Digital Commons Network^™

A New Class Of Neural Architectures To Model Episodic Memory : Computational Studies Of Distal Reward Learning, Shawn Taylor

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

A computational cognitive neuroscience model is proposed, which models episodic memory based on the mammalian brain. A computational neural architecture instantiates the proposed model and is tested on a particular task of distal reward learning. Categorical Neural Semantic Theory informs the architecture design. To experiment upon the computational brain model, embodiment and an environment in which the embodiment exists are simulated. This simulated environment realizes the Morris Water Maze task, a well established biological experimental test of distal reward learning. The embodied neural architecture is treated as a virtual rat and the environment it acts in as a virtual water …

Methods For Cell Therapy, Pablo Caviedes, Raul Caviedes, Thomas B. Freeman, Juan A. Asenjo, Barbara A. Andrews, Dario Sepúlveda, Christian Arriagada, Julio Salazar Rivera

USF Patents

The subject invention pertains to materials and methods for inhibiting process formation and extension by cells in culture. The subject invention further includes cultures of process-forming cells wherein formation and extension of processes have been inhibited. In another aspect, the subject invention concerns methods of transplantation using process-forming cells that have been cultured by the process-inhibiting methods of the invention.

Vers Une Ecocritique Postcoloniale Africaine: L’Environnement Dans Les Litteratures Africaines De Langue Française, Marie Chantale Mofin Noussi

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

This work was motivated by two major facts: the African environment is at the heart of the continents relationships with colonialism, neocolonialism and globalization; but there is not enough literary emphasis on this environmental centrality. This work contributes in bridging the gap between African Francophone Literatures and the environmental discourses. This dissertation is the literary analysis of the representation, the transformation, and the exploitation of the African environment in the operating policies of colonial, neocolonial and global power structures. These environmental policies in the colonial and current global world tend to mold the African environment in a way that the …

Subsurface Upflow Wetland System For Nutrient And Pathogen Removal In Wastewater Treatment Systems, Ni-Bin Chang, Martin Wanielista

UCF Patents

Methods and systems for a subsurface upflow wetland for wastewater treatment that includes a series of parallel treatment cells, each cell including from bottom to top, a layer of gravel, a layer of sand over the gravel to remove pathogens from a septic effluent, a pollution control medium above the sand later to remove nurtients, total suspended solid, and biochemical oxygen demand and a growth media mixture layered on top of the pollution control pmedia to grow plants, and a gravity distrubition system to distribute effluent to the series of parallel treatment cells. The pollution control medium inlcudes at least …

Identification Of The Functional Binding Pocket For Compounds Targeting Small-Conductance Ca2+-Activated Potassium Channels, Miao Zhang, John M. Pascal, Marcel Schumann, Roger S. Armen, Ji-Fang Zhang

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Small- and intermediate-conductance Ca2+-activated potassium channels, activated by Ca2+-bound calmodulin, play an important role in regulating membrane excitability. These channels are also linked to clinical abnormalities. A tremendous amount of effort has been devoted to developing small molecule compounds targeting these channels. However, these compounds often suffer from low potency and lack of selectivity, hindering their potentials for clinical use. A key contributing factor is the lack of knowledge of the binding site(s) for these compounds. Here we demonstrate by X-ray crystallography that the binding pocket for the compounds of the 1-EBIO class is located at the calmodulin-channel interface. We …

Colloidal Filtration Of Alumina-Zirconia With Solid Oxide Additives / Hakimeh Wakily, Wakily Hakimeh

Student Works (2010-2019)

Homogeneous ceramic composites of alumina and zirconia (3 mol % yttria stabilized zirconia) with small amount of solid oxides were prepared using colloidal filtration method. The purpose of using zirconia was to provide zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) including 15wt% zirconia. And to improve the microstructure and density of ZTA, less than 0.5 wt% of magnesia was added. Solid oxide lubricant (CuO) was doped in small quantities (≤1 wt %) to provide a self-lubrication action and thereby to decrease the coefficient of dry friction. Suspension of alumina as well as the second phase materials was prepared with various solid loadings and …

Structure To Function: Case Studies Of Hotdog-Fold Superfamily Thioesterases From Escherichia Coli, John A. Latham

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

My doctoral research primarily focuses on the Escherichia coli hotdog-fold thioesterases ydiI and ybgC. The ydiI gene is colocalized in the operon ydiHIJ. A substrate screen provided evidence that YdiI prefers aryl-CoA substrates and discriminated against the analogous aryl-ACP, unlike the paralog YbdB which works on 2,4-DHB-EntB in the enterobactin synthesis pathway. A bioinformatic approach showed that in some bacteria, ydiI is colocalized with genes from the menaquinone pathway. YdiI was shown to catalyze the hydrolysis of DHNA-CoA with physiological relevance (k_cat/K_M ~ 10⁵). Furthermore, the E. coli YdiI- strain was shown to …

Alkynal Involved Organocatalytic Reactions, Xinshuai Zhang

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

During the past twenty years, vast progress has been achieved in the field of organocatalysis. One of the fruitful areas is iminium catalysis using α, β-unsaturated aldehydes as essential reactants. Enals involved enantioselective reactions (including single-step reactions and cascade/tandem reactions) represent an enormous and fruitful research branch. In contrast, the protocols for the corresponding alkynals, even in single-step conjugate addition reactions, are extremely rare. Toward this end, my Ph. D. research work mainly focuses on the development of alkynal involved organocatalytic reactions and expands the scope of organocatalysis by uncovering new activation modes. Unlike enals, ynals with sp hybridized C≡C …

The Effects Of Acetate Concentrations On Competition Between Microbial Populations In Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal From Wastewater, Yunjie Tu

Civil Engineering ETDs

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is a popular modification of the activated sludge process, and has been studied and applied for decades. It was hypothesized that the bacteria responsible for EBPR, polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs), have an advantage over their competitors, the glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs). Because research EBPR systems have been primarily sequencing batch reactors (SBRs), which include rapid feed addition and relatively high substrate concentrations, while full scale systems often include complete mix reactors, which yield generally lower substrate concentrations due to instantaneous dilution of influent, evaluating this hypothesis has both fundamental and applied implications. The primary objectives …

Portable Bacterial Identification System Based On Elastic Light Scatter Patterns, Euiwon Bae, Dawei Ying, Donald Kramer, Valery Patsekin, Bartek Rajwa, Cheryl Holdman, Jennifer Sturgis, Vincent J. Davisson, J Paul Robinson

Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Faculty Publications

Background

Conventional diagnosis and identification of bacteria requires shipment of samples to a laboratory for genetic and biochemical analysis. This process can take days and imposes significant delay to action in situations where timely intervention can save lives and reduce associated costs. To enable faster response to an outbreak, a low-cost, small-footprint, portable microbial-identification instrument using forward scatterometry has been developed.

Results

This device, weighing 9 lb and measuring 12 × 6 × 10.5 in., utilizes elastic light scatter (ELS) patterns to accurately capture bacterial colony characteristics and delivers the classification results via wireless access. The overall system consists of …

Volume 110, Number 1 - Tuesday, August 28, 2012, Saint Mary's College Of California

The Collegian

No abstract provided.

Carrs Surveillance Study: Design And Methods To Assess Burdens From Multiple Perspectives, Manisha Nair, Mohammed K. Ali, Vamadevan S. Ajay, Roopa Shivashankar, Viswanathan Mohan, Rajendra Pradeepa, Hassan Mehmood Khan, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi, K Srinath Reddy, Nikhil Tandon, Km Venkat Narayan, Dorairaj Prabhakaran

Community Health Sciences

Background: Cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs) are a growing public health problem, but data on incidence, trends, and costs in developing countries is scarce. Comprehensive and standardised surveillance for non-communicable diseases was recommended at the United Nations High-level meeting in 2011.
Aims: To develop a model surveillance system for CMDs and risk factors that could be adopted for continued assessment of burdens from multiple perspectives in South-Asian countries.
Design: Hybrid model with two cross-sectional serial surveys three years apart to monitor trend, with a three-year prospective follow-up of the first cohort.Sites: Three urban settings (Chennai and New Delhi in India; Karachi in …

August 28, 2012, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

In Vitro Cytotoxicity And Skin Irritation Testing Of Antimicrobial Conjugated Electrolytes : Interactions With Mammalian Cells, Kristin N. Wilde

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

An estimated 19,000 deaths and $3-4 billion in health care costs per year in the U.S. are attributed to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Certain cationic phenylene ethynylene (CPE)-based polymers (PPEs) and oligomers (OPEs) have been demonstrated to exhibit dark and light-activated antimicrobial activity. Envisioned applications of these CPEs include the fabrication of antimicrobial surfaces to reduce or prevent the spread of potentially untreatable strains of bacteria. Until recently, it was unknown if the polymers or oligomers would exhibit similar biocidal activity toward mammalian cells. This work examines the toxicity of CPEs to mammalian cells at three levels: cytoxicity testing …

Methods Of Cellular Integration And Techniques For Improving Encapsulated Cell Viability For The Purpose Of Developing Living Materials And Cell Based Bio-Sensing Materials, Travis J. Savage

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Living materials offer the potential for detection-reporter systems based on living cells that are genetically tailored to sense target analytes with high levels of specificity and accuracy. A biotic or living material would allow the development of simple, hand held devices that could be utilized for many applications including industrial process monitoring, environmental remediation, military and defense applications and drug delivery. Many living materials have been developed and characterized but they still lack heightened and prolonged encapsulated cell viability necessary to make the material a candidate for widespread use. One particular material offers several advantages to increase yeast cell viability …

Effective Strategies For Implementing Differentiated Instruction, John Munro

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Concurrent Session Block 2

Transforming Education Through The Arts : Creating A Culture That Promotes Learning, Brian Caldwell, Tanya Vaughan

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Concurrent Session Block 1

Book Reviews, Criticism Editors

Criticism

Phoenix II: Uncollected, Unpublished, and Other Prose Works by D. H. Lawrence (Warren Roberts and Harry T. Moore) (Reviewed by George H. Ford, University of Rochester)

Forms of Discovery: Critical and Historical Essays on the Forms of the Short Poem in English (Yvor Winters) (Reviewed by Merle E. Brown, University of Iowa)

The Edge of the Image: Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, and Some Other Poets (A. Kingsley Weatherhead) (Reviewed by Joseph N. Riddel, State University of New York at Buffalo)

An Approach to "Paterson" (Walter Scott Peterson) (Reviewed by Joseph N. Riddel, State University of New York at Buffalo) …

Terms For Talking About Information And Communication, Corey Anton

Peer Reviewed Articles

This paper offers terms for talking about information and how it relates to both matter-energy and communication, by: (1) Identifying three different levels of signs: Index, based in contiguity, icon, based in similarity, and symbol, based in convention; (2) examining three kinds of coding: Analogic differences, which deal with positive quantities having contiguous and continuous values, and digital distinctions, which include “either/or functions”, discrete values, and capacities for negation, decontextualization, and abstract concept-transfer, and finally,iconic coding, which incorporates both analogic differences and digital distinctions; and (3) differentiating between “information theoretic” orientations (which deal …

Brainstorm: Head Injuries And The Nfl, Part 6: Memory Loss, John J. Medina Ph.D.

Brainstorm

We are in the process of examining the relationship between neurological damage associated with repeated closed­-head injuries and the behaviors of CTE. We’ve been using the example of spearing, illustrating the effects of this banned football behavior on the biological integrity of the human brain. We discussed how damage to one such neurological circuit, the Papez Circuit, can lead to chronic changes in mood. Here we discuss changes in three cognitive gadgets: executive function, memory processing, and motor control.

Current, August 27, 2012, University Of Missouri-St. Louis

Current (2010s)

No abstract provided.

August 27, 2012, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2010-2019

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Nutrient Dynamics In A Headwater Stream : Use Of Continuous Water Quality Sensors To Examine Seasonal, Event, And Diurnal Processes In The East Fork Jemez River, Nm, Lauren R. Sherson

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Stream water quality can change substantively over seasonal, event, and diurnal scales. Multiple biogeochemical processes operate on a 24-hour timescale, and also may be influenced by local weather and precipitation events. Increased sampling frequency, made possible by recent developments in continuous water quality monitors, allows us to better understand biogeochemical responses to these events. Continuous water quality sensors were deployed in the East Fork Jemez River (located in northern New Mexico) from 2010 – 2011 to investigate the temporal variability of nutrient concentrations and biogeochemical parameters and the controls on this variation. This thesis is split into two chapters representing …

The Relationship Of Multimodal Executive Function Measurement And Associated Neuroanatomical Factors In Preschoolers Born Very Low Birth Weight And Full Term, Susanne Duvall

Psychology ETDs

Objective: The current study investigated executive function (EF) in preschoolers born very low birth weight (VLBW) and full term by examining the dimensionality of EF and the relationship between multimodal measures of EF. Additionally, we investigated the neuroanatomical factors that may relate to EF in this population. Participants and methods: The sample included 101 preschoolers: 61 VLBW and 40 full term (mean=45.98 months (SD=5.05). EF measures included: Bear Dragon, Gift Touch, Gift Peek, Progressive Executive Categorization Battery, parent rated EF (BRIEF-P), and Child Compliance observational coding. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were analyzed through voxel-based morphometry (VBM) for a subset …

Keeping Faith : Factors Contributing To Spiritual Transformation, Identity, And Maturity In Church-Attending Adolescents, Glory Emmanuel

Psychology ETDs

The current research study investigated factors associated with spiritual development among church-attending adolescents. Eighty five participants (12 — 19 years) attending church youth groups in the Albuquerque area were asked to complete a questionnaire measuring spiritual transformation, identity, and maturity as well as demographics, personality, religious social support, and personal devotional activities. The purpose of this research was to understand how religious social support (family, friends, church, mentorship) and personal devotional activities (prayer, worship, study of sacred texts) were related to a spiritual transformation experience, spiritual identity, and spiritual maturity. It was hypothesized that adolescents who reported having had a …

Direct Writing Of Au Nanoneedles Array On Glass By Confined Laser Spinning, Yingling Yang, Dong Lin, Gary J. Cheng

Birck and NCN Publications

Generation of gold nanoneedles on glass by confined laser spinning was explored by using a nanosecond pulsed laser. When the coated Au thin film was irradiated under the confinement of glass, gold nanoneedles were formed by spreading the molten liquid of gold under high pressure. The mechanism of the confined laser spinning process is studied. The maximum velocity and instability of molten liquid during confined laser spinning were estimated. The diameter of nanoneedles can be controlled by changing the thickness of coated gold thin film. Large scale of gold nanoneedles can be formed by this direct writing method and collected …

Commonwealth Times 2012-08-27

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Household Food Security In Developing Countries: Understanding The Role Of Dynamic Natural And Social Systems, Steven Archambault

Economics ETDs

The lack of consistent and reliable levels of nutritious food may be one of the most brutal results of poverty. Beyond the human suffering, the lack of food security has damaging economic consequences, making it difficult for communities to break poverty cycles. This dissertation studies the various decisions made by households, governments, and the international community that impact household food security. Food security, the long-term availability of nutritious foods, is essentially achieved through a trade-off of consumption and investment in assets and capital to ensure future availability of food. Chapter 2 builds an optimal control model to analyze the trade-offs …

08-27-2012 Swosu Welcomes New Faculty And Staff, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2012

Southwestern Oklahoma State University added 21 new faculty members for the 2012-13 year on the Weatherford and Sayre campuses.

Peckham V. Idaho State Bd. Of Dentistry Respondent's Brief Dckt. 39758

Idaho Supreme Court Records & Briefs, All

No abstract provided.