Analysis

The term artifact denotes a framework for conceptualizing
the physio-chemical modification of environmentally occurring
raw materials by human, cultural processes. This thesis
examines the categories of artifact analysis, and integrates
these into a development sequence. This sequence represents
the processes which pattern all artifacts. They can be
summarized as occurring at four stages: (1) selection of
raw materials; (2) construction techniques; (3) artifact use
and function; (4) formation of the archaeological record.
The result of this integration is a heuristic model that
recognizes the unity and complexity of cultural materials,
and provides a base for processual studies. A separate part
of this thesis employs Strombus gigas shell artifacts from
the prehistoric cultures of the Caribbean to indicate the
utility of the artifact development sequence as a theoretical
conceptualization.

My study sought to acquire quantitative data from the surface of lithic tools and use that data to discriminate tools used on different contact materials. An experimental archaeological wear production method was conceived, whereby I and several volunteers produced wear on chert, heat-treated chert, and obsidian flakes by using those flakes on several contact materials. The flakes were then analyzed using a laser scanning confocal microscope, which recorded three-dimensional surface data from each tool. The data was analyzed using cluster analysis to find the ideal combination of parameters which correctly discriminated the flakes based on use-wear data. After finding acceptable parameters which grouped flakes appropriately through cluster analysis, those groups were subjected to a discriminant analysis. Each analysis returned a p-value under .05, meaning that the clustering based on the parameters Sq and Sfd produced by the cluster analysis was not random, but indicative of these variables' ability to discriminate lithic use-wear. The major advantage of the approach developed in this study is that it can quantitatively discriminate use-wear produced by different contact materials on flakes with no a priori information at all.

With antimicrobial resistance to current drugs steadily rising, the development of new antibiotics with novel mechanisms of action has become an imperative. The majority of life-threatening infections worldwide are caused by "ESKAPE" pathogens which are encountered in more than 40% of hospital-acquired infections, and are resistant to the majority of commonly used antibiotics. Naturally occurring cyclic depsipeptides, microbial secondary metabolites that contain one or more ester bonds in addition to amide bonds, have emerged as an important source of pharmacologically active compounds or lead structures for the development of novel antibiotics. Some of those peptides are either already marketed (daptomycin) or in advanced stages of clinical development (ramoplanin). Structurally simple, yet potent, fusaricidin/LI-F and lysobactin families of naturally occurring antibiotics represent particularly attractive candidates for the development of new antibacterial agents capable of overco ming infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. These natural products exhibit potent antimicrobial activity against a variety of clinically relevant fungi and Gram-positive bacteria. Therefore, access to these classes of natural products and their synthetic analogs, combined with elucidation of their mode of action represent important initial steps toward full exploitation of their antmicrobial potential. This dissertation describes a general approach toward the solid-phase synthesis of fusaricidin/LI-F and lysobactin analogs and an extensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) study. We have devised a simple and robust preparation strategy based on standard Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis protocols.

Current research in natural products has heavily focused on the identification of potent biologically active compounds, specifically for drug development. The project detailed in this thesis focuses on the extraction of compounds from marine invertebrates as well as defining the absolute configuration for a compound. Utilizing marine invertebrates, the sonications method developed in this thesis provides an alternative approach to rapidly extract compounds for primary screening. This method is viable compared to a traditional overnight extraction method, without suffering compound degredation... Previously, clathric acid was isolated from an unknown Clathria sp. This compound is a bibyblic C-21 terpenoid shown to have mild antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria. With only its relative configuration established, additional amounts of clathric acid were required to define the overall absolute configuration. Identifying the Clathria sp. to be Clathria compressa, through spicule analysis, additional sponge tissues were then collected off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida to isolate additional quatities of clathric acid. The absolulte configuration was determined through circular dichroism and the octant rule to establish a final configuration for clathric acid's four carbon stereocenters to be: (3S, 7S, 8R, and 12S).

Catastrophic events in the past revealed the need for more research in the field of emergency evacuation. During such a procedure, different problems such as congestion at the related traffic networks because of the large number of the evacuating vehicles can occur. Current best practices, in order to deal with such problems, suggest the further involvement of buses in evacuation operations. On the first part of this study after the accurate development of the related simulation model, the optimization of a selected bus system characteristics focusing on the vehicle routing parameter will follow through the development and the application of a non-linear cost minimization problem. On the second part, the potential use of the regular-everyday bus routes in a no-notice emergency evacuation in order to save time comparing to the time needed so as to assign the actual evacuation routes to the evacuation bus vehicles will be analyzed.

Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) have drawn the attention of researchers due to their ability to internalize large cargos into cells including cancer cells. The mechanism(s) with which the peptides enter the cell, however, is/are not clear and full of controversy. The peptide conformations and their microenvironment in live cells had been unknown until the development of a technique developed in our lab. As a first demonstration of principle, penetratin, a 16-residue CPP derived from the Antennapedia homeodomain protein of Drosophila, was measured in single, living melanoma cells. Carbon-13 labeling of the Phe residue of penetratin was used to shift the intense aromatic ring-breathing vibrational mode from 1003 to 967 cm-1, thereby enabling the peptide to be traced in cells. Difference spectroscopy and principal components analysis (PCA) were used independently to resolve the Raman spectrum of the peptide from the background cellular Raman signals.

Phytoplankton Chlorophyll a (CHLa), total protein, colloidal carbohydrates, storage carbohydrates and taxonomic pigment relationships were studied in two cyanophytes (Microcystis aeruginosa and Synnechococcus elongatus), two chlorophytes (Dunaliella tertiolecta and Scenedesmus quadricauda), one cryptophyte (Rhodomonas salina), two diatoms (Cyclotella meneghiniana and Thalassiosira weissflogii) and one dinophyte (Amphidinium carterae) to assess if algal biomass could be expressed in other indices than just chlorophyll a alone. Protein and carbohydrates are more useful currencies for expressing algal biomass, with respect to energy flow amongst trophic levels. These phytoplankton were grown at low light (LL = 37 (So(Bmol photons m-2 s-1), medium light (ML = 70-75 (So(Bmol photons m-2 s-1), and high light (HL= 200 (So(Bmol photons m-2 s-1).

The graying of America as a sociological and health care phenomenon continues to dictate the demand for creative and innovative interventions that can directly influence the quality of life of nursing home residents. Creative Reminiscence is a program that fosters the active reliving of the past through narration, such as in story-telling, and the use of creative art expression to uncover meaningful life events or valuable life experiences. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the meaningful life events elicited by the experience of Creative Reminiscence using a phenomenographic approach. Existing (archived) data-transcribed interviews, poetry and painting on planters that were obtained from 20 participants of the Creative Reminiscence program entitled Le Jardin de Sante were analyzed. Five variations of meaningful memories evoked by Creative Reminiscence were identified. These are described as follows: (a) memories that rejuvenate the elder's sense of connectio n; (b) memories that revive the elder's sense of love and intimacy; (c) memories that restore the elder's sense of being; (d) memories that reassert the elder's sense of control; and (e) memories that reinstitute the elder's sense of purpose. In a caring interaction with Creative Reminiscence, the nursed are able to transcend, moving back in time (past) to appreciate segment(s) of their lives, with triumphs and disappointments that give meaning to their inner conflict/human struggle (present), and integrate a sense of confidence and acceptance of their lives to sustain well-being and a sense of wholeness. This research highlights the similarities and differences in the description of memories by the nursing home residents evoked during Creative Reminiscence.

Lithic projectile armatures represent a significant innovation over thrusted spears in the subsistence strategies of hominins. Previous researchers have disagreed over the timing of the appearance of projectile weapons in the archaeological record (Brooks 2006; Shea 2006). To discover when projectile technology first appears in the Levant, I have compared tip cross-sectional areas, weights, and tip penetrating angles (three variables useful for discriminating between projectile and thrusting weapons) of pointed Blades, Levallois points, and Mousterian points with analogs from known and suspected chipped stone projectile points. Results indicate that pointed Blades from Tabun and Skhul caves are statistically indistinguishable from other suspected projectile point types. Levallois and Mousterian points from Tabun and Skhul are also statistically indistinguishable from suspected projectile types when the lower halves of the populations are compared. Consequently, I conclude that points from Tabun and Skhul caves fall within the known and suspected range of variation of projectile point morphology.