Digital Commons Network^™

A Model For The Application Of Target-Controlled Intravenous Infusion For A Prolonged Immersive Dmt Psychedelic Experience, Andrew R. Gallimore, Rick J. Strassman

Family and Community Medicine Research and Scholarship

The state of consciousness induced by N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is one of the most extraordinary of any naturally-occurring psychedelic substance. Users consistently report the complete replacement of normal subjective experience with a novel "alternate universe," often densely populated with a variety of strange objects and other highly complex visual content, including what appear to be sentient "beings." The phenomenology of the DMT state is of great interest to psychology and calls for rigorous academic enquiry. The extremely short duration of DMT effects-less than 20 min-militates against single dose administration as the ideal model for such enquiry. Using pharmacokinetic modeling and DMT …

The Encyclopedia Of Neutrosophic Researchers - Vol. 1, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This is the first volume of the Encyclopedia of Neutrosophic Researchers, edited from materials offered by the authors who responded to the editor’s invitation. The authors are listed alphabetically. The introduction contains a short history of neutrosophics, together with links to the main papers and books. Neutrosophic set, neutrosophic logic, neutrosophic probability, neutrosophic statistics, neutrosophic measure, neutrosophic precalculus, neutrosophic calculus and so on are gaining significant attention in solving many real life problems that involve uncertainty, impreciseness, vagueness, incompleteness, inconsistent, and indeterminacy. In the past years the fields of neutrosophics have been extended and applied in various fields, such as: …

A Microfluidic-Based Tactile Sensor For Palpating Mice Tumor Tissues, Yichao Yang, Garett Johnson, Dean Krusienski, Siqi Guo, Cheng Lin, Zhili Hao

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In light of the need of tissue palpation for Robotics-assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (RMIS), this paper presents a microfluidic-based tactile sensor for palpating mice tissues for tumor localization. The core of the sensor is a 3x3 sensing-plate/transducer array built into a single polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microstructure, with a transducer spacing of 3.75mmx1.5mm. Mounted on a robot, the sensor is pressed against a tissue region with a pre-defined indentation depth pattern, and consequently the stiffness distribution across the tissue region translates to the deflection distribution of the sensing-plate array and is captured by the transducer array underneath as resistance changes. Thus, the …

Mining Human Activity Using Dimensionality Reduction And Pattern Recognition, Ismail El Moudden, Mounir Ouzir, Badreddine Benyacoub, Souad El Bernoussi

Research and Infrastructure Service Enterprise (RISE) Faculty Publications

Human activity recognition (HAR) is an emerging research topic in pattern recognition, especially in computer vision. The main objective of human activity recognition is to automatically detect and analyze human activities from the information acquired from different sensors. Human activity prediction using big data remains a challengingly open problem. Several approaches have recently been developed in order to find practical ways to solve high dimensionality of data problems. The aim of this study is to attempt, using data mining techniques, to deal with HAR modeling involving a significant number of variables in order to identify relevant parameters from data and …

Mfge8 Regulates Tgf-Β-Induced Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition In Endometrial Epithelial Cells In Vitro, Liang Yu, Rong Hu, Claretta Sullivan, R. James Swanson, Sergio Oehninger, Ying-Pu Sun, Silvina Bocca

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

This study investigated the role of milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor-factor 8 (MFGE8) in TGF-β-induced epithelial– mesenchymal transition (EMT) of endometrial epithelial cells. These were in vitro studies using human endometrial epithelial cells and mouse blastocysts. We investigated the ability of TGF-β to induce EMT in endometrial epithelial cells (HEC-1A) by assessment of cytological phenotype (by light and atomic force microscopy), changes in expression of the markers of cell adhesion/differentiation E- and N-cadherin, and of the transcription factor Snail (by immunofluorescence and immunoblotting), and competence to support embryo attachment in a mouse blastocyst outgrowth assay. We also studied the effects …

Tick-, Mosquito-, And Rodent-Bourne Parasite Sampling Designs For The National Ecological Observatory Network, Yuri Springer, David Hoekman, Pieter T.J. Johnson, Paul A. Duffy, Rebecca A. Hufft, Holly D. Gaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Parasites and pathogens are increasingly recognized as significant drivers of ecological and evolutionary change in natural ecosystems. Concurrently, transmission of infectious agents among human, livestock, and wildlife populations represents a growing threat to veterinary and human health. In light of these trends and the scarcity of long-term time series data on infection rates among vectors and reservoirs, the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will collect measurements and samples of a suite of tick-, mosquito-, and rodent-borne parasites through a continental-scale surveillance program. Here, we describe the sampling designs for these efforts, highlighting sampling priorities, field and analytical methods, and the …

Anaplasma Marginale Actively Modulates Vacuolar Maturation During Intracellular Infection Of Its Tick Vector, Dermacentor Andersoni, Foregivemore Magunda, Chelsea Wright Thompson, David A. Schneider, Susan M. Noh

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

ABSTRACT Tick-borne transmission of bacterial pathogens in the order Rickettsiales is responsible for diverse infectious diseases, many of them severe, in humans and animals. Transmission dynamics differ among these pathogens and are reflected in the pathogen-vector interaction. Anaplasma marginale has been shown to establish and maintain infectivity within Dermacentor spp. for weeks to months while escaping the complex network of vacuolar peptidases that are responsible for digestion ofthe tick blood meal. How this prolonged maintenance of infectivity in a potentially hostile environment is achieved has been unknown. Using the natural vector Dermacentor andersoni, we demonstrated that A. marginale …

Powerlessness Repurposed: The Feminist Ethos Of Judy Bonds, Mary Beth Pennington

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Gay Habits Set Strait: Fan Culture And Authoritative Praxis In Ready Player One, Kevin Moberly, Brent Moberly

English Faculty Publications

(First Paragraph) Gwendolyn Morgan reminds us that medievalism and authority are complementary fictions.¹ Recognizing that the "past with which we identify actually reflects our present needs," she examines the way that contemporary writers establish the authority of their works by adapting, if not explicitly fabricating medieval sources.² The result, she argues, is a kind of "double practice of medievalism," one that invokes the authoritative power of the Middle Ages by appropriating the medieval appeal to auctoritee, which is to say the pretense of "citing real and invented classical authorities" to both disguise and justify authorial invention.³ Morgan …

Tick Genome Assembled: New Opportunities For Research On Tick-Host-Pathogen Interactions, Jose De La Fuente, Robert M. Waterhouse, Daniel E. Sonenshine, R. Michael Roe, Jose M. Ribeiro, David B. Sattelle, Catherine A. Hill

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

As tick-borne diseases are on the rise, an international effort resulted in the sequence and assembly of the first genome of a tick vector. This result promotes research on comparative, functional and evolutionary genomics and the study of tick-host-pathogen interactions to improve human, animal and ecosystem health on a global scale.

Geospatial Approaches To Support Pelagic Conservation Planning And Adaptive Management, L. M. Wedding, Sara M. Maxwell, D. Hyrenbach, D. C. Dunn, J. J. Roberts, D. Briscoe, E. Hines, P. N. Halpin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Place-based management in the open ocean faces unique challenges in delineating boundaries around temporally and spatially dynamic systems that span broad geographic scales and multiple management jurisdictions, especially in the 'high seas'. Geospatial technologies are critical for the successful design of pelagic conservation areas, because they provide information on the spatially and temporally dynamic oceanographic features responsible for driving species distribution and abundance in the open ocean, the movements of protected species, and the spatial patterns of distribution of potential threats. Nevertheless, there are major challenges to implementing these geospatial approaches in the open ocean. This Theme Section seeks to …

The Sea Is Rising… But Not Onto The Policy Agenda: A Multiple Streams Approach To Understanding Sea Level Rise Policies, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Katharine Neill, Burton St. John Iii, Ivan K. Ash, Kaitrin Mahar

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

There has been little policy effort to address sea level rise in coastal states in the US. It is important to examine, at the state level, how the multitude of different (and changing) actors with different preferences and perspectives contribute to such inertia. This study examines state-level legislative inaction with regards to sea level rise. Using Kingdon's multiple streams framework, we draw a picture of the policy landscape in Virginia as one where the problem of sea level rise is perceived as a low priority, with little consensus on achievable policy solutions, and is politically controversial. We find that policy …

Red List Of Marine Bony Fishes Of The Eastern Central Atlantic, Beth Polidoro, Gina Ralph, Kyle Strongin, Michael Harvey, Kent Carpenter, Titus Ayo Adeofe, Rachel Arnold, Paul Bannerman, Jean Noel Bibang Bi Nguema, Jack Buchanan, Khairdine Mohamed Abdallahi Camara, Youssouf Hawa Camara, Kadiatou Cissoko, Bruce B. Collette, Mia T. Comeros-Raynal, Godefroy De Bruyne, Madeleine Diouf, Roger Djiman, Mathieu Ducrocq, Ofer Gon, Antony S. Harold, Heather Harwell, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Andrew Hines, P. Alexander Hulley, Tomio Iwamoto, Steen Knudsen, Jean De Dieu Lewembe, Christi Linardich, Ken Lindeman, Ebou Mass Mbye, Jean Egard Mikolo, Vanda Monteiro, Jean Bernard Mougoussi, Thomas Munroe, Jean Hervé Mve Beh, Francis K.E. Nunoo, Caroline Pollock, Stuart Poss, Richmond Quartey, Barry Russell, Alphonse Sagna, Catherine Sayer, Aboubacar Sidibe, William Smith-Vaniz, Emilie Stump, Mor Sylla, Luis Tito De Morais, Jean-Christophe Vié, Akanbi Williams

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Red List of marine bony fishes of the Eastern Central Atlantic (ECA) is a review of the conservation status of all native marine bony fishes in ECA according to the global Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the global level and occur within the ECA region. This comprehensive assessment, which is the first of its kind in the ECA, aims to provide improved knowledge of species presence and extinction risk status for the purposes of guiding conservation actions and improved policies for these species …

Selective Mutation Accumulation: A Computational Model Of The Paternal Age Effect, Eoin C. Whelan, Alexander C. Nwala, Christopher Osgood, Stephan Olariu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Motivation: As the mean age of parenthood grows, the effect of parental age on genetic disease and child health becomes ever more important. A number of autosomal dominant disorders show a dramatic paternal age effect due to selfish mutations: substitutions that grant spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) a selective advantage in the testes of the father, but have a deleterious effect in offspring. In this paper we present a computational technique to model the SSC niche in order to examine the phenomenon and draw conclusions across different genes and disorders.

Results: We used a Markov chain to model the probabilities of …

Study Of Phylogenetic Relationship Of Turkish Species Ofmatthiola (Brassicaceae) Based On Issr Amplification, Beki̇r Doğan, Mustafa Çeli̇k, Murat Ünal, Abdurrahman Sefali, Esra Marti̇n, Ayla Kaya

Turkish Journal of Botany

Matthiola W.T.Aiton is a taxonomically complex genus in which there are many problems, mostly with Matthiola longipetala and M. Odoratissima. Matthiola species native to Turkey were collected from various locations in Anatolia, and their DNA was isolated. Revision studies performed on the basis of molecular data obtained from studies conducted in recent years have made the phylogenetic relationships and systematic positions of the taxa more apparent and reliable. Consequently, the remaining taxonomic problems among the species have been resolved through the use of DNA-based molecular analysis methods, which, unlike phenotype studies, are not affected by environmental factors. The inter-simple sequence …

The Examinations Of Achene Ultrastructural Features Of Section Acrolophus(Centaurea, Asteraceae) Via Scanning Electron Microscopy, Feyza Candan, Tuna Uysal, Osman Tugay, Meryem Bozkurt, Kuddi̇si̇ Ertuğrul, Hakki Demi̇relma

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this study, the achene surfaces of 31 taxa belonging to the genus Centaurea L. Were examined in detail by means of electron microscopy. The main aim of this study was to characterize the microsculpture of the achene surface of the Turkish species of Centaurea sect. Acrolophus (Cass.) DC. (Asteraceae). Detailed descriptions of the achene surface were given for each taxon and a fruitful dendrogram was established by numerical analyses derived from the determined micromorphological features. The relationships among the taxa studied were briefly assessed using this generated dendrogram. The results indicated that the examined taxa had very high variations …

Astragalus Topalanense (Fabaceae), A New Species From Turkey, Ahmet İlçi̇m, Lütfi̇ Behçet

Turkish Journal of Botany

Astragalus topalanense Behçet and İlçim sp. Nov. (section Malacothrix Bunge) is described as a new species from Bingöl Province, East Anatolia in Turkey. The new species is similar to Astragalus macrouroides Hub.-Mor., a species endemic to Turkey, and A. Macrourus Fisch. And C.A.Mey. The diagnostic characters and taxonomic comments on the species are presented. Seed and pollen characteristics are investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy. Notes are also presented on its ecology. A distribution map of the new and related species is also provided.

Leaflet Trichome Micromorphology In The Dolentes-Brevipedes Taxonomic Complex (Mimosa L., Mimosoideae), Mariana Grohar, Sonia Rosenfeldt, Matias Morales

Turkish Journal of Botany

We studied leaflets of 18 taxa of the genus Mimosa, specifically the Dolentes-Brevipedes taxonomic complex, focusing on micromorphology, type, shape, and density of trichomes. Within the nonglandular trichomes we described 3 types of nonbranched and 2 types of branched trichomes. We also described 2 types of stalked glandular trichomes, extending the recent classifications of trichomes in Mimosa. Multiseriate trichomes with lateral projections, which resemble incipient branching, are described here for many taxa. Most studied taxa have pubescent leaflets and show great variability in trichome density values. We also found 3 different types of blade margins with variation in type, alignment, …

First Record Of Psylliostachys Spicata (Plumbaginaceae), Confirmation Of Salvia Pratensis (Lamiaceae) From Turkey, And Taxonomic Status Of Salvia Ertekinii, Ferhat Celep, Osman Karabacak, Maryam Malekmohammadi, Mehmet Fi̇dan, Musa Doğan

Turkish Journal of Botany

Psylliostachys spicata (Plumbaginaceae) is reported as a new genus record for Turkey; an amended species description is given. Bossier's record of Salvia pratensis (Lamiaceae) in Flora Orientalis is confirmed from Turkey. Additionally, the endemic Salvia ertekinii is reduced to a synonym of Salvia pinnata.

Vietnamese Ganoderma: Growth, Peculiarities, And Low-Molecular Composition Compared To European And Siberian Strains, Olga Tsivileva, Thao Nguyen, Long Vu, Nikolai Yurasov, Marina Chernyshova, Alexander Petrov, Viktor Galushka, Alexei Markin, Oleg Koftin

Turkish Journal of Botany

The species from the genus Ganoderma are known to be extremely important macrofungi in fundamental biological, medicinal, and socioeconomic aspects. The present communication describes the brief morphological description, macro- and microscopic details, and chemical constituents of the representatives of five species of Ganoderma mushroom collected from different sites in Vietnamese National Parks. These species were Ganoderma colossus, G. Neojaponicum, G. Cattienensis, G. Lucidum, and G. Applanatum. Three additional herbarium strains of Ganoderma from European and Siberian regions have been implemented in the present framework for the purposes of comparison. Cultural characterization on solid and liquid fermentation, and scanning electron microscopy …

Contributions To Turkish Pyronemataceae From Gaziantep Province, Abdullah Kaya, Yasi̇n Uzun, İbrahi̇m Hali̇l Karacan, Semi̇ha Yakar

Turkish Journal of Botany

Fourteen pyronemataceous macrofungi taxa (Aleuria exigua Rifai; Cheilymenia catenipila J. Moravec; Cheilymenia vitellina (Pers.) Dennis; Geopyxis majalis (Fr.) Sacc.; Geopyxis vulcanalis (Peck) Sacc.; Humaria aurantia (Clem.) Häffner, Benkert and Krisai; Kotlabaea deformis (P. Karst.) Svrcek; Pulvinula johannis Lantieri; Pyronema domesticum (Sowerby) Sacc.; Scutellinia trechispora (Berk. and Broome) Lambotte; Smardaea planchonis (Dunal ex Boud.) Korf and W.Y. Zhuang; Tricharina ochroleuca (Bres.) Eckblad; Tricharina praecox (P. Karst.) Dennis; and Trichophaeopsis bicuspis (Boud.) Korf and Erb) are given as new records for the mycobiota of Turkey from Gaziantep Province. Three of them are the first members of the genera Kotlabaea Svrcek, Smardaea Svrcek, …

Taxonomy Of The Genus Athallia And Its Diversity In Turkey, Jan Vondrak, Mehmet Gökhan Halici, Mi̇that Güllü, Rasi̇me Demi̇rel

Turkish Journal of Botany

Molecular analyses of ITS nrDNA, using 42 new and 56 GenBank sequences, revealed 12 supported lineages of Athallia consistent with phenotype data. We regard these lineages as species. Eight of them were previously recognized as species in Athallia, and here we make three new combinations: A. Baltistanica, A. Brachyspora, and A. Necator. Eight of these species have been recorded in Turkey; of them, A. Baltistanica and A. Saxifragarum are new to the country. The former is also new to Greece. Athallia baltistanica is recorded for the first time outside the Karakoram Mountains (N Pakistan). We propose a broader species concept …

A Taxonomic Revision Of The Genus Cirsium Mill. Sect. Cirsium(Asteraceae: Cardueae) In Turkey, Bayram Yildiz, Turan Arabaci, Tuncay Di̇rmenci̇, Serkan Köstekci̇

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this study, the members of the genus Cirsium Mill. sect. Cirsium (Asteraceae: Cardueae) in Turkey are revised. The species C. eliasianum Kit Tan & Sorger is regarded as a synonym of C. frickii Fisch. & C.A.Mey. The name C. alatum subsp. alatum was misapplied for C. elodes M.Bieb. and C. elodes was misapplied in Turkey for C. subinerme Fisch. & C.A.Mey. In addition, two new hybrids, C. × prativagum Petr. and C. × woronowii Petr., are newly recorded for the flora of Turkey. The lectotype of C. pseudopersonata Boiss. & Balansa ex Boiss. subsp. kusnezowianum (Sommier & Levier) Petr. …

In Vitro Seed Germination, Plantlet Growth, Tuberization, And Syntheticseed Production Of Serapias Vomeracea (Burm.F.) Briq., Ersan Bektaş, Atalay Sökmen

Turkish Journal of Botany

Orchids are considered recalcitrant plants in in vitro propagation. Due to the lack of appropriate micropropagation techniques for mass production and damage to their ecological distribution posed by local gatherers, these species are threatened with extinction, including Serapias vomeracea (Burm.f.) Briq. In this research, we put forward a complete micropropagation method covering in vitro micropropagation, synthetic seed formation, germination in soil, and acclimatization to ambient conditions. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of successful synthetic seed formation and germination of S. vomeracea. Initially, seeds were germinated in different culture media and also media supplemented with …

Abiotic Factors Affecting The Distribution Of Oaks In Lebanon, Jean Stephan, Lara Chayban, Federico Vessella

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study is a first tentative attempt to understand the driving abiotic factors affecting the distribution of 7 oak taxa and 3 hybrids in Lebanon and to elucidate differences amongst the ecological niche. A field survey was conducted all over Lebanon, where taxa at 91 points were georeferenced and inventoried. GIS tools were used to overlay attributed data for the studied parameters including biogeographic, bioclimatic, and orographic parameters. Discriminant factor analysis (DFA) was performed to evaluate the variables maximizing the variance among oak species and to point out the most discriminatory factors shaping their actual distribution. The results showed that …

Second-Year To Third-Year In College: Identifying Factors In The Decision 'Not To Return', Paul Viau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine if there are characteristics that can be identified as predictors in an undergraduate's second year of college that may forecast the possibility of students' attrition prior to their third year. This current research was based on the literature that identified the following variables as impacting issues of retention and attrition between the second and third years in college: Term of admission offer, type of admission offer (Roth-Francis, 2013), home mailing address (Tierney, 2000), gender and age (Schaller, 2010), college enrolled in and major (Graunke & Woosley, 2005; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005), ethnicity …

Fragmented Lives: A Qualitative Study Of The Experiences Of Black Youth Who Have Aged Out Of The Foster Care System, Dawn L. Stewart

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Each year, growing numbers of black foster youth, ages 18 and older, are emancipated from the child welfare system. Prior to termination, they are provided with a montage of independent living services aimed at teaching self-sufficiency skills. Nevertheless, many of these youth find themselves alone without the necessary aptitude, resources, and support needed to assume the intimidating responsibilities of adulthood. Although the literature regarding emancipated youth and their outcomes is extensive, there has been minimal research conducted on the unique experiences of Black youth as well as the factors that contribute to their success or failure in their transition to …

The Ethics Of Visual Legal Rhetoric, Michael D. Murray

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This article discusses both visual rhetoric and visual narrativity. Visual rhetoric is the use of graphics, photographs, and other depictions for communication, for construction of knowledge and understanding, and ultimately for persuasion in the truth and rightness of the communication. Narrativity, which is sometimes described as narrative reasoning or storytelling," is the modern movement to focus our legal writing on the tools that best communicate our clients' stories-their situation, conditions, and circumstances-along with the "story" of the development, growth, and meaning of the law itself that provides the context for the clients' legal situation. Communicating the story of the development …

Undergraduate Catalog, 2016-2017, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg.

Undergraduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Sparse Encoding Of Binocular Images For Depth Inference, Sheng Y. Lundquist, Dylan M. Paiton, Peter F. Schultz, Garrett T. Kenyon

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sparse coding models have been widely used to decompose monocular images into linear combinations of small numbers of basis vectors drawn from an overcomplete set. However, little work has examined sparse coding in the context of stereopsis. In this paper, we demonstrate that sparse coding facilitates better depth inference with sparse activations than comparable feed-forward networks of the same size. This is likely due to the noise and redundancy of feed-forward activations, whereas sparse coding utilizes lateral competition to selectively encode image features within a narrow band of depths.