Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Design And Synthesis Of Beta-Hairpin Peptidomimetics For Modulating Integrin Mediated Cell Adhesion, Abeta Fibrillogenesis And P53-Mdm2 Protein-Protein Interactions, Priyesh Jain

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Inhibiting therapeutically important protein-protein interactions has been a tremendous challenge for medicinal chemists. The folded 3D structures of peptides and proteins, mainly comprise secondary structural elements i.e α-helices and β-sheet have created an opportunity to design small molecules and peptidomimetic inhibitors of protein-protein interaction (PPI). Hence, information about the formation and stabilization of these secondary structures is vital for designing future drugs. In this dissertation, several cyclic beta-hairpin peptidomimetics that mimic the recognition surface have been designed and synthesized as inhibitors for different targets such as integrin mediated extracellular matrix -cell adhesion in multiple myeloma, p53-MDM2 PPI, amyloid beta fibrillogenesis …

Epidemiological Study Of Contributing Factors In The Development Of Peptic Ulcer And Gastric Cancer Initiated By Helicobacter Pylori Infection In India, Rahul Suresh Mhaskar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a significant risk factor for peptic ulcer (PU) and gastric cancer (GC). Apart from the virulent CagA genotype of H. pylori environmental and dietary factors influence disease outcomes. There have been no studies addressing these factors in Western India. Hence, we conducted a case control study enrolling PU, GC patients and controls at Pune, India.

Methods: Risk factors for PU and H. pylori infection were assessed in participant interview. H. pylori status was assessed from stool by monoclonal antigen detection. To understand treatment effect, we followed 100 H. pylori positive patients.

Results: We …

Dna Methylation And Its Association With Prenatal Exposures And Pregnancy Outcomes, Jennifer Straughen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Altered DNA methylation may lead to suboptimal fetal programming, increasing the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as small for gestational age (SGA); however, few studies have examined the associations between DNA methylation, prenatal exposures, and fetal outcomes. Cross-sectional data from a larger, ongoing study were used to assess the impact of prenatal smoking on gene specific methylation of umbilical cord blood derived DNA and to investigate the association between gene-specific methylation and risk of SGA. The association between gene-specific DNA methylation and birthweight was also assessed. Maternal and infant covariates were abstracted from medical records, cigarette smoke exposure was …

Aspects Of The Life History Of The Snowy Grouper, Epinephelus Niveatus, In The Gulf Of Mexico, Kelley Kowal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of many life history parameters are essential to properly assess and manage fish species. Although the snowy grouper, Epinephelus niveatus, is a commercially valuable fish, which is harvested throughout the Gulf of Mexico, little is known about its age, growth, and reproduction from this region. In this study, snowy grouper from the northern and eastern regions of the Gulf of Mexico were examined primarily using commercially-derived samples that were collected between 1984 and 2004. A total of 1,200 snowy grouper with fork lengths between 242 and 1,190 mm were collected. Sectioned saggital otoliths were used to determine the age …

Discovery Of Novel Viruses From Animals, Plants, And Insect Vectors Using Viral Metagenomics, Terry Fei Fan Ng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding emerging viruses is critical for disease monitoring and prediction; however, surveys of novel viruses are hindered by the lack of a universal assay for viruses. Viral metagenomics, consisting of viral particle purification and shotgun sequencing, is a powerful technique for discovering viruses in a wide variety of sample types. However, current protocols are not effective on tissue samples (e.g., lungs, livers and tumors), where they are hindered by the high amount of host nucleic acids which limits the percentage of sequences that originate from viruses. In this dissertation, a modified viral metagenomics protocol was developed and utilized to effectively …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Channel Alienation: An Empirical Investigation Within Franchised Channels Of Distribution, Ivan Lapuka

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigating an important overlooked phase of interorganizational relationship evolution, which is currently hypothesized to progress through five stages of awareness, exploration, expansion, commitment, and dissolution, this dissertation proposes that in the long road between commitment and dissolution, the quintessential interfirm relationship is likely to be characterized by aprolonged period of relationship alienation, which then becomes the immediate precursor to the dissolution stage.

The dissertation utilizes social learning theory, behavior constraint theory, and alienation theory to explain apathetic behaviors of franchisees. The principal proposition is that certain characteristics of the franchise system’s operating environment inadvertently condition franchisee estrangement and failure, and …

A Multi-Level Study Investigating The Impact Of Workplace Civility Climate On Incivility And Employee Well-Being, Raymond Charles Ottinot

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study used Zohar‟s (2000) multi-level model of climate to examine the extent to which shared perceptions of workplace civility climate relate to teacher job satisfaction, affective commitment, and counterproductive work behaviors (CWB-abuse) towards other teachers. Workplace civility climate is defined as employee perceptions of how management uses policies, procedures, and practices to maintain a civil workplace. An online-survey was used to assess a cross-sectional sample of K-12 teachers (N = 2222) nested in 207 schools in a large US school district. There was adequate agreement among teacher perceptions of school civility climate for aggregation and between-group variance of civility …

The Economically Important Nitrogen Pathways Of Southwest Florida, Elon M. Malkin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The global phenomenon of burgeoning coastal population growth has led to coastal watershed landscape transformation and ecosystem degradation, prompting policy-makers to set limits on freshwater withdrawals and labile nutrient loads. Important components of Florida’s economies lie in the state’s expansive coastal zone; the organisms driving the billion-dollar recreational fishing industry are rooted in coastal habitats, while the agriculture and real-estate industries sprawl throughout numerous coastal watersheds. This study aimed to identify the connections between anthropogenic land use and essential juvenile fish nursery habitats within the coastal zone, which is the first critical step for sustaining the ecology and related economies …

Before The Storm: Evacuation Intention And Audience Segmentation, Homer J. Rice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the predictors of evacuation intention among coastal residents in the State of Florida and to determine if there are meaningful segments of the population who intend to evacuate when told to do so by governmental officials because of a major hurricane. In the America’s and the Caribbean, 75,000 deaths have been attributed to hurricanes in the 20

th century. A well planned evacuation can reduce injury and death, yet many people do not have an evacuation plan and do not intend to evacuate when told to do so. The study used secondary …

Modern Variation In Predation Intensity: Constraints On Assessing Predator-Prey Relationships In Paleoecologic Reconstructions, James Funderburk

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The complex interaction between predators and their prey is rarely preserved in the fossil record. However, predation of marine mollusks by drilling gastropods leaves a diagnostic hole in the shell of the prey, possibly allowing for quantitative analysis of this ecological interaction. Drilling frequency, as measured in marine mollusks both in the Modern and fossil record, has been heralded as a potential opportunity to quantify these ecological interactions and use these values in the testing of hypotheses.

This study employed the collection, tallying, and analysis of bulk samples derived from shelly deposits on 45 Modern beaches along the contiguous coast …

Comparative Study Of Intentional Communities, Jessica Merrick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Moving to Florida to retire has become commonplace among American elders, though we have seldom addressed how lesbians and gay men navigate sexual identity in retirement. I undertake ethnography of three suburban, retirement-aged residential communities in Florida in which lesbians and gay men make community in order to understand how identities are produced by and within communities, the significance of suburban gay communities in the post-gay community era, and how residents from each community engage dominant discourse. Sanctuary Cove

1 is a ―gay and lesbian‖ retirement community; Bayside Park is a ―women‘s-only‖ (lesbian) community; and Heritage Estates is a heteronormative …

Design, Synthesis & Biological Activity Of Novel Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (Ptp) Mimetics, Sridhar Reddy Kaulagari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Protein phosphorylation is a post translational modification of proteins in which a serine, a threonine or a tyrosine residue is phosphorylated by an enzyme, kinase. Phosphorylation of proteins is a reversible and very important regulatory mechanism that occurs in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Phosphorylation turns many protein enzymes on and off, preventing or causing many diseases such as diabetes, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. The phosphorylation on tyrosine residues of proteins is essential for transmission of signals for cell growth, proliferation and differentiation. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) in concert with protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) regulate many signal transduction pathways by controlling …

Chromatin Unfolding By Cdt1 Regulates Mcm Loading Via Opposing Functions Of Hbo1 And Hdac11-Geminin, Philip G. Wong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The efficiency of metazoan origins of DNA replication is known to be enhanced

by histone acetylation near origins. Although this correlates with increased MCM

recruitment, the mechanism by which such acetylation regulates MCM loading is

unknown. We show here that Cdt1 induces large-scale chromatin decondensation that is

required for MCM recruitment. This process occurs in G1, is suppressed by Geminin, and

requires HBO1 HAT activity and histone H4 modifications. HDAC11, which binds Cdt1

and replication origins during S-phase, potently inhibits Cdt1-induced chromatin

unfolding and re-replication, suppresses MCM loading, and binds Cdt1 more efficiently

in the presence of Geminin. We also …

Educators’ Beliefs About And Approaches To The Evaluation Of Student Writing, Vanessa Minick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overarching purpose of this study was to describe educators’ beliefs about the evaluation of student writing. The inquiry was guided by the following research questions: (a) what are the differences in the ways in which educators approach evaluating student writing? (b) how do educators evaluate the effectiveness of their evaluation methods for judging the quality of students’ writing samples? and (c) what factors impact the evaluation decisions of educators? The following variables were considered: public and private school settings, evaluation methods, and educators’ beliefs about evaluating writing. In order to gain perspective of the current status of the methods …

Dewey's Pragmatism And The Great Community, Philip Schuyler Bishop

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In investigating Dewey’s theory of the Great community, it is important to first examine closely Dewey’s theory of scientific inquiry and show how it evades the spectator theory of knowledge common to all modern epistemologies as closed systems. Dewey maintained that through controlled experimentalism we engage, and can solve, existential issues facing us for the purpose of expanding human freedom, promoting the democratic way of life and cultivating the institutions which foster these activities. The usage of inquiry to overcome problematic situations therefore stands as one of the first conditions needed to attain the great community.

Since Dewey did not …

New Peptide-Pair Screening Strategy And Peptidylglycine A-Hydroxylating Monooxygenase (Phm) Based Enrichment Method For The Discovery Of Novel A-Amidated Peptides, Zhenming An

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Peptide a-amidation is known as a signature of bioactivity due to the fact that half of the bioactive peptides found in the nervous and endocrine systems are a-amidated and that most known a-amidated peptides are bioactive. a-Amidated peptides are produced by the oxidative cleavage of glycine-extended precursors. Peptidylglycine a-amidating monooxygenase (PAM) is the only known enzyme responsible for catalyzing this reaction and its sole physiological function is to convert glycine extended prohormones to their a-amidated forms. High levels of PAM are found in certain tissues with no corresponding level of amidated products suggesting the presence of undiscovered a-amidated peptide hormones. …

Voltage Stability Impact Of Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Systems Utilizing Dynamic Reactive Power Control, Adedamola Omole

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Photovoltaic (PV) DGs can be optimized to provide reactive power support to the grid,

although this feature is currently rarely utilized as most DG systems are designed to

operate with unity power factor and supply real power only to the grid. In this work, the

voltage stability of a power system embedded with PV DG is examined in the context of

the high reactive power requirement after a voltage sag or fault. A real-time dynamic

multi-function power controller that enables renewable source PV DGs to provide the

reactive power support necessary to maintain the voltage stability of the microgrid, and …

Evaluation Of Deep Geologic Units In Florida For Potential Use In Carbon Dioxide Sequestration, Tina Roberts-Ashby

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concerns about elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO

2

) and the effect on

global climate have created proposals for the reduction of carbon emissions from large

stationary sources, such as power plants. Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration

(CCS) in deep geologic units is being considered by Florida electric-utilities. Carbon

dioxide-enhanced oil recovery (CO

2

-EOR) is a form of CCS that could offset some of the

costs associated with geologic sequestration. Two potential reservoirs for geologic

sequestration were evaluated in south-central and southern Florida: the Paleocene

Cedar Keys Formation/Upper Cretaceous Lawson Formation (CKLIZ) and the Lower

Cretaceous Sunniland Formation along …

Novel Roles For 185delag Mutant Brca1 In Ovarian Cancer Pathology, Rebecca J. Linger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Familial history is the strongest risk factor for developing ovarian cancer (OC), and a significant contributor to breast cancer risk. Most hereditary breast cancers and OCs are associated with mutation of the tumor suppressor Breast and Ovarian Cancer Susceptibility Gene 1 (BRCA1). Studying risk-associated BRCA1 truncation mutations, such as the founder mutation 185delAG, may reveal signaling pathways important in OC etiology. Recent studies have shown novel BRCA1 mutant functions that may contribute to breast and OC initiation and progression independent of the loss of wtBRCA1. Previously, we have found that normal human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE) cells expressing the 185delAG …

The Conversion Of Low-Grade Heat Into Power Using Supercritical Rankine Cycles, Huijuan Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low-grade heat sources, here defined as below 300 ºC, are abundantly available as industrial waste heat, solar thermal, and geothermal, to name a few. However, they are under-exploited for conversion to power because of the low efficiency of conversion. The utilization of low-grade heat is advantageous for many reasons. Technologies that allow the efficient conversion of low-grade heat into mechanical or electrical power are very important to develop.

This work investigates the potential of supercritical Rankine cycles in the conversion of low-grade heat into power. The performance of supercritical Rankine cycles is studied using ChemCAD linked with customized excel macros …

Inactivation Of Ascaris Suum By Ammonia In Feces Simulating The Physical-Chemical Parameters Of The Solar Toilet Under Laboratory Conditions, Ligia Maria Cruz Espinoza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Access to sustainable sanitation systems is a determining factor in human health and economic development. However, more than a third of the world’s population lives without access to improved sanitation facilities. To meet the sanitation United Nations Millennium Development target, "halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation", a wide range of non conventional sanitation technologies have been implemented in developing countries, including waterless systems. These systems function by diverting urine away from feces and collecting, storing, and dehydrating the fecal material in watertight dehydration vaults. From a public …

Libs And Lite Emission Based Laser Remote Sensing Of Chemical Species And Enhanced Modeling Of Atmospheric Absorption, Dzianis V. Pliutau

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Laser-Induced Breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Laser-Induced Thermal Emission (LITE) emission based laser remote sensing were investigated with the application to the remote measurements of trace chemical species. In particular, UVvisible LIBS and Mid-IR LITE systems were developed and measurements of remote targets and chemical surfaces were studied. The propagation through the atmosphere of the multi-wavelength backscattered LIBS and LITE optical spectrum with atmospheric absorption effects on the returned lidar signal was investigated. An enhanced model of the atmospheric effects on emission-based laser-remote sensing was developed and found to be consistent and in agreement with our experimental results.

LITE measurements were …

Using Virtual Environments As Professional Development Tools For Pre-Service Teachers Seeking Esol Endorsement, Rebecca J. Blankenship

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential use of Second Life (Linden Labs, 2004) and Skype (Skype Limited, 2009) as simulated virtual professional development tools for pre-service teachers seeking endorsement in teaching English as a Second Official Language (ESOL. Second Life is an avatar-based Internet program that allows end-users to interact, using audio and chat features, with a digital representation of themselves (an avatar). Skype is an Internet-based video conferencing program that allows users to see each other by way of a webcam. Of particular interest to this study was how a group of 12 pre-service teacher …

Hydrologic Controls On Salinity In Mangroves And Lagoons, Christina Elaine Stringer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the hydrologic controls on salinity within mangroves and lagoons at sites in Florida and Mexico. The main objective of this research is to better understand hydrologic controls on mangrove ecosystem structure and develop ideas that will be useful to land managers attempting to regulate and conserve these critical habitats. This study was conducted at sites in Ft. Pierce, FL and Costalegre on the central Pacific coast of Mexico.

We examined controls on water levels and salinity in a mangrove on a carbonate barrier island along the Indian River Lagoon, east-central Florida. Spectral analysis of water levels showed …

Selected Students’, Parents’, And Graduate Student Tutors’ Experiences And Perceptions In A Community Of Interest Summer Literacy Camp, Kim G. Thomas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative case study, I examined a local summer literacy camp in which

graduate student tutors tutored elementary and middle school students in reading and

writing. I focused the study on the primary stakeholders in the summer literacy camp:

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ts, and the course instructor/camp director because

their voices are limited in the current literature. In this Community of Interest Summer

Literacy Camp, the graduate student tutors moved from a position of fear and trepidation

to a position of empowerment in which they hoped to make changes in their classrooms,

schools, and communities. The tutees learned to appreciate the …

Linking Soil Loss To Sediment Delivery In Two Estuaries In Puerto Rico, Nekesha Bernadette Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enhanced soil loss from the watershed is a major environmental issue. Increased soil loss from a watershed can potentially increase sediment delivery and loading to aquatic ecosystems such as rivers and estuaries. An increase in sediment delivery and loading to freshwater and transitional marine ecosystems can impact water quality and supply specifically by: (1) reducing water clarity, (2) transporting nutrient and pollutant laden sediments and (3) reducing the storage capacity of reservoirs. To address these broader environmental impacts of increased sediment delivery and loading to aquatic ecosystems it is imperative that potential source areas of sediments available for transport are …

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Technology As A Catalyst For Constructivist Practices In The Classroom: A Case Study, Lynne Brown Menard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research described and analyzed teachers’ perceptions of technology as a catalyst for stimulating classroom constructivist practices. The teachers were located at multiple schools in one Florida county. The teachers were selected based on participation in the Education through Dynamic Global Experiences (EDGE) program. This One-toOne program provides one laptop for every classroom teacher and student. The most frequent ideas in the literature fell into three sections. First is the need to integrate technology as part of the curricula and use constructivism as a theoretical framework for technology integration. The second relates to the best practices of incorporating classroom technology …

The Intentions Of Florida Educational Leadership Graduate Students To Pursue Administrative Positions, Daniel Wayne Eadens

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the intentions of educational leadership students in Florida university graduate programs in regards to demographics and self-assessed leadership characteristics. The study employed a non-experimental design wherein Regression, ANOVA, and Multiple Regression statistical techniques were employed to explore intent. It examined the influences that self-assessed leadership behavior, gender, number of credits completed, and age had on respondent intentions as measured by the Leadership Practice Inventory and the Demographics and Intentions Questionnaire. The highest assessed priori sample size was 159 when power was set at 0.80, alpha was 0.05, and the expected effect size was set at .10. This …

The Interaction Between Urban Form And Transit Travel, Sisinnio Concas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study presents an analytical model of the interaction between urban form and the demand for transit travel, in which residential location, transit demand, and the spatial dispersion of non-work activities are endogenously determined. In this model, travel demand is considered a derived demand brought about by the necessity to engage in out-ofhome activities whose geographical extent is affected by urban form. In a departure from the urban monocentric model, residential location is defined as a job-residence pair in an urban area in which jobs, residences, and non-work activities are dispersed. Transit demand is then determined by residential location, work …

Through The Lens Of A Global Educator: Examining Personal Perceptions Regarding The Construction Of World-Mindedness, Kenneth T. Carano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As we embark upon the 21st century, the world is becoming increasingly interconnected. Yet, despite increasing globalization, educational systems are not reflecting this phenomenon. The overwhelming majority of countries, including the United States, still emphasize nationalistic curricula (Parker, 2008; Tye, 2009). Global education is a movement whose supporters advocate an education reflecting the push towards globalization by providing students with the components necessary to live and thrive in an increasingly interconnected world system. Global educators have a common bond as advocates that a global perspective needs to be developed in the classroom. The degree to which this is being done …