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Efficient And Long-Time Accurate Second-Order Methods For The Stokes-Darcy System, Wenbin Chen, Max Gunzburger, Dong Sun, Xiaoming Wan

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We propose and study two second order in time implicit-explicit methods for the coupled Stokes-Darcy system that governs flows in karst aquifers and other subsurface flow systems. the first method is a combination of a second-order backward differentiation formula and the second order Gear's extrapolation approach. the second is a combination of the second-order Adams-Moulton and second-order Adams-Bashforth methods. Both algorithms only require the solution of decoupled Stokes and Darcy problems at each time-step. Hence, these schemes are very efficient and can be easily implemented using legacy codes. We establish the unconditional and uniform in time stability for both schemes. …

The Use Of Lactic Acid Bacteria And Cellulolytic Bacteria To Improve The Chemical Properties Of Corn Flour, Elly Rosyidah, Anja Meryandini, Titi Candra Sunarti

Makara Journal of Science

Corn has the potential to be converted into flour, but its hard endosperm causies it to have a coarse particle size, and consequently, corn flour has high crude fiber, low protein, and high moisture. To overcome these problems, the milling of corn grain can be done by steeping it in water. The steeping process causes spontaneous growth of microbes, such as lactid acid bacteria and cellulolytic bacteria. The use of lactid acid bacteria and cellulolytic bacteria in the steeping process can soften the horny endosperm, which can enable corn grits to be ground into fine flours and which can improve …

Nicholas George V. William Rehiel

2013 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Estate Of Andrea Y Arrington V. John Michael

2013 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Pnmt As A Novel Marker For Progenitor Cells, Steven Ebert, Karl Pfeifer

UCF Patents

In certain aspects, the present invention provides methods and compositions relating to a Pnmt-positive progenitor cell. In certain aspects, the present invention relates to methods for isolating and transplanting the subject progenitor cells, and methods for treating diseases such as myocardiac injuries and neurodegenerative disorders.

Food Advertisements In Two Popular U.S. Parenting Magazines: Results Of A Five-Year Analysis, Corey H. Basch, Rodney N. Hammond, Danna Ethan, Lalitha Samuel

Publications and Research

Obesity rates among American youth have prompted an examination of food advertisements geared towards children. Research indicates children’s high exposure to these advertisements and their influence on food preferences. Less is known about the presence of these advertisements in parenting magazines. This study’s objective was to examine prevalence of food advertisements in popular parenting magazines and identify products by USDA food category. We analyzed 116 issues of two popular U.S. parenting magazines across five years. All food and beverage advertisements for USDA Food Category were coded. Breakfast cereals were coded for nutritional quality. The coding took place at varied libraries …

Rna-Based System And Method To Differentiate Seafood, John H. Paul, David E. John

USF Patents

Substituting fish of lesser value for high priced fish such as grouper has become a major problem for restaurants, wholelsalers, and the general public. A method based upon nucleic acid amplification enables clear differentiation between grouper and potential substitutes. The nucleic acid is incubated with a molecular beacon probe thereby allowing detection of the hybridized molecular beacon probe. All grouper, including the fresh market sample, were successfully confirmed as grouper. Several non-grouper samples obtained fresh and frozen from the market were also tested; none were detected as grouper.

Supramolecular Structures Comprising At Least Partially Conjugated Polymers Attached To Carbon Nanotubes And Graphenes, Lei Zhai, Anindarupa Chunder, Jianhua Liu, Jianhua Zou

UCF Patents

A composition of matter includes at least one carbon nanotube (CNT) or grapheme type structure having an outer surface and a plurality of crystalline polymer supramolecular structures that includes a conjugated polymer that are non-covalently secured to the outer surface of the CNTs or the grapheme type structure. The conjugated polymer can be a conjugated homopolymer or a block copolymer including at least one conjugated block. The supramolecular structures extend outward from the outer surface of the CNTs or grapheme type structures.

Toly: Design To Enhance Parent-Child Relationship, Xiaoyu Wu

Theses

Toly is both a tool and a toy for children and parents. It is composed of two products: a cleaning bubble launcher and an adjustable mop. The form is inspired by sea creatures - specifically a hermit crab and an octopus - which enables Toly to combine role play and household chores. It makes kids love cleaning and provides an opportunity for parents to interact with kids while they are doing necessary housework.

3d Conductive Nanocomposite Scaffold For Bone Tissue Engineering, Aref Shahini, Mostafa Yazdimamaghani, Kenneth J. Walker, Margaret A. Eastman, Hamed Hatami-Marbini, Brenda J. Smith, John L. Ricci, Sundar V. Madihally, Daryoosh Vashaee, Lobat Tayebi

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bone healing can be significantly expedited by applying electrical stimuli in the injured region. Therefore, a three-dimensional (3D) ceramic conductive tissue engineering scaffold for large bone defects that can locally deliver the electrical stimuli is highly desired. In the present study, 3D conductive scaffolds were prepared by employing a biocompatible conductive polymer, ie, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly (4-styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), in the optimized nanocomposite of gelatin and bioactive glass. For in vitro analysis, adult human mesenchymal stem cells were seeded in the scaffolds. Material characterizations using hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance, in vitro degradation, as well as thermal and mechanical analysis showed that …

Syrian And Palestinian Syrian Refugees In Lebanon: The Plight Of Women And Children, Lorraine Charles, Kate Denman

Journal of International Women's Studies

The humanitarian crisis resulting from the Syrian conflict is estimated to be the worst so far of this century. The recent influx of refugees has now reached a point where they are equal to one quarter of Lebanon’s population, causing evident strains on its fragile economy and social structure. Syrians in Lebanon have fled from their home to seek safety, however their vulnerability is now in question as women’s and children’s rights continue to be under threat. This paper investigates the plight of Syrian and Palestinian Syrian refugees in Lebanon with an emphasis on women and children. While there are …

"We Thought We Were Playing": Children’S Participation In The Syrian Revolution, Layla Saleh

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article explores the participation of children in the Syrian uprising against Bashar al-Assad. The involvement of children in democratic social movements and regime transitions has not been addressed in the literature, although some works describe the role children can play in making public policy or in the humanitarian domain. I argue that just as the role of women and of university-aged youth was gradually incorporated in the body of research on the social movements and regime transitions, so should the role of children be studied. I then characterize the role of children in the Syrian uprising as a three-stage …

Libya's Implosion And Its Impacts On Children, Lere Amusan

Journal of International Women's Studies

The Arab Spring’s ripple effects on Libya led to the overthrow of Muammar Al-Qaddafi’s government of over four decades. The regime change in Libya was not a smooth adventure. It led to a civil war, which impacted negatively on Libyan children. The seeds of discord that this war sowed in the once considered stable state shall be the focus of this discussion through the employment of descriptive and analytical methods. The contention of this study is that every actor in the civil war disregarded various international treaties that protect children and indigenous peoples during the war. This paper argues that …

Lessons Gleaned From The Political Participation Of Children In Bahrain Uprising, Hae Won Jeong

Journal of International Women's Studies

Reflecting the tension between state sovereignty and human rights, this paper discusses the moral and ethical implications of the political participation and detention of Bahraini children against the backdrop of sectarian geopolitics. Drawing methodological insights from postmodernism, this paper argues that reading of Bahraini children as political subjects are objectified and reified with truth claims, which ascribes them a minoritized status based on age and sect. This paper is interdisciplinary in its approach and is three-pronged: First, it begins by providing a contextual analysis of sectarian politics and dichotomous discourses of national sovereignty and human rights. Secondly, this paper juxtaposes …

Nation, Gender, And Identity: Children In The Syrian Revolution 2011, Manal Al-Natour

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article examines the victimization and role of Syrian children in the Syrian Revolution 2011. I claim that through engaging in a competition to provide a definitive image of the nation, both the regime and the opposition victimize Syrian children. Nevertheless, the art projects undertaken by nonviolence activists have proven to help children heal and to cope with the predicaments brought on them by the crisis. The poetry, paintings, drawings, and songs produced by these children are the best means they have of representing their victimization and their role in the revolution, and communicating their perspectives on the Syrian nation …

Women Lost, Women Found: Searching For An Arab-Islamic Feminist Identity In Nawal El Saadawi’S Twelve Women In A Cell In Light Of Current Egyptian "Spring" Events, Ebtehal Al-Khateeb

Journal of International Women's Studies

Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, an Arab feminist, playwright, novelist, and thinker, has been one of the most controversial literary figures in Arab contemporary literature. In this paper, I examine El Saadawi’s 1984 play Twelve Women in A Cell in light of the ongoing political dissidence that gave birth to the recent Arab Spring and its intricate relation to feminist dissidence. The play published twenty-eight years ago, deals with a bizarre situation that surprisingly and sadly, is still relevant to women’s struggle within Arab-Islamic hegemony. The cell that hosts twelve Egyptian women, in El Saadawi’s play, becomes the Arabic Islamic patriarchal …

Online Hotel Booking Experience: Flow Theory, Measuring Online Customer Experience And Managerial Implications, Anil Bilgihan, Fevzi Okumus, Khaldoon Nusair

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The past decade has perceived a significant development of various Internet technologies including HTML5, Ajax, landing pages, CSS3, social media and SEO to name a few. New web technologies provide opportunities for e-commerce companies to enhance the shopping experiences of their customers. This article focuses the phenomenon of online experiences from a services marketing aspect by concentrating online hotel booking. Successful lodging management strategies have been associated with the creation of experience, which in turn leads to fruitful performance outcomes such as superior financial performance, enhanced brand image, customer loyalty, positive word of mouth and customer satisfaction. E-commerce researchers and …

A Mechanism Linking Id2-Tgfβ Crosstalk To Reversible Adaptive Plasticity In Neuroblastoma, Lina Chakrabarti, Bi-Dar Wang, Norman H. Lee, Anthony D. Sandler

Pharmacology and Physiology Faculty Publications

The ability of high-risk neuroblastoma to survive unfavorable growth conditions and multimodal therapy has produced an elusive childhood cancer with remarkably poor prognosis. A novel phenomenon enabling neuroblastoma to survive selection pressure is its capacity for reversible adaptive plasticity. This plasticity allows cells to transition between highly proliferative anchorage dependent (AD) and slow growing, anoikis-resistant anchorage independent (AI) phenotypes. Both phenotypes are present in established mouse and human tumors. The differential gene expression profile of the two cellular phenotypes in the mouse Neuro2a cell line delineated pathways of proliferation in AD cells or tyrosine kinase activation/ apoptosis inhibition in AI …

Microfluidic Generated Egf-Gradients Induce Chemokinesis Of Transplantable Retinal Progenitor Cells Via The Jak/Stat And Pi3kinase Signaling Pathways., Uchenna J. Unachukwu, Moira Sauane, Maribel Vazquez, Stephen Redenti

Publications and Research

A growing number of studies are evaluating retinal progenitor cell (RPC) transplantation as an approach to repair retinal degeneration and restore visual function. To advance cell-replacement strategies for a practical retinal therapy, it is important to define the molecular and biochemical mechanisms guiding RPC motility. We have analyzed RPC expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and evaluated whether exposure to epidermal growth factor (EGF) can coordinate motogenic activity in vitro. Using Boyden chamber analysis as an initial high-throughput screen, we determined that RPC motility was optimally stimulated by EGF concentrations in the range of 20-400 ng/ml, with decreased …

Latinas And Electoral Politics: Expanding Participation And Power In State And National Elections, Anna Sampaio

Ethnic Studies

Latina and Latino political participation in the 2012 election reached new heights, proving to be a significant factor in the electoral outcomes of several battleground states and ultimately the reelection of President Obama. Both Latinas and Latinos played pivotal roles in the 2012 election, increasing their share of the national electorate and their support for President Obama over 2008 election levels. In the end, President Obama received 71 percent of the Latina/o vote (compared with 27 percent for Mitt Romney), surpassing all previous presidential candidates with the exception of Bill Clinton, who garnered 72 percent of the Latina/o vote in …

Comparative Genomics And Functional Analysis Of Rhamnose Catabolic Pathways And Regulons In Bacteria, Irina A. Rodionova, Xiaoqing Li, Vera Thiel, Sergey Stolyar, Krista Stanton, James K. Fredrickson, Donald A. Bryant, Andrei L. Osterman, Aaron A. Best, Dmitry A. Rodionov

Faculty Publications

L-rhamnose (Rha) is a deoxy-hexose sugar commonly found in nature. L-Rha catabolic pathways were previously characterized in various bacteria including Escherichia coli. Nevertheless, homology searches failed to recognize all the genes for the complete L Rha utilization pathways in diverse microbial species involved in biomass decomposition. Moreover, the regulatory mechanisms of L-Rha catabolism have remained unclear in most species. A comparative genomics approach was used to reconstruct the L-Rha catabolic pathways and transcriptional regulons in the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Thermotogae. The reconstructed pathways include multiple novel enzymes and transporters involved in the utilization of L-Rha and …

Challenges Of African Languages In Education: The Case Of Kiswahili In Tanzania, Benedictor Phanuel Lema

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Tanzania presents a perfect case of former colonies that have strived to redress colonial legacies. The Africanization policy adopted after independence and cemented in the 1967 Arusha Declaration was a deliberate move to replace foreign workforce and practices with African values. Education was one of the sectors that needed and, indeed, received a lot of transformations. This paper particularly discusses language practices in the education system in Tanzania in that context. While both theory and practice favour Kiswahili as a medium of instruction at all levels of education, policy seems to work to the contrary. The discussion revolves around the …

Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Sexuality Education: A Case Of Primary Schools In Morogoro Region, Tanzania, Margareth Bilinga

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper is about teachers’ attitudes towards teaching sexuality education (SE) in Morogoro rural and urban districts. It is based on a study which employed mixed method design and used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. It involved a sample of 126 teachers residing from Morogoro rural and urban schools. Data were obtained through interviews and questionnaire. It was revealed that a majority of the teachers supported the teaching of SE in schools with more support of HIV and AIDS contents than pregnancy and contraceptives. There was no significant difference in terms of attitudes between teachers residing in rural and urban …

Structure Based Identification And Characterization Of Flavonoids That Disrupt Human Papillomavirus-16 E6 Function, Elliot J. Androphy, Jonathan J. Cherry, Anne Rietz, Anna Malinkevich, Yuqi Liu, Meng Xie, Matthew D. Bartolowits, Vincent J. Davisson, James D. Baleja

Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Graduate Student Publications

Expression and function of the human papillomavirus (HPV) early protein 6 (E6) is necessary for viral replication and oncogenesis in cervical cancers. HPV E6 targets the tumor suppressor protein p53 for degradation. To achieve this, “high-risk” HPV E6 proteins bind to and modify the target specificity of the ubiquitin ligase E6AP (E6 associated protein). This E6-dependent loss of p53 enables the virus to bypass host cell defenses and facilitates virally induced activation of the cell cycle progression during viral replication. Disruption of the interaction between E6 and E6AP and stabilization of p53 should decrease viability and proliferation of HPV positive …

How Does My Research Question Come About? The Impact Of Funding Agencies In Formulating Research Questions, Massimiliano Tarrozzi

The Qualitative Report

It is a widespread claim that the research question should primarily come from a careful literature analysis (Creswell, 2007). Actually, it is basically a good suggestion, mainly for novices, to avoid the mistake of choosing a research method only for ideological reasons, and far from the phenomenon that one is willing to explore. However, this idea does not take into account other complex phenomena involved in constructing a research question. First of all, the epistemological framework, which is never neutral and performs what I am supposed to investigate; second, the kind of funding agency, which has an indisputable impact not …

Leave Prejudice Behind, Pei-Chen Chien

Theses

In this thesis, I strive to expose societal rules and regulations that constrict and restrict our social interactions in a way that promotes prejudice and xenophobia. Through interacting with the series of sculptures, viewers are given the opportunity to question these societal norms and start a process of self- reflection to truly understand the freedom that comes without prejudice. Interaction is the main element that ties the series of works together, to form a seamless journey of self-discovery. The following artists are discussed in relation to this series of work: Niki de Saint Phalle and Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Their art works …

Bugchaser: Protective Measures, Scott Laforce

Theses

Using photographic installation and new media, Bugchaser: Protective Measures examines risk in response to perceived danger as engaged by bug chasers (or bugchasers) and suburbanites in the United States. The work explores this theme through the contrasting nature of queer social networks and the physical boundaries of the suburban landscape.

Ultimately, this work uproots conventional notions of intimacy as conscribed by the suburban middle-class and de-stigmatizes unconventional behaviors by challenging boundaries that needlessly divide. I have taken liberty with metaphor and used it in an attempt to reverse some of the damages brought forth through historical practices. If the viewer …

Contrast Enhanced-Magnetic Resonance Imaging As A Surrogate To Map Verteporfin Delivery In Photodynamic Therapy, Kimberley S. Samkoe, Amber Bryant, Jason R. Gunn, Stephen P. Pereira, Tayyaba Hasan, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

The use of in vivo contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as a surrogate for photosensitizer (verteporfin) dosimetry in photodynamic therapy of pancreas cancer is demonstrated by correlating MR contrast uptake to ex vivo fluorescence images on excised tissue. An orthotopic pancreatic xenograft mouse model was used for the study. A strong correlation ([i]r=0.57 ) was found for bulk intensity measurements of T1-weighted gadolinium enhancement and verteporfin fluorescence in the tumor region of interest. The use of contrast-enhanced MR imaging shows promise as a method for treatment planning and photosensitizer dosimetry in human photodynamic therapy (PDT) of pancreas …

Open Source Integrated Library Systems In Public Libraries, Tony Brooke

School of Information Student Research Journal

One of the most fundamental decisions a library makes is choosing an integrated library system, or ILS. A public library can remove unwanted outside influence and save money by switching their ILS to free and open source software, or FOSS. This article is an examination of the progress made by FOSS ILSs to become not only contenders against proprietary systems, but also an appropriate choice for financial, functional, and philosophical reasons. Included is a timeline of published evaluations, the milestone of 14% adoption, a summary of the current landscape, and example implementation cases. A functional analysis shows why a public …

The Female Librarian In Film: Has The Image Changed In 60 Years?, Julia A. Wells

School of Information Student Research Journal

The stereotypical image of the female librarian as an uptight spinster has prevailed in popular culture. This paper examines the portrayal of the librarian stereotype in movies from two different eras: the 1940s/1950s and the 2000s. The historical antecedents, social and economic status of women are examined, and the influence of computers and technology in the library is considered. Common traits that typify the film librarian, along with the inclusions of computers in the library, are identified and analyzed. Approaches to combatting the stereotypes are discussed and applied to the movies in order to discover any progression of the image …