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Construction Of G-Quadruplexes Via Self-Assembly: Enhanced Stability And Unique Properties, Ying He

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation mainly contains three parts: 1) The construction of well-defined G8-octamers through the monomer conformational design. 2) The construction of cross-layer interactions in the G8-octamer for enhanced stability in H-bond competitive solvents. 3) Design and synthesis of 8-triazole guanosine with photoluminescent properties.

Through the structural conformational design, we have developed a new class of guanosine derivatives with modification on guanine (8-aryl) and ribose (2’,3’-isopropylidene). This unique design has led to the formation of the first discrete G8-octamer with structure characterized by NMR, MS and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The selectivity between monovalent (K+) and divalent cat-ions (Ba2+ and Sr2+) …

Identifying Employees Who Fit With Electronic Communication Styles, Britany Telford Mills

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electronic communication is no longer solely used by globally dispersed work teams. It is an integral part of today’s organizations whether they include remote workers or not. Therefore, it is important to understand how employees perceive electronic communication from their supervisor and the impact that perception has on the worker. Researchers have been adamant in the assertion that relationship-oriented communicated is better conducted face-to-face. The current study seeks to add to the existing body of research by (1) examining how the proportion of relationship-oriented communication that is electronic affects both subordinate perceptions of communication openness and subordinate job satisfaction, and …

First-Principles Simulations Of Materials Under Extreme Conditions, Kien Nguyen Cong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The investigation of materials at extreme conditions of high pressure and temperature (high-PT), has been one of the greatest scientific endeavors in condensed mater physics, chemistry, astronomy, planetary, and material sciences. Being subjected to high-PT conditions, materials exhibit dramatic changes in both atomic and electronic structure resulting in an emergence of exceptionally interesting phenomena including structural and electronic phase transitions, chemical reactions, and formation of novel compounds with never-previously observed physical and chemical properties. Although new exciting experimental developments in static and dynamic compression combined with new diagnostics/characterization methods allow to uncover new processes and phenomena at high P-T conditions, …

High Ammonia Strength Wastewater Treatment Using Algae, Bacteria And Ion Exchange, Nadezhda Zalivina

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen pollution has been considered one of the major problems of the 21st century. Discharge of nitrogen from improperly treated wastewaters into surface water bodies causes eutrophication and hypoxia, which results in significant environmental, public health and economic damages. In addition to the incoming flow, wastewater treatment plants generate internal highly concentrated ammonium streams, such as anaerobic digestion sidestream. As a current practice, sidestream without prior treatment is returned to the head of the plant, which increases the total incoming nitrogen load by 20-30% and often exceeds the treatment capacity. The most commonly used conventional biological nitrogen removal processes are …

Biomimetic Light Harvesting In Metalloporphyrins Encapsulated/Incorporated Within Metal Organic Frameworks (Mofs)., Abdulaziz A. Alanazi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Global energy supply relies mostly on fossil fuels and only 10% comes from renewable energy. These places humankind in an unsafe situation as the fossil fuel resources won’t last forever. More efficient use of renewable energy is required sooner than later to meet the growing energy need. A promising approach is to utilize light harvesting chromophores (e.g., porphyrin derivatives) to advance organic photovoltaics and increase its efficiency or to improve photocatalysts. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be employed to aid the self-assembly of the porphyrin chromophores in a large light-harvesting system comparable to the natural photosystem. The advantage of using …

Introducing A Mobile Health Care Platform In An Underserved Rural Population: Reducing Assimilations Gaps On Adoption And Use Via Nudges, Joseph Hodges

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rural communities are often overlooked when it comes to offering cutting edge consumer healthcare technologies. Mobile applications usually exclude populations in rural demographics due to the infrastructure requirements and available technology in the region. The population studied is a low income rural health plan in southwest Georgia. They are uniquely considered as they have the highest healthcare costs in the U.S. and are compared to healthcare costs among higher income populations like Vail, Colorado. Innovations, such as mobile healthcare applications, have the capacity to offset some of these costs, but even if adoption occurs, this does not guarantee use will …

Untapped Potential Of Gorgonian Octocorals For Detecting Environmental Change In Biscayne National Park, Florida, Usa, Selena A. Kupfner Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One consequence of dramatic stony-coral loss has been recognition that gorgonian octocorals (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) have emerged among the dominant reef fauna. However, gorgonians are notoriously difficult to field-identify and consequently have been underrepresented in most monitoring efforts resulting in a lack of long-term data. The rich diversity of habitats, close proximity to the urban center of Miami, and connectivity to other areas of Florida have made Biscayne National Park an active location for reef research since its establishment in 1968. As such, a plethora of data (e.g., museum specimen and species abundance data) has been collected and stored in archives …

Self-Assembly Of 2d And 3d Metallo-Supramolecules With Increasing Complexity, Bo Song

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Synthetic organic chemistry played a crucial role in the construction of molecules through the formation and dissociation of covalent bonds. However, the laborious synthetic procedures as well as the low yield after multiple steps have restricted the pursuit of complicated giant molecules with high efficiency. Being complementary to organic synthesis, self-assembly provided an alternative route to achieving the giant architectures using weak non-covalent interactions in high efficiency, which is in analog to natural systems such as DNA, peptide, and protein. Among the various interactions, coordination has shown unique advantages in terms of directionality, reversibility and strength. Serving as a bottom-up …

Novel Macroscopic And Microscopic Concepts In Thermoelectricity, Troy Stedman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thermoelectric phenomena have been observed for the past two centuries while still being an interesting source of new research because of the countless unknowns governing thermoelectric transport in a host of materials. Novel materials and material structures continue to be discovered, providing enhanced thermoelectric effects that can be used in thermoelectric devices for power generation and refrigeration. With the increasing demand for reusable and renewable energy sources, the importance and usefulness of thermoelectric phenomena grows. It is therefore important to understand thermoelectric transport on both the larger macroscale of devices that serve to define material properties and the smaller microscale …

Teachers And Administrators Explain How And Why Teachers Change Instructional Methods In A Pre-K Through Eight Catholic School, Judith A. Deeley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative exploratory study explored how and why teachers at four small Catholic schools in the state of Florida transformed by changing instructional methods to offer full integration of science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and mathematics (STREAM) approaches into learning experiences for grades pre-k through eight. There was a time up until the early 2000s that Catholic school enrollment was at capacity and did not require differentiation based upon unique student learning needs. However, students of current times reflect a higher need for educational approaches that are both differentiated and engaging.

“Teachers are required to teach more content and subjects …

Exploring Teacher Candidates' Facilitation Of Common Core Mathematical Practice Three, Andrea Scalzo Willson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM, 2010), refer to eight distinct Mathematical Practices describing what students should be doing for optimal learning during mathematics lessons. Specifically, Mathematical Practice 3 (MP3), “construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others” (CCSSM, 2010, para 4), posits students who are proficient in mathematics are able to compare different solutions, distinguish correct and logically sound answers from those that are incorrect and then explain why the solution is incorrect (CCSSM, 2010). MP3 requires teachers to provide opportunities for students to engage in discussions beyond just “show and tell” talk to develop a …

Dynamic Prediction Of Runway Configuration And Airport Acceptance Rate, Yuan Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Automated prediction of runway configuration and airport capacity is critical for the future generation of air traffic management. In the future aviation industry, multi-sources weather forecast information will be available for air traffic decision-making units; how to use these data efficiently is key for overall efficiency of air traffic management. Currently, air traffic management personnel lack tools to assist them to translate weather forecast data into real-time airport capacity. Runway configurations and AARs of airports in a multi-airport system are determined by different air traffic controller personnel. The lack of synchronization may lead to the loss of efficiency of the …

Educators' Perceptions Of Students' Academic And Social Growth In A Collegiate High School Program., John Matthew Legg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine educators’ perceptions of high school students’ academic and social growth in a collegiate college program. Collegiate high school programs afford opportunities to minorities and the economically disadvantaged, as well as first-generation college students (Aviles-Reyes, 2007). This research used a qualitative case study framework to collect information about educators’ perceptions of the academic and social integration of students in a collegiate college program. Data were collected in phases—educator focus group interviews and individual interviews—and subsequently coded and reviewed using thematic comparative analysis. The guiding question was as follows: What are educators’ perceptions of …

Past Climate And Sea-Level Reconstruction Using Cave Deposits From Mallorca, Spain, Oana-Alexandra Dumitru

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The potential impacts of the increasing temperature on the water resources, as well as the hazards associated with the sea-level rise in the low-elevation coastal zones of the Mediterranean Sea, makes this region vulnerable to current climate change due to global warming. Hence, accurate projections of the future hydroclimate scenarios in this area are crucial. Long-term information on climate and sea-level variability cannot be obtained by direct observations or using short instrumental records. However, various geological archives may provide valuable data that can be then used to assess the models used for future predictions.

This thesis presents results on past …

Development Of Α-Aa Peptides As Peptidomimetics For Antimicrobial Therapeutics And The Discovery Of Nanostructures, Sylvia E. Singh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For decades it has been convention to use antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. Due to the overuse and misuse of these drugs, bacteria are becoming resistant to these treatments. This phenomenon has led to the search for alternative antibiotics, and in the study of Host Defense Peptides (HDPs). HDPs are the body’s innate immune response to infection. They are known to modulate immune system response and kills bacterial using various methods causing them to be less susceptible to bacterial resistance. The method by which we can mimic these biological peptides is called peptidomimetics. Various research shows the use …

Least Of My Worries: Food Security, Diet Quality, And Antiretroviral Adherence Among People Living With Hiv, Charlotte Ann Noble

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More than forty years into the epidemic, HIV continues to impact the health and well-being of millions of people – nearly 37 million across the globe and in excess of 1 million in the U.S. – more than 44% of which live in the Southern United States. HIV continues to disproportionally affect marginalized populations, and vast amounts of money, time, and effort have been spent to understand how to slow the rate of new infections and improve health outcomes for People Living with HIV (PLWH). This study aims to understand the experience of living with and managing HIV while on …

The Chemical Ecology And Drug Discovery Potential Of The Antarctic Red Alga Plocamium Cartilagineum And The Antarctic Sponge Dendrilla Membranosa, Andrew Jason Shilling

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemical ecology is the study of chemical interactions between organisms and their environment mediated by small molecules involved in nonessential physiological functions, known as secondary metabolites. These compounds can be crucial to survival of the organism, and have also provided the field of medicine with some of history’s most influential drugs, referred to in that context as natural products. Antarctica is a dynamic and understudied environment, which affords the opportunity to examine the chemical ecology of unique organisms while simultaneously evaluating their novel chemistry for potential therapeutic properties as natural products.

Plocamium cartilagineum is a red macroalgal species found in …

Reducing Underrepresentation: Promising Practices In Florida, Catherine A. Mullins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I examined representation rates of gifted students from diverse backgrounds in Florida county school districts. Florida state legislation governing gifted student education allows for alternative identification methods to be used for students from underrepresented groups if plans for such identification are approved by the Florida Department of Education; however, this option, informally referred to as “Plan B” after subsection B of the legislation governing gifted services, is not a requirement that districts must follow. Consequently, there are large differences in the ways districts identify underrepresented students for gifted services. State legislation identifies underrepresented populations as students with …

Investigating Among-Individual Growth Heterogeneity In Longleaf Pine: Advancing Dendrochronological Approaches, Jamie E. Munn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Within a population, individuals frequently differ in the rate at which they grow, and this rate can be impacted by both genetic differences and abiotic factors. Often, dendrochronology is used to elucidate growth trends based on climate or other factors. This dissertation explores new statistical approaches to dendrochronological research.

First, I created a chronology for a population of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Mill.) individuals in a southwest Florida sandhill community. I then used generalized linear mixed models to investigate the effects of fire frequency, year, tree age and size, and elevation on variation in radial growth heterogeneity. I then …

Engineering Career Academies: A Comparison Of Middle School Student Academic Performance, Jakub D. Prokop

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A quasi-experimental study tested an integrated curriculum design in two career academies with engineering themes at the middle school level. Teachers in the engineering career academies, using the National Standards of Practice, implemented cross curricular units to middle school student cohorts. Participant cohorts ranged in sample sizes (n = 79, 155, 237, and 232) during the four years of analysis. Constructivism was used as a framework for the study and supported by integrated curriculum units. This study examined middle school students’ performance in reading and mathematics on state assessments of students in the engineering career academies to students not enrolled …

Design, Synthesis, And Self-Assembly Of Supramolecular Fractals Based On Terpyridine With Different Transition Metal Ions, Lei Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fractals have existed in a variety of natural forms, and the concept of "fractal geometry" has been developed in many areas by humankind, including art, economics, mathematics, physics, chemistry, material science, and etc. In the field of chemistry, researchers have endeavored great efforts to express the concept using molecules either by theoretical prediction or using synthetic methods in the past few decades, and one successful example is the “Sierpiński triangle”. Challenge still remains to achieve other fractal geometries as well as high generation of fractals with precisely controlled shape and size. Coordination-driven self-assembly has witnessed a wide array of well-defined …

The Adaptations Of The Sulfur-Oxidizing, Gammaproteobacterium "Candidatus Endoriftia Persephone", Endosymbiont Of The Giant Tubeworm Riftia Pachyptila, To Hydrothermal Vent Habitat Heterogeneity, Juliana M. Leonard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The siboglinid tubeworm Riftia pachyptila is a dominant member of the deep-sea megafauna where seawater and hydrothermal vent (HTV) effluent interface and mix. It is one of the fastest growing invertebrates on land or in the sea. It does not have a digestive tract (e.g. mouth, gut, or anus), and is completely dependent on its sulfur-oxidizing endosymbiont, the Gammaproteobacterium “Candidatus Endoriftia persephone” for its nutritional requirements. This association was the first and is the most well studied among chemolithoautotrophic symbioses. “Ca. E. persephone” is a chemolithoautotrophic bacterium that oxidizes sulfide as an electron donor for energy, reduces oxygen as a …

Millimeter-Wavelength Characterization Of The Co Emission Of Comets 174p/Echeclus, 29p/Schwassmann-Wachmann, And C/2016 R2 (Panstarrs), Kacper Wierzchos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Comets are fascinating minor solar system bodies. They contain some of the most pristine and unprocessed material found in the solar system. As a comet approaches the Sun it displays the characteristic cometary coma and tail. This is due to the release of volatile species through a variety of processes. In the present work I studied the carbon monoxide emission of three very unique comets; 174P/Echeclus, 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann and C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS) with different radio telescopes at millimeter wavelengths. After molecular hydrogen, carbon monoxide is the second most abundant molecule in the universe, and is also the most volatile of the …

Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Food Policy Coalitions In Strengthening Community Food Security In The United States., Joseph G. England Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity is experienced most acutely and addressed most innovatively at the community level to which the concept of community food security (CFS) finds purchase (Hamm and Bellows, 2003). In recognition of the many varying dynamics embedded in the CFS concept, Food Policy Coalitions have become an organizational model adapted by communities across the United States. While FPCs have grown in number considerably over the last decade, there remains a considerable lack of empirical research documenting evaluation and engagement methods, as well as strategies used to address community food security. This research, framed by the Community Coalition Action Theory, draws …

Algorithms For Multi-Objective Mixed Integer Programming Problems, Alvaro Miguel Sierra Altamiranda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a total of 3 groups of contributions related to multi-objective optimization. The first group includes the development of a new algorithm and an open-source user-friendly package for optimization over the efficient set for bi-objective mixed integer linear programs. The second group includes an application of a special case of optimization over the efficient on conservation planning problems modeled with modern portfolio theory. Finally, the third group presents a machine learning framework to enhance criterion space search algorithms for multi-objective binary linear programming.

In the first group of contributions, this thesis presents the first (criterion space search) algorithm …

Adolescent Identity Exploration And Civic Identity Development In A U.S. Government Classroom, Sarah Mead Denney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As technological advances provide minute-by-minute updates of current events and personalized media feeds push the boundaries of political polarization, the task of social studies educators to provide students with the tools to become effective citizens becomes increasingly important. Undergirded by theories of psychosocial identity development, civic identity development, and the promotion of identity exploration in the academic curriculum, this qualitative multiple case study attempts to examine the processes of adolescent identity exploration and civic identity development in relation to the assignments and activities in a twelfth-grade Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. Government classroom. Classroom observations, teacher and student interviews, and artifact …

The Experiences Of African American Male Computer Science Majors In Two Year Colleges, Simone Brookins Jenkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the field of computer science grows and the computing science workforce demands more qualified workers, the United States workforce will require underrepresented minorities to help meet these demands. African American males are a demographic that can help meet this need but there are few of them pursuing computer science careers and successfully graduating with computer science degrees. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of African American male two-year college students who are in pursuit of a degree in computer science. My findings indicated that the study participants’ experiences such as positive interactions with faculty …

Building A Collaborative Culture In A Middle School: A Case Study, Andrew Olson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is extensive research indicating the importance of teachers working together in teams and in conjunction with school leadership to improve teaching practice and, ultimately, outcomes for students. However, there is little evidence that collaboration is valued in the American school system. Tension pervades in a system that often prescribes a top-down approach to teacher evaluation, fails to provide sufficient time for teachers to collaborate, and unfairly scapegoats teachers for many challenges both within society and the education system itself. It is not surprising that teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate.

Combine these contextual factors with the …

An Autobiographical Narrative Of A Principal's Personal Journey With Autonomy, Delilah Rabeiro

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Educational reform and state policies have stripped principals and teachers of autonomy, and this has been attributed as one of the reasons why teachers leave the profession. Adamson (2012) stated, "To implement reform at their school sites, principals need a certain degree of autonomy. This study sought to understand what I experienced of autonomy as I embarked on my journey as a principal of a turnaround school; what I did, or did not do, to extend autonomy to teachers; and what I came understand about autonomy in this turnaround setting.

This was an autobiographical narrative inquiry (Freeman, 2007; Saleh, Menon, …

Developing A Computer-Managed Mentor Matching System For Graduate Students, Donna J. Knudsen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Changes to the higher education landscape resulting from digital-age advancements in technology limit the opportunities for doctoral students and faculty to find one another for research and mentorship pairings as they once did when higher education was a wholly brick and mortar enterprise. Further, doctoral student attrition has remained unmoved at approximately 50% since the 1990s, with studies consistently citing the absence of mentoring (or doctoral students’ dissatisfaction with their mentors) as chief among the factors that contribute to the high rate of attrition. Some predict that the rate of doctoral attrition is as much as 20% higher for programs …