Digital Commons Network^™

Investigation Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Structural Determinants And Exploitation Of The Host Ubiquitin System, Jillian Nicole Whelan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a globally circulating, non-segmented, negative sense (NNS) RNA virus that causes severe lower respiratory infections. This study explored several avenues to ultimately expand upon our understanding of RSV pathogenesis at the protein level. Evaluation of RSV intrinsic protein disorder increased the relatively limited description of the RSV structure-function relationship. Global proteomics analysis provided direction for further hypothesis-driven investigation of host pathways altered by RSV infection, specifically the interaction between the RSV NS2 protein and the host ubiquitin system. NS2 primarily acts to antagonize the innate immune system by targeting STAT2 for proteasomal degradation. The goal …

The Use Of Synthetic Mixture Based Libraries To Identify Hit Compounds For Eskape Pathogens, Leishmaniasis, And Inhibitors Of Palmitoylation, Marcello Giulianotti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this work is to demonstrate the utility of using systematically formatted mixture based libraries as part of the drug discovery processes. While there are a number of different valid approaches for identifying hit and tool compounds, systematically formatted mixture based libraries, such as those described in this study, offer the ability to develop a significant amount of structure activity relationship data from the testing of very few samples. In support of this claim a review of recent developments in the area of systematically formatted mixture based libraries as well as three case studies are presented. The three …

A Critique Of Charitable Consciousness, Chioke Ianson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite a legion of criticisms from frustrated and reflective practitioners of humanitarian aid working in Africa and elsewhere, the fundamental problems surrounding NGO aid work persist; a critical mass of westerners are insufficiently receptive to these voices. I will demonstrate that this lack of receptivity is due to a set of implicit and explicit ideological commitments that comprise what I call ‘Charitable Consciousness.’ In this project I will describe the history of humanitarianism in the west, the Hegelian perspective with which to understand this history, and nature and structure of Charitable Consciousness. I will uncover the consequences of inhabiting this …

The Crisis Of Caring: Compassion Satisfaction And Compassion Fatigue Among Student Conduct And Behavior Intervention Professionals, Cara Rachel Bernstein Chernoff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perception of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout by student conduct administrators working in the United States of America. Additionally, this study looked at the years of experience, job responsibilities, on-call responsibilities and direct student contact hours which may impact an individual’s overall professional quality of life. To accomplish the objectives outlined in the purpose statement, the following research questions were explored:

1. What is the relationship between student conduct professionals’ compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress?

2. What is the relationship between student conduct professionals’ years of experience and …

Nonreplicative Dna Helicases Involved In Maintaining Genome Stability, Salahuddin Syed

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Double-strand breaks and stalled forks arise when the replication machinery encounters damage from exogenous sources like DNA damaging agents or ionizing radiation, and require specific DNA helicases to resolve these structures. Sgs1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a member of the RecQ family of DNA helicases and has a role in DNA repair and recombination. The RecQ family includes human genes BLM, WRN, RECQL4, RECQL1, and RECQL5. Mutations in BLM, WRN, and RECQL4 result in genetic disorders characterized by developmental abnormalities and a predisposition to cancer. All RecQ helicases have common features including a …

Perceptions Of College Instructors Toward Accented English Measured By The Auditory Multifactor Implicit Association Test, Eunkyung Na

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the implicit language attitudes of college-level instructors toward accented English and the effect of gender, teaching experience, and home language background on those attitudes. The auditory multifactor Implicit Association Test (IAT) was used to measure the implicit attitudes toward Standard, Chinese, Hispanic, and Korean accented English. For the current study, audio stimuli were embedded into the multifactor IAT, which became available for the first time in 2014. The auditory multifactor IAT generated implicit preference scores of six pairs of accented English: Standard vs. Chinese, Standard vs. Hispanic, Standard vs. Korean, Chinese vs. …

Costumbres, Creencias, Y “Lo Normal”: A Biocultural Study On Changing Prenatal Dietary Practices In A Rural Tourism Community In Costa Rica, Allison Rachel Cantor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between tourism, the nutrition transition, and prenatal dietary practices in the Monteverde Zone, Costa Rica. This rural tourism community, located in the central highlands of Costa Rica, has seen rapid growth and development since the tourism boom in the early 1990s, leading to changes in the local food system and increased food insecurity. This investigation added to this work by identifying the ways that prenatal dietary practices have shifted over time in the context of increased tourism and the concomitant nutrition transition, and by describing the relationship between food insecurity and nutritional status among pregnant …

Educators' Oral Histories Of Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Involvement, Margaret Hoffman Saturley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and explain participants’ perceptions of Tampa Bay Area Writing Project (TBAWP) influence on professional learning over time. This study explored Writing Project impact on professional learning by accessing the oral histories of three educators who were involved in TBAWP between 1998 and 2004. The research question was:

• In what ways, if any, has long-term involvement in the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project impacted the teaching practice, career growth, and professional learning of participating educators?

This qualitative study employed constructivism as the theoretical framework. Analysis of study data resulted in specific findings. …

Unraveling The Wild: A Cultural Logic Of Animal Stories In Contemporary Social Life, Damien Contessa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is about the stories people tell about animals when they don’t do what they are expected to do in contemporary social life. More specifically, it examines three case studies where “wild” animals unexpectedly challenge, transgress, or blur socially defined boundaries in public spaces. Drawing on cultural and interactionist studies of animals and environment, I explore popular animal stories written in news media, social media, and enacted in situ. Each qualitative case study illustrates a moment in time/space where the surprising movements or presence of wild animals causes the cultural categories of wildness/order to breakdown and destabilize. These “surface …

The Construction Of Latino Im/Migrant Families In U.S. News Media: Parents’ Responses And Self-Representations, Jason Edward Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Latino im/migrants are often portrayed in negative and stereotypical ways in mainstream U.S. media. This dissertation utilizes Ethnographic Content Analysis to analyze news segments about Latino im/migrants from Fox News, MSNBC and Univisión between 2010 and 2012 and digital storytelling with a group of Latino im/migrant parents in central Florida.

First, I questioned if a Spanish-language news media source constructed Latino im/migrant family-focused stories differently than mainstream English-language sources. Utilizing Critical Race Theory as a theoretical lens, I conclude that English and Spanish-language news stations portray Latino im/migrants in different ways. Fox News portrays Latino im/migrants in a generally neutral …

Novel Techniques In Chemical Ecology To Examine Life Histories In Fishes, Orian Tzadik

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diet and movements in fishes are often logistically challenging to study. Trace element and stable isotope analyses have advanced these fields considerably, but are still constrained by methodological impediments, such as the tendency towards lethal sampling. Studying endangered fishes is particularly challenging as representative samples are difficult to obtain. However, the information gained from such studies is often critical to the recovery of endangered fishes as knowledge of life history attributes has the potential to greatly influence the success of management strategies.

I tested the viability of using fin rays in fishes as a non-lethal approach to study diet and …

Investigating Pakistan’S Contraception Rate Plateau: A Multilevel Analysis To Understand The Association Between Community Contextual Factors And Modern Contraception Use, Mahmooda Khaliq Pasha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

South Asia has the highest absolute number of women with an unmet need for contraception in the world. The total number of women with unmet need is 142 million. Of this, Asia accounts for 84 million followed by Sub-Saharan Africa at 32 million. Within South Asia, some countries have seen unmet need decrease and the contraception rate increase; however, Pakistan remains the exception to the rule. Pakistan has a low rate of contraception use, high rate of contraception discontinuation, high unmet need and high rate of unwanted fertility.

A number of theories have hypothesized that community-level factors influence a couple’s …

Optimization And Characterization Of Integrated Microfluidic Surface Acoustic Wave Sensors And Transducers, Tao Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) have a large number of applications and the majority of them are in the sensor and actuator fields targeted to satisfy market needs. Recently, researchers have focused on optimizing and improving device functions, sensitivity, power consumption, etc. However, SAW actuators and sensors still cannot replace their conventional counterparts in some mechanical and biomedical areas, such as actuators for liquid pumping under microfluidic channels and sensors for real-time cell culture monitoring. The two objectives of this dissertation are to explore the potential of piezoelectric materials and surface acoustic waves for research on actuators and sensors in the …

Exploration Of The Pregnancy-Related Health Information Seeking Behavior Of Women Who Gave Birth In The Past Year, Laura Kathleen Merrell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Pregnancy is a significant period of time for individual women. Promoting optimal health behaviors and supporting individuals during critical periods of health (such as pregnancy) is an important aspect of public health research and practice. One way of supporting individuals in promoting positive health behaviors and outcomes is by increasing their health literacy. The ability to find appropriate health information is the first step in the health literacy process. This process of finding information in health contexts is called Health Information Seeking Behavior (HISB). Whereas, HISB has been extensively studied in chronic health contexts, little research has been conducted …

Global Leadership Competencies In Selected Adult Education Graduate Programs From The United States And Western Europe, Arthur Ray Mccrory

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Researchers in the field of global leadership have reported a growing need for leaders able to perform from a global perspective, and the lack of qualified leadership candidates to fulfill these responsibilities. Adult education graduate programs represent a unique pool of aspirants to help fill this gap. In 2008, the Commission of Professors of Adult Education (CPAE) published Standards for Graduate Programs in Adult Education. Two of these standards addressed the incorporation of globalization and leadership studies into the planning, administration, and evaluation of adult education graduate programs. This study sought to explore the connection between the phenomenon of …

In-Situ Testing Of Uretek's Injectable BarrierSm As A Mechanism For Groundwater Control, Jeremy Hess

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Construction projects involving the installation or repair of subsurface structures or utilities often require dewatering to induce a temporary lowering of the local groundwater elevation to facilitate construction. In the event that a known contaminant plume is present in an adjacent area, this dewatering may inadvertently draw the contaminant into the previously uncontaminated work area. Uretek Holdings, Inc. has developed its Injectable Barrier^SM to be installed prior to dewatering exercises to provide a groundwater cut-off by reducing the potential movement of groundwater due to the hydraulic gradient induced by dewatering. A benefit of Injectable Barrier^SM as compared to …

Disinhibition, Violence Exposure, And Delinquency: A Test Of How Self-Control Affects The Impact Of Exposure To Violence, Wyatt Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the role of self-control in the relationship between exposure to violence and antisocial behavior. Specifically, this study proposes that the impact of exposure to violence changes depending on internalized factors such as self-control. Individuals with high exposure to violence but greater levels of self-control may be less influenced by the impact of exposure to violence. Conversely, individuals with low levels of exposure to violence and lower levels of self-control may be more influenced by the impact of violence. The findings from this study suggest that there is some buffering effect on the impact of exposure to violence …

Media Perceptions On Sexual Assault On College Campuses, Maggie M. Hall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For the period of 1995-2013, females ages 18 to 24 had the highest rate of rape and sexual assault victimizations compared to females in all other age groups (Lynn & Sinozich, 2014). There is an even wider problem when among student victims, 20 percent of rape and sexual assault victimizations were reported to police, compared to 32% reported among nonstudent victims ages 18 to 24 (Lynn & Sinozich, 2014). With staggering statistics on sexual assaults, it is clear that this has become a national issue, which has further developed onto college campuses nationwide. In the last decade, sexual assault has …

Selling The American Body: The Construction Of American Identity Through The Slave Trade, Max W. Plumpton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I argue that the early conceptualization of American identity was achieved through the dehumanization of blacks at slave auctions, and that the subjugation of this group informed more areas of the collective, normalized, American identity than just race. I contend that blacks were deprived of qualities that are considered inherently human (and American) and reduced to the facts of their bodies. To do this, I analyze newspaper advertisements for slave auctions, abolitionist editorials, and postings for runaway slaves. I also look at primary accounts of slave auctions that speak to the performative nature of the setting. I …

Impact Of A Brand Crisis On Nation Branding: An Analysis Of Tweets About Vw’S Emissions Crisis, Kara Julie Whytas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

On September 18, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Standards Agency (EPA) filed a Notice of Violation of the Clean Air Act to the Volkswagen Group regarding software used to intentionally deceive the EPA’s emissions tests.

Social media is an efficient way for organizations to release information and respond quickly during a crisis. Not only are organizations posting on social media sites, but consumers are increasingly turning to social media sites, such as Twitter, during crises to share information and opinions.

The VW crisis may impact Germany’s nation brand, as predicted by more recent country-of-origin literature. The country-of-origin effect occurs when the …

“You Can Fight Logic…But You Can’T Fight God”: The Duality Of Religious Text And Church As Community For White Lesbians In Appalachian And Rural Places, Jessica Mae Altice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of the research conducted on lesbians and place focuses on women who live in urban areas or highlights how participants wish to live in urban areas. Knowing that there are lesbians who live in rural and Appalachian areas that do not wish to leave to urban areas, this research examines participants’ experiences living in those places. Participants discuss how religion is a socially circulating meaning system in the places they live and it dictates much of social life. I argue that religion has a two-fold meaning for participants: one, it is a religious text that is used as a …

Adoption Of The Sawyer Water Filter In Peru, Stephanie D. Paredes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Peru, lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) results in 6,600 deaths per year that represents approximately 3.9% of total deaths. Three thousand and nine hundred of these deaths were due to diarrheal diseases (Prüss-Üstün et al., 2008). Systematic reviews suggest that interventions to improve microbial quality of drinking water are successful in reducing diarrheal diseases (Fewtrell et al., 2005; Clasen et al., 2007; Fry et al., 2013). Interventions for household water treatment and safe storage to ensure safe drinking water reduce diarrhea by 31-52% (WHO/UNICEF, 2013).

The SAWYER PointONE filter, a portable and adaptable membrane filtration device as …

The Effects Of Mission Statement Design On Behavioral Intention, Jonathan David West

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the length and readability of a mission statement contribute to stakeholder behavior regarding the mission statement. The majority of studies in the mission statement literature have not attempted to find an empirical link between mission statement design and employee behavior. This study employed a 2 (length: long v. short) x 2 (readability: low v high) post-test only factorial design to test the relationship between message design and beliefs about the mission statement. Students at a large southeastern university (n=212) were shown the one of four treatments and asked to …

"The Afro That Ate Kentucky": Appalachian Racial Formation, Lived Experience, And Intersectional Feminist Interventions, Sandra Louise Carpenter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines selections of Appalachian women’s personal narrative as well as Affrilachian Poetry written by Kentuckians Bianca Spriggs and Nikki Finney. This project’s goal lies in resisting oppression and erasure of Appalachian culture’s heterogeneity. Contrary to constructions of Appalachians as lazy, complacent, and white, many Appalachians organize communities of resistance from within the region itself. Challenging these representations, I argue that Appalachian feminists as well as Affrilachian poets create countercultures that disrupt monolithic, colonialist, and unquestioned constructions of Appalachia.

Tough Guy, Sensitive Vas: Analyzing Masculinity, Male Contraceptives & The Sexual Division Of Labor, Kaeleen Kosmo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A Marxist feminist standpoint positions patriarchy and capitalism as mutually beneficial, thus interestingly situating the new market of male contraceptives (MCs). This project takes an in-depth look at the opinions of 15 young men regarding the use of MCs by examining how Western, heterosexual masculinity informs their attitudes and discusses how a new economic market of MCs may affect current social ideologies about of the sexual division of labor. Because notions of masculinity are essential in perpetuating such ideologies, understanding masculinity as it relates to a new market for MCs is imperative. During a series of focus groups men described …

Understanding Identity Through Ceramic Analysis At The Crystal River And Roberts Island Sites, Rachel Elizabeth Thompson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ceramic assemblage from previous excavations at Crystal River (8CI1), a Woodland period mound center on Florida’s west-central coast, exhibits variation in temper and surface treatments indicative of distinct pottery traditions and, perhaps, social groups. I analyzed ceramics from recent, better controlled excavations at Crystal River and the neighboring and partially contemporaneous site of Roberts Island (8CI41), using the theoretical framework of communities of practice to evaluate this claim.

Analysis suggests that while some degree of diversity in paste was maintained through all four phases, there was greater homogeneity of paste, as well as more mixing of paste categories, during …

An Examination Of Perspectives On Community Poverty: A Case Study Of A Junior Civic Association, Monica Heimos Heimos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nonprofit organizations have become a necessary staple in the lives of people and communities experiencing poverty. Many of these organizations provide services that they think their communities need. The solutions and services these organizations provide are incumbent on what the organizations think causes poverty. Although the motivations behind these organizations have good intentions, their approach to poverty could further jeopardize people and communities by not providing proper or necessary services that have the ability to help people get out of poverty. To explore how organizational values and perspectives on poverty are operationalized, I examined one nonprofit grassroots organization in Tampa …

Modulation Of Whole Cell Currents In Human Neuroblastoma Cells Via The Hormone Aldosterone: An In Vitro Study, Harish Kumar Chittam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ion channels play a critical role in maintaining homeostasis by moving various ions in and out of cells. The Na⁺-K⁺-2Cl^- or NKCC1 ion channel is involved in the regulation of Na⁺, K⁺, and Cl^- across cell membranes, and plays a key role in many forms of cellular physiology. In the cochlea, NKCC1 is involved in endolymph production and maintenance of the endocochlear potential. Our hypothesis is that blocking NKCC1 channels should directly impact auditory sensitivity causing hearing loss. Our lab has also shown that the hormone aldosterone (ALD) can upregulate …

Resilience In Uncertainty: An Examination Of A Moroccan Centre Serving Unwed Mothers, Dana Louise Goodlett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing a gender-based violence approach, this study investigated service delivery realities for a Moroccan women’s centre serving unwed mothers and their babies. Primary research methods included participant observation and semi-structured interviews (n=20) with unwed mothers and centre staff. This study aimed to determine what factors lead mothers to seek assistance, types of assistance offered, and challenges and future opportunities for services. Findings indicate a lack of social support to mothers, lack of social and economic support for the centre and reduced service capacity, and the use of deceit in interactions between mothers and staff rooted in cultural notions of shame. …

Conversion Of Landfill Gas To Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels: Design And Feasibility Study, Ryan Alexander Kent

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper will discuss the conversion of gas produced from biomass into liquid fuel through the combination of naturally occurring processes, which occur in landfills and anaerobic digesters, and a gas-to-liquids (GTL) facility. Landfills and anaerobic digesters produce gases (LFG) that can be converted into syngas via a Tri-reforming process and then synthesized into man-made hydrocarbon mixtures using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Further processing allows for the separation into liquid hydrocarbon fuels such as diesel and gasoline, as well as other middle distillate fuels. Conversion of landfill gas into liquid fuels increases their energy density, ease of storage, and open market potential …