Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Enantioselective Brønsted Acid-Catalyzed Reaction Methodology Part A: Enantioselective Mannich Reaction Part B: Enantioselective Desymmetrization Of Meso-Aziridines, Emily Bretherick Rowland

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds is of vital importance. Most biologically active natural products are chiral and require asymmetric synthesis, chiral resolution, or the use of naturally chiral starting materials for their preparation. Organocatalytic enantioselective reaction methodology is a continuously growing area in organic chemistry. The use of organocatalysts as a potentially environmentally friendly alternative to metal catalysts is appealing to the pharmaceutical industry.

In this dissertation an enantioselective Mannich reaction using an organocatalyst was investigated. The reaction was between a ß-keto ester and an imine electrophile catalyzed by vaulted biphenanthrol (VAPOL) phosphoric acid. The reaction resulted in products …

Enantioselective, Bronsted Acid-Catalyzed Additions Of Nitrogen And Carbon Nucleophiles To Imines, Gerald B. Rowland Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of enantioselective reaction methodology has been at the forefront of research in both academic and industrial research laboratories due to the importance of chiral molecules in biological systems. An emerging area of research in the development of enantioselective reaction methodology has been the development of organocatalytic reactions. Organocatalysis, the use of small, chiral organic molecules as catalysts, has the advantage over traditional Lewis acid catalysis in that the reactions in general produce less toxic by-products. One recent breakthrough in the development of enantioselective methodology has been the development of chiral phosphoric acids as organocatalysts. Chiral phosphoric acids have …

Pandemic Vibrio Parahaemolyticus: Defining Strains Using Molecular Typing And A Growth Advantage At Lower Temperatures, Carisa Renee Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a leading cause of seafood-borne illness with a newly emerged pandemic strain. Previous studies compared the pandemic and non-pandemic strains to understand the evolution of the pandemic strain but no definitive explanation for its emergence has been discovered. This study investigated the molecular characteristics of the pandemic strain and growth characteristics at different temperatures. The hypothesis tested was that pandemic strains of V. parahaemolyticus have modifications to their proteome that give a selective advantage over the other V. parahaemolyticus strains at temperatures normally encountered in the environment. Molecular typing techniques; automated ribotyping, pandemic specific PCR and multilocus …

Low Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Performance Degradation, John Andrew Fedock

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to quantify the degradation experienced by a polymer electrolyte fuel cell after storage at subzero temperatures ranging from 0 to -40°C. The performance loss was determined by comparing the polarization and other applicable power curves before and after the subzero storage cycle. The causes of this performance degradation were investigated by the use of Scanning Electron Microscope, Energy Dispersive x-ray Spectroscopy, and porosity scanning technologies. It was found that there are two distinct types of degradation experienced by the membrane. The first type was identified as a variance of the actual voltage - current …

Psycho-Socio-Cultural Risk Factors For Breech Presentation, Caroline Peterson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Breech Baby Study is a mixed methods study which combines qualitative and quantitative inquiry. This study explores psycho-social-cultural risk factors for breech presentation from an evolutionary perspective. The quantitative component of the study uses Florida birth certificate and Medicaid data sets from 1992-2003 to evaluate the influence of ethnicity and socio-economic status on breech presentation.

Ethnicity and socio-economic status account for less than two percent of the variance of risk factors for breech presentation. The qualitative study includes 114 mothers of breech and cephalic presentation babies who completed the State Trait Personality Inventory and a socio-demographic survey. Of these, …

The Efficacy Of Florida’S Approach To In-Service English Speakers Of Other Languages Teacher Training Programs, Ronald D. Simmons Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of how Florida and other states across the country justify the practice of mainstreaming English language learners into regular content classrooms rests on the premise that with the guidance of state officials, local school districts adequately train content teachers to work with English language learners. Yet little to no research exists that can help identify and analyze the overall efficacy of these programs. Consequently, this study has attempted to determine whether district training sessions in Florida are sufficiently covering the state-mandated content areas that teachers are required to learn and to what extent in-service teachers agree or disagree that …

Correlates And Predictors Of Cognitive Complexity Among Counseling And Social Work Students In Graduate Training Programs, Christopher Simmons

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For this study, a web-based survey method was used as a means of collecting data to test a predictive model of education, supervised clinical experience (SCE), age, human services experience (HSE) and cognitive complexity. The theoretical framework for the study was Perry's (1970; 1999) scheme of intellectual development. The sample consisted of 332 counseling and social work students in graduate training programs in four different regions of the United States. The instruments used in the study were a researcher-developed demographic questionnaire and the Learning Environment Preferences (LEP) instrument (Moore, 1987). The results of the hierarchical regression analysis indicated that education …

Eutrophication Trend Of Lakes In The Tampa Bay Watershed And The Role Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation In Buffering Lake Water Phosphorus Concentration, Max Jacobo Moreno Madriñan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Twentieth century human settlement within the Tampa Bay watershed was linked to a dramatic mid-century decline in bay water quality and loss of seagrass acreage. Decades of direct and indirect nutrient discharges to the bay from phosphorus mining, fertilizer manufacturing, and wastewater treatment, as examples, impaired the estuary. In the past twenty years, regional stakeholders have worked to improve the bay water quality by reducing point and non-point source nutrient loading to the bay.

Lakes within the Tampa Bay watershed may play an important role in attenuating the flow of nutrients into the bay. This study hypothesized that between 1990 …

Distribution Patterns Of Larger Symbiont-Bearing Foraminifera Of The Florida Reef Tract, Usa, Rebekah Duncan Baker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies of larger symbiont-bearing foraminifers on reefs have revealed their potential as indicators of environmental stress because of their physiological analogies to corals (dependence on algal symbionts for growth and calcification) and relatively short life cycle (a few months to 2 years or more). The purpose of this study is to report distribution patterns and population densities of larger benthic foraminifers (LBF) of the Florida reef tract, specifically reporting abundance data collected from offshore (1995-2000, 2006, 2007) and patch reefs (1996, 2006, 2007).

Six years of quarterly data collected from two offshore reefs, Conch (10, 18 and 30m) and Tennessee …

Evaluation Of A Functional Treatment For Binge Eating Associated With Bulimia Nervosa, Tamela Cheri Deweese-Giddings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Binge-eating disorders are a common problem affecting up to 5 percent of the American population in any given 6-month period. Currently, the most widely accepted treatment is some variation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Although there is an abundance of research showing positive effects, the abstinence rates following this type of treatment are currently around 50%. A recent study by Bosch, Miltenberger, Gross, Knudson, and Brower-Breitwieser (2008) explored the effects of extinction on binge-eating behavior that was hypothesized to be maintained by relief from negative emotional responding. The study involved four women who engaged in binge-eating behavior, one of whom met …

The Role Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior In Therapists’ Involvement Of Parents In Youth Treatment, Sherecce Antoinette Fields

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The theory of planned behavior has been studied in a wide variety of health related research. One area that has not evaluated the relevance of the TPB is that of therapists' attitudes for involving parents in treatment. The current study examined the feasibility of Ajzen's (1985) Theory of Planned Behavior for explaining whether or not therapists include parents in treatment. Participants in this study were therapists with at least one-year experience in treating youth under the age of 11. It was hypothesized that all of the variables of the TPB would be significant predictors of therapists' intention to include parents …

Sustainable Control Of Ascaris Lumbricoides (Worms) In A Rural, Disease Endemic And Developing Community: A Systems Approach, Monica Annmarie Gray

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parasitic infections, inadequate sanitation, and poor nutrition represent major etiologies that operate in synergy to cause some of the world's most disabling diseases. Citizens of developing nations, especially children living in rural areas, are the most affected. Current research and subsequent interventions have attempted to solve these issues using vertical interventions aimed at minimizing specific health outcomes. This approach does not consider the interaction among causes and the interrelationship between human beings and their environment. Challenges solved in this manner often fail to produce sustainable results or worse, create new problems.

This project proposed the systems approach framework to address …

Background Subtraction Using Ensembles Of Classifiers With An Extended Feature Set, Brendan F. Klare

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The limitations of foreground segmentation in difficult environments using standard color space features often result in poor performance during autonomous tracking. This work presents a new approach for classification of foreground and background pixels in image sequences by employing an ensemble of classifiers, each operating on a different feature type such as the three RGB features, gradient magnitude and orientation features, and eight Haar features. These thirteen features are used in an ensemble classifier where each classifier operates on a single image feature. Each classifier implements a Mixture of Gaussians-based unsupervised background classification algorithm. The non-thresholded, classification decision score of …

Characterization Of The Western Antarctic Peninsula Ecosystem: Environmental Controls On The Zooplankton Community, Marina Marrari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The zooplankton community of Marguerite Bay, western Antarctic Peninsula, was investigated in relation to variability in chlorophyll concentrations and sea ice dynamics, using a combination of satellite remote sensing techniques and plankton net data. SeaWiFS chlorophyll data were validated with concurrent in situ data measured by HPLC and fluoromentric methods, and results indicate that SeaWiFS chlorophyll is an accurate measure of in situ values when HPLC data are used as ground truth.

Climatology data of SeaWiFS chlorophyll west of the Antarctic Peninsula showed that the Bellingshausen Sea and Marguerite Bay usually had higher and more persistent chlorophyll concentrations compared with …

The Moderating Influence Of Cultural Dimensions On The Relationship Between Role Stressors, Job Satisfaction, And Organizational Commitment, Haitham A. Khoury

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the implications of cultural dimensions on the relationship between job satisfaction facets, role stressors, and organizational commitment. Using data from 214 university employees, the moderating influence of individualistic and collectivistic orientations as expressed through four cultural dimensions (responsibility, affiliation, social welfare, and achievement) on those relationships were investigated. Results indicated that role ambiguity had a greater negative influence on affective commitment for those who were more cooperative as opposed to competitive in their achievement orientation; whereas the relationship between coworker and supervision satisfaction and affective commitment was stronger for those who endorsed …

Beyond The Barriers: A Qualitative Investigation Into The Experiences Of General Pediatricians Working With Young Children Exhibiting Developmental Delays And Disabilities, Kahlila Genese Mack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

General pediatricians are typically the first professionals to detect the early developmental concerns of young children during their infant and toddler stages. When concerns are identified by the general pediatrician, best practice encourages the referral of young children for further assessment and/or intervention. Due to these factors, this study focused on the methods general pediatricians use in their efforts to implement the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for the developmental surveillance and screening of young children. Furthermore, this study focused on the barriers faced by general pediatricians and the solutions they have developed to overcome these barriers in their …

Modulation Of Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cell Maturation And Function By Cigarette Smoke Condensate In A Bronchial Epithelial Cell Co-Culture Model, Alison J. Montpetit

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lung airway epithelium is the first line of defense against inhaled particulates such as cigarette smoke. Subepithelial dendritic cells (DC) survey the airway epithelial lining and represent the link between innate and adaptive immune response. No study has investigated the effect of cigarette smoke on DC in the presence of epithelial cells (EC). The purpose of this 4x2 factorial design study was to co-culture normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells with monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC) and examine the effect of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) and poly I:C stimulation (TLR3 ligand that mimics viral infection) on MDDC homotypic clustering, phagocytosis ability, …

A Stressor-Strain Model Of Organizational Citizenship Behavior And Counterproductive Work Behavior, Kimberly E. O'Brien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has attempted to develop a model of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) and counterproductive work behaviors (CWB), but limited testing remains a problem. The purpose of the current study is to examine OCB and CWB from a job stressor-strain approach. The sample consisted of 235 employees throughout the United States and their supervisors. Results of the study suggested OCB and CWB are affected by stressors (including interpersonal conflict, low interactional justice, job demands, and organizational constraints). Additionally, trait emotion and attributional styles affect the amount of stressors perceived. The implications as well as limitations of the study are discussed.

Remote Monitoring Systems For Substructural Health Monitoring, Jonathan D. Collins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Remote Wireless Monitoring Systems have made a large impact in the area of Structural Health Monitoring. However in the specialized sub-field of Substructural Health Monitoring, remote monitoring techniques have not made as much headway. First, monitoring systems are often retrofitted onto a structure. Therefore it is much harder to retrofit the substructure of a bridge or building. Second, many foundation elements such as driven piles or auger-cast piles are constructed in a way that makes installation difficult or can severely damage the sensing materials.

This thesis presents two case studies of Remote Monitoring Systems for Substructural Health Monitoring applications that …

The Social Construction Of A Special Needs Program For Hurricanes, Robert E. Tabler Jr., M.A., C.H.E.S.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overall purpose of this exploratory study was to comprehend how in the event of a hurricane Hillsborough County, Florida protected its elderly and disabled residents with special medical needs. This study used Social Constructionist Theory as a framework and Grounded Theory methodology in the collection of qualitative data.

To understand stakeholder knowledge and how they constructed the SpNP, three focus groups were conducted, with representatives from agencies on the Planning Committee. Through 30 in-depth, semi-structured interviews, clients of the SpNP, provided insight into their knowledge of the program and how society influenced evacuation decisions. Finally, 10 in-depth, semi-structured interviews …

Orbital- To Millennial-Scale Variability In Gulf Of Mexico Sea Surface Temperature And Salinity During The Late Pleistocene, Jessica L. Whitaker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions from the low latitudes indicate the tropics/subtropics warmed significantly before glacial-interglacial decreases in global ice volume, suggesting the importance of tropical and subtropical climate in driving glacial terminations.

ODP Site 625, drilled at a water depth of 889 m near De Soto Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), provides continuous records of marine isotope stages (MIS) 1-6 sampled at a mean temporal resolution of 400 years. Age control is based on 8 AMS radiocarbon dates, marine isotope stratigraphy, and Foraminifera datum levels. Results from Globigerinoides ruber (white variety) Mg/Ca-SST indicate a rise of 4.4 …

Explaining The Impact Of Work Interference With Family: The Role Of Work-Family Psychological Contract And Cultural Values, Xian Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to further understand the mechanisms through which work interference with family (WIF) influences important attitudinal, behavioral, and well-being outcomes. First, the study expands the content of employees' psychological contract through creating a measure of Work-Family Psychological Contract Breach (WFPCB). The study also examines the mediating role of WFPCB in the relations between WIF and work-related outcomes. Finally, the study explores potential cultural influences by looking at the moderating role of individualism-collectivism on the relations between WIF and WFPCB as well as between WFPCB and the outcomes. Research was carried out in three stages: 1) telephone interviews were …

Morphodynamics Of Two Anthropogenically Altered Tidal Inlets: New Pass And Big Sarasota Pass, West-Central Florida, Tanya M. Beck

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Time-series aerial photographs from 1943 to 2006, including three bathymetry surveys from 1888, 1953, and 2006, are analyzed and compared. The locations of three morphological features, including that of shoreline, offshore bars, and channel orientation, are delineated over the historical aerial photos in order to examine the morphodynamics of the system. Anthropogenic alteration of the New Pass and Big Sarasota Pass system is a crucial factor in controlling the morphodynamics.

Both New Pass and Big Sarasota Pass are mixed-energy tidal inlets with New Pass illustrating a straight morphology and Big Sarasota Pass a highly offset morphology. The sediment bypassing at …

The Far Reaching Impact Of Transformative Learning: A Critical Ethnographic Case Study, Aline E. Harrison

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This multiple case study focused on the lives and experiences of four women who participated in an adult literacy program. This case study approach used critical ethnography as an analytic tool employing grounded theory leading to the development of a substantive theory. In-depth, semi-structured interviews and researcher's reflective journal were employed to collect data for this study that critically examined the impact of the transformative process of its participants and its influence on their socio-cultural context. Results revealed that participants did not necessarily experience a disorienting dilemma as contended by Mezirow (1978, 1991, and 2000). Rather participants experienced a series …

Disgusted By Food: Explanatory Models Of Anorexia Among Young Taiwanese Adults, Donald E. Mclawhorn Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anorexia as a nosological category has developed in a western context and is now being applied to people around the world. In order for researchers to know they are asking the right questions about AN as knowledge expands, it is important to understand what meanings Anorexia carries and how those meanings manifest locally. The present study to aid in that understanding by employing a mixed methods (survey and in-depth interviewing) research approach in answering the following question: In what ways are Taiwanese students' explanatory models of anorexia nervosa (AN) congruent with or different from professional understandings derived from the western …

Quantifying Soil Organic Carbon (Soc) In Wetlands Impacted By Groundwater Withdrawals In West-Central Florida, Katherine Moore Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Saturated for most of the year, wetlands accumulate large amounts of biomass in thick organic soil horizons with slow rates of decomposition due to anaerobic conditions. Wetland soils thereby sequester large amounts of organic carbon in relative long-term storage. Municipal water demands in west-central Florida are largely met through extensive groundwater pumping. These withdrawals can impact ecosystems dependent on surface water levels that are ultimately linked to confined aquifers. Soils in a subset of cypress swamps that are monitored by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) were sampled and analyzed to ascertain the health of the wetlands impacted by …

The Meaning And Means Of Inclusion For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Qualitative Study Of Educators’ And Parents’ Attitudes, Beliefs, And Decision-Making Strategies, Jenine M. Sansosti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The practice of inclusion, and even the term itself, have been the subject of controversy over the last several decades and it appears that "inclusion" may look very different depending upon the student, educator, and setting (Fuchs & Fuchs, 1994). Recently, placement in general education settings has become a dominant service delivery model for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), (Simpson & Myles, 1998), yet Individual Education Programs (IEPs) for students with ASD tend to be the most often disputed and often contain procedural errors, including failure to consider the Least Restrictive Mandate (Yell et al., 2003).

This study represents …

The Role Of Lifestyle Factors In Cognitive Aging And Dementia, Tiffany F. Hughes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is widely accepted that cognitive abilities decline with normal aging. At the same time it is also recognized that there is variability in the magnitude and rate of decline among aging individuals. A similar phenomenon exists for dementia, where individuals with similar neuropathologic burden present with varying degrees of cognitive impairment. Of importance is determining what factors account for this variability, and whether individuals can modify these factors in order to preserve their cognitive abilities with aging or delay the onset of dementia.

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine three potentially modifiable lifestyle factors' association with age-related …

Location Awareness In Cognitive Radio Networks, Hasari Celebi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive radio is a recent novel approach for the realization of intelligent and sophisticated wireless systems. Although the research and development on cognitive radio is still in the stage of infancy, there are significant interests and efforts towards realization of cognitive radio. Cognitive radio systems are envisioned to support context awareness and related systems. The context can be spectrum, environment, location, waveform, power and other radio resources. Significant amount of the studies related to cognitive radio in the literature focuses on the spectrum awareness since it is one of the most crucial features of cognitive radio systems. However, the rest …

Detection Of Marine Vehicles In Images And Video Of Open Sea, Sergiy Fefilatyev

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work presents a new technique for automatic detection of marine vehicles in images and video of open sea. Users of such system include border guards, military, port safety, flow management, and sanctuary protection personnel. The source of images and video is a digital camera or a camcorder which is placed on a buoy or stationary mounted in a harbor facility. The system is intended to work autonomously, taking images of the surrounding ocean surface and analyzing them for the presence of marine vehicles. The goal of the system is to detect an approximate window around the ship. The proposed …