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The Identification Of Functional, Sequestered, Symbiotic Chloroplasts In Elysia Clarki: A Crucial Step In The Study Of Horizontally Transferred, Nuclear Algal Genes, Nicholas E. Curtis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A comparison of Elysia (=Tridachia) crispata (Mörch, 1863) from the Virgin Islands with elysiid slugs from the mangrove swamps and canals in the Florida Keys that have previously been identified as E. crispata reveals many differences in habitat, gross and microscopic anatomy, food preferences of juveniles, sources of symbiotic chloroplasts and their localization within the digestive tubules, radular morphology, and nucleic acid sequences of two genes. The differences between the two groups of slugs are such that the Florida Keys animals are considered to represent a new species, Elysia clarki. Elysia clarki feeds on siphonaceous algae, and intracellularly sequesters the …

Rapid Detection Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis In Lung Tissue Using A Fiber Optic Biosensor, Kimberly A. Denton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is no rapid diagnostic technique at medical examiners' offices to determine if a decedent is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Present diagnostic testing requires at least one month for results. A biosensor-based sandwich immunoassay for the detection of M. tuberculosis was developed in this study. M. tuberculosis polyclonal antibody was used for target antigen capture and detection in the immunoassay. Live attenuated M. tuberculosis (ATCC 25177) suspended in phosphate-buffered saline with 0.1% Tween 20 was used as the antigen in the detection assay. The Analyte 2000 was the initial biosensor platform. Initial testing was of Freund's adjuvant complete. M. tuberculosis …

The Role Of Src Homology 2 Domain Containing Inositol-5’-Phosphatase 1 (Ship) In Hematopoietic Cells, Caroline Desponts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The principal isoform of Src homology (SH) 2-domain containing 5' inositol phosphatase protein 1 (SHIP) is a 145kDa protein primarily expressed by cells of the hematopoietic compartment. The enzymatic activity of SHIP is responsible for hydrolyzing the 5' phosphate of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3), and thereby preventing the recruitment of pleckstrin homology domain containing effector proteins. Furthermore, SHIP contains protein-protein interaction domains, such as an SH2 domain, two NPXY and several proline-rich motifs. All of these different domains endow SHIP with the capacity to impact signaling pathways important for proliferation, survival, differentiation and activation. Therefore, we hypothesized that SHIP-deficiency could result in …

Optical Imaging Of Radiolabeled Drugs In Tissue Sections Using The Microimager, Paul Dungel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The MicroImager is a fast, high resolution, real time, digital autoradiographic imaging tool with broad applications. This study utilizes the MicroImager to evaluate radiolabeled drug behavior in subcutaneous tissue. Experiments were conducted in conjunction with mathematical models to determine the diffusion coefficient (D) and elimination constant (k) for radiolabeled dexamethasone. Osmotic pumps containing [3H]dexamethasone were implanted into rat subcutaneous tissue over 6h, 24 h, and 60 h. Local tissue was explanted and slides were prepared for imaging. The MicroImager was then used to quantify the local concentration of 3H-dexamethasone in the tissue surrounding the tip of the osmotic pump. Betavision+ …

Vibration Level Characterization From A Needle Gun Used On U.S. Naval Vessels, Scott E. Dunn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

United States (U.S.) Navy sailors are exposed to a very large number of hazards, both chemical and physical. Occupational vibration from pneumatic air tools is one of the potential exposure hazards. There are very limited data as to the exposures to one type of tool, a needle gun or needle scaler, used by the sailors.The purpose of this study was to characterize the vibration levels generated by a needle gun used in the U.S. Navy. The design of the study evaluated the difference pressure had on the acceleration levels generated from the needle scaler. Five subjects were used in the …

Monitoring And Modeling Water Quality At The C.W. Young Regional Reservoir, Daniel Robert Dye

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the relationship between nutrient loading and changes in water quality in a sub-tropical, above-ground, off-stream municipal water supply reservoir, the C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir. The three source waters for the reservoir have varied but high levels of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. In other reservoirs, these nutrients have been linked to deterioration of water quality and increased expense in water treatment. The need to minimize excess nutrients results led to the primary research question: what allocation of withdrawals from the three sources will minimize the deterioration of water quality? To answer this question, the relationship …

Alcohol Expectancy Cognitions: Psychophysiological Perspective, Inna Fishman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Considerable evidence indicates that the expectations individuals hold about the effects of alcohol determine, to a degree, the amount of alcohol they drink. However, the bulk of this evidence was acquired using verbally-based measures of expectancy. The present study sought to extend the validation network by utilizing an electrophysiological measure -- the P300 component of the Event Related Potentials (ERPs) --

which is thought to index fundamental neurophysiological processes sensitive to expectancy.Previous research has demonstrated that, when presented with various outcomes of alcohol consumption, heavier drinkers endorse statements that assert positive and arousing effects of alcohol, while lighter drinkers endorse …

Nurse Exposure To Waste Anesthetic Gases In A Post Anesthesia Care Unit, Larry A. Flack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been estimated that over 200,000 healthcare professionals may be exposed to waste anesthetic gases and are at risk of occupational injury. In 1977, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued the publication: Criteria for a Recommended Standard....Occupational Exposure to Waste Anesthetic Gases and Vapors. This publication was based primarily on scientific evidence from human and animal studies suggesting that chronic exposures to anesthetic gases increases the risk of both spontaneous abortion and congenital abnormalities in offspring among female workers and wives of male workers exposed to waste anesthetic gases. In this recommended standard, NIOSH defines …

Functional Topology And Regulation Of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase And Associated Caveolar Components, Brenda R. Flam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The discovery of nitric oxide (NO) as the endothelial-derived relaxing factor has led to significant research on NO and the proteins involved in its function, generation, location and regulation. Synthesis of NO by blood vessel endothelial cells results from the enzymatic oxidation of arginine by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) resulting in the formation of equimolar amounts of NO and citrulline. Citrulline is sequentially recycled to arginine by successive reactions involving the enzymes argininosuccinate synthase (AS) and argininosuccinate lyase (AL), respectively.

eNOS activity has been shown to be regulated by post-translational modifications including dynamic phosphorylation on multiple serine/threonine and tyrosine …

Comparison Of The Effects Of Training In Expository Text Structure Through Annotation Textmarking And Training In Vocabulary Development On Reading Comprehension Of Students Going Into Fourth Grade, Lily Janise Gentry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fifty-seven pre-fourth-graders from 14 private schools participated to determine (a) if teaching text structure with annotation produced higher comprehension scores than the method of teaching vocabulary, and (b) if the effect of instructional method on reading comprehension was the same for male and female students. Effects were measured by immediate posttest and follow-up test NCE scores of the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test, Fourth Edition (SDRT4) containing components of Comprehension and Vocabulary. The design was a true experiment using a matched comparison-group format. Participants were placed in one of two independent 3-week reading workshop sessions, then randomly assigned to one of …

Powerful Submission: Popular Texts And The Subjectivity Of Christian Right Women, Ellen L. Flournoy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Christian Right exerts considerable influence over female identity, especially through its members who have emerged as one of the most powerful voting blocks in the nation---the Christian Right woman. American Christian women, especially those considered to be on the political fringes, are virtually ignored in academic endeavors. Given their power, which defies their categorization as a "fringe" group, this academic silence is a gross oversight, especially in light of the rise of the Christian Right, which has successfully recruited millions of women to its service. This dissertation analyzes texts of Christian popular culture that contribute to the construction of …

Development Of A Microsphere-Based Immunoassay For The Detection Of Igm Antibodies To West Nile Virus And St. Louis Encephalitis Virus In Sentinel Chicken Sera, Logan C. Haller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis Encephalitis (SLEV) are arthropod-borne viruses belonging to the genus Flavivirus and are classified as significant human pathogens of global epidemiological importance. Since its introduction into the United States in 1999, WNV has spread throughout most of the country and has caused major epidemics of neuroinvasive disease (Hayes and Gubler, 2005). SLEV is endemic to the United States and is maintained in an enzootic transmission cycle in Florida.The Florida Sentinel Chicken Arboviral Surveillance Network was established in 1978 following a widespread rural epidemic of SLEV in central Florida to monitor the activity of arboviruses …

Modulation Of Neural Plasticity By The Adamtss (A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase With Thrombospondin Motifs), Michelle Grace Hamel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aggregating proteoglycans (PG) bearing chondroitin sulfate (CS) side chains are well-known inhibitors of neural plasticity and associate with hyaluronan and tenascin-R to form a complex of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the central nervous system (CNS). Little is known about whether proteolytic cleavage of the core protein affects neural plasticity. Several members of the ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs) family of metalloproteinases are glutamyl-endopeptidases that cleave aggregating PGs. Our initial studies determined that neural cultures secrete a brevican-containing matrix, and that these neural cultures also produced ADAMTS4, a protease that cleaves brevican. Furthermore, this brevican-containing matrix in astrocytes …

Chemical Investigation Of Two Antarctic Invertebrates, Synoicum Adareanum (Chordata: Ascidiaceae: Enterogona:Polyclinidae) And AustrodorisKergulenensis (Molusca: Gastropoda:Nudibranchia: Dorididae), Thushara Kelum Kaviraj Diyabalanage

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Synoicum adareanum is a colonial tunicate commonly found on the benthos around Palmer Station on Anvers Island, Antarctica. A comprehensive chemical investigation of the lipophilic extract of the frozen tunicates gave a new series of polyketide macrolides, palmerolides A-E and H. The structure elucidation of these compounds was accomplished by extensive NMR and mass spectral studies.The palmerolides are unusual 20-membered macrolides displaying functionality more commonly found in sponges or cyanobacteria. Palmerolide A, the major member of the group, shows significant and selective in vitro cytotoxicity against melanoma with three orders of greater sensitivity relative to other cell lines tested, in …

Confronting College: Foster Care Youth Deciding Whether To Participate In Higher Education Programs, Linda K. Herlocker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study's purpose was to explore the college choice process for foster care youth who are aging out of Florida's protective services system. The research methodology included three components. First, a survey of the Independent Living Coordinators throughout the state of Florida solicited data regarding participation rates and enrollment patterns among foster care youth. Next, in a meeting setting, a survey was administered to foster care youth, probing the extent to which they considered certain college choice decision factors. Finally, upon completion of the survey, participants remained for a guided focus group discussion to further explore their decision criteria.The results …

The Early Time Course Of Smoking Withdrawal Symptoms, Peter Schuyler Hendricks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the large volume of research on tobacco withdrawal, the vast majority of studies have focused on the onset and remission of symptoms over the course of several days and weeks, with the earliest assessment periods occurring the day after cessation. To date, there has been no systematic study of the very early time course of the tobacco withdrawal syndrome, despite its obvious relevance to the maintenance of both smoking and postcessation abstinence. The published literature contains a range of estimates about the early appearance of withdrawal symptoms, but without reference to empirical data. The main objective of the current …

Improving Prostate Cancer Detection In Veterans Through The Development Of A Clinical Decision Rule For Prostate Biopsy, Owen T. Hill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the U.S., the number of prostate biopsies increases annually. This is partly due to elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) values identified during PC screening. This study's goal was improving prostate cancer (PC) detection through developing a clinical decision rule (CDR), based on an elevated PSA and laboratory biomarkers. This decision rule could be used after an elevated PSA, providing the patient and clinician information to consider prior to biopsy. This cross-sectional study evaluated men from the Tampa, Florida, James A. Haley (JH) VA (N=1,378), from January 1, 1998, through April 15, 2005. The study hypothesized that specific lab biomarkers …

Abrupt Climate Change During The Last Glacial Period: A Gulf Of Mexico Perspective, Heather W. Hill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the cause of abrupt climate change in the geologic past can help assess the potential magnitude and variability of future changes in regional and global climate. The research presented here focuses on some of the first records of hydrologic variability in the central North American continent during an interval of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (24-57 thousand years before present (ka)). Sediment core MD02-2551 from the Orca Basin, northern Gulf of Mexico, is used to document the first detailed melting history of the southern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) during MIS 3, and to record terrestrial inputs from …

Gold Mining In A Tropical Rainforest: Mercury Sorption To Soils In The Mining Region Of Arakaka-Matthew's Ridge, Guyana, Joniqua A'Ja Howard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gold mining by artisinal (small-medium scale) miners causes an immense amount of damage to the environment (i.e. soil erosion, mobilization of heavy metals, etc.).1, 2 One of the most popular gold mining techniques employed by artisinal miners in Guyana is mercury amalgamation. During the amalgamation process approximately 300 metric tons/yr 11, 12 of mercury is used. Mercury once in the environment can be transported through the air, soil, and water column. It is estimated that 90-99% of total mercury (THg) is associated with the sediment. An understanding of the geochemical conditions that affect the fate of mercury in soils, which …

Cranial Biomechanics And Feeding Performance Of Sharks, Daniel Robert Huber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The elasmobranch fishes possess a remarkable diversity of feeding mechanisms for a group containing relatively few species (~1200). The three most prevalent of these mechanisms involve prey capture during which the predator overtakes its prey (ram), prey is drawn into the mouth of the predator (suction), and relatively stationary consumption of sessile or substrate affixed prey (biting). Biomechanical modeling of cranial force distributions, in situ bite performance trials, and kinematic analysis of prey capture behaviors were employed to identify morphological and behavioral specializations and constraints associated with these feeding mechanisms in lemon Negaprion brevirostris (ram), whitespotted bamboo Chiloscyllium plagiosum (suction), …

Tyrosinase-Like Activity Of Several Alzheimer’S Disease Related And Model Peptides And Their Inhibition By Natural Antioxidants, Kashmir Singh Juneja

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases are associated with loss of neurons ultimately leading to a decline in brain function. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders that affects 16 million people worldwide. The cause of the disease remains unknown, although significant evidence proposes the amyloid Beta-peptide (A-Beta) as a potential culprit. The binding of Cu2+ by the soluble fragments of A-Beta have shown to form Type-3 copper centers and catalyze the oxidation of catechol-containing neurotransmitters. Furthermore, the use of flavonoids as antioxidants to slow or inhibit the neurotransmitter oxidation has suggested further health benefits with their consumption. A …

A New Approach To Kainoids: Total Syntheses Of (-)-Kainic Acid And (+)-Allokainic Acid, Young Chun Jung

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

(-)-Kainic acid and its C-4 epimer, (+)-allokainic acid are parent members of a class of substituted pyrrolidines known as kainoids. They have been found to exhibit powerful biological properties, principally neuroexcitatory. Kainic acid has become especially important in the study of Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and other neurological disorders. The total syntheses of (-)-kainic acid and (+)-allokainic acid were achieved using (L)-glutamic acid as the starting material and the sole source of stereochemical induction. The key steps for these successful syntheses involve formation of the gamma-lactam core via rhodium (II) catalyzed intramolecular C-H insertion of the alpha-diazo-alpha-(phenylsulfonyl)acetamide intermediate and the stereoselective …

Differential Coupling Of Rgs3s And Rgs4 To Gpcr-Girk Channel Signaling Complexes, Cristina Jaén

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

'Regulators of G protein signaling' (RGS proteins) modulate the G proteincycle by enhancing the GTPase activity of Ga subunits. These changesaccelerate the kinetics of ion channel modulation by Gai/o-coupled receptors(GPCRs) such as the G protein-gated inward rectifier K+ (GIRK/Kir3) channel. Myexperiments indicate that a single cerebellar granule (CG) neuron, a cell type thatendogenously expresses GIRK channels is able to express a wide variety ofRGS proteins. I selected two of them, which are widely expressed andtranscriptionally regulated during pathophysiologic conditions, to compare theirfunctional properties. I originally described the differential modulatory effects oftwo RGS proteins, the RGS3 short isoform (RGS3s) and RGS4, …

Practical Applications Of Molecular Dynamics Techniques And Time Correlation Function Theories, Christina Ridley Kasprzyk

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The original research outlined in this dissertation involves the use of novel theoretical and computational methods in the calculation of molecular volume changes and non-linear spectroscopic signals, specifically two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy. These techniques were designed and implemented to be computationally affordable, while still providing a reliable picture of the phenomena of interest. The computational results presented demonstrate the potential of these methods to accurately describe chemically interesting systems on a molecular level. Extended system isobaric-isothermal (NPT) molecular dynamics techniques were employed to calculate the thermodynamic volumes of several simple model systems, as well as the volume change associated with …

Investigations Of Fiber Optic Temperature Sensors Based On Yb:Y3Al5O12, Jermaine L. Kennedy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development of temperature sensors which employ a fiber-optic probe consisting of single crystal YB3BAlB5BOB12B (YAG) fiber with a phosphor of short length grown directly onto one end using the laser heated pedestal growth method. The response of all the crystalline temperature sensors derives from the temperature-dependent decay time of fluorescence. Yb3+P ions served as the fluorescer, while the addition of various rare-earth codopants (i.e., NdP3+ and ErP3+) with YbP3+ provided an additional path in the form of phonon assisted energy transfer. With the additional nonradiative decay path, the temperature sensors exhibited a more desirable response. A …

Predictors And Outcomes Of Hospice Use Among Medicare And Medicaid Dual-Eligible Nursing Home Residents In Florida: A Comparison Of Non-Hispanic Blacks And Non-Hispanic Whites, Jung, Kwak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the racial/ethnic differences in hospice utilization and the effect of hospice in reducing the risk of hospital death at the end of life among non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White dual-eligible (Medicare and Medicaid) older adults residing in a nursing home setting. The final study population included 30,765 non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White nursing home residents who died between state fiscal years 2000-2002 in Florida.The behavioral model of health services use successfully predicted group membership in hospice use. In the full model, seven variables - female gender, non-Hispanic White race/ethnicity, being married, urban area of residence, and cancer …

Structured Light For Three-Dimensional Microscopy, Leo G. Krzewina

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The conventional light microscope is an indispensable tool for many physical and life science applications, but is of limited usefulness for three-dimensional imaging due to its increasingly narrow depth of field at high magnifications. Focused regions may be obscured by defocused neighbors or noise from extraneous light sources and subsurface scattering. By rejecting light originating from outside the depth of focus it is possible to minimize these problems. When a contiguous series of such focused slices, or optical sections, are obtained along an axis of an extended object they may be combined to form a complete, focused three-dimensional surface image. …

Occupancy And Function Of The Hepatic Hmg-Coa Reductase Promoter, William Raymond Lagor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) catalyzes the rate controlling step in cholesterol production. This enzyme is highly expressed in the liver where it is subject to extensive hormonal and dietary regulation. This study was undertaken to examine the occupancy and function of the hepatic HMGR promoter in regards to insulin and sterol regulation. HMGR protein and mRNA are substantially decreased in diabetic animals and rapidly restored by administration of insulin. Nuclear run-on assays revealed that HMGR transcription was substantially reduced in the diabetic rats, and fully restored within two hours after insulin treatment. In vivo footprinting revealed several areas of protein binding …

N-Thiolated Β-Lactam Antibiotics: Synthesis And Structure-Activity Studies Of C3- Oxygenated Derivatives And Attachment To New, Functionalized Caprolactone Monomers And Polymers, J Michelle Leslie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

N-Thiolated beta-lactams are a new class of anti-MRSA and anti-Bacillus agents that have recently been reported by our laboratories. From previous studies performed in our laboratories, it is believed that the N-thiolated beta-lactams exert their antimicrobial activity through a unique mode of action that is completely unlike that of classical beta-lactam antibiotics. In the first chapter of this dissertation, a review of previously prepared N-thiolated beta-lactam analogues and their mode of action is presented. In the second chapter, the synthesis of seven different C3-oxygenated derivatives is described. These analogues were tested for antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, nine different strains …

Electrically Charged Sol-Gel Coatings For On-Line Preconcentration And Analysis Of Zwitterionic Biomolecules By Capillary Electrophoresis, Wen Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Novel on-line methods are presented for the extraction, preconcentration and analysis of zwitterionic biomolecules using sol-gel-coated columns coupled to a conventional UV/visible detector. The presented approaches do not require any additional modification of the commercially available standard CE instrument. Extraction, stacking, and focusing techniques were used in the preconcentration procedures. The positively charged sol-gel coatings were created using N-octadecyldimethyl[3-(trimethoxysilyl) proply]ammonium chloride (C18-TMS) in the coating sol solutions. Due to the presence of a positively charged quaternary ammonium moiety in C18-TMS, the resulting sol-gel coating carried a positive charge. The negatively charged sol-gel coatings were due to the presence of sulfonate …