Digital Commons Network^™

Rapid Recovery Of An Urban Remnant Reptile Community Following Summer Wildfire, Robert A. Davis, Tim S. Doherty

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Reptiles in urban remnants are threatened with extinction by increased fire frequency, habitat fragmentation caused by urban development, and competition and predation from exotic species. Understanding how urban reptiles respond to and recover from such disturbances is key to their conservation. We monitored the recovery of an urban reptile community for five years following a summer wildfire at Kings Park in Perth, Western Australia, using pitfall trapping at five burnt and five unburnt sites. The reptile community recovered rapidly following the fire. Unburnt sites initially had higher species richness and total abundance, but burnt sites rapidly converged, recording a similar …

Multiple Drivers Of Decline In The Global Status Of Freshwater Crayfish (Decapoda: Astacidea), Nadia I. Richman, Monika Bohm, Susan Adams, Fernando Alvarez, Elizabeth A. Bergey, John J.S. Bunn, Quinton Burnham, Jay Cordeiro, Jason Coughran, Keith A. Crandall, Kathryn L. Dawkins, Robert J. Distefano, Niall E. Doran, Lennart Edsman, Arnold G. Eversole, Leopold Fureder, James M. Furse, Francessa Gherardi, Premek Hamr, David M. Holdich, Pierre Horwitz, Kerrylyn Johnston, Clive M. Jones, Julia P.G. Jones, Robert L. Jones, Thomas G. Jones, Tadashi Kawai, Susan Lawler, Marilu Lopez-Mejia, Rebecca M. Miller, Carlos Pedraza-Lara, Julian D. Reynolds, Alastair M.M. Richardson, Mark B. Schiltz, Guenter A. Schuster, Peter J. Sibley, Catherine Souty-Grosset, Christopher A. Taylor, Roger F. Thoma, Jerry Walls, Todd S. Walsh, Ben Collen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Rates of biodiversity loss are higher in freshwater ecosystems than in most terrestrial or marine ecosystems, making freshwater conservation a priority. However, prioritization methods are impeded by insufficient knowledge on the distribution and conservation status of freshwater taxa, particularly invertebrates. We evaluated the extinction risk of the world's 590 freshwater crayfish species using the IUCN Categories and Criteria and found 32% of all species are threatened with extinction. The level of extinction risk differed between families, with proportionally more threatened species in the Parastacidae and Astacidae than in the Cambaridae. Four described species were Extinct and 21% were assessed as …

Sigma Receptor Activation Mitigates Toxicity Evoked By The Convergence Of Ischemia, Acidosis And Amyloid-Beta, Adam Alexander Behensky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a major cause of long-term disability in industrialized countries. The core region of an ischemic stroke dies within minutes due to activation of necrotic pathways. Outside of this core region is the penumbral zone, where some perfusion is maintained via collateral arteries. Delayed cell death occurs in this area due to the triggering of apoptotic mechanisms, which expands the ischemic injury over time. The cellular and molecular events that produce the expansion of the ischemic core continue to be poorly understood. The increases in the amyloid precursor …

Communication Of Lava Flow Hazards At The San Francisco Volcanic Field, Flagstaff, Arizona, Catherine St. John Carter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines different methods of communicating volcanic hazards to the population of Flagstaff, Arizona using the results of a recent lava flow hazard assessment of the nearby San Francisco Volcanic Field (SFVF). Harburger (2014) determined that given a lava flow originating in the SFVF, there is a statistical probability that it will inundate the city of Flagstaff or even originate from a vent within the city limits. Based on the recurrence rates for the most recent eruptions (3 x 10-4/year), the probability of lava flow inundation in Flagstaff is 1.1 x 10-5 per year.

This study considers the effects …

High-Throughput Screening Of Age-Related Changes In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Neil Copes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project was developed to identify novel methods for high-throughput culturing and screening of C. elegans to investigate age-related metabolic changes and to survey the proteomic and metabolomic factors associated with age-related changes. To accomplish these goals we developed a novel way to grow C. elegans in liquid culture in 96-well microplates for several weeks without suffering significant fluid loss due to evaporation and without needing to shake or unseal the plates for aeration. We also developed methods for assaying the total volume of live C. elegans in microplate cultures using a fluorescence microplate reader and for performing RNAi experiments …

A Semiotic Phenomenology Of Homelessness And The Precarious Community: A Matter Of Boundary, Heather Renee Curry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation focuses on the articulation of the concepts of precarity —i.e., temporary, affective, creative, immaterial and insecure labor—and community in an overheating system. My site of inquiry is homelessness broadly, but more specifically the labor of panhandling and the identity of “the panhandler.” I recognize that primary theorizations of precarity have located it as a problem of labor and economy. Others have looked at it from the sociological domain. My work looks at precarity as diffuse across social, political, and communal systems, but primarily as an effect of the problem of overheating as it manifests at varying levels of …

Vulnerability Of Larval Fish Populations To Oil Well Blowouts In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Emily Chancellor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

On April 20th, 2010, a fire broke out on the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) offshore oil drilling rig on the Macondo prospect located off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). This fire and resulting explosions resulted in the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig and the largest marine oil spill in history. An estimated 4.9 million (+/- 10%) barrels were released into the Gulf of Mexico over the ensuing 87 days. Many economically important fish species spawn in northern Gulf of Mexico waters; the spawning seasons and pelagic larval phase of many of these species occur within the temporal …

Strategies For Preventing Age And Neurodegenerative Disease-Associated Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Vedad Delic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the development of aging phenotypes and aging-associated neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Strategies that restore mitochondrial dysfunction may rescue the deficits of central metabolism in these disorders and improve cell survival. For example, we found that modulating the mTOR signaling pathway in a tissue culture model of aging-induced mitochondrial DNA mutation enhanced mitochondrial function as evidenced by increased oxygen consumption. Our previous melatonin studies also led us to hypothesize that caloric restriction and the hormone melatonin would reverse brain mitochondrial dysfunction in animal …

The “Other” Side Of Wall Street: Banking, Policies, And Adaptive Methods Of U.S. Migrant Workers, Cassandra Rae Decker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Migrant farmworkers' social and economic mobility is frequently constrained through the denial of basic resources, such as access to the formal financial sector. This thesis ethnographically examines banking policies as they apply to low-income, mobile, populations that temporarily reside in Florida. It utilizes participant observation, interviews, and participatory mapping with migrant farmworkers. It also considers how policymakers and service providers in the formal and informal financial sectors rationalize control of resources and the effects on mobile populations. Particular attention is paid to adaptive practices in the alternative financial sector – cash checking services, carrying cash, and remittances. By utilizing the …

The Effects Of Supplemented Metabolites On Lifespan And Stress Response Pathways In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Clare B. Edwards

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how metabolites contribute to anaplerosis, antioxidant effects, and hormetic pathways during aging is fundamental to creating supplements and dietary habits that may decrease age-associated disease and decline, thus improving the quality of life in old age. In order to uncover metabolic pathways that delay aging, the effects of large sets of metabolites associated with mitochondrial function on lifespan were investigated.

Malate, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolite, increased lifespan and thermotolerance in C. elegans. Addition of fumarate and succinate also extended lifespan and all three metabolites activated nuclear translocation of the cytoprotective DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor and protected from paraquat-induced …

Maternal Stress, Breastmilk Igf-1, And Offspring Growth Among Breastfeeding Mothers-Infant Pairs In The Tampa Bay Area, Lauren Michelle Gottfredson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Maternal stress during utero has been shown to have negative health consequences on the offspring, including low birth weight and increased risk of adult disease. Variation in breastmilk may act as an environmental cue of maternal stress and continue to program the infant during early life. This research aimed to explore the role of breastmilk on developmental programming of the infant. Specifically, to examine how breastmilk may act as a medium for the exposure of stress between the mother and the offspring, and see if variation in insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) a potential mechanism for the relationship.

Methods: …

Mmv Malaria Box Activity Screening In Dormant Plasmodium Falciparum Phenotypes, Sandra Galusic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The causative agent of malignant tertian malaria, Plasmodium falciparum undergoes an arrested growth phenotype of its erythrocytic stage when under drug-stress. Recent artemisinin treatment failures seem to be indicative of such induction followed by recrudescence rather than actual therapeutic failure. Likewise, P. vivax hypnozoites are the prototypic dormants and the latent infections for which they are responsible prove most difficult to treat. Dihydroartemisinin, an artemisinin-derivative, can be used to exploit this mechanism by inducing a dormant state in ring-stage P. falciparum parasites and in turn, their recovery may be used as a screening period for compounds that inhibit or foster …

Minocycline Treatment And The Necessity To Develop A Novel Outcome Measure For Children With Angelman Syndrome, Joseph Christopher Grieco

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic disorder affecting 1/10,000 to 1/20,000 births. This disorder arises through the genetic disruption of the maternal UBE3A allele, which when coupled with epigenetic silencing of the paternal allele UBE3A allele, gives rise to an absence of UBE3A protein in the central nervous system. Clinical manifestations of the syndrome vary in severity and include poor motor function, deficits in language and severe intellectual impairments. Previous research in the Angelman syndrome mouse model revealed abnormalities in dendritic spine density and morphology of hippocampal pyramidal cells. As seen in humans with AS, mice show abnormal behavioral …

Neuroinflammatory Alterations Via Cd-36 In Traumatic Brain Injury, Diana G. Hernandez-Ontiveros

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has become an increasingly unmet clinical need due to intense military conflicts worldwide. Directly impacted brain cells suffer massive death, with neighboring cells succumbing to progressive neurodegeneration accompanied by inflammatory and other secondary cell death events. Subsequent neurodegenerative events may extend to normal areas beyond the core of injury, thereby exacerbating the central nervous system’s inflammatory response to TBI. Recently CD-36 (cluster of differentiation 36/fatty acid translocase (FAT), a class B scavenger receptor of modified low-density lipoproteins (mLDLs) in macrophages, has been implicated in lipid metabolism, atherosclerosis, oxidative stress, and tissue injury in cerebral ischemia, and …

Tampa Electric Company's Big Bend Utility Plant In Hillsborough County, Florida: A Case Study, Lynne M. Hodalski-Champagne

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This is an in-depth analysis of coal fire burning power plants, their effects on human health and the environment. It also employed case study data from Tampa Electric Company’s Big Bend facility to examine environmental infractions at that facility. Tampa Electric Company’s Big Bend Utility Plant, violated the Clean Air Act, which led to a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 1997. This case study details the lawsuit, and subsequent settlement as well as Tampa Electric Company’s record of compliance since 2000. …

How You Categorize Influences How Helpful You Are: The Effect Of Categorization Mindset On Consumers’ Social Decisions, Hsiao-Ching Kuo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation demonstrates how categorization mindsets (introduced by Ulkumen et al., 2010) moderate the altruistic behavior of consumers in decisions that have consequences to others besides oneself. Categorization mindset refers to a way of thinking about options, and is induced by simple sorting or categorization tasks. Ulkumen et al. (2010) has shown that mindsets can be unidimensional (in terms of being focused on a single, salient dimension) or multidimensional (in that both salient and non-salient dimensions are processed). Across three experiments, this dissertation finds that a multidimensional mindset (compared to a unidimensional mindset) enhances the preference for other-oriented options among …

Investigation Of Post-Translational Modifications In Staphylococcus Aureus, Christina Nadia Krute

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The work presented herein details post-translational modifications (PTMs) in Staphylococcus aureus that are involved in mediating the stress response and normal cellular processes. The first PTM that was investigated is regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) for the activation of the ECF sigma factor σS. We achieved this by analyzing the role of the site-1 protease, which we termed “putative regulator of sigmaS” (PrsS), as it is predicted to be the first enzyme in the RIP cascade, leading to the activation of σS. It was determined that the putative site-1 protease, prsS, mimics transcriptional profiles of sigS; with expression low in all …

The Meaning Of Stories Without Meaning: A Post-Holocaust Experiment, Tori Chambers Lockler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dissonance exists in efforts to communicate about suffering and despair. Showcasing common societal flawed reactions to despair begs for discourse to create a more communicatively healthy response. Attempting to communicate the suffering of others and feeling like I was failing at that goal led to my own suffering. Using writing as a method of personal healing created an intersection of personal narratives of suffering and victim’s narratives (which can arguable only allow for the co-opting of the story and narcissism). Grappling with the limits of writing to heal provided a lens to see the victim’s narratives in such a way …

Effects Of Solids Retention Time And Feeding Frequency On Performance And Pathogen Fate In Semi-Continuous Mesophilic Anaerobic Digesters, Nathan Daniel Manser

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anaerobic digestion is a biochemical process in which organic carbon is biodegraded in an oxygen free environment through a microbial consortium. Engineered biological systems used for resource recovery often utilize anaerobic digestion to treat anthropogenic organic wastes by reclaiming the carbon as energy (methane gas) and a soil amendment (biosolids). Small-scale, or household, semi-continuous anaerobic digesters have been used in developed and developing countries for many decades to produce biogas from human and livestock waste, which is used for heating, lighting, and cooking. This application has been shown to improve the quality of life of the user. Although there is …

Postmitotic Expression Of Sod1g93a Gene Affects The Identity Of Myogenic Cells And Inhibits Myoblasts Differentiation, M. Martini, G. Dobrowolny, M. Aucello, Antonio Musaro

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

To determine the role of mutant SOD1 gene (SOD1G93A) on muscle cell differentiation, we derived C2C12 muscle cell lines carrying a stably transfected SOD1G93A gene under the control of a myosin light chain (MLC) promoter-enhancer cassette. Expression of MLC/SOD1G93A in C2C12 cells resulted in dramatic inhibition of myoblast differentiation. Transfected SOD1G93A gene expression in postmitotic skeletal myocytes downregulated the expression of relevant markers of committed and differentiated myoblasts such as MyoD, Myogenin, MRF4, and the muscle specific miRNA expression. The inhibitory effects of SOD1G93A gene on myogenic program perturbed Akt/p70 and MAPK signaling pathways which promote differentiation cascade. Of note, …

Inflamation And Oxidative Stress : The Molecular Connectivity Between Insulin Resistance, Obesity And Alzheimer's Disease, Guiseppe Verdile, Kevin N. Keane, Vinicius F. Cruzat, Sandra Medic, Miheer Sabale, Joanne Rowles, Nadeeja Wijesekara, Ralph Martins, Paul E. Fraser, Philip Newsholme

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Type 2 diabetes (T 2 DM), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and insulin resistance are age-related conditions and increased prevalence is of public concern. Recent research has provided evidence that insulin resistance and impaired insulin signalling may be a contributory factor to the progression of diabetes, dementia, and other neurological disorders. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common subtype of dementia. Reduced release (for T 2 DM) and decreased action of insulin are central to the development and progression of both T 2 DM and AD. A literature search was conducted to identify molecular commonalities between obesity, diabetes, and AD. Insulin resistance …

Fabrication Of Tissue Precursors Induced By Shape-Changing Hydrogels, Olukemi O. Akintewe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scaffold based tissue reconstruction inherently limits regenerative capacity due to inflammatory response and limited cell migration. In contrast, scaffold-free methods promise formation of functional tissues with both reduced adverse host reactions and enhanced integration. Cell-sheet engineering is a well-known bottom-up tissue engineering approach that allows the release of intact cell sheet from a temperature responsive polymer such as poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (pNIPAAm). pNIPAAm is an ideal template for culturing cell sheets because it undergoes a sharp volume-phase transition owing to the hydrophilic and hydrophobic interaction around its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 32°C, a temperature close to physiological temperature. Compared to …

Assessment Of Public Health Risks Associated With Petrochemical Emissions Surrounding An Oil Refinery, Erin L. Pulster

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Refinery operations have been associated with a wide variety of atmospheric emissions consisting of criteria air pollutants, volatile organic components, hazardous air pollutants as well as other pollutants. With approximately 100 oil refineries in the Wider Caribbean region (WCR), hydrocarbons in this region pose significant environmental and human health risks. One of the oldest and largest refineries in the WCR is the Isla Refineriá, which is located on the island of Curaçao, and has been the basis of historical debates and conflict between the public and the local government over the environmental and human health risks. This research aims to …

Ground-Coupled Air Waves: A Seismological Case Study Of The Explosion Quakes Of The 2007 Eruption Of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska, Cassandra Marie Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An abnormally high number of explosion quakes were noted during the monitoring effort for the 2007 eruption of Pavlof Volcano on the Alaskan Peninsula. In this study we manually counted the explosion quakes from their characteristic ground-coupled air waves. This study makes an effort at better quantifying the number of explosion quakes and how the characteristic ground-coupled air waves are affected by wind direction and wind speed. Additionally this study investigates how the ground coupled air waves might be used in a monitoring or analysis effort by calculating energy release and gas mass release. Over 3.2x10⁴ quakes were recorded. …

Population Dynamics Of The Little Gulper Shark (Centrophorus Uyato) And Community Analyses Of Elasmobranch Species In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Jacquelin Joye Hipes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In chapter 1 I describe the population dynamics of an understudied species of gulper shark, Centrophorus uyato (common name, the Little Gulper), found in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Sharks in the family Centrophoridae are mid-sized, demersal fish, with seven species identified in North American waters. These deepwater species can be difficult to study due to the extreme depths at which they occur. During four longlining cruises from 2012-2014, 593 sharks were landed, predominantly in the Mississippi Canyon off the Louisiana coast. Mean depth of capture was 290 m. Supplementing these data are catch records for C. uyato from a …

Southern Chivalry: Perception Of Health & Environmental Justice In A Small Southern Neighborhood, Brian S. Brijbag

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper analyzes heath risk and how it is communicated to, and understood within, a predominantly African American neighborhood in central Florida. Residents accuse the county department of public works of purposeful contamination and discrimination over a period of 30 years. I raise the questions of how risk is perceived and what roles race or class may play. I also developed a model for risk communication that includes all stakeholders. Finally, I expand the conversation of health disparities to include issues of widening gaps in perceptions of health.

This was examined by looking at the following:

1. The lack of …

Understanding The Role Of Colloidal Particles In Electroporation Mediated Delivery, Alisha Peterson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electroporation (EP) is a physical non-viral technique used to deliver therapeutic molecules across the cell membrane. During electroporation an external electric field is applied across a cell membrane and it causes pores to form. These pores then allow the surrounding media containing the therapeutics to diffuse across the membrane. This technique has been specifically studied as a promising gene and drug delivery system. Colloidal particles have also proven to be promising for a variety of biological applications including molecular delivery, imaging, and tumor ablation, due to their large surface area and tunable properties. In more recent years researchers have explored …

Targeting T-Bet For Prevention Of Graft-Versus-Host Disease And Leukemia Relapse After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Jianing Fu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is an effective therapeutic option for many malignant diseases. However, the efficacy of allo-HSCT is limited by the occurrence of destructive graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Since allogeneic T cells are the driving force in the development of GVHD, their activation, proliferation, and differentiation are key factors to understanding GVHD pathogenesis. On the other hand, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are essential for allogeneic T-cell priming and the development of GVHD. The T-box transcription factor T-bet is a master regulator for IFN-γ production and Th1 differentiation. T-bet also regulates the functions of APCs including dendritic cells (DCs) and …

Efficacy And Resistance Potential Of Jpc-3210 In Plasmodium Falciparum, Siobhan Marie Flaherty

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Combating drug resistant malaria has been historically challenging, and remains so today. Recent reports from Southeast Asia show that Plasmodium falciparum is developing resistance to even our best defenses; artemisinin-based therapies. This development threatens to become a significant challenge in controlling malaria infections worldwide, making research into developing and characterizing new antimalarial drugs increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to characterize the resistance potential of novel antimalarial compound JPC-3210 in vitro using P. falciparum clones. JPC-3210 is a new long acting drug with potential to be used in combination with fast-acting drugs like artemisinins to cure drug resistant …

The Characterization Of The Neuropathological Consequences Of Plac1 Ablation In A Mutant Mouse Model, Jacob Robert Bourgeois

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Placenta-specific 1 (Plac1) is an X-linked gene that is essential for normal placental development. Previous studies have shown that Plac1 is also expressed in the fetal brain and paternally imprinted. Its expression in the fetal brain is markedly downregulated immediately after birth. Plac1 ablation predisposes Plac1-null males and X^m-X Hets (inactive maternal allele) to an increased risk of developing lethal postnatal hydrocephalus suggesting a functional role for Plac1 during embryonic development. The objective of this study was to characterize the effect of Plac1 on brain development and postnatal function. In order to address this, a …