Digital Commons Network^™

Preparing To Break Barriers: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perceptions Of Hiv, Prep, And Hiv Risk Behaviors Among Women Of Color In Miami, Florida, Amanda C. Ichite

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. HIV epidemic is characterized by regional, racial, and ethnic disparities. HIV rates are disproportionately higher in the South and Black and Hispanic populations are most impacted. Moreover, the intersectional identity of being a Black or Hispanic woman living in the South has been associated with profound disparities in HIV impact. Prior to the advent of the biomedical HIV prevention tool pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in 2012, women were limited in their options for female-controlled HIV prevention strategies. Despite the proven efficacy of PrEP, utilization in women is significantly lower than other at-risk groups. In the present study, secondary analysis …

Integrating Compound Flood Conditions Through 2d Hydraulic Modeling For Simulating Flood Risk Processes In Coastal Cities, Francisco Pena Guerra Mr.

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Low elevation coastal karst environments are highly vulnerable to flooding conditions due to climate change. Trends in rising global temperatures have increased the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation, hydrometeorological phenomena and sea level rise, exacerbating the impact of pluvial, fluvial, coastal and groundwater flood hazards. Compound flooding events amplify flood hazards and pose a higher threat to residents and infrastructure in unison compared to independent phenomena. Recent advancements in coupling hydrologic and hydraulic modeling frameworks have improved our ability to account for the combined effects of extreme pluvial, fluvial, and coastal flood hazards. This innovation in the hydroinformatics field …

An Economic Assessment Of The Impacts Of Outdoor Water Use Restrictions In South Florida, Lara Kiesau

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Population growth and climate change are important factors determining residential water demand. Most residential water consumption can be attributed to outdoor use. To reduce water consumption, outdoor water use restrictions (OWRs) have become a popular policy tool in the last decades. We developed an integrated framework consisting of a Difference in Differences (DID) analysis, Value Function approach and Discrete Choice Model to perform an economic assessment of the impacts of OWRs in South Florida. The results reveal a decreasing effect of up to 133 gallons per person per month due to the strictest OWR, equaling a yearly value of almost …

Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblages From Marshes And Mangroves In The Everglades (South Florida, Usa) And Their Application As Proxies For Habitat Shifts Due To Sea Level Rise, Zoe Verlaak

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined benthic foraminifera from marsh and mangrove environments along the coasts of the Everglades in South Florida for their use as proxies for salinity and applied the results to assess the nature and rates of past habitat changes due to sea level rise over the last ~3400 years. Research on modern foraminiferal assemblages from the Everglades are scarce, and this is the first foraminifera-based paleoenvironmental study for this region.

The study of living assemblages examined the extent to which infaunal foraminifera bias modern and fossil assemblages, and which sediment interval should be used as a modern analog for …

Rip Current Generation, Flow Characteristics And Implications For Beach Safety In South Florida, Stephen B. Leatherman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rip currents are the most dangerous hazard at surf beaches. Rip currents in South Florida have previously not been studied. Beach profiles for three Florida beaches (Miami Beach, Lido Beach, Sarasota, and Pensacola Beach) and one Georgia beach (South Cumberland Island) were chosen for surveying because of their variable sand bar heights. Rip current hazard at each beach was assessed by lifeguard rip rescue and drowning statistics. A relationship was found between sand bar height, beach slope and rip current hazard.

Rip current measurements in South Florida, which involved utilizing GPS drifters, laser rangefinder and drone-imaged fluorescent tracer dye, showed …

A Historical Floristic Inventory Of Pine Rockland Fabaceae (Leguminosae), Adel L. Pena

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to investigate temporal changes in the diversity of pine rockland Fabaceae, induced by anthropogenic factors. Herbarium collections spanning 170 years were used to analyze species frequency and richness. The results indicated temporal fluctuations in diversity with frequency of native species highest previous to the year 1920, and exotic-invasive species richness peaking after the 1960s. The accompanying species list resulting from the inventory included 122 Fabaceae species, in 56 genera, with an additional 19 species not previously listed for pine rocklands. The results emphasize the damage caused by early and deliberate introductions of exotic species, …

Do Mentoring Programs Make A Difference? A Qualitative Case Study On The Journey Of Latino Students In A Stem Track, Juan M. Morata

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A number of studies have sought to identify factors influencing STEM students’ success in colleges and universities (Crisp et al., 2009; Excelencia, 2011; Hagedorn & Purnamasari, 2012). However, there are few qualitative studies focusing on students’ perspectives and how they make meaning of their experiences as participants in a mentoring program.

The main purpose of this research was to explain the perceptions of Latino students in a STEM Mentoring Program at Miami Dade College. Because this study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of how students involved in a mentoring program make meaning of their experiences, the type of qualitative …

Where Are All The Bonefish? Using Angler Perceptions To Estimate Trends Of Bonefish (Albula Vulpes) Decline In South Florida, Emily K.N. Kroloff

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Local ecological knowledge (LEK) is a useful method to capture environmental or resource changes when there is an absence of biological data. Since the bonefish fishery is data limited, this study aims to understand the trend of bonefish decline over the last 40 years using LEK and to assess whether varying fisher experience and fisher type would influence perception of bonefish decline. Semi-structured surveys and key informant interviews were conducted to collect LEK data. Along with perceiving an overall decline (p

Models Describing The Sea Level Rise In Key West, Florida, Karm-Ervin Jean

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lately, we have been noticing an unusual rise in the sea level near many Floridian cities. By 2060, scientists believe that the sea level in the city of Key West will reach between 22.86 to 60.96 centimeters (Strauss et al. 2012). The consequences of sea level rise are unpleasant by gradually tearing away our beaches and natural resources, destroying our homes and businesses, etc. Definitively, a continual increase of the sea level will affect everyone either directly or indirectly.

In this study, the sea level measurements of four Floridian coastal cities (including Key West) are collected in order to describe …

Producing Collaborations Through Community-Level Processes Of Climate Change And Water Management Planning, Dumitrita Suzana Mic

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While much attention has been given to the ways local communities may be impacted by climate change, this dissertation focuses ethnographically on the local agencies decision-making processes, a less-studied aspect of this topic. The primary purpose of this dissertation research is to understand how government agencies in southern Florida integrate climate change into their decision-making processes while dealing with political resistance. This research expands our understanding on the cultural politics of a new kind of environmental change, where national and international climate-change politics is brought into local water politics to illuminate how new and not so new visions about life …

Land Use /Land Cover Driven Surface Energy Balance And Convective Rainfall Change In South Florida, Hari P. Kandel

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modification of land use/land cover in South Florida has posed a major challenge in the region’s eco-hydrology by shifting the surface-atmosphere water and energy balance. Although drainage and development in South Florida took place extensively between the mid- and late- 20^th century, converting half of the original Everglades into agricultural and urban areas, urban expansion still accounts for a dominant mode of surface cover change in South Florida. Changes in surface cover directly affect the radiative, thermophysical and aerodynamic parameters which determine the absorption and partitioning of radiation into different components at the Earth surface. The alteration is responsible …

Valuation Of Ecosystem Services For Environmental Decision Making In South Florida, Nadia A. Seeteram

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Greater Everglades system imparts vital ecosystem services (ES) to South Florida residents including high quality drinking water supplies and a habitat for threatened and endangered species. As a result of the altered Everglades system and regional dynamics, restoration may either improve the provision of these services or impose a tradeoff between enhanced environmental goods and services and competing societal demands. The current study aims at understanding public preferences for restoration and generating willingness to pay (WTP) values for restored ES through the implementation of a discrete choice experiment. A previous study (Milon et al., 1999) generated WTP values amongst …

Land Use And Water Quality Correlations In Miami-Dade, Florida, Audrey R. Becnel

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

South Florida continues to become increasingly developed and urbanized. My exploratory study examines connections between land use and water quality. The main objectives of the project were to develop an understanding of how land use has affected water quality in Miami-Dade canals, and an economic optimization model to estimate the costs of best management practices necessary to improve water quality. Results indicate Miami-Dade County land use and water quality are correlated. Through statistical factor and cluster analysis, it is apparent that agricultural areas are associated with higher concentrations of nitrogen, while urban areas commonly have higher levels of phosphorous than …

Stakeholder Perceptions And Preferences For Coral Reef Restoration And Sustainable Resource Management, James Wilkinson Harper

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Florida Reef and associated human community form a unique socio-ecological system. While this system represents great value to society, it is exposed to high levels of vulnerability. Despite intense study of its elements, the system lacks conceptual integrity, its management is fragmented, and user valuation remains unclear. A survey using contingent valuation methods investigated stakeholders' attitudes and how much they are willing to pay for sustainable seafood, coral reef restoration, and research funding for coral reefs in southeastern Florida. Respondents expressed angst about climate change and reef conditions, and they connected reef degradation to land-based pollution and water quality. …

Socio-Ecological Vulnerability To Climate Change In South Florida, Emily Eisenhauer

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Awareness of extreme high tide flooding in coastal communities has been increasing in recent years, reflecting growing concern over accelerated sea level rise. As a low-lying, urban coastal community with high value real estate, Miami often tops the rankings of cities worldwide in terms of vulnerability to sea level rise. Understanding perceptions of these changes and how communities are dealing with the impacts reveals much about vulnerability to climate change and the challenges of adaptation.

This empirical study uses an innovative mixed-methods approach that combines ethnographic observations of high tide flooding, qualitative interviews and analysis of tidal data to reveal …

Death Rituals In The New Diaspora: Funerals In The Lives Of Ghanaians In South Florida, Evelyn E. Arhin-Sam

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the lack of attention to practices that take place in settings not considered primarily religious, such as life-cycle rituals in the growing body of literature on religious practices of recently emerging African diaspora communities in the West. It argues that these practices are not only filters for indigenous African religious beliefs but also furnish for African migrants contexts that perform functions similar to those performed by the formal African diaspora religious institutions. Using ethnography, the study investigated the role of death rituals in the lives of Ghanaian members of the United Ghanaians Association of South Florida. …

Gender Differences In The Influence Of Protective Factors, Risk Factors, And Health Risk Behaviors On Hiv Risk Behaviors Among Youth In South Florida, Christi M. Navarro

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents engage in a range of risk behaviors during their transition from childhood to adulthood. Identifying and understanding interpersonal and socio-environmental factors that may influence risk-taking is imperative in order to meet the Healthy People 2020 goals of reducing the incidence of unintended pregnancies, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections among youth. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in the predictors of HIV risk behaviors among South Florida youth. More specifically, this study examined how protective factors, risk factors, and health risk behaviors, derived from a guiding framework using the Theory of Problem Behavior and Theory …

Measuring The Impact Of Melaleuca Quinquenervia Biochar Application On Soil Quality, Plant Growth, And Microbial Gas Flux, Thelma I. Velez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biochar has been heralded a mechanism for carbon sequestration and an ideal amendment for improving soil quality. Melaleuca quinquenervia is an aggressive and wide-spread invasive species in Florida. The purpose of this research was to convert M. quinquenervia biomass into biochar and measure how application at two rates (2% or 5% wt/wt) impacts soil quality, plant growth, and microbial gas flux in a greenhouse experiment using Phaseolus vulgaris L. and local soil.

Plant growth was measured using height, biomass weight, specific leaf area, and root-shoot ratio. Soil quality was evaluated according to nutrient content and water holding capacity. Microbial …

Development Of An Integrated Surface And Subsurface Model Of Everglades National Park, Amy Cook

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An integrated surface-subsurface hydrological model of Everglades National Park (ENP) was developed using MIKE SHE and MIKE 11 modeling software. The model has a resolution of 400 meters, covers approximately 1050 square miles of ENP, includes 110 miles of drainage canals with a variety of hydraulic structures, and processes hydrological information, such as evapotranspiration, precipitation, groundwater levels, canal discharges and levels, and operational schedules. Calibration was based on time series and probability of exceedance for water levels and discharges in the years 1987 through 1997. Model verification was then completed for the period of 1998 through 2005. Parameter sensitivity in …

Navigating Racial Boundaries: The One-Drop Rule And Mixed-Race Jamaicans In South Florida, Sharon E. Placide

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Like many West Indians, mixed-race Jamaican immigrants enter the United States with fluid notions about race and racial identifications that reflect socio-political events in their home country and that conflict with the more rigid constructions of race they encounter in the U.S. This dissertation explores the experiences of racially mixed Jamaicans in South Florida and the impact of those experiences on their racial self-characterizations through the boundary-work theoretical framework. Specifically, the study examines the impact of participants’ exposure to the one-drop rule in the U.S., by which racial identification has been historically determined by the existence or non-existence of black …