Digital Commons Network^™

Cord Blood Cell Therapy For Ischemic Stroke, Martina Vendrame

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infusion of the "mononuclear fraction" of human cord blood cells (HUCBC), which is composed of immature blood cells and hematopoietic progenitors, is known to reduce neurobehavioral deficits in rats subject to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). When MCAO rats are infused with 106 cells 24 hours after the induction of the stroke, their motor function improves. To extend these findings, we first examined the behavioral recovery of MCAO rats in the presence of increasing doses of HUCBC. The recovery in behavioral performance seen with measurements of spontaneous activity and motor deficits, depended on the amount of cells delivered, with 10 …

Feasibility Of Using Nanofiltration As A Polishing Process For Removal Of Cyanobacterial Exudates From Treated Surface Water, Anand J. Mody

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nanofiltration (NF) membrane technology is effective for removal of natural organic matter (NOM) and Disinfection By-Product (DBP) precursors from treated surface water (Allgeier et al., 1995, Chellam et al., 2000, Smith et al., 2002). However, there is a need to control other micropollutants, such as compounds released from algal blooms. In this research, the feasibility of using NF for removal of cyanobacterial exudates was evaluated as a polishing process for conventionally treated surface water.

Screening tests were conducted to compare the performance of four NF membranes, Filmtec's NF90 and NF270, and Hydranautics's LFC1 and NTR7450, for removal of NOM and …

Congestion-Aware Cross-Layer Design For Wireless Ad Hoc Networks, Ning, Yang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ad hoc networks have emerged recently as an important trend of future wireless systems. The evolving wireless networks are seriously challenging the traditional OSI layered design. In order to provide high capacity wireless access and support new multimedia network, the various OSI layers and network functions should be considered together while designing the network.

In this thesis, we briefly discuss performance optimization challenges of ad hoc networks and cross-layer design. Ad hoc wireless networks were implemented by using Network Simulator NS-2 and the wireless physical, data link, dynamic source routing (DSR) routing protocol models have been included in the simulation. …

The Utilization Of Enzymes In The Synthesis And Modification Of Natural And Nonnatural Compounds: A Chemo-Enzymatic Approach To Enantiomerically Pure Compounds, Jason A. Carr

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The employment of enzymes and whole cells has been important in many industries for centuries. However, it is only in the last 30 years that the use of enzymes for the synthesis of high-value fine chemicals has enjoyed increasing popularity. In fact, esterases and lipases are used almost routinely these days to provide optically active building blocks for the construction of imaginative new routes to chiral target molecules. The major topic of this work describes the utilization of enzymes (namely lipases) in the synthesis and modification of natural and non-natural compounds.

Chapter 1 outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the …

Re-Constructing The Image Of The Voluntarily Childfree: An Ethnographic Exploration Of Media Representation And The Childless By Choice, Eddy Sass

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, like most other parts of the world, there is a commonly held belief that all capable couples should have children. This belief has contributed to the development of a pro-natalist ideology or concept that having children is good. This pronatalist belief tends to spill over into the media, as well. Yet, there are those individuals who do not subscribe to the parenthood belief structure and to the manner in which the media frame the parenthood debate. These people are known as the voluntarily childfree or the childless by choice. This thesis is an exploratory ethnographic examination …

Effects Of Aspirin And Its Derivatives In Combination With Electroporation For Drug Delivery In Cultured Cells, Jennifer Langham

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects that aspirin (ASA) and its metabolites, salicylic acid (SA) and acetic acid (AA), have on the delivery of drugs across biological barriers when used in conjunction with electroporation. Electroporation is a technique used to enhance drug delivery across bio-membranes in which a transmembrane potential is induced into cellular membranes, resulting in the creation of aqueous pores that allow molecules to pass through the otherwise impermeable barrier. Aspirin is a widely used drug that has been used for over a century and has been proven relatively safe at normal doses as …

Auditors’ Performance In Computer-Mediated Fraud Assessment Brainstorming Sessions: An Investigation Of The Effects Of Anonymity And Creativity Training, Antoinette L. Lynch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the wake of recent corporate accounting scandals, auditors are encouraged to improve their method of fraud detection. Although Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 99 does not change the responsibility of the auditor for detecting fraud, it does provide new procedural requirements for assessing fraud risk, such as brainstorming among key team members about the potential for fraud. Using audit interns and internal auditors, this study empirically examines two interventions hypothesized to improve the quality of ideas generated by audit interns and internal auditors. In the first intervention, auditors use a computer-based group support system to brainstorm either non-anonymously …

Globalization: The Relationship Between The State And The Economy, Michael Mena

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many people agree that we live in a changing world. It is a world transformed by globalization. I propose that changes in state policies have led to a change from an international economy to a global economy, thereby contributing to the emergence of contemporary globalization. Changes in state power/authority and policies have affected the overall economy. These changes have caused the economy to transform from a national economy to a global economy.

I test the hypothesis through a case study of Guatemala's Economy. The time period for this study is from 1982 to 2002. The economy of Guatemala is comprised …

Perceptions From The Principals’ Desks: African American Elementary Principals And Reading Curriculum And Instruction In A Central Florida County, Keva Latrice Mitchell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This was a collective case study of African American elementary principals in a central Florida county. The study intended to discover through qualitative means, African American elementary principals perceptions of reading curriculum and instruction. More specifically, the study was concerned with discovering and presenting the attitudes, experiences,and beliefs of this specific population of leaders. The African American principal has the unique perception of one who has grown-up and been educated in the midst of the European American dominated system of education, thus making their perceptions of reading curriculum and instruction relevant to gaining additional knowledge in the area of literacy …

What Faculty Know About Designing Online Materials In Compliance With Current U.S. Copyright And Fair Use Laws, Phyllis C. Sweeney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Digital technology has vastly increased the ability of individuals to copy, produce and distribute information, making the behavior of individuals a far more significant factor in the enforcement of copyright and fair use laws than in the past. This research investigates the resources used by university faculty and their knowledge of fair use regarding web-based course materials. Specifically, the research A) identifies prevailing trends in faculty use of resource materials in the development of web-based courses including digital images, text, video and sound; B) determines how faculty members have gained and applied their fair use knowledge; and C) interprets any …

The Influence Of The El Niño-Southern Oscillation On Cloud-To-Ground Lightning Activity Along The Gulf Coast Of The United States, Mark R. Lajoie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the response of lightning to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the vicinity of the U.S. Gulf Coast region and nearby adjacent waters of the Gulf of Mexico, for the years 1995-2002. The Gulf Coast region was selected for this study because of its high flash density (Orville and Huffines, 2001) and because it is an area where the ENSO fingerprint is very clearly demonstrated on both temperature and precipitation patterns (CPC, 2002). Additionally, this geographic domain roughly matches the only known study on this topic (Goodman et al., 2000). Winter is the season …

Florida Bay Microalgae Blooms: Physiological Characteristics And Competitive Strategies Of Bloom Forming Cyanobacteria And Diatoms Of Florida Bay, Ralph William, Richardson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Areally expansive, persistent and recurring blooms frequently dominated by cyanobacteria have developed primarily in the north-central region of Florida Bay since approximately 1991. This part of the bay has a history of the following: periodic hypersalinity, high sediment-derived turbidity, P limitation, N limitation, light limitation and long water residence time. Clonal isolates of selected dominant bloom species of cyanobacteria (Synechococcus cf. elongatus and Synechocystis sp.) and diatoms (Chaetoceros cf. salsugineus and Thalassiosira cf. oceanica) from Florida Bay were examined in an effort to explain their relative dominance of the phytoplankton community.

The following physiological characteristics and nutrient …

Proposal For: “University Of South Florida Pinellas County Hearing And Speech Center – Usf-Pchsc”, Mary J. Francis B.A.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The University of South Florida Pinellas County Hearing and Speech Center (USF-PCHSC) is a nonprofit 501 (C) 3 organization that will offer comprehensive audiology and speech-language pathology services to people of all ages. USF-PCHSC is a facility founded by The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders of the University of South Florida, with Dr. Arthur M. Guilford as chairman. Researchers have determined that hearing loss is one of the three most prevalent medical conditions in the United States, affecting more than 28 million people over the age of sixty-five (Martin and Clark, 2002). According to yellowpages.com there are twenty-five hearing …

African Costume For Artists: The Woodcuts In Book X Of Habiti Antichi Et Moderni Di Tutto Il Mondo, 1598, Laura Renee Herrmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the woodcuts of African dress in Cesare Vecellio's 1598 costume book Habiti antichi et moderni di tutto il mondo. While Vecellio's book has been previously studied to understand its contribution to sixteenth-century conceptions of human variation across geography and Venetian identity making, I concentrate instead on the book's intended function. In doing so, I show how its woodcuts of Africans, should be understood primarily as proposals for costumes to be used in new artistic productions.

Vecellio situated his representations of African costume in a highly organized geographic framework that was shaped by travel narratives. These texts …

Ensenada, Julia Dearriba-Montgomery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ensenada is a multi-media installation containing video,natural materials, and sound. This installation was located in the Bustillo Cigar Factory, in historic West Tampa. The exhibition explored issues of history, mapping, and cultural myth-making while also presenting a world in which life and death are connected. The artist utilized sugar sculptures, twine, spanish moss, video and sound to explore these themes. The written project for this installation contained stories and memories of the artist that reflected the ideas presented in the exhibition.

Sf-Sack: A Smooth Friendly Tcp Protocol For Streaming Multimedia Applications, Sivakumar Bakthavachalu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Voice over IP and video applications continue to increase the amount of traffic over the Internet. These applications utilize the UDP protocol because TCP is not suitable for streaming applications. The flow and congestion control mechanisms of TCP can change the connection transmission rate too drastically, affecting the user-perceived quality of the transmission. Also, the TCP protocol provides a level of reliability that may waste network resources, retransmitting packets that have no value. On the other hand, the use of end-to-end flow and congestion control mechanisms for streaming applications has been acknowledged as an important measure to ease or eliminate …

Mapping A Generation: Oral History Research In Sulphur Springs, Fl, Connie J. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an analysis of the pros and cons of doing ethnographic and oral history research with elders. The subjects are women born before 1933 and residing in Sulphur Springs, Florida for most of their adolescence and adult lives. They were selected from attendees of the semiannual reunion of students who attended the Sulphur Springs School during the years it served both elementary and junior high.

This method of research, with an elder population presents specific challenges and rewards. The pros and cons of such research are discussed within the context of doing ethnography of Sulphur Springs from the …

A Structural Equation Analysis Of Florida Journey To Work Characteristics Using Aggregate Census 2000 Data, Srikalyan Challa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The need for a better understanding of journey to work behavior has never before been so important. Many transportation corridors are functioning at unacceptable levels of service and many at times to their capacity. This phenomenon is more pronounced during peak period when majority of the population is making their work trip. This research builds on the recent developments in structural equations modeling technique for identifying the socio-demographic influences on the commute behavior of the population in Florida.

Towards this purpose a series of five structural equations models are estimated using aggregate level data from Census 2000. Each of these …

Use-Wear Experiments With Sardinian Obsidian: Determining Its Function In The Neolithic, Teddi J. Setzer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on identifying the function of obsidian tools from the Late Neolithic archaeological site of Contraguda on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The information obtained from use-wear analysis can provide information about changes in subsistence patterns, craft specialization, social differentiation and technology.

This research began by collecting geological samples of obsidian from two of the most exploited sources in the Monte Arci volcanic complex of Sardinia. Subsequently, an experimental set of tools was made from these samples, and they were used to work various raw materials that were presumably available in Sardinia during the Neolithic. Wear patterns were …

Mapping Porewater Salinity With Electromagnetic And Electrical Methods In Shallow Coastal Environments: Terra Ceia, Florida, Wm. Jason Greenwood

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The feasibility of predicting porewater salinity based on calibrated surface electromagnetic methods is discussed in a coastal wetland on the southern banks of Tampa Bay in West-Central Florida. This study utilizes a new method to float commercial land based electromagnetic (EM) instruments in shallow marine waters of less than 1.5 meters. The floating EM-31 (Geonics, Ltd.) effectively sensed the magnitude and lateral extent of high and low salinity porewaters within mangrove lined ditches and ponds. Resistivity and EM geophysical methods are merged with direct sampling data to calibrate layers in electromagnetic models to infer shallow (<30m) groundwater salinity patterns. Initial marine resistivity surveys are necessary to discriminate between equivalent EM model solutions for seafloor conductivities beneath shallow (0.1-1.5m) marine (~30 ppt) waters. Using formation factors computed from nearby resistivity surveys, porewater conductivity predictions based on surface EM-31 and EM-34 measurements are successful at distinguishing overall porewater salinity trends.

At the Tampa Bay …

The Development And Validation Of The Verbal Commentary On Physical Appearance Scale, Sylvia Herbozo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study involves the development and validation of a measure of physical appearance-related comments, The Verbal Commentary on Physical Appearance Scale (VCOPAS). Previous research has shown that the development of body image and eating disturbances is greatly influenced by teasing and negative appearance-related feedback. The limited research on positive appearance-related feedback is likely due to the lack of an empirically validated scale of positive appearance-related commentary. Consequently, the VCOPAS was developed to assess the frequency and effect of positive appearance-related comments and other types of appearance-related comments.

In Study 1, 50 undergraduate female students of ages 18 to 25 completed …

A Content Analysis Of Activist Group Use Of Dialogic Tools On The World Wide Web, Roberto Mazzini

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is a quantitative content analysis of activist groups' use of dialogic tools on Web sites. The study was done in order to understand how activist groups use the Web to communicate with their publics in comparison to for-profit corporations. The Web is considered a powerful tool for activists and allows them to communicate better with their publics. Use of the Web should allow activist groups to level the field with corporations by enabling them to get their message out and interact better with their public. Dialogic communication is a necessity for activist groups. By measuring the use of …

Educational Choices Of Undergraduate Women In Public Relations: A Quantitative Study, Moira K. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Public relations is one of the fastest growing majors chosen by college students throughout the United States, and most of these students are women. This thesis attempts to define the important role that women play in the practice of public relations and to determine why female students choose this major as their desired field of study more often then men. There is a need for such a study because in 1996 women accounted for only 37 percent of managers in marketing, advertising, and public relations, although they comprised 62 percent of all public relations specialists in this country. This research …

Determining The College Sports Information Director's Management Role And Potential To Be Promoted To The Position Of Director Of Intercollegiate Athletics, Gil R. Swalls

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency with which college sports information directors (SIDs) are promoted to athletics director (AD) positions. Results reveal some reasons why SIDs, the primary communications officer in the athletics department, may or may not be considered as qualified candidates for AD jobs. This study illustrates that current ADs predominately come from the ranks of former coaches, compliance officers, business managers and fund raisers, while few were formerly SIDs. In addition, this study sought to determine whether the SID develops skills and experience most closely related with ADs.

The variables examined in this …

Competencies And Skills In The Globalized Workforce, Mary Ellen, Reilly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of international programs in preparing participants for effective engagement in the world's economy and the complexity of multiple societies and cultures. The study's objective is to identify and assess the skills and competencies that are in demand for graduates of international programs, from both the United States and foreign perspectives, and their main economic social and civic contributions.

This research project develops, pilots and validates a list of critical competencies and skills for persons starting careers in international settings, creating a unique and valuable product. In addition, the project …

An Analysis Of Journey To Work Characteristics In Florida Using Census 2000 Public Use Microdata Sample Data Files, Liren Zhou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an overall picture of demographic and socio-economic characteristics as well as journey to work travel behavior characteristics in Florida. In addition, detailed comparisons of journey to work private vehicle occupancy distribution, travel time distribution, mode choice and departure time distribution by household and individual characteristics are also provided based on three data files: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Samples data file, Summary File 3 Public Use Microdata Samples 1% and Public Use Microdata Samples 5% data files. Utilizing the three data files, this thesis not only investigates current commuting patterns but also provides more reliable information …

Comparative Analysis Of Serologic Assays For The Detection Of Antibodies To Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis Virus In Sentinel Chickens, Christy L. Voakes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida's mild climate supports year round enzootic transmission of arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses, such as St. Louis Encephalitis virus (SLEV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis virus (EEEV). First isolated in 1960 from two Florida blue jays, Highlands J virus (HJV) is endemic to the state and vectored by the same mosquitoes as EEEV (Henderson et al, 1962). EEEV and HJV are both alphaviruses, but HJV is not pathogenic to humans, occasionally causes encephalitis in horses, and is a recognized pathogen in some bird species (turkeys, emus, etc) (Cilnis et al, 1996).

The Florida Sentinel Chicken Arboviral Surveillance …

A Control Layer Algorithm For Ad Hoc Networks In Support Of Urban Search And Rescue (Usar) Applications, Venkatesh Ramarathinam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ad hoc networks have gained significant importance and gathered huge momentum within the wireless network research community. We explore the novel idea of applying ad hoc networking for urban search and rescue operations. Several algorithms have been proposed and implemented for routing in ad hoc networks and their performance have been thoroughly analyzed. But none of the prior work deals specifically for search and rescue operations, which entail certain specific criteria such as prevention of node loss, maximizing the area of coverage and constant and instantaneous access to a main controller.

In this thesis, we propose a centralized and adaptive …

Performance Evaluation Of Tcp Over Optical Channels And Heterogeneous Networks, Jianxuan Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Next generation optical networks will soon provide users the capability to request and obtain end-to-end all optical 10 Gbps channels on demand. Individual users will use these channels to exchange large amounts of data and support applications for scientific collaborative work. These new applications, which expect steady transfer rates in the order of Gbps, will very likely use either TCP or a new transport layer protocol as the end-to-end communication protocol.

This thesis investigates the performance of TCP and newer TCP versions over High Bandwidth Delay Product Channels (HBDPC), such as the on demand optical channels described above. In addition, …

Identification And Measurement Of Two Factors Affecting The Long-Term Outcomes Of Public Relations Programs: Public Image And Public Trust, Kimberly B. Amendola

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the most current theories surrounding organization-public relationship measurement, which is one approach used to verify the effectiveness of public relations programs. The study attempted to define and test two new factors that may affect organization-public relationships, which are identified as public image and public trust. Existing factors used to test such relationships, such as trust, satisfaction, commitment, and control mutuality, focus on testing the perceptions stakeholders have about an organization based upon their interpersonal relationship with that organization. However, in organizations where the dominant coalition still does not view public relations as …