Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Perceived Firm Transparency: Scale And Model Development, Jennifer Dapko

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the last few years alone, calls for transparency by consumers have grown louder. No longer are consumers willing to sit back and allow firms to make `closed door' decisions that benefit the company (and its executives) at the expense of consumers and society. This dissertation begins to answer the call for a greater understanding of transparency from both practitioner and academic perspectives. In particular, this dissertation focuses on systematically developing a succinct definition of perceived firm transparency, developing a valid measure of transparency, and empirically testing antecedents and consequences of transparency.

Two studies were conducted to develop the transparency …

Modeling Travel Time And Reliability On Urban Arterials For Recurrent Conditions, Prony Bonnaire Fils

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Travel time reliability is defined as the consistency or dependability in travel times during a specified period of time under stated conditions, and it can be used for evaluating the performance of traffic networks based on LOS (Level of Service) of the HCM (Highway Capacity Manual). Travel time reliability is also one of the most understood measures for road users to perceive the current traffic conditions, and help them make smart decisions on route choices, and hence avoid unnecessary delays (Liu & Ma, 2009). Therefore, travel time reliability on urban arterials has become a major concern for daily commuters, …

Innovative Desalination Systems Using Low-Grade Heat, Chennan Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water and energy crises have forced researchers to seek alternative water and energy sources. Seawater desalination can contribute towards meeting the increasing demand for fresh water using alternative energy sources like low-grade heat. Industrial waste heat, geothermal, solar thermal, could help to ease the energy crisis.

Unfortunately, the efficiency of the conventional power cycle becomes

uneconomically low with low-grade heat sources, while, at the same time, seawater desalination requires more energy than a conventional water treatment process. However, heat discarded from low-grade heat power cycles could be used as part of desalination energy sources with seawater being used as coolant …

Fermentation And Supercritical Extraction Studies Of Açaí Berry, Rosanna Iris Ayala

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The açaí berry has grown in popularity for dieters and the health conscious. The berry contains high levels of antioxidants. The main anthocyanins are cyanidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside. The berries also contain vitamins and nutrients that help boost energy and alertness, and fatty acids that help maintain normal cholesterol levels. As a result of the health benefits of the constituents, the berries are chosen for obtaining the active ingredients by extraction.

The solids left over after extraction still contain nutrients and useful components. There is a possibility of fermenting this residual and creating an açaí berry wine. Açaí berry wine is …

The Politics Of Pentecostalism; Does It Help Or Hinder Democratic Consolidation In Brazil?, Amber S. Johansen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Like so many other developing nations, Brazil has suffered from extreme inequality. Even though it has a healthy economy, free elections and multiple political parties, there are deep divides and unstable political institutions. The relatively recent transition to democracy has allowed a large and growing Evangelical community to emerge which is causing a religious shifting. The Pentecostal faith is providing alternative structures for social and political expression previously denied to many. Through community networks, many of Brazil's marginalized are accessing legitimacy, making them an undeniable force.

The focus of this paper is to determine if Pentecostalism undermines or strengthens democratic …

Program Evaluation: An Ngo's Attempt To Use Volunteerism To Promote Community Development, Adrienne Sage Mael

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides an ethnographic account of a NGOs effort to recruit and retain volunteers. Specifically, this project is a program evaluation of a community-based grant designed as a bottom-up approach to empower community residents to make changes in their community. The study details the many efforts - and obstacles - involved in this process. It is presented as a contribution to the anthropology of policy, to evaluation theory, and to applied anthropological methods. The investigator used participant-observation fieldwork and ethnographic interviews of both volunteer and non-volunteers to evaluate the program's successes and failures.

The Role Of Hsp70 In Cancer: A Study Of The Hsp70 / Akt Relationship, John Koren

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Hsp70 family of molecular chaperones is essential for

protein folding, re-folding misfolded client proteins, clearance

of aberrant client proteins, and can also inhibit programmed

cell death. There are two major cytosolic members of this

family: the constitutive Hsc70, and the inducible Hsp72. Under

stress conditions the Hsp70 family protects the cell from

protein related damage by the induction of Hsp72. Hsc70 and

Hsp72 are highly homologous with minor differences in

substrate binding. In cancers, Hsp72 is commonly induced and

this induction is thought to aid in cancer cell survival. In these

studies we demonstrate the differential regulation of the …

Expatriates' Acculturation Strategies: Going Beyond "How Adjusted Are You?" To "How Do You Adjust?", Matthew Lineberry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Expatriates' degree of adjustment to living and working in a foreign country is well-accepted as an important outcome variable in expatriate management research. However, measures of degree of adjustment do not capture the breadth of strategies expatriates may use to achieve such adjustment, which may be critical for understanding whether expatriates have achieved a healthy and productive orientation to life abroad. Borrowing from research on immigrant populations, this study examines the construct of expatriate acculturation strategies, which characterize expatriates' mode of adjustment along two independent dimensions reflecting maintenance of one's home culture and engagement of the host culture, respectively. One …

Paleobiological Assessment Of Controls Underlying Long-Term Diversity Dynamics, Andrés L. Cárdenas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deciphering the factors underlying both long-term patterns of diversity and taxonomic turnover rates (i.e., extinction, and origination) has been one of Paleobiology's major foci for the past three decades. The importance of documenting these components is that they will expand our ability to interpret and model the evolutionary processes underlying those trends, highlight the evolutionary impact of historical events, and contribute to the formulation of robust predictions about the future of global diversity in response to the current anthropologically driven environmental changes. Accordingly, the first part of this study examines the possible occurrence of global marine evolutionary environmental controls into …

The Role Of Dysregulation In Pediatric Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: An Examination Of Symptom Severity, Impairment And Treatment Outcome, Joseph F. Mcguire

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric OCD is frequently complicated by co-occurrences with ADHD, mood and anxiety disorders. Although each of these disorders is associated with impaired self-regulation, there has been little examination of impaired self-regulation (i.e., dysregulation) in youth with OCD. Dysregulation is characterized by affective, behavioral and cognitive problems, and can be assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist-Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP). Dysregulation may help account for the varied yet related findings identified for symptom severity, impairment and treatment outcome in pediatric OCD. This study examined the role of dysregulation on symptom severity, impairment and treatment outcome in a large sample of youth with OCD. …

The Dark Circle: Spiritualism In Victorian And Neo-Victorian Fiction, Joseph Good

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation offers critical and theoretical approaches for understanding depictions of Spiritualism in Victorian and Neo-Victorian fiction. Spiritualism has fascinated and repelled writers since the movement's inception in Hydesville, New York, in 1848, and continues to haunt writers even today. The conclusion of this dissertation follows Spiritualist fiction as it carries over into the Neo-Victorian genre, by discussing how themes and images of Victorian Spiritualism find "life after death" in contemporary work. Spiritualism, once confined to the realm of the arcane and academically obscure, has begun to attract critical attention as more scholars exhume the body of literature left behind …

An Exploration Of Undeclared Students' Expectations Of Experiences For Faculty Interactions And Co-Curricular Involvement, Lorie Anne Kittendorf

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Student persistence and achievement are areas of significant concern for institutions of higher education. With national college graduation rates hovering in the 50% range, it is important for colleges and universities to understand which student characteristics and campus environments lead to greater success, as well as the expectations students have of the college experience.

Research on undeclared students is vast and dates back more than 70 years, and many of the seminal studies and respected research data have led to the perception that they are at higher risk of attrition and have lower levels of academic achievement than their declared …

Pfaffian And Wronskian Solutions To Generalized Integrable Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations, Magdy Asaad

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this work is to use the Pfaffian technique, along with the Hirota bilinear method to construct different classes of exact solutions to various of generalized integrable nonlinear partial differential equations. Solitons are among the most beneficial solutions for science and technology, from ocean waves to transmission of information through optical fibers or energy transport along protein molecules. The existence of multi-solitons, especially three-soliton solutions, is essential for information technology: it makes possible undisturbed simultaneous propagation of many pulses in both directions.

The derivation and solutions of integrable nonlinear partial differential equations in two spatial dimensions have been …

Fishermen, Politics, And Participation: An Ethnographic Examination Of Commercial Fisheries Management In St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Cynthia Grace-Mccaskey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, there is widespread debate regarding the overall status of the world's fisheries, with some researchers projecting their total collapse in only a few decades, and others concluding the situation is not quite as bleak. Additional debates include what strategies should be used to manage fisheries at various scales, and further research is needed to determine which strategies are most appropriate for use in particular situations and locales, as context is critical.

Recently, prominent common pool resources scholars have expressed the need for ethnographic approaches to studying resource management institutions in order to move beyond the current focus of simply …

What Propels Sexual Homicide Offenders? Testing An Integrated Theory Of Social Learning And Routine Activities Theories, Heng Choon Chan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sexual homicide is a rare occurrence. Little is known about the offending perspective of sexual homicide from a criminological standpoint. Recently, Chan, Heide, and Beauregard (2011) proposed an integrative theoretical framework using concepts and propositions of Social Learning Theory (differential association, definitions, differential reinforcement or punishment, and imitation) and Routine Activities Theory (a motivated offender, an attractive and suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian or guardianship) to elucidate the sexual homicide offending dynamics. According to this integrative model, the individual-level view of the sexual murderers is explained by …

A Spatially Explicit Agent Based Model Of Muscovy Duck Home Range Behavior, James Howard Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Research in GIScience has identified agent-based simulation methodologies as effective in the study of complex adaptive spatial systems (CASS). CASS are characterized by the emergent nature of their spatial expressions and by the changing relationships between their constituent variables and how those variables act on the system's spatial expression over time. Here, emergence refers to a CASS property where small-scale, individual action results in macroscopic or system-level patterns over time. This research develops and executes a spatially-explicit agent based model of Muscovy Duck home range behavior. Muscovy duck home range behavior is regarded as a complex adaptive spatial system …

Hydrophilic Polymers Of Poly (2-Hydroxy Ethyl Methacrylate) With Tunable Properties For Drug Release, Sequestration Of Blistering Agent, Preparation Of Ultra-Strong Hydrogels & Thermal Stability Of Various Organic Azides, Ramakanth Ananthoji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The design and synthesis of new finely tunable porous materials has spurred interest in developing novel uses in a variety of systems. Zeolites, inorganic materials with high thermal and mechanical stability, in particular, have been widely examined for use in applications such as catalysis, ion exchange and separation. A relatively new class of inorganic-organic hybrid materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has recently surfaced, and many have exhibited their efficiency in potential applications such as ion exchange and drug delivery. A more recent development is the design and synthesis of a subclass of MOFs based on zeolite topologies (i.e. ZMOFs), …

Extensions Of Multistage Stochastic Optimization With Applications In Energy And Healthcare, Ludwig Charlemagne Kuznia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on extending solution methods in the area of stochastic optimization. Attention is focused to three specific problems in the field. First, a solution method for mixed integer programs subject to chance constraints is discussed. This class of problems serves as an effective modeling framework for a wide variety of applied problems. Unfortunately, chance constrained mixed integer programs tend to be very challenging to solve. Thus, the aim of this work is to address some of these challenges by exploiting the structure of the deterministic reformulation for the problem. Second, a stochastic program for integrating renewable energy sources …

From Immortal To Mortal: Objectification And Perceptions Of A Woman's Soul, Nathan A. Heflick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Objectification most literally refers to perceiving a person as an object. Research shows that when people focus on a woman's appearance, compared to her personality, she is perceived of as more of an object (e.g., lower in human nature traits). These objectification effects, however, rarely occur for male targets. Moreover, humans, unlike objects, are typically believed to have a soul, that is, some part of the self that outlasts the death of the physical body and extends into a post-mortem existence (e.g., Heaven). In turn, I hypothesized that women, but not men, would be perceived as having less soul …

Predator-Based Fear Conditioning: A Novel Approach To The Study Of The Neurobiology Of Memory, Joshua D. Halonen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This series of experiments developed novel paradigms involving the integration of conventional and ethologically relevant forms of reinforcement in the study of fear conditioning in rats. Experiment 1 compared the effects of foot shock, immobilization and predator exposure, alone and in combination, on the expression of conditioned fear memory and extinction. The combination of all 3 reinforcers produced a significantly stronger fear memory and greater resistance to extinction, compared to when each reinforcer was administered alone. Furthermore, whereas conditioning with foot shock, alone, resulted in rapid extinction of the fear memory, the combination of immobilization and cat exposure, or all …

Enhancing The Immune Response Through Ikkbeta-Induced Activation Of Nf-Kappab, Emily Hopewell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is one of the main regulators of inflammatory and immune responses. It is a family of transcription factors composed of five members: RelA, RelB, cRel, NF-κB1 (p105/p50), and NF-κB2 (p100/p52). Homo- and hetero-dimers of family members are inhibited by inhibitor of &klappaB (IκB) family members and activated by IκB kinase (IKK) family members. The IKK family is comprised of IKKα, IKKΒ, and IKKγ. The focus of my dissertation delves into the role of NF-κB activation by IKKΒ in both an immunotherapy setting and its role in T cell mediated anti-tumor immune responses.

A central focus of immunotherapy …

Protein Profiling Of Adenine Nucleoside And Nucleotide Analogs Binding Proteins Using N6-Biotinylated-8-Azidoadenosine Analogs As Affinity Based Protein Profiling Probes, Shikha Mahajan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Identification of differential expressions of proteins in proteomic profiles of biological samples shows great potential as a valuable technique for the early diagnosis of various diseases. An important challenge in modern protein profiling approaches is to reduce the complexity of the samples by limiting the number of proteins that need to be evaluated for distinction in the expression between normal and deceased cells. In this research, an affinity based approach for the enrichment of nucleotide and nucleoside binding proteins from a complex cell proteome has been developed. To achieve this goal, new N6-biotinylated-8-azido-adenosine probes (AdoRs) have been designed and synthesized …

Team-Teaching Experiences Of A Mathematician And A Mathematics Teacher Educator: An Interpretative Phenomenological Case Study, Sarah K. Bleiler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, experts and organizations involved in mathematics education have emphasized the importance of collaboration between mathematicians and mathematics teacher educators as a means of improving the professional preparation of mathematics teachers. While several such collaborative endeavors have been documented in the extant literature, most research reports have focused on the products, rather than the process, of collaboration. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological case study is to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of a mathematician and a mathematics teacher educator as they engaged in a team-teaching collaboration within the context of prospective secondary mathematics teacher preparation. …

Crystal Engineering Of Multi-Component Crystal Forms: The Opportunities And Challenges In Design, Heather Dawn Marie Clarke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is heightened interest to diversify the range of crystal forms exhibited by active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in the pharmaceutical industry. The crystal form can be regarded as the Achilles' heel in the development of an API as it directly impacts the physicochemical properties, performance and safety of the API. This is of critical importance since the crystal form is the preferred method of oral drug delivery by industry and regulatory bodies. The ability to rationally design materials is a lucrative avenue towards the synthesis of functional molecular solids with customized physicochemical properties such as solubility, bioavailability and stability. Pharmaceutical …

Functional Magnetic Nanoparticles, James Gass

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nanoparticle system research and characterization is the focal point of this research and dissertation. In the research presented here, magnetite, cobalt, and ferrite nanoparticle systems have been explored in regard to their magnetocaloric effect (MCE) properties, as well as for use in polymer composites. Both areas of study have potential applications across a wide variety of interdisciplinary fields.

Magnetite nanoparticles have been successfully dispersed in a polymer. The surface chemistry of the magnetic nanoparticle proves critical to obtaining a homogenous and well separated high density dispersion in PMMA. Theoretical studies found in the literature have indicated that surface interface energy …

Regulation Of Natural Killer Cells: Ship-1, 2b4, And Immunomodulation By Lenalidomide, Nicole Renee Fortenbery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural Killer cells (NK) are critical components of the innate immune system. Often referred to by their morphology, these large granular lymphocytes (LGLs) are bone marrow-derived lymphocytes and can be found throughout the body. NK cells reside in the liver, lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, and mucosal-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT). Importantly, NK cells also circulate throughout the blood where they function as surveyors of the body and are armed to eliminate malignant, infected, damaged, or foreign cells.

NK cells function by a dual receptor system. That is, NK receptors are broadly categorized as inhibitory or activating. It is a fine balance, …

1-Deoxy-D-Xylulose-5-Phosphate Synthase (Dxs) Mechanistic Study And Its Implication In The Development Of Novel Antibiotics And Antimalarials, Sumit Handa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Isoprenoids are the largest family of biologically active compounds, synthesized by five carbon subunits namely isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP). For long time the mevalonate-dependent (MVA) pathway has been considered as the sole source of IPP and DMAPP, until recently a new non-mevalonte dependent (NMVA) pathway was discovered. This new pathway utilizes entirely different set of enzymes for isoprenoids synthesis and don't have any homologues in humans. NMVA pathway is the only source of isoprenoids for certain eubacteria, parasite and plants. Absence of the NMVA pathway in higher organisms has opened a new platform for the development of …

A Case Study Of Perspectives On Building School And Community Partnerships, Myrna Lee Hogue

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A strong partnership between a school and the surrounding community leads to school success. Schools can be more successful with community involvement and engagement than if functioning in isolation. Community engagement leads to greater academic achievement of students.

Utilizing qualitative case study methods, this study focused on the perspective of school and community partners on building relationships. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain selected participants' perspectives on how a school builds partnerships with the community. I studied the relationship between an elementary school and community partners that have been in existence for at least three years …

Temporal And Spatial Analysis Of Monogenetic Volcanic Fields, Koji Kiyosugi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Achieving an understanding of the nature of monogenetic volcanic fields depends on identification of the spatial and temporal patterns of volcanism in these fields, and their relationships to structures mapped in the shallow crust and inferred in the deep crust and mantle through interpretation of geochemical, radiometric and geophysical data.

We investigate the spatial and temporal distributions of volcanism in the Abu Monogenetic Volcano Group, Southwest Japan. E-W elongated volcano distribution, which is identified by a nonparametric kernel method, is found to be consistent with the spatial extent of P-wave velocity anomalies in the lower crust and upper mantle, supporting …

Interrogating Grenadian Masculinities And Violence Against Women: An Evaluation Of The United Nations Partnership For Peace Program, Rohan Dexter Jeremiah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This applied anthropology study, guided by a feminist perspective and in particular, Black Feminist Thought is an outgrowth of an evaluation study of the Partnership for Peace Program (PFP) in Grenada, West Indies. The PFP is a Caribbean-specific model that was built into a sixteen-week cycle program by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UNWomen). Since 2005, the PFP has been geared towards Grenadian men, who have used violence against women to express their masculine identities. PFP focuses exclusively on rehabilitating male perpetrators with a goal to protect the human rights of women. This research …