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Experimental And Analytical Modeling Of The In Vivo And In Vitro Biomechanical Behavior Of The Human Lumbar Spine, Tov I. Vestgaarden

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation has two major parts; Analytical and Experimental. The analytical section contains a study using Finite Element Analysis of dynamic instrumentation to demonstrate stress reduction in adjacent level discs. The experimental section contains biomechanical testing of facet fusion allograft technique and finally a comparison between In Vivo and In Vitro intradiscal pressures to determine forces acting on Lumbar spine segment L4-L5. A comprehensive study of available data, technology and literature was done. Conventional fusion instrumentation is believed to accelerate the degeneration of adjacent discs due to the increased stresses caused by motion discontinuity. A three dimensional finite element model …

Subtyping Psychopathy: Exploring The Roles Of Degree Of Punishment, Cognitive Dissonance And Optimism, John M. Weir

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For over half of a century, social and behavioral scientists have been investigating the construct of psychopathy. Even so, psychopathy is still a highly misunderstood personality construct. Even though it has been estimated that psychopaths make up only about 1% of the general population, they are believed to consist of 15-25% of the prison population (Hare, 1996). However, not all psychopaths are in prison. Psychopaths can also be found in such fields as the legal profession, the business world and in politics (Babiak, 1995). In terms of criminal behaviors, psychopaths are arrested at earlier ages, have a higher rate of …

Effect Of Personal And Practice Contexts On Occupational Therapists' Assessment Practices In Geriatric Rehabilitation, Mirtha Montejo Whaley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite considerable debate surrounding an age associated cognitive decline in non-demented elders, recent studies indicate that changes attributable to normal aging affect cognitive processes and fluid abilities. Additionally, studies indicate that factors such as physical illness, depression, neurological damage, medication side effects, drug interactions, and the effects of surgery and anesthesia may also cause varying degrees of cognitive impairment. Impairment of cognitive function is known to affect treatment and rehabilitation outcomes for older persons, and increase their likelihood of institutionalization. Although proper screening and identification of cognitive deficits in geriatric patients are crucial in developing treatment plans, there is evidence …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Reinforcement System For Students Participating In The Fast Forword Language Program, Catherine C. Wilcox

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A computer-assisted language intervention program called Fast ForWord(R) (Scientific Learning Corporation, 1998) has received a great deal of attention over the past few years. The Scientific Learning Corporation claims that the use of Fast ForWord will improve students' language, reading and learning skills, leading to improved communication skills and increased self-esteem in and out of the classroom. Researchers have explored the effects of Fast ForWord training on reading and spoken language. However, little research has examined the effects on student's reading level and FFW scores when a reinforcement system is used in conjunction with FFW. This study was conducted in …

Caregivers’ Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children’S Skills Parent Training Program: A Pilot Study, Jillian Leigh Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to evaluate a parent training curriculum: Helping Our Toddlers Developing Our Children's Skills (HOT DOCS© ) using archival data collected between August 2006 and April 2007. The evaluation studied the impact of specific components of the parent training program on both participants' knowledge and attitudes and their perceptions of targeted children's behavior. One-hundred-forty-six caregivers of children between the ages of 14 months and ten years of age participated in the parent training program and were included in the analyses. Measures included a pre/post knowledge test, rating scales of child problem behavior, weekly progress monitoring forms for …

Graduate Students/Mothers Negotiating Academia And Family Life: Discourses, Experiences, And Alternatives, Shirlan A. Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the experiences and perceptions of graduate students who are mothers. Based on discourse analysis, one-on-one interviews, and focus groups, this study argues that institutional discourses and practices place graduate students who are mothers in untenable and irreconcilable positions between "mom" and "student," between "family" and "the academy," between "self" and "success." These irreconcilable differences are created in discourse, enacted in institutional policies, and lived by the participants. The study offers action-based alternatives to the status quo policies of the university based on the self-described needs of these women. It reveals that support from all fronts--the home, the …

Modeling Considerations For Vadose Zone Soil Moisture Dynamics, Jing Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reproducing moisture retention behavior of the upper and lower vadose zone in shallow water table settings provides unique challenges for integrated (combined surface and groundwater) hydrological models. Field studies indicate that moisture retention in shallow water table settings is highly variably affected by antecedent state and air entrapment. The theory and vertical behavior of a recently developed integrated surface and groundwater model (IHM) is examined through comparisons to collected field data in West-Central Florida. The objectives of this study were to (1) Identify important considerations and behavior of the vadose zone for reproducing runoff, ET and recharge in shallow water …

A Surviving Legacy: Nonviolent Resistance In The Congresssional Black Caucus 2001-2007, Rhone Sebastian Fraser

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Select members of the Congressional Black Caucus through their votes, speeches, arrests and nonviolent forms of protest practice a renewed kind of nonviolent resistance against a neoconservative political agenda advanced by the executive branch of the U.S. government in the past six years. Their practices are nonviolent according to the definition of nonviolence discussed by Martin Luther King, Jr. in his 1962 New York Times Magazine article: "we will take direct action against injustice without waiting for other agencies to act...We will try to persuade with our words---but if our words fail we will try to persuade with our acts." …

School Psychologists’ Provision Of School-Based Mental Health Interventions: A Qualitative Study Of Perceived Barriers, Allison A. Friedrich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to elucidate factors that school psychologists perceive inhibit them from providing more mental health interventions within their professional roles. School psychologists' dual training in mental health and education renders them the logical choice to provide tier II and tier III interventions in schools (National Association of School Psychologists [NASP], 2003). School psychologists appear to be in agreement, as they indicate a desire to spend more time in the provision of roles such as counseling and consultation (e.g., Prout, Alexander, Fletcher, Memis, & Miller, 1993). However, school psychologists currently spend relatively little time in …

Application And Modeling Of Tio2-Supported Gold Nanoparticles For The Preferential Oxidation Of Carbon Monoxide In Excess Hydrogen, Benjamin Alan Grayson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work begins with a brief overview of heterogeneous, characterization techniques, and current hypotheses about gold mechanisms. This is followed by the initial characterization of custom two-phase-method gold nanoparticles provided by the Interfacial Phenomena and Polymeric Materials research group at USF, the anatase TiO2 support and reference Au/TiO2 catalyst provided by the World Gold Council. In order to verify the ability of the two-phase-method GNP catalyst provided to oxidize CO in excess hydrogen, it was necessary to develop an effluent testing protocol. The first experiments involved 24 hour runs to observe catalyst deactivation. Concerns over cycling effects observed in the …

Psychological Consequences Of Child Sexual Abuse And The Risk And Protective Factors Influencing These Consequences, Kelli-Lee Harford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although a number of negative consequences of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) have been identified, research has shown that some survivors of CSA are fairly resilient and do not demonstrate these negative outcomes. The current study examined differences between sexually abused and non-abused children on a number of emotional and behavioral dimensions and on achievement. In addition, the role of factors such as intelligence, abuse severity, gender, history of previous psychological interventions and number of foster homes on outcomes in a group of 117 children between the ages of 7 and 16 with sexual abuse histories and 80 controls who did …

Development Of A Method To Determine Vapor Pressure Data Of Low Volatile Chemicals From A Knudsen Effusion Technique, Andrew R. Harshman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Vapor pressure data are vital to understanding impacts that substances, specifically pesticides, may exert on the environment. They enter into atmospheric deposition models for such chemicals which determine the fate and transport of these species in the environment. At normal application temperatures (i.e. room temperature) the vapor pressures of many of these chemicals are too low to be determined by conventional means. An isothermal Knudsen effusion technique was designed and developed in our laboratory for such measurements. The effusion mass as a function of time is measured in our technique using a thickness shear mode (TSM) acoustic wave sensor, which …

Exploring Childcare Professionals' Pedagogical Choice When Guiding Children's Social And Behavioral Development, Mary E. Harper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To date the research in the area of social emotional competence has focused on child-based intervention and outcomes. The findings cite effective approaches to assisting children in the area of social and emotional development involving promotion of appropriate social skills, explicit instruction of behavioral expectations, and support for emotional literacy and awareness (Wester --

Stratton, 1990; Hyson, 2004; Fox et al, 2003; Denham & Burton, 1996). These recommended practices requires teacher knowledge and skill, content knowledge in the area of social emotional developmental, and skills in using pedagogical techniques that support acquisition of the aforementioned areas. Educational researchers and specialists …

Marriage, Sin And The Community In The Register Of John Chandler, Dean Of Salisbury 1404-17, Byron J. Hartsfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Marriage is a subject of great interest to the social historian. However, the marriage of the average medieval English villager is very poorly documented, as it bears little obvious relationship to the great affairs of state. Searching for information on such difficult subjects, many social historians have recently turned to legal records, learning to sift them for the intimate details of daily life. The Register of John Chandler, Dean of Salisbury 1404-17 preserves a rich variety of cases presented to the church courts of early fifteenth-century Salisbury. The questmen, selected from the most respectable men of each village, presented to …

Examining The Evolution Of Phosphagen Kinases: A Study Of A Dimeric Arginine Kinase From Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus) Eggs, Brenda Christine Held

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The phosphagen kinases are a family of enzymes that catalyze the reversible phosphorylation of specific phosphagens using ATP as the phosphate donor. The evolutionary relationships between the enzymes in this family have been studied for over 30 years and yet aspects of the relationships remain unclear. Here, arginine kinase from Strongylocentrotus purpuratus eggs was purified to homogeneity and analyzed for physical and kinetic characteristics as well as its sequence homology with other phosphagen kinases. The results indicate that dimeric arginine kinase from S. purpuratus eggs evolved from a dimeric creatine kinase after dimeric creatine kinase evolved from a monomeric arginine …

The Effectiveness And User Perception Of 3-Dimensional Digital Human Anatomy In An Online Undergraduate Anatomy Laboratory, Amy Joanne Hilbelink

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of implementing desktop 3-dimensional (3D) stereo images of human anatomy into an undergraduate human anatomy distance laboratory. User perceptions of 2D and 3D images were gathered via questionnaire in order to determine ease of use and level of satisfaction associated with the 3D software in the online learning environment. Mayer's (2001, p. 184) principles of design were used to develop the study materials that consisted of PowerPoint presentations and AVI files accessed via Blackboard. The research design employed a mixed-methods approach. Volunteers each were administered a demographic survey and …

The Impact Of Reward Power On Creativity: Does It Depend On The Nature Of The Reward?, Edward Rickamer Hoover

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This experiment investigated the influence of reward property and reward power on creative performance. It was hypothesized that the magnitude of reward power would moderate the relationship between reward property and creativity. Fifty undergraduate students (45 females, 5 males, X age = 20.72 years, SD age = 4 years) participated. The experimental design was reward power ($0.00, $0.50, or $2.00 per trial) x reward property (informational vs. controlling undertones in the script) x trials (5). Results demonstrated a positive correlation between intrinsic motivation and creative performance (r = .411, p = .03, n = 50). Hypotheses concerning the moderating influence …

High-Stakes Testing In Florida: Media Portrayals And Parental Realities, Jennifer Gilroy Hunsecker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 1998, Florida implemented a system of standardized testing known as the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). While initially designed as one among many tools to assess student and school progress, the FCAT has become a high-stakes test. Schools whose students fail to meet certain benchmarks are in danger of losing their students to "school choice plans" (which enable parents of children attending failing schools to choose another, more highly rated school) while parents must contend with ever broadening educational policies. The implications of this policy have been far reaching. Textbook makers now market individualized textbooks that teach FCAT content, …

Virtue And Inquiry, Knowledge And Ignorance: Lessons From The Theaetetus, Jennifer F. Ingle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Plato's dialogues are set in fifth century Athens but they are performed for a fourth century audience. The context of his dialogues, then is wider perhaps than other philosophers and because of the difference in periods, it is clear that it is necessary for an audience member to possess knowledge of the events of the previous generation, viz., the fifth century BCE. When its cultural context is taken into account, the Theaetetus can not be read as an attempt by Plato to establish an epistemology in the modern sense of the term. While the characters of the dialogue are searching …

The Development Of Leadership Skills Through Diversity Of Student Organizational Leadership, Daniel M. Jenkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The steady increase of racial and ethnic diversity in public universities has provided student leaders with many challenges. However, little is known about the effects of racial and ethnic diversity on the development of these student leaders. This study aims to evaluate the effects of racial and ethnic diversity in college student organizations on the development of student leaders and the perceived value of such diversity on their development. The sample consists of 833 student leaders from Florida's ten public universities who completed online surveys. The questions asked were designed to evaluate their past and present leadership roles and skills, …

Service With A Smile: Antecedents And Consequences Of Emotional Labor Strategies, Hazel-Ann Michelle Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizations across the United States and in many parts of the globe are increasingly focused on providing their customers with an excellent service experience by implementing organizational emotion display rules (Hochschild, 1983). These display rules dictate the requisite employee emotions for a particular encounter (Ekman, 1973). However, over the course of a work day display rules may call for expressions that contradict an employee's genuine emotions, thus prompting a discrepancy between felt emotions and required emotions -- emotional dissonance (Hochschild, 1983). Emotional labor involves employee efforts to reduce emotional dissonance in order to adhere to organizational display rules (Hochschild, 1983; …

My Lord Lackbeard: Enfranchisement And Expressions Of Beardlessness In Shakespeare’S Canon From 1594 To 1601, C R. Junkins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

William Shakespeare employs a series of male characters specifically described as beardless in those plays performed from 1594 to 1601. Will Fisher argues that such characters reveal early modern conceptions of masculinity; the beard was used in conjunction with other forms of material such as dress and weaponry to construct gender. Mark Albert Johnston notes that beards performed as currencies of exchange, denoting not just masculinity but economic power as well. Rather than signifying a lack or deficiency, the hairless chin is an active participant in a deeply complex tangle of competing political, economic and religious ideologies. Shakespeare's commentary on …

Natural And Anthropogenic Influences On Flow Patterns And Sediment Characteristics In The Dona And Roberts Bay Estuarine System, Sarasota County, Florida, Kyle W. Kelso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Dona and Roberts Bay watershed comprises one of the five major watersheds in Sarasota County, Florida. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico via Venice Inlet. Like many estuaries in the Florida, significant modifications have been made to the drainage basins, principally to the main tributaries. The system has undergone several anthropogenic modifications to enhance water management efforts. Creeks that comprise fresh water input into the system have been dammed in order to inhibit the upstream flow of salt water during the dry season. They are also deepened or lengthened to allow for better drainage. In addition, biogenic …

Source Credibility And Public Information Campaigns: The Effect Of Audience Evaluations Of Organizational Sponsors On Message Acceptance, Deena G. Kemp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study establishes a link between research on organizational source credibility and the effects of public information campaigns. Research has established that source credibility is one factor audiences evaluate when responding to messages and that credible information sources enhance message acceptance, while untrustworthy sources can interfere with desired message effects. Although source credibility studies have typically focused on the person delivering a message, recent studies indicate that audience perceptions of the organization sponsoring a message has a direct effect on message acceptance as well. Additionally, a few studies indicate that non-profit sources of health information are viewed as more credible, …

Crystallization Studies Of Epigallocatechin Gallate, Sheshanka Kesani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flavonoids are a long and well known class of natural products. Their potential health benefits can be attributed to their antioxidant activity, and modulation of cell signaling pathways. Green tea one of the most widely consumed beverages, consist of flavonoids such as catechins and tannins. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) the major catechin of green tea exhibits multiple health benefits due to its antioxidant nature. The radical scavenging activity of EGCG is attributed to its structure. Therefore, a study on molecular features of EGCG would provide valuable information on structural modifications, which may change the physiochemical properties such as bioavailability and solubility. …

Nonlinear Dependence And Extremes In Hydrology And Climate, Shiraj Khan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The presence of nonlinear dependence and chaos has strong implications for predictive modeling and the analysis of dominant processes in hydrology and climate. Analysis of extremes may aid in developing predictive models in hydro-climatology by giving enhanced understanding of processes driving the extremes and perhaps delineate possible anthropogenic or natural causes. This dissertation develops and utilizes different set of tools for predictive modeling, specifically nonlinear dependence, extreme, and chaos, and tests the viability of these tools on the real data. Commonly used dependence measures, such as linear correlation, cross-correlogram or Kendall's tau, cannot capture the complete dependence structure in data …

Regulation Of Mdmx Nuclear Import And Degradation By Chk2 And 14-3-3, Cynthia Lebron

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The MDM2 homolog MDMX is an important regulator of p53 during mouse embryonic development. DNA damage promotes MDMX phosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and degradation by MDM2. Here we show that MDMX copurifies with 14-3-3, and DNA damage stimulates MDMX binding to 14-3-3. Chk2-mediated phosphorylation of MDMX on S367 is important for stimulating 14-3-3 binding, MDMX nuclear import by a cryptic NLS, and degradation by MDM2. Mutation of MDMX S367 inhibits ubiquitination and degradation by MDM2, and prevents MDMX nuclear import. Expression of 14-3-3 stimulates the degradation of phosphorylated MDMX. Chk2 and 14-3-3 cooperatively stimulate MDMX ubiquitination and overcome the inhibition of …

The Turn Of The Screw’S Debated Phantasms: The Role Of The Fantastic In The Creation Of Peter Quint And Miss Jessel, Susan Savage Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When Henry James sat down to write his "amusette" as he called The Turn of the Screw (1898), he created various ambiguities in the text as a means of confusing and surprising his readers or, in other words, catching them off guard. Over a century later, the mysterious ambiance surrounding the novella has not become any clearer. While critics from Edmund Wilson to Edna Kenton have analyzed the work from a somewhat psychoanalytical perspective, stating that the ghosts of Miss Jessel and Peter Quint are merely figments of the governess's imagination, Tzvetan Todorov and Rosemary Jackson examine James's work through …

The Chivalric Gawain, Carleigh Leffert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The principal objective of this paper is to analyze Sir Gawain's efforts to balance the conflicting requirements of the Code of Chivalry with the basic needs of human nature to develop insights into the Gawain's character. Using an amalgamated definition of chivalry as the standard, I will examine Gawain's attempts to achieve his goal of being the perfect chivalric knight, determine the nature of his obstacles, and analyze the development of his character. In trying to live up to perfection, Gawain discovers that he is not perfect.

An Analysis Of Origen’S Charismatic Ideology In His Commentary On The Gospel Of John, Kimberly W. Logan-Hudson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to examine whether Origen projects a charismatic ideology within his Commentary on the Gospel of John. Five characteristics will be utilized during the process: (1) Charismatic authority is given directly from God and only God; (2) Those who have been chosen sought and maintain the position; (3) Individuals must recognize this authority along with others; (4) Those with charismatic authority must mediate God's word for others; (5) This authority may only belong to individuals within the one body of the church. In analyzing Books 1, 2, 6, and 10 along with these five characteristics, the thesis will …