Digital Commons Network^™

Challenges In Stem Cell Therapy: Bench-To-Bedside, Varunkumar G. Pandey, Michael Karsy

Quill & Scope

The article is a review of stem cell research and some of the challenges before the technology can become realizable patient therapy. We tried to make it a general review for individuals from various backgrounds.

Nonmetric Trait Correlation: A Look At Environmental And Biological Influences On Third Trochanter Formation Among Pre-Contact Upper Midwest Populations, Sarah Jean Binkley

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Nonmetric traits of the human skeleton are thought to correlate with genetic and/or environmental influences; however, to what extent each may affect the presence of nonmetric traits has not been clearly substantiated in the literature. Nonmetric traits as defined by Larsen are, "discrete or quasi-continuous anatomical entities often expressed as gradations from absence to full expression" (1997:305). More precisely, nonmetric traits are anomalies that express themselves in the skeleton and are recorded as absent or present. A third trochanter is one of many nonmetric traits present in the femur and is defined by Finnegan as, "a rounded tubercle that can …

Student Examination Performance Predictors: The Cramming Study Strategy And Examination Format, Andrea Haberman

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Examinations that consist of varied formats are distributed to students across educational institutions to measure individual performance and achievement. Previous research studies that investigated the effects of cramming and the usage of different exam formats were examined and summarized in a comprehensive literature review. Findings suggest that students commonly use the cramming study strategy as a method of preparation for exams. Yet the effectiveness of cramming remains a subject of controversy among educators. Little to no research has been conducted to determine whether cramming is engaged in response to a given exam format. This author concludes from a review of …

Rhetorical Analysis Of Public Policy Rhetoric: Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act Of 2004 And 2010, Julie Ann Stella

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In this research, I employed content analysis using the constant comparative method to examine and comment on the rhetoric of public policy and its audiences of specialists and generalists in the context of participative government. I examined the specific case of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act (CNR) by comparing technical report texts from 2004 and 2010 to reveal and contrast their specialist and generalist features. Unique attributes of the rhetoric of public policy are discussed, particularly authorship and recursion. I organized the research findings into physical features, affective features, and cognitive features according to Carliner's framework of information design (2000). …

Shift Work Is A Source Of Stress Among Military Police In Amazon, Brazil, Eduardo L. Franca, Nubia A. Silva, Rosaline R. Lunardi, Adenilda C. Honorio-Franca, Carlos K. Ferrari

Neurosciences

No abstract provided.

The Roots Of Psychology In Early Philosophy, Elysse B. Arnold

USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Analysis Of Genomic Evolution, Cedric Green

Undergraduate Journal of Mathematical Modeling: One + Two

Changes in nucleotide sequences, or mutations, accumulate from generation to generation in the genomes of all living organisms. The mutations can be advantageous, deleterious, or neutral. The goal of this project is to determine the amount of advantageous mutations it takes to get human (Homo sapiens) DNA from the DNA of genetically distinct organisms. We do this by collecting the genomic data of such organisms, and estimating the amount of mutations it takes to transform yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) DNA to the DNA of a human. We calculate the typical number of mutations occurring annually through the organism's average life span …

Heterogeneous Modeling Of Medical Image Data Using B-Spline Functions, Olya Grove

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ongoing developments in the field of medical imaging modalities have pushed the frontiers of modern medicine and biomedical engineering, prompting the need for new applications to improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases.

Biomedical data visualization and modeling rely predominately on manual processing and utilization of voxel and facet based homogeneous models. Biological structures are naturally heterogeneous and in order to accurately design and biomimic biological structures, properties such as chemical composition, size and shape of biological constituents need to be incorporated in the computational biological models.

Our proposed approach involves generating a density point cloud based on the intensity …

Utilizing Probabilistic Reinforcement To Enhance Participation In Parent Training, Errity Jones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parental participation in parent training programs is necessary for success in behavioral parent training. Prior literature has demonstrated probabilistic reinforcement as an effective intervention for improving a wide variety of behaviors. In the present study, a probabilistic reinforcement program (i.e., lottery) was implemented in order to evaluate its efficacy as part of a behavioral parent training program. The behaviors targeted for increase included attendance, participation, homework completion, and performing role-plays or completing in-class assignments for two 10 week Tools for Positive Behavior Change courses. Participants earned lottery tickets for each of the dependent measures, and drawings took place at the …

Stress-Strain Management Of Heteroepitaxial Polycrystalline Silicon Carbide Films, Christopher William Locke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Silicon carbide (SiC) is one of the hardest known materials and is also, by good fortune, a wide bandgap semiconductor. While the application of SiC for high-temperature and high-power electronics is fairly well known, its utility as a highly robust, chemically-inert material for microelectrical mechanical systems (MEMS) is only beginning to be well recognized. SiC can be grown on both native SiC substrates or on Si using heteroepitaxial growth methods which affords the possibility to use Si micromachining methods to fabricate advanced SiC MEMS devices.

The control of film stress in heteroepitaxial silicon carbide films grown on polysilicon-on-oxide substrates has …

A Response To John H. Walton's Lost World Of Genesis One, Jacques B. Doukhan

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

Regulating Reproduction: The Problem With Best Interests, I. Glenn Cohen

Minnesota Law Review, Vols. 1-106:1 (1917-2021)

No abstract provided.

The Ethics Of Shaping Perceptions Of Reality: What Journalists Can Learn From Cartographers And Shamans, Christopher J. Dorsey

USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate)

Journalism has the unique ability to shape the public’s perception of reality. Because humans are limited in experience and knowledge, an understanding of the world is shaped by what information is available to each individual. As a major societal institution, journalism has a public forum with which to release relevant, timely and useful information that can influence these perceptions. When it comes to building perceptions of reality, there are potential harms that can arise such as enhancing fear, confusion, stress, and building a worldview that can lead to uninformed or destructive decisions. Essentially, a journalist has as much ability to …

Anthropogenic Changes Over The Last 100 Years In Dove Sound, Upper Florida Keys, Usa, Thomas S. Harmon

USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate)

Dove Sound located near Key Largo, Florida (USA) was investigated to determine potential anthropogenic influences from land use alteration such as highway and residential developments. The sediment load and nutrient flux was investigated using 210Pb dating of a sediment core, combined with stable isotope values δ15N, δ13C and pigment analysis. A 210Pb CRS model 130 year horizon was determined for the upper 12cm of the core. Mass sedimentation rates over this time period increased approximately 10 fold from 5.0 ±0.97 mg cm-2 yr-1 (10-12cm depth interval) to 48.58±3.61 mg cm-2 yr-1 (0-1cm depth interval). Reduction in the atomic C/N values …

Faculty Library Satisfaction Survey 2010/11, Kaya Van Beynen, Carol G. Hixson

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Public Services Department : Annual Report : 2011 - 2012, Tina M. Neville, Kaya Van Beynen, Carol G. Hixson

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Maladjustment And Power Conceptualisation Of Diversity In Organisations: Implications For Cultural Stigmatisation And Expatriate Effectiveness, Arthur D. Martinez, Gerald R. Ferris, Sharon Segrest, Ronald M. Buckley

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

Belonging to a group that is in the minority in an organization (e.g., racial, cultural) inherently puts individuals at a social disadvantage among the majority group, which can position them in ways so as not to be able to build political skill and acquire power and influence in organizations. Those in the minority must feel genuinely committed to their groups while simultaneously leveraging opportunities outside their groups, if they are to secure and maintain personal power. The propositions provided in this conceptualization argue that individuals who are less committed to their group tend to be significantly more personally maladjusted, which, …

Common Law Constitutional Interpretation: A Critique, Brannon P. Denning

Constitutional Commentary, Vols 1–36 (1984–2022)

Book Review of The living Constitution. By David A. Strauss. Oxford University Press. 2010. Pp. xviii + 150. Reviewed by Brannon P. Denning.

From Kyoto To Quito: Reassessing Oil Moratorium As An Effective Climate Change Policy From A Property-Based Approach, Patrick Wieland

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

The Synthesis, Optical Properties And Biological Applications Of Mn2+, Cu2+ And Ag+ Doped Zns Nanoparticles, Lun Ma

Physics Dissertations - Archive

As a typical wide-band gap IIB-VI semiconductor, ZnS and ZnS based materials have been extensively studied and used in a variety of applications such as electroluminescence and cathodoluminescence displays, solar cells, and other optoelectronic devices. The most attractive feature of ZnS is its ability to be doped with most transition and/or rare earth metal ions, which allows a wide range of tunable electronic and optical properties. The nanosized ZnS based particles perform unique physical and chemical properties that dramatically differ from their bulk materials due to quantum size confinement. In this dissertation, Mn2+, Cu2+ and Ag+ doped ZnS water soluble …

Racial Disparities And Capital Sentencing As Perceived By Criminology And Criminal Justice Students, Hubert Kanda Lumbala

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses - Archive

The purpose of this study is to examine the difference of perceptions of criminology and criminal justice (CRCJ) male students in comparison with their female counterparts on possible race factor in death penalty sentencing. The data in this study were obtained from a sample of 100 male and female CRCJ students enrolled in CRCJ courses during the semester of fall 2010 at the University of Texas at Arlington, located in north Texas. The findings in this research suggest that there is a little significant difference of knowledge among both male and female CRCJ students as pertaining to the death penalty, …

Intra-Specific Variation Across A Small Temperature Difference In The Spider Rabidosa Rabida (Araneae: Lycosidae) From The Mountains In Arkansas, Ryan Joseph Stork

Biology Dissertations - Archive

Temperature affects all levels of biological organization and ultimately affects multiple aspects of ecological performance and fitness. Generalist arthropod predators are ectothermic and are strongly affected by temperature in ways that are not fully understood. Descriptions of thermal ecology of important generalist arthropod predators are, therefore, essential pieces of information for studying ecology in changing thermal environments. Rabidosa rabida is a wolf spider that inhabits much of the eastern United States and plays an important role as a generalist predator of large herbivorous arthropods. This study makes the first description of the thermal ecology of R. rabida. A description of …

Targeting Of Site-Specific Non-Ltr Retrotransposons: Role Of Amino-Terminal Domains, Haridha Shivram

Biology Theses - Archive

Restriction-like endonuclease (RLE) bearing non-LTR retrotransposons are site-specificelements that integrate into the genome through target primed reverse transcription (TPRT). RLE-bearing elements have been used as a model system for investigating non-LTR retrotransposon integration. R2 elements target a specific site in the 28S rDNA gene. We previously demonstrated that the two major sub-classes of R2 (R2-A and R2-D) target the R2 insertion site in an opposing manner with regard to the pairing of known DNA binding domains and bound sequences―indicating that the A- and D-clades represent independently derived modes of targeting that site. Elements have been discovered that group phylogenetically with …

A Biochemical Approach To Determine The Target Site Recognition Mechanism Of The R2 Retrotransposable Elements, Blaine K. Thompson

Biology Theses - Archive

Non-LTR Retrotransposons (NLRs) are selfish mobile genetic elements which parasitize the genomes of many organisms including humans. These elements transpose through an RNA intermediate and integrate directly into their genomic site using reverse transcription, a process called Target Primed Reverse Transcription (TPRT). Members of this family of transposons are abundant in the genomes of many eukaryotes including mammals, reptiles, fish, and insects. Several NLR family members such as R2 and NeSL-1 avoid causing deleterious mutations by specifically targeting repetitive genomic loci such as the 28S ribosomal DNA gene and the Spliced leader-1 exon respectively. This literature review focuses on the …

Scalable Parallel Processing Of Multi-Objective Optimized Dna Sequence Assembly, Munib Ahmed

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Bioinformatics is an emerging branch of science where issues pertaining to molecular biology are evaluated and resolved by leveraging the techniques and algorithms devised in the field of computer science. Most of these issues are due to the enormous amount of data and the computational complexity involved in generating expeditious and qualitatively viable solutions. This poses a challenge to the algorithm developers who must strive to achieve multiple conflicting objectives of processing very large dataset with the highest accuracy possible while keeping the execution time to a minimum. Genome assembly is one such problem in bioinformatics where a DNA sequence …

Broad Surveys Of Dna Viral Diversity Obtained Through Viral Metagenomics Of Mosquitoes, Terry Fei Fan Ng, Dana Willner, Yan Wei Lim, Robert Schmieder, Betty Chau, Christina Nilsson, Simon Anthony, Yijun Ruan, Forest Rohwer, Mya Breitbart

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Viruses are the most abundant and diverse genetic entities on Earth; however, broad surveys of viral diversity are hindered by the lack of a universal assay for viruses and the inability to sample a sufficient number of individual hosts. This study utilized vector-enabled metagenomics (VEM) to provide a snapshot of the diversity of DNA viruses present in three mosquito samples from San Diego, California. The majority of the sequences were novel, suggesting that the viral community in mosquitoes, as well as the animal and plant hosts they feed on, is highly diverse and largely uncharacterized. Each mosquito sample contained a …

Phage Encoded H-Ns: A Potential Achilles Heel In The Bacterial Defence System, Connor Skennerton, Florent Angly, Mya Breitbart, Lauren Bragg, Shaomei He, Katherine Mcmahon, Philip Hugenholtz, Gene Tyson

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The relationship between phage and their microbial hosts is difficult to elucidate in complex natural ecosystems. Engineered systems performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR), offer stable, lower complexity communities for studying phage-host interactions. Here, metagenomic data from an EBPR reactor dominated by Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis (CAP), led to the recovery of three complete and six partial phage genomes. Heat-stable nucleoid structuring (H-NS) protein, a global transcriptional repressor in bacteria, was identified in one of the complete phage genomes (EPV1), and was most similar to a homolog in CAP. We infer that EPV1 is a CAP-specific phage and has the potential …

Mechanism Of Resistance To Dietary Cholesterol, Lindsey R. Boone, Patricia A. Brooks, Melissa I. Niesen, Gene C. Ness

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Background. Alterations in expression of hepatic genes that could contribute to resistance to dietary cholesterol were investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats, which are known to be resistant to the serum cholesterol raising action of dietary cholesterol. Methods. Microarray analysis was used to provide a comprehensive analysis of changes in hepatic gene expression in rats in response to dietary cholesterol. Changes were confirmed by RT-PCR analysis. Western blotting was employed to measure changes in hepatic cholesterol 7α hydroxylase protein. Results. Of the 28,000 genes examined using the Affymetrix rat microarray, relatively few were significantly altered. As expected, decreases …

Analyzing And Mapping Sweat Metabolomics By High-Resolution Nmr Spectroscopy, Viktor P. Kutyshenko, Maxim Molchanov, Peter Beskaravayny, Vladimir N. Uversky, Maria A. Timchenko

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

The content of human sweat is studied by high-resolution NMR, and the majority of organic components most often found in sweat of conditionally healthy people are identified. Original and simple tools are designed for sweat sampling from different areas of human body. The minimal surface area needed for sampling is in the range of 50–100 cm2. On all the surface parts of the human body examined in this work, the main constituents forming a sweat metabolic profile are lactate, glycerol, pyruvate, and serine. The only exception is the sole of the foot (planta pedis), where trace amounts of …

Predictive Power Estimation Algorithm (Ppea) - A New Algorithm To Reduce Overfitting For Genomic Biomarker Discovery, Jiangang Liu, Robert A. Jolly, Aaron T. Smith, George H. Searfoss, Keith M. Goldstein, Vladimir N. Uversky, Keith Dunker, Shuyu Li, Craig E. Thomas, Tao Wei

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Toxicogenomics promises to aid in predicting adverse effects, understanding the mechanisms of drug action or toxicity, and uncovering unexpected or secondary pharmacology. However, modeling adverse effects using high dimensional and high noise genomic data is prone to over-fitting. Models constructed from such data sets often consist of a large number of genes with no obvious functional relevance to the biological effect the model intends to predict that can make it challenging to interpret the modeling results. To address these issues, we developed a novel algorithm, Predictive Power Estimation Algorithm (PPEA), which estimates the predictive power of each individual transcript through …