Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Sleep, Behavior, And Pre-Academic Skills In Pre-Kindergarteners, Rachel B. Witte

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence rates of several sleep disorders symptoms in young children, and the relationship between symptoms of pediatric sleep disorders and other childhood problems. Eighty-six children aged 3 to 5 years were studied through parent report and academic assessment. Children rated as high risk for having a sleep disorder displayed more externalizing and internalizing problems, less developed social skills, and lower scores on a measure of pre-academic skills, as compared to children whose sleep was rated in the normal range. It was found that 33% of children were at high risk for having …

A Study Of The Impact Of Apts On Service Quality Perceptions Of Elderly And Disabled Riders, Julian M. Benjamin, Gregory N. Price

Journal of Public Transportation

New transportation technology that directly impacts consumers should be evaluated by the people who are affected. Automated dispatching has become standard practice for paratransit services. This article summarizes a study analyzing consumer response to the Mobility Manager at a demonstration site in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Mobility Manager was applied to the TransAID demand-responsive mini-bus service for people who are elderly or who have disabilities. Survey data from two questionnaires, before and after the implementation of the Mobility Manager for the same subjects, were used to examine travel behavior and perceived service quality. These travelers reported service improvements such as …

Crow's Nest, August 28, 2006, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The August 28, 2006, issue of the Crow's Nest.

The Weekly Challenger, August 17, 2006, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The August 17, 2006, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

The Weekly Challenger, July 27, 2006, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The July 27, 2006, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

The Weekly Challenger, July 20, 2006, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The July 20, 2006, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Small Scale Distribution Of The Sand Dollars Mellita Tenuis And Encope Spp. (Echinodermata), James P. Swigart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Small scale distributions of Mellita tenuis and Encope spp. were quantified at Fort De Soto Park on Mullet Key, off Egmont Key and off Captiva Island, Florida during 2005. Off Captiva Island, Encope spp. were aggregated in 33.3% of plots in March. Off Egmont Key, M. tenuis were aggregated in 100% of plots in March but in no plots in September. At Fort De Soto Park, M. tenuis were aggregated in 37.5% of plots in May 12.5% in July and 50.0% in September. Sand dollars in 6.3% of the plots in September at Fort De Soto had a uniform distribution. …

Epiphyll Community Diversity On Anthurium And Philodendron (Araceae), June 2006, Ellen Frondorf

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Little is known about epiphyll community diversity. This study compared epiphyll diversity growing on leaves from Anthurium and Philodendron. I hypothesized that the effect of a collecting vein, present on Anthurium, but not on Philodendron, would affect microhabitats and epiphyll species diversity. I predicted lower epiphyll abundance on Anthurium than on Philodendron. Fifteen leaves were collected from each plant species. Morphological species of epiphylls were counted for total percent cover, as well as the total area of the leaves. The Shannon-Weiner Index was used, along with Margalof’s index of richness. Analysis was done at metacommunity (all the leaves of Anthurium …

Seed Preference In The Central American Agouti, Dasyprocta Punctata, June 2006, Kristen Coogan

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Scatter-hoarding animals in the tropics typically depend on a cached supply of reserves when food is scarce. The Optimal Foraging Theory seeks to explain the behaviors these organisms exhibit upon prey selection. It is important for these scatter-hoarding animals to choose the most beneficial food item that will increase their energy intake. Central American agouties (Dasyprocta puncata) were presented with two differently sized seed species, the water apple (Syzygium malaccense) and the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes). A total of 400 flagged seeds were used, 200 of each species in groups of 20 seeds per species, over a 14 day period …

Permaculture Garden Design For The Cloud Forest School-The Centro De Educación Creativa, June 2006, Lauren Fifield

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

This is a proposal for the creation of a permaculture garden at the Cloud Forest School- Centro de Educación Creativa (CFS-CEC), in Monteverde, Costa Rica. This garden will be used for food production, but will also be used for educational purposes. Permaculture gardens teach students how to live with nature. They are able to produce food for themselves in a way that uses the least amount of land as possible, thus leaving this land for forest species. The garden provides various teaching tools such as native species, gap area, gardening techniques, mimicry complexes as well attracts various species. It will …

Sequestration And Release Of Nutrients From Mist By Epiphytic Mosses And Orchids, June 2006, Lauren Bennett

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Epiphytes sequester required nutrients and moisture from mist; the remaining moisture is then released as throughfall for other organisms. I proposed that there were differences between types of cloud forest epiphytes in the amounts of nutrients that they sequester. Using mist collectors filled with three different types of epiphytes (mosses, orchids without pseudobulbs Pleurothallis ruscifolia, and orchids with pseudobulbs Encyclia pseudopygmaea) and a control (empty) mist collector, I compared concentration of mist that passed through the control collector and three epiphyte groups throughfall of volume, nitrate concentration, phosphate concentration and pH level. I found no significant difference in the volume, …

Food Choice In Frugivorous Bats, June 2006, Lauren Riegler

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Frugivorous bats are important dispersers for many tropical plants and their conservation depends on furthering knowledge in their foraging behaviors and food preferences (Brosset et al. 1996). This study investigated a possible fruit preference of five frugivorous bat species (Carollia brevicauda, Artibeus lituratus, Artibeus jamaicensis, Artibeus toltecus and Platyrrhinus vittatus) found in Monteverde, Costa Rica among three wild fruit species (Solanum umbellatum, Solanum aphyodendron and Ficus pertusa) and two cultivated fruit species (Musa accuminata and Carica papaya). Fruits were presented to the bats in the Bat Jungle of Monteverde, where the foraging of bats can be closely observed. Artibeus toltecus …

Physical Defenses Against Herbivory In Gesneriaceae, June 2006, Meagan Turner

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

I studied physical plant defenses in seven species within the family Gesneriaceae: Alloplectus tetragonus, Besleria princeps, Besleria solanoides, Besleria triflora, Columnea glabra, Columnea microcalyx, and Monopyle maxonii. The species display varying levels of pubescence and leaf toughness. The purpose here is to determine if these physical traits deter herbivores and decrease the amount of herbivory. Data were collected on plants growing along the Senderos Principal and División behind the Estación Biológica, and the Sendero Nuboso in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica, from April 16 to May 8, 2006. Twenty individuals from each species were sampled and the percent …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Feeding And Food In Three Species Of Mellitid Sand Dollars, Susan Elizabeth Hilber

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sand dollars are abundant and conspicuous macroinvertebrates in sandy habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. They ingest sediment and associated organisms. Given their high abundances, size, and deposit feeding, they likely are the most important consumer coupling primary productivity with the rest of the food chain in these habitats. Moreover, sand dollars bioturbate sediments and affect species diversity and community structure.

Three species of sand dollars in the family Mellitidae,

Mellita tenuis, Encope michelini and Encope aberrans, were studied off the West Coast of Florida. Food and feeding of these sand dollar species were studied to understand their relationship …

Hot Flashes In Men With Prostate Cancer: Prevalence, Severity, And Psychosocial Correlates, Erin Winters

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study evaluated the prevalence, severity, and psychosocial correlates of hot flashes in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. Seventy-two men completed a detailed packet of questionnaires prior to the initiation of treatment and again three-months later. Results indicated that the extent to which hot flashes interfered with patients' daily functioning significantly contributed to changes in depressive symptoms. Changes in fatigue were found to mediate the relationship between hot-flash related interference and depressive symptomatology, suggesting that increases in fatigue were responsible for the concurrent increases in symptoms of depression. The coping strategy of catastrophizing moderated the relationship …

The Weekly Challenger, May 18, 2006, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The May 18, 2006, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Predicting Delinquency In Adolescence And Young Adulthood: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Risk And Protective Factors, Amy E. Green

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Longitudinal studies that track individuals from childhood into adulthood may be the best method to identify risk and protective factors for crime and delinquency. The primary goals of this study were to determine 1) the ability of risk factors identified by the end of elementary school to predict delinquency referrals, 2) the extent to which positive assets (promotive factors) add to the prediction of delinquency, and 3) potential interactions between these risk and promotive factors that moderate the relationship between risk and delinquency referrals. The final purpose was to identify gender and racial differences in these relationships. The current study …

The Weekly Challenger, April 27, 2006, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The April 27, 2006, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Minutes, Florida Ornithological Society Board Of Directors Meeting, April 21, 2006, Pamela J. Bowen

Florida Ornithological Society - Records - Full Collection

The minutes from the April 21, 2006, meeting of the Florida Ornithological Society's Board of Directors.

The Weekly Challenger, April 20, 2006, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The April 20, 2006, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Crow's Nest, April 19, 2006, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The April 19, 2006, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Before The Inca: Prehistoric Dietary Transitions In The Argentine Cuyo, Nicole Shelnut

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A dietary reconstruction was performed in order to understand changing prehistoric subsistence patterns in the Central Andean geographical area of the Argentine Cuyo that includes the provinces of San Juan and Mendoza. Archaeologically, the Cuyo is also known as a boundary between Andean agriculturalists and the foragers of Patagonia. One hypothesis being tested is whether this area was one of the last South American cultural groups to convert to maize cultivation, probably around 2000 BP. The process of stable isotope analysis is used to reconstruct the diets of individuals, as it reveals the relative proportions of C3 and C4 plants …

Gender Differences In Age Of Onset For Delinquency:Risk Factors And Consequences, Laura M. Gulledge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The age of onset of delinquency has long been viewed as a primary indicator for further delinquency and criminality. However, studies on the risk factors for onset, and future delinquency have focused predominantly on males. The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences and similarities in risk factors for onset and frequency of arrest. The data used in these analyses were from a longitudinal study, Pathways to Adulthood: A Three Generational Urban Study, 1960-1994. Sixty-six percent (N=1,758) of the eligible children completed the final survey. Of these children, only 515 were used in this particular study because they …

The Effects Of A Parent Training Course On Coercive Interactions Between Parents And Children, Lezlee Powell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coercion within parent/child relationships can have lasting effects on the behavior

of children. The Family Safety/Applied Behavior Analysis Initiative at the University of

South Florida is part of a statewide project designed to serve foster parents and the

children in the foster care system, has developed a training program entitled .Parenting

Tools for Positive Behavior Change.. To date, the effectiveness of the parenting course

has been evaluated in two ways. First, parents have been tested in role-play situations

before and after training, and have shown improvements in their use of positive parenting

skills. Second, frequency of foster home placement disruptions …

The Weekly Challenger, April 6, 2006, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The April 6, 2006, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Modeling The Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Coral-Algal Symbiosis, Dana Joy Gaydos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs thrive in nutrient-deficient environments yet function among the most productive ecosystems on Earth as a consequence of the symbiosis between coral hosts and their symbiotic zooxanthellae. The symbiotic unit (holobiont) can utilize both inorganic and organic sources of nutrients for the accumulation of carbon and nitrogen required for metabolism, growth, and reproduction. An iterative model was created to describe the flux of carbon and nitrogen between a host and its algae. The model design is based on a previously published conceptual model of algal symbioses; functions and values of input parameters are based on published studies of the …

A Feminist Perspective On The Precautionary Principle And The Problem Of Endocrine Disruptors Under Neoliberal Globalization Policies, Erica Hesch Anstey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Industrialization and "development" during the last 200 years have led to an increase of pesticides, an intensified use of synthetic chemicals, higher levels of environmental pollution, and more exposure to hazardous working conditions. Environmental toxins, many of which are endocrine disruptors, are stored in fat tissue, increasing reproductive health risks for both women and men. Women’s bodies are particularly vulnerable as sites for creating, growing, feeding, and nurturing the next generation. And yet, women’s lives are consistently devalued, especially in a capitalist economy, so that a woman’s rights to her own reproductive health are no longer guaranteed.

In this thesis …

Assessment Of Image Analysis As A Measure Of Scleractinian Coral Growth, Steven K. Gustafson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Image analysis was used to measure basal areas of selected colonies of Montastraea annularis and Porites astreoides, following the colonies over a three-year period from 2002 to 2004. Existing digital images of permanently-marked quadrats in the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, Belize, were selected based on image quality and availability of images of selected quadrats for all three years. Annual growth rates were calculated from the basal-area measurements. Mean growth rates (radial skeletal extension) for M. annularis and P. astreoides were 0.02 cm yr-1 and -0.20 cm yr-1, respectively. Basal area measurements demonstrated a large degree of variability. Increases were approximately …

The Black-White Achievement Gap: Do State Policies Matter?, Henry I. Braun, Aubrey Wang, Frank Jenkins, Elliot Weinbaum

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

A longstanding issue in American education is the gap in academic achievement between majority and minority students. The goal of this study is to accumulate and evaluate evidence on the relationship between state education policies and changes in the Black-White achievement gap, while addressing some of the methodological issues that have led to differences in interpretations of earlier findings. To that end, we consider the experiences of ten states that together enroll more than forty percent of the nation's Black students. We estimate the trajectories of Black student and White student achievement on the NAEP 8th grade mathematics assessment over …

Education Policy Analysis Archives 14/08 , Arizona State University, University Of South Florida

College of Education Publications

Black-white achievement gap : do state policies matter? / Henry I. Braun, Aubrey Wang, Frank Jenkins [and] Elliot Weinbaum.