Digital Commons Network^™

Lexical Stress Features Affecting The Recognition Of English Loanwords In Korean By Native English Hearers, Yunhyun Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Unlike some Asian languages (e.g., Korean), English has lexical stress manifested by four acoustic features: duration, intensity, F0 (pitch), and vowel quality. Lexical stress has been known to have significant influences on native English speakers’ recognition of spoken words. According to Cutler (2015), lexical stress has both suprasegmental and segmental features: Suprasegmental features include duration, intensity, and F0 while vowel quality is considered a segmental feature. However, it is still unclear which lexical features are more responsible for spoken word recognition. This study examined which features, suprasegmental features or vowel quality of English, are a more significant influencer in spoken …

Further Evaluation Of Treatments For Vocal Stereotypy: Response Interruption Redirection And Response Cost, Kiersty Mcnamara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to expand on research by evaluating the effects of response interruption redirection and response cost alone to reduce vocal stereotypy and to evaluate whether response cost increases the effectiveness of response interruption redirection. Treatment phases included response interruption redirection, response cost, and response interruption redirection plus response cost. We saw high rates of vocal stereotypy during baseline, toy baseline, and pre-intervention phases. During all treatment phases, we saw substantial decreases in stereotypy. For two of the three participants response interruption redirection and response cost was a slightly more effective treatment suggesting that using response …

Evaluating Small-Scale Simulation For Training Firearm Safety Skills, Trevor Maxfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is limited research using small-scale simulation in applied behavior analysis. We used small-scale simulation to train firearm safety skills to 3 to 5-years-old children and assessed whether the skills generalized to the natural environment through in situ assessment. Three participants completed the training and all participants learned the safety skills from simulation training. Two of the participants acquired the safety skills after the first simulation training and the third participant required one booster training before demonstrating the safety skills in the natural environment.

Strong-Dism: A First Attempt To A Dynamically Typed Assembly Language (D-Tal), Ivory Hernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dynamically Typed Assembly Language (D-TAL) is not only a lightweight and effective solution to the gap generated by the drop in security produced by the translation of high-level language instructions to low-level language instructions, but it considerably eases up the burden generated by the level of complexity required to implement typed assembly languages statically. Although there are tradeoffs between the static and dynamic approaches, focusing on a dynamic approach leads to simpler, easier to reason about, and more feasible ways to understand deployment of types over monomorphically-typed or untyped intermediate languages. On this occasion, DISM, a simple but powerful and …

Effect Of Exergaming On Physical Activity Of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Jennifer Dawn Vergara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor related to death (World Health Organization, 2016a). Thus, the World Health Organization (2016a) suggests engaging in at least 150 min of physical activity (PA) throughout the week. Many individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) engage in sedentary lifestyles that raise concern about their long-term health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of exergaming on PA and intensity when implemented with adults with ID. Four adult males diagnosed with ID were recruited. During the scheduled phase, percent occurrence of PA was variable across both conditions for each participant. During the …

Impact Of Self-Monitoring On Independent Vocational Task Completion Of Adults With Disabilities In A Vocational Training Setting, Chelsea Palumbo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Employment is an important goal for many individuals with disabilities. Research indicates that behavioral techniques are effective in increasing task completion of individuals with disabilities in vocational training settings. Yet, limited research has examined the use of self-monitoring for increasing task completion of adults with disabilities receiving vocational training for future employment. Furthermore, few studies have focused on promoting the maintenance of improved vocational task completion among this population. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to extend the literature by examining the impact of self-monitoring on independent correct vocational task completion of four adults with disabilities within a …

Household Food Waste Prevention In Malaysia: An Issue Processes Model Perspective, Syahirah Abd Razak

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food waste has been a worldwide concern for several decades but this problem is relatively new in the Malaysian context due to the increasing amount of food waste in recent years. Thus, the goal of the study is to provide the basic information of knowledge and involvement level, and their interaction in food waste prevention among households in Malaysia. This study seek to further mass communication research in the area of food waste. The Hallahan’s Issues Processes Model was used within this study in order to determine the relationship between knowledge, involvement, and food waste prevention behavior. The convenience sampling …

Capturing Resilience In Context: Development And Validation Of A Situational Judgment Test Of Resilience, Yuejia Teng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study developed a 40-item situational judgment test (SJT) to measure resilience in context. Undergraduate samples were used in the study and situational stems of the SJT consisted of both daily stressors and major life crises; each response alternative was designed to reflect one of five resilience-related factors. A crowd-sourcing method was utilized to create scoring keys for the SJT. The Resilience SJT demonstrated good psychometric properties, and showed evidence of construct and criterion-related validity. The SJT scores moderately correlated with scores from two resilience Likert scales, a hardiness scale as well as a negative affect scale. Compared to …

Predicting Hand Surface Area From A Two-Dimensional Hand Tracing, Myles O'Mara

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent occupational health studies have focused on dermal exposure at the hands, but have been unable to accurately express dose without knowing the HSA. There is no standard method to calculate HSA, though some researchers have derived HSA formulas based on dimensions from a Taiwanese population. This research paper describes a shortcut method to estimate the hand surface area (HSA) of a human hand from a two-dimensional hand tracing, and repeated a Taiwanese HSA study in order to explore the viability of its HSA formula in an American university population. A sample of nine adult men and nine adult women, …

Disorder Levels Of C-Myb Transactivation Domain Regulate Its Binding Affinity To The Kix Domain Of Creb Binding Protein, Anusha Poosapati

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) do not form stable tertiary structures like their ordered partners. They exist as heterogeneous ensembles that fluctuate over a time scale. Intrinsically disordered regions and proteins are found across different phyla and exert crucial biological functions. They exhibit transient secondary structures in their free state and become folded upon binding to their protein partners via a mechanism called coupled folding and binding. Some IDPs form alpha helices when bound to their protein partners. We observed a set of cancer associated IDPs where the helical binding segments of IDPs are flanked by prolines on both the sides. …

Electroplating On 3d Printed Conductive Track, Kishore Kumar Kadari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are substantial advances in Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies. The simplest and advantageous technique of AM in terms of cost and scaling of the substrate is Fused Deposition Modeling(FDM). Currently, integration of electronics to a 3D printed structure is done manually after fabrication of the structure. To print electronic circuits directly on a 3D printed structure, copper electroplating process has been studied in this work.

To electroplate on the 3D printed insulating substrate, various materials were studied to make substrate conductive. By using conductive Polylactic Acid (PLA) filaments, a compatible substrate for electroplating was printed. Electroplating was proved to be …

Enhancement Of Two Passive Decentralized Biological Nitrogen Removal Systems, Justine L. Stocks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research evaluates two different Biological Nitrogen Removal (BNR) systems for enhanced nitrogen removal in decentralized wastewater treatment. The first study evaluated the performance of Hybrid Adsorption and Biological Treatment Systems (HABiTS) at the pilot scale with and without stage 1 effluent recirculation. HABiTS is a system developed at the bench scale in our laboratory and was designed for enhanced BNR under transient loading conditions. It consists of two stages; an ion exchange (IX) onto clinoptilolite media coupled with biological nitrification in the aerobic nitrification stage 1 and a Tire-Sulfur Adsorption Denitrification (T-SHAD) system in the anoxic denitrification stage 2. …

Differential Reinforcement Of Other Behavior Versus Response Cost: Effects Of Immediate And Delayed Consequences In Token Economies, Faith Reynolds

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Token economies incorporating differential reinforcement of other behavior and response cost have been shown to be effective for decreasing behavior. However, these token economies in the literature have differed in their findings of the effectiveness of and preference for differential reinforcement of other behavior and response cost. They have also differed in the way they implemented token economies including factors such as the immediacy of a consequence and the use of verbal feedback. Therefore, we examined two versions of response cost, one in which the contingency is experienced immediately and one in which it is experienced at end of an …

Autism And The Performing Arts: Using Bst To Teach Dance To Children With Asd, Calyn Freed

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral skills training (BST) has been proven effective in helping children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) acquire new skills. Little research had been done to evaluate the effect of BST on the acquisition of sport skills within this population, and no research exists in regards to using BST to teach dance skills to individuals with ASD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of BST for teaching dance steps to children diagnosed with ASD. This study used a multiple baseline across behaviors design. The dance movements that were targeted consisted of a tap step, a leap, and …

Large Area Sintering Test Platform Design And Preliminary Study On Cross Sectional Resolution, Christopher J. Gardiner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing involves the layer-wise patterned addition of material to create 3D parts, allowing for parts with complex geometries that traditional subtractive manufacturing processes cannot create, while offering good value for low run production parts by eliminating the cost of tooling. Large Area Sintering is a form of powder based additive manufacturing where entire layer cross sections are heated and fused in a single continuous exposure process. This layer by layer powder sintering process is similar to selective laser sintering, but by heating the cross section at a slower and controllable rate there is an opportunity to achieve tighter control …

Comprehensive Exploratory Analysis Of Truck Route Choice Diversity In Florida, Trang D. Luong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a comprehensive exploratory analysis of truck route choice diversity in the state of Florida, for both long-haul and short-haul truck travel segments. We employ six metrics to measure three different dimensions of diversity in truck route choice between any given origin-destination (OD) pair. These dimensions are: (1) number of distinct routes used to travel between the OD pair, (2) the extent of overlap (or lack thereof) among the routes, and (3) the evenness (or the dominance) of the usage of different unique routes. The diversity metrics were utilized to examine truck route choice diversity from over 73,000 …

Surveilling Hate/Obscuring Racism?: Hate Group Surveillance And The Southern Poverty Law Center's "Hate Map", Mary Mckelvie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In what ways does the legal and political monitoring of “hate groups” and "hate group activities" benefit the American left? Possible victims of crimes? Law enforcement? The state? Specifically, in what ways does the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “hate map” challenge and/or reiterate relations of power and knowledge? This thesis offers a feminist critical analysis of hate group surveillance and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s mapping of hate. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a progressive legal advocacy group that aids in the surveillance of “hate groups” and legislation against “hate crimes.” I investigate the assumptions grounding the SPLC’s …

The Impact Of Traumatic Event Exposure In The Emergency Medical Services: A Weekly Diary Study, Stephanie A. Andel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emergency Medical Service (EMS) professionals are consistently exposed to a variety of traumatic events on the job, such as cases that involve the death or injury of a patient, being physically threatened, or encountering a mass casualty incident. Not surprisingly, research has found that such traumatic exposure has major implications, as it has been related to a plethora of negative strain outcomes such as posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and burnout. However, at this point, research has not empirically examined the mechanisms by which these traumatic events lead to strain. Therefore, this study aims to further investigate these mechanisms by incorporating …

Cyber Deterrence Against Cyberwar Between The United States And China: A Power Transition Theory Perspective, Yavuz Akdag

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the last three decades, states and societies have increasingly been connected to each other through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as satellites and the Internet, thus expanding the sphere of influence of cyberspace. While offering numerous economic and security benefits, this increased global connectivity also poses various security challenges and threats at the national and international level. In particular, the threat of cyberwar has become one of the top national security issues in both the United States and China, as reflected in an increasing number of cyber disputes between the two nations recently. In the wake of this …

Political Media Bias In The United States: Immigration And The Trump Administration, Bryce Josepher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research is aimed at identifying political bias in mainstream media news channels. Specifically, this thesis focuses on political bias portrayed through the media following the inauguration of President Donald Trump. This analysis explores the media’s coverage of the initial travel ban (enforced by executive order) during the first month of the Trump presidency. The content in this research explores specific frames, facts, statistics, wording, phrasing, and overall presentations of two primetime media hosts, Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity. This research explores several presentations from each host, all pertaining to the Trump Administration’s initial travel ban. Framing theory is used …

Reef Fish Biodiversity In The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Megan E. Hepner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The biological diversity of reef-fish in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) from 1999 – 2016 was evaluated in terms of abundance, biomass, species richness, evenness, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and functional diversity, using observations collected by multiple agencies and institutions under the Reef Visual Census (RVC) program. To compare the different diversity indices species richness, Shannon diversity, Simpson diversity, and functional diversity were converted into effective number of species. I examined the seven indices by no-take marine zones, in seven benthic habitat strata, and across the three-distinct geographic subregions in the Florida Keys domain (Upper, Middle, and Lower …

A Geochemical And Petrological Analysis Of The San Rafael Volcanic Field, Utah, Danielle Koebli

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The San Rafael Volcanic Field, Utah, is a 4.6 Ma extinct monogenetic field that is found in the Northern Transition Zone of the Colorado Plateau. The field has been eroded, leaving the dikes, conduits, and sills visible. Within the sills we see evidences of immiscibility in the form of an intermediate syenite (~50 wt% SiO₂) enclosed in a mafic shonkinite (~48 wt % SiO₂). Field relations indicate that sills were formed due to single events (Richardson et al., 2015), which makes in-situ differentiation the process at the origin of both rock types. Geochemical data supports differentiation …

Measuring Trust In Post-Communist States: Making The Case For Particularized Trust., Nicole M. Ford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While the literature on democracy and its relationship to trust provides little consensus regarding the role of trust, researchers have emphasized the importance of generalized trust over particularized in relation to democracy. This research marks a departure from this consensus, and exposes the neglected role of personal relationships in fostering successful democracy.

One of the key measurements of democracy in a country is social trust. There are three forms of trust: generalized, particularized and institutional. Previously, the measurement of social trust focused on the importance of generalized trust, that is, trust in those we do not know (Putnam, 1993; Fukuyama, …

Genetic Identification And Population Characteristics Of Deep-Sea Cephalopod Species In The Gulf Of Mexico And Northwestern Atlantic Ocean, Amanda Sosnowski

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nearly all deep-sea cephalopod life history studies have been completed by examination of specimens collected in the wild. Much of this work is like piecing together a puzzle; knowledge of the life history of many species remains fragmented and hence, taxonomically and phylogenetically confused. Molecular approaches and sequencing technologies are powerful tools for deciphering wild-type cephalopod life history and population dynamics. Use of molecular markers offers additional certainty for identifying specimens damaged during deep-sea collections and can elucidate often cryptic, intra- and interspecific diversity. The research presented in this study assessed broad genetic patterns of biodiversity in deep-sea cephalopods from …

Calibration-Free Spectrophotometric Measurements Of Carbonate Saturation States In Seawater, Erin E. Cuyler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work describes efforts to improve methodologies and instrumentation for investigation of the marine CO₂ system. In the first section of my thesis, a method was developed that provides simple, calibration-free measurements of seawater carbonate saturation states (Ω_spec) based solely on the use of a laboratory spectrophotometer. Measurements of pH are made in paired optical cells, one with and one without added nitric acid. The amount of added nitric acid is determined through the direct proportionality between nitrate concentration and UV absorbance. After an initial calibration, the method is calibration-free and requires no volumetric or gravimetric analyses …

Social Media Use And Political Participation In China: The Mediating Role Of Political Efficacy, Bingyang Liu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the Chinese authoritarian and conservative political system, Chinese political efficacy and political participation are popular directions of research in recent years. Based on uses and gratifications theory and self-efficacy theory, this thesis explored the relationships among social media use, political efficacy, and political participation. The most important part of this study was examining the mediating role of political efficacy between social media use and political participation in mainland China. Internal political efficacy and external political efficacy are two dimensions of political efficacy that were separately examined in this study. The results revealed that internal political efficacy can mediate between …

Thermodynamic And Kinetic Aspects Of Hen Egg White Lysozyme Amyloid Assembly, Tatiana Miti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deposition of protein fibers with a characteristic cross-β sheet structure is the molecular marker associated with human disorders ranging from Alzheimer's disease to type II diabetes and spongiform encephalopathy. Given the large number of non-disease related proteins and peptides that have been shown to form amyloid fibrils in vitro, it has been suggested that amyloid fibril formation represents a generic protein phase transition. In the last two decades it has become clear that the same protein/peptide can assemble into distinct morphologically and structurally amyloid aggregates depending on the solution conditions. Moreover, recent studies have shown that the early stage, oligomeric …

The Effect Of Chemical Composition Of Blast-Furnace Slag On Compressive Strength And Durability Properties Of Mortar Specimens, William J. Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to make structures more sustainable and durable, supplementary cementitious materials are often used to replace cement. Ground granulated blast furnace slag, for instance, is an industrial by-product of iron refinement and is frequently used in concrete mixture design to not only reduce cost, but also increase later-age strength as well as durability. However, published literature indicates that slags with a high alumina content may have a detrimental effect when concrete is exposed to a sulfate environment. ASTM standard C989 does not suggest any information or guidelines regarding using slags with an alumina content between 11-18%. Therefore, the …

Defining Data Science And Data Scientist, Dana M. Dedge Parks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The world’s data sets are growing exponentially every day due to the large number of devices generating data residue across the multitude of global data centers. What to do with the massive data stores, how to manage them and defining who are performing these tasks has not been adequately defined and agreed upon by academics and practitioners. Data science is a cross disciplinary, amalgam of skills, techniques and tools which allow business organizations to identify trends and build assumptions which lead to key decisions. It is in an evolutionary state as new technologies with capabilities are still being developed and …

Grid-Based Rfid Indoor Localization Using Tag Read Count And Received Signal Strength Measurements, Nanda Gopal Jeevarathnam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) systems have gained immense popularity in recent years for their wide-scale industrial applications in inventory tracking and management. In this study, we explore the potential of passive RFID systems for indoor localization by developing a grid-based experimental framework using two standard and easily measurable performance metrics: received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and tag read count (TRC). We create scenarios imitating real life challenges such as placing metal objects and other RFID tags in two different read fields (symmetric and asymmetric) to analyze their impacts on location accuracy. We study the prediction potential …