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Emotion-Modulated Startle In Major And Minor Depression: The Role Of Mood Severity In Emotion Reactivity, April Taylor-Clift

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a disorder defined by mood disturbance, but the deficits in emotional reactivity that accompany MDD are not yet fully characterized. Researchers have utilized the emotion-modulated startle paradigm to investigate emotional responding among depressed individuals with mixed results. Inconsistent results may be due in part to the heterogeneity of mood disorders, including variation in mood severity. The current study utilized an emotion-modulated startle procedure with 33 individuals currently experiencing a major depressive episode, 25 individuals currently experiencing a minor depressive episode (mD), and 31 healthy controls. Severity of depression, anxiety, and positive and negative mood states …

Investigating The Role Of Appearance-Based Factors In Predicting Sunbathing And Tanning Salon Use, Guy Cafri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the motives for sunbathing and indoor tanning is an extremely important public health issue. UV exposure via sunbathing and utilization of sun lamps and tanning beds are considered important risk factors for the development of skin cancer. Psychosocial models of UV exposure are often based on theories of health behavior, but theory from the body image field can be useful in understanding motives to UV expose as well. The current study examines models that prospectively predict sunbathing and indoor tanning behaviors using constructs and interrelationships derived from the tripartite theory of body image (Thompson et al., 1999), as well …

Tumor Suppressive Effects Of The Beta-2 Adrenergic Receptor And The Small Gtpase Rhob, Adam E. Carie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Receptor tyrosine kinases such as ErbB2 contribute greatly to human malignant transformation, but the role that other receptors such as ß2 adrenergic receptor (B2 AR)play in cancer is ill defined. Furthermore, while some GTPases such as Ras and RhoA promote oncogenesis, RhoB has been suggested to have tumor suppressive activity. In this thesis the tumor suppressive activity of ß2 adrenergic receptors through blockade of the Ras/Raf/Mek/Erk pathway is demonstrated. Furthermore, this thesis provides strong evidence in support of a tumor suppressive activity of RhoB, but not RhoA, in delaying EbB2 mammary oncogenesis in a transgenic mouse model.

Chapter 1 describes …

A Global Memory Model Of Intentional Forgetting, Melissa Lehman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intentional forgetting is a phenomenon that has been studied by memory researchers since 1968 (Bjork, LaBerge, & Legrand, 1968), however a formal model to explain directed forgetting has not yet been developed. In this paper, I will review the literature on directed forgetting and discuss the results six experiments used assess directed forgetting in highly controlled manner. The striking findings are a.) that directed forgetting phenomena are observed for both free recall and recognition memory when the list method is utilized, b.) that almost the entire effect in free recall is the result of the ability to initially recall the …

Analysis And Optimization Of Empirical Path Loss Models And Shadowing Effects For The Tampa Bay Area In The 2.6 Ghz Band, Julio C. Costa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the wireless propagation modeling of a 2.6 GHz band channel around the Tampa Bay area. Different empirical models are compared against measured data, and an adapted model, specific for the Tampa Bay area, is presented that builds on the accuracy of existing models. The effects of the propagation characteristics along bridges are also discussed, and a two-slope model is presented. The proposed models are based on a simple linear regression method, and statistical tests are evaluated for reliability thereof. The analysis also investigates the statistical properties of shadowing effects imposed on the wireless channel. The spatial correlation …

An Approach To Designing An Unmanned Helicopter Autopilot Using Genetic Algorithms And Simulated Annealing, Namir Aldawoodi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the application of Genetic Algorithms (GA) and Simulated Annealing (SA) based search techniques to the problem of deriving an auto-pilot that can emulate a human operator or other controller flying a Small unmanned Helicopter (SH). A Helicopter is a type of Vertical Take Off and Landing Vehicle (VTOL). The maneuvers are none aggressive, mild maneuvers, that include u-turns, ascending spirals and other none extreme flight paths.

The pilot of the helicopter is a Fuzzy logic Controller (FC) pilot; it is assumed that the pilot executes the maneuvers with skill and precision. The FC pilot is given set- …

A Qualitative Analysis Of A Teacher Support Program For Educating Students With Emotional Disturbance In An Inclusive Setting, Crystal Williams Harmon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the experiences of teachers who included students identified as having emotional disturbance in their classes while participating in a teacher support program. A secondary analysis of data collected throughout the duration of the support program was conducted to identify core issues teachers faced as they included students with emotional disturbance in their classes. The first stage of analysis involved pre-existing data from the support program. Data were organized into four periods which chronologically represented the teachers' experiences. From this data eight core themes were identified: concerns about the lack of instructional adaptations made for students with emotional …

The Evaluation Of A Commercially-Available Abduction Prevention Program, Kimberly V. Beck

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Child abduction is a serious problem in the U.S.; therefore, it is essential that researchers evaluate the efficacy of currently available abduction prevention programs. This study evaluated the efficacy of a commercially-available abduction prevention program, The Safe Side. The participants included six 6-8-year old children with no prior abduction prevention training. A non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the effects of the training. The participants' safety responses were assessed using in situ assessments within two different situations (responding to a knock on the door of the participant's home and interaction by a stranger in public) and …

Secondary Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge And Confidence In Dealing With Students’ First Amendment Rights In The Classroom, Ian Call

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Every year teachers find themselves involved in conflicts dealing with violations of students' First Amendment rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Students and parents file lawsuits against school districts because they feel teachers and administrators have violated their First Amendment rights. As a result, many teacher preparation programs require pre-service teachers to learn about educational law and the rights students have at school. Yet, little research exists about how well pre-service teachers are prepared to deal with First Amendment issues in the classroom.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how well pre-service teachers are prepared …

The Study Of Compensatory Motions While Using A Transradial Prosthesis, Stephanie Lutton Carey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Improvement of prostheses requires knowledge of how the body adapts. A transradial prosthesis without a dynamic wrist component may cause awkward compensatory motion leading to fatigue, injury or rejection of the prosthesis. This work analyzed the movements of shoulder, elbow and torso during four tasks: drinking from a cup, opening a door, lifting a box and turning a steering wheel.

The main purpose of this study was to determine if using a basic transradial prosthesis that lacks motion of the forearm and wrist would cause significant compensatory motion of the shoulder, elbow and torso during the tasks. The second purpose …

Analysis Of Capillary Forces In Electrowetting And Precision Self Assembly, Vivek Ramadoss

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Developments in micro and nano technology have great potential in many applications. Two applications that will be addressed in this work are self assembly of microdevices and Electrowetting in microfluidics. Capillary forces are the most critical factor in both of these techniques and need proper characterization. This thesis describes a detailed study of these forces and explains how they were utilized as an effective source of drive in high end applications.

Self assembly is a promising alternative to conventional pick and place robotic assembly of micro components. Its benefits include parallel integration of parts with low equipment costs. Various approaches …

Computer-Based Instruction And Remedial Mathematics: A Study Of Student Retention At A Florida Community College, Carol A. Zavarella

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Computer-based instruction including distance learning is fast becoming an integral part of higher education. Much of the current research has found that computer-based instruction is as effective as lecture-based instruction. Despite the wealth of studies that purport that students enrolled in computer-based instruction perform equally well as compared to their lecture-based counterparts, there is a high dropout rate associated with computer-based instruction including distance learning.

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in students' withdrawal and completion rates in classes delivered via different instructional formats (distance learning, hybrid, or traditional) to determine if student learning style and/or …

Natriuretic Peptides As A Humoral Link Between The Heart And The Gastrointetsinal System, Anteneh Addisu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natriuretic peptides are a family of hormones released by several different tissues and exert various physiological functions by coupling with cell surface receptors and increasing intracellular cyclic gyanylyl monophosphate (cGMP). Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP) and B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) are released in response to mechanical stretch of the atrial or ventricular myocardium, respectively and their plasma level is markedly elevated during myocardial infarction and heart failure. Heart failure in turn is associated with symptoms suggestive of perturbed gastrointestinal function such as nausea, indigestion and malabsorption.

Intragastric pressure was monitored using a balloon catheter in anesthetized mice. The pressure before and …

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 …

Schools As Moderators Of Neighborhood Influences On Adolescent Academic Achievement And Risk Of Obesity: A Cross-Classified Multilevel Investigation, Bethany A. Bell-Ellison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Grounded in Bronfenbrenner's (1979) Ecological Systems Theory and through the application of cross-classified random effects models, the goal of this study was to examine simultaneously neighborhood and school influences on adolescent academic achievement and risk of obesity, as well as the moderating effects of schools on these outcomes. By examining concurrently neighborhood and school influences on achievement and risk of obesity, this study aimed to fill gaps in the social determinants literature. For example, it is unclear if where an adolescent lives or where she/he attends school has a stronger influence on academic achievement. We also do not know if …

I Am Warrior Woman, Hear Me Roar: The Challenge And Reproduction Of Heteronormativity In Speculative Television Programs, Leisa Anne Clark

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores how the "warrior woman" trope in western culture, as portrayed in late 20th century science fiction/fantasy and speculative television, reflects heteronormative/heterosexist discourses of femininity in American culture. First, I will examine feminine discourse in American culture, especially in the late 20th century. Then I will discuss how the tenets of second and third wave feminism influenced western paradigms of "the ideal female" and impacted pop culture by producing "warrior women" who both reflected and challenged heteronormative ideas and feminist principles. By examining several television shows produced in the United States and Great Britain from the late 1960s …

Safety Evaluation Of Freeway Exit Ramps, Hongyun Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate safety performances of different exit ramps used in Florida and nationally. More specific, the research objectives include the following two parts: (1) to evaluate the impacts of different exit ramp types on safety performance for freeway diverge areas; and (2) to identify the different factors contributing to the crashes happening on the exit ramp sections. To achieve the research objectives, the research team investigated crash history at 424 sites throughout Florida. The study area includes two parts, the freeway diverge area and the exit ramp sections. For the freeway diverge areas, …

Methods Of Thermoelectric Enhancement In Silicon-Germanium Alloy Type I Clathrates And In Nanostructured Lead Chalcogenides, Joshua Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rapid increase in thermoelectric (TE) materials R&D is a consequence of the growing need to increase energy efficiency and independence through waste heat recovery. TE materials enable the direct solid-state conversion of heat into electricity, with little maintenance, noise, or cost. In addition, these compact devices can be incorporated into existing technologies to increase the overall operating efficiency. High efficiency TE materials would enable the practical solid-state conversion of thermal to electrical energy. Optimizing the interdependent physical parameters to achieve acceptable efficiencies requires materials exhibiting a unique combination of properties. This research reports two methods of thermoelectric enhancement: lattice …

The Interrelatedness Of Homosexual Identity Development And Perceptions Of Campus Climate For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, And Transgender Students At The University Of South Florida, Tampa Campus, Frederic Drury Baker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of campus climate at the University of South Florida, Tampa Campus for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender students. Specifically, the study determined if there was any relationship between level of homosexual identity development acquired and perceptions of campus climate. If a relationship existed, it would influence the way that campus climate perceptions would be analyzed in future studies.

The population was the undergraduate student body at the University of South Florida taking at least six credit hours in the fall semester 2007. An online survey was created with two instruments …

Automatic Generation Of Plc Code Based On Net Condition Event Systems, Natalia Sandberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An important consideration in discrete event dynamic systems control theory is the selection of a suitable modeling formalism that can capture the complex characteristics of the system and the capability to automatically synthesize a controller based on the system model. Net condition event systems are well suited for modeling complex discrete event dynamic systems owing to their input and output structure, which effectively captures the behavior of the physical devices to be monitored and/or controlled. To date, net condition event systems control models have not been extensively applied to highly automated manufacturing systems and there are few guidelines on how …

Development Of An Fpga Based Autopilot Hardware Platform For Research And Development Of Autonomous Systems, Wendy Alvis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned vehicles, both ground and aerial, have become prevalent in recent years. The research community has different needs than the industrial community when designing a finalized unmanned system since the vehicle, the sensors and the control design are dynamic and change frequently as new ideas are developed and implemented.

Current autopilot hardware, which is available as on-the-market products and proposed in research, is sufficient for unmanned systems design. However, this equipment falls short of being able to accommodate the needs of those in the research community who must be able to quickly implement new ideas on a flexible platform.

The …

A Potential Field Based Formation Control Methodology For Robot Swarms, Laura E. Barnes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A novel methodology is presented for organizing swarms of robots into a formation utilizing artificial potential fields generated from normal and sigmoid functions. These functions construct the surface which swarm members travel on, controlling the overall swarm geometry and the individual member spacing. Nonlinear limiting functions are defined to provide tighter swarm control by modifying and adjusting a set of control variables forcing the swarm to behave according to set constraints, formation and member spacing. The swarm function and limiting functions are combined to control swarm formation, orientation, and swarm movement as a whole. Parameters are chosen based on desired …

Multiple Modes Of Mdmx Regulation Affect P53 Activation, Daniele M. Gilkes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

MDMX has emerged as a negative regulator of p53 transcriptional activity following DNA damage, loss of ribosomal integrity, and aberrant mitogenic signaling. Disruption of rRNA biogenesis by ribosomal stress activates p53 by releasing ribosomal proteins from nucleoli which bind MDM2 and inhibit p53 degradation. We found that p53 activation by ribosomal stress requires degradation of MDMX by MDM2. This occurs by L11 binding to the acidic domain of MDM2 which promotes its E3 ligase function preferentially towards MDMX. Further, unlike DNA damage which regulates MDMX stability through ATM-dependent phosphorylation events, ribosomal stress does not require MDMX phosphorylation suggesting p53 may …

Effects Of Two Types Of Exercise On Cravings To Smoke, Andrea Elibero

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Becoming more physically active is associated with increased confidence to maintain smoking abstinence as well as success at stopping smoking. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of two different types of exercise (cardiovascular and Hatha yoga) on general and cue-elicited craving for a cigarette. Participants were 76 smokers ages 18-45 (mean=29) who smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day (mean=20) for at least one year. Participants were randomly assigned to engage in 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity (walking on a treadmill), yoga, or to view a video about exercise (control). Participants completed a self-report measure …

Extracting A Climate Signal From The Skeletal Geochemistry Of The Caribbean Coral Siderastrea Siderea, Christopher Robert Maupin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The first bimonthly resolved, paired δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca time series from the slow-growing, tropical western Atlantic coral, Siderastrea siderea, from the Dry Tortugas, Florida has been generated and used to document that robust proxy climate records can be produced from this heretofore underutilized massive coral. The coral time series contains a 20-year long calibration window (1973-1992) for both δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca and a 73-year long verification window (1900-1972) for Sr/Ca. These time series permits both the quantification of the relationship between coral δ¹⁸O-SST and Sr/Ca-SST using an augmented, 1° x 1° gridded SST record …

Diarization, Localization And Indexing Of Meeting Archives, Himanshu Vajaria

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation documents the research performed on the topics of localization, diarization and indexing in meeting archives. It surveys existing work in these areas, identifies opportunities for improvements and proposes novel solutions for each of these problems. The framework resulting from this dissertation enables various kinds of queries such as identifying the participants of a meeting, finding all meetings for a particular participant, locating a particular individual in the video and finding all instances of speech from a particular individual. Also, since the proposed solutions are computationally efficient, require no training and use little domain knowledge, they can be easily …

Idiom Comprehension In Bilingual And Monolingual Adolescents, Belinda Fusté-Herrmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A majority of Latino adolescents are reading below a proficient level, according to federal data, and there is a significant gap between overall reading proficiency of Latino and non-Latino, Caucasian adolescents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the linguistic underpinnings of Latino students' text comprehension. A positive relationship appears to exist between idiom comprehension and academic achievement, as well as idiom comprehension and reading comprehension, in typically developing, monolingual adolescents. Since reading comprehension and idiom comprehension share many of the same linguistic processes, idiom comprehension may provide a unique perspective for investigating Latino adolescents' reading comprehension.

Using the …

Interactions Of Neurons, Astrocytes And Microglia With Hucb Cell Populations In Stroke Models: Migration, Neuroprotection And Inflammation, Lixian Jiang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies demonstrated that intravenous administration of human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) cells could improve behavioral and neurological recovery of stroked animals following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). In addition, HUCB cell recipients had less of an inflammatory response with less leukocyte infiltration. In these studies we explored how HUCB cells change the inflammatory response of neurons, astrocytes, and microglia to hypoxia/ischemia. Initiation of the inflammatory response occurs with the expression of chemokines. We determined that monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein 1alph (MIP-1a), which are upregulated in the brain early after a stroke, induce migration of HUCB …

The Inflammatory Consequences Of Stress And Adiposity, Cathy A. Bykowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The inflammatory process is important in protecting the body against the invasion of pathogens, but recent research has suggested that a long-term inflammatory response may lead to chronic diseases (e.g., Black, 2003; Wu, Dorn, Donahue, Sempos, & Trevisan, 2002). Two factors that have been implicated in the inflammatory and disease processes are stress and obesity (Black, 2003). While their individual lines of research continue to grow, few researchers have attempted to integrate these factors into one model to explain their effects on inflammation. This study aimed to replicate previous findings suggesting relationships between stress, obesity and inflammation and test an …

The Moderating Role Of Meaning And Defense Mechanisms In The Association Between Child Sexual Abuse And Romantic Relationship Dysfunction, Angela Fairweather

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated whether finding meaning in relation to sexual trauma and using mature defense mechanisms would moderate the association between child sexual abuse (CSA) severity and relationship and psychological adjustment in a sample of undergraduate women with a history of child sexual abuse. CSA severity was measured both objectively (i.e., severity of the abusive event) and subjectively (i.e., self-reported perceptions of the severity of the abusive event). As predicted, the interaction of objective CSA severity and mature defenses uniquely predicted one of four aspects of romantic relationship functioning (i.e., dyadic cohesion or doing joint activities with one's partner), …