2013-2014 President's Faculty Grant Winners
A Catalog of Edge-On Spiral Galaxies and their 3-D Structure
The proposed research aims to create the largest modern catalog of spiral galaxies with measured properties of their three-dimensional (3-D) structure. The structural properties will include...
A Cross-Cultural Study of Chinese and American Students' Relationship Conflict
The goal of this proposed study is to compare the experiences of American and Chinese college students' perceptions and experiences of relational conflict in light of their perceptions of...
A dynamical model of humoral immune response to influenza A virus infection
Seasonal influenza continues to challenge both scientists and clinicians. Each year influenza claims 250,000 to 500,000 lives worldwide. Over the past two decades these numbers have not changed...
Angiotensin receptor blockers and beta-arrestin-dependent aldosterone production
Heart failure (HF) represents one of the most significant health problems worldwide and new and innovative treatments are urgently needed. Aldosterone is one of a number of hormones with...
A novel approach to test multisensory emotion processing after sleep loss
There is a fundamental gap in our understanding of how sleep loss alters daytime emotion processes. In particular, no previous study has investigated the extent to which sleep loss alters...
Assessment of Stress, Burnout, and Resilience in Correctional Officers
Correctional Officers comprise a select group of sworn and non-sworn responders who form the hub of emergency response activity in correctional settings. Research shows that their work is...
Bacterial Diversity of Fungal Toenails Through PCR and Culture Techniques
Nail disease is common. Seven percent of all diabetic hospitalizations involve a nail infection and many end with amputation. Patients suffer from pain, ulceration, and embarrassment due to nail...
Biotin-triggered delivery of a thrombolytic drug for potential stroke therapy
Bleeding complications, especially intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), are the major concerns of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in the treatment of patients with thrombotic conditions, such as heart...
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Nups: Understanding what is Bugging Patients
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a debilitating disorder without known causes, that affects 42/10,000 people in the US. Symptoms of CFS/ME include fatigue, muscular...
Climate-forced Landscape Development, Badlands National Park, South Dakota
The goal of this project is to study stream channel erosion that occurred approximately 1000 years ago in the Badlands National Park, South Dakota, northern Great Plains. We believe this erosion...
Cognitive processes in anxiety and depression in an ethnically diverse sample
While the high prevalence rates of anxiety and depression in youth are well known, the cognitive correlates of anxiety and depression in this population are not as clear. Further, a paucity of...
Curcumin Induced Osteogenesis of Human Gingival Stem-Cells: Role of MAP Kinases
Cleft lip and cleft palate are most common birth defects which affects 225,000 children every year in the United States. While soft tissue repair is palliative, regeneration of bone in the hard...
Development of Novel Potent Yet Safer Anti-inflammatory Steroids
Chronic inflammatory diseases affect approximately 10% of the U.S. population. Although both anti-inflammatory steroids (glucocorticoids) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are...
DNA Analysis of Surfactant Associated Bacteria in the Sea Surface Microlayer
The sea surface microlayer is defined as the thin biogenic layer that is present at the sea surface. This layer plays an important role in air-sea gas exchange and biochemical cycling. The...
Effects of sex steroids on coral reproduction and growth
This research project will examine the potential impacts of steroidal hormone contamination on important coral species in Broward County and the lower Florida Key's. Separate dose-response...
Engineering a trojan horse: using engineered bacteria to kill roundworms
Roundworms are intestinal parasites that are prevalent in rural and impoverished areas worldwide, including the southern United States. Infections by such parasites may result in anemia,...
Enhancing Therapeutic Potential of Anticancer Drugs using Phycocyanin
Anticancer drugs are known for their serious side effects which limit their use and benefits. The main objective of this project is to improve the potency of some of the anticancer drugs...
Examining Factors that Regulate Neurogenesis in the Adult Mayan Cichlid Brain
The birth of new neurons (neurogenesis) has been observed in all adult mammalian brains examined to date. Adult neural stem cells are located close to blood vessels in each of the two neurogenic...
Formulation and Diffusion of Epinephrine's Prodrug for Anaphylaxis Treatment
Anaphylaxis may follow the exposure of susceptible persons to an antigen such as food and medication. Prompt intramuscular injection of epinephrine in the thigh is the treatment of choice. Most...
Functional Recovery After Hemilabyrinthectomy in Goldfish
We propose to evaluate the potential of memory-enhancing drugs (nootropics) to promote recovery in the goldfish model of hemilabyrinthectomy. In this lesion model, unilateral removal of the...
Generating New Strains of Algae for Biofuel Production under Extreme Conditions
The world is facing an energy crisis and environmental issues due to the depletion of fossil fuels and increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. Growing algae offers one practical solution for...
Gonadal histology and fecundity of coastal pelagic and mesopelagic fishes
The ability to manage a fish stock relies on the understanding of life history characteristics and basic biology of the species. Histological examination of gonads provides the most accurate...
Hawaiian Monk Seals - Record of Environmental Influence in an Endangered Species
This project will exam the biochemical composition and physical structure of marine mammal (pinniped) teeth in an effort to reconstruct seal diets and environments throughout their lives, from in...
Hypothetical Gene Characterization in Marine Microbe Roseobacter denitrificans
The primary goal of this project is characterize the expression and annotate the function of two currently "hypothetical" gene sequences of the well known marine microbial genome of...
Impact of Frequent Interruption on Nurse Performance, Satisfaction and Cognition
Interruption during medication administration is a significant patient safety concern, especially during the administration of high risk medications. Specifically, patient-controlled analgesia...
Impact of Yoga Therapy on Veterans with PTSD
Background: Studies conducted by the Rand Corporation, the Walter Reed Army Research Institute, the Department of Veteran Affairs, Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, and other...
Microbial Communities found with Sponge Orange Band Disease in Xestospongia muta
Coral reefs are brimming with biological diversity, but most are threatened by multiple stressors - climate change, pollution, invasions. Sponges on reefs are the most primitive animal but they may...
Molecular Interactions Between Angiotensin II and Endocannabinoid Receptors
Hypertension is the single most decisive risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Termed the silent killer, hypertension has a telling impact on global survival rates. Therefore, discovering unique...
Neurophysiological changes during narrative therapy conversations
Significant progress has been made in the use of biophysiological technologies such as EEG and hormonal markers as applied to human behavior. These techniques have been successfully applied to...
Nutrient levels and biological communities in a Florida Stormwater Treatment Area
Florida's Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) are large artificial freshwater wetlands designed to naturally remove nutrients (especially phosphate) from water. Everglades wetlands are naturally...
Particulate matter as a driver of antibiotic resistance
Particulate matter in air pollution is a significant global health threat and environmental concern linked to over 3million premature deaths annually. Some chemicals in particulate matter have the...
Regulation of the metabolic changes in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: role of CNV
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a complex illness affecting 4 million Americans. Costs of CFS/ME were estimated at $33 billion in lost productivity and health care...
Revealing the secret of photosynthetic proteins by making synthetic model systems
Plants have learned to capture solar energy and utilize it to make chemical energy through finely orchestrated electron-transfer events. Photosystems are responsible for generating the electron...
School Professionals' Knowledge and Beliefs about Youth with Chronic Illness
Researchers have found that chronic illnesses affect between 10-20% of children and adolescents (Thompson & Gustafson, 1996). Since Broward County and Palm Beach County report 437,520 enrolled...
The effects of petroleum pollutants on sea urchins reproduction and development
Coral reefs are known for their high biodiversity and their substantial economic value through tourism, shoreline protection, and fisheries. In recent decades coral reefs have become severely...
Thermal preferences and critical temperatures of invasive lionfish
The Indo-Pacific lionfish (red lionfish Pterios miles and devil firefish P. volitans complex) is a recent invasive species to the western North Atlantic. It has already spread from the initial...
Tissue analysis and shell sclerochronology of oil impacted molluscs
The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, which dumped an estimated 685,000 tons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) between April and August 2010, is the largest accidental spill in maritime...