Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A New Foodweb Based On Microbes In Calcitic Caves: The Cansiliella (Beetles) Case In Northern Italy, Maurizio G. Paoletti, Mattia Beggio, Angelo Leandro Dreon, Alberto Pamio, Tiziano Gomiero, Mauro Brilli, Luca Dorigo, Giuseppe Concheri, Andrea Squartini, Annette Summers Engel

International Journal of Speleology

The troglobitic beetle, Cansiliella servadeii percolating water on moonmilk, a speleothem formation in Grotta della Foos, Italy. Results from analyses of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen suggest that acquires and assimilates dissolved allochthonous organic carbon, inorganic nitrogen, and possibly phosphorus and other nutrients from the microbial fauna associated with moonmilk.

Table Of Contents

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Design And Synthesis Of Beta-Hairpin Peptidomimetics For Modulating Integrin Mediated Cell Adhesion, Abeta Fibrillogenesis And P53-Mdm2 Protein-Protein Interactions, Priyesh Jain

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Inhibiting therapeutically important protein-protein interactions has been a tremendous challenge for medicinal chemists. The folded 3D structures of peptides and proteins, mainly comprise secondary structural elements i.e α-helices and β-sheet have created an opportunity to design small molecules and peptidomimetic inhibitors of protein-protein interaction (PPI). Hence, information about the formation and stabilization of these secondary structures is vital for designing future drugs. In this dissertation, several cyclic beta-hairpin peptidomimetics that mimic the recognition surface have been designed and synthesized as inhibitors for different targets such as integrin mediated extracellular matrix -cell adhesion in multiple myeloma, p53-MDM2 PPI, amyloid beta fibrillogenesis …

Dna Methylation And Its Association With Prenatal Exposures And Pregnancy Outcomes, Jennifer Straughen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Altered DNA methylation may lead to suboptimal fetal programming, increasing the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as small for gestational age (SGA); however, few studies have examined the associations between DNA methylation, prenatal exposures, and fetal outcomes. Cross-sectional data from a larger, ongoing study were used to assess the impact of prenatal smoking on gene specific methylation of umbilical cord blood derived DNA and to investigate the association between gene-specific methylation and risk of SGA. The association between gene-specific DNA methylation and birthweight was also assessed. Maternal and infant covariates were abstracted from medical records, cigarette smoke exposure was …

Corrole Synthesis And Catalytic Applications Toward Cobalt(Iii)-Catalyzed Epoxidation, N-H Insertion, And Cyclopropanation, Chung Sik Kim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A variety of bromocorroles, useful precusors for Pd-based cross coupling, were sucessfully synthesized in moderate to good yields. Chiral corroles were also synthesized through use of chiral amides in the aforementioned cross coupling reactions. Cobalt complexes bearing π-acceptor (CNtBu) and σ-donor (PPh3) ligands were also prepared in excellent yields. In this dissertation, cobalt (III) corrole complexes were applied to three different reaction areas: epoxidation, N-H insertion, and cyclopropanation. Cobalt(III) corroles were found to be efficient catalysts for epoxidation reactions. The epoxidation reactions can be carried out using ethyl phenyldiazoacetate, an acceptor/donor diazo compound, as a carbenoid precusor.The reaction provided highly …

Evaluation Of Common Inherited Variants In Mitochondrial-Related And Microrna-Related Genes As Novel Risk Factors For Ovarian Cancer, Jennifer Permuth Wey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women in the United States, and the etiology is incompletely understood. Common, low penetrant genetic variants such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) likely contribute to a significant proportion of EOC. We examined whether SNPs in two understudied yet biologically important types of genes, mitochondrial-related and miRNA-related genes, may contribute to EOC susceptibility using data from a large, homogeneous study population of 1,815 EOC cases and 1,900 controls (frequency-matched on age-group and race/ethnicity) genotyped through stage 1 of an ongoing genome-wide association study. Inter-individual variation in genes involved …

Aspects Of The Life History Of The Snowy Grouper, Epinephelus Niveatus, In The Gulf Of Mexico, Kelley Kowal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of many life history parameters are essential to properly assess and manage fish species. Although the snowy grouper, Epinephelus niveatus, is a commercially valuable fish, which is harvested throughout the Gulf of Mexico, little is known about its age, growth, and reproduction from this region. In this study, snowy grouper from the northern and eastern regions of the Gulf of Mexico were examined primarily using commercially-derived samples that were collected between 1984 and 2004. A total of 1,200 snowy grouper with fork lengths between 242 and 1,190 mm were collected. Sectioned saggital otoliths were used to determine the age …

A Framework For Determining The Reliability Of Nanoscale Metallic Oxide Semiconductor (Mos) Devices, Wilkistar Otieno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increase in worldwide investments during the past several decades has pro-pelled scienti c breakthroughs in nanoscience and technology research to new and exciting levels. To ensure that these discoveries lead to commercially viable prod-ucts, it is important to address some of the fundamental engineering and scientific challenges related to nanodevices. Due to the centrality of reliability to product integrity, nanoreliability requires critical analysis and understanding to ensure long-term sustainability of nanodevices and systems. In this study, we construct a relia-bility framework for nanoscale dielectric lms used in Metallic Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) devices. The successful fabrication and incorporation of metallic …

Discovery Of Novel Viruses From Animals, Plants, And Insect Vectors Using Viral Metagenomics, Terry Fei Fan Ng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding emerging viruses is critical for disease monitoring and prediction; however, surveys of novel viruses are hindered by the lack of a universal assay for viruses. Viral metagenomics, consisting of viral particle purification and shotgun sequencing, is a powerful technique for discovering viruses in a wide variety of sample types. However, current protocols are not effective on tissue samples (e.g., lungs, livers and tumors), where they are hindered by the high amount of host nucleic acids which limits the percentage of sequences that originate from viruses. In this dissertation, a modified viral metagenomics protocol was developed and utilized to effectively …

Morphological Specification Of Chinianella Scheympflugi Hofmann, 1994, A Late Jurassic (?Earliest Cretaceous) Dasycladalean Alga Of The Western Tethyan Domain, Felix Schlagintweit

Studia UBB Geologia

The dasycladalean alga Chinianella? scheympflugi was described by Hofmann (1994) from the Tithonian of the Ernstbrunn Limestone of Lower Austria. This alga, so far unreported besides its type-locality, is reported from the Late Jurassic of Poland, the Northern Calcareous Alps of Austria, Crimea (Ukraine), and Greece (Parnassos Zone). Facies are well-agitated outer platform habitats (peri-reefal and back-reefal facies). The cylindrical thallus consists of three parts: a sterile Salpingoporella-like basal part (stalk), a fertile Chinianella-type main portion and a short sterile top part. The transition from the stalk to the main thallus portion is well marked and abrupt. The stratigraphic range …

Modern Variation In Predation Intensity: Constraints On Assessing Predator-Prey Relationships In Paleoecologic Reconstructions, James Funderburk

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The complex interaction between predators and their prey is rarely preserved in the fossil record. However, predation of marine mollusks by drilling gastropods leaves a diagnostic hole in the shell of the prey, possibly allowing for quantitative analysis of this ecological interaction. Drilling frequency, as measured in marine mollusks both in the Modern and fossil record, has been heralded as a potential opportunity to quantify these ecological interactions and use these values in the testing of hypotheses.

This study employed the collection, tallying, and analysis of bulk samples derived from shelly deposits on 45 Modern beaches along the contiguous coast …

Design, Synthesis & Biological Activity Of Novel Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (Ptp) Mimetics, Sridhar Reddy Kaulagari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Protein phosphorylation is a post translational modification of proteins in which a serine, a threonine or a tyrosine residue is phosphorylated by an enzyme, kinase. Phosphorylation of proteins is a reversible and very important regulatory mechanism that occurs in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Phosphorylation turns many protein enzymes on and off, preventing or causing many diseases such as diabetes, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. The phosphorylation on tyrosine residues of proteins is essential for transmission of signals for cell growth, proliferation and differentiation. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) in concert with protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) regulate many signal transduction pathways by controlling …

Libs And Lite Emission Based Laser Remote Sensing Of Chemical Species And Enhanced Modeling Of Atmospheric Absorption, Dzianis V. Pliutau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Laser-Induced Breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Laser-Induced Thermal Emission (LITE) emission based laser remote sensing were investigated with the application to the remote measurements of trace chemical species. In particular, UVvisible LIBS and Mid-IR LITE systems were developed and measurements of remote targets and chemical surfaces were studied. The propagation through the atmosphere of the multi-wavelength backscattered LIBS and LITE optical spectrum with atmospheric absorption effects on the returned lidar signal was investigated. An enhanced model of the atmospheric effects on emission-based laser-remote sensing was developed and found to be consistent and in agreement with our experimental results.

LITE measurements were …

Linking Soil Loss To Sediment Delivery In Two Estuaries In Puerto Rico, Nekesha Bernadette Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enhanced soil loss from the watershed is a major environmental issue. Increased soil loss from a watershed can potentially increase sediment delivery and loading to aquatic ecosystems such as rivers and estuaries. An increase in sediment delivery and loading to freshwater and transitional marine ecosystems can impact water quality and supply specifically by: (1) reducing water clarity, (2) transporting nutrient and pollutant laden sediments and (3) reducing the storage capacity of reservoirs. To address these broader environmental impacts of increased sediment delivery and loading to aquatic ecosystems it is imperative that potential source areas of sediments available for transport are …

Exploring Evaluation In School Districts: School District Evaluators And Their Practice, Susan Hibbard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the evaluation practices of internal evaluators in public school districts in a large southern state. The individuals who conduct evaluations in school districts as internal evaluators were identified and background information was collected. The education and training in evaluation was investigated and the types of evaluations typically conducted by those individuals. Respondents (n = 134) revealed conducting evaluations was a secondary role and part of their main job responsibilities. The types of evaluations carried out and the way in which evaluation was practices were revealed. A descriptive framework of the individuals who conduct evaluations in school districts …

Optical Design Of Beam Shaping Optics For Camera Probe And Led Light Illumination Used For Minimally Invasive Abdominal Surgery, Weiyi He

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The optical design of a LED illuminator and camera imaging system were studied for potential use in a small medical "robotic type" probe to be used for minimally invasive abdominal surgery. Beam shaping optical reflectors were studied to increase the intensity distribution of the LED beam directed toward a close-by target surface. A CMOS/CCD camera and lens was used to image the targeted area. In addition, extensive optical ray tracing simulations were made to predict the intensity patterns. The experimental measurements and ray tracing simulations were in good agreement, and indicated that 20 degree cone reflectors for the LED sources …

Topics In Random Knots And R-Matrices From Frobenius Algebras, Enver Karadayi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we study two areas of interest in knot theory: Random knots in the unit cube, and the Yang-Baxter solutions constructed from Frobenius algebras.

The study of random knots can be thought of as a model of DNA strings situated in confinement. A random knot with n vertices is a polygonal loop formed by selecting n distinct points in the unit cube, for a positive integer n, and connecting these points by straight line segments successively, such that the last point selected is joined with the first one. We present a step by step description of our algorithm …

The Design And Synthesis Of Functionalized Porphyrins And Their Applications In Group Transfer Reactions, Medicine, And Materials, Kimberly Bliss Fields

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Porphyrins and their analogs are a class of chemically and biologically important compounds that have found a variety of applications in different fields such as catalysis, medicine, and materials. The physical, chemical, and biological dependence of the peripheral substituents of porphyrins on their properties has prompted great effort towards the synthesis of new porphyrins with different electronic, steric, and conformational environments. To this end, porphyrins have been prepared using a modular approach from bromo- and triflate synthons. These synthons underwent palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling with chiral amines, amides, alcohols, and boronic esters to create products that were tested for biological activity.

Metalloporphyrins …

Synthesis Of Functionalized Resorcin[4]Arene Via Click Chemistry, Ali Husain

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Click chemistry is a very powerful chemical strategy that overcome carbon-carbon bond with carbon-heteroatom bond by joining small units with heteroatom links (C-X-C) using spring-loaded reactants. The Cu(I)-catalyzed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition is a major example based on the click chemistry philosophy. This method was used for the last 10 years to join different functional groups, carbohydrates, aminoacids, polymers to calix[4]arene and resorcin[4]arene cavitands by a stable 1,2,3-triazole linkages.

Herein I describe our interest in this type of click chemistry reaction in the synthesis of dimeric capsules resorcin[4]arene via four 1,2,3-triazole linkages. Two different resorcin[4]arene derivatives were synthesized in which four …

Hf Radar Performance In A Low-Energy Environment: Codar Seasonde Experience On The West Florida Shelf, Yonggang Liu, Robert H. Weisberg, Clifford R. Merz, Sage Litchtenwalner, Gary J. Kirkpatrick

Yonggang Liu

Three long-range (5 MHz) Coastal Ocean Dynamics Application Radar (CODAR) SeaSonde HF radars overlooking an array of as many as eight moored acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) have operated on the West Florida Shelf since September 2003 for the purpose of observing the coastal ocean currents. HF radar performance on this low-energy (currents and waves) continental shelf is evaluated with respect to data returns, the rms differences between the HF radar and the ADCP radial currents, bearing offsets, and radial velocity uncertainties. Possible environmental factors affecting the HF radar performance are discussed, with the findings that both the low-energy sea …

A Tremor And Slip Event On The Cocos‐Caribbean Subduction Zone As Measured By A Global Positioning System (Gps) And Seismic Network On The Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, Kimberly Outerbridge, Timothy H. Dixon, Susan Y. Schwartz, Jacob I. Walter, Marino Protti, Victor Gonzalez, J. Biggs, Martin Thorwart, Wolfgang Rabbel

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

In May 2007 a network of global positioning systems (GPS) and seismic stations on the Nicoya Peninsula, of northern Costa Rica, recorded a slow-slip event accompanied by seismic tremor. The close proximity of the Nicoya Peninsula to the seismogenic part of the Cocos-Caribbean subduction plate boundary makes it a good location to study such events. Several centimeters of southwest motion were recorded by the GPS stations over a period of several days to several weeks, and the seismic stations recorded three distinct episodes of tremor during the same time span. Inversion of the surface displacement data for the depth and …

Faculty Success: Developing A Research And Publication Agenda, Kathleen P. King

Leadership, Counseling, Adult, Career and Higher Education Faculty Publications

Anyone associated with higher education will acknowledge that tenure track faculty have to perform a fantastic balancing act. Compared to an administrative or line role in an organization, higher education faculty have tremendous autonomy and freedom. However, they face competing demands of many different (and good) opportunities, and for them the stakes are always high. Help is here! This article introduces a powerful strategy for staying on track in the research strand of this competitive journey.

Applications Of Molecular Dynamics Techniques And Spectroscopic Theories To Aqueous Interfaces, Anthony Green

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of spectroscopy is to obtain molecularly detailed information about the system under study. Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy is a nonlinear optical technique that is highly interface specific, and is therefore a powerful tool for understanding interfacial structure and dynamics. SFG is a second order, electronically nonresonant, polarization experiment and is consequently dipole forbidden in isotropic media such as a bulk liquid. Interfaces, however, serve to break the symmetry and produce a signal. Theoretical approximations to vibrational spectra of O-H stretching at aqueous interfaces are constructed using time correlation function (TCF) and instantaneous normal mode (INM) …

Design, Combinatorial Synthesis, And Biological Evaluation Of Novel Α-Helical Mimetics Based On Functionalized Piperazines As Antagonists Of P53/Mdm2 Interactions, Melissa Elizabeth Topper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The p53 protein promotes tumor eradication upon activation, making it an attractive target in cancer therapies. A reported 50% of all human cancers display aberrant activation of the MDM2 oncoprotein, which directly promotes tumorgenesis by inactivating the transcriptional activity of wild type p53, and is commonly associated with drug, chemo, and radio therapy resistance. Previously reported crystallographic analysis of the p53/MDM2 complex infers that the p53 protein forms a 2.5 turn amphipathic alpha helix whose hydrophobic face interacts within a deep hydrophobic cleft in the NH2-terminal domain of the globular MDM2. This suggests that the synthesis of small molecular antagonists …

Architecture And Compiler Support For Leakage Reduction Using Power Gating In Microprocessors, Soumyaroop Roy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Power gating is a technique commonly used for runtime leakage reduction in digital CMOS circuits. In microprocessors, power gating can be implemented by using sleep transistors to selectively deactivate circuit modules when they are idle during program execution. In this dissertation, a framework for power gating arithmetic functional units in embedded microprocessors with architecture and compiler support is proposed. During compile time, program regions are identified where one or more functional units are idle and sleep instructions are inserted into the code so that those units can be put to sleep during program execution. Subsequently, when their need is detected …

Design Of A New Suturing And Knot Tying Device For Laparoscopic Surgery, Sinan Onal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgery has completely changed the focus of surgery becoming an alternative to various types of open surgery. Minimally invasive surgery avoids invasive open surgery as the operation is performed through one or more small incisions in the abdomen and using a small camera called laparoscope. Through these incisions, surgeons insert specialized surgical instruments to perform the operation resulting in less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stay, and faster recovery. However, the main problems during minimally-invasive surgery are the limited space for operating instruments and the reduced visibility and range of motion inside the patient’s body. During minimally-invasive …

Design And Combinatorial Synthesis Approach Of Non-Peptidic Trimeric Small Molecules Mimicking I, I + 4(3), I + 7 Positions Of Alpha-Helices, Mingzhou Zhou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Protein-protein interactions are key to several biological processes that facilitate signal transduction and many other processes. These interactions are involved in pathways that are critical to many human diseases. Targeting specific protein-protein interactions is a challenging goal because protein-protein interactions are predominately through hydrophobic interactions. Antagonists of the protein-protein interactions need to be perfectly fit into the binding pockets to ensure the activity. The -helical domain of the proteins behaves as the recognition motifs for numerous protein-protein, and protein-nucleic acid interactions. Research has shown that pathways of many diseases contain protein-protein interactions involving -helical domains, e.g. neurological disorders, bacterial infections, …

In Memoriam

Studia UBB Geologia

No abstract provided.

New Observations On Permocalculus Gosaviensis Schlagintweit, 1991 (Calcareous Alga) From The Upper Cretaceous Of The Northern Calcareous Alps (Gosau Group, Austria), Felix Schlagintweit

Studia UBB Geologia

New thin-sections from the Upper Cretaceous Gosau Group of Brandenberg, Tyrol, Austria, yielded well-preserved specimens of the calcareous alga Permocalculus gosaviensis Schlagintweit. Microfacies are foraminiferal-algal wackestones; stratigraphy is Upper Turonian (?Lower Coniacian). It is shown that the original description was based on oblique sections leading to the incorrect assumption of a piriform segment morphology. Instead, P. gosaviensis is a representative of Permocalculus of the group with constrictions/swellings along the segments (waxing-and-waning type). Permocalculus nikolapantici Radoičić from the Upper Turonian of Serbia is considered a junior synonym of Permocalculus gosaviensis Schlagintweit.

Polito- A New Open-Source, Platform Independent Software For Generating High-Quality Lithostratigraphic Columns, Ciprian C. Stremtan, Alexandru Tudor

Studia UBB Geologia

POLITO is a free, open-source, and platform-independent software which can automatically generate lithostratigraphic columns from field data. Its simple and easy to use interface allows users to manipulate large datasets and create high-quality graphical outputs, either in editable vector or raster format, or as PDF files. POLITO uses USGS standard lithology patterns and can be downloaded from its Sourceforge project page (http://sourceforge.net/projects/polito/).