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An Interdisciplinary Course For Non-Science Majors: Students' Views On Science Attitudes, Beliefs, And The Nature Of Science, Gary Eugene Brannan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to investigate the differences in the attitudes towards science, belief in science, and the understanding of the nature of science between pre-service elementary education majors who took a two-semester interdisciplinary course called "Science That Matters" (ISC 1004 & ISC 1005) with those pre-service elementary education majors who took two undergraduate science courses other than the two-semester interdisciplinary science course.

The research method employed a 30-item survey (Moore & Foy, 1997) entitled Scientific Attitude Inventory II. The survey's participants were two classes who had taken both semesters of the interdisciplinary course (n = 23) compared with six …

Modification Of Karst Depressions By Urbanization In Pinellas County, Florida, Kelly V. Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes some of the effects of urbanization in Pinellas County, Florida on the karst landscape. Many sinkholes have been obscured and/or modified for storm water retention by urbanization in Pinellas County, with a few sinkholes still identifiable by characteristic zoning of vegetation, soil moisture, and circular shape. Using aerial photos from 1926 and 2000, karst features were identified by circularity,vegetation, and moisture conditions. Mapping karst surface features using historic aerial photos and maps is a useful exercise that will assist our scientific understanding of karstification in Florida and the nature and extent of karst processes that have acted …

The Subtypes Of Psychopathy And Their Relationship To Hostile And Instrumental Aggression, Diana M. Falkenbach

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy is not a diagnostic category, however theories of psychopathy have been discussed throughout psychological history. While the construct of psychopathy is associated with important psychological outcomes, there are inconsistencies in the literature with regard to correlates, etiology and treatment. These inconsistencies suggest that there may be several subtypes of psychopathy. This paper discusses the heterogeneity of psychopathy and considers the existence of psychopathic traits in nonclinical populations. Measures of etiology (Behavioral Activation System and Behavioral Inhibition System; Gray, 1985), psychopathy (Levenson's psychopathy measure; Levenson, Keihl, & Fitzpatrick, 1995) and anxiety (State Trait Anxiety Inventory; Speilberger, Gorsuch & Lushene, 1970) …

A Heuristic Methodology For Locating Monitoring Stations To Detect Contamination Events In Potable Water Distribution Systems, James R. Chastain Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The requirements to protect public water systems from intentional contamination have expanded in the years following September 11, 2001. The areal extent and non-linear nature of water demand and movement in the distribution system makes efficient location of sampling points difficult. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that contamination conceptually can occur at any point and at any time within the distribution system. Small to mid-sized water systems are especially at a disadvantage in addressing this issue due to limited resources available to them.

This paper proposes a heuristic methodology to identify strategic locations within the system that can …

A Multilevel Modeling Analysis Of The Geographic Variability Of Low Birth Weight Occurrence In Florida, Joseph William Green

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The associations of neighborhood level socioeconomic deprivation and low birth weight were investigated among 1,030,443 singleton live births in the State of Florida between the years 1992 and 1997. Census data for per capita income, unemployment, percent of individuals living below the poverty line, vehicle ownership and educational attainment were used as neighborhood level indicators of socioeconomic status. Additionally, these variables were combined into a deprivation index to measure relative deprivation of neighborhoods across Florida. Birth data were linked to census block groups and tracts, which were used as proxies for low birth weight. Multilevel models were used to model …

Utility Of Positive Peer Reporting To Improve Interactions Among Children In Foster Care, Jenny L. Van Horn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the utility of positive peer reporting to improve placement outcomes in foster care settings. Rejected children are likely to exhibit disruptive behavior problems due to frequent negative interactions with their peers, augmenting an already unstable environment in foster care. Researchers have found positive peer reporting to be successful in increasing social status and positive interactions and reducing negative interactions. Utilizing a multiple baseline with reversal elements, this study examined the effects of positive peer reporting on the positive and negative interactions of socially rejected children in foster care settings. Results supported previous literature with the first participant's …

Moonlight In Miami: A Field Study Of Human-Robot Interaction In The Context Of An Urban Search And Rescue Disaster Response Training Exercise, Jennifer L. Burke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores human-robot interaction during a 16-hour high-fidelity Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) disaster response drill with teleoperated robots. Situation awareness and team interaction were examined using communication analysis. Operators (n=5) sought assistance from team members to compensate for difficulties building or maintaining situation awareness. Operator-team member communication focused on relating what was seen through the robot's eye view with prior knowledge and planning search strategies. Results suggest operators need a new cognitive mental model to filter and comprehend data provided by the robot, and that robot-assisted search is a team task rather than an individual one. USAR technical …

Differential Adolescent Delinquency Tolerance And The Effect Of Race And Gender, Evaristus Obinyan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study was designed to examine the attitudes of adolescents towards the tolerance of delinquent behavior. It was postulated that there would be a differential in the tolerance of delinquent behavior by juveniles from different age, gender, and racial groups. It was hypothesized that different groups would score higher or lower on select measures or dimensions (definition, reporting, controlling, preventing, correcting) of delinquency tolerance, and that their level of tolerance of delinquency might prove useful in explaining participation in delinquency.

The focus of the study was on identification of differential attitudes of various subgroups towards the violations of norms relating …

Translation, Adaptation And Validation Of An Instrument To Evaluate Hiv/Aids Knowledge And Attitudes For Use With Salvadorian High School Students, Carlos Salvador Zometa Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study translated, cross-culturally adapted and validated an instrument's scores for use in public high schools in San Salvador, El Salvador. The original instrument consisted of items developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and five dimensions of attitudes (Abstinence, Peer-pressure, Condom use, Drug use, and Threat of HIV) in grades 7 to 12 in the United States. Items were translated into Spanish using the back-translation method. The instrument was cross-culturally adapted using guidelines proposed by Guillemin, Bombardier, and Beaton (1993). A cross-culturally equivalent version of the original instrument was obtained using three …

Characterization Of Novel Nitroplatinum(Iv) Complexes For The Treatment Of Cancer, Jeannette Lo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many types of chemotherapeutic agents have been developed to target specific mechanisms within the body that control the progression of cancer, though few have been able to circumvent the existing problems associated with the treatments. The current remedies entail grueling drug regimens and toxic side effects that may undermine the effectiveness of the drugs. Cisplatin, a common nitroplatinum(II) drug widely used to treat a variety of cancers, is administered intravenously and circulates systemically, affecting healthy regions of the body as well. Resistance to cisplatin is increasing and the need for new, less toxic medication must be met for future success …

Cord Blood Cell Therapy For Ischemic Stroke, Martina Vendrame

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

Behavioral And Morphological Consequences Of Rearing Florida Largemouth Bass With Non-Elusive Prey, Alpa Patel Wintzer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

(1) Hatchery-reared Florida largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides floridanus, feed on inert pellet food while their wild counterparts capture elusive prey. Differences in levels of prey elusivity often mandate the use of alternate methods of prey capture and are accompanied by a related phenotypic change.

(2) This study investigates (a) differences between the prey capture kinematics and strike modes of hatchery and wild juvenile Florida largemouth bass raised on pellets and live prey, and (b) whether elusivity-based variation in prey capture translates to a phenotypic and functional change during skull development.

(3) Analysis of high-speed videography demonstrates that wild bass capture …

Udp-Glucuronosyltransferase (Ugt) Genetic Variants And Their Potential Role In Carcinogenesis, Jean Bendaly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as benzo(a)pyrene are important risk factors for cancer. Three UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, UGT1A9, UGT1A10, and UGT2B7, have been shown to play an important role in the phase II metabolism of carcinogenic metabolites of BaP. Because UGT1A9 and UGT2B7 are well-expressed in digestive tract tissues including liver and colon, it is possible that genetic variations in either enzyme may play an important role in colon cancer risk. However, UGT1A10 is extrahepatic and is expressed in the oral cavity and the larynx; therefore, genetic variations in this enzyme may play an important role in risk for orolaryngeal …

Physiological Responses Of Men During The Continuous Use Of A Portable Liquid Cooling Vest, Theresa J. Medina

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat stress is a well documented hazard across industries. The combination of environmental conditions, work demands, and clothing contribute to heat strain. Left unchecked, heat strain causes changes in an individual's physiological state that can lead to serious and fatal conditions with little warning. Although engineering and administrative controls are the first choice to abate this hazard, they frequently are not feasible. In these cases, personal cooling is often employed. There are three main types of personal cooling: liquid, air, and passive. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

This study focuses on continuous cooling using a portable liquid cooling …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

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

Chemical And Biological Investigation Of The Antarctic Red Alga Delisea Pulchra, Santhisree Nandiraju

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our interest in the red alga Delisea pulchra (=D.fimbriata) (Greville) Montagne 1844 (Rhodophyceae, Bonnemaisoniales, Bonnemaisoniaceace) was stimulated by its activity in the biosssays done at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Halogenated compounds from D. pulchra interfere with Gram-negative bacterial signaling systems, affect the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, inhibit quorum sensing and swarming motility of marine bacteria (inhibit bacterial communication). They also inhibit surface colonization in marine bacteria and exhibit antifouling properties against barnacle larvae and macroalgal gametes.

Chemical investigation of D.pulchra collected near Palmer Station, Antarctica yielded three new dimeric halogenated furanones, pulchralide A-C (41-43), along with previously reported …

Development Of Surface Acoustic Wave Sensors Using Nanostructured Palladium For Hydrogen Detection, Amol V. Chaudhari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the development of new gas sensor using surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology. SAW sensors detect the change in mass, modulus, and conductivity of a sensing layer material via absorption or adsorption of an analyte. The advantage of SAW sensor includes low cost, small size, high sensitivity.

We investigated the use of nano-crystalline palladium film for sensing hydrogen gas. We also investigated SAW fabrication for radio frequency (RF) range operation where high signal-to-noise ratios can be achieved. A test-bed consisting of a gas dilution system, a temperature-controlled test cell, a network analyzer, and computer-based measurement system was used …

Behavioral Analysis Of Interactions Between Teachers And Children With Selective Mutism, Jason D. Wallace

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study focused on the interactions between a child with selective mutism and that child's teachers. The hypothesis was that the teachers unknowingly maintained the mutism by not placing the expectations of speech on the child. Therefore, by training three out of the four teachers how to interact with the child with selective mutism, and using the fourth teacher as a control, the researchers were able to identify that the training not only changed the three teachers' behaviors, but also the child with selective mutism's behaviors as well. Also, based on a pre-training/post-training test, the teachers had a much …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

Chapter 1 outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the …

A Comparative Analysis Of Travel Time Expenditures In The United States, Lavenia Anne Toole-Holt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literature on transportation planning and modeling is replete with the concept of a travel time budget. According to this concept, average daily travel times tend to be relatively constant. However, evidence from the 1983 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey and the 2001 National Household Travel Survey suggest that the average daily travel time has increased by 1.9 minutes per year.

Understanding travel time expenditures is important for forecasting travel demand, especially future vehicle miles of travel. Historically, travel demand models considered vehicle availability and income as limiting factors for travel, but going forward time may be the constraint. As individuals spend …

Detection, Cloning, And Analysis Of A U32 Collagenase In Streptococcus Mutans Gs-5, Marios Ioannides

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus mutans is a recognized principal etiologic agent in coronal caries. Although S. mutans has the ability to bind collagen and degrade FALGPA, a synthetic peptide mimicking collagen substrate, its role in dental root caries has not yet been fully elucidated. Degradation of collagen fibrils in dentin was attributed to S. mutans, but a collagenase enzyme has not yet been isolated from this organism. Considering the increased incidence of dental root decay among the elderly, an understanding of the role of the pathogenic factors is necessary to the development of preventive measures. The present study has focused on the …

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

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

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

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

Total Evaporative Resistance Of Selected Clothing Ensembles, Victor Caravello

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With regard to heat stress, the limiting factor inherent in clothing ensembles is the total evaporative resistance. Clothing with higher evaporative resistance impedes the ability to cool by sweat evaporation. Knowing the evaporative resistance provides a means to compare candidate ensembles. Further, a value for evaporative resistance means that a rational method can be used to assess the heat stress exposure. Evaporative resistance of five clothing ensembles (cotton work clothes, cotton coveralls, and three coveralls of particle barrier, liquid barrier and vapor barrier properties) was determined empirically from wear tests during two study phases. For Phase 1, the metabolic rate …

Photosynthesis And Respiration In Five Species Of Benthic Foraminifera That Host Algal Symbionts, Robert A. Walker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oxygen production and consumption were measured in five species of benthic foraminifers using a "Clark-type" oxygen electrode. Net photosynthesis and respiration were calculated and normalized to both μg Chl a and mm² upper surface area for the chlorophyte-bearing soritid foraminifers, Archaias angulatus and Cyclorbiculina compressa, and the diatom-bearing amphisteginids, Amphistegina gibbosa, A. lessonii and A. radiata. Photosynthesis/Irradiance curves were generated by fitting data to the hyperbolic tangent equation P = P_max tanh (α I/ P_max). Derived photosynthetic parameters, P_max, α, I_k were found to correspond to the general responses of …

A Comparison Of Weekend And Weekday Travel Behavior Characteristics In Urban Areas, Ashish Agarwal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Travel demand analysis has traditionally focused on exploring and modeling travel behavior on weekdays. This emphasis on weekday travel behavior analysis was largely motivated by the presence of well-defined peak periods, primarily associated with the journey to and from work. Most travel demand models are based on weekday travel characteristics and purport to estimate traffic volumes for daily or peak weekday conditions. Much of the planning and policy making that occurs in transportation arena in response to weekday travel behavior and forecasts.

More recently, there had been a growing interest in exploring, understanding, and quantifying weekend travel characteristics. The ability …

Studies In Rhodium Catalyzed Intramolecular C-H Insertion Of Amino Acid Derived Α-Diazo-Α-(Substituted)Acetamides And Its Application To The Total Synthesis Of Clasto-Lactacystin Β-Lactone, David L. Flanigan Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lactacystin is a microbial metabolite isolated by Omura that exhibits neurotrophic activity in neuroblastoma cell lines. Lactacystin and especially its β-lactone analog are the first examples of non-polypeptide small molecules capable of specifically inhibiting the 20S proteasome. Various asymmetric total syntheses of lactacystin and its analogs have been reported. The total synthesis of clasto -lactacystin β-lactone is achieved using L-serine methyl ester as the starting material and the sole source of stereochemical induction. The success of this synthesis hinges on two featured transformations. The first key step involves formation of the γ -lactam core via rhodium (II) catalyzed intramolecular C-H …

Biomedical And Psychosocial Determinants Of Problematic Birth Outcomes, Charlan Day Kroelinger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the associations between psychosocial stressors, urine sugar levels, and subsequent birth outcomes, specifically high birth weight babies and Caesarean section births. In a prospective cohort study, 506 Black and White women of childbearing age were followed for the duration of one pregnancy in Tuscaloosa and Mobile counties in Alabama from 1990 to 2001. Participants were interviewed twice throughout pregnancy, during the first and third trimesters, respectively, and birth outcome data were collected via medical chart reviews. Six percent (6.1%) of the women in the sample had a high birth weight baby, …

The Developing Nucleus Accumbens Septi: Susceptibility To Alcohol’S Effects, Rex Montgomery Philpot

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system has been implicated in providing the basis of pleasure, guiding the general mechanism of reinforcement as well as motivation. Support for these roles have grown from neurochemical research in the field of addiction. It is now well known that DA activity increases in the nucleus accumbens septi (NAcc) with exposure to addictive substances. Moreover, pharmacological manipulation of this system produces predictable changes in the administration of drugs of abuse, as well as natural reinforcers. This system is responsive to natural reinforcers and addiction may be the transference of routine mesolimbic function to environmental stimuli predictive …

The Depositional History Of Three Freshwater Lakes In North Central Florida: Brooklyn Lake, Levys Prairie, And Cowpen Lake, Nancy T. Dewitt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida has approximately 7800 lakes that are heavily concentrated in the north-central part of the state—a mantled karst terrain. Although much research has been conducted in Florida’s lakes, there is not much information on the sedimentary infill. The focus of this research is to define the sedimentary infill of three closely spaced lakes (Brooklyn Lake, Levys Prairie, and Cowpen Lake) in north-central Florida and determine the relative importance of the various
sedimentary inputs and their associated processes. Interlake lithostratigraphy comparison helped determine if they experienced a similar depositional infilling history or a unique one.

Twenty-three vibracores were taken (12 in …