Digital Commons Network^™

Light-Environment Controls And Basal Resource Use Of Planktonic And Benthic Primary Production, Kara Radabaugh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Consumers in marine and estuarine environments have a strong reliance on planktonic and benthic primary production. These two basal resources form the foundation of aquatic food webs, yet the abundance of phytoplankton and benthic algae are frequently inversely related due to competition for light and nutrients. As a result, optimal habitats for benthic and planktonic consumers vary spatially and temporally. To investigate these trends, three studies were conducted focusing on light attenuation and basal resources in a bay, river, and on a continental shelf.

δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N stable isotopes can be used as endogenous tracers to …

Navigation And Immersion Of The American Identity In A Foreign Culture To Emergence As A Culturally Relative Ambassador, Lee H. Rosen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Globalization is forcing many American college students to re-evaluate their perspective on foreign travel. If they are offered an opportunity to improve their cultural relativity skill set by immersing themselves into a new culture, the more astute students might choose to embark on that journey especially if it would result in resume enhancement. This paper focuses upon a group of twelve community college students' cross-cultural experiences, navigation techniques, and adaptation methods as student interns teaching conversational English in Changchun, China for a period of nine to thirteen weeks in spring 2011. Several areas of interest emerged from their experiences …

Sirt1 Regulation Of The Heat Shock Response In An Hsf1-Dependent Manner And The Impact Of Caloric Restriction, Rachel Rene Raynes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The heat shock response (HSR) is the cell's molecular reaction to protein damaging stress and is critical in the management of denatured proteins. Activation of HSF1, the master transcriptional regulator of the HSR, results in the induction of molecular chaperones called heat shock proteins (HSPs). Transcription of hsp genes is promoted by the hyperphosphorylation of HSF1, while the attenuation of the HSR is regulated by a dual mechanism involving negative feedback inhibition from HSPs and acetylation at a critical lysine residue within the DNA binding domain of HSF1, which results in a loss of affinity for DNA. SIRT1 is a …

Non-Equilibrium Melting And Sublimation Of Graphene Simulated With Two Interatomic Potentials, Brad Steele

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The mechanisms of the sublimation of graphene at zero pressure and the condensation of carbon vapor is investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The interatomic interactions are described by the Reactive Empirical Bond Order potential (REBO). It is found that graphene sublimates at a temperature of 5,200 K. At the onset of sublimation, defects that contain several pentagons and heptagons are formed, that are shown to evolve from double vacancies and stone wales defects. These defects consisting of pentagons and heptagons act as nucleation sites for the gaseous phase. The influence of the interatomic interactions on the sublimation process are …

"When You Tell Them, Your Secret Is Out There": Experiences Of Sexuality And Intimacy Among Hiv Positive Black Women, Mackenzie Rae Tewell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

HIV/AIDS infections disproportionately impact African Americans within the United States. In 2010, black Americans made up 12 percent of the United States population, yet accounted for 44 percent of new HIV/AIDS infections (Kaiser Family Foundation 2013). The majority of black women (85 percent) are infected with the virus through heterosexual contact, meaning it is critical examine their sexual lives in order to gain insight into this infection within this population (CDC 2011b). Through semi-structured interviews at a Tampa, Florida AIDS service organization, this study presents the experiences of sexuality and intimacy among HIV positive black women. Results demonstrate that HIV …

The Effect Of Visual Search And Audio-Visual Entrainment On Episodic Memory, Holly Anne Westfall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous research suggests that larger context effects are observed when participants are required to search a scene in order to find the to-be-remembered stimuli. Similarly, animal research on brain oscillations has shown theta wave activation when animals are searching their environment. These theta wave oscillations are positively correlated with learning. However, theta activation can also occur in response to sensory stimulation, for example, auditory stimulation with binaural beats or visual stimulation with a checkerboard pattern reversal. The results of several studies suggest that while a visual search task seems to reliably improve free recall performance, the effects of passive sensory …

Predicting Academic Outcomes For Third Grade Students: Examining The Reading Achievement Of Diverse Students Using The Diagnostic Lens Of The Dynamic Indicators Of Basic Early Literacy Skills, Zhivago Trevino Adderley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the billions of dollars spent in the last forty years, America's efforts toward closing the achievement gaps among diverse learners and their receptive counterparts have not been realized. Limitations noted in previous research discussed the need to examine the unique contributions of diverse learner variables as a way of determining their specific academic needs. The purpose of this study was to examine the intra- and inter-group growth trajectories of two diverse student groups (English Language Learners and Students with Specific Learning Disabilities) on reading achievement. The study employed a longitudinal, quasi-experimental research design utilizing archival data from 26,947 students' …

Comparative Political Corruption In The United States: The Florida Perspective, Andrew Jonathon Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Political corruption is a cancer - a malignant phenomenon that affects every political system and every person in the world. Corruption undermines the very fabric of society and the faith of people in their government. It makes goods more expensive, stymies development in developing nations, and it makes both the United States and the world a more dangerous place. Because of its negative effects and universality, corruption should be studied. Its study leads to greater understanding, the discovery of effective approaches to prevention, and restored faith in political systems. Its study also illuminates and breaks down barriers to effective government …

The Effect Of Hostile And Benevolent Sexism On Women's Cardiovascular Reactivity To And Recovery From A Laboratory Stressor, Kaleena Dennielle Burgess

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hostile sexism is the antipathetic expression of sexism, in which men are antagonistic towards women who threaten their superiority. Benevolent sexism is the patriarchal expression of sexism, where men express protective, yet restrictive, attitudes towards women. Both forms of sexism originate from the view that women are inferior, frail, and only suited for nurturing or domestic responsibilities. Benevolent sexism may be more harmful to women because coping is thwarted by observers' underestimation of its effects (Bosson, Pinel, & Vandello, 2009). The present study aimed to examine women's responses to and recovery from hostile and benevolent sexism utilizing measures of cardiovascular …

Middle And High School Predictors Of Off-Track Status In Early Warning Systems, Amber Brundage

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is important to identify students at-risk for school non-completion as early as possible. Research has demonstrated that data sources such as teacher nomination and individual demographic characteristics are less accurate identification methods of students who are at-risk for not graduating on-time. Instead, the use of early warning systems (EWS) based upon research validated indicators that reliably identify students who are Off-track, or at-risk for not graduating on-time, has been a promising approach. Questions remain though about the relationship of Off-track Status at an earlier time point to Off-track Status at a later time point as well as the relationship …

Variance In Faking In High-Stakes Personality Assessment As An Indication Of Job Knowledge, Timothy Ryan Dullaghan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the personality trait elevation between honest and applicant contexts that has been widely seen throughout the personality and selection research is merely universal, blatant trait elevation, or whether something else is underlying this faking behavior. By obtaining both honest and applicant context personality responses in which respondents were provided with focal job knowledge, this study determined that while there is near-universal trait elevation across seven personality traits, there is, in fact, some trait differentiation between jobs. As such, this study provided some evidence of knowledgeable faking, defined as distortion of personality …

The Spectrophotometric Analysis Of Lead Carbonate Complexation And Carbonate Saturation States In Seawater, Regina Anita Easley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The carbon dioxide (CO₂) system is the primary buffer in seawater which controls oceanic pH. Changes in the marine CO₂ system affect a number of processes such as metal speciation, mineral saturation states, auditory responses in fish, and primary productivity rates. Increased atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ from human activities (e.g. burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and cement production) has led to a global decrease in surface ocean pH termed anthropogenic ocean acidification. One particular concern in response to increased oceanic CO₂ is a substantial decrease in the calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) saturation states, Ω …

The Effect Of Stealth Advertising In Newscasts On Viewers' Recall, Fany Georgieva

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Product placement, also referred to as stealth advertising, raises important questions when it comes to television because a far larger audience views television than movies. Product placement in newscasts is even more controversial. Television news is expected to be free of persuasive attempts and provide citizens with basic information that is of public importance. Yet, product placement blurs the line between journalism and commercial promotion, thus destroying the integrity of the news.

Product placement in newscasts raises ethical questions about the effect it has on viewers, provided that they do not realize that they are presented with commercials, framed as …

Teacher Perspectives On The Instructional Impact Of The Florida Alternate Assessment, Katherine Hawley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined special education teachers' perspectives of the instructional impact of the Florida Alternate Assessment (FAA) for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Through purposeful sampling, six special education teachers who serve students with significant cognitive disabilities and had experience administering the FAA were identified. Interviews posed questions about how they used the FAA to impact their instructional decision-making, how the FAA has influenced how the development of Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, and how the FAA impacted how they defined access to the general education curriculum. The interviews, along with IEP artifacts, and a research journal formed the research …

A Latent Mixture Approach To Modeling Zero-Inflated Bivariate Ordinal Data, Rajendra Kadel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multivariate ordinal response data, such as severity of pain, degree of disability, and satisfaction with a healthcare provider, are prevalent in many areas of research including public health, biomedical, and social science research. Ignoring the multivariate features of the response variables, that is, by not taking the correlation between the errors across models into account, may lead to substantially biased estimates and inference. In addition, such multivariate ordinal outcomes frequently exhibit a high percentage of zeros (zero inflation) at the lower end of the ordinal scales, as compared to what is expected under a multivariate ordinal distribution. Thus, zero inflation …

Biomechanics Of Patient Handling Slings Associated With Spinal Cord Injuries, Julie Kahn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pressure ulcers and related skin integrity threats are a significant problem in current transfer/transport systems used for spinal cord injury patients. To understand this problem twenty-three different slings with varying type, material, and features were analyzed in hopes to identify at-risk areas for skin integrity threats such as pressure ulcers. Population samples included non-disabled (otherwise referred to as "healthy") volunteers as well as SCI patients from the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital. High resolution pressure interface mapping was utilized to directly measure the interface pressures between the patient and sling interface. Overall results provide relevant feedback on the systems used …

An Investigation Of The Factors Leading To Invasion Success Of Non-Native Plants Using A System Of Native, Introduced Non-Invasive, And Invasive Eugenia Congeners In Florida, Kerry Bohl

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The overwhelming majority of plant species introduced into a new range never become invasive. Consequently, identification of factors allowing the small fraction of successful invaders to naturalize, increase in abundance, and displace resident species continues to be a key area of research in invasion biology. Of the considerable number of hypotheses that have been proposed to resolve why some plant species become noxious pests, the enemy release hypothesis (ERH) is one of the most commonly cited. The ERH maintains that invasive plants succeed in a new range because they are no longer regulated by their coevolved natural enemies, and this …

An Analysis Of Factor Extraction Strategies: A Comparison Of The Relative Strengths Of Principal Axis, Ordinary Least Squares, And Maximum Likelihood In Research Contexts That Include Both Categorical And Continuous Variables, Kevin Barry Coughlin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study is intended to provide researchers with empirically derived guidelines for conducting factor analytic studies in research contexts that include dichotomous and continuous levels of measurement. This study is based on the hypotheses that ordinary least squares (OLS) factor analysis will yield more accurate parameter estimates than maximum likelihood (ML) and principal axis factor anlaysis (PAF); the level of improvement in estimates will be related to the proportion of observed variables that are dichotomized and the strength of communalities within the data sets.

To achieve this study's objective, maximum likelihood, ordinary least squares, and principal axis factor extraction models …

Deciphering Deposits: Using Ground Penetrating Radar And Numerical Modeling To Characterize The Emplacement Mechanisms And Associated Energetics Of Scoria Cone Eruption And Construction, Leah Michelle Courtland

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Our understanding of tephra depositional processes is significantly improved by high-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data collected at Cerro Negro volcano, Nicaragua. The data reveal three depositional regimes: (1) a near-vent region on the cone itself, where 10 GPR radargrams collected on the western flank show quantifiable differences between facies formed from low energy normal Strombolian and higher energy violent Strombolian processes, indicating imaging of scoria cone deposits may be useful in distinguishing eruptive style in older cones where the proximal to distal tephra blanket has eroded away; (2) a proximal zone in which horizons identified in crosswind profiles collected at …

More Than Feeding: Lived Experiences Of Low-Income Women Receiving Lactation Support, Emily Anne Dunn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasing breastfeeding duration, especially among low-income women, has become a national public health priority. These mothers and their babies have less equitable access to support, resources, and the health benefits of breastfeeding. This thesis examines breastfeeding from a biocultural perspective with a focus on political economy, embodiment, and human rights. This research explores the lived experiences of new mothers who receive services from a community non-profit lactation support program which is aimed at providing in-home postpartum breastfeeding support to low-income/at-risk mothers. Evaluation of program services and analysis of women's narratives will provide insight into improvement of lactation services for all …

Refinement, Application, And Evaluation Of Cognitive And Affective Chemistry Measures For College Students, Keily Heredia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work describes three case studies conducted to address two major problems in the area of chemistry education research, the lack of reported psychometrics regarding instrument scores, and the need for well-characterized assessments to evaluate college chemistry curricula.

The first case study describes a psychometric evaluation of the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS), an instrument designed to assess student beliefs about the learning of chemistry. Results from this work suggest that the CLASS instrument provides fertile ground for short instruments with reasonable psychometric properties. Responses to a single scale instrument, created from CLASS, showed that students in an …

Chiral Phosphoric Acid-Catalyzed Acetalization And Iso-Pictet-Spengler Reactions, Matthew Jon Kaplan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The development of novel asymmetric reaction methodologies has been invaluable in both the academic and industrial world. In just 15 years, organocatalysis has provided a new means of developing asymmetric reaction methodologies using catalysts that are environmentally benign, relatively inexpensive, bench stable, and non-toxic. One development in organocatalysis that is important to our group in particular is chiral phosphoric acid-catalysis. BINOL-derived and VAPOL-derived phosphoric acids have proven to be excellent catalysts for a number of reactions.

The two projects I will discuss my efforts on are acetalization and iso-Pictet-Spengler reactions. These were projects that I performed during my first two …

Detecting Aberrant Responding On Unidimensional Pairwise Preference Tests: An Application Of Based On The Zinnes Griggs Ideal Point Irt Model, Philseok Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the efficacy of the lz person fit statistic for detecting aberrant responding with unidimensional pairwise preference (UPP) measures, constructed and scored based on the Zinnes-Griggs (ZG, 1974) IRT model, which has been used for a variety of recent noncognitive testing applications. Because UPP measures are used to collect both "self-" and "other-" reports, I explored the capability of lz to detect two of the most common and potentially detrimental response sets, namely fake good and random responding. The effectiveness of lz was studied using empirical and theoretical critical values for classification, along with test length, test information, …

The Strange Life And Stranger Afterlife Of King Dick Including His Adventures In Haiti And Hollywood With Observations On The Construction Of Race, Class, Nationality, Gender, Slang Etymology And Religion, Alan Thomas Lipke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Richard "King Dick" or "Big Dick" Crafus, Cephas, or Seaver(s) first attracted attention by his size, strength and the authority he exercised as leader of U.S. African American Prisoners of War in Britain during the War of 1812. After the War he was celebrated as a boxing pioneer, ceremonial King of Boston's black community and almost certainly auxiliary law officer. Very little has been known about his life, and much of that obscured by his black working-class status; his true standing within his own community remains mysterious. Yet paradoxically he's been made much of, in academic writing and fiction alike …

Archaeological And Historic Preservation In Tampa, Florida, Dawn Michelle Hayes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For archaeological or historic preservation to occur, there must be public support for it. This research examines historic and archaeological preservation in the Tampa Bay area of Florida through the use of selected case studies. It analyses opinions about archaeology and preservation from members of the general public and members of two groups focused on historic preservation and archaeology. Data were collected from interviews, surveys, archival research, and participant observation, and analyzed to determine the public's definition of archaeology, possible origins of people's interest in preservation, and the extent to which people's interest in either archaeology or historic preservation extends …

Development Of Improved Models For Gas Sorption Simulation, Keith Mclaughlin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Computational chemistry offers one the ability to develop a better understanding of the complex physical and chemical interactions that are fundamental to macro- and mesoscopic processes that are seen in laboratory experiments, industrial processes, and ordinary, everyday life. For many systems, the physics of interest occur at the molecular or atomistic levels, and in these cases, computational modeling and two well refined simulation techniques become invaluable: Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD). In this work, two well established problems were tackled. First, models and potentials for various gas molecules were produced and refined from first principles. These models, although …

Persistent Infection With Human Herpesvirus-6 In Patients With An Inherited Form Of The Virus: A Newly Described Disease, Shara Pantry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human Herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) and 6B (HHV-6B) are ubiquitous betaherpesviruses. Both viruses are associated with a variety of adult disorders including neurological disorder, such as multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome. HHV-6 viruses are capable of establishing latency by integration into the telomeres of the host chromosome and are transmitted in a Mendelian manner in approximately one percent of the population. To date little is known about the immunological and neurological consequences of HHV-6 inheritance. This study focused on a unique population of individuals that inherited HHV-6 and present with chronic fatigue-like symptoms, including hypersomnia, generalized fatigue, headache, and short …

Development Of An Investigator-Designed Questionnaire Concerning Childbirth Delivery Options Based On The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Chun-Yi Tai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study responds to the globally increasing rate of caesarean section, and specifically to the very high rate of elective caesarean section among Taiwanese mothers as evidence suggests that such elective caesareans pose potential health risks for mothers and babies. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a multi-component instrument based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to better understand Taiwanese pregnant women's decisions regarding their childbirth delivery options (spontaneous vaginal delivery or elective caesarean section). The study was a four-phased mixed method design. First, the TPB guided item development and instrument drafting. Second, pretesting and …

Examination Of The Relationship Of Community College Opticianry Student Outcomes With Instructional Delivery Method And Student Age, William Brent Underwood

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether student outcomes are a function of participation in different modes of delivery in an Opticianry program at the community college level. First, the intent was to determine whether differences in instructional delivery methods and background characteristics impact student performance in an Opticianry program. The three instructional delivery methods were traditional face-to-face instruction, online delivery, and a hybrid format where students take theory courses online and attend face-to-face laboratories on campus. A second objective was to determine the role of background variables such as student age, which was the age when entering …

Effects Of Virtual Reality On The Cognitive Memory And Handgun Accuracy Development Of Law Enforcement Neophytes, Richard A. Wright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of virtual reality training on the development of cognitive memory and handgun accuracy by law enforcement neophytes. One hundred and six academy students from 6 different academy classes were divided into two groups, experimental and control. The experimental group was exposed to virtual reality training for a period of 8 hours. The control group was exposed to the traditional, non-interactive training that occurred on a gun range, also for a period of 8 hours. After exposing the groups to their respective training, a counter-balance technique was utilized to expose …