Digital Commons Network^™

Impacts Of Artificial Reefs On Surrounding Ecosystems, Sarine Manoukian

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Artificial reefs are becoming a popular biological and management component in shallow water environments characterized by soft seabed, representing both important marine habitats and tools to manage coastal fisheries and resources. An artificial reef in the marine environment acts as an open system with exchange of material and energy, altering the physical and biological characteristics of the surrounding area. Reef stability will depend on the balance of scour, settlement, and burial resulting from ocean conditions over time. Because of the unstable nature of sediments, they require a detailed and systematic investigation.

Acoustic systems like high-frequency multibeam sonar are efficient tools …

Chemical Investigation Of The Antarctic Marine Invertebrates Austrodoris Kerguelenensis & Dendrilla Membranosa And The Antarctic Red Alga Gigartina Skottsbergii, John Alan Maschek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The marine realm and, in particular, the Antarctic benthos is largely unexplored and understudied. The chemical investigation reported herein reveals not only the biodiversity, but how that biodiversity manifests remarkable chemical diversity. In our continuing study of the nudibranch Austrodoris kerguelenensis, we have isolated a diverse suite of diterpenoid glyceride esters, palmadorins D - S (2.32 - 2.47), one of which is the first reported halogenated diterpene from a dorid nudibranch. Utilizing genomic data from collaborators, we have investigated the chemical diversity from phylogenetically unique specimens collected in close proximity to one another. Chemical groupings based on comparison of LC/MS …

A Framework For Determining The Reliability Of Nanoscale Metallic Oxide Semiconductor (Mos) Devices, Wilkistar Otieno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increase in worldwide investments during the past several decades has pro-pelled scienti c breakthroughs in nanoscience and technology research to new and exciting levels. To ensure that these discoveries lead to commercially viable prod-ucts, it is important to address some of the fundamental engineering and scientific challenges related to nanodevices. Due to the centrality of reliability to product integrity, nanoreliability requires critical analysis and understanding to ensure long-term sustainability of nanodevices and systems. In this study, we construct a relia-bility framework for nanoscale dielectric lms used in Metallic Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) devices. The successful fabrication and incorporation of metallic …

Corrole Synthesis And Catalytic Applications Toward Cobalt(Iii)-Catalyzed Epoxidation, N-H Insertion, And Cyclopropanation, Chung Sik Kim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A variety of bromocorroles, useful precusors for Pd-based cross coupling, were sucessfully synthesized in moderate to good yields. Chiral corroles were also synthesized through use of chiral amides in the aforementioned cross coupling reactions. Cobalt complexes bearing π-acceptor (CNtBu) and σ-donor (PPh3) ligands were also prepared in excellent yields. In this dissertation, cobalt (III) corrole complexes were applied to three different reaction areas: epoxidation, N-H insertion, and cyclopropanation. Cobalt(III) corroles were found to be efficient catalysts for epoxidation reactions. The epoxidation reactions can be carried out using ethyl phenyldiazoacetate, an acceptor/donor diazo compound, as a carbenoid precusor.The reaction provided highly …

Dna Methylation And Its Association With Prenatal Exposures And Pregnancy Outcomes, Jennifer Straughen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Altered DNA methylation may lead to suboptimal fetal programming, increasing the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as small for gestational age (SGA); however, few studies have examined the associations between DNA methylation, prenatal exposures, and fetal outcomes. Cross-sectional data from a larger, ongoing study were used to assess the impact of prenatal smoking on gene specific methylation of umbilical cord blood derived DNA and to investigate the association between gene-specific methylation and risk of SGA. The association between gene-specific DNA methylation and birthweight was also assessed. Maternal and infant covariates were abstracted from medical records, cigarette smoke exposure was …

Evaluation Of Common Inherited Variants In Mitochondrial-Related And Microrna-Related Genes As Novel Risk Factors For Ovarian Cancer, Jennifer Permuth Wey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women in the United States, and the etiology is incompletely understood. Common, low penetrant genetic variants such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) likely contribute to a significant proportion of EOC. We examined whether SNPs in two understudied yet biologically important types of genes, mitochondrial-related and miRNA-related genes, may contribute to EOC susceptibility using data from a large, homogeneous study population of 1,815 EOC cases and 1,900 controls (frequency-matched on age-group and race/ethnicity) genotyped through stage 1 of an ongoing genome-wide association study. Inter-individual variation in genes involved …

Epidemiological Study Of Contributing Factors In The Development Of Peptic Ulcer And Gastric Cancer Initiated By Helicobacter Pylori Infection In India, Rahul Suresh Mhaskar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a significant risk factor for peptic ulcer (PU) and gastric cancer (GC). Apart from the virulent CagA genotype of H. pylori environmental and dietary factors influence disease outcomes. There have been no studies addressing these factors in Western India. Hence, we conducted a case control study enrolling PU, GC patients and controls at Pune, India.

Methods: Risk factors for PU and H. pylori infection were assessed in participant interview. H. pylori status was assessed from stool by monoclonal antigen detection. To understand treatment effect, we followed 100 H. pylori positive patients.

Results: We …

Aspects Of The Life History Of The Snowy Grouper, Epinephelus Niveatus, In The Gulf Of Mexico, Kelley Kowal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of many life history parameters are essential to properly assess and manage fish species. Although the snowy grouper, Epinephelus niveatus, is a commercially valuable fish, which is harvested throughout the Gulf of Mexico, little is known about its age, growth, and reproduction from this region. In this study, snowy grouper from the northern and eastern regions of the Gulf of Mexico were examined primarily using commercially-derived samples that were collected between 1984 and 2004. A total of 1,200 snowy grouper with fork lengths between 242 and 1,190 mm were collected. Sectioned saggital otoliths were used to determine the age …

Discovery Of Novel Viruses From Animals, Plants, And Insect Vectors Using Viral Metagenomics, Terry Fei Fan Ng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding emerging viruses is critical for disease monitoring and prediction; however, surveys of novel viruses are hindered by the lack of a universal assay for viruses. Viral metagenomics, consisting of viral particle purification and shotgun sequencing, is a powerful technique for discovering viruses in a wide variety of sample types. However, current protocols are not effective on tissue samples (e.g., lungs, livers and tumors), where they are hindered by the high amount of host nucleic acids which limits the percentage of sequences that originate from viruses. In this dissertation, a modified viral metagenomics protocol was developed and utilized to effectively …

Down, But Not Out: An Ethnographic Study Of Women Who Struggled With And Overcame Methamphetamine Addiction, Jodi Nettleton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women suffer methamphetamine (meth) addiction at a rate much higher than rates for addiction to other drugs. Female meth users are susceptible and predisposed to gender-related risks: high rates of unprotected vaginal and anal sex, sex-work, and sexual coercion. Precursors for addiction (e.g., abuse, body dysphasia) put females in a difficult position for recovery and highlight the need for gender-specific research and treatment.

Methamphetamine (a synthetically derived stimulant) creates psychological and physical dependency that affects every neuron of the brain and damages the body immediately. Women ingest meth for initial effects that allay social pressures: feeling euphoric, connecting with others …

African American Athletes And The Negotiation Of Public Spaces: An Examination Of Athletic Capital And African American Perceptions Of Success, Keona Lewis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the culture of sport among African American male football players as well as African American perspectives on sport and success. A case study of six African American, Division 1 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) collegiate student athletes was conducted along with seventeen supplemental interviews with community members, parents, coaches and former athletes and fans. The participants answered questions that explored education, success, identity construction, ethnicity and sport. Archival data was also reviewed framing the discussion on football in Florida, links between education and sport participation and African American male academic achievement. While many perspectives varied, there were collective …

Florida's Adolescent Literacy Policy: An Alternative Reading And Response, Diane Kroeger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative case study, I constructed interpretations of the meanings conveyed by state-level discourse communities as they were manifested in the primary and secondary speech genres of Florida’s adolescent literacy policy. Meanings (or values, beliefs and feelings) are highly tacit understandings embedded in the language, actions and objects of policy (Yanow, 2000), and are conveyed through informal and formal speech (Bakhtin, 1986). Results revealed (a) state policy meanings convey multiple versions of literacy with a heavy focus on receptive aspects of literate practice; (b) a typology of students and their fit within the institutional system; and (c) an emphasis …

Comparison Of Safety Performance By Design Types At Freeway Diverge Areas And Exit Ramp Sections, Hongyun Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety performance of different freeway exit types used in current practical designs. More specific, the research objectives include the following two parts: 1) to compare the safety performance of different design types at freeway diverge areas and exit ramp sections; and 2) to identify the impact factors contributing to the crashes happening at these two specific segments.

The study area includes four subjects, the freeway widely-spaced diverge areas; the freeway closely-spaced diverge areas; the left-side off-ramps and the exit ramp sections. For the freeway diverge areas, design types were defined …

The Roles Of Elevated Bcl-2 In Ovarian Cancer, Nicole Shree Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the second most common gynecologic cancer; however it is responsible for the most gynecologic cancer-related deaths. Apoptosis evasion is an important mechanism in OC tumorigenesis, and the prototypic anti-apoptotic protein, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), is often overexpressed in OC tumors. Gaining a better understanding of the mechanism(s) behind Bcl-2 overexpression and potential extra-anti-apoptotic functions of Bcl-2 could elucidate the importance of elevated Bcl-2 in OC. In the current study, I show through immunohistochemical analysis of normal, benign, and OC tissue sections, that both epithelial and stromal Bcl-2 expression decreases with OC progression. However, the number of …

Before The Storm: Evacuation Intention And Audience Segmentation, Homer J. Rice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the predictors of evacuation intention among coastal residents in the State of Florida and to determine if there are meaningful segments of the population who intend to evacuate when told to do so by governmental officials because of a major hurricane. In the America’s and the Caribbean, 75,000 deaths have been attributed to hurricanes in the 20

th century. A well planned evacuation can reduce injury and death, yet many people do not have an evacuation plan and do not intend to evacuate when told to do so. The study used secondary …

The Economically Important Nitrogen Pathways Of Southwest Florida, Elon M. Malkin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The global phenomenon of burgeoning coastal population growth has led to coastal watershed landscape transformation and ecosystem degradation, prompting policy-makers to set limits on freshwater withdrawals and labile nutrient loads. Important components of Florida’s economies lie in the state’s expansive coastal zone; the organisms driving the billion-dollar recreational fishing industry are rooted in coastal habitats, while the agriculture and real-estate industries sprawl throughout numerous coastal watersheds. This study aimed to identify the connections between anthropogenic land use and essential juvenile fish nursery habitats within the coastal zone, which is the first critical step for sustaining the ecology and related economies …

Comparative Study Of Intentional Communities, Jessica Merrick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Moving to Florida to retire has become commonplace among American elders, though we have seldom addressed how lesbians and gay men navigate sexual identity in retirement. I undertake ethnography of three suburban, retirement-aged residential communities in Florida in which lesbians and gay men make community in order to understand how identities are produced by and within communities, the significance of suburban gay communities in the post-gay community era, and how residents from each community engage dominant discourse. Sanctuary Cove

1 is a ―gay and lesbian‖ retirement community; Bayside Park is a ―women‘s-only‖ (lesbian) community; and Heritage Estates is a heteronormative …

Dewey's Pragmatism And The Great Community, Philip Schuyler Bishop

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In investigating Dewey’s theory of the Great community, it is important to first examine closely Dewey’s theory of scientific inquiry and show how it evades the spectator theory of knowledge common to all modern epistemologies as closed systems. Dewey maintained that through controlled experimentalism we engage, and can solve, existential issues facing us for the purpose of expanding human freedom, promoting the democratic way of life and cultivating the institutions which foster these activities. The usage of inquiry to overcome problematic situations therefore stands as one of the first conditions needed to attain the great community.

Since Dewey did not …

Educators’ Beliefs About And Approaches To The Evaluation Of Student Writing, Vanessa Minick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overarching purpose of this study was to describe educators’ beliefs about the evaluation of student writing. The inquiry was guided by the following research questions: (a) what are the differences in the ways in which educators approach evaluating student writing? (b) how do educators evaluate the effectiveness of their evaluation methods for judging the quality of students’ writing samples? and (c) what factors impact the evaluation decisions of educators? The following variables were considered: public and private school settings, evaluation methods, and educators’ beliefs about evaluating writing. In order to gain perspective of the current status of the methods …

Voltage Stability Impact Of Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Systems Utilizing Dynamic Reactive Power Control, Adedamola Omole

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Photovoltaic (PV) DGs can be optimized to provide reactive power support to the grid,

although this feature is currently rarely utilized as most DG systems are designed to

operate with unity power factor and supply real power only to the grid. In this work, the

voltage stability of a power system embedded with PV DG is examined in the context of

the high reactive power requirement after a voltage sag or fault. A real-time dynamic

multi-function power controller that enables renewable source PV DGs to provide the

reactive power support necessary to maintain the voltage stability of the microgrid, and …

Using Virtual Environments As Professional Development Tools For Pre-Service Teachers Seeking Esol Endorsement, Rebecca J. Blankenship

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential use of Second Life (Linden Labs, 2004) and Skype (Skype Limited, 2009) as simulated virtual professional development tools for pre-service teachers seeking endorsement in teaching English as a Second Official Language (ESOL. Second Life is an avatar-based Internet program that allows end-users to interact, using audio and chat features, with a digital representation of themselves (an avatar). Skype is an Internet-based video conferencing program that allows users to see each other by way of a webcam. Of particular interest to this study was how a group of 12 pre-service teacher …

Hydrologic Controls On Salinity In Mangroves And Lagoons, Christina Elaine Stringer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the hydrologic controls on salinity within mangroves and lagoons at sites in Florida and Mexico. The main objective of this research is to better understand hydrologic controls on mangrove ecosystem structure and develop ideas that will be useful to land managers attempting to regulate and conserve these critical habitats. This study was conducted at sites in Ft. Pierce, FL and Costalegre on the central Pacific coast of Mexico.

We examined controls on water levels and salinity in a mangrove on a carbonate barrier island along the Indian River Lagoon, east-central Florida. Spectral analysis of water levels showed …

Evaluation Of Deep Geologic Units In Florida For Potential Use In Carbon Dioxide Sequestration, Tina Roberts-Ashby

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concerns about elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO

2

) and the effect on

global climate have created proposals for the reduction of carbon emissions from large

stationary sources, such as power plants. Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration

(CCS) in deep geologic units is being considered by Florida electric-utilities. Carbon

dioxide-enhanced oil recovery (CO

2

-EOR) is a form of CCS that could offset some of the

costs associated with geologic sequestration. Two potential reservoirs for geologic

sequestration were evaluated in south-central and southern Florida: the Paleocene

Cedar Keys Formation/Upper Cretaceous Lawson Formation (CKLIZ) and the Lower

Cretaceous Sunniland Formation along …

Selected Students’, Parents’, And Graduate Student Tutors’ Experiences And Perceptions In A Community Of Interest Summer Literacy Camp, Kim G. Thomas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative case study, I examined a local summer literacy camp in which

graduate student tutors tutored elementary and middle school students in reading and

writing. I focused the study on the primary stakeholders in the summer literacy camp:

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ts, and the course instructor/camp director because

their voices are limited in the current literature. In this Community of Interest Summer

Literacy Camp, the graduate student tutors moved from a position of fear and trepidation

to a position of empowerment in which they hoped to make changes in their classrooms,

schools, and communities. The tutees learned to appreciate the …

The Conversion Of Low-Grade Heat Into Power Using Supercritical Rankine Cycles, Huijuan Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low-grade heat sources, here defined as below 300 ºC, are abundantly available as industrial waste heat, solar thermal, and geothermal, to name a few. However, they are under-exploited for conversion to power because of the low efficiency of conversion. The utilization of low-grade heat is advantageous for many reasons. Technologies that allow the efficient conversion of low-grade heat into mechanical or electrical power are very important to develop.

This work investigates the potential of supercritical Rankine cycles in the conversion of low-grade heat into power. The performance of supercritical Rankine cycles is studied using ChemCAD linked with customized excel macros …

Inactivation Of Ascaris Suum By Ammonia In Feces Simulating The Physical-Chemical Parameters Of The Solar Toilet Under Laboratory Conditions, Ligia Maria Cruz Espinoza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Access to sustainable sanitation systems is a determining factor in human health and economic development. However, more than a third of the world’s population lives without access to improved sanitation facilities. To meet the sanitation United Nations Millennium Development target, "halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation", a wide range of non conventional sanitation technologies have been implemented in developing countries, including waterless systems. These systems function by diverting urine away from feces and collecting, storing, and dehydrating the fecal material in watertight dehydration vaults. From a public …

The Intentions Of Florida Educational Leadership Graduate Students To Pursue Administrative Positions, Daniel Wayne Eadens

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the intentions of educational leadership students in Florida university graduate programs in regards to demographics and self-assessed leadership characteristics. The study employed a non-experimental design wherein Regression, ANOVA, and Multiple Regression statistical techniques were employed to explore intent. It examined the influences that self-assessed leadership behavior, gender, number of credits completed, and age had on respondent intentions as measured by the Leadership Practice Inventory and the Demographics and Intentions Questionnaire. The highest assessed priori sample size was 159 when power was set at 0.80, alpha was 0.05, and the expected effect size was set at .10. This …

The Interaction Between Urban Form And Transit Travel, Sisinnio Concas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study presents an analytical model of the interaction between urban form and the demand for transit travel, in which residential location, transit demand, and the spatial dispersion of non-work activities are endogenously determined. In this model, travel demand is considered a derived demand brought about by the necessity to engage in out-ofhome activities whose geographical extent is affected by urban form. In a departure from the urban monocentric model, residential location is defined as a job-residence pair in an urban area in which jobs, residences, and non-work activities are dispersed. Transit demand is then determined by residential location, work …

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Technology As A Catalyst For Constructivist Practices In The Classroom: A Case Study, Lynne Brown Menard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research described and analyzed teachers’ perceptions of technology as a catalyst for stimulating classroom constructivist practices. The teachers were located at multiple schools in one Florida county. The teachers were selected based on participation in the Education through Dynamic Global Experiences (EDGE) program. This One-toOne program provides one laptop for every classroom teacher and student. The most frequent ideas in the literature fell into three sections. First is the need to integrate technology as part of the curricula and use constructivism as a theoretical framework for technology integration. The second relates to the best practices of incorporating classroom technology …

Through The Lens Of A Global Educator: Examining Personal Perceptions Regarding The Construction Of World-Mindedness, Kenneth T. Carano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As we embark upon the 21st century, the world is becoming increasingly interconnected. Yet, despite increasing globalization, educational systems are not reflecting this phenomenon. The overwhelming majority of countries, including the United States, still emphasize nationalistic curricula (Parker, 2008; Tye, 2009). Global education is a movement whose supporters advocate an education reflecting the push towards globalization by providing students with the components necessary to live and thrive in an increasingly interconnected world system. Global educators have a common bond as advocates that a global perspective needs to be developed in the classroom. The degree to which this is being done …