Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Assessment Of Student Achievement In Introductory Physical Geology: A Three -Year Study On Delivery Method And Term Length, Marianne O'Neal Caldwell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Physical Geology is a popular general education course at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) as at many other colleges and universities. Unlike many science courses, most students taking Physical Geology are not majoring in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) discipline. Typically most students enrolled in Physical Geology are majoring in business, education, or pursuing a general A.A degree for transfer to a four-year university. The class is likely to be one of the few, if not the only, physical science classes that many of these students will take in their academic career. Therefore, this class takes on increased importance, …

Unethical Pro-Organizational Behaviors: Antecedents And Boundary Conditions, Alexandra Ilie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goals of the current study were to examine the antecedents and boundary conditions of a new construct called unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) defined as behaviors that are unethical but at the same time helping the organizations (e.g., giving a low performing employee a letter of recommendation to help him/her find a job in another organization). Drawing from social exchange theory, antecedents such as leader-member exchange, perceived organizational support, idiosyncratic deals, and leader-member exchange were hypothesized to be positively related to UPB Three moderators of the impact of the social exchange variables on UPB: were also investigated: moral identity, psychological …

Design, Synthesis And Evaluation Of Novel Diazirine Photolabels With Improved Ambient Light Stability And Fluorous-Based Enrichment Capacity, Arun Babu Kumar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Photoaffinity labeling is a quintessential technique in studying and analyzing the interaction between a ligand and receptor. Diazirines are one of the important photo-labile moieties used in photoaffinity labeling due to their superior photo labeling characteristics. Herein, we report the investigations we conducted with diazirine photolabels on (a) photochemical aspects leading to enhancement of their ambient light stability and (b) equipping them with fluorous tags to enable fluorous enrichment of labeled proteins. Furthermore, we report a pilot study to develop BACE-1 inhibitors, which have potential to be developed into photoaffinity probes.

3-Trifluoromethyl-3-phenyldiazirine offers good selectivity and protection against pseudolabeling but …

A Geochemical Analysis Of Fulgurites: From The Inner Glass To The Outer Crust, Michael L. Joseph

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cloud-to-ground lightning strikes produce natural glasses on the surface of the Earth, called fulgurites. These natural glasses are tubular in shape with a central void surrounded by an inner glass, and the inner glass is surrounded by an outer crust or toasted region. Previous studies report different kinds of melts existing in several different types of fulgurites; however, little to no chemical data has been collected that tracks chemical variations from the inner glass to the outer crust of a fulgurite. This study uses microprobe and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer analytical techniques to collect transects of chemical …

Transformation Of Stimulus Function Through Relational Networks: The Impact Of Derived Stimulus Relations On Stimulus Control Of Behavior, Samantha Rose Florentino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Relational Frame Theory research involves either of two protocols utilized to establish relational networks and functions for stimuli in those relational networks. Years of research indicate the most prevalent method involves first establishing a relational frame, conditioning one of the stimuli to acquire a particular function, and then providing a test to see if the function trained to one of the stimuli in the network transferred through the relational network to other stimuli. The less common method involves first training a particular function for a stimulus, entering that stimulus in a relational network with at least two other stimuli, and …

N-Acyl Ciprofloxacins: Synthesis, Antibacterial Activity And Effects On Molecular Loading Of Poly(Vinyl Benzoate) Nanoparticles, Ryan Cormier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial infections are becoming progressively more difficult to treat due to antibiotic resistance and the decreasing rate at which new antibiotics are brought to market. The Turos laboratory has attempted to tackle this problem for the last 15 years with the discovery of N-thiolated β-lactams leading to the design of polyacrylate nanoparticles to deliver these and other drugs. Chapter 1 discusses many reported instances of utilizing different types of polymeric nanoparticles to deliver antibiotics. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate) (PACA), poly(styrene-co-butylacrylate), and chitosan are the main polymers used to make nanoparticles. Chapter 2 describes the synthesis, antibacterial activity, and mechanism …

Nationalitaetenrecht: The South Slav Policies Of The Habsburg Monarchy, Sean Krummerich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The national development of the ethnic groups of the Habsburg Monarchy were influenced by the policies undertaken toward them by their rulers, the Austrian Germans and, after 1867, the Magyars of Hungary. Contrasts can be identified between those groups living in the Austrian part of the Monarchy and those living in the Kingdom of Hungary, a trend that can be identified in the Monarchy's South Slav populations (Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes), as this population inhabited territories on both sides of the dualist border. The present study examines the differences in the nationality policies toward the South Slavs on the part …

Sediment Transport And Distribution Over Continental Shelves: A Glimpse At Two Different River-Influenced Systems, The Cariaco Basin And The Amazon Shelf., Laura Lorenzoni

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation was to understand lithogenic suspended sediment transport mechanisms and distribution in two river-influenced margins: The Cariaco Basin, Venezuela, and the Amazon Shelf, Brazil. Lithogenic sediment input in the Cariaco Basin is controlled by small mountainous rivers (SMR), while in the Amazon Shelf it is dominated by the Amazon River, the largest river in the world in terms of freshwater discharge (~20% of global riverine discharge). Optical transmissometer measurements were coupled with particulate organic matter (POM) observations to understand changes in the geochemical composition of suspended sediment and spatial/temporal distributions over the two regions of interest. …

Systematic Review Of Core Muscle Electromyographic Activity During Physical Fitness Exercises, Jason Martuscello

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Activating the core muscles through exercise training programs is believed to be important for athletic performance. Considerable attention has been credited to the lumbar multifidus, transverse abdominis, and quadratus lumborum in designing exercise training programs. Numerous core exercise claims and recommendations abound in the fitness and physical therapy communities touting a superior core challenge for these muscles. The plethora of core activation literature with conflicting outcomes has convoluted the process of choosing exercises for an optimal core training approach. Although an abundance of research studies have quantified the muscle activity, collectively, a consensus on the type of exercise that elicits …

The Effects Of Cognitive Stimulation And Computerized Memory Training Among Older Adults Residing In Indepedent-Living Facilities, Elizabeth M. Hudak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: With age, older adults experience declines in both short- and long-term memory. One way to counter these age-related declines is through memory interventions which include computerized cognitive training and non-computerized cognitive stimulation. This dissertation examined whether a cognitive training program, Dakim BrainFitness (Dakim Inc., 2002) and a program of cognitive stimulation, Mind Your Mind (Seagull & Seagull, 2007), enhance memory performance among cognitively-intact older adults residing in independent-living retirement communities. Specifically, the following research questions were proposed: (a) How effective is the computerized cognitive training program in improving memory performance relative to the cognitive stimulation program or a no-contact …

Learning And Relevance In Information Retrieval: A Study In The Application Of Exploration And User Knowledge To Enhance Performance, Harvey Stuart Hyman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact of exploration and learning upon eDiscovery information retrieval; it is written in three parts. Part I contains foundational concepts and background on the topics of information retrieval and eDiscovery. This part informs the reader about the research frameworks, methodologies, data collection, and instruments that guide this dissertation.

Part II contains the foundation, development and detailed findings of Study One, "The Relationship of Exploration with Knowledge Acquisition." This part of the dissertation reports on experiments designed to measure user exploration of a randomly selected subset of a corpus and its relationship with performance in the information …

Hegemonic Rivalry In The Maghreb: Algeria And Morocco In The Western Sahara Conflict, Michael D. Jacobs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Western Sahara has been in a state of political crisis since Spain granted the territory to Morocco and Mauritania in 1975. While Morocco has attempted to incorporate the region within its borders, the Polisario Front (Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro) has challenged Morocco's claims and proclaimed they are the voice of the indigenous Sahrawi people. Algeria, home to a majority of the Sahrawi refugees, continues to support the Polisario and their goal of independence from Morocco.

Yet, does Algeria have an ulterior motive for their actions beyond support for a displaced people? This …

A Mother's Love: A Narrative Analysis Of Food Advertisements In An African American Targeted Women's Magazine, Janine Danielle Beahm

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how food advertisers contributed to the cultural identity of the "good mother" in the 1990s and 2000s. It expands on previous research that investigated traditional gender ideologies in food advertisements by narrowing in on the specific stories presented to African American women. It highlights a time when advertisers were responding to the demands of African American activists to recognize the African American consumer, and depict African American characters in a positive light. A narrative method of inquiry is utilized to deconstruct the stories in 117 food advertisements running in Essence magazine (an African American targeted women's magazine) …

Production Of Bioactive Secondary Metabolites By Florida Harmful Bloom Dinoflagellates Karenia Brevis And Pyrodinium Bahamense, Cheska Burleson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the critical role algae serve as primary producers, increases or accumulation of certain algae may result in Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Algal toxins from these blooms contribute significantly to incidences of food borne illness, and evidence suggests HABs are expanding in frequency and distribution. Mitigation of these HABs without knowledge of the ecological purpose and biochemical regulation of their toxins is highly unlikely. The production, function, and potential of secondary metabolites produced by the dinoflagellates Karenia brevis and Pyrodinium bahamense, were investigated.

Brevetoxins were demonstrated by two different methods to localize within the cytosol of Karenia brevis. …

Inspiratory Breathing Exercises For Vocal Tremor: A Preliminary Study, Jessica Tayseer Hilo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Essential voice tremor (EVT) is a voice disorder that results from dyscoordination within the laryngeal musculature, which negatively impacts the symmetrical motion of the vocal folds. Several investigators have shown that individuals with EVT experience difficulty speaking and a reduced quality of life (QOL; Cohen, Dupont, & Courey, 2006; Verdonck-de Leeuw & Mahieu, 2004). While traditional voice therapy has been ineffective in lessening the severity of vocal tremor, a current approach (Barkmeier- Kraemer, Lato, & Wiley, 2011) designed to lessen the perception of vocal tremor has resulted in reported patient satisfaction with little actual change in voice quality. The present …

Responsiveness Of The Federal Health System To The Needs Of 18-45 Year Old Adults With Physical Disabilities In Islamabad, Pakistan, Shaista Habibullah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The health system has been defined as all people, institutions and resources that undertake actions with the primary intent of improving health, while responsiveness of the health system refers to its objective of responding to the legitimate expectations of the population it serves. Although responsiveness is a non-health objective of the health system, it affects the health status of the population by influencing treatment compliance, patient-provider communication and health services utilization. Furthermore, responsiveness has a fundamental value as it concerns basic human rights of the individuals being served by the health system.

This study was undertaken to determine how …

Investigating The Status Of Early Numeracy Skills In Bilingual Dual Language Learner Latino Children Attending Head Start And The Association With Parent Demographic Characteristics, Chavely Lissette Iglesias

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research on mathematics achievement has become increasingly important with today's technological advances and demand for specialized knowledge. Though there is much literature regarding mathematics achievement in monolingual speakers, little is known regarding the mathematical abilities of Dual Language Learner (DLL) Latino children. This study examined the early numeracy skills in English and Spanish of 132 DLL Latino children attending Head Start programs in five counties across Florida. Relationships and differences among their performance in both languages were examined, along with the contribution of specific parent demographic variables to math achievement. Findings indicated that DLL Latino Head Start children's performance on …

The Impact Of Arranging Music For The Large Ensemble On The Teacher: A Phenomenological Exploration, James Teodor Lindroth

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomenon of what arranging music in the large instrumental ensemble music setting came to mean to the teachers doing the arranging. Four secondary music teachers (N=4) were asked to create a musical arrangement for one of their school ensembles. Over a period of seven weeks, participants rehearsed their arrangement with their students. This study was guided by research on creative identity, the self, and various identity theories from the field of the social sciences. Data were collected by way of in depth semi-constructed interviews, field observations, and journals; and were …

The Walls Are Closing In: Comparing Property Crime Victimization Risk In Gated And Non-Gated Communities, Nicholas Branic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, a growing proportion of the population has moved into gated communities in response to an increasingly pandemic fear of crime. While a sizable body of research has addressed fear of crime and perceived safety in gated communities, few studies have investigated actual rates of victimization. The studies that do compare victimization in gated and non-gated communities tend to be localized assessments and present mixed findings on the effectiveness of community gating as a form of protection from crime.

The present study utilizes a cross-section of National Crime Victimization Survey data to investigate the micro-level effects of living …

World Percussion Approaches In Collegiate Percussion Programs: A Mixed-Methods Study, Patrick Michael Hernly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As world percussion has grown in popularity in American colleges and universities, two main problems have emerged. The first problem is that no known source exists detailing how percussion instructors have incorporated world percussion into their collegiate teaching. A review of the literature has highlighted four main approaches to incorporating world percussion in collegiate percussion programs: applied study, group performance, travel experiences, and guest expert visits. The second problem is that systematic research on world percussion traditions has been carried out much more often by music education researchers, anthropologists, and ethnomusicologists than by percussionist-performers, so the relationship between theory and …

Beliefs Of And Attitudes Toward Sexual Violence By A Diverse Group Of Self-Identified Male Collegiate Athletes, Belinda-Rose James

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to assess the beliefs of and attitudes towards sexual violence among self-identified male, undergraduate, athletes and non-athletes. Research has shown that there is an association between the subculture of athletics and the beliefs and attitudes towards sexual violence. Male, undergraduate, athletes have disproportionately been reported for sexual violence. This study examined common risk factors attributed to perpetration of sexual violence: rape myth acceptance, lower attitudes toward women, reactive aggression, and physical and verbal sexual coercion. Multiple-level risk factors were studied in order to acquire a comprehensive understanding of what possible associations between male collegiate …

Availability And Quality Of Vegetation Affects Reproduction Of The Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) In Improved Pastures, Anna Louise Hathaway

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As part of a state-funded Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus Daudin) translocation project, I monitored actively grazed improved pastures to determine if they could serve as suitable recipient sites for the threatened Gopher Tortoise displaced by human development. For cattle ranches to be considered suitable recipient sites females must be able to acquire sufficient energy to produce a clutch of viable eggs, and sufficiently high quality vegetation must be available to support juvenile recruitment into the population. Vegetation surveys were conducted to determine the composition and percent cover of plant species, especially those containing high amounts of nutrients, specifically nitrogen. Resident …

Reconfigurable Antenna And Rf Circuits Using Multi-Layer Stretchable Conductors, Riaz Ahmed -. Liyakath

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growth of flexible electronics industry has given rise to light-weight, flexible devices which have a wide range of applications such as wearable electronics, flexible sensors, conformal antennas, bio-medical applications, solar cells etc. Though several techniques exist to fabricate flexible devices, the limiting factors have been durability, cost and complexity of the approach. In this research, the focus has been on developing stretchable (flexible) conductors using a multi-layer structure of metal and conductive rubber. The stretchable conductors developed using this approach do not lose electrical connection when subjected to large strains up to 25%. Also, the conductivity of the conductive …

"Free Your Mind . . . And The Rest Will Follow": A Secularly Contemplative Approach To Teaching High School English, Kendra Nicole Bryant

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my research is to provide high school English instructors and students a contemplative writing pedagogy that has the capacity to assist them in calming their bodies and quieting their minds so that they can focus their attention, openly explore self and others, rediscover their creativity, and reawaken their appreciation for the art of writing. Such a pedagogy is supported by mindfulness practices, which are exercises in moment-to-moment awareness that help to detach the practitioner from his or her thoughts. Mindfulness practices include breathing, walking, yoga, body scans, and visualizing; they provide quiet spaces wherein mind, body, and …

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Cancer Pain And Personality In Black And White Older Adults Receiving Outpatient Cancer Care, Jessica Krok

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is well-established that personality not only affects physical health and longevity, but also mental health and coping mechanisms. One area of limited research is the relationship between cancer pain and personality. This study examined how personality traits affect reported cancer pain severity in older patients (N = 150) receiving outpatient treatment at a comprehensive cancer center. Participants were interviewed regarding their pain severity, personality, affect, and self-efficacy for pain management. Symptom data were collected from the Brief Pain Inventory, while personality data were gathered from the Ten Item Personality Inventory and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Self-efficacy for …

Exploring Picture Word Priming Effects In Healthy Aging Adults Using Event Related Potentials, Sasha C. Christopher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanics with which older adults activate and access different subdomains of their mental lexicons during word retrieval for picture naming.

Method: Data were analyzed for 12 aging, native English speakers who performed a picture-word priming task. The auditory probe words were presented in the following conditions in relation to the picture stimuli: Identically related, strongly semantically related, weakly semantically related, strongly phonologically related, weakly phonologically related, semantically related to the strong phonological relative of the target picture label, or phonologically-related to the strong semantic relative of the target picture …

Butterbeer, Cauldron Cakes, And Fizzing Whizzbees: Food In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series, Leisa Anne Clark

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTThis thesis situates the Harry Potter books into the greater body of food studies and into the extant children's literary tradition through an examination of how food can be used to understand cultural identity. Food is a biological need, but because we have created social rules and rituals around food consumption and sharing, there is more to eating than simple nutritional value. The Harry Potter series is as much about overcoming childhood adversity, and good versus evil, as it is about magic, and food in the Harry Potter series is both abundant and relevant to the narrative, context, and themes …

The Role And Regulation Of Nsars: A Cell-Envelope Stress Sensing Two-Component System In Staphylococcus Aureus, Stacey Lynn Kolar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

S. aureus has 16 predicted two-component systems (TCS) that respond to a range of environmental stimuli, and allow for adaptation to stresses. Of these 16, three have no known function, and are not homologous to any other TCS found in closely related organisms. NsaRS is one such element, and belongs to the intramembrane-sensing histidine kinase (IM-HK) family, which is conserved within the Firmicutes. The regulators are defined by a small sensing domain within their histidine kinase, suggesting that they do not sense external signals, but stress in or at the membrane. Our characterization of NsaRS in this work reveals …

Assessing The Psychometric Properties Of A Self-Efficacy Measure Within A Patient Navigation Research Program, Mariana Arevalo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a dearth of validated self-efficacy (SE) measures in the field of preventive oncology. The objective of this study is to describe the development and validation of a measure to assess patients' perceived ability to obtain the recommended care following an abnormality suspicious for breast cancer. Guided by a social cognitive theory framework, a 51-item measure was developed to explore perceived capability to obtain follow up care under a number of barriers. A multi-step process was utilized to assess the instrument's psychometric properties. First, cognitive validity assessments with experts were conducted, and these aided in the wording refinement of …

The Role Of Argininosuccinate Synthase Serine 328 Phosphorylation In Nitric Oxide Production, Ricci Haines

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Until recently, the main mechanism of argininosuccinate synthase (AS) regulation was described to exist mainly at the level of transcription. Transcriptional regulation of AS has been shown to be coordinate with eNOS in response to shear stress, hypoxia, tumor necrosis factor á (TNF-á), and PPAR ã agonist troglitizone. However, it is now understood that one level of NO regulation is cellular control of arginine availability to eNOS via post-translational modifications of AS such as phosphorylation. The purpose of this investigation was to determine under what conditions AS is phosphorylated at S328, identify the pathway that AS phosphorylation at S328 plays …