Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Evolution Of Modern Central American Street Gangs And The Political Violence They Present: Case Studies Of Guatemala, El Salvador And Honduras, Tristam W. Lynch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have experienced a history immersed in political, economical and violent turmoil that has resulted in centuries of unsettled government, weak economies, alienation, and exploitation of the masses. This turmoil dates back to Spanish forms of dictatorial rule in the sixteenth century, and English and German control of commodities and land during the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Along with foreign influence, forms of dictatorial rule resulted in poor socioeconomic conditions, internal anarchy within Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras and the onset of civil wars. During the Reagan Administration, the United States used these countries in …

Orthogonal Filters And The Implications Of Wrapping On Discrete Wavelet Transforms, Sarah K. Bleiler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Discrete wavelet transforms have many applications, including those in image compression and edge detection. Transforms constructed using orthogonal filters are extremely useful in that they can easily be inverted as well as coded. We review the major properties of three well-known orthogonal filters, namely, the Haar, Daubechies, and Coiflet filters. Subsequently, we analyze the Fourier series that corresponds to each of those filters and recall some important results about the smoothness of the modulus of those Fourier series. We consider a specialized case in which the length of the discrete wavelet transform is not much longer than the length of …

Architectural Strategies In Reducing Heat Gain In The Sub-Tropical Urban Heat Island, Mark A. Blazer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most scientists agree that the earth's temperature continues to rise. The heat gain is more pronounced in urban areas due to a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. The urban heat island effect is a seemingly inevitable result of urban development, which has far reaching consequences. With energy costs skyrocketing and the destruction of the environment at risk, urban structures and buildings must do more to make our urban settings more environmentally friendly.

So far, there are two well known ways to combat these effects. First, the heat island can be slightly be negated by adding well-watered vegetation …

A Group-Based Approach To Examining The Association Among Risky Sexual Behavior, Drug Use, And Criminal Involvement In A Sample Of Newly Arrested Juvenile Offenders, Kristina K. Childs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the interrelationships between risky sexual practices, substance use, and arrest history. The sample consists of 948 newly arrested juvenile offenders processed at a centralized intake facility in 2006. A series of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques are used to 1) determine if risky sexual behavior, marijuana and cocaine use, and arrest history form a unidimensional latent factor, 2) examine the direct effect of age on the latent factor, and 3) compare the factor structure, as well as the effect of age on the latent factor, across four demographic subgroups based on race and …

Multi-Level Regulation Of Argininosuccinate Synthase: Significance For Endothelial Nitric Oxide Production, Karen Davidowitz Corbin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The citrulline-nitric oxide (NO) cycle, comprised of the enzymes argininosuccinate synthase (AS), argininosuccinate lyase (AL) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), is responsible for the regulated production of endothelial NO. Although most studies have focused on eNOS to uncover important regulatory mechanisms, we and others have determined that AS is an essential and regulated step in endothelial NO production. AS is rate limiting for endothelial NO production and is the primary source of arginine, the substrate for eNOS-mediated NO production, despite saturating intracellular levels of arginine and available arginine transport systems. AS is essential for endothelial cell viability and its …

From Cancer To Sexually Transmitted Infection: Explorations Of Social Stigma Among Cervical Cancer Survivors, Karen E. Dyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research project aims to examine the idea of stigma attached to cervical cancer in light of its association with HPV, a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The public recognition of this relationship appears to be increasing due to the current media attention surrounding HPV's causative role in the development of cervical cancer, and the newly-released HPV vaccine. Thus, this study explores the experiences and perceptions of cervical cancer patients and survivors living with this disease at a moment in time when it is becoming a very visible manifestation of a sexually transmitted infection, versus one identified historically as a life-threatening …

Hemingway’S Development Of The Female Characters Catherine From A Farewell To Arms To The Garden Of Eden, Amy K. Recla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the possibility that Hemingway scholars are overlooking the development of Hemingway as a writer by concentrating too much on the autobiographical elements of his writing. I am not suggesting that scholars ignore the autobiographical aspects of the writing, but rather propose that scholars acknowledge and look for the development of Hemingway's craft of writing in his novels by comparing the early texts with his posthumous works. I have chosen to show this development by comparing A Farewell to Arms and The Garden of Eden, especially through his use of the females characters Catherine in both novels. …

Measuring Culture Change As An Evaluation Indicator: Applying Cultural Consensus Analysis To Cultural Models Of Lymphatic Filariasis In Haiti, Kelly M. Simpson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: This project explores the links between shared cultural beliefs in the illness domain, specific to lymphatic filariasis, and a support group program implemented in three Haitian towns. The purpose is to introduce an innovative approach to evaluation, the cultural model evaluation technique (CM Evaluation), as well as gain an understanding of the shifting cognitive belief structure around the cultural domain of lymphatic filariasis in the Haitian setting as associated with a support group intervention.

Method: The sample population was comprised of 241 women across three sites in Haiti: Archaie, Cabaret, and La Plaine. Data were collected from longitudinal surveys …

Application Of Pd Catalyzed Alkylation: Synthesis Of Bicyclic Furans, Isoxazolines And New Cyclopentane Amino Acid Analogs, Pasha Moeenuddin Khan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Palladium is probably the most useful metal in organic syntheses. It has shown great utility in various reactions such as C-C, C-N, C-O bond formation under mild conditions. The presence of abundant amount of palladium-chemistry related literature in the form of books, reviews emphasizes the growing importance of these reagents. Nowadays organopalladium chemistry is being used in various fields such as new methodology development, natural product synthesis, synthesis of polymers. Regio- and stereoselectivity is another facet of Pd catalyzed methodologies which has been extensively utilized in the last decade to obtain enantiopure compounds. The main emphasis of this work is …

Evaluation Of A Standardized Protocol For Parent Training In Positive Behavior Support Using A Multiple Baseline Design, Robin Lane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Challenging behaviors such as hitting, kicking, screaming, destruction of property and other socially-inappropriate behaviors are common among children with significant disabilities. Behavior Parent Training (BPT), which is based on basic principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), has been shown to be effective in reducing these problem behaviors. Traditional approaches to BPT have typically emphasized consequence-based interventions, however, advances in the field of ABA (e.g., FBA, antecedent-based interventions) and PBS have led to more strategies that are more effective in complex community environments. Evidence of such practices is emerging but has not been adequately documented. The current study evaluated the use …

A Comparative Study Of Six Decades Of General Science Textbooks: Evaluating The Evolution Of Science Content, Anna Lewis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined science textbooks over time to better understand the science content expectations that the U.S. educational system deems appropriate for 8th and 9th grade science students. The study attempted to answer the questions: 1) What specific science content has been presented via the textbook from 1952 to 2008? 2) Within which areas and in what way does the science content change? 3) Are new scientific findings reflected in 8th and 9th grade U.S. general science textbooks? Twenty-six themes were identified which reflect five areas in science: Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Biology, and Process of Science. Trends in science …

The Builders Versus The Birds: Wetlands, People And Public Policy In The United States, Florida And Hillsborough County, Allyson R. Bennett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an interdisciplinary analysis of humans' relationship to the natural environment, specifically how wetlands are reflected in our legislative decisions. Our perceptions of wetlands and our relationship to the environment are influenced by our locality, history, and inter-generational relationships. These perceptions shape decision-making within a community. Our relationship to the natural environment and the way we interact with it can be explained through psychological and geographical theories. Historical trends reveal our consistently negative perspectives of wetlands in the United States and a rapid decline in wetlands acreage. At the federal, state, and local level, Americans have attempted to …

From Behind Closed Doors To The Campaign Trail: Race And Immigration In British Party Politics, 1945-1965, Nicole M. Chiarodo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Colored immigration from the New Commonwealth became a highly discussed issue in British party politics immediately following the Second World War, but in an effort to sustain Great Britain's imperial status, to portray the nation as a new enlightened force, and in reaction to the race issues taking hold in the American South, political elites moved to keep their debates concealed from the public. In this thesis, I investigate the positions of Labour and Conservative governments and the circumstances surrounding the emergence of race and immigration into the public sphere. Moreover, I examine the effects of its arrival. While the …

Novela Histórico-Posmoderna: Re-Examinando El Referente Histórico – Narrativo Del Siglo De Oro En Cuatro Textos De Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Alejandro De La Pava

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the relationships between reality and fiction on Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novels about Captain Alatriste. Four out of six novels about this character will be discussed and the analysis of this work will focus on how the author uses historical data and fiction not only to promote a new narrative in Spain, but also as a way to re-evaluate and challenge history. The texts which are analyzed in this thesis, El Capitán Alatriste, Limpieza de sangre, El sol de Breda and El oro del Rey center around a common main character who depicts a Spanish soldier in the Seventeenth …

Access To Health Care Services: A Case Study In Hillsborough County, Florida, Jaime Nodarse

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The UpliftU® program is a long-term residential program for women and families who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. This program is one part of a larger, community-based non-profit organization serving low-income and homeless families in Hillsborough County, Florida for over 35 years. This program is not an emergency shelter program, but rather offers up to 18 months of participation in a self-sufficiency program to single women and families. The goal of the program is to prevent future homelessness for residents by helping them to reach their highest level of self-sufficiency. After volunteering at this organization for nine months, …

Scripting The Unscripted: Gender And Sexual Orientation In Strategy-Genre Reality Television, L Elizabeth Zollner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since 2000, there has been an explosion of "reality," or unscripted, television shows in a variety of formats. The series in which new societies are created in isolation appeared almost immediately to be influenced by certain identity constructs, particularly gender and sexual orientation. Audiences came to these shows with definite expectations already in place. I intend in this study to determine why this is so and what those expectations are.

Survivor, the germinal presentation of this genre, has as its motto "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast." However, as the show has developed through many iterations, the ability to literally survive in …

The Drama Of Collaborative Creativity: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Hollywood Film Making-Of Documentaries, Robert M. González Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current creativity research is dominated by attention to the individual, with increasingly less attention paid to creativity in its context, in groups, and in filmmaking as a collaboratively creative enterprise. This study answers the research call to explore filmmaking as an exemplar for collaborative creativity. Utilizing the stories told on DVD extras on special edition releases of feature films, this study analyzes how collaborative creativity is storied. In turn, these stories reveal specific communication forms, practices, and strategies that enrich theoretical conceptions of collaborative creativity. Following dramatistic concepts elaborated by Kenneth Burke, this rhetorical analysis finds three emergent patterns of …

Steady State And Theoretical Investigations Of Peptidylglycine Α-Amidating Monooxygenase (Pam), Edward W. Lowe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 50 percent of all known peptide hormones are post-translationally modified at their C-terminus. These peptide hormones are responsible for cellular functions critical to survival. Peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) is a bi-functional enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of peptide pro-hormones to peptide hormones.

PAM is the only known mammalian enzyme that catalyzes the necessary alpha-amidation to activate these peptide hormones. PAM has previously been found to perform N-dealkylation, as well as O-dealkylation. We report here that a novel chemistry for PAM, S-dealkylation, has now been shown. PAM was able to catalyzes the hydroxylation and subsequent dealkylation for a series …

A Heritage Center For The Mississippi Gulf Coast: Linking The Community And Tourism Through Culture, Islay Burgess

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A powerful dimension of culture is revealed through art; and when presented by the artist to the observer discloses and connects human emotions. The artist's expression is recorded as an integral part of a collective heritage while continually inspiring the viewer towards a creative future.

For the Mississippi Coast, this is an imperative time to develop the link between community and tourism. Over forty public establishments are without buildings that enable them to come together. Prior to August 2005, the development pattern of the coast was northward, because the historic coast line was occupied. Now the entire beach front is …