Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Extracellular Matrix And Matrix-Degrading Proteases In Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury, Christopher C. Leonardo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Improvements in medical care over recent decades have increased the number of premature and low birth weight infants that survive hypoxic-ischemic (H-I) insults. Because there is a rising incidence in diseases associated with these events, it is critical to develop effective therapies to treat the various resulting neuropathies. Extracellular matrix constitutes the majority of brain parenchyma. Lecticans and matrix-degrading proteases including ADAMTSs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin repeats) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) exert effects on cell viability and may be associated with either protective or destructive processes after H-I. Both ADAMTSs (Cross et al. 2006; Tian et al. 2007) …

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 …

Error Related Negativity In Parkinson’S Disease: A Test Of The Validity Of Mesencephalicdopamine Contributions To Ern, Craig A. Siders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A model proposed by Holroyd and Coles (2002) stating that error related negativity (ERN) is caused by a decrease in mesencephalic dopamine output to the ACC was tested. A group of individuals with Parkinson's disease (N = 16) and an age and education matched group free from neurological disorder (N = 16) completed a card guessing task where the magnitude of monetary penalties and rewards for incorrect and correct answers was varied by block. Individuals with Parkinson's disease were tested after an overnight washout from dopamingeric medications.

The amplitude of the mid-frontal negativity elicited by feedback was analyzed with spatial …

Epifaunal Assemblage Of A Newly Established Oyster Reef With Two Substrates, Ian M. Dow

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An artificial oyster reef constructed in Boca Ciega Bay, off of the War Veteran's Memorial Park, St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2005, was used to compare a mined shell material to the typical oyster shell substrate used in artificial reef projects as an alternative substrate and cultch material. Half of the reef's veneer was the fresh oyster shell and the other half was mined material. Experimental trays were deployed on top of the sediment along the leeward reef base and sampled quarterly to test the hypothesis that fresh shell is the preferential cultch material of the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, promoting …

Utilitarian Approaches For Multi-Metric Optimization In Vlsi Circuit Design And Spatial Clustering, Upavan Gupta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the field of VLSI circuit optimization, the scaling of semiconductor devices has led to the miniaturization of the feature sizes resulting in a significant increase in the integration density and size of the circuits. At the nanometer level, due to the effects of manufacturing process variations, the design optimization process has transitioned from the deterministic domain to the stochastic domain, and the inter-relationships among the specification parameters like delay, power, reliability, noise and area have become more intricate. New methods are required to examine these metrics in a unified manner, thus necessitating the need for multi-metric optimization. The optimization …

An Investigation Of The Online Learning Environment In Higher Education Through The Observations And Perceptions Of Students Of Color, Marie Adele Boyette

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A need exists to gain a better understanding of how the online learning environment found in higher education is perceived by students of color. The research completed for this dissertation explored student participation in the online learning environment in higher education by examining the observations and perceptions of students of color. Along the way, the process of the research journey drew attention to the lack of inclusion of students of color in the literature and data collected about online learning, and pointed to the existence of the digital divide and its impact on graduate students of color and their participation …

Microwave Frequency Doubler Integrated With Miniaturized Planar Antennas, Suzette Marie Presas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis the development of a high efficiency harmonic re-radiator, consisting of a diode doubler and conjugate-matched receive and transmit antennas, is described. Diode-based frequency multipliers and rectifiers, coupled with antennas, are of interest for quasi-optical applications, for energy-scavenging and for sensing applications. The device studied operates by receiving an interrogating signal at a frequency of 1.3 GHz and re-radiating a signal at 2.6 GHz. The primary goal of this research was to develop a passive, miniature and effective frequency doubler integrated with planar antennas. The system is referred to as a frequency doubling reflectenna, (FDR). Prediction of accurate …

The Nature Of Questioning Moves Used By Exemplary Teachers During Reading Instruction, Melinda M. Lundy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines and describes the nature of questioning moves used by two exemplary fourth-grade teachers during reading instruction. Questioning moves are defined in this study as the ways in which teachers use scaffolding questions to engage students in talk about text. Another point of interest in this study was to determine how teachers perceive the influence of instructional materials on the language they use to engage students in talk about text.

This study was situated within a constructivist paradigm of inquiry and drew from the case study tradition for its design. Naturalistic methods of data collection were employed including …

Identifying Patients With Cancer At Risk Of Experiencing A Fall While Hospitalized, Joann M. Heaton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Inpatient falls are the most reported incidents in the acute care setting. Symptoms associated with a diagnosis of cancer and treatment may increase risk for falls. The objectives of this study were to identify the risk factors, and the most common risk factors, of adult patients with cancer who fell while hospitalized. A retrospective, matched, case-control audit of electronic medical records and occurrence reports was conducted for 30 patients who fell and 30 patients who did not fall while under the care of the inpatient oncology unit in a community hospital. Fall subjects and controls were matched by cancer diagnosis …

Police Officers’ Perceptions Regarding Persons With Mental Retardation, Danielle M. Eadens

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the attitudes held by police officers towards persons with mental retardation with regard to the domains of knowledge, social willingness, affect and contact. It also investigated relationships among group membership and perspectives towards mental retardation. An analysis of relationships between the four domains was also completed. A descriptive correlational design was employed to survey police officers, pairing the Social Distance Questionnaire with a researcher-designed instrument consisting of open-ended questions aligned with each domain. The sample included one hundred and eighty police officers from five different bureaus in one county in Central Florida.

Results of the study indicate …

The Effects Of Pre-Writing Strategy Training Guided By Computer-Based Procedural Facilitation On Esl Students’ Strategy Use, Writing Quantity, And Writing Quality, Darunee Dujsik

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pre-writing strategies are conscious thoughts, actions, or behaviors used by writers when they plan before writing. Research in second language writing suggests that specific writing strategies related to writing purposes, audience, brainstorming, and organizing ideas are teachable and have a potential to improve the quantity and quality of writing produced by English as second language (ESL) learners. This study investigated the effects of computer-based pre-writing strategy training guided by procedural facilitation (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1987) on intermediate ESL students' writing strategy use, writing quantity, and writing quality.

A sequential mixed methods design was utilized with an initial quasi-experimental phase followed …

Psychometrics Of Osce Standardized Patient Measurements, Frederick R. B Stilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the reliability and validity of scores taken from a series of four task simulations used to evaluate medical students. The four role-play exercises represented two different cases or scripts, yielding two pairs of exercises that are considered alternate forms. The design allowed examining what is essentially the ceiling for reliability and validity of ratings taken in such role plays. A multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix was computed with exercises as methods and competencies (history taking, clinical skills, and communication) as traits. The results within alternate forms (within cases) were then used as a baseline to evaluate the reliability and …

Personal Epistemological Growth In A College Chemistry Laboratory Environment, Linda S. Keen-Rocha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The nature of this study was to explore changes in beliefs and lay a foundation for focusing on more specific features of reasoning related to personal epistemological and NOS beliefs in light of specific science laboratory instructional pedagogical practices (e.g., pre- and post- laboratory activities, laboratory work) for future research. This research employed a mixed methodology, foregrounding qualitative data. The total population consisted of 56 students enrolled in several sections of a general chemistry laboratory course, with the qualitative analysis focusing on the in-depth interviews. A quantitative NOS and epistemological beliefs measure was administered pre- and post-instruction. These measures were …

Evaluation Of Contraflow Lanes For Hurricane Evacuation, Jason Collins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation evaluates contraflow during a hurricane evacuation for grade separated highways. Contraflow is the concept of reversing the typical direction of highway travel to provide more outbound roadway capacity. The State of Florida has spent more time and resources towards the planning and the designing of potential contraflow facilities than any other state in the country; however, contraflow has yet to be implemented (as of Summer 2008). This study determines if the additional capacity benefits of contraflow outweigh the logistical requirements of implementing contraflow. Five different alternatives of contraflow lane configurations were comparatively evaluated. The format of this study …

Facilitating Communication And Effective Interpersonal Relationships At Work: A Theoretical Model Of Socio-Affective Competence, Adam C. Bandelli

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research reported here provides an introduction to a theoretical model of socio-affective competence. This conceptual model of social effectiveness consists of four competencies that are related to the development of effective interpersonal relationships in the workplace. These competencies include: establishing rapport, promoting acceptance of differences, developing trust and cultivating charismatic influence. The socio-affective competence model was formulated in an attempt to integrate research on social and emotional skills that have been linked to performance in organizations. The current research proposed the model and defined its competency areas, designed a socio-affective competence situational judgment test (SAC-SJT), identified the variables that …

Corona Ion Deposition: A Novel Non-Contact Method For Drug And Gene Delivery To Living Systems, Niraj Ramachandran

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Application of corona ions produced in air to B16F10 murine melanoma cells in vitro and in animal models resulted in the transport of molecular therapeutics across the cell membrane. This work presents the development of new methods for drug and gene delivery based upon similar principles as the traditional electrode driven membrane destabilization processes known as electroporation. This was achieved with non-contact corona ion deposition that temporarily increased the permeability of cell membranes.

Interaction of corona charge with biological cells was studied and their potential for molecular delivery was established. Molecular delivery was first demonstrated in vitro using tracer molecules …

A Study Of Instructional Strategies That Promote Learning Centered Synchronous Dialogue Online, Shelley Stewart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This multiple case study provides a description and explanation of what, why and how instructional strategies have the potential to promote learning-centered synchronous dialogue online, specifically in the synchronous web-based course system (SWBCS), Elluminate Live! This research was guided by the theory of transactional distance, specifically the dialogue component. Qualitative data collection techniques were employed, including, interviews, observations, researcher's reflective journal, surveys and Delphi. Three cases were examined, consisting of the instructor, their students and the synchronous sessions during the course. Data were analyzed iteratively to garner themes. Member checks were conducted to maintain an active corroboration on the interpretation …

Organizational Communication And Change: A Case Study On The Implementation Of An Innovation At A Florida Medical Facility, Erika G. Llenza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how employees at a Florida medical facility felt regarding the upcoming change to a paperless system and whether a training program administered by the organization was effective in reducing anxiety, increasing understanding of the need for the change, increasing employee confidence using the new computer system, changing employee perceptions of the new system, and helping employees view the change as an organizational improvement. The results indicated that the training program marginally reduced anxiety, but did not significantly increase user confidence or understanding of the need for the change. While participants viewed the change as an organizational improvement, …

Teaching Functional Skills To Individuals With Developmental Disabilities Using Video Prompting, Julie A. Horn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Because many individuals with developmental disabilities prefer to be as independent as possible, strategies need to be developed to teach them functional skills. Video prompting is a fairly new technology, in which a person learns to engage in a complex behavior by viewing steps of a task analysis on video. The steps are broken down so that the task is more manageable for the individual. The present study evaluated how many steps needed to be presented in the video model for the learner to acquire a functional skill. Three individuals between the ages of 17 and 29 and diagnosed with …

Study Of Fpga Implementation Of Entropy Norm Computation For Ip Data Streams, Subramanya Nagalakshmi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent literature has reported the use of entropy measurements for anomaly detection purposes in IP data streams. Space efficient randomized algorithms for estimating entropy of data streams are available in the literature. However no hardware implementation of these algorithms is available. The main challenge to software implementation for IP data streams has been in storing large volumes of data, along with, the requirement of high speed at which they have to be analyzed. In this thesis, a recent randomized algorithm available in the literature is analyzed for hardware implementation. Software/hardware simulations indicate it is possible to implement a large portion …

Boundary And Longing: Narrative Modes In Mary Shelley’S Frankenstein And The Last Man, Marie Hendry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Boundary and desire surround the relationships in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and The Last Man. The narrative modes of Captain Robert Walton relate his separation to the rest of the world and his need for companionship. Yet, not any companionship will satisfy his longing for connection with a human being; his search revolves around the need of common understanding. This further separates the character of Lionel in The Last Man from humanity in that he is unable to find anyone left on earth after a series of plague, war, and atmospheric anomalies apparently wipe out the human race. His survival …

(Re)Defining Relationships In A Mediated Context: Graduate Student Use Of Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication, Michael P. Nicholas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study consists of qualitative interviews with 8 graduate students about the use of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC), or instant message (IM), programs in their interpersonal relationships. Participants were interviewed twice, once via an instant message program and once in a face-to-face setting. They were asked about their frequency of use, their use of multi-tasking, and the types of conversations they have via IM. Results of the interviews are discussed, with a concentration on the paradoxical nature of IM communication as impersonal, but at the same time, conducive to personal disclosure and intimacy.

Isolation And Functional Characterization Of A Dioxin-Inducible Cyp1a Regulatory Region From Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Gary T. Zeruth

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) is a phase I bio-transformation enzyme involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics via the oxygenation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including the carcinogen, benzo(a)pyrene. Induction of the CYP1A1 gene is regulated at the transcriptional level and is ligand dependent with the prototypical 2,3,7,8,-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) being the most potent known inducer of CYP1A1 transcription. This process is mediated by the AHR/ARNT signaling pathway whereby ligand binds AHR in the cytoplasm allowing its translocation to the nucleus where it binds with its hertrodimerization partner, ARNT and subsequently binds DNA at cognate binding sites termed xenobiotic …

Black Beauty As Antebellum Slave Narrative, Bonnie L. Blossom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Published in November 1877, Black Beauty is one of the most popular and enduring works of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book, in which the eponymous narrator relates his life's story, sold well following its publication in England and in the United States; by 1985, sales were estimated at over forty million. While usually regarded as entertaining, Black Beauty has a strong crusading purpose: Anna Sewell herself said she wrote to improve the treatment of horses.

This study springs from an intuitive notion. While reading the 1845 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, I could not shake …

Effects Of Bilingualism On Speech Recognition Performance In Noise, Mitzarie A. Carlo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of bilingualism on speech recognition in noise performance of young normal-hearing Spanish-English bilinguals across several signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). The estimated signal-to-noise ratio needed for 50% correct recognition performance obtained for bilingual listeners was compared to young normal-hearing monolingual listeners of both English and Spanish. The estimated mean SNR needed for 50% correct recognition was significantly higher (i.e., poorer) for the bilingual than for the monolingual English listeners. The Spanish language performance of the bilingual listeners did not significantly differ from that of the monolingual Spanish listeners. The bilinguals were then divided into subgroups based on …

Poetry And Ritual: The Physical Expression Of Homoerotic Imagery In Sama, Zachary Holladay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sufi poetry of the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE/132-655 AH) exhibited a particular penchant for highlighting the relationship between humankind and God with homoerotic language. While the homoerotic nature of Sufi poetry has received considerable scholarly attention, the ritual expression of such literature has not. The ritual of sama was a practice that occurred in the Sufi institutions and incorporated various elements of the poetry examined. By listening to the poetry, in the form of song and often with accompanying instrumentation, the mystics would experience transient moments of altered state experiences, usually interpreted as moments of union with God.

This thesis …

Secret Servants: Household Domestics And Courtship In Eliza Haywood’S Fiction, Marisa C. Iglesias

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Eliza Haywood's fiction, as in eighteenth-century Britain, social restrictions repress the sexual desires of upper class women and men. Therefore, the secret desires of this social class often rely on a different group: domestic servants. Sometimes acting as confidants and other times as active players in the scheming, these servants are privy to the inner secrets of the households in which they live. In Haywood's Love in Excess (1719), Lasselia (1723), Fantomina (1725), and The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless (1751), the servant class plays significant roles in the narratives.

Since the role of the servant is the central …

Crystal Engineering Of Flavonoids, Padmini Kavuru

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Crystal engineering is attracting attention in the pharmaceutical industry because the design of new crystal form of drugs can improve their stability, bioavailability and other relevant physical characteristic properties. Therefore, crystal engineering of nutraceuticals such as flavonoids by exploring their hydrogen bonding interactions can generate novel compounds such as pharmaceutical cocrystals. Flavonoids are polyphenolic secondary plant metabolites that are present in varying levels in fruits, vegetables and beverages. The "French paradox", low cardiovascular mortality rate in spite of high intake of saturated fat among the Mediterranean populations made flavonoids an appropriate target for therapeutic researchers.

The work herein deals with …

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 …

Capitalism, Consumerism, And Individualism: Investigating The Rhetoric Of The Secret, Carolina Fernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I am investigating a New Age spiritual movement called the Law of Attraction that has been the source of recent media attention due to the recent publication of a self-help book called The Secret. The book investigates this phenomenon, which is a theory that takes positive thinking to the extreme. The theory states that reality can be literally manifested through one's thoughts. I am interested in this trend because it supports consumerist values, entrepreneurship, and self-actualization while using socialist rhetoric to promote capitalist values. I am also interested in the implications that this rhetoric holds for women and marginalized groups. …