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Cogito Ergo Doceo: A Cross-Case Study Of Latin Teacher Cognition In Technology-Rich Communities Of Practice, Ramã³N Anthony Madrigal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This empirical research study investigated the phenomenon of ancient language teacher cognition in the technology-rich contexts of two secondary teachers of Latin. Although one teacher was an inexperienced teacher working in a traditional, face-to-face classroom in an independent school, the other teacher was an experienced teacher working at a public virtual school. Features of teacher cognition, such as pre-active planning and inter-active decision-making were examined from a communities-of-practice theoretical perspective (Wenger, 1998). An exploratory, sequential mixed-methods research design was implemented in this cross-case study. Among the research findings that emerged from this investigation was the notion of the expedient integration …

Using In Situ Click Chemistry To Modulate Protein-Protein Interactions: Bcl-XL As A Case, Lisa M. Malmgren

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Protein-protein interactions are central to most biological processes. Although in the field of drug discovery there is a great interest in targeting protein-protein interactions, the discovery and development of small-molecules, which effect these interactions has been challenging. The purpose of this project is to determine if in situ click chemistry is a practical approach towards testing whether Bcl-XL is capable of assembling it's own inhibitory compounds. Abbott laboratories developed compound ABT-737, which binds with high affinity (Ki < 1 nM) to the binding sites of Bcl-XL.³⁶. Based on ABT-737, two acetylene anchor molecules AM3 and AM4 have been synthesized. These anchor molecules are distinguished by the reactivity …

A Comparative Ecological Study Between Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In A Protected And Urban Habitat: A Closer Look At Enteric Parasites And Diet Between Florida Coyotes, Denara Lynn Manning

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coyotes (Canis latrans) have inhabited Florida (USA) since the 1960s and are currently found throughout the state. The purpose of the present study was to obtain information on enteric parasites and diet of Florida coyotes from two different habitat types. Seasonal variation in diet was also examined. Fresh coyote fecal samples were collected from protected and urban habitats in Pinellas County, Florida (USA; 27°54' n, 82°41'w) from may 2005 to march 2007. A standard fecal flotation examination and formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation were utilized on fecal samples collected from the protected (n=40) and urban (n=50) habitats. Five novel (newly documented) parasites …

Transient Fluorescence Spectroscopy And Laser Induced Fluorescence Lifetimes Of Terbium Doped Dipicolinic Acid, Anali Makoui

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We have investigated the use of deep UV laser induced fluorescence for the sensitive detection and spectroscopic lifetime studies of terbium doped dipicolinic acid (DPA-Tb) and used this to study the optical characteristics of DPA which is a chemical surrounding most bacterial spores. Background absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, and Excitation Emission Matrix (EEM) spectra were made of the DPA-Tb complex, using both fixed 266 nm wavelength and tunable (220 nm --

280 nm) UV laser excitations. Of importance, the fluorescence lifetimes of the four main fluorescence peaks (488 nm, 543 nm, 581 nm, and 618 nm) of the DPA-Tb complex …

On The Theory Of Records And Applications, Alfred Kubong Mbah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Optional Real World Application Projects On Mathematics Achievement Among Undergraduate Students, David Milligan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many undergraduate students enrolled in institutions of higher learning wish to connect their learning to real life experiences. By linking reality to academics, students see first hand the practical value in their studies. The purpose of this study was to critically analyze the practice of application projects in undergraduate mathematics courses to determine if, and if so how, students benefit from optional real world application projects. The study was limited to specific courses within a non-math major's undergraduate mathematics program of study at one large research university. Until the appearance of "The Mathematics Umbrella: Modeling and Education" (Grinshpan, 2005), no …

Between Knowledge & Practice: Factors That Influence The Operationalization Of Sexual Health Knowledge In African American Female College Students, Jamae F. Morris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores some of the factors that influence whether African American female college students implement safe sex knowledge. High rates of HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) in the black community and the overrepresentation of individuals under the age of 25 in sexually-transmitted infection (STI) reports indicate the need for research that investigates the physical, social, and cultural aspects of high-risk sexual behaviors and the factors that influence them for this group. African American female college students present a unique challenge to sexual health educators; a challenge that has been relatively under acknowledged and under addressed in research and …

Molecular And Genomic Studies Of Temperate Phages From Halomonas Aquamarina And Bacillus Spp. Isolates From The Gulf Of Mexico, Jennifer M. Mobberley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities in the ocean and are believed to contribute to nutrient cycling, bacterial diversity, and horizontal gene exchange. However, little is known about the relationship between temperate phages and their hosts in marine environments. In this thesis, phage-host systems from the Gulf of Mexico were used to study the influence of temperate phages in bacteria. PhiHAP-1 is a temperate myovirus induced with mitomycin C from Halomonas aquamarina isolate. The genome of this phage was 39,245 nucleotides long and contained 46 predicted genes. Besides genes involved in lysogeny, PhiHAP-1 contained a protelomerase, which is responsible …

Self Assembly Of Complex Structures, Michael Nellis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The state of the art in artificial micro self assembly concepts are reviewed. The history of assembly is presented with a comparison to macro assembly, which has been widely studied, and micro self assembly. Criteria were developed and tested to show that macro assembly is more complex in ways that micro self assembly is not. Self assembly requirements for successful and complex self assembly, which evolved from the macro and micro comparison, are also established and tested. A method to assemble complex structures in the micro scale is proposed and demonstrated at the meso scale. The basic concepts of self …

A Three-Dimensional Biophysical Model Of Light, Nutrient, And Grazing Controls On Phytoplankton Competition Affecting Red Tide Maintenance On The West Florida Shel, Scott P. Milroy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A coupled, three-dimensional, time-dependent numerical model of water circulation, spectral light, plankton dynamics, nutrient/CDOM loadings, and zooplankton grazing provided an assessment of the factors affecting the growth and maintenance of red tides on the west Florida shelf (WFS). The coupled biophysical model consisted of state variable quantities for temperature, salinity, horizontal/vertical velocity components, turbulent diffusion, spectral light, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, particulate silica, four dissolved inorganic nutrient pools (nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, and silicate), and four phytoplankton groups (diatoms, microflagellates, non-toxic dinoflagellates, and the red tide organism Karenia brevis).

The model also included a complex …

Akt Function And Human Oncogenesis, Sungman Park

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Accumulated evidence indicates that, by the phosphorylation of its physiological substrates, Akt promotes cell survival, proliferation and angiogenesis. While a number of Akt targets have been identified, the mechanism by which Akt regulates cell survival and growth and induces malignant transformation still remains elusive. During the last 5 years, I have shown that AKT1 cross-talks with Src/Stat3 pathway. AKT1 is a direct target gene of Stat3. Protein/mRNA levels and promoter activity of AKT1 are significantly induced by constitutively active Src and Stat3. Knockdown of Stat3 or dominant-negative Stat3 reduced AKT1 expression induced by constitutively active Src. Blockage of AKT1 expression …

An Existential-Phenomenological Investigation Of Self-Cutting Among Adolescent Girls, Amanda A. Privé

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the experience of self-cutting, what stops adolescent girls from engaging in self-cutting, and what message adolescent girls who are self-cutting would want to send to other girls taking part in this behavior. Using an existential-phenomenological method of interviewing, adolescent girls were asked a serious of questions in order to gain insight into their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about the experience of self-cutting. Each interview was tape recorded, transcribed, and thematized. The participants in this study were labeled co-researchers due to the significant role that they had in the completion of this study. The co-researchers consisted of …

Modifiable Factors For Disability: Is There Potential For Reducing Racial Disparities In Disability In Older Age?, Mihaela A. Popa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

White-Black disparities in disability in the older population are consistently reported in the literature, and are usually ascribed to differences in socio-economic, health, and cognitive status. However, the role of modifiable influences on disability, such as health and lifestyle behaviors or health care utilization on these differences is less clear. This dissertation examines: (1) longitudinal White-Black differences in disability and the potential contributions of distinct health behaviors to these differences; (2) White-Black differences in the effects of health care utilization on trajectories of disability; and (3) whether cognition mediates the effects of health behaviors on disability in Whites and in …

Real Challenges, Virtual Challengers: The Democracy For America Movement, Noah Porter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The project examines the effects of Internet use by the social movement organization (SMO) Dean for America/Democracy for America (DFA). This study describes the relationship between Internet usage and SMO beliefs, organization, causes, reasons for joining, strategies, reactions, and effects. Dean for America started out with few resources or supporters, and was seen as an unlikely contender for the 2004 presidential campaign. From its humble beginnings, it skyrocketed from being virtually unknown to frontrunner status in the span of a year. After Howard Dean withdrew from the race in February 2004, Dean for America transformed itself into Democracy for America, …

A 1400-Year Multi-Proxy Record Of Climate Variability From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Julie N. Richey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A continuous, decadal-scale resolution multi-proxy record of climate variability over the past 1400 years in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) was constructed from a box core recovered in the Pigmy Basin. Proxies include paired analyses of Mg/Ca and oxygen isotopes in the white variety of the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber and relative abundance variations of G. sacculifer in the foraminifer assemblages. Two multi-decadal intervals of sustained high Mg/Ca values indicate GOM sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) were as warm or warmer than near-modern conditions between 1000 and 1400 yrs BP. Foraminiferal Mg/Ca values during the coolest interval of the Little Ice …

The Influence Of The Loop Current On The Diversity, Abundance And Distribution Of Zooplankton In The Gulf Of Mexico, Katie Rathmell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Physical processes in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and mesoscale (10-300 km) processes associated with the Loop Current are fairly well known. However, little is known about the physical/ biological interactions of the frontal boundary system of the Loop Current. Zooplankton abundance and distribution was determined at 28 stations in the vicinity of the Loop Current. Species richness was high at all stations. Copepods comprised 60% of the total zooplankton collected. Oithona plumifera, Nannocalanus minor and Euchaeta marina were the most abundant copepods. Chaetognaths and ostracods were also very abundant and made up 11 and 5 % respectively of the …

Relationship Between Nurses’ Management Of Pediatric Oncology Patients’ Symptoms And Job Satisfaction, Jennifer I. Rheingans

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A primary function of the pediatric oncology nurse is to provide symptom management to children with cancer. Symptom management strategies have been published, but there is scarce literature examining neither the actual use of these nursing interventions, nor the effects of using these interventions on the nurses' perceived work environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the nursing interventions used in treating pediatric oncology patients' symptoms, as well as the emotional sequelae from providing this care. Phase One of this study examined the content validity of the newly developed Nurses Distress and Interventions for Symptoms Survey (NDISS) utilizing …

Perceptions Of Senior Faculty Concerning Doctoral Student Preparation For Faculty Roles, Jennifer M. Purcell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Calls for reform in doctoral education are not new. However, the past decade has experienced renewed interest and discussion in preparing the future professoriate. Whereas most studies of graduate student socialization and preparation for faculty roles have focused on doctoral students or new faculty, this study examined the perceptions of senior faculty members involved in doctoral education. All senior faculty (n=4970) in biological sciences, English, mathematics, and non-clinical psychology from a stratified sample of 69 research universities nationwide were invited to participate. More than 1150 faculty completed a web-based survey. Respondents rated the importance of 18 competencies (based on a …

Determining Habitat Preferences Of The Juvenile Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) Using Spatially Modeled Vegetation On A Central Florida Sandhill, Kristan Marie Nicole Raymond

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Public and private conservation areas are becoming increasingly important to the continued survival of the gopher tortoise, making it imperative that land managers know the specific habitat requirements of juvenile gopher tortoises because recruitment is key to species persistence. Little is currently known about environmental factors that underlie hatchling and juvenile survival and recruitment in gopher tortoise populations. Because of the short duration and distance of juvenile tortoise foraging journeys, food availability, thermoregulatory conditions, and refugia near the burrow may considerably affect juvenile growth and survival. This two-year study of a central Florida sandhill examines the spatial relationship between juvenile …

Bcl-2 Related Ovarian Killer, Bok, Is Cell Cycle Regulated And Sensitizes To Stress-Induced Apoptosis, José M. Rodríguez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bok/Mtd (Bcl-2-related ovarian killer/Matador) is considered a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family. Though identified in 1997, little is known about its biological role. We have previously demonstrated that Bok mRNA is upregulated following E2F1 over-expression. In the current work, we demonstrate that Bok RNA is low in quiescent cells and rises upon serum stimulation. To determine the mechanism underlying this regulation, we cloned and characterized the mouse Bok promoter. We find that the mouse promoter contains a conserved E2F binding site (-43 to -49) and that a Bok promoter-driven luciferase reporter is activated by serum stimulation dependent on this …

Credibility Perceptions Of Television And Online News, Charmy G. Sabigan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Three major factors influence audience's credibility perception of mediated news on television and on the internet. This study found that reporters' credibility, media credibility, and news credibility had direct influence to the credibility of news presented on both media. Reporters' credibility on both media could be measured by their expertise, intelligence, education, trustworthiness, and authoritativeness. Television and the internet were evaluated differently. Television was measured by its comprehensiveness, concern for the interest of the public, and fairness. The internet was assessed on its trustworthiness, consideration of public interest, and objectivity. News credibility for both media, however, could be evaluated using …

An Experimental Study Of Pro-Dieting And Anti-Dieting Psychoeducational Messages: Effects On Immediate And Short-Term Psychological Functioning And Weight Control Practices In College Women, Megan Roehrig

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While dieting is relatively normative in our society, it is controversial within the fields of eating disorders and obesity. Dieting for weight loss has been touted by the obesity prevention field as a solution to the growing obesity epidemic, yet a body of research in the eating disorders field has also implicated it in the etiology and maintenance of eating pathology. Thus, a divergence in approaches toward dieting has emerged, with both prodieting and anti-dieting messages being recommended. Little is known, however, about the impact of these two types of messages on immediate and short-term psychological functioning and weight control …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Interfaces Between Naturally Derived And Synthetic Nanostructures For Biomedical Applications, Souheil Zekri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of nanotechnology to develop methods for fabrication and characterization of organized hybrid nanostructures that include integrated polymeric, biological and inorganic compounds has increased exponentially during the last decade. Such bio-nano-composite materials could be used in solving current biomedical problems spanning from nanomedicine to tissue engineering and biosensing. In this dissertation, a systematic study has been carried out on the synthesis, characterization, of two interfaces between naturally derived and synthetic nanostructures. Carbon nanotubes and porous silicon represent the synthetic nanostructures that were developed for the purpose of interfacing with the naturally derived bovine type I collagen and respiratory syncytial …

Seasonal Variations Of Co2 And 222Rn In A Mediterranean Sinkhole - Spring (Causse D’Aumelas, Se France), Christelle Batiot-Guilhe, Jean-Luc Seidel, Hervé Jourde, Olivier Hébrard, Vincent Bailly-Comte

International Journal of Speleology

Carbon dioxide and ²²²Rn monitoring of the atmosphere of a Mediterranean sink hole - spring (SE France) during two hydrological cycles (from September 2004 to September 2006) showed seasonal variations with very high concentrations during summer (greater than 6% and 20 000 Bq/m³, respectively). Gas dynamics in caves often show seasonal variations. Meteorological parameters (barometric pressure and temperature mainly), cave geometry and fracture networks control exchanges between the cavity and outside atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and ²²²Rn may have different sources (atmosphere, soil, bedrock, deep gas diffusion, in situ oxidation of organic matter and, in some caves, …

Bomb-Spike Dating Of A Mummified Baboon In Ludwig Cave, Namibia, Greg Hodgins, George A. Brook, Eugene Marais

International Journal of Speleology

In 1982 a mummified adult female baboon was discovered on a ledge in Ludwig Cave in Namibia. A toe bone was removed for dating in July 1995. AMS radiocarbon dating of bone collagen, tendon, and skin indicates a post-modern age. Application of the atomic bomb-spike calibration curve suggests death in late 1977 and an age at death of around 19 years. Baboons roost in the cave and the mummified female, along with a mummified juvenile male discovered in 2002 and three rotting corpses discovered in 1995, were probably chased by other baboons or by leopards down a ca. 6 m …

Colour Doppler Spatial Resolution Performance Testing, Jacinta Browne, Ian Brown, Peter Hoskins, Amanda Watson, Alex Elliott

Articles

No abstract available

Survey Of Climate Change Litigation, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

Approximately 35 lawsuits have been filed in the United States concerning global climate change, together with several administrative proceedings and officially threatened actions. About half of them have led to judicial decisions, and several of those are under appeal; most of the rest are pending.

Much attention has deservedly gone to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Massachusetts v. the EPA, but that is only the tip of the figurative iceberg; and unlike most of the real ones, it is growing rather than melting.

This article surveys U.S. climate change litigation. The lawsuits can be broadly divided between those …

A World Without Marriage, Elizabeth S. Scott

Faculty Scholarship

The legal status of marriage has become the focus of a great deal of controversy in recent years. Social and religious conservatives have voiced alarm at the decline of marriage in an era in which divorce rates are high and increasing numbers of people live in nonmarital families. For these advocates, social welfare rests on the survival (or revival) of traditional marriage. Meanwhile, critics from the left argue that marriage as the preferred and privileged family form will (and should) soon be a thing of the past. Some feminists, such as Martha Fineman and Nancy Polikoff, want to abolish legal …

Social Contagion Of Violence, Jeffrey A. Fagan, Deanna L. Wilkinson, Garth Davies

Faculty Scholarship

In this chapter, we assess whether the roller-coaster pattern of homicides in New York City beginning in 1985 fits a contagion model and identify mechanisms of social contagion that predict its spread across social and physical space. This framework for interpreting the homicide trends as an epidemic includes two perspectives. First, the sharp rise and fall are indicative of a nonlinear pattern in which the phenomenon spreads at a rate far beyond what would be predicted by exposure to some external factor and declines in a similar pattern in which the reduction from year to year exceeds what might be …

A Peroxisomal Acyltransferase In Mouse Identifies A Novel Pathway For Taurine Conjugation Of Fatty Acids., Sarah-Jayne Reilly, Eithne O'Shea, O'Byrne James, Stefan Alexson, Mary Hunt

Articles

A wide variety of endogenous carboxylic acids and xenobiotics are conjugated with amino acids, before excretion in urine or bile. The conjugation of carboxylic acids and bile acids with taurine and glycine has been widely characterized and de-novo synthesized bile acids are conjugated to either glycine or taurine in peroxisomes. Peroxisomes are also involved in the oxidation of several other lipid molecules, such as very long chain acyl-CoAs, branched chain acyl-CoAs and prostaglandins. In this study we have now identified a novel peroxisomal enzyme called acyl-CoA:amino acid N-acyltransferase (ACNAT1). Recombinantly expressed ACNAT1 acts as an acyltransferase that efficiently conjugates very …