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Mechanism(S) Of 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-Nitrophenol (Tfm) Toxicity In Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) & Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Oana Birceanu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The pesticide, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), has been extensively used over the last 50 years to control invasive sea lamprey (P. marinus) populations in the Great Lakes, but its mechanism of toxicity is unresolved. Due to its structural similarity to phenolic compounds known to inhibit mitochondrial ATP production, one hypothesis on the mode of action of TFM is that it impairs mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. A second hypothesis is that TFM targets the gill, interfering with gill ion uptake. Exposure of larval sea lamprey and rainbow trout (O. mykiss), to each animal’s respective 12-h TFM LC50, resulted in marked …

A Study Of The Waterborne And Dietary Toxicityof Cadmium To Hydra Attenuata And Daphnia Plux In Soft Waters And The Development Of Biotic Ligand Models To Predict Such Toxicity, Matthew S.A. Clifford

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The goal of this thesis was to compare the effects of waterborne Cd exposures and dietary Cd exposures to Hydra attenuata. Before the Hydra could be exposed to dietborne exposures of Cd, the effects of waterborne exposures had to be understood. This was done by looking at the sensitivity of D. pulex to Cd and then understanding the accumulation of Cd. After bioaccumulation patterns of Cd. to D. pulex were known, we could then feed the prey to the Hydra and comapre the effects to waterborne effects of Cd to Hydra.

To understand the waterborne effects of Cd to …

The Sexual Health Education Experiences And Needs Of Immigrant Women In Kitchener-Waterloo, Stefani Burosch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Canada, the sexual health education needs of individuals beyond their adolescent years are often overlooked. For immigrant women, silences around issues of adult sexual health are compounded by the perception of mystery and taboos surrounding minority women and sexuality. In exploring the experiences and needs of adult immigrant women related to sexuality and sexual health education in Kitchener-Waterloo—two mid-size cities located within the Waterloo Region in southern Ontario—this study sought to create space for dialogue and to bridge the perceived cultural divide on issues of sexual health that often arises between individuals from different cultural backgrounds.

Using a qualitative …

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit And Adaptive Co-Management: A Case Study Of Narwhal Co-Management In Arctic Bay, Nunavut, Aaron T. Dale

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Since 2001 the community of Arctic Bay, located on north-western Baffin Island, in Nunavut, Canada, has been experimenting with a new approach to narwhal management—‘community-based’ narwhal managemet. The new management system has developed some decision-making powers to the local Hunters’ and Trappers’ Organization, who are empowered/required to draft by-laws to govern the hunt. Community-based narwhal management links local, regional, territorial, and national actors and agencies in a co-management arrangement that draws its powers from, and is steered by, the Nunavut Final Agreement (1993), the comprehensive land claims agreement between the Inuit of Nunavut and Her Majesty the Queen in Right …

Effects Of Estrogen Receptor Activation On Post-Exercise Muscle Satellite Cell Proliferation, Kareem Bunyan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigated the role of estrogen receptor activation on total and proliferating satellite cells following running exercise in rats, by using an estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-α) specific agonist, 4,4,4 (4-Propyl-[1H]-pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl) trisphenol (PPT). PPT is the first ER-α specific agonist (Stauffer et al 2000) which binds the ER-a subtype with a 410-greater affinity than ER-β (Stauffer et al 2000). Previous studies have demonstrated that estrogen can augment muscle satellite cell numbers following exercise (Enns and Tiidus, 2008) and that this augmentation may be due to mechanisms activated via estrogen receptors that can influence total, proliferating, and differentiating satellite cell numbers (Enns …

Laboratory Studies In Chemically Mediated Phosphorus Removal, Rebecca L. Gilmore

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Chemically mediated phosphorus removal, done during wastewater treatment, is an effective means of reducing nutrient loads to sensitive environments. Although this method of treatment is widely used, the mechanism of removal is poorly understood. Moreover, phosphorus regulations for wastewater effluents are moving to concentration ranges of 10-100 μg P/L (total phosphorus). This is much lower than current regulations (∼0.1 ∼0.2 mg P/L as TP) required by municipalities (Takács et al., 2006a; Murthy et al., 2005). The analytical methods for low level phosphate analysis need to be optimized to perform reliably and accurately at these low levels. To accomplish this, absorbance …

Using Chemical, Optical And Biological Methods To Characterize Cu Complexation By Different Natural Organic Matter Sources Collected From Canadian Shield Waters, Keegan Andrew Hicks

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The effects of natural organic matter (NOM) source on Cu complexation were characterized chemically, optically and biologically in soft waters. NOM from different Canadian Shield soft water lakes were concentrated using reverse osmosis and for comparison NOM was also sampled from a hard water source. NOM complexation capacity was assessed directly in Cu spiked solutions (with and without additions of NOM) by measuring free Cu activity using an ion selective electrode. Additional chemical and optical characterizations of NOM included specific absorbance coefficient (SAC; at 340 nm), excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy, protein content, and molecular weight fractionation (fraction of DOCkDa). The biological …

Personal Growth In Couples Caring For A Child With A Life-Threatening Illness, Kimberly Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Little is known about the potential for positive outcomes in couples who have a child with a life-threatening illness. The current study was a secondary analysis of demographics and personal growth data of 34 couples actively caring for children with various life-threatening conditions. There were three overarching goals in this research: (a) to examine differences in Posttraumatic Growth Inventory scores (PTGI) of mothers and fathers, (b) to examine the relationship between demographic variables and PTGI scores of mothers and fathers, and (c) to measure level of congruency in couple-dyad scores and test if partners’ growth scores are predictive of one …

Metabolic And Molecular Approaches To The Study Of Bacterial Communities In Wetlands Of The Alberta Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Jessica Dawn Morrison

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Bacterial communities in wetlands from the Athabasca region (Alberta, Canada) were surveyed and their utility as bio-indicators for wetland reclamation was assessed. Sediment samples were collected from wetlands categorized as: (1) natural (off mining leases), (2) reference (on mining sites but not directly impacted by oil sands processed material (OSPM)), and (3) OSPM (directly affected by OSPM). Wetlands of the latter two groups ranged in age from 11 to 24 years. Analysis involved community level physiological profiling (CLPP) with BIOLOG™ EcoPlates, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Multivariate analysis applied to data from both techniques revealed differences in the bacterial …

The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status And Physical Activity Among Adolescents, Meredith Laurel Stockie

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Background: Many Canadian youth are inactive (Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2009). Socioeconomic status (SES) is one factor that influences youth physical activity (PA) levels; however, the factors involved in this relationship are not well understood. Given that numerous quantitative studies suggest there is a positive relationship between SES and PA among adolescents, but offer little insight into why the given relationship exists, the purpose of the current thesis is to study the factors that influence the relationship between SES and PA among youth aged 12–14 years through a qualitative lens.

Methods: Low (n = 2) and high SES (n = …

Evolution And Systematic Significance Of Reproductive Structures In The Genus Cuscuta (Dodders, Convolvulaceae): Pollen And Gynoecium, Mark Welsh

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The genus Cuscuta (dodders, Convolvulaceae) is one of the most significant lineages of parasitic plants from economic, conservation, and anthropogenic perspectives. Members of the genus are twining stem parasites with no roots, lacking almost completely chlorophyll or its function, and gather required nutrition from their host via specialized haustorial connections. While there are almost 200 described species, problems with species identification exist because many diagnostic characters are restricted to their tiny flowers. Probably contributing to this identification difficulty is the fact that the group has not received taxonomic attention for over 75 years; even knowledge of its basic reproductive biology …

Population Density, Circulating Testosterone And Dawn Chorus Behaviour In White-Throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia Albicollis), Simon Richard Hall

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

An integrative approach to biological research has facilitated the study not only of specific phenomena, but of the connections between these phenomena. A particularly striking example is that of the relationships between testosterone, social behavior, and social context. Increased levels of testosterone increase the frequency of aggressive behaviors and reduce the quality of parental care in many songbird species, and these changes in behavior can affect the surrounding social environment. Different social contexts, population density as a readily studied example, affect the cues that control the release of testosterone into the bloodstream. The distinct tan-stripe and white-stripe phenotypic morphs of …

Inference, Orthology, And Inundation: Addressing Current Challenges In The Field Of Metagenomics, Gregory Detlev Alexander Vey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The vast increase in the number of sequenced genomes has irreversibly changed the landscape of the biological sciences and has spawned the current post-genomic era of research. Genomic data have illuminated many adaptation and survival strategies between species and their habitats. Moreover, the analysis of prokaryotic genomic sequences is indispensible for understanding the mechanisms of bacterial pathogens and for subsequently developing effective diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines. Computational strategies for the annotation of genomic sequences are driven by the inference of function from reference genomes. However, the effectiveness of such methods is bounded by the fractional diversity of known genomes. Although …

Characterization Of The Interaction Between Arabidopsis Toc159 And Toc33 Gtpase Domains, Wesley A. Farquharson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Protein-protein interactions are critical for many biochemical processes and for cellular function. Understanding interactions between proteins and ligands, as well as other proteins are necessary for the modelling of biological systems. Protein import into chloroplasts is one such system where the understanding of interactions between members of the translocation complex is limited. The translocon at the outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts (Toe complex) consists of three core components: Toc75, Tocl59, and Toc34. Members of the Tocl59 and Toc34 gene families in Arabidopsis thaliana have been shown to assemble differentially into structurally and functionally distinct complexes. More specifically, there is evidence …

An Action Research Study Of The Supporting The University-Ready Through Environment (Sure) Program, Natalie Brown

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The current research documented the processes and outcomes of an educational access program for women living in poverty at the individual and organizational level of analysis. The purpose of this study was to understand barriers, strategies to reduce barriers and outcomes achieved by a grassroots program: Supporting the University-Ready through Empowerment (SURE). The 12 participants consisted of three women learners of the SURE program, three SURE co-directors (including myself), three university partners and three community partners. Life narrative interviews were conducted with the learners with structured interviews conducted with all other informants. Additionally, focus groups were run with the SURE …

Made Me Who I Am: An Examination Of Grandparent And Parent Value Teaching And Young Adult Generativity, Identity, And Adjustment, Elise Bisson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Intergenerational value transmission plays an important role in child socialization. Although much research has been done on parent to child value teaching, there is little research on grandparent to grandchild value teaching. The purpose of this study was to explore parent and grandparent value teaching and how it relates to young adult generativity, identity development, and adjustment. This study involved 100 young adults, between the ages of 25 to 29 with a mean age of 26, taken from a longitudinal sample of participants in 2006. Participants were asked to tell parent and grandparent value teaching stories, in which they described …

The Impact Of Community Ministry On Church Health In The Anglican Churches Of South London, Stephen Hance

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Men's Ministry: A Study Of Leadership Development In Churches Of The Oklahoma Conference Of The United Methodist Church, Travis Todd Muse

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Spectrum Of Self-Harm In College Undergraduates: The Intersection Of Maladaptive Coping And Emotion Dysregulation, Christa D. Labouliere

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Suicidality and non-suicidal self-injury are highly prevalent on college campuses and death by suicide is the number two cause of death for that age demographic. Even with such a deadly public health concern, little is known about how self-harm behavior can be prevented or effectively treated. Research has suggested that differences in affect regulation may differentiate those who engage in self-harm from those who do not, but many of these studies have examined disparate pieces of affect regulation without addressing the overlap and interaction of regulatory behaviors. The field must discover what specific aspects of affect regulation go awry, if …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Novel Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Composites Using Copper-4, 4’- Trimethylenedipyridine Metal-Organic Framework As Fillers, Shisi Liu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A novel Poly (methyl methacrylate) Composites using Copper-4, 4'- Trimethylenedipyridine Metal-Organic Framework as Fillers (CTMOF) had been synthesized and analyzed. The CTMOF structure had been characterized by X-ray crystallography. The thermal and mechanical properties of CTMOF-PMMA composites had been examined via optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), microhardness, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The results showed the increase of Glass transition temperatures and the improvement of mechanical properties of the PMMA composites as the concentration of CBMOF loading increased.

Investigation Into The Rate-Determining Step Of Mammalian Heme Biosynthesis: Molecular Recognition And Catalysis In 5-Aminolevulinate Synthase, Thomas Lendrihas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The biosynthesis of tetrapyrolles in eukaryotes and the alpha-subclass of purple photosynthetic bacteria is controlled by the pyridoxal 5?-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme, 5-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS). Aminolevulinate, the universal building block of these macromolecules, is produced together with Coenzyme A (CoA) and carbon dioxide from the condensation of glycine and succinyl-CoA. The three-dimensional structures of Rhodobacter capsulatus ALAS reveal a conserved active site serine that moves to within hydrogen bonding distance of the phenolic oxygen of the PLP cofactor in the closed, substrate-bound enzyme conformation, and simultaneously to within 3-4 angstroms of the thioester sulfur atom of bound succinyl-CoA. To elucidate the …

Student Reflections: The Impact Of Dual Enrollment On Transitions To A State University, Theresa Lyvette Lewis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dual enrollment is one means of facilitating increased degree productivity, which can lead to the more educated workforce needed in today's society. This qualitative study was designed to obtain student perceptions about their dual enrollment experience, including how it impacted their decision to go to college and what comparisons they would make between their dual enrollment experience and their full university experience. Twenty-one students were interviewed via e-mail to provide responses that would help answer three research questions: 1.What are the initial experiences of dual enrollment students? 2.How does the dual enrollment experience impact the decision of high school graduates …

The Political Ecology Of Intestinal Parasites Among Nicaraguan Immigrants In Monteverde, Costa Rica, Jason D. Lind

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 15 years Monteverde, Costa Rica has undergone rapid economic, social, political, and environmental change due to a flourishing ecotourism economy. While the effects of ecotourism development in Monteverde are many, two important consequences have been: 1) the immigration of Nicaraguan nationals to the area seeking low-skilled wage labor; and 2) compromised water resources management due to pollution and rapid population growth. The objective of this research is to investigate and identify the inter-relationships between ecotourism development in Monteverde and its affect on infectious diseases outcomes within the context of immigration and water resources management. Specifically, this dissertation …

The Neoconservative War On Modernity: The Bush Doctrine And Its Resistance To Legitimation, Ben Luongo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Bush Doctrine represents a paradigm shift in international security policy. Never had a foreign policy demonstrated such will through unilateralism, preemptive militarism, and a sense of exceptionalism. I argue that this shift in policy resists modern international order in an attempt to reestablish ancient modes of power and control. The international system maintains order through rules and institutions which are perceived to be legitimate because they have the consent of the governed. An example of this would be the UN, where member states engage in a democratic deliberation geared towards reaching understanding and consensus. However, order breaks down when …

Multiple Approaches To The Validation Of The Scores From The Study Anxiety Inventory, George Douglas Lunsford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Study Anxiety Inventory (SAI), consisting of the factors of worry and emotionality, was developed to measure college students' self-reported levels of anxiety while studying for an exam. Data from 2002 undergraduate students from four colleges (Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business, and Education) at a southeastern state university were used to evaluate the validity of the scores from the 16-item Study Anxiety Inventory. Results of confirmatory factor analyses for the two factor model, conducted separately for each college, indicated marginally acceptable fit for the data (median fit measures across the four colleges: CFI =.915, SRMR=.049, RMSEA=.098), a pattern that was …

Mixture Distributions With Application To Microarray Data Analysis, O'Neil Lynch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main goal in analyzing microarray data is to determine the genes that are differentially expressed across two types of tissue samples or samples obtained under two experimental conditions. In this dissertation we proposed two methods to determine differentially expressed genes. For the penalized normal mixture model (PMMM) to determine genes that are differentially expressed, we penalized both the variance and the mixing proportion parameters simultaneously. The variance parameter was penalized so that the log-likelihood will be bounded, while the mixing proportion parameter was penalized so that its estimates are not on the boundary of its parametric space. The null …

Cardiovascular Risk Factors For Mild Cognitive Impairment, Michael Malek-Ahmadi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between cardiovascular conditions and the presence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been well-documented in a number of recent studies. Generally, the presence of cardiovascular conditions such as high total cholesterol and hypertension have been shown to significantly increase the risk for the development of AD. Given the results of these studies, it is possible that these same risk factors might also increase the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI). An analysis of 216 subjects (119 cognitively normal (CN), 77 aMCI, 20 naMCI) found that after adjusting for age, education, ethnicity, and gender, only hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) showed …

Functional Characterization Of Cytochrome B5 Reductase And Its Electron Acceptor Cytochrome B5 In Plasmodium Falciparum, Lucio Malvisi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a disease of major public health importance, killing approximately one million people and causing about 250 million cases of fever annually. It mostly affects children under the age of five and pregnant women in many developing countries, making it a prominent issue in international health and maternal and child health. The most aggressive form of malaria is caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum which is responsible for 80% of infections and 90% of deaths from malaria, and is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Public Health interventions include the implementation of prevention programs, health education, and chemotherapy. The latter …

Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Management: Water Quality Impacts Of Balm Road Treatment Marsh, Hillsborough County, Florida, Sarah J. Malone

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Balm Road Treatment Marsh is a 12 ha constructed wetland treatment system in south-central Hillsborough County, Florida created to improve water quality in Bullfrog Creek and ultimately Tampa Bay. The treatment system was designed to treat runoff from approximately 741 ha of upstream agricultural land prior to discharging into the creek, with the primary goals of reducing sediment and nutrient loads. Water quality data from four sites on Bullfrog Creek were analyzed to determine impacts to ambient water quality and pollutant load reductions downstream. Results were compared to the performance of other wetlands to treat both nonpoint and point source …

Program Satisfaction, School Climate Perceptions, And Psychoeducational Experiences In College Preparatory Programs: A Comparison Of Caucasian And Ethnic Minority Students, Yanique T. Matthews

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study focused on the extent to which participation in academically rigorous college preparatory programs, International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Advanced Placement (AP) particularly, impacts students from racially diverse backgrounds (Caucasian, African American, Asian American and Hispanic/Latino American). Student outcomes of interest included the program satisfaction, school climate perceptions (relationships with peers and teachers), and psychoeducational adjustment (academic and mental health functioning). The experiences of 381 college preparatory participants were also compared to 143 general education peers and subjected to a series of MANOVAs and ANOVAs. General findings indicated that, regardless of the student's racial identity, students in AP …