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Modeling Potential Chemical Environments: Implications For Astrobiology, Brian Craig Szenay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modeling chemical environments is an important step to understanding the diversity of prebiotic systems that may have formed on the early earth or potentially can occur on other worlds. By using the modern Earth as a test case, these models predict scenarios with systems more conducive to the formation of the organic molecules that are important to life. Here we use the equilibrium thermodynamic modeling program HSC Chem to investigate prebiotic environments. This program uses the raw material that the user inputs into the system in order to calculate the change in amounts of chemical species forming as a function …

Colors And Mapping: The Right To Receive Information, Kathryn Stephanie Skupien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Color is used in everything we see and do and it often can be used for effect and representation, particularly on maps and transportation signage. This study explores the issues that the color blind population exhibits when viewing these maps and signs. Seeing that 8%#37; of the male population is afflicted with some form of color blindness, it is pertinent that research reflect these issues and take into consideration the Right to Receive Information for this population. A qualitative method using Photovoice and interviews was used to determine whether this population considers itself having a disability and what solutions can …

Use Of Stable Isotope And Trace Metal Signatures To Track The Emigration Of Female Blue Crabs, Callinectes Sapidus, From Tampa Bay, Sky Barrington Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, supports a successful fishery in the Atlantic Ocean and throughout the Gulf of Mexico, with a total landing of 8,158,788 lb. and a total value of $10,562,128 for the state of Florida during 2012 (FWC 2012 Annual Landings Summary). An accurate and comprehensive understanding of the blue crab's life history and seasonal migration behavior is essential in defining effective management strategies for the fishery. Tag recapture studies and ultrasonic tracking methods for studying blue crab migrations are costly in terms of time and resources. In this study an alternative approach, microchemical natural tagging, was …

When Celebrity Women Tweet: Examining Authenticity, Empowerment, And Responsibility In The Surveillance Of Celebrity Twitter, Megan M. Wood

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a textual analysis of stories in online celebrity news articles about celebrity women and their use of Twitter. It adds to the burgeoning discussion about gendered and racialized bodies online using scholarship from critical feminist, surveillance, and digital media studies. Throughout, my work attends to notions of authenticity and surveillance, examining how what I term a "call to authenticity"--the use of technologies of self-surveillance to verify "authentic" displays of the self--serves to animate contradictory post-feminist paradigms of femininity which function together to discipline and subjugate femininity. I ask: How do post-feminist questions of empowerment and responsibility become …

Innate Immune Responses To Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Age-Associated Changes, Terianne Maiko Wong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection causes ~64 million cases of respiratory disease and 200,000 deaths annually worldwide, yet there is no broadly effective prophylactic or treatment regimen. RSV can produce acute respiratory illness in patients of all ages but strikes the age extremes, infants and the elderly, with highest frequency presumably due to innate immune deficiencies. A higher morbidity and mortality has been reported for the elderly above 65 years of age, which has been attributed to immune senescence. Efforts to generate an effective vaccine have thus far been unsuccessful.

The innate immune system provides the first line of defense …

Development Of A Novel Method For Deriving Thresholds Of Toxicological Concern (Ttcs) For Vaccine Constituents, Jennifer Jessica White

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Safety assessment relating to the presence of impurities, residual materials and contaminants in vaccines is a focus area of research at the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sponsors who submit Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for new vaccine products must report the results of safety assessments to the Division of Vaccines and Related Products Applications (DVRPA). Scientifically defining thresholds of toxicological concern (TTCs) as they apply to vaccine constituents will provide a useful aid to the sponsors and public regarding safety assessments of compounds for which there is little or no toxicity data. TTCs are mathematically modeled …

Histone Deacetylases As Targets For Melanoma Immunotherapy, David Michael Woods

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer represents the second leading cause of death in the United States. For many malignancies, currently available treatment options offer little long-lasting survival benefits to patients. However, recent studies have shown immunotherapeutic approaches to be an attractive strategy to cancer treatment. While many current immunotherapeutic strategies convey durable responses, such responses are only seen in a minority of patients. An increased understanding of the mechanisms governing tumor immunogenicity and the biology of immune responses is crucial to improving upon the efficacy of current and future cancer immunotherapies. Histone deacetylases (HDACs), enzymes classically associated with regulation of gene expression, have been …

Factors Related To The Professional Management Of Early Breastfeeding Problems: Perspectives Of Lactation Consultants, Erica Hesch Anstey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Addressing the sub-optimal breastfeeding initiation and duration rates has become a national priority. Inadequate support for addressing early breastfeeding challenges is compounded by a lack of collaboration between providers such as lactation professionals, nurses, pediatricians, and the family. The purpose of this exploratory study was to understand International Board Certified Lactation Consultants' (IBCLCs) perceived barriers to managing early breastfeeding problems. This qualitative study was guided by the symbolic interactionist framework through a grounded theory methodological approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 IBCLCs from across Florida. IBCLCs were from a range of practice settings, including hospitals, WIC clinics, private practice, …

Synthesis Of Amphiphilic Α- And Γ-Aapeptides For Antimicrobial, Self-Assembly, And Mineralization Studies, Mohamad N. Amin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Seven novel, amphiphilic AApeptides were prepared. Two cationic, lipo-α-AApeptides, NA-75 and NA-77 were found to possess potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, with almost no hemolytic activity. In addition to NA-75 and 77, four amphiphilic, γ-AApeptides, NA-133, 135, 137, and 139, and one anionic lipo-α-AApeptide, NA-81, were prepared for molecular self-assembly studies, with several interesting nanostructures observed by TEM. Mineralization of calcium carbonate from gaseous CO2 and Ca2+ in the presence of the 7 AApeptide amphiphiles was also observed by optical microscopy. Several AApeptides were found to be able to influence CaCO3 crystal morphology. Another α-AApeptide, NA-63, was synthesized by …

Investigation Of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (Cdom) Optical Properties, Nutrients, And Salinity In Coastal Florida: Springshed To Estuaries, Ana Rosa Arellano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Optical parameters measured via absorption spectroscopy and high-resolution fluorescence spectroscopy were used to characterize dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the springshed of Kings Bay, a spring-fed estuary located on Florida's Springs Coast. Over the past 40 years, springs supplying groundwater to Kings Bay have shown an increase in nitrate concentration. The overall goal of this project was to fingerprint wells and spring sites with elevated nitrogen concentrations using CDOM optical properties and establish relationships between nutrient and optical parameters. Samples were obtained from various sites: springs, Kings Bay surface (KBS), wells, coastal waters in and at the mouth of Crystal …

Diet-Induced Ketosis And Calorie Restriction In Mouse Models Of Alzheimer's Pathology, Milene Lara Brownlow

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dietary manipulations and their pharmacological outcomes have been increasingly studied in neurodegenerative diseases. However, a systematic comparison among different methods in validated animal models of Alzheimer's disease is made necessary due to several different approaches applied in recent studies. Moreover, despite the large body of evidence on the effects of calorie restriction (CR) and ketogenic diets (KDs) on amyloid pathology, no consistent data is available on the effects of calorie restriction, ketogenic diet or ketone supplements on tau pathology in transgenic models of AD. Moreover, the ketogenic diet used in our studies was custom made with low carbohydrate content and …

The Relationship Between Attitudes And Perspectives Of American Sign Language University Students Towards Deaf People, Beth Lilessie Cagle Brightman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

N/A

Age Dependent Analysis And Modeling Of Prostate Cancer Data, Nana Osei Mensa Bonsu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growth rate of prostate cancer tumor is an important aspect of understanding the natural history of prostate cancer. Using real prostate cancer data from the SEER database with tumor size as a response variable, we have clustered the cancerous tumor sizes into age groups to enhance its analytical behavior. The rate of change of the response variable as a function of age is given for each cluster. Residual analysis attests to the quality of the analytical model and the subject estimates. In addition, we have identified the probability distribution that characterize the behavior of the response variable and proceeded with …

The Combined Effects Of Light And Temperature On Coral Bleaching: A Case Study Of The Florida Reef Tract Using Satellite Data, Brian Burnel Barnes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are greatly impacted by the physical characteristics of the water surrounding them. Incidence and severity of mass coral bleaching and mortality events are increasing worldwide due primarily to increased water temperature, but also in response to other stressors. This decline in reef health demands clearer understanding of the compounding effects of multiple stressors, as well as widespread assessment of coral reef health in near-real time.

Satellites offer a means by which some of the physical stressors on coral reefs can be measured. The synoptic spatial coverage and high repeat sampling frequency of such instruments allow for a quantity …

Magnetization Dynamics And Related Phenomena In Nanostructures, Sayan Chandra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Collective magnetic behavior in nanostructures is a phenomenon commonly observed in various magnetic systems. It arises due to competing inter/intra–particle interactions and size distribution and can manifest in phenomena like magnetic freezing, magnetic aging, and exchange bias (EB) effect. In order to probe these rather complex phenomena, conventional DC and AC magnetic measurements have been performed along with radio–frequency transverse susceptibility (TS) measurements. We also demonstrate the magnetic entropy change as a parameter sensitive to subtle changes in the magnetization dynamics of nanostructures. The focus of this dissertation is to study the collective magnetic behavior in core-shell nanostructures of Fe/γ–Fe …

Predictors Of Quality Of Life In Patients With Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma, Darcie Marie Deaver

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a rare, incurable, chronic disease accounting for approximately 3% of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnoses every year. Patients with CTCL have skin lesions that can vary in severity putting patients at risk for developing symptoms that may impair their quality of life (QOL). The disease burden can lead to increased depressive symptoms, fatigue distress, and anxiety that the disease may be worsening. Seventy-five participants agreed to take part in an exploratory, prospective study to evaluate depressive symptoms, anxiety, fatigue distress, and spirituality as predictors of QOL in CTCL patients. Demographic variables including stage of disease, …

The Political Economy Of Maternal Health In A Medically Pluralistic Environment: A Case Study In The Callejón De Huaylas, Isabella Chan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines maternal decision-making regarding prenatal care and childbirth in the rural, north-central Andes in the province of Carhuaz. Semi-structured interviews (n=30) and participatory action research workshops (n=7) were conducted with local women to elucidate how they conceptualize, experience, and negotiate the shifting landscape of prenatal care and childbirth practices and providers. Semi-structured interviews with obstetricians, midwives, and social workers (n=9) were also conducted to compare perspectives and identify disconnects in knowledge and practices existing between these two groups in order to facilitate an open conversation on how to jointly improve the maternal experience and reduce maternal mortality and …

Alliance And Mechanisms Of Medication Adherence In Pediatric Psychiatric Practice, Alessandro Stevens De Nadai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric medications have been established as an efficacious treatment for pediatric psychopathology (Comer, Olfson, & Mojtabai, 2010), with approximately 3.9% of American children receiving psychotropic medication in a given year (Olfson, Marcus, Weissman, & Jensen, 2002). However, medication adherence for these conditions is suboptimal, with over 50% of children discontinuing treatment before the period recommended for full therapeutic benefit (e.g., Gau et al., 2006; Murray, de Vries, & Wong, 2004). This is highly problematic because pediatric psychopathology is associated with substantial functional impairment and reduced quality of life, as well as increased risk for suicidality (e.g., Bridge, Goldstein, & Brent, …

Polysemy, Plurality, & Paradigms: The Quixotic Quest For Commensurability Of Ethics And Professionalism In The Practices Of Law, Eric Paul Engel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

According to many, the legal industry is currently suffering from a professionalism problem. The following dissertation is a response to the question, "What can be done about incivility in the practice of law in Florida?" It begins by exploring the literature examining ethics and professionalism, specifically focusing on the role communication plays in the production and reification of patterns of meaning and action. After contextualizing the professionalism problem socio-culturally and historically, the dissertation next provides an overview of some relevant aspects of the Coordinated Management of Meaning (a theoretical communication framework employed to help make sense of the existing state …

Immobilization And Characterization Of Physisorbed Antibody Films Using Pneumatic Spray As Deposition Technique, Jhon J. Figueroa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The immobilization of antibodies on silica surfaces has been a wide and common practice via cross-linking with the formation of covalent bonds between surface and antibody. The formation of antibody thin films on solid surfaces using pneumatic spray (PS) as the deposition technique and the analysis of the surface morphology of these films were investigated during this study. The pneumatic spray method was compared with the covalent bonding method Avidin-Biotin Bridge (ABB). The intensities and capture efficiency tests showed similar results for both techniques with a lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the PS deposited films. Specificity tests suggested that the …

Optical Investigations Of Neurohypophysial Excitability And Amyloid Fibril Formation, Joseph Leo Foley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the work done on two distinct projects. In the first part I sought to unravel the mechanisms that underlie the activity-dependent modulation of response in the excitation-secretion coupling of the neurohypophysis. In the second part, I optically monitored and analyzed the secondary structure changes accompanying amyloid fibril formation along multiple pathways, under both denaturing and near-physiological conditions.

Neuronal plasticity plays an important role in regulating various biological systems by modulating release of hormones or neurotransmitters. The changing response to the same stimulus, depending on the context and previous stimulation events, is also the basis of learning and …

Effects Of Speech Production Ability On A Measure Of Speech Perception Capacity In Young Children With Cochlear Implants And Their Articulation-Matched Peers, Victoria Beatriz Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With reductions in the age criterion for cochlear implantation, the need for age-appropriate measures of speech perception skills has increased. One recently developed tool that shows great promise for the clinical assessment of auditory speech perception capacity in young children with cochlear implants is the On-Line Imitative Test of Speech-Pattern Contrast Perception (OlimSpac). The OlimSpac requires a child to imitate nonword utterances by providing a verbal response. The child's perceptual abilities are inferred from the child's productions through having a listener, who is masked to the stimulus select the utterance produced by the child in an eight-alternative force-choice task. Although …

Investigation Of Condition Effects On Batch Fecundity Of The Common Snook, Centropomus Undecimalis, In Tampa Bay, Florida, Catherine Michelle Bruger Hayslip

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, is a popular game fish species that occurs throughout central and southern Florida, yet many questions remain unanswered regarding their reproductive strategies, including estimates of fecundity with relation to size, age, and condition of the female. These relationships are critical to improving stock assessments and fundamental to estimating spawning potential ratio, the measure by which snook are managed. Spawning snook were collected from a known spawning site, Rattlesnake Key, Tampa Bay, Florida, during three consecutive spawning seasons (2009-2011) and batch fecundity for snook was reported for the first time. Of the 43 females suitable for fecundity …

Archaeological And Historic Preservation In Tampa, Florida, Dawn Michelle Hayes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For archaeological or historic preservation to occur, there must be public support for it. This research examines historic and archaeological preservation in the Tampa Bay area of Florida through the use of selected case studies. It analyses opinions about archaeology and preservation from members of the general public and members of two groups focused on historic preservation and archaeology. Data were collected from interviews, surveys, archival research, and participant observation, and analyzed to determine the public's definition of archaeology, possible origins of people's interest in preservation, and the extent to which people's interest in either archaeology or historic preservation extends …

Metabolism In Corals From Antarctica, The Deep-Sea, And The Shallow Subtropics: Contrasts In Temperature, Depth, And Light, Lara Henry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coral habitats span the range from tropical to polar, extremely shallow to thousands of meters deep. The differences in light and temperature experienced in these varied habitats likely affect the metabolic rates of the corals residing there. The metabolism of three coral species from different habitats have been examined to elucidate the effects of these environmental parameters on metabolism, an under-studied aspect of coral biology. For all three species, measurements of oxygen uptake, ammonium excretion, and activity of the enzymes lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), and citrate synthase (CS) were used to characterize their metabolism. Off Florida's Gulf coast, …

World Heritage Status, Governance And Perception In The Pitons Management Area, St.Lucia, Vernice Camilla Hippolyte

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are currently 962 geographic sites in the world that have been classified as World Heritage. World Heritage is a unique concept, privy to and defined by UNESCO-- the United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization, one of the specialized agencies and autonomous organizations established within the UN-United Nations system. World Heritage is governed by an international treaty called the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972 (The `Convention'). The inscription of a World Heritage Site or designation of World Heritage Status is highly coveted and considered in UNESCO parlance to …

Climate, Neo-Spinozism, And The Ecological Worldview, Nancy M. Kettle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The global community faces ecological problems with the natural environment and cultural impediments to solving them. Natural systems are constantly changing and so are cultural practices. Humans need to address both: the interaction between those dynamic systems, the natural and cultural, because what happens in one system changes things in the other. The changes to the ecosystems are rapid and sometimes irreversible while dealing with them has been inadequate. Environmental movements, including deep ecology, have been at the forefront of the efforts to engage the public, various groups, politicians, and world governments to address environmental problems on a coordinated large …

Investigation Of Mercury Use, Release, Deposition, And Exposures In The Tampa Bay Area, Ryan Algernon Michael

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I investigate the links between mercury use, release, deposition, and population exposure in Tampa Bay, with the focus of identifying levers for reducing population mercury exposures. To achieve this, I investigated the trends in mercury use and release by products and processes in the Tampa Bay area using a Material Flow Analysis. Analysis of USEPA National Emissions Inventory data over time (1999 - 2008) identified relevant air source emission categories, and explored and compared state and regional trends in mercury emissions. To understand source contributions to wet deposited mercury in the Tampa Bay area, I analyzed trends in mercury deposition …

Development Of Improved Models For Gas Sorption Simulation, Keith Mclaughlin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Computational chemistry offers one the ability to develop a better understanding of the complex physical and chemical interactions that are fundamental to macro- and mesoscopic processes that are seen in laboratory experiments, industrial processes, and ordinary, everyday life. For many systems, the physics of interest occur at the molecular or atomistic levels, and in these cases, computational modeling and two well refined simulation techniques become invaluable: Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD). In this work, two well established problems were tackled. First, models and potentials for various gas molecules were produced and refined from first principles. These models, although …

Evaluating Habitat Vulnerability And Sustainability Of Urban Seagrass Resources To Sea Level Rise, Cynthia A. Meyer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The seagrass resource provides essential ecosystem functions for many marine species. This research evaluated the vulnerability and sustainability of the seagrass resource in an urbanized area to the effects of sea level rise. The assessment required analysis of information regarding the biogeography of the seagrass resource, and developing a method to model the spatial extent of the suitable habitat for seagrass, and applying the model to predict the implications of simulated sea level rise scenarios on the seagrass resource.

Examining the biogeography of the seagrass resource required the development of a seagrass monitoring and assessment field survey and a comprehensive …