The single molecule experiments of this thesis covered three broad topics. First, the adsorption mechanisms of proteins onto hydrophobic and hydrophilic fused silica surfaces were imaged and reversible and irreversible adsorption mechanisms were observed. The second topic covered a new technique for measuring the diffusion coefficient of Brownian diffusing proteins, in particular GFP, in solution via …

Eating Disorder Metaphors: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis Of Women's Experiences, Rachael Brooke Goren-Watts

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Eating disorders have reached epidemic levels in the United States and cause immense pain and suffering. Given the high fatality and relapse rates of eating disorders, as well as the numerous medical complications associated with them, it is useful to know more about how individuals view their eating disorder, and the meaning making during the recovery process in order to better understand the experience. Narrative theory, and specifically the metaphors women use to story their experience, enrich our understanding of eating disorders within a social constructionist lens. This qualitative meta-synthesis utilizes hermeneutics and identifies and describes the metaphors that women …