Digital Commons Network^™

Connecting Institutional Discourses And Everyday Understandings Of Climate Change: Viewpoints From A Suburban Neighborhood In Tampa, Florida, Christopher Metzger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite a general consensus regarding anthropogenic global climate change across the international scientific community, many of the major greenhouse gas producers in the world, especially the United States, are hesitant to implement strict emissions regulations. According to some prominent atmospheric scientists, such as James Hansen and Michael Mann, if industrialized countries continue to produce carbon emissions at current rates, an irreversible planetary tipping point of raising temperatures 2°C above pre-industrial levels could be reached in less than 40 years. Societies have a wealth of information from the natural sciences to understand the climate problem and currently possess the technological means …

Assessing The Environmental Justice Implications Of Flood Hazards In Miami, Florida, Marilyn Christina Montgomery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While environmental justice (EJ) research in the U.S. has traditionally focused on inequities in the distribution of technological hazards, the disproportionate impacts of Hurricane Katrina on racial minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged households have prompted researchers to investigate the EJ implications of natural hazards such as flooding. Recent EJ research has also emphasized the need to examine social inequities in access to environmental amenities. Unlike technological hazards such as air pollution and toxic waste sites, areas exposed to natural hazards such as hurricanes and floods have indivisible amenities associated with them. Coastal property owners are exposed to flood hazards, but also …

Material And Textual Spaces In The Poetry Of Montagu, Leapor, Barbauld, And Robinson, Jessica Lauren Cook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women Poets and Place in Eighteenth-Century Poetry considers how four women poets of the long eighteenth century--Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Mary Leapor, Anna Letitia Barbauld, and Mary Robinson--construct various places in their poetry, whether the London social milieu or provincial England. I argue that the act of place making, or investing a location with meaning, through poetry is also a way of writing a place for themselves in the literary public sphere and in literary history. Despite the fact that more women wrote poetry than in any other genre in the period, women poets remain a relatively understudied area in …

Determining What Factors Affect Peoples' Perceptions Of The Use Of Reclaimed Water As A Source For Potable Water: A Study Within Hillsborough County, Florida, Susana Rebecca Alvarado Tricoche

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In response to water supply depletion challenges, countries such as Australia, the United States, and Namibia have implemented technologies that treat wastewater up to the standards permissible to use for irrigation, toilet flushing, and even drinking water. However, many of these countries have been unable to successfully implement some of their ambitious reclaimed water reuse projects due to negative public perceptions of recycling wastewater. The focus of this study was to understand which factors in risk perception theory are the most influential in shaping community perceptions of reclaimed water reuse as a future source of drinking water within Hillsborough County. …

Can Anyone With Low Income Be Food Secure?: Mitigating Food Insecurity Among Low Income Households With Children In The Tampa Bay Area, Edgar Allan Amador

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the US over the last few years, approximately 14.5% of households experience food insecurity at some point throughout the year. While studies on food insecurity in the US have determined that household income and specifically income available to spend on food is of critical importance to food security, it is still unclear why some households with low income are able to maintain food security while others experience food insecurity in a pattern characterized as not constant but recurrent. This dissertation compares households with children at different levels of food security and insecurity using the USDA Core Food Security Module …

An Evaluation Of Florida Gulf Coast University's Residence Life Staff Member's Hurricane Preparedness, Erin Floto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is located along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in southern Florida, in an area vulnerable to hurricane strikes. At FGCU, The Office of Housing and Residence Life (OHRL) is responsible for three locations on- and off-campus where students reside in apartment or suite-style housing. Due to the large number of students with varying backgrounds, the OHRL staff members have become essential personnel during severe weather events that may cause safety concerns for the residents living in OHRL housing locations. This study's purpose is to assess the Residence Life staff on their level of …

Landscape Evolution Of Menikio Mountain (Macedonia, Greece) Based On Morphological And Sedimentological Analyses Of Caves, Christos Pennos

KIP Articles

The present study examines the landscape evolution of the Menikio Mountain based on morphological features that are evident inside the caves. The various evolutionary stages of the Mountain's landscape development are dated. In addition, a paleoclimatic reconstruction for the broader area is attempted. For this approach two stalagmites have been selected from the Mikro and Megalo Eptamilon caves. U - series dating techniques were used in order to determine the exact time spam of the records and in order to obtain the paleoclimatic signal, measurements of δ18O and δ13C were performed along the growth axis of the stalagmites. The project …

The Portrayal Of Immigrants In Children's And Young Adults' American Trade Books During Two Peak United States Immigration Eras (1880-1930 And 1980-2010s), Rina Roula Bousalis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Although immigrants are an integral part of the nation's founding and history, it is unclear how they have been historically portrayed in children's and young adults' American trade books, especially at the turn of the 20th century. This study offers a critical and comparative analysis focusing on the historical evolution, depiction of immigrants, and authors' perspectives of selected trade books written during two peak United States immigration eras (1880-1930 and 1980-2010s).

Utilizing a discourse analysis approach, this study examined how first-generation immigrants were portrayed in selected trade books and how various themes and representations may have affected students and …

Volcanism-Induced Karst Landforms And Speleogenesis, In The Ankarana Plateau (Madagascar). Hypothesis And Preliminary Research, Eric Gilli

International Journal of Speleology

The Ankarana is a limestone plateau in the northern part of Madagascar, where a cave system, more than 120 km long, has been explored. The plateau is bordered by volcanoes and is cut across by several canyons. An analysis of surface landforms and caves suggests that the karst genesis was probably initiated by volcanism beneath an impervious cover. Volcanic bulging and magma intrusions may have favored a basalt-limestone assimilation process and metamorphism. The ascent of deep volcanic fluids (CO₂ and SO₂) from magma degassing and from limestone metamorphism, may explain the speleogenesis. Once denuded, the karst evolved …

Environment, Rights, And Waste In Bolivia: Addressing Water And Sanitation Processes For Improved Infrastructure, Maryann R. Cairns

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water and sanitation (WatSan) development projects impact both natural systems and societal structures where they are placed. A complex process of development, including inter-governmental policies, aid agencies, personal relationships, and community politics enhance and constrain the efficacy of these projects. This study presents the many ways in which the WatSan development process has unintended and unexpected returns for certain community groups. Using a political ecology framework, I look at power structures, perceived and projected environmental impacts, multiple stakeholders, and individual discourses to critique how the right to water and sanitation is implemented in a specific community context. This project advances …

Diffuse Nutrient Pollution From Residential Catchments, Melissa Rachelle Butcher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nonpoint source nutrient pollution is diffuse pollution lacking discrete origin and conveyance. This thesis synthesizes and critically reviews research on residential nitrogen and phosphorus loss to stormwater runoff and leaching. The evaluation pulls from research covering influential socio-demographic indicators, such as use of lawn maintenance services and homeowner fertilizer practices. The extent to which such social and economic factors may influence the prevalence and fate of diffuse nutrients in stormwater runoff from residential areas has not been adequately established. Understanding the source and influencing factors of diffuse nutrient pollution is important in order to effectively protect surface and groundwater resources. …

Picturing The Reader: English Education Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs About Reading Using Photovoice, Michael Dicicco

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As students begin secondary school, they are charged with learning more content, at a faster pace and with increased pressure from accountability measures (Dreschler, Shumaker, & Woodruff, 2004). If secondary students' reading difficulties are not identified and remedied, the gap between struggling readers and their peers widens every academic year (Edmonds, Vaughn, Wexler, Rutebuch, Cable, Tackett, and Schnakenberg, 2009).

The task of reading instruction primarily falls on English teachers, but Strickland and Alvermann (2004) note that while secondary English Teachers do have more preparation in reading instruction compared to other content area teachers, they are not as prepared as they …

Geophysical Investigation Of Flood-Induced Sinkhole Collapses, Lakewood Region, Eddy County, New Mexico National Cave And Karst Research Institute Report Of Investigation 6 Nckri Reports Of Investigation, National Cave And Karst Research Institute

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Perception Vs. “Reality” On Travel Behavior After A Major Transit Service Change: The Case Of Tallahassee, Florida, Torsha Bhattacharya, Jeffrey Brown, Michal Jaroszynski, Tuna Batuhan

Journal of Public Transportation

An individual’s perception plays an important role in determining the decisions that people make involving the use of public transportation. An individual’s perception about the qualities of transit service might differ from the objective measures (“reality”) of service quality used by planners to make and evaluate decisions. This study explores the roles of perception and “reality” of transit service quality as influences on the attitudes and behaviors of two different groups of transit dependent riders after a major service change in Tallahassee, Florida. Using a combination of community surveys, key informant interviews, and agency data, the study finds that perception …

Light Rail And Land Use Change: Rail Transit’S Role In Reshaping And Revitalizing Cities, Christopher Higgins, Mark Ferguson, Pavlos Kanaroglou

Journal of Public Transportation

Planners and policymakers often cite the tangible objective of land use change as a primary motivation and justification for an investment in light rail transit (LRT). But how has light rail performed with respect to achieving this goal? This paper reviews and synthesizes the previous literature on LRT and other rail rapid transit systems in North America, demonstrating that rail transit alone is not a primary driver of land use change and that six beneficial factors affect the ability of these systems to have a measurable impact on reshaping and revitalizing cities.

Commuter Mode Choice And Free Car Parking, Public Transportation Benefits, Showers/Lockers, And Bike Parking At Work: Evidence From The Washington, Dc Region, Andrea Hamre, Ralph Buehler

Journal of Public Transportation

Municipalities and employers in the U.S. attempt to reduce commuting by automobile through commuter benefits for riding public transportation, walking, or cycling. Many employers provide a combination of benefits, often including free car parking alongside benefits for public transportation, walking, and cycling. This study evaluates the relationship between commuter benefits and mode choice for the commute to work using revealed preference data on 4,630 regular commuters, including information about free car parking, public transportation benefits, showers/lockers, and bike parking at work in the Washington, DC region. Multinomial logistic regression results show that free car parking at work is related to …

Reduced Fare Programs For Older Adults And Persons With Disabilities: A Peer Review Of Policies, Gregory L. Newmark

Journal of Public Transportation

A significant but understudied activity of transit agencies is managing reduced fare programs for older adults and people with disabilities. The laws that mandate these programs afford transit agencies substantial latitude in designing implementations. Although the resultant program variation offers an excellent opportunity for agencies to learn from each other’s experiences, there has been little comparative analysis. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by providing, for the first time, a systematic consideration of reduced fare policies at the major transit agencies in the 10 most populous metropolitan regions in the United States. This work combines the findings of a structured, …

Transportation Needs Assessment: Planning Transportation To Meet The Needs Of An Aging Illinois, Cutr

Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Full Issue 17(2)

Journal of Public Transportation

No abstract provided.

Proceedings Of The International Interdisciplinary Business And Economics Conference: Volume 1, Cihan Cobanoglu, Serdar Ongan

University of South Florida (USF) - M3 Publishing

This is the first volume of the International Interdisciplinary Business and Economics Conference Proceedings Series.

ISSN: 2333-4207

White-Nose Syndrome Fungus: A Generalist Pathogen Of Hibernating Bats, Jan Zukal, Hana Bandouchova, Tomas Bartonicka, Hana Berkova, Virgil Brack, Jiri Brichta, Matej Dolinay, Kamil S. Jaron, Veronika Kovacova, Miroslav Kovarik, Natália Martínková, Karel Ondracek, Zdenek Rehak, Gregory G. Turner, Jiri Pikula

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

Commencement Convocation Program, Sarasota - Manatee Campus, May 5, 2014, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

Golden Bull Service & Outstanding Leadership Award - Kaleigh Lundy; Outstanding Graduate - Christopher Lee Davis; Outstanding Professor - Ernest Scott; Paul Serls Webecke Award - Ryan Harris Stulman

Commencement Convocation Program, St. Petersburg Campus, May 4, 2014, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholars - Christine Bruzek and Katherine Audrey van Dommelen; Outstanding Graduate - Erik Richardson

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Graduate, May 3, 2014, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

Presidential Management Fellowship - Terrill Curtis; Fulbright U.S. Student Program - Trina Halfhide and Lauren Shumate

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Baccalaureates, May 2, 2014, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

President's Fellow Medallion - Stuart Silverman; Outstanding Graduate - Dazaun Soleyn; King O'Neal Scholars - Katherine Allen, Nicholas Arnal, Adrienne Barrett, Donna Barth, Lisa Bejos, William Bentley, Anesta Boice, Charles Bonfield, Nicholas Gunther, Kristen Hanenian, Avery Johnson, Andrew Krajewski, Stefanie Kwit, Shaina Maldonado, Jolene Neuman, Theresa Novak, Colleen Pascalli, Madison Wahler, and Stephanie Wilson

Agenda And Minutes, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg General Education Committee Meeting, May 2, 2014, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg. Faculty Senate. General Education Committee

USF St. Petersburg General Education Committee Meetings

Agenda and minutes from the May 2, 2014, meeting of the General Education Committee of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg's Faculty Senate.

Klipdrift Shelter, Southern Cape, South Africa : Preliminary Report On The Howiesons Poort Layers, Christopher S. Henshilwood, Karen L. Van Niekerk, Sarah Wurz

KIP Articles

Surveys for archaeological sites in the De Hoop Nature Reserve, southern Cape, South Africa resulted in the discovery of a cave complex comprising two locations, Klipdrift Cave and Klipdrift Shelter. Excavations commenced in 2010 with Later Stone Age deposits initially being recovered at the former site and Middle Stone Age deposits at the latter. The lithic component at Klipdrift Shelter is consistent with the Howiesons Poort, a technological complex recorded at a number of archaeological sites in southern Africa. The age for these deposits at Klipdrift Shelter, obtained by single grain optically stimulated luminescence, spans the period 65.5 ± 4.8 …

Annual Report, General Education Committee, 2013-2014, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg. General Education Committee

USF St. Petersburg General Education Committee Reports

The 2013-2014 academic year annual report from the General Education Committee, a committee under the University of South Florida St. Petersburg's Faculty Senate.

Hail Formation In Florida, Matthew Stanley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Hail poses a substantial threat to life and property in the state of Florida. These losses could be minimized through better understanding of the relationships between atmospheric variables that impact hail formation in Florida. Improving hail forecasting in Florida requires analyzing a number of meteorological parameters and synoptic data related to hail formation.

NOAA archive data was retrieved to create a database that was used to categorize text files of hail days. The text files were entered into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory website to create National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric …

Masculinity, After The Apocalypse: Gendered Heroics In Modern Survivalist Cinema, Sean Michael Swenson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emerging out of a tradition of dystopic and apocalyptic cinema, the survivalist film has arisen as a new subgenre owing to a collision of several divergent modes of cinema. While the scholarly discourse has been preoccupied largely with the task of setting up the parameters of this new cinematic line little attention has been paid to unraveling what the new modes of masculine performance within the films mean in the post-9/11 moment in which they have emerged. This paper looks at the ways in which the gendered heroics on the screen are indebted to the slasher and zombie subgenres in …