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Structure Based Drug Design Targeting Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance And Alzheimer's Disease, Eric Michael Lewandowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Structure based drug design is a rapidly advancing discipline that examines how protein targets structurally interact with small molecules, or known inhibitors, and then uses this information to lead inhibitor optimization efforts. In the case of novel inhibitors, protein structural information is first obtained via X-ray crystallography, NMR studies, or a combination of both approaches. Then, computational molecular docking is often used to screen, in silico, millions of small molecules and calculate the potential interactions they may have with the target protein’s binding pocket, in hopes of identifying novel low affinity inhibitors. By examining the interactions these small, low affinity, …

Role Of The Slingshot-Cofilin And Ranbp9 Pathways In Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis, Jung A Woo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by two major pathological hallmarks, amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The accumulation of amyloid-β protein (Aβ) is an early event associated with synaptic and mitochondrial damage in AD. Therefore, molecular pathways underlying the neurotoxicity and generation of Aβ represent promising therapeutic targets for AD. Recent studies have shown that actin severing protein, Cofilin plays an important role in synaptic remodeling, mitochondrial dysfunction, and AD pathogenesis. However, whether Cofilin is an essential component of AD pathogenesis and how Aβ induced neurotoxicity impinges its signals to Cofilin are unclear.

In my dissertation studies, we …

Characterization And Diurnal Measurement Of Oral Inflammation In Association With Glycemic Control, Periodontal Status, & Glucose Stimulation, Melanie N. Kuehl

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes has afflicted 8.3%, approximately 25.8 million, of the United States population and is the seventh leading cause of death [1]. Type I diabetes (T1D) accounts for 5 to 10% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in the United States [2]. If present trends continue, the rate of T1D incidence among children under the age of 14 will increase by 3% globally [3]. T1D is an autoimmune disorder in which the β-cells of the pancreatic islets are destroyed, leading to high blood sugar. Hyperglycemia and loss of immunological tolerance to self-antigens are common associations of T1D [4]. Periodontal disease impacts …

Mediated Relationships: An Ethnography Of Family Law Mediation, Elaina Behounek

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In my dissertation, I use multi-ethnographic methods to examine how mediators talk about, manage, and process families going through divorce. I show how a dominant narrative about marriage and the cultural expectations of parenthood provide a framework for mediators to manage the discourse of divorcing parties so assets and care giving can be split 50/50. The dominant P.E.A.C.E. narrative (P=parenting plan, E=equitable distribution, A=alimony, C=child support, E=everything else) restricts available discourse in mediation and guides mediators’ behaviors in ways that homogenize families by providing a linear formula for mediators to follow which results in only certain stories being allowed to …

The Effects Of Parent-Adolescent Communication And Parenting Style On The Physical Activity And Dietary Behaviors Of Latino Adolescents, Dianna Mary Boone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The obesity epidemic among children and adolescents has been growing rapidly over the past 10 years, particularly in Latino children. Multiple researchers have found support for positive associations between parent-child communication and healthy nutrition and exercise behaviors. The present study examined the relations between parent-adolescent communication and parenting style and the dietary and exercise behaviors of Latino adolescents. The study included 79 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 years and their parents (100% are Latino). Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine which parenting style and communication variables are significantly associated with adolescents’ dietary and physical …

Knowledge Discovery And Predictive Modeling From Brain Tumor Mris, Mu Zhou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quantitative cancer imaging is an emerging field that develops computational techniques to acquire a deep understanding of cancer characteristics for cancer diagnosis and clinical decision making. The recent emergence of growing clinical imaging data provides a wealth of opportunity to systematically explore quantitative information to advance cancer diagnosis. Crucial questions arise as to how we can develop specific computational models that are capable of mining meaningful knowledge from a vast quantity of imaging data and how to transform such findings into improved personalized health care?

This dissertation presents a set of computational models in the context of malignant brain tumors— …

Field Observations And Novel Methodologies For Carbon System Assessments In Coastal Waters, Bo Yang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coastal zones receive massive terrestrial inputs of nutrients and organic matter, and play an important role in biogeochemical cycles. The interactions of river inputs, ocean currents, atmospheric exchanges, anthropogenic influences, and biologically active ecosystems make CO₂ system studies in coastal waters highly challenging. This work focuses on improving our understanding of the CO₂ system in coastal waters through (1) development of a new methodology for measurements of CO₂ system parameters in the field; (2) observations of large spatial and temporal CO₂ system variations in coastal waters; and (3) characterization of the influence of organics on CO …

Bio-Photoelectrochemical Solar Cells Incorporating Reaction Center And Reaction Center Plus Light Harvesting Complexes, Houman Yaghoubi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Harvesting solar energy can potentially be a promising solution to the energy crisis now and in the future. However, material and processing costs continue to be the most important limitations for the commercial devices. A key solution to these problems might lie within the development of bio-hybrid solar cells that seeks to mimic photosynthesis to harvest solar energy and to take advantage of the low material costs, negative carbon footprint, and material abundance. The bio-photoelectrochemical cell technologies exploit biomimetic means of energy conversion by utilizing plant-derived photosystems which can be inexpensive and ultimately the most sustainable alternative. Plants and photosynthetic …

Photoacoustic Calorimetry Studies Of The Earliest Events In Horse Heart Cytochrome-C Folding, Tarah A. Word

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The protein folding problem involves understanding how the tertiary structure of a protein is related to its primary structure. Hence, understanding the thermodynamics associated with the rate-limiting steps for the formation of the earliest events in folding is most crucial to understanding how proteins adopt native secondary and tertiary structures. In order to elucidate the mechanism and pattern of protein folding, an extensively studied protein, Cytochrome-c (Cc), was chosen as a folding system to obtain detailed time-resolved thermodynamic profiles for the earliest events in the protein folding process. Cytochrome-c is an ideal system for understanding the folding process for several …

Assessing The Occupational Nosie Exposure Of Bartenders, Adrianna J. Woltman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that each year, approximately 30 million people are occupationally exposed to hazardous noise. While many are aware of the noise exposure associated with industrial occupations, there has been little research conducted on bartenders who often work in environments that have high levels of noise. The majority of current published research on occupational noise exposure of bartenders has only evaluated noise levels on one night of business. Bartenders often work multiple days per week, which vary in the amount of patrons and entertainment provided, this variation in business leads to variation in the amount …

Ductility And Use Of Titanium Alloy And Stainless Steel Aerospace Fasteners, Jarrod Talbott Whittaker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate the ductility and application of titanium alloys, like titanium 6Al-4V, when used in aerospace fasteners compared to more conventional stainless steel aerospace fasteners such as A286. There have been concerns raised about the safe usability of titanium 6-4 in the aerospace industry due to its lack of strain hardening. However, there is a lack of data pertaining to this concern of safe usage which this thesis aims to address. Tensile tests were conducted to find the ductility indexes of these fasteners which quantify the amount of plastic to elastic elongation. From …

Evaluation Of Soil As A Risk Indicator For Human Leptospirosis In Coastal, Rural Ecuador, Chad Allen Weddell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic spirochete bacteria (family Leptospiraceae, genus Leptospira), is endemic in developing tropical regions of the world. It occurs in epidemics and is endemic in Ecuador where environmental conditions are ideal for maintenance. The role of soil as a long term reservoir has been previously been documented. Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technology was used in our study to further explore the role of soil as an environmental reservoir and its potential use as a static risk indicator for disease. Red, Green, Blue (RGB) spectral band data from known leptospire …

Nanomechanical And Nanotribological Characterization Of Sub-Micron Polymeric Spheres, Himanshu Kumar Verma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Friction between nanoscale objects has been a subject of great interest and intense research effort for the last two decades. However, the vast majority of the work done in this area has focused upon the sliding friction between two rigid, atomically smooth surfaces. Thus the parameter most explored has been the corrugation in the atomic potentials and how this affects the force required to slide one object across another. In truth, many nanoscale objects whose translation force is of practical interest are more spherical in nature. We hypothesize that the factors that determine the translation force will be related, not …

A Comparison Of Quality Of Life Between Intense And Non-Intense Treatment For Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia And High-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Sara Marie Tinsley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are hematologic malignancies that occur most frequently in the sixth and seventh decades of life. Both disorders are associated with a poor prognosis, with median survival of one year or less. An overall five-year survival rate for both disorders, regardless of treatment, is less than 10%. A primary goal of treatment is to improve quality of life (QOL) because cure is improbable. The purpose of this longitudinal cohort study was to compare QOL between groups, intensive, non-intensive therapy, and supportive care. The sample consisted of 85 patients with high risk MDS …

A Forward Genetic Screen Identifies Factors Associated With Fever Pathogenesis In Plasmodium Falciparum, Phaedra J. Thomas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Infectious diseases that spread from person-to-person and continent-to-continent are a cause for concern for any health entity. One such disease is malaria, a mosquito-borne infection instigated by the protozoan parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Hundreds of millions of people are affected annually and it is responsible for nearly 1 million deaths. It is the most fatal species causing malaria and proliferates in human red blood cells with a life cycle occurring every 48 hours. At this time, the parasite’s late stage form or schizont bursts from the erythrocyte releasing immune-inducing particles and infective forms (merozoites) into the bloodstream. The merozoites go …

Health-Related Quality Of Life And Positive Mental Health Indicators In Youth With Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Sim Yin Tan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a chronic health condition that is increasingly affecting both children and adolescents (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Although many studies have investigated the impact of HIV on cognitive, physical, academic, and psychosocial functioning, little is known about the self-perception of health-related quality of life, subjective well-being, social-emotional well-being, and psychopathology risks of youth who are infected with HIV. This study is one of first to examine the presence of these positive and negative health indicators and the relationship among these factors in youth with HIV and a community-based sample.

A total of 84 …

Authentication Via Multiple Associated Devices, Jean-Baptiste Subils

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a practical method of authentication utilizing multiple devices. The factors contributing to the practicality of the method are: the utilization of devices already commonly possessed by users and the amenability to being implemented on a wide variety of devices. The term “device” refers to anything able to perform cryptographic operations, store data, and communicate with another such device.

In the method presented herein, multiple devices need to be associated with a single user to provide this user an identity in the system. A public key infrastructure is used to provide this identity. Each of the devices associated …

The Experiences Of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, And Transgender Students At The University Of South Florida, Tampa Campus Using Aspects Of The College Student Experiences Questionnaire, Matthew Douglas Stewart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative research study examined the college experiences of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students at the University of South Florida, Tampa campus. Students were surveyed, via the web, using select questions from the College Student Experiences Questionnaire during the Fall 2014 semester. The data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods and the results reported for each scale and question. Recommendations for practice and areas for future research were identified.

There are four research questions that guide this study:

• Question 1: What are the collegiate experiences of gay men, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students as measured using aspects of …

Health Infor[M-Ed]: Black College Females Discuss A Virtual Reality (Vr) Platform For Sexual Health Education And Training, Henry Arnett Ross

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: College settings are likely environments for Black women to contract STIs (including HIV) or experience unintentional/unwanted pregnancies. Effective prevention strategies for this population include dialogue and activities that focus on gender, maturity, cultural barriers, personal strength, and information needs. However, technological advancements (including virtual reality) and innovation are limited in prevention efforts.

Methods: Four 90-minute focus group sessions were conducted in a convenience sample of Black college females (ages 18 years or older) and a research-intensive public institution in the southeast. A series of surveys were distributed during each audio-recorded focus group session. A mixed-method approach to data analysis …

Function Of Long Noncoding Rnas In Breast Cancer, Edward J. Richards

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is a disease that will be diagnosed in about 1 in 10 women throughout their lifetime. The majority of breast cancers are originated from the epithelial cells of the mammary ducts, and this occurrence can be due to several factors including hereditary and acquired mutation. There are several major breast cancer subtypes, including estrogen receptor-α (ERα)-positive, HER2-enriched and triple-negative (TNBC). Patients diagnosed with ER+ tumors are generally treated with estrogen blockers (e.g., tamoxifen, letrozole and fulvestrant). Patients with HER2+ tumors are commonly administered with drugs that block HER2 signaling (e.g., trastuzumab) or inhibit HER2’s tyrosine kinase activity (e.g., …

Effect Of Timely Treatment On Malaria Gametocytemia In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Miguel Reina-Ortiz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a disease that causes great burden in public health worldwide. It was estimated that in 2011 there were 3.3 billion people at risk of acquiring malaria. According to data from the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador, malaria incidence has shown a 99.9% steady decrease since year 2000. This study evaluated the effect of timely treatment on circulating gametocyte and malaria incidence rates. All cases reported in the province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador from July 2012 to March 2015 and to the national headquarters between February 2012 and December 2014 were studied. The effect of early treatment on: 1) …

Investigаtiоn Оf 3d Structures Оf Γ-Aaрeрtide Bаsed Peрtidоmimetics, Qiao Qiao

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oligomers which have a tendency to form well-defined secondary structures are called foldamers. They offer an attractive opportunity for the design of novel molecules that mimic the structures and functions of proteins and enzymes including biocatalysis and biomolecular recognition. Herein a new class of non-natural γ-AApeptides and their derivatives are synthesized and studied in our lab. Previous studies of γ-AApeptides have revealed that they are highly resistant to proteolysis, and have virtually limitless potential in functional group diversity. However, to improve the bio-activity and explore new bio-applications, the understanding of the folding conformation of γ-AApeptides are necessary. Thus, NMR spectroscopy …

Applications Of Optical Properties From Nanomaterials For Enhanced Activity Of A Titania Photocatalyst Under Solar Radiation, Jon W. Pickering

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, employing advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) as a means of wastewater remediation has emerged as a promising route towards maintaining a sustainable global water management program. The heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation process has been of particular interest due to the prospective of utilizing solar radiation as the driving force behind the degradation of pollutants. Of the photocatalyst studied to date, TiO2 remains the most attractive material for environmental applications due to its affordability, stability, biocompatibility and high quantum yield. A key draw back however is roughly only 5% of solar radiation incident on earth can provide the energy required …

Topographical Enhancement Of Cell Adhesion On Poorly Adhesive Materials, Maritza Muniz Maisonet

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overall thrust of this dissertation is to gain a fundamental understanding of the synergistic effects between surface topography and chemical functionality of poorly adhesive materials on enhancing the adhesion of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Cellular response to surface topography and chemical functionality have been extensively studied on their own providing valuable information that helps in the design of new and improved biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. However, there is a lack of understanding of the synergistic effect of microscale and nanoscale topography with chemical functionality and the relative impact and contribution of each in modulating cellular behavior. By understanding the …

Assessment Of Soil Transmitted Helminth Infection (Sthi) In School Children, Risk Factors, Interactions And Environmental Control In El Salvador., Sharad Suryakant Malavade

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background:

Soil transmitted helminth infections (STHI) are important Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD). The three main STHI are infections with Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and hookworms. STHI have a significant effect on the growth and development of children. A national survey for STHI in El Salvador by Pan American Health Organization and Ministry of Health in 2012 in school children aged 8years to 10 years. The survey collected data on age, gender, behavioral habits, and source of drinking water, type of toilet facility used and ecological zone of residence.

A) We did an analyses of the data with an aim to …

Energy Production And Effluent Quality In Tubular Digesters Treating Livestock Waste In Rural Costa Rica, Maureen Njoki Kinyua

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Use of tubular anaerobic digesters to treat livestock waste in developing countries has energy, agricultural, health, social and environmental benefits. However, careful use of digester effluent as a soil amendment is required due to the potential presence of protozoan parasites Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia. This research investigated the performance of four tubular digesters in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. High (>75%) volatile solids and BOD5 removal efficiencies were observed, which was attributed to the formation of a biologically active floccular sludge layer. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and bioprocess models were developed to evaluate the transport and transformation …

Environmental Sustainability Of Wastewater Treatment Plants Integrated With Resource Recovery: The Impact Of Context And Scale, Pablo K. Cornejo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is an urgent need for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to adapt to a rise in water and energy demands, prolonged periods of drought, climate variability, and resource scarcity. As population increases, minimizing the carbon and energy footprints of wastewater treatment, while properly managing nutrients is crucial to improving the sustainability WWTPs. Integrated resource recovery can mitigate the environmental impact of wastewater treatment systems; however, the mitigation potential depends on various factors such as treatment technology, resource recovery strategy, and system size.

Amidst these challenges, this research seeks to investigate the environmental sustainability of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) integrating resource …

Mechanical Properties Of Laser-Sintered-Nylon Diamond Lattices, Clayton Neff

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing offers a manufacturing technique to produce complex geometry prototypes at a rapid pace and low cost. These advantages advocate additive manufacturing for the design and production of cellular structures. Cellular structures are interesting because they contain a large amount of porosity (void space of air) to manifest a lightweight structure. Designs of cellular structures generate a periodic pattern; often of complex geometry, called a lattice.

There has been a significant amount of research to maximize specific stiffness of lattice structures but little to evaluate low-stiffness lattices. Low-stiffness structures benefit energy absorbance through bending of the lattice. This research …

Development Of Polymer Composite Based Enabling Technologies For Lab-On-A-Chip Devices, Vinicio Carias

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents enabling technologies to fabricate thermo-responsive polymer composite based Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) devices. LOC devices, also known as micro-total-analytical systems (microTAS) or microfluidic devices can amalgamate miniaturized laboratory functions on a single chip. This significant size reduction decreases the amount of required fluid volumes down to nano or pico-liters. The main commercial application of LOC devices is the biomedical fields. However, these devices are anticipated to make a technological revolution similar to the way miniaturization changed computers. In fact, medical and chemical analyses are predicted to shift from room-sized laboratories to hand-held portable devices.

This dissertation is divided into …

Aspirin Triggered Resolution Phase Interaction Product D1: A Novel Treatment For Hyperoxic Acute Lung Injury, Ruan Rollin Cox, Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Acute Lung injury (ALI) and the more severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are respiratory maladies that present immense clinical challenges. ALI affects 200,000 individuals annually and features a 40% mortality rate. ALI can be initiated by both pathogenic and sterile insults originating locally in the lungs or systemically. While immense research has been poured into this disease in an effort to find a therapeutic strategy, the heterogeneously diffuse nature of the disease has not yielded a cure for the disease. Death from this disease is strongly attributed to reduced gas exchange from a severely compromised alveolar-capillary barrier. The only …