Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Release Contingencies On Bout-Like Responding, Chelsea E. Schubiger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Problem behavior is a concern for individuals with developmental disabilities. Research suggests that a release contingency time-out is effective to reduce problem behavior, but may increase the duration of time-out. Other sources recommend including a release contingency to avoid reinforcing problem behavior. It is possible clinicians generalize this concept to other domains, such as differential reinforcement with discrete-trial-training. Such a modification may be conceptualized as a tandem ratio requirement. Evidence from basic literature suggests that a tandem ratio requirement may increase a bout of responding. The current study examined effects of applied behavior analytic procedures using a bout analysis. The …

The Great Recession Of 2007 And The Housing Market Crash: Why Did So Many Builders Fail?, Mohamad Ali Hasbini

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The “Great Recession” of 2007 created havoc in the homebuilding industry, more than any other previous economic down cycle. Countless seasoned local homebuilders across the country did not survive. The impact of their failure on the economy, community, employment, lenders, suppliers, and subcontractors was devastating. While previous studies have sought to identify the symptoms and causes of business failure, very little research has been done on home builder business failure due to acts, omissions, characteristics, or other events which are non-financial. Specifically, those that are attributable to the failed entities' top management and leadership during the housing crisis and the …

Sustainability Of Community-Managed Rural Water Supply Systems In Amazonas, Peru: Assessing Monitoring Tools And External Support Provision, Jacob E. Mangum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Globally, there is still a large number of people without access to safe drinking water; a known health risk. In rural areas of countries like Peru, when potable water systems are built the responsibility for maintaining these systems is given to volunteer water committees. Despite its prevalence as a management model, there is a consensus that community management alone cannot ensure sustainable water service. Therefore, the overall goal of this research is to assess the sustainability of community-managed water systems in rural areas of the department of Amazonas, Peru. Specifically, this research examines two mechanisms that have been shown to …

Kinetic Problem Solving, Charles Arant

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Government leaders stand to benefit from improved program management capabilities within their organizations. Often, they are faced with crisis situations that require a rapid-fire, precise, effective problem solving process. Some of these programs are more severe or complex than others. With time and certainty of the solution as constraints, efficient program management supporting the Defense Acquisition Life Cycle remains an enigma for organizations at best and a hazard at worst.

Program management dealing with crisis problem solving, which is characterized by critical events and high cost, is a real-time process where requirements are identified and resolved to achieve a desired …

Measuring Up: Standardized Testing And The Making Of Postwar American Identities, 1940-2001, Keegan J. Shepherd

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Standardized testing is a defining feature of contemporary American society. It not only governs how people are channeled through their schooling; it amplifies existing social disparities. Nonetheless, standardized testing endures, namely because it has served as a vital tool for the post-1945 American state. The postwar state prioritized, on the one hand, the cultivation of intellects resilient enough to sustain American geopolitical supremacy through scientific discovery and technological innovation and, on the other hand, the maintenance of an obedient population that would not disrupt existing social hierarchies. Standardized testing helped the postwar state solve this mind-body dilemma. As a function …

Cell Division Regulation In Staphylococcus Aureus, Catherine M. Spanoudis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cell division is a fundamental biological process that occurs in all kingdoms of life. Our understanding of cell division in bacteria stems from studies in the rod-shaped model organisms: Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis. The molecular underpinnings of cell division regulation in non-rod-shaped bacteria remain to be studied in detail. Rod-shaped bacteria possess many positive and negative regulatory proteins that are essential to the proper placement of the division septa and ultimately the production of two identical daughter cells, many of which are absent in cocci. Given that essential cell division proteins are attractive antibacterial drug targets, it …

Teaching Caregivers To Implement Speech-Generating Device-Based Mand Training: Evaluating The Efficacy Of Behavioral Skills Training, Rachel Suberman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many individuals with developmental disabilities do not develop vocal repertoires. Thus, teaching the use of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device is imperative. A speech-generating device (SGD) is an example of an AAC that is universally understood. Individuals with developmental disabilities have been taught to communicate using such device. Teaching caregivers to conduct communication training with their children may be one to way to foster communication in an individual’s natural environment. Thus, the purpose of this study was to extend previous research by using behavioral skills training (BST) to teach caregivers to implement SGD-based mand training using an adapted …

Toward A Systemic Model For Governance And Strategic Management: Evaluating Stakeholder Theory Versus Shareholder Theory Approaches, James A. Stikeleather

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research’s intent is improvement in governance and strategic management initially by comparing Shareholder Theory and Stakeholder Theory and making results useful for both Practitioner and Academic audiences. A conceptual model for how a society establishes and evolves the roles it legitimizes for a business to support reasoning about those roles and the process originating the expectations, responsibilities, obligations, contributions and freedom to act in the roles is proposed. Understanding this process would enable better governance and strategic management of a firm while avoiding unintended consequences when fulfilling the role and consequences for failing the role. The model becomes a …

The Impact Of Implementation Fidelity On Middle School Student Outcomes In The Life Skills Training Program, Enya B. Vroom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have become increasingly popular during last 20 years, and have shown to reduce risky behaviors (i.e., substance use), improve communication skills, academic performance, and relationships among students of all ages when implemented in schools (Weissberg, Durlak, Domitrovich, & Gullotta, 2015; Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). Although the benefits of SEL programs are significant, the issue of implementation fidelity often arises. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of implementation fidelity in the Life Skills Training program (LST) implemented with middle school students of a large South Florida school district. …

Depression And Choice Of Emotional Stimuli, Sunkyung Yoon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent research argued that people with major depressive disorder (MDD) tend to prefer sad stimuli because they want to upregulate their sad feelings. This paper aims to examine investigate the choice of emotional stimuli among those who have MDD, compared to individuals without MDD (healthy controls, HC), and explore the reasons for their choice. Seventy six female university students (38 per group) completed three tasks: 1) In the replication music task, participants listened to happy, neutral, and sad music excerpts, chose the one they wanted to listen most, and reported the reasons of their choice. 2) The Emotional Stimuli Selection …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Effects Of Cognitive Awareness Training On Transaction Processing Accuracy: An Introduction To The Ace Theoretical Construct, John Townsend

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of Cognitive Awareness training on transaction processing accuracy rates within the US Financial Services Industry. Grounded in the theories of Inattentional Blindness and Error Management Culture, this paper supports and extends both theories through the development of a new theoretical construct. The ACE Construct is a novel approach that combines cognitive science, organizational development, and operational efficiency practices into a single approach designed to improve transaction processing accuracy. The study involved the design and implementation of a novel training program, with performance data observations sampled over seven months, to evaluate the impact of Cognitive Awareness …

Statistical Analysis And Modeling Of Ovarian And Breast Cancer, Muditha V. Devamitta Perera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the present study is to investigate key aspects of ovarian and breast cancers, which are two main causes of mortality among women. Identification of the true behavior of survivorship and influential risk factors is essential in designing treatment protocols, increasing disease awareness and preventing possible causes of disease. There is a commonly held belief that African Americans have a higher risk of cancer mortality. We studied racial disparities of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer on overall and disease-free survival and found out that there is no significant difference in the survival experience among the three races: Whites, …

Crashapp™ –Concurrent Multiple Stakeholder Evaluation Of A Dsr Artefact, Timothy M. Papp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The successful design, implementation, deployment, and use of mobile software applications is rare. While many mobile apps are developed, few succeed. This design science research project builds and evaluates CrashApp™, a mobile application that connects lawyers and clients before, during, and after car accidents. The effective, widespread use of this app depends on satisfying the needs of three groups of stakeholders – the end-users (clients), the owners (lawyers), and the software developers. The research objective is to investigate the key differences among the three stakeholder groups on evaluation criteria for mobile app success. Evaluation strategies and methods are selected to …

Leaders Who Learn: The Intersection Of Behavioral Science, Adult Learning And Leadership, Natalya I. Sabga

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines if a relationship exists among three rich research streams, specifically the behavioral science of motivation, adult learning and leadership. What motivates adult professionals to continue learning and how is that connected to their style and efficacy as leaders? An extension of literature to connect Andragogy, Self-determination and Transformational Leadership Theory is explored. Responses to questions adapted from the Carré Model of Adult Orientation and Implication on Learning and Training Activities (Carré, 1997) and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass, 2000) are compared among a sample of adult professionals in leadership positions. Results indicate that learning motivation …

Lung Ct Radiomics: An Overview Of Using Images As Data, Samuel Hunt Hawkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States and worldwide. Early detection of lung cancer can help improve patient outcomes, and survival prediction can inform plans of treatment. By extracting quantitative features from computed tomography scans of lung cancer, predictive models can be built that can achieve both early detection and survival prediction. To build these predictive models, first a detected lung nodule is segmented, then image features are extracted, and finally a model can be built utilizing image features to make predictions. These predictions can help radiologists improve cancer care.

Building predictive models based …

Examining How Video-Elicited Reflection Mediates Teacher Candidates’ Beliefs About English Language Learners: A Multiple Case Study, Monica M. Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

English Language Learners (ELLs) are students who speak a language other than English; they are the fastest growing student population in United States’ (US) public schools and will include over 17 million students by the year 2020 (NCES,2015). The dramatic increase in the ELL student population means that all mainstream classroom teachers will teach at least one ELL within their first year of graduating from a teacher preparation program. However, most US teachers hold misconceptions about ELLs and feel unprepared for ELL instruction (Coady, Harper, & de Jong, 2011). More empirical research is needed to inform teacher preparation programs on …

Freshwater Wetland Creation In A Changing Urban Environment: Designing For Long-Term Viability, Aaron Thomas Ryan Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization and wetland mitigation are increasingly common in coastal watersheds with expanding populations. These mitigation wetlands are intended to offset the functional and structural losses experienced when natural systems are degraded or destroyed. In the Tampa Bay watershed, urbanization is both expanding into the upper reaches of the watershed and intensifying in previously-developed areas, resulting in the creations of hundreds of freshwater mitigation wetlands. This dissertation utilized an existing database of mitigation wetlands, publicly available data, and field surveys to investigate the relationship between constructed wetlands and their surroundings and also determine how design affects wetland condition over time. The …

Subtropical Benthos Vary With Reef Type, Depth, And Grazing Intensity, Kara R. Wall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Marine epibenthic communities are influenced by both pre- and post-recruitment processes. For instance, the larval supply and cues that influence settlement (pre-recruitment), as well as the growth and mortality of individuals (post-recruitment), may differ across reef type and depth. Determining the relative influence of these processes is important to understanding how epibenthic communities can develop in a region. Using both a recruitment experiment that controlled grazing by urchins and in situ photographic surveys of epibenthic communities, this study examined the recruitment and composition of epibenthos on natural limestone and artificial reefs in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (eGOM). In the …

The Effects Of Loneliness On Consumers’ Digital Engagement With Social Media Ads, Yu Qin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social media has become an integral part of consumers’ lives and a popular platform for interactive marketing communication. In an age boasting of unprecedented digital connectivity, loneliness (defined as perceived social isolation) has, paradoxically, becoming widespread, affecting consumers’ preferences for products and brands in the marketplace. The present research extends the feelings-as-information theory and develops a conceptual framework in which loneliness modifies people’s cognitive processing style and induces concrete thinking in the context of evaluating social media messages. Using a mixed methods research approach, I first take a close look through the lens of a qualitative study at what it …

Magnetic Nanostructure Application In Sers Detection Of Melatonin And Resonance Raman Characterization Of Binding Of Catechol Moieties With Antibiotic, Siqi Sun

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Raman spectroscopy provides characteristic peaks of the target molecules that can be observed with appropriate laser, spectrometer and detector. These characteristic peaks can reveal ‘fingerprint’ information of a molecule even in a myriad of cases and combinations. It makes Raman spectroscopy a highly sensitive and selective analytical technique. Raman spectroscopy has a variety of chemical, environmental and biological applications. In this dissertation, modified Raman method are applied in life sciences and pharmaceutical studies.

The major challenge against development of Raman spectroscopy is how to improve the intensity of Raman signal. Surface Enhance Raman Scattering (SERS) and resonance Raman(RR) are utilized …

The Structure Of Resilience: An Empirical Examination Of Resilience Factors, Matthew R. Grossman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although most researchers agree that resilience is defined as the extent to which an individual bounces back and recovers from stress and adversity, the field has not yet settled on the underlying structure of the resilience construct; its lower-order factors remain in dispute and undefined. In this study, five of the most prominent resilience measures (i.e., Ego Resilience, Block & Kremen, 1996; The Resilience Scale, Wagnild & Young, 1993; The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Connor & Davidson, 2003; The Resilience Scale for Adults, Friborg, Hjemdal, Rosenvinge, & Martinussen, 2003; The Brief Resilience Scale, Smith, Dalen, Wiggins, & Tooley, 2008) were administered …

A Phenomenological Approach To Clinical Empathy: Rethinking Empathy Within Its Intersubjective And Affective Contexts, Carter Hardy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation contributes to the philosophy of empathy and biomedical ethics by drawing on phenomenological approaches to empathy, intersubjectivity, and affectivity in order to contest the primacy of the intersubjective aspect of empathy at the cost of its affective aspect. Both aspects need to be explained in order for empathy to be accurately understood in philosophical works, as well as practically useful for patient care in biomedical ethics.

In the first chapter, I examine the current state of clinical empathy in medicine including professional opinions about empathy, the dominant definition being employed, and the problems that arise from this definition. …

It’S Not All Sunflowers And Roses At Home: A Narrative Inquiry Of At-Risk Girls And Their Perceptions Of Their Educational Experiences, Jessica Aggeles Curtis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The population of girls being incarcerated continues to grow amid the decline of boy offenders. While society has seen an increase in violent offenses perpetrated by these girls, the majority are still detained on status offenses or for non-violent crimes. For many girls, school is a place to seek solace and safety. Yet, for a growing population of girls, the bond they once shared with school is disintegrating. This disconnect has proven to be a critical turning point in their lives. The purpose of this study is to give girls who have been removed from the general education setting a …

Evaluating An Existing Training Design In A New Context: All-Inclusive Multicultural Diversity Program, Fred Macoukji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The extent to which diversity has positive or negative effects on an organization can be attributed to the way in which diversity is managed (most commonly through diversity training). More often than not, organizations fail to validate training, therefore the current study adapted a training that successfully changed manager attitudes in a different context and implemented a perspective taking approach using language that was all-inclusive in order to determine if it was better at changing diversity relevant attitudes and behaviors than standard diversity training models. The results indicate that the training was effective in improving diversity relevant attitudes. Additionally, the …

A Program Evaluation Of A Worksite Wellness Initiative For Weight Loss, Nicholas Martinez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of ACME’s worksite weight loss initiative and collect evidence relative to the efficacy of the program. An anonymous online survey was administered to participants of the weight loss initiative. The survey was designed to gather information relative to the research questions, which explored the initiative’s barriers to participation, alignment of initiative with the goals of participants, utilization of initiative resources, overall strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement for the weight loss initiative, as well as the respondents’ general profile for the six dimensions of wellness. Reporting of data included …

Novel Transducer Calibration And Simulation Verification Of Polydimethylsiloxane (Pdms) Channels On Acoustic Microfluidic Devices, Scott T. Padilla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The work and results presented in this dissertation concern two complimentary studies that are rooted in surface acoustic waves and transducer study.

Surface acoustic wave devices are utilized in a variety of fields that span biomedical applications to radio wave transmitters and receivers. Of interest in this dissertation is the study of surface acoustic wave interaction with polydimethylsiloxane. This material, commonly known as PDMS, is widely used in the microfluidic field applications in order to create channels for fluid flow on the surface of a piezoelectric substrate. The size, and type of PDMS that is created and ultimately etched on …

Psychosocial Mechanisms Of Outcome In Pediatric Psychiatry, Alessandro S. De Nadai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nearly half of all youths experience a mental health disorder at some point during childhood (Merikangas et al., 2010). Pediatric psychopathology is associated with a substantial amount of impairment in the school, social, and home domains, and such symptoms can have adverse impacts on subsequent development (Beauchaine & Hinshaw, 2013; Patel, Flisher, Hetrick, & McGorry, 2007). Fortunately, a number of medications have demonstrated efficacy in treating a number of mental health conditions (Martin, Scahill, & Kratochvil, 2010). Despite these demonstrated effects, treatment response is often incomplete, and the mechanisms by which pharmacotherapy lead to behavior change are not well understood. …

Body As Text: Physiognomy On The Early English Stage, Curtis Le Van

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation explores the presence of physiognomy, which is the reading of faces and bodily affects to determine a person’s character. I investigate plays originally produced for the early English stage, ranging from the late Middle Ages to the Restoration. In this work I argue that the bodies within the selected plays exist as texts that are to be interpreted by readers and audience members alike. While embodiment theory has done excellent work in explaining the corporeality of the pre-modern body, it does not consider the body as a textual construction. My work aims to fill such a gap. My …

Health Literacy, Depression, Anxiety, And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder As Predictors Of Biological Markers Of Immune Functioning In Youth And Young Adults With Hiv, Courtney A. Lynn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that affects the body’s immune system (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2016a). HIV is a worldwide epidemic and disproportionately impacts youth in the United States. Youth living with HIV (YLWH) face significant mental health problems, namely depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with rates of these disorders discrepant from those in the general population. In addition to psychological difficulties, health literacy is another factor that influences individuals with HIV and is a priority of research with adolescents (Kalichman et al., 2000; Manganello, 2008). The National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Update 2020 (White House Office …

Bisphosphonate Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles For The Study And Treatment Of Osteoporotic Disease, Christopher Conners

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of nanoparticles for disease treatment is an increasingly popular area of research. The potential for multi-functionality allows nanoparticles to be used as transport and delivery vehicles for drugs and as diagnostic aides, among other applications, to address the unmet needs of many disease treatments. One such class of disease is osteoporosis including severe disorders, like Paget’s disease, Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Legg Calve Perthes disease. In this dissertation, we discuss a nanoparticle system consisting of gold nanoparticles surface functionalized with primary amine bisphosphonates, which is a classification of pharmaceuticals that is common in the treatment of osteoporosis. Functionalized nanoparticles …