Digital Commons Network^™

A Flautist In Flight, Maxim D. Shrayer

From Russia with Love Symposium

No abstract provided.

Finding Lolita’S Voice: Reconciling Love, Truth, And Art, Caitlin Purdy

From Russia with Love Symposium

No abstract provided.

From Russia With Lust: The Sadomasochistic (Homo)Erotics Of Sergei Eisenstein’S Mexico, Dinah Holtzman

From Russia with Love Symposium

No abstract provided.

Tolstoy’S Jesus Versus Dostoevsky’S Christ: A Tale Of Two Christologies, John Givens

From Russia with Love Symposium

No abstract provided.

Withanolides, Probes And Binding Targets And Methods Of Use Thereof, Royce Mohan, Paola Bargagna-Mohan, Kyung Bo Kim

Ophthalmology and Visual Science Faculty Patents

Novel withanolide chemical genetic probes identify the in vivo binding target of withaferin A, which is the intermediate filament type III protein vimentin. In addition, a withanolide-based small molecule screening method screens drug candidates that target intermediate filament type III proteins. The method includes introducing a tagged linker covalently bonded to the withanolide molecule to form a withanolide probe. Better or alternative small molecule compounds as potential drug candidates can be generated based on their likely affinity for the determined binding site in vimentin. The affinity labeled withanolide can also be used to find intermediate filament-associated proteins using chemical proteomics …

Controlling Cytomegalovirus: Helping The Immune System Take The Lead, Patrick J. Hanley, Catherine M. Bollard

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Cytomegalovirus, of the Herpesviridae family, has evolved alongside humans for thousands of years with an intricate balance of latency, immune evasion, and transmission. While upwards of 70% of humans have evidence of CMV infection, the majority of healthy people show little to no clinical symptoms of primary infection and CMV disease is rarely observed during persistent infection in immunocompetent hosts. Despite the fact that the majority of infected individuals are asymptomatic, immunologically, CMV hijacks the immune system by infecting and remaining latent in antigen-presenting cells that occasionally reactivate subclinically and present antigen to T cells, eventually causing the inflation of …

A Simple And Effective Method For High Quality Co-Extraction Of Genomic Dna And Total Rna From Low Biomass Ectocarpus Siliculosus, The Model Brown Alga, M Greco, Ca Sáez, Mt Brown, Mb Bitonti

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The brown seaweed Ectocarpus siliculosus is an emerging model species distributed worldwide in temperate coastal ecosystems. Over 1500 strains of E. siliculosus are available in culture from a broad range of geographic locations and ecological niches. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying its capacity to cope with different environmental and biotic stressors, genomic and transcriptomic studies are necessary; this requires the co-isolation of genomic DNA and total RNA. In brown algae, extraction of nucleic acids is hindered by high concentrations of secondary metabolites that co-precipitate with nucleic acids. Here, we propose a reliable, rapid and cost-effective procedure for the co-isolation …

Development Of The Tocoflexols: A New Kind Of Tocotrienol Analogues With Enhanced Bioavailability, Awantika Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Vitamin E is composed of two series of closely related compounds, tocopherols and tocotrienols, which show a widely varying degree of biological effectiveness. In recent years, the tocotrienols have gained considerable attention because of their beneficial effects in areas such as cholesterol reduction, neuroprotection, radiation protection and cancer treatment and prevention. Unfortunately, the potential of the tocotrienols has been hampered because their short circulation half-life that limits their bioavailability. The short circulation half-life of the tocotrienols is related to their low affinity for the &alpha,-tocopherol transfer protein, the protein responsible for maintaining the plasma level of the vitamin E. Tocotrienols …

"It's Always Been Home To Me": Obligation And Sacrifice On The World War Home Front In Arkansas, Eric Robert Mills

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the ideology of obligation on the American home front in Central Arkansas during World War I and the World War II national defense period from November 1940--February 1941. Fundamental to the research is historian Robert Westbrook's contention that America, as a liberal democracy, relied on alternate means to encourage the discharge of obligations and commitments during the Second World War. The state appealed to private responsibilities, such as the family, in order to promote service when unable to rely upon the thicker sense of citizenship emblematic of republican ideology. In order to test Westbrook's theories of obligation, …

Assignment Design: Developing Writing Projects Using Open Access Www Tools To Increase Student Engagement And Learning, Joshua R. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Assignment Design: Developing Writing Projects using Open Access WWW Tools to Increase Student Engagement and Learning is a thesis that began with the research question of how can first-year composition instructors use free online tech tools to create effective writing assignments, which are based on and assessed using the Writing Program Administrators' Outcome Statements (WPA OS)(1999)? To answer the question, I researched pairing effective educational technology tools with the WPA OS, in order to engage student writers and enhance learning. I developed three writing projects, included as appendices, incorporating technology tools as scaffolding tasks and containing multiple writing genres. The …

Cannabinoid 2 (Cb2) Receptor Gene Promoter And Unique Rna Transcripts In B Cells And Methods Of Use, Thomas W. Klein, Tracy Sherwood, Liang Nong, Cathy Newton

USF Patents

Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) is expressed in B lymphocytes and is involved in immune regulation. Mouse splenic B cells express three CB2 transcripts utilizing two different first exons. Human peripheral blood B cells express one CB2 transcript utilizing one first exon. Alignment of sequenced RACE products to either the mouse or human genome reveals that isolated transcripts contain previously unidentified transcriptional start sites (TSS). B cells from mouse and human preferentially express one transcript, exon 1a in mouse and exon 1 in human. Multiple CB2 TSSs are utilized in mouse splenic B cells and one TSS in human peripheral blood …

Post Protein Hydrolysis Removal Of A Potent Ribonuclease Inhibitor And The Enzymatic Capture Of Dna, Matt Ewert

USF Patents

The present invention concerns compositions and methods of extracting infectious pathogens from a volume of blood. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of creating a fibrin aggregate confining the pathogens and introducing a fibrin lysis reagent to expose the pathogens for analysis. The present invention also concerns materials and methods for removing aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) from a sample.

Devices And Methods For Delivering Molecules To The Heart With Electric Fields, Richard Heller, William Marshall, Mark J. Jaroszeski

USF Patents

A device and related methodologies to deliver molecules to the cells that comprise any tissues. The invention includes a catheter-based electrode and methods for its use for the delivery of molecules to cardiac tissue, blood vessels, other tissues/organs that can be accessed through a luminal tissue, and luminal tissues. The invention is also a non-catheter based electrode for performing the same functions. In certain embodiments the electrode utilizes a segmented electrode array wherein each electrode is separately addressable by a source of electricity.

The Abstraction Of Toys, Dan Ruben Thornhill

Theses and Dissertations

painting style. The toys depicted in the paintings were used at on time by my two grandchildren, Kaylee Smith and Brennan Thornhill, and serve as inspiration for this body of work. These compositions are based on direct observations of the toys used in this series, and relate to abstraction as defined in this thesis as simplification, distortion, exaggeration, invention, and erasure. The works that date later in the series fall under this definition. My work draws heavily upon Pablo Picasso and is influenced by his use of abstraction. The series tries to capture the essence of the toys and evoke …

Statistical Analysis, Modeling, And Algorithms For Pharmaceutical And Cancer Systems, Bong-Jin Choi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of the present study is to develop a statistical algorithm and model associ- ated with breast and lung cancer patients. In this study, we developed several statistical softwares, R packages, and models using our new statistical approach.

In the present study, we used the five parameters logistic model for determining the optimal doses of a pharmaceutical drugs, including dynamic initial points, an automatic process for outlier detection and an algorithm that develops a graphic user interface(GUI) program. The developed statistical procedure assists medical scientists by reducing their time in determining the optimal dose of new drugs, and can …

A Global Compendium Of Human Dengue Virus Occurrence, Jane P. Messina, Oliver J Brady, David M. Pigott, John S. Brownstein, Anne Hoen, Simon Hay

Dartmouth Scholarship

A global geographic database of human dengue virus occurrence was produced to generate a global risk map and associated burden estimates1. Herein we present the database, which comprises occurrence data linked to point or polygon locations, derived from peer-reviewed literature and case reports as well as informal online sources. Entries date from 1960 to 2012. We describe all data collection processes in full, as well as geo-positioning, database management and quality-control procedures. This is the most comprehensive database of confirmed human dengue infection to-date, consisting of 8,309 geo-positioned occurrences in total.

Self-Control Depletion And Nicotine Deprivation As Precipitants Of Smoking Cessation Failure: A Human Laboratory Model, Bryan Heckman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The need to understand the reinforcing properties of smoking and potential precipitants of relapse is exemplified by evidence that relapse rates exceed 95%. The Self-Control Strength model, which proposes that self-control is dependent upon limited resources and susceptible to fatigue, may offer insight into the relapse process. Indeed, there is empirical support that engaging in a task that requires self-control, relative to a comparable control, results in performance decrements on subsequent self-control tasks. The primary goal of the current study was to test whether self-control depletion (SCD) may serve as a novel antecedent for cessation failure, using a validated laboratory …

A Heterogenous Thermal Environment Enables Remarkable Behavioral Thermoregulation In Uta Stansburiana, Maria Goller, Franz Goller, Susannah S. French

Biology Faculty Publications

Ectotherms can attain preferred body temperatures by selecting specific temperature microhabitats within a varied thermal environment. The side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana may employ microhabitat selection to thermoregulate behaviorally. It is unknown to what degree habitat structural complexity provides thermal microhabitats for thermoregulation. Thermal microhabitat structure, lizard temperature, and substrate preference were simultaneously evaluated using thermal imaging. A broad range of microhabitat temperatures was available (mean range of 11°C within 1–2 m2) while mean lizard temperature was between 36°C and 38°C. Lizards selected sites that differed significantly from the mean environmental temperature, indicating behavioral thermoregulation, and maintained a temperature significantly above …

Localization And Functional Analysis Of Dictyostelium Discoideum Gtpases, Rabs And Rab2, Katherine V. Maringer

Theses and Dissertations

Dictyostelium discoideum is a simple eukaryotic amoeba that has proven useful in studying various aspects of endosomal and lysosomal membrane trafficking, as well as development. The Rab family of small molecular weight GTPases has been implemented in several cellular processes to include various vesicle trafficking roles, cell-cell signaling, and development. This study focuses on the localization and function of two Dictyostelium GTPases, RabS, and Rab2 which we hypothesized to both localize to the Golgi, and the contractile vacuole system. Expression of GFP-tagged DdRab2, and DdRabS proteins revealed similar localization to ER-Golgi membranes as well as the contractile vacuole system. Microscopic …

Geophysical Applications For Levee Assessment, Hussein Khalefa Chlaib

Theses and Dissertations

Levees are important engineering structures that build along the rivers to protect the human lives and shield the communities as well as agriculture lands from the high water level events. Animal burrows, subsurface cavities, and low density (high permeability) zones are weakness features within the levee body that increase its risk of failure. To prevent such failure, continuous monitoring of the structure integrity and early detection of the weakness features must be conducted. Application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Capacitively Coupled Resistivity (CCR) methods were found to be very effective in assessing the levees and detect zones of weakness …

Microwave Assisted Synthesis And Characterization Of Selected Heteroatom Doped Carbons From Tannin For Alkaline Fuel Cell Applications & Ammonia Gas Sensors From Tanninsulfonic Acid Doped Polyaniline - Tio2/Al2o3 Composites, Venu Gopal Bairi

Theses and Dissertations

An alternative for depleting fossil fuel resources would be the development of fuel cells, batteries and solar cells. The current project aims at development of the cathode electrode material for alkaline fuel cells which is utilized for the reduction of oxygen to water. A simple, highly efficient, and rapid microwave method for the synthesis of doped carbons from different precursor sources like tannin, aminated tannin and tannin-melamine-hexamine has been developed. Different dopants include phosphorus, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and silicon. The method uses no inert or reducing gas during the transformation. Yields resulting from this particular technique are as high as …

Identification And Estimation Of Concentration Of Metal Bearing Minerals In Lunar Soil Using Ground Penetrating Radar, Mehmet Mert Su

Theses and Dissertations

NASA's plan to build a base on the Moon necessitates employing a vital lunar resource to support life on the Moon due to the high cost of transportation and logistics. Ilmenite is believed to be one of the best performing minerals to serve the need. In order to detect Ilmenite within lunar regolith, a robust and a non-invasive technique is required. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is advanced electromagnetic (EM) probing equipment that facilitates high frequency pulses to image subsurface. Due to its significant metal content, Ilmenite has prominent reflection characteristics to the EM waves. The EM waves transmitted from an …

Singapore: A 'Fine' City: British Colonial Sentencing Policies And Its Lasting Effects On The Singaporean Corporal State, George Baylon Radics Ph.D., J.D.

Santa Clara Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Uab Study Identifies Way Brain Tumors Fuel Their Growth, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

The Power To Envision Change: Art As Environmental Activism, Sonja Raven Favaloro

Standard Theses

How do visual and narrative-based approaches to communicating environmental messages inspire action and further awareness? This thesis investigates three artists whose work tells environmental stories in various ways: activists from the Beehive Design Collective, photographer Chris Jordan, and activist/performer Marc Bamuthi Joseph. These artists produce challenging, engaging, emotionally vital art that allows urgent environmental messages to sink in to peoples’ minds and hearts in a different way than scientific information. At this time when our planet is in ever-increasing environmental danger and the need for action becomes ever greater, how we perceive our relation to the issues facing us will …

Conquest And Violence: The Christian Critique Of Muhammad, David D. Grafton

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Love One Another As I Have Loved You, Ali Tote

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Containing The Facade, Tatara Anne Siegel

Theses

What do we choose to see? Do we see what others tell us to see? If I were to tell you that something is what it isn't, would you believe me? Would your level of belief be based on our level of acquaintance? It appears that we, human beings, have developed a highly acute set of skills, which enable us to believe what we choose, whether based on fact or fiction. Our perception is dictated by what we learn and what we experience. When what we learn is controlled or influenced by others around us, and we loose sight of …

新自由主義與新道德主義 = Neoliberalism And New Moralism, Yin Bin Ning

《新自由主義下的新道德》研討會 NEO-MORALISM UNDER NEOLIBERALISM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

新自由主義在本文中被當作這兩三百年由西方民族國家所主導的資本主義全球化 的最晚近階段之方案，與西方民族國家曾實施之禁運、圍堵、貿易關稅壁壘屬於同類的擴張-支配邏輯。這一邏輯推進的效果不只在經濟面向，而且在政治、文化、法律、農業、技術、生態等方面，可以說其實是西方文明的更全面的全球現代化，其企圖或前提也許是歷史的終結，但是首先卻引向了文明的衝突。文明衝突實際上聚攏了資本主義的諸多矛盾，以及主權國家之間、各民族或地方文化之間、各種身分之間、個人想望與現實之間等各種矛盾的多重決定。但是文明衝突之所以能凝聚各種矛盾而成為症候性的表述，仍是因為新自由主義的全球現代性產生同質性的效果，所謂剷平世界的力量，也就是朝向單一的文明現代性。對這個單一的 (主要是西方個人自由主義的) 文明現代性的批評無法在本文中展開；然而，這篇文章認為在抵抗新自由主義全球化方面，多樣現代性的提法雖然不是充分的，但卻是不可或缺的，並且在這個多樣現代性的冠銜下，聚攏對於國際政治、經濟、文化的不平等秩序之抵抗，指向了非西方模式的經濟、政治、文化的可能，由此開展多樣現代性之間的競逐，這將是我們這個時代最主要的局勢發展。以上是這篇文章前半部份的背景說明，本文第二部份則是注意新自由主義在文化與價值方面產生的政治效果與治理方式，我將之稱為「新道德主義」，它的起初環節是新自由主義内涵的普世進步主義，普世進步主義就是說:進步不是相對於特定歷史社會、一種倡議的進步與否不是在具體脈絡中被評價，進步體現了普世價值故而是内在地自我証成；性別平等、動物保護、憲政民主、同性婚姻、環境保護、兒童保護等等普世進步價值乃是西方文明現代所揭橥的人類永恆理想，在任何時空都適用。然而上述這種道德進步主義在爭取成為主流的實踐上，卻吸納了許多道德保守派的面向，後者也因此採用了許多進步主義修辭而同樣地佔據了主流空間，由此，由道德進步主義與道德保守派共治或輪流作莊的情況出現了，我將之稱為「新道德主義」- 雖然我主要描述的是台灣情況，但是或許這是個觀察冷戰以後世界的一個參考座標。

In this article, neoliberalism refers to the project marking the latest stage of the globalization of capitalism, a process that has been directed during the past two to three hundred years by western nation-states. Neoliberalism shares the same logic of expansion-dominance as the erstwhile strategy of western nation-states in setting up trade and customs barriers, embargo or encirclement. The effects of the imposition of this logic are seen not only in the economy, but also in politics, culture, law, agriculture, technology and ecology. It may be possible to regard neoliberalism as a more comprehensive way …

May 24, 2014 (Pages 3045-3224), Pennsylvania Legislative Reference Bureau

Volume 44 (2014)

No abstract provided.