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Molecular Probes For Pancreatic Cancer Imaging, Lei Wang

Dissertations and Theses

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has the poorest five-year survival rate of any cancer. Currently, there are no effective diagnostics or chemotherapeutics. Surgical resection is the only curative therapy. However, most patients experience recurrence due largely to challenges in assessing tumor margin status in the operating room. Molecular probes that selectively highlight pancreatic cancer tissue, having the potential to improve PDAC margin assessment intraoperatively, are urgently needed. In this work, a series of red and near-infrared fluorescent probes is reported. Two were found to distribute to normal pancreas following systemic administration. One selectively accumulates in genetically modified mouse models of PDAC, …

Effect Of High-Dose Simvastatin On Cerebral Blood Flow And Static Autoregulation In Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Michael N. Diringer, Rajat Dhar, Michael Scalfani, Allyson R. Zazulia, Michael Chicoine, William J. Powers, Colin P. Derdeyn

Student Publications

Background: Statins may promote vasodilation following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and improve the response to blood pressure elevation. We sought to determine whether simvastatin increases cerebral blood flow (CBF) and alters the response to induced hypertension after SAH.

Methods: Statin-naïve patients admitted <72 h after WFNS ≥2 aneurysmal SAH were randomly assigned to 80 mg simvastatin/day or placebo for 21 days. Regional CBF was measured with quantitative (15)O PET on SAH day 7-10 before and after raising mean arterial pressure (MAP) 20-25 %. Autoregulatory index (AI) was calculated as the ratio of % change in resistance (MAP/CBF) to % change in MAP. Angiography was performed within 24 h of PET. Results are presented as simvastatin vs. placebo.

Results: Thirteen patients received simvastatin and 12 placebo. Clinical characteristics were similar. Moderate or severe angiographic vasospasm occurred in 42 vs. 45 % and delayed cerebral ischemia in 14 vs. 55 % (p = 0.074). During PET studies, MAP (110 ± 10 vs. 111 ± 12), global CBF (41 ± 12 vs. 43 ± 13), and CVR (2.95 ± …

Mitochondrial Ca(2+) Uptake In Skeletal Muscle Health And Disease, Jingsong Zhou, Kamal Dhakal, Jianxun Yi

Faculty and Staff Publications

Muscle uses Ca(2+) as a messenger to control contraction and relies on ATP to maintain the intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis. Mitochondria are the major sub-cellular organelle of ATP production. With a negative inner membrane potential, mitochondria take up Ca(2+) from their surroundings, a process called mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake. Under physiological conditions, Ca(2+) uptake into mitochondria promotes ATP production. Excessive uptake causes mitochondrial Ca(2+) overload, which activates downstream adverse responses leading to cell dysfunction. Moreover, mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake could shape spatio-temporal patterns of intracellular Ca(2+) signaling. Malfunction of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake is implicated in muscle degeneration. Unlike non-excitable cells, mitochondria in muscle …

Funeral Home Or Ritualistic Edifice? An Assessment Of An Enigmatic Structure At The Late Pre-Hispanic Site Of Panquilma, Central Coast Peru, Alysia Ashley Leon

Theses

Mortuary remains within an archaeological context can illuminate the social and political aspects not only of the individual(s) buried, but also of the living who interred them. Although this is so, a consensus has not been reached in regard to the following questions: how can we determine the social identity of the living that interred the dead? What are the implications of the living-dead interaction, and how do mortuary practices alter social memory in order to fit political needs? This thesis constitutes an initial attempt to answer these questions while examining pre-internment mortuary practices, and associated ideologies regarding the afterlife …

Media Bias: How Much Does It Hurt Or Help The Media-Public Relationship?, Aidan Mathews

Journalism

The focus of this research paper is to qualify the relationship between the public and the Media and to discover how much Media bias, or the perception of Media bias affects that relationship. An important angle taken in this study is the question of whether or not bias on the part of the Media actually helps the public when forming educated opinions.

The review of existing literature on Media bias and public perception of the Media and the collection of data via interviews with expert, professional journalists have led to two conclusions about the Media-public relationship: (1) in order for …

Strain Energy Absorption Corresponds To Decreased Incidence Of Ventricular Fibrillation In A Commotio Cordis Model, Kayt E. Frisch, Mark S. Link, John Van Weelden

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

A healthy teenage boy is playing high school baseball, when he is struck in the chest by the ball; minutes later, his heart is experiencing ventricular fibrillation (VF) and the only way to resuscitate him is to use a defibrillator. This phenomenon, is known as Commotio Cordis (CC), and occurs as many as 20 times each year in the United States. CC most frequently occurs in sports with small balls (e.g. baseball or lacrosse) and requires a specific set of circumstances–a projectile with a certain amount of energy that impacts directly over the left ventricle of the heart during a …

The Church, State, And Literature Of Carolingian France, Steffan James Geiter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the eighth century rise in power of the Carolingian Church and the Carolingian dynasty through an early promise of religious revival, monarchial revival, and increased Papal power. Such aims gained the Carolingians a powerful in the Church. Aided by Boniface (672-754 AD) and the Church, the Carolingians replaced the Merovingians in Francia. In conjunction with this revival, Church scholars dictated a reformation of kingship in treatises called the Speculum Principum. A king’s position became tremulous when they strayed from these rules, as it betrayed their alliance. Ultimately, Louis the Pious (778-840 AD) faced deposition after they …

Learning Styles Of Physical Therapy And Physical Therapist Assistant Students In Accredited Physical Therapy Programs, Margaret A. Lowdermilk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the learning styles of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students and associate degree Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) students and identify any association between their learning styles and examine the association between gender and age by learning style.

Participants included 337 DPT and PTA students attending CAPTE accredited institutions with doctoral DPT or associate PTA programs in Tennessee and southwest Virginia. The Felder (1996) and Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was used to determine learning style preferences within 4 learning style dimensions (active-reflective, sensing-intuitive, visual-verbal, and sequential-global).

Demographics included program of study, …

Reduction In Squamous Cell Carcinomas In Mouse Skin By Dietary Zinc Supplementation., Jin Sun, Rulong Shen, Morgan S. Schrock, James Liu, Xueliang Pan, Donald Quimby, Nicola Zanesi, Teresa Druck, Louise Y. Fong, Kay Huebner

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Inadequate dietary Zn consumption increases susceptibility to esophageal and other cancers in humans and model organisms. Since Zn supplementation can prevent cancers in rodent squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) models, we were interested in determining if it could have a preventive effect in a rodent skin cancer model, as a preclinical basis for considering a role for Zn in prevention of human nonmelanoma skin cancers, the most frequent cancers in humans. We used the 7,12-dimethyl benzanthracene carcinogen/phorbol myristate acetate tumor promoter treatment method to induce skin tumors in Zn-sufficient wild-type and Fhit (human or mouse protein) knockout mice. Fhit protein expression …

Manganese-Reducing Bacterial Communities From A Hypersaline Estuary In South Texas Under Conditions Of Changing Salinity, Omar R. Elizondo, Rebecca Vasquez Villarreal, Sonia Y. Del Rio, Kristine L. Lowe

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Manganese reducing bacteria were quantified and enriched from sediments at two sites (ABC and LMT050) in the Laguna Madre of South Texas. Bacteria were tested for Mn(IV) reduction under different salinities. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was used to profile bacterial communities from Mn(IV) saline enrichments. Results showed that the density of manganese reducing bacteria at ABC was 30X greater than LMT050. The ABC bacteria were able to reduce Mn(IV) at similar rates at different salinities; however, at LMT050, Mn(IV) reduction rates decreased at higher salinities. Three population genotypes were observed by DGGE. All were present and similarly abundant in …

Technology-Enabled Remote Monitoring And Self-Management — Vision For Patient Empowerment Following Cardiac And Vascular Surgery: User Testing And Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol, M Mcgillion, J Yost, A Turner, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

BACKGROUND: Tens of thousands of cardiac and vascular surgeries (CaVS) are performed on seniors in Canada and the United Kingdom each year to improve survival, relieve disease symptoms, and improve health-related quality of life (HRQL). However, chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), undetected or delayed detection of hemodynamic compromise, complications, and related poor functional status are major problems for substantial numbers of patients during the recovery process. To tackle this problem, we aim to refine and test the effectiveness of an eHealth-enabled service delivery intervention, TecHnology-Enabled remote monitoring and Self-MAnagemenT-VIsion for patient EmpoWerment following Cardiac and VasculaR surgery (THE SMArTVIEW, CoVeRed), which …

Interseeding Forage Kochia Into Established Crp Grass Stands, Jeffrey E. Banks, Robert L. Newhall, Blair L. Waldron

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is a summary of a research project that documented that interseeding forage kochia into existing CRP can increase its potential use for fall and winter grazing by livestock.

Book Review: Women In Southeast Asian Nationalist Movements: A Biographical Approach, Madhavi Venkatesan

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Women in Southeast Asian Nationalist Movements: A Biographical Approach, Susan Blackburn and Helen Ting, editors. National University of Singapore Press, 2013.

Book Review Essay: My Life On The Road, Diana J. Fox

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem. Random House, 2015.

Empowering The Subaltern In Woman At Point Zero, Saddik Gohar

Journal of International Women's Studies

In the context of Western feminist theory, this paper critically explores Nawal El Saadawi's celebrated novel, Woman at Point Zero. The aim of this analysis is to establish a dialogue and outline the benefits of comparative feminist discourse with regard to patriarchal policies in the Middle East. The paper argues that El Saadawi challenges the hegemony of a traditionally phallocentric society empowered by religion and masculinity. In Woman at Point Zero, the author has effectively reinterpreted culturally dominated canons and deconstructed regressive traditions affiliated with patriarchal hegemony. Relying on her experience as a prison psychiatrist, El Saadawi interrogates a …

Natural Resources And Household Incomes Among Rural Women: Analysis Of Communities Domiciled Near National Parks In Rwanda, Edward Mutandwa, Seraphine Wibabara

Journal of International Women's Studies

Historically, national parks were developed along protectionist principles to stave off illegal extraction of plants and wildlife. However, there have been calls to involve local communities in sustainable management of natural resources in recent years. The main objective of this study was to examine the economic activities carried out by rural women located near the Virunga National Park (VNP) in Northern Rwanda. The research also determined the role of such activities in enhancing their financial condition. A total of 118 respondents were selected from Musanze District using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data was mainly collected through a structured questionnaire transcribed …

Taking Care In The Digital Realm: Hmong Story Cloths And The Poverty Of Interpretation On Hmongemboridery.Org, Corey Hickner-Johnson

Journal of International Women's Studies

This essay examines Hmong story cloths exhibited on the HmongEmbroidery.org virtual museum in order to consider 1.) transnational Hmong diasporic experience post-Vietnam, 2.) the problems with interpretation as a critical mode of scholarship seeking mastery, and 3.) the work of digital archives in accounting for displacement and loss. The Hmong, an indigenous group originally living in East Asia, created many of the story cloths exhibited on HmongEmbroidery.org in Thai refugee camps following the Vietnam War, during which they assisted the United States CIA against the Viet Cong and Pathet Lao. Displaced by enemy forces from their homes through violent means …

Florida Rural Small Business Energy Assistance Collaborative Cumulative Report Ending July 31, 2016, Florida Solar Energy Center, Janet Mcilvaine

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development initiative reaches out to communities across America with many programs (http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/all-programs). USDA's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) offers grants and loan guarantees for energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems to agriculture operations and qualifying rural small businesses. USDA has awarded the University of Central Florida a grant to provide a limited number of subsidized Energy Audits to eligible businesses in Florida in support of USDA Rural Development (USDA-RD) Grant and Loan programs for rural small businesses. The ultimate goal of the energy audits is to increase participation in …

Propers 13 (Pentecost 11) Series C 2016, Phillip L. Brandt

Sunday's Sermon

This PDF comments on the Propers for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Series C, and offers up ideas for proclamation and preaching.

Moderation Analysis Of Bowel Function Among Nutrients And Physical Function Or Depression, As Well As Whether Bowel Function Is Related To Cognition In Older Adults, Jessie Alwerdt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As we age, the risk for gut issues, such as smooth muscle tone, may be an underlying indirect or direct cause or risk factor for many age-related issues, such as frailty. Consequences of decreased motility and depleted epithelial barrier may result in nutrient deficiencies that may increase the risk for malnutrition (Brownie, 2006). Further, there is increasing evidence that there is a gut-brain-axis relationship that may influence cognition and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. While there are relationships established, the interconnections of these factors have yet to be fully understood.

This dissertation examined several relationships specific to …

Give A Man A Fish Or Teach Him To Fish, Seo Young Kim, Youjae Yi

Asia Marketing Journal

People receive support from others to solve problems that are difficult to solve on their own. During service encounters, customers also receive help from other customers. Inter-customer helping is a type of Customer Citizenship Behavior (CCB), which has become more prevalent with increased use of self-service technologies (SSTs). However, not all helps are created equal. The current research investigates the effects of the two types of help, autonomy- and dependency-oriented help during service encounters. Autonomy-oriented help refers to a partial hint to the problem, whereas dependency-oriented help refers to the full solution to the problem. Through experimental studies, we provide …

Students’ Experiences With Community In An Open Access Course, Stephanie J. Blackmon, Theresa A. Cullen

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Online open access courses have become regular offerings of many universities. Building community and connectedness is an important part of branding and success of such offerings. Our goal was to investigate students’ experiences with community in an open access course. Therefore, in this study, we explored the sense of community of 342 participants in an open access chemistry course. We found that participants did not rate a sense of community as important to them, and did not report feeling very connected to the online course. We will discuss opportunities for building community features in such courses in the future.

Variation Of Small Mammal Populations Across Different Habitat Types In The Serengeti Ecosystem, Flora J Magige

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study investigated the abundance and diversity of small mammals in cultivated land (unprotected area) and wooded grassland in the Serengeti National Park (protected area) in the Serengeti ecosystem. Small mammal populations were sampled through capture-mark-recapture trapping techniques in March-April 2010. A total of 896 trap nights covering wet season, 9 species of rodents and 1 species of soricomorphs (shrew family) were captured. Overall, Multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis (Smith) was by far the most abundant rodent in cultivated land (28%) while inside the park, shrew Crocidura sp., was high in numbers (8%). A significantly higher abundance (trap success) of small …

Ligninolytic Enzymes Of The Fungus Isolated From Soil Contaminated With Cow Dung, Rose J. Masalu

Tanzania Journal of Science

Lignin is the complex polymer and very few microorganisms are able to degrade it. The study aimed at isolating lignin degrading fungi from soil contaminated with cow dung using ligninolytic screening media. The study was able to isolate one ligninolytic fungus by using lignin media. The strain was screened for  production of ligninolytic enzymes  using Rhemazol Brilliant blue R (RBBR) dye, 2,2-azino-bis (3- ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulfonate (ABTS) and guaiacol in a semi-solid medium. The isolate decolourized RBBR dye, ABTS and guaiacol in a semi solid media. The strain was further tested for lignin peroxidase (LiP), manganese peroxidase (MnP) and laccase (Lac) enzymatic …

Assessment Of Concentrations Of Trace And Toxic Heavy Metals In Soil And Vegetables Grown In The Vicinity Of Manyoni Uranium Depositin Tanzania, F.A. Kapile, In Makundi

Tanzania Journal of Science

This study reports on determination of concentrations of trace and toxic heavy metals in soil and vegetables grown near of Manyoni uranium deposit. Soil and vegetable samples were collected from five sites namely Mitoo Mbuga, farming area, Miyomboni, Tambukareli and near water pump. The concentrations of heavy metals in soil and edible vegetables samples were analyzed using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (EDXRF).All vegetable samples were found to have higher concentrations (in μg/g) of trace elements such as Ni (67.3) in pea leaves, Cu (14.9) in pumpkin leaves, Fe (478.6), (200.5) and (337.1) in pea, pumpkin and spinach leaves respectively, …

Marketing’S Lost Frontier: The Poor, Ravi Achrol, Philip Kotler

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

The problems of persistent poverty have occupied the minds, money and agencies of the world for a very long time. It is the subject of a large literature in economics and sociology, and the literature has evolved through a variety of theoretical paradigms. Despite numerous initiatives the impact on alleviating poverty is marginal. Recently the poverty conundrum has attracted the attention of schools of business and global corporations. In this paper we critically review the major changes in the conventional approaches to development. Then we review three models based on the thought traditions of business schools that offer a new …

Eight Reasons Women Stay In Abusive Relationships, Jason B. Whiting

Faculty Publications

When NFL linebacker Ray Rice knocked his fiancée Janay Palmer unconscious in an elevator in 2014, it didn't initially get much attention. He was accused of domestic violence and suspended for two games. After a few weeks he was formally charged, but he and Palmer were married the next day. However, when a security video of the event surfaced, it quickly went viral. Watching Palmer get knocked out and roughly dragged out of the elevator by Rice had a powerful effect on viewers. The waves of outrage that followed caused the NFL to scramble to increase their punishment of Ray …

Functional Diversity Of Small And Large Trees Along Secondary Succession In A Tropical Dry Forest, Lucía Sanaphre-Villanueva, Juan Manuel Dupuy, José Luis Andrade, Casandra Reyes-García, Horacio Paz, Paula C. Jackson

Faculty Articles

Functional Diversity is considered an important driver of community assembly in environmental and successional gradients. To understand tree assembly processes in a semideciduous tropical forest, we analyzed the variation of Functional Richness (FRic), Functional Divergence (FDiv), and Functional Evenness (FEve) of small vs. large trees in relation to fallow age after slash-and-burn agriculture and topographical position (flat sites vs. hills). FRic of small trees was lower than null model predicted values across the successional gradient, and decreased unexpectedly in older successional ages. FRic of large trees was higher than null model predictions early in succession and lower in late-successional stands …

The Ontology Of Technology: A Heideggerian Perspective, RóIsíN Lally

Leadership Studies Faculty Scholarship

The question concerning technology lies at the heart of human existence. As such it must take a central place in philosophy today. This importance, however, is veiled by a historical interpretation of technology as instrumental. This instrumentalism is the result of an ambiguity in the Aristotelian legacy that arises from an understanding of reality rooted in a theory of the categories, on the one hand, and a theory of causality on the other. This has left us with an ambiguous understanding of human making split by the twofold structure of artistic and representational thinking. The former is characteristic of empirical …

The Murray Ledger And Times, July 30-31, 2016, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.