Fabrication Of Porous Spherical Beads From Corn Starch By Using A 3d Food Printing System, Safoura Ahmadzadeh, Ali Ubeyitogullari

Food Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study introduces a 3D food printing approach to fabricate spherical starch beads with small sizes and high porosity for the first time. The results illustrated that 3D food printing could generate starch beads in different sizes depending on the nozzle diameter, printing pressure, and ink viscosity. The 3D-printed beads were characterized for their morphology, crystallinity, and textural properties, while the starch-based ink was analyzed for its rheological properties. A suitable printing was attained when viscosity was in the range of 1000–1200 Pa.s at a low shear rate (˂0.1 s−1). Among the starch concentrations (10–15%, w/w) investigated, 15% starch concentration …

Weed Management With Pro-Herbicides Benzobicylon And Florpyrauxifen-Benzyl In Louisiana Rice Production, William Bradley Greer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Field studies were conducted in 2020 and 2021 to evaluate benzobicyclon tolerance to 71 weedy rice accessions collected from Louisiana and southern Arkansas. Benzobicyclon was applied at 373 g ai ha^-1 as a postflood application on 3- to 4-leaf rice. At 28 DAT, less than 15% control was observed on 70% of the accessions and 80% or better control was observed on 3% of accessions. Inconsistent weedy rice control can be attributed to the presence or absence of a functional HIS1 allele. The functional HIS1 allele was present in 96% of accessions when treated with benzobicyclon control was less …

Epidemiology, Clinical Ramifications, And Cellular Pathogenesis Of Covid-19 Mrna-Vaccination-Induced Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes: A State-Of-The-Heart Review, Talal Almas, Sarah Rehman, Eyad Mansour, Tarek Khedro, Ali Alansari, Jahanzeb Malik, Norah Alshareef, Vikneswaran Raj Nagarajan, Abdulla Hussain Al-Awaid, Reema Alsufyani

Medical College Documents

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has overwhelming healthcare systems globally. To date, a myriad of therapeutic regimens has been employed in an attempt to curb the ramifications of a severe COVID-19 infection. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, the advent and efficacious uptake of COVID-19 vaccination has significantly reduced disease-related hospitalizations and mortality. Nevertheless, many side-effects are being reported after COVID-19 vaccinations and myocarditis is the most commonly reported sequelae post vaccination. Majority of these diseases are associated with COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Various studies have established a temporal relationship between these complications, yet the causality and the underlying pathogenesis remain hypothetical. In …

A Forward-Thinking Approach To Addressing The New Synthetic Opioid 2-Benzylbenzimidazole Nitazene Analogs By Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (Lc-Qqq-Ms), Sara E Walton, Alex J Krotulski, Barry K Logan

College of Life Sciences Faculty Papers

Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to represent a threat to public health and safety. The number of new drugs in the latest emergent synthetic opioid class-the 2-benzylbenzimidazole analogs-also called the nitazenes-has begun to dominate the current new synthetic opioid (NSO) subclass of NPS. We describe a liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry method for the quantification of nine analogs and/or metabolites of drugs in this series: isotonitazene, metonitazene, protonitazene, etonitazene, clonitazene, flunitazene, N-desethyl isotonitazene, 5-amino isotonitazene and 4'-hydroxy nitazene in human whole blood, urine, and tissue. Samples were prepared for analysis using a basic liquid-liquid extraction. Chromatographic separation was achieved using …

Precision Dosimetry In Yttrium-90 Radioembolization Through Ct Imaging Of Radiopaque Microspheres In A Rabbit Liver Model, E Courtney Henry, Matthew Strugari, George Mawko, Kimberly Brewer, David Liu, Andrew C Gordon, Jeffrey N Bryan, Charles Maitz, James J Karnia, Robert Abraham, S Cheenu Kappadath, Alasdair Syme

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: To perform precision dosimetry in yttrium-90 radioembolization through CT imaging of radiopaque microspheres in a rabbit liver model and to compare extracted dose metrics to those produced from conventional PET-based dosimetry.

Materials and methods: A CT calibration phantom was designed containing posts with nominal microsphere concentrations of 0.5 mg/mL, 5.0 mg/mL, and 25.0 mg/mL. The mean Hounsfield unit was extracted from the post volumes to generate a calibration curve to relate Hounsfield units to microsphere concentration. A nominal bolus of 40 mg of microspheres was administered to the livers of eight rabbits, followed by PET/CT imaging. A CT-based activity …

Antibacterial Activity, Structure-Activity Relationships, And Scale-Up Reaction Of 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles, Olivia Marie Smith

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Oxadiazoles are compounds in the field of organic chemistry that have been gathering interest in the medicinal chemistry and microbiology communities for their biological properties, which range from anti-inflammatory agents, to chemotherapy drugs, to antibiotics. The synthesis of oxadiazoles can be difficult due to the expensive and complex nature of the techniques used as well as the volatile reagents and elevated temperatures that are often required in organic synthesis. The Grote lab has recently developed a new method for the synthesis of 1,3,4-oxadiazoles under mild conditions. The goals of this thesis were thus twofold: to develop a viable scale-up procedure …

The Emerging Role Of Deubiquitylating Enzymes As Therapeutic Targets In Cancer Metabolism., Rongfu Tu, Junpeng Ma, Peng Zhang, Ye Kang, Xiaofan Xiong, Junsheng Zhu, Miao Li, Chengsheng Zhang

Faculty Research 2022

Cancer cells must rewire cellular metabolism to satisfy the unbridled proliferation, and metabolic reprogramming provides not only the advantage for cancer cell proliferation but also new targets for cancer treatment. However, the plasticity of the metabolic pathways makes them very difficult to target. Deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) are proteases that cleave ubiquitin from the substrate proteins and process ubiquitin precursors. While the molecular mechanisms are not fully understood, many DUBs have been shown to be involved in tumorigenesis and progression via controlling the dysregulated cancer metabolism, and consequently recognized as potential drug targets for cancer treatment. In this article, we summarized …

Smokejumper Obituary: Nelson, David K. "Dave" (Missoula 1957), National Smokejumper Association

Smokejumper Obituaries

No abstract provided.

Inhibition Of Nuclear Transport Of Perilipin 5, Hope Lewis

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Obesity, type II diabetes mellitus, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are all conditions related to aberrant lipid storage in humans. Nearly all cells have the capacity to store neutral lipids in lipid storage droplets, organelles that regulate the storage of their hydrophobic contents. All lipid storage droplets are coated with at least one member of the perilipin family of proteins. Perilipin 5 is expressed in oxidative tissues including oxidative muscleand fasted liver and has been shown to play important roles in neutral lipid metabolism in these tissues. Perilipin 5’s involvement in gene expression was discovered during catecholamine-stimulated lipolysis, where the …

Editorial: Pathways And Processes Underpinning Axonal Biology And Pathobiology, Pabitra K. Sahoo, Dianna E. Willis, James N. Sleigh

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Combination Of Amphiphilic Cyclic Peptide [R4W4] And Levofloxacin Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria, Muhammad Imran Sajid, Sandeep Lohan, Shun Kato, Rakesh Kumar Tiwari

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Bacterial resistance is a growing global concern necessitating the discovery and development of antibiotics effective against the drug-resistant bacterial strain. Previously, we reported a cyclic antimicrobial peptide [R₄W₄] containing arginine (R) and tryptophan (W) with a MIC of 2.67 µg/mL (1.95 µM) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Herein, we investigated the cyclic peptides [R₄W₄] or linear (R₄W₄) and their conjugates (covalent or noncovalent) with levofloxacin (Levo) with the intent to improve their potency to target drug-resistant bacteria. The physical mixture of the Levo with the cyclic [R_{4 …}

Research On Characteristics, Development Trend And Funding Countermeasures Of Biology, Jie Chen, Jing Qu, Zhiyong Lou, Bing Zhu, Le Kang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Strengthening the research in biology aimed at national strategic needs and major scientific frontier issues is conducive to giving full play to the strategic supporting role of biological research for national economic development and the promotion of international competitiveness. This article combs the basic characteristics and development trend of biology, summarizes the practical experience of international biological research funding, and analyzes the outstanding problems in biological research in China, such as incomplete layout, lack of sustainable and stable support, and insufficient funding for top talents and teams. By referring to the international practical experience, it puts forward policy suggestions to …

Oyster Reef-To-Mangrove Regime Shifts Along The West Coast Of Florida, Stephen Gregory Hesterberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ecological regime shifts are transitions in ecosystem state, which can occur either when external conditions gradually change or when large perturbations force a system into an alternative state. Such transitions can exhibit non-linear dynamics, where small changes in external conditions can result in abrupt transition and often occur with little warning. After crossing a tipping point, the system may be unable to revert to its original state if the new regime possesses strong, reinforcing feedbacks. Numerous marine ecosystems have experienced regime shifts due to a combination of stressors that have eroded ecological resilience, such as overfishing, nutrient loading, and climate …

A Farm-To-Fork Quantitative Microbial Exposure Assessment Of Β-Lactam-Resistant Escherichia Coli Among U.S. Beef Consumers, Yangjunna Zhang, John W. Schmidt, Terrance M. Arthur, Tommy L. Wheeler, Qi Zhang, Bing Wang

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Integrated quantitative descriptions of the transmission of β-lactam-resistant Escherichia coli (BR-EC) from commercial beef products to consumers are not available. Here, a quantitative microbial exposure assessment model was established to simulate the fate of BR-EC in a farm-to-fork continuum and provide an estimate of BR-EC exposure among beef consumers in the U.S. The model compared the per-serving exposures from the consumption of intact beef cuts, non-intact beef cuts, and ground beef. Additionally, scenario analysis was performed to evaluate the relative contribution of antibiotic use during beef cattle production to the level of human exposure to BR-EC. The model predicted mean …

Embryological Development And Mortality Of Danio Rerio In Long Term Exposure To 17Α-Ethynylestradiol, Seong A. Jeon

University Honors Theses

Synthetic estrogens as well as other chemicals have become an increasing issue in the impact they have on marine species particularly those sensitive to the environment. A broadly used synthetic estrogen, 17α-ethynylestradiol, has become more widely known to become a growing problem to the ecology of marine wildlife due to increased usage and lack of removal in municipal sewage treatment facilities. This study observes the impact of low level EE2 in embryos following generational exposure. Zebrafish embryos, following three generations of exposure, were observed in rate of mortality, lethality, and hatch success. Concentrations as low as 1ng/L of EE2 has …

A Non-Iteration Solution For Solving The Backward-In-Time Two-Dimensional Burgers’ Equation With A Large Reynolds Number, Yen-Shen Chang, Yung-Wei Chen, Chein-Shan Liu, Jiang-Ren Chang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This article proposes a noniteration solution based on the Lie-group shooting method (LGSM) to solve the backward-in-time two-dimensional Burgers’ equation with a large Reynolds number. The backward problem is famous for seriously ill-posed cases because the solution is generally unstable and highly dependent on the input data. Small perturbations in the input data, such as random errors inherent to the measurements in the analysis, can cause large oscillations in the solution. To handle a large Reynolds number under long time spans, it is very difficult to integrate towards the time direction. To avoid time integration and numerical iteration, the noniteration …

Polyketides And Terpenes In Marine Microalgae: Ecological Roles And Mechanisms Of Biosynthesis, Yunxuan Xie, Mohammad Elsheikh

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Marine microalgae comprise a large number of polyketides and terpenes identified to date with highly diverse molecular scaffolds and the biological activities (Kalaitzis et al., 2010). These compounds play significant roles in marine food web and nutraceutical supplementation in marine animals. Compounds of this class are often synthesized by gene clusters with dedicated domains responsible for carbon chain extension and modification. The unique molecular structure of these compounds encourages people to investigate their biosynthetic mechanisms in-depth. In this review, we summarize relevant articles to unravel the shared mechanisms of these compounds to further understand the variety of domain organizations and …

Unbaited Light-Emitting Diode Traps Performance For Catching Orange Mud Crabs, Muhamad Naimullah, Kuo-Wei Lan, Mhd Ikhwanuddin, Adnan Amin-Safwan, Wei-Yu Lee

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Mud crabs (Scylla spp.) are a vital fishery resource and targeted for a valuable source of income for coastal communities throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Baited traps are a considerable expense in crustacean fishing. Hence, the present study was performed to investigate the catchability of Scylla olivacea in response to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in captivity and field conditions. We used a new experimental setup in the captivity condition that revealed most S. olivacea were attracted to green, blue, and white LED lights and no attractive effect by red LED lights similar to the controls. Field studies have shown that the catch …

Catch And Effort Standardization For Taiwanese Swordtip Squid Uroteuthis Edulis Fisheries In The Southern East China Sea, Ke-Yang Chang, Yu-Jie Hsu, Tzu-Yun Ching, Cheng-Hsin Liao, Chih-Shin Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The swordtip squid Uroteuthis edulis is a neritic squid species that is widely distributed within the coastal waters of subtropical and tropical Indo-western Pacific regions. This squid is a commercially important species throughout its distribution range and plays a critical role in marine ecosystems. Stock assessments of the squid in the East China Sea (ECS) are scarce, although it is crucial information for the sustainability of the squid and relevant fisheries. The squid was harvested by various fisheries in the southern ECS, which could restrict methods for catch-effort standardization. In this study, catch-effort data of Taiwanese swordtip squid fisheries in …

Uniform Torsion Analysis Of Composite Shafts Using Point Collocation Method Based On Pascal Polynomials, Chih-Wen Chang, Jyh-Hong Wu, Ying-Ru Lin, Yu-Feng Lin, Nan-Nong Huang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Torsion bars are important elements in the marine structure applications. The usage of the composite torsion bars has increased recently because it takes advantage of the different material property of each constituent. The current research focuses mainly on the uniform warping analysis of composite torsion shafts by using the point collocation method (PCM). The PCM is based on Pascal's triangle polynomial expansion and coupled with subdomain technique that is indispensable for the analysis of composite bars. In addition to satisfying the field equation (Laplace equation for warping function) and traction-free boundary condition for each component, the continuity conditions in both …

Local Reinforcement Design And Safety Factor Evaluation Of Elliptical Hatch Of Pressure Hull, Guang-Min Luo, Jun-Wei Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

A pressure hull is the primary pressure-resistant structure of a submarine. To safeguard the compressive strength of such a hull, local structural reinforcement is required for various hatches on the hull. Hatches are commonly reinforced through increasing the thickness of the hull regions around them; alternatively, hatch nozzle walls are connected with stiffened frames to maintain the continuity of reinforced structures. This study focused on a pressure hull with an elliptical hatch. A PD-5500 cylindrical pressure hull was used to design a cylindrical pressure hull structure, and a model of hatch nozzle reinforcement was designed using the Boiler and Pressure …

Effects Of Dietary Lipid, L-Carnitine And L-Lysine Supplementation On The Growth Performance And Body Composition Of Epinephelus Lanceolatus Larvae, Jen-Hong Chu, Yu-Cong Hong, Angela Chien, Shyn-Shin Sheen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The effects of different combinations of dietary lipid, L-carnitine and L-lysine on the growth performance and fatty acid profiles of larval grouper Epinephalus lanceolatus were evaluated. Eight treatment diets were formulated based on a 2x2x2 factorial design, namely 5 and 14% dietary oil mixture (3:1 fish oil/soybean oil), 0 and 0.5% L-carnitine and 0 and 2.83% L-lysine. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of ten 0.08g E. lanceolatus larvae for 42 days. The grouper larvae fed with diets containing 14% lipid had significantly higher weight gain percentages than those fed with diets containing 5% lipid. The weight gain …

Centralized Project-Specific Metadata Platforms: Toolkit Provides New Perspectives On Open Data Management Within Multi-Institution And Multidisciplinary Research Projects, Andrew Wright Child, Jennifer Hinds, Lucas Sheneman, Sven Buerki

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Open science and open data within scholarly research programs are growing both in popularity and by requirement from grant funding agencies and journal publishers. A central component of open data management, especially on collaborative, multidisciplinary, and multi-institutional science projects, is documentation of complete and accurate metadata, workflow, and source code in addition to access to raw data and data products to uphold FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. Although best practice in data/metadata management is to use established internationally accepted metadata schemata, many of these standards are discipline-specific making it difficult to catalog multidisciplinary data and data products in a …

Western Prairie Fringed Orchid Management, Ecology, And Decline At Mormon Island, Andrew J. Caven

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara Sheviak & M. L. Bowles; WPFO) was first detected in a vegetative state on Mormon Island in 1978 and identification was confirmed following a mass flowering event in 1982. From a high count of ~60 plants the WPFO slowly declined and has not been observed since 2000 despite flowering season surveys conducted in 15 of the last 20 years. We explore the natural history of the WPFO in the contexts of Mormon Island to establish potential causes for its apparent disappearance and evaluate the possibility it persists in some capacity. Our investigation …

Fusionai, A Dna-Sequence-Based Deep Learning Protocol Reduces The False Positives Of Human Fusion Gene Prediction, Pora Kim, Hua Tan, Jiajia Liu, Himansu Kumar, Xiaobo Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Even though there were many tool developments of fusion gene prediction from NGS data, too many false positives are still an issue. Wise use of the genomic features around the fusion gene breakpoints will be helpful to identify reliable fusion genes efficiently. For this aim, we developed FusionAI, a deep learning pipeline predicting human fusion gene breakpoints from DNA sequence. FusionAI is freely available via https://compbio.uth.edu/FusionGDB2/FusionAI. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Kim et al. (2021b).

Editorial: Genomics-Enabled Triticeae Improvement, Xue-Feng Ma, Xianchun Xia, Shuyu Liu, P. Stephen Baenziger, Hakan Özkan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Paradoxical Effects Of Osteoprotegerin On Vascular Function: Inhibiting Inflammation While Promoting Oxidative Stress?, Nhat-Tu Le, Elizabeth A Olmsted-Davis, Jun-Ichi Abe

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Osteoprotegerin (OPG), also known as osteoclastogenesis inhibitory factor or tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 11B, is well known as a modulator of bone remodeling. The contribution of OPG to cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been suggested, but its molecular mechanism is complex and remains unclear. In the present study, Alves-Lopes et al. (Clin. Sci. (Lond.) (2021) 135(20): https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20210643) reported the critical role of syndecan-1 (SDC-1, also known as CD138), a surface protein part of the endothelial glycocalyx, in OPG-induced vascular dysfunction. The authors found that in endothelial cells (ECs), through SDC-1, OPG increased eNOS Thr495 phosphorylation, thereby inhibiting eNOS activity. …

Antimicrobial Activity Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Compared To Silver Nanoparticles Administered Towards Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms, Kevin Núño

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and chitosan nanoparticles have strong antibacterial activity as a broad-spectrum antibiotic against multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. MDR bacteria have a mechanism that increases antibiotic resistance through biofilm formations. MDR methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus BAA-1720 was chosen for an in vitro assessment to calculate the biofilm reduction rate and the median effective dose (ED50) by performing biofilm quantification. Dynamic light scattering was chosen to determine the physiochemical characteristics of ZnO NPs, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and chitosan NPs. Transmission electron microscopy was conducted to verify each treatment’s physiochemical characteristics. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of broad-spectrum and …

Evaluating And Improving A Novel Toolkit For Implementation And Optimization Of Lynch Syndrome Universal Tumor Screening, Tara M. Wolfinger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with Lynch syndrome (LS) have a hereditary predisposition to colorectal cancer (CRC), endometrial cancer (EC), and several additional cancer types. Universal tumor screening (UTS) is a systematic approach that increases identification of LS so affected individuals can benefit from targeted therapies and risk-reduction strategies to decrease cancer- related morbidity and mortality. Despite the known benefits of UTS, the practice is widely underutilized, likely due to the complexity of implementation and optimization. We developed a novel evidence-based toolkit to help institutions implement and optimize UTS programs. As part of an iterative evaluation process, we obtained feedback on the toolkit through …

Analysis Of Sir Epidemic Models With Sociological Phenomenon, Robert F. Allen, Katherine C. Heller, Matthew A. Pons

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

We propose two SIR models which incorporate sociological behavior of groups of individuals. It is these differences in behaviors which impose different infection rates on the individual susceptible populations, rather than biological differences. We compute the basic reproduction number for each model, as well as analyze the sensitivity of R₀ to changes in sociological parameter values.