Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding The Role Of Colloidal Particles In Electroporation Mediated Delivery, Alisha Peterson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electroporation (EP) is a physical non-viral technique used to deliver therapeutic molecules across the cell membrane. During electroporation an external electric field is applied across a cell membrane and it causes pores to form. These pores then allow the surrounding media containing the therapeutics to diffuse across the membrane. This technique has been specifically studied as a promising gene and drug delivery system. Colloidal particles have also proven to be promising for a variety of biological applications including molecular delivery, imaging, and tumor ablation, due to their large surface area and tunable properties. In more recent years researchers have explored …

Comparison Of Gastropod Assemblages From Natural And Phosphate Mine Lakes Of Central Florida, William A. Mailand

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigations were made examining the relationships between gastropod species richness and abundance across 20 phosphate and 20 natural lakes in Central Florida. In additional to lake category, age of phosphate lakes was used to determine if phosphate lakes ever approximate natural lakes. Additional physical, chemical, and biological parameters, including chlorophyll a, Ca, secchi, phosphorous, conductance, fish predation, and recreational lake use were investigated in order to determine if they affected gastropods with lake age. Comparisons were also made between gastropod species richness and average abundance and two groups of dominant vegetation categories: Panicum, a structurally complex macrophyte, and Typha …

Direct Membrane Filtration Of Domestic Wastewater: Implications For Coupling With Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (Df-Anmbr) For Wastewater Resource Recovery, George H. Dick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the growing use of membranes in the water industry, different methods for using membranes to treat water is still occurring. Enhancing membrane performance is generally performed with extensive pretreatment methods before the feedwater is filtered by the membrane. With the utilization of direct membrane filtration (DF), no pretreatment is performed and the membrane is exposed to raw wastewater. While this may suggest that membrane performance and permeate quality would suffer in the process, DF testing with a 0.03 µm ultrafiltration PVDF membrane showed that relatively high membrane flux was sustained while producing a high quality effluent. Due to the …

Targeting T-Bet For Prevention Of Graft-Versus-Host Disease And Leukemia Relapse After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Jianing Fu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is an effective therapeutic option for many malignant diseases. However, the efficacy of allo-HSCT is limited by the occurrence of destructive graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Since allogeneic T cells are the driving force in the development of GVHD, their activation, proliferation, and differentiation are key factors to understanding GVHD pathogenesis. On the other hand, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are essential for allogeneic T-cell priming and the development of GVHD. The T-box transcription factor T-bet is a master regulator for IFN-γ production and Th1 differentiation. T-bet also regulates the functions of APCs including dendritic cells (DCs) and …

Efficacy And Resistance Potential Of Jpc-3210 In Plasmodium Falciparum, Siobhan Marie Flaherty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Combating drug resistant malaria has been historically challenging, and remains so today. Recent reports from Southeast Asia show that Plasmodium falciparum is developing resistance to even our best defenses; artemisinin-based therapies. This development threatens to become a significant challenge in controlling malaria infections worldwide, making research into developing and characterizing new antimalarial drugs increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to characterize the resistance potential of novel antimalarial compound JPC-3210 in vitro using P. falciparum clones. JPC-3210 is a new long acting drug with potential to be used in combination with fast-acting drugs like artemisinins to cure drug resistant …

Multiple Stain Histology Of Skeletal Fractures: Healing And Microtaphonomy, John Wellington Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The forensic examination of wounds is one of the key elements of analysis performed by forensic anthropologists and forensic pathologists. Gross examination and histological analysis can be used to determine the timing of the wound and its cause. While forensic pathologists are trained to analyze hard and soft tissue wounds, forensic anthropologists, bioarchaeologists, and paleopathologists, focus on hard tissue. Forensic anthropologists have the added benefit of potentially working with residual soft tissue and would benefit from the incorporation of microscopy techniques that take advantage of the soft tissue to better understand perimortem events. Little research has been published that examines …

The Characterization Of The Neuropathological Consequences Of Plac1 Ablation In A Mutant Mouse Model, Jacob Robert Bourgeois

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Placenta-specific 1 (Plac1) is an X-linked gene that is essential for normal placental development. Previous studies have shown that Plac1 is also expressed in the fetal brain and paternally imprinted. Its expression in the fetal brain is markedly downregulated immediately after birth. Plac1 ablation predisposes Plac1-null males and X^m-X Hets (inactive maternal allele) to an increased risk of developing lethal postnatal hydrocephalus suggesting a functional role for Plac1 during embryonic development. The objective of this study was to characterize the effect of Plac1 on brain development and postnatal function. In order to address this, a …

Ecological Sanitation In Uganda: Promotion Through Demonstration Facilities And Potential For Ascaris Reduction By Free Ammonia Inactivation Using Stored Urine, John Thomas Trimmer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As Uganda works to transform itself into an industrialized, middle-income country in the coming decades, the country is faced with a number of problematic trends that could hinder this transition. High population growth and urbanization are quickly forcing small towns to deal with issues of limited space and the aesthetic conditions within sanitation systems, while declining soil fertility in surrounding rural areas calls into question the future nutritional security of the growing population. Ecological Sanitation (Eco-San) systems, which are designed to recover nutrients from human excreta, may help to address these trends.

Improved sanitation coverage in Uganda is currently estimated …

Impedance Measurements As A Means To Improve The Biological Response Of Gene Electrotransfer, Lina Fajardo Gomez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When an electric field is locally applied to tissues in vivo the uptake of exogenous DNA can be greatly increased. This approach to gene transfer, called electroporation (EP) or gene electro transfer (GET), has potential applications in the treatment of skin disorders, vaccinations, some types of cancer and metabolic diseases. The eect of electric elds on cells and tissues has been studied and related to the uptake of DNA. Tissue impedance changes have been measured as a result of electroporation. The aim of this study is to explore the predictive accuracy of impedance spectroscopy for the success of GET. Mice …

2,4-Disubstituted Quinazolines With Antileishmanial Or Antibacterial Activity, Megan Marie Barber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Herein 47 2,4-disubstituted quinazolines were synthesized and tested against Leishmania donovani intracellular amastigotes. A structure-activity relationship was conducted and lead to the identification of quinazolines with EC50s in the single digit and high nanomolar range with favorable antileishmanial selectivity indexes. Quinazoline 2.6 and 2.31 underwent in vivo efficacy studies in murine models of visceral leishmaniasis, reducing liver parasitemia by 12 % and 24 %, respectively, when given by the intraperitoneal route at 15 mg/kg/day x 5 days. The antileishmanial efficacy and easy of synthesis make the 2,4-disubstituted quinazoline compound series a suitable platform for the future development of antileishmanial agents. …

Half Empty/Half Full: Absence, Ethnicity, And The Question Of Identity In The United States, Ashley Josephine Martinez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study helps us understand the complexities of transnational abandonment, and transnational abandonment in the context of Saudi heritage in particular. Based on a textual analysis of narratives on a blog by individuals abandoned by their Saudi fathers, my findings suggest that they discursively construct their identity in three ways: a) by negotiating their illegitimate status as perceived by many Saudis, and the validity of their search; b) by making sense of the absence of father and the cultural knowledge of the paternal side, while negotiating the inevitable presence of the father in many other ways and their ethnic difference; …

Heidegger And The Problem Of Modern Moral Philosophy, Megan Emily Altman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The guiding question of this project is, "Why does it count as a critique of Heidegger that he does not defend a particular moral position?" A standard criticism levied against Heidegger is that, since he has nothing positive to say about post-Enlightenment moral theory, he has nothing to contribute to moral philosophy, and this marks his greatest shortcoming as a philosopher. Why is there a demand for Heidegger, or any other philosopher, to theorize about morality, when we do not have this expectation for, say, aesthetics, theology, or various other regional domains of human life? Why should we expect Heidegger …

Biosynthesis Of Long-Chain Fatty Acid Amides, Kristen A. Jeffries

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The vast variety of long-chain fatty acid amides identified in biological systems is intriguing. The general structure of a fatty acid amide is R-CO-NH-X, where R is an alkyl group and X is derived from an immense variety of biogenic amines. Although structurally simple, the bioactivities of these molecules as signaling lipids are very diverse and have just recently begun to emerge in the literature. Interest in the long-chain fatty acid amides dramatically increased following the identification and characterization of one specific N-acylethanolamine, N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide), as the endogenous ligand for the cannabinoid receptors in the mammalian brain. Since …

Associations Between Social Determinants Of Health And Adolescent Pregnancy: An Analysis Of Data From The National Longitudinal Study Of Adolescent To Adult Health, Sarah Britney Maness

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study utilized the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to analyze empirical relationships between social determinants of health and adolescent pregnancy. Although rates of adolescent pregnancy are at an all-time low in the United States, disparities persist. Examining relationships between the social determinants of health and adolescent pregnancy provides support for funding and interventions that expand on the current focus of individual and interpersonal level factors. Based on the Healthy People 2020 Social Determinants of Health Framework, proxy measures for social determinants of health were identified within the Add Health study and analyzed in relationship with …

Sexual Functioning And Body Image In Younger Breast Cancer Survivors, Carly Lynn Paterson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Younger breast cancer survivors often report problems related to sexuality following surgical and adjuvant treatment that often lead to sexual distress and body image distress. This research was conducted as an exploratory study within a larger R01 trial with the purpose to evaluate sexual distress and body image related-distress in younger women with breast cancer and to examine the extent to which the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction-Breast Cancer (MBSR(BC)) was efficacious in improving distress related to sexuality, i.e. sexual distress and body image related-distress. The aims of this study were to: 1) evaluate the efficacy of the MBSR(BC) program in improving …

Silicone Elastomer-Based Combinatorial Biomaterial Gradients For High Throughput Screening Of Cell-Substrate Interactions, Greeshma Mohan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biomaterials have evolved over the years from the passive role of mere biocompatibility to an increasingly active role of presenting instructive cues to elicit precise responses at the molecular and cellular levels. Various characteristics common to synthetic biomaterials in vitro and extracellular matrices in vivo, such as immobilized functional or peptide groups, mechanical stiffness, bulk physical properties and topographical features, are key players that regulate cell response. The dynamics in the cell microenvironment and at the cell adhesive interface trigger a web of cell-material and cell-cell information exchanges that have a profound impact in directing the ultimate cell fate …

Exploring The Role Of Intracellular Aminopeptidases In Staphylococcus Aureus Pathogenesis, Devon Nicole Marking

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a remarkably pathogenic bacterium that is widely prevalent among the human population. It is the leading agent of skin and soft tissue infections, and is also responsible for causing an array of severe and life threatening diseases. The invasiveness of the pathogen, coupled with increasing antibiotic resistance seen for S. aureus infections, makes this bacterium a prominent public health concern. The extended pathogenicity of S. aureus is largely due to its repertoire of virulence factors, which are typically characterized by being bound to the cell wall, or secreted into the extracellular environment. Previously, our lab identified a …

Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds: Measurement In Tampa Bay, Removal From Sewage And Development Of An Estrogen Receptor Model, Monica Mion Cook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The significance of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in the environment has only recently come to the forefront of scientific research, policy debates, water utilities management and public awareness. EDCs have the ability to interfere with the normal functioning of the endocrine system of humans and other animals. Numerous chemicals are included in the class of compounds known as EDCs, and exposure is widespread. These compounds are found in a variety of environmental matrices (e.g., marine and freshwater systems, sediment, soil), transported there primarily through sewage effluent discharge and recycling of sewage sludge for topical fertilizer use. This transport to the environment …

Statistical Learning With Artificial Neural Network Applied To Health And Environmental Data, Taysseer Sharaf

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study illustrates the utilization of artificial neural network in statistical methodology. More specifically in survival analysis and time series analysis, where both holds an important and wide use in many applications in our real life. We start our discussion by utilizing artificial neural network in survival analysis. In literature there exist two important methodology of utilizing artificial neural network in survival analysis based on discrete survival time method. We illustrate the idea of discrete survival time method and show how one can estimate the discrete model using artificial neural network. We present a comparison between the two methodology …

Enhanced Magnetoimpedance And Microwave Absorption Responses Of Soft Ferromagnetic Materials For Biodetection And Energy Sensing, Jagannath Devkota

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A combination of magnetic sensors with magnetic nanoparticles offers a promising approach for highly sensitive, simple, and rapid detection of cancer cells and biomolecules. The challenge facing the field of magnetic biosensing is the development of low-cost devices capable of superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID)-like field sensitivity at room temperature. In another area of interest, improving the sensitivity of existing electromagnetic field sensors for microwave energy sensing applications is an important and challenging task. In this dissertation, we have explored the excellent magnetoimpedance and microwave absorption responses of soft ferromagnetic amorphous ribbons and microwires for the development of high-performance magnetic …

Pathogenic Policy: Health-Related Consequences Of Immigrant Policing In Atlanta, Ga, Nolan Sean Kline

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multilayered immigration enforcement regimes comprising state and federal statutes and local police practices demand research on their social and health-related consequences. This dissertation explores the multiple impacts of immigrant policing: sets of laws and police activities that make undocumented immigrants more visible to authorities and increase their risk of deportation. Examining immigrant policing through a multi-sited framework and drawing from principles of engaged anthropology, findings from this dissertation suggest how immigrant policing impacts undocumented immigrants' overall wellbeing, health providers' professional practice, and reveals troubles with safety net medical care. Interviews and participant observation experiences suggest how immigrant policing perpetuates a …

Altered Intraerythrocytic Development Phenotypes Of Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium Falciparum Confer A Fitness Advantage, Amanda Hott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Resistance to artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) has emerged in southeast Asia threatening the most widely used treatment against antimalarial-resistant Plasmodium falciparum worldwide. Artemisinin resistance has been associated with a reduced rate of parasite clearance following treatment with an ACT and is attributed to increased survival of ring-stage parasites. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in kelch gene (K13) has been associated with delayed in vivo clearance half-life of artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum and is the only known molecular marker of resistance. The absence of reliable in vitro phenotypes for artemisinin resistance has limited our understanding of the resistance mechanism(s) and fitness costs, therefore …

Development Of Orally Bioavailable 4(1H)-Quinolones And 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroacridin-9(10H)-Ones With Potent Anti-Malarial Activity, Jordany Richarlson Maignan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although Malaria rates are on the decline due to the efforts of the World Health Organization and other organizations dedicated to the eradication of this disease, a relaxed attitude towards the development of new antimalarial entities would be flawed. Due to the emergence of resistance in the parasite, the almost 50% world-wide reduction in malarial death rates that have been produced over the past 15 years are threatening to be lost

New drugs are urgently needed and our approach focuses on the re-evaluation and optimization of the historic antimalarial ICI 56,780. Due to its causal prophylactic activity, along with its …

Hpv Vaccine Decision-Making Among Male Sexual Minorities: An Integrative Theoretical Framework For Vaccine Promotion, Christopher W. Wheldon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at increased risk of anal cancer as a result of anal HPV infection. Routine HPV vaccination is recommended for all MSM up through age 26; however, vaccine uptake among this population is low. The Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (IM) was used to identify, describe, and explain psychosocial factors related to HPV vaccine decision-making for young MSM. A sequential mixed-methods approach consisting of semi-structured interviews, a quantitative survey, and a qualitative open-ended survey was used to address the following aims: (1) Determine salient outcome, normative, efficacy, and control beliefs related to HPV-vaccination …

Circulating Tumor Dna To Monitor Treatment Response And Detect Acquired Resistance In Patients With Metastatic Melanoma, Elin S. Gray, Helen Rizos, Anna L. Reid, Suzanah Boyd, Michelle Pereira, Johnny Lo, Varsha Tembe, James Freeman, Jenny Lee, Richard Scolyer, Kelvin Siew, Chris Lomma, Adam Cooper, Muhammad Khattak, Tarek Meniawy, Georgina Long, Matteo Carlino, Michael Millward, Mel R. Ziman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Repeat tumor biopsies to study genomic changes during therapy are difficult, invasive and data are confounded by tumoral heterogeneity. The analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can provide a non-invasive approach to assess prognosis and the genetic evolution of tumors in response to therapy. Mutation-specific droplet digital PCR was used to measure plasma concentrations of oncogenic BRAF and NRAS variants in 48 patients with advanced metastatic melanoma prior to treatment with targeted therapies (vemurafenib, dabrafenib or dabrafenib/trametinib combination) or immunotherapies (ipilimumab, nivolumab or pembrolizumab). Baseline ctDNA levels were evaluated relative to treatment response and progression-free survival (PFS). Tumor-associated ctDNA was …

Editorial: Neural Implementation Of Expertise, Merim Bilalic, Robert Langner, Guillermo J. Campitelli, Luca Turella, Wolfgang Grodd

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

How the brain enables humans to reach an outstanding level of performance typical of expertise is of great interest to cognitive neuroscience, as demonstrated by the number and diversity of the articles in this Research Topic (RT). The RT presents a collection of 23 articles written by 80 authors on traditional expertise topics such as sport, board games, and music, but also on the expertise aspects of everyday skills, such as language and the perception of faces and objects. Just as the topics in the RT are diverse, so are the neuroimaging techniques employed and the article formats. Here we …

Learning As It Goes Down The Line: Siblings And Family Networked In The Acquisition Of Online Skills, Kylie J. Stevenson, Lelia Green, Leslie Haddon

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Parents and Peers project set out to investigate key influences of peers and parents on the online experiences of young people aged 13 - 17. Specifically, the project sought to explore the family constructions of learning, support and management systems that operate in the informal context of the domestic space of the family home (Silverstone & Haddon 1996). It became apparent through interviewing several sets of older siblings that there was benefit in interviewing a wider age range of siblings who were engaged in online activity within individual families. Therefore, the interview participants’ age range was extended to age …

Visions For The North Sea: The Societal Dilemma Behind Specifying Good Environmental Status, Alison J. Gilbert, Abigail Mcquatters-Gollop, Olivia Langmead, Laurence Mee, Jan Vermaat

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Determining Riverine Sediment Storage Mechanisms Of Biologically Reactive Phosphorus In Situ Using Dgt, Emily E. Burns, Sean Comber, William Blake, Rupert Goddard, Laurence Couldrick

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Omega-3 Fatty Acids On The Concentration Of Myo-Inositol, Patrick Knighton

Honors Theses

Bipolar affective disorder is a mental illness that affects 1-2% of the population. One hypothesis for the effectiveness of current treatments of bipolar disorder is the reduction of cellular myo-inositol. Lithium and valproate (VPA) are known to reduce cellular inositol levels, however these treatments often have notable side effects. Currently, there is a need to find a treatment for bipolar disorder that reduces the adverse side effects of these drugs. Previous studies, have found success in using omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of bipolar affective disorder. The long-term purpose of this study is to determine what effect omega-3 fatty …