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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 …

Linking Pretreatment Therapist Characteristics To The Therapeutic Alliance In Youth Treatment: An Examination Of Professional Burnout, Counseling Self-Efficacy And Gender Role Orientation, Jessica B. Handelsman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated three pretreatment therapist characteristics (professional burnout, counseling self-efficacy, and gender role orientation) in relation to the therapeutic alliance within the context of youth treatment. It was hypothesized that the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization dimensions of burnout would be negatively associated with the alliance, while the personal accomplishment dimension of burnout and counseling self-efficacy would be positively associated with the alliance. In addition, it was hypothesized that androgynous therapists would have superior alliances, relative to stereotypically masculine or feminine therapists. Participants were 42 pairs of therapists and youth clients. Prior to intake, therapists completed the Maslach Burnout …

Respondent Fatigue In Self-Report Victim Surveys: Examining A Source Of Nonsampling Error From Three Perspectives, Timothy C. Hart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Survey research is a popular methodology used to gather data on a myriad of phenomena. Self-report victim surveys administered by the Federal government are used to substantially broaden our understanding of the nature and extent of crime. A potential source of nonsampling error, respondent fatigue is thought to manifest in contemporary victim surveys, as respondents become "test wise" after repeated exposure to survey instruments. Using a special longitudinal data file, the presence and influence of respondent fatigue in national self-report victim surveys is examined from three perspectives. Collectively, results provide a comprehensive look at how respondent fatigue may impact crime …

Realism, Sovereignty, And International Relations: An Examination Of Power Politics In The Age Of Globalization, Tyler Harrison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many globalization theorists make the claim that the state, in its current Westphalian context, is no longer a viable unit of analysis in comparative politics or international relations. Globalists claim that in the wake of unprecedented, global integration, the state is either in retreat or on the verge of full scale extinction. In a general sense, this paper explores whether there is a sufficient amount of evidence to supports the claims of globalists that the state is dying. Moreover, the paper looks at the specific issue areas of international trade, multilateralism and the environment to determine what effects globalization has …

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 …

Strategic Geographic Positioning Of Sea Level Gauges To Aid In Early Detection Of Tsunamis In The Intra-Americas Sea, Joshua I. Henson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A tsunami is a series of large amplitude, shallow water waves generated by an event capable of displacing a massive volume of water. The displaced water propagates at speeds in excess of 800 kph until it dissipates or impacts a shoreline where it slows to 30 --

50 kph [NOAA and USGS Fact Sheet, 2005]. Earthquakes are the predominant tsunamigenic event, however, landslides, avalanches, submarine slumps or slides, volcanic eruptions, volcano flank failure, and meteor impact into an ocean can also cause a tsunami [McCann, 2004; O'Loughlin and Lander, 2003; Pararas-Carayannis, 2004]. This study includes past Caribbean tsunamigenic events assumed …

Growth Of 3c-Sic Via A Hot-Wall Cvd Reactor, Suzie Harvey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The heteroepitaxial growth of cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) on silicon (Si) substrates at high growth rates, via a horizontal hot-wall chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor, has been achieved. The final growth process was developed in three stages; an initial "baseline" development stage, an optimization stage, and a large area growth stage. In all cases the growth was conducted using a two step, carbonization plus growth, process. During carbonization, the surface of the Si is converted to 3C-SiC, which helps to minimize the stress in the growing crystal. Propane (C3H8) and silane (SiH4), diluted in hydrogen (H2), were used as the …

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 …

Evaluating The Reliability Of Continuous Resistivity Profiling To Detect Submarine Groundwater Discharge In A Shallow Marine Environment: Sarasota Bay, Florida, Arnell Harrison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) can be an important pathway for nutrients entering coastal systems. However SGD flow paths can be difficult to identify and flow volumes difficult to quantify. This study assesses whether geophysical techniques are potentially cost effective methods for detecting the presence or lack of SGD within an estuary environment found in Sarasota Bay, Florida. In this area, a rapid increase in urbanization has led to increased nitrogen loading into the bay, with some 10% of this loading attributed to SGD. Discharging groundwater is expected to be fresher and hence higher resistivity, than "background" surface waters. Thus resistivity …

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 …

Ferrite-Ferroelectric Thin Films With Tunable Electrical And Magnetic Properties, Ranko Heindl

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A growing need for developing new multi-functional materials operating at microwave frequencies is demanding a better understanding of ferroelectric and ferrimagnetic materials and their combinations. Some of these materials exhibit tunable physical properties, giving an extra degree of freedom in the device design. New multifunctional ferroelectric and ferrimagnetic thin film structures are investigated in this dissertation research, in which dielectric and magnetic properties can separately be tuned over a certain frequency range. The materials of choice, Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 (BST) and BaFe12O19 (BaM), both well studied and used in many microwave applications, were prepared using rf magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser ablation. …

West Tampa: Economic Development And Community Engagement Within An Urban Neighborhood, Jenna Holzberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a critical evaluation of the methods of community engagement used by the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission during the creation and implementation of the West Tampa Economic Development Plan. Data for this research was conducted in West Tampa, a neighborhood in Tampa, Florida. In the spring of 2005, the Planning Commission began working with the residents, business and property owners in West Tampa to develop the neighborhood's economic development plan. Using the community engagement methods of surveys, mailed and posted community announcements, community meetings, focus groups and interviews, the Planning Commission created an economic development plan which …

Brain-Compatible Research: Using Brain-Based Techniques To Positively Impact Student Learning, Laurie A. Herson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses brain-based methodology and how educators can use brain-based techniques to impact, support, and advance cognitive growth. Current research on learning and memory is enabling educators to better understand how the brain learns and what environmental factors assist in or detract from student learning. Brain-based learning techniques are considered by brain-based researchers as one way to create a learning environment that fosters student learning at individual academic levels while concurrently challenging each student and promoting academic growth. Teachers can further student academic advancement through the direct manipulation of the classroom environment rather than by purchasing a particular program …

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 …

Development And Evaluation Of An Inertial Based Pavement Roughness Measuring System, Fengxuan Hu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Roughness is an important indicator of pavement riding comfort and safety. It is a condition indicator that should be carefully considered when evaluating primary pavements. At the same time, the use of roughness measurements plays a critical role in the pavement management system.There are many devices used for roughness evaluation. The major tools used for road roughness quantify are the road profilers. In the thesis research, in order to obtain useful pavement surface condition data for pavement evaluation, an inertial based pavement roughness measuring system was developed with the combination of modern sensor technology and computer technology. The research will …

The Karst Of West-Central Florida, Lee John Florea

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Caves, the cornerstone feature of karst aquifers, are little understood in Florida. This dissertation, which analyzes the morphology, elevation, lithologic setting, and hydrology of caves in west-central Florida, demonstrates that the karst of the unconfined Floridan aquifer differs from the paradigm view of karst presented in modern geology textbooks. The differences reflect setting: eogenetic (west-central Florida) vs. telogenetic (conventional). Interpretations about the architecture of cavernous porosity in this dissertation come from detailed surveys (497 stations) of seven air-filled caves.The surveys reveal that solution cavities within the unconfined Floridan aquifer align along NE-SW and NW-SE fractures. The surveys further identify tabular …

The Influence Of The “Book Of Job” On The Middle English Morality Plays, Cameron Hunt-Logan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Book of Job was extremely popular in the Middle Ages, especially in England, because of its role in liturgy as well as lay religious devotion. I argue that the Book of Job was heavily influential in the writing of the medieval morality plays Castle of Perseverance, Mankind, Wisdom, and Everyman. In the plays, the dramatists mirrored many of Job's structural and artistic elements, creating direct parallels between the Biblical text and the morality plays. The authors also relied on Job's ideological framework to establish their own arguments, forming not only a textual but ideological linkage. Yet the most intriguing …

Mentor And Mentee Perceptions Of The Importance And Effectiveness Of Mentor Support, Cenira Holcomb

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research study explored the congruence between mentor and mentee perceptions of the importance and effectiveness of 12 district-specific focus areas of mentor support. While reviewing current data pertaining to teacher attrition, the researcher observed a limited availability of investigations relating to the perceived role of the mentor teacher based on the experiences and observations of both the novice and mentor teacher.The target population for this study was 70 novice and mentor special education teachers during the 2005--2006 school year employed at 13 middle schools in a school district located in Florida. Of the 70 beginning and mentor …

A Marriage Of Convenience: Batista And The Communists, 1933 – 1944, Charles Clayton Hollenkamp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between Fulgencio Batista and the Communist Party of Cuba. At odds during the first several years of Batista's rule, when strikes and repression were the topics of the day, the two sides eventually saw in each other a means to an end. In efforts to understand the Cuban Revolution of the late 1950's, historians often portray Batista as a dictatorial puppet of American business and policy. Contrary to this image, in his first regime (1934 until 1944), Batista presided over the creation of a nominal constitutional democracy. To do this he needed the support and …

Salinity- And Temperature-Dependent Groundwater Flow In The Floridan Aquifer System Of South Florida, Joseph D. Hughes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Density-dependent groundwater flow in the Floridan aquifer system (FAS) depends on chloride concentrations and fluid temperature. Previous studies addressing the role of chloride concentration and temperatures on groundwater flow in the FAS have relied on observation data or simplified two-dimensional numerical models. A three-dimensional hydrologic analysis of FAS in peninsular Florida was performed using a modified version of SUTRA (SUTRA-MS) capable of simulating multi-species solute and heat transport. SUTRA-MS was developed during this investigation and is capable of reproducing results for several problems with known solutions.The model was developed using available geometric and hydraulic parameter data and calibrated using hydraulic …

The Relationship Between Nurses' Anxiety And Attitude Related To Pediatric Hospice, Teresa Lyn Hoover

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To lose a child is a profoundly emotional experience. Even if it is not your own, the experience involves deeply held beliefs about death, the quality of death, ethics, and perhaps personal experience. Left unexplored, these beliefs and the anxiety they may produce, can become barriers to providing quality end-of-life care for children with life limiting conditions and their families. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between hospice nurses' attitudes toward providing pediatric hospice care and the level of anxiety they may experience related to pediatric hospice care. A self administered questionnaire was completed by 30 …

Hollow-Electrode Pulsed Plasma Deposition Of Titanium And Carbon Thin Films, Robert H. Hyde

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a study of a pulsed distributed arc plasma deposition method that has been developed to produce highly ionized pulsed plasma plumes of metallic species in the presence of a low-pressure inert or reactive gas glow discharge. A pulse-forming network (PFN) is used to form a transient electrical discharge in a hollow electrode which is triggered by two different methods; a pulsed CO2 laser or a pulsed high voltage glow discharge. With the PFN charged to a voltage of 70 - 100 VDC, current pulses with peak currents up to 3 kA and pulse widths as long 3.7 …

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 Comparability Analysis Of The National Nurse Aide Assessment Program, Peggy K. Jones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When an exam is administered across dual platforms, such as paper-and-pencil and computer-based testing simultaneously, individual items may become more or less difficult in the computer version (CBT) as compared to the paper-and-pencil (P&P) version, possibly resulting in a shift in the overall difficulty of the test (Mazzeo & Harvey, 1988). Using 38,955 examinees' response data across five forms of the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) administered in both the CBT and P&P mode, three methods of differential item functioning (DIF) detection were used to detect item DIF across platforms. The three methods were Mantel-Haenszel (MH), Logistic Regression (LR), …

Spring Break: Image, Identity, And Consumer Culture In A Florida Rite Of Passage, Meeghan Kane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a social history of spring break, examining the economic and social aspects of this youth culture phenomenon in Florida. Spring break follows the evolution of youth culture's increasingly complex relationship with an expanding consumer culture. I am exploring its many manifestations in music, film, and popular fiction, but also its rebellious expressions in the riots and arrests on Florida's beaches. I intend to focus on the small beach communities that were transformed by spring break, particularly Fort Lauderdale.Spring break in Florida dates back to the late 1920s in Palm Beach. Wealthy New England families spent their winters …

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, …

Kinematics Of Curved Flexible Beam, Saurabh Jagirdar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Compliant mechanism theory permits a procedure called rigidbody replacement, in which two or more rigid links of the mechanism are replaced by a compliant flexure with equivalent motion. Methods for designing flexure with equivalent motion to replace rigid links are detailed in Pseudo-Rigid-Body Models (PRBMs). Such models have previously been developed for planar mechanisms. This thesis develops the first PRBM for spherical mechanisms. In formulating this PRBM for a spherical mechanism, we begin by applying displacements are applied to a curved beam that cause it todeflect in a manner consistent with spherical kinematics. The motion of the beam is calculated …