Digital Commons Network^™

An Observation Of Immunological Effect, A Diet Enhanced With Spirulina And Treatment With Fractalkine In Models Of Parkinson's Disease, Mibel M. Pabón

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In my dissertation research we used use human wild type α-synuclein gene expression using an adeno-associated viral vector (AAV9) that induced a slowly progressive loss of dopamine (DA) neurons in the Substantia nigra (SN) as one of our animal model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is our hypothesis that neuroinflammation predisposes the brain to susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases. Thus we examined the progression of a PD lesion and examined the manipulations of the immune system to understand further the inflammatory role when we administered exogenous soluble fractalkine.

The specific etiology of neurodegeneration in PD is unknown, but the inflammatory mechanisms …

Historical Archaeology Of The Pine Level Site (8de14), Desoto County, Florida, Jana Futch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 1866 the seat of Manatee County was moved to Pine Level, a newly-formed town in the wilderness of south Florida. By the 1880s, it contained stores, boardinghouses, churches, and government buildings. In 1887, Pine Level became DeSoto County’s first seat. However, when it lost county seat status to Arcadia only 18 months later, in 1888, Pine Level rapidly declined in population and importance, and eventually died out. The investigations of the Pine Level site detailed in this thesis were carried out as a public archaeology project, involving the DeSoto County Historical Society, University of South Florida, and the Florida …

Improvising Close Relationships: A Relational Perspective On Vulnerability, Nicholas A. Riggs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I study the way couples improvise relationships together. I define improvisation as a kind of performance that leads to an interpretive practice where people develop the meanings of their relationships as they perform. Participating in a performance ethnography, my romantic partner, myself, and three other couples reflect on the way we perform together on stage. Adapting the popular improv performance format “Armando” and utilizing post-performance focus groups, I observe how the couples strive to make meaning together and negotiate a joint-perspective about how they played. Ultimately, I argue that attending to the way a couple improvises their …

American Muslim Identities: A Qualitative Study Of Two Mosques In South Florida, Azka Mahmood Mahmood

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most existing research on Muslims and transnational Islam originates from Europe. However, the Muslim population in Europe differs from American Muslims in a number of important ways. In this research I aim to address the general paucity in sociological literature that originates from the U.S. and focus on the mosque as a space where American Muslim identity forms and evolves for both first- and second-generation American Muslims. I examine two American mosques in South Florida as the sites of the development of American Muslim identities based on ethnographic data and participant interviews. I find that the research sites perform functions …

Fundamental Transversals On The Complexes Of Polyhedra, Joy D'Andrea

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We present a formal description of `Face Fundamental Transversals' on the faces of the Complexes of polyhedra (meaning threedimensional polytopes). A Complex of a polyhedron is the collection of the vertex points of the polyhedron, line segment edges and polygonal faces of the polyhedron. We will prove that for the faces of any 3-dimensional complex of a polyhedron under face adjacency relations, that a `Face Fundamental Transversal' exists, and it is a union of the connected orbits of faces that are intersected exactly once. While exploring the problem of finding a face fundamental transversal, we have found a partial result …

Modeling And Surveillance Of Pandemic Influenza Outbreaks, Diana Prieto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pandemic outbreaks are unpredictable as to their virus strain, transmissibility, and impact on our quality of life. Hence, the decision support models for mitigation of pandemic outbreaks must be user-friendly and operational, and also incorporate valid estimates of disease transmissibility and severity. This dissertation research is aimed at 1) reviewing the existing pandemic simulation models to identify their implementation gaps with regard to usability and operability, and suggesting research remedies, 2) increasing operability of simulation models by calibrating them via an epidemiological model that estimates infection probabilities using viral shedding profiles of concurrent pandemic and seasonal influenza, and 3) developing …

Knowledge Guided Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (Nurbs) For Supporting Design Intent In Computer Aided Design (Cad) Modeling, Khairan Rajab

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For many years, incompatible computer-aided design (CAD) packages that are based on Non-uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) technology carried out the exchange of models and data through either neutral file formats (IGES or STEP) or proprietary formats that have been accepted as quasi industry standards. Although it is the only available solution at the current time, the exchange process most often produces unsatisfactory results. Models that are impeccable in the original modeling system usually end up with gaps or intersections between surfaces on another incompatible system. Issues such as loss of information, change of data accuracy, inconsistent tolerance, and misinterpretation of …

Autonomous Mobility And Manipulation Of A 9-Dof Wmra, William Garrett Pence

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The wheelchair-mounted robotic arm (WMRA) is a 9-degree of freedom (DoF) assistive system that consists of a 2-DoF modified commercial power wheelchair and a custom 7-DoF robotic arm. Kinematics and control methodology for the 9-DoF system that combine mobility and manipulation have been previously developed and implemented. This combined control allows the wheelchair and robotic arm to follow a single trajectory based on weighted optimizations. However, for the execution of activities of daily living (ADL) in the real-world environment, modified control techniques have been implemented.

In order to execute macro ADL tasks, such as a "go to and pick up" …

Decision Aid Models For Resource Sharing Strategies During Global Influenza Pandemics, Alfredo Santana Reynoso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pandemic influenza outbreaks have historically entailed significant societal and economic disruptions. Today, our quality of life is threatened by our inadequate preparedness for the imminent pandemic. The key challenges we are facing stem from a significant uncertainty in virus epidemiology, limited response resources, inadequate international collaboration, and the lack of appropriate science-based decision support tools. The existing literature falls short of comprehensive models for global pandemic spread and mitigation which incorporate the heterogeneity of the world regions and realistic travel networks. In addition, there exist virtually no studies which quantify the impact of resource sharing strategies among multiple countries. This …

Tarnished Golden Years: Older Offenders With Mental Health Problems And Late Life First Time Offenders, Brianne Stanback

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Older offenders (offenders 50 years and older) are a distinct groups within the U.S. correctional system. Studies 1 and 2 were intended to investigate mental health and stressors among jailed older offenders.

Study 1 examined the prevalence rates of mental health disorders and explored the relationship between mental health disorders and stressors. Participants 50 years and older (N=330) from the 2002 wave of the Survey of Inmates in Local Jails (SILJ) were studied via descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and a logistic regression to determine which variables were related to the probability of having a mental health problem. 65.8% of participants …

Patient Safety In Nursing Homes, Kali Thomas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Safety of residents has gained increased popularity in recent years following a report from the Institute of Medicine attributing 98,000 hospital deaths each year to errors by staff. As a result, regulatory agencies, advocates, and health care providers have shifted their focus to understanding patient safety and developing a culture that promotes safety. However, nursing homes lag behind other health care providers in their adoption of a patient safety culture and understanding what factors affect safety in resident care. These insights are needed to ensure that nursing home residents receive the safe care.

The purpose of this dissertation is to …

Making A Splash: Eliminating Water Phobia And Increasing Confident Water Skills, Paula Elizabeth Chan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to utilize a multi-component intervention to increase confident water skills for three typically developing children, and to evaluate whether fearful behaviors decreased as the intervention progressed. The intervention, comprised of goal setting, self-monitoring, behavioral skills training and positive reinforcement, was used in community pools to teach basic water skills. Results suggest the intervention was successful in increasing confident water skills, while intervals with positive affect and fearful behaviors demonstrated variability.

Reducing Rapid Eating In Adults With An Intellectual Disability, Francia Echeverria

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rapid eating is a frequent problem among individuals with developmental disabilities that can pose a threat to health. The following study sought to reduce the rate of eating behaviors in two adults diagnosed with moderate intellectual disability. Assessment of eating rate took place in the participants' group homes during lunch or dinner meals. Procedures included the use of vibrating pagers with and without verbal prompts to prompt eating and prevent rapid eating behaviors. Results demonstrate a clear reduction in rate of eating when using vibrating pagers and verbal prompts for both participants.

Ultra-Low Power Electronics For Autonomous Micro-Sensor Applications, Rebeka Davidova

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presented the research, design and fabrication associated with a unique application of rectenna technology combined with lock-in amplification. An extremely low-power harmonic transponder is conjoined with an interrogator base-station, and utilizing coherent demodulation the Remote Lock-In Amplifier (RLIA) concept is realized. Utilizing harmonic re-radiation with very low-power input, the 1^st generation transponder detects a transmitted interrogation signal and responds by retransmitting the second harmonic of the signal. The 1^st generation transponder performs this task while using no additional power besides that which accompanies the wireless signal. Demonstration of the first complete configuration provided proof of concept …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Teaching Package Utilizing Behavioral Skills Training And In Situ Training To Teach Gun Safety Skills In A Preschool Classroom, Laura Ann Hanratty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are a number of different safety threats that children face in their lives. One infrequent, but highly dangerous situation a child can face is finding a firearm. Hundreds of children are injured or killed by firearms each year. Fortunately, behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST) are effective approaches for teaching a number of different skills, including safety skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a teaching package for preschool teachers to learn to conduct BST to teach safety skills. A multiple baseline across subjects design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of this teaching …

The Conservation And Ecology Of Carnivorous Plants, David Jennings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As discussed in Chapter 1, although our understanding of the ecology and evolution of carnivorous plants has greatly improved in recent years, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. Unfortunately, at the present time, many carnivorous plants are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Indeed, over half of the carnivorous plant species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are listed as `threatened', but the threats to carnivorous plants have not previously been quantified. In Chapter 2, I quantified the conservation threats to carnivorous plant taxa worldwide by searching peer-reviewed literature, and found data on the threats to 48 …

Environmental Health In The Latin American And Caribbean Region: Use Of Water Storage Containers, Water Quality, And Community Perception, Erlande Omisca

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water quality and availability are important issues in many developing countries where portions of populations still lack access to potable water. Throughout the English-speaking Caribbean and parts of Latin America, households and businesses invest in water supply systems even when they are connected to and pay for water services from a private or state owned provider. Inconsistent supplies of water from the water companies have led many people to invest in storage tanks which, if operated correctly, can provide water throughout the day even when the supply from the main is low or zero. While these individual systems help to …

A Comparison Of Ecological Conditions And Relationships In An Altered Wetland And An Unaltered Wetland, Mark Kiyoshi Hurst

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to identify and quantify the hydrologic and ecologic differences between two adjacent sections of Colt Creek; one section unaltered and one section altered by clearing and drainage. These differences were measured by monitoring water levels, groundcover vegetation in each of the two areas, and monitoring numbers and species of birds utilizing the two areas. Surface water levels were measured in three locations: in the historic Colt Creek flow way, in the ditch draining the creek, and in an adjacent wetland strand. In addition, a shallow monitor well in the creek was used to measure …

Characterizing Wireless And Powerline Communication Channels With Applications To Smart Grid Networks, Sabih Guzelgoz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Smart grid aims at improving the efficiency, reliability, security, and quality of service (QoS) of the current electricity grid by exploiting the advances in communication and information technology. In parallel to size of the electricity grid, smart grid communication infrastructure should cover a very large geographical area that may extend from remote generation sites to densely populated residential regions and inside buildings, homes, and electricity-power-system environments. In such an extensive communication network, different communication technologies operating on different communication medium are likely to coexist. Among the communication technologies available, wireless and power line communication (PLC) based solutions are comparatively attractive …

Selection And Implementation Of Technologies For The Re-Engineering Of An Existing Software System, Stan William Naspinski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A major hurdle for any company to cross is the act of re-engineering software if they wish to stay relevant. With the speed that software and technology advances, it would be ignorant for any product to stagnate. With that comes the inherent difficulties of choosing which of the older technologies to keep (if any) and which newer technologies to employ in the re-engineered solution. Once that is covered, the actual implementation presents its own set of challenges to both the decision makers and developers in the process.

This thesis describes a case study, in particular the efforts put forth to …

Live Video Streaming From Android-Enabled Devices To Web Browsers, Justin M. Bailey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The wide-spread adoption of camera-embedded mobile devices along with the ubiquitous connection via WiFi or cellular networks enables people to visually report live events. Current solutions limit the configurability of such services by allowing video streaming only to fixed servers. In addition, the business models of the companies that provide such (free) services insert visual ads in the streamed videos, leading to unnecessary resource consumption.

This thesis proposes an architecture of a real-time video streaming service from an Android mobile device to a server of the user's choice. The real-time video can then be viewed from a web browser. The …

Developmental Trajectories Of Self-Control: Assessing The Stability Hypothesis, James Vance Ray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A key proposition of Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) self-control theory is the stability hypothesis which suggests that an individual's level of self-control, once established between the ages of 8-10, is stable over the life course. Empirical results from examinations of the stability hypothesis have been mixed. Prior tests of the stability hypothesis have employed aggregate assessment methods (e.g., mean-level and correlational analyses). Such approaches fail to take into account the possibility that individual developmental pathways may differ. This study employs individual longitudinal data over a four year period for 3,249 7^th to 10^th grade subjects to assess the …

Evanescent Wave Coupling Using Different Subwavelength Gratings For A Mems Accelerometer, Al-Aakhir A. Rogers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A novel technique of coupling near-field evanescent waves by means of variable period subwavelength gratings (1.2 ìm and 1.0 ìm), using a 1.55 ìm infrared semiconductor laser is presented for the use of an optical MEMS accelerometer. The subwavelength gratings were fabricated on both glass and silicon substrates respectively.

Optical simulation of the subwavelength gratings was carried out to obtain the maximum coupling efficiency of the two subwavelength gratings; the grating thickness, grating width, and the grating separation were optimized. This was performed for both silicon and glass substrates.

The simulations were used to determine the total system noise, including …

Log-Periodic Microstrip Patch Antenna Miniaturization Using Artificial Magnetic Conductor Surfaces, Ahmad Tariq Almutawa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microstrip patch antennas are attractive for numerous military and commercial applications due to their advantages in terms of low-profile, broadside radiation, lowcost, low-weight and conformability. However, the inherent narrowband performance of patch antennas prohibits their use in systems that demand wideband radiation. To alleviate the issue, an existing approach is to combine multiple patch antennas within a log-periodic array configuration [1]. These log-periodic patch antennas (LPMAs) are capable of providing large bandwidths (>50%) with stable broadside radiation patterns. However, they suffer from electrically large sizes. Therefore, their miniaturization without degrading the bandwidth performance holds promise for extending their use …

Smart Grid Functionality Of A Pv-Energy Storage System, Nenad Damnjanovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Renewable Energy will be the key to preserving the Earth's remaining resources and continuing this surge of technological progress that we have experienced this past century. New philosophies of how/when/where energy should be consumed and produced are attempting to improve upon the current grid infrastructure. The massive advancement in communications, renewable and control systems will allow this new-age electric grid to maximize its efficiency while reducing cost. Renewable, "green" energy is now at the forefront of innovation. As the world population increases, there will be a need to free ourselves from natural resources as much as possible. Advanced Energy Storage …

Physical Activity Promotion Among School-Aged Children Using Pedometers And Rewards, Kari E. Ek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Physical activity is important for children as many children are considered overweight or obese. The benefits of exercise have been demonstrated in empirical studies across all age ranges (Horne, Hardman, Lowe, & Rowlands, 2009; Kelly et al., 2004; Louie & Chan, 2003; Southard & Southard, 2006). In the current study, a multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess the effectiveness of goal setting, reinforcement contingencies, and pedometers that provide feedback to increase step count of 5 participants. During baseline each participant wore a sealed pedometer to assess the average steps the participants took per day. After baseline, each …

Literacy And Hazard Communication Comprehension Of Employees Presenting To An Occupational Health Clinic, Christine Bouchard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More than 100 million American workers, 7 million workplaces, and 945,000 hazardous chemical products are covered under the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. There were a total of 1,183,500 recordable non-fatal illnesses and injuries in private industry workplaces in 2006 resulting in days away from work. Of these, 19,480 were due to chemicals and chemical products. In addition, there were a total of 5,703 work-related fatalities in 2006. In 191 of these, chemicals and chemical products were listed as the primary source of injury and as the secondary source of injury in 104 …

Atomistic Studies Of Shock-Wave And Detonation Phenomena In Energetic Materials, Mikalai Budzevich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The major goal of this PhD project is to investigate the fundamental properties of energetic materials, including their atomic and electronic structures, as well as mechanical properties, and relate these to the fundamental mechanisms of shock wave and detonation propagation using state-of-the-art simulation methods. The first part of this PhD project was aimed at the investigation of static properties of energetic materials (EMs) with specific focus on 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB). The major goal was to calculate the isotropic and anisotropic equations of state for TATB within a range of compressions not accessible to experiment, and to make predictions of anisotropic sensitivity …

Children Who Die Of Abuse: An Examination Of The Effects Of Perpetrator Characteristics On Fatal Versus Non-Fatal Child Abuse, Donald L. Dixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 2000 children die annually in the United States from abuse and neglect, but the interplay of factors such as perpetrator characteristics and family composition which place these children at risk have not been wellestablished. The review of the literature focuses on the correlation between child deaths resulting from abuse and perpetrator characteristics most associated with these deaths. Characteristics such as the perpetrator’s age, race/ethnicity, gender, alcohol and substance use/abuse and/or sale, and prior history of abuse are among those examined. Additionally, these factors are examined within ecological and risk and protective factor theoretical frameworks. It is argued that further …

Stress Corrosion Cracking Evaluation Of Candidate High Strength Stainless Steels For Prestressed Concrete, Joseph Rogelio Fernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prestressed concrete piles are commonly used to support over-water highway bridges in marine environments. The reinforcing steel within will ultimately be degraded via corrosion damage due to the penetration of chloride ions from sea water. The service life of these structures is, in part, dictated by the time required to diffuse chloride ions through the concrete cover and subsequently corrode the steel. Therefore, by slowing the rate of diffusion or increasing the chloride threshold of the steel (or both) an increased service life can be expected. This thesis focuses on the latter whereby stainless steel reinforcing alternatives were investigated to …