Digital Commons Network^™

An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Stress, Depression, And Glycemic Control In Low-Income Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Kristen Jennifer Wells

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

People in low socioeconomic status groups are at increased risk for diabetes mellitus, a group of diseases associated with high levels of blood glucose. High rates of depression have been found in people with diabetes. The study examined the relationship between stress, depression, and glycemic control in low-income type 2 diabetes patients. Participants were recruited at two community health centers that provide free medical care. The following hypotheses were examined: (1) experiencing stressful life events is positively correlated with blood glucose level; (2) negative stressful events have a greater association with glucose level than positive stressful events; (3) depression mediates …

A Mechanized Horseback Riding Simulator As An Aid To Physical Therapy, Jennifer Lott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Equine-assisted therapy is a nontraditional form of physical therapy that involves riding horses as a form of rehabilitation. Limited access to these riding programs justifies a need to develop a horseback riding simulator capable of simulating the gaits, bend, and collection of the horse. Research involving the development of horseback riding simulators is limited, but the available research does show promising results in the ability to aid in physical therapy.

A two-dimensional model and simulation was developed using MATLAB. Using the results from the simulation, a horseback riding simulator was designed, fabricated and tested. The physical simulator was capable of …

Use Of Box-Pcr Subtyping Of Escherichia Coli And Enterococcus Spp. To Determine The Source Of Microbial Contamination At A Florida Beach, Miriam J. Brownell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Siesta Key Beach, located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, is frequently mentioned among the top ten beaches in the US. In summer 2004, high levels of indicator bacteria caused health warnings to be posted, and a storm drainage system was implicated as a possible source of microbial contamination. A study was initiated to determine whether indicator bacteria that persisted in the stormwater system could contribute to high microbial loads in receiving waters. Two sampling events, one within 48 hours of a rain event and the other during dry conditions, were conducted. Water and sediment samples were taken at various …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Feeding And Food In Three Species Of Mellitid Sand Dollars, Susan Elizabeth Hilber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sand dollars are abundant and conspicuous macroinvertebrates in sandy habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. They ingest sediment and associated organisms. Given their high abundances, size, and deposit feeding, they likely are the most important consumer coupling primary productivity with the rest of the food chain in these habitats. Moreover, sand dollars bioturbate sediments and affect species diversity and community structure.

Three species of sand dollars in the family Mellitidae,

Mellita tenuis, Encope michelini and Encope aberrans, were studied off the West Coast of Florida. Food and feeding of these sand dollar species were studied to understand their relationship …

Understanding Eating Boundaries: A Study Of Vegetarian Identities, Susan Kremmel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My research uses participants' understandings to look at how people define and use the identities and categories of "vegetarian" and "meat-eater." My research examines what it means to be vegetarian, how ideals and moral hierarchies are understood, and how issues of identity importance, social support, and boundary work are components of vegetarian identity construction processes. My research highlights the unmarked character of the meat-eating identity and investigates the variations and complexities of eating behaviors and identities. Learning more about how both vegetarians and meat-eaters construct vegetarian identities contributes to our understanding of identities and how, despite ambiguities, people experience identities. …

The Influence Of Habitat Features On Selection And Use Of A Winter Refuge By Manatees (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris) In Charlotte Harbor, Florida, Sheri L. Barton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigating alternate winter refuges for Florida manatees is increasingly important

as sustained warm-water discharges from industrial and some natural sites becomes more

uncertain. This study examined habitat features of possible importance to manatees by

comparing a winter refuge in Charlotte Harbor, FL (the Matlacha Isles canal system) to

two nearby, seemingly similar sites that are not frequented by manatees during winter.

Water temperature, salinity, boat traffic, canal depth, and tidal flushing were assessed at

these sites. Additionally, this study examined when and how manatees use the Matlacha

Isles refuge by documenting movements, habitat use, and behaviors of manatees during

the …

Vision And Disease In The Napoleonic Description De L’Egypte (1809-1828): The Constraints Of French Intellectual Imperialism And The Roots Of Egyptian Self-Definition, Elizabeth L. Oliver

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the travel conventions manifest in the engravings of the

thirty-volume

Description de l’Egypte produced as a result of the Napoleonic campaign

to Egypt in 1798 and published between 1809 and 1828. The first chapter examines the

discourse established on Egypt in travelogues throughout the eighteenth century prior to

the invasion of the country. I argue that the perceptions developed around the country

did not stem from actual experience, but from political and economic motivations that

cast Egypt in a light favorable for occupation.

I examine how this perception was challenged during the collapse of distance

between the …

Middle Woodland Mound Distribution And Ceremonialism In The Apalachicola Valley, Northwest Florida, Anya C. Frashuer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

University of South Florida field investigations in northwest Florida’s Apalachicola Valley have resulted in the relocation of some lost mounds from the Middle Woodland period (ca. A.D. 1 to 650) by trekking through the forest and consulting with avocationals and collectors. This thesis project was triggered by a collector’s donation of some Swift Creek pots and the attempt to relocate the mound from which they came. In the 1970s, Gardner and Nidy recorded this site, named Poplar Springs Mound, categorized as Middle Woodland due to its Swift Creek and Weeden Island pottery. The donated collection contained pottery of the Swift …

Joyce...Beckett...Dedalus...Molloy: A Study In Abjection And Masochism, Patricia A. Mccabe-Remmell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Irish male identity in James Joyce's and Samuel Beckett's novels shows evidence of abjection. The oppressive natures of the Church and State in Ireland contribute to abjection in some Irish men. Furthermore, the state of abject being can lead to masochistic practices. According to Julia Kristeva, abjection translates into a ìconceptual spaceî that has its roots in the Freudian Oedipal complex. Kristeva, following Lacan, also points to the connection between abjection and language. Joyceís character Stephen Dedalus and Beckettís Molloy/Moran both utilize this conceptual space and language in the narrative provides clues to their abject states. Joyceís A Portrait of …

Before The Inca: Prehistoric Dietary Transitions In The Argentine Cuyo, Nicole Shelnut

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A dietary reconstruction was performed in order to understand changing prehistoric subsistence patterns in the Central Andean geographical area of the Argentine Cuyo that includes the provinces of San Juan and Mendoza. Archaeologically, the Cuyo is also known as a boundary between Andean agriculturalists and the foragers of Patagonia. One hypothesis being tested is whether this area was one of the last South American cultural groups to convert to maize cultivation, probably around 2000 BP. The process of stable isotope analysis is used to reconstruct the diets of individuals, as it reveals the relative proportions of C3 and C4 plants …

Animal Husbandry At Tell El Hesi (Israel): Results From Zooarchaeological And Isotopic Analysis, Shannon Marie Peck-Janssen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Located in today’s southern Israel, Tell el Hesi provides archaeologists with important clues to political and social changes in the ancient Near East. Zooarchaeological and stable isotopic analyses were conducted to evaluate shifts in animal husbandry practices during changing socioeconomic and sociopolitical conditions in the southern Levant.

During the Early Bronze Age, Tell el Hesi thrived as an agricultural grain producing center for the southern Levant. The acropolis served as both a storage and redistribution center for the inhabitants of Tell el Hesi. Coinciding with the collapse of the southern Levant, Tell el Hesi was abandoned throughout the Middle Bronze …

Video-Based Person Identification Using Facial Strain Maps As A Biometric, Vasant Manohar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research on video-based face recognition has started getting increased attention in the past few years. Algorithms developed for video have an advantage from the availability of plentitude of frames in videos to extract information from. Despite this fact, most research in this direction has limited the scope of the problem to the application of still image-based approaches to some selected frames on which 2D algorithms are expected to perform well. It can be realized that such an approach only uses the spatial information contained in video and does not incorporate the temporal structure.Only recently has the intelligence community begun to …

The Enthymeme’S Role In Modern Discourse, Ryan Meehan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I wish to demonstrate how enthymemic argument pervades modern discourse. First, I will define the enthymeme in Aristotelian terms and compare its qualities to its sibling, the syllogism. Next, I will attempt to demonstrate how the enthymeme functions, paying close attention to its psychological effects as well as analyzing how the media helps promote enthymemic discourse. Finally, I will propose a way that composition instructors can harness the idea of the enthymeme to facilitate critical thinking in the classroom. The purpose of the paper is to provide evidence that a rebirth of this classical term is in …

Mocking Mohammad: Mark Twain’S Depiction Of Arabs And Muslims In The Innocents Abroad, Nancy Bakht

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study on Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad is toinvestigate the various personal and socio-historical reasons for Twain's disrespectful and intolerant depiction of the people of the Middle East in juxtaposition to his lighter treatment of Europeans of the Mediterranean, whom he also wrote about at length in the same travel narrative.The research involves examining the main text, but also considers the long history of Western attitudes towards the Middle East, Twain's prejudicial upbringing, his strong penchant for exaggeration, his sense of opportunism, and the books and contemporary social attitudes that may have influenced his thinking. Research …

An Evaluation Of The Along Track Reef Imaging System (Atris) For Efficient Reef Monitoring And Rapid Groundtruthing Of Eaarl Lidar, Nicole O. Caesar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Along-Track Reef-Imaging System (ATRIS) is a vessel-mounted, digital camera, depth sounder and Global Positioning System (GPS) package that facilitates the rapid capture of underwater images in shallow-water benthic environments. This technology has the potential to collect ecologically significant data, particularly in benthic habitats less than 10 m in depth, with better location referencing and in less time than is required for surveys carried out by Scuba divers. In October 2004, ATRIS was tested coincidently with SCUBA-assisted video along transects on five patch reefs in Biscayne National Park. Images from both data sets were subsampled, viewed, and benthic cover under …

Chemo-Enzymatic Route To Synthesis Of Biodegradable Polymers And Glycolipid Analogs, Surbhi Bhatt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

New catalytic synthetic methods in organic chemistry that satisfy increasingly stringent environmental constraints are in great demand by the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Studies over last 15 years have revealed that activity of enzymes can be increased in organic solvents rather than their natural aqueous environment. Because of their ease of use, high selectivity and environment friendliness, enzymes are enjoying increasing popularity in today's synthesis world.

Chapter 1 describes chemo-enzymatic synthesis of various glycolipid analogs. A highly regioselective macrolactonization was achieved using lipase from Candida antarctica as a catalyst. It also describes evaluation of lipases from different source and their …

Stormtroopers Among Us: Star Wars Costuming, Connection, And Civic Engagement, Dava L. Simpson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the bonds that form between people as consumers of popular visual media and to discuss the relationship and impact of the resulting subcultures on the larger culture. Star Wars costumers offer a magnified glance at some of the ways in which people engage with images. As reflections of popular culture, costumers display their textual devotions and opinions; they embody spectatorship by reincarnating their favorite characters and contexts from text-bound sources. Moreover, they embrace modes of visual representation by performing the roles of both image consumer and image producer. I strive to understand …

Secondary Seed Dispersal Of Longleaf Pine, Pinus Palustris, And Sand Live Oak, Quercus Geminata, In Florida Sandhill, Shannon Elizabeth Ansley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies of secondary seed dispersal by small mammals have largely been focused on the interaction between nut-bearing tree species and sciurid rodents such as squirrels, and on heteromyid rodents in the southwestern United States. However, there is now evidence that wind-dispersed tree species such as pines also undergo a process of secondary seed dispersal, where animals redistribute (cache) seeds that have already fallen to the ground, often in microhabitats more suitable for successful seed germination. In Florida sandhill, where fire suppression has threatened wind-dispersed longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) by encouraging the encroachment of hardwoods such as sand live oak (Quercus …

Modeling The Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Coral-Algal Symbiosis, Dana Joy Gaydos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs thrive in nutrient-deficient environments yet function among the most productive ecosystems on Earth as a consequence of the symbiosis between coral hosts and their symbiotic zooxanthellae. The symbiotic unit (holobiont) can utilize both inorganic and organic sources of nutrients for the accumulation of carbon and nitrogen required for metabolism, growth, and reproduction. An iterative model was created to describe the flux of carbon and nitrogen between a host and its algae. The model design is based on a previously published conceptual model of algal symbioses; functions and values of input parameters are based on published studies of the …

The Mucilage Of Opuntia Ficus Indica: A Natural, Sustainable, And Viable Water Treatment Technology For Use In Rural Mexico For Reducing Turbidity And Arsenic Contamination In Drinking Water, Kevin Andrew Young

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of natural environmentally benign agents in the treatment of drinking water is rapidly gaining interest due to their inherently renewable character and low toxicity. We show that the common Mexican cactus produces a gum-like substance, cactus mucilage, which shows excellent flocculating abilities and is an economically viable alternative for low-income communities. Cactus mucilage is a neutral mixture of approximately 55 high-molecular weight sugar residues composed basically of arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, xylose, and galacturonic acid. We show how this natural product was characterized for its use as a flocculating agent. Our results show the mucilage efficiency for reducing arsenic …

Antibiotic-Conjugated Polyacrylate Nanoparticles: New Opportunities For Development Of Anti-Mrsa Agents, Yang Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

N-Thiolated β-lactams represent a novel family of antibacterial agents, whose in vitro activity is confined largely to Staphylococcus species, including multidrug-resistant forms of S. aureus. N-Thiolated β-lactams have recently been shown to possess intriguing biological activities which are addressed in Chapter II. Current development of nanoparticles as a new drug delivery vehicle is described in Chapter III. Chapter IV and V described the current research in our laboratories focusing on the synthesis and characterization of emulsified polyacrylate/polyacrylamide nanoparticle antibacterials for drug delivery of water-insoluble antibiotics. These nanoparticles can be prepared in aqueous media directly from acrylate/acrylamide monomers through free …

The Influence Of Roads On The Florida Panther, Autumn C. Schwab

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is a relatively well studied species, but some aspects of its habitat requirements remain poorly understood. While it has been well established that the most important threat to panthers include limited habitat area and continued habitat loss and fragmentation, the importance of roads in this context has not been determined. The goal of this research is to determine the influence of roads on the movement patterns of the Florida panther. Panther telemetry data from 1981 until 2003 was used, as well as detailed road networks and vegetation maps. The influence of roads on individual …

A Feminist Perspective On The Precautionary Principle And The Problem Of Endocrine Disruptors Under Neoliberal Globalization Policies, Erica Hesch Anstey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Industrialization and "development" during the last 200 years have led to an increase of pesticides, an intensified use of synthetic chemicals, higher levels of environmental pollution, and more exposure to hazardous working conditions. Environmental toxins, many of which are endocrine disruptors, are stored in fat tissue, increasing reproductive health risks for both women and men. Women’s bodies are particularly vulnerable as sites for creating, growing, feeding, and nurturing the next generation. And yet, women’s lives are consistently devalued, especially in a capitalist economy, so that a woman’s rights to her own reproductive health are no longer guaranteed.

In this thesis …

Assessment Of Image Analysis As A Measure Of Scleractinian Coral Growth, Steven K. Gustafson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Image analysis was used to measure basal areas of selected colonies of Montastraea annularis and Porites astreoides, following the colonies over a three-year period from 2002 to 2004. Existing digital images of permanently-marked quadrats in the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, Belize, were selected based on image quality and availability of images of selected quadrats for all three years. Annual growth rates were calculated from the basal-area measurements. Mean growth rates (radial skeletal extension) for M. annularis and P. astreoides were 0.02 cm yr-1 and -0.20 cm yr-1, respectively. Basal area measurements demonstrated a large degree of variability. Increases were approximately …

Dynamic Monitoring Of Cytotoxicity Using Electric Cell Substrate Impendence Sensing, Alfred Brian Wafula

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) pioneered by Giaever and Keese is suitable for continuous, automatic and real-time cell attachment analysis. ECIS is a novel electrical method to study, in real time, many of the activities of animal cells when grown in tissue culture. These include morphological changes, cell locomotion, and other behaviors directed by the cell's cytoskeleton. One of the most direct ECIS measurements is that of the attachment and spreading behaviors of cells. These measurements allow one to study and quantify the interaction of cultured cells with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and other macromolecules continuously and in real time. …

Optimizing Biofuel Cell Performance Using A Targeted Mixed Mediator Combination, Jason C. Klar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A study of how mediators interact with the catabolic pathways of microbes was undertaken with a view towards improving the performance of microbial fuel cells. The use of mediators is known to improve the power density in microbial fuel cells, but this work suggests that no single mediator is ideally suited to the task. Instead, a carefully selected mixture of two targeted mediators (Methylene Blue and Neutral Red) might be optimal. To test this hypothesis, a yeast-catalyzed microbial fuel cell was built and empirically evaluated under different mediation conditions while keeping all other parameters constant. The results clearly show that …

How U.S. Audiences View Korean Films: A Case Study Of Oldboy, Sung Taik Cha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior studies have shown that the information and cultural product flow is dominantly one direction from large/wealthy markets to smaller markets. Extending this position through the underlying research, it is expected that the audiences in the United States, one of the largest cultural product exporters, may have shaped certain perceptions on the scarcity of Korean films in their domestic film market. By studying the users in an internet film discussion community, this research aims to provide useful ideas about how American audiences perceive Korean films. This qualitative case study conducted a content analysis of the actual postings by the participants …

Bel-Imperia: The (Early) Modern Woman In Thomas Kyd’S Spanish Tragedy, Ann Mccauley Basso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At the heart of Thomas Kyd's revenge tragedy The Spanish Tragedy lies an arranged marriage around which all of the other action revolves. Bel-Imperia of Spain has been betrothed against her will to Prince Balthazar of Portugal, but she is no ordinary woman, and she has plans of her own. Bel-Imperia's unwillingness to participate in the arranged marriage is indicative of the rise of the companionate marriage; it represents a rejection of the arranged marriage that dominated upper class society in earlier years.

This study seeks to throw light upon early modern attitudes towards marriage, focusing particularly on the arranged …

Intelligent Design And Evolutionary Theory: Legal Battles And Classroom Relevance For School Leadership, Larry R. Plank

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Evolutionary theory in the scientific curricula of public education has been scrutinized by religious societies for the better part of a century around the globe. Although Darwin’s explanation of the mechanism of evolution—the process of natural selection—is widely accepted by scientists in the United States and other industrialized nations, the U.S. has lagged behind these other countries in accepting evolutionary theory in public school curricula. The debate of what to include in textbooks and classroom lessons is one of America’s most controversial issues. The creationist worldview of life’s origins has been incorporated into science curriculum as a direct challenge to …

Blood Lead Concentrations In The Cat Population Of Tampa, Florida, Liesl M. Wiesen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Where lead pollutes urban soils, both human and animals risk exposure. This exposure gives rise to similar health risks across species. A group of 50 outdoor living cats from inner city Tampa, Florida were tested for blood lead concentration (BLC). Most cats had no measurable lead loads, 14 percent had levels less than or equal to 6 micrograms per decaliter. Soil samples were taken from the home location of each cat. None of these samples, which ranged from 2.6 microgram per gram to 170 micrograms per gram, had hazardous levels of lead. Overall, BLCs were lower than expected. In addition, …