Digital Commons Network^™

Bradenton, Fl: A Patchwork City, Rebekah G. Brightbill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The City of Bradenton is a patchwork city, whose neighborhoods vary greatly in quality. While its neighborhoods differ in type based on consumer preference, they vary in quality because of federal, state, and local planning and urban policy. These policies have resulted in inequality of place and race, clustering racial minorities in center city neighborhoods with deteriorated infrastructure and income inequality. This impacts the ability of the City to be competitive with other cities as a metropolitan whole. The City's economically and racially segregated neighborhoods are not the inevitable outcome of market forces, but rather reflect decades of federal, state, …

Program Evaluation: An Ngo's Attempt To Use Volunteerism To Promote Community Development, Adrienne Sage Mael

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides an ethnographic account of a NGOs effort to recruit and retain volunteers. Specifically, this project is a program evaluation of a community-based grant designed as a bottom-up approach to empower community residents to make changes in their community. The study details the many efforts - and obstacles - involved in this process. It is presented as a contribution to the anthropology of policy, to evaluation theory, and to applied anthropological methods. The investigator used participant-observation fieldwork and ethnographic interviews of both volunteer and non-volunteers to evaluate the program's successes and failures.

Shaping Topographies Of Home: A Political Ecology Of Migration, Carylanna Kathryn Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Even from afar, transnational migrants influence how their households and communities of origin use natural resources. This study depicts the circulation of people, funds, and ideas within transnational families that extend from a Honduran village to the United States. Developing a "political ecology of migration" approach, I show how these circulations can reshape resource use practices and the socio-economic and bio-physical topographies of emigrants' former homes. The project advances anthropological thought by linking rich literatures on political ecology and transnationalism through a multi-method ethnography of transnational families. The study is also relevant to emigrants, community members, and practitioners interested in …

Evolution Of A Conserved Gene Regulatory Network Among Echinoderms: A Comparison Of Genes Expressed In The Skeletogenetic Lineage Of The Ophuroid Ophiocoma Wendtii And The Echinoid Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus, Mitch James Ruzek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the most fundamental and critical functions of embryological development is the control and regulation of differential genes and gene networks. The study of the gene networks involved in development is a mechanism for understanding the developmental process at its most basic level. An evolutionary change in a morphological feature or features must depend on a reorganization or co-option of one or more developmental gene regulatory network just as retention of an ancestral morphological trait must rely on retention of a common gene regulatory network. Studying two closely related classes in the same phylum with the same essential morphological …

Green Local Governments In Florida: An Analysis Of Sustainability And Green Building Policies, Naimish S. Upadhyay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable development is increasingly being integrated within local government planning across United States. Many communities are attempting to translate this general principle into specific and measurable terms. The urban sustainability planning literature has mostly focused on descriptive case studies of pioneering cities that have been characterized as true innovators in their sustainability efforts. Noticeably absent from the literature, however, has been an examination of the sustainable development claims made by local governments undergoing 'green' certifications. This study evaluates the commitment and efforts of municipalities and counties of Florida within the framework of Florida Green Building Coalition's 'Green …

City Level Development New Key To Successful Development, Gina Herron

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Development is one of the most debated issues in political science today. There has never been a clear consensus reached on what is one successful path to developmental success for nations to follow. Organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and already developed nations have long touted a policy based on rapid privatization, which has been often referred to as shock therapy.

During this current period of globalization it has never been more important for underdeveloped nations to successfully move towards development, in order for those nations to not be left behind in an ever increasing …

Can Colored Dissolved Organic Material Protect Coral Reefs By Reducing Exposure To Ultraviolet Radiation?, Lore Michele Ayoub

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although mass coral bleaching events are generally triggered by high seawater temperatures, experiments have demonstrated that corals and reef-dwelling foraminifers bleach more readily when exposed to high energy, short wavelength solar radiation (blue, violet and ultraviolet [UVR]: Lambda ~ 280 - 490 nm). In seawater, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), also called gelbstoff, preferentially absorbs these shorter wavelengths, which consequently bleach and degrade the CDOM. Alteration of watersheds and destruction of coastal wetlands have reduced natural sources of CDOM to reefal waters.

I tested the null hypothesis that CDOM does not differ between reefs that differ in coral health, …

Eutrophication Trend Of Lakes In The Tampa Bay Watershed And The Role Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation In Buffering Lake Water Phosphorus Concentration, Max Jacobo Moreno Madriñan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Twentieth century human settlement within the Tampa Bay watershed was linked to a dramatic mid-century decline in bay water quality and loss of seagrass acreage. Decades of direct and indirect nutrient discharges to the bay from phosphorus mining, fertilizer manufacturing, and wastewater treatment, as examples, impaired the estuary. In the past twenty years, regional stakeholders have worked to improve the bay water quality by reducing point and non-point source nutrient loading to the bay.

Lakes within the Tampa Bay watershed may play an important role in attenuating the flow of nutrients into the bay. This study hypothesized that between 1990 …

The Competencies For Community College Leaders: Community College Presidents' And Trustee Board Chairpersons' Perspectives, Anthony M. Hassan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At a time when strong leadership is needed to guide community colleges forward, a major crisis seems to be stirring (Eddy & VanDerLinden, 2006). According to some estimates, 45% of community college presidents will have retired by 2007 (Shults, 2001) and an even worse prediction offered by Weisman and Vaughan (2002) predict 79% of community college presidents will be retired by 2012. Echoing this view, Amey et al. (2002) assert that there is much work to be done in preparing the younger generations of community college leaders with skills and competencies necessary to meet this leadership challenge.

There were two …

Creative City And Fields Of Cultural Production: Ethnographic Perspectives Of “The Arts” In Tampa, James Kuzin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stimulated by the economic theories of Richard Florida (2005), the City of Tampa established the Office of Creative Industries (OCI) to oversee efforts to strengthen the presence and visibility of "the arts." This thesis presents ethnographic research focused on practices, and perspectives among members of the OCI's service population. From July 2006 to July 2007, I conducted fieldwork among a diverse group of stakeholders possessing a unique connection to the aims of the OCI. The central problem addressed in this research looks at the degree to which cultural change occurs from participatory, grass-roots initiatives, rather than ones emanating from "the …

Functional Remodeling Of The Cardiac Glycome Throughout The Developing Myocardium, Marty L. Montpetit

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cell surfaces are replete with complex, biologically important glycans responsible for multiple cellular functions including cell adhesion and cellular communication. Proper protein glycosylation is essential for normal development and often pathologies are marked by altered glycosylation. Here, data showed that the auxillary subunit, ß₁, modified voltage-gated Na⁺ channel (Na_v) gating in an isoform-specific, sialic acid dependent, and saturating manner. The regulated activity of the hundreds of glycogenes (glycosylation-associated genes) is responsible for protein glycosylation; this could result in a glycome of thousands of glycan structures. Microarray analyses indicated that glycogene expression was highly regulated throughout …

A Gis-Based Approach To Evaluating Changes In Wetland Areal Extent And Structure Between 1926 And 1999 For Selected Hydrological Sub-Basins In Pinellas County, Florida, Pamela J. Fetterman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A GIS-based study was undertaken comparing wetland coverages in 1926 and 1999 in selected sub-basins within Pinellas County, Florida, one of the most highly urbanized counties in south-central Florida with almost 50% of the existing land area developed into industrial, commercial or residential land uses (Pinellas County Planning Department, 2002). Wetlands were digitized from rectified 1926 aerials and classified according to the FLUCCS classification system. Wetland coverage for the 1999 data set was extracted from FLUCCS 1999 land use coverage provided by the SWFWMD, and topology for both the 1926 and 1999 wetland and surface waters were created. Statistical and …

Enduring Changes In Reward Mechanisms After Developmental Exposure To Cocaine: The Role Of The D2 Receptor, Kirstie H. Stansfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During adolescent brain maturation, there are likely sensitive periods where environmental conditions, including drug exposure, may influence development by modifying neuronal connections. Altering neuronal function may produce different phenotypes than expected under normal conditions that may influence subsequent responding to drugs of abuse after the brain is fully mature. Experiment one investigated the relationship between novelty preference and cocaine place preference in adolescent and adult rats. High responding adolescent rats displaying greater free choice novelty exploration (but not forced novelty locomotion) expressed decreased cocaine place conditioning compared to low responding rats. No relationship was found in adult rats. Experiment two …

The Reaction To Economic Globalization In Latin America: A Case Study Of Argentina, Lisa A. Warner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since Washington Consensus policies became predominant in the 1980s, two sides of the economic globalization debate have developed: advocates claim that trade liberalization, deregulation, privatization and reduced state spending increase growth and therefore reduce poverty, while critics claim that levels of poverty and income disparity have worsened at the same time that social welfare and education programs have suffered budget cuts. Over the past decade, as many Latin Americans have failed to see promised results to alleviate poverty stemming from the "lost decade" of the 1980s (and beyond), they have elected "leftist" presidents that campaigned on anti-economic globalization (or anti-neoliberal) …

Sialic Acid Modulation Of Cardiac Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Gating Throughout The Developing Myocardium, Patrick J. Stocker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The proper orchestration of voltage-gated ion channel gating is vital to maintaining normal heart rhythms throughout an animal's lifespan. Voltage-gated sodium channels, Na_v, are responsible for the initiation of the cardiac action potential, which leads to cardiac systole. Comparison of neonatal ventricular and atrial myocyte Na_v gating with adult indicated that the neonatal ventricular Na_v gated following a ~10 mV greater depolarization than did atrial or adult ventricular Na_v. In this study I questioned whether development- and/or chamber-dependent changes in Na_v-associated functional sialic acids could account for these differences. When desialylated with …

Characterization Of The Dopaminergic Potential Of The Human Ntera2/D1 (Nt2) Cell Line In Vitro, Iwona E. Misiuta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our laboratory is working with the human NTera2/D1 (NT2) cell line which have properties similar to progenitor cells in the CNS. These neural-like precursors cells can differentiate into all three major lineages - neurons, astrocytes, andoligodendrocytes. The pure neuronal population, called the hNT cells, possess characteristics of dopamine (DA) cells. In this dissertation, we performed various experiments to examine the neuronal and dopaminergic development of this cellline. We first cultured our hNT neurons with cells from the developingnigrostriatal (NS) pathway, the ventral mesencephalon and striatum, to determine their influence on survival, neuritic outgrowth, and DA phenotype. The survival ofhNT neurons …

Neurochemical Analysis Of Cocaine In Adolescence And Adulthood, Kirstie Helen Stansfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence is a time of high risk behavior and increased exploration. This developmental period is marked by a greater probability to initiate drug use and is associated with an increased risk to develop addiction and dependency in adulthood. Human adolescents are predisposed toward an increased likelihood of risk taking behaviors (Zuckerman M, 1986), including drug use or initiation. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in developmental risk taking behaviors and neurochemical responsivity to cocaine based on these behavioral characteristics. Adolescent and adult animals were exposed to a novel stimulus in a familiar environment to assess impulsivity, novelty …

An Evaluation Of The Dopaminergic Systems’ Response To A Natural Reinforcer: A Comparison Between Cocaine Pretreatment In Adolescent And Adult Rats, Briony Catlow

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The long-term consequences of adolescent drug use in shaping a network primed for addiction is an issue of utmost importance. The use of cocaine during adolescent development could alter the normal growth of the reward system and affect the adult mesolimbic system, however, there is scant literature aimed at finding out if animals are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of drugs during adolescence. The present study investigated whether cocaine pretreatment in adolescent and adult rats produced differences in cocaine-induced neurochemical cross-sensitization to a naturally reinforcing substance in adulthood. To evaluate the responsivity of the mesolimbic system after repeated cocaine, …

The Role Of Sensation Seeking In Children’S Ability To Learn Alcohol Expectancy Associations, Nicole M. Bekman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sensation seeking is a personality characteristic associated with problematic alcohol use and positive alcohol expectancies, but little research has examined the relationship between sensation seeking and the acquisition of alcohol expectancy information. In a recent study (Steinberg, 2003), sensation seeking was associated with how quickly and accurately college-aged students were able to learn alcohol-expectancy word pairs in a paired associate learning task. In this age group, however, the individuals had fully developed alcohol expectancies that may have influenced their rates of learning.

The current study sought to minimize the influence of previously held alcohol expectancies by exploring this relationship in …

Efforts To Promote Tourism As A Catalyst For Urban Redevelopment In Florida: Insights From The Anthropology Of Tourism And An Annotated Bibliography., John F. Collins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tourism is a major contributor to the global economy and is an agent of cultural change. Tourism has been utilized throughout the United States as an engine of economic renewal in the promotion of redevelopment within many of our most celebrated urban centers. Urban tourism as it is found within Florida is explored. A chapter is dedicated to Tampa, Florida. Anthropology has spent little time or effort in attempting to understand the complexities of urban tourism and what it means for the cities of 21st century. The anthropology of tourism is utilized in exploring the political economy of tourism within …