Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Self-Control, Gang Membership, And Victimization: An Integrated Approach To The Risk Factors Of Violent Victimization, Kristina Childs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study integrates one of the most empirically tested individual characteristics (self-control) with situational factors (risky lifestyle) in an attempt to explain the risks involved in violent victimization. Data came from a diverse sample of 3,907 middle school students who participated in the G.R.E.A.T. program during the 1993-1994 school year. Gang membership is used as a proxy variable to measure risky lifestyle. It is hypothesized that 1) gang membership will mediate the effect of self-control on violent victimization and 2) self-control and gang membership will interact to amplify the risk of violent victimization.

Logistic regression was used to analyze the …

The Effect Of Perceived Entitativity On Implicit Image Transfer In Multiple Sponsorships, Francoì?Is Anthony Carrillat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes that in the case of multiple sponsorships (i.e., brands sponsoring concomitantly the same event), the group constituted by the sponsoring brands and the sponsored event will be perceived as an entity; a phenomenon that Campbell (1958) called entitativity. The extent to which a group of brands and a sponsored event is seen as being entitative will result in stereotypic processing of the group members (Brewer and Harasty 1996). Information about an entitative group is abstracted and used to form judgments about every group member (McConnell, Sherman, and Hamilton 1997). Characteristics tied to one brand or to the …

Exploring Women’S Complex Relationship With Political Violence: A Study Of The Weathermen, Radical Feminism And The New Left, Lindsey Blake Churchill

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I use the radical, pro-violent organization the Weathermen as a framework to examine women and feminisms complex relationships with violence. My thesis attempts to show the many belief systems that second wave feminists possessed concerning the role(s) of women and violence in revolutionary organizations. Hence, by using the Weathermen as a framework, I discuss various feminist essentialist and pacifist critiques of violence. I also include an analysis of feminists who, similar to the Weathermen, embraced political violence. For example, radical feminists Robin Morgan and Jane Alpert criticized the Weathermen's violent tactics while other feminists such as Ti-Grace …

From Strange Fruit To Fruitful Kitchens: The Space Of The Kitchen In Toni Morrison’S Novels, Betty J. Chroninger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Toni Morrison's recovery of the African-American presence in her novels is uniquely tied to the space of the kitchen. The recovery of the African-American presence has been accomplished in various ways for various groups: historians, critics, authors, sociologists. They have named names, recalled incidents, and "discovered" texts. Recovery has been accomplished by reconstructing culture through songs, storytelling, folklore and myth. Morrison establishes a connection between the space of the Garden that represents a white male empowered world in which African-American women have difficulty establishing power to a space of the kitchen where we see how well each character has been …

Trade And Plunder Networks In The Second Seminole War In Florida, 1835-1842, Toni Carrier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Second Seminole War in Florida, 1835-1842, was a time of disruption and upheaval for all of those unfortunate enough to occupy the territory of Florida during the seven years of this protracted battle over Seminole removal to the West. Illicit trade was a major factor which enabled the Seminoles to resist removal for such an extended period. Illicit trade requires outside assistance. Documentary evidence suggests that such assistance was rendered by Spanish fishermen, English and American wreckers, slaves, free blacks, Native Americans and white American settlers. This thesis examines the evidence for plunder and illicit trade, and the possible …

The Effects Of Response Cards On The Performance And Generalization Of Parenting Skills, Bennie L. Colbert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has provided convincing evidence of the efficacy of behavior analytic interventions to improve parenting skills with biological parents, however many studies lament generalization failure from training to home settings. Previous research has also examined the effects of response card use with children at various grade levels and with post-secondary students with a sole focus on academic outcomes. This study examined the effects of color coded response cards on active student responding and parenting skills proficiency of three foster parents in a parent training program and generalization of these skills to their homes. During baseline, participants role-played their responses …

Sound Localization Abilities Of Two Florida Manatees, Trichechus Manatus Latirostris, Debborah E. Colbert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) live in the shallow, often turbid inland and coastal waters of the southeastern United States. Since their vision is poor (Bauer et al., 2003), other senses probably guide orientation. Previous studies have found that manatees can hear over 40 kHz (Gerstein et al., 1999) and have the capacity for rapid auditory temporal processing (Mann et al., 2005). However, it is not known if manatees have the ability to localize underwater sounds.

Two Florida manatees were trained to identify underwater sound source locations using a four-choice discrimination paradigm. Three broad-band signals ( 0.2 - …

Promotoras Of The U.S.-Mexico Border: An Ethnographic Study Of Culture Brokerage, Agency, And Community Development, Ricardo B. Contreras

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines promotoras from the U.S.-Mexico border. Promotoras are women who live in colonias throughout the border area and who are employed by service provider and community development organizations to do health-related outreach and education with colonia residents. The role of promotoras can be seen from the perspective of culture brokerage; that is, they are mediators between local communities and external actors such as service providers and agencies of the government. As culture brokers, promotoras facilitate the relationship among the local communities, and the system of services and outside resources. The study proposes a conceptual framework through which programs …

Assessment Of The Community Healthcare Providers' Ability And Willingness To Respond To A Bioterrorist Attack In Florida, Jeffrey S. Crane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous findings have demonstrated that the preparedness and infrastructure of the public health system are inadequately developed for a biological and/or chemical terrorism attack. (1-4) Chen et al. reported that those primary care providers that would have to respond to such an attack do not feel prepared to diagnose and manage such an event.(5)

This research was an observational study using e-mail/web based survey to assess the levels of preparedness (PL) and willingness to respond (WTR) to a bioterrorism attack, and identify factors that predict PL and WTR of Florida community healthcare providers. The conceptual framework and questionnaire was designed …

Development Of Interactive Web-Based Tutorials For Chemical Engineering Undergraduates, Stefan Cular

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the design, creation, and testing of a web-based tool for generating interactive web-based problem set assignments. In prior research (Stetka, 2001) it was shown that students enjoyed interactive problems. In this research, multiple programming languages were used to provide a web-based, fully interactive, problem solving environment for the students. Sample problem sets were written by the author and a few chemical engineering students.

These web pages were then used as a basis to test the effectiveness of the webbased interactive problem sets for two engineering courses. Initial findings are presented illustrating the student’s results along with results …

The Design, Fabrication, And Characterization Of Polymer-Carbon Nanotube Composites, Lanetra Clayton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The design, fabrication, and characterization of polymer-carbon nanotube (CNT) composites have generated a significant amount of attention in the fields of materials science and polymer chemistry. The challenge in fabricating composites that exploit the unique properties of the CNT and the ideal processing ability and low cost of the polymer is in achieving a uniform dispersion of the filler in the polymer matrix. This body of work focuses on (1) techniques employed to disperse CNTs into a polymer matrix and (2) the effects of CNTs on the mechanical and electrical properties of the polymer.

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), an amorphous …

Early Learning Experiences: Education With Coaching And The Effects On The Acquisiton Of Literacy Skills In Preschool Children, Dale Lynn Cusumano

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reading to learn becomes a difficult task for children if they have not become proficient at comprehending written text. It was hypothesized that, for some children, reading difficulties may have been averted had they been reared in homes or participated in early childhood settings where literacy-based activities, interactions, or materials were prevalent. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that training early childhood educators in researchbased early literacy instructional strategies (within the HeadsUp! Reading curriculum ñ HUR) had on the development of early reading skills in the preschool children they taught. Further examination also identified the impact …

Development Of Enhanced Multiport Network Analyzer Calibrations Using Non-Ideal Standards, John Edward Daniel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An Improved Short-Open-Load-Reciprocal (SOLR) Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) calibration is developed and validated. Through the use of a more complex load model the usable frequency range of the SOLR calibration algorithm is expanded. Comparisons are made between this new calibration and existing calibration techniques that are known to be accurate at high frequencies. The Anritsu 37xxx Lightning series 65GHz VNA is used as the principle measurement tool for calibration comparison and verification. This work is built off of previous work done at USF in which it is shown that the Short-Open-Load-Thru (SOLT) calibration’s accuracy improves through the implementation of more …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Predictors Of Self- And Other Reported Marketability: Looking Beyond Human Capital, Rachel Day

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to propose and test a comprehensive model of marketability using both individual and situational predictors. Participants in this study were members of professional associations and were recruited from internet listserves. They consisted of 485 employees and 176 co-workers. This study used a matching technique to link participant and co-worker data and was the first study to assess multiple perspectives of marketability. Results demonstrated the relationships of human capital variables, positivity traits, proactive career behaviors, the environment and industry characteristics on internal and external marketability. Interestingly, not all predictors related to both internal and external …

Formation Of Nanocoatings By Laser-Assisted Spray Pyrolysis And Laser Ablation On 2d Gold Nanotemplates, Gayan S. Dedigamuwa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a new Laser-Assisted Spray Pyrolysis technique developed to grow nanoparticle coatings with controllable particle sizes. In this method, droplets of a precursor formed by a nebulizer are injected into a growth chamber using SF6 carrier gas. An experimental study and a computational model to investigate the particle size dependence on various growth parameters have been carried out. The results show that heating of 1.5µm droplets of metalorganic precursor in a carrier gas using a CO2 laser resulted in the formation of TiC and Fe3O4 particles with diameters in the range of 50- 60nm. Also the results show …

Pacap And Vip Modulation Of Neuroexcitability In Rat Intracardiac Neurons, Wayne I. Dehaven

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Autonomic control of cardiac function depends on the coordinated activity generated by neurons within the intracardiac ganglia, and intrinsic feedback loops within the ganglia provide precise control of cardiac function. Both pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) are important regulators of cell-to-cell signaling within the intracardiac ganglia, and PACAP and VIP action on these ganglia, mediated through associated receptors, play an important role in the regulation of coronary blood flow, cardiac contraction, relaxation, and heart rate. Results reported here using PACAP and VIP provide direct evidence of some of the complex signaling which occurs in neurons …

Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis In Hiv-Positive And Hiv-Negative Children In Haiti: A Hospital-Based Investigation, Marie F. Denis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Globally, one in four persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who are living with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) will die of tuberculosis (TB). The estimated number of HIV-infected children who die of tuberculosis, especially extrapulmonary TB (EPTB), in Haiti, is only loosely based on facts or investigation. This study proposes to describe demographics of children with EPTB in a pediatric TB hospital in Haiti. The objectives are two-fold. The first objective is to describe the population of children discharged from Grace Children’s Hospital with a confirmed diagnosis of tuberculosis overall, and broken down by whether or …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Emotional Dissonance: Understanding The Relationships Among Personality, Emotional Dissonance, Job Satisfaction, Intention To Quit And Job Performance, Laurie K. Diamond

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of this research was to explore the antecedents and consequences of emotional dissonance for debt collectors. The antecedents were personality factors (extraversion, anger, conscientiousness and agreeableness) and prosocial factors. The consequences of emotional dissonance were job satisfaction, intention to quit and job performance. A path model was developed to explain the relations among the studyís measures in a sample of 188 full-time debt collectors. The path analysis results failed to show strong relations between personality and emotional dissonance. However, strong relations were found between emotional dissonance, job satisfaction, intention to quit, and performance. Job satisfaction acted as …

Anti-Arab Hate Crimes In The Aftermath Of September 11, 2001: Assessing The Influence Of Geographic And Situational Factors, Ilir Disha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how hate crimes in general and anti-Arab hate crimes in particular were distributed across different regions of the United States during the 2001- 2002 period. The study explores how a historical event – the terrorist attacks against the U.S. on September 11, 2001 – and county population demographics affect the rates of hate crime against Arabs, Muslims or Middle Easterners. It was hypothesized that antiArab or anti-Muslim hate crimes displaced other forms of hate crime and were characterized by open acts of violence. According to the contact hypothesis, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hate crimes would be more likely …

A Geographic Information System For Dynamic Ridematching, Sasha Dos-Santos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Online Transportation Option System (OTOS) is a Geographic Information System (GIS) that addresses many of the limitations associated with traditional dynamic ridematching applications. The main improvements are in the areas of trip scheduling and match searching. OTOS is unique in its ability to accept trips with schedules that can not be expressed in terms of a regular weekly trip. OTOS also distinguishes itself in its use of spatial analysis techniques to locate matches. Specifically, the use of a shortest path solver enables the ridematching algorithm to perform a search along the path of a user’s trip, in addition to …

Evaluating Positive Behavior Support Plan Implementation In The Home Environment Of Young Children With Challenging Behavior, Michelle A. Duda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, a central focus of the field of early intervention/early childhood special education has been to investigate ways to effectively support young children with challenging behavior and their families (Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior, 2003; DEC, 1999). Positive behavior support (PBS) is one of the most promising evidence-based practices for young children with challenging behavior and their families. The central purposes of PBS are to both help people develop and engage in socially desirable behaviors and to help minimize patterns of socially stigmatizing responding (Koegel, Koegel, & Dunlap, 1996).

Research documenting the utility and …

We Should Be Like Water: Choosing The Lowest Place Which All Others Avoid: John Steinbeck As A Modern Messenger Of Taoism, Andrea Marie Hammock

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis explores John Steinbeck's Cannery Row as a taoist text. It furthers this investigation by examining Cannery Row's recently discovered precursor, The God in the Pipes; examining the question of whether or not both novels were inspired by the ancient eastern philosophy of Taoism. The thesis uses clues from The God in the Pipes to determine which version of the Tao Teh Ching Steinbeck used to compose these novels.

Style: A New Perspective On Kate Chopin, Daniel Arredondo

Theses Digitization Project

Uses Edward Corbett's theory of style to help define Chopin's style and expose her rhetorical strategies (sentence and paragraph length, diction, tropes, scheme, etc.) in the short story "The Story of an Hour ." Examines the controversy over using literature to teach composition and provides an analysis of the reasons for and against using literature in composition classes. Finally, defends the use of literature in writing classrooms.

Movie In Search Of America: The Rhetoric Of Myth In Easy Rider, Hayley Susan Raynes

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis is a rhetorical analysis of the movie Easy Rider. It explores how auteurs Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern's use of road, regional, and cowboy mythology creates a text that simultaneously exposes and is dominated by the ironies inherent in American culture and breathes new life into the cowboy myth, reaffirming the cowboy's place as one of America's most enduring cultural icons.

The Literacy Event Horizon: Examining Orality And Literacy In Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, AndréA Diane Davis

Theses Digitization Project

Applies James Gee's concept of Discourses to illustrate how literacy and orality thematically constitute hybrid identity in Silko's novel Ceremony. Then, applies Wallace Chafe's linguistic framework of integration and involvement showing that the novel is a linguistic hybrid, not just a text that thematically elevates hybridity. Unlike other Native American authors who create half-breed characters merely as bridges between two cultures, Silko creates her character Tayo as an embodiment of an emergent hybrid culture.

Against Bullshit: Christopher Hitchens And The Public Intellectual, M. J. Bumb

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Blue Notes And Brown Skin: Five African-American Jazzmen And The Music They Produced In Regard To The American Civil Rights Movement, Benjamin Park Anderson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

"Down Where The South Begins": Virginia Radio And The Conversation Of Nationhood, Caroline Chandler Morris

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Subconscious Influences: The Leopold-Loeb Case And The Development Of An American Criminal Archetype, John Carl Fiorini

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

A Novel Approach: How E-Book Technology Is Impacting The American Fiction Market, Jodi L. Kastel

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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